January 16, 1S66. ] 



JOURN.tL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEK. 



4<J 



necessary to remove these fine old spurs, as the shoots on 

 them will not become very long for some time, so that the 

 " modern close primer " is never emlmrrassed Ijy any want of 

 material to select from. His great aim must he to eudeavonr 

 to prune the shoots on the " alternate system," seen in ligs. 18 

 and 19, which, duly attended to, will, after many seasons, pro- 

 duce specimens resemlilingn.v- '.^2. 



It remains only to add that Jiri. 23 represents the plan of 



formation of a wall of diagonal cordons. As my good friend Mr. 

 Rivers has lately erected a house which he justly estimates as 

 likely, from its immense proposed length and novelty of design, 

 to prove " one of the sights of Tilurope," and, as the back wall 

 of this house is devoted to diagonal cordons, perhaps this 

 design may be useful, a Represents the angle of a diagonal 

 cordon against tlie wall. It might be even lower. A Would be 

 a single cordon without the addition of the leader E, which will 



make it a double diagonal cordon, c Is a short branch to fiU 

 up an interval ; not very necessary, nor very productive, d Is 

 an upright cordon from which leaders are taken to till up the 

 wall space at one end, while e shows how the other end should 

 be finished. If the horizontal portion of E were first well 

 established, the leaders could be readily developed from it. It 

 is also of importance in forming the double or triple cordon to 

 keeji back the second leader about half way the length of the 

 first, otherwise the second leader would, from its vertical posi- 



tion, absorb too much sap ; in other words, estabUsb the first 

 leader well before the others are formed. 



The late and lamented Dr. Lindley, in reviewing cordon 

 training, objected to the sharp angle made at b, as shown in 

 the frontispiece of that work. It is now remedied ; but in 

 actual practice it never was so severe. Otherwise, he thought 

 well of this system, and it is now presented under an improved 

 aspect, the result of five more seasons of experience. — T. C. 



Br.liHAUT. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



LrrxLE out-door work can now be done where snow has fallen, 

 and we behevc this to be the case pretty generally. As this 

 will be a leisure time, apply it in making preparations for the 

 forthcoming spring. Let plenty of potsherds be broken of dif- 

 ferent sizes, prepare stakes of all kinds and paint them, see 

 that all the pots are perfectly clean and in a dry shed, and em- 

 ploy the men about such work as can be done withiu-doois, 

 and which we have already pointed out. Carrots, as soon as 

 the young plants in the hotbed are about an inch high, thin 

 them out to 3 or 4 inches apart. HadisJws are sometimes sown 

 in the same bed ; when this is the case they should also be 

 thinned, and, when ready for use, they must be drawn with 

 care, so as not to injure the tops of the Carrots. Caulliloircrs, 

 should the weather prove severe, the frames containing young 

 plants should bo covered witli mats, or some material, to pro- 

 tect them ; plants in the open groimd should have some pliable 

 rods bent over them, and then covered with mats. CiK'iimbers, 

 as soon as the young plants have perfected their seed leaves, 

 they should be potted, two in a pot, about 4 inches in diameter, 

 using some of the soil already in the fiame ; plant them deep 

 in the pot, so that a little fresh soil can be added as they gi-ow. 



The fruiting-bed should now be made ; after the heat is up stir 

 the dung inside the frame every other morning until the heat 

 is sweet and regular. Kidney Beans, the plants in bearing 

 should be placed in saucers or shallow troughs having some 

 soil in them, which should always be kept moist ; this will en- 

 coiu-age the growth of roots, and will also prevent the heat of 

 the flue or pipes drying the soil at the bottom of the pots. 

 Lettuce, protect the frames which contain young plants for 

 spring use, when the frost is severe ; those which contain 

 Cabbage Lettuce for present use must also be covered up. 

 Muslirooms, beds should now be made in sheds or houses pur- 

 posely fitted up for a spring supply. The horse-droppings 

 shoiUd be well beaten down, and the bed should not be less 

 than a foot in depth. Temperature-sticks should then be 

 thrust to the bottom in several places and examined daily ; 

 when the heat has become somewhat regular, and not exceed- 

 ing SO", the spawn may be inserted just below the surface, and 

 the bed afterwards earthed up. Strawberries, a few dozen pots 

 may be placed in a frame where there is a gentle heat, the 

 frame being so much more congenial to their growth than the 

 atmosphere of a house. Continue, as occasion may requke, 

 to cover a portion of Sea-kale. Rhubarb may also be forced 

 in a similar manner. 



