February 24, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



147 



green grass, if kept elipt now and then. Pteris longifolia has 

 a noble appearance with Pteris serrulata to cover the sides, 

 or Doodia caudata. Aspleniurn viviparum, A. Bellangerii, A. 

 flabellatum, and Aspleniurn flaccidum, are all very ornamental 

 in baskets. 



For either the hothouse or conservatory I have found very 

 useful Saxifraga sarmentosa, or the Mother of Thousands — the 

 name it is better known by. If the sides of the baskets are 

 filled in with it, as well as the top, it forms a regular ball of 

 flower in the spring — long strings of Orchid-like bloom. I 

 have not been able to make the variegated form grow freely 

 enongh to recommend it. 



Sedum Sieboldi, with the sides of the basket covered with 

 the common Stonecrop, looks very showy when in bloom. 

 Cactus flabelliformis, or Creeping Cereus — " Cat Tails," as the 

 cottagers call it, makes a nice basket plant. I have seen some 

 fine plants of it in some cottagers' windows. 



A variety of the Campanula, a drooping kind of which I 

 have never been able to obtain the name — I have seen two 

 kinds of it, a whiie and a bine one — forms a fine basket or 

 hanging plant, and is a great favourite with cottagers. The 

 Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums, both the variegated and green-leaved 

 kinds, are very useful for baskets. Lastly, an old favourite of 

 mine, Nierembergia gracilis, although not often met with, de- 

 serves to be better known. 



I have found Sempervivnm tectornm, or common House- 

 leek, and S. californicum, very useful to fill the sides of the 

 baskets, as well as many kinds of English mosses, but great care 

 is required in watering for the moss to look fresh any length of 

 time. 



As it may not be out of place here to state something as to the 

 potting, or rather the filliDg of the basket, I send the following. 

 I find for the plants in a basket to last any great length of 

 time looking fresh and healthy, great care is required as to 

 soil, &c. I have used the following compost, and found it 

 answer very well — good turfy loam and fibrous peat, with 

 charred bones or charcoal, both large pieces and dust, to mix 

 with the soil ; decayed moss ; and a little sand and leaf mould. 

 — A Lancashire Subscribes. 



NEW HEATED FRAME. 



I have induced Mr. Foster, who made my frames, to give me 



a section of one of them. It is drawn to the scale of a 



quarter of an inch to the foot. It will be seen that the ridge is 

 moveable, 30 that the frame can be ventilated in an instant 

 without opening the lights. The machinery for lifting the 

 ridges is very simple, and though mine are each 100 feet long, 

 they are lifted with great ease ; still, though so simple, I cannot 

 show it on paper. The lights are hung on two iron pins which 

 drop into hooks and act as hinges ; so they can be lifted off 

 for any purpose, as painting, Ike. 



The plants are plunged in cocoa-nut-fibre refuse, and a 

 4-inch pipe, furnished with a valve, goes quite round each 

 frame, and is connected with a hothouse. The sides of the 

 frame are made of brick, level with the ground, not sunk, 

 100 feet long. My ridges move all at once ; of course they 

 might be cut in two and moved from each end. Of course, 

 pipes might be put in for bottom heat if required. 



I hope this will be taken as an answer, to the best of my 

 ability, to those letters you and I have received on the subject. 

 — J. R. Peabson, Chilwell. 



couraging, and promised to give particulars as to the classes in 

 to-day's number. With regard to the amount already sub- 

 scribed (and we hope more subscriptions will be forthcoming), 

 we are glad to find that in addition to the £23 15s. offered by 

 the Society, a sum of more than £40 has, through the exertions 

 of the Rev. Joshua Dix, been subscribed for extra prizes — 

 viz., MM. Vilmorin, Andrieux & Cie., £5 5s. ; M. Souchet, £6 ; 

 M. Eugene Verdier & Cie., £1 Is. ; M. Charles Verdier, £2 2s. ; 

 Messrs. Paul & Son, £2 2s. j Messrs. Kelway & Son, £2 2s. ;' 

 Mr. Stukeley. £1 Is.; Mr. Marshall, £1 Is.; Messrs. Bunyard, 

 £2 ; Messrs. Downie, Laird, & Laing, £2 2s. ; Messrs. Standish, 

 and Co., £1 Is. ; Messrs. Barr & Sugden, £2 2*. ; Messrs. Cut- 

 bush & Son, £1 Is. ; Mr. W. Whitburn, £1 Is. ; Mr. Laxton, 

 10s. 6d. ; Lieut.-Col. Scott, £1 Is. ; Mr. W. Paul, £1 Is. ; Mr. 

