THE GARDENERS 



CHRONTCL 





and marking, an much depends on tlr in producing root. 

 new and titrate v-riet • . When this is done, some 



•ecln.led place in the garden should be selected, to keep 

 them entirely apart irom any inferior varieties, with 

 which the bees would cross them, and produce muddy, 

 um»i<'htlj flowers, instead of clear and well-defined 

 colours. When the seeds are ripe, sow immediately 

 in *ome ahadv place ; and as soon as large enough, 

 ■risk off thinlv into pans or wide pots, and keep close 

 for a few days, until they are properly established, when 

 thev may be removed to the open air until Urge enough 

 to place in single pots : should large plants be required, 

 they should be stopped when about 2 or 3 inches high. 

 As'soon as the seeds are gathered, the old plants should 

 be cut down, or partly so, as in many instances the 

 crowns of the plants rot if cut too close to the surface. 

 Now that they are cut down, remove them to some 

 lhady place (a north border being preferable), until they 

 throw up young sh ts, when they should be potted into 

 larger pots, in a light compost, or planted out in the 

 open ground in a light soil, where they will furnish 

 strong cuttings, and from these only can good specimens 

 be obtained. When thev hare grown about an inch or 

 two, remove the cutting, and place them in mould 

 prepared for the purpose— composed of equal parts of 

 loam, leaf-mould, and silver sand, takin care to well 

 drain the pots with potsherds. When rooted (which 

 wiil be in about a fortnight), pot off into thumbs 

 or inch pots, in a nice light soil. Should first- 

 rate plants be wanted, every care will now be 

 required to keep them in a growing and healthy con- 

 dition, to which end they should be shifted every few 

 weeks, until they receive their final potting, which 

 f I be about January ; every care should be taken 



that they do not get pot-bound in the small pots, as that 

 would throw them into a blooming state immediately. 

 The compost I would recommend for specimens In- 

 tended for exhibition, and for large plants generally, 

 would be two parts of good turfy loam, and equal parts 

 of wdl-deconijosed cow-dun ^ and leaf-mould, with an 

 admixture of silver or river sand. As the plants grow, 

 tak» care to thin at all superfluous leaves, so as to 

 admit the air freely and prevent mildew, which is a 

 gre pest, and which can only be removed by applying 

 sulphur to the parts affected. The Cineraria should 

 onl be stopped once, as the second operation tends to 

 produce weak growth. As soon as the shoots are long 

 enough tie out wide, keeping the outer branches as low 

 as possible, and place tin m close to the glass, which will 

 ipsure dwarf and compact plaits. I had nearly 

 forgotten the drainage, which should be of rough leaf- 

 mould and potsherds mixed, wnicb will keep the roots 

 in a white and healthy -rate ; fumigate occasionally, to 

 prevent the green-fly ; and water very sparingly through 

 the winter months, increasing the supply as ihe spring 

 advances, when weak liquid manure may occasionally 

 be given. S. 



.Hollyhocks: J. They may be propapafr 1 either by division of 

 the roots^by cuttings, or raised from seed, lit*; seed should be 

 gathered from the best coJoured double ^ it; . and when 

 cleaned from the husk it bonld be stored in A dry situation 

 until now, when it should be sown broad- t, either tm a gentle 

 hotbed or on a warm sheltered border prepared for the purpov 

 A:i 80OB as the vow llin will bear handling they should 



be transplanted in a rich noil in rows 2 feet apart, and the 

 plants should stand 1 toot asunder in the rows. 



root A gentle syringing on the a fternoons of sunny 

 days will now be beneficial, but this shoulu be ^ done 

 early, shutting up the house before the temperature 

 SJ T low ; Ld^vhere for any reason tins cannot be 

 done, the syringe had better not be used over the plants 

 until the leather becomes warmer. J""*-** 

 twiners here will be in free growth and wiU require 

 frequent attention to keep the.r shootsfrom &«£* 

 entangled, &c. It is a great earing of time to go over 

 this kind' of work frequently as the shoots , o ^ such 

 things are easily regulated when tins is done at the 

 nroner time ; but if allowed to grow into each other, 

 KeTarTnot easily unravelled. Endeavour to keep 

 young growing stock near the glass, and attend to re- 

 {,ottingT stopping, and tieing out as may be necessary. 

 Lsr-e specimens should be frequently turned in order 

 to prevent the young shoots from drawing to one side. 

