340 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 30, 1873. 



FRtJiT Trees for Kitchen Garden {Ramalho). — We canuot tell from 

 yoiir plan whether you can make use of both mdes of the wall, but we assume 

 jou do not intend to do so. The east wall will have a west aspect and will be 

 suitable for Pears, which we should plant as vertical five-branched cordous, 

 at 3^ feet apart, on the Quince stock. The brick wall to the north will have 

 a south aspect; plant it with Apricots at 15 feet apart. The oak fence will 

 be available on its east side for Plums and Cherries, which may be planted 

 15 feet apart. The oak fence to the south will have a north aspect ; it will 

 suit the Morello Cherry or CuiTants. The border 28 feet wide will answer for 

 ■Cun-ants and Gooseberries, and the whole of the inner borders we should 

 margin with fruit trees, planting them 3 feet from the edge of the walks, 

 planting Pears on the Quince, Apples on the Paradise stock, Cherries on the 

 Mahaleb, and Plums as bushes and pyramids. On the opposite side of the 

 walk you may have Apple or Pear trees trained as double cordons on the 

 Paradise or Quince stock, They should be planted about 1 foot from the eilge 

 «f the walk, and trained to strained galvanised wire. The remainder of the 

 borders you would not probably find too large for Strawberries and Kasp- 

 berries, which you seem to have overlooked. Plant them on the 10-feet west 

 (east aspect) border. The centre of the main borders or quarters will be suit- 

 able for Potatoes. 



Variegated Ivy on Iron Balustrade (E. TF.).— The Ivy will gi'ow, but 

 not cling to an iron balustrade. Plant in rich light soil and train the sboot?, 

 securing them with tarred string as they grow to the ironwork. 



WooDLicE, Crickets, and Cockroaches in Mushroom Hoctse (R., Lan- 

 cashire). — For the woodlice place a little short hay all round the walls, and 

 on this pour boUiug water in the morning, also pour it down the wall. The 

 •woodlice will secrete themselves in the hay, of which there need not be more 

 ihan an inch wide at the junction of the bed with the wall; and the boiling 

 ■water, if confined to this, will not injure the Mushroom beds to any great 

 extent. Repeated a few times, this proceeding will free the house of the 

 woodlice for a while. Phosphor paste spread on thin slices of bread will 

 •destroy the crickets and cockroaches. 



Safrano Rose Tree too Large {S. S.). — There is no necessity to increase 

 the size of pot. Turn it out of its pot, remove from it all the soil that can be 

 got without injuring the roots, and repot in the same size. This should be 

 done at once. The head need not be subjected to more than the usual pruning, 

 but, if anything, cut-in rather closer than if the plant had not been disrooted. 

 SowaNG Lily of the Valley (Kejiilworlh). — Keep them in layers in dry 

 sand until spring, and then sow in Hght rich soil in a slightly shaded position. 

 Planting Thorn Hedge (T. C.'.— For forming a hedge quickly we re- 

 commend plants 2,1 feet high, stiff rather than long and weak in growth — 

 those known as "extra picked." "We should have along with the Quicks 

 every fourth plant a Beech 2^ feet high. Allowing eight plants to 1 yard 

 "there will be two Beeches and six Quicks; for your 230 yards you will there- 

 fore need 460 Beeches and 1380 Thoms. As you plant on the level the 

 ground should be deeply dug or trenched, and if it is in bad heart a liberal 

 dressing of manure may be mixed with it. The space trenched or dug 

 should not be less than 2 feet wide, along the centre of which you should take 

 out a trench, and in this place the Quick and Beech at the distance named, 

 and as deeply as they were planted before, filUng-inwith fine soil, and making 

 firm and level. The plants should not be cut-back until they have gi-own a 

 year, and then be cut to 6 inches from the ground, excepting the Beech, 

 which should only have the sides and tops trimmed, and this you may do 

 with the Quicks, only when cut down they make much closer and better 

 bottom?. 



Exhibiting Acacia longifolia magnifica {A. W.).—A good, well- formed 

 and flowered specimen of Azalea or Pimelea would be more valuable in a 

 collection of plants at an exhibition than the Acacia, but a great deal depends 

 on the plants and then- " get-up." 



Heating Greenhouse and Pit {W. J. JV/.).— As the end of your green- 

 house ie at the back of the kitchen fireplace, we should, if practicable, heat it 

 from a boiler behind the kitchen fiie, and thus make one fire do for both. 

 Two 3-inch flows and the same number of return pipes down one side and 

 across the end up to the doorvs'ay would afford you sulficient heat for the 

 greenhouse. Two 3-inch pipes — namely, a flow and return, would give 

 sufficient top heat for the pit ; and have the same number of pipes beneath the 

 bed for bottom heat. Vie fear, however, that you will not be able to heat it 

 from the kitchen fij-e, as the house may be below the fireplace. In this case 

 you would need a boiler v\ith a stokehole outside, sunk so as to get the 

 necessary level. Considering the present price of coal, if possible have a 

 boiler at the back of the kitchen fire. Yoiu- greenhouse will answer for the 

 Vines, having the border partly within and partly outside the house. The pit 

 Tvill answer for all the purposes you name. 



