70 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE 
Plants  which  are  potted  annuall;  !  and  thus  divested  of 
most  of  their  former  crop  of  roots,  shch  as  Fancy  Pelargo¬ 
niums,  Cyclamens,  and  Fuchsias ;  or  plants  which  are 
shifted  on  under  biennial  treatment,  such  as  Zonal  Pelargo¬ 
niums  and  others  of  that  ilk,  are  so  grateful  for  something 
more  than  a  poor  soil  and  the  jDromise  of  good  things  to 
come,  which  they  may  or  may  not  get,  that  they  un¬ 
doubtedly  merit  more  consideration  at  potting  time  than 
they  are  apt  to  receive.  For  such  things  and  for  others, 
of  which  more  anon,  well  dried  cowdiing  is  an  incom¬ 
parable  addition  to  the  potting  compost.  A  few  barrow¬ 
loads  thoroughly  well  dried  on  the  top  of  a  boiler  until  as 
hard  as  biscuits,  and  packed  away  in  a  barrel  or  bin,  is 
always  ready  and  in  prime  condition  for  use  at  any  time. 
Broken  up  into  nubbly  bits  small  or  large,  according  to  the 
size  of  pots  to  be  used,  and  mixed  wdth  the  compost,  not 
forgetting  a  handful  as  a  finish  off  to  the  moss  or  rough 
stuff  over  the  crocks,  there  is  a  permanent  enjoyment  for 
the  plants  to  which  vigorous  health  will  soon  testify  ;  with 
most  flowering  subjects,  too,  without  sacrifice  to  wealth  or 
beauty  of  bloom.  Proofs  of  its  value  in  practice  are  easily 
obtained,  and  if  young  plant  growers  will  put  it  to  the 
test  at  their  usual  time  of  potting  certain  things  by  treating 
a  few  plants,  say  of  Fancy  Pelargoniums,  either  as  young 
plants  potted  on,  or  cut-backs  staked  out,  to  it,  advantage 
over  the  usual  method  will  be  sufficiently  obvious  to  ensure 
conviction. 
Amongst  stove  plants  the  Caladium  family  are  quickly 
responsive  to  this  fertiliser,  and  given  the  rough  compost 
they  revel  in,  viz.,  fibry  loam,  peat,  charcoal,  and 
sphagnum,  forming  a  rough,  lumpy  mixture,  with  dried  cow- 
dung  liberally  added,  under  the  mild  excitement  of  gentle 
bottom  heat  results  will  be,  perchance,  a  revelation  to  many. 
It  is  in  just  such  a  mixture  the  handsome  Acalypha  (hispida 
Sanderiana)  reveals  its  possibilities  as  a  decorative  plant, 
and  noble  specimens  with  a  couple  of  dozen  crimson  tails 
depending  from  amidst  broad,  massive  foliage  are  grand 
objects  so  seldom  seen,  perhaps,  that  one  might  well  w^ax 
enthusiastic  even  over  such  a  common  subject.  Cowper, 
who  remarked. 
If  vain  your  toil, 
Then  blame  the  culture,  not  the  soil-. 
could  not  but  admit  that  the' latter  is  an  important  element, 
more  especially  with  plants  imprisoned  in  pots. 
The  use  of  bulky  manures,  however,  in  potting  com¬ 
posts  is  not  suitable  for  all  subjects,  and  plants  of  harder 
texture  requiring  several  shifts  ere  they  reach  the  final 
stage  as  specimens,  as  which  they  might  remain  undis¬ 
turbed  for  several  years,  would  rather  enjoy  a  top-dressing 
annually  than  its  use  in  the  soil  direct,  where  from  its 
nature  a  soured,  soppy  condition  would  eventually  obtain. 
Otherwise  there  is  great  scope  alffongst  the  many  objects  of 
either  stove  or  greenhouse  culture  which  show  the  pangs  of 
poverty,  and  plead  for  better  treatment. 
No  disparagement  of  the  valuable  and  handy  stimulants, 
such  as  Clay’s  fertiliser,  or  Thomson’s  Vine  and  plant 
manure,  is  intended,  both  of  which  the  writer  has  firm  faith 
in.  As  with  Liebig’s  extract  and  “  the  roast  beef  of  Old 
Engla,nd  ”  in  the  economy  of  human  life,  so  with  the 
chemical  compounds  and  heavier  manures  in  the  plant 
world,  each  have  their  owm  place  on  the  respective  menus, 
and  wdll  hold  their  own.  Like  ourselves,  too,  plants  enjoy 
a,  change  of  diet,  and  the  grosser  feeders  they  are  the  more 
do  they  seem  to  appreciate  the  grosser  and  more  bulky 
sources  of  nutriment.  Such  at  least  has  been  proved  in 
the  practice  of — A.  N.  Oldhead. 
