190 



JOUENAL OF HOBTICDLTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 6, 1868. 



finished some time since. If we Lave a wet day next week we 

 shall scrape over the floor between the pots, so as to remove the 

 Burface, thoTigh only for a quarter of an inch in depth. We 

 do this by way of precaution, though we had scarcely the ap- 

 pearance of an insect there last season. We shall then prick 

 over the ground with a fork, chiefly to receive water, but not 

 to loosen the soil, except the mere surface. We shall add a 

 little rotten dung, and then water with manure water, doing 

 2 or 3 feet in width at a time, so that the trees against the 

 back wall may not have too much water at once. The trees in 

 pots being rather dry, watered them, but not heavily, to en- 

 courage the fibres to come to the top compost. In another 

 year, if we keep these trees in pots, we must try and shift them 

 early in autumn, as they have been a number of years in the 

 same pots. We have proved what may be done in this way, 

 and a pretty amusement it is for amateurs and ladies. In 

 practice, when a gardener's hands are full, the watering which 

 these trees in pots require is a great drawback ; but it is very 

 pretty to see a number of such trees in pots healthy and well 

 loaded. The labour of watering in summer is lessened by 

 repeated mulchings. 



Before the blossom opens our aim now is to retard the open- 

 ing, and thus be more independent of the weather if we should 

 have a frosty March. To help to retard, in some very bright 

 days we spattered the roof outside with water merely whitened 

 with whiting. The syringe in the hands of a man who can use 

 it, will do this for the roof of a large house sooner than we can 

 write about the doing of it. In favourable weather we give all 

 the ventilation we can day and night, shutting up in nights 

 likely to be stormy. We think it is a mistake to hurry on 

 these unheated houses in February ; but even if they should 

 be rather forward by giving less air than we have done, the 

 blossom will suffer little from cold so long as the air inside is 

 dry and rather still. We prefer, however, to keep the trees 

 back now, and to help them on by shutting up earlier after tha 

 fruit is set. In different houses there will be thus successions 

 without artificial heat, as the house earliest one season will 

 come earlier every season afterwards. 



ORNAMEXTAL DEPAKTMENT. 



In addition to what was stated last week about potting plants, 

 we would like to secure a number of Pink and Perpetual Car- 

 nation cuttings for next winter ; the latter if struck and potted 

 early requiring no forcing to bloom in winter, and the former 

 but little. AVe have put in a good batch of Verbena cuttings, 

 and would have in cuttings of many other plants could we 

 empty our places of the plants that we are yet afraid to trust 

 with protection without glass. When a single little wooden 

 box, in which Pelargonium cuttings were inserted, now holds 

 ■from fifty to a hundred fine plants, the potting of thousands 

 and transferring them as stated lately to a Vine border covered 

 with old sashes, makes but little room in the place where the 

 handy boxes stood. 



Pricked-off numbers of Lobelias in shallow boxes about 

 2J inches deep. These little boxes, made for very little in bad 

 weather, where pieces of wood can be obtained, or old boxes, 

 which are often plentiful and fit for little else but firewood, 

 are better than pans square or round, as they are so much 

 lighter and less likely to be broken, and take up no time in 

 preparing them for such purposes like pots. Then, for pricking- 

 out such little plants, as the bottoms and the sides do not fit 

 over-closely together, no holes for drainage are required. A 

 little rough leaf mould is spread along the bottom, fresh sandy 

 soil rather rough over that, and then a surface of lighter finer 

 soil with a little fine leaf mould in it, pressed down, and pricked 

 all over with the little plants. When well established these 

 can be taken out in lumps with all the roots near at home. 

 Preparing such boxes ia a good job for a wet day. To secure 

 neatness and keep fungus away, we generally whitewash them 

 with quicklime, outside and inside. A large number of such 

 plants will be stowed away in our Cucumber beds and frames ; 

 not but we would rather be without them, and let the Cucum- 

 bers have all to themselves ; but, then, if we have them at all 

 it must be by a cramming prscess. It is important, however, 

 to prevent the plants crammed-in injuring those intended for a 

 snore permanent residence. 



We intended making some remarks on propagation, but must 

 defer them, as those seeking the information will not be able 

 to begin until after the middle of the month. Meanwhile we 

 would advise a sweet heat in the top of the bed, if bed is to be 

 used, and a good-sized cutting instead of two small ones. 

