358 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( November G, 1873. 



unci destructive one was omitted — viz., Aphis lanigera, or Ame- 

 rican hliffht. This should be destroyed before the autumn 

 rains and frosts set in. The insect is covered with a white 

 downy substance, and owins to this, as they cluster together, 

 they are readily detected. The trees should be looked over, and 

 wherever the insects are observed a brush dipped in boiled oil 

 should be applied to them ; a mau can go over a large number 

 of trees in a day if they are not severely attacked. A lai'ge pro- 

 portion of our young trees were affected with it last year; they 

 were brushed over early in September, and this season it has 

 not appeared. 



The fruit was stored in good condition, and is keeping very 

 well as a rule. Specimeus which have been bruised or injured 

 in any way speedily decay, and are removed as soon as decay is 

 observed upon them. Apples have kept better than Pears ; 

 some of these have decayed at the core earlier than usual. 

 Beurre Bosc and Triomphe de Jodoigue seemed to go all at 

 once, and General Todtleben is even worse. Marie Louise, 

 Doyenne du Comice, Beurri; Superfiu, and Chaumontel, the 

 last-named from pot trees, are now ripe and very fine. Amongst 

 the many fine varieties of new Pears grown by Mr. Green in 

 Mr. Thomson's orchard at Ilford, we saw and tasted specimens 

 of one of a very high order of merit ; it is named Beurru 

 d'Esperen. It is of medium size, and somewhat resembles 

 Beurre Hardy ; it is melting, sugary, and rich in flavour. 



The Cauliflower plants should have been put in under the 

 hand-lights early iu October, but the ground could not bo pre- 

 pared at that time, and it is now so wet that it would not be 

 wise to plant in it before it is dry and the weather more suitable. 

 The i^lants which were in the open ground were lifted and 

 placed in boxes where they can have the shelter of glass lights. 



FKUIT AND FOP.CINO HOUSES. 



It is not necessary to allude to late vineries, except that we 

 must watch for any signs of decay in the berries where late 

 Grapes are hanging. The heating apparatus has had to be put 

 in action almost every day, b^ing careful to have the ventilators 

 open at the front and back ; at the same time, when there were 

 signs of a severe frost the lieat was not allowed to decline quite 

 so early in the afternoon. It is not desirable to allow the ther- 

 mometer to fall much behiw 40° at night. No plants requiring 

 water should be admitted into the house, although a few Vines, 

 I'lgs, or Roses in pots, it they are denuded of foliage, will do 

 little harm, as very little water is required for them. Soft- 

 wooded plants of any description are objectionable, as the leaves 

 frequently cause decay and mould in the house. Any descrip- 

 tion of plants may be kept in the earliest houses after the 

 Vines have been made ready for forcing. 



We have been at work in the enrh/ vineries pruning, washing, 

 and painting the Vines. After these are pruned, the loose bark 

 removed, and all adventitious roots formed during the growing 

 period of the Vine cut off close to the stem, the bark is tho- 

 roughly washed with warm water aud soft soap, and then painted 

 with a mixture of sulphur and soft soap. A little soot is added 

 to it, and sufficient clay to make it of the consistency of thin 

 i:>aint. The inside borders next claim attention ; insects inju- 

 rious to the Vines are probably concealed in them. The sur- 

 face is therefore entirely removed to the depth of 2 or 3 inches 

 aud replaced with rich compost ; well-decomposed turfy loam 

 and rotted manure in equal parts thrown in a heap and well 

 mixed together are as good as can be obtained for this purpose. 



Many correspondents complain of their Grapes slianldng this 

 season : this occurs both in early and late houses, and in nearly 

 every case it is owing to the roots being iu bad soil. In old 

 vineries, and in some new ones, the borders have been made too 

 rich at first, and when the manure and other organic matters 

 have decayed the borders become too close, so that the air 

 cannot penetrate, and in a wet season a large proportion of the 

 active rootlets are destroyed : in short, the outside borders are 

 too wet and the inside borders not wet enough. Gardeners 

 who have had a long experience of the requirements of Vines 

 kuow how much water to apply to the roots that are inside the 

 house; but where this is not the case, in many instances water 

 is applied in mere dribblets enough to wet the surface soil to 

 the depth of 3 or 1 inches, and underneath where the largest 

 proportion of roots are the soil is probably quite dry. If this is 

 the case there is no wonder if the Grapes shank. It is now a 

 number of years since Mr. Pearson, of Chilwell, through the 

 pages of this Journal, suggested that the summer management 

 of the Vines in many instances caused the Grapes to shank, too 

 large a proportion of the growing shoots being cut away at one 

 time. No doubt such bad management as cutting a barrowload 

 of leaves and shoots from a moderate-sized vinery when the 

 Vines are iu full growth, must be injurious to the health of the 

 A'ine. 



