January  16,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDEN  Ell 
69 
on  tte  planks.  Ram  the  soil  well  under  the  ball,  where  it  may 
be  hollow  before  filling  up  the  space  round  it.  Without  very 
much  difficulty  two  men  may  remove  such  trees  in  the  way  above 
described,  but  if  they  have  a  lad  to  assist,  the  work  is  done 
much  sooner.  They  can  then  each  use  a  lever  while  the  lad 
places  the  bricks.  If  good  hard-burned  bricks  cannot  be  had, 
blocks  of  wood  of  the  same  size  will  be  best,  as  soft  bricks  will  not 
stand  the  weight  of  a  heavy  ball. — R.  I. 
- - 
Evaporating  Fruit  and  Vegetabies. 
For  some  years  rural  authorities  in  various  parts  of  England 
have  been  experimenting  with  machin&s  that  are  made  for  drying 
and  so  preserving  fruit  and  vegetables  by  evaporating  the 
greater  part  of  the  water  contained  in  the  tissues.  Dried 
Prunes  from  abroad  may  be  pointed  to  as  good  samples  of  this 
evaporating  process. 
Mr.  James  Harper,  “the  indefatigable  advocate  of  evapo¬ 
rated  fruit,”  and  who  appears  to  have  demonstrated  to  the 
students  at  the  Hostel  endeavours  to  explain  the  cause  of  the 
disappointment  in  their  experiments  in  fruit  drying  on  the 
grounds  that  (1)  The  fruit  must  have  been  in  bad  condition ; 
(2)  Too  high  prices  had  been  given ;  (3)  Coal  charges  were 
excessive.  The  following  table  shows  the  results  at  Reading  :  — 
Tabulated  Result  of  One  Season’s  Trial  Fruit  Evaporating,  by  Invicta 
Machine  (No.  1),  Sold  by  Messrs.  Lumley  &  Co.,  America  Square,  E.C. 
Articles. 
Quantity 
Fresh. 
Quant;)  y 
Dried. 
Cost  \  hen 
Fresh. 
Cost  of 
Coal  used. 
Probable 
Market 
Value. 
£ 
S. 
d. 
£ 
S. 
d. 
£  s.  ' 
d. 
Pershore  Plums  .... 
300  lbs. 
371  ll)s. 
1 
5 
0 
0 
9 
0 
0  18  10 
Damson  Plums  .... 
2  bshls. 
20l  lbs. 
0 
6 
0 
0 
6 
0 
0  10 
0 
French  Beans . 
6ii  lbs. 
4  lbs.  7  ozs. 
0 
4 
0 
0 
6 
0 
0  8 
(i 
Currants  . 
24  lbs. 
H  lbs. 
0 
5 
0 
n 
1 
0 
0  3 
6 
Cherries . 
1  bushel 
8J  lbs. 
0 
6 
0 
0 
4 
6 
0  8 
3 
Potatoes  . 
1  bu.shel 
21  lbs. 
0 
4 
0 
0 
2 
0 
0  1 
3 
Carrots  . . 
1  bushel 
if  lb. 
0 
1 
0 
0 
0 
9 
0  0 
4 
2  11 
0 
1 
9 
3 
■2  10 
8 
£  S.  fl 
Cost  of  Evaporator  . .  19  10  0 
Boxes .  ...  080 
£  s.  <i . 
Expenditure  ..  .  23  18  3 
Market  Value  of  Stock  in  hand  .  2  10  8 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick. 
Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens  at  Chiswick — 
height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
Direction  of 
Wind. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Rain.  I 
Temperatui  e  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
<0 
U 
^  3  « 
•  u  2 
%  5=5 
O 
J  S  c 
«  o 
H 
1902. 
January. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
Aft. 
deep. 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
aa 
03 
01 
s: 
X. 
9 
O 
deg. 
deg. 
dee. 
deg. 
In.s. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Sanday  ...  5 
W.S.W. 
