432 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



[ December 4, 1 



visions of Mushrooms, Sea-kale, Rhubarb, and Asparagus 

 floated before their mind's eye, only to tantalise them, or to 

 lead to the conclusion " it is of no use trying ;" whilst in these 

 small places we have seen heaps of refuse from flower-beds, 

 grass and leaves from the lawn, steaming away and polluting 

 the sweet air, that if mixed with the litter from the stable, 

 using the best part of an old hotbed to mix and to cover with, 

 would have given the proprietors all they wanted, though, in 

 small quantities, except Mushrooms ; and these they could have 

 had in the spare stall of the stable, by saving the most of the 

 droppings during the summer, and spreading them thinly to 

 prevent their wasting by decomposition. Where there is abun- 

 dance of fresh manure, let it be worked up and become half 

 decayed in the sweetening process by all means, for such is 

 best for beds of long duration ; but for all beds where a mild 

 heat only is required, there is no occasion for wasting the 

 material in much sweetening, as a layer of sweet material 

 trodden firm at the surface will arrest the ascent of the dele- 

 terious gases. 



Pruned, limed, and tied-up a number of Gooseberry and 

 Currant bushes, and even before doing so had help that we did 

 not want from tomtits, bullfinches, and that tribe of troublers. 

 We were obliged to prune, as some branches, from the buds 

 being abstracted last year, were next to bare and wanted taking 

 out. On rough pruning, the bushes were tied-up something 

 like a loose faggot, and received a good application of lime and 

 water through a syringe. We have some thought of shaking 

 a little hay over the bushes and allowing it to remain until the 

 buds break, or a little later, and then uncovering and untying 

 the bushes. The mere tying will keep the birds from a good 

 many of the buds, and the lime we trust will make them some- 

 what distasteful ; but we mean to thin the birds, and have 

 already killed a few, though we would not do so if anything 

 would prevent their causing so much injury. Some fine 

 bushes that never looked better than last spring, were so 

 stripped of buds after all our care, that the plants were 

 almost killed. Some beautiful Thorns just managed to keep 

 alive, as not only every flower-bud, but almost every wood-bud 

 was picked out ; and what was, perhaps, most annoying, we 

 found great quantities of buds of Plums and Pears lying on 

 the ground, picked off in wantonness, when there was no at- 

 tempt to eat them. If there are Larch trees near the garden 

 they generally prove a great resort for bullfinches and tomtits. 

 They are both so beautiful, and the former so useful in sum- 

 mer, that it goes against the grain to hurt them, or kill them ; 

 but in man3 - old gardens it is coming to be the question, How 

 thin the birds, or how go without out-door fruit ? What is 

 most annoying is to see your own trees and bushes almost 

 stripped, and to go into the neighbouring villages and see the 

 trees and bushes untouched. In the latter places there is not 

 generally the number of shrubs and trees in which to nestle 

 and shelter ; and there are the boys, not to speak of the 

 girls, ever on the move, and they help to keep birds away. 

 We have heard enough and seen something of what birds could 

 do in a fruit garden, but until the last two or three years we 

 would scarcely have believed that they would soon leave such 

 a track of desolation behind them. Were we laying out a 

 fresh garden in a place where game was highly preserved, 

 if the kitchen garden had walls, we would have no trees or 

 bushes, except against the walls, and the fruit we would ehiefly 

 have from dwarf trees and bushes, each sort in a quarter by 

 itself, and in a separate garden that could be thoroughly netted 

 over in the winter and spring. It is almost impossible to 

 secure trees now if placed round the walks of a kitchen gar- 

 den. Wire netting, with meshes too small for a fcomtit, would 

 be the best means, and when it was desirable to let the birds 

 in in summer to have a look for caterpillars and other insects, 

 large breadths of the netting could be opened, and replaced 

 again before the fruit became enticing to them. At present 

 we know of no limited number of places where birds of all 

 kinds are so encouraged, that to obtain a crop of fruit is more 

 a chance than anything else. Besides the loss of fruit, the 

 trees are greatly injured, for if the wood-buds are left the tree 

 will grow with more vigour than it ought to do, from having 

 little fruit to support, and consequently more top and root 

 cutting will be wanted than would otherwise have been required. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



