April 11, 1867. ] 



JOUKNAI4 OF HOETICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



265 



we liked ; but if the weather continue dry, we hope to finish 

 this work shortly. Some of our vegetables, even tall Brussels 

 Sprouts and Cottagers' Kale, are so much like bare'poles, from 

 being so often picked and gathered from, that though we cannot 

 yet afford to remove them, wo mean to dig the ground all over, 

 and plant Potatoes between the rows, leaving spaces for Peas, 

 &c., as the Greens will all bo removed by the time the Potatoes 

 are above ground, and the spaces occupied by the Greens can be 

 forked over again. Such means must often be resorted to where 

 much produce must be obtained from little space. 



Forced vegetables as in previous weeks' notices. We may 

 merely state in reference to Sea kale, that not having any Sea- 

 kale pots, and not wishing to lift much more, we covered a lot 

 of the most forward with ashes, as we did not wish to use litter, 

 and after placing a cone of ashes over some of the rows farthest 

 advanced, we put on a common garden pot, with a piece of 

 turf over the hole ; but before setting the pot on we placed 

 inside of it rough di-y hay pressed against the inside of the 

 pot, leaving a hollow space in the centre. The reason for 

 doing this was, that exposed pots, provided they did receive 

 a little warmth in a sunny day, in cold weather and in frosty 

 mornings radiated heat so freely that the inside of the pot 

 was often colder than the external air ; and this covering of 

 dry litter, whilst it will permit of the air inside being heated, 

 will prevent its being suddenly cooled, a matter of import- 

 ance when early cuttings out of doors are wanted, without the 

 help of litter or fermenting material outside. Thus treated we 

 find the plants under some pots will bear cutting ere long, 

 whilst others not so treated are doing Uttle more than show- 

 ing the buds above ground. 



FRUIT GAHDEK. 



Besides the usual routine of firing, watering, air-giving- 

 thinning, tying, &c., the chief work has been moving Straw, 

 berry plants well set in the Peach-house, where they had the 

 advantage of a roof with an angle of .IS', to pits where they 

 could have a warmer, closer atmosphere to swell the fruit off, 

 and plenty of air to give colour and flavour. They would have 

 swelled admirably in the I'each-house, only that was our best 

 setting place. Placed, also, two rows in the front of the orchard- 

 house, where they did well last year. In placing such plants 

 we remove the greater portion of the old leaves outside, run a 

 pointed stick, or the point of a knife, round the surface soil, 

 shake a little off, and replace with rich compost. As the 

 trusses show there will be plenty of fresh leaves, and the old 

 outside ones take away more than they give, whilst the object 

 at first should be to throw all the vigour possible into the 

 flower-trusses. Some time ago we mentioned that mice had 

 begun on some plants in a frame. They, on the whole, did 

 less damage than we imagined, as in most cases they had cut 

 oS the outside leaves and left the centre, so that many of the 

 trusses suffered but little. This is not generally the case, as in 

 most seasons mice nibble the central bud aud leave the outer 

 leaves alone. 



In the first orchard-house the beauty of the bloom on the 

 trees on the wall, and on trees in pots in front, is beginning to 

 be on the wane, and the setting is proceeding well. In the other 

 house, which we are keeping back, the Peaches and Plums are 

 in full bloom, but except some early Cherries, the bulk of those 

 in pots have not yet opened their buds, though swelling fast. 

 From a few Apricots in this house the blossoms are falling, 

 but a sufficient number seem to be set. The Apricots have 

 always had a little air, even in cold weather. Tlie sun which 

 came so opportunely has rendered us careless this season of 

 wind-boards, brushes, &c., for dispersing the pollen and assist- 

 ing the setting. One thing here it may be of importance to 

 mention, the roots of the trees against the wall run through 

 the bed on which the trees in pots are placed in front. With 

 the exception of the liquid necessary to keep plants in pots 

 aud Lettuces in health in winter, the ground in these houses 

 has been rather dry all the winter, and np to the time of the 

 trees against the back wall swelling their buds. In the severe 

 weather of JIarch we did not like the idea of a wet surface in- 

 side the house, but as the milder weather came, and the buds 

 began to open, we gave a good watering to the ground, but at 

 three different times across the house, at a week's interval, 

 doing about one-third of the width next the back wall first, 

 then in about eight days one-third more, and then again that 

 nearest the front. This plan secures moisture for the swelling 

 and setting buds, and prevents too much excitement to the 

 roots at one time, which might tend to throw the buds off. 

