258 



JOTJENAIi OF HOETICULTtTEE AND COTTAGE GAEDEITEE. 



[ September 27, 18M. 



small pegs inserted close to the plant to keep it steady in 

 the centre of the pot ; all blossom-buds to be nipped off as 

 they appear until the middle of October. The Chrysanthe- 

 mums to be taken up from the open ground, to be potted in 

 any good soil, watered, and shaded for a few days. The 

 system of growing them in the open ground saves a great 

 deal of trouble in watering, and after all it is rare to see 

 them in pots well feathered with foliage to the bottom ; 

 but in the open ground they require but the small attention 

 of stopping occasionally, and when they are potted, even if 

 left until the flowers are expanded, they will not lose a leaf. 

 The principal and most desirable object in the manage- 

 ment of greenhouse plants is to procure a robust and hardy 

 growth, and at the same time to accommodate them to the 

 changing influence of the seasons by lessening the vital 

 action by free ventilation and by the gradual and judicious 

 curtailment of water. Continue to shift Cinerarias, her- 

 baceous Calceolarias, and other such plants for early spring 

 flowering. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



Pot-off seedling Conifers into small pots ; however hardy, 

 they derive much advantage from such nursing. Establish 

 a good stock of Verbenas in pots as duplicates of the choicer 

 sorts ; harden-off cuttings for bedding-out nest season, that 

 they may resist the gloom of the approaching winter. The 

 smaller the pot for merely storing a plant the better. — 

 W. Eeane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Celery. — Planted out some more beds of nice young plants 

 where we had a plantation of Peas. Only about 6inches of soil 

 were taken out and as much of rotten dung added, and well 

 incorporated with the soil for 18 inches in depth. The plants, 

 cleaned of suckers and turned out with good balls, will be 

 useful next spring. The older plantations have now received 

 enough of moisture, and are growing beautifully. See pre- 

 vious weeks. 



Cucumbers. — Turned out some young plants in a pit where 

 we can give a little hot-water heat when desirable. The 

 heat is supplied from a saddleback which lost the most of 

 one side two to three years ago, and we tinkered it with a 

 plate of iron, without using a single screw or bolt. The mode 

 was mentioned at the time. This season we found that the 

 water escaped, and began to fear that the other side of the 

 boiler had gone, but on examination found it proceeded from 

 a leakage in the air-pipes where they joined the water-pipes. 

 When these pipes have to be taken from pipes sunk for 

 bottom heat, a stronger material is necessary than what is 

 wanted for gas pipes, as the earth and moisture together 

 soon oxidise them. Por Cucumbers in frames, &c, see last 

 week. 



Capsicums. — Gathered a lot, and will leave a quantity for 

 smoking purposes. We believe that the "pastils," such 

 favourites with some people for the destruction of insects, 

 have a good portion of Cayenne and saltpetre in them. 



Dv;arf Kidney Beans. — Transplanted a lot into pots, and 

 placed under glass in a cold pit whence they could be moved 

 when it becomes too cold. Sowed, also, a lot in boxes, to be 

 transplanted into pots to bear in the beginning of winter. 

 These are obtained with but little trouble. Have some litter 

 in readiness to throw over Beans and Scarlet Eunners if 

 we have a sudden frost. A little litter one night will often 

 save the crop for a month later. 



Mushrooms. — We believe that the rains and the cool nights 

 are bringing these plentifully in the open pastures. We 

 like the cultivated ones best, as there is more certainty as 

 to their wholesomeness. Our beds in the open sheds are 

 white all over. Placed material for some shallow beds in 

 the Mushroom-house. The* material was half-rotten dung 

 and fresh droppings, with a little litter, in equal proportions, 

 and half a portion of chopped dry turf, and dry parings and 

 sweepings from roads and walks, which, altogether, we feel 

 confident will give us good crops. Examined bricks of spawn 

 heating in a heap, which had been more exposed to the rains 

 than we liked. Eoutine much as in previous weeks. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Took the opportunity of dry days to gather lots of Apples, 

 as the previous dryness and the winds and rains were causing 



many of them to fall. Placed the fallen ones by themselves 

 for present use. Looked over some of those previously 

 gathered, and removed all the least spotted for present use. 

