80 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICOLTDEE AND COTTAGE GARDENEK. 



[ Jaly 30, ises. 



give a good watering to prevent the soil cracking from dryness. 

 The outside border was mulched in the beginning of the 

 winter, and as the season was so dry the mulching has rotted 

 down, and has never been removed. That border has had no 

 watering all the season, and has kept sufficiently moist owing 

 to the 2 or 3 inches of rotten mulching. There was just a 

 little assistance from Strawberry pots standing on the border, 

 which were several times watered. In such seasons, and in 

 fact in any season, fruit trees would do much better with this 

 mukhiug than with waterings of cold water. Many years ago 

 we proved this to our own satisfaction, and to the saving of 

 our water supply, and we should have done much more in this 

 way of late, but our mulching material was scarce. A little 

 stable manure and tree leaves formed the protection given to 

 the Peach border; now, of course, all is well rotten, and what 

 at first might be 8 inches deep when loose, will be 3 inches 

 when compact; in fact, the mulching will range now from 

 2 to 3 inches. It has saved all watering, even in this hot sum- 

 mer, and the fruit swelled beautifully. We shall have some- 

 thing more to say on this subject when alluding to the practice 

 in this respect of one of the best Grape-growers in the country, 

 who never waters his wide outside borders. 



Last week we stated that we had fresh-mulched all our 

 orchard-house trees in pots, and we have given the ground a 

 good watering with what we could get. Oning to the heat we 

 have gathered fine Figs in the orchard house earlier than usual. 

 Plums have also come in useful ; and Peaches and Nectarines, 

 which could have been in, we are for a definite purpose keeping 

 back, by air-giving night and day. When much is attempted 

 in one house, and that house is unhealed, we are apt to injure 

 something. For instance, the higher temperature we were giving 

 this house, merely by reducing the air given, would not only 

 have prevented a little stoppage between fruit-gathering from 

 the Peach house aud the orchard house, but the same treat- 

 ment that would have afforded Peaches and Nectarines a few 

 weeks earlier would also have suited the Vines growing in the 

 house, as such Vines, chiefly late kinds, do best when ripened 

 rather early in the autumn. As it is, there will be a consider- 

 able difference in the time of ripening in our two houses, but 

 there would have been more had we not tried to retard the first 

 house, which we may manage for eight or ten days by keeping 

 it as cool as possible in this weather, and slightly shading the 

 roof with a sprinkling over the glass of whitened water. Cool- 

 ness is also much promoted by slightly sprinkling the floor 

 with water in the hottest time of the day. This is a very 

 different affair from dribbling as an excuse for watering. When 

 real watering is intended it is best to water thoroughly, and 

 then wait until watering is again needed. When clear water 

 can be obtained, refreshing the foliage and even slightly damp- 

 ing the surface so that the water may rise again in vapour are 

 very different affairs. 



Some years ago wo were asked to look at a large Peach house 

 of promising young trees that refused to swell their fruit after 

 stoning ; but at and after that period, though well thinned, the 

 fruit fell from the trees in great numbers, and being chiefly 

 Nectarines were of no use whatever. The trees from constant 

 syringing morning and evening looked well, aud the soil of the 

 house seemed good, and if anything too moist; on inquiry we 

 found it was frequently watered and well drained, and therefore 

 stagnant moisture could not be the reason. Being somewhat 

 at a loss to account for the faUing of the fruit we turned up a 

 portion of the border with our walking stick, and on doing so 

 in several places we found that the moist soil scarcely extended 

 2 inches from the surface. Farther down the roots were re- 

 ceiving no benefit from the surface-watering — nay, were injured 

 by it, because the ascent of moisture from beneath the roots 

 was thus arrested. Now, in such a case the remedy had to be 

 applied with judgment. Only a few fruit had begun to fall; 

 and wc felt tolerably certain that if the soil of the house were 

 saturated to aud beyond the roots, the stimulus given so sud- 

 denly would be apt to throw the fruit off in numbers. Our 

 advice was carried out with the best results. The house being 

 a lean-to, about a third of the border next the back wall was 

 forked over, and that was well watered. In four days the 

 middle part had holes made in it, and that received half a 

 watering; in other four days the front part was done in the 

 same way; and then in other four or five days these two parts 

 received enough to saturate the ground about the roots. The 

 trees so treated, we have been informed, have rarely dropped a 

 fruit since ; so that the owner says it is of no use delaying to 

 thin, as he is sure to have too many if he does not thin freely 

 at once. 



