142 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ August 21, 1873. 



gate from in the spring for the largest place, and the plants 

 would be found to grow when planted far better than those 

 which had been propagated in the autumn, in consequence of 

 not being stunted, as the whole of their roots would be in a 

 healthy state. Sow the seed of Pelargoniums immediately it is 

 gathered, and also that of any other perennial plant, if ripe 

 before the middle of September. Sow Mignonette for flowering 

 in the winter. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



FRUIT AND KITCnKN GARDEN. 



In this department we have been keeping the hoe at work, 

 and on walks and borders which could not be readily hoed any 

 weeds were picked out by the hand. Last year we had much 

 trouble in destroying weeds owing to the continued wet; and, pro- 

 bably from a larger proportion of them being allowed to seed 

 than usual, the crops have been full of weeds this year. A great 

 effort should be made early in the season to destroy all weeds, 

 but gardeners cannot work impossibilities, and the press of 

 work in May, through bedding-out and other operations, is apt 

 to cause this department to be neglected. 



We find it necessary to look over the Apple and Pear trees 

 about twice a- week to pick off all fruits infested with the maggot. 

 Seven or eight years ago it was very seldom that a sound dish 

 of Apples could be obtained from our garden owing to the Apple 

 maggot, now we have very much diminished its numbers. We 

 tried dusting the trees with dry lime just before the buds burst 

 in the spring, but the most effectual remedy is to gather all fruit 

 from the ground daily, and pick off twice a-week any fruit 

 attacked ; thus, by preventing breeding, we ultimately get rid of 

 the insect. 



We have been potting Strawberries from 3-inoh into 6-inch 

 pots. Some persons prefer to layer their Strawberry runners in 

 their fruiting pots at once ; they fancy it is a saving of time and 

 labour. In potting it is necessary to ram the compost in quite 

 firmly, and not to place the plants deeper in the pots than they 

 were before. The best compost for them is decomposed turfy 

 loam four parts, to which is added one part of rotted manure. 

 After the plants are potted place them in an open position out 

 of doors ; a vacant space in the kitchen garden suits them as 

 well as anywhere, and it should be as near water as possible, as 

 they require a good supply when the pots are filled with roots. 



FRUIT AND FORCING HOUSES. 



Pineries. — At this season, after the suckers have been potted 

 and the fruiting plants re-arranged, little more is required except 

 attending to watering and ventilation. During hot weather, 

 especially about the end of summer and in autumn, it is desirable 

 to ventilate freely both at the front and back of the house. 

 Shading is seldom necessary at this time of tlie year ; indeed, 

 when Pines are in good health it is as well not to shade them at 

 aU, except in a house where the fruit is ripe and ripening. If 

 the fruit at that time is exjDOsed to burning sun it will in all 

 probability be injured. We have a recollection in our early days 

 of injudiciously exposing some Smooth-leaved Cayennes to 

 strong heat and sunshine to forward them for an exhibition, and 

 before the fruit was well ripe it began to decay. 



Vineries. — In the late vineries the Grapes are very nearly 

 ripe, and here, as in the Pine houses, plenty of ventilation is 

 the rule. If the houses are kept close and dry the Grapes will 

 not colour well. Many of the old gardeners made a rule to 

 withhold water in any shape as soon as the Grapes began to 

 colour. We fancy that damping the paths and border once or 

 twice a-day is beneficial to the Grapes, and causes them to 

 fin'=ih-off better. 



Cucumbers. — It is now time the plants were put out for the 

 winter supply. For this purpose there is probably no better 

 sort than Telegraph, but when the stock is kept-up from seeds 

 it varies considerably. When a good stock is obtained, it is the 

 best way to propagate it from cuttings; this is the only means 

 of keeping it true. Many prefer the black-spined varieties, and 

 one of the best of this type is Blue Gown ; it is one of the long- 

 fruited sorts, and, consequently, does not bear so many fruits. 

 When in an early stage of their growth see that no insect pests 

 attack them. Bed spider is very destructive to Cucumber plants, 

 and they will not progress freely if either this or green fly 

 attacks them. Syringing freely twice a-day destroys the first, 

 and fumigating with tobacco destroys the second. Our pits, 

 where the Cucumbers are planted-out, are furnished with pipes 

 for bottom heat, and when the plants are put out we only fill 

 half of the pit with compost, and when that is well filled with 

 roots, in the other half fresh compost is put. 



ORCHARD HOUSE. 



We have now discontinued syringing the trees, as the largest 

 proportion of the fruit is now ripe, and here as well as in other 

 houses where fruit is ripening, air is admitted night and day. 

