160 



JOURNAL OF HORTIGOLTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t August 28, 1373. 



to this estimate the vahie of the grass crop was two-fifths of the 

 aggregate value of all farm products. It is inferred that two- 

 fifths of the capital invested in agricultural pursuits was de- 

 voted to the grass crop. The Ledger says, " If any other of 

 the earth's products can make a better show we do not know 

 where to find it." 



WOBK FOE THE "WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



At the earliest opportunity earth-up the Broccolis, Savoys, 

 and all other crops that require it. Remove Peas that are mil- 

 dewed immediately they are doue with. Destroy caterpillars 

 that infest the Brassica tribe before they do much mischief. 

 Cut down the flower stems of Artichokes, and remove the dead 

 leaves from the old plantations. Those made last season will 

 probably now produce a few heads. Continue to plant-out 

 Cabhages for Coleworts at every favourable opportunity. Prick- 

 out the young plants intended for the main spring crop. The 

 Cucumbers intended for house culture should now be potted 

 into their fruiting-pots ; the soil for the purpose should be com- 

 posed of equal parts of loam, rotten dung, and leaf mould. A 

 good drainage should be given, the health of the plants depend- 

 ing in a great nieasiire on this point. Allow one or two shoots 

 to grow to the fullest extent of the house before being stopped. 

 Give Kidney Beans an abundant supply of water when they are 

 in bloom if the weather is dry and hot, or most of it will drop 

 off prematurely. Plant-out the thinnings of Leeks from the 

 seed-bed as soon as the weather is favourable. This is a very 

 useful culinary vegetable during the winter, particularly where 

 Boup is made for the poor during an inclement season. We have 

 lately seen the Tripoli Onion of an amazing size from a sowing 

 last autumn j it has done better than any other sort, of which 

 there were several sown and planted-out at the same time. We, 

 therefore, strongly recommend it to be sown immediately. The 

 last sowing of Turnips for the season should be sown ; as the 

 weather is favourable for the purpose, thin the advancing crops. 

 Keep the Vegetable Marrow plants well supplied with water 

 during dry weather ; cover the ground about them with short 

 grass, or Utter of any kind if that cannot be procured. 



FRUIT GABDEN. 



Proceed with making fresh plantations of Strawberries, choos- 

 ing well-rooted runners or such as have been taken up and 

 pricked-out in beds previously. It matters little whether they 

 have been planted in beds or in rows, provided the plants have 

 a sulliciency of room. The ground should be well trenched and 

 manured, and if the soil is of a stiff nature the addition of a 

 considerable quantity of gritty matter wiU be of advantage in 

 keeping the ground open, as no spade ought to be inserted among 

 them until they are finally dug down. For general purposes no 

 sorts are preferable to Keens' and the Elton Pine, and by plant- 

 ing on different aspects they will fui'nish a very early and a very 

 late supply. Some of the new sorts I have not seen, and of 

 others, such as Myatt's British Queen, I as well as others have a 

 spurious kind. Other sorts that I have under my notice are not 

 comparable to the above two sorts when both flavour and pro- 

 ductiveness are taken into consideration. Rows of beds intended 

 to produce next season should have their runners removed and 

 the plants thinned-out, that the buds left may be fully matured. 

 By adopting the latter practice and surface-manuring, one plant- 

 ing will produce plentifully for a series of years ; though this is 

 not generally desirable, as it would interfere with the rotation 

 of cropping. As Peaches and Nectarines now begin to ripen, it 

 will be necessary to fix nets or mats to catch the falling fruit. 

 A double row of stakes 3 feet long should be driven into the 

 ground 1 foot at about 3 feet apart, one row close to the wall, 

 and the other about 2 feet from it. To the tops of the stakes 

 should be tied lightly the nets or mats, so loosely as to form an 

 open bag ; in this may be laid a little hay, straw, moss, or any 

 other soft material. It must be supposed that I advise this 

 plan to save gathering. The fruit is at all times best gathered 

 by the hand, but by the strictest attention some will fall, and if 

 no means be used to catch it, it will be inevitably bruised and 

 spoiled. Gather Apples and Pears as they ripen. 



FLOWER O.^RDEN. 



