Sutton and Sons - The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots, 16th Edition

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THE CULTURE OF VEGETABLES AND FLOWERS FROM SEEDS AND ROOTS

BY

SUTTON AND SONS READING

SIXTEENTH EDITION

LONDON

SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & CO; LTD.

1921

All rights reserved

PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE, BALLANTYNE AND CO. LTD. LONDON, COLCHESTER AND
ETON

Contents

THE CULTURE OF VEGETABLES 1

A YEAR'S WORK IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 151

THE ROTATION OF CROPS IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 198

THE CHEMISTRY OF GARDEN CROPS 202

ARTIFICIAL MANURES AND THEIR APPLICATION TO GARDEN CROPS 210

THE CULTURE OF FLOWERS FROM SEEDS 216

THE CULTURE OF FLOWERING BULBS 317

FLOWERS ALL THE YEAR ROUND 355

THE PESTS OF GARDEN PLANTS (=illustrated=) 414

THE FUNGUS PESTS OF CERTAIN GARDEN PLANTS (=illustrated=) 434

THE FUNGUS PESTS OF CERTAIN FLOWERS (=illustrated=) 447

INDEX 453

THE CULTURE OF VEGETABLES

Horticulture has a full share in the progressive character of the age.
Changes have been effected in the Kitchen Garden which are quite as
remarkable as the altered methods of locomotion, lighting and
sanitation. Vegetables are grown in greater variety, of higher quality,
and are sent to table both earlier and later in the season than was
considered possible by gardeners of former generations.

When Parkinson directed his readers to prepare Melons for eating by
mixing with the pulp 'salt and pepper and good store of wine,' he must
have been familiar with fruit differing widely from the superb varieties
which are now in favour. A kindred plant, the Cucumber, is more prolific
than ever, and the fruits win admiration for their symmetrical form.

The Tomato has ceased to be a summer luxury for the few, and is now
prized as a delicacy throughout the year by all classes of the
community.

As a result of the hybridiser's skill modern Potatoes produce heavier
crops, less liable to succumb to the attacks of disease, than the old
varieties, and the finest table quality has been maintained.

Peas are not what they were because they are so immensely better. While
the powers of the plant have been concentrated, with the result that it
occupies less room and occasions less trouble, its productiveness has
been augmented and the quality improved. All the pulse tribe have shared
in the advance, and a comparison of any dozen or score of the favourite
sorts of Peas or Beans grown to-day with the same number of favourites
of half or even a quarter of a century since will at once prove that
progress in horticulture is no dream of the enthusiast.

Among the Brassicas, such as Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage and
Cauliflower, a series of remarkable examples might be mentioned; and
roots such as Beet, Carrot, Onion, Radish and Turnip afford other
striking instances of improvement. Salads also, including Celery,
Chicory, Endive and Lettuce, have participated in the beneficial change
and offer a large choice of dainties, adapted to various periods of the
year. Indeed it may be truly said that none of the occupants of the
vegetable garden have refused to be improved by scientific crossing and
selection.

The vegetables which are available for daily use offer a wide and most
interesting field to the expert in selecting and hybridising. For past
achievements we are indebted to the untiring labours of specialists, and
to their continued efforts we look for further results. Whether the
future may have in store greater changes than have already been
witnessed none can tell. One thing only is certain, that finality is
unattainable, and the knowledge of this fact adds to the charm of a
fascinating pursuit. Happily, innovations are no longer received with
the suspicion or hostility they formerly encountered. In gardens
conducted with a spirit of enterprise novelties are welcome and have an
impartial trial. The prudent gardener will regard these sowings as
purely experimental, made for the express purpose of ascertaining
whether better crops can be secured in future years. For his principal
supplies he will rely on those varieties which experience has proved to
be suitable for the soil and adapted to the requirements of the
household he has to serve. By growing the best of everything, and
growing everything well, not only is the finest produce insured in
abundance, but every year the garden presents new features of interest.

