lOG 



JOURNAL OF HOETICTJLTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ February 9, 1871. 



13 poor and the supply of manure is short. After heavy rains 

 and snow stoims defective drainage -will also be perceptible ; a 

 wet, badly-drained garden gives but poor supplies of vegetables 

 in winter. 



FKUII GAKDEX. 



All pruning and nailing should be brought to a close as the 

 weather will permit. Peaches and Apricots which have been 

 taken from the walls to retard them until they are pruned, 

 should not be left to the force of the wind, but be tied in 

 bunches to the stronger wood till they are to be nailed up per- 

 manently. Emit trees infested with moss should have as 

 much as possible of it scraped off with a blunt knife or piece of 

 iron hoop, and the parts well dusted with fresh lime, or lime- 

 wash may be laid on with a brush. If the glaring appearance 

 is objectionable, a mixture of soot may be given. 



FLOWEE GAEDEX. 



Those who have alterations to accomplish this spring in the 

 way of planting and ground work, must lose no time when we 

 have a favourable change in the weather. In planting large 

 shrubs, it is an excellent practice to half fill the hcles intended 

 -for the plant or tree with the rakings of the pleasure ground ; 

 this imparts to the plants an unusual degree of luxuriance, and 

 of a most enduring character. Look over and correct the general 

 outUnes of ornamental plantations. Break into all hedge-like 

 lines ; form bold recesses where space will admit of it, and 

 endeavour to create variety. The lines of irregular plantations 

 or shrubberies should be corrected in this way at least every 

 three years, as however well they may have been designed 

 originally, the unequal growth of trees will, in some degree, 

 militate against their first intention. Ee-arrange masses of 

 American plants ; some of the more delicate Azaleas are fre- 

 quently overgrown and injured by the grosser Ehododendrons. 

 Biennials may be planted in flower borders or beds. Top- 

 dressing Auriculas should be proceeded with on every favour- 

 able occasion. There are many kinds of manures recommended 

 for top-dressing by different growers, but no manure is found 

 equal to sheep dung, it produces a richness and brilliancy of 

 colour in some varieties that cannot be surpassed — two parts 

 of sheep manure in a very decomposed state, one part rich 

 turfy loam, and one part decayed leaf mould ; to this add a 

 sufficient quantity of silver sand to colour it, and let it be well 

 mixed previous to using. Having selected some of the strongest 

 plants to commence with, proceed to examine them separately; 

 turn each out of the pot in which it has been growing, with 

 the ball of earth entire, to ascertain that the drainage is in 

 proper order, and the earth free from worms and remove an 

 inch of the surface soil from round the neck of the plant; 

 a sharp knife is the proper instrument to perform this 

 operation. Having removed the offsets fill round the neck 

 of the plant with prepared compost, give the pot a gentle 

 stroke on the bench, and a shake at the same time to level 

 the soil. In planting the cfisets it is necessary to divide 

 them into three classes ; those which are strong and well rooted 

 may be potted singly in 60-sized pots ; the weaker kinds that 

 are moderately rooted are much better planted round the edge 

 of the pots; and those with no roots may be planted similarly, 

 but require to be kept in a warmer situation. The compost for 

 offsets should not contain manure of any description, it should 

 be composed of one part turfy loam, one part leaf mould, and 

 one part peat earth, with a small portion of silver sand. In 

 planting offsets without roots be careful to fasten them tightly 

 at the neck ; they strike under hand-glasses much more quickly 

 than in frames. The planting of Ranunculuses should com- 

 mence about the middle of February, as soon as the frost is out 

 of the ground, and the surface in a fit state to rake. The beds 

 must be made perfectly level, and the distance between the 

 rows, 6 inches, should be marked on the wood edge ; the bed is 

 then ready for planting. It is a very important object to insure 

 success in the cultivation of this flower, that the tubers be 

 placed no deeper than 1* inch ; should they be either deeper or 

 shallower a new and smaller one is formed at this depth to the 

 serious injury of the variety. The best instrument to regulate 

 the depth of the drill is a piece of smooth wood rather longer 

 than the width of the bed, 5 or C inches broad, with notches 

 1* inch deep at each end of one of the edges; the back of this 

 board serves for levelling the turfaoe, and by extending the 

 out edge across the bed the rows are marked. Then with a 

 trowel scoop out the soil to the required depth, and to ascertain 

 this press the notched end into the drill till it rests on the 

 «dge3 of the bed ; plant the tubers by pressing them firmly 

 into the soil, taking care not to break any of them, and cover 

 them with the soil taken out of the drill. For strong-growing 



kinds ten tubers in a row are quite enough for a bed i feet wide; 

 twelve or fourteen of the weaker kinds may be planted. 



