May 7, 1874. ) 



JOURNAL OF IIOBTICULTORE AND COTTAGE QARDENEB. 



369 



lently all the livelier for the infliction, but if you then again 

 sprinkle them they soon die. A piece of quicklime as large as 

 your fist will be enough for a pail of water. When it is dia- 

 Bolved let it settle, and pour-off the water clear. 



Bui what is to be done with the guilty partiea when they are 

 in safe custody ? This question has sorely perplexed many 

 gardeners, especially those of the gentle sex. Ladies do not 

 like killing, and such substantial things as snails are not de- 

 spatched easily. 



I have known persons whose gardens are bounded by green 

 fields throw all the slugs and snails over the walls to regale 

 themselves at the expense of their neighbours. This is mani- 

 festly a breach of the golden rule ; besides, our object should be 

 to lessen the number of injurious insects in the country. If the 

 ground of the farmer is infested with these creatures neigh- 

 bouring gardens will not escape. The walla will be surely 

 though slowly scaled, and the foe will return to the scene of 

 his former pleasures. 



Peas which are now growing rapidly should be earthed-up, 

 after which they should be sticked, taking care to use the shortest 

 sticks for dwarf-growing varieties. Sow for a succession when- 

 ever the last put in are appearing through the ground. By 

 observing this rule a constant supply of Green Peas may always 

 be had during their season. The same thing holds good in 

 Bowing Beans ; the soil between the rows of these should be 

 stirred up, and a little earth drawn to their stems. Sow Radishes 

 often in order to have them young and tender ; and to have a 

 succession of Spinach observe to sow as soon as the last sowing 

 makes its appearance above ground. Sow in drills between the 

 rows of Peas and Boaua. Artichokes should now be dressed, 

 clearing-off all superfluous suckers and digging-in good manure 

 among the stools. Asparagus beds should also be forked-up, 

 taking care in performing the operation not to injure the crowna 

 of the roots. Where the soil is dry and warm Kidney Beans 

 might be put in. Draw the drills rather shallow, placing the 

 Beans about 3 or 4 inches apart and covering them about 2 inches 

 in depth. Let plantations of Strawberries be cleared of weeds ; 

 and as the season is drawing near when we may expect a visit 

 from Gooseberry caterpillars, it cannot be too often repeated 

 that good powdered hellebore destroys them. Whenever the 

 pests make their appearance take a small muslin bag filled with 

 the powder and dust the trees that are affected. Let the amateur 

 secure a sowing forthwith of Scarlet Kunners, a couple of rows 

 about 5 feet apart, and the sticks from each row meeting over- 

 head, as an arcade, have a very good effect, and this is altogether 

 a serviceable plan. Runners delight in a rich soil. A couple of 

 rows about 8 feet apart and running north and south afford an 

 excellent situation between them for a raised bed of Cucumbers. 

 A few annuals may be sown in patches, such as CoUinsias, 

 Clarkia, Chryseis, Malope, Iberis, Carnation, and Dwarf Poppies. 

 The Mimulus family, the Forget-me-not, and other useful little 

 plants, as also Pansies, may be transferred with balls to fiU-up 

 blanks. 



Mow lawns, sweep walks. Thoroughly dress all beds and bor- 

 ders. Prepare stations on lawns for extraordinary specimens of 

 ornamental plants, as large Fuchsias, Geraniums, and Veronicas, 

 &c. ; drainage in the bottom and good turfy mellow compost 

 above. Trim and prune all climbers on out-door trellises, and 

 prepare stations to fill-up blanks. As Crocuses and other bulbs 

 will now be on the wane, patches of biennials which have stood 

 the winter may be planted close beside them. When the annuals 

 are decayed the bulbs, if necessary, may be removed at the same 

 time. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OP THE LAST AND PRESENT WEEKS. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



On Friday morning the thermometer registered 5' of frost, a 

 sufliciently low temperature to cut-off the Potatoes which were 

 through if the ground had not been dust dry and the plants 

 somewhat sheltered. Plants that were through the ground in 

 the open field were much injured. The same variety on a 

 border facing south and sheltered by a boarded fence was 

 slightly injured, while plants on an east border sheltered by a 

 wall were not touched in the least, proving that the heat re- 

 tained by the wall in the day is given out at night, and is a 

 protection to tender plants. 



We have CauUflowir plants ready to plant out. The seeds 

 were sown early in a hotbed, and the plants have been pricked- 

 out in boxes, care having been taken that they had no serious 

 check to their growth. The ground is dry, and drying east winds 

 are prevalent, so that it wiU be much better to wait until rain 

 come, but if the plants are removed carefully from the boxes 

 and planted in freshly-drawn drills with a trowel they will not 

 receive any serious check. Some persons would pull such plants 

 up without any care of the fibrous roots, and plant them with 

 a dibber ; this would not make so much difference in warm 

 showery weather, but in such weather a6 we have had recently 

 success would be problematical. 



