October 8, 18CS. ] 



JOUENAIi OF HOKTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEU. 



SSI 



and New Moiico, aud tlioao of aiiliuahua and Coalniiitt, as 

 producins siiKiir ; iiiul iiiirticularly tlici Cactaci'm and Aj^avf, 

 amimn the I'imDa aiid i'upat;oa uf Ariz-jna, who cimKidcr Iho 

 CactiiH and ManRii as Rifts from the gods, for from tlipm they 

 receive food, cloUiinK, shidtcr, aud fenciuK- The reduction of 

 these articles to conserves aud mohisses is often facilitated 

 amouR these simi'lo people hy a concentratinK juocess of roast- 

 iuR and hakiuR. and lioilinn down slowly afterwards, with a 

 little water, to a viscid syrup which never ferments in their 

 koopiuK, tliouRh several of them are also useil in the fabrication 

 of mescal or siiirits. Of such nu exhiliratini,' quality is this 

 fire-water that they often give for such alcholics weight for 

 ■weight in silver, and bless the vendor for his trade. — {San 

 FrancUeo JSullctin.) 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN" GAKI>EN. 



Fresh plantations of (Cabbages aud Lettuce should bo fre- 

 quently examined, any that droop witJiont an app.arent cause 

 should bo examined at the roots, where proliably a grub will 

 bo found, which, if not destroyed, will continue its ravages, 

 jaxth-up the plantations of Broccoli, as they will now be grow- 

 ng ra)iidly. Caulijlnwfr, continue to prick out the yomig 

 plants under hand-glasses and in frames, a few may be potteil 

 in smidl pots and placed in a fi-ame, where they can have 

 abundance of air and liglit, and bo protected from excessive 

 wet. C'c/crv, a few rows of that wliich is required for imme- 

 diate use may bo earthed up to the full extent of the leaves ; 

 the successional crop should only be earthed up at long in- 

 tervals until it is required for use, or on the approach of winter. 

 It should at all times bo thoroughly diy before earthing, or it 

 will soon rot. Cucumhirs. where there is any forcing-honse, 

 those in frames are scarcely worth the trouble and expense of 

 keeping in a bearing state after this time. Plants in frames 

 produce the finest fruit for show, but as they are only grown 

 through the winter for use, they are cultivated at much less 

 expense and' with greater care in a forcing-house. A little 

 manure water should occasionally be given to those in pots or 

 boxes. Stop the laterals immediately the fruit shows itself, at 

 the R.ame joint, or one above it. Some prefer the latter mode, 

 but if the leaf at the fruit-joint be not injured, we have not 

 been able to discover any difference between the one and the 

 other in the swelling of the fruit. Muslirooms, keep the out- 

 door beds protected from heavy rains, by a good covering of 

 litter. JIaintain a regular degree of heat in houses containing 

 bods, and guard against aridity. Potatoes, continue to take up 

 the crops as they reach maturity ; sort them before they are 

 boused. Radiih, slightly thin the late sowings of the Spanish 

 sorts ; if a succession of the common sorts is required a sowing 

 should be made in a frame. Spinach, thin the winter crop, 

 leaving the plants about 9 inches from each other. Keep it 

 free from weeds. Tomatoes, should there be any apprehension 

 of frost, the unripe fruit may be cut and laid in any of the 

 forcing-houses. 



rUFIT OARDEN. 



Pay every attention to getting the wood of Peaches and 

 Apricots well ripened by exposure, shorteuiug, itc. Most kinds 

 of Apples may be gathered during the present mouth. Late 

 Pears should be left on the trees while the weather continues 

 favourable to their ripening. Prepare for planting all kinds of 

 fruit trees, by getting the ground in good order for the different 

 kinds. On cold, stiff soils it is advisable to plant on hillocks 

 I foot or 18 inches higher than the surroundiug surface. The 

 trees will not grow so fast in consequence, and will require 

 more attention in summer in the way of mulching, but they 

 •will form short-jointed, well-ripened, fruitful wood, wliich is the 

 best preventive of canker, gum, iSrc, and wiU save the labour 

 of resorting much to root-pruning. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



The scarcer varieties of variegated Geraniums should not be 

 risked in beds too long, they had better be taken up and potted 

 immediately the weather becomes at all threatening. After 

 potting it will be a good plan to place them on a gentle bottom 

 beat in a pit or bouse, where the atmosphere can be kept suffi- 

 ciently dry to prevent the foliage being injured. So circum- 

 stanced they will soon become established, when they may be 

 stored away for the winter in a cool, dry house, where they 

 will be out of the reach of frost. Any beds which may have 

 become shabby, and which are to be planted with bulbs or any- 

 thing else for spring decoration, should be cleared at once, and 



replanted. Keep grass short and frequently rolled, bo as in 

 some measure to prev(Mit the growth of moss, and keep tbo 

 surface firm and smooth. Also, roll gravid walks frequently in 

 damp weather so aa to render them smooth and comfortable to 

 walk on. 



