AngoBt 17, 1S71. ] 



JOTJENAL OF HOETICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



127 



fine syringe or a fine-rosed watering-pot, and giving enough to 

 moisten the whole of the foliage. Go over the heds frequently 

 and remedy any defect that may be perceptible without loss of 

 time, for the bedding-out plants are enjoyed but for a compara- 

 tively short season, and now that they are in full beauty every 

 means should be used to render them as enjoyable as possible, 

 by maintaining the most perfect order and neatness. When 

 the stock is clean and growing vigorously this will involve con- 

 siderable labour, as it will be necessary to go over the beds 

 frequently, pegging down when necessary, removing decayed 

 flowers, and cutting back such of the shoots as may incline to 

 encroach upon the edgings of the beds. Keep herbaceous 

 plants neatly tied up, and cut off the flower stems of any that 

 are becoming unsightly. Take advantage of every spare hour 

 to put in cuttings, and use all possible dispatch with this work 

 until there is in a fair way of rooting a good slock of such 

 plants as are known to be difficult to winter, except when well 

 established. Keep climbers on walls within due limits. Pro- 

 pagate Hollyhocks by cuttings. Mark good seedlings, digging 

 up all single and semi-double varieties. Take off the tops of 

 seedling spikes it not already done ; it throws strength into 

 the remaining flowers, and encourages the formation and 

 growth of the seed. Should hot weather continue, take care 

 that newly-formed beds of Pinks and Pansies do not suffer 

 from drought. Prick out seedling Pansies on well-prepared 

 beds. Carnations and Picotees thould be layered. Gentle 

 waterings will be required, and the pots must be kept free from 

 weeds ; pull out decayed petals from those calyxes where seed- 

 pods are forming, otherwise wet will lodge and the seed perish. 

 Prepare the Tulip bed by frequent turnings ; add, if required, 

 fresh compost ; avoid dung. 



GKEENHOUSE AND CONSEKVATOKT. 



Eepairs, painting, the examination of all flues, furnaces, 

 pipes, and hot-water apparatus, should at once take place; the 

 interior of the glass and woodwork should also be well washed 

 and cleaned with hot water and soft soap ; and the walls, &c., 

 should have a couple of good coats of lime whitewash, made 

 from strong newly-burned lime, with a good supply of sulphur 

 vivum added, and every corner and crevice should be well 

 washed with the above mixture. A wholesome structure for 

 the reception of the plants will be thus secured. What is 

 there that has a more negligent unwholesome appearance than 

 dust and cobwebs, green walls, and dirty woodwork and glass? 

 Let these matters be at once looked to, and thorough cleanli- 

 ness be secured at this the most convenient season. The usual 

 quantity for a season's supply of the kinds of soil used in 

 potting should be laid-in as soon as convenient, and before the 

 ground becomes sodden with the autumn rains, for even turfy 

 Boil should not be carted and stacked-up when saturated with 

 water. The soil should be neatly put up in narrow ridges so 

 as to be safe from wet, and exposed as much as possible to the 

 action of the air. As success in plant-growing very much 

 depends upon having suitable soil for potting, no trouble nor 

 expense that may be necessary to procure this should be spared 

 when well-grown specimens are expected. Loam of a mo- 

 derately good quality may be secured in most neighbourhoods, 

 but good peat is not to be obtained in many localities. This is 

 absolutely necessary, however, for the growth of choice hard- 

 wooded plants, and should be procured at the proper season, 

 so as to have it in a fit state for use when wanted ; for nothing 

 is more disheartening to gardeners, nor worse economy on the 

 part of employers, than being without suitable soil "in a fit 

 state to use for potting plants at the proper time. Plants in- 

 tended to flower under glass during autumn and winter must 

 now be looked to. Let the stock of Begonias have another 

 shift if not already in pots suificiently large. Keep the plants 

 thin, that their foliage may be kept from injury. Attend to 

 Chrysanthemums ; water freely with liquid manure. Good 

 specimens should be aimed at rather than a few fine blooms. 

 The potting of the Hyacinths, Narcissus, &c., for forcing must 

 soon occupy attention ; about equal portions of good fibrous 

 loam and decayed leaf mould, with silver sand, will be the best 

 soil for them if for forcing, but well-decomposed cow dung 

 must be substituted for the leaf mould when the bulbs are in- 

 tended for late blooming. After potting place them on a dry 

 bottom and cover the pota 2 or 3 inches deep with old tan or 

 ashes, preserving them at the same time as much as possible 

 from heavy rains. Under this treatment they will fill their 

 pots with roots, and will be in readiness for forcing when 

 wanted, 



STOVE. 



