October 27, 1870. ] 



JOUENAL OP HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAI1DENEE. 



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belong peculiarly to this dormant period, and having before 

 disposed of planting and trenching by directing attention to 

 their importance, I will now offer a few remarkB on pruning. 

 The habits of fruit trees vary, more especially as to the manner 

 of forming and exhibiting their buds. There is no difficulty 

 in distinguishing the fruit-bearing portions of the Apple, or of 

 bush fruits in general, whilst the Apricot and the Filbert are at 

 this period somewhat obscure in regard to this point. Even 

 in the Pear, more especially some of the kinds, such as the 

 Passe Colmar, the Seckle, the Marie Louise, and some others, 

 it is difficult to prune with safety in the early part of winter. 

 For these reasons prune bush fruit the moment you can find 

 time. Follow closely with Cherries, Plums, and Apples, and 

 towards Christmas lay aside the knife until early in February, 

 ■when the Filberts will be blooming ; then after a slight thin- 

 ning of the crowded and inside spray, male catkins may be 

 brought, if requisite, and suspended amongst the bushes. The 

 Apricots will, by this time, give unequivocal signs by which 

 to know the true blossom-buds, and may immediately receive 

 their pruning. The Peach and Nectarine will succeed the 

 Apricot, and may be followed by the Pear, and lastly by the 

 Fig. In pruning bush fruit, thin liberally. Let no two branches 

 of the Black Currant and the Gooseberry touch when finally 

 thinned; these seldom require shortening; an equal and 

 judicious thinning is, therefore, everything here. In pruning 

 Apples, the thinning of the branches or old wood should be 

 the first step ; this, however, requires caution. Mr. Knight, 

 of Downton, was much opposed to cutting out large limbs, 

 unless an urgent necessity existed. His authority is too weighty 

 to be passed over easily, more especially as he lived most of his 

 time in a cider district. In thinning the young wood of espalier 

 trees, remember that the first point is to secure a continuance 

 of leading shoots to form a compact tree, and the second, to 

 secure a free admission of light to all parts of the tree. The 

 same remarks will apply to the pruning of all the rough 

 espaliers or dwarf standards of any kind in the kitchen garden. 

 Easpberries may now be planted and pruned. 



FLOWER SARDEN. 



Plant all autumn bulbs without delay. Let all biennials be 

 planted out soon. Such plants as the Sweet William, Wall- 

 flower, Canterbury Bell, &c, are of great use in flower borders, 

 and may be planted three or four in a mass. Dahlias should 

 be marked forthwith. Pinks may be planted out, and Car- 

 nation layers or pipings may still be potted to place in frames. 

 Ornamental climbers on trellises, &c, in blossom should have 

 a protection on nights of a frosty character. Much valuable 

 late blossom may sometimes be insured by such simple means, 

 as it not uofrequently happens that after one or two severe 

 nights the weather becomes mild for weeks. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



The period has now arrived in which the increasing scarcity 

 of flowers in the decaying parterre should be compensated for 

 by those conservatory flowers peculiar to winter, and by re- 

 tarded summer flowers. These together, under good manage- 

 ment, will lead us imperceptibly up to the products of the 

 forcing pit, -which form a distinct section, and, of course, re- 

 quire a separate oourse of treatment. The Camellias will 

 form most prominent objects in the conservatory for the next 

 six months, and those whioh have been managed for forcing, as 

 it is commonly called, according to previous directions, will be in ' 

