284 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB, 



[ October 12, 1871. 



whole, the season has been far beyond the average for all 

 departments of gardening. 



KITCHEN GAEDEN. 



Glass Frotections. — We planted out more Cabbages, and but 

 for the rains rendering the ground clayey we should have had 

 our most forward Cauliflowers planted out tinder old hand- 

 glasses. Having these we use them, though battered and 

 broken at the sides, and we hardly think them worth mending, 

 except as regards the tops, which we keep whole ; but we almost 

 despair of keeping the sides right, there seems to be such an 

 attraction between them and the points of forks and the points 

 of the shoes of the men. We should greatly prefer stout 

 wooden boxes, tarred at bottom or set on narrow slips of slate 

 or tiles — boxes say 7 inches deep and from 18 to 24 inches 

 square, with a moveable glass top. We have little difliculty in 

 keeping the tops whole, but so much do the sides of metal 

 iiand-lights suffer with us, that some time ago in bad weather 

 we removed the broken squares at the sides and replaced them 

 with squares of old zinc which had been removed from a build- 

 ing. Among all the new inventions we should be satisfied 

 with the bos of wood and the top of glass. That top might be 

 a little span, or it might be a single square of glass of the re- 

 quisite size in a frame. The little box might be lower on the 

 south side, so as to resemble a miniature garden frame ; but 

 where simplicity and economy are to be combined, we should 

 •make the box square all round, say 7 inches deep, and then by 

 raising one side, say with a couple of bricks, we could give the 

 fall any way we chose. For such work out of doors, for pro- 

 pagating in-doors, for retaining greater heat among small plants 

 and cuttings in houses, where it might be necessary to have 

 "the atmosphere of the house drier and colder, we know of no 

 plan more simple than such wooden boxes from IS to 24 inches 

 square, with a moveable glass top laid over them. In the case 

 of tender cuttings under glass in a pit or house, if there should 

 be any danger from damp from the condensed moisture on the 

 tinder side of the glass, one need have no trouble with wiping 

 and drying; all that will be required will be to lift the glass top 

 and put the upper dry side undermost. 



Neatness. — It is necessary to keep this in view, more espe- 

 ■aially at the present season. All decaying vegetables and 

 masses of weeds are peculiarly depressing to the spirits at this 

 season of the year. Amongst cottagers a little slovenliness is 

 excusable during the harvest months, when generally all 

 •hands, large and small, are busily engaged. But when they 

 are past the desire to have everything neat and clean, and all 

 decaying matter and weeds placed where they shall contribute 

 to future fertility instead of malaria, should be practically 

 developed. How often have we noticed cottage gardens, and 

 all about and outside the cottage, as neat as neat could be in 

 April, May, and June, and onwards, and yet presenting a most 

 dreary aspect in the months of September and October ; rotting 

 ■Cabbage leaves, weltering Potato tops, and decaying Bean 

 Btalks and Pea haulm tainting the air; whilst grass and rank 

 weeds made almost impassable the pathway up to the house 

 door, that was so clean and neat in May. No doubt the waning 

 year has a great effect upon us all, but such results should be 

 guarded against. We had intended long before now to have 

 said something of the specialities of the 



Woburn Cottagers' Horticultural Shoii} the finest we ever 

 saw, and the interest may be judged from the fact that there 

 were above 1300 entries for competition, besides what was kindly 

 sent for observation. We may be permitted here just to men- 

 tion one of the peculiarities of this well-managed Cottagers' 

 Society, and that is not merely the rewards given for the best- 

 oultivated gardens and allotments, and the giving these awards 

 to different districts in rotation ; but the most excellent plan 

 adopted by the Judges of going several times during the season, 

 and, we believe, without notice, to examine and note down the 

 peculiarities of culture and management of each competitor. 

 "We do not know when the year of competition commences, but 

 as the show is generally held about July, it would be well that 

 the year of competition should begin in the autumn months. 

 We feel confident that such visits then would tend to do away 

 with the autumnal slovenliness observable not only in cottage 

 gardens, but also, we fear, not at all rare in many of our gar- 

 dens where a regular gardener is kept. 



Onions and Eolation of Crops. — Even in the wet week we 

 could not find time to string or house our Onions, but we 

 placed them all under the protection of lights, &c., before the 

 wet weather set in. There is no bettor mode of keeping them 

 than stringing them according to their sizes, and not making 

 the strings too long. Provided the Onions are kept dry, as 



against the walls of an open shed, we have never seen them 

 injured by frost. When thus hung up in the dry we would re- 

 move nothing from them, not a bit of the loose covering of the 

 bulb ; that is easily done before taking them to the kitchen. 

