August 16, 1864. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



135 



shade to crops of Cauliflower between them. Kept the 

 Dutch hoe going' amongst most growing crops, less for the 

 purpose of killing any young weeds than to secure a fresh- 

 stirred surface to keep heat out and moisture in. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Strawberries in pots had the incipient runners taken off 

 and the pots attended to in watering as well as we could. 

 Gave a soaking of sewage water to the late Vine-border, as 

 the berries were beginning to colour too soon from the heat 

 and the dryness at the roots. Should have liked to have 

 done the same to Peaches and Apricots out of doors, as some 

 of the latter are dropping before they are ripe from dryness. 

 Have great difficulty in getting a little clean water to syringe 

 the trees in the orchard-house ; and the water-scarcity tells 

 much against trees in pots heavily laden. The rains of 

 Tuesday having washed most of the sprinkling of whitened 

 water from the glass, we renewed it again on Thursday, to 

 arrest rapid evaporation. The fruit is ripening faster than 

 we wished, and faster than it would have done had there 

 been plenty of water to give. With abundance of water we 

 would not have shaded the glass. It has now become our 

 last means of safety. We have also slightly sprinkled the 

 glass of our late vinery with a similar object. This would 

 have been still more necessary if we had removed laterals 

 freely. We had some Grapes sent us to look at the other 

 day which had been parched into a brick-red colour by a 

 too free removal of laterals and leaves, and, perhaps, keeping 

 the enclosed atmosphere rather close and warm, the bunches 

 being thus exposed unprotected to the fierce sun. In some 

 of the hottest days we sprinkled the floors of vineries 

 slightly from a syringe, just to moisten the air a little. The 

 sprinkling with whitened water on the glass is done by 

 colouring, say four gallons of water with as much as a 

 small walnut or hazel nut of whitening. A large space may 

 be dusted from the syringe in a few minutes, and if not 

 thick enough the dose may be repeated. The first shower 

 will take it off, and that just suits this temporary shading. 

 In hot windy days we can thus do with less air, and, there- 

 fore, the plants are less dried, a matter of importance only 

 where water is scarce. 



Some fruit trees that were showing signs of distress 

 we have mulched round as a substitute for watering. In 

 such continued dryness, and no means of watering, the 

 plants are induced to send their rootlets down in search of 

 moisture, and if this is not remedied afterwards by replant- 

 ing or root-pruning, there will be a tendency to produce 

 luxuriant unripened, instead of short stumpy wood. Any 

 means that will keep or entice the roots near the surface 

 will thus be of importance for securing fruitfnlness. 



Went over most of the trees in orchard-house, shortening, 

 nipping, and removing extra shoots, and cutting in half, or 

 taking away altogether any leaves that shaded the fruit too 

 much, as though Grapes are better of a little leaf shade, 

 Peaches, Plums, and stone fruit generally are best when 

 the^ fruit is pretty well exposed when ripening. Hoed all 

 fruit-borders to keep an open surface. Run the 'rake along 

 any open spaces in the orchard-house for a similar purpose, 

 and to promote neatness, as all places under glass ought 

 to be very neat and clean. Weeds or filth there are next 

 to unpardonable, even though cleanliness were not as 

 essential to the health of plants, as to the well-doing of 

 animals. 



Went over most of the dwarf fruit trees out of doors, 

 gave them a second stopping, and thinned the shoots. 

 Apples and Pears that were stopped early, are, in many 

 cases, showing fine prominent buds on the parts stopped, 

 and the short fresh growth has been again stopped, which 

 ..will further help these buds farther back. It is a good plan 

 to do the greater part of the pruning of fruit trees now, 

 and to leave no more wood than will be necessary next season, 

 so that more ah- and sun may act on that which is left. A 

 little finishing up, and removing exhausted wood, but which 

 is now bearing, as in the case of Peaches, &c, should be the 

 chief things reserved for winter and spring pruning. 



