April IB, 1869. ] 



JOURNAL OP HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



261 



fact, we generally gather more from pots than when the Poa is 

 planted out. Wo put a few twigs to each pot, and Bometimos 

 add a string round them. The Peas want but little watering 

 until they begin to swell their pods, though, of course, they 

 lanflt not be left. dry. 



Of the Peas sown in the open air, and that were merely 

 coloured with red lead, we have not observed that a single seed 

 has been purloined by birds or mice. We sowed about a week 

 ago some rows without red-leading them, but as pheasants were 

 about we ran a piece of wire-netting 2 feet wide over them, 

 merely bending it in conical semicircular fashion ; and though 

 that kept the pheasants off, before two nights had passed the 

 mice had made many tracks, though several were trapped. So 

 far as we have seen not a leaded seed has been touched, and 

 even as respects the young shoots of the Peas, though several 

 pairs of partridges have made themselves rather more domes- 

 ticated than the invitations given them would warrant, they 

 have as yet left the young shoots alone. 



We are obliged to a correspondent who has directed our 

 attention to the danger of poieon from eating the Peas, &o., 

 produced by plants whoso seeds have been coated with red lead, 

 but apart from the nice chemical question involved, and which 

 has been alluded to, we would take a certain degree of con- 

 fidence against any evil in the fact that the poisonous lead 

 only affects the outsides of the seed primarily, that these 

 outsides become the cotyledons or seed leaves of the plant, 

 which soon fall off or shrivel up as the true leaves expand, 

 and that, therefore, the plants are less likely to suffer than 

 they would be were a poisonous matter incorporated with the 

 soil. We certainly should be surprised if the cleverest chemist 

 fonud the smallest appreciable quantity of lead in the young 

 sweet Peas that were necessary to give a zest to the first young 

 ducks of the season ; but still the note of alarm is very timely, 

 and may merit further consideration, and may lead workmen 

 in gardens, as well as painters, to be more careful when working 

 among leads. It is not so long ago that the most of a gar- 

 dener's family were prostrated with low fever and paralysis 

 from using the purest of water, but coming to them for a con- 

 siderable distance in lead pipes. 



Mtishrooms. — We have put up what we intend for the last 

 bed in the Mushroom house, and will be preparing material for 

 a bed in the shed open on one side. These succession beds in 

 the Mushroom house enable ns to obtain almost enough of heat 

 without any other artificial warmth, especially when a little 

 covering is used over the beds. In a house regularly heated, 

 we do not consider covering necessary after the Mushrooms 

 come thickly, and without it they are more easily looked after. 

 When a bed is wanted to come in early, the slight covering 

 brings them more quickly to the surface, by the more equal 

 heat, and when little or no fire heat is used, the covering keeps 

 the bed more regular, even if there is only a sprinkling of 

 old hay — more regular not merely ag respects heat, but also 

 as respects moisture, and this renders watering little neces- 

 sary. A close, moist atmosphere is the delight of the Mush- 

 room, as well as ol most other Fungi. Woodlice have begun to 

 appear, but if a little covering is used, on taking it oft they 

 will scamper to the small crack that will in time be made be- 

 tween the wall, or board, and bed, and a little water near the 

 boiling point poured down there will settle the woodlice and do 

 no barm to the bed. 



Cucumbers. — Turned out most of those we intend for early 

 work. Just finished those planted in a pit in the autumn ; 

 but for these we should have had some turned out earlier. Our 

 old gardeners managed them all the winter in dung pits, and 

 flat-roofed too. We find, however, that ours in a flat pit suffer 

 from the want of direct perpendicular light ia winter, but 

 that may be partly owing, so far as our impressions are con- 

 cerned, to the seeing at times Cucumbers growing in span- 

 roofed and other houses with steep roofs, and the glass, there- 

 fore, more exposed to the straight rays of the sun in the dark 

 months. Such roofs are also superior for the purpose in sum- 

 mer, as then the sun is not so direct and powerful as on a 

 flatter roof. This is also one of the advantages of span-roofed 

 houses with their ends nearly north and south. The house 

 receives the full benefit of the morning and afternoon sun, 

 whilst the strength of the sun at mid-day is greatly moderated. 



