352 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



on amateurs both in the miflland conntieB and in the north — in 

 fact in all bat highly favoured localities, to refrain from planting 

 their Bummar-flowering plants until from the 2Uth to the end of 

 the month. But to facilitate matters everything possible can be 

 had in readiness; beds unoccupied can be turned and manured, 

 the edges trimmed, &c. It is a good plan to make a note on 

 paper of the plants to be bedded-out and the positions they are 

 to occapy : this will be of great aid at planting time. Continue 

 hardening-oft the plants as well as circumstanceB and conve- 

 nience admit. We have had Geraniums out in all this bleak 

 weather with only the covering of mats. 



Outside window boxes are very pleasing adjuncts to many a 

 villa and suburban residence, as well as to numbers of our town 

 neighbours, whose only "garden" is their window boxes. The 

 plants suitable for this purpose are numerous. In bleak and 

 exposed districts, such as on the north or north-west sides of 

 houses, where the sun can scarcely ever penetrate, or in exposed 

 Bituationsat the seaside, there are none better than the common 

 and variegated Eaonymuses, varied with Auoubas, small Reti- 

 nosporas or Thujas. At Brighton, where plants suffer so much 

 from a fierce cutting wind, blowing with it the fine salt spray 

 from the sea, the Euonymus endures with impunity, and almost 

 every window is gay with these liliputiau shrubs; but in more 

 favourable districts bedding plants of various sorts can be attrac- 

 tively arranged in window boxes. The yellow of the Calceolaria 

 is seen to advantage lighting up the others, while the blue of 

 the Lobelia gracefully weeps over the sides. Small Fuchsias and 

 Geraniums are also plentifully used, and are very useful. Ivy 

 screens sometimes form a background to these boxes, and 

 where the Irish Ivy is trained neatly over its wickerwork sup- 

 port it is very pleasing, and renders the whole box more effec- 

 tive. The boxes should be of sufficient depth to afford good 

 root space, and by replenishing at intervals they are always gay, 

 and afford pleasure to great numbers. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WORK FOE 

 THE PRESENT WEEK. 



HABDT FHUIT QARDEN. 



Ab was the case last year at this time, there is an abundant 

 promise for fruit, the trees are robed in white ; but " there is 

 many a slip between the cup and the lip " and " we must not 

 count onr chickens before they are hatched," and so until all 

 dangers of spring frosts are over it is quite superfluous to cal- 

 culate upon what we shall do with our over-abundant crops this 

 year. How has May come in ? is a most anxious question from 

 those depending upon their crops for their daily bread. In our 

 district it has come in mournfally, like it did last year. Cold, 

 thin, oast winds have been prevalent since the Ist, with the 

 thermometer ranging but a few degrees above the freezing poiut, 

 and sometimes falling as much as 5° below it. Under such cir- 

 cumstances it is not likely that the more choice varieties of 

 Pears will set well, and such weather must tell upon Plum and 

 Pear trees, the blossoms of which had shed their petals before 

 the nights became quite so cold. If we take last season as an 

 example the fruit will be likely to drop off in a few days. We 

 have tried various schemes to protect the blossoms, but have 

 been only partially sucoessful. If any correspondents could 

 suggest any practicable method of covering such trees as are to 

 be found in all well-kept gardens, such as pyramids and dwarf- 

 trained specimens, so as to protect the blossoms from frost and 

 not to act injuriously in other respects, it would be a great boon. 



A few of the more choice kinds may be grown in glass struc- 

 tures as recommended by Mr. Rivers, but hundreds cannot 

 afford even rough glass houses, and they have not the means to 

 grow the trees in pots ; otherwise it is a very pleasant occupa- 

 tion for one who has time and means to cultivate fruit trees 

 under glass, and to those who fancy this style of gardening we 

 would say, The rougher the house the better do the trees seem 

 to thrive. No harm results if there is a little ventilation between 

 many of the laps where the glass meets on the roof. The trees 

 if in pots require considerable supplies of water at the roots, 

 and they must not bo quite neglected in winter. 



The shading fixed upon rollers for the wall fruit trees should 

 be let down at sunset and drawn up in the morning about eight 

 or nine o'clock. The trees ought not to be covered a minute 

 longer than is necessary. The smaller fruit does not seem to 

 have suffered much from the frost as yet, the dryness of the air 

 and the ground having been favourable means of preservation. 



It is again necessary to urge the importance of destroying all 

 caterpillars and larvae of insects which infest bads and blossoms 

 in as early a stage of their development as possible. 



ORCH^VBD HOUSE. 



The fruit on Peach and Nectarine trees seems to have set very 

 well, that on Plum and Pear trees not so well. The glass has 

 been put-in in very large squares, and the builders were careful to 

 fit the squares closely at the laps, and the glass upright sashes at 

 the sides are formed of single squares 4 feet in length, so tbat 

 anless the ventilators are open the house is almost air-tight. 