 Some of the earliest varieties of Peaches were noticed last week 

 as being ripe. Large Early Miguonne is a good Peach, but it is, 

 as far as we have observed here, not so good as Early Grease 



Mignonne. Stirling Castle Peach is very fine this year. It has 

 been more highly coloured than Royal George and Grosse Mig- 

 nonne and is very distinct. Dymond is an excellent Peach, and 

 has ripened with us this year for the first time in pots. Another 

 new Nectaiuue, raised by Mr. Rivers, has a good crop of fruit, 

 and the colour and flavour are all that can be desired ; it is said 

 to be a cross between the Stanwick and Elruge, and is appro- 

 priately named Stanwick Elruge. It partakes most of the 

 Elruge, and but very little of the clingstone ; however, it is an 

 excellent sort and can be highly recommended. We are very 

 careful in watering them when the fruit is ripening, as too much 

 or too little will be equally injurious, and will cause the fruit to 

 be wanting in flavour. 



CONSERVATORY AND PLANT STOVE. 



The plants in the stove have been repotted and re-arranged, 

 giving them plenty of room. No plants should be allowed to 

 crowd each other at any time ; in autumn especially, plenty of 

 space should be allowed them. We do not shade so closely 

 now, and in every way give the plants suitable treatment for 

 the time of year. Hardwooded plants require differei.it treat- 

 ment from the usual occupants of the stove — such as Orchids, 

 Ferns, and fine-foliaged plants. The latter require shade during 

 hot sunshine, but only when the sun shines ; it is bad treatment 

 to allow the shading material to remain on when the day is cloudy. 

 The hardwooded plants should have plenty of sunshine so that 

 the wood may be well ripened, which will cause them to flower 

 well next year. 



Liliums are a special feature in the conservatory. This is a 

 class of plants which does not require much attention during 

 their period of growth, and for this reason, as well as for their 

 great beauty, should be cultivated to a large extent. Nearly all 

 of them succeed well grown in pots, and by a little forcing and 

 retarding a succession of bloom can be obtained all through the 

 summer and autumn months. One of the earliest is L. longi- 

 florum,with its clear white trumpet-shaped flowers. L. auratum 

 in variety will maintain a long succession, as, grown under pre- 

 cisely the same treatment, some of the sorts will be in flower at 

 least six weeks before the later-flowering. Then there is the 

 beautiful L. lancifolium — white, red, and rose ; and last, though 

 not least, L. tigrinum, also in variety. The double variety 

 recently introduced continues in flower a long time, and we 

 have now in flower in the greenhouse L. tigrinum splendens, 

 and it is exceedingly effective, its deep orange flowers offering a 

 distinct contrast to the white, rose, and reddish-coloured flowers 

 of the others. Those which have finished flowering we remove 

 to an open space out of doors, and supply sparingly with water 

 until the foliage dies-off, when they are repotted and plunged in 

 some light material out of doorB. 



Stage Pelargoniums we have cut down, taking cuttings of 

 those we required, and we would say here that all cuttings of 

 this class of plants do best iu a cold frame, pit, or on the stage of 

 the greenhouse. We have seen considerable expense and trouble 

 incurred iu making a hotbed in which to place the cuttings, 

 when they would have succeeded much better if the frame had 

 been placed on the ground, and the cutting-pots plunged in 

 spent tan, cocoa-nut fibre, &c. I can remember well, when a 

 boy in a provincial nursery, that the nurseryman had a large 

 quantity of stage Pelargonium cuttings sent to him, and every 

 one of them was killed through being placed in a hotbed ; not 

 from excessive heat, had it been in April or May all of them 

 might have gi'own, but similar treatment did not suit the 

 matured wood iu autumn. 



Chri/santlicmums now claim a large share of attention. Those 

 who are growing them for exhibition will now be on the alert to 

 " set " their flower-buds ; we have been tying and placing sticks 

 to specimen plants, and have removed them to a more open part 

 of the garden. At this season they require all the sun and air 

 possible. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



We are now putting in cuttings of all the Zonal Pelargoniums, 

 beginning with the Tricolors and Variegated sorts. Some per- 

 sons putin the cuttings in the open ground, where they do well, 

 but it is necessary to lift and pot them before frosts come. We 

 use boxes, as being more convenient, and if through any press 

 of work we cannot pot them when we like, they sustain no injury 

 if left in the boxes till a more convenient season. — J. Douglas. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered nntU next 

 week. 



Books {E. F.].—" The Garden Maiinal." You can have it post free from 

 our oiHce if vou enclose twenty posta;;je stamps with your address. {Trn- 

 ifear.f SulMicriber). — We have a little work now going to press which will 

 exactly suit you. It will be published iu three or four weeks. 



Rose Mildew- tli. B. P. ; and C. B. G.).— The receipt you refer to was 

 given ou March 23i\l, 1871, and was as follows; — Wo strongly recommend 

 constant 8yrin;;in'^ during the growing season with pure rain water, to which 

 has been added a small quantity of soft soap and clear soot water. A strong 

 mixed solution of the latter can be kept in an earthenware pancheou, and 



