156 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 22, 1872. 



out in rows 16 inches apart, and a foot apart in the row, and 

 besides a fair allowance to himself and family, the winter 

 being favourable, he sold enough of crisp early Cabbages to 

 pay the rent of his cottage and garden. This, of course, was 

 a little exceptional. This man could cut nice, crisp, hearted 

 Cabbages a fortnight before we had them equally good, and it 

 was the earliness that paid him. All slops, soapsuds, &c, 

 were saved in an old barrel at the end of the garden farthest 

 from the house, and when dry the Cabbages drank in the liquid 

 and rejoiced in it. "We recollect seeing this little piece of Cab- 

 bages in June, and again in the middle of July, and if there 

 had not been a daily cutting of the second growth, every stool 

 would have produced three or four nice little Cabbages. " Ah !" 

 said the man, " it is little use selling these now, they are more 

 valuable here than in the market ; but these early ones, didn't 

 they pay primely, and got me out of a little difficulty from 

 being laid aside for a few weeks, and no wages, you know !" 



Allotment Gardens. — As we are writing something at ease, 

 and wish to put down what we think, we should like to record 

 our opinion that whenever a labourer or an artisan possesses 

 a garden he should have the sole and undoubted control of the 

 produce. In some cases this may not work so well as could be 

 wished, but on the whole it is the best and common-sense 

 view that can be taken of the matter. Instances have several 

 times come under our notice where the landlords of cottage 

 gardens and allotments have objected to anything being sold ; 

 have stated, " We wish that ground to be cropped solely for 

 the benefit of your family, and if you have more than is need- 

 ful for that, we will let some one else have a portion." Now 

 we think the whole of such interference is based on a mis- 

 apprehension of the case. When a man pays for his garden 

 and allotment he has a clear right to deal with the produce to 

 his best advantage. In the case referred to above, the fine 

 piece of early Cabbages could not have been used with advan- 

 tage, and the man, but for the money obtained for them, could 

 not so soon or so easily have righted himself. Provided'there 

 is due industry developed, the less interference there is with 

 results the better it will be for everybody. 



Sowing and Planting. — We sowed Spinach for the main 

 winter crop, Onions to grow and draw, Eadishes for succession, 

 and Lettuces to stand the winter. We shall again sow a few 

 Cauliflowers for early work at the end of the month. W r e 

 planted out Endive where we could find an opening. When 

 it is desirable the plants should stand the winter, ridges, 

 the same as advised last year for Lettuces, are the best for 

 this purpose. On these ridges we did not lose a plant in 

 winter. 



FRUIT DEPAKT2JENT. 



The work has been much the same as in previous weeks. 

 We have almost finished nipping -in and foreshortening bush 

 and pyramidal trees out of doors. When we made pet objects 

 of such trees and could overtake the work, we used to do the 

 pinching early, by the time the shoots were from 3 to 6 inches 

 in length, and then by merely nipping out the points, we 

 have had fully the half of the Plum, Cherry, Apple, or Pear 

 shoot left clothed with plump fruit-buds in the autumn. 

 Very often, however, gardeners, even the young and most 

 energetic, find it impossible to get at their work in time, and 

 must overtake it as they can with the means at their disposal. 

 For all bush and pyramidal trees the mode of early pinching is 

 the true one. Plant the trees as lately adverted to — that is, on 

 hillocks, with the roots near the surface ; mulch to encourage 

 the roots near the surface ; pinch out the points of the shoots 

 early ; and even without root-pruning or replanting there will 

 be no difficulty in having compact little trees, say from 6 to 

 more feet in height, and rather wider at the base, clothed with 

 flower-buds, and yet having enough of luxuriance to perfect 

 well-swelled fruit. Most of our pyramids show that they will 

 have a fan- amount of flower-buds, but shortening shoots as 

 late as this will do little or nothing to cause flower-buds to 

 form at the base of the shoots made this season. 



Fruit Crops. — We are sorry to say that all the larger fruit 

 out of doors will be deficient this season, and we do not think 

 that on the whole the quality will be good. Visitors tell us 

 that we have more than our share — say, for instance, Apples 

 and Pears, but they are nothing to what we used to have, and 

 even greatly inferior to those of last year, which was not up 

 to the mark. Though some of our Apples and Pears look well, 

 others have a stunted appearance, as if they refused to swell 

 freely. We felt sure that the sleets and frosts of spring would 

 tell on the blossom, which might struggle through. We never 

 had a finer show of bloom. 