OREENnOUSE AST) CONSRRVATORT. 



Hvacintha aud other Dutch bulbs, if not already potted, 

 should be procured and potted without delay. Orange trees 

 meant for forcing in the winter for the decoration of the con- 

 Bervator.\-, should also now be attended to. Tliese and Daphnes 

 are invaluable for winter blooming, and should be largely grown 

 for that purpose ; also see to having pli^nty of Salvia splen- 

 dens, which is useful for mixing among Chrysauthwnnma. It 

 is a good practice to place the largest plants of Salvias in a 

 shady situation out of doors for tt few weeks in the autumn. 

 Plants BO treated will be found to bloom more strongly and laat 

 longer in beauty than others run u)) iu a warm house. Look 

 carefully after the watering of largo specimen hardwooded 

 idants iu pots, especially Heaths, which are aoon injured by 

 being either over or under-watered. Examine tho specimens 

 often and carefully, and where they are fo\md to be dry, water 

 thoroughly, so as to moisten the whole of the ball ; also look 

 sharply after mildew (m softwooded Heaths, and dust' the 

 plants with sulphur directly the enemy is perceived. Let Aza- 

 leas be tied into form as soon as can be done, in order to give 

 them a neat appearance ; also attend to the staking aud train- 

 ing of other things as leisure time can be found. Look care- 

 fully after red spider on Bossiieas, Chorozemas. and anything 

 else found to be liable to that pest, and see that it is eradicated 

 before the plants are disfigured. Bed spider is easily cleared 

 off by laying the affected plant on its side and well washing the 

 unde'r sides of the leaves with the engine, applying the water 

 with as mitch force as the foliage will bear. Eepot strong- 

 growing Pelargoniums ; plants that are fairly established after 

 repotting can hardly be kept too cool ; also keep Cinerarias 

 as cool and moist as is consistent with safety, and attend to 

 repotting such as require it. Primulas must also be carefully 

 attended to in order to encourage them to make rapid growth, 

 particularly double varieties. Keep tree Violets clear of their 

 great enemy, red spider, by a liberal use of the syringe, and 

 give them plenty of manure water, which will assist in keeping 

 them in vigorous health. Van Thol Tulips for forcing may be 

 potted. Early Chrysanthemums will now be in a forward 

 state, and such as show their buds prominently should be taken 

 imder glass ; if it is desirable to have them in bloom as soon as 

 possible, they may now be placed where a little artificial heat 

 can be afforded "them. Take care, however, that they are 

 placed near the glass, weU supplied with manure water, and 

 air given them freely, as anything in the shape of close con- 

 finement would soon ruin them. Indeed the whole stock of 

 them should now bo placed where it can be covered at night, 

 in case of frost ; for although they will bear more of that than 

 most plants, it is not good policy to leave them to the mercy of 

 the weather much after this season, unless in favoured loeali- 

 tiea. It is better, however, to place them in skeleton frames, 

 or in a sheltered situation, where they can be covered in ease 

 of need, than to huddle them too thickly together imder glass, 

 or to put them, as is sometimes done, under the shade of Vines, 

 See that Epacrises and other winter-blooming plants are placed 

 in a light pait of the house where they will be fully exposed 

 to the sun, so as to have the wood well ripened, and to ensure 

 their blooming fi-eely. In the case of Ageratums. Heliotropes, 

 and dwarf LebeUas, it is useless wintering young stock, as 

 these grow so freely in heat, aud are so easily propagated from 

 soft cuttings, that a few good-sized old ]ilants, which require 

 but little room or attention in winter, will furnish a very large 

 quantity of plants by bedding-out time. Attend to the potting 

 of cuttings sufficiently rooted, and give evei-y after-attention to 

 these iu order to have them well established. — W. Eeane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



The rain of Thursday week helped many things in the 

 kitchen garden, gave a little aid even to late Apples and Pears, 

 and tended to keep such flowers as Calceolarias good and pass- 

 able for some time longer. Verbenas looked washy for a day 

 or two afterwards, but have again been brilliaut under an 

 Italian sky, as for several days not a cloud or a semblance of 

 a cloud was to be seen. The bright sky after the day's rain 

 seems to have greatly improved the colour and appearance of 

 out-door fruit, rendering Apples rosy and bright, and also 



