220 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



September 15, 1863. 



Heating a Vineby {T. H. i).— Your plan will answer admirably for pot 

 Vines; but unless you make your Hue wide enough, eu as to borrow top 

 heat for the houfie from it, you will not be gi-eatly better-off lor your early 

 ripening of the general crop. We think you may do eo. No plan could be 

 worse than having a tier of flues against the back wall only. You have also 

 a fine opportunity of renewing your vinery by planting in that border out- 

 aide, and then making openings in your outside wall. If the house is wide 

 you might shui-in a part longitudually, so as to forward the Vines in pots 

 before forciug the others. Glazed earthenware pipes are capital far heating 

 where you can place them on the level, and where they are not likely to be 

 injured by clumsy labourers. Mr. Niven, of Dramcondra, and others us^e 

 them largely. 



Madame Vavcher Geranium l,I}eionie7isis). ~lf you supply Madame 

 Vaucber Geranium liberally with water at tile root it wiil prevent it from 

 turning pink whtn planted out. When turned out of pots such plants are 

 apt to suffer irom dryneiss at the root till they take hold of the ground, and 

 we know that when exposed to drought this Geranium assumes a pink 

 shade ; but so soon as the ground is well watered it regiiins its usual colour. 



Destroting Woobuce {A. B, C.).—1i you can pour boiling w.iltr into 

 crevices between the brickwork and wooden framework, it will certainly 

 destroy your troublesome pesis If It is not possible to introduce boiling 

 ■water into the haunts of the woodlice, the most effectual way will be to 

 raise the framework and destroy all of them that you possibly Cdn ; and 

 then hcrape away all the Ioo^e mortar, and bed the "woodwork firmly down 

 on to a layer of Porthmd or Rom",n cement, so that every crevice may be 

 filled up and defy their making u?e of such a retreat. To destroy the 

 stragglers that may have taken up their quarters inside the frtime, boiling 

 water may be applied to the inside of the walls, on which they are generally 

 found creeping, after dark. Poisoned fruit, such as Pears or Peaches, laid 

 in the frame ..t night will also destroy them, as they are fond of (easting on 

 fruit. Toads are great enemies to then\ and one or two ?-uch lodgers will 

 make short work of great numbers of them. Any or all of these remedies 

 will enable you to overcome ycur marauders. 



Frdit Trees eor Pot-cvlture [A. B. C.).— The following varieties of 

 fruit trees for pots will answer your purpose:— ^prtco?5.—Moorpark, Royal, 

 Large Red. J'eathes.—Ediily York, Royal George, Viulette Hative, No- 

 blesse, Walburton Admirable- JVe atari ties. ~\io\etie Hative, Pitmaston 

 Orange, Elruge. P/«;/i5.— Green Gage. Kirke's Seedling, Jefferson, Coe's 

 Golden Drop. 6'roj:>cs.— Royal Muscadine, Black Hamburgh, Chaptal, 

 Although you do not a&k for advice regarding the arrant-ement you propoae 

 in the cultivation of these fruits in pots, having at the same time Vines 

 trained over them near the glass, it may be remarked tliat in order to suc- 

 ceed with the fruit in pots the Vines over them must be trained much wider 

 apart than is usual when a house is devoted to the growth of Grapes entirely, 

 otherwise the fruit trees :n pots will not receive that amount of light and air 

 necessary to their well-doing. If possible it would be much more satisfac- 

 tory if the trees in pots could have a division entirely to themselves. It will 

 not be easy to succeed with them ; and, at the same time, secure a crop of 

 early Grapes over them. 



GNAFHALirM LANATt'M (jV. W. 5.).— Gnaphalium lanatum is a hardy 

 herbaceous plant, therefore likely to stand the winters of >orfolk. 



RussELiA JDNCEA CuLTCEE {Ide7n 1.— RusseUa juncea is a stove plant from 

 Meiico. and one of the mo>t graceful plants in cultivatiun. It le^uires a 

 compost of equal parts turfy loam and fibry peat, chopped with a spade, 

 but not sifted unlets through a liddle with inch meshes, and a liberal ad- 

 mixture of silver sand. We presume yours is a small plant; if so, pot it 

 and keep it in a moist atiriosphere to induce free but not luxuriant growth. 