Medlar Gathering (C. P., Hcrrs).— If, wbcn lifted up above a horizontal 

 position any of either the Medlars or the Nonpareil Apples pai't from the spray, 

 they may be gathered. 



Hfreaceous Border Flowers (A'. L. D.). — Select for yourself from the 

 following: — Agi'ostemma Coronaria tlore-pleno, crimson; Alyssum saxatile 

 compactum, yellow; Anemone apennina, blue ; A. bortensis fulgens, scarlet; 

 Annmatheca omenta, salmon with red spots; Aquilegia fragruns, lemon; 

 Ai'abis albida, white ; Aubrietia deltoidea grandifiora, blush lilac ; Aster alpinus, 

 lilac purple ; Eetonica grandifiora, purple; Campanula ag^Tegata, blue ; Cheir- 

 anthus Marehalli ; Cokhicum alpinum, rosy purple ; Convallaria rosea, rosy 

 led; Cyclamen neapolitanum red; Cynoglossum apenninum,blue; Belphinium 

 Belladonna; Dianthus cruentus, deep scarlet ; D. fioribundus, pink; D. pun- 

 gens, white; Dodecatheon Meadia, lilac; Draba aizoides, yellow; Erigeron 

 speciosus, bluish purple and yellow ; Helleborus niger, white ; Hepatica angu- 

 losa, blue;^ H. triloba, blue and red, double and single varieties ; Hypericum 

 calycinum, yellow; Iberis saxatilis, white ; Iris attica, yellow, veined purple ; 

 I. reticulata, blue-purple, blotched yellow ; Lilium tenuifolium, scarlet; Nar- 

 cissus jnncifolius, yellow; CEnothera macrocarpa, yellow; CE. taraxacifolia, 

 ■white; Orobug vernus, purple; Phlox verna, rose; Pulmonaria angustifolia 

 rubra, purplish red; Scilla sibuica, blue; Serapervivura californicum, fiue for 

 edging, leaves in green rosettes, tipped brown; yilene alpestris, white; 

 B. Schafta, rosy pink ; Sisyrinchium grandiflorum, purple; Symphytum cau- 

 casicum, blue; Trollius asiaticus, orange yellow; T. europ<T?us, lemon ; T. ua- 

 pellifolius, yellow ; and Zephyranthes Candida, white. These do not exceed 

 18 inches in height, though soil, Ac, make considerable differences. 



Melon Pit (Melon-eater). — You certainly ought to have more than sis 

 Melons from your seven-hght pit. Wq apprehend there is no provision for 

 lining, nor any means of increasing the temperature after the heat of the 

 bed first made declines. In this case it will be quite early enough to sow the 

 seed at the beginning of April iu a Cucumber frame or hotbed, and grow bo 



as to have strong plants by the beginning of May. The pit, we presume, will 

 be filled with leaves, and be this month planted with Potatoes, which will be 

 off in April or early in May, when the soil will be removed, and the leaves 

 being only partially decayed, will, if taken out and mixed with some hot dung, 

 afford iu a few days a gentle heat sufficient to ripen a good crop of Melons 

 in August. 



Variegated Laurel {Cfiester). — You are not mistaken in beUeving that 

 there is a variegated variety of the common Laurel. It is in the catalogues 

 of Messrs. Veitch, Messrs. Cripps, of Tunbridge Wells, the Lawson Seed and 

 Nursery Company, and others. 



Violets to Bloom in Autumn and Winter (Viola). — Plant rooted 

 runners or suckers in April or early in May in good, rich, light soil, enriched 

 with thoroughly-decayed manure or leaf soil, choosing a position shaded 

 from the direct rays of the sun, an east border being suitable. The plants 

 should be 1 foot apart every way, and be well supplied with water until 

 established, likewise in dry weather during the summer. Stir the ground 

 frequently about the plants, keep clear of weeds and runners, and dust them 

 occasionally with soot. In September they should bo taken up with balls, 

 and planted in frames of good, rich, hght soil on a dry subsoil in a sheltered 

 sunny position. They will need to be well watered, and the lights should not 

 be put on until continued heavy rains occur, and even then air should be 

 given. Protect from frost by covering thelights with mats. In mild weather 

 they cannot have too much air. The kinds we grow, and which afford us a 

 supply of Violets in September and through the winter, are Czar, which is 

 the only suigle one we grow, Double Purple or Russian, Queen of Violets, 

 and Neapolitan. We have frames or pits 60 feet loug filled with these, and 

 containing about a thousand plants, and we have about a similar number of 

 plants outside, which succeed those in frames, and flower until May. 



Bindweed in Asparagus Bed {Son of AJam).— The roots of the Bind- 

 weed baring taken possession, it will be difficult to eradicate them without 

 destroying the bed; but we should in the first instance ti? a dressing of salt, 

 at the rate of 1 lb. per square yard, in March and every month throu^'h the 

 summer, or as long as the Bindweed shoots appear. If the Bindweed do not 

 appear after the first or second di'essiug, discontinue the salt until the shoots 

 of the Bindweed again appear. 