 Thus, though you may split Verbena stems and make a cutting 

 of almost every joint, or even two cuttings, we advise that each 



cutting should have at least two joints, and if a terminal or 

 side shoot, which we like best, that the cutting should be 

 from 1{ to 2 inches in length. Beginners will find that the 

 best. 



With regard to sowing tender flower seeds, referred to last 

 week, for all small seeds sown in pots, it is a good plan to fill 

 the pots one-quarter full with drainage, one-quarter more of 

 rough materials, then finer soil, and finer still next the surface, 

 that surface being nearly an inch below the rim. Water well, 

 and leave for the best part of twenty-four hours, then level the 

 surface, sow, sprinkle with a little sand, press gently, take to 

 the bed or warm place, cover with a square of glass, and on 

 that place paper or any other covering, and in general little 

 watering will be wanted until the seedlings appear. If glass is 

 not at hand in little squares to cover the pots, covering all the 

 pots with a newspaper or a cloth until the seedlings appear, so 

 as to keep in moisture, will be safer in such a case than using 

 the wateriug pot. When that is essential before or after the 

 seeds appear, use no rose, but sail the surface by pouring the 

 water on a piece of tile or crock. Thousands of such little 

 seedlings are ruined from wateriug overhead with the rose of 

 a pot, however fine the rose may be. — E. F. 



COATSNT GARDEN MARKET.— March 4. 



Our supplies are a full average, and owing to the fine open weather arc 

 much better than they usually are at this period of the year. Continental 

 produce is rather loAver in price, but home-grown articles are at last 

 week's quotations. 



FRUIT. 



g. A. e. A 



Apples J sieve 8 to 5 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bush. 8 



Currants ^ sieve 



Black , 



do. 



Figs doz. 



10 



1 

 



8 12 

 8 12 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



GonsebeiTiea ..quart 

 Grapes, Hothouse, .lb. 

 Lemons 100 



















Melons each 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges 100 3 



Peaches doz. 



Pears (dessert) ..doz, 4 



Pine Apples lb. 6 



Plums i sieve 



Quinces doz. 



d. g. a 



OtoO 







7 







8 



10 



















Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries . . per oz. 3 



Walnuts bush. 10 IS 



do per 100 1 2 



VEGETABLES. 



ArtichoUos doz. 



Asparagus lull 



Beans, Ividney ....lUU 



Beet, Red doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Brns. Sprouts ^ sieve 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums 100 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Cucumbers each 



Endive doz. 



Fennel buBch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish .. bundle 



s. d. s. d 

 3 0to4 



20 



8 



S 

 1 



1 

 



8 

 8 

 2 6 



Leeks bnnch 



Lettuce per score 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustd.& Cress, punnet 



Onions per bushel 



Parsley per sieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes doz. bunches 



I Rhubarb bundle 



I Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



I Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes per doz. 



Turnips bunch 



d. s. d 

 3 too 



1 6 



2 

 

 

 

 

 6 

 

 6 

 

 



5 

 5 

 1 

 5 

 6 

 1 

 1 

 2 

 8 

 9 

 4 

 

 6 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



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

 mental writers of the "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Jourtial of Horticulture, dc, 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.G. 



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

 week. 



Books (iT. a. C.).— "The Fern Manual" can be had free by post from 

 our office if you enclose 5*. 4rf. with your address. It contains directions 

 for cultivating Ferns in all situations. 



Rhubarb for Medicine (Eusticus). — The common garden varieties do 

 not yield the root known as Turkey Rhubarb, and used in medicine. The 

 following extract ia from Hogg's "Vegetable Kingdom."— "It is gene- 

 rally believed that K. palmatum, undulatum, Rhapontieum, and australe 

 are those from which the commercial supply is obtained. Rhubarb is 

 produced abundantly in the elevated lands of Tartary, Chinese Tartary, 

 Thibet, and Bhotan. It is not cultivated, but springs up spontaneously, 

 wherever the seed has been distributed in places favourable for germina- 

 tion. The root is not considered fit for use till it is six years old, when it 

 is dug up twice a-year — iu Tartary in spring and autumn, and in China 

 only in winter. When it is taken up, the bark is removed, the root cut iu 

 pieces, with holes througli them, and hung up to dry upon cords about 

 the tents, or on the horns of sheep." 



