34S 



JOtTENAIi OF HOETICTJLTUEE ATSTD COTTAGE GAUDENER. 



[ May 2, 186a. 



carchard-house makes also a good fill-gap before the plants 

 come in with their ripe fruit out of doors. We have covered 

 rows and beds out of doors with glass, but with little benefit, 

 unless the weather was very sunny. 



Some of our lads are rather hurt about Mr. Eivers, speak- 

 ing of our being so troubled with insects, and, therefore, 

 without boasting, we may state, that among the many 

 hundreds of StrawbeiTy plants in all stages, and in almost 

 every conceivable place, not an insect of any kind lias as 

 jet appeared. 



OEXAMENTAL DEPAETMENT. 



Here we are pretty well overwhelmed with work. Various 

 reasons, and especially the weather of the last winter 

 and spring, have tended to throw us behind, and it is 

 more perceptible in this magnificent weather. It is a great 

 aatisfact'on that every man and boy, not only sees that we 

 are a little behind, but is anxious to do the very utmost to 

 break the back of the labour. "Work and plenty of it is a 

 most desirable thing, when you feel you can master it, and 

 it shall not, for long at least, master you. Nothing can be 

 more depressing in a garden than finding that do what you 

 will you cannot get up with the work, but tliat day after 

 day work wants doing, -which you cannot execute without 

 letting something of more importance sufi'er. Even this 

 fine weather has brought its access of labour in watering 

 alone, and especially in such cases where most of the water 

 must be carried in pails or water-barrow. A great amount 

 of bedding-out also increases labour vastly at this season. 

 "We have no doubt that we shall be all right by-and-by, but 

 we could not expect the same hearty assistance and co- 

 operation now, if the workmen had been kept out attempt- 

 ing to work in all disagreeable unhealthy weather. There 

 is no mechanism like feet, and especially hands, when directed 

 by thinking willing minds. Some people expect no end of 

 results from human exertion ; treating him merely as a 

 machine, they do not give to man the tithe of the attention 

 they bestow upon irrational or inanimate mechanism. We 

 have had thanks innumerable from employers and employed, 

 on what they are pleased to term out-spoken remarks on 

 the labour question, and this encourages us to say a word 

 on gardens, where the Jaljour-povser is always behind, creat- 

 ing a feeling of lassitude and despair, instead of anxious 

 determination and resolved not-to-be-baffled industry. One 

 of two modes should at once be adopted — increase of labour 

 power, or decrease of ground in keeping. Many a large 

 garden would be more satisfactory to all concerned, if the 

 half of it were laid down in grass, or in other field crops 

 for a time. One acre properly cultivated and all kept nice 

 wiU be more satisfactory than two or three acres, that only 

 remind one of the garden of the sluggard overrun with 

 weeds. One acre of lawn properly kept will yield more 

 satisfaction than half a dozen acres, where there is only the 

 pretence of keeping ; and a dozen or a score of flower-beds 

 nicely done, will be more pleasing to all concerned than a 

 hundred, or hundreds, in a neglected state. 



Proceeded with rolling the lawn before and after mowing; 

 edging sides of walks with the iron, so th.at they can 

 afterwards be easily clipped dui-ing the season. Edged also 

 the aides of borders before digging, and arranging and 

 making up edgings of flowers, and also preparatory to sow- 

 ing dwarf edgings and other annuals. We seldom sow 

 Mignonette out of doors until May, as then we obtain dense 

 masses, whilst by early sowing we generally get straggling 

 plants. The moving and reducing herbaceous plants, and 

 getting all borders fit for summer residents, are now a 

 main feature of the work, a;:d very suitable the weather 

 is for it, only we wish that the work had been done three 

 weeks ago. We have as yet given no heat to our late 

 vinery, except what the sun gave, with air night and day, 

 but the Vines ore becoming so forward that we must now keep 

 them on. We have, therefore, cleared the house of bedding 

 plants ; some were set under hurdles thinly spread over with 

 eprnce branches, and a great lot of Geraniums, some five or 

 six in a four-inch pot, were placed in a comer to be moved 

 to the Celery trenches. As these were not ready, a little 

 straw was thinly placed over thcra to afford shade from the 

 snn, and protection from the cold at night. Meanwhile the 

 trenches are being made ready from clearing off last season's 

 Cabbages, digging out trenches 5 feet wide, and 4 feet in 

 the ridgea between. Leaf mould and sandy soil are thrown 



into the trench, and these pots of plants will be turned out, 

 when, with little attention, they will grow fast until we 

 want them in soma three weeks or a month hence. Pro- 

 ceeded with pricking oft' lots of other things, and put in our 

 last batch of Verbenas, and the pretty dwarf Ageratum, 

 making a bed for them, and pricking them out on the bed 

 some 2.V inches apart, whence they wUl lift in nice little 

 balls. Those put in a fortnight ago are rooting nicely. 

