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JOURNAL OF HORTIOULTDRB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



I December 3, 1874. 



Langton has a nice balance of garden features, as lawns, 

 shrubs, flowers, walks, ifeo. Not many great places can show 

 better all-round gardening (making the best and the most of 

 the means and resources) than this comparatively small place 

 a£fords. It is a home and a garden enjoyed by the owner, and 

 well it may. — J. Wkiohi. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND PRESENT WEEKS. 



VINEBIES. 



The earliest house has been started, the Vines and borders 

 having been previously prepared. There are different methods 

 of doing this ; there is a right and a wrong way. We had the 

 management of an extensive range of vineries many years ago, 

 and the winter treatment of the inside borders was such that 

 near the surface no roots were to be found. The surface was 

 forked over and left quite loose, some decayed manure being 

 mixed up with it. At all times care was taken not to tread 

 upon the borders in case of injury resulting therefrom; but 

 perhaps the reason why the roots did not work into the surface 

 soil was the method of watering by driblets, not giving the 

 Vines eufficient at a time to penetrate to the bottom of the 

 prepared soil, and thirdly, allowing the border to become dust- 

 dry when the Vines are at rest, which causes the small fibrous 

 roots to perish. After cleansing the glass and woodwork in the 

 manner previously described, and painting the Vines with the 

 usual mixture, 3 or 4 inches of the surface soil were entirely 

 removed, filling up the space with some rich compost. Equal 

 parts of turfy loam and stable manure are as good as any other; 

 this is trodden in firmly with the feet. It ought also to be 

 stated that, before applying the surface-dressing, the border had 

 a thorough good watering with tepid water ; the dressing applied 

 afterwards causes the heat to be retained. Some fermenting 

 material is placed in the house, which creates a moist warm 

 atmosphere, thereby causing the buds to break in a more re- 

 gular manner than they otherwise would. Occasionally the 

 buds do not start well when forced very early, and if they are 

 sluggish it is not at all desirable to hurry them. Until the 

 buds are fairly started the night temperature should not be 

 more than from 50° to 55° in very cold nights ; even if the glass 

 falls to 46°, better this than higher. When the first leaves are 

 formed will be the time to push them along. 



Planting Vines. — Perhaps March is the best month to do 

 this, but any time will answer during the winter months. The 

 plants will require to have all the roots disentangled and 

 carefully spread out. It is not necessary to cultivate a large 

 number of varieties of Grape Vines. Black Hamburgh, Mus- 

 cat of Alexandria, and Lady Downe's will be enough, and 

 give more satisfaction than can be derived from a large num- 

 ber of varieties, many of which might succeed only in very 

 favourable positions. In the late vineries we remove decaying 

 fruit and withered leaves as soon as they are perceived. Lady 

 Downe's requires very little attention in this respect; no other 

 Grape keeps so well. Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat has decayed 

 badly ; the berries of this variety are very liable to mould. Gros 

 Guillaume keeps well, but some of the berries are slightly 

 cracked at the apex, and masy of them are moulding. Where 

 it is intended that the Grapes should keep until February and 

 March the berries should be well thinned-out, and all the large 

 bunches be cut first. 



FKOTT ROOM. 



Much care is necessary at this season to preserve the finer 

 varieties of Pears and Apples ; it is necessary to look carefully 

 over the fruit twice a-week, and to remove that beginning to 

 decay at once, to prevent injury to the sound fruit in contact 

 with it. If the walls are very thick, and the roof composed of 

 thatch, no artificial heat will be necessary unless the frost should 

 be intense. In houses of a contrary description a fire will be 

 necessary. A small stove may be placed in the house if there is 

 no fireplace : of course, if this can be dispensed with, it will be 

 quite as well. Neither Apples nor Pears are improved by arti- 

 ficial heat being introduced into the fruit room. 



PLANT STOVE AND HOUSE FOR FORCED FJ.OWERS. 



The greatest requisite in the winter months, for stove plants 

 more especially, is light; the sun "just blinks a wee and sinks 

 again," so we must take advantage of the little we do have. 

 The evergreen climbers trained to the roof cannot entirely be 

 dispensed with, but the wood has been unmercifully thinned- 

 out, and the glass washed on both sides. The plants must not 

 be unduly excited by artificial heat, but where there is but one 

 plant stove, which contains many specimens requiring different 

 degrees of temperature, a considerable difficulty arises. It will 

 be found, however, that in all houses of moderate length, say 

 over 25 feet, one end of the house is usually several degrees 

 warmer than the other ; the end nearest the boiler is warmed 

 first, and the water must give off some of its caloric as it 

 flows onward. In our plant stove, 28 feet by 20 feet, there is a 

 difference of about 5°, but even this difference can be increased 

 by covering the warmest end with some thick non-conducting 



material. Orchids, such as Phaljenopsis and even Cattleya 

 superba, may be placed where they enjoy 65*^; others — and the 

 largest number of species are enumerated here — may have from 

 5° to 10° lower. The same with other species of stove plants. 

