THE GARDENER 



ro 



CHRONICLE 



[Apri L 21 





is an extreme case; gra 



yet 



iew in 



necessary 

 single boiler will wt" appear very favourably 



which 

 In 



mv own case i was, one dear starry night just 

 beLe VrXtU, terrified with the exclamation 

 She man in 'charge of the fire. j,< Pl-se s,r the 

 boi'er's burst!" and true enough i had burst, and by 

 K : staple accident nearly 20,000 plants, many of them 

 of very considerable value, were, so far as the boi er 

 ias concerned, expeeed to the tender merces of the ic» 

 kin* That night the thermometer fell to lo , ana 

 during the whole time that new boilers were being put 

 in-for I had done with the one boiler-the thermometer 

 iadicated several degrees of frost. Fortunately I was 

 supplied with mats and other covering, and with the 

 assistance of 10 to 20 lbs. of candles per night , and by 

 burning charcoal in the houses I managed to pull through 

 retty well, but not without spoiling near.y o tons ol 

 M y used for covering and severely injur.ng my whole 

 stock of Polygalas, Boronias, Leschenauluas, &c. buch 

 « a fix " as tins I imagine would chill the ardour even 

 of Mr. Weeks ; in fact it gave my enthusiasm such a 

 thorough cooling that it is quite out, and I shall eschew 

 the single boiler arrangement for the remainder ot 



"^The wily view in which I could feel induced to adyocat 

 a « single boiler " would be as removing the nuisance 

 of so many chimneys, for certainly they are great 

 nuisances, but with a properly digested plan it is quite 

 certain that the smoke of several different fireplaces 

 mieht be concentrated in one chimney shaft. I have no 



f^dlhimlnTinixture of decaying turt and white 



sand, covered the surface with living sheets o Bryums, 



and placed the pots in the shade of trees, and there they 



have remained ever since without shifting, receiving (as 



they are evergreen) water once every day. Under this 



treatment thev bloom freely. What an 



they will endure I cannot say, but I have frequently seen 



Potatoes destroyed with frost in a garden in which the 



Disa has been uninjured. E. S. Smith, Mrs. Saunders, 



Grove Street, Cape Town. 



late Peas.— Transplanting 



What amount of frost 



I aim at, not having room tu bvw a success!, ^7 

 It will be perceived, therefore, that rn ** 



compensate for the smallness of their ^j ** * 



garoem W 



particularly adapted to those who 



taking greater pains, and try to acquis 



skill in securing a large and never failing proT*^* 



their crops. Every ^ one must choose the t 



These are at times a 

 a manner difficult \ 



Transplanting late ^as.-xranspianuug Peas to 

 forward early crops has long been recommended ; but 

 having found transplanting late Peas so advantageous 

 that in future I shall always practise it, I think it may 

 be useful to your readers to have their attention direc tea 

 to it. Having but a small garden, I grow only the 

 finer kinds of Marrow Peas. 



failing crop, coming up irregularly, m # 



to account for. It is not the fault of the seed for in 

 some parts of the rows every seed produces a healthy 

 plant, while in other parts every one perishes, or pro- 

 duces a weakly plant. These failing seeds, when ex- 

 amined, are found to be decaying, and full of small 

 centipedes, 50 or 60 in a Pea. This cannot be from 

 e"g S exiting in the Peas before they are sown ; or 

 there would not be in the same row, in some places, a 

 dozen or more healthy plants together. Possibly the 

 centipedes, aware that the Peas contain proper food for 

 their young, and attracted by their peculiar sweetness, 

 deposit their eggs in them after they are sown, passing 

 on from one Pea to the next, which would account for 



The 



in the place where he lives. 



hat 



be neither very early nor too late ; in the~fir»t '* 

 plants are liable to be weakened and injured b^u! 

 weather; in the latter, by the heat forcing them* 



bloom before the plants have grown large enough. ^ 

 their roots have penetrated deep enough into the r * 



thenutta 



I dislike artificial watering : if the soil be deep 



rr/-*r\/1 r\*»/1^*» P^QC Will fin/I T>wnV*m.. £__. i 



M 



si 



equire somewhat different trea 



differ 



John Ward, Queen's Road, Sheffield. 

