474 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 12, 1872. 



tinged at tie base. I have next season planted those bnlbs, 

 which I considered out of character, in some decayed turf (allu- 

 vial soil), from the banks of a river ; in this they produced 

 flowers' of the most perfect purity. From this it would appear 

 that the presence of iron in soils has an injurious effect on the 

 blooms, whilst in the same soil the plants flourish amazingly, 

 increasing in an extraordinary degree. For Tulips the soil ought 

 to be prepared the previous season. A most successful grower 

 procures turf from a pasture field of a loamy character. After 

 placing a layer of this 6 or 8 feet square, grass side downwards, 

 he covers it with 6 inches thick of cow manure and rotten leaves, 

 and again with a layer of turf, over which are placed turf ashes, 

 covering-up again with turf. This lies till February, when the 

 whole is chopped over and two pecks of salt sprinkled on it as 

 it is turned. In frosty weather it is turned once or twice, and in 

 May it is again chopped over and two pecks of lime added. This 

 may appear much trouble, but it will leave no insects in the bed 

 if it is perfectly sweetened, and the flowers have been always 

 firstrate. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



The winter flowers will now be making a splendid display in 

 the conservatory, at least where they have received special at- 

 tention through the summer to this end. Euphorbia jaequiniae- 

 flora is one of the finest of these beauties where properly cul- 

 tivated. Unless, however, a most healthy root-action is main- 

 tained, the leaves are apt to become yellow whilst the plant is in 

 bloom, and. this will at once spoil the effect. The plants require 

 a very moderate allowance of water at this season. Poinsettia 

 puleherrima is a very bold and dashing conservatory plant, and 

 indispensable at this time of the year. Well-grown plants of 

 the Gesnera bulbosa or lateritia are equally useful. This plant 

 should be slightly pot-pound in order to blossom very early. 

 Gesnera zebrina under high cultivation is a most beautiful 

 winter flower, and equally desirable on account of the elegant 

 markings of the leaf, which become very rich indeed in the 

 stove. The old Plumbago rosea and capensis are still amongst 

 our best plants at this period ; the latter flowers freely against a 

 south wall during the summer. Some of the genus Cytisus are 

 very showy and fragrant, and, as yellow flowers are somewhat 

 scarce, they become very useful. All these things should have 

 clear liquid manure very weak at this period. I use guano and 

 soot water, which, clarified and become stale, is not in the 

 slightest degree offensive. 



STOVE. 



Many plants will now be sinking into repose here, and from 

 such water must be withheld. Of these may be named the 

 Erythrinas, the Clerodendrons, the Acbimenes, the Gloxinias, 

 &c, with various bulbs. These should have a shelf or division 

 of the house to themselves forthwith, and it should be borne in 

 mind that the Gloxinia family and the Clerodendrons are very 

 impatient of low temperature, even when at rest. I should not 

 deem them safe below 50°. 



FORCING PIT. 



This is a good time to introduce the following subjects into 

 the forcing pit provided they have received the necessary treat- 

 ment during the summer — Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Persian 

 Lilacs, Sweet Briars, Moss and other Roses, Ledums, Kalmias, 

 Daphnes, Anne Boleyn Pinks, Dutch bulbs, &c. Unless, how- 

 ever, they are in proper trim, it will be labour in vain, and no 

 mode of forcing or form of pit can compensate for this. — 

 TV. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



"We have never known more sudden changes of weather. On 

 the evening of the 4th we prognosticated frost, and made pre- 

 parations to meet it by sheltering Cauliflowers and protect- 

 ing cold frames. On the morning of the 5th the thermometer 

 fell from 4° to 6° below freezing, and just before sunrise as low 

 as 10° below freezing point. The opportunity was taken to 

 wheel litter over the hard ground, to be ready for protecting 

 Cauliflower under hand-lights, and Celery in beds. We made 

 ready for another night's frost, but in the afternoon we thought 

 we should have a snow storm, and felt pleased rather than 

 otherwise, as snow, unless in such excess as to break and crush 

 by its weight, is one of our best protectors. Contrary to our 

 expectations, darkness had scarcely set in when, instead of the 

 snow, we had a continuous drenching rain, and since then the 

 weather has been mild rather than cold, but so wet as to in- 

 terfere greatly with out-door operations. Except trenching, 

 ridging, and rough digging, all nice operations on the ground had 

 better be delayed until a more favourable opportunity. Hardly 

 anything will thrive when sown or planted in mud. It is true 

 economy to wait for the ground being in better condition. 



