150 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



February 21, 1870. 



stamps with yonr address. (B. D: ■■*).— Both the books yon mention are 

 published by Messrs. Longman & Co. Any country bookseller could 

 obtain them for you. 



Testimonials i Mr. .V ■ P. i.— Wo do not wish under the circumstances to 

 publish anything on the subject. 



Grapes (./. ».).— The Alicante yon should grow is not the Kempsey, 

 but that which is known as Meredith's Alicante. The- Kempsey Alicante 

 is the same ns Morocco, and a very bad setter. Send us a bunch of tlie 

 Grape you refer to when ripe, and wo shall endeavour to name it for you. 



Sport from Crystal Palace Gem Pelargonium (If. S.).— There is 

 no novelty in the foliage of your sport. It is the WTong season of the 

 year to judge of its i M hat there are many varieties 



in cultivation superior. 



Geranium and Pelargc Ml the "Scarlet Geraniums" 



of the olden time ; all the Zonals and Tricolors, and every variety of what 

 were formerlv called Geraniums, are now called Pelargoniums, and 

 correctly. Such plants as the " Herb Robert " of our hedges are Gera- 

 niums. We think Mi .Polio. be shown as a Tricolor, and not as a 

 Zonal. 



Gas Lime (Clare).— Gas lime dug into the soil in Novemberwill have no 

 injurious effect on the Potatoes ;o be planted next March. 



National Flo-.. i. know of no work on the subject. The 



white Rose was adopted by the Yorkists, and the red Bose by tho Lan- 

 castrians in the 15th century. Her present Majesty bears on the Royal 

 scutcheon Roses of both colours, and 



Weli r England proudly rear 

 Her blended Boses, bought so dear. 



The Shamrock, it is said, was adopted as the national plant of Ireland 

 because St. Patrick nsed it as an illustration of the Trinity. The Thistle 

 is said to have been taken as Scotland's heraldic plant, because a naked- 

 footed Dane shrieked when he '.red on one, and this saved the Scotch 

 army from being surprised. 



Plan of Garden {Edendale).— We never furnish plans of planting 

 we only criticise plans nrooosed. If you require a guide, the volume 

 entitled "Flower Garden Plane" will suit you; there are in it about 

 seventy plans, including gardens of all sizes, with the arrangement of the 

 beds, culture of plants, ftc, price .";. You can have it from our office. 



Peaches and other Fruits against Low Walls (J. £.).— " For walls 

 only 8 feet in height, Peaches should be trained in the usual way, and 

 planted, say 18 feet apart. Procure from the nurseries dwarf-trained 

 trees for walls, and continue that method of training which the nursery- 

 man has adopted. P.oyal George, Early York, and Noblesse are suitable 

 sorts for out-door culture. Never severely root-prune any young tree. 

 Frnit trees planted last autumn and this winter should be, as a rule, care- 

 fully forked out of the ground about the 20th of October. 1872, and have 

 all the long runaway roots shortened back. Do not purchase any Pear 

 trees this year, you will gain nothing by so doing ; wait nntil next autumu. 

 All the best plants have been sold. Only one nurseryman sells Pear trees 

 on Quince stock, trained for wails upright like a five-prong digging fork, 

 and his stock is exhausted. If any other nurseryman has trees on this 

 stock trained after this manner, he should state the fact in the advertis- 

 ing columns. There has been a great demand for these trees this year, 

 lam not surprised at it. as it is deciledly the best method of training the 

 Pear. You will see more about this method, and descriptions of sorts in 

 ' our Journal ' in process of time. The May Duke Cherry, on the Mahal eb 

 stock, trained upright, will succeed well against a north-east wall ; so also 

 will Victoria Plum, and doubtless a!-o Prince Engelbert, both first-rate 

 bearers and excellent kitchen Plums. Procure dwarf-trained trees for 

 walls, grow them on the fan-system for two or three years, and then bend 

 all the branches upi t lined will occupy a length of from 



8 to 10 feet on a wall. This aspect would also suit kitchen Apples— Lord 

 Suffield, Tower of Glamis, and perhaps Dumelow's Seedling. Procure 

 them dwarf-trained for walls on Paradise stock and train them upright. 

 The first and last o! these three Apples are the best in their season in 

 cultivation. Lord Suffield comes in with the Keswick Codlin, and cuts 

 out all the Codlins. Th:-re arc several midseason baking Apples that 

 equal in bearing Tower of Glamis, but in a tart it has that aromatic flavour 

 which Lord Suffield possesses, and which I think so good.— C. M." 



