April 16, 18C8. ] 



JOUBNAI4 OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



297 



ing in tlie Kastorn Conservatory ArcaJp, iu tlio gardens of tbc 

 Royal Horticultaral Society at South Kensington, an interest- 

 ing display of Spring-flowering plants. It opouod on tho '.Ith 

 inst. and will continue till the 18th, when the Society's second 

 Spring Show will be held. Roses, of which the Messrs. Lane 

 have been such frequent and successful exhibitors, form the 

 centre of attraction ; other groups, consisting of Azaleas, 

 Rhododendrons, and miscellaneous plants, including fruiting 

 Aucubas, combine to make a gay and excellent exhibition. 



Wk have to remind our readers that the sale of the 



beautiful new Hybhid v.vkieties of Coli:cs, raised by Jlr. 

 Bause in the Royal Horticultural Society's Chiswick Garden, 

 is appointed to take place at Mr. Stevens's Rooms, King Street, 

 Covent Garden, on Wednesday, April 22ud. The varieties, 

 twelve in number, are decidedly a great advance on any of the 

 forms of C'oleus which have hitherto appeared, both as regards 

 size of foliage and richness of colouring, and doubtless the 

 competition for their possession will be very keen. 



WORK FOE THE AVEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



While young crops are advancing in all parts of the kitchen 

 garden, the ground about them can hardly be stirred too often, 

 to keep an open, pulverised surface, and to destroy weeds with 

 the first warm rains. The young crops after this time will 

 advance rapidly, and unless such as require it are thinned out 

 in time, they will soon be injured. Broccoli, sow late spring 

 sorts on a light border, and make a second small sowing about 

 ten days later ; at planting time you will have a choice of two 

 sowings. licet may be sown towards the end of the week. 

 Gaiilijioivn-s may have the glasses removed from them al- 

 together, and see that they do not suffer from want of water. 

 Kidney ivuiis, a few of these may now be planted on a warm 

 border for a first crop, but if they are sown in boxes about the 

 second week in May, and transplanted when all danger of frost 

 is over, they will come in sooner than those planted now iu the 

 open ground. Succcssional crops of Peas, Beans, Spinach, 

 Eadishes, and other salads, should now be sown oftener, as they 

 will come more rapidly into use through the summer. Salsafy 

 and Scorzoiiera, sowing may be deferred for another week ; if 

 sown too early they are apt to run to seed. Continue to harden 

 oft Tobacco plants. Capsicums, Tomatoes, Basil, &c., which 

 should now be strong enough to stand in a close cold frame, to 

 be shut up early in the afternoon for a week or two, after which 

 they should have air night and day till they are fit for planting 

 out. Seeds of any sweet or pot herbs, if not already sown, 

 should be put in forthwith. 



FETJIT Cir.DEN. 



If the present dry weather continue it will be advisable to 

 water trees against walls having steep sloping borders, as if the 

 roots become too dry the blossoms will not set weU. Previously 

 to watering, fork over the border, repeating the operation at short 

 intervals and in warm days, until it becomes necessary either 

 to mulch the border, or, in cold, late situations, to cover part 

 of it next the wall with tiles for the purpose of causing more 

 heat to be radiated against the trees, so as to forward the ripen- 

 ing of the fruit and young -wood. Proceed with disbudding 

 Peach trees, &c., never losing sight of the fact that it is from 

 your summer management, and not from any treatment you can 

 give in winter or spring, that you can ins^ure healthy, fruitful 

 trees. Killing wasps should be persevered iu from this time 

 till the end of May. Every wasp now killed is as good as a 

 nest destroyed next August. From the mildness of the winter, 

 if the summer be dry, we may expect them this year in increased 

 nnmbers. 



FLOWEK GARDEN. 



The weather is now so inviting that it requires a strong re- 

 solntiou to resist the temptation to begin planting out the half- 

 hardy plants in the flower garden. It is well, however, to be 

 very cautious, as there is nothing gained by planting out before 

 the middle of May, while there is every probability that be- 

 tween now and that time we may have some very severe frosts. 

 I have known persons tempted by the fine weather in April to 

 turn out Calceolarias and bedding Pelargoniums, and thecou- 

 sequence was that several dozens of the plants were killed, 

 while those which survived were very materially injured, and 

 did not bloom till late in the season. Late-laid turf and late- 

 planted trees and shrubs will require constant attention in 

 being watered so long as the weather is dry. If any of the 



flowers require a change of soil, lot it bo done without delay. 

