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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTDRE AND COTrAGE GARDENER. 



[ May 13, 1872. 



what effect adclitioiial ventilation, and along with that more 

 heat, will have in dull weather. We presume that yuur pots 

 are well filled with roots, for we liave sometimes noticed the 

 evil you complain about when the pots were large, the plants 

 healthy, hut the roots scarcely anived at the sides of the pot. 

 For early work, the more the whole ball is like a cheesecake 

 witli roots the better will the plants do, and hence rather small 

 pots early often succeed better than large ones.] 



THE ACHIMENES. 



Aljiost all the varieties of Achimeues are pretty, aU very 

 easily grown, and all most accommodating as to the mode of 

 growing them ; pot, pan, or suspended basket being equally 

 adapted for theii- feeding gi-ound. They naturally divide them- 

 selves into two sections : of one of these, the old-fashioned 

 A. coccinea of Pei-soon, C.VrUla pulchella and Trevirania coc- 

 cinea of others, is the type; of the second, or large-flowered 

 section, A. longiflora may be regarded as the representative. 

 The plants of this latter section are best adapted for growing 

 in masses or iii suspended baskets, and when well done are, 

 no doubt, effective grown in either way. We must, however, 

 plead guilty to a strong predilection in favour of the first- 

 named diN'ision. The habit of the plants composing it is much 

 better adapted for making handsome pot specimens, and what 

 the flowers lack as regards size is more than made up by their 

 dazzling briUiaucy and profusion. As generally grown — to wit, 

 an agglomeration of crowded stems in the same pot — the effect 

 of any of the varieties is, to our mind, not for a moment to be 

 compared to the beautiful unity and effect of plants of the 

 same kind when grown to single stems, and forming regular 

 and brilliant little pyramids of floral beauty. We rarely, if at 

 all, see them grown in this way, and it is for this reason we 

 bespeak the attention of growers to the matter. 



By way of example, let us take a pot of A. coccinea, or 

 its near ally A. rosea. AMien gi'own in the ordinary way — 

 namely, from a number of its scaly imbricating tubers in the 

 same pot — it has, notwithstanding the beauty of its bright gay 

 little flowers, a weedy and wispish look. Not so if the largest 

 and strongest of the tubers be selected and potted singly 

 intosmall pots (say 60's), in a light, rich, open compost, 

 consistmg of, say, two parts hght fibrous turfy loam, one of 

 sjmdy peat (heath mould), one of leaf mould, or dry very rot- 

 ten cow dung, another of charcoal and silver sand. As they 

 are rather impatient of wet at the roots, the drainage should 

 be abundant and carefuDy arranged. 



Being placed to start in a hghtsome situation and genial 

 growing warmth, ranging from 05° to 75°, or a Uttle over, 

 gi-owth soon commences. As soon as leaves are formed a 

 gentle dewing of tepid water evciy morning is most benefieial. 

 When the roots fill the pots, shift into pots of a size larger, 

 until, if all goes on well, they are in G or 8-inch pots. In these 

 they should present the appeai-ance of symmetrical pyramids, 

 18 inches or more in height from the base to the apex. Or, 

 instead of potting the tubers singly in small pots before start- 

 ing them, a number of them may be placed thinly in the 

 same pot, and when they have made an inch or two of stem, 

 be then lifted carefully and traupplautcd singly into small 

 pu'.s, placiLg them in a close, ^^arm atmosphtre till thev ai'e 

 established. 



When well established they should have plenty of au- (but 

 no cold currents of it), and be kept well up to the glass, in 

 order that they may make stocky, short-jointed, fioriferous 

 growths. A sufficiently strong but finely attenuated stake 

 should, at an early stage of its gi-owth,be placed to each plant, 

 and the main steui regularly and gently tied-in as it progresses. 

 Besides the daily tepid dewing overhead witli the smnge, an 

 occasional mild dose of moderately tepid manure water to the 

 roots will be no less acceptable and beneficial. 



Instead of growing the plants direct from the tubers, the 

 prettiest specimens possible may be grown from cuttings. 

 These may be made early iu the season by taking two or three 

 joints from the young growths, when thev are sufficiently ad- 

 vanced to afford them. They should then be stnick singly in 

 small pots, sliiftiug and growing them in the usual way. ' By 

 striking in the same way, still later iu the season, the ends of 

 the lateral shoots, chaimiug little cone-shaped plants covered 

 with flowers may be liad, than which nothing can look neater 

 or prettier in the plant house. 



