96 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 4, 1886. 
smaller. They are dark green with a purplish shading, and pink veins, 
and are furnished with small lids, the mouth of the pitcher being bordered 
with a dark-coloured furrowed ring. 
This Cephalotus is an inhabitant of marshy land ; it should there¬ 
fore be provided with a soil composed of peat and live sphagnum moss, 
the pot being well drained and placed in a shallow pan containing water* 
If the plant is grown in a pan, that should be placed inside another larger 
one, the space being filled with fine Derbyshire spar and kept constantly 
moist. In either case a bellglass should be placed over it. The best 
position and temperature is the cool end of the stove or Orchid house, 
where with careful attention in supplying the requisite moisture the 
plant will grow freely. 
Oranges and Pine Apples. —In an official report it is said “ The 
falling off in exports from St. Michael’s to England, especially during the 
past ten years, is, I have good reasons for believing, to be largely due 
to the increased production of Oranges in the south of Spain, which 
has competed with the fruit of the Azores throughout this period. The 
season of 1873-4 saw the English markets glutted with large importa¬ 
tions of Oranges; in the season of 1884-5 the export of the same fruit 
from St. Michael’s was the worst recorded for the past forty-two years. 
Cultivators are disheartened, and those who have not already succumbed 
to its effects have cleared their land of trees, and planted it with cereals 
and the Sweet Potato. In striking contrast to this rapid decline in the 
Orange trade is the marked increase in the value of the Pine Apple export. 
Increasing attention has been given during the last fifteen years to the 
cultivation of the last-named fruit; and the exportation last year reached 
184,400 Pine Apples, of an estimated value of £19,699.” 
If 
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i“$ WORK^Foij.THE WEEK,. 
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KITCHEN GARDEN. 
The Weather and Work. —Of late the weather has been decidedly 
against work in the kitchen garden. We have had more frost, snow, 
and severe weather in our locality this winter than has been experienced 
for some years, and from all we hear this is the experience of many 
others. It will not be an early spring, but the complete rest which vege¬ 
tation is now enjoying may induce rapid and luxuriant growth when 
genial weather return®. All those from whom a supply of vegetables 
are expected must begin planning how best to to advance them. Sowing 
in the open ground just now is impossible, but thousands of plants may 
be raised under glass in a very little space ; cutting boxes are most useful 
for this purpose. If several of them, from 2 feet to 3 feet in length, and 
1 foot or more in width, are sown with Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Lettuces, 
Onions, &c., the plants will be in good order for placing out in a month 
or six weeks. Fill the boxes with good soil, sow the seed thinly, ODly 
force them when qui'e young, harden them well, keep them near the 
glass in a cool place when they are 2 inches high or so, and anyone who 
walks round the garden in April will he unable to say that the weather 
has retarded any vegetables. We prefer open air culture to all others, 
but when we see this cannot be managed with advantage, we resort to 
the underglass systems, and these are in operation with us. 
Frame Carrots. —In April and May these are greatly valued, and 
we would advise all who have the means of making a hotbed, and can 
place a frame on the top of it, to sow at least one frame of Carrots. The 
present is a profitable time to sow. Make up a good hotbed, put the frame 
on the top, and then fill in the soil. In the park close by the moles have 
been at work ; they have thrown up some excellent soil, and this we 
have wheeled in for the frame Carrots. Being friable it suits them well. 
It should be mixed with a liberal quantity of sand, a little soot, and some 
well-decayed manure. Soil 6 inches deep is quite sufficient to bring all 
the Horn varieties to perfection, but it ought to be trampled very 
firmly, and the seed be sown thinly broadcast. We always cover the 
seed with sea or river sand, and this keeps the surface sweet. The lights 
are placed on immediately sowing is done, and air is admitted on fine 
days. Tho-e fine Carrots which are often seen at early shows are raised 
in frames in the way we suggest, but for the Intermediate the soil must 
be about 1 foot in depth. Those who wish to show fine Carrots in May 
and June ought to make a substantial hotbed and sow at once. We have 
just sown seed in three large frames, two for the kitchen, and one for 
show roots. The former are Early French Forcing, the latter an Im¬ 
proved Intermediate sort. 
Dwarf French Beans. —Make a very large sowing of Cooling’s 
Ne Plus Ultra. With gentle forcing they will be ready for gathering 
about Easter, and they will be very valuable in the market then and 
acceptable in the kitchen. Put from eight to ten seeds into a 3-inch pot, 
employing rich soil, and allowing them to become about 4 inches high in 
these before shifting into larger pots. We have tried growing them early 
in narrow boxes, but they never succeeded like those in the pots ; and 
although the pots require more space than the boxes, the extra good crop 
secured more than compensates for this. Plants raised from seed during 
January will grow slowly, and it is better not to force them too hard, as 
this will only cause them to grow weakly and spindly, and when this 
happens they do not fruit freely. In potting, use rough soil and horse 
droppings, and be careful not to supply too much water, as the young 
plants are rather apt to suffer from this during the short days. 
