July 6, li71. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOBTIOULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



prevents the roots entering the Bubsoil to any ir.jatious extent. 

 — (Cottage Gardener, Vol. I., page 88.) 



In planting some hundreds of young fruit tiees last autumn 

 I followed this excellent method in all its most important 

 details ; and as all the stations were surrounded by a firm hard 

 mass of clay, the additional precaution was taken to connect 

 all of them by means of suitable pipes with the garden drains 

 nearest to them. 



In selecting the fruit trees, if the collection is not a large 

 one, it is best to keep to those kinds whose merits are well 

 established, for, if novelties or scarce varieties are sought for, 

 vigorous plants are hardly ever to be had. 



Following this work comes that of prepaiing the garden soil. 

 Whatever be its nature, it should certainly be stirred to a depth 

 of 18 inches or 2 feet, taking care to keep the best soil upper- 

 most and working-in a liberal dressing of manure. There 

 should be no hesitation about the last-named operation, for if 

 the soil is to give some returns quickly it must have liberal 

 treatment. It is very rarely indeed that fresh-stirred soil, when 

 thus devoted to vegetable culture, is not greatly bent filed and 

 improved by a plentiful admixture of some nitrogenous manure. 

 Take, for instance, a poor shallow soil resting upon clay, and 

 from which the nutriment has been absorbed for a long course 

 of years by the roots of forest trees ; when the wood is cleared 

 away the surface is seen to be covered with decayed vegetable 

 matter resulting from the annual fall of leaves. Too much 

 stress should not, however, be laid upon the value of this sub- 

 stance to counterbalance the poverty of the soil, for in such a 

 case, if vegetable culture is attempted without the aid of plenty 

 of good farmyard manure it will result in a miserable failure. 

 When a piece of land is surrounded by a wall, and thus trans- 

 formed into a garden, far greater results are expected from it 

 than before, even if it had been under cultivation, and there- 

 fore vigorous measures must be taken to thoroughly enrich the 

 soil with manure in proportion to its strength and the rtquire- 

 ments of the intended crops. 



Supposing this work to have been done soon enough to bring 

 the soil into tolerable condition during winter, as the plant- 

 ing season arrives, plantations of Asparagus, Sea-kale, Rhubarb, 

 Artichokes, Horseradish, and herbs should be made in propor- 

 tion to the requirements of the family. All these, which may 

 be regarded as permanent crops, must be planted in a deep 

 rich soil. In planting Asparagus I prefer single rows 4 feet 

 apart, with the plants 1 foot from each other in the rows. 

 Strawberry beds should be principally on some of the borders, 

 a_ collection of the best kinds forming an interesting and attrac- 

 tive feature in a garden. 



As the fruit trees planted within the garden walls are hardly 

 ever sufficient to supply all the requirements of a family, an 

 orchard is made near the garden, and yet well away from the 

 dressed grounds. All kinds of fruit required for culinary pur- 

 poses should be grown here, so as to keep most of the choice 

 dessert sorts in the garden. Without specifying particular kinds 

 for orchard culture, it may be stated that there should be a 

 good assortment of cooking Apples, Pears for stewing, and 

 Cherries, Plums, and Quinces for tarts and preserving. Med- 

 lars, Filberts, and Black Currants should also be planted. If a 

 favourable position for such a purpose can be secured behind 

 the north wall it is to be preferred, as then the orchard, soil 

 yard, a space for odd frames and pits, and the sheds and under- 

 gardeners' rooms can all be snugly enclosed with a substantial 

 boarded fence, starting from the wall at the east and west ends, 

 and describing a square or semicircle or any form best suited to 

 the features of the enclosed space, or the surrounding land and 

 trees if there are any. The sheds and garden offices include a 

 tool shed, stokery, fruit room, Mushroom house, store shed for 

 roots, bothy, office, and potting shed ; to these it will be well to 

 add a rough shed for soil, and a workshop for the men, to be 

 used in showery weather. In this building there should be a 

 carpenter's bench and suitable tools for rough carpentry. Where 

 there are no regular carpenters or painters kept for the estate 

 work, there should always be a handy man about the garden, 

 able to do any such odd jobs as glazing and painting, or repair- 

 ing barrows and other things ; it is a serious matter to have to 

 send five or sis miles for a glazier in the forcing season, or at 

 any time for so frivolous a matter as putting in a fresh pane of 

 glass. 



