84 
journal  of  horticulture  and  cottage  gardener. 
Febiuar)’  2,  1899. 
( -  Richmond  Horticultural  Society. — "We  are  requested  to 
state  that  the  twenty-fifth  annual  Exhibition  of  thi.s  Society  has  been 
fixed  for  Wednesday,  28th  June,  1899,  in  the  Old  Deer  Park,  Richmond. 
The  Secretary  is  Mr.  C.  R.  Kiny,  George  Street,  Richmond,  Surrey. 
‘  - -  A  Gardener's  Almanac.— Mr.  S.  Heaton,  the  energetic 
Secretary  of  the  Isle  of  Wight  Gardeners’  Association,  has  sent  us  a 
copy  of  the  Society’s  Almanac  for  1899.  It  is  a  most  creditable  pro¬ 
duction,  combining  the  artistic  and  the  useful  in  the  best  degree.  In 
size  it  is  about  3  feet  4  inches  in  depth  by  2  feet  in  width,  and  the 
whole  of  the  sheet  is  covered  with  calendarial  notes,  tables,  postal  infor¬ 
mation.  lists  of  members,  and  other  matter  of  horticultural  interest. 
-  'COTONEASTER  MICROPHYLLA.— What  a  splendid  plant  this  is 
for  the  winter  decoration  of  walls,  banks,  and  rustic  fences.  Covering  the 
whole  of  the  south  front  of  a  neighbouring  cottage  is  a  magnificent 
specimen,  fully  12  feet  hi2:h,  and  loaded  with  its  attractive  berries.  The 
warmth  derived  from  the  wall  no  doubt  has  much  to  do  with  its  freedom 
of  fruit  production.  Be  that  as  it  may,  this  evergreen  might  with 
advantage  be  much  more  freely  employed  for  such  a  position  than  it  seems 
to  be  at  present. — E.  M. 
r 
.  ^  The  Frost. — The  recent  spell  of  moderate  frost  has  been 
serviceable  in  solidifying  sap,  and  holding  what  threatened  to  be 
precocious  leaf  and  flower  development  in  useful  check.  But  still  little  of 
good  will  have  been  done  if  followed  at  once  by  a  mild  forcing  variation. 
We  need  such  weather  as  was  the  frost  for  a  month  at  least,  and  that 
would  then  leave  us  on  the  margin  of  March,  when  with  more  sunlight 
apd  prolonged  days  much  useful  garden  work  may  be  done.  The  spell 
of  frost  has  enabled  much  moving  of  manure  and  other  soil  dressings  to 
be  done  freely  without  harming  the  soil  or  garden  paths.  It  has  helped 
the  work  of  tree  pruning  where  neglected,  and  it  has  specially  facilitated 
the  collection  of  leaves  for  storing  and  decaying  where  too  much  moisture 
has  been  in  the  wa}%  Altogether  we  are  getting  an  ideal  winter.— D. 
'  '  Outdoor  Violets. — Owing  to  the  extremely  mild  season 
experienced  up  to  the  present  there  has  been  no  lack  of  these  sweet 
flowers,  which  are  always  welcome.  At  the  time  of  writing  established 
plants  of  The  Czar,  growing  under  the  protection  of  a  fruit  wall,  are 
throwing  up  an  abundance  of  flower,  and  though  the  stems  are  vet  short, 
they  are  none  the  less  appreciated.  It  is  not  everyone  who  has  the 
facilities  for  growing  Violets  in  frames,  and  in  the  absence  of  such 
greater  store  is  set  on  the  outdoor  blooms.  There  are  few  gardens  which 
do  not  possess  sheltered  nooks  and  corners  suitable  for  the  reception  of 
such  varieties  as  Princess  of  Wales  and  the  old  favour!  e  mentioned 
above.  When  warm  spring  days  appear  they  flower  profusely,  and  the 
blooms  which  are  obtained  now  seem  all  the  sweeter  and  more  pleasing 
because  they  come  a  little  before  the  orthodox  time. — H. 
