April  1,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
273 
KITCHEN  GARDEN  NOTES, 
Work  in  the  kitchen  garden  has  during  the  present  year  been  per¬ 
formed  under  exceptional  difficulties.  Continual  rains  and  an  absence  of 
sunshine  has  thrown  out  of  order  the  regular  working  of  the  soil  and 
sowing  of  crops.  The  consequence  is,  that  although  vegetation  generally 
is  in  a  somewhat  forward  stage,  kitchen  garden  operations  are  in  a  back¬ 
ward  state. 
A  welcome  change  in  the  weather  has  apparently  arrived  at  last,  and 
all  good  cultivators  know  that  it  is  now  necessary  to  use  every  effort  to 
bring  up  as  far  as  possible  arrears  of  work,  so  that  crops  may  become 
fairly  established  before  the  drought  of  summer  comes.  In  many 
instances,  I  fear,  the  sowing  of  the  main  crop  of  Onions  has  yet  to  be 
made,  and  numerous  complaints  of  the  ravages  of  maggot  may,  under 
the  circumstances,  be  looked  for  later  on.  Much,  however,  may  be  done 
in  the  way  of  preparing  for  the  attack  of  this  insidious  foe  by  dressing 
the  soil  heavily  with  soot  as  the  seed  bed  is  prepared,  and  by  scattering 
dry  wood  ashes  along  the  drills  before  sowing  the  seed.  Another  dusting 
of  soot  ought  also  to  be  given  on  a  showery  day,  as  soon  as  the  young 
plants  are  well  above  the  soil. 
Trivial  as  these  matters  may 
appear  they  are  factors  in  culti¬ 
vation  which  ought  not  to  be 
neglected  by  those  whose  aim 
is  to  “deserve  success.” 
The  main  crop  of  Carrots 
should  now  be  sown  as  soon 
as  possible,  for  there  is  always 
the  danger  of  an  attack  of 
grub  to  be  feared  when  late 
sowing  is  practised.  A  plentiful 
supply  of  dry  wood  ashes 
placed  in  the  drills  before  sow¬ 
ing  is  the  best  precautionary 
measure  to  take  that  I  am 
acquainted  with.  It  is  a  plan 
I  have  often  recommended  in 
cases  where  grub  has  been 
troublesome,  and  its  adoption 
has  invariably  been  attended 
with  satisfactory  results.  It 
is,  perhaps,  difficult  to  advance 
a  convincing  reason  why  this 
is  so,  but  my  opinion  is  that 
the  minute  particles  of  wood 
ashes  favour  rapid  germination 
and  root  production  ;  the  young 
seedlings,  therefore,  become 
firmly  established  before  dry 
weather  sets  in, and  it  is  usually 
during  dry  summers  that  grub 
is  so  destructive. 
Those  who  were  fortunate 
enough  to  sow  early  Peas  aDd 
Spinach  during  the  few  fine 
days  that  prevailed  during  the 
last  week  in  February  have 
cause  to  congratulate  them¬ 
selves,  as  both  have  made  good 
progress ;  for  notwithstanding 
the  many  wet  days  we  have 
experienced  since  the  soil  has 
not  been  particularly  cold,  and 
later  sowings  will  not,  as  in 
some  previous  years,  overtake 
crops  sown  several  weeks 
earlier.  Cabbage  plants,  as  a 
rule,  are  very  backward  this  season,  owing,  no  doubt,  to  the  long  spell 
of  cold  and  wet  during  August  and  September  last.  This  checked 
the  young  plants  so  much  that  in  many  instances  they  were  not  large 
enough  to  plant  in  their  permanent  quarters  at  the  usual  time,  and 
those  who  left  them  to  winter  on  the  warm  borders  where  they  were 
pricked  out  will  this  year  have  the  advantage  in  point  of  earliness  over 
others  who  followed  the  usual  course. 
The  time  has,  however,  now  arrived  when  plants  in  all  stages  may 
by  taking  a  little  extra  trouble  be  considerably  hastened  towards 
maturity.  On  bright  days  the  hoe  should  be  kept  going  among  them  ; 
the  warm  air  will  then  penetrate  the  loosened  soil,  sweeten  and  enrich 
it,  and  by  so  doing  start  into  activity  innumerable  thread-like  roots. 
Those  who  are  yet  sceptical  as  to  the  possibility  of  forwarding  crops  by 
these  means  should  remain  in  doubt  no  longer,  but  test  the  matter  for 
themseives.  Let  the  hoe  be  run  through  half  their  Cabbage  bed  twice 
weekly,  while  the  other  half  is  left  untouched,  and  I  shall  be  much 
surprised  if  they  need  further  proof  of  the  correctness  of  this  scientific 
principle.  A  little  later  on  when  the  plants  are  growing  freely  a  small 
quantity  of  nitrate  of  soda  should  be  sprinkled  between  the  rows, 
choosing  a  showery  day  for  the  purpose. 
Lettuces  have  not  wintered  well  with  us,  and  excepting  a  few  dozens 
of  plants  grown  in  a  very  warm  position,  our  spring-sown  plants  seem 
likely  to  overtake  those  sown  in  August  last.  Golden  Queen  and  Early 
Paris  Market  are  a  pair  very  hard  to  beat  in  point  of  earliness  and  good 
quality. 