PLANT STOVE AND CONSERVATOET. 



In the stove many of the plants require a temperature of C5° 

 at night all through the winter months, and a moderately moist 

 atmosphere ; others are better with a lower temperature and 

 moderately dry atmosphere. Most of the Vandas, Aerides, and 

 Dendrobiums flswer more freely the ensuing summer if they 



are wintered in a house where the minimum temperature ranges 

 about 55°, with a moderate amount of moisture iu the atmosphere 

 and at the roots of the plants. All the plants requiring the 

 above treatment have been removed to the back of a succession 

 Pine house ; the Dendrobiums and smaller Aerides are suspended 

 from the roof, the larger and heavier pots and baskets being 

 arranged on a stage at the back of the house. 



Removed Poinsettia pulcherrima to the stove ; the plants had 

 been growing in the Pine house near the glass. Judicious air- 

 ing and careful watering are necessary in the stove department. 

 No water should lodge on the foliage of tender plants. 



We have now got over the worst part of the year as regards a 

 supply of flowers for the conservatory. Chrysanthemums will 

 be abundant untU Christmas, aud for this purpose the Japanese 

 are very useful ; the earliest and latest blooms are to be found 

 amongst them. Cyclamens will flower continuously until March. 

 Tree Carnations of every shade — pure white, flesh colour, rose, 

 crimson, brilliant scarlet, and deepest maroon — will not be want- 

 ing. Pots and pans full of the Roman Hyacinth are throwing 

 up numberless trusses of flowers ; but the chief attractions are 

 the two varieties of Lapageria rosea and alba. No greenhouse 

 or conservatory should be without these charming climbers 

 When the flowers open early in September L. rosea has them 

 paler in colour ; now the colour is intense and brilliant. L. alba 

 at that time is of the irarest white, now the flowers are flushed 

 with pink. 



Potted different species and varieties of Lilies. L. speciosum 

 and varieties of this are the most frequently grown for green- 

 house and conservatory decoration. L. auratum is also a most 

 gorgeous aud popular species, but L. tigrinum and varieties of 

 it — particularly splendens, and the double Tiger, with the ele- 

 gant L. Leichtlinii, should not be omitted in the most select col- 

 lections. There is considerable difference of opinion as to the 

 best time and manner of potting Lilies ; some growers pot iu 

 autumn, others in spring; one prefers to pot without disturbing 

 the roots, another shakes the soil from the roots, and separates 

 them one from the other. Autumn is certainly the best time 

 for repotting, aud when a large number of bulbs have been planted 

 in one pot it is best to separate the roots and replant them in 

 another pot, placing the roots equally over the soil in the pot, 

 a little sand being placed under and over each bulb. They 

 should be planted sufficiently deep in the pot to allow of from 

 1 to 2 inches of soil being placed over the crowns of the bulbs. 

 The best spikes are obtained by planting one bulb in a 6-inch 

 pot ; it should be potted the following season in .an 8i-inch 

 pot ; in this case the roots should not be disturbed much, only 

 those which have grown from the base of the stalk should be 

 removed. The potting material suitable for the largest propor- 

 tion of Lilies is composed of equal portions of turfy loam and 

 turfy peat of a sandy nature — not bog peat, which is often sour 

 and unsuitable ; to six parts of this add one of leaf mould and 

 one of rotted manure. When the bulbs are potted remove them 

 out of doors, and cover them with cocoa-nut fibre refuse, or 

 some other light material. A little rain will do no harm to 

 them, but when the soil in the pots has become wet through, 

 some lights, shuttRrs, or other protection should be placed over 

 them to throw off the rains. Early in January all of them 

 should be removed to shelves in the greenhouse, or be plunged 

 in cold frames or pits. 



Potted Lily of the Valley and Hoteia japonica. They were 

 potted in the soil which was left from the Lilies, but they do 

 well without any peat being added to the comj^ost ; the pots are 

 likewise plunged out of doors, and taken into the forcing houses 

 as they are required. Removed the earliest Hyacinths and 

 Tulips from the material in which they were plunged out of 

 doors into a low pit, where the Ughts are kept close over them. 

 — J. Douglas. 



TRADE CATALOGUE RECEIVED. 



John Jefferies & Sons, Cirencester. — Catalogue of Nursery 

 Stoek, comjirising Forest, Fruit, and Select Ornamental Trees 

 and Sliriibs, Bases, itc. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



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

 correspondents of the " Journal of Horticidture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, cCc, 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.G. 



N.B. — Majiy questions must remain unanswered until nest 



LiNNEAN Society (Jurenile). — No examination is required before election 

 to be a Fellow. 



Preserving \VALNnTS and Filberts t Young Oardenrr). — After remov- 

 ing' the husks of both, let the nuts dry on their outside, and theu store them 

 iu jars or boxes in layers, alternating \vith layers of drj- sand. 



