30 



JOUilNAIi OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGB GARDENEB. 



r Juinary 9, 1860. 



raturo of from 40' to 15° by night, ami from 50' to ri'," by day 

 is at this period amply suffioieut. A temperature of 50° by day 

 and of U" by night is suHicient for tho greenhouse at present. 

 Keep the PcUirgouiums in a qaieecent state, give as little water 

 as possible, iu fact, none, unless the plants show a disposition 

 to fla;,' iu tho leaf. Abundance of air is requisite, avoiding, how- 

 ever, cold currents, which are very Uablo to spot the leaf when 

 in a tender state, through close confinement. ICeej) all Cine- 

 rarias, Heliotropei, Calceolarias, and other softwooiled plants, 

 Ac, in the lightest part of the house, and as near the glass as 

 possible. Correas, Ijpacrises, Heaths, &c., should be placed 

 on a bench by themselves in the most airy part. Examine 

 daily every flowering plant, remove every decaying flower as it 

 appears, aud see th.it the foliage of Camellias, Khododendrons, 

 Oranges, aud simihir plants is perfectly clean. Tho contrast 

 produced by the line, clean, large leaves with the numerous 

 blossoms, at tliis season especially, gives a relish for such 

 houses, and renders them doubly capable of yielding enjoyment. 



FOItCISG-riT. 



This pit should have a permanent bottom heat of SO", with 

 atmospheric moisture. Such being the case preparations must 

 be made for securing a due succession of early spring flowers ; 

 if not already done let a s))rinkling be introduced of the most 

 popular tribes adapted for forcing-purposes, such ,is Persian 

 and common Lilies, Azalea.s, both hardy and Chinese kinds, 

 LUy of the Valley, Hyacinths, and other bulbs, Acacia amiata, 

 Epaeris, aud tho various kinds of Pelargoniums suitable for 

 forcing, hai-dy and Nepal Khododendrons, Daphnes, Dentzias, 

 &c. The new Hybrid Eoses wUl do better in a more moderate 

 temjicrature, witli the exception of the Teas, which will endure 

 a Uvely heat. As these plants in general require a moderate 

 top heat in proportion to the bottom heat in the earlier stages 

 of their forcing, they may be kept together at one end, and 

 receive more air in niildperiods. The other end of this pit, 

 kept closer, will be eligible for such plants as Thnnbergias, Gar- 

 denias, Francisceas, and numerous other plants that require 

 more atmospheric moisture. 



STOVE. 



The season is not yet sufficiently advanced to allow of an in- 

 crease of temperature. A steady heat ranging between 60° and 

 65° may bo sustained, if the weather continue open. The 

 occurrence of frost will demand a reduction of temperature. 

 Allow the thermometer to sink at night. Artificial heat without 

 light, as has often been explained, is injurious to vegetation. 

 iSecoUect always that stove plants, as well as others, require 

 fresh air. The stove may still be gay with the beautiful Gesnera 

 zebrina, Euphorbia, and Begonias, which outvie the gayest 

 plants of siunmer in brilliancy and beauty. 



PITS AND FBAJIES. 



If the tenants of these have been housed somewhat dry, and 

 kept so, and hoi-dened with abundance of air, nothing is neces- 

 sary but to follow up these principles, and to take care to 

 exclude frost ; if, however, severe weather should occur-, and 

 they become frozen, see that they are not uncovered directly 

 a thaw comes. Let them remain in comparative darkness until 

 they ore quite thawed, which in ordinary cases will be about 

 two days, merely turning up the mats or straw a httle at both 

 back and fi-ont, so as gradually to inure them to the light. 

 Examine yonr stock, and sncli plants as you are short of 

 should now be placed in a gentle heat for the purpose of ex- 

 citing their growth for cuttings. Auagallis, Verbenas, Petunias, 

 Salvias, Ac, should now be brought forward for filUng beds and 

 borders in summer. Be sure that yon have enough of these. 

 Give abundance of air in mild weather to cold pits both night 

 and day, and withhold water from the plants at this season. 

 Prepare soil for potting-off stove plants. This might soon be 

 commenced. — W. Kease. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCnEN GARDEN*. 



Vert much the same as in pre\ious weeks, with the exception 

 of potting a lot of Potatoes that had pushed several inches 

 long, and filled foiir and five-inch pots with roots, placing two 

 of these pots iu 12 and 13-inch pots. From these we generally 

 ^ther rather earlier than from those planted in beds, with a 

 little heat below them, and as they approach iicrfection they 

 can be placed anywhere under protection, and the room they 

 now occupy in pots can be devoted to other purposes. A 

 quicker way still is to place a single plant in a five or six-inch 

 pot, plunge it in a mild heat, and as the top grows earth-up 



with rotten leaf mould. Tho curbing of the little pot causes 

 tho tubers to form and grow sooner than when they have more 

 room. 



