THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 31, 1858. 339 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
Day 
of 
Mth 
Day 
of 
Week. 
Weather near London in 1857. 
AUG. 31—SEPT. 6, 1853. 
Barometer. 
Thermo. 
Wind. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R.andS. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
after Sun 
Day of 
Year. 
31 
Tu 
Bordonia cordata. 
29.944—29.929 
80—56 
E. 
.08 
12 af 5 
48 af 6 
10 af 9 
€ 
0 
12 
243 
1 
W 
Abelia triflora. 
29.676—29.822 
76-48 
w. 
.14 
14 5 
46 6 
59 9 
23 
0 
7 
244 
2 
Th 
Adesmia viscosa. 
29.615—29.519 
64—44 
W. 
.28 
15 5 
44 6 
8 11 
24 
0 
25 
245 
3 
F 
Angophora cordifolia. 
29.541—29.527 
63—41 
S. 
.49 
17 5 
42 6 
morn. 
25 
0 
44 
246 
4 
S 
Amsomeles furcata. 
29.629—29.505 
66—44 
s.w. 
.01 
19 5 
40 6 
31 0 
26 
1 
4 
247 
5 
Sun 
14 Sunday after Trinity. 
29.730—29.522 
73—43 
s.w. 
_ 
■ 
20 5 
37 6 
3 2 
27 
1 
23 
248 
6 
m 
Arctotis dccumbens. 
29.876—29.836 
73—42 
s.w. 
.01 
22 5 
35 6 
34 3 
28 
*■ 
1 
43 
249 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during 
the last thirty-one years 
, the average highest 
and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 70.2° and 47.5°, respectively. The greatest heat, 85°, 
30°, on the 4th, in 1850. During the period 125 days were fine, and on 92 rain fell. 
occurred on the 
1st, in 1843 ; and the lowest cold, 
GARDENING OPERATIONS EOR THE WEEK. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
As the genial showers of last week have greatly 
revived vegetation, now is the time to bring np all 
arrears in planting and earthing-np the various crops 
that require it. Now is the time to be up and doing, 
whilst the natural warmth of the soil and refreshing 
dews at night continue to contribute so much to the 
growth of the several principal crops, that planting 
may be finished in good time, before heavy rains de¬ 
scend to chill the ground. 
Broccoli. —Plant late sorts for spring use. Earth- 
up the advancing crops. 
Cabbage. —Plant nine inches apart. Every alternate 
one to be drawn for Greens, the rest to stand through 
the winter for late spring use. 
Cardoons. — Earth-up, for blanching, when quite 
dry. 
Celery. —Continue to earth-up the early crops, when 
the leaves of the plants are perfectly dry. The other 
crops, not sufficiently advanced, to be earthed-up, and 
to be supplied with an abundance of water. 
Cucumbers. —Such as are intended to be kept in 
bearing in the frame, should be supplied with heat 
from fresh linings, and covered with mats when the 
nights are cold. 
Endive. —Continue to blanch and plant out from 
successional sowings. 
Lettuce. —Sow in a very sheltered place. Plant 
out former sowings under walls, handlights, or frames. 
Parsley. — Thin the summer sowing, to acquire 
strength to stand the winter. A portion of the spring 
sowing to be cut down, to make fresh growth. 
Tomatoes.— Gather the fruit as it ripens, and ex¬ 
pose the others to the ripening influence of the sun 
by removing any shoots, or leaves, that shade them. 
Turnips. —Einally thin out the crops for winter use, 
and hoe the ground amongst them. 
Water Cress.— Make fresh beds, and clean the old 
ERUIT GARDEN. 
Wherever the fruit is stored, it should be kept 
always cool, dry, and airy; be handled as little and 
tenderly as possible; be laid, if convenient, in single 
tiers 5 neither straw nor hay used about them, as such 
; materials are apt to spoil their flavour; to be frequently 
looked over, and decaying fruit removed as soon as 
noticed. . _ , 
Cherry Trees (on walls).—Thin the leaves ol the 
early sorts, to ripen the wood. , Protect JMorellos 
' with nets. 
Peaches and Nectarines. — Remove decaying 
leaves, to expose and ripen the wood. Protect the 
late fruit from wasps. 
Plums. —Protect the Imperatrice, and other late- 
keeping varieties, with llaythorn s hexagon netting. 
Yines. —Thin a few leaves, to assist in ripening the 
fruit and wood. Protect the fruit with gauze bags. 
< __ 
ELOWER GARDEN. 
The general routine will be, to keep the plants in 
the beds within the proper bounds ; to gather flower- 
seeds as they ripen ; to cut off all decaying leaves and 
flowers ; to remove annuals and the stems of herbaceous 
plants that have done blooming; and to prune, nail, 
and tie-up climbing plants. 
Bulbs. —If Dutch bulbs,—such as Hyacinths, Nar¬ 
cissi, Jonquils, Tulips, &c.,—are to be purchased, the 
sooner they are selected the better. To be potted, 
and plunged in some cool place in the open ground, 
with five or six inches of coal ashes, old tan, or any 
other such material, over them. To get the pots well 
filled with roots before the leaves are developed is 
generally the great secret of their ultimate success. 
Carnations and Picotees. —Carefully protect seed- 
pods when they are of fine quality, and have been 
cross fertilised. 
Hardy Annuals. —Sow Ten-week and other Stocks, 
Collinsia bicolor, Nemophila insignis, Erysimum Pe- 
rofsTcianum, either in pots or in the open ground. 
Mignonette (in pots).—To be kept in a pit, or 
frame, until winter, when they may be removed; as 
they will be best protected on the shelves of a green¬ 
house, near the glass. 
Perennials. —If an increase is required, all the 
earlier-blooming kinds may be taken up, and divided. 
Pinks. —Remove such as have bloomed the second 
season, if there is a sufficient stock of young plants to 
replace them; if not, the straggling branches of some 
of the best old plants should be cut closely back, when 
they will make more compact and healthy plants for 
next year. 
Rhododendrons. —Cut off the seed-pods, and water 
copiously, to secure a good bloom for the next season. 
William Keane. 
THE SIZE OF BEDS AND BEDDING PLANTS. 
There are three ordinary sizes of flower-beds,— 
large size, middle or common size, and small size. 
There are also an extra large and an extra small size. 
The large-sized bed is from ten to twelve feet across, 
supposing it to be a circle. The ordinary, the middle 
size, is just six feet across, and no more. The 
small bed is from two to three feet across. All sizes, 
from three feet across to the six-feet bed, are smallish, 
but not small; and from six to ten feet, largish, but 
not large. 
These terms and dimensions are constantly on the 
tongues of first-rate planters, and such planters put 
the greatest stress on having the sizes of the plants 
in height, bear a standard proportion to the sizes of 
the beds. But nature makes no leaps ; and it is more 
natural for most people to mend their ways as they 
go, than to jump at conclusions on the path to nature’s 
ways. Hitherto we have been more engaged in mend¬ 
ing the shapes of flower-beds, and in disposing them 
No. 518. Vol. XX. 
