GARDENERS' 



MAGAZINE. 



January 8, 1898 



WORK FOR THE W EEK, 



THE KITCHEN OARDEN. 



IN a weekly calendar of kitchen garden work it shouM be remembered that the 

 writer gives his experience as far as possible of the place where he resides, but as 

 seasons and soils somewhat vary, and as he has to write his notes a week or so 

 beforehand, it is not always possible to state exactly the way to proceed ; it may, 

 however, be taken that such work may be done as near as possible to the dates 

 given. One of the most important duties of the kitchen gardener at the present 

 time is to see that all tender vegetables are well protected from frost. ^ In many 

 places potatos that are in clamps become frosted for want of litter being placed 

 over the heaps in severe weather, therefore this should receive attention at once. 

 Carrots that were sown in the autumn with a view of supplying fresh tender roots 

 during winter and early spring, will be of little use if the soil is allowed to get 

 frozen in such a manner that they cannot be drawn when required. A small 



Quantity of dry bracken or leaves will ward off an ordinary frost, particularly in 

 ry, sandy soils, but should there be any signs of severe 

 be made ready to afford further protection. Lettuce and endive must receive 

 attention in like manner. Most gardeners who have to contend with heavy soils 

 know the difficulty there is in keeping celery through the winter. If boards about 

 a foot wide are nailed together at right angles, and these are placed on the tops of 

 the ridges they will prevent the rain from running down into the hearts of the 

 plants. The ridges should be covered with bracken or litter to ward off the frost, 

 and if this be done in time the celery will remain quite good till the spring. In 

 some establishments there is a great demand for forced rhubarb, seakale, asparagus, 

 mint, tarragon, chicory, endive, and the like. Now all these require some special 

 preparations. Mint and tarragon rooted in boxes in August last may be placed in 

 neat as required, but where this was not done roots must be taken up from the 

 open ground and placed in pots or boxes filled with light, rich soil, taking care 

 not to bury them too deeply. Chicory, endive, rhubarb, and seakale are best forced 

 in a dark cellar. It is impossible to take up the roots of these when the ground 

 is frozen hard, therefore a sufficient stock should be lifted and covered that they 

 may be introduced into a gentle warmth as required. It is essential that if 

 subjects of this description are to be had in the finest possible condition that they 

 are grown in absolute darkness, and no more fire heat applied than will promote a 

 healthy growth ; indeed, if they can be produced without fire heat at all so much 

 the better. No more should be introduced into the forcing house at one time 

 than is necessary for the requirements of the establishment. The roots of aspar- 

 agus lose much of their vitality if lifted for any length of time before being forced, 

 and for this reason the beds intended for forcing should be covered with litter so 

 as to exclude the frost, the stools can then be taken up as required. This vege- 

 table is always the most tender when forced on a gentle hot-bed made of ferment- 

 ng material, therefore a goodly quantity of this should always be kept in 

 readiness. 



A very inqxjrtant item at this time of the year is that of making up the seed 

 order, and, as many seeds are wanted very early, no delay should now be made, 

 or anything allowed to take place, that prevents the order being made out at once 

 and sent in. When received, the seeds should be kept dry and in an even 

 temperature till such time as they ire required for sowing. It is only by close 

 attention to the requirements of a place that a true guide can be had of the 

 necessary quantities of each kind. When the ground is frozen hard, the 

 wheeling on of manure should be proceeded with, as such work can always be 

 done with more dispatch when the ground is dry. It is, however, best not to 

 delay the work of manuring till late in the season, if this can be avoided, 

 particularly if the material is only half decayed, as it has not time to rot before 

 the crops arc planted, which, in the case of many plants, is most injurious. 

 Ground intended to be sown w ith parsnips, carrots, beet, salsafy, and scorzonera 

 should on no account be manured so late in the season, unless the manure is 

 placed at least two spits deep, or the roots will become forked and ill-shaped. 

 That intended for cauliflower, peas, and such other vegetables as require rich 

 ground, should l>r liU rally manured and deeply dug as soon as possible, par- 

 Ocularly if it be of a li^ht sandy nature, that the soil may have time to settle down 

 again latere the crop is sown or planted. Care should be taken to have each 

 plot of ground marked out where it is intended that each vegetable shall be 

 crown, that there may be no mistake at the time of sowing. Ground intended 

 for onions cannot well be too rich, neither am the soil have been moved too 

 <k e P'y» provided it is of good quality, and, as such work cannot be done later 

 On, when other things become more pressing, this, if not already completed, 

 should be taken in hand the first favourable opportunity. 



