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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



I August 14, 1873. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSEKTATORT. 



In order to maintain a certain amount of gaiety in the con- 

 servatory a stock of succession plants must necessarily be kept 

 up ; any plants, therefore, in pots which it is desirable should be 

 grown quickly may now have a shift. It will not, however, be 

 advisable to give them a large shift at this season, as wha ever 

 wood the plant makes up to the present shift must be ripened, 

 ■with perhaps the exception of such free-tlowering plants as 

 bloom on the growing wood. As this shift will have to carry 

 the plant through the winter months the drainage of the pots 

 should be ample ; when established, a free open situation should 

 be selected for the newly-potted plants, in order that any fresh 

 growth made may be ripened. Where valuable tender plants 

 are out of doors care must be taken to keep heavy rains off 

 them, and if the weather should become dull and wet no time 

 should be lost in removing them under cover of glass. 



PITS AMD FKAIIES. 



Proceed with the propagation of all bedding-oufc plants as 

 expeditiously as possible, making choice of the more difficult 

 ones first, such as Nierembergias, Lotuses, and the like. Les- 

 chenaultias for turning out next season should now be strong 

 plants ; give them another shift if they require it. Propagate 

 scarlet, variegated, and common Pelargoniums as fast as you 

 can get cuttings. — "W. Keane. 



DOINGS OP THE LAST WEEK. 

 We have been favoured with a good shower of rain, which will 

 igreatly assist our drooping flowers. It was entirely local in its 

 extent, as our next neighbour had scarcely a drop, and kept his 

 men at work watering all day, and yet when our rainfall was 

 gauged there was 0.68 inch. The rain was from passing thunder 

 showers, and these are generally local. 



FRUIT and kitchen GARDEN. 



We took advantage of the rainfall to get out all green crops. 

 We have tried in all manner of ways, and in different parts of 

 the garden to grow Broccoli, and have now given it up. We 

 planted out Sprouting Broccoli after the Early Potatoes ; our 

 ground is generally in good condition, and we do not care to dig 

 it in any way for this crop. We filled up any odd corners with 

 Coleworts, which come in very useful during the autumn months. 

 We have a plentiful supply of Peas, Dwarf Kidney Beans, and 

 Scarlet Runners. In passing we would again invite attention to 

 the new Peas which have been recently introduced to the public. 

 That standard variety Veitch's Perfection is fully equalled, if 

 not surpassed, by Carter's G. F. Wilson. It is earher than Per- 

 fection, the pods are, perhaps, larger, it bears abundantly, and 

 the flavour is all that can be desired in a Marrow Pea. Laxton's 

 Omega is truly named ; it is the latest Pea, and very distinct in 

 character. It is also a Marrow Pea of about the same height as 

 G. F. Wilson, 2i feet, and an abundant bearer ; the pods and 

 peas are of the deepest green. Our latest crop is looking re- 

 markably well, and has been much benefited by the rains. We 

 recommend the ground intended for the latest crop of Peas not 

 to be cropped previously, and the best preparation is to hoe the 

 ground over just before drawing the drills ; the seed should 

 also be trodden-in quite firmly. 



Celery has not succeeded well with us this year ; much of the 

 earliest bolted, and the later sowing, although carefully attended 

 to, does not seem to grow freely. 



Wo have planted out nearly all our Strawherry plants. If a 

 full crop is desired next year no time should be lost in getting 

 the plants out, and if the ground is not ready for them, as is the 

 case with some of our own, the plants should be shifted into 

 5-inch pots in some rich compost, where they will grow im- 

 mensely in three or four weeks. Should any trace of red spider 

 be found on the leaves, do not fail to dip the plants as recom- 

 mended last week. 



Early Apples and Pears. — The best are now abundant, and 

 make a useful auxiliary for the dessert. Doyenne d'Etc Pear 

 is over, but Jargonelle is now in, and Devonshire Quarrenden 

 Apple has a fine appearance on the table when dished up neatly. 



We have no ground in the kitchen garden long unoccupied at 

 this time ; all spare ground is either hoed over and planted with 

 green crops, or manured and dug to be planted. Even if the 

 ground is not required, it should be dug over, or at least cleared 

 of weeds, and left in a tidy condition. 



fruit and forcing houses. 



Pine Apples. — This is just the weather for maturing the Pine 

 plants required for fruiting in the spring. The pots are now 

 well filled with roots, and the plants have made sturdy growth. 

 The house is aired freely in the day and a little air is left on all 

 night ; while the weather continues so warm no artificial heat 

 is applied. We are also careful in regard to watering. The 

 Pine Apple does not require much water, and when we used to 

 fruit the plants in 13 and 1.5-inch pots, once a-week was suf- 

 ficient, but since we have learned to fruit the Queens in '.» and 

 lO-iuch pots, and such strong-growing sorts as Charlotte Roths- 

 child in 12.inch, as a matter of course they require more water. 