With a few plants we are repeating an experiment which 

 we have often found successful when we wished to obtain a 

 few fruit as early as possible. Besides the plauts planted out 

 in the beds, we have widened the holes in the bottoms of the 

 6-iuch pots containing plants showing fruit, and merely plunged 

 these pots partly near the back of the bed. These plants. 



though strong, receive no check in planting. When the fruit 

 begins swelling the plant is well stumped-in, and when the 

 more permanent plants aro bearing, and lilliug the beds, these 

 more temporary ones, having served their purpose, are re- 

 moved. We need not enter into the reasons why the curbing 

 of the roots induces fertility, or why a little extra manuring 

 cause.^ the fruit under such circumstances to swell more 

 rapidly than if the roots had more range, and the plant more 

 luxuriunce. We have grown Cucumbers in rather large pots 

 with great success ; but the fruiting in small pots is only for a 

 definite purpose. From plauts exactly ahke in other respects, 

 we have thus often gained a fortnight or three weeks in 

 gathering. 



FKOIT GAIIDEK. 



The work here has chiefly been nailing, as we were behind, 

 and thinning the shoots in the first orchard house — those in 

 the second and on the walls are not yet far enough advanced 

 — watering Strawberries, moving them to the best positions, 

 watering trees in pots carefully according to their requirements, 

 planting out Melons, regulating Vines, thinning Peaches in 

 I?each house, &o. ; shutting-up glass houses early in the after- 

 noon to secure the benefit of the sun heat, and at least sprink- 

 ling the paths and floors with a little water from the syringe. 

 Our late orchard house, if we sprinkle the paths in a hot day, 

 we leave open in mild nights, not to hurry the trees on. On 

 the open wall in the case of Cherries, the blossom not yet open, 

 we have syringed them all with limewash, containing a little 

 soot to deaden the light colour. That, in proportion as the 

 lime is fresh, will kill the mosses, and do much to keep the 

 trees free from insects. The white colouring has kept the birds 

 from almost all buds, except those of Plum trees. They have 

 punished a fine row of dwarfs sadly. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPAETMEVT. 



We have been busy with out-door work, but the two chief 

 items have been putting in numbers of cuttings of Verbenas, 

 Chrysanthemums, &c., and giving them a little bottom heat. 

 These generally do better than even those that have stood the 

 winter, as when planted out when strong and vigorous they 

 seem to receive no check. We have also been putting our Cal- 

 ceolarias out of the bed in which they were struck, and where 

 they have remained all the winter very thickly, and planting 

 them temporarily, so as to have room for growth, in earth and 

 turf pits, where they can have a little protection. They were a 

 perfect thicket before being moved, and there would have been 

 scarcely a loss but for a rat and some mice that found their 

 way among them. They were scarcely ever watered all the 

 winter, but received a good watering about eight days ago. As 

 the cuttings had been inserted in fresh soil brought from the 

 sides of the highway, we raised the plants in lumps 4 or 5 inches 

 deep and full of roots, and then the lumps easily broke off 

 into little balls. Though strong tall plants, they do not as 

 yet show any evidence of having been moved, and we have 

 no doubt that a month or six weeks hence they will rise with 

 fine balls, and can be removed without injury to their destina- 

 tion. They were planted across the bed in little trenches from 

 4 inches apart, and a little fresh roughish soil was sprinkled 

 along the rows before watering and covering up. The fresh soil 

 is an advantage even in a small -quantity, as the beds have been 

 long used for such a purpose. Our compost, merely placed 

 round the roots, would be three parts of sandy loam, one of 

 mushroom-bed dung, and one of leaf mould passed through 

 a wide sieve. The roots run into, and hold in this rough 

 material better than if it were finer. We use many things for 

 protection for a time, but altogether nothing is so good as 

 unbleached calico strained tightly over the bed. Few plants 

 will yet beat the Calceolarias where moisture can be commanded 

 in summer, and, managed as above, they give but little trouble. 

 With the exception of air and protection they need little atten- 

 tion all the winter, and we have frequently planted them out 

 under calico ; and besides watering them then we gave them no 

 more nntil a few days before final transplanting. — ^B. F. 



TRADE CATALOGUE RECEn^ED. 



W. Fvollisson & Sons, Tooting, London, S.W. — General 

 Catalogue. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— April 14. 



"We have experienced a preat fnlHng off in the papply of Apples dnring 

 the last weel^ especially of culicary sorts, bot the demand is chiefly 

 retail. Rhubarb, being plentilul, takea their place to a large extent- 



