Jane SO, 1867. ] 



JOUBNAL OP HOETICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 



431 



forces us to add that it is anything but economical when the 

 wear of gravel and the subsequent comfort of walking on it in 

 all weathers are concerned. This is more esjiecially the case 

 when chalk forms any part of tlie gravel. 



When court-yards are pitclied with large hard stones, or still 

 more neatly with hard pebbles, from half to the full size of a 

 fist, and on which the wasting agency of salt acts little or 

 nothing, there is no means of cleaning such places equal to 

 salt, either scattered over it on a sunny day and the dews 

 allowed to melt it, or the salt mixed with hot water close on 

 the boiling point and applied at once. We think scattering 

 the dry salt thickly enough just to make a white sprinkling is 

 as effectual as any, if the ealt will remain a day or two witbout 

 being all dissolved. If a sudden shower follows after the ap- 

 plication, it will be less effectual. The scattering of the salt 

 is, therefore, most effectual when applied in dry weather, and 

 the whitish appearance is little thought about as umjleasant. 

 The salt when dissolved in hot water acts at once. It is best, 

 however, kept from edgings of all sorts, as it will injure Box, 

 as well as weeds, and even stone and tile edgings, if at all soft, 

 will crumble and waste from its use. Mr. Fleming used it at 

 Trentham, in small parterres, and even among the letters of the 

 names of some of the family formed with Box, but we cannot 

 say that we have used it much close to Box edgings, without 

 seeing its deleterious effects. 



Potatoes. — A gardener in a large place has informed us that 

 a part of a pit of his Potatoes went off just as we described last 

 week, the underground stem becoming rotten a little below the 

 surface of the ground, whilst earlier and hifer varieties under 

 similar circumstances were not affected. In his case, as if to 

 show there was nothing in the soil, he pulled out all such Po- 

 tatoes, and planted again, and the second crop was growing 

 quite healthily. This is the only other case of which as yet we 

 have heard, and it seems to throw no light on the cause or 

 reason of the failure. In our case, we never had a crop that 

 looked better before the disease manifested itself. 



Seeds. — All sowings must be secured from birds, and cover- 

 ing the seeds with red lead just damp enough to encrust tbem,is 

 a good protection. A net is also useful, as there are many plants 

 of which birds are fond just as they are in, and a little beyond 

 the seed-leaf. As to Peas and Beans, we found the red lead 

 also effectual, and even mice scarcely touched them, but for 

 pheasants and partridges we find the cheap galvanised wire 

 netting'advertised every week, of two-inch mesh, quite a suffi- 

 cient protection. We merely bend the wire in semicircular 

 form over the row, and put in a few sticks along the sides to 

 fasten it to the ground, and remove and roll it up when the 

 Peas are 3 inches in height. The pheasants can put their 

 heads easily through the meshes, and withdraw them without 

 injuring themsplves, and without being able to re.ich the Peas. 

 Cauliflowers that were coming on rather fast were pulled up 

 and placed in a wide barrel with a little water at the bottom. 



Peas. — All have been cleared from the orchard-house, as the 

 outside ones have been coming in freely. Cauliflowers and 

 Cabbages will now be ieneSted by all the manure water that 

 we can give them. Cottagers in general are not yet aware how 

 largely they may increase their crops by a free use of all the 

 slops and sewage from their houses, &c. A man of thought 

 will contrive some receptacle in his garden, at the farthest 

 possible distance from his house, where he can always put his 

 hand on a number of pailfuls of such valuable manure. The 

 precaution we must add is — use it as often as you like, but 

 not over- strong. 



Cahhaqcs. — Merely for the sake of the amateur, who may 

 have little room and wislirs to make the most of it, we would 

 speak in high favour of Messrs. Veitcb & Sons' improvement 

 on Atkins's Matchless Cabbnge. We have just now a little 

 piece fit for table ; compact heads, firm, and becoming white 

 inside, and on actually measuring the plants we find they range 

 from 11 to 12 inches in height from the surface of the ground, 

 the plants having hfid no eavthing-up, whilst the diameter of 

 the plants, from outside to outside of the large bottom leaves, 

 was not more than 12 inches. This kind, therefore, could be 

 grown in the greatest perfection in rows 15 or 16 inches apart, 

 and 1 foot apart in the row. We measured fine specimens of 

 larger Cabbages beside them, with larger heads it is true; but 

 the diameter of the plants, as regarded the lower leaves, was 

 from 27 to 30 inches. The cabbaging central part is the great 

 object ; the huge outside leaves make little appearance on the 

 table, and hence we speak favourably of this compact Cabbage, 

 which is quite in the style of Atkins's Matchless, which we grew 

 for many years ; but it is still more compact and upright in 



growth, and has, so far as we see this year, fewer and smaller 

 side leaves. 



