246 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



r Much 37. 1866. 



Epacris is another useful family for winter-flowerinR, and will 

 . stand a moderate forcing. To the above may he added various 

 plants, which, if required to bloom at Christmas, should be 

 encouraged to malic an early growth preparatorj- to an early 

 ripening and rest. The potting such of the above as require 

 shifting is best done after the growth has become somewhat 

 matured. Prune-in Erica hyemalis and other winter-blooming 

 Heaths as they go out of flower, to be iu order for potting. 

 Fachsias will be benefited by the application of clear liquid 

 manure. Very liberal shifts will be necessary at this period, 

 more especially with those intended for very large specimens. 

 Cinerarias for late blooming should be :-hifted. See that the 

 twiners which are starting into growth are kept free from in- 

 sects, as these, if allowed to get a footing upon the young 

 tender shoots, will soon do a vast amount of mischief. Man- 

 devilla suaveolens is one of the most beautiful and useful of 

 twiners ; but it is subject to the attacks of gi-een fly and thrips 

 when commencing its growth in a cool house, and unless these 

 be eradicated, they will greatly retard its growth and prevent 

 its blooming early. It almost rivals the lovely Stephanotis 

 itself in beauty, and is not much inferior to it in fragrance, 

 and it grows and blooms as freely in the conservatory as the 

 Stephanotis does in the stove. It requires, however, to be kept 

 dry at the root during winter, and should not be encouraged 

 to start into giowth early in spring. In a close-roofed conser- 

 Tatoi7 it will be one mass of bloom from the middle of July 

 till November. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



OcR ground is stUl too wet for much seed-sowing, except it 

 be Peas and Beans. If it do not dry soon, we will sow lots of 

 vegetables under a little protection," and prick off afterwards. 

 The Peas covered with ashes, &c., were soon found out bv an 

 army of pheasants, and we had to cover them thickly with 

 branches, and then will net if that will not do. On Tuesday 

 we planted out a lot of Peas and Broad Beans several inches 

 in height, working in the nice friable soil about the roots, 

 sticking as we went along, and placing some laurel; twigs on 

 each side of the row as a protection. If we had known there 

 would be so much snow on Wednesday, and such a frost on 

 Thursday morning, we would have delayed the operation a 

 little longer ; but the young plants have sustained no harm, 

 and we expect will succeed well. The pheasants have not 

 meddled with them as yet, and they seldom do when well-esta- 

 blished. Without any protection they wUl of a morning before 

 one is out clear whole rows of those only lately sown. They 

 like the Peas best just when swelled enough "to enable the 

 radicle to protrude, as then, no doubt, they are very sweet. 

 Except the regular looking-after of other vegetables to keep all 

 right, and providing for successions of Kidney Beans, Rhubarb, 

 Sea-kale, Mushrooms, &c., there has been little doing in the 

 kitchen garden. 



Contrary to our wish, we have taken up some more Sea-kale, 

 as the cold weather has given a check to that out of doors, 

 protected merely by pots and a little litter. It is, however, 

 showing freely, and, therefore, we will not take up much. In 

 addition to what is under pots, we wiU shut up a piece with 

 banks of litter a foot in depth on each side, and on these place 

 hurdles thatched with evergieens, and then covered with litter, 

 to keep out the hght. The hurdles will be easily moved so as 

 to permit of the heads being readily seen and examined, and 

 out when 6 or 7 inches long. It would be of little use placing 

 hot litter about the roots out of doors now, even if we had it. 

 Boxes would be better than the hurdles, as they would be 

 cleaner. The htter placed over the hurdles must be clean, or 

 the heads of Sea-kale may be disfigured. 



Gave plenty of air to "liadishes. Lettuces. Cauliflowers, Po- 

 tatoes, &c., in suitable weather, and in a dry day in the begiu- 

 ing of last week ran the hoe or fork through winter Onions, 

 Spinach, and Cabbages, and raked the ground over Asparagus 

 that had been dressed with rotten dung, burnt earth, ashes. 

 &c. If we had a little salt we would have slightlv whitened 

 the ground, which serves to give the Asparagus a little encou- 

 ragement when starting, and also keeps down weeds. Pre- 

 pared some ground for Asparagus, Sea-kale. Rhubarb, Arti- 

 chokes (Globe and .lerusalem). and got forward as much as our 

 stiff moist soil would permit. 



