398 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICTJLTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENEK. [ November 15, issi. 



particular occasions, and they cannot be kept healthy with- 

 out more heat than it has been deemed advisable to spend 

 upon them. Did we mean to keep these plants on, we must 

 not let above one fruit in three swell to its size. To do good 

 and produce freely after Christmas, they must yield but 

 sparingly now. 



Mushrooms. — Covered the last little bit in the thatched 

 open shed, as we want a lot shortly, and ere long our first 

 bed in the Mushroom-house will be in. Put in more stuff 

 for another bed. Our second piece in the shed is still pro- 

 ducing freely. "We find that the manure we are now using 

 for a fresh bed is rather fresh and moist, but instead of 

 waiting for it to dry, we mis a lot of road scrapings and road 

 parings which are very dry with it, and it saves time and 

 labour, and the spawn runs in the mixture beautifully. We 

 have put a few tree leaves round our fresh spawn heap, as it 

 was not spawning quick enough for us. We also damped the 

 bricks a little, as we found they were rather dry. Whether 

 in a spawn-brick or in a bed, the spawn runs most freely 

 and healthily when the material is in a medium state, and 

 neither wet nor dry. 



Potatoes. — Looked over seed Potatoes and others. We 

 have seen no appearance of the disease this season in the 

 garden produce, though they were a very heavy crop. They 

 were taken up early to put other crops in. This disease, 

 however, is as puzzling to us as ever. In a field where, we 

 were told, Potatoes were never grown before, where little, if 

 any, manure was used, and where, owing to the drought, 

 the crop was rather scanty and the specimens undersized, 

 but quite sound when taken up, now they are going fast — 

 hardly a tuber but is spotted when closely examined ; and 

 this is the case with late kinds, as Flukes and Eegents, as 

 well as with earlier kinds. At no great distance — say a mile 

 — another field, in similar soil, and treated in much the same 

 way, with the exception of being pretty fairly manured, 

 produced a fair crop, and as yet no disease has appeared. 

 We really begin to think that our wisdom has as yet done 

 little in averting the disease, and that, in fact, philosophy 

 knows but little as to what will bring it and what will keep 

 it away. 



Beet, Carrots, <Sfc. — Took up those that were left, that the 

 first, especially, may escape frost, and will pack up at the 

 first opportunity, finding great lack of room for many of 

 these purposes. A shed with strong rough benches is 

 capital for all such purposes. We think we told how, for 

 several seasons, the birds worried us with Beet, cutting 

 off the seedlings as soon as they appeared. Those just 

 taken up were transplanted, and, to beat the birds, we 

 intend sowing under protection in future. Not a plant 

 missed, and the size is liked better than when the roots are 

 very large. We are told that very large thick roots are 

 apt to have a hard core when boiled. These roots should 

 be taken up with care, and the leaves taken off without 

 cutting, as the colour is better when no wound is given to 

 the root. 



Celery. — To keep this all nice the sittings from our coal 

 ashes have been spread over the beds, and a little stubble 

 stuffed in among the plants, leaving the tops free, which 

 will only be covered in the case of severe frost. For this 

 purpose evergreen boughs are very good, and if very severe 

 weather come a little litter may be placed over the boughs. 

 This keeps the weight of the litter from the leaves of the 

 Celery. 



Ice in houses and heaps should now be used sparingly, 

 and looked after carefully in all cases where water is scarce. 

 Ice is more generally obtained for stores in November and 

 December than in other months ; but in this neighbour- 

 hood, had we ever such a severe frost, there would be no 

 ice to be had, as we have no water to freeze. With so 

 many wells becoming dry, a heavy continuous rain, or even 

 snow, for a few days would be a great general blessing. 

 The prevalence of scarletina and other fevers we believe to 

 be much owing to the scarcity of water and its attendant 

 evils. 



FRTJIT GABDEN. 



Much the same as in last and previous weeks. Washed, 

 cleaned, and painted the trees in the front of the Peach-house. 

