January 30, 1868. ] 



JOURNAIi OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



99 



and hardly any expense. If only gathered from once, or partly 

 twice, the roots will be useful for plantinR again ; but if allowed 

 to produce a forest of small shootg, tho roots will bo of no 

 further use, but should bo thrown away when done with. Sea- 

 kale, like Rhubarb, is easily obtained over hotbeds in Mush- 

 room houses — anywhere, in fact, where tho heat, from 50' to 

 00°, would bring it on ; but it is well to note that it can also be 

 had in good condition wherever there is a garden to get tho 

 roots from, and a fireplaoo neai' which they may be placed. 

 After the end of March we have seen fine pearly white Sea-kale 

 in a dark cellar. With the dung necessary for a small Mush- 

 room bed in such a cellar, we have started Sea-kale in pots 

 before the dung was mild enough for spawning. 



In the open ground, trenching, ridging, &c., was proceeded 

 with in suitable weather, and a piece of ground was prepared 

 for Peas and Celery, following after Parsnips, Carrots, dec, the 

 ground being laid out in 5-feet .and 4-feet widths ; the 5-feet 

 spaces being well dug, and the i- feet spaces being made into 

 bed trenches, by throwing a good spit from them on the S-foet 

 ridges. These ridges will have the second crop of Peas along 

 the centre. Radishes and Spinach at the sides ; and the trenches, 

 before the Celery is ready, will come in for bedding plants. 

 Lettuces, and Potatoes. A little shade from the Peas will do 

 much good to the Celery. 



FEUIT GAEDEN. 



Proceeded with pruning out of doors, and will follow with 

 lime-syringing to keep the birds away. The lime also tends to 

 keep the bark clean and free from moss and lichens. Covered 

 a Vine border with about afoot of fermenting material, inches 

 next the soil being hot. This border had merely a few inches 

 of litter to keep out the frost previously. We would have 

 given a little heat earlier but for being short of material. We 

 ■would also have kept the heavy rains oS, but had not covers ; 

 but when a border is well drained the water soon passes away, 

 and if a little litter is put on, it acts so far as thatching. 

 Covered also the border of a Peach house with a few inches of 

 litter, as the trees are beginning to move, not to give heat 

 to the soil, but to prevent it being cooled. A slight sprinkling 

 ■was over the border all the winter, enough to prevent frost 

 affecting it much, if at all. A very little on the grouud keeps 

 heat in and cold out. Even Strawberry plants and tender sub- 

 jects in pots out of doors, although unplnnged, will not be in- 

 jured if a Utile litter or clean Etr.aw is laid over them, so as to 

 leave no openings. Even Vines with roots entirely out of 

 doors, and near the surface too, ma}' be forced tolerably early ; 

 and there will be no want of a mutual, correlative action be- 

 tween roots and branches if, without throwing any heat into 

 the soil of the outside border, from li to 12 inches of dry litter 

 has been placed over it in the end of October to prevent the 

 heat accumulated in summer radiating from it in winter. In 

 such a case it is as well to let the litter extend Iseyond the 

 border some feet. One advantage of this plan of conserving 

 heat is that there is no danger of doing any injury by extra 

 heat from fermenting material. 



When it is intended to grow Vines in pots from single buds, 

 no time should be lost in having them placed singly in small 

 pots, and then set in a sweet hotbed. The advantage of the 

 single pot is that no iujury or check is given to the roots when 

 shifting into larger pots ; and growing these buds now into 

 strong-enough canes to fruit early in 1869 depends on growing 

 them on, placing them early this season in their fruiting pots, 

 and ripening the wood early. 



Strawberries. — The weather has been dark for early Straw- 

 berries. Those coming on must be carefully watered, fo as not 

 to be long dry nor wet. No water must ever stand in the 

 saucers until the fruit is swelUng, and even then it is not ad- 

 visable. For beginners it will be better to set the plants in 

 reversed turf, en moss, or anything that will keep a little 

 moisture at the bottom of the pots, and yet prevent moisture 

 standing there. If the soU become very dry the fruit buds wiU 

 be dried-up and decay ; if the soil be kept moist, so as to par- 

 take at all of the character of a morass, the buds will rot from 

 an opposite cause. After March shall have come there will be 

 less occasion for being so very particular ; but for want of such 

 care in early forcing many plants become blind that otherwise 

 would have produced a good crop. For somewhat similar 

 causes those plants brought on now, plunged in a little 

 bottom heat in pits and frames, must be prevented rooting 

 through the pots. If tho heat below is strong, and the roots 

 much encouraged in the plunging material, there will be too 

 much encouragement to mere growth, and the leaves will be 

 60 Hable to excessive growth, that the flower trusses will be 



left behind and come to nothing. This is chiefly of import- 

 ance in early work, and tho rooting-below is of less consequence 

 after the trusses have come boldly, and have opened their 

 blooms. They would then be more independent of particular 

 watering. Rooting through tho pots in a hotbed fchould be 

 avoided in early forcing. — R. F. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— Jam uary 29. 



