April S, 1888. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



259 



We have several Lore, and juat now tbey look beautiful, while 

 those parts of the garden devoted to bedding plants are bare. 

 With the addition of a few bedding plants in filay, the former 

 may easily be made to look gay all summer, and where cut 

 flowers are much in request they furnish a good supply witliout 

 having to cut from other portions of the flower garden. They 

 are also excellent trial grounds for new bedding plants, so that 

 apart from their beauty at this time of year, they are very 

 useful, and I think most gardeners who possess them would 

 hardly like to do away with them altogether. — J. W. K. 



[It varies in height according to the soil, from 1 to 4 feet, 

 Tho following is its botanical description : — " Plant erect, 

 pubescent, or clothed with hoary tomentum ; leaves on short 

 petioles, lanceolate, crenated, rounded or cordate at the base, 

 clothed with hoary pubescence or tomentum on both surfaces ; 

 racemes many-flowered, nearly simple ; bracteas scarcely 

 longer than the pedicels ; calyx tubular, incurved, with an ob- 

 lique mouth ; coroDa twice as long as the calyx. Native of the 

 South of Europe, especially on the mountains ; as of Spain, 

 Provence, Switzerland; Italy, from Piedmont and Liguria to 

 Naples." There is no genus of plants called Macrantha. Ne- 

 peta nepetella passes into many varieties — varieties so strongly 

 marked as to have been mistaken for species, among them are 

 Cataria nepetella, Nepeta amethystina, N. paniculata, N. lan- 

 ceolata, N. graveolens, and N. arragonensis.] 



V.VLUE OF ORCHIDS. 



Messrs. Walkbk & Acilerlet, auctioneers, Liverpool, sold 

 on the lith of March the remainder of Mr. Machen's choice 

 collection. Of aDendrobium Falconeri, said to be the finest plant 

 in the country, Messrs. Yeitch & Sons, of Chelsea, were the 

 purchasers at the sum of 07 guineas. Two years ago Mr. 

 Machen bought the plant, a very small one, for £i -U. Since 

 that time he grew it into tho Cue specimen sold as just men- 

 tioned, and which is thus described ; — 



" Deudrobium Falconeri, finest plant in this country of this 

 scarce and lovely Orchid, with a leading shoot 5 feet 7 inches 

 long, and having twenty-five side branches or plants, most oi 

 them having good roots ; another leading shoot, 3 feet 8 inches 

 long, has twenty-three branches, sixteen of which have roots 

 and seven mature shoots, with bulbs ; another shoot, 3 feet 

 long, with three strong shoots, having roots, two strong briinches, 

 four mature branches, with bulbs, and sixteen side shoots or 

 plants ; another shoot, S feet long ; ditto, 1 foot 9 inches ; 

 ditto, 1 foot ; ditto, 2 feet 5 inches, with nine plants ; ditto, 

 2 feet long, with eleven side shoots or plants." 



NEW BOOK. 

 Cottage Gardening ; Sutjuestions on Cultivation, Selection of 

 Seeds, cCc. London : Houlston & Wright. 

 This little book is written by an amateur contributor to our 

 columns, and contains an enlargement of observations addressed 

 by him to cottagers at the close of the Handsworth Floral and 

 Horticultural Exhibitions, and for them and similar culti- 

 vators ol small gardens it contains some useful suggestions. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAKDEN. 



Keep the Dutch hoe at work during this fine weather, not 

 only to destroy weeds, but to prevent the ground becoming dry 

 and cracked from rapid evaporation. Stir the soil amongst all 

 adyancing crops. Earth-up Cahbaijes, and water Cauliflowers. 

 Beam and Peas, earth-up, and stake if necessary forward crops, 

 and keep sowing successions of the Windsor Beans, and the 

 Marrows and other large Peas. The Victoria Marrow is an 

 excellent Pea, considerably e.irlier than, but not so good a 

 bearer as Knight's Tall Marrow. The new sorts will be suffi- 

 ciently tested this season. Kidney Deans, sow a few of the 

 Early Negro, or Fulmer's Forcing, ou a warm border, also a 

 number in pots to be placed on a slight hotbed, and gradually 

 hardened off and turned out when all danger from frost is over. 

 Madishes and Turnips, sow on a warm border. If sown in 

 alternate rows the Radishes will be pulled out of the way of 

 the Turnips. To have the latter juicy and sweet sow every fort- 

 night tUl August. The Snowball is an excellent early variety. 

