JOITRNAL OF HOETICTTLTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEK. [ September 22, 1863. 



•Kttle caution and begin with the strong-growing sorts, for, | 

 after a little practice with such, they will acquii-e a certain 

 amount of confidence that may soon enahle them to handle , 

 choicer tinds, it being a consideration that while a small j 

 plant of gi-aeilis may be bought at a nursery for one shilling, 

 a plant the same size of Massoni would most litely cost 

 five shillings, perhaps more. 



Most growers differ on several minor points of detail. 

 Almost every Heath-grower has his own peculiar ways and 

 opinions, and I wiU confess that I have mine; but then 

 nothing suits me better than to learn the exact methods of 

 (Either growers, so that, if I find theii- ways better than 

 mine, I gladly adopt them. My object in penning these 

 notes is simply Tvith the idea that others may like to learn 

 from ^my practice as much as I should like to learn fi-om 

 theirs. I will, therefore, give my expei-ionce in detail, and 

 begin first with — 



Soil. — When in the neighbom-hood of London I have used 

 a ;peculiar kind of peat or heath soU such as I have not seen 

 elsewhere. From what I can understand this came from a 

 place in Kent, called, I believe, Shirley, but 1 am not sure. 

 This peat, with the addition of a little more silver sand 

 than it natiually contained, made a most perfect soil for 

 Eea.tlis, and they were sure to thrive in it; but then this 

 peat may not be obtainable evei-ywhere, so that we must 

 do what we can with the best within reach. Peat eai'th of 

 some kind it must be, but the more fibry the better — just 

 the mere tuif pared off, if possible — the tougher it is 

 and the harder to chop up the better. But even fibiy peat 

 anay not be at hand, and then, when it is for growing the 

 choicer sorts of Heaths, great care is necessarj' ; and I will 

 just explain how I bring it into a condition that I can trust 

 the roots of Heaths in it. I first chop it up with a spade, 

 .and then nib it through a sieve. This latter operation is 

 not necessary, but I prefer doing it for the sake of the 

 rougOier fibre, which I consider an important ingredient in 

 the drainage ; but if white moss can be obtained that wiD 

 answer the pui-pcse, and the jjeat need not be sifted. 

 "Whether sifted or not sand must be added — I add about a 

 third of silver sand. If silver sand is not to be had, drift 

 sand or any other sand may be used ; but it should be well 

 .washed of all earthy matter. The way 1 have done this is 

 to nearly fill a pail or bucket with sand, fill up with water, 

 stir well, pour off the water, add more, repeat the process until 

 the water runs off clear, then dry the sand, and it is ready to 

 "be well incorporated with the peat. Peat itself without 

 sand, or v.-ith very little, is a very unsuitable soil for putting 

 any plant in. When wet it soon turns som-, and if it once 

 "becomes thoroughly dry, it is difficidt to make it jnopcrly 

 moist again. Plenty of sand mixed with it makes it both 

 porous and absorbent. Any kind of well-washed sand iviU 

 accomplish this object, and will do provided there is no per- 

 nicious quality in it. Silver sand, however, is best: and 

 ■even if another kind of sand is used it is stfll advisable to 

 Tnjy some of this with the soU, since it is said that the Heath 

 derives its silica fi-om it : it, therefore, supplies an article of 

 food. But, in addition to sand, I invai-iably mix with the peat 

 a large quantity of broken pots. This I consider most useful, 

 for it makes the soil still more porous and absorbent, and 

 there is little chance of the soil becoming sour. The soU 

 when ready for j)otting is about one-half i^eat, the other 

 half equal portions of sand and broken pots. 



PoTTiKG requh-es a little cai-e and skUl, for much of the 

 success depends on it ; indeed, so much so that I can scarcely 

 consider a plant under control unless I know how it has 

 "been potted. In the fh'st place the pot should be thoroughly 

 dean, and just dry enough to show no moisture on it. If 

 too dry it is apt to absorb the moistiu'e fi'om the soil. The 

 plant about to be potted should be just nicely moist, neither 

 more nor less so than the soil to be used in potting. The 

 pots shoiJd be neatly drained, and this does not depend on 

 the quantity of drainage, but on its an-angement. I gene- 

 rally first put a crock over the hole, convex side upwards. 

