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JOURNAL 01? HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ February 10, 1870. 



spondent, much of what will sait you. Secondly, Before putting np such 

 a house, try and make arrangements with your landlord so that there 

 shall be no contention afterwards. We know of a case where a farmer 

 erected a house at a cost of £ 100, and we question very much if he could 

 move a bit of it on leaving his farm. Thirdly, For such a small house as 

 12 or 15 feet lone, and feet wide, and as you have the wall at liberty, we 

 would decidedly have a lean-to, height at the back wall, say 10 feet, height 

 in front from 5 to 6 feet, width 10 feet at least instead of 9. As a tenant, 

 to avoid all trouble afterwards, we would have everything moveable, 

 except a board— say 7 inches wide and 11 inch thick, to fasten at the 

 requisite height to the back wall, for receiving the ends of the rafter sash- 

 bars, to be screwed to the board, the other end to be screwed to the front 

 wall-plate in the same wav. For the front we would place one row of 

 bricks Hat uu the surface, not in the soil, on these place a sill of wood, 

 5 incheB square, and on that have at every 4 feet, uprights 8 inches 

 square, joined to the wall-plate by mortice or screw Fully half of the 

 front we would cover with 1-inch boards, and in these have ventilators, 

 hinged or pivoted, to open, the boards being screwed to the uprights. 

 The "lass in front could then be fixed in grooves top and bottom. The 

 idea of a late correspondent is verv good. He proposes glazing his roofs 

 by havin" his rafter sash-bars grooved, putting each square of glass close 

 up to the next, and dispensing with putty, having a pin or screw at the 

 bottom to prevent the squares coming out, and packing the groove 

 beneath with a little yarn, list, &c. In such a house with each end rafter 

 :; inches wide, and all the others 11 inch wide, and from 4 to 4» inches 

 deep, placed far enough apart to receive glass, say IS inches wide within 

 the grooves, you could easilv take out all the glass and box it, and then 

 unscrew the "rafters and pack them, leaving nothing behind you but the 

 boards fastened to the wall, and the landlord might not think that worth 

 keepin" The flue bv which you intend heating you would have to leave. 

 But whv have a flue ? By a small iron stove, with a fire-box lined with 

 fire-brick, and a moveable flat top, which you may take off at times to 

 examine the fire-box, and an iron vessel to set on the ton with water, you 

 will obtain all the heat yon need in such a small house, and you can 

 move everything when you like as easily as you would move a bedstead. 

 Again, the inside arrangement of such a house might be to fancy, but a 

 shelf or platform in front, say from 18 to 24 inches wide, and a platform or 

 stage behind, in pieces to move, would be your best arrangement. With 

 such heating you can manage all the bedding plants, Camellias, Azaleas, 

 Primulas, Ac, but you would have more trouble with Melons in summer. 

 You would have no trouble, in comparison, with Vines. If your house is 

 12 feet long, von might have three Vines at least— a Black Hamburgh, 

 an Espiran, and a Koval Muscadine. You would rarely need yonr stove 

 from the middle of April to the middle of October. 



Cucumber AND Melon Bed (A Younn Gardener, A. B.).— The modes 

 of producing a lasting bed have frequently been referred to in " Doings 

 of the Last "Week," and by other writers. As your manure, you say, is 

 rather heavy, and yon do not say that you have older half-decayed dung 

 or tree leaves to help you, we judge you have none of these, and, there- 

 fore, you will need as much of the dung you have, as will cover the 

 bed all over about 15 inches deep, made sweet by frequent turnings. The 

 manure you have below that may be fresher, only turned once or twice, 

 and if the dung is wet and close, a little long litter may be incorporated 

 with it. A bed made of very close dung, though all were sweet, would 

 heat violently, but not long, for two reasons— the material would be so 

 decomposed that there would be no more heat obtained from continuous 

 decomposition, and then, when so close, the air cannot reach it, and 

 when this is entirely shut out, the decomposition and the consequent 

 heating cease. 



Mushroom Bed (Idem^.— It is quite possible that the bed put up in 

 the end of October may produce yet, if watered and heat given, though 

 it will be as likely not do so. If you spawned at 55", and gave no covering, 

 we may well conceive the bed would not do much. We would spawn at 

 80-, keep the bed at about 70 , and the place at from 55 : to 6y. In a 

 recent number an outline of Mushroom growing was given, and results 

 could not be better. Bushels have been gathered from small shallow 

 beds. 



Erecting a Small Greenhouse [Poor Amateur). — We do not know the 

 exact size of the £5 greenhouses advertised, but we think they must be 

 considerably larger than a garden frame, as advertisers in general arc suf- 

 ficiently alive to their own interests not to advertise what common-sense 

 people would not be likely to purchase. As you want your house to be 

 portable, we would refer you to what is said in the answer to Rupert on 

 the same subject. As your house is to be larger than his— 18 feet by 

 10 feet, you might in addition consult the terms of Mr. Beard, of Bury St. 