 Potatoes at the Cape. 



** 



power is pro\ 

 houses are attach* d to one boiler and that boiler only ol 

 sufficient capacity to heat one house properly, then, I 

 say, whoever promotes such an arrangement, whether 



nmuc luuw ouu.v^. » v ~- rr — 



the Marrow Peas are more tender than others, and may 

 be injured by the ground being in spots so much 

 deprived of its moisture by drying winds that the 



As far as I have been iblg t 

 learn all the kinds of Potatoes imported since the 4 

 ease broke out in Europe are liable to the wkh 

 Sometimes one-half or # even more of the cropj^ 

 stroyed sometimes only a few roots, but I believe it * 

 always present. A sudden fall of rain, or an over do* 

 of water in irrigating them, followed by a hoUrped* 

 a scorching day's sun, is sure to produce it, as willilt 

 a check from want of moisture. What is rather rem** 

 able is the fact that the European kinds and someieei 

 lings imported and raised before the disease broke* 

 in Europe, are free from taint, although in one net 

 knew them to be mixed with diseased tubers beta 

 planting them. R. S. Smith, Mrs. Saunders, Qmt &H, 



Cape Town. 



Rhubarb and SedkaU that have been forced in tb 

 Mushroom-house should now be planted out as soon u 

 possible, and any roots that have been but lately remote! 

 from where they have been forced should beritoej 

 the protection of an inverted flower-pot until they & 

 inured to their altered circumstances. W. 



circumstances without forcing, it cannot work economi- 

 cally, and the annual low of heat up the chimney and 

 by the fire doors, and the consequent waste of fuel, will 

 be more than would have paid for a proper arrange- 

 ment at the first ; in fact, it is the game of penny wise 

 and pound foolish to its fullest extent. An extra pound 

 or two on a good-sized boiler, or in a few score feet of 

 extra pipe at the time of erection, is money well and 

 profitably invested ; for though, as a mere matter of 

 fact, suftici t power may have been provided to heat a 

 house properly with the water near the boiling point, it 

 is quite certain that a much more healthy atmosphere 

 will be generated if sufficient power is provided to do 

 the work properly without the heat of the water ever 

 exceeding 180°. Soaring fires and red-hot furnace 

 doors may show that the stoker is doing all he can to 

 keep the heat up, and there can be no question that 

 he is at the same time working very profitably for the 

 coal merchant. To have to put a boiler to its full force 

 is bad policy and gross extravagance. In fact, our 

 whole system of horticultural building requires revision 



A merican Timber. 

 the enclosed wood ? 



Would you oblige me bynuu| 

 It is largely used in Ireland I 



cc* 



ing vessels, uuder the names of American Elm or Vbi 

 Elm. It is imported from Canada. It is exceeding 

 tough, pliant, and durable, but warps greatly. B,l 

 [It is the wood of Ulmus americana.] 



Cardoons.— Seeds of these should now be eon I 



. i £? :~„u„« A^im o*»rl 19 innViPS wide, into fnfe 



a 



cenupeues. uuwctw h» m*j «^> * **~. ~ «~ — — »-,, 



crops of Marrow Peas injured as above described. So, 

 in 1853, were my Peas (Hair's Defiance ; a fine 

 large Marrow Pea) ; and it was only by repeatedly 

 sowing the missing places, and transplanting, that the 

 rows were got at last to produce a moderate crop. To 

 prevent the mischief described, and to secure a regular 

 crop, I last year sowed all my Peas in a small bed ; 

 and afterwards transplanted the healthy plants, when 



3 inches high, into rows. The seed was saved from s- - --- - * , ^ 



the crop of Hair's Defiance, above mentioned. An should be sown in patches three or fourtogete,lt 



