January 22, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
327 
Fanny Helen (Niven), Miss Horner (Lord), Mrs. Lord 
(Lord), Mrs. Sharp (Sharp) and Royal Visit (Aber¬ 
crombie). Light edged: Ethel (Fellowes), Evelyn 
(Fellowes), Favourite (Liddington), Miss Gorton 
(Dodwell), Mrs. Payne (Fellowes) and Nellie (Rudd).— 
r n. 
-- 
his 
ARDENING flOTES FROM 
§C0TLAND. 
Deep Tilth. —Much has been written on this 
subject, both in horticultural and agricultural journals, 
and judging from statements adduced by advanced 
agriculturists, in parts where high-class farming is a 
speciality, it is perfectly certain that those who have 
the greatest depth of well-cultivated land under mani¬ 
pulation have the least reason to complain of their lot 
in such adverse times as have been experienced by the 
farming community. The difficulty with which fields 
are trenched, and the great outlay of capital required 
to do the work well, is a barrier which cannot be re¬ 
moved by ordinary cultivators. The “trenching 
plough,” so well known in Scotland, does good service, 
but falls short of what is required to make the returns 
necessary for remuneration commensurate with the 
labour entailed. 
In the cultivation of culinary vegetables, few are 
opposed to systematic trenching, as alfording scope for 
descending roots, acting as preventives against drought 
and damp ; vermin and their deposits are turned down 
out of harm’s way, and can be covered with gas-lirne 
sufficient to destroy parents and progeny ; and soil 
which is rendered impure by manure, can, by moving 
a portion of the sub-soil to the surface, be much im¬ 
proved and fitted for any kind of crops. Trenching is 
of great advantage, to old gardens especially. Some 
consideration is, however, necessary as to depth of 
trenching, and it would not be difficult to injure land 
for years, if not permanently, by injudicious manipu¬ 
lation ; some soils are so shallow and have such un¬ 
wholesome sub-soils, which may be inert clay or sand, 
heavily impregnated with iron (sour and canker-pro¬ 
ducing stuff) which would be mischievous to any land 
if turned to the surface; but if such is turned over well 
in the bottom of the trench, and broken freely with the 
spade, and a good coating of road scrapings (wood ashes, 
vegetable refuse, rotten leaves, or such material), which 
can be had plentifully in some places, a great improve¬ 
ment can be made in the land. 
We have often practised what we now advise 
with the best results ; and it is because we have 
seen much evil accrue from turning up in quantity un¬ 
wholesome subsoils that we offer this warning against 
such a practice. Where weather permits, or where a 
coating of manure is spread over the surface of land to 
render it fit for the spade, the present time is suitable 
for forwarding such work. It is suggested by some 
that it is inferior gardening if the vacant plots are not 
turned up early in autumn to the action of the weather. 
We do not care about doing this till the leaves are well 
down, and the litter caused by them is past; then a 
clean rough surface remains. 
We would here also note that it is not first-class 
gardening where there are many vacant spaces ready to 
be turned up before December. We believe in close 
cropping, especially for supplies of vegetables during 
winter ; and in this practice market men excel. It 
would not pay them to adopt the practice often advised 
of “turning up” to weather. It is only within the 
last week or two that we have had vacant space worth 
^gg' n g or trenching, and there is not much which we 
could turn up to the depth of two spades with pro¬ 
priety, the subsoil being almost inert; but the mLxing 
of a portion -with old manure-sick surfaces is beneficial. 
Where turf rubbish, lime, &c., has been turned down 
in quantity of late years, the land is in prime order now' 
for trenching. The system of close cropping, as prac¬ 
tised by market men, does a deal to keep land in good 
condition. 
We are acquainted with well-known cultivators wdio 
cannot dig or trench their land before it is required for 
use, as it becomes sodden and unmanageable when 
exposed to the elements during winter in a loose con¬ 
dition ; these are wet positions, and -where the soil is 
somewhat muddy in nature. There can be no hard- 
and-fast lines given for the manipulation of land, as its 
consistency, strength, and sometimes position, has to 
be considered. We have seen the hot haste and energy 
of young beginners, who wished to eclipse their com¬ 
peers as cultivators, badly rewarded for their pains 
w’hen they inconsiderately turned up subsoil which 
required years of cultivation to fit it for the production 
of good esculents. Abundance of good surface soil, 
such as is known as “ made ground,” is ahvays valuable 
land. Such may be found in market gardens, and we 
have noticed it in Ireland, where “ lazy bed ” culture 
was adopted for Potatos.— Caledonian. 
