438 



JOUENAL OF HORTICTILTtJEE ANDJ^COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ December 1, 1863. 



DOOGS OP THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAKDEN. 



In all departments might say, "Another of the same, 

 much the same as last week." Obtained a Httle stubble for 

 packing up the tops of Celery. We noticed the mode of 

 blanching by means of allowing the plants to grow through 

 dram-pipes set upright, at page 410. It so happens that we 

 practised a similar mode many veai-s ago, and it does well for 

 early Celery when the receptacle is well iiUed ; but then the 

 mischief is in proportion to the porousness of the drain-tiles ; 

 they were liable to let the Celery freeze in fi-osty weather. So 

 far as mere blanching is concerned, we have had large early 

 heads pretty well blanched by merely tying the plants close 

 together ; but in that case, too, if nothing else is done, the 

 Celei-y when blanched is apt to suffer from frost. Packed a 

 little litter round the stools of Globe Artichokes, after 

 placing a mound round them of di-y leaf mould, and burnt 

 clay and rubbish. Went over some vegetable quarters, and 

 puUed off the yellow leaves from Brussels Sprouts. We 

 attribute more than ordinary of these yeUow leaves to the 

 heat and (h-ought of the summer. Gave plenty of aii- to our 

 Asparagus m a frame, as with mild heat it has come in sooner 

 than we expected, but it is also good and very useful. Put 

 in some more Sea-kale and Ehubarb, to give a good supply 

 about Christmas time. Find that some Cauliflowers that 

 were put into a thatched shed have been much improved in 

 appearance, the heads being particularly white. Earthed- 

 up a little bit more of a Mushroom-bed, and kept the house 

 a little warmer, about 65°, or a degree or two more for a few 

 days, as we wanted a good many large and small for some 

 days ; wdl then let the atmospheric temperature faU to 

 oo as the average. Had most of the rubbish from flower- 

 beds. Pea haulm. Scarlet Eunner liaulm, thrown up into a 

 heap along with some leaves and litter, and it wiU be most 

 valuable for forcing, and helping on many things. When 

 we do not use such materials in this way,' we use them for a 

 bottom, and for throwing heat into rubbish-heaps— those 

 mixtures of everything in a garden, soU from pots, refuse 

 trom vegetab es, weeds, &c. This heating is a capital thing 

 lor setting all seeds germinating, and tlien getting killed 

 tor want oi au: to breathe in. Took also a little more turf 

 Irom the roadside, and it is stacked up like heaps of misers 

 gold. W hen we can follow our choice we like these heaps 

 to stand for a twelvemonth, and to be pretty well aired, 

 and then cut down and used without any of the frequent 

 choppmgs and turnings which many people recommend, as 

 the more chopping and turning the greater the waste of 

 tibre. VV e have made these heaps of turf of different sizes, 

 but we now make them as foUows :— Set off a yard in width 

 at bottom, build that widening so that at 3', feet in height 

 the heap wdl be 3 J feet wide, then take in and finish with a 

 span-roof IN inches to the apex. In building, when about 

 lo inches from the bottom, place small cu-cular di-ain-tUes 

 from end to end in two rows, with a little space between them 

 to let au- cu-culate freely. Do the same about 3 feet in heio-ht, 

 and one row in the ridge. These mellow and sweeten the'soil 

 without greatly injuring or wasting the fibre. The top is 

 then thatched with turf, gi-ass side upwards, and a few 

 wooden pms di-iven lq to keep the turves in theii- place. As 

 soon as the tui-f takes hold no rain wiU penetrate; and so 

 dry are these heaps kept, that when using them a little 

 water is often wanted to make them meUow enough for 

 potting. The drier the turf is put up the sooner will the 

 soil be sweet and fit for use. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Much the same as in preceding weeks. Made up two sUc^lit 

 botbeds with leaves, Ac, and filled the two frames of 

 two lights each with Strawben-y plants, havino- previously 

 removed aU the yeUow and a few of the larger leaves; ancl, 

 haying picked off with a pointed stick a Httle of the sm-face 

 soil and made sure there were no worms in the pots, top- 

 surlaced wth rich compost pressed firm, and set the pots 

 on the bed, allowing them to sink in the leaves au inch or 

 two. Ihis wiU just move them graduaUy, and render them 

 fit to go into places where we apply to them a little more 

 heat than merely keeping frost out. We do not plunge 

 these pots, for sometimes at this season even no great depth 

 ot tree leaves wiU heat violently, and nothing injures Straw- 

 oecry plants more than too much heat at the root*. Even 



as left standing on the top of the leaves the heat must be 

 watched, and then if very mild, only from 60° to 65°, the 

 pots may be partly plunged. In this respect, also, care is 

 necessary so far as these early plants are concerned ; and if 

 the pots are plunged at all, or even partially so, it is a good 

 plan to have the bottom of the pots resting on a hard 

 substance — as a deal board, for whatever at this early period 

 has a tendency to make the roots run through the bottom 

 of the pots, has also a tendency to give you a fine crop of 

 foUage with but little fruit. The allowing the roots to 

 extend after the fruit is set is quite a different affair. 

