108 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ February 25, 1875. 



descriptions of the dressed (grounds at Hardwick published in 

 this Journal so recently as January 'Jlst and 2Hth. In all her 

 plans she was aided by her head gardener Mr. D. T. Fish. It 

 is stated that she had been talking with him, and giving direc- 

 tions for the planting of that funereal tree the Cypress just 

 previously to the seizure, which almost immediately proved 

 fatal. We extract the following from the Bunj Free Press : — 

 " Few things are a higher testimony to character than the 

 length of time that dependants cling to and serve the same 

 employer with the unstinted measure that love gives. Judged 

 bv this standard her ladyship stands out as a model employer. 

 Mr. Samuel Barrett may be said to have been at Hardwick all 

 his life, Mrs. Peat for thirty-four years, Miss Woodfine for 

 nearly a quarter of a century, Mr. Fish twenty years, and some 

 of the under servants and labourers for terms equally long or 

 longer. As a patron of horticulture Lady CuUum has long stood 

 pre-eminent. Assisting her husband, the late Sir Thomas 

 CuUum, in all his undertakings to beautify and adorn Hard- 

 wick, her ladyship has gone on always adding to the extent 

 of the gardens and enriching their beauty. Her last work — 

 in which she was busily engaged only a few minutes before the 

 attack that terminated her useful life — was determining the 

 site, with Mr. Fish, for a few more ornamental and rare trees. 

 The Bury and West Suffolk Horticultural Society is under the 

 deepest obligations to her ladyship for her cheerful readiness 

 to grant the use of her grounds on all occasions when required ; 

 and even this season Lady CuUam had the generosity to offer 

 Hardwick to them should the Bury and Thetford Railway not 

 be open in time to allow the Society to hold their summer fC-te 

 at Ampton." 



NOTES ON YlhLk AND SUBURBAN GARDENING. 



The snow that has fallen within the last few days, and the 

 slight frosts we have had with a very cold northerly wind, will 

 prevent vegetation from advancing too rapidly, and thereby be 

 au advantage ; it has for a time also prevented the progress of 

 some work in the kitchen garden, to which when the opportunity 

 arrives the amateur must turn his attention. I allude to the 

 following crops : — 



Jekusaleji »\btichokes. — Where these are grown the tubers 

 should be planted at once similar to Potatoes, and not less than 

 '2 feet between the rows, but allow 6 inches more if space can 

 be spared. A deeply cultivated soil is necessary for them, al- 

 though it is usual to plant on one of the worst spots in the 

 garden, which is a mistake, because this vegetable is as profit- 

 able in yield as a Potato, if not more so, inasmuch as it is not 

 subject to the disease. It is a custom to allow the bed to stand 

 for several years without replanting. This, too, is a mistake, 

 for then the tubers degenerate in size, and being an ill-formed 

 tuber there is great waste iu preparing for cooking. Thpy should 

 be grown as large as possible, and this is best done by making a 

 bed annually and encourage them by manure and good cul- 

 tivation. 



P.vKsNiPS. — These may be sown as soon as the ground is 

 workable on the surface. This being a deeply-rooted and ex- 

 haustive crop for the ground, the soil should be rich and deeply 

 dug or trenched ; but I presume the trenching of the ground 

 has been done some time ago, the advantages of which have 

 been previously stated. The sort known as Hollow-crowned is 

 usually grown, but this in rich soils is liable to canker. I grow 

 this and the Student, a somewhat smaller-growing sort, but a 

 good shape, and so far as I have seen is free from all disease. 



Potatoes. — To succeed those in frames a crop of the Early 

 Ashleaf may be planted on a warm border. I advise also the 

 planting of Myatt's Prolific at the same time, which for an early 

 and reliablu sort outdoors is not beaten yet, and one succeeds the 

 other. There are now many excellent sorts for general crop- 

 ping which must be noticed when the time comes for planting, 

 but my idea is, that for small; gardens a good-cropping Potato 

 such as Myatt's Kidney must not be set aside without a weighty 

 consideration. 



Carkots. — Sow a small space in a warm corner, iu rows 1 foot 

 apart, of the Early Horn kind, and take care that they are 

 dusted with lime and soot as soon as the young plants appear, 

 or they will be eaten-off by slugs in a single night. Sometimes 

 they are eaten-off before they are really out of the ground. A 

 good preventive is to mix lime and soot in the soil before sowing 

 the seed, working it up with a rake. A few Kadishes may be 

 sown between the rows, the same as if in a frame, so that they 

 can be pulled off without interfering with the Carrots. 



Spinach. — A capital summer vegetable and quickly comes in 

 for use. Sow a crop now between the rows of Peas or Broad 

 Beans. Except for winter use it is scarcely necessary to take- 

 up a separate piece of ground for it, as it is a crop which is soon 

 cleared off. 



