April 27, 1876. ) 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTURB AND COTTAGE QABDENEB. 



335 



a Fern may be placed in a narrow crevice, the roots often ran 

 deep in such places, therefore provide a good doptn of soil and 

 plenty of drainage. 



Fbdit G.vbden. — I do not find much inj ary done to the blossom 

 abont Maidatone by the severe weather, though there are com- 

 plaints in different parts of the country that Pear bloom hag 

 been cat severely. We have around ns a capital show for fruit. 

 Gooseberries are set freely and are swelling-off well. Among 

 Apples there is a good show, but the blossom is not out yet. 

 The protection has not yet been taken from the Peach trees, 

 the young fruit jaat set is too tender for fall expoaare. One 

 turn at disbudding has helped the young growth a little, but I 

 perceive that before many days the trees must all be well 

 syringed from the garden engine, as green fly is coming fast, 

 and this with the cold nights makes the leaves curl and become 

 blotchy. Where the young leaves have been exposed they have 

 turned brown with the cold, but warm nights will soon alter 

 that. — THOM.is Record. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WORK FOR 

 THE PRESENT WEEK. 



HABDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



Last week we had to write of wintry weather, and the fair 

 prospects of good crops of hardy fruits were much endangered 

 by the frost-winds. On examining the trees, however, this 

 week the blossoms do not seem to have suffered much. Pear 

 and Plum trees were in full flower, and the temperature fell to 

 27'^ Fahr., or 5? of frost; the same night one-third of an inch of 

 sleet and snow fell with an east wind. This seemed sufficient to 

 cause grave apprehension for the safety of expanded blossoms. 

 Apple trees are not yet in blossom, but nearly all the Cherry 

 trees are sheets of snowy whiteness. At present the weather is 

 all that can be desired — occasional showers and drying winds, 

 with a night temperature ranging between 40° and 45°. 



As the usual work is well forward, the Dutch hoe has been 

 kept at work amongst aU sorts of trees and berry-bearing bushes. 

 Many persons have a notion that the hoe ia only required when 

 weeds are abandant, and some "workmen will not trouble to stir 

 the ground except where weeds are seen. The hoe should be 

 worked carefully over every part of the ground, so that all in- 

 cipient weeds may be destroyed and the surface loosened. 



Trees that have been grafted should be attended to; the clay 

 is apt to crack and admit air to the point of union. If this is 

 so the cracks should be filled-up with a little moist clay. We 

 grafted Pear and Apple trees this year, and the clay was mixed 

 with a portion of hay out finely in a chaff-cutter, and although 

 the weather has been dry since there has been no cracking of 

 the grafting clay. 



Wall trees will also require attention. Apricots may now be 

 thinned, removing the smallest fruit and such as may be in a 

 position where it cannot swell well. Peach and Nectarine trees 

 may be disbudded. The earlier that this operation is performed 

 the better will it be for the trees. When the growths are much 

 advanced the trees receive a check unless the shoots are 

 thinned-out by degrees. If disbudding is done at the time the 

 fruit seta nearly all the superfluous buds may be removed. 



Now is the time that the Peach aphis ia to be seen on the young 

 growths ; but whether it is discernible or not, the trees should 

 be well syringed with soapy water. It will have a better effect 

 if a little tobacco liquor is mixed with it. Last year our Bed 

 Currant bushes were much injured by the attacks of green fly. 

 It was too late to syringe them after it was observed, and being 

 bnay with other work at the time the insects increased rapidly. 

 Should the aphis appear this year the bushes will be syringed 

 with the same water as has been recommended for Peach trees. 

 The careful cultivator if he can spare the time should look over 

 his trees and bushes every day at this season, and wherever 

 insect pests appear they should at once bo destroyed. The 

 Gooseberry caterpillar and the larvaa of the lackey moth will 

 soon be, if they are not already, at work in their several voca- 

 tions. It ia not only much better to destroy them in their early 

 stages, but it is much easier. 



Plants of Black Prince or Keens' Seedling Strawberry that 

 have borne a crop of fruit in pota may, if they have been gradu- 

 ally inured to the cold, now be planted out on a piece of pre- 

 pared ground. The plants will in all probability bear a crop of 

 fruit in autumn. 



ORCHARD HOUSE. 



The trees have grown to the utmost limit allowed them, and 

 as the young growths have made good progress it will be neces- 

 sary to atop them well back at once. We have looked over the 

 Peach and Nectarine trees, as many of them were infested with 

 brown scale. Where it was observed it was removed by hand, 

 and the place washed with strong soapy water. There ia no 

 appearance of aphis on any of the trees. Should it bo detected 

 the house will bo promptly fumigated with tobacco smoke. 

 There is a double row of Strawberry plants on shelves all round 

 the honBe; bat the plants require to be thimied oat at this 



season, otherwise they become drawn. The plants are mach 

 injured if they are crowded too closely together on the shelves. 



