Febraary 8, 1872. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



133 



danger of the water running over, and there should be a tap or plug to draw 

 tiff the water wheu cold. The heat may thus be regulated to a nicety. We 

 should prefer the covering- plate without holes in it. It would be best to put 

 the cuttings in small pots; you may pack round them cocoa-nut fibre or 

 clean eand. Such a box will hold eighteen 48-sized pots, and thirty-two 

 CU-sized pots. A second case would be useful for hai-dening-off the young 

 plants. 



Earth Closets (E. C).— There is no doubt about the desirability of these. 

 None have surpassed Mr. Moule's. We cannot discuss the subject, so we send 

 you a pamphlet by to-day's post. 



Conifer Seeds (Sestf). — Write to some of the principal seedsmen who 

 advertise in our columns. 



Hactbois Strawberry— Rockery — Magnolia grandiflora {K. A. B.). 

 — The culture of the Hautbois Strawberry is the same as that of others. The 

 rvinners should be well rooted, placed in rows 2 feet apart, and at a distance 

 of 18 inches from plant to plant. We grow it in beds separated by alleys 

 1 foot wide ; each bed is 4 feet across, and holds tluee rows of plants, the two 

 outside ones being 9 inches from the edges, and the centre one midway 

 between them ; the plants are at a distance of 15 inches apart. After fruit- 

 ing the centre row is token out, and the two others allowed to remain until 

 the second or third year. We think Royal Hautbois is the best kind- We 

 know of no book specially devoted to the formation of rockeries. The Mag- 

 nolia against a south wall will not flower until it becomes strong. One of the 

 t^ize you name might do so in about three years. 



IxoRA Lbaves Spotted (X. E.). — The spot on the leaves is caused by 

 damp or water on a late growth. It appears as if after syringing water had 

 rested on the leaves in drops for some time. Cease to syringe. Give more 

 heat and air in moderate quantity, and the leaves will come ail right. Keep 

 up a good amount of moisture by evaporation, either by means of a trough or 

 by sprinkling the floors, or both. 



Roses Planting ( W. M. A. W.). — In planting standard Roses the " crown of 

 the roots " should not be covered more than 3 or 4 inches with soil. Deep 

 planting is not, however, the cause of yoin- plants going off, but it is due to 

 the union of the Rose with the stock not being complete, there being some 

 Roses very liable to go off, especially on the Briar. We do not know of a 

 remedy. Soapsuds may be given to Roses, but only during the growing 

 period, and as they hold a considerable amoxmt of soda, should be diluted 

 with twice the quantity of water when strong. Use liquid manxu-e for the 

 Roses, and apply the soapsuds between the rows of Cauliflowers, &c. 



Rhtjbarb Forcing (Unfortunate). — Rhubarb cannot easily be forced in 

 the ground in time for th» 1st of January, but it may be done. Cover the 

 stools with pots or boxes 2 feet 6 inches deep, aud take a trench out on both 

 sides of the row or rows, about 2 feet wide and deep ; fill this with hot dung, 

 heaped up a foot around the pots, at the close of November, and then you 

 ought to have Rhubarb by New Year'i day. The dung should be in a high 

 state of fermentation, and should retain its heat for a month, being replenished 

 with fresh as it settles. For early work it is by for the best plan to take up 

 the roots and place them in a Mushroom house, or any place having a tempe- 

 rature of 55'" to 60°. Royal Albert is a good kind for early forcing, and ours 

 in the open ground, under 6 inches of litter, has stalks 6 to 8 inches long, 

 whilst none of the other sorts have done more than swell at the crowns. 



Raising Perennial Phlox (T. 4f.). — We have never experienced much 

 difliculty in raising perennial Phlox seed, aud shuuld advise you to try again. 

 Sow the fieed in good sandy loam, in gentle heat; but by all means avoid peat, 

 as it is apt to cake and get hard, thus seriously affecting the seed. 



