JttBe 12, IBM. ] 



JOUKNAL of HORTICTJLTtJRE AND COTTAGE OAKDENKR. 



44$ 



be used cantionslv, bnt watering must be thoroughly attended 

 to, and all plants ewelling off their bulbs must be watered at 

 least two or three times overhead, in order to make the pseudo- 

 bnlbs as large as possible. Shade with care, and give air freely, 

 leaving a little on all night, this will in a great measure prevent 

 the blossoms from spotting through condensation.— \Y. Ke.^ne. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST ^\'EEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



JnsT the wet, showery weather to suit all established plants, 

 and give them a good start. Pricked out Celery, and prepared 

 trenches, or rather beds, for strong plants, to bo turned out as 

 soon as we can find time. Just now we could employ for some 

 time double our labour power, and then hardly have all straight. 

 We have long held the belief that no man can be happy that 

 is not fully employed either as respects head, or hands, or feet, 

 or rather all united. However much there may be to be done, 

 a man of energy will apply himself to the work and get it done, 

 so long as he sees that his activity and hard work will be avail- 

 able for securing the desired object ; but let the work be so ex- 

 tensive that the idea of accomplishing it in a definite time 

 becomes associated with the impossible, and then, instead of a 

 ipur to activity, it insensibly acts as a damper to exertion. We 

 Bay insensibly, for the workman may work faithfully without a 

 spice even of eye-service, and yet the keen observer will see a 

 vast difference in the results. Employers in general, and the 

 proprietors of gardens in particular, are, as classes, not yet 

 sufficiently impressed with the difference as respects the quality 

 and the quantity of labour that a workman will perform when 

 influenced merely by a sense of duty, as contrasted with a 

 spirit of enthusiasm and a desire to please those whom he 

 heartily respects. On this principle alone some explanation 

 may be easily given of the seeming anomaly, irrespective of 

 the peculiar characteristics of the different superintendents. 

 Why, in two gardens not far from each other the workmen in 

 one move about as if their feet spumed the ground, and in the 

 other as if the soles of their shoes were covered with thick 

 heavy plates of lead. We have often noticed that this latter 

 peculiarity is most observable in large, uuwieldly places, where 

 the limited labour power strives vainly to master the work, 

 and hence a lethargic apathy insensibly creeps over the work- 

 man. Though a man should be the master of circumstances, 

 there can be no doubt that circumstances do greatly mould con- 

 duct and influence character. However much we rejoice, there- 

 fore, in hearing of the enlarging and the high keeping of large 

 gardens and pleasure grounds, there can be no question that in 

 many large places great sources of annoyance and depression 

 to all concerned would be removed by greatly lessening their 

 extent, so that what was professedly kept should be kept 

 well. 



On a row of Dwarf Kidney Beans in pots in the orchard- 

 house, fall of bloom and setting the pods freely, detected a 

 trace of red spider, and had them removed at once, and turned 

 them out of their pots into an earth pit, to be covered with old 

 sashes in the meantime, the space in the earth pit being clear 

 by the removal of bedding plants. But for that we would have 

 given them a Celery trench and what protection we could 

 afford in cold weather ; but now if the weather is mild they 

 will need little more than watering and syringing, and they 

 will yield a plentiful supply until those sown in the open ground 

 come in. Part of the same sowing, transferred a fortnight ago 

 to a pit where there is a little heat, is bearing heavily. For 

 heavy cropping and coming in at once we know nothing better 

 than the Dwarf China, often called Robin's Egg, but it does 

 not bear so continuously as some others. It is therefore the 

 best, where the crop is to be taken, and then the plants to be 

 cleared away when the first rich gatherings are over. If cut 

 back and encouraged it will bear continuously enough ; but for 

 early crops we prefer successions, as likely to be more clean 

 and free from insects. 



