April 9, 1874. 1 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTIOULTTJBB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



209 



the bottom ; but if a lighter material, it ahoald be brought to the 

 surface for plantations, and simply turned over in the bottom of 

 the trench if for grass. It will always be undesirable to bring 

 clay to the surface in pleasure gardens, though in kitchen 

 gardens, where it can be freely worked and mellowed for several 

 years, the common mode of inverting the positions of the sur- 

 face soil and the subsoil may be adopted. The reason for work- 

 ing a lighter subsoil to the top in plantations, and not for grass, is 

 that better earth can be added to the former, when the subsoil 

 shall have been blended with this in planting. While it is rather 

 intended to take away several inches of the top soil from the grass 

 land and transfer it to the plantations, 2, 3, or 4 inches of the 

 best earth, according to its natural depth, may thus be abstracted 

 from the parts intended for the lawn, and will go to raise and 

 enrich the plantations without injuriously affecting the grass. 

 From 9 to 12 inches in depth of the commonest soil will be 

 amply sufficient for gi-owing lawn grasses to perfection. 



If the soil of a garden is moderately light, and a good mass 

 of it be procured for the shrubs and trees and for the flower 

 beds, manures beyond such as lime, soot, wood ashes, decayed 

 leaves or wood, or any similar matters will be quite improper 

 for the ornamental part. Roses, however, demand a richer soil, 

 and are much improved by the aid of some well-rotted manure, 

 which should not be grudgingly applied. 



But where the earth is stiff and clayey, and not enough of 

 lighter soil is within reach to correct the retentiveness and in- 

 capacity for growing plants, manures will then not only be bene- 

 ficial, but necessary. Common stable manure can be largely 

 applied with advantage in such cases, while lime, bonedust, coal 

 ashes, or the sweepings of streets will be invaluable. 



The amateur may now sow a little late spring Broccoli ; he 

 should also take care to have plenty of plants of various greens 

 intended to succeed (he summer crops. Scarlet Runners may 

 be planted towards the end of the month, also Nasturtiums, and 

 a row of Red Cabbage, if not already done. A few Gherkins 

 may be sown now on a southern slope. These will supply all 

 the pickles required. — "W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND PRESENT WEEKS. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



We were glad that an opportunity was afforded us to run the 

 hoe through a portion ot the kitchen garden, as some smart 

 showers have fallen since, and the ground was dry and open to 

 receive them. 



The longer ground can lay fallow before it is sown with seeds 

 or planted the better, but it is not always possible to have every- 

 thing just as one would like in this respect. If ground is trenched 

 or dug over in autumn, it will generally be in the very best con- 

 dition for the crops now. The Carrots were sown on groimd not 

 well prepared. It had been trenched a day or two before the 

 rain came, so that the surface had become dry and the seeds 

 went in weU. 



It is now a good time to sow Broccoli ; but we have found it 

 necessary to discontinue its cultivation, as, owing to the nature 

 of the soil or from some local cause, it does not succeed. Veitch's 

 Autumn Giant Cauliflower may also be sown ; it succeeds the 

 Walcheren, and should be grown in all gardens. Two of the 

 best Broccolis are Snow's Superb Winter White, and Cooling's 

 Matchless, a fine white self-protecting sort. Perkins's Lea- 

 mington is a new sort, well deserving of extended trial; the 

 heads are very close and white, being thoroughly protected by 

 the leaves. This promises to be one of the best late sorts in 

 cultivation. Carter's Champion, late white, is one of the most 

 select late sorts. Any of the above may be grown without fear 

 of failure. 



Sowed Sea-kale in rows 2 feet apart; the plants are thinned- 

 out to about 6 inches apart, and in good soil a large proportion 

 of them will be adapted for forcing the ensuing season. Those 

 not strong enough for this purpose will be planted-out in rows 

 2 feet apart, and 1 foot plant from plant in the row. 



We also made a sowing of Peas, principally G. F. Wilson and 

 Veitch's Perfection. Sowed half a pint of Laston's Fillbasket. 

 The seedsmen, instead of charging 5s. a quart for a new Pea as 

 heretofore, now charge 5s. for half a pint. Under such circum- 

 stances it is necessary to save all the first crop for seed. We 

 sow thinly, and allow ample space on each side of the line. 



Little can be done amongst fruit trees. See that the walls are 

 well covered at night when there are any signs of frost. Apricots 

 were not in full flower when the frost was so severe, and blossoms 

 not expanded at that time do not seem to have suffered. 



FnniT AND FOHCINO HOUSES. 



Pineries. — Attend to instructions as to management given two 

 weeks ago. Nearly all the fruiters have thrown-up fruit, and 

 unfortunately the succession plants have also thrown up. The 

 plants having been potted in small pots, the soil ought not to 

 have been allowed to become too dry during winter, and they 

 ought to have been shifted early in February. It is extremely 

 aimoying to the cultivator when succession plants start into 

 premature fruiting. Any fruits of Smooth-leaved Cayenne 



approaching to ripeness should be lightly shaded from the 

 noonday sun with a sheet of paper. If this variety is touched 

 with the sun it will not keep more than a few days, whereas if 

 well ripened it wiU keep a month in a cool fruit-room after 

 beiug cut. 



