38i 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



[ Nov'ombor 11, 1869. 



temperature from fun heat will rarely in these latitnacs hurt a 

 plant or a man if the (irat have free ventilation and the second 

 have energy and determination to keep moving ; but bow can 

 either be refreshed with a high temperature in darkness, when 

 Bleep and repose are necessary for both .' Not long ago wo were 

 asked to look at Cucumbers in a house plastered with green 

 fly, and no wonder, for the temperature at 8 r.y.. was fully 80\ 

 The temperature enervated the plants, and all the airing, A-c, 

 during the day could not make them robust. With two or 

 three cool smotings and warm washings the insects were 

 mastered, and the plants recovered in a night temperature of 

 from (',0° to 05°, and a day temperature of from G.j' to 70', with 

 a gradual rise of 10' from sun heat, with little air, but that 

 early given. 



Two facts are here worth repeating. The first is, that the 

 smoke from all combinations of tobac:o cannot roach the 

 plants too cool. Of all tobacco, shag is the safest and best. In 

 these smoking days, however, we seldom use it, ns it is always 

 as well to keep temptation. out of people's way; and hence, what 

 Utile we use is confined to the paper and other preparations 

 advertised, but in the case of all of them if the smoke reach 

 the plant hot it is sure to injure the leaves. The second fact 

 is, that no plant ought to have its leaves damp when smoked 

 with any preparation of tobacco. Fumigating plants when their 

 leaves are damp, does more injury to them than to the insects. 

 We have seen tender plants almost killed from being syringed 

 before being smoked, although they would have been uninjured 

 if the foliage had been dry. 



Smoking, to be effectual and safe, must be resorted to when 

 the first insects appear. Waiting until leaves become crusted 

 or plastered with aphides is merely wasting time and tobacco. 

 It would often be better to take all the leaves off or take the 

 plants up. When so bad frequent smokings must be resorted 

 to, as the smoke has no effect, we believe, on the eggs, which 

 are quickly hatched by the heat. Soap or size water is more 

 prejudicial to them, as shutting them up with a thin film from 

 the air. Tobacco is often worse than wasted, because used 

 too late. 



When plants are planted out in pits, frames, and houses, 

 unless individually they can be enclosed in a cloth, the house 

 or pit must be smoked. In the case of plants grown in pots 

 and moveable, it would be seldom necessary to smoke a house, 

 and thus make it repulsive to many for a time, as one pot or a 

 number of pots might be smoked and kept long enough in a 

 small close box ; and thus, often a pinch of tobacco or its pre- 

 parations would be as serviceable as ounces or pounds in a 

 larger place. 



As against smoking we have great faith, when theycin be 

 had and applied, in nimble fingers and water-washings. The 

 chief advantage of smoking is that the smoke penetrates into 

 every joint and cranny. We have seen tobacco water, strong. 

 too, used in washing shoots infested with insects, killing the 

 insects, but often killing the shoots as well. Running the 

 fingers and thumb along the shoots to squeeze the insects, and 

 then washing all the remains off with a forcible jet from the 

 syringe would be equally effective as respects the destruction 

 of the insects, quite as pleasant to the operator, and move safe 

 to the plant itself. Often when wo went more from home we 

 have been anxiously consulted by young ladies as to how they 

 were to free from insects some favourite plant in a window, 

 every unhealthy symptom making them uneasy as associated 

 with omens as to the condition of the giver, far away, but not 

 out of mmd if out of sight. The tenth part of the time spent 

 in merely looking and fretting would have been more than 

 sufficient with their pliant fingers, with or without the help of 

 a sponge, to clear away every insect and every particle of dust, 

 and cause the renovated plant to become in very thankfulness 

 a cheering forecaster of hopes and joys to come. 



Fr.CIT GAEDEN. 



We have done little more than previously referred to. Straw- 

 berry pots out of doors ara chiefly lying on their broadsides to 

 escape the drizzling showers, and we have a little litter and 

 straw ready to throw over them in frost. Pruning may be 

 proceeded with, as the frost will cause the leaves to cling for 

 some time to Apples and Pears. It is rather singular the 

 frosts should have destroyed them when even Scarlet Pelargo- 

 ninm leaves and Peach leaves escaped. The leaves of the latter 

 out of doors are still too green. 



Planlhtg may be proceeded with ii the soil is damp enough. 

