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JOUBNAL OF HOKTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ August 8, 1872. 



plan of the garden should be made, writing the names of the 

 plants on the beds according to the arrangement decided upon. 

 This will be of the greatest service in showing at any time 

 what quantity of each kind of plant has to be propagated. 

 Propagation of stock for next season must soon be commenced, 

 and carried on with expedition, so as to secure strong, well- 

 established plants before winter, and without the necessity of 

 keeping them so close or warm as to induce weakly and watery 

 growth. It cannot be too often repeated, that to be able to 

 winter bedding stock safely with ordinary care, the cuttings 

 should be put in sufficiently early in the autumn to allow of 

 then- being well established and fit to be exposed to the open 

 air by the middle or end of next month. Begin with those 

 that are found to be the most tedious to propagate, and pre- 

 pare for winter. Some florists layer the strongest shoots of 

 Pinks, and pipe the second crop of weaker ones, contending 

 that the latter root more freely. Be this as it may, whether 

 pipings or layers, those intended for next year's blooming are 

 better planted out now, or at least as soon as they are fairly 

 rooted. The beds should be made of well-decomposed dung, 

 sand, loam, and leaf soil in equal parts ; in fact, they ought to 

 be rich, as there is little danger of the Pink discolouring. I 

 prefer planting at this time, because the plants become well 

 established, stand the winter better, and lace much more 

 correctly than when the planting season is deferred. The 

 surplus stock may be put out on store beds. A second crop of 

 pipings may be put in where it is desirable to increase the 

 stock. Finish layering Carnations and Picotees as speedily as 

 possible. Should the weather set in dry, attention must be 

 paid to regular watering. Those sorts which are difficult to 

 root should have a flat pebble placed immediately over the in- 

 cision. I have found this extremely beneficial in hastening 

 the emission of fibres. Some growers will now take off their 

 rooted offsets of Auriculas ; this should be carefully done. 

 They would be best placed round the sides of pots and- set 

 in the shade. Seedling Polyanthuses which have not been 

 already pricked out should be immediately attended to. A 

 north border is an excellent situation. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATOEY. 



Examine the stock of pot plants, in order to see that no- 

 thing is suffering from want of pot room or other attention 

 necessary to assist them in making young wood for flowering 

 aiext season. Also see that proper care is bestowed on late- 

 crowing plants in borders, for while in active growth more 

 water will be necessary, and insects will be more troublesome 

 than in the case of plants at rest. Look after Luculias and 

 keep them clear of their great enemy black thrips ; give them 

 plenty of water at the roots, and an occasional supply of clear 

 weak manure water may be afforded to old plants that may not 

 be growing freely, until they have made plenty of wood to insure 

 a good display of flowers. Manure water, however, must not be 

 given to young specimens in vigorous health, as in that case 

 it would only induce too gross a growth, a condition in which 

 they seldom flower profusely. In order to secure fine heads 

 of bloom from this plant it should be allowed a few weeks of 

 comparative rest, after, say, about the middle of next month, 

 keeping the roots rather dry, and exposing the plants as freely 

 to air as can be done without injury to the foliage or the health 

 of their neighbours. Brugmansia sanguinea is also a useful 

 plant for winter and early spring flowering when managed so 

 as to have it pruned, rested, and starting into growth about 

 this [time. See that large specimens are not allowed to be- 

 come too dry at the root after they have set their buds, for 

 their shedding the latter is often due to this cause. Young 

 vigorous plants, however, frequently require to be watered 

 rather sparingly at this period to prevent their making a second 

 growth. Cinerarias for early flowering should now be growing 

 freely, and should be shifted when necessary, for if they are to 

 form large specimens for flowering in winter they must not be 

 permitted to sustain any check. Plants arranged out of doors 

 must be frequently examined and carefully secured against all 

 chances of injury from ungenial weather. See that Ericas are 

 properly, but not excessively, supplied with water. Continue a 

 system of stopping and training with young plants intended for 

 specimens. 



STOVE. 



In the stove such of the inmates as are intended for the de- 

 coration of the conservatory in autumn and early in winter 

 should be carefully looked over, shifting any that are likely to 

 want more pot room without unnecessary loss of time, so as to 

 have the pots well filled with roots before the flowering season. 

