THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 25, 1860. 
169 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
Day 
Day 
DECEMBER 25—31, 1860. 
Weather near London in 1859. 
Moon 
Clock 
of 
M’nth 
of 
Week. 
Barometer. 
Thermom. 
Wind. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Rises 
and Sets 
Moon’s 
Age. 
before 
Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
25 
Tu 
Christmas Day. 
29.009—28.651 
deg. deg. 
45—36 
S.W. 
•45 
m. h. 
8 af 8 
m. h. 
53 af 3 
m. h. 
39 m.5 
13 
m. 
0 
s. 
35 
360 
26 
W 
St. Stephen. 
29.393—28.598 
44—29 
N. 
_. 
8 
8 
54 3 
47 
6 
14 
i 
4 
361 
27 
Th 
St. John the Evangelist. 
29.308—29.121 
49—33 
S.W. 
•10 
8 
8 
55 3 
44 
7 
15 
i 
34 
362 
28 
F 
Innocents. 
29.246—29.195 
50—37 
S.W. 
•21 
9 
8 
55 3 
rises 
o 
2 
3 
363 
20 
S 
Velvet duck comes. 
29.348—29.166 
53—43 
S.W. 
•08 
9 
8 
56 3 
44 a. 5 
17 
2 
32 
364 
SO 
Sun 
1 Sunday after Christmas. 
29.595—29.495 
55—44 
S.W. 
•09 
9 
8 
57 3 
6 
7 
18 
3 
1 
365 
31 
M 
Russian Violet still blooms. 
29.693—28.622 
57—52 
S.W. 
•02 
9 
8 
58 3 
30 
8 
19 
3 
30 
366 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during the last thirty-four years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 43.2° and 31.3° respectively. The greatest heat, 58°, occurred on the 23th, in 1.827; and the lowest cold, 8°, 
on the 31st, in 1857. During the period 155 days were fine, and on 76 rain fell. 
WORK FOR THE WEEK. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Artichohes, see that they are securely covered, to 
prevent them from being injured by frost. Caulifiotvers, 
the young plants in frames to be protected from severe 
frost by covering the lights with mats or long litter. If 
there are any plants on the open borders, protect them 
with arched sticks and mats. Celery , lay a coating of 
long dung over the ridges of that required for use, to 
preserve it from frost. Herbs may be taken up and 
planted in boxes or pots, and introduced into heat as 
wanted for use. Lettuce, watch narrowly for slugs, as 
they are particularly fond of them. Mushrooms, horse- 
droppings should now be saved for spring beds : this is 
the best time for saving them, as horses generally get 
more dry food now than during summer. Rhubarb, keep 
up a succession of this most useful esculent by potting 
old roots, and introducing them into any forcing-house, 
maintaining a heat of 60°. 
FRUIT GARDEN. 
Prune Gooseberries, Currants, and Raspberries in open 
weather. When the frost sets in lay a coat of rotten 
dung around every bush; where the Gooseberry and 
Currant trees are old and infested with moss, if a good 
dredging of quicklime is applied when the bark is moist 
it will destroy it, and render the stems clean, and the 
bark healthy. Proceed with pruning and nailing on the 
walls at all favourable opportunities. If any of the wall 
trees are infested with scale wash them with a mixture of 
soft soap, tobacco water, with an addition of lime, to give 
consistency to the mixture, and to show that no part of 
the tree is missed in dressing. To be applied in dry 
weather, and before the trees are nailed. All newly- 
planted fruit trees to be mulched over the roots, and 
standards to be securely staked, and to be afterwards 
frequently looked to, as they are sometimes apt to get 
loose, and to rub against the stake, which, if not timely 
prevented, will do the tree a serious damage. 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
Have an eye to the protection of tender things here. 
The coverings of tender shrubs to be occasionally opened 
on favourable opportunities, to dispel damp; but by no 
means to allow the sun to shine upon such things. Attend 
to the compost-heaps in frosty w eather, as, by repeatedly 
removing the frozen surface, and piling it up every morn¬ 
ing, it will be both ameliorated and many of the insects 
and their eggs will be destroyed. 
STOVE. 
The Ixoras to be elevated near the glass, with plenty 
of air to set their bloom, and to be kept moderately dry. 
Allamandas, Stephanotis, &c., to be potted and trained, 
preparatory to starting after Christmas ; and the staking 
of all specimen plants to be proceeded with as soon as 
possible. Keep a moderate heat of from 50° to C0°. 
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 
While we take care to protect the plants from frost it 
Ho. 639.— Yol. XXV. Ho. 13. 
is also necessary to be careful to avoid overheating the 
houses, and to give air at all favourable opportunities. 
Water to be given cautiously, and in the morning; but 
no plant to be allowed to suffer for the want of it. 
Camellias now swelling their flower-buds to be rather 
liberally supplied with water. Where the Camellias are 
planted out in the border of the conservatory they should 
be carefully examined, and if any signs of dryness are 
apparent, fork up the soil lightly, and give them a good 
soaking of soft, tepid water. Similar treatment may be 
applied with advantage to many other border plants. 
See that the young stock of Heliotropes, Scarlet Gera¬ 
niums, Persian Cyclamens, and other such plants for 
winter use have light situations, and regular attention 
with water. 
PITS AND FRAMES. 
Keep the stock well ventilated, and the surface soil of 
the pots frequently stirred. If the Verbenas and similar 
plants are infested with mildew, dust them with sulphur. 
It is necessary to keep these structures as dry as circum¬ 
stances will permit; but if any are suffering from damp 
without means of correction they should be removed to 
other quarters where a drier temperature is kept. 
W. Keane. 
CROS8-BREEDIHG PRUITS—ERUIT-TREE 
CUTTIHGS. 
PLUM TREES ON OWN ROOTS. 
Miller once said that “ in treating of fruits, it is ab¬ 
solutely necessary to enumerate their varieties.” Also, 
that “ the directions as to the method of cultivating them 
through their different stages should be such as by long 
experience he had found to succeed best, whatever may 
have been the success of some late 'projects for five or six 
years.” Eruit is so plentiful this season that I am 
interested in filling all my Christmas-boxes with fruit in 
some shape or other. And the first shape in which fruit 
can be more valuably treated is its origin, and the second 
shape that of its increase or propagation. 
Well, then, what is the origin of the Hoblesse Peach, 
the Elruge Hectarine, the Green Gage Plum, the Ribston 
Pippin, or the Auchan Pear—the best late Pear to be had 
in or about Inverness in 1820, when I used to stew 
Pears for a side dish in the third course of a coursing 
dinner ? My own private opinion has been for the last 
thirty-five years, that the manner of improving any fruit 
from a wilding to a first-rate dessert article has never 
yet been rightly accounted for by any one; and more than 
that, I am quite certain that I shall die in the faith and 
firm opinion that every word in every book in the English 
language, on the method of improving any one kind of 
fruit, is in direct opposition to the way that Hature did 
that branch of progressive creation, if you will allow that 
expression, apart from all ideas of the “Vestiges of 
Creation.” 
“ Whatever may have been the success of some late 
projects,” as Miller said, the project of improving fruit 
for the table has not yet gone beyond crossing the most 
