May 30, 1S72. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICOLTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



to ffive a more lastin" neat to tne mateiiaia wii-ci i-^^j .-- ^ -a *C *i,« 



Ih^ch theymav be at the end of January, making it 18 inches wider thaj^ the 

 l^e SZZl and carrying it up 6 feet high at the hack and 5 feet m front 

 Spread the materials ont, mix them together, and heat "'«'=_"'" T"l'„d 

 fork as the work proceeds. This done, put on the frame and kght., and 

 Xwthem to remam a week; then take off the hghts level the bed, and 

 ^labarrowful of soU under the centre of each light; ^^e^P '^e hghtson 

 i day or two, and then spread about an inch of soil aU <"« ?« ^'j'^' '«^™f 

 the rest in the centre in the form of a cone, about » '°°t deep flatten^ 

 ingthetop. The soil shoiUd be dry rather than wet In "■.'i»y f J^°,th? 

 plants may be put out ; plant a good strong one on each hillock, and pve just 

 a httle tepid water to settle the soU about the roots This ■^^^ "^ ^termg 

 must be practised up to June, always using water the temperature of the 

 frame, cire should fiso be taken not to plant out until the heat of the bed 

 has been ascertamed. A thermometer may be sunk ^ the soil 6 inches deep 

 and if it do not indicate more than 85^ it is right, and the temperature o 

 the frame should he 70', and must not be allowed at any time o be ^s thm 

 60- at ni"ht. Air should b.j given at 75^ and the frame should be closed at 

 that temperature. It may rise to 80 , 85 , or 90 , with sun and »b??d''™'; °' 

 air. The plants ^viU need earthing-upas the roots reach the sides of the 

 hill; but place the 'soU inside the frame the night previous or when the 

 weather ii mUd. In this way the earthing is to be done at two or thiee 

 times unto the bed is earthed aU over from 10 mches to a foot deep. Good 

 Ught turfy loam is the most suitable compost. The bed will need lining m a 

 fortnight or three weeks after the plants are turned out, and the hmngs 

 must be kept up and renewed, so as to maintam the temperatm-e above 

 mentioned. Mats or other covering must be put over the Ughts every night 

 untU June, and in putting them on they should not hang over on tne 

 dnnn-, which, however, for the Uning, should not be fresh, but sweetenea a 

 Uttle, though it need not be so much so as for the bed-makmg. 1> T™ i;™- 

 not raise the plants in a hou--e, you wiU need to make up a hi-st hotbed three 

 weeks before the planting bed is made. A one-Ught box wiU answer very 

 weU. Then make up the other bed, so as to have it ht for the plants by 

 the time they have grown, so as to be stopped at the second leaf, lou 

 may, however, sow and rear the plants in the permanent bed, and by sow- 

 in.^ after the bed has attained a good heat, or in three or four days aftei 

 making up the bed, you will lose but Uttle time, or be only a few days later 

 in cutting. 



Training Plums, Peacht.s, and Apricots (E.).— The horizontal method 

 of training will suit the Plum on your low waU. The first com-se of branches 

 should be 1 foot from the giound, and the others 8 inches apart, as you pro- 

 pose. We do not advise this method of training with the Peach and Apricot, 

 as the branches, especially those of the Apricot, are veiy apt to die oa, ana 

 they cannot, with this system of training, be easily replaced. We advise you 

 to practise the system called fan training. 



Frcit Dropping off Orchard-hocse Trees (.Jre AMateur).—The fruit 

 which is now turning yellow and dropping oS was not set. If it had set it 

 would only have dropped off with very bad management. If your house is 

 unheated we do not wonder at your failure, considering the long-continued 

 unfavourable weather we had. You should keep the house as dry as possible, 

 and ventUate freely when the trees are in blossom. We beheve damp and 

 cold to have been the cause of your failure. 



Air Boots on Vines (S'.T. TT.).— A moist atmosphere is the usual cause 

 of ail- roots. They do no harm whatever to the Vine. We have an early 

 house, in which they form abundantly every year. One season we would not 

 touch one of them, next season we cut them off as fast as they appeared, 

 and we did not notice any perceptible difference in the general health of the 

 Vmes ; both years we cut a splendid crop of Grapes. As these aerial ap- 

 pendages are not very ornamental, we advise you to remove them. 



Bedding Pel-iegonitms Grafting (C. M. Major).— The taU standard 

 plants which you wish to graft with the better sorts Lf Zonal, Tricolor, and 

 Double varieties, you may practise upon successfully; but we should proceed 

 by inarching on each shoot, raising plants of the desfred kinds on a stage. It 

 is not necessaiy to use clay; merely tie with matting, and then cover with 

 moss, which should be kept moist. In about six weeks the union will be com- 

 plete ; but first loosen the bandage, and see that the parts are united before 

 severing. Leave a joint or two above the junction on the stock, so as to attract 

 the sap"; but all the shoots operated on should be shortened and kept from 

 growin- much, so that the sap may be diverted into the scions. The part 

 above the scions will, as soon as the growth is complete, need to be cut off 

 closely. Yon might graft them, but in this case you must keep the plants 

 •VC17 close, employ rather fii-m wood for scions, and all growth must be 

 removed from the stock. We advise marching in your case. 



