196 



JOURNAL OP HOKTICtlXTTJEE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



[ March 7, 1865. 



miist have given this poor laboiiring maa ere he could have 

 framed his simple touching speech ! 



Bulwer says that the face of Nature is the only face that 

 as we grow old never changes to us. Friends grow old, 

 change, and pass away ; but the old Oak of our youth is the 

 old tree still. The liill has stOl the same shadows, the 

 valley the same musical river. Their voices speak the same 

 truths in the same tones ; the vexed murmurs of the worM 

 touch them not ; they praise God day and night, thougu 

 man in his ungrateful egotism will not listen, will not echo 

 their simple song. 



Every created thing has something good and pleasant to 

 say to us if only we will listen aright — some beauty to be 

 revealed if we will seek for it — some wondrous exhibition of 

 still, greater and more perfect than can -be shown by the 

 greatest living man ; and, as we search and look, the voice, 

 the beauty, and the skill will all lead us up to that high 

 communioa the Most High encourages His children to hold 

 with Him. A few more words upon the Ferns, and I have 

 done. 



Of all that I have named the Aspleniums are the most 

 difficult to manage as a race. They one and aU hate stag- 

 nant moistiu-e. They reqviire light, and sun, and shade — 

 shade for the roots, and sun for the fronds. Lastreas are 

 less diificxilt ; they do not need sun as a necessity — they will 

 grow in damp and shade. Cystopteris is a very easy Fern to 

 cultivate ; it will suit itself to almost any locality. Osmunda 

 requires damp and shade. Polystichums, and Polypodiums, 

 and Allosorus need sun. All Ferns must have good drain- 

 age. I always mis good garden earth with the soil of old 

 banks, the d(^ris of trees, cScc. I water nearly every day 

 during the summer. 



Do not be afraid of Ferris. They like being moved and 

 divided, and will forgive almost anything but neglect. 



Never plant a Fern upon a rock or stone; there must 

 always be depth of soil with drainage beneath. If a Fern 

 does not do well in one situation ti-y it in another, but never 

 see a plant looking unhappy without trying to find out the 

 catise and seeking to remedy it. 



Before these pages are printed I hope to be hunting Ferns 

 in the neighbourhood of Naples ; and if the Editors of Thi 

 JouKXAL OF HoKTicuLTURE wHl kindly give me a corner I 

 shall hope to tell my experiences when I return. Till then 

 adieu ! — Fiux-FCEsnNA. 



STEAWBEEEY PLA^STTS NOT FLOWEEING. 



I HAVE some very strong healthy plants of Keens' Seed- 

 ling. I treated them in the usual way : had them pOed up 

 in ashes until the last week in January, then started them 

 for forcing in a heat of -15°, giving a rise of from 5° to 10^ 

 ■with sun. The plants are stronger than those I have grown 

 before, and gardeners that have called to see me thought, 

 as I did, that there would be a good crop from them, but 

 there is not a blossom out of a hundred plants. Can you 

 give mo any information as to the cause of this failure ? — 



A StJBSCKlBEE. 



[You say nothing of the size of the pots which contain 

 your very luxuriant plants. "We suspect that your plants 

 are rather too strong, and that the buds were not suf- 

 ficiently matured last autumn. AVe do not think our 

 Strawberry plants will be quite so fruitful as usual, as we 

 notice several pots coming blind, but we attribute it to the 

 want of water in summer and autumn. The more luxuriant 

 the plants the more ripening do they require in autumn.] 