43-8 
39-4 
47  3 
410 
— 
43-4 
44-3 
450 
33-5 
Monday  ...  6 
S.W. 
46-8 
43-2 
51T 
37 '6 
— 
41-9 
44  0 
45-2 
38-3 
Tuesday  ..  7 
S.W. 
41-7 
39.9 
46-4 
38-9 
— 
41-4 
43  6 
45-2 
27  0 
Wed’sday  8 
W.S.W. 
43T 
39-5 
44-1 
41-3 
— 
41  9 
43-5 
45-2 
39  0 
Thsrsday  9 
W.S.W. 
44-3 
41-4 
51-1 
40-2 
0-03 
41-9 
43  5 
45-2 
38.9 
Friday  ...10 
S.W. 
50-7 
490 
53T 
44-0 
— 
43-9 
43-6 
45-3 
42-4 
Saturday  11 
W.S.W. 
48-3 
46-9 
49-3 
48-2 
0-0  ' 
45T 
43-6 
45-3 
40-3 
Total. 
Mbans  ... 
45-5 
42-8 
48-9 
41-6 
0-05 
42-8 
43-7 
45-2 
37  T 
'Phe  weather  during  the  week  has  been  dull  and  mild.  Sunday  and 
Monday  was  very  bright  and  warm. 
PUBLICATIONS  RECEIVED. — Floralia.  Meehan's  Monthly: 
coloured  plate  and  description  of  Delphinium  bicolor.  Holloioay's 
Almanac,  1902.  Newstead’s  Mo^wgraph  of  British  Coccidce,  vol.  I. 
J 
The  Kitchen  Garden. 
POTATOES  IN  FRAMES. — If  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
manure  and  leaves  are  available  to  form  a  hotbed  inside  a  brick 
frame  or  built  in  the  open  with  a  frame  on  the  top,  Potatoes 
may  be  planted  now.  In  the  latter  case  more  manure  will  be 
required  than  in  a  brick  pit,  and  a  few  linings  of  fresh  manure 
will  be  necessary  also.  On  the  surface  of  the  manure  place  9in 
to  a  foot  of  soil.  Plant  the  tubers  6in  to  Sin  apart,  in  rows  15in 
asunder.  Well  sprouted  sets  are  the  best  for  the  purpose, 
rubbing  off  all  the  weakly  side  sprouts.  In.  severe  weather  cover 
the  frame-lights  with  mats  or  litter  to  exclude  frost. 
CARROTS  AND  RADISHES.— -Early  crops  of  the  short 
varieties  of  Carrots,  such  as  Sutton’s  Inimitable  Forcing 
and  Early  Short  Horn,  may  be  secured  by  sowing  on  a  good  hot¬ 
bed  covered  with  a  foot  depth  of  light,  rich  soil.  Sow  the  seed 
either  in  drills  or  broadcast,  not  thickly  in  either  case.  A 
sprinkling  of  Radish  seed  ought  also  to  be  sown,  covering  both 
with  a  layer  of  fine  soil.  Both  may  be  grown,  however,  in 
frames  partly  filled  with  light  soil.  The  plants  will  not  advance 
so  rapidly,  but  they  will  be  earlier  than  roots  can  be  procured 
by  outdoor  sowing.  The  oval  or  olive-shaped  varieties,  and 
Wood’s  Frame  Radi.sh,  are  excellent  for  early  frame  culture. 
RHUBARB.- — \  hotbed  in  a  spare  frame  is  a  good  place  to 
force  clumps  of  Rhubarb,  especially  an  open  hotbed,  as  this  can 
be  renewed  occasionally  with  fresh  linings  of  manure  to  maintain 
a  suitable  temperature.  Clumps  may  also  now  be  placed  under 
the  stages  in  a  warm  house,  or  any  corner  where  a  temperature 
of  55deg  to  GOdeg  is  maintained. 
