d'Ji 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



[ May 28, 1868. 



placed considerably above the rim of the pot if two things be 

 insisted on, otherwise there will be risk of danger. First, in 

 watering, the waterer must avoid jetting the water into what 

 would soon be a hole close to the stem of the plant — a practice 

 which, besides having a tendency to leave the outside soil 

 unwatered, has ruined more tender plants than perhaps any 

 other bad practice. The potting-higb of hair-rooted plants 

 might never have been so general if the waterer would have 

 kept water from dashing against the stem, or rather collar 

 of the plant. In the case of these mulched orchard trees let 

 the water be poured over the whole of the surface, and more 

 particularly be directed to the circumference rather than to the 

 centre. Secondly, never be satisfied with the mere surface 

 appearance, or even ringing the pots if partly plunged, but 

 examine, with a linger or the point of a stick, a few inches 

 below the mulching ; otherwise you may have a moist surface 

 and great dryness of the roots an inch or two beneath the sur- 

 face. When used to it you can tell when a plant is in danger 

 from this cause as you pass along ; but until that aptitude is 

 learned from observation there must be no disdaining to examine 

 the state of the soil, which is better in every way than an in- 

 discriminate pouring from the water pail. The mulching 

 lessens the frequency of watering, and prevents hardening the 

 snrface soil too much, but it likewise conceals defects as to too 

 much or too httle moisture that can scarcely be found at first 

 without such particular manual examination. 



_ In other houses the work was much the same as in the pre- 

 vious week. We keep the late vinery warmer now, as the Grapes 

 are coming into bloom. In a week or so we will keep the first 

 orchard house closer and shut up sooner for the same purpose. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPAHTMENT. 



Our work here has been heavy, consisting of rolling, mowing, 

 clearing the lawn of Daisies with the knife, and digging and 

 preparing beds and borders for planting. We remember the 

 •2'2nd of May last year, and how we escaped by a little patience. 

 The rain will cause the ground to work beautifully, and most 

 likely we will turn a good many plants out next week before 

 this is read. To beginners we may say, If we have much rain 

 and the soil is at all heavy and stiff, avoid planting out when 

 the surface soil is wet and claggy. If you do, you will repent 

 it during the season. It will be months before such clagged 

 soil becomes kindly. It is in every way better to wait until the 

 surface has become rather dry. Of course our advice does not 

 *Pply to small beds, where one can plant without even setting 

 a foot on the bed. We know that the advice in many quarters 

 is " Choose a rainy day to plant in." We say, on the contrary. 

 On all stiff heavy soil that will run together when pressed wet, 

 and not be easily disintegrated when dried, plant when the 

 surface is rather dry, either before rain is expected or after it 

 has come. In such a condition of the soil the work can be 

 better, more quickly, and more comfortably performed. 



Our second golden rule would be. Give time and care to the 

 planting. When we did much more flower gardening than 

 now, we one year could have boasted how very quickly we 

 turned the whole out. We would never wish to have the 

 power to make such a boast again. Of course, in rain or in 

 sunshine a slit for a plant is soon made, the roots slipped in 

 and the earth squeezed against them. It will be generally 

 true economy to make first a hole or a trench, and give the 

 roots full justice in having well-pulverised soil around them, 

 without leaving the mark of a foot on the ground. 



Our third rule would be. Water to moisten just a little beyond 

 the roots, resurface with the drier soil, and avoid surface- 

 watering, unless in some great emergency. The first watering 

 will serve the plant for a considerable time ; and if it shows a 

 little distress, and you are sure there is moisture enough at the 

 roots, give it a little help by shading, or wetting the foliage, 

 merely to arrest a rapid perspiration— too rapid for the roots 

 in their new quarters at once to meet. 



American Plants. — In answer to " Puzzled," who has a bed 

 of Azaleas that looks as if dry, and which no watering seems to 

 improve. Try what mulching will do ; but before being satis- 

 fied with that raise a plant or two, and examine the ball care- 

 fully, as for orchard-house trees in pots. We once helped to 

 make a valuable bed all right that seemed going beyond hope 

 of recovery. The plants had been turned out of large pots into 

 a bed of heath soil and sandy fibrous loam. On examination at 

 the roots it was found that the plants had been turned out of 

 pots with the balls dry, and all the barrels of water lavished on 

 the bed had passed the balls like raindrops from the wing of a 

 duck. The plants were lifted, their balls put standing in a tub of 



they were then replanted, and bloomed and grew beautifully 

 the same season, and, as far as we know, ever afterwards. In 

 raised beds, even established plants can scarcely have enough 

 of moisture without mulching. — E. F. 



CO^'ENT GARDEN MARICET.— May 27. 



