104 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  31,  1901. 
flavour.  Like  all  late  Grapes,  it  requires  a  long  time  to  grow  and 
perfeot  the  crop,  therefore  should  be  started  sufficiently  early,  so  that 
the  Vines  may  have  the  benefit  of  the  best  time  of  the  year — April  to 
September — in  which  to  grow  and  ripen  their  crop.  The  house  ought 
to  be  put  in  order,  and  everything  essential  in  respeot  of  cleanliness  to 
the  Vines  effected  without  delay. 
He  Kitchen  Garden. 
Carrots. 
ICareots  are  rather  particular  as  to  the  ground  they  can  be  cultivated 
upon,  succeeding  best  in  well  worked,  deep  sandy  soils.  Heavy  retentive 
soil  or  that  of  a  lumpy  character  is  not  suitable,  because  clean  roots  cannot 
be  produced  in  it.  Some  of  the  Horn  varieties  may  succeed  fairly 
well  if  a  strong  endeavour  is  made  to  break  down  the  stubborn  particles 
and  render  the  soil  pulverised  so  that  the  roots  can  readily  penetrate  it. 
The  Horn  or  stump  rooted  varieties  can  do  this  better  than  the  long 
varieties,  which  are  necessarily  very  slender  when  the  tap  root  is  first 
forming.  Where  deep  loamy  soil  exists  which  is  also  sandy,  no  better 
ground  can  be  found  for  the  Long  Red,  Surrey,  and  Altrincham  varieties. 
The  earliest  crops  of  Carrots  are  obtained  from  frames  cultivating 
the  French  and  Parisian  forcing  varieties,  Veitch’s  Scarlet  Model, 
Sutton’s  Early  Gem,  and  Early  Short  Horn.  A  hotbed  of  leaves  and 
manure  should  be  formed,  throwing  together  a  good  body  of  these 
materials  into  a  heap  to  ferment,  then  turn  them  several  times  so  as  to  mix 
well  and  rid  the  bulk  of  strong  heat.  This  will  insure  a  lasting  and 
moderate  heat  when  the  hotbed  is  put  together,  whether  built  into  a 
heap  with  a  frame  on  top  or  placed  inside  a  brick  enclosure  having  a  fixed 
or  movable  frame  attached  to  it.  The  hotbed  ought  to  be  made  firm. 
By  this  means  only  can  the  heat  be  steadily  retained.  Place  on  the 
hotbed  about  6  inches  of  old  potting  soil,  firming  it  and  making  level. 
Form  narrow  drills  with  a  straight  lath  having  a  flat  edge,  pressing  it 
evenly  into  the  soil  about  an  inch  deep.  Scatter  the  seed  thinly  and 
regularly,  covering  with  similarly  fine  material,  and  leave  the  surface 
quite  level.  The  soil  should  be  moist  but  not  wet.  Place  on  the  lights 
and  keep  the  frame  closed  until  the  seed  germinates,  when  air  must 
be  given  in  quantities  daily  according  to  the  weather,  so  that  the 
seedlings  may  grow  sturdily.  Thinning  the  young  seedlings  will  be  the 
next  process,  removing  at  every  operation  the  most  crowded,  finally 
leaving  the  plants  3  inches  apart.  At  this  distance  they  will  form 
useful  early  roots. 
Raising  Early  Vegetables  in  Boxes. 
From  various  causes  there  are  so  many  elements  of  uncertainty  in 
raising  plants  outdoors  early  in  the  season  that  many  cultivators  have 
recourse  to  the  plan  of  sowing  various  kinds  of  the  choicest  vegetables 
in  boxes  under  glass,  thus  obtaining  strong  young  plants  ready  to  plant 
out  as  soon  as  the  weather  permits  of  their  becoming  established  and 
progressing  unchecked. 
Growers  of  Onions  for  exhibition,  and  others  who  desire  large  bulbs, 
find  it  very  advantageous  to  sow  seed  in  boxes  in  February  in  a  cool 
house,  and  grow  in  an  airy,  light  position  until  April,  when  the 
young  plants  can  be  gradually  hardened  and  planted  in  rows  in 
rich,  well  prepared  ground.  There  is  no  tedious  thinning,  the  plants 
soon  become  established,  and  grow  with  remarkable  vigour. 
