204 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



I September 11, 1873. 



cover the pot, which canvas must be slit up the centre to the stem of the 

 plant and secured to it, and also around the rim of the pot, the object being 

 to keep the hot water from reaching the roots. Laying the plant on its side, 

 syringe it well with water at the temperature above named, turning the 

 plant over and over again, so as to reach all the pai-ts with the hot water. 

 This repeated a few times will soon rid the plants of the pest. It must 

 not be dipped iu the water, but have it syringed on. 



PniMDLA JAPONICA LEAVES INJURED {G. C). — The leaves are eaten or 

 perforated by some caterpillar- or weevil, which you may probably find at 

 work if you examine the plants after dark with a lantern ; or dust the plants 

 with snuff or tobacco powder both on the under and upper sides of the 

 leaves. We should remove the plants to a cold frame, plunging the pots in 

 ashes to the rim, and give air freely in mild weather. 



Pea Culture and Selection (Amittrur, Diiblhi). — The average duration 

 of the Pea season is about four months, or from June to September. Occa- 

 sionally they may be had at a somewhat earlier or later period, but not with 

 any degree of certainty. The following selection may be depended upon for a 

 good succession, sowing them iu the order in which they ai-e named. Laxton's 

 Alpha, Kingleader, William I., Champion of England, No Plus Ultra, British 

 Queen, Premier. Monthly sowings to be made in January, February, and 

 March, and fortnightly sowings in the nest three months. Two or three later 

 sowiugs of Alpha and liiuglea ler may be made with good results in a favour- 

 able season. 



Apples and Plums Fon Succession (Oichardist).— Dessert Apples.— HeA 

 Joauneting, Irish Peach, Early Harvest, Reiuette Jaune Hiitive, Devonshire 

 Quarrenden, Kerry Pippin, Ross Nonpareil, Pitmaston Pine Apple, Margil, Pine 

 Golden Pippin, VVyken Pippin, King of Pippins. Golden Reiuette, Cox's Orange 

 Pippm, Old Nonpareil, Scarlet Nonpareil, Golden Pippin, Boston Russet, 

 Ashmead's Ki^rnel, Cornish Gilliflower, Reiuette Van Mons, Coui-t of Wick, 

 Colville Bjanclie, Pitmaston Russet, Melon Apple, Hubbard's Peaimain, Mau- 

 nington's Pcarmain, Keddleston Pippin, Heinette du Canada, Lord Burghley, 

 Sturmer Pippin, Golden Pippin, Lodgemore Nonpaieil. Kilchen Apples.— 

 Manks Codlin, Hawthornden, Duchess of Oldenburgh, Cox's Pomona, Beauty 

 of Kent, Cellini, Gloria Mnndi, Lord Suffleld, New Hawthornden, Mere de 

 Menage, Adam's Pearmain. Alfristoii, Striped Beefing, Bedfordshire Found- 

 ling, Brabant Bellefleur, Northern Greening, Bess Pool, Gooseberry. Dessert 

 PiuTjis.— Royale Hi'itive, Green Gage, Denniston's Superb, McLaughlin's, 

 Kirke's, Pui-ple Gage, Bryanston Gage, Coe's Golden Drop, Late Rivers. 

 Kitchen Piiimj.— Victoria, Mitchclson's, Prince Englebert, Gisborne'e, White 

 Magnum Bonum, Coo's Late Red, Shropshire Damson. The whole of the 

 foregoing kinds of fruit are arranged in the order of ripening. 



Gbsxeeaceous Plants (C. Yeatmnnl—V/e know of no work devoted to 

 them. "The Cottage Gardeners' Dictionarj' " includes them, detailing the 

 description, management, &c. 



Shuivelled Grapes (O. ^.).— They indicate deficient root-action ; the 

 roots aje too dry, probably. We cannot give a decided opinion without more 

 particulars. 



Grapes Diseased {M. F. 7F.).— Your Grapes are shanked. Encourage 

 more foliage by allowing the leaders and laterals oi the Vine to lengthen, and 

 oiiply fresh soil to the roots. 



Grapes Mouldy (B. M. if- Co.).— They are destroyed by the well-known 

 parasitical fungus, Oidium Tackeri. The Vine should have been thoroughly 

 and repeatedly dusted with flowers of sulphur as soon as the fungus was 

 observed. Apply the sulphur now, and as soon as the leaves are off burn 

 them, and lime-wash the whole house and Vine with flowers of sulphur in 

 the wash. Then prune the Vine ; again dust it with the sulphur, and next 

 year look out in time for the Oidium. 