 Look sharply after insects, and spare no pains to extir- 

 pate mealy bug and black thrips ; keep the floors, &c 

 regularly moist; syringe the plants lightly over head 

 early in the afternoon, shutting up early, so as to satu- 

 rate the atmosphere with moisture. In the present 

 state of the weather give air cautiously, opening the 



kly foliage 



"g 



?PPW*M 



. - - P re y of "d spider tL 



the Vines are strong and a healthy root action b»l 

 secured there will not be so much to fear from £ 

 attacks of red spider, but in the case of old sickly V] 

 and badly conditioned borders, and these two eenaLi. 

 go together, the most assiduous attention will be ^J 

 sary to keep this pest from making is appearance. ]v 

 atmosphere should be kept moist, using fire-heit 

 sparingly as possible, and if spider makes its » pp j! 

 ance it must be eradicated at once either by <.?S* 

 every affected leaf with a sponge, or by a liberal ^^ 



the syringe as long as this can safely be used, so 

 avoid having to contend with this enemy when tk 



Grapes are colouring. 



The pipes should also be er*y 



Calendar of Operations, 



{For the «n»«4»»? weh) 



top sashes, and this only as far as may be necessary to 

 prevent burning. Most stove plants enjoy a moderate 

 supply of manure water while growing freely, and this 

 should be given liberally to such things as Clerodendrons, 

 &c., using it very weak at first, and taking care to have 

 it at about the same temperature as the roots are grow- 

 ing in. A little of this sprinkled about the pots in the 

 evening so as to charge the atmosphere with ammonia, 

 will also be beneficial to the plants. See to having 

 shading in readiness, for some things are very impatient 

 of bright sunshine at this season, particularly when air 

 cannot be given freely without rendering the atmosphere 



too dry. 



FLOWER GARDEN AND SHRUBBERIES. 



The dry state of the ground affords a very favourable 

 opportunity for making preparation for planting Roses 

 that may have been wintered under shelter. It is hardly 

 possible to render the soil too rich for this favourite 

 flower, nor to get them to thrive save in very rich soil. 

 The beds should be made at least 2 ft. deep of good 

 strong loam, adding some 3 or 4 inches of old rotten cow 

 manure, which should be well incorporated with the soil. 

 It will also tend to improve the texture of soil, and more 

 thoroughly incorporate the manure with it if the beds 

 can be turned over two or three times when the surface 

 is in a dry state. Planting out should be deferred until we 

 experience a favourable change of weather, particularly 

 in the case of Teas, &c, and plants that are starting 

 into growth. If not already done, pruning should be 

 finished, unless it is desirable to retard the blooming of 

 a portion of the plants, and in this case the pruning 

 of these may be deferred for a week or so. Where 

 any alterations are in hand involving the transplanting 

 of large shrubs' or tree?, the ground, &c, should be pre- 

 pared, so that the plants may be removed to their fresh 

 quarters immediately the weather becomes more favour- 

 able for this kind of work, but it will be safer not to dis- 

 turb large plants while cold drying winds prevail. 

 Attend to recently transplanted things, and do not let 

 them suffer for want of water at the root. See to getting 

 hardy annuals sown about the borders, &c., for early 

 summer flowering, and get stocks that have been raised 

 under glass strong and ready for planting out as early 

 as possible. 



FORCING DEPARTMENT. 



sionally as it gets worn off. Stop laterals as tiieynfc 

 their appearance, and keep the shoots thin and rank 

 in order to expose the foliage as much as possible to it 

 light. Ventilate very cautiously, opening the top nfc, 

 only on cold drying days, and shut up early in & 

 afternoon. Peaches. — Where the stoning proce* « 

 over there will be little or no danger of the fr« 

 falling, therefore if the crop has not already beta 

 sufficiently thinned this should be done at once,andif 

 fine fruit is an object thin liberally. Keep the trm 

 moist at the root after stoning while the fruit is gweDb 

 rapidly, and weak manure-water may be given witk 

 advantage to such as show any indications of weakaw. 

 Also secure a moist atmosphere by frequently sprinklaj 

 the floors, &c, and use the syringe freely ontheift* 

 noons of bright days to prevent the appearance of n. 

 spider. 



STATE OF THE WEATHER AT CHISWICK, NEAR LOHDOH, 

 For the week ending Aprils, 1355, as observed at the HorticuhwtJGiiku 



L- 



BlROHKTSH. 



March. 



and April. J 



Friday 30 II 



Satnr. 31 1 13 

 Sunday 1 

 Won.. 2 

 Tues. 3 

 Wed. 4 



Thurs. 5 



TaMriRATUai. 



Oi the Air. 



B " tt WkL * 



Average 



o 



Ifi 



17 



13 



3(1.438 

 30.403 

 30.332 



30.173 



29.723 

 29.868 



30.05 1 



30.418 



30.H75 

 30.221 



29.967 

 29.566 

 29.723 

 30.013 



46 

 45 

 43 

 46 

 51 

 51 



57 



Min. 



29 

 22 

 23 



27 

 39 



Jaciui deep. dee*.. 



