416 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTDBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



( May 25, 1876. 



Smith, Hornsey, for double Pelargonium Wouderful ; to Mr. 

 Laing for Caladium Madame de Devanage and for Bicolor Pelar- 

 goniiims Exquisite and J. Jenner Weir; also to Mr. Hooper, 

 Bath, for Pansy Jupiter; MesBrs. Paul & Son for Rose Magna 

 Charta; and to Messre. Veitch and Mr. Turner for Azalea Jean 

 Vervaene. 



NOTES ON VILLA and SUBUBBAN GABDENING. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Sow a good breadth of Turnips for early autumn use. Select 

 a piece of ground large enough for two crops, the next one to be 

 sown in about three weeks' time. Our early Turnips are grow- 

 ing well between the earliest batch of spring-planted Cauli- 

 flowers, where the soil is of the best in the garden. The Cauli- 

 flowers from under hand-lights have been liberally supplied with 

 water, and sometimes with liquid manure. Sow at once a small 

 quantity of Cauliflower seed for an early autumn crop, and do 

 not in planting-out neglect to give the plants a rich deeply culti- 

 vated soil to grow in ; an open quarter in the garden is prefer- 

 able to a hot sunny border at this season for Cauliflower plants. 



If Onions are forward enough let some of the best of them be 

 pricked out ; these, if taken care of, often grow out as well as 

 the plants which are sown in drills. Take care that the plants 

 are not planted deeper than they were when taken up, and again 

 take care to thin-out the remainder before they grow too large. 

 The Onion being a vigorous-rooting plant injury is likely to loe 

 done to those left if thinning is delayed too long. 



Asparagus is later this year than usual in coming in, but is 

 now plentiful, and it will be best not to cut it too closelv, but 

 leave a few heads distributed regularly over the beds. This will 

 leave enough growth to keep the roots in a thriving condition, 

 and be an assistance to next year's crop. New beds which have 

 been made and are just sendiug-up young growth should, if the 

 weather keeps dry, be well supplied with water and be kept clear 

 from weeds, to ensure a good growth and the formation of crowns 

 for next year. 



Plant-out Brussels Sprouts at onc9 ; this vegetable can hardly 

 be had in use too early. Also put out Snow's Broccoli, and if 

 ground cannot yet be spared all other seedlings coming along 

 had better be pricked out and be finally planted out at a more 

 convenient time. The early sorts of greens must be served in 

 the same way. It is also advisable to make another small sow- 

 ing of all the late kinds of greens to fill up spaces that are at 

 present occupied with other crops. 



Plant-out the smooth-leaved sorts of Cabbages for an autumn 

 crop, and do not forget the little Early Ulm Savoy, which is 

 specially adapted for an amateur's garden. But it often happens 

 that in small gardens ground cannot be given up entirely to 

 these crops ; in which case, to ensure a regular succession of 

 vegetables, the plants ought to be planted between rows of 

 other crops that do not grow too high to injure their growth nor 

 remain too long in the ground. 



If Parsnips are not thinned-ont they should be thinned at 

 once, leaving the plants about 8 inches apart. Sow more Peas 

 as soon as the previous crop shows itself above ground; put 

 them in the coolest part of the garden, and they will be found 

 to do better than on the hot sunny borders. Attend well to 

 Scarlet Runners, and sow the last crop of them. This being a 

 quick-growing plant it requires plenty of water ; the ground 

 around the plants should also be mulched with manure. This 

 crop when well managed will prove to be one of the most 

 profitable vegetables in the garden. 



Earth-up Potatoes before they are too forward, or the roots 

 are apt to bo injured by the operation. Continue to hoe and 

 stir the soil in every part of the garden whether weeds are seen 

 or not; hoeing destroys a whole progeny of them, and the gar- 

 den looks the tidier for it. If weeds are permitted to grow 

 before hoeing the ground the additional labour involved in de- 

 stroying them is very great. There is much economy in doing 

 everything in time, and efforts should be made to keep ahead of 

 all work as much as possible. — Thomas Recobd. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WOBK FOB 

 THE PEESENT WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



The weather is suificiently favourable for carrying on the 

 operations of sowing and transplanting. Many of the small seed- 

 lings have been much injured by sparrows; they pull the plants 

 out of the ground, very often only to leave them lying on the 

 surface after crushing the seed leaves with their bills. The 

 only way to save the plants is by netting-over the beds. Other 

 enemies are slugs and earwigs. The slugs get underground 

 by day, and may be found on the plants after 9 p.m., or before 

 4 a.m. Quicklime dusted over them is speedy destruction. The 

 earwigs also feed in the early morning, they also cluster to- 

 gether just under the surface of the ground and at the base of 

 the plants. By removing the surface soil they may be destroyed 

 by crushing them as they attempt to escape. 



