May 5, 1870. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



prevent the roots mrming too far. The pots Fet at liberty 

 come in for Colens, Iresine, and other plant?, which need to be 

 well established.— R. F. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 

 Iu the Suburbs of London for the week ending May 3rd. 



27.— Cloudy, cold wind; stormy; clear and cold. 

 28.— Slight rain; cloudy ; overcast, cold wind. 

 29.— Overcast, cold ; heavy clouds; densely overcast. 

 80.— Densely overcast ; cold and overcast; cloudy. 



1.— Clondy and cold; densely clouded ; stormy. 



2.— Overcast, cloudy, stormy and cold ; stormy, sharp frost. 



3. — Densely overcast ; cloudy ; clear and cold. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Dick Rauclyffe & Co., 129, High Holborn, London, W.C.— Cata- 

 logue of Bedding, Alpine, and Decorative rlants, &c. 



Child ct Larimer, Bradford Nurseries, Shipley, and 49, Darley 

 Street, Bradford. — Catalogue of New and Rare Plants, Bedding 

 Plants, and Florists' Flowers. 



You 



nd free- 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



to VrBGlNlA (W. J 1 .). — We cannot give an opinion 

 had better write to the Emigration Society, Ludgate Hill, London. 



Lawn Mowers (A. B ).— With the ordinary lawn mowers, the cut grass 

 being projected in front of the machine on to the grass to be cut, in a 

 very short time, if not gathered-np into the bos, entirely clogs-up the 

 action of tho knives and prevents cutting. The Archimedean, 

 contrary, scatters the cut grass, and by the greater simplicity a 

 dom of action of the knives, it never is liab'e to clogging. The grass 

 cut by one would not be a whit more untidy than that cut by the others, 

 only that the Archimedean will cut the cut grass two and three times 

 over, if necessary into particles like chaff. — B. 



Large Strawberries. — Several correspondents wish Mr. J. Reid (page 

 308), to state the name of the Strawberry which produced berries weigh- 

 ing 4 ozs. each. 



CtrRCOLlo lineatus (F. J!.).— None of the remedies you propose would 

 be effectual unleBS they were applied in quantities inadmissible. As you 

 are willing to sacrifice'the crop to exterminate the marauders, pare and 

 burn the soil they hannt. 



Leather for Manure— Sugar Beet (E. fi. P.). — Leather scraps, the 

 smaller the better, must be scattered over the surface, and ploughed or 

 dug in. The market gardeners about Fulham employ such scraps as a 

 fertiliser. We know no mode of dissolving them. The seeds of the White 

 Sugar Beet are to be purchased of any of the wholesale seedsmen who 

 advertise in this Journal. There are several French works on the culture 

 and manufacture of sugar from it. 



Dividing Perennials (A Subscriber).— The best time for dividing the 

 majority of tbese plant3 is spring, when they are beginning to grow ; but 

 Primulas, and indeed all early spring-flowering plants, are best divided 

 when tho flowering is past, putting in the divisions on an east or north- 

 west border, in sandy soil enriched with a little leaf soil or very old hot- 

 bed manure. Water freely in d<y weather, and shade until established. 

 The divisions may be planted out in autumn where they are to remain. 

 If you merely wish to divide the roots because the plants have become too 

 large, that is best done in spring when the plants are beginning to grow. 

 It may be done in autumn, but spring is to be preferred. 



Fertilising Auccba Flowers {Idem).— The process is very simple.; 

 all that is necessary is to collect the pollen on clean white paper, and 

 apply it with a camel'e-hair pencil to the fully expanded female flowers. 

 It will answer qiite as well if the male plant be placed near the female, 

 if both be in flower at the same time. 



Alstrcf.meria Seedlings (Amateur, Liverpool).— The seedling? may be 

 potted off singly in 3-inch pots, should be kept close in a frame until 

 established, and when hardened off may be planted out at the be.inning 

 of June. They do not flower until the second year, but being hardy 

 should be left out of doors throughout the winter, mulching in autumn 

 with 3 inches of leaf soil or other loose material. 



Dbting Ferns (Lewis Bradbury).— There is no book on such a subject 

 exclusively. They only require to be spread evenly between sheets of 

 blotting paper, and kept gently pressed until dry. 



Greenhouse tHaz.-lbank).— "Greenhouses for the Many" can be had 

 free by post from our office if you enclose seven postage stamps with 

 your address. For so small a greenhouse, 12 feet by 8 feet, we would 

 employ a gas Btove. with a tube to carry the fumes outside. The stove 

 could be removed when not required. 



Orchard house Trees with Imperfect Blossoms (C. P.). — We do 

 not think that dressing your trees with soot, lime, and sulphur in the 

 autumn would render the blooms next spring imperfect. If too strong, 

 it might cause the buds to fall, or even born out their centre. We would 



hardly use the three materials together without something cooling, as clay, 

 to make the paint. We think it more likely that the defective blossoms 

 were o-ving to unripened wood, too great dryness, or too much stagnant 

 moisture at the time of opening. 



Mildewed Pelargoniums (T. E. Field).— You have a little mildew 

 and spot on the leaves of the Variegated Pelargoniums, the results of a 

 too confined atmosphere, and the foliage being damp when exposed to the 

 sun. Remove the worst leaves, daub the walls of the place with sulphur, 

 fresh stir and top-dress the soil in the pots, and give more air, and early, 

 to have the leaves early dried. 



Box Edging Dying (E. F. IF.).— The salting of the walks is sufficient 

 to account for tho Box dving off, the salt having been placed too near the 

 sides ■ or it mav have been put on the walks in very dry weather, and after 

 remaining there for a long time most of it has found its way to the sideB. 

