Jnnuary •2», 1860. 1 



JOUKNAIi OF HOETICULTUlffi AND COTTAGE GAliDENEB. 



71- 



horiiiiiulal, or noaily horizonlfll pipe from tho htovc before it Roes up- 

 right. Now, »11 our coiTcspoiiilent would biivo to do is eimply this— fix 

 on n phice, sny about tbo middle of the houso, for bis stovo, have nn 

 olbow-piece of plate iron to fit on tbe Ktovo, Bay 1 foot horixontal ami 

 1 foot perpendicular. Ouiwsite tbo last, in the ronf, take out a L-quaro 

 of glass, uud put iu a s<iuiire of iron or zinc, with a liolo in tho middle to 

 let a pipe go into that perpendicular part of tho »'l.>ow and beyond the 

 roof for about 18 inches, and on that end in tho o\)on air place a cowl, 

 which is SI aorally connected with a foot or bo oI piping. It must bo 

 remembered that tho druiKht and tbe consumption of fuel will be in 

 propi-rtiun to the air admitted, and just ia proporti()n to that air ad- 

 mitted by tbo ashpit ventilator will be the escaji -of (be heat through 

 the pipe into tho open air. VVlienovor tho stovo i : hot enouKh, tho yreat 

 object then is to keep beat in the stove withou Isoudiny much up tbe 

 pipe, by just leaving enough of an openinp to keep up a alow combustion. 

 It ia thus very easy to havo tbe stove quite warm, and tho pipe 4 or 5 foot 

 from the stove very little heated. Coke should be tised. 



Heatino a GnEENHOUSK (A 7?fj7iH7i*-r).— Such a hipped-roofed house 

 as yours sr.ould be arranged according to what is wanted from it. One 

 enabling ycu to have bottom boat without dung might have a will 3 feet 

 high, and SA feet high outside measure from tbo front wall. This would 

 enable you'to have a chamber with two pipes beneath, the top of the 

 chamber being 18 or UO inches from the floor ; or you may have brickbats 

 and clinkers round tho pipes, and then fine gravel and sand, or ashes, to 

 plunge in. See an article iu pigo 2S3 ef our last volume on failures in 

 obtaining bottom boat. Then the back part of your house we would, after 

 the pathway, devote to a sloping stage, or a level sparred table, or even 

 another pit. If you contemplate growing large Vines in pots, and good- 

 sized Tangierine Orange trees, we would have a 5-feet-wide pit at tbo 

 back, nn<l a sparred platform in front. You would need two pipes for the 

 bed, and three for the atmosphere of tho house. The Egg-plant will do 

 well it you keep it clean and free from insects. It does best raised in 

 boat. 



Pbdking Vines (J. Fiel/iin(t). — We would cut-in each of tbe inside 

 branches to one or two buds, 'and tbe main leader to rather more than a 

 third of its length from tho bottom, and on that leader leave nothing but 

 the main buds. Though this main shoot or leader be strong, tho above 

 plan will be more profitable in future than leaving too much length now. 



Propagating Bed (Idcvi). — As to your wooden tank for bottom heat, 

 4^ foet wido, 7 inches deep, with two pipes passing through it, we would 

 say, first, that it is often a disadvantage to have to heat n tank 7 inches i 

 deep. We would prefer tbe water to be not more than 4^ inches deep, 

 and the slates 1 inch or so above the witer. If your propagating pots go 

 near the heating medium as respects their bottom, it matters little what 

 yon plunge in— sand, fine ashes, tan, cocoa-nut refuse, Ac; but whatever I 

 you use, if there bo much between tbe slates and tbe pots, and that J 

 become dry, it will act less or more as a nonconductor of heat upwards. ' 

 A very good bottom beat would be from 75- to 85', and a top heat of from i 

 60Mo70\ The bottom boat in such a bed is best secni-ed by having 

 over the bed small boxes with glass on the top, and then tho atmosphere 

 of the bousa in general may bo much cooler. The two pipes iu the tank 

 will not be enough for tbe 9-feet-wide house, unless your in-opagating is 

 confined to the late spring months, and even then yon would require to 

 have upright pipes, one end resting on the sbte to let beat into the 

 ntmo-sphere of tbe bouse. You may, however, have sepfirate pipes for 

 top heat, and then this would not be necessary. See an article at page 

 283 of our last volume. 



