JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



SUMMER "WOEK IN THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



N the last day of May we finished planting 

 our flower garden, and I daresay all your 

 readers both in early and late districts will 

 have finished by the time this appears in 

 print. Bedding-ont time is always a busy 

 period, especially where there is much of it 

 to do ; and although the heaviest of the 

 work may be done then, there are still many 

 matters requiring attending to, both shortly 

 after the plants are planted and onwards 

 throughout the whole of the season. Immediately after 

 planting the whole of the beds should be run through 

 with a Dutch hoe to level the soil, and at the same time 

 remove all stones and rubbish with the hand, which gives 

 the ground a tidy appearance until it is covered by the 

 plants. This is how we did our beds, and they were 

 hoed again the other day because the surface was begin- 

 ning to look close again after a splendid rain. With the 

 rain, and particularly the hoeing, the plants appeared to 

 have made great progress in one night, and as the soil 

 is now open and the plants in a free growing state we 

 shall concern ourselves no more about either watering or 

 hoeing, unless the latter be to kill weeds, and then I 

 prefer pulling them up with the hand. 



But perhaps everyone may not have been so fortunate 

 in having rain, and in that case something else must be 

 done. When the beds are very dry and the plants at a 

 standstill for want of water, begin to overcome this by 

 hoeing all the beds and leave them very rough. Do this 

 in the forenoon, and in the .afternoon give them a thorough 

 and complete watering. I use these two words where 

 one might do in ordinary subjects to give an impression 

 of the great importance of a perfect watering, because if 

 the beds are not made as wet as they would be with ten 

 hours' constant rain the time and labour spent in water- 

 ing had much better be applied to something else. After 

 attending to this in the evening, next morning run the 

 hoe through the .surface and leave it all neat, as the 

 surface will not need to be disturbed again, because one 

 watering given in this way will make the plants grow 

 through a month of dry weather, and then, come what 

 may after that time, the plants will stand it without any 

 artificial assistance. 



Plants, especially Geraniums, which have been planted 

 before they were thoroughly hardened, generally lose 

 their lowermost leaves, ihese must be picked-off as they 

 decay, as they are very unsightly. Verbenas, Trop;EO- 

 Inms, Petunias, and many other straggiing-growing plants 

 are very liable to be broken or injured by the wind after 

 they are more than inches in length, and to prevent 

 this they must be pegged to the ground, and in doing 

 this arrange the shoots so as to cover as much of the 

 soil as possible. Tall-growing plants must be staked 

 according to their height of growth. I know some places 

 where Geraniums, Calceolarias, Stocks, &c., have all to 

 be staked, or they would be blown out by the roots ; and 

 where this is the case all this should be done when they 

 No. »47.-VoL. XXXIL, New Series 



are planted, or very shortly afterwards. I always prefer 

 pegging to pinching. The latter I never practise unless 

 to keep a plant in its place. 



Where herbaceous plants are growing in the flower 

 garden stakiug and tjiug must be attended to weekly 

 thi-oughout the season, and let the flowers be cut from 

 every plant as soon as they decay. It is wonderinl the 

 effect this has on the appearance of many plants. I 

 have seen many Geraniums which seemed entirely past 

 blooming, but when the dead top of the trusses were 

 clipped away the buds underneath opened with all their 

 original beauty. When the beds have a thorough over- 

 hauling in the way of cutting off dead flowers and remov- 

 ing withered leaves the surface of the soil must always 

 be hoed afterwards. Throughout the whole of the sum- 

 mer-bedding season cleaning and keeping clean must be 

 the order of the day. If the beds are on grass let that 

 be cut frequently ; if on gravel, then raking and rolling 

 must be regularly done. Never let a weed be seen near 

 a flower, nor an edge become rough. About the begin- 

 ning of August when the autumn propagation commences 

 the flower beds are often considerably damaged in appear- 

 ance for some time, especially if the plants have not 

 grown much and have to be out hard -in. To avoid this 

 as far as possible take all cuttings off with care, and trim 

 both iilants and beds as the cuttings are taken ofi'. 



In carpet beds where miniature designs are wrought 

 out, attention must be frequently paid to pinching the 

 different plants to prevent them from covering one 

 another, and also to keep them from growing tall to 

 lose their effect. In the latter part of September and 

 throughout October no e.-certion should be wanting to 

 keep everything fresh and clean in appearance, as in 

 many instances it is at this time that the flower garden 

 is most desired to be gay. — A Flower Gardener. 



FRUIT TREE CULTURE. 



Various articles of great value have recently appeared 

 in the Journal on this important subject. " W. G." has 

 written from Kent, " W. 0." from Yorkshire, and Mr. 

 Abbey, also I presume from the north, have each con- 

 veyed welcome instruction. These writers all appear to 

 be in favour of dwarf trees ; while Mr. Kobson, on the 

 other hand, has borne testimony to the greater useful- 

 ness of standards for producing " tons of fruit " for the 

 markets. The law in reference to the planting of fruit 

 trees has also been alluded to in an able article by a, 

 Gloucestershire correspondent. That the law, as at pre- 

 sent established, has a deterrent effect on fruit culture- 

 few, I think, can deny; and I fear, too, that the legal 

 impediments will continue to exist since other questions- 

 more "pressing" are likely to absorb the attention of 

 our legislators for some time to come, and most of them 

 in the meantime can obtain plenty of fruit. 



One of your correspondents has suggested that tenants 

 may well plant fruit trees tince they cost but little, and 

 when worked on precocious stocks, and well managed, 

 they quickly arrive at a bearing state. It is true that 



No. HS9.— Vol. LVIL. Old Series. 



