February 13, 1866. ] 



JOTJENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



129 



surface-stirring, and to the removal of decayed matter from 

 the autiimn-planted on sloping banks. Oniotus, plant the bulbs 

 of last year vrhich begin to grow, they will be found very useful 

 where there is a scarcity of sound ones, they may also be 

 planted for seed. Plant the Underground sort, if not done in 

 the autumn. Weed and clean the autumn-sown. I'ca,s, if the 

 soil is in good working condition juit in now the first principal 

 crops of Tall Marrows, British Queen and Victoria, in the 

 open quarters, sowing Spinach between the rows ; as this 

 gi-ound comes in well for Celei-y, the Peas should have the fuU 

 width of 6 feet from row to row, the Spinach will come off in 

 time for the trenches to be made for the Celerj'. Continue, 

 also, to sow successions of Early Peas, Longpod. and Windsor 

 Beans, according to the demand. Panic;/, a sowing should be 

 made as soon as the gi'ound is in a fit state to receive the seed. 

 Potatoes, plant some Ash-leaved Kidneys on a warm sheltered 

 border if the weather is mild and favourable. Eadisiu-s, sow a 

 succession. Continue the operations of manuring, trenching, 

 and forking over the ridges whenever the weather will permit. 



FRUIT GARDEN". 



Pruning and nailing Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots, may 

 be followed up with vigour and perseverance, whenever the 

 weather is favom-able. Wall fruit trees of any kind that are 

 becoming crowded with wood near the top of the wall should 

 have some of the larger branches headed back, and the shoots 

 trained below. Do not crowd the centre of fan-trained trees 

 with too much wood, that part will always fill up enough. 



FLOWER GARDES. 



Take eveiy opportunity to forward the gi-ound operations in 

 this department. Now is a good time for the formation of beds 

 for Bourbon, China, and Tea-scented Roses. Take the soil out 

 to the depth of 12 inches, tiU up with rotten dung from old 

 hotbeds, or any other source, tread it firmly as the bed is filled, 

 place 3 inches of soil on the dung, and plant in the usual 

 manner. Dui'ing open weather give standards some good 

 wateiings with drainings from the dimg-hsap. Prepare beds 

 for Carnations and Pinks, strong turfy loam, with rotten cow 

 or sheep-dung added, forms an excellent compost ; let the beds 

 he 6 inches above the siurface of the ground. Have the Pansy- 

 beds in readiness, choose a strong rich soil in a shady situa- 

 tion, if the blooms are wanted in perfection. Top-dress 

 Auriculas and Polyanthuses with a light loam, made rich by 

 adding rotten eow-dimg. This is a good time to take oS the 

 offsets before top-dressing, plant them three or four in a five- 

 inch pot, and place them in a shady part of the frame. Sow 

 seed in shallow pans, and place them in a cold frame. Place 

 roots of choice Dahlias in a little heat to start for cuttings. 

 Plant out biennials in masses, where requisite. Lose no time 

 in finishing the planting of trees and shrubs. 



gpj:exhouse axd conservatory. 



The conservatory now should be full of interest, and ought, 

 where much attention is paid to flowers, to be as fuU of beauty 

 as at any period of the whole year. Any Camellias done 

 blooming should, if possible, be removed forthvvith to some 

 of the houses at work ; a moist atmosphere, a temperature 

 averaging 65', and a canvass shading overhead are the requi- 

 sites in order to cause them to produce wood freely and large 

 leaves ; the shading must by no means be neglected. The 

 early-forced bulbs will now be out of bloom, and should be 

 removed to some sheltered place from which frost is excluded 

 in order to ripen their foliage, and other plants introduced 

 from the forcing-pit. Hibiscus, Clerodendrons, Justicias, and 

 other half- stove plants which flower in the conservatoiy. may 

 be primed, and some of them placed in a higher temperature, 

 but they should not be potted until they begin to grow freely. 

 A few Neriums and Hydrangeas may be also forced into early 

 growth for this house. A gentle heat would now benefit the 

 Chinese Azaleas for early flowering. Continue to give as much 

 air daily to the greenhouse as the state of the weather will 

 admit of, and see that all plants are watered regularly ; the 

 great object is to keep these plants from growing early. Pro- 

 ceed with the potting of such Heaths as require shifting, using 

 the upland peat for the hardwooded kinds, and the rich low- 

 land peat for the softwooded ones. 



STOTB. 



