212 THE GARDENER. [May 



growth begins. As most kinds of Broccoli are inclined to become 

 rather long in the stem and heavy in the head, as soon as they are 

 about a foot high a quantity of earth should be drawn to their stems 

 with the drag-hoe. This plan must be followed on all very exposed 

 spots, and sometimes a second earthing may have to be done when 

 they are half-grown. Although some Broccoli plants will bear a great 

 amount of frost, the heads, when once formed, are most easily in- 

 jured by it ; and if not protected, a few degrees will make them worth- 

 less. From November onwards, as soon as the heads are seen to be 

 forming, all the side-leaves should be gathered up over the head, and 

 have their ends tied just above it with a piece of matting or small 

 willow. When more heads are ready for cutting than are wanted, the 

 plants should be taken up altogether, a piece of cord tied round the 

 stem, and then hung up head-downwards in a cool shed. This is the 

 best way of keeping Broccoli : we have kept heads in perfectly good 

 condition for a month in this way. Just before severe weather every 

 head formed should be treated in this way. Where it is feared that 

 any spell of severe weather will injure plants which are intended for 

 later supplies, every one of them should be taken up by the roots and 

 laid in sideways, with their heads facing the north. All plants treated 

 in this way during the past winter have, as a rule, suffered very much 

 less from the weather than those having no such attention. 



J. MuiR. 

 Margam. 



HINTS FOE, AMATEURS. 



HARDY FRUITS. 



A GENERAL examination of Peaches and Nectarines should now be 

 made where they have set in clusters (as we hope they have this 

 year), so that enough may be thinned to prevent others from falling 

 off by overcrowding, which is apt to take place on trees which are not 

 vigorous. Shoots laid in thickly is another evil, besides the use- 

 less loss of time in tying and untying. Disbud very gradually out- 

 growing shoots first, and retain those next the wall for next year's 

 bearing-wood ; but taking off large breadths of young growths at one 

 time may unduly expose the fruit to late frosts. When disbudding is 

 done as soon as the buds are seen, the tree receives no check ; but on 

 open walls the fruit is often the better of protection from young growths 

 as late as June. This applies to all fruit-trees. Apricots will now be 

 swelling rapidly, and disbudding may go on piecemeal. Stop shoots 

 which are taking the lead at the expense of their fellow^s. It may be 

 well to give a dewing over fruit-trees, with the syringe, of the follow- 

 ing mixture : | lb. of quassia-chips, boiled, to each gallon of water, 

 with a little soft soap and tobacco-powder (snuff is useful for the 

 mixture) ; this may act as a preventive in warding off green and 



