354 



JOUBNAL OF HOETICDIiTDBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( November 7, 1867. 



Cherry trees in pots out of doors for a change, bat wo were 

 afraid of the tomtits and bullfinches clearing away the buds. 

 They have had a nibble as it is. 



OnXAMKXTAL DEPARTMENT. 



Most of the places have been overhauled and cleaned except 

 the conservatory, and that we shall attend to as soon as possible, 

 many of the plants that are to replace those to be taken out being 

 in security. Even clean glass and clean woodwork, though 

 deficient in painting, always look well in winter, and keep 

 many evils from accumulating. A few cloths, brushes, warm 

 water, and active hands do wonders in this respect, and lime- 

 7oasliiiig makes the exposed walls clean and sweet. It is always 

 advisable to wash down the walls with warm water before lime- 

 washing, and as we lately remarked, the fresher the lime the 

 firmer will it stick. For damp houses it is of no use applying 

 whitening with size to make it adhere, though doing so would 

 be proper enough in a dry room. We generally tone down this 

 lime-colouring to take off the white glare, but" we often use it 

 as white as it comes naturally. For instance, in a late vinery, 

 from which all plants have been removed to avoid damp in the 

 house, the back wall was becoming dingy, slightly green in 

 places, and we brushed over that with limewash to within 4 feet 

 of the top of the wall, doing all the shelves, stages, &c., in the 

 same way, the house now looks almost as clear and bright in a 

 dull day, as it did before in a sunny day, and the black Grapes 

 look all the blacker. In giving su(!h a washing when plants 

 are growing, or even Grapes hanging, it is as well to have air 

 on the house until all scent of the lime has gone. In fact, 

 except in a very frosty night, we never quite close the top ven- 

 tilators, and that is a great security for keeping Grapes plump 

 and free from damping after this period. 



Ill ch'aniii!) //(DISCS now that can be emptied of their contents, 

 except the deciduous fruit-bearing plants in them, we have 

 long proved the efficacy of a very simple means of cleaning, 

 and that is, before we begin to wash or scrub, to syringe the 

 whole house, walls, glass, rafters, stage.s, trellises, Vines, Figs, 

 Peach trees, &c., with water as hot as it can be applied, with a 

 cloth for the man's hand on the syringe. The water is generally 

 from 160" to 180° in temperature, but of course it loses a little 

 of its heat before it strikes on the trees, woodwork, or walls. 

 We have never noticed any trees with ripe wood, and freed 

 from leaves injured by such hot water, and the syringe sends it 

 hot and steaming into every hole and cranny, and to this we 

 attribute a comparative freedom from insects. Of course, such 

 syringing cannot be attempted iu a conservatory, where climbers 

 and other plants are planted out and growing, there the glass, 

 (fee, must be washed with water under 100". 



When houses become dingy from want of paint, &c., and the 

 glazing is not so perfect as if done by a tradesman, the fault 

 will with propriety be laid on the proprietor ; but if the inside 

 of a plant-house, or any other house, exhibits large lumps of 

 dirt, moss, and green slime, depending from the glass or sash- 

 bars, then the fault will too surely be laid on the shonlders of 

 the gardener, and it is really amazing how from becoming used 

 to such a state of things the eye at last ceases to regard it not 

 only as being ugly, but as a proof of careless superintendence. 

 It seems to be incident to human nature, to revert to what has 

 been done, instead of looking to what is to be done. If we 

 arrange a house now, and have all fresh set and clean, we go 

 through it day after day with a degree of self-satisfaction, but 

 we are apt to forget that every day from the cleaning brings us 

 nearer to the day when moving and cleaning must be done, 

 and without the turning out necessary for a great cleaning once 

 or twice a-year. If having once cleaned a plant-house, we con- 

 tinue week after week to look on it as the clean bouse, other 

 people may see that it is very dirty, and give the right name to 

 its condition. 