We keep the succession houses shut-up closely at night, nor do 

 we give air so freely in the daytime, and water is kept con- 

 tinually in the evaporatiug-troughs. 



Vineries. — In the early houses, especially the Early Muscat 

 house, the leaves have suffered much from the recent hot sun- 

 shine — it seemed quite to crumple them up. Wo like to see the 

 fohage remain on the Vines later than this, but the wood is weU 

 ripened, and the buds are very prominent. The borders have 

 had a good soaking of water, which will keep the roots in a 

 healthy state. In the late houses all the varieties are approach- 

 ing to ripeness, and promise to colour better than usual. We 

 cannot say why, but in the earliest houses our Grapes are seldom 

 surpassed for flavour and colour, and in the late houses t e 

 flavour is as good, but the Grapes seldom colour well. We 

 looked over the houses, pinched-back the few lateral shoots that 

 were growing, and secured all heavy bunches to the wires with 

 a strong strand of bast. Through want of attention .to properly 

 securing the shoots to the wires, we have seen bunches break 

 the fastening which attached the branch to the wire, and its 

 falling weight snapped the branch quite off. We do not keep a 

 too dry atmosphere in the vineries when the Grapes are ripen- 

 ing. Many, even professional gardeners, will not allow a drop 

 of water to be sprinkled on borders or paths, and watering a few 

 plants in the house is even considered objectionable. Bear in 

 mind that a moderately moist atmosphere even when the Grapes 

 are colouring is beneficial to the Vines, and it also improves the 

 quality of the Grapes. Another matter worth noticing is this : 

 Many persons have a notion that it is necessary to expose the 

 bunches to the sun in order to finish them ofi well. In the 

 case of white Grapes, when they are nearly ripe, exposing the 

 bunches to the sun causes them to finish-off a golden colour, 

 especially Muscat of Alexandria and allied varieties ; Black 

 Hamburgh, on the other hand, does best if the bunches are 

 shaded by the leaves. Only this morning we looked into a 

 small vinery belonging to an amateur ; the house is planted with 

 Black Hamburgh ; and what was our surprise to see that a num- 

 ber of leaves had been broken off and were lying on the ground. 

 On inquiring the reason we were told it was to allow the sun to 

 get at the bunches. Now, we can freely say our friend has very 

 much injured his Vines, as they are carrying a very heavy crop, 

 and every leaf was necessary to the health of the Vines, besides 

 which, exposing the bunches to the sun at the time when the 

 berries had just finished stoning, was a very rash proceeding, to 

 say the least of it. 



ORCHARD house. 



The fruit is now ripening, and we shall have a continuous 

 supply of fruit until the end of October from the Peach and 

 Nectarine trees ; these are making a very vigorous growth. We 

 have just looked over the trees for the last time, and have 

 pinched all gross shoots well back ; but in doing this care was 

 observed to cut back to a leaf that had two small leaves at its 

 base. If the weak wood is stopped back in August, jjrobably all 

 the buds will be flower buds, and there will be no leader, so that 

 the shoot will die back during the ensuing summer. On many 

 of the trees the wood was so much crowded that it was necessary 

 to thin-out much of it in order to expose what remained to the 

 air and light. We finished picking the Early York Peach on 

 Saturday. The same day Lord Napier Nectarine came in ; this 

 is one of the seedlings raised by Mr. T. Rivers, and will doubt- 

 less be an acquisition ; it ripened this year with Hunt's Tawny, 

 and is far superior to that variety in flavour, and is not so much 

 subject to mildew. The true variety of Early Grosse Mignonne 

 is a noble fruit, and nearly as early as Early York. Some of the 

 Plums are also giving good fruit. AngeUna Burdett is ripe, and 

 is a well-flavoured purple Plum. A variety of Green Gage, 

 which we call Early Gage, has also supplied us with very fine 

 fruit. — J. Douglas. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Louis Van Houtte, Royal Nurseries, Ghent. — Catalogue of 

 Bulbs and other Flowers, Boots, tte. 



Joseph Vervaene & Co., Boulevard Lousbergs, 42, Ghent. — 

 Prix Courant pour 1873-74. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



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

 coirespouJeuts of the "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. AU 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editor.-^ of the Journal of Horticulture, dc, 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.C. 



We also request that correspondents will not mix up on the 

 same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those ou 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them 

 answered promptly and couveuieutly, but write them on 

 separate communications. Also never to send more than 

 two or three questions at ouce. 



