274 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 3, 1S72. 



possible ; they may now be safely placed where a little arti- 

 ficial heat can be afforded them. Take care, however, that 

 they are placed near the glass, well supplied with manure 

 water, and air given them freely, as anything in the shape of 

 close confinement would soon ruin them ; indeed, the whole 

 stock of these should now be placed where it can be covered 

 at night in case of frost, for although they will bear more of 

 that than most plants, it is not good policy to leave them to 

 the mercy of the weather much after this season, except in 

 favoured localities. It is better, however, to place them in 

 skeleton frames, or in a sheltered situation, where they can be 

 covered in case of need, than to huddle them too thickly to- 

 gether under glass, or to put them, as is sometimes done, 

 under the shade of Vines. See that the tree Violets are per- 

 fectly free from their enemy the red spider, for if the foliage 

 is allowed to get disfigured at this season the plants will re- 

 main unsightly long afterwards. See that Epacrises and other 

 winter-blooming plants are placed in a light part of the house 

 where they will be fully exposed to the sun, so as to get the 

 wood well ripened, and to insure then- blooming freely. Ex- 

 amine Heaths frequently, or anything else subject to mildew, 

 and apply sulphur immediately the pest can be perceived. 

 Water must be very carefully applied at this season, especially 

 in the case of very large specimens , for there is much more 

 danger in over- watering now than when the weather is warmer 

 and the plants more active ; therefore look over the plants 

 frequently, and never water until it is absolutely necessary. 

 Any of the late-growing Heaths which may be in want of 

 more pot room may still be shifted, but do not expose them to 

 cold winds, and water very carefully afterwards, for the roots 

 cannot be expected to progress very rapidly at this season. 

 Get everything requiring it neatly tied as soon as possible, so 

 as to give the plants an attractive appearance, and render the 

 house as interesting as possible without any grand display of 

 bloom. 



PUS AXD FRA1IES. 



Regulate the general bedding stock, and get the majority 

 established in small pots. Give as much air as possible, and 

 restrict the supply of water to mature then- growth. For pro- 

 tection a stock of straw or reed mats should be made in wet 

 weather, as common mats afford scarcely sufficient protection 

 to the half-hardy plants in store pits. — W Keaxe. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEX GABDES. 



Celery. — Cleaned and tied-up our later crops of Celery. The 

 former consisted in nipping out with the point of a knife any 

 suckers or small side shoots which had sprung from the bottom. 

 If we did not do this each plant, when taken up, might have 

 half a dozen smaller ones round it, which, though useful for 

 some purposes, are not generally preferable. A few of the 

 lower leaves may also have to be taken away, but unless small, 

 weakly, or discoloured, very little of this will be required. 

 The best remedy for grub is to sprinkle the plants very 

 thinly with soot and wood ashes several times in summer. 

 This deters the Celery fly from depositing its eggs. When 

 once deposited and the grub is growing between the siring of 

 the leaf, nothing will do except picking off the leaves and de- 

 stroying them. It is in every way best to pick out the side 

 buds of Celery before it is finally planted, as the plants are 

 not much disturbed when they become larger. 



This cleaning and tying showed us how dry the ground had 

 been about the roots ten days ago. We have no doubt that 

 this dryness is the principal cause of bolted heads. Few plants 

 throw off more moisture by insensible perspiration than the 

 foliage of Celery does in a dry bright day. We gave the roots 

 a good watering with house sewage, and then watered overhead 

 with clean water. We may state that plants that were well 

 watered a day or so before earthing-up a month ago, had the 

 roots so dry that a fortnight or three weeks more would most 

 likely have tempted them to throw up their flower-stems. 



Tying-up was done after cleaning and before watering. Bands 

 of the roughest bast matting not good enough for much else 

 will do for this purpose. The band should be placed round 

 rather loosely to give room for free growth, and at from 9 to 

 15 inches from the soil, according to the kind, and character of 

 the plant. The tying encourages an upright compact habit, 

 and the centre of the plant is thus enabled to rise well — infact, 

 the tying effects the first processes of blanching. Tying tightly 

 will be apt to squeeze the plant as it grows, and prevent the 

 aeentre of the plant rising freely. After tying and watering, 



an inch or so of soil from the sides is thrown over the bed to 

 keep the moisture in. Before there is much frost, the plants 

 will all need securing by earthing-up. 