Small fruit on the whole did well, and we would have had 

 abundance if we could have kept out or terrified intruders. 

 We have no love for the sound of gun or pistol in a garden ; 

 but if such sound is never heard in a country place, and no 

 cat must be seen, the birds will have their own way with buds 

 and fruit, do what you will otherwise to prevent it. Netting 

 will be of no use if the meshes are larger than half an inch, 

 and what net will keep out rats, except one of fine wire ? This 

 season rats for the first time have cleared off numbers of 

 Gooseberries, making a mere pastime of climbing the bushes. 

 What with new arrangements, protected Dutch barns, and 

 asphalt floorings at the farm, they cannot house themselves 

 there, and therefore we have more than the usual allowance. 

 An adept set twenty-eight traps one night, and had twenty- 

 seven rats next morning. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



As stated lately, to keep our lawns properly has given us far 

 more than the usual trouble and labour, but the beds, on the 

 other hand, have troubled us little in the way of watering ; so 

 if we look for it we shall generally find some counterbalance 

 to stop all useless grumbling. After the rains we had to pick 

 the beds again, and to remove from the Scarlet sections of 

 Pelargoniums many of the larger leaves, to throw more 

 strength into the flower-stems, and now, after such a week of 

 fine weather, the appearance again is very nearly all that can 

 be wished. 



We must remark here, however, that to have things passable, 

 and everything as neat, complete, and trim as maybe, requires 

 a very different outlay of attention and labour. We often 

 compromise the matter by keeping the extra neatness nearest 

 the mansion, and allow matters to get rougher farther away. 

 We prophesy that ere long in many places where there are 

 large lawns the practice will come on of allowing the more dis- 

 tant parts to be left rougher, merely cutting them two or three 

 times in the season. We feel sure that in many cases the con- 

 trast between the rougher ground and the more thoroughly 

 dressed would be found agreeable rather than otherwise, and 

 the labour power could be better employed. 



Gladiolus. — We do not think much of these by themselves, 

 whether for beds or lines ; but in either case they do well when 

 mixed with other plants — with low evergreens, as Rhododen- 

 drons — and in large beds or back rows of borders, where they 

 either mix with or have separate rows with such subjects as 

 tall Ageratums and Salvia fulgens. We have frequently had a 

 fine row of the scarlet Gladiolus in patches 2 feet apart, and 

 then a Salvia planted between. As the Gladiolus failed, and 

 most of the flower-stems were gone, the Salvias came in and 

 supplied their place. We say nothing of growing them in 

 pots, but all the hardier kinds will stand out of doors if kept 

 from severe frost and rather dry. When the plants are in 

 rows it is a good plan to raise a little ridge over them, and 

 cover it with rough half-rotten dung or leaf mould. They may 

 stand two or three years in the same place, but they will dete- 

 riorate if kept there longer, as the new eorms so form on the 

 t:>p of the old ones, that the roots cannot have free access to 

 the soil. Deep planting — not less than 6 inches — is also im- 

 portant. If taken up, the corms may either be planted again 

 in fresh soil, or, if early in winter, may be kept in any cool 

 dry place until they just show signs of moving, when they 

 should be sized ; and we think they do best when some fine 

 corms, or bulbs as they are generally called, are planted in a 

 group, placing one in the centre and the others round, at from 

 4 to 6 inches from each other. 



We shall begin next week to propagate a few plants for the 

 flower garden, commencing with Verbenas and variegated Gera- 

 niums, and finishing with Calceolarias at the end of October, 

 but we fear that we can say little that will be fresh. — R. F. 



TEADE CATALOGUES EECEIVED. 

 W. Cutbush & Son, Highgate, London, N. — Bulb Catalogue 

 for 1872. 



William Paul, Waltham Cross, London, N. — Bulb Catalogue. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 



Books {Lodge). — In the first place we would give your gardener the cheap 

 manuals from our office, and the "Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary." "When 

 he had mastered these, then we would recommend Thompson's " Gardener's 

 Assistant," or Loudon's " Encyclopedia of Gardening." In addition to tho 



