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JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 15, 1870. 



time. Amongst climbers the Stephanotis and Pergularia grown 

 on ornamental trellises show themselves peculiarly eligible to 

 be introduced here on the decay of other flowers. The Jasmines, 

 also, especially Jasminum Sambac, are valuable thus treated. 

 They are to be had in flower on pot trellises continuously from 

 May ; the principal treatment consists in stopping every luxu- 

 riant shoot as soon as it is a few joints long. The Francisceas 

 axe very ornamental plants, and well adapted for those who 

 have only one house. Franciscea Hopeana, although an old 

 kind, is still very useful, and is, besides, very fragrant. The 

 young rambling shoots should be constantly stopped ; doing 

 so will induce them to bloom freely and remain in a bushy 

 state. Stout young Mignonette plants, potted immediately 

 and kept under cutting treatment for a week or more, will 

 flower well in November and December, when every little matter 

 of this kind will be acceptable. The Cyclamen hedersefolium 

 is a pretty little pot plant for those whose space is limited; 

 indeed, the whole family of Cyclamens are particularly orna- 

 mental and easy of cultivation. The Linnm trigynnm is a 

 pretty winter flower, one or two should grace every collection. 

 As before observed, continue daily to house everything likely 

 to suffer from the autumn frosts. 



STOVE. 



Several of the Dendrobiums, Aerides, Saccolabiums, and 

 Tandas will still make considerable growth in a high tempera- 

 ture with much moisture, but take care to increase the amount 

 of sunlight. Cattleyas should not be encouraged to grow after 

 this time if good blooms are required. Young specimens may, 

 however, still be kept growing for the sake of size. Stanhopeas 

 which have made robust growth should have the supply of 

 water diminished, and have a lower temperature with less 

 shading ; those still growing may be watered freely. 



COLD PUS AND FRA1IES. 



These should now be furnished with bulbs of the most ap- 

 proved kinds for forcing, Pinks in variety, particularly the Anne 

 Boleyn, Neapolitan and Bussian Violets, and sturdy young 

 plants of Wallflowers in variety. Mignonette should be thinned 

 in due season. Ten-week Stocks should be sown for pricking 

 into pots by the end of nest month. Cinerarias should now be 

 repotted, and Calceolarias parted, placed in 3-inch pots, and 

 plunged close to the glass in some cinder ashes in a cold pit 

 or frame. — W. Keake. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST "WEEK. 

 What a pity it is that fine sunny weather should ever do 

 harm ! It is so much more pleasant to move about when the air 

 is dry and calm, and the sun bright but shaded by occasional 

 clouds. Many felt this during the week when canght far from 

 home, or obliged to remain under what shelter could be obtained 

 during the heavy rains that have visited us, after similar 

 accumulated vapours had been condensed and soaked the 

 battlefields of France. Would not these dread battles, by the 

 disturbance in the atmosphere by the discharge of artillery, 

 have something to do, naturally speaking, with the free falling 

 of the rain ? We know how all onr weather-glasses fell with- 

 out any seeming cause at the last awful bombardment of Sebas- 

 topol. Some of our volunteers, who have got their fair soak- 

 ings at Wimbledon, have half-seriously commented on what a 

 good firing of cannon might do for us in such a dry season. 

 Further evidence is wanted before we can set down as cause 

 and effect what may after all be a mere coincidence. We were 

 glad, however, to see the showers falling, as they have done 

 so much to cleanse and invigorate all vegetation, to give a 

 green colouring to our meadows, and to make our lawns like 

 green carpets. The wind that reached more than an equi- 

 noctial gale on the night of the Sth and part of the 9 th did 

 considerable damage in breaking and scattering limbs and 

 branches of trees, rendering the flower garden less lovely, and 

 sending down lots of fruit far from being ripe. These, however, 

 would suffer less from the fall, owing to the softening of the 

 ground by the rain. A rising barometer seems to indicate that 

 the wind and the rains will soon be over, or be more gentle. 



KITCHEN GABDEN. 



Almost everything is thriving. Brussels Sprouts, Borecole, 

 and Broccoli seem to grow like magic, and all the more from 

 the ground between the plants being stirred with a fork. As 

 a class (and even our cottager gardeners, who often beat the 

 professed gardeners in vegetables), we are not fully aware of 

 the great advantage this stirring gives to free growth. The 

 late-put-in small plants of all sorts of Greens, if they do not 



become very large, will be fine cutting in the early spring 

 months. By the means referred to last week, and followed by 

 the nice showers, we find Cabbages and Cauliflowers are now 

 almost entirely free of the fly which settled on them in clouds. 

