116 



JOURXAti OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ Febraary 7, 1865. 



size and much lighter is very useful where snowstorms are 

 frequent. 



la snowy days washed pots, cut tallies, made stakes, split 

 wood, sharpened tools, put soil in warm places, picked over 

 plants, regulated creepers and twiners, ic, washed stages, 

 &c^ and proceeded with potting, making a temporary bench 

 in some of the houses to save the trouble of taking the plants 

 out and bringing them back again in the cold. The top of 

 the furnaces, and even the pathway of the Mushroom-house, 

 are capital places for warming soils, almost as good as our 

 amateur's hearthstone if the mistress of the establishment 

 can be coaxed into permitting such encroachments on her 

 domain. 



Calceolarias. — Uncovered the pit of shrubby Calceolaria 

 cuttings that had been made snug by the snow for a week. 

 One light, we noticed, looked a little yellow, all the rest were 

 quite green. The above pit-light will be all right after a 

 few days of mellow light. The young things there had 

 begun to grow, the green ones had grown less, and, there- 

 fore, suffered fi'om darkness less or none at all. Let us 

 again impress on our young readers the fact, that to with- 

 stand uninjured continued darkness the inside tempera- 

 ture must be so low that the plants shall have no inducement 

 to elongate. If they do the seeming growth will become 

 sickly and of a yellow tinge. 



Any lai'ge plants saved, intended to bloom early in pots, 

 should now receive their last shifting into good-sized pots, 

 and into rich loamy soil well firmed round the balls. Such 

 plants are useful for early blooming. To get late flowers 

 from shrubby kinds in late autumn and the beginning of 

 winter, either autumn or spring-inserted cuttingu should be 

 used, be turned out in May into a shaded border, no blooms 

 permitted in summer, and the plants raised and repotted 

 carefully in September. 



Herbaceous Calceolarias sown in July and August should 

 now be repotted and placed on a cool bottom near the glass, 

 all the light possible given to them, and plenty of air when 

 the external temperature is above 38', and cold water used 

 for wateiing when necessary. A good compost for this 

 section is equal parts of good loam and very sweet decayed 

 leaf mould, and half a part of sand. In April and May few 

 things are more beautiful than a shelf or house of these 

 pretty plants. For seedlings, pots 6 or 8 inches in diameter 

 are quite large enough, but for approved kinds there is no 

 limit to the size of the pot, or the size to which the plant may 

 grow from a nice hotbed little plant in the autumn. "When 

 hnge plants of these herbaceous Calceolarias arc desired, it 

 is always best to commence with a young plant, or a piece 

 of an old one, but not to continue shifting an old plant that 

 has bloomed. A plant with a single stem in September by 

 frequent shi'ting all the autumn and winter may fill the 

 largest pot belbre it blooms, if afforded all the little at- 

 tentions it needs. Among these are i)lenty of sweet air, 

 and a cool, moist, medium to stand upon, and if this healthy 

 coolness ia given there will be 1(S3 need of tobacco smoke, 

 thongh it should be used, and but moderately, whenever 

 more than two or three green flies are discovered, supposing 

 that these two are at once nipped up as soon as they are seen. 

 Cinerarias. — Watered the most forward with weak manure 

 water. Potted younger ones and approved sorts, bearing in 

 mind that whenever large-flowering plants are wanted the 

 balls must not become pot-bound until a short time before 

 you wish them to show bloom. This plant is more easily 

 injured by frost, and is nearly as much averse to haat as the 

 Calceolaria. Both will enjoy a great amount of sunlight 

 and a very fair proportion of sun heat, provided the roots 

 are maisl and cool. Bottom heat, unless for particulai- pur- 

 poaea, is the abomination of both. 



Chinese Primroses. — Watered with manure water those in 

 lull bloom. Shifted successions, and potted young plants. 

 In dull, damp, foggy weather, when the soil becomes dry, 

 avoid spilling water on the stem or the heart of the leaves, 

 for gangrene or rottennesu is apt to follow. This should bo 

 particularly avoided in the cose of the double varieties. 

 These, too, will also like a warmer temperature than the 

 single, 8emi-donV)le, and fringed kinds. In crowded conserva- 

 tories the double kinds should stand elevated on reversed 

 flower-poti), so that air and light may permeate all round 

 them. If the least speck of damp or mouldiness appear^ 

 at the collar or the base of the loaves remove it carefuUy, 



using a small pointed knife if necessary, and fill the place 

 and the surroundings with fine powdered charcoal, with a 

 little powdered chalk or mild lime in it, and after a few days 

 shake off the powder and use it again fresh bruised. These 

 are useful for many purposes, as the bloom stands so well, 

 which cannot be said of the single kinds, however beautiful 

 and interesting they look. 



