September IS, 1863. ] JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



217 



to this, and espeeiaUy to trenching the soil, the labour has in 

 many instances been completely lost. Omit the barbarous 

 mode too frequently practised of cutting oif large portions 

 of the roots. Whether the plants be large or small, be sure 

 that the hole in which each is to be placed is large enough 

 in its circumference to aEow sufficient room for laying out 

 the roots regularly and at foU length in a horizontal position 

 previous to covering them with soil. Deep planting too must 

 also be avoided: rather have recoui'se to slakes to keep the 

 plants steady, than that they should be sunk in the ground 

 to such a depth as to insure slow but ultimately certain 

 death. The fom- conditions necessary for success ai-e — the 

 trenching of the soO, the preservation and the regular dis- 

 tribution of the roots, and shallow planting. Sow the 

 following annuals now on rather poor soil, and give them a 

 top-dressing of manure in February, they will then flower 

 freely in May and June. NemophUa insignis, CoUinsia 

 bicolor and grandiflora, Godetia Lindleyana, rubicunda, and 

 tenuifolia, Clai-kia pulcheUa and alba, Eucharidium grandi- 

 florum, Lupinus nanus, Gilia tricolor', Leptosiphon andro- 

 saceus and densiflorus, and Viscaria ocuJata. All other 

 hardy annuals may be sown about the middle of March. 



FKUIT GARDEN. 



Apples and Pears will now require constant watching to 

 catch the favourable time for gathering, which must be as 

 soon as they are detached from the shoot easOy without 

 using force. The plan of laying them in heaps to sweat, as 

 it is called, will not answer for such as are rec^uired to be kept 

 long, as it hastens the ripening process too much, and as a 

 consequence decay will soon follow. Old Strawben-y-beds 

 intended to be left another season should have the runners 

 and rabbish cleared out from them, and be well dressed with 

 rich decomposed maniu-e, but do not mow off the leaves. 

 Strawberry plants in pots must not be allowed to be very 

 dry, nor ought they to be drenched with too much water. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



One of the first operations claiming attention at the pre- 

 sent time is that of potting the bulbs, as much of the 

 success of early forcing depends upon early potting. We 

 never saw bulbs in finer condition than they are this season ; 

 they are not only large biit sound and perfectly matured. 

 Pinks and Violets must also be looked to ; the latter, both for 

 planting and blooming, to be planted out in a frame or pit. 

 Remove those Azaleas which have set their blooms to the 

 greenhouse, but the later kinds to remaio in heat until the 

 growth is matured and the bloom set. The greenhouse, if 

 not already done, should be prepared immediately to receive 

 the plants, as if we should have a return of the late frosty 

 mornings, it will be advisable to house them without delay. 

 In preparing the house let every part of the brickwork be 

 lime-whited and the woodwork well scrubbed with soap and 

 water and afterwards syringed with boiling water, to dis- 

 lodge spiders and destroy the eggs of insects which have 

 been deposited in the crevices of the wood, and look to the 

 flues or hot-water apparatus, and see that eveiything is ready 

 should severe frost come unexpectedly upon us. Have all the 

 pots washed clean, and tie siich plants as require it, so that 

 there may be no delay in housing the plants should a change 

 of weather render it necessary. Keep the structures open 

 night and day after the plants are placed in them, only 

 reducing the ventilation when anfavoui-able changes in the 

 weather take place, and even then -with particular modera- 

 tion and caution, if sturdiness and blooming ia mature per- 

 fection at the proper season are aimed at. 



STOVE. 



A certain and gi-adual reduction of temperature corre- 

 sponding to the decline of external heat should be com- 

 menced. The plants will thus be prepared to withstand the 

 prolonged gloom of the winter season. In the treatment of 

 stove plants it is sxirely an error to act independently of 

 exterior cii-cumstances. The season and, in fact, variations 

 of temperature, should be allowed in a certain and reason- 

 able degree to exert their legitimate influence. Top-di-ess 

 any plants that may require it, and see well to the drainage 

 of aU, especially established plants that have not been 

 repotted for a considerable time. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



Plants which have made their season's growth should be 



freely exposed to sun and air on every favourable opportunity 

 in order that the wood may be well ripened ; but such as 

 are still in free growth should be encouraged by every 

 possible means wh3e fine weather continues, keeping them 

 rather close, guarding them carefidly from cold winds, and 

 giving a liberal supply of heated water at the roots. If any- 

 thing requires pot room let such be shifted as eaily as con- 

 venient, keeping the atmosphere rather close, and watering 

 veiy cautiously for some time afterwards until the roots take 

 hold of the fresh soU. W. Keanb. 



