530 



JOTIRNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Dcccmljer 20, 1605. 



Constructing a Cold Pit llnqui r£r).~Your l^ToJ}o&c^i pLtaof fonninff 

 the pit is iT{.'ht, only it will be too low at tho buck for tlie roof to have 

 sufficient slope. We should advice you to hnve it 4 feet hif^'h ut the bjtck, 

 and in front 1 foot 6 inrhes above the gi-ound level. This would Rive you 

 7 feet headroom over the patliwjiy— not too great a hcifrht, as vou tlicre 

 propose having; a Vine, and that must be trained 1 foot from the glass at 

 least— 15 iuclies would be better. lu adfVtiou to the Vine over the path- 

 way, we would hiive two others trained leuf^thwipe, one nt the b.Tck nnd 

 the other at the front, 1 foot from the back' nnd front waU n-ppecUvely. 

 and another in the centre, they being planted in a bordur prepared for 

 them at one or both cuds. A ventilator at each end, and two others r.t I 

 the top, will answer; it will sufliee if tho end openin(-'s arc a foot square, ' 

 nnd the top ones '2 feet by 1 foot. Fruit trees in pots would do, only you 

 must be content with one Vine at back, and have the portion of tho 

 front above ;.'r<tund of wood and Rlags instead of bricks and mortar, and 

 then you might have a row of Peach trees in front, where you propose to 

 keep plants in winter. You cannot have them nnd the plants, but you 

 could have the Vines and plantpi, Yom- proposed heating of the pit by a 

 hotbed at oue end, and lettiug the heat into tlie pit through drain tifes, 

 will not iin^v.-er, for it would only warm one end, and the plants at the 

 other would be fr.,;:eu stiff. A sniiOl fireplace, and an equally small flue 

 running iilonis' the front, would bo the best and most economical mode of 

 heating, and fjive the most satisfaction. It is woi-th while considering, 

 before milking tlic pit, whether it would not be better to have it double 

 the width. It would cost little more at first, and no more in fuel 

 annually, and it would certainly afibrd more than double the giati0cation. 

 CrxTiKG Back Vouxg Ci-n;BiN(i Plants Or. i-'., AT^wr).— If we under- 

 stand your letter aright, your stove climbers are trnincd agninst upright 

 Mires or trellises, and arc not intended to cover the roof, which would 

 be much the best plnce for them. If they nre irained a foot from the 

 glass, they need not be cut back until they roach the top of the house, 

 when, the points being taken out. side shoots will come freely, which 

 may he allowed to hang loose or be trained up or down to fill vacant 

 spree. If tr.iined against upright trellisi s. they should be cut back to 

 within 2 feet from the bottom, or. if the trellis is sufficiently wi«e, train 

 them horizontnlly. bending the shnots at the extremi<ies of t4ie trellis 

 sideways in serpentine fnshion. This will cheek the s.ip. and cause 

 them to break ail along the shoots, but they will still --hoot strongest 

 from the upper part. For ourselves, we should cut (hem nil buck in March 

 to 18 inches, or to five or six good eyes, and when the new shoots came, 

 if there was not a suflicient number tti cover the trtllis. we would take out 

 the points nf these sihools at IH inches to miike tbtm branch, and this 

 repeatedly, until the trellis was si:flicieutly clothed. Sei-\e the iliinde- 

 \illa suaveolens in the Siime mi'nner, but fnr betttr train it ti> the roof; 

 if cut back, do so in March. Syringe the plant frequently during 

 summer to keep down red spiiUr, directing the force of tlio wittt-'r against 

 the under side of the leaves. 



Aspect for Vixerv iJ. D.). — Wc would prefer tho sonth-wcfit ft<-peet, 

 and if tlic wall must uot be more than b or 10 feet iu height, ^vc would 

 prefer the thiee-(juai-ter spnn. as theu you could Icivo tlic height at the 

 ridge or apex 2 or 8 feet more, and more direct light besides. For a span- 

 roof, we prefer north-west and south-east, but it is no great matter, only 

 the western sun is always more itowerful than the eastern. 



Garden 'Pz.as {CountfsK of Ii.\. — We are reluctantly compelled not to 

 plant pl.nus of gardens, hut merely to criticise the proposed "ithmtinp. 

