April 14, 1S70. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



281 



heads, and a little rough hay round the insides of the pots, 

 which would alike moderate heat and cold. No litter is in- 

 tended to be plaoed round these. We have several beds which 

 we intended covering with, say, 7 inches of ashes, but we are 

 short of the latter just now. Sea-kale out of doors intended to 

 be cut during the spring, cannot be covered too soon, as if it 

 attain any size it takes a long time to turn it from its natural 

 colour to white. 



Rhubarb. — There is less difficulty with seedlings of this, and 

 in fine rich soil seedlings soon become strong. The roots taken 

 up and forced need not, however, be lost, as if placed in a shel- 

 tered corner, watered, and covered up with litter, they will soon 

 show where their buds are, and may then be divided in pieces, 

 and planted out again. These may generally be raised as large 

 fine plants after they have had two summers' growth. The 

 worst of taking up Asparagus is, that nothing can be made of 

 the old roots as respects future growth. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



We finished most of the pruning. We fear we shall have to 

 wash onr bush Apple trees with lime and soot, aB the birds have 

 begun on them. The buds are swelling fast and looking well. 

 Peach trees are in full bloom in the latest orchard house ; the 

 blossoms of Plums are all open, and the buds of Cherries are 

 swelling fast but not yet open. A few Piums in the earliest 

 house have a little air opposite them all night. A close atmo- 

 sphere will not suit them or Apricots long when in bloom. 

 The buds of Peach and Apricot trees out of doors are opening 

 fast. As yet we have used no covering. We have less faith in 

 covering if it do not keep out heavy rains. Such a covering 

 we have always found useful. 



Strawberries are improved fcy gathering the fruit when the 

 soil is comparatively dry — that is, before watering. In suc- 

 cessions, if the outer leaves grow rather upright, more strength 

 will be thrown into the trusses if these leaves be bent down a 

 little. We have some now in a pit heated by hot water, and 

 though we throw a mat over the glass at night, there is rather 

 too much condensed moisture on the leaves and bloom in the 

 morning, even though a little air be given all night. Such an 

 appearance seldom shows itself much in a shelf in a fair-sized 

 house. Even the mat does not seem to arrest the condensa- 

 tion of moisture. In fine, sunny weather it matters but little, 

 but in dull weather the flooding with dewdrops is rather in- 

 convenient. Regulated, tied, and attended to Vines. Those in 

 the late house are breaking, though we shaded the roof a little, 

 and did the same as respects the orchard houses, where the 

 light and heat were very powerful. The Vines are also moving 

 in the orchard hous', that which we shut up in the afternoons. 



ORNAMENTAL DETAETHENT. 



Outside we have been busy planting the last of the Sprnce. 

 As the trees had not moved we think they will succeed, though 

 we would rather have planted them in November. . Planted 

 and sowed lots of Gorse for cover. Perhaps the beginning of 

 April is about the best time for this work. In sowing ou rather 

 light land it is a good plan to draw drills, say fully 3 inches 

 deep, cover the seed, and leave the drills unfilled. This will 

 greatly protect the plants the first winter, and small soil fall- 

 ing down will not hurt them. When a large space is sown by 

 drill, it is a good plan to drill Barley or Buckwheat thinly 

 between the rows, as what the pheasants, &c, leave will greatly 

 protect the plants the first season, when they most need it. It 

 is of little use to plant or sow if the ground is not netted with 

 wire netting of a mesh so small that neither young rabbits nor 

 hares can creep through it, as they will leave almost everything 

 to nibble the young Gorse. Where netting is not resorted to, 

 these intruders must be kept at a distance, or you may wait 

 long for a cover. 



Rolled the lawn, and ere long will give the walks a renovated 

 appearance ; as yet few weeds appear on them. Pretty well 

 finished pruning Roses, as all vegetation is late this season. 

 Many of our permanent edgings to beds have become ragged 

 within these four weeks, going off where they stood the rest of 

 the winter well. 



