February 20, 1868. ) 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



each side o{ the rows to a.fford protection from frosty winds. 

 Carrots, sow some approved early sort now, if the ground is in 

 fair working condition, on a warm, sheltered border, /.fcfc, to 

 grow them to perfection, a deep and rather strong loamy soil, 

 highly enriched with manure, is essential. Heavily dress the 

 ground, therefore, with rich, well-rotted manure, and trench 

 to at least a depth of 2 feet. Some growers dig out narrow 

 trenches and fill-ia with manure, as is done for Celery ; but 

 except with very light, poor soil this is unnecessary. Sow 

 now, if the ground is in good working order, on a bed of rich, 

 well-pulverised soil, scattering the seeds very thinly, and 

 covering them lightly. Choose a well-shellerod sunny situa- 

 tion, and in cold localities it would be advisable to raise the 

 plants in a cold frame, and transplant them in April. Oniujis, 

 the main crop should bo sown now that the ground is in good 

 working condition. A rather deep and rich loamy soil is most 

 suitable for this crop ; where very large bulbs aro desired, soil 

 of this character is necessary. Onions grown in a strong soil 

 are much less liable to be attacked by the maggot than in light, 

 dry, sandy soils, rarxnips, sow now in lines from 18 to 

 20 inches apart, scattering the seeds thinly, and covering them 

 from half an inch to an inch deep with the linest of the soil. 

 Parsnips succeed best in a deep rich soil ; and as the application 

 of manure tends to produce forked and badly-formed roots, 

 ground in good condition which has been manured for the 

 previous crop should be selected. The ground should be 

 trenched 2 or 2i feet deep before sowing. 



FEUIT GARDES. 



Take every favourable opportunity to finish pruning, nailing, 

 and washing or painting all sorts of fruit trees, with the ex- 

 ception of Peaches and Apricots. In the case of the Vine, if not 

 cut in autumn, pruning must not be delayed. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Auriculas may be kept moderately moist ; if top-dressing has 

 not been done as before directed, let it be done immediately. 

 Look well to Polyanthuses. As spring advances the snails 

 become proportionahly troublesome ; diligently trap them. 

 Plant Ranunculuses without delay. The compost necessary is 

 equal parts of leaf mould and loam which has been previously 

 exposed to the action of heat to destroy the eggs uf insects, 

 itc, contained therein. Should any soil have lodged in the 

 axils of the leaves of Carnations, it is necessary that it should 

 be removed. A quill, with the feather stripped off on one side 

 and cut half off on the other, makes a simple but effectual 

 brush with which to perform this operation, and by timely 

 looking through the stock disease may be prevented. Edgings 

 of various kinds may now be planted, sucli as Box, Thrift, 

 Daisies, London Pride, or Gentianellas. If a few forward 

 patches of Crocuses, Van Thol Tulips, or Anemones in the 

 borders are taken up about this time and carefully potted with- 

 out much disturbing the roots they will flower beautifully. 

 Hyacinths in glasses will now be showing bloom, and must be 

 carefully attended to. Instead of growing these in glasses I 

 would prefer raising them in pots in the usual way until the 

 flowers begin to show colour, when the bulbs may be gently 

 shaken from the soil, and, the roots having been washed in 

 lukewarm water, placed in glasses filled with water of the same 

 temperature. The bulbs will flower as strongly and well as if 

 they had never been moved, and this practice prevents the 

 flower from being drawn, the bulbs from rotting, and the roats 

 from decaying, as often happens when they are grown in water 

 from the commencement. 



GREENHOCSE AMD CONSERVATORY. 



