Decembei 15, 1S63. 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



475 



forcing-house. Lettuce, those in frames for present use to 

 be kept dry and fi-ee from dead leaves. Mushrooms, the beds 

 to be cleared from wet litter about every week, and a cover- 

 ing of dry hay put next to the bed, over which must be laid 

 sufficient straw or other covering to preserve the beds from 

 frost. Peas, sprinkle wood ashes or lime over the early 

 crops as they appear above groimd, the weather that causes 

 their appearance excites insects to activity. Set traps re- 

 gularly for mice. Spinach, when gathering do it with care. 

 It is improper to lay hold of the whole plant and strip off 

 a handful, for this not only removes the leaves that are 

 mature and fit to gather, but bruises and tears those 

 which are young and immature, and prevents their fui'ther 

 progress. Each leaf ought to be removed separately. These 

 are small matters, and for the same reason they are the 

 more likely to be overlooked and to reqiiire pointing out. 

 See that all goes on well in the root-house. T^li■nips, on the 

 first appearance of severe fi-ost it is advisable to take some 

 under cover. They may be laid in sand after the tops are 

 cut off. 



FLOWEK GAKDEN. 



Dig or trench all vacant pieces of grovmd, leaving the 

 surface as rough as possible. Sweep and roll grass lawns 

 and gravel-walks. Alford protection to tender plants by a 

 liberal supply of suitable materials. Prepare composts, 

 soils, and manures, by frequent turnings. Examine Dahlia 

 roots to see that they are not rotting ; for the want of this 

 attention many persons ai"e disappointed at Snding them in 

 the spring only fit for the rubbish-heap. Every advantage 

 of the present favoui'able weather should be taken for trans- 

 planting trees, shrubs, &c. See that the principal and 

 choice plants in the shrubbery have sufficient scope to deve- 

 lope their true and natural characters. There are few 

 situations in the pleasiu-e ground more interesting than a 

 well-regulated and well-arranged shrubbei-y, where every 

 tree and shrub from the lai-gest to the smallest has room 

 sufficient to form perfect specimens. Collecting shrubbery 

 plants appears to be much less attended to than their merits 

 deserve. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Apple trees newly planted should be in-tilehed. Trees 

 planted against walls, or as espaliers, to be pruned. Cut off 

 that part of the spur which bore fruit last summer, down to 

 the fruit-buds formed on the lower part of the stem of the 

 spur; takeout all bruised and cankeiy branches, and leave 

 a regular supply of wood throughout the whole. Those in 

 orchards will merely require the branches to be so thinned 

 that they cannot injure each other by rubbing one upon the 

 other. Fig trees on the open walls will require protection 

 with mats, and the gi-ound about theii- roots should have 

 some litter laid upon it. Goosebeny and Gtu-rant trees may 

 now be pruned. Cut away all shoots fr'om Gooseberry trees, 

 except one or two springing as near as can be obtained fr-om 

 the origin of each main branch. Shorten the young shoot 

 left at the top of each branch to about ten or twelve buds, 

 and leave, thi-oughout the ti-ee, the fi-uit-beaving branches 

 about 6 inches apart. In priming the Currant, keep a good 

 supply of young shoots springing from the bottom of the 

 tree, and cut out more or less of the old every year-, never 

 allowing a branch to remain more than four or five years, 

 and head-in the young shoots at the top to about two eyes 

 of the main branch from whence they spring. Only a few 

 straggUng branches of the Black Cun-ant will require top- 

 ping to keep it in proper shape. Peach and Nectarine ti'ees 

 trained against the walls should have the naUs and shreds 

 drawn fr-om the small branches, leaving only so many as 

 will prevent the branches breaking or rubbing against each 

 other in windy weather. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORT. 



The advantage of observing and maintaining strictly the 

 niceties of order and judicious arrangement in the dis- 

 tribution of plants, is not only repaid by the gratification 

 rendered to the eye, but wiU be manilested by the im- 

 proved health of the plants. As the practice is not un- 

 frequent, the recommendation that a very limited amount 

 of artiQcial assistance in temperature is requir-ed by the 

 occupants of the greenhouse may not be inappropriate. In 

 houses unfavourably situated in damp or shady situations, 

 fires must be brought more frequently into requisition, not 

 so much to increase the temperature as to allow of a con- 



stant and active cfrculation of air to counteract the injurious 

 effects of damp. Give the Chrysanthemums a good supply 

 of water and air in fine weather. In general, at this time, 

 greenhouse plants must receive very little water, and as 

 much air as the weather wUl permit, and only fire sirfBcient 

 to keep out the frost and jireserve the house perfectly dry. 

