106 



JODBNAIi OP HOBTICOLTUBB AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ Februiiry 7, 188J. 



too, have snfiered. Sweet Bays, Laurustinuees, Aucaban, and 

 Ojtoneasters are killed down, whilst Laurels, Hollies, and 

 many others present the appearance of having been ecorehed. 

 Most of the tender kinds of Roses have been killed to the 

 ground, and the others have suffered very much. Plants in 

 flower January 8th. — Double Daisy, double Primrose, single 

 Primrose, Wallflower, Garden Anemone, Yellow Jasmine, Win- 

 ter Aconite. 



ICE-KEEPING. 



The excellent advice recently given on this subject by Mr. 

 Short, whom I have known many years, iind on whom may be 

 placed great reliance, deserves the particular attention of all 

 who are in any way interested in storing this most useful i 

 article, and although the plan recommended by Mr. Short is 

 not new, it is one which is not generally practised. 



Last j'ear I recommended a sort of machine or crusher, and 

 Mr. Short entertains the same view as I had — viz., to obtain, 

 if possible, one solid mass of ice, and to avoid having such a 

 number of cavities as there inevitably must be when ice is 

 stored in lumps about the size of brick-ends, the cavities be- 

 tween which contain an immense body of air, which, ultimately, 

 makes sad havoc with the good-keeping of the ice. I have no 

 ' doubt but that an ice-grinder will be brought into use at some 

 future day, and at present Mr. Short's plan is the nearest 

 approach to the object I had in view. 



We always, if sufficient ice can be secured, make a large 

 stack, independently of the ice-house. We have made one 

 this year, and, taking a leaf out of Mr. Short's book, we have 

 used more snow than we have done hitherto. Indeed, to build 

 an ice-heap without snow, when it can be obtained, is some- 

 thing like a bricklayer putting bricks together without mortar. 

 A fair-sized stack, if well secured, will last till late in summer, 

 and through the kindness of my employer, the ice from one 

 has been the means of saving the lives of many suffering fellow 

 creatures. 



To insure a stack of ice lasting a considerable time, we put 

 on two layers of thatch, the first on the ice, and the other on 

 a rough framework, made of fir poles and slabs, as in the 

 accompanying engr.aving. It takes about thirteen poles for the 

 inside and a like number on the outside. On the latter, thin 

 Blabs are placed in a horizontal direction, on which the outer 

 thatch is placed. To keep the outside poles a sufficient dis- 

 tance from the inner ones, short pieces of wood, about 9 inches 

 or a foot long, are fastened between them. The body of air 

 between the two coats of thatch contributes greatly towards 

 the safe-keeping of the ice. 



W^e generally have to put new ice on the top of the old in the 

 ice-house, all of which is snuply covered with straw. Now, it 

 is an old saying that we should let well alone — that is, in this 

 case, if sufficient ice is preserved for the family, why trouble 

 about any fresh plan? and we feel afraid to try any other 

 method, fearing success might not attend our efforts; but I 

 must confess that I am not particularly fond of straw, and if 

 it is not indispensable, a much greater quantity of ice could be 

 stored in any house, and the ice would be saved from the per- 

 nicious effects arising from its being surrounded with wet straw, 

 ■which could be saved for a more appropriate use. If some of 

 the great ice-jireservers in this country would state their 

 opinions as to -whether ice can be preseived without straw, it 



would be a great boon to many. Mr. Short did not state 

 whether he used straw or not, but ho informed us that we 

 should have plenty of ice in January, and sure enough his 

 prediction was true to the letter. — J. Pekkins, Thomfiaiii, 



Stiffulk. 



PEACH TREES FALLING IN A PEACH-HOUSE. 



Last spring some of the trees showed nothing but fruit-buds, 

 except at the points of the shoots, and a good many of them 

 had died back in the autumn. Can you tell me what is the 

 cause of the shoots dying back and the buds dropping oS in 

 spring? also, why the fruit dropped off before they were pro- 

 perly ripe, having their stones split through the middle, and 

 showing signs of decay ? The border has a concrete bottom, 

 and is filled up with 3 feet of soil of a clayey texture. Water 

 is always given when necessary. The trees are beginning to 

 drop their buds this year again. — Guampian. 



[When some kinds of Peach trees, as the Noblesse, are be- 

 coming past their best, and feeling the effects of heavy crop- 

 ping, the most of the buds on a shoot will be fruit-buds, and 

 the wood-buds will be chiefly confined to terminal ones. When 

 it is necessary to keep these shoots short and near home it is 

 best to stop early in summer, and thus obtain another leader. 

 When that is not done, such shoots left growing all summer, 

 and with a prominent terminal bud, should not be stopped at 

 all in spring-pruning. Such trees will be distinguished by only 

 one fruit-bud, and sometimes two in a place along the shoot. 

 Younger and healthier trees will have triple buds, of which the 

 central one is generally a wood-bud. By pruuiug accordingly, 

 we have had fine crops and fine fruit from old trees. The 

 dropping of the buds is generally the result of roots too dry 

 or too much soaked. When the dropping is in moderation it 

 saves thinning afterwards.! 



WOPJi FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN CAEDEX. 



The general preparation of ground for the spring crops 

 having been delayed beyond the usual time, the requisite digging 

 and trenching should be at once performed, preparatory to 

 a more thorough manipulation of the soil before sowing-time. 

 The princijial cause.^ of success in growing vegetables are a fine 

 tilth, and as great a depth of earth as can be obtained, without 

 interfering with the subsoil, if the latter is of a sour nature. 

 Clayey and retentive subsoils should, however, be forked over, 

 loosening the ground' for some depth. This will facilitate the 

 passage of water from the roots, and by degrees the subsoil will 

 improve. There are but few vegetables which do not require 

 a medium depth of 2 feet to grow in. some more ; hence the 

 necessity of deep, well-pulverised soil for their successful cul- 

 tivation. It is often, too, a rule to put the manure in when 

 digging in trenches ; this is a bad system. To be effective, the 

 manure should be completely mixed with the soil to its full 

 depth. For the present, therefore, the dung may be dug in in 

 the process of trenching, and its thorough incorporation with the 

 soil will be best effected when the ground is again worked over 

 with a three-pronged fork. Eespecting the application of ma- 

 nures to different soils, I may observe that for warm, dry, soils 

 such as are of a cool nature, as cow and pig manure, should be 

 applied. Horsedung will answer best on medium loams, while 

 on stiff, clayey soils a portion of ashes, road-scrapings, old 

 mortar, or refuse of any kind, may be used in addition to ordi- 

 nary manure. They will help to keep the land porous, and, 

 consequently, assist the roots of growing crops to permeate the 

 mass of soil. Old Cabbage ground which has been under Sprouts 

 since last August, will now become available for other purposes. 

 Where plenty of Coleioorts have been provided, some of the 

 latest of the July sowings will supply their place, and stand 

 over fur early Cabbage. Old Cabbage ground should be trenched 

 and ])retty well manured, as Cabbage is a scourging crop. It is 

 generally followed by a second sowing of Peas, the iPeas in 

 their turn succeeded by Celery-beds, and this course prepares 

 again for any of the Brassica tribe. Some good beds of Horn 

 CarruU may be sown directly, sprinkling a little iJaiZi'.'/i seed with 

 them. Caulijiou-ers may be turned out of their pots from the 

 cold frames, putting four strong plants under each hand-light. 

 See that spring-sown Cauliflowers do not " draw," if raised in 

 heat ; let them be pricked out betimes. Let the I'cax or Beana 

 sown in boxes be hardened off by degrees in the cold frames 

 preparatory to transplanting. A good breadth of Broad Beavf 



