JOURNAL OP HOKTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Jannory 18, 1877. 



Grttbs in Strawberry Bed {H. 8. F.).— It !b likely the grubs will do your 

 Strawberry plants considerable miecbief. We should go over the plants, 

 examiniog each separately, and destroy the grubs, makiog the soil firm about 

 the plants afterwards. A dressing of gas lime at the rate of twenty bushels 

 per acre is good against the grabs, and watering with ammoniacal liquor from 

 the gasworks diluted with water, one gallon of ammoniacal liquor to twelve of 

 water, giving each plant a good watering, would be beueficial. 



Blanchino "Witloof (Irfcm).— Cut off the leaves to within nn inch of the 

 crown of the roots, and cover the ground to a depth of S or 9 inches with any 

 light dry material, as cocoa-nut fibre reluse, sawdust, or tree haves, placing 

 a little litter over the latter to keep them from being blown about by winds, 

 and the young leaves of the 'Witloof will come through the covering material, 

 and from the exclusion of light be blanched, they being in fine order for 

 ealadswhen from 6 to 8 inches long. We take up the roots, cut the tops off 

 abont an inch above the crown, and place in rich light soil up to the crown 

 about 3 or 4 inches apart in a dark place, with a temperature of about 55^, in 

 which they do splendioly. 



Bemotinq Clematis Sccexr (A. J. B.).— Any time after the middle o^ 

 February in mild weather, but before fresh growth takes place, is suitable. 

 Take it off at its origin with the pai-ent plant, being careful not to injure 

 more of the roots than can be helped, being eati&fied with a moderate amount 

 of roots to the sucker rather than going so near the old plant as to icjure 

 its roots to a serious extent. 



Camellia Buns Dropping (J. F. C.).— Camellias with the best-formed 

 flowers are more prone to cast their buds than semi-double varieties ; but as 

 the former are the most desirable and the defect arises from ill health or 

 is cDnsequeut of some error of culture, we certainly should not discard such 

 superior kinds as Countess of Ellesmere, white, striped and mottled rose, 

 and Alba plena, still one of the best whites. Probably your border is im- 

 perfectly drained. The cause principally of Camellia buds falling is an in- 

 active state of the roots or an insufficient supply of water after the buds are 

 Bet. We do not find any compost so suitable as the top inch of a pasture 

 where the soil is a light loam ; this chopped up rather fine for pots and 

 rongh for borders answers admirably, in both instances providing good drain- 

 age and potting rather firmly. The soil is always kept moist, a thorough wa'er- 

 ing being given before the eOU becomes dry. On,e di-y is sufficient to cause 

 the buds to be cast in a "shower," and eoddenness of the soil causes the 

 decay of the fibres, and the buds fall instead of swelling. A top-dressing of 

 cow dung in February, or earlier, induces the roots to the surface and en- 

 courages free growth of the plants and swelling of the buds. The following 

 are good varieties; — Mathoiiana alba, fine white; Bealii (Leeana superba), 

 crimson ; Yaltcvareda, rose; and Comtessa Lavinia Maggi, white, striped and 

 blotched crimson. Sandy peat, especiallr if ttirfy, is a good compost, vege- 

 table matter being an essential of Camellia culture. Kenovato the border in 

 February. 



FoEcrNG Strawberries (TF.H.).— You will see instructions in "Doings" 

 from time to time. Your plants ought now be well established in their fruit- 

 ing pots, else success will be problematical. The pots should be placed near 

 the glass in the forcing house, andjthe temperature ought not to bo more than 

 50*^ at night to start with. In cold weather 45 would be enough ; gradually 

 increase this as the plants show signs of growth, and raise it to 6U° at night 

 when the flower trusses appear. They requu-e liberal supplies of water. 

 Foreright shoots on fruit trees are those that grow out from the wall in such 

 a position that they cannot easily be nailed-in without breaking. 



