Febrnaiy 1, 1S77. ] 



JOOBNAL OF HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



villa gardens are at present at a standstill ; but as the weather 

 changes to fine work in the garden mast be prosecuted with all 

 energy. 



Febraary is fast coming in, and in the kitchen garden Peas 

 may be sown twice during the month, the first sowing beicg of 

 early, and the next of second early Eorts. The early wrinkled 

 varieties are very superior in flavour, and may be used for the 

 first and also for the second sowing; but it is well not to depend 

 upon wrinkled Peas entirely for sowing at the early part of the 

 0eason, as they are not so hardy in constitution as some of the 

 commoner sorts. Make a good sowing of Early Longpod Beans 

 to succeed the Early Mazagan. The Seville Longpod is a Bean tif 

 exceptionally good quality, and ought to be grown by everyone. 

 Sow in a frame a crop of Early Horn Carrot, and also sow Let- 

 tuce, Cabbage, and Cauliflower seed, and do not apply too much 

 heat, but raise the plants in a moderate temperature, so that 

 the various changes which they have to pass through may not 

 interfere with their progress. Let the Cabbage beds be filled 

 up where vacancies have occurred, and take the first chance to 

 have the soil stirred among the plants. We have been in ditfi- 

 culties lately as to the working of the soil, and therefore much 

 work will have to be done in a hurry, and many crops must 

 necesfarily be put in at a disadvantage. 



Plant Potatoes in frames — the sets which were laid out last 

 month to sprout, and take care that the next lot of sets to be 

 planted are laid out carefully, so that they may not be injured 

 in any way. I do not anticipate a very early season for outdoor 

 Potatoes, as I think the soil is likely to be in a state adverse to 

 their well-doing. I do not like to see the sets sprout too soon, 

 for if in activity too long the tubers become partially exhausted, 

 and a satisfactory crop cannot be expected from them. 



Now is the time to plant the Jerusalem Artichoke in a soil 

 that has been well turned np and a fair amount ot manure in- 

 corporated with it. This is a very quick-growing plant, and 

 therefore requires some stimulant in the soil to help it on ; it 

 then produces a profitable crop. The soil for Parsnips should 

 also be prepared, for although this is a vegetable less thought of 

 than some others, it is yet one of the most serviceable. If the 

 seed is sown early it allows time for the roots to develope, and 

 other crops more particular can be attended to as the time 

 comes on. The Parsnip likes a deep and rather heavy soil ; if 

 grown in a loose soil the roots are apt to be forked. 



Prepare the soil for all other crops as the weather will allow, 

 for time is advancing towards spring, when all muse be busy. — 

 Teomas Eecokd. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WORK FOR 

 THE PRESENT WEEK. 



H.iRDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



We seized the opportunity of two days' fine weather with frost 

 to mulch all the fruit-tree borders. The manure was wheeled on 

 to the ground and spread evenly over the surface. It will not be 

 dag-in for some weeks yet. Raspberry bushes also receive a 

 good dressing of rich manure after all the old stems and super- 

 fluous canes sra cut .iway. It is not well to allow too many 

 canea to remain on each stool, as they are not likely to bear 

 such good fruit if the branchlets on which it is formed are too 

 close together; four gond canes are a sufficient number to 

 remain on each stool. When they are trained together to one 

 stake under this form of culture the plants ought to be -1 feet 

 apart. We have before stated, however, that the best crops 

 were obtaim d when the e tools were abiiut 2 feet apart and the 

 canes trained to a ttout wire about :_! feet from the ground. 



The planting of all hardy fruits, ought to be finished as soon 

 as possible. For Rispberries the griund ought to be well 

 trenched and manured. The same may be said of ground in- 

 tended for all small fiuits. After planting the surface of the 

 BoU over the roots should be muk^lied with manure ; this is of 

 the very greatest advantage to all newly-planted bushes and 

 trees, as it prevents tbem from suffering from the variable 

 efiects of our climate. We woulrl also reiterate the remarks 

 about care in planting. A hole ought tc be made HufBciently 

 large to allow ef all the roots and fibres being spread fully out, 

 and to give the trees or bushes a good start some turfy loam 

 ought to be placed around the roots; this should be worked in 

 amongst the fibres with the hand, then the ordinary soil should 

 be placed over it, and the a hole be trodden in with the feet — 

 not very firmly, though, if the ground is wet. 



Strawberry plants are sometimes put out at this season, but 

 when they are planted so late aa this a season is lott. JIany 

 gardeners take off their runners late in the autumn, say in 

 October, and plant thickly on a sheltered border. These are 

 the plants that would be planted-out in the quarters now. The 

 Boil must be pressed firmly about the roots, and the surface of 

 the ground should be made neat with a digging-fork. The dis- 

 tance between each plant ought to be 2 feet. We can do nothing 

 to our own Strawberry beds, but when the ground is f ufTicieiitly 

 dry the suiface will be stirred with a hoe, but only the surface, 

 for to force the hoe into the ground even 2 inches causes great 



destruction to the numberless fibres with which it is matted. 

