430 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEK. 



[ ILiy 23, 1S72. 



You cannot have a good sound bulb if you allow a seed-stalk 

 as well. 



We have said this much, as from what was lately stated we 

 have had a number of inquiries as to getting the greatest 

 amount of Onions in little space, from those who find that 

 Onions are something like meat and drink. Well, we say, Sow 

 in the middle of August and the middle of September, and if 

 you have only a few yards, transplant exactly in the mode 

 specified in autumn, and again in spring, and you will hare a 

 fine supply before the spring-sown ones come in. 



Asparayus Kale, or Buda Kale. — Allow us to recommend this 

 again to every occupier of a small garden. It really is almost 

 as good as Asparagus if the shoots ai-e taken off some 4 to 

 S inches in length. 



We have cleared away aU our Brussels Sprouts. We stUl 

 have good rows of the Scotch Cabbaging Kale and sprouts from 

 old Cabbage stumps — very nice indeed to come in as changes 

 with Spinach and Broccoli too far gone for the parlour ; but 

 for a late spring vegetable nothing equals this Asparagus Kale, 

 and, gather it close as you may to-day, in three or four days 

 there is a fresh supply. We have stiU some fine late Broccoli, 

 and Cauliflower is coming on ; but for tenderness and flavom- 

 now nothing will come up to a dish of the small shoots of 

 Aspai-agus Kale, and wherever there is a patch of it there will 

 be no necessity for cutting up Cabbages before they are well 

 hearted and mature. 



FP.niT GARDEN. 



See what was stated in previous weeks. Trees grown as 

 bushes and pyramids must not now be neglected. If the shoots 

 have the terminal bud taken out, most of these shortened 

 shoots will bristle in autumn and winter with flower-buds ; 

 and where much is wanted in little room we must encourage 

 fiower-buds instead of wood-buds, for after all, however we 

 may love to see free growth, the fact remains, that though we 

 can eat the fruit, we cannot masticate the finest shoots or 

 leaves. 



Strawlerries. — We have had fine fniit damped last week, as 

 alluded to by a correspondent. We had no remedy except 

 more heat and more air in this duU wet weather. The addi- 

 tional air gave access to other enemies, in our case chiefly mice. 

 We have had to change whole rows, as some pots were covered 

 with fiiut not more than half swelled. Poison and trap as you 

 will, there is nothing to equal a cat shut up in the house. 

 We ai'e quite aware that many a gentleman would rather never 

 see a Strawberry than have a cat on their premises, as they 

 could hardly sleep with nightmare visions of rifled nests and 

 <l3-ing and dead leverets. One thing here we may state — that 

 cats win not go to cover much if there is a small triangular 

 piece nipped out from each of their ears. This will catch the 

 grass, d'c, in a cover or wood, and bring the dew or damp into 

 their ears, a thing which all cats young and old detest. 



Last season we stated that om" out-door Strawberries were 

 not up to the mark, whUe forced ones were extra good. This 

 season the show of bloom is extra fine out of doors, and a few 

 seem suffering from the prolonged wet, without a ray of sun- 

 shine. We have dressed the gi'ound between the rows with 

 lime and soot, partly to help in the way of nourishment and 

 to keep slugs away. A little of this dressing does much to 

 secure the best-formed fruit at gathering-time. 



OENAMENTAl, DEPAETIIENT. 



We could scarcely touch a bed or border, we might as well 

 iave tried to regulate a sodden morass as do anything in our 

 heavy soil. We finished much potting ; regulated, potted, and 

 boxed beddmg plants, so as to have them strong and hardy. 

 Even our plants turned out in beds and growing at bottom, have 

 shown no signs of upward growth for tlu'ee weeks past. When 

 once the soU in flower-beds is friable such plants will grow 

 rapidly. Planting out now in such wet soil and cold withal, 

 is next to labour thrown away. Generally we are not much 

 behind as to early floral display, and one cause of this is simply 

 that we do not plant out too early. In such cases it will often 

 be found that the early planting of flower-beds is not exactly 

 svnonymous with early blooming and early fi llin g of the beds. — 

 E. F. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



S. Dixon & Co., 48a, Moorgate Street, London, E. C. — Bescrip- 

 iive Catalogue of Chrysanthemums, Fuchsias, Geraniums, 

 Verbenas, d-c. — Descri^itive Catalogue of Dahlias, Bedding 

 Plants, d-c. 



Kirk Allen, Brampton, Huntingdon. — Spring Catalogue of 

 Geraniums, Calceolarias, Fuchsias, Fcriis, Palms, &c. 



FrBres Simon-Louis, Plantieres, pres Metz. — Catalogue et 

 Prix Courant des Plantes de Serre Chaude et de Serre Froide 

 Plantes Vivaccs, <(c. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*,* We request that no one ^ill 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, B.C. 



Melons fhom Last Year's Seed — Perella Stopping (J. W. L.). — The 

 Melon plants li-om last years seed will answer, but we prefer plants from seed 

 two or three years old, as they fiiiit more freely and do not run so much 

 to wood. We consider April quite soon enough to sow Perilla, bat, by 

 stopping, those you have may become good plants; if they are flowering 

 they are of little use. "We should prefer plants sown now, for on a good leaf- 

 development depends their value. The plants you send, so far as we can 

 make out fi-om such small crushed fragments, are — No. 1, Fabiana imbricata; 

 No. 2 is a Diosma or Adenandra, probably ambigua. 



