VcbnuT »> IMA. 1 



JOUBMAL OF HOBTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



167 



designed for main crops mnst be persevered in whenever the 

 soil is dry enongb to admit of being trodden on without being too 

 mnch consolidated. This is of great importance on heavy stifi 

 soils, and those who have such to deal with should take advan- 

 tage of every dry day that occurs. On such soils, too, it will be 

 quite advisable to defer sowing main crops for a week, and even 

 a fortnight ; but on light dry soils the sooner the main crops 

 are sown the better, because such soils are most hable to suffer 

 from drought should it occur, and, therefore, the sooner the 

 crops can be well established the better will they be able to 

 resist its effects ; if, on the contrary, the season is a wet one, 

 they will still be in the best possible condition to profit by it. 

 Beans, sow the main crops, regulating the quantity by the de- 

 mand. Cabbage, make a first sowing of the true Drumhead 

 Savoy ; also, a small sowing of the true Grange's Early White 

 Broccoli made now will come in useful by-and-by ; sow another 

 patch of early Cabbages. Celery, the first sowing must be 

 pricked out as soon as it can be well handled, and another 

 sowing made of both Red and White. Cauliflowers, prick out 

 the young seedling plants, as also plants of Lettuces, either 

 on a warm border or a gentle hotbed, and shelter them for a 

 time with hoops and mats. Cucumbers, add fresh soil as the 

 roots of the plants appear at the outside of the hill, lay it 

 close to the side of the frame for a few days before it is re- 

 quired that it may become warm. Kidney Beans, if there are 

 any in the vinery or Peach-house, keep them frequently 

 syringed to prevent, if possible, the appearance of the red spider ; 

 if already attacked, the better plan will be to remove them 

 to a pit or house wliere no injury can be done to other plants. 

 Onions, the principal crops may now be sown, the Deptford, 

 old Brown Globe, James's Keeping, White and Brown Spanish, 

 are good sorts ; sow them in beds 4 feet wide, and in drills 

 9 inches apart, and, if yon can obtain it, sow some charred 

 refuse along the drills previous to covering in. When the beds 

 are raked smoothly over, and the surface is a little dry, pass a 

 wooden roller over them several times, as Onions will bear a 

 considerable amount of consolidation in the soil. Peas, sow 

 the main crops of the summer sorts, together with a few of the 

 later kinds. The ground on which Peas are sown comes in 

 well for Celery. The rows, as advised, should be 6 feet apart ; 

 this distance might be increased with great advantage, and the 

 intervening spaces sown with Spinach, early Turnips, Itadishes, 

 and Lettuces, all of which would come off in time for the 

 Celery. PirsUy, sow a good breadth of the best Curled, the 

 finest is obtained by transplanting it at 1 foot apart on rich, 

 deeply trenched soil. Potatoes, plant more early sorts, and re- 

 flect whether it would not be advisable, under existing circum- 

 stances, to plant both early and late varieties earlier than 

 hitherto. Those who plant earUest will stand the best chance 

 of ultimate success. We would also recommend whole tubers 

 in preference to cut sets. Persevere in hoeing, forking, or 

 Otherwise surfaee-stuTuig among advancing crops. 



FRUIT G.1RDF,N. 



Pruning should now be quite finished in every department, 

 and whatever nailing is left undone must be completed im- 

 mediately. See that newly-planted fruit trees are properly 

 staked and mulched, and, after high winds, it is necessary to 

 look round them, and press the earth gently round the base of 

 the stems. All danger of very severe frost being over. Figs 

 may have the coverings completely removed, and be neatly 

 pruned and nailed ; do not crowd them with wood. 



FLOWEU GAUDEN. 



The digging of flower-borders must now be commenced in 

 good earnest ; in performing which, use the fork in preference 

 to the spade. All kinds of herbaceous plants may now be 

 planted, either to fill up empty spaces or to make new planta- 

 tions in borders which have undergone a course of preparation. 

 Pay particular attention to the arrangement of these as regards 

 height, colour, and succession of flower. Proceed with the 

 planting of hardy Roses. If the plants be strong, prune their 

 heads according to their classes, as advised last week ; if weak, 

 cut them back to two or three eyes, shorten all long and 

 straggling rooti', and prune away such as may be bruised or 

 broken. If the ground has not been prepared as previously 

 directed, we would recommend pits to be made, and to two pits 

 give a wheelbarrowful of rotted dung and good loam well mixed. 

