May 21, 1868. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



371* 



In sneh weather all trees in pots and Strawberries in pots 

 required a great deal of watering. When Strawberry pots can 

 beset on the ground, as in the front of our orchard honpes, it 

 is a good plan to not them on fresh turf reversed, with just a 

 sprinkling of leaf mould to make it level for the pots. Some 

 thus set when removed were found to have their roots firmly 

 inbedded in, and traversing more than a square foot of turf. 

 There is no standing water in such a case, as in a sauoor. 



Opportunity was taken in the morning to thin Grapes and 

 regulate Vines, and in the late vinery we have removed most 

 of the plants, and as we could not keep the Vines back more 

 without injuring the hunches, we will regulate the ventilation, 

 and give fire heat to keep it warmer as the Vines como into 

 bloom — the time when those in late cool houses need the 

 help of a fire most, especially in dull weather. The other 

 time when a little fire heat is most useful for them is in winter, 

 when dryness and airiness are essential to the good keeping of 

 the Grapes. We use little water in the way of syringing 

 Vines, but we like to give them one lashing after the first 

 dressing, removing extra shoots, &c. ; but Teach trees we 

 syringe frequently, though our water is not so pure as we would 

 wish for that operation, and therefore we content ourselves 

 chiefly with damping the paths and floors. 



In the Peach house, of the four lines of Strawberries we have 

 removed the highest one over the pathway at back, as it was 

 shading the back wall, and a plant or two was showing signs of 

 the red spider. It is always advisable to avoid mounting ladders 

 for watering as soon as possible. The Strawberries on that 

 shelf, so close to the glass, would have been apt to suffer from 

 red spider in such scorching weather had we not for the space 

 of 18 inches opposite the shelf dulled the glass with whitening. 

 We also removed to a pit a fine row of Strawberries at the top 

 of the late vinery just referred to, where they would have 

 swelled very well, but they were becoming too shaded to be 

 well flavoured, or even bright-coloured. We have heard Straw- 

 berries spoken of as being watery, &e., when the gardener had 

 no place to ripen them, except under the shade of other things. 

 They will swell there, but they will not be high-flavoured. After 

 putting Strawberries in every imaginable place, we question 

 much now whether giving them a handy house or pit to them- 

 selves is not on the whole the most economical and the best in 

 every way. On the shelf referred to the berries were swelling 

 nicely, but they were soft and watery owing to the shade, and of 

 course the labour in moving them cost something. The firmest 

 and best Strawberries we hava had this May were ripened in the 

 open air from pots, the fruit being nearly ripe before setting 

 outside in a sunny place. In firmness and flavour the berries 

 were superior to what are generally grown and gathered with out- 

 door treatment. To have the best flavour Strawberries should 

 be gathered when the soil is comparatively dry. Even out of 

 doors we have gathered and kept them thinly spread out before 

 rain came on. The same kind of Strawberry gathered out of 

 doors in sunshine, and after rain, is quite different in flavour. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



Work outside has been heavy, and we shall be busy in 

 making ready beds and borders for bedding plants. We always 

 advise taking these matters easy ; nothing is gained by planting 

 before the ground is moderately warm. We again reiterate our 

 old advice, Dig down plenty of sunbeams before you begin to 

 plant out. Aboxit the 22ud of May last year many of our 

 readers lost thousands. We had not a plant out, and therefore 

 lost not one. Our plants are mostly in the ground, exposed, 

 but capable of being protected in a moment, and are growing 

 with little trouble where they are. Being in the earth they 

 need little in the way even of watering, and when removed will 

 scarcely feel the moving. Partly by necessity, as our ground 

 is not yet ready, and partly by choice, because wo attribute so 

 mnoh importance to the airing and turning of the soil, we will 

 for a few days be more anxious to have the ground in good 

 order, than to put the plants out so early. Some years ago a 

 friend of ours turned out strong plants of Verbenas in the 

 middle of April, and a considerable amount of trouble was re- 

 quired in protecting tbem with twigs afterwards. We turned 

 out plants not better — hardly so good, in the last week in May ; 

 but before the end of Jime our plants were in every way far 

 in advance of the early-tmned-out plants. 



A few words now to those who will, however, plant early. 

 If you wish for immediate effect plant thickly, even if yon 

 should afterwards have to cut the half of them out. If you 

 chiefly aim at autumn effect plant much more thinly. For in- 

 stance, in the first place we would plant fair plants of Tom 

 Thumb Pelargonium from G to 9 inches anart. In the latter 



case we would plant from 12 to 15 or 18 inches apart. In dry 

 weather, such as still threatens to continue, give water merely 

 around the roots, and keep the dry soil to the surface ; and if 

 the leaves are distressed at all, syringe them instead of deluging 

 the soil with water, and thus cooling it immediately. — R. F. 



TKADE CATALOGUES EECEIVEB. 



J. Westley, Floral Nursery, Ijlis'worth.— Descriptive Cata- 

 lofjnc of Bedding Plants. 



E. G. Henderson ^ Son, Wellington Boad, St. John's "Wood. 

 —Catalogue of Bedding and Softwooded Plants^ Ncic Plants^ <&c* 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



**• We request that no one will wi-ite privately to the depart- 

 mental writers of the *' Journal of Horticnlture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman.'* By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjixBtifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed mXtbi to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, d-c, 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, B.C. 

 We also request that correspondents will not mi:: upon the 

 same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them an- 

 swered promptly and conveniently, but write them on 

 separate communications. Also never to send more than 

 two or three questions at once. 

 Books {E. TT.l.— "The Garden Mannar' may snil yon. Yon Cfin have 

 it fi'ee by post from our office if you enclose twenty postage stamps with 

 your address. (A. W. B.). — There is no work upon the culture and uses ol 

 herbs. 

 AucuBAS (TV. Worviald). —The flowers were male. 



MONSTRors Growth op Roses (.1 S ithncriher). —Roecs throw up wood 

 growth in the cei:tre of the flower bnd chiefly from two opposite cnnaes — 

 poverty, and over-lnxurinnce fi'oni excessive mnnnrini?; sometimes, also, 

 fi'om there beinc; too nmny flowors on a nlant. The Strawberry blossoms 

 seem binckened by frost. The frost on the 7th affected some with us in 

 the same way. 



Striking Douei^ WALi.rL0WER Cuttings (I-leni). — Cnttiugs of double 

 Wallflowers may be inserted now in sandy soil under a hand-lipht, in the 

 open air in a shady place, or in a pot kept shaded a little until growth 

 has commenced. 



Stn-PHATE OF Lime (T. Catchpool).— As a garden mnnure it has been 

 found useful sown over lawns, but is also beneficial to Turnips and Pota- 

 toes sown over the surface, and dug in before inserting the crop ; 3 cwt 

 per acre is sufficient. 



MTJSHR005T CULTCRE (A Suhscrihcr).—V!e have srJd ao mnch on Mnsb 

 room-growing that we must at present be brief, reforrinc; to previoTiB 

 numbers and volumes for variety of material, form of l>ed9, &c. The best 

 way of making a bed depends on the materials. We have just formefi 

 one in an open shed of 15 inches deep of littery dung, well trodden, and 

 3 inches of horse di-oppings on the top. The best material is horse drop- 

 pings with a little short litter in it, moderately dried before making the 

 bed, and in that ca?e from 1'2 inches thick will make a good lasting bcd^ 

 This, well beaten, should be spawned when the hi-at is on the decline. 



