JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 21, 1872. 



more than can be sown, as if kept diy afterwards they are apt 

 to be injured. The lead has no injurious effect whatever when 

 the seeds are at once committed to the ijround. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



A few frosty mornings hare done a little good in retarding 

 free growth. Trees against back walls in orchard house are in 

 gorgeous bloom. Cherries and Plums in pots are swelling, but 

 none of the flower-buds opened on the 16th. The latest 

 house is open night and day, and will be shut at night only in 

 expectation of frost. This house has not had the surface soil 

 thoroughly cleaned, but it must be done directly, for though a 

 dry atmosphere is good for Peaches and Apricots setting their 

 bloom, a too-dry soil about the roots is apt to make the buds 

 drop. If the soil has become a little too dry, it is not good 

 policy to inundate the roots at once, but water by degrees ; or 

 if the border holding the roots is wide, water only a width of 

 2 feet or so at a time. When in pots it is well to give the trees 

 from a pint to a quart at first, and more in a few days. A 

 thorough drenching at once is apt to be followed, as in the case 

 of a too-great dryness at the roots, with the dropping of the 

 flower-buds before setting takes place. Although in winter the 

 roots had better be dry rather than soaked, still the safest plan is 

 never to allow them to be too much so. The chief reason 

 why the ground or lioor of this orchard house has not been 

 cleaned before now is that there are still many fine Lettuces 

 between the trees in pots, which have been and still are very 

 useful. 



Fruit trees fresh planted will be greatly helped by a little 

 shading in these hot scorching days. A little shade of some 

 evergreen boughs, and a sprinkling from the syringe, will he 

 of more benefit than deluging the roots. The time when fresh- 

 planted trees and shrubs stand most in need of watering is 

 when the fresh roots begin to work in the fresh and somewhat 

 heated soil. See what has lately been said on the different 

 modes of protecting fruit-tree blossom. 



Vine Border in an Orchard House. — Some years ago we planted 

 some Vines in front of an orchard house, giving them about 

 2 feet of good fresh soil. We intended to take uji the open-air 

 walk in front, but could not get at it until lately. We removed 

 as much as we durst of the chalk and lime rubbish that 

 formed the bottom of the walk, and found that fine roots had 

 gone through it on thoir way to the open fruit quarters be- 

 yond. We have filled uj) the space, which is nearly 18 inches 

 in depth, with an admixture of the best soil and some crushed 

 bones, and have placed merely a layer of 2 or 3 inches of 

 gravel on the surface. As confirmatory of Mr. Lane's expe- 

 rience at Berkhampstead, these Vines did better than could 

 have been expected, and that with no border-making. We 

 tliink, however, that removing the bottoming of the walk will 

 give unusually rich feeding ground for the roots. 



Lately as regards oar second vinery we laid aside the litter that 

 kept frost from the border in winter, put 9 inches of hot leaves 

 over it, made a wall back and front of the Utter, put a pole 

 lengthwise over it, and then jiluuged a number of small pots 

 of autumn-struck Geraniums iu the border, which we protected 

 with old sashes, mats, d-c. We have used no heat in the 

 house, except such as was sufficient to keep flowering plants 

 for use, but the slight heat in the border, and the few days' 

 sun reaching the roots, has caused the buds to swell strong';-. 

 The late vinery we are treating much as the orchard houses, 

 keeping it as much back as possible, and giving air all night iu 

 this mild weather, though the house is full of cuttings and 

 flowering plants. What we wish to impress on yoimg readers 

 is that, to make the most of glass room, vineries maybe made 

 plant-repositories in winter if the temperature does not exceed 

 45' by fire heat, and tLe Vines -will not be injured. When the 

 temperature is raised to suit the Vines, then comparatively 

 hardy plants in the house will suffer. 



OHNAMENI.iL DEPARTMENT. 



Toicn Gardens. — We have had endless complaints that, 

 do what they will, occupiers cannot get plants to grow. There 

 are two chief reasons for this — the gardens in general are 

 composed of the gravel, clay, and hungry earth that have been 

 dug out as foundations for buildings, and it requkes time to 

 improve them, as well as labour and enriching material. If a 

 lawn is made there is generally this advantage, that from the 

 poorness of the ground the grass may be kept tolerably fresh 

 and with a minimum of mowing. When the soil is poor a 

 little manure and fresh loam would help it. But in close 

 neighbourhoods in cities there is generally rather too much of 

 mauurial matter in the shape of blacks and soot, and though 

 some of our artificial manures would do good where the soil is 



unusually hungry and poor, we have noticed the best results 

 most economically produced by deep stirring, and, if the soil 

 was at all stiff', adding a surfacing of sandy soil. Even a little 

 fresh lime would produce a magical effect on a piece of gromid 

 that really was too rich in mere manurial matter. 



