December 19, 1807. ] JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTDKB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



466 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— De.embeh 18. 



We have very liltk- to report upon liero ; ImsineHs ban not improvcil 

 nince Inst week, and the wiipply Ih (juil<? nuflicient for all re(iuirement8. 

 Qood LottaceK from Fruuco are now arrivinR tbrt* e times a-week. As usual 

 at the approach of ChriHtmas, evcrj?recua are brought to the market liy 

 cartloatle. 



KRDlT. 



Apples 4 rieve 



(t. d. 8. d I 

 '2 6 to 4 I 



Apricots do?,. U 



CuerrioB lb. 



Chestnuts buHb. 8 



Onrrants j sievo (f 



Black do. 



Fip9 doa, 



Filberts lb. 1 



CobB lb. 1 



Gooseberries . . quart 



Grapes, HotbouRe. .1h. !t 



Lemoud 100 8 











14 



























fi 



Melons ORch 



NeetarineB doK. 



Oranges lOO 



Poacbes doz. 



I'ears (dessert) ..doz. 



Pine Apples lb. 



Plums i sieve 



Quinces doz. 



UaHpbcrries lb. 



Strawberries lb. 



12 I do per 100 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichohes doz. 



Bcous, Kidney lOU 



Beet, Kcd doji. 



Broccoli bundle 



Brns. Sprouts i sieve 



Cabbnco doz. 



Capfiicoms 100 



Carrots bunch 



Caaliflower doz. 



Celery bnndle 



Cucumbers each 



pickling .... doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish .. bundle 



e. d. 8. d 



U OtoO I Leoks bnnch 



S I Lettuce .... per score 



8 Mushrooms .... pottle 



fi 1 <; MuBtd.& Cress, punnet 



2 (i I Onions.... per bushel 



8 

 2 6 



H ' Parsley per sieve 



8 I Parsnips doz. 



8 I Potatoes bushel 



e I Kidney do. 



1 I Radishes doz. bunches 

 3 U I Rhubarb bundle 



■ Savoys doa. 



Sea-kalo basket 



ShaUota lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes. . . . per doz. 

 Turnips bunch 





 





 u 

 

 4 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



• .• We reqnest that no one \Till write privately to the depart- 

 mental writers of the "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 GurJener, and Country Gentleman.'* By bo doing tbey 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed soleht to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, d;c., 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E,C. 



"We also request that correspondents will not mix np on the 

 pame sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them au- 

 Bwered promptly and conveniently, but write them on 

 separate communications. Also never to send more than 

 two or three questions at once. 



N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 



Books (JI/<tl-//}.— Gordon's " Pinetum '' with its supplement contains de- 

 scriptions of all the specief, but no plates. Lawaon's work on the Coni- 

 lera- has coloured plates, but is very expensive. (.4 Yotiug Gardener). — 

 Vie know nothing of the new s-crits you mention; but, of course, it 

 could be obtained of the publishers of the tirst series. 



Back Ncmuef.s {A. B.). — You can have the twelve numbers you mention 

 if you enclose forty-einht postage stamps with your directions, and re- 

 state tho numbers you require. 



TiioMi'soN's Gardener's Assistant (IT', S.). — Your first number is 

 right, but from papo 17 to pajio 06 continue the Calendar, and then com- 

 mences '* Tho Gardener's Assistant." 



Maidcn Trees (,lf. J".).— Trees that have not borne, being only the yer.r 

 jiHer grafting or budding, are s«t called by nurserymen. They were 

 probably worked during the spring of last year. The eyed nails we de- 

 picted December Oth, are of cii^^t iron ; we should prefer No. 2, because it 

 is less liiiblo to break tho eye iu driving. We do not know their size, nor 

 where thoy are sold. It is immateriiil whicli way the eyo is turned ; we 

 Bhould be regulated in this by the position of the shoot to be trained to it. 



pAViNii for a Garpenf.r's REMOVAL (A General Ri:adcr).— There is no 

 rule whereby an employer pays the fare and for the removal of the goods 

 of a gardener coming to him from a distance. It is a subject for special 

 agreement. 



