3U 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 24, 1865. 



the wonder of evei7 resident or sojourner in that part of Cali- 

 loruia ; and what is more, for the last thirty years it has prin- 

 cipally maintained the old woman and her numerous family. 



Professor SiUimau, when he visited it last year, said he had 

 never heard of such an immense Grape Vine in any other 

 country, which is saying a great deal, as he has travelled much 

 in the south of Europe. — {San Francisco BuUetin.) 



ONE OF SHAKESPEEE'S PLANTS. 

 In Act iv., Scene iv., of " Lear,"^Cordelia describes her 

 insane father as 



" Crowned with rank f umiter and furrow weeds, 

 With liordock. Hemlock, Nettles, Cackoo-Flowers, 

 Darnel, and all the idle weeds that grow 

 In our sustaining com." 



Some editors of this tragedy have accepted "harloek" for 

 "hordock," and then concluded that Shakespere meant what 

 is now known as Charlock (Sinapis arvensis), but we believe 

 that there is no need for a departure from the authority of 

 those old quarto editions of the play which have the name 

 " hardock." It seems to be the same plant alluded to by 

 Lyly in his " Woman in the Moon," where Pandora, whilst 

 deranged, says to a shepherd — 



" Thy head is full of hediokes, Iphicles, 

 So shake them off." 



In the east of England the Com Poppy is still called head- 

 aches ; and it is certainly one of the weeds most usual " in our 

 sustaining corn," and most likely by its gay flowers to attract 

 a madman's notice. 



The same name "headaches " is apphed to the Com Poppy 

 in the Irish counties Carlow, Wexford, TVaterford, and Wick- 

 low, where its flowers " are particularly obnoxious to females, 

 the more so to unmarried young women, who have a horror of 

 touching, or of being touched by them." — (Notes ami Queries.) 



In Scotland it is called hcad-u-ark. In " The Complaynt of 

 Scotland," pubUshedin 1548, it is spelt "hedeverk," signify- 

 ing head-ache, as does the Northumberland and Lancashire 

 "head-wark." The East AngUan pronunciation of the words 

 would be "head-erk," for the w is slurred over; wood being 

 pronounced ood, and this is a veiy near approach to Lyly's 

 "hedioke." There seems but little diificulty in perceiving that 

 this name, "headaches," was apphed with reference to its 

 soothing quality, and consequent power to remove disorders of 

 the head. Many other names of plants are similarly derived, 

 such as Feverfew, Scm-vy-grass, FUx-weed, &c. ; and from the 

 shape of its seed-eapsule it would be the more readily accepted 

 as a remedy for head complaints in those days of symbolic 

 pharmacy, when a plant, or part of a plant, was considered as 

 marked out as applicable to the diseases of the part of the 

 human frame which it resembled in form. Gerarde, among 

 other quahties, enumerates that "greater force is in the knobs 

 or heads which do specially prevail to move sleep, and to stay 

 and remove distiUatious and rheums." The leaves boiled in 

 water, and " the head, feet, and temples bathed therewith, it 

 doth effect the same." Yet others of the old herbalists warn 

 against the continued use of preparations of the Poppy, be- 

 cause of its -then causing derangement and insensibUity — 

 whence Pandora's warning to the shepherd. — J. 



WOPtK FOR THE -^TEK. 



KITCHEN QAKDEN. 



