244 



THE ( ARDKNERS' CHRONICLE. 



A*BDfc U 



taking gnat cm** nut to wet the plant* them. selves. Tin 



first mild wenth-r in February I top-dress, by re- 

 moving about an inch in depth of the surface com 

 post, taking care not to disturb the fibres, and filling up 

 to within a little of the foliaige with new composr, having 

 a portion of good old sheep dtmg mixed with it. 

 After they are top-dressed, the plants mart be set to 

 work, by being re^u'arly watered ; towards the end of 

 the month they will be growing rapidl\ -at which time 

 protection is requisite from sullen and severe frosts. 

 My stages face north east ; but, immediately after being 

 top-dressed, I remove those plants intended for exhi- 

 bition to a stage facing due south ; and as they come 

 into bloom, 1 remove them a^aiu to the north-east, w! er 

 they only get the morning »uu. During May, June, and 

 duly, the plants must he liberally supplied with water, 



and kept rlear of decaying leaves and flower stems ; 

 at the same time look out well for a small black 

 caterpillar, which attacks the centres of the plants, and if 

 not caught in time, will leave only a nuked stump. 

 i ireeti fly, also, must be removed, by carefully brushin 

 them off. There is much diff. nee of opinion respect- 

 ing the time to repot Auriculas ; there can l>e no doubt 



r 



- 



unusualiy late, and hence there will be but a poor 

 chance of their blooming satisfactorily. The present is 

 a favourable season for making any alteration among 

 the conservatory twiners, and we would recommend 

 those who have a large demand for cut flowers in 

 winter to plant some of the finer Acacias to be trained 

 to the rafters. These grow very rapidly, and when allowed 

 plenty of space form objects of great beauty in winter, 

 and early spring, 



FORCING DEPARTMENT. 



Pineries.— Plants swelling their fruit should be very 

 carefully attended to with water at the root ; for, if 

 allowed to get too dry, there is great danger of checking 

 the fruit and preventing its attaining the size which it 

 would under proper treatment. It is, however, very easy 

 t< rr in the opposite extreme, and considerable care and 

 practice are necessary to enable one to properly water 

 plants having their pots plunged ; therefore this should 

 not be intrusted to inexperienced hands, who would 

 probably water every plant if the surface soil indicated 



Use weak tepid manure water for plants that 



soil of sh 



dryness 



are well rooted, whether fruiters or growing stock, 



Mul keep the atmosphere thorough!; moist, giving 



that early potting causes many of the plants to bloom in [ air very sparingly on cold, drying, gleamy days. 



Ulack Jamaicas and Montserats expected tosupply ripe 

 fruits at Christmas should soon be ready for shifting 

 into their fruiting pots, and great care should be exer- 

 cised to avoid checking their growth by any means, as 

 this might lead to their fruiting prematurely. See to 

 having the balls in a rather moist state at the time of 

 repotting, and keep the bottom-heat regular and the 



atmosphere very moist and rather close until the plants 



The same 



autumn, which weakens them and injures the sprin 

 bloom. My time for beginning this necessary operation 

 Js towards the end of July, so that I may have them all 

 finished by the ml Idle of August. The plan I follow is 

 I* Shift two years conaeeutively, leaving a good hall of 

 soil at the roots, and the third year to .shake the whole 

 of the compost from the fibres, and pot them afr.-Ii ; 

 When I require to do |hii 1 repot about a month earlier. 

 The metho i I adopt in motting is as follows : — For a 



full-size plan! I use a pot 6 inches wide and 7 Seep, 

 and for smaller plants and offsets pots varying from 3 to 

 o inches wide. For draining I use first, a layer of 

 broken crocks, then a layer of oyster-shells, convex side 

 up ; above this I place some ▼eatable fibre, to prevent 

 the compost choking the drainage; I then fill in 

 some compost ; when 'this is done i examine the plant 

 to be repotted, and reduce the ball of fibres with 



a sharp knifr. I like to grow my plant* with short 

 stems, consequently the lower portion of the stem is 



well examined annually, and all decaying portions of it 

 cut off, and the wound dressed with powdered wood 

 charcoal to dry it up, and keep the plant healthy ; the 

 offset* are then slipped carefully off, and the part of the 

 plant to which they adhered, dressed also with charcoal ; 



metallic wires should be used instead of *!l* U ^ 

 neater in appearance ; and if somewhat e°ni^ , *t 

 the first instance, they will last a lifetime *' ) ?* ,ir * 

 expense is of no importance compared witfi r*'** 

 constant fear of having a favourite specim r * 

 down or injured by the wind. Take advantt*.!!* 1 

 dry state of the ground to stir and rake thT 



shrubbery and herbaceous borders to 

 the growth of weeds, and give a fresh neat apr^U" 1 

 Also plant out Wallflowers, double RockeiT ,,,t 

 stock of herbaceous plants generally, D e j J"?! 

