May 1(1, 1872. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



made fine wlicn the weather changes. However, we do not 

 thiuk we shall he able to plant much out for ten days. 



Chine>ie Primro.^es. — Pricked off a first lot, and sowed- for 

 succession. We have a number of young i:)lants that bloomed 

 finely in 4-inch pots now standing on the north side of the 

 wall of a pit out of doors. Most likely we shall place some of 

 them in larger pots for early blooming, but if we had. a spare 

 liiece of ground we would tui-n them out in a shady place, 

 much in the same way as we used to do with Chrysanthemums, 

 Salvias, Ac, raising and potting them in the autumn. By 

 these means a plant in a 00, a 4H, or a 40-pot now, would be- 

 come a large plant, that would fill an 8 or 10-inch pot in Oc- 

 tober, and bloom profusely in the early winter months. 



Cinerarias. — The first sowing has just come up ; we must 

 sow again. Seedlings in even 4 aud 5-inch pots are useful. 

 When large specimen plants are grown, it is well to have 

 known aud approved varieties. There is no plan better than 

 to turn out the plants when done blooming in a border 

 covered with light rich compost, and each stool will soon throw 

 out suckers, or fresh shoots from the bottom. These, taken 

 off singly, placed in a small pot, aud potted again aud again 

 until the little sucker fills an 8-inch or larger pot by October, 

 will make fine specimens after Christmas. 



One of the greatest helps we have had in the way of cut 

 flowers for six weeks past, has been the blooms of seedling 

 Gloxinias, which have been yielding most profusely. — R. F. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



W. Bull, King's Road, Chelsea, S.W.— Retail List of New, 

 Beaiotlfit'ly and Rare PlantSy d-c. 



"W. Hooper, New Wandsworth, Loudon, S.W. — Catalogue of 

 Softwoodecl and Bedding Plants, d-c. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*♦* ^^^ request that no one will write jnivately to any of the 

 correspondents of the '* Jom-nal of Horticultui-e, Cottage 

 Gardener, aud Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble aud expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, <&c., 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.G. 



We also request that correspondents will not mis up on the 

 same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them 

 answered promptly and conveniently, but write them on 

 separate communications. Also never to send more than 

 two or three questions at once. 



N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until nest 

 week. 



Wjute pRniROSE Seed (D. F.). — We do not tnow ^heve this can be 

 obtaiiiecl. Can and will some of our correapondents inform us ? 



DotJBLE Primroses {A Gardener). — If you can find a double flower witli 

 anthers, applying their pollen to the pistils of single flowers is the most 

 probable mode of obtaining seed that wiU produce double-flowered varieties. 

 We cannot name the varieties of florists' flowers, they are in legions. There 

 are very many better than the dark Pansy. 



Seedling Geranium (ntron). — There is a slight difference in the tints of 

 the leaf from other zonals. No one can form a judgment on its merits until 

 after seeing a plant. Send one to the Floral Committee of the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society. 



Begoni-\,s (H. J. T.). — There are now so many fine-foliated vai-ieties that 

 we cannot undertake to name these. In addition to those you have, the 

 following are a few cultivated for their flowei*s — viz., Prestoniensis superba, 

 Dregei, liigrami, nitida, digswelliensia, boliviensis, and Veitchii. 



Alpine Auriculas (D. F. J. iT.).— Send your address to the Eev. H. 

 Hony^vood Dombrain, WestwcU Vicarage, Ashiord, Kent. 



EosE Conservatory {Tyro). — From the sketch sent of the house we 

 should conclude that the leaves of your Roses curl from being esposed to too 

 much ventilation when wet from syringing. Do not admit an- by side lights 

 so as to cause draughts, till the leaves are diy. 



Pahadise Stocks [W. Adams, juii.). — The Pai-adise stock is generally 

 f^'own fi-om layers, and also hy forming a " stool," round the shoots of which 

 a mound of earth is foi-med like a gi-eat molehill, and in this they throw out 

 roots during the summer, and in autumn they are removed from the " stool." 

 The Apple you mention is Burr Knot. To propagate without grafting you 

 have only to tako off the branches under the " bui-r," and plant them securely 

 in the gi*ouud in a shady place. Water them weU, and they will take root. 



