378 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ May 26, 1870. 



moment to be considered in comparison with tbe charm cf 

 their companionship. Who would weigh in the balance a few 

 pounds of Cnrrants with three months' harmony of song? 



Cms, — What a charming residence you have here ! How 

 have yoa contrived to cover your honse with such a profusion 

 of climbing plants ? How redolent is this Honeysuckle ! How 

 lovely this Clematis ! Am I not right in its name ? 



Hortator. — Right, and yet wrong, my dear friend. I believe 

 it is now admitted that its proper pronunciation is " Clematis," 

 and not " Clematis." It is often difficult to know the right 

 pronunciation of the names of flowers, so many being arbi- 

 trary ; but when it is possible it is desirable. 



Cms. — Why, I well remember this delightful residence of 

 yours as a large, ugly, bleak house with staring windows and 

 red walls ; and now, as with a magician's wand, you have con- 

 verted it into a very paradise of English comfort and luxurious 

 repose. 



Hortator. — Say not " luxurious repose," I like not the ex- 

 pression. The changes you describe have been made by con- 

 stant labour and piudent foresight. What pruning, tying, 

 watering, and nailing have been required to get these climbers 

 into proper position ! But, hark ! the prayer bell is ringing, 

 and I am wanted to officiate as domestic obaplain. Come, 

 friend Civis, you must be one of our congregation this morn- 

 ing, and we will ask the blessing of Him without whose favour 

 neither fields nor gardens can yield their increase. 



Cms. — Willingly indeed will I join your little band of 

 worshippers. 



THE BREAKFAST-ROOM. 



Hortator. — Sylvia ! my friend Civis, who has favoured us 

 with this early visit to satisfy himself whether it be really 

 true that I am so weak-minded as to deprive myself of the 

 comforts of a warm bed to enjoy the slow pleasure of cultivat- 

 ing this favourite garden of ours. 



Sylvia. — Weloome, sir, most welcome ! Whatever be the 

 object of your visit, the friend of my dear Hortator would 

 always be a weloome guest. 



Cms. — Thank you, madam, very sincerely ; but your liege 

 lord is inclined to be somewhat facetious at my expense. I 

 never suspected the soundness of his intellect, though I con- 

 fess I did somewhat his discretion ; but really, madam, these 

 perfumed breezes, and these sweet songsters, ahout which I 

 have already received a practical lesson from Hortator, have 

 well-nigh already made a convert of me. 



Sylvia. — Favour us, dear sir, with a few more morning visits, 

 and I trust we shall make a real convert of you. 



Cms. — It will not be fair, however, in that case to place 

 upon your breakfast-table such blushing bribes as these. Why, 

 I never saw such Strawberries before ; the morning dew still 

 shines upon them, and the very atmosphere of the room is 

 redolent with their perfnme ! 



Hortator.— Try their flavour, Civis, and judge whether their 

 pretensions are to be trusted. It is not always that handsome 

 looks are indicative cf good people, nor are good looks always a 

 proof of good-flavoured fruit. 



Cms.— The flavour is exquisite. I have heard that various 

 names are given to different descriptions of Strawberries, what 

 may this be ? 



Sylvia.— The British Queen. 



Civis. — Happily named, indeed, for its delicious flavour may 

 be well compared to the sweet savour of our beloved Queen's 

 good works. 



Sylvia — I am delighted, sir, to find that you are a loyal 

 subject, for I only like to call such the friends of my dear 

 husband. 



Hortator. — Yes, indeed, my fastidious wife, I believe, would 

 scent a republican at the distance you did the Roses, friend 

 Civis, but not with the Bame appreciation of their fragrance. — 

 Hortatob. 



The Flowering and Feuitino of Atjctjba japonica. — Mr. 

 P. S. Robertson communicated to tbe Edinburgh Botanical 

 Society some notes on this subject. He had observed that 

 recently-introducjd female plants from Japan (grown in a cold 

 pit) came into flower in January and February, while the male 

 plants, grown in the same circumstances, never came into 

 flower till the middle of March, yet he had every year obtained 

 a crop of young seedlings from the berries, although the female 

 flowers were quite shrivelled before the male ones expanded. 