 By aU means .ivoid deep planting. Have a quantity of stakes 

 and tarred twine close at hand, and stake each plant whether 

 it be a dwarf or standard ; many losses are incurred, or much 

 injury sustained, when this is neglected. Continue the pruning 

 and naihng of chmbers, also the arranging and tying of such 

 as are against trelhses, verandahs, &o. 



GREENHOCBE AND CONSEBVITOBT. 



The Poinsettias done flowering in the conservatory ebonld 

 be removed to other houses at work to make nice wood from 

 which cuttings may be made. The Euphorbia jacquiniieflora, 

 too, may be removed to heat, but not pruned if cuttings be an 

 object ; they will break better without pruning, being liable to 

 bleed. The routine here wUl now be a constant exchange with 

 the other houses or forcing-pit. Nothing should be allowed to 

 remain unless in blossom or in fine health. Let the heat be 

 moderate. Secure, if possible, a small amount of atmospheric 

 moisture without drip. Those who follow np the cultivation 

 of Pelargoniums should have their plants duly attended to in 

 regard to staking out, &c. They will bear shifting the moment 

 the blossom-bud is formed in the terminal points. Water very 

 moderately after shifting until the pot is half full of roots ; 

 those not shifted will take water freely. Epacrises, Heaths, 

 and others of the more hardy plants in or coming into flower, 

 should be kept near the openings for ventilation ; while Eoses 

 and other forced flowers in the conservatory, and fresh from 

 the forcing-pit, require the warmest end of the house, and 

 ought to be kept free from currents of air. This is a good 

 time to make memoranda of the best varieties of forced bulbs, 

 especially Hyacinths and Tulips. 



BTOVE. 



The fires should be kept sufficiently lively in the early part 

 of the day to allow of a free circulation of air. Every leaf in 

 the house should be dry for an hour or so at midday, after 

 wliich period the air should be gradually withdrawn, and atmo- 

 spheric moisture renewed. This treatment will be found to 

 suit the majority of stove plants. 



FORCING-PIT. 



This is a good time for propagating many plants by cuttings, 

 seeds, and grafting, and the forcing-pit is the best place for 

 this work. Seedhngs already up ought to be potted off as soon 

 as they can be handled. Let every shelf and comer of this 

 pit be filled with plants as others in flower are removed from it. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



Those who have not yet attended to the propagation of planta 

 for bedding out must now begin with nil possible speed to put 

 in cuttings of Geraniums, Petunias, Verbenas, Fuchsias, 

 Salvias, &c., so as to have good plants for bedding out in May. 

 Pay due attention to shading, watering, and to topping back 

 weak and straggling shoots, so as to form robust bushy plants. 

 They viiU. give a greater amount of satisfaction when they come 

 to be transferred from the pots to the flower garden, and will 

 amply repay all the little extra care and trouble. Have any 

 snails or slugs found snug quarters in this department ? Zf 

 so, they will do much mischief during the mild weather if you 

 do not look for and destroy them as soon as possible. — W. 

 Ke.^ne, 



DOINGS OF THE LAST '^^EEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Did very little here as yet in the open ground, as our soil is 

 still too wet to be dug or moved nicely. Proceeded with raking 

 together a few tree leaves, which are very scarce this season. 

 Placed a little old rough hay that wo saved from some parts of 

 the pleasure grounds over the heads of Broccoli coming in 

 nicely. A few heads that were overlooked were injured in the 

 sharp frosty mornings. 



Ice. — The frost was severe enough in the mornings in the 

 beginning of the week to have given employment for the ice- 

 cart if the days had been dull ; but the very bright sun follow- 

 ing the frost dissipated all the ice that was formed in the pre- 

 vious night, so that we could collect none beyond what was 

 needed for filling the receptacles for present use. In Mr. Eoh- 

 son's observations on storing ice, &c., there is much room for 

 thought and inquiry. It often happens that theory and prac- 

 tice do not quite agree ; so much so, that the result is very 

 different from that which we should have expected from the 

 general theory. We own that we have sometimes been non- 

 plussed witli ice-houses, some of the roughest and simplest; 

 keeping ice well, and others constructed with great care scarcely 

 ever keeping the ice any length of time. There can be no 

 doubt that moisture or vapour, considerably above the freezing 

 point, melts ice very rapidly. We recently alluded to ice in wells 

 sinking more rapidly after it had fallen below the level of the 

 door-way. We may "mention two facts as recollections of ice- 

 houses. One house, by our own recommendation, and chiefly 

 for sanitary purposes, was dug out of the side of a hUl, former 



