104 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



[ February 7, 1807. 



(litiire, fhongh it has been in excess of the income, has been 

 diminiBhinj,', while, as we find from the puhlifhecl accomits, 

 the )ienuancnt income bus been on the increix=p. We look for- 

 ward, then, with uo ordinary f.mount of interest, to the state- 

 ment that will bo laid before the meeting on Tuesday, as we 

 anticipate to iind an even Rreator reduction in expenditure as 

 the result of the persistent inid judicious economy inanpureted 

 by the present Secretary, whose whole endeavour", wo Imow, ja 

 to bring the Society into a state of soWencv and usefulness. 

 We do not anticipate that this end is to bo attained speedily, 

 nor do we ex-pect to find th.-it the fortlicominK sfalemciit will 

 show a babnco on the right side, but if the halanco which it 

 does show, hv. it on the riglit side or on the wrong, be counted 

 by as many iiundreds as it was formerly counted by thousands, 

 the Society will have Rood reason to bo thanliful, and to look 

 forward with hope to the next annual meeting when, by a con- 

 tinuance of the same rigid ccoi!oray on (he one hand, and a 

 liberal euconragement of the purely borficuKnral objects of the 

 Society on the. other, the Society will be in a position finan- 

 cially such as it has, perhaps, never before experienced. 



ASPHALTING vr:r.sns GRAVELLING. 



My property. The Grange, West Moulsey, has an avenue of 

 a quarter of a mile from the gate to the Jiouse. The gravelled 

 road is much worn-out, and I intend to have something done 

 to it this year. I wish to know whether you would recommend 

 gravelling or asphalting, and which of the two in the long run 

 is the more durable? 



On an average I should say a carriage would go over such a 

 drive nliout four times a-day. The road is about20 feet broad. 

 — W. B. A. 



[In such a long carriage-road we should decidedly prefer 

 gravelling to asphalting. There is a good deal of trouble in 

 mending asphalt when it breaks into holes, and very little 

 trouble with 'gravel. Besides, if asj.halt is not done ill a pe- 

 culiar way to leave a rough surface, and that would wear off, 

 it becomes too smootb to give a foothold to the horses, and 

 would he dangerous in frost. We like asphalting best round 

 houses, stables, &f!.; but oar experience would lead us to say, 

 Do not use it largely for roads if gravel is to he had.] 



months by placing it in cans or other vessels exposed to the 

 sun's rays; but even then, if 'the afternoon of the day be 

 cloudy it is better not to use it. ' 



Another point I always insist 'Btiife; when the plants are 

 watered and shut up, and the sun is bright, that a little air 

 early in the morning bo admitted ; in the summer, say at 7 a.m. 



With such treatment I have met with success. During the 

 nine years I have been here I have cut fruit from one lot of 

 plants every year from March till December, and the quantitv 

 very abundant. 



With respect to ridge culture, I have known plants go off 

 much as " Sunsciin-.En " mentions, hut I have found them do 

 verv well with me in the following manner : — 



Choose a piece of ground as much facing the sun as possible. 

 Dig holes 5 or G feet apart, and large enough to contain a 

 barrowful or so of nearly short dung; replace the soil in the 

 shape of a cone, place a hand;light on the top of each cone, and 

 let it remain a day or two for the sun to warm the soil ; then 

 plant out, using water when renuireJ as before mentioned. I 

 never take the hand-lights ijnile off, but harden the plants 

 gradually by placing bricks under each corner, and leave them 

 so all the summer, letting the plants run under their sides ; 

 by so doing the hand-lights protect the crowns from ovtr-mucb 

 rain . 



I have found it a good plan, if the plants are at all exposed, 

 to grow a row of Peas or Beans on that side as a protection. — 

 Geoege Couldeey, Ilardeiilmish Park, Ghqipcnham. 



THE INTENSE COLD AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 

 For.T AcGCSius, Invekness. — The thermometer at this place 

 registered on 



JaEunry 3rd 7=" 



.■ith K" 



„ 7lli B" 



„ loth 6- 



January Ifith 12= 



ITth 13* 



18th 10° 



„ 22lld 11" 



"The MtNUTUKfi Fbuit Gabden."— Fruit-tree cu'ture does 

 not appear to be on the decrease if we may judge by the ra- 

 pidity with which Mr. Tavers's little hooks issue from the press. 

