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JOUBNAL OF HOETICULTTJEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE, 



[ October ID, 1872. 



having regard to his health to sleep. The chimney supplies a 

 means of ventilation for which even the window is but an im- 

 perfect and less safe substitute. — Y. 



A quantity of Irises, offered by Messrs. Butler and 



McCulloch, of Covent Garden, for planting in Finsbury and 

 Southwark Parks, has been received by the Parks' and Com- 

 mons' Co mmi ttee, and a vote of thanks returned. 



One of the most remarkable relics in the neighbourhood 



of the city of Mexico was destroyed by fire early in the summer 

 — the grand old Cypress hung with mosses, well known to tra- 

 vellers by the name of the Arbol de la Noche Triste, or Tree of 

 the Sad Night, under which Cortes is said to have passed the 

 night of July 1, 1520, after his defeat by the Aztec forces. It 

 is u nkn own whether it was set on fire purposely or by accident. 

 The tree was one of the largest of its kind. It stood by the 

 wayside. A portion of the trunk was hewn away some years 

 since, and sent to the Naval Museum at Madrid, where it is 

 preserved with great care. 



It may interest some of our readers to know what the 



florists of the last century considered the properties of the 

 Causation and Pink. In a manuscript now before us, dated 

 1756, we read, "But that you may be acquainted with what 

 the florists call good properties I shall here set them down. 

 1, The stem of the flower shoidd be strong and able to support 

 the weight of the flower without lopping down. 2, The petals 

 or leaves of the flowers should be long, broad, and. stiff, and 

 pretty easy to expand, or, as the florists term it, it should be 

 free to flower. 3, The middle pod of the flower should not 

 advance too high above the other part of the flower. 4, The 

 •colours should be bright and equally marked all over the 

 flower. 5, The flower should be very full of leaves, so as to 

 render it when blown very thick and high in the middle, and 

 the outside perfectly round." 



In the garden of the Eoyal Horticultural Society at 



Chiswick a collection of Miniature Chrysanthemums has-been 

 in bloom for many weeks past. They are a quite distinct race 

 from the ordinary liliputian Chrysanthemums, and were col- 

 lected by Mr. Spinks during his residence in France. They 

 may be called summer-blooming, as they are now going off 

 just as the autumn bloomers are coming in. 



A variety of Plane, of which I received from France 



a considerable quantity a few years ago under the name of 

 Platanus oeeidentalis, has suffered very much by the frosts of 

 a fortnight ago. The whole of the young shoots and leaves 

 are cut, and look as miserable as the rows of Scarlet Eunners 

 not far distant from them. This, in a district of the Weald 

 of Sussex, where the Sweet Bay, Laurustinus, and common 

 Laurel are never cut down, goes far to confirm the opinion 

 that Platanus oeeidentalis is a tree which cannot attain any 

 great stature in this climate. — H. 



The Commissioners of Her Majesty's Works and Public 



Buildings intend to make this autumn among the working 

 classes and the poor inhabitants of London a distribution of 

 the surplus bedding-out plants in Battersea, Hyde, the Ee- 

 gent's, and Victoria Parks, and in the EoyalGardens, Kew. If 

 the clergy, school committees, and others interested will make 

 application to the Superintendents of the parks nearest to 

 their respective parishes, or to the Director of the Eoyal Gar- 

 dens, Kew, in the cases of persons residing in that neighbour- 

 hood, they will receive early intimation of the number of 

 plants that can be allotted to each applicant, and of the time 

 and manner of their distribution. 



WOBK FOB THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN garden. 

 Asparagus stalks should be removed, and an adequate quantity 

 of seed collected for the yearly sowing. A slight dressing of 

 salt may be advantageously applied to the beds. The decline 

 of the late crops of Beans, Cauliflowers, and Peas should be 

 immediately followed by their removal, and no decaying or 

 useless vegetable matter should be allowed to cumber the 

 ground. If vacant ground is not directly required, it should be 

 rough-dug or ridged for exposure. The distribution of manure 

 should be governed by the character of the late and proposed 

 crops; for instance, the Onion quarter has probably received 

 a dressing sufficient to carry a crop of Cabbage without further 

 assistance. Strong-growing Peas and Beans impoverish the 

 land; quarters which have been thus occupied might be ap- 

 propriated to early Potatoes in due season. In the future cul- 

 tivation of the Potato all circumstances that tend to promote 

 excessive luxuriance must be avoided; at least this season, the 



general examples tend to prove this assumption. A good supply 

 of the late sowings of Lettuce should be planted in situations 

 best calculated to afford them protection in the winter ; when 

 the accommodation of pits or frames can be afforded, a quantity 

 might be planted beneath them to ensure a regular supply in- 

 dependent of the weather. The out-of-door Cucumber-bed 

 stirred over will be suitable for August-sown Cauliflowers, 

 which will shortly require the protection of hand-glasses. Clear 

 away decayed leaves from Rhubarb, and dress with a little good 

 soil those plants intended for early forcing. 

