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JOUENAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ Aprn 13, 1871. 



At all events, those who have an opportunity of judging between 

 September and winter or spring-transplanted shrubs and trees, 

 will agree with me, that early in autumn is the best time for 

 effecting the removal of plants of any size. Nothing but the 

 most careful attention will save those which have been re- 

 cently transplanted, and besides keeping the roots regularly 

 moist, watering the plants overhead with the garden engine to- 

 wards evening will be necessary in the case of such as may 

 appear to be suffering from the drying weather, and every plant 

 should be examined daily and carefully, so that nothing may 

 be allowed to suffer through neglect. Take advantage of the 

 present favourable weather for the destruction of weeds, &a., to 

 get shrubbery and herbaceous borders cleaned ; indeed, it will 

 be advisable to run the Dutch hoe over them, if merely to 

 lighten the surface. Bedding plants must not be rashly ex- 

 posed for the present, as the weather we are experiencing 

 would soon eiJectually dry the tissues of plants which have 

 been growing in a moist rather warm atmosphere. The season 

 is, however, far advanced, and the process of hardening should 

 be commenced as soon as the weather will admit, but for the 

 present shade slightly during bright sunshine, and expose freely 

 to air such plants as are well established, carefully avoiding 

 cold drying currents. 



er.EENHOUSE AND CONSEEVATOET. 



Any attention which will serve to prolong the beauty of the 

 Azaleas and New Holland plants, &e., with which the show 

 liouse should now be gay, will be well bestowed, as when these 

 are over it will in most oases be impossible to furnish the 

 house with equally handsome specimens, and the same variety 

 of colours which these affcrd. Use shading without loss 

 of time. Also carefully examine the plants on the forenoons 

 of bright days, and see that none of them are suffering from 

 want of water, for with bright sunshine, accompanied with 

 drying winds, it will be no easy matter to properly supply 

 plants with water, particularly specimens which may be rather 

 potbound. In ventilating endeavour, while parching winds 

 prevail, to avoid allowing currents to blow through the house, 

 especially near recently-potted specimens, or plants recently 

 brought from the stove. Take care of the young leaves of 

 Camellias, and apply shading the moment it is perceived to be 

 necessary. Continue to repot, and place the plants in a moist 

 growing temperature as they have done blooming. Use the 

 syringe freely on those in vigorous growth, and assist them 

 with plenty of clear weak manure water; and Azaleas, if at all 

 potbound, will be benefited by similar attention. Orange trees 

 in middling health, which, owing to the neglect they are gene- 

 lally treated with is too commonly the case, will require 

 attention to prevent the young leaves being eaten up by red 

 spider. The readiest and most efiectual method of clearing 

 them of this pest is to lay the plants on their sides, and well 

 wash the under parts of the leaves with the engine ; but unless 

 the trees are kept in health this will be but a partial cure. 

 Afford them plenty of liquid manure and a moist, somewhat 

 shady situation, and see that the drainage is perfect ; also 

 repot when necessary, using a compost of two parts of rather 

 strong, rich, mellow, turfy loam, and one part good, strong, 

 fibrous peat nicely broken up, and well intermixed with clean 

 sharp sand and bones broken small; there will then be no 

 trouble from red spider. 



STOVE. 



Many of the Orchids being now in active growth will require 

 careful shading, to protect the tender foliage from the direct 

 rays of the sun, and also to keep down the temperature without 

 admitting currents of air, which, during the present state of 

 the weather, would render the atmosphere altogether unsuitable 

 for them. Keep the atmosphere as moist as possible by fre- 

 quently sprinkling every available surface, and shut up early in 

 the afternoon after syringing, giving the plants a good steam- 

 ing. The specimens should be individually examined, fre- 

 quently watering those that require it, and avoiding syringing 

 heavily and promiscuously overhead until the young growths 

 become somewhat firm. Give every necessary attention to soft- 

 wooded plants in free growth, keeping them near the glass and 

 regularly stopped, so as to secure close, compact growths. Also 

 attend to supplying them with plenty of pot room and manure 

 water. Give air freely on every favourable opportunity, but 

 guard against drying currents. — -W. Eeane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 

 On the nights of the 6th and 7th we had severs frost for the 

 iime of the year, on the former date reaching irom 5° to 8° 



below freezing point, according to the position of the ther- 

 mometer, and the following night was a few degrees lower 

 in temperature. Fortunately the atmosphere, though clear, 

 was dry, and therefore we think but little injury was done to 

 anything. Apricots and Peaches out of doors appear to be 

 safe, and Peas and Beans seem untouched. 



