rockwork.  It  is  one  of  the  hrifflitest  ami  best  of  the  genus, 
wliat  is  known  as  the  typical  form  ;  also  called  P.  nepalense, 
having  wliat  are  called  “  cherry-red  flowers,”  although  they 
have  a  tint  of  purple  or  magenta  about  them.  The  species  is 
variable,  and  flowers  ranging  from  deep  red  to  coppery  yellow 
are  to  he  found  among  seedlings.  It  is  probably  from  this  that 
such  plants  as  P.  Toiiguei  and  P.  Hopwoodiana  have  been 
raised.  —  S.  A. 
- ^ - 
Watercress  Culture. 
We  reprint  these  notes  in  answer  to  the  request  of  a  corre¬ 
spondent:— A  good  deal  is  heard  from  time  to  time  about  the 
value  of  irrigation  in  some  of  our  Colonies.  It  has  also  its  value 
at  home  when  the  right  men  turn  it  to  the  be.st  account,  as  cir¬ 
cumstances  may  favour,  and  grow  the  right  kind  of  crop  in  the 
right  way.  It  is 
just  a  question  of 
brains,  and  nothing 
more,  as  to  whether 
certain  sites  shall 
remain  practically 
valueless,  or  bo 
made  valuable  to 
the  owner,  tenant, 
manual  worker,  and 
vendors  of  the  pro¬ 
ducts  of  their  judg¬ 
ment  and  skill.  An 
unlimited  quantity 
of  water  may  flow 
from  the  chalk  for 
centuries,  a  n  d 
riches  be  washed 
away.  It  has  been 
so ;  but  the  time 
comes  when  the 
right  man  arrives 
on  the  scene,  and 
turns  the  long 
waste  of  water  into 
a  source  of  wealth. 
He  may  do  this  in 
various  ways,  in¬ 
cluding  the  grow¬ 
ing  of  Watercress, 
and  this  then  is  the 
crop  which  in  cer¬ 
tain  localities  is 
profitable  alike  to 
owner  and  tenant — the  crop  that  is  worth  the  while  of  a  ci-devant 
worker  with  bricks  and  mortar  to  pay  £65  an  acre  for  the  site  on 
which  he  has  taught  himself  to  grow  it ;  and,  what  is  more  to 
the  point,  by  growing  it  and  other  crops,  such  as  “  Hot  and  Cold,” 
Cucumbers  and  Mushrooms,  has  in  the  course  of  a  very  few  years 
indeed  made  himself  independent  of  landlords  by  becoming  one 
himself. 
The  photographic  illustration  shows  a  patch  of  two  or  three 
acres,  but  as  it  gives  an  output  of  as  many  thousand  pounds  a 
year,  it  is  worth  mentioning ;  but — and  here  comes  the  point — 
the  land  had  been  vei-y  much  of  a  bog  from  time  immemorial,  and 
worth  little.  Noticing  a  continuous  stream  of  chalk  water  not 
far  from  its  .source,  and  finding  by  the  thermometer  during  a 
sharp  frost  in  winter  a  temperature  of  37deg,  it  was  thought  this 
liquid  warmth  might  be  turned  to  account.  The  land  was  there¬ 
fore  secured,  and  now  gives  an  annual  yield  of  some  300  tons  of 
sweet  and  profitable  “  Watercress.”  Why  did  it  lie  so  long  idle 
in  comparison?  The  man  with  the  thermometer  had  not  arrived. 
He  bought  the  land,  formed  the  ■'  beds,”  and  is  now  reaping  the 
reward  of  his  keen  ob.servation,  judgment,  and  skill.  He  is  “  in 
the  picture,”  but  like  the  modest  man  he  is,  as  far  in  the  back¬ 
ground  as  possible,  as  the  central  distant  figure  of  the  work  he 
has  done  so  well.  Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  in  what  has  been 
stated  we  are  at  the  end  of  the  work  of  this  genuine  working  man. 
It  will  be  a  matter  of  surprise  to  those  who  know  him  best,  if 
within  the  short  space  of  a  couple  of  years,  and  he  continues  to 
enjoy  the  blessing  of  health,  he  does  not  have  a  return  of  £10.000 
a  year  by  the  sale  of  •'  Watercress.”  apart  from  his  Cucumbers, 
his  Mushrooms,  his  ‘‘Hot  and  Cold,”  and  other  subsidiaries,  which 
an  earnest,  zealous,  sensible  man  who  loves  his  work  with  an 
ardency  that  defies  failure,  continues  to  produce.  Enough  is 
said  at' present,  and  a  little  more  may  perchance  follow  when  the 
fates  favour,  on  the  reclamation  of  another  swamp,  and  trans¬ 
forming  it  from  absolute  worthlessness  into  an  area  of  productive¬ 
ness  such  as  is  not  common  ev'en  in  ths'-e  limes  of  ('arnest  striving 
to  make  the  best  of  the  land. 
