Jnly 20, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



to see them covered with flowers, but I can gaze with lasting 

 delight upon the olasaio form of a Warwick or other elegant- 

 shaped vase, which heightens, by contrast, the beauty of the 

 flowers which it contains. 



GKEENHOnSE AND CONSEKTATOKT. 



The Camellia plants that are now out of doors should be 

 liberally washed with the engine, using clear water. The soil 

 should be examined in due time to discover its actual state and 

 that of the roots. Those that require it should be surfaced 

 with good, healthy, rough soil, charcoal, flints or rubbly stones, 

 removing all unkindly soil about the edge of the pots or tubs. 

 The buds of the early-flowering plants should be thinned in 

 due time, and in doing this it is necessary to take care to choose 

 for blossoming only the most healthy, strong, and prominent 

 buds. The conservatory will now be principally occupied with 

 the border specimens and a few of the choicest stove and green- 

 house plants, with an occasional contribution from the Orchid 

 house, because, as the flower garden should now be gay, it is 

 less necessary to crowd flowers into this house ; therefore trust 

 rather to rarity and superior cultivation for esciiiog at'ention 

 at this season than to glaring masses of common plants. The 

 specimens in the borders must be attended to with water, and 

 a good soaking of liquid manure in a clear and weak state will 

 now be very beneficial. Climbers must also be neatly trained, 

 and every pait of the plant houses, vases, &e., be kept as clean 

 as possible. Give plenty of air both night and day, but if the 

 house contain many tender stove plants shut it up for an hour 

 in the evening, llany of the stove plants in some establi^h- 

 ments will now be occupying the greenhouse while the regular 

 occupants are in the open air ; but as many greenhouse plants, 

 such as Eriostemons, Chorozema Henchmanni, Boronias of 

 various kinds, and late-blooming Croweas, require the aid of 

 a little heat to insure their making a good growth, they may 

 be kept in the house with the stove plants, regulating the tem- 

 perature so as to be supportable to all plants. Keep a moist 

 atmosphere, especially towards the evening, and shut up for an 

 hour or two about the time the snn leaves the house. The 

 greenhouse specimens in the open air will also require atten- 

 tion. Pimelea spectabilis must be cut in pretty cldsely. Dill- 

 wynias will require to have the straggling shoots cut in, espe- 

 cially such as clavata, rudis, and junipetina. Chorozemas must 

 also be shortened back, and Daviesia latifolia should have the 

 old blooming wood removed to encourage the young growth as 

 much as possible. Boronia serrulata and pinnata should be 

 stopped boldly back, and be kept in gentle heat to start them 

 into lull growth. Keep a look-out for mildew, and as preven- 

 tion is better than cure, dust them occasionally with sulphur 

 after syringing them. Plants of Aphelexis of all binds, the 

 flowers of which are beginning to fade, must be attended to, 

 cutting the flower stems close ofi at the base, and stoppirg the 

 leading branches if the plants are growing loosely. When the 

 plants begin to make fresh growth encourage them with a little 

 manure water, and the same may be done with all the plants 

 previously noticed under this head. 



STOTE, 



As many of the principal plants of this house will now be in 

 the conservatory, advantage must be taken of their absence to 

 encourage the subjects for winter blooming, especially such as 

 Justicias, Eranthemums, Begonias, Aphelandras, Euphorbias, 

 &a. ; and a batch of Acbimenes picta and Gesnera zebrina must 

 be started for the same purpose. Plants of Stephanotis done 

 blooming, must be set iti the full sun and in an airy place 

 to ripen the wood ; and Clerodendron splendens and late plants 

 of the other kinds must also be encouraged. Rondeletia spe- 

 ciosa is an excellent winter plant where sufficient heat can be 

 afforded ; and Torenia asiatica and Pentas carnea, especially 

 the latter, are desirable plants. If not already done, Luculia 

 gratissima and Pinciana must be placed in a sheltered corner 

 in the open air to ripen the wood and set the bloom. Never 

 mind the leaves turning brown, they will soon recover that 

 when placed in heat again. Maintain a moist growing heat 

 with plenty of air, and guard against insects. 



SIOEE PIT. 



See well to the selection of good varieties of Primula sinensis 

 as they show flower ; encourage their growth by giving them a 

 liberal shift as soon as they are proved. See that the Cinerarias 

 and Calceolarias are standing in a cool shady place. The Cal- 

 ceolarias should be top-dressed as soon as they begin to make 

 growth, to encourage the young stock. A quantity of stocky 

 plants of the Boarlet and yariegated Geraniums, Heliotropes, 



late-struck Fuchsias, &c., should be duly encouraged for late 

 autumn flowering. 



