212 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  5,  1903. 
Young  Gardeners’  Domain.* 
Freesia  Culture. 
Freesias  can  be  had  in  flower  from  November  to  April  by 
systematic  and  periodical  potting  in  batches.  The  first  batch 
requires  to  be  potted  early  in  July,  consisting  of  good  home 
grown  bulbs,  and  I  am  convinced  more  cultivation  is  required 
to  produce  good  bulbs  than  to  produce  good  flowers.  In  the 
majority  of  establishments  Freesias  are  not  largely  grown,  or 
at  least  not  largely  chough  to  be  made  a  speciality  of ;  and 
consequently,  when  they  have  passed  the  flowering  stage^  and 
have  to  make  room  for  other  flowering  stuff,  they  immediately 
find  a  place  beneath  the  staging,  there  to  be  gradually  dried  off, 
regardless  whether  the  bulbs  have  finished  their  growth  or  not. 
This  course  of  procedure  will  not  produce  bulbs  likely  to  give 
good  results  the  following  season. 
Freesias  require  to  be  kept  growing  so  long  as  they  will 
grow,  until  the  foliage  shows  signs  of  turning  colour;  neither 
should  manure  water  be  withheld.  It  is  as  essential  now  as 
before  flowering.  Under  the  stagings  is  not  the  place  to  dry 
off  the  bulbs;  they  require  all  the  sun  it  is  possible  to  afford. 
One  very  successful  grower  (and  he  is  a  very  large  grower,  too) 
subjects  them  to  what  may  be  termed  roasting,  for  when  com¬ 
paratively  dried  off,  he  lays  the  pots  on  the  hot  water  pipes  to 
finish  maturing  the  bulbs.  From  the  time  of  potting  until  the 
racemes  are  visible,  the  cooler  the  treatment  (so  long  as  they 
are  kept  growing)  the  better  the  results.  Manure  water  in 
moderate  quantities  should  be  afforded.  An  average  truss  con¬ 
sists  of  six  or  se\’en  blooms,  and  though  in  exceptional  cases  ten 
or  eleven  are  produced,  less  than  six  is  oftener  seen. — W.  B. 
The  Up-to-Date  Young  Man 
’Tis  ijassing  strange!  There  was  a  period  when  the  youngster 
was  a  mere  detail ;  it  was  sheer  presumption  on  his  part  to 
express  his  opinions.  But  things  are  now  altered;  young  men 
are  right  up  to  the  front — I  was"*' almost  saying  they  are 
dominant  in  the  present  day.  No  matter  where  one  looks,  the 
young  man  is  there,  and  even  in  horticulture  he  has  forced 
Ills  way!  Moreover,  the  old  hands  do  not  presume  to  stop  him ; 
in  fact,  even  encourage  him,  although  the  unbelieving,  can¬ 
tankerous  old  curmudgeon  may  be  frequently  met  with.  But 
the  up-to-date  young  man  pays  small  heed  to  him ;  indeed,  does 
not  hesitate  to  push  him  aside,  and,  if  necessary,  ride  over  him, 
in  order  to  reach  the  goal  he  seeks.  Our  presiding  genius  of 
the  Domain  desires  the  young  man  to  come  forward,  not  with 
his  fork  and  spade,  but  with  an  even  mightier  weapon,  the 
pen!  This,  then,  is  the  reason  that  I,  one  of  the  young  men, 
seek  an  audience  in  this  department,  not  with  a  view  to  self 
aggrandisement,  but  in  the  hope  of  asserting  some  of  my  views. 
In  the  Christmas  Number,  “  An  Old  Boy  ”  asks  whether  we  are 
going  ahead.  Is  it  for  us  to  say  Is  it  a  time  for  talk  Should 
we  not  call  the  ridicule  of  the  old  hands  upon  our  devoted 
heads  to  say  so.’^  Yet  I,  for  one,  will  risk  it. 
I  can  look  back  upon  my  own  short  life  and  exclaim  “  Bravo ! 