The moving of these Beans is just an example of the great 

 difference in labour potrer that is wanted in two places of 

 similar extent, where little moving is needed in one place, and 

 a, great deal of moving is required in the other place, to make 

 the very most of the space under glass, and to get as many 

 early subsidiary crops as possible, whilst the main crop in each 

 house receives something like justice. These are dintinctive 

 naatters which some people are apt to forget when the months 

 of June and July bring a plentiful supply of outdoor produce. I 

 A gentleman told us last year that he could not make out why 



his garden labourers should be so much more numerous, and 

 yet work hard, and after all the useful parts of his garden 

 seemed nothing superior in summer to that of his neighbour 

 who did with one-third less labour, and yet the gardens were 

 very much of the same extent. Nothing could have been mora 

 easily explained. His neighbour bad but few bedding plants, 

 and for these there was a little pit-bouso appropriated. He 

 rarely tasted Kidney Beans until July, or new Potatoes until 

 June, and was quite satisfied if he obtained a dish of Straw- 

 berries about the middle of the last-mentioned month. On 

 the other hand, the gentleman who wanted his doubts solved 

 had no place for bedding plants, but turned out many thou- 



1 sands, though in June no one could have told where they cams 

 from. He had been enjoying Kidney Beans since February, 



, Potatoes since March, Strawberries since the 1st of March, and 

 ' everything else in a similar proportion ; and if all this wa» 

 accomplished in limited space, the very moving, the taking 

 awaj', and the fresh replacing, with the time required for pre- 

 paring, watering, ttc, would have made it quite clear to our 

 comprehension that in his place the workmen would have a 

 harder time of it as respects labour than those in his neigh- 

 bour's employ. 



The Broccoli-quarters, as well as the latest of the Cabbaging 

 Scotch Kale being now about over, dug up the strong stem* 

 and laid them down, and to save labour will trench them into 

 the ground along with lots of short grass from the lawn, and 

 will follow with Pea^ at wide intervals, with Turnips, Cauli- 

 flowers, &c., between the spaces left. Where such crops of 

 Broccoli stumps are very heavy, this is as quick a way of dis- 

 posing of them as any, whilst they tend to keep heavy land 

 somewhat light and drained. If a little dried before dug down 

 we have rarely found that the stumps thus buried were made 

 use of by the gardener's enemies. Where time would permit, 

 we like as well to rot these stumps mixed with short grass and 

 covered with waste earth to keep in the virtues that would 

 otherwise pollute the air and be wasted. We have great faith 

 in the virtues of short-grass mowings if only kept far enough 

 from the roots of growing plants until it has become mild and 

 sweet in its nature. As soon as the weather clears up wa 

 shall run a fork slightly along the rows of Peas and Beans to 

 let the air in and to keep the moisture from being evaporated- 



FKUIT GARDEN. 



Strawberries. — The thunder showers came in good time to 

 wash in the house sewage and thoroughly to moisten the 

 ground, which, with the subduel sun for a few days and bright 

 sun afterwards, will be the best conditions for insuring a good 

 well-swelled crop. When dry enough will spread litter. Sec, 

 under the fruitstalks to keep them clean, as referred to last ' 

 week. 



Orcliard-house.—'B&in and cloudy too, yet much watenng 

 was needed for the trees in pots ; we will have them mulched,' 

 as stated last week, without delay. Whether from the Kidney , 

 Beans or not, a few Peach leaves gave traces of the red spider. 

 It was, therefore, of no use waiting for some specific, but we' 

 resorted at once to one of our old favourites foi- keeping the 

 little enemy at bay. Having some softsoap we boiled about 



2 lbs. of it iu two gallons or six quarts of water, boiling it 

 until it became clear— that is, about ten minutes, allowed it 

 to settle a little, and then poured it into a thirty-gallon barrel 

 of water, at about 100° to 110° in temperature, and set an ' 

 active man to thoroughly syringe the trees, especially at the 

 back of the leaves. Next day we did not detect one alive on 

 the leaves affected ; but we have no doubt some will be hatched 

 from eggs in a few days, and, therefore, another application of 

 that or something else will probably be necessary. Applied as 

 above, though when administered the water was whitish and 

 frothy, you would have found no traces that the trees had been 

 syringed with anything but clear water next day. The effect of 

 water applied as above is chiefly owing to the slight slickineas" 

 of the softsoap water. We have cleared trees of insects by ■ 

 applying weak glue, or rather jelly-glue water in the same way. ' 

 Now^ for making the red spider uncomfortable, or. as in our case, 

 killing all where the water rested, two things must bo kept in 

 mind— first, to make the mixture weaker rather than stronger 

 than the above; and secondly, to choose, if possible, a dull 

 day or evening in which to apply it. Gishurst is useful for a 

 similar purpose, but that, too, is best boiled, and then allowed 

 to settle, and the clear matter only poured into the tub of 

 water. , , 



Vines Peaches, Figs, Melons, &c., much the san-e as m 

 previous we6ks. In duU days kept thinning Grapes m the lat* - 