 He found that the common spotted variety, long grown in this 

 country, does not flower till May or June, although grown in 

 the pit or house with the others, and begins to expand its 



flowers when the males are getting past ; yet it also never fails 

 to produce a crop of fruit with perfect seeds. He thought that 

 the pollen must lodge for some time in the scales of the un- 

 opened flower-buds, ormust reach the pistils before the flowers 

 are expanded ; but how to account for the fertilising of the 

 early-flowering varieties he was at a loss. This year he has 

 forced on the flowering of the male plants by placing them in 

 strong heat, and has all the varieties cf the male and female 

 plants in full flower at very nearly the same time, and accord- 

 ingly he anticipates a much larger produce of berries than in 

 former years, when they were left to the ordinary course. Ha 

 exhibited a branch bearing berries with perfect seed ; yet when 

 that plant came into flower there had not been a male plant 

 in the house where it grew for .fully a month previously. Mr. 

 Sadler stated that he had been informed by the Messrs. Lawson 

 that when there was a great iapse of time between the flowering 

 of male and female Aucuba plants, they frequently collected the 

 pollen and kept it wrapped in paper until 6uch time as the fe- 

 male flowers were ready for fertilisation, when it whs applied to 

 the stigmas, and thus secured invariably a crop of fruit with 

 perfect seeds. By grafting the male plant on the female, the 

 two kinds of flowers might expand nearly at the same time. — 

 (Nature.) 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Asparagus is likely to be severely cut this year on account of 

 the lateness of other vegetables, and the beds should therefore 

 be liberally supplied with stimulants in the sbtpe of liquid 

 manure and salt ; the cutting, however, must be gradually 

 lessened. Keep tine beds free from weeds, and discontinue 

 entirely the cutting of young beds. A few drills of Cape 

 Broccoli may be sown in light rich ground, to be thinned-out 

 and kept standing. Tbe full crops of Red Beet must now be 

 thinned-out to about 9 inches apart. The trenches which have 

 been prepared for early Celery should now be planted without 

 delay ; lift the plants from tire nurBery-bed with a good ball 

 of earth, and plant them at a foot apart, ufing a trowel or 

 small fork in preference to a dibble; give them a liberal appli- 

 cation of water, and after they have started into growth plenty 

 of liquid manure poured upon the soil from the spout of a 

 watering-pot without the rose. If, from drought, tbe tops require 

 freshening, a sprinkling of pure water is beet. Prick-out late- 

 sown Celery, and keep all young advancing crops well supplied 

 with water. Thin-out young seedling Cucumbers and Vege'ablc 

 Marrows on ridges, and see that those transplanted do not 

 want for water. Continue at regular and short intervals to 

 tie-up Lettuces for blanching, and thin-out all advancing crops 

 of tbe Cabbage varieties, which are always best left to perfeot 

 themselves where sown ; and if small sowings be made at 

 short intervals, transplanting will be superfluous. Keep up 

 successional sowings of Radishes, Lettuces, and Salads, which 

 now rt quire to be sown often in quantities proportioned to the 

 demand. The north side of a sloping bank is the best situation 

 for these sowings. Continue to keep the suifaee well forked- 

 up amongst the growing crops of Peas and Beans. This is at 

 all times attended with the most beneficial results, as it in- 

 creases their productiveness and, by keeping them in a vigorous 

 growing state, assists greatly in warding off mildew, which 

 too often attacks the late-sowings. This may be acconnted for 

 on the supposition that pulverising the soil, be^des exposing 

 it more to atmospheric influences, retains nioiBtnre about the 

 roots during drought; and drought, together with the hardness 

 of surface, is favourable to the production of mildew. If this 

 begins to show itself, a very weak solution of salt and water 

 sprinkled over the top will keep it in check. Continue to 

 make successional sowings of Turnips, and dress both these 

 and other crops likely to be infested with the fly with charcoal 

 dust when the leaves are wet. 



FRUIT GARIiEN. 



Great activity must now be exercised in this department, as 

 the rapid growth of the trees will require constant attention in 

 stopping, removing superfluous shoots, and nailing-in. Peaches 

 may now have their final disbudding ; let every shoot not re- 

 quired be removed with a sharp knife, and the remainder 

 carefully nailed-in ; if any of the extreme shoots are getting 

 out of bounds they may be stopped within a few joints of the 

 base in order to preserve the fruit, but take care to train-np 

 another shoot to succeed. Keep the lateral shoots of Vines 

 closely stopped at the first joint ; tbe practice cf removing 

 them altogether is not consistent with nature. We should 



