February 16, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTTJEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



125 



due time shonld be prepared ; it may consist of the following 

 ingredients— viz., one-half of tu% loam, one-fourth of manure 

 reduced to the state of fine mould (cow dung is to bs preferred), 

 and one-fourth of coaree gritty sand, which may be road or 

 river sand. Even small stones may be allowed for draiaage, 

 •when the necessary waterings need give rise to no unpleasant 

 apprehensions. 



GEEENHOnSE AND CONSEKVATOKY. 



Young plants of Allamandas, Clerodendrone, Torenias, and 

 many other subjects, if encouraged with a httle bottom heat 

 and favourable circumstances, will form useful specimens in a 

 few months, and large masses of Stalioes, than which few 

 plants are more serviceable, will under good treatment be ob- 

 tained in a short time. The showy Impatiens Jerdonia^ should 

 also be encouraged by every possible means to make wood, and 

 let it be propagated as quickly and freely as possible, for it is 

 Tery useful for autumn decoration. The dwarf Heliotropes, 

 where sweet-scented flowers are in request, will likewise be 

 found useful for blooming under glass. In fact, where the 

 Stock in hand is deficient, as it will be inmany places after so 

 severe a winter, not a day should be lost in making every pos- 

 sible efiort to provide for what is likely to be wanted. Pelar- 

 goniums should be duly attended to in respect to staking and 

 tying out the branches, so as to induce them to form handsome 

 specimens. They will bear repotting the moment blossom- 

 buds are formed at the ends of the shoots. Tender annuals, as 

 Balsams, Cockscombs, &c., may now be sown. They succeed 

 best in a frame, on a gentle bottom heat furnished by means 

 of fermenting materials. Although heat is indispensable for 

 raising these, it is not necessary for flowering them ; indeed, 

 most of them would bloom more beautifully if planted out in 

 June in a warm, sheltered part of the garden, than if treated 

 as greenhouse plants. Continue occasional sowings till the 

 end of April in pans placed close to the glass, in a temperature 

 of from 60° to 65°, keeping the soil moist, and shading it from 

 bright sunshine. Care must be exercised to prevent the young 

 plants from damping-off or being drawn up through want of 

 air. As soon as they can be handled prick them off singly in 

 small pots, or place three round the edge of a 4-inch pot, 

 plunging them in a gentle heat till they can be safely trusted 

 in the open borders ; or they may be pricked out in rows on a 

 spent hotbed, shading carefully, and giving plenty of air when 

 the weather will permit. To secure fine plants and a pro- 

 fusion of bloom it is of the greatest importance to sow early. 

 Attend carefally to the stock of bedding plants, and pot off 

 rooted cuttings as soon as they are in a fit state for that pur- i 

 pose; Encourage them with a gentle bottom heat and careful ' 

 management, to make quick growth, for after this season there 

 is no time to be lost with young stock. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 

 AriEE close sloppy weather we were again visited with a 

 sharp black frost on the night of the 10th and 11th, the first 

 rather unexpectedly showing some 14° below freezing in the 

 morniDg. The frost has been favourable for rough ground- 

 work, as moving soil, making alterations, leveliiog, &o., but it 

 has retarded much work ia the way of planting, where the 

 roots must necessarily be exposed. A great many young trees 

 and shrubs intended for profit, for ornament, protection, or 

 game cover are much injured when the roots are exposed for 

 some time to a dry parching frosty wind, such as we had on 

 the two days mentioned above. When a number of men are 

 anxious for work a line must be drawn between what is due 

 to them and the ultimate welfare of the trees. To their credit, 

 be it said, most of the great nurserymen send out trees in 

 winter so well packed and secured at the roots, that it is next 

 to impossible they can be injured. Even if a severe frost 

 should reach the roots through the packing, that will do but 

 little injury if light and wind be kept from them. In other 

 nurseries we have seen numbers of fine trees and shrubs taken 

 np, and their roots left exposed for days in frosty weather 

 before being sent out. In such cases fresh roots, fibres, and 

 even large-sized roots must be formed befone there is much 

 growth, and this, we have no doubt, is one reason why trees 

 that often break well in the spring after planting begin to be- 

 come stunted, brown, and shrivel up and die as the sun gains 

 power, there being no root-action to supply the demands of sun 

 and heat on the stem and unfolding shoots. 



KITCHEN GAEDEN. 



