Octo^er  1,  1896, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
323 
strange  stories  could  be  related  from  the  experiences  of  old  hands  who 
have  adjudicated  for  many  years.  We  all  want  tuition  in  judging,  and 
societies  would  be  all  the  better  to  have  some  definite  rules.  Good 
varieties  with  a  minimum  of  cultivation  are  supposed  by  some  to  be  the 
prizetakers,  and  inferior  sorts  well  cultivated  are  on  the  other  hand  often 
placed  where  they  should  not  be. 
Reverting  to  judges,  I  think  during  the  past  season  at  the  largest 
flhowa  in  the  North  officials  and  others  seem  to  have  emulated  each 
other  in  maintaining  the  position  of  judges.  Catering  for  their  comfort 
is  imperative.  In  the  North  it  is  only  in  special  cases  that  payment  is 
made  to  judges  beyond  their  travelling  expenses,  and  I  never  have  heard 
a  complaint  from  any  of  the  censors  regarding  this.  At  small  struggling 
societies  judges  often  refuse  even  their  travelling  expenses.  It  is  to  be 
ioped  that  the  untoward  experiences  of  “  Old  Provincial  Judge  ”  will 
cease  to  exist. — M.  Temple,  Carron,  N.B, 
NOTES  ON  VEGETABLE  CROPS. 
Raik,  rain,  rain ;  wind,  wind,  wind  ;  with  occasidnal  glimpses  of 
■4'inshine,  seems  to  be  an  accurate  description  of  the  weather  samples 
lately  supplied  to  Britain .  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  sharp  frosts  will  not 
follow  for  some  time  to  come,  otherwise  our  calculation  in  many 
respects  will  be  sorely  upset.  It  behoves  us,  however,  to  be  on  the 
alert  so  as  to  be  prepared  as  far  as  possible  for  its  rueful  sting.  Among 
other  things,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  select  every  favourable  oppor¬ 
tunity  of  pushing  on  work  in  the  kitchen  garden,  for  there  is  much 
requiring  attention,  which  if  longer  delayed  will  assuredly  render  our 
spring  supplies  late,  if  not  minns. 
I  do  not  remember  our  stock  of  Cabbage  plants  intended  for  supply¬ 
ing  heads  early  in  spring  being  so  late  as  they  are  this  season,  notwith¬ 
standing  the  fact  that  the  sowings  were  made  at  the  usual  times.  The 
■weather  was  then  so  extremely  dry  that  it  was  difficult  to  get  the  seed 
^0  germinate  freely,  although  copious  waterings  were  indulged  in.  When 
the  rain  did  come  it  was  so  continuous,  and  was  accompanied  by  such  a 
rapid  fall  in  temperature,  that  plants  in  a  very  young  state  did  not  make 
the  progress  anticipated.  The  result  is  that  late-sown  batches  of 
Lettuce,  Parsley,  Cabbage,  and  Endive  are  scarcely  forward  enough  to 
withstand  sharp  frost  should  they  unfortunately  come  soon.  A  fine 
October,  such  as  we  experienced  last  year,  will,  however,  completely 
alter  the  aspect  of  afEairs.  This,  however,  we  are  by  no  means  certain  of 
having,  so  the  order  of  the  day  should  be  to  get  everything  pricked  out 
as  quickly  as  possible.  A  warm  position  in  front  of  a  wall  should  be 
selected,  and  the  ground  having  been  dug  as  soon  as  dry  enough 
ought  to  receive  a  good  surface  dressing  of  perfectly  dry  wood  ashes. 
Lettuce  plants  can  then  be  pricked  out  from  2  to  3  inches  apart,  Endive 
"3,  and  Cabbage  too  small  for  placing  in  permanent  quarters,  6 ;  this 
will  induce  the  plants  to  grow  sturdily  so  as  to  bear  without  injury  a 
far  greater  amount  of  frost  than  they  would  if  left  thickly  in  the  seed 
bed,  or  if  the  transplanting  were  longer  delayed. 
If  a  frame  can  be  spared  for  Parsley,  young  plants  should  now  be 
inserted  in  it  3  inches  apart.  Alternate  plants  can  then  be  lifted  early 
in  spring  and  planted  in  warm  positions  in  the  open  air,  and  those  left  in 
the  frame  will  supply  sprays  for  picking  at  a  time  when  it  is  usually 
scarce.  Early  spring  is  usually  the  time  when  Parsley  is  at  a  premium. 
