October 10, 1835. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



301 



■wo kojit in niiucl that a largo lawn even with the help of mowing 

 machines, becomes the must expensive thing in the garden. 



KITCHEN GARDES. 



Very much a repetition of the work of the previous week. 

 Having a bit of spare ground, iihinted it with Coluworts, Brus- 

 sels Sprouts, and Savoys, trouchLug the ground first, and then 

 digging out trenches 2 feet apart, and laying the plants up to 

 their necks in the trenches, watering, and then fastening well. 

 These will do well for spring cutting. ScarU't Hiihiuts showing 

 a disposition to stop beai-ing, wo forked along the sides of the 

 rows, gave a good soaldng with sewage water, and pulled off 

 the pods too large for use, saving sonic for seed. These plants 

 have grown so strong, that though tho sticks were high and 

 mixed with young Larch trees with the tops on, the vines have 

 met in the middle : and as ninuorous littlo incipient pods hang 

 farther down, these will be protected from frost by the canopy 

 above them, if thoy swell nicely, as we exiiect from the watering 

 given to them. We have frequently kept these runners well 

 into November by placing some poles along tho rows and 

 running a very rough straw rope along the rows from pole to 

 pole. Tiie rope was left rough by leaving out tho ends of the 

 straw for a foot or so in twisting the ro))e. 'When the Runners 

 are grown on the groimd without stakes they are still more 

 easily protected ; however, even with this protection they will 

 do little goud unless tho old pods are cleared off. We noticed 

 the other week clearing off all tho pods from a bank of Dwarf 

 Kidney Beans and giving them a good watering, and they have 

 since yielded some gatherings ; and if they go on well v,-e shall 

 take means, by the help of a few spars of wood, for throwing 

 a piece of frigi domo over them on a clear cold night. The 

 gi-ound is so warm as yet, that it will require a rather severe 

 frost to injure them if a little protected. 



Here we ni.ay notice that a correspondent tells us that she 

 has succeeded very well with Scarlet Runners, and in some 

 cases with Dwarf Ividnej' Beans, by taking up the roots before 

 frost, packing them in chy earth and sand, and planting them 

 out in the end of April, and asks what we think of continuing 

 the practice. Well, we have a great opinion of every one fol- 

 lowing that plan or system that answers best with him. It is 

 ■well to know that the roots of Scarlet Runners, especially, may 

 be saved over the winter, and grown next season like the roots 

 of a Dahlia or a Marvel of Peru, and the system might be very 

 useful after cold seasons, in which the seeds ripen imperfectly ; 

 but after several times trying the plan, om- own impression is 

 that it causes more trouble than sowing seed, and we failed to 

 perceive any advantage either in earlier or more continuous 

 cropping. 



PBUIT GARDEN. 



Cleared the runners from a piece of Strawberries. We fear 

 the jilants have been allowed to become too dry, as much of 

 the foUage is greatly browned. Moved Strawberry plants in 

 pots, so as to give them more room that tho sun and air may 

 reach them thoroughly. If, after this time, the sun also beats 

 on the pots, so much more likely is it that the plants will be 

 weU ripened. Weeded all such plants in pots, and removed all 

 runners, nipping them oft' close to the plant. Gave manure 

 water in these sunny days, as the pots are now full of roots ; 

 ■will water only as required. The plants must not have flagged 

 leaves, but if, with the heavy dews of late, the tops stand with- 

 out showing distress, then they should have no water given to 

 them. 



In the open air have had good gatherings from forced plants 

 turned out, and would have had them better and more plenti- 

 fully if we had watered them more. Gathered most of the 

 Peaches from orchard-house ; they have done us good service 

 after late ones on the open wall had ripened. The only objection 

 to great quantities of Peaches is that you cannot keep them, but 

 as soon as ripe they must be eaten, or preserved in some mode 

 or other. This is also one reason why, when they are plenti- 

 ful, we should thin more than we generally do, as very heavy 

 crops one year, and especially on young trees, injure their 

 bearing in the following year. We left more than we ought to 

 have done, in order to moderate the strength of the wood on 

 some young trees. 



