April 16, 1876. ] 



JODBNAIi OP HOBTIOCJIjTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



299 



sowing of Peas bow Round-leaved Spinach between the rows. 

 The kitchen garden should now be neat and trim, the edgings o{ 

 the quarters to be made up with a spade and cut off to the line, 

 raking the alleys afterwards. Many persons leave trimming the 

 Box edgings until May ; but if time can be spared now it ought 

 to be done, and all the walks to be cleaned and rolled. 



FRUIT AND FORCING HOUSES. 



Strawherries. — A succession of these ought now to be kept up 

 until the fruit is gathered in the open ground. Any plants that 

 were placed in the late vineries to start with the Vines ought to 

 be removed into another house, as the Vines will soon shade the 

 plants, and the Strawberry will do little good forced in pots if 

 not placed near the glass and freely exposed to the sun. We 

 have now a batch of Keens' Seedling (and the fruit is just ripen- 

 ing), which were started in a house the temperature of which 

 was 50° at night ; they were removed to the Pine house with a 

 minimum of 60" or 65" after the flower trusses were thrown up. 

 The flowers must be thiuned-out as soon as possible. About 

 nine fruit on an average is a sufHcieut number to allow on 6-inch 

 pots. If the pots are on a shelf quite close to the glass, and 

 facing south, the best way is to allow the fruit to hang over the 

 pots without any support. If the pots are unfavourably placed 

 as regards light and sun, then the fruit ought to be fully ex- 

 posed above the foliage by tying it up to small sprays cut from 

 any brush or faggot wood. It may be as well to say a word on 

 watering. When the plants are in a high artificial temperature 

 then the water that is applied to roots or leaves should be of the 

 same temperature as the house, and no plants should suffer for 

 want of water. Manure water is indispensable to the production 

 of superior fruit, and the best is made from either cow or stable 

 manure. We generally use cow dung for mixing with the water, 

 because the compost at potting time is formed with stable 

 manure ; guano is sometimes used, but it is a bad stimulant for 

 Strawberries in pots. We have also tried placing the pots in 

 saucers to hold water ; this is a considerable saving in labour, 

 but the fruit will not be so good. 



ORCHARD HOUSE. 



The trees of Peaoh and Nectarines are now in flower, and as 

 the weather has been so favourable a good set is almost certain. 

 It is well to go over all the trees daily when they are in flower, 

 some time in the forenoon, and just shake the trees gently to 

 disperse the pollen. Air must be freely admitted at the time of 

 flowering; a close damp atmosphere is fatal to a good set. 

 Pears are also very nearly in flower. The fruit does not set so 

 well under glass as that of the Peaoh. Dewing the blossoms 

 over with clear water from a syringe on the morning of a fine 

 day is a good way to scatter the pollen and to promote 

 fertilisation. 



Cherries under glass require a dry bracing atmosphere when 

 the trees are in blossom, and if the trees are in pots they must 

 be well attended to with water; the blossoms do not set well 

 unless the trees are in favourable conditions. Peaches, Necta- 

 rines, and Plums succeed well in the same house. Cherries and 

 Pears ought to be together, as a drier atmosphere is required 

 all through the fruiting season. 



CUCUMBER AND MELON HOUSES. 



With the longer days and milder weather it is easy to main- 

 tain a miaimam temperature of 70', allowing it to rise to 80° or 

 85° from sun heat. In our house the pipes seldom require to be 

 very much heated to keep up the necessary temperature, and 

 yet half the quantity of evaporating trough is enough. Even 

 Caoumber plants may be overdone with moisture. The plants 

 are now syringed daily with clear rain water, applying it to the 

 nnder sides of the leaves. Frequent syringing and judicious 

 air-giving is the only way to keep the plants clean and healthy. 



Melons are grown with a night temperature of 65*" ; the lead- 

 ing growths have been stopped, the lateral growths which fur- 

 nish the female blossoms are trained to the trellis as they grow 

 out, and when four or six female blossoms ara in flower at once 

 they are impregaated. In fine weather the plants are syringed 

 daily; it is the only way to prevent red spider injuring the 

 plants. 



PLANT STOVE. 



It is now good time to propagate by cuttings any of the soft- 

 wooded or other rapid-growing plants. Thyrsaoanthus rutilans 

 should be propagated annually. The cuttings of the young 

 growths root freely in loam and leaf mould in a high tempera- 

 ture; the numerous drooping panicles of scarlet flowers are 

 very ornamental in early spring. The plants must be potted-on 

 and grown in a high temperature all the sammer and autumn. 

 Eranthemum pulchellum is another very free growing plant, 

 and is well worth attention for the profusion of pretty deep 

 blue flowers it continues to produce aU through the winter 

 months. 



Jnsticia is an extensive genus of plants that has fallen into 

 undeserved neglect. Many of the species are very beautiful, 

 and some of the best are winter-flowering. Cuttings of many 

 hardwooded species may also be put in now ; those most difli- 

 colt of propagation should be potted in sand, placing a thickish 



layer of turfy loam or peat over the drainage. Gardenia florida 

 strikes out roots very freely, but all hard wooded cuttings should 

 be placed under bell-glasses or haudlights. 



