224 



JOUENAL OF HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ September 18, 1873. 



and may be bad there or of any druf^giet. Lee's Prolific Black Currant may 

 be protuied tbrougb ariy resijectable nureeiyman. Our " Florists' Flowers " 

 Tvill suit jcu. It coDtaiDE Fucbt-ia trtatment. It may be bad from our 

 cfEce for five penny postage stamps. The Hydrarjjca we sbtmld place in a 

 ■warm sheltered position, and piye no more water than sufficient to keep it 

 from flagging, and afford protection from frost in winter, or better keep it in 

 a cool bouEe and dry. Start it in spring in a greenbouee, and we doabt not 

 you will another yeai' have a splendid bloom. We have one about the same 

 size that bad nearly a hundred beads of bloom. Festuca ovina would not do 

 alone fur a lawn. You should sow a mixture of the beat Grasses and Clovers. 



Kepotting C-iiiELLiAS (A Subscriber). — We have potted Camellias suc- 

 cessfully as &oon as the flower-buds were formed, and we should not hesitate 

 to do it now if tbebudswere not being swelling for flowering. If they are it 

 would be better to defer it until they have flowered. We consider the plants 

 are best repotted as soon as the buds ai-e set. 



Pears for Pyramids {Idfm). — Beurre d'Amanlis, Marie Louise, Beurre 

 Diel, and Beurrt Bacbelier. All large, good- flavoured, and free beai-ers. 



Replanting Cerastium, Arabis, and Stachys lanata Edgings 

 {E. M. M.). — It will answer quite as well to replant the edgings of these now 

 as in spring, each division, especially of the Cerastium, having good roots. 

 The Arabis and Stachys aie not so particular as to roots; the shoots will strike 

 if a few inches of the stem be placed in the soil and the latter made firm about 

 them. The eailier it is done the better, choosing a moist time, and water- 

 ing at planting, es-pecially if the ground be dry, which is not unlikely if you 

 plant on the same spot. It would be well in such a case to give a liberal 

 dressing of leaf soil or thoroughly rotted manm-e, and work it well into the 

 soil before planting. 



Tank for Aquatics— Greenhouse (J. H.).— The depth of the tank need 

 not exceed 18 inches. This will allow of about 6 inches of soil and a foot 

 of water over it, which wUl, however, be rather deep; but then you can add a 

 greater depth of soil, so as to afford the requisite depth of water. The tank 

 would be suitable for a great numV-er of aquatics ; the only fear will be in the 

 flue on which the tank is placed making the bottom of the tank too hot. 

 Amongst the taller sorts are Saururuscemuus, Diefishicolor, Thalia dealbata, 

 Typhp, stenophylla; and of dwarfer kinds, Nympbita pygmiea, Aponogeton 

 distachyon, Lymnanthemum geminatum, L. nympba-oides, and others that 

 would succeed in such a tank; Jussieuiagrandiflora, Nymphrea minus, N.odo- 

 rata, Pagittaria chinensis. S. lancifolia, S. obtusifolia, S. rigida, Vallisneria 

 spiralis mascula, S. spii-alis fcemina, YillarBla chilensis, V. pamassisefoUa, 

 V. reniformis, and setbiopica. 



Gajiden Infested with Vermin (A. C.).— The best thing would be to 

 pare the surface off and bum it; but as you may not be able to do this on 

 account of trees, &c., we should give it now a dressing of salt at the rate of 

 one peck to 30 square yards, taking caie to apply it to the surface of the soil 

 only, and not strewing it on growing plants. The dressing of salt may be 

 given in March, also lime, as you have the ground cleared, at the rate of a 

 bushel to 80 square yards ; or you may apply gas lime in autumn, one peck to 

 30 square yards, allowing it to lie on the surface a few days afterwards ; then 

 dig it in, and fork the ground over again in March, or in February if dry. 



Pruning Laurels {H.]. — The Laurels and other evergreens becoming too 

 large should be cut-in at the end of March or eaily in April, choosing, if 

 possible, moist and mild weather. When the air is diy and frosty is not a 

 good time to prune. You may cut them in as much as you like; they will 

 grow again freely, and become green before autumn. The Wellingtonia may 

 be moved in moist weather, the earlier the better. 



Heating a Small Pit (Victor and W. M. ^"rfrcu's).— Hot-water piping 

 is undoubtedly preferable for the application of beat to all kinds of glazed 

 structures, yet for your little pit a small furnace and brick flue will answer 

 admirably. Fix the furnace outside the pit at one end, carry the flue very 

 near, but not close, to the inside of the fi-ont wall on the bottom of the pit, 

 along the end farthest from the fire, and continue it near the back wall to a 

 shaft at the t-ame end as the furnace. Put a few 6-inch drain pipes on end 

 along the top ot the flue, 3 or 4 feet apart., fill up the bottom space with 

 coarse rubble, making all level a little higher than the top of the flue, and 

 put the soil for Melons or Cucumbers upon the rubble. By means of a few 

 wooden plugs fitted into the tops of the drain pipes you can regulate both 

 top and bottom heat to the greatest nicety. We add one or two valuable 

 hints : — Fix a damper and soot-door in the shaft near the bottom, and to 

 insure a quick draught let the flue have a sbai-p ascent for the first 2 or 

 8 feet nest the furnace. 



