May 12, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



three are Lurline Glace Melon, Marmorata superba, and Zebrina Buperba, 

 all large. 



Epacbis Leafless— Cinerabia9 Uxhealthy— Deutzia gracilis not 

 Flowering ( We t herby ).— The Epacrises must be leafless from want of water 

 or the attacks of insects, but which we could not say without a specimen. 

 Why were they not cut down after flowering, so as to encourage new 

 growth ? Ours were cnt back about a month ago, some of them earlier, 

 and they are now making new shoots, and are quite green. Cut them 

 down now to within an inch of the old growths, or the wood of the previous 

 year. Shift them into larger pots when they are beginning to grow. The 

 Cineraria leaves are curled and shrivelled from the attacks of insects, 

 probably green aphis or thrips, or both. Fumigation with tobacco is the 

 remedy, keeping the plants in a well-aired house, cool, near the glass, and 

 moist. We hardly know how Deutzia gracilis could have been grown two 

 years without flowering. It should have a moderate-sized pot and a com- 

 post of two parts light loam and one part leaf soil, with a free admixture 

 of sharp Band. Grow it in an open situation out of doors, and keep it well 

 supplied with water in dry weather. In autumn place it in a sheltered 

 position or cold pit, after the leaves have fallen ; repot the plants when 

 they are taken into tho house, and give them a temperature of 45- to 50° 

 lor a fortnight, and then raise it to 50°, and in that they ought to bloom 

 well. Every gardener ought to understand such plants, they are of the 

 most easy culture. 



Alyssum variegatum (Alpha).— If you mean A. maritimum variegatum, 

 it is an annual. If A. orieutale variegatum, it is a perennial. 



Fumigating Vines (Despair). — Patting sulphur on the burning tobacco 

 caused sulphurous acid to be formed, which is fatal to all leaves and 

 flowers. You had better syringe the leaves, and then allow them to re- 

 main. If they fall, others may be produced. 



Vine Leaves Wahted (C. Roberts).— We do not think you will have 

 any difficulty in exterminating what you suppose to be an insect or con- 

 tagious fungus on the Vine leaves, as we have failed to discover a trace 

 of either. The small warta here and. there on the back of the leaf are the 

 result of a too close and moist atmosphere ; and the shrivelling at the 

 edges of the leaf is owing to scalding from air being given rather late. 

 It is just possible the scalding may be partly owing to spots on the glass, 

 but we should judge the above was the chief reason. Early air-giving 

 and an atmosphere a little drier, we presume, will make all right. 



Flower-bed Arrangement (An Irish Subscriber). — We like your pro- 

 posed arrangement ; only, but for the dark centre of 4, 4, the prevailing 

 colour in these and 3. 3, close together, would be yellow. Alyssum varie- 

 gatum is not an effective edging to yellow. Purple or blue would be 

 better. Variegated Alyssum would make a good edging to 7, 7, Trentham 

 Rose Pelargonium. Pyrethxuni would make a good, edging to No. 6. 



Cayenne Pepper for Fumigating (A. B. P. P.).— Much obliged. Tho 

 pastils used for fumigating had a fair portion of Cayenne pepper, but 

 that is anything but cheap. We know how pungent it is, but iu one or 

 two cases we found it was too powerful for some plants. A little along 

 Kith tobacco is very well. 



Funkxas not Flowering (Centurion).— The plants iu the open ground 

 ought to flower if planted in well-drained light soil, and, when growing, 

 liberally supplied with water during r.ry weather. They ought to have 

 a sheltered situation. Mulch with leaf soil in autumn, about 2 inches 

 deep, letting it remain all winter, and point it in with a fork lightly in 

 spring. 



Wood Ashes Mingled with Coee (Idem).— The ashes will be useful 

 for RoseB, and as a dressing to almost all kinds of flowers in the garden, 

 but we should not think them valuable for plants in pots. The ashea are 

 also excellent for Onions and Cabbages, and may be applied to all kitchen- 

 garden crops advantageously. They ought to be sifted so as to free them 

 of the clinkers resulting from the combustion of the coke. 



Pear Trees not Showing Bloom (Idem).— The cause of the Pear 

 trees not having more blossom this year than last, may be there being 

 few spurs left after the prolific blossoming of last year, therefore few 

 bloom buds were formed for this year ; or it may be a result of inattention 

 to summer pruning, and of want of watering in dry hot weather. Onr trees 

 on the Quince stock against walls are not very full of bloom, but those 

 in the open ground are perfect bouquets. You may, although you have a 

 less show of bloom, have more fruit this year than you had last. 