Slugs,  as  might  be  expected,  have  been  unusually  troublesome  during 
the  last  few  weeks.  Catching  and  killing  them  is  a  tedious  business, 
but  it  must  be  done  in  the  case  of  the  larger  ones ;  numbers  of  very  small 
ones,  however,  do  a  great  amount  of  damage  to  young  plants.  The  plan 
I  have  found  to  succeed  the  best  in  stopping  their  depredations  is  to 
Aust  the  beds  frequently  with  powdered  lime  and  wood  ashes  mixed  in 
equal  proportions. 
Any  Cabbage  plants  that  are  large  enough  should,  during  the  next 
fortnight,  be  planted  in  their  permanent  positions ;  but  unless  they  are 
of  good  size,  it  is  better  to  leave  them  in  a  warm  sunny  border  till 
the  spring.  I  have  treated  them  in  various  ways,  and  have  found  that 
•to  be  by  far  the  best  plan,  and  often  the  only  safe  one  when  severe 
winters  are  experienced.  I  still  rely  principally  upon  Ellam’s  Early, 
ior  it  is  very  hard  to  beat  when  considered  from  the  combined  points  of 
earliness  and  hardiness. 
Although  the  recent  cold  wet  weather  has  not  been  favourable  to  the 
growth  of  very  young  plants,  established  crops  seem  to  have  revelled  in 
it.  Celery  is  generally  in  fine  condition.  There  has  lately  been  con¬ 
siderable  difficulty  in  catching  the  soil  dry  enough  to  commence  earthing 
-those  midseason  and  late  rows,  but  1  think  no  alarm  need  be  felt 
on  that  point,  as  we  usually  have  a  few  slight  frosts  as  “  warnings  ” 
before  one  sharp  enough  to  injure  unearthed  Celery  comes.  When  the 
earthing  is  taken  in  hand  it  should  now  be  almost  completed  in  one  opera¬ 
tion,  as  there  is  little,  if  anything,  gained  by  doing  it  on  the  piecemeal 
plan.  Lime  and  soot  should  be  frequently  sprinkl^  along  the  trenches 
-to  keep  down  slugs,  and  also  nourish  the  plants  daring  this  showery 
weather.  This  we  have  lately  been  doing  with  a  fine  late  breadth,  and 
it  has  been  refreshing  to  watch  the  rapid  growth  going  on.  Leeks,  too, 
■under  the  same  cultured  conditions  have  been  growing  apace,  and  when 
the  final  earthing  has  been  done  the  ridges  will  appear  almost  like  those 
of  Celery. 
One  other  important  point  should  be  rigidly  observed  in  the  kitchen 
.garden  at  this  season,  being  to  clear  the  ground  between  crops  of  all 
weeds  except  the  very  smallest,  and  then  whenever  a  dry  day  occurs  to 
ikeep  the  hoe  going  so  as  to  leave  a  loose  surface.  This  will,  even  at  this 
.season,  help  greatly  in  forwarding  young  crops,  so  as  to  make  them 
tsufficiently  hardy  to  withstand  sharp  frosts. — A  Kitchen  Gardener. 
Events  op  the  Week. — To-day  (Thursday)  the  Great  Fruit  Show 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  will  be  opened  at  the  Crystal  Palace  ; 
while  on  Tuesday  next  the  National  Chrysanthemum  Society  will  hold  a 
show  in  the  Royal  Aquarium, 
-  Weather  tn  London. — The  weather  in  the  metropolis  has 
varied  considerably  during  the  past  seven  days.  Heavy  showers  have 
fallen,  while  there  have  been  intervals  of  brilliant  sunshine  with  clear, 
bright  nights. 
-  The  Nb'W  Californian  Violet.  —  Would  some  of  your 
readers  give  as  their  experience  of  this  new  Violet  grown  outdoors  ?  I 
am  in  receipt  of  a  large  bunch,  of  great  size,  fragrance,  and  length  of 
stalk,  from  my  old  friend  Mr.  Canned  of  Swanley,  but  can  hardly 
imagine,  so  early  in  the  season,  they  have  been  grown  in  the  open  air. 
