April 12, 1S77. 1 



JOURNAL OF HOSXICOLTUJiE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



279 



snapy water, to which has been added a little tobacco liqaor. 

 When thla pest attacks wall trees it may be destroyed in the 

 Bsme way; bnt we have also seen it effectually disposed of by 

 nailing some stout canvas to the top of the wall and allowing it 

 to hang down to the ground, famigatiug the trees underneath 

 this boreea the same as has- been recommended for trees in 

 honses. 



It is not too late in the season to plant out Strawberry plants 

 if runners can be had. When we obtain any weakly runners of 

 new sorts in the winter they are always potted singly in small 

 pots and planted out on well-prepared ground about this time 

 or later, according to the state of the weather. 



CUCUMBEBS AND MELONS. 



Cucumbers in the house are now bearing very freely. The 

 plants were raised from seeds sown about new year's day. 

 The true stock of Tender and True came first into bearing, and 

 the fruit, though large, is very freely produced. As a rule large 

 Cucumbers are not so freely produced, nor do they come in so 

 quickly as the smiiUer-fruited varieties. There is now plenty 

 of variety in the Cucumber family. The object of the raiser 

 of new varieties ought not to ba the production of mere size, 

 but varieties with solid flesh and without any neck; the fruit 

 should be of one thickness throughout. Our young plants have 

 ft teudency to produce too much leaf, and both the leaves and 

 young growths require to be well thinned out. It is of great 

 advantage to the plants when the soil has been thoroughly per- 

 meated with the roots to add some rich dressing to the surface, 

 and as this becomes filled with roots to continue adding to it. 

 Cucumbers in frames require very similar treatment to those 

 trained to trellises in the houses — thinuing-out the growths and 

 training those that remain regularly over the surface of the bed, 

 and keeping them iu their places with stout pegs. Keen winds 

 from the north and east find their way in at the open venti- 

 lators, and check the growth of the plants if the winds are not 

 stopped in their progress by some gauze or hexagon netting hung 

 over the apertures. The frames do not require much air at 

 this early season, but when the sun shines at intervals during a 

 oloudy day directly on the plants the temperature leaps up with 

 a bound, and might injure the plants if there were not sufficient 

 air on. 



Melons require much the same treatment at this season, ex- 

 cept that in the houses artificially heated the temperature may 

 be lower, and less atmospheric moisture is requisite. A high 

 temperature and much moisture in the atmosphere may predis- 

 pose the plants to disease. There are new varieties of Melons 

 annually introduced to the public through onr enterprising seed 

 firms, no doubt with the impression that they are improvements 

 on old sorts, and some of them occasionally produce good fruit 

 for a few seasons, but none of them are so generally grown in 

 the scarlet flesh section as Scarlet Gem (Turner). We have also 

 found Gilbert's Victory of Bath in the green flesh section to be 

 a standard variety. 



OKCHABD HOUSE. 



We have not applied any artificial heat to the house this 

 season. The frost has not been severe enough to do any harm 

 since the trees came into flower, and the weather has not been 

 unfavourable to the free setting of the fruit. Pears and Plums 

 are later to flower, but most of them have the blossoms fully 

 expanded, and it will be necessary to keep the atmosphere of 

 the house as dry as possible, and admit as much air by day as- 

 the weather will permit, throwing the doors open also during 

 fine days, and if the ihermometer is not likely to fall below 35' a 

 chink of air may be left on all uigbt. Much care is necessary to 

 see that the trees in pots do net suffer by want of water at the 

 roots. We destroy brown scale by hand-washing with a sponge 

 and soapy water, and if there are only a few aphides they may 

 be removed in the same way, but it will be necessary to fumi- 

 gate with tobacco when the fruit is set. 



PLANT STOVE AND OliCHID HODBES. 



We continue potting any plants that require it, warming the 

 potting material by placing it in the house near the hot-water 

 pipes for a day or so. We do not pot large flowering plants at 

 this season, but those intended to be grown into specimens are 

 now potted with advantage. Many stove plants flower freely 

 when of a small size, and even if they are intended for speci- 

 mens they may be allowed to flower, unless the object in view 

 is to grow the plants into a large size as quickly as possible, in 

 which case the flower buds ought to be picked off. When the 

 houses are small it is a mistake to grow large specimens, as 

 they do not have such a good effect as those of a smaller size. 

 Plants cannot be well grown when the house is full of overgrown 



The plants ought not to be allowed to become pot-bound, as 

 they do not flower so freely, nor are the flowers of such large 

 size from stunted plants. Amaryllises iu variety are now very 

 showy, but the treatment they require is the reverse of that 

 accorded to Encharis. The bulbs ought to be potted in small 

 pots, good turty loam with a little decayed stable maunre 

 answers admirably for them. 



