138 



JOURNAL OF HOETICUIiTUBE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEK. 



{ February 13, 18f8. 



in some litter at the foot of the houses or south walls, if they 

 have not indeed been there all the winter. 



FLOWER G.UIDEN. 



As soon as the ground is a little dried it will be a good plan 

 to fork over all the vacant beds in the flower garden, so as to 

 have the soil properly pulverised prior to planting out the 

 autumn-sown annuals. Preparation must also he made for a 

 general sowing of the more hardy kinds, such as Larkspurs, 

 Godetias, Clarkias, Nemophilas, &c., which should be made 

 on the first day the ground is sufficiently dry to admit of sow- 

 ing them. Proceed with the pruning of shrubs and common 

 Bases, but leave the more tender kinds until you are sure they 

 will not be injared by frost. Proceed with planting out bien- 

 nials, and prepare a little grouud in a warm corner for sowing 

 Stocks and some of the best of the annuals for transplanting. 

 As a matter of course, all floricultural calendars must, to a 

 certain extent, be acted on only as the weather is favourable 

 for the operations therein detailed as necessary. Daring spring 

 and summer the experienced florist finds it comparatively easy 

 to point out in the previous week what is requisite to be done 

 the ensuing week ; but at this uncertain season we must be 

 guided by circumstances. If the weather continues mild draw 

 the lights completely off the Auricula frames during the day, 

 examine the plants minutely, and see that all is going on well ; 

 should any mild rains fall during the week they will be bene- 

 fited in the middle of the day. When the lights are drawn on, 

 tilt them, so that the grass may become as dry as possible 

 before night. Still cover Tulips with sand as they appear. It 

 the beds for Kanunculuses are sufliciently dry, they should be 

 immediately planted. 



GREENEOUSE AXD CONSERVATORY. 



Orange trees it now removed to an early vinery or stove and 

 kept in-doors all summer, will come into flower next Christmas 

 with very little forcing. Camellias that have not formed 

 flower buds may also be introduced in succession from this 

 time. Some of them may be expected to flower about the end 

 of next September. Plants of Fuchsia eorymbiflora, it cut 

 back last autumn and preserved through the wintei', will flower 

 in May if they are removed to a forcing house. The night 

 temperature of the conservatory should now be lower than 

 through the winter, say about 40°, in order that the plants 

 may be started slowly at first. This should be attended to 

 by all who regard the proper cultivation of their plants. 

 There is nothing more injurious to the blooms in this house 

 than currents of cold damp air. The Camellias are the first 

 to indicate this. When forced hardy bulbs are done flowering, 

 cut off their flower stems, remove the bulbs to the reserve pit, 

 turn them out of their pots, plunge them in a light moist 

 compost, and protect them in cold weather. In the greenhouse, 

 if you guard against frost there is no danger of the tempera- 

 ture of this house falling too low, and air should be admitted 

 on any fine day in order to keep the plants from growing too 

 rapidly at this season. Owiug to a drier atmosphere being 

 thus produced, the plants will require constant attention witlr 

 regard to watering. 



STOVE. 



Many plants will be soon fit for repotting ; and fresh label- 

 ling, tying, and training pot plants and climbers will require 

 attention for some time. 



FORCING PIT. 



That variety of the common Lilac, called Charles X., is the 

 best of them for forcing, as it retains its high colour better 

 than the old purple Lilac. The following plants may be ob- 

 tained now from this structure : — Azalea indica alba and varie- 

 ties, Khodora canadensis, Acacia armata, Calla a-thiopica ; 

 Pelargoniums Album multiflorum. Admiral Napier, General 

 Washington, Ne Plus Ultra, and some Scarlet varieties ; Tulips, 

 several early varieties ; Narcissuses, Soliel d'Or and double 

 Roman being the earliest ; Hyacinths, Jonquils, Crocuses, Lily 

 of the Valley, Violets; Ros'es, Fairy, Chinese, Tea-scented, 

 Bourbons, and Hybrid Perpetuals. Fabvier, a Chinese Rose, 

 is one of the best for bouquets at this early period. 



FITS AXD FRAMES. 



Here there will be no want of work for the next three months. 

 Some of the Stocks and other annuals sown some weeks back 

 will require potting-off, putting three or four plants in a pot. 