Bose Issuing from a Rose {Rei\ S. A. £.).— Your specimen is too dried- 

 up for engraving from, even if it had been desirable to portray such a devi- 

 ation twice. 



Meaning of Leow (rja/or).— This'word when used in South Devon, we 

 think, is pure Anglo-Saxon. When it is said the " land is leow," the culti- 

 vator meant the " land is warm." Hleow is Anglo-Saxon intends a nourish- 

 ing warmth. 



Training Vine out of Doors— Growing for Competition (A. T. W.). 

 — The best Grape for culture out of doors in England is the Royal Muscadine, 

 but it docs not bear freely unless young wood is trained up from the base 

 periodically. The best way is to train a I'od horizontally right and left from 

 the main stem, then train the shoots from these vertically at the distance of 

 18 inches or 2 feet apart. It is easy to remove the old rods and replace with 

 young ones when the old are exhausted. You would stand vei-y little chance 

 of taking a prize with your Grapes, competing against those grown in a hot- 

 house. We prefer nailing the rods to the wall rather than tying them to a 

 trellis. 



Pears Splitting (Flo^'a). — This is caused by the autumn rains, and is 

 most common on light dry soils. Many varieties are useless with us every 

 year from this cause. Beunt- do RaLce and Marie Louise d'Uccle are the 

 worst, and this year Beurre d'Amanlis has half its fruit spoiled. II you could 

 water the trees during dry weather in summer it might prevent it to a certain 

 extent. But probably the best way for you to do would be to head the tree 

 back and graft it with a sort that does not crack. 



Vines Unhealthy (Essex).— We have had our own Vine roots in three 

 vineries, and ve bad specimens of roots sent from a friend this year similar 

 to those you have forwarded. The specimen of loam seems exactly adapted 

 for Vines. Our own borders were made with the greatest care, as we person- 

 ally saw all the compost mixed up and put into the borders, and why the 

 roots shoiUd decay as they did was, and has as yet been, a mystery to us. 

 Scientific gentlemen were consulted, but they could not account for it. We 

 Bet to work and removed the surface loam to the dtpth of 3 or 4 inches, laying 

 bare some of the roots, half of which were quite dead; the compost was re- 



placed with turfy loam pure and simple. Next season this turfy loam was 

 matted with sound healthy roots, and the Vines have continued to progress 

 well ever since. We can tmly advise you to ti-y the same experiment. You 

 did wrong if you watered the unhealthy Vines with manure water; it would 

 only make bad worse, and manure water taken from a tanlt in the farmyard 

 would he of uncertain strength. We have seen it applied to the ground strong 

 enough to bring the worms to the surface, where they died. In that state it 

 would be too strong for the roots of healthy Vines. 



Treatment of Large Fruit Trees iB. W. R. 5.}.— The trees seem to 

 have been allowed to grow wild for a number of years ; and if you were to cut 

 the branches well back now or in winter you would not have a crop next year, 

 as all the fruitful buds of such trees are at the ends of the branches. The 

 best way to adopt would be to cut back a few of the most prominent branches 

 annually, and thus gradually get them into shape without losing a crop. 



Management of Damson Trees (Irf^m).— Probably the trees are too close 

 together ; by removing every alternate tree it may dispose the others to fruit. 

 The trees will not bear- fruit if the soil is too rich. They bear best when they 

 make little wood. Do not prune the trees at all. 



Pear Tree Unfruitful (Idevi). — Head it back, and gi-aft it with a free- 

 bearing variety. If the wood is thick, what is called crown grafting is the 

 best. About the end of February or early in March, when the trees are burst- 

 ing their buds, is the best time. The tree should he headed-back in thD 

 winter. 



Vines for Small Span-roof House (InquircT). — They would grow in 

 the same soil as that in which the Cucumbers have been growing, but wo 

 would prefer fresh loam for the Vines. Six Vines will be sutScient, three on. 

 each side ; two rods from each will allow you to train the rods 2 feet 6 inches 

 apai-t, and 1 foot 3 inches from each end of the bouse. Three Black Ham- 

 bmgh, one Muscat Hamburgh, one Buckland Sweetwater, one Foster's White 

 Seedling. 



Bark of Pear Tree Cracking (Amateur). — We fancy the tree must have 

 its roots in soil that is too rich, or in an unsuitable subsoil. If that is tho 

 case you ought to root-prune it, and add some loam from an old pasture if 

 you can obtain it ; if not, any suitable soil, not too rich, round the roots wili 

 do. As the tree is not loi'ge, you may bind the stem round with strong bast, 

 and slacken it as the wood swells when the tree is in gi-owtb. 