As to Camellias, Azaleas, Epacrises. .and other hardwooded 

 plants, we must refer to previous Numbers, and also as 

 respects the forcing-house or pit ; we have only to add, that aa 

 respects Dielytras, Lily of the Valley, Roses, Doutzias, Rho- 

 dodendrons, shrubs, &c., all will now force more satisfactorily 

 than they would have done before Christmas, and for all of 

 them a slight bottom heat and a gradual increase of top heat 

 will suit them well, bearing iu mind that nothing is gained 

 by sudden rises of temperature, and that Nature performs all 

 her gi'eat operations gradually. 



But we must leave all these to oblige by answering here 

 the request of a lady as to Lobelia speciosa, and we do so 

 by saying, that we would rather not decide whether the blue 

 speciosa, or the lighter Paxtoniana and Gordoniana, and 

 several others are best, as we really believe they are aU 

 good, and that a decided superiority in either wUl depend 

 more on our own tastes and culture than on the direct in- 

 trinsic merits of the varieties ; and then as to obtaining lots 

 of these varieties, we decidedly say, for all small beds that 

 are wanted to be first-rate and unique, and thoroughly alike 

 in tint and habit, propagate every plant carefully by cut- 

 tings. Where vast quantities are needed, as for ribbon-lines 

 or edgings, and strict shade is not so much a matter of con- 

 sequence, then the best plan would be to sow the seed saved, 

 and prick off and prepare as fast as possible until the end 

 of April. The seedlings will cost far less trouble, and most 

 likely they will stand through the autumn better. We 

 believe the long lines of blue Lobelia speciosa at EnvUle were 

 all raised from seed. You must now set about either sowing or 

 propagating, according to the quantity you want, or better 

 try both plans, and then give us tlie benefit of your ex- 

 perience, as we are all learners. — B. F. 



COVENT GAEDEN MAUKET.— Febhtjart 4. 



Ttiere is a fair (mppli- both of ont-docir nnd iii-iloor produce. Apples are 

 still plentiful iind unnd, cinsiMlinc of nienhcim Pippins, Rnsseta, Court of 

 Wick, Kinj; of thu Pippins, Stamford Pippin, Old G jWen Pippin, Golden 

 Knob. Of good dessert Pfiirs tbere ia a short suppiv. Thev chiefly consist 

 of BeurrC do Ranee, Easter BenrrC-, .tean do Witre. Ne Plui Menris, Colmar, 

 and Passe Colraiir. Grapes li;iye adviinced In price, bnt are siill very good. 

 Some now ones may bo had, but they are not ociuil to tlio old ones at 

 present. Pines arc E<-arcely sufficient for the demand ; Oranges and 

 Lemons abundant. Greens of all kinrls, notwithstandiuK the lato severe 

 weather, are broufrht in quanlisics sufHcient lo meet all requirements. The 

 u<ual imports from abic.d aic well kept up, and to tho articles named 

 in previou" reports wo have to add Artichokes. Asparagus is mora 

 plentiful ; Spinach has advanced in price ; of Uhubarb and Sea-kale there 

 is a good supply. 



Apples i sieve 



Aprien's dOZ. 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bush. 



Curriints, Red... J sieve 



Black do. 



Fltrs doz. 



Filberts 100 lbs. 40 



Cobs do. 



f»oiiseberric» .. .J sieve 

 Grapes, IJamburyhs lb 



Muscats 



Lemons 100 



Artichokes each 



Asparagus bundle 10 



Beans Broiid J eievo 



Kldne? 100 



Beet, Red doji. 



Bri,ccoll bundle 



BrussclsSprouta i sieve 



C«bh,iirc do;!. 



Capsicums 100 



Carrots bttneb 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bUTidle 



Cucumbcra each 



Rndive score 



Ponncl bunch 



3arllc and Shallots, lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horscradliih ... banOla 



A. 



d. 



R. 



1 



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14 







20 



















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40 











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Melons each 



Miilberrl(;3 .... punnet 



Nectarines cloz. 



Orantrea • '"f 



Poicho'j <loz. 



Pear-M (Icltchen)..,liurth. 



dnaHcrt (Jok. 



Pino Apples lb. 



PlumH i sieve 



Pnnn'Rninatea '-nch 



Qiiinros 4 flieve 



lltt«»phGrrlcH lb. 



Wuluutrt bush. 



T.pck^ bunch 



Lfttnof doz. 



NTu^hroivm iinltlo 



MuJit'l. * Cres", pnnnot 



Oninnw bushel 



pickling nuart 



Parnlcv 5 "ipvo 



Pnr«n!p8 (lor. 



Pofw „ qnart 



Potiirood bushel 



RaIUhr»» doK. buncho-* 

 Uhuharb bunilo 



Ravnprt dOJI. 



8ea-kale baiitet 



Spinach «'"v« 



'roiniiiftuft... i »lo70 



Turnin-' ......nunnh 



VoKotableMurrows doz. 



fl. 



d. 



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