DOi:^GS OF THE LAST WEEE. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Run the hoe thi'ough all advancing crops. Laid down 

 some rather leggy Broccoli, so as to have the earth close up 

 to the stem. Hoed young Lettuces, Spinach, and Onions. 

 Took oif the late Onion crop, not individually so lai'ge as 

 usual owing to the di-y season ; and yet we have scarcely 

 enough of those sowed for buttons, for our ground is too 

 strong for growing them small, Srm, and round as a marble, 

 as we like to see pickled Onions, though we dai-e not eat 

 them, for if we did our coat would have the odom- of them 

 for a month. The main crops of Onions wiU be strung on 

 a wet day ; and for this purpose, instead of depending on 

 the stems plaited together alone, we generally have two or 

 three stout straws of wheat plaited along \vith the stems. 

 Onions so plaited in strings are very haudy for taking 

 into the kitchen, more especially if the bulbs ai-e arranged 

 in strings of the large, larger, and lai-gest. If these are 

 { strung up dry, and kept dry, it matters but little where 

 they are housed. We have seen fine close rooms made for 

 ' Onions, and the chief advantage of such a place is that 

 I they grow and push out too early in spring. No place is 

 ' better for them than an open shed, if thatched all the 

 i better. We have never known any amount of cold injure 

 an Onion, provided it was kept dry. At least we have seen 

 strings hanging against the v.'all of an open shed with the 

 thermometer close on zero, and the Onions not injui-ed in 

 the least. A fuU-grown specimen is easily injui'ed by ex- 

 tremes of temperatui'e when subjected to alternations of 

 ' wetness and dryness. 



i Housed all our early Potatoes in good condition; not a 

 i vestige of the disease to be seen, but we are not safe yet, as 

 two years ago we harvested a beautiful lot without a speck, 

 : and in two months the sound ones had to be picked out. 

 Cleared off decayed haulm of Peas as it became useless. 

 Watered Cauliflower, the rain not having penetrated to the 

 roots. 



Earthed-np a little more Celery just to have enough to go^ 

 on with, and have reason to be more and more satisfied with 

 the Incomparable White Dwarf sent out, we think, first by 

 Mr. Turner, of Slough. We have had immense Celery in 

 September, and yet it did not please us half so much as this 

 little kind. It is true we had a few gorgeous heads of the 

 former to mate people stare, but unless we covered it from 

 autumn rains the very size of the plants kept the rains in 

 then- hearts, and caused the water to puti-ify and discolour 

 the centre, if not to rot it outright. Here there is no such 

 chance with our Incomparable friend. We can grow two or 

 three plants for one of our old Giants ; and if we grow the 

 single plant as thick as our arm and 15 inches high, we can 

 send a foot of beautifal, sweet, crisp Celery to table ; and so 

 long as people keep saying, " Never tasted such beautiful 

 crisp Celery," we mean to keep to the Dwarf, and save the 

 immense banks of earthing-up for all the Giants. Seriously, 

 to all amateurs with little room we would say. Have your 

 own Celery fresh for your cheese by growing the Incom- 

 parable. We find that some of om- great gardeners in the 

 north use it for the spring crops, because it is so hardy and 

 dwarf; we should be inclined to give it the post of honour 

 at all seasons. In general we must own we have been 

 annoyed with Giant Celery. It passes thi-ough so many 

 hands, from the gardener to the employer of the gai-dener, 

 that it becomes reduced to a very little bit, and is so pared, 

 and pared again that a lover of Celery scaa'cely knows what 

 is before him. Mind, we do not blame any one. Those 

 who send up a tiny piece fit for a sparrow out of a bold stick 

 of Celery do so from iise and wont, and, as they think, for 