Roses for Planting in Beds [Idem).— We should order those we in- 

 tended to plant in a bed to be strong, well-established, and not of the cur- 

 rent year's propagation. What you have had were, no doubt, those grafted 

 in the previous January or February ; they were grown on in heat, and 

 you had them hardened-off in May. We know that many such fail. The 

 junction of the stock and graft is hardly complete, and the grafts go off 

 from over-excitability or other causes. Why not obtain plants iu autumn 

 budded on the Manetti stock ? We usually find them do well. If you 

 plant in May let the ground be well dug, indeed trenched, working in a 

 liberal quantity of manure. Water freely in dry weather, give a sprink- 

 ling overhead every evening in dry hot weather, and the plants should 

 produce flowers in autumn, and bloom well in the second year. We 

 cannot recommend dealers. Twelve good Hybrid Perpetual Rosea are: 

 Lord Macaulay, Mart-chal Vaillant, Victor Verdier, Smateur VaiSBe, 

 Caroline de Sansal, Charles Lefebvre, Comte de Nanteuil, Baronne 

 Prevost, Due de Rohan, Jules Margottin, John Hopper, and William 

 Jesse. 



Orchard-house Management (C. C. E.).— The temperature of 120° is 

 too much for orchard-house trees, better have it in the hottest days 

 under 100 c , by giving more air, or even shading the glass a little with 

 whitened water outside the glass. The excessively dry atmosphere you 

 can guard against by sprinkling the border, floor, and path. The black 

 fly yon may destroy by brushing with water containing 4 ozs. of soft 

 soap, and 4 ozs. of quassia to the gallon, after boiling in six pints and 

 allowing it to Bettie. This should be used only for the part3 affected 

 The whole house, when the crop is fully set and swelling, may be washed 

 with such water as the above, but the quantity Btated would be 6trong 

 enough for sixteen or eighteen gallons, and should be mixed clear with 

 the other water. It is impossible to tell you how often to water. Lately 

 we have watered trees in pots every day. Frequently we gave water two 

 or three times a-week, sometimes not once a-fortnight. It depends 

 entirely on sunshine and warmth. The soil should never be dry, neither 

 should it remain wet like a quagmire. The medium mu't be observed. 

 With a close house the fly alluded to is easily destroyed by tobacco, bat 



the plants must be dry and the smoke cool. Orchard houses are generally 

 too open for smoking. 



Boiler (Boiler).— It is of very little use to show a drawing, yon can 

 have no reliable opinion passed on it until it has been tried, for its merit 

 will depend upon its heating more feet of pipe with less fuel and with 

 less liability to leakage than other boilers. 



Mushrooms (J. L. H. W.).— Mushrooms are attacked in the gills by 

 another fungus, which has been remarked upon by the Rev. M. J. 

 Berkeley at some of tho meetings of the Royal Horticultural Society. 

 Though the Mushrooms are the true garden sort, and in themselves 

 quite wholesome, still this disease may render those bo attacked bus- 

 piciouB. 



Salvia Soucheti Losing Leaves (H. IF. F.).— We think the foregoing 

 is the name of the plant of which you enclosed specimens to us. It 

 requires a compost of two parts sandy flbroua loam, and one part leaf 

 soil, with a free admixture of sharp sand. It is nsual for the leaves to 

 turn yellow if the plant has not enough light. Keep it near the light 

 and in an airy position, not watering oftener than the soil becomes dry, 

 and then give enough water to run through the bottom of the pot. After 

 flowering cut the plant down, making cuttings of the shoots, which strike 

 freely in sandy soil with a little shade. The plant may be placed out of 

 doors in summer, where it will do better than in the conservatory. The 

 house will answer well for Camellias, Azaleas, Epacrises, and you may 

 have Chrysanthemums for autumn, producing flowers up to Christmas, 

 ^nd a few plants of Deutzia gracilis, Dielytra spectablis, Lily of the 

 Valley, and Spiraea japonica. Hardy plants do well introduced about 

 Christmas. Cyclamens are also good ; you may raise them from seed, 

 likewise Cinerarias. Violets are also desirable. There are few plants 

 that you can raise from seed that flower at the time you name, the 

 dullest five mouths of the year. Primulas you have, and we would add 

 the Intermediate Stock. 



