132 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t Februsry U, 1367. 



was light much could liave been done in Bean-planting and Pea- 

 sowing. For reasons several times given, we prefer planting 

 out tlie earliest crops, and last season having no small wire 

 gimrtis we planted out nearly the whole of our crops. The 

 routine as regards digging, trenching, and forward vegetables 

 was much the same as detailed last week. 



OvUi'ctiiiri Ijcavfs after the shooting season formed a part of 

 onr work, and we have been unfortunate this year and last. 

 B-ith before and after that time the excessively high winds 

 took off the leaves into the surrounding country, and what are 

 left, owing to the heavy rains, are very wet, entailing, if thus 

 collected, two disadvantages : the first, the great additional 

 weight which has to be carted; and the second, the necessity of 

 using them sooner, as there are no means that can be well used 

 for preventing heaps of such leaves from fermenting and 

 gradually decomposing. Under such circumstances leaves are 

 vastly more expensive for heating-purposes than stable-dung 

 when it can be procured in good quantities. The leaves, how- 

 ever, have these two advantages : they need but little prepara- 

 tion for being used as hotbeds, and then, when reduced to leaf 

 mould, they are very useful as a component part of many of 

 our composts. When leaves can be collected and stored in a 

 dry state they will keep as long as it is desired without fer- 

 menting, but then wo can ahvays obtain heat from them by 

 moistening them snfliciently to cause fermentation and conse- 

 quent slow decomposition. For general matters see previous 

 week's notices. 



FRUIT GAr.nEX. 



We previously mentioned throwing thin liujewash over our 

 Gooseberries, Currants, and dwarf bush Pears. Plums, <Sre. ; 

 hitherto it has been successful in keeping the birds from the 

 buds, and we should like to repeat the process, especially on 

 Pears, as the buds are swelling fast, and the recent storms have 

 waslied off the most of the lime. It still adheres pretty well 

 to the Gooseberries as their shoots were less exposed, from 

 being drawn pretty closely together in the bush faggot style. 

 The intention is to remove the string and allow the bush to 

 take its more natural position after tlie budshave fairly brokeu, 

 as when in leaf the birds will cease to molest them.' Whilst 

 thus tied it is also easier to scrape away the soil from round 

 the base of all the bushes, draw it into the space between the 

 rows, and dig down that soil deeply there, whilst fresh soil is 

 placed round the bushes, and the ground near the stems is 

 merely forked over thinly. If there should be any products of 

 catei-pillars from Inst season, the nigging them "down deeply 

 will generally destroy them. Prom this simple plan we are 

 seldom troubled with the caterpillar. Were wo near a tan pit 

 we would put two or three spadesful of tan round each bush, 

 as that seems to destroy all eggs and larvfe, at least when we 

 could adopt that plan we were never troubled with caterpillars ; 

 but the fact would require to be more generally confirmed 

 before we were thoroughly certain that the tan and tlie absence 

 of the caterpillar were estabUshed as cause and consequence. 

 It is possible for us at times to think wo see the connection 

 between results and causes, when in reality there may often be 

 merely coincidence. As to the caterpillar that in iine sum- 

 mers is so apt to attack all the Brassica tribe, we know of no 

 preventive equal to hunting down the white butterfly by a 

 couple of sharp boys, spuiTed on by the desire of boxing the 

 greatest number. 



Basjiherries. — We have tried almost every mode of training 

 these — such as so many canes fastened to a stake, these stakes 

 from 2 to 4 feet apart ; tying them into the form of arches, 

 either with a stake or without stakes, the canes when inter- 

 laced supporting themselves ; but of late years we have gene- 

 rally fastened the canes in rows about 6 inches apart, the weaker 

 ones being early cut away to give more room, sun, and air to 

 those left. Of course we think this system the best on the 

 ■whole, though the other plans have also much in their favour. 

 On the line or row plan the plantation if in one place consists 

 of rows about 5 feet apart, wooden stakes are placed along the 

 row 4 or 5 feet apart, and on these light rods or saplings are 

 fastened, one line about 1.5 inches from the ground, and the 

 other about ;)} feet from it, and to these the canes are tied. 

 This is the simplest mode of carrying out the line or row system ; 

 but as a Raspberry plantation will last in good order for a number 

 of years, the best and the most economical mode in the end for 

 training Raspberries on this plan is to have a few slight iron 

 posts, and have three strained wires for fastening the canes to 

 them, and then at all times the Raspberry plantation will 

 look neat and handsome, which it frequently "does not with onr 

 makeshift modes of management. Even when this appears, we 



shall not be more than in the middle of the month, and since 

 the storm fruit trees of all kinds seem to be earlier than usual, 

 many buds already becoming very prominent. Can this be owing 

 to the heavy warm rains before the severe frosts, or to the 

 rather warm rains that have fallen since? Singularly enough, 

 too, we notice that the dull wet summer and autumn of 18G6 

 have not done much in lessening the quantity of fruit-buds on 

 fruit trees in general. 



