December 5, 1872. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



451 



leafless bough;" the Dwarf Almond (Aruygdalus nana) and its 

 varieties, A. n. georgica and A. n. carnpestris, A. incana, and 

 A. sibirica, which seldom exceed 3 feet in height, and produce 

 their gay rose-coloured flowers in great abundance ; Cydonia 

 japonica and its white variety ; all the varieties of Wallflower 

 (Cheiranthus Cheiri), double and single and yellow Rocket (Bar- 

 barea precox), &c. In front of these may be placed clusters of 

 the Anemone coronaria, A. apennina, A. Pulsatilla and A. hor- 

 tensis, and various species of Leucojum or Snowflake, Daffodils, 

 Narcissi, the pretty Orobus vermis, and others. In the front 

 row we have a great variety averaging about 4 inches in height 

 — Crocuses of several colours, Snowdrops, Hepaticas, the beau- 

 tiful species of Scilla, particularly S. precox aud S. bifolia, with 

 varieties, the Russian and English Violets, Polyanthuses, 

 Primroses, Sanguinaria canadensis, Aubrietia purpurea, Arabis 

 albida, Jonquils, Dog's-tooth Violets, "Winter Aconites, Van Thol 

 Tulips, Hyacinths, and many others. If the florist gets in a 

 selection of these plants he will have the garden supplied with 

 flowers immediately the frost leaves, and will have a continuance 

 of them until the summer flowers begin to make their appearance. 

 The chief anxiety of the amateur, as far as Tulips, Dahlias, Car- 

 nations, Pinks, Sec, are concerned, is now brought to a close. 

 Tulips ought all to be planted, and, if the bed has been properly 

 made, will require but little attention till they are fairly out of 

 the ground. Dahlias ought all to be up by this time, their tops 

 cut off, and, after having been exposed under cover in a dry, airy 

 place as recommended, will be ready to stow away. Carnations 

 must be kept hardy — that is to say, if they have been potted 

 early. If obtained since the middle of October they will require 

 much more attention, for at this time of the year, being com- 

 paratively stationary, it will be found that late-potted layers are 

 more susceptible of damp and frost than those which are well 

 established. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



Constant attention and vigilance are the requisites here, and 

 thorough cleanliness. Let everything carry the appearance of 

 system, and of well-matured and preconcerted plans. All water- 

 ing must be done before noon, in order that a sweet, mild, and 

 somewhat dry air may be enclosed when the air is reduced, by 

 which period the fires, if there be any, should be very low 

 indeed. Those Camellias which are now in bloom or opening 

 their bloom-buds should staud in the lightest healthiest part, 

 and the house where they are placed should be kept free from 

 cold evaporation, as colddampness at this and the coming season, 

 for a time, is particularly injurious to the duration of the blooms 

 and the permanency of their colours, causing blotching and 

 mildewed spots. Healthy strong plants which are loaded with a 

 heavy crop of bloorn-buds, and are about commencing to flower, 

 may be greatly assisted by weak applications of clear tepid 

 manure water. If it is found necessary to apply a moderate fire 

 to the greenhouse occasionally to dry up the dampness, the fore 

 part of the day should be chosen while abundance of air can be 

 given to carry off the evaporated moisture. 



STOVE. 



These will require a very liberal ventilation now, increasing 

 fire heat if necessary in order to accomplish it. Still apply 

 moisture to the air although in a diminished degree, but with- 

 hold moisture entirely from the roots of deciduous Orchids, or 

 those sinking into a state of repose. Any late specimens or im- 

 portations making late growths should have the lightest situ- 

 ation in the house, and still receive a little moisture &t the roots 

 occasionally. Light, however, is the great desideratum in order 

 to produce those secretions on which alone depends their power 

 of going through a long winter successfully. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



The hurricanes and rains placed work out of the question, 

 except ridging and cleaning-up when dry. The cleaning-up was 

 rendered more necessary owing to winds bringing leaves from 

 great distances ; and when visitors are expected these ought to 

 be removed from the walks at least. It is of less importance 

 moving them from quarters and borders. To many things they 

 act as a kind of protection, and can be put out of sight when 

 pointing-in and digging. In the way of protection we have 

 needed nothing as yet. Veitch's Cauliflower is as fine as it was 

 in September. "We can endorse all that is said by Mr. Horley 

 at page 431. We regret not measuring and weighing some won- 

 derful heads, as compact as if they had been the size of our fist. 

 The great complaint was that no pot or saucepan could be found 

 large enough for them. 



Lettuces young and fit to gather, Cauliflowers in hand-lights, 

 Radishes, &c, have had abundance of air back and front, as it 

 would have scarcely been prudent to have exposed them even 

 during the day in such changeable weather, when no security 

 could be had against sudden showers. Twice or thrice during 

 the week we had sashes of pits and frames drawn back or for- 

 ward, but there was a hurry-scurry to get them on again, the 

 heavy rain came so suddenly. In such rainy but warm weather 



the evil is keeping crops under glass so close as to render them 

 tender ; but the free circulation of air should be given without 

 the risk of a drenching, for on the whole damp is quite as dan- 

 gerous as even frost, and is more apt to be neglected. 