Make it a rule never to allow the haulm, leaves, &c., of plants 

 to remain on the ground when the crop is gathered ; a convenient 

 place outside the garden should be appropriated for the garden 

 refuse ; and as the leaves, kc. are wheeled to the heap, let 

 a sprinkling of ashes or charred refuse be placed over each 

 layer, by which means a heap of valuable manure wiU be 

 formed. 'Wlien the ground is di-y proceed with digging up 

 vacant spaces, tthrowing it into ridges that the land may the more 

 effectually be exposed to the influence of frost. It should 

 alao be a rule to double-spit or trench land each alternate year 

 at least ; but when two crops are taken off the same piece 

 yearly, trenching should alternate with digging each time the 

 ground is cropped. Artichokes, cut down any remaining flower- 

 stalks, remove a few of the large outer leaves, and cover the 

 roots with dry litter or old tan ; it is a connnon but erroneous 

 plan to earth them up with the soO between the plants. licet, 

 take up the roots carefully, and having divested them of leaves 

 pre6er\'e them in sand in the same manner as Carrots. Broccoli, 



this is an excellent period for laying spring Broccoh. It is 

 best performed by two persons, one on each side of the drill or 

 row. Keep a good trench and sink all the heads to the north, 

 bui-ying the stems in soil up to and even amongst some of 

 the lower leaves. Cucumbers, keep them securely tied to the 

 trellis, and the shoots stopped as recommended, slightly syi-inge 

 them every fine day, and give air at all favourable opportimi- 

 ties. Dwarf Kidncij Beans, another sowing should now be 

 made. Keep the first crop duly supplied with water. This 

 must be particularly attended to when they are in flower, for if 

 allowed to become dry at that time, the whole of the blossom 

 will fall off without setting. Lettuce, give air at every favour- 

 able opportimity, more particularly to the young plants. The 

 Cabbage varieties intended for winter use wiU not need it so 

 freely. Mushrooms, take advantage of wet days for making 

 fresh Mushroom-beds and clearing out those that are spent ; 

 also, collect and prepare droppings for forming fresh beds, by 

 spreading them in a shed and turning them over every day 

 until they are sufficiently dried to prevent excessive fermen- 

 tation after putting up. Parsnips, it is generally more con- 

 venient to have them taken up and stored in the root-cellar 

 than to cHg them up as wanted. Taking them up should, there- 

 fore, be immediately attended to. Potatoes, in mild and favour- 

 able situations a few may be planted to come in for early use, 

 but there are few places where this can be practised with safety. 

 Rhubarb, the forcing of this and Sea-kale must soon be attended 

 to, and where there is a good stock of strong roots, a supply 

 will be easily kept up. The Mushroom-house when there 

 is room, forms a very suitable and convenient place for forcing 

 them. The roots should be placed in a slight hotbed of warm 

 dung, filling up the intervals between them with old tan, or the 

 soil and manure mixed , from an old Mushroom-bed, giving a 

 good watering to wash it in amongst the roots. The bottom 

 heat should not exceed 70°, as too much heat is not favourable '^ 

 to securing strong growth ; but except for the first crop it may 

 be dispensed with altogether. Scorzoncra and Saisafi/ may 

 now be taken up and preserved Hke other culinary roots. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Now that the summer's business is faWy at an end, it is 

 time to take steps to provide against an inordinate pressure of 

 business in the forthcoming spring, for any arrears of autumn 

 or winter business at that busy period will in'ove a great hin- 

 drance to the carrying out a properly-devised system through 

 the ensuing season, and can onlj' be justified on the gi'ound of 

 necessity. Planting, pruning, training, trenching, &c., are 

 matters that belong peculiarly to the dormant period. The 

 habits of fruit trees vary, more especially as to the manner of 

 forming and exhibiting their buds. Thus there is no difficulty 

 in distinguishing the bearing portions of the Apple or of bush 

 fruit in general, whilst the Apricot and the Filbert are at this 

 period somewhat obscure in regard to these i^oints. Even in 

 the Pear, more especially in some of the newer kinds, and such 

 as the Passe Colmar, the Seckle, the Marie Louise, and some 

 others, it is diflicult to prune with safety in the early part of 

 winter. For these reasons, therefore, prune bush fruit the 

 moment you can find time. FoUow closely with Cherries, 

 Plums, and Apples, and towards Christmas lay aside the 

 knife until the early part of February, when the Filberts will 

 be blossoming, then after a slight thinning of the crowded and 

 inside spray, male catkins may be brought if requisite, and 

 suspended among the bushes. By this time the true blossom- 

 buds of the Apricot may be distinguished with certainty, and 

 the trees may, therefore, be immediately pruned. The Peach 

 and Nectarine will succeed the Apricot, and these may be fol- 

 lowed by the Pear, and lastly by the Fig. In pruning bush 

 fruit, thin liberally. Let no two branches in the ISlack Currant 

 and Gooseberry touch when finally thinned ; these seldom 

 require shortening, an equal and judicious thinning is every- 

 thing here. In pruning Apples the thinning of the branches 

 or old wood should be the first step. This, however, requires 

 caution. The late Mr. Knight, of Downton Castle, was much 

 opposed to cutting out large limbs, unless a strong necessity 

 existed. In thinning the young wood of espaliers, the first point 

 is to secm-e a free admission of light to all parts of the tree. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Chrysanthemums will soon be in flower here, let them be 

 tied out so as to display their blossoms to the best advantage. 

 Fuchsias and such things, if not already protected for winter, 

 must soon receive attention. Dry fern is an excellent material 

 for covering the stems, &c., of plants that require a slight pro- 

 tection in winter. The Dahlias must be marked and numbered 



