28G 



JOURNAL OF HOETIGULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAKBENEB. 



[ October 15, 1868. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSEF.VATORY. 



Those who have DOt the advantage of cold turf pits will have 

 ii crowd the greenhouse on the approach of frost. However 

 small a place may be, there ought to be some contrivance for 

 sheltering half-hardy greenhouse plants late in the autumn, 

 without crowding them into houses thus early. The Chry- 

 santhemums and Pelargoniums ought now to occupy the best 

 places here, and more hardy plants will be much better in 

 pits where rain and frost could be kept from them till the 

 Chrysanthemums are nearly over, and room for them in-doors 

 can be made. Some of the late Chrysanthemums can be re- 

 tarded by placing them under a north wall. Strong plants 

 only should thus be treated, and rough sticks should be placed 

 against the wall over them to support mats, which should be put 

 over them in frosty nights. Pelargoniums with sweet-scented 

 leaves are very useful for mixing in bouquets in winter. Jas- 

 minum grandiflorum makes an excellent climber in the con- 

 servatory, but is seldom to be met with as such. J. stellatum, 

 ligustrifolium, hirsutum, with the varieties of J. sambac, and 

 some others, are good plants for forcing to decorate rooms. 

 Por this purpose their climbing habit should be checked by 

 under-potting, and by pinching-off the points of the shoots 

 when the parts are yo\ing ; they will then form bushy heads 

 and flower more freely. 



STOVE. 



Phajus graudifolius, or Eletia TankervilliiE as it was once 

 called, is an excellent plant to force in winter, and should now 

 be removed to the forcing pit where a brisk bottom heat of 

 from 80' to 90° can be kept up. Euphorbia jaequini.'pflora is 

 unwilling to submit to much forcing at this time, but if checked 

 now by being kept rather dry for a month or six weeks, it will 

 flower a month earlier than its usual time. Old plants of 

 Justicia speciosa and Eranthemum pulchellum always flower 

 earlier than young ones, they should be ready for the con- 

 servatory at the same time with the early Chrysanthemums. 

 Nematanthus longipes is a curious winter-flowering stove plant 

 of the easiest culture, and well suited for the drawing-room or 

 conservatory when in flower, as is also Centradenia rosea, 

 which is a gem in its way. This also flowers in winter and 

 early in the spring. Achimenes picta seeds freely, and, no 

 doubt, will produce crosses ; it is well worth having on that 

 account, as well as for the beauty of its flowers and the singu- 

 larity of its foliage. 



PITS. 



The forcing pits should now be in full operation to keep up 

 a stock of flowering i)Iants for the rooms and conservatory 

 through the winter. All hardy and half-hardy plants brought in 

 for forcing should have at first a temperature of from 50° to 

 60°, to be increased to 75°, when more advanced ; but as many 

 plants will not bear such heat, and others will not do much 

 good without a high temperature there should be two distinct 

 pits, or divisions at least, for this purpose. In large establish- 

 ments many plants are forced in the stoves and early vinery. 

 With a large stock of Chinese Azaleas, some of them may be 

 had in flower from Christmas till the end of May ; the first lot 

 should now be brought iuto a heat of 50° or even G0°. The 

 double Boman Narcissus is the first of the forced bulbs, and 

 when it has been potted early it will now stand a heat of 00°. 

 Hyacinths that have also been potted before the middle of 

 August will now endure a good heat and bloom early without 

 at all injuring the bulbs, whereas late-potted bulbs, though they 

 will flower well enough if forced early, are of no use afterwards. 

 — W. Eeane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAEDEK. 



Aetek much rain we have had two or three rather fine days 

 to finish the week. Took the opportunity to fill up blanks 

 among Cabbages and Ltttuces, which the insatiable grubs made 

 like Ferns. As to these depredators, after the plants are put 

 in the earth, we know of no certain remedy, except hand- 

 picking. Before planting, if we had known they would have 

 been so numerous we would have sprinkled tar water, and even 

 tar itself in small quantities on the ground, and turned the soil 

 Ii-equently. We hope we have caught the most of them now. 



Celcri/. — Tied and earthed it up in the dry afternoons, con- 

 fining our work to cleaning and tying the later beds, though if 

 fine dry weather come we shall not hesitate to earth up the 

 main crops, as the objections will not apply that we have urged 

 in the case of early Celery. Hitherto we have only done little 

 spaces at a time, according as we judged we should want it, 



earthing-up at once from twenty-one to twenty-eight days be- 

 fore we wanted the Celery for the table. Sometimes we have 

 had it very good after fourteen days, but our medium time in 

 general is twenty-one days. After the middle of this month 

 all the evaporation from the leaves will not make the roots 

 very dry, as dews and rains to a great extent neutralise the 

 force of the sun's rays. 