Asparagus  Kale  is  at  the  present  time  affording  a  plentiful  supply  of 
greens  of  the  choicest  description — indeed,  there  is  nothing  among 
Borecoles  to  surpass  it  during  March  and  April.  This  should  be  borne 
in  mind  and  acted  upon,  now  that  the  time  for  seed  sowing  has  arrived. 
The  next  few  weeks  will  be  extremely  busy  ones  to  kitchen  gardeners 
and  allotment  holders,  as  the  work  of  sowing  and  planting  must  perforce 
be  pushed  on  with  all  possible  speed,  for  when  the  performance  of  these 
operations  is  too  long  delayed,  scanty  or  diseased  crops  are  often  the 
result,  and  general  work  is  kept  in  arrears  throughout  the  summer. 
The  good  cultivator  therefore  realises  that  the  present  moment  calls  for 
an  extra  effort  on  his  part  in  the  endeavour  to  derive  a  full  share  of 
benefit  from  Nature’s  storehouse,  the  soil. — Kitchen  Gardener. 
PEACHES  AND  NECTARINES. 
It  is  well  known  that  thinning  the  fruits  has  for  its  object  the 
production  of  flesh  with  a  minimum  of  Bkin  and  stone.  This  requires 
early  attention  to  attain  the  end  in  view,  especially  where  the  fruits  are 
too  thickly  set,  removing  those 
that  are  badly  placed  first,  and 
performing  this  often-neglected 
operation  gradually.  It  is 
well,  however,  to  let  the  fruit 
attain  the  size  of  horse  beans 
before  removing  any  but  the 
very  small,  and  in  thinning 
the  others  remove  those  at  the 
back  or  under  side  of  the 
trellis,  leaving  the  best  placed 
for  receiving  light,  three  to 
five  being  retained  on  a  last 
year’s  shoot,  to  be  reduced  to 
two  or  three  when  the  size  of 
marbles,  and  when  not  larger 
than  Walnuts  to  two  on  strong 
shoots  and  one  on  weaker, 
always  retaining  a  few  over 
the  number  required  for  the 
crop  to  meet  casualties  in 
stoning.  Likewise  have  regard 
to  the  vigour  of  the  trees  and 
the  relati/e  size  of  the  different 
varieties,  weakly  trees  being 
more  severely  thinned  in  the 
fruits  than  those  which  are 
vigorous,  and  the  large-fruited 
varieties  more  than  the 
medium-sized. 
Disbudding  is  a  very  un¬ 
natural  but  essential  process 
in  cultivation.  It  should  be 
commenced  early  and  followed 
up  at  short  intervals  until  no 
more  shoots  are  left  than  are 
necefs  .ry  for  bearing  another 
season,  attracting  the  sap  to 
the  fruit,  and  for  furnishing 
an  1  extending  the  tree.  This 
means  a  shoot  being  left  at 
the  base  of  each  bearing  one 
to  take  its  place  after  fruiting 
and  cutting  out,  training  in 
its  full  length,  or  if  likely  to 
become  too  long  stopping  at 
about  14  inches.  Then  a  shoot 
must  be  retained  on  a  level 
with  or  above  the  fruit,  and  this  stopped  at  the  third  leaf,  all  laterals 
in  either  case  being  pinched  at  the  first  and  to  one  afterwards  as 
made.  Extensions  of  last  year’s  shoots  should  be  left  at  about  15  inches 
distance  to  form  bearing  wood,  and  the  extremity  growths  taken 
forward,  laying  in  shoots  where  required  for  furnishing  the  trellis  early 
in  every  part  with  branches  and  bearing  wood  on  them  in  due  course, 
avoiding  overcrowding. 
Of  insects  the  most  troublesome  next  to  red  spider  are  aphides. 
Fumigation  with  various  preparations  of  tobacco,  self  acting  or  other¬ 
wise,  and  vaporisation  with  nicotine  essence,  are  still  the  best  means 
of  destroying  aphides  under  glass.  But  both  fumigating  and  vaporisa¬ 
tion  must  be  practised  very  carefully  in  Peach  houses  with  trees  in 
tender  leaf,  indeed  at  all  times  with  the  fruit,  from  setting  to  stoning, 
always  having  the  foliage  dry,  and  taking  special  precaution  against 
an  overdose  by  moderate  application,  repeating  if  necessary  at  short 
intervals,  or  on  consecutive  evenings  to  effect  a  clearance  with  safety. 
When  an  overdose  is  given  the  leaves  are  scorched,  and  the  damaged 
parts  shrivel  and  fall  off,  thus  giving  the  trees  the  appearance  of  having 
had  the  foliage  eaten  by  insects.  Tobacco  water  leaves  a  stain  on  the 
fruit,  which  may  or  may  not  disappear  with  subsequent  syringing.  It 
acts  very  effectively  against  all  the  race  of  aphides,  and  a  pint  of  strong 
tobacco  juice  to  3  gallons  of  water  Berves  as  a  preventive  and  remedy. 
The  various  advertised  insecticides  serve  equally  well,  and  in  some 
cases  better  than  home-made  ones,  always  being  careful  to  follow  the 
instructions. 
FIG.  61.  — NARCISSUS  ELLEN  WILLMOTT. 
