Jannaiy 1, 1867. J 



JOUENAL OF HOBTICULTUllE AND CioTl'AGE GAUDENEB. 



11 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 



Those of our readers who have rooms a:'A 'conservato- 

 ries with a north aspect, or which are overshadowed by other 

 buildings, will be aided by the following note of a suggestion by 

 Sir David Brewster : — " If, in a very narrow street or lane, we 

 look out of a window with the eye in the same plane as the 

 outer face of the wall in which the window is placed, we shall 

 see the whole of the sky by v,'hich the apartment can be illu- 

 minated. If we now withdraw the eye inwards, we shall gra- 

 dually lose sight of the sky till it wholly disappears, which may 

 take place when the eye is only (i or 8 inches from its first 

 position. In such a case the apartment is illuminated only by 

 the light reflected from the opposite wall, or the sides of the 

 stones which form the window; because, if the glass of the 

 •window is 6 or 8 inches from the wall, as it generally is, not a 

 ray of light can fall upon it. If we now remove our window 

 and substitute another in which all the panes of glass are 

 roughly ground on the outside, and flush with the outer wall, 

 the hght from the whole of the visible sky, and from the re- 

 motest parts of the opposite wall, will be introduced into the 

 apartment, reflected from the innumerable faces or facets 

 which the rough grinding of the glass has produced. The whole 

 window will appear as if the sky were beyond it, and from every 

 point of this luminous surface light will radiate into all parts 

 of the room." 



We have received from Messrs. Lucombe, Pinoe, & Co., 



of Exeter, a bunch of that admirable Grape, Mrs. Pince's Black 

 Muscat, which was ripe on the Vine twelve montlis ago. We need 

 hardly say it is now in the state of raisins, and these nre as fine, 

 fleshy, and delicious as the finest imported ^luscatels. We 

 take this opportunity of stating that Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat 

 is one of the most valuable acquisitions in the way of Grapes 

 which has been introduced for many years. Imagine the de- 

 licious but milTy old Black Muscat of -Alexandria, with a robust 

 constitution, a thick, stout, sturdy, berry-stalk, a tough mem- 

 branous, though not thick, skin, and with the property of hang- 

 ing till the sap rises again, and you have Mrs. Pince's Black 

 Muscat. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



We have but little to add to former directions in this depart- 

 ment. The principal routine of business to be performed at 

 this season is thorough draining, opening, clearing out, and 

 repairing old drains, and making new ones, altering walks and 

 fresh casing them with some good hard materials, the edgings 

 having first been evenly made up. There is nothing in a 

 kitchen garden which has a more neglected, dilapidated ap- 

 pearance than uneven, weedy walks, with gapi)y, overgrown, 

 or irregular Box or other edgings. Tlie wheeling out of ma- 

 nures on spare borders and quarters, and trenching, must be 

 proceeded with, and all possible speed should be made with 

 these operations in suitable weather. Hoeing and surface- 

 stirring amongst all kinds of progressing crops must be per- 

 formed in tine days. By this practice the mutilation and de- 

 struction occasioned by obnoxious insects and their larviE are 

 to a great extent prevented. We should never hear of the 

 destruction committed by slugs, snails, wireworms, or other 

 vermin to any considerable extent if such a system were faith- 

 fully carried out. Abundant preparations for the coming 

 spring must be made in this department. A stock of garden 

 mats must be procured for covering-purposes, and a mat or 

 two cut up, tied in bunches in two classes, and hung up ready 

 for summer use. Plenty of shreds for wall trees will require 

 cutting, and the old ones should pass through the ordeal of 

 boiling water. Here, too, the preparation of labels for dating 

 and naming crops must proceed, and the seed-drawers should 

 be thoroughly examined, cleaned out, and the old seeds dated 

 and classified, in order that their relative value may be readily 

 known. The new seeds will, of course, want arranging. Above 

 all, a scheme of cropping, based on a judicious rotation, should 

 be laid down forthwith. Broccoli, Celery, Carrots, Eudive, 

 Lettuce, Parsley, and other needful articles, should be pro- 

 tected in due time from frost. 



FEUIT GAEDEN. 



Figs against walls will require some protective material 

 placed over them in the midland and northern counties. This, 

 indeed, has been a favourable autumn for performing opera- 

 tions in the fruit department. We hope that all speed has 

 been made. It may be said that the ground has been damp 

 under foot for standing to prune and nail ; but surely a dry 



board to stand on could be obtained. It should always be 

 cleaned and put to dry in the tool-house, so as to be in readi- 

 ness and comfortable for the feet again by the next day. 



