86 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



mixed, equal quantifies of each all through ; 



I, 2, Tom Thumb geranium ; 3, 4, 5, 6, Calceo- 

 laria amplexicaulis ; 7, 8, Lobelia speciosa ; 9, 10, 



II, 12, Cerastium tomentosum ; 13, 11, verbena 

 Belinda, or verbena Andre. 



Catalogues and Books Received.— " D® scrip " 

 tive Catalogue of Dahlias, Pceonies, Phloxes, 

 Fuchsias, Chrysanthemums, Irises DaisieB, 

 Antirrhinums, etc., cultivated by John baiter, 

 Versailles Nursery, Hammersmith, \V. In 

 addition to chrysanthemums, of which Mr. hal- 

 ter's is the largest collection in Europe, this com- 

 rjaet catalogue contains lists of the best dahlias, 

 pentstemons, fuchsias, potentillas, and gera- 

 niums, and hardy ornamental plants, with varie- 

 gated foliage. The list of the latter increases 

 year by year, and the one before us is the best 

 of the' kind we have yet seen.—" Buttons far- 

 mer's Manual and Seed List for 1860. Sutton 

 and Sons, Reading." A valuable and interest- 

 ing work for farmers generally, who desire to 

 keep pace with the times, and especially valu- 

 able to the large respectable class of amateur 

 farmers, allotment holders, and the market 

 growers of cattle feed. There is a carefully 

 written paper on the Distribution of British 

 Grasses by Professor Buckman, whose book 

 we noticed a short time since, and numerous 

 practical notes on the field culture of the carrot 

 turnip, mangold, cabbage, a copious seed list 

 well arranged, and a calendar of farm opera- 

 tions.-" Catalogue of Cast Iron Vases, Chairs, 

 Seats, etc., kept in stock by J. Jones, hotwater 

 apparatus manufacturer, Bankside South- 

 wark " The de3igus of some of the iron 

 chairs, and stools, and garden seats are admi- 

 rable, but we are in no way attracted by 

 Mr Jones' vases. After the works of Messrs. 

 Ransome, of Ipswich, all works of the same 

 class are poor, or at least mediocre. Pur- 

 chasers of garden furniture should pay a visit 

 to Bankside, to select from these cheap and 

 beautiful seats and tables, many of which are 

 as fit for the hall and the drawmg-room, as lor 

 the grass-plot or the garden-house Mr. Jones 

 has brought the hot-water system to a state of 

 hi"h efficiency, and his cannon boilers are 

 Dowerful, certain, and immensely economical 

 \n working. - " The Autobiography of a 

 White Cabbage Butterfly, by Michael West- 

 nott of Wells, Somerset, with introduction by 

 Beverley R. Morris, Esq., M.D.D. Groeni- 

 bridge and Sons." We welcome this new edi- 

 tion of a very ingenious and amusing, and not 

 the less accurate monograph on the history ot 

 the commonest ot butterflies. It is suitable, 

 for school prizes and for presentation to (rood 

 boys and girls at home.-" Supplement t,, the 

 Gardening Book of Annuals, _ by William 

 Thompson, of Ipswich. Simpkin and Mar- 

 shall " A clever resume of the annuals added 

 to the lists since Mr. Thompson's book was | 

 published, containing descriptions oi more than 

 100 species. It is beautifully printed, and ar- 

 ranged alphabetically. 

 LinUM graNDIFLORUM.- Kite.- The complaint 

 you make of the quality of the flowers, con- 

 vinces us that the seed was not true. This 

 Linum is equal to all the praises that have been 

 lavished upon it, and is by no means difficu t ot 

 culture. We believe there is no occasion what- 

 ever for steeping the seed ; it is a trouble tor 

 nothing If the main crop is sown m pans, a 

 ninch at least should be sown in the open 

 border, which will probably produce the best 

 r>lants Those raised under glass require plenty 

 of air ■' a close heated place ruins them in their 

 youth. English saved seed is worthless. 

 French is good, and Algerian is best of all. 