■We have no change worth notice in our quotations of laat wcok. Preucb 

 saladiKg is much improved. 



FKUIT. 



F1. d. B. 



2 6 to 4 

 

 



Apples i sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



Uhe.^tnuts bush, 8 



Cun-:xnts .* sieve 



Black ".. do. 



Fiffg dox. 



Fiiberts Ih. 1 



Cobs lb. 1 



Gooseberries . . quart 



Grapes, liothonse.. lb. fi 



Lemons 100 8 



». d. 8. 



Melons each 2 0to3 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges IGO 



Peaches doz. 



Pears (dessert) . . doz. 



Pine Apples lb. 



Plums .J sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries lb, 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 







Walnuts bush. 10 18 



do per 100 1 2 



Artichokes doz. 



AsparaRus ICO 



Beans. Kidney ....100 



Beet, Red doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Bros. Sprouts J sieve 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums 100 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Cucumbers each 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish . . bundle 



s. d. 







VEGETABLES. 

 e. d I 



too I Leelis bnnch 



20 I Lettuce per score 



I Mushrooms pottle 



I Mustd.^i Cress, punnet 





 6 



3 6 



1 



1 



1 

















 8 

 





 i 



6 I Onions per bushel 



6 ' Parsley per sieve 



1 Parsnips doz. 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes doz. bunches 



P.hubarb bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes. . . . per doz, 

 I Turnips bunch 



d. s. a 



3 too 



1 



3 



s 



5 



5 



1 



5 



6 



1 



1 



2 



S 







4 







<i 



TEADE CATiVLOGUES EECEIVED. 



•Downie, Laird, &: Laing, Stanstead Park, Forest Hill, Lon- 

 don, S.E., and 17, Frederick Street, Edinburgh. — Catalogue of 

 Garden, Flower, and Agricultural Seeds, dc. 



Hooper & Co., Covent Garden Market, London. — General 

 Catalogue. 



P. & A. Dickson & Sons, lOG, Eastgate Street, Chester. — 

 Catalogue of Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 



T. Eunyard & Sons, Maidstone, Kent. — Catalogue of Vege- 

 table, Flower, and Agricultural Seeds. 



Wheeler & Sons, Gloucester, " Little Book," cr Selected Seed 

 List. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



,•» We request that no one will write privately to the depart- 

 mental 'svriters of the "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." Ey so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of tke Journal of Horticulture, dc, 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.G. 



N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered ■until next 

 week. 



Violets {J. S.).—Tbe Giant, Czar, and Queen are all single and aU 

 hardy. 



Draining an Orchard (Neio Subscriber). — Three-inch pipes would be 

 much less liable to choke than 1-inch pipes. Place them 3 feet below the 

 surface. ■You may root-prune the trees at the same time if you drain now 

 and the trees require the operation. 



Dr.uning Clay Land {E. Jtf. L.}. — As far as we can judge from scanty 

 information, the best course for you to pmrsue would be to drain at inter- 

 vals of 15 feet, and 3 feet deep, and to pare and bui-n 9 inches of the 

 whole surface. Mix the manure with tho burned clay, spread it, and 

 plough it in. It ought to render the land fertile. If you send five postage 

 stamps with your address, and order "Manures lor the Many," you will 

 have it sent free by post. It contains information about tho manures 

 you name. 



Battersea Park (L.). — V*'e have no doubt the plant you mean is Sem- 

 pervivum cahforuicum, which is green tipped with reddish brown, and 

 makes a first-rate edging. 



Gladioluses and Liliuh lancifolium i Linorain-.L:).— They may be 

 sown in collections of herbaceous plants, although there are t^eparate 

 classes for these bulbs, unless there is a special rule to the contrary ia 

 the schedule of prizes cfi'ered. 