 Scraped off the surface soil for an inch in depth, forked up 

 slightly, watered where dry, surfaced with a little cowdung, 

 and. then a slight covering of fresh dry earth, and then 



crammed every available spot with bedding Geraniums, &c, 

 in boxes. This gave us room in the earth pits for the Cauli- 

 flowers, &c. Bemoved all the leaves and fruit in Fig- 

 house, watered to prevent over-dryne3s, and fresh surfaced 

 with a little soil. We will fill this house for the winter 

 with bedding plants, &c. Before the frost became severe 

 covered the Vine-border with about a foot of leaves, and a 

 little litter over them. We should have liked them to be a 

 little more moist, but we did not wish them to become cold, 

 and a little litter will keep heat in, and thus the border be 

 kept in a comfortable state to be started when desirable. We 

 have more faith in this system than in throwing heat down ■ 

 into a border. Unfortunately our roots are all outside. This 

 covering was especially necessary for the late house. Before 

 covering we put the smallest surfacing of cowdung over the 

 border, and on that a thin film of gas tar, as it is just pos- 

 sible we may yet have more water from the heavens than 

 would be desirable for such a border. 



Wood Covers. — A gentleman asked us if we considered gas 

 tar a better plan than a good tarpaulin or wooden shutters, or 

 frames of asphalt, for excluding extra wet and cold too ; and 

 we replied, " Decidedly not." "Why don't you have them, 

 then?" Ay, why, indeed! Some amateurs, and the pro- 

 prietors of small beautiful gardens, have an idea that 

 the gardeners to ladies or gentlemen can just have what 

 they like. A little practical experience in the generality of 

 such gardens would soon tell them a different tale, and 

 show them what makeshifts must be resorted to, in order 

 that no extra bill may make its appearance. It matters 

 not, though a proposed plan may be most economical, a 

 great saving even in the end, it must not be more than 

 dreamed about, if it involves an extra present outlay. Our 

 own observation would lead us to say, that as a rule, there 

 is more rigid economy, and more care taken to make the 

 most of everything in gentlemen's gardens in general, than 

 even in commercial establishments. The men who put 

 their capital in such establishments, know the economy of 

 having materials suitable for the destined purpose at once, 

 instead of wasting their resources in doing, and ever doing, 

 and never finished doing with makeshifts for the time. We 

 once had a good deal to do with a carpenter, who as a re- 

 gular Jack-of-all-trades, was a very clever fellow, and who 

 partly from his own peculiar idiosyncrasy, and partly from 

 the policy of the firm he long served faithfully, was in the 

 habit of saying, as he finished every little job, " Oh ! it 

 will do for the present," and so it just did, for the pre- 

 sent of to-day generally required a repeated present in 

 a very short time afterwards. We allude to this more 

 prominently just now, because of such an inquiry as the 

 following — " I have received the following advice how to act 

 from Mr. G., but then I perceive he does not follow out the 

 plan he recommends. Just give me your opinion." Ah ! 

 were we poor gardeners like the lawyers, we would not so 

 often be asked for our opinions. Were they paid for they 

 might be deemed more valuable. However, in the case re- 

 ferred to, and in scores of others, the opinion and advice of 

 our brother were quite correct, though he was not able to 

 practise what in this case he preached. A man who is an 

 enthusiast in self love, may err in recommending his own 

 practice, but it is rare that an intelligent man will recom- 

 mend a course different to that he himself follows, unless he 

 has strong grounds and convictions of the superior suit- 

 ability of what he thus recommends. For ourselves we have 

 had many letters of thanks for recommending wooden 

 shutters, covers, &c, for protection, and yet for many years 

 we never have had one. That is no reason why in the end 

 such covers are not superior to all others, as they undoubtedly 

 are. 



OBNAMENTAL DEPAETHENT. 



Much the same as in previous weeks. We intended put- 

 ting in more Calceolaria cuttings. As this season we are 

 rather behind with extra work of various kinds it was fortu- 

 nate we had a lot taken up and placed under cover, or we 

 should have suffered, as those out of doors are too much 

 injured. In the beginning of last week, the 7th inst., we 

 had a lot of Calceolarias sent us— great plants taken out of 

 the beds — and they seemed all right before we began to 

 strip them off for cuttings, when we found every shoot so 

 injured as to be of no use. They had been caught in the 

 frost of Saturday and Sunday the 5th and 6th. We mention 



