Januar7 18, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICOLTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



53 



show frnit, the others will come on at uncertain intervale during 

 the spring months. In another house containing Smooth-leaved 

 Cayennes and Charlotte Kothschilds there are plants with fruit 

 in various stages of development. We had fruit at Christmas, 

 and a few more plants will give us good examples during the 

 spring months ; more will throw up their fruit by-and-by. 

 ■We do not frait more than half a hundred plants in the year, 

 if so many, but they are distributed as nearly as possible 

 equally through the different seasons. When the beds are re- 

 moved the bottom heat is apt to rise higher than is desirable, 

 and the pots must not be plunged deeply unless the tempera- 

 ture of the bed is under 95% and it must be seen that this is 

 the highest point that the bed is likely to attain. Some growers 

 do not plunge the pots at all ; they add fresh tan when neoes- 

 Bary, and merely arrange the pots over it. 



PEACH HOUSES. 



It wonld save some trouble in answering questions if gar- 

 deners and amateurs would consult the "Doings," as a question 

 is sometimes asked that has been answered in this department 

 only a few weeks previously. For instance, it is not necessary 

 to give instructions two or three times during the season as to 

 washing and dressing Peach trees, surfacing the borders, water- 

 ing, and other operations preliminary to forcing. If this was 

 done when the earliest house was started, it is a waste of valu- 

 able space to repeat the directions with the second and third 

 houses. One of the greatest dangers to which trees are subject 

 is an over-dryness of the borders inside. The soil never ought 

 to become dusty dry, as this causes the smaller fibrous roots 

 to decay, a state of matters which will inevitably result in the 

 flowers dropping off at the time of setting The proper treat- 

 ment of the trees is this : When all the fruit has been gathered 

 give the borders a good watering ; this will establish and mature 

 the blossom buds for next year. In six or eight weeks, if the 

 soil shonld be dry at tbe depth of a foot, give another good 

 watering. This will usually be sufficient until it is time to 

 start the house. It is better to water the border before apply- 

 ing the usual surface dressing. If this is moist before it is 

 put on, watering a dry border through it would make it into 

 a pasty condition and unfit it for the young rootlets. If it is put 

 over the border after it is watered tbe dressing will dry a little 

 before it i.s time to water a second time. Peach houses require 

 rather more air than vineries, and the trees will not stand such 

 a moist high temperature as will Viues until the Peaches take 

 their second swelling. 



Figs in puts have been shaken-out and repotted. It would be 

 better to have done this in October, as the trees would have 

 become established by this time, but they will no doubt start 

 well and fruit freely with good management. We start in a 

 temperature of o^^ or 5.3^, and the pots have the benefit of a 

 little bottom heat. Fig trees delight in rich surface dressings, 

 and the roots work into them with marvellous rapidity when 

 the trees are in full growth. 



PLAST STOVE AND OKCHTD BOUSES. 



In this department it will now be necessary to advance the 

 temperature if it is desirable to have the summer-flowering 

 specimens early in the year. Ixoras, for instance, intended to 

 flower in June should be cut down at once and be started in a 

 temperature of CiS" at least, increa.sing it to 70^- as the season 

 advances. Our plants have been cut down, which has given us 

 an opportunity to thoroughly cleanse them from mealy bug and 

 scale. Mealy bug is the worst pest of our plant stoves, and 

 cannot be destroyed without persistent huuting-up and washing 

 off at frequent intervals with soapy water. Ixoras ought to be 

 thoroughly cleansed from this pest before the tiny flower buds 

 appear in clufters ; shonld the insect penetrate into the trusses 

 of flowers, it is not then possible to destroy them without also 

 quite spoiling the flowers. It is also diificult to keep the bug from 

 Dipladenias, and equally troublesome to remove it from the 

 leaves without seriously injuring them with the soapy water. 

 We do not find any better way to clean stove plants of whatever 

 kind from bug and scale than handwashing with warmish rain 

 water in which a little soft soap has been dissolved, using a soft 

 sponge. After tboroushly cleaning a plant it ought to be looked 

 over in a week, and a careful supervision should be made every 

 week or ten days after, and if this is followed up there is some 

 chance of finally eradicating the insects. 



If any choice Ferns or flowering plants require repotting this 

 should be seen to at once ; and it may be necessary first to 

 place the potting material in the house with the plants, in order 

 that it may be warmed before using it. If the plants are re- 

 moved from a warm stove to the temperature of a cold potting 

 abed, the check they would experience during potting would 

 eeriouely cripple many of the most choice and tender. 



Orchids are begiDniug to start into active growth. Vandas of 

 the various East Indian species are showing their flower spikes, 

 likewise Cypripediums. Phal;enopsia amabilis and P. gracdi- 

 flora are improved by increased warmth and more moisture. 

