88 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( February 4, 1869. 



and Pomologist " contains one coloured portrait and miscellaneons cul- 

 tural infornaation. {J. P., Coventry). — Peareon on " Orcbard Houses." and 

 ** Cottage GardenerB' Dictionnry." You can have them free by post from 

 onr office if you enclose 85. 8'^ with your address. 



Sbeds (JameSt L''om-inster]. — We cannot recommend tradesmen. Write 

 to any ol the principal seedsmen who advertise in our Journal. 



ANTi-coRROsrvE PAiNT (PjTixo).— We hear that it is to be depended 

 upon. If we asked the questions you put there would be some replies not 

 to be relied upon. 



GaAss UNDER Filbert Trees (ff. H.).— Sow the Sweet-scented Vernal 

 GrasB, Anthosanthum odoratum. 



Pears FOR West Wall in a Cold Sitcation (V., Lisburn'^.— Ab yon 

 require the fruit to be ripe at the beginning of the year, — Beurre de 

 Ranee, Josephine de Maliuea, Knight's Monarch, Bergamotte Esperen, 

 and Prince Albert. 



Stephanotis floribcnda Culture (T{jnoramus).—The soil should be 

 kept dry in winter, but not so dry as to affect the foliage, which must not 

 be allowed to shrivel. It should have a light and airy situation, and a 

 temperature of 55^ from fire heat at night, and of 60" to 65" by day. 



IxoEA cocciKEA CoMPOST (Jdem). — It succeeds admirably in a compost 

 of three parts sandy fibrous peat and one part turfy loam, with the addi- 

 tion of about one-sisth part of the whole of charcoal, in pieces from the 

 size of a pea up to that of a hazel nut, and a like quantity of silver sand. 

 All these should be well incorporated. The peat and loam ought to be 

 torn in pieces with the hand and made rather fine, but not sifted. Good 

 drainage should be provided^ 



Cyclamen Nabhng (Tdevi).—We could name for you the different 

 species of Cyclamens, but not varieties of C. persicum, which are too 

 namerous. Flowers and leaves are necessary to be sent for identification. 



Pbunino Stan'Dard Roses [S. Snmption). — The proper time to prune 

 Btsndard Hybrid Perpetual Roses is from the middle of February to the 

 first week in Slarch; but the sooner it ?s done after the middle of Feb- 

 ruary the better, if the weather is suitable. On no account prune them 

 when the shoots are froEeu, nor during frosty weather. 



Rhododendrons in Limestone Soil (T. Z.). — Rhododendrons wil^ 

 not succeed in limestone soil. Tour only plan will be to take out the soil 

 18 inches deep, or better 2 feet, and replace it with proper peat soil. 

 This being done, we think they would snccced admirably if manured 

 well with cow dung, which should be given as a top-dressing when they 1 

 are commencing to form fresh tjrowths, placing it about an inch thick, | 

 and supplementing it with a good watering. We think it unnecessary to 1 

 plnnge the j>ots, or to have them in pots. We would plant them out, 1 

 taking care, by proper drainage, to prevent water lodging in the subsoil. I 



MusA Cavendishii in Conservatory (J. 5.).— The Musa Cavendisbii 1 

 would not succeed in a conservatory having a temperature in winter of I 

 40^ from fire heat. To grow it well the temperature should not be less than j 

 from 50^ to 55 ' at night at this season. Wo sbould not advise its being , 

 grown in a conservatory so cool as yours appears to be, and which is much 

 too cold for this haudaome-foliaged aud desirable fruit-bearing plant. It 

 requires a stove. 



Evergreen Tree for Shelter to Orchard (Firs). — You could not ] 

 have any better tree tlmu the Austrian Pine, which is a rapid grower, and ' 

 better in every way than the Norway Spruce. We would plant alternate I 

 lines of Austrian Pine and Hemlock Spruce, placing on the outside a 

 line of Engliph Tew and common Holly, then the Austrian Pine in the 

 nest line, aud have the third line Hemlock Spruce and Corsican Pine. 

 «very alternate plant being Hemlock Spruce ; then the Austrian Pine, and 

 the Corsican Pine and Hemlock Spruce as before, and so on to the back. 

 This will ultimately give you better shelter, and be more diversified. 



IxoBA coccinea Leaves Scorched (H. Z>.).— The leaf sent us appears 

 to have been destroyed by water being allowed to stand upon it, which 

 would be the cnse when grown In a propagating pit, from the condensed 

 moisture. Afford a drier atmosphere, and give the plant the benefit of 

 bottom heat 



OtDENXANDrA Beppiana (M^m). — It 13 ft stovc cvergreen, propagated 

 in April by half-ripened cuttings, in sand, under a glass, with bottom 

 heat. Equal parts sandy loam and peat suit it. 



