February 24, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



14'J 



ends with moss, or a handful of half rotten duDg, strew a little 

 rough riddlings of soil on the bottom, and finer soil above, and 

 sow ; and when up and duly hardened-off, the Peas turn out 

 into well-prepared pulverised soil, and scarcely suffer from the 

 change. We have put them in the meantime into the earth 

 pit, where the old hotbed materials had been turned over, as 

 lately detailed, leaving an open space of dry ashes all round 

 them, the ashes, again, being sprinkled with a good broad cordon 

 of tar to keep mice and rats at bay. As a farther security, we 

 have had a ferret to run round our borders, pits, and frames 

 frequently, and though as yet it has found no intruder, we 

 think the scent of the ferret makes all vermin very cautious. 



Repairing Old Sashes. — The subject of the earth pits reminds 

 us of the old sashes, which were condemned to be broken up 

 more than twenty years ago, and which have done much good 

 service Bince then, from merely being laid across earth pits, or 

 over beds or earth pits of early cropB, without rafters or any- 

 thing else. A lot had become so bad from thoroughly-decayed 

 putty, and from moss growing on the under side, owing to their 

 being always damp, that wathing them was quite out of the 

 question, as the glass would only have fallen out, and most 

 likely been broken. In some of these stormy days the glass 

 was all taken out, well washed in warm water, and placed in 

 boxes to dry, the sashes being well washed and dried, roughly- 

 mended or stayed where necessary, painted once over, and 

 when dry glazed again, using the old glass and what more was 

 necessary. When the putty was becoming dry the upper side 

 had a slight coating of paint. These will now stand, and be 

 very serviceable for a number of years. Such jobs can be well 

 done in a rough way by garden labourers, and this and 

 thoroughly washing and cleaning inside walls give good em- 

 ployment when little could be done with propriety out of doors. 



Cucumbers. — As we have referred to these before, it will be 

 seen our materials are not quite ready for setting some frames 

 to work, and the pit in which we intend to plant is now 

 crammed with cuttings. The young Cucumber plants are, 

 therefore, in one end of that pit, having been placed in C-inch 

 pots, Jand stand close together ; they may remain there until 

 they are strong plants, and thus, without taking up much room 

 now, they will be in a position for making good progress when 

 they obtain that room. We shall very likely grow some in 

 pots. Last year we had some of the first fruit from small pots, 

 the plants being used for this temporary purpose. We have 

 had something like a score of inquiries if we can yet assign 

 caUBe or cure for the Cucumber disease. We sorrowfully 

 answer, no. We had our own troubles with it. We have been 

 free from it of late, but we can assign no reason for its pre- 

 sence or its absence. After trying many experiments with soil, 

 and with seeds from all quarters, we had to keep to the palli- 

 ative remedy of frequent sowings. Our Vegetable Marrows 

 were affected for two summers. Our Melons were not at all 

 touched, though close to the Cucumbers. Cucumbers from seed 

 sown in the open air, and under hand-lights, became just the 

 same as those in dung frames, and hot-water pits. We hope 

 we shall not be visited again in a similar manner. We have 

 met with several such instances as this : — Go into one garden, 

 and you will find every plant, except those very young and 

 just beginning to bear, diseased ; go into another garden a 

 few hundred yards distant, and yon will not find a trace of 

 the disease. You may visit the same gardens in a couple of 

 years, and find the Cucumbers in the second garden all diseased, 

 and those in the first garden all healthy, although under the 

 same men as before, both of whom will tell you they are quite 

 at a loss as to the cause or the cure. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Some bush Pear and Plum trees, beautifully budded, have 

 already had nine-tenths of these picked out. As we prune, 

 we must follow with whitewash. Unless a garden be netted all 

 over, netting is of but little use ; the birds will get in. That 

 the birds do good at some seasons, we cheerfully admit, but 

 when buds go, there can be no blossom and no fruit. We can 

 go into gardens and scarcely see a bud touched. 



