36 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



I .lanaaiy 14, 1875. 



there are vast plantations of thia beantifnl Palm, and their 

 produce is of great importance, for as everyone chews Betel, 

 the consumption of Areca nuts in Ladia is incredibly great." 



NOTES ON VILLA and SUBURBAN GAEDENING. 



With the spring dawning upon ua, and the weather mild, and 

 the soil comparatively dry and workable, reminda one that it 

 is time for action in many gardening matters. The first of 

 which should claim attention is the sowing of a crop of Peas, and 

 planting a crop of Broad Beans. A warm border should be 

 selected for both, and then, if the weather should not prove too 

 severe, they may be expected to come in for use within a very 

 short time of those sown in November, and with much better 

 results as to produce, arising from the fact that they are reared 

 nearer their proper season of growth. If the ground is not yet 

 ready for the reception of the Peas or Beana they may be very 

 profitably raised under hand-lights, to be afterwards planted out. 

 Both of the above crops, if not improved by transplanting, are 

 certainly not injured by it. It may be as well to mention that, 

 when the soil is very wet and cold and not of the best staple, 

 the Peas would be best sown very shallow and covered over with 

 soil made up for the occasion. Thia system prevents the seed 

 from rotting, which a wet heavy soil always favours more or 

 less. But it must be borne in mind that, through the seed 

 being sown shallow and the soil bad, the roots will have a ten- 

 dency to grow but just under the surface; therefore during their 

 growth they must be surface-dressed or mulched to keep them 

 in health and growing order. The Broad Bean is not so parti- 

 cular about soil, aa a heavy one if of moderate stability wiU 

 moat Ukely suit it better than a lighter one. A few Carrots of 

 the Early Horn kind should be sown at once under a frame ; if 

 on a bed of heating material so much the better. This ought to 

 be the second crop sown on the same conditions. A small crop 

 should also be sown in the open ground, provided it is in a 

 warm spot and dug. The Long Scarlet Frame Eadish, too, may 

 be sown with them. Some people complain of the loss of Cauli- 

 flower plants, not only those pricked out under walls, but many 

 of those in hand-Ughts. When such ia the case sow soine seed 

 in a frame — or a box no doubt would be more convenient for 

 small gardens ; these to be afterwards pricked out on protected 

 borders. They do not generally turn in quite so soon as those 

 sown in autumn, but they do form a good succession, both 

 tender and finer than older plants. The same precaution must 

 be taken with regard to Cabbage, many of which have gone off 

 in the beds. 



Now is a very convenient time to make up a hotbed. Perha,ps 

 no time is so suitable for the amateur gardener. He can raise 

 so many things by its help. If not wanted for Cucumbers or 

 Melons for a permanency, the young plants can at least be raised 

 in it, to be finally planted elsewhere ; and besides that, the 

 general bulk of plants wanted for either department of the garden 

 may be snccessfully raised in it. 



FKniT GAKDEN. 



Do not delay the pruning of anything now. Even Peaches, 

 Nectarines, and Apricots must be now done, and especially out- 

 door Vines, which if left too late are apt to bleed, to their injury 

 for the next seaaon'a growth. Orchard trees, or those grown in 

 that fashion in the garden, must be pruned also, which consists 

 in the thinning-out of the old wood and branches where they 

 are thick. Rhubarb in forcing beds must be watched this mild 

 weather, and admit air and light to that fit for use, keeping the 

 succession crops a little closer. 



FLOtt'ER GABDEN. 



In the flower garden there is not much to do but to trim and 

 dress-up plants and dig the ground. Even the soil in the flower 

 beds will be the better if once more turned over to a good depth. 

 Lay turf during this auitable weather, and make any alterations 

 on the lawn that necessitate the removal of turf. See to the 

 edgings, and in cutting them take care that they are well de- 

 fined ; even a email terrace embankment, if allowed to get out 

 of shape its appearance ia spoiled. Take care that the ground 

 is thoroughly rammed, to prevent the sinking of the soil and 

 the unlevel appearance which the lawn will assume if it is not 

 properly done. Admit plenty of air to frames and places con- 

 taining cool-house plants ; and as the bedding Calceolarias are 

 well rooted it would be better to take the point out of every 

 shoot, otherwiae they become drawn and almost useleaa when 

 planted out. A]l bedding plants that are growing unevenly, the 

 tallest should be pinched back. The same may be said of Ver- 

 benas and many other things of the same class. — T. Record. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND PRESENT WEEKS. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Since the third day of the present month the thermometer 

 has not fallen lower than 3G°, so that the frost ia quite out of the 

 ground. The Apple, Pear, Plum, and Cherry trees trained as 

 pyramids and in the bush form bad been pruned in the autumn, 



and needed only to be looked over, and to have any branches 

 that were crowded or crossing each other to be removed. The 

 Cherry trees have been planted ten years, and are furnished 

 from the ground to the tips of the branches with fruit buds. 