A STEADY Supply and a rather better demand for superior goods have 

 been experienced during the past week. Strawberries from the open air 

 in the western counties ore now plentiful, there have also been large con- 

 signments from France with the other usual jiroduce. Good early Peas 

 from Kent and elsewhere are now in, as are also early Ash-leaf Potatoes. 



Apples h sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bush. 



Currants j sieve 



Black do. 



Figs dos:. 12 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries . . quart 

 Grapes, Hothouse, -lb. 

 Lemons 100 



Artichokes doz. 



Asparapru3 100 



Beans. Kidney 100 



Beet, P.'ed doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Brus. Sprouts ^ sieve 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums 100 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Cucumbers each 



Endive doz. 



Fonnel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish . . bundle 



8. d. s. 

 8 Oto 5 

 2 4 



























9 



4 











Melons each 6 



Nectarines doz. 10 



Oranges 100 4 



Peaches doz. 18 



Pears f dessert) ..doz. 



Pine Apples lb. 8 



Plums i sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries., per lb. 4 



Walnuts bush. 10 



do per 100 1 



d. a. 

 0tol2 

 20 



TEGETA.BLES. 



. d. B. d I 



to 4 Leeks bunch 



8 Lettuce per score 



6 Mushrooms .... pottle 



8 Mustd.& Cress, punnet 



9 10 Onions.... per bushel 



Parsley per sieve 



16' Parsnips doz. 



{ Peas per quart 



I Potatoes bushel 



8 i Kidney do. 



6 2 1 Radishes doz. bunches 



6 16 Rhubarb bundle 



Sea-kale basket 



3 Shallots lb. 



8 Spinach bushel 



8 Tomatoes. . . . per doz. 



5 Turnips bunch 



d. B. 

 StoO 



TO CORRESPONDENTS, 



••• We request that no one will write privately to the depart- 

 mental writers of the "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

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

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solehj to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, dc, 171, Fleet 

 Street^ London, E.G. 

 K.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 

 Journal of HoRTicULTtmE Prizes {An Intendinrf Exhibitor).— The 

 first considerations with the Judges in awarding onr prizes at the Royal 

 Horticultural Society's Exhibition at Leicester, on the 16th of July nest, 

 will be the excellence of the fruits and the taste with which they are 

 arranced. The exhibitors must find their own dishes. Seven dishes of 

 fruit better grown and better arranged would be entitled to a prize in 

 preference to any larger number deficient in these qualifications. There 

 are no stipulations as to *' points.'" The Judges will award the prizes to 

 the collections which in their opinion are of the fruits best cultivated 

 and most tastefully set upon the table. 



Leicester Show (TT. Williaim).~ki)-p}y to Mr. Eyles, Royal Hort;icul- 

 tural Society, South Kensington, London, W., and he will furnish you 

 with every information, 



Peterborough Exhibition CBcnrij Porter). — The wording of the 

 schedule is so indefinite as to the classes you mention, that we cannot 

 advise you. You had better consult the Committee. 



Fowls' Dung as a Manure for Roses (A Suhscriher). — "You are in 

 error in supposing that chickens' dung, old or new, solid or liquid, on the 

 surface or next to the roots, killed youi- Roses. Roses planted this spring, 

 if not properly planted and carefuUy attended to, and watered both over 

 the folinge and roots, would probably die or suffer greatly. Fresh cow dung, 

 solid or liquified, is admirable for almost all kinds of plants, especially 

 for Hollyhocks and Dahlias. It is cool, does not contain much uric acid, 

 and I never knew it injure anj-thing to which it was applied. You 

 had better mulch your freshly-planted Roses, lull the aphides, cut off the 

 leaves spotted with orange and other fungus, thin out leaves where they 

 are tangled, syringe the trees well, and apply water copiously to the 

 roots. Honeydew is more abundant than I ever knew it before ; it is a 

 \iscous secretion from the tree, of which insects are fond, but of which 

 they are not the cause. It must be washed oflF, as it stops the pores of 

 the'leaves. Roses open here abnormally with green centres. Take them 

 off at once.— W. F. Rahclytfe, Ok^ford Fitzpaine:' A liquid manure 

 made of 1 lb. of fowls' dung to each gallon of water would be the propor- 

 tions we should employ, and give it once a-wcek ; and the same might be 

 applied to ordinary- bedding plants and culinary vegetables ; for the latter 

 2 lbs. to the gallon would not be too much. 



Blighted Rose Trees (C. JB., GodaZmiTrp).—" As far as I can judge of 

 the smashed leaves sent, the blight appears to be mildew— white fungus. 



- - ^ , If you have only a few plants so affected you may on the first appearance 



water for ten minutes after any air- bell had ceased to appear ; ' rub it ofi"with your finger and thumb, some Rose-growers use sulphur 