— —  Flowers  and  Vegetables  in  Tibet.— Messrs.  James 
Carter  &  Co.  write  from  237,  High  Holborn  : — “Although  many  parts 
of  this  enormous  Central  Asian  territory  have  not  yet  be?n  trodden  by 
Europeans,  it  may  interest  you  to  know  that  we  have  a  lady  customer  at 
•1;  along  the  only  British  resident,  we  believe,  in  that  city — who  possesses 
a  garden  and  grows  vegetables  and  flowers.  Her  communications  reach 
us  with  regularity  via  Darjiling.  Quite  recently  we  have  received  a 
report  upon  the  value  and  adaptability  of  these  products  in  that  climate, 
10,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  where  snow  falls  sometimes  in  May 
and  begins  again  in  October.  Amongst  the  information  given  we  are 
told  that  Tomatoes  produce  flowers  but  no  fruit.  Onions  decline  to  form  a 
bulb  ;  Cabbage,  Carrot,  Turnip,  and  Mustard  and  Cress  are  excellent, 
“Peas  are  good  at  certain  times.  Nearly  all  our  common  garden  flowers 
proved  a  success.” 
-  School  Children’s  Herbaria. — Of  the  premiums  offered 
for  herbaria  to  the  school  children  of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  Mrs. 
Selipr  says,  in  “Meehan’s  Monthly  We  have  had  our  herbarium 
exhibition  of  what  the  school  children  brought  together.  It  was  the 
centre  of  attraction  at  the  Chrysanthemum  Show,  and  a  more  pleasing 
feature  one  cannot  well  imagine.  Notably  perfect  was  the  arrangement 
of  displaying  the  flower  sheets  on  double  screens,  hooked  together  and 
standing  free,  with  a  passage  between  the  rows.  This  showed  to  great 
advantage  the  specimen  collected.  About  6000  of  such  had  been  sent  in 
for  the  contest.  All  of  them  had  some  merit  of  more  or  less  degree,  and 
considering  this  is  the  first  occasion  that  this  has  been  set  in  motion  it 
was  a  grand  success.  Many  visitors  were  surprised  that  we  have  so  many 
native  flowers,  but  you  know  the  least  and  often  most  noxious  weeds 
jmake  the  prettiest  specimens  for  herbaria,  while  bright  and  showy 
flowers  mostly  show  to  disadvantage  on  account  of  having  lost  their 
colours.” 
-  Protecting  Celery^  from  Frost.  —  Frost  and  damp  com¬ 
bined  are  injurious  to  Celery  at  this  period,  and  some  simple  but  effectual 
means  must  be  provided  in  order  to  protect  the  plants  which  remain  in 
the  ground."  Covering  with  litter  may  serve  a  temporary  purpose,  but  it 
is  not  sufficiently  reliable  as  a  complete  protection  except  for  the  soil. 
The  best  plan  is  to  nail  two  boards  together  and  invert  over  the  plants, 
using  litter  for  the  ridge  below.  This  covering  may  be  easily  removed 
and  readily  replaced. — S. 
-  Lawns  Old  and  New.— .If  this  had  been  the  title  of  a  well 
printed  and  illustrated  manual  just  issu-''d  by  Messrs.  James  Carter  &Co.y 
few  persons  would  have  disputed  its  i appropriateness.  However,  though 
the  actual  title  is  somewhat  more  diffuse,  it  is  not  less  expressive  of  the 
matter  over  some  twenty  pages.  This  pertains  to  the  formation  and 
renovation  of  lawns  for  various  purposes  and  grassy  grounds  generally- 
The  information  is  clear,  concise,  and  practical,  evidently  the  outcome  of 
successful  experience,  and  the  details  may  be  followed  with  advantage  in 
carrying  out  the  lawn  work  described. 
-  Asparagus. — In  making  a  new  plantation  of  Asparagus  from- 
seedling  plants,  whether  ih  single  rows  or  in  beds,  it  is  advisable  to  grow 
the  plants  two  years  before  finally  planting  them  for  the  purpose  of 
separating  the  male  from  the  female  roots.  It  may  not  be  generally 
known  that  the  male  plants  throw  up  a  much  larger  per-centage  of  stalks, 
and  therefore  are  the  more  desirable.  In  testing  the  roots  for  this- 
purpose  all  those  that  bear  seed  berries  the  second  year  shoilld  be  dis¬ 
carded.  If  the  plants  are  put  out  in  rows  3  fdet  wide,  taking  out  a 
trench  9  inches  deep,  the  soil  can  be  thrown  into  a  ridge  down  the  centre- 
upon  which  some  summer  crop  may  be  grown.  The  soil  can  be  employed 
annually  for  blanching  the  Asparagus  heads  where  this  form  of  production 
is  appreciated.  The  trenches,  too,  afford  ample  scope  for  watering  the 
roots  with  liquid  manure  to  assist  vigorous  growth. — E.  Molyneux. 