orchard Houses. — Took the opportunity of the roofs being 

 covered with snow, to give the houses a good smoking with 

 burning bruised laurel leaves, and young shoots, keeping the 

 smoke cool. This costs little, and few insects, if there were 

 any, would survive it. It is best done when the house is dry, 

 and the woodwork dry, as if the woodwork is wet the colour 

 would be darkened, we presume with something like prussiate 

 (hydrocyanide) of lead. The smoking, like the washing recently 

 referred to, is designed as a preventive. Most of the trees have 

 now been washed, painted, tied, &c.,and ere long the borders 



will be cleaned and fresh surfaced. This has been bad weather 

 for Peaches in bloom, and coming into bloom. Vines we are 

 not forcing early, but as the roots were out of doors the 

 borders had to be looked to. The thin covering of leaves had 

 a mild heat where protected, as where Strawberries, &e., were 

 set on the borders. We rarely have a small heap of decom- 

 posing material, without making the heat help for some 

 purpose. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



We could do little out of doors, though there is much to do, 

 and much work, also, in-doors in cleaning, potting, regulating, 

 and in cutting-making as we could find room. We watered with 

 care, as previously stated. Roses and shrubs gently forcing in 

 a pit would have liked a little more heat, but we could not move 

 them owing to the weather. Numbers of Hyacinths and other 

 bulbs we had to move frcm a frame to a cool house, as with 

 the bottom heat they were coming too forward. 



Evergreen climber which deer will not touch. A gentleman 

 wishes to hide, or rather take the glare off a new brick wall at 

 some 500 yards distant, without planting it out. We recom- 

 mended Ivy, especially the white-variegated variety, as it would 

 appear at a distance of a greyish, almost invisible tint. We 

 could hardly have shown greater ignorance of the likings of the 

 deer. We knew there was scarcely a hardwooded tree the bark 

 and twigs of which they would not devour. They would soon 

 polish the barl; from some loads of poles. They are especially 

 fond of Ash and Holly. We never knew them meddle with the 

 bark of resinous or Pine trees when of an age suitable for 

 posts and rails. Even in this severe weather, when they 

 have gnawed the twigs of young Pines, they have not touched 

 Wellingtonias or Red Cedars, though they have stumped-in 

 Aucubas and Laurustinus. Of all things, however, the Ivy 

 seems to be their especial favourite. On the walls of a dwelling 

 house they have not left a single leaf or twig as high as they 

 could reach. We were, therefore, never more in error than in 

 recommending Ivy for covering such a wall accessible to deer. 

 What would be the best plant that they would not touch ? We 

 think we are right as to the colour. A soft grey or drab is the 

 least conspicuous from a distance. We once advised cover- 

 ing a wall, objectionable from its glaiing redness, with a thick 

 wash of clay, lime, and a little soot, so as to make a grey, and 

 we were told that in three or four years the wall was nearly 

 covered with lichens and mosses, that obtained a fast holding 

 on tbe thickish coating of the colouring. Any hints on this 

 subject would be interesting to move than ourselves. It would 

 be easy to make the colouring with cement so as to be water- 

 proof, but then we doubt if such vegetation would nestle on it 

 so well. — R. F. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 

 In the Suburbs of London for the week ending February 22nd. 



16.— Gold wind ; overcaet but fine ; densely overcast ; snow. 

 17, — Frosty fog ; densely overcast ; cold and overcast. 

 18. — Densely overcast ; heavy; densely overcast. 

 19 — Densely overcast ; cloudy ; overcast, cold wind. 

 20.— Overcast but fine; fine, cloudy ; densely overcast. 

 21. — Densely overcast ; cloudy but fine ; snow. 

 22.— Clear and frosty ; very fine ; densely overcast. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



S. Dixon & Co., 48a, Moorgate Street, E.C.— Sela t List of Vtge. 

 tabU and Flower Seeds, &c. 



J. Jefferies & Sons. Cirencester and Oxford. — Catalogues of Vege- 

 table and Flower See 



W. Rom^son & Sons, Tooting, London.— I Catalogue, 



„,i ■ Li • /,,-,. mtics. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Books [Trent).— " The Garden Manual " contains what you require. 

 You can have it post free from our office if you enclose twenty postage 