Eradicating Bishopweed (J. T. S.).— It is a very noxious weed, quite 

 as difficult as Couch Grass to eradicate. We fear we cannot help you to 

 a more speedy plan of getting rid of it than by taking up the top 4 inches 

 of the soil, as you propose, beating all the soil out of the tufts that you 

 can, and then burning them. If left a few days to dry, the soil will come 

 from the roots freely. It is .Egopodium Podagrarla, sometimes called 

 Gout-weed. 



Cucumbers Diseased (J. F. C.).—We are unable to help you with this 

 plague ; but we think your soil, from the fruit ulcering, is very rich, and 

 causes excessive vigour, and that it is full of decaying fibre. We have 

 escaped the disease, so far, in houses, pits, and frames, but out of doors it 

 shows itself every autumn. Grow the plants in loam from turf without 

 other admixture, and keep the soil moderately dry, but sufficiently moist 

 for growth, giving an abundance of air, especially during the early part 

 of the day, and a moderate amount at night. 



Pansy Seed not Germinating (An Old Gardener).— The seeds being 

 good, the plants ought to appear in about three weeks. Perhaps you 

 cover the seeds too deeply with soil. They ought not to be covered 

 more deeply than one-eighth of an inch with fine soil. The seeds will 

 germinate more surely if the pans bo placed in a gentle hotbed, remov- 

 ing them, as soon as the plants appear, to a light, airy position in a cool 

 house or frame. 



Shortening Pear-tree Spurs (Idem).— You may now cut back the 

 very long spurs, and such as are weak, leaving, however, some of the 

 Bhortest to appropriate the sap; and the general cutting-back we would 

 leave until early in winter — whan the leaves fall is the proper time. We 

 fear, however, that the trees are old. and if so, you will do little good by 

 cutting-back the spurs ; leave as much young wood as you can, keeping 

 it well pinched back, so as to induce the production of spurs. You will find 

 full instructions for pinching or summer pruning in Mr. Rivers's " Minia- 

 ture Fruit Garden." Peaches may be summer-pruned or pinched with 

 advantage, but not to the same extent as Pears. 



Dividing Dahlia Tubers (Centurion),— In potting-off the shoots it is 

 not necessary to preserve a complete tuber to each. It will be enough 

 if each eye have a small portion of old root or tuber attached; indeed, it 

 is not necessary for the shoots taken off to have even that. They may 

 be taken off close to whence they proceed, and the cuttings inserted 

 in S-inch pots, placing them in a hotbed until they become well rooted 

 and are growing freely, then harden thgm off. Yon may even with a 

 small portion of tuber pot them, as we nave done by the hundred, in 

 3 or 4-inch pots. 



Plant Producing Bast (Idem).— Bast in the Russian language means 

 the inner bark of a tree ; the inner bark of the Linden or Lime is used for 

 making the mats. Cuba bast is the inner bark of a Malvaceous tree 

 I L'. tritium elatum). 



Broad Bean for Exhibition (Idem).— Monarch or Johnson's Wonder- 

 ful is good, but some prefer the Green Windsor. 



Marrow Peas (Idem). —Marrow Peas are different from the Marrowfats 

 of old. The Wrinkled Marrows of the present time are identical in 

 character with the Marrowfats, but now we have some improved varieties. 

 We think the change desirable ; Marrowfat is not a nice term. The flies 

 you sent were not the Pear fly. 



Mtosotis for Spring Bedding (B. S.). — The best blue for bedding is 

 Myosotis sylvatica, the Cliveden variety preferred ; the best white, 

 M. alpestris alba. They should be sown from now to the end of June, in 

 light sandy soil in a slightly shaded situation, and be watered in dry 

 weather. When large enough to handle, prick them out in beds in a 

 sheltered sunny situation, and in light soil enriched with leaf soil. Place 

 them about 3 inches apart. Plant out in autumn or early in spring with 

 balls. 



Honestt Sowing (Idem).— Sow it from now to the end of June in good 

 light soil in an open situation, watering in dry weather. Prick it off 

 when large enough, and plant it out in autumn where it is to flower. It 

 usually flowers from May to July. The names oi the plants are— L, Ribbon 

 Grass, Phalaris arundinacea ; 2, Kerria japonica. 



Selecting Flowers— Salads in Winter and Spring (E. HI. HI.).— We 

 must leave you to your own taste in selecting the bedding Pelargoniums 

 and Verbenas needed for the supply of twelve beds. With a greenhouse 

 heated by hot water the cuttings inserted in autumn ought not to have 

 been all dead, thus forcing yon to goto the market— that is to say, if 

 you could find loom for them in the greenhouse. For particular reasons, 



