204 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Maroh 11, 1875. 



the middle of Jane. The wood was ripened and the trees had 

 nearly shed their leaves, but looked well for a crop next season. 

 The soil here suits Peaches, and they are generally a successful 

 crop. Amongst many sorts grown, Stirling Castle Peach (true) 

 and Elruge Nectarine are found to be much superior to any 

 others tried for forcing, and never miss a good crop of fine- 

 sized excellent-flavoured fruit. 



The fourth house in the range is a greenhouse, filled with 

 Indian Azaleas in all sizes up to G feet high and about as 

 much through. They were clean healthy plants well set with 

 flower buds, and mostly trained as pyramids, but not too 

 stiffly. They are all forced into flower between December and 

 April, and are one of the most showy and useful class of 

 plants that can be grown for that purpose. On the front stage 

 and at the ends were a lot of free-grown Epacris, the young 

 shoots studded with flower buds, and some good specinaens of 

 standard Epiphyllum, also laden with buds, and resting pre- 

 paratory to being pushed on for Christmas decoration. 



The fifth house is a tropical fruit house, the centre bed being 

 planted with Bananas (Musa Cavendishii), which ripen fine 

 bunches durinp the summer, and are highly appreciated by 

 the famUy. Monstera delieiosa is also fruiting freely here, 

 and when well ripened in a high temperature it is found to be 

 quite deUcious and a great favourite at table. Along the 

 front stage were growing useful plants of Eueharis amazoniea, 

 Ixoras, Crotons, Dracfenas (amongst which, conspicuous for 

 their fine colour, were reginae, Cooperii, and stricta variegata), 

 flowering Begonias, variegated Cyprus, &e., and also a nice 

 plant of the new Curculigo recurvata variegata with seven or 

 eight full-grown and beautifully coloured leaves, forming one 

 of the handsomest of table plants, and decidedly a great 

 acquisition. 



The remaining houses in the ranse are early vineries, from 

 which the crops were cut in May, June, and July. One house 

 is chiefly Black Hamburgh, the Vines evidently past their 

 best, and are to be renewed in rotation with the others in this 

 range. The available soil here is found to he too light in the 

 texture for making good lasting Vine borders, and requires to 

 be frequently renewed and highly fed to produce good crops of 

 Grapes. Another house is planted with Muscats and Fron- 

 tignans, and the next with Black Hamburgh. A Vine or two 

 of each of several other sorts of Cirapos than those named are 

 growing in these vineries, such as Foster's White Seedling and 

 Bnekland Sweetwater, both good early white Grapes ; Golden 

 Champion ; Duchess of Buocleuch, first-rate flavour but 

 otherwise not profitable ; the new Grape, Duke of Buccleuch, 

 has been planted or worked on others in each house, so as 

 to fully test its forcing and keeping qualities. If it will stand 

 hard forcing and finish well in March, April, or May, it will be 

 the greatest acquisition amongst white Grapes since Muscat of 

 Alexandria was introduced. From what is known of it here 

 good hopes are entertained that it will accomplish all that is 

 expected from it. 



Leaving this range we proceed by the west walk outside the 

 kitchen garden to a long range of glass on the south wall ex- 

 tending to about 450 feet, and 9 feet wide. The first half we enter 

 is devoted to Apricots and Figs on the back wall, and a line of 

 Pear trees in pots between the path and the front. The Pears 

 in pots are not satisfactory, and are to be replaced by Plums 

 and Cherries planted-out and trained to a trellis reaching about 

 halfway up the roof, which will be much more profitable than 

 the Pears in pots. A good collection of Chrysanthemums was 

 doing well in the shelter of this house, but the main stock of 

 them were still outside plunged in a south border, as they are 

 wanted to be kept as late as possible to come in at Christmas 

 for decorating purposes. The other half of the range is the 

 late Peach house, the trees clean and healthy, and had just 

 been cleared of a good crop. This range is unheated, and in 

 favourable seasons good crops are procured of it; but Mr. 

 Dunn considers it a serious mistake to go to the expense of 

 building such houses and leaving them unheated, the crop 

 being liable to he ruined by one cold night, which a crown's 

 worth of firing would have saved, besides the uncertiinty of 

 ripening the wood in such dull sunless seasons as 187'2 and 

 1878 without artificial heat. It is a clear case of " sinking the 

 ship for the want of a pennyworth of tar." 



