12 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



[ Jannarj 6, 1876. 



Invicta, Laxton's No. 1, Emerald Gem, Sutton's Ringleader, 

 Sangter's No. 1, and Laxton's William I. The first-named sort, 

 with Emerald Gem and Sangster's, came into bloom at one time, 

 followed in three or fonr days by Ringleader and 'William I. 

 Laxton's No. 1 had not a fair trial, for it was eaten very much 

 by sparrows and pea-fowls, which we have constantly to do 

 battle against here. Invicta and Emerald Gem were ready 

 first, next came Ringleader, and Sangster's a few days later, and 

 William I. and Laxton's No. 1 last. As a summer Pea for good 

 croppingand other qnalifioationsWilliams'sEmperor of the Mar- 

 rows is to be recommended ; Giant Emerald Marrow also turned 

 out well. G.F.Wilson is a firet- rate Pea; and as dwarf summer 

 Peas there are few to equal Veitch's Perfection and Yorkshire 

 Hero (Dixon'f.), both of which I always grow. I found that 

 Ringleader, Laxton's No. 1, and William I., though not quite so 

 early as the others, were the best croppers ; they make more 

 haulm and have a more vigorous constitution : therefore those 

 who do not make a point of earliness will not be disappointed 

 by growing either of those last named. I shall grow similar 

 sorts again this year. Beans of the Early Mazagan kind should 

 now be planted, if not done before ; they will do in a heavier 

 soil than will Peas. 



The stock of bedding plants must he seen to now. Amateur 

 gardeners about here are complaining about so many plants 

 damping-off. No doubt their having been placed in common 

 frames during the late snow was the origin of the decay of the 

 plants; but lately there has been ample opportunity to clear 

 them of all dead leaves and otherwise keeping them clean, for 

 if one mildewed leaf is allowed to remain long it is pretty sure 

 to cause the decay of others, especially among the variegated 

 class of Pelargoniums. Fresh air and plenty of it when the 

 glass outdoors approaches 40° is the principal remedy for all 

 damp-affected plants. Old plants of the bedding class that are 

 stored away thickly ought to be looked over and have the dead 

 and dying parts severed from the rest, or they, too, will suffer. 

 If room can be found in the greenhouse the most delicate of 

 them should be taken in. All other store plants, especially 

 Cannas, Dahlias, Marvel of Peru, Fuchsia fulgens. Salvia patens, 

 and such others as have been laid up in earth should be exa- 

 mined, and if any are rotting, which they sometimes do, the 

 decayed part should be cut away, and very dry sand or fiue 

 earth should be used to arrest farther injury of the roots. Cal- 

 ceolarias and other half-hardy plants in frames must be treated 

 liberally with air, and in fact, now that all are well rooted, the 

 lights may be thrown quite off all day. Carnations in pots 

 ought to be fully exposed in mild weather, and the frame in 

 which they are placed ought to be hoisted upon bricks so as to 

 admit air beneath the plants. 



In the little forcing houses, too, things will begin to move, 

 but for the present— say for another fortnight — the temperature 

 should be kept rather low than otherwise, bo as not to excite 

 the buds too much into growth until there is increased light 

 and sun to perfect it. Take care that the house is kept moist 

 enough according to the heat applied, and the plants kept damp 

 overhead. Lilacs, Deutzias, Fuchsias, Hyacinths, Tulips, &c., 

 do not require a strong heat to bring them into bloom, but they 

 require that happy medium of heat and moisture which is so 

 conducive to good health among these plants. By a steady 

 temperature the plants will come into bloom more slowly than 

 under greater heat, but then they will be the better for it aud 

 last much longer. Look daily after green fly among Roses and 

 the young foUage of the Strawberries, and for thrips upon 

 Azaleas, and fumigate at once ; it is as well to do this once every 

 week as a preventive. Take care that the foliage is dry before 

 applying the smoke, and do not give it too strong, or it will do 

 harm instead of good. — Thomas Recoed. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WOEK FOR 

 THE PEESENT "WEEK. 



HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



Pruning fruit trees, especially standards, pyramids, or bushes, 

 is as much an art that must bo perfected by experience as is 

 pruning Rose bushes. The Rose-pruner must know whether his 

 Rose is a weak or a strong grower, whether it is a free or a shy 

 flowering sort. Tea or Hybrid Perpetual, &o. The experienced 

 fruit cultivator prunes for a purpose always, and not by chance. 

 He knows whether the trees are likely to produce a large pro- 

 portion of young wood, or whether there will be too many 

 fruitful spurs. In the latter case the tree may make such a 

 small proportion of young wood that its constitution might 

 suffer, and it will be necessary to thin out the branches to pro- 

 mote the growth of young wood. Overlnxuriant trees must not 

 be pruned closely, and, if not already done, a semicircle should 

 be drawn round the tree according to its eize. If the tree is 

 large the radius must be at a considerable distance from the 

 Btem. We then dig down to the principal roots and cut them off ; 

 then we work under them to the tree, raising all the roots near 

 the surface; the other half of the roots are pruned the follow- 

 ing Beaeon. This work is best done in November, but it might 



be done up to February with advantage. This system of root- 

 pruning is the only certain cure we know for canker if it is done 

 when the tree is first attacked. The branches of standard trees 

 very often become overcrowded from neglect, and those of the 

 bush and pyramid form from injudicious pinching or summer 

 pruning. The fruit produced on such trees is never of good 

 quality, and is always smaller than that produced on trees where 

 the branches have been thinned-out to allow the centre of the 

 tree to be pervious to the light. Our trees have been pruned^ 

 at least, what little pruning was required; most of it was done 

 in summer. The ground over the roots has been dressed wilh 

 rotted manure. 



