July 



.TOITRNAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



17 



keep the machine properly balanced.. There are nuts in aU 

 macliines by which the front roller can be elevated for firm 

 ground and short gi-ass, and depressed for longer grass or 

 loose mossy ground, and the knowledge of this simple fact 

 would cause many a machine to be employed that now is 

 useless and unused. We are glad to say that we have had 

 no ditBculty with grass-cutters, the men prefen-ing them 

 much to the scythe. "We have no doubt that a little patience 

 and gentle encouragement miist be given to secure their 

 being used in some places where everything qow is objected 

 to. A little of Sam Slick's soft sawder wUl, judiciously 

 employed, soon be found to conquer all the objections of 

 prejudice. 



In the flower garden we presume most of Tulips and 

 spriag bulbs have now been taken up, unless it is resolved 

 to leave them out all the season. Gladiolus will stand 

 waterings with maniu-e-water, or may get a rich top-di'essing 

 of old rotten dung or leaf mould. Dahlias have been looked 

 over as to tying and watering ; ditto as to Phloxes and her- 

 baceous plants in general. Set out a number of Hollyhocks 

 in pots that had been struck ft-om the thinnings of good 

 kinds some six weeks ago, and which were inserted under 

 hand-lights over a very slight hotbed. There are now some 

 hundreds of fine plants, wHoh vrill bloom tliis autumn. We 

 may take off a lot more when thinning and tying ; but these 

 will not do so well, as the young shoots slipped oil' early when 

 too thick. We have, it is true, struck them from buds 

 even of the thinnings ; but all such buds and all such shoots 

 rooted now wiU require to wait next year for blooming, whilst 

 slips taken off in spring wiU come nearly as soon into bloom 

 as cuttings struck last autumn. Now is also a good time 

 for sowing Hollyhocks to bloom next season, pricking them 

 out on a border when up, and planting out in autumn and 

 spring where wanted to bloom. Now is also a good time for 

 striking under a hand-light, or a shady border, Pentstemons, 

 Phloxes, perennial Silenes, Heartsease, and Pinks. In order 

 not to disfigui-e the old plants of the latter, it is best not to 

 cut over the cutting, but to pull it at once out of its socket, 

 aaid thus the cutting is fit for insertion at once. This is 

 done by holding the bottom of the shoot by the left hand, 

 and pulling the top with the right hand, just at the second 

 joint ; most of the pieces, cuttings or pipings, will come out 

 clean from the joint, and with a sounder bottom than you 

 could make with the sharpest knife. This method is not 

 only the best, but saves a deal of time in stripping leaves 

 and base cutting across. 



Boses have been mulched, as we could not water them, and 

 some of the stronger shoots have been stopped and nipped. 

 The fii'st massive show of fine sorts against a wall is nearly 

 over. Rose cuttings wOl do now, but better a month or six 

 weeks hence. Many of the Antirrhinums (Snapdi'agons) 

 ai'e very beautiful, and now is a good time to increase the 

 best kinds by cuttings. It may be as well to wait a few 

 days longer if the cuttings are not quite ready. The best 

 cuttings are those that come fi'om the stem below the flower- 

 spikes. When these are about 3 inches long slii^ them off' 

 close to the stem, and insert in sandy soil under a bell- 

 glass in a shady border. If the shoots are thinned many 

 of the side shoots left wiU bloom later, though the spikes 

 will not be so fine at the fii-st. These Snapdragons make 

 beautiful masses in rough or rock gardens ; but some people 

 dislike the smell of them veiw much, whilst other people 

 rather like it. Edged and hoed beds of bedding plants, and 

 have had no end of labour in securing them. They are now 

 filling fast. When the gi-ound is a little warmer we wfll 

 slightly mulch them in the openings with old Mushi'oom- 

 dung, &c. Changed plants in conservatory, and gave plenty 

 of water to Camellias in conservatory and in hothouses, as 

 if left dry now they are apt to drop the buds that are formed. 

 Syringed Azaleas frequently. Potted young Geraniums, and 

 many other hardwooded and softwooded plants, &c. — E. P. 



Elm Leaves Vakiegated. — Who can account for the 

 leaves of Elm trees becoming variegated throughout the 

 whole tree, so as to present an appearance of almost perfect 

 whiteness ? The trees in question have assumed this aspect 

 within the last few years, and stand amongst others which 

 remain in theii' natural state. — W. H. Beadon, Devonshire. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*^* We request that no one wdl write privately to the de- 

 partmental writers of the " Jom-nal of Horticulture, 

 Cottage Gai-dener, and Country Gentleman." By so 

 doing they are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and 

 expense. All communications should therefore be ad- 

 di-essed solehj to The Editors of the Journal of Borticul- 

 ture, (Sfc, 162, Fleet Street, London, E.C. 



We also request that con'espondents wiU not mix up on the 

 same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those 

 on Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them 

 answered promptly and conveniently, but wi-ite them 

 on separate communications. Also never to send more 

 than two or thi-ee questions at once. 



We cannot reply privately to any communication unless 

 under very special circumstances. 



Calceolahias [H. J. S.).— The blooms were much -Klthered and much 

 bruised. They seeni to have been handsome but small. Saving seed from 

 the best would probably give you some good varieties. 



Sdndiai. I An OW «n6scri4cr).— Such a manufacture is quite out of our 

 province, consult some Ki)cyclopfBdia. 



