THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, March 26, 1861. 
37T 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
Day 
Day 
MARCH 26—AFRIL 1, 1861. 
Weather near London in 1860. 
Moon 
Clock 
of 
M’nth. 
of 
Week. 
Barometer. 
Therm im. 
Wind. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Rises 
and Sets 
Moon’s 
Age. 
before 
Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
26 
Tv 
Scilla. 
29.653-29.586 
deg. d-K. 
49-2 i 
N.W. 
m. h. 
51 af 5 
m. h. 
21 af 6 
ra. h. 
rises 
O 
m. 
5 
8. 
44 
85 
27 
W 
Lonicera nigra. 
29.674—29.597 
55—41 
N.W. 
•01 
49 
5 
23 
6 
22 a 8 
16 
5 
26 
86 
28 
Th 
Calycanthi. 
29.696—29.617 
58—41 
S.W. 
•04 
46 
5 
24 
6 
52 
9 
17 
5 
7 
87 
29 
F 
Good Friday. 
29.549-29.497 
60—41 
w. 
•01 
44 
5 
26 
6 
20 11 
18 
4 
49 
88 
30 
S 
Hamamelis virginica. 
29.691—29.434 
55—4! 
s. 
•01 
42 
5 
27 
6 
morn. 
19 
4 
30 
89 
31 
Sun 
Easter Sunday. 
29-234-28.640 
52-43 
S.W. 
•17 
39 
5 
29 
6 
36 
0 
20 
4 
12 
90 
1 
M 
Easter Monday. 
29.189-29.053 
55—3) 
S.W. 
•14 
36 
5 
32 
6 
35 ml 
21 
3 
54 
91 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during the last thirty-four years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 53 3 and 33.5° respectively. The greate t heat, 75°, occurred on the 27th, in 1830 ; and the lowest cold, 14°, 
on the 25th in 1849. During the period 154 days were fine, and on 84 ra n fell. 
WORK FOR THE WEEK. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Beans, earth up growing crops, and continue sowing 
for a succession. Broccoli, sow for a main crop. Cab¬ 
bage, sow for a main autumn crop. Fork up the earth 
between the rows planted in the autumn. Cauliflowers, 
stir the soil around the plants under hand-glasses, and 
earth them up. Sow for autumn crop, if not already- 
done. Celery, prick out the early crop. Cucumbers, 
earth up during dry weather, and give air freely, pre¬ 
serving the heat by fresh linings if needful. Potatoes, 
get in the main crop now. Spinach, sow small crops of 
the Round-leaved in drills, but only a little at one time, as 
it soon runs to seed. Tomatoes, pot off as soon as fit. 
Sow seeds of herbs and other vegetables that may have 
been omitted during former weeks. Remove all litter 
and weeds. Earth up early crops, strewing a little soot 
about them to prevent the attack of slugs. Protect 
recently-sown seeds from birds by coverings of ne t and 
twine. 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
Where the soil in flower-beds has become com pact, 
dig it up again for the beneficial admission of air. Give 
the lawn frequent rollings preparatory to mowing. 
Protect the Tulips and Auriculas from frost and rain. 
Finish the planting and alterations in ground work as 
early as possible; also the pruning of shrubs in the 
shrubbery and borders. Sweet Peas may be sown in 
different ways : both temporary fences, as well as orna¬ 
mental hedges, can be made of them. Make new planta¬ 
tions of double blue and double white Russian Violets ; 
select the strongest runners, but give the preference to 
seedlings, as they make stronger plants, and bloom 
more abundantly. Plant out Wallflowers, Sweet Wil¬ 
liams, Canterbury Bells, double Rockets, &c., and the 
different varieties of herbaceous plants—not forgetting 
Delphinium formosum, one of the most showy of them we 
possess. 
FRUIT GARDEN. 
Proceed with grafting fruit trees, and protecting the 
bloom on wall trees. 
STOVE. 
Increase the heat and moisture, and shade for a couple 
of hours during bright sunshine in the middle of the day. 
Make U9e of the syringe pretty freely, and apply manure 
water occasionally to the plants that are making their 
growth. 
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 
Give air freely all the early part of every fine day, and 
shut up early to produce an evening warmth. All growing 
plants advancing as specimens to be frequently examined, 
and when the roots reach the side of the pot to be re¬ 
moved to a larger one before they begin to mat together. 
Where Tuberoses are appreciated they should be procured 
at once, and potted in sandy loam with a small portion of 
rotten sheep or cowdung, to be then placed in a hotbed 
or forcing-pit. They will not require water for many days 
after potting, and but little until they begin to grow. 
When they have advanced in growth they may be moved 
to the conservatory for blooming. Force on Fuchsias 
where large and fine specimens are required. See that 
such climbers as Coboea, Maurandya, Lophospermum, 
Rhodochiton, Tropseolum, &c., are propagated and culti¬ 
vated for blanks or trellising, &c. Ipomaeas and Thunber- 
gias, being subject to red spider, should be well syringed, 
to prevent that pest gaining ground. Pay attention to 
climbers as they grow, to prevent confusion. 
FORCING-PIT. 
Introduce Roses, American plants, and all other such 
plants that have been recommended as suitable to keep 
up a succession of bloom. Cuttings of the young wood of 
Roses struck now will bloom late in the autumn if they 
are properly attended to. 
PITS AND FRAMES. 
Look well to the propagation of bedding-out plants. 
Sow tender and half-hardy annuals ; pot off those already 
up. Give air daily, and never allow the plants to suffer 
for want of water. Pot Cockscombs, Balsams, &c.; these 
do best in a frame with heat from fermenting materials, 
placed near the glass, and to be well covered up at night. 
Pot off cuttings of Dahlias, and continue propagating. 
Put in a stock of Chrysanthemum cuttings for autumn 
display. Sow choice Ranunculus seed in shallow pans 
or boxes ; cover the seed as lightly as possible, and place 
them in a cool frame. W. Keane. 
DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 
Attended to ordinary routine operations as far as peltirfg 
rains and boisterous winds would permit. In the kitchen garden 
seized a dry day to sow Parsnips and Onions, the former in 
rows 15 inches apart, and the latter in rows 12 inches apart, the 
rows being less than 1 inch deep, and covered them with dry, 
light soil, containing a little soot and lime. Sowed a succession 
of Dickson’s Favourite Pea. Placed about 9 inches of hot dung 
in a wide Celery-trench, covered with nice dry soil from the 
neighbouring ground, and there planted Potatoes sprung an 
inch or two, covering them with similar soil, and sowing the 
surface with Radishes to come in to succeed the last in frames. 
Sowed also Radishes for the first time in the open ground, to 
be protected with spruce branches if necessary. The Celery- 
trench Potatoes will be protected for a short time by Dahlia- 
stakes being laid across the bed, and a piece of calico about 5 feet 
wide stretched over them. The calico, some 20 yards long, is 
fastened at each end by tacks to the middle of a stout pole about 
7 feet in length, leaving a place to hold by at each end. These 
permit of the calico being easily rolled up from either end. 
Every 4 feet or 5 feet on each side, and opposite each other, a 
string is fastened with a needle and thread, so that when the 
poles are made tight at each end, and these strings arc also 
made tight and secured to little stakes put in the ground, the 
calico is about as free from puckers as an open umbrella. Coarse 
unbleached calico is used, it soon becomes white enough. 
Planted out Potatoes in the open air, but was stopped by rain. 
Autumn or even very early planting does no good in our cold 
soil. Planted also part of the Peas that were sown in boxes in 
No 652.— Yol. XXY. No. 26. 
