October 2S, 1873. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



310 



plants ; they may be grown as large specimens, twenty bulbs in 

 a pot, or what is a more useful and desirable size, three bulbs 

 in a 5-iiich pot. Tbe compost in which they luxuriate is turfy 

 loam and sand, with a little manure added, and a liberal pro- 

 portion of potsherds for drainage; the loam should be broken 

 in pieces by the hand, and have the finer portion sifted out of 

 it. The pseudo-bulbs should be potted in February before they 

 start into growth, and should not be watered luitil they start 

 into growth at the base. Water cautiously until the plants are 

 in free growth, when they may have an abundant supply. 



The red and white varieties of Lapagtria rosea are now in 

 splendid bloom ; nothing can at all equal these beautiful plants 

 for training to a trellis overhead in the conservatory, or to an 

 ambrella trellis in a pot, and those who have not seen the 

 charming effect produced by training the two varieties together 

 should see them in all their glory. At the Messrs. Veitch's 

 nursery, Chelsea, where they are trained to form a covered 

 walk over the corridor leading from the offices to the plant 

 department, they are now in magnificent bloom. They are also 

 the easiest grown of plants. Pot or plant out in turfy peat 

 and sand, supply liberally with water during the summer 

 months, and do not pinch the plants for pot-room. "Wo recently 

 saw a good-sized plant of L. alba in a celebrated private garden 

 dragging out a miserable existence from being potted in iin- 

 suitable loam. Tlie compost, as is usually the case when the 

 largest proportion of loam is used, had become too compact, 

 and the thick fleshy roots could not penetrate it. 



"We also recently wrote of the value of Tree or Perpetual- 

 flowering Carnntions, and of these we would especialiy note 

 Miss Joliiffe, a Mesh-coloured variety. It is of a dwarf-growing 

 character and flowers abundantly, the fiowera being very sweet. 

 Buyers intending to purchase should note this fine and distinct 

 sort, it is just the thing for Covent Garden. 



Decaying flowers have been removed from all plants as soon 

 as perceived. At this season the damp mould which hangs to 

 them is offensive and soon destroys the other flowers. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Cleared-off the summer occupants of the beds, and put in the 

 Calceolaria cnttings ; we generally put them in boxes in a cold 

 frame under a north wall. Much time has been taken-up in 

 sweeping the lawn, walks, &C. Cleanliness is all-important.— 

 J. Doi;ci.As. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Downie, Laird, & Laing, Stanstead Park, Forest Hill, London) 

 S.E., and Edinbiirgh. — Descriptive Catalogue of Boscs. 



W. Knight, Hailsham, Sussex. — General Catalogue of Nur- 

 sery Stock. 



T. Bunyard A; Sons, Ashford and Maidstone. — Descriptive 

 Catalogue of Hoses. 



J. R. Pearson, Chilwell Nurseries, near Nottingham. — List of 

 JBeddirrg Geraniums for the Spring of 1874. 



B. L. Pierpoint & Co., 16, Great Charlotte Street, Liverpool. 

 — Multumin-Parvo Pocket List of Dutch Flower Boots. 



Isaac Bnmning & Co., 1 Market Place, Great Yarmouth.— 

 Catalogue of Flower Boots, Dried Flowers, d-c. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*,• We request that no one will write privatply to any of the 

 correspondents of the '* Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By bo doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture ^ d-c.^ 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.G. 



We also request tliat correspondents will not mix up on the 

 same slieet questions relating to Gardening and those on 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them 

 answered promptly and conveniently, but write them on 

 separate communications. Also never to send more than 

 two or three questions at once. 



N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 



Books {^trt. Ho /mra J.— Loudon's " Encyclopfedia of PUntfl" gives the 

 infonntttion yr>n nrr.-!. "Prirc £9. ^?^». 6d. {T. T.^.— Tlie price of Ibo Supple- 

 ment t 1 ictiouary " ia la. td. \Yc cannot say when 

 there 



Set I — Your Rupfiet ia excellent. {A. r^umhottiti). 



— It i^ well V. .-;ti iinUr-r; t-j tlio Fruit Cororoiltec. Addrefs tlic 8ccn:tRTj. 



