December 16, 1869. ] JOURNAJj OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



483 



point, yonng gardeners will do well to tnrn their attention 

 thereto. As far as my experience goes, I hold it to be a great 

 point in the formation of borders for fruit trees, that no stimu- 

 lating manures should enter into their composition. I ought 

 to add, however, that Vines are an exception, for they are gross 

 feeders, and capable of taking up and assimilating a greater 

 amount of nourishment than harder-wooded fruit trees. All 

 the pruning, except that of Figs and Apricots, and most of 

 the nailing of wall trees, as well as the training of espaliers, 

 should be finished, if possible, by New Year's-day, and the 

 same may be said of bush fruit. The making of borders or 

 stations for fruit trees, too, should be autumn business ; indeed 

 where new soil has to be introduced, October is the most 

 fitting time, as the best of soils may be seriously injured by 

 moving them in a wet state. All matting or bast required for 

 the ensuing year should be cut, sorted, and hung up ready for 

 use. No time should be lost when the weather is bad in pro- 

 ceeding with in-door work. Besoms and baskets should be pre- 

 pared, the tool-house examined, and any other work done that 

 is possible. 



FLOWEK GAKDEK. 



When any of the beds or borders require a dressing of fresh 

 soil, this should be in readiness to wheel on in favourable 

 weather. As a dressing for flower-beds, fresh soil is in most 

 cases preferable to manure, which is apt to cause too luxuriant 

 a growth for a first-rate display of flowers. In soils naturally 

 poor, however, and where neither fresh soil nor decayed leaves 

 can be had, a moderate dressing of well-rotted farmyard manure 

 wiU be useful, but this should be thoroughly mixed with the 

 mould the full depth of the bed, and not carelessly turned over 

 and left in lumps near the surface, for in this case a gross 

 habit of growth would be promoted early in the season, and as 

 the principal parts of the roots would be near the surface in 

 the manure, the plants would soon feel the eiJects of dry 

 weather; but if the manure be well incorporated with the soil 

 to the depth of about 18 inches, no ordinary amount of dry 

 weather will injure the plants after they once become fully 

 established. Attend to the protection of tender plants, and in 

 moderate weather like the present, especially if dry, open the 

 canopies or coverings a little for a few hours once a-week or so, 

 in order to disynl damp. A plan of the masses or beds might 

 also be decide 'i on. As regards florists' flowers, little can be 

 done now exr>.pt in the way of preparation, and should frosty 

 weather set in. u will afford the opportunity of having all the 

 compost heiii's thoroughly frozen; by repeatedly removing the 

 encrusted surface and piling it up every morning, many of the 

 insects and their eggs will be destroyed, a point of no small 

 importance to the cultivator. Hard weather is also a good 

 time to cart turf, peat, &c.. and to lay in for the various plants 

 and flowers a good stock of the soils most suitable, without 

 which it is next to impossible to grow such siiecessfully. If 

 leaden pegs are used for layering Carnations, a fresh stock may 

 bo cast, and the old ones cleaned and straightened. If the 

 florist can mend his own hand-glasses and shades, these 

 ought now to be looked over, and the metallic wires which have 

 been used for attaching the stems of Carnations or Tulips to 

 their supports should be made ready for use, and stored away 

 in their proper places. During severe weather rabbits will be 

 apt to attack Carnations and Pinks. It would be worth while 

 to try the plan of dipping small square pieces of cloth in brim- 

 stone, tying them to sticks, and inserting the sticks in the 

 ground round the beds. 



GliEEXHOUSE AUD COKSEEVATOET. 



As the introduction of Chrysanthemums must have caused a 

 disarrangement of part of the stock, it is of importance to set 

 the plants which have been removed in their former situations, 

 or to rearrange the whole, so as to produce a good effect. 

 Plants, however, must not be set where they will not thrive, 

 and this is a point to which careful attentiyn must be paid. 

 Chrysanthemums decaying should be cut down, if that has not 

 been already done. They should then be suffered to become 

 somewhat dry, and be removed to cold frames. Those who 

 cannot afford frame room, may secure them in some shed or 

 outhouse for a few weeks, covering them overhead with clean 

 straw whilst frost lasts. If they are slightly frozen it will not 

 matter, only take care that they do not thaw too suddenly. 