 Complete any extra work in any part of the grounds in order 

 that the men may proceed with the regular garden work. 

 Great care and attention must now be directed towards the 

 ,\uricula, in order that the trusses may not be drawn up weakly. 

 They should be able to stand erect without support. Continue 

 to thin out all misshapen pips. Polyanthuses in exposed dry 

 situations have suffered during the past hot weather. They 

 require but little sun, and that early in the morning. Ranun- 

 culuses are last coming up. Kiddle some leaf soil or very 

 rotten cow manure over the beds, and as tho plants come fairly 

 above ground press the soil on a dry day closely round the 

 neck of each. Pansies are now making rapid growth, and as 

 they are often exhibited at spring shows, they ought to be care- 

 fully shaded and attended to. The florist will visit his beds 

 with candle and lantern in order to detect slugs, earwigs, &c. 



OnEENHOUSE AND CONSERVATOKV. 



This is a good time to cut back duplicate climbers so as to 

 have them in flower in succession. Where new conservatories 

 have been lately planted, or old ones re-arranged, the principal 

 object should be to induce the plants to make a vigorous 

 growth early in the season, and to take a strong hold of the new 

 soil ; afterwards there will be plenty of time to ripen them oft 

 long before winter. For this end you ought to keep the house 

 more like a stove from this time, only giving air from 11 a.m. 

 to 3 P.M. Syringe heavily in the afternoon with rain water if 

 possible, and after thus chilling the house you msiy give a little 

 air till dusk if the day has been hot, and you may expect the 

 thermometer to be about 50° iu the morning. As very Uttle 

 syringing can be done in conservatories in general on account 

 of the flowers, and as flowers do not last so long in a dry at- 

 mosphere, some degree of moisture must be kept up by pouring 

 water on the paths or under the stages. Blinds are now indis- 

 pensable in the middle of the day. After the middle or end of 

 April gardeners begin to change the spring treatment of their 

 greenhouse plants. Hitherto every means has been taken to 

 keep back early growths, and now that all the plants are in 

 active growth and the season so far advanced that any neces- 

 sary amount of air and moisture can be given iu hot weather, 

 the plants may be more encouraged to make a rapid growth, 

 especially young plants. When the evenings are cold the 

 house should be shut up closely, and air should not be given 

 in the morning until the snn heat warms it considerably. 



STOVE. 



The general potting is now about finished, and many of 

 the first-potted plants have made a considerable growth. 

 Climbers and specimen plants also have received the direction 

 and shapes they are intended to fill up this season. Propa- 

 gation and seed-sowing are now nearly over in this department, 

 and all the bulbs and other plants at rest during the winter 

 are now in growth, so that only the common routine of water- 

 ing, giving air, fumigating, or otherwise cleaning plants, and 

 training them, will be necessary for some time. Be very 

 sparing of the fire, and keep the atmosphere very moist in fine 

 sunny weather. 



FORCING PIT. 



Where Cockcombs, Balsams, and other tender annuals are 

 used, this is a good place to bring them forward through their 

 early stages. Neriums ought now to have gentle forcing. 

 Camellias to flower early should also bo forced to form their 

 buds, as well as the more choice Azaleas which have done 

 flowering. A few plants of Crassula coccinea now put into heat 

 will flower some weeks earlier. In short, where there is a 

 good conservatory to be kept gay all the year round, and 

 plenty of plants for the purpose, the forcing pits need never 

 be at rest, and may always be usefuUy employed. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



Many of the annuals which were potted-off early may now 

 be planted out. Where a large stock of dwarf Chrysanthemums 

 is required for flower-garden purposes in the autumn, the old 

 stools or plants must be planted out in rich soil at abont 4 feet 

 apart, so as to leave room for their being layered in August. 

 Old plants planted now at the foot of a wall in very rich soil 

 will cover a wall C or 8 feet high by the autumn, and if pro- 

 perly trained will flower splendidly. Increase, pot-off, and 

 harden your stock of flower-garden plants as fast as possible. 

 Most of these plants are quickly inured to stand out in sheltered 

 places, or under hoops covered over with mats, and the longer 

 they are here the finer they will look after being planted out in 

 the flower garden. — W. Keane. 



