338 



journaij of horticulture and cottage gabdenbr. 



magnifies, rubra, and Bothwelliaua. E. obbata is a fine and dis- 

 tiDct Borfc, 80 also is E. CandoUeana; and of a different type but 

 equally desirable is E. Masaoni and the major variety of it. 



Camellias have been removed from the greenhouse to a house 

 where they receive a good syringing twice daily and a close, 

 moist, and warm atmosphere. This is intended to mature the 

 wood early, eo as to obtain an early bloom. By placing the 

 plants in heat at different times last year we were able this 

 season to obtain blooms from about Christmas until now. At 

 present we have blooms of the double white and red varieties in 

 plenty. The plants will be repotted when the buds are set. 

 Much has been written about potting the Camellia in pure 

 turfy loam, but it answers better to add to it a good proportion 

 of turfy peat. The pots are well drained, and it is necessary 

 to be careful with the numerous white brittle young rootlets 

 which are always present in healthy plants. When in growth 

 Camellias require considerable supplies of water at the roots. 



No greenhouse ought to be without forced Hoses at this season, 

 as it requires but Uttle heat to have them in bloom early in 

 May. A specimen of Mar^chal Niel planted out in a border of 

 good loam and trained to the back wall of the house or rafters 

 will produce quantities of its fine golden flowers. They are now 

 coming-in in a house where no artificial heat has been used this 

 winter. We find it necessary to re-arrange the plants on the 

 stages at least once every week. 



FLOWES GABDEN. 



Bedding plants which have been placed out of doors to " harden- 

 off " have had a rough time of it. This so-called hardening-off 

 of tender plants requires some care to see that the plants are 

 not permanently injured. We would like to protect most of the 

 plants with glass lights until the present time; but it is not 

 possible to do this, and the lights are only used for such plants 

 as will not do without them. The others are merely sheltered 

 in earth pits with mats or canvas covering. Coleus, Alternan- 

 thera, and Iresine Lindeni are still in a heated pit, and to keep 

 the plants in vigorous health it is necessary to heat the pipes 

 slightly even during warm nights. The lights are removed 

 from the pit during fine days. Asters, Stocks, French Marigolds, 

 and other plants of this character have been pricked out in boxes, 

 and they are also gradually inured to cold frames. Dahlias also 

 require similar treatment. Cuttings that have been recently 

 rooted should be potted-on if healthy vigorous plants are 

 expected. 



The lawn and pleasure grounds ought not to be untidy at any 

 time ; but at present, when shrubs and trees are putting on their 

 new dress of leaf and flower, the lawn and walks ought to be 

 trim and neat. No withered leaves or Utter should be seen to 

 remind us of the wintry months from which we have barely 

 emerged.— J, Douglas. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



James Veitch & Sons, Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London. 

 — Illustrated Catalogue of New arid Bare Plants. 



William Knight, Hailsham, Sussex. — Catalogue of Greenhouse 

 and Bedding Plants. 



John Warner & Sons, The Crescent Foundry, Cripplegate, 

 London. — Catalogue of Garden Puinps, Engines, Syringes^ tCc. 



J. Vander Swaelmen, The Lily Nursery, Geudbtugge, Ghent, 

 Belgium. — Special Catalogue of Lilies^ Bulbs, Azaleas^ Herb' 

 aceoiis Plants, cOc. 



Meeeenger & Company, lionghhorQUgh.— Illustrated Cata- 

 logue of Horticultural Structures. 



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 so subjects them to un- 

 jastifiable trouble and expense. 

 Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet ques- 

 tions relating to Gardening and thoee on Poultry and Bee 

 subjects, 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. 

 Clematis oirbhosa (AJpha'^.—lt is rightly deecribed in the work you 

 mention. It is a hardy evGrpreen climber, and was introdaced from Spain 

 ft8 long ago as 1596. A nurseryman could enpply it or obtain it for you. 



Si'ARMANNiA AFRICANA (J. r.).~It IB a fine old greenhoape shrub seldom 

 Been ni.w-a-dayp. The flowers, which are white with yellow and red stamens, 

 are produced in April and May from the old well-ripened wood. The plant 

 is of rather tall growth, but may be cultivated in a pot, the main point being 

 to secure the well- ripening o( the wood by full exposure to light and air 

 after the growth is complete, with only sufficient watsr to maintain the 

 foliage fresh, cutting back rather closely to firm ripe wood before growth 

 takes place. Repot after floweriog or in June. Two parts fibrous loam and 



one part sandy peat, with a free admixture of sand, will grow it well. A 

 greenhouse from!which frost is excluded is sultable.twith alig ht airy position. 



Clematises for Flowering in July and Augcst [Derby). — We pre- 

 sume they are now under glass. They ought to be hardened oS. and placed 

 outdoors in an open sheltered situation, partly plunging the pots in ashes. 

 The bloom buds should be removed and tjrowth be encouraged by an increase 

 of pot-room, say to 12 inches, watering freely and sprinkling overhead, giving 

 weak liquid manure after the pots fill with roots. The shoots must be duly 

 regulated, and the next show for bloom must be closely observed. II likely 

 to be too early retard by placing under a north wall ; if not early enough, 

 forward by placing in a cool airy house. 



Daphne indica Culture (2V. C.).— Repot the plant when It goes out of 

 bloom, or in May or early June, not giving a large shift, but keeping under 

 rather than overpotted, affording good drainage, and employing a compost of 

 f qual parts of sandy pea^ and fibrous loam, with a sixth part of silver sand. 

 Keep the plants rather shaded and sprinkled overhead twice daily, watering 

 carefully for a time nutil the roots are working freely in the fresh soil, then 

 more freely, avoidin*:; making the soil sodden by overwatering. A greenhouse 

 or a pit in summer is a suitable position, affording plenty of light and air 

 after the growth is complete. 



