31S 



JOURNAL OF HOKTIOULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



I October 23, 1873. 



flower better than if left in the ground ; they may he preserved 

 over winter in any dry cool place where they wiU he free from 

 frost. If there ia one thing more than another which contri- 

 butes to the high keeping of this department of a gentleman's 

 establishment, it is finely-kept and perfectly smooth turf. This 

 is unquestionably the best season to lay tui-f, except under 

 large trees, and in such situations it is better to delay until 

 spring, otherwise the constant dripping of the rains in winter 

 would do material injury. Level to a uniform height the edgings 

 which surround the walks and borders. These two things, com- 

 bined with good walks, will give a garden a highly-finished ap- 

 pearance. Herbaceous borders may now be regulated, reducing 

 the large plants considerably, and preferring rather to leave the 

 outside than the centre of the plants. Where the plants have 

 not been regulated for some years it will be best to take them 

 up, manure and trench the ground, and replant them properly. 

 It will soon be necessary to put Auriculas in their winter 

 quarters. Nine-tenths of the collections grown in the country 

 are wintered in glazed frames, or sheltered by boards hinged to 

 the wall ; the great point, however, is to keep them from drench- 

 ing rains when the plant is in a dormant state. Polyanthuses 

 may still be pl.anted, the sooner the better. All offsets, seed- 

 lings, or unhealthy bull)3 of Tulips should now be in the ground ; 

 and as the main bed ought to be planted between the middle of 

 October and the first week in November, everything must now 

 be in readiness, and the first favourable opportunity should be 

 taken to put them in the ground. In consequence of the late 

 fine weather the beds ought to be in a good state for i^lanting, 

 and it would be a wise precaution to cover them with mats 

 during the night or on the appearance of rain, as it is advisable 

 not to plant when the bed is too much saturated. 



FORCING PIT. 



The forcing pit should now be in full operation to keep up a 

 stock of flowering plants for the rooms and conservatory through 

 the winter. All hardy and half-hardy plants brought in for 

 forcing should have a temperature at first of from .50° to 60°, to 

 be increased up to 75° when more advanced ; but as many plants 

 will not bear such heat, and others will not do much good with- 

 out a high temperature, there should be two distinct pits or 

 at least divisions for this purpose. In large establishments 

 many are forced in stoves and early vineries, but to allow the 

 management of these houses to be altered in any degree to suit 

 forced flowers is no economy. However, there are many plants 

 that may easily be forced in this way. With a large stock of 

 Chinese Azaleas some of them may be had from Christmas till 

 the end of May. The first lot should now he brought into a 

 heat of 50°, or even G0° if they were forced last April, and if their 

 flower-buds are prominent. The double Roman Narcissus is 

 the first of the forced bulbs, and where they have been potted 

 early in August they will now stand (J0° of heat, and will l)e in 

 flower by the end of next month. Hyacinths that have been 

 potted before the middle of August will now endure a good heat 

 and bloom early without at all injuring the bulbs, whereas late- 

 potted bulbs are ruined if forced early; not hut that they will 

 flower well enough, but the bulbs are of no use afterwards. 



PITS AND FR.\MES. 



Every plant that is liable to be injured by wet or cold should 

 be taken in. Give air freely every mild day. The greatest care 

 should he taken that the soil in which the plants are growing 

 do not become sodden by heavy rains. The lights should 

 always be on diu-iug wet weather, but tilted up at the back.— 



W. KE.iNE. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



We have taken advantage of fine weather to get some trench- 

 ing done. A week or two ago we alluded to the disadvantage 

 of trenching the gi-ouud when it is not in good order, either 

 soaking wet or frozen hard ; but it is not possible to do all such 

 work in fine weather where a large quantity has to be done. In 

 this case the most particular work must be chosen for the most 

 fitting time. Ground might be trenched or worked in any way 

 for the commoner description of kitchen-garden crops, when it 

 would not be desirable to do so for the choicest descriptions of 

 florists' flowers, such as the Gladiolus, Pink, and Carnation. 



All the Apples were gathered more than a week ago, except 

 the Nonpareils. These have also been taken into the fruit- 

 room. We have, until this season, managed to keep Straw- 

 berries in beds clear of weeds by the hoe, but through using 

 loam that contained a quantity of grass seeds, when the plants 

 were put out the ground became foul with weeds. In such a 

 case hand-picking ia the best remedy. It is not desirable to dig 

 amongst the plants, otherwise the weeds might be buried in the 

 ground. We cut off the runners, for they are not allowed to 

 remain to exhaust the plants. 



