210 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August' 28,  1S02. 
of  fibrous  roots  with  or  without  soil  attached,  the  final  planting 
may  be  carried  out.  The  rows  should  be  2ft  apart,  and  the 
plants  can,  if  plentiful,  be  placed  1ft  apart,  with  the  intention 
of  taking  out  every  other  in  spring  for  planting  elsewhere  or 
cutting  early.  Rosette  Coleworts  come  in  useful  also  for  plant¬ 
ing  as  a  supplementary  crop,  that  is,  instead  of  utilising  the 
whole  of  the  space  with  Cabbage,  employ  Coleworts,  one  of  the 
latter  between  two  of  the  former,  all  being  1ft  apart. 
SOWING  LETTUCE.— A  last  sowing  of  Lettuce  should  be 
made,  selecting  a  dry,  sheltered  border  having  well  drained 
soil.  Draw  drills  1ft  apart,  -jin  deep,  and  sow  thinly  so  as  to 
encourage  sturdy  plants  from  the  first.  Of  the  Cabbage  vari¬ 
eties  Hammersmith,  Hardy  Green,  and  All  the  Year  Round 
are  good  ;  while  of  the  Cos  Lettuces,  Hicks’  Hardy  White  Cos, 
and  Bath  or  Brown  Cos,  are  excellent. 
PLANTING  LETTUCE. — A  good  breadth  of  strong  seed¬ 
lings  from  an  earlier  sowing  ought  now  to  be  planted  out.  On 
damp  and  heavy  ground  they  are  certain  to  succumb,  therefore 
select  a  light  and  w-ell  drained  position,  inserting  them  in  rows 
about  15in  apart,  the  plants  4in  to  Gin  asunder. 
ONIONS. — Should  the  summer  crop  of  Onions  not  yet  be 
harvested,  it  is  advisable  that  the  first  opportunity  be  seized 
to  pull  them  up.  In  dry,  settled  weather  they  might  remain 
on  the  ground,  or  preferably  be  placed  on  mats  until  the 
outer  skins  are  thoroughly  dry.  Failing  weather  of  the  proper 
character,  convey  them  under  cover  and  allow  them  to  finish 
with  the  assistance  of  plenty  of  air.  Arranged  thinly  in  boxes 
or  on  mats  it  will  be  possible  to  give  them  the  benefit  of  sun¬ 
shine  by  placing  them  outside  on  fine  days. 
POTATOES. — Embx-ace  every  available  opportunity  of  lift¬ 
ing  Potatoes,  sorting,  drying,  and  storing  them.  A  bulky  crop 
of  tubers  may  be  stored  in  clamps  in  a  sheltered,  well  drained 
comer.  As  far  as  possible  discai’d  all  diseased  tubers,  as  sooner 
or  later  they  will  contaminate  the  rest.  Some  good  new 
varieties  were  shown  by  Messrs.  Dobbie  at  Shrewsbury. 
CELERY.— The  early  crops  will  now  be  in  demand  for  use. 
If  the  soil  is  carefully  removed  dowix  to  the  l'oots  on  one  side, 
lifting  is  rendered  easier.  Continue  the  earthing  up  finally  of 
successional  rows.  Dry  weather,  when  the  soil  works  crumbly, 
is  the  best  period.  Successional  or  late  plants  still  in  growth 
may  be  helped  with  liquid  manure.  Chop  down  a  little  soil 
on  each  side  the  rows  as  a  preliminary  earthing. — East  Kent. 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick. 
*  *  *  All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be  dix-ected 
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  cox-respondents,  seeking  infonnation  on  matters 
discussed  in  this  Joux-nal,  as  doing  so  subjects  them  to  unjustifiable 
trouble  and  expense. 
Plan  of  a  Bothy— Competition. 
“Well-wisher”  promises  a  first  prize  of  £3,  and  the  Editor 
supplies  a  second  prize  of  £1. 
