238 



JOXJBNAL OF HOEIICULTUEE ANB COTTAGE GAKDENEK. 



[ April 18, 1688. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST "WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Cauliflowers. — Went over all our earliest Cauliflowers that 

 were and partly are assisted with hand-lights, taking out some 

 of the plants and planting them in a trench, and mulching 

 and earthing-np those left, and then placing the glasses on the 

 raised earth without any other support. But for the sharp 

 frosty mornings (the leaves of the Cauliflower plants being 

 hard on the 10th and 11th), we would have dispensed with the 

 glasses, as the plants by banding out would have received more 

 room. If the cold nights continue we may give a slight cover- 

 ing of litter. CauUflowers may thus be had very early where 

 they are required to come in before the Broccoli is nearly over ; 

 but the latter, however good, loses its attractions after the 

 more delicate Cnuliflower is to be had. We frequently adopt 

 a plan here with early Cauliflowers, which may be useful to 

 those who have a stiff soil and little room. A raised bank, 

 sloping to the south and 5 feet in width, just affords room for 

 two hand-lights in the width with a space between them. 

 Lengthwise along the border the hand-lights are placed in these 

 two rows, about 30 inches being left between the first two lights 

 and the next two. and so on. The ground is prepared before 

 the lights are set ua the border in the autumn, and generally 

 about nine small plants are pricked-out under each light. 

 These are finally thinned-out to about five in the spring, say 

 in the end of March. All this is in the usual way. The little 

 peculiarity is, that in earthing-up and elevating the glasses as 

 stated above, we dig out a rather deep trench, one spit wide, in 

 the centre of the 30-inch openings. This enables ns to give 

 water more freely in stiff soil when we want to swell the heads 

 rapidly. Such a trench left exposed might, in loose soils, be 

 apt to render the Cauliflower too dry ; but we prevent that 

 after the above earthing-up by covering the ground and the 

 sides of the trenches with litter, short grass, &c. The sun 

 therefore chiefly acts on the soil where the plants are growing, 

 and if the littered ground absorbs little heat, neither does it 

 part with it, nor with the moisture so necessary for the Cauli- 

 flower. With plenty of room we might dispense with the 

 trench, but in many seasons it affords advantages of its own. 

 By moving the litter to the level surface, and placing rotten 

 dung in the trench, we often have early Cauliflower and early 

 Celery on the same narrow border, the trench doing for earth- 

 ing-up the Cauliflowers, whilst the banks on which the Cauli- 

 flowers stood come in for earthing-up the Celery, and the 

 Cauliflowers give shade to the Celery when it needs it at first. 



Peas and Beans. — Sowed successions, and staked up the 

 former, it being always of importance to do that work in dry 

 weather, and when the ground is dry. 



Sowed more Carrots and the main crop of Beet, jast moisten- 

 ing the seeds, also Turnip seed, and sprinkling and work- 

 ing-in with them a little red lead so as to cover them. This 

 will keep birds from them until above ground. We are doubt- 

 ful then, especially in the case of the Beet, as though the red 

 colour of the lead seems to frighten the birds, the reddish 

 colour of the young leaves is an irresistible temptation to them 

 here, so that for years we have been forced to raise and trans- 

 plant. If we can get the Beet well up we shall use a net as 

 soon as it peeps above ground, and thus, if possible, avoid the 

 labour of transplanting. Rolled the ground in which Onions, 

 Carrots, and Parsnips were sown. A warm rain now would do 

 much good. The nights have been sufficiently severe to compel 

 us to turn some leaves and place a little rough hay over the 

 heads of Broccoli, and even Potatoes close to walls needed a 

 little protection. 