The cleaning, mowing, and rolling of the pleasure grounds 

 have taken up more time than we could well spare, and most 

 likely we shall have dismantled some of the beds before this 

 is printed, so as to have some plants potted of which we are 

 scarce, and then we will let the rest remain until destroyed by 

 the frost. Many of these plants, as Scarlet Pelargoniums, will 

 do with rough treatment, but everything will succeed best, if 

 taken up before it is much injured by frost, packed in soil as soon 

 as possible, and if tender supplied with a little bottom heat, to 

 set the roots moving at once. A vast number of otherwise 

 clever people have no idea of the importance of never allowing 

 the fibres of a plant to become dry before planting or potting. 

 We lately saw a number of hardy shrubs intended for a par- 

 ticular purpose, taken up very rudely, and left on the ground 

 with all the roots exposed for days, as if intended for faggot 



wood to heat ovens. Sometimes with bedding plants taken from 

 beds before a frosty night was expected, we have had com- 

 parative fiiilures, because the plants remained stowed up so 

 long before we could trim and place them in pots and boxes. 



Bottom llfut. — We may here mention that the few plants 

 to which we could give bottom heat, even from the rank mate- 

 rials of short grass, leaves, and litter, have done very well 

 indeed, and so have the cuttings not forward enough to stand 

 in a cool place without being more fully rooted. This drawback 

 need not be experienced by those whose employers leave them 

 in August or September, or who have reserve grounds whence 

 to take their cuttings ; but when it is desirable to have the 

 beds and borders in as good order as can be to the last possible 

 day of the season, and there is no reserve garden, cuttings 

 when taken must be rather small, and they must be taken later 

 and at different times, so that their removal shall not be seen 

 to affect the beds. All these late cuttings we now have where 

 they will be all we want them in a few weeks. — E. F. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— November 0. 



"U'e can barely mnintflin last week's qiiotations, business being very 

 moderate, and the fine weather has added considerably to our stock, 

 both of home-grown and lortign produce. Potatoes have sUghtly re- 

 ceded in price. 



FRUIT. 



Apples J sieve 



Apricots doz 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bush. 



Currants ^ sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries . . quart 

 Grapes, Hothouse, .lb. 

 Lemons 100 



Artichokes doz. 



Asparapus .... bundle 

 Beans, Kidney, 4 sieve 



ScarletRun.^ sieve 



Beet, Ked doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Brns. Sprouts i sieve 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums lUO 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Cucumbers each 



pickling .... doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



HorseradlBh .. bundle 



Melons each 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges 100 



Peachea doz. 8 



Pears (dessert) ..doz. 2 



Pine Apples lb. 



Plnms i sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



d. t. d 



0to5 





 8 

 

 

 

 

 

 



strawberries . 



lb. 



Walnuts bush. 10 IS 



do per 100 1 1 





 14 

 

 



a 

 a 





 

 

 

 6 



vegetables. 



to 4 , Leeks bunch 











2 G 



2 



6 

 2 



1 

 



Lettuce per score 



Mushrooms .... pottle 

 Mustd.& Cress, punnet 



Onions per bushel 



Parsley per sieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas per quart 



8 Potatoes bushel 



8 

 S 

 2 6 



8 

 

 6 

 

 

 

 



Kidney do. 



Radishes doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



I Tomatoes per doz. 



Turnips bunch 



1 Vegetable Marrows, dz. 



d. B. d 

 S toO 







a 





 

 6 

 

 6 



a 





 



e 



6 

 

 3 

 3 

 

 



TRADE CATAEOGUES RECEIVED. 



J. Jefferies & Son, Cirencester. — Catuhiciiir of Fon'st, Fruit, 

 and Select Ornamental Trees ami Shrubs — List of Gladiolus. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



• . • We request that no one will write privately to the depart- 

 mental writers of the "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Coimtry Gentleman." By so doing £^^'^ 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, die, 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.G. 



We also request that correspondents will not mix up on the 

 same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them an- 

 swered promptly and conveniently, but write them on 

 separate communications. Also never to send more than 

 two or three questions at once. 



N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 

 Books {A Young Gardener). — We have a volnme now printing on laying 



out pleasure grounds, both large and small. (J.W.K.; .i. B.,King»ton). 



—We believe that Loudon's " Self Instruction " is out of print. It is 



mentioned sometimes in the catalogues of dealers in second-hand books. 



(Iftnoravius).—" The Garden Manual." You can have it free by post from 



our office if you enclose twenty postage stamps with youi- address. 



