340 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 31, 1867. 



if necessary, add clay to brinR the whole to the consistence of thin paint. 

 The hou=e walls ehould he well lime-waphcd, 1 lb. of flowers of sulphnr 

 beinR added to every jiallon of the limewash. The woodwork should 

 be tbnrouphly washed with soft soap and water, taking care not to wet 

 the glass witli the soapy water. 



Grafting Mrs. Pollock Pelargoniusi {C. H.).— The best time to 

 graft such Pehnponiums is' in February and March, or later in the 

 season. We consider Royal Dwarf a pnod stock for craftinj:; upon, but 

 Tom Thumb or any of the not very thick-stemmed kinds will answer 

 The best mode that we h.ave tried is side-graftin*?, which yon will find 

 fully described in the " Science and Practice of Gardening." It is neces- 

 sary to plunge in a mild hotbed, and to keep the house moist and shaded 

 until the scions have taken. 



Cherry Stocks for Apples or Pears (J. j4.)*— We[*are certain the 

 ^afts would not live. 



. Top-dressing Vine Borders (Td^nt). — So far from depreciating the 

 top-dressing of Vine borders, we frecjuently recommend it; but we do 

 not advise top-dressing them in summer, for we know that heavy coat- 

 ings of manure exclude sun, heat, and air from the border, and tend to 

 i)ttTy the roots too deeply. Covering the borders in autumn with 

 6 inches of half-decayed stable manure must enrich the soil, and tend to 

 protect the roots from cold; but the utility of forking in 6 inche.^ of ma- 

 nure every autumn we cannot understand. The only good that could 

 result from doing so would be the enrichment of the border ; but jn time 

 the surface would be converted into a heavy soapy mass. We use for 

 top-dressing Vine borders half-inch bones, lime rubbish from an old 

 building, turf from a pasture not more than 1^ to 2 inches thick, char- 

 coal, calcined oyster shells, and sheep's-dung or horse-droppings, pre- 

 lerencc being given to the formex*. We first pl.ice a layer of sod-s. grass 

 side downwards, and having the whole of the other ingredients well 

 mixed together and in equal quantities, we put on another layerof sods 

 and then a layer of the above substances equal to the thickness of sods 

 another layer of sods, and so on, until we have ft heap equal to our re- 

 quirements for one season's top-dressing. We give a good soaking of 

 liquid manure to the heap every month, from April to September, the 

 heap being made in March. In Octol)er the heap is cut down from one 

 end and the whole chopped up into pieces about 2 inches square and 

 thoroughly mixed. We then put it on the Vine borders from one to 

 three inches thick, having previously gone over the border with a fork, 

 so as to loosen the surface. The difference in the thickness of the top- 

 dressing is owing to the difference in the vigour of the Vines. We give 

 a thicker dressing to those that are weak in growth than to those which 

 are stroug. This top-dressing we never remove; it disappears, at least 

 the roots come up into it. Our borders are from 2 feet 6 inches to 3 feet 

 an depth. We cover outside Vine borders in winter with boards to keep 

 them dry. 



Wintering Caladiums (P. J. IV.).— Caladiums should be wintered in a 

 house with a minimum temperature of from 60 to 65"^, and the soil 

 should be kept dry, but not dust dry, as that is apt to cause the roots to 

 rot upon their coming in contact with moisture. If you can place the 

 pots on a moist bottom they will absorb enough moisture ; but failing 

 this you should sprinkle two or three times a-week with water, so as to 

 make the surface of the soil and the pots moist. 



Double Purple Larkspur (Idem). — We think from your description 

 that your plant is the Delphinium cheilanthum (Don},var. multiplex. You 

 do not say whether your plant has a large lip, the characteristic of the 

 species. It is a tall-growing kind, and succeeds in good, rich, rather light 



soil in an open situation. It should have a top-dressing of leaf mould in 

 autumn, and is increased by parting the roots in spring. 



Vallota pl-rpurea Culture (A. J. T.).— The flower and lenf enclosed 

 to us are those of Vallota purpurea. Its treatment is that of a green- 

 house plant, succeeding in ii compost of r.atber strongloam and one-third 

 peat, with the addition of a littlo leaf mould. The plant should be kept 

 ratlier dry dm-ing the winter, but when growing cnnnot have too much 

 water, and should receive every encouragement. When a good growth has 

 been made expose it fully to light and air. and diminish the supply of 

 water. The foliage must not at any time bo allowed to flag. 



Wintering I<'uchsias (7f/(Hi).~Your old plants may he wintered in the 

 pottiug-shed as usual, but the autumn-struck cuttings ought to be kept 

 upon a shelf in the greenhouse, and the soil not allowed to become very 

 dry. If you manage them well they will continue growing more or less 

 throughout the winter, and by frequently shifting in spring you may have 

 them very tine next year. Old plants do not generally make good 

 specimens. 