We have repotted Palms large and small. Palms do not suc- 

 ceed so well iu large pots as they do in those that appear small 

 for the size of the plants, and when the pots are well filled with 

 roots the plants may be placed iu larger pots. We had some 

 plants the roots of which were so thoroughly compacted together 

 that we could not disentangle them without injuring the plants j 

 they were therefore merely left as they were, and the fresh loam 

 was forced firmly round the ball, and no doubt the roots will 

 soon ramble into it. 



Ventilation and shading require considerable attention. At- 

 mospheric moisture is kept up by evaporation from the hot-water 

 pipes and also from the damping of the walls and paths. 



Orchids.— Many species are now either in flower or throwing 

 up their flower spikes. The climate in the cool house is such 

 that anyone can visit the plant? without feeling any inconve- 

 nience from a high moist atmosphere. Those obtained from the 

 mountainous districts of New Grenada and the Andes of Peru 

 luxuriate in a temperature of .Wi at night at this season, and 

 the Odontogloesums and Masdevallias grow more freely in pots 

 wbea the sphagnum is in vigorous health on the surface. It is 

 difficult to name any season as the best for potting. We gene- 

 rally shift into larger pots when the plants start into growth, 

 and that ia usually when the flowers decay. The pots are filled 

 half full of clean potsherds, and over them some clean fresh 

 sphagnum is placed, filling up with sphagnum and fibrous peat 

 in equal proportions. A few bits of charcoal and potsherds 

 added are of much benefit to the plants. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Bedding plants are being inured to the open air as much as 

 possible by pulling off the lights and coverings whenever the 

 weather is suitable. Recently struck cuttings of Verbenas and 

 other free-growing plants, if they are not likely to be large 

 enough, can be grown-on for a week or ten days longer in heat. 



Auriculas will soon be in full beauty ; the trusses are rapidly 

 rising to bloom, and many are in flower. To preserve the bloom 

 for as long a period as possible the plants are placed in a frame 

 in a shady place, the back of the frame being turned to the 

 south. 



Carnations and Piootees in pots are still sheltered with glass 

 lights from too much cold rain. If all the plants are not potted 

 they ought to be without delay. — J. Douglas. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Charles Turner, Royal Nurseries, Slough.— GeraeraJ Spring 

 Catalogue. 



William Paul & Son, Waltham Cross, Herts.- Spring Cata- 

 logue of New Bases, Phloxes, Geraniums, dc. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

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

 Editors," or to "The Pablisher." 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 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 only. We 

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 

 Books (C. Wi>;!«en).— We know o( no larger-typed work. There is a maob 

 larger Tolume, Lludley's " Theory aad Practice ol Horticulture." (J. AndeT- 

 son).—" The British Ferus," price 3s. G<i., and Henf rey's " Introduction to 

 Botany." 



Vine Leaves (J. Q. S.).— We do not detect any disease. The leaves are 

 healthy, the drops are only moisture transpired, and what you coll " web " is 

 the natural down on the under surfaoe. 



Dendrobium cariniferum.— The specimen exhibited at the Royal Horti- 

 cnltural Society on the ith innt. was exhibited by Mr. J. Ohurchlield, gar- 

 dener to 11. Littleton, Esq., at Westwood House, West Hill, Sydenham. 



Insect in Hotbed (J. H.l.— 1( you send us specimens in a smill box by 

 post we will endeavour to identify tho insect. 



Garden Enoine {BrooI:Md).—U was the invention of a clergyman near 

 Bristol. We cannot say where it can be purchased. 



Tkees Sold not Trce to Name (Tr<-nt Tree-planting).— Yoa will do a 

 service to the public by suoing the vendor in the County Court. 



Adeicolas if. E. O.).—" Florists' Flowers," published at our office. You 

 can have it free by post if you enclose six postage stamps. 



STRiwuEBRY (Market Gardener).— There are too many varieties lor ns to 

 be able to name yours from tho flowers only. Scud ripe fruit. 



Plants Injosed Dohinq Conveyance (O. C. E.).— Your remedy is against 

 the carrier, unless you can show the plants were inaafflcieutly packed. 



MiNCEE FOR Potatoes (A New Sui)»cri/if r).— As you canBOt obtain stable 

 manure, and as we neither know your soil nor locality, wo cannot advise yoo. 

 Decayed leaves or other vegetable rubbish, such as the bottom of a wood 

 stack, are suitable for any soil. 



