468 
T1IE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 25. 
-IS. 
Having obtained seeds—whether improved or from I 
old varieties—clean them out from the pulp, dry them, j 
and put the seeds in paper bags away in a drawer, in a 
dry room, till wanted. Iu March, prepare a hotbed of I 
dung, or tan, and when the heat is moderated and sweet, j 
sow the seeds in pots tilled with sandy loam and leaf- 
mould, in equal parts, cover them an inch deep, and 
plunge the pots in the hotbed; keep the soil moist, 
and give air every day; but most when the sun shines. 
The seeds will soon germinate, and when three or four 
inches high the plants should bo potted off. Prepare a 
sufficient quantity of good turfy loam, adding about 
one-fourth of two years’ old, well-decomposed cow-dung. 
Mix these well together, and put the compost in a place 
where it will become moderately dry and warm. Then 
choose a sufficient number of pots, four or live inches 
diameter; let them be clean, dry, and warm; drain 
them well, and fill them half-full of the prepared soil; 
pressing it down moderately firm. When these are all 
ready, turn out tho ball of earth with the seedlings 
growing in it, separate them from each other carefully, 1 
and, if possible, without bruising or breaking a single j 
root. Place one in the centre of each fresh pot, and fill 
in around it the fresh soil, working it in amongst the 1 
roots, and shaking it down by striking the pot smartly ! 
two or three times on the bench. Finish, by leaving 
about half-an-inch space below the rim to hold water. 
When all are potted, give a good watering, to settle tho ! 
soil and moisten it thoroughly. While the potting is j 
going on, let the hotbed be shaken up, and if the heat 
is much spent add a little well-tempered sweet dung, or j 
tan, to revive it. Then replunge the pots, shading the 
plants daily when the sun shines, and giving plenty of J 
air to cause the plants to grow stout and strong. 
With this generous treatment, and plentiful supplies I 
of water when they need it, the plants will grow quickly, * 
and by the middle of summer will be two feet or more 
high, and strong in proportion. Then, on cloudy days, 
draw off the lights, and gradually harden them to bear 
full exposure. Remove them into the greenhouse, 
placing them as near the glass as possible, and shade 
from powerful sunshine, always watering freely, for the 
Orange tribe require a plentiful supply of moisture. 
Iu winter, give less water, and keep the plants from 
frost. Repot in the spring, and keep the young trees in i 
the greenhouse, year after year-, till they flower and * 
fruit. Should any be improved either in size, flavour, 
or free bearirfg, such should be carefully preserved and 
propagated. All the others will answer admirably as 
stocks for budding or grafting. 
T. Appleby. 
(To be continued .) 
GARDENING FOR THE MANY.— October. 
General Remarks. —It is somewhat to be regretted > 
that parties who always reside in the country, or where ! 
they have gardens, become careless of their appearance 
as the autumn approaches. The mind becoming sa¬ 
tiated, as it were, with the varied productions of the last 
five months, is too apt to look with indifference on what 
is now presented to it, unless the individual be an 
enthusiast in horticulture; in which case, the last 
Dahlia spared by the frost will be attractive ; nay, it is 
very likely that tho iron king will be arrested in bis de¬ 
structive career, by some covering put over the cultivator’s 
pet flowers, and a lengthened autumnal bloom secured. 
Be this as it may, it is certainly to be regretted that in 
many instances the latter part of the season is not re¬ 
garded with so much interest as the many attractions 
now present entitle it to be. A sojourn in a town, or 
by the sea-side, seldom fails to revive tho desire for 
flowers, which a continuous intercourse with them 
sometimes lulls. This, of course, is never the case with 
the ardent admirers of such things; with them, it is 
questionable if the appearance of a root of a good 
variety of Tulip does jiot create greater emotions of 
pleasure than the sight of the flower docs to a careless 
observer. 
The early part of September lias been remarkably 
fine for the ripening and perfecting of all kinds of 
fruits, excepting such small fruits as Strawberries and 
Raspberries on light, dry soil, which have suffered 
much; but wall-fruit and the general orchard fruits 
have benefited much by it; while the all-important 
staff of life, corn, has been got together in excellent 
condition ; and, at the time I write, hop-picking is being 
proceeded with under favourable circumstances likewise. 
But I must not omit to say, that the crop of orchard 
fruits, as Apples, Pears, and Plums, has not been great, 
but the fruit seems quite as good in quality as usual. 
In the flower-garden there lias been a good display 
where sufficient moisture could be secured; but in some 
other cases the dry weather has been too much for them, 
and plants are withering that ought to have been in 
vigorous growth. This likewise applies to some vege¬ 
table crops, as Peas and Turnips. The latter, doubt¬ 
less, will rally again with rain; but Peas have been too 
much affected to be of any further use. Onions are 
various; and Potatoes, though not affected so mitcli with 
disease as on former years, are smaller in size than 
usual, but in quality are excellent, and not likely to 
suffer from after disease. ’The best crop I have seen 
was from a piece of ground from which a heavy crop of 
young Larch-trees were removed last autumn; and the 
worst diseased ones were on a piece of ground which 
had been Potatoes for some years, but this season was 
sown with Swede Turnips, which, falling a victim to 
the fly, some self-sown Potatoes were allowed to stand 
until the end of July, when they were taken up, worse 
tainted with disease than any that I have seen. Cab¬ 
bages and Cauliflowers have suffered as usual from 
caterpillar, which, I believe, has abounded on other 
plants as well; while the depredations of birds, wasps, 
and largo flics, amongst the fruits, have been less than 
I ever knew it; but it is possible these pests may have 
been more numerous elsewhere. 
a. -Nothing particular is required here, save to keep 
down weeds, and otherwise to remove any unsightly 
object. The late Raspberries will, doubtless, still 
continue in bearing ; but the dry weather has been 
much against them. Remove any suckers that are 
left at the end of this month, or when they are lipe; 
but the pruning had better be deferred till spring. 
b. -This plot, being all planted with winter crops 
some time ago, will not call for any particular atten¬ 
tion now, especially as the earthing-up w r ould be 
accomplished last month. Weeds must be kept 
down, and a steady, uniform growth encouraged,— 
not a gross, hasty one, which only tends to render 
the plant less able to endure the winter, if severe. 
c. -The Asparagus beds will now want a thorough 
cleaning, after the tops have been cut off, which 
ought not to be done until they become yellow and 
the seeds ripe. Some covering is necessary in very 
exposed places; but it is questionable if any pro¬ 
tection be better than their own foliage, when cut 
and laid down in a thatching manner; but the 
amateur who is anxious for everything to look w T ell 
in his garden, may break a little of the soil from 
off his beds, cover them with rough dung, and 
return the soil again, making all appear fresh 
and clean. Towards the end of the mouth Sea- 
kale will be ripe enough to force, which may 
either be done in the ground, or by taking it up, 
and forcing in some heated structure ; the particu¬ 
lars of which plans will be given in another chapter. 