An  early  crop  of  summer  Cauliflowers  may  be  secured  by  sowing  seed 
at  once  in  a  box.  No  further  amount  of  heat  is  necessary  than  that 
which  is  applied  to  keep  frost  out  of  a  structure,  a  greenhouse 
temperature  sufficing  to  bring  on  the  plants  quickly  enough.  Too  much 
heat  is  of  course  an  evil,  as  it  tends  to  weaken  and  draw  the  growth. 
When  the  seed  has  germinated  light  and  plenty  of  air  are  required  to 
keep  the  small  plants  sturdy.  An  important  matter  is  not  to  sow  the 
seed  thickly,  as  by  doing  so  a  weak  growth  must  result  before  the 
seedlings  have  attained  to  a  size  large  enough  to  prick  out  in  other 
boxes  to  strengthen.  The  latter  operation  may  be  carried  out  when 
the  first  rough  leaf  has  formed.  Prick  out  in  boxes  4  inches  deep, 
placing  a  layer  of  manure  at  the  bottom,  and  fill  up  with  rich  soil  made 
firm.  As  soon  as  established  keep  in  fall  light,  and  constantly  admit 
abundance  of  air,  transferring  the  boxes  later  on  to  frames  where  on 
favourable  occasions  full  exposure  can  be  given. 
Early  plants  of  B  ussels  Sprouts  may  also  be  raised  in  the  same 
way.  A  better  way  of  treating  the  seedlings  of  these  and  Cauliflowers 
is  to  prick  them  out  in  frames  instead  of  boxes,  but  as  this  is  not  always 
practicable,  owing  to  the  want  of  frame  room,  boxes  must  be  used 
instead. 
The  early  sowing  in  boxes  is  an  excellent  method  of  raising  Red 
Habbage  to  secure  plants,  and  obtaining  useful  hearts  for  use  the  same 
season.  Lettuces  may  be  considerably  forwarded  in  growth  by  the 
simple  method  of  sowing  seed  thinly  in  boxes,  pricking  out  in  other 
boxes  or  frames,  and  transferring  good  plants  later  to  permanent  rich 
positions  on  a  warm  border. — S. 
Cranberries  In  January.  —  An  Aberdeenshire  correspondent 
writes  : — “  As  an  evidence  of  the  unusually  mild  winter,  may  I  mention 
that  on  Monday,  upon  ascending  a  mountain  about  1200  feet  high  on 
the  upper  range  of  the  Deeside  valley,  I  was  able  to  gather  a  plentiful 
supply  of  Cranberries.  The  fruit  was  in  excellent  condition,  and  I  was 
able  to  secure  a  sufficient  quantity  to  make  a  tart,  which  may  certainly 
be  regarded  as  the  first  Cranberry  tart  of  this  century.” 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be  directed 
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. 
Veltha  for  Rust  in  Chrysanthemums  (A.  P.  P.). — Probably  the 
Yeltha  to  which  “  H.”  alluded  on  page  52  was  that  known  as  Yeltha 
emulsion,  and  is  for  use  over  the  foliage.  It  is  a  proprietary  article 
prepared  and  sold  by  Messrs.  Wm.  Wood  &  Son,  Ltd.,  Wood  Green, 
London,  N.,  the  firm  frequently  advertising  in  our  columns. 
Repotting  Coelogyne  cristata  (Amateur).  —  If  your  plants  of 
Ccelogyne  cristata  are  at  all  crowded,  so  that  the  new  growths  have  not 
room  for  their  full  development,  by  all  means  cut  out  any  exhausted 
pseudo-bulbs.  These,  however,  will  not  include  all  that  have  begun  to 
shrivel,  for  with  some  varieties  of  this  plant  even  the  last  made  bulbs 
shrivel  a  little  at  this  time  of  year.  It  is  not  a  good  plan  for  anyone 
inexperienced  in  Orchid  growing  to  cut  their  plants  about  at  all,  but 
you  will  be  quite  safe  in  removing  any  that  are  leafless  if  they  happen 
to  be  in  your  way.  If  not  leave  them  alone. 
Propagating  Variegated  Aucubis  (IF.  IT.). — Healthy,  short-jointed 
branchlets  from  9  inches  to  a  foot  in  length,  more  than  half  divested  of 
leaves,  deeply  and  firmly  inserted  in  sandy  soil,  in  a  cool  frame  in 
September,  kept  close  and  shaded  for  a  time,  emit  roots  freely.  We 
have  seen  many  plants  raised  by  inserting  such  cuttings  in  the  open 
ground  on  the  north  side  of  a  wall  in  August,  sprinkling  them 
occasionally  if  the  weather  be  dry.  They  would  root  even  now  outside 
if  the  present  mild  weather  continue,  which,  however,  cannot  be 
expected.  The  cuttings  may  also  be  rooted  at  this  time  of  the  year  in 
pots  in  a  warm  pit  or  propagating  case,  the  pots  being  plunged  in  gentle 
bottom  heat. 
