February 25, 1869. ] 



jourA^ of horxiouijTURE and OOTXAGE OARDENEB* - 



Hirl 



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nudamapred. Road pcrupiuffs and decayed stable raannre mixed are good 

 food for Roses.— W. F. Kadclvffe." 



Rose Leavf-s Br.AcaiNED (7*. C. O.).— TIu- black stibstanco on tho 

 leaves sent is a fnnftUB, the result of hnnpydew or tho pccrcrtion caused by 

 some insect. \\'o jiro unable to say wbat inni'ct it is caused by, but wo 

 think it is urecn aphid. You will aco from the advortisomouta in tlio 

 Journal who ar^ tho nianufiictnror3of uiKtorials for fumii^'Uiai:; purposes. 

 The pastils wo do not oonsidor good orefloctivo. rrop;ired tobacco paper 

 IB best. 



QlOIRE I>E PlJON AS A Ro9R STOCK— TONOUEIN'O ROSTIB ON MANRTTt 



Stocks (J. J. 31.).—" Oloiro de Uijon j^ stated by I\Ir. Kivers to bo a pood 

 stock to bud MartVhal Niel on. Doubtless it would be good stock for any 

 free-growinp Roso. It is, however, too pood a Rose to sacriflee for such a 

 purpose, unless it be for MarOchal Niol and other choice Rosea. With 

 yegard to tongueiug Roses on tho MauotU stock, iu order to make thein 

 root, I have never found any necessity to do so. If Roses bo buried 

 2 inches over tho point of union, and protcctcil from scorching summer 

 beats and severe winter frosts, they will ahnovt always root freely. Mr. 

 Curtis, as I understood him, outs the bark luu-f and tbcro at the point of 

 union, about an inch, to form tongues. Tho InnRue thereby, ho says, is 

 induced to form roots. Here (Okeford, Fitzp.iiue I, ou tho simdy loam, Roses 

 on tho Manetti stock omit freely theii- own mots.-W. F. Radclyffe." 



Plant for East Wall (.-iMiai^ur).— The Aristolocbia sipho is a climber 

 that would suooeed on an east wall, and Crataiius pyracantha would also 

 ■alt you, as it produces fine clusters of rod berries in autumn. 



Chorozema in Gheenhouss {Tdcm). — It should havo the lightest and 

 most airy of situations; shade to it is injurious. 



Grafting Camellias {A. B. vff.).— Camellia stocks are grafted. Now 

 Is a good time to graft; the stock should be placed in a hotbed, and the 

 scions must be imictivo when thoy are placed on the stocks. Inarching 

 may be performed at the end of March or begiuuing of April. It is not 

 necessary to givo them beat. 



Cyclamens Leafless (Iilcm\ — Your plants maybe leafless in con- 

 sequence of the loss of the growing part, or owing to the plants or cornis 

 having been but recently repotted after their importatiou. The soil 

 should be kept moist, but neither very wot nor dry. In potting, tho 

 eorms should be entirely covered with soil. A compost of two-thirds 

 fibrous loam and one-third leaf mould, with a free admixture of silver 

 sand, will grow them well. 



Pruning Roses (Jrfcm).— It is now timo to prune Roses, and pruning 

 onght not to be delayed. By pruning a p^irt ot ly at a time you will havo 

 flowers succeeding each other, bu*' to havo a good bloom pruning should 

 all be done at once. Standards with long shoots may be left rather long, 

 and trained umbvella-iashion, but tbey look beet when left to assume 

 their natural habit, regulating the head by pruning, &c. Tbe dwarfs on 

 the Manetti stock with shoots 3 feet long, we would shortei; to 18 inches, 

 and cut the side shoots iu to two or three eyes or buds each ; but if you 

 wish for a dwarf plant you must cut tho ioug shoots back to at least 

 1 foot from tbe ground, 



DracjENA terminalis Flowt.ring (C. McLaren).— It is rather nnusnal 

 forthis to flower, hut we have kuown similar instances. It is probably 

 owing to the liberal treatment you have given the i)lant8. 



Pits for Wintering Bbdbing Plants (.4 Constant Jieader).—WQ prefer 

 lor this purpose pita with a span-roof and about 12 feet wide, having a 

 path along the centre, and stone shelves, though wood will do, on both 

 sides, leaving about 2 feet 6 inches for n path. This should be so sunk 

 that shelves could bo placed over it at about 15 inches from tbe glass. 

 The house, or pit, need not have any side lights, and the side walls need 

 not be higher above ground than suiiicient to allow for tho spouts. Ven- 

 tilation should be provided at the apex. You will only rerjuire top lights, 

 and the end where the dt»or is should be of glasj, level at least with the 

 point to which the roof-lights come. Tho shelves should be placed about 

 1 foot below the tops of the wall-plates. For a house of this size you will 

 need two 4 inch pipes along both sides and one end — that is, a flow and 

 return. An ordinary pit may be 8 feet wide, and a 4-iuch hot-water pipo 

 all round will be sufficient to keep o-it frost. Thci*e should be a stiigo 

 about IB inches from the glass on which to place the'plauts in pots, or 

 pans. There may he a path in front in order to allow of access to plants 

 for watering and other puiin»ses. 