YoUK-ynn-.F, Arrr r— Pkstt:ovi\t. Wnrns {SfXly iTi?/).— The larfjo Apple 

 you hod li^'in Ynrkshiro is no doubt \\"amer'« King. It ih juet what you de- 

 scribe it. Yon may get rid of the bu-ge weeds on your lawn by dropping a 

 few drops of oil of vitriol on thoir crowns. 



Plastaik OS Lawn (IToTri/),— Cot them out with a knife, and drop two 

 or three drops of xnlphuric acid (oil of vitriol), on the cut (surface of the root. 



Bp-POT-risa Heaths {Q. ./).— The l>efit time is March. Give them a 

 moderate dhift, provide good draina^'c. and ti>-c fibtotis giuidy peat broken up 

 rather fine, but not t-ilted, and pot ^rro. the neck rf tbo plant bving nlightly 



raised in the centre of the pot. For tbe 10-iu:ii pots iiao 12-inch ones, and 

 for the 9-inch pots employ those 11 inches in diaiueter, or pots 2 inches 

 larger than those in which the plants are at present. 



HvAciNTHS AND TrLiPS IN HEAVi' SoiL {Bf /a).— Could you not lighten 

 the soil by well mixing ashes wjth it, or old mortar rubbish and sharp sand ? 

 This would alter the soil, and you might safely plant in November. It will 

 not answer to keep them out of the ground until epring. It you cannot 

 plant, owing to the wot state of tlio ground in winter, we fear the plants 

 would not succeed even in Kj^ring, otherwise you might pot the bulbs now, 

 and plunge in ashes out-doors in an open yet sheltered position. Let the 

 ashes come about 2 inches above the rims of the pots, and in spring tmii the 

 plants into the beds; cryou might plunge the pots in the latter. 



Compost for Adiantum fahleyense (Fernhursl). — Thiee parts sandy 

 fibi-ous brown peat, and one part sandy very fibrous loam, and a fifth of 

 silver sand ; the peat and loam broken up rather small, but not lifted, and in 

 potting just cover the creeping stems. Afford good drainage. 



Dacttlis GLoiTEKATA Haediness {lilt'm). — It is quite hardy, and will live 

 out of doors with you if the soil is not very wet and heavy. 



Pteris Fronds Crested (i?. F. B.).— The frond you sent us ia very beau- 

 tiful, and appears to be a finely-crested form of Pteris umbrosa. The plant 

 must bo very graceful as a specimen. 



Various (F/ojo). — Ccanothus africanus flowers in spring, and requires a 

 light well-drainei soil — loam with a third part of peat. It should he giown 

 in a cool gi'eenhouse, or on a south wall withijrotection during severe weather 

 in winter and spring. The flowers are pale yellow, and veiy fine. You are 

 quite right in your " fancy " that Viola comuta planted in a bed of Hyacinths 

 keeps the latter from blooming properly. The Filberts fruitful up to this year 

 will probably produce well another season. We should not prune them, as 

 they have not hitherto been pruned, and they would therefore go all to wood. 

 The njost we should do would be to thin the branches out where too close 

 together, hut not to any gi-eat extent. The Apricot from a stone, nearly four 

 years old, will probably require as long again to fruit, unless you bud it on the 

 Plum stock. Thomas Methven Rose is a free gi'ower, iu colour a brilliant 

 Carmine, a Hybrid Perpetual, but it has not the pendant habit of Gloire de 

 Dijon. Gloire de Bordeaux, bright rope. Tea-scented, is a more fitting com- 

 panion. 



Soil for Roses (H. J.). — The soil sent will do without manurmg before 

 planting. Mulch the surface in the spring and summer, and keep the soil 

 moist by watering duiing dry weather. 



Strawberries Replanting, &c. [E. M. P.). — Take them and replant at 

 once. Virgin cork will do for out-door rockeiy, but is not so durable as rough 

 stones. You may lift your Broccoli to promote hearting. 



