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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 11, 1866. 



OBCHTB-HOpSE. 



The time has arrived when the following points must be 

 attended to in order to secure success for the coming year. 

 Care must he taken to ripen off fine pseudo-bulbs, strong 

 healthy shoots, &c. To effect this, keep up a sweet growing 

 atmosphere from 65° to 80°, with abundance of air in all 

 favourable weather. Use the shading with caution, and let 

 the plants have more sun, both morning aud evening, aud 

 shade only when absolutely necessary. Use water more 

 sparingly, except to such plants as are growing freely. All 

 Ladias, Cattleyas, Lycaste Skinneri, and Odontoglossum grande, 

 must be kept cool, and nicely syringed occasionally. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



With only a couple of dry day- up to Wednesday, the 5th, 

 which is very wet, with a falling barometer, the work out of 

 doors was chiefly a repetition of what was alluded to last week, 

 and extra time has been devoted to putting in cuttings of Ge- 

 raniums, &c, and forwarding house work as much as possible, 

 in order that when the rains shall ha\e ceased, more time may 

 be devoted to out-door employment. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Here the work has chiefly been confined to banking up Cu- 

 cumber-frames with grass and litter, planting Coleworts, Let- 

 tuces, Endive, making up deficiencies in banks of Cauliflowers, 

 and dusting them and some Turnips and Radishes with lime, 

 soot, and ashes, to keep off slugs and snails, which now 

 threaten to be troublesome. 



Walks are almost sure to look unsightly with weeds in such 

 weather, and Strawberry runners from the borders spread 

 over them. If the walks are a little rough on the surface, and 

 the small thread-like weeds are numerous, it may he necessary. 

 to hoe the walks, and rake them, and rake again in the first 

 bright dry day, as in such weather merely cutting up the weeds 

 will not kill them. Where boiling salt water could be thrown 

 over such walks within 9 inches of the Box, that would be the 

 surest means of extinguishing such weeds, and yet leave the 

 surface of the walks untouched. The salting will do little 

 harm to a rough-surfaced walk. Throwing salt over these walks 

 in such wet weather would be of little benefit, as the salt would 

 be so soon washed away beyond even the roots of the multitu- 

 dinous small weeds. If fine, hot, dry weather can be selected, 

 and the white appearance is no objection for a few days, we 

 think sprinkling the walks with fine salt is the most economical 

 remedy ; but, as hinted last week, this must not be done with 

 smooth-surfaced walks, as it will make them soft and retentive 

 of moisture in winter. In many cases in the kitchen garden, 

 when the walks are rather smooth, and the weeds appear chiefly 

 close to the Box edgings, it is a good plan to scrape such weeds 

 and any little mo.-s that may appear, as shallow as possible, 

 with a clean sharp hoe, and then brush all up with a hard 

 broom, drawing it also over the middle parts of the walk, which 

 will disturb all the slimy matters which are apt to accumulate, 

 aud give the whole a fresh, clean appearance. Even when 

 labour is scarce, a kitchen garden may always be made to look 

 respectable, if the walks and the borders adjoining them be 

 kept clean. A walk green with weeds makes the whole look 

 neglected, however good the crops. 