Growing Peach Trees on Border Fence (Hor/u.*;.— Yours is rather a 

 favoured district, but we cannot give you the assurance that Peach trees will 

 be perfectly successfal, still the plan is worthy of a trial. Peaches have 

 been ripened on espaliers on a south sloping hill in Esses ; we have also 

 ripened Nectarines on a standard tree in a shrubbery. The difficulty is to 

 maintain the trees in good health. They are roasted by day and chilled at 

 night, and it is very difficult to keep aphis aud red spider from them ; and 

 worst of all the spring frosts cut off the blossoms, or dull cold days and nights 

 prevent their setting. There is no other way we can recommend except to 

 build a wall or an orchard house. 



Sowing Acacia Seeds {Amatntr).~The plants are easily raised. If you 

 have no greenhouse sow in pots in light loam and leaf soil, and place the 

 pots in a gentle hotbed in March. The seedlings will come up in two or 

 three weeks. 



Wintering Adiantum ctneatdm (Idem).— 'We have eeen it wintered in a 

 room where a fire was only kept in cold weather. The plant was well 

 attended to as to watering and beeping the fronds free from dust. The 

 potting material was composed of turfy loam and turfy peat in equal pro- 

 portions with a little sand; a few bits of charcoal added is an improvement. 



Aphis on Peach Trees {Old SuhscribcrU—Bo not use paraffin either in 

 the soil or on the trees. Hand-washing the branches with strong soft-soapy 

 water will destroy the insects effectually. 



Inarching Madhesfield Court Grape on Gros Colman (Constant 

 Bender).— If Gros Colman does not please you, train one of the other varie- 

 ties you name into its place; the variety next to the condemned sort will be 

 most convenient. Madresfield Court is not a good late-keeping Grape. 

 _ Vines in Pot Failing {X. X.).— We fancy that either the roots have teen 

 injured with too much bottom heat, or else you do not give them enough 

 water. It is not possible to say more than this from the data given in your 

 letter. Examine the roots and see what they are like. 



Exhibiting Ferns.— We inadvertently inserted the word "class," which 

 word did not occur in Mr. Shnttleworth's manuscript. 



Material for Tying Octduoe Fruit Trees (F. J.).— For temporary 

 purposes, or to secure small summer growths. Bushes or Boffea 

 admirably; but for fastening the strong eboots or branches nothing 

 BO well as tar twine. 



Transplanting Eoseb (Iihm).—You may move the Roses now or next 

 month in mild weather. Plant them next muuth if you can, and do not prune 

 for at least a month afterwards. In trantplautiug old Kose trees do not 

 cover the stems more deeply than they were before, or only a very little, so 

 that the roots will not be any deeper after the soil settles than they were 

 before removal. 



Transplanting BBiARa(rT/ro).— "Briars may be traupplantoduntUMarch, 

 bnt the earlier they are planted the better. In obtaining Briars great core 

 should be used to select stout healtbv stocks. Manv men who are paid so 

 much a piece often bring in anything they can find^ black, hide-bound, old 

 woni-ont Briars, which are probably many years older than tUemselves. You 

 had better make an agreement to pay lif. for each Briar, reserving the right 



of rejecting all that are not likely to do well. Rose cuttings which do well 

 will bloom next June, but they are generally inferior to Roses worked on the 

 Manetti." — Wyld Savage. 



Sawdust (J. M.). — It is bad as a top-dressing for pastures or meadows, as 

 it injures the Grass and is lon^ in decaying. It is best applied to heavy 

 arable land. We phonld only mix blood with it to facilitate the spreading of 

 the latter. Youatt on " Cattle," and Milburn on " The Cow," are useful 

 boobs. We do not know who publishes them ; your bookseller could ascertain. 



Poinsettia pulchekrima (E. O.). — You can obtain it and the Justicia 

 from any of the principal florists who advertise in this Journal. 



Name of Fruit {E. Barnard, Cirencister). — Blenheim Pippin. 



Names of Plants [J. Hui«ft}.— Sparmannia africana. (Subscriber). — 

 Cypripediuna barbatnm. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PIGEON OHRONIOLE. 



