Fobniary 1, 187.";. 1 



.JOURNAL OF UORTIOULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



101 



cuckoo, the larva of the Chrysis only devours the food pre- 

 pared for another, or whether it sometimes kills the rightful 

 occupant of the home it has entered, is a disputed point. The 

 parent whose progeny is threatened does not always tolerate 

 the intrusion , and instances have been related of sharp con- 

 tests between a Kuby-tail and a bee or wasp. The former, 

 however, chiefly acts on the defensive, by rolling itself into a 

 ball when threatened by the indignant owner of the domicile. 

 —J. 1!. S. ('. 



THE LATE MR. THOMAS WEAVER. 



Will yon permit me to add one little item to all that has 

 been so well said by others concerning our good old friend ? 

 I had the privilege of visiting him some years back, and I was 

 struck not only with his qualities as a thoroughly good, honest, 

 and old-fashioned gardener, but also by his simple and un- 

 affected piety. He was truly a humble-minded Cliristian 

 man, and his utterances on these higher subjects were charac- 

 terised by the same plain, good, common sense that marked 

 everything that he did. He was another instance of the many 

 I have known who in their dealings with the things of nature 

 had not been led to ignore Him whose handiwork they are, 

 but in whom they had intensified the love which they had 

 gained by the reading of that other Book which alike testifies 

 ol Him.— D., Deal. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND PRESENT WEEKS. 



KITCHEN GABDEN. 



Since sowing the Peas we have not had weather sufficiently 

 favourable for getting-in any out-of-door crops. The early 

 Potatoes are spread out very thinly on the ground in a cool 

 place ; but they have sprouted out rather more than usual, and 

 we do not like to break the first sprouts off, as the first growths 

 are not only the strongest, but if planted so they are undoubtedly 

 earlier. The ground is too wet to allow of planting the tuViers, 

 and as the beat resource under the circumstances they have 

 been laid out in shallow boxes and placed on the floor of a cool 

 glass house. This has been done to cause the growths to become 

 stronger by exposure to the light and plenty of air. A very little 

 fine mould has also beeu strewed amongst them, and when the 

 ground is in good condition for them to be planted out the 

 boxes are removed to the place, and the sets taken out of the 

 boxes and transferred to the ground at once. We have started 

 Potatoes in forcing houses to plant out in the open border, and 

 would do it again at this time if the tubers were not starting 

 into growth naturally. When this is done it is quite necessary 

 to place the boxes eoutainicg the sets into a cool house before 

 planting them out. It is a great advantage to have some sort 

 of protecting material to place over the Potatoes when they 

 have come through the ground, and this can be done very 

 cheaply. A framework formed of a single rail fixed about 

 lii inches from the ground at the front and back of the borders, 

 to a row of stumps driven into the ground, will support mats or 

 straw coverings, or even old shading that has become useless 

 for other purposes ; but better than all ere frame lights, which 

 may be put on when the Potatoes are planted, and be left there 

 permanently. This last would be not only the best, but would 

 be in the end the cheapest if the first outlay can be got over, 

 as not only is the protection the most effectual, but a vast 

 amount of labour expended in covering and uncovering would 

 be saved annually, and owing to the unsatisfactory condition of 

 the labour market it behoves us to be on the alert, so that by 

 mechanical or other appliances we may save in that respect. 



A sowing of Broad Windsor Beans has also been put in on a 

 south border. We like to get them in early, as the first sowing 

 always produces the best crops. In another class of soil or in a 

 more favourable district it may not be so, but we cannot find 

 time to water such crops, and they become quite dried-up in the 

 hot weather. We have not only to fight against a drv gravelly 

 soil, but, what is quite as bad, a deficient rainfall. Last year 

 our gauge did not register much over 18 inches. In such soil 

 and under such adverse circumstances the only road to tolerable 

 success is by trenching and woi-king-in a liberal dressing of sub- 

 stantial farmyard manure. If our supply of that was restricted 

 it would be enough to make us give up in despair. Mulching 

 the ground with manure also serves to retain the moisture. 



Sowed Carrois and Lettuces in ground vineries. For this 

 purpose some dry loam was laid upon the surface of the ground 

 after laying down some bricks on which to rest the vineries. 

 Hicks's Hardy White Cos is the best Lettuce for our purpose, 

 and the Early Horn Carrot; but it is needless to expect satis- 

 factory results from very early crops without there is a good 

 .supply of dry mould at hand in which to sow the seeds, or some 

 glass lights for protection from frosts. The Carrot and Lettuce 

 are sown in rows 9 inches apart, and yet there is room between 

 the rows for a crop of Eadishes. Mustard and Cress is sown as 

 wanted in boxes, which are placed in any of the forcing houses. 