You  arc  going  ahead.”  Yet  I  hesitate  to  declare  myself,  and 
fain  would  hide  myself,  but  not  my  light,  under  a  bushel.  In 
the  lonely  lodging  after  labour  is  done,  though  the  body  is 
resting,  the  mind  is  at  work  in  the  hope  of  footing  it  with  my 
elders.  Favour  is  not  what  I  desire;  rather  an  honest  and 
worthy  fight,  merit  being  the  criterion  to  judge  by.  The  words 
of  “  Old  Boy  ”  concerning  the  unsatisfied  fall  upon  listening  and 
greedy  ears,  in  this  instance!  I  had  the  good  fortune,  or  should 
I  say  misfortune?  to  be  born  unsatisfied.  No  silver  spoon 
appeared  in  my  mouth,  yet  such  I  craved,  and  still  crave,  anj 
in  gardening  I  fancied  I  could  see  my  attainment.  No  forcing 
in  this  instance,  for  many  occupations  came  to  my  hands,  each 
to  be  thrown  aside,  until  gardening  was  the  sphere.  Not  one 
moment’s  hesitation,  not  a  moment’s  despair  as  to  the  ultimate 
outcome,  for  while  my  slower  brethren  still  plod  on  in  the  old 
groove,  giving  no  thought  to  the  future,  satisfied  ■with  a  life 
of  drudgery,  I  can  say,  each  little  success  moves  me  forward. 
Not  very  far  have  I  to  look  back  and  see  myself  drudging 
as  they  do  now.  Have  I  not  friends  that  I  never  before  had  P 
Have  i  not  clothes  that  I  could  never  before  wear?  And  garden¬ 
ing  has  done  it !  A  dandy  self-confessed  am  I,  after  the  work 
is  over.  The  “pub.”  knows  me  not,  neither  does  the  clod. 
Educate  yourself  is  the  inward  prompting,  for  therein  lies 
success.  And  do  I  not  strive? — as  I  trust  many  other  of  my 
colleagues  are  doing.  “Are  not  horticultural  colleges  turning 
out  men  of  education  and  manners?”  continues  my  prompter. 
“  And  shall  they  leave  you  behind  because  you  were  less  fortu¬ 
nate?”  No;  a  thousand  times  no!  For  the  hands  shall  be 
assisted  by  the  brain.  Let  the  stolid  ones  remain  humble  if 
they  choose  it ;  but  Advance  is  my  watchwCrd.  What  care  I  for 
the  sneering  of  the  knowing  ones  :  can  tliey  show  a  better  record, 
even  after  the  lifelong  toil  ?  I  trow  not.  They  in  the  fustian 
*  The  editor  invites  youne:  gardeners  who  are  readers  to  contribute  to  the 
Domain,  and  he  will  at  all  times  endeavour  to  ensure  the  publication  of  their 
letters. 
trousers  and  scarf-covered  necks,  can  they  do  better  than  I 
because  I  wear  a  high  collar  and  gloves?  Well  can  I  recall  the 
amusement  of  these  intellectual  beings  on  my  first  appearance 
wdth  a  smooth  face  and  soft  hands,  and  perhaps  less  strength 
than  they ;  yet  the  laugh  is  on  the  turn. 
This  seemingly  egotistical  note  I  address  to  my  youthful 
colleagues  in  the  hope  that  they  wdll  come  forth  from  their 
hiding  places,  and  show  the  elders  that  the  latter  are  not  entirely 
kings  of  the  pen. — Cupid. 
*  All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be  direett  d 
to  “  The  Editor,”  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street, 
London,  E.C.  It  is  requested  that  no  one  will  write  privately 
to  any  of  our  correspondents,  seeking  information  on  matters 
discussed  in  this  Journal,  as  doing  so  subjects  them  to  unjustifiable 
trouble  and  expense. 
WEBSTER’S  BOOK  ON  TREES  AND  SHRUBS  (F.  W.  A., 
Louisville,  Ky.). — Mr.  Webster  himself  w’ill  reply  to  your 
queries. 
^  INSECT  ON  CATTLEYAS  (Beetle,  Bristol).— Yes,  it  is  the 
Vine  weevil,  and  may  do  damage  to  young  growths.  Remedies 
are  the  same  as  those  we  stated  for  the  red-legged  weevil  on 
page  85. 
SEAKALE  POTS  MADE  OF  GALVANISED  IRON  (T.  B.  W. 
— It  would  be  possible  to  have  Seakale  pots  made  of  galvanised 
iron.  Whether  the  increased  cost  and  suitability  for  the  purpose 
would  be  justifiable  we  are  not  in  a  position  to  say  from  ex¬ 
perience.  We  have  seen,  however,  old  galvanised  pails  placed 
over  Seakale  and  Rhubarb  crowns  to  keep  the  litter  used  for 
blanching  and  protection  clear  of  the  growths,  there  not  being 
any  or  very  little  fermentative  heat,  with  satisfactory  results. 
