November u, 1864. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



397 



necessary. Begularly remove all dead leaves and prevent 

 the spread of moss in any situation. Creepers should be 

 closely tied that they mav interfere as little as possible with 

 the fall of light on the houses. Give timely attention to 

 providing a succession of bloom with which to keep the con- 

 servatory gay. Be careful not to let plants in bloom suffer 

 for the want of water, giving weak clear manure water to 

 Chrysanthemums, Salvias, Camellias, &c. Damp and mildew 

 are the great enemies to be guarded against in the _ green- 

 house, and these must be sharply looked after, especially in 

 the case of plants that have not well ripened their growth, 

 and are in rather a soft state. If such things as Geraniums, 

 Cinerarias, and herbaceous Calceolarias must be wintered 

 in the same house with Heaths and other hardwooded plants 

 they should be kept as much as possible by themselves, as 

 they will require a somewhat closer temperature than hard- 

 wooded plants. 



PITS AND FEAMES. 



Let straw shutters or whatever covering it may be in- 

 tended to use here be prepared without delay. Expose the 

 stock here freely to air on every favourable opportunity, so as 

 to check growth and get the wood firm, in which state the 

 plants will be less liable to suffer from the confinement which 

 may soon be necessary than if kept close and coddled with 

 too much waxmth and moisture now. Very little water will 

 be required at the root, but look over the stock every few 

 days, withholding water until it is absolutely necessary, and 

 then giving a moderate soaking, which is the only safe 

 method of giving water at this season. If green fly makes 

 its appearance on any of the softwooded things apply tobacco 

 smoke at once. — W. Keane. 



DOESTGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAKDEN. 



Several sharp frosts have made ns look about us, as all 

 our bedding stuff was in old pits and frames. However, as 

 yet we have escaped unhurt. 



Cauliflowers. — Took up some dozens of Cauliflower fit for 

 use, and placed them in a shed, standing them upright, 

 where we can throw a little dry litter over them if necessary. 

 Took up a lot more, which would grow a little without detri- 

 ment to their appearance, and planted them under the 

 thatched shed in a part of the first Mushroom-bed that is 

 now about over, and where also extra protection can be 

 given if required ; and moved a nice lot of young plants just 

 beginning to show their heads, moving them with good 

 balls, and planting them in an earth pit, to be covered with 

 old sashes, and extra litter over that when necessary. The 

 earth was very dry, but we merely watered round the balls 

 after firming the soil about them, and left the surface dry, 

 which will be a better preservative against frost than a 

 moist state of the soil at the surface. The heads were also, 

 by slanting the plants, well covered to their bottoms with 

 the dry soil, which as well as the leaves would protect them. 

 "We have generally had a good supply from such late Cauli- 

 flowers so treated, if we can manage to keep mice from them 

 in severe weather. Of course both rats and mice can easier 

 penetrate into earth pits than those formed of brick, though 

 they can also get into the latter when a light is left open 

 for air. When, from severe weather, such crops must be 

 covered up night and day for a week or two, it is a good 

 plan to shut a eat in during part of a day, as it is very 

 annoying on uncovering to find the best heads all nibbled. 

 Where no such conveniences exist, but there is a good 

 shed or back house from which frost may be excluded, and 

 the Canlifiower-heads are nearly as large as they will be 

 wanted, all the leaves may be removed, except the few 

 short ones close to the head, and the stems cut over some 

 15 inches or so in length, and then fastened upright in 

 damp sandy loam, just near enough for the heads to be free 

 of each other. The heads thrown into sweet cold water for 

 a few hours before using them will scarcely be distinguished 

 from those cut from free-growing plants. For this plan the 

 heads must be firm and wanting a little of their full growth, 

 as if large they will open and spread out. and thus lose their 

 compactness. Even in that case they make a nice dish when 

 cut up into little pieces, and look like the little heads from 

 white Sprouting Broccoli. 



