November 1, 1861. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICTJLTTJEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



357 



paring ground for Eoses let it be trenched at least 2 feet 

 deep, and well incorporate a very heavy dressing of manure 

 with the soil to the full depth. It is hardly possible to make 

 the soil too rich, for any kind of Rose, particularly the 

 autumn-blooming kinds, and 4 or 6 inches of good rotten 

 farmyard dung w ill not be too much where the soil is natur- 

 ally poor and light. Large-headed standards that have done 

 blooming for the season should be cut back pretty freely to 

 lessen the chance of their being injured by heavy gales of 

 wind. Continue to clear the beds of their summer occupants 

 as these become unsightly, and after trenching or doing 

 whatever can be done to save time at nest planting-out 

 season, get them furnished for the spring. Look over the 

 herbaceous-borders and make any projected alterations there, 

 taking up and dividing any of the coarse-growing plants 

 that may be inclined to encroach too much upon their neigh- 

 bours. Boil and cleanse lawns from worm-casts ,■ lime water 

 may be employed to destroy worms if too numerous. Trans- 

 plant Sweet Williams and single Wallflowers into beds or 

 borders, to replace the gay but tender beauties which fade 

 on the approach of winter. Plant bulbs and examine those 

 previously set. Mice are particularly prone to destroy them. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



Take advantage of unfavourable weather for outdoor- 

 work to get the foliage of Camellias, Orange trees, &c, 

 thoroughly cleaned, for it is hardly less essential to the 

 health of such things that their foliage be kept clean and in 

 a fit state to perform its functions, than that their roots be 

 kept in a healthy active condition. Look over the plants fre- 

 quently, and examine those liable to suffer from mildew and 

 damp, such as Leschenaultias, Boronias, &c, for a short 

 neglect will sometimes result in the disfigurement of a 

 promising plant. The Boronias, Leschenaultias, Gonipho- 

 lobiums, &c, are very impatient of exposure to cold drying 

 winds. Keep Cinerarias and other softwooded stock clear 

 of green fly, and endeavour to secure stocky plants by 

 affording them sufficient pot room, and admitting air freely 

 whenever the weather permits. , Cinerarias are rather liable 

 to be attacked by mildew at this season, and if this enemy 

 makes its appearance apply sulphur immediately it is per- 

 ceived. In most places Chrysanthemums will be the chief 

 feature of attraction at present, and where these are largely- 

 grown they make a fine display, and are worthy of every 

 necessary attention to preserve them in beauty as long as 

 possible. They are very impatient of a close rather warm 

 atmosphere, and if the house contains plants requiring this 

 treatment the Chrysanthemums shouid, as far as practic- 

 able, be placed in the coolest part, where air can be given 

 freely at every favourable opportunity ; for, unless they can 

 be rather freely exposed to air, their foliage is soon attacked 

 and disfigured by mildew, especially if the plants are bushy 

 and well grown. 



PITS AND FRAMES. 



All flower-garden plants, such as Petunias, Verbenas, 

 Calceolarias, &c, intended to be wintered in cold frames or 

 pits should now have strict attention. Let their supply of 

 water be limited to that quantity only which is requisite to 

 keep them from flagging, and let them be frequently gone 

 over, and all dead or decaying leaves immediately removed. 

 Give them all the air possible during the day, if dry, and 

 shut up tolerably early in the afternoon. Finish potting 

 Dutch bulbs. Pot Ehododendrons, hardy Azaleas, Ealmias, 

 Lily of the Valley, and all other plants usually required for 

 winter forcing. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



On Saturday and Sunday week we caught the leavings 

 of the storm that produced such havoc in Yorkshire and 

 elsewhere. On Thursday last we had a day of almost con- 

 tinuous rain, which will do much good. Before it came we 

 managed to earth-up the most of our Celery, among which, 

 notwithstanding the drought, we have not yet seen a run 

 head, thanks to our shading with evergreen boughs when 

 we could give no water. 



