382 



JOURNAL OF HORTICtTLTDEB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ I^oTcmber 16, 1871. 



somewhat freely to lessen the chances of their being iajured by 

 heavy gales of wind. Where walks are in good condition but 

 weedy, reoocrse should be had to hand-weeding, for the nse of 

 4he hoe and rake should be avoided at this season as much as 

 possible. These tools do more harm than good by breaking up 

 4he surface, whilst the destruction of weeds is not secured. Those 

 walks which are overrun with Starwort, Liverwort, and the various 

 mosses, had better be dug over with the spade, thereby putting 

 the whole out of sight, and presenting a new surface ; this 

 when rolled down smooth will have a neat appearance for some 

 months. 



GKEEXHOCSE AND COXSEKVATOP.T. 



Guard against damp by giving air freely when the state of 

 the weather permits, and use iire heat only when it is indis- 

 pensable, and then as sparingly as consistent with the safety 

 of the plants. It will probably be necessary to force many 

 plants gently to secure a succession of bloom for the conser- 

 vatory, as few plants will make much progress at this season 

 unless encouraged with more than an ordinary growing tempe- 

 rature. Where forcing must be resorted to, avoid subjecting 

 the plants to a very high temperature, which is very injarious 

 to many things, and causes the flowers to fall much sooner 

 than if the heat were suited to the habit of the plants. Take ad- 

 vantage of unfavourable weather for out-door work to get the 

 foliage of Camellias, Orange trees, &o., thoroughly cleaned, for 

 this is very essential to their health. Look over the plants in 

 the greenhouse frequently, and examine very closely those 

 which are liable to suffer from mildew and damp, such as Lesche- 

 naultias and Boronias, for a short spell of neglect will sometimes 

 result in the disfigurement of a promising plant. Boronias, 

 Leschenaultias, Gompholobiums, &e., are very impatient of 

 exposure to cold drying winds, and if they must be wintered 

 in the same house with the hardier kinds of greenhouse 

 plants, they should occupy a part of it where they will not 

 he exposed to cold draughts, though air must be admitted by 

 the top sashes freely on fine days. Young specimens of Azaleas 

 which have been growing in heat had better be removed to a 

 cool house for a few months. This will cause them to start 

 more freely in spring. Eeep Cinerarias and other softwooded 

 plants clear of green fly, and endeavour to secure stocky speci- 

 mens by affording them sufficient pot room, and admitting 

 fresh air freely whenever the weather allows. Cinerarias are ! 

 rather hable to be attacked by mildew at this season ; if this 

 enemy makes its appearance apply sulphur immediately. — 

 W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST "WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAEDEJJ. 



Oesektation has led us to the conclusion, that in a growing 

 bright moon we have the coldest air in the evening, and in a 

 waning bright moon we have the greatest degree of cold in the 

 morning. In a mild evening, therefore, after the new moon, 

 with a thermometer about 40°, we would not be so particular in 

 giving additional covering or firing to prepare for a frosty 

 morning. On the other hand, with a waning moon, rising 

 from midnight and onwards, and with signs of a falling ther- 

 mometer before dark, we should like to be prepared for the 

 very probable cold of the morning. In such cases, and, perhaps, 

 in others, the greatest cold is often at sunrise or shortly after. 

 We believe that if the direction of the wind, and the state of the 

 atmosphere — cloudy or clear — and even the age of the moon 

 were taken into consideration, some of the evils might be 

 avoided that come from under and over protection and firing. 



CauUfiower. — We have given no protection as yet to the 

 young plants under hand-lights, as we rather like them to have 

 a touch of frost. Fine plants coming in for use, we did not 

 treat in any of the ways alluded to the other week, as we could 

 not well place them under protection. Had we taken them up 

 we could hardly have put them in more thickly than a piece of 

 Veitch's that is coming in. Where the heads are still but half 

 the size we wish them, we find that the lifting of the plants 

 and laying them in, however carefully, has a slight tendency to 

 affect the compactness of the head, and singularly enough 

 plants thus treated have always been more attacked by rats and 

 mice than those standing where they were planted. As we had 

 some long litter to spare, and as the plants were thick, we 

 heaped this up lightly between the rows a little above the 

 flower centre, and then laying a nice Cauliflower leaf across, 

 we put a little hay along the tops. The hay was some rough 

 stuff with leaves and bits of sticks in it, a supply of which is 

 useful on an emergency. By such means we have kept Cauli- 

 flowers, Walcheren Broccoli, and Snow's Broccoli, through 



most of the winter. Of course, the litter remains until the 

 crop is cleared, which is done on a fine day, the rough hay 

 being lifted off the plants and laid in little heaps for future nse. 