 We have no doubt thnt the gj-.rdtu will look vci-y nice on grass, but we 

 enunot help tliinking that the beds come too near the house, us t.here is 

 much less grass there than iu other ojicn pni-ls between the beds. Per- 

 haps there arc rather too many shaiit angles in the beds, too ; nnd sweep- 

 ing circles out of the side^ of hearts. Ac, is chiefly uFcful for enabling 

 one to get easily at the centre of beds, otherwise, when planted, these 

 openings will be little seen. The sawio will hold true with the starry 

 figme on the right-hand side: but, on the whole, the garden, we have no 

 doubt, will look very well. Coutrai->' to oui- rules, wc will just sny what 

 we think would be a pi'etty an-augenient, and wc would edce nil the beds, 

 so thrt each bed woiid he complete in itself. A? there arc no numbers 

 we will just allude to the centre, and begin T,'ith the octogon bed in front 

 of the library. This we would plant with Tom Thimih Geraniiuns, edged 

 with Centaiirea candidissima. The prince's feather beyond we would 

 plant v,-iih white Verbena, or some other white, and edge with Purple 

 King, and the circle beyond with Boule de Feu Geranimu, and Cineraria 

 maritima for an edgiu-,'. These three will form the centre of tlie group. 

 Then beginning next the libr.^ry again, we find there arc four beds on eneh 

 side of these three centre beds — say two ovals, Aurea tloriimuda Calceola- 

 ria, edged with Lobelia speciosa, and a strip of Censtium next the gri^s.s; 

 two hoiii-ls, Ili-Hotrope. or dwarf Ageratr.ui, edged with Calceolaria Prince 

 of Ornngc. yellow ; then a p;iii- of three circles joined in one on f;'ch side 

 of the prime's feather, Brillunit (iernnium, bordered with Pulcbclla Ver- 

 bena, and then two open-centred kidney -shaped ovals, darkpuiiileVerbcna. 

 as Ariosto Impi'ovcd. edged with variegated Alyssum ; and so wo would go 

 on with the rest, planting so that each bed would contrast softly with 

 those nearest, and yet be distinct nnd eouiiilete in itself. Tiie long nar- 

 row ribbon -border of 6 feet ^i.oiibi look both ways, and should at least 

 have five rows, ns pui'i)lo, yellow, scarlet, yellow, puride. "With a foot 

 wider, or 18 inches more, you could add white, as Cerastiuni, all round, 



mnkiiijr seven totts uptofp. The objection to 'hot border is that it-is too 

 fur from the walk, and hns no backproui)d.e\<'( pt tbechniii htrdcr a long 

 way off. ThHt chain of thirteen circles being wurrtnnded by giavel, may 

 be planted with every circle different. If all v.ere Ulled with vnriegated 

 Geraniums, as yclhMv-leaved and white-leaved alternately, and banded 

 with blue Lobelia and lilac Verbena, or purple. aR tbelresine, or Amnran- 

 thus.they would look well — ns well as they could do in an isolated position. 

 Hotbed for CuTTmi-is (F. T. C.).— Your pit will require to have the 

 iuterior taken out. and a bed of hot dung formed 4 leet deep, and if it be 

 made of dung and leaves mixed, it will raise a niihler nnd more lasting 

 he;it. The bed should be made high enough to touch the rafters, or level 

 with the top of the frame after it haw been well trodden. Put on the 

 lights, and in n week or len dnys the heat will have risen and the bed 

 settled. Level tjie surface, and cover with the uoltoni of the wood stack, 

 which, though not .'-o good as cocoa-nut refuiie, will nevertheless answer, 

 as would sand, sawdust, or ashes. The lights hhonld slope from the back 

 to the front, 1 foot in every yard of width, so that the water may run oti" 

 nnd not diip upon the cuttings. The cuttings cannot be too near the 

 glass at first, for the bed will sink, and at no time should they be further 

 from it than 15 or 18 inches. The nearerthey are the less they will be drawn. 

 The spaces for linings tilled with hot dung will uot raise sufficient heal 

 for striking cuttings, but they would serve tho purpose for which they 

 were imdoultedly designed, that of maintaiuirg the hent in the bed when 

 it begi:)sto decline. To do this the front lining should be given when the 

 first decline in temperature is noticed, keeping the heating material filled 

 up above the holes in the pit wall, through wliich the heat will pase 

 into tho bed. Take cnrc tliat the bed is so hi^'lj inside ns to cover the 

 holes, or the hent from the li:u"ng will rise in tbe iitmospliere of the frame, 

 and iujure, if not kill the cuttings, especially if tho sfeflm be at nil rank. 

