Aprn 2, 18<8. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



the circulation of air is more rapid ; the thGrmometer beinR 

 plao«d on the soil thua covered marka a temperature of 5° 

 higher than when plnoeil on tho common soil. 



My lirst idea was to erect these screens about 3 feet from a 

 common wall, and plant the trees against the glass, training 

 them to galvanised wires, but so tying as for them not to 

 come in contact with the wire. A great heat is thus obtained 

 during tho day, the thermometer sometimes standing at 99°, 

 shaded from the sun ; but as the temperature often went down 

 to 40° and 35° at nisht, I imagined the extremes to be too 

 great for the health of the plants. 



I found the hexagonal form of structure produced a more 

 even temperature, and no form that I have yet tried equals 

 this, not only in economy of structure and space, but in giving 

 health and vigour to the trees. 



As I have now decided on this form, I am building several 

 of these cylinders. As yet I have not gone beyond 10 feet in 

 height, ond 7 feet in diameter, but there is no reason why they 

 should not be 12 or 15 feet in height, and when the inside 

 surface is covered with Peaches, Grapes, or even Hoses, it will 

 have a very beautiful effect. Many things have come out in 

 practice which I had never thought of when I first drew the 

 plan of these structures on paper, but everything tending to 

 even a more satisfactory conclusion than I had first conceived 

 possible — real quality both in the leaf and fruit, through the 

 increased temperature and the constant circulation of air, 

 being one of the chief features. — OBSEmi;r.. 



MY ORCHARD-HOUSE JOURNAL. 



I OUGHT, perhaps, in writing my simple (I fear too much so) 

 orchard-house remarks, to say that the house I allude to is 

 100 feet long, 21 feet wide, and 12 feet high in the centre ; its 

 sides, nearly G feet in height, are glass to the ground, and this 

 gives the interior a most bright and cheerful aspect in sunny 

 weather. This is filled with Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots. 

 My Cherry house is 60 feet by 14, and is devoted to Cherries 

 only. 



March 2Ut. — Guigne or Heart Cherries and Bigarreaus, 

 mostly in full bloom ; the trees are all pyramids, covered with 

 their snowy flowers, and are like pyramids of pearls. The 

 exeeptions are some late kinds, such as the Late Purple Guigne, 

 and the Florence. Tho Duke Cherries, except Empress Eugenie, 

 have not yet opened a bud. It is curious to find some of the 

 kinds of Bigarreaus that do not ripen till two or three weeks 

 after the lilay Duke, in full bloom nearly a fortnight earlier 

 than that sort. My Cherry house has given me Lettuces with 

 fine hearts all through February. Bees abundant to-day. 



March 23r(i. — Apricots in myriads, as large as horse beans. 

 It is strange that " Observer," see page 237, does not suc- 

 ceed with staudai'd Apricot trees planted out ; his soil I know 

 is irony clay, mine is stiff calcareous clay ; but as he succeeds 

 with them in pots in soil of the same nature, his standards 

 ought to do well. I fear he has paid more attention to his 

 standard I'each trees than to his Apricots, and has not given 

 them so good a position. Here some low standards planted in 

 the central border of a house 24 feet wide, the soil undisturbed, 

 and quite hard, are full of fruit, and I fully believe that the 

 centre of a house of like dimensions planted with standards or 

 half-standards, and the soil kept solid, would, without any risk 

 of failure, produce annually large crops of the finest frnit, and 

 no fruit can surpass the Apricot ripened in an orchard house. 



March 2lth. — Cold and windy, with frequent storms of hail, 

 rain, and snow, and gleams of sunshine. The orchard house 

 is closed, and is a sort of elysium, thermometer IJH" to 70°, 

 some Wallflowers in No. 12-pots, filling the house with their 

 delicious perfume. They are all double, with large spikes of 

 flowers varying in colour from bright yellow to dark brown, 

 such as we used to call " Blood Wallflowers." They were all 

 raised from German seed. Twenty-five sorts are named in 

 the list. They come tolerably true to name. It would seem, 

 judging from their appearance, that they have been crossed 

 with the Brompton Stock, their leaves are so large and suc- 

 culent, and their perfume seems to be a compound of the Stock 

 and Wallflower ; it may be fancy. My plants were raised last 

 April on a gentle hotbed in the open air, and planted out 

 thinly in May. They require room, as in a rich soil they be- 

 come very bulky by the end of summer. In November those 

 lor the orchard house should be potted into 10-inch pots, which 

 should be plunged in tan or cocoa fibre in the house, to keep 

 their roots safe, and remain plunged till the midtUe of March. 