EOKaXG PEAIIES. 



These structures should now be producing for the coneervE- 

 tory and mixed greenhouse an abundance of well-grown Cockt- 

 combs. Balsams, Globe Amaranths, Thunbergias, Gloxinias, 

 Acbimenes, and a host of other articles. The growth of speci- 

 men Fuchsias should be encouraged, also that of late-floweiirg 

 Pelargoniums, the Japan Lilies, Erythrina Crista-ga li, chitc- 

 ney Campanulas, &c. ; these will maintain a display. Guernsey 

 Lilies should be ordered in due time ; these are remarkably 

 pretty and useful autumn-flowering plants. — W. Kease. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK 



KITCHEN G4EDEN. 



We planted out beds of Celery after nipping out every sucker, 

 and let the most forward beds alone, except one little piece- 

 wbioh had been assisted for a time with glass, and which ht& 

 been earthed up. We have no faith in earthing-up our first 

 main crops more than three weeks or so before we send tie 

 produce to table. We feel a little mortified at one thing — pait 

 of a bed had glass protection for a time, and when planted out 

 the plants at one end stood 4 inches higher than the rest of the 

 bed which had been less kindly treated. Of course, we meaLt 

 the moBt forward part to come in first, hut now on looking over- 

 the bed it would be difficult to say which is the forward part,, 

 and which the later, the whole looks so uniform. Both were 

 treated alike, and planted out after due and full exposure. 

 How is it, then, that the last have so quickly overtaken the 

 first ? There are many of these simple matters which the mott 

 clever among us cannot understand, and it is a good point 

 gained when we can confess our ignorance, for the feeling of 

 ignorance is.the first step that must be taken in acquiring true 

 knowledge. We have for many years noticed that Celery 

 always grows most rapidly some eight weeks after the sun has 

 passed his greatest altitude, and even then when a partial Ehad& 

 is given. Oar beds run north and south, and have had a 

 flickering shade hitherto, from heavily-cropped early Peas on 

 the top of the ridges between the beds. These Peas are of no 

 use to us now for the best table, but they come in for pea soup, 

 and the servants' hall, where they are liked quite as well 

 when they have a little " bone in them," and are not indivi-. 

 dually so easily squeezed into a jelly between the thumb and 

 finger. We shall leave them standing a little longer, and as 

 long as they can help us in the above direction, as we espe- 

 cially value them for the little shade they give. 



We staked the last sowing but one of Peas, and run cord& 

 beyond the sticks along the sides of luxuriant rows, which 

 were likely to be broken, and which, perhaps, would not have 

 been so had if the sticks had been put in as we wished — a> 

 rather difficult thing to get done, for there will ever be a dis- 

 position to bring the sticks toge'her in a sharp point at the top,, 

 or even to make them cross each other, instead of each row of- 

 sticks standing \ / obliquely outwards from the row, like- 

 an open vessel — \__„/ In the latter case he Peas have room 

 within the sticks lo ramble, and yet are protected. In the other 

 they come out beyond the siicks, and are liable to be snapped 

 and broken by every brisk breeze. May we ask some of oui" 

 readers, " How they gather Pea pods fit for use ? " Some time 

 ago we felt as if our hair would have lifted oiJourhat at seeing 

 a man making the pods come to him by a pull of sheer 

 strength, thus either loosening or pulling up the Pea plant, 

 and doing his best to prevent the other younger pods on the 

 stem swelling and maturing. There is no quicker, safer, nor 

 more workmanlike way of gathering Peas than taking a small 

 sharp-pointed knife in your hand, and nipping the stalk of 

 the pod in two between the blade and thumb. This will cause 

 no injury whatever to the Pea plant. 



We sowed Lettuce, Endive, Turnips, Radishes, and Onions 

 for salads, and as successions. A little more thinning was also 

 deemed necessary in the main spring beds of Onions, especially 

 the later-sown. If we had the chance we would now mulch 

 and manure Asparagus, so as to have it strong next year. 



EBTJIT GARDEN. 



We have layered many Strawberry runners, and will most 

 likely prick out a lot in beds, to be raised for potting andplant- 

 ing. We have had some fine Strawberries out of doors, but 

 not at all equal in quantity to the crop in most years. Our 

 Peach trees out of doors are becoming worse and worse, the 

 wood giving way even after the fruit had swelled considerably. 

 We attribute it entirely to the keen frost of winter, the sudden 



