Jofy 23,'i8i7.' 



JOURNAL OF HORTICUIiTUaB AND COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 





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that tlioy woulil be baDefitail by wateriai^ at the root^. as tht 

 heikvy Uiiuliu threw the raia too iar from the bottom, and this 

 was moro likely to be the oaee when raiilchiag was used U> 

 keep the luoiBture iu the earth from cscapin);. There isi no 

 moro fertile source of milJew iu Teas than a dripping moiat 

 atmosphere in the autumn, ami too muah dryness at the roots. 

 In such weather it is <|uite aH imporlaut that the roots should 

 be moist as in bright sunny weather, and in some oases even 

 more so ; as iu dull moist weather less moisture rises from 

 beneath to be partly appropriated by the roots as it passes. 



I'rom such a cause we have often sejen more bolted Celery in ft 

 shady drippini* season than iu a dry and sunny one. We are 

 also more apt to be lulled into a false security ; for in garden- 

 ing, appearances alone are often deceptive. We have examined 

 Celery plants apparently nourishing, the moisture hanging 

 late about the foliage before being evaporated, and yet the 

 plants would throw up their seeJ-stulks even in suoh weather ; 

 and ill almost every case, though the surface soil was moist, 

 the mass of the roots might as well have been in a bed of dry 

 ashes. Dryness at the roots greatly promotes seed-bearing, and 

 this holds equally true whether applied to a Cabbage or a Pine 

 Apple. Our skill must be directed to produce fecundity at the 

 right time, so as to obtain the result wo most want, whether 

 that be foliage or fruit. 



There are many old customs in gardening that are worth 

 preserving. One of these is drenching the roots of all winter 

 vegetables, after taking up carefully, in a thick paint formed of 

 rotten dung, loam, and water, which prevents tlie roots suffer- 

 ing for the short time they are exposed before planting. What 

 adheres of the mixture also gives an encouragement to the 

 young roots to begin and work at once. There is a diificnlty 

 in making men attend to this simple matter, and the conse- 

 quence is that basketsfiil of plants are taken up, and nearly 

 withered before they are put into the earth, and some days' 

 growth is tlius frequently lost, notwithstanding all future 

 waterings. A great object would be gained were the impression 

 produced that no plant should siifl'er from changes more than 

 it is possible to prevent. All plants in n growing state, before 

 they change their quarters into fresli pots or into the open 

 soil, oi'e the better of having their tissues well supplied with 

 moisture : hence the importance of planting in moist weather. 

 Hence, too, the importance of every pot plant being well watered 

 before it is transferred to a larger pot. 



We not long ago met with an iustanoe of what water can do. 

 A large number of young Laiuela were sent to a place in May. 

 They had travelled iu crates, and having had no drenching at 

 the roots — no puddling, they were pretty well dried up. Part 

 of these were taken away aud planted as they were, and scarcely 

 one of them over made a green leaf. The others were placed 

 for six hours, in turns, in largo tubs liUed with water, and of 

 these, though many of their leaves dropped, scarcely one failed 

 to make fine good growth. 



Of course, when Cabbage and Broccoli plants are pricked out 

 and lifted with a spade or trowel, the best policy is to lake them 

 up with halls, aud these balls, though damp, not so wet as to 

 cause the earth to fall from the roots. Suoh plants scarcely 

 ever suiier from the moving. When taken direct from seed- 

 beds the earth should be well watered, and instead of pulling at 

 once, the soil, if at all hard, should be eased with the points of 

 a fork, and then the roots dipped or puddled before planting. 

 Need we add what has previously been insisted on, that one 

 oblique stroke of the dibber is all that is necessary to 6x the 

 roots properly ? A score of strokes will not do the work eo 

 well. Last autumn we were asked to look at a large plantation 

 of winter stuff, that after repeated waterings looked as woe- 

 begone as oould be conceived. " They were carefully planted," 

 wc were told, and we could see the marks of the dibber as if 

 from four to seven strokes had been used to every plant, and 

 yet almost every plant was firmly hung by the neck, and the 

 roots were mostly in a hollow, aud therefore could not catch 

 the earth until either that earth had been washed to them, 

 or they had progressed enough to catch the earth at the sides 

 of the hole. There is, then, something iu the planting of a 

 Cabbage. If the plant can he easily pulled up after planting, 

 it is a sign the work hos not been done ; one oblique stroke of 

 the dibbor, and then brought towards the top of the plant, 

 firms the soil about the roots, so that it is not an easy matter 

 to pull up such a plant. This one stroke leaves a hole, and if 

 that is on eyesore, merely pull the point of the dibber across 

 the hole, the point bringing some earth with it, and that will 

 fill it sufficiently, as, though not so firm as the rest of the 

 ground, it will prove a hotter receptacle for the watering that 



raagsaa, or enlivening the conservatory in the depth of winter. 

