178 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTTTEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENES. 



[ February 23, 1865. 



and when full this cistern will always tell you how the 

 pipes are supplied, and will serve as an air-outlet as well. 

 We prefer filling such a place slowly, that the air may escape 

 as the water taies its place. The lower pipe should descend 

 as gradually to the boiler as the upper one rises to it. One 

 remark more as to this lower pipe. The higher it lies in the 

 bed — that is, the higher above the bottom, aye or even the 

 top, cf the boiler, the better it will act. And, again, if the 

 bottom of the bed is concreted so as to hold water, at least 

 to a degree, and the covering of clinkers is so thin as to be 

 near your plunging-bed, or growing-bed, the more wUl the 

 pipe tell as a promoter of bottom heat. It is true that heat 

 wUl rise, but it is equally true that if such a pipe be covered 

 with a foot of rough rubble, the heat will be in a great mea- 

 sure confined t-o the rubble, especially if this is placed very 

 open, and there is no admittance of air to these openings. 

 If a few small openings from the pathway of the house are 

 in connection with these openings, the heat will ascend 

 more freely. If the material become very dry, or the bottom 

 of the bed be caked with dryness, the heat will not ascend 

 well ; but either in your bed for cuttings, or for Cucumbers, 

 you can leave a few small drain-pipes standing up, one end 

 above the soil, and the other among the clinkers, and pouring 

 water in will cause the heat to rise more kindly and uni- 

 formly. These tiles may be plugged or opened as deemed 

 necessary. We shall be glad to hear how you manage and 

 succeed. Of Cucumbers, Carter's Champion, Munro's Eabley, 

 and Sion House Improved, are good for such a house. Brom- 

 ham Hall is a good Melon ; Turner's Gem, and Golden Per- 

 fection, are also good.] 



COMMENDATIONS AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE 

 EOSE SHOW. 

 Will you allow me to suggest that it would, I think, give 

 great satisfaction to exhibitors at this Show if good stands 

 ot flowers not in the prize-list were highly commended or 

 commended, as is done at poultry shows ? We cannot all 

 take prizes, but I must say that it is not satisfactory, after 

 aU one's trouble and expense, to be altogether unnoticed. 

 The expense of a few cards would be so trifling, and the 

 gratification given to exhibitors so great if this plan were 

 adopted, that I am surprised no one has thousht of it 

 before.— P. ® 



SUCCESSFDX VINE-LIFTIKG. 



Having read in your excellent Journal an article on Vine- 

 lifting, in answer to a correspondent signing himself " J. H., 

 Nairnshire," and as facts in gardening are usually worth 

 recording, I will state my own experience on the subject. 



In a lean-to vinery ol about 30 feet in length, lofty and 

 well built, the Vines were planted about fifteen years ago, 

 and bore well for several years ; but owing to over-cropping 

 and high feeding with manure water (than which nothing 

 spoils a Vine-border sooner), they gradually dwindled and 

 suffered so much from mildew, shanking, ic, that it was 

 necessary to do something by way of remedy. My employer 

 suggested cutting the old Vines out and replanting with 

 young ones, but not liking the idea of doing this without 

 giving them a chance, I obtained his permission to give 

 them one more year, in which, if possible, to regain their 

 character. I at once set to work to tak-e out the old border 

 and re-make it. I had every handful of the old soil taken 

 out to the depth of 5 feet, and to my consternation found 

 that the few roots of the Vines had gone straight down 

 5 feet through the border, and after making their way 

 through the drainage had penetrated into the subsoil some 

 3 or 4 feet farther, which made me almost despair of doing 

 anything with them, as the only roots that I could preserve 

 were about the thickness of a man's thumb, and about a 

 yard long. I worked away and made a new border of the 

 uaual materials, having first properly drained it, but this 

 time only 3 feet deep. The Vines were replanted on the 

 23rd of December, 1S63, which, I believe, according to the 

 usual theory on the subject, is the wrong time, but the 

 ' J j*^' P'^°''^^ ****'' *■•"* "'^ i* "o' without exception. Let me 

 add, however, that I was obliged to do it then or not at all. 



