226 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICOLTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



( March 19, 1663. 



but show no blossom, and on that account any out-of-the-way 

 place is thought good enough for them afterwards ; but the 

 less these are disposed to bloom the more care is necessary to 

 expose their leaves as much as possible to light, and to see that 

 they have neither too much nor too little water, and that the 

 pots are well drained. Turfy loam with a little leaf mould and 

 sand suits a great many of these ; peat is injiu'ious to some of 

 the more delicate sorts, whilst the most tender of the Iridacese 

 ■will live only in light peat. Always keep up a moist growing 

 heat of from 60' to 80° in these pits from this time, and 

 fumigate them as scon and as often as the green fly appears, 

 but avoid strong doses ; better smoke often and give a Uttle at 

 a time. 



PITS ASD FEA3IES. 



Many of the established and more hardy plants in these 

 structures may now be removed to temporary pits to make 

 room for the spring-struck stock, now being daily potted-off. 

 Do not permit any vacant space in the propagating frame until 

 you have more plants than you require for bedding-out. It 

 will be necessary to keep a genial heat in the cutting frame, 

 and to top all cuttings that have taken taken root and are be- 

 ginning to grow.— W. Ejsaxe. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST 'WTEEK. 



KITCHEN" GAEDEN. 



The soil with us was too wet to permit of sowing seeds of the 

 main crop of Onions, but sowed a few to keep on, also beds or 

 rows of Lettuces, Eadishes, and Spinach. We lately mentioned 

 the efficacy of soot sown over the rows of Peas and Beans in 

 keeping away mice and rats, but the soot not being renewed, 

 after being washed by the rains, some rows had a number of 

 vacancies in them, the Peas being cut over below ground just 

 as they were coming well above it. A fresh dusting, and some 

 tempting pMaoned builg put in the way of the vermin, have 

 rendered their visits since inconspicuous. This baiting when it 

 can be done is more effectual than trapping. In wheeling 

 away the dung from an old hotbed the other day, we found the 

 remains of many huge rats that had died in their runs. ■What- 

 ever material is used, the chief secret of success is never to 

 touch the bait with the human hand. We generally mix all, 

 and lay down securely where domestic animals, and even game, 

 are not likely to go, using only a wooden spatula. 



Molfs. — These have been very troublesome of late, not only 

 in the park but the lawn. One thing in favour of the steel and 

 other traps is, that generally the mole when caught is killed 

 at once. We were never great adepts at catching them, even 

 when we used thick gloves to keep away the taint of the hand. 

 One man who has taken it in hand, and been very successful, 

 rubs the trap and part of the run with the skin of a dead mole. 

 General work has been much the same as in the previous 

 fortnight, only we took thirty large pots, filled them with rough 

 hay inside, except a small open space in the centre, and put 

 them over Sca-I:alc in the open ground, after placing some 

 ashes round the crown. As we may want to cover a good deal 

 more placed a cone of ashes over the crowns, and a little litter, 

 as this vegetable is not easily blanched white, if it once is al- 

 lowed to become green. The packing of hay or of clean litter 

 inside, prevents the shoots being over-heated, or cooled too 

 much, and docs away with any necessity for placing litter out- 

 side of the pots. Now is a good time to make fresh plantations. 

 One-year seedlings do well, and if scarce, pieces of the roots 

 4 inches in length answer very tolerably, only they do not be- 

 come so strong generally in one year. If to remain, the ground 

 for this and Asparagus can scarcely be too well stirred, or too 

 much enriched, if the manure used is sweet and decomposed, 

 where it is near the roots. Eich surface dressings are eagerly 

 enjoyed, and so is sailing the surface in summer, which also 

 drives all slugs and snails to a distance, if it does not destroy 

 them outright. 



FKUIT GAKDEX. 



The chief work has been regulating Vines, thinning-out the 

 superfluous shoots iu the earliest house, allowing the next to 

 come on gradually, thinning the shoots in the Peach house, 

 giving all the air possible in the orchard house, and using a 

 rough fan, made of a thin board with a handle, in calm days 

 when there was a little sun. All brushing with camel-hair 

 pencils, fanning, and shaking the trees, so as to assist in tlic 

 dispersion of" tlie pollen, is of but little use, unless the sun lends 

 his aid. A few hours' sunshine in spring will next to secure a 

 crop under glass. The poUen then becomes so light and easily 

 <Uffused. ^We recollect, many years ago, having a Peach 



house in bloom some weeks before Christmas, and although 

 the bloom was fine, and seemed at first to set fairly, a great 

 many of the young fruit dropped afterwards, long before the 

 stoning period, and on cutting up scores of them, they were 

 black at the heart, showing that though the germen had in- 

 creased in size, fertilisation had never properly taken place. 

