November 1, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



351 



and amateurs cannot do better than choose from the "election," 

 for generally speaking the best exhibition sort3 are also the 

 best for general purposes. A deep pulverised and richly ma- 

 nured soil suits the in best; and if there are any doubtB that beds 

 have become exhausted through being planted for a length of 

 time, or that Elm or other roots of trees are exhausting the 

 soil, by all means lift the Roses, deeply trench and manure the 

 bed, and replant them again. Collect Briar stocks and plant 

 them in rows for next year's budding. Roses in pots which 

 have been plunged out of doors during the summer ought now 

 to be placed under cover, merely keeping on the lights during 

 heavy rains and in severe frost. The weather has been very 

 favourable for ripening their "wood, and an over-abundance of 

 moisture must necessarily be kept from them, or the sap will 

 rise and bleeding will follow pruning. Where pits or houses 

 cannot be spared to protect them lay the pots on their sides and 

 protect them from being frozen. Where early blooms are de- 

 sired the plants Bhould be pruned at once, and brought on in a 

 very steady temperature. No flower has a greater dislike to 

 harsh treatment than Roses in pots, and for very early forciog 

 it is well to prune hard and use the smaller plants ; the larger 

 plants will make a greater display during the early summer 

 months. 



Chrysanthemums which have been recently housed must not 

 be kept close, but air must be freely admitted if good foliage iB 

 desired. Continue helping them with manure water, as the 

 majority of the blooms are very late this year. Elaine and 

 James Salter of the Japanese section are the only flowera open 

 with us yet. For some years we have had numbers of blooms 

 open by the lat of November. 



Asparagus beds should now be cleared of their ripe stems and 

 the weeds hoed off, and a liberal dressing of manure spread over 

 the beds to lay throughout the winter. The principal other 

 work for the present will be the collecting of leaves and. keeping 

 the garden as neat as possible. — J. W. Moobman. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WOEK FOR 

 THE PRESENT WEEK. 



HABDY FRUIT GAEDEN. 



We have now had a good soaking of rain, which will enable us 

 to do any transplanting that may be required. Previous sharp 

 frosts have caused the leaves to drop. It is as well to take an 

 early opportunity to transplant any trees that it is intended to 

 move to another site, either because alterations in the winter 

 require it, or young trees have grown too much and require to 

 be removed to make room for others. When they have been for 

 many years in one place the roots within 3 or 4 feet from the 

 main stem are not well furnished with fibres. In order to insure 

 complete success it is well to dig a deep trench round the tree 

 and cut most of these roots at that distance from the stem, in 

 the same way as we have already recommended for root-prun- 

 ing; this should be done so as to allow a season to intervene 

 between the time of cutting the roots and lifting the trees. After 

 the growth of one season a mass or bunch of fibrous roots will 

 have been formed from each root that has been cut, and when 

 the tree is carefully lifted and planted in its new position it will 

 suffer but little from the removal. When the trees are removed 

 the holes, which of course must be ready for their reception, 

 should be rather larger than the full spread of the roots. It is 

 not always possible to have turfy loam decayed and chopped 

 up to place amongst the roots, but if it can be had it tends 

 much towards the formation of fibrous roots. When the tree is 

 planted and the earth firmly levelled round it a mulching of 

 manure must be placed over the roots, and it should extend to 

 their furthest extent. 



Owing to the rain we have not quite finished gathering all 

 the fruit, but will do so the very first favourable opportunity. 

 We frequently look over the Apples and Pears Btored in the 

 fruit-room to remove those that are decaying, as there is most 

 injury from decay the first few weeka after the fruit has been 

 gathered. We shall take the first opportunity when the ground 

 is hard with frost to mulch under the dwarf-trained trees in the 

 kitchen-garden borders with good manure. Many persons never 

 dig nnder the trees, but we think it better just to lightly fork 

 over the ground once a year — that is, in the early spring. It 

 might be better for the trees to leave the mulching as it is, but 

 we have found that it causes the kitchen garden to be very 

 untidy at a time when every part of it ought to look its 

 best. The small birds scratch the manure over the gravel 

 Walks, and if this is cleaned up one day it is scattered over 

 again the next. Leaves are now blowing about in all 

 directions, but as they are mostly down on the ground now we 

 shall at least clear the walks of them. 



PINE HOUSES. 



We do not grow a sufficient number of plants that will fruit 

 in the winter to devote a whole compartment to their culture. 

