JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



4G7 



arrange the plants frequently, and at once displace any that 

 incUne to become shabby. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 

 A GENTLEMAN told US lately that man's life would hardly be 

 worth living for if there were no obstacles to surmount, no 

 difliculties to conquer. A great truth underlies this obserTa- 

 tiou, common though it seem. There is much benefit derived 

 fi'om the bracing effect of contending with difficulties, and 

 upon the principle involved gardeners ought to be some of the 

 happiest and best of men. On the other hand, when obstacles 

 and difficulties are so great that no hope of surmounting them 

 can be seen, then these difficulties are too often preventives of 

 extra exertion. In too many cases, even where the nominal 

 labour would be enough, from the employers acting on the 

 principle that what is obtained in extra jobs from the garden men 

 is so much clear saving, the gardener too often finds that, after 

 having carefully prepared his plans, he is unable to carry them 

 out, because just when he wants his usual help most it is taken 

 away from him. We say it advisedly, that such modes of 

 management are no benefit to anyone, but that every estate is 

 best managed where men know what they have to do and are 

 confined each to his distinctive field of operations. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Gave Canhflowers elevated on banks a good soaking with 

 sewage to enable them to swell their heads well. In the drip- 

 ping weather Lettuces have been magnificent, and care has 

 been taken to keep up sirccessions. We had a fine show of 

 Beet, but the frost and the bu'ds together, we fear, have destroyed 

 it, and we shall be obhged to sow and plant out again. The 

 last two years the birds let the seedling plants alone, but this 

 season these have again become very thin, and we are satisfied 

 that it is not owing to slugs, &c. Such coloured seedlings as 

 Love-Ues-bleeding shared the same fate — the birds took them 

 off in the seed-leaf state. When Beet 2 or 3 inches in height 

 was planted out, as we used to do, the plants seldom suffered. 



The rains having baked the ground, we ran the hoe among 

 all small plants in rows. Notwithstanding the rains, the 

 ground is still rather firm to permit the thinning of Onions, 

 Carrots, &c. True, we could do this easily if we merely cut 

 them up so as to give room to those left ; but this we seldom 

 do, as even young Onions laid-in thickly, and Carrots too, 

 come in veiy useful, but if cut over they are useless. Our 

 ground is so stiff that we never could please ourselves with 

 button Onions ; but the thinnings of Onions laid-in rather 

 thickly in rows have given us better buttons than those we 

 sowed on the poorest ground for that purpose. 



Kidney Beans are coming well, and those partially pro- 

 tected ai'e doing extremely well, so as to succeed those forced. 

 For many years we never knew what it was to be long without 

 this delicious vegetable, but for a season or two we have been 

 obliged to withdraw our hand here, as with all oui* contriving 

 we could not manage to keep two things in the same place at 

 one time. Nevertheless, we say, after much experience, that 

 nothing pays better for forcing than Kidney Beans. We have 

 tried all plans with them, and on the whole, from November to 

 the end of March, we think growing in pots the most profitable 

 mode, and from November to January we prefer 6 or 8-inch pots, 

 and 12-inch pots afterwards. Later the plants yield best when 

 planted out. This vegetable, to families living in the country 

 and keeping company, is worth as much as is charged for it 

 in Covent G-irden, and at a much less price would well repay 

 for aU the labour, and trouble, and heating. We have an old 

 love for the China or Robin's Egg, but Sir Joseph Paxton is 

 better for a free bearer. If the colour of the pods is not ob- 

 jected to, there are few kinds that for free-bearing beat the 

 Negro, a black Bean. 



It is rather singular that our rows of Kidney Beans out of . 

 doors are far- more regular than the rows of Scarlet Runners. 

 These have damped much in the groimd, chiefly owing to the 

 weather, and we have sown in boxes to transplant, so that 

 there shall be no blanks. It is no bad plan to sow in boxes 

 under protection, and then transplant when 3 or 4 inches in 

 height. We have examined these Scarlet Runners, and are 

 convinced that the cold and wet have been too much for them. 

 It is just possible that the seeds that decayed were too old. 

 No vermin had assailed them. 



We could hardly say the same of Peax. Legions of rats 

 have lately annoyed us, and though they did not meddle with 

 the more advanced crops in rows just coming above ground, 

 they made awful havoc, routing them out, even if they did not 



eat them, where lead-coloured. Netting, and sprinkling with 

 soot, &c., we found of Uttle avaU. Our cliief reliance was 

 placing boards over the rows at night, and removing them in 

 the morning. What can be expected when you hear of a 

 thousand rats being killed at one farm homestead? What we 

 wish our readers to keep in mind is, that to keep down all such 

 vermin they must resort to many and varied means. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPAKTMENT. 



Being obliged to attend to other matters, we have not done 

 so much bedding-out as we intended, and we dislike disturb- 

 ing the ground in a wet state. The work is more than usually 

 tedious with us, as from our exposure to winds, we bush-faster» 

 every plant that is not naturally of a procumbent habit. 



