Anguiit 8, I8«7. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



lOS 



This is the best way to keep them stiff in habit and to preserve 

 their lower leaves. Any necessary amount of strength may be 

 imparted to them, when the flower-buds are formed, by good 

 liquid manure. Look well after winter-flowering plants of 

 rather a common order, such as Cinerarias, Verbenas, Scarlet 

 Pelargoniums, Heliotropes, and Roses. Cinerarias must now 

 be potted off, whether from seed or from suckers ; also, Chinese 

 Primulas, remembering to give the last shift immediately to 

 those intended to bloom in October and November. Scarlet 

 Pelargoniums and Heliotropes, to bloom, must be potbound. 

 The continued ruins are likely to be prejudicial to all hard- 

 ■wooded newly-shifted plants in pots : therefore, either protect 

 them with canvas or remove them under glass until a change 

 of weather takes place. Many of the plants which have had a 

 liberal shift should have attention paid to training, &a. Cut- 

 tings of tbo desirable kinds of Calceolarias should now be 

 struck, and seeds of selected kinds sown, for next summer's 

 flowering. Examine the compost ground, and have the de- 

 ficiencies made up. Peat soil and loam should be procured 

 during summer, without these little can be done in plant- 

 growing. They should be laid up in stacks and covered on the 

 top with reeds to keep off the soaking rains. The various kinds 

 of manures in a decomposing state should be turned to freshen 

 and sweeten. Always have a supply of these kept in a dry 

 shed, never on any account use the soil in a wet state for 

 potting ; the procuring and preparing of soil is a primary and 

 important point in the cultivation of exotic plants. Attend to 

 the Japan Lilies ; they will now be coining into bloom, and 

 sotluug at this season can surpass them. 



STOVE. 



Successions of Brugmansias, Clerodendrons, Euphorbias, 

 Poinsettias, i-c, should receive a last shift directly in order 

 to provide a rich autumn displny in the conservatory. Climbers 

 on ornamental trellises should be occasionally cut back in 

 order to have a succession late in the season when flowers 

 become scarce. Those who have been mindful of such re- 

 quirements will have a succession of young plants in course 

 of preparation. A batch of such plants as Thunbergias, Ipo- 

 ma;as, Pergularias, Jasminums, Stephanotis, and Passitloras 

 should be brought on to cover ornamental trellises without 

 delay. Clematis bicolor and C. azurea grandiflora may be forced 

 in early spring, may rest behind a shady wall in June and July, 

 and will flower again in October and November. The latter 

 plants, although perfectly hardy, are well adapted for trellises 

 in the conservatory. Continue to top-up late growths of 

 Orchids, and to keep the plants at tbo warmest end of the 

 house. Give air most liberally in the early part of the day, 

 and on very fine mornings. Syringe occasionally the whole of 

 the stock as early as seven o'clock. A little fire must be kept 

 up, if only to insure a proper circulation of air ; take care, 

 however, that it is very low during the night. — W. Kease. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST "WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



The weather during the week has been very favourable for 

 hoeing up weeds, of which no sooner is one yonng crop de- 

 spatched, than after a good shower another appears. The dry 

 days furnished also a good opportunity for taking up the earliest 

 Potatoes, separating them into lots, the best for table use, and 

 the middle-sized sound samples to be well dried and then 

 stored thinly for seed. Such ground will be prepared without 

 delay for two sowings of Spinach and Onions — the one directly, 

 the other a fortnight or three weeks hence. 



We hardly know how gardeners manage who sow no Onions 

 in the autumn, as they must be badly off for large Onions from 

 the time when the old ones are too far gone until the spring- 

 sown ones come in. We generally find that autumn-sown 

 Onioua do best when transplanted about March ; but the other 

 day we saw a piece quite as good, or rather better than ours, 

 that had been sown, thinned, and allowed to bulb where sown, 

 which is so far a saving of labour. We also saw at another 

 place a fine piece of White Beet, which would be most useful if 

 it could be made the fashion to use it generally as brought to 

 table at that place — the crisp tender leaves dressed as Spi- 

 nach, and the white succulent midribs of the leaves cooked 

 and used in the same way as Sea-kale. We have sown it often, 

 but gave up growing it because it was not used. This vegetable 

 in both ways would afford a change, as well as a relief to the 

 garden as respects other crops. 



Sowed for the second time Cabbage, Lettuces, Endive, Car- 



rots to be drawn yonng. Onions for salads to precede those 

 intended to stand the winter. Cucumbers for late use, &c. 



