August S, 1878. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



103 



merited by surface-dressings and by liquid manure when the 

 plants are established. 



Do not neglect the nailing-in of young wood of wall trees, and 

 cut away all those lateral shoots which come from the wood 

 made early in the season. These late growths will not ripen if 

 left, and as a rule such wood is not fruitful. In going over 

 them it is advisable to remove much of the wood not likely to 

 be wanted another season; but do not be too severe on this 

 point, because in spring pruning it is always best to have a 

 choice of wood for fruiting. — T. Record. 



DOINGS OP THE LAST AND WORK FOR 

 THE PRESENT "WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



We are passing through a period of the most unfavourable 

 weather experienced for many years : all the crops are suffering 

 to an alarming extent, and in the course of the next few weeks 

 if no rain falls we shall be almost without vegetables. If we had 

 the means of deluging the crops with water it would not be so, 

 but this cannot be done, and the crops will not live through the 

 drought. Even the fruit trees that have been established for 

 years are drooping for lack of the necessary moisture, but they 

 are not at the same time suffering from an overcrop of fruit. 

 Plums, are almost nil ; Apples and Pears being few and far 

 between. 



Such weather is very favourable for the destruction of weeds, 

 and the hoe should be kept at work wherever practicable ; but 

 however well the ground may have been hoed a few weeds will 

 remain — they may be seen, tall strong plants, hardy, and full of 

 ripe or ripening seeds. Amongst Potatoes almost ready to be 

 dug up, or amongst other permanent crops, a boy in a few hours 

 with a basket or wheelbarrow could clear a large garden of such 

 weeds and prevent their seeding, saving much trouble next 

 year. The walks should be kept clear of weeds, and they should, 

 if possible, be swept once a- week, and be rolled occasionally. 



As Peas and Potatoes are cleared from the ground it is being 

 prepared for hardy Greens, Coleworts, and sprouting Broccoli. 

 The plants look fairly well as yet, and if we have a good shower 

 of rain they will Boon start into growth. We shall also prepare 

 ground for the winter Onions by digging it deeply and manuring 

 well. A border of well-trenched and manured ground ought 

 also to be prepared for winter Spinach. It must be sown im- 

 mediately. Lettuce may also be sown in a Bhady place, and 

 other small salads as they are required. 



PINES. 



There are plenty of strong suckers ready to be potted, and 

 they will be done if possible this week. The fruit has all been 

 cut, and when this is the case the suckers can eaBily be wrenched 

 out by the hand; the ragged end of the sucker is then cut clean 

 across with a sharp knife. The bottom leaves should be removed, 

 which will show the young roots just starting. Our suckers are 

 large enough to be potted into 7 and 8-inch pots, and these they 

 will well fill with roots by October. The best potting material 

 is turfy loam, more of what is termed clayey loam than sandy 

 loam (we would rather it was too heavy than too light), about 

 one-sixth part of decayed manure, and a 9-inch potful of crushed 

 bones to each barrowload, and if charcoal is at hand a few 

 lumpB may be added to each pot. The drainage should be placed 

 carefully in the bottom of the pot, and the compost should alBO 

 be rammed in quite firmly with a wooden rammer. The tan 

 should be renewed either by having the old material removed 

 altogether, or it Bhould be passed through a sieve, the finer 

 portion to be taken away, and the rough part to be mixed with 

 fresh tan. It will be found that the temperature of the bed 

 after this will rise to 110° or even 120°, but it is not nearly so 

 hot as this a few inches below the Burface, and the pots may 

 be plunged to two-thirds of their depth, the brisk bottom heat 

 will cause the roots to form quickly. If the potting material is 

 sufficiently moist at the time of potting it will be better not to 

 water the plants for a few days or even a week if the weather is 

 dull and cold. The succession plants that have been removed 

 to the fruiting house will not be subjected to a higher bottom 

 heat than 90°. Houses where the fruit is ripe and ripening 

 Bhould be aired freely; indeed, the ventilatorB may be open 

 night and day, and the atmosphere may be kept rather dry. 



OKCHAED HOUSE. 