We have gathered a small dish of Peas, but they have not 

 done so well as was expected, and the frosts have destroyed the 

 Kidney Beans, so that for vegetables we are confined to Cole- 

 Worts, Brussels Sprouts, and Savoys, which are very good this 



year. We envy those who are enabled, from having a suitable 

 soil, to obtain good Cauliflowers at this season. Those who are 

 fortunate in having a good supply should be careful to protect 

 them from frost. It is a good plan to cut the leaves back con- 

 siderably when the Cauliflower is nearly ready for cutting, then 

 pull the plant up and place the roots in boxes of sand in a back 

 shed or other cool place. 



PEUIT AND FORCING HOUSES. 



We are making ready the early vineries for forcing; the out- 

 side borders have been covered over to protect them from rain. 

 Various appliances have been recommended for this purpose- 

 such as covering with glass lights, thatchmg with straw, &o. 

 Ours are covered with wooden shutters, which are fitted under 

 the wall-plate and slope gently to the front of the border, the 

 water being carried into a drain by spouting. Inside we have 

 been cleaning the glass and woodwork, using a very little soft 

 soap with the water on the woodwork, but none on the glass. 

 The Vines, after being pruned, are washed with soap and water, 

 and then painted over with a solution of Gishurst compound, 

 or sulphur is added to water in which soft soap has been dis- 

 solved, until it is of the consistency of paint. The inside borders 

 next claim attention, the object being to entice the roots to the 

 surface of the border; this is accomplished by removing the 

 surface soil to the depth of about 3 inches, and replacing it with 

 a compost of equal parts of loam and rotten manure, pressing it 

 in rather firmly. 



This is a critical time for late-keeping Grapes; a quick eye ia 

 essential to notice the first appearance of mildew on the berries, 

 and to have those affected removed at once. 



Strawherries in i^ots for forcing have been removed under 

 glass. All the varieties are looking well for fruit, and are almost 

 free from any appearance of spot on the leaves. This season 

 has not been entirely favourable for them, the weather being 

 cold and wet at the time the crowns were being formed. Our 

 plants are always placed in an open position, and each pot is 

 elevated on a brick, which causes the air to circulate more freely 

 underneath the foliage than it otherwise would. The plants are 

 plunged in cocoa-nut fibre refuse in cold frames, and the lights 

 are entirely removed in fine weather, and are only kept on to 

 preserve the plants from heavy rains and frosts. Instead of 

 removing them to the frames, they might have been advanta- 

 geously placed on the shelves near the glass in the houses where 

 they ripen their fruit, hut Chrysanthemums and other flowering 

 plants are in the house, and watering Strawberries on shelves 

 causes much damp. 



A few Orange trees are cultivated in pots in the Cucumber 

 and Pine houses. A large plant of the Taugierine variety is 

 bending under the weight of its fruit, and is the earliest to 

 ripen, followed by the Maltese Blood and St. Michael's. If the 

 plants are free from scale and other insect pests they do not 

 require much attention, and the fruit is very useful for dessert 

 between now and Christmas. The fruit ought to be cut with 

 part of the branch and a leaf or two, so that it may readily be 

 distinguished from foreign fruit. 



OECBABD HOUSE. 



We have now repotted all the fruit trees. The bulk of them 

 were shifted by the end of September, but some of the Apple 

 trees, such as Calville Blanche, Melon, and Northern Spy, and 

 the Salway Peach, could not be moved until the fruit was 

 gathered. All the trees have been taken outside, and the house 

 filled with Chrysanthemums. The trees are placed on hard 

 ground close together, and the pots covered over with cocoa-nut 

 fibre refuse to protect them from frost. Some of the best ciilti- 

 vators of orchard-house trees have protested against removing 

 Peaches and Nectarines out of doors at this season, alleging as 

 a reason that the trees suffer from frosts and rains. We have 

 followed the practice for more than six years, and have found 

 no harm result from it. 



PLANT STOVE AND CONSERVATORY. 



In the plant stove we do not find much to do, except to keep 

 the plants clean. Our house has been infested with mealy bug 

 from the first, and we find the only way to get rid of this is to 

 watch for it and immediately wash the plants when it appears. 

 Now is a good time to follow it iip, and by scrupulous cleanli- 

 ness eradicate it entirely. 



Poinstttia pulcherrinia, which has been growing in a cool 

 greenhouse during the summer mouths, has been removed to a 

 stove temperatme. This plant is indispensable for decorative 

 purposes about Christmas ; its glowing crimson-scarlet floral 

 bracts light up the stove at the dullest season of the year. We 

 do not always see it grown as it ought to be. Some cultivators 

 fancy that it requires to be kept in the stove all the year. If 

 they are grown so the plants will run-up shoots like a gross- 

 growing Willow, and nearly all the leaves will fall off before 

 the bracts appear ; whereas plants grown in an airy house, or 

 even in the open air, will be dwarf, and the leaves are retained 

 to the last. 



There is a paucity of flower in the stove just now, but Stepha- 

 notis floribunda is iu bloom, also Calanthe vestita rubra and 

 III tea. These two charming Orchids are the easiest grown of 



