March 10, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



Sloping Ground (Mary Catherine). — Your dry sloping plot of ground, 

 open to the south, but on other points enclosed with high trees and 

 Shrubs, we should think suitable for early or second early Potatoes, and 

 we advise you to give the ground a good manuring and plant it with 

 Lapstone kidney Potatoes, the best of all for dry soils. For late kinds we 

 do not think it would answer, as the roots of the trees must take a con- 

 siderable amount of moisture and nuti'iment from the soil, whilst the 

 inclination to the sun, combined with the concentration of the heat, must 

 be unfavourable to crops which do not make a good growth before the 

 heat of summer sets in. For early crops of vegetables we should think 

 the ground very suitable if well manured in autumn, or before putting in 

 the crop. 



Dendrobittm noeile — Cyclamen persicum (Inquirer). — Dendrobium 

 nobile cannot properly be shown as a greenhouse plant. It is not very 

 common to have Cyclamen persicuin in flower seven mouths from Bowiag 

 the seed, but we have had it in bloom after Christmas from Eowing it in 

 April. 



Flue-heated Frame (Poplar).— Probably the reason why the flue will 

 not draw, even with such a rise, is owing to the furnace-bars being so 

 much on a level with the bottom of the flue. They ought to be from 

 18 to 24 inches lower. For such a small place, 10 feet by 4, if you had 

 merely taken the flue along at the back and into the chimney at once 

 without so many bends and elbows, we should have thought you would 

 have had enough of heat for common purposeB. For keeping out frost 

 we shonld have thought the heat of the oven and the chimney sufficient 

 without a flue. Meanwhile, as you have the flue, see that the furnace- 

 bars are as low as above stated beneath the level of the base of the flue 

 where it commences from the furnace, and let us know the result. 



Improving Turf (J. F. G. B.).— The best plan would be to weed out 

 the rough grass and the Daisies, and sow with a mixture of lawn and 

 croquet grass seeds, sowing in a fine dry day, then scattering over all 

 about half an inch of tine light soil, and rolling it down. If the Daisies 

 are very thick and little grass along with them, it would not be a bad 

 plan to turn them over, but weeding them out would be best for the quick 

 formation of the lawn. The best trap for slugs is a handful of brewers' 

 grains laid down and examined before light. The next best is greased 

 Cabbage or Lettuce leaves. Quicklime they greatly dislike, and moving 

 the soil prevents their easy movement. Soapsuds may be used for 

 syringing Rose trees when in a state of rest. In summer weak soap 

 water would be better and safer. It is not safe to use soapsuds, as it is 

 quite uncertain what may be in them, and even if dirty they must be 

 rather injurious to a floe-leaved plant. Few insects like soft-soap water, 

 say an ounce to three gallons, and put on when settled and clear it will 

 do no injury. 



Peach Trees and Strawberries in Pots (F. H.). — As your Peach 

 trees in pots are just swelling their buds, you may prune them back 

 safely ; but as you say the wood is green and unripened, we would not 

 cut them very close until you see how the fruit buds set. You may keep 

 the shoots as near home as you please, by selecting next summer's shoots 

 from the base of the present shoots, and plnching-in next summer. If 

 your unripened shoots prove barren, then you can cut back if so disposed. 

 We are surprised that your Strawberries in pots should be coming into 

 bloom in an orchard house. They will want watering as needed. We 

 have no faith in regular waterings. However, Strawberry plants in 

 bloom will not set unless they are moderately moist, and if in saucers, 

 should have no water in the saucers. 



Planting Seven Acres with Trees and Shrubs (J. G. C).— We ven- 

 ture to throw out the following hints, and as you have arranged to have 

 an avenue, or rather two avenues, let that you have sketched parallel 

 to the road be moved a little more eastward, bo as to point to the intended 

 caBtle with one end, and let the other end point to some prominent 

 object, however distant, as a church or other interesting object; never 

 mind whether it be parallel to the road or not, as a little divergence can 

 easily be rectified by planting a mass of shrubs near the boundary, not in 

 a straight Hue, but having an irregular front, so as to disguise what is 

 behind it. This avenue we would plant with Cedar of Lebanon, as we 

 have more faith in it than in the Deodar, and the width from side to side 

 should not be less than 80 feet, and the distance between the trees in the 

 row may be about 40 feet ; or you might for a time let them be 20 feet 

 apart in the row, and take care to thin them when they touch each other. 

