May 6, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



325 



paint washed, immediately after pruning, so as to have all 

 clean before the plants start into growth. Centradenias now 

 exhausted with flowering should be shaken out of their pots 

 and repotted. Fibrous loam and fibrous heath soil, with char- 

 coal and coarse sand, make an excellent compost for them. 

 Make cuttings of them as soon as suitable young wood can be 

 obtained. See that all tender annuals have timely attention in 

 regard to shifting, pricking out, liquid manure, &c. 



STOVE. 



It is most likely that many stove and softwooded plants will 

 now require a shift to grow them on. Plants intended for 

 blooming next autumn and winter, and which have been mostly 

 propagated this spring, should now be potted off; or pinch back 

 any straggling shoots to form them into compact plants, and 

 after keeping them close for a week or two to encourage them 

 to make fresh roots, gradually allow them more air and light 

 until they will bear a free exposure to both. As Btove plants 

 advance, allow them plenty of room, particularly plants of 

 which the foliage constitutes an important feature. The 

 syringe must be in constant use to keep down insects, assisted 

 by fumigation where thrips are likely to establish themselves. 

 The white and brown scale are best kept under by carefully 

 hand- washing the infected plants with a strong lather of brown 

 soap and water. Soft brushes or pieces of sponge should only 

 be used for this purpose that no injury may be done to the 

 leaves. Achimenes should now be placed where more air can 

 be given ; stake them out neatly a3 the shoots advance. 

 Gloxinias, like the above, require a partially shaded situation 

 and moist heat. Gesneras may be treated in the same way, 

 with the addition of more light. Amaryllis, &c, should be re- 

 moved to the conservatory or show-house for blooming. Mark 

 any very striking varieties for seeding. After blooming, plunge 

 them in a little bottom heat in a frame near the glass, to per- 

 fect their growth. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



On the evening of the 29th we had a refreshing rain, not 

 enough to make an impression on ponds or tanks, but quite 

 sufficient to moisten the surface, and, with the accompanying 

 duluess, to enable all plants in the open air to absorb moisture, 

 and thus distend their tissues. The parching sun and cold 

 nights affected many plants, where the roots, from being in a 

 cold medium, could not meet the rapid evaporation from the 

 foliage caused by the sun. This was less observable under 

 glass, but oven there sprinkling the floors, paths, and stages, 

 relieved the plants very much, and acted only less effectually 

 than a slight shade would have done. Out of doors a slight 

 sprinkling overhead, or a little shade, would do wonders. The 

 worst of shading in, on the whole, our shady-enough climate is, 

 that though it is no difficult matter to put on, and very likely 

 at the right time, it is so apt to remain on too long, and then 

 it is sure to weaken the plants which are shaded. Many 

 would be better if never shaded at all, if placed far enough from 

 the glass, so that the rays of the sun should be diffused before 

 reaching them. We have thus treated Melons and Cucumbers, 

 and even tender cuttings that were never shaded, but then if 

 the weather was very dull, we thought they suffered slightly 

 from the diffusion of the direct light. Under ordinary circum- 

 stances, shading is most needed under glass when a very bright 

 day succeeds several dull cloudy days. The roots cannot then 

 meet the sudden demand on them, and a slight shading for an 

 hour or two, where a sprinkling from the syringe over walls 

 and other surfaces would not do, would be a great relief, but 

 then the shading should be removed as soon as the sun has 

 lost its power. In many cases the shading is left on for 

 hours after the sun has sent none but oblique rays which the 

 plants would have enjoyed. It is well to remember that every 

 hour of needless shading tends to weaken, not to strengthen, a 

 plant. One of our best gardeners lately told us he nearly lost 

 his Cucumbers in a house, because in a scorching day there 

 was such a meeting of fire heat and sun heat, such a free ad- 

 mission of air, instead of damping the floor and paths, and 

 giving a little shading for a few hours. The abuse of the 

 shading would be putting it on— say by 11 a.m., and allowing 

 it to remain far on in the afternoon, even if the sun continued 

 to shine. It would be still more injurious if clouds began to 

 appear by one or two o'clock, as leaving shading on then would 

 render the plants unable to withstand any bright direct sun- 

 light afterwards. 