TwELVK CAMBtLiAS (/. R. I)'.). -So far as we know them, those in your 

 list are all jfood. For twelve we would select from it— Augusta, Alesina, 

 Chanulerii, Caryophylloides, Heniiersoui, Jubilee, Mathothma, tensjlvanica, 

 ferlectiou, Kubiui, Verschaffeltiana, and Viscomie nova. 



Time foe Cotting-uown Geraniums [A Subscriber).— it is best to have 

 successions of Ger.uiuius. We have cut ihem down at times varying 

 between July and the en,i of Septe.uber, and louud ihey succeeded equally 

 well; but, of course, ihose oat late were later next year than those out 

 eurly, and hart small foliage until the spring. 



Mildew o.-< Cigumbeks (.iV.).-Ii i.'< just possible that the slate in both 

 caries zeis too hot, but the chief cause of the mildew may be owing to 

 deficient ventllatiou. We would u.se sulphur freely over the slate, and give 

 air night and day. We should not like the roots getting through the slate. 

 We would make it secure-jointed, place 6 iuchei of rubble over it, and have 

 holes at the sides to make sure tnat llie waler poured through the pipes 

 never stood higher than 1,J inch over the slai.-. In the oiher bed we would 

 do the same; out as the sides seem comparatively open, to secure top heat 

 we presume, you could not expect the .-amc Uuitom heat theie. With such 

 an open chamber, the case of " Tanks versus Pipes" has not a fair 

 chalice To insuie a fair comparison boih chambers should be equally 

 shortened, and moisture presented equally lo both slate coverings. Mere 

 dry heat will not rise .-o quickly anu reguhiily by itaelf ao when it is ac- 

 companied with hot vapour. 



Hemino a Conseevatobt IB. Gibbous) —\oui: sketch gives no in- 

 foruiaUon about the levels, ll the boder in ihu aviary is a foot or 18 inches 

 below the base of the garden and the diawing-roon. doors there wdl be no 

 ditticulty whatever. You could not well make a junction from the pipes in 

 the aviary, unless the pioes were as high in the house to be heated. You 

 miohtdo this by bnnsing the pipes ..s far as the doorway, and causmg 

 ihem to return from ihence without passio,; the doorway. In fact, you 

 mi-ht have all the heat yon want from a stack or pillar of pipes without 

 the pipes noing round the house at all. A small brick Ainotfs stove would 

 no doubt do the work well, but then you would require a chimney. Most 

 likelv the hot water would be the best and le..st troublesome. It you gate 

 u»a'sectionof aviarj, ooller. and house to be ueated, showing the level of 

 boiler, doorways, *fec., we would be more sure. 



Vahioos ^Ezra J/i/esl.-The best time for moving Briar Koses for buddinS 

 is any time irom the fading of the leaves until ihey begin lo grow in thi- 

 spriiig, the sooner lu the winter the better. Taiie theBnari up cateluUy. 

 prune the roots to 6 or S inches fiom the stem, prune ofl all shoots from 

 the stem, and leave it at the desired height, plant m good rich soli so as to 

 encourage ttbres near h,.mc, and as soon as growth appears, prune all oil 

 along the stem except one or more shoots at top, and bud these close to the 

 stem as soon as the oaik runs and you c.in get buds well developed, bee 

 Mushroom culture in a late Number. Six weeks is a general lime alter 

 spawning and eartliing-up ; but we have gathered in less than three weeks, 

 and had them as long as ten or twelve weeks. In ordinary circumstances, 

 «i.K weeks 13 what we calculate on, and it is ver.v rarely we have oeen uia- 

 appointed lor thirty ye.us. We thmk that such things as Maurandyas and 

 Lophosoermums In small pots will suit you, and so would such Nastur- 

 tiums as Tiopmolum tiicolor and pentaphyllum. 



iPoMJiA HEDEayEFOLiA CutTUBE {Felixstowe].-^'e suspcct your plant 

 is the Uuamoc.it hederteiolia of Paxton, a rather tender annual Irom Brazil, 

 which will blow m a warm sheltered place In the oi en border, it turned out 

 about the begi.ii.ing of June. If these conditions cannot be given, it will 

 flower well tn a rough branch if kept under glass. There is "■"'»/'' 

 much confusion with some of these plants. For iiistaiice . A small, scauet, 

 very beautiful convolvulaceous plant is somcti.nes ca led ll''>™?'''/"""lta' 

 Ipomoja quamocUt, and Quamocl.t coccinea. This, '°°' '"^'j'.'^fffi"';*' 

 raised on a hotbed, hardened and turned out in June, will do well in a warm 

 place, but north ol London in most seasons it will do be»tuii..er glass. 



Caiceolau.a violacea (G. A-.).-Weare notquite ^"""f'''"";^'';,^™ 

 mean. If it has pinnate leaves and small lilacvlolel flowers, It would flower 

 test in spring and early summer in the greenhouse, and would do best .1 

 kept in p'ots."lf put out of doors it will do best P'^n^ed in a p.. ■ '^^^'^-^'f^ 

 out and then lilted, the wood is apt to be too "'"l'^' " ""' "J','';-J-;„" 

 it is the sort we imagine it will not blow freely out of doors, unless in a 

 warm sheUered place, and even then it would be better if kept m a pot 

 plunged. 



Weiouts Useo rOE Fruit (Subscriber,. -The pound of =' j'«" °™7' 

 is the weight employed at our London exhibitions and at Covent Garden m 

 weighing Iruit. 



WORK 0.V Gaedemng {An A,„atcur).-Yo'x can have "The Garden 

 Manual ■' free by post from our ofHce for twenty postage stamps. It will 

 give the information you mention. 