 The avenue behind, you might plant with Abies Douglasii, which we 

 believe will do well on your soil. The following might be planted 

 singly or in groups— Abies Morinda, A. Menziesii; Picea Nordmanniana, 

 P. nobilis, P. Pinsapo, P. cephalonica ; Cedrus Deodara ; Cupressns Law* 

 soniana; C. Knigktiana ; Ketinospora pi6ifera, K. obtusa ; Thuja Lobbii, 

 T. gigantea ; Chinese and American Arbor-Vitas ; Thujopsis borealis, very 

 hardy ; Wellingtonias, Yews, and the more common kinds of Firs, of 

 which the Scotch is the btst. Possibly, however, the Spruce Fir may do 

 well with you, but in many places it ceases to flourish after the first 

 twenty or thirty years. Pinus austriaca and P. Cembra might be added, 

 but we think P. insignis will be too tender ; the Weymouth Pine and 

 P. excelBa are certainly hardier, and you might try on a small scale Borne 

 other Bpeciee, but do not give them prominence unless you have reason 

 to believe them very hardy. We imagine the Wellingtonia will do well 

 with you. What we advise more than all, as tending to speedily give the 

 grounds a clothed aspect, is plenty of Rhododendrons. Groups of these 

 in different places would very much help to fill up the space. Common 

 Laurela and Laurustinus are not so hardy, neither are Arbutuses nor 

 Azaleas hardy enough, but Eerberis Darwinii, B. Wallichii, and B. Aqui- 

 folium are all good. The Phillyreas are also neat small-leaved evergreens, 

 and so is Cotoneaster microphylla. Daphne Laureola is good, but the 

 EscaUonias are doubtful, and the same may be said of evergreen Euony- 

 muses and Garrya elliptica. A few Portugal Laurels may be tried, all 

 the varieties of Holly, and a few Evergreen Oaks. These are about the 

 beat and hardiest evergreens ; but there are some useful deciduous shrubs 

 well worthy of a place, as Thorns double and single; Almond, Lilac, 

 Deutzia scabra, Mock Orange, Laburnum, a Horse Chestnut or two, Mag- 

 nolia tripetala, Double Cheny, Catalpa, Kibes sanguinea, Thorn Acacia, 

 Spirsea prunifolia plena, Sumach, and others. Of trees a Birch, Purple 

 Beech, a few LimeB, Lombardy and Ontario Poplars, and other trees might 

 be tried, not forgetting a good Y/eeping Willow, which in the breeze looks 

 as well as anything. The Oak, we think, will hardly do so well, but you 

 might try a few ; only do not by any means overcrowd the place. In 

 general, if the shrubs be planted in groups in a prepared bed, about 4 feet 

 apart will not be too great a distance, but they may be thicker if you 



will ensure their being thinned in time. In arranging the planting let a 

 good space in the centre remain open, as there is much dignity in plain 

 turf; let as much of the water, also, bo shown as possible, only hiding its 

 extremities in such a way from the residence as to lead to an impression 

 that it extends further. A few patches of Rhododendrons by the sides 

 of the stream of water may also be introduced, and if the banks of the 

 lake are high and steep such a plant as the Ootooeaster may hang grace- 

 fully over, and the summit be surmounted with a Cypress or similar 

 plant. 