 Shift into a pot a size larger immediately the roots reach the sides of the 

 pot. Repeat the same until the plant attains the si/e you wish, when yon 

 ■will give the last ?hift. double the sized pot of any of the former being 

 employed. When this pot becomes full of roots the plantwiil show flowe:s^; 

 but much will depend on pinching the strong shoots back when they 

 are a foot in length. The branches may be tied to a stick, from which the 

 laterals droop gracefully. It flowers more abundantly on moderate than 

 luxuriant growths. "Vou will, therefore, stop all sirung and rampant 

 growths, encouraging the weaker until growth begins to slacken, when 

 stopping wi 1 be discontinued and syringing too, the plant being kept drier 

 at the ruot and less moisture given above. Any straggling blooms to be 

 removed if they appear whilst it is growing Sudden changes of temperature 

 are inimical to its well-being ; and it rarely does well after flowering once, 

 consequently young plants must be ready to grow on to supply a worn-out 

 specimen. It is easily propagated, either by single joints ot the shoots or 

 cuttings in a little bottom heat, or from suckers and divibion. 



Tuberous Trop^oldms (£. X. C.).— The seeds of tuberous-rooted Tro- 

 paeolums are best sown immediately after they are ripe in sandy peat and 

 loam in a Cucumber-frame, or where a bottom heat of about 7o° prevails— top 

 heat about the same. The seeds are best placed separately in thumb pots, for 

 they can then be shifted into larger pots as they advance in growth without 

 disturbing the root.*^. When the plants are 'fairly up remove them to a 

 wann greenhouse and near the glass, placing a sm'all stick for the plant to 

 climb up in the pot. The seedlings will need but one shift the first year, 

 say into a 48-sized pot. When they have grown as much as they will and 

 the leaves begin to turn yelluw, lessen the supply of water, gradually dry 

 them off, and give them a real of three months by keeping tiie tubers dry 

 in a cool place. Pot early in September in after-years, and grow in a warm 

 greenhouse, giving abundance of air and all the light practicable. Tro- 

 pffiolum tricolor usually commences growing in September, growing on 

 through the winter and flowering in April in the greenhout^e ; dying down 

 immediately after flowering, when the pot may be laid aside until Sep- 

 tember in a dry cool place. It is then to be potted and trained on a fan- 

 shaped or some other trellis. The seed may be sown now in a little heat 

 not more than 73'^, nor less than Go", or early in February on a gentle hat- 

 bed ; but it is best to bow them immediately they are ripe. 



Garden-plan.— (-45(cr).— We are sorry that we can only reply to you, as 

 ■we have replied to others— we never arrange the planting, or recommend 

 the plants to be employed. We only criticise what our correspondents 

 propose doing, and point out their errors, if any. 



Alocasia WETALEfCA ( C. S. JV.).— You wUl find an articlc ou this plant 

 in another column. 



Portraits of Flowfrs. — <iV".). — "The Botanical Magazine," "The 

 Floral Magazine," and "The Floiist and Poniolugisi," are all published 

 monthly, and furnish coloured portraits of flowers and fruitH. 



Poke (B. A. 5.J.— In the Southern States of America it is cultivated for 

 use as Asparagus and Spinach, and a very nice vegetable it is. If you were 

 to take a blroil in the morning into some market — say Hew Orleans, you 

 would be led to exclaim, " What is this we have stacked-up here V — E. B. 



ftPENCE. 



Names of Plants. — Some of our correspondents are in the habit of 

 seadiag small tragiKents of plants for us to name. This requires from us 

 such a gre.tt expenditure of time that we are compelled to say that we 

 cannot attempt to name any plant unless the specimen is perfect in leaves 

 and flowers. ( T. /*.).— Your Fenis are— 1, Adiantum assimile; 2, Adiantum 

 tenet urn ; 3, One of the Dennstasdtias (Dicksonieae i. and apparently D. niti- 

 dula ; 4, iN'ephrolepis esalttita. {Tyro).— I, Blcchnum spicani. the common 

 hard Fern; 2, Athyrium rhceticum, the erect L.idy-Fern; 3, Asplenium 

 adiantum-nigrum, the Black Spleenwort ; 4. Lastrea cristata, the Crested 

 Buckler-Fern ; 5, Cystopteris Iragilis, the Brittle Bladder-Fern, i C\ B. 3.). 

