April 18, 18G5. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOULTUKE AND COTXAOm aARDENJIK. 



an 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



These will want not only dailj^ but hourly attention ; 

 proijagatins^, prickincf-out, potting, hardening-off, with shad- 

 ing, syringing, &c., will be the order of the day. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



WaAT a week of July weather in the beginning of April ! 

 The notes of the birds in the early morning made us almost 

 forget their depredations of the past. We could almost 

 forgive the defying challenges of pheasants and partridges, 

 as they rooted up and nipped the tops of Peas before we 

 were out of bed ; but telling us emphatically that we must 

 rise with them, if we would interfere with their pilfering. 

 They will do but little harm now, and to make amends we 

 must sow a little thicker, even if we thin out afterwards. It 

 is very different as respects sowing Peas and Beans late in 

 autumn. What with birds and vermin of all kinds, there is 

 Kttle security for them unless protected with wire netting. 

 This and the annoyance of hunting after slugs, c&c, has 

 made us altogether give up autumn sowing, and we sow in- 

 stead under a little protection in spring, and then trans- 

 plant. Those turned out of turves the other week are 

 pricking up nicely in this splendid weather, looking as if 

 they were grateful and pleased at the attention they re- 

 ceived, and telling of their wish to yield us early gatherings 

 as a reward for our care. The first out-door sowings are 

 now up. Sowed another succession of Veitch's Perfection, 

 Jeyes' Conqueror, or Ne Plus Ultra, and Harrison's Per- 

 fection. The last makes no show on the table for size like 

 the first two, but it is a fine cropper, and a most delicious 

 sweet little Pea. Por general work see last week. 



Sowed the main crop of Borecoles, Broccolis, Savoys, and 

 wiU prick oif some of those sown earlier, for the first crops. 

 Watered Cauliflower that had been planted from hand- 

 lights and cold frames, and gave also a fair watering to a 

 quarter of Cabbages, as we were apprehensive that the hot, 

 dry weather would cause the youngest or latest part at least 

 to bolt, and show their flower-stems. Gave abundance of air 

 or full exposure to Potatoes, Eadishes, Lettuces, &c., under 

 protection. Hoed among Lettuces out of doors, and gave a 

 little water. Hoed among all growing crops, and also the 

 Asparagus quarter, in order that all might be clean before 

 the shoots appeared. Sowed Asparagus and Sea-kale, some 

 of the latter in rows, to remain there, some thickly in a bed 

 to be transplanted afterwards. Planted out Asparagus 

 rather earlier than usual. The ground had been well trenched 

 and enriched, and small drills were made 2 feet apart, and 

 the plants spread out about 6 inches apart in the row, 

 watered and covered over with the earth between the rows, 

 thus making a little ridge. A little dung was thrown over 

 the ridge, and some burnt clay and rubbish over all. For 

 some seasons a light crop, as Lettuces, may be taken in 

 summer between the rows. We rather like this mode 

 better than beds, especially when taking up for forcing is 

 concerned. A friend of ours has just been sowing some in 

 rows wnere it is to stand, and as he has plenty of ground, 

 we have no doubt the plants will answer admirably. The 

 ground had been well stirred and enriched. It was then 

 thrown into blunt ridges 4 feet apart. The ridge was then 

 opened up, so as to form a shallow trench, and this was 

 fidled with rotten dung to a depth of at least 4 inches. A 

 little soil was thrown on the dung, the seeds sown, and then 

 a little more added as covering. The rows will thus be 

 4 feet apart. He wants it strong for forcing in four or five 

 years, and we have no doubt the plan will succeed. The 

 space in the hollows will be cropped slightly in summer. 



ERtriT GARDEN. 



Went on with naUing, and finishing i^runing out of doors. 