Flower Garden Plan {Sunny). — We think your flower garden very pretty 

 and effective so far as the ground plan is concerned. There is no absolute 

 necessity that you should have the two similar groups, one on each side of 

 the main walk planted alike, though we do not conceal that we are admirers 

 rather of what you call being " so dreadfully uniform." Besides, you might 

 maintain eomething like uniformity or balancing, and yet use variety in 

 securing somewhat siniilar coloms. We should have liked to have known the 

 size of some of the beds so as to judge accm-ately of the others. If the 

 narrow beds round the central diamond and a cii'cle at each end can have 



tlirej colour 

 equal. On: 



Chi 



■; ', thr'-i t'r- 'hi-':- li ■ v ■ ■ r.-''', ■•;•-■ 1 tn should at least have 



'' t'l- 'ii';: !■ i ■ .' . ; ! M-'i 'jjiijut should be more 



I I itii; in each of these 



,> ,1. .> I.. -[.. .(,■., ; ir. 1. ir .. L nu in the nan-ow beds. 



I ilia i,>.ui..l ili.j ^uiiLi,i,l lUaiuiiil iL wuuld not he desii'able 

 in aul lU clo:>o to it aud rouui the half of it. Having 

 !!-; you have, we would never think of using vai'iegated 

 vAoi down round Lobelia spcciosa. Thi^ would be 



^ would make it answer, at least it would be poor 

 when coutiustua with" small plants of Golden Pyrethrum. Take the following 

 merely as hints ;— No. 2, Calceolaria centre, Perilla round, Lady Middletou, 

 edged with dwarf Ageratum ; 3 and 4, Tom Thumb the centre, broatl band 

 of Bijou, eU'cd with a ban-l •<f P.'iilbi l-o^.t dwarf, or L-esine Lindeni ; 

 5 and 6, Lobelia el;<.il wit'.i (iil i i i ■ ni; 7 and 8 as proposed, brown 



Calceolaria ed^'ud with Cunisi'.i' > . pLLnts of Cinei-aria maritima; 



8 and 9 as proposed. Yellow (_',ii ■ i i,l in pie King Verbena; 11 and 12 



as 7 and 8 ; 13 aud 11 as 5 and ti, ;lu t . j ..a. 



Sowing Auricdla Seeds, &.c. (An Old Siib^crihn-).~U you send five 

 postage stamps with your address to our office and order " Florists' Flowers," 

 you will have a little book sent post free that answers all your queries about 

 them. A Walnut tree needs no manm-e. If not growing on a chalk formation, 

 a little lime rubbish forked into the surface soU over the roots would benefit 

 the ti-ee. 



Shifting Roses at a Show {M. W.). — "At a local flower show a gai-- 

 dener staged twenty- four Roses, three trusses of each, for a £'2^vizQ; and 

 twelve single trusses for a 10s. prize. The twenty-four were very good, but 

 most of the twelve were poor. He waited till the hours were up for any mora 

 coming in for exhibition, but no others came for the £'2 prize. Then he 

 shifted his best from his twenty-four trusses, and put them into the twelve 

 trusses, aud put the bad ones from the twelve into the twenty-four. This 

 made him take both first prizes. Was this right, and can one exhibitor 

 arrange another's Roses ? " The gardener who acted as you detail, acted 

 fraudulently, and yoa should inform the Committee of his base conduct. No 

 exhibitor ought to touch, much less arrange another exhibitor's flowers. The 

 two specimens were sma5he.l. 



Peach Leaver Bltstkiied (A. F. (7.).~This is caused by the late spring 

 frosts. Eff(.- tuil -'l. 1.1 mm until the end of May is the only preventive. 

 Pick off all fh' :■■■■■ M' ■ ' -■. 



Gripes Ev-; ;> rand Frionl).—Yom: Gra.^e-> are very severely 



raste I. The cra^c i L >ulj_ial. They will pr obably ripen and colour, but the 

 brown on theU' auiface will deteriorate their appeai-ance. 



Grapes Spotted {Dttx Collarbox). — Your Grapes (no letter with them) 

 are attacked by what gardeners call " the spot." It is an ulcer or gangrene. 