 The present dry, cold weather may cause extra protecting ma- 

 terial to be employed, therefore some should be in readiness 

 when required. If not already done, lose no time in placing 

 under cover a supply of the various loams, peat, (fee, likely to 

 be required for spring potting. The conservatory and show 

 house should now be made as gay as possible with forced plants ; 



keep up a regular succession throughout the winter and spring, 

 by bringing forward stock as wanted. liuses, both dwarf and 

 standard. Honeysuckles, hybrid Rhododendrons, and Azaleas, 

 with njany other plants, will enable cultivators to make a good 

 show. Hyacinths, Narcissuses, Tulips, Lily of the Valley, 

 and similar flowers, must be forwarded as wanted. Hard- 

 wooded plants will require a rather dry atmosphere, in order to 

 keep them free from mildew and damp. The principal work in 

 plant houses will consist in keeping them and their inmates 

 scrupulously clean. 



STOVE. 



Little can be said with respect to stove plants at present. 

 Use moderation in heat, ventilation, and atmospheric moisture. 

 Beware of exciting the buds of Orchids too soon. Attend to 

 this, and keep a somewhat drier atmosphere until the middle 

 of January. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST "WEEK. 



KITCHEN OABDEN. 



The past has been for the most part a week of mist, fog, and 

 rain, making the ground, if at all stiff, slimy and uncomfortable 

 on the surface, and therefore but little digging and trenching 

 was done, leaving such work until we had a little frost, or the 

 weather should be more open, and diier. Where, however, 

 other work was scarce, rough digging, and especially ridgiug- 

 up, could be proceeded with. In the frosty days, when not 

 engaged in ice-collecting, we were chiefly emplyed in wheeling 

 manure into heaps, whence it could be taken as needed, collect- 

 ing soil and tree leaves, and taking up more Sea-kale and 

 Rhubarb, and placing them ia the Mushroom house. The first 

 has come in very well with little or no bottom heat, the heat 

 of the atmosphere ranging from 55° to 58'. Our first bed of 

 Muslirooms has yielded well, helped by some manure waterings 

 of dried cow dung soaked in water. Woodlice nibbled a few 

 Mushrooms, but they seem to have all left us, after pouring 

 very hot water down the small chinks made at the backs and 

 fronts of the beds, where they congregated to screen themselves 

 from observation. We never hesitate to use hot water in such 

 places, as it benefits the bed rather than otherwise ; but we 

 have not yet gone the length of giving a watering all over a 

 bed, young Mushrooms and all, with water nearly at the boiling 

 point, as a friend of ours does, and he says with the best 

 results. The farthest we have gone in the way of experiment 

 was to water a yard or two with water at 195°, and though 

 there were a few Mushrooms some 4 inches in diameter, and 

 plenty from the size of peppercorns and walnuts up to the 

 above, we did not see that the warm water did them any harm. 

 Still, as we generally have plenty without such extremes, we 

 would be inclined to let well alone, except in the way of ex- 

 periment. Had we a bed that did not bear, or ceased to bear 

 prematurely, and we thought the barrenness might be owing 

 to coldness and dryness, we would not hesitate to make some 

 small holes, water well with warm water, draw a clean spade 

 over the surface, and cover to keep the heat in, and thus in- 

 duce a fresh gentle fermentation. We have acted thus on 

 several occasions with good results, but that is a different 

 affair from using water nearly at the boiUng point to a bed 

 bearing as our friend's does, or at least did lately, and he is no 

 new beginner, but a grower of many years' experience. Until 

 we know more, we would not counsel the free adoption of the 

 practice, as some have tried it and been unsuccessful. Still, 

 some of our readers may try as an experiment how high a 

 temperature the Mushroom will bear for a short period, as in 

 such hot-watering. We know it will often stand a low tem- 

 perature, as we have gathered Mushrooms when covered with 

 snow ; and from beds out of doors that were supposed to be 

 exhausted in November, and stood, therefore, exposed all the 

 winter to frost and the general run of the weather, we have 

 gathered lots, and a crop came again plentifully in April. Still, 

 to obtain regular crops, it is well to attend to the systems of 

 culture generally adopted, and recommended in these pages. 



Radishes, Cauliflowers, Endive, Sec, protected from the frost, 

 are still good, and opportunity was taken to collect a lot of 

 leaves, which were at once thrown into shape for frames, and 

 which will yield a sufficient heat ere long to advance earl;/ crops 

 of Radishes, Carrots. Potatoes, Turnijis, &c. These leaves will 

 heat and subside all the more regularly if no soil be put on 

 until that subsidence has taken place, and as no turning-over 

 to sweeten will be necessary, much labour will be saved if the 

 cart can be emptied at once where the beds are to be. Move- 

 able frames with sashes are exceedingly useful for such pur- 