 Tillery, £1 Is. ; Rev. H. Dombrain, £1 Is. ; Messrs. Veitch 

 and Sons, £5 5s. (specially reserved for prizes to foreign 

 growers) ; Messrs. E. G. Henderson & Son, £1 Is. ; and John 



Clutton, Esq. The schedule as re-arranged stands as follows : 



For Foieign Growers. — Class 1. Thirty-six Gladioli, cut spikes, 

 distinct — £10, £6, £4. For Nurserymen. — Class 2. Thirty-six 

 Gladioli, cut spikes, distinct (prizes offered bv His Grace the 

 Duke of Buccleuch, and G. F. Wilson, Esq., F.R.S.)— £7, £5, 

 £3. Class 3. Eighteen Gladioli, cut spikes, distinct (for ex- 

 hibitors not showing in Class 2) — £5, £3, £2. For Amateurs. 

 — Class 4. Twelve Gladioli, cut spikes, distinct — £5, £3, £2. 

 Class 4a. Nine Gladioli, cut spikes, distinct — £3, £2, £1. 

 Class 46. Six Gladioli, cut spikes, distinct (for exhibitors not 

 showing in Classes 4 and 4a) — £2, £1 10s., £1. Class 4c. Four 

 Gladioli, cut spikes, distinct, being new varieties sent out in 

 the autumns of 1868 and 1869— £2, £1. The Classes numbered 

 5 to 11, in the original schedule for the meeting in question 

 have not been altered. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 



Last week we stated, that at a meeting of the supporters of 

 the Gladiolus Snow, in connection with the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society, August 17th had been fixed as the date of the 

 Show, stated also that the list of subscriptions was very en- 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



A proper rotation of crops having been secured, watch the 

 fluctuations of the weather, and endeavour to perform all plant- 

 ing and sowing whilst the ground is in a mellow state. Con- 

 tinue to plant out Cauliflowers in rich and sheltered spots, and 

 plant out winter Lettuces in a similar place. Warm slopes 

 artificially prepared, high manuring, and where at hand old 

 lights, or mats on hoops, are the chief essentials. Sow a sprink- 

 ling of early Cabbages, Dutch Turnips, Onions for drawing 

 young, Panley, Normandy Cress, and a little early Celery in 

 boxes on a slight heat. The early Peas should have some at- 

 tention ; tho^e sown in November would appear above ground 

 at Christmas, and if covered with sawdust to protect them from 

 the severity of the frost may, when the weather is cloudy and 

 inclined to rain, have the sawdust raked off them in order to 

 inure them gradually to sunshine. Sack work should never 

 be done in a sunny morning. It will be well to strew cinder 

 ashes or very sharp sand among the stems, as the slugs will be 

 unusually voracious this spring from long confinement. It is 

 a very good practice in planting out vegetables that are at all 

 tender at an uncertain season, to throw up the ground in good 

 strong ridges running east and west, planting on the south side 

 of the ridge. The plants are thus sheltered from the north 

 wind and fully exposed to the sun. Take advantage of dry 

 days to stir the surface of the ground among growing crops, and 

 to prevent weeds from making their appearance. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Bring up arrears forthwith ; make sure of thorough drainage. 

 Finish nailing, provide against all insects, and protect as far 

 as possible all opening blossoms. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Attend well to thorough cleanliness. Hoe through or other- 

 wise dress all margins or beds where Crocuses, Anemones, Snow- 

 drops, Primroses, and other spring flowers are peeping up. Plant 

 out Hollyhocks. This noble flower is well deserving of general 

 cultivation. Its bold and pointed form stands out in fine relief 

 in masses of flat-headed shrubs. It occasionally happens, from 

 disease or other causes, that a Tulip does not make its appear- 

 ance above ground with the rest. A careful examination 

 should immediately take place, removing the soil till you come 

 to the tops of the bulbs, when it will be found that the outer 

 sheath or leaf is partly decayed. In this case, after removing 

 the diseased parts, do not return the soil, but allow the bulbs 

 free exposure to the air, covering them only from rain or 

 frost with a hand-glass. When canker occurs and the plants 

 are fairly above ground, with a sharp penknife cut away the 

 parts affected. Shelter the beds from cutting winds, which are 



