2 OS 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONIC 



■ 





Mtom the propagating pit, whew re is a gentle 

 n,o»st bottmifliear, where in t! e course of three weeks 

 th will have made root* enough to btand potting or! . 

 You may now pot off singly into 3-inch pots iu a light 

 open silted compos* of rich loam, leaf-soil, and sand, 

 equal part*, and if you have any bottom-heiit to spare 

 they will be the better U te plunged in it for a day or two, 

 to give the young roots a Btart. They may now be 

 removed to a warm pit or Vinery, or whatever you find 

 most convenient, where the atmosphere is kept moist, 

 which will ensure a strong, healthy, and vigorous 

 growth. VY hen you find the pots full of roots 

 repot into 6-inch pots, using for this shift a good 

 rich compost of turfy loam two parts, one of old rotten 

 ton droppings, leaf soil and sand. As this will be their 

 Jast shift this season, care roust be taken to provide good 

 drainage; this can be secured by putting in plenty of 

 ^potsherds, with two or three bits of open turf or Moss 

 over all. As the plants will now be pushing strongly, 

 they must be tied to a neat stake, as they will be sending 

 # cat laterals or side shoots. Aa the making of these 

 aide branches secures the formation of the plant, a little 

 weak *heep dung liquid manure will be found very bene- 

 ficial at this period of their growth. As the first tier of 

 laterals has made their first joint, pinch it at that ; this 

 will not only enable you to have two shoots from each 

 lateral, but will cause the leader to push away, and fur- 

 nish you with plenty of side wood. The four first tiers 

 of laterals will be enough to pinch this season, the rest 

 may be allowed to grow on. They will be forming nice 



little plants now, so they urny aa well be taken to the 



greenhouse or conservatory, where, with a gay profusion 

 of flowers, they will assist in keeping the house " dressy " 

 for a short time. By the middle of November water 

 should be withheld gradually, in order to ripen the 

 wood, and they may be placed in a dry cold pit, or any 

 out of the way place, such as under the greenhouse 

 stage, for instance, where they must remain all winter, 

 a* they will require no more attention till the end of 

 February, when a little water may be applied sparingly to 

 induce them to start ; the knife must now be applied to 

 C«t back the side shoots that were pinched last year, to 

 the second joint on the wood they made after they were 

 pinched, and a couple of tiers of single shoots to the 

 second joint, the rest to the first, and the leader to 

 within four inches; thus you will have a pyramidal basis 

 Jo work on. Place theiu now iu a warm vinery, and they 

 will soon show indications of rapid growth. After they 

 are fairly started turn them out of their pots, 

 and shake off all loose soil, and examine the roots; 

 repot now in 10-inch pots, using strong fibry loam 

 -of a rich texture, old cow dung, leaf soil and sand, 

 equal parts well mixed. As stated for last season, 

 attend well to drainage, as they will require no 

 more pot room th a stason ; replace them again iu heat, 

 and pinch in according to the directions laid down 

 for last season, always aiming at having ihe plant broad 

 and full at the pot, and tapering to the top. Pinching 

 should, however, be stopped after the 1st of June, for 

 by the middle of the month they should get a prominent 

 place in the conservatory, where, by July, they will be 

 the objects of greatest admiration in the house; liquid 

 manure must not be omitted upon any account, at least 



Or 

 & 



Pineries. 



rirbt mowing is deferred until the Grass gets too long, 

 the turf becomes spongy, and if it is once allowed to 

 get in this state it is much more difficult to mow, and 

 can hardly be got into "good keeping** without cuttin_ 

 it up so as to make it present a brown and very 

 unsightly appearance. Attend carefully to the stock of 

 bedding-out plants, and get rooted cuttings potted off as 

 soon as they are fit, and encourage them by kind treat- 

 ment to make free growth, for after this season there is 

 no time to be lost with young stock. 



FORCING DEPARTMENT. 



-Look over young growing stock, occa- 

 sionally examining and repotting such as are found 

 to be in want of more pot room, and avoid the old 

 injudicious practice of repotting the whole stock at 

 once, irrespective of the state of the roots, than which 

 nothing can be more improper, particularly where a 

 constant succession of fruit is an object. Pines, like 

 other plants, are checked in their growth by allowing 

 the roots to get too much matted before repotting, 

 hence every plant should be shifted before it suffers 

 for the want of pot room, and no plant should be re- 

 potted until the state of its roots indicate that more 

 pot room is required. This requires rather more time 

 and attention than the old practice of repotting all in 

 one day, but the result fully repays the extra trouble, 

 &c. The temperature may be slightly advanced as the 

 amount of light increases, but this is a matter in which 

 the state of the plants will be the best guide. Aim at 

 securing strong dwarf plants, with a free habit of 

 growth ; and if this is obtained, it is immaterial 

 whether the night temperature is 60° or 70°, and very 

 much will depend upon circumstances as to which will 

 be proper. Plants that may be unhealthy and in an 

 unkind state, if kept near the glass, will be benefitted 

 by a considerable higher temperature than would be 

 suitable for others in a free state of growth. These 

 are circumstances, however, which can be properly 

 judged of only by those in care of the plants, but they 

 are easily understood by a little careful observation. 