Celery. — As soon as the sun thawed the tops of the Celery, 

 we drew a little long litter between the plants in the beds, 

 chiefly three plants across. This of itself would afford much 

 protection. Some more litter was left to be thrown lightly over 

 the tops of the plants if the frost continued, but it remains there 

 still. Hitherto this season we have not lost a single head of 



Celery — that is, not a single head has been taken up that was 

 not fit to appear at table. When grown, as by many farmers 

 and amateurs, in single rows, much injury, causing damping and 

 rotting at the core, is produced from over-earthirtg-up. When 

 we did not closely look after the earthing-up we have suffered 

 from this in the spring of the year. A little long litter at the 

 top would be better than so much more earth, and would afford 

 protection at the same time. We find, however, that too much 

 of this litter is dangerous in wet weather. It retains the wet too 

 much, and is apt to damp the plants. Therefore, the lining we 

 have referred to should not be too thick ; and, again, in damp 

 weather it should be shaken and turned — a matter involving no 

 great amount of labour. Placing long Utter along the sides of 

 plants, requires greater watchfulness in our case than when 

 Celery is grown in single rows, as we are compelled, in order to 

 save space, to grow it in beds. In either case a little long Utter 

 wiU be better than an extra earthing-up. A year ago we saw an 

 amateur take up a row 30 feet in length, and every plant was 

 rotten at the core. If there had been 9 inches less earthing-up, 

 and 1 or 2 inches of Utter instead, there would have been no 

 reason why every head should not have appeared at the dining- 

 table. 



Celery is as hardy as any of our wild plants, but we have made 

 it tender by our treatment. In severe frosts, therefore, it is 

 advisable to shake Ughtly over the tops some Ught long Utter, 

 which protects the plants sufficiently, taking care that the Utter 

 shaU be carefuUy removed the day after the thaw. Where a 

 Uttle long Utter, tree leaves, moss, &c, can be obtained, it wiU 

 be found true economy not to earth-up late Celery too much, 

 just as it wiU be found true economy not to earth-up early Celery 

 on the bit-by-bit system recommended in most garden books. 



Salads. — To save as much as possible Lettuces, &c, under 

 glass, we covered in the dry day before the frost a fine bed of 

 Endive, by placing some useless mats over it to keep it clean, 

 and then covered with tree leaves and a Uttle Utter to keep 

 them from being blown away. This wiU be in fine order about 

 Christmas time. Endive for late and present use has been 

 blanched by slates and boards merely laid over the plants. The 

 appearance in the salad bowl of Endive and Chicory weU blanched 

 is very enticing, but to our own taste we never think either 

 equal to a Lettuce ; stiU we must think of appearances as weU as 

 quaUty in these days. There are numerous ways of obtaining 

 nice Endive. Perhaps the best and easiest-blanched Endive we 

 ever had was obtained by taking some thousands of fine plants 

 into a large underground chamber at the end of a hothouse. We 

 have seen milk-white Endive taken out of that chamber daily 

 from November to March. Such a chamber heated from the 

 stokehole of the large hothouse would, in addition to Endive, 

 have produced a superabundance of Sea-kale and Rhubarb, 

 where the pale colour was not objectionable, and even of Aspara- 

 gus, if the heads could be placed in bright Ught a few days 

 before being sent to table. As assistant we blanched Chicory in 

 first-rate style in the same place. In a simple way, on a small 

 scale, we never had Chicory better than by filling a 12-inch pot 

 with good roots, placing another 12-inch pot over it, claying the 

 junction to keep Ught out, closing the hole in the upper pot, 

 placing the whole where there was a medium temperature of 

 60°, and cutting when the heads were 5 or 6 inches long. Some 

 amateurs have thus had fine Chicory, and even DandeUons quite 

 as good. On a large scale nothing is better than a small barrel 

 pierced with holes aU round, the heads of the roots protruding, 

 and the roots bedded in soil in layers in the interior of the 

 barrel, and the barrel itseU set in a dark place in a temperature 

 of from 50° to 60° — just such a place as would grow Mushrooms 

 aU the year through. 



Mushrooms. — Several correspondents have complained that 

 they are found fault with because they cannot have Mushrooms 

 in plenty to a given day. AU we can say is that we should be 

 as blameable as they. With plenty of means there ought to be 

 a constant supply ; with Umited means the supply will be more 

 uncertain. A late employer considered no cookery could be 

 worth much without Mushrooms and the Onion tribe, and, of 

 course, we tried to meet the want. With smaU and few beds, 

 Mushrooms cannot be depended on for a day. For instance, a 

 fortnight ago we could have gathered a quantity every day. 

 Expecting company, we rather hastened them on. The company 

 came some twelve days later than we expected, and when the 

 visitors arrived the glut was over, and the succession, though 

 white, were scarcely the size of pin heads. With the exception 

 of what were wanted for cutting-up, instead of being able to 

 send a good large dish every alternate day, we have been obUged 

 to content ourselves with two dishes per week. If we could not 

 have sent a dish at all after what was gathered, there would have 

 been annoyance, but there could hardly have been blame. We 

 wish it to be clearly understood, that the best Mushroom-growers 

 cannot depend on what wiU be the result at a certain hour or 

 day some weeks hence. Where there are plenty of conveniences, 

 the only security for a constant supply is plenty of beds and 

 means. We can generaUy calculate within a fortnight or three 

 weeks. We cannot calculate to a day or a week as to what a 