The  experiment  is  -well  worth  trial  as  the  breakage  of  Seakale 
pots  is,  as  you  say,  a  serious  matter,  either  from  frost  or  rough 
usage. 
WHEAT  AFTER  SAINFOIN  UNSATISFACTORY 
(G.  T.  O.  B.). — The  Wheat  plant  after  Sainfoin,  in  an  unsatisfac¬ 
tory  state,  looking  bad  and  patchy  as  you  think  on  account  of 
wirew’orin,  would  be  improved  by  a  broadcast  apijlication  of 
5  to  7icwt.  per  acre  of  ground  East  Indian  rape  or  mustard  cakes, 
or  other  rape  dusts,  as  the  rape  cake  attracts  the  worm,  which 
eat  it  greedily  in  preference  to  the  corn.  It  is  not  yet,  how'ever, 
proved  that  the  application  of  rape  or  ihustard  cake  for  this 
purpose  is  more  than  a  temporary  remedy,  the  dressing  has  fre¬ 
quently  been  the  means  of  saving  the  crop.  It  should  be  har¬ 
rowed  in  if  possible,  and  the  land  afterwards  well  rolled,  preferably 
with  a  ring  roller.  Or  you  may  apply  a  dressing  of  soot, 
40  bushels  per  acre,  and  afterwards  roll  the  land. 
MANURING  LAND  AFTER  OATS  FOR  POTATOES  (Idem). 
— For  application  to  the  land  spade-dug  for  Potatoes  after  Oats 
and  no  manure  put  on  in  autumn  it  would  not  be  advisable  to 
dig  in  strawy  and  long  manure  at  the  time  of  planting,  as  it 
would  encourage  a  late  growth,  and  induce  a  grossness  highly 
susceptible  to  attack  from  disease.  The  manure  should  be  at 
least  half  rotted,  and  then  it  would  act,  as  you  suppose,  in  hold¬ 
ing  moisture,  while  not  exciting  too  much  growth.  Some  manure 
is  very  important  for  the  Potato  crop,  especially  in  light  land, 
applying,  when  alone,  twenty  tons  per  acre.  Without  manure 
you  may  apply  a  mixture  of  T^cwt.  of  Tape  dust,  3cwt.  of  steamed 
bonemeal,  and  2icwt.,  best  quality,  kainit,  per  acre,  adding,  if 
the  land  is  poor,  l^cwt.  nitrate  of  soda.  Broadcast  the  whole 
before  throwing  out  the  rows,  or  at  least  the  kainit  and  nitrate  of 
soda,  and  in  this  case  the  rape  dust  and  bonemeal  may  be  broad¬ 
casted  whilst  the  rows,  are  open  before  or  after  setting  the 
Potatoes.  The  dressing'is  a  full  one,  and  may  be  reduced  to  half 
if  the  land  is  in  good  heart.  Another  mixture  for  land  in  good 
condition  is  composed  of  S^cwt.  of  rape  dust,  Icwt.  super¬ 
phosphate,  2cwt.  steamed  bonemeal,  and  3cwt.  muriate  of  potash, 
mixed,  per  acre.  “  Up-to-Date  ”  is  the  variety  most  likely  to 
answer  your  purpose. 
NAMES  OF  PLANTS. — Correspondents  whose  queries  are  un¬ 
answered  in  the  present  issue  are  respectfully  requested  to  consult  the 
following  number.  (L.  F.).— 1,  Arbutus  Unedo  ;  2,  Prunus  Amygdalus  ; 
3,  Juniperus  ehinensis.  (J.  F.). — The  Tulip  is  Proserpine.  (A.  B.). — 
1,  Iris  formosa  ;  2,  I.  sindjarensis  ;  3,  the  Chinese  Sacred  Lily 
(Narcissus  Tazetta  var.).  (H.  N.).  1,  Dracaena  (or  Cordyline)  striata 
argentea  ;  2,  Saxifraga  apieulata  ;  3,  Chionodoxa  sardensis;  we  cannot 
undertake  to  name  Carnations.  (J.  M.  A.). — Dendrobium  densiflorum. 
