February i, 1869. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTlCULTtJBB AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



:& 



ior a week. Aa it was, harJly a sixth part survived tlie follow- 

 ing summer. It rotiiiires some experience to accept tlie simple 

 fact, that the roots of hardy trees are ptreatly injured when 

 exposed to frost, or even to dryinR winds. The trees referred to, 

 and for the purpose contemplated, were worth a large sum of 

 money, and tliat wiis almost entirely sacriticud to obtain a first 

 economy in time and labour. 



When much transplanting is to be done it is well to have 

 one good man at least at the takiuR-up, so as to do justice to 

 the roots, and one man who knows or can be taught the spread- 

 ing-ont and packing the roots in layers. The trees should 

 be taken up no faster than thoy can be plunted, and the plant- 

 ing and staking of one tree should be finirfbed before the next 

 is proceeded with. The thorough finishing, so as to make 

 a sort of basin round each tree, is the only thing that can with 

 propriety be left to a future occasion. 



When rather birgo trees como from a considerable distance 

 the roots should be mulched, and kept from the air, and espe- 

 cially a frosty air. Some time ago we saw fine young trees 

 folly 20 feet in height passing along the highway on a waggon, 

 the trees tied down with ropes, and the roots showing signs of 

 frequent transplanting in their nursery quarters, but exposed 

 back and front of the waggon to a frosty wind. Properly treated 

 there was no apparent reason why such trees should not 

 have lived through the first summer, and gone freely on in 

 vigorous growth in the second summer. Curiosity led ns to 

 inquire into the future condition of these trees, and we were 

 not surprised to learn that the first .July after planting found 

 scarcely one in ten alive. We shall not have mentioned this 

 fact in vain if the senders-out and the purchasers of trees see 

 the importance of protecting the roots. Some time ago we 

 walked through a nursery in a keen frosty morning, and noticed 

 some scores of fine trees of Chestnut, Lime, and Poplar, averag- 

 ing about 20 feet in height, with fine roots, carefully taken up, 

 but with these roots freely exposed to the dry air then, and the 

 severe frost of the previous week. Now these trees we could 

 not trace ; but intended as they were to produce an effect at 

 once, it would not have surprised us if two-thirds of them had 

 died the first summer. 



A little sun would do great good in all places where heat is 

 used, and especially in Peach houses, where the bloom, as 

 in ours, is just opening. This house we keep about .'50° at 

 night, rather under than over, and allow a good rise during the 

 day, with sunshine if it comes, and a little air given early. 

 Drew a feather and a dry hand over Strawberries in bloom. 

 Sowed Melon seed in the Cucumber frame, where the Cucum- 

 bers in our quickly-put-together bed are doing well, the fresh- 

 ness of the dung used being neutralised by the foot of hot 

 leaves that cover it. The temperature, with covering-up at 

 night, averages 65'; in dull days it is scarcely so high during 

 the day, but in sunshine it mounts to 70° and upwards, and 

 before that we give a little air. 



Scarcely a morning passes that we do not trap rats or mice, 

 and yet we dare not sow a Melon seed without putting a square 

 of glass over the pot, and a weight on the glass to prevent 

 even the mice moving it aside. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTJIENT. 



Two things we will just allude to. First, in connection with 

 giving air to all plant houses, in fine days make sure that the 

 plants are not dry, but avoid spilling an extra drop of water. 

 The air of the houses, unless where a high temperature is used, 

 will be quite damp enough in this mild weather without slop- 

 ping water about. In dry, frosty weather it might be neces- 

 sary to damp the stages and paths a little. 



Secondly, as to hnlbx of all kinds that stand almost any treat- 

 ment. Let your friends see that you know something of vege- 

 table development by giving them the lightest place in your 

 rooms. When these can be obtained early there is no difficulty 

 in having them early in bloom. The great point is to have 

 the pot filled with roots befgre the flower stems begin to rise. 