Replanting Vines (Idem). — You may replant them, but it would be better 

 to place some tm^ loam over the surface of the border, and raise it up the 

 stem to the requh-ed depth. 



Hot Press {Subscriber's Sister). — We do not know what you mean by & 

 "hot press," but whatever it is the heat from a small bedroom fire could not 

 be used " economically." The apparatus would be too expensive. 



Roses Wholesale (IF. R.). — Write to Messrs. Paul, Mr. W. Paul, Mr. 

 Cranston, Mr. Turner, Messrs. Curtis & Co., or any of the leading nurserymen 

 who advertise in our columns. 



Storing Fuchsias (W. fl".).— The best plan is to keep the plants in a dry 

 shed, cellar, or outhouse, where they will be di-y and safe from frost. After 

 flowering they may be set out of doors, and rather dry, so as to harden the 

 wood, and be taken under cover before frost. They will do well in any place 

 which is cool, dry, and secure from frost. The plants should be examined 

 occasionally to see that the wood does not shrivel, and a little water given- 

 Shrivelling will hardly occur if the plants are set on a floor or other rather 

 moist surface. The cooler they are kept the better. 



Mushrooms Growing in Frame (C. S.). — The frame will answer for 

 Mushroom-growing if you can keep out frost, and the only danger will be in 

 the pipe from the hothouse drying the atmosphere. If the pipe be only warm 

 it will be beneficial rather than otherwise; a temperatuie of SS'^ to 60- is 

 needed for Mushrooms in winter. We presume you wish to know how to 

 make the bed. Procure the droppings of horses, mixed with about one-third 

 of short litter. Lay them out thinly on a floor, and so keep them from 

 heating until yon buve a sufficient quantity for making the bed. Make the 

 bed by putting in layer upon layer of the droppings, heating each very firm, 

 and making it about 3 or 4 inches thick, until you have a bed 13 to 15 inches 

 deep. When the bed is heated plunge a thermometer into it about 4 inches, 

 and obsei-ve the temperatme daily. In a week, if it be not above 7a'-, the bed 

 maybe spawned, but if higher this must not be done until the temperatm-e 

 fall to between 75-^ and 70^. Put in pieces of spawn about 2 inches square, in 

 holes 9 inches apart every way. and so as to be covered an inch deep. After- 

 words close the holes, and make the material firm about and over the pieces 

 of spawn, and when the temperature falls to 70- earth the bed with 2 inches 

 thick of rich loam, and beat very firm. In about six weeks the bed may be 

 watered very lightly, so as to keep it just moist, and mats or other coveiing; 

 may be placed over the lights to maintain a uniform moisture and temperature. 



Repotting Greenhouse Plants {Idem). — It is best done in spring or 

 early in summer, when they are beginning to grow, or after the plants have 

 flowered and are making fresh growth. 



Red Flowers for Spring Gardening (Q. S.). — Tnlips, single-flowered, 

 that bloom about twelve days, of the single Due Van Thol, ore — Aitus, scarlet ; 

 Belle Alliance, scarlet, dwarf ; Crimson King, scarlet crimson ; Proserpine, 

 dark rose, dwarf ; and Rouge Luisante, deep rose. We like the single- 

 flowered Tulips best for bedding, but we have known fine beds of the doubles 

 — Imperator rubronun, scarlet crimson, and Princess Alexandra, red, mar- 

 gined yellow, very dwarf. Other plants with red flowers are the Bellis aucu- 

 b.'ofolia and double red Daisy, double red Wallflower, Phlox verna, and double 

 crimson Primrose. We do not know of anything with red foUage that would 

 suit beyond the Beet. 



DmDiNG MvosoTis dissitiflora (F. J.). — If divided now, but not into 

 small portions, it will answer for blooming next spring. Why not put out 

 the plantB as they are ? Raised from seed last year they will hardly be too 

 large — in fact, we hke them best strong. 



Hardy Plants for MrxED Border {Idem). — Aquilegia glandulnsa. Del- 

 phinium alopecuroides, D. Belladonna, Dielytra spectabilis, Agi'ostemma? 

 coronaria purpurea flore-pleno. Campanula aggregata, Geum coccineum 

 grandiflorum, Hepatica angulosa, Lilium tenuifolium, Lobelia fulgens St. 

 Clair, Lychnis Haageaua superba, <iEnothera macrocai-pa, Papaver uudicaulo 

 sulphureimi, Thalictrum anemoniflorum plenum, Tricyrtis hirta, Tritoma 

 Burchelli, Trollius napellifohus, Asclepias tuberosa, Veronica corymbosa, 

 Pontstemon Wrighti. 



Wintering Lilium auratum Bulbs (A. Q. C). — This is a question less 

 easy to be answered than at first sight appears to be the case. I believo 

 that as yet no cultivator can plant any number of bulbs without almost the 

 certainty of losing a considerable proportion of them. It this were not so. 



