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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ August 30, 1864. 



is, whether, such reservoirs should be shaded or exposed. As 

 preservers and feeders, we think the trees an advantage 

 rather [than > otherwise. In an agricultural point of view 

 there can be no question of the improvement of throwing a 

 number of small, crooked, unsightly meadows into one 

 straight-sided field, and thus grubbing up much hedgerow 

 bushes, and timber. This, however, may be carried to such 

 an extent as greatly to lessen the water supply. 



One of our chief jobs during the week has been cleaning 

 and greatly enlarging a simple reservoir for surface water 

 when it comes. This simple reservoir is placed among trees 

 at the back of a range of sheds; a wide road separates the 

 sheds from the west garden wall, and inside of the wall are the 

 main houses and Melon ground. The water from the houses 

 goes into a cement-tank, which now contains our only sup- 

 ply, at present just U inch of water, and which we use as 

 carefully as if it were wine. All that falls on the Melon 

 ground, and paths, and spaces between the pits and frames, 

 and also on the glass of most of such pits, and on the road- 

 way, we mean to divert into this simply-made reservoir. 

 When much smaller it did us good service, and if we have 

 such thunder showers and winter rains as we used to have, 

 we know that we shall have it full before sprinc 



This reservoir dug out of the clay, is, for its main part, 

 5i feet deep. It is an oblong square 19 feet by 15 feet at 

 bottom, and 25 feet by 21 feet at top, so as to give a good 

 slope to the banks, the slope being fully 7 feet. In addition 

 to the oblong, for convenience and to lessen the swell of the 

 water against the sides, we have a small neck at the corner 

 7 feet deep, 4 feet square at bottom, and 8 feet at top, for 

 the pipe of a common iron pump to go in, the pipe being 

 cased in a wooden box pierced with holes to let in water, 

 and keep out mud, of which we believe there will be little. 

 This smaller neck has its sides tarred, and road drift thrown 

 on, and some old slabs placed against the sides, kept in then- 

 places by cross pieces jammed in between slab and slab. 

 These were added to secure the banks there, as previous ex- 

 perience told us that with the action of the pump, &c, it 

 was the point where the swell was likely to injure the 

 banks. We have the main banks all beaten smooth and 

 uniform in slope, and to-day we expect to cover them all 

 with a thin layer of tar, on which we will throw as much 

 road drift and sand as it will take in, and then draw a clean 

 spade over it, when it will resemble a well, and besides the 

 digging, the whole expense will be a few shillings. The 

 bottom, by the treading, will be watertight enough, but for 

 neatness and ease of cleaning afterwards, we may also give 

 that a coat of tar, and beat an inch of fine gravel into it. 

 We do not expect ever to have much sediment, unless when 

 there are very heavy thunder showers that will pretty well 

 defy our cesspools. 



We have tarred the sides for this reason. Previously the 

 pool held the water well enough when it stood in it some 

 time, but as we drew it out and the sides became exposed, the 

 clay cracked ; and then when we had a fresh supply from rain, 

 if enough to raise the water in the reservoir a couple of feet 

 or more, it quickly subsided through these cracks until they 

 were fully swelled up. This was very little lessened even bv 

 a covering of turf. A little straw or branches were the bes't 

 protectives. We have no fear of our tar-covered bank 

 cracking except by frost in winter, and that will be best 

 prevented by hanging some straw over that part not covered 

 by the water. We may mention that the overflow of our 

 cement tank will also find its way to this clay reservoir. 

 In former years this tank overflowed every winter, and we 

 were also forced to make an overflow from the reservoir, 

 but for two years past this tank has never been nearly full. 



We do not expect that for six or eight months our reser- 

 voir, coated with tar, will furnish water sweet enough for a 

 teakettle, or, perhaps, for some plants extra tended but for 

 aU out-door vegetables and plants in general the slight taint 

 of the tar will be advantageous rather than otherwise. 



As to getting the water, if we have anything like an 

 average rainfall, we feel sure from the space at our command 

 that this huge place will be full before spring. The mode 

 Of conveying water to the reservoir is as simple as possible. 