WOEK FOE THE "WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



The preparation of t^e various quarters destined for main 

 crops must be persevered in whenever the soil is dry enough 

 to admit of being trodden on without being too much con- 

 soli'latcd. This is of great importance in the case of heavy 

 soils ; and those who have such to deal with should take 

 advantage of every dry day that occurs. On such soils, too, 

 it will be advisable to defer sowing main crops for a week, 

 or even a fortnight ; but on light dry soils the sooner the 

 main crops are sown the better, because such soils are most 

 liable to suffer from drought should it occur, and therefore 



the sooner the crops are well established the better they 

 will be able to resist its etiects; if, on the contrary, the 

 season is a wet one, they will be in the best possible con- 

 dition to profit by it. Beans, sow the main crops, regulating 

 the quantity by the demand. Broccoli, a small sowing of 

 Grange's true Early White made now will come in useful 

 by-and-by. Calhaijes, make a sowing of the true Drumhead 

 Savoy, also another patch of early Cabbage, and Ked for 

 winter supply. Caulifiowers, prick out •the young seedlings 

 on a warm border or on a gentle hotbed, and shelter them 

 for a time with hoops and mats. Celery, the first sowing 

 must be pricked out as soon as it can be well handled, and 

 another sowing made of both Ked and White. Onions, the 

 principal crop should now be sown, and as it is a crop of 

 some importance we offer a few words of advice. The ground 

 having been trenched and ridged during the winter, is al- 

 lowed to remain in that condition tmtU the early part of 

 this month ; it is then levelled down, and mai-ked out into 

 beds 3J feet wide with alleys 15 inches wide. Before the 

 seed is sown the beds are raised 9 inches above the ordinary 

 ground level by soil from the alleys, and when the beds 

 have become perfectly dry the seed is sown and the beds 

 trodden twice over by the' feet vmtU they appear as hard as a 

 gravel walk. A very thin coating of soil is then strewed 

 evenly over the whole, and finally the roUer is passed over 

 the bed. The narrowness of the beds enables the operator 

 to weed clean with facility and without injuring the plants. 

 Plants thus situated have a greater depth of soil than usual, 

 and grow with greater sturdiness than those highly ma- 

 nured, whilst the great elevation of the beds enables a warm 

 July sun to penetrate a considerable depth into the earth, 

 slightly checking late growth, and, of course, inducing early 

 bulbing. Take advantage of dry days to stir the surface of 

 the ground between growing crops, and to prevent weeds 

 from making their appearance. 



FEtrrr gaeden. 

 Protect Peach, Apricot, and other choice fruit trees fr"om 

 spring frosts. Finish pruning and nailing as soon as pos- 

 sible. See that newly planted fruit trees are firoperly staked 

 and mulched, and after high winds it is necessary to look 

 over them and press the earth gently round the base of the 

 stems. All danger of very severe frost being over. Figs 

 may have the coverings completely removed and be neatly 

 pruned and nailed ; do not crowd them with wood. Finish 

 planting Raspberries, also pruning. Let all the old leaves 

 be cut away from Stiuwberry-beds, removing all runners, &c. 



FLOWEE GAEDEN-. 



All trained trees and plants should receive attention. 

 March winds are often destructive when the precaution of 

 renewing old stakes and strings rotted by the damps of 

 winter is neglected. A pretty floral effect may be obtained 

 at an early season with Narcissus, Hyacinths, and Hearts- 

 ease, which may now be planted for the pm-pose. Anemones 

 and the single Wallflower, last summer's seedlings, will 

 shortly bloom ; and in large masses the effect of their rich 

 golden blossoms is magnificent. Hollyhocks for late bloom- 

 ing may now be planted, as it is best where they are grown 

 extensively to make two or three plantings in order to insui'e 

 a succession of bloom. These showy plants are very suitable 

 for long Hues, parallel with straight walks, walls, &c., where 

 they produce a noble effect. If edgings are required to 

 flower-borders they should be planted as soon as possible. 

 Box, Daisy, Chamomile, Thrift, Pansies, the Gentianella, &c., 

 are all used for this purpose. Let Box edgings be cut forth- 

 with. Plant out Carnations and biennials in general, and 

 let all perennials be removed without delay. Look to the 

 sowing of annuals, also shrub and tree seeds. Finish the 

 laying of turf, and get aU alterations carried out at once. 

 Let Koses in general have a pruning immediately. Those 

 intended for late blooming must be pruned late. 



OEKENHOCrSE AND CONSBRVATOEY. 



Examine the soil of such plants as the different kinds of 

 Acacias, Templetonia, Genista, Cytisns, Grevillea, Banksia, 

 Myrtle, Brugmansia, Olea, Nerium, Eutaiia, Goodenia, Vir- 

 gilia, Indigofera, the varieties of Cactus, and others that 

 may have been resting, to see that the drainage is efficient, 

 and that no plant is rendered unsightly for the want of 

 timely watering, pruning back, or stopping. Many an old 

 comer requires routing out. Stop any unruly, rank-g^wisg 