In pleasure grounds, if the grass anywhere near the walks 

 has been allowed to become loug, it is almost certain that there 

 will be a lot of Daisies, and other small weeds appearing at the 

 sides of the walks, and scraping as above in a dry day is a good 

 plan of clearing them off. Salting would be the quickest, but 

 in very smooth walks, salting even the sides prevents the water 

 of autumn and winter escaping so easily as desirable, so as to 

 keep the main part of the walks firm and dry. A firm, smooth 

 walk is a great luxury when dry. Many of our walks have not 

 been broken for many years, and it takes a long-continued 

 drizzle to make them wet, or cause them to lift in frost, and 

 they have served their purpose well ; but we begin to think 

 whether instead of such hard-surfaced, unbroken walks, it 

 would not he desirable in many places to have walks like ours 

 rather shallow, a good drain below them, and formed of open, 

 rough material, with the exception of a couple of inches or 

 so of fine sandy matter on the surface, which would let the 

 water pass through easily, and always present a smooth ap- 

 pearance, without the necessity of rolling. There is yet much 

 to be said about walk-making. Even a walk covered with 

 olean-washed gravel or small flints and pebbles, though not 

 very pleasant to walk upon in a hot day with thin-soled boots, 



has this advantage, that you can walk on it in all weathers 

 almost without soiling the sole of a boot, and without leaving a 

 trace of where you have been, which you will be sure to do in 

 moist weather in more solid-crusted walks. Such rough walks 

 may also be easily kept bright by salting, until the salting has 

 dissolved and worn down the pebbles and stones, which it will 

 be sure to do. We have lately met with more corroborative 

 proofs of what we stated some years ago as to the wearing 

 effects of soda and salt, when used in water for clearing flag- 

 stones and pavements from a green slimy covering in shady 

 places. As to the cleaning there can be no doubt ; but 

 many stones will suffer in consequence, becoming flowery, 

 and flaking off at the surface in consequence, and just in pro- 

 portion to their original porousness. We have known stones, 

 after being cleaned with salt and soda, showing a white wasting 

 efflorescence in damp weather for a couple of years, and we 

 have known some cases of fine carved marble chimney-pieces 

 being much injured owing to soda or potash being used in the 

 liquor and brush for cleaning them. We do not know what 

 marble-cutters use for making old dirty carved marble as nice 

 as when new; but. we should be doubtful of using either an 

 alkali or an acid, if we wished the fine, bright, clear lines to 

 remain unbroken. 



FitriT GAr.m.x. 

 The wind and the rains have brought down many Apples 

 before they were ripe, and the wet ground has given them any- 

 thing but the brightest appearance. Had the best gathered 

 and spread out thinly to dry, as when they lie on the ground 

 the idea is suggested that you are wallowing in too great abun- 

 dance. An Apple pudding would cease to have some of its 

 attractions to many if they thought that Apples were more 

 plentiful than Potatoes. Some people are so constituted that 

 superabundance lessens their enjoyment. 



Gathered Peaches and Nectarines, though not fully ripe, 

 that they might escape the ravages of wasps, &c, as they will 

 keep longer than on the tree, and ripen perfectly, and be free 

 from spots. Peaches by themselves, though a hole may be 

 bitten in them, make passable jam, but not nearly so good as 

 Nectarines. Both together do very well, and both are improved 

 by having the scalded kernels broken and placed in the jam a 

 short time before being taken from the fire or oven. 



I rave fire heat and more air during the day in this 

 muggy weather, and looked after any single moulded berry, as 

 one will soon make half-a-dozen bad, and then the bunch 

 wc old go. Just now we cannot do what we wish with outside 

 borders to keep off the drenching rains from late vineries, and 

 from what is intended for early work. As a whole, nothing is 

 more economical for this purpose than wooden shutters or 

 frames covered with asphalt, to be put on and taken off the 

 borders as deemed necessary. These appliances are common 

 in large gardens ; but many employers who expect great results 

 would think they were ruined if any such coverings were pro- 

 vided for Vine or Peach-borders. By their help and litter, or 

 nice thatching, the borders can be kept in the right state as 

 respects moisture and dryness, and even to a considerable ex- 

 tent as regards temperature. In many places, especially where 

 there is the least deficiency in drainage, the late heavy rains 

 will so soak the borders that late fruit will be more inclined to 

 rot early, and Vines intended for early forcing will run a risk 

 of many of the fibres decaying, which will be more or less felt 

 when the Vines are started into growth. Hence the- number of 

 such covers at such places as Trentham, Keele Hall, Bentley 

 Priory, and Woburn, and hence the drawback where such ap- 

 pliances or glass sashes cannot be used. 



Melons at this period should be kept pretty free of laterals, 

 and the larger leaves encouraged where room can be found 

 for them. Those in frames will be better of having linings 

 put round them, and thus whilst the heat is maintained inside, 

 a little air may be given at front and back. This, keeping on 

 the swelling, will help to secure the Melons from cracking 

 before they are ripe in this dripping weather. Whilst the 

 roots are supplied with moisture, it will also be well to have 

 the surface soil moderately dry. The fruit should also be 

 elevated on an inverted saucer, &c, so as to be clear of the 

 d imp ground. This will sometimes place the fruit too near 

 the glass, and expose it too much to the sun. When not 

 shaded a little by the foliage of the plant, it is a good plan in 

 bright weather to suspend a piece of thin paper a couple of 

 inches or so above the fruit, which will alike prevent scorching 

 and cracking, and keep the fruit warmer at night, when no 

 covering is used for the glass. A day or two before gathering 

 the paper may be removed. When the fruit is 18 inches or 



