The Express.
London, England, 1851-01-04 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 4, 1851.

IRELAND.

DrstrN. lAN. 3.

CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS FOR THE
ENSUING WEEK.

LFrws the Gardeners' armlets .1

From now until the end of February is the moat
trying period to tender plaits, pieced throughout the winter
and spring in pits and frames, to be preserved for the summer
decoration of the flower garden, tee beauty of which so much
depends upon their being brought carefully through the
trials that now await them, that too much attention can
scarcely be paid in guarding them from carers of cold and
damp. This is not the time to rescues the best way of water-'
ins teader plants, as every one who has any to preserve, will
have put hie favourite or most couvenient plan into use long
before this. The great point to aim at cow, iv, to take
care that no injury comes to the stock; end that whatever
plan has been adopted, it be made to inset} by strict attn.
tin and diligence in pr venting the plan• a from suffering
by frost, or damping off for want of id:. Every opportunity
should be seized to admit Sabi and air to the inmates of all
pits and 'Tomes, and to pit k off every leaf that shows apt*.
tents of decay, before the evil is communicated to others.
Should severe frost continue for vveral days, so that no
light or air can be admitted to cold pits containing such
plants as geraniums, calceolariss, petuoi.ie, ike., be can.
lions In nrcoveeing alter the (rest go, a. let the two sudden
exposure to the action of bitht th Auld pr.!. injurious to
them. Remove thi greater part of the covering first, leaving
a little to. shade the plants for a few hours, while sir is
I admitted by tilting the sasi as an inch or two at the Leek,
which will enable them better to endure the sudden change
from total d.rknees to a bright light. In giving water, morn
caution st.oold be used not to cause more damp than if un-
roidable the frame or pi', as the drier both it and the
ceveriert ma'erial is kept the lets will !root be attracted, and
the healthier will the plants continue. The kiiehen garden
frames whkh are occupied with salad', canbff seers, early
:artistic., die., should also share our attention; and every
means we can devise should be pat in practice to ensure
the safety of these useful placts from clues, and from the
mould and damp, ea apt to result from long enact. mew%
The ashes of garden refuse, pruning. of shrub. and
kedges, or any consumable matter, sit ed fine aid
sprinkled among ytueg lettuces or caubfl avers will
ant rep dry up name, but snails and slugs will be made on-
eomfortable be its adhering to them, and these ashes are very
fertilising. Many opera ions can he curie lon during frosty
weather with much great. r facility than when the ground
is soft 414 wet. Manures, ireeh soils for reinvigorating
exhaust d compertmen's and fruit bonds re, and draieieg
materials were required, can ad be ceoveyed to their
places in a much more ready and cleanly manner while
the surface is hard. By forethought and activity much
may now be done to forward the wink of a garden, and all
banes can h' fully imployid even in the severest weather.
Pruning the hay.lier kinds of truit.bearing plants, as goose-
berries and currants and dressing and tying raspberries,
may be safely carried on during the frost; and if snow
fell. so as to prevent out door work, there will be a hest of
things to be done in doers, inch u making brooms, preparing
flower sakes, tallies, In the plant department, Orchid
beakers may be made, trellises painted, crocks broken and
sorted, and soils got in white in a frozen state, by re hick
insects end their injurious lere IC are di streyed ; titian •
greet variety of other things wh'ck may be pot in readiness.
for the busy time ot potting in the spring.
PLANT DEPARTMENT.
The principal thing to be attended to in this depart-
ment during the present month is to keep the plants
perfectly free from decaying leaves and insects, and to
avoid excees of heat and moisture during dull weather ;
but wheoevyr there it a clear day, take advantage of it
to leer'. se the temperature a few deer*, a, accompanied
with more air, by which the Outs will be much invigorated.
Avoid watering until you can moisten thoroughly the whole
of the soil in the pot; and endeavour to keep a moderately
dry atmosphere about ell plants at this starer. Although it
is not a common prac.ice to pot plants at this dull period of
the year, yet, in many cans, it may be done with advantage.
We find that heath , and many other pleats which grow
throughout the winter, do will when potted at this season;
and we make a practice of potting all plants that require
it; when they have done flowering and have begun a
new growth, be the seuon what it may. Now is a good
time to turn the heaps of soil collected during the
autumn, as many inaectoj will be expand and destroyed
by the Iraq ; and if, alter being turned, the frost con-
touts until a crust is formed, some 01 the soil may
be taken in this state into the shed, am it will then be quite
free from haute. Sphagnum for Orchids siloald be col•
tested and laid out thinly upon a clean toot, that the birds
