Februttry 11, 1869. ] JOURNAL OF HOBTIOOLTORB AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



Ill 



no material can be better for lasting hotboda. When done 

 with lor that purpose nothing can be more valnable (or com- 

 posts and manures. Without Buch a precaution as allowinp; 

 the heap to heat well at first, there is a (irst and a second 

 danger. The tirst is, though you may have a genial lasting 

 heat for whatever you use it, there is no other material that is 

 BO likely to be stored with the spores and the incipient myce- 

 lium of fungi. A mild heat will encourage the rapid develop- 

 ment of these, a strong heat will destroy tliem. A mild heat 

 will so encourage them to grow, that they will not only spread 

 through the bed, but will affect the roots of the plants growing 

 upon it. Thus we have had Cacumbers, Potatoes, Turnips, 

 &o., injared. The second evil is, that although such lieaps 

 when they have parted with their heat and become partly de- 

 composed, are most useful as leaf mould for composts, and 

 entering as part into all our soils tor pot plants, we have had 

 heaps which we durst not touch for these purjjoses, so thoroughly 

 were they pervaded by the spawn of fungi, though almost im- 

 perceptible without a microscope. Wherever there is a doubt, 

 soil of this description before being used ought to be well 

 heated over a furnace, or placed in a barrel of very hot water, 

 and then dried and exposed to the air before being used. 



Some fungi, if their mycelium occupy the soil, seem to do 

 little injury to crops, but others seem to tolerate no rivals. 

 We lately mentioned that some Cucumbers that bore heavily 

 about Christmas seemed all at once to have lost their vigour, 

 which they generally do when fruited hard before the turn of 

 the day ; but in taking them out we found another evil, half 

 an inch or so beneath the surface of the bed aud for a depth of 

 2 or 3 inches, the bed was a mass of thready spawn, and this, 

 we have no doubt, was the result of using leaf mould as a 

 component part of a rich top-dressing. As far as this spawn 

 extended the roots were unhealthy. We believe that thousands 

 of fruit trees. Vines, &o., have suffered by au excels of kind- 

 ness from using leaf mould and half-rotten leaves in the com- 

 post of the borders. Mildew on the roots becomes then more 

 dangerous than mildew on the twigs and leaves. Quicklime is 

 a great enemy to all the fungus tribe that we have come in 

 contact with; but a strong fiery heat seems to be the most 

 successful opponent. A mild genial heat, such as the heat 

 in a Mushroom bed, seems most to promote their extension. 

 Heaps collected from old shrubberies and woodlands, and con- 

 sisting of such mixtures as our correspondent alludes to, are 

 much more liable to fungus than the fresh-fallen leaves of the 

 present season, though even they and their change into leaf 

 mould are to be watched. A good heat in a hotbed will make 

 them safe ftir the crops accelerated and safe afterwards. 



In other departments our work has been much as stated last 

 week. In the fruit garden went on pruning, cleaning walls, 

 and applying some fermenting material to a Vine border, which, 

 being covered, will be used for bringing on numbers of bedding 

 plants, which most likely we will place in little square pieces 

 of turf, as an ease to our pots, and so far dispensing with 

 them. 



In the pleasure grounds and preserves our chief work has 

 been planting, transplanting, catting down, pruning Laurels, 

 &c., and fresh turfing. In some cases, contrary to a rule re- 

 cently adverted to, the work could not be done without making 

 work which might have been avoided if performed in more 

 suitable weather ; but then two other reasons helped to miti- 

 gate this evil. The fine weather, when it comes, will bring quite 

 enough to do without any extra work, and at present labour is, 

 more than desirable, too plentiful and easy to be had in this 

 neighbourhood. In turfing we have for the tirst time, owing 

 to the wet, enlisted a new agent to help us, though it may not 

 be new to others — namely, finely sifted coal ashes, of which we 

 happened to have a large heap, consisting of what had passed 

 through a fine sieve, the rest being transferred to the furnaces. 

 A sprinkling of this on the surface enabled us to get the surface 

 more easily levelled and made fine than we otherwise could 

 have done with the wet soil, and the turf was thus better laid. 

 — B. F. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



WiUiam Hooper, New Wandsworth, London, S.W. — Cata- 

 logue of Kitchen Garden and Flower Seeds. 



W. BioUisson & Sons, Tooting, London. — General Seed Cata- 

 logue, comprising a list of Hub-tropical and Oniamental-fuliaged 

 Plants. 



D. G. McKay, Sudbury, Softolk. — Catalogue af iSeket. Vege- 

 table and Flower Seeds. 'a alijit .i \o o 



COVENT G-AKDEN MARIffiT.— Februauv 10. 



The generfil doniand has sliKlitly improvoU, I>ut not fcuflicioutly to in- 

 ilucuct; prices tu any eituut, tlnjro buiug a h''^oU aupply kopl up both ol 

 humo-growa and foreign produce. 



