no 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTXniE AND COTTAGE QAKDENER. 



r FebnuirT 6, 19f6. 



Thoufib, as stated above, ice mast often be procured in car 

 nnccrtaiu climate nndor uufavonrnble circumstances, wo may 

 add for beginners tbat tbe most favourable circumstances for 

 insuring ico keeping well are obtaining it from the clearest 

 possible water, free of ijrit, weeds, straw, or chips ; securing it 

 if possible when the tciii|H'rature is a long way below the freez- 

 ing-point, and then smashing it at least sulliciently well for 

 all the bits like road granite to be embedded in the finer snow- 

 Uko smashed ice, so that all may be pounded down together 

 with as little air left in the interstices as possible. If the air 

 is keen and frosty a little water may be added in pounding to 

 fill up all crevices. If, from the heat of the sun when carting, 

 or the high temperature of the atmosphere, any water should 

 come out of the cart along with the ice, then there will be 

 plenty of water for consolidating the mass without adding 

 more. 



We may here add that though the ice-house is very often 

 under the care of the gardener, he himself rarely derives any 

 benefit from its retardinc; or cooling influences, at least, unless 

 in rare cases. We have concluded that the vegetables and fruit 

 that were retarded in an ice-well — even its passages — suffered 

 much in flavoiu-, and just in proportion to the time they were 

 kept in the low temperature. Wo have also been informed 

 by first-rate cooks that even haunches of venison, however 

 carefully wrapped up, likewise lost in flavour when long kept 

 in the ice-house. For the cellar, in securing ised water and 

 iced wine, and for confectionary, for the larder, and for making 

 ices in the usual way, ice is invaluable as a luxury in summer, 

 and in many cases it is so valuable for meiUcal jmrposes that 

 all gentlemen who can afford it should have an ice-house. 

 Where much ice is wanted it would be advisable to have the 

 ice-house as a part of the offices instead of at a distance from 

 them, and then a stone-floored and a marble-shelved sort of 

 ante-room close to the ice-weU could be made, where milk, 

 butter, and meat could be kept cool, without being directly ex- 

 posed to the'damp that ever comes from an ice-well in summer. 

 Perhaps here, too, we may also repeat w^hat we think we 

 stated last season — that where ice has to be brought from 

 a distance, strong-made tubs, lined with 2 inches of cork, 

 and with double lids, the outer one also lined with cork, are 

 very useful for keeping the ice from a week to ten d.ays in the 

 hottest weather. If any one choose to take out a patent on 

 this subject we will make him the present of an idea, which, 

 if reduced to practice, will make these tubs even better than 

 they generally are, and that is simply by leaving a close space 

 of lor 1{ inch between the wood and the cork. We do not see 

 how a double tub, even of wood, each tub 1; inch thick, with 

 a 1 J -inch space between them, closely fitted top and bottom so 

 as to keep the space between air-tight, would not be quite as 

 good as or better than the present tubs with theh- linings of 

 cork. In such tubs it is very common to place a pitcher or an 

 earthenware vessel full of water to become cooled, but when 

 that is done the ice placed round it ought to be pure, for if taken 

 from dirty water we should not like to diiuk the iced water if 

 we knew it. A better plan every way is to have an iron or tin 

 vessel fixed in the middle of the tub, with a good lid, and a 

 pipe with a tap attached passing from its bottom through the 

 tub, so that water may be drawn off without Ufting the lid and 

 exposing the ice. This iron vessel should leave enough of 

 room for bottles of wine to be placed among the ice round the 

 sides of the tub. Some people consider a glass of water thus 

 iced one of the greatest delicacies in the hot summer months. 

 Judging from our own experience, such iced water should be 

 partaken of with great reserve and care. Would some of our 

 medical friends be so good as to give us. their opinion ? 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Made the most of the dry days we had in sm-face-stirring 

