November 21, I8«5. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 



429 



health, covered with dark green foliage, and bending beneath 

 gorgeous flowers, the contr.ist is more dolightful than at any 

 other period, and whilst the wreck outside is daily increasing, 

 the art of gardening becomes more manifest within. Wo need 

 scarcely urge thorough cleanliness in all other points. Drip 

 must be studiously avoided in these structures, not only on 

 account of the flowers, but the comfort of the proprietors. 

 The stock of plants to bloom at Christmas, consisting partly 

 of stove plants gi-own for that purpose, and partly of forced 

 bulbs and shrubs, should now receive some attention, particu- 

 larly the former, which should be imdergoing a sUght amount 

 of forcing to bring them into bloom at that time. Chinese 

 Azaleas and Oranges may be assisted by a little extra heat, 

 being careful, however, to apply it gradually. At the same 

 time, if a forcing-house is ot command, a portion of the stock 

 of Roses, Lilacs, Syringas, Deutzias. and other hardy shrubs 

 from the reserve jnt may bo placed in the cool end of it, or in 

 a light situation in an early vinery or Peach-house ; if they can 

 be afforded a sliglit bottom heat all the better. A few of the 

 more easily forced American plants, including some of the 

 earliest-flowering lihododendrons should be added, they will 

 greatly enhance tho disjjlay in .January. Bring forward Hya- 

 cinths and eai-ly Tulips in a gentle bottom heat. Double 

 Boman Narcissus, Crocuses, Neapolitan Violets, Mignonette, 

 and Cyclamens bloom early without much forcing, and answer 

 best placed on shelves at tho back of vineries to catch every 

 ray of light and to insm-e them from damp. — W. Keaxe. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST \\T3EK. 



Geneiul work very much the same as in previous weeks, 

 being regulated by the weather. The frosty mornings, hca\7 

 rains, and high winds promise to bring down the leaves from 

 deciduous trees sooner than we expected. The same causes 

 have taken away the beauty of the flower-beds, though as yet 

 suffering little from frost ; and the clearing them off, owing to 

 the great vigour and thickness of the plants, has been attended 

 with extra labour. To our mind the beauty of the flower 

 garden is on the wane when the tree leaves begin to fall at all 

 freely ; but in moister climates, as in Ireland, not only do the 

 trees retain their foliage longer, hut the flower-beds also con- 

 tinue longer in full bloom. From some notes made at Wood- 

 stock in Ireland a week ago we learn that the flowers looked 

 nearly as well then as in summer ; masses of Sweet Peas, 

 Anemone japouica, scarlet Pentstemons, Salvia fulgens, scarlet 

 Lobelias, Phloxes, Fuchsias, Veronica Andersouii, V. virgata, 

 Tagetes, Dahlias, Hydrangeas, &o., being still very fine. Mr. 

 McDonald prefers the Golden Chain to all other of the yellow- 

 leaved Geraniums, and finds that Cloth of Gold flourishes only 

 when treated to comparative shade and supplied with rich leaf 

 mould. 



KITCHEN GAKDEy. 



Gave abundance of air, but kept out the rains from Cauli- 

 flower, Endive, Lettuce, itc, imder protection. Took up some 

 Ehubarb and Sea-kale to put in the Mushroom-house. Made 

 preparations for sowing Eadishes on a sUght hotbed, using 

 fresh sandy loam ; and for the second bed or piece in the 

 Mushroom-house, chopped up some dry litter and straw to mix 

 with the dmig. As it was rather wet for our purpose, mixed 

 also a little dry chaff" with it, but we like the chopped straw 

 best. It takes a long time for damp droppings and dung to be 

 dried sufficiently in a shed at this season. When mixed in a 

 heap not too large, with a little chopped dry litter, the fermen- 

 tation produces di'yness ; and though we know that the fer- 

 mentation thus encoui-aged deprives the heap of a portion of 

 its enriching qualities, yet we submit to this cheerfully in order 

 to have the dung in a more suitable state as respects dryness. 

 When over-moist the spawn will be wasted and run to nothing. 

 It will always run best when the material is diyish rather than 

 wet ; but if all the bed is di-y the Mushrooms will be poor. 



FBUIT GAr.DEN. 