 With regard to all these purposes the plants demand a con- 

 siderable share of attention, especially at this period, liudding, 

 cutting-striking, final potting, itj., arc in-oci'sses of paramount 

 importance at the present moment. Tlio Hybrid I'orpetuals, 

 Teas, Bourbons, and the Chinas are tlio most eligible elassos 

 from which to select for pot-culture. Proceed with Kjse-bud- 

 ding without delay. Keep down suckers, aud clear the stems of 

 wild shoots. See that all hips are cut away from those which 

 blossomed early ; these exhaust the plant much. Climbing 

 Eoses out of bloom trained against walls would ho much im- 

 proved next season by having a largo portion of tho old wood 

 cat away, nailing or tying-in as many of the strong young 

 shoots as are necessary to replace those which have been re- 

 moved. Climbers of all kinds sliould bo constautly nailed or 

 tied as thoy advanoo in growth, in order to prevent them from 

 being injured by the wind. 



OKEKSnOUSE AND COSSERV.ITOKT. 



Tho pot Roses intended to flower in the conservatory late in 

 the autumn, should now receive whatever pruning is necessary. 

 All those which require a shift should havo it forthwith, in 

 order tliat they may have a pot full of healthy roots by the 

 flowering porioj ; this, and the application of liquid manure, 

 together with a sweet and mihl atmosphere, will perform 

 wonders. After these operations they should he placed in some 

 open and airy spot, and if plunged in ashes they should be 

 frequently turned. (Jive them regular wateriugs, and persist 

 in picking off the blossom-buds as they appear, from those re- 

 quired to blossom in November and December. Look out and 

 enoourage a good supply of plants for a lato autumn display. 

 Fachsias and Achimenes in succession, and even choice Ver- 

 benas in somewhat thick masses in wide-mouthed pots, will 

 add to the general effect. Remember tliat all those required to 

 blo.ssom in midwinter, must have their final shift in good time. 

 There is no success in forcing, or even retarding, without a pot 

 full of roots. Head down the early-flowering Pelargoniums, 

 still continue to expose them to the open nir until they begin to 

 break, whan they must be removed into the house. Continue 

 to, propagate them by cuttings, whioh will now strike freely in 

 the open border. Pick off all decaying and decayed flowers in 

 the conservatory aud greenhouses, and lot cleanliness prevail 

 is all departments. 



BTON-E. 



"' Stovo plants in general having made a good growth, the next 

 point is to get such growth matured. Afford a moro free cir- 

 cnlation of air, and avoid shading as much as possible. The 

 utility of a second house for Orchids will be more readily seen at 

 this period than, perhaps, any other. The early-growing kinds, 

 several of which are winter or early spring bloomers, will 

 now require the withdrawal of a portion of the atmospheric 

 njoisture still necessary to many others ; several of them, such 

 as the Cattleyas, might be removed to a vinery were it not for 

 the attacks of snails and slugs. To those who are oorapelled to 

 grow their whole stock in one house, we would offer the following 

 advice : — Keep a free circulation of air by day at this period, and 

 oven all niglit, if possible, endeavour to have a good source of 

 atmospheric moisture in the latter half of the day, and dis- 

 pense with shading as much as possible. Many of tho plants 

 iatendod for winter flowering should be repotted and encouraged 

 by all moans. Continue the directions given in former calen- 

 dars, and use all moans to ripen and harden tho shoots of suc- 

 culent plants before tho approach of winter. When plants of a 

 softwoodod nature are kept growing until winter approaches, 

 their ruin is in most cases ensured. When plants ai'e intended 

 to bloom freely in the following season, their juices must be 

 properly elaborated. Light and air are indispensable to effect 

 this ; a growth accomplished under these circumstances will bo 

 much more favourable for the production of blossom than that 

 produced in a close and shaded stove. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN OARDEN. 



Never conld there have been better weather for planting out 

 all kinds of winter vegetables, as, after tvateriiiri. tho heavy 

 showers obviated the necessity of further supplies. Watering 

 was accordingly confined to such half-aquatics as Celery, and 

 " running " in their case will, therefore, be reduced to a 

 mimimum, for dryness in the young ami even the advanced 

 state is the great cause of running iu early Celery. 



Some strong rows of Peas, nothwithstanding the rains, showed 



