Angust 23, 1863. ] 



JOTJENAIi OP HOKTICULTTJRE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



151 



the 26th of July. On the last-mentioned date the Potatoes 

 were severely injured in low grounds. I notice that there 

 is always an interval of four or five days between England 

 and Ireland, so that when we hear of bad weather in Eng- 

 land we may prepare for it here in a short time. — E. Welch, 

 Palace Garden, Armagh. 



AMAEANTHUS MELANCHOLICUS EUBER 

 CULTUliE. 



Happening the other day to take up a copy of yoiu- 

 valuable paper, dated August 11th, I came upon the follow- 

 ing remark respecting the new plant named at the head of 

 this letter : — " It requires pecuHar management, or you 

 will fail >\-ith it. Sow in heat not later than the end of 

 January," kc. The thought came into my mind that it is 

 much to be regretted with that gardeners each believes that 

 his own way of proceeding is the ordy correct one. They 

 will not understand that there are several ways of doing 

 the same thing. 



" But what has this to do with the Amai-anthus ? " perhaps 

 you will be inclined to ask. Why, just this. I have been 

 a very successful grower of it this year, and yet I never 

 did anything that the writer of the above extract dechu-es 

 to be necessary. 



I heard of the plant, and sent for a s hillin g's worth of 

 seed from Messrs. Veitch. On its ai-rival I thought I had 

 very little for my money, and so I set to work to count 

 my seeds, and I found that I had 115, each about the size 

 of a grain of gunpowder. This was at the beginning of 

 April. 



Now, I do not possess a frame, and, therefore, sowing in 

 heat is not in my line ; but I raised it in the same way that 

 I do many other plants. On the 10th of AprU I sowed the 

 seed in a shallow box, and put a j)iece of glass over it. This 

 box I placed on my kitchen-window seat, and as my kitchen 

 is a wanu one, the seeds soon germinated. At fii'st I had 

 about ninety plants, but some beetles destroyed a few by 

 finding their way beneath the glass. 



As soon as the plants were through the soil the box was 

 placed in an orchard-house, wliich, being always open, is 

 not so warm as a cold ft-ame. When the nights were cold 

 I carried the box in-doors. In this way the plants soon 

 began to gi'ow. I then pricked them out in small boxes, 

 and placed them in the border in the beginning of June. 

 They did not not make much progress at first, but towards 

 the end of JiUy they grew rapidly, and the best of them are 

 now 15 inches high. They have gi-own very evenly, and 

 ai'e very effective in the garden. 



I have wiitten this just to show that a great deal may be 

 done with very small means, and with a hope that I may 

 encourage others to follow my example. — W. M. A. 



STEAWBEEEY CULTUEE. 



Vakied has been the information we have received bj' the 

 late discussion in these pages upon the cultivation of the 

 Strawberi-y ; but before the subject shall be again shelved 

 for a season I wish to detail a little experiment I made 

 lately, not wishing to attach to the same any vel-y gi'eat 

 merit, though it would seem rather original. 



Having come to a determination about midwinter, some 

 two years ago, to entirely renew a fruit-border we have here 

 at the base of the north wall — in wliich, in fact, are the fruit 

 trees and also four rows of Strawberries, which we depend 

 upon for our latest out-door picking — I was at a loss how to 

 proceed with the Strawberry plants, as we had not prepared 

 any younger ones to place in their stead. At last I came to 

 the conclusion to try the removal of the plants, each with a 

 good ball, from the old to the fresh-made border as we pro- 

 ceeded with each fi-esh trench. Fortunately the sod they 

 were in was a tolerably good stiff loam ; this aided materially 

 in the removal, for after having formed a very slight hollow 

 upon the surface of the fresh-made soO, we removed each 

 plant separately with the spade, taking cai'e to press it 

 down firmly, and yet not to bury the crown too deeply. 



I am pleased to say that last year and especially this, 

 though our crop of Strawberries was exceedingly good, yet 



none were better or fraited more abundantly than did those 

 we removed, whilst the plants at the present time look 

 exceedingly vigorous and healthy. 