Kintore Horticultural Association. —The 
members of this association held their annual general 
meeting in the Free Church School, Kintore, Aberdeen¬ 
shire, on Friday, 14th inst.; there was a good attendance 
of members. The balance sheet for the past year was 
read and approved, aud the following office-bearers were 
elected: president, Mr. Alexander Copeland ; vice- 
president, Mr. William Gould ; secretary and treasurer, 
Mr. William M. Cunningham. A large and influential 
committee was also appointed. 
The Winter in Scotland.—“ Caledonian, ” at 
p. 311, describes the frost as being of a comparatively 
minimum character. This might apply to his locality, 
but as this is not stated it would seem to apply to 
Scotland as a whole. Snow also is said to have fallen 
“not even 2 ins.” The Registrar-General’s Report for 
December, 188G, says that that month was the severest 
we have had in Scotland since 1878. The weather since 
then has been exceedingly wintry, and skating has been 
very little, if at all, interrupted, and snow r -fall has not 
only been 2 ins. but 6 ins. It of very great importance 
that climatology should be accurately reported, and 
statistics taken from, say the Registrar General’s Report 
issued each month ; otherwise, in consulting previous 
years, one gains an unsatisfactory result, and your 
journal should be a standard authority on that point 
as it is on floriculture, &c.— T. W. Glover, Aberdeen. 
--5>*«•*- 
FROSTY WEATHER. 
I nAVE found the frosts which have visited us since 
Christmas more destructive in my cold house than at 
any time during the past ten years ; except, perhaps, 
the tremendous frost of January, 1881. I had prepared 
for a spell of frosty weather by keeping the plants in 
my house as dry about the roots as possible, and, in 
addition, as soon as sharp w'intry weather followed the 
snowstorm of the evening of December 26th, I covered up 
carefully all that I could with newspapers, and there they 
have remained ever since ; for frosty day succeeds frosty 
night so continuously, that it is no use to uncover, and 
watering must not be thought of. I can see that many 
things have succumbed : Richardias, Eupatoriums, 
Fuchsias, Heliotropes, &c. ; but two plants among 
others have bravely and successfully held their own, 
viz., Phormium tenax variegata and Latania borbonica. 
That there has been a tremendous slaughter of the 
innocents I have no doubt, for my house is large, open 
at the bottom, having simply a flooring of slabs of 
slate, and it is very much exposed. I have abandoned 
the use of lamp stoves of all kinds, for they are a great 
nuisance and of little practical value in excluding frost. 
I am afraid that many amateurs and cottagers 
having small unheated houses and frames have suf¬ 
fered the loss of many pet plants, so severe and 
persistent has the frost been. In the case of pits, a 
thoroughly dry bottom is of the first importance, and, 
when the pit is constructed, the bed should be dug out 
to the depth of 9 ins., and some brick rubble, stones, 
clinkers, or something of the kind, filled in to the 
depth of 6 ins. It this cannot be done, then let a 
raised bottom be made of 10 ins. or 12 ins. of coarse 
cinders and clinkers, with some finer ones placed upon 
the top to stand the plants on. Brick sides are best; 
but if they are of wood, some sods of turf should be 
piled up as an outside covering. See that the glass 
frame is rain-proof, and then, with a little extra cover¬ 
ing in the case of severe weather, a great deal of frost 
can be excluded. It is when w r e are suffering from any 
cause of this kind that the nature of necessary pre¬ 
cautionary measures become fastened upon the mind. 
Keeping down damp is a point of the first importance, 
and this is greatly helped by keeping the inside of the 
frame and the plants as dry as possible. 
Soft-wooded plants are most difficult things to keep 
in such weather without heat, and, to give them a fair 
chance, the wood should be firm and well ripened, not 
young and succulent. Dahlia roots could be hung up 
in a living room, or any dry place free from frost, or 
they may—failing any other means of wintering them— 
be put away in a box with some dry sawdust or cocoa 
fibre. Damp is the great enemy to guard against. 