GREENHOUSE AND COSSEKVATOEY. 



Luoulia gratissima, when it has ceased flowering, should not 

 get much water for a short time ; pick off first the decayed 

 heads of blossom, then cut the parts back moderately if they 

 are loose and straggling, but if of a good shape stop all the 

 shoots at a joint or two according to their strength. Do not 

 venture to cut the plants back if they are not in good health, 

 or without particular caution ; they will probably not again 

 break. Eepot, top-dress, and clean all plants that require such 

 attention ; give air on every possible occasion, and no mora 

 fire heat than is snflicient to expel frost and damp. 



BTOVE. 



Start such plants as Stephanotis, Dipladenias, Gleroden- 

 drons, both young and old plants, and recollect that a genial 

 bottom heat is what they delight in. Do not at present excite 

 Ixoras nor such plants as Franciscea macrophylla, which have 

 set their bloom ; but young plants of all kinds, to make the 

 most of them, must be started immediately. Prepare tan or 

 other fermenting material for renewing the bottom heat towards 

 the beginning of March. Increase the moisture and tempera- 

 ture gradually as the days lengthen. 



PITS AND FE,i3IES. 



Propagate Dahlias by putting them in heat until they break, 

 and then remove the young shoots, each of which should be 

 potted in a small 60 or thumb-pot, and placed on a hotbed 

 which has stood long enough to allow of the escape of the moist 

 heat which would be fatal to the young plants ; the frame 

 should be kept as close as possible, and water given frequently, 

 watching for any appearance of hot steam. — ^W. Kease. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 

 On the 4th of February we lost sight of the snow, and were 

 gladdened with a view of the green turf once more, the thorough 

 disappearance of the white mantle being greatly owing to heavy 

 rains on the preceding day. Altogether the week, up to the 

 4th, has been one of the darkest and mistiest we have seen, and 

 though we have had a good proportion of damp days, the rain- 

 fall as a whole in this neighbourhood has as yet been very 

 deficient, as our reservoirs of water too truly testify. By the 

 6!h inst. we expect the frost will be out of the ground. Even 

 on bare pastures, in many cases the soil is too hard a little 

 beneath the surface to permit of the water from the melted 

 snow passing freely away. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Trenching and digging where pract'oible, and when time 

 could be given, were here the chief work as preparatory for 

 planting and sowing, as most early sowings are none the 

 earlier now, and very early crops, such as Peas and Beans, are 

 considerably injured. Sowings now, and repeated again during 

 the month, will have the advancing sun to help them on. The 

 whole appearance of the kitchen garden testifies to the appro- 

 priateness of the remarks lately as to having a good breadth 

 of the hardier Greens, as they have stood the frost well. 



Cabbages. — It is rather mortifying to read in the articles 

 of coadjutors and contemporaries of the importance of filling up 

 gaps in the main earliest quarters of Cabbages. Oar fine- 

 looking plants stood the first and most severe frosts well, 

 and when the short partial thaw came we thought we wera 

 secure, and rejoiced ; for what is better for an establishment 

 than a fine quarter of early Cabbages ? Now, though we pro- 

 tected them with Laurel branches, we find that the main 

 crops are so much injured as scarcely to be worth keeping and 

 filling up, and beds of young plants are very much injured, so 

 that even young plants will be very scarce. Singularly enough 

 rather small plants of Coleworts, grown chiefly for autumn use, 

 and generally considered more tender than the Cabbages that 

 furnish the first spring supply, have stood when the Cabbages 

 have given way. This applies also to the young plants lefD in 

 the seed-bed. They have wintered better than the supposed 

 hardier kinds. As mentioned lately, those planted on a sloping 

 bank to the north have stood the best of all, and we shall be 

 glad of them, though they will not equal in size the fine fill- 

 basket Cabbages from the main quarters. It will be interesting 

 to know under what circumstances Cabbages have stood best. 

 We suspect that the frost will have done most injury where the 

 soil was richest and stiffest. The lowness and comparative 

 warmth of the position would also aggravate the evU. Owing to 

 altitude alone, we have often wholly escaped when gardens in 