Propagating Correas, Acacias, and Cytisus (Jf/fm).— Correns and 

 Acicias arc increased by cuttings, and the points of the shoots when the 

 wood becomes a little hardened at its base should be taken— about 

 3 inches of the moderately vigorous shoots. The foliage should be re- 

 moved from the cuttings for half their length from the bottom, and the 

 base of each should be cut transversely below the lowest joint with a 

 sharp knife. They should tlien be inserted in a pot half full of crocks, 

 filled to within an inch of the rim with a compost of sandy peat two- 

 thirds and one-third sandy loam and silver sand, and then to the rim with 

 silver snnd. The cuttings should be inserted round the sides of the pot 

 and up to the leaves in the sand. Give a gentle watering and place the 

 pots in a house with a gentle hent. covering the cuttings with a bell-glasG. 

 A slight bottom heat ivill facilitate rooting. Shade should be given from 

 sun, and the atmosphere nnist be moist, the cuttings not being allowed to 

 flag from the dryness of the soil, and the latter must not be made sour 

 from constant watering. The Cytisus may be increased from cuttings as 

 above deseribed. May and June are a good time to put them in. 



Star Pinks {E. D.).— Wc do not know what they are. The more cir- 

 cular the flower of the Pink the better. A starry flower is not admissible. 



Vines and Peaches (,4. iV. G.).— A house 7 feet .wide is of sufficient 

 width for growing Vines and Peaches. 



Names of Fruits f William Thovipson).—!, Brown Beurre ; 3. Monarch ; 

 5, Thomxjson's (or Vlesembeck). Are you sure the Beurre Diel you sent 

 is correct ? It is very like Beurre Superfin, an excellent Pear when in 

 condition, bnt keeping for no time. Beurre Diel ought not to be a mass of 

 corruption at this season, as this specimen is. Wc do not recognise the 

 other two Pears. {Elizabeth .S.).— 1. Alfriston ; 2. Minchall Crab ; 8, New 

 Hawthornden ; 4. Dumelow's Seedling ; 5, Hampshire Pippin ; 6, Fearn's- 

 Pippin. {W.WiUia>ti!i).~\, Glou Morceau ; 2, White Doyenne ; S.^Nou- 

 veau Poiteau ; G. Uvedale's St. Germain ; 7, Fondaute des Eois ; 8, Shob- 

 den Court; 9.Eroorapnrk; in. Winter Nelis ; ll.OldColraar; 13, Monarch; 

 14, Ne Plus Meuris; 17, Doyenne Boussoch. (./. TVrtfNOH).—!. Monarch ; 

 2. Bfironne de Mello ; 4, Whitemore Pippin; 5, Scarlet Nonpareil. 

 iO»cnr\. — We paid eightpence for your box of Apples and Pears. If you 

 enclose to us eight postage stamps the fruit shall be examined. 



Names of Plants (C. F ).— Scutellaria sen-ata. (A. 7?.).— 1. Pteris cre- 

 tica albo-lineata ; 3, Selaginella Martensii ; 4, Adiantum formosum ; 

 5, Pteris serrulnta ; 6, Lastrea Filix-mas ; 9. Asplenium adiautum-nigi'um 

 2, 7, 8, being without fructification, cannot be named. 



meteorological observations in the Suburbs of London for the Week ending Octsber 29tli. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



DEFICIENT TIME FOR JUDGING POUL'l'liY. 

 As poultry shows seem just now to be setting in thick and 

 furious, perhaps you will allow mo space for a few remarks 

 that may prove of general utility, for in my opinion tliey are 

 of equal import whether as referring to the exhiljitors them- 

 selves, the committees of management, or, though last, not 

 least, the judges. In fact, as the interests of all are strictly 

 identical, it is most probable each of these three parties will 

 find their individual participations so perfectly blended as to 

 at once lend a willing hand towards the correction of an abuse 

 that step by step has crept in, equally hostile to the satisfaction 

 of the whole. 



The feature I particularly refer to is the insufficient time 

 allowed for judging even by the first arrangements, and still 

 more so by the unscrupulous after-deductions from that time 

 which so frequently are made to suit contingencieB. 



As an instance — such cases, by-the-by, are not isolated, bnt 

 continually occurring — poultry shows being by the rules as 

 printed on the prize schedules advertised to open to the public 

 at a specified hour, engagements are then entered into with 

 one or more arbitrators, by which it is hoped all the awards 

 will be made prior to the time stated for admission ; whilst the 

 affi.ving of the prize cards, combined with the corrections for 

 the printed catalogue, are, when thoroughly pressed for time, 

 found to bo by all parties concerned no trifling addition to 

 duties which at the outset were undoubtedly the very opposite 

 of a sinecure. If this were all there would be but little of 

 which to complain ; but the truth is, the honorary secretary's 

 official letter of engagement stipulates that, " all will be ready 

 by such au hour, and that the judges will be able to commence 

 their duties as soon as they please afterwards." 



On the face of such a proposition everything seeras to fore- 

 token a perfect halcyon time — hurry and abridgement appear 

 next to impossibilities. The arrangements are finally con- 

 cluded, and when the judges meet at (heir appointed hostelry 

 the previous evening personal congratulations are rife that 



