134 



JOURNAL OF HOETICTJXTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Aagust 16, 1364. 



to prevent damping in Tret weather. This really valuable 

 winter vegetable should find its way into every garden for 

 culinary use, independent of its value as a salad plant. 

 Onions, pull them up directly they show indications of ripen- 

 ing, and expose the bulbs to the sun to ripen them. Parsley, 

 thin out and cut down a portion of the spring-sown, that a 

 fresh growth may be made before the winter. A portion of 

 the thinnings should be potted in twelve-inch pots for re-' 

 moving to frames in the winter. Badish, sow succession crops 

 of the white and red Turnip Radish. Shallots, take up, and 

 also Garlic for drying. As soon as a sufficient quantity of 

 droppings is ready, proceed to mate a bed for Mushrooms. 



FETTIT gaedex. 

 The present is one of the most important periods of the 

 whole year as to giving due attention to fruit trees. The 

 autumn will soon approach, the solar light become much 

 diminished, and the soil will be perhaps saturated by the 

 autumn rains : it will then be too late to talk of the benefits 

 of light to trained fruit trees. All tender fruit trees which 

 are trained will now be benefited by stopping the growing 

 shoots. Any amount of control may be exercised over the 

 roots b^ such means. Of what use is the excitement of so 

 late a root-action as we frequently see encouraged by means 

 of enriched soils and the neglect of stopping ? In looking 

 over Peaches and Nectarines it will be found that many of 

 the shoots which were deemed necessary and nailed in for 

 succeeding crops will begin to overlap each other ; many of 

 these are stopped at this period. Pears, too, whatever super- 

 fluous shoots may have been retained, with the idea of pre- 

 venting the blossom of next year from breaking, should now 

 be well shortened back sufficiently to admit the sun's rays 

 with freedom. The stumps cut back (each carrying three 

 or four efficient leaves), will assist in producing elaborated 

 matter both to feed the fruit and to invigorate the embryo 

 blossom-buds, now actively engaged in depositing food for a 

 healthy development in the ensuing spring. 



IVLOWEE GAEDEN. 



Hollyhocks, Dahlias, and herbaceous plants must be made 

 safe from the effects of high winds by securely fastening 

 them to their supports. The like attention should be paid 

 to climbing plants against walls and trellises, standard 

 Roses, &c. There is an appearance of negligence when 

 plants are seen blown about by the wind, which should by all 

 means be avoided. Eemove daily dead leaves, withered 

 blooms, and litter, and frequently sweep and mow grass, that 

 a clean and well-kept appearance may be preserved. The 

 general pruning of evergreen shrubs should now take place, 

 reducing straggling growth within proper bounds, but avoid 

 giving them anything of a formal character ; the object is to 

 assist not deform nature, and the general characteristics of 

 each plant should be as much as possible preserved. The 

 case is different in pruning shrubs used as architectural em- 

 bellishments, which will require trimming into the precise 

 figure wanted. At this season many florists divide and. repot 

 their Auriculas and Polyanthuses, that both young and old 

 plants may be established before winter. Avoid exciting 

 composts, stimulants are only applied when the plants are 

 growing. Take care that newly-planted beds of Pinks and 

 Pansies do not suffer from drought. 



GEEE3STH0USE AND CONSEEVATOKT. 



