298 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTUEB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 17, 1867. 



roots, others allow a width of 3 feet or so ; hut trees never 

 thrive so well in such limited pits althongh filled with good 

 Soil, as they do when a considerable portion of the border is 

 uniformly loosened. Therefore, let the border he trenched 

 to its full width in front of the vacancy, and right and left as 

 far as can possibly be done without interfering too much with 

 the roots of the adjoining trees ; if, indeed, a few of these are 

 cut^ at this time of the year there will be no harm, but in 

 spring they ought not to be disturbed. The general impression 

 amongst practical men is, that autumn planting is superior to 

 spring planting. We are decidedly of this opinion, and we 

 would advise those who intend making new orchards, removing 

 large fruit trees, or replacing decayed young ones, to commence 

 operations of a preparatory character immediately. Such pre- 

 parations should consist, in the first place, of a necessary pro- 

 vision of fresh and sound loam, and if this can be obtained 

 with some rough turf in it, so much the better ; if not, it will 

 be well to mix rough stable htter, straw, small sticks, or any 

 other coarse material with the loam when filling into the holes. 

 The loam being provided and placed in a high and sharp 

 ridge in order to throw off the rains, the next proceeding is to 

 thoroughly drain the site intended for planting. Thorough 

 drainage being secured, stations may be formed by making a 

 hard bottom of broken stone, rubble, broken bricks, or other 

 hard materials, and then throwing over these a coating of 

 cinders to prevent the soil from entering the porous materials 

 beneath. As to depth, we would advise great moderation, 

 provided the kinds are in any way tender or designed for the 

 dwarfing system. For such. 18 inches in depth of soil will be 

 ample, and if the ground is of a moist character, one-third of 

 the volume of soil should rise above the ordinary ground- 

 level ; indeed, in all cases it is well to raise it considerably. 

 We would recommend a trench to be thrown out without delay 

 around very large trees intended for removal. This will at once 

 check late growth and induce a disposition to emit fibres forth- 

 with. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Where the beds are required for bulbs, the sooner they are 

 cleared the better, if the weather continue dry and suitable, 

 but by no means dig them if very wet. Such beds as have 

 the soil exhausted should have it renewed, particularly for 

 Hyacinths. After all that has been said about the planting of 

 evergreens in spring, or even in mid-winter, we are persuaded 

 that no part of the year can equal the autumn— say, from the 

 middle of October until the end of November. Much, how- 

 ever, depends on the character of the soil, as well as on the 

 rnode in which the operation is conducted. Some persons ad- 

 vocate " puddle planting," but on what principles we never 

 could discover. Why not puddle in potting? Certainly it is 

 better to puddle a large specimen than to totally neglect it 

 in regard to moisture. The best practice is, to open a hole 

 much larger than the ball of earth or volume of roots about 

 to be introduced, taking care not to make the hole any deeper 

 m general than the surface soil extends, then to saturate the 

 subsoil with water, and next to thoroughly pulverise the soil 

 intended for filling-in round the roots. After this is completed 

 rake together tree leaves if at hand, weeds, sticks, &o., and 

 throw 3 or 4 inches (sometimes a foot) of these in the bottom 

 of the hole to set the ball or roots on, putting little or no soil 

 beneath the tree. The free being carefully removed, and, if 

 possible, not a fibre suffered to dry during the operation, is 

 placed on the leaves, and the process of fiUing-up commences. 

 The soil being in a mellow state is slightly trodden as the 

 fillmg proceeds, and when level with the ball or rather above 

 it, the whole receives a thorough watering, using several cans 

 of water at slight intervals. The next business, and a most 

 important affair, is to thoroughly stake the tree to prevent 

 wind-waving. When this is completed a thick mulching of 

 half-rotten manure or leaves will finish the process. Such 

 trees should have one thorough soaking of water in the eariy 

 part of April, afterwards they may be left to themselves. 



GEEENHOnSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



The climbers in the conservatory, at least some of the most 

 rambling, will now want a dressing when they obstruct the light 

 in any material degree. Those which flower on the young wood, 

 and which are now in a ripening state, or approaching a state 

 of rest, may be pruned-in very closelv. Such as the late-bloom- 

 ing Passifloras, the Combretums, Ecliites, Ipomams, Stepha- 

 notises, Thunbergias, Pergularias, Mandevillas, i-c, which are 

 Still thriving, must he regulated with a more gentle hand, cut- 

 ting away merely barren shoots, and drawing the remainder 

 into somewhat closer festoons, in order to throw sunlight into 



the interior of the house. Some skill will be necessary in the 

 mixed greenhouse at this period especially ; there will be so 

 many candidates for admission that confusion and, conse- 

 quently, failures will be inevitable, unless some subjects be dis- 

 carded, or removed to a cold-pit or plant-hospital. Better grow 

 a few plants well than many badly. 



STOVE. 



A somewhat warm temperature may still be maintained here 

 in order to consolidate as much as possible immature growth. 

 ^Vhen this is accomplished there will be less necessity for 

 strong fire heat in the dead of winter. 



FORCING-PIT. 



Keep up the supply of Dutch bulbs by weekly additions, and 

 also by contributions from the different' kinds of potted planta 

 already prepared for this purpose. Dwarf Orange trees will 

 prove a most desirable addition in winter, they can be easily 

 brought on in this department. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 

 With continued frosty mornings, and a heavy rain on Friday, 

 attended and followed by a milder temperature, no other bad 

 efiects have as yet manifested themselves in the garden than 

 those recorded last week. We hear of blackness and wrecks in 

 the valleys, whilst here, on Saturday, with a drizzling rain, the 

 main crops in the kitchen garden, and the beds and borders in 

 the flower garden, were as bright and blooming as they were in 

 the middle of August. The Calceolarias, but for the rains 

 washing off many flowers, would have been splendid ; and on 

 looking over fine plants we find there will be a difficulty in ob- 

 taining good cuttings this season, as every little shoot has put 

 forth its truss of flowers, whilst the best cuttings are those 

 that can be slipped off 2 or 3 inches long from the older stem, 

 and which have not had time to become knotted with flower- 

 trusses. AVe have no fear as yet for the general run of Calceo- 

 larias, but after the severe morning of the 4th inst., we took off 

 a good number of cuttings of the soft yellow Amplexicaulis, as 

 it will stand much less frost and rough treatment than the 

 general run of shrubby bedding Calceolarias. This is the only 

 kind we do not think safe to be kept all the winter in a cold 

 frame or pit, and also the only kind which we like to be strik- 

 ing before the end of the present month. We would not think 

 of the general collection being inserted as cuttings before the 

 end of this month, but for the great changeability of the weather, 

 as even on this Saturday evening, after the wind has been 

 south and west all day, it is again due north, hinting uumistake- 

 ably to us the importance of putting a lot of cuttings in before 

 this meets the eye of the reader. 



kitchen GARDEN. 



Continued clearing off useless Pea and Bean haulm as stated 

 last week, and put some earth to Celery in dry days, as the 

 soaking rains previously, and waning power of the sun, will 

 render all danger from dryness unlikely. We could use little 

 litter for topping up as stated last week, as we wanted every bit 

 for other purposes ; but such topping, or using moss or long 

 grass in small layers with no chance of heating, is a good pre- 

 servative against damping and frost. It should not be for- 

 gotten that a blanched head of Celery will stand much less 

 frost than one in its natural green state, and, therefore, when 

 very late Celery is desirable in spring, it is well not to earth-up 

 much in autumn and winter. 



Planted more Cabbage plants, and strewed the spaces between 

 with ashes and lime, to render the ground unpleasant to all 

 the slimy tribe. Planted out and potted young Cauliflower 

 plants ; must try and have a place in readiness to receive a fine 

 lot of plants that are now showing well, and which are to he 

 lifted with balls. Bun the hoe through young Spinach, and 

 transplanted where it had not come up quite regularly. Spinach 

 trarsplants very well when young. A rabbit found its way 

 among a piece of Dwarf Kidney Beans under protection, and did 

 much harm before it was caught. 



After the crops were cleared from the fields, we had quite an 

 invasion of rats, but singularly enough, though they have 

 feasted on and carried oft numbers of Pears, they did not in- 

 trude on Melons, which they could easily have done, and we 

 have known a dozen of Melons in a frame rendered useless in 

 one night before now. We have managed to thin the rats a 

 little, and hope they will at least shift their quarters. This 

 season they have chiefly annoyed us with eating into Pears, 

 and having their share of Beans and Peas. In past seasons we 



