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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 2, 1868. 



good results can ever follow), but little preparation beyond re- 

 moving a considerable portion of the old soil and supplying its 

 place with new will be required. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Hollyhocks and Dahlias will still require occasional looking 

 after to secure them against the effects of high winds, which 

 may now be expected. Unless seed is wanted, cut away decayed 

 flowers and useless shoots, for although late, every care should 

 be taken to preserve them in beauty for as long a time as the 

 season will permit. Herbaceous plants will require to have the 

 stalks of decayed flowers removed, and such as are still in bloom 

 carefully tied up. Asters, some Phloxes, etc., will now be 

 making a fine show, and should have corresponding care 

 bestowed upon them. Let the borders be cleaned and neatly 

 raked over, filling up vacant spaces with spare Chrysanthe- 

 mums and spring-struck Pansies, or spring-flowering bulbs. 

 As the season is now considerably advanced, the propagation 

 of all the more important bedding-out plants should be brought 

 to a close as quickly as possible, late-struck cuttings are difficult 

 to keep through the winter, owing to their having an insufficient 

 number of roots and ill-matured wood. Let Scarlet and other 

 Geraniums struck in the open ground be taken up and potted 

 immediately they have made roots. They will require a close 

 frame for a week or two. The removal and transplanting of 

 evergreens may be undertaken from the present time to Decem- 

 ber with more chance of success than at any other period of 

 the year, and for large specimens no other season should, if 

 possible, be selected. The natural warmth of the soil placed 

 about the roots, and the close damp weather generally prevail- 

 ing in the autumn months, are the principal causes operating 

 to insure success ; add to this a tendency (well known to those 

 who have planted largely at all seasons], in plants to form 

 roots more readily after the season of active growth, and 

 during the ripening of the wood, than at any other. 'Whether 

 planting is done in masses, or singly, the grouud should be 

 well trenched and drained before attempting to put a plant in. 

 For single plants a mere round hole just sufficient to hold the 

 roots is not sufficient, but the ground for some distance around 

 should be well worked-up to facilitate the progress of the 

 future roots, as well as the escape of water. As each tree or 

 shrub is planted, secure it from the action of high winds. 

 Mulch the surface to prevent evaporation from the soil. Cut- 

 tings of Laurels, Privets, Box, Aucubas, and various other 

 evergreens may now be put in, and the layering of others which 

 do not strike readily from cuttings, proceeded with. 

 GREExnouSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



A portion of the stock of Chrysanthemums should be placed 

 under glass to forward them ; thin out the bloom-buds, and ! 

 water with liquid manure. In arranging Pelargoniums for the 

 winter, allow them the lightest and warmest part of the house, 

 unless there is a separate house for them, when the Fancies 

 should have the best end. Keep them close to the glass, and 

 do not allow them to touch each other. Those cut back late 

 may yet be shaken from the old soil and repotted, placing 

 them, however, in a slight bottom heat afterwards to facilitate 

 then- rooting. Any of the Chinese or Indian Azaleas which 

 have not yet perfected their flower-buds should be kept on a 

 warm and light shelf for a while. The same may be said of 

 Camellias whieh flowered late in the spring. Those of the 

 latter required to blossom shortly should be kept in a warm 

 situation, and receive liquid manure occasionally. 



STOVE. 



Give abundance of air here at every opportunity, and assist 

 the plants to complete their growth in a strong and healthy 

 manner. Do not attempt to bring growing plants prematurely 

 to rest, with the view of ripening the wood, but keep them 

 steadily growing until they go steadily into a state of rest. 

 Many plants, especially Ixoras, maybe induced to make growth 

 during the winter as in the summer. Sprinkle the walks and 

 pathways once or twice daily, and bedew the plants occasion- 

 ally with tepid water on bright days. Maintain a brisk tem- 

 perature in the daytime, but allow the temperature to fall 

 about 60' at night. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Cauliflower. — Took the opportunity of a dry day to prick out 

 Small plants intended to furnish the earliest Cauliflower next 

 spring, under glasses, and trust they will be more fortunate 

 than the earliest last year, as many of those thus planted out, 



and other fine plants in pots, were cut down to the ground by 

 rats and mice, and to obtain heads as early as usual we were 

 forced to hurry on a score or two under some old glass sashes. 

