THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



283 



leaves that hare grown since the operation was 

 performed, when another dose settles them for 

 the season. The aloes need not be washed off 

 as it does no harm. As the cost of the aloes is 

 only Sd. a pound, this is a great saving over 

 tobacco, and a more cleanly and expeditious 

 method. — C. C. H., a Well Wishe) — [Aloes is an 

 old remedy, and is recommended in that ex- 

 cellent work, Jones's Dictionary of Gardening 

 Receipts."] 



Andromeda Formosa. — C. Mc. C— Formosa is 

 quite hardy in a good peat soil, and you would, 

 probably, get on better with it by turning it out. 

 You do not say how it has been treated, gene- 

 rally. In a greenhouse it needs as much air as a 

 Cape heath ; but what state are its roots in ? — 

 perhaps water-logged, or more likely still, the soil 

 consolidated into a large ball, so that the water 

 trickles over it, and without moistening the fine 

 fibres at all. Turn it out of the pot, and 3ee 

 how the case stands, and, if the ball is hard and 

 impervious, break" away some of the soil all 

 round with a fine stick, and repot it into a pot a 

 size larger with peat, leaf-mould, and silver sand 

 in equal proportions. When firmly potted, stand 

 it in a pail of water barely tepid for a few hours, 

 to soak the old ball through, and after that, give 

 no more water till the soil is nearly dry. 



Keeping! Fuchsias. — Rev. P. Kinman. — Fuchsias 

 laid on their sides under a south wall, and 

 covered during frost with mats, &c, would be 

 likely to lose their stems during the winter, but 

 the roots would throw up shoots in the spring. 

 Should the winter be severe, and the soil in 

 pots be frozen through, they would perish, but 

 a slight frost would not hurt them, and the 

 plumpest and hardest of the stems, would, 

 probably, survive. Under the stage, in the 

 greenhouse, is the usual place ior wintering 

 fuchsias, and, when they break in spring, they 

 have a little encouragement to make a good 

 start for blooming. Dark fuchsias are the 

 hardiest, and are the best to leave in the open 

 ground, cut close over, and the crowns covered 

 with coal-ashes. 



Pruning a Myrtle. — Rose. — Cut back all the 

 gross shoots to within one or two buds of the 

 base. The reason they do not flower is because 

 they grow too fast, and the reason the others 

 flower is because they do not grow at all, or 

 only sufficient to keep up a succession of bloom- 

 buds. Too fast a growth is inimical to the pro- 

 duction of flowers in all trees and shrubs alike; 

 therefore, in addition to cutting in the rank 

 shoots, it would also be well to open a tronch 

 at a radius of three feet from the stem, 

 and cut all the roots in to that space to a 

 depth of two or three feet, then till the trench 

 in with brickbats to be rammed in hard, so as 

 to confine the roots to that space, you may then 

 expect your plant to flower all over alike. 



Artichokes. — Novice. — Break the stems over close 

 to the ground, clear off the old leaves, but do 

 no harm to the centre or side shoots ; then fork 

 over the bed, and throw the earth in a ridge, 

 nine inches high over each plant, but keep the 

 crumbs from the heart ; then pile a lot of litter 

 four inches thick, round each plant, and over all 

 put two inches of coal-ashes sifted fine. In the 

 spring, the ashes are to be forked in, and are an 

 cxcelleut manure. Dielytra spectabilis is as 

 hardy as a monkshood, and will throw up new 

 shoots in just the same way in spring. Cut it 

 close over, and pile a spadeful of old dry dung 

 over the crown in a convex form, and so trust it 

 to the elements. 



Calceolajsia Amplexicaulis. — A Subscriber 

 advises a more extensive culture, by amateurs, 

 of this beautiful bedder, which he finds to do 

 better from spring than, from autumn cuttings. 



He says, " it would be ol great service to us 

 amateurs to give each other hints on these 

 subjects, and a periodical not in the interests of 

 the trade might allow it." As we have n 4 the 

 remotest connection with any trade Interest, ami 

 not one single pet nurseryman or Beadsman to 

 recommend, why should not the ' I 

 World " be a free medium of intercommunica- 

 tion between the lovers of horticulture in all 

 its several branches ? There is every 

 why it should. 



Tool for Trenching.— We have some of P: 



steel forks supplied by Burgess and Key, which 

 seem equal to any sort of work; though Blight, 

 the material is so tempered as to be capable of 

 very tough work. Forks are displacing spades 

 and draining tools everywhere. Willi i go 

 a man can cio one-third more work per day, 

 than with any of the old-fashioned tools. Coal- 

 ashes are largely used i as a dressing for stiff land 

 and are in no way objectionable if finely sifted, 

 but when cinders abound, they do harm, bee tuse 

 no plant will make roots about them. Pine 

 ashes are a first-rato dressing for peas and 

 beans. 



Catalogues asd Books Received. — Charles 

 Noble, Bagshot, " Catalogue of Ornamental 

 Plants," including gentiana fortuni, farfugiam 

 grande, thujopsis dolahrata, hard;- conifers, 

 Americans, roses, fruit trees, &c. — loliu Stand- 

 ish, Bagshot, " Catalogue of plants, grown 

 at the Royal Nursery," including camellia reti- 

 culata, flore-pleno, hardy ornamental trees and 

 shrubs, rhododendrons, kalmias, ericas, fruit 

 trees, roses, greenhouse plants, &c. — " Index 

 Filieum, a synopsis of Genera, and Species of 

 Ferns," by Thomas Moore, author of the " Hand- 

 book of British Ferns," &c. Part 5. Pamplin, 

 Frith-street, Soho. 



Books on Ferns, etc. — E. E. — Either " Moore' 

 Handbook of British Ferns," or Johnson's 

 "British Ferns popularly described," will suit 

 you. Lowe's "British and Exotic Ferns " is a 



superb work, copiously illustrated in colours, 

 but is, perhaps, too extensive in its treatment of 

 the subject for you. For good practical notes on 

 fern culture, and selection of sorts for the hardy 

 fernery and greenhouse, you cannot do better 

 than consult " Rustic Adornments." The infor- 

 mation sought respecting vines in pots is given 

 in an article. We cannot recommend dealers- 



Turnip-greens.— Rev. J. Ramsey. — Turnips put 

 in drills for an early crop of greens, should be 

 covered with six inches of coal-ashes, or any 

 other similarly clean material. AVheu they ap- 

 pear through the tops of the drills, the material 

 should be removed down to the bulb, and tho 

 blanched stems cut clean away and covered over 

 again for another growth. Swedes funnel the 

 sweetest greens. Your letter was answered in 

 the way you requested, by writing replies oppo- 

 site to the queries, and tile replies were posted 

 in the envelope you sent. 



Gcawo.— R. H. W.-~ Keep your bag of guano till 

 spring, then use it to whatever kitchen 

 crops you want to grow fast, as a liquid manure. 

 Mixed with soot or wood-ashes, it is a good 

 dressing for onions, cabbages, and other rank 

 feeders, either sown on the surface dry, or mixed 

 with water. See hints on the same subject to 

 another correspondent. 



Cuero-guano. — A correspondent wishes to know 

 from those who have used the above manure, 

 what are the best modes, and in what pro] 

 to apply it. Having never used it ourselves, we 

 cannot advise. Best Peruvian guano should 

 never be used stronger than half an ounce to a 

 gallon of water; 



