November 14, 18G5. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



409 



cool witlml, would keep them slowly moviug in tlicir blanched 

 state without dumping or deca^'iiiK. Wo have liad Eudivo very 

 good until the now year, by merely taking up the roots with a 

 ball, and setting them in a dark plaee without any ])acking at 

 all, but to keep them later requires a dry surfacing, and a drj-ish 

 atmosphere, to prevent the blanched leaves damping. 



Chiciirij and Dandelion roots may bo packed in pots and 

 boxes in a similar way, and the leaves will thus blanch as they 

 grow. In their case it is best to take away all the leaves, and 

 just Ijecp the crowns as in the case of Sea-kale. A very simi)lo 

 and pretty way fur securing such medicinal salads in winter, is 

 to take an old barrel capable of holding soil. Begin at (i inches 

 from tlie bottom, and bore a row of holes, half an inch in 

 diameter, and G inches apart, all round. Six inches above that 

 make another row, and so on to the top. Then place dampish 

 soil rather firmly in the bottom of tlie liarrel up to the level of 

 the first row of holes, then place a layer of roots all round, 

 bringing the buds or crowns of two or three plants, according to 

 their size, outside the barrel through the holes. Cover up with 

 earth rather firmly to the next row of holes, and so on to tho 

 top, finishing with a layer of moss, old hay, chafi, or other 

 nonconducting material, so as to keep the moisture from 

 evaporating. Any dark place rather dry, and with a tcmpe- 

 ratiu-o ranging from 40' to 45' and 50°, will answer. Tho head 

 or leaves may be cut as soon as they become long enougli, and 

 if the place is dark they will bo sure to bo a yellowish white as 

 they grow. Tho same heads will yield two or three cuttings. 

 If the leaves are seldom beyond 6 inches in length they will bo 

 firmer and more juicy for the salad bowl. After thus serving a 

 salad purpose, we have known cases of the roots being used 

 medicinally, or even dried and ground to bo used as coffee, but 

 after cutting the salad we should think that very little virtue 

 of any kind would be left in the roots. 



Dwarf Kulniy Beam. — Gathered all tho Beans worth any- 

 thing from our last plants under protection out of doors. A^ 

 it is, they have been very useful. The plants have been taken 

 up, and the position occupied by them came in for the Lettuce 

 and Endive. Turned a lot of young jilauts out of pots into a 

 bed where they can have heat, and will keep a lot more in six- 

 inch pots until we can find a little more room for them. But 

 for the room and the heat they require, few vegetables are 

 to be. preferred in winter to Kidney Beans. Sometimes it is as 

 weU to have a few weeks' interval between the last out of 

 doors to the first forced ones. It is not bad policy at times to 

 keep in mind what the late Mr. Beaton, with characteristic 

 shrewdness, said about new Potatoes in December. In the 

 middle of .January and onwards they would have been dif- 

 ferently estimated. 



Potatoes. — Went over those in bins, and found a great many 

 diseased that seemed perfectly sound and a fine sample from a 

 very heavy crop at taking-up time. The proprietors of cottage 

 gardens, in low, level districts, have suffered severely this season 

 at taking-up time and since ; and a nurseryman told ua tho 

 other day, that some of the newest kinds suffered with him to 

 the gi'eatest degree, in some cases not even returning tho 

 quantity of seed in sound tubers, though producing rather 

 heavily. This tendency in apparently fine health3' crops to 

 go wrong after being carefully housed, is one of those things 

 about the Potato disease which make it still more difficult to 

 understand anything about either cause or cure. 



Sea-kaU\ Rhubarb, Asparagus, etc. — We are having a fer- 

 menting heap of dung, grass, and leaves put in readiness to 

 enable us to start these vegetables ere long. For want of other 

 means at times, we have had these vegetables good in a hot- 

 house. Sea-kale we have had very early and good in the coolest 

 part of a Pine-stove, by planting the roots in a 12-inch pot, 

 setting a second pot reversed on the top of the first, running 

 a straw rope daubed in clay paint round where the pots met to 

 exclude Ught, and securely stopping up the hole in the bottom 

 of the upper pot. 



Mushrooms. — The first piece in the Mushroom-house, though 

 spawned and beaten down, seemed rather too loose on the sur- 

 face to please us. It was, therefore, well daubed all over with 

 the fists and mallet, levelled, and then made smooth by water- 

 ing a little on the surface, and drawing a clean spade firmly 

 over it. On the whole we like a firm smooth surface best. In 

 this house we shall most likely introduce Sea-kale, Rhubarb, 

 &c., with just enough of fermenting material below t!iem to 

 set them going. We shall try to have a one or two-light box 

 set to work before long with Asparagus, but we have so over- 

 done our .\sparagu3 for several seasons, that we do not wish 

 to have it before Christmas this season, and, if all is right. 



with a mild heat, a month or five weeks will be quite enough 

 of time for bringing it in. 



