July 29, 1869. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



87 



situation that their wood may become tboronghly matnred ; it 

 will, however, jierhaps be neeeisary to place them for a week 

 or two in a partly-shaded situation to harden their foliage sufli- 

 oiently to bear the full snn, or else the sudden change from a 

 house to bright Bunshiue might cause their leaves to turn 

 brown and burn. Orange trees when too full of bloom should 

 have the flowers thinned out. They are always in request, 

 either for drying or distilling. The young fruit, when too 

 thickly set, should likewise have a thinning, as a few will be 

 anflicient to remain. To produce dark glossy leaves, water 

 with clear soot water. 



STOVE. 



A number of Orchids will by this time have made their 

 growth, and may be gradually removed to a drier and cooler 

 atmosphere. Those which continue growing must have the 

 syringe two or three times a-day, and a humid atmosphere 

 maintained by well watering every vacant part of the intorior. 

 At the same time, the material in which plants on blocks or 

 suspended in baskets are growing should be frequently snaked 

 to completely moisten it. Some young plants, which it is 

 desirable to lose no time with, may again have a shift, if potted 

 as above. They have had a short rest since the spring growth 

 was completed. 



COLD PITS. 



Tho stock here will probably require re-arrangement. Any of 

 the specimens which require more pot room should be shifted 

 as soon as possible, taking care to have the ball moi«t, and 

 keeping the atmosphere rather closer and moister by spiinkling 

 the plants overhead for a fortnight after potting. Let the 

 young shoots be tied before they begin to fall about, crowd, 

 and injure each other. Cut down Pelargot iums as soon as the 

 wood is properly hardened, and keep tbem very sparingly sup- 

 plied with water at the roots until they start into growth, but 

 sprinkle them frequently overhead, as it will cause them to 

 break more strongly. Continue to pot Cinerarias as strong 

 Buckers can be obtained, placing them in a close cold frame 

 until they become established in their pots. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN OAEDEN. 



With such a week of scorching weather, and little or no 

 signs cf rains (the thundershowers having refused to come), 

 planting was out of the question, except where abundance of 

 water and shading was at command. Even sowing would be 

 of little use, unless the ground had been previously moistened, 

 or the seeds treated as stated lately for the earliest Cabbages. 

 Made successional sowings cf Cabbages, Endive, Lettuce, Tur- 

 nips, and Radishes. Ere long we shall prepare apiece for autumn 

 sowings of Onions and Spinach. Winter Onions, which have 

 not suffered from the drought, had their necks bent down some 

 time ago, and are now approaching maturity. Autumn sowing 

 is, in general, the only plan in our variable climate of obtain- 

 ing bulbs equal in size to the largest imported ones. Our fine 

 bed or quarter of spring-sown Onions is holding on well, but 

 unless we have rain soon the bulbs will be small, as we cannot 

 water them. Could wo have conducted a water tub along the 

 rows some weeks ago, the Onions would have been magnificent. 

 Our last-year's summer crop, though sound and keeping well, 

 were deficient in size of bulb, owing to the excessive drought. 

 Even yet a good rain would help to swell our Onions consider- 

 ably, as the tops are still of a bright fresh green. 



Instead of planting out, we have shaded beds of Lettuce, 

 Endive, Cabbage, Coleworts, and Cauliflower with branches of 

 trees, and a great part of our work has been watering suooes- 

 Bions of Peas, Beans, and Cauhflowers where it was most 

 needed, mulching the ground, or turning over what mulching 

 ■was there, immediately afterwards. Muleliing is the most 

 effective and safest plan when the covering is broken often 

 enough in proportion to its thickness. 



To save watering, and prtvent the plants running to seed, we 

 have put a few green branches among the beds of Celery. Any- 

 thing does for this purpose. A branch of a deciduous tree or 

 shrub is quite as good as an evergreen, as the leaves hang on 

 when withered. This shading is most needed for fresh-planted 

 rows and beds. A few branches will save many a pailful of 

 water. In some cases we have strewed a little litter and short 

 grass among the plants to prevent excessive evaporation from 

 the soil. Where the plants are large enough, a little dry earth 

 from the sides, scattered over the soil an hour or so after 

 watering, would be equally effectual ; but, for reasons frequently 



given, we do not approve of doing what may be called earthing- 

 up early Celery until three weeks or a month before it is 

 wanted, chiefly because the bit-by-bit earthing-up system is 

 oae of the best means of securing diyness at the roots when, 

 in sunny weather, there is a copious evaporation going on from 

 the foliage. 