Tacsonia splendens not Flowering (T/yro).— Tour plant Is probably 

 not trained sulticiently near tbe glass, and has not suffiLcient heat to 

 mature the growth ou which the fluwering depends. Secure a good 

 growth, and train it near the glass— not further from it than 6 inches — 

 and give no more water than enough to keep the foliage from flagging. 

 In winter keep it dry, and merely thin out the shoots where too thick, 

 shortening those that grow irregularly. Keep tho plant under rather 

 than over putted. 



Lawn Mossy (E. TT.).— The moss is in conseauence of a close surface 

 and poor soil. It is a good plan to rake well and thus get rid of as much 

 of the moss as possible, and then top-dress with vevy flue rotten manure 

 or leaf mould, but mauuro is best. The lauu can hardly be too well 

 raked, and it ybould bedoue at once, and the tup-dressiug given in March 

 Let it remain until the beginning of April, and then rake off the rougher 

 portion and sow with lawn-grass seeds and a large proportion of Suckling 

 Clover (8 lbs. to the acre). Give a light raking before sowing, and roll 

 well after sowing. 



Cool Orchids (///nornnw).— Half a dozen for a greenhouse are Epi- 

 dendrum macrocliiluui roseum, Cymbidiuui eburnemn, Lycasto Skinnoii, 

 Odontoglossum grande, Trichopilia tortilis, and Cfelogync cristata major. 

 The prices vary much according to tho sizes of the plants- Consult a 

 nurseryman. 



Clematis Bedding iLlem). — The plants aro planted out in ^he bed, 

 and tbe shoots trained over the surface by means of stakes, but best to a 

 wire trellis. The plants are not taken up but left in tbe ground, and 

 have the old dead shuuts cut out in spring before they begin to grow, and 

 the bed top-dressed with loim, leaf mould, and thoroughly-decayed 

 manure. Tho shoots are tied down. 



Planting a Flower Garden {Kate).~WG think the centre bed too 

 large for the others, and it would be improved by a centre of Iresino, 

 followed by belts of the Golden Feverfew, and edged with purple Verbena. 

 Haviug two circles of eight beds each round tho centre, and each tight 

 beds planted alike, is a very simple way of doing it, and we have no 



doubt it will look well as a ebango. The first eight befls, As you propose 

 may lie centred with blue LoboHa, and etlgej a foot wide with Cerantiom* 

 Thi' outsido eight beds will iilHo do well nntrcrt with f^nirlet Verbena 

 and edged with Niereinberwia, lilao ; but as tlif* editing will f'e Hglit, and 

 not far from tbe Corastiniu, we would prefer, if tho heights would snit, 

 having tho Nierembeigia in the centre and scarlet Vorboiias outside. A 

 centre of wbite-varlogatcd Pelari^oniums, as Alma or BlJou, without 

 bloom, and tho Verbenas kept below them at the ontflidos, would also 

 look well. 



PnoTECTiNO Wall I'^uit-tree Blossoms (C. D.D.). — In such a wa* 

 sou as this it wwuld bo well to use pjrotection, iu order to rotard the 

 Iilou'o. Tio that as it mny, we havo little faith in what you have been 

 told, that provided tbe most of the bloom is cut o(V a second bloom will 

 open abundantly. Somotlmrs the beet blosaoma aro cut off, and wesk 

 buds not expanded escape ; but iu general a frost that will out oil' o^wjd 

 buds will bo apt to iojuru the weakest also, thnugh not fully open. We 

 havo but very rarely seen unprotected tn 08 pass through a aevero ordeal 

 as well as thoao protected. 



Bones for Vine Borders (J. I,.).— Wo would advise mixing the un- 

 boiled bones towai-ds tbo outside of the border, and obtaining an equal 

 quantity of boiled bones to go nearer tho place wiiere tbe roots will be 

 at once. If the bones yon have saved are from six. to twelve months old, 

 tbe boiling is of less consequence. Fresh bonoa nnboiled, used at once 

 near roots, are airt to be nearly as unwholesome to tho roots as putrid 

 meat, which can only be useful when mucli decompofled- We would use 

 several cartloads of old mortar with the compost if tu be had. 



Notices to Leave (J. H. S., a Young Gardeni:r}. — 4.3 you are paid 

 w.ekly, legally you can leave by giving a week's notice, and the head 

 gardener can part with yon by giving you a eirailar notice. These things 

 aro, however, seldom doue in such a strict Ugal way. If your maBter 

 wishes a change, and you conduct yoursoll properly, be would niost 

 likely give you longer notice ; and if you thought of leaving you would 

 consult your own interests by giving at least a month's nolice, so as to 

 cause the moving tu be felt as little "as poBsible, and givo time for choos- 

 ing a successor. Legality is all very well, but courtesy will do very far 

 more for young gardeners than mere legal right. Of course, when a 

 man mifcouducts himself, and does not attend to his duty, he has no right 

 even to a week's notice. 