 Heodersoni is one of the finest plants we po86eiBbI5 

 way, and should have a place in every garden 



HAKDY FRUIT and KITCHEN GARDEN 



Be prepared with protection for the blossoms of frw 

 trees wherever this can be applied, for it w fllL 

 nothing surprising if the present stormy * d 

 should be followed by a few nights of sharp ftm^ 

 even if it should be true that frost does not h 

 the blossoms of trees that have been properly JS 

 we would advise those who can command some kkdrf 

 covering not to make the experiment. Thick cors* 

 which would keep light and air from the trees, iha 

 not be* allowed to remain on during the day faAL 

 would probably be as injurious as frost. See that 



appear to have taken to the fresh soil, 

 attention will be necessary in watering, and bottom- 

 heat, «fcc, in the case of tho3e growing in the open bed, 

 for plants that are any size are very apt to show fruit at 

 this season if at all checked in their growth. Vinerifs. 

 — Directly the fruit in succession houses is sufficiently 

 advanced for thinning get this done, the laterals stopped, 

 and the shoots regulated without loss of time, for 

 allowing the berries to get so thick that the scissors can 

 hardly be got amongst them renders thinning tedious, 

 aud also robs the Vines. Give inside borders a liberal 

 supply of manure water, using that from the stable- 

 yard tank where it can be obtained, and mixing with it 

 a sufficient quantity of warm water to render it about 

 milk warm. In all cases, give every possible attention 

 to the state of the roots, securing a little artificial warmth 



planted trees are perfectly secured against the windjw 

 do not let them suffer for the want of water at tier* 

 The main crop of Broccoli should be sown at ft*. 

 also a bed of Couve Tronchuda, which is excellent far 

 autumn and early winter use. A small breadth i 

 Cabbage should also be sown for succession, 13 im 

 Cauliflower, Lettuce, Turnips, &c. The best my tf 



securing a regular succession of these is to 



quantities frequently, and at stated intervals durin? the 

 summer — say once every fortnight. Put in % few 

 Kidney Beans on a warm border, and plant mm a 

 pots or turves, to be raised under glass, and plaited* 

 I where they can be covered in case of frost. These li 

 afford the chance of an early dish, and anything hit 

 way of early vegetables will be doubly valuable tts 

 season. If not already done, Ridge Cucumbers, Vep> 

 table Marrows, Cardoons, Tomatoes, and Capons 

 should be sown in a warm frame, so as to have Kmg 

 plants by planting-out time. 



the plant is then placed in the centre of the pot, which where circumstances allow of doing so, for the ground is 

 is filled up to within about half an inch of the top, care 1 Ci) \& &n( \ V ery unfavourable for the roots of Vines. 



being taken to keep the foliage clear of the compost ; a 

 gentle stroke or two upon the bench will settle the soil, 

 and shoud it sink much, I add what is necessarv to 

 complete the q ntity. When the compost is shaken 

 altogether from the plants, and the stem and fibres pro- 

 perly trimmed, the fibres require to be equally distributed 

 over the soil in the pot, touching the side, and then filled 



up. Some cultivators have recommended keeping tin 

 plants in a dry state for a few days after repotting I 

 have found injury to result from following this advice ; 

 therefore, they should be watered whenever com- 

 pleted. There is one fatal malady to which this fine 

 flower is liable, viz, Rot. This may be attributed 

 to two cau -», viz., improper compost, and allowing 

 water to lodge in the hearts of the plants. An ex- 

 perienced cultivator can instantly perceive by the 

 peculiar sa !l when disease is in a collection: when 

 a plan: is seen with its head leaning to one side, and the 

 outer leaves assuming a purple hue, having also a strong 

 ^disagreeable smell, then rot has commenced. Plants so 

 mfected must be immediately removed to a distance 

 from those 111 health, otherwise the whole collection may 

 be swept off m a very short time. I have tried ev ry 

 sort of experiment to cure this scourge. The only 



STATE OF THE WEATHER AT CHISWICK, NEAR L05DQJ. 

 For the week ending April 12, 1S53, as observed at the Horticoltonl 



the 

 be 



ery 

 Where fermenting materials have been used on 

 border of the early house, the heat should not 

 allowed to ( cline until the fruit is fairly ripe, for it is 

 much easier to secure a heavy crop of well swelled fruit 

 than to perfectly colour and ripen even a moderate 

 crop, and a healthy root action is perhaps more im- 

 portant while the fruit is colouring than at any other 

 period. Therefore let the fermenting materials be 

 irned occasionally, adding fresh as may be requisite to 

 keep the temperature of the border at about 70°. 