Where large collections of house plants aro cultivated, re- 

 potting takes place every month in the year, but from this 

 time till August is, in general, the principal period for this 

 work. Many plants may now be safely repotted ; early in 

 spring the rule of seeing the roots growing freely is the best 

 guide for beginners. Many plants will begin to grow at the 

 top before their roots are in action, yet they do not require to 

 be repotted ; they are either too much confined, or under a 

 higher temperature than they require at this time. Orchids 

 from the more temperate regions are often much injured by a 

 high temperature when they begin to grow. Epacrises, Heaths, 

 and others of the more hardy plants, in or coming into flower, 

 should be kept near the source of ventilation ; while Roses 

 and other forced flowers fresh from the forcing pit require the 

 ■warmest part of the house, and ought to be kept free from 

 currents of air at first. This is a good time to make memo- 

 randa of the best varieties of forced bulbs, especially Hyacinths 

 and Tulips. The nights are still too long to allow any syring- 



ing in the conservatory in the afternoon, but such plants as 

 are not in flower, and all vacant spaces in the house, should 

 be sprinkled two or three times a-wcek, and this should be 

 performed early in the day. The plants in the greenhouse 

 may now have a slight syringing in the afternoon, and air may 

 be freely admitted in all fine nights. Some young plants may 

 want repotting. If some are growing freely at the top, and 

 the roots are not in action, the houFO is too hot for them and 

 you must remove such plants to a cooler place. Attend to 

 neatness in all the houses:, and make it a rule never to pass a, 

 pot-plant through your hands without removing all yellow or 

 injured leaves if there are any, also all insects that may exist on. 

 it, as well as weeds growing in the pot. Pelargoniums that are 

 growing rapidly may now be repotted ; the tops of the young 

 shoots should be pinched off so as induce them to throw out 

 laterals that they may be rendered dwarf and bushy. Old plants 

 of Musk may now be turned out and repotted in fresh soil, 

 using rich, rather stiff loam for the purpose. A few of the old 

 roots that will be found on the outside of the ball should be 

 placed regularly over the surface of the pot and covered about 

 half an inch deep, leaving room for water, which must be 

 given freely when the plants begin to grow. 



STOVE. 



Another crop of dry bulbs and roots might now be started 

 into growth for a successional bloom. It is too soon yet for 

 potting to any extent if the Orchids are finished. A few plants 

 here and there may, indeed, be so forward in their growth as 

 to require fresh pots. 



POECISG PIT. 



This is a good time for propagating many plants by cuttings» 

 by grafting, and by seeds, and the forcing pits are the best 

 places for this work. Seedlings already up ought to be potted- 

 cff as soon as they can be safely handled. Foreign seeds had 

 better be sown in 32-sized pots, putting four or more kinds 

 into one pot, and placing labels in the middle facing the dif- 

 ferent seeds. Less water will then be needed than if each 

 kind were sown in a small pot, and the less water given to 

 doubtful seeds the better chance they will have to germinate. 

 Let every shelf and corner of these useful pits be tilled with 

 plants as others in flower are removed from them. 



riTS AND FRAilES. 



Gardenias, Roses, and other plants for forcing will be re- 

 moved from these to the forcing pit as they are wanted for suc- 

 cession, and their places may be filled-up with return plants 

 from the conservatory which have done flowering. The rest of 

 the permanent occupants require only to be protected frorQ 

 frost, cutting winds, and heavy rains. — W. Ke.ane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AYEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



The work has been much the same as in previous weeks 

 with one exception, that of potting a lot of Dwarf Kidneij Beans, 

 and placing them on shelves in a pit, so as to be equally 

 distant from the glass. For early forcing we prefer pots, 

 as they can be moved as may be necessary, and we prefer 

 planting to sowing at once, as room is saved in the first in- 

 stance ; otherwise time is saved by sowing or planting five or 

 six seeds in a 10-inch pot. three parts filled with fresh light 

 rich soil, and earthing-up afterwards. In growing Kidney Beans 

 in a pit we frequently plant first in rows 2 feet apart, when the 

 plants are strong earth-up a little, when they are producing 

 sow again in the furrows, and by the time the latter plants are 

 up and becoming strong, we pull out the first crop and give the 

 second the room, and so sow for four or more crops, giving 

 some rotten dung after the first two crops. 



The advantage of growing Kidney Beans in a heated pit is, 

 that there is no chance of introducing thrips with them into 

 such structures as vineries and Peach houses. We find in pits 

 that soot water, clear, and at times weak clear sul))hur water, 

 used as syringings, will generally keep them free of this their 

 great enemy when fire heat is used, and the syringing cannot 

 be so well done in bouses where the Beans are merely a very 

 secondary crop. 



It is difficult to decide at times where the thrips come from 

 that will attack the foliage of a Kidney Bean plant. In a pit 

 thoroughly cleaned previously as far as we know how, with 

 smoking, washing, lime-washing, and all heated alike, we have 

 put temporary divisions of thin wood, or even of calico, or a 

 mat, and given a different temperature to each division by 

 merely a different regulation of air-giving, and in these difte- 



