36 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE OARDSNEE. 



July 14, ISC'!. 



the condensed moisture trickling down the sides, the general 

 &ct aa-rived at was, that the trough in which the g^lass stood 

 over the solid ground had most water in it. The same 

 results we believe would take place in every garden and 

 field according to their relative eii'cumstances. True, on 

 stin-ing soO with fork or share, the heat of the air would 

 enter, and in proportion to the diyness of the air, would the 

 soil be deprived of superabundant moistui'e, and other chemi- 

 cal and mechanical advantages would follow ; but the heat 

 admitted would almost entirely be the heat of the aii- near 

 the surface of the ground, and not that accixmulated heat 

 from the sun's rays striking repeatedly on the same solid 

 spot. In the first casi, too, the conduction of heat down- 

 wai'ds is arrested by the open surface ; in the second it is 

 assisted. The siurface-stin-ing acts, therefore, in Ixith cases 

 very much lilce the shade of a thick mat spread over the 

 gi-ound. Flitting a cold hand successively on ii-on, stone, 

 firm smooth earth, and loose earth exposed to the sun's 

 action, would almost decide the matter by the mere sense 

 of touch. 



The strongest alignment a fi-iend suggested against such 

 conclusions was gained from the well-known fact, that 

 tender iruit trees against houses and cottages often fared 

 better than in gentlemen's gardens, even though they 

 scarcely ever had any waterings, and the ground above the 

 roots was either paved or pitched. How did the roots get 

 moisture at all if the heat of the soil and the evaporation 

 from the soil were so much in proportion to the firmness of 

 the surface ? We think the ease on the other hand is quite 

 in our favom-. The earth being close to the paved surface 

 got more heated in spring than a common garden border 

 would do, and thiis roots would be stimulated in unison 

 with branches. So little is this the case in general with 

 trees against walls at the back of cropped borders, that it is 

 (juite common to shade the wall in parly spring, or to leave 

 the twigs dangling from the wall, and thus keep them 

 colder than they othei-wise would be until the earth would 

 get a little heated. A vast deal has been written on concret- 

 ing the bottom of borders ; but we believe mucli might also 

 Ije done by concreting the sui-fece as soon as the trees were 

 established. Then as to the moistm-e question, there need 

 be little fear of that if the roots are not whoUy isolated from 

 the surrounding earth. "We cannot say how fax a good healthy 

 plant wOl draw moistui-e for itself in such eu-cumstances, 

 but the gi'eater the evaporation, the greater the quantity 

 attracted to supply it. We once had a Vine-border that could 

 not receive from above a drop of water for five years, and yet 

 on uncovering it, it was found to be just nicely" and healthily 

 moist. The leaves were less, and the fruit more abundant 

 every year : and on taking up the pavement over the roots 

 of fruit trees trained against a cottage, we have generally 

 found the soil nicely moist though not wet. This is, how- 

 ever, another side of the question — frTiitivJness i\ luxu- 

 liance. The piinciide fairly understood, we can easily vary 

 it, just as we would bring such knowledge to bear veiy 

 differently on two young Cabbage plants, one of which it 

 was desired to bloom as soon as possible, and the other to 

 become in the shortest time a great thumping head to fill 

 the tray at the hall table. 



ORNAMENTAL GAKDENING. 



We skip other depaa-tments to continue the pra<,'tical 

 iQusti-ation of the same piinciijle. In addition to much of 

 what was stated last week we knived pai-t of the lawn 

 where there were some Daisies, in preference to macliining 

 or mowing, as it is not desii-able in such warm weather U> 

 make the grass too short. The chief work, however, has 

 been regulating beds and borders, hoeing or surface-stirring, 

 watering what we could, and then almost immediately cover- 

 ing with a slight layer of leaf mould and old Mushroom- 

 dimg. Generally we used to pass all such material through 

 a one-inch sieve, and then add to it a little soot and lime 

 before strewing it over the bed, as these latter ingi'edients 

 tend to keep the beautiful birds scratching it about over 

 the lawn, and this they can hardly attempt when the 

 beds are too thick for theii- bills and shoulders. Tlus year. 

 being scarce, we have been obliged to use leaves of this 

 season rather too rough for the back rows, and our old 

 mirture for the fi'ont rows and all the smaller beds. Now, 

 though we consider this covering from half an inch to an 



inch or more as a capital thing when rightly used, the 

 right use depends much on the time and the season. 