Celery. — We took np that in our last beds with balls, and 

 placed it thickly in a shady place, watering it, and earthing-up 

 to the top with fine dry Boil ; this will come in a little longer 

 for table, and longer for soups, &c, and sets the ground at 

 liberty for Onions and I'eas. The rain has given a good start 

 to the Cabbages, which are hearting well, but would have done 

 all the better could we have given them saoaking of sewage 

 before the rain. That is the time to apply all such watering 

 with the greatest effect. ThuB, it is even better to water out of 

 doors in a dull cloudy day, than in a bright one. We have 

 watered very little out of doors as yet, partly from scarcity of 

 water, but chiefly from the coldness of the ground. 



Onions have come up well, but, as alluded to above, we shall 

 sow a few more of James's Keeping, which we find keeps all the 

 longer when not sown too early. But for the rain these would 

 have been sown on the 29th and 30th, but we hope to do so in 

 the first days of May. 



Onions for Pickling. — We have always some trouble with 

 these, as our ground is rather strong to have them small and 

 well formed. We have pitched on a poor bit of ground which 

 was used as a seed bed for the Cabbage and Broccoli tribe 

 laBt season, and had a good crop left all winter and spring. 

 After clearing all off we shall merely point it over slightly, 

 sow, pat down, and give a sprinkling of rich compost on the 

 surface. By such means we often produce well-shaped little 

 bulbs of the Silver-skinned Onion, but we do not always suc- 

 ceed to our own satisfaction, as even in such an exhausted spot, 

 they are apt to grow too large before they are fully ripe. There 

 is plenty of light poor land where pickling Onions cost no 

 trouble, and where there are too many small Onions, but in 

 Btrong rich soil it is sometimes difficult to produce them, and 

 the above is the most successful mode we have met with. 



Salting Asparagus and Sea-kale. — We gave these a sprinkling 

 about the 10th of April when the shoots began to appear, 

 keepiDg it between the rows, so as not to injure the heads or 

 shoots, and now after the rain we shall give another sprinkling, 

 as it helps the plants and kills the little weeds, if any make 

 their appearance. 



Herb Beds. — We shall have to make up these and to sow 

 such annuals as Chervil, Sweet Basil, Sweet Marjoram, &c, 

 under glass. In the open air such a common herb as Mint 

 wants looking to. With us, if it remain in the same place two 

 years, we generally lose sight of it altogether. The hardy roots 

 disappear with us, and therefore, to be safe, we have to plant 

 some of it every year. Perhaps the best time to do so is 

 when the shoots are a couple of inches in height with a bit 

 of root attached. These, planted 6 inches apart, will make a 

 dense bed of nice green Mint before it is needed every day for 

 Peas. Is the necessity for Mint as an adjunct to Peas a natural 

 or an acquired taste ? With the earlier common Peas, Mint 

 certainly improves them. In the case of some of the best, as 

 Laxton's, McLean's, Veitch's Perfection, Ne Plus Ultra, Sea., we 

 sometimes think that the Mint is no improver, but rather the 

 reverse. For the gardener to be without it, however, would be 

 almost as bad asj being without Parsley. In some places it i3 

 becoming the fasLion to use mint sauce freely in winter long 

 before lamb comes generally into season. 



On the 22nd of April sowed the main supply of Kales, Broc- 

 coli, and Brussels Sprouts for next winter. We were in little 

 hurry, as we knew the ground was bo cool. We have a few a 

 little more forward. We pricked-out lots of Cauliflowers, which 

 will come in as our fourth succession— the third after those 

 under hand-lights, which are now looking all right. Where 

 ground is scarco a regular supply must mainly consist in not 

 having too much at one time. We have several times alluded 

 to the seeming inconsistency of setting such value on an acre 

 or two of ground appropriated to kitchen garden purposes, 

 whilst the land in the immediate neighbourhood will bring in 

 no more than from 25s. to 30s. per acre to the proprietor. Not 

 only a more abundant supply could easily be obtained from 

 more ground, but the vegetables would be finer and better 

 flavoured from having more room than it is possible for them to 

 be in little space, and when so many things must be grown 

 among other crops. 



Cucumbers.— Thinned-out the plants and top-dressed them, 

 as they have borne rather too much, but the top-dressing will 

 renew them again. Banked up with litter thoBe in frames, as 

 hitherto they have not wanted such attention. Finding that 

 some fruit and a few leaves were nibbled by woodlice, we placed 

 some dry hay close to the frame, and gently moving it, scalded 

 the intruders with water near the boiling point. A small pot, 

 with a piece of boiled Potato, and dry hay or moss above it, 



