64 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



if the identification of particular plants is a matter of any importance. — 5. S. S. — 

 Plenty of time to purchase and plant roses. As you are a new subscriber you would 

 do well to order the number for November, 18G8. — J. Simson. — The plunging system 

 has been amply treated of in these pages ; it was in this work that it was first made 

 known. There is no mystery at all about potatoe disease ; it has been explained, 

 and every point cleared up long ago, and as much information given in this work 

 as in any other. The whole subject may be summed up in a sentence — if cold, wet 

 weather occurs when the tubers are ripeniug, thev become diseased ; if the weather 

 is hot and dry at that time, they do not become diseased. 



Coal-Smoke. — Victor. — It is not true that every whiff of coal-smoke tends to 

 poison a garden, because in the suburbs of towns most evergreen shrubs and some 

 conifers acquire richer colours and a more robust growth than they do in the 

 country. But if we remove those same shrubs that are evidently enjoying the 

 moderate amount of smoke they get another half mile, or it may be another furlong 

 nearer to the town, they may begin to decline, and perhaps never again show the 

 appearance of robust health which in the first instance proved that smoke was good 

 for them. It is utterly impossible to describe the exact degree of smoking any class 

 of trees or shrubs will bear; the only approximation to a standard must be obtained 

 by observation. Those who live near towns must be guided in their planting by the 

 state of shrubs and trees in the locality, and in introducing kinds respecting which 

 they have doubts a few only should be tried in the first instance. Thus, in a good 

 bed of peat most Rhododendrons and hardy Azaleas do well on the very skirts of the 

 City of London, but Kalmia latifolia will not grow and bloom as it ought anywhere 

 within four miles of London. So again, any and every Andromeda will thrive in 

 good peat near London, with the exception of A. floribunda, which is the first to 

 perish in a district where houses are on the increase. From your description of the 

 locality we should plant ad lib., but you must he the best judge of the probable 

 length of time the plots around you will continue open. When builtupon you will 

 he linked to the town by blocks of houses, and a few choice things will resent the 

 attachment by vanishing from the scene. 



Whitewash. — H. B. — Whitewash is one of the most valuable articles in the world 

 properly applied. It prevents not only the decay of wood, but conduces greatly 

 to the healthiness of all buildings, whether of .wood or stone. Out-buildings and 

 fences, when not painted, should be supplied once or twice every year with a good 

 coat of whitewash, which should be prepared in the following way : — Take a clean, 

 "water-tight barrel, or other suitable cask, and put into it half a bushel of lime. 

 Slake it by pouring water over it boiling hot, and in sufficient quantity to cover it 

 five inches deep, and stir it briskly till thoroughly slaked. When the slaking has 

 been effected, dissolve it in water, and add two pounds of sulphate of zinc, and one 

 pound of common salt. These will cause the wash to harden, and prevent its 

 cracking, which gives an unseemly appearance to the work. If desirable, a beau- 

 tiful cream colour may be communicated to the above wash by adding three pounds 

 of yellow ochre ; or a good pearl or lead colour by the addition of lamp, vine, or 

 ivory black. For fawn colour, add four pounds of umber, Turkish or American (the 

 latter is the cheapest), one pound of Indian red, and one pound of common lamp- 

 black. For a common stone colour, add four pounds of raw umber and two pounds 

 of lampblack. This wash may he applied with a common whitewash brush, 

 and will be found much superior both in appearance and durability to common 

 whitewash. 



Pandantjs Propagation. — Young Gardener. — The Pandanads are increased 

 by means of the suckers or side shoots. Strip them off without injuring the parent 

 stem. Insert in small pots, and plunge them in a bottom heat if convenient. The 

 suckers must have a hard base or they will soon rot away. You will find the 

 whole of this genus do well in equal parts of peat, loam, and leaf mould used 

 roughly. The drainage must be perfect, and a few crocks may be mixed with the 

 compost with advantage. P. Javanica variegata, and P. ornatus, are two fine 

 distinct kinds. 



