September 2, 1876. 1 



JOURNAL OF HOBTtOULTUSB AND COTTAGE GAUDEi EB. 



209 



The crop of Spinach advised to be sown two or three weeks 

 ago is well up by this time, and should be succeeded by another 

 crop of the same sort; this will be more for spring use, and the 

 first one for winter. As this advances the ground should be 

 kept clean while the weather is suitable. 



Tomatoes will be late this year, aud indeed at one time I 

 thought the weather would prevent any crop coming at all ; 

 however, even now they are somewhat diseased similar to the 

 rotate, and these have been picked off and the diseased leaves 

 also. The ground about their roots ought to be stirred, and a 

 mulching of rotten manure placed about them; afterwards a 

 good watering, and to be repeated twice a-week. All growths 

 to be stopped and all flowers picked, so as to prevent any more 

 fruit setting and to encourage the growth of the fruit that is 

 Bet. Even some of the bunches of fruit will need thinning ; 

 this occurs more with the Orangefield and the common red than 

 the larger sorts; but if all sorts set properly there should be a 

 little done to them all. — Thomas Recokd. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WORK FOR 

 THE PRESENT WEEK. 



KITCHEN OABDKN. 



The Potato is the most important vegetable cultivated in 

 our gardens, and any information that can be obtained likely 

 to check the disease will be welcome to all. We stated two 

 weeks ago that the haulm had been removed from a lot of Dal- 

 mahoys, and the earth drawn up over the rows to fill-up the 

 holes made by drawing out the haulm, aud also to throw the 

 rains off the Potatoes. The way the haulm was removed was 

 this : a man placed both his feet close to the plant with the 

 stalks between them, and with one pull the stalks were removed, 

 leaving the tubers in their places. After three weeks the 

 disease does not seem to have made any further progress. It 

 may be as well to state that we have had but one night's rain 

 since the haulm was removed, and the ground is very dry. Our 

 belief is that removing the haulm when the crop is first attacked 

 is a means of checking the disease. Others have been trying 

 it, and the result if published would be very useful. The later 

 sorts are slightly attacked by the disease, but if the present fine 

 weather continues it is not likely to spread much. Have been 

 making the ground ready for Onions and other crops mentioned 

 in the "Doings" two weeks ago; we would rather that there 

 were more moisture in the ground before sowing the seeds. 

 Some rich manure has been dug-iu, and before sowing the 

 OnioEs the ground will be trodden-iu quite firmly. Trimming 

 hedgerows round the garden. If this work is done now some 

 little growth will be made before the winter sets in — just enough 

 to hide the marks of the shears. Oars is a Privet hedge, and 

 has a very neat appearance. Sometimes Tew hedges are planted 

 to enclose the kitchen garden, and when trimmed neatly they 

 have a very good effect. The hedges may be of any height, but 

 G feet ought to be the maximum. We continue to gather Pears 

 and Apples as they ripen, and gather fallen fruit daily. 



CUCUMBER AND MELON HOUSES. 



Our system of growing Cucumbers is rather different from 

 that pursued by many gardeners. The usual way is to grow 

 plants from seeds, and for a winter crop of fruit the first day in 

 September is a good time to sow the seeds. As to the best 

 sorts to sow, this will depend very much upon the tastes of the 

 owner. Many gentlemen like to see the Cucumbers growing, 

 and prefer long handsome specimens to large crops of small 

 thouf^h useful fruits. On the other hand, the gardener who is 

 required to send a Cucumber in to the house every day during 

 the winter months, must grow the sorts that produce small 

 fruits. We have seen a large number of different varieties 

 during the last few years, and it is just possible that RoUisson's 

 Telegraph has not yet been surpassed. We do not require large 

 quantities of Cucumbers dnrirg winter, and Tender and True 

 .gives us an ample supply. Four plants are sufficient for us. 

 We propagate either by layers or cuttings, as it is so difficult to 

 obtain seed from this variety. One thing is of very great im- 

 portance whether the plants are raised from seeds or cuttings, 

 aud that is to grow them on without any check to their growth, 

 nor should the plants become drawn up for want of sufficient 

 air. Place the pots close to the glass from the earliest stages of 

 their growth, and while the plants are in pots they must not 

 become root-bound. Insect pests must also be destroyed as 

 soon as they appear, thrips and green fly by fumigating with 

 tobacco smoke, and red spider by syringing with clear rain 

 water. Much care is necessary when applying the water with 

 the syringe so that the leaves are not lacerated. 



Melons have been inferior in flavour this year, but the weather 

 has been very favourable to the development of quality during 

 the last month. Melons even more than Cucumber plants 

 require careful attention from the first, as the leaves are even 

 more easily injured, and it is not possible that good-flavoured 

 fruit can be produced if the leaves are not kept in good health. 

 Other matters on which there is much divergence of opinion, is 



soil and watering. Sometimes much trjuble is taken to obtain a 

 certain sort ot poor loam, not that of a libty nature, but ordinary 

 spit loam, aud it is used without any manure being added. 