With  stems  a  foot  long,  flowers  as  large  as  a  shilling,  tenacity  of 
fragrance,  and  great  staying  power  (if  the  water  is  constantly  changed), 
I  cannot  see  that  any  single  Violet  I  am  acquainted  with  can  approach 
it,  or  is  likely  to  be  grown  to  the  same  extent  in  the  future. — 
W.  J,  Mdrpht,  Clonmel. 
-  Spawning  Pastures  for  Mushrooms. — “  J.  G.”  asks  me  to 
tell  how  this  can  be  successfully  done.  That  is  exactly  what  I  want  to 
know.  But  I  have  read  frequently  during  the  past  few  years  of  owners 
or  occupiers  of  pastures  spawning  them  artificially  in  order  that  they 
could  legally  claim  the  Mushroom  crop  as  the  product  of  cultivation,  and 
thus  prosecute  interlopers.  If  they  have  been  successful,  why  not  others  7 
Only  a  few  days  since  a  gardener  told  me  that  he  had  spawned  pasture, 
but  with  no  success.  The  spawning  of  kitchen  garden  soil  has  been 
successfully  conducted.  However,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  very 
special  seasons  are  needful  to  induce  artificial  spawn  to  become  active. 
The  matter  is  well  worth  further  inquiry. — A.  D. 
-  Tuberoses  at  Bunted  Park.— Complaints  are  often  made 
with  respect  to  the  difficulty  in  inducing  Tuberoses  to  all  throw  up 
blooming  stems  equally,  not  a  few  sometimes  going  blind,  or  have  to 
be  held  over  for  another  season.  I  do  not  know  whether  due  to 
proper  treatment,  for  it  may  be  so,  or  to  excellence  of  roots,  but  I 
noticed  recently  at  Buxted  Park,  Sussex,  several  hucdreds  in  one 
house,  not  one  root  having  gone  blind.  Every  one  had  thrown  up  a  stout 
flower  stem,  and  Mr.  Prinsep  hopes  to  have  the  entire  batch  in  bloom  for 
a  big  shooting  party  next  month,  as  they  are  being  grown  specially  for 
that  purpose,  At  this  place  flower  production  seems  to  be  conducted 
almost  on  market  lines,  for  the  quantities  produced  seem  to  be  immense, 
and  of  everything  conceivable.  Nothing,  however,  is  sold,  but  all  is 
utilised  in  Lady  Portman’s  establishment. — A.  D. 
-  Weather  in  Guernsey. — Since  writing  last  we  have  had  a 
long  spell  of  wet  weather  here,  which,  however,  might  be  expected  after 
the  prolonged  drought  of  the  spring  and  summer.  The  temperature 
has  ruled  remarkably  even,  and  the  changed  appearance  of  vegetation  in 
a  short  time  is  very  great ;  grass  keep  is  now  abundant,  and  all  kinds  of 
roots  seem  to  have  acquired  a  fresh  lease,  and  are  looking  robust  and 
healthy.  The  change,  however,  in  other  respects,  as  regards  the  crops 
under  glass,  has  not  been  a  welcome  one,  for  the  absence  of  sun  heat 
has  had  a  very  retarding  effect  on  the  ripening  of  the  second  crops  of 
Tomatoes.  Grapes  also,  in  some  of  the  unheated  houses,  are  suffering 
from  mildew  consequent  upon  the  owners  not  being  able  to  apply  a 
little  heat  to  keep  out  the  damp.  The  prices  obtained  from  England 
for  Grapes  during  the  past  few  weeks  have  been  ruinously  low,  and 
even  making  allowance  for  many  Hamburghs  being  indifferently 
coloured,  yet  a  return  of  2^d.  to  3i.  and  4d.  per  lb.  is  a  very  absurd 
figure  for  good  fruit,  and  cannot  be  expected  to  put  anything  clear  into 
the  pocket  of  the  grower.  Many  cold  house  growers  are  seriously 
thinking  of  taking  the  Vines  out  and  going  in  for  something  that  will 
pay  better.  This,  however,  can  only  be  done  by  putting  down  boilers 
and  pipes,  and  going  in  for  forcing,  as  it  is  the  early  stuff,  rais^ 
between  Christmas  and  the  end  of  May,  that  pays  best  to  grow  in 
Guernsey.  We  had  a  fair  taste  of  the  igale  last  week,  but  not  much 
'  damage  was  done. — X. 