 Follow with the White Dutch, which is the most general 

 farourite in the kitchen. Forward all your Tomatoes, Capsi- 



cums, Eyri-plants, Ice-plants, and all others in slight hotbeds, as 

 they severally want more pot room and air. Vegctahle Marrowt 

 and Cucumbers may now bo sown for the summer crop out of 

 doors. There is no want of long Cucumbers for early forcing, 

 but really good sorts for pickling are very dilEcult to obtain. 

 The frames in which early Carrots, Eadishes, &e., were sown 

 may now be removed for other purposes, and a few hoops 

 placed over the beds ready to have mats thrown over them on 

 cold nights. The hand-glasses over Cauliflowers may remain 

 oil' while the nights are mild. 



I'BUIT OAKDEN. 



If you have any doubts about the names of recently planted 

 Peach and Nectarine trees and any of the old ones, mark them 

 before they are out of blossom — that is, mark if the flowers are 

 small or large, by cutting a notch or number on a stick for one 

 kind of flower, and another number for the other kind ; two 

 numbers will do for the whole. This is the first regular step 

 towards ascertaining the name. The glands and serratures, if 

 any, on the leaves, will be the next step by-and-by, and yon 

 will then have a eljanco of making out the name by consulting 

 Dr. Hogg's " Fruit Manual." As yet there is a fair promise 

 that Peaches and Apricots will set well. Continue to disbud 

 them gradually, thinning-out buds from the strongest shoots 

 first. In cold exposed situations plantations of Strawberries 

 made now from plants pricked out thinly last autumn in a 

 sheltered situation, will succeed better if transplanted with 

 balls than if the plantation had been made in the autumn. 

 The ground should be previously well trenched and manured ; 

 except for new kinds there is no method of making fresh 

 plantations comparable to that of turning out plants forced 

 in pots. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Newly planted trees and shrubs will require strict attention 

 in regard to water, as they already indicate the want of it. It 

 is better to give them a thorough soaking at once than to give 

 them a little water frequently repeated ; and after the surface 

 of the ground is dry fork or hoe it over, and then mulch with 

 short grass to prevent the evaporation of moisture. The same 

 remarks apply to newly planted annuals, which must be shaded 

 as well 9 s watered. Turf which has been recently laid down 

 requires great attention. It will be a good plan, after giving 

 it a thorough soaking of water, to dress it over with old tan or 

 leaf mould, and then shade it by covering the ground with any 

 refuse branches that may be lying about. Put in a successional 

 crop of Sweet Peas or any other annuals that were sown early 

 in the year. Sow Ten-week Stocks for transplanting. The 

 finer kinds of Gladiolus which have been brought forward in 

 pots may now be planted out, giving a deep, rich, and well- 

 drained soil ; but it will be as well to protect them by an 

 inverted pot at night until all danger of frost is over. Attend 

 to covering half-hardy shrubs and trees. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



In this central place of attraction, the conservatory, there 

 will be some difficulty to contend with for a few weeks. Forced 

 Hoses, Lilacs, Azaleas, &c., will be going out of bloom, and 

 must be removed to give place to a fresh lot ; but where can 

 they be sheltered till they become hardened enough to bear the 

 open air'? Every one must answer this question according to 

 his means. This is the best time to cross-fertilise the finer 

 varieties of Ehododendrons and Azaleas which have been 

 forced, as none of the more common sorts can now interfere 

 with the experiment. Orange trees require particular attention 

 when they are making their young wood. Stop luxuriant 

 shoots at the fourth or fifth joint ; no one part of the head 

 should be allowed to grow stronger than the rest. Toung trees 

 may require some of the stronger branches to be tied down for 

 a time, this will strengthen the others. Climbers for this 

 house should now be planted if additions are to be made to 

 them this season, and see that the young growths of the old 

 ones do not become entangled from want of training. In the 

 greenhouse plants will require all the air that can be given 

 them, and they will bo very liable to become very dry on that 

 account. Water them late in the afternoon, and damp the 

 paths and all empty spaces freely. Give them, besides, a gentle 

 syringing three or four times a-week when the weather is fine. 

 These plants require constant attention now to stopping and 

 regulating their growth. 



STOVE. 



No opportunity should now be lost to pot all plants that 



require it. Plants that have been growing for some weeks, 



particularly young ones, will now require to be stopped more 



I or less in order to make them bushy. Never make use of a; 