We now enter the range of fruiting Pine stoves, 200 feet 

 long and 1'2 feet wide, in three divisions. The first division 

 is filled with Queens, which were maturing their growth pre- 

 paratory to being started in January to give a supply in June 

 and July. The next division is also filled with Queens in a 

 slightly more advanced stage for fruiting in May. The last 



and largest division is filled with fine healthy plants. Some 

 were just showing, some in flower, and some swelling-off, so 

 that the supply through the winter would be unbroken. The 

 principal sorts grown are Smooth Cayenne, very good and 

 large fruit ; Charlotte Rothschild, the best and heaviest gene- 

 rally ; and Black Jamaica. This is found to be a sure setter 

 and unequalled in flavour as a winter Pine, growing, however, 

 too much crown in proportion of fruit. Montserrat is often 

 grown as the Jamaica, but is in all good points inferior to that 

 variety. Enville is also represented by large useful fruit, but 

 is not considered of first-rate flavour. Prince Albert is another 

 very handsome fine-sized fruit of good flavour, but liable to 

 go black in the heart in winter. Black Prince, Providence, 

 Moscow Qaeen, Thoresby Queen, and Otaheite are all found 

 here, but none are considered worth growing in quantity 

 except the four first named — that is, Common Queen, Smooth 

 Cayenne, Charlotte Rothschild, and Black Jamaica. 



Having now examined most of the glass structures of this 

 great garden, there remain yet the flower and kitchen gardens, 

 which may be briefly noticed in a future issue. — J. Wright. 



NOTES ON VILLA, and SUBURBAN GARDENING. 



Raising Seedlings. — It is now time to make a move with 

 regard to sowing many sorts of seeds to raise plants for the 

 embellishment of the flower garden during the coming season, 

 and as most of the seeds are small it may he an advantage to 

 make a few remarks on the manner of raising them. This is 

 the more necessary, because I take it to be a fact that an amateur 

 has not at all times a sufficient space to raise plants for the 

 sake of experiment, but only just sufficient convenience to 

 raise those he really requires. As most of the plants in request 

 are of a tender nature, the seed at this early season will need ths 

 assistance of a little heat. It will be necessary in the first place 

 to put up a gentle hotbed, and place a frame upon it, and half 

 fill the frame inside with the heating material; after the heat 

 has subsided, which will only take a few days, cover the whole 

 with a thin coating of ashes, yet not so thick as to prevent the 

 heat from penetrating through it. This will bring the pots 

 close to the glass or nearly so, which in a very great advantage 

 to young seedlings, as it prevents them from drawing up weakly. 

 Such a bed will suit the most tender things, as German Ten- 

 week Stocks, Lobelias, Cockscombs, Cannas, Balsams, Asters, 

 Tagetes and other Marigolds, Phlox Drummondii, Petunias, 

 Larkspurs, Portnlacas, Nasturtiums of the dwarf sorts, Migno- 

 nette ; also the following choice things — ChamaepeuceCassabona? 

 and Diacantha, a Thistle-like plant of great ornament for an 

 amateur's garden and Gaillardia picta, an old-fashioned plant 

 neglected, but yet a beautiful and useful plant, with a large 

 flower, crimson centre and yellow edge, very showy. Then there 

 is Spherogyne speciosa, which is easily raised from seed ; this 

 is a yellowish flower with violet centre, and a capital border 

 plant. 



Now those who cannot afford a frame for all or any of these 

 may raise the most tender of them in the warmest part of their 

 greenhouse or vinery, and for the remainder make up a bed of 

 heating material under a south wall, and place 3 or 4 inches of 

 good open soil thereon ; sow the seed, and cover at nights and 

 cold days with mats spread over a frame of hoops. If the soil 

 is not kept too wet the plants will not be long in coming up. 



In sowing the seeds named above, an excellent rule to observe 

 is to cover the seeds to the depth of their own size or thickness. 

 This will be understood when I say that it would be quite wrong 

 to cover the small seed of a Portnlaoa or Petunia to the same 

 thickness as a Cauua or those of a Ricinus or Castor-oil plant, 

 which are the size of a Mazagan Bean. This is not all : the 

 smaller the seed the finer should the soil be, so that its particles 

 may press closer to it, and retain the moisture so necessary for 

 its germination and after-growth. 



Again, the application of water to seedlings raised in this 

 way must have much attention. Some will require it much 

 oftener than others, for two reasons — according to the depth 

 they are placed in the soil ; and the state of the atmosphere, 

 whether dry or otherwise, in which they are expected to germi- 

 nate. A small seed but just under the soil will need the surface 

 frequently but gently moistened, while others of a greater depth 

 may have water more freely, yet will not require it so often. In 

 all cases, however, be careful not to saturate the soil and bring 

 it to a sour state. 



Let me now remind the amateur that before raising plants he 

 should form a true estimate of his convenience for them, and 

 not attempt the raising of too many at a time, because most of 

 these plants which flower the same season require to be grown 

 well and without check; also, to be thoroughly enjoyed they 

 ought to have their growth well developed by taking every care 

 for their progress before flowering. To secure this it ia necessary 

 that the seedlings be pricked out either in pots, boxes, or any 

 other convenience as soon as they can be conveniently handled, 