Dwarf Kidney Beans.— Those fully exposed, owing to the 

 rains, and a little frost a few mornings ago, are now looking 

 worse. Even those protected will not do much more good. 

 Those in a pit where a little heat can be given will produce 

 by the time the protected ones are gone, and before the soaking 

 cold rains ; those sown in pots in the open air were placed in 

 the same pit, where a little artificial beat can be given. 



Cucumbers. — The young plants in the pit are bearing too 

 profusely, and have beenthinned of their fruit, and a number 

 of small ones cut ofi, as we would rather have a quantity a 

 month hence than so many now, and being well aware that if 

 young plants bear profusely at first, they have less strength left 

 to produce fruit in the dark days. Where such cold things 

 as Cucumbers are desired all the winter, we recommend a steep 

 roof, and, therefore, plenty of light, and the command of plenty 

 of heating power. We know what it is to manage them in flat- 

 rooted pits and frames, and we have seen and helped the good 

 old gardeners to have fruit in winter in dung frames and pits, 

 but the constant care and attention required in stirring the 

 soil, washing the glass, careful air-giving, and securely protect- 

 ing, would be a good lesson to many of our spruce young gar- 

 deners now. With all the benefits that hot water has afforded 

 us, it has rather lessened the strict attention to minutiae that 

 could alone secure success in the old-fashioned modes. 



Earth Pits. — Several inquiries about these prompt us to say, 

 that they are most generally useful when the bottom of the pit 

 is higher, rather than lower, than the surrounding ground, 

 as then it is easy to guard against extra damp. A good width 

 is from 5 to feet ; and for low plants 9 inches in front, and 

 from 15 to 18 inches at back, are very good heights. In the 

 simplest form have these walls of earth from 15 to 18 inches 

 in width, and it covered with a layer of turf they will last for 

 many years. When turf cannot be had, the walls sloping out- 

 wards may be beaten smooth, then covered over with tar the 

 thickness of a shilling, and gravel or rough ashes beaten into 

 it. This, if done and well hardened before frost, will last many 

 years. The best coverings for such a pit are glass sashes, 

 wooden covers, covers made with asphalt, waterproofed cloth 

 and canvas to roll up, neatly-made straw covers, and hurdles 

 thatched with evergreens. Tne first named will be the best, and 

 in value they will come in as named. All those that keep out 

 wet as well as cold will be the most valued and the most useful. 

 Where rats, rabbits, and other vermin can be excluded, such 

 pits are very useful. Where these animals abound they wUl 

 clear the pits in frosty weather, when those plants outside will 

 be let alone. We have had a score of fine Cauliflowers spoilt in 

 a night at Christmas, and what was most vexing the intruders 

 ate nothing in proportion to what they destroyed. Otherwise 

 these pits are great auxiliaries in winter and spring. 



FECIT DEPAETMEN'I. 



See what was stated last week, and a few weeks previously, 

 as to fruit, planting, replanting, and root-pruning. The great 

 drawback is, that there is generally such a difficulty in getting 

 work done at the proper time. The struggle is too often how 

 to go on without allowing anything materially to suffer. We 

 have known cases where work had to be found every season to 

 keep the usual number of men employed ; but now the gene- 

 rality of gardeners have to try as much as possible to avoid 

 extra work, as even without it they find they cannot have their 

 regular work as forward as they would wish. We have no ob- 

 jection to having plenty in hand, and difficulties staring us in 

 the face, provided we can look forward to the time when we 

 shall master the work, instead of allowing the work to master 

 us. We know it is depressing to use every energy, and yet 

 never see daylight beyond, and such a condition of things is 

 apt to cause a man to'do his work merely as a matter of duty, 

 and not as a matter of pleasure and enthusiasm. Even inour 

 limited observation, we know not a few instances where a little 

 extra help, instead of lessening help when most needed, would 

 make all the difference between the enthusiast, who will look 

 at difficulties only to resolve to surmount them, and the 

 mere six-o'clock man who does a certain amount of work in so 

 many hours, and in time becomes careless of the work that 

 cannot be overcome. Without a little enthusiasm nothing great 

 has ever yet been done ; but employers who are apt to grumble 