 From the time of the bloom opening to its dropping the trees 

 had not half an hour's sunshine if all the five minutes now 

 and the five minutes then were added up together. A few 

 hours' sunshine in a mild day, with a gentle breeze when the 

 trees are in bloom, and the pollen boxes opening, almost makes 

 sure of plenty of fruit setting. However, as it is always weU 

 to avoid reflections afterwards, the dispersing of the pollen by 

 the modes adverted to may be resorted to. As giving data for 

 comparison we may state that on this, the 14th of March, a 

 few blooms are opening in the latest house, but the great bulk 

 of the buds are strong and clustered together like strings of 

 Peas. By all the air possible we will keep this house back, but 

 the coming warmth will beat us, and our chief care at present 

 is to see that the trees are not overdry, as that might cause 

 them to drop their buds, and not to be flooded with water, as 

 that, from the extra stimulus given, might be attended with a 

 similar result. Hence when trees in such circumstances are in 

 pots, it is always advisable to thoroughly moisten the soil — not 

 at once, but at two or three waterings, with a couple or more 

 days between them. 



In the earliest house now in full bloom we give less air and 

 shut up earlier, and when once the fruit is set we shall give air 

 early in the morning, increasing if it wants it, and shut up 

 and sprinkle early iu the afternoon, taking advantage of the 

 sun to do what forcing we there want. In this house the trees 

 on the back wall were coming into bloom a week ago, and none 

 of the buds were opening on the trees in pots in front in the 

 border. As for several reasons we did not wish the pots to be 

 much behind the walls, we curtailed the fiont air more, and 

 1 that has helped them on. It has also caused two rows of 

 I Strawberries, placed near the front, to grow strongly. These 

 , houses since their washing in spring have not been touched 

 i with the syringe, and the trees will not be interfered with by 

 j watering overhead until the fruit is set. If very bright parch- 

 ing weather should set in, we will sprinkle the pathway and 

 I floor with the syringe to prevent the atmosphere becoming too 

 1 parching. There has been no necessity for anything of the 

 sort as yet, and Peaches when in bloom hke the air to be rather 

 ', dry, provided the moisture has not been dried out again by a 

 \ sharp frosty east wind. Peaches and Nectarines also do very 

 well it the house is shut up at night; but Plums, Cherries, 

 and especially Apricots, should always have a circulation of 

 air, however little the openings may be, until after they are 

 fairly set. A little frosty air does little harm to them under 

 glass so long as the blooms are dry. A close confined at- 

 mosphere, though not warm, will almost insure the dropping 

 of the finest Apricot blooms, and also when just fresh set. 

 1 Even when Plums and Cherries are to be forced they do best 

 with a low temperature, and plenty of fresh air until safely 

 set, and then they will stand a higher temperature gradually 

 applied. As to Pears and Apples imder glass, we have ripened 

 them, and found the flavour, especially of Apples, very sac- 

 charine and delicious ; but when much is done in this way it 

 is the best plan to have the fruit set with plenty of air under 

 glass, and then take the plants out in a dull day, and plunge 

 the pots where water and mulching can be given to them. The 

 slightest shade might be needed for a few days, especially if 

 bright sun succeeded the dull day on which they were moved. 



Melons. — Planted Melons in the box in which we raised and 

 potted cur spring Cucumbers, and left a number more to be 

 planted out as soon as possible. As we cannot yet empty a 

 pit full of cuttings striking, we gave the Melons left a larger 

 pot to prevent their becoming stunted. We have frequently 

 described our method of Melon culture, as to training, stopping, 

 &c. AVe prefer single plants instead of turning out two or 

 three plants from one pot. As saving labour and all trouble 

 of future earthing-up, we may remention that in general we 

 place the necessary quantity of soil in the bed at once. Our 

 frames are so shallow, that to afford the foliage full room the 

 soil is only an inch or so above the level of the bottom of the 

 frame. This distance is kept all along, for as the dung bed 

 sinks the frame sinks equally with it. In making the bed, 

 therefore, the frame being 6 feet in width, a trench from 

 20 to "24 inches deep, and from 24 to 27 inches in width, is 

 left in the centre, with a slab back and front, to confine the 

 earth that is put iu to this trench, with the exception of a 



