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JOUBNAL OF HORTIOOLTUUE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



[ AprU 25, 1807. 



put in some more cuttings without delay; the plants which 

 they make do admirably to fill up gaps in the summer. — 

 W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



Since writing last we have had the gales, hail, and sleet of 

 February, and the bright sun and warm genial showers of June 

 in this changeable April. The pastures and corn-fields seem 

 brighter and greener every day ; in the garden Peas and Beans 

 are healthy and strong ; the old stumps of Borecoles and Brus- 

 sels Sprouts are breaking afresh ; Sprouting Broccoli affords 

 frequent cuttings, and the white kinds are coming in to help 

 ns on before the Cauliflowers are ready. Even Parsley, which 

 out of doors was almost out of sight, is now making itself 

 visible. We hardly know where we would have been for a 

 supply, always twice and frequently three times a day, during 

 this long winter but for a row in the cold orchard-house, and 

 even that became almost invisible, though supplied with warm 

 water, and litter was placed along the sides of the row to keep 

 the heat in and the cold out. Without such advantages. Parsley 

 must have been scarce in many districts where it was not 

 boxed in houses or planted in frames. In fact, we have heard of 

 some districts where for miles a bit of Parsley could not be 

 Lad. We once walked through a kitchen garden of six acres, and 

 ■for six months a leaf of Parsley had not been seen. Other 

 crops come and go in their season, and if at all short the sea- 

 son goes on and the trouble is over ; but Parsley is an evei'y- 

 day requirement, and often for garnishing is wanted several 

 times a-day. In late ground, this month is the best time for 

 sowing Curled Parsley for general use, and the plain Hamburgh 

 for the sake of its roots. In a rather long practice we have been 

 asked for Parsley roots three times, and in two of these cases 

 we took up the roots of the common best Curled, as we gave up 

 growing what was so seldom asked for. A change of guests 

 and a change of managers in the kitchen will often render 

 gi"eat changes in the nature of the supplies necessary, and the 

 gardener must act accordingly : therefore it is well to keep 

 many plants in the background, though they may be very 

 seldom asked for. We generally sow a little Parsley about the 

 end of June for successional supply, and especially if it is to be 

 protected a little, as in the front of an orchard-house, in 

 mnter. 



Though in general so easily grown, yet there are things 

 about the thriving of Parsley that are beyond our ken quite as 

 much as the disease in Cucumbers. We have ourselves been 

 unable, and we have known cases of the lirst gardeners in the 

 country being unable, to obtain a crop of Parsley in the 

 ground on which it was sown. Though coming up well 

 enough, it would become yellow and sickly, and dwindle away 

 out of sight. Change of ground is always of importance ; 

 but the changing and pulverising of ground, and its exposure 

 to air, were attended in such cases with no beneficial effects. 

 The jjlauts that came up so well would ere long take their de- 

 parture. Now the remedy in such unfavourable circum- 

 stances — the only one we have ever found successful — is 

 iraising the plants in the open ground, or in boxes, and then 

 transplanting in rows, instead of sowing where the plants are 

 to remain. In some soils, where it is next to impossible to 

 secure a good healthy plantation of Parsley from sowing and 

 allowing the seedlings to remain where sown, with any due 

 amount of thinning, in the same ground the Parsley will 

 thrive if young seedlings are transplanted ; the ground, of 

 course, being in good order and the planting being done nearly as 

 carefully as planting Onions — that is, inserting the root, and 

 not burying the collar of the plant. As to the reason why 

 Parsley will thus thrive transplauted, and not thrive where 

 sown, we have none to offer ; and though we have not experienced 

 the difiiculty referred to for many years, still the fact may be 

 useful to those who are astonished to see their young Parsley 

 plants disappear in an unaccountable way. 



