490 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Deoember 22, 1870. 



As each bed is traced, insert pegs as at first directed. All the 

 beds are intended to have Box-edging. — M. O'Donnell, Gardener 

 to E. Leeming, Esq., Spring Grove, Richmond. 



LESSONS OF THE PAST SEASON. 

 The long-continued drought of the past summer will cause 

 the year 1870 to be a memorable one. The time of the drought 

 was one of anxiety, care, hard work, and, withal, it was a most 

 interesting time, calculated to rouse one's best efforts to grapple 

 with and to overcome its parching effects ; a time of study and 

 •watchfulness, teaching us many a leBSon for the future, show- 

 ing us the importance of foresight in preparing to combat the 

 effects of the ever-varying temperature and seasons of our 

 fickle climate. And so before this eventful year becomes num- 

 bered with the past and is added to the short tale of our lives, 

 it may be well to record a few of its lessons of usefulness 

 while still fresh in the memory. 



First of all, then, comes the important subject of watering; 

 perhaps I shall be more correct if I say water supply, for, alas ! 

 the efforts and plans of many an earnest man have been ren- 

 dered futile owing to the scarcity of water, caused in too many 

 instances by the miserable provision for storing the super- 

 abundant moisture, which is suffered to run to waste during 

 those periods of the year when it is given us so lavishly. It 

 is astonishing how few are the gardens which are well supplied 

 with water, or a suitable apparatus for its distribution. It 

 may very reasonably be supposed that, when a new garden is 

 made, so indispensable an aid to the successful development 

 of every kind of crop would receive the attention which its 

 importance merits, but such is not the case. An under-sized 

 cistern, a barrel or two, and a solitary pump, but too often 

 represent the entire provision for storing or supplying water 

 in the drieBt summer, and this, too, in gardens of considerable 

 size. Now, such a state of things is not reasonable, fair, nor 

 wise, for it is most unfair to expect a man, no matter how 

 clever or persevering be may be, to maintain a regular supply 

 of vegetables, to say nothing of other things, when his best 

 efforts are crippled or rendered unavailing from such a paucity 

 of means. 



For those gardens depending in dry weather upon stored-up 

 rain water, a simple, efficient, and by no means expensive 

 apparatus, may be had by building an underground-tank of a 

 size proportionate to that of the garden, into which the water 

 from the buildings and drains should be made to flow. Much 

 ■water may also be gained by fixing a few gratings along the 

 sides of the garden paths, the gratings to communicate with 

 the drains. Connected with the tank there should be a fixed 

 force-pump to convey a daily supply of water into an elevated 

 cistern of galvanised iron, or wood lined with lead, from which, 

 by means of a hose, the water could be distributed among the 

 crops with much ease, expedition, and economy. Very dif- 

 ferent is the working of such an apparatus from the more com- 

 mon method of carrying the water in cans, often from a con- 

 siderable distance. It is all very well to say what a quantity 

 of work a willing man can do in a short time with a pair of 

 cans ; but those who advocate such a system can hardly know 

 the labour implied in the unceasing tramp, tramp, throughout 

 the long hot summer's day. 



Wherever it is practicable, watering in summer should be 

 immediately followed by mulching, for it is certain that in 

 order that plants should derive any benefit from the appli- 

 cation of water, it must come in contact with their roots, so 

 that the spongioles may absorb sufficient moisture to maintain 

 the health and vigour of the plants unchecked. This is, of 

 course, the object of everyone, yet in how many instances 

 where mulching is not used does the water fail to reach the 

 roots even when applied daily, and so the plants linger on 

 without making that marked progress so much desired. The 

 reason for this is a very simple one. The burning rays of the 

 summer sun act with such power on exposed surfaces, as to 

 cause excessive evaporation from all porous bodies, so that the 

 surface soil becomes so dry as to throw off ordinary waterings, 

 it being very rare that enough water is given at one time to 

 thoroughly saturate this dusty surface, which thus effectually 

 prevents the roots from deriving the slightest benefit from the 

 water, which may, and doubtless does, refresh the plants by 

 the moisture pluying among the foliage during the process of 

 evaporation, which, as a matter of course, immediately follows. 

