May 8, 18M. 1 



JOURNAL OP HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



351 



to cause it to produce flowers in winter, is in the main appli- 

 cable to the Indian Azalea. Forcing into wood botimeH in the 

 spring, a trifliuR amount of check to induce it to form flower- 

 bads, and partial rest foraconsiderable time before excitement, 

 are the main features reqiiirinj; attention. The Azalea, how- 

 ever, will stand more heat than the Camellia and less shading. 

 Those intended for flowering next January and February should 

 be forced into growth without delay. Let Ericas and tlie 

 various hardwooded plants inclined to grow straggling be fre- 

 quently stopped whilst growing freely. Let all the exhausted 

 stock of Cinerarias be cut over successively in order to favour 

 the development of suckers for next winter's flowering. They 

 may be cleansed with tobacco if foul, and removed to a cold 

 frame until the end of the month. Shift on Balsams and 

 other tender annuals. Pot off Achimenes, and repot, where 

 necessary. Gloxinias, Sinningias, &c. Put in a stock of Chry- 

 santhemum cuttings for autumn display. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



Encourage Cucumber plants for the ridges, let them be kept 

 near the glass where they may have abundance of air and light 

 to cause them to become sturd}', stiff plants for turning out. 

 The ridge should be placed in a sheltered situation. The 

 method of preparing it is as follows : — Dig out a trench about 

 1 j foot deep and 3 feet wide, fill up with well-fermented materials 

 to 2j feet in height, cover the whole with about 1 foot of light 

 rich soil, then mark out places for the plants at 4 feet apart, on 

 which place the hand-glasses ; turn out the jdants when the 

 mould becomes warm, give them a little tepid water around the 

 hall to settle the earth, and cover with the glasses. — W. Kkane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 

 If " changes are delightful," then may we islanders be happy 

 and contented. Up to Friday week the weather was what 

 might be expected in Jime, hut a closeness in the atmosphere 

 and a falling barometer told us that ere long rains would come, 

 and they came so softly and warm on the Saturday afternoon, 

 that all bedding plants, whether under glass, or mats, or 

 canvass, planted out or potted, were freely exposed to its in- 

 fluence, the rain with the warmth being so much better than 

 any application from the water-pail. One great advantage of 

 the Cranston system of building glass houses, would be the 

 possibility of so managing the planes of glass that they might 

 be made to stand vertically when so desired. It is almost 

 impossible to secure all advantages by any one mode of struc- 

 ture, or any one mode of conducting operations. He is the 

 prudent and the wise man that makes the most of his circum- 

 stances, without vainly sighing after other circumstances and 

 appliances which he cannot obtain. We should be afraid to 

 state the very little that the simple fixed roofs of our orchard- 

 houses cost, as if let alone they would have been less than 

 Mr. Rivers stated in his " Orchard-House ;" and that was 

 cheap enough in all conscience. That book and the curate's 

 five-pound greenhouse, amazingly tickled the public, who had 

 come to the conclusion that the smallest glass house must cost 

 them at least from fifty to one hundred guineas. In running 

 a good chance of rlieumatism from luxuriating in the delight- 

 ful rains of the Saturday afternoon, and having everything 

 that would stand it freely exposed to such sweet watering, we 

 could not but regret that the fixed squares of the orchard- 

 house could not all stand up vertically to allow the warm fluid 

 drops to fall all over the trees and plants in the house. As 

 the next best we could do for them, we had them syringed, 

 that they, too, after so much fierce sun might know something 

 of the moist balmy air that enveloped everything out of doors ; 

 but the syringe at best is only a compromise for the gentle 

 rains. On any other night but Saturday we might have left 

 the most of things uncovered ; but, though wann. the veering 

 of the wind to the north told us the rains might become colder, 

 and then there would have been much shutting up and covering 

 on Sunday morning. All covers, therefore, were replaced ; and 

 it was as well, for on Monday morning we had a severe frost, 

 with ice the thickness of the sixteenth of an inch on shallow 

 water, and leaves of Geraniums, &c., that touched glass or cloth 

 coverings were slightly blackened, though no injury was done 

 to the plants. That frost, as we expected, has been followed 

 by heavy rains, hail, sleet, and snow, just sufficient to remind 

 us that the weather of July is not to be expected in the first 

 days of May. 



KITCHEN GARDES. 



