172 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUPvE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( February 27, 1868. 



ing, and be eneonraged to grow a little. Give plenty of air in 

 the daytime, but cover securely at night. Proceed with the 

 potting of the autumn-struck jjlants, and the pricking-out of 

 tender annuals, which should always be attended to before 

 they become crowded in the seed pots, and encourage the plants 

 afterwards in a close gentle heat until they are established in 

 the new soil. Pot Tigridia pavonia and conchiflora in light 

 turfy soil, putting two bulbs in a IB-sized pot, and placing 

 them in a warm frame or forcing house until they begin to 

 grow. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST \TOEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Feas. — We lately instanced how the open galvanised wire 

 ■netting would protect from larger birds, but of course would 

 not protect from rats and mice, for which trapping and other 

 means must be resorted to. A new Pea seemed to have quite 

 a run of intruders upon it. Very simple remedies are often 

 efiectual. One of our men, who has a garden, says the mice 

 never burrow after his Peas, as he always sows some soot on 

 the ground over the rows, and draws a spade gently over it. 

 We have tried it with several rows, and not a single hole 

 has been made in the course of a week. We presume that 

 it will be effectual so long as the ammonia is given ofi strong. 

 "When other rows with stokehole ashes thrown over the sur- 

 face have been visited, though little injured, not a single dig 

 after a Pea has been made as yet in these sooted rows. No 

 better surface-manuring could be afforded the Peas, and we 

 hope, if not more generally known than it was to ourselves, 

 that some sufferers may receive benefit from the soot-sprinkling. 

 In many gardens now, the due preparation of the ground is not 

 of more importance than the securing seeds and young plants 

 after sowing or planting. 



We have not previously grown Maclean's Little Gem Pea, but 

 we are much pleased with its appearance, as it is coming on iu 

 pots. AVe tasted some of the Peas after germination had com- 

 menced, and, so far as we could judge, it seemed superior in 

 flavour to any dwarf Pea suitable for pots. When grown in 

 pots or in the open ground, it looks as if every Pea should have 

 2 or 3 inches. Our plants are now in 5 -inch pots, three plants 

 in each pot, under the glass of a frame, and by the time we 

 shut up moie closely our first orchard house we will transfer 

 these Peas to S-inch pots, rendering the soil firm at the sides. 

 On the whole, we prefer sowing in the pots iu which the Peas 

 are to produce, but large pots take up much room, and we only 

 bad the seed lately, and wished to forward the Peas for early 

 gathering. Room for three months to come is a serious matter 

 with most of us, with whom every inch of glass must do its 

 utmost. The being oWiged to cram, keeps the inventive facul- 

 ties ever on the stretch, and frequent movings involve a great 

 amount of labour, which would be mostly saved were there a 

 place for everything. Early vegetables must often now be ob- 

 tained, and large flower gardens supplied, though in summer 

 it would be difficult for a stranger to find where the plants came 

 from. 



Cucinnhers. — Most of the plants intended for early spring 

 work are under a frame on the top of a common hotbed, made 

 with materials as lately detailed, with but Uttle preparation, 

 and the plants look well and strong, filling the pots with roots — 

 after the second potting one plant in a pot. We have managed 

 to clear a five-light pit supplied with hot water, have taken the 

 earth in, and early next week, after having everything ready, 

 we will turn the plants into the pit in a fine day, when the soil 

 is nice and warm. Most likely we will try some in the seed 

 fcox, and others as soon as we can obtain materials, and then 

 there will be a race between the hot water and the frame. At 

 an early period raising plants in the frame is the most econo- 

 mical, unless high temperature from hot water is required some- 

 where else. Our frame is very shallow, but that is no great 

 disadvantage, for as the leaves of the Cucumber plants were 

 coming too near the glass, we raised the frame the thickness of 

 three bricks at the corners, just removing the banking-up to 

 place a flat piece of board as a rest across the corners, and then 

 the bricks were placed above the boards. Two bricks might 

 have done, but we did not want to be troubled again, and it 

 ■was as well that on the bright days at the end of the wtek the 

 leaves should not be too near the glass. In all such raising it 

 is of importance that sweet material should be packed at the 

 back, and for at least 6 inches up the frame. That done, we 

 banked fii-mly as high as the boards with what we could find 

 iiindiest. 



