August 25, 1863. ] 



JOtTENAL OF HORTICTTLTTJEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



153 



is seldom any difficulty witt the plants at fii-st. We have 

 sometimes had fine crops from plants aijproachiug two 

 yeai-s old, and we confess we are nonplussed to find how 

 we cannot now can-y the spring plants right on into the 

 autumn. We seldom gTOW Cucumbers aU through the 

 winter now ; but those who contemplate doing so should 

 take their seedlings up without delay, pot them separately, 

 and when planted out keep them nipped-in pretty well, and 

 allow no friiit to remain until the plants ai-e strong and well 

 furnished with good healthy foliage. Such plants, if wanted to 

 produce abundantly in December and January and onwards, 

 should not be allowed to do much to distress themselves 

 until December. For such purpose a sp.an-roofod house or 

 a steep nan'ow lean-to, is far superior to a low pit, though 

 the expense for fuel will be greater ; and with a bottom 

 heat of about 80°, or fi'om that to 75^ the top heat may fall 

 to 60° at night, and the plants vnR do better at that in the 

 dark days than if the temperatiu'e were higher. 



MTJSHROOM-EEDS. 



Put the first little piece in the Muslu-oom-house. We 

 were pleased to find that one of the )jest gardeners of the 

 day, and who must have Mushi'ooms every day, adopts the 

 plan we follow, of making little bits of beds constantly. 

 By thus doing' merely a few yards at a time there is less 

 chance of failure ; but when a large bed is made, and any 

 casualty occurs, then, of course, the disappointment is pro- 

 portionately large. For these small, shaEow beds in-doors, 

 nothing excels horse-droppings moderately dried, mth a 

 good propoi-tion of short litter in it, and some good turfy 

 loam, or scrapings and parings from the highway. We ai-e 

 always scarce of droppings, but we have just thrown a heap 

 of materials together, which we are sui'e when slightly 

 heated will make a first-rate article — such as two small 

 loads of rather moist somewhat-spent dung, a good portion 

 of which was horse-droppings, one load of fresh horse- 

 droppings, one load of short dry litter, such as pigs wiU 

 roll in under a shed, and from one to two loads of dry tm-f 

 cut small, and road parings and scrapings. These were 

 well mixed and thrown into a conical heap to ferment a 

 little, and were covered with 4 inches of dry litter from the 

 stable to hasten the fei-menting process, and to keep wet 

 and wind out. In a few days that heap will be in a nice 

 condition for making shallow beds of from 12 to IG inches 

 deep. Of course, it would do eqiially well for larger beds, 

 either in sheds or in the open ail' ; but out of doors, as a large 

 bed must be made for winter use, the material^ need not be 

 so nice. If the diing is prepared much as iiJ^our younger 

 days we used to work it for Cucumbers and Melons, it will 

 answer admfrably, if well wrought, nice and moist, and 

 sweet throughout. Such beds out of doors are best made in 

 the form of a ridge or span-roof; the base, say, 3i feet wide, 

 rising to 3 feet at the point in the centre, the dung being 

 laid on in layers, and firmly beat downwards and from the 

 sides as the work proceeds. When the heat declines to 

 about 80°, the sides should be spawned, and if the tem- 

 perature continues all right then earth-up. Before perform- 

 ing the latter process, we used to put a layer of fresh 

 droppings aU over the bed, if even less than an inch thick, 

 to feed the Mushi'Ooms as it were. The soil we like best is 

 rather stifif loam, fi-om l\ to 2 inches thick, well kneaded, and 

 then beaten to a smooth surface. Such beds need covering 

 at once to protect them from the weather, and the cover- 

 ing must be thick or thin according to the weather. The 

 beds will do best when the heat in the dung will range 

 about 70°, and the surface of the bed range from 55° to 60°. 

 We have known beds suddenly exhaust themselves fi'om over- 

 heating when the covering was not lessened in warm 

 muggy weather in winter. If such a bed can be made in a 

 shed, either as a lean-to or a ridge as above, it wiU be a 

 great advantage in the way of covering, as rains and snows 

 will be excluded. Such beds wiU often produce largely for 

 many months, but for a continuous supply, where a little 

 heat can be secured in winter, shallow beds ai'e the most 

 sure. Now is the time to prepai'e materials for these large 

 beds, and for shallow ones too, in the case of those who 

 want Mushi-ooms chiefly in winter. 



SPAWN-MAKING. 



