134 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTURE AND COTTAGE aAKDENEE, 



[ February U, 1866. 



down, yet the period that will elapse before the ground is 

 again occupied by. a simUorcrop will depend upon the wants 

 of the establishment and the quantity of ground at the dis- 

 posal of the gardener. Those who require to have several 

 crops on the ground at the same time ^s^ll find that Celery 

 is a good preparation for Cai-rots, Turnips, Parsnips, Onions, 

 and early Cauliflowers, or for Peas, with Potatoes and Winter 

 Greens, or Broccoli, between the rows. Autumn-sown Onions 

 may be succeeded by Spinach, Lettuce, &c. ; and eai-ly Cau- 

 liflowers by autumn Onions. Spring-sown Onions will be 

 advantageously succeeded by Cabbages in beds, with Scarlet 

 Eunners between ; and if the Cabbages stand all summer 

 and next winter the gi-ound will come in in the spring, along 

 with Broccoli ground, for Celery, Potatoes, and Peas, the 

 early Potatoes being planted in the trenches, and the Peas 

 sown on the ridges, Asjiamgits, give plenty of air to this 

 and all other crops in frames, and make fresh beds. Carrots, 

 sow in frames, and thin those already up. Sow seed for 

 succession crops. Cai'llfloivers, plant out from the seed-pans 

 all the young plants before they become too much crowded, 

 and if needful make fresh sowings. Cucumbers, the fruiting- 

 bed should now be made, if the seeds are sown ; and as soon 

 as the heat is up the lights should be raised to allow the 

 steam to escape. After this has taken place, twice or three 

 times a-week fork up the dung to the depth of a foot or 

 more untU the plants are neai-ly ready to turn out. As 

 soon as the seeds ai-e up, and the two seed-leaves fully de- 

 veloped, pot in leaf mould in 4S-sized pots ; let the roots 

 touch the bottom, and only partly fill the pot with soil, 

 adding more at intervals of a day or two. Lettuce, sow a 

 crop of Cos in frames and in the open ground. Potatoes, plant 

 some early sort in a sheltered situation if not ah'eady done. 

 Spinach, a small quantity of this may now be sov.-n with 

 advantage. 



FEUIT GAKDEN. 



If any root-pruning of fi'uit trees has yet to be done let 

 this be attended to without further loss of time, and see 

 that trees exposed to wind are securely staked. Prune 

 Easpben-ies. Any Gooseberries or CuiTants not previously 

 pruned should forthwith be attended to. Make arrange- 

 ments to procure a sufficieot supply of pea-sticks, and collect 

 fir boughs to protect the blossom of Peach and Apricot trees. 



FLOVFER GAKDEN. 



See that all planting is completed forthwith. Improve as 

 much as possible all outlines. Plant fresh masses or groups 

 where necessary, and introduce specimen plants where fitting 

 opportunities offer. It is bad taste to plant single speci- 

 mens in recesses. They should be ustd as a general rule 

 to give deep shadows, and to throw the prominent features 

 into bold relief. Give lawns a good rolling after wet. Pro- 

 ceed with edging the walks ; keep these clean, and roll 

 frequently to make them firm for walking upon, and also to 

 prevent the growth of weeds. Where it may be necessary 

 to increase the stock of any of the varieties of Dahlias these 

 should be placed in heat at once in order to secure cuttings. 

 Look to Crocus bulbs, itc, planted in beds, and protect 

 them from the depredations of mice. Auriculas may now 

 be permitted to grow, and must be well secured from frosts 

 and cold rains. Heartsease may have the eiirth stirred 

 between them as soon as the weather will permit, and some 

 well-decomposed cowdung between the plants will gi-eatly 

 increase their size. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATOET. 



Shift and tie out Pelargoniums as may be required, and 

 allow them plenty of space after this time, with all the light 

 possible, and a free circulation of air whenever the weather 

 will permit, but avoid cold north-easterly winds, which are 

 very injurious to plants in active growth. Do not allow 

 herbaceous Calceolarias to suffer for wont of pot-room, as 

 a chock at the present season might throw them prematurely 

 into flower. Cinerarias will now require frequent shifting 

 and placing at great distances from each other, in order 

 that the air may be permitted to circulate freely amongst 

 them. Lose no time in improving the driiinago of any speci- 

 mens that require such attention, and endeavour to secure 

 a healthy vigorous root-action, which is of great importance, 

 especially in the case of liardwooded plants. In greenhouses 

 damp and mildew are the giaat enemies to be guarded 

 ag^ainst, and these must bo sharply looked after, especially 

 in the case of plants that have not ripened their growth. 



