THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN aUIDE. 



113 



fruit. You had better refer to past 

 volumes for management of calceolarias, 

 cinerarias, etc., because, to reply to your 

 queries, would require a treatise, and it 

 is not long since we traated of those 

 subjects. Any box that will hold a 

 bushel of soil will grow a cucumber plant. 

 We have grown cucumbers and melons 

 in a greenhouse to perfection in 15-inch 

 pots. For list of roses see past issues. 

 Your grass will improve after we have 

 had some rain. Roll and mow, and it 

 will soon come right. There is no good 

 melon very hardy ; those worth eating 

 require the usual treatment of melons. 

 We can recommend for beginners Boule 

 de Siam and Cantaloupe. Messrs. 

 Carter recommend as very good, and as 

 hardy as ridge cucumbers, a melon called 

 Achapesnorricher. The primula can be 

 had of any respectable nurseryman. We 

 object, as a rule, to mention names. 

 Vines in Greenhouse. — New Suhscriher. 

 — Grapes will grow in a house of any 

 pitch. A sharp pitch is best for early 

 grapes, and a low one suits for late 

 grapes. Train one foot from the glass. 

 Bring in the stem wherever it is conve- 

 nient to do so. The grand thing is to 

 have the roots in a good sunny border. 

 One vine will do for a house of six yards 

 in length, but in the present day most 

 gardeners would prefer to plant three to 

 save time. The plants you name would 

 thrive in the same manner, as the vines 

 will be leafless when light is valuable. 

 "Sanders on the Vine," and " Cuthill 

 on the Cucumber." No good book on 

 the other subject named. 

 Verbenas. — T.L — Snowflake for white, 

 Foxhunter for scarlet, Purple King or 

 Andre for purple or blue. Yon cannot 

 do better than red, white, and blue. 

 Exhibition Flowers. — T. S. Thornton. — 

 You don't say how many you want of 

 each. Of Fuchsias, take Clio, Madame 

 Corneillison, Sir Colin Campbell, British 

 Sailor, GeneralWilliam^^Venus de Medici, 

 and Meteor for a centre-piece. Of Roses, 

 Jules Margottin, Prince Leon, Madame 

 Vidot, Triomphe de Beaux Artes, Ma- 

 dame Domage, and William Griffith. 

 Geraniums (? of what clas.s), take Bril- 

 U liant, Bijou, Alma, Attraction, Mrs. 

 Pollock, Sunset. Phlox, Mrs. Milford, 

 Alba perfecta, Argus, Countess of Home, 

 General Brea, Mrs. Winfield, Admiral 

 Lyons. You should invest a shilling in 

 the " Garden Oracle." You would have 

 a complete summary of the best of the 

 show flowers of all classes. If you can- 

 not get what you want, apply to some of 

 the dealers who advertise iu this work. 



Coco\ Nut Dust. — M. S. — This is fit 

 for use the same day as received ; the 

 longer it rots the better it is, because 

 more solid, but it matters not how new 

 it is. We have numbers of tropical 

 ferns planted in it when quite new, and 

 they are pictures of health and vigour. 

 It is as good as peat for American 

 plants, will prevent calceolarias dying 

 off, and improve any soil, whether 

 light or heavy, but is invaluable to 

 temper the consistence of a tough 

 clay. 

 Botany. — Ulmits.~-The best work is 

 "Lindley's Vegetable Kingdom," pub- 

 lished at (we think) two guineas. "Beut- 

 le3-'s Manual," published by Churchill 

 at 12?. 6d., is a good book, though in 

 many things defective. " Hogg's Vege- 

 table Kingdom" is rubbish. Pardon us 

 for saying that one of the children's 

 books, published by the Society for Pro- 

 moting Christian Knowledge, is a good 

 preparation for a work of greater pre- 

 tensions. 

 CuAB Stock Root. — A. J5.— Any hard 

 wooded tree may be made to root near 

 the surface by notching and surround- 

 ing the notches with cocoa dust, or moss, 

 or leaf-mould. Serve the suckers that 

 way, and they will root well this season. 

 You will never get them away in the 

 roots without such help. If you bank 

 them out of the perpendicular, they will 

 root quicker. Tongue them if you like, 

 but notches will do. 

 Gas Stove. — J- W. — A gas stove will heat 

 your conservatory satisfactorily if the 

 flame is outside 'the house, as for in- 

 stance in a shed adjoining. We do not 

 know either of those you name, but we 

 know that those made by Trotman, New 

 Road, Hammersmitri, and Piiillips, 

 Snow Hill, answer admirably. If the 

 boiler is of sufficient capacity, and the 

 pipes ditto, there can be no risk about 

 it ; in fact, heating with hot water is as 

 easy as boiling a kettle for tea. 

 Clianthus in Scotland. — We have here, 

 in the Highlands of Dumbartonshire, a 

 clianthus against the house, which has 

 stood out four years, and blossoms beau- 

 tifully ; it is now covered with branches 

 of bloom, and has only had a mat over 

 it one night during the last winter. I 

 have another climbing over the span- 

 drilsofthe conservatory, thirty feet high, 

 and now in profuse blossom. I send 

 this as a set-ofl" to your notes on winter 

 gardening in Devonshire. — F. Fkim/nj, 

 Helenshirgh. [And a good set-ofl" too. 

 We should like to hear from the Rev. F. 

 Flemyng about other choice things 