Walks and roads in constant use threatened to become im- 

 passable with comfort. The mud accumulated on such after 

 much use and these soaking rains was something prodigious, 

 even though there was a good hard bottom. After scraping, the 

 next rains left all clean and comfortable, audit is ever a pleasure 

 to traverse a clean-washed road. Without the scraping, the 

 rains would have made it more a matter of slush and mire. 

 The scrapings in their ultimate value would generally pay for 

 the labour. This will not hold good in sandy light districts, but 

 in all places where the soil is rather adhesive the scrapings 

 from roads are very valuable, as they largely consist of pul- 

 verised stone and gravel, mixed, of course, with the soil. Ruad- 

 side sand carried down hills in rain storms, washed from its 

 mud, we have ever found equal for most purposes to the finest 

 white sand. Of course, it is little else than ground stone and 

 flints. A good washing in a tub gives you the pure grit, and 

 many an amateur who cannot obtain white sand from Reigate 

 may often secure as good with little trouble in his own neigh- 

 bourhood from the roads, if allowed. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



The ground is still warm, and, if it were only dry, planting 

 fruit trees might still be proceeded with. In favourable positions, 

 where the ground is not clogged, the little superabundance of 

 moisture will be all in favour of the roots. With the soil mode- 

 rately moist, packing the roots and staking the tops to keep the 

 roots steady are of more importance in autumn and winter plant- 

 ing than watering. The time to water, if necessary, is when 

 the fibres push and the soil and the weather are comparatively 

 dry. In sudden bursts of hot dry weather in spring and summer, 

 a watering overhead to arrest evaporation, or even shading, to 

 do the same, would often be more judicious than watering. 



Strawberries out of doors have mostly received their winter- 

 dressing and manuring. We place most reliance on those forced 

 last season and turned out of pots. If the manure is a little rough 

 and left somewhat elevated between the rows, the protection 

 given will be all the greater. Every old leaf that will fall or be 

 removed in spring is now so far a matter of proteciion to the 

 buds. Singularly enough, troubled as we are with vermin in 

 the shape of mice, rats, and rabbits, we have rarely had Straw- 

 berry plants meddled with when in the open quarters ; but only 

 give a slight protection to potted plants, and the rats want to 

 know all about them. 



We looked over our fruit-room with sadness. Our Pears have 

 kept shockingly — never so badly in our recollection. Apples, on 

 the contrary, have kept well. There are still some fair Grapes 

 in the orchard house, but there is a small iron stove in it, else- 

 where alluded to, that has helped to mitigate the damp. In tie 

 late vinery we have lost very few berries from damp, merely 

 owing to putting some heat in the pipes during the day and 

 opening the top ventilators. We have never opened the front 

 ones, as we feared there would enter what would do more injury 

 than damp. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



Walks. — These have been all swept and rolled, and this has 

 caused the rains so to flow off them that they are comfortable 

 to walk upon. We may mention that treble salting seems to 

 have settled for a time the Sedum acre that threatened to mo- 

 nopolise a part to itself. The great evil of salting is, that if 

 a thorough flood of rain comes soon afterwards the grass verges 

 are apt to be injured, and though that injury may only extend 

 for a couple of inches or less, it tells most unpleasantly to 

 the eye for weeks afterwards. We have told the plan several 

 times we adopt, instead of digging over walks, and the remedies 

 to prevent this injury to the sides ; but, nevertheless, we see 

 that in some places, and for yards at a place, the verge shows 

 signs of injury. There was, however, the comfort all the season 

 of clean, bright, smooth walks. 



Lawns and Flower-bed Befuse. — We join these together. Our 

 beds were quite green ; but having tried to save Fuchsias, Cal- 

 ceolarias, and Scarlet Geraniums over the winter, and succeeded 

 only so far as to find that these did not bloom so well the next 

 season as young or old cut-down plants ; and as these large 

 massive plants harboured the tree leaves that came from every 

 quarter, we resolved to clear the whole off, leaving only some 

 Calceolarias, &o., from which we might obtain cut blooms. For 

 years we have made this refuse into a huge heap, as part of a 

 rubbish heap that has greatly contributed to- keep everything 

 going ; but being just now in a transition state, and with scarcity 

 of room for such objects, we have placed many cartloads in a heap, 

 and with the aid of a lot of rough prunings we mean to char and 

 make ashes of the whole to get it out of our way. We by no 

 means think that this burning is the way to make the most of 

 such material, but we feel it is the best under the circumstances. 

 But for the plants being so vigorcms, we should have been as- 

 tonished at the huge mound they present. A mixture of ashes 

 and char is valuable. With such a mixture we dressed our 



