JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 11, 1864. 



These are quite innocent of themselves, but we must lessen 

 the number if we would be free from leathery grubs. 



Caterpillars. — Just so with the beautiful whitish-coloured 

 butterfly so plentiful in the kitchen garden in summer. 

 They do no harm ; but the caterpillars that come from their 

 eggs would soon clear a quarter of Cabbage, and make the 

 finest Cauliflower unfit for the table. We caught great 

 numbers of these butterflies this season, but that has not 

 caused us to be free from caterpillars. Fortunately so far, 

 the daddy longlegs tribe are almost helpless early in the 

 morning, and can do little in the way of escape. Unfortu- 

 nately, however, the grub preys beneath the surface, whilst 

 the caterpillar in its feeding state is more easily seen. In 

 the case of young plants a dusting of powdered lime and 

 soot will generally dislodge if not quite kill them. In the 

 ca3e of large plants forming hearts it is best to pick them 

 off. A quick-handed boy, with a vessel with quicklime in it 

 so shaken as to cover the caterpillar, would pick off some 

 scores in the time he would run down a butterfly. Where 

 such things become ravaging pests instead of interesting 

 curiosities, boys may well be employed at hunting the but- 

 terfly and picking off the caterpillars. 



Celery. — Gave the beds a good soaking with sewage water 

 for the last time, and, the ground being so dry, we were 

 tempted to give the whole rather more than a half earthing - 

 up ; and will soon follow in the mode previously referred 

 to, as, after this month, unless the weather is excessively 

 dry, there will be little danger of excessive dryness at the 

 roots. 



Cauliflower. — Planted out young plants under hand-lights 

 on banks facing the south, in the mode lately detailed. 

 Placed two or three leaves over Cauliflowers fit for use, in 

 case either the bright sun or a little frost might injure it. 

 In such weather the great extremes of heat and cold are apt 

 to give the heads a tanny -like appearance. Examined these 

 heads for slugs and caterpillars. A few cold nights will help 

 to settle the latter. Watered the crops coming on, and pro- 

 ceeded with hoeing, digging, and attending to other things 

 much the same as in previous weeks. 



FBTTIT GARDEN. 



Went over the second growth from Apples and Pears on 

 low standards ; likewise thinned and stopped a little Cur- 

 rants and Gooseberries. As the season for planting is 

 advancing, we would advise all having small gardens to 

 grow 



Gooseberries and Currants on strained wire trellises. These, 

 well nipped-in, will soon be full of fruit-buds, will bear 

 immensely in little room, and will be easily protected from 

 birds, &c. A singular fact came to our knowledge this 

 season — that Currants and Gooseberries that were cleared 

 by wasps, when grown in the usual bush form, escaped 

 being touched when grown on the upright trellis near at 

 hand. This, we fear, however, might be only a striking 

 coincidence. We think the wire and trellis had been tarred, 

 and, though we detected nothing, the wasps might have 

 found something distasteful to their sense of smell. In 

 this neighbourhood it would not be advisable to plant, how- 

 ever, until moist weather, as the ground is very dry — drier 

 than ever we have known it, and water is again getting 

 scarce. 



Strawberries. — Cleaned amongst the rows of bed3 and 

 slightly surface-stirred. Would have liked to water as some 

 fine plants are flagging again. Lifted the pots intended 

 for forcing to prevent the roots going even into a hard 

 gravelled bottom, so as to arrest growth. Picked off all 

 weeds and runners, and for the second time gave the plants 

 more room by setting the pots further apart that every leaf 

 may receive the full benefit of the sun and air. We have 

 given manure water when it was required. We will let 

 little more rain water soak them, but will turn the pots on 

 their sides when rain comes. We will do this shortly with 

 Black Prince, and the earliest small pots of Keens', to fit 

 them for forcing by a period of rest, and in a week or so 

 will place the pots on their sides on the north side of a 

 fence. 