Herbs. — The winter having injured and thinned these, we 

 liave been engaged in making fresh beds and patching up old 

 ones. It is late enough, but it will yet do to put in sUps of 

 Sage, which cannot be done without ; Hyssop, Eosemary, La- 

 vender, Savory, Thyme, though to make sure of the latter it 

 is always safest to sow a little in a pot every year, and then 

 transplant. Young plants will stand a severe winter, when 

 older plants will be killed or have their stems split. Plants 

 of Wormwood, Horehound, &c., may also be divided, or slips 

 of them and Eue inserted ; and if the soil is heavy, as ours is, 

 and on a north border, some road drift, or very sandy soil, 



should be put about the slips and plants. Balm, much re- 

 lished by many, is best divided, and comes best when this 

 operation is done often and the ground changed. Tarragon, so 

 much used by some in salads, succeeds best divided, or, if 

 scarce of it, as we generally are, the young shoots when 3 inchei 

 in length strike freely under a hand-light, and may then be 

 planted out in rich lightish soil, and sufKciently elevated not 

 to suffer from damp. Fennel generally looks after itself, and, 

 until this winter, we have seldom known it to be injured, even 

 by hares and rabbits. A month ago we could scarcely have ob- 

 tained a leaf out of doors, the hearts of the plants were eaten 

 down as far as they could be reached. Where much is wanted 

 in winter for fish, it is advisable to have a few pots under 

 protection. In the position of our border we find, that to be 

 sure, we also require to make at least one fresh bed of Mint in 

 the year, and the best time to do that is when the young shoots 

 are 2 or 3 inches high, as they generally have a few small 

 roots at the bottom below the soil. These shoots make better 

 beds than the running imderground stems. Did we want 

 much Peppermint we would use it the same way, and in stiff 

 ground elevate the beds and dress them moderately with rotten 

 manure. We have had to use Peppermint instead of Spearmint 

 for lamb and Peas several times, and nothing was said about 

 the difference ; but no doubt Spearmint is better, and much 

 of it is wanted from this time to the end of the Pea season. 

 Peppermint is valuable for its essential oO, and the Pepper- 

 mint water, the result of distillation. 



Sowed in the same border Carraway, Chervil, Parsley, &o. 

 It is always advisable to have a little piece of almost every- 

 thing wanted in the herb way in such a place, and that place 

 should be, if possible, as near as may be to the kitchen. We 

 have in kitchen-serving days often had to walk nearly half a 

 mile to the kitchen, and as much back again, with a sprig of 

 Thyme, Basil, or Marjoram. If near the mansion such journeys 

 and waste of time would be much lessened. When very near, 

 the advantage is apt to be presumed upon. It very often takes 

 much less time to serve the kitchen when the garden is a good 

 way off from the mansion, for then everything, even to a bit 

 of herb, must be ordered at once to prevent unnecessary waste 

 of labour. Basil, Sweet Marjoram, &c., except in warm southerly 

 places, require to be sown under glass and then to be planted 

 on a south border. When these are wanted green in winter 

 they must be sown in July, potted off, and kept in a moderate 

 hothouse all the w.uter. Winter Marjoram, Savory, i-c, may 

 be divided or increased by slips. 



Keeping Dried Herbs. — With ns gardeners in general, nothing 

 is worse done. We cut them just before the bloom opens, 

 hang them up, and let them look after themselves ; or, if we dry 

 them well, for want of time and conveniences, they are put 

 away where they are exposed to air, dust, and every possible 

 evil. To have good dried herbs, from Parsley to Mint, unless 

 there arc the suitable conveniences, all such drying should 

 come under the control of the housekeeper, or the head of the 

 kitchen. The best place to dry them in is a hot room or closet, 

 where they receive no sun, and then when dried, they should 

 be kept in close bottles, or, which we prefer, not too much dried, 

 then pressed with a press and heavy weights into thin cakes, 

 to be wrapped in paper, kept in a dry place, and but little 

 exposed to air. Many of our home sweet herbs thus treated 

 would be no bad rivals to the much-relished Tea leaves of China. 



Winter Green-'i. — Took the opportunity of a dry morning, 

 when the ground could be trodden and raked, to sow the main 

 supply of Borecoles, Brussels Sprouts, Savoys, and Broccoli ; 

 beat the seeds in with the back of a spade gently, and then 

 covered with some sandy soil, and netted all over. We have 

 been trying an old plan for keeping birds away — that is, making 

 the seeds red with red lead before sowing, and as yet we see 

 nothing touched. We did not use this plan, being afraid that 

 some favoured birds might be injured, but if birds do not touch 

 such seeds at all, there can be no injury to them ; and as yet 

 we do not see one meddled with. If either the seed or the 

 powdered red lead has been kept a short time in a damp place, 

 a very little lead will powder or crust the seeds. Even netting 

 costs time and labour, and in most gardens the saving of work 

 instead of making it must be the rule. 



Glube Artichokes. — Ours, with less protection than usual, 

 have stood the winter well, thanks to the snow, or we would 

 have given more. This is a good time to make a fresh planta- 

 tion, and where they are prized as early and as late as pos- 

 sible, the taking strong side pieces from the stools, and plant- 

 ing them in well-stirred, well-manm-ed ground, in rows 3 feet 

 apart and 2 feet in the row, will afford produce late in 



