l-'ebi-noiy 29, 1S72. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



107 



PITS ASD FE-V3IES. 



Pot off into 3-iuch pots plants of ths Bourai'dia triphj'Ua 

 and splendeus which hare been raised from small jjortions of 

 the roots ; replace them in a kindly heat. Those who have 

 not as yet attended to the propagation of plants for bedding- 

 out, must now begin with all possible speed to pirt in cuttings 

 of Salvias, Petunias, Fuchsias, Verbenas, Scarlet Geraniums, 

 &c., so as to have good plants for bedding-out in May. Pay 

 due attention to watering and topping-back weak and strag- 

 gling shoots, so as to form robust bushy plants. If snails or 

 slugs have founii*suug quarters in this department they will 

 do much mischief during the mild weather, if not looked after 

 and destroyed. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 

 i'ri'.-.-i'i'i'i«(7 ,$'('("<?.■,■ from Birds, Mice, dc. — At one time I 

 foiind it vain to txpect an eai'ly or even a second crop of Peas 

 unless I planted them out when the plants were from 3 to 



inches iu height. Even before the Peas reached that height 

 wu'e netting proved ineffectual, as the vermin got in one night 

 and spoilt some rows. I found that coating seeds of all 

 sizes with a colouimig of red lead saved them from the attacks 

 uf all intruders. This season, however, the rats have been 

 most unmerciful on a jMece of Beans, notwithstanding the 

 usual red colouring, in consequence of a number of changes 

 hero, which have rendered us more Uable to their visitations. 



Soiriii'j Seeds in wet soU. In unusually wet seasons like the 

 present seeds should not be sown too deeplj', nor covered up 

 excessively in stiff soils, as in that case they are almost sure 

 to rot. We have known whole rows of Peas never come up at 

 all, in consequence of having been too deeply sown. We cer- 

 tainly approve of sowing Peas and Beans in a somewhat deep 

 furrow, but then the seeds are covered very slightly — not more 

 than from 1 to 2 inches iu such a season as this. In extreme 

 cases we can, iu the garden, pat the seeds gently into the 

 ground, and cover them over -ndth some fine dry material. 

 Sloist soil beneath and rather dry soil above are, perhaps, the 

 best of all conditions for a free healthy germination, as the 

 moisture swells the seed, the air gets access to it, and the 

 covering keeps out the hght. We know there are seeds whicji, 

 if they have moisture, vfill germinate in full sunshine. We 

 are, however, convinced from our own experience that many 

 seeds are much injured by free exjjosure to sunshine before 

 they are sown, whilst many more are injured by being sown 

 and covered too deeply in moist soil, so as to exclude the air 

 as effectually almost as if they had been surrounded with a 

 piece of putty. Sow, therefore, iu well-stu-red, well-au-ed, 

 rather dry soO, and the rains will percolate freely, and the 

 seed and seedlings will be benefited rather than otherwise. We 

 liftve known instances in which different gardens were supplied 

 by the same seedsman, the seeds taken out of the same bag, 

 drawer, or paper, saved and stored at the same time, and 

 therefore as much as possible aUke iu quality, and yet almost 

 totally vmproductive in one case, and perfectly good in the 

 other. 



The same fact holds true with respect to all our more arti- 

 ficial sowings in pots and boxes under glass, such as those 

 of Lobehas, Calceolarias, Chinese Primulas, and Cinerarias. 



1 do so thoroughly behove it to be the true interest of our 

 seedsmen to send out the best article they can command, that 

 when I have anythhig like a failui'e, instead of blaming a 

 tradesman, I think it better to inquire if there has not been 

 carelessness and inattention on my part. 



One of the chief secrets of success, therefore, in sowing, 

 especially imder glass in pots, and when using such small seeds 

 as those of Calceolarias, is to have the soil beneath moist 

 enough to secure germination and rooting, and the covering 

 fine and rather diy. When sowing any of these small seeds, 

 or larger seeds, as Primulas, &c., drain the pot or jjau well 

 till it with thi'ee sorts of soil, the roughest at the bottom, the 

 liner above that, and finest at the top, pressing it down so as 

 to be within an inch of the rim. The pots are then thoroughly 

 watered, or set iu a tub of water until all air-bubbles cease. 

 This secm'es a thorough moistening. The pots then stand to 

 drain for twenty-fom- or thirty hours, when the sm-face will be 

 a little dry. Some dry sandy fine soil is scattered thinly over 

 and shghtly pressed, the seeds are then so^^^l, another slight 

 spiinkling given and pressed level, a squai'e of glass put over 

 the pot, and the glass shaded. In many cases, when the pot 

 is set in a bed, the seedlings will be up and strong before any 

 watering is wanted. 