 Use very means to induce a vigorous root action, and 

 if this is obtained free strong growth will result with 

 otlurwise ordinary care only. Vineries. — See that 

 Vines starting into growth are tied up in their places 

 before the shoots get so long as to be liable to be broken 

 off in the operation. Syringe frequently until the 

 leaves begin to unfold ; but use the syringe sparingly 

 after that is the case, and only on the afternoons of 

 bright days. Where the buds do not promise 

 to break regularly bend the Vines so as to place those 

 that are backward in the most likely position to catch 

 the sap, and this should be done directly any indications 

 of their breaking irregularly are observed. If any of 

 the bunches in houses where the berries are stoned look 



as if they would be improved by a few more berries 



being cut out, let this be done at once, so as to allow 



those left plenty of room, and also to avoid having to 



handle the fruit after it begins to colour. Give air as 



freely as the state of tie weather will admit, using a little 



extra fire heat, and leaving a little air on at night, so as to 



prevent the bloom being injured by damp settling on 



the berries, as is apt to be the case where the house is 



. ... shut up. Figs. — Where the early crop is approaching 



three times a week, as this is now the only thing the maturity the borders should be well watered, so as to 



plant will derive its nourishment from, and will cause it avoid the necessity of having to water the soil after the 



fruit begins to ripen, which is injurious to the flavour, 

 and is also apt to cause the fruit to burst prematurely, 

 particularly if the trees have been rather dry at 

 the root previously. So far as the present crop is con- 

 cerned the trees can, perhaps, hardly be too dry at the 

 root, while the fruit is ripening, but where a second crop 

 is expected care must be exercised to keep the trees in 

 health, and to prevent the foliage becoming a prey to 

 red spider, otherwise the second crop can hardly be 

 expected to be good for much. Use the 



to bloom right on till October, when it will be getting un- 

 sightly, and may be removed out of doors to make room 

 for some other favourite. When cold nights set in re- 

 •niOYe them as before to a cold pit, &c. No more atten- 

 tion will be necessary till spring, when they may be 

 pruned ar.d started according to the time they are 

 wanted in bloom. They can be had in bloom by putting 

 few into heat by the beginning of January, about the 

 middle of May ; others, started accordingly, will enable 

 you to have them in flower all the summer. IF. F. 



SEEDLIKG8. 



G»W*tfii : E J. and G /?., &c All inferior to varieties possess- 

 ing the same colours now in cultivation. 



Fpacbises : IAD and Sons. All handsome, but no improvement 

 on kinds already in existence. 





Calendar of Operations. 



{For the ensuing wech) 



PLANT DEPARTMENT. 



Conservatory, &c— If the pruning of any of the 



m» re tender climbers has not yet been done, it should 



be seen to at once, for growth will now be commencing, 



tod such things ought not to have their growth retarded 



by any means. Also see that the soil about the roots 



t>f creepers is in a nice moist healthy state, as also the 



beds and the borders ; and where it is found too dry 



give two or three liberal soakings at intervals of a few 



day*, for as the water is apt to pass off through the 



crevices or fissures, it is hardly possible to thoroughly 



momten any bulk of soil by one application. See that 



Orange trees, 4c, are free from insects, and that their 



foliage is free from dust and other impurities. The*e 



-will soon be coming into flower, and will be objects of 



consnlerable attraction ; hence they should be in F rfect 



»Bd fr»h cravel pTo^ wL« i ' tV 9h ° uW ** ^ 



- 4. ft *; wnere wanted so as to nut them 



be well rolled and made smooth and firm, without Inn nf 



t,me for notwithsUadiug the eold S'JltoiSS 

 - «m. show, that the work of mowing must so^n 



er 



con mencecL 



take time 



after labour to 



syringe 

 vigorously, and maintain a moist atmosphere as long as 

 this can be done without risk of injuring the fruit. Also 

 keep the young wood thin and regularly tied in, stopping 

 before the fourth or filth leaf, according to the strength of 

 the shoots, &c. Melons.-— Encourage those newly planted- 

 out with a moist warm atmosphere, so as to get them 

 into full growth as quickly as possible ; but plants that 

 are fairly established should be kept cooler, admitting 

 air on every favourable opportunity, in order to secure 

 short-jointed fruitful wool. Keep the shoots thin and 

 regular, pinching out any not wanted, but avoid stop- 

 ping the main shoots until they reach the sides of the 

 pit, when by pinching out the points the laterals will 

 start into growth and show fruit abundantly ; and by 

 this time the plants will have gained sufficient strength 

 to set and carry a fair crop. Do not exceed 65° at 

 night, and admit air when the glass rises to 75°, but 

 do this very carefully on cold days. Endeavour to 

 maintain a steady bottom-heat of about 80° or 85° and 

 keep the soil in a healthy state as to moisture. See to 

 providing plenty of young plants for succession crops. 



