THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 22 , 1861. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
Day 
Day 
JANUARY 22-28, 1861. 
Weather 
near London in 1860. 
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. 
*> 
22 
Tv 
Cluvtia alaternoides. 
29.225-29.193 
deg-, deg. 
47—30 
W. 
m. h. 
55 af 7 
m. h. 
30 af 4 
m. h. 
28 in 4 
11 
m. 
11 
8. 
58 
22 
23 
W 
Banksia paludosa. 
29.373-28.876 
48—34 
S.W. 
•08 
53 
7 
31 4 
30 
5 
12 
12 
14 
23 
24 
Th 
Banksia marcescens. 
28.718—28.638 
47—30 
S.W. 
•12 
52 
7 
33 4 
21 
6 
13 
12 
28 
24 
25 
F 
Conv. St. Paul. Princess Royal 
29.626-29.028 
40-20 
N.W. 
•04 
51 
7 
35 4 
0 
7 
14 
12 
42 
25 
26 
S 
Phylica erieoides. [Mar. 1858. 
29.810-29.226 
50-:o 
S. 
•14 
49 
7 
36 4 
rises 
O 
12 
55 
26 
27 
Sun 
Sf.ptuagesima Sunday. 
29.750—29.154 
53 -23 
S.W. 
— 
48 
7 
38 4 
6 a 6 
16 
13 
7 
27 
28 
M 
Pliylica erubescens. 
30.012—29.659 
51—34 
S.W. 
•09 
47 
7 
40 4 
33 
7 
17 
13 
18 
28 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during’ the last thirty-four years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 44.0° and 32.0° respectively. The greatest heat, 53’, occurred on the 23rd, in 1834 ; and the lowest cold, 15’, 
on the 27th, in 1855. During the period 131 days were fine, and on 107 rain fell. 
WORE ROE THE WEEK. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
If any part of the garden is wet, drain it effectually. 
Make drains from 3 feet to 4 feet deep, and about 20 feet 
apart. Use tiles and soles, and place 6 inches of brick¬ 
bats, stones, or clinkers over the tiles, and before filling 
in the soil shake a small quantity of litter over the stones 
or other materials, which will render the drainage more 
perfect. Broccoli, a little early Cape sown in a box and 
placed in heat will be serviceable for early summer use. 
Cabbage, a little may be sown as advised for Broccoli if 
there is a scarcity of autumn-sown plants ; Atkins’ 
Matchless is a good sort for the purpose. Cauliflower, 
sow a little as advised for Broccoli. Celery, sow a little 
in a box for early summer use for soups, &c. No de- 
pendance to be placed on it for a crop, as it will soon run 
to seed. Lettuce, sow some black-seeded C 03 in boxes. 
Give air to plants in frames when the weather will permit. 
Onions, sow some seed of the Spanish in boxes for plant¬ 
ing out in the spring. Peas and Beans, sow in pots or 
boxes for transplanting. The above sowings will be 
found useful in the spring if the autumn sown have been 
killed by the unusual severity of this season, or have 
otherwise failed. Dwarf Kidney Beans, sow every three 
weeks for a regular supply of them : Fulmer’s and Robin’s 
Egg are the best for forcing purposes. Tomatoes, sow 
some seed immediately, that strong plants may be ready 
to turn out in good time. 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
If the weather permits trench the flower-beds that are 
empty, adding leaf mould, or some light rich compost. 
The deeper and more frequently these beds are turned 
before planting the better the plants will flourish in them. 
Prepare ground for Roses ; if the soil is poor, remove a 
portion, and replace it with rotten dung and loam. 
STOVE. 
Examine the various tubers and bulbs that are dormant, 
and see that they are in a proper condition, neither suffer¬ 
ing from wet or mouldiness. As soon as Luculiagratissima 
has done blooming let its side branches be shortened in a 
little, and then be placed in heat to produce cuttings for 
propagation. When the shoots are about 2 inches long, 
tie a string tightly below the lowest joint, and as soon as 
the bark has swelled a little, which may be expected in a 
fortnight, the cuttings to be taken off, potted singly in 
small pots, plunged in a gentle bottom heat, covered with 
a hand-glass, where they will strike very readily. A few 
of the old roots of Dahlias to be plunged in tan to excite 
them to grow for cuttings. Sow seeds of tender annuals, 
as Cockscombs, Amaranths, &c., in pots filled with a 
mixture of two-thirds light rich loam and one-third leaf 
mould; cover the seeds very lightly, and plunge the pots 
into a hotbed. In watering, do it with a fine rose water¬ 
ing-pot or with a syringe. 
GKEENHOTTSE AND CONSERVATORY. 
Avoid by all means a high temperature here; exclude 
Ho. 643.— Yol. XXY. Ho. 17. 
the frost, and that is all you need care about. A forced 
and premature growth will injure plants ; by repressing 
growth now a more perfect and healthy development will 
follow at a later and more favourable season. Recollect 
there is less danger from too little than from too much 
water. Look well to the plants standing near the heating 
apparatus that they may not suffer for want of water. 
Give air if the weather is at all favourable, but avoid 
currents, especially north-easterly winds. Pelargoniums 
intended for blooming in May, if not already shifted, to 
be removed into their blooming-pots without delay. 
Late-blooming plants to be stopped preparatory to being 
potted about the end of next month. As the herbaceous 
Calceolarias make an early and quick growth, they will 
require to be encouraged, and kept clean. Cinerarias 
will also require careful attention : water when neces¬ 
sary, but not over the leaves. The Ten-week, Russian 
and Prussian Stocks to be sown in pots, and placed in a 
gentle heat. Sow seeds of Schizanthus retusus, and 
other species, for a summer display in a greenhouse. 
Plant Tuberoses in small pots filled with rich loam, 
placing a root shallow in each pot, and then plunging the 
pots in a hotbed. Sow Mignonette, to bloom early. 
FORCING-PIT. 
Pinks, Carnations, and Hyacinths, if taken in here will 
come early into flower. Ail plants of this kind, as well 
as Roses, Lilacs, &c., will, during forcing, require a little 
water sprinkling over their leaves about three times a-week. 
This is best done by a syringe. 
PITS AND FRAMES. 
Hever give heat to Heaths as long as frost can be kept 
out by coverings ; a few degrees of frost will never injure 
Cape Heaths, whereas fires are their ruin. So it is with 
Hew Holland plants. W. Keane. 
DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 
Wednesday and Thursday keen frost with bright sun and 
wind due south. Friday and Saturday wind south-west, with 
less sun ; inclining to thaw on Sunday, but wind veered to 
east and frost again on Monday morning. No cold-pits have 
yet been uncovered, but the surface covering has been broken 
night and morning when the cold was very severe. Believe 
that most things under glass and even under straw-hurdles 
are pretty safe. I almost wish we had a little more of the 
snow that has been so plentiful in some parts. Owing to 
being exposed, and standing high and having sweeping winds, we 
have scarcely ever had more than an inch or an inch and a half. 
Full-grown Savoys have suffered so much, that I fear kitchen- 
maids will not hare patience to give them plenty of the coldest 
water to bring them back. We have seen such vegetables put 
at once in a warm place, or in warmish water, and the result was, 
vegetables not fit for a beast to eat. A protection of evergreen 
boughs was put over the largest, that when a thaw came they 
might thaw gradually. Younger plants and smaller heads have 
stood well. Scotch Kale, Cottager’s Kale, and Brussels Sprouts, 
all right. Broccoli exposed will be injured. I should have 
covered more if I could. The small quarter banded with stubble 
