136 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



August 15, 1872. 



rnent planned for a future season. The propagation of Scarlet 

 Pelargoniums, Verbenas (for stock plants), and Calceolarias 

 should commence. China Boses should be put in, and budded 

 stocks examined, bandages removed, and failures replaced. 

 Mark the best Hollyhocks for seed. I am glad to see that 

 this magnificent flower is likely to meet with the attention its 

 foeauty well entitles it to. Attend to the routine of staking, 

 pegging, and the general security of fragile plants. We are 

 now rapidly advancing in the Dahlia season, and the amateur's 

 attention must be specially directed to this splendid autumnal 

 flower. As seedlings advance for blooming, it will be advisable 

 to disbud so as to get the blossoms as fine as possible for exhi- 

 bition, recollecting that the weakest plants usually produce 

 the best flowers. Many contrivances are in use for protection 

 against sun, wind, rain, and vermin, which all at certain 

 periods act detrimentally. After all the endeavours to entrap 

 earwigs in the immediate locality of the plants, still as these 

 destructive insects fly, their visits can never be effectually 

 guarded against unless the blooms are bagged. Very fine 

 jioint net lace is generally used ; this allows the flower all the 

 air possible, and at the same time effectually excludes the 

 insect before alluded to. Haythorn's hexagon netting will be 

 found useful for the purpose, though, perhaps, it should be 

 of the smallest mesh. It must cover the flower and should be 

 fastened round the stalk ; the bloom must then be protected by 

 a, cap with a spring at the back, which adjusts it at any given 

 height. The continued rain has precluded the necessity of 

 watering, but it will be advisable to mulch the surface of the 

 soil with very rotten manure, and to pay strict attention to 

 the lateral shoots of the plants being secured. Prick-out seed- 

 ling Auriculas and Polyanthuses ; the latter may also be parted, 

 and will get well established before winter. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



Should the weather continue unsettled it will be an advan- 

 tage to many delicate plants to give them an early introduction 

 into the conservatory. It is better always to anticipate an 

 evil by precaution than to supinely await its arrival. The 

 • continued humidity and gloom of the weather may well origi- 

 nate apprehension for tender, when even hardy plants are 

 suffering. The gaiety of tho show house should not be allowed 

 ■to decline while the common resources of Fuchsias, Verbenas, 

 Achimenes, and Scarlet Pelargoniums are in hand. The da» 

 iicious fragrance of Lilium tuberosum should always be secured 

 .at this season for the conservatory. Let all the faded blossoms 

 he constantly removed, straggling growth pinched, and ex- 

 hausted stock cut-in previous to making a new growth. Let it 

 be remembered that the autumn is fast approaching, and that 

 ■the sooner new growths are encouraged, in order to become 

 somewhat hardened, the better. Successions of Brugmansias, 

 ■Clerodendrons, Euphorbias, Poinsettias, &c, should receive a 

 last shift, in order that they may produce a rich display in the 

 ■conservatory. Climbers on ornamental trellises should be 

 ■occasionally cut back, with the view of having a succession 

 late in the season when flowers become scarce. A batch of 

 such plants as Thunbergias,Ipoma;as, Stephanotis, and Passi- 

 ioras, should be got up ornamental trellises without delay. 

 Clematis bicolor and C. azurea grandiflora force well in early 

 spring ; rest them behind a shady wall in June and July, and 

 they will flower again in October and November. The Cle- 

 matises, although perfectly hardy, are well adapted for conser- 

 vatory trellises. Chrysanthemums should now receive their 

 last shift, if possible, using chiefly sound fibrous loam for the 

 purpose with plenty of charcoal. This is the best way to keep 

 them stiff in habit, and to preserve their leaves. Any neces- 

 sary amount of strength may be imparted to them when the 

 flower-buds are formed by good liquid manure. Let adequate 

 provision be made for the prolonged supply of small flowering 

 subjects, such as Primulas, Phlox Drummondi, and Cinerarias. 



STOVE. 



This house should be particularly well aired at this season. 

 Shade less ; indeed, while gloomy days prevail, withhold shad- 

 ing altogether, and apply less humidity. It is better to apply 

 gentle fires with abundance of air night and day, than to finish 

 the season with immature growth. Withhold water altogether 

 for a short time from those that have quite finished their 

 season's growth, having previously gradually lessened the 

 supply from time to time. Place the plants at the coldest and 

 driest end of the house if no other resting structure is at hand. 