PoiNSETTiA PCLCHERROiA PROPAGATION {Ea.^fftoj/rn''). — It is propagated 

 from cuttings and eyes, which should now bo inserted in pots three- 

 fourths filled with sandy pent and a little loam, and then to tbe rim with | 

 silver sand. Two joints will be sufficient for a cutting, and insert it in I 

 file pDt so that the upper eye only will bo clear of the sand. The eyas , 

 may be struck like those of Vines. The cuttings as well as tho eyes 

 should be taken from tbo ripened wood, and tbe pot should be plunged i 

 in a hotbed of 75'^, and be covered with a bell-glass. Do you mean Hedy- j 

 <:bium? 



Gratting Quince Stocks (T. B.) —It is much too early to graft. The 

 stocks, from the unusual mildness of the winter, may be growing, but it 

 is likely we shall yet have a period of cold weather, when the grafts 

 would not, presuming them to be placed now, take kindly, and would 

 probably perish. The grafting would be better defen'ed until the middle 

 of March, and tbe scions will take all tbe better of the stocks being 

 slightly advanced in gi'owth. 



Peas Eaten by Birds (.1 Cotntarif Bcadrr). — Y'on may safely dust the ■ 

 plants with slaked lime, which will not injure the plants you name in I 

 the least, nor tho Peas, but will keep off slugs and other predatory ver- 

 min. It should be sprinkled over the leaves of the plants whilst thty 

 are wot, and should be repeated as often as it is washed off. I 



GlNERAltlAS Blisd (A CnuKtant Rf'<i^f*T).— Tbe Cinerariiis, wo think, 

 are not as you suppose biiud, but will yet flo.vor. The chief cau^e of 

 blindness is excessive leaf-formation, caused by too liberal potting and 

 too rich soil. For early (lowering tbo plants should be kept in compara- 

 tively small pots, as they llower best when tiio pots are filled with roots. 

 Tno plants intended for late bloom will no doubt flower well, at least 

 they Mill be more certain to do so than those now in a blooming state. 



Fl.UM Trees Wanting Side Branches (J. 3/.).— From tho sketch wo 

 concludo yourtrcesnro boriy-ontal-lralned, which !» IhQ worst p-issible 

 form f .r th'j Plum. Wo Ihink yonr only means of fl ling tbevacant spice 

 wi 1 bo truniog-'u a shont from the base < f the branch next bolow tbe 

 vacant space. If a shojt come diroctly from the stem ly all moans en- 

 courage it. The d floioncy cf bile branches is the reanlt of u' g ecting 

 (0 head or shorten tbe Uading tbcot. 



Protei'tino Plom Trees from Frost (Old SnhKriher, Devon).— Vie 

 think yonr mode of i rot^-ctiou woold answer well, but it mast ho no con- 

 trived as t ' be c ipable of removal in days which are not frosty. Tiffany 

 is the moht suitable of the materials you n9m9. The framework made of 

 slatfrs' laths an i civored with tffaoy will be excellent for tho protection 

 of tbe trees again-t tbo wall?, patting it U3 when frosts occur, and 

 removing it by dav. unlnas f o,t prevails For the pyramid trees wo 

 would recommenl slaters' laths fixed round them firmly in the ground, 

 and of (Uch a loogth that thov will be higher th.an tho trees. Secure tbe 

 lathi at tho tops with taiTod siring, drawing them rather closely together, 

 but not so as to press on tho branches; an I ovtr this framework we 

 would havo tiffany covers malo so as to enclose each tree, and sewed 

 together, so as to te eai-ily put en at night an i taken olf by day. This 

 moile of protection would not be one-half so costly as forming a sort of 

 tiflany house as shown in your sk.tcb. To such, however, wo have no 

 objection, except that, so far as we can perceive, it would havo to remain 

 all the time tbe trees are in flower, and until danger from frost be past. 

 Tarred netting, unless it have very small meshes— say half an inch— will 

 not be sofficient protection, though it is better than none. 



Old Plants of Scarlet Riinsers (.-f Camiant Reader).— Yarn Scarlet 

 Runners of last year will not be of any use for tliis year, as they wore left 

 in tho ground ; but if they had been taken up and the roots pressrvcS in 

 sand in a place from which lro?t was excluded, they would probably, if 

 planted early in May, have yielded a good crop Preserved in this way, 

 however, they are not equal in continuance of bearing to plants from 

 seed, though they aflbrl an earlier crop. 



Cutting Down Passion-Flowers (.■f»m(c«r).-Tbe leggy Passion- 

 Flower may be cut down to the hare stem, and to tbe height you require, 

 and it will push from the part below ; at least, we have cut down several 

 plants, and they always pushed ne-.v shoots freely. 



