May 9, 1867. 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



33S 



BL0fl30»8 OF Orchard-hocse Treks Fallino (A Subscriber),— Vie 

 hope that you wiU succeed better next seaaon. Do you Ult your trees in 

 pots— that i3, to break or remove the roots that have gone through tho 

 pots, say in the beginning of October? The dropping of tho blossoms we 

 attribute to one of two causes— want of ripeness of wood in autumn, or 

 allowing the pot3 to -become too dry. We have had no dropping of 

 blossoms, but many of the blooms of Cherries were defective. Wo at- 

 tribute this to the trees standing thickly in the house last autumn. Wo 

 would have liked them out of doors after September for a month or two. 

 Mealy Bug.— Mr. Cooko, gardener, Gatcombo Park, says that he has 

 found two fumigations with CoUyer & Roberts's " Tobacco Tissue " effec- 

 tually removed this pest. 



Camellia-bed (Flora).— You may plant Ferns among the Camellias; 

 bat whether the Ferns succeed will depend upon soil. -sncct, andtreat- 

 ment. The leaf enclosed is of Populus alba, var. caiii..-ii. ji:^. 



Bleached Leaves (G. A'.).— They will not stick to the piper if washed 

 thoroughly in water after removing them from the bleaching liquid. 

 Oiled paper may be also used. 



Soil (J5«irt).— The sample enclosed, with the adnrv." " • f sharp sand. 

 will do for Begonias. Cocoa-nut fibre refuse is usuiai v..i.io you cannot 

 obtain peat. 



Planting Forced Str-\wberry Plants {Siibscriher).—'''^'<i would plant 

 out every potted Strawberry plant that showed fruit. y.).i will endorse 

 our opinion next year. 



Top-dressing Vine Borders (T. TT.).— The best time to top-dress 

 Vine borders covered with tarpauling during the winter months is early 

 in summer ; then, upon the removal of the covering, a top-Jressing from 

 li to 3 inches thick may be applied. Inside Vine borders should be top- 

 dressed in winter; but we prefer doing so immediately afttT the house is 

 cleaned and put in order for another year; any time, however, from the 

 fall of the leaves to the recommencement of growth, is a good time to 

 top-dress Vine borders. We prefer extending Vine borders early in au- 

 tumn, or when the leaves turn yellow ; but it may he done from that time 

 until growth recommences. 



Gesneras not Thriving {A Novice).~lt is hard to tell what could 

 cause the c\il of which you complain, as you do not furnish us with any 

 particulars. We are inclined tn think, from the description you give of 

 their present appearance, that thf>y are infeated with insects, but what 

 these are we are unable to form an opinion. Send us a leaf or two. 



Greenhouse Vinery— Burning Sulphur in \Sahrina''.—T, We can 

 have no objection to your substituting hot water for the flue for such a 

 house. 20 feet by 1*2, only if the flue is sound, fresh, and works well, we 

 would think twice before we made the alteration. You will most likely fiud 

 that you will effect no saving in fuel. '2, We knew an exi»eriencud gardener 

 that burned sulphur to kill fly on Cinerarias once, hut it was a lesson for tho 

 future. We are surprised that what your predecessor did in this way in ISGi 

 he repeated in loG^,. No doubt the little fruit was spoiled, leaves shrivelled, 

 t&c. Our only surprise is, that the Vines did not suffer more from such 

 inflictions. Your accidental burning of wood in the house was a less 

 evil, though that would he very injurious, but lessened in its effects by 

 the leaves becoming ripe before the accidenttil burning No growing 

 plant will stand the fumes of burning sulphur. Wlieu we have cleared out j 

 a house we have often burned sulphur, covered with a tliick layer of 

 damp moss, to destroy not only moulds like your predecessor, but every 

 living thing. No plants will stand this sulphur-smoking except those that 

 are deciduous, and even these, as Vines. Peaches, itc, will be injured, 

 unless the wood is well ripened, and at the rest period. 3, You must be 

 content \\ith less. Let the Vine roots have the border or the most of it. 

