August 21, 1873. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



143 



added, when it is settled, to each oanful of water, which is used in sjTinging. 

 This treatment will both invijiorate the plants and keep them free from aphis 

 and mildew. 



Manager of Ncrserv ( J. Palmrr). — As vou have a sijn-board inscribed, 

 "Palmer's Floral Nursery," and sell the produce, you are not liable to pay for 

 the manager as a seirant. He is employed iu the trade. Your having another 

 trade to attend to and live by makes uu difference. 



CccuMBER Disease {A. B. 6'.).— Toor Cucumbers are attacked with the 

 disease for which we kuowof no cure, except to destroy the plants, and to 

 begin afresh with new soil. 



GcM IN CccasiBERS {Bath).— This is a disease which ia more than usually 

 prevalent this season. We have had repeated examples of it sent us, and 

 what we regret most of all is, that we can offer no remedy. It is one of those 

 diseases whi«b, like the Potato murrain, has as yet delied all the skill of 

 science to deal with it. 



Apples {Mrs. C.).— We should not advise you to try Lord Burghley as a 

 standard in the south of Scotland, but we have no doubt it would do on a 

 waiL Shepherd's Fame is a winter Apple, in use from October to March. 

 You may try Keswick Codlin in addition to Lord SutHeld. It is a fioe early 

 cooking Apple, and succeeds well as a standard in the south of Scotland. 



Budding We EPi.vG Elm, Ac. {A Constant ij^-ndf-r).— The end of July is 

 the best time to bud the trees you name, but it may be done now, taking 

 the buds from the shoots that have full-sized fresh leaves, removing the wood. 

 Von may practise the budding up to the middle of September. 



?^TisH Feess from Spores (G. H, r.).— Drain some square pans one- 

 tmrd their depth with crocks, large over the holes and finer at top, finishing 

 off with small, on which place a thin layer of moss, then half-an-inch layer 

 of sandy fibrous peat three parts, one part yellow loam, made fine and silted 

 Uirough a quarter-inch sieve, what remains in the sieve being used for the 

 fu-st layer on the moss, as above stated, an inch thick. Add to three parts of 

 the sided soil one part of silver sand. Thoroughly mix, and fill the pan to 

 within an inch of the rim, pressing it firm, and making the surface level and 

 smooth, and water through a fine-rosed watering-pot. Let the pans stand 

 three hours, then water again, and when settled scatter the spores on the 

 surface, which may be done by holding the frond with the ripe spores over 

 the pan and gently brushing with the hand. Cover with a square of glass 

 tHe size of the pan. and set on a damp shelf or other moist bottom in a house 

 safe from frost, as a greenhouse, shading from sun or strong light, and keep- 

 ing constantly moist. In due course the plants will appear, when the panes 

 of glass may bo raised a little on one side by a thin piece of wood, raising it 

 by degrees as the plants advance in growth, and removing it by the time they 

 can weU be handled. They may then be potted-off singly in small pots, and if 

 kept close and moist they will soon make good plants. 



Exotic Ferns for Exhibition {T. P.).— Of the Ferns you give us to 

 select Jrom, those we should consider most likely to make specimens are 

 Ooniopblebiiim appendiculatum, Alsophila excelaa, Adiautum cuneatum, 

 Asplemom bulbiferum, Adiantnm assimUe, and Pteris serrulata cristata. 



^^5*^^ *^" ^-J-— The best time for putting in Laurel cuttings is the last 

 week of September, or from the first fortnight of October to the middle of 

 >ovember. For stretching on wood framework for covering half-hardy plants 

 m winter, use frigi domo. The best time to transplant Spruce and Austrian 

 Pme IS in moist weather from October to the middle of November, or the 

 Urst mUd weather after the middle of February. Take up the plants of 

 Azalea pontica, and pjt them for forcing as soon as the leaves have fallen. 

 Pot the Kosea at the end of September. After potting Geraniums taken up 

 from the open ground this autumn we do not recommend their being cut-in 

 closely ; defer domg so until March. Zonal Geraniums may be distinguished 

 Xiom Nosegay by the former having the petals much broader, more rounded, 

 and m a good variety overlapping, so as to form a circle, the petals being dis- 

 iwsed equally around the eye, and the trusses are much smaller. In Nosegays 

 the trusses are large ; the three lower petals, though larger, are more rounded 

 than the two upper ones (there being a wide division between them), and not 

 nearly so much so as the upper petals of the Zonals, whilst the two upper 

 ^tals are narrow and blunt-ended. Take Waltham Seedling as the type of a 

 Aosegay, Chpper or Madame M--zard as representing the Zonals, and yon will 

 soon see the difference. Xhey also differ in the foUage, that of the Zunals 

 oemg much more rounded and flat. 



