Hay IS, 1B67. 1 



JOURNAIi OP HORTICULTURB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



MS 



6 or 8 feet high by the antumn, and if properly trained will 

 flower splendidly. We do not know anything more interesting 

 in the dull months of November and December than a well- 

 oovered wall of these fine plants. 



GBEESnoUSE AND CONSEKTATORT. 



Camellias making their wood should have constant shading, 

 the house should be kept very moist day and night, and the 

 plants frequently syringed. Pay every attention at this period 

 to plants of climbing habit, whether festooning the roof, trained 

 np pillars, or on trellises in pots. Let stopping, thinning, 

 and training proceed in a methodical way. Many conser- 

 Tatory plants are unproductive of blossom from the gross shoots 

 not being stopped. To stop such frequently is to gain both 

 time and space. Tliose who grow that delightfully sweet winter 

 flower, the Cyclamen persieum, will find it the best plan to 

 plant it out at this period in a highly-raised bed in the kitchen 

 garden. This bed should be composed chiefly of peat soil and 

 coarse sand, to which a little sandy loam and leaf soil may be 

 added. It is truly astonishing what superior plants they make 

 in this way. Be in no hurry to turn out of doors fine green- 

 house plants, but all coarse and common subjects, and many 

 Boftwooded plants, whose tops may be considered, in a inanner, 

 annual, may be turned out any time about the end of spring, 

 and the finer portion of the plants will by this means have all 

 the room, air, and light to themselves. Of all plants those in 

 the greenhouse are most apt to become too dry in the summer, 

 and, therefore, besides the regular watering, they may be well 

 syringed every afternoon, in such fine weather as we have at 



P«'«"'- STOVE. 



Centradenias, Eranthemums, Poinsettias, Justicias, Geisso- 

 merias, Clerodendrons, Euphorbias, Brugmansias, Gesneras, 

 Tineas, and other ornamental stove plants, more especially 

 those intended to flower in the dark winter months, should at 

 this period have the highest cultivation. They should he al- 

 lowed plenty of room, and clear manure water, and should, if 

 requisite, have their rambling shoots stopped occasionally. The 

 latter should be done forthwith, as young wood made late in 

 the season will not produce winter flowers. Many stove plants 

 would do better from this time until the end of August in an 

 intermediate-house where they would have less confinement 

 than in a regular stove. For want of such a house gardeners 

 often make use of vineries for this purpose, and distribute their 

 stove plants in summer throughout the different forcing-house^,' 

 and if only for the benefit of finishing and ripening their 

 growth, without being crowded, this is a good plan. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



Propagation must be continued imtil a full stock is obtained. 

 Tender annual seeds for late flowering may still be sown. Very 

 many plants that are difficult to strike from cuttings may be 

 increased by grafting on the roots of some allied species. AU 

 tender seedlings should be potted as soon as they can be 

 handled. — W. Eeane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



Took the opportunity of the bright dry weather before the 

 thunderstorm of Friday to hoe all ground to which access 

 could be obtained, in order to break up the surface, whether 

 showing weeds or not. This was especially necessary where 

 that troublesome weed, the large white Convolvulus, was 

 throwing up its shoots like miniature Asparagus. Weeding 

 is almost an impossibility in most kitchen gardens, and the 

 most economical mode of keeping them clean is the use of the 

 Dutch hoe frequently, and leaving the sun to wither up the 

 weeds. Except for levelling ground and making a fine surface 

 for small seeds, the rake is useless in the kitchen garden. We 

 are stiU using Sea-kale ; but it is now rather long, and cannot 

 be kept short, still it helps to give variety, as our Broccoli is 

 becoming scarce, and we have not many Cauliflowers, though 

 Peas from the orchard-house have been very useful, and the 

 little Tom Thumb, though occupying little room, yields good 

 gatherings. 



Onions. — Those planted ont are doing well, and the spring- 

 sown are far enough advanced to permit of a good hoeing be- 

 tween the rows, not deep, b>it just sufficient to destroy the 

 small weeds. A lot sown along with Cauliflowers and Celery 

 nnder protection has been useful for salads when those sown 

 last autumn were too large. 