GRArES KoTTiNG (A Friend). — We can perceive no error in your treat- 

 ment of the Vines, and if the ben-ios rot after October it is a sign that 

 they should be cut bofoi>e, or else a little ditference made in the ripening 

 time, BO as to have the berries plump and hard-ripcncd before the dull, 

 damp weather sets in. Your covering the border iu September, so as to 

 keep wot out, and which has cured t-hanking, must also greatly help the 

 keeping of the Grape* after thoy are ripe. We think that starting the 

 Vines in tho end of April, and leaving them to n great extent to tbem- 

 EeWes, except in cold damp weather, will cause the berries to be rather 

 full of moisture in tho autumn. To ensure the Grapes hanging well 

 late wo would advise tho adoption of one of two courses : either to com- 

 mence forcing by the middle or end of March, or, if the Vines are allowed 

 to break naturally, to give more tiro heat oftorwards, so as to hove the 

 Grapes ripe in September. That is quite late enough for Grapes to be 

 fully ripe if they are intended to hang through part of the winter. A 

 jitc-riptucd Grape rarely keeps well. 



Vines (J. C. W.). — We cannot state the number of Vines you want, not 

 knowing the size of the hou«e ; but, for earliness, we would plant Dntcb 

 Sweetwater, Buckland Sweetwater, Black Hamburghs, and one or two 

 Muscats in tho early house. In the second house we would chiefly have 

 Muscats, with one or two Hamburghs. and the third house we would give 

 up to Trcntham Black, Caliibrlan Kaisin, Lady Downe's. and Oros Gail- 

 biume, hH good hanging kinds. Wo cannot name plants from seeds. 



Vine Leaves kot Fallino (CViy^*niVri)H».— The Lady Dowue's Vine 

 retains its leaves longer than most kinds ; but as soon as they acquire 

 a yellow tinge they do no more good to the Vines, and may be cut off at 

 oiice. Their not falling is of no conaequence. We have allowed a nain- 

 bor of leaves to hang in a late house, though almost yellow ; but our ob- 

 ject has been to save the fruit beneath them in the case of a sudden 

 frost, and they are too dry to encourage damp. But for the shelter, they 

 would be better away. Wo would uever surface a Vine border with grass, 

 except in the e^ise of a late house, say with fruit ripe and cut iu Septem- 

 ber and October. Such a grass-covered border, if sloping, will be dry, 

 and, other conditions being suitable, the roots will bo encouraged 

 near the surface. The chief objection iu the generality of cases is 

 that the turf will prevent the soil being so heated by tho sim's rays as 

 it would be in summer with free exposure. The more rough and long 

 the grass was kept the more it would act against the free absorption of 

 sun "heat. On the other hand, such a turf-covered border would be 

 wnrmer in winter than an earth oue exposed, and that in proportion to 

 the length of the grass upon it. 



Two Plants in One Pot (.-f Youna Se{iiniuT).~lf the prize is offered 

 for a stated number of dissimilar plants, you ca.nnot exhibit two of on* 

 sort in the same pot, nor even iu separate potH. 



ExcLtjDrXG Rabbits (A Subscriber).— For fixing your wire netting to 

 keep out rabbits see " Doings of the Last Week,'* page 426. The simplest 

 and best mode is to sink the net 2 or 3 inches underground. We are 

 tolerably secure with two-inch-mesh netting; but we would prefer the 

 mesh to be from 1'. to U inch, as a rabbit to pass through it must be 

 verv small. Of course the smaller the mesh the better, but the higher 

 the'price. If this netting is to be lixed against a hedge or open fence 

 4 or more feet in height, then a height or width of 34 inchet will be ample ; 

 but if there is no fence, and the wire depends entirely on stakes 4 feet or 

 so apart, then that height may keep out raltbiis, but it will be notliing to 

 hares, and for them the fence should be 3 feet iu height. 



Cheap Structure for Strawberry Forcing {F. I. C). — A pit or 

 frame heated by a flue, and the pots set on a slopinc stage near enough 

 the glass, will be the cheapest, and will do admirably for Strawberries. 