Plants flowering in the eonservatory will require attention to 



prevent their being injured by damp, especially Achimenes 

 and Clerodendrons, which should be gone over every day in 

 cloudy weather, carefully picking oft decayed flowers, &a. Any 

 of the twiners on the roof which have done flowering may be 

 thinned out so as to prevent shading the house too much, for 

 after this season permanent shade should be avoided as much 

 as possible. Apply fires but moderately, and that, too, prin- 

 cipally in the morning, at the same time taking the advantage 

 of admitting abundance of air. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAEDEN. 



At last, and rather suddenly, we have something like s 

 tropical climate, which has produced wonders after a rather 

 cold, dripping summer. The vast yield of hay will make up 

 in some measure for the way in which much of it was drenched 

 and washed before being housed. The few days of bright sun 

 have made a wonderful change in our corn fields and Turnip 

 crops. The fields are whitening beautifully, and now, we should 

 say, the Turnips have escaped the bane of mildew. On the- 

 whole we never recollect such a promising appearance of corn 

 and root crops. 



Celery. — With all the rains ours on the whole is stouter, but 

 hardly so long as usual. We have just given it a good watering 

 with sewage, and then followed overhead with clean water from 

 the rose, as the leaves are rather sensitive to sewage. We 

 earthed up a piece for early use, as we find we could not go on- 

 from July as we used to do, and therefore send it in later. 

 The watered part we will examine for suckers, on the first fine 

 day tie up the most forward plants, and scatter some fine soil 

 from the sides to encourage rooting and to keep the moisture in. 

 We mention this watering chiefly for the purpose of putting 

 the less experienced on their guard. When Celery is grown, as 

 ours is, in beds, the rains have a much better chance to tell on 

 the roots ; but even ours were much drier than we expected 

 when we tried the soil with our fingers and dug down with a 

 knife and stick. When Celery is grown in single rows the rains 

 are very apt to be thrown off by the large leaves, and the roots- 

 do not receive their fair proportion. We have several com- 

 plaints before us of Celery running and bolting, and the wonder 

 is expressed that such should take place in a moist season. 

 We should say that the bolting is greatly owing to the dripping 

 season, and chiefly because it is so apt to beget in us a confi- 

 dence and security which otherwise we should not feel. For 

 such a ditch plant we should never disdain to try the ground 

 about the roots with our fingers. Many a fine pot plant might 

 have escaped bad health and shortened existence if it were 

 ascertained that the soil was damp throughout instead of for 

 an inch or so at the surface. We have known fine broad Cauli- 

 flower plants flagging in bright sun after a heavy rain, because 

 the large slate-sized foliage carried the bulk of the rain away 

 from the chief mass of roots, and that which was thus thrown 

 off had sunk into the ground without reaching them. We 

 noticed lately that some Cauliflowers were dry at the roots not- 

 withstanding the rains ; and so with the Celery. We have 

 for years had scarcely a single bolted head. We see no appear- 

 ance of any as yet, and if any do come we shall blame some 

 time when the roots were extra dry independently of the rains. 



Watering. — The change in the weather has rendered this- 

 necessary in many cases, as it is amazing how quickly a few 

 days' powerful sun dry up the ground. The farmer can take 

 his ease, whilst the gardener suffers, and must exercise care and 

 anxiety every day. In the one case the crops have been com- 

 mitted to the soil, and have taken hold of it so as to sustain 

 themselves in any weather ; in the other ease, constant succu- 

 lent successions are wanted, and therefore there is need of 

 shading, of sprinkling, and of good waterings to keep all going 

 on, so as to have no breaks in the supply. In watering grow- 

 ing crops, as Celery, &c., it is best to water thoroughly, and 

 shortly afterwards to spread a scattering of dry soil over the 

 surface to keep the moisture in. In sowing in such burning 

 weather seeds of Lettuces, Cabbages, Onions, &c., if thickly 

 broadcast, it is best to dig, tread, and rake the ground ready 

 for the seeds, then level, sow; and slightly pat them down with 

 the back of a clean spade, covering all over with a sprinkling, 

 say from one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch, of dry riddled 

 soil. The dry covering will keep the moisture in, and the 

 seedlings will come through healthy and strong. 



FEUIT DEPAKTMENT. 



Besides attending to trees, washing late Cherry and Plnm- 

 trees, potting Strawberry plants for forcing— all of which 