Celery. — Prickecl out a lot over a slight hotbed to bring it on 

 quickly, and pricked out more in the open ground. We used 



to select a hard piece of ground, put on it 4 inches of rotten 

 dung, cover with an inch or two of tine soil, and then prick out ; 

 but now we generally stir the ground, mix some manure with 

 it, add 2 or 3 inches more, some fine soil on the top, and prick 

 out about i inches apart. We find the plants thus treated lift 

 with better balls, and never seem to feel the removal. In our 

 young days we recollect of a keen discussion about planting 

 Celery, one party contending that it was best to take it up 

 carefully and plant without touching a leaf ; another party, 

 that it was best to trim the plants and lessen or shorten the 

 leaves. Both were right according to the point of view. If 

 the roots were not kept pretty entire, and if the place were 

 much exposed, diminishing the bulk of leaves would so far 

 lessen the surface of perspiration, and therefore give the dis- 

 abled roots less to do. When the roots can bo taken np nn- 

 mutilated, and the slightest shade given in very bright weather, 

 then the rule ought to be. Touch not a leaf. In practice we 

 dock or mutilate no leaves ; but if the plants are large we 

 generally examine the base and remove every appearance of a 

 sucker that would compete with and so far rob the main stem. 

 When this vegetable is wanted early, blanched for soups, it is 

 a good plan to grow some thickly, say G inches apart, over a 

 gentle hotbed, and earth up with ashes. Some are content 

 with green Celery for soups, and therefore such care would be 

 unnecessary ; but others would look on green Celery in any 

 combination as an abomination. 



Asjjara fills'. — How few are able to practise what they Icnow to 

 be the best. As soon as the bulk of the gatherings is over (and 

 never could there have been better weather for this vegetable), 

 we would like to apply a surfacing of rotten manure, a little 

 salt, and even a slight dressing of artificial manure such as 

 phosphates or guano ; but we fear we must wait until we have 

 some rotten short grass. Many forget that summer is the time 

 to manure Asparagus. The winter dressing, so common because 

 the dung can be more easily obtained then and put on the 

 ground, is of little more use at that time than helping to keep 

 the frost out of the ground. On a small old piece intended to 

 be taken up for forcing next season, wo have only cut a very 

 few of the largest heads, and have allowed all to grow on strong 

 and untouched. We know we shall be rewarded by the cuttings 

 next Christmas, or much before that if desirable. 



Dicarf Kiiliiey Beans. — The first sowings are coming through 

 the ground all the better owing to the floods of Friday night, 

 and the day before we planted out a piece with strong sturdy 

 plants, which will be protected at first with old sashes, mats, 

 &c., which will keep on the succession and afford us a good 

 supply some weeks before the first sowings out of doors. 



Keepini) off Drpreclaton. — The worst of all contrivances for 

 the purpose is, that they generally last only a time, until birds 

 or other depredators become used to them ; but a relief even 

 for a time is desirable, and then the modes must be varied, and 

 the different contrivances may last long enough to suit our 

 purpose. For instance, now that the fruit-buds are all ex- 

 panded, we shall not interfere with tomtits, but bid them a 

 hearty welcome, as they will help to keep caterpillars and 

 other insects under. We lately stated how Cauliflowers were 

 stripped to the ribs and backbone, and how partridges cleared 

 off the young Carrots as fast as they came through the ground. 

 Finding a fine pheasant's nest at the base of an Apple tree, we 

 were led to blame the hen as well as the partridges for at- 

 tacking the Cauliflowers. We put in a number of sticks over 

 the ground so as to stand i feet high, placed them slanting, 

 and to each end suspended with a string about half a page of 

 one of our broad-sheet morning papers, which make a rare 

 rustling in the breeze, and since then not a Cauliflower, Carrot, 

 Lettuce, or Cabbage has been touched by such winged visitors. 

 The whiter the paper the better it is for this purpose, but 

 possibly the dark lines of print may have some effect. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



We hoed the ground well among Strawborie.^, and would liie 

 to dose them with a sprinkling of soot and lime, not only to 

 help the vigour of the plants, but to drive slugs and worms 

 away. The rains of Friday will do them much good and almost 

 insure a crop if the gfonnd be covered with litter to keep in 

 the moisture. The most of the kinds are now showing blossom 

 strongly. We intended taking up a lot which we had pricked 

 out thickly last autumn for planting now under glass ; but if 

 the weather continue fine we will not do so, as we should not 

 gain much more than eight days, and successions in pots in the 

 orchard-house will almost carry us on until we have fruit out 

 of doors. Last year we had a splendid supply in four lights 

 over a slight hotbed, and if at all hard pressed we can place 