 When Cauliflower is planted rather thickly in beds, or on a 

 narrow sloping bank, such covering should often be taken off 

 and replaced, as it will ever be more effectual in proportion to 

 its dryness. Had we at liberty a secure place under glass, such 

 as the floor of an orchard house, we would have raised a lot 

 carefully with balls, with the certainty that they would after- 

 wards require less trouble. The above mode, however, has 

 often answered even in rather sharp winters. The covering 

 the ground and stems with litter in such a ease, is of import- 

 ance, as tending to keep the ground and the roots warm. 



FEUII GARDES. 



We could not move under protection our Strawberry plants 

 in pots, but as they stood in beds we run some litter all round 

 to protect the outside rows of pots, and then covered them over 

 with dry litter. So long as the heat in the ground is prevented 

 from escaping, a very Uttle litter all over the top will prevent 

 the soil being so frozen as to affect the roots. We have thus 

 kept them all the winter, removing the litter from the top of 

 the plants on fine days. They would be still safer from cold if 

 plunged, but then to counterbalance this advantage they are 

 apt to suffer from too much moisture. We would prefer having 

 such pots, especially all those intended for early work, under 

 glass, plunged or unplunged. The latter would not be necessary 

 where there was no artificial heat, it a little covering over the 

 top were given in the severest weather. 



Grapes in the orchard house have neither been so good nor 

 60 well ripened as in previous years, owing to the coldness of 

 the first part of the summer. In most cases mush north of 

 London, Grapes in unheated glass cases will depend much on 

 the sun of the summer. Grapes in a wide late vinery, with 

 two pipes in front, have hardly shown half a dozen of decaying 

 berries. A little artificial heat is, therefore, an advantage where 

 Vines are grown. The Messrs. Lane did wonders in their 

 simple orchard house at Berkhampstead, but they did greater 

 wonders when they took advantage of the hot-water pipes. 

 In the Peach house we pruned, cleaned the front, and resur- 

 faced, so as to get the floor and every available space covered 

 with boxes of bedding plants. The first lot that we consider to 

 be quite safe from damp and frost we will find room for else- 

 where, when we give more heat to the Peaches to bring them 

 on. This we do only because the room is valuable, as the end 

 of this month, and the whole of the next is the most trying 

 time to bedding plants in cold frames or pits, with the excep- 

 tion, perhaps, of Calceolarias, which do better without any 

 artificial heat. 



OKNAITEXTAL DEPAETMEUT. 



When we wrote last week we could have gathered baskets of 

 bloom from the flower beds ; now little can be obtained except 

 some Violets, Salvias, Lupines, Phloxes, and Chrysanthemums. 

 The frost of the week has destroyed nearly everything above- 

 ground. The Ageratums, that eight days ago were a mass of 

 grey flowers, are now in a fit state for retirement. Our scarlet 

 Geraniums, cuttings of the previous September and March, not 

 only bloomed freely, but grew so strong and thick that, though 

 the tops were injured, the plants were perfectly well lower down. 

 We took up a number and put them under cover, in order to 

 pack another lot away as referred to the other week. They 

 will thus suit our purpose as well as those taken up early ; and 

 so long as the plants remain fresh and show a good deal of 

 bloom, it seems undesirable to break the symmetry of the beds. 

 A spring display is much more easily obtained than a stmimer 

 display to be kept up into the winter. In consequence of this 

 latter practice we have several times had the whole flower 

 garden destroyed early in November ; but once, by means of 

 covering with mats, we had a beautiful show of Geraniimis and 

 Calceolarias on Christmas-day. 



We went through the usual routine of potting, watering, and 

 plunging fresh-potted, hardy plants in a mild hotbed to en- 

 courage fresh rooting. A few bulbs we wished to come in 

 early were treated in the same manner, to attract the roots 

 downwards whilst the top of the bulb was kept cool. Scarlet 

 Geraniums in 6 or 8-inch pots that had been prevented bloom- 

 ing much in summer, and were put under glass some five 

 weeks ago, promise to yield a fine crop of flowers when flowers 

 of any kind are scarce. Primulas and Cinerarias also come in 

 useful at this time. We have commenced securing all the 

 most tender plants under glass, where a little heat can be given 

 thom untU the days lengthen ; in the meantime they are sup- 

 plied with some rough protection. — E. F. 