Early Peas are in full blossom, at least William I. (Laxton); 



it is much earlier than Alpha of the same raiser, and is one of tha 

 best, if not the very best of early Peas for exhibition. The poda 

 are very large and of a deep green. Taber's Perfection, the best 

 strain we ever had of Sangster's, used to be our favourite, but 

 it is quite displaced now. Blue Peter is about eight days later 

 than William I., but it is certainly one of the very best dwarf 

 Peas that has yet been introduced, and is sure to become a 

 favourite for small gardens. It will do very well without sticks, 

 but if a few sprays can be stuck in (about a foot high) it will be 

 better. 



Vcijciahle Marroius should be potted singly in 6-inch pots ; if 

 this has been done and the plants are thriving, preparations 

 should be made to plant them out. In the north it is necessary 

 to throw-up a ridge of manure to raise a gentle heat in the bed, 

 and when the plants have filled the pots with roots plant out 

 and cover with a hand-light until they are established. In the 

 neighbourhood of London the market growers sow their seeds 

 in the open ground late in May, and cut abundant crops. In 

 private gardens three or four plants will be sufficient for a large 

 family, and it is little trouble to sow in heat and plant out under 

 hand-lights on any rich soil. 



We have kept the hoes well at work, and the ground is very 

 loose on the surface, thirsting for rain, which would be very 

 acceptable both for the tanks and all crops in the open ground. 

 Planted Runner and Dwarf Kidney Beans. Hoed and earthed- 

 up Broad Beans. 



FRUIT AND FORCINO HOUSES. 



Pineries. — We never strive to raise any houses to a particular 

 temperature by artificial heat. Some gardeners will insist on 

 the thermometer being kept at the same height at a given hour 

 of the night. It is well to allow a margin of 3° or 4° for varia- 

 tions of temperature outside. At the present season a Pine 

 house may run up to 90^ after it has been shut up in the after- 

 noon with but little assistance from fire heat, and on the follow- 

 ing day a change in the weather would necessitate much firing 

 to raise the temperature to 80" at the same hour. Under such 

 circumstances it would be folly to expect the thermometer to 

 stand at the same height at 8 or 9 p.m. In the first instance 75^ 

 would be a proper temperature at 9 p.m., and in the latter 70° 

 would be high enough. It is a very easy matter to overwateu 

 Pine plants, and especially those plants approaching to ripeness. 

 It would be bad management to allow such plants to become 

 so dry that the soil cracked away from the sides of the pots ; 

 if ordinary care is taken there will not be much danger of this, 

 but there is very great risk of the plants suffering from the soil 

 being over-moist. In the early period of our Pine-growing ex- 

 perience the bottom heat used to be a considerable source of 

 trouble, and the beds were frequently turned over. This is a 

 mistake. Even if but little new material was added to the beds, 

 turning them over would alone raise the temperature from 80° 

 to 100° or more, and this excitement acted injuriously on the 

 plants. We now find that by having the plunging material of 

 less depth, and not turning it over so often, a more equable tem- 

 perature can be maintained from hot-water pipes underneath, 

 and undue excitement is avoided. We alsawarn growers to be 

 careful how they introduce fresh stock to their houses if their 

 own plants are clean. It is very seldom that a new variety of 

 Pine Apple requires to be introduced. Queen and Smooth- 

 leaved Cayenne will hold their own for many years to come. 

 Should any plant become infested with scale remove it to a house 

 by itself, and hand-wash with strong soft-soap water as hot as 

 the hand can bear it. Air the houses cautiously when cold 

 winds are blowing. Queens are changing colour, and others 

 swelling rapidly. When the fruit is in the earliest stages of 

 development weak guano or any other manure water may be 

 given at each alternate watering, but not when the fruit is ap- 

 proaching the ripening stage, as it often causes it to become 

 black at the core. 



Cucumber and Melon Houses. — All experienced gardeners 

 know how much drying east winds favour the development of 

 aphides and other insect pests out of doors ; inside they also 

 increase freely. On their first appearance means must be at once 

 taken for their destruction. It has been necessary to fumigate 

 both Melons and Cucumbers for green fly. Much care is neces- 

 sary, as the leaves of Melon plants will not stand a strong dose 

 of smoke. The plants are also syringed to destroy red spider ;■ 

 painting the hot-water pipes with sulphur is of no use, as the 

 leaves will not stand so much of the fumes aa the red-skins. 

 We recommend painting the pipes with sulphur in vineries, 

 because year after year we have proved that the red spider can 

 be killed without injuring the Vine leaves. With a magnifier 

 we have seen them hanging in the downy subatance underneath 

 the leaves dead next morning after the pipes were painted. We 

 must tell Mr. W. Taylor, who writes in last week's number, that 

 we do not recommend this practice *' because our fathers did 

 it," but because we do know that a house of Vines can be freed 

 from the pest by doing so. We have been thinning-out and 

 training the growths of Melon plants. It is a great evil to allow 

 the house to become crowded with leaves. An experienced 

 grower knows how many growths to pinch out in the early stage 



