114 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



L August 9, 1864. 



the result may answer the expectation at bedding-out time, 

 a careful calculation of the number required and the means 

 there is of preserving them through the winter should be 

 made. The next thing to consider is the kinds which require 

 immediate attention to get them established before winter, 

 those which may be deferred a month or so longer, and, 

 again, what can be propagated in sufficient numbers in the 

 spring, provided a few store-pots of each are kept for the 

 purpose. In the first class we may place nearly all the 

 varieties of Fancy and bedding Geraniums, Crassulas, Lan- 

 tanas, Mesembryantheniums, Hydrangeas, and plants of 

 similar habit which require to be established before winter. 



W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAKDEN. 



Owing to the parching drought the work here has been of 

 a routine character, as it was hopeless to think of planting 

 anything out, the ground being like dry ashes, and there 

 being no water to give to anything planted out. It surprises 

 us that things continue to grow as they do, and they never 

 could have done so but for the deep stirring of the ground 

 in the first place, and frequent surface-stirring in the hottest 

 days. Cauliflowers, in addition, have had fully 6 inches of 

 short litter thrown closely between the rows, and firmed up 

 to the stems, and they are looking as well with this mulch- 

 ing as if they had been watered twice a-week. 



"We have now taken up all the Potatoes, a fine crop, and, 

 as yet, not a speck of the old disease. We have put them 

 in small heaps, with dry earth and ashes sprinkled among 

 them. Two years ago, though the Potatoes showed no signs 

 of disease when taken up in dry weather, like the present, 

 they began to get diseased a month after they were housed 

 in equally good condition, and when placed together in such 

 small_ quantities that anything like heating was out of the 

 question. Then, in addition to dry soil, a little powdered 

 lime was also scattered amongst them. After all that has 

 been said of this disease, we seem to know little more about 

 it, as to its cause and cure, than we did on its first appeai'- 

 ance amongst us. Amongst things to which we ventured to 

 give_ a little water was Celery, as otherwise we were afraid 

 it might throw up its flower-stalks. Immediately on givino- 

 it the sewage water, we covered the ground between the 

 plants with 2 or 3 inches of half-rotten tree leaves. If that 

 is not_ enough, we must use litter. Water is now with us 

 becoming almost as valuable as wine — a fact which we hope 

 will be borne in m in d by those friends who have written re- 

 specting changing the position of their garden, and especi- 

 ally from the neighbourhood of a never-failing pond to a 

 site where there is at present no water. Philosophise as you 

 will, you cannot but feel annoyed when, after having got all 

 things in tolerable order, you find them decaying and dyin°- 

 before your eyes, and you cannot give even a drop of water 

 to save them. 



Something also akin to envy will be apt to creep over 

 you when you hear of other people being so well situated in 

 this respect. One of our friends has the charge of a pretty 

 flower garden in front of the mansion, on ground about as 

 much elevated as ours, and he used to know what it was to 

 be without water in summer. A stream goes through the 

 valley, however, forming a large lake, and a water-ram con- 

 stantly going now supplies a large elevated cistern, and the 

 turning of a tap and a long piece of hose enable a man 

 easily to flood all the beds, and grass too, in a short time. 

 We have heard this morning from the able superintendent 

 of the Liverpool Botanic Gardens, and whilst we are parched 

 up_ he tells us that some things are suffering from too much 

 rain. Last season the flower-beds there were magnificent; 

 but though we took notes of them in a deluge of rain, we 

 have not yet been able to tell what we saw. We have heard 

 that the flowers are even, if possible, more attractive this 

 season. On our visit last year we had some experience of 

 the delugings to which our friends in the west are subjected ; 

 and Mr. Tyerman would do good service by giving a list of 

 the plants that do best under such circumstances, as even 

 here we find that there are plants that seem never to have 

 too much wet, whilst there are others that do little good 

 Knless they have a clear rather dry atmosphere. 



FKUTT GAP.DEN. 