Do not at present excite Ixoras, or such plants as Franciscea 

 maorophyUa, which have set their blooms, but young plants of 

 all kinds, to make the most of them, must be started imme- 

 diately. Rondeletias to be cut-in, and started in the warmest 

 part of the house. Pot a few plants of Gesnera, Gloxinia, and 

 Achimenes for early Hooming. Prepare tan and other ferment- 



ing material for renewing the bottom heat towards the middle 

 of March. Increase the moisture and temperature gradually 

 as the days lengthen. See that suitable composts are ready 

 under cover for potting and sowing seeds. 



For.ciNG-riT. 

 Continue to introduce fresh supplies of plants as the former 

 ones are removed to the conservator^", also other plants from 

 which you wish to obtain an early crop of cuttings. Common 

 plants that do not promise much bloom should be at once dis- 

 carded to make room for others, faUiU'es of this nature always 

 occur more or less in early forcing. 



PITS and FRA5IES. 



Here, if the number of plants required for bedding-out is 

 considerable, there will be plenty of employment for all hands. 

 The whole of the autumn-propagated plants must be potted off 

 v.-ithout delay, so as to have them well rooted and turned out 

 into sand in temporaiy pits by the 1st of April, in order to 

 set the pots at Uberty for a second lot of plants, w"hich should 

 now be coming forward in the propagating-frame. Make aU 

 possible speed in potting on the young stock of Fuchsia cut- 

 tings as soon as struck, placing them in a kindly bottom heat. 

 A number of Amaryllis bulbs should now be shaken out, and 

 repotted in half-decayed turfy loam mixed with a small portion 

 of sand and a pretty liberal supply of charcoal. — W. Eeajxe. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KIIC22N OAKDEN. 



Janeaky, and February, too, as far as the latter mouth has 

 gone, have been regular •' fill-ditches." The ground has not 

 been so soaked in this neighbourhood for years. A plentiful 

 provision has now been made for a dry summer ; not only 

 from the water collected in iJools and ponds, but from that 

 which has sunk down to raise the height of the springs, which 

 in many cases had fallen unusually lov.'. The soaking of the 

 uadersoU will also furnish a supply of moisture to meet a rapid 

 evaporation from the surface. It is pleasant to think of these 

 things when we cannot do as we would like in the kitchen gar- 

 den. Almost everything rightly viewed has a bright side, if 

 we will only look for it : and much of human happiness con- 

 sists in the ability and habit of looking at the bright side and 

 not on the dark. In the one case, too, the mind is strung to 

 energy to conquer difficulties ; in the other, every little ob- 

 struction becomes a huge lion in the way. What complaints 

 have already reached us that Peas and Beans and many other 

 crops cannot be put into the ground. Well, what is the use of 

 the repining ? We have so^\-u the same sort of Pea in November 

 and in the month of March, and sometimes we have gathered 

 the last-sown first, and generally within a few days of the other. 

 We would not now, to secure eaiiiness, sow or plant either crop 

 until the gi'ound were nice and mellow, at least not for some 

 weeks to come. To be sure of an early crop, however, we would 

 sow in boxes, on turf, in semicircular drain tiles, &c., and keep 

 in a snug place, and transplant when all was right as respects 

 the ground. Transplanted Peas and Beans will ever be earlier, 

 other things being equal, than those that are sown. In most 

 gardens where any potting is done, there will always be some 

 diT stuff beneath the potting-bench, which will be useful for 

 covering seeds in wet, hea%"y lands ; but in aU such soU it is 

 better to refrain fi-om sowing when the groimd is claggy and 

 wet, and watch for the first opportunity when it is friable and 

 rather dry. 



Except to collect the necessary vegetables we have scarcely 

 done anything in the kithen garden for a fortnight. If our 

 stiffish ground were either dug or trenched when in a soaked 

 state, it would hang together like indian-rubber or bird-hme all 

 the summer. If we planted when the ground was in such a 

 state, every mark made by the feet of the men would require 

 much breaking and forking to make it friable and kindly in 

 summer. Light sandy soils of coui-se can be worked almost at 

 any time. Good loamy soils should never be puddled when 

 wet. When worked comparatively dry they are nice and mel- 

 lov," all the season. We have seen such soils dug, trenched, 

 and ploughed when exceedingly wet, when the truest economy 

 would have been to have kept spade and plough locked up. 

 The fine buists of sunshine between the storms of rain and 

 the hurricanes of wind, are the cheerful omens that better 

 weather is coming. There need be no lack of work, though 

 Uttle can be done in the open groimd. The garden must be 

 small indeed, if a few weeks of profitable labour cannot be 

 spent without even putting a spade in the ground. 