In writing this article, without entering very closely into 

 details, I have striven to enforce the importance of making the 

 garden and all its surroundings of as compact a character as 

 possible, not only for the sake of economising space, but as the 

 basis of real eflSciency ; it being far easier. to manage such a 



garden thoroughly well in every part, than if, as is sometimes 

 the case, the land devoted to the culture of fruit and vegetables 

 consists of two or three separate portions, so far apart from 

 each other as to make the woik of superintendence a very 

 arduous and frtquently most unsatisfactory undertaking. — 

 Edwaed LccEnuEST. 



NEW AND OLD ROSES UNDER TRIAL. 



Lately I gave a list of Roses under trial. Some have not 

 yet given satisfaction, but I will only spetk of successes. 



The following I can highly recommend : — 1, Perfection de 

 Lyon (Duchei) ; 2, Madame Chirard (unkEowri) ; 3, Edward 

 Morren (Granger) ; 4, The Duke of Edinburgh (Messrs. Paul) ; 

 5, Maiquise de Mortemart (Liabaud). The first three are first- 

 rate in every respect. 1 is the finest Rose I have seen for 

 many years ; 2 is quite fit to go with it ; 3 is magnificent and 

 a great improvement on Jules Margottin ; 4 is of a most lovely 

 colour; 5 is not surpassed in delicacy of colour. Its growth, 

 however, is only moderate. 4 is a free giower, but the first 

 three are strong growers, and will long stay in a good cata- 

 logue. These are all I can speak of at present. 



There are some old Eoses that deserve a word of praise — 

 Madame Guinoisseau, pale rose ; Triomphe de Caen, a velvety 

 crimson purple ; Gfiteral Jacqueminot ; Madame Emile Boyau, 

 variable flesh, but often marked like beautiful Madeline. They 

 are moderate growers, abundant and free bloomers, and ad- 

 mirable for bedders. The last two have been overlooked by 

 the " fast coaches." They are beautiful Roses. 



A few words about Souvenir de Poiteau. The blooms of the 

 true sort are very even and smooth in aspect, the colour is 

 a salmon-rose. I have two plants under this name from 

 another firm, but they are Maiie Cirodde, and their blooms 

 are as rough as those described by Mr. Pochin. I cut down 

 twelve plants of Marie Cirodde, a flue grower, on account of its 

 rough aspect, and budded them with the Duke of Edinburgh, 

 which, though very beautiful, has as yet been hardly full 

 enough. Eleven plants survived the winter and are blooming 

 nicely. 



The Eoses are wonderfully fine here, and abundant. Over 

 one thousand people have visited the gardens since AVhit- 

 Tuesday. I allow rich and poor to come when they like. 



I have overlooked a most beautiful white Bourbon, Mar- 

 guerite Bonnet ; it is a good grower, has fine foliage, and wins 

 ladies' hearts. — W. P. Eadclyffe. 



PATIENCE UNDER THE CUCUMBER DISEASE. 



I HAVE grown Cucumbers very extensively for years, but I 

 cannot say that I have been successful all the time, for, like 

 many of my unfortunate neighbours, I thought the Cucumber 

 disease was caused by neglect. As I always adhere to the 

 motto, "Prevention is better than cure," I used every pre- 

 caution to prevent its paying me a visit; but, like many more, 

 I am entirely beaten by it, for it visited me in its very worst 

 form for three years. I am happy, however, to add that it has 

 now entirely disappeared, and I confess that I am as ignorant 

 as to its departure as I was at first of its coming. 



I have grown Cucumbers in the same houses all the time, 

 besides other houses, of which I have made a temporary use, 

 but I am convinced that none of your writers has at present 

 made any correct statement as to its cause or cure. 



Like Mr. E. Fish, on page 271, I find the only plan to adopt 

 is to plant frequently, for I have found the disease generally 

 most affects the old plants. Much has been said as to com- 

 posts, giving air, care of temperature and watering; and atten- 

 tion to all of these, I admit, is very necessary, even where the 

 disease is at present a stranger ; but I have tried every means 

 that could be thought of. I have grown Cucumbers in houses 

 built expiessly for them, in Pine stoves, in vineries; I have 

 also grown them in frames of wood, in brick pits, under hand- 

 lights, and out of doors on beds of leaves — but no matter where, 

 the disease found them out ; soil, ttmjjerature, and situation 

 made no difference. 



My opinion is that, like the Potato disease and the cattle 

 plague, the Cucumber disease will have its course. Besides 

 the three years I had it so badly, it was in all about five years 

 before it entirely left me ; and, from what I have seen, I think 

 that once it makes its appearance at a place, from five to seven 

 years must elapse before it entirely disappears. As to different 

 modes of culture, I have tried all, and my Cucumbers are now 

 flourishing under the same treatment as that I adopted in 1867, 



