128 



.lOURiNAfi OP HORTIOULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t February 5, 1874. 



soon be made, may be employed. Dig vacant ground, as all 

 Boili?, but especiaUy such as are of a clayey nature, profit much 

 by being fully exposed to the action of frost, which has the 

 effect of rendering them friable and easy to work. Let the 

 pruning of all kinds of fruit trees be finished as soon as possible, 

 and forward every operation that can be done with advantage 

 now, as the most busy period of cropping is fast approaching. 



As a suburban garden will only contain a comparatively 

 limited number of plants, it is a matter of policy to have the 

 majority of these evergreens, that in the winter season, when all 

 else 13 so dreary, it may wear a moderately green and cheerful 

 appearance. Of these such as bloom gaily and abundantly, and 

 particularly such as blossom in the winter, or bear showy fruit 

 at that time, or have variegated foliage, should be selected as 

 tending less to create sombreness and gloom ; and combining 

 the elegance of their flowers or their appearance with the per- 

 manence of their leaves, for that purpose we would recom- 

 mend the various eort"! of Holly, the double-blossomed Furze, 

 several kinds of Erooni, (iarrya elliptica, Rhododendrons, An- 

 dromeda floribunda, Berberis Aquifolum, Cotoueaster micro- 

 phylla, numerous Heaths, Kalmias, Eock and Sun Roses, Gum 

 Cistus, &c. 



Although evergreens may fitly thus prevail in a small place, 

 it will be unwi.<:e to cultivate them to the exclusion of deciduous 

 shrubs. The latter, by their lighter foliage and sprightUer 

 manner of growth and showier flowers, seem to be the natural 

 bodying-forth of summer's richness and gaiety, and this glorious 

 season would scarcely appear rightly attended and adorned 

 without them. They are, indeed, as thoroughly the life of sum- 

 mer, as evergreens are of winter, and, perhaps, of the two the 

 absence of winter's decorations would be even least regretted by 

 the mass. Cuttings of shrubs may be put in during February. 

 Let strong shoots of last summer's growth be selected. Choose 

 them from 9 to 1.0 inches long, and, if you can, take about 2 inches 

 of ithe old wood with the shoots at their base. Trim-off the lower 

 leaves, place the cutting.s halfway in the ground, and plant 

 them in a shady border to root. Do this in February in pre- 

 ference to October, as everything roots earlier from spring 

 operations. You may also plant cuttings in June, but keep 

 thern moist and shady. In pruning shrubs be careful to cut-out 

 the long rambUug shoots of the last summer's growth, which 

 disfigure their appearance ; cut away also branches of shrubs 

 which interlace each other, that every shrub may stand alone 

 and well defined. Take away their suckers, and let each shrub 

 be kept to a single .stem. 



Laurustinus, PhiUyreas, and Laurel are excellent shrubs to 

 plant near buildings or to hide a wall ; they are evergreen sum- 

 mer and winter, very hardy, and quick-growing. The Pyra- 

 eantha is an elegant shrub with its clusters of red berries, and 

 It looks gay during the autumn and winter. The Arbutus or 

 Strawberry Tree is loaded with its Strawberry-like fruit in 

 August, September, and October. This is a beautiful shrub 

 placed singly on a lawn, if kept to one single clean stem and 

 a fine branching head. Portugal Laurels are beautiful, their 

 deep green leaves and scented feathery flowers make them au 

 important shrub in all gardens.— W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND PEESENT WEEKS. 



FKUIT .*ND KITCHEN GiRDEN. 



In every garden where the importance of having in a forward 

 state all out-door operations, such as pruning, digging, trench- 

 ing and making alterations, is a primary consideration, there 

 will now be little of that work left undone. In our own case all 

 such work has been pushed forward, but, on the other hand 

 much that used to be done in frosty or wet weather, such as 

 Strawberry supports, pegs, Pea sticks, dc, has yet to be at- 

 tended to. Where Pea sticks can be obtained in abundance it 

 IS as we 1 to have them new every year, as the smaU sprays to 

 which the tendrils of the Pea cling are broken off during the 

 winter ; but the old sticks can be used a second time if new 

 stiokB are mixed with them in about equal proportions. Where 

 Pea sticks have to be cut, it ought to be done at once, and they 

 should be pointed. This is best done when they are freshly cut • 

 a man can do more work, and that with more ease to himself, 

 than when the wood is dry and hardened. It is also desirable 

 to size them. The dwarf-growing sorts, such as Tom Thumb 

 and Blue Peter, though they will do without sticks if these 

 cannot be readily obtained, will be all the better of sticks 

 IS inches long. The largest proportion of them will be 4 feet 

 t^<i ^,*"'fl5cient quantity must Ukewise be prepared at 6 feet, 

 tor Ne Plus Ultra and allied sorts. It facilitates operations at 

 the time of using them if they are tied-up now in suiiable 

 bundles. We prepare elm or hornbeam sprays about a foot long 

 lor Strawberry supports ; about three or four spravs are placed 

 round each plant. " 



Seeds that have been sown are vegetating freely. Peas are 

 up nicely, but the birds and mice are at them, the latter before 

 they are through the ground, and the former as soon as the 

 tender growth can be discerned. Mice are caught with a figure - 



of-4 trap, an arrangement which has been described in this 

 Journal, and in which a brick falls and crushes the animal at 

 once. For the birds nothing answers better than the Pea pro- 

 tectors advertised weekly ; these are placed over the rows as 

 soon as the Peas come through the ground. 