The wet and frost have finished the crop of out-door Straw- 

 berries, but a lot of Bliick Prince potted for forcing having 

 shown flower rather early, were placed in a pit where there is 

 a little dry heat, and have furnished several nice small dishes 

 of good-flavoured fruit. Some twenty years ago we had good 

 crops of the old Eoseben-y in November and December, treated in 

 the same way — that is, the plants showed trusses late in autumn, 

 and were slightly encouraged with a little dry heat, not forced 

 with a high temperature, and there being a good deal of sun in 

 these usually dark months, the flavour was better than Straw- 



berries generally possess in February, and the beginning of 

 March. Plants out of doors in pots were protected with a little 

 straw placed over them in frosty nights, but as yet they have 

 not needed it much. As soon as possible wo will jjlace them 

 under protection of some kind. Many failures arc the con- 

 sequence of the soil being alternately soaked and frosted in 

 pots exposed, as tho l/aro pot cools tho soil insido to a great 

 extent in a frosty night, and thus injures roots ami incipient 

 flower-buds, when both would bo quite safe if the plants were 

 gi-owing in the ground in the usual way. Wo have still a 

 number of plants in small pots that were not repotted, and 

 these we shall plant as soon as possible, in a border with rich 

 loam round them, placing them about 8 inches apart, and hft 

 and repot, or place in a lied under glass, after March and April. 

 They will do well after that time. If potted now Ihey would be 

 of no use for early fjrcing, hut if potted and plunged they 

 would do very well after the middle of March, as by that time 

 the roots would be round the inside of the^ots. 



Apples and Pears in fruit-rooms want looldng over now fre- 

 quently, and when all are sound and the weather at all moderate, 

 a very little air should be left on night and day, and not a great 

 quantity at any time, as if the air is moist too much will damp 

 the fruit, and if dry it will cause them to shiuvel. We shall pro- 

 ceed with pruning Vines in the earUer houses as soon as we can 

 find time. The earliest, in a pit, have been pruned some time. 

 As soon as we can we will also proceed with Apple and Pear tree 

 prauing, to finish the nipping and stopping in summer; but 

 the putting away Geraniums, and even rough-cleaning pleasure 

 grounds, will re:iuire all our labour-power for some time when 

 the weather is sufficiently favourable for out-door work. Those 

 who begin vineries and Peach-houses now, should commence 

 with a low temperature and raise it gradually, being satisfied 

 with from 55° to 60" in the vinery, in the fourth or fifth week 

 after commencing at 45°, and never going above 60° imtil all 

 the buds are broken, and at least 1 inch in length. Commenc- 

 ing with 45° in the Peach-house, 55° will he hot enough with 

 artificial heat until the trees are in bloom, and even then 55° 

 will be enough at night, raising it to 60° and 65° during the 

 day with air, and 10° more from sunshine ; but the increase 

 fi-om sunshine should rise gradually with ah- on, and never 

 with the house shut in the early part of the day. 



Figs, — We mentioned clearing off all our Figs from the Uttlo 

 Fig-house or pit, and also taking off all the leaves at the same 

 time, in order to cause the plants to rest. " Feutex " finds 

 fault with our treatment and says, " Her Figs were very good 

 on the 10th of November and likely to continue so, and she 

 could not see why, if she chose, by extra heat, she should not 

 have Figs all the winter, and thus make the Fig an evergreen 

 and an everbearer." Nor do we know the least reason why 

 she should not do so, and carry out her proposed plans, and for 

 encouragement we would say, that we have done so, especially 

 with Figs in pots ; but, on the other hand, justice and honour 

 compel us to state, that though we thus had a Fig at times all 

 the year through, we never bad many at any one time, and so 

 far as we are concerned, we never thought the fruit worth more 

 than for looking at from November to March. That is no 

 reason why those who are willing to give the necessary beat 

 should not have them at Christmas and the new year if they 

 like. We would ourselves take as kindly to a raw Tm-nip, but 

 we find no fault with those whose tastes are different from om-s. 

 We have also found, that to have a good crop in May and June 

 the plants should not bear, at tho farthest, beyond the end of 

 October. It is scarcely possible to obtain everj- advantage 

 from any one system of management. Of course, as we intend 

 merely to keep out frost during the winter, it was of less use to 

 keep the hundreds ot young fruit, so all above the size of smaU 

 Peas were cut off along with the leaves. Cutting off is better 

 than puUing off, as if something like the eighth of an inch is 

 left of the stalk of the fruit, a young one wiU often form at its 

 base. 



Out of doors a few Fig trees have done very well this season ; 

 but we ripened only two or thi-ee of the second crop on the 

 current season's growth, though many attained a large green 

 size, and so far just wasted the strength of the tree unneces- 

 sarily. But for the trouble and the time it would take, it 

 generally would be better to cut off when veiy young every 

 fruit that shows on the cm-rent year's wood before the end of 

 September. After that they may be small enough to stand the 

 winter without protection. We presume that the wonderful 

 season is to be thanked for a second crop of Figs out of doors, 

 except in the most favourable circumstances. We have never 

 noticed such a thing, except as an out of-the-way ciuriosity. 