The snow has been a great protection to the roots of 
Roses and many things in the open air liable to harm 
from frost. But now the snow has cleared, or is clearing 
away, some mulching—such as a mixture of sheep dung 
and leaves, cocoa fibre, short fern, spent hops, tan, or 
anything of this character should be placed about the 
roots as a necessary protection. A fall of snow is of 
great value as a protection, and when it melts and 
another spell of hard frost sets in, some other covering 
should be provided.— R. D. 
-->X<-- 
The Am ateurs’ Garden. 
Manure for Hot-beds. —The ground is still un¬ 
workable out of doors, and will continue so for some 
days to come, owing to the continuance of alternate 
freezing and thawing. Even on the approach of favour¬ 
able weather the soil will be wet and plastic ; conse¬ 
quently, it will be more profitable in the end not to 
attempt digging or trenching till the soil is dry. If 
frozen lumps of soil are dug down now they take a 
long time to thaw, and keep the soil in a saturated 
condition that is very disadvantageous to the roots of 
crops. While this state of things lasts, work of another 
kind may be pushed forward. Manure for hot-beds 
can be collected from various sources, and thoroughly 
mixed together after being well shaken up. The long 
littery material, and especially the drier parts, should 
be put in the centre of the heap. If too dry, a 
sprinkling of water may be given, which will induce 
fermentation. Too violent heating should be avoided 
by occasionally turning the whole heap. Towards the 
end of the month, when forcing of all sorts of plants is 
commenced, the material will be ready. 
Plant Forcing.— For some weeks past the light 
and temperature have been unfavourable for bulb 
forcing, and with the exception, perhaps, of Roman 
Hyacinths, progress with this class of plants generally 
has been unsatisfactory. The plan adopted in many 
gardens of placing an inverted flower pot over the 
crowns of Hyacinths, Tulips, and similar subjects when 
just commencing to push their flower-buds is one that 
may be employed to advantage. This retards the 
foliage by preventing the access of light to it, while at 
the same time favouring the development of the flower- 
spike. As soon as this has gained a slight advance 
over the leaves, the inverted pots should be removed, 
and the bulb-pots placed as near the glass as possible. 
The previously yellowish green leaves will soon assume 
their proper hue, and the flower-stems having once got 
the lead will keep it. By this method the leaves will 
be short, robust, and stand erect, which is a point of 
great importance. Batches of various other things 
should be brought into the forcing house once a week 
or fortnightly, according to convenience and the 
quantity required. Good crowns of Lily of the Valley 
and Solomon’s Seal may be potted up and introduced 
to heat at once. They will be found very desirable 
and useful subjects for the decoration of the greenhouse 
or conservatory when in flower. The forced crowns 
may afterwards be planted out in the reserve garden if 
desirable, where they will recruit sufficiently to be 
utilised again in the course of two or three years. For 
size of flower, continental crowns of Lily of the Valley 
are generally, however, reckoned the best. Deutzias, 
Lilacs, and Spiraias may also be put in heat, and dark¬ 
ness has the effect of blanching the flowers of the Lilac. 
Greenhouse and Conservatory.—Now is the 
time to give the climbers in these structures a general 
overhaul before the busy season comes on. Fuchsias 
Plumbago capensis, Clematis, and other deciduous 
subjects may be hard pruned back, so as to keep them 
within reasonable bounds, and encourage the production 
of vigorous young wood, which secures an abundance 
of flowers in their season. These may also undergo a 
thorough cleansing if infested with insect pests of°any 
sort. Passifioras of the P. ccerulea type, and Abutilons 
if they have done flowering, may also be treated in the 
same way ; but evergreen twiners, such as Harden- 
bergias and Kennedyas, should merely be thinned out, 
and the healthy young w'ood tied to the wires or other 
supports. Those who are fortunate in possessing 
K. Marryattse will be delighted with the profusion of 
flowers it bears during the winter months, provided it 
is planted out in a house with a temperature ranging 
between 45° and 50° Fahr. Ghent Azaleas, when 
brought over in a young state, are generally flat bushy 
plants ; but after attaining a moderate size should 
receive some sort of training. The cone or pyramidal 
form is the most accommodating where space is a 
matter of consideration, and looks as well as any._ F, 