KITCHEN GAEDEN. 



The figure-4 trap, which we lately described, has caught more 

 sparrows than mice. Though neither of them had formed a 

 hole, both, as well as wood pigeons, had attacked the tops, and 

 of course that, if allowed generally, would affect the early time 

 of blooming. The frosts of the late few days will arrest vege- 

 tation, and thus far be useful to late produce. Most of our fresh- 

 planted vegetables, as Cauliflowers and Cabbages, have had a 

 few laurel twigs between the rows, so far protecting them from 

 winds and frosts. The spring-sown Cabbages, owing to the 

 adoption of such means, now look strong and well, and one 

 thing is in their favour, there will be no danger of bolting or 

 throwing up the flower stem. There will, however, with us be 

 no fine cuttings of Cabbages in April and the beginning of 

 May, and therefore Scotch Kale, Brussels Sprouts, and even 

 Sea-kale must be prolonged as far as possible. 



Sea-kale. — What we had in-doors has been very good, and 

 that will shortly be cut to pieces and transplanted. The pieces 

 of roots without any crowns proved the best last year, and 

 have now massive heads. This plan, as far as we recollect, 

 was fully explained last season, and is valuable to those with 

 little room, as the roots taken up to force in any dark place with 

 a temperature of from 50° to 60° will, when cut into pieces of 

 4 inches in length and planted, yield fine plants for forcing in 

 the second autumn after planting. On the whole we prefer 

 every bit of root, if less than the size of the little finger, to 

 the best seedlings, and the trouble is much less. We will have 

 a lot turned out as soon as we can find time. Meanwhile, let 

 us state that the beds out of doors, covered with ashes and a 

 little litter over them, have done very well, yielding strong 

 heads from 6 to 7 inches long — we never wish them longer — and 

 almost as white as driven snow. This plan is an excellent one 

 for those who have not, and care not to go to the expense of 

 pots or boxes. Of course dry earth would answer as well as 

 ashes ; but of all earth, peat-moss earth is the best for securing 

 sweet white Sea-kale. 



Sea-kale unblanched or partially blanched is very fair, but 

 far from equal to white blanched heads, with just a streak of 

 purple at the points, and therefore to all beginners let us say, 

 that if you resolve to blanch in spring you must cover up as 

 soon as the buds begin to show above ground, as, if these grow 

 an inch or two and acquire the purple colour, no mode of 

 shading afterwards will ever make them white enough to suit 

 one of our first-rate cooks. It is rather a singular fact as 

 regards Sea-kale, but it is no less true, that you cannot make 

 Sea-kale white after it has grown 2 or 3 inches with its natural 

 purple colour. When covered over, therefore, in the open 

 ground, whether by pot, box, ashes, peat, or eaiih, the cover- 

 ing should be put on early — as soon as the bud shows. An 

 amateur wrote to us lately, that, thanks to us, he had beautiful 

 white Sea-kale from 12 to 14 inches in length ! To have choice 

 Sea-kale, 6 inches should be the medium length. It the base 

 should be as thick as your wrist, all the better. Heads half 

 that in diameter, however, are not to be despised, and will be 

 more easily cooked than larger ones. Such heads, after being 

 washed and cooked, should be sent to table as they come 

 from the garden. All cutting and 'trimming spoils them. We 

 have seen a fine dish of heads It inch in diameter at base and 

 6 inches in length reduced to a very small affair by nipping out 

 the heart some 2} inches long. In many cases it would require 

 a whole kitchen garden to yield a supply at that rate. If acres 

 are not to be grown as a supply, let it be clearly understood that 

 the whole, short, stubby head, as sent from the garden, is to 

 be cooked. Just think of a lady taking home a nice stubby 

 dish from Covent Garden, and then having a few little dots sent 

 to her table instead of a dish 1 



As was stated in an article on Celery, much disappoint- 

 ment is owing to the way in which vegetables are sent to table. 

 We know of a case where a gardener was harassed about the 

 inferior quality of early Potatoes. The cook was spoken to and 

 said she would not trouble, the scullery girl must attend to 

 that. The gardener boiled a dish and showed it, and that 

 ended the matter. Such things, however, are very unpleasant ; 

 and to their credit be it spoken, most cooks, male and female, 

 make the most of what is committed to them. Let it be clearly 

 understood, however, that the finest produce may be easily 



