1 



looldng well, and the place altogether had an 

 appearance of neatness and order well calculat- 

 ed to induce the residents of the upper part of 

 the city who may call once to repeat their vis- 

 its. 



5l!i5uirr5 tn (TnrrropnhiitH. 



Hickory treks from nuts. — A subscriber. 

 (Berks co.. Pa.) The nuts, without being per- 

 mitted to become dry, should be mixed with 

 moist peat, covered with leaves, and in this con- 

 dition be exposed to the winter frosts. If care- 

 fully cracked in spring, tlieir germination and 

 growth would be insured. 



Bones for Vine Borders. — L. B. — (Oak 

 Creek, Wis.) Bones, although liighly useful, 

 are not absolutely essential to a good vine bor- 

 der. When broken, they .serve the two-fold 

 purpose of assisting drainage, and promoting 

 fertility. They are much more efl'ective when 

 ground, and still more so, if dissolved by sul- 

 phuric acid. Tliey are chiefly valuable for their 

 I)hosphate of lime, which may be also applied 

 in the form of guano, which contains a large 

 portion of the phosphate. The addition of a 

 moderate quantity of lime, leached ashes, and 

 gypsum, are useful. These, and the guano es- 

 pecially, should be well mxied with the earth, 

 turf, and other materials. Stable manure should 

 form the chief fertilizing ingredient in every 

 vine border — we have known some excellent 

 graperies where this constituted nearly all the 

 manure. 



Cacti. — /. Jahjison. The tall varieties of 

 Cacti should be grown in rich light compost. — 

 The old system of starving them in lime rub- 

 bisli, is quite exploded by good gardeners. 

 They will live through the winter very well in 

 any house from which frost is excluded. Give 

 but little if any water in winter, and very spa- 

 ringly in spring, until the bloom buds are visi- 

 ble. Then give them more, and while the buds 

 are forming place them near the glass, so that 

 they may have all the sun and light tliey can 

 get. 



Winter Bulbs. — Jane. You will find direc- 

 tions for the cultivation of winter bulbs, in an 

 article on the Narcissus in our September num- 

 ber for this year. 



IxiAS — Thomas M. Ixias are from the Cape 

 of Good Hope. They must be allowed to rest 

 during several months. Withhold water from 

 them as soon as you perceive the end of their 

 leaves turn yellow. You need not re-pot them 

 more than once in five or six years; they gene- 

 rally bloom better than when disturbed every 

 year. Leaf and decayed vegetable mould with 

 some white sand will grow them well. 



Correas. — /. S. Correa speciosa is the best 

 taken altogether. Three parts black peat or 

 vegetable mould, and one part good loam, not 

 too stiff, and a little white sand is the best com- 

 post for them. Give good drainage. 



LiLiuM Lancifolium. — Edward SniUh. — 

 You should let your pots of the Japan Lilies 

 stand quite dry until the end of December. 

 Then pot them, for they begin to grow at the 

 root about that time. They do not require 

 vegetable mould. They grow stronger and finer 

 in good rich compost, half loam and half well 

 rotted manure. 



Geraniums. — T. Eoseson. Those that are 

 shy in breaking after being cut back, (like 

 Orion,) should never be stopped until the 

 pot is well filled with roots, and the plant in 

 vigorous growth. Beck's Aurora is a fine flower 

 in its best state; but it is very uncertain, and 

 on that account scarcely worth growing; be- 

 sides there are now better flowers nearly of the 

 same character. 



Dahlias. — D. F. From your remarks, we 

 expect that when you take uj) your roots you 

 injure them by pulling them out of the ground, 

 when only half lifted by the spade. Kever do 

 that ; let the top be first cut oft" near the ground, 

 then with the spade raise them entirely out of 

 the ground ; but do not pull them. 



Martynia Fragrans. — James. This delight- 

 ful scented plant, requires as much heat as you 

 can give it when young, if j'ou want to bloom 

 it early in the summer. It will do well out in 

 the open ground in the hot weather. 