The border wae then covered up with 2 or 3 feet of stable 



manure, which upon examination a short time afterwards, I 



found had set the roots working nicely, in fact, the border 

 was like a mild hotbed. The Vines, which were formerly 

 trained two to a light, were every alternate one cut down to 

 the front sash, and those remaining close-pruned on the 

 spur-system, and painted with a mixtui'e of soft soap, sul- 

 phur, &c. 



The Vines were gently started in the beginning of March ; 

 they broke well and strongly, and produced 116 bunches of 

 well-flavoiu'ed and well-coloured fruit, the bunches averaging 

 IJ lb. each, being more than double the crop of the previous 

 year, and they were quite fi-ee from mildew all through the 

 season. 



The sorts are Chasselas Musqn^, Sweetwater, WUmot's 

 Black Hamburgh, and Muscat Hamburgh, and I must 

 not omit to mention, that the house has to do duty as a 

 warm gi'eenhouse. The Vines have made capital strong 

 wood this season, perfectly clean, and, in fact, have done all 

 that could be desii-ed of them. 



I have detailed this experiment iu the hope that it might 

 throw some light on the cause and cure of mildew, or, at 

 any rate, if it only cheer some brother in distress and prompt 

 him to do as I have done and find a remedy, I shall be well 

 rewarded. — Bubntwood, P.D. 



WOEK FOE THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Aftee so much frost and snow as we have had at inter- 

 vals during the last five or six weeks, the soil, where due 

 attention was paid to trenching, ridging, and forking, may 

 be expected to have received much benefit by their purifying 

 and pulverising action, and to be now in a good condition 

 for some of the principal crops. As we may now expect 

 drying winds, less intense frost and more sun, no time 

 should be lost in making good aU deficiencies in autumn 

 plantations of Cabbages, and getting in forthwith a new 

 plantation of the strongest and healthiest plants to follow in 

 succession. A small portion of seed of some good variety 

 should also be sown in a sheltered corner, in order to have 

 plants at command and that may be depended upon at the 

 moment they are requu-ed. The space allotted for Carrots, 

 Onions, Beet, &c., should be constantly forked up on suitable 

 mornings, exposing to the influence of the atmosphere as 

 much surface in as rough a condition as possible, in order 

 to have it in good working order by seed-time, which is 

 now fast approaching. Cauliflovjers, make a fresh sowing in 

 the frame, and look over the seedling plants that are up, 

 also the seedling plants of Lettuces, &.C., and sprinkle a 

 little dry sand or dry earth amongst them, as they are very 

 liable to damp ofl' at this season ; also thin them out if 

 crowded, as nothing tends more than this to cause them to 

 fog-off. Celo-i/, make a small sowing in heat. Parsnips, now 

 is a good time to sow the main crop in ground deeply trenched, 

 with the manure at the bottom ; it is a very useful vege- 

 table, and none pays bettor for care in cultivation. Potatoes 

 of an early sort may now be planted on a warm south border. 

 Trenching and manuring may still be carried on. Let the 

 edgings of walks be made good, and the gravel turned and 

 rolled, fresh gravel being added where nccessai'y. The side 

 walks or alleys should have a good coating of coal ashes 

 laid on ; this is a good material for the purpose, as it does 

 not form a puddle after a frost or in wet weather. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



In carrying on the operations of trenching up fruit-tree bor- 

 ders it is advisable to examine the roots of luxuriant-growing 

 trees, and remove some of the largest ; it is better, however, 

 to follow a regular system of root-pruning, because it en- 

 ables us to keep the roots near the surface. Pruning and 

 nailing must be completed without delay, and the inter- 

 ruption in the work, occasioned by the late inclement wea- 

 ther, must be made up for by corresponding energy now. 



FLOWEB GARDEN. 



Avoid all indiscriminate use of the knife in pruning. We 

 would recommend cutting back the shoots of Mosa and Pro- 

 vence Koses to three or four buds, because if not pruned in 

 this severe manner the heads wiU soon become straggling 

 and weak, and cease to produce vigorous flower-buds. Hy- 

 brid Provence, French, Hybrid Bourbons, Damask Per- 