In room or table decoration these are particularly calculated 

 to play an imposing part ; as in this way the most s^-mmetrieal 

 and profuse-flowering Uttle specimens may be grown in thumb, 



or even thimble pots, thus making them peculiarly available 

 for the table. 



It may be well here to remark, that if striking the cuttings 

 and growing these miniatare pyramids be defen-ed to a rather 

 late period of the J'ear, success will not be so assured, as iu 

 these late-grown plants scaly bulbils are formed in the axils of 

 the leaves instead of flowers. Besides A. coccinea, which we 

 have talven as an example, and the similarly habited but less 

 showy A. rosea, th-rse beautiful resirlts of the hybridist's skill 

 and application. Meteor, Dazzle, Carmiuata elegans. Purpurea 

 elegans, and later varieties of the same habit, are equally 

 adapted to being grown to single stems. From their lax habit 

 and large flowers, varieties of the longiflora section are not 

 adapted for this style of growing, and are best, perhaps, grown 

 iu masses, as is the present practice. — {Iri-<h Fanners' Gazette.) 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN G.iEDEN. 



Now that most of the seeds of weeds lying near the surface 

 of the soil have germinated, every part of the garden ought to 

 be thoroughly hoed in dry weather ; the cleanliness of the 

 garden for the season greatly depends on the complete de- 

 struction of all seedling weeds at this time. Ground from 

 which Broeroli and other Winter Greens have been cleared 

 should be manured, and trenched or dug as may be requisite 

 for the succeeding crop ; if it is intended for Celery, the 

 trenches should be made at once so as to obtain a crop of 

 Lettuce or Spinach between the rows. The ground should 

 now be prepared for planting-out the early crops of Celery. 

 Trenches 3 feet apart, 18 inches deep, and the same in width, 

 should be thrown out, into the bottom of wliich dig some 

 well-rotted manure ; tliis will bring the bottom of the treucli 

 to within C or 8 inches of the snrface. The dung and soil 

 should be well mixed before turning out the plants. To gi'ow 

 Celery of large size a wider space between the rows is requisite, 

 but the above will be sufficient for moderate-sized heads. 

 Well hai"den-off the plants before transfendng them to the 

 trenches. Attend to the plants for succession crops. Plant 

 out Basil, Capsieums, Marjoram, and a few Tomatoes on the 

 south border against the wall, but the main crops had better 

 be delayed a week. Prepare some fermenting materials, such 

 as leaves, dung, or short grass, for making ridges for Cucumbers, 

 Gherkini, and Vetjetuhle Marroirs, Stir the surface of the soil 

 amongst all growing crops. 



FBUIT GAKDEN. 



Proceed with the disbudding of Peach and Apric'.t trees, 

 leaving for the pre.'ient, however, any shoot the leaves of which 

 overhang and shelter fruit, but the points of such should be 

 piuched-out in order to afford those intended to he left at the 

 final disbudding every encouragement. It will also be neces- 

 sai-y to go over Bear Plum, and Chen-y trees iu order to re- 

 move gross shoots, and to sti^p those not w.auttd for lajiug-iu. 

 This, repeated .as may be n:cessary during summer, is greatly 

 preferable to the old jiraclice of .illowiug the shoots to remain 

 upon the trees till midsummer, and then cutting them back to 

 two or three eyes. If red spider make its appearance on 

 Peach and other fruit trees on the walls, it must be destroyed 

 by repeated washings with the engine ; if likely to maintain 

 its ground mix a little sulphur with the water. Where green 

 fly is troublesome on the trees a portable fumigating cover 

 ought to be constructed, so as to render the destruction of the 

 black and green fly as certain as when the operation is per- 

 formed m a hothouse. WTiere more effectual means cannot 

 be had, mix tobacco water at the rate of one pint to three 

 gallons of water, and wash with the engine as for red .spider. 

 In cold exposed situations, instead of entirely cutting out each 

 useless shoot of Apricots, Ac, pinch "them back to one or two 

 eyes ; these will form short spurs during the summer, and prove 

 useful in contributing towards next season's crop, as the flowers 

 produced on the spurs generally set better than on the young 

 wood usually left. 



FLOWEB G.AJtDEJJ. 



In this department the next week or two wiU be devoted to 

 fiUing-up the flower-garden beds and clumps uitended for the 

 summer and autumn displaj'; and as soon as a change takes 

 place in the weather, every exertion should be made to get the 

 planting-out completed with all possible dispatch. If the 

 plants intended for each bed have been previously determined 

 and hardcned-off, no great difficulty wUl be met with in filling- 

 up the bods. Some allowance, however, must be made iu 



