JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 24, 1863. 



STOTE. 



Push Clerodendrons, Stephanotis, and Allamandas forward as 

 briskly as possible, but do not be in a hurry to train them. Pot- 

 off the Achimenes. and any seedling plants which are sufficiently 

 large, and start a fresh lot of Achimenes, Gloxinias, &c, to form 

 the second succession. Stimulate the young growing plants as 

 much as possible — that is, consistently with the state of the 

 weather ; and while you give plenty of air, at all times guard 

 against sudden changes and cold winds. Ail Orchids that hare 

 commenced growing and require potting, should be attended to 

 forthwith. This is a good time to shake out and repot Cyrto- 

 podiums and Sobralias ; they thrive best in good-sized pots, well 

 drained, in a compost of equal parts of good turfy peat, loam, 

 leaf mould, crocks and charcoal broken rather small mixed well 

 together, and when the plants are growing freely, they must be 

 ■well supplied with water. Pot in the same compost, omitting 

 the loam, the following genera — Houlletia, Acanthophippium, 

 Mormodes, Lycaste, Cycnoches, Catasetum, and Huntleya. This 

 is also the best time for parting and shifting Gongoras, Brassias, 

 and Acroperas, they succeed well either in baskets or pets, and 

 should be potted rather high in sphagnum moss with a few 

 large lumps of charcoal built in amongst it in the process of 

 potting, and all made fast with a few rough deal pegs. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 

 Where a large quantity of hardy shrubs is annually forced, 

 either to decorate the drawing-room or conservatory, it is not de- 

 sirable to pot a fresh stock each season, as a number of deciduous 

 shrubs — such as Roses, Lilacs, Honeysuckles, &c, may, by 

 proper treatment, be made to bloom for several successive seasons. 

 Select, therefore, the most suitable plants when removed from 

 the houses, and give them some kind of temporary shelter to 

 gradually harden their foliage. Those cramped for pot-room, 

 shift into a Bize larger, pot in rich turfy loam, and towards the 

 middle of next month plunge them in an open situation in order 

 that the wood may be ripe early. These plants from having 

 been previously forced will bloom earlier than the new stock, of 

 which a portion each year should be potted to replace such 

 plants as become useless for further work. Now is a good time 

 to commence with a stock of Begonias for next season's display. 

 As they go out of bloom allow them a short rest in a rat her dry 

 house, when they may be partially disrooted, pruning- in any 

 straggling shoots. Keep them close and syringe frequently, 

 when they will soon commence growing. Abundance of light 

 and a tolerable share of pot-room are necessary to insure fine 

 plants. W. Keane. 



DOINGS OE THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 

 P01-IN the bulk of the Potatoes on dry days, using the ridged- 

 up ground for the purpose, planting the Potatoes in the hollows, 

 and trundling-in the nice mellow soil of the ridges over them, 

 after they had been covered slightly with material from the 

 burnt earth and charring-heap. Placed some of the moBt forward 

 sprung ones on a north border, covered them with leaf mould 

 and then with litter ; to be lifted again when we can find room, 

 and to be placed over a mild heat from tree leaves, as we fear we 

 have not enough of forward ones, and cannot spare a bit of 

 glass or cloth for a fortnight. Those tubers planted in pots 

 are now yielding a nice supply for the table. 



Prepared ground for Onions, Leeks, &c, and for sowing 

 spring vegetable seeds. Would like to have the ground mel- 

 lower and warmer before sowing. In light soils this will be 

 of less importance, and sowing may be proceeded with. Hoed 

 over Asparagus and Sea-kale beds, so as to kill any weeds that 

 might be coming, before giving a dressing of salt. Threw 

 rough ashes, sawdust, and barley awns over Peas and Beans 

 coming up. Will move the Peas shortly to the orchard-house. 