THE AQUARIUM POULTBY SHOW SCHEDULE, 



We welcome the new show cordially, and wish it much 

 success ; we hope it will be annual. Only those who have ex- 

 perienced it know how tedious the journey is from the London 

 stations to the Crystal Palace; and as for the Alexandra meeting, 

 we really thought we were never going to reach it. At the 

 Aquarium all this will be done away with, for by cab, 'bus, or 

 underground railway we can arrive almost at the Exhibition's 

 very doors. The Honorary Secretaries are Messrs. Cotton and 

 Custance. The latter gentleman we are unacquainted with ; 

 the former we believe was one of Mr. Howard's chief clerks, so 

 he should be thoroughly master of the work before him. The 

 Treasurers arc Messrs. Jones and Pratt, and the bank is the 

 Union Bank of England. Thus much we find on the first page ; 

 and beyond Mr. Brown, whose name ia put down as the " Super- 

 intendent of poultry," we find no other members of committee, 

 guarantors, or managers. 



We were a few weeks back at a suburban show, where we for 

 the first time heard of this proposed exhibition, and long and 

 loud then were the tales which were circulated about this pro- 

 jected Show. Since then we conclude some different arrangements 

 have been made, for we are amused to hear that those parties, 

 then so indignant, have now gone over to the other side. We 

 think the appearance of the inside pages of the schedule much 

 blemished by the border advertisements of one of the Treasurer's, 

 The programme has not that clear and defined look which Mr. 

 Howard's little pamphlet gives us. Still the classification is 

 good, and it is fully apparent that a knowing hand has been at 

 work among the breeds. The entry fee is 7s. &d. per pen. We 

 call it immense. The prizes are in most classes ±'2, i;l, and 10s., 

 and a 6s. fee would have been ample. Coming at the time of 

 year as the Show does we are sure a 6s. fee would have paid the 

 Committee much better. We cannot help quoting Oxford — we 

 consider it ^mr excellence the schedule of the day, for with a 

 03s, first prise the fee is only ^s.^ and the classification admirable. 

 Again, we do not think it fair, neither does the poultry world 

 generally, that the fee should be the same in classes where the 

 prizes are not equal — viz., Brahmas have £6 in every class 

 without the chance of a cup, while Dorkings, Cochins, Brahmas, 

 Game, itc, have only i'3 10s. for the same fee. We are glad to 

 Bee that most breeds have A'5 Ss. Selling classes. Such are most 

 useful, and afford all an opportunity of buying a good and useful 

 pair cheaply. Malays, Polish, Silkies, and Andalusians have 

 classes, and we hope to find them all well filled. Bantams 

 and Ducks are fairly classified. We can find no classes for 

 Geese or Turkeys, bo the north country antediluvians will have 

 to stop at home, aud fail to add another triumph to their list 

 of prizes. 



Next come the Pigeons, Pouters have half a score of classes, 

 with the same prizes as poultry, and 2s. each pen less in entrance 

 fees. If this is called fair we differ with such opinion greatly. 

 Class 77 is for a champion class for Carriers (cooks) of any colour 

 over one year, which have won not less than three first prizes 

 of &1 each. Then follow a dozen more Carrier classes for birds 

 of 1876 and older. Dragoons come next with a modest number 

 of classes— "we are seven" being their motto. Tumblers, 

 Barbs, and Jacobins are well cared for ; while we are glad to 

 see Fantails have three classes, the English and Scotch styles 

 being both provided for. Nuns, Trumpeters, foreign Owls, 

 Swallows, and Archangels each have a class. English Owls 

 have a champion one, and those not eligible in such a class have 

 three more to appear in. Turbits aud Autwerps have each 

 three divisions ; while, thanks to our Oxford friends we expect. 

 Magpies Black and Magpies " Red and Yellow " each have 

 classes. Then one for any other variety, a flying class, and 

 three for sale specimens, end this goodly Pigeon jne?iu. A 

 most competent staff of Judges has been selected, whose names 

 and the classes they will take in baud will be fully found on 

 page .? of the schedule. 



We note with much pleasure that the poultry classoa have 

 also each their Judges announced ; and though in many cases 

 we doubt if the division has been wise, still we welcome the 

 new plan most cordially, and would tell exhibitors that as they 

 know beforehand who will j adge the various classes, so if they 