 The Strawberries not only take awuy much of the richness of the soil, 

 but the soil is Kept cool beneath them with their thick shade. A row or 

 so in front would not be so muf^h, but the thick plantation of Straw- 

 berries will be sure to injure the Vines, and will naturally cause tuoui to 

 root deeper than would be desirable. 4, Your Vines must have a strong 

 constitution to pass through so many disasters, and still be moderately 

 vigorous, though not fruitful, and before you take the foUowiug ndvice.we 

 would ask a good neighbouring gardener to sec them, as we base it chiefly 

 on the supposed f.ict that the stems of the Vines will have somewhat 

 suffered. We would select on each Vine, near the base, the best and 

 strongest shoot that now is growing, as you have used no fire, train that 

 carefully without stopping, stop all the shoots that show fruit at one joint 

 beyond "the fruit, and stop all the other shoots left, thinning them out 

 moderately, but leaving enough to keep up the free growth. As the 

 one unstopped shoot grows, remove all the fruitless shoots as it passes 

 or comes up to them. The object of doing this is to throw all the 

 strength of the Vine gradually, but at length thoroughly, into this fresh 

 young shoot. For this puri'i^'^e. until autumn allow tlie laterals on this 

 shoot to grow a joint or two before stopping them, and allow none any- 

 where else. As soon as the fruit is cut, take out the old shoots, or stems, and 

 give fire heat in the autumn thoroughly to ripen this new shout, Hud com- 

 mend with that next season. Meanwhile clear out the ."-trawberry- 

 border, remove what surface soil you can until you reach the Vine roots, 

 and top-dress with 3 or 4 inches of rich fresh soil. Mulch with horse- 

 droppings. 



Rose Tree Bark Eaten — Destroying Aphides in the Open Air 



(A. B. -4.).— We should think the bark is eaten from the shoots of your 

 Rose trees by beetles of some kind, but what these are we aro unable to 

 tell. You may destroy the aphis in the open air by syringing the trees 

 infested with tobacco water from the tohacconists, diluted with sii times 

 its volume of water. 



Diseased Pear Leaves (C. 3f.l.— The blisters, as you terra them, are 

 elevations caused by the vegetation of that pest, the parasitic fungua 

 Rcestelia. If only a few leaves are affected pick them off without delay 

 and burn them. Do this immediately with every leaf you see similarly 

 attacked, for the spores are diffused and every one of your Pear trees will 

 be similarly scourged. If too many leaves are affected to permit of their 

 being removed, dust flowers of sulphur perseveringly over the leaves, and 

 this will have to be repeated every season until the fungus is extirpated 

 Nitrate of Soda and Cosimon Salt {A iJeadcr).— If mixed they will 

 not have any chemical action on each other. One pound of the mixture 

 to each 30 square yards of your grass land will ho suificient. Wo 

 should apply it immeaintely. (^r(t;iriul).— You will see by the preceding 

 answer how much to apply to 3i) square yards ; the same, namely, as 

 of the mixture with common salt. Do not let it touch the leaves of 

 your cultivated plants. 



Vines Fruiting only at the Ends of the Canes {JV. B.).—We think 

 there are two very likely causes— namely, that the roots of the Vines hava 

 gone down far from the surfaee, and that would help the second cause — an 

 imperfect ripening of the wood. In the latter cate give little water after 

 August, and dry heat from fires in autumn. If the roots are deep and 

 the foliage large, we Would select one or two shoots to each Vine, grow 

 them without stopping, aud let these shoots bear next season. ThitJ 

 latter advice was taken pirtially last season in several circumstances, 

 and there was scarcely a bunch on the apur-pruned, hut plenty on the 

 rod-pruned Vines. 