Planted the main piece for spring Cabbage, and covered a nice 

 piece of Dwarf Kidney Beans with old sashes, resting on rails 

 laid on high pots back and front. A little long litter placed 

 back and front will enable us to have free gatherings for some 

 time. Scarlet Runners are still loaded, and as the weather 

 is again much warmer, though stormy, they may bear well for 

 some time. We have several times preserved them longer by 

 running a rough twisted straw rope over the rows, which thus 

 so far arrested free radiation of heat. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



We always think that long-keeping Apples and Pears are 

 more apt to shrivel as they ripen when gathered prematurely. 

 This has been a rather uncertain season for the ripening of 

 fruit, some coming before and others after their usual time. 

 As rain was expected, we put a pinch of soot on the surface 

 soil of the Strawberry pots. This helps the growing and ripen- 

 ing of the plants, but too much of such hot manure would be 

 injurious. 



OBN'AITENTAI, DEPAKTITEST. 



The Lesines are as fine as they were two months ago ; and 

 though we like Herbstii for some purposes, Lindeni, from being 

 much stronger-growing and standing nipping well, is our best 

 favourite. We have used it in ribbon fashion between strong- 

 growing yellow Calceolaria and white Pelargonium, and the 

 effect has pleased us much more than did the brown Coleus 

 last year. It seems likely to last almost as long as the Cal- 

 ceolaria, which after the gales as yet have suffered but little. 



Got some long Utter and mats in readiness to throw over 

 late cuttings. Cuttings of variegated Geraniums, Verbenas, 

 &c, would be all the better of a little sweet bottom heat, 

 even if air were admitted by leaving open from a quarter to 

 half an inch at the back of the light all night. This is the 

 great secret for preventing damping. With a moist atmo- 

 sphere and the light close, cuttings will stand a good amount 

 of direct sunshine during the day, better than a close confined 

 atmosphere at night. 



Roses. — In equinoctial gales it is advisable to shorten young 

 Rose shoots considerably, so that they may act not too much 

 as a leverage on the roots. 



Chrysanthemums in pots intended for house decoration 

 should be richly top-dressed. We shall get ours staked securely, 

 using chiefly one stake, and place them where they can have a 

 little protection. As mass of bloom is our object, we thin the 

 buds but little ; but when we used to grow for fine flowers we 

 thinned the buds very much. 



Climbers and strong-growing plants in conservatories and 

 other plant houses must now be regulated and thinned, that 

 greater light may reach the plants beneath. As soon as 

 possible we shaU have a regular glass-washing. We can rarely 

 get at it in general more than twice a-vear, now and in spring. 

 — R. F. 



TEADE CATALOGUES EECEITED. 



Downie, Laird, & Lain?, Staustead Park, Forest Hill, London. 

 — Catalogue of Dutch Floiver Boots. 



John Harrison, Grange Nursery, Darlington. — Catalogue of 

 Hoses and Hollyhocks. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

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

 week. 



Book on British Fungi [Flora). — There are two Fuiitrus floras published, 

 one Cooke's "Handbook of British Fungi," two vols., Haemillan & Co., 24s. 

 This is a new book, and describes every known British Fungus at length, 

 with a -woodcut of a typical species of every genus. The other is Berkeley's 

 ' ' Outlines of British Fungology," one vol., Keeve & Co., Henrietta Street, 

 Covent Garden, 30s. This is ten years older, and does not give full descrip- 

 tions of the microscopic species; it, however, has the great advantage i ; 

 twenty-four pages of excellent coloured plates. In their way both books are 

 equally valuable. 



Aatpelopsis (J". C. £.). — Every species of the genus can be raised either 

 from layers or cuttings. Xou can have the " Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary " 

 jree by post from our office if you enclose 7s. 2d. with your address. 



Seedling Verbenas [W. D. E.).— No award. 



Peaches on Back Wall versus on Boof Trellis (Kew). — By keeping 

 the roof clear, so as to admit light to the trees on the back wall, the fruit is 

 quite as fine and large as that from trees on a trellis at 14 inches from the 

 glass. Distance from the glass is no object, so long as the sun's rays reach 

 the trees on the back wall unobstructed. There is no more difference be- 

 tween the fruit at the lower part of the back wall than is usual on the lower 

 branches of all fruit trees. All have smaller fruit on the lower branches. 

 Keep the trees on the front trellis to the height shown in the section, page 193, 

 and the pot trees, as well as those on the back wall, will have all the light 



