112 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTTJEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



f February 10, 1970. 



or inequalities ; but atrip off that turf of equal thickness, and 

 a person must be blind not to perceive inequalities as to level 

 then. Outside and inside are too often very different.— R. F. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 

 la the Suburbs of London for the week ending February bth. 



2.— Drizzling rain; alight rain; drizzling rain. 



3. — Fine, very damp ; densely overcast ; densely overcast. 



4.— Cloudy but fine ; densely overcast ; dense clouds. 



5.— Rain ; fine but cloudy ; densely overcast. 



6._Cloudy but fine ; densely overcast; rain. 



7.— Rain; Bhowery ; heavy rain, clear. 



8 —Densely overcast ; showery; rain. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Hooper & Co., Central Avenue, Covent Garden Market.'London, 

 If .C— General Catalogue for 1S70. 



W. Hooper, New Wandsworth, London, S.W.— Seed List. 



d. J. Child, 49, Darley Street, Bradford, and Bradford Nurseries, 

 Shi;-lcy.— General Seed Catalnr,vc and Ganhr- Guide. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

 % * Wo request that ao one will write privately to any of the 

 correspondents of the " Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The. Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, da., 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.C. 

 N.B. — Many question? must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 

 Books (A. Stewart). — There is no book exclusively on the kitchen gar- 

 den of the price you mention. " Kitchen Gardening," which you can 

 have lor six postage stamps, and Keane's "Out-door Gardening" for 

 twenty Etamps, contain the chief information required. (Header). — For 

 reference and compress ed information on all departments of gardening, 

 give the lad "The Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary." You can have it 

 post free if you enclose 7m. '2d. in postage stamps with your address. (A 

 Yovnp Gardener). — Mr. Errington and Mr. G. W. Johnson compiled a 

 book'en the Grape Vine and its culture. It is in two small volumes, but 

 is out of print. (J. Turner). — Brehaut's '* Modern Feach-Pruner." You 

 can have it free by post from our office if you enclose forty-four postage 

 stamps with your address. 



Hyorometrical Tables (A Reader). — Write to Messrs. Negretti and 

 Zanibra, Holborn Viaduct, London. Your plant is Ruscus Hypoglossum. 

 Cucumbers [A Market. Gardener). — Communicate with a Covent Garden 

 Market salesman. Tho prices published are wholesale and retail. 



Paranephelius uni?lorgs (S. A. K.). — It is not purchaseable, being 

 sol ly in the garden of Mr. Wilson Saunders. 



Heating by Gas (Jorrph Marcli\ — Wecan give no opinion asto wann- 

 ing your conservatory with hot water heated by gas, as you do not 

 mention the size of the conservatory. There is no doubt that it could 

 be done, but if the conservatory is large the consumption of gas would 

 be great. 



Storing Ice (E. L.). — No bricklayer unusued to such structures could 

 erect an ice-house on the old system without working plans. You had 

 b etter adopt Mr. Earley's plan which we published last week. 



Grapes (Vitis.)— The Kempsey Alicante and the true Alicante are 

 quite distinct, the former being the same as Black Morocco; but it is 

 fai from being " almost worthless." It is a bad setter, bnt a fine Grape 

 under good management. The true Alicante is certainly far preferable. 



Pistachia Nut (Ida).— It is not used in making genuine Almond paste. 

 The following are the particulars you require, extracted from Dr. Hogg's 

 " Vegetable Kingdom :"— " The Pistachia Nut is the produce of Pistachia 

 vera, a tree about 15 feet high, obtained originally from Syria, but now 

 extensively cultivated in Spain, Italy, the south of France, and Sicily. 

 Tho fruit is of the size and shape of an olive, but convex on one side, 

 and concave on the other, and with a rougher surface. It has a tender, 

 crimson-coloured pulp, which is rather sparing, and encloses a nut which 

 opens with two valves, disclosing a greenish kernel covered with a red 

 pellicle. These nuts are sweet and agreeable; they tnter into the com- 

 position of ragouts and other dishes, and are used for flavouring ices 

 and creams, besides being preserved incrusted in sugar and other forms 

 of confectionery. The best come from Arabia and Syria, but large 

 quantities are exported from Sicily." 



Grafting Manetti Rose Stocks (Con amore).—" I do not practise 

 grafting. I prefer budded Roses to grafted oneB because the union in 

 the grafted Roses is not always intimate, and when thiB is the case the 

 wind is opt to blow off the grafted portion. Care should always be taken 

 to tie the graited HoS6 out of doors firmly to a stick. For grafting, a 

 keen eve, steady hand, and sharp knife are requisite. The stock should 

 not be cut into deeper than one-fourth of its diameter. If it is a strong 

 stock it may be cut into one-third of its diameter. Before proceeding to 

 work, the stocks in pot3 should be submitted to bottom heat a fortnight 

 or so. The length of cut in the stock should be about 2 or 2! inches. 

 The cut should be quite smooth, and it is better done with one decisive 

 draw of the knife than with successional cuts. The slice should be cut 

 to fit the stock exactly ; and it is best if the bark of the stock and scion 

 can be made to meet everywhere. Having fitted the two together, tie 

 them very firmly, and then spread a little grafting wax over the wounds 

 to exclude air. As soon as the graft has taken or started, remove the pots 

 into a cool frame, acd 3ee that neither frost nor extreme heat injures the 

 shoot3, which at first are very tender. Give them air, and harden them 

 by degrees. The graft and stock should meet top and bottom, and on 

 one side. I believe, however, that the union of the bark, top and bottom, 

 may succeed, but it is beat to make a thorough lit and union of the bark 

 on all sides. Try and bud a few in pots ; cut the slice the lengthof a 

 barleycorn, and insert it. I do not see why it should not answer.— W. F. 