 Even this benefit must be a slight one, for the action of the sun 

 is so prompt that its greedy rays quickly evaporate the mois- 



ture, and so the plants either struggle on for bare existence or 

 die outright. But how different is the effect of judicious 

 watering when it really readies the roots, and by the inter- 

 position of the friendly mulching the warm moist soil retains 

 the precious store, and the plants flourish with as much vigour 

 as the denizens of a hotbed ! By way of illustration I will 

 quote an instanoe of this in my own practice last summer. A 

 quantity of strong plants of Coleus Verschaffelti occupying an 

 important position had started nicely into growth when first 

 planted in the beds, but after a time they gradually assumed 

 that standstill appearance which is so tantalising. They had 

 been watered regularly, but on removing the soil about 

 their roots I was convinced that very little water had reached 

 them. I at once set to work and raked the soil away from the 

 stems, exposing some of the roots, and formed a little basin 

 round the base of each plant. These basins were filled with 

 water again and again till the soil was thoroughly saturated ; 

 it was then levelled-down and covered with a layer of rough 

 leaf mould, and it was surprising to see the healthy chaDge in 

 the plants visible in a few days. 



Mulching is also an important process in the culture of 

 summer vegetables. Early Celery, Cauliflowers, Peas, To- 

 matoes, and a host of other crops, are much benefited by it. 

 So highly do I esteem it, that I strongly advise its use, espe- 

 cially in small gardens, because — 1st, It economises labour. 

 2ud, It checks evaporation. 3rd, It promotes that quick 

 strong growth so essential in the production of first-class ve- 

 getables ; and 4th, If it be at all of a rich nature it attracts 

 the roots which it was designed to Bhelter, and thereby ma- 

 terially assists the crop in the latter stages of its growth. 



When taking my last walk round ihe gardens at Egerton 

 House, on September 21st, I paused to admire a row of British 

 Queen Pea, which was a mass of fine large pods, and there 

 were still a number of flowers along the top of the row. These 

 Peas were sown in a shallow trench on the 3rd of June, they 

 were watered a few times while in their young state, and then 

 thoroughly mulched with some rough manure, and with the best 

 results. 



Vegetables generally were very good throughout the summer ; 

 the only exceptions were some Peas, and one or two crops of 

 Lettuce. I allude to the Lettuce, because the failure which 

 might have been attributed to the drought had in reality 

 nothing at all to do with it. My rule in the culture of summer 

 Lettuces is, as soon as one crop is visible above ground, to sow 

 another at once. If this be done the requisite supply will be 

 easily maintained. Another good plan is to sow two kinds at 

 the same time. If space can be spared, it is best to sow a few 

 rows thinly, so as to avoid transplanting. However, this cannot 

 always be done, and it was so in my case. Two short rows of 

 Ivery's Nonsuch, and two of Paris Cos, were sown at the same 

 time; when the plants were large enough a number of them 

 were pricked singly into 4-inch pots filled with old hotbed 

 manure. When a border could be spared it was made very 

 rich with a liberal mixture of the same kind of manure, and 

 the plants turned out with compact balls a perfect mass of 

 roots. They were well watered, but to my surprise and mor- 

 tification the Nonsuch all bolted in about a week, and on going 

 to look at those left in the seed rows they were also in the same 

 state. Had it not been for the Paris Cos, which formed fine 

 hearts, a serious gap would have occurred in the supply. The 

 cause of this failure was pretty evident, and after another 

 sowing with the same result, it was quite clear that the seed 

 was worthless. 



The first crop of Celery, which came into us9 early in August, 

 was much assisted by a mulching of short dung, for although 

 it was watered daily, the surface soil became very dry previous 

 to mulching, but afterwards it was always in that moist con- 

 dition so suitable for this vegetable. Before the first earthing 

 some drain pipes were placed on end along each Bide of the 

 plants, bo that after the earthing one end of each pipe rested on 

 the soil close over the roots, and the other end stood out quite 

 clear of the soil ; the water was constantly poured down these 

 pipes to the roots, thus avoiding all chance of wetting the 

 hearts of the plants, or of the water being absorbed by the ever- 

 increasing mass of soil. 



From the very poor examples of Celery generally to be 

 seen at horticultural shows in August, and even in Septem- 

 ber, it is evident very little attention is given to its culture 

 early in the year. This is to be regretted, for I have always 

 found the August Celery as much appreciated, especially for 

 culinary purposes, rs the earliest Turnips, concerning whioh 

 it may not be out of place to say a word or two. If very early 