The  rules  of  the  competition  are  as  follows  : — The  plan,  drawn 
to  scale,  must  not  exceed  7in  broad  by  7in  deep,  and  must  be 
clearly  defined  on  stout  paper.  The  plan  must  pi'ovide  suitable 
accommodation  for  six  men,  and  the  cost  of  the  building  ought 
not  to  exceed  £200  to  £220.  A  statement  of  the  general  items 
of  cost  should  accompany  the  plans,  together  with  any  written 
comments  thereon.  The  competition  is  open  until  Christmas, 
1902,  by  which  date  all  plans  must  be  in  the  hands  of  the  Editor. 
The  sender’s  name  and  full  address  should  be  enclosed  jvhen  send¬ 
ing  the  plan,  and  the  sender  will  alone  be  held  responsible  for  it. 
BOOK  WANTED  (A.  W.  B.,  Northumberland). — The  hand¬ 
book,  “  Garden  and  Grounds,  How  to  Lay-out  and  Arrange,” 
has  been  sent  to  you. 
TRICYRTIS  HIRTA  WITH  BROWN  SPOTS  ON  LEAF 
(S.  N.). — The  spots  are  caused  by  the  Sclerotinia  that  infests 
Liliums,  especially  L.  candidum.  The  ascigei'ous  condition  of 
the  fungus  is  not  yet  known.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  the 
sclerotia  are  formed  in  the  diseased  tissues,  hence  the  removal 
and  burning  of  these  is  a  good  means  of  pi-evention.  Probably 
spraying  with  a  solution  of  sulphide  of  potassium,  loz  to  3gals 
of  water,  first  dissolving  the  sulphide  in  a  quart  of  hot  water, 
and  then  making  up  to  3gals  with  cold  water,  would  arrest  the 
disease,  and  if  resorted  to  sufficiently  early  prevent  it. 
Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens  at  Chis¬ 
wick,  height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
Direction  of 
Wind. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Rain. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
Lowest 
Temperature 
on  Grass. 
1902. 
August. 
At  9  A.H. 
Day. 
Night 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
cn 
a> 
& 
tD 
£ 
43 
cn 
<X> 
£ 
O 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Ins. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Sunday  ...17 
S.E. 
62-9 
60  2 
67-0 
59-0 
017 
635 
60  5 
57-7 
578 
Monday  ...18 
w.s.vv. 
64-7 
60-7 
66-0 
57-2 
0-86 
62-5 
607 
57-8 
51  0 
Tuesday  ...19 
w. 
65-9 
60-6 
72-1 
58-6 
0-16 
62-3 
60-5 
57-9 
55-6 
Wed’sday  20 
w.s.w. 
58-4 
54-2 
67-5 
49-2 
o-oi 
625 
610 
57-9 
41-9 
Thursday  21 
w.s.w. 
59-6 
53-7 
68-0 
48-2 
— 
61-5 
60-8 
57-9 
40  2 
Friday  ...22 
S.S.E. 
62-9 
57-5 
73-3 
45-8 
0-02 
61-3 
60  8 
58-1 
39-8 
Saturday  23 
S.W. 
61-4 
59-7 
66-9 
55-2 
C-18 
62-5 
60-9 
581 
48-2 
Total. 
Means  ... 
62-3 
58-1 
687 
53'3 
1A0 
62-3  . 
60-7 
57  9 
47  8 
Dull  cloudy  weather  has  prevailed  during  the  past  week.  Rain 
fell  on  six  days,  the  greatest  quantity  falling  on  the  18th. 
- <.*•> - 
Hardy  Plantsj^at  Kew. 
In  the  rockery,  the  Royal  Garden,  Kew,  we  notice  a  new 
Forget-me-not,  Myosotis  azorica.  It  grows  half  a  foot  high,  is 
close,  erect,  and  rather  stui-dy.  The  leaves  are  hispid  and  like 
those  of  the  Mouse-eared  Stellaria.  The  flowers,  which  are  large, 
are  deep  violet-pui-ple  in  colour.  It  was  l-eceived  from  Messrs. 