Much the same as in the previous week. Have been 

 obliged to throwsome whitening water over the glass to lessen 

 the evaporation of moisture within, and find that with all 

 this preventionlate Grapes and fruit in the orchard-house will 

 be apt to colour and ripen too soon, owing to a deficiency of 

 moisture at the roots. We have managed to give them a 

 little sewage water, but not a fifth part of what we would 

 have liked to have given them. Figs, whose first crop is 

 now nearly over, we have also watered well, and then covered 

 the soil with tree leaves, and kept the house closer to bring 

 on the succession crop. Some plants in pots in the orchard- 

 house will keep up the succession. All the pots in the 

 orchard-house, and part of the soil, have also been mulched 

 with half-rotten leaves, in order to lessen the necessity for 

 watering often. The most of the pots are so heavily laden 

 that some visitors have twitted us about not taking part 

 in the orchard-house controversy, but we have already more 

 irons in the fire than we can attend to properly. With such 

 demands for moisture, and reservoirs empty, it need excite 

 no surprise that the sky and the barometer are the last 

 things to be looked at at night and the first in the morning. 

 Where Melons have been lately planted out, we manage 

 to give them a slight syringing in the afternoon. For 

 plants ripening their fruit we stir the surface of the soil to 

 prevent cracking and over-drying, and give a little water 

 to the roots beneath, by pouring the water down pipes left 

 on purpose. The drier the atmosphere, not to be parching, 

 the better will the flavour be. We have been desired to 

 answer here some inquiries as to the best soil for Melons. 

 One friend says that he can obtain no earth except that 

 from his garden, which is a loam rather stiff than otherwise, 

 and that he is nonplussed with long details of separate 

 component materials for forming a suitable compost. No 

 wonder. For ourselves we prefer simplicity, and we could 

 not have a more suitable compost for Melons than such a 

 garden soil if we searched the country through. To have 

 it fresh, however, we would prefer the under spit to the top 

 spit ; and if the plants were a good size when turned out — 

 say in six-inch pots, we would use no other soil whatever, 

 but merely place some of the finest and best aired round the 

 roots, and squeeze all the rest tightly with hands and feet, 

 as under such circumstances it will be pretty moist. If the 

 plants are smaller, then from the surface of such soil ridged 

 up in winter we would collect a few barrowloads in the 

 spring, and keep it for placing a few shovelfuls round each 

 plant. In each case after the firming, the surface may be 

 left a little open and loose, to prevent cracking, and the too 

 rapid evaporation of moisture. Such soil will in general be 

 better without any manure at all. If the Melons are not 

 strong enough, manure waterings can be added at pleasure. 

 But in such bottom-spit garden soil this will be rarely re- 

 quired. 



Another friend has a light sandy soil. The best thing he 

 can do is to have a little clay, or strong loam to mix with it. 

 Without anything of the kind, however, his light soil will do 

 very well with a little rotten dung added to it if poor, and 

 if made rather moist before using, a depth of at least 

 18 inches given, and the soil well firmed by mallet, and 

 hands, and feet, as it is put in. So firmed, with a sprink- 

 ling of leaf mould on the surface to prevent drying, we have 

 grown fine Melons in very light soil. The firming the soil 

 is in such matters half the battle, and is of far more im- 

 portance than a dozen of varied materials nicely mixed 

 together. v . 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



General routine as to stove and greenhouse plants, re- 

 moving Balsams, &c, from conservatory, and supplying with 

 Coleus, Begonias, Browallia, Thunbergia, &c. Putting more 

 whitening on roofs to shade, and thus lessen watering, as by 

 this means we could also lessen the amount of air, and thus 

 prevent so quick drying up. Syringed floors and stages 

 with the same object in view. These matters, of course, 

 would be of less importance where water is plentiful, but, 

 where at all scarce, a nice moist growing atmosphere can 

 thus be kept up at the smallest amount from the water-pail. 

 The same practice will also be valuable for lessening labour, 

 and generally that is not too plentiful. 



Some gentlemen and ladies are most honourably straight- 

 forward in this respect. They know their own circumstances 



