272 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTTJEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ April 4, 1865. 



tive injury. Particular attention must be paid to thofee 

 whose foliage is cankered, cutting it away to the quick with 

 a sharp knife. As soon as the beds are perfectly dry the 

 surface soil should be carefully stirred. No time must be 

 lost in getting the stock of Carnations and Picotees potted 

 off. This is a good time to strike cuttings of Pausies ; put 

 them in round the sides of small pots, plunge in sand on a 

 north border, and cover with a hand-glass. 



GEKENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



See that nothing suffers from drought. The larger speci- 

 mens in tubs or pots, if any, must have a liberal supply, . 

 provided the drainage is complete. This is the period for 

 the free use of liquid manure, but take care that it is per- 

 fectly clear and not over-strong. Large Orange trees are 

 very fond of it. Pay due attention to the' watering, shift- 

 ing, and stopping of plants in general. Many conservatories 

 are very unfit places for Heaths, being generally too lofty 

 and kept too warm for them. Some of the free-flowering 

 varieties are, however, very ornamental, and should be 

 largely employed in their decoration during the early months. 

 As soon as they have done flowering let them be pruned back, 

 and give them a liberal shift when they start into growth, 

 using good fibry peat for the purpose, and if they are at- 

 tended to in the growing season, they will overcome any 

 injury they may sustain through occupying an unsuitable 

 position while in bloom. As more than ordinary fires have 

 been required of late in plant-houses, rendering the in- 

 ternal atmosphere drier than usual, the requisite humidity 

 should be supi^lied by sprinkling the heating apparatus, 

 floors, &c., at the same time keeping it below rather than 

 above the usual standard for this season, to meet the present 

 low temperature. Hardwooded plants, of which the pots are 

 full of roots, and which it is not convenient to repot just at 

 present, should be carefully attended to with water, for if 

 allowed to flag many plants, particularly such as have fine 

 hair-like roots, scarcely ever recover. 



STOVE. 



Much attention is necessary at this period to growing 

 stock. Much progress may be made in a little time by a 

 judicious course of culture. Shut up with a high tempera- 

 ture rather early in the afternoon, and use the syringe rather 

 freely. Make cuttings as soon as they can be obtained, of 

 GeisBomerias, Plumbagos, Eranthemums, Justicias, Clero- 

 dendrons, Vincas, Euphorbias, Brugmansias, Begonias, 

 Thunbergias, &,a., in order to keep up a succession of clean 

 young stock. See that growing Orchids have abundance of 

 atmospheric moisture with a liberal circulation of air early 

 in the morning, shutting up close betimes, and taking care 

 to observe moderation in the use of fire heat, in order that 

 a pure atmosphere for the night may bo insured. Growing 

 Dendrobiums will now require liberal supplies of water, and 

 let the plants on blocks be frequently syringed. 



DUNO-BEDS FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES. 



At this period it is of much importance to have a dung- 

 bed or two of a very moderate degree of heat for the 

 purpose of cooling down fresh-struck cuttings, hardening 

 annuals, and receiving plants from either the stove or green- 

 house ; for in consequence of liberal shifts in these depart- 

 ments and the rapidly increasing size of the Pelargoniums, 

 Cinerarias, Calceolarias, and Fuchsias, something must be 

 removed, and a cold frame is insufficient for some of these 

 tribes. Let, therefore, any spare frames at command be 

 fitted up, using a little well-wrought dung, with a good 

 deal of tree leaves if at hand. A steady bottom heat of 70° 

 will be sufficient, and very little material will suffice to pro- 

 duce this, if some coarse litter of any kind be packed closely 

 ronnd the frame after the bed has been formed. Such frames 

 Bhonld be watered with scalding water as soon as a little 

 heat is up, this will destroy insects and their eggs. A coat- 

 ing of oahes may then be spread over the bed, and the frames 

 matted up at night for two or three weeks, leaving a little 

 air all night to plants hardening off. — W. Ebane. 



DOINGS OP THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Plenty of snow on Tuesday and Wednesday, but a south 

 wind on Thursday, from which we fondly hope that gentle 

 April will come to as, and bring sunahina and mild breezes. 