 Covered Peaches and Apricots thinly with laurel twigs. The 

 orchard-houses are now a picture — the blossom strong and 

 hejilthy, and no signs of an insect of any kind as yet. The 

 fruit seems setting too quickly, helped, perhaps, rather 

 much by the bees in search of pollen. In these scorching 

 days we thought it advisable to just colour a little water 

 ■with whitening, and syringe the outside of the glass with it. 



which diminished a little the force of the sun's rays. Air 

 has been given night and day in general, but in reduced 

 quantity at night. Care was taken, however, to give all the 

 air possible early in the morning, and then the houses, even 

 with large squares of glass, never became unbearably hot ia 

 the day. The thermometer at night for the past week 

 ranged from 40" to 45°, and onwards up to SS*^. and even 

 90° during midday. Such heat does no harm when there is 

 no condensed vapour, and the heat rises gradually. We 

 have been privileged with several private notes of failures, 

 the blossoms falling, shrivelled up, &c. In all these cases 

 want of early air-giving was the cause. If in these bright 

 mornings people do not think of looking to a house shut up 

 the previous night until between eight and nine in the 

 morning, they must take the consequences, especially with 

 such trees as Peaches in bloom, and the house facing south 

 or south-east. It would be much safer to leave air on all 

 night. Better risk a little frost than a downright scorch. 

 In the late vinery, now filled with Pelargoniums and bedding 

 stuff, the Vines are breaking, and to keep them from be- 

 coming too forward, when we must keep them going, we 

 threw a little whitened water over the roof, and in this fine 

 weather gave air all night. 



Took the most of the things out of the Fig-house or pit, 

 and watered with manure water, intending to soak them 

 well, not at once, but at three times, with a few days in- 

 terval between. Observed the same plan with Peach trees 

 against the wall in the orchard-house. Watered the ground 

 about 2^- feet wide, then in about another week will do 

 as much more, and so on. When such trees become dry in 

 winter, and are soaked all at once, the buds and young fruit 

 are apt to be thrown off. All such operations should tell 

 gradually. Thinned Grapes in the earliest vinery. In such 

 fine weather allowed the temperature to fall to about 60° at 

 night, and after giving air at back early in the morning, 

 gave no more air, if the heat from the sun did not rise above 

 85° or 90°. Of course, in such sunny days it would be mere 

 waste to have sun heat and fire heat combined, so that the 

 week of bright weather has been a good saving to the coal- 

 heap. Regulated Strawberries now bearing nicely, and 

 potted Melons, &o., for beds and pits. We would now notice 

 three things. 



1. Insects. — Like some other friends, our good instructor, 

 Mr. Rivers, has rather read us wrong. We have old houses 

 and old walls, but, on the whole, we are not so troubled with 

 insects. We used about 1 oz. of tobacco for smoking some 

 Cucumber plants on Tuesday night, the first smoking we 

 have given for the season. We were but little troubled with 

 the brown aphis last season, but we were not free from it 

 entirely. We think prevention, if possible, is better than 

 cure, and notwithstanding our care in this way, this aphis 

 has appeared twice or thrice in our Peach-house this season. 

 Of course, it was never allowed to multiply. But for chron- 

 icling our doings just as they happen, we might not have 

 spoken of such a thing at all. We believe we are indebted 

 to Mr. Rivers for the mention of quassia water. At any rate 

 it is a clean remedy, even by itself, for this insect, and, 

 perhaps, is more effectual. In fact, we believe it is, when 

 boiled, as advised at page 287, with water and soft soap. 

 But the insect is very easily destroyed ; even the least 

 touch with the fingers settles it. The mischief is, that if 

 one or two escape your fingers and brush, yoir will have 

 them like ropes of Onions in a few days, if you only let 

 them alone. As yet they have troubled us but little, but 

 we wanted to let others know to be on the look-out. Until 

 about three years ago we never knew the pest, and we should 

 have been glad if we had never seen it. As already stated, 

 we look upon this brown aphis a,s king and governor-, not 

 because he is difficult to kill, but because the increase of 

 generations is so rapid. The man who sees one will stand 

 in his own light if he wait to see half a dozen. 



As an evidence that we are not so troubled with insects, 

 we may mention that nothing else except these few brown 

 aphides have appeared in the above Peach-house, although, 

 from shortly after the gathering of the fruit last season, it 

 has been constantly in use for something, and a system of 

 tier upon tier, and of filling and cramming has been resorted 

 to, such as is seldom found in nurseries. Gardeners often 

 bring much of this on themselves, but when once involved 

 in it cannot easily get out of it. The house is a lean-to. 