The usual quantity for a season's supply of the soil used 

 in potting, should be laid in as soon as possible, and before 

 the ground is sodden with the autumn rains, for even 

 turfy soil should not be carted and stacked up when satu- 

 rated with water. The soil should be neatly put up in 

 narrow ridges so as to be safe from wet, and it should be ex- 

 posed as much as possible to the action of the air. As success 

 in plant-growing very much depends upon having suitable 

 soil for potting, no trouble or expense that may be necessary 

 to procure this should be spared, when well-grown specimens 

 are expected. Loam of moderately good quality may be 

 obtained in most neighbourhoods ; but good peat is not 

 obtained in many localities. This is absolutely necessary, 

 however, for the growth of choice hardwooded plants, and 

 should be procured at the proper season, so as to have it in 

 a fit state for use when wanted. Stove plants flowering in 

 the conservatory will require attention to prevent their 

 being injured by damp, especially Achimenes, and Clero- 

 dendrons, which should be gone over every day in cloudy 



weather, carefully picking off decayed flowers, &c. Any of 

 the twiners on the roof which have done flowering may be 

 thinned out, so as to prevent shading the house too much, 

 for after this season permanent shade should be avoided as 

 much as possible. In mixed greenhouses look well after 

 winter-flowering plants of a common character, such as Cine- 

 rarias, Verbenas, scarlet Pelargoniums, Heliotropes, Eoses, 

 &c. Cinerarias must now be potted off, whether from seed 

 or from suckers; Chinese Primroses also, giving the last 

 shift to those intended to bloom in November and December. 

 Scarlet Pelargoniums to bloom well should be rather pot- 

 bound. 



STOVE. 



Continue to top up the late growth of Orchids, and to 

 keep the plants at the warm end of the house. Give air 

 liberally in the early part of the day, and on very fine 

 mornings syringe occasionally the whole of the stock. A 

 little fire heat must be kept up, if only to insure a proper 

 circulation of air. 



COLD PITS. 



Young stock intended to flower next season should be ex- 

 posed to the midday sun, in order to ripen the wood, taking 

 care not to do this so rashly as to injure the foliage. This, 

 however, will only be proper in the case of such things as 

 have already made plenty of young wood, but it is advisable 

 after this season to anticipate the approach of winter, and to 

 use every possible means to forward the growth of valuable 

 hardwooded plants in order that it may be somewhat firm 

 and able to resist damp. W. Keant:. 



DOINGS OF THE IAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN gaeden. 



Foe. calender references of what should be done, we beg 

 our readers to refer to Mr. Keane's judicious advice for the 

 last, and no doubt also for the present week. We have little 

 to say, because we have done nothing but help to keep things 

 going on as they were, being but too glad if they were not 

 going backward. On Tuesday morning and during the day 

 we had a nice refreshing rain, which though it did not do 

 much to moisten the earth, cleaned the foliage, and swelled 

 out the stems. We should have liked more rain, as it 

 scarcely told upon our reservoirs, but we were thankful for 

 what did come. The whole appearance of vegetation was 

 changed as if by magic. The birds sang with their sweetest- 

 notes, and the blackbirds and thrushes for some dozen or 

 twenty hours, showed by their comparative absence that 

 they could be independent of our fruit, and of ourselves like- 

 wise. Swallows that a few hours previously were soaring 

 almost out of sight, actually came on the lawn to enjoy the 

 damp herbage, and straddled across it in seach of insects, 

 much as a water wagtail would have done. We felt that 

 we conld have beaten a hulking fellow lately, for ill-using 

 some wagtails, one of our best friends, and also one of the 

 most beautiful of British birds. We have noticed of late 

 great numbers of swallows clustering on the roofs of con- 

 servatories, the ridges of houses, &c, as they generally do 

 in the end of September. We presume the excessive 

 drought has lessened the supply of insects for food. On 

 Wednesday the morning came cool and chilly, but the rising 

 barometer and the brightening sun told us the rain was 

 over, and inculcated the necessity of being equally careful 

 as to water. Since then the fierce sun and scorching wind 

 has evaporated most of the moisture that the dried earth 

 drank in so pleasantly on Tuesday. We can only hope that 

 the drought this time will be of shorter continuance. 



If no rain fall winter Onions and Spinach should be sown, 

 and left for the rain to bring them up. It is of less use 

 sowing Turnips, Eadishes, and Lettuces, unless they can be 

 watered or shaded, as the hungry birds would have all the 

 seed before it came above ground. Lettuces and Endive 

 should be planted out where there is any water to give 

 them. We have, as yet, a good supply of the former from 

 shady places. We have given additional shading by branches 

 of trees to our Celery, as we conld not water, and mulched 

 the sides of the rows of Peas to help to keep them green. 

 Cleared off some Peas that had ripened before their allotted 

 time, and had left others standing, though not attractive by 

 their partly withered appearance, because they acted as a 



