331 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 30, 1866. 



the conservatory for the next six months, and those which 

 have been managed according to our previous directions for 

 forcing-purposes, as it is commonly called, will be in full 

 gaiety from this period till Christmas. Such should now have 

 weak and clear liquid manure, and a temperature of from 50° 

 to 55°, descending at night to 4o° in dark weather. A very con- 

 considerable amount of atmospheric moisture should be afforded 

 them. Drip, however, must by all means be avoided, and the 

 syringe is out of the question.' 



stove . 

 Many denizens will now be in action, such are the Euphor- 

 bia jacquiniajflora, Gesnera ;;tbrina, Achimenes picta, Gesnera 

 oblongata, Linum trigynum, Plumbago rosea, Begonias, &e., 

 all of which should have a temperature of G0° secured by day, I 

 rising to 80° in sunshine, and sinking to 50° at night. The ; 

 above are all most useful and interesting flowers for the dead i 

 of winter. 



PITS AND FIU1IES. 



Everything should be finally arranged here as soon as j 

 possible. See that Mignonette has a very light situation ; 

 plunge it close to the glass at the back of the frame and free 

 from drip. Store Verbenas, those growing rapidly should have 

 their tops pinched, also Petunias and other ordinary mass 

 flowers. Give abundance of air, and water as little as possible ; 

 moisture is more destructive than cold, use every precaution 

 against its effects. Leave air on all night, be it ever so little. 

 This we would do even when matted overhead, except in very 

 severe weather. Care should be taken that the plants do not 

 become sodden by heavy rains ; the lights should be always on 

 during wet weather, but tilted up at the back. — W. Kease. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GABHEN. 



Dwarf Kidney Beans ami Scarlet Rutoh rs. — Those that were 

 protected with a little Pea haulm and litter in the frost of 

 Monday week, have yielded nice gathering?. Those exposed 

 have been much injured. The best plan we have ever used for 

 protecting such crops late in the season, has been placing two 

 sticks at every feet or so, and running two rough straw ropes 

 from stick to stick over the row. The rope was left very rough 

 in the twisting, the ends being left out. We had none to fall 

 back on this season, but still the rougher mode resorted to has 

 secured us as yet a fair amount of pods. They have been more 

 useful, because a late succession has not done so well as usual. 

 These were sown in an earth pit in the beginning of July, and 

 have had old sashes over them lately, but are hot swelling fast, 

 owing to the dull wet weather. A few bright sunny days will 

 insure a large yield from these plants, as the sun heat shut in 

 would cause the pods to swell quickly. If the damp weather con- 

 tinue, the yield will not be heavy. We would have sown these 

 Beans in pots if we could, and then in such a season as this, 

 we could have removed them now to a place where a little dry 

 heat could be given ; in this they would have produced heavily, 

 if moved, say, a week ago. They will be useful as they are, 

 but if in pots they would have been more independent of the 

 weather in the end of autumn. By running a rough straw 

 rope along a row of Scarlet Runners, we have frequently had 

 them good to the end of November. The provision of wild fruit 

 for birds would seem to point to a hard winter ; but as a general 

 rule, if we have a rather sharp frost in October, it will usually 

 be found that we do not have it severe before Christmas. 



Cauliflower. — If frost is apprehended, it is well to turn a leaf 

 or two over the advancing heads. They are all the better and 

 whiter to be thus kept from the rain at this season. If frost 

 threaten, it would be well to place a small wisp of clean litter 

 or hay over each head, after the leaf is bent over it. 



Broccoli. — The forward crops especially, will be better if the 

 stems are laid down to be nearer to the ground, and be covered 

 with earth. Thi^ is best done by moving the earth from the 

 north or east side of the plant, bending the stem, without dis- 

 turbing the roots, into the groove or trench, and keeping the 

 stem there by placing earth taken from the next plant upon it. 

 The plants are thus rendered more independent pf a hard 

 winter. Where there is abundance of dry long litter, it is a 

 good plan to pack up the stems of the plants with it. using a 

 little of it to protect the heads in severe weather, and all will 

 make good manure to trench down for Peas next seasan. 



Lettuces want much care, as slugs and grubs are troublesome 

 this season. Notwithstanding the .dulness of the weather, 

 Endive that ought to have been first-rate has shown a tendency 



to bolt, which we never knew it do at the same age, even in 

 a bright sunny autumn. There is plenty for succession, but 

 such singularities show the importance of having more than 

 one string to our bow. We have already stated, that fine 

 Lettuces have shown such a tendency to rot as we never saw 

 them do before at the same age. This was, no doubt, the residt 

 of the constant drizzle to which they were exposed. 