We have been cutting-down Poinsettia pulcherrima and 

 placing the plants in one of the late vineries to start into growth. 

 They will grow away very freely in a high temperature, making 

 splendid growths and handsome foliage ; but it is best to place 

 the plants in a greenhouse temperature after they are started ; 

 the growths here will be short and densely clothed with leaves. 



Caladiums had also started into growth, and were removed to 

 the Pine house. We like to have the plants near the glass, as 

 the leaves have a tendency to be long-stalked if the plants are 

 not freely exposed to light and air. These and the Poinsettias, 

 as soon as they have made a little growth, will be shaken out 

 of the pots, the balls reduced as much as possible, and the plants 

 repotted, the large specimens in the same sized pots, and the 

 smaller plants in a size larger. 



Such Orchids as Dendrobium Bensonise, D. clavatum, D. 

 McCarthi.Ts, D. Dalhousianum, D. deusiflorum, D. Devonianum, 

 and others of the same class, are showing their flowers, and the 

 baskets and pots in which they are growing are freely watered 

 with tepid water; indeed, all Orchids that have been at rest 

 during winter may now be kept moist if they have not been 

 overpotted. As nearly all the plants are starting into growth, 

 a moist atmosphere and a higher temperature with shade when 

 necessary is indispensable to healthy development. 



Watch for the appearance of red spider on the young growths 

 of Dendrobiums, some of the Palms, and other plants known to 

 be attacked. If the plants cannot be syringed they must be 

 hand-washed with soapy water. — J. Douglas. 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 

 Secretaries will oblige us by informing as of the dates on 

 which exhibitions are to be held. 



Manchester (National Auricula Show). — April 27th. 



Jersey. — May 5th, Rosea Juae 16th, Autumn October 13th, Chrysanthemuma 



November 10th. Major Howell, Spring Grove, St. Lawrence, Hon. Sec. 

 Bath,— May l'2th, September lat and 2nd. Mr. B. Pearaon, 13, Milaom 



Street, Sec. 

 Crystal Palace Company. — Flower Show, May 29th ; Rose Show, Jane 19th ; 



Autumn Frnit and Flower Show, September 7th to 9th— Sec, F. W. 



Wilson. Bees and their appliances, September 2lst to 23rd — Sec, J. 



Hunter. 

 CoTENTRY. — May Slat. Mr. T. Wigston, 3, Portland Terrace, Lower Ford 



Street, Sec. 

 Leeds. — June 9th, 10th, and 11th. Mr. J. Blrkbeck, DelphLane, Woodhonse, 



Leeds, Sec. 

 Borton-upon-Trent. — June 16th. Mr. Wm. Shave, Bond Street, Seo. 

 Glasgow.— Jane 16ih, September 8th. Mr. F. G. Doagall, 167, Canning 



Street, Sec. 

 Fareham.— June 23rd. Mr. H Smith. Sec. 

 Exeter (Rose Show).— June 25th. Mr. J. N. Gray, Queen Street ChambeiB, 



Hon. Sec. 

 WisBEACH.— June 30th. Mr. C. Parker, Hon. Sec. 

 Maidstone. — (Roses), June 30th, at Vmters Park. H. Benetead, Esq., 



Hon Sec, Rose Club, Mill Street. Maidstone. 

 Spalding. — July 1st and 2nd. Mr. G. F. Barrell, Hon. Sec. 

 SoDTHQATE. — July 3rd. John Miles, Esq., Hon. Sec, Southgate, N. 

 Durham and Northomberland. — To be held at Elswick Park, July 7tb 



and 8th. Mr. R. Revely, Seo. 

 KiLSBY. — July 8th. Sec, Mr. C. E. Bracebridge. 

 Nottingham. — Rose Show, &c., July 9th and 10th. Apply to A> ' red Kirk, 



Municipal Oflioes, Nottingham. 

 Tonbridge. — July 14th. Mr. \V. Blair, Free Press Office, Hon. Sec. 

 Wimbledon.— July 15th and l(!th. Mr. P. Appleby, 5, Linden Cottages, 



Sunnyaide, Wimbledon, Hon. Seo. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



J. Backhouse & Son, York. — Catalogue of Stove and Green- 

 house Plants. 



Charles Turner, Slough. — General Plant Catalogue /or 1875. 



John Harrison, Darlington. — List of Neiu Roses. 



George Poulton, Fountain Nursery, Edmonton, London. — 

 Catalogue of Plants and Cuttings. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. : 

 *,' AU correspondence should be directed either to "The 

 Editors," or to " The Pablisher." Letters addressed to 

 Mr. Johnson or Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoid- 

 ably. We request that no one will write privately to any 

 of our correspondents, as doing so Bubjeota them to un- 

 justifiable trouble and expense. 

 Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet qnestions 

 relating to Gardening and those on Poultry and Bee sub- 

 jects, and should never send more than two or three 

 questiona at onoe. AU articles intended for insertion 

 should be written on one side of the paper only. We 

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 

 CocoMBERs (C. -lUor/sif).— Write to Messrs. Webber, Central Avenue, 

 Covent Garden Market. 