HARDY FRUIT ahd KITCHEN GARDEN. 



The protection of the blossoms of fruit trees will soon 

 require attention, and we have found Hall's nets to 

 answer admirably for this purpose. If expense is no 

 consideration, there can be little doubt but that the pre- 

 ference should be given to woollen net, as being the 

 most effective protection, and likely to last longer than 

 any material made of cotton. But the woollen net 

 which was used so successfully by Mr. Harrison, of 

 boebton Hall, costs \0d. per square yard, while Hall's 

 No. 1 costs a fraction less than 4d., and this quality 

 seems sufficiently strong to last well, and is as close in 

 the mesh aa we think anything for being permanently 



fixed while the trees are in bloom should be. The 



woollen net used by Miv Harrison wheS^S^ 

 use, with calico at top and bottom fmaL^* *»* 

 wide), costs 1*. 104c/. per yard along the w2i U 3 ^ 

 of making; and Hall's, made up in the S""" 

 would cost less than the 10|d, which is a £?. 

 difference where any considerable length ft rL?J 

 be covered. But where the materials £* *•* 

 have still to be procured, there is no time to v!?*** 

 whatever material may be decided * pon ^* 

 obtained at once and made up ready for ^ 



main crop of Carrots should be a™™ f* _ _ **■ th 



9*m 



the surface being rendered hard by the treacW 



*»» 





STATE OF THE WEATHER AT CHISWICK, NEAR I/.** 

 For the week ending March 29, 1855, a, obse rred at the Honlu^S^ 



March. 



Friday 23 

 Satur. 24 

 Sunday 25 

 Mon.. 26 

 Tues. 27 

 Wed. 28 

 Thuri. 29 



A vera are. 





5 



6 



r 

 8 



9 



10 

 11 



Basomktir, 



Max. Min. 



29.180 

 29.301 



29.621 



29.662 

 29.8-21 



30.230 

 30.434 



29.749 



29.025 

 29.283 

 29.402 

 29.645 

 29.786 

 30.029 

 30.420 



29.513 



TaMp«a A Tuai. 



OflfaefcSJ 



Or the Air. 



« 



lloot 2feet 

 deep, deep. 





A) arch 23-Deniely clouded; cloudy and cold; slight fro»t 



— 24— Cloudy ; overcast ; frosty at night. 



— 25— -Fine throughout; sharp frost. 



— 26— Clear and frosty; very fine ; cloudy ; fine. 



— 27— Overcast ; very fine; clear at night. 



~~ 2!~,V rizzly 1bi< \ k haze ' constant rain, jet barometer riiiKart 



— 29— Overcast ; cloudy ; clear and fine. "•■••Fi 



Mean temperature of the week 8 dejr. below the averir?. 



BECORD OF THE WEATHER AT CHISWICK 

 During the last 29 years, for the ensuing week, ending April * l*& 



| Prevtihai *m 



April. 



Sunday 



Mon. 



Toes. 



Wed. 



Thurs. 



Friday 



Satur. 



1 



2 

 3 

 4 



5 

 6 

 7 



a> if aj 



55.1 

 55.5 

 56.3 

 56.2 



56.7 

 56.5 

 57.n 





« 



*) 



35.0 

 36.3 

 34.5 



36.7 

 35.8 



36.4 

 36.9 



Ok 



B 



91 





No. of 

 Years in 

 which it 

 Rained. 



45.0 

 45.9 

 45.4 



46.4 

 46.2 

 46.4 

 46.9 



Greatest 

 Quantity 

 of ~ 





15 

 12 



il 



14 

 11 

 13 



0.76 in. 



1.19 



0.30 



0.46 



0.65 



0.30 



0.40 





f .f I 



4*** 



» < 



n 



4 .; i : « 



- 5 J ■ 



3 a t lU s ! - 



•27i*» 



1 



The highest temperature during the above period occurred m t:» 

 1813— therm. JS deg. ; and the lowest on the 1st, lS38-tberm. 16 dij. 



Notices to Correspondents* 



Alpine Rose : Sub. It is a hardy shrub, and requires the mh 

 treatment as any other hardy Rose. It is not worth cnltmai 

 except in botanical gardens. Heat your greenhouse *t 



hot water.J 

 Books: A W. Koch's "Flora Germanica.' r 

 C ankf.r: Aleph. We will endeavour to procure you soBtfefe 



mation by next Saturday. If it is really canker, the Sam 



is r we believe, incurable. 