In warm places a last sowing may still be made of early 

 Peaa to come in late, as Carter's Early, Dickson's Early, 

 Sutton's Eiugleader, &c. Talking of Peas, we saw at Luton 

 Hoo the other day, a splendid row of Laxton's Supreme, a fine 

 green Marrow of excellent quality, of moderately quick growth, 

 an abundant bearer, and coming in early — about the same time 

 as McLean's Advancer, which is also an excellent early Pea 

 with the Marrow flavour. Next to it was a fine row of Laxton's 

 Prolific, also a good Pea, but there seemed to us to be more 

 than one variety in the row, and we could not, therefore, speak 

 so confidently. We have tried in our time to save seeds of 

 favourite Peas true, and we know how difficult it is to do so, 

 unless a good piece is appropriated to one variety and the Peas 

 c^.refully looked over, and every intruder, or even every inferior 

 or sickly plant, at once removed. One reason why we must 

 have new varieties is, that from mixing and sowing somewhat 

 indiFcriminately, the old ones lose iu time their distinctive 

 qualities. There is one exception to this, so far as we know, and 

 it is Knight's Dwarf White Marrow Pea. This at the present 

 day is rather a small Pea, but there is hardly a sweeter one in 

 existence, and in small gardens it is very suitable, as it seldom 

 grows above 4 feet in height, and generally yields a mass of 

 Peas from the ground upwards. We generally grow a little of 

 it, and it seems always to be true, though we obtain the seed 

 from the trade ; we can safely recommend it to everyone 

 who has a taste for high quality, instead of mere size of Pea. 

 For a large Pea, we grew Jeyes's Conqueror largely for years. 

 It is synonymous with the Ne Plus Ultra, and a splendid large 

 green Pea, so good that several cooks have told us, that the 

 addition of a little sugar, so improving to other Peas, spoiled 

 it. It is, however, a tall grower even with stopping, reaching 

 with us to from 7 to 9 feet ; this is a great drawback, and 

 though we have not given it up, it has made us fall back more 

 on such kinds as Teitch's Perfection and the Dwarf Mammoth 

 Pea. The latter grows with us about 3 feet high, and for 

 size and flavour is a fine autumn Pea, but it must have good 

 soil and plenty of moisture. Ours failed from dryness last 

 season, but we have had it fine in September and the first 

 week of October. We think we have told the tale before, but 

 it will bear repeating. One of the best judges of a thoroughly 

 good Pea we ever knew, came to us and said, " Why, I am sur- 

 prised you should send such huge old Peas to my table." 

 " Did you taste them ? " " Not I, the sight was quite sufii- 

 cient for me." It was only by bringing pods, and showing that 

 the large Peas were like marrow or butter for softness, that he 

 could see that for once be had made a great mistake. This, 

 no doubt, was partly owing to the fact, that there had dined 

 with him some gentlemen who told us that they had partaken 

 the night before of small young Peas in London, obtained, as 

 they found out, by the legitimate process of shelling and 

 riddling, at Covent Garden, thus keeping all the large ones 

 out. Some have even told us that such riddled, skinny Peas 

 were really very good when well cooked. We know pretty well 

 what London Peas are, obtained from sacks in the market, after 

 being heated, and shelled and riddled, and can say without 

 presumption, that those who have partaken of such Peas only, 

 know nothing of the exquisite flavour Peas yield when, even 

 without additions, they are dressed almost immediately after 

 gathering. When they must be sent to a distance. Peas ought 

 always to travel in thin layers, so as neither to be dried nor 

 heated. 



Blade a last sowing of Dwarf Kidney Beans in an earth pit, 

 so that we can give a little protection late in autumn. By this 

 means the out-door crop is much prolonged. 



Owing to scarcity of room, we bad planted a bed of Cole- 

 worts iu one of the earth pits outside the walls, which was de- 

 voted in spiing to such bedding plants as Calceolarias. We 

 had previously run a piece of 2-feet wire netting round the 

 space of ground, which would help to keep off rabbits. We 

 knew there were grass mice about, which are difficult to exter- 

 minate. The first night half of the plants were cut down. 

 It is singular, that there were beds of younger plants of 

 Coleworts and Cauliflower a little distance off, which were 

 entirely untouched, and the banks in that pit were riddled with 

 mouse holes. The plantation was filled up, and the next morn- 

 ing no doubt could be left as to the intruders, for many of the 