-  Marguerite  Carnatio^is.  — I  notice  Mr.  A.  Outram,  in  his- 
notes  on  Lutoo  Hoo  Park  on  page  30,  speaks  of  the  Marguerite  Car¬ 
nations,  lifted  from  the  open  ground,  that  he  saw  in  flower  there.  It 
is  questionable  whether  the  usefulness  of  this  class  of  Carnations  is 
fully  appreciated  for  providing  bright  flowers  at  a  dull  time  of  the 
year.  Not  only  are  they  useful  when  lifted  in  the  way  described  by 
your  correspondent,  but  also  when  grown  entirely  as  greenhouse 
plants.  A  method  followed  successfully  by  the  writer  was  that  of  sowing 
in  shallow  pans  early  in  March  and  allowing  the  seeds  to  germinate 
on  a  shelf  in  a  warm  pit.  The  first  potting  w-as  into  4-inch  pots, 
growing  the  plants  near  the  light  in  a  cool  compartment.  Subsequent 
shifts  were  given  till  the  plants  were  in  6- inch  pots,  in  which  size  they 
flowered.  A  co’d  frame  or  a  sheltered  position  outdoors  is  suitable  for 
the  plants  during  the  summer,  and  in  the  autumn  and  winter  they  make 
a  bright  show  in  the  greenhouse  and  conservatory.  '  There  is  generally  a 
percentage  of  single  flowers,  but  this  is  only  small  if  the  strain  from 
which  the  seeds  are  obtained  is  a  good  one.  The  lateness  of  the  flowering 
season  is  a  drawback  to  grow-ing  Marguerite  Carnations  outdoors,  but  if 
plants  well  studded  with  buds  are  lifted  in  the  autumn  without  unduly 
disturbing  the  balls  of  soil,  and  placed  in  pots  large  enough  for  their 
reception,  they  will  produce  an  abundance  of  bloom  during  the  winter,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  plants  at  Luton  Hoo. — G.  H.  H. 
-  Condition  of  the  Soil. — It  is  very  interesting  to  find  that 
almost  everywhere,  in  spite  of  our  having  so  far  had  a  very  rainy  winter, 
the  soil  is  in  a  good  working  condition.  The  recent  spell  of  frost,  and 
with  it  drying  east  wind,  has  done  wonders  in  improving  the  surface,  and 
would  the  dryness  but  endure  for  a  week  or  two,  it  would  be  very  possible 
to  'sow  early  hardy  seeds  under  adniirable  conditions.  Not  that  I 
encourage  too  early  sowing  of  seeds,  the  resultant  plants  of  which  may 
suffer  from  later  cold,  but  often  when  the  ground  is  in  a  very  favourable 
condition,  sowings  made  early  turnout  better  than  later  ones,  made  when 
perhaps  the  soil  is  too  wet,  and  working  and  treading  cause  it  to  become 
clinging  and  hard.  He  is  a  wise  gardener  who  makes  the  most  of 
favourable  opportunities,  and  in  the  winter  these  may  not  occur  too  often. 
I  have  taken  stock  of  the  country  places,  the  roadsides  and  ditches  in 
many  directions  just  recently,  and  in  spite  of  our  having  had  such  heavy 
rainfalls,  have  noticed  how  rapidly  the  water  has  passed  away.  That 
shows  that  the  lower  subsoils  are  yet  far  from  being  saturated.  I  have 
seen  very  diverse  evidence  of  the  rainfall  in  some  previous  walks,  when, 
water  has  been  seen  almost  everywhere.  Now  it  is  only  in  the  rivet*  or 
stream  bottoms  that  there  is  any  material  evidence  of  its  presence,  and 
even  then  a  dry  day  or  two  reduces  these  evidences  greatly.  During 
February  we  ought  to  have  very  much  rain,  yet  if  the  soil's  requirements 
are  to  be  fully  met,  should  wo  now  have  a  dry  spring,  as  surely  there  will 
be  a  cry  for  more  rain  very  early  in  the  summer. — Cultivator. 