Peach Tp.ee ruoM a Later (IF. B.) —The Peach on its own roots does 

 not succeed in our climate, except when grown in warm, well-drained 

 soils, and protected situations. We have seen it do very well under 

 glass, and we have no doubt bnt that yours would do well also as a pot 

 plant, or otherwise, in a heated or large orchard-house. It will produce 

 Peaches without grafting; but instead of grafting it scions ought to be 

 taken from it and worked on the Plum. Grafting, however, is not a good 

 mode of propagation for stone fruit trees ; budding is better. For out- 

 door planting ud be necessary to have it worked on a 

 Plum stock. 



Peat. Tree Infested with Ero-.vn Scale (Clarke).— We advise you 

 to dress the tree now with train oil, applying it with a brush to every 

 part except the buds ; or dress it with a solution of Clarke's compound, 

 5 ozs. to the gallon of water, which will not injure the buds, and apply 

 it also with a brush to every part, the tree being unnailed forthe purpose. 

 To destroy the other insect attacking tho leaves, syringe the tree with 

 the last-named compound at the rate of 3 ozs. to the gallon of water. 

 We would now take out a trench 3 feet from the stem of the tree, and 

 deep enough to go be, -utting away all roots there thicker 



than a quill, fill in the trench with turfy loam, and make the soil firm. 

 If there are few roots where the trench is" taken out, work under the soil 

 towards the stem of the tree, and cut through all roots going directly 

 downwards, but preserving as much fibre as you can. P.eplace the soil 

 taken out with fresh turfy loam, and firm it about the roots ; then give a 

 good top-dressing of manure, and water in dry weather. It is likely your 

 tree will form fruit buds freely, and produce good fruit in 1871. 



Pottisg asd Prunlsg Lapageria rosea (J. A.). — The plant should be 

 potted at once, in order that it may have the benefit of tho fresh soil 

 whilst making new growth, and any pruning required should be done at 

 the same time, thinning out the shoots where too thick, cutting out any 

 old bare shoots to the bottom, and encouraging others from the root. It 

 is not practicable to prune this plant en the spur system like Vines. 



Aquarium (Idem). — We cannot furnish you with particulars. It will be 

 necessary to buy one ready made or give an order for one. 



Odt-doob Ferseby (A Stupid OMPomn.;/).— Yonr rockwork being open 

 to tho north and west will not be suitable for some kinds of hardy Ferns, 

 and we therefore advise von to plant kinds which are likely to gTOW 

 freely. The following we think suitable— viz,, Polypodium vulgare. As- 

 plcniurn Adiautum-nigrum, Asplenium Trtchomanes, Athynum Filix- 

 fcemina, A. Filix-fo?mina corymbiferum, Blechnum Spicant, Cystopteris 

 fragilis, Lastrea Filix-mas. and its varieties cristata, Jervisii ; L. dilatata, 

 Polypodium Phegopteris, P. Dryopteris, Polystichum aculeatum, P. angn- 

 lare, Scolopendrium vulgare and its varieties latifolium multifidum, ra- 

 moBum, and multifidum majus. Osmunda regalis and the Maiden-hair 

 Fern we do not think would succeed. It will be necessary, as tho 

 situation is dry, to water the plants freely in hot dry weather, and to 

 sprinkle them overhead in the evenings of hot days. 



Potting Tricolor Pelargoniums (Dcttoatca.-.Vl.— You cannot do better 

 thin follow the directions given bv "D., £•■«!." They are applicable to 

 old as well as voung plants. It will be necessary to shift the plants into 

 larger pots when those in which they were Erst potted are full of roots. 

 The vinery will answer well until May, and then the Peach house would 

 be the most suitable structure to grow them in. 



Ivy Growing upon Trees (Ange I Whitpen).—It checks the growth of 

 all trees round which it twines ; but when timber is not the object there 

 cannot be anv doubt of its contributing to the beauty of trees, and espe- 

 cially old ones. Where, however, the object is timber or fine healthy 

 trees, Ivy ought not to be suffered to grow on them. It is not a parasite, 

 as any one may soon prove by cutting ofl' the plact at the root. It is a 

 gross feeder, and its roots so dry and exbau-t the soil that the tree it 

 clings to for support is deprived of a considerable amount of moisture 

 and nutriment. „ ., ,., ._ , 



Garbage Rose (Idem).— The petals arc crowded together like the leaves 

 of a Cabbage, and this probably may have originated the name. By 

 botanists it is called Rosa centifolia, or Hundred-leaved Rose, which 

 applies to the petals or flower leaves, and not to the leaves proper. 



Hyacinths' Bulbs Damping (J. K. Marllcj).— Tbe water in the glasses 

 is perhaps placed in contact with the base of the bulbs, but it ought not 

 to reach so far by fiom one-half to three-quarters of 



inch. Dust the 

 I, i so of "the bulbs with powdered ciiorcoal'and place a piece of charcoal 

 the size of a nut in each glass. Brush off the monldiness with a soft 

 brush before applying the powdered charcoal, and place the glasses in a 

 dark closet until the bulbs are well rooted. 