Those for the open air should be potted into f> or R-inch i 

 protected during the winter, and planted out in March, if i 

 weather. They arer too succulent to resist the severe frosts aS 

 winter in the open air. 1 have diverged from fruit to Eawow, 

 but German Wallllowcrs are an orchard-house luxury butictfla 

 known, and my orchard-house journal is a full stream, <nibtab 

 will overflow and form streamlets. 



Miircli 2iilh. — Frost last night severe, 11° ; in the onSaafl 

 house, with a pan of charcoal lighted at 8 p.jr., 1°. The y<wag 

 fruit of Apricots will not bear more than ,S° or 4° of frost witfc- 

 ont injur}', even in the dry climate of the orchard houeo. ^he 

 blossoms in their early stage will bear from 5° to 6° witfeaoty 

 partial injury, but as soon as the petals and calyces have isilam 

 the young fruit are. very tender. 



Minch 27th. — Pears' and Plums in full bloom. WhseoBB 

 compares them with those out of doors, many of which are on tiw 

 point of blossoming, and reflects that for two entire mottfes to 

 come we are liable to have frost, and that one of a little eafat 

 severity may destroy the crop, the comfort and pleasnw aS 

 orchard-house culture is fully appreciated. 



March 2'Mli. — A cold wind and bright sun, the house c!<!a»8 

 at 2 P.M., at 3 the temperature in the shade 75°. Peaches 9i«/w 

 set freely, are as large as small peas, and crowded thickly «■» 

 every shoot. Bees abundant, but seemingly' not happy; ttM ' 

 pollen is all gone, the nectaries empty,- and they seem to be 

 looking for something they cannot find, their tone is siia«f(, 

 and not that satisfactory humming heard a few days sini«. 



March B0(7(. — Frost severe last night, register in open sHTtfc 

 22°, in orchard house 34°, with a pan of charcoal light^fl tt 

 8 P.M.— T. R. 



WHERE ARE FLOWER POTS TO BE HAB? 



Ajionqst the many advertisements in the columns oli 42bS 

 Journal, but rarely indeed the eye falls on one informiag ne 

 where flower pots are to be purchased, although these aw3 lao 

 essential in almost every garden deserving of the name. MoE^- 

 over, the flower pot very often is c.illed into requisition 'sjfesw 

 there is no garden at all. Why this absence of infornsaSiaB 

 should be, is difficult to understand, as other articles mzufe 

 less extensively used are announced from various quartese. 

 Assuredly this cannot arise from any want of enterprise on fibe 

 part of the manufacturers, yet they make little or no efiotrt to 

 bring their wares under the notice of the gardening world, izatfl 

 such neglect is proportionately injurious to those who ■ma& 

 them. 



A stiort time ago I had to look backward over a long ssriof 

 of numbers of this Journal to find an advertisement annot3»taajg 

 where flower pots are manufactured, while things not DaoaJy 

 so extensively used are presented weekly to our B<»ti«o. 

 Neither is the want confined to private individuals, for I happaE 

 to know of a London nurseryman whose consumption of flowar 

 pots during the year must be immense, nevertheless ha has to 

 send upwards of 150 miles for them. Assuredly this oo^U 

 not to be ; and it would be a great boon to many who, lib) 

 myself, might want £10 or £20 worth during the year if 'WS 

 knew where to order them from, without being obliged eJMfc 

 time to ascertain whether the last place from which wa iafi 

 them still exists. 



I hope, therefore, you will stir up the memory of your Eoirar- 

 pot-manufacturiug friends, and invite them to tell us iT^aats 

 good well-burnt pots are to be had, and at what pries they oaft 

 be delivered by railway, &c. 



I also hope some of your correspondents will point oc4 lAoA 

 they consider the best form for flower pots, the other poiate 

 of excellence required, and such particulars as will pjaso 

 them at least on a par with other things in everyday use, iac 

 assuredly there is no one to whom the ornamental gardeastr iic 

 more indebted for the aid afforded him than to the potter, susi. 

 the latter is veiy remiss in not making his wares better kjic^sou 

 -L. M. N. 



(We cannot aid our correspondent further than hy tJiiffi 

 publishing his letter ; and we are quite aware that any fKsKiar 

 who will make known through our columns flower pots at a, 

 moderate price, of less offensive colour, and less coarse \~ 

 those usually vended, would obtain a large sale. — Eds.] 



Belladonna Lilies. — In Jersey it is the custom of gss>- 

 deners to cnt down the leaves of the Belladonna Lilies in^nac, 

 as they say, to make them flower. Whether cutting the lamw 