 In c t where red spider threatens to be troublesome, 

 in succession- houses, rendering syringing necessary, 

 rain water should be provided for syringing with, as if 

 water containing lime is used, the berries are sure to be 

 disfigured by an incrustation of lime, and we have seen 

 a splendid house of Grapes disfigured through syringing 

 with hard water. Figs.— To have this fruit in perfec- 

 tion, the trees should be rather dry at the root and the 

 atmosphere rather dry and warm during the ripening 

 period ; but respect to the second crop often prevents 

 proper attention being given to the ripening of the first. 

 If care, however, is used to have the borders iu a 

 healthy state as to moisture, and rather inclining to 

 dryness at the time the fruit begins to ripen, and save 



April. 





a 



BA&OMBTB&. 



Satur. 7 

 Mjoday ? 



Won.. 9 

 Tues. 10. . 

 Wed. Ill -24 

 Thura. 12 29 



19 



J 



Average . 



30.135 

 SIM 2 



30.061' 

 :9.8U 

 29.301 



29.566 



Min. 



3M19 

 19.994 

 •29.999 



29.404 



39.213 



29.423 



29.* 1 2 



Tbmpkbatur*. 



Oi the Air. 



Max.! Min. 



Mean 



1 toot 2K*£ * 



e>< 



9.792 29.672 



April 6— Fine; very fine; partially overcasn. 



— 7— Overcast ; exceedingly rine ; clear at nisbt. 



— 8-Low white clouds; cloudy and cold ; slnrhtrwa. 



— 9— Slight rain; cloudy; rain; boisterous. . tmrm . 



— 10— Boisterous ; hail occasionally ; clear and botsteww. 



— 11— Cloudy ; rather boisterous ; rain at night. 



— 12— Clear ; very fine throughout ; slighi rain. 



Mean temperature ol the week 3 de*. above tne -few- 



During 



April. 



RECORD OF THE WEATHER AT CHl^^gm 

 t the last 29 years, tor the ensuing week, endinjapr 



Sunday 15 



Mod. 16 



Tues. 17 



Wed. 18 



Thu. 19 



Frid. 81) 



Satur 21 





« 2 3 



a* * t 



57.7 



57.1 

 57.6 



58.4 

 a 9.5 

 5S.4 



ac so ~ 



? a » 



39.1 

 36.9 

 36.1 



*7 



ii 



3 f < 



43.4 



46.6 



46.6 



47.4 

 47.1 



48.2 



4*" 



No. of 

 Years in 

 which it 



Rained. 



17 

 12 

 14 

 13 



7 



14 

 13 



Greatest 



Quantity 



of Raw 



0.-.7 in- 



0.63 



0.32 



0.49 



0.45 



0.39 



0.2S 



T 



5 



ill 



2 6 * 

 i i 4 



I 



iod occarrea- * *U. 



TPmpdv rW «,*« « r i "". — T~" "" v laryness tic ine lime me iruu oegins 10 npen, auu suve Th hi - nest temperature during the above period oct ^ ^ 



remedy that was successful was to take the plant out of in ^ the case of plant9 growing ^ ota or $£ giving no gSft^nSI ««T tne lowest on the Kth, » - 



ihe pot, wash it well, and with a sharp knife cut away 

 all mfeeted parts, and dust the wounds with charcoal ; 

 and after allowing the plant to dry for a few hours, to 

 re-pot it in a mixture of leaf mould, loam, and sharp 

 511™; To g 1 **! equally *gah»t rot, never allow the 

 plants to receive any heavy rains, and purchasers 

 cannot be too careful in having their plants from a 

 Iiealthy stock. These are precautions which every 

 grower must attend to who wishes to have a healthy 

 and fiue display of this favourite spring flower. X. 





more water at the root until the first crop is gathered, 

 fruit of good quality will be obtained without risking the 

 loss of the second crop. Plants in pots or tubs swelling 

 a heavy crop of fruit will be benefited by an occasional 

 I watering with weak manure water. 



FLOWER GARDEN AND SHRUBBERIES. 



The weather continues most unfavourable for recently 

 transplanted trees and shrubs, and nothing but careful 

 attention will save large plants that have been shifted 

 this spring, especially if in exposed situations. Do not 

 allow anything to suffer for the want of water at the 

 root, but one good soaking after planting to settle the 

 soil about the roots will be sufficient in most cases until 



therm. 20 deg. 



dent*. 



Notices to CorTes P? n t r t '; b6fi ii^ 



Asparagus: TBP. The general opinion is ^V^irMj 

 sort of Asparagus, and that the so-call ^^fr*5 



the result of differences of cultivation 



undecided. 

 than one. J 



Our own opinion i» U»t tl*re 



art ** 



4 



Dioscobka Batatas: R J M. It.l-f^^,^ ^ 



nurserymen; aee our paper of the 10th ult. t P ^ 

 rsEcrs: SF. Your insect is the ycjmg %****? 