FLOWER r.AKDEN. 



Tiie weather is still exceedingly favourable for the eseOution 

 of alterations or new work, and it will not be the fault of the 

 weather if such work be not finished in good time this season ; 

 but we know from experience that it is in many cases easier to 

 commence such operations than to know when or where they 

 will end, and we would merely recommend here that every 

 possible dispatch should be used to complete all such opera- 

 tions as speedily as possible, in order to have the hands at 

 liberty for the regular work, which, save in a few favoured 

 cases, will soon require all the labour that is allowed. If not 

 yet done, the leaves should be cleared up and the shrubbery 

 borders lightly forked over to give them a fresh appearance. 

 Lawns and gravel walks must be frequently rolled, so as to 

 keep them firm and smooth. Those who purpose planting in 

 the spring — for many persons still retain the notion that 

 planting can be done in spring with greater certainty of suc- 

 cess than at any other season — should lose no time in pre- 

 paring the ground by trenching, or whatever may be deemed 

 necessary for the plants. On light saudy soils there will be 

 no particular necessity for making the pits at once ; but, how- 

 ever friable the nature of the soil may be, it will be all the 

 better of exposure for a month or two to the action of the 

 weather. Where Ehododendrons are grown in masses and ex- 

 hibit any indications of having exhausted the soil, a top-dress- 

 ing of cow-manure, well decomposed, some .3 inches deep, and 

 extending as far as the roots, should be applied at once. This 

 will strengthen the plants for flowering, prevent rapid evapora- 

 tion in summer, and keep the ground cool and moist, which is 

 essential to the well-being of this handsome tribe of plants. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



Attend carefully to valuable pot specimens of hardwooded 

 plants, whicli it may be necessary to winter in the conservatory, 

 for many of these are very impatient of fire heat and a con- 

 fined atmosphere, and ought, therefore, to be kept as much out 

 of the way of its influence as circumstances permit. Such 

 plants should be placed near the glass, turning them partly 

 round every week so that all their parts may be equally exposed 

 to light ; and admit fresh air on every favourable opportunity, 

 but carefully avoid cold cutting winds, which, if allowed to 

 blow through plants just after they have been kept close with 

 fire heat for some time, are sure to disfigure the foliage. Use 

 no more fire heat than may be indispensable, and be careful 

 to counteract its drying effects on the atmosphere, either by 

 means of evaporating-pans or by sprinkling the border, &c., 

 as may be necessarv, to prevent anything like a dry, parch- 

 ing state of the atmosphere. Look'weU to plants in a grow- 

 ing state, such as Leschenaultias, and Pimeleas ; remove the 

 bloom as fast as it appears, but those plants of the former 

 which are intended for early bloomiug must not have their 

 flowers removed after this time. The number of plants 

 brought forward will depend upon the demand, and must be 

 regulated accordingly. Azaleas and Ehododendrons for forcing, 

 still out of doors, must have some protection should severe 

 I weather occur, or remove them to any spare house till wanted. 

 i Narcissus, Hyacinths, &c,, should be protected by a frame ; as 

 i they now begin to grow, remove the plunging material down 

 ! to the surface of the pots to prevent them rooting upwards. 

 Mignonette and Neapolitan Violets will require abundance of 

 light and air to keep them from damping. As a change from 

 the present to severe weather may come on suddenly, be pro- 

 vided with ample means for covering pits and frames should it 

 occur. As, with the exception of forced plants, most of the 

 others are now in an inactive state, the temperature of plant- 

 houses should fall to its minimum point, consistent with the 

 safety of the various inmates. Nothing can well be worse for 

 the development of a healthy, vigorous growth in plants than 

 subjecting them to a high temperature at the present season of 

 the year when light, so important to the healthy action of 

 vegetable life, cannot accompany it. 



STOVE. 



Here all is still and quiet. Keep a moderate heat of from 

 50° to GO', and give plenty of air. The Ixoras should be 

 elevated near the glass to set their bloom, and have plenty of 

 air at all times ; keep them comparatively ch-y. Stephanotis, 

 Allamandas, &c., may be potted and trained preparatory to 

 starting, and the staking of all specimen plants must be pro- 

 ceeded with as fast as possible. 