Strawberries. — As we could not water our beds, runners are 

 scarce, and as layering them at the beds, in pots or otherwise 

 would have been of little use without watering, we have taken 

 the runners almost as soon as visible, and pricked them out in 

 beds under old sashes as a protection, and then we will lift 

 them with little balls and pot. We find this plan even in 

 moist years saves much labour in watering, and generally the 

 results are all that could be wished. We almost envy those 

 who will have late Strawberries in August. What with late 

 kinds and turned-out forced plants we have often gathered 

 moderately well until the frosty nights came. 



OBNAMENTAL DErAKTJtENT. 



Proceeded with potting, and shaded most plants under glass, 

 chiefly to save watering. Our chief work, however, has been 

 trying to save the flower garden as much as possible. The 

 parts farthest removed from observation we have been forced 

 to leave unattended to. Hollyhocks would have been fine in 

 a moist season, and even now are good, though shorter than 

 we like to see them, as their grandeur in our opinion consists 

 to a great extent in the height of the stems and the length of 

 the gorgeous spikes, instead of being snubbed and shortened 

 for a mass of flowers for exhibition purposes. These, too, 

 have been left to themselves without a drop of water, and but 

 little or no mulching, though that would have helped them. 

 The flower beds and borders that we have attempted to keep good 

 are looking better than could be expected, those suffering most 

 from dryness being watered only once in eight or ten days. The 

 '21st and 22nd tried them considerably, but the duhiess of the 

 23rd gave them a chance ; and in order to do what we could for 

 them in giving water on that and the following day, and apply- 

 ing it so as to reach the roots by making holes and moving the 

 surface previously, we followed the watering by mulching all 

 the exposed soil again with rough Mushroom dung from an 

 exhausted bed, merely passing through an inch-sieve that 

 which was placed near the outside. The beds would have had 

 this mulching long before, but we could not well use the Mush- 

 room bed earlier, as it kept on producing later than we expected. 

 We hope to have enough of sewage to go over another principal 

 part of the flower garden on Monday, and this we will mulch 

 in all open places directly after the watering. 



Of course, in such weather the drier the mulching when se 

 applied the better it will act. Many of the beds can receive no 

 attention in this way, as they are too full to permit of any such 

 material getting in among the plants ; but in many beds, 

 though seemingly full, the plants can be held a little to 

 one side to permit of a little surfacing, and then the moisture 

 exhaled will chiefly be from the foliage. As to what we have 

 been able to give even such very limited waterings, we have 

 little fault to flnd, if we only could have a green lawn around 

 them. Even the Lobelia edgings, so unmercifully cut down by 

 rabbits, promise to form blue lines at last, as the rabbits dis- 

 liked poking their noses so near the lime and sulphur. As 

 regards the beds so watered and mulched, with a slight shower 

 now and then, and the decreased temperature that has prevailed 

 since the 23rd continuing, we hope to be tolerably independent 

 of watering. 



A gentleman who visited ns lately seeing so much free 

 growth in the plants, and such masses of flowers, notwith- 

 standing the drawbacks, would scarcely believe that we did not 

 water, if not every night, at least every other night, and even 

 now we are doubtful if he does not believe that we have 

 some secret never-failing source of supply to go to. He told 

 us that cocoa-nut fibre would be a neater mulching for the 

 flower beds where it could be seen, and we quite agree with 

 him, but a ton or half a ton that would cover all his beds well, 

 would do little or nothing for us. Many gentlemen with their 

 neat little places which they partly superintend themselves, 

 with the help of a good handy man or two, often run away with 

 the idea that in larger places a proportionate amount of money 

 is spent. Such give a sort of incredulous assent to the state- 

 ment, that large places are often managed with an economy 

 that would be startling to the possessors of small places. Nur- 

 serymen could often tell how not noblemen's gardeners, but 

 amateurs with their little gardens, are their best supporters. 

 However, in such a season as this, many who have from six to 

 a dozen flower beds would have found their labours lightened 

 if soon after planting they had covered their beds over with 

 cocoa-nut fibre refuse. Quite as good, but not so neat, wotild 

 have been rotten hotbed manure, broken aud passed thi'ough 

 an inch sieve. 



Ohtaining Water.— U. is singular how well-educated men will 



