JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE ANT) COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 20, 1861. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Laurustinus, variegated Hollies, or other such shrubs that 

 have not grown kindly to be supplied with a top-dressing 

 of rotten dung or leaf mould, to be lightly forked into the 

 ground to give nourishment to the roots. If a similar want 

 of luxuriance is perceptible in Rhododendrons, or other such 

 evergreen American shrubs, they may be taken up and 

 replanted with advantage, enriching the ground with a 

 liberal supply of peat soil, or well decomposed leaf mould. 

 Hoeing and raking the borders amongst shrubs will be 

 sufficient to give them a clean and neat appearance, without 

 the spade, to which we have a great objection when used 

 to cut up the fibrous roots to debilitate the growth of shrubs 

 that were planted to produce luxuriant and healthy growth 

 as the most ornamental for pleasure-ground scenery. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



As a moist stagnant air is most injurious to greenhouse 

 plants at this dull season, we would advise a gentle fire to 

 be applied during the day to expel damp ; but heat and 

 moisture should be reduced to the lowest degree possible 

 compatible with the safety of the plants from frosts, and in 

 accordance with the very small amount of light at this 

 season. "When high degrees of heat are kept up a large 

 amount of water is necessarily applied, when elongation, or 

 length without strength, takes place. Orange trees, or any 

 other plants that have not been recently potted, to be fresh- 

 surfaced by removing a little of the top soil and supplying 

 its place with fresh. Pelargoniums to be kept rather cool 

 and dry, giving whatever water they may require on the 

 morn in gs of fine days, that the superfluous moisture may 

 evaporate before evening. Herbaceous Calceolarias to be 

 kept near the glass, shifted into larger pots if they require 

 it, to be watered moderately through a fine rose, to be never 

 allowed to get thoroughly dry, and when they require water 

 it should be given before noon. The attacks of green fly to 

 be prevented by fumigation with tooacco smoke ; and when 

 removing decayed leaves be careful not to pull or cut them 

 off close to the stem, when the flower-shoots would be very 

 likely to be injured by the operation. Camellias after the 

 buds are set, and so far advanced as they are at this time 

 of the year, require particular attention that they may not 

 be excited too much by artificial means, nor must the tem- 

 perature to be allowed to decrease for fear of the flower-buds 

 falling off. Water also should be carefully given, neither 

 saturating the soil to stagnation, nor allowing it to become 

 too dry. When the Chrysanthemums begin to fade they may 

 be removed to the north side of a wall, the pots plunged in 

 old tan, leaves, or sawdust to protect them from the severity 

 of the winter. Constant removals in the conservatory will 

 at this period be necessary, for where a good reserve stock 

 is kept, nothing should be suffered to remain which does 

 not contribute to the gaiety of this structure. This change 

 renders the whole more interesting; for in former days, 

 before the special cultivation of winter flowers was under- 

 stood, a most tiresome monotony prevailed : the Oranges, 

 Myrtles, Oleanders, with huge American Aloes, appeared as 

 if nailed to the spot. Take all possible means to avoid 

 drip, and maintain the most perfect cleanliness and order. 



PITS AND FRA2TES. 



Continue to give careful attention to half-hardy plants in 

 these structures, taking advantage of every favourable op- 

 portunity to expose them freely to air. Anything of which 

 there is but a small supply of plants to propagate from 

 should be placed in growing-quarters at once, taking care 

 to keep near the glass, and free from insects, mildew, &c. 

 Softwooded plants in heat at this season are very subject 

 to the attacks of insects. — W. Keans. 



DOINGS OP THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Much the same as last week. Grave plenty of air to As- 

 paragus, encouraged Rhubarb and Sea-kale, and planted 

 Potatoes in pots, to be grown in them, and others in small 

 pots to be transplanted when we get a slight hotbed. Sowed 

 also some dwarf Tom Thumb Peas in pots, and put some 

 charred rubbish and burnt weeds by the sides of the young 

 Cabbage plants, and also top-dressed with the same Cauli- 



flowers under hand-lights, so that the surface soil may be as 

 dry as possible. Will try and keep rain from them for three 

 months. Gave manure water to Dwarf Kidney Beans. 