FBDIT. 



8. d. 8. 



Apples 3 J sieve 1 Gtoli 



Aprk-ots doz. U 



C'herrioB lb. 



CboBtnuts bush. 10 II! 



Currants ^. sieve 



Black do. U 



KiR8 doz. 



FUborts lb. 9 1 



Cobs 11). 10 1 



Gooseberries . . quart 



Grape3,Hothoatie. .lb. 6 K 



Lomoua lUU 4 8 



s. d. 8. d 



Melons each '2 to G 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges 100 'J 



teaches doz. 



Pears (dessert) , . doz. 4 



' Pino Apples lb. B 



i Plums a sieve 



( Quinces doz. 







Kaspberries lb. 



Strawberries oz. 



G IJ 

 U 





 



Walnuts busb. 10 IB 



do 100 10 a ti 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes doz. 8 



Asparagus 100 5 



Beans, Kidney . . hd. ti 



Beet, Red doz. 2 



Broccoli bundlo 1 



Brus. Sprouts ?- sieve 2 



Cabbage doz. 1 



Capsicums 100 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery.. bundle 



Cucumbers .... each 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



GarUc lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish ..bundle 



a. 8. 



0to6 



8 



























4 



6 



6 



8 »•' 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce score 



Mushrooms. ,. . pottle 

 ' Mustd.ci Cr633,punuet 



1 Onions bushel 



Parsley sieve 



j Parsnips doz. 9 



Peas quart 



8 Potatoes bushel 4 6 



Kidney do. 4 



Radishes doz. bunches 1 G 



a. s. f 



4 too " 



Rhubarb bundle 



Sea-kale basket 



I Shallots lb. 



j Spinach bushel 



I Tomatoes doz. 



1 Turnips bunch 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



•»• We request that no one will write privately to the depart- 

 mental writers of the " Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed sulelg to 

 The Editors of the .Journal of I[orticnlture,dx., 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.G. 



We also request that correspondents wiU not mix up on the 

 same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them an- 

 swered promptly and conveniently, but write them on 

 separate communications. Also never to send more than 

 two or three questions at once. 



K.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 



Books (A Subscriber) —You could obtain the book through any book- 

 seller. We do not know the price. (?^. i;,).—" Fruit Gardenin;? for the 

 Many." You can have it sent post free from our office, if you enclose five 

 stamps with your address. 



Clcdjieers WdimJaroo).—'Ihej can be grown on a dunghill covered 

 with soil. Parsley is not poisonous to Rabbits. 



Vines (G. IF.).— The Vines will do planted in the floor of the house, 

 with a 2-feet opening round the stems, if you have secured di-aiuage ; and 

 though the soil may be good, we would advise at least a portion of fresh 

 to be incorporated with it. 



Stove for Greenhouse (A Five-years Subscnter).— Hays's stove and 

 fuel cannot now be obtained. We have no faith in any stove where there 

 is no outlet for the products of combustion, when tender plants are con- 

 cerned. A small stove, the lireplaco lined with firebrick, would be ample 

 for your small place, the cost being about Ms. There is quite an unne- 

 cessary panic about having a small pipe, say S inches in diameter, from 

 such a stove. Have one with the place for the chimney at one Bide. 

 .\n angular elbow-piece to lit on, a foot each way, will cost from 3«. to 

 -&. f'd. ; and the upright plate-iron pipe will cost about Is. per foot. The 

 pipe sLould go through the roof or wall, and if through the former, a 

 small cowl on the top will cost about U. 6fl. or 2«., and all can be taken 

 away when not wanted. The stove is little of au eyesore, and if not 

 liked it might be concealed. We saw one close to the back wall imder 

 the stage, and a pipe went through the wall, and a short upright one 

 outside, that did well. See page 70, and " Doings of the Last Week." 

 {A. /J.) —Moist heated air certamly will not prevent the emission of car- 

 bonic acid from any stove. Wo do not know that which you name, but 

 unless it has a flue or pipe do not admit it into your greeuhouse. 



Greenhodse {J. It. Freshjjeld). — Your house would look better if to the 

 old 16-feet length you added two or three sheets of 4 feet in width, making 

 the house either 24 or aa feet in length. Except on account of having 

 the roof all alike, there is no objection to having three sashes of S feet 

 each, so as to make the house 23 feet in length ; and three Vines would 

 succeed very well in that space, training one up the centre of each light. 

 We think the part for flowers alone should bo next the doorway, and it 

 would be more convenient if you had a doorway at each end. We would 

 divide the house bv a partition about the middle. You might then have 

 four Vines in the vinery, aud you might also have some in the flower 

 part, bearing in mind, howeVL-r, that the flowers would be too mnch 

 shaded after the Vines were in full leaf. By this means you could force 