 Apples will be cheap this season, which will be a boon to the 

 working man. The Kerry Pippin is now in fine condition, 

 and the earlier Eibstons. Some fine specimens of the latter 

 from small pots in the orchard-house were very firm, crisp, 

 and high flavoured. Such was the verdict of those sup- 

 posed to be good judges. We were a little in doubt about 

 it ourselves. Williams's Bon Chretien Pear has also been 

 in good condition for three weeks, and will continue a fort- 

 night longer. The gatherings from one tree, however, took . 

 place at seven or eight times. When gathered all at once 

 it soon decays at the heart. Pew Pears are more beautiful 

 when taken in time. Early Pears and Apples are never 

 better placed than on clean shelves. Late ones . keep 

 well in pots, jars, and barrels scarcely covered, but without 

 anything among them. Filberts and Nuts are now mostly 

 ripe. Those for present use may be laid on a shelf; those 

 to be kept a little longer, in open narrow baskets pressed 

 firm, but so that a little air can pass through them. _ To 

 have them with the outer coverings pretty fresh in spring, 

 we know of no better plan than drying them well in a sunny 

 day, and then packing them lightly when thus dry mjais 

 or large garden-pots, with the holes at the bottom well nlled 

 up, covering at the top with clean paper, and then placing a 

 thick sod grass side downwards over the paper, and keeping 

 the vessels in a place neither damp nor dry, but rather 

 inclined to the former. We took the hint from the squirrels. 

 We have turned out some of their stores in April, and found 

 even the elegant outside covering as fresh as m the month 

 of October. If these outside coverings become dried up, 

 black, or unsightly, rendering it necessary for the hard nuts 

 to be removed, the latter will keep best in small vessels 

 with just the slightest sprinkling of fine salt among them._ 

 Planting.— Preparations should be made for doing this 

 in the case of fruit trees next month, by trenching the 

 ground, or station-planting. Everything will succeed oetter 

 if the fresh roots are working freely before winter. If before 

 the heat gets out of the ground the surface is covered with 

 lono- litter, the roots will be growing strongly all the winter, 

 and the plants will need little of the water that spring- 

 planted trees might require. As soon as the heat in the 

 air in spring exceeds the heat of the soil, the mulching 

 should be all removed, so that thesun may play freely on 

 the surface of the ground. If that is apt to dry it too much 

 the surface soil may be stirred a little which wJl keep 

 moisture in and extra heat out. The firmer the soil tie 

 more will the ground be influenced by heat and cold, and 

 the looser the soil the less will it be affected either way 



Potato-pits.-We recollect a case in point which perplexed 

 us a littlfin our boyish days. We helped to ear h-up two 

 pits of Potatoes. The Potatoes were covered with a layer 

 of straw, and then by about 6 inches of soil, well trodden 

 and beaten about the straw in both cases. Then in each 

 case we put on 6 inches more earth with a turf on £» : top 

 of the circular cone. There was this difference, however 

 in one pit the outside was beaten as neatly and firmly as 

 possible with a clean spade, and we were rather proud of 

 our workmanship. In the other case the earth was piled 

 on very regularly, beginning at the base of the con. but no 

 attempt was made to smooth it or make the outside firm A 

 severe frost set in, and the Potatoes in the firm and smoothed 

 outside pit were injured, whilst those with the rough and 

 more open outside 'escaped. A third party, whose pit was 

 also smoothed outside, began to be alarmed, and scoured 

 the ditches and sides of the road for old gr ass and tree 

 leaves, which he threw on to a thickness of 2 or 3 inches, 

 and thus made all safe. This is just one of those cases m 

 which the tidiest way of finishing a job may not be the best 

 In gardening an open surface may be valuable in summer 

 and winter. 



ORCBARD-HOUSE. 



The greater portion of the trees, with the exception of 



we 



with the 



late Peaches and Plums, having now finished bearing, 

 went over the most of those in pots, beginning with 

 Cherries, and lifted up all the pots which were plunged two- 

 thirds of their depth, cut off all roots that were beyond the 

 pots, and then set them back again, and gave them a good 

 watering, so that they might feel it as httle as possible. 



