410 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



June 25, 1898. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



e~,<r,n m rne veai wu» .~any of the early vegetable crops are ready 

 forusVo^ well to calculate how much of each 



kind of winter vegetable will be required to keep up a liberal supply during the 

 winter, after making allowance for any mishap. Supposing, for example, that a 

 note were taken of how much of each kind was used the previous year ; and if 

 there was a scarcity of any provision should now be made before the season is too 

 far advanced to make up for any deficiency. Some of the green winter crops are 

 not to be depended upon; for this reason it is always well to have others in 

 reserve. Broccoli is one of these, for often m very severe winters many of the 

 early ones get crippled to such an extent that the supply is considerably reduced 

 Broccoli in many places is a most unsatisfactory crop, but when well grown, and 

 properly looked after, is always useful, as there are but few places where it is not 

 in demand. To keep up a continuous supply from the time cauliflower is finished 

 in the autumn, until that vegetable is again plentiful in spring or early summer, it 

 will be necessary to plant several varieties that will succeed each other. There 

 are the autumn and winter protecting, Snow's Winter White, Christmas White 

 Vanguard, all cf which may be had in perfection during the winter, if a slight pro- 

 tection can be afforded them. There are so many varieties that turn m as soon 

 as more genial weather visits us that it is not necessary to name them, but for late 

 use Continuity, Late Queen, and Standwell are all good. A good breadth of 

 savoys should also be put out, particularly from the late sowings, as these 

 will be found most useful. Perfection is one of the finest of these that I 

 have grown; it is not a large variety, but of most delicate flavour. 

 Borecole should be planted wherever space will allow, as this vegetable 

 is so hardy that the frost seldom injures it, and after a severe season is one of 

 the most profitable vegetables we have. The asparagus varieties, such as 

 Favourite are the best, as they will continue to give a supply of sprouts till Mid- 

 summer. Brussels sprouts should on no account be neglected, for it is surprising 

 what a quantity of these may be gathered from a limited space when well grown. 

 A good breadth of celery should also be got out, though for a late supply there 

 will be ample time for this to make its growth if planted during the next month. 

 Winter spinach ought on no account to be neglected, therefore when calculating 

 the winter crops, a goodly portion should be allotted to this. To maintain an 

 abundant supply, two or three sowings should be made. Turnips are also in great 

 request during the winter and spring months, therefore when calculating the 

 amount of space required for each of these crops, due regard must be had for 

 those that are in the greatest demand, and that are likely to suffer the most from 

 inclement weather. 



Leeks also demand attention at the present time, for as these take a long 

 season to bring them to perfection, they should be planted out without delay. If 

 extra large roots are required, plant them a foot apart in the row. Parsley ought 

 on no account to be left out of the list that demand attention at the present time. 

 If a sowing be made now, and the plants therefrom transplanted in a sheltered 

 situation when large enough to handle, these will usually withstand the cold of our 

 winters better than plants raised from seed sown in the spring. Watering is one 

 of those details in cultivation which should never be overlooked, for on this much 

 depends whether the crop is a success or failure. — H. C. Prinsep. 



FRUITS UNDER GLASS. 



Outdoor strawberries are very backward both in fruiting and in runner produc- 

 tion this year and this makes it all the more necessary to lose no time in layering 

 the first formed layers as fast as they become fit. Late seasons like the present 

 accentuate the value of yearling plants put out in single lines solely for the pro- 

 duction of runners and divested of their flower stems as the latter appear, 

 as on such plants the runners are much more forward than those on fruiting plants 

 besides being handier to work. I only know of one exception to the rule that 

 early layering is best, and that is in the case of a strawberry which I value highly, 

 viz., Vicomtcsse Hericart de Thury ; this is best left till mid-season, as early layers 

 are apt to split up by autumn and form three or four small crowns instead of one 

 good one, the ultimate result of this splitting being weak flower stems and 

 very small fruits. There can be no doubt that the best method of layering for 

 forcing plants is to use pots which may vary in size from three-inch to four-inch 

 according to the strength of the particular variety grown. For instance, Vicomtesse 

 Hericart de Thury and La Grosse Sucree are best suited by three-inch pots, while 

 Royal Sovereign and other strong growers should have a larger sized pot given 

 them. The pots must be filled firmly to within half an inch of the rim with a good 

 loam lightened with a small quantity of finely broken mortar rubbish. The sur- 

 face soil should be finished off in a slightly conical form. In layering I make a 

 slight groove in the soil with the blade of an old knife, and into this firmly peg the 

 runner so that the embryo plant occupies the centre of the pot. The pegs I 

 use are made from bracken, and I tind these very handy as they shrink slightly 

 before the next potting takes place and if not cut off too close above the hook they 

 may then be easily withdrawn. Any kind of peg will answer the purpose, and 

 pegs are preferable to the pebbles that are frequently advised. Each pot should 

 be stood on a bit of slate, so that worms may be prevented from entering the soil. 

