March 24, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL op horticulture and cottage gardener. 



231 



them into pieces, and plant them again, and then in the second 

 season they may be taken up for forcing. 



Cucumbers. — We planted out large plants, for most of the 

 early spring plants warted. In several cases we plunged 

 6- inch pots in the bed, having plants showing fruit, for a tem- 

 porary purpose, and to be taken away to give room to the per- 

 manent plants. We have proved this to be a good plan for 

 producing early fruit with little trouble. Seme of our readers 

 may recollect how we described making some rough beds for 

 frames, with a deep trench left in the centre for the soil. For 

 many years this plan gave us no trouble, as we always obtained 

 a genial growing heat in the soil, and no more, and the deeper 

 dung round it kept the heat a very long time. This season the 

 soil in the comparatively shallow bed beneath it became too 

 hot to please us, and thus we were forced to put off planting- 

 out for a week or ten days, and then after turning the soil once 

 or twice we were constrained to pour a pailful of cold water at 

 the back and front of each light, not on the soil, but at that part 

 where the soil in the centre and the manure at each side join. 

 This, with a good treading to keep out air, had the desired 

 effect, the heat beneath the soil now being genial and moist. 

 Except in such cases, however, we would not have used the 

 water, as it will help the dung to decompose, whilst, when a 

 little dry, water poured down holes would always increase the 

 heat in summer and autumn. The cold water would arrest 

 decomposition just now, and as, after all, the heat beneath was 

 not so mnnh too great as it was too dry, we are tolerably sure 

 that no bad effects will follow. At any rate, the plants are 

 growing freely and throwing out strong tendrils. Many of 

 these will be nipped off ; but it is always a disheartening sign 

 when plants do not freely produce these appendages, which 

 enable them to clasp round any firm object for support. If we 

 had put some 6 inches of old rotten dung over the centre of 

 our bed below the soil, we should not have had to wait for the 

 soil cooling a little. We were rather scarce of such material, 

 and thought we could do without it. 



FRUIT GARDES. 



Proceeded with pruning and nailing. The buds are now 

 swelling, and the birds are at them before we get out at 6 a.h. 

 The trees in the most forward orchard house are just opening 

 their bloom, and the roots have been watered by degrees. In 

 the late orchard house, the house is kept open. All the trees 

 after cleaning have been top-dressed ; those in pots have had a 

 rim of old turf, that will produce no grass, placed over the soil 

 in the pot, and the inside filled up with rich compost, to be 

 replenished during the season several times, alike to give 

 nourishment and to act as a mulching to save such frequent 

 waterings as would otherwise be necessary. Peach-house trees 

 have had a lot of shoots taken away, and Vines breaking and 

 growing have been laid in their places. Some Vines in a pit 

 filled with Strawberry plants are fastened at present to a wire 

 longitudinally, but as they are now breaking and showing, they 

 will want all the room by the time we have the Strawberries 

 removed, when these shall be about done with. Put sulphur 

 on the pipes in these pits to prevent red spider showing itself, 

 as it is much easier to keep it away than take it away after it 

 comes. In watering we use weak manure water and clear 

 water alternately, and the manure is also varied — cow dung being 

 applied at one time, soot water at another, and sheep dung at 

 another, or a few ground bones are used as a top-dressing. It 

 is as well oven yet to avoid pouring water on the centre of the 

 plants ; the crown, the bud, and even the flower-truss are very 

 tender and easily injured when forced. Potted-off some young 

 Melon plants, and commenced fresh arranging and partly 

 planting a low pit Fig-house. 