 For a good substantial structure there wus an engraving given sometime 

 ago in the description of the gardens at Enville (vol. vii., page 354) : but 

 we would be glad to have a pit we could devote wholly to their culture, 

 with a stage for the pots to stand on. The heavier glass is more valuable, 

 chiefly on account of its strength. The quality of all is regulated by 

 price— as firsts, seconds, thirds, fourths. The last is used for common 

 purposes, but it is more wa\T and spotted than the better qualities. The 

 common or hinged ground vineries are intende.l tn be closed at the ends ; 

 but for any particular purpose of course a sm.ill openiiig may be left. 



Angle of Orchard-kouse Roof (C. T. H.).— There is n& better angle 

 than 41j for general purposes ; but for an orchard house at that angle the 

 front wall would have to come near the ground, and the trees there must 

 be trained to a trellis, leaving an open space of 4 or 5 feet between tho 

 trellis and the back wall if the trees are to be productive to the bottom of 

 the wall. This is a very good plan for a house. Where there is to be a 

 front wall, and lights from 4 to 6 feet iu height, such a plan could not 

 well be followed, because it would require such an elevation of the bock 

 wall; and in this case the front glass makes amends for a more level 

 roof. In the quadrant refened to, page 7ftl, vol. iii., New Series, we 

 prefer calculating from the C side of the quadrant, as most in use among 

 British gardeuers ; and where such front glass is wanted we would be 

 satisfied with an angle of from 55 to (>0 . As you refer to that volume wo 

 do not sec how the matter can be made clearer. It does not matter 

 which side of the quadrant you adopt, provided youknow what the definite 

 result will be. We would have from 20 to 24 inches above the concrete, 

 Mr. Rivera treats chiefly on trees iu pots, but tells how they may be 

 managed in little space when planted out. 



Heating by a Sto\'e \Broiightoniau).— In a house 12 feet by 7, 9 feet 

 high at the back, and 6 feet in'front, and half of that glass, we should 

 have thought a small-sized stove would have suited you. You will tind 

 much to suit you in our small manual on "Heatinc." which you can 

 have free by post for seven postage stamps. Meanwhile we can easily 

 see the chief causes of your trouble— the dirt on the leaves of your plants, 

 the want of combustion, &c. For such a small place we do not think 

 it would matter much where your stove was placed. It might go under 

 your stage as well as stand in'the middle of the house ; or it might stand 

 nearer one end than another. We disapprove of all stoves for plant 

 houses that, like yours, are fed from the top, t!ie top lifting off on purpose, 

 as it is aJmost impossible to prevent the escape of dust, smoke, and 

 deleterious gases ever}' time the fire is replenished. We also object, 

 though in a less degree, to the smoke pipe proceeding from the top of the 

 stove, as the heated air thus escapes too e.';=ily instead of circulating 

 round all the stove. We would advise you. then, to exchange the stove 

 for one with a lumace-feeding door and ashpit door in the usual wav. 

 The latter may be a drawer to take out and Jn to remove the ashes. We 

 piefer a stove with a flat head to a round one, as then we can pl.ice a 

 vessel of water on it when necessar>', to neutralise by evaporation the 

 heat that would be too dry. We approve of the horizontal pipe going 

 from near the top of the stove, as the heated air is thrown back from the 

 top before it reaches the pipe ; and if. as often advised, the firebox is free 

 of the sides of the stove for an inch or two, that heated air will warm the 

 stove from top to bottom, and yet no part will become unpleasantly or 

 dangerously hot. Your horizontal pipe of 4 feet is too long; it should 

 not be more than from 20 to 'M inches in length before it takes an upright 

 direction. No such small stoves do well with a long horizontal pipe. 

 The size of your pipe is large enough ; even a tbree-incli pipe would 

 answer well enough. We some time ago detailed how wo were troubled 

 by a horizontal pipe from an old stove, because then we durst not show 

 a pipe chimney. We have had no difticulty since we shortened our hori- 

 zontal pipe to 2 feet, and then took a nine-feet-long three-inch cast metal 

 pipe from it up through the roof, making a hole for it in a .square of zinc, 

 and merely placing the square of zinc in instead of a square of glasa. 

 We could do this giuply, because, partly for concealmenti we bad sunk 



