THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



87 



is over, and for a few pence a genuine good fea- 

 ture may be secured. 



Gishurst Compound — Cyclamen' Persicum. 

 — E. N., Uckjiehl. — We can only understand 

 your failure to dislodge and destroy aphis by 

 means of Gishurst compound by supposing you 

 have not obtained the genuine article, or that 

 what you have has been exposed to the atmo- 

 sphere, or to some cause destructive of its 

 virtues. Yours is the first complaint of non- 

 efficiency we have yet received ; but as tobacco 

 and all other remedies fail in some hands, per- 

 haps it would] be well to try again. Read our 

 remarks upon it in the number for September, 

 1859. Cyclamen Persicum should have plenty 

 of water till the dowering is over, and then go 

 to a cold pit and be allowed to get rather dry. 

 After they have been there a fortnight, put 

 them out on a bed of coal-ashes, and let them 

 be pretty dry till the leaves begin to wither, 

 when they must be laid on their sides, and have 

 no more water till repotted. In repotting, 

 plant them with the bulbs a little out of the soil, 

 give very little water, and keep in a cold pit safe 

 from frost tid the leaves have fairly commenced 

 growing, then increase the supply of water, but 

 not to the extent of soddening them, and trans- 

 fer to greenhouse to bloom again. The proper 

 soil is well-chopped turfy loam, turfy peat, and 

 leaf-mould, equal parts. 



AValtonian Cask. — The Rev. Hugh Ford Bacon 

 wishes to add to his note on heating the ease, 

 that his is made with the sand-tray separate 

 from the boiler, so that it can be lifted out by 

 itself. Thus, between it and the boiler it is 

 an easy matter to interpose whatever folds of 

 coarse flannel may be deemed requisite to mo- 

 derate and economize the heat. The floating 

 light is used exactly as the old lamp, a hole be- 

 ing cut in the flannel where the flame has access 

 to the boiler. — Novice. — You certainly are 

 unfortunate in managing the case, but you must 

 not be dispirited. We have just been con- 

 versing with a very successful exhibitor, who 

 was seven years learning how to propagate one of 

 the commonest of hardy shrubs; and we could 

 name one or two skilful growers of specimen 

 plants who always make a mess of propagating, 

 and hence are obliged to put such work into 

 other hands. So with the Waltonian— one 

 writes to say he has succeeded, to his own sur- 

 prise, from the first ; another labours on for 

 months, and can make nothing of it. We sus- 

 pect you use too much heat. The introduction 

 of candles will serve as a check to this baneful 

 practice, for they will not give the heat of a 

 lamp. Then you probably want a deeper bed of 

 sand to hold the moisture longer, without need 

 of making it too wet. We have two at work 

 now, from which we could have thousands of 

 seedling plants and rooted cuttings, and we 

 hardly know what state the sand is in, we are 

 so used to the process. About once a-week 

 some hot water is poured into the boder- 

 tube to fill up, and it is allowed to run over 

 freely, and the sand is of necessity wetted 

 throughout. Any way the sand must be damp 

 all over alike. The reason your geraniums die 

 back after sprouting is because there is no root 

 action, through being put into too sudden a 

 heat. Use the Boite a Houppe, charged with 

 flowers of sulphur, to keep down mildew. Keep 

 the sand quite damp, and take the lights off the 

 case altogether, keeping the heat as before. — 

 P. K. G.— Glad to hear that " everything has 

 proceeded without the slightest difficulty," 

 though we should call it " a difficulty" to have 

 seedlings come up drawn as yours are. You 

 use too much heat ; as soon as the soil in the 

 pans begin3 to break, through the pushing of 

 the seeds, the lights should be partially or 

 wholly removed. This will cool the case, make 



1 the seedlings stubby, and harden them at the 

 same time. Transplant when in the first rough 

 leaves, in little batches round the sides of pots, 

 and at the next shift put them separately into 

 thumbs, and plant close up to the seed-leaf. — 

 N. S. — The hairs always stand out brisk on the 

 leaves when in a damp, warm air. Nothing but 

 practico will enable you to manage the case, for 

 in its management you have to learn the art of 

 plant propagation. Very much depends on 

 having brisk young cuttings. Some people put 

 in joints of old wood, and then blame the case 

 because they damp off. Newly-made shoots, 

 taken off with a heel, are always the best to 

 strike, whether in the ease or a dung-bed. 



Removing Plants in Flower. — E. N. II., 

 Wisbech. — It is a bad practice to disturb the 

 roots of any plant when in flower or near 

 flowering. The poor appearance of the foliage 

 proves that they want more water at the root, 

 and a little of something stronger thau water. 

 Use weak soap-suds or soft water at the roots, 

 and the leaves will look better immediately. 



Belladonna Lilt. — M. M. S. — Amaryllis Bella- 

 donna will thrive in any rich light sandy soil well 

 drained. From this time, if in a pot, leave it 

 alone till July, then repot it in mixture of peat, 

 leaf-mould, loam, and old cow-dung, and give 

 regular supplies of water till its leaves have 

 been matured, and when it should be allowed 

 to go rather dry, and be kept at rest tillJuly 

 again. The best place for it is on a dry border, 

 near a wall, where it will flourish for years if 

 preserved from injury, and in autumn produce 

 its exquisitely -beautiful amaryllis-like blooms. 



Oiled Calico and Varnished Cotton as Pro- 

 tectors from Frost. — "I would be obliged 

 by P. Simpson, gardener, Kingcausie, mention- 

 ing what the upper part of the frame upon 

 which he stretches the varnished calico i3 made 

 of ; and, if it is of wood, about what is the 

 thickness of the pieces. I have attempted 

 something of the kind, and failed in getting a 

 serviceable frame. I would also be glad to 

 know how it is fastened down to the sides. I 

 have used oiled calico, which, as far as keeping 

 out frost, is much the same, I imagine, as var- 

 nished calico, and find it superior to glass for 

 that purpose. Mr. Glenny tells us that a sheet 

 of oiled calico over a handglass will keep out the 

 severest and longest frost. I find, however, 

 that oiled calico is very soon made useless by 

 something that I would be glad of knowing 

 some means to avoid. In mild weather, espe- 

 cially, it soon greens over, becomes rotten and 

 opaque, and so useless. In the ease of a 

 tolerably-sized turf-pit, which is covered with 

 it, it is necessary to manage thus : — About the 

 end of November, when the pit has to be pretty 

 constantly covered, the calico is put on fresh. 

 It remains transparent during the cold months 

 of December, January, and February. In 

 March it begins to green over, and by May is 

 nearly opaque ; but as durin? April and May 

 one is nearly independent of covering during 

 the daytime, it answers very well for so long. 

 The oil put upon the calico is never boiled with 

 sugar of lead, rosin, etc., as some recipes 

 direct, as it has been found that common linseed 

 oil dries perfectly in the open air in a week, in 

 any weather — in the sun in two days. Some 

 calico, oiled with oil prepared as above, appeared 

 to green over just as soon as that done with un- 

 boiled oil. Perhaps you or your readers can 

 tell me of some way to make the calico last 

 longer. — A. B." 



Mignonette. — Vergiss mein nieht. — Sow the 

 mignonette any time this month, on a bed 

 liberally enriched with rotten dung ; when the 

 plants are up, thin them to 6 inches apart, 

 and a fortnight after thin again, so as to allow 

 from 9 to 12 inches between them throughout. 