 Geometric Garden.-*. B. O.-We can only 

 offer a few general hints on your plan-because, 



first, we never undertake to plant gardens ; 

 secondly, we cannot judge what may be done, 

 unless we know the nature of the climate, soil, 

 aspect, and measurement of the beds, none ot 

 which particulars are supplied with the plan. 

 No. 1 should be neutral, or a so(t and unob- 

 trusive colour. According to the fashion, that 

 would be planted with a variegated geranium, 

 such as Flower of the Day. Nos. 2 to 9 should 

 be of plants pretty uniform m height and well 

 balanced in colour; for instance, 5 and 9, 3 and 

 7, 8 and 4, 2 and 6, should be pairs, or in colours 

 or tints very neatly corresponding. Suppose 

 they were to be geraniums, we should use 

 Flower of the Day in No. 1, Tom Thumb in 2 

 and 6, Trentham Scarlet in 4 and 8, Lucia Rosea 

 in 3 and 7, and Boule de Neige in 5 and 9. lo 

 match with such arrangement, 10 and 12 should 

 beWhite'Unique,audllandl3 Salviapatens. 1 he 

 beds 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, appear to be suitable 

 for dwarf roses ; say for 10, General Jacqueminot, 

 11 Duchess of Sutherland, 12, Geant des Batail- 

 les, 13, Caroline de Sansal. Perhaps dwarl 

 evergreen shrubs, such as Skimnna Japonica, 

 Gauftheria Shallon, Rhododendron cihatum, and 

 Gaultheriafurcns. But a mere diagram, without 

 particulars, demands the gift of second sight to 

 plant it: and the best general advice we can otter 

 is, that every strong colour should be balanced, 

 else the affair will look one-sided, and lor the 

 centre of any such geometric plan bright colours 

 are unsuitable. _, .. 



Window Grkeneouse.-JF. P. P.-The dimen- 

 sions vou name and the plan ot construction 

 are suitable. You had better have a s ate bot- 

 tom instead of wood ; but wood, well coated 

 with pitch, will answer very well. To have a 

 succession of flowers in such a small structure 

 is impossible, unless you introduce plants m 

 bloom, and remove them to supply their place 

 with others as fast as they lose their beauty 

 Protection of Fruit Blossoms.— J. Holroyd.-- 

 The best net is the Chisw.ick pattern, sold by 

 Hay thorn of Nottingham. They should be 

 fixed to the wall a little above the trees, and 

 brought out at the bottom in a sloping direc- 

 tion. For standard trees, take for each three 

 or four stakes of sufficient length, drive them 

 into the ground to meet above the tree, and lie 

 them together firmly, quite clear of the branches 

 all round, and over this contrivance throw the 

 net at night, and take it off in the morning. 

 Large trees must take their risk. . 



Tie for Zinc Labels, etc.— The best material 

 for attaching zinc labels is soft metallic wire, 

 which you can obtain of any respectable iron- 

 monger. House sewage is the stuff that conies 

 from bed-rooms, and the "suds" produced on- 

 washing-day, and greasy water, and the water 

 vegetables 'have been cooked in from the kit- 

 chen It is a mixture that does wonders as a 

 fertilizer. Every drop of drainage from the 

 stable and pig-sty should go on the land. 

 Tours is a good camellia starved. 

 Substitutes for Flower of the Day. — A. B. 

 —To make a contrast against the bronzy foliage 

 and vivid blossoms of Lobelia fulgens, you may- 

 use Cerastium tomentosum, variegated mint, 

 variegated alyssum, variegated dead-nettle, 

 variegated periwinkle, or Venus s navelwort. 

 The only one about which there is a doubt 

 is the variegated dead-nettle, which in a rich 

 soil runs back to a healthy green. The peri- 

 winkle makes a first-rate substitute for Flower 

 of the Day, and is mostjbeautilul when in good 

 keeping. All those named are quite hardy, and 

 the Venus's navelwort is an annual that does 

 not last long, but is exquisite in its glittering, 

 silvery effect when at its best. A reserve plot 

 of it, sown as soon as the flower-buds of the 

 first begin to appear, will be ready to trans- 

 plant to take the place of the first, when its day 