_ We have been obliged to whiten all the glass of frames and 

 pits, where Cucumbers, Melons, and even plants where grow- 

 ing, in order to lessen as much as possible the necessity for 

 watering. This also rendered less air necessary. In such 

 weather, Melons, &c, grown in Tiotbeds will generally need 



less water than those in places heated by hot water. The 

 surface soil should be kept open to lessen evaporation. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



Kept the floors of stove-house as damp as we could. Our 

 washed gravel above the tiles of the floor has greatly helped 

 us here. Gave a little manure water to Stanhopeas, which 

 were blooming freely, to increase the size of the blooms, and 

 kept potting young stock of Euphorbias, Poinsettias, &c. 

 Fresh regulated conservatory, and took in more Begonias, 

 Coleus, and Scarlet Geraniums. Epacrises, and winter 

 Heaths should now have more sun to ripen the wood, but the 

 pots had better he protected from the fierceness of the sun's 

 rays, as, if the pots are full of roots, these are apt to be burned 

 when close to the sides of the pot. Care should also be 

 taken to moisten the whole ball when watering. Even our 

 favourite resource of ringing the sides of the pot will not 

 prove an unerring guide in this respect. If watering has 

 gone on for some time, and the ball has not been thoroughly 

 moistened to the centre, the dry part there will keep on 

 increasing until it will at last repel water like the feathers 

 on a duck's wing, and what water is given will under these 

 circumstances chiefly escape by the sides of the pot, and if 

 damp there, on ringing it, the pot will emit a dull sound as 

 if all the ball were wet. The weight of the pot will be the 

 next test ; but in all cases of doubt it is best to perforate 

 the centre of the ball with a small wire, and then water, or 

 plunge the pot for an hour over the brim in a pail of water. 

 Many a fine plant has thus been saved that otherwise would 

 have dwindled away until it went to the rubbish-heap. When 

 flagging in an established plant takes place, notwithstand- 

 ing repeated waterings, it may almost be certain that the 

 ball is dry at the centre. We say established advisedly, 

 because young plants will often flag when wet enough, be- 

 cause the roots have not had time to supply moisture to 

 meet the demands of evaporation. A syringing or a shading 

 in their case will often be of more importance than watering 

 at the roots. But in the case of old-established plants which 

 common watering fails to aid, the placing them in a tub of 

 water for half an hour or more will often prove a sovereign 

 remedy. 



Removed lots of Gloxinias, Achimenes, &c, to pits, frames, 

 and sheds to ripen their tubers and bulbs, and gave all the 

 light and heat possible without artificial heat to the Ama- 

 ryllis tribe for a similar purpose, and plenty of water until 

 the leaves began to change colour. Free growth in summer, 

 and rest in autumn and winter, are what suit most of these 

 beautiful hybrids. 



In contradistinction to the general run of plants, most of 

 the succulent plants, and especially the larger Cacti, can 

 now scarcely have too much sun, and too little water, pro- 

 vided the shoots and stems are just kept plump. The best 

 place for these in August and September, is the south front 

 of a wall or fence, where the sun will play freely on them, 

 and if rains are anticipated it would be well to have tiles or 

 slates placed over the pots, to throw heavy rains off them. 

 Little water at the roots will now be wanted, provided the 

 stems do not shrivel, and then next spring and summer there 

 will be sure to be abundance of bloom. Such succulents are 

 pretty well dried up in the dry season in their tropical or 

 next to tropical homes, and the natural conditions in which 

 they bloom most profusely present us with the key to their 

 successful culture. 



We have begun propagating for nest season, commencing 

 with Verbenas. For reasons already stated, we will not do 

 much with Geraniums until a week or two have passed. 

 These Verbenas, owing to the great heat, and the little or 

 no watering they have received, have some fly and thrips on 

 them, and the cuttings when made were well washed, by 

 pulling them repeatedly through a wash made of 4 ozs. of 

 tobacco, and as much Quassia chips boiled in a gallon of 

 water, and then the water strained off. The cuttings were 

 allowed to lie in heaps after this washing for half an hour 

 or so, and then were washed again in a vessel of clear water, 

 and shortly afterwards dibbed into pots. We hope by this 

 means to escape future trouble, as Verbenas with thrips or 

 fly on them are a constant source of annoyance, and a little 

 trouble now may save no end of work afterwards. The 

 cutting-pots along with Petunias, &c, are placed on the 

 ground, and covered by a frame, with the high side to the 



