258 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( October 2, 187S. 



before winter. Compost heaps should be turned, and all insects 

 carefully picked, A small quautity of quicklime will prove bene- 

 ficial to the decayed turf intended for Tulips. 



GREENHOUSE AND CO.VSERVATORY. 



In those places where there are a number of plant structures 

 this is indeed a busy season in washing and scouring the various 

 structures from top to bottom, routing out the decaying summer- 

 flowering plants, and placing those plants that have hitherto 

 been out of doors, which of course have had previous to this a 

 perfect examination as respects draining, surfacing, staking, 

 tying, and the encroachment of worms, insects, mildew, &c. 

 "We may expect that the arrangements of the plants, if at this 

 season made systematically, will be attended with considerable 

 interest ; for, simple as this matter may appear at first sight to 

 some people, the good harmony and well-doing of the plants 

 depend much upon it in the coming season. Hardwooded 

 plants should be placed particularly to enjoy a fair share of air 

 and light. See that all luxuriant growth amongst these plants 

 ia duly stopped to maintain symmetry and a due balance of 

 growth. Keep a sharp look-out amongst them, and see that 

 neither mildew, green fly, nor other vermin or disease is allowed 

 to injure them. On fine mornings such plants as Ericas, Bpa- 

 crises, Pimeleas, &c., should be well syringed, and give all pos- 

 sible ventilation both night and day while the weather continues 

 favourable. In these structures many summer-flowering plants 

 must now be cleared out to make room for early-flowering 

 Camellias, scarlet and other Geraniums, Hydrangeas, Cine- 

 rarias, Gesuera zebrina. Primula sinensis, Neapolitan and 

 Russian Violets, late-blooming Stocks, and Mignonette, and all 

 these should be placed so as to harmonise with each other. See 

 that the late-flowering Camelliaa have their last bud-thinning 

 performed in due season. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



These ■will now be brought into requisition rapidly, as many 

 plants ■which were turned into the borders in the spring will 

 now require to be taken up. Those plants which have roothold 

 should have abundance of air every mild day. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



As we assumed last week, the weather still continues very fine. 

 The ■wind, however, has been very changeable during the last 

 few days, shifting from south to uorth-by-east in a few hours ; 

 generally it has been from the east and very drying. This 

 has been exceedingly favourable for storing fruit and getting 

 the Potatoes out of the ground. The disease is increasing very 

 much, and as usual some sorts are not so much affected as others. 

 Of the Regent class Walker's Regent, an excellent variety for 

 general crop, seems to be least susceptible of disease, and the 

 White Don is the worst affected. Dalmahoys have suffered to 

 a considerable extent; and Early Shaws, which in this neigh- 

 bourhood used to be considered the best early Potato for the 

 London market, are three parts diseased. 



FRUIT AND KITCHEN G.ARDEN. 



Owing to the continued wet in August and early in September 

 weeds made much progress ; it was not possible to destroy them 

 ■with the hoe, and where this could not be done with advantage 

 the ground was lightly dug over and the weeds buried. The 

 ground is now very dry, and where weeds had grown much they 

 ■were hoed-up, and will die on the surface. No weeds should be 

 allowed to grow to a seeding state ; if they have done so it is 

 best to puU them out by hand and carry them off the ground. 



This is now the season at which we find it difficult to keep up 

 a supply of good vegetables. Cauliflowers will not grow in the 

 summer months, and we annually sow Peas to come in at this 

 time, and they never give us satisfaction. Dwarf Kidney Beans 

 and Scarlet Runners can be obtained until the frost cuts them 

 down, and the little Coleworts will do us good service during the 

 next three months. 



We cut the old canes away from the Raspberry stools, and 

 tied the young ones up loosely to the sticks. The system of 

 planting Hasphcrries in many places is to set them in beds or 

 quarters 4 feet apart each way, and we have seen various 

 methods of training adopted ; the best is to place a stout stick, 

 standing about 4 feet out of the ground, to each plant. Another 

 ■way is to bend down two plants and tie the tops together, or even 

 four plants may be bent down and tied to a stick in the centre ; 

 but neither of these methods is so good as planting about 2 feet 

 apart, and fixing a stout wire in a horizontal position 3! feet 

 above the ground. The canes are tied to this at regular dis- 

 tances. We hoed the ground and removed all canes not required. 



The Strawberry beds had also become foul with weeds in spite 

 of hoeing. The runners were cut off and the ground hoed 

 between the rows, removing with the hand any weeds that were 

 too close to the plants. We do not like to hoe close to the neck 

 of the plants ; as with the system we adopt in planting them out, 

 •which is to place a spadeful or two of suitable loam around the 

 roots, we find that this during the autumn becomes a mass of 

 compacted fibres closs to the very surface of the ground. It 



would of course be bad management to cut into this several 

 times during the season ■with a Dutch hoe. 