VINERIES. 



Fot Vines. — It is now a critical time with these, for if they 

 receive a check at this season they may not recover again. They 

 muat be repotted into larger pots aa soon as they require it, and 

 the potting must be done in a careful manner. Good turfy loam, 

 to which has been added a liberal portion of crushed bones, ia 

 as good a material as can be obtained for them. The drainage 

 should be placed carefully in the bottom of the pots, and oyer 

 that the fibrous loam free from mould. We are careful with 

 all the repottings as to tho drainage ; but when the Vines are 

 placed in their fruiting pots it is quite necessary that great care 

 should be exerciaed, as if the drainage is choked the Grapes 

 will not finish off well. We have had fruiting Vines from the 

 nursery, and the canes looked very well and seemed all right 

 for a crop the following season, but on examining the drainage 

 we have found three or four large pieces of tile thrown in care- 

 lessly, so that the compost had become mixed with them, and 

 the free outlet of water was impossible. A large piece of broken 

 pot should be placed over tho drainage hole to leave a holloyv 

 space ; a few more large pieces muat be placed carefully oyer it 

 by hand, with the concave side under; over these smaller pieces 

 should be fiUed-in suflioiently to form a level surface. This is 

 in order that the compost may be drained equally. The crocks 

 may, and are ofttimes, put in ao that one aide of the pot is well 

 drained and the other not at all — so that one side ia full of 

 healthy roots while the other side is sodden. After the Vino 

 has filled its fruiting pot with roots it may require water twice 

 daily. Syringe freely to keep off red spider. 



There ia not much work required in early vineries. The 

 stoning period seems to be safely past, and the fruit has taken its 

 second swelling. At this time the borders have a good soaking 

 with manure water to carry the Vines over the period from the 

 time the Grapes begin to colour until they are all cut. Many 

 Grape-growers maintain a very dry atmosphere in their vineries 

 during the coioit?-J«7 period; but this is a mistake. BlackHam- 

 burgh Grapes will colour better in a moderately moist atmo- 

 sphere, and the bunches are better if they are fairly well shaded 

 from the sun. Muscats, on the other hand, colour better and 

 take on that fine golden colour so much apiJreciated if the 

 bunches are exposed to the sun. A little air should be admitted 

 at night, as well as affording free ventilation by day. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



This is a busy time for the florist. The Auriculas are now in 

 perfection, and the aim of the cultivator is to keep them in 

 flower for as long a period as poasible. Our plants have all been 

 removed to the north side of a wall from the exposed part of the 

 garden where they were wintered, and where they remained 

 until the flower trusses were partly opened. Here they have no 

 morning sun, and the solar rays do not touch the frames until 

 three in the afternoon. It ia necessary to shade the plants if 

 the sun is bright from that time until five, when the shades 

 and— if the air is calm— the lights also are removed. To keep 

 Auriculas healthy they must have a goodly supply of fresh air. 

 The old growers and many of the modern growers do not tie the 

 trusses up ; some varieties do not reqiiire it, but others are apt 

 to fall over, and a alight stick keeps the truss upright. Plants 

 that have finished flowering should be removed to a frame 

 where they can be more freely exposed to light and air than are 

 the plants in flower. The plants ought not to be crowded closely 

 together at this time. 



Tulips are still much neglected, but those who do grow them 

 will be very anxious at this time as the flowers will soon be 

 open. Border Tulips are usually left to chance, but choice 

 varieties in the beds must be protected from frosts by canvas 

 coverings. Sunshine and driving rains, even high winds, injure 

 the bloom very much. If the weather is favourable the cover- 

 ings must be removed. 



Pinks in beds also require a little attention ; the flower stalks 

 are considerably advanced and require to be supported with neat 

 sticks. The beds of course are atirred on the surface and all 

 weeds removed. If dry weather continue we shall dress the 

 surface with decayed manure and also water the plants. Car- 

 nations and Picotees have all been repotted. It would be better 

 to turn the plants quite out into the open ground if the weather 

 should continue favourable ; but aa the plants are in frames they 

 will remain there for a week or two longer. The frames have 

 been fumigated to destroy green fly. 



If all the Hollyhocks have not been planted out they ought to 

 be attended to at once. Unlike the Dahlia they do not suffer 

 from frost, but if the plants have been propagated in hotbeds 

 they ought to be gradually inured to the cold before they are 

 planted out. If sufficient stock of Dahlias have not yet been 

 propagated the cuttings should be inserted singly in small 

 thumb pots, and the pots plunged in a brisk bottom heat. As 

 soon as they are rooted repot, still keeping them in the heat to 

 forward them for planting-out about the end of May. The 

 ground ought to be deeply trenched and highly manured to 