 For early gathering we have found no plan better, on the whole, 

 than planting under hand-lights, se that the plants may be 

 hurried on in spring by protection, after being kept hardy all 

 the winter. Under each hand-light, from IS to 24 inches 

 square, we generally place nine plants at equal distances, and 

 in spring thin these out to five, one in the centre, and one at 

 each corner. The advantage of hand-lights is, that the plants 

 obtain light all round ; the disadvantages are, that there seems 

 to be a wonderful attraction between the glass of these lights, 

 and the tools and the boots of the workmen. Hence, no doubt, 

 the greater economy, where carriage is not a serious con- 

 sideration, of having large circular glasses, in bell-glass fashion, 

 and of commoner thick glass, and with a hole or lid at the top 

 like a Sea-kale pot. These, as used in many market gardens, 

 cannot be very easily broken. Where carriage is an object, 

 and hand-lights are disliked for the trouble they give in storage 

 and breakage, no more useful appliances can be found in a garden 

 than small boxes — say 2 feet square, the front board 6 inches 

 deep, the back board 10 inches deep, and the sides sloping to 

 match, the top glazed, and made so as to be easily slid or lifted 

 c if, as little or much air is wanted. If the glazed sash project 

 a little over the front, excessive moisture may thus be better 

 thrown off, than in the case of hand-lights, and the annoyance 

 of breakage will be reduced to a minimum. Boxes of 18 or 

 20 inches might answer as well as those 2 feet square, and 

 altogether the box would cost much less than a hand-light, and 

 when not wanted out-doors would be useful for cuttings, and 

 many other purposes in-doors. 



Pricked out a lot of plants on a sloping bank, at 3 inches or 

 so apart, to be transplanted again, potted, or have a common 

 frame with sashes set over them for the winter. In planting 

 under hand-lights, or in thus pricking out, it is a good plan to 

 stir some quicklime in the soil for a foot in depth, to kill any 

 worms and slugs that may be there, and then cover with a 

 couple of inches of sandy loam, and half an inch of rough sand 

 on the surface. The sand helps to keep off slugs, and prevents 

 the necks of the plants from damping, and this fresh surfacing 

 will be sufficient rooting-space for the plants, until the ground 

 beneath becomes mellow and sweet from the lime. A dusting 

 of lime on the surface soil, and of rough ashes round the out- 

 side of the hand-lights, all help to keep vermin away ; but with 

 all this the plants must be next to daily examined when young, 

 as when so small a few bites from a snail will destroy them. 



Lettuce*. — Planted out small plants in front of an orchard- 

 house, and on sloping banks out of doors, the latter either_ to 

 stand there in winter, or to be transferred under protection 

 when larger. Large plants in perfection have suffered much 

 from the rains, having become rotten in the heart, from con- 

 tinuous moisture. Planted out more Endive at the foot of a 

 wall, and had lime and ashes strewed amongst them. 



, ,,. — Cleared off a piece of latish Peas, dug shallow 

 trenches 24 feet apart, and planted strong plants of Celery, at 

 from 6 to 9 inches apart in the row. These will be useful in 

 spring. Similar plants slightly earthed-up in the beginning of 

 winter, taken up with balls iu March, and planted up to then- 

 tops in coal ashes, kept us in Celery until the early summer 

 months. Tied up the forward Celery in beds, and just covered 

 the surface with an inch of soil to protect the roots. The plants 

 would have been stronger if we had had less rain, as then they 

 would have received some manure waterings, which we could 

 scarcely give them, as though Celery can hardly be over-watered, 

 it will not thrive in stagnant water, or when treated as a pond 

 or marsh plant. Even in its wild state it shows to best advan- 

 tage by the side of a sluggish stream. Owing to so much rain we 

 shall not finally earth-up more than will keep us going until 

 the soil be drier, and we have the chance of obtaining a quan- 

 tity of coal ashes from the mansion, and sifting them. We 

 shall then put the ashes round the Celery in the process of 

 earthing-np, so as to keep worms and slugs from discolouring it. 

 Cabbages.— Planted out the last bit of Coleworts, which, if the 

 winter be at all mild, will come in early in spring, before the 

 autumn-planted Cabbages. Planted out about half the space 

 we intend for Cabbages in the Onion ground, treated as de- 

 scribed last week ; but the next morning showed that rabbits 

 and hares had been about, though we could not find them, and 

 therefore were obliged to surround the piece with a net, sup- 

 ported by stakes. We presume these young plants give them 

 a much sweeter mouthful than older, tougher plants, as they 

 mi"-ht have a good feed in the old Cabbage quarter near at 