Ci-niBERS IN Conservatory {H. D.). — TTe think the climbers you have 

 sent are 1, Bignonia Tweediana, or it may be a Tecoma ; and 2. Tecoma jas- 

 minoides, but to enable us to determine correctly we must have flowers. 



Brompton Stock Sown in Spring (Idem). — This is a biennial, and we 

 do not think it will flower the first year though sown early in heat, but we 

 have no experience of this, and should advise you to plant them out. You 

 may now sow German Ten-week Stociis in gentle heat, and they will flower in 

 August or at the beginning of September, if pricked off when large enough 

 encouraged so as to become strong, and well hardened-off before planting 

 out. Do this cai'efuUy, so as to give but little cheek. If you could shade 

 them for a few days after planting they will take more freely, especially if the 

 weather be at all Ijright at planting time. 



Evergreen Shrubs under Elm Trees (J. B.). — Nest to Ash, Elms are 

 the worst trees to plant under, as they have such gross-feeding roots, which 

 render the ground very dry in summer. We have found the following suc- 

 ceed in a mixed plantation of large Elm, Beech, and Lime, planted so closely 

 as to fonn a dense shade: — Evergreen and Box-leaved Privet. Spurge Laurel, 

 Common Laurel, Tree Box, Butchers' Broom, Common Holly, Alexandi-iau 

 Laiu-el, Cotoneaster microphylla. Common Xew, Portugal Laurel, Laumstinus, 

 Rhododendi-on ponticum, Berberis Aquifolium, B. repens, and in parts not 

 very much shaded, B. Darwinii and B. dulcis. In densely shaded places we 

 find Ancuba succeed admirably, also the Periwinkles and Ivies — in fact, I\-ies 

 thrive best in shade, and they may be made to take the place of shi'ul-s if 

 trained to iron supports. 



CuctTMBERS Seedy — Greenhouse Vines not Succeeding (B. G., Bland- 

 ford). — The principal cause of seedy Cucumbers is old or slowly-grown plants 

 or fruit. Setting the fruit or impregnating the flowers we only practise 

 when we want seed. It is not necessary for the swelling of the fmit. We 

 think that the removal of the male blossoms would favour the swelling of 

 the fmit and absence of seeds in all but very old plants, in which it is not 

 unusKal for the fruit to be "club-ended." The somer such plants ai*e 

 pulled up the better. Discontinue setting the fruit, and afford a bottom 

 heat of 75" to 80=, and a top heat of 65= to 70^ at night, 70 to 75= by day 

 without sun, and 85= or 90= with sun and abundance of air. Cut the fruit 

 ten days, and not more than a fortnight, after it begins to swell. The Vines 

 must be in a bad condition. The border probably requires drainage. We 

 should examine the 5 feet of border, and if the drainage is good the fault 

 must lie in the soil beyond the 5-feet border, into which the roots have ex- 

 tended. In this case take out the soil there, and increase the width of the 

 border, draining it properly ; and a di-ain along the front of the old 5-feet 

 border would free it of any stagnant watei*. We think the Vines would then 

 thrive, and be free of mildew if the house were properly ventilated. It is 

 useless to attempt to grow Vines in a cold wet border; your only plan, then, 

 will be to take up the Vines and make an entu-ely new border, either replant- 

 ing the old Vines or putting in young ones, which we consider will be preferable. 

 Muscat of Alexandria is not suitable for a greenhouse ; to ripen well it re- 

 quu-ed a good heat. We make no charge for answering coiTCspondents 

 queries. 



Orchard- house Trees (W.A.H.). — As your trees have borne no fiiiit 

 there will be no necessity for watering them with liquid manure this season. 

 They will grow fi-eely enough without it, but we should give top-dressings of 

 rich compost, as advised by Mr. Rivers and Mr. Peai-son. Copious syringing 

 will be needed to prevent red spider. On keeping this and other insects 

 under, on healthy free growth, and its thorough ripening, depend your pro- 

 spects for another year. 



Suckers of Aloe— Cactus Propagation— Apple and Pear Shoots 

 Pinching (M. G.). — Remove the suckers from the Aloes now, taking them off 

 with r. ots, and place singly in pots that will hold them comfortably. Good, 

 moderately rich, Ught loam is a suitable compost ; use good drainage, and do 

 not water until the plants are djy. We think the plant you describe is a 

 Cereus ; the pink bnds may be flowers, but we rather think not. We should 

 say they were shoots. Propagate by cuttings of the growing points, or the 

 points of the shoots, after they become firm ; take them off when from 4 to 

 6 inches long, and lay them on a shell for a few days imtil the wound has 

 dried ; then insert them singly in smaU pots of very sandy soil, set them on 

 shelves in the sun, do not water more than will be sufficient to keep the soU 

 moist, but dry rather than moist. Now or August is a good time — either 

 before or after the growth is complete. The Apple and Pear trees against 

 walls should have all the shoots pinched when they have made threeleaves, 

 except the terminal shoots, or those required for extension or furnishing the 

 wall with shoots at 1 foot apart. After the first stopping, the shoots may be 

 stopped at every leaf of fresh growth throughout the season. The short 

 stubby shoots or sjiurs, or those shoots that have a cluster of leaves, shoirld 

 not be interfered with, but left entire. 



Mrs. Pince's Grape.— Mr. T. Baines, Stock House, Bingley, writes to 

 inform " A YoRKEV." that " in October, 1869, he purchased five Mi-s. Pince's 

 Black Muscat Vines. In 1870 each ripened two or three bunches, and one 

 five. In 1871 thev ripened thirty-two bunches, and he has one bunch now 



