3i 



JOUBNAL OP HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 



[ July 11, 1866. 



but a gardener, whose liTing and character depend on success, 

 can scarcely risk such a primitive way of doing work. Not 

 seldom, however, have we seen a great hole made, by taking 

 away excellent soU, and the place filled up with a heterogeneous 

 mixture of road scrapings, pond mud, and all sorts of rubbish, 

 in which the Vines could not be made to flom'ish. If drj-ness 

 is secm-cd at the root by drainage, it would often be a rational 

 plan to let well alone. Young Vines are much more ofteu 

 ruined by excessive early cropping than by bad soil or un- 

 suitable borders. Of course the one influence will act and re- 

 act on the other. No Vines will flourish in stagnant moisture ; 

 and we were going to say that they will not flourish with their 

 roots deep ; but we have known eases of fine Grapes — not early, 

 but ripening well in July — where the bulk of the roots were 

 some 20 inches below the surface, with fine open soil about 

 15 inches below that. For extreme fertility it is better to have 

 them within a few inches of the surface. 



OnSAMENTAL DEPAETMENT. 



Here our work has chiefly been a repetition of that of last 

 week. We are glad we covered a good portion of the beds 

 with a little mulching of rotten dung before the rains came. 

 The most of the beds will now look after themselves, with but 

 little care except tying, regiilating, and pegging. We have 

 several times described om- wholesale way of doing the latter 

 with little sticks, or prunings, cracked in the middle, and then 

 both ends inserted in the ground, just as we might do with long 

 hairpins of the ladies. The lawns are now getting nice and 

 green, so as to give a good contrast to the flowers. We will, 

 however, use the mowing machine but lightly until the vigour 

 is regularly restored, as a brown lawn is a great disfigurement, 

 and only less trying to the gardener than a withered grass 

 field is to the farmer. From the heat and drought many grass 

 fields never helped to blunt the scythe this season. Proceeded 

 with potting all kinds of plants, and the cold pits now emptied 

 of bedding plants are capital places for new-potted things, as, 

 merely by the difference in air-giving and shading, we can make 

 every two or three lights into a hot-plant stove, a cool-plant 

 stove, a greenhouse, a wai-m pit, or a cold pit, at will. 



Placinri Plants Out of Doors in Summer. — There are few 

 plants that are the better of this process. We adopt it with 

 Azaleas, Camellias, New Holland plants. Pelargoniums when 

 done blooming, &c., but just because we can find no room for 

 them under glass. With light houses, and abimdance of air, 

 or, rather, part of the glass removed, we have no doubt all 

 would be as well, or better, if kept under glass. When set out 

 temporarily there is always danger from storms, from soaking 

 rains, and the chance of leaiing them a night too long, or 

 taking them out too soon ; but the practice is general, and 

 we must make the most of it. The position should be sheltered, 

 but not too much shaded, and, provided the heads are inured 

 gradually to the sun, they will seldom suffer from all that this 

 country can give them. It is from the roots that injiu'y pro- 

 ceeds, especially when the roots are matted at the sides of the 

 pot, and the pot is exposed to the force of a powerful sun. 

 Plunging the pots, or surrounding them with some substance, 

 to break the force of the sun's raj's, is of great benefit to the 

 plants, besides securing economy in attendance and watering. 

 Plants Drawn from Shade. — We have had numerous com- 

 plaints that Geraniums, Fuchsias, &c., well grown, were, on 

 account of their being drawn — that is, lengthened out by 

 shade — thrown back in the prize Usts at some country exhi- 

 bitions. The gardeners say what is perfectly true, that it was 

 impossible to have them othei-wise in the only place they had 

 to grow them in — und.'r the shade of Vines, etc. Some have 

 asked if that circuiu ,tance should not be taken into considera- 

 tion by the judges in awarding the prizes. We do not see how 

 that could be well done, unless all who grew in similar cir- 

 cmustances were to compete with each other. As a rule, 

 judges never trouble themselves as to how the articles are pro- 

 duced ; their work, for the time, is to single out what they 

 consider the best — a not-very-easy task frequently — and, in the 

 matter of plants, other things being equal, they will give the 

 preference to stiff stubby plants over those that are weak and 

 drawn. We quite sympathise with one gardener, who says his 

 master is dissatisfied that his plants, di'awn from shade, do 

 not take the first place, because the disadvantageous position 

 ought to be taken into account. It would be better every way 

 not to grow such plants for exhibition in such a place at all. 

