THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, October 27 , 1857 . 
The Gooseberries , Currants, standard Apples , Pears , Plums, 
and Cherries will require to be kept open in the centre for 
the admission of light and air, ail irregular and cross 
branches to be removed, and any luxuriant shoots that 
extend out of limits to be shortened. A good eye and 
quick hand are necessary to lay in the branches without 
disfiguring them with a superabundance of black or red 
patches called shreds. 
Prepare a slight hotbed with leaves and dung, to produce 
a gentle heat for forcing Asparagus if an early supply is re¬ 
quired. One of the old beds in the open ground to be 
taken up in part as required, to fill the bed as closely as 
it can be placed, and covered by degrees with any light 
soil to the depth of five or six inches. Be careful that 
the rank steam, if any arises, evaporates before the roots 
are planted. Sea-kale and Rhubarb may be taken up and 
forced in any convenient place where there is a gentle heat 
kept up ; but if there is no such place at liberty for this 
purpose they may be forced where they stand by covering 
the Sea-kale with garden pots, old bee-liives, or hooping 
over with rods, and the Rhubarb with old chimney-pots, long 
boxes, or anything else that the ingenious contrivance of a 
handy man can make available for the purpose, to be 
covered with leaves and stable dung. 
If any alterations arc to be made in the shrubberies or 
pleasure grounds now is the time for the removal and plant¬ 
ing of shrubs and ornamental trees. This being one of the 
; finest autumns we have experienced for years, no time 
should be lost in making all the advances in this depart¬ 
ment which circumstances will permit. 
Carnations and Picotees that have been lately potted and 
glassed down pretty closely require to be examined daily to 
ascertain that no mildew is making its appearance. Those 
that are pretty well established must not be closed down 
during the night, but should be tilted at the back and front 
of the lights to allow a free circulation of air to pass over 
the plants, which is the most effectual method of prevent¬ 
ing the spot or mildew from attacking them. If watering is 
necessary it should be given in the morning. 
The sooner the Dahlias are taken out of the ground the 
better, to be thoroughly dried before they are placed in 
their winter quarters. 
The Lord Mayor’s day has long been celebrated by London 
growers as the favourite period for planting their best bed 
of Tulips. The bulbs to be selected by weight in preference 
to size, and a regularity of growth and contrast of colour 
are points of perfection to be attained by experience. All 
loose skins to be removed, and the neck to be examined to 
ascertain that it is free. 
The Petunias, Verbenas , Calceolarias, and all other such 
bedding-out plants should now be in their winter quarters, 
either in cold frames or pits, or on shelves in the green¬ 
house near the glass. The supply of water to be merely 
sufficient to keep them from flagging; to be frequently 
looked over; the surface of the soil, if compact, to be stirred 
up if it is green and sodden after watering; the drainage to 
be examined and corrected, dead leaves removed, an abun¬ 
dance of air to be given every dry day, and shut up in good 
time before the fogs or damp night air would injure them. 
Strict attention to cleanliness in the greenhouse is one of 
the principal things to be attended to at this season. Use 
water and fire heat with moderation, as plants during this 
and the following dull month should be kept as dormant 
and excited as little as possible. If the house is high and 
dry there will be no occasion for fires unless to repel the 
encroachments of frost, but if low and damp an occasional 
fire in the morning will be necessary to purify the atmo¬ 
sphere by expelling the superabundant wet. 
Chrysanthemums will now attract particular attention, and 
will require an abundance of air, never to be allowed to flag 
for want of water, and to be supplied occasionally with 
liquid manure. 
The bulbs of the beautiful Japan Lilies should now be 
shaken out, and repotted in equal portions of fibrous loam 
and peat soil, with a liberal sprinkling of sand and good 
drainage. The bulbs to be merely covered with the soil 
two or three inches from the top of the pot, to be earthed 
up with the compost in the spring, as it puts forth roots for 
two or three inches up the stem.— William Keane. 
GARDEN METEOROLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS. 
The great expense of what are called philosophical 
instruments has hitherto been an obstacle in the way of 
| their general adoption. If a gardener wanted a good 
! barometer he had either to put up with one of those small 
| clock-faced ornaments, which are remarkable for nothing 
but their uncertain and incorrect indication, or to lay out a 
large sum before he could get an instrument on which he 
could depend. Cheap instruments of this kind could 
always be had, but there was no security as to the correct¬ 
ness of their action. It was, therefore, with great pleasure 
that we inspected a new and very handsome barometer a 
few days ago made by the eminent opticians, Messrs. 
Casella and Co., of Hatton Garden, whose name is a 
guarantee for the character of any instrument. Its action 
is very correct, its appearance is highly ornamental, and 
would adorn either the gardener’s cottage or the hall of the 
| mansion. The cost is comparatively a mere trifle, being 
I somewhere about 14s. The garden thermometer made by 
the same gentlemen is also an elegant and cheap instru¬ 
ment. Wo are much indebted to Messrs. Casella for thus 
popularising these useful articles. Could not something be 
done in the way of a cheap and really good achromatic 
microscope ? Microscopes there are in abundance, and 
! some would call them cheap: but one of say 250 diameters, 
j issued at a cheap rate, and guaranteed by a house like 
I Messrs. Casella’s, would meet with a ready sale. 
VINE MILDEW. 
Some years since I had an unmistakable visit of this 
plague. Sulphur was resorted to with an unsparing hand ; 
but though in addition to covering the pipes and flues with 
it mixed with lime, and the bunches being completely coated 
with it, and besides trying it mixed with soot, &c., I could 
not succeed in softening and cleaning their skins. The 
consequence was that as soon as they began to swell the 
second time the greater part of them cracked and were 
utterly useless. Cutting off in this case would have saved 
much anxiety and kept money in my pocket; but, though I 
had not succeeded with the fruit, I congratulated myself till 
this year with effectually keeping out the enemy. However, 
a little time since my man roused me with the intelligence 
that our old enemy was in the camp, and on inspection next 
morning I found there was no doubting about it. Syringing 
and dusting with sulphur were again applied till the berries 
were incased in it, yet without stopping the progress of the 
disease; indeed, rather promoting it than otherwise. As 
there was time, if the Vines were cut to the ground, to have 
got up a good supply of young wood for next year, my first 
idea was to cut the whole to the ground; but as nine 
rather large houses were at stake, and finding the berries 
| only were affected, I thought I would try washing them 
i first, and glad I am that this was done ; and I say, therefore, 
now, keep the bunches on, thoroughly wash them with water 
either with a soft brush, sponge, or piece of flannel, and 
dust them before they are dry with sulphur. This has suc¬ 
ceeded in saving thousands of bunches the size of peas up 
to the colouring point, and, as it is within the reach of all, 
I say lose no time in trying, no matter how white the berries 
are with the mildew; of course, if black and rusty, cut 
them oft’.—D. Ferguson, Stowe , Buckingham. 
P.S.—The above was sent in August to your contemporary, 
and it is now the 14th of October. I am happy to say that 
the washing in every instance lias fully realised all my 
expectations, not having, to my knowledge, a score of berries 
cracked that were washed. On the contrary, the unwashed 
cracked in every case, and those left for experiment that 
had an extra share of the mildew never attempted to swell 
the second time at all, but rotted on the trees. The washed 
berries not dusted with sulphur afterwards I am happy to 
say had no relapse of the disease, and this is worth know¬ 
ing, for it is difficult after dusting to get rid of every particle 
of the sulphur. 
