December 18, 1873. ] 



JOijRNAIi OF HORTIOULTUBE AND COTTAGE aARDENEil. 



4113 



tion of the Primula, Cineraria, and Calceolaria otliorwiso than by seed, as the 

 flowers of seedlings are now so much improved, aud so uniformly j,'Ood, and 

 the plants are of so mach bettor conf^titution than those from suckers or 

 oattingt^. As soon as the plants have tlowered they aio discarded, and fresh 

 ones are raised from seed annually. Our Primulas this year are almost all 

 doable, and the seedling Cinerarias completely eclipsed our named kinds both 

 in size and form of flower, as well as in brightness of colour. 



FRriT-TREE Planting (An Irish Subf^cribfr). — We have often seen con- 

 siderable expense incurred to excavate borders for fniit trees, to be filled-up 

 with prepared soil, when it would have boon better to have trusted to the 

 natural soil of tlie garden. Wo advise you to trench your border 2 feet deep, 

 adding a little manure; rotted frame manure is good for the purpose, but too 

 much of it causes a gross growth. If you have x-otted tm-fy loam, place a 

 barrowload to the roots of each tree. This will cause a mass of fibrous roots 

 to be formed, which will give the trees a good start the following season. 



De5TRo\'INO Red Spider (Anxintt.<t Inquirer). — There were live red spiders 

 on the leaves of the Strawberries you sent us, and a great many dead ones. 

 Placing sulphur upon a hot plate and so burning it would prove more or 

 less injurious to Azaleas, according as the fumes were weak or strong; 

 if the latter, it is likely the plants will be killed, though they may be only 

 experiencing the annual fall of their leaves, but quite as likely these have 

 fallen from the fumes of the sulphur. We do not think the Peach trees 

 have suffered, as they were leafless, but we do not adWeiO your continuing 

 the burning of sulphur in the house. It will not do the trees any good, 

 and the red spider may bo destroyed by dipping the leaves of the Strawberries 

 in a soft-soap solution, 4 ozs. to the gallon. 



CoMHRKTUM GR.\ST>irr,ORr:M NOT FLO^\•EIlIXG (.4 Constant 7^■o^/T).— Pro- 

 bably the plaBt does not flower, owing to the position being shaded, so that 

 the wood is not thoroughly ripened. The wood of the previous year should 

 be well ripened, growth being encouraged at the early part of the year, and 

 vhea this is complete apply leas water — in fact, keep the plant dry, so as not 

 to cause the leaves to Hag, and in winter it needs to be diy at the roots, hut 

 not dust dry. In February, or when the buds begin to swell, it should be 

 pruned ; we cut-in the side shoots to two eyes, and shorten those required 

 for extension to the extent of one or two-thirds of their length, according to 

 the strength and ripeness of the wood. The plant is encouraged to break by 

 keeping it moist, sprinkling overhead twice daily, but only keeping the soil 

 moist ; and when the young shoots are an inch or two long repot, removing 

 the soil coming away freely from the roots, and giving a moderate shift. A 

 lO-inch pot is much too small for a plant six years old. Place it in spring in 

 an 11 or 12-inch pot, using eijual parts of fibrous loam and sandy peat, with a 

 fourth of leaf soil, and a fifth part, in equal proportions, of pieces of charcoal, 

 from the size of a pea to that of a hazel nut, crocks broken up rather small, 

 and silver sand. It will not flower against the back wall if it be shaded by 

 plants in front or climbers on the roof. It requires light. 



DioGixG-iN A Cnop {An Old Subscriber). — Your ground would, especially 

 if it has been under garden crops some years, be improved by taking-oflE a 

 f^rase crop, and this wc ad\ise, sowing Italian Rye-;;rass in April, at the rate 

 of three or four bushels per acre. The grass should be dug under before it 

 iteeda, or from the middle to the end of June, which will bu as soon as you 

 will need the ground for the Broccoli, &c. It will need to be well dug 

 under. We should have liked it better had you sown the grass in September. 

 It would have made better routs, but as it mvst be now sown in April it will 

 bo a fertiliser, and a good rotation for the Cabbage tribe. A crop of this 

 kind is much wanted in gardens. If they were oftener cropped in this way, 

 we think club would not be so prevalent as it is. 