Barr  in  February  of  this  year.  Anemone  japonica  Lady  Gil- 
mour,  with  its  large  and  heavily  crested  foliage,  furnishes  another 
handsome  subject  in  the  rockery.  Dianthus  laburnicus  Ivnappi, 
with  very  bright  primrose  flowers  the  size  of  a  sixpence,  is 
interesting.  The  segments  are  finely  serrated.  It  grows  1ft  in 
height,  and  is  half  erect. 
PREPARING  GROUND  FOR  GARDEN  (Bucks).— The  land 
being  at  present  overgrown  by  Bx-acken  and  small  Brambles,  it 
would  be  advisable  to  stub  up  these  now  or  as  soon  as  conve¬ 
nient  by  means  of  a  mattock  or  drag  hoe,  grubbing  up  the 
Brambles  and  pulling  the  rootstocks  and  l'oots  clean  out  of 
the  ground,  as  evei*y  portion  of  large  root  left  would  probably 
push  growth,  and  the  rhizomes  of  the  Brackens  should  also  be 
cleanly  removed  from  the  soil,  taking  advantage  of  the  opportu¬ 
nity  to  extract  all  tap-rooted  weeds,  such  as  Docks,  Dande¬ 
lions  and  Plantains,  with  any  creeping  or  stoloniferous  grasses, 
throwing  the  whole  cn  the  surface  to  dry,  and  when  suffici¬ 
ently  dried  and  freed  as  much  as  possible  from  soil  by  knock¬ 
ing  about,  collect  into  small  heaps  and  burn  the  whole 
thoroughly,  not  leaving  any  matter  unconsumed.  Afterwards 
scatter  the  ashes  evenly  over  the  ground,  and  then  bastard 
trench  it,  breaking  up  the  spit  of  soil  below  with  a  fox-k,  or  if 
necessary  a  pick,  but  do  not  bring  it  to  the  surface.  A  trench 
should  be  taken  out  2ft  wide  and  1ft  deep,  first  paring  off  the 
surface  an  inch  or  two  in  depth,  and  placing  these  separately  at 
the  other  end  of  the  ground.  Bi-eak  up  the  bottom  of  the 
excavation,  and  if  the  soil  be  of  a  poor  or  stubborn  nature,  add 
some  half-rotten  manure,  say  a  dressing  2in  or  3in  thick,  and 
mix  with  the  soil  in  breaking  up.  Next  pare  off  the  next 
breadth  marked  off  by  line  2ft  wide,  and  place  it  on  the  brokeix 
up  soil  in  the  trench,  and  on  it  the  soil  a  spit  deep,  breaking 
up  the  bottom  of  this  trench,  and  so  proceed  to  the  other  end, 
filling  the  last  trench  with  the  material  taken  from  the  first. 
The  sooner  this  is  done  the  better,  and  when  completed  the 
ground  may  be  top-dressed  with  a  mixture  of  32  parts  basic 
cinder  phosphate  and  12  parts  kainit,  mixing  well  and  applying 
141b  of  the  mixture  per  rod.  As  the  surface  will  be  rather 
rough,  leave  the  dressing  until  Februai-y,  or  as  soon  after  as 
the  ground  is  in  good  working  order,  then  fork  over,  taking 
small  spits  so  as  to  mix  or  break  up  the  soil,  a  coating  of  well 
rotted  manure  having  been  placed  on  the  ground  during  frosty 
weather,  at  the  x-ate  of  2|cwt.  per  rod.  In  the  course  of  a  short 
time  the  ground  will  be  fit  for  planting  or  solving.  Bv  placing 
the  surface  a  spit  deep  it  will  not  interfere  with  cultural  opera¬ 
tions,  and  by  breaking  up  the  bottom  the  staple  will  be  con¬ 
siderably  bettered.  A  dressing  of  nitrate  of  soda,  lflb  per  rod, 
I  at  time  of  sowing  or  setting  crops  would  be  an  advantage,  but 
[  it  must  not  come  into  direct  contact  with  seed  or  roots. 
