Febroary 28, 1887. ) 



JOUBNAIi OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



1«& 



onr account of the Society's meeting on Tuesday, the 19th. 

 It was Ihjckia rariflnra which he mentioned as having stood 

 seyeral winters, and not Disa grandiflora. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Asparagus, give the beds a slight salting ; this should be 

 done after soiling ; the rains will carry down the salt from 

 time to time. Attend to the due preparation of the ground 

 for the main crops of CarroU and Parsnips ; endeavour to pro- 

 vide charred materials, half-burnt weeds, or leaves. Onio/is 

 may be sown as soon as possible ; choose a piece of ground 

 that has been manured for a previous crop, and, adding no 

 fresh manure, throw it into high beds, sow when dry, cover 

 thinly, and roll as hard as possible. The last advice will, per- 

 haps, not apply so well to clayey soils. Sea-kalt, plant forth- 

 with, salting and manuring heavily. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Vegetation having been so much checked by the late severe 

 weather, the planting and pruning of fruit trees may be 

 carried on with as much propriety as would have been the case 

 in the beginning of February in forward seasons ; but the rapid 

 development which results from a week or two of line weather 

 at this period should be kept in mind, and every preparation 

 ought to be made for the occurrence of frost. The utility of 

 coping-boards for the protection of the blossom of Peaches 

 and Apricots on walls was mentioned in a former calendar, 

 and in reply to a question on the subject I would mention 

 that only temporary copings were recommended. With the 

 exception of the usual projection of 2 inches of stone or other 

 material of a permanent nature for the protection of the wall, 

 any greater projection is injurious to the trees in summer ; 

 but temporary coping-boards about 9 inches wide, afford the 

 blossoms great protection from spring frosts, and when aU 

 danger of the latter is over they should be removed. They 

 should be made to fit closely underneath the permanent coping, 

 and should be supported by stays or brackets. If the ground 

 is in good condition plantations of Strawberries may be made. 

 Presuming that the runners of last season were planted out in 

 nursery-beds, and the plants are now taken up with good balls by 

 means of a hollow trowel, carefully planted, and well mulched, 

 crops will Jae obtained nearly equal in the first season, and 

 superior in the second, to those resulting from an autumn plan- 

 tation. Bring pruning to a close immediately ; root-prune over- 

 luxuriant trees, allowing about a foot to every inch of diameter 

 at the base of the trunk — that is to say, for a tree of 4 inches 

 in diameter, open a trench 4 feet off, and so on. Uncover 

 Fig trees, but do not prune them until the buds begin to swell. 

 Prune and nail Tines without delay, stopping the fresh cuts 

 with a patch of white lead. 



FLOWEE GAKDEN. 



AU grass lawns should now have a thorough rolling, and all 

 turfing repairs must be completed forthwith. Where it is ab- 

 solutely necessary to edge lines of walks let it be done now, 

 and, as soon as accomplished, run the heavy roller several 

 times up and down the edge to soften the cut line. All edgings 

 should, if possible, have a slight inclination towards the walS, 

 and they should only be fresh cut in consequence of irregu- 

 larities in the line. High-kept lawns should have a single 

 mowing immediately after rolling. During open weather, like 

 the present, if there are any shrubs that are to be trans- 

 planted lose no time in completing the operation. All plant- 

 ing should be finished, if possible, before dry weather sets in. 

 Prune shrubs. Hoses, &c., in mild weather. Any ground which 

 has not been dug should be left until it becomes somewhat 

 dry and in a fit state for the operation. Examine rockwork, 

 and dress up any plants that are showing for bloom. Fix 

 any stones that may have become loose. Look over the beds 

 of Pinks, and fasten any plants raised by the frost. 



GREKNnOUSE AND CONSEEVATORT. 



Poiusettias done flowering in tlie conservatory should be re- 

 moved to other houses at work to make new wood, from which 

 cuttings may he struck. Euphorbia jacquiniicflora may be re- 

 moved to heat, but not pruned, for if cuttings be an object 

 they will break better without pruning, being liable to bleed. 

