352 



JOUENAL OF HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 7, 1867. 



White Globe, ditto ; New Venetian Giant Tripoli, coarse, thick- 

 necked, and many doubles ; Trebon, very good, but coarse ; 

 and White Spanish, also coarse. None of these, even with most 

 careful cultivation, could compare with the Nuneham variety 

 for weight, symmetry, or fine quality for the kitchen. 



Next to the Onions was a quarter of old Gooseberry and 

 Currant bushes, soon to be done away with. A rather large 

 piece of ground was also devoted to New Zealand Spinach, as 

 a difficulty is experienced here in growing the common kinds, 

 which it is difficult to understand ; for one would suppose, 

 from the nature of the soil — a rich, brown, sound, sandy loam, 

 nearly feet deep, that it would grow anything, and more par- 

 ticularly Spinach. A parting glimpse at the south border next 

 to the young Onions revealed, what at a distance I concluded 

 to be another bed of young Carrots. I suppose I was thinking 

 aloud as about to note it so, when Mr. Stewart, in a voice of 

 interrogation said, " Carrots ? " Parsley ! " Why, what do you 

 want with so much Parsley? " " Oh !" he answered, " I once 

 had the misfortune to be caught napping in the matter of 

 Parsley, and the wiggings I had from the cook in consequence 

 made me vow and declare I would never more remain minus 

 that indispensable herb for a single hour." Not this winter I 

 can answer for, and it is an excellent sort besides. To all 

 young men who are living in hopes of some day conducting a 

 garden, let me say, Take a note of this conversation, for should 

 they ever be caught short of Parsley, and the cook come to 

 know it, they will certainly find it no laughing matter. 



Further down this border there was a large bed of fine 

 Carrots, too large. They would go to the lodge-keepers and 

 others in the park, whom Mr. Stewart has to supply with vege- 

 tables from the gardens. On the lower h.alf of this central 

 piece, new plantations of Gooseberries and Currants, partly 

 trained upon trellises, now mark the path of progress. Then 

 varieties of Runner Beans, one of them a seedling of Mr. 

 Stewart's, I think ; but I saw on the Caseknife Runner pods 

 hanging by bushels, though on the old Scarlet Runner there 

 were but few remaining, a fact which showed plainly which 

 the men were ordered to gather, and was by no means recom- 

 mendatory of the Caseknife. There was also an extensive bed 

 of the Custard Marrow, and the old white and yellow Vegetable 

 Marrows, some of them Daniel Lamberts, and others compara- 

 tively small. This south or Apricot wall is chiefly occupied 

 with many old trees of that fruit already doomed ; but there 

 is a supply of young vigorous trees in perfection. The north 

 wall is also covered with old Cherries, and every foot of the 

 border is occupied by spring bedding flowers. 



Having thus taken my farewell note within the walls of one 

 of the finest of kitchen gardens for site, soil, and judicious 

 management that I remember, I stepped out at a north corner 

 door into the orchard, or what may be properly called a broad 

 eastern slip. Here choice late Pears — viz., Beurre Duhaume, 

 Prince Albert, Vicar of Winkfield, L'Inconnue, .Josephine de 

 Malines, Easter Bergamot, Monarch, Crasanne, and Ne Plus 

 Meuria, are trained against the east wall, and at the farther end 

 of the slip is the pumping machinery, likewise the compost- 

 yard. Fresh turves were also being stacked for potting 

 purposes, &c. They were of a sandy loam, 3 inches thick, well 

 matted with fibre, and they are made to pass through the fire 

 just before they are used as compost. This yard also contains a 

 large Mushroom-shed, in which I observed stowed away nu- 

 merous lengths of wall-coping- boards for protection from spring 

 frosts. Plantations of Filberts and rows of healthy young 

 Apple trees were bearing a good sprinkling of fruit, being well 

 sheltered here, and there were besides Turnips of various ages, 

 large plots of Artichokes, both Globe and Jerusalem, and many 

 other productions. 



Returning to the south slip, which is, indeed, a repertory of 

 vegetable produce, 1 singled out Nuneham Brown Cos Lettuce 

 and Mr. Stewart's Beetroot, as being excellent of their kinds. 

 I also noticed large plots of Sea-kale and Parsnips. Halfway 

 up this slip, by turning through a wicket and a model Holly- 

 hedge, protected outside by close palings, access is gained to 

 an extra outward slip — a nursery for Coniferon, forest trees. 

