32 



JODKNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t July 10, 1873. 



iQore attention in keeping the greatest neatness and order iu 

 every part where there are hands to admit of it. Flowering 

 shrubs as they go out of bloom should have their dead flowers, 

 tfec, removed, and be slightly cut back. For the same reason 

 remove the seed pods from Rhododendrons, tree Pseonies, &c. 

 These little attentions (where Ihey can be given without infring- 

 ing on more important matters) wi^l be attended by an increased 

 growth of the i)lant, and a greater cei'taiuty of their bloom- 

 ing every season. The propagation of Carnations, Picotees, 

 Cloves, &c., should not be longer delayed. As cuttings of the 

 young grass will succeed at this season, a slight hotbed should 

 be made, on which place a few inches of very sandy compost ; 

 Select the weakest grass for cuttings, and place an air-tight 

 hand-glass over them. The strongest shoots left will answer 

 for layering. The present is the favourable time for putting in 

 cuttings of all the more showy herbaceous plants, selecting for 

 the purpose the small shoots not furnished with bloom. A 

 north border is a suitable place to strike quickly. Pausies for 

 autumn blooming may be treated in the same way. Hedges 

 should be well cut-in with the shears. As a deciduous plant for 

 hedges, nothing is better than the Turkey or hybrid Lucombe 

 Oak ; and Taxodium sempervirens will be found a most eligible 

 plant for making evergreen hedges, as it grows quickly, bears 

 the knife well, and has an agi-eeable appearance. Push Dahlias 

 on by watering freely when the weather is dry, also assist them 

 by mulching the ground with decayed stable manure. Take 

 oare that the plants do not chafe where attached to the blooming- 

 sticks. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



During the time when house climbers are iu an active state, 

 make it a rule to go over them frequently, that they may not 

 grow into a confused state. The same may be said of climbers 

 in pots, which require attention for the same reason every few 

 ■days. Any shoots which have done flowering should be cut 

 back and a crowded growth avoided. A number of hardwooded 

 plants which were cut back some weeks since will now have 

 recovered themselves and be commencing a fresh growth. This 

 is the proper time to shift into larger pots any plants reqiiiring 

 it. Carefully loosen the outside roots with a small pointed 

 stick. After potting keep the plants closer for a few days and 

 syringe them daily, but avoid giving any more water to the roots 

 than is sufficient to preserve the old ball moist. To prevent 

 watering so quickly after potting, mind the roots of the old 

 plants are well moistened before being potted. The greenhouse 

 plants out of doors will require the canvas or tarpaxiling being 

 drawn over them during heavy rains. Those still remaining in 

 the house must have abundance of air. Watch narrowly for 

 green fly, which often does considerable damage to such things 

 as Leschenaultias before it is found. Fumigate or wash with 

 weak tobacco water wherever there is the least indication of its 

 appearance. Whenever room occurs in plant houses take a few 

 of the most forward Fuchsias, Japan Lilies, and Gladioli to 

 assist in keeping-up the floral display. Brugraansias and other 

 vigorous-growing plants should be frequently assisted with 

 manure water, as they are liable to be infested with insects. 

 TJse the syringe freely to keep them under before the plants come 

 into bloom. Orange trees and manj"- large specimen plants re- 

 quire less water about this time, but diminish the quantity very 

 gradually. If the plants in the greenhouse are now all of the true 

 greenhouse kinds, give them as much air as the house will admit ; 

 but if, as is generally the case at this time, they are a mixed 

 collection of half stove plants and annuals, you must keep 

 them close at night with a very damp atmosphere, and yon may 

 let the house get well heated by the sun before you give air in 

 the morning. Training and staking plants, surfacing pots, and 

 similar routine business, need not be recapitulated. 



STOVE. 



For the next six weeks or two months, according to the 

 ■weather, stove plants ought to have more air and light than at 

 any other period. After this time, therefore, shade as little as 

 possible, with the exception of Orchids or young and newly-pro- 

 pagated plants. Seeds of those splendid Clerodeudrons which 

 make such a flue display at summer exhibitious, should be sown 

 as early this month as possible ; they will flower at this time 

 next year or earlier, and seedling plants are much easier to 

 manage than those from cuttings. So far as Orchids are con- 

 cerned, those showing indications of matured growth may be 

 first removed to the cool end of the house for a few weeks, aud 

 afterwards placed in quarters where the temperature and atmo- 

 spheric moisture will not interfere with the slow progress of the 

 plant towards a state of rest. Dendrobiums and others of that 

 class should be grown-on till the shoots are of sufficient length. 

 Wash any plants infested with insects with a lather of common 

 brown soap, using a sponge for the purpose. 



PITS ANI> FRAMES. 