Sea-kaJc. — Planted out a good piece, and must get another 

 piece ready. Plenty of Sea-kale to go to makes the gardener 

 feel more independent in winter. What trouble we used to 

 have in our young days with huge mounds of dung over Sea- 

 kale, and then turn.'ng these mounds without obtaining a dish, 

 and yet some of it as long as one's arm, and so watery as to be 

 fit for nothing ! This vegetable, even when strongest, should 

 rarely exceed 7 inches in length. An " Admirer " has lately 

 expostulated with us, that if we recommend taking up for 

 winter we might give some advice to those who have no place 

 to take it to, and must have it where it grows. Well, we will 

 show our anxiety to oblige by telling what is the easiest and 

 safest way of securing a supply of this vegetable out of doors 

 in winter. We have lately described how best to obtain it in 

 spring. The best plan of dispensing with the fermenting 

 mounds is to clear away the leaves of the Kale as soon as they 

 decay in the autumn, and cover the ground with litter before 



iiie ground loses the siunmei' heat. By this tneans, with some- 

 thing like a foot of covering of leaves and litter, fine gatherings 

 may be had from December, and there is no danger of over- 

 heating. Pots or boxes will enable you to have it cleaner ; but 

 with 10 or 12 inches of leaves and a little sprinkling of litter 

 on the top to prevent the leaves blowing about, we have had 

 fine gatherings, the Kale coming white and sweet out of the 

 leaves alone. For economy of material, however, there is 

 no comparison between this mode and taking up and placing in 

 leaf mould over a hotbed, say from 18 to 24 inches high. A bed 

 G feet by 4, and covered with an old box or packing case, will 

 yield a large number of dishes. One of the simplest modes is 

 the following : — Make a dung bed 7 or 8 feet wide, and as much 

 in length, and 15 inches deep. All round the bed build up on 

 it a wall of dung 15 inches high and 18 inches wide ; place 

 the plants thickly in the bed ; put wattled hurdles across the 

 dung walls, and cover them with litter. Move a hurdle as yon 

 wish to gather. 



See last week as to watering and using water warmed to all 

 things, especially under glass. 



Heated ^Vatcr. — Lately we alluded to heated workshops in 

 gardens. One essential which we have never had, but which 

 were we in business we would make a certainty,'would be a 

 supply of heated water, without being forced to go and borrow 

 what was wanted from the cisterns and pipes in heated bouses. 

 The simplest way for securing heated water would be to have 

 a boiler like a wash-house boiler for the purpose. Another 

 good plan would be to have a large cistern out of doors self- 

 supplied, with coils or stacks of piping in the bottom connected 

 with a heating apparatus. With plenty of heated water judi- 

 ciously used we are convinced that we could almost bid defiance 

 to insects and other evils. Even when we take water from a 

 heating apparatus, that water is anything but suitable for many 

 tender plants, whilst by either of the modes referred to we 

 could have the heated water as pure and wholesome as the 

 cold. Such heated cisterns, or boilers for heating water, may 

 be more general than we suspect ; all we can say is, that we 

 know of few places where there is such a convenience accessible 

 to all departments, and to which a man can go and supply 

 himself without entering a house of which another man has 

 the charge. There is endless trouble and mishap when anybody 

 can draw water from a tap or cistern attached to a hot-water 

 apparatus in a house ; and often the man who takes the water 

 is tempted to forget to replace it with cold, and evil results are 

 apt to ensue. In a cistern out of doors, covered with wood as 

 a non-conductor, and heated by pipes, the water would always 

 be clean and pure. 



Orchard Houses. — In the first the fruit against the back wall 

 has set very thickly and is now swelling, and we are disbudding, 

 or rather shoot-thinning, gradually. The trees in pots in the 

 border of this lean-to house are now also set, but not nearly 

 so forward as those on the hack wall. We refrained until lately 

 from sprinkling these trees in the border ; but in very hot dry 

 days we sprinkled the earth floor or border with the syringe, 

 that the vapour thus gently raised might prevent the blooms 

 getting too dry. As a flower show, these pot trees have been 

 pictures of beauty. The trees against the back wall have been 

 gently sprinkled in the afternoon before shutting up the house. 

 This shutting-up has varied with the weather. In this bright 

 weather we shut up rather closely about half-past three, hot 

 minding if the thermometer with sun heat should rise to 80°, 

 or two or three degrees more, as it will fall gradually. Here, 

 too, after giving a little air at the top early, we increase the 

 ventilation by degrees, as we shall want this house to succeed 

 the Peach house forced in the usual way. In the later house 

 we give air early, and by breakfast time very liberally, and in 

 fine mild evenings do not shut up until late, and that chiefly for 

 security. We have a few Cherries in the first house, and to do 

 them justice, though we shut the house earlier, we leave a httle 

 air opposite them all night. If we want to have Cherries early 

 in pots, we find it best to let the pots stand in the cooler more 

 airy house untU the fruit is set, and then move them into the 

 other to swell more quickly in the higher temperature procured 

 by giving less air and shutting up eariier. The shutting-up of 

 these houses vrith large squares and open laps is different 

 from shutting-up closely, where there are no laps or close laps. 

 In the latter case, unless in frosty or very stormy weather, we 

 would leave a Httle air on constantly ; for a very little, even such 

 as that which comes through open laps, will prevent anything 

 like a stagnant atmosphere. 



We thus treat the two houses differently, because it would 

 only be waste to have bushels or barrowloads of Peaches 



