142 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



( Angust 22, 1887. 



from the Alpines, and place slates under them. Cre-vices 

 formed between the soil and walls are the favourite lodgments 

 of numerous insects, therefore at this season the soil near walls 

 should be frequently disturbed. A shallow trench may he 

 taken out all alonR, and as this is being proceeded with the 

 soil adhering to the bricks should be removed with a hard 

 broom. The portion of wall thus exposed should then be 

 sprinkled with gas water, or with lime water if the other can- 

 not be readily obtained. Lime water should be applied the 

 instant it is made. Kemove all superfluous shoots from wall 

 trees, and expose the fruit of Peaches and Nectarines ; but this 

 must not be done by cutting off the foliage. It the latter is in 

 any case overcrowded, the fault is owing to the laj'ing in of the 

 shoots, and the remedy must consist in their proper regulation. 

 Place dry Bean-stalks, cut in lengths of about 6 inches, among 

 the branches, and by this means most of the earwigs may be 

 caught before the Peaches become ripe. The soft, pithy lining 

 of the Bean-stalk is decidedly preferred by these insect's to the 

 finest-pohshed tubes. 



FLOWER GiRCEN. 



Those who are fond of early annuals, whether in pots or in 

 th« flower-border, should sow soon. Stocks and Mignonette 

 should be sown forthwith. The latter may be sown on a warm 

 border and transplanted into well-drained pots, treating it 

 with much care for a week afterwards. The Moss and Provence 

 Boses for forcing should now be all turned round, if plunged, 

 in order to break the roots through the bottom of the pots ; at 

 the same time let all the gross shoots of suckers be cut away. 

 The filling of blanks, staking and tying up, mowing, cleaning, 

 and rolling will, of course, go on as usual. Look over rock 

 plants, pruning back any that are over-growing choice kinds, 

 in order to give them time to break again before winter. Plant 

 in borders single Wallflowers and Mule Pinks. Eeep such 

 plants cut back as have a tendency to over-grow Box or other 

 edgings. Many of the Carnations and Piootees that were 

 layered early wUl now be fit to take ofl' ; it is better to detach 

 them from the parent plant as soon as rooted. Prick out seed- 

 ling Pansies, and plant out the tirst-struck cuttings for next 

 year's bloom. Auriculas may now be repotted. All decayed 

 leaves should be removed ; but this must be done carefully, or 

 •more injury will be sustained by the plant than many people 

 imagine. In potting, should the plant appear at all unhealthy, 

 carefully remove the soil without breaking the ball, and ex- 

 amine the tap-root. Should this be decayed or cankered (which 

 is sometimes the case), it must be cut completely away. Avoid 

 all complicated stimulating composts, for however fine the 

 plants may grow, the health of the stock will be jeopardised. 

 ■Well-rotted leaves with turfy loam will form a good compost 

 for wintering the plants in. Many bulbs of Tulips, from the 

 serious check they experienced last blooming season, and which 

 reduced in numberless instances their bulk one-half, will re- 

 quire to be moved from the situation they held in the best bed, 

 and their places to be filled from the reserve beds. Pay strict 

 attention to the soil for the ensuing season, turning it over 

 occasionally in order to sweeten it. Pansies will now strike 

 very freely, and when the weather is suitable plant out seed- 

 lings in beds of richly-prepared compost. Examine Ranun- 

 culus roots, being careful that they do not contract damp, and 

 pay strict attention to Dahlias, which now require much care. 

 Young shoots may be struck in brisk heat, and the regular 

 routine of tyitig, disbudding, etc., must be persevered in, not 

 forgetting determined hostility to earwigs and all destructive 

 insects. 



GREENHOCSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



Where conservatory borders or beds exist, see that they are 

 duly watered. Examine the plants individually, as their wants 

 will be various. Arrangements must be made forthwith for 

 housing tender plants. There is in many cases no necessity to 

 bring them all in at once ; let it be done in a progi-essive way, 

 aceording to their wants. A few of the more showy annuals, 

 suchas the Collinsias, Clarkias, Leptosiphons, Platystemons, 

 Erysimums, Iberis, Lasthenias, Nolanas, Calandrinias, &o., 

 may be sown now in pots and kept in cold frames through the 

 winter. They will serve to decorate the shelves of the mixed 

 greenhouse early in spring, as well as to enhven the early 

 flower-beds and borders. A good turfy loam rather old will bo 

 better than rich composts, the object being to obtain a stiff 

 and healthy plant capable of enduring a hard winter. There 

 will also be more colour in proportion to the amount of foliage 

 —a most important matter in the cultivation of annuals. 

