Aognst 12, 1869. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEE. 



129 



Mignonette, for winter and spring flowering, may yet be sown. 

 Phloxes and other herbaceous plants will now be making a 

 tolerably good show. Hollyhocks are in general great favourites, 

 but they do not afford cuttings freely, and are in general over- 

 plentiful at most places. These should, therefore, be examined 

 often in search of any cuttings which they may afford, as those 

 rooted about this time will make strong plants for next season. 

 Attend to the tying-up of these and Dahlias, and go over the 

 masses of Verbenas frequently for the purpose of regulating 

 the growth, so as to keep it orderly and neat. Sow Ten-week 

 and Intermediate Stocks for spring flowering ; transplant 

 Erompton and Queen Stocks, and if the situations in which 

 these are to flower are not at liberty, prick them out in nursery 

 beds, allowing them plenty of room to prevent weakly growth. 



leaves, rotten dung, deer dung, rotten cow dung, road and river 

 sand— indeed everything which can be collected. — W. Keane. 



OBEENHOnSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



Examine the stock of pot plants in the conservatory, in order 

 to see that none is suffering from want of pot room or other 

 attention necessary to assist them in making young wood for 

 flowering next season ; also see that proper care is bestowed on 

 late-growing plants in borders, for while in active growth more 

 water will be necessary, and insects will be more troublesome 

 than on plants at rest. Look after Luculias, and keep them 

 clear of their great enemy black thrips ; give them plenty of 

 water at the root, and an occasional supply of clear weak manure 

 water may be given to old plants not growing freely, until they 

 have made plenty of wood to ensure a good display of flower. 

 Manure water must not, however, be given to young specimens 

 in vigorous growth, as in that case it would induce too gross a 

 growth, a condition in which they seldom flower profusely. In 

 order to secure fine heads of bloom from this plant it should 

 be allowed a few weeks of comparative rest, after, say, about 

 the middle of next month, keeping the roots rather dry, and 

 exposing the plants as freely to air as can be done without 

 injury to the foliage or the health of their neighbours. Brug- 

 mansia sanguinea is also a useful plant for flowering in winter 

 and early in spring, when managed so as to have it pruned, 

 rested, and starting into growth about this time. See that 

 large specimens are not allowed to become too dry at the roots 

 after they have set their buds, for the shedding of the latter 

 is due to this cause. Young vigorous plants, however, fre- 

 quently require to be watered rather sparingly at this period to 

 prevent their making a second growth. Cinerarias for early 

 flowering should now be growing freely, and should be shifted 

 when necessary, for if they are to form large specimens for 

 flowering in winter they must not be permitted to sustain any 

 check. Remove suckers whenever they can be obtained, and 

 pot them for spring flowering. Calceolarias will now be begin- 

 ning to demand attention. Have cuttings of favourite sorts 

 rooted as soon as possible. Seed may also now be sown in pans 

 placed on a gentle hotbed. Let the stock of Begonias have 

 another shift, if not already in pots sufficiently large. Keep 

 the pots at a sufficient distance from each other, in order that 

 the foliage may be kept from injury. Crowea salignaand Plum- 

 bago capensis are both valuable autumn-flowering plants, and 

 the latter is almost indispensable for cut flowers. Attend to 

 Chrysanthemums ; water freely with liquid manure ; good spe- 

 cimens should be aimed at rather than a few fine blooms. The 

 earliest winter-flowering Heaths and Epacrises should now, or 

 soon, be placed under cover, as it will forward their blooming. 

 Give air, however, freely. The potting of Hyacinths, Narcis- 

 suses, itc, for forcing must soon occupy attention. About equal 

 portions of good fibrous loam and decayed leaf mould, with 

 silver sand, will be the best soil for them if for forcing, but well- 

 decomposed cow dung must be substituted for the leaf mould 

 when the bulbs are intended for late flowering. After potting 

 place them on a dry bottom, and cover the pots 2 or 3 inches 

 deep with old tan or ashes, preserving them at the same time 

 as much as possible from heavy rains ; under this treatment 

 they will fill their pots with roots, and be in readiness for 

 forcing when wanted. 



p:ts and frames. 

 Take every opportunity to collect soils of different sorts for 

 winter and spring use ; for although a few sorts of soil will suffice 

 for all operations, yet in spring, when early Potatoes, Kidney 

 Beans, Cucumbers, Melons, early Peas, and a number of other 

 crops have to be grown, if a good quantity of dry soil is at hand 

 it is of the utmost importance. A back shed may be filled 

 with different soils put together at this season in a dry state. 

