Juno 22, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETIGULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



-US 



tedious mode of propagating by pipings. Choose a shady and 

 moist situation, add some sand when digging the ground, and 

 make it smooth and fine. This is all that is necessary in pre- 

 paring the ground for the reception of the slips ; take off slips 

 from the old plants by pulling them downwards ; do net dress 

 them in any way, neither smooth the rough end nor shorten 

 the grass ; lay the slip horizontally on the surface of the 

 ground, press it into the soil in a doubled form with one hand, 

 and set the grass-side upwards with the other, let it I e well 

 watered, and the operation is completed. No shading is re- 

 quired. See that a good number of Pansy cuttings are put in. 

 Hyacinths, Tulips, &c., should now be taken up, and after 

 they are dried stored away in some dry room. Let the beds 

 be prepared as soon as possible for planting. Those bulbs 

 which are placed in the borders, and which add so much to the 

 beauty and lively appearance of the flower garden and shrub- 

 bery during the spring months, should now have some at- 

 tention ; those which require it should now be taken up. I 

 would recommend that this be done annually, but only when 

 necessity requires. An acquaintance with the difierent species 

 will direct_ the cultivator in his operations in this respect. 

 Some species, for instance, form new bulbs beside the old 

 ones, and in course of time become so crowded as to become 

 weak and cease to flower ; others form the new bulbs under 

 the old ones, and at last get so deep as to produce the same 

 effect ; others, again, form their new bulbs over the old ones, 

 and send them above the surface of the ground, where they are 

 destroyed by the hoe, the rake, or frost. All those which 

 require taking up should be lifted now and housed till autumn. 

 The evergreens in general will now have done shedding their 

 leaves for a while, and a more general cleaning than usual 

 should take place in dressed grounds. 



GKEENHOUSE AND OONSEEVATOBY. 



Many of the plants here being at this period of a somewhat 

 ephemeral character, means must be constantly resorted to in 

 order to insure a continual succession of gaiety until the frost 

 sets in, when the gap will be filled up with Chrysanthemums, 

 the Camellia, Chinese Primroses, and several other midwinter 

 flowers. The latter constitute a division by themselves, of 

 course, and lead the way to the forced flowers of returning 

 spring. Those who keep a sharp eye on such matters will 

 always take care to have a surplus stock in hand after the 

 massing is completed. Such stock should be most ample — not 

 less, but more than is wanted, in order to provide against gaps 

 in the flower garden, and to supply the various in-door demands. 

 All spring-propagated stock remaining in the store pots should 

 be potted oiJ forthwith, and placed on or plunged in ashes in a 

 apot sheltered from the wind. Balsams, Cockscombs, and 

 othtr tender annuals for succession should receive their last 

 shift before they become pot-bound, and plenty of the Achi- 

 menes family should be potted-off, some in large masses. Some 

 of the best Scarlet Geraniums should be selected for flowering 

 next winter. They should be rapidly grown and frequently 

 stopped. Towards August ihey will become pot-bound ; they 

 must not, however, be shifted, but merely hardened in a very 

 exposed situation until the end of September, in order to have 

 them sturdy and very short-jointed. A light and warm shelf 

 near the glass will thus make them objects of great interest all 

 the ensuing winter. Let the Fuchsias have ample supplies of 

 water, and provide succession stock in case of exhaustion. 

 The early-flowering Pelargoniums, now rather exhausted, 

 should have the bulk of their tops removed and made into 

 cuttings. The old stools may then be thrown on their sides 

 in a shady situation until they break buds half an inch in 

 length, when they must be disrooted and repotted in rather 

 smaller pots. Exhausted Cinerarias may be put in an old 

 frame or pit and fumigated. They may then be cut down and 

 turned out into a raised bed in the garden. They will there 

 feed and produce an abundance of suckers with a little atten- 

 tion in regard to watering, &c. 



STOVE. 



Frequent syringiugs, accompanied by moist floors and other 

 surfaces, will be needful with the ordinary stove stock. With 

 regard to Orchids, some little moderation is necessary, especi- 

 ally when the weather takes a sudden change. Some of the 

 Orchids will now require a little assistance in the way of fop- 

 ping- up, and a watchful eye must be kept as to insects. Bar- 

 keria speotabiiis, the Lycastes, and Odontoglossnm grande seem 

 to enjoy the temperature of a cool greenhouse without fire. 



