3S6 



JOUENAIi OF HOKTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



L Dcctmlitr :iO, 1865. 



the atmcigphere is obtained. Many and various are the in- 

 struments in use amongst scientilic men by which a nearer 

 approximation to probable weather can Ijc gained ; but for 

 general out-door purposes an observer may re.st content if he 

 note down the daily readings of the dry-aud-wtt-bulb thermo- 

 meter, the way of the wind, and the rise and tall of the baro- 

 meter. Let him always remember these two old sayings, the 

 one — 



*' Long foi-etold, long Inst ; 



- t ' .^' Short notice, soon past." 



,5a^e.. Other— 



— ^.i Snrri'y. 



^"IVhen the wind changes against the sun, 

 :Trust it not, for back it will run." 



WOllK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAUnEN. 



' In consequence of the mildness of the f eason little should 

 now remain to be done in this department. As the ground is 

 cleared of the vegetables now in season it should be dug, so as 

 to be ready for sowing in spring. Cmth'tJotrrrs, during the 

 present veiy mild weather the glasses shoiild be left of? night 

 and day to prevent drawing ; divest the plants of dead leaves, 

 and look frequently for slugs. Ci-ln-i/, as it still continues to 

 grow vigorously it will be necessary to earth it up frequently, 

 so that whenever frost may set in it will not be injured so much 

 as it otherwise would. Ciicnmbns, continue to pay every at- 

 tention to those in houses ; above all, lieep them free from 

 insects, as on this depends in a great measure their well-doing 

 at the present season ; take care that they are not over-watered ; 

 if they have a good body of soil to gi-ow in they will want but 

 very little. Hcrbx may be taken up, and planted in boxes or 

 pots, and introduced into the forcing-house as wanted for use. 

 Lettuce, any young plants that may be in frames should have 

 the glasses left off day and night duiiug this mild weather; 

 watch naiTOwly for slugs, as they are particularly fond of this 

 plant. M!(sliroo7ns, hoiTC-dr-oppings should now be saved for 

 spring beds ; this is the best season for saving them, as horses 

 usually have more dry food than duiing the summer. Rliulmih, 

 beep up a succession of this most useful vegetable liy potting 

 old roots, and introducing them into a heat of about 60'. 



rKUIT G.IBDEX. 



Prune Gooseben-ies, Currants, and Easpberries in open wea- 

 ther. TAlien frost sets in lay a coat of manure, say 3 inches, 

 round every bush. Wliere the Gooseberry and Currant bushes 

 are old, and covered with moss, a good dredging of powdered 

 quicklime put on when the bark is moist will entirely destroy 

 it, rendering the stems clean and the bark healthy. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Every advantage of the present favourable weather should 

 be taken for transplanting trees, shrubs, &c. See that all the 

 principal and choice plants in this depiutment have sufficient 

 scope to develope their true and natural characters. There are 

 few parts of a garden more ornamental than a well-regulated 

 and well-arranged shrubbery, where every plant, from the 

 largest to the smallest, has sufficient room to form perfect 

 specimens. Collections of shrubberj- plants ajjpear to receive 

 much less attention than their merits entitle them to. 



CUEENHOUSE AND CONSEEVATOEY. 



The weather has been so highly favourable for hardwooded 

 plants that many of them are growing as freely at the present 

 time as if it were September. As this young growth will bo 

 found very tender, abundance of air must be given to the 

 plants, and great precautious must be taken against the Ice 

 King stealing a march, as a slight frost in the present state of 

 the j-oung wood would do irretrievable injm-y. While, how- 

 ever, you guard against frost, t.ike care also to avoid over- 

 heating the houses, and give all the air possible at all times. 

 Water cautiously and in the morning, but take equal care not 

 to allow any plant to suffer from the want of that element. 

 Look well to growing plants, such as Leschenaultias, Pimeleas, 

 &o. At this season every effort should be exerted to keep up 

 a good display of bloom in the conservatory, for this hoiise will 

 now be used much more than when the weather is favourable 

 for out-door exercise ; its inmates, if attractive, will, therefore, 

 now be much more valued than they would at any other period, 

 and on that account every possible care and forethought should 

 be exercised, so as to secure a good snpply of ]ilants in bloom 

 during winter and early spring. Azaleas which set their buds 

 will soon oome into flower, if placed in a warm moist tempera- 

 ture, and some of the early-bloeming llhododendron.s require 



very little forcing to bring them into blosscmat any time after 

 this season ; therefore, ■where there is a good slock of these, 

 and of Belgian and other hardy Azaleas, well set for bloom, a 

 portion of the plants should be placed in heat at intervals of 

 about three weeks, and as they aie very showy aiul last long iu 

 bloom, they will be invaluable. These, together with Camellias, 

 Heaths, Epacrises, Acacias, Daphnes, Uesneras, Cyclamens, 

 Cytisuses, Chinese Primroses, Cinerarias, Mignonette, tree 

 Violets, and other things which bloom naturally in winter will 

 afford a good display. 



