Jiujr til, 1866. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



out and pegging down tho shoots. In shortening hack shoots 

 that incline to extend beyond the edgings of tho beds, avoid the 

 least appearance of formality by thinning out tho under shoots 

 and keeping all parts of the bed of equal depth and thickness, 

 or allowing the plants to die away, as it were, at the edges 

 according to the arrangement. Climbors on walls must be at- 

 tended to as they advance in growth, keeping tho young shoots 

 neatly laid in, to). The climbing Roses will also require to be 

 gone ovor occasionally for tho purpose of cutting oil decayed 

 blooms ; ami any weakly old wood should bo cut out at the same 

 time, to allow of laying in tho strong young shoots, which will 

 bloom much tiner next season than the old wood would do. 

 As tho seed-pods of Tansies ripen they should be gathered and 

 dried in a shady place. Pinks planted out iu store-heds will 

 only require attention as far as regards keeping them clean. If, 

 unfortunatoly, wireworms should make an attack upon them, 

 it will be advisable to place pieces of Potato between tho lows, 

 immediately below the surface of the soil, and in thu vicinity 

 of those where the last were destroyed. Thin out Dahlias, par- 

 ticularly tho branches of those varieties which usually flower 

 weakly, and remove all buds which exhibit malformations ; tie 

 the lateral branches to the side sticks, going over the stock fre- 

 quently. A small amount of attention now will often save a 

 great amount of damage. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



Specimens that have matured their season's growth should 

 now bo more sparingly supplied with water at the root in order 

 to promote the ripening of the wood. Orange trees and other 

 plants known to be liable to attacks of red spider must be 

 frequently examined for this pest, and well washed with the 

 engine immediately it is perceived, taking care not to bruise or 

 injure the loaves, and placing the affected plants so that every 

 leaf may be reached. Go over the twiners frequently, and 

 keep tho shoots nicely regulated, cutting them out where 

 necessary to prevent their being too thick, and shortening any 

 that hang down so low as to interfere with other things. 



STOVE. 



As plants should now or soon be ripening their young wood, 

 they want as much light and moderate sunshine as possible. 

 In the case of Orchids this is especially necessary, in order that 

 the young leaves and pseudo-bulbs may be thoroughly matured. 

 Plants in this condition, or nearly so, should be removed forth- 

 with to a cool house, and care taken not to induce them at 

 present to push again, as a fresh start would interfere with 

 their flowering next year. Dendrobium nobile and others of 

 that class sufficiently advanced in growth should also be moved 

 to a house where they could have a moderate and steady tem- 

 perature, abundance of air, and little water till their stems are 

 ripe and their flower-buds formed. Those Orchids which are 

 still in a growing state should be placed in the most favourable 

 positions, and encouraged by a nice growing temperature while 

 the weather continues favourable for ripening and hardening 

 any growths which they may yet make. Afterwards let them 

 be put gradually to rest. 



COLD PITS. 



The stock here will probably require re-arrangement at this 

 time, as some of the specimens, having completed their season's 

 growth, will be better in a shady situation out of doors, and 

 their removal will admit of giving more space to those left. 

 Young growing stock, and late-flowering plants that have yet 

 to make their season's growth, should receive the most careful 

 attention, as, if well treated, they will make rapid and vigorous 

 growth at this season, and nothing in the way of good soil, 

 careful potting, or proper accommodation will compensate for 

 the want of this. Indeed, there is no possibility of securing 

 free growth from hardwooded plants in bright hot weather, 

 except by moderate shading, and maintaining a moist atmo- 

 sphere by sprinkling the plants overhead morning and evening ; 

 and air must be given liberally to keep the wood strong, avoid- 

 ing as much as possible exposure to drying winds. Any of the 

 specimens which require more pot room should be shifted as 

 soon as possible, taking care to have the ball moist, and keep- 

 ing them rather olose and the atmosphere moister than usual 

 for a fortnight after potting. Let the young shoots be tied 

 before they begin to fall about and crowd and injure each 

 other. Cut down Pelargoniums as soon as the wood is pro- 

 perly hardened, and keep them very sparingly supplied with 

 water at the root until they start into growth, hut sprinkle 

 them overhead frequently, which will cause them to break 

 more strongly. Continue to pot Cinerarias as strong suckers 

 can be obtained, placing them in a close part of the cold frame 



until they become established in thoir pots ; but avoid placing 

 them in heat, where they speedily become a prey to insects 

 and mildew, and never do any good. — AV. Kkank. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 