What we have said applies to out-door work, and we are 

 convinced that the best cultivators in such close atmospheres 

 as London and the densest parts of Manchester and Liverpool 

 will endorse it. To all, however, who can afford glass as a 

 covering, a good deal of pleasant gardening may be conducted 

 in the closest and smokiest of towns. In such cases Ferns, 

 Mosses, and even many of the best tropical plants, may be 

 grown well, because comparatively small air-openings are 

 necessary. But even greenhouse, half-hardy, and alpine plants, 

 can be cultivated successfully under glass if the ventilators 

 are large and are covered with such materials as fine gauze 

 or tiffany that will admit air purified from the blacks. When 

 we tried this in London we found that the gauze if not re- 

 newed wanted washing every fortnight m dull foggy weather, 

 but in bright sunny weather it would go often for two or three 

 months. With such a simple precaution hundreds and thou- 

 sands of our friends in large towns could have their littlo 

 greenhouses attached to theu' houses even in a smoky atmo- 

 sphere. It is many years since we saw fine Polyanthus and 

 Auriculas on the leads of a house in London, and doing nearly 

 as well as if they had been under a frame in the open country. 

 The thin gauze was the secret of the great succe? s. Auriculas 

 should receive plenty of air, be carefully protected from the 

 rain, and watered with cool manure water made from cow dung 

 two or three years old as often as they can absorb it. 



As soon as possible we will have all empty flower-beds 

 turned over again, that they may have the full benefit of ex- 

 posure and pulverisation. In all such cases where quick 

 growth is a matter of importance, the best and richest soil 

 should be kept near the surface. Sowed Yellow Pyrethrum, 

 Amaranthus, PerUla, and seeds of many other plants as recom- 

 mended in recent numbers. Potted Coleus, Mosses, Ferns, and 

 Geraniums. — R. F. 



TEADE CATALOGUES BECEIVED. 



George Poultou, Fountain Nursery, Angel Road, Edmonton. — 

 Descriptive Catalogue of Plants and Cuttings. 



J. C. Wheeler it Son, Gloucester, and 59, Mark Lane, London. 

 — lUnstrated Book on Grasses. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



,*, We' request that no one will write privately to any of the 

 correspondents of the " Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, etc., 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.G. 

 N.B. — Many questions must remam unanswered untO next 

 week. 



Books (-B. !¥.).—'■ The GaiJcu Manual," price Is. 6i/., and Kcano's " Out- 

 door Gardeniufr," l,v. G(/., contain all you name. They can be had free by post 

 from our office for 2d. extra. 



Back Numbers {J. D.). — You can have the numbers you name at '3^d. each 

 if you restate them, enclose the stamps, oud send your address. 



Colour of Palings (S O.). — Paint them dark stone colour. Fnrit trees 

 oi'e benefited by being retarded in blossoming. Palings or walls if blackened 

 promote early blossoming. 



Scarlet Geranium [T. S. .S.). — There oi-e hundi-eds of varieties similar 

 yet superior to the flowers and leaf you enclose, but no one can judge of the 

 merits of a Geranium unless he sees an entii-e plant. 



EVF.RGREENS UNDER TREES [C. E. B,). — See whttt WO Said last week about 

 evergi-eens for a rookery. You may add to that hst Berbeiis AquifoUum and 

 B. Dai-wiuii. 



Decayed Pear Shoots (C. C. £.).— A form of canker, probably caused by 

 the roots having descended into an ungcnial soil. Pruning the descended 

 roots, and mulching the sm-face throughout the growing season, will probably 

 prevent a recuiTeuce of the disease. 



Violets {Bitlhwdl). — Yoiu- Roman Violets are good in size and very fra- 

 giunt, but not so superior as'they wero in Hants It is the common sweet- 

 scented Violet, called by Italians Viola mammola. 



Rose Gabrielle. — There lias been no such Rose as this, I think, within 

 the last twenty years. Pi'obably the Rose " C. D." means is Gabrielle de 

 Peyi'onny, which is iu all the florists' Usts. Ihavethi-ee plants of it here. It is 

 fiei-y red with an occasional violet tinge. Its petals are vei-y concave, and it 

 folds them tc wards the centre, and sometimes it presents an uneven aspect. 

 It is hardy and a good grower. — "W. F. Radclvffe. 



EoSEs Mildewed {Lancaster).— The Rose leaves sent are mildewed. The 

 cause is probably the dryness of the soil. With a crowbar make holes 

 IS inches deep at 9 inches apart, and fill them w itli water so as to give a 

 thorough soaking. Repeat this two or three times, then spiinkle the border 