Planted-ont Cabbages, pricked-out Cauliflower for succession, 



made the nets more secure where seeds of vegetables were 

 sown. Scattered wood ashes on the ground to keep slugs, &c.,at 

 bay. Our netting is too small to let birds through ; but though 

 raised above the ground and fastened at the sides, Radish seed, 

 i-c, near the sides can be obtained by their sitting on the 

 stretched net and sending their bills through the openings. 

 All tlie Peas, sown three timss, liaving gone to feed the pheasants, 

 planted out a number of rows from semi-circular drain-tiles, 

 the I'eas being from 2{ to 3 inches in height, staking them at 

 once as soon as planted. Of course, this takes up a deal of 

 time, but we hope we shall thus secure a crop. 



A kind correspondent tells us how he secures all his crops 

 from all kinds of birds, and two-footed and four-footed game, 

 by a number of " trained cats," and of this we will have some- 

 thing to say ere long. By his system, with plenty of cats, the 

 crops of vegetables and fruit may bo pretty well secured, even 

 though the game have access to the garden, or to its immediate 

 precincts, as the game must be stupid indeed to let the cat 

 catch them when so much under control, whilst its seen pre- 

 sence and activity, and freedom of motion over a defined 

 space, will frighten them and keep them at bay. In times 

 gone by we derived, as respects birds, similar advantages from 

 hawks that could not fly far, until the birds became knowing 

 enough to perceive the hawks could not catch them, unless they 

 were culpably careless and stupid. 



We noticed a few flowers on Uillistone's Early Peas out of 

 doors open on the 1st of May. These, too, had been trans- 

 planted. Pods are swelling on some ol the same age planted 

 out in the front of the orchard-house, and allowed to run over 

 the ground as they like. Tom Thumb, in pots, in the earliest 

 orchard-house, and from plants turned out, yielded a good 

 gathering ou the Ist, and might have been gathered earlier, 

 and the plants are densely clothed with pods swelling fast. 

 We never had Tom Thumb so strong, and it is ju.st possible we 

 may have used Sutton's Tom Thumb in mistake ; but as there 

 is a row of that in the late orchard-house just coming into 

 bloom, we shall be able to perceive if there is much difference. 



All Peas under glass require plenty of water, and a syringing 

 overhead also does them good, or they are apt to eat harder than 

 when they are grown out of doors. A little clear soot water 

 also improves their crispness. Beginners that grow Tom Thumb 

 should bear in mind to gather before the pods are at all large, 

 as the young peas lie flat in the pod. In answer to an in- 

 quirer who is an epicure in one thing, and that is pea soup, 

 and who would have it of the Green Pea flavour every day in 

 the year if he could, but has only a little heated greenhouse to 

 help him, we would advise his sowing boxes of Peas in his 

 house from October to May, thickly, just as h? would do Mus- 

 tard and Cress, and cut them over when 2 inches high, and 

 slice the plants small, and use them as Green Peas. These 

 make a capital substitute for those who are so fond of the 

 young Pea flavour. 



Unlike Peas, we always think Dwarf Kidney Beam are 

 sweetest and cnspest when grown imder glass, unless, indeed, 

 when gathered out of doors in warm showery weather in July 

 and August. A row in pots is knotting for bloom in the orchard- 

 house, and they will enable us to clear them all out of the 

 Peach-house, and also from a pit where they have been long 

 bearing. Sowed a lot in boxes and in five-inch pots, five 

 Beans in a pot, which will be transplanted as they are without 

 breaking tlJe balls, except a little disengaging of the fibres 

 outside. 



Potatoes. — ^\'e planted a lot more, but were stopped by the 

 heavy rains, which made our ground anything but kindly to 

 work. Drew a little earth over the forwardest tops out of 

 doors in case we have another Monday's frost. The most of 

 our supply for the table as yet has come from pots ; but two 

 frames of two lights each are ready. Took the frames off them, 

 and protected by hurdles placed over them at night, and merely 

 resting on pots set at back and front. Gave plenty of air, 

 except in these coid nights, to a wide earth pit where the 

 tubers at one end are about fit for use. A little litter, leaves, 

 and rotten dung were placed below the frames, and a little soil 

 on the surface, and in these hulf-hardy aimuals will be set fiom 

 Melon-frames or pricked out, and at least one frame of good 

 stout plants of early Celery. A great number must be pricked 

 out, with a little shelter out of doors, as soon as we can get time 

 and opportunity. There is no danger of early Celery bolting 

 if it is never allowed to have a check. It suffers more from 

 being checked before it is finally planted-out than is generally 

 imagined. 



This moving about so easily gives a great advantage to frames 