 A row of Tom Thumb in front of one house is looking very 

 strong and sturdy ; but this Pea, though early, has little except 

 its dwarfness and earliness to recommend it. How one of 

 our esteemed coadjutors could sigh after the miserable small 

 Peas that come in first, as the Sangster's and the Frames, and 

 wish for their tasteless produce all the summer through, we cannot 

 imagine ; but, of course, he ought to please himself, and can 

 easily do so by sowing only those small kinds often enough in 

 succession. We think we mentioned long ago that we once were 

 brought to book for sending old Peas to table — considered old 

 because no one had the courage to taste them owing to their 

 size, the Peas being fine specimens of Jeyes' Wonderful, as soft 



as butter in the dog-days, but larger than Charltons when full 

 grown, and then requiring some masticatory powers to fit them 

 for digestion. In most small places an error is made of sowing 

 too thickly. If the Peas were a couple of inches apart the crop 

 would generally be more abundant ; but the mice and the birds 

 are so apt to help themselves, that in self-defence we often sow 

 thicker, but with no great advantage. A magnificent row of 

 Parsley in an orchard-house we must get rid of, as it is not 

 wanted this season. Such a crop would have been worth much 

 in 1861, and most likely we will try the same plan again. The 

 seeds were sown at the end of June close to a row of Dwarf 

 Kidney Beans, then bearing. By the time the Parsley was any 

 size the Beans were removed. Parsley out of doors has needed 

 no protection this season. Some of this Parsley will be stuck in 

 thickly in a border for roots, as those of the common kind answer 

 for stewing, &c, nearly as well as the Hamburgh. Those who 

 save their own seed should now mark-out some of the finest 

 plants having compact curled leaves. 



BET/IT GARDEN. 

 Netted some dwarf Plum trees that were amass of fruit-buds. 

 These trees had been well Byringed with the mixture of water, 

 Boot, lime, and cowdung, and the birds had let them alone until 

 they had it all to themselves dm ing the stillness of laBt Sabbath 

 morning, then they pretty well stripped several of the trees ; and 

 it was not what they ate of the buds, so much as the numbers 

 they nipped-off and threw down in sheer wantonness, that was 

 the most vexing part of the affair. We know that many of the 

 extra advocates of the little birds are bo steeped in philosophic 

 wisdom and endurance, that hardly am thing conceivable could 

 ruffle their mild well-governed spirits ; and yet we think that 

 such sights would be apt to move their choler a little, and that 

 even tuey, if their favourite fruit trees were near to well-kept 

 preserves, would acknowledge that it was possible to have too 

 much of a good thing. 



Finished pruning and nailing Peaches and Apricots out of doors. 

 Find in the latter still traces of the frost of 1860 and 1861, in 

 shoots and branches dying-out in places, and some kinds are not 

 so well covered with bloom-buds as we should have expected. 

 Watered the borders in orchard-houses, and set out and fresh- 

 dressed the surface of trees in pots. Our house is a lean-to, with 

 a walk near the back. We want a trellis of wood or iron for this, 

 but have not obtained it as yet ; but it looms in the future. The 

 walk being formed of a sprinkling of gravel and Band on the 

 surface, with an edging of brick on edge, looks well enough, but 

 it becomes so hard and firm-set, that no water will penetrate ; and 

 when we break it up to give a good soaking, no person careful 

 about his shoes can walk on it for some time afterwards. We 

 incline to think that a cast-iron trellis in pieceB some 9 feet long, 

 and 15 or 18 inches wide, would be the best thing for such a 

 purpose, where neatness and ultimate economy are considered. 

 Our sand-and-gravel path would be the cheapest at first, but if 

 not attended to, the soil beneath is apt to become too dry. In 

 the meantime, having given the space thus covered a good soak- 

 ing with manure water, doing it by degrees, we shall prevent the 

 necessity of breaking-up the path often, by frequent, daily 

 sprinklings on the surface of this pathway part, and that will so 

 far prevent free evaporation from the hard surface. A trellis 

 would allow of air and moisture penetrating freely. 



The trees which are not yet all regulated, and which must now 

 remain so until they are set, are as thick of bloom as they can 

 bear. Had we time we would thin freely, for if a fruit is 

 allowed to remain for thirty or forty -blooms, it will be pretty 

 well enough. Some people like small Peaches for tartlets, and a 

 few may remain for that purpose before the final thinning. We 

 do not know why, but we never knew Nectarines when young 

 used for that purpose ; but many people like Peaches as well as 

 green Apricots. Young Grapes are also very nice, when not 

 larger than small lead shot. When the yo\i:ng berries are as 

 large, or larger than frame Peas, you would require to he on 

 good terms with a grocer to render them palatable. When 

 very young they are free from such extreme acidity. 



Smoked the Peach-houses again for the brown beetle, which 

 came to us last year as no common visitation, and how we cannot 

 say. We went to bed on Saturday night, glad to think that, 

 having been over all the trees and found none, we had succeeded 

 in driving the ugly customer away. We took the opportunity 

 of watering the borders of the house pretty well with chilled 

 water, and then, having well syringed the trees before shutting 

 the house up, we congratulated ourselves that this torment was 