 We have now before us the fifteenth edition of " The Miniature 

 Fruit Garden," which contains all that is to be found in the 

 former editions and much more besides. One useful addition 

 we observe in it is a "Miniature Fruit Garden Calendar," 

 which gives in.struetion in what is to be done in the various 

 months, and which will be of great service to the amateur. - i 



CUCUMBER FAILURES. 



H.vvn;c. noticed at page 86 inquiries respecting the cause of 

 failures in growing Cucumbers I am induced to send my mite, 

 knowing that anything tending to their more successful culti- 

 Tation will be useful to many readers of this .Tournal. 



Some years ago, in, I believe, two former gardeners' time. 

 Cucumbers failed here ; they are grown mostly in pigeon-holed 

 pits with dung linings'. Several lots of plants failed ; the soil 

 was blamed, fresh soil was procured ; but in each case the 

 result wns the same, till at last it was doubted if they could be 

 grown at all. 



On my entering the situation nine years ago I heard of this ; 

 but, nothing daunted, I thought I would see what was to be 

 done. I took soil indiscriminately, feeling sure that that was 

 not so much to blame ; but — and this is what I would wish 

 unsuccessful cultivators to bear in mind — the water, not pro- 

 perly aired, had injured the plants fatally. I have seen, 

 where such has been used, good fruit become quite disfigured 

 by disease. The stems woukbgum and die away, till at last a 

 fresh lot of plants was required. I never allow one plant to be 

 watered, even in summer, with water not in good condition. 

 If such is not ready when wanted I let the plants go another 

 day, and if that prove a very hot one I shade a httle to keep 

 the plants from flagging. 



Water can generally be properly prepared in the summer 



Those temperatures (all of which are above zero), are the 

 lowest that have occurred here during the mouth. The in- 

 strument is placed against a wall facing the noith-ee-st, at 

 about 5 feet from the ground. We have had a considerable 

 amount of snow, but nothing in comparison with places farther 

 to the east. In the neighbourhood of Inverness and Strath- 

 nnirn it has, I believe, in some instances been upwards of 

 2 feet in depth. 



I have just mr.de an examination of my Eoses, and find that 

 with one exception, Monte Christo, they are all right. This 

 variety, which I fear is quite dead, occupied the snuggest part 

 of my garden, being against a south wall and protected from 

 th3 east by a porch. On the same wall I have fine plants of 

 Celine Forestier, Triomphe de Eennes, and Safrauo. The last 

 of these had some fern placed round it, but the other two bad 

 no protection whatever. It is to be regretted that Monte 

 Christo is so tender, for this part of the country at k-ast, as 

 none of the darker varieties, with the exception, perhaps, of 

 Empcreur de Maroc, opens so freely, and its perfiune is un- 

 surpassed. 



I had a few Tea Roses in pots; I say had, for I fear they 

 are all destroyed. They were placed under a south wall and 

 carefully covered with fern before the frost set in, but notwith- 

 standing the precautions used they are very much cut up. 

 Madame WiUermoz is quite dead, and the others, Madame- 

 P'alcot, Madame Damaizin, Due de Magenta, Devoniensis, 

 Souvenir d'un Ami, and Madame de St. Joseph have been go- 

 severely injured that I entertain very little hope of their re- 

 covery. It was simply for the sake of experiment that I grew 

 them at ail, and I take this opportunity of stating, that I con- 

 sider it a mere Vi'asta of time to attempt their cultivation out 

 of doors in the north of Scotland. You may grow them well 

 enough, and even manage to carry them through a pretty 

 severe winter, but very few, if any, will ever open well, Gloire 

 de Dijon always excepted. I had certainly two or three fair 

 blooms of Madame WiUermoz, but none of the others would; 

 open at all. 



I must confess, however, that in this respect, with few ex- 

 ceptions, I was equally disappointed with the Hybrid Perpetuals 

 but certainly there could not have been a more unfavourable 

 season for Eoses than the last. In June and July we had a 

 prevalence of cold east winds, and their withering effect oiv 

 the blooms was very perceptible, the petals in many instances 

 were completely shrivelled up, and in others were much changed 

 in colour. As instances, Paul Eicaut was only about a shade- 