We blame this for the Pears and Plums not setting well, as the 

 air is always damp owing to the water applied to Strawberry 

 plants in pots. At Mr. Fraser's nurseries. Lea Bridge Road, the 

 fruit trees in his orchard houses set their blossoms much better 

 than ours. The treatment of the trees is similar, but the 

 houses are built in a much rougher manner, with spaces for air 

 where the panes lap over each other. Of course air can be 

 given at the ventilators, but this is not so effectual as having it 

 distributed all over the surface of the glass. 



Aphis has appeared on the trees in different parts of the 

 house. This pest periodically visits us with the advent of the 

 young leaves, and the most effectual means for its destruction 

 is to fumigate with tobacco smoke. It requires three appli- 

 cations, and this is generally effectual. It is all very well to 

 sponge or wash with soapy water, but if you clear the insects 

 from one tree or branch of a tree they will appear on another 

 part, &o., ad injinitutn. Not so with smoke ; every part of the 

 house is permeated with it, and the destruction of insects is 

 complete. 



The trees are looked over occasionally to disbud the branches, 

 and to cut-out any > hoots which may be wrongly placed or which 

 are not required. When the trees are under a system of pinch- 

 ing the young growths soon become crowded, and they are not 

 always sufficiently thinned-out in autumn. It will be fonnd 

 that thinning can still be done with advantage. 



During the present cold weather water must be applied care- 

 fully ; still the trees must not be allowed to suffer, as they fre- 

 queutly do, especially those which have been top-dressed in the 

 autumn or winter. We were so sensible of this evil that we pot 

 our trees every year now instead of biennially, as used to be our 

 practice. The surface compost becomes sodden with wet, while 

 iinderneath the soil containing active roots often becomes dry, 

 and this evil increases as the days lengthen. We do not mean 

 that all or nearly all the trees get into this state, but some of 

 them do, and it is well to avoid the evil if we can. The potting 

 must be done as soon as the fruit is gathered in the autumn; at 

 that time the pota soon become full of fresh rootlets, otherwise 

 it is not safe to pot annually. With our method of early potting 

 a good set of fruit is certain so far as it is controlled by the 

 roots. During this cold weather we do not syringe at night, 

 only in the morning ; and one thorough syringing at this season 

 is better than two, if in tho latter case the water is not tho- 

 roughly applied to the leaves. Apply air early in the morning, 

 first a little at the highest part of the house, and close the veu- 

 tilatori between four and five o'clock in the afternoon. 



CnCUMBERS AND MELONS. 



Where these are growing in frames it has been an anxious 

 time to those in charge of them, but with care and right manage- 

 ment the plants may be kept in good growing condition. The 

 first essential is warmth at night: to secure this cover-up with 

 mats, or preferably mats and some cheap blanketing under 

 them. We had some cheap woollen material, and found' that 

 when it was placed under the mats tender plants were kept 

 safe during the coldest nights. Covering the glass will not 

 avail unless at the same time the heat ot the bed is kept-np by 

 linings. When the heat has declined cut away the old material 

 round the outer side of the heap, and mix it up with an equal 

 portion or more of fresh stable manure, and afterwards throw it 

 up round the frame. Then as to watering. Those who possess 

 forcing houses can place a potful of water in there ; failing this 

 the pot containing the water may be placed in the frame until it is 

 made sufficiently warm. The details of Melon culture is similar 

 to that of Cucumbers, except that a compost comprising more 

 loam and less manure is better adapted for them. In the Cu- 

 cumber house the plants are growing rapidly and producing 

 abundance of fine Cucumbers. The growths are thinned-out 

 weekly and regulated. The temperature is 70" at night with a 

 corresponding rise by day. 



OB.INGE AND Tia TREES IN POTS. 



These are now making good growth. The former require 

 70' at night, and Figs will do well in the same temperature, but 

 we think 0.5° sufficient for them. They do not receive manure 

 water, but the surface of the soil in the pots is dressed with 

 some rich material, and nothing is better than loam, guano, 

 powdered charcoal, and bone dust in about equal proportions. 

 This compost can be readily obtained, and the trees speedily 

 show by their rapid growth and healthy appearance that they 

 like it. Both Figs and Grange trees require to be thoroughly 

 syringed twice a-day at this season. The water used should be 

 made warm by standing it over the hot-water pipes, and we 

 apply the water with considerable force to the under sides of 

 the leaves, "rhis is the only way to keep red spider from the 

 Fig leaves, and it helps considerably to prevent the spread of 

 scale on the Oranges. 



FOBCINO FLOWERS. 



A continuous supply of Pinks, Roses, and Pelargoniums serve 

 to keep a conservatory gay with but little assistance from other 

 plants at this season, and few other flowers are more useful for 

 cutting ; and the expense of such plants after the first pur- 

 chases have been made is but little. The main requisite for 