may pick the term of insects out of it. The action of frost
will also be of service la destroying them ; and its sweeten ng
influence wilt render the apttagnum genial to the rcots ot
the Orchid.. Orchid, baskets of varioua sects and blocks of
any kind of durable wood, should be prepared; that when
the week of shifecg the plants and cleaning the blocks com-
mences, ell may be Li reedinem. Stoves should range from
50 to 55 deg. at night • intermediate houses, 41 to 60 deg.;
geraniums and soft-wooded greenhouse plants, 38 to 43 deg.;
New Rolland•house, the lime; lieath•beuse, 32 to 3i deg.
The day temperature should range from 5 to 15 deg.
higher, according to the amount of light. The practised
eye will readily detect goy little ells rations that are required,
such as removing to the warmer end of each house those
I plants which are a Little more delicate in constitution then
their neighboun, or which, from various causes, require a
more favourable allusion.
CONSERVATORY.
As soon as any of tile flowering plants become shabby in
appearance, they should tie removed out of the way, to make
room for others which are coming into timer. In arranging
these, let the situation of each be suited as much so possible
to the satire of the plant' some kinds preferrieg a shinty
situation, and eke mane. With regard to temperature, also,
elms require to be place d in the wet meat parts of tie con.
servatory, auntie otbere will be satutied with a simple pro
tection from frost.
PLOWER GARDEN AND SHIIVIIHERIES.
In many damp low aituati•orts it will be found better to
have the pits in whim halfhardy plants are kept heated
with 2 inch hut-water pipes; and as these enable us to din
pease with mats or covering of any hied over the glass, they
will be found on the whole to be not only the best hut the
cheapest. Where these are in use, cue should be takes not
to ren-er the plants too tender by esteem of fire heat. If the
frost is ezciuded, it is sufficient ; and air ehoull be admitted
as all favourable occasions; while, if the weather Is mild and
dry, the lights may be entirely drawn eft for an hour or two
lie the middle ot the day.
remitter's rhowene.
January is quite sun eneugn to pat dahlia roots in heat,
in order to obtain a great stoik of pleats, Tot some begin
thus early. Nothing is so well adapted for this purpose as •
small home, with a hot-water tank. We would *lvies these
whose roots have been stored in cellars, and 'igniter phion,
to examine them, and it yid be hig.ily beneficial to bring
them oat, acd expo:. them to the wind on fine drying days.
The trouble is cot much, and it may leave great disappei.,t-
Alter free., look well to ell fl vista' flowers planted in hide,
such as piolu, penstee, &c.; they are often relied. Teen
its frames will require *hiss over, the dead leaves removing ;
pinks and carnattons are peculiarly liable to be affected with
a black mildew ; title, if not removed, will spread to others.
It will be best that all eft cied plants should be kept in a
frame by theme. leer. We have tried dente gs with sulphur,
and with beneficial effect. We doubt cot that the contrivance
now in use for discharging powdered brimstone over ail.
dewed plants would be extremely useful to the finis,.
KITCHEN GARDEN.
The most economical method of ioreing French beans is
to grow them is a bed of soil, in a pit which has the ad•
ventage of being heated at pleasure, both top and bottom,
hy means of hot-water pipes. The best way of proceeding
is to fill the frame to within 12 irate of the elan with
fermenting material., and upon this to lay 9 inches of rich,
loamy soil. The seeds should be sown jackals loegitudinally,
for es the surface of the soil will be upon the same incline as
the glass, the plants will not shade one enotth r so much
as if in rows transvereely. As the plants incense in size,
eve fermenting material will gradually sink, and when
the heat thereof hoeing to duke., it an be sustained by
means of the hot-water pipet. A sowing of lettuces and
radishes should be made on a warm, open b,rder, being the
south, and covered with a little dry fern, labia: should be
drawn oil with a wooden-heated rake dating the day in
fine weather. The early crop of radishes in frames will nos
be progressing, and the manes should be removed for a few
hours every day when the temperature is above 40 deg. Let
them be thinned out sufil dandy to prevent their injuring
tech other. A sowing ot radishes, lettuces, cauliflowers,
calory, and a little early dwarf York cabbage will eerie in
early, it made under a south wall, where a outing is used
for the protectua of apricots or peaches. Some peas of an
early kind, and a few M.zagan beans, may now be wen og
an early border, taking care to prevent mice tram destroy log
the seeds. Sowing a little chopped turvi or malt screenings
in the drills will be found useful for this purpose.
HARDT PRUIT GARDEN.
If Apricots are not already covered, it should be done as
soon as possible, f.r their it rwer.buds are a jeered by freesn
sleet much sooner than is generally believed. A recurrence
of each a stun as the last, when rainy fine trees were killed
spring, would be unfortunate ; and,