April 26, 1883. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 349 
lhan the sulphate. Even potash is not always wanted, even though 
Ville’s experiments point that way. Some soils—that of the fertile 
Garse o Gowrie, for instance—contain more potash than can 
possibly be used up in hundreds of years even with the most 
exhaustive methods of culture. In such cases it would be throwing 
money away to apply what is there already. Ville’s advice to 
analyse the soil by trying on a small scale how long plants will give 
a maximum yield with this, that, and the other substance withheld, 
we can recommend as superior in every way to costly chemical 
analysis, which may tell what soil contains, but not what it will 
yield. We may also draw attention to the remarks on the difference 
between the market value and the cost of stableyard manure, but 
experience, tells us that he is wrong when he tells us that chemical 
manure alone is superior to a mixture of chemical and farmyard 
manure. Chemical manure, properly used, will undoubtedly do a 
great deal towards increasing all kinds of crops by supplementing 
farmyard manure, and, by producing greater quantities of straw and 
fodder, increase even farmyard manure. Ville considers that a 
knowledge of the subject and its universal application would save 
us from forty to eighty millions sterling a year. As a fiist step 
towards sharing in the “ plunder’’ we can conscientiously recom¬ 
mend a study of the work in question by every cultivator of the 
soil. 
ilp WOKK.foi\theWEEK..S 
30 
—mril 
•i / 
f By the most skilful Cultivators in the several Departments.'] 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Eveky effort must now be made to keep ahead with the work 
in this department. Kidney Beans may be sown now in a sunny 
dry position. A few rows of Runners may be placed in the garden, 
as they make good screens, but the Dwarf Kidney varieties, of 
which Canadian Wonder is the leading variety, should be sown to¬ 
gether on a border. The rows may be 18 inches apart and 3 inches 
deep, and if the ground is heavy some old potting soil should 
be placed over the seed. Sometimes, especially if the weather is 
wet, the first-sown Kidney Beans are very apt to damp off just 
as growth is beginning, and this is mainly caused through the 
soil with which they are covered being wet and heavy. The main 
crops of Beet, Salsafy, and Scorzonera should now be sown in 
mellow and deep soil. Planting late Potatoes should be finished 
as soon as possible. 
Where late Broccolis occupy ground which is required for 
other crops do not wait for them all heading, but lift them and 
place in a shady corner. Water well, and they will form heads 
just as well as if left in their growing quarters. More Peas for 
producing crops in August should be sown, and a small sowing 
of Radishes and Mustard and Cress may be sown fortnightly 
for the next four months. Small quantities of Lettuces may be 
sown frequently. . Nothing gives more satisfaction in a kitchen 
garden than having the different crops coming-in in succession. 
Perhaps the best guide in the case of Peas, Turnips, and Spinach 
is to always sow a little more seed as soon as the plants from the 
previous sowing can be seen above ground. 
The Dutch hoe should now be often used in all kitchen 
gardens. Wherever the surface appears hard or weedy between 
any growing crop hoe at once. Earth-up spring-planted Cabbage 
and Cauliflower plants. In exposed situations this prevents them 
shaking about. Thin out all young seedling vegetables as soon 
as they have formed the first rough leaves. Long stems are useless, 
and are the result of crowding. Short, dwarf, robust plants, of 
all things, can only be secured by giving them sufficient room to 
develope, and they should always have this from the very first. 
Asparagus should have another slight dressing of salt or kainit, 
which we prefer to the former. We never measure or weigh this, 
but give a small handful to each root; it is shaken round a few 
inches from the stems. 
As frames are cleared of early Potatoes, Carrots, Ac., fill them 
with Vegetable Marrows, ridge Cucumbers, and any other tender 
crop. Vegetable Marrows will grow in the ordinary soil of the 
garden, but they fruit much better on an old dung bed, and so 
do ridge Cucumbers. The earliest Celery plants should now 
be hardened off with the view of planting them in the trenches 
at an early date. Late plants will come forward rapidly if 
dibbled into the old Potato frames. Our plan is to plant a 
Marrow in the centre of each light and fill up all round with 
small Celery plants, and these are taken away and planted before 
the Marrows have run very far. 
