16 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
[ July 5, 1885. 
clean and bright, and Charles Lefebvre. In the open class for twelve trusses 
of one kind the prizes were taken by—first, Mr. Harrington (La France); 
second, Mr. Slaughter; third, Mr. Wollaston. 
CROWN-GRAFTING THICK LIMBS. 
In crown-grafting thick stems large pieces of uncovered wood are 
generally left bare in the centre of the stem. This decays and often 
causes the death of the limb, or even the tree. Not long ago we saw 
some trees grafted in a way that obviated this difficulty in a simple 
yet ingenious way. The operator was a skilful surgeon, which fact 
may account for the method adopted. It was simply to split up long 
severe weather in winter much better than the crowded rows. Now is 
the time to make another sowing of this useful plant to stand out all 
winter and come in next spring. Early-sown Parsley generally seeds as 
soon as the cold weather is over in spring. See that the ground for the 
present sowing is rich and free from all destructive insects. Prevention 
is always better than cure in their case, and a slight dressing of soot, 
lime, or salt should be dug into the ground before sowing. 
Egg Plants. —These are now growing and fruiting in cool frames, but 
they require much syringing at this season to free them from green fly, &c., 
and as the fruits form they should be cut and used before they are too 
old. In exceptionally fine seasons we have grown these plants in the 
open air; but they are at all times surer in fruiting when kept in frames, 
and as there are plenty of these vacant now this is a very profitable crop 
to occupy some of them with. 
Garlic and Shallots are now well developed, and they may be drawn 
up any dry day. They should be spread out on any pathway or dry 
place until they are quite dry and ripe, when they should be stored 
in the Onion or Potato shed. 
Endive. —The first sowing of this should be made now. A small 
patch of the green-curled or Batavian may be sown in any odd corner, 
and as the plants become large they may be transferred to a border or 
bed, where they will be found very useful for early winter salads. 
Onions. —Those of these sown last autumn and planted in rich soil 
early in spring are now gaining large proportions, and if left in the 
soil to grow after this time many of them will soon split underneath 
and lose much of their value. To avoid this all such should be drawn 
up and be dried off and used in this state. Amongst the cottagers for 
miles around us complaints are ripe of the maggot destroying the greater 
part of the crops, especially the spring-sown ones, but our half acre or so 
is escaping wonderfully, and this we chiefly attribute to the dressing of 
soot and kainit we gave them one wet day about a month ago. Many 
thin out their Onions to 6 inches or so apart, but the finest crops are 
secured where little or no thinning is done. Where crowded, the bulbs 
will be small and excellent for keeping for a long time, and the larger, 
which come where the plants are thin, may be taken for immediate 
and autumn use. 
Turnips. —A good breadth of the Chirk Castle variety should be sown 
now for a winter supply. They may follow early Potatoes, Peas, &c. 
The rows should be IS inches apart, and the seed sown 7ery thinly. 
Fig. 6. 
grafts in this fashion :—Split up, as at a ; 1 was inserted in the usual 
way, and 2 bent over the top of the stock, as at h, and the point 
inserted on the opposite side. At the angles the wood was considerably 
broken ; but every graft grew, and as two or three were led over the 
otherwise bare stump it was rapidly covered with young growing wood. 
Numerous examples were in the garden referred to—that of Dr. M. 
Benny, Lockpark House, Denny, N.B., and all had been successful.— 
A. H. 
jo WOKK.F0HTHE WEEK,. S 
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§ 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Vegetable Marrows. —These are now bearing freely ; and as the 
majority of growers desire their plants to produce as long a succession of 
fruit as possible, they must not be overcropped, and constant attention 
should be given to thinning and training the shoots. Plants bearing 
now will continue to give a supply until November if all the fruit 
which form are cut off for use when they are about half grown. 
