NoTember 10, 1863. ] 



JOTJENAli or HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



377 



all means fort the roots out carefully and plant them again 

 with care on the sm-face, spreading out the roots regularly, 

 and then mulching them. If trees to be operated on are 

 planted high and dry, fork about them at a reasonable dis- 

 tance, and prune back the main or strongest roots as you 

 discover them. Raspberry plantations to be cleared of the 

 dead canes and superfluous wood, the suckers to be taken 

 off, and where required the strongest to be planted for suc- 

 cession. 



QKEENHOUSE AND CONSEBVATOET. 



Damp and mildew are the great enemies to be guarded 

 against now, and these must be sharply looked after, espe- 

 cially in the case of plants that have not well ripened then- 

 growth, and are in a rather soft state. If damp is trouble- 

 some it must be dispelled by means of free ventilation on 

 dry days, using a little fire heat at the same time, and for 

 mildew a dry airy atmosphere is the best preventive ; but 

 the plants should be frequently examined, applj-ing sulphiu- 

 on the first appearance of the enemy. Very little water 

 will be requii'ed here at present, but the plants should be 

 frequently and carefully looked over, so as to make sure that 

 no plant is allowed to feel the want of it. See that there are 

 no broken panes of glass to cause di-ip, for the dark short 

 days and natural humidity of the atmosphere at this season 

 of the year ai'e quite enough to contend with. 



FOECINe-PIT. 



It will now be necessary to introduce into this structure 

 a supply of those plants usually employed in early forcing ; 

 to begin with a gentle bottom heat and a moist state of the 

 atmosphere, admitting a little air on every favorurable oppor- 

 timity. The following plants are available for the puriiose : 

 — Pelargoniums, Scarlet Geraniums, Heliotropes, Aloysia 

 citriodora,Alonsoa grandiflora. Camellias, Coronillas, Salvias, 

 Cinerarias, &c. ; Persian Lilacs, Sweet Briars, hardy Azaleas, 

 Kalmias, Rhododendrons, Lily of the Valley, Pinks, Roses, 

 Violets, &c. ; the bulbs of Hyacinths, Tulips, Iris, Narcissus, 

 Crocus, &c., that have been potted and treated as advised 

 Bome time ago. The whole to be managed so as to give 

 a succession of bloom, which can only be effected by bring- 

 ing into the forcing-pit a part of the stock at a time. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



All stores intended to be wintered in these structures 

 should be finally arranged as soon as possible. A dry at- 

 mosphere, with a considerable amount of ventUation day 

 and night, are the requisites. An observant person may 

 take a hint from the Verbenas which remain out in the 

 borders. How often do we see these green through a great 

 part of the winter. They are well-established, however, at 

 the root, and would prefer a moderately dry frost to a murky 

 and confined atmosphere. Everything that obstructs the 

 light, or that has a tendency to generate decay, should be re- 

 moved immediately. W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST V^EEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Weathee windy and wet. Did little out of doors, except 

 pulling a few weeds from gravel walks in the intervals of 

 fair weather j cutting the edges and rough cleaning the sides 

 of carriage road, by hoeing and raking when soft, and will 

 rake again the first fine, dry, sunny day, to bring the weeds 

 to the surface, or what is left of them, as at this season, 

 without frequent scratching, hoeing and raking are of no 

 avail. It is only the sides that need anything of this kind, 

 as the centre is too hard and well used to permit of weeds 

 growing. The ground is now getting wet, and we must 

 look out for some stubble, if possible, to finish up our 

 Celery before much frost comes. Made up slight hotbeds 

 for Radishes, and Asparagus, but the ground must be a 

 little drier before we can take up the latter. It is a great 

 advantage for early work, when the plants are permanently 

 planted in pigeon-holed pits, to be heated by dung-linings 

 at the sides ; but we have not got that length as yet. For As- 

 paragus the pits should have glass sashes in winter, which 

 would come in for other frames or pits in summer. For 

 Sea-kale and Rhubarb, board covers would do. Where fer- 

 menting material cannot be had, hot-water pipes may run 

 beneath the bed, and one pipe above to keep out frost. 



