January 2S, 1868. ] 



JOUBNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



77 



openest orchard house, and, thanks to the snow, we did not as 

 yet require to cover them there with any Utter, nor yet the 

 fruiting trees in pots, as the frost did no more than crust the 

 surface lightly. We took advantage of the unfavourable weather, 

 first to smoke the house most at liberty with Laurel leaves, 

 and then, before the Strawberries were put in, we syringed the 

 whole inside with hot water, in which a little soap was dis- 

 solved, about 2 oza. to four gallons, using tho water as hot as 

 we could well do — from 1(50° to 180', throwing it over the glass, 

 woodwork, walls, and trees. Of course it would become cooler 

 in passing from the syringe. The other house we could not 

 do so thoroughly, owing to its containing things in a growing 

 state, and there we washed the trees with a brush and warm 

 water, with more soap in it. When dry we washed or painted 

 again with a weak solution of Gishurst, about 2 ozs. to the 

 gallon, thickened a little with clay, and a little lime to give it 

 a light colour. We have frequently used limewash, rather 

 mild, alone, and with the best effects. We use the lime, how- 

 ever, chiefly for the colour, in order to keep the buds as back- 

 ward as possible. We have had buds injured by using Gis- 

 hurst at the strength of from 4 to (5 07,s. per gallon, and tliere- 

 fore we like to be careful. If the trees are thoroughly clean 

 nothing is wanted, besides the washing, except in the way of 

 precaution. A httle clay thick enough to adhere is just as good 

 for daubing up any inconspicuous eggs that may escape the 

 brush, as anything else ; and as on the closest scrutiny we did 

 not detect a trace of an insect, but for making sure we should 

 not have painted at all. The light colour imparted is, how- 

 ever, of some importance, as the blossoms will open later ; 

 and from this time forward, until they do open, the great point 

 in these cold orchard houses is to keep them back as much as 

 possible by all the air that can be given, unless when stormy 

 or frosty. If there are not other subjects in the house, a few 

 degrees of frost before the buds swell much will do good rather 

 than otherwise. 



We finished top-dressing the trees tnjjofs, taking oS all the 

 mulching and a considerable portion of the surface soil with 

 the fingers and a pointed stick, replacing it with fibrous loam 

 and about a fourth part of sweet decayed duug, firming it well 

 with a stick and mallet, and filling to within half an inch of 

 the rim, or rather less, giving a little water only to those pots 

 that were dry. We should have liked to have finished all the 

 top-dressing before Christmas ; but we did it as the weather 

 was suitable for iu-door work. 



A few plants that were in small pots we shifted into others 

 a size larger, using similar soil, but with less dung in it, and 

 ramming it hard round the ball. We advise, however, that 

 all such shifting be done at the end of October or the begin- 

 ning of November if the plants are to stand in the house 

 after shifting. No plants in pots are to be thoroughly depended 

 on for fruiting well unless the roots kiss the sides of the pots, 

 and this should be thought about in all potting. 



If this can be secured, the mere time of potting is of less 

 consequence ; but the plants must be established under ordi- 

 nary circumstances. For instance, we once had a nice crop of 

 Cherries from plants in pots that had been grown in the open 

 ground in a nursery during the summer, but were pinched-in 

 and treated on i\Ir. Kivers's system. They had been taken up 

 with good roots near home, but with nothing worthy of the 

 name of a ball, and came to us in a neat package, the roots 

 done up well in moist htter and fern, as far as we recollect, 

 about the middle of March. We potted them carefully in 

 rather small pots, laying out the roots carefully, and firming 

 the soil as we proceeded, doing the most of it with our own 

 hands. We then made a bed of warm litter and leaves from 

 18 to 24 inches deep, and plunged the pots into it, covering 

 them over several inches, and putting in trial sticks so that 

 the heat should not exceed at the hottest from 80° to 85°, 

 giving no protection to the top of the plants except a net to 

 keep the birds from the buds. By the time the buds began to 

 swell, the heat of the bed was little more than the earth in the 

 open air, and by that time the pots were becoming filled with 

 fine roots. The pots were partly raised out of the bed, then 

 altogether, and then removed to and plunged half way down 

 in the soil of the house, and the crop was everything that 

 could be desired. 



We may here mention, that our pots are thus all partly 

 plunged, chiefly for saving water, that these are allowed to let 

 the roots out a little in summer at the bottom of the pots, are 

 raised to break these roots in October or November, and that 

 though we would wish to reshift, that most of our trees have 

 been a number of years in the same pots, and have borne 



heavy crops by the help of top-dressing and mulching in sum- 

 mer. If pruning and pinching were attended to in summer. 

 little will now be required, and beginners should wait a month 

 longer that they may see the wood buds better. 



