64 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



directions for nlmo9t every genera of plants, of 

 which the seeds are entered. Tnus the reader 

 sees at a glance the habit, character, mode of 

 culture, and best style of displaying the nu- 

 merous subjects offered for his choice. Among 

 the novelties are some more of the Tom Thumb 

 section of Tropseolum, yellow, yellow-spotted, 

 etc., for bedding and ribbon lines. — •" Hylton 

 Floral and Horticultural Society's Prospectus, 

 1860." A well-prepared set of rules, and a pro- 

 mising schedule of prizes for the show to take 

 place next August. We hope the substantial 

 people of Hylton will subscribe liberally, so that 

 there may be abundant means to encourage the 

 growers of the district. We are pleased to see 

 a good list of subscriptions already. 



Names of Plants, etc. — J. M. Parsons. — Tour 

 pretty alpine is Saxifraga staticifolia. — H. F B. 

 — The plant which bothers you so on the lawn 

 is Knapweed. There is no sure way to get rid 

 of that and the daisies but by spudding them 

 out. If the extent is not very great, we should 

 recommend stripping the turf off, and dressing 

 the surface with fresh stuff, and then sowing 

 down with a mixture supplied tor the purpose, 

 from a house that has a good character for grass 

 seeds. You could have a good turf by midsum- 

 mer. The evergreen is Ardisiacrenulata. Among 

 the other evergreens we then had in our minds 

 were Ceanothus papillosus (rather tender), 

 Pernetlya phyllerifolia, GaultheriaShallon, Aza- 

 lea amsena, Andromeda pulverulenta atid flori- 

 bunda, Berberis glumacea, and Fortuni, Daphne 

 Fioniana, Rhamnus alaternus, Helix arborea va- 

 rie<*ata,Thuia compacta, Libocedrus Chilensis. 



%* When names of plants are not given in an- 

 swer to inquiries, it must be understood that the 

 specimens sent were too imperfect to be named. 



Various. — T. L. — Apply to any of the nursery- 

 men who advertise in this work. — Subscriber. — 

 Tou can get a cover through any bookseller. — 

 Kate reminds us that the price of Gidney's 

 housemaid's barrow is £'A 10s., and the iron 

 wheelbarrow £1 15s. In printing the descrip- 

 tion, the prices got reversed. — S. S. S. — The 

 offer you refer to was not accepted ; in fact, the 

 idea was not taken up, as was wished. — New 

 Subscriber can see the Waltonian case at Mr. 

 West's, Victoria Road, Surbiton. The best 

 source of heat is gas, the next best the lamp ; 

 the candles will not answer for stove-seeds, but 

 for cuttings of chrysanthemums, verbenas, 

 cerastium, and such plants which require but 

 moderate bottom heat, and for seeds of ordinary 

 bedding and border-flowers, they are quite suffi- 

 cient. Those who fill the boiler with not water 

 twice a-day need nothing more than the candle 

 to keep the heat up, as will be proved by the 

 thermometer. — B. B. — The depreciatory re- 

 marks in another quarter are in strict harmony 

 with the principle that "two of a trade never 

 agree ;" in fact, they are the expression of 

 personal spite, and the parties are more to be 



' pitied than blamed, for they know no better. — 

 S. W. — Letters containing queries, in regard to 

 which time is evidently of importance, are an- 

 swered privately when they arrive too late, pro- 

 vided they contain real names and addresses, as 

 all letters should. But it must be obvious that 

 if we undertook to answer letters indiscri- 

 minately in that way, it must be at the expense 

 of the interests of this work, and a terrible sa- 

 crifice of time on our part. Therefore, we re- 

 serve to ourselves, in all cases, the right of de- 

 ciding whether to reply through the post, or 

 defer till the next publication. You could have 

 written as well before the 18th as after it. Why 

 did you not ? 