 Edmunds, as though all iron and glass, glass and iron will go in small 

 compass when vou want to move. You can never build a house with 

 sashes so cheaplv as having roofs fixed in the orchard-house style ; but 

 the diflicultv with them, for a tenant, would be the nnglazing to take 

 them to pieces. By placing the glass in grooves, as spoken of by a 

 correspondent the other week, and using no putty, the difficulty would 

 be removed, and repairs easily executed, and we are not aware that any 

 patent would be thus infringed. At any rate, we have seen glass put in 

 grooves ever since we recollect, and have had small sashes so done for a 

 long time, and we are not aware that any patent could forbid a man to do 

 what he had done or seen done for a lifetime. With houses on the 

 orchard-house system, the grooving, so as to slide the squares, would be 

 a great advantage in repairing breakages, as, instead of going on the 

 roof, the fresh square could be put in at the bottom. With grooves deep 

 enough there would be no danger in placing the squares end to end with- 

 out laps, as Mr. Beard does. Mr. Beard's system of glazing cannot be 

 easily beaten where strength, light, and portability are concerned. 

 If you did the front of your house with felt over the wood, it would 

 make it all the warmer, but the felt will have no elegant appear- 

 ance, and provided you used wood from 1 or 1^ inch thick, it is hardly 

 necessary. We have seen houses so covered with felt when thin wood or 

 slabs were used in weather- boarding fashion; but with wood close, and 

 of the above thickness, we should be perfectly satisfied. Such covering 

 of wood was chiefly indulged in by those who never thought of the com- 

 parative non-conducting powers of wood. Much of the usefulness of 

 such a house as yours will consist in being able to keep out frost in all 

 weathers. A flue, a Riddell's portable boiler, &c, would suit you, but, as 

 a tenant, we would advise you to have an iron stove, with the firebox 

 lined with tire bricks, the fire to be fed at the side, but with a moveable 

 flat top. and that to be supplied with a vessel of water. People have 

 teen frightened bv iron stoves in which the fired fuel abutted against 



the sides of the stove. It is best when the firebox is in the centre, leav- 

 ing a couple of inches between it and the sides. It is next best when 

 there are fire bricks between the fuel and the iron sides. There is no 

 plan so cheap for small houses. 



Azaleas Growing Prematurely (A Yonna Gardener).— Wood shoots 

 starting before blooming ought not to be removed, unless they are ill- 

 placed ; but as you do not care about next vear's bloom, any shoots that 

 start from the base of the flower bnds, instead of being removed alto- 

 gether, may have their points taken out at the first leaf. That will to a 

 great extent throw the Bap into the bloom buds, and no doubt secure the 

 swelling of the buds that are sound, bnt if at all like those sent us, there 

 is little hope of their further progress. The cause of the bloom budB be- 

 coming blind is the result of an imperfect formation, occasioned either 

 by excessive or enfeebled vigour of the plants ; the growths are not 

 sufficiently matured, and the buds imperfectly formed or developed turn 

 brown when they should be swelling for flowering. The rotting, alone, in 

 November, and the placing in heat afterwards, were sufficient to cause the 

 early growths and defective state of the buds. The house we should 

 think well suited to their growth. The temperature for forcing Azaleas 

 ought to begin at 40 , increasing to 45 in the course of a fortnight, and 

 increasing 2 ' or 3' every week until a maximum night temperature be 

 reached. By day, on the night temperatures above named, a riBe of 5 

 may be allowed on dull days, and 10' to 15 s with sun and plenty of air. 

 Liquid manure ought not to be given, except in a very diluted state, and 

 not at all to plants but recently repotted. 



GREENHOUSE AND STOVE ANNUALS AND OTHER PLANTS (.Vuscat).— There 



are but few real stove annuals, except Cockscombs, and these arc best 

 treated as stove plants in pits or frames, and when in flower removed to a 

 rather warm greenhouse. The Sensitive Plant (Mimosa sensitiva) is a 

 stove annual. Amaranthus bicolor and tricolor, Browallia elata, and its 

 var. alba, and sub-variety ccerulea grandiflora ; Balsams, Celosia pyra- 

 midalis aurea.alba, atro-sanguinea, coccinea, aurantiaca; Globe Amaran- 

 thus vars., Ipomiea alba, purpurea atro-violacea, rubro-cierulea, Nil 

 grandiflora, and limbata elegantissima, with Thunbergia alata, alba, 

 aurantiaca, Fryeri, are all tender annuals, that require raising in heat, 

 hotbeds being the most suitable, and to be there continued until the plants 

 are strong and advanced for bloom, and then to be removed to the 

 greenhouse. The two last genera are climbers, which should be raised in 

 hotbeds, and grown of good size before placing in the greenhouse. Iney 

 are fine for trellises and pillars. Ipomasa Horsfalli and Learu will flower 

 the year of sowing if the plants are growing in heat and sown in the 

 beginning of February. Thunbergia Harrisii does not usually flower the 

 first year, though it Bometimes does so in the winter succeeding sowing. 