The clipping of hedges, where there are any, surrounding the garden can also 

 be proceeded with when the ground is hard, while, if we should have a fall of 

 sn«»w so as to put a stop to outside work, such work as making seakale sets, labels, 

 and placing potato sets on their ends in shallow boxes could be done. The 

 former, if made now and covered with decayed leaves or short litter, so as to 

 keep them moist and protect them from frost, will frequently have callused and 

 commenced t<> root by the time they can be planted, and will therefore be much 

 more forward than those made and planted later on. The advantages of having 

 potato sets started are manifold, but the growth made should always be stout and 

 robust, and tins can only be made in a comparatively low temperature, where light 

 is freely admitted, and for this reason, those intended to be planted early should 

 receive attention at once.— If. C. Prinsbp, Buxtcd Park Gardens. 



FRUITS UNDER GLASS. 



Thk hrst or second week of the new year is an excellent time for those who 

 have only <w<> or three vineries to commence forcing for the earliest crop. Earlier 

 than this the crop is more or less out of season, and can with difficulty only be had 

 of high quality ; but after the days begin to lengthen forcing is an easy matter, and 

 with ordinary care the vines make good wood for the succeeding year and do not 

 m any way suffer. Supposing that the vines have been subjected to the usual 

 cleaning and are now suspended, so that the ends of the rods are lower than 

 the other portions of the vine ( which will make them break more rgularly through- 

 out), the house should be closed and kept for the time being w ith a minimum 

 temperature of 50 degrees. The border should be well watered with tepid water, 

 so that it is thoroughly moistened throughout. A gentle hot-bed of leaves and 



^^f*T** thC fe** Wi " hc, P t0 keep up the necessary temperature, 



a P L^. 0 ' ammonia from the bed will in other ways help the 



i / 8 iT™ 8 inVJ . ih l fod * oncc * fcfo* noon will be all that 

 over-do the wpoly of atmospheric moisture. Some people do without the 

 TT^^u. I? - thcrC ? much 10 ** »W for the method, but personally I 



U^Z ZT T nK 10 . 00,(1 dis <ricts, but I do not favour the hot- 



Wp?h^ ,cavcs ' ,ittc <> « bracken to 



keep the soil from being frozen, for unless this takes ol.ice th<* mnu will «™ir 



quite freely enough to keep the vines growing healthily without subjecting them to 

 artificial heat, therefore a few inches only of covering material is necessary. Where 

 vines are planted in outside borders, and led inside through holes in the front 

 wall, the outside portions of stem should be thoroughly well protected with hay. 

 bands or some other covering, and any portion of the holes not filled with the 

 stems should be closed up also, to prevent cold currents of air. I have known a 

 complete collapse of growing vines to take place from neglect of this protection 

 during a sudden spell of sharp frost, and any freezing of the sap will give such a 

 check as to cause flagging, if nothing worse. 



Pot vines, being of no further use after fruiting, may be driven along briskly 

 if required very early, always remembering, however, that the slower in reason 

 their progress is the better will be the colour of the fruits. Keep the plunging 

 material at a uniformly brisk heat, and afford ventilation as freely as may be, 

 during the forenoon, without creating draughts ; be careful, though, that no front 

 air is given ; all that Is needed should be given at the apex of the roof or lights. 

 All late vines from which the bunches have been cut should be pruned as soon as 

 possible. Opinions vary as to the best method of pruning, and it is only needful 

 to say here that close pruning results generally in the most compact and useful 

 bunches while pruning to the M best, i.e., the plumpest bud near the base of last 

 year's lateral, will give bigger and looser bunches. Those who prefer the former 

 may cut back quite to the last bud on each shoot without fear of lessening the 

 chances of a good crop. Figs may now be started, and where the trees are planted 

 out and grown with their heads close to the glass there is no reason for further 

 delay, as the trees will have their first crop ripened in time to produce an excellent 

 and continuous second crop, that will last well into the autumn. ^ The first trees, 

 say of Brown Turkey, started now, will begin to ripen their first fruits early in April, 

 and continue almost throughout May, after which there will be a break, averaging 

 from a month to six weeks, before the second crop ripens* To cover this break 

 it will be well to start another house in six weeks or so from now. Pot trees with 

 the fruits well advanced may now be given a higher temperature, say 60 to 65 

 degrees at night, and have liberal doses of liquid manure as required. Trees 

 started now do well with a temperature as advised for starting the vines. Any 

 trees which have not yet been cleaned should be treated at once, aiways remem- 

 bering that the young wood of fig trees is very susceptible to injury from the use 

 of strong insecticides, and I never allow anything of the sort to be used on the 

 wood made during the past season. — J. C. Tallack, Liwrmere Park Gardens. 