Mustard and Cress. —Those who gave up growing these during 
the shortest days may take to them again, as they grow more freely now 
than in December, and as other salads may be becomi ng scarce the Mustard 
and Cress will give satisfaction. Sow in the usual manner in shallow 
boxes filled with any kind of soil and place in a temperature of 60°. 
Fanciful persons sow in soup plates, placing them on the table full of 
growing plants. 
Potatoes. —Plant more in frames as suggested on January 7th. Pro¬ 
bably those put in now may be ready for digging as soon as any put in 
some weeks ago. Admit a little fresh air to those through the soil when 
the weather is favourable, but do not give them any water. Cover with 
mats when it is frosty, and do not allow them to be checked in any way. 
Early varieties in their store places are now sprouting and require atten¬ 
tion. They should all be placed in trays or shallow boxes one layer deep, 
and placed in a cool porition fully exposed to the light. So long as frost 
is excluded that is sufficient, as the object is to secure dwarf sturdy shoots, 
and these are only formed in the light. Those tubers intended for imme¬ 
diate planting may receive different treatment by placing them in boxes, 
shaking a little sand or leaf soil over them, and then place them in a tem¬ 
perature of 55° near the glass to sprout freely. Later varieties which may 
be pushing shoots owing to being in a warm place must be turned over 
and the shoots removed. 
PEAS. —Give th03e above ground a dressing of guano, then earth them 
and stake them carefully. Sow more seed of the earliest varieties, such as 
Ringleader or William the First. They will soon grow in the open and 
prove a useful succession to those up now, or others which may be raised 
under glass. In many gardens, especially large ones, the practice will 
now be coming into operation, and it has its advantages. Success all 
depends on growing them slowly and keeping them dwarf. If they are 
drawn up in a strong heat and a long way from the glass they will never 
prove remunerative. The best way is to sow a dozen seeds in a 3-inch 
pot, start them into growth in a gentle heat, and when about 2 inches in 
height place them in a cool atmosphere near the glass. In this way 
capital plants for placing out about the middle of March will be obtained. 
Where frames are plentiful seeds of American Wonder may now be sown 
in them. Give plenty of rich soil, and do not use deep frames, as it does not 
exceed 1 foot in height, and when in full crop the tops ought to be close 
to the glass. 
Asparagus Beds. —These should now have a rich top-dressing. 
Many never think of doing this until they can see the young Reads 
coming up ; but it is late then, and now is the time to apply it if the fullest 
benefit is to be derived. Where the soil is light place a good layer of rich 
manure over each crown and wide enough to cover the roots. In heavy 
soil do not use manure of an ordinary kind, but apply a heavy sprinkling 
of guano mixed with an equal quantity of salt and soot. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines. —Earliest House .—The past month has 
been unfavourable to forcing operations. Where, however, extra atten¬ 
tion has been given to fertilisation, and the maintenance of low steady 
heat, particularly at night, there is every reason to anticipate a good set 
of fruit. If there are any late-blooming varieties it is likely they may 
still be in flower, and these must still have the camel's-hair brush passed 
over them daily, and the house kept moderately dry with a moderate circu¬ 
lation of air until the flowers begin to fade, when a slight syringing with 
tepid soft water will soon bring off the remains of the flowers, and set 
the mind at rest with regard to the first stage, which always, especially 
after a period of bad weather, causes aoxiety to the cultivator. Peach 
trees in inside borders always do better than those having the roots in 
cold outside borders, and they will set in a lower temperature, and make 
up for lost time as days increase in length and brightness. It is best to 
follow the old sure method, as nothing is more annoying than ihe loss of 
a crop through undue haste. Proceed with disbudding cautiously ; also 
shorten shoots that were left of full length at pruning time. Take off 
the foreright shoots first, commencing at the most upright parts of the 
trees, and work down to the horizontal branches at the base. Keep a sharp 
look-out for aphides, and fumigate upon their first appearance. Be careful, 
however, not to give too much, as the foliage and tender fruit ars very 
susceptible of injury. See that all surfaces near hot-water pipes are kept 
constantly moist, and that the roots of the trees are well supplied with 
tepid liquid manure in a weak state. Make frequent additions of fresh 
horse droppings for giving off ammonia and acting as a check to red 
spider ; but on no account must these or heavy mulchings be given until 
the stoning process is effected. Admit a little air on all favourable occa¬ 
sions, but be careful to avoid cold currents, and close sufficiently early to 
raise the temperature 10° to 15° from sun heat. 
Succession Houses .—The trees now approaching the flowering stage— 
indeed those started early in the year—-have the blossoms expanded, and 
will need less moisture, syringing directly over the trees being discon¬ 
tinued, but secure a genial condition of the atmosphere by damping 
occasionally. In other case3 syringe well until the blossoms commence 
opening, and in case of a great show of blossoms remove those on the 