ONIONS. — Seed  of  Ailsa  Craig  or  other  choice  variety  of 
Onion  may  be  sown  in  boxes  of  soil  placed  in  a  vinery  or  other 
structure.  Keep  the  boxes  in  a  light  position  after  the  seed  has 
germinated,  and  gi’adually  harden  the  young  plants  to  outdoor 
treatment,  for  planting  out  in  April. 
RED  CABBAGE. — Serviceable  Cabbages  are  obtained  in 
autumn  by  sowing  seed  now  in  a  box  and  pricking  out  the  seed¬ 
lings  to  strengthen  before  finally  planting  them  out  in  rich  soil 
in  April. 
CAULIFLOWERS. — One  of  the  earliest  and  best  Cauli¬ 
flowers  is  Sutton’s  First  Crop.  Fortunately  it  is  easily  raised 
from  seed  sown  about  this  date,  in  a  pan  or  box,  and  the  seed¬ 
lings  pricked  out  in  other  boxes,  or  better  in  a  frame,  whence 
they  can  be  lifted  and  planted  in  the  open  ground  in  good,  rich 
soil  in  April.  It  is  not  of  large  size,  but  in  good  soil  the  heads 
advance  to  a  moderate  size. 
BROAD  BEANS. — A  sowing  may  be  made  of  Mazagan  or 
Prolific  Longpod  on  a  well-drained  border,  but  in  cold,  wet  .soils 
it  will  be  better  to  defer  sowing  for  a  few  weeks.  Sow  in  a 
drill,  drawn  Din  wide  and  4in  deep,  placing  the  seed  din  apart 
in  two  lines. 
DWARF  BEANS. — The  only  way  of  securing  early  crops  of 
these  is  to  sow  in  jiots  in  heat  and  later  in  frames.  A  low  span 
pit,  well  heated,  is  a  suitable  structure,  and  8-in  pots  should  be 
three  parts  filled  with  good  loam  and  manure,  sowing  in  each 
about  eight  seeds.  In  a  temperature  of  65deg  they  will  soon 
germinate,  when  elevate  the  pots  close  to  the  glass,  maintaining 
a  steady  temperature,  adequate  moisture  and  a  top-dres.sing  of 
rich  soil  when  the  plants  have  advanced  to  a  fair  size.  Succes- 
sional  batches  of  pots  must  be  filled  and  sown  to  maintain  the 
supply. 
SOWING  PEAS. — The  desire  to  have  early  crops  of  Pea,s  is  a 
strong  inducement  to  many  to  sow  a  few  early  rows  in  the  open 
ground,  but  it  is  questionable  whether  much  is  ga  ned  by  placing 
the  seed  in  cold  soil  before  the  end  of  the  month  except  a  warm, 
dry,  and  sunny  position  can  be  ensured.  A  surer  ivay  of  obtain¬ 
ing  an  early  crop  is  to  sow  the  seed  under  glass  in  pots  or  boxes. 
If  pots  are  chosen,  place  .some  leaves  at  the  bottom  of  a  number 
of  3-in  pots,  nearly  fill  these  with  light  soil,  and  .sow  the  seed, 
just  covering  with  soil. 
Sowing  in  narrow  boxes,  the  sides  of  which  may  be  detached 
when  the  Peas  are  ready  for  planting,  is  a  good  method. 
Perhaps,  however,  the  plan  of  sowing  the  seed  in  strips  of  turf 
is  the  best.  Scoop  out  a  drill  in  the  centre  of  turf,  and  sow  the 
Peas  rather  thickly,  covering  with  fine  soil.  The  pots,  boxes, 
or  turves  may  be  placed  in  a  temperature  of  55deg,  just  main¬ 
taining  sufficient  moisture  to  start  germination.  Afterwards 
give  plenty  of  light  and  abundance  of  air,  as  it  is  neoe.s.sary  that 
the  seedlings  should  not  become  drawn.  Previous  to  planting, 
which  may  be  done  in  a  month,  if  weather  be  favourable  at  that 
time,  cold  frame  treatment  is  the  best  preparation.— Lymington, 
Hants. 