We have, however, exceeded our space, and must leave all 

 this for the present, with merely expressing our regi-et as to 

 how Rose trees and bushes have snft'ered from the shifty 

 weather, especially as respects the foliage. From a wall we 

 have had good blooms for cutting for more than three weeks, 

 but we can hardly obtain enough of fine foliage to dress them 

 with. True, other green foliage, Ferns, &c., might be used to 

 reKeve them, but whether in glass vases, or smaller glasses 

 holding from one to five Roses, we do not think that any other 

 green shows them off so well as fine healthy foUage of their 

 own. Much of our Rose foUage looks as if a hot blast had 

 passed over it, and we fear this wOl affect the second and con- 

 tumous blooming. — B. F. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*,* We request that no one will write privately to any of the 

 correspondents of the " Joui'nal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 commimications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, d'C, 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.G. 



British Ferxs (C. TT.).— All in yom- list are natives, tut moBt ol them 

 ai-e varieties, not species. 



Artillery Plant iAmatcur). — It lias many populai- names, such as 

 "Pistol-plant," " Ai-tilleryman," and "Burning Bush." Its botanical nam© 

 is Pilea muscosa. It is a native of the West Indies, and was introduced into 

 England in 1793. 



Peach and Cherry Leaves Blistered (William Mills). — The leaves 

 sent are suffering from the cold weather in spring. There is no remedy but 

 to afford protection to the trees in cold periods. The leaves will be all righfe 

 after the weather shall have become more' settled, and we should ad\ise you 

 to pick off the worst leaves now, for they invariably fall a prey to mildew, for 

 which (and especially as there are traces of mildew on the Peach leaves 

 already), dust with flowers of sulphur, and wash the trees with a solution of 

 soft soap, 2 ozs. to the gallon of water, applying it thi-ough a syringe or garden 

 engine in the evening. 



Grass itnder Chestnut Tree (A. B.). — Chestnut trees have such denso 

 foliage, and cause so much shade and drip, besides rendering the ground dry, 

 that it is very difficult to get anything to 'grow xmder them. This is about 

 the worst time you could have chosen for operations. Grass seeds in such a. 

 spot are best sown when the trees are leafless ; bat you may now succeed by 

 choosing a moist time, first scattering some fine soil on the bai'e spot, then 

 raking well with an iron rake, and sowing thickly Agrostis vulgaris, Dactylia 

 glomerata, Festuca duriuscula, Poa nemoralie, and its variety sempen-irens. 

 It would, perhaps, be well, if your tree is in or near dl'essed ground, to omitv 

 Dactylis glomerata, which is a coarse-growing and tufted Grass, nevertheless 

 succeeding under trees. You will need but a small quantity of each. 



Lily op the Valley not Succeeding (M. IT.).— Probably the plants 

 have been so long in the same spot as to have grown into a close mass, and 

 are consequently poor, drawn, and weak. Perhaps the shade is too great, 

 and if it be that of trees the drip from them may be hurtful ; the tree roots may 

 also render the soil very poor, as weU as dry in summer, when the Lily of th& 

 Valley needs moisture. We should water the plants freely this summer, and 

 once a-week during then* period of growth, with 1 oz, of guano to a gallon of 

 water. This will invigorate them, but will not compensate for any injuiy re- 

 sulting from overcrowding. If they are very close together we should in Novem- 

 ber take out the roots for afoot clear of the rows, which we should leave 6 inches 

 wide, in the one-foot space! apply a good dressing of leaf soil and rotten 

 manure, and cover the crown about an inch deep with the same material. 

 Those removed we would plant in an east or even north border, or any place 

 shaded from the midday sun. Let the soil be rich, light, and well manured 

 with leaf soil and decayed dung. Plant in patches about 6 inches across, at 

 1 foot apart., and give a hght mulching of partially decayed leaves. Water 

 well in dry weather. After a year or two's growth you ouyht to have fine 

 clumps that will flower beautifully. 



Urine as Manure (Q. Q.). — We advise you not to use human urine to your 

 potted plants. It will be Uable to be offensive. To kitchen-garden crops, if 

 used for watering them, one gallon to seven of water. There is no sulphate of 

 ammonia in urine, but other salts of ammonia are present. 



Heating a Small Greenhouse (J. S. Williitms).—A house 12 feet by 

 8 feet would be best heated by a gas stove, provided a tube carried the fiunes 

 into the open air. Keane's "In-door Gai-dening" will suit you. Youcanhav© 

 it free by post if you enclose twenty postage stamps with youi- address. 



Austrian Pine not Growtng (A. IF.).— We are unable to account forthe 

 tree not yet having commenced growth ; probably the roots are in a diseased- 

 state, or the stem is suffering from an injury which prevents the flow of sap. 

 We think it will die. We have known cases of young trees doing well for 

 two or three yeai-s after planting, and then suddenly gomg off. On examining 

 the roots we found them quite dead, and covered with th e mycelium of a 