 Habr'othamnus elegans and Aubletii are fine winter or early spring- 

 flowering plants, suitable for pillars, &c, in the greenhouse or conserva- 

 tory. Habranthus is a genns of half-hardy Amarylhds of no great 

 merit. They are but little known or grown. Gastrolobium Drummondi, 

 gracile, and Hookerianum are greenhouse plants that can well be dis- 

 pensed with in small collections. Grevillea Drummondi, elcgans, HUiii, 

 punicea splendens, and robusta are fine greenhouse plants, and have 

 ornamental foliage, besides handsome flowers in the early part of sum- 

 mer. Plants raised from seed would not flower this year. Thunbergia 

 chrysops and fragrans are good sorts for the stove. 



Melons (Idem).— Meredith's Hybrid Cashmere planted in a honse the 

 middle of March ought to give fruit by the end of June or beginning of 

 July, bnt all depends on the growing and setting. Bcechwood is a nrst- 

 rate Melon, the best for general culture in frames and cool houses. 



Funkia subcobdata (Mary).— The plant is not in general cultivation, 

 and has no particular merit. We do not know where it may be obtained. 

 It is hardy, and may be grown in sandy soil on gravel or where we], 

 drained, the soil being enriched with leaf soil. There is a portrait of the 

 plant in the " Botanical Magazine," 1. 1433. It is an herbaceous perennial 

 Box Edging (iT. K.).— It will not do to put in cuttings of Box next 

 month for a permanent edging, but cuttings will grow in a shady border. 

 For edgings the Box should be slipped off or divided, and each portion 

 ought to have a poition of roots attached, or formed in embryo in the 

 form of small knots at the base of each slip or division. Without roots, 

 the edging will be broken, and " no edging " from the failure of many 

 of the cuttings. 



Transplanting Hollv (Mem).— Move it at the beginning of April, or 

 before the plants begin to grow. Remove it with a good ball, and all the 

 root practicable, and water in dry weather. 



Looker's Propagating Boxes— Rendle's Plant Protectors JA 

 Workinn Man) —The propagating boxes will answer well for the raising 

 of Celery and annuals, as Stocks, Asters, &c. As to the plant protectors 

 we are unable to state their merits compared with frames, both are good 

 and have merits peculiarly their own ; but we do not think the former 

 will entirely supersede the latter. Of their utility there can be no two 

 opinions. 



Sowing Onions ( Idem).— The ground, we presume, was well manured 

 and dug deeply in autumn ; if not, no time must be lost, but at once give 

 a good dressing of old well-rotten manure, fresh will not do, and, dig well, 

 pulverising the soil with the spade or fork. As soon afterwards as the 

 ground can be trodden upon without adhering to the feet, tread the ground 

 and make it quite hard, especially if the soil is at all light. Sow in drills 

 6 inches apart, in beds 4 feet wide, with 1-foot alleys between. Choose 

 an open situation. 



Dahlias (ricnr).— Lose no time in having the old store roots or tubers 

 placed in a house where there is a temperature of 50 J or 55 , laying the 

 roots on a bed of spent sand or other material, and partially cover with 

 soil or any kind of loose material, as leaf soil, s r ent tan, &c. If you have 

 not a house of the kind, then place the tubers in a hotbed formed of dung 

 and leaves, and when the heat has declined to 75 or 80 of bottom heat, 

 vou mav place the tubers in the frame, not burying them in the bed 

 i„t simnl/olacino them on the soil, and covering the ends of the tubers 



but simply placing them on the soil, and c . 



with any loose material. The bed may be covered with sawdust, ashes, 

 or other plunging material, 41 to 6 inches thick. In the course of a few 

 days the tubers will have begun to grow, at least the buds at their upper 

 part will have done so, andwnen the shootB from these are about 4 inches 

 lone sever them from the old root, and with a small portion of that in the 

 form of a heel. Pot singly in small (3-inch) pots, using a compost of 

 rich turfy loam, and one part of leaf soil or old rotten manure, with a 

 free admixture of sand, and place in a sweet hotbed of 70', shading from 

 bright sun, and keeping rather close until well rooted, then admit air 