From wluit is stated above as to Potatoes, though no other 

 vegctablo will ever take their place, it would bo wise policy for 

 our cottage gardeners to grow less of this root and more Carrots, 

 and, especially. Parsnips. Tho latter if growi in fresh, well 

 luid deeply stirred soil are seldom attacked by disease or other 

 evils, whilst they have highly nourishing qualities. For Celery, 

 &c., see previous weeks. 



FRUIT OAHDEN. 



As all the lights were taken off tho Peach-house to allow of 

 rafters, &c., being repaired, pruned and washed the trees, 

 scraped off an inch or more of the surface soil, fix-sh surfaced 

 mth maiden soil, and [jrepared for filling the Hoor with bedding 

 jdants, and setting Strawberries on the shelves. Those who 

 wish to have Peaches and Grapes in May, must shut up the 

 houses now, but should give little fire heat except on frosty 

 nights for a fortnight or three weeks to come. Tho trees in the 

 orchard-house are throwing off their leaves nicely as they turn 

 yellow, showing that the ripening process is complete. We 

 have no fruit left now, except Plums and a few CJrapes. Of 

 Grapes, we planted several of what we had for Buckland Sweet- 

 water, but the little fruit we left proves the Vines to be Cbas- 

 selas Musqu6, or Josling's St. Alban's. The flies were very keen 

 at it, though they seemed to have a littlo difficulty in penetrat- 

 ing the skin ; but in this cool position, and not over-supplied 

 with water, not a beiTy cracked, and the flavour was delicious. 

 We are incUned to see what they will do, as the flies could be 

 mastered or excluded. Pruning all the hardier fruits may now 

 be proceeded with, and fruit trees of all kinds may be planted 

 forthwith, and if there are a few greenish leaves on the trees 

 aU the better. For general routine see last week. In late 

 finery kept a good fire, with air on, in the damp foggy days. 



0BNAMENT.\L DEPAKTMENT. 



At page 389, second column, forty-second line, in the words 

 "pruning and striking old Geraniums," the word "striking" 

 should bo " sticking." The fine, vigorous Geraniums being well 

 snagged or pruned in as stated, and the roots shoi-tened, are 

 stuck into the pots as closely as tho roots can be packed, from 

 twenty to twenty-four being placed in a 12-inch pot, ,the 

 heads, however, extending a little beyond the rim. These will 

 please us well enough, if they just keep alive and do not make 

 a fresh leaf until March. Of course, not a leaf is left on them 

 now. The weather has been so unsettled, and so many things 

 in hand, that this work is not yet finished, nor are all our Cal- 

 ceolaria cuttings in. 



We would have liked as well if all these Calceolaria cuttings 

 had been in before November, but they will do any time this 

 month, if not frosted, and we have had no frost as yet to injure 

 them. The failures with old Scarlet Geraniums and these cut- 

 tings of Calceolarias, most generally take place from want of 

 patience. In the case of the old Geraniums, people are anxious 

 to see them grow, and, therefore, they water and coddle them, 

 and every sign of fresh growth in winter makes them more 

 sensitive "to cold and damp. Then in the case of Calceolarias, 

 the cuttings are taken up every week or so, to see if the roots 

 are coming, and because they do not appear, heat in some way 

 or other is applied, and a close, warm atmosphere is kept about 

 them, encouraging, at any rate, a weak elongation upwards, if 

 not rooting downwards, and making them more liable to feel 

 every change and vicissitude of the weather. If our cuttings 

 in the cold pit remain pretty stationary for two or three months 

 we shall like it quite as well. We believe many stood as long 

 as that before they showed a root last year, and yet they looked 

 as upright, bold, and robust as if they had had a lot of roots. 

 Such Uttle side shoots as were recommended, if finnly dibbled 

 in, and watered at the time, will stand a good amount of air, 

 and even of sunshine afterwards, without flinching. After this 

 planting, they generally receive little attention from us, except 

 protection in frosty weather, and a light skiff from the syringe 

 in very sunny days. When very sunny just now, we also keep 

 the sashes generally shut. In duU weather a little air is given, 

 and always at night if mild. 



We were led by degrees to put in Calceolarias late from 

 finding, first, that they always did better and were more free 

 from diseases and insects if they never had the slightest arti- 

 ficial heat; and then, secondly, from finding that the more 

 forward the plants were in cold ]);ts and frames the more easily 

 were they injured by frost and continued shutting-up in winter. 

 We have frequently in continued frosty and bad weather had 

 the Calceolaria-bed shut up from a fortnight to a morith. There 



