238 



JOUENAL OP HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ Septemier 25, 1873. 



which the roots are allowed to run, and replaced with good 

 fresh loam, not highly enriched with manure, which only in- 

 duces rapid growth when the young trees are young, and after- 

 wards premature decay, which is partly brought on by the use 

 of the knife and partly by the plethoric state of the tree, which 

 is one of the great causes of canker and other diseases. It dung 

 is used it should be in a state of entire decomposition and well 

 mixed with the loam. If old trees are to be taken up and re- 

 planted, the soil in which they are again to be planted may be 

 rather richer than for young trees. As soon as the frait is 

 gathered from wall trees wash them with the garden engine, 

 which will gre.itly bem-fit them by destroying myi-iads of insects 

 which usually attack them while the fruit is ripening, and which 

 is particularly the case this season. Eemove all foreright and 

 misplaced shoots, so as to allow the sun and air to ripen the 

 young wood. Destroy suckers of fruit trees. Continue to gather 

 ripening fruit. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Where extensive alterations and improvements in pleasure 

 grounds are contemplated, the sooner they are proceeded with 

 after this time the better. There are many advantages in com- 

 mencing early, for much more work can be done in a given 

 time now that the ground is in a workable condition than after 

 the rains of winter have set in ; and not only can much more be 

 done, but it can be performed in a more satisfactory manner. 

 Again, by commencing early we have the choice of the nurseries 

 for such plants as are required, and there is a better chance of the 

 transplanted shrubs succeeding, because if the autumn is mild 

 they will strike root at once, and if it is not mild they will get 

 BO firmly fixed m the ground as to receive little injury. New 

 ground work should always if possible be got over beifore Christ- 

 mas, and all planting should be completed by the middle or end 

 •of November. Choice evergreens, espceialiy if removed from 

 nursery beds, I prefer transplantiug in April. The last and, 

 perhaps, the greatest advantage of autumn planting is, that it 

 sets the gardener's hands at liberty for spring work, and this, 

 if anything like high keeping is desired iu the grounds, is 

 essential. Seeds of many sorts of hardy annuals may now be 

 sown ; they will be found to flower much fiuer and earlier than 

 those sown m the spring, particularly the Larkspur, Eschscholt- 

 zias, Nemophilas, ^tc. Cut down the flowering stems of her- 

 baceous plants, but not the leaves growing from the crowns of 

 the plants. Keep the beds free from litter and dead annuals, 

 iulip seed may now be sown in shallow pans or boxes, covering 

 It very sUghtly. Continue to make additions to your collection, 

 always preferring quaUty to quantity. Now is a most excellent 

 time to take oft and pot Carnation layers. See that there are 

 no wireworms in the compost ; there is nothing like the grower's 

 eye to detect these mischievous depredators. Do not delay 

 another week the formation of beds of Pinks for next season's 

 exhibition. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



Everything m the conservatory should be clean and sweet ; 

 the plants should never be crowded, therefore little air is wanted 

 through the ventilators while the plants are at rest; indeed, 

 letting m strong currents of air after this time does a good deal 

 of mischief by drying the soil in the pots too much, and thus 

 rendering large doses of water necessary when none should be 

 wanted. Plants in sitting rooms now require a very different 

 treatment. Housemaids will ventilate their rooms as long and 

 as often as they can, and make large fires in cold weather very 

 much to the injury of plants, which must have water freely 

 every dajs and should be changed as often as the stock will 

 permit. House the Orange trees which have been standing out 

 during the summer, clean the leaves if necessary, and fresh- 

 surface the soil m which they are growing. Fresh-surface and 

 tie-up the plants in the general collection as they are, but in 

 the house the pots should also be washed. 



STO\'E. 



But little water should now be given to Cactaceous plants, 

 very little will also suflice for Crinums, and all plants of suc- 

 culent growth; ligneous plants must not be allowed to be 

 quite dry, but if they have only just sufficient to keep them 

 ahye they vnll be the more likely to flower iu the spring when 

 an increase of heat and moisture is given them. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



In ahout another fortnight the season for propagating wiU be 

 gone by, therefore where suflicient stock is not already put iu 

 there is little time to lose. Plants that are standing out to be 

 hardened should be so arranged as to be readily covered in case 

 of frost which may now be expected, and choice plants in beds 

 which it 13 intended to take up and pot should also be protected 

 on cold nights. By the middle of September Violets should be 

 planted out m pits within a few inches of the glass, afterwards 

 to be well watered ; lay half an inch of very dry soil over the 

 surface m order to keep down the damp until the plants are 

 firmly established and inured to confinement. Pots of Mig- 

 nonette must also be protected from rain, but they should not he 

 kept close. Hehotropes often get too strong about this time if 

 they are in the open air ; when this happens they never flower so 



freely in winter, a short allowance of water with some covering 

 will soon check them. China Boses of all classes that have been 

 close-pruned in August should now be encouraged iu i^its, and 

 they will soon begin to bloom. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OP THE LAST WEEK. 