Planting a Flower-bed 'B. B., Evershot). — Both your plans wonld do 

 very well, but wo prefer the second, as being more simpla aud lasting 

 better. The ground- carpt ting with white Petunias will not hurt tho 

 Gladiolus, if the Petunias are planted between the rows of Gladiolus and 

 are not allowed to grow too rampant. We presume that the Gladioluses 

 are chiefly scarlet; if they wuro chiefly light- coloured a carpeting of 

 pink Saponaria calabrica would be very effective. 



Cutting Do^vI; Heaths (fl. I).).— You may cut down the Heaths to 

 within a foot of the ground, and in all probability they will start from the 

 bottom, but it is not a good practice, as in all cases that have come under 

 our observation they are impatient of much cutting back. We should 

 remove them and plunt fresh ones. The following are compact growers — 

 Erica vuJgaris documbens, E. Hammondi, E. vagans carnea, and E. tetra- 

 lis intermedia. 



Azaxeas not Flowering (C. TF).— Repot at once the Aznleas that 

 have not dowered and are growing frerly if they require it. giving them 

 but a moderate shift, and employing a compost of two-thirds sandy peat 

 aud one-third turfy loam, w-ith good drainage. The plants should be 

 kept rather close, and syringed overhead morning and evening, tho soil 

 being kept no more than moist for a few days, until the roots are working 

 in the fresh soil, then water freely. When the growth is complete give 

 abundance of air and light, and we think they will set their buda well, 

 after which keep cool and airy. 



Planting a Sloping Bed (An Amateur, Oakham, Ei(tland).~You do 

 not say what the form of your bed is, but we presume it is a rectangle or 

 parallelogram. In that case you may plant it in ribbon-border fashion, 

 which, with the materials at comm.'tnd, we would dispose of as follows : — 

 1st, a row next the walk uf Bijou Pelargonium ; 2nJ, Tom Thumb ; Srd, 

 yellow or orange Calceolaria; 4th, Christina Pelargonium; 5th, Stella; 

 and 6th, yellow Calceolaria. Had you Cerantinm, Lobelia, and Golden 

 Chain Pelargonium our advice would have diff^;red materially ; but being 

 restricted to the plants named, you will find the bid or border look very 

 well with Scarlet Pelargoniums, but infinitely better if you add Calceo- 

 larias 



Exterminating Ants (A SuxTerer) —We can only repeat what we have 

 repeatedly stated, that guano sprink'ed over their haunts will ilrive them 

 away, and ammoniacal liquor from tho gas works poured into their nests 

 will speedily cause them to migrate. 



Orchard-house Tree Leaves .-corched (F. T.).— The leaves sent are 

 scorched through placing sulphur upon hot coal. The fumes of burning 

 sulphm- will destroy both animal Jind vegetable life, aud its use along 

 with tobacco for fumigation is to bo avoi led, a-^ the remedy is mora 

 disastrous than the injury caused by tho insects it is employed to 

 destroy. 

 Name of Fruit (F. If.).— Easier Pippin or French Crab. 

 Names of Plants (Bur/idroodi.— Alpinia nutans. (T. B. Brossley).— 

 1, Selaginella cuspidata; 2, S. apoda ; 3, S. cuspidata, two specimens; 

 5, Cheilanthes elegans ; 6, Adiantum hispidulurn. {C, J. B.). — isple- 

 niura foutanum. {T. Catchpool),—Y'jvom\\s seoaliuus, or Smooth Rya 

 Bromo Grass; itis anativeof England, (.l/js. />wi;i/iJ).— Oxali;^species 

 not determinable. (P. C.).— Amelanchier canadensis (P. M., C'teUea).— 

 1, Pultenrea, species; :!, Apparently a new plant. Please send again when 

 more advanced. (£Ua).— If the leavus are palmate, it i3 Viola palmata 

 variegata. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS ia the Suburbs of Loadoa for the Weak endiag May 7th. 