 We have had Hyacinths moderately early, though we did not 

 get the bulbs until the dark days, by giving the pots heat and 

 beeping the tops of the Hyacinths cool until the pots were filled 

 with roots. After that, when fine healthy growth is required, 

 nothing is better for forwarding for rooms and greenhouses 

 than a dung-bed frame, such as a Cnoumber box, partly plung- 

 ing the pot, and raising it on the surface as soon as the first 

 florets expand, as preparatory to moving it where the atmo- 

 sphere will be drier. Before Christmas, and a little afterwards, 

 some strong flower stems seem unwilling to rise, and there 

 would not be room for the florets to expand, as they would do 

 when the stem rises •! or 4 inches before the florets expand, 



as after that the stem rises freely to give room for each floret 

 to show itself. To counteract this dumpy tendency we have 

 found nothing better than a funnel of thm paper placed over 

 the bulb, which, by the enclosed heat, prompts the stem to rise 

 freely. When glasses are preferred in rooms it is no bad plan 

 to grow in pots, and when a few florets have expanded to turn 

 the plant out of the pot, and in a pail of water at 80" wash 

 away carefully the soil from the roots, then set the roots care- 

 fully in the glass, and give fresh heated water every second 

 day. I-'or children to watch the processes of root-making, clear 

 glasses are best ; for the good of the bulbs and as looking better, 

 we prefer glasses tinted purple or dark green.— E. F. 



TRADE CATALOCxUES RECEIVED. 



F. i- A. Dickson & Sons, lOG, Kastgate Street, and Upton 

 Nurseries, Cheater.— Cataloriue of Veyetuhle and mower Seeds. 



S. Dixon & Co., 48A, Moorgate Street, London, I'^.C— Select 

 Lift of Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 



Stuart & Mein, Kelso.— General Catalogue of Vegetalle and 

 Flower Seeds. 



London and Continental Seed Company, OS, Welbeck Street, 

 Cavendish Square, London, W.— Catalogue of Seeds for the 

 Farm and the Garden.— Catalogue of Seeds for the Flower 

 Garden. 



E. G. Henderson & Son, Wellington Road, St. John's Wood, 

 London, li.'W.— Catalogue of Flower, Vegetable, and Agricul- 

 tural Seeds. , -n- l 



Thomas Bunyard & Sons, Maidstone and Ashford, Kent.— 

 Descriptive Catalogue of Vegetable, Flower, and Agricultural 

 Seeds. 



• COVENT GARDEN MARKET— Feerdahy :i. 



We have ample supplies of both home-grown »nd foreien produce, and 

 there is no alteratiou from last week that is worthy o( notice. 



Apples Vi sieve 1 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bush. 10 



Currants .... }^ sieve 



Black do, 



Fics doz. 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 1 



Gooseberries . . quart 



Grapes, Hothouse. -lb. 6 



Lemons 100 4 



d. s. 

 6 to 2 

 



2 

 



Melons each 



Nectnrines doz. 



Orances 100 



Peaches doz. 



Pears (dessert) . . doz. 



Pine Apples lb. 



Plums ?i sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts busb. 10 



do 100 1 



s. d. s. d 

 2 to 5 

 





 



8 







1 6 

 

 



16 

 Z R 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes doz. 



Asparagus 100 



Beans, Kidney . . hd. 



Beet, Red doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Brus. Sprouts fii sieve 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums 100 



CaiTots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery. bundle 



Cucumbers .... each 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish ..bundle 



d. s. 

 0to6 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce score 2 



Mushrooms. ... pottle 1 



Mustd.& Cresa,puunet 



Onions bushel 6 



Parsley sieve S 



2 1 Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



8 Potatoes bushel 4 



4 Kidney do. 4 



2 Radishes doz.bunches 1 



4 Rhubarb bundle 



Sea-kale basket 2 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 2 



Tomatoes doz. 1 



5 Turnips bunch 



d. s. 



4 too 



8 



4 



1 



9 



6 



7 

 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



»,• We request that no one will write privately to the depart- 

 mental writers of the " Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, rf'c, 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, F..C. 



We also request that correspondents will not mix up on the 

 same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them an- 

 swered promptly and conveniently, but write them on 

 separate communications. Also never to send more than 

 two or three questions at once. 



K.B. Many questions must remain unanswered until next 



week. 

 Books {Constant Ecarfer).— "The Floral Magazine " contains coloured 



portraits of new flowers, but nothing about Iheii culture. " The Flonst 



