Novemier 23, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETIGULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEK. 



40 



November, and Dteember. The best pots are 5-inch (-iS'e), for 

 one bulb, and 6 or T-inch (32's and 24'e), for three bulbs. It 

 may be well to add, that three bulbs grown together in one pot 

 produce a much finer effect than single bulbs. If fmaller pots 

 than the above be used, greater care will be necessary in water- 

 ing. The soil used for potting should be as rich as possible, 

 such as one-half fresh loam cut from a pasture with the turf 

 decayed in it, and well-decomposed cow or horse manure, with 

 a small portion of clear sand well intermixed. If this cannot 

 be obtained the lightest and richest soil at hand must be em- 

 ployed. Fill the pots lightly with the prepared compost and 

 place the bulb on the surface, slightly pressing it into the 

 soil. After giving the newly-planted bulbs a liberal watering, 

 set the pots out of doors in a place where perfect drainage ia 

 secured, and cover them with about a foot of old tan, ashes, 

 sawdust, leaf soil, or any other light material. After remain- 

 ing here for a month or five weeks the bulbs will be sufiieiently 

 rooted to render it safe to remove them to a gentle bottom heat 

 of about 55°, introducing the pots in numbers proportionate to 

 the demand, at intervals of about a fortnight. Persons pos- 

 seseitjg no better accommodation for growing plants than a 

 room window, will with ordinary management be able to grow 

 and flower the Hyacinth as well, if not to have bloom as early, 

 as those who can command a gentle bottom heat. A sitting- 

 room window forms a Buitable position for Hyacinths while in 

 bloom, and their beauty will there be longer in fading than in 

 most situations. In no instance should they be removed from 

 a close atmosphere, or suddenly exposed in a sitting-room 

 window until they have been previously hardened in a suitable 

 temperature to withstand cold drying winds. The inexperienced 

 should avoid subjecting the plants to sudden changes at any 

 period of their growth. Where Achimenes and Gloxinias are 

 required to bloom early, a few pots may soon be started by 

 plunging them in a gentle bottom heat. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



Protection is now a matter of importance. A good portion 

 of our bedding plants are in an earth pit under old sashes, and 

 merely protected with litter, and as yet they are all safe, but 

 as soon as we can find room we shall remove them to a place 

 of greater safety for several months. In the kitchen garden 

 vie protected Cauliflowers, Lettuces, and Celery, as worth the 

 labour bestowed, and, provided the weather is cold enough to 

 prevent anything like growth, we do not at all care about un- 

 covering every day. In cold weather the darkness will do little 

 harm if there be no incitement to growth. We have often 

 found that plants covered-up looked as well after a night of 

 three weeks or a month in duration as they would have done 

 after one natural night, but in all such cases there must be no 

 growth. Young Cauliflowers under hand-lights, after having 

 been slightly frosted, were covered up night and day for three 

 weeks or more, and when the weather changed, and the un- 

 covering took place after the ground was thawed, the plants 

 were healthy and fresh. During that lime there had been 

 several hours of fine sunshine, but the air being frosty and 

 keen, it was deemed better to let the plants remain as they 

 were. The excitement from the sun heat, if the plants were 

 exposed to it, would only make them more tender instead of 

 more robust. This rule may be followed safely in cold weather 

 with all comparatively hardy plants that have no artificial heat 

 given to them until the sun's power has considerably increased. 



In addition to placing some long stable litter lightly between 

 the rows of Celery, leaving the centre highest, and the litter 

 coming down over the sides, we have thrown some rough hay 

 and litter over the beds, and sometimes in severe weather the 

 litter has remained for three weeks or a month, with the ex- 

 ception of breaking and turning it. When uncovered on the 

 change of the weather the Celery foliage looked almost as green 

 as it did in October. In all such oases you must first get your 

 plants cool before yon cover them. 



Where artificial heat is given either by means of a hotbed 

 or hot-water pipes, so as to stimulate growth or elongation, 

 continuous covering would be ruinous. In such cases all 

 the light compatible with the necessary degree of heat must 

 be given to keep the plant healthy. We regret that we cannot 

 make this sufiieiently clear to some. One gentleman who saw 

 fit for use a bed of Lettuces and Endive that had been covered 

 in severe weather, thought he might effect a great saving by 

 thus treating a bed of early Cucumbers — judge with what result. 

