May 22, 1866. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



385 



conservatory, otherwise there -will be great risk of injuring the 

 foliage, &s. When circumstances will admit, plants that have 

 grown in a moist, warm atmospli'?re should be removed to an 

 intermediate-house about a fortnight previous to their being 

 taken to the conservatory. Clerodendrons, Alliimandas, &c., 

 will continue growing slowly and blooming for three months 

 at a time, whereas if this is neglected, their beauty may be 

 very short-lived. Aim at maintaining an even temperature in 

 the conservatory after removing plants thence that have grown 

 in the stove, and furnish a little shade on bright sunny days ; 

 also, see that every plant is perfectly clean before placing it in 

 this house, and that the creepers, &c., are not infested with 

 insects. To the last-named class of plants should be added 

 the charming Bougainvillrra, and the beautiful Lapageria rosea. 

 For the former the warmest part of the house should be selected, 

 and if possible its roots should have a little artificial heat. 

 Young stock in pits will now be making rapid growth, and 

 must be carefully attended to as to watering, stopping, train- 

 ing, &c. Examine Heaths frequently for mildew, and apply 

 Bulphur the moment it is perceived, some of the softwooded 

 varieties being very liable to be attacked by that pest at this 

 season. 



STOVE. 



The plants here will be growing very freely, and will require 

 frequent attention as to training, stopping, &c. Keep them 

 properly supplied with pot-room, and afford them all the sun- 

 shine that they will bear without scorching, with a moist atmo- 

 sphere, admitting air on mild days. Go over creepers frequently, 

 60 as to direct their growth, and prevent their becoming en- 

 tangled, which without attention will soon be the case. Syringe 

 and shut up early in the afternoons of bright days, and be as 

 sparing as possible of artificial heat. Afford Orchids in growth 

 a thoroughly moist atmosphere, giving them a good steaming 

 every bright afternoon, by syringing and shutting up early. 

 Admit air in moderate quantities on mild soft days, but care- 

 fully avoid currents of drying winds. Examine the plants in- 

 dividually every other day, and water such as require it, but be 

 careful not to give too much to those starting into growth, and 

 a cool atmosphere will gi-eatly assist in prolonging the beauty 

 of those in bloom. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST ^\^3EK. 



KITCHEN GAKDEN. 



Took the opportunity of the dry days to run the Dutch hoe 

 among all growing crops, as Cabbages, Cauliflower, Onions, 

 and Potatoes. Prioked-out Lettuces, Cauliflowers, &c., and 

 planted beds of Mint and other herbs, as these little matters 

 are often of more consequence than greater things. A' cele- 

 brated gardener told us that the greatest annoyance he ever 

 endured was to be almost without Parsley, and that season, do 

 what he would, it would not grow, and he only succeeded at 

 last by raising it in boxes, and transplanting it into fresh soil 

 obtained from the sides of the highwaj'. We have heard often 

 enough of land being Clover-sick, but never before of groimd 

 being Parsley-sick. Ever afterwards our friend turned his soil 

 intended for Parsley deeply, in order that there might be fresli 

 soil for it to root in. Previously the Parsley flourished well 

 eaough at first, but then the roots would all rot and damp 

 away without any apparent cause. 



Fresh soil may remedy the evil complained of by our corre- 

 spondent " Vexed." What seems to vex him chiefly is the 

 supposed fact that Parsley is so much more in demand now 

 that he is short of it. We say supposed, as it may only be a 

 supposition, because, though there is a natural tendency in us 

 to value most that which i? scarcest, there is also a tendency 

 to think that) people are taking advantage of our deficiency, 

 ■when really they are only taking the usual supply. However, 

 in all such matters it is generally sound policy to say as little 

 as possible of being short of anything, as that may give it a 

 Talue.to the consumer which it never had before. On the 

 other hand, the best things will pall on the appetite if pre- 

 sented too often. Only give a lady Kidney Beans every day in 

 December, and they will come to be no more valued than they 

 would be in August. 