Apple Tree Unfruitful— Plant Leaves Falling (J. B. B.).— The 

 Apple tree which does not make much wood has probably been weakened by 

 excessive bearing in previous years, and, as the tree is not over-- vigorous, we 

 should advise youi- loosening the surface soil and giving a top-dressing of 

 short manure 2 or 3 inches thick. The leaves you sent us are not those of a 

 Thunbergia, but of Euphorbia jacquiniiBflura, which loses its leaves at this 

 period of the year, when the plants are started into growth early in the 

 season. The only way to retain them on the plant is to keep it in a growing 

 state by a moist brisk heat, with moderate watering at the roots. The plant 

 will flower all the better of the wood being firm and well ripened, but in a 

 greenhouse you will need to keep it rather diy in winter. By all means keep 

 the shoots from the glass. We cannot undertake to name Fuchsias ; they 

 are too numerous, and resemble one another too much. 



Azalea Casting its Leaves (Q. S. D.).— It is probably due to the growth 

 of the plant being weak and the wood small, the buds prominent, and the 

 roots not very active. Perhaps the drainage is imperfect, or the soil deluged 

 either from watering or rain. Some kinds, from their weak growth, are very 

 impatient of wet, and many kinds — iu fact, most of them, lose their leaves 

 at this season or later. The only way to prevent premature growth is to 

 keep the plants cool, liyht, and airy, and only moderately moist. If kept 

 warm and moist their growth is encouraged, and a general cause of prema- 

 ture growth is the imperfect ripening of the wood in the previous year. 



Corsair Geranium for Bedding. — "In my notes on Mr. Pearson's Gera- 

 niums I made an omission. I omitted to mention Corsair. This I consider 

 the best bedding Geranium I have seen during the summer. Having visited 

 many places of interest both in the midland counties and the north in 

 August and September, for the exj>res3 purpose of seeing the bedding-out iu 

 those places, I can say confidently it ought to have been the first on the list. 

 — QuiNTiN Read." 



Gardenia Culture— Drying Ferns (Abbot).— The Gardenias from now 

 until spring should be kept rather dry in a cool, light, and au-y part of the 

 stove, or in a warm greenhouse, giving water only to keep tlie leaves fresh ; 

 and in February or Slarch place them in a temperature of 60"' at night and 

 70- to 75- by day, ^ith a rise of 10 to 10- from sun heat, the atmosphere being 

 moist, but the i>lants not syringed overhead after the flowers hegiuto expand. 

 They are all the better of a bottom heat of 75°. After flowering, the plants 

 may be cut-in, and grown-on in a brisk moist heat of 65^^ by night and 70= to 

 75- by day, potting them, and continuing the treatment until the growth is 

 complete ; then ripen or harden-off by exposure to light and air, keeping 

 rather dry and cool in winter. It is not good practice to dry-off Fenis, but 

 they should be kept rather drier than when growing. The soil, even for deci- 

 duous kinds, should be kept moderately moist. The prices given of fruit in 

 Covent Gai-deu Maiket are retail. The sieve contains seven imperial gallons. 



Transplanting Fig Trees (An Old Subscriber). — We should delay the 

 planting until spring, and make siu:e that the border is well drained, and of 

 light rather than hea\7 loamy soil. To this we would add some old mortar 

 rubbish and mix it thoroughly with the soil. For planting we advise three 

 parts turfy loam chopped-up rather fiue, mixed with two parts old mortac 

 rubbish and one part of decomposed manure. 



Treatment of Muscat of Alexandria Vines (T. MitchrU).~-'pToha.}Ay 

 the roots have travelled into unsuitable soil, but this is often blamed when 

 the cause of shanking has been found in the summer management of the 

 Vines and the restrictive system of pruning. If you had not intended to 

 plant young \'ines we would have advised you to make a new border outside 

 for the roots of the old Viues, and by a different system of pruning have 

 managed to get rid of all the old canes in a few years by cutting out one or 

 two of the old ones each year and trainiug-up young canes to supply their 

 places. This you ought to do with your young Vines ; but they must have 

 room to expand then- leaves and ripen their wood, in which case a few bunches 

 could be obtained from them in 1875. 



Names of Fruits (IT'. Thompson). — Yon have not numbered or otherwise 

 distinguished the Pears, and consequently we canuot give you the names. 

 (J. P. Erith].—!, Gravenstein; 3, Manks Codlin; 4, Butch Miguonne ; 5, 

 Feam's Pippin ; 6, Cellini; 7, Pomme de Neige. (John Thomas). — 1, Worms- 

 ley Pippin; S, Woodcock ; 4, Winter Majeting; 5, Lady's Dchght; 6, Min- 

 chall Crab. (A. P. W. C.).— The Apple is Robinson's Pippin, and the Pear 

 Red Doyennt'. (liei\ Mr. C.).— The yellow Apple is Eing of the Pippins, and 

 the green one Hawthomdeu. 