 It is advisable to allow something like 10 per cent, over and above the number 

 actually required, as losses or weak plants will occur, and must be reckoned with. 

 At the same time, remember to layer a sufficient number into the soil or in pots to 

 provide young plants for producing next year's runners. In choosing the runners 

 see that they have not already begun to root, as such never make good plants. I 

 like them best at the stage when the roots are just about to push, and layering 

 before this stage is reached is no gain. Some growers layer directly into the 

 fruiting pots, and this saves some labour, but is hardly advisable for general use, 

 as the soil is apt to be soured if the season turns out a wet one ; the older method 

 is the safer. As regards varieties chosen for forcing, the advent of Royal Sovereign 

 is likely to reduce the number greatly, as it has most of the attributes of a first- 

 class forcing variety, its only defect being the need for staking, but this is necessary 

 for many others. La Grosse Sucree has proved good for many years, but I am 

 discarding it this year, not without some reluctance, in lavour of the last mentioned. 



t The time has now come when artificial heat in vineries should be reduced to a 

 minimum or entirely suspended, and dependence be placed on early closing, with 

 sun-heat to keep up the necessary temperature, but, unfortunately, although the 

 season is here, cold nights and dull days have ruled up to the time of writing, so 

 that fires are and will be necessary for houses containing grapes which have not 

 yet taken their final swelling until better atmospheric conditions prevail. Early 

 vines, from which the crop has been cut, should be syringed freely and daily to 

 keep down red spider and other insect pests, and to preserve the foliage as long as 

 possible in a green state. Plenty of air should also be given to the house night 



ild not be neglected, as the vines will assimilate water 

 being removed. 



early peach 



The above remarks on early vines 



cause of bud dropping.— J. C. Tallack, Liver mere 



So 



Concluded 



AND POTTI 



n a gentleman's place there is always a good deal of turf trimminc to K. 

 >ne in spring time, grass edges to be neatly cut off around the walksTnH i!°i 



r^rrht^H. Rv tak iifr a penernn* «Un» t j ' , wal " s > and borers 



O 



done 



straightened. By taking a generous slice where I dared T n«i.li? DOr ? ers 

 get together enough for the season's use, I am liiS^^ T^half 

 a dozen cartloads of turf, I mix with it two loads of my best manure 



manure when I can get it. This I put in layers alt^rimfel^with^^ SheCp 

 bone. The bone meal and sheep manure will start fermentation onr^ 

 action is valuable in more ways than one. 



ical 



_ - Soil heated to 1 20 degrees is fatal to all 



insect life and weed seeds, and further than this experience has shown that th 

 chemical action is necessary to render bone meal available as a plant food I have 

 seen it used in a green state, but cannot say that I have been pleased with it • 

 the odour is most disagreeable, and the mouldy condition which it assumes which 

 is, no doubt, a necessary stage of its transition from a crude into a soluble plant 

 food, is, to say the least, unpleasant to look upon. Bone meal is slow in becoming 

 available, but lasting when it is ; it should be worked into the compost long before 

 it is needed, as it is not fit for use until fermentation has subsided. It should 

 never be applied as a top dressing. Before I knew this I thought it would be a 

 good idea to scatter a layer of bone meal on the bottom of flats I was working up 

 for young chrysanthemum plants. I intended they should have a good start and 

 was, I suppose, too liberal, for in all my experience I never saw such a sickly lot 

 of plants. I examined them every day and tried my best, hoping and believing 

 they would come round. I waited almost too long. Finally I potted them in 

 fresh soil, and when taken out of the bone meal compost I could almost have 

 blown them over ; how they managed to exist with so few roots is a mystery. 



I said a light soil is best for potted plants, but this is only my experience ; 

 where a man must, perchance, get along with a heavy soil, and understands its 

 management thoroughly, he may say as much in its favour. Two or three yean 

 ago my employer dug out a slough ; he wanted mud, and also a place to dump 

 gravel. This slough was found to be a depression in which for untold ages 

 decayed leaves had gathered ; the ground was spongy and too wee for general 

 farming purposes. Little did we think to find black soil ten or twelve feet deep. 