 I quite agree that it is a good plan to place it convex side 

 downwards in order to keep worms out of the pot, but I 

 never like placing Heaths where worms have a chance of 

 getting in. Eound this I place pieces rather smaller, and 

 cover with creeks l^roken smaller still, but not fine, over 

 this a thin layer of peat fibre, then a little soH. It is then 

 ready for the plant, which should be x'laced at the proper 



height, simply taking care not to bury the collar and to 

 leave room for water. I generally use a blunted stick to 

 press the soU together, but take care tliat it is merely ren- 

 dered solid and not hard. — F. Chitty. 

 [To he conti/iiued,) 



TREATMENT OF CYANOPHYLLUM 

 MAGKIFICUM. 



If I cut down a Cyanophyllum magnificum would it shoot 

 again ? or if I partially cut it down would it shoot out from 

 the side, and become again a good plant ? At present it is 

 a magnificent plant, but too large for my stove. Although 

 only bought aboiit a year ago, and then about 1 foot high, it 

 is now 3 feet 7 inches high ; the large leaves are 13 inches 

 wide and 291 long. I should be glad also to be told how to 

 propagate it, and at the same time to have a list of six 

 new stove plants, and six ornament al-foliaged stove plants. 

 — M. G. 



[You have grown that Cyanoijhyllum magnificum with 

 leaves 291 inches long and 13 wide very well indeed. We 

 should be loath to cut down so fine a plant, but as it is a 

 necessity, could not you exchange for a young plant with 

 some neighbour ? It is a pity to cut it down, for this plant, 

 although it stands cutting down, seldom makes a fine speci- 

 men afterwai-ds. You can cut it down at yom- convenience, 

 it wUl shoot again fi-om the dormant eyes on the stem. It 

 maj' be cut down to the lowest pair- of eyes, or, to make sure, 

 to the second pair or joint. It strilces pretty freely from 

 cuttings. The tops of the shoots are best for striking — say 

 with three joints. Take off the lowest pah- of leaves, and 

 cut the bottom transversely immediately below the lowest 

 joint. Insert the cuttings singly in a No. 48-pot in sandy 

 peat, leaf mould, and loam, with an equal quantity of silver 

 sand intermixed. Plunge the pot, after gently watering, 

 in a bottom heat of 80°, and cover with a bell-glass if the 

 atmosphere be in the least dry. Keep the soU and' the at- 

 mosphere moist for about six weeks, when the cuttings wlU 

 be well rooted. This plant may also be propagated from 

 eyes of the young and old wood like a Vine, inserting them 

 half an inch below the sui-face, and placing in bottom heat 

 and covering with a bell-glass as for cuttings. 



Of new plants let out, choose Ixora crocata superba, Steno- 

 gaster concinna, Calliandi-a haematocephala, Gesnera pjra- 

 midaHs, G. refulgens, and HebecHnium atro-rubens ; of fine 

 foHage, Alocasia zebrina and Lowii, Pandanus elegant- 

 issimus. Hibiscus Cooperi, Theophrastra imperialis, and 

 Campylobotrys refulgens. If you wish for newer consult 

 the reports of the various shows published in our pages, or 

 visit some large nursery where you can choose for youi-self.] 



MELONS NOT COMING TO PERFECTION. 



I HAVE for the last two years been very much troubled at 

 my Melons not coming to perfection. I atti-ibute this to the 

 strong growth they make. I attemjjt to grow them in close 

 bride pits, without the aid of hot-water pipes, by fiULng the 

 pits with hot dung and leaves mixed together. I shake these 

 materials well to pieces in order that the mass may heat 

 regularly. After it has sunk I place some old tiu-f, with 

 the sward downwards, about 2 inches thick, .all over the 

 dung. On this I place about two bushels of a compost 

 of fibry loam and old turf, &c., for the reception of the 

 plants," which I plant out three in each hUl. There is a 

 hUl to each light, each of which measm-es 24 square feet. 

 After planting I water them with a little water with the 

 chin off, and syringe them evei-y afternoon with water of the 

 same temperature as the aii- of the pits. I give as much air 

 as is consistent with the culture of the Melon. They grow 

 very fast, and a g-reat deal too strong to do much good. 

 They set their fi-uit very freely and swell until they attain 

 the "size of a ericket-ball or a trifie larger. By this time the 

 vine or the stem just above the surface begins to show 

 symptoms of decay. The plants then hegin to die a-way by 

 degrees, and ultimately the whole of the vine is mthered 

 up, leaving the fi-uit destitute of nourishment. I have 

 grown the Melon with gTeot success in some of the largest 

 places in England and Scotland in pits heated by hot water. 