 among oU young crops, digging, and trenching ; but Wednesday 

 and Hiarsday brought us another succession of wet days, which 

 greatly abridged all out-door operations. Clave plenty of air to 

 everything imder the protection of glass in mild if wet days, 

 by tiltinii the sashes back and front. '^Tiere there is much of 

 this sort of work to do, it is true economy not to depend oij 

 anything eomeatable, but to have pieces of wood prepared on 

 purpose, and have these fastened by a string to the plate 

 opposite the centre of each Ught, so that they may be used 

 easily, and always be at hand when wanted. However small 

 the quantity of air given, even to cold frames, in severe weather, 

 it is always preferable to tilt up the sash instead of sliding it 

 down. When slid down rains are apt to enter at the back, 

 and the cold air strikes the plants at the back at once. When 

 the sash, without being slid, is tilted up at the back, the cold 



air cannot at once reach the plants withont passing through 

 the warmer air issuing out. For very Hat frames or pits good 

 tilters-up may be formed of pieces of board 1 inch thick, 

 I'l inches wide, and 8 inches long, cut diagonally with a saw, bo 

 ta to form two triangles out of the parallelogram, each of these 

 triangles making a nice tiltcr ; and tm raising the sasb, by 

 inserting the thin point of the triangle, it is easy to give air 

 from half an inch to (i inches. When the sashes of frames or 

 pits are more steep, the tiltcrs sbonld be formed of squares 

 10 inches by 8 inches, cut in two diagonally as above, and then 

 each triangular piece should be cut into three or more square 

 notches like the slo])ing stage in a greenhouse, as these hori- 

 zontal cuts in the tilter hold the sash more firmly, in the 

 time of winds especially. The fastening these tillers with a 

 string so as to be always ready, though a simple matter, is a 

 great advantage. If loose, they are always out of the way, 

 covered up, or lost. 



The ground being so wet, sowed more Peas in tiles, boxes, 

 and tm-ves under protection, so as to put them out when the 

 ground is nice and mellow. Planted out a lot of Dwarf Kidney 

 Beans in a bed where fire heat can be given, turning them out 

 of small pots when well rooted, and when the soil was nicely 

 warmcl for their reception. After this time they do very well 

 in beds ; but if we had not been scarce of nine and ten-inch 

 pots, we most likely would have used them in the same place, 

 as they could have been moved at any time — a matter of im- 

 portance when room under glass is scarce. After this time 

 a syringing in sunny days with clear soot water at a tempe- 

 rature of 90° will do much to keep them healthy and clear of 

 insects. After this, the soil used in growing them may with 

 advantage be more compact and loamy. During winter a 

 lighter loam suits them better. 



■ Placed some Soa-kale and Rhubarb in the Mushroom-house ; 

 and spawned in the beginning of the week, and earthed-up in 

 the end of the week, another piece of Mushroom-bed. We 

 have also turned over in the shed some manure for commencing 

 another piece. Managed to catch some great adder-Uke snailg 

 at night ; but not before they had scooped out all the gills from 

 the insides of some large Mushrooms. We are never troubled 

 with them on our first beds. Xo doubt they come in with 

 the material of the later beds. It is of no use looking for them, 

 unless at night. They like fresh brewers' grains rather better 

 than Mushrooms. Woodhce have not yet troubled us, and 

 seldom visit us much in the house until March. Potted-off 

 Cucumbers, and will give some large plants large pots, to fruit 

 in these in a pit where hot water will assist them. Put up a 

 bed for a two-light box for the first out of doors, as we are very 

 short of fermenting material. Turned over some old hotbeds, 

 that after growing Melons had been used for many pui-poses 

 dming winter, as for bedding plants, slowly bringing on Straw- 

 beny plants, frc, placing all the very decayed materials in a 

 heap, as we cannot well wheel anywhere owing to the damp 

 and wet, and saving all capable of fermenting again, to mis 

 with some hot tree leaves, so as to give a help to a lot of early 

 Potatoes. A little heat at the bottom assists them verj- much ; 

 too much heat is more apt to encourage tops than numbers 

 of nice tubers. The shooting season being over on Thursday, 

 must trj- and collect a lot of tree leaves for all such purposes. 

 Set a number of figure-4 traps to catch mice, which are more 

 than usually troublesome this season. Sowed Celery, &c., in 

 pots where a little heat could be given. The Incomparable is 

 a beautiful dwarf White that stands well ; but it does not grow 

 so fast for an early taking up as Cole's White and some other 

 kinds. The flavour of the Incomparable is excellent, and we 

 have not for several years seen a run head until well on in the 

 spring. To ( iise the young Onions out of doors, put a number 

 of large Onii.iis that were beginning to sprout into leaf mould, 

 in a warmish jdace, to produce small Seallions for salads, in- 

 stead of so many young Onions. Chives gi-own in heat come 

 in well also for this purpose. A good stock of Mint, Fennel, 

 Tarragon, and Sorrel, should also be put into heat or imder 

 proteotion, so as to have plenty as wanted. Trenched-out a 

 lot of Horseradish. This always commands a good price in tbe 

 market, and is best when strong and yoimg. 



FBUrr GARDEN. 



Proceeded in favourable wtather with pruning fruit trees so 

 as to have work forward, and in wet days thoroughly washed 

 the woodwork and glass in the orchard-houses. Vines and 

 Peaches in houses with their roots out of doors should be pro- 

 tected from changes of the weather by Utter-thatching and 

 board-coverings. We have done less than usual in this way 

 owing to being scarce of material. In early houses, Grapes 