 Plants that are required to blossom late in autumn and winter 

 shsnld be repotted and their growth advanced. Chinese Prim- 



roses and Chinese Chrysanthemums are of this class. The 

 latter should be stopped and tied out, so that fine bushes may 

 be produced. These are of steiling value in the greenhouse 

 and conservatory until almost winter, and nothing is so likely 

 to bring them into disrepute as badly cultivated specimens. 

 Plants for next winter's forcing should now be seen to. Pinks, 

 Pelargoniums, and similar plants require to be well established 

 before forcing ; the roots should quite fill the pots. 



STOVE. 



It is advisable to expose the plants to sunshine, in order 

 that the shoots may be ripened before the winter. More air 

 should also be admitted to these plants, as their preservation 

 in a perfect state depends in a great measure upon the thorough 

 maturation of the young wood. It is a great error to keep 

 plants that are required to produce a profusion of bloom during 

 the following spring and summer actively at work late in the 

 autumn. Summer is the season when rapid development should 

 be promoted, nnd autumn the period when the young wood 

 should be comjiletely hardened and ripened preparatory to the 

 approach of winter. 



riTS AND FRAMES. 



Some of the first-struck cuttings will now be fit for potting 

 off ; place them in a pit or frame, shade and keep them close 

 until they become established in their pots, when they should 

 be set out to harden previous to being stored for the winter. 

 Continue to put in cuttings, more particularly of the best kinds 

 of bedding Pelargoniums, which ought to be struck as soon as 

 possible. Verbena cuttings will strike freely in pans of wet 

 sand, even if exposed to bright sunshine in an open situation, 

 provided the sand be kept wet. Cuttings of Maurandyas, Lo- 

 phospermums, Salvias, Lobelias, Anagallis, Nierembergias, and 

 all others that are considered most suitable to increase the 

 general beauty of the lawn, flower-beds, and borders next 

 season should now be put in. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OP THE LAST WEEK. 



Seldom have we witnessed a better illustration of the change- 

 ability of the weather in our climate than last week. Its be- 

 ginning was marked by very fine weather, which gave a brighter 

 hue to our corn fields, caused the Turnips to push on rapidly, 

 though before they were showing signs of that languor which in 

 dull hazy weather precedes the mildew, and everything in the 

 gardens seemed rejoicing in the sunshine. The heat terminated 

 in something like a high tropical temperature on Wednesday, 

 and became almost unendurable, except when a slight breeze 

 was produced about us by rather sharp exercise at work. Many 

 plants even showed distress by their drooping leaves, the roots 

 being unable to supply quickly enough the great demands made 

 on the foliage by such a rapid evaporation. This would have 

 been more apparent still, but for the bright days that preceded 

 this almost unexampled Wednesday, when even at 9 r.M. a 

 shaded thermometer marked 80°. 



The amount of moisture in the shape of vapour raised from 

 plants and the surface of the greund must have been immense, 

 for even flower-beds that had been cleaned, and where a spot 

 of earth was visible, though surface-stirred a few days pre- 

 viously, began to crack and show open fissures in every 

 direction where not shaded by plants, and in the kitchen gar- 

 den this cracking was going on wherever young plants had 

 been turned out lately, so as to leave a part of the ground fully 

 exposed to the sun's influence. In the first part of the evening, 

 knowing that there was plenty of moisture in the soil, and 

 that the plants did not want watering at the roots, we planned 

 how best on the following day to go over the most of onr 

 ground, by surface-stirring, so as to keep moisture in and heat 

 out, and thus so far enable the plants to bear the great de- 

 mands made upon their foliage by the high temperature ; but 

 by 9 o'clock P.M. the barometer began to fall, huge snails began 

 to show themselves — a pretty sure sign that drought would not 

 long continue — a few clouds began to appear, and there were 

 not wanting the feelings that generally precede violent elec- 

 trical action, and by 3 a.m. the thunder rolled, and the rain de- 

 scended, and since then to the writing of this there has been a 

 great, and so far as our feelings are concerned, a pleasant fall 

 in the temperature. The rains, even, will as yet do no harm, 

 if we have plenty of sunshine to perfect the corn and permit 

 of its being garnered in good condition. We have heard no 

 complaints except from a few, who, having made arrangements 

 to have a regular watering-day on the Thursday, found all the 

 needful watering done to their bands. Such sudden changes 



