Deoember 24, 1874. 



JOURNAL OF HORTICUIiTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



5C9 



vatioD. It IB much beet to arrange the work so that the trench- 

 ing, digging, or ridging may be the last operation, so as to leave 

 the soil uninterrupted in its rough state. It is a well-known 

 fact, particularly with hea\'y soils or those too much impreg- 

 nated with manure ; nevertheless, even in such weather as the 

 present, not even in small gardens will it do to let things go 

 without acme attention, for everything ought to btt well prn- 

 teoted, it' not done as previously advised. The other day in a 

 small garden I saw a rrop nf both Mar^agau Eeann and Peas 

 well above ground, eapecially tli" latter, which were, I should 

 say, 3 or -1 inches high, and looked healthy. Now, undoubtedly 

 if these are not iirotuoted, and most thorouglily so too, they will 

 scarcely survive a very severe winter. It is not so much t hat 

 the frost injures them, though they both turn a yellow colour 

 through the cold, as the sharp cutting winds tliat have play upon 

 them. I have never advocated the very early sowing of such 

 things, having so frequently witnessed and experienced a failure 

 to procure anything like a satisfactory crop, though they may 

 come some days earlier. The biting winds of about February 

 or March have many times cut the slaoots off as if with a knife ; 

 therefore when such tilings are well up out of the ground they 

 must be protected by any means. The next things are Sea-kale 

 and Rhubarb, which if forced on the bed, as many people do, 

 with dung and leaves, and they have started to make growth, 

 the greatest possible care must be paid that the heat does not 

 fall too low, which if the crowns did not rot they would be so 

 crippled in growth as to be afterwards next to useless. Next 

 we come to newly-planted trees, such as those fresh from the 

 nursery, which must at once he protected at the root by rough 

 material of some kind ; and in the ca^o of such tender-wooded 

 trees as Peaches, Nectarines, or B'igs, it is a good plan to enve- 

 lope the whole tree in straw bands, or whatever can be best pro- 

 cured, during the severest part of the winter. Where Straw- 

 berries in pots cannot be taken entirely under cover, thov, too, 

 must be well protected. But there ig one thing I should like 

 to mention, and that is that when a period of severe weather 

 breaks up, and a period of mild weather is likely to follow, the 

 protecting material should bo immediately taken from such things 

 as Celery, Artichokes, and Strawberries, or such other fleshy 

 plants as have been so treated, otherwise decay soon sets in. 



If frames containing bedding and other plants have not been 

 well protected at the sides, they should be so treated at once, 

 n,nd little else can be done ; for it will not be safe to open tlie 

 frames for any operation, except giving air for an hour, if pos- 

 sible, at midday. 



The greenhouse and conservatory will now be the places most 

 visited, and the temperature of neither should exceed .50°, un- 

 less one or both contain plants of a more tender nature and 

 require a higher temperature ; or sometimes such places are the 

 only ones available for liringing Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcis3U=?, 

 Spiraas, Lily of the Valley, and a few forcing shrubs, such as 

 Lilacs, Azaleas, Deutzias, lirc. Even then it is not advisable to 

 start them at a high heat — one of 50' will suit at present, with 

 an additional .5' in the day ; but they must he frequently syringed, 

 though not so as to deluge them till they have made a fair 

 growth and receive a higher temperature ; they ought also to 

 have all the light possible in these short days. The above, if 

 al grown in one house, and that house large enough, they should 

 have the warmest end of it ; but when they come into flower, 

 or are so now (such as tho early Roman Hyacinth no doubt is, 

 being an early bloomer), it should be placed in the coolest part. 

 Now this class of bulbs are very fast growers, and require a 

 deal to support tho noble spikes of bloom they produce ; they 

 also make numerous fleshy roots very fast, and they must there- 

 fore be liberally supplied with water, added to which must be 

 a little liquid manure just sufiicient to colour it. If given at 

 every turn after they have thrown up their spike or bloom-head 

 they will be much improved by it. Camellias, whether in pots 

 or planted out, ought to be supplied with liquid manure fre- 

 quently, because these plants generally have hard work to push 

 out all their huds left on them into full-blown flowers unless 

 assisted in this way ; but it must be understood that there must 

 he a liberal, free, and open drainage under the plants, because 

 stagnant water about their roots not only throws the plants 

 into an unhealthy state, hut will he a great step towards making 

 them shed their buds, as many people often complain about in 

 their plants. Where the opportunity presents itself I would 

 advise that in the small greenhouses we often see attached to villa 

 residences a Camellia or two should be planted-out, instead of 

 being grown in a pot; they grow into plants so much quicker, 

 because the treatment is more to their natural requirements, 

 and in this way the flowers are more numerous and larger, more 

 perfect in form, and the plants themselves, through not being 

 so cramped at the root, generally maintain a luxuriant and 

 healthy appearance. — Thomas Eecobd. 



DOINGS OP THE LAST AND PRESENT WEEKS. 



