230 



JOURNAL OF HOETIODLTUUE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ April 1, 1889 



when mature. For exhibition in June, the plant onght now to be placed 

 in a house where tbere ia a gentle heat, or in the cool part of the stove, and 

 growth encouraged : keep it there until a few days before exhibition, then 

 harden well off, and remove to the greenhouse or conservatory. 



Manure Water in Evaporating Tbocghs (D. H. C.).— The troughs 

 may be filled with the manure water when the Vines are started, but we 

 think it better to use it rather weak until the loaves attain their full size, 

 or until the berries are well set, using it stronger after that, and leaving it 

 off altogether when the Grapes begin to ripen. 



Celery Pithy and Hollow (Oakham}.— The great cause of this is a 

 deficiency of water in dry weather, and sowing early, the plants not 

 being grown quickly. Do not sow until March. Keep the plants growing 

 without check, and plant out in June in well-prepared highly-manured 

 trenches, watering copiously in dn- weather. The evil may also arise from 

 the ground, or the sort grown. Tlie red sorts are generallymore Eolidand 

 in everj- way better than the white, though the white kinds are best for 

 summer and early autumn use, as they are more easily blanched. 



Flower Garden Plaxiin'o (Hf-m).— We cannot plant ; we only under- 

 take the criticism of proposed planting. 



Snake Cuccmbee Ccltdbe (R. il.).— The seed should be sown the 

 same as that of the Cucumber, in pots, potting off the plants when large 

 enough singly, and transferring to pots of larger size as they require it, 

 stopping and otherwise treating the plants as ordinary Cucumbers. A hot- 

 bed answers well for the plants whilst in small pots, but when they become 

 too tall remove to a stove or house having a moist growing atmosphere of 

 Irom 60= to 6S' by night, and from 75' to 80= or 90 by day, with sun and 

 air, affording a light and airy position. We have grown them in 9-inch 

 pots. A stake should be placed in the pots to train the plants to, and 

 it need not exceed 3 feet in height. Large pots may be used, but 9-inch- 

 or 11-inch pots are quite large enough. The soil should be the same as for 

 the Cnctimber. Remember the fruit is poisonous. 



MoNocHiiTCM MCLTirLoBDH PROPAGATION (/lifml.— Take Cuttings of 

 the half.ripened young wood, and insert them in sandy peat, surfacing 

 the pot with sand, and cover with a bell-glass ; then place in a hotbed of 

 70 and keep close, moist, and shaded The cuttings are slow in root- 

 ing, but will do so in about six weeks. It is rarely that the plant seeds, and 

 yet it may be raised from seed when procurable. 



EoSA centifolia {Suhscrlb''r).—Tb6 proper name is that you have given. 

 It IS the Provence or Cabbage Rose, called hundred-leaved (centifolia) on 

 account of the great number of its flower-leaves or petals. It may be had 

 01 any nurseryman. 



Eradicating Horseradish (Hfm). — We do not know of any better 

 mode of destroying it than by cutting it off as often as itappears, dropping 

 into the hole some salt each time, but only a pinch between the finger 

 and thumb, otherwise it may injure other crops amongst which the 

 Horseradish is growing. The plants should be cut off as often as they 

 appear throughout the summer, this will weaken and untimately destroy 

 the roots. 



Okeens for Winter Use for Plabbits (Hem).— The rabbit wiU devour 

 almost anything. Parsley, which may be sown now; Swedish Turnip, 

 which should be sown at the end of May or beginning of June ; Curled 

 Greens, which may be sown early in AprU; also Savoy, Cabbage, and 

 Cottagers' Kale. 



Strawberries (Youna Suhicrihi-r).— Yon may obtain the varieties von 

 name of any nurseryman who advertises in our Journal. 



CocoA-NCT Fibre Refuse for Ferns (7j7noramu..).— The fibre from 

 the mat manufoctory is of no use for potting Ferns, except for placing in 

 thin layers over the crocks at the bottoms of the pots : but the refuse 

 which IS hke mahogany sawdust is good for potting, and may be used as 

 a substitute for, or along with peat and loam. The plants scorched bv 

 the bursting of a flue will no doubt recover in time, but a few may die, 

 yet that will not, we think, be general. In winter they should have no 

 more water than enough to keep them fresh, the soil never being allowed 

 to become dry. Green fly is injurious to all plants infested with it, and 

 .1?^ ^i" °,° ,';''«'il'''0°- t umigate the house with tobacco, filling it quite 

 "i4- , -The foliage of the plants must be dry at the time of fumigation, 

 which 13 best done on a calm evening. Worms are injurious in Fern 

 pots, htop the holes m the i.ots, and saturate the soil with lime water, 

 the worms will then be destroyed or come to the surface. An hour will 

 be sufficiently long for the Ljles in the pots to be stopped, then open 

 them and allow the water to drain away. 