Origin  of  Vegetables. 
The  English  climate,  abused  with  right  goodwill  by  all  and 
sundry,  and  abominably  as  it  certainly  does  too  often  behave,  yet 
produces  a  wonderfully  varied  supply  of  the  genus  “  vegetable.” 
Nevertheless,  we  have  to  defer  to  and  pamper  many  of  its  species, 
and  use  all  sorts  of  arts  and  contrivances  to  bring  them  “  up  to 
the  scratch,”  and  train  them  in  the  way  Ave  wish  them  to  go. 
This  is  only  fair,  seeing  that  most  of  them  are  strangers  originally 
to  our  soil,  and  considering  the  extreme  pitch  of  excellence  to 
which  they  accommodatingly  bring  themselves.  Autres  terres, 
autres  moeurs,  and  though  we  employ  our  green  foods  rather 
differently  for  the  most  part  to  our  Gallic  neighbours,  Avho  serve 
up  at  least  one  dish  neat  of  the  particular  kinds  in  season  at  the 
AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  July  23.  1903. 
moment,  both  at  dejeuner  and  diner,  utilising  them  but  little  with 
the  other  savoury  courses ;  yet  Ave  in  our  Avay  mixing  them  up 
and  eating  them  as  adjuncts  to  the  meat  dishes,  enjoy  them  after 
our  own  lights,  and  Avith  an  equal  if  not  keener  relish.  Still,  the 
continental,  less  solid  and  more  airy  .style  of  cookery  lends  itself, 
it  must  be  confessed,  more  than  ours  to  many  insidious  and  won¬ 
derful  plats  of  much  delicacy  and  flavour.  Disraeli’s  epicure  and 
Horace’s  gastronomic  saA’ant  Avould  unquestionably  cast  their  Amte 
in  faAmur  of  the  undoubted  art  of  our  foreign  friends.  A  subject, 
therefore,  of  so  great  variety,  and  capable  of  so  many  possibilities, 
calls  surely  for  some  research  as  to  the  origin  and  antecedents  of 
its  A'egetable  components. 
Taking  the  Potato  first  as  being  so  uniA’ersal  nowadays,  that 
its  absence  Avould  be  felt  alinost  .as  much  as  that  of  one’s  house¬ 
hold  bread,  it  is  a  matter  of  recorded  history  that  it  was  dis¬ 
covered  and  brought  over  by  the  Spaniards,  those  pioneers  of  a 
bygone  age  of  industry  and  adventure,  from  Quito  in  Ecuador, 
aiid  introduced  into  their  OAvn  country.  Darwin  in  his’ 
official  naturalist’s  voyage  round  the  world  in  the  Govern¬ 
ment  boat  “  Beagle,”  made  a  particular  study  of  all  indi¬ 
genous  groAA’ths  and  animals.  He  describes  hoAv  he  fqund  the 
Potato  to  be  native  both  to  the  damp  forests  of  the  Chilian  islands 
and  the  sterile  mountains  of  the  central  mainland.  As  to 
Raleigh’s  finger  in  the  pie,  there  is  every  reason  to  suppose  the 
tuber  he  brought  from  Virginia  Avas  not  the  common  but  the  SAveet 
Potato. 
Putting  the  Tomato  next  as  being  of  kin  to  the  former,  though, 
one  feels  almo.st  inclined  sometimes  to  call  it  a  fruit,  especially 
by  reason  of  its  beautiful  colour  and  its  pleasant  flavour  in  its 
fresh  state,  this,  too,  can  be  rightly  claimed  by  South  America 
for  its  birthplace,  though  long  ihtroduced  to  other  congenial, 
moist,  and  temperate  climates.  It  Avas  brought  into  Europe  early 
in  the  sixteenth  century,  and  has  been  called  the  Love  Apple, 
because  it  is  romantically  supposed  to  incite  the  tender  passions! 
Celery,  on  the  other  hand,  is  indigenous  to  our  own  country, 
certainly  England  and  Ireland;,  in  its  natural  unredeemed. state 
being  partial  to  ditches  and  marshy  places  near  the  sea  coast. 