 Nepenthes Rafflesiana, and indeed most of the species, require 

 the highest temperature, whilst such as N. phyllamphora thrive 

 best in the lower. Let this always be borne in mind, that the 

 cause of disease in many plants, and especially Orchids, is an 

 over-high temperature, causing undue excitement in the winter 

 months. There is also an excellent opportunity now to clean the 

 plants. Scale, bug, &o., may be quite eradicated by constant 

 attention. 



Forcing houses for floivers are a necessary adjunct where a con- 

 tinuous display has to be kept up ; but it is only large establish- 

 ments that have houses which can be entirely devoted to thia 

 purpose. In many large and otherwise well-arranged gardens 

 flowering plants have to be forced in early vineries, Cucumber 

 houses, or in any other structure where the temperature may 

 not be exactly suited to the requirements of the subjects to be 

 forced. It is vain to expect good results if plants are taken in 

 either from a cold house or, as is sometimes the case, from the 

 open ground, and placed in a high night temperature, say of 

 60° or 65°, all at once. The root-action does not keep pace with 

 the top growth, and both leaves and flowers are of very weak 

 development, and not for a moment to be compared with those 

 that are first placed in a temperature of 45°, and the heat raised 

 by slow gradations until it reaches the maximum. A little 

 bottom heat is also of great service at this season. The sys- 

 tem that gives the best results is to plunge the pots in a bed of 

 tan or other fermenting materialj not a high temperature — 75° 

 or 80° will be the best ; indeed, a high temperature would do 

 harm. We are invariably successful with Lily of the Valley, 

 Dielytra spectabilis, and Spira>a japonica when a night tempe- 

 rature of 45° or 50° can be obtained, with a bottom heat when 

 they are first started ; a moderately moist atmosphere is also 

 beneficial. When we have been driven to placing the plants or 

 bulbs to be forced into a high night temperature we have placed 

 the pots on a hotbed to promote root-action first. It is needless 

 to urge the importance of placing the plants as near as possible 

 to the glass ; and in the case of Roses, tree Carnations, &c., 

 watching for the first appearance of green fly, and having it 

 destroyed by fumigating at once. 



FLOWER G.VBDEN. 



Finks. — Who wants to know anything about Pinks ? Well, 

 they are not grown in very many aristocratic gardens ; if they 

 were, doubtless they would be appreciated as they deserve to 

 be. We planted three beds of them : this would have been 

 better done in October, so that the plants might have taken 

 hold of the ground before the sharp frosts of early winter could 

 throw them out of the ground. The beds were in the first place 

 prepared by trenching and manuring the ground, and the plants 

 put out in rows 1 foot apart and 9 inches between each other; 

 and as the soil of the beds was rather wet and not in good con- 

 dition for planting, a little fine dry mould was placed around 

 the roots of each plant. All the attention the plants require 

 during winter is to press into the ground those that have been 

 thrown out by the frost. 



Carnations and Picotees recently potted also require attention. 

 Those plants that are not well rooted have to be protected from 

 frost, but the lights are drawn off the frame on all favourable 

 occasions ; decaying leaves are removed from the plants at once, 

 water being applied to the roots when necessary, but not during 

 frosts. Gladiolus roots had been placed in pots on the floor of 

 a late vinery to dry, and as soon as convenient the small bulbules 

 will be potted in light sandy loam and leaf mould, the pots to 

 be plunged in cocoa-nut fibre refuse in a cold frame. Removing 

 mildewed leaves from Calceolaria cuttings in a cold frame 

 behind a north wall. The weather has been so cold — cutting 

 frosty winds from the uorth-east, that it was not safe to open 

 the ventilators much. - Protected with mats all frames contain- 

 ing pots of half-hardy subjects. — J. Douglas. 



TRADE CATALOQDES RECEIVED. 



Little & Ballantyne, Knowefield Nurseries, Carlisle. — Cata- 

 logue of Forest Trees, Ornamental Avenue and Park Trees, 

 Deciduous and Evergreen Shrubs, X-c. 



James Dickson & Sons, Newton Nurseries, and 108, Eastgate 

 Street, Chester. — Catalogue of Forest Trees, Shrubs, Ever- 

 greens, d-c. 



Robertson & Galloway, 157, Ingram Street, Glasgow, and 

 Helensburgh. — Catalogue of Bases, Gladioli, and General Nur- 

 sery Stock. 



Ant. Roozen & Son, Overveen, Haarlem, Holland. — Autumn 

 List of Gladioli. — List of Bulbotis Begonias. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Books (Beginner). — Our *' Greenhoubea for the Many" and "Gavden 

 Manual " coutaiu full iutonnatioD ot what you require. They may be bad by 

 post if you enclose 2s. Gd. la postage stamps with your address to our oilics. 