Trees and shrubs transplanted would have been much bene- 

 fited by a daily syringing overhead in the bright sunny days, 

 but these days began also to tell on our water supply, so that 

 we shall be glad to see a warm plentiful rain. Those who live 

 near rivers and streams can form no idea of the schemes that 

 have to be resorted to to save water in some gardens, and 

 especially where sufficient means have not been adopted to 

 save for future use the rainfall. With such means used, few 

 places need be without the necessary supply. We know of 

 some large building operations shortly to be commenced, and 



if the contractors have made their calculations without reckon- 

 ing on the supply of water, it will be next to ruinous to them 

 unless we have a moist summer to fill the pools and ponds, 

 otherwise they would have to go five miles for water — a serious 

 thing where a large quantity of mortar is to be made. 



Earth Pits. — These, as yet, are comparatively empty; the 

 press of other matters and the cold nights have prevented us 

 turning out many plants for the flower garden where they would 

 remain at least until the 20th of May. Next week we hope to 

 turn out a lot of Calceolarias, which are now very thick iu the 

 beds in which they were struck. They have been exposed every 

 day to harden them. In addition to what was said last week, 

 we may instance that in that bed of Calceolarias there are 

 three pieces of a great favourite of ours — Aurea floribuuda, aud 

 at a considerable distance from each other. The mice have left 

 the others almost untouched, but they have found out the three 

 pieces of our favourite, and stumpd them well in, so that we 

 shall be obliged to give them a little better treatment than the 

 rest to bring them round by planting time. We heard lately 

 from a gardener that his crop of early Strawberries had been 

 cut over and left in heaps in the pots. The mice have not 

 as yet done much damage to our fruit, but they woftilly mal- 

 treated our plants, eating out the buds of hundreds. The 

 other day at noon wo saw a rat come out of the openiug from a 

 slid sash of a Peach house, and scamper along the ridge of the 

 house with a green Poach in his mouth, not the first by a great 

 many, we believe, he had taken in the same way. Many years 

 ago, noticing a run in the house, we raised a stone path, and 

 found in a heap we forget now how many dozen Peaches just 

 stoning, and every one had been so carefully carried that there 

 was not a tingle mark ou the fruit. We should think that 

 even the rats must have been " hard up " to use such a store. 



Azaleas. — Dressed over those done blooming. When they 

 begin to grow, if a few shook push strongly and prominently, 

 these should be stopped bam so as to make two other shoots 

 instead of one, and that will cause the others to grow freely 

 and regularly all over. A little additional heat now, wili ensure 

 early- blooming plants next season with but little trouble. 



Camellias. — Removed some of the earliest to a vinery, where 

 they will have a little shade to help to make their wood and 

 set their buds, and then they will flower early in a greenhouse. 

 The help they most prize should be given just as they finish 

 blooming. 



Heaths.— The winter-blooming kinds of these should be cut 

 back, and kept in a closer and warmer place uutil they break 

 freely, when they must have more light and air. The same 

 may be said of 



Epacrises that bloomed early, only they will 3tauu a little 

 more heat. In pruning back it is well to have a little of last 

 year's wood, as they do not break freely from older wood, and 

 after cutting back it is well to let the plants stand still for ten 

 days or so in the same temperature as they bloomed in. Then 

 a few degrees more heat and a moister atmosphere will cause 

 them to break freely, and when growth has progressed the 

 chief points are first to encourage growth in summer, as in a 

 cold pit, and then to ripen that growth, with full exposure to 

 sun in the autumn months. 



We top-dressed Pelargoniums, tied them out, and fresh 

 potted them. — R. F. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 

 In the Subnrbs of London for the week ending April 12th. 



6.— Frosty fog ; very fine ; clear and very fine. 



7.— Very fine ; exceedingly fine ; clear at night. 



8.— Very fine ; clear ana fine ; fine, starlight. 



9.— Overcast ; cloudy, slight rain ; cloudy, cold wind. 

 10.— Cloudy ; showery, hail; clondy and cold. 

 11. — Fine but cloudy; fine ; clear and fine. 

 12.— Very fine ; cloudy but fine ; clear at night. 



