JUicli 1, l8?7. ] 



jaUit.NAL, Ui' HOa'flGULTUaa ANL) G'JITaGK GAKUEisfEB. 



163 



plants too long in pots, but at this season they ought to be 

 fairly well established before planting them out. The best soil 

 for Melons is good clayey loam, added toone-eixthpart of decayed 

 stable manure, and this ought to be trodden into the bed mcde- 

 rate'y firm. 



We have planted out the Cucumber plants raised from seeds 

 early in the year ; they require rather more manure in tho poil 

 than Melons, and the temperature of the house ought to be 70*^ 

 at niL'ht : while 65^ is a more healthy state of the atmosphere 

 for Melons. With the temperature of 70° a considerable amount 

 of atmospheric moisture is necessary ; but we have fonud that 

 this may be overdone. In, our house there are two evaporating 

 troughs c-ist on the -1-inch pipe", and these two would throw off 

 six gallons of water iu twenty-four hours. This was too much, 

 ae the plants never continued long in health when both troughb 

 were kept full of water. When only one trough is used the 

 health of the plants is quite satisfactory. In au early Muscat 

 house it was fcuud that a large quantity of water evaporated 

 from troughs over the pipes was injurious. 



TEACH HOUSES. 



The trees in the late houses will now be in (lower, and with 

 a night temperature of from ia" to 6U" the fruit will set very 

 freely. The trees may be gently shaken twice a-day to disperse 

 the pollen. In the early houses disbudding ought to be attended 

 to in time, as the trees are certain to suffer when too much growth 

 is removed at one time. The fruit may also be thinned-out in its 

 early stages, allowing a small proportion to remain until stoning 

 commences. It is needless to reiterate instructions about allow- 

 ing only sufficient young wood to remain for next season's crop ; 

 this and instructions as to wataring and destroying insect pests 

 may be found in recent numbers. 



GREENHOUSE .\ND CONSERVATORY. 



During roagh weather the owners of largegardens ought to find 

 much enjoyment in their houses at this season, and a very small 

 forcing house, with the aid of those flowers that are in naturally, 

 will servo to keep a good-sized house gay all through the season. 

 Camellias are adapted for the largest conservatory or for the 

 greenhouse of the humble amateur, and they need no forcing. 

 Cinerarias and Cyclamens supply cut flowers in abundance from 

 Christmas until April or later with only sufficient heat to keep 

 the frost from them. A few pots of Mignonette may be grown 

 in any cold pits or frames, and be removed to the greenhouse 

 when tho flowers commence opening. The plants should have 

 a sunny position, and he as close to the glass as possible. 



Cuttings of tree Carnations have been put in in a house where 

 the temperature is about 05' at night, and with a bottom heat 

 of So' they soon emit roots. It is not necessary so early in 

 the year to shade them from the sun, but some loose squares of 

 glass laid over them cause the moisture to be retained about 

 the cuttings. The glass may rest upon the tops of the labels, or 

 in some other convenient way. Iu selecting cuttiugs we avoid 

 the large pithy growths, and select only the small side shools. 

 They strike well in a compost of equal parts of loam, leaf soil, 

 and river sand. When the cuttings are rooted the pots ought to 

 be taken out of the bottom heat and be removed to a cooler 

 place, potting off the plants about two weeks after. 



A numher of small specimens of hardwooded greenhouse 

 plants, comprising Capo Heaths, Epacris, Geuetyllis, Aphelexis, 

 Boronias, Phccnocoma prolifera, and other plants of this descrip- 

 tion that were repotted in August last year have now filled 

 their pots with roots, and will be repotted at once. Heaths and 

 Epacris succeed best in good turfy peat, with a little silver sand 

 added if necessary. Most other Cape and New Holland plants 

 are the better with a little turfy loam added to the peat. We 

 are careful to use clean pots and to drain them well, placing 

 some of the most fibrous portion of the peat over the pot- 

 sherds. Potting ought to be done in a careful manner. It is 

 no use trying to do such work in a hurry. Many of the speci- 

 mens will have roots that are thoroughly matted round the 

 ball ; with a pointed sticK these should be disentangled, and 

 Bpace be left between the baU and sides of the pot wide enough 

 to allow the fingers to be thrust down ; a rammer made of deal 

 ought also to be at hand, as the compost ought to be pressed 

 down rather firmly, liach plant should also be rather moist at 

 the roots before potting it, and must not be watered at the roots 

 for four or six days after repotting. All such plants require 

 plenty of ventilation, but it will be better to keep the house 

 rather close, and shelter from cutting winds until fresh roots 

 are formed. They will very soon lay hold of the fresh material. 



We have propagated all the Chrysanthemums that we require, 

 and shall be glad to wheel all the old stools out to the rubbish 

 heap. Plants intended for specimens have been potted into 

 4-inch, and when these are well filled with roots the plants will 

 be transferred to 7-inch pots. Chrysanthemums are hardy, 

 easily-grown plants, but to have them in perfection they must 

 be putted in rich material. The plants must not become root- 

 bound before they are shifted into the flowering pots. There 

 are always a number of cuttings that fail to do well, and it is 

 not safe to turn out the old stools before all the oattinga have 

 started into healthy growth. 



Cuttings of Phloxes were also put in ; one cutting in the centre 

 of a small pot. They soon strike roots, and when well estab- 

 lished they are potted in 5 and 6-inch pots in rich loam, and are 

 very useful for furnishing the greenhouse during August and 

 September. — J. Douglas. 



TEADE CATALOGDES KECEIVED. 



