March 17, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



213 



when if they had been a fortnight or three weeks later all might 

 have been well. Suppose, then, that an amateur has a piece 

 of sheeting over a favourite tree, as soon as the buds begin to 

 swell freely, the sheeting should exclude the heat of the sun by 

 day, and be removed at night so that the buds may be chilled. 

 Of course, if the frost be so severe as to injure such buds — Bay 

 10° to 15°, then the cloth should be on nigbt and day. With 

 only a few degrees of frost, until the buds of the flower are suffi- 

 ciently open to expose the parts of fructification, the cooler the 

 trees are kept the better. Two advantages are thus gained — the 

 trees will bloom later, when the weather may be supposed to be 

 milder, and then when they do bloom the earth will be warmer, 

 and there will be more of a reciprocal action between roots aud 

 branches. From the time that the bloom opens our tactics must 

 change. The more light and heat in a moderate way the blossoms 

 then receive, the better will the fruit set aud swell. We say in 

 a moderate way, for after a frosty morning, if the sun is ex- 

 ceedingly bright, its force against the wall would be so great, 

 that shading for a couple of hours in the middle of the day 

 would be highly serviceable. If the frost has been so severe at 

 night as to touch the young fruit at all, the trees should be 

 shaded all the next day. In ordinary circumstances, however, 

 when there is only a little frost, or a keen east wind, the trees 

 should be covered at night, and only uncovered in the morning 

 when the air becomes genial and warm. The weather must, 

 therefore, regulate the times of covering and uncovering. In a 

 fine genial morning in March and April, after the trees were in 

 bloom, we would uncover early and cover up late at night. In 

 such circumstances as to bloom and a cold wet day, we would 

 keep the cover on night and day to keep the blossom dry. In a 

 cold east wind with but little sun, we would open a few hours 

 in the hottest part of the day. As already stated, before the 

 blossoms open use covering for retarding. 



All fixed coverings — be they branches, or nets, &c, have the 

 disadvantage that a degree of weakness is induced that renders 

 the plant less able to contend with extremes. So much is this the 

 case that some of our best gardeners, if they cannot obtain stout 

 moveable coverings, will use none at all, as fixed coverings they 

 contend do as much harm as good. We do not go that length, 

 as even a fixed covering of laurel boughs or spruce branches has 

 saved the crop of one half of a tree, whilst the fruit on the 

 other half was lost. The best gardeners often cannot in these 

 matters do as they like. In one place no resources are wanting. 

 In other places it is expected that the gardener shall secure fruit 

 without an extra farthing of outlay, just as the Israelites were 

 expected to make bricks without the necessary materials. After 

 having tried many schemes with more or less success, we would 

 recommend to all amateurs a stout material, such as sheeting, to 

 he moved easily as necessary, as the best ; and next to that, as 

 fixtures, we would designate hexagon netting and woollen netting, 

 because they allow light and ah' to pass, secure a certain amount 

 of shade, throw past the most of heavy showers, and thus, in 

 addition to mitigating the force of the frost, enable the flowers 

 to stand more frost from their comparative dryness. In fact, 

 we think all modes of protection better than none, hut the 

 superiority will much depend on the care used and the con- 

 sideration given. 



Changed and watered Strawberries. Was obliged to protect 

 Strawberries in pots in the open air, as within these few days 

 they have had more frost than they would have had all the 

 winter, so that our previous protection, without protection now, 

 would have done more harm than good. If Strawberry-pots are 

 now frozen as hard as building bricks, be sure the fruiting will 

 be apt to suffer. If plunged in the ground the roots will suffer 

 little injury ; if standing on the surface and thus frozen, both 

 buds and roots will be injured. We sometimes meet, in the 

 garden of an amateur, with valuable plants standing in pots out 

 of doors exposed to all weathers. A great point would be gained 

 could such kind readers be made to see, that if plunged in the 

 ground or planted out, such a plant would be more safe than in 

 a pot above ground and not protected. The idea seems to 

 prevail that a nice new plant, almost or entirely hardy, is better 

 kept in a pot than plunged or planted out. Such friends alto- 

 gether forget the degree of cold the roots of such a plant are 

 exposed to in a frosty night, by radiation of heat and evaporation 

 of moisture from the sides of an exposed pot. Had we such a 

 good society for plants as the one for preventing cruelty to 

 animals, we should see less of pots exposed out of doors in 

 winter with plants in them. For such matters, and ail about 

 budding and grafting, we would wish all amateurs with a spice 



of enthusiasm, to invest 3*. in the "Science and Practice of 

 Gardening." 