The choice 



The Pink Colour in Chrysanthemums. 



The economic importance of chrysanthemum-growing (which in this state is 

 estimated to involve more capital than peach cultivation) justifies the attention 

 paid to this subject by the Cornell Experiment Station. Chrysanthemums are not 

 yet quoted in market reports by names of varieties as roses sometimes are, but the 

 prices are usually given for the three prominent colours — white, yellow, and pink. 

 The various shades of pink seem to be exceedingly unstable. One of the popular 

 commercial varieties is Fred Walz, which I have frequently seen in three or more 

 easily distinguishable shades, although the plants seemed to be grown under very 

 similar conditions. This variety being somewhat stiff and tormal in outline, is 

 easily ruined for artistic effect by unevenness of colour. The mere fact that the 

 pure pink of Mr. F. Schuyler Mathews's colour-chart has not yet been attained in 

 chrysanthemums is not so serious in iUelf, because that is onty one particular 

 shade. There seems to be an entire series of colours whose value is determined far 

 more by the skill of the cultivator than by the variety. Amaranth, crimson, rosy 

 pink, crimson pink, light pink and blush-white are some of the names of trade 

 catalogues which represent a gradation from the deepest shade of the series down to 

 pure white, and it seems probable that any of these shades may in some cases be 

 obtained from a single variety. Not all varieties, of course, are so highly 

 susceptible as this, but frequently the difference is enough to make the flowers 

 unsaleable. The control of colour, therefore, becomes a problem of great interest. 



The problem is doubtless a complicated one. There seem to be at least five 

 factors concerned, any one of which may change a pink to a white, 

 of buds is said to be sufficient in some cases. J. H. Woodford, one of Mr. 

 Spaulding's novelties, is advertised as shell-pink from terminal, and pure white 

 from crown-buds. Over-propagation is generally thought to weaken colour. 

 Temperature and ventilation (the two factors can hardly be separated in greenhouse 

 practice) are advertised to produce three distinct and desirable shades in Mrs. 

 Colonel Goodman. Mere position (in pots, beds or benches) should not in itself 

 make a difference, but in practice it does. The effect of shade is variously stated. 

 And most complicated of all, the food factor is known to influence colour, but just 

 how is a mystery. 



Thirty-one varieties advertised as having various shades of pink were grown here 

 under the same conditions. Fourteen gave white flowers with only a trace of pink 

 at most in a few cases. Three others had much less colour than their descriptions 

 imply. I cannot explain such a condition. The general health of the plants was 

 excellent. The four flowers on each plant averaged about six inches in diameter. 



Last year I noticed in another place some white varieties which showed pink. 

 Among them were such important sorts as Our Mutual Friend and Marie Valleau, 

 the latter, however, being less frequently described as pure white. The food being 

 much richer than our own, especially in nitrogenous matter, I suspected that an 

 extra supply of nitrogen might have called out the pink colour which we had never 

 observed in these white varieties. Mr. E. G. Hill warns his customers not to use 

 nitrate of soda in the cultivation of certain light pink varieties, as it produces a 

 deeper and unpleasant shade. 



It was convenient to single out only two of the supposed factors this year, and 

 the experiment has turned out contrary to my expectation. The extra amount of 

 nitrogen did not deepen the colour, but the flowers proved very sensitive to shade. 

 Shade is said by some to deepen the colour, but the reverse was true in this case. 

 The difference was perceptible at a glance in the case of Mrs. Perrin, Madame 

 Felix Perrin, Marie Valleau, Helen Bloodgood and Iora, and in a lesser degree 

 with William Simpson and Maud Dean. This difference would not prevent the 

 sale of Iora, which is usually uniform in colour, whatever the shade may be. The 

 varieties Mrs. Perrin and Madame Felix Perrin, however, lost their characteristic, 

 sparkling, rosy colour, and were not of a saleable character. Some of these varieties 

 were shaded from the time the buds were the size of marbles until they came into 

 full flower. Others had already burst their buds and were out an inch or more 

 before the glass overhead was whitewashed. I know nothing about shading 

 chrysanthemums during the purely vegetative phase of their life. It seems clear, 

 however, that during the reproductive phase the forming flowers are weakened in 

 colour by shading. There was only one contradictory plant among twenty-five- 

 It is a common complaint among florists that the pink colour stays only a few days 

 after the flower opens, and perhaps sunlight and shade cannot then arrest the 

 lading. The results with the nitrogen factor were not conclusive. At any rate, 

 we did not force pink mto white varieties as Lenawee and Mutual Friend. 



****** William Miller, in Garden and Forest. 