FccHsiA Training FOtt Standards {Fidget).— Yom will not have any chance 

 with standard Fuchsias in competition with those grown as pyramids or 

 hashes, both bemg examples of good cultivation. The case would be different 

 were the pnze offered for standards ; then those with stems 2 to 2i feet high 

 could hardly be called standards. Standards should have 4-feet stems. It ia 

 natural for the first blooms to be larger than the succeeding tlowers, the first 

 Should bo removed, not aUowing the plants to flower until they are well fur- 

 mahed, and the majority of the flowers opening at a time. We cannot under- 

 take to name florists' flowers, they are too numerous and too much alike, and 

 i!°*t/2" ^°°' "^^^^ wretchedly withered. The thermometer in a greeuhouee 

 Should bo III the shade, or with the face facing nor'h. A temijerature of 8t)"' is 

 not too high for Fuchsias in July and August, with air at top and bottom. A 

 temporatoreof 6ti- to 7a ia, however, more suitable. 



PoTTiNa Golden Bkonze Pelarooniitsis, Iresine Lindeni and CoLEra 

 Wisteriso {W«m.(— Tako up the Pelargoniums at the end of September, re- 

 rnonng any sod that will come away freely, and shorten the roots a little- 

 then pot them in a size of pot that wUl just hold tho roots, and place them in 

 ■ cold (r»me, keepmg them rather close for a few days afterwards, admit air 

 aV ^^°?""**=*» P*^ts would, we think, be largo enough. Ircsine Lindeni 

 ud Coloaa will strike now in a cold frame kept moist, or any time in Septera- 

 ■ »1^^ * ® hotbed if kept moist and shaded from bright sun. Both are 

 wmtorod safely in a house with a temperature of not less than 45^ They will 

 are iq a lower temperature, but not weU, and should be kept dry. 



LlSIANDBA SIACRANTHA FLOBIBUNDA CCLTCRB ( G. J. B.).— Wo have it 



newimelyln flower in a stove; in order to eucceod well, it requires also a 

 ugat airy ^sition. but shaded from powerful sun at midday. Like the 

 i-icromaii and others of their tribe, it is impatient of sudden changes of tem- 

 perature or moisture, eapeciaUy when making fresh growth, tho leaves whUst 

 young dying-off at the points of the shoots; for this we know of no remedy 

 except more curefnl attention to watering and air-giving. It will thrive in a 

 gpoenhouse after tho wood is firm. 



♦»,f.''ti!" ^-**i^'''^^ »^' Smoke or Brick-kilns {E. P.).— There is no doubt 

 t^ J .1 ^"t .*"■ ^*Poars of a brick-kiln will drift directly towards your 

 LTn'af T^ situated -»00 yards distant, and if the vapours enter they would 



Lt th« /rn J^fi^'^.P ''?V':. ■^^*«'l*i^ it likely tho injury has been caused 

 iij the smoke of tho brick-kilns. 



Smoke Nuisance (G. 3fordi fee).— Use coke, it will heat the flue as well as 

 coal does. 



Sal.ui— Rose Collection {W, J, TT.).— Beetroot and Celery are the in- 

 gredients of a salad ; but if yo6 wish to exhibit for a prize offered for the 

 best salad, you had better have a greater variety, such as Lettuce, Mustard, 

 and Radishes. "A collection of Roses" is a very vague description. It 

 must be of different varieties, usually not leas than twelve. The prize list 

 ought to specify the number, and whether there ia to be a single flower or a 

 truss of flowers of each variety. 



Rhododendrons, &c. (T. it. H.).— Write to any of the leading nursery- 

 men who advertise in our columns. The one you named could supply all you 

 wish for of evei-y kind, and would advise you honestly. We should return 

 the stamp if you had enclosed one. 



Treatment of Vines {St. Brigid),— You ought to have stopped all the 

 side shoots, whether they had bunches showing on them or not. Your house 

 must be very much crowded now; it would, therefore, be desirable to cut 

 back some of the growths to give the wood a chance to ripen, but do not cut 

 too severely. "Practical Treatise on tbe Grape Vine," by W. Thomson. 

 Blackwood & Sons. 



Syringing Fruit Trees {B. B.).— Discontinue syringing a few days before 

 the first fruit ripens; but you should have the trees quite free from red 

 spider at that time, as, if any of this pest should be on tho trees, it will 

 spread with amazing rapidity. 



Best Six Early Tulips {J. ^.).— Le Matelas, Proserpine, White Potte- 

 bakker, Crysolora, VermiUon Brillant, and Fabiola. 