Finding there were still a few of the black fly in the Peach- 

 house, fumigated leaves and fruit with capsicums and bruised 

 laurel leaves, and then with a couple of Neal's pastils, which have 

 made them disappear at present. It is best not to confine such 

 operations to one material, but to vary it, and always to be sure 

 not to use the smoke too strong. It is better to repeat the process 

 after a day or two of interval. For a lean-to house 10 feet at 

 back, 10 feet wide, and 50 feet in length, two pastils well 

 smothered, and about 6 ozs. of shag tobacco, are separately 

 enough at one time. It is quite easy to use such a dose as will 

 destroy every living creature, but then it may he easy to destroy 

 the plants likewise. The strongest dose of smoking will not 

 destroy the eggs, aud of these there may be thousands ; and, 

 therefore, if ever a colony is formed, there is not only the neces- 

 sity of killing what is alive but of doing for others as they come 

 into existence. Such matters are apt to make gardeners rather 

 cruel-hearted on the vermin, though no class of men, as a whole, 

 are more kindhearted. " Give a thorough good dose and have 

 done with it," is by no means sound advice. I once saw a beautiful 

 house of Peaches just nicely set, and the swelling fruit throwing 

 their embracing blossoms off. A few green fly appeared, and it 

 was ordered to be smoked. Next morning after a good syringing, 

 some flies were to be found alive, and an extra dose of tobacco 

 smoking was decided on for the next night, and some poor fellows 

 were shut up in the nicotian atmosphere blowing away with 

 bellows at the tobacco retorts, until on opening the door the 

 gardener was pretty well knocked down with the aroma that 

 Baluted him, and then there were orders for the operators to 

 come out, which they did, almost as stupid as if they had been 

 lolling in an opium-eater's paradise. And did they kill all 

 insects ? Yes, we believe, every one that was then alive ; but 

 there were plenty more during the season, and a sickly vegetation 

 during the year, and what I want to note more especially is, 

 that by the second day there was scarcely a fruit in the house; 

 but all the little set fruit were strewed over the floor as thickly 

 as if you had meant to sow rows of Peas. From that day to 

 this, though forced at times to use smoking and washing mode- 

 rately, we have great faith in the " Weaver remedy," of " catch- 

 ing them and killing them," and if the remedy is applied soon 

 enough, people will be surprised what the fingers and thumb can 

 accomplish. 



Drew a dry hand over bunches of Grapes in bloom, especially 

 Sweetwaters, in order to asBist the setting. We observe this 

 plan is recommended in some of our contemporaries now, 

 though it is now many years since we first alluded to it, and found 

 that the hand dry and applied gently along the bunch, was far 

 better than any camel-hair brush, or anything of the kind. Some 

 good people, however, must amuse themselves longer in seeking 

 for a tool, than with the beet of all tools, the human hand, they 

 might do the job five times over. In some Grapes the calyx 

 rises and covers the parts of fructification so tightly that they 

 cannot perform their functions ; but a slight rub with the dry 

 hand, especially in a sunny day, removes the hoods and sets the 

 pollen free to act on the pistil of the flower. By this means and 

 a little care to give extra heat, Muscats may be set as thickly as 

 Muscadines. Gave a little water to Figs, not too much at once, 

 because extreme dryness and extreme moisture at once would he 

 apt to throw off the incipient fruit. Those out of doors are still 

 covered with laurel branches. 



PLANT DEPAETITENT. 

 Fresh-packed some Orchids in baskets ; placed some Ferns in 

 a state of rest, as Maiden-hairs, into more heat. Fresh-potted 

 fine-leaved Begonias, shaking most of the soil away, and re- 

 potting in similar or smaller-sized pots, using light, rich soil, 

 packing it close, and placing the plants under the shade of 

 Tines on a stage. Potted and put in cuttings of Coleus, and 

 other softwooded stove plants ; placed Gloxinias in heat, to 

 start them before shifting them ; put tubers of Achimenes and 

 Gesneras into pans to start them before separating and grouping 

 them in pots for blooming. The Achimenes may be set rather 

 thickly in pans and boxes, covered with half an inch of sandy soil, 

 and when 2 inches in height selected for potting and vasing. 

 They start best under shade, as then the sun will not injure the 

 young foliage. When such things are started in a hotbed, not 

 only should the bed be sweet, but there should be a little air left 

 on at top all the night, as well as during the day ; for condensed 

 moisture or steam from such beds is apt to scald the foliage, 