 For the sake of neatness as well as the health of the plants, all 

 dead and decaying leaves should be promptly removed. 



PINE HOUSES. 



Since the beds were turned the bottom beat has increase* to 

 its maximum, but as the pots were not plunged very deeply into 

 the bed the plants will not suffer from root-burning. We are 

 now keepiugup the heat in the frniting-honse to a minimum of 

 70°, the temperature by day owing to so much sunless weather 

 seldom rises more than 5° higher than this. We are glad of an 

 hour or two of sunshine, which on one or two occasions has 

 raised the thermometer up to Bij'^. The watchful cultivator will 

 be on the alert at such times and will close the lights early in 

 the afternoon. Bottled sunshine is better for the health of the 

 plants than bushels of coke. The ventilators should be opened 

 as early as it is possible to do so in the mornings ; tbe least 

 chink at the highest part of the house is sufficient, and this will 

 insure a change of air for the plants in an hour or so. Those 

 who are accustomed to work in houses with a high temperature 

 feel the advantage of esirly air-giving on their own comfort, and 

 the atmosphere that is most suituable for the health of man is^ 

 comparatively speaking, the best for plants. Succession houses 

 where the plants have not yet started into growth have a lower 

 temperature by 10' or 15°. If possible the suckers potted in 

 August will be repotted in a few weeks into the fruiting pots ; 

 the bed will be turned and renewed, and a higher temperature 

 maintained to start the plants into growth. 



CUCUMBER AND MELON HOUSES. 



For Cucumbers the temperature is kept the same as the fruit- 

 ing Pine house. We are obtaining very fine fruit and sufficient 

 for our wants from a few plants of Tender and True and a new 

 sort sent by Mr. Kelway of Langport; it did well last winter, 

 and has grown and fruited side by side with our own stock this 

 season. It is much in the same way as Tender and True and 

 quite equal to it. The variety has since been named Lord 

 BeacoLsfield. Kelway's Conqueror is also a free-bearing useful 

 variety. The young plants raised from seeds sown tbe last week 

 in December are making healthy growth on a shelf near the 

 glass. The plants have been potted singly into CO-sizod pots : 

 in a few days they will again be repotted. 



Melons intended for the earliest crop ought to be as far ad- 

 vanced as the Cucumber plants, but we do not like to grow them 

 in BO high a temperature by .5'\ The seeds vegetate best in a 

 bottom beat of about 90' ; but when the seed leaves have grown 

 nearly to their full size it is as well to remove the plants close 

 to the glass. Growth made at a considerable distance from the 

 glass is not nearly so healthy even if the plants have the advan- 

 tage of bottom heat. Melons do well in medium loam with a 

 little leaf soil added, potting the plants moderately firm. After 

 tasting many Melons purporting to be new sorts we go back to 

 a good strain of Turner's Scarlet Gem, than which no Melon 

 comes truer to its character. Its fault is that the fruit baa a 

 tendency to crack when at the point of ripening, but this is 

 avoided by good management. Gilbert's Victory of Bath, or at 

 least Gilbert's strain of it, is the best green flesh ; it is early, 

 free-bearing, and of the best flavour. Coleman's Eastnor Castle 

 is a very fine flavoured green-fleshed variety and is highly re- 

 commended, but it has not been grown in our own garden. 

 Those who prefer white-fleshed varieties will find one of the 

 best in Colston Basset Seedling. 



PLANT STOVE AND ORCHID HOUSES. 



Much of our time has been taken up in washing and cleaning 

 the plants in order to free them from insect pests. If this is 

 not done before the temperature is ii creased in the spring tbe 

 pests multiply very rapidly. We make a point of having all 

 insects destroyed in the winter months. Thrips are the most 

 difficult to eradicate if they become established in the house. 

 Tobacco smoke applied at frequent intervals during the winter 

 is the best way to destroy them, but then the utmosi care is 

 necessary if there are young fronds of tender Ferns or any 

 young growths forming on choice Orchids, Some of the best 

 Orchid-growers will not fumigate their plants at all, they will 

 rather destroy the thrips by handwashing with scapy water. 



AUamanda Schottii cannot yet be dispensed with ; its noble 

 golden flowers are exceedingly effective. A plant of it is trained 

 to the rafters of the stove. The growths have been closely cut 

 back, and when the wounds healed the plant was well supplietS 

 with water. Specimen plants of Clerodendron Balfourii have 

 also been well watered and the wood tied-in to the trellis ; the 

 leaves had not quite fallen from the plants. Dipladenia Brear- 

 leyana has been making a little growth through tbe winter, and 

 with increased warmth and more water at the roots it will now 

 grow vigorously. The growths are trained to the roof of the 

 house to be tied to the trellis on a future occasion. 



We shall take the first favourable opportunity to repot any 

 plants requiring to be done. We have repeatedly urged the im- 

 portance of doing this work well, and not delaying the operation 

 until tbe plants have suffered injury from the roots being too 

 closely matted together or from their being in a bad state from 

 deficient drainage. When valuable plants are in question it is 



