192 



JOUENAL OP HOSTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GAEDENKB. I September 10, 1S68. 



in water, if means were taken to collect a good portion of that 

 which falls from the atmosphere. On the 19th ult. -we saw large 

 streams flowing from fall ponds of water, ponds on which far- 

 mers chiefly relied for their general supply, and which had 

 been dry for months. On the 22nd we saw streams from such 

 ponds almost sufficient to turn the wheel of a grinding mill. 

 The water that thus ran away did little good, as it found its 

 level, and disappeared in ditches and holes, but saved in double 

 or treble quantity might have been invaluable. With all the 

 benefits to cultivation of large open fields without a tree or a 

 hedgerow, and all the benefits of a thorough drainage of these 

 fields, we may find such work anything but an unmixed ad- 

 vantage, unless we save a portion at least of the drainage 

 water, 



KITCHEN G.IEDEN. 



Earthed-up a second piece of Celery, doing it at once after 

 cleaning and tying, as at this early season we have no faith in 

 the bit-by-bit system of earthiug-up. When long nights and 

 damp drizzly days come, the whole rationale of the earthing-up 

 is quite different. As already stated, owing to the dryness, our 

 plants will not be so large as usual. .Sowed the last" Lettuces, 

 Turnips, and Radishes without protection, and Onions for 

 spring. The last will be the best to transplant if the weather 

 be mild. We would still plant out numbers of nice young 

 plants of Endive and Lettuce, but have not had time to fork 

 over the ground carefully, and examine for grubs, and if that 

 is not done it would only be labour lost. About twenty years 

 ago we had an attack of grubs, and after well turning the 

 ground, using tar and ammoniaoal water, in winter, we have 

 seen little of these enemies until this season, when the ground 

 seems to be more than usually stored with them, and nothing 

 but constant care will enable us to free it of them, according to 

 the present range of our knowledge. 



A second summer has come, the heat being very intense, 

 though less by 10° than what we had lately ; but fancy what it 

 would he it the days were longer ; and, therefore, we gave a 

 good wateting to two plantings of Coleworta, and the two first 

 pieces of Cabbages, and will help other crops with sewage as 

 we find an opportunity. Our piece of spring Cabbages that 

 stood last winter, and has done good service all the summer, we 

 will clear of all bad and yellow leaves as soon as possible, and 

 just leave them on the ground in the way ot mulching, so that 

 even more strength may be thrown into the young shoots. 

 These leaves in the hottest weather shaded the young growths, 

 and such are now coming vigorously. 



FIIUIT GARDEN. 



No better weather could be had for gathering the earliest of 

 the fruit. Notwithstanding the dryness of the season, Wil- 

 liams's Bon Chretien Pear is of "large size, and good, and 

 should be had in successions. All Pears and Apples have 

 swelled wonderfully during the last fortnight, and if a change 

 of weather do not come soon, we shall have to gather before 

 they are fully ripe, in order that they may escape the ravages 

 of the loa.tps. We have gathered large q"^uantitie3 of Plums, 

 which we would have left for ten days, but we knew that with- 

 out gauze or Nottingham netting we could not keep them. 

 Some of our double hand-lights contain pecks of dead wasps, 

 and when a great number accumulate in the upper glass, we 

 put a small pan of burning sulphur beneath them. Though we 

 may have the right to kill wasps, we have no right to torture 

 them. They have never had a nibble iu our orchard houses, 

 owing to the gauze over the openings. 



Peaches, &c., on walls are coming in too soon for us. We 

 hope the day is not distant when we shall have orchard houses 

 not merely for forwarding, but for retarding. Peaches and 

 Plums. We think a sugary Coe's Golden Drop Plum might 

 be as great a luxury in November, as a luscious Noblesse Peach 

 in May. After the fruit is fairly set and swelling, we see no 

 difficulty by means of plenty of air and partial shading, or even 

 double glass and shading, in having such fruits under glass six 

 weeks or two months after they are over in the open air on 

 walls, in such a season as this. 