 ' fruit garden. 



The principal routine here will consist in gathering and 

 storing all the late varieties of Apples and Pears. The present is 

 by far the best time for lifting and transplanting very vigorous 

 and unfruitful trees on the walls. Apricots, Peaches, and Nec- 

 tarines can be so treated with great advantage, and after the 

 operation is completed they should be well mulched for the 

 winter. Fill-up all vacancies on the walls with young trees ; 

 never let this be left until the spring if it can possibly be 

 avoided. Where root-pruning is considered necessary, now is 

 the time to see to it. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Proceed with potting such plants as it is desirable to keep, 

 and a little heat should be applied to help them to root before 

 winter. Steps should also be taken to fill-up the beds as they 

 are cleared, for the purpose of contributing to the enjoyment 

 of spring. A miscellaneous mixture of dwarf early-blooming 

 shrubs, perennial plants, and bulbs is most commonly planted ; 

 but, as has often been stated, in regularly laid-out beds and in 

 geometric gardens the disposition of colour should be carefully 

 considered, as there is an abundance of spring-flowering plants 

 and bulbs to form a rich and varied display if properly arranged 

 and carried out. Lawns will now require daily sweeping in 

 order that they may present anything like neatness. Boll con- 

 stantly wherever the turf is hollow, to keep a firm sward. Well 

 clean gravel walks for the winter, and afterwards let them be 

 rolled in order that the water may pass freely off the surface. 

 All operations connected with planting, relaying turf, and border- 

 making should be actively proceeded with. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY". 



By this time most of the specimen plants will have been 

 securely housed, and the~houses and their occupants, if former 

 directions have been properly attended to, will be as clean and 

 neat as it is possible to make them. The conservatory will now 

 become the principal feature of attraction for the winter, and to 

 this house every plant which has a bloom upon it must be-re- 

 moved. The scarlet Pelargoniums prepared at the beginning of 

 the summer will now be coming into bloom, and in a temperature 

 of from 45° to 55 c will continue in flower for months. Salvias, 

 too, especially the old S. eoceinea and some of the other kinds, 

 with Chrysanthemums, Perpetual Eoses, and a few choice sub- 

 jects from the greenhouse and stove, will make the house look 

 gay for a long time to come. Do not forget the Neapolitan 

 and tree Violets, with Mignonette, Cyclamens, and such other 

 plants as may evolve a little scent; and keep every part of the 

 house as neat and clean as possible. Cleanliness and free venti- 

 lation, when the weather will admit of it, should receive con- 

 stant attention. If unfavourable weather should occur, do not 

 hesitate to use a little fire heat at times, especially if the houses 

 contain a good many plants in bloom, for in that way a free 

 ventilation may be indulged in to expel damp and stagnant air. 

 By means of the Perpetual Eoses, Chrysanthemums, and the 

 other late-flowering plants, this structure may yet be kept gay 

 for many weeks to come. Supply them occasionally with weak 

 manure water in a clear state. Begin gradually to shorten the 

 quantity of water in the greenhouse, and water the plants in the 

 morning, so as to get the house dry during the day. Do not, 

 however, suppose that growing plants require to be dried-off 

 during the dormant season ; what they want is sufficient to 

 prevent their drooping, of course avoiding saturation. Give 

 abundance of air both day and night when the weather is favour- 

 able, but endeavour to keep the greenhouse plants warmer than 

 the Heaths. For the latter, to exclude frost is all that is neces- 

 sary. The specimens on the walls and in the borders of the 

 conservatory must be examined at the roots, and if necessary 

 receive a gentle soaking of weak clear liquid manure. Look the 

 Camellias over, and thin out the flower-buds where necessary, 

 allowing not more than two buds to each shoot, and retaining 

 the largestand smallest so as to get a long succession of flowers. 

 The leaves, if necessary, must be washed clean, and the same of 

 Orange trees ; above all things keep a sharp look-out for insects. 

 Those who have no more room for their plants than they know 

 what to do with, will be glad to convert then- vinery or other 

 forcing houses into plant houses for a few months. For such 

 houses strong portable stages should be provided, and in them 

 such plants as Chrysanthemums, Pelargoniums, and thousands 

 of plants for the flower garden may be housed until the return 

 of the forcing season. If the wood of the Vines is pretty well 

 ripened, the lateral shoots maybe removed to admit light to the 

 plants, and some of the longest of the spurs shortened likewise t 