Rhubarb put a few more roots into the Mushroom-house, 

 with a little bottom heat from leaves, itc. and the top temper- 

 ature is from 50° to CO' , as tliat brings on our Mushrooms as fast 

 as we want them for use, at present every day ; but wo will send 

 iu the latter more seldom, if more at a time, as it is rather out 

 of om- way to make anything too common. Give even Rhubarb 

 and Sea-kale every day, and either will be less valued than if 

 given, say, three times per week. The same as to Asparagus 

 at this season. Send it to the house every day, and it will 

 soon be no more thought of than it is in May. Of course 

 when there are particular parties the matter should bo dift'erent, 

 and if the gardener knows tho number of days the party is to 

 last, he will try aud send the best and tlie greatest variety. A 

 great many employers are never the best served when they have 

 visitors, because they never condescend to let their gardener 

 know anything of their intentions, and therefore nothing is 

 sent in but what they would have had in the usual routine. 

 For want of the gardener knowing anything of such matters, 

 we have known m.auy instances where rarities and delica- 

 cies for the season were sent in every day to the usual family 

 dinner, and then when there was a particular party there was 

 nothing rare to send. Those employers only will bo the best 

 seiwed who give due notice of such matters ; without that 

 notice they must be satisfied with what the day will produce, 

 llhubarb has been plentiful enough since Christmas. We feel 

 obliged to " li. F., Liverpool," page 3, for what he says on the 

 subject. We agree with him thoroughly as to what he says 

 about a high temperature for this or any other vegetable that 

 comes to matiu-ity in a comparatively low temperature. We coro- 

 borate also what he advances about darkness being an advan- 

 tage for the carhest crop ; but after the middle of this month 

 Ehubarb will come on anywhere in Hght, where there is the 

 requisite heat to excite it into growth. For the earliest we find 

 placing a box or pot over it, as well as a mild heat beneath it, 

 useful either iu the Mushroom-house or any other suitable 

 place. We are well aware that to have it early in winter it wiU 

 come better if grown rapidly in the early part of summer, and 

 encouraged to stop growing by dryness in autumn, so as to lose 

 its leaves and go to rest sooner, for the sooner it goes to rest the 

 sooner will it be easily excited into growth ; but what we 

 chiefly referred to, and to which our correspondent alludes, is 

 the difliculty of bringing it in as quickly as Sea-kale or Aspara- 

 gus at an early period. Before Christmas, in similar circum- 

 stances, it often requires double the time that either of these 

 do, whilst after the new year it requires but little more time 

 than they do. Either of the latter can be had very good in 

 three weeks, before Christmas, though a month and milder heat 

 will often give stronger and stubbier gatherings. In the case 

 of Asparagus we shall fill another light, the roots for which we 

 have kept in reserve ; but as the lights of the fi-ame were not 

 of good glass, and tho weather has been so dark, we have 

 gathered the Asparagus and set it on damp moss in a house 

 commanding more light, to make the heads greener before 

 going to tabic. 



FRUIT GARDEX. 



Looked over the fruit-room, removing any specked fruit. 

 Placed Strawberry-pots on shelves in pits where there was any 

 room to spare. Looked over Grapes for any damping berries ; 

 damped the wood of Vines breaking in a small pit ; top-dressed 

 trees in pots in the orchard-house ; prepared some litter for 

 covering outside Vine-borders, formerly merely protected with 

 a little stubble ; covered-up the border outside of the Peach- 

 house, where fires have now been lighted, and damped the 

 wood several times in the day. The pipes have been fresh 

 painted with oil and black, but the smell will be all gone before 

 the heat will be at all strong. We notice that some recommend 

 painting the pipes when they are cold : but if there is not mnch 

 tender in the place wo prefer painting the pipes when hot — say 

 when at a temperature of about 120°, as then the paint goes 

 on much thinner, and dries more quickly. It is best to do all 

 this painting when the house is empty, as the effluvia from the 

 oil are dangerous to many tender plants. 



ORNAMKN'TAL DEPARTMEXT. 



Were we to enter into detail we should merely repeat about 

 plants, &c., what has been said in the last and some previous 

 weeks. From our own practice it may be more useful just to 

 refer to a few matters. 



1st, All Bulbsand Hardy SlirubfwUi be forced more easilynow 

 than thev could be before Christmas. Hardy bulbs, or such as 