Grafting Broom i/.frm).— We think what you take for a Spartinm 

 or Broom, is one of the Cvtisuses. for none of the Brooms that we know 

 is propagated by gi-aliirig, and we do not think them likely to be so 

 dwarfed by grafting as to give such a close head as you describe. The 

 Cytisnses are closely allied to tho Spartiums or Brooms. The best stock 

 is the Laburnum ; put the graft on the side of the stem, and not on the 

 side branches, at the height required. This grafting is best done when 

 the stock is beginning to grow, and before the buds have burst. 



Wheat-destroying Insects (,T,. R.).— You have sent us two difl'erent 

 kinds of insects, which are stated to have recently eaten off a largo part 

 of a field of Wheal. One is tho black caterpillar of one of the middle- 

 sized Eove Beetles (Staphylinua sp.).which are generally regarded as 

 feeding upon other insects. The other is the gi-ey caterpillar of one of 

 tho surface moths, most probably Noctna didyma,the common Rustic 

 Molb. Tbe latter are only half-grown, and unless checked will continno 

 to do injury to the remaining portion of tbe crop. A careful examination 

 of the plants should be made, and those which are drooping from a recent 

 attack of tho caterpilUr.^ should bo pulled up, anl the c atenn'lars (which 

 will be found about the roots), cirefuUy destroyed. Wo know no other 

 remedy iu the present state of the insect. Doubtless tbe long, dry, hot 

 summer of last year enabled the female moths of this and other injm-ious 

 species to deposit their eggs in great profusion, and more than ordinary 

 vigilance will be required in tbo ensuing spring.— W. 



Najies of Plants (C. C.).— 1, Selaginella Kranssiana (S. hortensis 01 

 gardens) ; 2, Pteria serrolata; S, Davallia pyxidata ; 4, Adiantum cunea- 

 tum. (D. S.I.— Doodia candata. (IV. SmUIi, O.U-ca).— a, .Pteris erotica 

 albo-linoata ; B, Polypodium phvmstodes; o, Adiantum formosnm; 

 D, Platvlonia falcata. "i J'. Bri/na'.—Vallota purpurea. The three genera 

 ynu name are chiefly distinguished by characters b.ised on the insertion 

 of the stamens, the length of the perianth-tube, the regularity of tho 

 perianth segments, &c. Vallota and Hippeasttum have both been 

 separated bv such characters from the genns Amaryllis, in which they 

 ■'r included. (J. turi-;.— .Uhyriam FiUx-feemini var. ; Adi. 



were formerly 



autum jotbiopicura. (IV. JB.) 



-1, Uypnum proliferum ; 2, H. rutabulum. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in tlie Suburbs of Lon(Jon for the fortniglit ending January 2Gtli. 



Wed... 13 

 Thnrs. 14 



Fri.. 

 Sat.... 16 

 Sun. . . 17 

 Men.. . 13 

 Tuos. . 19 

 Wed.. 20 

 Thurs. 21 

 Fri. .. 22 

 S.at. . . 23 

 Sun... 24 

 Hon.. 25 

 Tues. . 26 



Mean 



barometer. 



Max. 



29.937 

 29.K01 

 29,872 

 80.126 

 30.165 

 30.307 

 30.400 

 30.311 

 30.124 

 a >.247 

 31.145 

 80.045 

 £9.997 

 29.783 



33.091 



Min. 



29.879 

 29.579 

 29.520 

 30.054 

 30.039 

 30.291 

 30.388 

 80.197 

 30.084 

 ."50.2-24 

 29 976 

 80 015 



29 aw 



29.745 



THERUOliETER. 



Max. Min. . I ft. dp. ' 2 ft. dp. 



991 43.5} 



45 

 44 

 4.1 

 46 

 48 

 45 

 45 

 42 

 41 

 41 

 41) 

 39 

 38 

 39 



42.79 



44 



44 

 44 

 44 

 45 

 44 

 44 

 43 

 42 

 41 

 41 

 41 

 39 

 89 



42.43 — 



(}ENEaAL RsatABEB. 



Densely overcast : fine ; overcast at night. 



Densely overcast ; fine, slightly overcast ; densely o' orcast. 



Overcast, slight rain ; showery ; fine, but cloudy. 



Fino, cloudy ; rain ; iine, but overcast. 



Rain ; show"ery ; clear and flue at night 



Foggy; dense fog tbroughont. 



Overcast, fino ; densely overcast ; clear and frosty. 



Sharp frost ; very fine ; clear and frosty. 



Frosiy ; fine, overcast ; denso fog. 



Fine and frosty ; overcast, fine ; densely overcast. 



Densely overcast, fine; overcast and cold ; cloudy. 



Frosty ; very tine ; clear and very frosty. 



Sharp frost ; very fine and clear ; overcast. 



Overcast ; fino, slightlv overcast ; clondy, but fine. 