Looked over the Cauliflower plants in hand-lights. By 

 some mistake we have too many. We wanted nine in a 

 light, to be thinned in spring to four or five, but there are 

 more we find, but they may as well stand now. These, as 

 they have taken hold, we shall keep as hardy as possible 

 until March, and will only cover the glasses after the plants 

 have been frosted slightly. Fotted a few of the forwardest 

 plants left into GO-sized pots, to be kept protected during 

 the winter, and shifted into larger pots as they grow. 

 Pricked out a lot more of young plants in light, sandy soil, 

 with a little sand on the top, so as to protect them with old 

 sashes when necessary, as we find that in our cold place 

 this is better than pricking-out by the side of a wall. These 

 will be planted out finally about March, to succeed those 

 under hand-lights. 



Lettuces. — Took up a lot of the forwardest, and placed them 

 in orchard-house, watering at the root as we went on, and 

 leaving the dry soil as above on the surface. Hoed those 

 that can be protected out of doors, and the younger ones 

 intended to stand the winter, having great faith in a fresh- 

 stirred surface for keeping frost in its severity from the 

 roots. 



Endive. — Covered up a part of a bed with dry tree leaves 

 and a little litter, to prevent the leaves blowing about. 

 Took up a lot of succession for orchard-house, and also for 

 earth pits. Where none of these conveniences exist, a good 

 plan is to tie up rather loosely, and then earth-up with dry 

 earth, and place a board or a little litter on the tqp in severe 

 or in very wet weather. Fine large green heads taken up 

 now, with a little earth attached, will grow slowly and 

 blanch at the same time, if packed rather closely in a dark 

 cellar, or in any place where little light and no frost can 

 reach them. These will keep good a long time, and eat 

 very crisp and sweet. We have tried these, Cauliflowers, 

 &c, in the dark passage of an old-fashioned ice-house, but 

 though there was no fault with the look, the flavour was in 

 general very insipid. So far as our opinion goes, everything 

 suffers in Savour that has been long in an ice-house, or the 

 chambers adjoining. 



Chicory omd Dandelion roots may now be taken up and 

 stored ready to be used as salads when desired, by being 

 forwarded in a dark place, or forced in a warm place, all the 

 growth being made in the dark. To have these good, the 

 heads should not be more than 6 inches in length, if an inch 

 or two less they will be better still. When the leaves are 

 drawn by heat to 9 or 12 inches in length, there is little 

 more substance in them than thin paper. For a salad all 

 these things look nice, but for flavour commend us to a crisp 

 Lettuce. We believe that Endive is often used, because it 

 looks more ornamental in the salad bowl, but it lacks at 

 the best of times the sweetness and the crispness of the 

 Lettuce. 



Mustard and Cress, where in regular demand, should now 

 be sown once a-week. For small families nothing is better 

 than shallow narrow wooden boxes — say 3 inches deep, and ' 

 3 or 4 inches wide. Small pots may also be conveniently 

 used, just sowing a pot after the produce is cut over. Sandy 

 leaf mould is about the best soil to grow it in, the surface 

 made level, the seeds then sprinkled over it rather thickly, 

 then patted level, well watered, and covered with a paper 

 or cloth until the seed-leaves appear, when they must have 

 light to make tbem green. It is not advisable to cover the 

 seeds with sand or earth of any kind, as when thus covered 

 there is a good deal of trouble in cleaning the crop. Done 

 as above stated the crops may be cut clean over, and sent 

 pretty well as cut to table. 



Cabbages. — If the frost threaten to be severe, will take up or 

 cut over heads well swelled of the common, and the Bed not 

 used ; meantime have forked the ground among the young 

 plants intended for the next spring's first supply. The grub 

 now seems to let us alone. We think its leaving was 

 helped by sprinkling a little tar between the rows. 



Dwarf Kidney Beans.- — Moved a number of pots, when the 

 plants were in bloom and setting their pods, from a cold pit to 

 where they could get some fire heat in a pit, as we want them 

 in a fortnight. Even Scarlet Eunners out of doors, though 

 protected, are pretty well done for now. 



Cucuntiers. — Gave a little more heat to these, now bearing 

 freely. Will hardly keep them over the winter as we used 

 to do, as they are little in demand now, except on some 