 Jleanwhile we would say to all who cannot undertake the 

 trouble of watching these mild hotbeds, that they will do 

 better if they put their plants into a cold frame or pit, 

 or upon any shelves in their houses that may be vacant. 

 Suitably attended to there, they will move gradually as the 

 heat is increased. Looked over frnit-room, and find that 

 Peai-s are not keeping so well as Aj^ples. Many boys and 

 labourers are fond of a mellow Pear, when they would be 

 too mealy for the parlour table. 



OKNAMENTAL DEPAETMENT. 



Proceeded with cleaning up pleasm-e gi-ounds, roUing walks, 

 l^otting and fresh-regulating plants in the houses, and 

 finished a little stove-house, the repairing of which has been 

 in hand for some time. Our Fig-house and this little stove- 

 house are in the same little low range, having previously 

 been Pine-pits. The walls and floor were sunk below the 

 ground level 3 feet. The fruit wall outside was 1 foot 

 higher, and the back wall 4 feet. The house was 14 feet 

 wide inside measure. There was a short hijj at the back, of 

 glass, which made the highest point of the roof 85 feet fi-om 

 the floor. The house was heated by hot water, two pipes a yard 

 from back wall, and thi-ee pipes 1 foot from fr-ont wall. Over 

 these pipes we had a platform of slabs and a path in the 

 middle. The bods were rather wide to be nicely managed, 

 and when a few people went in they could not well get out 

 again. The wall-plates, &c. being decayed, we were allowed 

 to make a little alteration provided it did not cost much. On 

 that account we were afi-aid to meddle with the old heating- 

 pipes in case they should want a good deal of tinkering at 

 our hands. We, therefore, after clearing and painting, left 

 them as they were. Afr was previously given by moving the 

 sashes of the roof. In putting fresh wall-plates we raised all 

 the w.alls round from IH to 24 inches, raising the roof, after 

 the glass was off, as we did so. This gave headway enough 

 to have a pathway all round and a table in the centre, with 

 a platform at back, and a shelf at the ends and front. The 

 walk is about 28 inches wide, the front and end plat- 

 forms 18 inches wide, the back platform S\ feet wide, and 

 the central platform 4 feet wide. The front shelf, end 

 shelves, and back platform are supported by a wall .all round 

 15 inches in height, and then by little pdlars in front of the 

 pipes. That ivill leave room all the way for a little bed 

 near the pipes for small Ferns and Lycopods, which ^vilI be 

 allowed to hang over this dwarf wall as they grow. Wires 

 extended on the sides from pillar to pillar will also be a good 

 support for creepers to run along that like both heat and 

 shade, and that have fine foliage, as the Cissus discolor. 

 The centre platform is supported on stout oak posts stand- 

 ing on a raised row of bricks laid in cement, to keep the 

 posts from the damp of the floor. The space underneath 

 has been drained, and, after a lot of brickbats, has been 

 covered with heath soil and loam, and that too wQl be 

 planted, or rather is planted, with Lycopods and Perns. 

 The oak posts vnU not be painted until next summer, and 

 then we wiU sand them to resemble stone, and will do the 

 same with skh-ting-boards, brickwork, &c. The part of the 

 posts out of sight was well coated with pitch. The plat- 

 forms are laid across oak bearers similarly pitched. The 

 platforms themselves are stout boards of the necessai'y width 

 well pitched on both sides, just put close together, and then 

 aU covered with clean little stones, or shingle procm-ed by 

 washing road drift, and keeping all these of one uniform 

 size or nearly so. On this the plants will stand. We forgot 

 to say that in raising the wall we left openings for ventila- 

 tion back and front, which can be easUy opened and regulated 

 without any great mechanical contrivance. The ventilators 

 are small boards hung on screws to act as a pivot-joint. We 

 can now go round the little place and see and examine every 

 plant in it. It has cost us a Uttle labour, but the pleasure 



