July 17, 1873. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



49 



overtaxed, it is a good plan to layer each runner in a pot, and 

 to cat it from the parent plant when the pot is full of roots ; or 

 rich compost may be strewed between the rows to encourage 

 the rooting of the runners. The method generally adopted is 

 to choose a situation with a good aspect, dig it finely, supply it 

 with a good dressing of old Mushroom dung or other manure ; 

 cut o£E the nmners as soon as they have made two or three 

 leaves and are beginning to protrude roots; prick them out 

 on the prepared ground 3 or 4 inches apart ; shade until thoy 

 begin to grow, and lift with balls either for forcing or making 

 fresh plantations as wanted. The advantage of this system is 

 that you can clear away all the runners and the superabundant 

 plants almost as soon as a plantation has finished bearing, thus 

 affording free exposure to those buds which you expect to bear 

 fruit next season. 



FLOWEK G.IEDEN. 



Flower gardens are at last becoming a little cheerful, and 

 the plants are making-up for the time lost in the spring. Look 

 over the beds of Scarlet Pelargoniums, and stop the leading 

 branches wherever a ilower bud is perceptible. This will tend 

 to keep the plants dwarf, and the flower buds will be much in- 

 creased in size by the concentration of sap. Beds of Petunias 

 and tall-growing Verbenas are generally much disfigured by 

 being broken about in the stormy weather. To avoid this, 

 provide some strong pieces of birch branches and place them 

 in the bed, so that after they are covered they will support the 

 branches and prevent their being blown about. Attend assi- 

 duously to the removal of all decaying flowers, especially on pro- 

 fuse-flowering \'erbena3 ; this will tend to prolong the season of 

 growth atid bloom. Roll, mow, and sweep the grass and walks 

 at least once a-week. Prepare a temporary pit in the reserve 

 garden, either by building turf walls, or excavating the earth a 

 few inches deep, and forming an embankment round the sides, 

 for the propagation of Scarlet and other Pelargoniums, indeed 

 for all free-striking plants. TJiis pit may be covered with 

 Whitneyed or oiled canvas, and if there be 3 or 4 inches of light 

 sandy soil for the cuttings to strike root into it will answer ad- 

 mirably. Heartsease, Pentstemous, and most plants which make 

 branches near the surface of the ground, may be readily in- 

 creased by placing some light sandy soil about the young shoots, 

 into which they will strike root, and then may be removed into 

 nursery beds. 



GREENHOUSE AUD C0NSEBV.VT0RY. 



Some of the stove plants that have recently been brought into 

 the cou8er\'atory will require attention to prevent their being 

 injored by damp during cloudy weather, and it w^l probably be 

 necessary to use fire heat occasionally for the purpose of drying 

 the atmospliere of the house. The propriety of this will largely 

 depend upon circumstances, for in small well-ventilated houses 

 damp will hardly be troublesome ; whereas in lofty houses with 

 but little ventilation, and the roofs overgrown with climbers, it 

 may be very troublesome. But at this season there is nothing 

 to fear from cold, and air should be freely admitted on every 

 favourable opportunity, using every care to keep the atmosphere 

 of the house as dry as possible, and keeping the plants clear of 

 decaying flowers, &c. Considerable care wUl also be necessary 

 in watering recently repotted specimens, whether of the soft- 

 wooded or hardwooded class, as in the present state of the 

 weather they will require little water, and will be speedily in- 

 jured by a careless supply. Continue to carefully regulate the 

 growtli of climbers, but avoid tying them too closely, and allow 

 them to grow according to their natural habits as much as cir- 

 cumstances will admit. Examine the border plants frequently 

 for insects, which, if allowed their own way at this season, soon 

 injure the young tender growth. The Luculias are matchless 

 subjects for the conservatory borders and are deserving of every 

 attention, but they are very subject to black thrips, and if this 

 pest is in the house it will soon disfigure their noble foliage 

 unless kept under by some means. Tobacco smoke is the most 

 effectual remedy for this pest, and repeated washings with the 

 engine the next best ; but there must be no trifling with this 

 enemy, otherwise the beauty of the plants will be sacrificed for 

 the season. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



These structures are now partly stocked with plants which are 

 coming forward for another season. Prepare a slight hotbed 

 for a frame, and begin to increase such plants as you require a 

 largo stock of next season. Mangles's and other variegated 

 Geraniums are generally tardy strikers if left till late in the 

 season, therefore begin in time. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST "WEEK. 



KITCHEN OABDEN. 



In this department, except in hoeing the groimd to destroy 

 weeds, little has been done bat gathering small fruit for pre- 

 serving. It is abundant this year, and is being gathered in 

 excellent condition. Raspberries we have never had in such 

 abundance. Fastolf and Carter's Prolific we think the best 

 bearers. 