Cut off laterals and shortened long shoots, that the sun 

 might have freer access to the buds and wood. Figs have 

 ripened well out of doors this season, and come in between tho 

 succession crops in our pit-house. The fruit in the latter are 

 still ripening plentif idly, but they are less in size, and, if we 

 continue taking fruit many weeks longer, the first spring crop 

 is almost sure to suffer. Watered with manure water Fig trees 

 in Fig-house and in pots in orchard-house. But for the 



Plums in the late-house, wo would keep it closer in sunshine 

 now, and use tho syringe freely in tho afternoon, to help to keep 

 tho trees clean and have the wood well ripened. Itemoved 

 netting from Gooseberriou, and for tho most part from Currants, 

 these fruits refusing to hang so long as usual this season. Many 

 of the best Pears, and oven Mario Louise yet ipiite hard, are rot- 

 ting on the trees before they approach maturity. It is singular 

 what a difference there is within short distances. We have as 

 yet used but few Mario Louise, and in some places, not far dis- 

 tant, there is nut one left. In some places Williams's Bon 

 Chretien decayed from over-ripeness before we had one fit for 

 use. The decaying of fruit, alluded to above, is in some few 

 instances owing to their being pecked by birds, but some fine 

 specimens half rotten have no apjjearance of ha^'ing been 

 touched by birds. Wo have scarcely noticed an Apple thus 

 attacked, except, perhaps, a few of the earliest. Later ones 

 look, too, as if they would keep pretty well. This rotting of tho 

 Pear before ripening seems to be owing to some peculiarity in 

 the atmosphere in this scorching weather, which, we have no 

 doubt, affects fruit and vegetable as well as animal life. 



There are three things we have uoticed lately out of the 

 common way. First, tho immense number of flies of all sorts 

 and sizes, so as actually to blacken white-coloured buUdings ; 

 secondly, the dense clouds of gnats and other small insects 

 during bright sunshine ; and, thirdly, the immense quantity of 

 gossamer, not only in the shape of spiders' webs on gi-ass and 

 shrubs, but the long strings of the same material, almost as 

 rough-looking as loose cotton, floating in the air, sometimes free, 

 and at other times fastened by one end to a house or a tree. One 

 of these threads, suspended between two trees, and moving back- 

 wards and forwards with the slight breeze, was fully bO yards 

 long, and numbers of detached and flossy pieces fixed by one 

 end were from 20 to 60 feet in length. 'ftTiat a spinner the 

 little spider must be ! A gentleman who noticed these flossy 

 streamers said that they generally denoted a close, unhealthy 

 state of the atmosphere, and added, that under such circum- 

 stances, or even when the grass seemed to be more than usually 

 studded with cobwebs, it was of very little use to attempt fox- 

 hunting, as the scent woidd not lie. Although, then, we are 

 well aware that a good downpouring of rain would settle the 

 beauty of the flower garden for this ■season, and might some- 

 what injure the flavour of our late fruits, we are at the same 

 time fully con'vinced that such rains would be the most 

 efi'ectual agent for purifying the atmosphere, and thus be of 

 benefit to field and garden, to beast and man. Taken altogether, 

 the oldest inhabitant never recollects of such a season as the 

 present. Even after the slight frost on the morning of the 

 .5th inst., the day had the heat and the unclouded bright blue 

 of an Italian sky. With a repetition of frosty moi'nings we 

 may make preparations for rains ere long. The condensa- 

 tion of moistiire ■will be too copious to be deposited even in 

 heavy dews. 



ORNAMENTAi DEPARTMENT. 



The dry weather enabled us to keep the principal parts of the 

 la^wn short by means of the hand-momng machine, and a roller 

 SO flattened any 'worm earth-heaps as to make the grass smooth 

 for the feet. Did a Little to the beds just to keep them tidy, and 

 have as yet taken nothing up. In one group we have the centre 

 bed chiefly filled with Cassia corymbosa, and it has been vei'y 

 massive and fine, with its huge branches of orange-coloured 

 flowers, suice the beginning of July. We have merely gone 

 over the beds a little to keep them passable, hardly deeming it 

 worth while to be very particular now untU we see what tho 

 end of the week wiU do. 



We have accidentally alluded to Zinnias. Than these and the 

 Heddewigii and laciniata sections of Indian Pink few flowers 

 are better, or remain longer fresh in small flower-glasses. We 

 have nothing to say against the double flowers amongst such 

 Pinks if the colours are bright ; but among Zinnias we prefer 

 single flowers to the double ones. This, of course, is merely a 

 matter of taste. 



Hollyhocks have been pretty well removed now ; will plant a 

 lot of young ones as soon as possible. Striking in any position, 

 Hollyhocks always appear to us most beautiful when they 

 are backed by evergreens, as Laurels or Hollies. Some rows of 

 a good kind of Purple Spinach have also been cut down, as the 

 dry weather brought it into seed prematurely and the tops 

 began to mther. Begulated, tied, and slightly pruned Honey- 

 suckles and Eoses over arches. Fresh-budded EoSes that have 

 started will need protection. If no rains come we must water 

 Calceolarias, in order to insure cuttings about the middle of 

 the mouth. The sooner the ground is prepared for fresh Eoses 