Failure in Heating (Inquirer).— -There is something wrong, when in 

 some quarters of the wind the flue will not draw, and in other directions 

 of the wind the flue draws so freely as quickly to burn out the fuel and 

 scorch the plants. The first fault— not drawing— we should be inclined 

 to attribute to the bars of the furnace not being from IS to 24 inches 

 lower than the bottom of the flue. The second unpleasant symptom we 

 should attribute not so much to no protection being given to the furnace, 

 as to ill-fitting furnace doors. If these are close, and the ash-pit door 

 kept close, it wonld surprise us to see a furnace roaring and exhaust- 

 ing the fire so soon. No fire will so roar and burn in a furnace without 

 too much air being given. We could thus make a furnace one of 

 rapid or of slow combustion at pleasure. We notice that your flue goes 

 along the front and one end, and then by means of cylindrical pipes 

 passes transversely along the back to the elevated unused chimney. There 

 would be less likelihood of these cylindrical pipes becoming so hot if 

 you continued the flue- along the back of the house, and raised the 

 cylindrical pipes opposite the chimney. So much for making the best of 

 the flue. For the sake of others let us know the result, as respects grat- 

 ing-bars and furnace-doors. Secondly, there will be no difficulty in 

 heating the greenhouse from the kitchen boiler placed against the back 

 wall at the middle of the greenhouse, but as the* bottom of the boiler is 

 2 feet above the level of the pathway, and the tcp, therefore, 3 feet above 

 the pathway, your pipes must be all that above the pathway-level in the 

 house. With an open-topped boiler your top flow-pipes would require to 

 be 2 feet lU inches above the pathway, and the return-pipe 8 or 9 inches 

 lower down ; with a boiler having a fixed top you can go as much higher 

 as you like. You might have the pipes laid at that heigbt on supports of 

 wood beneath your plant stage, or even against the back wall, but you 

 cannot bring your pipes with propriety below the level of the boiler. The 

 simplest plan would be to screw-in near the top and bottom of the boiler 

 1-inch iron gas-pipes for the flow and return, and as the boiler is in the 

 middle, connect these with T-3-inch pipes. The house being against 

 the chimney two of these pipes would do for common purposes ; but if 

 you want, as you state, a heat of from 60° to 70° in severe weather, yon 

 would require four such pipes, or three 4-inch pipes. If we wished 

 merely to keep plants safe "in such a house with a kitchen fireplace, 

 boiler, and chimney in the middle of the back wall, we would so far bare 

 the wall opposite such a fireplace, and make a small chamber there covered 

 with a piece of plate iron, with openings at the top and bottom to let the 

 cold air in, and the hot out from that chamber. Try the flue again. 



Eight Vegetables for Exhibition (A Young Beginner).~W'e do not 

 think yon can well improve the collection you name for a September 

 show— viz., Kidney Potatoes, Peas, Scarlet Runner Beans, Onions, Cauli- 

 flowers, Carrots, Celery, and Tomatoes, but it would certainly be advis- 

 able to prepare another kind or two, so as to have sufficient to choose 

 from, say Turnips, Lettuces, and Cucumbers. It not unusually happens 

 that the awards are made to collections consisting of something of more 

 than ordinary merit for the season. For instance, a good Lettuce in Sep- 

 tember, 18G8, would have taken precedence of Tomatoes in that year in 

 most places, as the season favoured the growth of Tomatoes more than 

 that of Lettuce, although in general the latter is not esteemed a choice 

 vegetable. In certain seasons a dish of fresh, juicy Turnips may rank 

 higher than Scarlet Runners cr Cucumbers, while Beet is very ofttn 

 exhibited; but generally the judges award the prizes to the collections 

 having in them the most meritorious articles, whether such vegetables 

 be choice or common, and some very common ones are choice in an 

 adverse season. A good dish of Peas is necessary, and good Celery too. 



Laying Down Tuhf (P. B. fi.).— ■ Putting cinder ashes under the turf 

 as you have been advised to do will certainly tend to keep down worm- 

 casts, but it will also cause your lawn to burn more in a hot, dry season 

 than it otherwise wonld do. You must thtrefore choose between the two 

 evils. If the ground is moist it would be better to drain it, and add lime 

 near the surface, rather than cinder ashes, to keep down the worms. 

 Lime also checks the growth of moss, which in some soils is very 

 plentiful, and the same effect is produced, though in a less degree, by 

 cinder aBhes. In mild autumns wormcasts are an evil not easily re- 

 medied, and if they are likely to be troublesome, by all means add either 

 lime or ashes now ; where they cannot be prevented it is not prudent to 



t the season. V/e must warn you a 



st using cinders too 



e have stated that 



i general, cheaper. 



i a pipe. A pipe will 



mow too late i 

 freely. 



Hot-water for Bottom Heat (J. B ).— For years i 

 pipes are just as good for bottom heat as tanks, 

 A tank kept close yields no more moist heat 



always yield a moist heat when surrounded with moist materials. You 

 have been fortunate in obtaining such a command of heat. We must 

 say that we have not experienced the trouble with cement and other 

 tanks that Borne of our correspondents have done. Wo presume the 

 moveable iron troughs you do not approve of are troughs set upon pipes. 

 Certainly these are not equal to troughs cast on the pipes ; but it was 

 shown long ago how these moveable troughs may give off much more 

 vapour if in clasping the pipe they are fixed to it with a thin layer of red 

 or white lead. Then they are almost as good as those cast on the pipes. 

 But, remember, tfce trough must be fixed for all its length, so as to join 

 the pipe, leaving no air between the two. This would be less trouble- 

 some than altermg your pipes. The resting of the Gardenias, and moist 

 heat when growing and advancing for bloom, are the principal points to 

 be attended to. 



Various (D. K.). — Weeping trees have usually been obtained from those 

 accidentally assuming that habit, and grafting from them. All fruits 

 have been improved by cross-breeding and the selection of seedlings. 

 Botanists differ as to genera and species. Hogg's "Vegetable King- 

 dom'' will instruct you in botany. 



Cost of a Greenhouse [E. J. T.).~ We could not give you an answer 

 to be depended on, as we know nothing of how you are satisfied, and 

 expense will depend so much on the workmanship. You can easily find 

 the price of bricks in your neighbourhood, and the expense of putting 



