THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 3, 1860. 203 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
Day 
of 
M’nth 
Day 
of 
Week. 
JANUARY 3—9, I860. 
Weather 
Barometer. 
near Lone 
Thermom. 
ON IN IS 
Wind. 
59. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
Rises 
and Sets 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
bef. Sun 
Day of 
Year. 
3 
Tu 
Galantbus nivalis. 
30.591—30.483 
38—31 
S.W. 
.01 
9 af 8 
1 af 4 
25 
2 
10 
4 
33 
3 
4 
W 
Daphne mezereum. 
30.524—30.442 
41-35 
S.AV. 
— 
8 
8 
2 
4 
43 
3 
11 
5 
1 
4 
5 
Th 
Helleborus foetidus. 
30.537—30.380 
43—34 
E. 
— 
8 
8 
3 
4 
3 
5 
12 
5 
28 
5 
G 
F 
Epiphany. Twelfth clay. 
30.459—30.312 
38—31 
S.W. 
.02 
8 
8 
4 
4 
19 
6 
13 
5 
55 
6 
7 
S 
Helleborus viridis. 
30.464—30.402 
37—27 
N. 
— 
7 
8 
5 
4 
23 
7 
14 
6 
21 
7 
8 
Sun 
1 Sunday after Epiphany. 
30.603—30.580 
38—23 
N. 
— 
7 
8 
7 
4 
rises 
© 
6 
47 
8 
9 
M 
Ilex Europaeus. 
30.702—30.651 
36—24 
W. 
6 
8 
8 
4 
25 a 
5 
16 
7 
12 
9 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during the last thirty-three years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 41.3° and 31°, respectively. The greatest heat, 54 J , occurred on the 7th, in 1854 ; and the lowest cold, 5°, 
on the 3rd, in 1854. During the period 140 days were fine, and on 91 rain fell. 
IN-DOOR GARDENING OPERATIONS FOR 
THE WEEK. 
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 
Cinerarias. —The plants intended for large specimens 
must receive their final shift, and be allowed sufficient 
space to expand their foliage without interfering with or 
injuring each other. The side-shoots to be tied out. 
Epacrises. —As some of them will he preparing to 
burst into flower, a little arrangement may be necessary 
in tying them out to display their spikes of bloom more 
advantageously. 
Fuchsias. —If wanted early, the plants that were first 
put to rest should be selected, and be fresh potted, cut¬ 
ting back the roots, beginning with a small-sized pot; to 
be shifted into larger when the roots have extended to 
the outside of the ball. Place them in a nice moist tem¬ 
perature of 50° by day and 40° by night. 
Heaths. —To lie looked over, and the dead and decay¬ 
ing leaves removed. The most forward in bud—such as 
the Vest'd as, Vernix, Vascifiora, Aristata, JBeaumontia, 
and many others, to be tied out, and arranged for the 
season. 
Pelargoniums. —When large specimens are wanted, 
tie out the branches at equal distances, and down as near 
to the rim of the pot as possible. Air to be giyen at all 
favourable opportunities. Water to be given but spar¬ 
ingly, and not overhead. 
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE. 
Be careful that the night temperature is not raised too 
high : if kept at 50° in severe weather no ill consequences 
will result. The atmosphere to be kept rather moist, 
especially if the weather is bright; and all plants in¬ 
dicating an appearance of starting into bloom to be re¬ 
moved to the warmest part of the house. 
Clerodendrons. —To be shaken out of their pots ; 
their roots reduced and repotted into small pots in a light 
sandy loamy compost. Sow seeds, and also of any hard- 
wooded stove plants. 
Water to be given very cautiously to the Orchids, 
merely sufficient to prevent the plants from shrivelling ; 
and to do this effectually it is necessary to look over 
them every day. The air of the house to be kept moist 
by sprinkling the pathways, floors, tables, &c., daily. If 
any plant is found not to have ripened off its bulbs it 
should be placed in the warmest part of the house, 
and the ripening process encouraged. The Brassias, 
Cyanoches, Ccelogynes, Miltonias, and other such plants, 
when they are beginning to grow, to be repotted. The 
compost to consist of turfy peat mixed with a portion of 
charcoal or broken potsherds, and the pots to be at least 
half .full of very open drainage. 
FORCING-HOUSES. 
Cherries. —Yery gentle excitement to be given by fire 
or artificial heat, with kindly humidity, and abundance 
of air. 
Figs. —Although they will bear a higher degree of 
temperature without injury than either Cherries or 
No. 588.—You. XXIII. No. 14. 
Peaches, it is advisable to begin cautiously, as it fre¬ 
quently happens that the more haste with fire the” less 
speed with fruit, and that favourable opportunities of 
sun and light must be embraced for making sure progress 
with them. 
Peaches. —Where the trees are coming into bloom it 
is necessary to be cautious in the application of humidity, 
and when they have expanded their flowers to withhold 
it altogether for a time. Fire or other artificial heat to 
be applied moderately—that is, from 45° by night to 55° 
by day, particularly when dark and gloomy weather pre¬ 
vails. The houses now commencing to force to be kept 
moderately moist, and in a sweet healthy state, syringing 
the trees pretty freely once or twice a-day with tepid 
water. Shut up early on sunny days, and sprinkle the 
paths, floors, flues, or pipes frequently. 
Yines. —When they have all broken, the superfluous 
buds must be rubbed off, and the young shoots stopped 
as soon as they are long enough to admi t of the points of 
the shoots at one bud above the bunch being broken out. 
In vineries now commencing to force, adopt the practice 
lately advised of producing, where it can be applied, a 
kindly humidity by means of dung and leaves, or other 
such fermenting materials. If they are to be broken 
principally by fire heat, either by flues orhot-water pipes, 
copious syringings must be resorted to with tepid water 
once or twice a-day. Fire heat to be applied principally 
by day, with air at the same time, and very moderately 
at night. William Keane. 
BEDDING GLADIOLI. 
About forty or forty-five years back, the first move 
was made in crossing the old Cape Gladioluses by the 
Hon. and Rev. the late Dean of Manchester, Dr. Herbert ; 
but his seedlings did not get much under cultivation till 
about the time of the Burke murders in Edinburgh, in 
1827 and 1828. 
Mr. Low, of Clapton, was the first nurseryman who 
advertised them, and. with them a few of Colville’s cross, 
in 1830. Sweet took them up for crossing soon after 
1820, in Colville’s Nursery. One of his earlier seedlings, 
called Colvillii, is in the market to this day ; but a better 
one, named by himself pudibundus, is, I believe, lost. 
The rest of Sweet’s crosses could not compete with the 
superior qualities of Dean Herbert’s breed; the Dean 
himself having worked them up into a circle which 
could not be got out of until fresh pollen from a new 
and very different race could be had, and was obtained. 
The type plant of these early crosses was cardinalis, a 
tall, crimson flower, with white markings—a kind which 
is not yet exceeded in merits for the flower garden. It 
was from seeing a large bed of it in full bloom at Drop- 
more in June, 1831, that I first took to them, after the 
manner of a daft body. I wrote to Mr. Low, to send me 
down every one of Herbert’s seedlings, of Sweet’s also, 
and all others that could be had of them, for love or 
money, about London. 
From them, with the spirit of daftheadedness, I crossed 