Masagemest of Old Coleus Plants (.1 Voor Amateur).— OO. plants 

 cut down in autumn and kent dry during winter, will start again if placed 

 in heat, providing the shoots or stems are sound, but care must be 

 taken not to keep much moisture in the atmosphere, nor to water much 

 at the root until the plants have broken and are growing freely. There 

 is a great likelihood of the plants damping-off when placed in heat. 

 They ought not to have been pruned in autumn. 



Cucumber Leaves Curling (Idem).— The curling is probably due to 

 sudden changes of temperature, and cold air blowing directly on the 

 plants, bnt the decay of the seed leaves we should attribute .0 rank 

 steam, or to too much moisture and not enough of air. 



Araucaria niSRic.ATA Turning Brown (C. Novil).— It is very com- 

 mon for this Coniier, when of the size of yours, to turn brown at the 

 points of the leaves, and for the lower branches to die off. It has a 

 'Teat°r tendencv to do so in dry gravelly soils than in those which are 

 deep but free from water. We do not know in what way ?on could im- 

 prove its growth, except bv giving a good top-dressing of old cow dung, 

 neatly pointing it in with a fork, which, as your plant grows on a lawn, 

 is next to impracticable. We have not seen a good specimen growing on 

 v 1 nowhere with the branches entire to the ground, except where 

 the "round was kept clear, and the base of the trees sheltered by high 

 hedges, or a belt of shrubs at a short distance. There is no work pub- 

 lished treating of what yon require. 



Ficus elastica Stem Decaying (A YOUTtg Gar.' -ii.'r).— We fear the 

 decav of the stem or shoot at the part where the footstalk of the leaf was 

 removed will not be arrested by any application, but will go on, and the 

 part above the wound will die. All you can do is to cut the shoot down 

 to the joint next below the wound ; and to secure its healing, apply to 

 the cut the patent " knotting " nsed by painters. 



Grass Seeds for Permasent Pasture (John Cromoic).— Fora rather 

 " heaw soil, and partly wet and partly dry," we advise per imperial acre :— 

 Poa nemoralis. 8 lbs.'; Pol trivialis, 2 lbs.; Lolium itahcum, 4 lbs. ; Lo- 

 lium perenne ( Pacev's variety), 12 lbs. ; Phlenm pratense, 3 lbs. ; Dactyks 

 glomerata, S lbs.; "Cvnosurus cristatus. 2 lbs.; Alopecnrus pratensis, 

 2 lbs. • Anthoxantuum odoratum, lib. ; Festuca duriuscnla, 3 lbs. ; Fes- 

 tuca elatior, 21bs.; Festuca loliacea, 3 lbs.; Festuca pratense, 3 lbs. ; 

 Festuca hoterophylla, 21bs.; Arrhenathernm avenaceum, 1 lb.; Medi- 

 cago lupulina, 3 lbs. ; Trifolium pratense perenne, 4 lbs.; Trifolium re- 

 pens, 5 lbs., and Trifolium hybridum, 1 lb. 



Wireworss in a Tan Bed (C. R. D.).— We advise you to clear out the 

 tan or if you cannot do that, tnrn it over, and sprinkle over it fresh lime 

 and soot. Bv placing Potatoes over the surface, and, indeed, inserting 

 them just within the tan. they will form excellent baits, by examining 

 which dailv for a time, and then every other day, you may take the de- 

 stroyers in" great numbers. Carrots are as good if not better baits than 

 Potatoes. We imagine your wireworms are only ordinary dewwonns, 

 which may be destroyed by watering with lime water. 



Forcisg Vin-es Newxy Planted (Jti.-ml.— It will not do to force young 

 Vines Let them break naturally, assisting them with a gentle fire heat 

 in cold periods. If thev start but weakly you may cut them down, and 

 thevwill make a much beiter cute the first year, but they must not be 

 cutback later than Mav or the beginning of June. It will not do to let 

 them tow to the top of the house, and then cut toem down and start 

 them again, as the season will be too far advanced for your securing good 

 growth 'and the proper ripening of the wood before autumn. 



Camellia Buds Falling (31. C.).— The causes of Camellias cast- 

 ine their flower-buds are various, but in most cases tho evil is attribut- 

 able to defective root action. It is very likely the buds yet remaining 

 with brown spots will fall. We Bhould advise potting the plant in a 

 comnost of fresh turf taken from a pasture where the soil is a good sandy 

 loam and not more than an inch thick. Tear this to pieces, and pot 

 firmlv with the rougher parts, keeping the finer portion for the top. in 

 notti'n", take awav most of the old soil. Drain the pot well, and water 

 freely after the roots are working well in the fresh soil. Keep the plants 