 Thinned the Cucumber fruit in a small bed to enable it to 

 keep on a little longer, and made a small hotbed for sowing 

 the first crop under a frame. When the shortest day is 

 passed everything will grow better and faster afterwards. 



FRUIT GAEDEN. 



Proceeded with pruning and nailing as opportunity offered, 

 as the spring will be sure to bring its own work with it. As 

 soon as convenient we will daub our dwarf trees with a mix- 

 ture of Gishurst, soot, lime, sulphur, clay, cowdung, &c, to 

 clean the stems, and keep the tomtits and bullfinches from the 

 buds. Just now the tomtit does, we think, more good than 

 harm, as he easts Ms sharp eye and little bill so knowingly 

 into every hole and cranny in search of insects. In general 

 he acts as a friend until the buds begin to swell, and then 

 he will do his work in earnest, clearing a tree of its fruit-buds 

 in a very short time. Last season, independently of netting, 

 he made great havoc with Plums and Pears, and just began 

 on Apples, when we managed to lose sight of him. He 

 requires to be sharply looked after, for after and during hard 

 weather you may not see him for a month or two ; but most 

 likely when the buds are soft and sweet he will bring not 

 only himself but a whole cloud of relations, and they clear 

 off everything as they go, pretty much like an invasion of 

 locusts. Even now he may be easily poisoned by putting 

 nux vomica or arsenic into pieces of mutton suet, but then, 

 if we could only keep him moderate in his desires at bud- 

 swelling time, we should feel sorry to interfere with the good 

 deeds of the artful, little, pretty rogue at other times. 



Gooseberry and. Currants. — We generally merely thin a 

 little, and defer full pruning until the bird-ravaging time 

 ■is pretty Veil over. If we do not do it ourselves we hope 

 that some of our readers will try these homely fruits trained 

 to low trellises. It will be something strange if wasps do 

 not touch them on these trellises. Amateurs who wish to 

 have the fruit clean and nice, and to gather it themselves, 

 without any danger of being troubled with lumbago, if they 

 do not adopt the trellis plan, should have some standards 

 at least 3 or 4 feet in height. A Currant tree is then a 

 pretty sight in fruit, and so is a Gooseberry tree. The best 

 way to secure them at first, is to insert a stouiish stick 

 before planting, the stick rather higher than the top of the 

 tree. Two cross wires fastened near the top of the stick, 

 and a wire round at the circumference, would secure the 

 tree well at first, and in a short time it would need no 

 support. 



Planting fruit trees may still be proceeded with. In many 

 orchards the trees become covered with mess and lichens, 

 and prematurely decay, from too deep planting. Mature 

 herself will give an admirable lesson here. Every tree if 

 self-sown, and with plenty of room to grow, will, less or 

 more, be found to stand on a little mound, and the roots 

 will be found extending near the surface of the ground, as 

 well as at greater depths. With trees hardy enough for the 

 climate, and which we wish merely to grow for timber, it 

 matters little how deep the roots grow. In fine, mellow, 

 loamy soil, there is no great necessity for planting even a 

 fruit tree on a mound, though every reason for not planting 

 it deep. All tender trees, and all fruit trees should be 

 shallow-planted. In the case of tender trees, the less the 

 growth the more fully will the growth be ripened, and, 

 therefore, the better will it stand rough vicissitudes. This 

 holds not only true in the case of fruit trees, but as we also 

 grow them for fruit, and not wood, we should bear in mind, 

 that the nearer the roots are to the air, and sun heat and 

 light, the more will the fruitful parts preponderate over the 

 mere growth developments. 



Bush and Pyramidal Trees in gardens, therefore, will in 

 general thrive none the worse for being elevated on little 

 mounds. In thin sandy soil a greater depth is thus secured, 

 and the roots run beyond the mound at a shorter distance 

 beneath the surface. In very rich soils, with or without a 

 heap of stones or clinkers beneath, the mound will help to 

 check over-vigorous growth. In deep, cold, clay soils — at 

 least with clay bottoms — the tree has a better chance to 

 send its roots in the best soil, without being enticed to go 

 deep, and be gorged with unhealthy matter fruitful of canker 



