JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



I Iauaai7 11, 13^7. 



fully; but to grow it well the plants ought to be renewed every I water, but must not be " dried off." Aa the old leaves fade 

 tlireeypttrs from seed. I sow theeoeda in April or May in a pot, | they should be removed, continuing to water juat enough to 



pirtoing in a gentle hotbed, and when 

 the young plants are large enough to 

 handle they are pricked out an inch 

 apart in boxes coutaining good soil 

 — loam three parts and leaf soil one 

 part answers admirably. In August 

 or September the plants will have 

 become sufficiently large to plant out 

 in their permanent beds. The object 

 of planting at this time is that they 

 may become establifhed before the 

 winter. The soil ought to be mode- 

 rately rich, but should not contain 

 any crude manure, which causes some 

 of the plants to canker. I do not know 

 how they would do in soil composed 

 entirely of peat, but they do well in 

 half peat and loam, or in a soil com- 

 poEed entirely of loam. They will 

 flower well the following season, and 

 also the next year, and probably a year 

 more ; but after that they decline in 

 vigour and do not give satisfaction. 

 It is a lovely plant for the rock gar- 

 den ; 1 had one in a shsltered position 

 which grew and bloomed well annu- 

 ally for nearly a decade. 



P. c. AMa:sA and varieties of it are 

 beautiful objects for the decoration 

 of the greenhouse or conservatory in 

 April. I have not tried any of them 

 out of doors, but they are so very 

 nearly allied to P. cortusoidea that 

 probably the same treatment out of 

 doors would answer for them. When 

 grown in pots they are very liable to 

 be attacked by 



keep the soil moist. About Septem- 

 ber all the leaves will have been 

 removed, and the plants should be 

 shaken out of the pots and repotted. 

 — .T. Douglas. 



red spider, and 

 if this gains 

 upon the leaves 

 they soon be- 

 come sickly and 

 ultimately pe- 

 rish premature- 

 ly, which seri- 

 ously diminish- 

 es the vigour 

 of the plants. 

 They do best in 

 a well-drained 

 compost of turfy 

 loam four parts, 

 leaf soil one 

 ))art, a little de- 

 cayed stable ma- 

 nure, and sand 

 is added, if ne- 

 cessary, to keep 

 the compost 

 open. From the 

 time the crowns 

 begin growing 

 until the first 

 flowers open 

 early in April, 

 the pots must be 

 kept near the 

 glass to prevent 

 the leaves and 

 flower trusses 

 from being 

 drawn up weak- 

 ly. They also 

 require plenty of 

 air, but they are 

 impatient of being e.xposed to scorching suusliiue about the 

 end of March or early in April, and a thin screen of light 

 shading thrown over the glass for a few hours at midday is 

 very beneficial. When the flowering period is over remove 

 thg plants to a shady position. They do not require much 



Fit'. ". — Primci.a coktu^oides. 



LATE-HANGING GRAPES- 

 VINE MANAGEMENT. 

 At page 557 Mr. Cakin asks for the 

 advice of some of your Vine-growing 

 correspondents in connection with 

 his Lady Downe's and White Fron- 

 tignan Grapes. Every competent 

 Vme-grower knows that imperfectly 

 ripened Grapes will not keep so well 

 aa others which are fully matured. 

 Proof of this Mr. Cakin has in his 

 own greenhouse, aa he says that " not 

 a few of the Hamburghs are still hang- 

 ing in excellent condition." 



ily opinion is, that the Vines have 

 been kept too dry during the time the 

 Grapes were swelling, and in Septem- 

 ber when the fruit was colourinR 

 they have had too much atmospheric 

 moisture with a too low temperature. 

 Proof of this was the "tiny drops of 

 moisture, like dewdrops on some of 

 the berries in the morning," a sure 

 indication of a too low temperature 

 before the Grapes were thoroughly 

 ripe. This sudden check no doubt 

 was the cause of the shrivelling. To 

 prevent a recurrence of the evil com- 

 plained of, my 

 advice to Mr. 

 Cakin is that as 

 soon as the fo- 

 liage is off the 

 Vines to prune 

 them immedi- 

 S ately, rubbing 

 the stems well 

 with the hand to 

 remove all loose 

 bark from them, 

 then with a 

 hard brush give 

 all the wood and 

 glass a scrub- 

 bing-down with 

 a strong solu- 

 tion of hot water 

 and soft soap, 

 giving the Vines 

 a good scrub- 

 bing with the 

 same solution, 

 making sure 

 that the water is 

 aa hot as he can 

 bear his hand in 

 it. Finish off 

 with giving the 

 wood, glass, and 

 Vines a vigorous 

 syringing with 

 pure hot water, 

 which takes off 

 all the soapy 

 matter and pre- 

 vents dust from 

 adhering to the 

 Vines and other 



parts of the house. This done, give all the walls of the house 

 a whitewashing with hot lime, then remove 2 or 3 inches of 

 the surface soil of the borders, taking care not to injure the 

 roots, and give a top-dressing of something like the follow- 

 ing:— To six barrowloads of good turfy loam add one of half- 