In considering the general order of work in the Kitchen Garden, the
first principle is that its productive powers shall be taxed to the
utmost. There need be no fallowing--no resting of the ground; and if it
should so happen that by hard cropping perplexity arises about the
disposal of produce, the proverbial three courses are open--to sell, to
give, or to dig the stuff in as manure. The last-named course will pay
well, especially in the disposal of the remains of Cabbage, Kale,
Turnips, and other vegetables that have stood through the winter and
occupy ground required for spring seeds. Bury them in trenches, and sow
Peas, Beans, &c., over them, and in due time full value will be obtained
for the buried crops and the labour bestowed upon them. But hard
cropping implies abundant manuring and incessant stirring of the soil.
To take much off and put little on is like burning the candle at both
ends, or expecting the whip to be an efficient substitute for corn when
the horse has extra work to do. Dig deep always: if the soil be shallow
it is advisable to turn the top spit in the usual manner, and break up
the subsoil thoroughly for another twelve or fifteen inches. Where the
soil is deep and the staple good, trench a piece every year two spits
deep, the autumn being the best time for this work, because of the
immense benefit which results from the exposure of newly turned soil to
rain, snow, frost, and the rest of Nature's great army of fertilising
agencies.

In practical work there is nothing like method. Crop the ground
systematically, as if an account of the procedure had to be laid before
a committee of severe critics. Constantly forecast future work and the
disposition of the ground for various crops, keeping in mind the
proportions they should bear to each other. Be particular to have a
sufficiency of the flavouring and garnishing herbs always ready and near
at hand. These are sometimes wanted suddenly, and in a well-ordered
garden it should not be difficult to gather a tuft of Parsley in the
dark. Change crops from place to place, so as to avoid growing the same
things on the same plots in two successive seasons. This rule, though of
great importance, cannot be strictly followed, and may be disregarded to
a certain extent where the land is constantly and heavily manured. It
is, however, of more consequence in connection with the Potato than with
aught else, and this valuable root should, if possible, be grown on a
different plot every year, so that it shall be three or four years in
travelling round the garden. Lastly, sow everything in drills at the
proper distances apart. Broadcasting is a slovenly mode of sowing, and
necessitates slovenly cultivation afterwards. When crops are in drills
they can be efficiently thinned, weeded and hoed--in other words, they
can be cultivated. But broadcasting pretty well excludes the cultivator
from the land, and can only be commended to the idle man, who will be
content with half a crop of poor quality, while the land may be capable
of producing a crop at once the heaviest and the best.

==GLOBE ARTICHOKE==

==Cynara Scolymus==

The Globe Artichoke is grown mainly for the sake of its flower-heads
which make a delightful dish when cooked while immature. The plant is
easily raised from seed, although not quite hardy in some districts. It
will grow on almost any soil, but for the production of large fleshy
heads, deep rich ground is requisite. The preparation of the soil should
be liberal, and apart from the use of animal manure the plant may be
greatly aided by wood-ashes and seaweed, for it is partial to saline
manures, its home being the sandy seashores of Northern Africa.

The simplest routine of cultivation consists in sowing annually, and
allowing each plantation to stand to the close of the second season.
Seed may be sown in February in boxes of light soil, or in the open
ground in March or April. In the former case, put in the seeds one inch
deep and four inches apart, and start them in gentle heat. Grow on the
seedlings steadily, and thoroughly harden off preparatory to planting
out at the end of April, giving each a space of three to four feet apart
each way. Under favourable conditions the plants from the February
sowing will produce heads in the following August, September, and
October. In the second year, the heads will be formed during June and
July. This arrangement not only insures a supply of heads from June to
October, but admits of a more effective rotation of crops in the garden.

Sowings in the open ground should be made in March or April, in drills
one foot apart. Thin out the plants to six inches apart in the rows and
allow them to stand until the following spring, when they may be
transplanted to permanent beds.

Globe Artichokes may also be grown from suckers planted out in April
when about nine inches high. Put them in rather deep, tread in firmly,
and lay on any rough mulch that may be handy. Should the weather be dry
they will require watering, and during a hot dry spell water and liquid
manure should be given freely to insure a good supply of large heads.
Seedlings that are started well in a suitable bed take better care of
themselves than do plants from suckers, especially in a dry season.
Vigorous seedlings send down their roots to a great depth.

To advise on weeding and hoeing for the promotion of a clean and strong
growth should be needless, because all crops require such attention.
But as to the production of large heads, a few words of advice may be
useful. It is the practice with some growers to twist a piece of wire
round the stem about three inches below the head. This certainly does
tend to increase the size, but the same end may be accomplished by other
means. In the first place, a rich deep bed and abundant supplies of
water will encourage the growth of fine heads. Further aid in the same
direction will be derived from the removal of all the lateral heads that
appear when they are about as large as an egg. Up to this stage they do
not tax the energies of the plants in any great degree; but as the
flowers are forming within them their demands increase rapidly. Their
removal, therefore, has an immediate effect on the main heads, and these
attain to large dimensions without the aid of wire. The small heads will
be valued at many tables for eating raw, as they are eaten in Italy, or
cooked as 'artichauts frits.' The larger main heads are the best for
serving boiled in the usual way. After the heads are used the plants
should be cut down.