The ground between the rows of Raspberry plants has also 

 been dressed with rich manure, and this will be dug-in at once. 

 Many persons disapprove of digging between the rows, but we 

 have always done so, and our crops are very good. There are 

 certain objections to mulching over the roots of trees and 

 bushes, especially those near the gravel walks, that cannot be 

 disregarded. The mulching always has a littery appearance, 

 and this is the most noticeable at the time when the garden ia 

 expected to look at its best — that is, from the end of March on- 

 wards; the small birds also are much pleased to scratch the 

 manure, after it has become light from exposure, on to the gravel. 

 Taking these things into consideration it is evident, if we can 

 obtain a crop from trees and bushes almost if not quite as good 

 when the manure has been forkedin as when it is left to litter 

 about on the surface, it ia very much better to do so. The 

 pruning of all small fruits has been finished, such as Goose- 

 berries, Currants, itc. All of them receive, like the Rasp- 

 berries, a good dressing of rich manure. We rather fancy that 

 Gooseberries and Black Currants do better when the ground 

 underneath them has been forked over, plenty of manure being 

 added of course. 



We look over the Apples and Pears in the fruit room about 

 once a-week. Both sorts of fruit are keeping very well now. 

 The late Pears have kept better than usual, but the flavour is not 

 nearly so rich as it has been in some previous seasons. We are 

 now using Passe Colmar, Easter Beurre, Josephine de Malines, 

 Winter Nelis, and Chaumontel Pears, the last-named sort from 

 orchard house trees. This ia by far the best; except Easter 

 Beurru, which was grown on a south waU, the other three sorts 

 were from pyramid trees. Strange to say the Easter Beurr§s 

 are gritty, and in comparison are the worst as regards flavour. 

 The French and Jersey growers are very successful with Easter 

 Beurre from walls. Our experience is that it does not do well 

 on a wall. Many gi'jwers, and amongst them the veteran Mr. 

 Thomas Rivers, say it produces the best-flavoured fruit from 

 bush or pyramid trees. 



FRDIT AND FORCING HOUSES. 



Vineries. — In the early houses where the buds are just break- 

 ing we are keeping up a good supply of atmospheric moisture 

 from fermenting material, supplementing this by evaporating 

 troughs over the hot-water pipes, and water sprinkled over the 

 paths and surface of the borders. Bed spider seldom appears in 

 houses where a quantity of ammonia is being thrown off daily 

 from stable manure. When the buds are well started and the 

 Vines tied up in their places the borders outside and inside will 

 have a good watering ; each time of watering as much is ap- 

 plied as will correspond to a depth of rainfall of 2 inches ; we 

 might give more than this, but do not reckon to give less. After 

 the Vines are started no fresh manure should be taken into the 

 house, as the steam from this even in a moderate quantity is 

 injurious. lu late vineries the Grapes hanging are Mrs. Pince'a 

 Black Muscat, Muscat of Alexandria, Gros Guillaume, Lady 

 Downe's, Royal Vineyard, Waltham Cross, Black Hamburgh, 

 and Snow's Muscat Hamburgh. Of these Lady Downe's keeps 

 the best, but for keeping qualities Gros Guillaume is but little 

 behind it, aud is a far more noble-looking fruit. Mrs. Pince 

 has not kept well, and the fruit shrivels much more than any 

 of the other sorts. The keeping quahties of Waltham Cross aud 

 Muscat of AJexand/ia are about equal, both of them keeping 

 better than Royal Vineyard. Of course any decaying berries 

 are removed at once with a pair of sharp-pointed scissors. 



Dwarf Kidney Beans. — We do not require to grow these this 

 season, and are truly thankful ; they are almost invariably the 

 means of introducing that terrible pest red spider to the houses. 

 Those who intend to grow them should now sow the seed. 

 After trying different modes of treatment the best was thought 

 to be that of planting about six Beans in a 7-inch pot. The 

 compost used was good turfy loam four parts and one pait of 

 rotted manure. The pots were not quite half full of mould 

 when the seeds were sown, but as soon as the first true leaves 

 were formed the pots were filled up with soil. If the plants can 

 be kept in a growing temperature and free from spider, and the 

 pods be gathered as soon as they are ready, they will continue 

 to Biipply gatherings for many weeks. 'The pots should be 

 placed on a stage or shelf near the glass in a temperature of 

 60** or 65°, and be daily syringed. 



Figs in Potn. — These are usually repotted about the time the 

 leaves fall, but as the operation was omitted at that time it 