Lily of the Valley and Spib.5:a japonica (/dew).— After hardening 

 the plants well off plant them out in the open ground in rich light soil with 

 the balls entire, watering copiously in dry weather. The Spirteaa ought to 

 be potted in autumn after the leaves periBh, when they will flower another 

 season, hut we are not so certain about your Lily of the Valley producing 

 flowering crowns during the same period. Much in that respect depends on 

 theia- condition now and the treatment they receive during the summer. 



Pruning Princess Louise Victoria Rose (Idem).— Cat it back rather 

 closely and take one strong shoot up the pillar, and do not stop it, and the 

 following season depress tho shoot so as to induce the buds to push throughoat 

 its length, then tecnre it in the position required for flowering. Pruning 

 should be restricted to tho unripe point of the shoot, which should be out 

 away to firm wood. 



Pruning Peach Trees (E. Gf, B(?'»unf//«ifft\— The shoots should always 

 be cut at a wood bud or where there are three bads, the centre one of which is 

 usually a wood bud. A mistake has been made in pruning your trees, or the 

 wood buds have been destroyed by insects. Sometimes a fruit will ripen 

 beyond the leaves, but we should remove the clusters you refer to, and 

 encourage the f^rowth of the shoot nearest the extremities of the branches. 



Raising Larch from Sefd (G. S.).— The cones are generally dried on ft 

 hrated kiln, the heat in the kiln, however, at no time exceeding 105^ Fahr. 

 When the cones of the Scotch Pine have been thus dried the seeds fall out, 

 but the Larch cones require to be beaten or thrashed with a flail to obtaio 

 their seeds. They are sown in beds early in the spring, covering half an inch 

 deep with fine soil, and the seedlings are transplanted when one or two years 

 old, according to their size and their thickness in the seed beds. 



Vallota purpurea (D. ilf.).— Continue your plants under glass for the 

 present, a light greenhous^e or frame b'^ing suitable. The cultivation of this 

 nseful plant will be more fully alluded to in a future number. 



Point of Vine Phoot Injured (H. 31. K.). — From the specimen sent we 

 cannot account for it in auy way except that the frost at nights may have 

 caught it. The points will sometimes die off without any apparent cause, 

 and start again from the back buds. 



Guano for Vine Border {C. Jackson). — The best way to use It ia to 

 scatter the guano on i he surface, about 7 lbs. on a border 25 feet by 17. Peru- 

 vian gnano is sold from tbo docks at the rate of ;£13 per tou. Crushed bones 

 ought to be obtained at .£10 per ton. 



Pelaegonium Leaves Browned (,Y. Y. Z.).— The leaf presents every 

 appearance of being scorched by the sun's rays falling powerfully upon it 

 wlulst wet, though it may arise from too large an influx of cold air. Afford 

 air moderately, and with brighter weather the foliage will, no doubt, come 

 all right. The Fuchsia cuttiug haviut? lost its leives should be kept no more 

 than just moist at the roots, and the stem being alive it will no doubt put 

 out side shoots. Continue in the window aed wait the result. 



Destroying Mildew and Red Spider ( R. M ). — Mildew is readily 

 det-troyed by dusting the affected part with flowers of sulphur, but this will 

 not kill red spider. On stove plants this pest may be kept down by syringing, 

 and on Vines In its early stages by painting the hot- water pipes with flowers 

 of sulphur mixed into a thin paste and applied with a brush. It will not 

 kill aphis as you have applied it, nor, we think, red spiier. 



Nitrate of Soda foe Lawns (A Constant Hfn*^er1.— Nitrate of soda if 

 applied in sufficient quantity to destroy Daisies will at the same time kill the 

 grass. A Ught sprinkling, however, of 1 lb. to a rod (30^ square yards) ia a 

 good application for lawns — destroying worms and encouraging the growth of 

 the grasses. 



Dhacena Leaves Decaying (An Old RtratU'r). — It arises from the plants 

 being too heavily syricged, the water dripping from or hanging on the points 

 of the leaves, and is most prevalent when the atmofiphere is cold and olose. 



Guano Water for Damping (Itftm}.— For damping the floors, &c., of 

 vineries we use it at the rate of 1 lb. of gnano to twenty gallons of water (a 

 generally useful strength for the purpose), watering with it such plants as re- 

 quire aid from manure in a liquid state. At that strength it will not kill red 

 spider, much more thrips; but it is invigorating to vegetation, and renders 

 attacks of these pests less frequent if it does not prevent them altogether. 

 In case of an attack of red Bpider we prefer to spriokle guano over every 

 available surface at closing time, making the surface just yellow, afterwards 

 damping In the usual way. Some plants are iojured by the ammonia 

 evolved, notably Glrisinias, Achimenes, and others with very hairy leaves, 

 and the effluvia when very powerful injures the tender foliage of most plants. 



AcARi ON Gooseberry Bushes (Mr. J. E. B.).— It is not the ordinary red 

 spider, hut a species of Acarua common to the Gooseberry and Ivy. It may 

 be removed by syringing forcibly with water from a garden engine, or the 

 bushes may be syringed with a solution of soft soap, 2 ozs. to a gallon ol 

 water. 



Destroytno Docks on Lawns (OW Sn'i^cribcr).— Fill an old blaoking 

 bottle with oil of vitriol, and with the aid of a notched stick drop one drop 

 of the acid into the centre of each Dock. It will speedily horn-up the weeds, 

 but the operator mast be careful not to burn himself or his clothes with the 

 «' fiery liquid." 



Destroying Daddy Lonolegs iTnquirer).— This, the " leather-jacket" 

 of gardeners, is the gmb of the Crane Fly iTipula oleraoea), the best remody 



