314 



JOUBNAL OF HOKTIOULTURE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 



[ M87 6, 1869. 



two fine pits of dwarf Peas in full bearing. Maclean's Little 

 Gem was the best for flavour ; Tom Thumb, or Beck's Gem, 

 was bearing by far the most profusely. 



Some cold pits had been cleared of early Potatoes. Of course 

 room must be had where all such crops are wanted early in 

 abundance. Broccoli in most places was, like ours, coming 

 rather too much at once ; but Mr. Cox had a nice piece, the 

 heads just forming, which would be valuable, the plants were 

 from seed of his own selecting and saving. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Meeting with Mr. Dewsbury we did not go to Stockwood, but 

 from all accounts we must give precedence to him this year as 

 respects forced Strawberries. With us and some of our neigh- 

 bours they have not been quite so good as usual this year, 

 especially the earliest. Even the splendid plants at Luton 

 Hoo, perhaps the strongest in pots we ever saw, did not quite 

 come up to Mr. Cadger's expectations. Later crops were look- 

 ing very promising in pots on a steep stage in a span-roofed 

 house. Melons were very forward, trained on a trellis in a 

 steep-roofed house near the glass, but with fine shading out- 

 side. The Peach wall has had fresh trees planted along a good 

 portion of it ; the trees planted by Mr. Fraser, after having 

 flourished for years, having mostly begun to decline after the 

 terrible nights at the close of 1860 and beginning of IflOl. As 

 a rule, the fruit crops, especially the hardy kinds, seemed to 

 promise well. We think we have the pre-eminence in being 

 liked by small birds, as nowhere did we see such numbers as 

 we have ; but we noticed in some places that to amuse them- 

 selves they had begun to make dry baths in the Onion beds, 

 and, as with us, were tearing up great numbers of the young 

 seedling Onions. Net and altogether, we fear they have cleared 

 off the most of our earliest Beet. 



Orchard trees in pots have needed more watering in the past 

 hot days, and a little sprinkling of water on the floor prevented 

 the air becoming too dry under glass. Thinned and tied-in 

 shoots in the Peach house, and regulated part of the late 

 vinery. We kept the paths and floors of other houses domp, 

 instead of syringing much overhead. Moved down the highest 

 shelf of Strawberries in the Peach house as liable to be earliest 

 infested with red spider, and as watering them well was becom- 

 ing more difficult. The Strawberries alluded to last week as 

 pricked out last autumn, are showing better than we expected. 

 We have, therefore, potted a lot, and plunged the pots in a 

 slight hotbed out of doors, to encourage the roots to the sides 

 C: the pots. 



SJiadinri. — Several new plant houses have been put up at The 

 Hyde, and the question of shading was discussed among a 

 practical committee of visitors and visited. On the score of 

 economy alone, we have done little or nothing with shading for 

 many years, using in extreme cases a little white-coloured water, 

 or when we desire it to be more permanent, we use a little 

 size in the water, or milk and just a little whitening to give a 

 very slight shade. Some labour is thus also saved, as when 

 fine shading outside the glass is used, considerable attention 

 must be given in rolling down and rolling up at the right 

 times. As a matter of propriety, there can be no question that 

 in the majority of cases a thin shade applied to the outside of 

 the glass is the best. The glass can thus be always clear and 

 clean, and the shade applied when the sun is very bright, 

 and removed at once in cloudy or dull weather, so that the 

 plants can have the full benefit of direct though subdued light. 

 The great argument against all fixed shading or shading the 

 glass, is that the shade remains in a dull day, when the plants 

 would rejoice in all the light they could obtain. Some of the 

 best shading we have seen for the outside of houses, with 

 rollers, is a sort of strong white open cheese cloth, used largely 

 at Luton Hoo. We cannot say we like the dirty colour of 

 frigi-domo for elegant houses, and the most of tiffany is too 

 slender to bear the weight of a roller without support. We 

 would prefer bleached calico, as cheaper and better. For fixed 

 shading for ornamental houses, we have seen nothing to beat 

 the plan adopted by Mr. Cox, and which we think we alluded 

 to years ago. For instance, in the new conservatory at the 

 house — we forget whether it has a double or triple span — in 

 the ridge-and-furrow style, with upright glass in front, just in 

 the level horizontal space under each ridge or span, strong 

 white book muslin is fastened from side to side with rings and 

 hooks, well stretched. In a dull day such a thin shade does 

 not injuriously exclude the light, and in a bright day it shades 

 snfiiciently. When you look up you see everything clean, there 

 is little waste and wear in the material, and there is no cease- 

 less trouble with rollers, and ropes, and pulleys outside the 



roof. Under similar circumstances we would be inclined to 

 follow Mr. Cox's example. Here we would give a caution ; Dis- 

 pense for a time with all such textile fabrics for shading, either 

 outside or inside of glass, and you may find it will not be such 

 an easy matter to return to such shading again. 



ORNAMENTAI, DEPARTMENT. 



We have been busy with potting, arranging bedding plants, 

 making up hardy edgings, &o., and without finding anything 

 new, we found that all our neighbours were doing their best 

 to place their bedding plants out of doors under some rough 

 protection. Three things we must notice. First, a sight we 

 saw on going to The Hyde, which both delighted and mortified 

 us. A wood had been thinned out, and the ground was carpeted 

 with a dense profusion of the wild blue Hyacinth. The sun 

 shining brightly through the thinned and pruued-up trees, 

 produced a flickering in the atmosphere, that set oS the bright 

 dancing bells to the greatest advantage. We can see numbers 

 of the same wild flowers every day, but never did we see such 

 masses. But then the mortification to think, that with all the 

 energy and skill we could command, we could not hope to 

 equal, far less excel, that scene in the woodlands wild. 



The second thing is this. Some years ago we passed a high 

 eulogium on Fehx, a Pelargonium raised by Mr. Tirebuok. 

 We have found it a slow grower, and wo have only yet a few ol 

 it, partly, perhaps, from carelessness. Mr. Young may well 

 make Mr. 'Tirebuck uneasy, as from small beginnings he has 

 such a numerous stock of strong healthy plants. For a bed 

 or pot this is one of the most unique kinds. In Mrs. Young's 

 window was a plant in a 4-inch pot, with three trusses of bloom 

 almost as large as Hydrangeas. 



We noticed a speciality at Luton Hoo last autumn, and we 

 find it will be more remarkable this season, and that wag a 

 number of fine plants of Coleus Verschaffeiti, strong and lofty, 

 trained in the pyramidal form, and which had a very striking 

 appearance. With this kind, and the best of the new varieties, 

 Mr. Cadger is growing plants for the same style this season. 

 With rich nourishment, some of the best coloured have leaves 

 already almost as large as C.ibbages. Those who have room 

 and a little heat, may well take a lesson as to this mode of 

 growth. Set among other plants, or as a row of standards by 

 themselves, and especially in the pyramidal form, these plants 

 will have a most fascinating appearance. — K. F. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— May 5. 



These is rather more animation in busine^a, and prices are fully main- 

 tained for the b'ist descriptions of vcgetahlos. Hothonse produce com- 

 prises Peaches, Nectarines, Melons, Strawberries, Grapes, Pine Apples, 

 and Figs, all of excellent qua ity. Foreifin importations, which are 

 heavy, include Apricots and Cherries from the south of France, Bananas 

 and Pine Apples irom Madeira, Artichokes and Tomatoes from Algiers. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 

 J. Carter & Co., 237 and 238, High Holbom, London, W.O. 

 -Carter's List of Bedding and other Plants for 1869. 



