JOmiXAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Jannuy 16, IBX. 



un tlic lining in front, anJ tliii'! ))cnotratin{; into tire keil, nnil 



then risin;; nmini; tbo ])lunts, n lot of moisture will rise not- 

 withstanding nil this little cnre. The only aJvaiitaijo u( using 



the remains of such hotboJn 'n, that if the |jliuits nro ruthcr 



backward in the niituuin, liv |)lacing a layer of hot drj' Ipuvcs 



bclonr them you can give them a little incoum,:ement before 



the shortest day comes. Dut when young )ilaiit3 are pretty 



well cstahUshed before the autumn, frames or pits managed as 



ahoTC will be far preferable, as moisture cannot rise np from 



below, and whi\t fulls from the heavens will run away a good 



distance .•win;; to the sloping ground round the pit and frame. 

 To ••Emii.\," who wishes her doubts snked ;:i thi.s place, 



and who c.mnot use artificial heat, we would say, For the in- 

 tended brick pit do not sink it at all, build it as soon after 



May as you can, let the bottom be B inches above the sur- 



roanding ground, lot that ground slope outwards, cover the 



inside ground and the outside ground with a coating of tar, 



from onc-sixtecuth to one-eighth of nn inch thick, cover that 



with an inch cf rough gravel, roll, and wlien tlie tar comes 



through add more gravel tiuer. dry, and roll again, and 



perhaps again, and nil will be hard .ind scentless before the 



end of summer. AVe would also paint the outside of the walls 



with tar to keep out damp, and water as above in winter. For 



.summer-watering leave holes a little below th.e level of the 



floor to let out water when you may use it liberally. Tie a 



layer of 2 or :'• inclies of straw along the walls in autumn, and 



the chief care necessary will be to keep frost from getting in 



through the glass, and for that waterproofcd-covering is best, 



with enough of litter or dry material to keep out the frost. 



Frames could be set down and the sides secured with straw in 



the same way. On the whole the straw is the ncitcst and the 



best, and keeps out frost without heating the wall at all. 



Where appearance in summer is no great object, the .straw 



may remain. We have had it thus tied on and remaining 



pretty neat and available for three years. We are the more 



particular as to this bccansc we have seen plants a mass of 



rottenness from frost, in frames and pits, where ample pro- 

 tection had been use! over the glass ; b;it in it came, through 



the wall or the boards, nt the sides. As to protection for the 



glass, the best and cheapest in the end are woolen covers or 



shutters made tri fit the sashes, and of good half-inch or three- 



■loarter-inch deal well braced beneath. The next best, perhaps, 

 is asphalt, supported by a frame, made of the risht size ; but 

 two persons arc required to takeoff and put on such covers. 

 The next would be light waterproofed materi.il, which could 

 he rolled along and secured back and front with strings. We 

 need not speak of straw frames, mat.s, ic, all are good cnongh I 

 when better cannot be had. I 



Though we have spoken of letting our cold pits and frames 

 remain covered up iu such weather, this must not long be the 

 case, where artificial heat is given. 'Where that heat is sup- 

 plied, all the light possible, though smh as can be obtained in 

 u dull or snowy day, must be given, and though in such a day 

 as this we would not uncover, still it would not do to let them 

 remain very long in darkness. We have had frames and pits 

 with Calceolarias, Verbenas, &c., shut up iu severe weather for ^,^^^„„ „„ 



six or seven weeks, and when gradually exposed to light they j Cclcrv ".'.'bimdlo 



were looking little different from what they would have done Cucninliers each 



with the darkness of only one night ; but they did not grow or | 

 lengthen all the time, as the temperature inside would not 

 average more than from 33 to 37 . The late ilr. Erringtou 

 used to let his Cauliflowers mider hand-lights be slightly frosted 

 before an expected continued f rost. and then he protected the 

 glasses with litter to keep more frost from entering, and so 

 long as the frost continued the litter remained. There could 

 be no growth in the Cauliflowers, and, therefore, no danger 

 from the continued darkness, and this darkness in such cir- 

 cumstances was less injurious to the plants than being cxpo.sed 

 to a piercing dry air and evea a bright sky during the day, and 

 a coveringup every night. 