For orchard-houses, Peach-house, Strawberries, &c., see 

 notices of previous weeks. Some time ago we put a little 

 warm litter on the border of the first vinery, placing the coldlitter 

 that had been put there in the autumn on the surface, and 

 protecting it from heavy rains. As soon as we have the ma- 

 terial we will treat the second in the same way. The heat 

 given off there, if at all sensible, will be used for forwarding 

 many things in the early season by placing some old sashes 

 over the border. If the temperature for forcing-houses is 

 raised very gradually, and the atmosphere kept tolerably moist 

 by damping the floor, stages, &c., there will be less necessity 

 for syringing the trees so much as is generally done. We have 

 come to the conclusion that this sprinkling, so often repeated, 

 has little or no influence on the regular breaking of Vines, and 

 we first began to find this out from the unwillingness to wet 

 the leaves of plants beneath the Vines, when the plants were 

 of such a nature, or in such a condition, that we would have 

 preferred the foliage to be dry in sunshine. 



OEXAMESTAL DEP.AKTMENT. 



When the weather would permit, slightly rolled the lawn to 

 keep wormcasts out of sight, and dug and ridged the centres 

 of large beds and borders, leaving the sides near the turf for 

 drier and better weather, when making up edgings. Even 

 with a board at the grass edgings it would scarcely be possible 

 for the men to trample on the grass near the beds without 

 injuring it ; and as a general rule it is best to avoid doing work 

 in such times and ways as will be sure to make work, when 

 better arrangements would render the most of that extra work 

 unnecessary. 



Pansies, Pinks, Carnations, itc, out of doors, will require 

 firming about the plant after the frost, and to be protected from 

 slugs and grass mic9. Ranunculus and Polyanthus in a pit or 

 frame will want all the air possible, without the rains, and to 

 be top-dressed with rich, sweet compost. Violets, especially 

 the Neapolitan, will want plenty of air in fine weather. As 

 respects NrapoUtun Viohts, we did last season what we will 

 most likely never do again — left some lights that were planted 

 in the autumn of 1SC.3, but without lights last season until the 

 autumn, and though they looked nice, they do not produce 

 as yet so freely as younger plants, yet they seem to have 

 plenty of buds on them. What we consider the best and the 

 easiest way to obtain fine-flowering plants of the Neapolitan, is 

 the following — About May, take up the old plants ; tear them 

 into pieces, so as to h.ave roots to each separate piece ; trim 

 the roots, if more than 24 inches long ; prepare a piece of ground 

 by digging, and manuring with sandy loam and leaf mould; 

 plant the pieces from G to 8 inches apart ; stir the soil, keep 

 clean, water as needed, and above all, allow not a single runner 

 to grow all the summer, and then in the autumn either set a 

 frame or frames over the plants, or take up and plant in a bed 

 to be covered with glass, and if wanted particularly in bad 

 weather in winter, (ill some seven-inch pots with good plants, 

 and set them where they can h.ave a mild bottom heat, and ft 

 cool, rather di'y atmosphere. If mildew in autumn, or red 

 spider in summer make their appearance, dust with sulphur, 

 and use the syringe freely. No older plants will equal those 

 thus annually renewed. All the other single and double blue 

 and white Violets, are best when treated in a similar way, and 

 should not stand more than two seasons in the same place, if 

 the greatest produce in flowers is aimed at. Potting and re- 

 gulating plants much the same as in previous weeks. 



Stnrinrj Turf for Fottinrj. — As soon as the weather is dry we 

 must see to this work, but it is often difQcult to accomplish, and 

 when short of tmf, we generally contrive to obtain some good 

 fresh soil from the ridges thrown up by the sides of highways 

 .and other roads, and which, consisting of the soil of the sur- 

 rounding district, if thtit is at r.U loamy, and the ground flints 

 and stones, makes a capital soil for the culture of most of our 

 common pot plants ; but even that we do not consider quite 

 so good for the staple of the compost, as rich fibry turf that 

 has stood in a narrow ridge for a twelvemonth, aud has thus 

 become sweetened. We feel obliged to Mr. Pearson for what 

 he says and has done with fresh turf, and can bear out most 

 of it, from what we have practised with certain turf for borders, 