Late Broccoli may atiU be sown in the southern districts. The 



latest sown may stand the winter better than that sown a month 

 earlier. Nearly all the Brassioa tribe delight to have the hoe 

 worked between the rows, and the early Cabbages now hearting 

 require to have the leaves tied together with a strip of matting. 

 A few ought to be done daily, so that a succession may be kept 

 up. Hill's Incomparable is a very good early Cabbage of small 

 size, and may be planted much closer together than the stronger- 

 growing types. This year, instead of turning-in like the Early 

 York and Enfield, every plant of them ran-up for flower. 

 They were removed and small plants of another sort put out 

 in their place in the spring. These will come in rseful for 

 succession. They have now been earthed-up. Notwithstand- 

 ing the continued cold weather the Cauliflower plants from 

 which the hand-lights have been removed, and those planted 

 later for succession, have started to make healthy though not 

 vigorous growth. Celery plants sown in the open ground are 

 now ready for planting-out on small beds of fine soil. It is neces- 

 sary after this to plant Lettuce behind a north wall in our dry 

 sun-scorched district. We have had but little of it this year as 

 yet, but the time is at hand when we may expect hot dry 

 weather, preparation for which must be made. After such a 

 protracted period of cold north-east winds a change from the 

 opposite direction with gentle showers would work an amazing 

 change in the appearance of the crops. 

 pineries. 

 The usual routine work of airing and damping the houses is 

 all that is required in fruiting and succession houses. "We do 

 not syringe our Pines at any season, but it is beneficial to them 

 to syringe underneath the plants and to thoroughly moisten the 

 surface of the bed with tepid water. Atmospheric moisture 

 may also be kept up by filling the evaporating troughs with guano 

 water. Where fruit is ripening this ought not to be done : all 

 that is required is to damp the surface of the beds as stated, 

 and damp the walls and paths about twice daily. The snocessiou 

 houses should have a night temperature of 70°, and from 85° to 

 90° by day. Good strong suckers put into 6 and 7-iuch pots at 

 once and started in a similar temperature, with a bottom heat 

 of say 9,j', would in a few weeks be established plants. If they 

 were repotted at once into their fruiting pots and still grown-oa 

 freely, the fruiting pots would also be well filled with roots by 

 October, when the plants could be rested, and started into growth 

 about the first week in January. In this way very good Queens 

 may be produced in about twelve months from the time the 

 suckers were potted. Smooth-leaved Cayenne is also an excel- 

 lent variety and does well under similar treatment, but the fruit 

 takes a little longer to ripen. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



Fuchsias that were started in one of the vineries are now in 

 flower, and will come in useful when the forced flowers are 

 removed ; indeed some of them have already taken the place 

 of other plants. The improvement in the Fuchsia during the 

 last few years has been very considerable, the formation of 

 some of the double flowers being very good indeed. The va- 

 rieties with the more elegant single drops have likewise 

 shared in the march of progress, and for decorative purposes 

 either in large or small houses the Fuchsia is highly valuable. 

 It requires liberal treatment ; indeed that recommended for 

 stage Pelargoniums in a previous number may be followed out 

 to the letter, except that red spider attacks the Fuchsia when 

 it is grown in a warm dry atmosphere. In a young state, or 

 until the flowers open, the plants may be syringed freely, and 

 when this is done it is seldom that red spider does much damage 

 to them. 



Stage Pelargoniums.— The earliest of them are now in fuU 

 flower and those for blooming later are in bud ; all of them 

 require considerable supplies of water, and they must not be 

 neglected in this particular for one hour. If the leaves flag 

 it is very likely that some of the oldest will fall off, and this 

 may happen every time that the plants suffer. They always 

 flower more freely and produce better trusses when the pots are 

 well filled with roots; a 5inch pot will be large enough for a 

 plant that will perfect a dozen or more trusses. Green fly is 

 the only pest of stage or fancy Pelargoniums ; and if this is 

 allowed upon them to any extent they will not flower well. 

 Fumigation is the best way to destroy it. 



Balsams are not so often seen as they ought to be. Some of 

 the best sorts are very useful for either greenhouse or conserva- 

 tory decoration. A packet of seeds will produce an abnudant 

 supply, and they may either be allowed to flower as small plants 

 or be grown into large specimens. The seeds are sown in a frame 

 over a hotbed, and when the seed leaves are fully developed 

 the yonng plants are potted-off singly into small pots. If it is 

 intended to flower them as small plants 6-inch pots will be large 

 enough to shift them into ; but large specimens a yard across 

 may be produced by potting them on in rich soil into 12inch 

 pots ; the flowers must be pinched off as fast as they form until 

 the plant is large enough. When in growth Balsams should be 

 kept close to the glass and receive plenty of light. When the 

 pots are well filled with roots a little manure water will help 

 them greatly. 



