Angast 19, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICUIiTUBB AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



165 



yard while paeaing, for there is always something to learn there ; 

 and what interested me much was an epitaph which I copied 

 as follows : — " Mr. William Parham, gardiner to the Duke of 

 Bolton, left to the poor of Wenaley the use of a 100 pounds 

 for ever. March 20th, 1670." — Rusticos. 



NOTES ON VILLA and SUBURBAN GARDENING. 



Propaoation — Oaca more the time has come round when it 

 is necessary to propagate all kinds of bedding plants for next 

 season's supply ; and it is as well to say that much time and 

 trouble will be saved if, before the work is begun, a thorough 

 plan is framed according to the means at command for storing 

 these plants during winter. As a rule that plan is chosen which 

 is likely to take up the least space to carry out — that is, the 

 plants are stored away in as close quarters as possible consistent 

 with their health. The aim should be to have these plants well 

 rooted and established for their winter confinement, and not to 

 grow them too much at this time of the year, leaving this to be 

 accomplished on the advance of spring. 



Pelargoniums of both the green and variegated class will root 

 readily enough if put in on a warm border of well-prepared soil 

 in the open ground, but then there is the trouble of taking 

 them up and potting them, and some risk of their not being 

 well established before the dull month of November comes in. 

 For an amateur whose wish is to manage things economically, 

 and without involving too much labour, the following plan 

 would be preferable : Procure some boxes about 2 feet long, 

 18 inches wide, and from 3 to 5 inches deep; make a few holes 

 at the bottom at different places for drainage, and place a piece 

 of broken pot over each hole, and then pnt a thin layer of the 

 Biftings of soil over these ; afterwards fill the box level fall of 

 fine soil, composed of loam, leaf mould, and sand in equal parts, 

 well mixed together with the hand, press it into the box firmly. 

 Such a box will hold from sixty to seventy cuttings, according 

 to size. They could be made to hold more, but this number is 

 sufficient to ensure their well-doing; if thicker they would be 

 liable to damp-off in winter. Make every cutting firm after 

 insertion, and make sure that the bottom of it is firm upon the 

 soil at the bottom of the hole made for it. Water them well, 

 and remove the boxes to some warm sunny spot on a south 

 border, or under a wall. They may be allowed to have the full 

 sun, which will make them flag at first, but it will do them no 

 harm. Clear the boxes from the ground by placing them on 

 bricks or boards to prevent worms getting in. In three weeks 

 or a month the cuttings will be well rooted, as will be seen by 

 their beginning to grow and flower. The flowers should be 

 picked off, and just the point of each shoot taken out. They 

 ought not to be encouraged to grow too fast; recollect that what 

 is wanted for successful wintering is a close or stocky firm 

 growth, not a strong sappy one. The plants may remain where 

 they are rooted until there is danger from frost, then put them 

 into cold frames or any light airy place where they can have 

 the benefit of sun and a little fire heat occasionally to dispel 

 damp. The boxes may be placed close together, and in this 

 way many hundreds can be stowed away in a small space, and 

 if moving is required it is quickly done at any time. 



Variegated sorts of Pelargoniums. If these are rooted in the 

 same way, by which they will do equally well, it may be necessary 

 to take them in sooner, or even in heavy showery weather it 

 will be well to place some elass over them, but it is not neces- 

 sary in striking them. The variegated sorts require a little 

 longer time to root, and as they are slower in growth also it is 

 well to put them in first. In large establishments, where there 

 is plenty of glass, the cuttings are at once placed in the pit, not 

 in boxes ; but the soil is prepared as it is in the open ground, 

 and the cuttings inserted in it. Of course in such places there 

 is the means of applying fire heat when necessary throughout 

 the winter. There is one thing I ought to mention — that is, 

 do not attempt to pull off the dead leaves which of necessity 

 appear during the process of striking root. If you do the chances 

 are that the cutting becomes loosened in its place, and probably 

 does not root for some time after, it it does at all. These dead 

 leaves do no harm at that time, but when the cuttings are 

 rooted then is the best time to clear them off. 



With respect to other classes of bedding plants, such as 

 Verbenas, Heliotropes, Lobelias, etc., they will root easily in a 

 frame, say a two-light frame, filled up to within a foot of the 

 glass with first rough leaves beaten firm, then about 3 inches 

 of light sandy soil over these made even, and the cuttings 

 dibbed in about li inch apart each way. Keep the frame 

 moderately close, but shade from the sun, and at times sprinkle 

 the cuttings with water to keep them fresh. After they are 

 rooted they are dibbed into pots or pans about the same dis- 

 tance apart, and after establishing themselves here they are 

 stored away for the winter. 



