May 13, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



377 



summer Spinach haa been sown between the rows. A second 

 sowing of Windsor Beans has been hoed and the rows earthed- 

 up. We have watered the earliest Cauhflower plants and 

 hoed later crops ; indeed, we keep the hoe at work as much 

 as possible, as, if the weeds are well kept down now, there is 

 little trouble with them afterwards. We are now cutting 

 Asparagus. This work must not be done in a careless manner ; 

 the heads must be cut before they begin to open, and the knife 

 should be thrust down close to the head to be cut, so that thosa 

 heads coming up may not be injured; it is usually cut about 

 3 or i inches under ground. Weeds came up numerously on 

 the beds, and it has been necessary to hoe them. 



A sowing of Cauliflower may now be made for the autumn 

 crop. Veitch's Autumn Giant and Walcheren are the two best 

 sorts. Broccoli may also be sown. Atkins's Matchless Cabbage, 

 if planted out now from the beds, will form nice heads for 

 cutting from in the early autumn months. Another sowing 

 may be made to succeed them. Hoe and thin Carrots, Onions, 

 and all growing root crops as soon as they are ready. The hoe 

 cannot be too much at work amongst them, and much injury is 

 caused by allowing the crops to grow too thickly together. The 

 late Carrots, Parsnips, Beet, &c., may be thiuned-out at once to 

 the distance they are intended to be — Carrots and Beet 5 or 

 C inches apart. Parsnips 8 or 9 inches from plant to plant. A 

 few rows of the French Forcing or Early Horn Carrot should be 

 only partially thinned, the remainder may be thianed-out as 

 required for the kitchen. Cardoons may now be sown in 

 trenches prepared as for Celery; the soil in which the seeds 

 are sown ought to be light and rich. The seeds may be planted 

 about 2 inches apart; it is as well to have plenty of plants, and 

 this will allow of a goodly number to be thinned out ; 9 inches 

 is a good distance between the plants. 



Vegetable Marrows and Cucumbers for pickling may be sown 

 now on ridges under handlights. la the neighbourhood of 

 London waggonloads of Cucumbers are produced without the 

 aid of glass in any form, but if handlights can be used the 

 crops are more certain. Turnips sown now will come in ready 

 for use in July. Sow when the ground is moist ; freshly-dug 

 ground is best. Celery may yet be sown for a very late crop. 

 Early-sown plants are now ready for pricking out; it is best to 

 do this when the plants are small; plant on light but not rich 

 ground. Our earliest sowing of Scarlet Runners and Dwarf 

 Kidney Beans are through the ground. The present is a good 

 time to make another sowing, as the first may be cut off by frost. 



FKUIT AND FORCING HOUSES. 



Fineries. — The young plants in succession houses should have 

 careful attention, as any serious check to the plants in the early 

 stages of their growth cannot be remedied by subsequent atten- 

 tion. It is not easy to do everything just at the right time at 

 this season of the year, and all available house room is required 

 for forcing purposes. Pine pits are too often used for forcing 

 all sorts of crops — Dwarf Kidney Beans, Strawberries, Grapes, 

 etc., and many gardeners fancy that Pine plants may be crowded 

 closely together without injury to the ultimate welfare of the 

 plants. Now, we strenuously dissuade from overcrowding at 

 any stage; rather grow a dozen plants well than grow twenty- 

 five in the same space which would give no satisfaction. In the 

 next place repot the plants before the roots are matted round 

 the sides and amongst the crocks at the bottom of the pot. The 

 pot should be fairly filled with roots before repotting. When 

 the plants are potted a bottom heat of 90° ought to be kept up, 

 or even if the temperature of the bed rises to 100° no harm will 

 befall the plants, as the roots are not close to the sides of the pot 

 after repotting. If the temperature of the bed has fallen too 

 low, and, as is not unfrequently the case, there are no pipes for 

 bottom heat, the tan or decaying oak leaves must be turned over 

 and some fresh material be added. Oak leaves make the best 

 bed for Pine plants. 



In the fruiting house where the fruits are in various stages of 

 development it is dangerous practice to interfere with the beds, 

 and those who have not the advantage of hot- water pipes under- 

 neath the bed labour under much more difficult circumstances 

 than those who have. If it is necessary to turn the bed to in- 

 crease the bottom heat, the plants receive a check by being too 

 cool at the roots for a day or two, then the temperature may 

 rise to 120°, which may do even more harm in the opposite 

 direction. We can easily keep up the heat of our beds to 85° or 

 90° without disturbing the plants. The minimum temperature 

 in any of the houses may be 70°, and may rise to 90° after the 

 house is shut up in the afternoon ; plenty of atmospheric mois- 

 ture is necessary with the above temperatures. 