Plant  for  Covering  Thorn  Faggots  Laid  against  Wooden  Rails  as 
Protection  from  very  Heavy  and  very  Salt  Gales  ( Ret  RailL)  — The  very 
best  subjeoh,  and  one  employed  extensively  on  the  north-east  coast  of 
Yorkshire,  and  also  on  the  coast  of  Wales,  as  well  as  other  maritime 
parts  of  England  and  Wales,  is  the  Barbary  Box  Thorn,  Lycium 
barbarum,  an  ornamental  climbing  shrub  belonging  to  the  natural  order 
Solanacese,  flowering  from  May  to  lugust.  The  flowers  are  twin, 
extra-axdlary,  pedicillate,  corolla  with  a  purple  limb  and  yellow  base  ; 
branches  angular,  dependent.  It  is  not  only  perfectly  hardy  in  such 
description  of  positions  as  those  you  mention,  but  bears  constant 
exposure  to  sea  winds  as  well  as  any  shrub  we  know  of,  though  it  is 
not,  perhaps,  as  excellent  as  an  all-round  shrub  for  planting  as  a  shelter 
by  the  sea  coast  as  the  Sea  Buckthorn,  Hippophae  rhamtoides.  Hedges 
of  the  Box  Thorn  are  readily  formed  by  placing  the  plants  about  a 
yard  apart,  and  as  they  grow  placing  in  a  few  stakes  here  and  there 
along  the  line  of  fence,  the  stakes  being  well  driven  into  the  ground. 
It  will  grow  in  pure  sand,  and  when  lashed  by  the  waves.  We  hope 
shortly  to  publish  an  article  on  seaside  planting. 
Cyperus  Decayed  in  the  Centres  ( W .  C.). — We  have  very  carefully 
examined  the  specimens  microscopically,  but  failed  to  find  any  parasitic 
micro-organisms  of  either  an  animal  or  vegetable  nature.  The  decay 
does  not  appear  to  us  to  arise  from  the  root,  root  stem,  or  basal  portion  of 
the  leaves,  these  parts  being  perfectly  healthy  where  the  decay  has  not 
penetrated  downward  to  that  extent.  We,  therefore,  attribute  the 
destruction  of  the  “hearts”  of  the  several  stems  to  the  attacks  of  the 
black  fly,  whieh  is  in  the  wingless  or  “virgin  female,”  viviparous  stage. 
This  is  the  species  usually  found  on  Sedges,  also  on  grasses,  and 
has  been  given  the  name  of  Aphis  cyperae.  The  aphis  on  the  Cyperus 
is  black,  or  appears  so,  and  fastens  on  the  tender  leaves  in  the  centre  of 
the  several  stems,  and  by  its  sucking  of  the  juices  causes  their  decay, 
which  once  set  up  passes  from  cell  to  cell  downward  by  absorption  of 
the  decayed  solved  matter,  practically  destroying  the  “  hearts,”  central 
or  growing  axis.  The  evil  is  aggravated  by  syringing  or  watering 
overhead,  and  even  from  the  moisture  which  becomes  deposited  on  the 
leaves  and  settles  in  the  centres  of  the  plants.  We  should  spray  the 
plants  occasionally  with  nicotine  essence,  one  part  in  fifty  parts  water, 
or  London  tobacco  juice  diluted  with  about  ten  parts  of  water,  partly 
as  a  deterrent  of  attack  and  partly  as  a  remedial  measure.  The  liquid 
should  not  be  used  excessively,  merely  coating  with  the  finest  possible 
film,  and  water  should  be  withheld  overhead,  or  until  the  plants  have 
recovered  from  the  attacks  of  the  aphides.  Vaporisation  with  the 
nicotine  liquid  prepared  for  the  purpose  would  no  doubt  destroy  the 
aphides,  though  being  sealed  in  “  hearts  ”  between  rising  leaves  they 
are  somewhat  difficult  to  reach,  hence  liquid  is  advised  in  case  of  attack, 
it  not  being  bad  practice  to  invert  the  plants  after  this  has  been  acting  > 
for  a  time,  so  as  to  run  off  the  surplus  liquor. 