Heating-up Bett"rn Pipes (Idrm). — We apprehend you have no valves 

 on the return as well as the flow pipes, and when this is the case the water 

 heats-up the return pipe, and often as far round as the valve on the flow pipe, 

 but the heat is not nearly so great as when the flow-pipe valve is open. The 

 water in the return pipes, when the valve in the flow pipe is shut, is liable 

 to be heated to the same temperature as the water in the boiler where the 

 rotnm pipe Joins, the whole water in time being heated, as in a kettle, to 

 a uniform temi>erature. The valves may not shut the water off completely, 

 but, as you say, the heated water backs-up the return pipe, and is as hot as 

 in pipes that have the valves open, we think they do. Your remedy will be 

 to have valves on the return as well as the flow pipes, in which case the 

 heated water can only flow to the valve on the flow, and not back-up farther 

 than the valve on the return pipe. We have screw valves in the flow as in 

 the return pipes of every house, and so can admit or dispense with the beat 

 at will. 



Clematises yor South Vkrandah (TT.).— Lucie Lcmoine, Jackmanni, 

 Standishi, Mrs. Jameti Batcman, Star of India, and Henryi. 



STRAwnEitatES NOT SWELLING (J. D.).— The forced Strawberries which 

 net the fruit weU, hot do not swell to their full size, are probably notsuftl- 

 cicntly watered, tm, after they begin to swell, if a proper supply of water is 

 neglected, and the plants are exposed to flerce sun, the surface of the soil is 

 dried, and the berries do not swell afterwards. Never aUow the plants to 

 want water. Standing the pota on a cool bottom, and keeping-up a suitable 

 amount of moisture ia the house, will, we think, cause the fruit to swell 

 fully. 



Lifting Vines (/<^ ml.— Having materials to cover the border with, both 

 for warding-ofl heavy rains and frosts, we consider that Juiit as the leaves 

 have fallen, or say in November, is as good a time as any other to lift Vines, 

 quite as good as in spring, though the latter time is to be preferred when the 

 border must remain all the winter exposed to wet and cold. To lift the roots 

 in autumn in the latter case is only to bring them more surely to feel the 

 effects of the cold and wet. The soil you mixed with the border will answer 

 walh 



Climblrs JOE Veiundah and Wall (F. L. i'.).— Of the plants you namci 

 the two Roses Fohcitr Porp'-tnt- and Amadis, Clematis montana, Flammula, 

 Standishi, -Jackmanni, Prince of Wales, lannginoya, and rubro-violacea; 

 Loniccra brachypoda, flexuona, and grata, wUl be suitable for the east 

 Terandah and for the west wall as weU, on which you may have the Wistaria 

 sinensis, but it would be better of a south wall, and so would Bignooia cadi- 

 cans major. 



SHRtrns YOfi ANOTHER SEASON— Shhuhs foR Scueen {W. 75.).— It is a 

 capital idea to procoro the trees and shrubs you intend planting in their 

 final qnartcrsnoxt autumn, and plant them in squares In the kitchen garden, 

 lifting thrni with balls next year. They would become acclimatised, and in 

 the nicintimc the ground coul<l bo thorouglily preparc<l for their rtxcplum. 

 Considering that your wall is only 7 feet higli, we nhould not have the 

 Austrian X'incsi the X'ortugal and common Laurel, Follic», and Laurudtinus, 



.^c, would bo suflicient. If you wish to shut out the view beyond tho wall, 

 then by all means have tho Austrian and Corsican Pines at back. Unless 

 tUo old forest trees are thin on tho ground Ithododeudrons will not succeed, 

 as they grow up long and spindling, and have tho leaves perforated by tho 

 caterpillars of some insect. Auci^bas do well; common Laurel good, also tree 

 Box. The best kind of Rhododendron for planting under trees is R. ponticum. 



GAS-HEATiNr. GREENHOfSE (71.). — By all moans heat with gas; but though 

 admiring your ingenuity, we do not approve of the boiler and pipes being of 

 tin or zinc, which, although answering well, only endure a short time, those 

 materials being soon corroded tlirough, and having to be repbiced by a more 

 enduring metal. We advise you to Imvo a gas hot-water boiler and y-inuh 

 u'on pipes, one of which, up two sides and across one end, \vill ho suiliijieut 

 to exclude frost. ^Vhilstyou are building, would it not be advisable to have 

 your house wider? Five-feet in width would almost all bo swallowod-up by 

 the path, leaving you very little room for plants. We sliould have at least as 

 great a breadth of sta^^ng or shelves for plants on each side of tho path as 

 the path is wide : iu fact, say a 2-feot-6-ioch pathway, and stages or shelves 

 2 feet G inches, or bettor '3 feet wide. This would give you a very much better 

 house, and whilst you are about ih, it would not cost very much more. In 

 this case you would need two 2-inch pipes along two sides and one end — i.e., 

 a flow and return. Write to the manufacturers of gas-heated hot-water 

 boilers who advertise in our pages, stating what you require, and asking for 

 an estimate. 