Cyclamen persicum Cokms not Growing (LongmyndA—We would 

 place the pots iu the greenhouse of your friend, on a shelf near the 

 glass, keeping the soil moist but not very wet, and there let them remain 

 until the beginning of June, and then place them outside in a warm 

 situation, but f haded from the midday sun (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), plunging 

 the pots to tte i-im in coal ashes. The foliage, if any, should not be 

 allowed to flag from want of water when placed out of doors, nor when 

 the foliage begins to decay ought the soil to be allowed to become very 

 dry. It id likely, however, your corms will not begin to grow until next 

 autumn. 



Melon Culture (A Young ^ef/mH^r).— Trentham Hybrid and Golden 

 Ball are good Melons, but we prefer Malvern Hall and Beechwood. the 

 , former a scarlet and the latter a green-fleshed. One plant will be suffi- 

 cient to put under each light, or two plants for a pit 6 feet by 4 feet. The 

 pits win, no doubt, answer very well for Melons. Tou will find full par- 

 ticulars as to Melon cultivation in former volumes. 



EprPHTLLTTM TRrTNCATrrM— Errata.— " Had I said. 'keep cool and dry 

 after bloomiiiff in winter,' I should have, perhaps, been more intelligible. 

 * Winter' would aeem to be an indefinite term, yet I had plants which 

 had bloomed and were being kept cool and dry on the 25th ult., when the 

 thermometer registered 17" of frost, and 1 call that winter. In the paper 

 which I contributed last week. 'First Crop' Pea is made to appear as a 

 wrinkled variety. In the fifth line from the top of the second column, on 

 page 62, the period which appears after the word ' varieties,' should have 

 been placed in the preceding line after the word ' earhest.' — J. W." 



Sba-eale Beet (P.). — We do not know the variety you name. We pre- 

 sume that it is one of the forms of the common White Beet; the leaf- 

 stalks are the parts boiled and eaten. We never tasted any as tender as 

 Sea-kale. 



FcNGca (J. G ).— It is the coimnon Mushroom, AgarJcus campestris, 

 and, consequently, eatable. 



Roses (E. ir.).— The party yon name does not part with them upon any 

 tonus* 



Manure Water for Azaleas (Julia).— It ia not usual to give Azaleas 

 liquid manure, and we do not advise it ; though weak guano water, 1 oz. 

 to the gallon of water, or better, 1 peck of cow dung to thirty gallons of 

 water, might occasionally be used. 



Tree-transplantino Machine (An Old Svhscriber).— There is a great 

 diversity of opinion on the subject, and each has his particular favoorite. 

 We consider Mr, Barron's a very good tree-lifter. 



Annuals for Blooming in Frames in Autumn {A Subscriber). — 

 Clintonia elegans, Lobelia erinos Miss Murphy and L. erinus speciosa, 

 Marigold (French), Miniature brown and yellow; Mesembryanthemum 

 glabrum, M. tricolor, and M. tricolor album ; Phlox Druramondi varieties, 

 Portulnca Thellusoni ; and to these may be added the dwarf Asters and 

 dwarf German Ten-Week Stocks. There are few that would do well at 

 the time you name — from September to November, aud to bloom them 

 then they ought not to be sown until May. 



Showy Large -flowering Chrysanthemums (Idem).— Christine, 

 Golden Christine, Mrs, George Bundle, Alma, Dr. Sharpe, and Prince ol 

 Wales ; and of the Japanese varieties The Daimio, Red Dragon, and The 

 Wizard, are very showy. 



Winter Aconite in Pots not Flowering (^A-6ar).— The plants' not 

 flowering this year is due to their being taken np and potted last year, 

 which removal would deprive them of roots, and their being in-doors for 

 a time only i.^ unfavourable to their maturing the growth properly. The 

 best plan is to take up good clumps every year from the open ground, 

 pot them, and after fiowering replant them in the open ground ; in a 

 year or two they will recover and flower freely again. 



Compost for Cacti and Kalosanthes (A. B.)— The Cactus tribe suc- 

 ceed in a compost of two-thii*ds sandy fibrous loam, and one-third lime 

 rubbish or broken soft bricks, charcoal in pieces from the size of a pea 

 up to that of a hazel nut, and silver sand, equal parts of each. To that 

 may be added for the strong- growing Forts, one-fourth old cow dung. For 

 the Kalosanthes two parts tirfy loam in pieces not larger than a hazel 

 nut, torn in pieces with the hand, one part leaf mould or old cow dung, 

 and one part charcoal in pieces from the size of a pea up to that of a 

 hazel nut, broken bricks or pots, and silver sand in equal proportions, the 

 whole being well mixed together. The pots should be well drained. 