 Coach-horse, Staphylinus (<^^ b n ^iott# $<**L* 

 it, as it feeds upon Worms and other oom> 0JtJ ^ 



: We hare been ^l^^^ 

 decline naming heaps otM*^*^ ***«£ 



SEEDLINGS. 



€cart.et G e* a%*tuot : J 8 G. 1 is the bert: it is a brilliant 



scarlet, but of the size and appearance of the tms» w« can f «~.. «~ v «. —«, * vvw .. ..._^ .»..»>,._. .« WV w* ~.~*, v *.«».» , w i C4 „ cab vul w.. v . r limitea w*^^ 



form ao opinion, as it had dropped to pieces before i t reached ui. we } laV e more sunshine to warm and dry the ground ; or could have* undertaken an un 1 mor etfgf 



for keeping the soil saturated will not be of any service > Yo ™* *■**"»«. t0 wh0ID **??—*** to us *L 



Namf.8 or Plants : we ^.^"^h^ plants, t**^* 

 decline naming heaps of ^dned or otberp ^ ^ 

 to request our correspondents to re cm ^ f of jp 



Calendar of Operations. 



lA 





(For the ensuing 





of 



h) 



PLANT DEPART ME NT. 



Conservatory, &c— Where the hardier kinds 

 stove twiners are grown for covering the rafters of the 

 ahow-hou5e, erery poaeible attention must be afforded 

 them this leaaon, in order to induce »n earlv heahhy 

 growth, for unfew this k gBcured many of them will 

 bloom but poorly, if at alt. Give particular attention to 

 the state of the roots, and tadeavour to keen the soil in 



* nio» moist healthy state; also avoid giving top air 

 when not absolutely necc*ary for the other inmates of 

 the house. Considerable attention and care are neces- 

 sary to get these things to flower abundantly even in 

 favourable seasons, and this season the spring has 

 hitherto been so cold and unfavourable that without 

 extra attention the growth of such things will be 



■ 



in encouraging the production of active roots. The soil 

 should be kept moist, but not saturated and run together 

 by over watering as is sometimes done — a sprinkling 

 overhead with the engine on the evening of drying days 

 will be of more service to large evergreens than over- 

 watering them at the root See that all recently planted 

 thin 25, whether large or small, are well secured against 

 the wind. The best way of effecting this in the 

 case of large plants is to use three strong tarred 

 cords for each, fixing them to the plant by means 

 of a collar made of strong metallic wire, and thickly 

 wrapped with canvas to prevent its injuring the bark, 

 and tieing to strong pieces of Oak driven into the 

 ground at ft proper distance from the stem of the plant. 

 This may be somewhat more expensive than staking, 

 especially where stakes can be obtained without any 

 outlay; but a plant once properly secured in this way 

 may he considered safe against wind, as the ropes will 



last for years, and until the roots get sufficient hold of 



1 oung gardeners, to whom uie^ '^T^,, to us *»£*# 



should bear in mind that, ^°™£t*tf f^J&l 

 «.._ -u.-ij -.-*,„,,*♦ *hoir other means ^ ^. rt i nr »ad^.- 



they should exhaust their other 

 We cannot sa\ 



1 if 



for themselves; nor voma » »;^ v "" ogt willtnw^^ 



is to help thsm-snd that mo fcarjjji^ 

 requested that, in future, not ; more ^ A&jfi*^* 



can do 



:haust their otner ™- \ %% ^ixm^ 

 re them the trouble °* *£ lf ,**■* 



hero— ana '"»• " . „ foar , ^ 

 future, not laowj « £° rf q^* , 



»nt u. »t one time.-* 5 ^fffi C.«£5* 



be recognised by '<*e™ ents - rf ^Lr W- - ]i> Si^t 

 Lambertiana are tbe same sp«f^J r Ss lTi»*«"i#* 



folia.- 

 bit. J 



article ny -- /ny"» *■- — ■ ., vaiw» , """_-^.-' » « 

 intermen.a, a dark variety ; and ^ v ., bei***^*' 

 new. You will see further mention ^ „^- 



It look* HTce a bit of Silene arenar« , ^t 



small for identification. ^ n o*« j^f*" 



begun to 



grow, 



grafting objection »f*ff * 



ViSRa : Woollon. There is no a ^ tgm iA *** 



of your Vine-roota by an 



-<+' 

 <#>*%** 



inquiry is answered m a ^«ng »« V^Jg** 



HW: Sub. M^lilotus le»» n *i^,U«» *» ** 

 Bokhara Clover. Magnetic ofiserv 



ecope of this Paper. 



I 