Cui-umher and Melon Housen. — The Cucumber plants that 

 have been in bearing since Christmas would still continue to 

 produce good fruit ; but the soil that was available at the time 

 they were planted was not very well adapted for growing Cucum- 

 bers, and we have thought it desirable to take the old plants out 

 and replace with young. These were of large size, and will 

 come into bearing immediately. The Cucumber luxuriates in 

 almost any turfy soil. Turfy peat suits it, and turf from light 

 or heavy loam seems equally well adapted to its wants. A fourth 

 part ot decomposed manure should be added to it. Whatever 

 the nature of the soil may be, it ought to be porous. Fumigated 

 the house with tobacco smoke to kill green fly and thiips. Tying 

 the growths of Melon plants to the trellis overhead; this atten- 

 tion is necessary twice a-week. The lateral growths have been 

 stopped as well as the leaders of some of the plants, which had 

 grown nearly to the extent of the trellis. Red spider has not yet 

 appeared on the plants, and we do not care to syringe them when 

 the weather is cold. None of the fruit has set as yet. 



The orchard-house trees have been smothered with blossoma, 

 and the fruit appears to have set pretty freely. Sparrows are 

 fond of picking off the flowers when they first open, and they 

 do not seem to have any other object in view than to drop them 

 on the ground. A few of them were killed, and they gave it up. 

 In some seasons it has been necessary to place netting over the 

 ventilators to prevent their entrance. Strawberries on shelves 

 are growing freely, and required more space. Every alternate 

 pot was taken out and transferred to another house. Picked all 

 dead and decaying leaves from the plants. Placed a batch of 

 Keens' Seedling and Premier in the forcing house. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



Besides the permanent occupants of these structures there 

 are always fresh relays of flowering plants, forced or otherwise, 

 which are taken in while in flower, to be removed afterwards 

 only to give place to other plants that are also coming into 

 bloom. At present a row of specimen plants of Deutzia gracilis 

 forms a foreground of snowy cylinders, and they have a charm- 

 ing effect against a background of Camellias, Oranges, and other 

 plants. Our specimens of Deutzia gracilis which received the 

 first prize at the Koyal Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park, though 

 they were not at their best, were much admired, and received 

 more than the usual meed of praise from the horticultural press 

 owing to the style of training. The plants were propagated 

 from cuttings of the young wood nine years ago, and have been 

 grown-on and flowered in pots every year since. They are 

 potted every year when the wood is nearly ripened— that is, in 

 July or August. The plants are placed in a shady position out 

 of doors during the summer months, and are well supplied with 

 water. Cuttings of the young wood, taken off in May and in- 

 serted in light soil, will strike in a hotbed as freely as Verbenas. 



A continued succession of liases should be kept up. No green- 

 house or conservatory should be without early-flowering speci- 

 mens of the queen of flowers. Hybrid Perpetuals and Teas are 

 the best adapted for forcing, though some of the old Hybrid 

 Chinas, if the collection is moderately large, should not be 

 omitted. Charles Lawson, for instance, is not surpassed by 

 any other a3 a pot Rose for exhibition purposes. A not-uncom- 

 mon mistake with those who force Roses is to turn the plants 

 out of doors when they have done flowering. This is sometimes 

 a necessary act owing to want of space at this season, but it is 

 injurious to the plants ; cutting winds make short work of leaves 

 that have been nurtured under glass. 



Stage Pelargoniums require to have sticks put to the shoots, 

 and to be kept free from green fly by fumigating. Tying-in 

 the growths of Lapageria; these are now making rapid progress, 

 and if the shoots are allowed to twine together it is very difficult 

 to untwine them without injuring the leaves. Of the two varie- 

 ties the pure white is the stronger grower, but it is also the 

 more difficult to propagate, hence it is that its price is still so 

 high. No greenhouse should be without both the varieties. No 

 other climbing plant that can be grown in a cool house at all 

 approaches them in beauty. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Owing to cold high winds it has not been desirable to place 

 any more plants out from their glass protection. The most 

 common plants should not be placed out of doors when the 

 weather is unfavourable. Potting-off Zonal Pelargoniums and 

 planting such subjects as Verbenas in boxes. Cuttings of her- 

 baceous Phloxes were put in a few weeks ago, and are now rooted. 

 Many amateurs of small means fancy that they must have a 

 heated greenhouse before they can make their flower gardens 

 look decent during the summer months ; and in truth there 

 is very little of the old-fashioned flower garden to be found 

 anywhere. What is often seen now is bare ground all through 

 the spring months up to the end of May, then a blaze of scarlet, 

 purple, white, and yellow for two or three months, and desola- 