Conifers: A Constant Header. Such land as you describe ti 

 suit them well. It is impossible for us to sayF&atiibat 

 or the contrary in a situ»ation of which we do not ere* km 

 the name. All N.European, Siberian, Himalayan, iipm\ 

 and American species from above the latitude of Sooth Cll 

 fornia, and all the Real del Monte species, are hardy ial* 

 situations. Certainly make walks through your PinetuB.« 

 plant evergreens— if with gay flowers so much the totter-*? 

 their side. For other matters you had better mbioU JJJJ 

 gardener, who of course understands such questions. Liw 

 are the best nurses.— W A. They ought not tobegwj. 

 Grafted plants are worthless. We decline to inatrflfitym *>» 

 to do that which ought not to he done. If you are i g*ra*J 

 of course you do not want to be told how to perform tae& 

 nary work belonging to your business. .. 



Dioscorea Batatas : S S. The small tubers should Mjpv 

 whole. As to its treatment, the best information JM<*"[ 

 will be found at p. 19 of our present year's volume, «*■ 

 pamphlet on the subject, published by Mr. Benders** 

 Kingskerswell, Newton Abbot, Devon.J 



Ferns; Sub. Next week. ^c 



Gas Tar: Alnus. There is no objection to gas-tar as an 

 cation to tree guards in a park, though there is to puro* 

 trees themselves. You will not find any other snwgj 

 paint than tar of some kind. We prefer to gas-to '^Tl 

 tar mixed with a small quantity of pitch ^dresin-^twj 

 it is a little dearer. The mixture used in the nwyj" 



Haricot Beans : C F L. The common white J^™JJ3 

 Kidney Bean is one of the eatable Haricots of "»*"»* 

 they cultivate several other more delicate 'J" 11 **?*",^ 



Names of Plants : We have been so often oblige* to m^ 

 decline naming heaps of dried or other plants, that w ^ 



to request our correspondents to r ^ ol !^ ct /^ at f /nf th ij k* 

 or could have undertaken an unlimited d ^J " W1 ,-A 

 Yonng gardeners, to whom these remarks mor t^Jg* 

 should bear in mind that, before applying to "f f " r iIlfonB ^ 

 they should exhaust their other means of K^^^^m 

 We cannot save them the trouble of examining ana ^ 

 cc for themselves ; nor would it be desirable it we co 



can do is to help them-and that most wilhogiy^ ^ 

 requested that, in future not more than jo nrp ^ 

 sent ns at one time.-V S W. One ot the many 



Amaryllis Johnsoni. . . . Va i Mn du^ , ''"' 



Osaqk Obasoe : U M. Certainly it might be ^ n J»^ 

 4 feet high ; but it should be done as soon as 



fallen in autumn. | . . nTthing "*?* 



Pm-siotooT : »'&Ve are unable M«M'« «£ £ 

 in ycur inarched Vine. Had t^ result b«« ^ 

 might have been extraordinary. A" l ' jU grof u 

 amounts to is, that a graft with a long beel wui b 



■it* 



as a graft without a aeei. vittat*. *■*> 



Plants foe Baskets: Bender. .^^. T^r J**? 

 called Tradescantia zebrioa, will pos&io'y 



posebest.J .- „ w * s answ^JS 



Potatoes: Northwood. Your question was a ^^m 



diately, see p. 176, bottom of third column. ****** 



their own comb. X ,,. A Ktr anv ofo^jU 



Rhubarb: A Subscriber will be obliged oy f ; lloir i B g^ 



furnishing him with some explanation or * tob0/ , eofg*^ 

 stances. He says, " My gardener, last Octo ^ ££ 

 •ome root* of Rhubarb with cement ca^^ ^ er t*£* 

 manure, which was added several times j orer.yj, 

 growth/ Again, three^ week^ago^he^co^ ^ ^ w 



fiSS! 





cisely similar way, other roots uu «- r iUt / ^ 



ist are ready the first. H^^op : 1, TO* 

 Strawbbbbies: H H. You may obtain alate^K^^^ 



covered 



pla 



J00 



.< 



Alpines; 2, by turning ^^^^dLlX i* 



were forced very early 5 3, by picking « 



appear up to the middle of JuI £' . Wpwe a, nor fr" &, 



Vine Leaves : Z, P. They are no £ Wen eo ho09 e. Jjj^r 

 say what ails them without inspec tit* » ^o«" 

 flues burst ? or are they cracked * or nay ^ 



thing to your border ? , , cultivated * B 



Water Melons : Sub. They should ne p 



way as other Melons. t ,„ - ml with t* **^ 



Misc. : H W. Our agent will mippif J m 



numbers can be bad*oJ * aoe 