Azaleas Flowering Unevenly (Hem).— It is owing to the buds not 

 bemg well set, or the growth not being matured. The plants may not have 

 had snflicient encouragement to make a good growth, and it has not been 

 sufficiently npened. They should be placed in heat and encouraged 

 with a moist atmosphere to make a good growth, exposing them well 

 afterwards to light and air, so as to thoroughly mature the growth and 

 set the buds. -o j » 



Grubs in Turf (Cricl--'(er)._The amount of ammonia in gas water 

 diflers too much to enable anyone to specify the quantity of common 

 water required to dilute it, so as as not to destrov the grass. You may 

 test it by pouring some on the grass unmixed 'with water, and some 

 mued with various proportions of water, that which does not turn the 

 grass brown miglit be nscd; but then, we fear, it would be too weak to 

 kUl the grubs. The most effectual proceeding would be to remove the 

 turf, cutting it very thin, seek for the grubs, and soak the soil with 

 the strongest ammoniacal liquor, and then after a few days relay the turf. 



Plower-oarden Plan (Str,nliopc).~Vfe cannot plant, 'we can only 

 cntise proposed planting. * ■. j 



Plan of Gardens (.7. W. La:,rock).---vre think that the place as laid 

 out will be very interesting, and much more so if you give to each part 

 a distinctive feature. Thus, if you pl.ant out mounds No. 1 and No. 7 

 with Hollies about 15 feet apart, you could fill-in with Laurels, Lilacs, 

 and Spu-;pas ; all these to come away as the Hollies grow ; then the north 

 side of No. 2 you could plant with a row of Laurels, to be kept cut-in 

 and nearer the grass verge you could have Laurustinus and evergreen 

 Berbens of tlie best kinds, which would present a neat appearance in 

 the winter and spring months. No. 3 mieht have two or three scarlet- 

 blooming Thorn trees, but the centre chiefly filled with Evergreen Oaks. 

 with a border round of Laurustinus. No. 4 would do well centered with 

 Arbutus, a ring round of Daphne laureola, and then low bedding plants 



to tke verge. Ko. 5, the one bed, is all very well, bat InBtead of the other 

 borders roaiid the sides of the mansion we woald preler a few beds 

 groaped on the sides of the lawn. Having dug borders up to a housa 

 always conveys the idea of limited space, and also of damp in the walla. 

 We think that the north side of No. 6 will do admirably lor what yoa 

 propose. With oblique cordons on the walls, and vertical training on 

 treUis in four divisions of the kitchen garden, we should in front of 

 the other quarters have dwarf bushe-s, and in other parts dwarf pyramids. 

 Even in the orchard you will have more pleasure in dwarf trees than in 

 tall orchard trees. 



Flower Garden Plantisg (M.A. T.).— The chief merit of your plan ia 

 having so much grass round the beds. In the plan itself there is but little 

 of the artistic attempted. It may be said to consist of three lines of beds, 

 each row having five beds in line. With the excei)tiou of the three 

 middle beds in the middle row, the other beds niieht have been of almost 

 any shape, without disturbing the symmetry of the plan. Again, as the 

 lines of beds run from east to west, and are backed by evergreens on the 

 north and wesc, and by the mansion about 20 yards to the east, we would 

 pair the beds, not as you have done, by making two pairs ia each of the 

 outside row?, but pair them transversely. Thus, supposing we make the 

 five central beds your central line, we woald plant them as you propose, 

 merely adding blue Lobelia to the two end beds along with Pelargo- 

 nium Manglesii as 3, 3 ; but then, instead of pairing 5 and 7, and 10 

 and 11, &c., we would begin at the east end, and pair H and 13, 7 and 

 12, 6 and 11, 5 and 10, 4 and 9. Thus— 

 But if the mansion is opposite the central 

 line of beds 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, we would have been 

 tempted to have had an open glade of 

 turf np to the background ot Laorels, and would have grouped the beds 

 on the north and south sides. 



Grafting Standard Roses (D. B".).— "The time for grafting Roses ia 

 now, if the weather is genial. I have not grafted mine yet on account of 

 the cold, drying east winds. It would have been better to have taken off 

 the scions earlier, but they answer well if put on stocks the same day, 

 if the buds are not pushed too much; if they are much so, break them 

 ofiF and rely on the side buds which there are tn each bud. The scions 

 must be of last autumn's growth. Take the top off the stock horizontally, 

 and place the scion in the cleft as before directed. Your stocks of last 

 year's growth will do. if sound and thick enough. — Harrison Weir." 