 Camellias may be introduced into a warm situation to bring 

 them into flower, but if the heat in which they are placed 

 far exceeds 50° Fahr., the flower-buds are liable to fall off 

 without expanding. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



Auriculas and Polyanthuses must be well secured from 

 frost, and have plenty of ah- in fine weather. Mignonette 

 and Intermediate Stocks must be exposed to the open air as 

 much as the weather will allow, but they must be weB 

 secui-ed from severe ft'osts. W. Keane. 



DOES'GS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



kitchen GAKDEN. 



Swept and raked leaves, and trenched some gi-ound when 

 fine; the trenching, being intended for Can-ots, &c., was done 

 between three and four spits deep, so as to bring up a little 

 of the lower subsoil. The last spit was left in ridges, and 

 this, when tiu-ned over again, we wUl top-dress with a little 

 lime or bm-nt clay. From constant dressing with tree leaves, 

 as we have little else, the sm-face ground has become too 

 rich for Carrots and such like straight-rooted plants, and 

 this season and last we had a number of them forked instead 

 of forming one straight root : hence the deep trenching ; and 

 the rich soil being placed at the bottom, there will be an 

 inducement for the roots to go down. Instead of the deep 

 trenching, to save such laboui- we made holes with a dibber, 

 and filled with light sandy soil to encoui-age the roots to go 

 down straight and unjointed ; but we have not found that 

 so effectual as deep trenching, and having the richest soil at 

 the bottom and the poorest at the top. The gTeatest wonder, 

 however, that we have ever seen in Carrot-growing was pro- 

 duced by a good di-essiag of bog earth and lime, and this 

 seemed to suit strong land and light land alike, especially 

 when used on old garden ground. For ourselves we have 

 long felt that without such means as deep trenching fine 

 Carrots are difScult to grov,- in old kitchen gardens ; and 

 even when fine roots are obtained, we do not think they 

 have the rich flavour of those grown on fr-esh land for the 

 iii-st time in a weU-stirred field. We would say the same 

 as to Turnips. Of course they are very nice and early fr-om 

 a garden, but they seem to us, especially late in the season, 

 to be destitute of the flavour of those grown in an open field, 

 and especially if Turnips are not often taken from the same 

 ground. 



Packed-up Celery-beds with a little stubble, which will 

 keep frost out and let air in. The beds were well strewed 

 with biu-nt eai-th and rubbish previously, which slugs and 

 worms dislike only a little less than quicklime. Took up 

 another piece of Asparagus, and put in a frame over a slight 

 hotbed. But for getting the groiuid changed nothing is so 

 expensive as this early Asparagus. Put in, also, a little 

 more Sea-kale and Rhubarb in the Musliroom-house, and 

 covered the Sea-kale out of doors with burnt rubbish. The 

 first Sea-kale in the Mushroom-house is now in good condition 

 for use. Earthed-up a small piece more of a shallow Mush- 

 room-bed. What we at fii-st did from necessity we should be 

 inclined to do now from choice, where a constant regular 

 supply is wanted — namely, make small bits of beds, and 

 plenty of them, one after the other. Unless for a month 

 or two in summer, when the beds bear- longer under the 

 thatched shed, we have always a little bit of a bed in hand. 

 For instance : we have one piece bearing that has produced 

 heavily ; a second piece that has produced a few large ones, 

 and is just v, hitening with dots all over ; a third piece eai-thed 

 down about four weeks ago ; a fourth spawned ei ght days 

 ago, and now earthed up; a fifth ready to spawn; and a 

 sixth that is now preparing, and giving out a little heat for 

 the benefit of the house. In all these there has been a good 

 proportion of di-y turfy soil mixed with the litter and horse- 

 droppings, and when these are well beaten early in shallow 

 beds the virtue of the manure is not lost by overheating. 

 I We disapprove in general of making holes in beds to cool 