 full gaiety from this period till Christmas. Such plants should 

 now have weak and clear liquid manure, and a temperature of 

 from 50° to 55°. descending at night to 45° in dark weather. A 

 very considerable amount of atmospheric moisture should be 

 afforded them ; drip, however, must by all means be avoided, 

 and the syringe is not to be used. The Chrysanthemums may 

 be treated with manure water constantly, and all suckers and 

 waste shoots trimmed away. Early Cinerarias should now be 

 coming into blossom, and, above all, the tribes for winter flower- 

 ing; these require all the light which the season affords. They 

 should be kept close to the front glass until in blossom, be fre- 

 quently syringed in a light way, and if the shelf is warmed by 

 means of a fine or pipe beneath, so much the better. The 

 Chinese Primrose will do in a more shady situation ; strong 

 plants sown last March will bloom freely now under ordinary 

 circumstances; they do not endure dry heat. TheHybridEoses, 

 as before observed, will enjoy a similar treatment to the Chry- 

 santhemums, whilst the Tea Eoses will class better with plants 

 of intermediate character, requiring a little more warmth with a 

 permanency of atmospheric moisture. Such are the Euphorbia 

 jacquiniasflora, Gesnera zebrina, Achimenes picta, Gesnera ob- 



longata, Linum trigynum, Plumbago rosea, Begonias, &c., all 

 of which should have a temperature of 60° by day, rising to 80° 

 by sunshine, and sinking to 50° at night. The above are all 

 most useful and interesting flowers for the dead of winter ; so 

 are some of Mr. Fortune's Chinese plants, such as Abelia 

 rupestris, Azalea squamata, Jasminum nudiflorum, and 

 Weigela rosea ; the last, a most admirable forcing shrub, can 

 be brought into flower when very small for drawing-room pur- 

 poses. Where everything is grown in one house it is of the 

 utmost importance that there should be a proper relation be- 

 tween the amount of heat and light. In such a house the pro- 

 prietor naturally desires to have flowers late as well as early, 

 as far as such can be carried out. To tffect this fires must 

 be in use occasionally, even at this period, and those who are 

 thus circumstanced, I would advise to beware of night heat ; 

 55° will be sufficient in such a structure for the present. Let 

 the thermometer rise to 70° or more during sunshine, observing 

 if such is fitful to drop it to 60° in the day, if dull weather takes 

 place. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



See that the Mignonette has a very light situation, and is 

 plunged close to the glass at the back of the frame free from 

 drip. Store "Verbenas growing rapidly Bhould have their tops 

 pinched, also Petunias, and other ordinary mass flowers. Give 

 all the air possible. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



The heavy rains have made us independent of the water-cart 

 for a time, and we are reaping the benefits of increased spouting. 

 The rain has interfered with cleaning and repairing sashes for 

 the winter, but many of the sashes being dry in sheds, work 

 could be done there when it could not be carried on out of 

 doors. For brick pits sound wall-plates are of great import- 

 ance, as we have often found to our cost that rats which could 

 enter in no other way soon made a hole through the wall-plate 

 when it was decaying. Many a score of young plants have we 

 had eaten-over in winter from this cause alone. Last year, 

 from this cause, our young Calceolarias suffered from rats and 

 mice, and singularly enough, though Aurea floribunda was 

 pricked out as cuttings in several places a good way apart, they 

 were singled out to be nipped close to the ground. We have 

 strong wall-plates put on, ready for shortly commencing with 

 Calceolaria cuttings, as the later they are put in the better, 

 generally, do they thrive with us, if we can get them in before 

 frost to any extent attacks them. With us little as yet has 

 suffered except the Coleus, though everything looks washed in 

 the flower beds now, and even the Calceolarias, which have 

 stood well all the season, have now few fresh flowers left. 



Our routine has been so much the same as in previous weeks, 

 that we will say a few words on some matters that have taken 

 up a considerable portion of our time. 



Insect Enemies. — Much may be done now in the way of pre- 

 vention, as has been elsewhere alluded to, and what is done 

 now will save labour and expense in the following spring and 

 summer. We have much need to depend on cleanliness and 

 modes of prevention, as there are many subjects that we could 

 not syringe overhead with our water in summer, or at any 

 time when fruit was approaching maturity. We have rarely 

 been able to syringe Vines after they were in full leaf. Cucum- 

 bers and the like we syringe, because the older leaves are 

 gradually removed as younger growth takes their place. Even 

 our soft water in tanks is apt to leave a sediment on leaves 

 syringed. With preventive measures we have generally escaped 

 without being much troubled with insects, so that we have not 

 been able to try to a great extent the many remedies that were 

 to kill all such vermin as if by a miracle, and not hurt the 

 most tender plant. We believe that Gishurst, the various 

 powders, insecticides, Messrs. Veitch's mixture for bugs, &e., 

 and the different combinations of tobacco paper and tissue, are 

 all good, and so far effectual, if the vendors would not speak so 

 enthusiastically about them, and if people were not thus led to 

 believe that each and all were to effect such wonders as to 

 stand in the place of timely application and unremitting at- 

 tention. As often stited, when plants are covered with insects, 

 remedies are of little use, as what would kill the insects full- 

 grown, will not kill the young ones, and what would kill all that 

 are alive will not touch those not hatched but ready to be so. 

 Failures often arise, too, from not attending to the directions 

 given. Too strong a dose will be too much for plants as well 

 as insects. It is better to repeat the dose than to have it over- 

 stroDg. 