We have grown very fine Asparagus in a dark place, by 

 cutting the heads when 6 inches in length, and setting them 

 in damp sand in a vessel exposed to light in the greenhouse, 

 so as to take away the blanched appearance. We prefer, 

 however, what is grown green; and when a part is taken up 

 every year, though the waste is great, the Aspai'agus ground 

 comes in for many crops in rotation. Sea-kale, and Rhubarb, 

 too, may be grown in the dark as well as not, but neither 

 should be allowed to elongate too much, or the heads and 

 stalks become watery and lose firmness. Earthed-up our third 

 piece of Mushroom-bed, using fr'esh stiffish loam, kneading 

 and beating it firmly, and making it as smooth on the sur- 

 face as a plastered wall, by wetting it and drawing a clean 

 spade firmly over it. Put a slight covering of old hay over 

 the shallow bed to prevent the heat escaping. The first 

 piece is now yielding fi-eely, and we gather stiU from the 

 last piece in the open shed. We have often proved what 

 the last season has also demonstrated, that almost any fer- 

 menting material will do for growing Mushrooms when not 

 too wet nor too dry, and when not afready permeated by the 

 spawn of other fungi. We have used tree leaves and grass 

 for the bottom of beds, but it is well to give them a good 

 heat at first, as otherwise in raking the leaves you are apt to 

 collect the spores of other fungi with them, which would be 

 destroyed by a sharp heat. The first piece in the shed had 

 been made chiefly with old stubble, brought from protecting 

 Celery, &c., thrown into a heap and fermented, and cased 

 with about 2 inches of dung and horse-droppings. Our first 

 bed in the Mushroom-house was about two pai-ts short litter, 

 two parts horse-droppings, and one part rough dry turf, that 

 had been in a heap for nine months, roughly chopped. On 

 the whole, however, the richer and the less exhausted the 

 materials the better the Mushrooms, and the longer will 

 they bear. We find in our spawn-heap the thin cakes are 

 spawned more quickly and regularly than the thicker bricks 

 or cakes, and, therefore, we mean to make thin cakes in 

 future— that is, say 9 inches in length, 4i inches wide, and 

 fr'om 1 to 1} inch in thickness. They are also fit for spawn- 

 ing in half the time. 



We feel much obliged for the many kind hints we receive 

 as to these "Doings." Fine clean Celei-y in winter is a 

 matter of great moment in most families. Clearing away all 

 suckers, tying the heads so as to keep soil out of the heart, 

 and not smothering the heart, are some of the means for 

 securing that object, in conjunction with ashes to keep away 

 worms, and stubble and straw in stiff soUs near the top. 

 We have much pleasure, so far as blanching is concerned, in 

 placing before our readers the plan adopted by our friend 

 Mr. McDonald, of Woodstock Park, Ireland, feeling sure he 

 will forgive the liberty we take in making public the follow- 

 ing extract fr'om his letter : — 



" For several years I have been experimenting with va- 

 rious materials in blanching Celery without using earth. 

 To grow a crop of clean, well-blanched Celery I have always 

 found the most difficult and important work of the kitchen 

 garden. It is a great disappointment, when the Celery is 

 wanted for use, to find that not unii'equently the half of it 

 is useless, or in such a state that it can only be presented 

 in morsels. Of the various materials I have tried, moss has 

 on the whole proved the most satisfactory. Last year it was 

 applied to the eai-ly Celery when the plants were nearly 

 full grown, and the results elicited jn-aises alike fi-om kitchen 

 and parlour. This season old fern bracken has been used, 

 which had been in stack for some time, and we have had 

 charmingly clean white Celery of a size that would not dis- 

 grace a Manchester show-table. To earth-up Celery pro- 

 perly requires good skill and practice, as, if carelessly done, a 

 large per-centage ot the crop wiU be comparatively useless. 

 Besides guarding against these drawbacks, the plans I have 

 adopted, where moss and fern are plentiful, as they are here, 

 become an important matter in garden economy, as one 

 man will do more than six men in the ordinary way of earth- 

 ing-up." 



We are sm-e many readers will be obliged to Mr. McDonald 

 for the above plans of blanching Celery — plans which in our 

 estimation, however valuable for early crops, wiU even be 

 more valuable still for winter and spring crops. Both plane 

 will allow air and water to pass, and keep out Mght, and 

 thus rotting will be prevented. We once saw bog-earth, 

 such as that with which fuel-peats are made, used for a 