Notwithstanding our hoeing, we find the mild dripping 

 weather is causing numbers of small weeds to show them- 

 selves among Spinach, young Onions, Cabbages, &c, and 



the first dry day will be chosen to run the Dutch hoe among 

 these crops again. It is wonderful how soon weeds come, 

 even after great care has been taken to keep them away, 

 and prevent any ripening their seeds. "Well might some 

 otherwise clever people adopt the theory of spontaneous 

 generation, not only as respects these little weeds, but also 

 as respects insects and other vermin, so annoying to the gar- 

 dener. We believe that a single brown beetle, such as those 

 that annoyed us last year, left alone during the winter, or any 

 of its eggs untouched, would, by oval and viviparous genera- 

 tions, have millions of progeny before the end of the summer. 

 We just as firmly believe if a fine plant of Chickweed, or of 

 Groundsel, be allowed to ripen and scatter its seeds, and 

 these seeds be turned down into the earth, so great is the 

 vitality of the seeds, that enough of them may be brought 

 within the vivifying influences of the atmosphere at every 

 turning up of the soil, to give employment in hoe and hand- 

 weeding for more than a generation of men. In our own 

 case we ascribe the frequency of these weeds, notwithstand- 

 ing the attempts to keep them from seeding, to the necessity 

 of using anything we can procure from the sides of a small 

 part of the highway, using leaf mould as almost our only 

 manure, and raking the leaves where there is a likelihood of 

 often iiaving a fail- allowance of seed weeds. Annual weeds 

 alone will ever prevent the occupation of a gardener being a 

 sinecure. 



For vegetables in general, see previous weeks, if the 

 weather will permit of the operations being performed. 

 There have been few attacks on young Cabbages and Cauli- 

 flowers by grubs since we scattered a little tar on the surface 

 of the ground, and watered them from a pool the sides of 

 which we had plastered with tar ; this, therefore, so far tainted 

 the rain water that subsequently fell, but not so much as to 

 do any harm to such plants out of doors. Gathered seed of 

 Asparagus for sowing, then cut down the heads with an old 

 scythe, and will clean and dress the ground as soon as pos- 

 sible. We always believe that this vegetable delights in 

 rich treatment in summer when growing, more than when it 

 is comparatively dormant in winter. Looked over Potatoes, 

 Carrots, Onions, &c, and placed some of the winter Onions 

 in the ground in a sheltered place to supply Scallions in 

 hard weather in winter, and in an emergency to be stripped 

 small for salading. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Here we did little else than protect Strawberries in pots 

 from heavy rains. Took advantage of the muggy, drizzling 

 weather to smoke Peach-house, early vinery, and orchard- 

 house, with bruised Laurel leaves, and a lot of tops of green 

 Capsicums, chiefly as a measure of prevention. A solitary 

 fly or two were discovered before the smoking, but they were 

 dried up to mummies the next morning. We might have 

 liked the tobacco smoke better, reaching into every cranny, 

 of stem and wall; but then to produce and keep such a dense 

 cloud in large houses for some eighteen hours, would have 

 cost much, whilst the laurel-leaves cost nothing but the 

 bruising. Care was taken that no flame should appear,' 

 and we have observed no green leaf suffer, though in some 

 places the fumes had been so strong as to form a dark 

 prussiate of lead on the painted rafters. It is of no use to 

 attempt to wash off that dark colour, but left to itself, and 

 with afr on the house, it will gradually become of the original 

 colour. Advantage was taken of the wet to shift a few fruit 

 trees in small pots into larger ones, and to top-dress others 

 after picking out some 1 or 2 inches of surface soil. If 

 we could, we would have done this work three weeks ago. 

 As soon as the leaves fall more, we will place all such plants 

 closer together that we may find more room for beds of 

 Strawberries under cover, Lettuces, Cauliflowers, &c. Com- 

 menced washing Vines in first house with hot soap water 

 after the above smoking. Washing also the glass, wood- 

 work, stages, walls, preparatory to lime and sulphur white- 

 washing the latter, and cleaning the house thoroughly before 

 filling it with plants, which will remain until the neces- 

 sary heat for forcing the Vines is too much for them, when 

 they must be removed. We would have used a little sul- 

 phur in smoking this house before washing, as the wood 

 is hard, but we were afraid that some of the fumes might 

 find their way into the next house, where they would have 

 done injury. Our Vine-borders are still unprotected, for 

 they were so dry that a little moisture would do them good 