Meteorological Tarle (Id evi).— Tho difficulty you hav« of nnior- 

 standing these weekly table-i arises from your not perceiving that tbe 

 barometer merely gives the weight of the atmoHphore, and the thermo^ 

 meter makes us acquainted with the temperatnre. It would be out of 

 place to enter on the consideration of the barnmeter; but if you choose 

 to follow up the matter you will bud the whole disciissed in most oi our 

 encyclopredias. The mean weight of a column of air at the level of the 

 sea, at a mean temperature of 50', will be equal to a column of mercury 

 of about BD inches in hei^'ht. The tube, therefore, for an upright baro- 

 meter is generally close ou S feet in height. The range of most barometere 

 is given from 23 to 31 inches. In verj' dry weather, tbe air being free 

 from vapour, is heavy, aud pressing on the vessel of quicksilver causes 

 the quickHilver to rise in the tube until it may stand at S0\ inches. 

 When tbe air is charged with vapour and fogs it is lighter, and presses 

 less ou the mercury, and therefore the mercui'y falls iu the tube. It is 

 by noting tbe rising aud falling of the mercurial column in connection 

 with changes in the temperature, that meteorologists are able in some 

 measure to forecast the weather. As a simple proof that ft column 

 of air is heavy in proportion to its boi^bt, the atmosphere is much more 

 rarilied and light on tho top oE a hill than down iu the valley, and thuB 

 the barometer has been used for ascertaining the height of accessible 

 ' mountains, as tho mercury will fall about one-tenth of an inch for every 

 j 103 feet you rise. We presume we need not explain tho action of the 

 thermometer in showing tbo degree of temperature, as the mercury ia 

 expanded by heat or contracted by cold. Tbo scale in the best thei* 

 ! niometers is regulated so many degrees below the freezing point of water 

 ' up to tbe boiling point. No young man will do much in gardening unless 

 I ho uoto the changes in the theniKtmeter, and regula:e bis daily and 

 ' nighily work accordingly. After some experience it would seem that a 

 j great many yotmg men will not give themselves the trouble of noticing 

 1 tbe out-door thermometer, and that in the plant or the forcing house. 

 In all such cases, putting on lires is nothing bettor than rule of thumb, 

 Tbo words maximum aud minimum, when applied to the barometer, 

 signify the greatest and the least weight of air during the day ; and the 

 same words applied to tho tbei-moraeter just point out the greatest and 

 the least beat, or, in other words, tbe highest and tbe lowest temperature 

 in a day of twenty-four hours. Tbe other columns, showing the tempe- 

 rature of the earth at different depths, &c., are equally important. 



Hot-water Piper Painted with Gas Tar {Amateur).— If, as yon say, 

 it has thoroughly sunk into the iron, we can offer you no remedy, except 

 taking away the pipes aud replacing them. If the tar is firm, and yet 

 merely encrusts the matal, thtii the best course wo can suggest is to take 

 every i)lant out of tbe house, paint the pipes over with a mixture of 

 melted grease and soft soap, apply a gentle heat, say water in the pipes 

 at 180'\ and then in about six hours Vfith a curved knife try aud sorane 

 every vestige of the grease and tar off. Every particle of the tar left wiU 

 bo injurious to plants, imd that in proportion to the heat applied. We 

 have tried the above on a small scale with success. 



Aphides on Peach Trees in Blossom (TT. JT.H.).— Yon cannot syringe 

 whilst tbe trees are in bloom, but you may smoke them several times 

 with tobacco ; or yon may have a small brush aud wash where you see 

 the insects with quassia "water, made by boiling a pound of chips in a 

 gallon of water; you may easily touch the insects without hurting the 

 blossom. Smoking would be best, but not too much at a time, or yon 

 may cause the blooms to drop. 



Vines Planted Outside (A Jersfjf ,'?u&scr/'?'fr).— The great objection to 

 the Vines being planted on the north side of the bouse is that the ground 

 will receive little or no sun. In tbe exceptional cases referred to, we 

 would allow these Vines to remain and occupy tbo back part of the 

 house, aud as layered Vines are little to be depended on, we would plant 

 fresh Vines in tho front outside border, defending tho stems before 

 entering the house. As tbe border outside is flat, and the wall 6 feet 

 high, we would raise tbe border next the house 3 feet before planting, so 

 as to give it a good slope to tbe south. 



Angle op Greenhouse Roof (Amateur, 8he_ffield). — For a 15-feet 

 rafter a good house would be formed by sides of 6 feet, and a ridge 14 feet 