 Much the same as last week — loosening the soil, fresh plant- 

 ing vegetables, staking late Peas, and watering Peas, Cauli- 

 flowers, Coleworts, Celery, Arc. Tho continued drought and 

 heat seem to bo telling a little on tho Onions, causing some 

 of the plants to look mildewed. Netted young plants and seed- 

 beds of Lettuces, Cauliflower, Radishes, ifcc, to keep tho birds 

 from them. Sowed seeds of Spinach. That which was sown 

 before the beating rains does not seem to come away kindly ; 

 and Spinach, independently of its use in the kitchen, is ex- 

 cellent for packing with other vegetables, to keep them firm, 

 when they are sent to a distance. 



FI'.UIT GARDEN. 



Proceeded with thinning nnJ shortening the shouts qf fruit 



trees, whether against walls, or on low standards and pyramids. 

 As a general rule, the sooner tho shoots are shortened at the 

 points the better, as the sap and vigour are thrown more back- 

 ward to swell the buds nearer the base of the shoot. It is a 

 good plan to do this with Apples, Pears, Plums, &c, when the 

 shoots are about inches long, merely nipping out the points, 

 and leaving a few to remain unstopped to carry on the flow of 

 sap. In most places the work must be rather roughly done, 

 especially if the stopping has been too long neglected. Then 

 breaking off the shoots over the knife, leaving them from 3 to 

 6 inches long according to circumstances, is a very quick and 

 expeditious plan, and until the next month it is as well even 

 then to leave a few shoots unstopped. By nipping out early 

 the points of the best-placed shoots, and taking others away 

 within a few buds of their base, more light and air play on the 

 shoots stopped ; and in Apples, Pears, and Plums, somo fine 

 fruit- buds are thus often obtained on the base of the shoot of 

 the present summer's growth, which would have been nothing 

 but wood-buds if the shoots had been left unstopped. 



It is best every way to do most of the necessary pruning in 

 summer instead of winter. The summer pruning regulates the 

 powers of the plants, and directs these powers into the most 

 useful channels, so as to give fruit instead of a superabundance 

 of wood-buds. Every shortening and limitation of the number 

 of shoots now, and at an earlier period, tells upon the root- 

 action, and the diminished vigour at tho roots is followed again 

 by a better-ripened condition of the wood. Only make sure that 

 the roots shall not ]>enetrate too deeply into unhealthy, unsuit- 

 able soil, in which the trees will be encouraged to greater expan- 

 sion in growth thanfruitfulness, and root-pruning may be pretty 

 well dispensed with, if duly stopping and regulating the shoots 

 in summer be attended to. All this summer pinching and 

 stopping tells upon the buds of autumn and the crops of the 

 following year. Winter pruning is only a makeshift, rendered 

 necessary by neglect, either arising from carelessness, or, too 

 often, from the force of circumstances. It exercises little in- 

 fluence on the tree for the succeeding year. Supposing that it 

 has made too much and too vigorous growth, and we prune in 

 never so closely in winter, the natural result will just be, from 

 the energies stored up in the roots, another equally luxuriant 

 crop of strong shoots in summer ; and those again would so re- 

 ciprocally act on the roots, that to keep up this luxuriance they 

 would be induced to strike down so deeply in seareh of moisture 

 and food, that the restoration of a fertile condition would have 

 to be accomplished by cutting the roots, or elevating them 

 nearer to the air and sunlight. A diminution in growth and 

 luxuriance, the result of summer pinching and pruning, will 

 help to keep the roots near the surface, especially when this is 

 aided by surface-mulching, and surface-watering, and the re- 

 movingof the mulching in bright weather, that the sun may 

 act on the soil. 



Hard cutting and pruning in winter are chiefly useful when 

 it is deemed necessary to give a fresh start to the tree ; and 

 then if the roots are not too much beyond control, or in el 

 damp soil, much may be done by selecting the young shoots 

 that push, and then nipping, shortening, and regulating them 

 to induce them to form fruit-buds. Nice compact fruitful trees 

 are thus often made out of those which seem to have grown 

 beyond all control, and aro either barren, or produce poor, ill- 

 flavoured fruit. In nice young trees the thumb and finger, or 