 If we could do this the night temperature would range from 

 65* to 70°, according to the weather. The plants require to be 



very carefully attended to as regards watering. It is better 

 rather to under than over-water them. We examine the soil 

 once a-week and water all that require it. As a rule the pots 

 require water about onee in two weeks. In fine weather the 

 temperature by day may rise to 75° or 80°. No moisture is 

 allowed to evaporate from the troughs over the hot-water pipes 

 after the last week in October, and it is sufficient to moisten 

 the walls and paths of the house twice daily. In our house, 

 where plants are at rest to start early in the year, there are 

 several fruitB in various stages, some taking the second swelling 

 and others just set. The temperature ranges from 55° to 60°, 

 and with that temperature very little atmospheric moisture is 

 required, and as the pipes are not much heated it is not neces- 

 sary to sprinkle water about except after cold nights followed 

 by Bunny days. We are not watering the plants at all that are 

 resting, and they are not excited by much bottom heat. Those 

 showing fruit require water sufficient to keep the fruits plump 

 and in a growing condition, as it is out of the course of nature 

 to rest plants swelling their fruit, and we would have them in a 

 higher temperature if we could. Suckers for succession are 

 also wintered in the same temperature and receive very similar 

 treatment. They are now growing in 6 and 7-inch pots, and 

 will receive but little attention until they are potted into their 

 fruiting pots in the spring. 



OECHARD HOUSE. 



This structure is now filled with Chrysanthemums of the 

 different types, either for specimens or plants trained to a Bingle 

 stem, so as to have flowers of the largest possible Bize. The 

 fruit trees have as usual been plunged out of doors in cocoa nut 

 fibre refuse, where they will remain fully exposed to the weather 

 until they are removed into the house about the beginning of 

 the new year. Strawberry plants are also left out until about 

 the Bame time. If the roots are likely to be saturated with 

 water we lay the pots on their sides, which prevents injury 

 from this cause. Should severe froBts occur it would then be 

 quite necessary to place them inside, where the pots would bo 

 protected. We do not think the roots receive much injury from 

 frosts, but the expansion of wet soil splits the pots. 



GBEENHOUSE AND CONSEEVATOBY. 



This is a critical period of the year for Cape and New Holland 

 plants. They are not unlikely to be attacked at this season by 

 many of the ills that plant life is heir to. Mildew is, perhaps, 

 the most insidious in its attacks. The leaves and branches are 

 sometimes covered with its hair-like threads before it is per- 

 ceived. The skilful and experienced cultivator is not to be 

 caught napping, and he knows the plants most likely to suffer; 

 knowing also that prevention is better than cure, his plants will 

 be du6ted with flowers of sulphur, which will resist any en- 

 croachments of the enemy. Next to it is red spider, which 

 attacks many species and varieties. It has a warm affection for 

 the pretty new Boroniaelatior and others of this species besides, 

 and as the under Bides of the leaves are attacked first we lay 

 the plants on their sides and syringe that portion of them 

 thoroughly with tepid water. We shall now find an opportunity 

 to train Borne of the hardwooded specimens into the required 

 shape, and in doing this the habits of the plants ought to be 

 studied. It is the nature of many plants to form irregularly 

 shaped bushes, and when these are grown in pots a few of the 

 stronger main branches will take the lead and overpower those 

 of weaker growth; judicious pinching performed at the right 

 time will prevent this. Sometimes it is better to tie such strong 

 growths down, the weaker growths will then be encouraged. 

 Many species need no sticks, others must have sticks placed to 

 them to support the stems and form a regular shapely specimen. 

 In this category come the slender-stemmed Heaths, Dracophyl- 

 lum gracile, the several species of Aphelexis, &c. We use sticks 

 made of sound pine wood painted green, and the most lasting 

 material for tying is the black linen thread used for sewing 

 carpets ; it can be obtained at any carpet warehouse at a cheap 

 rate. One shilling invested will serve the requirements of a 

 large establishment for twelve months. 



We have now potted the Hyacinths, Tulips, and Polyanthus 

 Narcissus for late flowering. They begin starting into growth 

 about the end of October, and we fancy it must exhaust the 

 bulbs to allow them to do this. The potting material has been 

 previously described, and we would now only say that the pots 

 should be clean and be removed to an open space and covered 

 with ashes, cocoa-nut fibre refuse, or some similar protecting 

 material. 



Some persons fancy that Hyacinths must be protected from 

 heavy rains, and we have seen them stored under the stage of a 

 greenhouse, than which there could scarcely be a worse position. 

 We saw one lot much injured from this cause. When the pots 

 were taken out some of them were saturated with wet from 

 being under the drip of water from some of the plants ; others 

 had not been under the drip, and these were dusty dry. As a 

 consequence of this mismanagement all the plants were weakly 

 and did not flower well. We never saw them suffer from wet 

 when the pots were plunged in the open. 



The Liliums were cut down some time ago and ought to be 