Stove in Greenhouse (A Oarikn Nortec).— It the gases arising from the 

 mineral oil burnt in the stove you name can bv a tube be conveyed into the 

 open air, no injury will be caused to the plants, otherwise the gases will 

 injure all, and kill some of them. Over so small a structure you might apply 

 fc cover at night, which would greatly aid in excluding cold. 



Cutting Box Edgings (South Hanls).—It cut or clipped every year it is 

 best done during moist weather in June, and if much of the Box is to be 

 removed it should be cut during moist mild weather iu April or early in May. 



Large Gooseberries, Strawberries, and Raspberries [Tlios. Thonuis). 

 —On your light soil you will need to manure heavily, and mix it well with the 

 soil in trenching, or it may bo placed between the top and bottom spit, and 

 the surface should be enriched by surface-dressings. Oooseberrieg : red- 

 London and Clayton; yellow— Catherina and Leveller; green— Shiner and 

 Stockwell; white— Antagonist and Queen of Trumps. SIraieherries : Dr. 

 Hogg and Cockscomb. Ba^pberries: Carter's Prolific and Yellow Antwerp. 



PaopAOATiNG Bedding Plants, Golden Feather Pirethrum (J. F. C). 

 —The propagation of bedding stock may bo deferred till the first week 

 m October, provided you can then afford a lively temperature, and guard 

 carefully against the effects of damp. We would, howevir, remind you that 

 eevere frosts occasionally prevail before that period. Do not hastily discard 

 the Golden Pyrethrum, we have no substitute f..r it of equal excellence. As 

 you wish for variety, we recommend Mescmbrj-ftuthemum cordilolium varie- 

 gatum and Polemonium cajruleum vaiiegatum, both distinct and excellent 

 plants. Stellana gi-aminea aurca is of veiy dwarf habit, and has golden- 

 coloured leaves. There are some good cii-cles of it in Hyde Park. 



Mossy Growth on a Doo Rose (.V. C.).— It is caused by Cynips rosa' 

 also called C. Bedegaris, and Rhoditcs rosn?, one of the Gall-formin" insects 

 It deposits its eggs in a bud of the young shoots of the Dog Rose aiid Sweet 

 Briar. The grubs or larvre hatched from those eggs produce thosB galls, or 

 lumps, covered with green and reddish fibres looking like moss, so fi-eauently 

 lound. ^ 



Royal Vinbyard Grape not Setting (7. Lo}isclale).— It you examine 

 the small berries you will find no stones in them, but in the large berries you 

 will. When the flowers are expanding you should shake each bunch gently 

 every morumg about ten o'clock. It sets well with us treated in this way 

 Occasionally we draw our hand gently down the bunches, as a small globule 

 of moisture gathers on the stigma of this sort, and unless removed fertiUsa- 

 non cannot take place. 



Grapes Cracking Woiiice).— Two correspondents complain of this. It is 

 caused by too much water being applied to the roots either naturally or arti- 

 aoiaUy at the wrong time. If the Vines are moderately dry at the roots 

 when the Grapes are swelling for the last time, and they are well watered 

 in numerous mstances, though not always, many of the berries will crack. 



Selecting Seed Potatoes (7,frm).— It is not a good plan to select the 

 small Potjtoes for seed. Medium-sized well-shaped tubers should be selected. 



We spread ours out on the floor of a loft to dry them, and if convenient leave 

 them there until planting time. 



Fire and Window in Fruit Room (A Conslnnl Subseriber).—V,'e would 

 certainly have a window in the fruit room, and a fire is necessary to keep out 

 the frost. We use a small stove in our fruit room, and have not yet seen one 

 better adapted for the purpose. It is iu the form of a cylinder, is made of 

 strong sheet iron, and is 21 inches deep by 6i wide. Patent fuel is used ; it ig 

 only charcoal prepared in a special manner. The stove is registered as 

 Joyce's patent, and is made at 2m, Oxford Street, London. 



Training Cordons (F. /.).— Train the cordons as you propose. 



Dwarf Roses (Idem).— The strong young shoots which are thrown up 

 from the base of Hybrid Perpetual Roses, as a rule should not be pinched 

 back, as the shoots will produce a cluster of flowers. Cut away a portion of 

 the old wood aunuaUy to prevent the bush trom being crowded. The best 

 time to do this is iu February or March. 



Wintering Bedding Geraniums (Hi-nij.-Cattings struck in AugustwUI 

 keep better through the winter than old plants with your limited accommodo' 

 Hon. It will reciuire much care to preserve even the young plants in cold 

 frames. We have auswered the maximum number of questions ; you should 

 not ask more than three. Write again, and say for what purpose you require 

 the plants. 



Filbert (O. A.}. — The common Red-skinned Filbert, to be had of any 

 nurseryman. 