 We have two nice pieces of early Cabbages, growing well, for 

 early cutting nest year, and will ere long follow with the main 

 quarter and younger plants, having removed the Onions on 

 purpose. The Onions, though plentiful, are much smaller than 

 usual, as they were never thoroughly moistened from the time 

 they were above ground until they were pulled up when all 

 growth was over. We always had a difficulty, treat them how 

 we would, even bringing poverty of soil to our aid, in securing a 

 good supply of pickling Onions, but there will be no want of 

 picklers this year. 



Cauliflower, instead of coming forked and sprouting, as it 

 was forced to do in the dry hot weather, is now vigorous, and 

 turning in with beautiful white heads, so useful for table in the 

 autumn months. Oar seedling Cauliflower intended for nest 

 spring is just fairly up, and we shall scatter a little charcoal 

 dust among it, as it looks as if the rains had been heavy 

 enough for the little plants. Having these too early is gene- 

 rally anything but an advantage, as Cauliflower plants are 

 nest to lost if they show any Eigns of forming a head before 

 the plants have attained a good size. When the heads are for- 

 ward in autumn they are apt to bolt in winter and spring, and 

 thus prove worthless. 



We have found, on the whole, no plan better for early cutting 

 than placing a lot of these plants under hand-lights nest 

 month. We generally put nine under a hand-light, and thin 

 to four or five in spring. We have tried pots, repotting and 

 then planting out, and it is a good plan where room can be 

 found in a cool house, an orchard house, cold pit, or frame 

 from which rats and mice can be excluded ; but on the whole 

 our plants put out under hand-lights in autumn, and attended 

 to in winter, generally beat all other competitors where no 

 artificial heat was given. Once we were hard driven, rats 

 having nearly cleared off our fine young plants in winter, and 

 we sowed in heat, pricked out in gentle heat, then transplanted 

 in an earth pit — such as we use for early Potatoes — with a 

 little bottom heat, and covered at firBt with old sashes, straw 

 frames, <5.-c, and thus we obtained fine early gatherings, and 

 the mischief the vermin did was never known at the dining- 

 table ; the additional trouble, however, was considerable. We 

 have also had plants potted at the end of this month and 

 treated with a little extra heat until they were strong, come in 

 early ; but on the whole, where nothing but the heat of the 

 external atmosphere is available, we have a decided leaning, for 

 the first crop, to planting out under hand-lights, or little wooden 

 boxes with a moveable glass top. No doubt the French cloches 

 would do equally well, but of these we have had no experience. 

 The dull dripping weather, enabled us to plant out the last 

 of our Celery; and as the plants were fine and strong, and had 

 been pricked out rather thinly, they lifted with large balls full 

 of roots, and the suckers being removed, they were planted in 

 well-prepared beds, which, when finished, were little if at ali 

 below the general ground level. These, being well watered, 

 have shown no signs of distress in the brightest sun, but are 

 pushing their roots freely in their new quarters. We never 

 planted out so much Celery bo late, but it looks now as if 

 planted in July. Circumstances must often regulate our prac- 

 tice. In such a season we never could have obtained water 

 to keep the Celery in health if it had been turned ont in beds 

 and rows, but it was kept healthy with little water and shading 

 by letting it remain rather thickly until the 5th inst., when 

 the weather changed. Most of it has been planted three rows 

 in a bed, but as a piece of Peas gave no sign of being useful 

 any longer, we had the ground cleared and 15-inch-wide shallow 

 trenches made, with 2-feet spaces between, and there we planted 

 in single rows, the soil with the dung added being quite up to 

 the general level. This is often a great advantage in damp, 

 drizzling winters, as damping and rotting the plants are avoided. 

 These, being strong plants, will show little signs of the late 

 planting by the firEt weeks in November. 



We forgot to state, that though the Onion ground, after 

 Celery, was well manured, yet we shall add a little rotten dung 

 and a dressing from the 'rubbish-heap before half trenching 

 the ground for the Cabbage crop— all the more essential when 

 we generally allow these Cabbages to occupy the ground for 

 eighteen months, that is all nest summer, and through the 

 winter until the following spring. In some of our earth pits 

 which we use for bedding plants, we have lots of the Little 

 Pixie Cabbage and the Early Ulm Sayoy hearting nicely, both 