==Chards== are the blanched summer growth of Globe Artichokes, and are by
many preferred to blanched Cardoons. In the early part of July the
plants selected for Chards must be cut over about six inches above the
ground. In a few days after this operation they will need a copious
watering, which should be repeated weekly, except when heavy rains
occur. By the end of September the plants will have made much growth and
be ready for blanching. Draw them together, put a band of hay or straw
around them, and earth them up, finishing the work neatly. The blanching
will take fully six weeks, during which time there will be but little
growth made--hence the necessity for promoting free growth before
earthing up. Any Chards not used before winter sets in may be lifted and
preserved by packing in sand in a dry shed.

The Artichoke is hardy on dry soils when the winter is of only average
severity. But on retentive soils, which are most favourable to the
production of fine heads, a severe winter will destroy the plantations
unless they have some kind of protection. The usual course of procedure
is to cut down the stems and large leaves without touching the smaller
central leaves, and, when severe frost appears probable, partially earth
up the rows with soil taken from between; this protection is
strengthened by the addition of light dry litter loosely thrown over.
With the return of spring the litter is removed, the earth is dug back,
and all the suckers but about three removed: then a liberal dressing of
manure is dug in, care being taken to do as little injury to the plants
above and below ground as possible. At the end of five years a
plantation will be quite worn out; in somewhat poor soil it will be
exhausted in three years. But on any kind of soil the cultivation of
this elegant vegetable is greatly simplified by sowing annually, and
allowing the plants to stand for two years only, as already advised.

==JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE==

==Helianthus tuberosus==

The Jerusalem Artichoke is a member of the Sunflower tribe, quite hardy,
and productive of wholesome roots that are in favour with many as a
delicacy, and by others are regarded as worthless. It is said that wise
men learn to eat every good thing the earth produces, and this root is a
good thing when properly served; but when cooked in the same way as a
Potato it certainly is a very poor vegetable indeed. It is a matter of
some interest, however, that in respect of nutritive value it is about
equal to the Potato; therefore, in growing it for domestic use nothing
is lost in the way of food, though it needs to be cooked in a different
way.

The Jerusalem Artichoke will grow anywhere; indeed, it will often yield
a profitable return on land which is unsuitable for any other crop, but
to insure a fine sample it requires a deep friable loam and an open
situation. We have grown immense crops on a strong deep clay, but it is
not a clay plant, because it soon suffers from any excess of moisture.
To prepare the ground well for this crop is a matter of importance, for
it roots freely and makes an immense top-growth, reaching, when very
vigorous, a height of ten or twelve feet. Trench and manure in autumn,
and leave the land rough for the winter. Plant in February or March,
using whole or cut sets with about three eyes to each, and put them in
trenches six inches deep and three feet apart, the sets being one foot
apart in the trenches. When the plants appear, hoe the ground between,
draw a little fine earth to the stems, and leave the rest to Nature.
Take up a portion of the crop in November and store in sand and dig the
remainder when wanted, as recommended in the case of Parsnips. The
tubers must be dug with a fork by opening trenches and cleaning out
every scrap of the roots, for whatever remains will grow and become
troublesome in the following season.

==ASPARAGUS==

==Asparagus officinalis==

Asparagus is a liliaceous plant of perennial duration, and it demands
more generous treatment than the majority of Kitchen Garden crops. Under
favourable conditions it improves with age to such an extent as to
justify the best possible cultivation. Plantations that have stood and
prospered for twenty or even thirty years are not uncommon, but a fair
average term is ten years, after which it is generally advisable to
break up a bed, the precaution being first taken to secure a succession
bed on fresh soil well prepared for the purpose. Plantations are made
either by sowing seeds or from transplanted roots; and although roots
are extremely sensitive when moved, success can, as a rule, be insured
by special care and prompt action, assuming that the proper time of year
is chosen for the operation. The advantage of using roots is the saving
of time, and in most gardens this is an important consideration.
Fortunately roots may be planted almost as safely when two or three
years old as at one year.