 Cut out cvei-y borry that is sj atta^'tied, for not one of them will ripen. If 

 the roots of the Vine are outside the house, put a heap of hot fermenting- 

 dung on the surface of the soU over them, and keep it mulched all the sum- 

 mer. If the roots are inside, water them copiously with weak tepid manm'O 



Vine Lewes Shanked {Vinus). — The remedy recommended above is quite 

 as applicable to your case. The ulceration arises from the roots nob supplying 

 a suthciency of saj). 



Stockwood Ridge CucajiBER and Vegetable Marrow Planting 

 {A Subscriber). — We presume you have already sown the seed, and that the 

 plants are potted-off singly and well-established iu -l-inch pots. When they 

 are good strong plants harden them off well in a frame, and plant them out 

 in a warm sunny situation sheltered from strong winds. Previous to planting, 

 take out the soil to the depth of 1 foot for about a yard square, and put in 

 15 inches of hot dung. It should be trodden firmly aud thou covered with the 

 soil dug out, which will, of course, form a hillock, and. if the soil is not light 

 and rich, some leaf mould and turfy loam may be added. In about foui- or 

 five ilays tlie hills will be warmed, thou tm-n out the plants, water after plant- 

 ing, and cover them with a hand-glass or an inverted wicker basket for a few 

 days, afterwards expose fully ; but if you use hand-lights tilt them so as to 

 admit air daily, and when the plants reach the glass sides raise the hand- 

 lights so as to let them run out. After the middle of June the lights may 

 be removed. Water fi-eely in di-y weather. Three Cucumber plants, or one 

 Vegetable Marrow, may bo put out on each hillock. The hillocks should be a 

 yard apart, and 6 feet between the rows. 



A di ANT UM— Forced Rhubarb— Frightening Birds (LfOfi.).— The Fern, 

 of which you enclose a frond, is not A. farleyense, but a form of A. Capillus- 

 Veneris, aud we think that known as Moritzianum. The roots of Rhubarb 

 pla:ed in a cellar last January should with'jut delay be planted out of doors 

 3 feet apart in good soil, mulching them with somo good, short, rather littery 

 duu,', and watering with weak liquid manure when they are gi-owing freely. 

 The roots will he useless for forcing next winter, bat after they have had two 

 years' gi-owth, or become strong, they may be again used for that purpose. 

 You must put in fresh roots next winter. Rhubarb roots placed in a cellar 

 should have enough water to keep the soil moist. What will answer for 

 searing birds in one place will not answer in another. For keeping birds from 

 seeds we have not found anything so good as red-leading. 



Stopping Sg^irlet Runners and Peas {Sutton -Coldjield). — The Scarlet 

 Runners will do equally well, if not better, stopped at 5 feet from the gi-ound, 

 and so will Peas if they have a sufficient number of pods or blossoms below 

 the place where they are stopped. By stopping you will secure bettor-filled 

 pods, and quantity will depend on the number you leave at the stopping. 



pas Gn 



—We think the cause of the Para* 

 the damp soil and low situation inducing 

 apable of withstanding the severity of 

 our ordinary v. i / i , l 1 of tying- up the leaves or grass on the ap- 



proach of sevi- I , , .vuuld let it be loose, and not be in a huny to 



remove it. Tiic i'.t upj. . Cliu.3.s, though requiring rich soil with plenty of 

 moisture in summer, docs best in a well-drained soil, and in a high rather than 

 a low situation. 



Leptopteris superba Propagation {J. R. P.). — We do not know that it 

 can be propagated by the fronds in any way but by laying fronds with ripo 

 spores on a pot or pan of sandy peat, placed in a glass case kept close and 

 very humid. Division may occasionally be practised. 



FLOvraR-BEDs Planting {W. Palmer). — The number for the 9th was in 

 type before your plan arrived. No one can he sure of an answer under a week 

 from the date, and more time is generally required. Your gi-oup of seven 

 circles is planted on the balancing system — a centre clump, and tha'oe the 

 same on each side. We thin k the proposed plan will look very well and simple. 

 The edgings of LobeUa on one bed aud of Golden Pyrethi-um on the other 