Genetvllis tulipifera Straggling (/d^m).— Tour best plan would 

 be before it begins to grow to cut it rather closely in, and yet leave suffi- 

 cient rather young growths to insure a good supply of fresh shoots, aad 

 these you may stop during the summer so as to pruduce a compact and 

 hand:^ome plant. 



Establishing a Rookery {An Old Subscriber). — We have known rooks 

 induced to build by taking nests from the trees in an old rookery, and 

 putting them in the forks of the top branches of the trees iu which it is 

 desired the rooks should build. Another Rood plan is to take a few nests 

 I when the young rooks are about half-fledged, taking nests as well as 

 i young, and put tbum in th'* trees. Make them secure against winds. The 

 . old rooks will follow and feed thtir young iu moat instances, but we have 

 known cases of abandonment. A third plan is to bring up a few young 

 ones by hand, and let them loose after they are able to provide for them- 

 selves. 

 ] Potting Achimenes and Gloxinias (B. ff.).— Achimones should be 

 fresh patted before they are started, placing them rather thickly in seed 

 I pauH, and when they come up .and are about au inch high, take them up 

 j carefully and trnnefer to the blooming pots or pans. Gloxinias should 

 I be shaken out of the soil and placed in pots about twice the diameter of 

 the bulbs, being careful not to overwater, but yet keep the soil moist 

 ■ until the plants begin to grow. When the pots are full of roots shift into 

 the blooming pots. In reply to your other query, we may state that glue 

 is employed by bookbinders. 



Plant for South Wall (J. Smith). — Escallonia macranthn, E. monto- 

 vidensis aud Btrberidopsis coralhna are fine evergreens for a south 

 aspect. Bridgesia spicata is also good, and few are finer than Wistaria 

 sinensis. Any of the above will suit you. They can be obtained through 

 any of the nurserymen who advertise in our columns, but we cannot 

 name any one in particular. 



Burnt Clay for Walks (C. C.)— Thanks for vour notes. Tou say 

 ' it must be well burnt j '' please to detail your mode of burning. 



Forcing in a Vinery (James Douglas). — A grapery started on the 1st 

 of February will yield ripe Hamburghs in the end of June and the 

 beginning of July. Begin at 45-, raise the temperature in a week to 50"", 

 and increase it gradually to 60'^ in three weeks, not exceeding that until 

 the buds break. Kidney Beans put iu such a house at the same time will 

 be in gathering about the beginniug of April, as they will make little 

 progiess until the heat rises to about 60^. Strawberries put in at the 

 same time will come in from the middle to the end of April, earlier if 

 there is much sun and the pots are crammed with roots. 'W e presome 

 the Iresine' will succeed sown in February or March, like Perilla, though 

 we have not so tried it much — in fact, have depended on cuttings. It is 

 well not to plant until June. 



Plants in Office Window (J. P.). — So far from a pan of water injar- 

 ing your health if allowed to evaporate in the air of your oflice. it will be 

 sanitary. Tour plants would thrive all the better if enclosed in glass, 

 which is often done by a kind of glazed case with a door in it, the window 

 glass forming its front. 



Rafteps for Greenhouse (Avrntmr, Slie^fld).—'We presume you 

 mean by 12-inch glass, 12 inches wide from one rafter sash-bar to another. 

 In that case the rafters would require to be 3k inches deep, and Ih inch 

 wide. This would be quite sufficient if you run an iron rod or bar from 

 end to end of the roof, and fastened it to the middle of the 15-feet-long 

 rafter. In a 60-(eet length there should be four or five columns to support 

 this bar. We think the bar itself is good for keeping the rafters securely 

 in their places, so as to prevent all bulging. Ventilate at the sides and 

 apei. 



Planting an Orchard House (T. Z.).~lf you wish for great variety, 

 feel a pleasure in attending much to the trees your^^elf, and do not grudge 

 the greater labour in watering, Ac, then have a part at least of your trees 

 in pots. If you want large crops with less labour, and trees on the 

 whole as interesting, plant them to cover a trellis in the usual way. You 

 may indulge both plans at first, if you plant young trees intended to bo 

 permanent, as it will take some time before they fill the house. If the 

 I house is a le&n-to, a good plan is to cover the back wall and have a trellis 