33 



3".5 

 33.5 



35.0 



3«.5 

 45.0 



37.0 



4a .0 

 S&f 



40 



40 



40 



4('i 



41 



42 



41 US. * 



4! S 9 



41 NIL Jl 



41 5 1 * 



4 1( 1 » 



: ffl M 



4- 



40.9 41.4 





April 



AJ arch 30— Cloudy and fine throughout- 



31— Hea\y clouds; fine; clear and frasty. 

 1 — Frosty; clear; overcast; frosty. 

 «— Frosty and lbj?sy ; fine ; overcast. 

 3— Cliudy; showery; uniformly overcast. 

 4— Cloudy ; clear in the evening ; ram at night. 

 5— Slight haze; very fine throughout. 

 Mean temperature of the week 7 de*. below the STeratf. 



KECORD OF THE WEATHER AT CHISWICK, 

 Uurinjf tde last 29 years, for the ensuing week, e nding Ap ril 14, 1^ 



pre vailiBf Wnfc 



Sunday S 56.2 



Mon. 9 54.8 



Tues. 10 55.1 



Wed. 11 55.3 



Thurs. 12 55.6 



Friday 13 56 



Satur. U l 57.7 

 The 



35.3 

 35.1 



33.5 



35J 



37.5 

 34.5 

 37.1 



45.3 

 44.9 

 44.3 

 45.0 



46.6 

 45.2 



4: a 



K o. of 

 Years in 

 which it 

 Rained. 



13 



13 



11 

 14 

 19 

 12 



11 



Greatest 

 Quantity 

 of Rain. 



7. 



X * I 91. 1 o, . i ■» I *n ..-» »- 



highest temperature during the above period <*&&* , 1Jg , 

 in* 14th, IS52 therm. 73 deg. ; and the lowest on tM m 



1314. an 



and l'Jth. 1S53- therm. 22 deg. 



hard ta^ 



ad*!" 



H, A S T DEPART MEN T. 



C-.vservatory, &c— Where there is proper con- 

 venitnee for growing plants the show-house will now be 

 very gay, as Azaleas and some of the New Holland 

 plant?, &e., will be in bloom. While in flower these are 

 exceedingly gay ; but their beauty is but short-lived if 

 exposed to bright sunshine in a cry atmosphere, and as 

 they are what may be termed CXfM nhive plants, requir- 

 ing'considerable care and time to get good-sized speci- 

 mens of them, every means should be used to preserve 

 their flowers a beauty. The beds, borders, and every 

 available space, should be lightly sprinkled on the 

 mornings of bright days, in order to counteract the 

 effects of the prevailing dry winds ; a thin shade will 

 also be indispensable ou the forenoons of sunny days, 

 both for protecting the blossoms from bright sunshine 

 and keeping down the temperature without letting 

 currents of cold drying air pass over the plants. Use 

 hading sparingly, however, at present, and have it 

 removed immediately it maybe safely dispensed with. 