Herbaceous Plants for Summer Bedding {A Fifteen-years Subscriber]* 

 — The gi-eat fault of herbaceous plants is that they do not continue sufficiently 

 long in flower. They are, however, fine in their season. Agrostemraacoronaria 

 flore-pleno, ciimsou; Delphinium Belladonna, blue; D. alopecuroiJes, blue; 

 Geranium sanguineura laucastriense, red ; Lobelia fulgens St. Clair, scarlet ; 

 Lychnis Haageana superba, orange; Mimulus eupreus, yellowish orange; 

 CEuothera macrocarpa, yellow; tE. taraxacifolia, cream; Papaver nudicaule, 

 yellow ; and Sileue Schafta, rosy pink. Why not take off the monotonous 

 aspect by having beds of Liliums, Gladioli, Carnations, Phloxes, Pyrethrums, 

 Antirrhinums, &c 7 



Orange Tree Casting its Fruit {A Very Old Subsci iber).~Th.e shed- 

 ding of the fruit is probably due to imperfect fertilisation of the flowers, or it 

 may have arisen from an inactive state of the roots, occasioned by too fre- 

 quent and heavy waterings having soddened the soil and rendered the roots 

 inactive. The casting of the fruit, if not caused by imperfect fertilisation, 

 generally arises from a check to the roots. See that the drainage is good and 

 the soil sweet. 



Re-arranging Garden (G. Jlf. F.).— We do not see what more you could 

 have done as regards the preparation of the ground and the stations 

 for the fruit trees, only you say nothing about drainage, and that should 

 be the primary consideration in all improvement of land. We presume 

 it is efficiently drained, or the fruit-tree stations will be only wells for water, 

 in which no fruit tree will thiive. Your walls will answer for Pears, Plums, 

 and Cherries. We should have Pears on the west aspect — viz., Marie Louise, 

 Beurre Diel, and Glou Mori;eau; Plums on the east aspect — viz., Belgian 

 Pm-ple, Transparent Gage, and Coe's Golden Drop. The other station on tho 

 same aspect you may plant with May Duke Cherry, or you may try a Kaisha 

 Apricot. The lawn we should have made level, and quite fine on the surface, 

 the ground having been well dug, manured, and firm so as to prevent irregu- 

 larities afterwards, and then sow in the, first moist weather in September the 

 finest mixtm-e of lawn grass seeds, which may bo had of any respectable 

 seedsman, and roll or beat well with the back of a spade after sowing. It 

 would be well to give a light dressing of manure in November. 



Peas Failing— Pears Warted {J. F. C).— The Peas were attacked by 

 thrips. The warts resembling tbe soridia of lichens are exactly analogous 

 to the lenticelles of trees, which is not surprising, as the fruit of the Pear is a 

 continuation of the branch. The white particles which look hke fungi are 

 only some of the bleachedgritty cells, whose structure is so curious under the 

 microscope. — M. J. B. 



Todea superba Culture (J. H.). — We never saw this with a tall stem 

 That seen by your employer was probably Todea hymeuophylloides, which 

 when old, has a stem about 2 feet high. Mr. Williams, a good authority, says 

 of the whole genus: — "In potting, perfect drainage is essential, and good 

 fibrous peat and a portion of silver sand is the best soil that can be used. 

 They grow more rapidly in the tropical fernery in a close case, with an abun- 

 dance of shade and frequent sprinklings with water over the fronds, and also 

 make fine objects planted in sheltered moist places in the open fernery, but 

 thrive best in the cool house." 



Sunflower and its Uses (A Constant Rea(l':r).—'Mia.ny facts have been 

 adduced to show that the Sunflower has the property of purifying air laden 

 with marsh miasm, absorbing a great quantity of moist and noxious gases, 

 and exhaling an ozonised oxygen. Moreover, the French Sanitary Commission 

 has lately pointed out that the Sunflower is a most useful plant ; it yields 

 about 4U per cent, of good oil, the leaves furnish an excellent fodder, and the 

 stem, being rich in saltpetre and potash, makes a good fuel. The seeds usei 

 iu smaU quantities are good for fowls ; they are very nourishing. 



Names of Plants (G. D. iV/.).— Melilotus leucantha. {E. H. Rodd).~\t 

 is trueLycopsis an-ensis. The forked cymes are not unusual. (X.,Sidmoiiih',. 

 — MandeviUa suaveolens. {Clare Subscriber).— I, A Stotice of which you 

 have not sent a leaf; 2 and 3, apparently varieties of Abies excelsa; 4, Cu- 

 pressus Lawsoniana; 5, Taxus utlpressa; U, Pinus excelso. {Geo. Wall).— 

 1, Polygonum aviculare; 2, Stachys sylvatica; ii, Gnaphalium aronarium. 

 (C. A'.).— No one can determine the names of plants from such scraps. 



POULTRY, BEE, AlID PIGEON OHEONIOLE. 



DELATED INCUBATION. 



Mr. J. M. Wade, in a number of the "American Bulletin," cites 

 the case of a lien which left her nest after six days' incubation, 

 and when so discovered " tho eggs were very cold." " She (the 

 hen) was certainly olT all uisht, and probably part of the previous 

 day." In this case tho certainty (all night) should count for 

 twelve houxs, and if wu allow for the probability, three hours, 



