THE COTTAGE OATtOENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, April 17, 18G0. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
!3 
Day Day 
of of 
M’nth Week. 
APRIL 17-23, 1SG0. 
17 
Tu 
Sagina ereeta. 
18 
AV 
Lithospermum purpureo-eccru- 
19 
Tit 
Asperugo procumbeus. [leum. 
20 
F 
Frimula elatior. 
21 
s 
Sun’s declin. 12° 2' n. 
22 
Sun 
2 Sunday after Easter. 
23 
M 
Primula officinalis. 
l 
Weather near London in 1859. 
Barometer. 
Thermom. 
Wind. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
29.803-29.741 
50-24 
N.W. 
— 
29.803—29.710 
47—22 
w. 
— 
29.656—29.512 
51—25 
N.E. 
— 
29.509—29.430 
54-27 
E. 
— 
29.630—28.51S 
53-21 
N.W. 
_ 
29.725—29.G87 
58—23 
N.W. 
— 
29.S18-29.752 
54-39 
N.E. 
.28 
Moon 1 
Sun j Sun Rises Moon’s Clock Day of 
Rises. I Sets, and Sets Age. aftcrSun Year. 
1 af 5 
58 af G 
32 
3 
26 
0 
34 
108 
IV 
VII 
43 
3 
27 
0 
48 
109 
57 
4 
i 
7 
56 
3 
28 
1 
1 
110 
55 
4 
3 
7 
9 
4 
29 ' 
1 
14 
111 
53 
4 
4 
7 
sets 
@ 
1 
26 
112 
51 
4 
6 
7 
15 
a 9 
1 
1 
38 
113 
49 
4 
8 
7 
29 
10 
2 
1 
50 
114 
Meteorology of tiie Wf.ek. —At Cltiswick, from observations during tlie last tbirty-tlirec ycais, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 58.7° and 36.7° respectively. The greatest heat, 1 7°, occurred on the 22nd, in 18u8 ; and the lowest cold, 20 , 
on the 19th, in 1852. During the period 136 days were fine, and on 95 rain fell. 
WORK FOR THE WEEK. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
When all tlie principal crops are in tlie ground, pro¬ 
perly labelled, and the beds, borders, and alleys neatly 
squared ofi’, the Box or other edgings trimmed, and the 
walks clean and well rolled, the kitchen garden affords a 
degree of daily interest that is not surpassed by any 
other season. Protect seeds appearing above ground 
from birds. Beans (Broad), where the last sowing is 
above ground another sowing may he made. Cardoons, 
sow seed in trenches where the plants are to remain ; the 
trenches to be about four feet apart, with a few seeds 
dropped in patches at intervals of eighteen or twenty 
inches. Callage, successional sowings of good kinds to 
he continued. As autumn-sown plants are very scarce, 
the spring sowing to he forwarded as much as possible 
by pricking out the plants on a warm border, ancl water¬ 
ing them when requisite. Celery, prick out the young 
plants into a frame or box, and attend well to the early 
plants with water; if any are under glass sufficient air to he 
given to keep them stocky. Capsicums, attend to tliQin, 
as also to Chillies, Basil, and Knotted Marjoram, to be 
in a fit state for planting out in May. Cauliflowers, prick 
out the young seedlings on a warm border, earth up any 
that have withstood the severity of the winter under 
hand-glasses. Cucumbers, keep the shoots regular; sow 
seed, to produce plants for ridges. Marigolds, sow, 
where they are required for kitchen purposes. Melons, 
as soon as a sufficient number of fruit-blossoms for a crop 
are expanded, or are likely to expand within a day or two 
of each other, they should be impregnated. Keep the 
plants healthy by frequent sprinklings in fine weather, 
and by closing early; by such means insects will be kept 
in check, as they hut rarely ever attack thriving plants. 
