JonaaiT 21, 1839. 1 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTIOULTUKE A.ND OOTIAGE GAKDENEB. 



47 



tUoaj4li the variotieB of t'uese aro being coatinually multiplicJ, aJdi- 

 tious to tbo kinds of regetablea grown are seldom, if tver, made. 

 Whilst Bpeakin" of M. Chevet's shop, he might mention the magnifi- 

 cent display of Truffles there. It was considered by tjom-mrts that 

 the past nad been a good Traifle year. To enjoy a Truffle it must bo 

 eaten fresh — not more than a week after having been taken from tlio 

 gi'onnd. When at Cannes ho had been at a Trutlle hunt, and had jiut 

 a tuber in his pocket ; he smeit it every morning fora week, and found 

 that the scent remained for just that time. Those who wished to know 

 vhat Truffles really are must have them direct from PiU'is, and cat 

 them fresh. 



Mr. Batemau in proceeding to notice the Orchids shown, called 

 Attention to au ingenious Orchid basket, the invention of a Mr. Briggs, 

 of Chester. This, he said, if it would endure well and contained no 

 injurious ingredient, would he very desirable, the design being taken 

 from brunches of trees, and lieing in very pure taste. With regard to the 

 Orchids before the meeting, the first he would notice was that most use- 

 ful of all the Phalrpnop?»e3, Phahenopsis SchiUeriaaa. Of this. Baron 

 Bothschild's gardener had sent a specimen with between fifty and 

 sixty flowers expanded and unexjianded. Mr. Williams, however, had 

 counted onco as many as a hundred flowers on a single plant. He 

 was glad to see Barou Kothschild enlisted among the Orchid-growers. 

 There wore also fine examples of the same Orchid from Messrs. Carter. 

 Among novelties they had Odoutoglossum cristatnm, not, however, of 

 very great beauty, and Lycastc Sehillerian:i. of which the same might 

 be said. An Oncidium from Lord Londesborough's gardener, though 

 not of great interest, was also noticed on account of that nobleman 

 haWug taken up the cultivation of Orchids. With reference to Bonatea 

 speciosa, he would mention that it would succeed with cool dry treatment 

 in the Mexican hou«e, where it is exceedingly useful. 



The Kev. M. J. Berkeley said that as Mr. Bateman had mentioned 

 his name in connection with Truffles, he would remark that we have in 

 this country many species of TmiHe, but not Tuber melanospormum, 

 which is sold in Paris, the only native one to be seen in our markets 

 being T. mstivum. As regards preserving Truffles, the Perigord Truffle 

 would retain a good deal of its aroma in oil, but nothing could be worse 

 than dried TrnfHes. 



The Chairman then announced that the Annual General Meeting 

 would be held on Februarv 9th. 



GARDENING IN THE WEST.— No. 4. 



I PROCEED to describe the arrangement for growing plants 

 SQCoessfully and conveniently in rooms heated by furnaces 

 beneath them, or stoves within them. It must, in the first 

 place, be stated that the coal generally used for these stoves or 

 furnaces is that called anthracite, or stone coal, in Pennsyl- 

 vania, a sort which seems to have been naturally coked under 

 immense pressure in the bowels of the earth, and which burns 

 with little or no flame, but gives off an intense and long-con- 

 tinuing heat. The improved gas-consuming and sslf-regu- 

 lating stoves recjuire feeding but once a-day, and emit no 

 deleterious fumes, requiring very little draught to carry all off, 

 and almost no amount of care. This anthracite coal is the 

 glory of eastern Pennsylvania, as iron is of the centre, and as 

 bituminous coal and petroleum are of the western part of that 

 well-endowed state. 



The plants are arranged within 6he space enclosed between 

 an external window open to the cast or south — and of which 

 either the upper sash can be let down, or a covering roof raised 

 up for ventilation when necessary — and an internal one, which 

 opens likes a French window for easy access to the plants. 

 Heat is supplied by causing the warm air of the room to cir- 

 culate through the enclosure, and this circulation is secured by 

 providing two openings, one over and one under the inner 

 window. As the air becomes cooled by contact with the outer 

 window it flows into the room through the lower opening, thus 

 making way for the entrance of the warm air from near the 

 ceiling of the room through the upper opening. The necessary 

 moisture is supplied to the air as it enters in an equally simple 

 and effective manner ; the upper opening being made wider 

 than the lower one (as much as 8 or 12 inches deep, according 

 to the capacity of the enclosure), a long narrow trough of zinc 

 is placed so as to rest safely along the bottom of the opening, 

 but in such a manner as to be easily removable when necessary. 