So,  too,  Seakale,  as  its  name  Avould  lead  one  to  suppos;e,  is  a 
.spontaneous  growth 'along  the  coast  of  England  and  Ireland,  the 
Scotch  loAvlands,  and  the  Avestern  coast  of  Europe. 
Asparagus  (or  old  style  Sparrow  Grass,  as  sorne  of  our  rustic 
gardeners  yet  term  it)  may  be  said  to  groAv  wild  alike  On  the  south 
coast  of  England  as  on  the  desert  steppes  of  Russia,  where  it 
springs  up  so  abundant  that  it  is  eaten  doAvn  by  the  cattle  as 
grass.  The  sand  dunes  of  low-lying  Holland  would  make  an  excel¬ 
lent  semi-natural  ground  for  cultivating  this  delicacy  in  a  large 
Avay.  Proctor’s  “  dull  tame  shore,”  for  which  he  loved  “  the  great 
.sea  more  and  more,”  might,  indeed,  be  made  in  such  districts,  and 
under  such  adA'antages  as  these,  if  not  to  blossom  as  the  Rose,  at 
any  rate,  to  produce"  much  fertility  in  due  season  in  other  w^ays. 
As  to  the  Carrot,  this  root  has  become  in  the  cour.se  of  culti¬ 
vation  very  much  improved,  and  probably  the  “tame”  product 
AA’ould  scarcely  recognise  its  original  progenitor  in  the  article, 
groAving  along  the  seaboard  of  southern  Europe,  and  more  recently 
in  Asiatic  Russia  ;  Avliile  Salsafy  groAvs  in  the  meadoAvs  and  pasture 
land  of  many  di.stricts  along  the  Mediterranean,  all  along  AA’hich 
shores  may  also  be  found  the  common  Beetroot,  so  largely  cul¬ 
tivated  in  places  for  the  quantity  of  sugar  it  produces.  This  root 
is  native  besides  to  ’  North  Africa  and  districts  in  the  west  of 
Asia.  The  species  knoAvn  as  Avhite  Beet  is  grown  for  the  sake  of 
its  leaves,  Avhich  are  used  as  a  .substitute  for  Spinach. 
More  difficult  is  it  to  account  for  the  Radish  in  its  Avild  .state, 
unless  it  proceeds  from  a  plant  of  a  similar  nature,  whose 
habitat  is  along  the  Mediterranean  coasts  generally.  So,  too,  as 
regards  the  Onion.  Its  use  and  cultivation  seem  to  have  been 
well  nigh  from  time  immemorial.  This  much,  hoAveyer,  seems 
certain  as  .regards  ourselves,  that  its  birthplace  and  native 
country  Avas  not  here,  its  original  home  being  now  lost  in  the 
mists  of  time. 
Beans  of  various  kinds  were  knoAvn  in  the  days  of  the 
Egyptian.s,  and  later  in  the  time  of  tho  Jcaajs  received  a  fair 
amount  of  cultivation,  seeming  to  differ  but  little  from  those  in 
use  at  the.  present  time.  They  possess  a  .special  interest  besides, 
seeing  that  they  Avere  employed  for  voting  purposes  both  among 
the  Greeks  and  Romans. 
Finishing  up  Avith  that  inA^aluable  member  of  the  Cabbage 
tribe,  the  CaulifloAver,  of  Avhich  Broccoli  is  another  and  newer 
species  and  cousin  germain,  there  is  little  doubt  it  Avas  intro¬ 
duced  from  Cyprus,  Avhere  it  has  been  in  cultiA^ation  for  ages,  as 
also  along  the  temperate  shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  that 
natural  sympathetic  clime  and  auspicious  soil  for  perhaps  two- 
thirds  of '  the  Avhole  race  of  edible  garden  vegetables.— J.  A. 
Carnegie  Cheales. 
Melon,  President  Loubet. 
Writing  from  The  Gardens,  Farnley  Hall,  Otley,  on  July  11,  the 
undersigned  savs  :  “The  neAv  seedling  Melon,  President  Loubet, 
Avas  raised  by  Mr.  F.  Pheby,  gardener  to  T.  Duncan.  Esq.,  Bel¬ 
mont,  Otley,  but  was  groAvn  by  me.  as  shoAvn  at  the  R.H.S.  show. 
Will  you  please  make  a  note  of  this? — Jno.  Snell. 