Hot-water Pipes P.ainted (T. W.y—The pipes will give-off fumes tor 

 some time after painting, and it is a mistake to use paint that is partly com- 

 pounded of lead. No harm will be done when the paint is thoroughly dried. 

 Leave a little aii- on for a tim(J at night, and with this wo do not think you 

 have anything to apprehend from the paint. We think the Cucumbers have 

 perished from cold, and we do not understand your Ughting a fll-e occasion- 

 ally in a stove. To keep up the proper temperature m a stove you wiU need 

 fii-e heat almost constantly. 



Plants for South Wall (jfma/fiir).— For your low south wall we adrise 

 Ceanothus dentatus, C. floribundus, Escallonia macrantha, E. glandulosa, 

 Garrya eUiptica, and Lignstrum japonicum, all of which are fine evergreens. 

 Water well in dry weather. 



LiLlUMS Infested with Green Aphis— Calceolarias Stopping (_M. a.). 

 — As you cannot well fumigate the house we ad\'ise you to wa^h the plants 

 leaf by leaf, and stalk by stalk, with tobacco water. This is made by pouring 

 half a gallon of boiling water on the strongest shag tobacco, and covering it 

 up. Let the liquid stand until cool, and then apply it with a sponge. It is 

 well to strain before use. There is no necessity for fllling-iip the pots with 

 compost once or twice a- week, though it will not do any harm as long as the 

 roots are not interfered with ; watering with weak liquid manure is beneficial. 

 The Calceolarias are all the better of the stopping, and we should advise their 

 being potted at once. Take them up with good balls, and place them in pots 

 that will hold their roots without cramping. They will need to be shaded for 

 a few days until they have become again estabUshed. 



SPH.EROGYSE LATiFoLiA (W. H. S.).— It is a Wcst Indian plant, and a 

 noble plant. Btem and leafstalks red ; leaves ovate and velvety olive green on 

 the upper surface, red beneath. We cannot say whether your Draciena is 

 mnbraculif era from the brief description. 



SiPHOc.utPl-Los (if. A.).— The plant of which you enclose a leaf and flower 

 is evidently one of the Siphocampylos genus, probably S. coccineus, which is 



not treated of inom- Journal. S. coccmeus is a native of BrazU, and a cool 

 rtove ofwa™ i?eetJiouse plant, evergreen, bat sendmg up fresh shoots from 

 the base The rfdTarts should thei-efore be cut off after they have flowered 

 ius a very free.g?owing plant, succeeding admh-ably m the hghtest and most 

 aL;pJtof theltove.requhes to be well watered l^-'^^^-^'^^^^^J^^ 

 abiidance of atmospheric moistm-e, but m wuiter no moi e than wiU keep it 

 freSi It is nropa^ated by cuttings, which root freely m gentle heat. A 

 foi^osto two pS loam, one part leaf soU, half a part of sandy pea , the 

 saSe of charcoarin lumps from" the size of a pea to that of a hazel nut, 

 with a sixth part of silver sand. Give good dramage. 



Hardy Bolbs (Cora.<6ia).-Leave them in the ground until the leaves 

 tm^ brow;,^heu take them up, dry, and store tbem^ Pro=^e »'. Masters 

 "Botaby for Beginners," noticed m our Journal of the Ibth mst. 



Narcissus (Budi«y ff™ncJ!/).-We do not know the kinds you name but, 

 some^foS correspondents may be able to give some inf oi-mation of N. pocu- 

 hformis elegaua, N. LeedsU, and N. major superbus. 



DESTROYING BINDWEED (C. H.).-The ouly '"«?°?,°twnc«d'X foots* 

 weed is to fork it out, taking away every portion of the whipcora-uke roots. 

 TMs however cannot always weU be practised, but whenever the gromd is 

 no^ioZcropitis weU to use the fork if the roots are deep, "'•growth 

 may te ^nsTderably checked by not oUowlng the top to make any headway. 

 This will weaken the roots ; but pulUng it up is best. 