RADCLYFFK." 



STATDK3 (A. Z.).— Write to Mr. J. Caven Fox. Royal Horticultural So- 

 ciety's Garden, South Kensington. 



Potatoes Ridged and Trenched on a Light Rich Soil (Poplar).— 

 " This mode of culture would succeed, I think. Even in light sandy soil 

 it would answer for garden culture, providing the ridges were formed, 

 and the sets planted 8 inches deep in February, so as to allow the roots 

 to take an early hold of the soil in the ridges. The tnbers would then 

 certainly have greater depth and bulk of soil to grow in, and I find these 

 ridges retain moisture to an extraordinary extent in long-continued dry 

 weather. There is also a double surface of soil gained for the beneficial 

 influence of atmospheric action, always so congenial to the well-doing of 

 Potatoes during their growth. I have never, however, tried the system 

 on light sandy soils, nor have I had the chance to do 60 in this neighbour- 

 hood, or I certainly should. About this place the land varies in character 

 from clay to ioam, and from stonebrash to rravelbrash. A friend of 

 mine tried the American hill 3ystem en a small scale in his field (a stone- 

 brash) last rear, and the trial was not satisfactory, but it was made on a 

 poor spot ; if tho land had been half-trenched and properly prepared in 

 the autumn, and an addition of quicklime given just before planting, 

 larger Potatoes and more in a hill would have been the result. Light 

 soil3 require lining leas than heavy soils, but iinic is especially favourable 

 to the growth of the Potato, and in some form is generally found in plantB. 

 Besides, verv light soils are rendered more compact in consequence of 

 the lime attracting moisture powerfully from the atmosphere, and slugs 

 and creeping things cannot bear it. I tried the American hill system in 

 this garden" some years ago, and gave the result thromh these pages. 

 The prouuee of one of the hills I exhibited at our Woodstook Show; it 

 was jnst half a 1 ushel, and 195 Potatoes all told. An extent of two square 

 yards was allowed to each tuber for the spread of the ioliage, and the 

 largest-sized Negroes (a coarse many-eyed sort), took a central position ; 

 as they grew the soil was well moulded up to the haulms, progressively to 

 form large hills. The plan was fanciful, but it had no advantage over my 

 ridge-and-trench per acre, and produced a great.many small Potatoes.— 

 K. Fenn." 



Stephanotis and Magnolia Grafting (Ten-years Subscriber).— We 

 do not perceive the utility of grafting the Stephanotis, as it grows freely 

 from cuttings, and we do not know any stock that would be suitable 

 except its own, and that would simply be grafting to no purpose. For 

 Magnolias, M. obovata is the best stock for the evergreen kinds, and 

 M. acuminata the most suitable stock for the deciduous kinds. In graft- 

 ing Magnolias a long time is required to effect the union ; even in plants 

 inarched it is usually two years before the graft can be separated from 

 the parent plant. 



Striking Azalea Cuttings (Hem.).— No special time can be named 

 for taking off Azalea cuttings. They are to be taken oil when the shoots 

 of the current vear become firm and rather hard at the base, but not very 

 hard and brow'n. Take off the growing point, and S or 4 inches of the 

 shoot. Insert the cuttings in sandy peat surfaced with sand, and place 

 them in a gentle heat of 70 ? . Cover ttem with a bell-glass, and keep 

 them close, moist, and shaded. 



Growing Cucumbers in a Pit (R. G. A".).— The bed in front must be 

 raised considerably to allow for settling. It should be raised at least a 

 foot higher than the due. and in about a week it will have settled nearly 

 level with it. It mav then be leveiled and covered with scil to the depth 

 of about 3 inches, aiid under each light, or at every 3 feet, hills about 

 10 inches high should be formed. In a few- days the heat v. ill have 

 warmed the soil; then put out the plants one in each hillock. In the 

 meantime the plants could not have a better position than on the stage 

 over the flue and tank, but you must be careful to have the dung sweet 

 from frequent turnings before placing it in the house, otherwise the rank 

 steam mav destrov the plants. Add soil as the roots of the plants show 

 through the sides of the hills, continuing to do so until the soil is 

 1 foot deep all over the bed. The soil most suitable is the top 2 or 

 3 inches of a pasture where the soil is a good, rich, medium-textured 

 loam ; this, laid up for six months, and chopped up, makes a compost 

 without admixture, though, if poor, one-third of leaf soil or old, well- 

 decomposed drv manure mav be added. The temperature should range 

 from 60° to 65 'at night, and from 70 ; to 7" by day, with a rise of 10° or 

 15° on clear davs, with plenty of air, for which we do noh see any provi- 

 sion made in the house of which you sent a section. To give full parti- 

 culars of the culture required from the present time would take up more 

 space than we could spare. The culture of Cucumbers was fully treated 

 of in the volumes of last year. 



Removing Edging Tiles— Grafting Myrtles (C. A. J.).— Any tile - 

 edgings you mav have put down in place of turf you can remove at the 

 expiration of your tenancy. Myrtles are frequently grafted, the com- 

 moner kinds being used as stocks. Grafting is best performed in spring 

 before the scions have begun to grow, or at the end of summer after the 

 wood haB become rive. The stocks should be placed in a close frame for 

 a short time previous to working, and after being graited they should be 

 kept there until the uuiou is complete. ^_„^ 



