412 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ June 9, 1870. 



this is the great essential in the modern flower garden and 

 plant honse. 



STOVE. 



Let every endeavour be made to secure thorough freedom 

 from insects among stove plants in general. In shifting them 

 be sure to practise complete drainage, without which all the 

 rest of the labour will prove abortive. Where a great amount 

 of heat is indulged in to promote a rapid growth among Orchids, 

 some of the Guatemala kinds, the Lselias, and those from cool 

 and mountainous districts, should be separated, if possible, 

 from the main stock. A vinery where a trifling amount of 

 heat is kept up would do. Abundance of moisture in the atmo- 

 sphere must, however, be provided, and snails and other vermin 

 carefully guarded against.— W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



A week of parching weather, and yet most things are stand- 

 ing well where free radiation and evaporation are going on, 

 and where plenty of moisture can rise up freely from beneath. 

 Even Peas that are now in full bearing, as Ringleader, are 

 standing the heat well, and so do most crops to which the hoe 

 has been freely used to keep a loose surface, and thus pre- 

 vent the moisture from more freely evaporating. Some young 

 Peas, that we feared might suffer a little, had dry surface soil 

 scattered about them. This will to some extent shade the 

 ground from the fierce sun. 



We wish for rain to fill our tanks and to enable us to thin 

 many crops— as Onions, Carrots, and Parsnips, as they come 

 out much better when the soil is moist; as it is, we made 

 a mistake in the case of Potatoes that were planted rather 

 shallow. We did not earth them up, waiting for a rain suffi- 

 cient to wet the soil. Now, though frequently shallow surface- 

 stirred, the earthing-up will do less good. Had we done it 

 sooner the roots and tubers would have been kept in a damper 

 medium. We have watered little in the vegetable way except 

 Cauliflowers forming heads, and the succession crops of the 

 same vegetable. These had a fair soaki D g of house sewage, 

 and the most forward were thickly mulched with litter to pre- 

 vent the moisture evaporating from the ground. It will pass 

 off freely enough through the large fine foliage. With a little 

 more convenience, we should feel pretty independent as re- 

 gards all vegetables with a supply of house sewage. How Cab- 

 bages and Lettuces grow after an application ! As to Lettuces, 

 it is fortunate since the season has proved so dry, that we 

 have sown thinly in rows. But little water is needed to keep 

 such Lettuces crisp, as compared to what would be required in 

 the case of transplanted plants. The roots forage for them- 

 selves without watering, though they are greatly improved by 

 stirring the surface of the soil. 



We cut away the remainder of the flower-heads on Sea-kale, 

 as they would exhaust the plants, and after using the tops 

 freely when close, they became less pleasing when they began 

 to open. Broccoli is mostly over, but we have a fair supply 

 of Cabbage, Scotch Kale, Sprouts, and Spinach. Cabbages 

 are fine, and Cauliflowers will soon be plentiful. Sowed Cauli- 

 flowers for a late crop, and Coleworts for late planting. We have 

 hardly a spare foot of ground, but presently we shall prick-out 

 winter vegetables into the earth pits used for bedding plants, 

 and lift and transplant when Strawberries are dug down. 



Sowed a small succession of Peas, and we shall sow a smaller 

 succession in a week or ten days, also Onions, Turnips, Radishes, 

 &c. In all such sowing we run the spout of the watering-pot 

 along the rows, pat the seeds in the moist soil, and cover with 

 the dry soil, to arrest evaporation. Young rows of Peas thus 

 treated, though the surface is as dry as dnst can be, are looking 

 rich, bold, and green, the roots having gone down into the moist 

 soil. Two or three rows were inadvertently sprinkled on the 

 surface, but as this would have done more harm than good, dry 

 dust from the spaces between was thrown over to keep the 

 moisture in. 



Celery requires planting and pricking out, and must be looked 

 to without delay. 