PITS AND FEAMES. 



Before all the plants are turned out select some of the best 

 for store plants, especially Heliotropes, Salyias, Petunias, 



shrubby Calceolarias, &o. Give them a good shift, and place 

 them in a sheltered situation. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN OAEDEN. 



At last delightful warm rains with a genial south wind. 

 The change produced in a few days is almost magical — the 

 meadows, the corn crops, and the Turnips are all looking s& 

 happy and thanklul. Some of our crops in the kitchen garden, 

 to which in expectation of rain we had given a fair soaking of 

 sewage, seem now to be rather luxuriant. In addition to what 

 we stated a few weeks ago about sewage, let us impress en our 

 younger readers that perhaps of all times the best to apply it 

 is just before rain is expected. All manure-waterings in the 

 open air are then more beneficial, and there is less risk of 

 giving an overdose. 



Watering and Water-Collecting. — It is not long ago that we 

 knew a clever young gardener who actually chose a dull foggy 

 day to water a number of plants, and was found fault with 

 accordingly, and nothing would be listened to in the way of 

 reason or explanation. " Oh, Mr. P. knows what he is about, 

 and he was watering on a bright sunny day — that is the time tc- 

 give the plants the benefit of a watering." We have watered 

 in bright sun as well as "F.," because we could not help it, 

 and we generally accompanied such watering with some means 

 for keeping the water in the ground, and preventing the sun 

 evaporating it into the air. After the ground and the air are 

 warm the best of all times for watering is the evening, because 

 the plants have then the best opportunity of absorbing and 

 using up the liquid applied ; and the proprietor of a small 

 garden may water then. But in many large places, and more 

 especially where the bulk of the water must be brought by 

 horse power, the gardener is often glad to use the water when 

 he can obtain it. This does not at all alter the principle in- 

 volved in watering in bright or in dull drizzly weather; and 

 we have no hesitation in stating, as the result of much expe- 

 rience, that the gardener who was found fault with ought to 

 have been complimented, and at least his reasons for doing 

 such a thing at such a time ought to have been listened to. 

 When men who think as well as work are thus treated, need 

 we wonder that there are so many who attend to their duties 

 merely as a work of routine, and trouble themselves nothing 

 about the reason why ? We wish, however, that the employers- 

 of gardeners could be induced to see the difference between e,a 

 intelligent agent who will vary his operations according to 

 varying circumstances, and thus make the most of these cir- 

 cumstances, and the merely good working machine who can only 

 work well in a definite way. 



Writing now on the evening of the 17lh, while the thunder 

 is pealing and the warm rains descending so nicely, the 

 question aptly occurs, " Would you have watered at all it you 

 had known that such rains were coming?" Well, in general 

 terms and for general things perhaps not; but then how weie 

 we to know that we were to have heavy rains for several con- 

 tinuous days instead of one ? The ground was so dry, that 

 until this afternoon all the warm rains only went down to a 

 very small depth from the surface. They refreshed the foliage 

 and produced vapour about the plants, but they did but little 

 to reach the roots. Even now all we have had as yet has not 

 gone down very deeply, and therefore in the cases formerly 

 indicated, as Peas, Cauliflowers, and Cabbages, we have no 

 doubt that the watering with sewage has well repaid all the 

 labour. The effects have been most striking. Peas have filled 

 and swelled most rapidly ; and Cauliflowers, that with few ex- 

 ceptions refused to budge, have swelled their beautiful snow- 

 white heads, and made us forget all about the cold parching 

 winds, in which so few things would progress as we wished. 



We have now plenty of water in our tanks and reservoir.'', 

 and we only regret that so much that fell on roads and walks 

 has run to waste. We know that many make remarks on our 

 fears about water. Those who have a pretty large place to 

 keep as neat as possible, and with whom water is almost f s 

 costly as the cheap wines, will have a feeling of sympathy. 

 Certainly with our experience, and were our young days comirg 

 back, we would not take charge of a garden without knowirg 

 something of the water supply. 



We are doing much to save the water that falls, but there aie 

 a few simple facts which we wish to notice for the benefit cf 

 all concerned, and as bearing on what was lately stated in 

 reference to tanks and connecting pipes, and purity and clear- 

 ness of water. 