Peach Houses. — In houses where the fruit is approaching the 

 stoning period the fruit should have a final thinning. Many 

 good growers make the last thinning after the fruit is stoned, 

 and even then they allow a few to be picked off during the 

 second swelling. If the trees are in good health the fruit will 

 not drop off, and to allow it to remain during the trying period 

 of stoning is merely to allow it to take the nourishment away 

 from the fruits that ought to come to maturity. To have good 

 Peaches the fruit must be thinned to at least a foot apart ; 



Nectarines to 9 or 10 inches. If trees are weakly and have been 

 overcropped the previous season, the fruit ought to be thinned- 

 out even more than this. No more growths ought to be allowed 

 on the trees than are required to bear fruit the following season. 

 Syringe the trees with a garden engine night and morning if the 

 house is large ; small houses may be managed with an ordinary 

 syringe. The border should be surfaced with manure, but no 

 manure water ought to be applied to the roots. If any of the 

 leaves are seen to curl up it is caused by the Peach aphis, and 

 nothing destroys it so well as fumigating with tobacco smoke. 



PLANT STOVES AND OIlCniD HOUSES. 



The occupants of these structures are now, if in a healthy 

 condition, making vigorous growth. Many species of Orchids 

 are just starting into growth, aud at that time they throw out 

 plenty of fresh young rootlets at the base of the growth : if any 

 such require repotting, now is a good time to do it. We have 

 repotted all the plants in the cool house that could be done 

 without injuring the flower spikes. Odontoglossums, such as 

 O. crispum, 0. triumphans, 0. gloriosum, and indeed all the 

 cool section, have been repotted. We take care not to give them 

 a very large shift, and any plants that were not making stroBg 

 growths and had not quite filled their pots with roots, were 

 placed in pots the same size as they had been previously. 



Goodyeras and Aufectocbilus have been repotted. This fine 

 class of "foliage plants" have not been much seen in public 

 recently, and in few places are they found in healthy condition. 

 They succeed very well in our Cucumber house, grown in an 

 ordinary handlight and shaded by the Cucumbers overhead. 

 The pots are filled quite three parts full cf drainage, and the 

 compost is equal parts of turfy peat, sphagnum moss, and pot- 

 sherds. Repotted Anthurium Soherzerianum. This is a splen- 

 did plant; it is easily grown, and now to be obtained at a cheap 

 rate. It requires similar treatment to Cattleyas : fill the pots 

 quite half full of drainage, over the crocks place some fresh 

 sphagnum, and fill up round the roots with Orchid peat mixed 

 with sphagnum aud crocks; the plant should be raised up in 

 the centre of the pot. When the plants are in full growth 

 syringe them with clear rain water ; syringing overhead does 

 not injure the flowers. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



The bedding plants are nearly all ready to be planted out, and 

 if the weather continues mild we shall have some of them out 

 before this is in print. Calceolarias and Zonal Pelargoniums 

 will not be injured by any frosts we are likely to have now. It 

 ought to be stated that our plants are hardy from exposure, 

 and the plants are large. This is a busy time with the florist. 

 Pinks, Carnations, and Picotees require sticks to be placed to 

 them, and to see that they are free from green fly. Auriculas 

 must have the decaying flowers removed, as they are unsightly, 

 and seed pods may exhaust the plants. 



Preparations must also be made to repot the plants. Clean 

 pots of the sizes required and suitable mould must be in readi- 

 ness. Some of ours have been repotted, and the remainder will 

 be done in the course of a week or two. If repotted now the 

 plants have time to make their growth before the sultry days of 

 July and August. All the plants are now in a north aspect, and 

 aired freely night and day ; in fine weather the lights are entirely 

 removed. Pausies will well repay any care that has been taken 

 of them during the winter. If the beds were not mulched two 

 months ago, a dressing of rotted manure ought to be applied at 

 once, and the plants delight in plentiful supplies of water. Cow 

 manure is the best stimulant for Panaies. Tulips are now 

 coming into bloom, and those who are so fortunate as to possess 

 choice sorts will see that they are shaded during the hottest 

 part of the day. To enjoy them thoroughly they ought to be in 

 beds protected by a canvas tent. — J. Douglas. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Dick Radclyffe & Co., 129, High Holborn, London. — Catalogue 

 of Plants and Garden Requisites. 



Thomas Bunyard it Sons, Maidstone and Ashford, Kent. — 

 Select List of Bedding-out Plants. 



John Harrison, Darlington. — Catalogue of New Boses, Cle- 

 77iatises, and Bedding Plants. 



T. Simpson, Preston Road Nursery, Yeovil, Somerset. — Cata- 

 logue of Bedding Plants, 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



Secretaries will oblige us by informing us of the dates oa 

 which exhibitions are to be held. 



Blsckbobn.— Maj 17th, 18th, and 19th. Mr. W. Ditchfleld, Hon. Seo. 

 Ceystal Palace Company. — Flower Show, May 29th; Rose Show, Jane 26fch; 



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



"Wilson. Bees and their appliances, September '2l8t to 23rd — Sec, J. 



Hunter. 

 Coventry. — May 31st. Mr. T. "Wigston, 3, Portland Terrace, Lower Ford 



Street, Seo. 

 Leeds.— Juno 9th, 10th, and 11th. Mr. J. Birkbeck, Delph Lane, Woodhonso, 



Leeds, Seo. 