Dwarf Kidney Bcaiis. — Sowed out of doors in rows 2 feet 

 apart ; turned a lot out of four-inch into ten-inch pots, and 

 set them in the front of an orchard-house. Thinned those 

 standing behind the standard trees in the orchard-house, as they 

 were rather too cool and shaded to open their bloom so fast as 

 we wanted. By moving one half to a pit we set the rest in the 



open spaces, and they will thus form successions. Those early 

 fruiting ones that, after bearing heavily, had been cut bati 

 and planted out in an earth-pit with a little protection, are 

 breaking and showing well, so that at farthest there will only 

 be a few days when we cannot gather. We might have con- 

 tinued with a bed of Newington Wonder, but this small kind is 

 not so good for late as for early forcing, as the Beans are apt 

 to form so quickly even in young pods. We wanted the room 

 very much for Strawberries, and as the leaves were becoming 

 a httle shabby from frequent pruning, we pulled them out, and 

 prepared the place for Strawberries, which see. 



Potatoes. — We still have a few to plant. Gave plenty of 

 light and air to those under protection. Dug up some beds 

 that have been exposed for some time, and brought back frames 

 again to be placed over Strawberries, lifted and planted out in 

 the soil in which the Potatoes grew. We allude to the matter 

 chiefly to chronicle how well the Potatoes in seven-inch and 

 twelve-inch pots did this season. We have found, after several 

 years' experience, that much more produce in the same room 

 may be obtained from pots than from planting in a pit and 

 frame in the usual way. In the smaller pots we generally put 

 one set, and mostly obtained from six to eight good-sized 

 Potatoes, and from the larger pots nearly as much in propor- 

 tion. Besides, the pots could be moved from place to place, a 

 matter of importance where there is little room under glass. 

 We used also to bo fortunate when placing a set in a four or 

 five-inch pot, and when the stem was G inches- high, plunging 

 the pot and 2 or 3 inches of the stem in leaf mould. The Po- 

 tatoes then lay generally on a level with the surface of the pot, 

 and without the plunging the new Potatoes would have been 

 greened. Counting glass light for li,ght, and under pretty 

 similar conditions as respects artificial heat, we obtained fully 

 one-third more produce from those in pots, and when the pots 

 are not large the Potatoes may be fingered to obtain a few of 

 the best, with less injury to those remaining than when planted 

 out in beds. 



Cticumbrrs. — Pruned in severely the earUest three lights that 

 bore heavily, to give them a chance of fresh growth, and if they 

 do not come strong will replace with plants now rooting from 

 cuttings. Volunteer we consider one of the best Cucumbers to 

 bear of the rather smooth-skinned kinds. Telegraph is also 

 very good, and grows longer. Conqueror of the West has a 

 nice bloom lor those who wish the Cucumber to appear whole 

 on the table. Ayres's Perfection, a smaU variety of the Ken- 

 yon or Sion House race, is a fine bearer, and ureful for those 

 who want a small fresh Cucumber every day. It is generally 

 very crisp and sweet, when 1 inch, or rather three quarters of 

 an inch in diameter, and or 7 inches long. In front of those 

 in frames, we have applied a lining chiefly of mown gi'ass after 

 it had lain to heat, taldng care that no fumes from it should 

 find their way inside the frames. This would not have been, 

 wanted but for two circumstances : The beds originally, fi-om 

 shortness of material, were made shallow, and the hea\'y rains 

 running down the glass had soaked into the front and cooled 

 the beds there. We used to prevent this by one of two simple 

 modes, and we have been going to do it every day ; but though 

 a smaU job, every day brought so much work, that it is not 

 done yet. The simplest mode is to have boards 1 inch thick, 

 and from 9 to 12 inches wide, to place in a slanting position in 

 front of the frame, so as to catch all the rain that comes from 

 the glass, and throw it all that farther away from the bed. This 

 is a very quick and simple mode, where you can be fortunate 

 enough to lay your hands on the boards, and this we could not 

 manage. The boards will be sure to warp in such a position 

 if lot alone ; but they will be serviceable for this purpose for a 

 long time, it the person who uncovers or looks after the frames 

 would just turn the boards upside down every second day or 

 so, which, notwithstanding sun and weather, would keep them 

 straight and level. Such boards placed close to the frame would 

 also be so far a safeguard against steam rising and penetrating 

 into the frame from the linings. Wherever linings are used, 

 and these are not wrought sweet previously, which we never 

 could think of, care must be taken that no effluvia from them 

 pass into the frame. Some leaves were sent to us the other day 

 that were thoroughly destroyed by rank steam from dung linings. 

 We did not need to be told, that in giving air the sash had been 

 slid down, and thus the steam risuig had free access to the 

 interior. If such jashes had been tilted up at the back, the 

 steam from the front linings, however rank, might have risen, 

 but it would not have passed into the frame. It is just such 

 simple matters as these, when the roughest materials must be 

 used without much preparation, that make all the difference 