 Quickset, &c., very interesting, and requiring a Eobson for 

 specification. Re-entering, then, by the wicket, the broad 

 walk which strikes across the divisions of the garden is seen in 

 perspective, through large, skeleton, iron-work gates, arched 

 over by the outward wall, with corresponding arches in line 

 through the opposing parallel walls of the divisions. To 

 the right of this iron gate, as I then stood, against the south 

 wall of the slip were Apricots, to the left " Grosse Mignonne 

 Tardive " Peaches, ripe and of fair size, with a colour of dark 



blush ; and Brunswick and Brown Turkey Figs, of excellent 

 flavour, in quantities. The trees are also very fine. Mr. Stewart 

 thoroughly soaks the roots frequently with soapsuds, which 

 they relish amazingly, and of this desirable liquid, for Peach 

 and Fig trees especially, he is furnished always with a bountiful 

 supply from a large underground-tank at the end of the laundry 

 close by. He told me he was once an advocate for stopping 

 the summer shoots of Figs, but he has become convinced that 

 the practice is wrong. He now sedulously preserves the young 

 shoots in their entirety, nails them in at full length at pruning- 

 time, and then cuts away as much of the old wood as possible 

 to make room for the young wood. I shall become a convert to 

 his practice, for the very look of his trees indicated superior 

 management ; nevertheless, I am now gathering excellent 

 Brown Turkey Figs from a tree that I have treated from its 

 youth upwards on the stopping-plan. 



I now proceeded once more to the back of the garden-house 

 whence I first started, noting as I went a difference in the ap- 

 pearance of the gravel at one part of the walk. Some Naviga- 

 tion Commissioners, having fifty loads of clean-washed gravel, 

 gladly presented Mr. Stewart with it for the sake of getting it 

 hauled out of their way. It will do admirably to surface-mix 

 with the rather stiff, clayey, adhesive gravel here. — Upwabds 

 .\ND Onwakds. 



(To be continued.) 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN G.Vr.DES. 



Trench and manure ground where any is vacant. Collect 

 leaves for covering purposes. Artichokes (Globe), should now 

 have some of the superfluous leaves cut away, and be soiled 

 6 or 8 inches high up the stem. The general practice is to 

 surround the plant with leaves recently fallen, and to soil over 

 these in a sort of mound, then to force a wisp of hay in the 

 centre of the crown. Cahhafies, remove all decayed leaves. Cau- 

 liflowers in head should be taken up and heeled close together, 

 covering them with long litter in severe weather. Sea-kale, 

 collect leaves for covering. 



FKDIT GARDEN. 



It is now a good time to take up and root-prune such trees 

 as are growing too luxuriantly to wood without producing fruit. 

 The tree should first be properly taken up, and this is neither 

 well nor easily accomplished by commencing to dig out a trench 

 at too short a distance from the stem. Let a wide and dsep 

 trench be opened, so that a man can work with freedom stand- 

 ing on a level with the lower roots, he will then find less diffi- 

 culty in undermining the tree. As the small branches and 

 fibres of the root are cleared, they should be tied in bundles to 

 the larger, to prevent their being bruised, and to be out of the 

 way ol the workmen. When the tree is turned up, large per- 

 pendicular roots should be first cut off, then some of the others, 

 cutting in a slanting direction on the under side, and finally 

 all bruised portions should be cut clean. Replant as soon as 

 possible in well-trenched ground. Trees that are not thriving 

 may be similarly taken up, but all sound roots should be pre- 

 served, except such as have penetrated into a bad soil, and ia 

 replanting better soil should be introduced. 



FLOWER G.lBDEN. 



Let the planting of autumn bulbs be completed as soon as 

 ' possible. The growth of bulbs is a winter and spring study, 

 and a most beautiful style of gardening has been enjoyed and 

 disappeared before the beds can admit the tender exotics which 

 are to adorn them in summer and autumn. If you can afford 

 to do so, buy Crocuses by thousands, and Tulips and Hyacinths 

 by hundreds. Remember they are all very ready of increase, 

 and with care your outlay will come back with interest. In 

 some beds a few early Tulips and Hyacinths may be mixed 

 with the Crocuses, so that when the latter are off, the beds may 

 still be attractive ; but probably the borders will generally be 

 preferred to separate beds, and then the following plan will be 

 found advantageous. Let the outer row be composed of Crocuses, 

 the next of Hyacinths, and the third or inner row of Tulips ; 

 you need not be afraid of planting too thickly, but let there be 

 an interval of 2 or 3 inches between each kind of bulb. The 

 Crocuses will have ceased blooming by the time the Hyacinths 

 are in their prime, and the long and graceful foliage of the 

 former will make a pretty fringed border for the latter. Take 

 up all the Dahlias when the tops are frosted. Do not clean too 

 much soil from them, it will prove a protection if dried on 

 them. Strong roots should be placed in a warm and airy 

 place, in order to have them thoroughly dry ; weak roots must 