We would submit these remarks, nnd what was said last 

 we 3k about proportioning heat to light, to oil beginners, as they 

 will equally apply to greenhouses and phmt-stoves, forcing- 

 houses, forcing-pits, .tc. The great point in such weather is to 

 keep the plants safe, so as to feel no check, but the heat still low 

 cuoQgh not to encourage much elongation of the shoots. Mere 

 greenhouses may range from 40 to 45'; conservatories, ac- 

 cording to the plants in bloom, from 4-5= to ',()' ; plant-stoves 

 from 5.5' to 60° ; forcing-pits may have a bottom heat of from 

 70' to 80", and a top heat of from 5.")* to CO , or a little more if 

 there should bo more light. 5- more raav be added, with air 



into open houses through the laps of the glass ; if the weather 

 should be severe, give only n little at the highest part of the 

 house, unless there arc means fur heating and moistening the 

 air befnre it finds its way among the plants. As a rule, as 

 little water as possible should be used ; but if the fro.st should 

 turn out severe, and even for these comparatively low tem- 

 jieratures a gi>od deal of tire Iieot should bo retiuired, bedewing 

 the floors and stages carefully with the sjTinge will be better 

 than giving too much water to the plants. In frosty weather, 

 and in a sunny day. it is better to let the house rise 10' or 15 

 above the temperatures just stated, in preference to giving 

 ent ranee to much cold dry parching air. A little nir given earl)' 

 will prevent any necessity for this. Be assured that .strong 

 tires at night, nnd even during the day, and sashes tumbled 

 down for great spaces, when the sun is powerful, are alike a 

 waste of fuel and an injury to the plants in very cold weather. 

 II sun is expected it is better that the fires should go ont, 

 than that a great amomit of air should be given under such 

 circumstances. 



•Such weather furnishes a good opportunity for forwarding 

 house work, washing plants and fruit trees, examining Potatoes, 

 Dahlias, fruit-roimis, stopping and tying Geraniums, pruning 

 and potting Fuchsias, putting in cuttings of whatever is scarce, 

 washing i)Ots with heated water, cleaning sheds, making tallies, 

 .ind pointing stakes, Ac. — E. F. 



C0^^3XT GARDEN MARKET— Janiauv 1:!. 



So Abnntliint is thp irrowtb of the VRrions Winter Greens this seft^nr., 

 tliiit the lute inclement wenlber has bnl sliRhtly influenced our markets. 

 Tlif (orL-if,ni trade has, bowever. been much 'interrtipted. Apples are 

 boconiJnK comparatively scarce. Dessert Pears cnsist of Glou ilorceau. 

 No Plus Mcuris, Beurrf dc Ranee, and Easter Bcmre. Potatoes are 

 amply .-applied. 



FBCIT. 



Apples ^ sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bush. 



Currants, Red 4 sieve 



Black .". . . do. 



Fiffs doz. 



Filberts lb. 



Cubs .... 100 lbs. 

 Gooseberries.. ^ sieve 

 Grapes, Itambrb.. . lb. 



d. s 

 li to4 





 

 16 

 

 

 



9 1 

 160 

 U 



Muscats lb. 10 



Lemons loO C 



Melons each 



Mulberries punnet 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges 1^ 



Peaches doz. 



Pears (kitchen)., doz. 



dessert doz. 



Pine Apples lb. 



Plums J sieve 



Quinces i sieve 



I Raspberries 1''. 



1 Strawberries lb. 



1 Walnuts bush 11 



VEGETABLES. 



.Artichokes each 



Asparacus bundle 



Beans Broad., bushel 



Kidney luo 



Beet, Ked doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Brus. Sprouts.. ^ sieve 



Cabbage .'. doz. 



Cajisicums 100 



CajTots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



pickling doz. 



Kndive score 



t'ennel bunch 



liarlic and Shallots, lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish . . bundle 



s. d. s. d 

 OtoO 

 8 1 

 « 



Leeks bnnch 



Lettuce per score 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustd. & Cress.punnet 



Onions per bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley i sieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes doz. bunches 



' Rhubarb bundle 



I Savovs doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



I Spinach bushel 



I Tomatoes < sieve 



Turnips bunch 



I Vesjetablo Marrows dz. 



TR.\DE CATALOGUES EECER'ED. 



H. Cannell, Fuchsia Nursery, Station Road, Woolwich. — 

 Sil-et Df.^rriptlfi' I.igt of Fiichsin^ and Verb max. 



B. S. Williams, Victoria and Paradise Nurseries, HoUowav, 

 London. — Dtscriptirr Catatoijue of Flouer and Vegrtahle Seea&. 



H. Lane & Son, Great Berkhampstead. — Fniit Catalogue. 

 Dcicriptivr Ctttaloffui' of Anitrican Plauts, Conifers, Trees, and 

 Nhrulif. Catiiloriue of Hoses. Catalogue of Azalea indica. 



,T. C. Wheeler & Sou, Gloucester.— ir/ict/^r cf- .Son's Little 

 iJooA-, or SelfCt Seed LUt. 



TO 



SELLIXr, GEAPr.S ( .t. R. 



Covent Garden Market. 



CORRESPONDENTS. 



»(/;;. r,. .— Writcto Messrs. Webber & Co., fruiterers. 



. , , ..... ., ,,. - -, — — Eap.th Pots li/. £. ^.*.— We never heard of moulds for making "earth 



ffiven cany, iiowever little; if very cold, enough may come pota,' aud do not even know what they are. 