Nasturtiums, sow seed at the foot of a fence, or wall, 
or any other such place where the plants can do no in¬ 
jury by their rapid growth. Peas, the early sowings 
to be well sticked and sow again as soon as the last is 
fairly above ground. Savoy, sow for a late crop. Spinach, 
sow the Round-seeded, and thin out the early-sown to 
six inches apart. Tomatoes, harden off in a cold frame, 
to he fit to plant out in the middle of May. Turnips, 
sprinkle soot over the young plants, to prevent their 
destruction by the fly. Yegetalle Marrow, sow seeds, 
and get plants forward for planting out. See that slugs 
do not destroy the crops as they make their appearance 
above ground. Stir the surface of the soil among all 
growing crops, to prevent the growth of weeds, and to 
keep the soil porous. 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
The herbaceous ground to he well cleaned, and neatly 
raked over; all vacancies to be filled up from the reserve 
ground, or by sowing annuals in the intermediate spaces. 
Proceed with the planting of hardy climbers against walls, 
trellises, &c. Select some of the more showy species—as 
Bignonia, Caprifolium, Clematis, Tecoma, Wistaria, &c., 
and some of the strong-growing Noisette, evergreen, and 
hybrid climbing Roses to be blended amongst them if 
No. 003.— Yol. XXIV. No. 3. 
it is desirable to have some disagreeable object hidden 
from the view. Plant Hollyhocks for late blooming; 
sow seeds. Several species of the Gladioli may be 
planted in the flower-beds or borders. Part the roots 
of (Enothera macrocarpa, or by-and-by cuttings of the 
shoots, when about three inches long, can be made; they 
soon root if put in a little heat. 
FRUIT GARDEN. 
Attend carefully to the protection of fruit blossoms. 
Raspberries, top dress and stake ; remove all superfluous 
suckers; cut down the double-hearing; draw away all 
suckers, leaving hut two, or at most three, to a stool, and 
top dress them. Strawberries, weed and top dress. 
GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 
Camellias, when making wood, to be shaded during 
very bright sunshine ; a warm, moist atmosphere from 
55° to G5° to be kept up night and day with air, to pro¬ 
duce short-jointed wood. Put stalces in due time to 
Calceolarias, Cinerarias, Pelargoniums, &c. Some of the 
more hardy and woody plants may he removed to a cold 
pit, to make more room for the softwooded plants when 
they are staked out. 
PITS AND FRAMES. 
These will require daily and frequently hourly atten¬ 
tion— propagating, pricking out, syringing, shading, 
potting, and hardening off for some time until a sufficient 
stock for bedding out and pot culture will be provided. 
Propagate plenty of Heliotropes, Aloysias, and the sweet¬ 
smelling Pelargoniums. Put in a stock of Chrysanthe¬ 
mum cuttings for autumn display. Sow a general stock 
of annuals, Stocks, Asters, Mignonette, &e., without 
further delay. W. Keane. 
BEDDING VERBENAS. 
I was on my way to her Grace the Duchess of Suther¬ 
land, the Mistress of the Rohes, to see if I could get a 
sight of the royal mauve dress which was worn by the 
Princess Alice at one of the drawing-rooms last March, 
when I was met by somebody, who, for the sake of some¬ 
body else, advised me to pull up just where I “was, to 
remain quiet for a few weeks ! and then to see if I could 
not succeed in getting a sight of a very different shade of 
mauve which Her Royal Highness was to wear soon on 
some grand occasion, “ for if I understand you rightly,” 
said the somebody, “the latter will look much in the 
way you describe the colour of the new Verbena which 
they called after your patron colourist, if you have no 
objections to allude to the Hon. Lady Middleton in that 
style.” “Very well,” said I, for what else could I say P 
Meantime you will probably recollect that it was pro¬ 
posed and resolved on at the same time, the time I met 
that same body, that among flowers we should have three 
degrees of mauve colour—a deep, a light, and a lighter 
shade. That settled, saved me from troubling the 
Mistress of the Robes. 
The dress alluded to must have been of the deeper 