For this department refer to the notices of last weak. 



Trenching and turning soil must be the order of the day in the 

 open ground, and preparing for and sowing Beans and Peas, 

 and getting both forward under protection for planting out as 

 the first crops. 



Bed Lead for Seeds. — In making all such sowings, taking 

 past experience for our guide, we shall coat every Pea with red 

 lead before sowing. A very little lead, as much as may be held 

 between the thumb and two finger.^, if these are of average size, 

 will do for a quart of Peas, previously merely damping the Peas 

 a little, or placing water over them for a few minutes, and 

 then draining all the water clean ofi before applying the lead, . 

 and working it all through the Peas with a flat wooden stick, 

 as it is advisable to use the hand as little as possible among 

 the damp lead. If the sower has any cracks or cuts on his 

 hands he had better sow with a rounded trowel or something 

 of that sort, and bs careful to leave no lead between the flesh 

 and nails of his fingers. By this mode we have found that 

 nothing will touch the Peas or other seeds so used until the 

 seedlings are above ground ; and the singular point is that 

 rows of Peas thus treated seldom have a single hole made IE 

 them, the intruders of all kinds, fowl and four-footed, having 

 an instinctive knowledge that what is below is not for them. 

 We have sown rows leaded and unleaded side by side. The 

 first never had a hole made in them, the second in the course 

 of a week, from mice, pheasants, &o., had scarcely a seed-left- 

 As the small quantity of lead used merely for colouring would 

 be thrown ofi by the expanding and ultimately perishing seed 

 leaves, we cannot see how the small quantity of lead could 

 have any injurious property on the crops presented at table- 

 Without netting or anything of the sort, we do not think we 

 lost a seed of any of the Cabbage, Turnip, or Lettuce tribe,- 

 to which the red lead was applied. In such instances no 

 more seed should be coloured than it is intended to sow at one 

 time. 



Cabbages. — Though, as we stated last week, all the forward 

 crops have greatly suffered, if they have not been quite de- 

 stroyed inpiany places, we are glad to hear that where the soil 

 was light and dry the plants have stood well, and will, there- 

 fore, be extra valuable. We have been informed, too, that 

 in many places fine beds of seedlings have, stood well, and,- 

 therefore, there will be a chance of getting Cabbages, though 

 not so early as in the generality of seasons. Those who 

 have no other resources must plant as soon as possible in 

 well-pulverised soil. Where there are the means of placing 

 the plants in a mild hotbed, under glass or other protection, 

 either singly in small pots, or some 4 inches apart, in rich soil 

 to be raised with balls, and in either case transferred with well- 

 established roots to nice, friable, pulverised soil, much time will 

 be gained. All this labour may to some people seem next to 

 thrown away ; but, then, they cannot look upon a nice crisp 

 Cabbage early, with the heart just turning yellow, as we do. 

 Whilst we regret that so many of our cottage gardeners are 

 deprived by the frost of what would have been to them a source 

 of wholesome food, we rejoice that others are more fortunate,, 

 and thus a better price will be obtained for what they choose 

 to sell. 



Au old friend of ours when there was something like a 

 general failure of some particular vegetable or fruit, used to 

 express his satisfaction and something lilie thankfulness, that 

 he was no worse ofl' than his neighbours. There may be some- 

 thing soothing in knowing that we have companions in such 

 failures and disappointments. We never could see, however,, 

 how the failures and disappointments of others joined to our 

 own could help us in the least, or form any source of con- 

 solation. In the present instance, as respects the standing or 

 the failing of the Cabbage tribe, we believe there is little room 

 for glorying or boasting of the success, as the most of it would 

 depend on the peculiarities of the weather, of the soil, and of 

 position. If the readings of thermometers be at all correct., 

 there have been wonderful variations of temperature this 

 winter, in what we should bo led to consider similar circum- 

 stances. Strangers coming here on such days as the lltb, can 

 hardly manage to keep themselves warm. Even a mile or hali: 

 a mile will often make a great difference as to our sensations of- 

 heat and cold. 



EEUIT GAEDEN. 



See previous weeks' notices. During the week there would 

 ba about one hour and a half of sunshine, and that would do 

 wonders for Peaches in bloom. We need not, however, repeat 

 what has lately been stated. Anything like fruit-tree planting, 

 has been out of the question, but pruning and nailing could be 

 pro"ceeded with. In all weather fair above head, there is little- 



