PRACTICAL HINTS TO AMATEURS. 



17 



right variety of the common English yew ; 

 the Ribes speciosum, a beautiful shrub with 

 flowers, resembling the Fuchsia gracilis, 

 and quite hardy ; the new Japan cedar, 

 Cryptomeria japonica, somewhat between 

 the Torreya and our deciduous cypress in 

 foliage and colour, but gracefully droop- 

 ing; the Pinus Hartwegii, with foliage 

 seven to eight inches in length ; P. Er- 

 zerrum, with unusually dark, stiff foliage, 

 etc. 



The green-houses and conservatories are 

 admirably neat and well kept, and contain 

 some very fine plants. There was a Brug- 

 mansia sanguinea, (the true sort I had never 

 seen before,) which resembles B. Knightii, 

 except the flowers were red instead of 

 white. It was sixteen feet high, and had, 

 the gardener said, over 300 flowers upon 

 it. I saw, also, an exceedingly fine Arau- 



caria excelsa, twenty-three feet high, very 

 feathery and beautiful, and a specimen of 

 a Braziliensis, which was very fine. There 

 were also two striking plants of Grevillia 

 robusta, and Polycata grandiflora ; one 

 seventeen feet, and the other fourteen feet 

 high, and both laden with flowers. 



You know all the gardening novelties 

 so well now at home, and get all the new 

 plants so soon, that I am doubtless telling 

 you old news. As, however, I have scarce- 

 ly seen a horticultural magazine for two 

 years, all these fruits and plants are quite 

 fresh and interesting to me. 



The Horticultural Society's gardens con- 

 tain, in all the departments, — ornamental, 

 fruit, and kitchen gardens, — about thirty 

 acres ; but they are about increasing it very 

 much, as the fruit ground is very much 

 crowded. Yours sincerely, H. \V. S. 



PRACTICAL HINTS TO AMATEURS. 



BY AX OLD DIGGER. 



If you have a crop in your kitchen garden 

 which looks sickly, water it once or twice 

 with guano water, (a handful of guano to 

 a pail of water ;) stirring the soil with the 

 hoe before applying the water. 



This is the season of the year to give 

 shape to your shrubs or plants. A little 

 shortening-back now, on overgrown shoots, 

 will make the dormant buds push out new 

 shoots on parts of a shrub or tree which 

 are deficient in foliage, so as to bring it 

 into good shape before the season of growth 

 is past. For small plants, that you wish 

 to make bushy and thick, there is nothing 

 like pinching-off the ends of the leading 

 shoots while they are young. It gives you 

 thick and compact heads of leaves, instead 

 of few and slender shoots. 



Vol. iv. 2 



Do'nt be discouraged at the inroad of an 

 insect, that threatens to destroy your fa- 

 vorite trees or plants. Set about studving 

 its natural history, and depend upon it, if 

 you only get a correct notion of its habits, 

 you can soon exterminate it by a little 

 energy and perseverance. Tobacco water, 

 as recommended by the editor, in the last 

 number, will kill any insect, if it is judi- 

 ciously applied, and perseveringly repeated, 

 however much they may seem to defy it 

 at first. Always use it in the morning, or 

 just at evening; for it is throwing away 

 your ammunition to fire into the enemy's 

 quarters in mid-day, when they are wide 

 awake, and ready to dodge the fire. 



If you want Jo propagate everblooming 

 roses by cuttings, your best time is now, 



