TIIE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, March 8, 1859. 347 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
Day 
Day 
MARCH 8-14, 1839. 
Weather 
near London in 1838. 
[ 
of ot 
M’ntli Week. 
Barometer. 
Thermom. 
Wind. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
K.and S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
afterSun 
Day of 
Y ear. 
8 
Tv 
Shrove Tuesday. 
29.370—29.232 
1 42—25 
N.W. 
. 
33 af 6 
49 af 5 
43 
10 
4 
H 
4 
07 
9 
w 
Lent begins. Asu Wednesday. 
29.629—29.381 
43—28 
N.W. 
_ 
31 6 
51 5 
morn. 
5 
10 
49 
08 
10 
Th 
Ilovea purpurea. 
29.792—29.750 
44—19 
N.W. 
28 6 
53 5 
0 
0 
6 
10 
34 
09 
11 
F 
Erica transparent!. 
30.014—29.893 
42—19 
N.K. 
_ 
26 0 
5 - 5 
28 
1 
7 
10 
18 
70 
12 
S 
Epacris bicolor. 
30.103—29.9:19 
1 43—31 
W. 
.17 
24 6 
50 5 
41 
2 
3 
10 
o 
71 
13 
Sux 
1 Sunday in Lent. 
29.513—29.399 
44—3.) 
S.W. 
.12 
2.2 6 
5s :> 
41 
O 
9 
9 
46 
72 
14 
M 
Boronia Frar.eri, 
29.603—29.460 
51—37 
S.W. 
.00 
19 6 
YI. 
24 
4 
10 
9 
29 
73 
Meteorology of tub Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last thirty-two years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 50.4° and 32.8°, respectively. The greatest heat, OS' 5 , occurred on the 9th, in 1856 ; and the lowest cold, 7°, 
on the 10th, in 18-17. During the period 143 days were fliic, and on 81 rain fell. 
GARDENING OPERATIONS FOR TIIE WEEK. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
American Cress.—Sow. 
Asparagus. —The beds, if not dressed as advised last 
week, should be done as soon as possible. The salt may 
be applied at the rate of about one pound the square yard. 
Sow seed in drills. 
Beans, Broad. —Transplant to the open ground, in 
favourable weather, those that have been forwarded in 
pots, and have been hardened by proper exposure. 
Broccoli. —Sow Purple-sprouting and Early White 
for autumn use. 
Cabbages. —Transplant from the autumn-sown beds. 
Draw earth to the stems of the early crops in dry 
weather. 
Cardoons.—S ow, if wanted for early use. 
Caulielowers. —Stir the surface of the soil amongst 
the plants under hand-lights. Tilt the glasses on the side 
away from cold cutting winds, and expose them to the 
genial influence of mild showers. 
Chervil. —Sow. 
Cucumbers. —Keep up the temperature from 75° to 
80°. Be careful to guard against a violent bottom heat. 
Melons. — Sow seed in heat, a3 advised for Cucumbers. 
But very little is gained by earlier forcing. 
Onions. —Sow, if not done last week. 
Parsley.— Sow, if not already done. Clean and loosen 
the soil between the rows sown last season. 
Peas.— Transplant, as advised for Broad Beans. Make 
a sowing of Knight's Dwarf Marrow and any other fa¬ 
vourite sorts for the main crops. 
Potatoes. —Plant the main early crops as soon as 
possible. 
Spinach.—I f the plants were left standing too thick 
in the rows, it is advisable to remove every alternate one, 
to give a greater facility for stirring the soil, and to allow 
more space for increasing growth. Sow the New Zealand 
in pots or boxes, and place in a gentle heat. 
Turnips. —Make another sowing of Early Dutch, Stone, 
or Snowball. 
FRUIT GARDEN. 
Fruit Trees. — In general, they appear to be well 
supplied with fruit-buds ; and, being in a very forward 
state, will require particular care and attention to pro¬ 
tect them from frosts, if they should set in rather 
sharply. 
Strawberries. — Weed the beds before the plants 
begin to grow. 
Vines. —If they are old and neglected, covering a large 
space with useless wood in a confused state, the knife 
must he freely used to cut away a large portion of the 
old wood and the weakest shoots, leaving only the 
strongest about eighteen inches apart, and not more than 
three eyes in length. The loose bark to he picked off; 
the cobwebs and accumulated dirt to be brushed off from 
all parts of the wall, or trellis, to which they have been 
fixed; and the branches and shoots to be firmly nailed, 
or tied, without being too much confined. 
No. 545. Vol. XXL 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
Auriculas. —Encourage their growth by an increase 
j of water, that they may receive no check in the develop¬ 
ment of their flowers, and by a liberal supply of air at 
all favourable opportunities. All weak and secondary 
trusses of bloom to be removed as soon as they are 
visible. The flower-stems to be slightly shaded from 
sudden sunbursts. 
Half-hardy Annuals. —Sow on a slight hotbed. 
IIardy Annuals. —Sow hi the open ground, when the 
weather is fine. 
Herbaceous Plants. —To fill up the hiatus, or gap, 
between the early spring and summer-flowering sorts, 
plant Achillea tomentosa, Alyssum saxatile, Aubretia pur¬ 
purea, Corydalis capnoides, Iberis sempervirens, Orohits 
vermis, Phlox verna, Polemonium Mexicanum, Meco- 
nopsis Cambrica, Sangv.inaria Canadensis, and Viscacia 
oculata. 
Pansies. —Plants with five or six branches to each to 
be pegged down at equal distances, leaving about two 
inches of the top part of the branch above the ground. 
By such treatment, they are not so liable to be damaged, 
or broken, by high winds ; they produce finer flowers, 
and exhibit a much neater appearance. Sow seed. 
Polyanthuses.- —Sow seed, placing the pans, or pots, 
in a gentle bottom heat. 
Ranunculuses. —If not already planted, according to 
the directions previously given, they should be put in 
without delay. 
Rockery. —Any vacancies in the old—or, if new rock- 
work is made, which is becoming very general in suburban 
villas — should now be filled up with many of the 
herbaceous plants already named, as also ■with Arabia 
albida, Astragalus (of different varieties), dwarf Cam¬ 
panulas, Dianthus (of sorts), Draba Aizoides, Phlox 
setacea, and P. procumhens, Linum Tauricum, Saponaria 
ocymoides, Saxifraga and Sedum (of different sorts), and 
dwarf Veronicas. 
. Tender Annuals. —Sow on a gentle hotbed; seedlings 
to be freely exposed to air when up, to keep them dwarf 
and stocky. William Keane. 
SPRING FLOWERS-PROPAGATING 
IIEPATICAS. 
Let us not lose sight of any spring flower, which is 
likely to he of use or ornament, no matter how scarce it 
may be,— liow difficult to procure, keep, and propagate. 
And let me instance the Golden Chain Geranium as an 
example of what I mean. 
This time fifteen years ago, it was the scarcest Gera¬ 
nium in Europe of all that were ever in the trade. It 
was also the least known among gardeners; and there 
was only one nurseryman in the kingdom who had six 
plants of it on sale, and he had only five plants that his 
conscience would allow him to sell: that was Mr. Jef¬ 
fries, of Ipswich. At that time, the Golden Chain was so 
debilitated, by had culture and neglect, for the space of 
150 years; and there was not a single gardener alive who 
