364 



JOUKNAIi OF HOKTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ November 12, 1868. 



plants? In walking through the houses, I saw no building spe- 

 cially adapted for such a purpose, nor any place very suitable for 

 their growth, after they had been propagated. The fruit houses 

 must, therefore, be crammed with plants throughout the early 

 spring months, thus requiring a vast amount of care and atten- 

 tion on the part of the gardener to keep his Yines and other fruit 

 trees free from the many insects which breed on the plants 

 nsed for bedding purposes, and which, if allowed to establish 

 themselves on the fruit trees, very often spoil the crop. The 

 bedding plants most certainly take from the atmosphere a very 

 large amount of food, and thus rob the fruits of what is most 

 essential for their proper development. 1 therefore thought 

 it was a pity that an establishment so replete with almost 

 every other convenience, should not have a proper propagating 

 house, and a few ranges of heated pits for the propagation and 

 growth of what constitutes the great feature of this establish- 

 ment during the summer. But it is the same in almost every 

 place; this provision is generally forgotten, or the proprietor 

 of the establishment cannot be persuaded that such places are 

 necessary. It is to be hoped that their necessity will be recog- 

 nised in the formation of establishments where large numbers 

 of bedding plants have to be produced, and now that small 

 glass structures, which are the most suitable for the purpose, 

 can be erected so cheaply, few ought to be without them. — 

 J. Wills, F.B.H.S. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 AcoBNS have been introduced into the London corn market 

 at Mark Lane, and have been sold within the past fort- 

 night at £i per ton in the warehouse ; a ton is about 5 quar- 

 ters - - 40 bushels, at the estimated weight of 5G lbs. per bushel. 

 In another case they were sold at 12s. per quarter, to be 

 delivered at the Great Western Eailway terminus in London. 

 Some kiln-dried acorns have been offered at £7 per ton, but 

 that is not considered a paying price, as the waste in drying is 

 BO great. It is of interest to remember that the price of 

 Potatoes is not double that of acorns, and that these, when 

 cooked, are good for all kinds of poultry, as well as for pigs. 

 As for the absurd stories which have been told about their 

 causing disease in pigs, they are refuted by the universal 

 experience of mankind. Polybius, speaking of the plains of 

 Lombardy, 200 years B.C., says, "Their forests, which are spread 

 over the country, afford so large a number of acorns, that, 

 though great numbers of swine are consumed by the inhabitants 

 of Italy, as well in the use of private families as in their armies, 

 vet are they chiefly furnished with them from these plains." — 

 I Medical Times.) 



A MOST useful work on the eatable and poisonous Fungi 



of Sweden has lately been completed, containing a very valu- 

 able series of drawings, for the most part illustrating those 

 of which it is most desirable to have good and trustworthy 

 figures. The text, indeed, is in Swedish, but the drawings are 

 SO good that we can conscientiously recommend the work, which 

 is entitled, " Sveriges iitliche och giftiga Svampar," as a really 

 valuable acquisition. Professor Fries has now commenced 

 another work, of which the first number has just appeared. It 

 is entitled, " Icones Selectee Hijmenomycelnm nimdum delinea- 

 torum. Folio, tab. piciie X." We trust that this very excellent 

 work will meet with support in this country as well as in 

 Sweden, and the more especially as its progress will depend 

 very much on the patronage which it can command. 



The pig was formerly employed in all parts of France in 



hunting for the Teuffle, which has just appeared in the Paris 

 markets, and in an abundance which has not been equalled for 

 the last sixty years. There is a celebrated caricature of Gavami's, 

 in which two women of the people are represented as discussing 

 the vintage. " They sayfhere will be plenty of wine this year," 

 says the first lady ; .and the other replies, " flow we shall get 

 trounced ! " Looking at the plentiful supply of Truffles, ffow- 

 met and ijonrmand will probably exclaim, " How we shall suffer 

 from indigestion ! " In Prcencc, the ancient country of the 

 troubadour and ballad, the pig is stiU employed in searching for 

 the Truffle. It is a lean sort of animal, very clever in its way, 

 and is called a pore de course, or racing pig, who is duly trained 

 to his business, and for every tuber he discovers he is rewarded 

 ■with an acorn. In the department of the Ilaute-Marne the pig 

 has been replaced by the dog; the oidinary cur of the countiy 

 is trained for the pursuit, and readily masters his craft ; his 

 training is neither long nor costly, and his education consists in 

 being kept for a certain time without food, and then set to dis- 



cover a Truffle placed with a piece of bacon in a sabot filled with 

 earth. As soon as the dog has found the Truffle he is rewarded 

 with a small bit of bread, and the manoou\Te recommences. 