The chief work has been cleaning up out of doors, and attend- 

 ing to and regulating plants in the houses. For particulars see 

 last week. No more water than will keep plants right ; no 

 more heat than is necessary to keep them in health ; plenty of 

 uir in mild weather, as little as possible in frosty weather, and 



in houses where a high temperature is kept up ; and as much 

 clea nliness as possible as respects leaves, stems, stages, pots, 

 and glass, are the chief things to be considered. In almost 

 every case use water heated to within 50° or 60°, even for cold 

 pit an d greenhouse plants when they do want it, and in plant- 

 stoves let the water be rather higher than the average tempe- 

 rature of the house. — B. F. 



CO VENT GARDEN MARKET.— December 1. 



There have lieen no fresh additions to our weekly supplies, which are 

 all limited to the usual class of goods at this time of year. Kentish 

 Cobs have slightly advanced in the wholesale market ; Potatoes, also, of 

 the best quality realise from 3s. to 6a. per ton in advance of last week's 

 quotations. 



FED IT. 



s. d. s. d 



Apples } Bieve 2 OtoS 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bush. 12 



Currants ^ sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries ..quart 

 Grapes, Hothouse, .lb. 

 Lemons 100 



Artichokes each 



Asparagus .... bundle 

 Beans, Broad., bushel 



ScarletRun.^ sieve 



Beet, Red doz. 



Broccoli bundlo 



Brus. Sprouts I sieve 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums 100 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Cucumbers each 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish . . bundle 



s. d. s. d 



Melons eaoh 2 6to5 o 



Nectarines doz. o 



Oranges 100 8 12 



Peaches doz. 



Pears {dessert) ..doz. 8 6 



kitchen doz. 2 4 



Pine Apples lb. 8 6 



Plums 4 sieve 



Quinces doz. 3 4 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts bush. 10 20 



VEGETABLES. 



B. A. S. d 

 OtoO 

 









 2 



1 



2 



1 



2 



4 

 2 



1 

 9 

 



2 



3 



1 

 3 



2 6 









 3 



1 6 

 3 





 4 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce perscore 



Mushrooms .... pottle 

 Mustd.& Cress, punnet 

 Onions. . . . per bushel 

 Parsley.. doz. bunches 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas per quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes. . . . per doz. 



Turnips bunch 



I Vegetable Marrows dz. 



e. d. s. d 



8 too 



1 6 



2 

 







1 

 2 



2 

 2 

 9 

 



2 6 



3 

 6 







1 

 3 

 8 



2 

 

 4 

 







4 6 



4 



1 

 



2 

 4 

 

 8 

 

 6 

 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



B. Bracher, Wincanton, Somerset. — Autumn Catalogue of 

 Coniferir. 



Andre Leroy, Angers, France. — Descriptive Catalogue of 

 Fruit and Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, Seedlings, Roses, Ca- 

 mellias, d)c. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



•,» We request that no one will write privately to the depart- 

 mental writers of the "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, etc., 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.C. 

 We also request that correspondents will not mix up on the 

 same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them an- 

 swered promptly and conveniently, but write them on 

 separate communications. Also never to send more than 

 two or three questions at once. 

 N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 

 Vinery (.1 Scot).— In the " Vine Manual " are plans recommended by 

 the best gardeners. You can have it free by post from our office if you 

 enclose thirty-two postage stamps with your address. 



Society of Abts Botanical Examination (A., and A Ycuna Gar- 

 dener) .—There will be one at the Society of Arts next year. If you write 

 to the Secretary, Adelphi, London, he will give you information as to 

 the time, &c. Henfrey's " Elementary Course of Botany," published by 

 Mr. Van Voorst, will suit you. 



Melons. — " In Mr. Hereman's work, detailing the particulars of Sir J. 

 Paxton's houses, the American Ridge and Onion Melons are described as 

 very excellent, and succeeding without bottom heat. Can any of your 

 readers confirm this statement? I inquired for some seeds at Messrs. 

 Charlwood's, who are great importers of American seeds, and they knew 

 nothing about them. If they are really as hardy and good as Hereman 

 represents, they ought to be cultivated in ground vineries.— Q. S." 