The above example will show what may be done, oven now ; 

 but in the generality of cases, and where no such extra care 

 can be given, we would advise those wishing for fruit in small 

 pots, to let the plants remain in these pots for the season ; but 

 if very small make the hole large at tho bottom, and either set 

 the pot in the border of the house, or into a larger pot or 

 box, so that the roots may pass through, and still those in the 

 pots press against the pot. IMuch also may be done with re- 

 peated mulchings above the level of the pot ; but of this and 

 other matters in other departments, we must treat on another 

 occasion. 



SiitpJiurotis Acid. — Wonders will never cease. We had hardly 

 written the remarks lately on the deleterious efieots of 

 burning sulphur on all kinds of growing plants, than in the 

 " People's Journal," of Dundee, we saw a notice of two pam- 

 phlets, issued by Dr. James Dowar, of Kirkcaldy, and Dr. 

 Pearman, of Biggar, the one in the fifth, and the other in the 

 seventh edition, both having had a large circulation, on the 

 pre%'ention and the cure of diseases by sulphurous a3id, either 

 in the way of fumigation or inhalation. While it is stated to 

 be generally efficacious, it is particularly suitable in colds, 

 catarrhs, diptheria, fever, ifcc, and it is hoped it will be of 

 much benefit in consumption. 



According to Dr. Dewar the system can be conveniontly prac- 

 tised as follows : — " Take a few red cinders on a kitchen shovel, 

 and set this on a stool in the middle of the room. Then sprinkle 

 flowers of sulphur in successive small quantities upon the cinders 

 until the atmosphere is filled with fumes, but not disagreeably 

 so. If fumes are rather strong the window or door may be 

 opened. The process may be repeated ; but a slight constant 

 taint is recommended in the sickroom." 



We presume that even such an amount of sulphurous acid 

 as would be thus felt would make short work of any window 

 plants. In this respect we believe that animal life is much 

 hardier than plant life. We have designedly killed every green 

 leaf in a pit with burning sulphur, and then on clearing out we 

 have found toads and mice alive. When we produce sulphur- 

 ous fumes in our plant and forcing houses, we are obliged to use 

 a low temperature, not liking even water to be above 470°, but 

 rather lower than that, so that we can have the acid without 

 the sulphur burning ; and even for sickrooms it might be ad- 

 visable to produce the fumes from the outside of a hot-water 

 vessel instead of burning cinders, and then the same thera- 

 peutic effects might be secured with less annoyance. 



Be this as it may, in the chief district of the straw plait 

 trade, and where much cleaning and, bleaching of the straw 

 was done by burning sulphur in close rooms, whilst the little 

 gardens showed the prejudicial efi'ects of the sulphur fumes, 

 they seemed to exercise little prejudicial influence on the work- 

 people. Indeed, when Luton, the great mart of this trade, 

 had not as yet come under the management of a Board of 

 Health, the comparative general health of tho inhabitants, 

 though the town was not very favourably situated otherwise as 

 to sanitary matters, was often attributed to the sulphur used 

 in the manufacture. In these days many are partial to tracing 

 the accordances as well as the contrasts between vegetable and 

 animal life ; and we would merely wish to lay it down as a 

 proved fact, that if men and women can stand a small dose of 

 burning sulphur, and even be benefited by it, no growing plant 

 can be exposed to such fumes without being injured, and often 

 irreparably. We shall never forget the look of dismay pre- 

 sented by an old friend of ours, who, after benefiting by sul- 

 phur in rheumatism and lumbago, put a little of it among 

 tobacco for smoking, to kill the insects on a potful of Cinera- 

 rias. If he did not kill all the fly, he did kill all the large 

 leaves of the Cinerarias, rendering them useless. — B. F. 



TEADE CATALOGUES EECEIVED. 



~ Wiiiiam Paul, Waltham Cross, London, N.— Select. List of 

 Veflctahles, Flotcer, ami Farm Seeds, Gladioli, <tc. 



Charles Turner, Royal Nurseries, Slough. — Catalofiiic of Seeds 

 ho- the Kitchen, the Flower Garden, and the Farm. 



AV. Cutbush & Son, Highgate, London, H.— Catalogue of 

 Select Vefletable, Floner, and Farm Seedx. 



John Scott, Yeovil, Somerset. — Catalogue of Vegetable, 

 Floieer, and Agricultural Seeds. 