TuBNii's. — At the end of the mouth sow a piece of ground 



with Early Stone and White Dutch ; the one succeeds the other 

 when sown at the same time. It is just possible that some of 

 these will run to seed, but a vegetable of this kiad is generally 

 required as early as possible ; tlaerefore, if only a few dishes can 

 be secured they are worth all the trouble. As soon as the crop 

 is up and fairly started into growth another of the same sorts 

 should be sown. The first crop may be on a south border, but 

 those sown during the summer should be put on a partially 

 shaded piece of ground. 



Onions. — First determine the size of bed required for these, 

 and the first opportunitv sow one half, and the other half at the 

 end of next month. Chonse a fine day with a dry surface to 

 the soil, put the rows about a foot apart, and if the soil is rather 

 light tread the seed in with tne foot before raking over the 

 surface. Autumn-sown Onions are more viRorous growers, and 

 if they are now standing thick in the bed enrich a piece of 

 eround with manure and prick-out as many as are required. 

 Do not plant these too deeply, but just so that the roots are well 

 fastened in the soil. 



Peas. — Of these another crop must be sown as soon as the 

 others previously sown are fairly above ground. At this time 

 of the year my plan is to sow both a tall sort such as Champion 

 of England or Emperor of the Marrows, and Yorkshire Hero, 

 Veitch's Perfection, or McLean's Premier. The dwarf sorts are 

 great bearers, but do not last so long as the tall sorts ; more- 

 over, they come in for use before the others, which gives a suc- 

 cession if all are sown at one time. 



Broao Beans. — Plant a few rows at a time to keep up a suc- 

 cession, as they soon get old in the pod. There is a sort named 

 Hardy's Pedigree Windsor spoken very highly of, which might 

 be safe to try with some of the old sorts ; but I do not advise , 

 anyone to depend upon any new vegetable until it is tried with 

 others, for the safe reason that if it should fail there is a vacancy 

 in the supply. 



The above is the principal of the main cropping to be doue at 

 present, but there are other things in the way of small seeds to 

 be sown now. These include a few seeds of Cabbage, Cauli- 

 flower, Brussels Sprouts, Celery, Dwarf Ulm Savoy (a small 

 sort for summer use). Lettuces, Radishes, and Snow's Winter 

 Broccoli. If sown out of doors choose a dry sheltered spot for 

 them, and mix lime and soot with the soil before sowing; 

 afterwards lay some slight protection over the surface, and take 

 it off when the seeds are just coming out of the ground — that is, 

 if the weather is favourable. But if glass protection can be 

 spared it will be best to sow Celery in a bos or pan, also Lettuce, 

 Radish, and other small rather tender seedlings iu soil made-up 

 for the purpose and covered with the glass. 



Parsley is always wanted in every garden, and a good breadth 

 of it should be sown now. The seed may be sown broadcast, 

 but for small gardens it is much preferable to sow it in rows by 

 the side of walks, so as not to take up so much space. 



Cauliflowers under handlights must frequently have the 

 glasses taken off to keep the plants dwarf and hardy. Stir the 

 soil among them, and dust with lime if necessary. Fill-up Cab- 

 bage plantations with plants from the store bed sown in au- 

 tumn, and likewise move the earth among them. Other crops 

 that have not had the benefit of the earth being moved for a 

 long time, will be the better if the first stirring be done with 

 a three-pronged hoe, which would leave the soil beneath in a 

 better condition than if done with a draw hoe. — Thomas Record. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND PRESENT WEEKS. 



HARDY fruit GARDEN. 



Ap soon as the surface of the soil is dry enough the Dutch hoe 

 will' be run through the rows of Strawberries, not so much to 

 kill weeds as to ai-rate the ground. It is best to go over the 

 ground first and pick up the largest weeds by hand. The hoe is 

 kept at work amongst the plants, so that not a weed is to be 

 found by the time the flower trusses are thrown up. A com- 

 parison is sometimes made between our present system of 

 annual renewal of the beds, and the old one of allowing the 

 same plants to occupy the ground for half a score or more years. 

 Late in autumn or during the winter months the beds or 

 quarters received their annual dressing of manure, which was 

 dug or forked-iu between the rows. In soils unsuitable to the 

 Strawberry many plants died annually, and the rows had to be 

 made up with young plants. The same old system of Strawberry 

 culture prevails in many good gardens at the present time. 

 " D., Deal.," writiug last week, has gloomy forebodings about 

 his own prospects of a crop this year. If his soil is light, and 

 he continues to work on the three-years system, many of his 

 plants will die the second year, and, as he says, be " very 

 spotty" the third. It used to be so in the soil at Ilford, but 

 since commencing the one-year system we never fail to secure a 

 regular crop of fine fruit. It is necessary to prepare the plants 

 annually in small pots as early as the runners can be had. 



Ilas2>berrus have had some rich manure forked-in between the 

 rows, taking care not to injure the roots. One portion of the 

 plants are trained to a single stout stake driven into the ground, 