The weather has been very suitable for ripening the best sorts 

 of kitchen and dessert Apples^ as well as the finer Prars, which 

 are of better quality than we have yet had them. We continue 

 to gather and store them in the fruit-room, exercising much 

 care in handling them, and judgment as to the time of gather- 

 ing. This last is of much importance, as if the fruit is gathered 

 before it is quite ready it will shrivel, and if allowed to hang 

 too long the flavour is not so good. The most certain plan is to 

 cut a medium specimen through the middle, and if the pips are 

 brown, the fruit may be gathered ; if the pips are white, the 

 fruit is not ready. Some v.arieties separate more readily from 

 the tree than others ; the Old Golden Pippin will hang to the 

 tree after the fruit is quite yellow and the pips dark bro'wn. 

 The earliest gathered fruit was looked over, and all decaying 

 specimens removed ; one rotten Apple will taint three or four u 

 it is not at once removed. 



Several correspondents have written about their Pears crack- 

 ing. This the fruit have done with ua to a considerable extent ; 

 some varieties are free from it, but many sorts are bad. Beurro 

 de Ranee is the worst, there does not seem to be any sound 

 fruit of this sort. Beurri: d'Amanlis, General Todtleben (Marie 

 Louise is quite free), and Marie Louise d'Uccle are much affected. 

 We imagine that the soil and positiou have something to do 

 with the evil, as some sorts which have not turned out well with 

 us are in excellent order in Mr. Thompson's orchard at Ilford. 

 In all ijrobability sudden changes of temperature have a great 

 influence, also soaking rains after continued drought. Exposure 

 to the east wind likewise acts upon the fruit injuriously. We 

 recommend that the finer sorts of Pears be planted where the 

 east wind cannot act directly upon the fruit. Now is the best 

 time to perform the operation of root-pruning or removal — that 

 is, if the trees have to be removed from one part of the garden 

 to another. If it is necessary to convey them from a distance, 

 November is the most suitable month ; but more can be done 

 to induce fruitfulness by judicious summer pruning than by 

 cutting the roots. 



FRUIT AND FORCING HOUSES. 



Where accommodation for Pine Apples is limited, it ia some- 

 times necessary to grow in the same house succession plants 

 and those throwing-up and ripening fruit. When this is the 

 case, as it is here, it is necessary to study the interests of both, 

 and late in autumn and during the winter a lower temperature 

 is more suitable to Pines than most persons suppose. In our 

 houses .at Loxford Hall Pines have been wintered in a house, 

 some of them swelling their fruit, and others would not throw- 

 up until March or April, or later; and the temperature at night 

 from now until the end of February did not average more than 

 55^ — frequently in cold weather it would fall to 50^. A mode- 

 rately dry atmosphere was maintained in the house, and the 

 plants were kept dry at the roots. Of course the fruit was longer 

 in ripening, but the quality was good. In one house a large 

 crop of Muscat Grapes is hanging, and this necessitates a drier 

 atmosphere than we would have for the Pines, and a little ven- 

 tilation at night. 



The winter Cucumher plants lately put out are progressing 

 favourably, aud those in the other compartment which have 

 been bearing fruit for nearly twelve months have been cut out ; 

 indeed some of them had died-off at the roots, we fancied from 

 water running do'wn the stem, as they •n'ere freely syringed to 

 get rid of red spider on the leaves. The house lately planted 

 will soon bear fruit, and we shall be able to obtain one when it 

 is required, our demand not being large. The stock is kept trne 

 by cuttings, and this is certainly the best way to obtain a good 

 stock true. 



ORCHARD HOUSE. 



All the late Peaches except Salway have been gathered aud 

 the trees repotted. Lady and Lord Palmerston have been the 

 latest. There is much difference of opinion as to the quality of 

 these. They cannot compare for a moment with the best of the 

 midseason Peaches, but they are in use when such sorts as 

 Bellegarde, Grosse Mignonne, Barrington, and the Admirable 

 class are over. They have another disadvantage, and that is 

 that they have to compete with some of our best Pears. With 

 the Peaches we are sending-in Fondante d'Automne, Louise 

 Bonne of Jersey, Madame Treyve, and other fine varieties of 

 Pears which are preferred by many ; but on certain occasions 

 the Peaches make up a dish and are valuable to us. We have 

 also kept them on cotton wadding in the fruit-room for two 

 weeks after being gathered. The house is now being kept close 

 to thoroughly mature the wood, and also to cause the trees to 

 establish themselves in the pots, as they will be removed out of 

 doors in a week or so. 



PLANT HOUSES .AND CONSERVATORY. 



Tree Carnations, ■which up to the present time have been 

 standing out of doors, are now very valuable to us. We have 

 y>laced a stick to those requiring it, and tied those in or showing 

 flower to the sticks. Smaller plants in CO-sized pots have been 

 repotted, and will be valuable to supply us with a succession 