 Collect everything that will make a compost, and have the 

 different heaps numbered, so as to know in spring what they 

 are — such as old Cucumber and Melon soil, plenty of decayed 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 

 Allotment Gardens. — Writing last week of Potatoes and Peas 

 reminds us that now and onwards are trying times for testing 

 the neatness and continued energy of holders of small pieces of 

 ground. We think but little of good cropping and neatness 

 everywhere observable in the spring and early summer months. 

 The neat clean path up to the cottage door, the well-trimmed 

 flower border, the neatly-staked Peas, and the well-rounded 

 rows of Potatoes, and well-thinned Onion beds, are only in keep- 

 ing with the budding of the year, the singing of the birds, and 

 the sports of the lambkins. But as autumn comes on, it too 

 often brings with it an enervating influence. The bread- 

 winner of the house comes home wearied and tired, and he has 

 not such a keen eye for the weeds and what is decaying as he 

 had in the spring — more need that others at home, however 

 young, should put their little hands to the work and be taught 

 to do so. As there is something joyous in what is piogressing, 

 so there is something melancholy in looking on the decaying. 

 Too often in autumn the path choked with weeds takes the place 

 of the bright one in spring, and withered tops of Potatoes, and 

 dead and dying Pea haulm meet the eye, instead of something 

 making progress and growth for future usefulness. Now, such 

 sights should rarely be setn, and for as short a time as possible, 

 as no sooner is such a crop taken than it ought to be followed 

 by another. 



Here, again, we would notice the superiority of the garden 

 near the house over the allotment at a distance. In the gar- 

 den near the house every drop of dirty water, dish-washings, 

 &c., all come in useful, and for fresh-planted crops are much 

 better than clear water, and the earth is so grateful for what is 

 thus bestowed upon it, that it soon absorbs all those qualities 

 that might be noxious, becoming thus the best of all disinfect- 

 ants. Stronger waters must be mixed with pure water, that the 

 roots may absorb them without injury. A puddled hole, or an 

 old barrel sunk in the farthest-off part of the garden may 

 thus be most useful and profitable, when it is not convenient 

 to use the liquid at once ; and all solid matters should be 

 kept in a heap, and sprinkled frequently with a little earth 

 to keep in all the nourishing, fertilising properties. Every 

 withered Cabbage leaf, every bit of Potato haulm, may thus be 

 made to return to the soil what it has taken from it, and there 

 are few cottages from which these valuable manure-dressings 

 may not be accumulated. Now, much as we approve of mo- 

 derate-sized allotments, even though these be at a distance 

 from the homestead, they will never compare with the garden 

 close to the cottage, as much cannot so easily be made of the 

 refuse of all kinds that comes from the home. We are much 

 pleased with two things connected with cottage gardens and 

 allotments. First, that these are better kept and managed 

 throughout the year than they used to be, so that want of thrift 

 and want of tidiness are less observable in the autumn than 

 formerly ; and secondly, where societies are established for 

 promoting well-managed gardens, it is beginning to be a more 

 general system not to examine these plots once or twice, but 

 three or four times in the course of the year. The natural 

 flagging energy of the autumn is thus kept up to something 

 like the buoyant energy of the spring. All of us cultivators 

 need a little of this reminder, otherwise it will insensibly creep 

 upon us. We would also suggest that in all competitions be- 

 tween the holders of allotments and gardens, rather more 

 should be expected from gardens near the house than from those 

 considerably removed from it. The next time we are a few 

 hours from home, we shall be glad to see no festering Potato 

 tops and no withered Pea haulm, but the ground turned over 

 afre.«h and filled with something that will help to fill the pot in 

 winter. 



Some time ago we made remarks on the allotment system, 

 and now, as then, we hold that allotments are useful to a work- 

 ing man, chiefly when they are as large, and not larger than 

 he and his family can cultivate well without losing time at the 

 regular daily labour. Except in the case of jobbers, whose 

 time is to a considerable extent at their own disposal, a piece 

 of ground so large as to require the occupier to be several days 

 or weeks from his usual day labour, is a very questionable ad- 

 vantage. The earth is still a good paymaster, but we have 

 long been convinced that to make the most of it, a man must 

 either have enough of it to keep him constantly employed, and 