 Few of our cuttings have had shading this season, but lately 

 the sun has been so powerful that for these later cuttings 

 whitewash is at once drawn down the outside of the glass, 

 and some twice or thrice a-day the little things receive a 

 dewing from the syringe, the great matter being never to 

 allow the cutting to exhaust its juices by any approach to 

 flagging. 



What we have said of the late vinery, forces us also to get 

 the Pelargoniums out, or the increased closeness, and the 

 greater heat will be almost sure to bring green fly to nibble 

 at them. We have, therefore been forced to re-arrange the 

 conservatory, taking Daphnes, Camellias, &o., into the 

 vinery, removing the most forw.ird Cytisuses to a sheltered 

 place out of doors, taking out also the most forward Cine- 

 rarias now left to an out- door corner, where they may do 

 for cut flowers, and replacing them with different kinds of 

 Pelargoniums. As far as watering would permit, went on 

 potting bedding plants, greenhouse and stove plants, regu- 

 lating and thinning out climbers, giving a good moist heat 

 in a pit to Caladiums, and setting basket plants, as Stan- 

 hopeas. Stag-head Ferns, &c., in tubs of manure water, so 

 as thoroughly to moisten them. In such weather kept the 

 floors of all plant-houses moist, that the air might be both 

 cooled and moistened, &c. — K. F. 



COYENT GARDEN MARKET.— Ateil 29. 



Within Ihe last few days the aspect of the market has un.lcrgone a great 

 chance-from scarcity to plenty. Of Canbascs, Coleworts and BroocoU 

 there is now an abund ^nt supply ; and of Lettuces, both Cabbace and Los, 

 larce quantities are brought, but no more than sulflcient to meet the (jreat 

 demand for salaitinj. which the heat of the weather has created. Impor- 

 tations of French Lettnce and other saludi have been in a great moasnre 

 discontinued, owing to Iho heated condition In which they arrive. Asparagus, 

 Sea-liale, and Rhubarb are plentiful, and so, too, are Cucumbers. UI 

 Grapes and Pines there is cow a better supply, the former includinc very 

 flne new Hamburghs from Jersey. Strawberries are quite eQ'J^l *° '",<= 

 demand. A few dessert Apples are still to be had in condition— as BraddlCK s 

 Nonpareil, Court-pendu-Plat, and Newtown Pippin. 



FEUIT. 



&pples J sieve 2 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bush. 14 



Filberts 100 lbs. 40 



Cobs do. 50 



Gonseberries ..J sieve 



Grapes lb. 10 



Lemons 100 fl 



Melons eacli 



d. a. 

 to4 

 























20 







20 



n 



60 



















Mulberries .... punnet 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranffee 100 6 



I'eiohes doz. 



Pears (kitchen). ..bush. 8 



dessert doz. 3 



Pine Apples lb. 8 



Flams 4 sieve 



Strawberries oz. 



Walnuts bush. 11 



d. B. 

 Oto 

 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes each 



Asparagus bundle 



Beans Broad J sieve 



Kidney 100 



Beet, Red doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



BrusselsSprouts J Bievo 



Cabbi?e '. doz. 



Capsicums 100 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflowur doz. 



Cclerv bundle 



1 Cucumbers each 



Kndive score 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic and Shallots, lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Uorseradish ... bundle 



d. 8. 

 4 too 

 (i 



•1 



2 









 

 2 

 

 10 

 G n 



2 6 



Leeks buueh 



Lettuce per score 1 



Mushrooms pottle 1 



Mustd.S Cress, punnet 



Onions bushel 5 



pieUliug quart 



Parsley A sieve 1 



Parsnips doz. 



Poas quart 10 



Potatoes bushel 2 



Iladishes doz. bunches 1 



Rhubarb bundle 



Savoys doz. 3 



8ca-kalo baslicl 1 



Spinach bushel 



d. 8, d 



3 to 6 



G 2 6 

 2 



Tomatoes i sievo 



Turnips .hunch 



VoKetableMarrowBdoz, 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



' We request Wiat no one will write privately to the de- 

 partmental writers of the " .Journal of Horticulture, 

 Cottage Gardener, and Country Gentleman." 13y so 

 doing they are subjected to uniiu.^tiflablo trouble and 

 expense. All communications should therefore be ad- 

 dressed solely to The Editors of the Journal o/ Horhcul- 

 ture, ^c, 171, Fleet Street, London, H.C. 