The heavy snowfalls with frost have quite put a stop to 

 operations in the out-of-doors department. The only work that 



can be done with advantage is turning the manure or vegetable- 

 mould heaps ; or if it is intended to put fresh gravel on the paths, 

 this should be dug out of the ground and sifted. It adds very 

 much to the enjoyment to be derived from a garden if the paths 

 are kept in good order. The most comfortable paths to walk 

 upon are those that are well drained, and having the roughest 

 portion of the gravel placed over brickbats, and some of the 

 finer sittings on the top, finishing off with the middle of the path 

 slightly higher than the sides — just so much that it can scarcely 

 be pei-ceived by the eye, and not at all to inconvenience those 

 walking upon it. Wlien the grave] binds, a.i it ought to do on 

 such a path, the rainfall escapes to the sides, so that the surface 

 is seldom wet. In wet districts we have seen paths made in a 

 different manner. The gravel is first run through a very coarse 

 sieve to separate the large stones, which are used for the bottom, 

 then through one with a finer mesh to separate the sand and 

 very small stones. This finer portion is not need in the com- 

 position of the path at all ; the portion remaining will not bind, 

 and is the best patli to walk upon in very wet weather. We 

 have plenty of work for the men during a long storm, as our 

 extent of glass structures is large for the size of the place, so 

 that it is cheaper to purchase labels than it is to make them 

 ourselvea. Flower sticks we would obtain in the same way if 

 they were made to our liking, but they are always too clumsy, 

 eapeciaUy the smaller sizes. The best material to make sticks 

 from is ordinary double laths, and a man can make sticks from 

 these laths as fast as he can reduce tlioae that have been made 

 too thick to a serviceable size. 



For protecting the plants in frames, pits, &c., mats are used; 

 but a protection that will keep out quite as much frost as double 

 mats may be made from straw, and any handy labourer who 

 had never seen them made could be instructed in a few minutes. 

 A very small portion of straw (any sort will do) is taken up in 

 the hand, and firmly tied at one end, more straw is added to 

 the leugtii uutil a rope of straw i^ made as long as the frame to 

 be covered is wide. The ends of the ties are not cut off but left 

 long, so that more straw may be added and tied in the same 

 way, continuing so until the covering is as long as the frame. 

 We have made and used these coverings, and have found them 

 to be one of the very best protections agsinst frost. Two men 

 can make a large quantity of such coverings in a day or two. 

 Peg-j should also be made now, and laid aside for use until 

 required. The best pegs are made from Elm branches. The 

 small sprays that are cut off" when trimming-up flower sticks are 

 used for this purpose. A number of good Verbena pegs can 

 also be cut nut, of an old birch broom. Indeed the gardener in his 

 interest will t.ike cire that no prunings of Elm, Birch, or Beech 

 trees will be wasted uutil he lias liad his supply of pegs for the 

 bedding plants, Strawberry ranners, &c. 



VINERIES. 



The late houses where Grapes are hanging do not require more 

 attention than to keep the atmnophpre dry without overdoing it. 

 There would not bo much riiliiualty in keeping the berries 

 from becoming mouldy if the proprietor preferred the berries 

 shrivelled like the dried Grapes imported from Spain. There 

 are two causes that conduce to the fruit losing its moisture so 

 far as to cause the skin to become wrinkled. The first is an 

 overdry state of the atmosphere, caused by continuously healing 

 the hot-water pipes ; second, by the border in which the roots 

 are growing being too dry. If this is the reason, not only will 

 the present crop of Grapes be deteriorated in value, but the 

 Vines will be much injured for next season's crop, as the buds 

 will fail to plump-up and become fully developed. This is not 

 likely to happen, however, if euificient water has been applied 

 during the growing season of the Vines, and a good soaking 

 given as soon as the fruit begins to colour. If through any mis- 

 chance the border does become too dry, we would rather water 

 after the fruit is ripe than allow the Vines to suffer. It cannot 

 be too earnestly impressed on all the necessity of looking over 

 tho bunches at least every week, and cutting-out all mouldy 

 berries. ."VU the leaves have been picked off the Vines both in 

 Muscat and Lady Downe's house, except on two rods of Mrs. 

 Pince'a Black Muscat, the leaves of which are not ripe enough. 

 Mrs. Piuce is a fairly good Grape, but it does not keep so well 

 as anticipated ; it seldom colours well, and nearly all the gar- 

 deners who come to look at our fruit say that it sets badly. It 

 sets well in the Muscat house with the same treatment that 

 Muscat Grapes require. In the early house, except keeping up 

 a supply of moisture in the atmosphere, and seeing that the 

 temperature does not fall below 4.5° or rise above 50° at night 

 (while the weather is so cold) until the buds start, no other 

 attention has been required. Roses or any other shrubs or 

 flowers that have been introduced to force.with the Vines must 

 not suffer for want of water at the roots. Unless the_ pots are 

 over the hot-water pipes not much water will he required; but 

 if they sufi'er the growths will be weakly, and the usual insect 

 pests will find a more congenial home upon them. Syringing 

 at least every day causes the buds to break freely and strongly. 



FLOWER GAKDEN AND SHEUBBEllT. 



Nothing will be done to the flower-beds while snow lies thick 



