18 APRIL 1941, Page 15

In the Garden

A sweet-toothed friend asks after the possibilities of sugar-beet as a source of household sugar. I am sceptical, but a correspondent writes to say that she grew. sugar-beet with great success last year, getting from it several pounds of treacly sugar useful for cooking. Worth trying, I think. Sweet-corn for poultry is a good tip, too. And what are the plans for the greenhouse in autumn? Food or flowers? Late food-crops under glass need expert management. Try chrysanthemums, about which, in some quarters, there exists a certain snobbishness. (" I hate those mops.") Yet the medium- sized decorative varieties are all enchanting and in October and November will retail at from five to ten shillings a dozen. Buy your plants now and, if you, feel ignorant about culture or varieties, put yourself in the hands of a local nurseryman. He cannot afford to