 .Remove decaying flowers directly they are perceived, 

 and endeavour to be prepared with specimens in full 

 beauty to replace any that begin to look poor. Green- 

 hqubk.— Ventilate cautiously here in the present 

 state of the weather, especially near recently potted 

 specimens, avoiding all direct currents until the 

 weather becomes warmer and the atmosphere mois- 

 ter. Proceed as diligently as circums anees will 

 admit with repotting and training young stock, taking 

 care that the balls are in a rather moist state before 

 potting, and also to place them in a close part of the 

 house, sprinkling the shelves, &c, frequently, to assist 

 in affording them a moist atmosphere. Do not neglect 

 Correas, Epacrises, and other early winter- flowering 

 things ; but let these have every possible attention, in 

 order to induce them to make their growth early. Ex- 

 aunine large specimen* very carefully, for the purpose 

 of ascertaining whether the balls are properly moist, 

 and where it is found that this is not the case, see that 

 they are thoroughly soaked at once, for the present 

 weather will speedily ruin plants that are dry at the 



Pineries. — In the present state of the weather it will 

 be nearly impossible to maintain a properly moist state 

 of the atmosphere without the aid of shading ; for, if 

 sufficient air is admitted on bright days to keep down 

 the temperature, the atmosphere is speedily robbed of 

 its moisture, and the foliage at once J'eels the change, 

 and is easily injured by bright sunshine acting upon it 

 in its exhausted state. We are no advocates for shading 

 Pines when it can be dispensed with, consistent with the 

 well-being of the plants ; but save in the case of tank or 

 dung pits, where a constant stream of moisture can be 

 commanded, it is nearly impossible, in the present state 

 of the weather, without the aid of shading, to maintain 

 a sufficiently moist atmosphere, either for young grow ing 

 stock or for plants swelling their fruit. A very thin 

 material should be used, how ever, and this only for a few 

 hours on the forenoons of bright days. Growing stock 

 and fruiters should be lightly syringed every fine after- 

 noon, shutting up the house early, but do not use the 

 syringe too freely, as this is apt to render the soil about the 

 collars of the plants too wet, and water, when allowed to 

 lodge in the axils of the leaves, tends to disfigure and 

 render the foliage weakly. See that the whole of the 

 stock, whether in pots or planted out in the open bed, is 

 kept in a healthy state as to moisture at the root, for 

 any neglect in this respect at the present season will be 

 most injurious, and may cause a large portion of the 

 young stock to show fruit prematurely. In watering 

 Pines, the same attention and care should be exercised 

 as in the case of more tender things, looking over 

 the plants often, watering only such as are dry, 

 and giving these a liberal soaking. Vineries.— The 

 unusually severe winter, and the long continuance of 

 cold weather will render this a memorable season to 

 those who have had much to do with early forcing ; for 

 fire-heat, even in its best applied forms, can only be 

 considered as little better than a dangerous necessity. 

 And when a comparative absence of sunshine and preva- 

 lence of cold weather extend far into the spring as has 



Notices to Correspondents. 



American Blight : Lower Beeding. Prime your trees 

 then paint them all over down to as for below grv • 

 can get with the following mixture, viz , halt a f : 

 lime, half a pound of flowers of sulphur, and a qj _ 

 pound of lamp black mixed with boiling water mi ^ 

 sistency of paint. 



Before applying it, however, 



take c* • 



*-»'t 



scrap off all loose bark and burn M-X rk { 



Books : Sub. There is no separate book on ^ nTS ^J t [Q I#l n ■ 

 kno* of. You will probably find all you want ^ 

 Brown's " Forester." The most complete caw. *^ 

 is that of the Horticultural Society, with its o 

 Both may be had of all booksellers. # indSB* *^ 



Diseases: AUph. It is seldom sale to g»T** D J. J n bowe*,* 

 out some sort of ocular inspection. I new ' c , ^ 

 little doubt that yours is a case of ca " Ke V vhere it if in* 

 many forms, and arises from many causes. ^^ 



and arises from local causes, excision mayy Wtst* 



but where it is constitutional no cure is* f ^fer** 

 ourselves, just discovered a vexatious case ^ ^ 

 stem of a Pear tree of extraordinary . v ^J^ rb ,ids. £ 

 large crop last year, and is laden now witn u d ^^ 

 the tree will fail a sacrifice we have no douM, 

 therefore, left it to take its chance. M. ^- 5n p r 



Flax: A Farmer will find the best ™to™*£i» t w*t * 

 new work on " Fibrous Substances, n °" c macnin e md* , 

 machines, he should apply to the ,,ea /f ;J int bn»atioa^ 



Galvanised Ikon: A Sussex X an * e ?**™ have beeD«J 

 whether patent galvanised ^on^ hothouses t be W"JS 

 generally to answer, and especial!} aui f „r corresp**^ 

 winter; and also which, in the opi ™ « 0I bu Udings. ,^ 

 u Wf L w^rf nr galvanised iron tor garden i ^tjM 



Hollies 



Watford. Had your large pn» rown theo£^ 

 September we should have acceded to o m ft ** 



operation bavins been deferred till tne \ 



55 



large 



tne case tor many years, it 

 the ill effects of so much 



aving Deen uwwiw « - ,^. 



agree with your gardener. , „ pest is* : 



Lilium GioANTEtm: A Svb. Sow i as »aMni %,» b£ 



bed, covering it with a little niossto gui M£ ig ft* 



much moisture, or being covered w tn 



Perhaps vour seed is bad, as is often tie c j t ^ 

 Names of Plants : We have been ^^^thstj^ 



decline naming heaps of ^ned or other ^ ^ ^^ 



to request our correspondents to ^co* dutf ot*r - 



or could have undertaken an « nilu _^ rtnr eesl* CP 3 

 Yonng gardeners, . _ .-„. VI1 . a - iMI ^ 



should bear in mind that, before ^PP'^f gaining «^M 

 they should exhaust their other means £ iD i„g»<£ #* 

 We cannot save them ^ trouble of "e^W.^ 

 for themselves ; nor would it be d^rah .1 - 



can do is to help them-and that m four pW n , 



requested that in future "° S e »frican»- 

 sent ns at one time.— A «**''• *\^ rf ,hium chrr»» V^e- 

 pannla hederifolia.-^ D. 1- Jvrf*^^ ^ 



cwrulescens.-r-D//. One ot tbe many ^ 



transparens. _, v i„ ca nm buds ^ « tt~ 



killed by the frost while tbe plants » .^ 



ground. * x. „„ m berBffl ent,<m ^ 



Blue : C K It. You can have the number* 



I 



: : u jn n. you can n»*^ —~ giants. 



K W. Lobelias are poisonous pi» 