^ Out-of-doors work is very apt to get behind during con- 

 tinued wet weather, and there is nothing to be gained by work- 

 ing outside while it rains ; but in most gardens of any note there 

 is always plenty to do iu the potting-shed or under glass ; so 

 that if one department lags behind, another is being brought 

 forward. During wet weather we have been making flower 

 sticks, labels, pegs, &c. The last few days have been fine ; 

 wind from the south-west, with a rising barometer, gives us 

 some assurance that this weather will continue. 



FRUIT and kitchen GARDEN. 



We have been gathering many sorts of Apples and Pears iu 

 good condition, except that some of the best specimens have 

 been injured by tomtits ; these active little birds are very use- 

 ful while their time is employed hunting for insects, but they 

 rather annoy us just now. They puncture a small hole with 

 their bills close to the stems of the finest Pears, these specimens 

 speedily decay either before or after they are gathered. The 

 slug caterpillar has been abundant this year, especially on Pear 

 and Cherry trees. On some trees three-parts of the leaves have 

 been skeletonised by them. Some persons throw dry lime on 

 the leaves to destroy them ; this it will do if they are smothered 

 with it, but many escape. The most satisfactory way is to squeeze 

 them with the fingers ; when the trees are not very large a 

 man will go over a considerable number in a day. 



We hoed over all the fruit-tree borders, even if there are but 

 few weeds to destroy. Any larvEE of insects are brought to the 

 surface, where they become a prey to birds. At this season of 

 the year all weeds are raked off, as hoeing them up will not 

 destroy them if they are left on the ground afterwards. All 

 vegetable crops are looking well; hoeing and earthiug-up when 

 necessary is all the attention they requii'e. 



FRUIT AND FORCING HOUSES. 



We are renewing the border of the early vinery — at least 

 adding to it. When the Vines were planted at first the borders 

 were not made out to their full extent, but a wall was built in 

 front of the border to prevent the roots from travelling into 

 what was thought unsuitable soil. However, on digging down 

 outside of this wall, which was well built in cement, it was 

 found that a large proportion of roots had got outside of this 

 wall. It was one of our early houses, and there is a fact w^orthy 

 of notice in connection with this house — it was found that, not- 

 withstanding all our precautions, the Grapes were liable to 

 shank. The border was carefully covered up with litter annually 

 in the autumn, and shutters were placed over this to throw oS 

 the winter rains and melted snow, the drip being allowed to fall 

 outside of the above cement wall. Of course an investigation 

 showed that this drip was falling ou the most active rootlets, 

 and icicles have been hanging to the hoards when the Grapes 

 have been swelling and stoning, with a night temperature of 

 65° and 70° inside the house. In the future we will have a 

 gutter to carry off the water from the shutters, and we fancy 

 that this is the cause of the Grapes shanking. In late houses, 

 where Grapes are hanging, we have removed all plants that re- 

 quire water, and when the weather is unfavourable, the atmo- 

 sphere charged with moisture and no wind, the fires are put on 

 in the day time. We must be watchful to cut out all decaying 

 berries as soon as they are observed. The Grapes look as if 

 they would not keep well this year. The Muscat of Alexandria, 

 Mrs. Pince, and Lady Downe's are keeping better than Alicante, 

 Trentham Black, and Royal Vineyard. 



CONSERVATORY AND PLANT STOVE. 



Orchids are now being freely exposed to the sun in order to 

 mature the growths for the ensuing winter. Indeed, after the 

 middle of September it is not necessary to shade any plants, 

 except any subject that may be unhealthy and requiring peculiar 

 treatment, or choice plants in flower. We have carefully looked 

 over all plants that are subject to be attacked with hug, and 

 washed them with soft soap and water. We have a plant of 

 Stephanotis floribunda trained to the rafter, and in a position 

 where it cannot be syringed w^ithout injuring the plants under- 

 neath, and it is very difficult indeed to keep it clean. Where 

 such plants can be syringed twice a-day during summer, they 

 ought not to be infested with vermin. Now is the time to get 

 all stove plants thoroughly cleansed, and see that the plants 

 are not crowded too closely together. Rather dispose of the 

 surplus in some way than allow the house to be crammed with 

 plants, as if this is the case it will not be possible to obtain good 

 specimens of anything. Some specimens of hardwooded green- 

 house plants were not potted at the time they ought to have 

 been done, and when this is delayed late iu the autumn the 

 plants do not succeed well the following season, and much care 

 is necessary as regards after-treatment, especially watsring. 



