March 15. 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTlCaiiTURE AND OOrrAGEJ GARDENER. 



201 



Books (C. F. La ?«&).— Loudon's " Encyclopredia of Agricultoie." 



PAEArrra Oil (Juvenik).-^Tvio wine glasses fall ot paraffia added to 

 three gallons of water would not injure Oraut'e trees at any time. 



STBAW3ERBIES (A*. 5'. Z.). — Vicomtesse Hericart de Thuiy,! Keens' Seed- 

 ling, President, Sir Joseph Fasten, and Dr. Hog^. 



BosE.— Could the name of the Roae asked for by Mr. Luckhurst ho Piorre 

 de St. Cyr? I think he does not name the colour, but surely Gloire de Dijon 

 is too well known to be so asked for. — C. R. 



FoBciKG Spib.eas (Essex). — We can best aid you by stating our practice. 

 In the open ground we have beds 4 feet wide with four rows of plants in 

 & bed, and plautei 1 foot apart. We plant in March, dividing the old plants, 

 secoring at least one good crown, and it may be some smaller crowns to 

 each division, and a fair amount of roots. They are planted so that the 

 crowns are just c overed with soil, which i8 light and rich, giving a mulching 

 over the beds abjut an inch thick of short manure. Tha situation is open. 

 In autumn after the leaves fall the plants are lifted and potted in 7 ioch pots, 

 and buried in ashes in a sheltered spot, and we introduce them as required to 

 any heated house, such as a vinery started at the beginning of January. 

 These plants flower in March, others being introduced at fortnightly intervals 

 until ApriL They are very eauily forced in a temperature of 50" to 55^, better 

 if a few degrees lower to commence with. After they are in good foliage 

 watering requires to be copious, liquid manure being given at every alternate 

 watering. One half the plants only are taken up the first year, but remain to 

 give ns our outdoor bloom ; and in the autumn, the leaves having dropped, 

 they are taken up and potted into 9-inch pots, so that we have plants in 

 7-inch pots a year old, and others in 9-inch two years old. The latter are 

 best, but they take up more room. The old plants are kept in a cold house 

 or pit after flowering, not allowing them to sufif^r from want of water. In 

 June those in 7-iach pots are turned out with the ball entire in rows a foot 

 apart, and that distance between the plants ; but thoBS from 9-inch pots are 

 cut in two, and if the halves have mauy crowns theyai-e also cut in twain and 

 similarly planted. They are well watered during dry weather, end usually 

 commence flowering in the autumn, especially those which had not been 

 divided. They are allowed to grow a year clear without being again forced. 

 The cause of the leaves of your plants turning brown at the edges is no doubt 

 due to the house having been fumigated. We always remove the plants from 

 the house before fumigating, a« no plants are so susceptible of injury from 

 tobacco smoke as are these, or the injury may have arisen from want of water. 



Vegetables, Ac, for Swampy Ground {E. i?ij7fi^>H}.— If water floods 

 in the winter no vegetable crop would succeed; otherwiBO from the moist 

 sandy nature of the soil it would admirably suit Asparagus, Seakale, Rhu- 

 barb, Parsnips, and Celery. Plants most likely to thrive are Acorusgrami lea 

 variegata, Epilobium hirsutum, Lysimachia thyrsifiora, Lythrum ro&eum 

 superbnm, Caltha palustris flore-pleno, Carci paniculate, C. penduia, and 

 Menyanthea trifoliata. 



Drtvisg Worms out of Pots (L. Af.).— Place 1 lb. of quicklime in a tub, 

 pour over it three gallons of water, stir well, and let it stand forty-eight hours, 

 then pour off the clear hquid into a watering pot. With a lump of rather 

 stiff clay stop the holes in the pots, and satmate the soil for an hour. The 

 lime water should rest on the soil, or it will U'-»t be effectuaK The worms will 

 either come to the surface or perish. Remove the clay fi'om the drainage 

 holes, and allow the lime water to pass off ajjain. Repot the plants after- 

 wards at the earliest opportunity. Soot water will not injure the Ferns nor 

 destroy worms. 



Pruning and Potting Bedding Geraniums (t7. A. A'.).— Cut the plants 

 down DOW, but do not do it too closely, leiving a few eyes of last yeai-'s wood. 

 When they are breaking freely, having shoots about an inch long, turn the 

 plants out of the pots, removing most of the old soil, and repot in the same 

 or slightly largar pots, watering carefully until the plants are in free growth. 

 The cuttings turn black because you keep the surface of the soil to < wet, or 

 they may have been braised with the dibble in closing the soil about them. 

 Tricolors require to be kept rather dry. We prefer inserting the cuttings in 

 Bmall pots sujgly, but they answer well if placed thinly around the sides of 

 »pot. 



Tropxolum speciosdm (N. C). — Shift your plant into a size larger pot 

 and keep in a cool house until the middle of April or early in May, when 

 plant out where required. 