Seedling Variegated GEEANinu (W. W. TF.).— There is a variegated 

 Stella iu commerce very similar to the leaves you have sent. 



Names of Fruits (E. Pojiii).— Borovitsky. (Coidirioii).— The Apple is 

 Duchess of Oldenburgh. (R. L. E.).—;No. 1 is the White Summer Galville; 

 No. 2, Sugar-loaf Pippin. Dr. Hogg would be obliged by grafts of the former 

 in autumn. 



Names of Plants.— We again have to state that we cannot undertake to 

 name Ferns without fruit, or from small portions of a frond. (J. H. B. ). — See 

 above. Your Geranium is a florists' variety. i^L R.). — See above. (T. S.). — 

 A monstrous form of Sileue Armeria. (J. B. M.). — Ferns shortly. (C. L.). — 

 Mauiandya Barclayana. (Ten-i/ears Subseribey).—T)ie wliite one is a double- 

 flowered variety of Hibiscus syriacus, the Althaea frutex of gardens ; the other 

 is some near ally, which we cannot determine from specimen sent. (T. P.). — 

 1, SoUdago Virgaurea; 2, Saponaria officinalis. (A. D. No. 6.). — It is the 

 Potei-ium Sangiiisorba, Lesser Burnet, or Salad Burnet. It is thus noticed 

 in our '-British Wild Flowers : "— " The name is Gaelic, and refers to the brown 

 colour that so markedly tinges the superior parts of the plant. Jamieson in 

 his Scottish Dictionary quotes a couplet from Douglas's translation of Virgil, 

 where Burnet is employed as the name of a brown colour. 

 "'Behaldand thame so mony divers hew. 



Some peii-s, some pale, some burnet, and some blew.' 

 It is synonymous with the French brunette; and in Anglo-Saxon there is the 

 Brun-wyrt, or Brown-wort. The leaves when bruised smell and taste like the 

 paring of a Cucumber. Gerarde says, ' It is pleasant to be eaten in salads, in 

 which it is thought to make the heart merry and glad; as also being put into 

 wine, to which it yeeldeth a certaine grace in the drinking.' It is certain 

 that the leaves and seeds are mildly astringent, and have in modern days 

 been employed as a remedy iu dysenteiy. It forms a herbage relished and 

 beneficial to sheep aud cattle." ( T. P.). — We cannot undertake to name plants 

 by leaves only. 



POULTET, BEE, AND PIGEON OHRONIOLE. 



CHICKENS FAILING IN AUTUMN. 



Small marvel if, when hum.an beings are bothered about 

 their costume, when the thermometer falls 22° iu tweuty-four 

 hours, that fowls, having no variety of wardrobe to go to, show 

 the rapid change by uumistalseable signs of having caught cold. 

 For many years at this season we are inundated with letters 

 telling us that chickens that have hitherto been lusty and grow- 

 ing, have all at once become dull, that their combs are dark, 

 that they turn from their food aud appear to give up. "Writing 

 in The Journal of Houticulture, we always shudder when we 

 approach a subject akin to flowers, shrubs, trees, or even vege- 

 tables — wo fear to commit ourselves. Nevertheless, it strikes us 

 they feel the first change in the weather just as certain plants 

 do, and as the first frost nips the Geraniums, Nasturtiums, Helio- 

 tropes, and all of that nature, so the chickens used to the 

 glorious sun and the dry grass feel the absence of the one and 

 the damp of the other. 'The simile may be continued : as we in 

 the heat of summer sit with doors and windows open, but on 

 the approach of winter, or at the first change of temperature, 

 close first the door, then the windows, and at last light the fire, 

 so the chickens require more shelter aud better food. We 

 breed many hundreds of chickens, and up to this time they 

 always roost out. Iu past j'ears, September has been a hot 

 month, we have fouud the first fortnight iu that month among 

 the hottest times of the year. This year there is a change ; half 

 the human beings have caught colds, so have the chickens. We 

 increase the quality and the quantity of the food. We catch 

 them at night when at roost, and put them iu the houses they 

 are henceforth to inhabit. We are sorry to see a growing dis- 

 position to feed on rice and potatoes. Both are bad. The first 

 induces poverty of blood and low condition ; the second in- 

 variably produce disease of the liver, causing that which is known 

 as a great dehcacy, the " foie gras." However deUcious it may 

 be when it has passed through the hands of the " artistes " at 

 Strasbiu'g, it is by no means a pleasant symptom among the in- 

 habitants of a farmyard or a cottage poultry-yard. 



The best food for poultry is ground oats ; but that does not 

 mean the ordinary oatmeal. It means the -svhole of the oat 



