JOURNAL OF HORTIGULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ February 1, 1877. 



worth while not only to do the work well but also to see that the 

 Tight material is used. Many gardeners have not a comaiand of 

 acres of turfy loam to eelect from, and but few can procure suit- 

 able peat from their own estates. To grow hardwooded stove 

 plants well turfy peat and loam are absolutely necessary ; in- 

 deed, it is a question whether many species that have been 

 grown in peat and loam would not be better if only turfy peat 

 was used. Gardenias, Ixoras, Dipladeuias, &c., do well in peat, 

 and when this is of a tough tibrous nature and the pots are of a 

 large size the plants will last in good condition for several years 

 without repotting. The turf should be cut about 2 inches deep, 

 «nd after it has been stacked about six months it is ready for 

 «se. It ought to be torn in pieces by hand, and not chopped up 

 as is sometimes done. Those who go to the expense of pnr- 

 ohasing plants will find it true economy to purchase suitable 

 -Boil to grow them in. 



Anthurium Scherzerianum is now a widely cultivated plant, 

 and is one of the easiest to manage. It succeeds best in very 

 fibrous peat. The pots should be filled to half of their depth 

 with clean broken pot'^herds, a layer of clean sphagnum should 

 he placed over the drainage, and some sphagnum and potsherds 

 ought to be mixed with the pf at used in potting. Plauta which 

 Are in an unhealthy btate must be examined, and if the soil has 

 ■become sour from any cause it is better to remove the whole of 

 it and to repot in the same or even smaller pots than the plants 

 "were in previously. 



Orchids in many instances are starting into growth, but it 

 does not follow that because they are making their growths 

 that root-action has commenced. Any plants which have com- 

 menced making roots should be transferred to fresh material if 

 this is necessary, but when the plants are doing well it is often 

 the best policy to leave theaa alone. There is always more 

 ■danger from over-potting than from under-potting. Those who 

 have not the advantage of a show house for plants iu flower will 

 have to be careful not to saturate the atmosphere of the stove 

 with moisture; a compromise must be made between growing 

 plant'i and those in flower. Such fine Orchids as Phalsenopsis 

 grani-hflora and P. amabilis are easily disfigured by the flowers 

 becoming spotted from a damp atmosphere or water from the 

 syringe.— J. Douglas. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



James Carter & Co., 237 and 23S, High Holborn, London. — 

 Select List of Vegetable and Floiver Seeds. 



"Wm. Paul & Son, Waltham Cross, London, N. — Catalogue of 

 Vegptable, Flower, and Agricultural Seeds. 



William Bull, King's Koad, Chelsea. — Retail List of Select 

 Flower^ Vegetable, and Agricultural Seeds. 



Felton & Sons, 50, Harburne Eoad, Birmingham. — Seed Cata- 

 logue. 



Little & Ballantyne, Carlisle. — Spring Seed List. 



Drnmmond Brothers, 52, George Street, Edinburgh. — Cata- 

 logue of Hoses, Liliums, Gladioli, and Garden Seeds. 



Charles Lee & Son, Royal Vineyard Nursery, Hammersmith. 

 — Catalogues of Moses, Fruit Trees, Ornamental Shrubs, Hoots, 

 JSeeds^ Ac. 



W. & T. Sampson & Co., The Nurseries, Kilmarnock. — Spring 

 Catalogue of Seeds, Plants, and Implements. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



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

 Editors," or to " The Publisher." Letters addressed 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 bo subjects them to an- 

 juBtififtble trouble and expense. 



CorreBpondents 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 only. We 

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 



Books {A Regular lifader].— Oar " Garden Manoal" contains all that yoa 

 name. Yoa can have it poet free if you encloBe twenty postage Btamps with 

 jour full address. 



Hyacinths IN Pots {J. E.). — The failure wan probably occasioned by your 

 baviug planted the bulbs too deep. They should have their necks just above 

 the surface. 



Wages (Coiittant Rftider). — There are too many facts needed to ba known 

 to us before we could give an opinion. 



Oknamental-fouaoed Plants (A'. Y. Z.). — We ehould not consider 

 Araucaria excalsa entitled to be exhibited among them ; but Bome judges have 

 admitted it. 



Caw 



Rendle's Tank System (J. C. B.).— We do not know any maker of the 

 apparatus; many houses are glazed without putty. 



Science and Art Depaetsient {J. N. Bateman). — We cannot state nor 

 obtain the information you ask for. 



Climbing Roses {Ladu T. and Others).— "We have forwarded your letters 

 to "A Paeson's Gakdenee," who has informed us that ho will reply to 

 them next week. 



CcoDMBER Plants (A CoTistant Reader). — We presume your frame has 

 four linhts— put out uue plant in the centre of the bed under each light* 

 Four plants will be ample. 



Vine in Greenhoose (Idem). — The Vine should not be started with addi- 

 tional fire heat. It will commence {^rowing naturally ia March or early in 

 April, and will grow and ripen its fruit without other heat than that accorded 

 tuo plants. To start the Vioe early and grow it with much fire heat would 

 ruin the plants. There ia no necessity to cover the border with fermentinf? 

 materials ; a top-dressing of rich compost is all that is required. 



Ten-week Stocks in Pots {Idem).— It will not answer to take the plants 

 up from the open ground when advanced for flowerioj^, but you may t;iva 

 them their blooming pots (havinsj them well e^t iblinhed in "imall pots) when 

 you pUnt out your other plants in the opeti ground. The potted plants 



should be plunged i 

 liquid manure. 