Cucumbers under glass require to be stopped now once or twice 
weekly. The most fruitful way of treating them is to stop the 
shoots at every joint. Thin training has many advantages, and 
light cropping is the only way to secure a long succession of fruit 
from the same plants. When the roots appear to be very plentiful 
on the surface of the mounds a slight top-dressing of loam and 
manure should be put over them. Tomatoes under glass now 
require a good deal of pinching and training. Superfluous growth 
should have no headway. Do not syringe any plants in bloom. 
Give abundance of water at the roots, and those in full bearing 
should have copious supplies of liquid manure. Plants intended 
for open air culture should be gradually exposed to the outside 
atmosphere. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Melons .—The fruit in the early house being nearly ripe will 
therefore require syringing less frequently, and in damping the 
house avoid wetting the fruit, as that would impair the quality and 
may result in its cracking. A somewhat high, dry, and airy atmo¬ 
sphere is most suitable during the ripening of the fruit. It is, 
however, important that the plants be clean and healthy, other¬ 
wise well finished and highly flavoured fruit cannot be expected ; 
and to effect this the plants must have sufficient water at the 
roots, and the atmosphere must not be kept so dry as to injuriously 
affect the foliage. If the plants are healthy they will have set or 
made growth, on which a second crop of fruit may be taken with¬ 
out prejudice to the fruit now approaching maturity. The drier 
condition of the atmosphere will aid in the blossoms setting for 
the second crop, which should be fertilised, and after a sufficient 
number of fruits are set remove all blossoms, stopping and thinning 
the growths as necessary. When the ripe fruits have been cut stir 
the surface of the bed, add a little fresh soil if necessary, and give 
a good soaking of tepid liquid manure, syringing freely on all 
favourable occasions. Succession houses, pits, and frames will 
require daily attention in stopping, tying, thinning, and fertilising 
the blossoms. As pits and frames are cleared of early Potatoes 
they can be utilised for growing Melons—the plants being pre¬ 
viously prepared. It will suffice to remove the soil, and then 
turning over the leaves, adding more if necessary, and, making a 
hillock of soil in the centre, put out the plants when the soil 
becomes warmed, shading for a few hours in the middle of the 
day if the sun be powerful until the plants become established, 
when shading should be discontinued. Continue to make suc- 
cessional sowings. 
Peaches anil Nectarines .—Mild moist weather is highly favour¬ 
able to Peaches now taking their last swelling. A high and moist 
atmosphere will insure the swelling of the fruit to good size, and 
any time lost during the stoning process may now be regained by 
closing early on fine afternoons with liberal moisture. Syringe 
the trees early on fine mornings and again at closing time, or 
from 2 to 3 P.M. On no account allow the roots to want for 
water, as the great breadth of foliage enables the trees to absorb 
great quantities of tepid water passed through a heavy mulch¬ 
ing, or even liquid of a stimulating nature, if the trees are not 
very luxuriant. Deficiency of moisture at the roots is the chief 
source, next to overcropping, of the premature dropping or ripen¬ 
ing of the fruit before the last swelling is completed. Although 
Peaches ripen the best when the trees are restricted during the 
last swelling, the tying-down must be completed in time, for the 
purpose of exposing the fruit to all the sun and air required for the 
colouring, and where the trees have filled their allotted space the 
points of the shoots in advance of the fruit may be removed. Con¬ 
tinue to disbud and thin the fruit in succession houses, and do 
not after this period leave the fruit in excess of the intended crop, 
as trees in vigorous health under judicious treatment will not cast 
more than a small per-centage. Trees in late houses appear to 
have set every blossom, and require close and careful attention in 
removing the surplus fruit gradually. Syringe well and encourage 
free growth by closing early, or from two to three o’clock on fine 
afternoons. If aphides appear fumigate with the foliage dry on 
a calm evening 
Pines .—A moist and genial heat of 70° to 75° at night, and 
from 80° to 90° throughout the day, will be most suitable for fruit¬ 
ing plants, ventilating and closing the house at about 80°, keep¬ 
ing the heat at the roots regular at 90 c , and carefully attend to 
watering the plants, as very much depends upon this being pro¬ 
perly performed. Avoid strong stimulants, but these in a mild 
form should be given on every occasion of watering. Vigorous 
plants in 10-inch pots should be examined about twice every 
week if the weather be at all sunny. Remove all superfluous 
suckers as soon as they are large enough to have the heart screwed 
out, reserving one for stock on each plant, which is ample unless 