 Good turfy loam, medium clay, with the addition of one barrow- 

 load of rotted manure to every six, is the best material to plaut 

 them in, and 1 foot in depth of soil is quite sufficient. During 

 such fine weather as we are now enjoying no artificial heat is 

 necessary to ripen the fruit ; later in the season artificial heat is 

 necessary, and the ventilators should be open night aud day. 

 Then about watering. Many persons faucy that water should 

 be withheld entirely in the later stages of the plant's growth, 

 and they do not give large supplies at any time. It may not 

 seem feasible to those who do not believe in giving good soak- 

 ings of water, but it is a fact, that the plants damp-off at the 

 neck sometimes because the roots have not had sufficient water, 

 and what has been given was supplied iu driblets. If the soil has 

 been well watered from the first, another good watering about 

 a week before the first fruit ripens will be quite sufficient to 

 ripen-off all the fruit. It is not the state of moisture at the 

 roots upon which the flavour of the Melon depends, but upon 

 the quantity of leaves that can be exposed to the sun, and the 

 way in which the house is ventilated, 



obchard house. 

 When the trees are grown in pots the trouble of watering 

 during the hot days of midsummer is immense, to say nothing 

 of drenching the trees overhead twice a-day with the garden 

 engine, but when the fruit is ripe the labour involved in assist- 

 ing it to that stage is forgotten. At present the trees have just 

 enough water to keep the soil moist ; indeed much of the quality 

 of the fruit depends upon the state of the roots as regards 

 moisture at this season. Nearly all the mid-season Peaches 

 and Nectarines have been gathered. Desse Tardive and Ex- 

 quisite, two very fine varieties, are just coming in. At one time 

 we used to tie gauze or some sort of netting uuder the fruit to 

 prevent it from falling to the ground, but when Peaches are 

 allowed to hang until they drop off the flavoar is impaired. 

 The best way is to look over the trees once a-day and carefully 

 pick off all fruit that parts readily. It ought to be placed in a 

 flat-bottom basket at once on a layer of cotton waddmg, and be 

 placed in some cool ctUar or fruit-room, without removing it 

 from the basket. Pears ought also to be gathered before they 

 are ready to drop off, especially such sorts as Williams's Bon 

 Chretien" and Rivers's Summer Beurro d'Aremberg; the last- 

 named variety will decay at the core as it hangs on the tree. 

 The varieties that have been already gathered iu the orchard 

 house are Williams's Bon Chretien, Summer Beurru d'Arem- 

 berg, Madame Treyve, Beurre d'Amanlis, Beuriu Hardy, and 

 Souvenir du Congrcs. All of the above are first-rate sorts for 

 orchard-house culture. The ventilators are now left open all 

 night. This treatment with plenty ot sun heat has much im- 

 proved the flavour. 



PLANT STOVE AND ORCHID HOUSES. 



The principal work has been cleaning and re-arrangiug the 

 plants in the houses after being painted. In order to reach all 

 the crevices the fixed lights were taken off and painted before 

 they were put on again. Very little is required now amongst 

 the plants except to see that they have plenty of room, and that 

 they are kept clean and as much exposed to the sun as possible 

 without being injured. Marautas, Alocasias, and a few other 

 plants will suffer from a too free exposure to the sun as yet, but 

 none of the hardwooded species of stove plants should be 

 shaded after September. Phahenopses and Cjpripediums may 

 yet be shaded, while Cattleyas, Lfelias, &c., should be fully ex- 

 posed to the sun after this. Poinsettia pulcherrima, which has 

 been out of doors up till now, has been removed into the house. 

 The best way to grow this useful decorative plant during the 

 summer is in the open air. The plants remain sturdy and 

 healthy, nor do the bottom leaves part so readily from the stem. 

 After the first day of September they are placed in a house 

 near the glass, and if necessary the night temperature is kept 

 up artificially to 55°. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



The Gladiolus is now one of the most popular of autumn 

 flowers, and is in considerable request for decorative and exhi- 

 bition purposes. Many of the best-named varieties are of very 

 delicate constitution, and degenerate under cultivation in 

 England. It is a good plan to stir the ground amongst the 

 plants with a Dutch hoe after the flowering is over, or if the 

 ground has become a little sodden from watering it may be 

 forked-up to the depth of 2 or 3 inches. This has been proved 

 of much advantage iu ripening the bulbs. In a large collection 

 there are always a number of plants of which the stalks die off 

 prematurely ; the best way is to pull all such up and tie them 

 m bundles to burn. Some of the best growers consider this a 

 disease, but it is probably nothing but degeneration, as no trace 

 of disease is apparent on the corms. Asters have flowered very 

 finely this season. This is also becoming a very popular autumn- 

 flowering plant. The improvement in both sections has been great 

 within the last six years ; not only has better form and quality 

 been produced in the flowers, but the colours, especially in the 