When rooted cuttings are potted-off ihey should be removed 

 to a frame by themselves, where they must be shaded until 

 they make fresh roots. Bud Lemon and Orange stocks if the 

 bark runs freely. Put in cuttings of Chrysanthemums to pro- 



duce dwarf plants. 

 W. Keane. 



Repot rooted plants as they require it.- 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 

 Since writiug last week's doings we have had two refreshing 

 showers ; in all 0.88 inch of rain fell. We had just detennined 

 to begin watering iu earnest, as bedding plants aud florists' 

 flowers, as well as Peas iu the kitchen garden, were showing 

 evident signs of distress — indeed, not only in the gardens, but 

 in the fields was the want beginning to be felt. Potatoes and 

 other green crops are now making giant strides towards full 

 development. Some of us were grumbling very much at the 

 backwardness of the season"; we ought now to be ashamed of 

 ourselves, aud be truly thankful for the present propitious 

 weather. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. , 



Although we have been incessantly working amongst all crops, 

 and running the hoe through all the borders, we noticed that 

 some weeds had been left, and where they showed signs of 

 running to seed a man with a basket soon cleared a large space 

 by pulling them out with his hands. We also seized the op- 

 portunity, when the walks were wet, to pick out the weeds. It 

 is of little use weeding walks when they are dry and hard ; it 

 takes much longer to get over them, and not only so, but many 

 weeds are broken over, and will grow again as soon as rain 

 comes. We also planted out Brussels Sprouts, Savoys, hardy 

 Greens. Celery, Sec. 



The Asparagus beds having become full of young seedling 

 Asparagus plants, we had them forked out before the beds were 

 too thickly covered with the " grass " of the old plants ; the hoe 

 run over afterwards made them right for this season. Much of 

 the early-plauted-out Celery has run to seed ; in some instances 

 whole rows had to be pulled out and replaced with later-sown 

 plants. 



FRUIT AND FORCING HOUSES. 



Pines. — We have been removing some of the largest plants 

 and those showing fruit from a succession house iuto the fruiting 

 house, to replace those which have ripened-o2 their fruit. 

 Where there are only small houses and few of them, the best 

 way to obtain a succession of fruit is to remove a few plants 

 into the fruiting house, keeping those which are throwing up 

 fruit and ripeniug it off at one end of the house, and placing 

 those that have yet to throw iip fruit at the other end, where 

 they can have slightly different treatment afforded to them. 

 Admit air freely into the house where the fruiting plants are. 



In the early vineries we have had nothing to do but to pinch- 

 out all the young growths as soon as they are formed, and to 

 keep the leaves free from red spider. In the late houses the 

 same attention has been given to stopping the lateral growths. 

 We are particular to stop the growths as soon as they are formed 

 — that is, if the roof of the house is well furnished with leaves ; 

 if this is not the case the laterals are trained to the wires to 

 fill up any vacancy. Other Grape-growers have different 

 methods. Ou one occasion we saw strong canes under and over 

 the hot-water pipes, running over the surface of the ground in 

 all directions, as well as coming down the back wall, while the 

 roof of the house was densely covered with foliage. This treat- 

 ment was to cause the formation of roots, which no doubt it 

 did, as the more foliage and growth allowed the greater w^ill be 

 the increase in the root-action ; but we only mention the system 

 to express our disapproval of it. In the second house we must 

 mention two sorts of Grapes that are good this year — viz., 

 Golden Champion and Royal Ascot. The first-named has been 

 finer than we ever had it, but, notwithstanding this, it has 

 proved to be so uncertain that we cannot recommend it. Royal 

 Ascot has been particularly fine in bloom and size of berry, but 

 it is not so fine in flavour as most of the others, and has the 

 fault of being attacked by red spider sooner than most of the 

 old sorts. 



Cucumbers and Melons, — Melons have been generally good 

 this year, although the season has been rather unfavourable for 

 them ; this is accounted for by the fact that the system of grow- 

 ing them trained to wires is more generally adopted than it used 

 to be. The old system of planting on a mound of earth over a 

 dung bed in narrow lean-to pits, and the plants trained over 

 the surface, is not good and ought to be done away with. Our 

 first house is done, aud the second nearly so ; and as they ai'e 

 required for other purposes, we shall not plaut again, otherwise 

 had the plants been ready in good-sized pots another crop could 

 have been easily obtained in August. There is one thing should 

 be noticed here, and that is the rapidity with which any insect 

 pest spreads on Melon plants. We have noticed a house of 

 healthy plants, which were apparently free from red spider, iu 

 about ten days entirely ruined by this pest. We had a new ex- 

 perience in this during the present season, by having one house 

 attacked by green fly ; this of course can easily be destroyed by 

 fumigation. Red spider must be syringed off before it spreads 

 too much. The Cucumbers may be said to be the same thing 

 from week to week, as one house continues to supply ua with 



