Til 12 COTTAGE GARDEN UR AND COUNTRY 
GENTLEMAN, January 31, 1S60. 
203 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
Day Day 
of of 
M’ntli Week. 
Weatiieu 
near London in 
1859. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
| Moon 
j llise3 
and Sets 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
bef. Sun 
Day of 
Year. 
Barometer. 
TliermomJ Wind 
Rain in 
Inches. 
31 
Tu I 
Ccrastiuin pumilnul. j 29.584—29.515 
j 43-31 S.W. 
.02 
43 af 7 
44 af 4 
22 
1 
3 
13 
41 
31 ! 
1 
W | 
Fragaria sterilis. j 29.807—29.712 
46 -34 1 N.W 
.02 
42 7 
46 
4 
38 m 2 
9 
13 
49 
32 
2 
Th 
Purification. Candlemas Day. 29.539—29.410 
45-30 1 W. 
41 7 
48 
4 
56 
3 
10 
13 
57 
33 
3 
F 
Ranunculus ficaria- 30.150—29.932 
30 -24 N. 
— 
39 7 
49 
4 
4 
5 
11 
14 
4 
34 
4 
S 
Lamium umplexicaule. 30.089—29.685 
48—34 , S.W. 
.15 
37 7 
51 
4 
0 
6 
12 
14 
10 
35 i 
5 
Sun 
Skptuaohsima Sunday'. 29.544 —29.301 
52-30 ! S.W. 
.22 
36 7 
53 
4 
40 
6 
13 
14 
16 
36 
6 
jM 
Taxus baceata. 29.273—29.239 
45-27 S.W. 
.02 
34 7 
55 
4 
11 
7 
14 
14 
20 
37 
Meteorology of tiie Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during the last thirty-three years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 44° and 31. 5° respectively. The greatest heat, 57°, occurred on the 3rd, in 1850; and the lowest cold, 10’, 
on the 5th, in 1830. During the period 131 days were fine, and on 100 rain fell. 
IN-DOOR GARDENING OPERATIONS FOR 
THE WEEK. 
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 
Proceed with the potting of the young plants in the 
greenhouse, and the small specimens of all kinds, using 
the soil tolerably rough, with a liberal sprinkling of sand, 
and good drainage. To be kept rather close until they 
make fresh roots. 
Azaleas (Indian).—Introduce a few into heat; to be 
fresh potted before starting them, giving a rather liberal 
shift into good peat and sand, with thorough drainage. 
A moist-growing temperature between 60° and 70° to be 
maintained, with plenty of air in favourable weather. 
Sow seed, as likewise Rhododendron, in a gentle bottom 
heat. 
Ivalosanthes. —To be started into growth, potting 
them in a compost of half turfy loam, one-fourth turfy 
peat, and one-fourth decomposed leaf mould, with plenty 
of coarse gritty sand, and an admixture of charcoal and 
pebbles or potsherds broken small. A liberal shift to be 
given, and to be kept in a temperature of from 45° to 50k 
New Holland Plants. —Select young plants of the 
Boronias and other such families, and give them a liberal 
shift; they delight in good fibrous heath soil, with a good 
portion of sharp sand, and plenty of drainage. It is 
advisable to pick off the flowers, and to pinch off the 
tops of the young shoots during their growth, to form 
handsome specimens. 
Orange Trees. —Be vigilant that scale and all insects 
are removed from them and from Neriums, and other 
such plants before they begin to grow, as young wood 
and foliage are more difficult to clean without injury. 
STOVE AND ORCHID-HOUSE. 
Stove plants in general will now require an increase 
in the amount of atmospheric moisture, and a slight 
advance in heat; such an advance to be made, more 
especially on bright afternoons, when solar heat can be 
enclosed in good time, and with it a moist and congenial 
atmosphere. 
Cuinums. —Pot them if they require it, hut without 
disturbing the ball of earth about their roots ; to be 
favoured with au increase of heat to start them afresh, 
and during their active growth to be liberally supplied 
with water. 
Gloriosa superba. —Shake out the roots, and repot in 
good fibrous loam, with a sprinkling of sand, and place 
them in bottom heat. No water to be applied to the 
tubers until they have commenced their growth. 
FORCING-PIT. 
Continue to introduce for succession bulbs, Lilacs, 
Roses, Sweet Brier, and the many other plants previously 
recommended as suitable and useful for that purpose. 
A temperature of from 65° to 70° to be maintained, with 
plenty of moisture in clear weather. 
FORCING-HOUSES. 
Figs.— Trees in pots to have their shoots stopped 
No. 592.—Yol. XXIII. No. 18. 
when they have made three or four joints, and to be 
supplied occasionally with liquid manure. 
Melons. — The fruiting-beds to be prepared and in 
readiness for the reception of the young plants as soon as 
they have nearly filled their pots with roots. 
Peaches.— If a house were started, as advised at the 
beginning of the year, a second should now' be set to 
work. Syringe the trees several times a-day in clear 
; weather, and once or twice in all weathers until the 
flowers begin to expand. Attention to be given to the 
I early house, when the fruit is set, to thin it partially, 
! but to leave one-third more on the trees than will be 
; required to ripen off. If Peaches are intended to be 
| grow'n in pots for next season, the maiden plants should 
now be procured, and potted in nine or ten inch pots. 
I The Royal George Peach and Violette Hative Nectarine 
; are the most eligible for that purpose. 
Pines. —If any indications of the presence of worms 
appear on the surface of the pots a watering with clear lime 
water will remove them. The same steady temperature 
to be kept up in the fruiting-house or pit as lately advised. 
Although it is sometimes recommended we would not 
advise to withhold water at the roots for the purpose 
of starting them into fruit; for if, by proper manage¬ 
ment, they are good, healthy plants, they will have formed 
their fructiferous parts before this time, and therefore 
should not be allowed to get dry, but be watered when 
they require it with tepid water. 
Vines. —The successional houses to be treated nearly 
in all respects the same as the early houses ; the tempe¬ 
rature may now be increased in accordance with the 
increase of light rather more rapidly at an early stage of 
their growth than that of the house in which forcing was 
commenced in December. When Vines for the early 
crops are grown in pots, put the eyes in 60-sized pots, 
and plunge them in a dung-frame or pit, with a bottom 
heat between 70° and 80°. The Hamhurghs, Black 
Prince, Muscadine, and Sweetwater are the kinds to be 
preferred for that purpose. William Keane. 
WARNINGS. 
Every flower garden, for the planting of which a plan 
has not been prepared, or decided upon, before the first 
day or the first week in February of each year, runs the 
risk of being chance-planted for that season ; and after¬ 
wards the chances will he converted into memorandum- 
charts, as surely as it is of the first importance that no 
good flower garden should ever be planted without a 
previous memorandum of all the beds, and of all the 
plants and kinds of colours which were intended for each 
bed. 
The reason for making the beginning of February the 
half-way house of planting is this : It is the latest period 
to which it is safe to defer the arrangement of the flower 
garden for that year ; and had luck in the winter-keeping 
of the young stock of bedding plants is generally pretty 
well known or easily guessed at by that time. Three 
very different kinds of agents, therefore, arc very likely 