 This is supplied with water, into which a little curtain of open 

 worsted material suspended from the top of the opening dips, 

 so that all the air that enters must pass through its interstices, 

 of course imbibing on its way through a good supply of the 

 moisture which is continually ascending the curtain by capil- 

 lary attraction. Only a portion of this moisture is carried back 

 into the room ; much of it is condensed on the outer glass, 

 where, during cold nights, it forms a thick coat of beautiful and 

 protective frostwork, emulating the beauty of the foliage in 

 elegance and variety of pattern, and almost as useful as an 



ordinary shutter in repelling cold. As this coat of ice is dis- 

 solved by the beams of the morning sun, the drip is caught in 

 a zinc pan, which also receives any overflow from watering. 



In another arrangement embodying the same principles, the 

 inner window and the plant stage are attached together, and 

 aro supported on one side by castors to carry the whole 

 smoothly and evenly over the floor, when it is desired to open 

 the case either for access or display; the other eide being 

 loos-ejy hinged at top and bottom. Where two windows, as a 

 south and an oast one, are at suitable distances and both thus 

 stocked with plants, when the stages are wheeled out towards 

 each other across the intervening angle of the room, the plants 

 on these make, along with those remaining in the windows, 

 quite a display. 



The taste of American plant-lovers seems to favour bright- 

 ness and contrast of colour with symmetry of form. Hence 

 plants that require full light, and such as aro symmetrically 

 erect or neatly climbing or wantonly trailing, are more ap- 

 proved than the quiet little denizens of Wardian cases, however 

 neat. 



We must next look at things out of doors with our dry-air 

 spectacles, and then go on to the consideration of temperatures 

 more violent than our ow n. — Pennsylvania. 



Me. Edward Parke Fr.inci3. — We regret to announce the 

 death of this well-knovm nurseryman, which took place on the 

 11th inst. at his residence at Hertford, in which town he had 

 carried on business for nearly forty years. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



If hot dung is suffioieutly worked let a seed bed be made 

 forthwith for Cucumbers and Melons ; a two-light frame answers 

 well for the purpose. Cover the dung inside with 6 inches of 

 old and clean-riddled tau, or cocoa-nut fibre refuse, and plunge 

 the seed pots near the glass, taking care, if the bottom heat 

 exceeds 90°, to keep it subdued. Endeavour to have a spare 

 frame or pit for early Potatoes ; a bottom heat of 70", that will 

 last for a month, will be ample, and the sooner it dies away 

 after that the better ; too long a continuiuce of bottom heat 

 will draw the haulm. If a frame can be spared sow Horn 

 Carrots and frame Eadislws in alternate rows 3 inches apart ; 

 a very slight bottom heat of 65" will accelerate them much. 

 Proceed with successional Asparagzis : the early beds if kept 

 well lined will do again, or they will make excellent beds for 

 Potatoes, or early Carrots and liadishES. Provide siccessionB 

 of Kidney Beanx and Strawberries as soon as room can be 

 spared for them. Kemember that Strawberries are bast started 

 in pits or frames with a bottom heat of 70° and an abundant 

 supply of air, and may afterwards be removed to the hothouse 

 shelves if necessary. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Fruit trees and bushes may be pruned at once if their prun- 

 ing has not already been completed. However, where birds 

 are troublesome this work may be left till March. Trees on 

 houses, walls, &a., when pruned, should have enough of wood 

 taken out to prevent crowding. Cut out old diseased branches, 

 and replace them with young ones. Keep the whole tree regular 

 over the space to be covered. Bushes, when pruned, shonld 

 have their branches kept as upright as possible, cutting out all 

 cross shoots, and taking care to avoid crowding. Cutting out 

 a few old branches every season and replacing them witk 

 young ones, keeps the plant healthy and vigorous. Protect 

 newly planted trees with litter over their roots, and secure 

 them against wind. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



This will now be desolate unless soma means have been de- 

 vised to supply the place of the summer flower.s ; perhaps there 

 is no better plan than to keep a supply of small evergreens in 

 pots, which might be done with but little trouble, and these 

 may be plunged in the beds when the flowers are removed. 

 They ought in all cases to be kept together in masses of one 

 kind of plants, as being far preferable, in point of taste, to an 

 indiscriminate mixture. No plant is better adapted for this 

 purpose than the Dwarf British Furze (TJlex nana), which 

 flowers so generally throughout the winter. Other plants 

 adapted for the same purpose are — Aucuba japonica, IJuxns 

 sempervirens suffruticosa (Dwarf Box tree) ; Hex aquifoUum 

 (Holly), green and variegated varieties ; Phillyrea, several 