Propagating Ma 

 with soil lay it upon 

 iu time grow. The 

 also be increased by 



Cinerahias "Bli 



the 





1 ashes, watering 

 {E.S) 



Aly with weak 



E'^T'^^ 



Inatead of covering the frond 

 upon til') surface ol tUe s^il, aud the spores will be shed and 

 The soil should ba k6t)t moist and shaded. The plant may 

 ed by dividing it when pitting in March. 

 "Blind" 'H. C. P.).— We are unaware of any cause ff 

 uing " blmd," and we think your plants will expand the 

 flowers in due time provided the plants are healthy. Cinerarias often remai 

 a considerable time iu the bud state at this tims of the year. Have patience, 

 and we think that you will be eventually rewarded. 

 Sdpporting Hyacinths (A. D.). — Any floriat could supply you with wire 

 supports fur Hyacinths in glasses. A wire may 

 bent so as to be attached outside the glass. I 

 pots the Rccompanyiog woodcut shows a mode o( 

 support. The bulbs should be planted in the borders 

 after flowering and without injuring the roots, hut 

 they will not flower well next year. 



Inarching Vines {A. B, P.).— We fancy Gros Col- 

 man would not be a good ttock to work upon. The 

 beat sort to work on it would be Black Hamburgh. 

 Work Royal Muscadine on Early Smyrna. These 

 (Black Hamburgh and Royal Muscadine), are the best 

 two Grapes for a cool greenhouse. 



Roses and Camellias (HiiU).— As your Rose bushes 



have been planted we advise you to mulch the 



surface of the ground with manure. Syringe the 



leaves frequently with clear water in dry weather, and 



keep free from insect pests. Frequent syringing ia 



the only way to keep Roaes iu health. Any sorts 



will stand the winter, but those varieties which open well under 



only to be planted-out, as the flowers of others will not open 



freely out of doors. 



Pea for Exhibition (A Young Gardirner).— Veitch's Perfection. 



Flowers for BongoETS in Augdst (Wejui.— Stephanotia floiibunda, 



Eucharis amazonica, dlontoglossum crispum, Statice profusa, Dendrobium 



furmosum, and choice Roses in bud. 



Six Roses for Exhibition {Idem). — Charles Lefebvre, La France, Marie 

 Baumann, Princess Beatrice, Alfred Uolomb, and Marecbal Niel. 



House foe Vines and Peaches (A Lover of Fruit). — A house 15 feet 

 wide by 25 in length will produce one hundred bunches of Grapes. We prefer 

 straight to curved rafters. One Peach or Nectarine to 9 square inches of sur- 

 face is an average crop. Plant the trees in an inside border; but the borders 

 ought to be both outside and inside. 



Figs in Sp4N-roofed House ( ir. R. A.).— You will be the most enccess- 

 f Ql if you plaut the trees out. There will be a border 3 feet 3 inches wide on 

 each side of the path, aud if you for m a border 1 foot below the ground line it 

 will allow you to put in a foot of rubble, aud to All up with cumpost to the 

 top of the front wall, 2 feet. Plant one row of Fig trees down the centre. Toa 

 can plant five trees on each S'de— viz., three Brown Turkey, twoGrosse Verte, 

 jwo Boorjasotte Grise, two White Marseilles, and one Singleton. 



Zonal Pelargoniums for Exhibition {A Constant Reader).— The &ne%t 

 specimens we ever saw exhibited were grown iu the following manner : — They 

 were planted out as ordinary bedding plants iu May or June, and allowed 

 plenty of space to form good fpecimeus during summer and autumn. The 

 plants were potted into 7-inch pots before they received any injury from 

 frost; they were wintered in a light house, and repotted into their blooming 

 pots (SHnches in diameterl about March or April; growth then progressed 

 rapidly, and as they grew the shoots were tied into position, aud when the 

 pots were quite filled with roots diluted manure water was freely applied. 

 They may be had in good order about the middle of June. As your show is 

 in August, it would be neces-<ary to pick off all fljwer trusses that appeared 

 until the end of May or the first week In June. 



Heatino Lean-to Vinery {J. Ctapman).— Two small stoves would be 

 better for your purpose than one large one, as the heat would then bo more 

 regularly distributed throughout the house. We cannot say whether burning 

 paraflin in stoves without flues would be injurious to the tender yoang shoots 

 of the Vines or not. We have seen such uwed in rooms, and have not felt any 

 inconvenience from them. Try one stova first, and then add an<jther if that 

 is not BUfticieut. Wo would rather have a brick flue, ii.s being more safe ; but 

 there is no reason why you st ould uot try stoves. The Grapes would be ripe 

 by the middle of July if the Vines are started at once. 



YiHBs IN Pots (T. Aiayburyt.— Surface-dress the pots with loam and 

 deci^yed manure iu equal parts, and when the roots work into the dressing 

 water occasionally with weak guano water. 



Black on Fern {J. Westropp). — It is a parasitic fungus. Sponge the 

 fronds with a mixture of soft soap and water. 



Names of Fkuits (./. P.). — Hubbard's Pearmain. (Slruan Robertson). — 

 Reinette Diel. (Grcafrexl.— I, Court of Wick; 2, Ord's ; 3, Mar«il. {Col. 

 tiimpson).—!. Cox's Oraoga Pippin; 2, We cannot identify. (FK. W.). — 

 Apples: 1, Winter Quoining ; 2, Winter Greening; 3, Not known. Pear: 

 Leopold the First. 

 Names of Pjuant3(G. 0. S.).— Libonia floribuuda. 