Dressed the outside of the frames intended for Cuctmibers 

 with coal tar, as described last week. Hun the tar on the 



bottom of the frame outside, and let it go down a little in the 

 bed and lining. Made the soil fura against the sides of the 

 box all round inside, to prevent tl'.c slightest fimies from the 

 tar entering, for nothing will stand that with impunity. We 

 hope this will keep rats and mice at a distance. Planted again 

 with strong plants. This allords one of the instances of the dis- 

 appointments that gardeners often experience from hosts of 

 enemies, notwithstanding all suitable precautions. 



nU;iT IiEI'.VIlTMP.NT. 



Pruned and nailed in favourable weather. Forgot to notice 

 last week that Beech with the leaves on makes a good protection 

 for wall trees if put on thinly. As then stated, canvas is the 

 best where it can be obtained. The orchard-house trees are 

 standing very well : those in the first honse arc in full bloom 

 at the back, and it is shut up earlier to guard against cold 

 nights. In this we have an old iron stove, which we can light on 

 an emergency. This is placed more for convenience of position 

 than suitability as to draught, and yet a little tire in it does 

 wonders. Contrary to all our ex))erience and knowledge in such 

 matters, the outlet-pipe goes horizontally 7 or 8 feet before 

 rising upright outside the house, and this gives a little trouble 

 when the wind is from the north. In any other direction the 

 draught is good enough, and a great heat is thrown out in the 

 large place from little fuel. Were sncli houses our own, we 

 would have a good brick stove in each, a horizontal pipe a 

 foot or 18 inches long, and then an upright pipe free of the 

 glass. That it might not be in the way against the back wall, 

 we would place it in the middle of the house. i>artly sunk, with 

 an open space all ronud it, and take the upright funnel through 

 the roof, substituting a stout square of galvanised iron with a 

 hole in it, for the usual square of glass. As stated last week, 

 for merely keeping frost out from rather small places, bat 

 roomy, there is no other plan so economical in first cost, or 

 that will use less fuel afterwards to produce the desired result, 

 provided the draught is duly regulated by a cicse-fitting ash- 

 l)it door. Most people run away with the idea that for any 

 purpose, be the house never so small, heating by hot water is 

 the most economical, as well as the best. We own at once that 

 for all places it is the best mode for diffusing something like 

 an equality of heat ; but we contend that to heat a small single 

 house by hot water involves the loss of a good deal of heat np 

 the chimney, ho^vever carefully the damper and the ashpit 

 door may be attended to. 



Ucatitifi l);i Gax. — Besides what appears in answers to corre- 

 spondents, many inquiries reach us as to the practicability, 

 utility, and economy of the plan. In everv- case we reply, we 

 have had little or no practical experience, but we have paid con- 

 siderable attention to the subject, and seen what we could of 

 the plan when in operation. The result is the conviction that 

 such a mode of heating is chiefly applicable to small places, 

 such as the neat little conservatories that in suburban dis- 

 tricts often abut against the folding-door window of a sitting 

 or drawing-room. These may easily be heated by gas-burners 

 passing through tubes, or first heating a small boiler to which 

 pipes are attached. We recollect of a neat little house thus 

 heated that abutted against the folding-door window of the 

 sitting-room. The kitchen, Ac, was beneath this room. In a 

 corner in the kitchen, not far from the ceiling, a block-tin boiler 

 was fixed, about the size of a teakettle, but hollowed-up or con- 

 cave at the bottom. A strong gas-burner was placed beneath 

 it, and a tin cover when the gas was lighted went over all, with 

 means of regulating draught when the pipes became hot. The 

 pipes were also of block-tin IJ inch in diameter. Two of these 

 were suflicient to keep out frost, except in severe nights, and 

 then a late fire was put on in the parlour and one of the doors 

 left open. The ])lace altogether was about 7 feet wide, 11 feet 

 long, and 10 feet in height. This simple apparatus would haye 

 done very well with soldered joints, if it had been kept constantly 

 at work, b\it though painted the metal rusted inside when not 

 in use, whether the water was left in or taken out. The pro- 

 prietor toid us that ultimately when the pipes wore out he 

 should use two or three one-inch stout iron pipes, and most 

 likely do away with the boUer, and allow the heat from the 

 burner to go at once through the pipes, and then out of the 

 house by means of a small gas-pipe. The place conld have 

 been comfortably heated from a close kitchen boiler, but the 

 head of the kitchen would not hear of it, nnd the master con- 

 sidered he had batter not ti-y to conquer her prejudices. Suc- 

 cess by all such modes will be very uncertain, unless the 

 manager of the kitchen fire be made a firm ally, and then all 

 wiU be plain sailing. 



Again, there are many who have a greenhoase close to or 