STOVE. 



Here all is still and quiet. Keep a moderate heat of from 

 •50° to C0% and give plenty of air. The Ixoras should be ele- 

 vated near the glass to set their bloom, and have plenty of air 

 at all times. Keep them ctmjjaiatively dry. Stcphauotis, 

 Allamanda, &c., may be potted and trained preparatory to 

 starting after the new year, and the staking of all specimen 

 jilants must be proceeded with as fast as possible. Cut down 

 Clerodendrons to the lowest eye so as to secure bushy specimens 

 with the pots covered with foliage, and when they fairly start 

 into gi'owth the balls should be reduced sufficiently to allow of 

 giving a good shift of fresh soil without increasing the size of 

 the pots. A few of the AUamandas may also be pruned and 

 placed in heat, provided the wood is well ripened, ^yhere there 

 is not the convenience of a house that can be kept at a rather 

 high temperature for such plants as it is desirable to push into 

 growth at this early season, they should be placed iu a bottom 

 heat of 80' or 85°, wluch wiU encourage the roots, aud render a 

 high atmospheric temperature, or over-thiving the other in- 

 mates of the house, less necessary. It will be seen fiom what 

 little we have said from time to time on the management of 

 Orchids, that they are not so difficult to cultivate as is gene- 

 rally ccmsidered. A high temperature was supjiosed necessary 

 for their gi-owth. To prove how erroneous that idea is, we 

 would suggest a friendly visit to some of our most successful 

 neighbours. Orchids are a most curious, interesting, and 

 beautiful tribe of plants, ^^^lere shall we find any other plants 

 continuing, as they do. in bloom, iu many instances for months 

 together, giving out at the same time such a profusion of scent, 

 tilling the air of the house with the most delightful odours, 

 again representing, as they do, iu their forms, such a variety of 

 insects, birds, fishes, reptiles, beasts, &c. ? Then see how odd 

 aud fantastically they grow ; and lastly, the exquisite colours of 

 their fiowers — tints the most delicate, soft, and lovely, blotches 

 the most gorgeous, of many different colours in the same 

 flower, and all blending together in a manner to excite our ad- 

 miration. 



FOBCING-PIT. 



Introduce such plants as are generally used for forcing, 

 especially those which are sweet-scented, as Lily of the Valley, 

 Sweet Briar, Lilacs, Eoses, and bulbous plants. All forcing 

 plants should be under temporary covering of some kind, an 

 open shed is as good a place as they can be put in, or imder 

 the stage of the greenhouse. 



PITS .«!> FRAMES. 



The abundance of light with which the plants in these 

 structures have been favoured (there having been scarcely any 

 need to have recourse to protective measures in the shape of 

 covering), combined with the mild weather, has excited a 

 vigorous growth, and a disposition to grow long and straggUng. 

 To counteract this some attention will be required on the part 

 of the cultivator, a stiff dwart habit is easily obtained by a 

 frequent use of finger and thumb. Avoid watering as much 

 as possible, it is better to let the plants flag a little than to 

 have them too much saturated at the root, (ieraniums and 

 Calceolarias are very liable to become damp and mouldy, re- 

 move all mouldy leaves as soon as they are discovered, or they 

 will be certain to contaminate others, and thus spread over the 

 whole pit or frame. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 

 Though the weather has been dry, warm, and pleasant, 

 there has been but little sun, and therefore it has been worse 

 for early forcing than colder aud brighter weather. The chief 

 point to be thought of in such dull weather is to keep the tem- 

 perature correspondingly low, but so as to be safe, and the 

 atmosphere drier than usual to prevent damping. The careful 

 wielding of the watering-pot is now of gieat importance. The 

 slushing about of water now will be ajit to require a week or 

 two of care, to manage things aud keep them right afterwards. 



