108 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDEKEB. 



f P«bOT«ry 7, 1867. 



liaa fortunately done us good service, and tlie third piece has 

 been spawned nnd earthed over, the earth haviiiK stood in the 

 ilushrooni-house in harrows for a couple of days to become 

 heated before being used. For a few uif^bts we were troubled 

 with Bome Imge snails, that would clear oil all the inner parts 

 of several large Mushrooms in a night. We fear they were 

 introduced into the house with the bull of soil round Ehubarb 

 roots. Wo have seen no more signs of their presence lately. 

 We know of no means of gettiup rid of them except eearching 

 with a candle at night. They generally keep out of sight 

 during the day. They arc less easily enticed with greased 

 Cabbage leaves or brewers' grains than slugs. 



rr.niT BErAEurEXT. 



Looked over the frnit-room. Some kinds of fruit have gone 

 considerably within eight days, and that from no efitctsof frost. 

 Sowed Melons in the bed prepared for Cucumbers. Though 

 seedlings do well enough raised in heat from lines or hot water, 

 we have it maybe a prejudice for raising them in the heat from 

 fermeming mato-ial. We find it is of no use sowing such seed, 

 unless protected from mice. No better plan for sowing such 

 seeds can well be adopted than sowing in pots, 25 inches down 

 from the rim, covering with a .square of glass, and placing 

 something heavy on the glass to prevent its being moved. 



Slrairbcrry Forcintj. — The plnnts in bloom are looking much 

 better and stronger since the charge in the weather. Those 

 set on the top of a firmly trodden bed in a pit, yielding just 

 the slightest heat at the bottom, are looking well', but a part 

 will have to be moved, and the bed made to the right level, so 

 that the pots may stand at the right distance from the glass. 

 At this season we would have preferred temporary wooden 

 shelves or a regular stage for the purpose, but in gardening 

 much must be done by makeshifts, though it is always better 

 to be able to dispense with them, as most makeshifts, if they 

 save in material, greatly increase the labour. We had two 

 shelves for Strawberries in the Peach-house, but wo wanted 

 another near the front, where the sloping roof terminated on 

 the wall-plate, about 18 inches above the inside border. There 

 being no wood for a shelf to be obtained, but some round iron 

 rods that had formed part of a feuce being at liberty, pots 

 of the requisite height were set bottom upwards, a brick 

 placed on the top of the pots to give more beaiing room, and 

 three of these rods laid along on the top of the bricks. A 

 turf 9 inches wide, and 1 inch, thick, was then laid along the 

 Tods, grass side downwards, a little leaf mould sprinkled over 

 the tuif to make all lev#l, and on this the row of pots was 

 placed, and no better home oonld be given them. We have 

 used such rai's for shelves suspended from rafters, but we ob- 

 ject to their greater weight for sucli purposes. 



One advantage of (hus setting the pots on turf is, that there 

 is little likelihood of their being over-watered. Early Straw- 

 beri-y jjlants are often greatly injured by water standing in the 

 saucers when the plants on shelves stand in thc^-e, and they 

 must do so often to prevent the drip falling on other things. 

 Hence the importance of the saucers raised in the centre in- 

 vented by Mr. Ingram, of Eelvoir Castle, as though water may 

 stand in the saucer, the bottom of the pot will not be in tlie 

 water. We have often gained the same object in a much more 

 clumsy way, by placing crocks, &c., in the middle of the saucer 

 for the pots to stand on. Without such contrivances, and 

 where a little drip is of no consequence, we prefer turf or moss 

 to saucers on shelves, but where neatness and eSectiveness 

 are to be combined commend us to Mr. Ingram's saucers. 



Or.NAMENTAI. BEF.S.HT3IEXT. 



After the frost it was necessary to go round the walks, sweep 

 them, and remove from the grass any bits of gravel that had 

 been swept over witii the snow, when brushed from the walks. 

 Cleared off wood and a few leaves from the lawn, and rolled 

 with the light wooden roller, which gave it a level and green 

 appearance. We will have the beds and borders dug and 

 freshened as soon as possible. 



During several dry, frosty days, pruning shrubs and cutting 

 Laurels was proceeded with, as we tind in many places that to 

 keep Laurels healthy to their bates, .".nd to prevent their be- 

 coming sickly at their points, they require frequent shortening. 