Thus, may it not be possible that, with the view of secur- 

 ing a gi-eater amount of fruit ft-om a certain piece of ground, 

 it may at times be advantageous — (especially when, after 

 thi-ee years' planting or so, the plants, though still looking 

 luxuriant and well, may be supposed to have impoverished 

 the ground below too much to render it probable that a good 

 crop of fi-uit can be secured in the following season) — to keep 

 the old plants with then- strong healthy crowns in preference 

 to chopping them up and throwing them away to make room 

 for young ones ? Where practicable, a continuous picking. 

 of fruit may be thus insured fi-oni the same plant for five 

 yeai-s at the very least ; and by adopting the system we 

 would be independent of the trouble of procuring suckers 

 and planting every thi-ee years. We always pick-off the 

 first season's flowers, leaving but four years of real fi-uiting 

 out of evei7 six. — W. Earley. 



WOEK FOE THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAEDEN. 



Asparagus, see that the beds are kept free from weeds. 

 Articliokcs, cut down the flower-stems, and remove the dead 

 leaves from the old plantations ; those made last season will 

 probably now produce a few heads. Cohhage, continue to 

 plant-out for Coleworts at every favoui'able oppoi-tunity. 

 Prick-out the young plants intended for the main spring 

 crop. Sow, also, lai-gely of the most approved sorts, for 

 standing over the vrinter in nm-sery-beds. CauUfloivers, 

 sow the principal crop for keeping over the winter. Ihoarf 

 Kidney Beaiis, give them an abundant supply of water if the 

 weather continue diy and hot when they are in bloom, ov 

 most of it win di'op off prematurely. Endive, tie-up, and 

 also Lettuce, to blanch. Leeks, plant-out the thinnmgs of 

 the seed-beds as soon as the weather is favovu-able. Onions, 

 pay due attention to this crop, let them be removed from 

 the soil as soon as they have ceased to grov/ ; if left longer 

 than this they fi-equently get mouldy, and do not keep s& 

 well. Let them be spread out in dry sheds till fit for tying 

 in ropes. TiirnixJs, the last crop for this season should be 

 sown as soon as the weather is favourable for that purpose. 

 Thin the advancing crops. Vegetable Marrows, keep the 

 plants well suppUed with water during di-y weather ; cover 

 the gTound about them with short grass or litter of any 

 kind. At the earliest opportunity eai-th-up the Broccoli, 

 Savoys, and all other crops that require it. Remove Peas- 

 that ai-e mildewed immediately they are done with. Destroy 

 catei-pillars that infest the Brassica tribe before they do 

 much mischief. 



FLOVfER GARBEN. 



Keep the herbaceous plants neatly tied up, and cut-off the 

 flower-stems of any that are becoming unsightly. Decay of 

 some of the earlier flowers will now begin to leave blanks 

 which will not be easily filled up unless a stock of large 

 things in pots has been provided. In mixed borders some of 

 the late kinds of Phloxes, Asters, &c., may ocoasionaUy be un- 

 tied, and made to occupy three or more sticks in order to fill 

 the blanks. Petunias and other bedding plants of rambUng 

 habits to have a pi-uning betimes to keep them within 

 bounds. A few Crocuses, Snowdi'ops, &c., may be planted 

 soon to obtain an early bloom. There is no grower who is 

 in the least degree conversant with the cultivation of the 

 Eose, but knows that an abundant supply of stimulating 

 materials should be applied to the autumnal-flowering va- 

 rieties to have them in perfection dm-ing the next two. 

 months. Without applying manui-e water in large quan- 

 tities there wdl be notlung but disappointment this season : 

 we would, therefore, m-ge the necessity of stii-ring the soil 

 about the roots of the Noisette, China, Tea-scented China, 

 Boiu-bon, andPei-petual vai-ieties, and when this operation is 

 finished giving the trees a good soaking with mamu-e water; 

 an abundant, strong, and healthy bloom wiU be the reward, 

 and the plants themselves iriU continue for a greater num- 

 ber of yeai-s to throw up continually an abundant supply 

 of bloom. If you have any spare ground sow some of the 

 North American annuals— Clarkias, Nemophilas, and Col- 

 linsias are amongst the number, the seeds of which never 