 — Only seventeen 8pecm;ens! iind some of them leaves of Begoniae. I: is 

 perfectly unreasonable t:> expect us to name more than three or four at a 

 time. 1, Cyrtomium falcatum ; 2, Lastrea aristata ; 3, Anemidictyon 

 phyllitidis; 4, Ptens ger;5Biitolia; 5, Adiantum cupiUus- Veneris ; G, Blech- 

 uum brasiliense. [F. 6" j.— Your plant is the Vtratrum nigrum, a noble 

 plant lor the shrub ,ery border. The Passiun-Fiower you mean is the 

 Passiflora taTulea,the most hardy, if not the very handsomest, of the genus, 

 iG. E.\.— \, Common FItabtine, Inula dysentenea ; 2, Common Centaury, 

 Erythraea tentaurium ; 3, Eyebright, Euphrasia otiicrnalis. {£aton Cliff ). 

 — We do not undertake to uame a plant from a leaf only. We believe yours 

 to be from thv ■ 'nmon Hydrangea; and the Geranium was too fallen to 

 pieces to be ju-^-a. (Old Subscriber, J. Cj. — Hedychinum Gardaerianum. 



POITLTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE, 



FEESH GROUJS'D FOE (HTOKKXS. 



We cannot help thinking much good might result and great 

 information Le derived if amateurs would be more eonamunicative 

 one to another through the columns of periodicals devoted to 

 the objects in which they are interested. Many of the queries 

 sent to us are evidently from competent and observing people, 

 and afford ample evidence of the abiUty of the writers. Such, 

 while they want information on one point, could evidently 

 afford it on twenty. One has written to us on " Tainted Ground." 

 Although he has four or five acres at his disposal, yet, for 

 security's sake, he has reared his chickens for years in a small 

 enclosed space. They did well for two or three years ; but 

 afterwards, although supplied vi-ith all they could, require, the 

 chickens languished, many died, and the survivors were sickly. 

 He was not a man who would accept such a position without 

 iaquiring the cause, and was soon told by a gamekeeper the 

 ground was tainted, consequently unfit for rearing chickens. 

 The assertion was to be tested by the removal of a brood that 

 was daily becoming less to the open space. They recovered 

 directly. A change of ground is good for old birds ; but it is 

 uecessaiy for chickens that are artificially kept. There is not 

 on a lawn or small paddock the constant change of surface there 

 is in a farmyard, nur is there the same process of natural 

 chemistry in operation. Where Pheasants are bred in large 

 numbers, it is a common thing to be obliged to relinquiSi 

 ground possessing every advantage, because it is tainted. Birds 

 will not grow up — they cannot be reared upon it. The old 

 birds are not affected hy it; but even in them, as in the human 

 being, change of air and scene ai'e beneficial. It is impossible to 

 say in what this taint consists. Analysis has failed, so has 

 dissection. Wherever it can be done, prudence would, therefore, 

 dictate that the spot where chickens will be put with the hens 

 under the rips should be as much as possible kept quite free 

 from poultn- tUl it is required for the purpose. We have no 

 doubt many of the complaints we receive of inexplicable deaths 

 from no apparent cause, and spite of every precaution, prevision, 

 and provision, may be attributed to this cause. Mooting the 

 subject may, perhaps, tmTi the attention of competent people 

 to it. 



MAJfCHESTEE AND LR^EPOOL POULTET 

 EXHIBITION. 



The Manchester and Liverpool Agricultm-al Society held 

 its tirst meeting in the year 1847. It was then constituted 

 by the amalgamation of the Manchester Society, whose first 

 meeting dates hack so far as 17G7, with the Liverpool 

 Society, formed in 1S30. With, therefore, an undivided 

 interest, and embracing so populous a district as that in 

 which its annual meetings now take place, the natural 

 result has been progressive improvement ; and it is patent 

 to every one that any feature that might by its utility and 

 popularity add to its advancement in pubUe favour, has 

 invariably received the ready and earnest attention of its 

 controllers. This Society enjoys also the untiring help of 

 one of the most indefatigable of secretaries, Mr. Kyder, 