One word more as to the safety of such small seedlings. If 

 moisture is needed avoid watering overhead, but sail the sur- 

 face with water by pouring it on a tile or shell near the side of 

 the pot. Give moisture by any mode, except pouring it over the 

 top of the young plants, however fine the rose be, and you will 

 take the best means for preventing seedlings that come up 

 thick foxing, or rotting, or shanking-off' at the surface of the 

 soil. Another preventive is to prick-off these seedlings as soon 

 as you can handle them, shigly or in little patches, as the 

 patches may be divided singly or in pairs afterwards. Many 

 a fine pot of valuable seedlings has been destroyed by a care- 

 less overhead watering. 



Cucumbers in liot-u-aler pit versus those in frames xcith 

 fermenting material hcneath them. — As respects the earliest 

 spring-planted Cucumbers, we have amused ourselves iu hold- 

 ing the balance evenly, and for years there was little to draw 

 between the two modes. This year the pit will have all the 

 first rimnmg, as we have only turned out good strong plants 

 iu the frames on the 22nd, whilst those in the pit are running 

 and showing freely. For the benefit of beginners I may men- 

 tion the causes of delay, the plants being nearly of the same 

 age. Fu-st, we made the beds a Uttle later than usual ; se- 

 condly, the want of sun heat, and the more free U'.'e of leaves, 

 kept the heat from rising sufficiently ; and thudly, this was 

 partly owing to the mode we have more than once described of 

 putting all the soil we require into the bed at once — a mode 

 attended with much future economy. The frames we have 

 left average IG inches in depth at back, and 10 inches m front. 

 These, therefore, to give ample room to the foliage, are above 

 the level of the soU. The frame stands upon a wide ridge all 

 round, leaving a trench in the middle 16 or 18 inches in depth, 

 and from 21 to 28 inches in width. A board is placed length- 

 wise at the back and front of this trench, between which the 

 soil is placed ; the bo.ards on each side confine the roots and 

 prevent them running into the decomposing material at the 

 sides. In this duU weather it took more time than usual to 

 heat this trench of cold soil, but when the inside temperature 

 showed 60° in the morning, and the soil was nearly 80°, we 

 planted. As regards simplicity there are several advantages 

 in this mode. A shallow box can be made to answer the pur- 

 pose. Only about one-third of the quantity of soU is required 

 when contrasted with a bed earthed over in the usual way. 

 The earth is put in at once, and there is no anxiety in watcli- 

 ing and waiting for a favourable time for earthing-up the 

 plants bit by bit, and very likely injuring them more or less. 

 The earth thus sunk is placed on the lowest level of the bed, 

 and therefore there is scarcely any UkeUhood of root-burning, 

 that evil from which so many beginners suffer, whilst the fer- 

 menting material round the trench keeps the roots comfort- 

 ably warm. Lastly, the limited soil and the curbing of the 

 roots by the boards tend, truly, not to huge parasol leaves, 

 but to an abundance of good Cucumbers. 



We have satisfied ourselves over and over again that a 

 width of from 24 to 30 inches of soil hi the middle of a 6-feet- 

 wide frame, with a few rich surfacings during the season, will 

 yield more Cucumbers than if the soil had been 6 feet wide. Our 

 most proUfic crops, even iu hot-water pits, are chiefly owing to 

 the little room sivt'ii t'l tir" r.mts. 



Heatiny rif uml Ih.ii :> lnj UotWater. — In answer to many 

 inquiries, we v.ould iciu;[ih on our experience of the import- 

 ance of not being too sparing of pipiug. Some tell us hov/ 

 soon tliej' can make the water boil iu their pipes, and the great 

 heat thus given off. We think it much better never to have 

 the water in the pipes within some 30° of the boiUng point. 

 I have several times alluded to the superiority of Uttle houses 

 over pits, chiefly because one can work in them. Another 

 advantage is that they contain so much more air that the tem- 

 perature is less liable to sudden changes. In addition to these 

 advantages, a lean-to Cucumber house, or a span-roofed one 

 with an inclination steeper than 4.5°, has a great advantage in 

 the whiter mouths over a pit, o'.ving to the greater amount of 

 light presented to the plants. Our present little Cucumber pit 

 was originaUy a common pit G feet in width, 3 J feet above the 

 ground at the back, and IJ foot in front. We made a little 

 house of it by forming a sunk pathway at the back 18 inches 

 wide, and 7 feet from the floor to the top of the wall, and ran a 

 wall along to make a bed in front. Now what we waut others to 

 profit by is our faulty example. We had two 3-inch pipes laid 

 in nibble for bottom heat, and that does well, but we only had 

 two for top heat. Such pipiug would do very well with little 

 or no protection to the glass from March to November. But for 

 winter Cucumbers we could not safely make it do without a 