 The routine here will now be a constant exchange with the 

 other houses or forcing-pit. Nothing should be allowed to re- 

 main unless in blossom or m fine health. Secure, if possible, 

 a small amount of atmospheric moisture without drip. Young 



plants that are desired to form close, neat, and compact bushes', 

 must have all the strongest shoots topped as soon as they grow 

 2 inches or so in length. This will cause them to throw out 

 young shoots in all directions. To produce really compact and 

 symmetrical plants it is highly necessary to be very assiduous 

 in carrying out this point of management throughout the wholfe 

 of the growing season. Some of the strongest-growing kinds', 

 especially of Heaths, may be rendered very interesting speci- 

 mens, having the form of an elongated narrow cone. This is 

 j done by encouraging a leading shoot and stopping-in closely 

 aU the lateral twigs. The leading shoot is obtained by pruning 

 back the last year's growth abont a third of its length, which 

 induces young shoots, the strongest upper one of which is con^ 

 tinned as the leader, and the rest are cut closely in. Plants so 

 treated are very handsome and very appropriate in situations 

 where everything is formal, as, for instance, when placed at 

 regular distances by the side of the pathway in conservatories^ 

 or in summer by the side of terrace walks. Those who follovr 

 up the cultivation of Pelargoniums should have their plants 

 duly attended to in regard to staking out, &c. They will bear 

 shifting the moment the blossom-buds are formed in the terminal 

 points. Water very moderately after shifting until the pot is 

 half full of roots ; those not yet shifted will now require water- 

 ing freely. Tender annuals, as Balsams, Cockscombs, &c., 

 should now be sown ; they will come up better, however, in a 

 frame with a slight heat. 



STOVE. 



Orchids will now be budding fast ; beware of drip lodging in 

 the young buds. Where suspicion exists as to danger in thisi 

 respect, it is sometimes well to remove some of the old coating 

 which surrounds the bud, by which a free circulation of air is- 

 established. The fires should be kept sufficiently lively in the 

 early part of the day to allow of a free circulation of air ; every- 

 leaf in the house should be dry for an hour or two at midday, 

 after which period the air should be gradually withdrawn and 

 atmospheric moisture removed. This treatment will be found 

 to suit the majority of stove plants as well as Orchids. Many 

 of the Justicias, Eranthemum pulcheUum, and some of the 

 Begonias raised from shoot cuttings now and kept growing near 

 the glass in a cool part of the stove all the summer, will make- 

 good, dwarf, flowering plants by winter. The cuttings are to be- 

 rooted in moist heat. All the foDowing plants will be found very 

 ornamental in the winter months. Eranthemum pulchellnm 

 has fine blue flowers ; those of Justicia flavicoma or calytrioha 

 are yellow; Begonia Martiana is deep rose pink, and the Euphor- 

 bia fulgens, Poinsettia pulcherrima, and Aphelandra cristata' 

 and aurantiaca are of various shades of red and scarlet. There 

 is a variety of the Poinsettia in which the bracts are white. 

 Here alone are materials enough for no mean display in the 

 winter months. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



Attend strictly to watering if the weather continue mild 

 and sunny. Persevere in potting off, sowing seeds, and put- 

 ting in cuttings of all such plants as are most wanted for bed- 

 ding out. Give air early every morning, and shut up in the 

 afternoon -with a good sun heat if possible. Place in heat 

 Fuchsias, Salvias, Pelargoniums, and Petunias that have not 

 broken shoots since potting last autumn. Pot Ferrarias in 

 light, sandy soil, keeping some for planting out in borders in 

 spring. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



3UTCHEN GAEDEN. 



The work out of doors has chiefly consisted of trenching, 

 digging, and preparing formending and regulating Box edgings, 

 as, though the weather has been fine and warm, the absence of 

 sun has prevented our heavy ground becoming sufficiently dry 

 to' permit of sowing or planting much with propriety. As soon 

 as the state of the ground will permit, preparations will be 

 made for sowing Parsnips, almost the only main crop as to 

 which there need be any anxiety for a few weeks. If early 

 Carrots and Radishes are sown on a warm border, the sowing 

 had better be performed in beds, with ridges of long litter be- 

 tween them from which the droppings have been shaken, in 

 order to cover the beds at night. We escape having to resort 

 to much covering of this kind, by growing most of our earUest 

 Radishes as temporary crops among other vegetables that re- 

 quire longer time, and protection, at least in the earUer period 

 of their growth. Thus the bed from which we are now gather- 

 ing Radishes was protected with glass during the winter. The 

 next bed has Carrots for the main crop sown in rows, witii 