 The gardener should explain the matter courteously to his em- 

 ployer, and either give over showing against more favoured 

 competitors, or obtain from his employer equal facilities for 



growing them well. Even then every one cannot take the first 

 place ; and there are many instances of fine culture that do 

 not appear in the prize list. As our opinion is asked, we do 

 not hesitate to say that, though the samples of plant culture 

 turned out of fruit-houses are often wonderfully good, such 

 plants as Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, &c., where much depends on 

 the compactness of the plants and the richness of the colour, 

 can never be made to equal those grown in light open houses, 

 where the plants are the chief or only thing to bo attended to. 

 One amateur, who year after year failed with Geraniiims from 

 this cause, has taken to grow Ferns and Mosses with great 

 success, and here, in his own neighbourhood, stands pretty 

 well alone. Is not this much better than vainly striving to 

 beat or equal a neighbour with so many advantages over him- 

 self ? The gardener who competes will act wisely if he show 

 what his circumstances wQl enable him to give every justice to. 

 In the show alluded to we saw some wonderful Pelargoniums, 

 to which we will refer at a future time, and we were informed 

 that these plants did not even stand on a stage or a shelf, but 

 that every plant had a pedestal for itself, with plenty of room 

 all round it, and the light striking every part without obstruc- 

 tion. We also noticed some Pelargoniums and Petunias un- 

 rivalled for the brilliancy of their colouring ; and we ascertained 

 that they came from a gentleman who has taken out a patent 

 or patents for glass-house building. We had the privilege of 

 examining the houses and manufactory, and wiU give a short 

 description ere long. Meantime, if the matter of expense at 

 first can be properly got over, there can be no question of the 

 great improvements. The houses are entirely of iron and 

 glass, the iron either enamelled or galvanised, so as to dispense 

 with painting — at least it wiU seldom need to be resorted to. 

 Large squares of glass are used — no rebates, no laps, no putty, 

 no bother ; but the house can soon be put up, and soon taken 

 down, and the squares packed again in crates ; and yet so 

 securely is the glass fixed that no wind or change of weather 

 will cause it to move or rattle, and so loosely that there can be 

 no breakage from expansion, as we some time ago mentioned 

 took jjlace here, when glass was put edge to edge without 

 a lap. Except the small bars that are used to keep the glass 

 down, the whole surface is a plane of glass, and, though the 

 squares are joined to each other in the same plane, without 

 lap or anything between them, there is no di'ip. Of course 

 ventilation is duly secured. — E. F. 



COVT^NT GARDEN MARKET— Joly 8. 



The late refresliiiig rains have improved both the quantity and qnality 

 of the supplies to our market, which comprise ali the articles usually to 

 he had at this season. Among the foreign imports are Green Gage and 

 from France, and Pine Apples from the West 



other Plums, 

 Indies. 



Apricots 



Apples i sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bush. 



Currants, Red i sieve 



Black do. 



FiRs doz. 8 



Filberts 100 lbs. 



Cobs do. 50 



Gooseberries. . ^ sieve 2 

 Grapes, Hambro.. . lb. 3 



Muscats lb. 5 



Lemons 100 5 



d. s, 

 0to2 

 4 3 



FRDIT. 

 . d 



8. d. s. d 



2 0to6 







Melons each 



Mulberries. . . . punnet 



Nectarines doz. 10 15 



Oranges 100 10 20 



Peaches doz. 15 24 



Pears (kitchen). . doz. 



dessert doz. 



Pine Apples lb. 4 8 



Plums ^ sieve 



Quinces | sieve 



Raspberries lb. 6 



Strawberries lb. 6 2 



Wahiuts bush U 20 



Artichokes each 



Asparagus bundle 



Beans Broad. . A sieve 



Kidney ". . 100 



Beet, Red doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Brus. Sprouts. .A sieve 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums 100 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Cucumbers each 



pickling .... doz. 



Endive scorce 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic and Shallots, lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish . . bundle 



s. d. s 

 4toO 

 5 8 

 



VEGETABLES, 

 d 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce .... per score 

 Mushrooms.... pottle 

 Mustd. & Cress,punnet 

 Onions bushel 



pickling .. . .quart 



Parsley ^ sieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



New. .per doz. lbs. 

 Radishes doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable Morrows ds. 



d. s. d 



8 too 6 



9 1 



