462 



JOXJKNAL OP HOSTICULTUHE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ June 13, 186$. 



pouring rain, we belieTe we were the first to draw atten- 

 tion to the impolicy of doing so, and especially on stiflSsh 

 soil, and now some of our labourers, who see some harden- 

 ing notes in their weekly newspaper, told us that the beds 

 might as well have been left alone, and they were quite 

 right. Such growing intelligence shows the importance of 

 practising what we teach. All teaching is but of little use 

 if not followed up by practical example, and hence it is that 

 many a man and woman in humble station do more good by 

 the example of their lives than many who have great talents, 

 but who, if they were honest, would be forced to say, " Do 

 not as I do, but do as I tell you." Again : several corre- 

 spondents have kindly told us that after running down the 

 U3e of the rake, and especially in flower-beds, we actually 

 recommend the back stroke of the rake for effecting neat- 

 ness (last line, first col., page 435). The seeming anomaly 

 will be at once explained if the word "rake" is changed 

 into " hoe." The mistake is entirely owing to rapid writing. 

 In answer to another inquiry, we may as weU state here 

 that the best-sized Ihitch hoe for flower'beds is a neat light 

 one 3 inches wide. With such a' tool it is astonishing the 

 space a quick lad will go over, and when extreme neatness 

 is an object as well as loosening the surface, the back stroke 

 and a side stroke along the outsides if next grass will leave 

 all as neat as need be. 



Stones.— If there are stones cr pebbles on the surface larger 

 than may be desirable, the quickest way to get rid of them 

 is to pick them by hand in a basket or small barrow, and 

 then they come in for filling ruts in roads, &c. We have no 

 desire, however, to make the surface so very fine-dressed 

 that will soon be covered with plants. We consider that 

 many fields are much injured by inordinate stone picking. 

 A few stones added would often be more beneficial. 



Heap Ifatin^.— This leads us once more to note the im- 

 portance of never using two strokes when one will do ; in 

 other words, to avoid doing and doing again, where one 

 doing will suffice. On this veiy often depends whether a 

 place shall be kept well or indifferently with a certain 

 number of hands. In nothing is this seen more than in 

 the question of heap-making. Unless in peculiar circum- 

 stances no heaps should be made in gardens, and of nothing 

 in general are workmen more fond until they find it will not 

 do. For instance, there goes a. man to clear off a piece of 

 spent vegetables, which it is not deemed advisable to dig in, 

 up they come, and then are laid down in heaps as carefully 

 as if for bean or wheat sheaves ; and when that is nicely done 

 a barrow must be brought, and there is the great pleasm-e 

 of lifting the heaps again into the barrow. Last year we 

 came across a fine example of stone heaps on a long flower- 

 border, rather rough with stones, and the proprietor being 

 a thorough advocate of dressiness in grounds, as well as in 

 his own worthy person, the stones had been thrown into little 

 heaps at the side, and then they had to be lifted a second 

 tune to get them into a barrow to take them to their des- 

 tination. A keen amateur, fond to enthusiasm of his charm- 

 ing grass plot, told us lately, that he managed very well with 

 hia 14-inch machine, which gave him a nice appetite for his 

 lunch or dinner, but then the taking off the heaps of gi-ass 

 cut with the machine thoroughly bored him. It was worse 

 than all the machining, which he liked very well. He had 

 seen others tumbling out the contents of the grass-box on 

 the hiwn, and he thought he must do the same. Placing a 

 barrow in a suitable position saved aU the trouble of taking 

 up and cleaning the bottoms of heaps. Just so with clip- 

 ping the grass edgings to gravel walks. How often do we 

 see a taU, sprightly fellow, "with measured step and slow," 