Planted out the Potatoes on an early border; the sorts are 

 Myatt'a Prolific Ashleaf, and Veitch's Improved Ashleaf. The 

 ground is in excellent order. The sets had been spread-out 

 on the floor of a loft and have sprouted a little, but being care- 

 f iiUy removed without detaching the sprouts, there will be no 

 check to the growth. Many persons plant with a dibber ; one 

 man makes the holes and another follows and drops a Potato 

 into each : this i.s about the worst method possible, especially 

 if the ground should be wet. A better way is to draw drills 

 with a hoe and plant the sets in them ; then, should the ground 

 not be in good order, a little dry light mould can be placed 

 over the sets. Ours are planted with a spade or digging-fork. 

 The ground had been prepared by digging and manuring early 

 in the autumn, and as it is now lightly dug or forked over, the 

 Potatoes are planted so that the ground is left loose. 



FOBCING HOUSES. 



yiiicries. — Some of the best Grape-growers complain that their 

 Vines are not starting strongly this year. Last season was not 

 favourable to properly ripening the wood, and this is, no doubt, 

 the cause of any weak or uncertain growth in the present year. 

 In our own earliest house the Vines are starting very regularly, 

 and the growths are rapidly gaining strength. In a house 

 devoted principally to Muscat of Alexandria they have not 

 broken well ; several of the eyes have not started yet, though 

 some of the growths have made considerable progress. In the 

 same house Black Hamburgh and Madresfield Court Black 

 Muscat have started into regular growth. We have now suit- 

 able weather for forcing ; the nights are not cold, so that it is 

 not necessary to overheat the hot-water pipes, and sometimes 

 we can .shut-up early and utilise the sun's rays. 



Those having charge of forcing houses at this season should 

 pay much attention to the ventilation. When cold winds are 

 blowing from the north or east, with bright sunshine for half 

 an hoiu-, and the sun is hidden behind a bank of clouds for a 

 similar period, with glimpses of sun and clouds intervening all 

 through the day— when such is the case it is better to let the 

 temperature run up from 5° to 10° than to open the ventilators 

 too much and chill the tender growths. Shut-up very early in 

 the afternoon, any time after two o'clock, or at least before three, 

 according as the house faces the sun. At any rate, no harm 

 will result to the Vines if the thermometer rises to 85°. Oar 

 time has been taken up tying and training the young growths 

 as described two weeks ago. We keep up a good supply of 

 moisture from evaporating troughs and by sprinkling the paths 

 and borders, but the Vines are not syringetl after the buds are 

 fairly started. While we approve of a good supply of moisture, 

 there is a probability of overdoing it, especiaUy if the water- 

 troughs are cast on the pipes. This has been abundantly proved 

 in an early house here, where it is found that by using all the 

 water-troughs early in the season, at a time when the first leaves 

 are forming, the foliage produced is thin in texture, and will 

 not stand an hour's sun in March; and when only half the 

 number of troughs is used the growths are stronger, and the 

 leaves robust and healthy. 



Made a sowing of Dwarf Kidney Beans thickly in a box, to be 

 planted out in pots when they are sufficiently advanced. 



Strawberries in pots are doing very well this year. The 

 earliest batch has scarcely any plants in it that have not thrown 

 up abundance of flower trusses ; the fruit has set well and is 

 swelling-off nicely, though scarcely any attention was given to 

 setting the flowers. The main elements of success are a com- 

 paratively dry atmosphere and a night temperature of 60°, with 

 a little rise iu the daytime, the ventilators front and back being 

 kept open a little even in dull cold weather. The same treat- 

 ment suits Pines in the house where the fruit is ripening. 

 Weak liquid manure water helps to swell the fruit, and should 

 be applied at each alternate watering. No manure water is 

 applied after the fruit changes colour. 



Peach House. — Should the occupants of this structure now be 

 in flower, it is very desirable to brush over the anthers with a 

 camel-hair pencil ; this will facilitate the setting of the fruit, but 

 it will not obviate the effects of ineflicient ventilation or an 

 over-moist atmosphere. The house should be aired very early 

 in the morning : open the top first, and as the day advances a 

 little air should also be admitted by the front ventilators. If 

 there is bright sunshine it will give an opportunity to admit aii' 

 more freely. See that the border in which the roots are is not 

 overdry ; although the management may be right in every 

 other respect, if the roots are in a dry medium the flowers will 

 drop off. 



ORCH.UID HOUSE. 



The only occupants of this structure now are Peach and 

 Nectarine trees, with Strawberry plants on the shelves near the 

 glass. The trees are all in pots and are looked over once a- week ; 

 those that axe dry get a thorough watering. The Strawberry 