 In ten days or a fortnight the hncU lining should he made, nnd tliis.with 

 the front linirp. will keep the heat up for r. srtficient length of time to 

 strike three lots of cuttings, they. ^vhe!i stmck, being rcuuived to the 

 gi-eenhousc. If the heat of the Led sink too "low before yon have raised 

 as mnny cuttings as you with, take out the front lining before the back 

 lining has become cold, nnd refill with hot dung, and wlien this becomes 

 hot renew the back lining. Alwnys keep the lining supjdied with litter 

 iibovc the holes, or the heat will efSc.npe without heating the bed, and the 

 lining should be filed up against the sides of the frame to give tup as well 

 US bottom heat. 



Fruit Gaedek (0. Fuvtinf/). — Your good grass land seems ^ell suited 

 and situated for sucli a pinjiose as that which you propose, but its pa>-inp 

 will depend more on the custom you can obtain than on the produce of 

 the hsnd. for some pnrt of it will have to he made ornnmental, and be 

 furnished with arbours or tea-honses, trees, sl.rubs, and llov.ers. The 

 frontage to tb.e road should be planted with trees and be faced on the in- 

 terior with shrubs and a border of flowers, and then should come a lawn, 

 level enough nnd large enough for a croquet ground, which for one set 

 of pliiyers the low o1 the gnme snys should be 110 feet kng by 65 feet in 

 width. If it were suflicientiy long and wide for two sets all the better, as 

 it coul<l easily be d-^ idcd by an Arbor-Vitar hedge. Near this ground, 

 which could be used not only for croquet but for hcwis and other games, 

 trees should he planted, weeping treen for shade, with seats under them, 

 ' or if nny such trecL exist they nhnuld be carefully preserved. A belt of 

 I trees and shrubs to shut out the fruit garden from the part intended for 

 j visitors will be required, and a winding path should go round the pleasure 

 ground, with some seats, bowers, and suniiner-hcuses, placed here and 

 there. Remember the more respectably and neatly tho iilace is kept, the 

 more likely is it to be frequented by those who will pay best. An ares ot 

 hnlf an ncrewill hi' necessary, find besides what you mny derive from 

 parties playing on the piound, you mny make something of the flowers 

 from the borders. We recommend yon to gi-ov/ a quantity of Wallflowers, 

 Stccks, Roses, rinki^. Clove Carnations, and other poiuilar flowers. Sweet 

 Briar, nnd Thoni. A nairow belt of trees and shrubs mny be planted all 

 round the ether part of the gionnd, partly for plcjisure nnd partly for 

 profit, as you' could pJnnt them fbichly and keep thinning them out. In 

 front of the belt of trees, none of which should grow larger than a Thoni 

 or Labnrnmn (Lilacs would pay for cutting), plant a border with flower- 

 ing-shrubs, nnd edge it with plnuts that bloom abundantly and are sv.eet- 

 Fcented, nnd do not forget evergreens which arc sure to be called for. In 

 front of the border have a walk, and at each corner a summer-house and 

 seats, and on the other side of the \^alk have a corresponding b»jrder of 

 flowers, and at the back of it a rov.- of fruit trees, of which you must 

 grow kinds thnt ripen in summer. The remainder of the ground we 

 would divide into quarters by a walk througli the middle, and another 

 transversely, having a iioider 4 feet wide on both sides for Strawberries, 

 and a row of fruit trees behind them, consisting of pyrjimids or hushes of 

 Cherries. Plums. Pears, and Apples. Devote the quarters to Strawberries, 

 llaspbon-ies. Goosehoiries, and Currants. Unless you eoiild make sure 

 of a renewal of the lease, it would be well to lay out no more than would 

 repay the outlay. An agreement for either a* renewal or a valuation at 

 the expiration of the lease should be entered into before you incur any 

 gi'eat expense. W^ith Iftnd at £5 per acre, or £S with house, the ground 

 would pay as a fruit and market garden, and better still as a tea or 

 pleasure garden. The gi-ound will require to te dug or trenched t» n 

 deiith rf 2 feet, digging in the turf, and then you may idant aiiything in 

 it with every prospect of sTiccess. 



METEOROLOGICAl, OBSERVATIONS in tke Suburlis of London for flte four days ending December iiitli. 