Very little has been done on the ground out of doors. The 

 snow has acted as a protection from the keen frosts ; and 

 most fruit-buds are so backward that but little harm would 

 be done if the birds would only let them alone for a few 

 weeks. Stirred up the surface-soil among forward Poas in 

 pots ; watered with warmed water some of the Tom Thumb 

 kind, planted out in orchard-house. Put a few Sangster's 

 No. 1, out of turves, thinly in the front of the house ; and 

 these we will allow to ramble a little, and stop when the 

 shoots show a few flowers. Turned out turves with Peas 

 sown in them, placed among forward Potatoes, as they were 

 beginning to be too forward, and placed them in a turf-pit, 

 where a little protection can be given them, until the weather 

 become more mild. Turned out a lot of Cauliflower from 

 pots into an earth-pit, where a little protection can be given 

 them. Stiri'ed up the soil among those under hand-lights, 

 and protected with a little litter in the frosty nights, as we 

 wish them to go on now without check — a check from 

 hardening them with frost now being apt to make them 

 button prematurely. Removed the glass from those in 

 frames, and covered in severe nights with hurdles having 

 spruce branches drawn through them. 



All these doings make lots of litter, but at this season it 

 is hardly possible to combine the extreme of neatness with 

 the extreme of economy, and a little roughness may well be 

 excused when the object and the utility are at once per- 

 ceptible. To keep all neat and orderly round lots of earth- 

 pits, &c., would now be almost as endless and expensive a 

 job as washing an Ethiopian white. Those who make neat- 

 ness an object, must go to the expense of covering that 

 makes and needs no litter. 



Took up a little more Sea-kale and Rhubarb, and to 

 secure variety, put some Swedish Turnips into a dark warm 

 place. When the tops have grown 6 or 7 inclies in length, 

 though yellow, they make a dish fit for an epicure. Made 

 another piece of a Mushroom-bed, having taken the old out. 

 All our pieces have done first-rate, except a bit that should 

 be coming in now, and that is behind its time ; and we are 

 a little doubtful of it, as the material was too old, and too 

 wet, and would have been benefited if a truss or two of di'y 

 straw had been cut into one and two-inch lengths, and 

 mixed with it. The next piece will, however, soon be in, 

 and the older pieces yield gatherings. 



A good portion of the time has been occupied in covering 

 and uncovering, making tallies, sharpening sticks, washing 

 pots, and putting them clean in bins, where, however, their 

 stay will be short at this season, and cleaning and mending 

 glass, &c. A little management will always secure plenty 

 of such work in bad weather ; and it is ever the reverse of 

 economy to have men working out of doors in wet weather, 

 to say nothing of the unkindness and inhumanity of making 

 them do so. We shall never forget how a foreman led us 

 mowing on a cold wet day in the end of autumn, until we 

 might as well have been dragged through a river, every 

 advancing step we took sending the water gurgling over the 

 tops of our shoes. He could change his clothes, and have his 

 wet ones dried in his rooms, but nearly all the rest had to go 

 a good distance to cold fireless lodgings, and consider them- 

 selves well off if their clothes became dry in several days. 

 We noticed then what we have often noticed since — that 

 after such a water bath the men went about their work for 

 some days afterwards as if they had neither life nor energy 

 for it. That day's work we always regarded as a direct loss, 

 instead of gain, to the employer. 



fruit garden. 



Much the same as last week. Have done nothing out of 

 doors to speak of owing to the weather, as wo had protected 

 Peaches and Apricots even before nailing. The work will 

 come all at once ; but wo have no doubt there will be every 

 alacrity to carry it out. Tied up Vinos, regulated shoots, 

 and drew a dry hand over the bunches coming into bloom. 

 In some cases held a shoot of paper below the hand to 

 catch any pollen, and threw that, or placed some on the 

 hand which we drew over irregular setters, as Sweet- 

 waters and Muscats. In such a house the night temperature 

 has averaged 60", and the midday temperature, without 

 sun, 70", with sun up to 75° and 80', and little fire heat if 

 there was plenty of sun. A very little air was only given at 

 the top of the house, and even that little would have been 

 less but for Strawberries. 



