3U 



JOUENAI, OF HOBTICUIiTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



[ November 5, 1868, 



good condition as regards dryness, whilst after the rains of last 

 week the trenches were sufficiently wet to keep the roots moist 

 for the season. All the evaporation from the foliage in fine, 

 svmny days now, will be sufficiently counterbalanced by dews 

 and damp days. When the usual mode of earthing-up has to 

 be resorted to, it is as important to have the soil used for 

 earthing-up dry, as to have a sufficiency of moisture at the 

 roots. We took no other precaution in earthing-up, except to 

 have a thin layer of coal ashes round each stem in the beds, 

 each bed being 4 feet wide, and having three rows in that 

 width. Besides the Celery used previously, it has been taken 

 up freely for the last ten weeks, and not a bad or bolted head 

 has been met with. We seldom could have said the same when 

 we used to grow huge, massive heads, or when the bit-by-bit 

 earthing-up system was resorted to in July and August, or even 

 the early part of September. 



Lettuces. — Tied these up where they were not blanching 

 enough for use. We have some so placed that we can protect 

 them in bad weather. Those planted out, small, stubby plants, 

 are now standing well, as the grubs seem to have been nearly 

 all taken, after doing the mischief. No other cure seems to be 

 effectual, but examining the earth at every drooping plant, 

 destroying the enemy, and filling up the vacancy again. At 

 the foot of a south wall we turned up what would have been 

 the walking room for 4 feet in width, and planted with young 

 Lettuces, and not one was touched, whilst during the summer 

 and autumn we could not obtain anything like a crop on the 

 raised banks between the Celery beds. The very depth of the 

 soil there, and that on the surface coming from a good depth, 

 one would have thought would have been a security, but there, 

 of all other places, the grubs were the worst. From 100 feet 

 of a row of Lettuces, nearly a pint of grubs has been collected. 

 We have seen very few lately. Had there seemed to be plenty 

 left, we should have used lime and tar water, and even a little 

 tar on the ground most infested. Nothing will grow in tar, or 

 on it, when it is fresh, but used in small quantities at this 

 season, just dropping a little over the ground, it becomes car- 

 bonised and mild enough before the spring. 



Endive. — We have not yet taken any up, as room is scarce, 

 and the largest and best plants have not suffered from frost 

 in the least. Tied up some fine plants, laid tiles, slates, and 

 boards on others. Where there is a good bed, and it is 

 wanted for use in from a fortnight to a month, and the sur- 

 face of the ground is moderately dry, nothing answers better 

 than covering the plants over with 2 or 3 inches of dry tree 

 leaves, and then covering these with tarpaulin, mats, or wooden 

 shutters, to keep wet out. We have never had Endive finer 

 and sweeter than when taken np with good balls, and stored in 

 beds in dry cellars. If tolerably dark nothing more was wanted. 

 If not dark, a cloth placed over a piece soon blanched it enough. 

 We have had it in cellars from November to March. 



Chicory. — We have none this season, though it is always 

 advisable to have a few rows, as in a severe winter it comes in 

 nseful, though not equal in our opinion to Lettuces or Endive. 

 It does well in a dark cellar, or anywhere, when wanted quickly, 

 where darkness and a heat of from 55° to 60° can be given to 

 it. We allude to it, to meet the wishes of a correspondent, who 

 has a nice bed of roots, thinned out 4 inches apart in summer, 

 admires it as used by our French neighbours in winter, and 

 wishes to know if he could not have it from the open ground in 

 winter without any artificial heat, if not how could he have 

 some, with merely the help of some 1'2-inch pots, and some 

 small oyster barrels ? With no heat out of doors, his pots and 

 barrels would be of little use there. If he could make a small 

 hotbed — say 4 feet square, fill a space of 2 feet square rather 

 thickly with roots, and cover that over with a packing box, 

 &c., of that size, he might have fine gatherings of Chicory 

 leaves, and by the same plan he might have Sea-kale and 

 Khubarb. But supposing him to have nothing but a spare 

 corner near the kitchen fireplace, he may have a good supply 

 from his pots. We would have no objection to the oyster 

 barrels, only they crack at the joints when in a dry place, and 

 let in light. 