 The road in front of the sheds is smooth and hard; and 

 instead of being rounded in the usual way, it slopes a little 

 from east to west, the west side next the sheds terminating 

 m an open drain or culvert— that is, for a space 18 inches 



wide the centre may be about 2 inches lower than the rest 

 — quite sufficient to take a great flow of water to a deep 

 cesspool, from the top of which it flows into the reservoir. 

 The water that falls on the Melon ground is intercepted in 

 the same way. The most of the low pits have no spouting, 

 as that is sure to come in the way, but immediately in front 

 the ground has been tarred and sanded, and in some cases 

 the front wall also. The ground between the pits is lowest 

 in the middle ; and from thence by slightly hollowed open 

 culverts, so shallow as not to be noticed unless in a heavy 

 rain, the water from a heavy shower is conveyed to several 

 cesspools, from which the contents are taken in one drain 

 across underneath the road. With but little trouble, there- 

 fore, a great quantity of water may be secured and stored. 



Had we obtained some of those heavy thunder showers 

 that fell within a few miles of us, we would in this clay 

 reservoir have had 2 or 3 feet of water all over, which of itself 

 would have made us independent as to moisture. As it 

 is, all that we have been able to do is to mulch and shade to 

 keep things alive, and having for years rather prided our- 

 selves on fine autumn Peas, we fear that this season we 

 must soon go without. We also fear that we shall have some 

 bolted Celery this year, for even our sewage water has been 

 so scarce that for several weeks the Celery has been left to 

 its fate, merely mulched with tree leaves and shaded a little 

 with branches. As yet, however, it shows no great signs 

 of distress. 



We have lifted lots of our pricked-out vegetables, and 

 planted them with balls, just giving each plant a homoeo- 

 pathic dose. Those planted out early have done well in all 

 the heat, with no help but frequent surface-stirring ; and in 

 the case of Cauliflower a little mulching. We shall be 

 obliged to mulch Kidney Beans and Scarlet Runners if we 

 wish to keep them vigorous. Unless the liquid is of an 

 enriching nature, we are sure that much of the slight water- 

 ings given by some people does more harm than good. 

 Even when a good watering is given the water should be 

 soft, exposed to the sun previously and warmed, and, if 

 possible, applied at night, or in a cloudy drizzling day. We 

 were lately favoured with an account of a young gardener 

 being next to turned out of his place because he was deemed 

 so thoughtless and inconsiderate as to give a good watering 

 to a very dry flower-bed in a cloudy drizzling day. He 

 ought, instead, to have been commended because he did 

 think ; and from thinking made his labour and the water 

 tell in a threefold degree to what they couid have done in a 

 clear sunny atmosphere. 



As water has been our chief theme, we may as well finish 

 with it as respects the fruit and ornamental garden. For 

 general matters we would refer to our previous gossip for a 

 fortnight. The dry chilly nights have caused us to alter a 

 little our treatment of watering our Strawberry plants in 

 pots. For reasons stated above we have, until lately, 

 watered towards evening, that the roots might get the 

 benefit of the liquid, instead of its being quickly evaporated 

 in the atmosphere. Whilst the chilly nights continue we 

 will prefer watering before breakfast time, that the pots and 

 surface soil may be drier before night, .and therefore not be 

 excessively cooled by the combined agencies of radiation 

 and evaporation. 



From the flower garden many truths may be learned as 

 respects watering this season. We would especially direct 

 the attention of our young readers to Mr. Kobson's article 

 last week, and also to one some time ago in the beginning 

 of summer. We have letters complaining that though 

 water has been used largely, the plants refuse to grow. 

 We have others stating that Geranium-beds, that never had 

 any water since the beginning of June, were never better. 

 We have in previous Numbers endeavoured to explain these 

 anomalies. For ourselves our Geraniums were never better 

 as yet, and after they were pretty well established, they have 

 had no water to speak of since the beginning of JuBe, except 

 two showers, which just cleaned the foliage and swelled the 

 stems. Calceolarias and Verbenas are suffering, and, we 

 believe, even they would not have suffered much had we 

 been able to mulch them more. Verbenas and Dahlias we 

 have been obliged to leave to their fate. Calceolarias, even 

 yet, with no wcter are very fair. The one that has suffered 

 most, not as to killing it, but as giving us a narrow line of 

 creamy yellow instead of a mass some 18 inches wide, is the 