BEDDING Plants foe Autchn Emubition (P., Subsmber}.-It is diift- 

 cultto'J™ any satisfactory reply to yoiu: query, but we »?^«>-i^^ t''.%*'=^»?^,^ 



J C War T It Ts likely these would not take-foliage plants would be 

 w^inted thietorewenamJsixthat ^e the best, bee-u- the most useW^ 

 Centan^ea ragiisina. Golden Feather Pyrethrum,Iresme Linden. P^'^"-!™™^ 

 Flambeau (Golden-variegated), Constantane (Gold and Bionze). and irmcess 

 Alexandra (SUver-edged). 



berSe^i^^urAl'olLTorMVt ts^^hilo^ 

 S laTclassofTeddi^g plants, and after they are removed m^ up fte bed , 

 add some leaf soU or weU-rotted manure, and plant su* snjjjects asOiocuses 

 Tulips, Narcissus, Hyacinths, and sP™?-fl™e™gplants as Myssum s^tUe 

 compoitmn, Ai-abis albida, A. alpina ™"eg='ta. Aubnetia g^^an>hfloi-a^ A t^^^^^^ 

 Belhs aucubsfolia, Cheiranthus Marshalh, Myosotis a-^^'™"^; *'• '^f ^^3^1 

 Pansy Cliveden Blie, Yellow, White, and Purple ; S^ene Pmdu^a and Prunulos 

 both single and double of the followmg colom-s-white, hlac, yeUow, and 



^Is^sECTS (T. A,hton).~Yow: Holly leaves are fastened together with the 

 web of a small spider which feeds on flies (several dead ones b^'°|,stil^in 

 the webs), and which has no means of bitmg or '°J!"^S '''« *°°'^.„^Z 

 know no msect which really hurts the shoots ; tbere is, however, a smaU fly, 

 thHi.™ of which make blotches on the leaves. Yom- other leaves were 

 JboiTt IresiTe Herbstii (T. B., Lfcrf<).-Your Rose twigs are infested by 

 1 Sei?sec" Coccus hesperduii, which also attacks other waU trees, suck 

 LpS:hes,ApiS;™ Pears, &c. The insects should be pkked oft at once, 01- 

 the young ones will be soon hatched by hundreds.— I. O. \\. 



NA3IE3 OF Plants I A. M. L.).— The silky-seeded specimen is SaUx caprea. 

 The other is' Fatus sylvatica heterophylla, a voi-iety of the common Beech 

 and so calledbecause its leaves are of various forms. (M.E. £:.)■— l,sta,ptiyica, 

 r^innata- 2 S trUoba. {F. T.j.-The red flower is Lychnis diurna, and the- 

 ^Wte oLe l! vespertina; the other is not in flower. Specimens ought 

 Always to be numbered, (T. H-l.-Eiyngium maritimuin. The Pea flowers 

 nmbns ni^-er (i D. S.).— It is Primula cortusoides, or Cortusa-leaved Prim- 

 rose IMs a native of Siberia, and was introduced into our gardens a^ long 

 Bines as 1799 (Tcrf, tJic Garrfjfiifr).— Celsia Arcturus. |Hora).— 1 tens sca- 

 berula. It is a native of New Zealand, and should be grown in a cool green- 

 house It is propagated by dividing it m the spring. Keep it near the glass 

 bSt safe from cold currents of ah:. [John).-\, Centaurea mon tana ; 2, Ajuga 

 reptans. (.W. F.Hrtf!.-).— Polypodium Dryopteris. 



POULTEY, BEE, A¥D PIGEON OHROMOLE. 



M-\NAGEMENT OF POULTRY BEFOEE ANI> 

 AFTER EXHIBITION.- 



I SHOULD like to make a very few remarks in reply to Mr. 

 NichoUs, not, as he wilT readily believe, froni a desire for con- 

 troversy but because the points are really important. I was 

 perhaps a Uttle amused by reailin- how at the Ci-ystal Pa,lace n» 

 bird "had any water until it had first eaten some food, and 

 then to find "they cannot awaUow food until they have sonis 

 watn- ■ " but of course we all know this must be either a shp of 

 the pen or of the printer, and Mr. NichoUs will not grudge the 

 JjL^-^hich is sure to arise with the reflection of what a small 

 amount of sustenance such a regimen must afford. 



But what I wanted to return to was the possibility of a fowl 

 being starved on the return joiu-ney The particulars Ifc 

 NichoUs gives aUow me to identify the bird he names as a very 

 fine Brahma cockerel, which, so far as I remember, I offeiea 

 I'lSfor; and this being so, I repeat, without the very slightest 

 hesitation, that it i. "simply nonsense " he should have d^ed 

 from starvation on account of a two-days journey noi could he 

 had it been three. Observe, the bird amved dead ; and I may 

 say, without fear of contradiction, that there is no adult ammal 

 whatever that will die from such a cause in t^'^^ fa°^f: fy °wn 

 birds when I removed to Loudon, were nearly that time on the 

 S\Tthout ill result; and when Mr. Boyle bredBrahmas m 

 Ireland I had several times birds from him which were longer- 

 on the way. In one case there was a special request that a 

 certain cockerel should be returned "at once" if not. kept, and 