 Pot-ofi Verbenas, and put in cuttings of kinds of which you 

 have not enough. Divide and make root-cuttings of Bouvardia 

 triphylla and angustifolia, and get the plants forward and strong 

 for planting out. Put Salvia patens into heat to produce 

 cuttings, and see that everything is in order for the spring, 



which will soan arrive. After such a comparatively mild 

 winter, the plants here are not in a condition to be shut up 

 closely during damp or rainy weather. All you can do is to 

 give air at the top and bottom of the sashes. If any amateur 

 wishes to try experiments in inarching Camellias, this is a 

 good time to remove his stocks into gentle heat to set the sap 

 in motion before the operation is begun. It is also now a good 

 time to graft little Orange trees for forcing and blooming in 

 the drawing-room or conservatory. The growth of the young 

 stocks for this purpose ought to be pushed in advance of the 

 scions by a gentle heat. A few Wallflower seeds might now be 

 sown to raise plants for forcing next winter, for which purpose 

 they are well adapted, as they may be had in flower from 

 Christmas until they bloom in the open ground. Another 

 good forcing plant is the Philadelphus coronarius, or Mock 

 Orange, which forces as well as the Deutzias. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST "WEEK. 



KITCHEN- G.VRDEX. 



Sowed a lot of Peas on banks, covering them with a little 

 fine soil, and then strewing the ground thinly with ashes as a 

 preventive, and covered with a width of wire netting to each 

 I row, as without that we should expect few seeds to be left after 

 I being sown forty-eight hours. This season in sowing we 

 have resorted to a plan we adopted with advantage many years 

 ago. Instead of one shallow trench for Peas, we drew one on 

 each side of the line, so that these two rows would be about 

 (j inches apart, and sowed the Peas in both, but more thinly 

 I than it one row were used. We thought long ago that with 

 the same quantity of seed the gatherings were thus larger, as 

 the seeds had individually more room, and the staking was the 

 same. Were it not for the enemies that attack Peas at this 

 i season before they appear above ground, and afterwards before 

 j they can yield their produce, we would sow much thinner than 

 we do, or is generally done. When the seeds and the young 

 ' pilants could be secured, we have gathered heavier crops from a 

 I row with the seeds 2 inches apart, than when three or four 

 1 seeds occupied that space. We use the thicker sowing to meet 

 ; casualties ; not because we consider it to be the best in other 

 respects. When we hear from some gardeners, we cannot help 

 I thinking they are so far fortunate whose work chiefly consists 

 in sowing, planting, and gathering. In how many other places 

 have these operations and the due preparation of the soil be- 

 come of less importance than taking means to protect from 

 many enemies which now find a comfortable home about the 

 I garden ? 



Beans. — Sowed a piece ; and we mention this chiefly that 

 those with small gardens may be induced to try the Royal 

 Dsvarf Fan or Cluster. A heavy crop of small delicious Beans 

 may be gathered from rows only U or 15 inches apart. The 

 Dwarf Gieen Gem is also a sweet Bean when used young, as 

 it ought to be, and occupies less room than the Mazagan Bean, 

 also valuable for its earliness. We like to see the fine indi- 

 vidual seeds of the Windsors, and the noble pods of the Won- 

 derful and the ilonarch of the Longpod race, but the produce 

 is not in proportion to the great size of the pods. These huge 

 Lougpods when Uttle more than half grown, green, and. brittle, 

 and the beans inside not half their full size, make a rich dish 

 when boiled and used in the pods, just as Kidney Beans are 

 treated. 



Cauliflowers. — Stirred-up the soil under glasses, and top- 

 dressed" a little. Notwithstanding the severe frosts, owing to 

 the dustings of snow, a number of rather large plants have 

 stood on a bank uninjured, and did they go on, would come in 

 before those under hand-lights. We fear, however, that some 

 check will cause them to button prematurely, and then they 

 will be worth little or nothing. We have still a good supply 

 for use from the plants raised in the end of October and pro- 

 tected in an earth pit. 



Celerij has stood well, but we protected with litter in the 

 coldest weather, and removed it when the weather was fine. 

 When Celery is grown in beds, a little long litter or dry clean 

 straw put on before a heavy snow, is also an advantage, as, if 

 the snow lies long, and there are changes of thaw and frost 

 before the snow disappears, the weight is rather much for the 

 Celery, and the leaves are broken, and the moisture finds its 

 way more readily to the heart of the plant. The slight cover- 

 ing of litter equalises the weight of the snow, and when re- 

 moved there is Uttle breakage of the leaves. When such leaves 

 , are much frozen without any protection, the exposed part de- 