There is another division among bedding plants, which I call 

 the hardier class ; these are Gazanias, Variegated Alyssuma, and 

 Calceolarias. Now these I always treat very similar — that is, 

 they are rooted in the bed of soil in the frames, and here they 



remain all winter, protected from frost by cold dung linings 

 at the sides, and mac and straw coverings for the top. The 

 Alyssuma take longer to strike than the others, and should ba 

 put in as early as possible, and treated similar to Verbenas; 

 but the Gazanias are not put in till October, and are treated 

 exactly as for the Calceolarias. 



I always divide my stock into about four classes ; first there is 

 the Alternantheras of sorts, and such-like tender plants, which 

 require heat to root and grow them ; then come the others as I 

 have named above, and many thousands are stored away in 

 a very small space. — T. Record. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WORK FOR 

 THE PRESENT WEEK. 



KITCHKN GABDEN, 



We do not sow our Cauliflower seeds until the last week in 

 August, and sometimes not until the second week in September, 

 but taking the average run of seasons the first-named date is 

 the best ; the plants become strong before the frosts set in, and 

 are better able to resist them. It is best to make two sowings, 

 about two weeks at the utmost between each. In Scotland and 

 the north of England it is necessary to sow a week earlier. 

 Plants from the earliest sowing are planted in handlights ; those 

 later out of doors under a wall or pricked out in a frame, the 

 glass to be used to protect them from frost or from wet. The 

 sorts best adapted for sowing at this time are Early London 

 and Walcheren. Where a large supply is required Lenormand's 

 may be added. A sowing ought now to be made of Prickly 

 Spinach. The soil ought to be rich, and the quarter should 

 be in a sunny yet sheltered position. The spring-sown Onions 

 are nearly ready for pulling up, and if the weather is fine 

 they will be merely laid on the surface of the ground for a few 

 days until they are dry enough for storing. In wet weather we 

 have found it answer to tie them up in bundles, and hang them 

 on hurdles fixed in the ground. We grow four sorts of Onions, 

 and these answer our purpose very well both for autumn and 

 spring sowing — viz.. White Spanish, Brown Globe, James's 

 Keeping, and the Two-bladed for pickling. It may be as well 

 to note in passing, that in gardens where the maggot attacks the 

 spring-sown crop, the autumn sowing invariably escapes. The 

 reason of this is no doubt owing to the Onions being consider- 

 ably advanced in growth before the dry hot weather sets in. 



Our early kidney Potatoes have been stored, the variety being 

 Veitch's Improved Ashleaf ; there is no trace of disease in any 

 of them as yet. The Extra Early Vermont is also free from 

 disease ; but this variety is so degenerated that it is really not 

 worth growing. There is an excellent crop of Dalmahoy Re- 

 gent in the garden. The haulm had been very much affected by 

 the disease, and a few tubers had also taken it ; all the haulm 

 has been removed, and the rows earthed-up. We are not san- 

 guine of this stopping the disease, but it may arrest its pro- 

 gress. We have been digging vacant ground, and planting it 

 with Coleworts and Sprouting Broccoli. Hoeing the ground, 

 and carefully gathering-up all fallen fruit, and in other respects 

 doing our utmost to keep the kitchen garden neat. 



PINEBIIS, 



Queens, intended to produce fruit in May and June next year, 

 have had all the suckers removed from them ; they will not 

 receive very much water at the roots with a dryish atmosphere 

 and abundant ventilation. Of course the plants will not be what 

 is commonly called dried-off, nor will the ventilation be so much 

 that a greenhouse temperature would be produced ; but at pre- 

 sent the night temperature out of doors ranges between 55° and 

 60°, so that without artificial heat 65° as a minimum can easily 

 be kept up. The suckers do not require any other artificial 

 heat, except so much as may be obtained from the fermenting 

 tan. The lights are closed early in the afternoon after the sur- 

 face tan and walls of the house have been sprinkled with water. 

 The young suckers are watered with caution until the roots have 

 taken hold of the sides of the pots. A few plants of Charlotte 

 Rothschild and Smooth-leaved Cayenne are swelUng in the 

 fruiting house. It is not convenient to remove those plants 

 that have not yet thrown up, but if it could be done a treat- 

 ment similar to that of the Queens would be desirable, the 

 plants would then throw up in winter and fruit early for next 

 season. Cutting over those plants that miss has been tried, but 

 this is not always satisfactory; it answei-s sometimes when th» 

 tops can be plunged in a brisk bottom heat, and extra attention 

 be given to watering them. 



OBCHABO H0T3SE. 



All sorts of fruit are plentiful this season, but so far the 

 flavour is not satisfactory, and amongst the early varieties 

 split stones are not uncommon. Royal George Peach is now 

 coming in, and the fruit of this is of large size and fair quality. 

 In a few days Bellegarde, Violette Hative, Grosse Mignonne, 

 and all other mid-season sorts wiU be plentiful. Hunt's "Tawny 

 Nectarine we have not grown in the house this year; it wilt 

 not pass for flavour, but it is a certain cropper, and the fruit 