Potatoes Sprouted (Buck^). — The sprouti of the Early Rose, if less than 

 an inch long, should not be removed, but tho tubers should be kept in a cool 

 place safe from frost, and planted with the sprouts on. If the sprouts ore 

 more than an inch in length, it will be necessary to remove them, when the 

 tubers will sprout again by planting time. Ours have sprouted about half 

 an inch, but by keeping them one layer thick on lath shelves, and giving them 

 plenty of air, we shall retard them untU a month is past, and then plant 

 them. The best preventive of disease is early planting, so that the Potatoes 

 may mature before the late summer rains. Lilium anratum's flowering 

 power does increase yearly. We had bulbs in 1870 with two flowers, which 

 In 1871 had thirteen flowers, and are now throwing np very strong shoots. 

 Our " Window Gardening for the Many " will suit you, and may be had free 

 by post from our office for ^\d. Cyclamen persicum seed is what you will 

 require to order. If sown now in a hotbed, aud in autumn removed to a 

 house with a temperature of 45'' to 50° it will flower finely next winter. If 

 you procure, say, a five-shilling plant of Lapageria rosea, it will in all proba- 

 bility flower the first year, or, if you raise it from seed, the third year. 



Bats Scratching up Red-leaded Peas (F. S.). — Melt some lard and 

 mix it with oatmeal, so as to form a crumbling paste, and lay it three nights 

 by their haunts. On the fourth mix some poison with the paste. In the 

 meanwhile we should mi's some gas tar with ashes, merely impregnating 

 them with the tar, so as to become crumbly, and sprintle the ashes over the 

 rows. This will puzzle both them and mice ; but poison is a much more certain 

 remedy. 



Geraniums in Winter {Carolixs). — Select some of the best of the plants 

 at bedding-out time for this pTU^ose. Pot them into 6-inch if in 4rinch pots 

 by the close of May. place in a frame, giving plenty of air, and keep all flower- 

 buds and the points of the shoots closely picked off. From May to the 

 middle of August they may be stood out-doors in an open sheltered situation 

 on coal ashes, and early in August pot into 8~inch pots, having been stopped 

 a fortnight previous. After potting place them in a cold pit or a frame, 

 giving them abundance of air, and in the third week in September remove 

 them to a house with a temperature of 45° to 50"^ at night, where they will 

 flower for some time. The flowers should be picked off up to the beginning 

 of September. Good sorts for late flowering are Baronne Haussman, Beauty 

 of Dulwich, Crimson Perfection, Cramoisie Superiem-e, Coleshill, Duke of Edin- 

 burgh, Sunlight, Mademoiselle Nilsson, Blazer, Cremome, Queen of Nosegays, 

 and Douglas Pearson. 



Name op Fruit {Bi-lton Houjc).— Golden Winter Pearmain. 



Names of Plants (C. Bennett). — 1, Selaginella cuspidata; 4, S. Blraussiona ; 

 2, Pteris semilata; 3, P. cretica albo-lineata; 5, PT argyxiea; 6, Ailiautmn 

 hispidulum. {Surrey). — Chrysanthemum frutescens, L., a native of the 

 Canary Islands. It has become tolerably common during the past five or six 

 years. (If. Wilson, Helperby). — We recommend you to sow your seeds and 

 send us examples of the plants when in character. One appears to be a 

 species of Acacia, and ts remarkable for its long orange- coloured funicle ; the 

 other most probably is some of the Liliacese, say XJrgineo. 



POUITET, BEE, AND PIGEON OHEOKICLE. 



LIGHT BRAHMAS. 

 Since my last remarks concerning this beautiful breed of 

 poultry I have had an opportunity of carefully examir ' 



; the 



classes at the great shows of the year, aud have also read th& 

 letters of Mr. James Long and my old friend (though we have; 



never yet met face to face) " F. P.," of Yorkshire, some of 

 whose Dark Brahma blood is in my own yard. I have pur- 