 They have grown so large that it is difficult to cover them with 

 nets, and if they are not thoroughly covered-in with strong nets, 

 when the fruit is ripe the birds will risk their lives to get at it. 

 Indeed, it is so dilficult to preserve it that we are digging out 

 some of the trees and planting Apples in the place of them. In 

 our shallow gravelly soil trees worked on siurface-rooting stocks 

 are the best, and the course of treatment required for them ia 

 very different from that given to those which are worked on 

 stocks that send their roota down deeply in the ground and far 

 outwards in search of sustenance. The trees of the latter are 

 planted where they have opportunity to grow to a considerable 

 size ; and when they have arrived at the stage of growing crops 

 of fruit, a dressing of manure over the roots and forking it in 

 will in most instances benefit the trees. In light soils the best 

 treatment for trees on a dwarfing stock is to mulch over the 

 roots with rotted manure ; cow and horse mixed is better than 

 the latter by itself. Very often the spent dung from a Mush- 

 room house or from a hotbed that may have been overheated is 

 used, but cow manure ia the beat for light soils, and for heavy 

 soils stable manure should be used by itself. In relaying the 

 Box edgings they were raised a little to allow of a dressing of 

 gravel over the walks without taking any of the old gravel out. 

 This arrangement left the borders in which the fruit trees are 

 planted a little lower ; and the way we have done this year has 

 been to give the surface of the borders a good dressing with 

 manure, and then to cover this over with soil that had been dog 

 out to renew the vinery borders. If this had not been done the 

 soil would have to be wheeled out, and then carted away where 

 it would be of little value. When the trees were planted the 

 union of the graft with the stock was not covered : the present 

 dressing wiU just cover the union. Now, from previous expe- 

 rience we believe that this is the right course to pursue with our 

 trees. New roots wQl be emitted from the stock quite up to 

 the point of union, but not above it, and the roots of previous 

 years which have penetrated the border in aU directions will 

 work up to the rich moist surface-dressing instead of downwards 

 to the sterile subsoQ. 



When Strawberry plants in the open ground are exposed to 

 very severe frosts they suffer much, but while the frost lasted 

 they were covered with snow, which effectually protected them 

 from injury. The Dutch hoe had been repeatedly used between 

 the rows up to the time the autumnal rains set in. The few 

 weeds that remained were picked-out by hand, ao that the 

 quarter haa now a clean and tidy appearance. Some fine day 

 in March the hoe may be run through them again. Many per- 

 sons mulch their Strawberry beds in winter. This we have 

 done, but found that it caused an over-luxuriant growth, and 

 that a much better course of treatment was not to apply the 

 mulching of manure until the dry weather set in, which with 

 ua is usually some time in May, and before applying the dress- 

 ing the beds usually receive a good soaking of water. We had 

 begun to dig, or rather fork over, the ground between the rows 

 of Raspberry plants when the snow and frost stopped us. No 

 time wiU be lost in getting this done, and all other digging 

 amongst fruit trees will be done without delay. 



FRUIT A.ND FORCING HOUSES. 



Where many houaea of difl'erent degreea of temperature are 

 heated from one boiler aome experience is necessary to regulate 

 the valves so that the greenhouses, &c., may not be overheated. 

 Our own experience in regard to this is rather different from 

 that of Mr. Taylor, who gave his in a recent number ; in his 

 case the temperatures were reversed. The houaea that ought to 

 have been 65" were down to 40', and the greenhouse up to 05°. 

 Now, if thia is the case hia heating arrangements are very im- 

 perfect. Our own experience of the one-boiler system extends 

 over many aevere winters, and such a blunder has never hap- 

 pened in any houses under our control. No doubt all the evil 

 Mr. Taylor complains about is caused by the return pipes being 

 higher than the flows. No heating apparatus could do its work 

 with satisfaction arranged in such a way. It is not at all neces- 

 sary, aa Mr. Taylor suggests, to go to the expense of pipes 

 5 and 6 inches diameter for the main pipes. Three-inch pipes 

 are sufficient for all ordinary purpoaes, but the flow must be 

 fixed at the highest part of the boiler, and the main pipes must 

 rise gradually to the point furthest removed from theboUer; 

 1 foot in lUO ia sufficient, but, of course, the water will flow more 

 rapidly if the incline upwards ia greater. The return pipe must 

 be fixed at the lowest part of the boiler, and by the use of elbows 

 near the boiler both flow and return may be carried along at the 

 same level for convenience. Castings in the form of a T are 

 used at each house to connect the flow and return with the 

 pipes used in heating the house. From this the flow must again 

 rise to the furthest point, and gently fall through the pipes to 

 the return. 



E.ARLY ^^NERIEB. 



In houses that are forced early it is necessary to bend the 