Proceed thus : Take up and put from a dozen to eighteen roots, 

 according to their size, in a 12-inch pot, putting the roots 

 firmly in the earth, and leaving just the buds of the plants 

 exposed, after removing all the leaves except a few little ones, 

 if there are any in the centre. Water well and leave the pots 

 outside to let all extra moisture drain away, so as not to make 

 the fireside dirty, then move the pot in where it will have the 

 benefit of a little warmth from the fire. Place another pot of 

 the same size on the top of that, fitted rim to rim, cork the 



hole in the bottom of the reversed upper pot, and tie a piece of 

 cloth round where the two rims meet, and in the heat of most 

 kitchens the Chicory will be fit to cut in a fortnight or three 

 weeks. A number of pots might be so filled, and kept in a 

 wood barn or coal house until wanted to be brought in in suc- 

 cession. Had our correspondent told us he had a cellar which 

 was dark and would average 50° in winter, then we would have 

 advised using the small oyster or other narrow barrels, boring 

 holes in the sides of the barrel — say half an inch in diameter, 

 and in rows 3 inches apart, the rows round being 4 inches from 

 each other. Place the roots inside in layers with the heads or 

 buds outside the barrel, putting the earth to each layer, firm- 

 ing it, and moistening as you proceed. A few barrels would 

 yield a good succession, and as one is beginning to come 

 into use, a second should be introduced. In a dark place with 

 a temperature of about 50°, we used to have the leaves of a 

 fine creamy white, and from 6 to 7 inches long, in from three 

 weeks to a month. An old worn-out narrow barrel looks very 

 pretty when thus adorned outside with these blanched leaves. 

 The Chicory will be all the better if the leaves are never more 

 than G inches long. When long and flabby they eat woolly, 

 and have none of the crispness they have when grown in a low 

 temperature and under rather than above 6 inches long. If 

 prevented becoming too wet, or much frozen, such barrels, 

 planted in layers as above stated, might stand out of doors until 

 wanted to go into the cellar. In all such cases the leaves are 

 chiefly produced at the expense of the materials stored-up in 

 the roots. We have already detailed hew a friend of ours used 

 to delight many an invalid in winter, by taking a few stalks of 

 Ehubarb which he brought on in barrels in his kitchen. We 

 have sometimes kept our eye on places where Dandelions were 

 plentiful by the sides of roads. They are not so strong, but 

 they make a good substitute for Chicory, and the good pro- 

 perties are even rather more strong and active than in the 

 latter. Both maybe used with good results for salads, and are 

 especially useful when anything better is scarce. 



Kidney Leans. — Those out of doors are quite destroyed, and 

 but few more Scarlet Runners will be obtained, though these 

 are not so much injured ; and Vegetable Marrows, which a fort- 

 night ago were showing plenty of young fruit, are now nothing 

 but skeletons, and black leaves, and decaying stems. We have 

 instanced the Dwarf Kidney Beans for chronicling a disappoint- 

 ment which may be useful to others. We are not admirers 

 of Fulmer's Forcing Bean, but having it by us, and others 

 more approved not being at hand, we sowed some in the earth 

 in a pit where just a little artificial heat can be given. We 

 expected them to be fit to gather in the first week in November, 

 but, unfortunately, the plants were not stopped until a week or 

 so ago, and they have grown strong and lengthy, with numerous 

 buds at the joints, but they are just coming into bloom now. 

 Others of the same kind, sown in pots out of doors a nlonth 

 later, and put under glass when a few inches high, as the 

 nights became wet and cold, are also coming freely into bloom, 

 though not nearly so strong and high as the first named, but 

 these had the points of the shoots nipped out at the third joint. 

 Had we done so with those planted we should have had Beans 

 instead of blossoms now. With all the stronger-growing kinds 

 under glass it is advisable to nip out the point of the shoot 

 when it has made two or three joints above the seed leaves. 

 We have had fine crops of the White Canteibury, naturally in- 

 clined to run a little, from plants not more than 9 inches above 

 the pot, but they were stopped early. When grown in pots the 

 weaker-growing may be retarded fruiting a few days by stop- 

 ping them, but they produce more freely and are kept nearer 

 the pot. Strong-growing kinds keep growing on and do not 

 even bloom so soon as when stopped early. The stopping 

 arrests mere growth, and the flower buds swell and open freely. 

 We have frequently noted results as stated above. The first 

 planted had the best treatment all along, and instead of being 

 three weeks or so earlier, they will come in httle earlier than the 

 second. Through a slight change of circumstances it will turn 

 out quite as well, or rather better for us, but that will be mora 

 owing to chance than to management or design. 



Musiirooms. — Put a little more dry litter over the Mush- 

 room beds in the open thatched shed, to keep them on, as we 

 do not expect to gather from the first piece in the Mushroom- 

 house for two or three weeks. This shed is open to the west, 

 and shaded by some Chestnut trees. Could we manage it, we 

 would place a line of hurdles along the open side, and draw 

 green laurel boughs through them, so that the wind might 

 pass between these before sweeping over the beds. A closer 

 covering would do as well, but we found that hurdles so wattled 