There is another advantage in raising the frame and thus 

 keeping it banked outside with fermenting material. More top 

 beat is thrown iu through the boards, and the bottom heat in 

 the bed is rendered more moderate. This helps to remedy the 

 chief drawback in frames and pits heated by fermenting ma- 

 terial only. In this bed there was no difficulty, by means of 

 covering, in keeping the atmospheric heat up to 70°, and even 

 much higher, at night it we wanted it ; and in sunny days we 

 could have just what temperature we liked best ; but in very 

 cold, stormy, sunless days, even with little or no air given, the 

 atmospheric temperature would fall to 65°, or even lower. Now, 

 here the hot water would so far have the advantage, that ac- 

 cording to what was said the other week, we could easily 

 have a temperature of from tJO° to 65° at night, and up to 70° 

 in a dull day. The old plan of increasing the atmospheric 

 heat over a dung bed by sending heat by linings through the 

 fermenting material, had a tendency to increase the drawback 

 in two ways — first, by unduly increasing the bottom heat ; 

 and, secondly, by making the atmosphere when the bed was 

 covered up at night warmer than duriug the day, if the day 

 was dull and sunless. This prolonging at night of vegetation 

 by heat — for it can hardly be called growth, as then there can 

 be little or no solid addition — is fruitful of many evils which 

 can be so far counteracted when we can obtain atmospheric 

 heat, by banking-up outside, in a bed or pit, without that extra 

 heat passing through the part where the roots are growing. By 

 proportioning covering at night, and air-giving during the day, 

 according to the weather, we can regulate a dung bed as we 

 would one heated by hot water, so as always as a general rule 

 to have the highest temperature when there is the most light. 



Miishrooms. — Earthed-down a fresh piece of a Mushroom 

 bed just as the previous bed was becoming like a sheet with 

 small Mushrooms, and larger ones were still coming rather 

 plentifully on older beds. In making a bed at this season we 

 are forced to lose some of the strength of the dung in order to 

 have it in a dry mellow state for the reception of the spawn. 

 We pile the droppings and shortish litter in a heap, covered 

 over with long litter, and if the material is so wet as not to be- 

 come somewhat dry by this process, we cut some long litter 

 short with a billhook, and mix it with the rest, and that, by 

 causing it to heat, will dry it enough for our purpose. In 

 making our shallow beds we have them as firm as possible, 

 making firm again by beating after spawning, and on putting 

 on from li inch of fresh rather stifi soil we beat firmly again, 

 and then, watering the surface, draw firmly a clean spade along 

 it, so as to have the surface smooth. This secures the easy 

 cleaning of the bed, and more especially when a little covering 

 of hay and Utter is used for maintaining an agreeable tempera- 

 ture. In large ridge beds out of doors the firmness, though 

 important, is not bo essential as in shallow beds in-doors. 



SVe may here state that A tells us that, obtaining no Mush- 

 rooms, he gave his beds a good watering with water nearly at 

 the boiling point, and iu a few weeks had plenty of Mushrooms, 

 but after one good gathering there were few more. B tells us 

 that he followed the example of A, and has never had a Mush- 

 room, and our opinion of the practice is asked. We reply that 

 it must ever be looked upon as a hit-or-miss practice. We dis- 

 like to water much in winter if the air is moderately moist ; 

 or if not, we would have a sUght sprinkling of hay on the bed 

 in preference to much watering in the short dull days. When 

 wanted we often prefer making a few holes and watering the 

 bed back and front, instead of watering all the surface. We 

 never use boiling water, except when troubled with woodlice, 

 which we seldom are until the end of March or April. Then 

 with a little dry hay we entice them to the back and front of the 

 bed, and when we pour hot water there it sinks down, and 

 does not extend far from the back or the front. Had we a bed 

 cold, the spawn in dry material, and were sure none had begun 

 running in the soil, we would not hesitate, if the soil was rather 

 dry, to give it a good watering with water near the boiling 

 point, because that would heat the soil, and the heat would 

 decline to about 80° or 100° before it reached the dry material. 

 If, however, the spawn was already running in the soil, and 

 coming near the surface, we should expect it to be killed out- 

 right by such warm waterings. If we would be safe, then, we 

 should keep from such scalding work. It is better to secure 

 moderate moisture and an equable temperature by a slight 

 covering of the beds. In heated houses it is more pleasant to 

 see the beds bearing without any covering, but in that case it 

 is easy to apply atmospheric moisture, or to give waterings 

 judiciously when necessary, not using the water warmer than 

 from 80° to 100°. In such a case a watering from manure 