 After a few days of this exercise the dog is generally found to 

 be sufficiently trained, and his value reaches as high as £4 at times. 

 There are peasants who make this system of education their 

 trade. A curious fact has lately come to light, which proves that 

 the dog and the pig have not the entire monopoly of finding 

 Truffles. The Truflle poachers trust to a certain fly to guide 

 them to the beloved tuber. A paper on the subject of this fly 

 has been addi-essed to the Botanical Society of France by 

 M. Gubler, who reports that the insect is large, that he ever re- 

 turns to the same spot, and, after numerous circuits, settles, and 

 where he settles a Truffle is sure to be found. — Land and Water. 



On the 2nd inst., aged 85, died Mr. John Watekek, 



nurseryman, Bagshot. He supplied the annual exhibition of 

 Rhododendrons at the Royal Botanic Society's, in the Regent's 

 Park. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAKDEN. 



Cauliflo7cers. — This has been a fine autumn for late Broccoli 

 and Cauliflowers, but it is not safe to let the latter remain 

 much longer in the open air, as if a sudden hard frost come it 

 will put an end to them. Endice, a few plants may be potted at 

 intervals through the winter, and especially early in spring, 

 and placed in a cellar to blanch ; they will do exceedingly well 

 treated in this way. Peas and Beans, from this time to the 

 beginning of next month some may be sown on a warm border 

 if there is little convenience for forcing early crops in the 

 spring. Store-house, Carrots, Onions, Parsnips, and Potatoes, 

 will require looking over occasionally, also Dahlia roots before 

 they are finally put by for the winter. All these roots have 

 been housed in a rather green state this autumn, and may, 

 therefore, require more attention in keeping. 



Fr.UIT GARDEN. 



Let the hammer be kept constantly at work at nailing every 

 fine day, beginning with Pear trees and following with Plum 

 and Cherry trees. Apples and Pears for spring use may now, or 

 at any time soon, when you are driven in-doors by bad weather, 

 be packed in hampers, boxes, or jars among thoroughly dried 

 fern or kiln-dried straw, and if they are in a good sound state 

 they will then keep better than on the shelves of the generality 

 of fruit-rooms. All trees or bushes that are to be planted or 

 removed on this side of February, should now be finished out of 

 hand without delay, as, after the beginning of next month, we 

 shall be in danger of rough or frosty weather unfavourable for 

 planting. Have the quarters dug and trenched before frost 

 renders the ground too hard, if it is at all in a fit state, and 

 the more heavy work of making new borders, walks, &c., may 

 be left for the dead of winter. Few things are more annoying 

 than canker to those who delight to see their trees healthy and 

 producing good-flavoured fruit. As this is the season of plant- 

 ing or preparing for it, considerable attention should be given 

 to procuring hardy as well as good sorts in all cases where the 

 situation is not the most favourable. In addition to examin- 

 ing the lists of kinds suited to different localities, so often 

 given iu answers to correspondents, the planter should take the 

 trouble of ascertaining what varieties thrive best under cir- 

 cumstances similar to his own. One of the chief causes of 

 canker is planting too deeply, the result of which is, that the 

 roots are supplied with more nourishment, such as it is, than 

 the heat and sunshine of the place can duly elaborate, so as to 

 give ripeness and firmness of texture to the young wood. 

 Other causes are the roots striking into an unfavourable soil 

 and furnishing the trees with vitiated juices, the climate of the 

 situation being too cold, or the season too damp and sunless to 

 permit the healthy action of the plant. Where canker exists 

 the diseased parts should be cut out in spring or summer, and 

 the wound covered over with clay and cow dung ; but all appli- 

 cations of this nature will be of very temporary influence 

 unless attention be paid to the following things ; — Plant va- 

 rieties the wood of which may be expected to ripen iu the 

 situation, improve the climate by thoroughly draining the soil, 

 raise the trees on hillocks above the surrounding surface, after 

 laying a substratum of concrete, tiles, slates, ifcc, at the re- 

 quisite depth to prevent the downward progress of the roots, 

 never bury the collar of the tree, expose the soil well to the 

 air before planting, and use no manure except as mulching. 

 You will then generally be rewarded, not by astonishing quick- 

 ness of growth, nor by your Apple and Pear trees having tower- 



