April 25, 1867. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



299 



antumn when the older plantations will be about over. These 

 are kept longer in free bearing by having rich mulchings and 

 manure waterings in summer. 



Sca-lcah\ — We have gathered freely from under the com- 

 mon garden pots, placed over the crowns out of doors. We 

 lately stated that as these pots were to have no covering, a 

 quantity of rough hay and dry straw litter was placed round 

 the sides of the pot inside, leaving a hollow in the centre. 

 Without such precaution pots exposed are often injurious to 

 plants inside of them in sudden and severe spring frosts. We 

 have before now had Sea-kale not only retarded, but injured 

 when thus covered, when it did not suffer in the least when fully 

 exposed. In the last sharp frost Endive plants covered over 

 with pots for blanching and fully exposed were much injured, 

 whOst the plants that had nothing on them did not materially 

 suiier. Thus, owing to the porousness of pots, and the free 

 radiation of heat from them, we have uniformly advised that 

 the pots containing even hardy plants should be protected in 

 winter and spring. 



Though we have a good piece of Sea-kale, we have taken 

 up for forcing more than half of the plants available for cut- 

 ting, and of what is left we would like to confine the one- 

 half to spring cutting out of doors, and leave the other half 

 uncut, so as to be taken up first next winter, as from not 

 being cut the buds will be all the sooner matured. The ground 

 cleared has been fresh dunged, ridged, and sandy soil and burnt 

 clay added, and will be planted again, though not in accordance 

 with rotation of cropping, with young plants sown about this 

 time last year and now showing themselves. The old forced 

 plants will also be replanted, but a few of them will be the worse 

 for wear. For this lifting and forcing plan we find no system 

 better than planting in rows 2 feet apart, and from 6 to 

 8 inches asunder in the row. This gives plenty of room for 

 forming strong plants and prominent large buds or crowns. 

 We may here advert to a statement of " tf^succESSFUL " who 

 says he cau only have his Sea-kale without forcing by covering 

 in the open air, and he never can obtain it white and tender 

 enough to please himself or his friends. We think he must 

 err in covering with his pots, boxes, or whatever he uses, 

 too late. If the plants shoot 2 or 3 inches, and have their 

 purple colour at the points before covering them up, they 

 take a long time to become well blanched ; in fact, they will 

 often be too long and leggy before the points lose their purple 

 colour. The remedy is to cover as soon as the plants peep 

 through the soil. When covering with pots or wooden boxes 

 out of doors is resorted to, it is best to plant out in threes in- 

 stead of in rows. When the plants are to be forced where 

 grown and without pots, then the best plan is to place a mound 

 of ashes over the crowns, a few twigs round, and cover with 

 tree leaves, &c. 



" Inquirer " wants to know " if he cannot have Sea-kale 

 in April and May, without pots of any kind, as they are 

 always being broken in moving, cracked with frost," &c. Un- 

 doubtedly he may, and by many modes. We just now cannot 

 lay our hands on so many pots as we would like, and wishing 

 also to be independent of litter for out-door gathering, we shall, 

 if we can find time, adopt the following plan; — We shall line- 

 off some small beds, 3 feet wide, with two-feet trenches between 

 them, take out the trenches some 15 inches deep, and lay the 

 earth on the beds, keeping up the sides with some rough slabs 

 and posts. On these beds we would plant two rows of good 

 plants 6 inches apart in the row, and attend to them during 

 the summer. When convenient we would fill the trenches 

 with sifted coal ashes, and then, in the end of autumn, clear 

 the beds of decaying foliage, &c., and cover them over with 

 fuUy a foot of the ashes. Then in April and onwards when we 

 saw little mounds appearing on the ashes, we could examine 

 and cut the Sea-kale. When " Inquirer " had gathered all he 

 wished, he should put back the ashes into the trench for a 

 future occasion, and dress, manure, and attend to the plants 

 in summer. It he filled the trenches with hot fermenting 

 matter in the middle or end of March, he would gather all the 

 earlier. Could we easily obtain bog or peat earth fine, we would 

 prefer that much to ashes. We have never seen whiter and 

 sweeter Sea-kale than that which was blanched by a covering 

 of bog earth, and the same earth had lasted many years, being 

 placed in a heap when the crop was gathered. We would here 

 add. Have nothing to do with sawdust, whether fresh or other- 

 wise, for this blanching purpose. It is almost sure to flavour 

 the crop. 



