October 14, 187B. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



347 



In order to make it tender a regular process of blanching should 

 be carried out. There are various ways of doing this, but nearly 

 all are simple in application. The first, and perhaps one of the 

 eldest methods, is that of tying-up the leaves about two-thirds 

 the way up the plant, enclosing the heart in such a way that no 

 light can reach it. This answers the purpose very well, but 

 some attention is necessary only to tie-up sufficient to last lor a 

 certain length of time. By this mode of blanching, and if the 

 tying is properly done, much of the wet will be thrown off by 

 the leaves, and rotting of the plants will be averted. 



The broad-leaved Batavian is a cabbaging sort, and is about 

 the hardiest, and will endure exposure to wet after blanching 

 without rotting for a considerable time, but not so the Dwarf 

 Green-curled and the Moss-curled, which should be blanched in 

 another way. Two boards placed lengthways over the rows 

 and set-up ridgelike would keep the plants dry and blanch them ; 

 or, if only few are grown and pots can be spared of the right 

 size, the plants can be gathered-up with the hand and the pots 

 inverted over them, stopping the holes up at the bottom. This is 

 probably the simplest and the best plan for the amateur to adopt. 



In whatever way the plants are covered they must be perfectly 

 dry at the time, which is generally in the afternoons of sunny 

 days. As the season approaches towards the time for frost and 

 snow the plants should be taken up and placed under the pro- 

 tection of a frame, and by plunging the roots in damp soil the 

 plants will keep fresh a long time. In the absence of frames I 

 have many times taken up the plants and plunged them thickly 

 under a wall, and covered them over with boards, pots, or hand- 

 glasses, and then covered the whole with straw or mats— in fact, 

 almost anything that will keep them dry and free from frost. 

 Where salads have to be supplied daily through the winter 

 months, and Endive being one of the principal ingredients, any 

 means whereby it can be preserved is to be sought after. 



While on the subject of salads I should state that the Lettuce, 

 being so tender and sweet, must be retained for the salad bowl 

 as far into the winter as possible. It is my custom to sow a lot 

 the last week in July or the first week in August on a dry border 

 under a wall. The plants from this sowing are not transplanted, 

 but merely thinned-out to proper distances, say from 8 inches 

 to a foot apart. These are now turning-in well, but are not 

 large. They will shortly have some glass or boards placed over 

 them at night. Plants which are in the frames will have all the 

 air possible in fine weather, and if any are left unprotected they 

 will be used first. The best sorts are the black-seeded Bath 

 Cos and Tom Thumb Cabbage Lettuce. The foimer sort should 

 be chosen from a later sowing to stand over the winter. — 

 Thomas Eecobd. 



DOINGS OP THE LAST AND WORK FOE 

 THE PEESENT WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAKDEN. 



It is desirable to sow early Peas on a warm border about the 

 end of this or the beginning of next month, and the gardener 

 who would be successful with this, or indeed any other crop, 

 must make previous preparation. It is a mistake to allow the 

 ground to remain undug until the time that the seeds have to 

 be sown, and then to either dig or trench it hurriedly, sowing 

 the seeds immediately after. At no season of the year should 

 this be done, and late in the autumn more care is necessary than 

 at other time. In many places the time of the head gardener 

 is much taken up with the forcing and decorative departments, 

 and the young gardeners are seldom interested in kitchen-garden 

 work. The general belief is that anybody can grow Cabbages 

 and Turnips, the result being that the work is done in a careless 

 manner and with but little previous forethought. Some of our 

 ground has been trenched, but it is at present quite unfit either 

 to receive seeds or plants, having turned up so wet. Now if 

 the trenching had not been done until it was time to sow the 

 seeds, there would have been no time for any further prepara- 

 tion. Owing to the rapid succession of crops it is not always 

 possible to give everything the best chance ; but when the soil 

 turns up wet, as it is at present after so much rain, it ought if 

 passible to lay a month, and the surface should be forked over 

 lightly two or three times, taking the opportunity to do it when 

 the surface is dry. Exposing the soil to the air in this way 

 causes it to crumble down finely, and it is then in the very best 

 condition to receive the seeds. We are now trenching a border 

 for Peas, and a month hence will be early enough to sow them. 

 A border facing south and sheltered on the north side by a wall 

 is the best position for early Peas. The best sorts are Laxton's 

 William I. and Alpha, the last-named is an early wrinkled 

 Marrow. 



