Jnne 20, 1872. ] 



JOUENAIi OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



to Ret young gardeners to attend to. First, to apply the tests 

 as to the dryness of plants in pots. They will teU you when 

 they watered them, but hoio is the question. Then there is 

 the custom of rushing into a stokehole and piling on a fire 

 iiTespective of eu-cumstances. Now, the first thing that should 

 be done is to consult the outside thermometer, the inside ther- 

 mometer, and then feel with the hand the condition of the 

 heating medium, be it flue, pipes, etc. But no ! iu spite of all 

 warning the stokehole must be gone to first, and there is the 

 waste and worry of having to counteract fire heat and sun heat 

 meeting together. Just think of a fierce sun iu May and June, 

 water pipes so hot as not to be touched, the results without 

 counteracting care, and the waste of material and care in- 

 volved. 



OESAIIEST-U, DEPAKT5IBXT. 



Did a deal of potting as respects Euphorbias, Poinsettias, 

 and Ferns, but oui- chief work was bringing up leeway with 

 bedding, &c. Our Calceolarias are large plants in trenches, and 

 lifted with large balls, so as not to feel the moving. In fact, 

 we pot but little, and find that Calceolarias, Iresines, Ageratums 

 do best when raised with balls after being planted out. The 

 economy as respects watering is wonderful when contrasted 

 with keeping the plants in pots. — E. F. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Books f r. Bird). — "We know of no book on Flower Gardening with coloured 

 pl:ites of the flowers. It would be too expensive for general use. 



EiTixr, Market Gaedess (Jnjutrer).— We published inNo. 508, December 

 2-3nd, 1870, page 498, not only our opinion, but the decisions relative to rating. 

 You most refer to that number. 



Cast Iron Vases (t. J.).— Write to Mr. Fox, Arcade, Eoyal Horticultural 

 Society, South Kensington. 



Excr.ESCEXCE ON CosiFER {T. E.). — The cm-ious woody out-growth on the 

 Conifer you sent us is not, though much like, a fungus ; but it is an excres- 

 cence of woody tissue, and covered with bark. 



V.iRiocs (S.).— Seed com mnst not be mixed with poison. Post cords will 

 not do for queries. We never give addresses. 



BcDDlXG KoSES iE. K.). — Bud on this year's shoots. 



La-wn Sand (3f. C). — We do not know anyone who has tried it. 



Stove foe Geeenhocse (Egremont).— Being only 16 feet by 8 feet, a gas 

 stove would be best for you, with a tube passing into the open air for convey- 

 ing away the fomes. . 



Seedling PELAEGONirus {J.'DX — The flowers, snow-white with a crimson 

 blotch on one or two of their petals, are beautiful ; but no one con judge of 

 the merits until after seeing an entire plant. Send one to the Floral Com- 

 mittee of the Eoyal Horticultural Society. 



AsTEES (Jaiia).— Xo. 1 as German, 2 and 3 as French, but there is also a 

 quilled race of No. 2. 



Boiler for a Stove ( J. T. ff.).— On the whole we do not think that anj- 

 thing will beat a common sadOle-back boiler, but, of com-se, this as well as an 

 upright tubular is liable to wear out and crack. One thing in favour of saddle- 

 backs, we have frequently patched them up when leaky, but this could scarcely 

 be done with tubular ones. Farther than this, having tried all, we have little 

 prepossession in favour of any kind of boilers, only the simpler they are the 

 better, and with the exception of the common conical, not tubular, we con- 

 sider the saddle-back the simplest. More depends on the management than 

 the form. 



Bhododen-brcs Leaves Gxawed (M. C. D.).— The leaves are eaten by 

 some caterpillar. We advise you to syringe the trees with water holding 1 oz. 

 of white hellebore powder to every gallon, and in the evening at dusk. It 

 mav also be apphed with a rose watering-pot, and only when the foHage is 

 dry. Almost all kinds of caterpillars ore destroyed by it. We also find a solu- 

 tion of 4 ozs. of soft soap to the gallon will answer the same end, and act as 

 a deterrent. 



Cctting-back PniELEA SPECTABILIS (Le Grand).— The plant behig out of 

 bloom ought to be cut back now, but not to the old wood, leaving an inch or 

 two of last year's growth. Keep the plant rather dry for a time, and repot 

 when it has made fresh shoots an inch or two long. 



Cloibees foe Geeexhodse (A J3.).— Passiflora Countess Gulglini is a fine 

 white, blue, and rosy pnrple-floweiing climber, and Kennedya Mairyattffi a 

 fine scarlet Pea-shaped flower. Tacsonia moUissima, deep shaded pmk or 

 rose, is good and free grower, and so ore the two former. 