Sowing, planting, &c., much the same as in last and previous 

 weeks. Pricking-out winter stuff, as every yard of ground is 

 already occupied, and will transplant when there is more room. 

 We lost every Kidney Bean out of doors by the frost, and 

 not one of them came or broke again, as they have done in 

 many places. Garden Beans were scarcely injured — not so 

 much as Peas, and those transplanted are coming in well. 



rr.UIT DEPARTMENT. 



Gathered the first dish of Black Prince Strawberry out of 

 doors on the 14th of the month, and picked a few Ketne' Seed- 

 ling. Keens' Seedling in the orchard-bouse has done very well, 

 and is yielding profusely. British Queens in full bloom in 

 the coldest orchard-house during the severe May frosts have 

 not set so well. We feared at the time the bloom was injured. 

 For a standard that will bear all sorts of rough treatment, 

 there is no Strawberry with which we are acquainted that will 

 compete with Keens' even now, though many of the newer 

 kinds are very good, and bear well too ; but it is rare for Keens' 

 to fail under even adverse circumstances. Thinned pretty well 

 finally the crops in the first orchard-house, though we fear we 

 have still left too many, and we must commence with the later 

 house immediately, as the fruit is still far too thick. CherrieB 

 have ripened well, and come in useful, and it will be as well to 

 have them over before they come in out of doors. We saw on 

 Saturday a few shoots of Peaches which had been attacked by 

 our old enemy the Aphis persica>, and we quietly slipped them 

 off and took them carefully to the nearest furnace, and gave 

 the house, except the Cherries, a good lashing with clear soot 

 water. Out of doors the changes of the weather have brought 

 fly, green and black, on Plums and Cherries, and after a rough 

 handling to remove the worst, gave the trees a hard syringing 

 and engining with clear lime water and clear soot water, which 

 seems to have fettled the most of them. Will go over them 

 with a biush and clear quassia water as soon as we can. 



OHNAMENTAL DKriKTMENT. 



Proceeded with our bedding-out, though there will yet ha 

 much to do with carpeting and edging-finishing. Dahlias will 

 now be perfectly safe, and it was as well to wait a little in such 

 weather. Tulips and other bulbs may be lifted as the foliage 

 decays. Pinks and Carnations and Picotees want supporting 

 carefully. There is no support neater and more economicsJ 

 than twisted wire, about the thickness of a quill, 6 inches or 

 so straight to go in the ground, the part above twisted in half 

 volutes, so as to leave an open space when looked down through 

 the centre. Fifteen inches would do for most Pinks, and from 

 30 inches for Anne Boleyn Pinks, Carnations, and Picotees. 

 No tying is required. You merely place the flowering- stems as 

 they grow round the twist, and that holds them securely. A 

 set of such wires, if kept painted, would last for many years. 

 The quickest way to paint them is to place the paint on a glove 

 on the left hand, and then draw the wire regularly through 

 it and quickly. If the wires galvanised they need no paint- 

 ing. The Messrs. England, wire-workers, of Hertford, used 

 to make them in lar^e quantities. No one after using them 

 would ever be troubled with cutting sticks and tying the shoots 

 to them. There is a broader whorl at the top for the flower to 

 rest on. We used them largely at one time ; but, alas ! the 

 rabbits did for that pleasant work, and if we obtain a good col- 

 lection again of these fine, old-fashioned flowers, we must keep 

 them inside of walls. 



In mo-'ing plants from the houses, conservatory, ifcc, for the 

 summer season, great care must be taken that they receive no 

 sudden check, and especial care must be exercised that the pots 

 are not exposed to a burning sun. See the directions given by 

 Mr. Keane, as to Heaths, Epacrises, Primulas, &c. 



We will finish this busy week with a few words on sowing 

 small seeds, such as those of Calceolarias, Primulas, and Cine- 

 rarias, at this season, to meet the case of a few correspondents 

 who tell us that year after year they sow, and are no further 

 forward, as they hardly ever obtain a plant, though purchasing 

 the seed from the best seedsmen. We have seen pots sown 

 with no better success, and from the same packet we have sown 

 and had a carpet of seedlings. We believe in the great ma- 

 jority of cases, the want of success is owing to some fault in 

 the watering ; either the seeds when germinating are starved 

 with dryness, or they are deluged, or washed out of the pots, 

 and perish then from exposure to sun, &c. We would recom- 

 mend for all small seeds, not so much for Primulas as for Cal- 

 ceolarias, Lobelias, &c., little or no watering until the seedlings 

 appear, and then let moistiu-e be given as much as possible 