 It was piled up and valued only as swamp mud, but when it sweetened and vege- 

 table life got a chance for possession we found that grass and whatever grew on it 

 thrived luxuriantly, showing there was body in it. Though black in colour, it 

 light in weight and does not pack. I have grown geraniums, cinerarias, chrysan- 

 themums, calceolarias, cytisuses, heaths, and azaleas in it, and all have done wel 

 So it is ; much must be gained by experience, and in no other occupation is one 

 so much subject to his environment. All the functions of gardening go hand in 

 hand ; if we fail in one, we may fail in all. Injudicious watering of plants would 

 lessen the value of the best compost ; the lack of air and the lequisite amount of 

 heat and moisture would ruin the best plants. 



To pot our plants properly is only part of the work ; still " whatever is worth 

 doing is worth doing well." Potting is like cooking a hare—' -you must fir* 

 catch your hare " ; that is, see that you have clean pots and, if new, properly 

 deodorised. Let me explain— gardeners know that plants seldom thrive m pots 

 fresh from the kiln ; exposure to the weathering influence of a rain-storm will 

 sweeten them, or, lacking this, a good plan is to fill the new pots with moist earth 

 and let it stay in them for a day or two ; this earth should not be used. ISext ill 

 importance to sweet, clean pots is good drainage. Crocks of broken pots are IM 

 best material to use. In healthy plants the bulk of the roots will be found amoog 

 the drainage. Coal ashes are excellent for many plants, but they contain lime, 

 and while this is a necessary ingredient in the food of some plants, it is not neeuea 

 for all, and to some it is decidedly objectionable. . 



Plants which do ihe greater part of their growing during winter time, as wc 

 as those which remain a long time without repotting, require the greates :ca • 

 All potting thould be done firmly, and this for the most part can be done uy 

 hand ; it is seldom necessary to use the potting-stick in order to pack tne wu 

 firmly, and then only for large plants and such as have solid balls 01 wu , 

 azaleas, heaths, and other shrubby greenhouse plants of slow growtn. 



fort 



summer's growth 



prise 



pleas 



make luxuriant growth in their natural elements— free and unrestr ^ te< J f pr0 . 



with plenty of air and sunshine. Usually their growth is a,t ^ et ";' ° if [hey 



portion to the space they must occupy for the winter, and it seci ^ 



would require much larger pots. If, however, as is generally 1 ^ 



greater number are of the zonal type of pelargonium, or wftat we . ^ 



niums, they will bear considerable hard treatment and may be roug ^ ff 



and much curtailed in amount of root room, and very likely -win Jhe ^ 



more liberally treated. Thf> came aDDlies to almost all window pi • 



natural 



I: 



young stock in the meantime. The disposjtion ^ <J 



egarded 



question the amateur is sure to ask is, d a j r> or moi*£ 



to start them up?" when all that is ^needed is ;^ ttc ^ ft U ^ ttcr how attract^ 

 less heat as the case may be. * "° 



labelled, are sure to do more harm 



P lantS ? inures -uia 



tne plants are sick it will be owing 10 sumc HvweDtic 

 only make them worse ; it would be like trying to cure a oysp v 



-_ t :c~„l manures in the liquid for 



of high living. 



A word 

 plants may 



yiauis may noi De ouc or place hcic. . - More sm» B ,w 



and general productiveness whether it be fruits or A^e". it has exhausted- 

 to continue a^crop of flowers or fruits in R r0 ." c ^ fu^ C ondiuon ; this is thjjj 

 natural resources of the soil than in bringing it to tms «- ^ p> 



of success with some men. It is not my intention ne ^ t , 



More skill 



_ for 

 ncrease grojj 



Lr.tl is requ"*- 



plest 



: drainage uuu- — 



plant food ; but even this cannot oe u^cu u— * 

 good judgment will be required to gauge P r . 0 P^> 

 safely used in proportion to clear water. It is 



s 



ith 



rienc*^ 



I have 



start wiw - T, 

 sed dry Color* c 



peck 



ht too* 

 sed at th' 



fining down. Sulphate of ammonia or nitraic u. ~ stimU lants •»> 0 ^a*r 

 one pound to fifty gallons of water ; e ' we u ae injury, 

 manures. Their action is quick both of b^^ ou ld only be , . 



is a terrible trial for one to experience. These s {Q use ow ^ 



lives. I am not skilled in mixing manures, but am sa gr0W tI>, 

 Liquid manures should be used only on plants m 

 drainage must always be free. 