 draw the broom along these clippings, collecting them into 

 Uttle heaps at no great distance apart, and then another 

 man foUows with broom, barrow, and shovel, to collect all 

 these heaps and make the bottom of each all right. A man 

 and boy finishmg as they go, would do the work in a fourth 

 Of the lime, and with more comfort and satisfaction. Wo 

 have seen brooms used to coUect tiny heaps of leaves, &c., on 

 lawns, to be afterwards collected in basket or barrow, if not 

 previously scattered by the wind, though a gardener's apron 

 would have held twenty or thirty of them, and saved all fur- 

 ther trouble. In our young days we used to wrap the apron 

 round us, ae something of which to be proud. It was con- 

 aidered anything but a badge of inferiority, or to be ashamed 

 of. Are young gardeners now so much gentlemen, as to 



despise what their fathers venerated ? The more frequent 

 use of the apron would not only expedite much of their work, 

 but preserve their clothes into the bargain. An old comrade 

 of ours invariably in thinning Vine laterals, or thinning 

 Grapes, let all go to the floor to testify that work had been 

 done, careless of the plants below that might be thus in- 

 convenienced or injured. We might have imitated him in the 

 peculiar gusto with which he thus made appearance of work, 

 if, on company being expected, we had not had to work hard 

 all dinner time, go without dinner in fact, to clear off the 

 rubbish we had wantonly made. An apron and a light basket 

 or sieve suspended, would have enabled us to have left work 

 at any moment, and without leaving a vestige of rubbish of 

 any kind behind us. In these days, when few gardeners 

 can get through the work to be done, this little matter 

 of heap-making may be deemed of sufficient importance to 

 arrest a little attention. For the value of the habits it 

 would foster, we would be glad to see the old blue apron 

 more esteemed and used. There might not then be so 

 many heaps of decayed flowers and leaves thrown on the 

 pathways and floors of houses, to the annoyance of every one 

 except the operator, who may, like our friend, be deter- 

 mined to let people see he has been doing something, though 

 this determination may greatly add to his labour. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Much the same as last week. Sowed the last crop of 

 Marrow Peas, such as Ne Plus Ultra, and the sweet little 

 prolific Pea Harrison's Perfection, and a few of Dickson's 

 Favourite. The last and early kinds will be our last main 

 sowing some ten days hence. Sowed also our last Broad 

 Beans, also more French Beans, Turnips, Radishes, Lettuces, 

 &c. Cleared off a piece of run Lettuces, &c. It is yet 

 early enough to have many run Lettuces, but here it may 

 be as well to state that in some matters we have not been 

 able to act up to the advice we give to others. First as 

 respects these Lettuces — they have been very fine and early, 

 and it would have been better had they been used up by 

 those who liked them, instead of being allowed to bolt ; but 

 a stress of work elsewhere caused us to neglect them, and 

 for want of water, or shade, or taking them up into a shady 

 place, they have bolted, and are of no use to any one, unless 

 a hungry pig should choose to munch them. Fortunately 

 there are plenty of successions. Planting-out is very weU, 

 but frequent thin sowing is the best mode for having plenty 

 of crisp Lettuces, and a north border is the best place 

 during the hot summer months. 



Peas. — Then as to sowing Peas for late crops, the ground 

 should be deep-stirred, and well enriched, and the Peas 

 sown in a kind of shallow trench, so that manure-waterings 

 may be given if the autumn should be very dry. The deep 

 stirrings and the rich dressings are the great safeguards 

 against the autumn droughts, and also against deluging 

 rains if they come, and pretty well keep all sorts of mildew 

 at a distance. We managed all but the dressing, and even m 

 for Celery we must wait until we can empty a hotbed. How ■ 

 tantalising it often is to read, " Use plenty of manure for this •" 

 and that," and you cannot lay your hand on a barrowload. 

 We scarcely know as yet the amount of produce that may be 

 obtained from ground firom close and continuous cropping, 

 and without ever allowing the ground to become worn-out, 

 sour, or effete ; but the secrets of the wonderful produce, 

 and yet keeping the ground fresh, are, abundance of manure, 

 deep stirring, and ever and anon adding to the staple, by 

 first loosening, and by degrees adding a little of the subsoil, 

 whatever be its character. Such means, and a due rota- 

 tion of cropping, and the addition of lime, or some cal- 

 careous matter, if the soil is naturally deficient in these 

 materials, will keep up the fertility of a soil, and prevent its 

 ever wearing out. On some old kitchen gardens lime acts 

 as wonderfully as it often does on bog land, and from similar 

 causes. Even chalk will often do wonders on heavy clayey 

 loams, and advantage should bo taken of it wherever chalk 

 underlies the clay or the loam ; and again. Peas that are to 

 be staked should have that work done before the tops aro 

 sufficiently heavy to have been swayed by the wind, as they 

 never take to the stakes so kindly afterwards. Some of 

 ours, from stress of other matters, have been let alone too 

 long, but if done before wind comes they will not suffer. 

 We will just glance at two common errors in pea-staking. 

 The first is, that most operators thrust the sticks down too 