EEHovDiG Beech, Lime, and Hoese Chestnut (J. P.). — Ton may re- 

 move the trees you name. They could have been transplanted with much 

 greater safety if they had been dug round this spring, and we should be in- 

 clined to adopt that practice now il a moist time could be depended on. At 

 the some time we should cut-in their heads considerably, so as to balance the 

 loss of roots consequent on taking out a trench roimd the stems. The prun- 

 ing should leave the trees in good form though considerably reduced, ond by 

 thinning-ont and shortening the strong and irregular gr-owths you may form 

 very handsome heads. Transplant in autumn as soon as the leaves toU, 

 taMng-np the trees with aa many roots os possible, and being very careful of 

 the small roots, and if you could preserve a ball to each tree there would be a 

 gi-eater prospect of success. Plant with the centre rather higher than it was 

 before moving, carefully spread out the roots, cover them with fine soil, and 

 make firm. Secure the trees against winds. 



Melon Leaves Scorched (^. f".).— The leaf is scorched, probably from 

 the plants being kept very dose and moist, so that then: leaves ai-e unable to 

 withstand sun. Give more air, especiaUy eai-ly m the day. We do not think 

 your plants ai-e affected by the disease. Keep them also drier, and we thmk 

 they will go on well. 



Conservatoey Plants not Thuivtng (Inquirer). — We caimot iccount for 

 the plants not thriving, but from the whitened appeai-ance of the leaves wo 

 should consider the causes to be the glass and the iusufBcient ventilation. 

 With what description of glass is the house glazed ? We should try the 

 effect of a sUght shade, and admit aU the air possible. We haidly think it 

 can be due to any mineral substance in the soil, but it may, and soil of a 

 heavy nature overlying chalk is not good for Camellias, nor, indeed, for most 

 greenhouse plants. You ai-e quite right to try to get the roots of the plants 

 in good condition ; unless they are in a healthy state you cannot have good 

 growth, and without suitable compost you cannot attain that end; therefore, 

 secure proper soil at once. Medinilla magnifica may be cut back to the old 

 wood, but then it will not break so freely as from the young wood. We have 

 cut back the plant successfully, keeping it rather dry at the roots until it had 

 broken, but encouraging it with a moist atmosphere, and when the shoots 

 were a few inches long repotting and placing in a hotbed so as to encoui-ag© 

 free root-growth. We should not like to place Orchids on an open stage 

 9 inches above hot-water pipes. In addition to the troughs you propose for 

 placmg on the pipes, we should also have the shallow troughs, which during 

 the growing season could be filled with water, and the pots contaimng the 

 plants set on mverted saucers so as to be clear of the water. When theplanta 

 are at rest the troughs would need to be dry. 



Newly-planted Vines not Thriving (.4n Irish Subscriber).— Ihe ^ ines 

 aie making very poor progress owing to then- being iu an outside border and 

 the soil being so cold. VvTien the gi-ound becomes warm we think they will 

 make good progress, and to secure this sooner we should cover the border 

 with 18 inches to 2 feet of hot dung, which will set the roots m action, and 

 with these in a good condition you have nothmg to fear. Encourage growth 

 with a good heat, and plenty of moistui-e and shade from bnght sun for a 



Eyeegeeen fok Screen to a Koseey (TF. M.).—kt the end of Septem- 

 ber or early in October you may plant the American Arbor \ itaj, which forms 

 a neat and good screen, bears cutting well, and may at once be planted ot 

 the height required. It is of no use as a hedge, as it is too weak to turn any- 

 thing. HoUy forms a very fine strong hedge, but it is of slow growth. Yew 

 is the best evergreen of all, and beai-s cutting better than any. Evergi-een 

 Privet is quick-growing and good, and for beauty we think Berbens Parwinil 

 is superior to them all. They may be transplanted readily dm-mg moist 

 weather at the end of September or beginning of October. 



RHYNCHOSPEH3ICM JASMINOIDES PROPAGATION (F. R. B. S.).— Cuttmg Off 



B flower will do no harm to the plant, and there is no necessity to cover the 

 wound with clay, it will heal over better without it. The plant is pro- 

 pagated by cuttmgs token off when 3 or 4 inches long, prefemng the short 

 stubby shoots. Cut them immediately below the lowest leaves, remove these 

 and aU others for about 2 inches up the cutting. Insert the cuttmgs round 

 the sides of a pot well drained and filled with equal parts of loam, peat, ana 

 sUver sand, surfacing the pot with an inch of sUver sand. They wtU strike 

 freely in gentle heat, either under a beU-glass or without one, providmg they 

 have a close moist atmosphere. Shade 1)hem from bright sun. ihe plants, 

 will flower next year if their growth be oncom-aged. Pot them off as soon as 

 rooted, and keep them m a gentle heat untU estahUshed. A hotbed used for 

 striking cuttings will answer well, with a temperatui-e of 70' to 1 5 . 



