Mu'oh 4, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTIOOLTURB AND COTTAGE GASDENEB. 



18o 



end of the Rrouud. The bottom of the trench ia then forkeJ-iip 

 to the depth of 'J inches, and a good dreaaing of manure ia put 

 in. One spit and the looae earth from the next trench ia put 

 over this and another dressing of manure given, which ia 

 covered by the bottom spit and shovelliug, and the operation ia 

 complete. In clayey soils with a atiil clay subsoil it is very 

 desirable to work-in some stable manure during the operation. 

 Sandy soils receive more beneht from cow manure. Oa the 2ijlh 

 the snow had cleared oQ on borders sheltered from the north- 

 east and exposed to the sun. The ground was then in f.tir con- 

 dition for planting a few second early Potatoes. Dalmahoy ia 

 the best as regards flavour, it is also the most certain cropper. 

 Early Don has been tried this year. It haa been more recently 

 introduced, and has fully borne out the high character sent with 

 it. It has, however, one serious fault— viz., ita susceptibility 

 to disease, which will always tell against its general cultivation. 

 The earliest Potatoes are not planted-out yet, they having been 

 planted in boxes and placed in a cool house to await more favour- 

 able weather. 



Pricked-out Gaiiliflower plants that were raised on a hotbed 

 some time ago. The soil used ia light and not rich. It ia neces- 

 sary to be careful that any early vegetables sown under glass 

 do not receive any check by removing them from one frame to 

 another. We used to sow Celery for the earliest crop in boxea, 

 and place them also on the hotbed; but the plants raised in 

 this way invariably ran to seed, ao that it haa been discontinued. 

 In ilayey soils the plants would not have this tendency. 



Peas have started away freely; but the young and tender 

 growths seem to have received a check from the frosts. The 

 usual protectors of galvanised iron wire netting have been 

 placed over them to prevent the attacks uf sparrows. Very often 

 the seedsman is blamed for supplying bad seeds, when the 

 sparrows had cleared off the plants tiirtctly the seed loaves 

 have been formed. Lettuce, Radish, and all the Cabbage tribe 

 are eagerly watched by them; even Oniona are torn-up for mere 

 amusement, as they drop the plants on the ground. 



rRUIT AND FORCING HOUSES. 



Pineries. — With increased light a higher temperature may be 

 kept up both in succession and fruiting houses — that ia, if the 

 fruit which is now swelling ia required early; otherwise a very 

 high degree of tomperatute ia not necessary, because e(£ually 

 good fruit can be obtained in a night temperature of GU' as in 

 one of 70^, and aa a rule the better-flavoured fruit is grown in 

 the lower medium. One matter requiring more care than ia 

 usually bestowed upon it ia the bottom heat. While this can be 

 kept up to about 85' or 90' it ia much better not to interfere 

 with the bed, aa turning it over haa a tendency to raise it unduly. 

 Up to 10U° there is no danger of injury, but when the bottom 

 heat rises over this the roots are sometimea injured. Many 

 persona use test sticks for the bottom heat, but this ia too uucer- 

 taiu to be recommended, and in all cases a thermometer specially 

 adapted for the purpose should be used. If in any case the 

 bottom heat should rise over 103" the pots must be raised in the 

 bed to about half their depth, and gently shaken from one side 

 to the other to form a space all round the pots. It ia the safest 

 practice to have the pots in a medium too low than too high, a?, 

 if the roots are not destroyed by the heat, the excitement is 

 injurious. All our houses at present are kept at a night tempe- 

 rature of 65° except the sucker house, which ia uaually a few 

 de;<ree3 lower. We have on previois occasions alluded to ven- 

 tilation as being very importmt in this department. Pines do 

 not show the ellects of deflcient ventilation so readily as some 

 other plants, but they feel it quite as much, and show the effects 

 ultimately in the leaves being drawn up instead of having that 

 Btocky sturdy appearance that well-grown Pines have. A little 

 weak manure water is used for those that have fruit iu ita earlier 

 stages swelling. 



Pt'ach Houses. ^The stoning period, especially if the houses 

 are forced early, ia usually thought to be one of danger to 

 the fruits, as at this time they are supposed to drop off ; but 

 when they are iu vigorous health, and the roots sufflciently 

 supplied with moisture without being overdone with it, not one 

 will drop off. In forcing houses there are other agents at work 

 that may at any time cause a check which would have similar 

 results, such as neglecting to give air when the sun was acting 

 strongly on the glass, or allowing draughts of keen frosty winds 

 to blow through the house ; but the careful cultivator is vigilant 

 when extreme caution is required, and his trees are not likely 

 to suffer. Even with pot trees, which are more liable to suffer 

 for lack of moisture at the roots or from sudden changes of tem- 

 perature, out of hundreds that we have grown during a series of 

 years the small proportion that have had fruit drop daring 

 stoning are not worth notice. 



A high temperature must not be kept up at stoning time. 

 From 55" to bO" is quite high enough if tlie weather is cold. 

 When stoning ia completed, which will be as soon as the fruit 

 takes the second swelUng, the syringe may be vigorously applied, 

 and the minimum temperature may be G5', rising to 80", or 

 even 65° by day, shutting the house up early in the afternoon, 

 and syringing the trees at the same time. The details of Peach 



management are comparatively easy : The growing shoots must 

 be tied down to the wires, and they must not be too thickly 

 placed ; syringe daily, and fumigate with tobacco on the first 

 appearance of aphis. 