 We have frequently seen a bed of Cauliflowers and early Broc- 

 coli with heads not larger than walnuts, covered-up in severe 



weather for three weeks and then swelling the heads and doing 

 well. Such heads covered-up in a temperature of from 45° to 

 50° would have become a mass of rottenness. The advisability 

 of continued covering at this season in cold weather depends 

 on the coolness of the plant protected, a coolness so great that 

 there shall be no incentive to fresh growth or elongation. Let 

 this be thoroughly understood, and in severe weather many an 

 hour of covering and uncovering may be spared. In prolonged 

 severe weather the little sun that appeared would be better 

 kept out. Under hand-lights we have had Cauliflower plants 

 in December and January in severe weather, part uncovered 

 every day to get what little sun was to be had, and the other 

 part shut out from light for fully three weeks, after being cooled 

 or very slightly frosted, and almost uniformly the last re- 

 ferred to turned out the best — first in cutting, and first in 

 luxuriance as the days lengthened. The coolness before cover- 

 ing is the secret. 



Of course there are exceptions. We have referred to bedding 

 plants still out of doors under old sashes. As we had not too 

 much litter to spare, and as we did not like to risk freezing 

 them a little if we could avoid it, we removed the covering on 

 the sunny day of the lS!h inst., so that the sun should warm 

 the interior, covering up as soon as the sun left them. By 

 shutting in the sun heat less covering would be necessary to- 

 keep out frost ; but the plan must not be often repeated, or 

 the plants would suffer. 



We have alluded above to turning over the litter. This 

 should be done frequently in severe weather, when the litter is 

 scarce. For this object hay and fine straw are the best of all 

 protection, as they are so easily moved ; and as often as the 

 surface is broken the frost must begin its work anew, as every 

 turning breaks the line of radiation. In a severe morning we 

 have freqnenftly had the covering of our cold pits and frames 

 shaken over at daybreak, and have thus prevented frost pene- 

 trating in the keenest hours of the twenty-four. 



With abundance of hot water much of this care may cease to 

 be necessary, but even then a little covering will greatly con- 

 duce to health and safety in many cases. For instance, in 

 growing Cucumbers in winter there is no diffionUy in obtaining 

 enough of heat from hot water if the piping is sufficient, and 

 just as little clifSeulty in obtaining by evaporating pans as 

 much atmospheric moisture as will be necessary now — and that 

 should be rather at its minimum at this dark season of the 

 year — nevertheless, in all houses or pits which could be partially 

 covered with a cloth or mats in severe weather at night, and 

 say to 7 or 8 a.m., there will alike be an economy of fuel and 

 better conditions for the health of the plants, if free radia- 

 tion from the glass be arrested, and consequently a free con- 

 densation of moisture on the glass to drop all over the leaves 

 of the plants just when it ia least desirable. We know how 

 much of this could be averted by having grooved sashbars ; yet 

 notwithstanding their importance, how seldom is it that even 

 the first gardeners are able to introduce them into practice. 

 Too many are glad to secure a covering of glass, though not 

 done at all in the way their experience would suggest as the 

 best. 



Broccoli. — We shall take the first opportunity to lay down 

 the general crop, and the more the plants are inclined, without 

 injuring the roots, the better. For this purpose a little earth 

 should be removed from one side of the plant, the stem bent 

 down to the opening, and earth taken from the other side to 

 place over the stem, thus also preparing for the next plant. 

 The advantage of this treatment is, that the centre of the 

 plant where the flower-head is produced, instead of being ex- 

 posed to free radiation, is protected by the leaves of the plant 

 overlapping it. As when a plant is frosted much depends on 

 gradual thawing, it is best to turn the heads, when inclining 

 them, to the north, and the next best is to turn them to the 

 west instead of the east. When wa have grown two rows oS 

 Broccoli between rows of Peas, instead of laying down the 

 Broccoli we have dug a trench where the Peas stood and 

 earthed-up the Broccoli like Celery ; and, on the whole, in 

 favourable winters these plants produced larger heads than 

 those laid down, but in severe weather they would have scarcely 

 escaped unless the centres had been protected. r" 



Securing Plants from Frost. — There are endless inquiries, to 

 which we must here only allude, as- tending to the safety o£ 

 plants where there is the most limited convenience. For 

 window plants nothing is better than the window, after the 

 room is heated to dispel the frost. When the room is dry from 

 fires, a little sponging and sprinkling at midday will be of great 

 assistance. In severe nights the plants will be safest in the 