If the former is troublesome it must be got rid of by means 

 of free voutUation on milj days, using a little fire heat at 

 the same time ; and for (he latter a dry airj' atmosphere is 

 the best preventive, but the plants should be fi'equently 

 examined, applying sulphur on the tu-st .appearance of the 

 enemy. A''ery little water will be required here at present, 

 but the plants should be carefully looked over about twice 

 a-week, so as to make sure that nothing is allowed to feel 

 the want of it. For mixed greenhouses it is somewhat di£E- 

 cidt to give precise dh-ections. Plants of all climes occa- 

 sionally obtain a place here, and no special treatment in 

 regard to temperatui'e can long be indulged in with impu- 

 nity. As a principle, therefore, of frequent and somewhat 

 harmless application, we would advise a rather free increase 

 of heat on sunny days early in the afternoon for a few hours, 

 sinking at night to the old point, or nearly so. In this 

 structure there will frequently be found Ericas, Pelargo- 

 niums, New Holland plants, bulbs, and even Orchids. A 

 division of these families should therefore be made. Let 

 the Orchids, bulbs, and plants of warm climates occupy the 

 warmest end with little air, and the Ericas, &c., the other, 

 with a freer circulation, the Pelargoniums may stand mid- 

 way. 



PITS AND FKAMES. 



If your dung is properly prepared and quite sweet, for 

 l^ropagating Verbenas, Fuchsias, Petunias, &c , get a bed 

 made up as quickly as possible below the surface of the 

 ground, where it will retain its heat much longer than on 

 the surface. — W. KeA-NE. 



DOI]NrGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Here we have done little out of doors, as until the frost 

 of Thursday morning the ground was too wet to do anything 

 but trenching, and even that would be better delayed until 

 the ground is drier. Turned over some ridged-up ground 

 intended for Carrots, Potatoes, &c., in order that it may be 

 the better sweetened by a fresh exposure to the frost. 



Potatoes. — Planted some frames, each set having been 

 previously well rooted in small pots. These we planted 

 (Ash-leaved) 15 inches from row to row, and about 7 inches 

 in the row. We have planted thinner and thickex-, but we 

 think the above is about' the best for getting the most pro- 

 duce in little room, and especially if the sets have been 

 started in small single pots, as they do not grow quite so 

 vigorously afterwards as those planted out in a bed at once. 

 Planted out also a lot in an earth pit, covered with old 

 sashes, a little farther apart from row to row, and they also 

 had a slight bed of warm leaves below them. They will 

 succeed those in frames, as the latter will do those in large 

 pots, to some of which we gave an earthing up, chiefly of 

 loam and leaf mould, to prevent the tubers near the top 

 being greened. Tliese have grown so very strong that we 

 have been obliged to move the pots to give them more room, 

 so that tlie light and air may play around them, as if the 

 pots stand so thick that the heads look like a thicket they 

 do not tuber so quickly, or ripen so well, so as to become 

 mealy, without which, in our opinion, a new Potato is little 

 better than a Jerusalem Artichoke. When these and our 

 early Potatoes are apt to grow too long in the stalk, or stem, 

 we do not check them by cutting olf the toji, but wo nip out 

 the terminal buds, which keeps them dwarfer and, wo believe, 

 does no harm. It is owing to the little head they make that 

 among all the fine new kinds, we prefer the Ash-leaf, the 

 Early Frame, Eai-ly May, &c., for all early work. Out of 

 doors they may be sooner cleared oft' the ground, or the next 

 crop may be planted between them with less risk of injury 

 to cither. As respects autumn planting we consider it to 

 be applicable chiefly to light dry soils. In heavy rich land 

 the sets are apt to bo much injured in winter, and the pro- 

 duce comes no sooner than from careful spring planting. 

 Those above, planted in I'rames and the earth pit, were left 

 in the ridge form, so that n, little more earth might bo added 

 afterwards in a nice sunny warm day, the soil used being 

 partly fresh and partly what had been used for Melons and 

 Cucumbers, but all in a nice friable condition, and dry rather 

 than wet. For placing over such a mild hotbed the soil 

 should be drier than for ordiuai'y planting, as moisture will 