Sirawben'ies in our light soil require to be planted every year, 

 and with plenty of manure added to the ground they yield 

 abundantly. Black Prince and Keens' Seedling are the sorts 

 most esteemed in the kitchen. We have grown more varieties 

 this year than we ever did before. Lato Prince of Wales, kindly 

 sent by Jlr. Record, is worthless as regards flavour, and not for 

 a moment to be compared to Frogmore Late Pine or La Con- 

 stante, nor does it bear more freely than those two excellent 

 varieties . 

 I Pens. — We made a rather large sowing on the 9th. The ground 

 is well prepared, and we sowed both early and late sorts on trial. 

 We had equal quantities of Laxton's Alpha, Taber's Perfection, 

 and Kentish Invicta. We shall continue to gi'ow the first two 

 sorts, but luvicta must give place to that finest of all early Peas 

 for exhibition, William I. Although I mention it as being 

 valuable as an exhibition sort, it is equally valuable for kitchen 

 purposes. The dried seeds are blue, and the plant is in the way 

 of Invicta more than .-Vlpha. A succession crop of Peas just 

 forming pods has been attacked by thrips. Can any corre- 

 spondent suggest aneasily-ajiplied remedy for the destruction of 

 this pest on the Pea ? After dry weather sets in, we find much 

 difiiculty, owing to the thrips, in obtaining crops from this most 

 useful of all vegetables to us. 



FRUIT AND FORCING HOUSES. 



Pines. — We have some strong suckers on the Queen and 

 Charlotte Rothschild Pines ; these we shall pot at once, and 

 place them in the house from which succession plants have 

 been removed. They are potted in G, 7, or 8-inch pots, accord- 

 ing to the size of the suckers ; from these pots they wiU be 

 shifted at once into the fruiting-pots. We do not wish to have 

 a quantity of fruit at a time, as with the limited means at our 

 disposal, it is not possible to secure a constant supply; but W6 

 manage to do the next best to this, and that is, instead of having 

 a glut at one time and no more for weeks, or even months, we 

 produce a continuous supply, only one or two fruits ripening 

 at a time, and by a little forcing or retarding we have a fruit 

 or fruits at the time required. We plunge the newly-potted 

 suckers at once into a bed of fermenting material, and if the 

 bottom heat is 100^ or 110- the formation of roots will take 

 place morft quickly. It is not safe to plunge them in such a 

 strong heat after the roots have reached the sides of the pots, 

 as the young rootlets would in aU probability be injured. We 

 give air freely night and d.ay when'fruit is ripening, and main- 

 tain a rather dry atmosphere in the house. 



Vineries. — In the earliest vinery all the Grapes have been 

 cut, and, as soon as they were cleared off, the Vines had a tho- 

 rough drenching with a garden engine ; the water was thrown 

 w^th some force against the under sides of the leaves to cleanse 

 them effectually from red spider. We read of a clever gardener, 

 one that grew Grapes well, who, when he fancied the growth on 

 his Vines was over-luxuriant, instead of cleansing the leaves 

 from this pest, allowed it to increase in order to check the over- 

 luxuriance. We do not fancy the red spider about om- houses 

 anywhere, nor do we give it any rest until it is destroyed. We 

 also with strong force send the water into corners and crevices 

 of the walls to wash out spiders, &c. These are also troublesome 

 in a vinery. One will sometimes establish itself in the centre 

 of a compact bunch and spin its web amongst the berries. It 

 is very difficult to dislodge them from this position, but a slender 

 piece of wood thrust amongst the berries where the insect is 

 concealed will accomplish it. As the wood is well ripened, all 

 the ventilators are kept open night and day. In the late houses 

 the Grapes are showing signs of colouring, the necessary treat- 

 ment being plenty of ventilation with less moisture in the house. 

 The lateral gi-owths do not now require stopping so often, but 

 they must be gone over occasionally. There is one thing 

 we would notice here : A man should not go into a vinery to 

 thin Grapes, pinch off laterals, or perform any other work 

 amongst Vines, if he has been working in houses or amongst 

 plants infested with red spider. Young men are sometimes 

 careless in a matter of this kind, and the hint may be useful. 



Orchard House.— We continue to stirface-dress all pot fruit 

 trees that require it, using a rich compost of horse droppings 

 and loam in equal proportions, thrown together in a heap until 

 it ferments. AU the trees are bearing good crops of fruit and 

 growing freely. In dry hot weather they are freely syringed, 

 and watered at the roots twice daily, but only clear water is used. 

 We have given them manure water, but this caused many of 

 the leaves to become spotted and to fall off. That the manure 

 water was the cause of this there was no doubt, as on discon- 

 tinuing its nse the plants regained health and vigour. Plum 

 trees had become much infested by aphides, and the Peach and 

 Nectarine trees were not free from them. Syringing is of no 

 avail, but a thorough fumigation with tobacco soon cleared the 

 trees. 



CONSERVATORY AND PLANT STOVE. 



Azaleas arc making their wood, and require daily syringing 

 and the house to be shut up at four in the afternoon. We used 

 to place the plants in a pit by themselves, but now they are 

 too large. This necessitates the shutting-up of the greenhouse 