aiANURiNG Rhododendrons (Edward B.).— Cow dimg is the best manure 

 for Rhododendrons, and it should be applied as a top-dressing; bnt as your 

 land is very stiff, wet, and clayey, and witli a clay subsoil, wo fear tho plants 

 will not grow satisfactorily. In moist ground Rhododendrons will thrive, 

 providing water docs not lodge, but they like an open surface soil, with tho 

 subsoil free of stagnant water. Draiu tho ground, therefore, etliciently, and 

 top-dress with cow dung, sandy turf, and even sand, not disturbing tho 

 surface, only it would he well to do so now, as the surface may be close and 

 firm. 



Bratlsfokd's Vermin Traps (F. P.). — Write to Mr. Brailsford, Prcscot, 

 Lancashire. 



Names of Frttits (W. Saiuttj).—Fonia.nte de Malines, given as a syno- 

 nym of Winter Nelis in the " Fruit Manual," is incorrect. It is a perfectly 

 distinct fruit, and yours is connect. The Crassane d'Hiver of Bruneau is also 

 correct, but it Ls a worthless variety, and that is the reason it is not in tho 

 "Fruit Manual." (T. V.). — 1, Blenheim Pippin; 2, Dutch Mignonno; 

 3, Boston Russet. {A. 7*., JJ.s/ur).— Alfriston. {IV. B. B.).— Nonsuch. IJ. F. 

 Co/^nH)-— No. 2, Kentish FilJbaskct; y, Winter Greening. (S.).— 1, Royal 

 Russet ; y, Pile's Russet ; 4, Hall Door ; 5, Golden Keinetto ; ti, Margil. 



N-uiEs OF Plants {W. B. B.). — We cannot name plants from such speci- 

 mens. (A Constant Suhs^criber). — Cuphea strigillosa. It is a native of 

 Mexico, found there by Hartweg. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PIGEON OHKONIOLE. 



COMMENDATIONS AT POULTRY SHOWS. 



I DO not advocate the awarding of a greater number of liigbly 

 commendeds and commendeds. From my own observatiou I 

 think judges are much too lavish of thoae cheap distinctions, 

 and that, in fact, they would benefit the poultry fancy by with- 

 holding prizes where there is insufficient merit, for you fre- 

 quently see birds unnoticed at Birmingham that have been 

 awarded prizes and even cups at small shows. I know these 

 highly commendeds flatter the vanity of some exhibitors, and 

 luring them on bring " grist to the mill," and also that it is 

 with that object that the judges are sometimes requested to 

 affix them, but it is an unworthy, not to say dishonest motive. 



I have made a calculation of the probable amount paid for 

 entry fees, and I find that it exceeds the amount offered in 

 prizes and cups by about £'200. Under these circumstances I 

 think the Council might be more liberal to the Malays, who 

 have, at least, on this occasion paid their way well, and will, in 

 point of numbers, compare favourably with some other classes 

 that have received more encouragement. Surely from an eco- 

 nomic point of view, they are as well worthy of encouragement 

 as Bantams, and more worthy of it than ornamental waterfowl. 

 —0. P. H. Z. 



LIGHT BBAHMAS. 

 Havino paid a visit to the late Birmingham Show, I was 

 pleased to see such a display of Light Brahmas. No doubt this 

 is a noble breed if kept-up to the proper standard of merit, 

 but one finds breeders going-in for points which bring Light 

 Brahmas too near the Cochin. It is my opinion that .some of 

 the prize birds at this Show have been crossed with the White 

 Cochin. I think they ought to be judged by a higher Brahma 

 standard than mere size and heavy-feathering of legs, the latter 



Eoint one finds carried too far, many birds shown being vulture- 

 ocked ; another fault is that many prize birds are very yellow 

 and exhibit the Cochin tail. I would insist on haviug prize 

 birds as follows : — Blue whiteness of feathers, proper pencilling 

 of hackle, white side stripe in the two top feathers of the tail of 

 both cock and hen, plenty of fluff, cushion, and size, a perfect 

 pea conib, symmetry of frame, heavy feathering of the legs, but 

 clear hocks. These points, I think, with the exception of a 

 striped saddle, which I do not care to see, are generally under- 

 stood by all Light Bralmia breeders to constitute perfection. If 

 this is not insisted upon it makes it a very easy matter for 

 breeders to put a pair of large, Loavy-featherod, or vulture- 