Cucumhers bearing only too freely from having a little very 

 old cowdung in the compost, showed in that compost some 



signs of spawn running, and therefore gave a good watering 

 with clear lime water of the right temperature. The stacked 

 soil we use for general purposes has to be examined as care- 

 fully for spawn as for wireworms. 



FEUIT GAKDEN. 



Planted out strong plants of Melons in a frame and heated 

 pit. Could not find room for them earlier, but now will be 

 able to harden and expose many subjects needing protection 

 and heat previously. The chief work in this department has 

 been watering under glass, and using drainings from the farm- 

 yard when such could be procured. When that is not to be had, 

 we use manure water from barrels, made with cowdung, soot, 

 &c., clearing with a little lime. These barrels were old and 

 rotten, full of holes, and of no use above ground except as 

 firewood, but the worst holes patched, and the barrels then 

 sunk in the ground to the rim, and banked firmly round with 

 clay and tar at the sides, they have done good service for years, 

 and may do for the same purpose for years more. Strawber- 

 ries have the water varied. Plants, like men, prefer change 

 of food. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



The out-door work has been much the same as in previous 

 weeks, rolling, switching, and preparing for mowing, which 

 ought to have been done, but we think we must roll again. 

 We also turned over ground, planted Gladiolus, and took off 

 cuttings of Hollyhocks. In-doors much potting has been done ; 

 bedding plants were moved, cuttings made, and temporary beds 

 made for forwarding tender plants, besides pricking these out, 

 hardening off, &c. We find that we can only allude particularly 

 to two subjects. 



1, Making Slight Botbeds.— 'When we have nothing but the 

 long litter from the stables and a very small quantity of drop- 

 pings to so much straw, we hke in general to throw such material 

 together, well watered, for a week or ten days, and then use 

 it for a bed, with 3 inches or so of tree leaves on the surface ; 

 but to save labour we often dispense with aU preparation what- 

 ever, bring the littery dung from the stables, mix the droppings 

 regularly through it, tread it regularly, which is hke going into 

 a fresh haystack, and then dash some water all over it, for 

 there would be little or no heat without. The treading and 

 the watering will bring a bed of such loose material seemingly 

 IS inches high down to less than 1 foot. We then add about 

 3 inches of leaves or half-rotten dung, tread firm, put on a 

 surfacing of dry coal ashes, and there is a place for setting any- 

 thing on in pots that requires a nice heat. Of course, if pricking 

 out is the matter in hand, some light well-aired soil is used in- 

 stead of the ashes. A little practice in the making of such a bed 

 will insure a lasting mild heat, and the covering referred to 

 guards against everything in the way of deleterious steam. 

 This is a good plan for many purposes, when you cannot afford 

 to work and decompose your little dung much before using it. 

 Bulk, if not of the best, must often be made the most of. 



2, li'atcrinp small seeds and seedlings sown thickly in pots 

 and pans. We have often entered into details as to preparing 

 seed pots and sowing ; and now the seedlings are up as thick as 

 grass, and there is no chance of pricking out as yet, for that 

 takes up so much more room. Well, they must be watered, 

 thick as they are, and " Anxious" says he watered carefully 

 with a fine rose overhead, and next day a vast number of his 

 plants — nay, whole pots were fogged off — gone just at the sur- 

 face soil. How ? Well, we cannot exactly tell why ; we only 

 beUeve the fact, and will merely mention the preventives. 

 First, never water such tender seedlings overhead when very 

 close together, but take a small pot with a spout, and from 

 that pour water on a potsherd or oyster-shell at the side of 

 the pot, so as to sail or flood the little plants with water with- 

 out pouring it over them. Secondly, as soon as convenient; 

 take up the little young plants, not separately, but in patches, 

 and prick out into other pots. You can thin afterwards when 

 larger. In either case there will be but little dying off. — E. P. 



TRADE CATALOGUE RECEIVED. 

 Ambroise Verschaffelt, 50", Rue du Chaume, Ghent, Belginin. 

 — Prix-Coiirant pour U Printemps et Etc, 1867. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— Apuil 24. 



The snppUes are heavy and the markets very dull, quantities of good* 

 remaining on hand. Continental suppUes are also in excess of tli» 

 demand. Dessert Pears are now over, and but few Apples of gooa 