 Extra dryness, and extra moisture, are alike prejudicial. It is 

 wise to guard against sudden extremes. The dry surface soil 



in winter and spring is a great security against frost and 

 extreme cold. 



ORNAMENTM, DEPARTMENT, 



In-doors the work has been chiefly confined to moving plants, 

 potting, putting up rough-and-ready hotbeds for cuttings, 

 sowing seeds, making preparations for turning lots of bedding 

 plants out under protection, and sowing annuals under a little 

 protection, to be lifted in patches, and transplanted. 



Turjing. — Much time was taken up in fresh turfing, which 

 would have been done earher had the weather permitted, and 

 for which we allowed other work to stand in abeyance, in order 

 to have it done whilst the ground was moderately dry aud the 

 weather dry overhead, well knowing that if turf is laid now there 

 is enough of moisture in the ground and in the turf itself to 

 set it growing at once without having to water it afterwards. 



Provided the turf is laid down, and moderately beaten and 

 rolled, it may have more beating and rolling after wet at any 

 time. There are a few essentials to good turfing. First, the 

 ground should be made of the requisite level, and moderately 

 firm, and left with a raked surface. Second, the turf should be 

 taken up of as uniform a width as possible, and more espe- 

 cially uniform in thickness, as then there is little necessity for 

 much packing. When not uniform in thickness the turf must 

 be left uniform, either by removing soil or adding fresh as ne- 

 cessary, for if a fine level or regular sweep is aimed at it should 

 never be forgotten that if the turf is not left level no beating 

 or rolling will ever make it thoroughly as it ought to be. Third, 

 when there is a large space of new turfing to do, it is all fair 

 sailing, and the above attended to, it is scarcely possible to go 

 wrong, but when flower or shrubbery beds are to be turfed, 

 and to be left level with the lawn between and beyond, then 

 the beds should not only bo levelled and well beaten with 

 heavy mallets, but even then the soil will be so apt to sink in 

 time more than the old lawn, that the fresh turf after being 

 well beaten should be left half an inch or so higher than the 

 old turf, and will then be low enough by midsummer. Where 

 great nicety is required, and the space between the beds is not 

 very wide, it is the best plan to level the beds, take up the turf 

 between, loosen the soil there, beat down as in the beds, and 

 then make all level, and turf all over. This is generally the 

 best and most economical plan in the end ; for in all such 

 piecing of turf as is referred to, with the greatest care and 

 practical judgment there will frequently be heights and hollows 

 in the course of six or twelve mouths, which, though un- 

 noticed by the proprietor and his friends, will be found out 

 by the practical man who looks for them. Fourth, for making 

 a good lawn at once there is no plan equal to turfing. Fine 

 green turf looks best, but the roughest turf well mown pre- 

 viously, and cut so thin, say rather less than an inch, so as to 

 get rid of most of the root weeds, will make a very good lawn 

 in a few months. Fine lawns are made in a longer time by 

 obtaining the best seeds from respectable firms. A sort of 

 compromise is made between the two modes by piecing the 

 ground with rough pieces of turf cut or rather torn apart. To 

 do this best, the ground, after being levelled and made firm, 

 should be rather deeply raked on the surface ; the turf is laid, 

 say in pieces of 3 inches square, from 3 to 9 inches apart, but 

 the more rough at the sides the pieces are the better, and as a 

 space is done fine Bents and Dutch Clover are sown thinly in 

 the intermediate spaces, the pieces beaten, and then all rolled. 

 Such piecing will soon make an excellent lawn without sowing, 

 but sowing affords a quicker result. 



For immediate effect there is nothing like turfing, and the 

 roughest grass in a park or pasture will, if mowed closely and 

 treated as above, make a most beautiful lawn. We have 

 known cases where new pleasure grounds were made out of 

 park or grass lands, in which the old grass was dug down, the 

 country scoured for turf, and considerable expense incurred for 

 repeated sowings, when the grass sods that were buried, if 

 mowed closely and removed before the necessary levelling, might 

 have been laid down again with the very best results. — K. F, 



Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution. — We under- 

 stand that Sir Robert Peel, Bart., M.P., has consented to take 

 the chair at the annual festival of this Society, which is to take 

 place on Thursday the 2'?th of June. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



.John Morse, Dursley, Gloucestershire. — Catalogue of Cuttings, 

 Thomas Sampson, Preston Road Nursery, Yeovil, Somerset. 

 — Catalogue of Bedding Plants and Eases. 