 The absence of bright sunshine will more especially render it 

 •desirable to expose all plants to the little sunshine we have, in 

 order that the shoots may be ripened before the approach of 

 winter. It is a great error to keep plants that are required to 



produce a profusion of bloom during the following spring and 

 summer actively at work late in the autumn. Summer is the 

 season when rapid development should be promoted, and 

 autumn the period when the young wood should be completely 

 hardened and ripened preparatory to the approach of winter. 



PITS AND ERA1IES. 



Some of the first struck cuttings will now be fit for potting 

 off. Place them in a pit or frame ; shade, keep them close 

 until they are rooted, when they should be set out to harden 

 previously to being stored up for winter. Continue to put in 

 cuttings, more particularly the best kinds of bedding Pelargo- 

 niums, which ought to be struck as soon as possible. — 

 W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



Comet or no comet, never was there more distracting wea- 

 ther — rain, not in drops but in sheets, threatening to lay every- 

 thing prostrate, and the lurid lightning to burn all up, and 

 yet, after all, in our neighbourhood but little, injury has been 

 done. Of course, where the crops were very thick and heavy 

 the rains and winds twisted them and laid them down, so that 

 reaping machines could not be much used, and the old sickle 

 had to be employed instead. 



Piecework. — Many good men, especially the proprietors of 

 small gardens, have consulted us as to piecework, and we have 

 been obliged to tell them we could not help them. Large jobs 

 in a garden might be let on piecework to the advantage of all 

 concerned — as men will and ought to work for themselves 

 better and more heartily than for a day-labour employer ; but 

 in the routine of a garden it is next to impossible to get work 

 done on the piecework principle, because a man must have so 

 many little things to attend to, and no conceivable reckoning 

 could come in justly to allow so much for this, and so much 

 for that. In the general routine of garden work nothing will 

 be more satisfactory on the whole than wages by the day or 

 the week. Fresh work in laying out, &c, is a different affair. 



One matter, however, ought to be seen to in gentlemen's 

 gardens, and that is, independent of strikes and all their evils, 

 some knowledge must be had of the abilities of the workmen. 

 We have sorrowfully parted with men to better themselves, 

 though we felt the extra money would have paid as well here 

 as elsewhere. There is a mistake here which ladies and gentle- 

 men, we hope, will learn to rectify. We have had many men 

 all receiving the same money on Friday night, the right night 

 to pay labour, and we felt when paying all alike that some men 

 were worth any two of the others. We have neyerbeen able to 

 do as much as justice required in this direction, and servants 

 never can do what masters can ; but there is neither reason 

 nor justice in paying all assistants alike, whatever may be the 

 distinguishing characteristics of the men. Besides, an active 

 energetic man has no stimulus to bring out his energy and 

 activity. " I get no more than that sleepy-headed, woolly- 

 fingered fellow, who never wants a handkerchief in the hottest 

 day. A little sweat would be poison to him." 



We throw out the hint because we have never been able to 

 satisfy ourselves. We are quite sure that in piecework some 

 men in gardens, if they acted as they generally do, would 

 easily double the wages of some other men. 



Independent of present appearances, we do hope that the 

 harvest will be profitable to all concerned, as so many depend on 

 a few weeks' extra labour now to clear off all scores at the shop, 

 pay the rent, and get shoes and clothing for the youngsters. 

 The more we see of the working of everyday labouring life, the 

 more we are convinced (of course with certain unfortunate 

 drawbacks) of the sterling honesty of purpose of the great 

 mass of general labourers in fields and gardens. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



See previous notices. We dug ground which had been 

 cropped with early Peas, and planted with Winter Greens, Let- 

 tuce, Endive, &c. We would refer to what we lately stated 

 about plants of Cauliflower and Broccoli turning out badly. Ours 

 have required much supervision, and we have been short of 

 Cauliflower in consequence. Fine large plants have not a bit 

 of heart in them. We cannot assign the reason, but true it is 

 that great numbers of plants of the Cabbage tribe seem to 

 have lost the terminal bud. It is of no use leaving them, as 

 the plants will come to nothing. This day we have pulled up 

 some hundreds of Cauliflowers which ought to have shown signs 

 of heading. We are rather surprised that some of our con- 

 temporaries have made no allusion to the subject. Well, per- 

 haps they do not like to confess themselves beaten as we do ; 