==Soil.==--Asparagus will grow in any soil that is well cultivated; a deep
rich sandy loam being especially suitable. Calcareous soil is by no
means unfavourable to Asparagus; still, a sand rich in humus is not the
less to be desired, as the finest samples of European growth are the
produce of the districts around Paris and Brussels. The London
Asparagus, which is prized by many for its full flavour and tenderness,
is for the most part grown near at hand, in deep alluvial soils enriched
with abundance of manure. Nature gives us the key to every secret that
concerns our happiness, and on the cultivation of Asparagus she is
liberal in her teaching. The plant is found growing wild on the sandy
coasts of the British Islands--a proof that it loves sand and salt.

==Preparation of Ground.==--The routine cultivation must begin with a
thorough preparation of the ground. Efficient drainage is imperative,
for stagnant water in the subsoil is fatal to the plant. But a rich loam
does not need the extravagant manuring that has been recommended and
practised. Deep digging and, where the subsoil is good, trenching may be
recommended, but an average manuring will suffice, because Asparagus can
be effectually aided by annual top-dressings, and proper surface culture
is of great importance in the subsequent stages. It is necessary to
choose an open spot for the plantation. Preparation of the ground
should commence in the autumn and be continued through the winter, a
heavy dressing of half-rotten stable manure being put on in the first
instance, and trenched in two feet deep. In the course of a month the
whole piece should be trenched back. If labour is at command a third
trenching may be done with advantage, and the surface may be left ridged
up until the time arrives to level it for seeding. It will be obvious
that this routine is of a somewhat costly character, but we are
supposing the plantation is to remain for many years, making an abundant
return for the first investment. Still we are bound to say that a
capital supply for a moderate table may be obtained by preparing a piece
of good ground in an open situation in a quite ordinary manner with one
deep digging in winter, adding at the time some six inches or so of fat
stable manure, and leaving it thus until the time arrives for sowing the
seed. Then it will be well to level down and point in, half a spade
deep, a thin coat of decayed manure to make a nice kindly seed-bed.

Where soil known to be unsuitable, such as a damp clay or pasty loam,
has to be prepared for Asparagus, it will be found an economical
practice to remove the top spit, which we will suppose to be turf or old
cultivated soil, and on the space so cleared make up a bed of the best
possible materials at command. Towards this mixture there is the top
spit just referred to. Add any available lime rubbish from destroyed
buildings, sand, peat, leaf-mould, surface soil raked from the rear of
the shrubberies, &c., and the result should be a good compost obtained
at an almost nominal cost.

==Size of Bed, and Sowing Seed.==--At this juncture several questions of
considerable importance arise. And first, whether the crop shall be
grown on the flat or in raised beds. Where the soil is sufficiently
deep, and the drainage perfect, the flat system answers well. The
advantages of raised beds are that they deepen the soil, assist the
drainage, promote warmth, and thus aid the growth of an early crop. In
fact, raised beds render it possible to grow Asparagus on soils from
which this vegetable could not otherwise be obtained. The preparation is
the same in either case, and therefore we shall make no further allusion
to flat beds, but leave those to adopt them who find their soil and
requirements suitable. Now comes the question of distance, on which
depends the width of the beds. The first point may be settled by the
measure of the plant, and the second by the measure of the man. Monster
sticks are valued at some tables, and we shall refer to these later on,
but an abundant crop of handsome, though not abnormal, Asparagus meets
the requirements of most households. After many experiments, we have
come to the conclusion that the best mode of insuring a full return of
really good sticks, with the least amount of labour, is to lay out the
land in three-feet beds, with two-feet alleys between. In some
instances, no doubt, five-feet beds, containing three rows of roots, one
down the middle and one on each side at a distance of eighteen inches,
are preferable. For the majority of gardens, however, the three-feet bed
is a distinct advantage, were it only for the fact that all excuse for
putting a foot on the bed is avoided. On this narrow bed only two rows
of plants will be necessary. Put down the line at nine inches from the
edge on both sides, and at intervals of fifteen inches in the rows
dibble holes two inches deep, dropping two or three seeds in each. This
will give a distance between the rows of eighteen inches. In very strong
land, heavily manured, the holes may be eighteen inches apart instead of
fifteen. April is the right month for sowing.