Various [F. J.).— You may safely cut into shape trees of Arbor Titffi, and 

 the present is a good time ; we should use a shoip knife or small pnimng 

 scissors Gnano at the rate of 2 ozs. to the gallon may be given Koses once 

 a- week for the next two months, and one gnUon wiU be snflicient for a dwarf. 

 We would use it at the rate of 1 oz. to the gallon, and apply two gaUons to s, 

 bush instead of one. Ihe flowers should be removed from Incolor and other 

 Pelargoniums grown for their foUago, also from the Echevena glauca and 

 Sempervivum califomicum. 



Utilising a Strawberry House in Sujtmee {Churchin). —^e do not 

 thmk you could put your house to amore profitable use for market than grow- 

 in" Cucumbers after the Strawberries are cleai-ed out. Ton could raise the 

 pLants in a hotbed, so as to have them ready for plantmg by the time the 

 Strawberries ore out of the house, and ha\-ing cleaned the house thoroughly 

 you could moke a hotbed 18 niches or 2 feet deep ; place on it a foot m depth 

 of good rich light soil, and put out the plants 2 feet apart, trammg the shoots 

 at about a foot fi-om the glass. In this way you might grow a gi-eat niimber 

 of Cucumbers iu summer and autumn up to the time you rcquue the house 

 for Strawberries. Volunteer is a good Cucumbei-, being very free-bearing and 

 of a considerable size. The sprig you enclosed is not that of a Fern, but or 

 the ArtiUeiy Plant, PUeamuscosa. Itmaybe useful for market as adecoiative 

 plant. 



Vines Neglected-Cctting Box Edging (.V. G.).-As regards the Vines 

 which have not been touched nor pruned since last year we should thin them 

 out so as to leave the shoots along the rod at 18 mches apart on each side,, 

 and we would stop them at the joint above the fruit ; or if there be no fi-nit 

 we would stop them at the first tendril, the lateral we would stop at the first 

 leaf. Now is the tune to chp Box edgmg. You may cut it as much as you 

 wish, choosmg, however, moist weather. The Bnais planted last November 

 will need to have all the side shoots removed, save oneor two of the strongest, 

 and the sooner this is done the better. You may bud them any tune from 

 the middle of July to the beginning of August. 



CicTcs CtJLTCRE (-imafcur).— Tho pruning should be confined to cutting 

 out the old bare shoots. Encourage the young shoots, especiaUy those from the 

 bottom. Thm out the shoots when the flowermg is over, and repot at the 

 same tune. Give a moderate shift, say a pot of 2 mches gieatei- diameter, 

 drain weU, and use a compost of two paits light turfy loom, and ^^^V^^ 

 each old cow dung or veiw rotten manure, and crocks and sharp sand, pot 

 rather firmly. Be careful not to overwater untU the roots have taken to the 

 fresh soil, but keep the soil moist. 



HuMEA ELEGANS Cfltcee (G)-OT/.ousf).-Sow the sccd ot tho end of MajT 

 or early m June m a pot or pan of two parts tui-fy loom, and one of leaf soil, 

 with one part of sand. Just cover the seed with fine soil. Place the pots m 

 a frame irith a gentle heat, and keep them neai- the glass, and just moist. 

 When the plant! are up admit air freely, and as soon as they are large enough 

 to handle prick them out in pans at about an inch apart, andretum them^to 

 the frame. When they are fit to pot off singly i 



1 3-inch liots do s 



SmposTbefore nii^d ^^^ace tW In a coTd frame, and water thern overhead 

 da^y, but avoid making Le soU verr wet. ANTien tie roots show at the «des 

 of tL pots, and,before they,are™7 close y f,!'!',,^ 'If^^^^^rt's" 



4i-mch pots, and so on until autum"n, when they will require J-inch pots. 

 They caiiot have too much air after they arc estabhshed m small pots,_ 

 indeed, at anytime, especially in winter, en 

 The main thing is to keep them slowly gi|— 

 pots as those they " "" "" ^" 



they are secui-e from frost, 



„ .„„,.. ..^,.., 6- =. and to shift them into larger 



flU with roots. They should have good diomage, »n4 