 Should thrips be seen upon any of them it must either be re- 

 nioved by washing with soapy water or fumigating with tobacco 

 smoke. Some choice species are injured by strong tobacco fames, 



so that it is better to fumigate slightly and often than to overdo it 

 at one time. In the Cattleya house a slight increase is also 

 made in the temperature, and Dendrobiums, Cattleyas, some 

 Odontoglossums, such as O. citrosmum and others, which have 

 been kept dry at the roots for the last two months, will receive 

 rather more water. Those which are started into growth ought 

 not to become quite dry after this time. In the cool house the 

 same remarks hold good ; but many plants in this department, 

 and those the choicest of them, will not endure to be kept dry 

 at any time. Odontoglossum crispum is in all stages of develop- 

 ment, and we are seldom without flowers of it. Spikes are in 

 full beauty now, others have flowers opening ; some are just 

 throwirg-up, and a succession can be seen far behind the others. 

 O. cirrhoBum seems to be very free, and when we obt.ain the 

 same strength m the plauts as can be seen in the imported 

 growths, it will be second only to 0. crispum. Nearly all the 

 species receive plenty of water after this. They do well with 

 the sphagnum growing in rude health on the surface of the 

 pots. Masdevallias thrive under the same treatment. The tem- 

 perature of the house is about 50°, with plenty of moisture. — 

 J. Douglas. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVKD. 



Dick Eadclyffe & Co., 1'29, HighHolborn, JjonAon.— Catalogue 

 of Vegetable and Flower Seeds, and List of Garden Bequisites. 



Charles Turner, Eoyal Nurseries, Slough.— CatoZo^we of Heeds 

 for the Kitchen Garden, the Flower Garden, and the Farm. 



J. C. Wheeler & Sons, Gloucester.— IHusiraied "Little 

 Book " and Select Seed List. 



Wm. Cutbush & Son, Highgate, London, N. — Descriptive 

 Catalogue of Flower, Vegetable, and Farm Seeds, and Garden 

 Bequisites. 



James Dickson & Sons, 108, Eastgate Street, Chester.— Cofa- 

 logue of Vegetable and Flower Seeds, Garden Tools, Imple- 

 ments, <£*c. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

 ',* All correspondence should be directed either to "The 

 Editors," or to "The Publisher." Letters addroBsed to 

 Mr. Johnson or Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoid- 

 ably. We request that no one will write privately to any 

 of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to un- 

 justifiable trouble and expense. 

 Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 

 relating to Gardening and those on Poultry and Bee sub- 

 jects, and should never send more than two or three 

 questions at once. All articles intended for insertion 

 should be written on one side of the paper oiJy. We 

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 

 Books {Clement OriJ).—" Cottage Gardener's Dictionary," " Garden Ma- 

 nual," "Tholupson's Gardener's Directory." 

 Address (F. Qrecn). — We do not koow Mr. Trass's present address. 

 Cordons (P. M.).— The reply is from a well-known fruit cultivator. 

 AcRicoLiS (G. S.).— Mr. J. Booth, Failsworth, near Manchester. 

 Cabbage Leaves [T. E. D.).— The " underside " is that facing the soil 

 when the leaf grows horizontally. It is the surface on which the rihs are 

 prominent. 



CoTENT Garden Prices (Staines].— Tbt prices we qnote are the retail 

 prices. Early produce it cheap is usually imported. 

 Conifers (SuijscTiiicr).— We cannot name from mere leaf sprays. 

 BtJLBS (S. P. r.).— It is an Allium, and we think it is hardy and wiU grow 

 in common garden soil, 



Barbarossa Grape.—" J. W." wishes some of onr readers who have grown 

 it will state the result of their experience. 



Si-BiNG-FLOWERiNQ PLANTS (Alpha No. 1).— All Bpring-flowoiing plants 

 may be planted this and next month, but we should defer planting until the 

 early part oi March, the ground being much too wet at present. Some of 

 the best spriuK plants are Arabis albida, A. alpina variegata, Alyssum saxa- 

 tile compactum, Autrietia granditlora, double Daisies, Wallflowers, Iberis 

 gibraltica, Myosotis sylvatica, M. dissitiflora; Pansy, white, yellow, blue, and 

 purple; double Primroses, and Gentiana vema. Helleborus niger and the 

 difiereut varieties of Hepatica should be planted at once. Annuals for spring 

 flowering should have been sown in September. 



Roses Shedding their Leaves (Edobaston). — The symptoms are those 

 resulting from an imperfect supply of water and bad nourishment. Repot 

 (but do not disturb the ball much, only picking-out any loose soil from 

 among the roots), in turfy loam with a fourth of decayed manure added, pro- 

 viding good drainage. .Sprinkle the plants overhead twice a-day, morning 

 and evening, watering with weak liquid manure at every alternate watering 

 after the flower buds show. 



Vines in Consebtatoey (A Lady Garrfrnrr).— Plants do not generally 

 succeed beneath Vines, the leaves obstructing the light, but as a slight shade 

 is desirable in a conservatory, and the Vines being leafless in winter, there 

 is really no objection to them provided they are not allowed to cover the 

 roof too densely. In your case Vines at 4 to 4 feet 6 inches distance apart 

 we should cocstder desirable. If you can command a certain supply of gas 

 that would be the best mode of heating your house, having a gas-heated 

 boiler with hot-water pipes suflicient to exclude frost ; or the house might 

 probably be most economically heated by a boiler fixed at the back of the fire 

 in tbe room, yet a separate apparatus would be best, gas being tbe least 

 trouble of any. 