Cultube of Eouvardias (/rft'Hi).— Take cuttings in April, strike thom in 

 gentle heat, pot-off when rooted, and grow in frames. They may be placed 

 outdoors in summer, housing them at the end of September. The old plants 

 miy be cut-in and potted after they have commenced growing, but they are 

 not nearly so good as young plants. 



Stopping Bedding Calceolarias— Zonal Pelargoniums for Winter 

 Plcwehing [Idem). — Stop the Calceolarias to two joints and plant them out 

 9 inches apart if the soil be poor, or 12 inches if rich. The cuttings of Gera- 

 niums should now be potted-off singly in small pots, aud when they become 

 established stopped, or if in pots stop them at once. Shift into 6-inch pots 

 when they have made shoots an inch long after stopping, and stop aj^ain early 

 in June. They should have after this a position outdoors upon ashes in a 

 sheltered situation, and bo placed in the blooming pots {8 or 9 inches) about 

 the middle of July, the plants having been stopped abaut a week previously. 

 In late August and early September weak liquid manure should be given twice 

 »*week; the plants should ba placed under glass about the middle of Sep- 

 tember. To flower during the winter they require a temperature of 45= to 

 50^ and abandonee of light and air. 



PoMPONE Rose (E. E., Witts).~-yfnte to Messrs. Curtis & Co., Bosery, 

 Torquay, Devon. 



CccuiiBERs IN Small House (R. C). — You ought to have sufficient heat 

 from the floe, both for bottom and top heat ; and as you do not say whether 

 there has been any difficulty in getting up the heat, we can only conjecture 

 as to the cause. It is very likely that the fl'tos under the bed became too 

 hot. It requireii very little heat from a flue or hot-water pipes to heat a 

 border when the heat i^ confined. In your case it is not confined, as the 

 pigeon-holes allow part to escape to the hoaee. Our own way is to place a 

 good depth of brickbats over the pipes for bottom heat. The internal atmo- 

 sphere ia heated separately from the other. We advise you to do this, and 

 also to bring t bo flue into the aide of the path; the one return flue, if the 

 heat is confined, will be quite euthcient for bottom heat. 



Failure of Crop in Visert (B. F. .V.).— Ab your border is inside only 

 perhaps It wants water. Cjuld you not have the valve altered so tfeat the 

 boat would not pass through it ? Vinea must have a season of rest. A heavy 

 crop last year would ia itself account for a partial failu'-e this. 



Roses Dajipinq (J. T. M.). — New manure under the stage would certainly 

 cause more moisture, which would naturally increase tho evil. A dry boat ia 

 what you require, but if you cannot have this place the plants near the glass, 

 and admit plenty of air on all favourable occasions. If you can put in a 

 stove it will do good. Flowers of sulphur on hot plates will kill every green 

 leaf. Keep the soil in the pots moderately moist. 



Green Fly on Sibawberry Plants (A Constant Reader), — They are 

 frequently attacked. Fumigate with tobacco smoke. 



Forcing Vines in Pots (Z,(j:).— One flow and return S-inch pipe will be 

 quite suthcieut for bottom heat. No evaporating troughs are required on the 

 pipes for bottom heat. Sis 'J-feet lengths of 4-inch pipes should be fitted 

 with troughs. As to what is the cheapest and best way to adopt, we always 

 trust to a respectable builder, and it comes cheapest in the end. 



Carbolic Acid {H. F. F.). — As your walks have wooden edgings the carbolic 

 acid one part mixed with one hundred parts of water will not injure the 

 flowers neai- the edge of the beds. 



White Trumpet Lily (E. G. iJ.).— This is probably Lilium lougiflorum 

 snaveolens. A portrait and description is in the "Botanical Register," 

 vii., 560. It is a native of Japan. A list of the Liliums is in all the 

 botanical dictionaries. 



Pbondnoiation (D(7^a).— There is no work devoted to tho subject. AU 

 botanical dictionaries have the names accented. 



Variegated Brussels Sprouts {W. B. B.).— The specimen sent is the 

 whitest we have ever sden, neither the head nor the side sprouts containing 

 more than a tinge of green. For culinary purposes we should not regard it 

 as being suitable, and for decoration much will depend on its hardiness aud 

 free growth. If healthy it would be conspicuous in shrubbery borders. The 

 plant sent appears to be in good health, but perhaps it has bsen " selected." 

 Give it a further trial in order to prove its constancy and hardiness. , 



Climber for Verandah (IK. P., Edge Hill).—\\'e should plant the Crim- 

 son Boursault Rise Amadis on One side, and Madame d'Arblay (hybrid 

 climber) on the other, and allow them to intermix. They might not cover 

 the verandah the first year, but would do so quickly. Or you may sow 

 Tropaolum canarieuse and tall Nasturtiums, which would answer until de- 

 stroyed by frost. 



Winter-flowering Carnations {Wild Rose). — You do not say what 

 varieties are grown, but we presume the Tree Carnations. Young plants are 

 much preferable to old. They should be struck in gentle heat early in March. 