As we could not conveniently prepare a place for Gherkins 

 and Vegetable Marrows, and as we know how soon they are in- 

 jured when standing in small pots, we have had thpm trans- 

 ferred to large pots, and placed under protection, until we find 

 time to plant them out. Old Cucumber plants that have borne 

 freely, and were a little exhausted, are breaking strongly and 

 freely after a good pruning. We have been little troubled with 

 insects ; clear soft soap water is a good application now and 



then, used with a syringe, chiefly on the under sides of the 

 leaves. Green fly cannot bear it, and if red spider should appear, 

 the soft soap water soon settles the insects, by pasting them 

 in a sort of living sepulchre. We found traces of red spider 

 which had made its appearance in consequenoe of keeping soma 

 Strawberry plants in the full sun at the top of the pit. We 

 knew there was a risk, but we wanted a quantity of fruit in a 

 hurry, and the position just suited the plants. Our plants 

 have as yet been free of the Cucumber disease, but one of our 

 neighbours, a celebrated Cucumber grower, has had it on his 

 plants for several years, and try what he will he cannot get rid 

 of it. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



We have yet much to do in thinning Peaches, Nectarines, and 

 Apricots, and we gave a watering to some Morello Cherry trees 

 that were quite covered with fruit. The soil, though on a 

 north aspect, was very dry, and we feared the fruit would drop 

 in consequence. We hope rain will come before long, as the 

 drought is becoming serious to field, garden, and Btock, and 

 poor people are also suffering. 



Watered with sewage our most forward Strawberries, which 

 are setting well, and mulched the soil with litter to keep the 

 fruit clean and prevent moisture escaping. We used common 

 stable litter, with the droppings well shaken out. It will be 

 tolerably clean as it is, and will be more so after a good shower 

 of rain. The Strawberry plants pricked out last autumn and 

 taken up lately, some being replanted under glass and others 

 repotted, have done pretty well, the last perhaps the best. 

 These were set thickly in a frame, and have been thinned out, 

 and the small fruit taken off. The plants in the pots having 

 been set on a shelf, made roots so freely as to fill the pots. We 

 like autumn-potted plants better, but such plants are of great 

 assistance in an emergency. Our house management consisted 

 chiefly in supplying moisture and keeping a moist atmosphere ; 

 the latter we could secure by using on floors water far from 

 clean. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



We were afraid to mow the lawns lest we made them brown, 

 but kept them green by switching off the white Daisies. We 

 performed a good deal of potting, but the great work was 

 planting-out bedding plants, and though we have much to do, 

 we have got through the heaviest part of it. Though the plants 

 were mostly raised out of beds of earth, and when planted 

 were only once watered, they are holding their own well, and 

 many are looking as well aB if they had never been moved. We 

 find on examining that the roots are making way in the moist 

 soil beneath. In our exceptionally dry state of the soil we 

 feel sure we gained much in preparing the beds, by keeping 

 the dry surface to the top instead of turning it down. On 

 one very warm day the plants had a dewing overhead from 

 the engine in the afternoon. This refreshed any that seemed 

 to suffer from the power of the sun, but Calceolarias, &c, in 

 bloom seem as if they had never been moved. Roses against a 

 wall have been fine for three weeks, and would have been finer 

 if we could have given them the watering they needed. We 

 have had scarcely a trace of insects, but the dryness has tinged 

 a few leaves with mildew. In the bedding-out we have been 

 thinking of Mr. Robson's huge bed, and should like, and 

 hundreds of readers would like, to know his plan and arrange- 

 ment for this season. — R. F. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 

 In the Suburbs of London for the week ending Jnne 7th. 



1.— Fine; overcast ; rain, stormy at night. 



2. — Cloudy but fine ; very fine ; densely overcast. 



3, — Densely overcast ; overcast; cloudy and overcast. 



4. — Foggy but fine; overcast; foggy and overcast. 



5.— Densely overcast ; cloudy but fine ; clear and fine, 



6. — Very fine ; exceedingly fine ; clear and fine. 



7.— Clear but fine ; very fine ; overcast, cold wind. 