 Scarcity of water has made us refoi't to it sooner than we 

 otherwise would have done, when a. KtUl wanaer soil would 

 have done no harm, whilst the gi-eat heat would hp,ve 

 prompted us to thus mulch some tilings sooner than we did. 

 We shall now for some time be pretty independent of the 

 water-paE as respects those beds thus managed. Rougher 

 things, such as Dahlias, have had a di'cs.siug of short mowing^, 

 and without any watering they are standing well. 



As examples ai'e best remembered we will single out tv.'O 

 classes of favoiuite bedding plants, and show liow the same 

 principle would apply to them somewhat dift'erently. First, 

 there are the Scarlet Geraniums. We believe the summer 

 can scarcely be too bright and warm to insure their doing 

 first-rate out of doors. In a dull summer and wet autumn 

 they are more prolific of leaves than flowers. So much is 

 this the case, that in such eu-cumstances, and but tor the 

 expense, planting in pots, woiUd be best — in fac-t, treating 

 them like the tree with its roots und(n' pavement. So well 

 convinced ai'e we that these plants like a warm soil, that 

 we would stir the surface but little, and would not mulch at 

 all but for the (fread of the plants being dried up. As our 

 ground is poor, half an inch or so of the compost just helps 

 to prolong enough of vigour for flowering, and keeps the 

 moisture in. Then, secondly, there ai'e the Calceolarias, 

 which are now so beautiful, and which, in cm- opinion, re- 

 quire quite different treatment. These plants will often do 

 well in a dull cold season, when Scai'let Geraniums only 

 pretend to mass with bloom ; but we have never known the 

 brightest and longest-continued sunny weather have any 

 other efiect on them except to make them brighter, provide<i 

 the roots ai'e kept cool and moist. Neglect these provisos, 

 and we will not say much as to the results we would antici- 

 pate in such circumstances : hence in their case we early 

 and fi'equently stir with hoe and fork the sm-face soil, and 

 this is likely all we would do if we could water them often 

 with cold water ; but as we cannot do so, and as by mid- 

 summer the sou is generally warm enough for them, we give 

 them a mulching of the riddled Mushroom-dung and leaf 

 moidd, and would give them more than 2 inches instead 

 of 1 if we could afford it ; and in hot th-y weather such as 

 this we make a boy just move the siu'face of this covering, 

 which thus breaks the line of conduction and of evaporation, 

 and so helps to keep heat and moistm-e in, en the same 

 principle that we defend ourselves from too bright a fire 

 when seated near it by placing a riresci'een between it and 

 our bodies. 



We axe very short of this mulching after clearing out all 

 oui- Mushroom-beds — for the first piece in the open shed is 

 noT/ too much covered with Mushrooms. However, as there 

 were only a couj^le of inches or so of good stuil' on the sur- 

 face, if the bed continues long thus prolific we shall be 

 agreeably disappointed, and have taken measures for suc- 

 cession accordingly. 



Oui' cliief fresh work in the ji-uit gai-tlen has been layering 

 more than a thousand Strawbeii-y plants in smidl pots, as 

 mentioned a fortnight ago. — R. F. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*^* We reque.'it that no one v.-iU write privately to the de- 

 pai'tmeutal writers of the ■• Joiuiial of Horticulture, 

 Cottage Gardener, and Covuitiy Gentleman." By so 

 doing they are subjected to nnjustifiable trouble and 

 expense. AH communications sliould therefore be ad- 

 di'essed soJely to TJie Editors of tlie Journal of Horticul- 

 ture, ij-c, 162, Fleet Street, Loniloti, E.C. 



We also request that coirespondents will not ndx up on the 

 same sheet questions relating to Gaa-dening and those 

 on Poultry and Bee subjects, if they exjieet to get them 

 answered promptly and conveniently, but write them 

 on separate commtmications. Also never to send more 

 than two or tlu'ee questions at once. 



We cannot reply privately to any communicatiou unless 

 under very special eii'cumstances. 

 Bdeking Sukface Soil ((V. S. IF.).— In No. 96 of this Journal arc full 



directions for punnj^ and burning. Buy " ."Vlanures Jor tlie Many," juat 



publiclicd at our office -, you can have it free by post for four poslage'stampp, 



and it contains the same directions. 