Planted vegetables of all kinds, and fresh refjulattd a piece 

 of Cauliflower planted about three weeks ago. On looking over 

 them nearly one half of tho plants wanted the centre, from which 

 alone the head would come. Planted a bed of strong Leeks, 

 in rich soil. The digging-down of a Strawberry-quarter lias 

 given a good opportunity for finding room for more winter stuff. 

 Celery, Turnips, &c ; and after this sowing of the latterwe shall 

 make a small sowing towards tho end of the month to stand the 

 winter. Drew with a string some Currant and Gooseberry 

 bushes rather closer together, in order that we might plant 

 young Greens closely between the rows. Where ground is 

 scarce for what is wanted, it is rarely that a yard of it can long 

 remain uncropped. 



As an example, we may state that our earliest out-of-door 

 Peas were planted out on a border that had been cropped all 

 the winter with Turnips. The Peas were planted in rows 

 3i feet apart, and did very well ; between the rows were sown a 

 row of Spinach and two rows of lladishes. As these became 

 too old for use they were pulled up and laid by the side of the 

 Peas as mulching. When the Peas were past their best, the 

 ground between them was dug over again, and Ptas sown in 

 the spaces between, and when the first Peas had ceased to pro- 

 duce, the sticks were taken from them and put to those last 

 sown ; the space wheio the first Peas stood was then dug over, 

 and in each space two rows of Spinach were sown, which will be 

 useful before the Winter Spinach comes in. The late rains 

 have benefited the late I'eas, so that they exhibit little appear- 

 ance of mildew. 



Cucumbers. — We alluded to our want of a good ridge Cu- 

 cumber last week, and among others to whom we are glad to 

 express our thanks, we have received some seeds from Mr. 

 Thomas Eads, who recommends Payne's Long Ridge, which he 

 grew last year " 17 inches long, and of good quality, with the aid 

 of a hand-light, and without any manure or heating material of 

 any kind." Mr. Eads also states that this Cucumber has re- 

 ceived a certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society. We 

 trust that those interested will make a note of the matter, as 

 the quality as to size of ridge Cucumbers has been much com- 

 plained of lately. Even those grown so freely about Sandy, 

 and the market gardeners in that direction, by sowing in the 

 open ground, though crisp when young, are too short to be 

 pleasiug to the eye. 



We have never seen better Cucumbers than were produced 

 by a cottager twenty years ago. He used to sow the seeds, 

 three or four in a pot, on the 1st of May, place them near the 

 fireplace, generally the chimneypiece, until the seeds were well 

 up, and then took them to his window duiing the day, and 

 placed them on a table at night. Meanwhile, he took a trench 

 out in the garden, and filled that with trimmings of walks. 

 Cabbage and other stalks, and all the long grass and weeds that 

 could be had, which when covered with earth just produced a 

 little heat. At first every potful when turned out was covered 

 with a bos about Ij inches square, having on the top a move- 

 able lid formed of strong oiled paper. 



FRCIT GARDEN. 



Went on summer-pruning fruit trees, on the principles pre- 

 viously referred to. Found some places where unis were 

 threatening to be troublesome. Not having any guano, we 

 gave a good watering with strong lime and soot water, which 

 they equally detest. Li fact, dry quicklime, and strong lime 

 water will make them decamp. When very troublesome, it is 

 a good plan to syringe the trees heavily with clear soot and 

 hme water, which will bring them to the bottom of the waj, 

 and they will try the soil for shelter. When this is done a 

 band of a mixture of tar and oil, 3 inches wide, along the foot 

 of the wall, will prevent their again ascending. The oil will 

 prevent the tar hardening. This is a good plan to protect 

 Apricots ripening, and will also secure them from woodlicf, 

 and the eanviffs that are wingless, and it is not often that even 

 those with wings will use them to reach the fruit. This mixture, 

 however, must be used only on outside walls, or where, in a 

 house, there is plenty of air night and day. Li a house shut 

 up the fumes from the tar would be dangerous. Where wood- 

 lice are numerous in old walls, after such a syringing it is a 

 good plan to place small pots along the bottom of the wall, with 

 a little dry moss or hay in, and into these they will gladly 

 run, as to a harbour of refuge, and may thus be collected in 

 myriads. Earwigs may be thinned in the same way, ond if any 

 are left on the wall they may be enticed into any hollow stalks 

 of vegetables — the Bean stalk being, perhaps, the most at- 