 These pruuiugs come in valuable for many purposes of shelter- 

 ing crops, and when laid in heaps, and trodden firmly in the 

 course of the summer, and especially if left to another year, 

 nice stakes can be obtained for many jnirposes, and what is 

 not used for these and firing, will go to the charring and burn- 

 ing heap 



aSie conservatory was freafa arranged, and Cinerarias and 



some other plants in bloom taken from the Peach-house, &c., 

 the greater number of plants being moved from thence to the 

 late vinery, so as to afford room fur Strawberries on shelves, 

 and to set at liberty the tioor for bringing on the Potatoes and 

 Peas already referred to. Much work was also done in shaking 

 out and repotting Fuchsias, placing them at the buck of the 

 vineries, potting Pelargoniums in their blooming-pots, and 

 setting them at present on a stage in the second vinery, pot- 

 ting young plants for succession, and pioparing to give more 

 room to Scarlet Pelargoniums for pots and beds. Afforded 

 more room and a more airy position to double Prunus, and 

 Deulzias in bloom. The change in the weather will tell bene- 

 ficially on all forced shrubs and bulbs. For general manage- 

 ment see previous Numbers. 



Accumulated Heat. — This matter (see pages 81 and 82), is 

 of great general and gardening im|iortauce. Mansions have 

 been burned down because large beams abutted on a kitchen 

 chimney. Other houses have been saved 1/ecause the evil was 

 found out in time. Two years ago, against remonstrance, the 

 hearthstone of a fine upper room was formed, not of a stone, 

 as in Mr. Pearson's case, but of small flooring tiles, with, of 

 course, the joists ani rubbish, and lath and plaster beneath 

 them. Like the glazier smashing windows, such a plan might 

 be good for trade, because so conducive to a conflagration. 

 The case of the hotbed heated by a flue is also suggestive. We 

 helped many years ago to manage a long Piuopit, heated in a 

 similar way by strong flues, with a floor of strong slabs fully 

 20 inches above the flues, and no plan could have answered 

 better, and we never heard of any accident ; but then there 

 were wooden funnels on each side to let the heat from the 

 chamber into the atmosphere of the pit, and consequently the 

 heat from the flues would not accumulate solely in the chamber. 

 There is yet something to be leamtd ab.jut heating in close 

 chambers. Li this case dry heat may so accumulate as to re- 

 sult in burning, and in some other cases we have found, that 

 with plenty of heat in the heating medium, bottom heat above 

 the chamber could not be sufficiently obtained uutil there was 

 just as much of an opening into the chamber as would prevent 

 the air there being quite still and isolated. — R. F. 



COVENT GxVRDEN MARKET.— Februaet 6. 



A MARKF.D increnso in onr supplies gcner.'illy. pnrtienlrrly of Pines and 

 bothniisc Grapes, the demand lor the titt'T fL-Jlinjl farsbnrtof the supply. 

 French imports as usuiil. Cfirnish liroccnU luts much improved during 

 the past week. The best samples of Pututoes have again advanced in 

 price. 



FBDIT. 

 s. d. 8. d 



Apples i sieve 2 to s 



Ai>iicots dez 



Cherricg lb. 



Chestnuts bush. 10 



Oumints i sieve 



Black do. 



FIrb doz, 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 9 10 



Gooseberries ..quart 



Grapes, Hothouse.. lb. 4 8.0 



Lemons 100 5 10 





 

 

 

 

 











18 











Melons each 2 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges 100 5 



Peaches doz. 



Pears (dessert) . . doz. 3 



kitchen doz. 2 



Pine Apples lb. 4 



Plums J sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries l'>. 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts bush. 10 



d. s. d 



0to4 







10 







6 



4 



8 







a 











20 



Artichokes each 



Asparagus bundle 



Beans, Kidney, per 100 



ScarletRuu.t sieve 



Beet. Red ". doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Brus. Sprouts ^ sieve 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums 100 



Cari-ots bunuli 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Cucumbers each 



pickling .... doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish . . bundle 



VEGETABLES. 

 I. B. d 



G 



a 







2 



2 



S 6 



2 







6 

 4 

 2 



1 

 



2 

 3 

 8 

 3 

 4 



too 

 10 

 4 

 

 8 

 3 

 

 3 

 

 

 8 

 8 

 2 

 

 

 

 1 

 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce per doz. 



Mushrooms .... poLtle 

 Mustd.& Cross, punnet 

 Onions. . . . per bushel 



Parsley per s-ievo 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas per quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes Joz. buuches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-Kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes. . . . per doz. 



Turnips hunch 



Vegetable JHarrows dz. 



d. s. d 

 OtoO 

 3 



2 

 1 

 2 



9 



O 



2 



9 



5 



6 

 1 S 

 

 B 

 6 



8 B 



9 



t 















TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVRD. 



E. G. Henderson & Son, Wellington Road, St. John's Wood, 

 London, N.W. — Catalogue of Floivir, Vcijctable, and Agricul- 

 tural Seeds. 



W. Armitage & Son, 4, New Street, HuddersCeld. — Catalogue 

 of Flou-er Seeds. — Catalogue of Vegetable cmd Agricnltural Sseds. 