Ventilation. — This is now, and until fine genial weather come, 

 a matter of much importance. It is well to bring up every- 

 thing hardy, but many plants are injured by having a cold dry 

 air blowing on them freely on a cold day. No doubt it would 

 be desirable to have cold air heated before it went freely among 

 tender plants. Most of us, however, are glad to obtain a house 

 or pit without the extra arrangements for heating the fresh air 

 before it is admitted. Almost everything necessary may be 

 done by carefully giving top air and in small quantities, so 

 that tbe fresh air shall be heated and moistened by the warmer 

 confined air passing through it. Much also may be done in 

 giving air in front, by having the openings or ventilators oppo- 

 site the heating medium. A keen enthusiast, who had a 6-feet- 

 wide pit fur Cucumbers and Melons, complained much, that 

 when he raised or slid the sashes however little in front, 

 the leaves of the plants nearest the opening were apt to be 

 seorohed by the fresh air passing too soon to them. There 



were pipes close to the front wall for top heat ; then a wall of 

 brick-on-edge was built, which also kept the leaves from the 

 pipes, and in the front wall, just below the lowest pipe, there 

 was made in the centre of each light an opening the size of the 

 end of a brick, rather more than 4i inches by 2i inches, and a 

 wedge-shaped piece of wood just to fit the opening, with a 

 stout nail in the end to draw it out or put it in. We find that 

 such an opening is quite sufficient for front air even in sum- 

 mer. In winter and in the spring month?, by drawing the 

 tapering plug out a little, we can give as little air as we like — 

 from one-eighth, to one-fourth, or one-half or more of an inch 

 on three sides of the plug — and the air rushing in spreads in 

 the space containing the pipes, and is warmed by them before 

 it reaches the plants. Pans set on the pipes likewise give 

 moisture to the air before being distributed. There are many 

 other mechanical modes for giving air, but we know of none 

 simpler or cheaper at first than these wooden plugs. 



We generally tilt up the sashes a little at the back, but were 

 we to have a pit or a low house with a fixed roof, such a plug, 

 only the size of a brick, would be enough at back for forcing, 

 and quite sufficient at other times when air was needed chiefly 

 to keep out damp in winter. The span-roofed pits of Mr. 

 Pearson with moveable copings are capital, and it is a good 

 many years since we have seen the principle very simply 

 applied at the nursery of the Messrs. Lee, at Hammersmith, 

 but some of our readers may find the wooden ventilator the 

 size of a brick suitable for their purpose. It is rarely that the 

 plugs are ever drawn out to their full length, as when people 

 are in the habit of giving air early they will be surprised to 

 find how small a quantity will be required to change the air of 

 a house and set the whole in motion. 



This will be especially the case if care betaken in hothouses 

 to avoid sun heat and fire heat both acting at the same time. 

 This simple matter requires some little attention. It is very 

 difficult to get a fireman to study the appearances of the sky, 

 &c, before he stirs his fires up. Hence many a fire is put on 

 in the morning before a sunny day, when it would have been 

 better if the furnace had not been touched. In a mild day it 

 is of less consequence, but it becomes a serious matter when 

 you have dry heat from the furnace, and cold dry air out of 

 doors, which you must admit in greater quantities to keep down 

 the temperature. We would, with a coolish heating medium 

 and a little air early given, rather let the house rise 5° or 10° 

 higher from sunshine than allow cold air to enter freely. 



ORNAMENTAL EEPAKTlTEliT. 



Rolled, after sweeping, the lawn, and went on turfing and 

 planting. Spring planting is more excusable this season, owing 

 to the dryness of last autumn. Potted Zonal Pelargoniums, 

 and commenced potting Ferns, as these are so useful for gar- 

 nishing and setting off cut flowers. Kept a lot of the Scarlet 

 Pelargoniums in the vinery, so as to produce plenty of olooms. 

 We have done something to thin the bedding plants in the 

 various houses, by putting those previously potted and estab- 

 lished in small pots into wooden portable boxes, to be set on 

 the floor of the conservatory and other houses for a week or 

 two ; and we have made a temporary pit or bed on the Vine 

 border, by turning over the latter, making a ridge at the back 

 and in front for the bole of a young tree to lie on. These boles 

 form the wall plates for old sashes, hurdles, &c, to rest on. 

 Here we have placed many Pelargoniums of the Scarlet 

 and Variegated sections taken out of boxes, where they stood 

 thickly all the winter, and now put singly in what we may 

 call turf pots, these being set as closely together as possible, 

 with a few leaves and some leaf mould below them. This 

 is a very good plan for those who can adopt it. The turf is 

 taken up about 2j inches thick — the more fibrous the soil 

 the better — it is then placed with the grass side downwards, 

 and with a bill or knife cut into pieces from 3J inches square. 

 With a sharp knife a round piece is cut out, but without 

 going so deep as the grass. The hole thus formed serves as 

 a pot. ' Rich sandy loam and leaf mould go along with the 

 roots into this hole, and the soil is made moderately firm. 

 The pieces of turf are then packed side by side, and gene- 

 rally as closely together as they will go, in the place referred 

 to, are well watered with warm water, and then the pieces 

 are sprinkled over with a little of the same soil, and a few 

 decayed tree leaves placed between the rows. Last season 

 we do not think that 1 per cent, missed ; at planting time the 

 tnrf was full of roots, and the young roots hanging out all round 

 the turf, ready to go into the soil of tbe bed, as of course the 

 turf, with all the roots, was planted — one more advantage of 

 such a plan. Except watering once after the plants were ex- 