The  universal  belief  that  in  order  to  get  a  good  crop  of  fruit 
the  first  year  Strawberries  should  be  planted  during  August  or 
September,  is  undoubtedly  a  .sound  one.  and  a  coinuu.u  method 
of  treating  these  planted  in  spring  is  to  I’emovc'  the  flower  trusse.- 
the  first  season,  to  enable  the  plants  to  get  strong  for  fruiting 
the  following  y^ear.  I'liere  are  circumstance.s,  however,  under 
which  it  is  quite  possible,  and  indeed  advisable,  to  get  a  fair- 
average  crop  from  a  given  space  the  first  season,  even  with  spring 
planting.  The  practice  is,  however,  only-  to  bo  commended  for 
adoption  in  private  gardens,  where  thorough  culture  can  be  given, 
and  the  utmost  has  to  be  made  of  limited  space. 
We  have  had  just  reason  to  complain  bitterly  of  the  rvet,  sun- 
le.ss  weather  of  the  past  year,  rvhich  has  had  such  disastrous  effects 
upon  crops  generally-,  but  a  contirruance  of  wet  weather  during 
spring  and  early  summer  is  ofteir  favourable  to  particular  crops, 
and  it  is  then  just  as  well  to  take  advantage  of  the  circumstances. 
Early  in  the  August  of  1902  I  had  the  rubbish  removed  from  a 
Beds  for  Watercress  Culture. 
Strawberry  bed,  and  as  I  wanted  a  number  of  plants  for  setting 
out  the  following  spring  in  a  position  which  would  not  be  ready 
for  them  till  March,  a  few  hundreds  of  .strong,  well-i-ooted  runners 
were  lifted  and  planted  Gin  apart  in  a  nursery  bed.  The  weather 
was  then  showery,  and  the  plants  scarcely  felt  any-  check  from 
transplanting,  and  they  soon  began  to  grow  vigorously-. 
Throughout  August  and  September,  and  during  early  October, 
the  surface  soil  was  frequently  stirred  with  the  hoe  whenever  the 
weather  was  favourable,  and  during  that  time  two  dressings  of 
superphosphate  were  given.  With  this  treatment  the  plant.s 
were  in  splendid  condition  for  passing  through  the  winter — strong, 
sturdy,  and  thick  in  the  leaf,  which  I  attribute  to  a  great  exteTit 
to  the  constant  hoeing,  and  superphosphate.  It  is  wonderful 
what  a  little  extra  attention  in  such  directions  will  do  with  Straw¬ 
berry  plants.  Too  often  they  get  very  little  attention  after  they- 
are  set  out,  so  long  as  the  soil  is  free  froau  weeds,  and  under  .such 
conditions  they  grow  fairly  well,  but  the  hoe  will  always  pay  for 
using  in  the  shape  of  increased  vigour  and  hard,  well-ripened 
growth. 
About  the  middle  of  the  following  March  the  plants  were  set 
out  in  an  open  position,  the  soil  having  been  previously  deeply- 
dug  and  well  manured  with  short  dung,  with  a  little  steamed  bone 
flour  worked  into  the  .siiiface.  Every  plant  was  lifted  with  a  nice 
ball  of  earth,  and  they  were  set  a  foot  apart  each  way,  the  soil 
being  made  very-  firm  around  them,  as  it  was  somewhat  light 
though  deep.  April  was  a  wet  month,  but  the  weather,  improved 
a  little  during  May-,  and  in  June  we  had  a  couple  of  fine  dry-  weeLs. 
Hoeing  was  practised  whenever  favourable  oi)port unities  occurred, 
and  tlie  surface  soil  was  kept  free  from  manure  or  straw  until 
the  fruits  began  to  coh.ur,  then  the  bed  was  strawed  in  the  usual 
way.  While  the  fruit--  were  swelling,  two  light  dressings  of 
nitrate  of  soda  were  givi-n.  The  result  was  that  we  gathered  from 
that  bed  eiuite  as  heavy  a  crop  of  go; d  fruit  a-^  ;  tie  of  f-iiiii  ar 
size  will  ofteti  produce-  the  second  vear  after  plant imr,  if  the 
plants  are  .set  imt  at  the  usual  distances.  After  the  fruit  was 
■  gathered  everv  aberuat''  plant  wa-:  'ilt'  d  and  d;  ^^roy!'d,  :tud  the 
March  17,  1904.  JOVBNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  233 
SpriDg-pIanted  Strawberries. 