ounce of spirit of tar, mixed with dry earth (recom- 

 mended to me as destructive or repellant to in- 

 sects), was trenched 3 inches deep into the bed, 

 which was then levelled, and the Peas (previously 

 steeped in water for 20 hours) were, about the 10th of 

 March, sown by inserting them about 3 inches apart in 

 the earth with the finger and thumb, each Pea with 

 the root downwards. The roots can be plainly seen 



about 18 inches asunder. When the plants bi*» 

 quired four or five leaves they should be thinned outt 

 single plants. During summer they must be kept* 

 from weeds, and in dry weather frequently «W 

 they require a good deal of moisture. About mm 

 of October, when the plants have attained n^"» 



- " ' - *— * hould be chosen for eftrtbingttj 



When they are free from damp, the leaves of ^ 



when the Peas are steeped ; but on 

 time and inclination need to be thus particular 

 _ _ ^ ^ m bed when sown was pressed down with the back of the 



-at least half the timber generally employed might be rake, and kept damp by slight sprinklings of water 

 dispensed with, and a great proportion of the money until the Peas came up. Few of them missed ; but 

 expended in making sashes, building brick wails, and when Peas are sown to transplant — unless very few 

 useless ornaments — too frequently mere harbours for indeed be sown — though half were to miss, there would 

 insects, dust, and filth— would be more profitably in- be sufficient left, as they go a long way when trans- 

 vested in aging better glass, and a more powerful planted. Two rows 6 inches asunder, and the plants 

 heating apparatus. I may, however, recur to this 6 inches apart, were set to form each row. This is 

 subject some other day. W. P. Ay res, WkUtlebury Lodge, quite near enough for large branching Peas. The 



an be plainly seen up- When they are free from; f»"?P»™ '* ^ «| 

 ly those W ho have plant should be carefully and tightly tied W* J ™ 

 us particular. The strong matting, keeping the whole upv.g K an<l W 



ol the leaves together, me p>»»" »«««"- ■- . . $ 

 closely round with twisted ha> bands, about i,» 



, L _, , m . „.„hd 



of the leaves together 



closely round with tw . 



diameter, beginning at the root and c° i nt,nul "f /l1lW- 



two-thirds its height, covering the whole so M £>!" 



the earth when applied to it coming in contact 



ribs of the leaves. 



If the Cardoons are 



early and before frost sets in, the plants ijy 

 thus banded without earthing up, an a J" 

 ufficiently blanched for use; but it there ]S JJ ^ 



re* 



COMMON THINGS. 



In raising Tines from cuttings, those which are 

 furnished with two eyes each will be sufficiently long 

 for the purpose ; the lower part should be cut trans- 

 Tersely, close to the bud. They should be planted 

 singly in small pots filled with good mould, leaving 

 the upper eye rather below the surface than above it. 

 The pots should be placed either in a stove or in a hot- 

 bed, allowing the plants room as they advance in height, 

 and shifting them into larger sized pots when they have 

 filled the first with roots. As the season advances they 

 may be removed into the stove or other hothouse, and 

 from thence to the greenhouse, keeping them neatly 

 tied up to sticks, and allowing them plenty of air, to 

 prevent them from being drawn up weakly. Vines 

 raised from single eyes require the same management 

 as those from cuttings, beginning only with a smaller 

 ©zed pot, aifd removing them into others as they gain 

 strength and require room. Those raised from cuttings, 

 as well as these, should be kept under glass throughout 

 the summer, and a judicious application of liquid 

 manure during the growing months would considerably 

 promote the growth of both. 