Thunbergia laurifolia Culture (J. Bajily). —Yonrs is no soHtary 

 instance of failure in blooming this plant. It is so subject to red spider 

 that the growths are rarely matured, and the flowers drop in the succeed- 

 ing year in consequence of the plant having been deprived of its juices 

 in the previous year by the spider. The moat suitable compost is one 

 part fibrous loam and one part sandy peat, with one-fourth old rotten 

 cow dung, and one-sixth old Um6 rubbish well mixed, good drainage 

 being given. The growth should be cut in rather closely in spring before 

 it begins to push, say in February, leaving, however, enough of well- 

 ripened wood for flowering. Then, placing the plant in heat, sprinkle or 

 syringe it twice a-day, potting when the shoots are a few inches long, 

 and shading for a few days until established. As the season advances 

 afi'ord slight shade from powerful sun, and apply flowers of sulphur to 

 heep down red spider, syringing copiously twice daily. The temperature 

 from October to February need not exceed from 50- to 55- at night, keep- 

 ing the soil dry, but not so much so as to cause the leaves to fall prema- 

 turely ; and in summer the temperature should not exceed 60*= or 65^ 

 at night, and 70" or 75^ by day, with a rise of ICi^ or 15- with sun. Air 

 should be freely given at all seasons. Our correspondent says he "will 

 be obliged to any reader of The Journal of Horticulture if he will 

 inform him where he cau procure plants of lochroma coccinea and 

 I. Warscewiczii," having applied at several nurseries without success. 



Trop.5;olums not Flowering Freely (J. K'.).— If your plants give 

 you plenty of leaves and few flowers, your soil is too rich. Employ a 

 compost of one-third turfy loam, one-third sandy peat, and one-third 

 lime rubbish, taking out the soil of the bed and replacing it with the 

 above materials, well mixed and made firm, so that the growth may be less 

 vigorous and shorter-jointed, and the plants may he plunged in their pota 

 with the rims of these an inch below the surface. If grown in pots, 

 keep under rather than ovei-potted, affording an airy, light position. 



Compost for Camellias (Idem).— The best compost for the Camellia 

 is the turf from an old pasture where the soil is a sandy or light loam, 

 paring it off an inch and not more than 1\ inch thick. Tear it in pieces 

 with the hand, make it rather fine, and with this pot rather firmly— indeed, 

 consolidate it well, placing the finer parts at the top of the pot. A mix- 

 ture of turfy loam and peat is better than all peat, but we have grown 

 them well in both separately. 



Gathering Aucuea Berries (A Subscriber).— The berries may be left 

 on the shrubs until they begin to shrivel, or until they begin to fall, 

 which they will do in a short time, and they should be sown at once in 

 moderately rich light soil. 



Sulphur in Vinery {L. M. C.) — You may nse it now as you propose. 



Horseradish Planting {J. ^.).— Horseradish planted 2 feet deep— the 

 proper way for securing good, long, straight roots— will show the leavesin 

 May or June, or it maybe later; but they are sure to appear the first 

 year — i. e., those from the majority of the pieces planted, and by the 

 autumn of the second year there will be fine roots. 



Vicar of Winkfield Pear (JdcTn."!.— This Pear is apt not to ripen, and 

 is seldom melting— rarely more than half melting. It is not worth a 

 wall. We should cut it out, and supply its place by encouraging the 

 Easter Beurre. 



Shamrock (flbrtii^).- It is disputed whether the Shamrock adopted in 

 the early ages of Christianity as the emblem of Ireland was a Clover or 

 the Wood Sorrel. We incline to think the latter, for some authorities 

 say the Irish ate Shamrocks, which they could not do if it was a Clover, 

 but the Sorrel is a pleasant salad herb. Sir Henry Ellis gives these 

 quotations, and they sustain our opinion : — " In Wyther's 'Abuses Stript 

 and Whipt,' 1613, page 71, he says— 



• And, for my cloathing, in a mantle ffoe. 

 And feed on Sham-roots, as the Irish doe.' 



Between May-day and harvest. ' butter, new cheese and curds, and Sham- 

 rocks, are the food of the meaner sort all this season ' (Sir Henry Piers's 

 ' Description of West Meath,' in Vallancey's ' Collectanea de Rebus Hiber- 