Before the propagation of plants for turning-out is proceeded 

 with to any material extent, it is as well that a proper arrange- 

 ment be made as to what number of plants are required 

 another season. To keep up the interest of a garden, especially 

 if planted on the grouping system, requires some considerable 

 skill and forethought to vary the scene in each successive year, 

 so as to prevent the arrangement becoming monotonous. Thus, 

 if warm colours prevail to any material extent this season, it 

 would be as well to introduce a majority of cold colours nest 

 season, and to edge each bed of the latter with its complementary 

 warm colour ; indeed, the system of edging beds with contrast- 

 ing colours imparts highly interesting features to the flower 

 garden, and more especially to such beds as may be distributed 

 over the lawn without any methodical arrangement. For these 



reasons no plants are so well adapted as those which have 

 variegated fohage, and for that reason a large stock of Pelar- 

 goniums should be provided. The best of these is Mangles's 

 Variegated, the common and Golden-variegated, and the daffer- 

 ent varieties of the variegated Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums. The 

 Rose-scented variegated is an interesting variety, as is also a very 

 small-leaved variety called Dandy. This variety makes the 

 neatest edging for a small bed of any plant that I am acquainted 

 with. Of the Oak-leaved kinds, Moore's Victory is very neat. 

 RolUsson's Unique also m.akes a fine bed, and the old Fair 

 Ellen is not without interest. Attend particularly to the re- 

 gulating of over-growths, especially in Petunias and strong- 

 growing Verbenas. Keep them well cut-in, so as to form neat 

 beds, and yet do not let there be any appearance of their having 

 been cut. Mow, sweep, roll, and keep all neat and clean, and 

 if there be any wormcasts on the walks, water them with lime 

 water. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERV.ITOBY. 



Pelargoniums that have been struck from cuttings early last 

 March, and planted in the reserve garden early in June, should 

 now be fine plants for flowering late in the autumn. Their first 

 attempt at blooming in the open air has been checked, of 

 course, and now, as their second flowering-buds are well formed, 

 they may be taken up carefully and repotted. Some people 

 commit a great error at this stage in putting such plants into 

 heat at once. This should never be done. The grand point is 

 to keep the leaves as free from excitement as possible until the 

 roots get hold of the new soil. A cool close frame covered with 

 canvas is the best place for them. Chrysanthemums and all 

 other plants that are planted out for a summer's growth — a very 

 excellent plan, should be treated in this way, and should not be 

 allowed to remain in the ground too late. Keep the conservatory 

 dry from this time, and little air is required, except for keeping 

 down sun heat now that the growth of most plants is nearly 

 over. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



There are many of the new Verbenas that will force admir- 

 ably through the winter with little heat ; this is the time to get 

 a supply for this purpose. The new Veronica speciosa forces 

 well for early spring, and although nearly a hardy plant, will 

 stand as much heat as au Ixora. The old Luculia is as much 

 sought after as if it were a plant of recent introduction, a proof 

 that it is not a long-liver under cultivation. It flowers freely in 

 loam, but for pot cultivation, and in the hands of beginners, 

 hardly any loam should be used ; equal quantities of peat, leaf 

 mould, and sand will keep it in good condition for years. — 

 W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



The season so far has been exceedingly favourable for out-of- 

 doors work, still in many places work is not in a forward state. 

 This can readily be accounted for by the fact that work could 

 not be brought up in the spring owing to bad weather and the 

 wet condition of the ground, and when work falls in arrear early 

 in the season there is little chance of bringing it up again. 

 Whenever work falls behind, and things in the garden are not in 

 a satisfactory condition, the wise gardener will make a strenuous 

 effort to get everything in proper order, instead of grumbling at 

 every difficulty that comes in the way. It has been truly said 

 that grumblers are seldom good at anything else, and young 

 gardeners sometimes require to be reminded that if a little 

 pressure requires to be put on in the summer months, there are 

 also times in winter when days are short and things seldom 

 require to be done in a hurried manner ; also that it is for their 

 credit as well as that of the head gardener that everything 

 should be kept in the best order. 



FRUIT and kitchen G.ARDEN. 



We have been preparing ground for sowing Onions. It is 

 deeply dug and well manui-ed, and will be in good condition to 

 receive the seeds the first or second week of September. We 

 mix with it a small quantity of Cauliflower seeds, the plants from 

 which are planted out in hand-hghts early in October. 



We have been earthing-up Celery plants, and with us this is 

 a matter requiring much care, as this useful vegetable keeps 

 very badly in our soil. We tried cocoa-nut fibre refuse, think- 

 ing it would preserve the plants better, but this was worse — 

 the rows where the fibre was used containing the smallest 

 number of sound plants. After clearing away the small offsets 

 round the bases of the plants a strip of bast was used to tie the 

 leaves together at the top, and some dry soil placed round the 

 stem with the hand, taking care that none of it rolled into the 

 centre of the plant. 



We have gathered the early Apples — such sorts as Irish 

 Peach, Devonshire Quarrenden, Early Harvest, and Kerry 

 Pippin. Red Astrachau and Early Margaret are now over. We 

 are using two sorts of Pears from our young pyramids — viz., 

 Jargonelle and Beurre Giffard. The first is well known as not 

 only one of the best flavoured early Pears, but the most certain 

 bearer. The latter is not so well known ; it is, nevertheless, a 