We have just commenced making a bit. A few barrow- 

 loads of fresh horse-droppings are collected, and then as 



much cowdung, fresh, as when mixed and blended together 

 vdR look like stiff mortar or gTafting-clay. This, then, is 

 squeezed into a mould of four pieces of wood, the same as 

 that used for making bricks, and each brick of dung is placed 

 as turned out on a board to dry, two holes being made in 

 each for inserting the spawn when di'y enough. Then it 

 win be placed in a heap and covered with litter to cause the 

 spawn to run. The gentleman referred to above suggests 

 an improvement, which we tliink a very good one — namely, 

 making the bricks of the length and width, but only about 

 half the thickness of the common budding-bricks. We can 

 easily see that the pieces will dry quicker, and then that 

 the spawn will sooner permeate or leaven the mass. We axe 

 just a little doubtful if these thin bricks will keep quite as 

 long. Many use no mould whatever, spread the material on 

 a hard bottom, beat it well, and then ciat it oxit in the 

 sizes that please them, with a clean shai'p edging-iron. 

 However managed, good spawn is an essential element of 

 success, and the care that is exercised in this respect is 

 fast causing the Mushrooms of our pastures to be tabooed 

 for everything except ketchup. 



FBUIT GARDEN. 



Looked over late Melons to set the blooms. Gathered 

 Peaches and Nectarines which come in orchard-house as fast 

 as we need them. Have still a few Apricots out of doors 

 not ripe, which shows how cold we are. Nipped the points 

 of low standard Apple and Peai' trees — that is, the young 

 growth after the fii'st stopping. Thinned Pears on such 

 small trees, but still not nearly enough. Have been advised 

 to try the pigs with them, but doubt if they will care for 

 them now, though they woidd feast on them when ripe. 

 Syringing in orchard-house because we are scarce of water. 

 Plums are coming in from pots, but not evenly as respects the 

 same kinds, as we observe that one Jefferson's has given us 

 two dishes, with a great di'aught of afr on night and day, and 

 a lot more ripening nicely, whilst the same kind in a warmer 

 place is still hard as bullets. Gave manure water to Straw- 

 berries in pots. The Victoria Plum in the latter place is 

 also yet hard, though taking on its usual colour. Green 

 Gages have lipened well. Have a little tree named so, but 

 which, no doubt, from its lateness is Reine Claude de Bavay. 

 Have not yet cleaned the StrawbeiTy-quarters, hut have 

 picked out a number of the best rvmners we could find, and 

 pricked them out on a rich border about 5 inches apart, the 

 richness being confined to a few inches near the surface, 

 and they most Ukely avQI be raised for forcing in March 

 and April. At that time such plants with good large baUs 

 and firmly potted wiU answer well ; but such a system would 

 be of no use for obtaining Strawberries in February or 

 March, or even the beginning of April. For such work the 

 plants must be well established, and the buds ripened in the 

 pots in which they are to fr'uit before the autumn. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



Potted lots of Primulas, Cinerarias, &c., for mnter. Gave 

 full light and ail- to Epacrises to ripen wood and buds, ditto 

 as to early-flowering Heaths. Defen'ed potting Poinsettias, 

 Euphorbias, &c. — one small shift — for want of suitable pots. 

 Fresh regulated conservatory, supplying with Fuchsias and 

 varieties of Geraniums, and made tidy flower-beds out of 

 doors. Find to oiu' mortification that the di'yness is making 

 havoc with the Grandiflora Double Feverfew in the ribbon- 

 borders. It was so strong we were obliged to bend it a 

 little ; but the flowers are turning dai-k, and not enough of 

 fresh ones coming to keep up the mass. Believe it would 

 have been all right if we could have watered, as it did well 

 in other places last year up to the end of the season. 

 However, we should be tempted not to trust it in the post 

 of honour next season. A large single white Chi-ysanthemum, 

 which we call a Chinese Daisy, would have defied all weathers 

 unless there had been the di-yness of the desert. The 

 Feverfew may in a fortnight be aU right again ; but, if not, 

 we can make the neighbouring rows fill up the space, and 

 bm-y it out of sight if we Uke. Evei-ything else has stood 

 the di-yness better than we could have exi^ected. 



Have commenced i>ropagating for next season, and will 

 now have a fortnight or three weeks of it. We wish we had 

 a reserve-gTOund for plants for cuttings, we do so dislike 

 breaking in on the flower-beds ; but we cannot help our- 

 selves. In most essentials the plans described by Mr. 