 In this neighbourhood, at a few inches from the surface, it is far 

 too dry and hard to permit of planting on a large scale being 

 done with advantage. Nurserymen complain that they cannot 



take ap trees and shrubs without the help of the pickaxe, and 

 then customers grumble that the trees do not succeed well when 

 removed from such dust-dry soil. Better under such circum- 

 stances to wait a little; or, if that cannot bo dune, let the roots 

 be taken up with unusual care, be well soaked and puddled, 

 and then packed in damp litter ; and when planted the some- 

 what damp surface soil should be packed round the roots where 

 watering cannot bo resorted to. In general the surface soil is 

 damp enough for .3 or i inches in depth, but in our case, and 

 in this neighbourhood, wherever a crop has been grown, at a 

 greater depth the soil is very dry, showing that much rain is 

 wanted to give it its common amount of moisture. 



OKSAMENTAL DEPAKTMENT. 



The same facts apply to the rcmnval o/ all trees and shrubs 

 in the pleasure grounds. Plants brought from a distance will 

 require additional care on account of the dryness of the soil. 

 Those merely moved at borne can have that care supplied by 

 attention to watering. For mere levelling, where no great 

 depth has to be penetrated, no weather could answer better, 

 and turfing done uow will give no trouble afterwards, as the 

 surface soil is quite damp enough. One reason why Scarlet 

 Pelargoniums withstood the frost so well was greatly owing to 

 the bulk of the roots being so dry. With respect to them we 

 noticed a singular fact yesterday, when we cleared the most ol 

 them away. The weather being dry, the most of the leaves 

 were as fresh and green as they were in August, the footstalks 

 of the leaves were also seemingly quite sound ; but though 

 many of the stems looked green, the heart was frosted black 

 or brown. Below the ground and a few inche^i above it the 

 stems and rosts were safe after parsing through several frosts 

 of 10', and many slighter ones. These roots on an emergency, 

 if taken up and packed closely in any place, however dark, 

 would have broken well as the days lengthened ond warmed in 

 spring. Some of the beds, c.opecially those of variegated Pelar- 

 goniums and Heliotropes, began to taint the air, and as the 

 weather was dry, we cleared the whole off. making a bottom of 

 a large rubbish-heap with the material, if we do not move it 

 again to make the bottoms of hotbeds. In wet weather, pro- 

 ceeded with clearing and boxing the Pelargoniums taken np 

 from the beds, and which have been kept safe under a little 

 litter. We also potted, moved, and cleaned pot plants. 



No weather could bo better for making alterations in groimd 

 work. This is often more necessary in email places than in 

 large ones, as the smaller the place (he sooner it becomes 

 monotonous to the eye. The smaller the place the easier it 

 would be to change the general aspect every year. A great 

 point would be gained, as respects pleasing variety, if every 

 owner would study th3 nature of his own place, and gratify his 

 own individual taste, and then we should not find in so many 

 cases that one garden is so much a repetition of another. 

 Even in the front gardens of suburban residences we should 

 like to walk along, look through the open railings and see 

 every little garden diilerent in its arrangements from all the 

 rest. A vast variety as to the arrangements of grass and 

 gravel, plants and shrul;3, could thus be seen in a single su- 

 burban street, and every owner would derive a higher gratifica- 

 tion than in merely imitating his neighbour. 



For planting Tulips and other bulbs no weather could be 

 more suitable; much depends on having them in good condi- 

 tion. Had we a little garden, and could spare a little money, 

 we should at least dip into Crocus collections. What can be 

 more beautiful in spring, even in good patches of a colour, 

 planting the bulbs or corms 2 or 3 inches apart ? And what 

 more interesting than contrasting these yellow, blue, white, 

 and purple colours in artistic tracery, love-knots, &c. ? Before 

 the group beds were cleared and ready, all bulbs could be set on 

 leaf mould, covered over, and lifted carefully when the ground 

 is well prepared for them. 



Zinc roofs. — Incur corridors — glazed in front and zinc-roofed 

 — such plants as the Coleuscs, that made a fine appearance 

 all the summer, btgan to show the effects of the cold, though 

 not at all frosted, by dropping their leaves. They passed, how- 

 ever, the cold of Oct. 19th and thereabouts, and only suffered 

 last week. The plants were too large for ns to attempt to 

 keep, as we have small plants which will take little room in 

 winter. The full enjoyment of such corridors, however, depends 

 very much on being able to keep them temperate by heating in 

 winter, and this we hope to have done. Where only a temperate 

 heat is required, and the mere keeping out of frost in severe 

 weather, no mode of heating is so economical as by portable 

 iron stoves inside the place. Where more is wanted, combined 

 with comfort and freedom from the troable of firing inside the 