==Thinning.==--When the 'grass' from seeds has grown about six inches
high, only the strongest plant must be left at each station, and they
should finally stand at a distance of fifteen or eighteen inches in the
row. Much of the injury reported to follow from close planting has been
the result of carelessness in thinning. The young plant is such a
slender, delicate thing, that, to the thoughtless operator, it seems
folly to thin down to one only. The consequence is that two or three, or
perhaps half a dozen, plants are left at each station to 'fight it out,'
and these become so intermixed as to appear to be one, though really
many, and of course amongst them they produce more shoots than can be
fed properly by the limited range of their roots. Severe, or may we say
mathematical, thinning is a =sine qua non=, and it requires sharp eyes
and careful fingers; but it must be done if the Asparagus beds are to
become, as they should be, the pride of the Kitchen Garden.

==Blanching.==--The grave question of white =versus= green Asparagus we
cannot entertain, except so far as concerns the cultivator only. On the
point of taste, therefore, we say nothing; and it is a mere matter of
management whether the sticks are blanched to the very tip, or allowed
to become green for some few inches. Blanching is effected in various
ways. The heaping up of soft soil, such as leaf-mould, will accomplish
it. On the Continent many contrivances are resorted to, such as covering
the heads with wooden or earthen pipes. In a few districts in France
champagne-bottles with the bottoms cut away are employed. But a strong
growth being secured, the cultivator will find it an easy matter to
regulate the degree of colour according to the requirements of the table
he has to serve. As a rule, a moderately stout growth, with a fair show
of purple colour, is everywhere appreciated, and is the easiest to
produce, because the most natural.

There is, however, an interesting point in connection with the
production of green Asparagus, and it is that if wintry weather prevails
when the heads are rising (as unfortunately is often the case) the
tender green tops may be melted by frost and become worthless, or may be
rendered so tough as to place the quality below that of blanched
Asparagus; for the blanching is also a protective process, and quickly
grown white Asparagus is often more tender and tasty than that which is
green, but has been grown slowly. As the season advances and the heads
rise rapidly the green Asparagus acquires its proper flavour and
tenderness, and thus practical considerations should more or less
influence final decisions on matters of taste. The business of the
cultivator is to produce the kind of growth that is required, whether
white or green, or of a quality intermediate between the two. This is
easily done, making allowance for conditions. When green Asparagus is
alone in demand, the cultivator may be advised to have in readiness, as
the heads are making their first show, a sufficient supply of some rough
and cheap protecting material, such as grass and coarse weeds, cut with
a sickle from odd corners of the shrubbery and meadow land, or clean hay
and straw perfectly free from mildew; but for obvious reasons stable
litter should not be used. A very light sprinkling of material over an
Asparagus bed that is making a first show of produce will ward off the
morning frosts, and amply compensate for the little trouble in saving
many tender green sticks that the frosts would melt to a jelly and
render worthless. After the second or third week in May the litter may
be removed if needful; but if appearances are of secondary importance,
it may be left to shrink away on the spot.

==Cutting.==--Asparagus as supplied by market growers is needlessly long
in the stem. The bundles have an imposing appearance, no doubt, but the
useless length adds nothing to the comfort of those at table, and is a
wasteful tax on the energy of the plant. For home consumption it will
generally suffice if the white portion is about four inches long, and
this determines the depth at which the sticks should be cut. Here it may
be useful to remark that deeply buried roots do not thrive so well as
those which are nearer the surface, nor do they produce such early
crops. The sticks are usually cut by thrusting down a stiff
narrow-pointed knife, or specially made saw, close to each shoot; and it
is necessary to do this with judgment, or adjacent shoots, which are not
sufficiently advanced to reveal their presence by lifting the soil, may
be damaged. To avoid this risk of injury by the knife it is possible
from some beds to obtain the sticks without the aid of any implement by
a twist and pull combined, but the process needs a dexterous hand and is
impracticable in tenacious soils. The sticks of a handsome sample will
be white four or five inches of their length; the tops close, plump, of
a purplish-green colour, and the colour extending two or at most three
inches down the stems. Both size and degree of colouring are, however,
so entirely questions of taste that no definite rule can be stated. It
is more to the purpose to say that, if liberally grown, the plant may be
cut from in the third year; and that cutting should cease about the
middle of June, or early in July, according to the district. For the
good of the plant the sooner cutting ceases the better, as the next
year's buds have to be formed in the roots by the aid of the top-growth
of the current season.