ISMENE, AND GERANIUM TUBEROSUM— Hyacill- 



thus. — Any of the Ismene may be grown in the 

 open border, it kept quite dry and safe from 

 frost all winter, and planted out early in April, 

 or in warm places at the end of March. A deep 



sandy soil, enriched with leaf-mould, suits them 

 best. I. calanthinum flowers in June, two and 

 a-half to three feet high, white. Geranium 

 tuberosum is quite hardy, and will grow in any 

 moderately good garden soil. It does not rise 

 above ten inches, and flowers in July. The 

 prevailing tint is rose. 



Shady Border. — A. S. J. — You could have a nice 

 collection of ferns on the border, and mixed 

 with them the commonest sorts of primula, 

 Forget-me-not, green and variegated peri- 

 winlde, violets, moneywort, Solomon's seal, 

 perennial candytuft, fraxinella, sweet colts- 

 foot, and lily of the valley. They would all 

 thrive, except, perhaps, the last, which has a 

 will of its own, no matter where it is pi mted. 

 Dress the surface with leaf-mould and sand, or 

 chopped turf from a loamy pas'ure. The com- 

 monest hardy ferns may be obtaiued at a few 

 shillings per dozen. 



Hyacinth Offsets. — X. Y. Z. — The off-eta are 

 removed to strengthen the bloom, and because 

 they are of little value if kept to increase stojk. 

 If you wish to propagate, let the offsets remain 

 tib the bulbs are ripe, and then separate and 

 plant them in August. As a rule, they are not 

 worth preserving ; and, therefore, should be 

 removed, without injuring the parent bulb, as 

 soon as they appear. If merely nipped bask, 

 they will shoot again. 



Sandy Soil. — J. D. B. — To restore fertility to 

 your soil, you must husband every scrap oi re- 

 fuse that will rot into mould. Such soils may 

 be greatly improved by growing on them any 

 fast-growing green crops, such as rye, buck- 

 wheat, etc., and digging in the whole of it green, 

 and planting at once. Never let it he idle ; in- 

 stead of laying it up fallow, sow on it some 

 succulent plant on purpose to turn in as manure. 

 The house-slops and any other liquid manures 

 that are available should be used continuously 

 during summer. Do not use coal ashes on the 

 soil at all. None of the strong manures will be 

 too hot for your soil, if used liquid and well 

 diluted. Good stable dung and loam, if you 

 can get it, are the best refreshers of a solid 

 kind. 



Platycerium alcicorne. — P. H. Q., Torquay. — 

 This grows faster in a pot than on a block, and 

 makes a better specimen, other conditions 

 being equal. If you fix it to a piece of bark, 

 do not attach any such contrivance as a bag, 

 to support it, but tie it on securely with copper 

 wire, or, better still, the soft metallic wire now 

 so much used to attach labels to trees, etc. In 

 the course of time it will hold on in its own way. 

 When so grown, the plant derives nourish- 

 ment from the atmosphere, and for that reason 

 should be grown in a damp stove. It will do in 

 a warm corner of a greenhouse, if the tempera 

 ture is constant, but will bear no vicissitudes. 

 To help it, give it an occasional dewing by dip- 

 ping a hard brush in warm water, and then 

 drawing the hand over the brush near the 

 plant. 



Floral World. — The second volume, hand- 

 somely bound, price 6s., is still on sale. Copies 

 of the first volume may also be had, price 6s. 

 Covers for binding Vol. II. may be obtained 

 through any bookseller, price Is. 6<J. 



Garden Oracle. — The issue for 1860 may still be 

 had, price Is. It contains a selection of Ericas 

 to bloom every day throughout the year, a 

 treatise on the culture of Ericas, and articles 

 ou annuals, Spergula pilifera and Sagina pro- 

 cumbens, the mmufacture of Britisn wines, 

 management of bees, and numerous domestic 

 receipts. The Garden Oracle for 1859 con- 

 tains a selection of greenhouse plants to bloom 

 every day throughout the year, and numerous 

 important articles on the management of gar- 

 dens, allotment grounds, the poultry-yard, etc., 

 price Is. 