Ca vlifivwen.— The seed should be sown now for the 

 autumnal crop upon a gentle hotbed. This sowing will 

 come in during August, and for a later crop the seed 

 should be sown the beginning or middle of May ; this 

 will furnish heads in October or November. If some of 

 the plants of this last sowing be taken up and laid in 

 like Broccoli they will be more secure in case of cold 

 wet weather occurring at the end of the season. 



rows (crops of other vegetables being grown between of their being exposed to frost, then it is^ ^^ % 

 them) were 11 feet apart, planted north and south, to they should be earthed up m tne ^ ^ 



get the sun on each side. They were well slicked, Celery, care being taken that tins is ' ' ^hki* 

 and when 6 feet high, or a little more, had their stated, on a dry day, and not to raise ^^ 



tops taken off. These rows of Peas were per- j than the haybands. There nave Deen ^ ^ ^ 

 fectly regular, and quite as luxuriant in their : blanching recommended, but , plants ^gif 



growth as un transplanted Peas. They nroduce. have been found in all respects super 

 as you will readily believe, when you 

 their thorough exposure to sun and air, a good 

 crop of fine full pods. The Pea, whether removed with 

 or without earth, transplants better than any plant I 

 know. Every plant which in its early growth may 1 se 



luxuriant shoot or shoots. Every 



produce, 

 consider 



different management. H. **~.\n&l& 



Fruit and Potatoes uninjured by W- ^ j» 



T , »■ .. ___ .r a«,.w Pilars, ana •* ^ 



In this room is fixed a cistern^ ^ 



room I had portions of Apples, Fears, a ^ 

 toes ; they were laid on clean diy .u 



covered. In this room is fixed a cistex- v-^* 

 a bath in the room beneath) ? the water^ ^ 



plant in the half of one of my rows had its top taken off frozen so that the ice was lull nan «• ^ ^p 



'—--"- — ~- - ' " ! f the fruit or Potatoes were ^Jf'^l 



Can any of your correspondents account ^^0 



(by birds probably), but when the row was in flower, no | none of the fruit or Potatoes ™^°J^ d*! &i 



difference could be perceived between that half and the 



other. 



sake. 



The spoiled tops I pruned off for appearances' 

 My rows of Peas were as regular as well cut 







Home Correspondence. 



Dim grandiflwa.— I quite agree with your remark 



M n. 48.%. 1 auv thai there fa no reaWwhy this fine | continued produce 'from tne same crop. 



should not be found in every greenhouse 



quality until the frosts destroyed them. In gathering 

 Pea«, all that are full grown (in which state the 

 Marrow Peas eat quite young and tender) I gather ; 

 even should there be more ready than are required 

 to be used. This keeps every gathering free from 

 Peas which are too old. In the later gatherings of the 

 season, when the pods become less plentiful, they are 

 still regularly gathered, but at a little younger age, and 

 are then placed upon the floor of a cellar until the 

 quantity desired to be used at once has accumulated. 

 Thus managed, the quality continues good. Should 

 you consider this likely to interest your readers, I will 

 (should you wish it) also send you an account of the 

 means I use to stick my Peas securely, (pray do) 

 my garden being much exposed to winds, since prevent- 

 " " * * red by winds, &c, is essential to 



To make one 



I>ielytra~specta/ulis.—U*s »ny one ev 

 culent shoots of this plant as a vegeta , ^ 

 anything unwholesome in them 1 ^ oW erW*2 



Rhododendrm Edgeworthi is i now ". flofr ei**5 

 plant is about 2 feet and a half hign , * with %w 

 5 inches in diameter ; they **"*"& ts#* 

 streak of pink, and emit a strong *P 7 



I. Aiton, Enville Hall, April lb 



£ octette* 



Bot 



in the chair. 



? 



v7i a _The f 

 of Edinburgh, f^" ere re^ 

 The following papers^ 



& 



lected in Braemar 



G. Lawson, by Dr 



some rare Alpine Plants, by 



August, 1854, by Prof. Kairour^-^^ by W^ttA 



of the p»r ! 



arope. 



ears ago I procured some 



t:-4 



iue 10 suppiy me aunng the season 

 crop a very productive one, are thi 



obj 



" In August, 1863, 1 ^riafAone^ 



to 



isolation, would almost j* •»«— - et 



are new creations which have noty 



1 



botanical perMi*"^ the oo' <£$ 



ground for that jV* £ hld *Jfr#Z 



bouniclly, of Clova. While here * froffl tW £* 



5 S*£ 