 After rooting they should ba potted-off singly in 4-inch pots, and kept rather 

 close uutil established, when they should be gradually hardened-off in a cold 

 frame, tho points of the cuttings being pinched out. After danger from frost 

 has passed the plants should be placed outdoors on ashes in an open yet 

 sheltered situation. All they require during summer is shifting into larger 

 pots, stopping the shoots, but not later thau the beginning of July, and duly 

 attending to with water, staking, tic , housing attheclose of September; 6and 

 7-iDcb pots are quite largo enough for plants the first year. The temperature, 

 if they are to flower during the winter with certainty, should not be less than 

 60=' from fire heat, affording plenty of light and air and a rise from sun heat 

 of 10^^ to 15- or more in bright mild weather. We prefer to have a few plauts 

 in 9-inch pots which are grown-on the second year the same as the first, but 

 not allowing them to bloom, stopping them until April and not afterwardf^, 

 regulating the shoots as they grow during the summer. They are partially 

 disrooted in spring, given the same pots, and shitted into the blooming pots 

 in June. They will bloom in late summer or autuuiu, and continue through 

 the winter. The best of the Tree Carnations are Princess Christian, Mis3 

 Joliffe, La Belle, Princess Beatrice, Zouave, Queen of the Belgians, Marchio- 

 ness of Westminster, Annie Williams, Empress of Germany, Monsieur Baldwin, 

 Le Grenadier, and Souvenir de laMalmaiaon. Piootees: Ascot Yellow, Prince 

 of Orange, aud Grandis. 



AcHiMENES Cultuee (P. F. S.).— When the plants have grown about an 

 inch above the soil, or between that and 2 inches, they should ba lifted care- 

 fully, preserving the roots to each, and ba planted in pans, commencing at 

 the sides, plar^ing them 2 or 3 inches apart ; the tallest plants should be 

 placed in the centre. The pans we use are 8 inches in depth and 15 inches 

 in diimeter. We drain them about 1^ inch deep and place an inch of the 

 roughest of the compost over the drainage. The plants are inserted about an 

 inch deeper than they were before, and we have the soil next the rims of the 

 pans about half an inch below them, and rising slightly to the centre. The 

 plants are grown near the glass in a house or pit having a temperature 

 of 65- to G0= at night, and 70 to 75"^ by day, with a rise from sun heat to 80-, 

 admitting air freely aud mdintaioing a moist atmosphere. We top-dress the 

 pans when the plants are a few inches high with rich compost just before 

 staking, old cow dung or well-decayed manure and turfy loam in equal parls 

 answering well. The compost used consists of equal parts of light turfy 

 loam, 8andy peat, and leaf soil, with a half part of old cow dung or well- 

 decayed manure and silver sand, thoroughly mixed but not sifted. Water is 

 applied carefully, not allowing the plants to become very dry before giving a 

 supply, nor making sodden by too frequent applications. Some growers stop 

 the plants when 3 or 4 inches high, but instead we put in light green states at 

 that time, and eudeavour to form the plants by the disposition of the stakes 

 into a half ball, regulating as th3 growth proceeds, and as they branch from 

 the bottom ample shoots are had for filling in vacant space. Liquid manure 

 ia given at every alternate watering after the plants are growing freely. 

 When in flower tbey are the better of slight shade and a lower temperature. 

 There are few fiaer objects than a well-trained and bloomed pan of these 

 plants. 



Hardy Annuals for Cdt Flowers {John Jo«, Sottft-Hti.— The liaat six 

 hardy annuals for cutting are Sweet Peas Invincible (striped), *Scarlet Invin- 

 cible, 'Centaurea Cyanus major, CbrysaDthomum carinatum Dannettu flore- 

 p'.ono. Sweet Sultan (purple), +Re6eda odorata var. Queen Victoria, and King 

 of Tuiu Thumb Scarlet Nasturtium. Having no heat no hardy biennials, 

 unleps you procure plants, will fl>wer this year. Six are-Campanula media 

 calycanthoma, Delphinium nudicaule. *D. grandiflorum cpelostinum, ■'Dian- 

 thuB chioensisHeddowigiiilaciniatuB flore-pleno, ■* Scabious double dwarf, and 

 Sweet William, Auricula-eyed ( Bragg's). The best six out of the two sections 

 are distinguished by asteriskfl. . ■ /^u- # //-. 



Peas for Exhibition {Idem).— In addition to Commander- in- Chief (Car- 

 ter's), Bupplanter (Laxton) is good, having fine pods. 



WIREW0RM3 IN ViNE BORDER (E. P., Leief»ter).—li you are certain that 

 wireworms greatly abound in the soil we advise you to remove it as soon as 

 po3:iib!e. If you only suspect their presence, or if there are only a few of 

 them in the eoU, they will not do aerious injury, and you might trap them by 

 buryicg Potatoes and Carrots, esamiuing them periodically. The best traps 