Ridge Cucumbers. —As Cucumbers have now a strong inclination to 
grow and fruit freely, they should be restricted from going on to an 
injurious extent in either direction. Where Cucumbers of this kind 
were planted in frames early in the season they may now be less vigorous 
and fertile than younger plants ; and if it is seen that they will not go 
on bearing satisfactory until cut down by frost in autumn, more plants 
should be inserted to produce fruit at the latter end of the season. Glass 
or hotbeds are not wanted for the young plants now, but mounds of good 
soil should be formed in a sunny spot. It may be necessary to watch 
that the snails do not eat the young plants over until they are large 
and hardy. In dry seasons Cucumbers do very well scrambling about 
the ground and resting on the surface, but throughout long periods of 
wet the fruits do not form well resting on the soil, and to get over this 
difficulty we advise a quantity of old peastakes to be put round each 
plant and allow the growths to rest on these. Moisture then passes 
freely from them, and a good crop may be secured. 
Parsley. —The finest Parsley is always had from plants growing in 
rich soil and with plenty of space. From 6 inches to 1 foot apart is not 
too much in this way, and where spring-sown Parsley has not been 
thinned to this extent it should be done at once. Apart from its develop¬ 
ing better afterwards, it will also become very hardy and stand the 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Pelargoniums (Zonals ).—Young stock grswn on for flowering during 
the autumn and winter should without delay be placed in 6-inch pots. 
Pot them as firmly as possible in good sound loam, to which is added a 
little bone dust, soot, and sand, which will insure a sturdy compact 
growth. Keep them close for a time after potting until they are rooting 
freely in the new soil, then gradually harden them, and stand them 
outside on a bed of ashes. To save the labour of frequently watering 
the pots can be plunged, but care must be taken to prevent them rooting 
into the plunging material. The only attention necessary after placing 
the plants outside is watering, feeding when their pots become full of 
roots, pinching the shoots, and the removal of all flowers as they appear. 
Give these plants a sunny position. 
Show and Fancy Pelargoniums. —Cuttings of these varieties should 
now be rooted without delay for early flowering next year. Valuable 
cuttings can be obtained from the plants that were rooted for the earliest 
batch. Young vigorous shoots for cuttings are decidedly preferable to 
those from plants that have been exhausted by flowering, and of which 
the wood is hard and dry. Young plants are much better than cut¬ 
backs for purposes of decoration in 5 and 6-inch pots. If larger plants 
are in demand old plants must then be cut back and again started into 
growth. Those that flowered early will now be better outside than under 
glass, and can be brought to rest by keeping them drier at their roots. 
Mignonette. —It is a mistake to allow plants intended to be grown 
into pyramids or to be trained on umbrella-shaped trellises to suffer by 
want of root room until they have been placed in the pots in which 
they are intended to flower. If they become checked through being 
root-bound their growths soon become hard. From seed sown as pre¬ 
viously directed the plants should be growing vigorously in 5 and 6-inch 
pots, and some of the most forward will be ready for 9 and 10-inch pots, 
which are large enough for splendid specimens. If these plants are not 
already in cool quarters no time should be lost, because they soon draw 
up weakly in heat instead of being strong and robust. Use for a compost 
rich fibry loam, a little leaf soil, a 6-inch potful of bone dust, and the 
same quantity of soot, to each barrowful of soil, adding a good sprinkling 
of coarse sand. Pot them moderately firm when giving them their last 
shift. Sow a little more seed in small pots to succeed those, also a batch 
in 6-inch pots of Miles’ Hybrid Spiral. Those in the last-mentioned pots 
should be placed in a cold frame and shaded until the seed germinates, 
and then afforded abundance of air day and night, or plunge the pots 
outside. 
Choisya ternata. —This is a useful greenhouse plant in spring where 
sweet-scented flowering plants are in demand. It is of easy cultivation 
and thrives well in almost any soil ; good loam and sand suits it admir¬ 
ably. Plants that have made their growth should be well hardened and 
plunged outside to thoroughly ripen their wood, which is essential to the 
production of a profusion of their Orange-like Hawthorn-scented flowers. 
In no stage of growth should this plant be allowed to suffer by the want 
of water, or its foliage soon turns yellow. 
Cuttings strike readily in heat if half-ripened wood is employed, which 