FOHCINO HOUSES. 



In the pita or houses devoted to forcing plants for greenhouse 

 or conservatory decoration it is necessary to maintain a genial 

 temperature ; 55' at night ia quite high enough, taking care that 

 there is a suifioient degree of moisture in the atmosphere. 

 Most hardy-flowering shrubs of a deciduous character do better 

 if the roots can bo plunged in a mild bottom heat. Moat of the 

 Dutch bulbs— Hyaciutha, Tulips, ,fec., are placedon shelves near 

 the glass; in this position the leaves do not become drawn. 

 Nothing looks worse than to see the loaves of a Hyacinth hang- 

 ing down over the side of the pot before the flowers are fully 

 expanded. Dielytra spectabilis is a very beautiful hardy her- 

 baceous plant, and well adapted for forcing. Its long drooping 

 spikes of pendulous bright rose-coloured flowers have an excel- 

 lent effect in the greenhouse. A succession of strong healthy 

 plants is kept up by striking a few cuttings annually. These 

 can be obtained from plants growiug iu the open border; the 

 shoots will soon be pushing through the ground, and must bo 

 taken off in a young state, potted singly in small pots, and the 

 pots plunged in a gentle hotbed ; they will soon form roota, 

 when they must Ije gradually hardened-off and planted in the 

 open border, or in beds of rich soil. The second season they 

 will form fine large plants for forcing. Roses have not been so 

 much infested with green fly as usual, but the bud worms have 

 been numerous ; they are readily detected by the leaves sticking 

 together or curling up, and should be destroyed before they 

 have time to spoil the bada. The house should be fumigated if 

 green fly appears on any of the plants. 



PL.4NT STOVE. 



The last plants of Poinsettia pulcherrima have been removed, 

 and placed where the pots can be kept dry, until it is time to 

 cut the plants down. Achimenes and G-loxinias are grown in 

 most places where stove plants are cultivated. The last named 

 are the greatest favourites. We have shaken the corma of the 

 latter out of the pots and repotted them, and placed the pots 

 near the glass in the stove. Turfy loam, turfy peat, a little 

 rotted manure, and some white sand answer well aa a compoat. 

 The corma are potted in small pots at first, and after the plants 

 have started freely they are repotted. Specimen flowering 

 plants are not potted at this time; but those that are grown 

 for their foliage may be potted at any time, for as the leaves 

 constitute the beauty of the plant, it must be kept iu vigorous 

 growth to prevent them having a sickly appearance. Training 

 climbers on the roof : as these are now starting into growth 

 they must be looked over, and those most liable to be attacked 

 by bug, such as Stephanotis fliribuuda, Hoya, &c., carefully 

 washed. There are some climbers never attacked by this terror 

 of thp plant stove, and of these the best are the AUamandaa and 

 Clerodeudrou Balfourii; therefore, it would be well to plant 

 such in preference to those that are invariably attacked. — 



J. DOUOLAS. 



TR.\DB CA-TALOGOiiS llEGEIVED. 



Harrison & Sons, Leicester. — List of Choice Seeds. 

 H-nder & Sous, Bedford Nursery, Plymouth.— Citia/ojfi? of 

 Beildiaij Plants, Fruit Trees, Jic. 

 C. Sharpe & Co., Sleaford. — Descriptiue Cataloijue of Farm 



Seed:. 



J. Coombes, Enfield, M.idii\esix.— Catalogue of Guttiii,(js of 

 Geraniums, £c. 



Messrs. V. & A. Dickson & Sons, Cheater.— Oaistojae of Ntu) 

 and Select Farm Seeds. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Books (A. C.).— Our volumo of " Garden Plans, and How to Plant Them," 

 is printing. 



Contractor's Riohts {5/. Clare). — It ia not possible to quote any general 

 rule, but it is certaia that a contract to lift old piping and rwlayiiig new does 

 not entitle the contractiir to carry away the old piping ualeaa there is a clause 

 in the agreement entlttiog him to do so. 



Mr. Jesse [A. Lalii).—ne died at Drightou in March, 185S, aged 88. 

 There is a memoir of him in our No' 387, published April 9th of that year. 



S.u,T, Soot, and LiilB (Ariricola). — They may bo sown mised or separate. 

 The lime does not set freo any ammouia from the soot, all being solid 

 substances; and under any circumstances there is only about one part of 

 ammonia in a thousand of soot. 



Variocs (D. Drak').— The plant is Sweet-sceutod Coltsfoot (Tnssilago 

 fragraos). "We never grew Little Heath Melon. Sow the Teu-week Stock for 

 summer-flowering. The double Tulip petals decaying before fully open is 

 probably caused by night frosts. 



CocCMuERS AND MELONS IN Greenuodse (E. B. B.).— They will succeed 

 if your house be kept warm— in fact, converted into a stove, as it maybe 

 during the smmer months, by giving an- moderately, and closing early so as 

 to husbani the sun heat. The plants will not answer trained to the side 

 walls, but should have the shoots at 15 inches distauce from the gla^s trained 

 to a trellis, or at least be in such a position as to have abundance uf light. 

 Turfy loam light rather than heavy for the CuoumberB, and strong loam for 