The fruit is now ripening, and this necessitates a much drier 

 atmosphere ; and the trees whereon the fruit is ripe, or nearly so 

 must not be syringed at all, nor must the supply to the roots be 

 as abundant as heretofore. It will be seen from this how neces- 

 sary it iB to have the trees quite free from insect pests before 

 the ripening period draws near. It is not possible to Byringe at 

 all when the fruit is generally ripe. The first to ripen was the 

 Early Rivers Peach ; this and the other early sorts raised at 

 Sawbridgeworth are very useful for their earliness if the quality 

 was good, but this year, although there was a fair crop on the 

 tree, nearly all the fruit had split stones, and none of it was 

 presentable on the table in the dining-room. Others may have 



had a different experience; ours has been unfavourable to this 

 sort for the last six or eight years at least. With it ripens the 

 Beurre Giffard Pear. This is by far the best of the early sorts, 

 and though rather later than Doyenne d'Ete it is very much 

 superior to it in every respect ; it makes a very acceptable ad- 

 dition to the dessert at this early season. Early York Peach 

 will be ripe in a week. This variety is invariably good, and a 

 most free-bearing sort as we'l; it is generally three weeks later 

 than Early Rivers. Before they are over the Boyal George and 

 other midseason sorts come in with Hunt's Tawny and Lord 

 Napier Nectarines. This last-named variety is another of the 

 Sawbridgeworth introductions ; it is said to be a sport from 

 Early Alfred Peach. It is a most excellent Nectarine, full size, 

 nearly as early as Hunt's, and far superior to it in flavour. We 

 shall have to discontinue syringing in a week or ten days, but 

 the trees are healthy and free from red spider. 



Figs in pots that are now bearing ripe fruit require similar 

 treatment to the orchard-house trees. There is no necessity for 

 aDy artificial heat, and the atmosphere of the house ought to be 

 moderately dry. No syringing of trees is permitted at this time, 

 but it ought to have been well carried out up to the time of the 

 first fruit ripening. Like the Peach the Pig is liable to be 

 attacked by red spider, and if this pest is abundant on the leaves 

 tho flavour of the fruit is very much deteriorated. Less water 

 is required at the roots, but the plants must not suffer for want 

 of it. Young plants that are being grown-on Bhould be freely 

 syringed, and the house ought to be closed in the afternoon, 

 syringing the Fig trees at the Bame time. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



The more hardy of the hardwooded greenhouse plants have 

 been turned out of doors, and Azaleas of large size that have 

 now set their buds in the forcing house will be gradually inured 

 to a cooler atmosphere, and will also be placed outside for a 

 short period. The plants must be placed either on a bed of 

 ashes through which no worms can find their way ; or, what is 

 better, if the pots are above 18 inches in diameter three bricks 

 should be laid flat on the ground, on which to place the pots. 

 The centre hole is in this way raised 2 inches or more from the 

 ground, and we believe that the air being allowed underneath 

 the pot is good for the health of the plants. The sun ought not 

 to be allowed to shine directly upon the pots ; if it does the 

 small rootlets, which are moBt active and numerous between 

 the sides of the pots and the soil, will most likely be killed. To 

 prevent this some roofing tiles, slates, or boardB may be placed 

 against the pots on the sunny side. When the pots are upon 

 bricks they are more easily blown over by the wind than those 

 standing upon the ground ; and to prevent this three stout sticks 

 should be driven into the ground round the pot, and to them 

 the pot Bhould be fastened with strong tar string. All plants, 

 including Azaleas, that are subject to the attacks of red spider 

 should be smartly syringed, working the water under the leaves. 

 In hot seasons Camellias become disfigured by red spider attack- 

 ing the leaves, but this plant delights in frequent syringingB ; so 

 that if the leaves are browned by red spider it must be attributed 

 to neglect. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



We cannot say much for the beauty of the bedding plants this 

 year. Even zonal Pelargoniums, which flower most freely in hot 

 seasons, have had almost too much of an East Indian tempera- 

 ture ; the rich crimson scarlet of Wellington has had the colour 

 bleached, and is true to itself only when the plants are shaded 

 from the noonday sun. Verbenas have had no chance to start 

 into growth, and a favourite bed that is annually planted with 

 MangleB' Variegated Geranium and Purple King Verbena has 

 not yet covered the ground. The Silver Variegated section of 

 Pelargoniums are doing better than any other sort ; the propor- 

 tion of white is larger than usual and iB very pure. Asters have 

 not done so well as they ought, considering the care that was 

 taken of them early in the year. Green fly made an attack upon 

 them and the plants were overlooked for a few days, but the 

 pest left its mark upon the plants. They are now clean and 

 growing freely. Roses have flowered very well, and have been 

 very free from insect pests ; even the bud worm did not do as 

 much damage as usual to the young shoots. All the flowers are 

 removed when the petals are ready to fall. By going over the 

 plants frequently and picking off these and the seed pods the 

 buBhes have a more tidy appearance. 



Pipings of Pinks have been put in. We like to do this in wet 

 weather, the best strike is obtained at such a time. This has 

 not been possible this year, but the beds were well watered be- 

 fore the pipings were taken from the plants. They were put 

 into boxes, which were placed in a frame behind a north wall. 

 The best blooms of Carnations and Pieotees are oyer, and we 

 are now busy layering the grass ; by the time this is in the 

 printer's hands most of them will be finished. The wind is 

 high, which. is not in their favour, as many of them are broken 

 by it; this is owing to the notch in the stem being cut too 

 deep. Auriculas require looking over once a-week to remove 

 decaying leaves and green fly. Hollyhocks and DahliaB must be 

 faBtened to sticks as they grow. If Dahlia shoots hang loose 