 Also keep the shoots tied out rather thinly, and expose the 



plants to as much sunshine as they will bear without scorching 

 their foliage. Give weak liquid manure water to young grow- 

 ing specimens. Maintain a moist growing atmosphere, and ply 

 the syringe vigorously upon any plant at all infested with the 

 red spider. With respect to Orchids, encourage any backward 

 plants with plenty of heat and moisture while this can be safely 

 clone. See that specimens on blocks and in baskets are properly 

 supplied with moisture at the roots ; and to prevent any mis- 

 take, handle every plant at least once a-week, and immerse 

 those found to be dry in tepid water until the material about 

 their roots is well soaked. Syringe lightly morning and even- 

 ing, and sprinkle the floors, &c, frequently, so as to keep the 

 atmosphere thoroughly moist. — W. Ejjane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Eveet piece of ground, as soon as it was cleared of Peas or 

 other crops, was filled for the winter. We sowed the main 

 crops of Cabbages, and a few Cauliflower?, Onions, and Spinach 

 for succession. We prefer sowing the main crops from the 

 15th to the end of the month. Eats have been troublesome 

 on our Peas and small fruit, especially Gooseberries. We catch 

 and trap numbers of them, but they do not much diminish in 

 force. But for seeing them dead we should be apt to think 

 that some of our men had learned a lesson from the great 

 naturalist Waterton, whose father paid so well for the tails of 

 rats, that he took the tails and let the animals go to keep up 

 the paying stock. Others catching tail-less rats, the trick 

 oozed out. 



Cucumbers. — Now is a good time to sow for winter fruiting 

 They become strong and healthy before the short days arrive. 



Onions have grown remarkably this season, and perhaps we 

 have never used fewer of them. If things are overabundant 

 they are less valued. 



Dwarf Kidney Beans out of doors, owing to the refreshing 

 rains, have been unusually good, and there is no vegetable more 

 enjoyable and nutritious when well cooked. We lately saw 

 in a large place some dishes enough to keep anyone from touch- 

 ing them. Would that some experienced person would give 

 simple directions on cooking vegetables, so as to present them 

 at table in an attractive healthy condition. We have seen 

 large dishes of what ought to have been beautiful tender Cab- 

 bages dirty in colour, swimming in the water in which boiling 

 had been attempted, and every bit, instead of being soft and 

 melting, as tough as so much leather. 



Artichokes, Globe and Jerusalem. — Where Globe Artichokes 

 are much admired, the crop will be prolonged by giving the 

 plants some good soakings with manure water. We think 

 this vegetable, well done, is one of the best for a quiet con- 

 versational dinner. No one can get over them in a hurry. 

 We are often surprised that Jerusalem Artichokes are not 

 more used for covers ; they would give shelter, and the 

 pheasants, if not overfed, will turn up the tubers for them- 

 selves. When well fed on better materials, as Bailey, Indian 

 Com, &c, we find that pheasants will not leave the best for 

 the Artichokes, and thus we have noticed frequently that fine 

 plantations of it are left untouched. In other places, where 

 there was less in the way of feeding, quarters of this Arti- 

 choke in the woods were almost cleared out every winter. We 

 may here state that in many places, owing to the same cause, 

 the berries of the Privet and the Evergreen Berberry would be 

 greedily cleared off, whilst in other places they would remain 

 untouched. No doubt when grain was obtainable it was more 

 palatable and nourishing too. 



FRUIT DEPARTMENT. 



The work was to a great extent a repetition of that described 

 in recent notices, as nipping, pruning, gathering, and watering. 

 In-doors, as all our fruit houses have as yet to be plant houses, 

 we try to remove the plants from them as the fruit approaches 

 maturity, and then when it is gathered we begin to introduce 

 them again. We do not advocate the plan, but we have no 

 alternative. Then, as soon as pruning and cleaning takes 

 place, the house is filled with plants that will stand a low tem- 

 perature, so that the main fruiting plants of the house shall 

 not be excited before we want them. There are but few places 

 even now where a house can be kept for a definite purpose. 

 That, however, is what ought to be done when high culture 

 becomes a matter of first consideration. Take Strawberries, 

 for instance. Growing them early in every available house 

 gives much extra labour, and there is considerable trouble in 