Orchard-house. — Watered the trees in pots at all suffering 

 from the drought. Gathered the most of the Plums, and 

 some fine specimens of Apples and Pears from very small 

 pots. Swept off a few of the leaves that were getting the 



right autumn tint, and when we can find time, and a damp 

 cloudy day comes, we will smoke them densely with bruised 

 laurel leaves, not allowing any flare of flame however. A 

 little precaution now may save much trouble afterwards. 

 This simple smoking has been intended since the bulk of 

 the fruit was gathered, but has not yet been carried into 

 execution. Most likely will use some Capsicums with the 

 laurel leaves, and the mixture will do no harm to anything 

 except any insects that may be alive. 



Peach-house.- — Swept off the greater part of the leaves, 

 and gave more air now, as the dry heat from the sun — of 

 which we took advantage to harden and consolidate the 

 wood — if continued, would be apt to make the fruit-buds 

 start. We observe some three or four starting at the top of 

 the house. We see little use in general for taking the glass 

 off such houses, unless they be very early ; and even in that 

 case, if the wood was early matured, the trees would be 

 rested more under the glass, with shade, than when fully 

 exposed to the sun without glass. No shading will be needed 

 unless for early houses. 



Vineries. — Went over these, removing any berry getting 

 mouldy, of which there were very few ; and also taking 

 away the most of the laterals, to give more light to the 

 house, and also to concentrate more strength in the wood 

 left for next season. Those who wish for Grapes in March 

 must now have the houses shut up, and be getting the 

 Vines to start slowly. Those who wish them ripe in the 

 beginning of May should have the pruning done and the 

 cleaning effected, and put gentle fires on by the end of 

 the month. When Lady Downes', West's St. Peter's, and 

 even Muscats, keep tintil March, there is less occasion for 

 having Grapes at the beginning of the year, though to 

 have them always shows good and careful gardening. In 

 houses now full of Grapes ripe and ripening, air should be 

 left on all night, unless in frosty weather ; and, during these 

 very sunny days, a little water may be sprinkled with a 

 syringe over the floor, border, or stage in the house — not at 

 all enough to damp the house, but just enough to moisten 

 the atmosphere a little, to prevent anything like drying or 

 shrivelling. 



Pinery. — The Pines should now be made secure for the 

 winter. When grown in pots and in tan-beds, &c, fresh 

 material should be supplied for bottom heat. In general 

 it will be safest not to plunge the pots much more than 

 halfway, and to stir the bed and add fresh tan on the sur- 

 face as the bed cools. The plants dislike much moving, 

 and especially great and sudden changes of temperature, 

 even though they by no means show it so much as plants 

 with thinner leaves. A broken leaf it should be recol- 

 lected never heals, and hence in beds well heated by hot 

 water beneath, and where fine, fibry, turfy soil can be ob- 

 tained that does not easily run together, and through which 

 water passes freely, the best method of growing is turning 

 the plants out, and during the growing season supplying 

 them liberally with manure water at the suitable tempera- 

 ture. Some of our best growers keep only the young plants 

 in pots, and plant out whenever they become nice stubby 

 plants. If the right fibry soil is obtained, it matters how- 

 ever but little whether the plants are grown in pots or in 

 the bed ; but in the latter case the leaves are less easily or 

 less likely to be injured. Such fibry turf as we refer to 

 should be brown instead of dark, should be covered with 

 grass (not with broad leaves, but with foliage like needles 

 for smallness and hardness), should hang together like felt 

 rather than be loose, from the small number of roots, and 

 the short distance they run ; and should Smell sweet as a 

 nut instead of sour after it has lain in a heap for a few 

 months. The roots will not only run rapidly and be of large 

 size in this material, but clear manure waterings will pass 

 easily through it. A little lime in such water will keep 

 worms, &c, at bay. 



Pigs, — Gathered most of those out of doors. Obtained 

 some fine fruit from some in pots, removed from orchard- 

 house into a pit, where they could be kept closer and warmer. 

 Gathered freely from second crop in the small Fig-house, 

 and cut away a good deal of young fruit that was not likely 

 to ripen this season. The cutting off such fruit within an 

 eighth of an inch or so of the stem is much better than 

 tearing or rubbing them off, as the cut-scar healing over, 

 young Figs will often come from the sides of the cut part, 