 When salt has been put on just before a heavy rain, we have also seen 

 Box, and even grass destroved in the same way. You ask, " How are 

 walks to be kept ciear of weeds without salting them?" You may use salt, 

 but it should be on walks with grass, slate, or tile edgings and when the 

 salt is applied it should be watered so as to cause its work to be done 

 quickly but the walks ought not to be watered till the salt water rune. 

 Put on aB it often is. thickly and left forweeks.it nets as a fertiliser rather 

 than anything else, in fact we have two very decided opinions respecting 

 salt. I. That though for a time it arrests the growth of weeds, they grow 

 more freely afterwards. 2. That it makes the walks toft and wet, and is 

 only a poor substitute for turning and breaking them up in the spring, 

 which, properlv done, gives a clean Burfacn, dry paths, and the material 

 lasts longer. It is a troublesome plan, however, and so is every other. A 

 better plan than salting is to dis-olve 1 lb. of powdered ar.-emc m three 

 gallons of cold water, boil, and keep stirring well, then add seven gallons 

 of water an J 2 lbs. of crushed soda ; stir the whole well, and apply hot to 

 the walks with a rosed watering pot, and to keep it off the grass verges OT 

 box edging a hoard inclin" 

 Apply in May in dry 

 yards. 



i to°the walks should be placed against them. 



eather. The above quantity will suffice for 25 square 



Cutting back Gloibe de Dijon and Mabkchal Niel Roses (Idem). 

 —Now that the Gloire da Dijon has begun to grow we would not cut it 

 down, but if you could secure a shoot from the bast-, by all means en- 

 courage it, and vou can cut the plant down next March. Marechal Niel 

 we would cut back, but we would let it grow, and it w ill no doubt give you 

 some good vigorous shoots this summer, especially as it is on its own 

 roots. 



Leafless Branches of a Potted Peach Tree (.4a Amateur).— Yon 

 may cut back those shoots 8 inches long, that have nothing on them bat 

 a growing bud at the point; bnt if there are many such shoots, in order 

 not to arrest the growth of the tree, it wonld be as well at first to nip 

 out the axis of growth at first, leaving some leaves, and you could remove 

 the shoots afterwards. Sheep droppings steeped in water make excellent 

 stuff for manure waterings, but it should be given clear and not too 

 strong. The small leaf of the Pear tree seems to be suffering from 

 mildew, and a slight trace of thripe, though of the last we are not quite 

 sure. It may be dry at the roots, and the remedy is obvious. If not, 

 syringe with weak soap water, and shade lightly from the sun. 



Young Chebey Tree (if S. C.).— The Cherry tree is promising enough. 

 If let alone, the present semicircle of blossoms would most likely be 

 much widened next year. To increase the width of blossom space, stop 

 all the longer shoots as they begin to grow— in fact, cut back all the 

 Btronger shoots for fullv a third of their length. This wiU cause the 

 buds on them to break strongly, and when each of these has made three 

 or fonr leaves nip ont the points, and you will have blooming spnrs for 

 next season. 



Soapsuds fob Vines (<J. P. H.).— They are not injurious to Vines if 

 used with discretion— that is, not too much given at once, nor in too 

 strong doses. We do not recommend soapsuds for top-washing because 

 they vary so much in strength and the mixture of material. For applying 

 to the head of a plant, we prefer weak soap water dissolved in water 

 some hours before using it. 



Ringing Vines (Amateur).— We should never think of doing so, how- 

 ever the plants be grown or treated. Unfortunately we have had a great 

 deal more ringing than we like, and rats have been the principal ringers. 

 We found this morning the stem of a Vine scraped for fully a foot in 

 length, and not a bit of bark left. In an extreme case, where the vigour 

 of a Viae was far too great for the full ripening of the wood, a slight 

 r nging might be of advantage, but on the whole we have had enough of 

 ringing done for us without doing it ourselves. What say others ? — R. F. 



Old Hawthorn Hedge (Mem).— Under the circumstances we Bhonld 

 decidedly advise you to cut back your old Thorns, and pretty well too, as 

 they are so dry and budless. A little shade from some long litter 

 scattered thinly over them, would help them. This, and a damping over- 

 head a month or six weeks ago, might have kept the old stems. 



Oysteb Plant (Twenty-five Applicants).— " Ayrshire Gardener " 

 would have had enough to do to supply you. 

 Glasgow nurseryman purposes raising a supply, i 

 it is ready. It may also be had under the i 



forms us that a 

 d will advertise when 

 of Lithospermum man- 

 's. Backhouse, of York, and, perhaps, of others who 

 deal in alpine and herbaceous plants. 



The Sweet Potato (B. S. C.).— See preceding answer. It is much 

 prized in America, but cannot be successfully grown out of doors in this 

 country. 



Extirpating Nettles (X.).— The best and only plan that we know is, 

 with a strong-tined. fork to dig them up now by tho roots. Dry weather 

 is the most suitable, take up as much of the roots as possible and leave 

 them a day or two to dry, then knock all the soil off, and cait tbem away^ 

 also the shoots that have roots. The holes may then be filled ■-'- 

 sown with grass seeds, Poa nemoralis predominating, as J 

 shaded by trees. The removal of the Nettle roots will not inj 

 tree roots, ordinary care being taken. Use a spade as little a 



Standard Common Laurel (A. Maefarlanc).— The best plants would 

 he those from seed, as they would grow the most freely, but plants from 

 cuttings or even layers would answer. In the case of cuttings and layers 

 remove all the eyes or buds below the surface at putting-in, or, if that has 

 been neglected, the shoots which come from tho bottom mu6t be cleared 

 away as they appear. You will need to select plants which start from the 

 bottom with a clean straight stem, and must cut-in the side shoots to two 



and 



land is 



> the Fir- 