The same attention is necessary for Cauliflower plants ; these 

 are planted in handglasses, but we likewise obtain some dry 

 tine loam and place in the handlights, covering the surface to 

 the depth of 2 inches or more. Our glasses are 22 inches square, 

 and contain four plants, one at each corner; one or two extra 

 are planted in each light, in case of any accident to any of the 

 permanent plants during winter. The lemaining plants are 



pricked-out into portable boxes. The boxes can be moved to 

 any position, and during severe frosts they are placed in glass 

 frames. The thermometer has not yet fallen below 45^ at nij^ht, 

 but frosts may be expected at any time. Until sharp frosts set 

 in late Cauliflowers are best in the ground, but towards the end 

 of the month it may be necessary to remove some of them to an 

 open shed or some such place. The plants are pulled up by the 

 roots, and have a portion of the outer leaves removed, and they 

 may be planted in some damp mould. It is better to store such 

 plants in a vinery or Peach house from which the fruit has 

 been removed, as light and air is of much benefit. We have 

 occasionally pulled the plants up with the roots, and hung them 

 by the heels in a shed, where they keep good for two or three 

 weeks at this season. Lettuce has been planted-out in rows a 

 foot apart and about the same distance between the plants. 

 Hick's Hardy White Cos is our standard variety. All crops 

 must be kept free from weeds, and on any drying day the Dutch 

 hoe may be run through the ground, even if there are no weeds 

 to be destroyed. 



ORCHARD HOUSE. 



The trees have now been removed out of doors to be plunged 

 in cocoa-nut fibre refuse. There is no better material than this 

 for plunging pots in either out of doors or under glass, and the 

 same material will last for many years. When it has decayed 

 considerably worms get into it, but they are prevented from 

 working into the pots by placing a handful of soot under each 

 pot ; this is obnoxious to them, and they will not go near it. 

 The pots are now plunged up to the rim, and some fresh fibre 

 refuse will be placed over the surface to prevent the frosts from 

 penetrating to the roots. Many of the trees become mis-shapen 

 and unhealthy in the course of years. All that are not worth 

 retaining are destroyed as soon as the fruit is gathered, and a 

 succession of plants kept up by purchasing "maiden" trees 

 (that is, trees one year from the bud) from the nursery. The 

 roots are trimmed back to allow of trees being potted in 9 or 

 lO-inch pots. The trees are received in November, and are 

 potted at once, the pots being plunged out of doors with the 

 others; the potting material for these is the same as that used 

 for the older trees. Nearly all the best new and old sorts of 

 Peaches and Nectarines have been tried in our orchard house. 

 Those most preferred are Peaches Early York, Royal George, 

 Early Grosse Miguonne, Bellegarde, Barrington, Grosse Mig- 

 nonne, and DeEse Tardive. Of Nectarines — Lord Napier, Elruge, 

 Violette Hative, Pine Apple, and Victoria. Three of the Nec- 

 tarines have been raised by Mr. Rivers, and they are very dis- 

 tinct and splendid fruits. 



ORCHID HOUSES AND PLANT STOVE. 



In the cool Orchid house we have in flower at present Odonto- 

 glossum crispum (Alexaudrffi) ; its lovely flowers last in beauty 

 for a very long time at this season. Epidendrum viteUinum 

 has been in beauty for three months, as has also Masdevallia 

 Veitchii, the most beautiful of the species except, perhaps, the 

 more free-flowering M. Harryana. Odontoglossum grande is 

 also in beauty, while Oncidium tigrinum and Odontoglossum 

 bictoniense are throwing-np flower spikes. There are many 

 beautiful Odontoglossums and other Orchids that will be in 

 flower during the winter months. Many persons fond of Orchids, 

 but who object to the steaming atmosphere of an East Indian 

 temperature and the expense of its management, can now with 

 some pleasure, and at much less expense, indulge their fancy 

 for this fine class of plants. The temperature with little or no 

 artificial heat ranges from 50° to a maximum of 65°. We do not 

 dry any of them off entirely in winter, but no more water is 

 given to many of the species except sufficient to keep th« 

 sphagnum alive on the surface of the potting material. Masde- 

 vallias, especially M. Harryana, continue to grow during the 

 winter months, and, indeed, many of the different genera are 

 more or less active. Those plants that are in growth must have 

 sufficient water at the roots to perfect the pseudo-bulbs. In 

 applying the water none should be allowed to fall upon the 

 pseudo-bulbs or leaves at this season. 



The Cattleyas, Dendrobiums, &c., that have completed their 

 growth in the Brazilian house do not receive much water, and 

 only sufficient is given to prevent the bulbs from shrinking. The 

 minimum temperature is kept as near as possible to 55". The 

 same treatment is required in the East Indian house, water only 

 being applied when the roots have become dry. Phalffinopsis 

 and Cypripediums require rather more water than most of the 

 others, and a little difference of treatment is necessary when 

 the growth has not been completed. Some few Ferns in the 

 stove of small size had filled iheir pots with roots, and it has 

 been necessary to repot them, doing it carefully, and not shifting 

 into pots much larger than the plants were growing in pre- 

 viously. After this month nearly all plants require rest, as but 

 little growth is made, and the soil is apt to become sour if it has 

 not been thoroughly penetrated by the roots. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



The beds and borders still look gay with Pelargoniums, Ver- 

 benas, ko., but decayed trusses of flowers and withered leaves 

 render them unsightly; these must be picked off frequently. 