 Many cottagers might keep their Onions much longer and 

 sounder than they do if they could only be convinced that they 

 would be perfectly sale, though very cool, if dry. This is so 

 far important, as a sound Onion is often a great help to the 

 labourer who must partake of his cold dinner in the open field. 



Our Onions have been very fair, but not so large as we ex- 

 pected. Owing to the changes of the weather they stood still, 

 and the tops of the flags were discoloured too early. Still we 

 have a fine crop of good-sized bulbs, and in excellent condition. 

 Lately we saw a fine quarter of equal-sized Onions at Luton 

 Hoo. They were not like imported Onions, but throughout the 

 large quarter the bulbs would average from 12 to 13 inches in 

 circumference. We notice this chiefly from the fact that, so 

 far as we recollect, this was the second if not third year for 

 Onions on the same spot ; and if we are not mistaken, Mr. 

 Cadger told us that one of his old masters had grown Onions 

 on the same ground for a number of years, and that the last 

 year's crop was always the best — that is, superior to that which 

 preceded it. This of course is contrary to the generally re- 

 ceived ideas of the rotation of crops, but we have met with 

 many instances in our own practice where the succession 

 for two or three years of the same crop was attended with an 

 advantage rather than a disadvantage. We think the rotation 

 system is of most importance where there is a scarcity of garden 

 ground, and more especially as it is only in the case of a few 

 crops that we can be satisfied with one crop in the year ; still 

 it would be of importance to know well-authenticated eases 

 where the same ground produced similar annual crops year 

 after year without showing the least deterioration in their 

 quality or quantity. 



It is a singular fact, but no less a fact, that some of the 

 oldest and most experienced are those who are the least stereo- 

 typed in their ideas as to rotation of cropping. We have 

 vividly in our recollection just now a border in a kitchen 

 garden which for from twenty to thirty years, and under the 

 management of some six or seven successive gardeners, has 

 been always planted with Brussels Sprouts, the young crop 

 being soon planted after the other is done with. The pre- 

 sent gardener told us he had the border well trenched and 

 manured, and the crop was, if anything, better, though we 

 believe it was always a most serviceable border. He also 

 stated, what we knew to be a fact, that as it had borne Brussels 

 Sprouts so well for so many years, he thought he might as well 

 continue the practice, as the border was so situated that he 

 could hardly use it for anything but such winter and spring 

 vegetables. 



FKUIT GAEDEN. 



We must refer to what has been lately said of gathering 

 fruit, &e., and especially the earlier kinds, before fully ripe, so 

 as to escape many enemies. The drenching weather inter- 

 fered with the flavour of Peaches, &c., and it was a great 

 annoyance to find a hole picked in a fine Peach or Pear, so 

 that it could not be sent to table, and could only be cooked. 

 Where other protective means cannot be tried much may be 

 done by gathering before the fruit is fully ripe, and giving it a 

 little help artificially. For instance, from one espalier tree 

 well loaded we have still some dozens of the Williams's Bon 

 Chietien Pear as hard as fresh-lifted Potatoes ; but from that 

 tree we have sent in dishes from the first week in September 

 by selecting theforwardest, time after time, and giving them a 

 little artificial heat. The fruit, so treated will not keep long, and 

 therefore only as many should be made ready at a time as will 

 meet the demand. We often treat Marie Louise and other fine 

 Pears in the same way, and late Peaches in a cold wet season 

 may thus be earlier sent in good condition to table ; and while 

 rather hard insects, &o., trouble them less. 



OENAMENTAL DEPAETMENT. 



We have already alluded to the flower garden. With a week 

 of fine weather there would still be a fine second summer show. 

 It is well to pick away all dead blooms to keep ourselves from 

 melancholy musings. Notwithstanding the greater exposure to 

 the wind, plants in vases have suffered less from the wet than 

 those on the ground. A late show of flowers will depend en- 

 tirely on warmth and the coaxing rays of a bright sun. There 

 are myriads of trusses and blooms jnst waiting for such an 

 enticement to display their colours. 



We have rarely had all the Scarlet section of Geraniums 

 better than this season, and we have fallen back on a number 