Sowed Cauliflowers in boxes, and placed the boxes in a hot- 

 bed to start the seeds. These come in immediately after the 

 autumn-sown plants, which have been wintered in hand-lights 

 and frames. Those in hand-lights are planted out in the autumn 

 where they are to remain ; they are the strongest plants selected 

 from the bed. The smaller plants are pricked-out in boxes and 

 merely protected from the weather until late in February or 

 early in March, when they are planted out in the garden. 



FEUIT .VND FOBCING HOUSES. 



Fineries. — Little can be added to previous remarks in this 

 department of our work. The higher minimum temperature 

 kept up naturally requires that more moisture be allowed to 

 evaporate in the houses. Two other matters which cannot be 

 considered of minor importance must also be noticed, and that 

 is watering and ventilation. The pots are usually plunged in 

 some moist warm material, mostly spent tan from the leather- 

 curers. Now the mould may become dry on the surface and be 

 quite moist underneath, so that the utmost care is requisite in 

 applying the water. Pines will not thrive if they are over- 

 watered, and many fine fruits have been spoiled by this cause 

 alone. Then fresh air is next in importance to good water. A 

 small chink shoirld be opened the first thing in the morning at 

 the apex of the roof, not only in pineries but all forcing houses. 



Peach Houses. — When it is perceived that the fruit is set it is 

 advantageous to the trees to give them a thorouQh good syring- 

 ing, which cleanses them from withered flowers, &c., and to con- 

 tinue the syringing every morning unless the weather is un- 

 favourable. Trees that are now in flower are at the most 

 critical period, and the blossoms should be set by shaking the 

 trees or by using a camel-hair pencil. We have seen many 

 different systems of training, but believe that the one having 

 the most advantages is that of training the trees on the fan 

 system to wires fixed horizontally about a foot from the glass. 

 This allows of the fruit and young wood being thoroughly ex- 

 posed to the sun, and they are also in the position where they 

 are most freely exposed to the air. Trees planted on the back 

 wall do very little good when the area of the glass is covered 

 with foliage ; but then if the trellis is arranged so that the sun 

 can act upon the wall, a corresponding surface under the top 

 lights must be unclothed from foliage, and this is just the place 

 where the finest fruit is usually produced, so that there is no 

 obvious advantage in trelUsing and being at the trouble of train- 

 ing trees to the back wall. 



PLANT STOVE AND ORCHID HOUSES. 



In many instances the stove is overdone with plants cul- 

 tivated solely for their foliage. The rage has been for this class 

 of plants during the last ten or more years, and a large pro- 

 portion of recent introductions are not worth house-room. We 

 must find room for some of the finer Palms and Dracsenas, for 

 such plants as Aralia Veitchii and A. leptophylla, for the more 

 beautifully- marked Crotons and Pandanus Veitchii; but even 

 then they must not be introduced to the exclusion of the 

 flowering plants at present. Some of the casitst-managed 

 Orchids may be had in flower if it is a house that requires a 

 winter temperature of G0° or 05° ; then the Phalffiuopsis grandi- 

 flora will be in beauty all the winter, if 50° or 55° be the mini- 

 mum. The bridal Orchids are represented by Coslogyne cris- 

 tata, which thrives best in a temperature so low that it would 

 be fatal to the beautiful Moth Orchid from Manilla. We find 

 the pretty deep blue Eranthemum pulchellum very useful at 

 this season ; and for arranging in bijou bouquets the Euphorbia 

 jacquiniaeflora is not easily matched. They are also very easily 

 grown. With the increasing light we also require a somewhat 

 higher temperature ; in the warmest stove 05° is now the lowest 

 temperature. The weather has also been fine, which has 

 allowed of more air being admitted. All plants that require 

 potting are now being attended to, and a watchful eye is also 

 being kept for all sorts of insect pests. Bougainvillea glabra 

 wintered in a greenhouse has now been placed in heat. 



FLOWEH GIKDEN. 



Pruning shrubs, cutting dead wood out, and forking-over the 

 ground in open spaces. The herbaceous borders are also being 

 dug after some manure has been placed amongst the plants. 

 However careful one may be to place labels to all the bulbous 

 plants some of them get displaced, but now that nearly all 

 spring-flowering subjects are above ground, digging can be per- 

 formed with safety. Pinks had been thrown out of the ground 

 or much loosened by the frost, and were pressed-in with the 

 fingers, the ground being stirred between the rows. Removed 

 withered and decaying leaves from Carnations and Picotees in 

 frames. The Hghts are quite removed in fine weather, but no 

 rain is aUowed to fall npon them as yet ; water is apphed very 

 sparingly to the roots. Auriculas in pots have been surface- 

 dressed and watered. The plants show signs of returning ani- 

 mation after their winter rest. They have been plentifully sup- 

 phed with water to thoroughly moisten the mould ; the frame is 

 aired, and the treatment similar to Carnations. 



Potting-off all bedding plants and striking cuttings of all that 

 we are short of. Calceolarias have not yet been removed from 

 the shelter of a north wall. The cuttings were put in late, and 



