CARTER AND CO.’S GARDENER’S VADE-MECUM FOR 1862. 
trellis, and an early opportunity taken to dress them over with the mixture formerly recommended. The trees in the later 
houses will most likely be still green and perhaps making some attempts at late growth, which must bo timely checked 
by stopping and keeping them dry at the roots. Cherries in pots for early forcing now standing plunged in the open 
quarters must be attended to at this season. Turn them out of the pots and shake olf a good part of the old soil, and re- 
pot in sound fresh loam and re-plunge for a time; but before they are required for forcing, let them have a few weeks in a 
pit, that the buds may swell gradually. Now is a good time to take up and pot any promising young trees, full of 
buds, from the open quarters; such trees will often produce a better crop than those specially prepared for forcing. 
Figs now ripening their second crop must have no more water, both for the flavour of the fruit and that the trees may 
be encouraged to ripen off their wood. 
Pits and Frames. 
Great care must be used to maintain a brisk bottom heat to Cucumbers in bearing and growing on for winter supply : 
if dependent on fermenting materials, keep a good supply always in a state of preparation, and never use it until well 
sweetened: keep also a good heat to late Melons, but let the atmosphere be dry, or the flavour will be poor: make new beds 
on the shelves of the Mushroom house, and spawn the beds made out of doors ; prepare materials for future beds. Throw 
up a bed in readiness for Asparagus next month, if required thus early. 
OCTOBER. 
Kitchen Garden. 
It will be as well to observe that the earliest Endive already tied up for blanching will not bear much frost, or a 
long continuance of wet weather; therefore when quite dry, let them be taken up and planted thickly in a frame or cold 
pit, and keep the lights always on in wet weather, but let them have abundance of air and free exposure on fine days : the 
same remarks will apply to late Autumn Lettuce, the season for which will be very much prolonged by the above routine. 
Plant out a good breadth of Lettuce in a warm and sheltered situation to stand through the winter; a row planted within 
a foot of the base of a south wall, will in ordinary seasons be ready for use a week or so before the others: the ground 
hitherto occupied by the main crops of Scarlet Runners will afford a suitable piece of ground on which to plant Cauliflowers 
under handlights ; let the ground be thoroughly trenched two spits deep, and as the operation proceeds, incorporate a liberal 
dressing of good rotten manure : level the surface and mark out beds of three feet wido for the glasses, and spaces of two 
feet- wide to walk upon, for the purpose of giving air, dressing, &c. ; from centre to centre of each glass four feet ; 
put five plants to each glass, and look out for snails, which must be kept down by a mixture of soot, lime and ashes, strewed 
over dry. Take up and store Carrots and Red Beet; clear off and clean Asparagus beds : remove a part of the top soil and 
supply its place with well-rotted, rich manure. Persevere in trenching up all vacant ground to subject it to atmospheric 
influences. 
Fruit Garden. 
The gathering in of Apples and Pears must now have daily attention ; let the greatest care be taken in gathering all the 
choice sorts; as soon as they part from the stems freely, they are ready ; if gathered before, they will shrivel: use them as 
carefully as eggs, and do not heap too many together, for the weight of the upper portion will bruise the lower, particularly 
in carrying along to the fruit-room, and all bruises, however slight, cause incipient decay. Finish the gathering of Cob 
Nuts, and store them in a dry, cool place. Also gather Walnuts as soon as they leave the husks pretty freely; if taken too 
soon, they often get discoloured in cleaning out. This is the best month to make new plantations of fruit-trees of all sorts ; 
as soon as the leaves come olf freely from the trees, they are ready to be lifted and transplanted immediately, and where pre- 
vious directions have been attended to, the stations will all be ready and the operations may be performed without delay 
— to defer it until next month is to lose a season ; trees carefully planted in October do not require to be headed back; but 
may be pruned precisely as though they had been planted twelve months. 
Flower Garden. 
As the season of beauty is now over for mo9t of the bedding plants, towards the middle of the month begin to take up 
Scarlet Geraniums, Heliotropes, and such like plants which are required for storing; take up as many as there can possibly 
be found room for, as old plants will always be found to flower earlier and more abundantly than young cutting plants ; 
and if you can begin early enough, you will be able to head them down close, and after potting them in pots just, large enough 
to hold the roots, and in light soil rather sandy than otherwise, put them into a large pit, near the glass and give them for a 
short time a gentle heat to start them afresh, and then gradually expose them to harden, when they may be placed on 
shelves and other vacant places in the greenhouse. When all the principal beds arc cleared, let them be immediately pre- 
pared for the reception of bulbous plants, such as Narcissus, Hyacinths, Turban Ranunculus and Tulips, and let the whole 
of them be edged with Crocus of various colours; some may also be filled with Spring-flowering herbaceous plants, such as 
Viola arborca, Primroses, Polyanthus, Alyssum, Iberis, Aubrietia, and Arabis, all of which will help to keep up a gay 
appearance in early Spring, and will mostly be over before the beds will bo again required for bedding plants : some of 
the larger beds maybe filled with nice dwarf plants of thehardier Evergreens ; common Rhododendrons, which may be moved 
any day in the year, are very suitable for the purpose. Many kinds of herbaceous plants may now be taken up, divided, 
and replanted; it is far better than doing it in the Spring; amongst them do not forget those useful plants, the Double 
Rockets, both purple and white: they should be lifted annually about the first week in the month and replanted in 
fresh situations. Alterations which involve planting Trees and Shrubs should be set about vigorously: every Tree and 
Shrub planted this month will stand in a far bettor position as to its well-doing than those planted during any other month 
in the year, however carefully they may be tended. 
G 