EobertParker,Exotic Nursery, Tor'trng.— Catalogue of Hardy 

 Alpine, Hcrbaceons. and Aquatic Plants, Fruit Trees, d-c. 



W»lter Ford, Pamber, Basingstoke. — Catalogue of English 

 and Amrrican Seed Potatoes, and General List of Garden and 

 Farm Seeds. 



H. Cannell, Swanley Nurseries, Kent.— Ilhistraied Floral 

 Guide and General Catalogue of Plants and Seeds. 



Abbott Brothers, Fairlawn, Southall, London. — Catalogue of 

 Hives and Bee Furniture. 



W. B. Kowe, 65, Broad Street, Worcester.— GemeraJ Heed 

 Catalogue. 



William Parham, 280, Oxford Street, Loudon,— Trai^c List of 

 Glass Structures. 



William Clibran & Son, Oldfield Nursery, Altrincham,Che8hire. 

 — General Catalogue of Plants and Seeds. 



Btunning & Co., No. 3, Regent Street, Great Yarmouth.— 7K«3- 

 trated Descriptire Catalogue of Seeds, die. 



Webb & Sons, Wordsley, Sloucbiiige.— Catalogue of Far'm 

 Seeds. 



James Backhouse & Son, Yotk.—Cataloguc of Aljiine Plants 

 and Hard;/ Perennials. 



Ewing & Co., Royal Norfolk Nurseries, Eaton, Norwich. — List 

 of Nero Enqlish and French Boses. 



George Yates, 29, Little Underbank, ?itock-poxt.— Descriptive 

 Catalogue of Choice Vegetable and Flower Seeds, Gladioli, £c. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*,* All correspondenoe 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, aa doing bo Bubjeota them to un- 

 justifiable trouble and expense. 



Royal noKTicDLTORAL Society's Guinea Fellows (C. J.).— For a sub- 

 scnptiou of one giline.a to the Koynl Hnrticalturat Society you can become a 

 member and iiave the privileges of a Follow of attending a.l meetioga and 

 ahoivs of the Society. Tlie only privilege you cannot enjoy is that of voting 

 at public meetings, and as you live in the country it ia one wbich jou nro- 

 balily care very little about. 



Violets in Fr.imes Eughted (.1/. H.).— We think the leaves are infested 

 with aphis, l.)r which fumigate with tobacco : or they may be attacked by 

 miliJsw, which may be destroyed by flowers of sulphur, applying through a 

 muslin bag to the under as well as upper .surtrcea of the leaves. Never have 

 we kuown Violets do so well in frames as this winter. They are planted out, 

 ;.)at yours are in pots, which may account for the difference. Czar is not 

 nearly so good as Victoria Regina; tor one flower of Czar wo have lialt a 

 dozen in a similar space of Victoria Begina, and these larger and better 

 formed. 



Seedling Roses [Peaccfieli'.—Toke the "hops" and break them to 

 pieces with the Ungera, and sow the seeds at once in pots well drained and 

 flUcd to within an inch of the rim with a compost cl turfy loam and one- 

 third leaf soil or well-decoyed manore. Having made the soil rather firm 

 and levelled the surface, scatter tho Eeeds evenly and cover half an inch deep 

 with fine soil. The pots must then be plunged to the rim in an open warm 

 situation outdoors, watering them in dry weather. In April or May the 

 young plants may appear, though not untrequentlj the seeillinKs do not ap- 

 pear until a year after sowing. When three or four leaves (not calculating 

 the seed leaves) have formed gently raise the seedlings with a long uarrow- 

 bladed Iinife, and then pot in 3-inch pots and place in a cold frame, shading 

 and keeping rather close for a few days. When established in the pots, aa 

 they will be in about a month, plant them out a foot apart in rich soil in an 

 open situation. 'Ihey will grow freely; some of them by the end of August 

 or early September will have made shoots long enough for budding. Two 

 or three stocks may be budded with each. Those will make strong shoot.i 

 the following year and flower the season following, but ought not to bo pruned, 

 or very slightly. ^Vuy not having shoota strong enough to take buds fiom 

 should be cut down to two eyes, and they will give shoots from which buds 

 may be taken ne.\t year. Many would flower on their own roots in the third 

 year, but the best varieties are rather shy bloomers on their own roots. 



Seedlino Beiaes (Iii^m).— Take up the plants (which appear this spring) 

 from the seed bod in autumn and plant them oat in rows a loot apart and 

 9 inches asunder in the rows, omittiufj every third row. Keep off all side 

 shoots, disbudding to one shoot. They should have rich soil. The seedlings 

 coming up in the second year may bo treated as before stated for those ap- 

 pearing in the first. 



Plants kroji Seed for Beddino (JF. H. H.).— Calceolarias for bedding, 

 if you mean shrubby kinds, should have been sown in early August; but the 

 herbaceous varieties may be sown now in gentle heat, and will flower in 

 August, but they are not good " bedding plants." Lobeliafi, Petunias, 

 Ageratuma, Pentstemons, Pyrethrums, and Cerastiums sow early in March 

 in a hotbed, pricking off the seedlings in pans or boxes when large enough 

 to handle, returning to the hotbed or to gentle heat, though they will do in a 

 cold frame if it bo kept close and shaded from sun, but gentle heat is pre- 

 ferable, removing the plants to a cold frame after becoming well established, 

 hardening-off before planting out in May. Pcrilla may be sown early in 

 April in a cold frame or slight hotbed, and Portnlacca at the same time iu 

 gentle heat. The Perilla to bo pricked t'fl when the L^econd leaves oppcar, 