Strau-bcrrics. — After referring the reader to our remarks in 

 the number for August 20th, we may state that we have filled 

 nearly as many pots as wo shall want until the spring is well 

 advanced, and the first potted we shall water with manure 

 water. Treated as previously described, the sides ot the ball 

 are supplied with fine large spongioles like crow quills. These 

 will soon divide into myriads of smaller fibres. To have fewer 

 pots to look after we have preoarcd a piece of ground by digging 

 and enriching it near the surface, and in that we will plant out 

 a number of plants, previously pricked out as before described, 



say 5 or 6 inches apart ; and as runners can now be had wo 

 will most likely plant out a number of thorn closer together, 

 and these, as we want them, we can raise with balls to force 

 nc.it spring, or to make fresh plantations out of doors where 

 the ground is otherwise occupied or undergoing a process of 

 preparation ia winter. From plants so treated and planted 

 with balls iu spring, we have had better crops in the first season 

 in stiff soil than from those planted in autumn, unless the 

 latter had been prepared and turned out as good strong plants 

 with balls before the beginning of September. In using such 

 plants planted now for forcing (we have put the above words 

 "next spring" in italics, not without consideration), they will 

 do very well, say after the beginning of March ; but for all 

 plants that are to be taken into forcing houses before that time 

 success will greatly depend on having the plants well estab- 

 lished in pots, and the buds rather well matured before the 

 middle of October at the latest. Such plants tcs above alluded 

 to, when taken up with balls, say in the end of February or the 

 beginning of March and onwards, will be better if they receive 

 a little bottom heal, with the tops exposed until the roots are 

 reachiug the sides of the pots. After the end of March and the 

 beginning of April, however, such plants with balls do admir- 

 ably for pL^nting in frames and pits at once, with or without 

 more heat than what the sun gives ; and in pits, with full 

 exposure to light, the fruit will be better iu flavour than 

 where partially shaded in houses. For this late forciug no 

 plant need be taken that does not show a good fruit bud break- 

 ing into a truss. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPAKTJIENT. 



As to much of the work we must refer to the remarks for 

 previous weeks. 



Amid the potting and pricklag-off in-doors, and the blaze of 

 bloom without, there is one drawback, and, perhaps, soma 

 readers will assist us in the matter. The pleasure grounds, 

 and the park beyond, are becoming infested with myriads of 

 the large grass ?nicc, and a small one, brown in appearance, 

 with a short tail. The worst of these is that they refuse to touch 

 almost any kind cf bait, but sometimes they*will nibble 

 poisoned corn, barlovmeal, i'c. A difficulty exists as to these, 

 as pheasants might get at them, however carefully laid down, 

 and the mice and other animals will carry out the poisoned 

 bait. We put the poison as near the centre as possible of small 

 drain tiles, yet even from these it has been carried out, and 

 here is the danger. Wo have also sunk vessels iu the ground 

 with a little water at the bottom, just covered with something 

 tempting. The great difticulty, however, is that the mice con- 

 fiue their depredations chiefly to what is green and growing. 

 They managed to nearly clear for us a belt of Boule de Fea 

 Pelargonium, just inside ot a belt of Cineraria maritima, 

 where it looked well, but as the weather was very dry then, we 

 forgave them, as we thought they would be scarce of moisture. 

 Yesterday, however, we saw the centres of two beds filled with 

 Madame Vaucher white Pelargonium, drooping, and on ex- 

 amination find there is scarcely a plant they have not eaten 

 through just below the surface, whilst dwarf Scarlets outside 

 of them are as yet left untouched. The last feather's weight 

 may be too much for the camel's back, and the Pelargoniums 

 thus destroyed in a conspicuous place, would prompt us to show 

 but little mercy to the depredators could we catch or kill them 

 without injuring other things more prized. Can any one help 

 us in this emergency ? What they have done to these few 

 beds they may soon do to the whole, and now there is plenty 

 of green food without going to the flower beds. It is rather 

 annoying that these depredations occur now, when we have 

 entered on the glories of a second summer, and when, so far 

 as we recollect, the lawns never looked more beautiful. — E. F. 



TRADE CATALOGUES EECEIVED. 



Carter & Co., 237 and 238, High Holborn, London, W.C.and 

 Crystal Palace Nursery, Perry Hill, Sydenham. — Carter's List 

 of Dutch Bulbs, Fruit Trees, Itoscs, dc. 



Archibald Henderson, Sion Nursery, White Horse Road, 

 Croydon, and College Grounds, North End, Croydon. — Descrip- 

 tive Catuloijue of Ku7seri/ Stock. Descriptive Catalogue of 

 Bulbous and other Boots, itc. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— September 9. 



Vegetables have much improved, and prices have receded in conse- 

 quence of the better supply. Tarcipa having fallen at least 100 per cent. 

 in, a weeli. Large arrivals have come to hand both by coast and rail. 