Mantring Hardy Plant Border (F. ^.).— We should next month dress 

 the border with the manure which you say is too rough to dig-in now, let 

 it lie over the winter, and point it over iu spring. In planting hardy plants 

 now, by all means place a few handfuls of leaf soil around each plant, mixing 

 it, however, a little with the soil. 



Gathering Late Pears (Irftwr). — None of the late Pears should be re- 

 moved from the trees when great force is required to separate them from the 

 stalks. If the branch be reversed, or the fruit's position be reversed, and it 

 do not part, the fruit ia not fit to gather. They ought to bo left on until they 

 part readily. 



Iron Stove Cleaning (H. A. I/.).— Not wishing to put on anything that 

 will give-off fumes, we should have the stove black-leaded. 



MARiiCHAL NrEL Rose Pruning {Idem). — We should not cut-back the 

 shoots until spring, and only then remove any parts that may not break 

 freely, or the unripe points of the shoots, bending the shoots down so as to 

 induce the breaking of the eyes from the base upwards. Pi-obably you will 

 have a fine bloom next season. Mter the shoots have broken, secure them to 

 the wall. 



Melons Suddenly Fatltng {R. H.).— The leaf sent shows that the plants 

 died from the disease, for which there is no remedy known. It isvci-y similar 

 to that attaching the Potato, and equally disastrous. We think it arises from 

 the plants becoming over-vigorous owing to being gi-own in a moist rich soil, 

 and hence full of sap, whicli is not elaborated in our dull autumns, and con- 

 sequently decomposes in the tissues, and gangrene or ulceration ensues. The 

 best means of prevention are a change of soil and seed, and keeping as dry 

 both at the roots and the top as the state of the plants will allow. 



Heating a Pit in a Stove 'F. 7'., Dnhlin). — A 4-inch fiow-aud-retum 

 pipe will give sufficient bottom heat for a pit 3 feet wide, and the same in 

 depth. The pipes should be 18 inches from the top of the pit, and the pit 

 should be filled-up to their level with rough rubble, and over this 6 inches of 

 finer, and ^ome flue at top, and this ^ill leave you a foot space for plunging. 

 Wo should have preferred to have had the pipes in a chamber covered with 

 slates or flags, the joints open, and about a foot from the top. This would 

 give you a more uniform temperature for x'hmging in, the space over the flags 

 forming the chamber for the pipes beneath, beinj; filled with cocoa-nut refuse, 

 which answers as a plunging material. 



Wintering Geraniums in a Room {H. C. B.).— There is no reason why 

 you should not succeed in wintering them in a room from which frost is 

 excluded. You cannot give them too much a:r when the temperature is 

 above 40", yet take care to avoid draughts. Give no more water than suflicient 

 to keep the shoots from shrivelling, and remove the leaves as they turn yellow. 

 It is well to err on the side of too little rather than too heavy waterings. 

 Keep the plants as ueai- the light ae possible, especially after they commence 

 growing in spring, and water more freely as growth progresses. 



Steam Pipe for Gas Boiler \E. II. J.).— If it ia a hot-water boiler it 

 will not need any steam pipe, as no steam will be generated if the boiler and 

 pipes be duly supplied with water. If they require no Bupply-cistem we are 

 at a loss to know how the boiler is fed. Surely tliere are means of supplying 

 ihe boiler with water ? It muet hove sneh means, which will also servo for 

 an ah- pipe, and for the expansion of tlio water when heated. Wo have no 

 experience of the boiler you name. The manufacturer would supply tho in- 

 formation you need. 



Filling a Vase with Bn.ns {A. O. H.).— We do not know how to plant 

 a vase with Tlyacinths, TuHps, and Crocmcs so as to have them in flower at 

 the same time with certainty. You must make sure that the vaso is drained, 

 or has a hole in it, then flll 'it with cocoa-nut refuse three parts, and a fourth 

 part of charcoal in pieces from a pea to a hazel nut, placing an inch of rougher 

 charcoal at the bottom, and then put iu the Hyacinths in the centre, tho 

 Tulips of the dwarf early kinds all round, and tho Crocuses just within thg 

 edge, planting thera so that they will be covered about three-quarters of a 