Celery. — We had a heavy rain on the 22nd, but in many 

 places Celery will require to be examined before being finally 

 earthed-up. In a suecessioual bed, we found the roots, not- 

 withstanding all the drizzle, were so dry as to need a good 

 soaking before earthing-up. Much of the mere drizzle, though 

 wetting the foliage, and, along with the sunless weather, lessen- 

 ing evaporation, failed to give enough of moisture to the roots. 



Asparagus. — Gathered what seed wa3 wanted, and cleared off 

 all the stems, together with the weeds, to the burning-heap, and 

 covered where we could with a light dressing of rotten leaves 

 and hotbed dung, which will at least protect the crowns that 

 are near the surface. As stated lately, wo prefer applying 

 manure when the plants are growing, if it can then be given. 



Sea-hale ami Rhubarb. — Cleared the decaying leaves from a 

 good piece of both, and marked the most forward for taking up 

 to be forced. As soon as all shall have been cleared will throw 

 some ashes or burnt charred earth and refuse over the crowns, 

 which will keep many sorts of vermin from them. When hard 

 driven the rabbit and the rat will devour the crowns of Sea-kale, 

 and then look for something else. 



Cabbages. — Stirred the ground amongst the first planted for 

 spring, the plants being us yet rather small, and scattered 

 charred and burnt refuse all over the ground, merely keeping 

 it from the tender leaves. The ground for the succession is 

 not yet dug, but the plants are pricked out in beds so as to 

 keep them sturdy, and will be moved as soon as the ground is 

 ready. The late heavy rain I have interfered with digging. 



R i ..hex mul Turnips. — Threw burnt earth among the former. 

 The border filled with young plants of transplanted Turnips is 

 looking well, but in a few cases the liny plants had been put 

 in rather deeply. They should be planted so firmly and so 

 shallow that the upper part of the tuber should be seen. There 

 can bs no doubt that all sorts of white Turnips may be trans- 

 planted in a garden and succeed quite as well as Swedes — a 

 matter of importance where the Turnip has many vermin 

 enemies when it is very young, and where it could pretty well 

 hold its own after it had two or three good rough lea . es . 



Cucumbers. — Those planted in a pit have had all the fruit 

 cut off that were coming, but now a part of them will be 

 allowed to bear — that is, the fruit showing will be permitted 

 to go on. To keep going until these come in, some fortnight 

 or three weeks hence, we have banked round those in frames 

 with short grass and leaves from the pleasure ground, so as to 

 keep the inside warm. Ayres.'s Perfection, a small kind of the 

 Eenyon or Sion House breed, is valuable for bearing profusely 

 and rejoicing in even a very moderate temperature. It should 

 be cut small — when not more, or much more, than an inch in 

 diameter, and then it will eat crisp and sweet. We cannot 

 conceive why people should run after Cucumbers as thick as a 

 man's wrist. Many huge Cucumbers sent to exhibition-tables 

 would be pretty well as tough as leather when cut up to be 

 eaten. We lately saw an amateur make a circle of a Cucum- 

 ber 21 inches long. No coaxing would allow a circle thus to 

 be made with a Cucumber that was fit to eat. 



Mushrooms. — We have seen no Mushrooms to speak of out of 

 doors this season, but we did not require to look for them,, as 

 they came so fast in our beds in the open shed that we gave 

 them more exposure, so as not to have too great gluts of them. 

 After twice sulphur-smoking the Mushroom-house, and white- 

 washing the walls with fresh lime and hot water, we formed the 

 first bed in it on a shelf, and thought we could have spawned 

 it on the 23rd ; but the damp close weather had made it so heat 

 again, that spawning just now is out of the question. All we 

 could do was to set a man to tread it well, and thump it down 

 with a mallet to prevent the air and its oxygen penetrating into 

 it. If this do not cause the heat to decline to a mild temperature 

 suitable for spawning, we shall throw a little earth over the 

 surface, so as still more to keep the air out. This bed, about a 

 foot in depth, was formed of about three-parts of long litter, 

 with a few droppings, thrown together, watered, turned, and 

 returned, until it became a little short, and was rather more 

 dry than wet. On this the remaining part, chiefly of droppings 

 containing a little litter, was put. 



Mushroom Spawn. — We lately detailed how we make Mush- 

 room bricks. The weather has been unfortunate for drying 



