230 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTDBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ April 22, 1869. 



weeks, or more, before we generally do it. To carry out the 

 half of these directions would require plenty of room to prick- 

 off under protection, and then, after all, the growers would be 

 disappointed. We have seen such plants from seed sown in 

 the beginning of March that, after passing through trials and 

 troubles, were not so good as plants sown without protection 

 in May. Provided you can give the room, and wish to turn 

 out large plants at once, sow early ; but if you cannot do so, 

 sow later. Nothing suffers more than these plants reared 

 tenderly when moved about until vitality is almost driven out 

 of them. If you sow now, treat kindly but judiciously, but if 

 from the time the plants appear until they go finally into the 

 ground you give them scarcely a check, you will have reason to 

 believe that rather late sowing is not always synonvmous with 

 late returns. — E. F. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— April 21. 



There is rather more animation in the trade here, stocUs clearing off 

 well, but only at trifling advances. Imports now consist of Asparagus. 

 Kidney Beans, Articholies, Tnrnips, Carrots, Endive, Green Peas, and 

 Lettuces: the Channel Islands funiishinR some excellent Broccoli. 

 Forced fruit is quite sufficient to meet the preseat demand. 



Apples V, sieve 3 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bush. 10 



Currants 3-2 sieve 



Black do. 



FiRB doz. 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 1 



Gooseberries . . quart 

 Grapes, Hothouse.. lb. 10 

 Lemons 100 4 



Artichokes doz. 3 



Asparagus 100 5 



Beans, Kidney . . hd. 1 



Beet,Ked doz. 2 



Broccoli bundle 1 



Bms. Sprouts }-^ sieve 



Cabbage doz. 1 



Capsicums 100 D 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 3 



Celery bundle 1 



Oacombers each 



Endive doz. 2 



Fennel bunch 



GarUc lb. 



nerbs bunch 



Horseradish . .bundle 3 



Melons each 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges 100 



Peaclies doz. 



Pears (dessert) . . doz. 



Pine Apples lb. 8 



Plums y^ sieve 



Quinces T. doz. 



R.ispberritia lia. 



Strawberries oz. 



Walnuts bash. 10 



do ICO 1 



d. 8. d 



0to5 







12 











12 

 

 

 



VEGETABLES, 

 d. 8. d 

 0to6 



8 



2 



3 



Leoka bancb, 



Lettuce score 1 



Mushrooms pottle 1 



Mastd.& Creas.punnet 



2 I Onions bushel 







2 







1 

 fi 



2 

 1 



Parsley sieve 3 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 8 



Potatoes bushel 4 



Kidney do. 4 



Radishes doz. bunches 1 



Rhubarb bundle 



I Sea-kale basket 2 



Shailota lb. 



Spinach baehel 2 



Tomatoes doz. 1 



5 Turnips bunch 



d. B, 

 4 too 



S 



1 



2 



12 



4 



9 1 







6 6 



d 

 6 

 

 6 

 3 

 

 6 

 

 

 

 







1 



3 



2 n 



TEADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 

 Ambroise Verschaffelt, Paie du Cbaume. 52. Ghent, Belgium 



~Pri.T-cottrant pour U Frintcmps ct Eie, 1869- 

 G. White, 3, Moss Street, VAi&ley.— General Catalogxie. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



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

 mental writers of the " Journal of HorticuUnre, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. Ail 

 communications should therefore be addressed i^olelif to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, dsc, 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.G. 



We also request that correspondents will not mis 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. 



N.B.— Many questions must remain unanswered until nest 

 ■week. 



Books iMontlcola\~rhe work ynn name is not completed. Bentham's 

 Handbook of the British Flora," Illustrated Edition, will suit you. 



Flower Bed Plantikg (B. B.).— We never undertake to detail the 

 (arrangement of a flower bed, we only criticise that which is proposed. 



Mistletoe on- Peach and Ash TEEEs(D.B.).-It is very unusual for the 

 Mifltletoe to be found on the Peach— in fact, the instance now in your 

 garden is the first brought to our notice. You bay the branch it i<J on is 

 now dying. Is it dying throuRhout its entire length.' The Mistletoe on 

 the Ash tree near you is also very unusual. 



CoN.sERvATORY Trellis (S. G.).— Havo it of galvanised iron, not of 



zinc, it is stronpor. Any of the wire-ma nofactnrere aflvertisingin this 

 Journal could supply you. 



Lazv-bews (R. G.).— Lazy-beda are beds due for the grrowth of Potatoes, 

 the sets bpin;:; then placed in rows on the surface, and covered by the soil 

 dug out of narron', deep alleys between the beds. 



HoLLY-HEDac PLANTING 1 TT. G. TT.}.— Now is as good a time as anv for 

 planting Hollies, and for the next month : and they move equally safely 

 tit the end of August in moist weather, and onwards in moist weathor to 

 the end of October. 



Cherry Pluqi fob a Hedge (Wctti),— We have no experience of this 

 as a fence, and do not think it would make a good one, though it might 

 be suitablo as -.x hereon. The proper time for planting it is in autumn, 

 when the leaves are falling or have fallen, or early in November, and 

 onwards up to March in mild weather. 



Rhubabb Seeding {A Subacriher) — The only means of keeping Rhu- 

 barb from seeding is to take up the roots every three or four years, 

 diviJing the plants into as many divisions as there are crowns to each, 

 and replanting the divisions. They may also be kept from seeding by 

 cutting oil' the flower stem as soon as it shows itself, and close to the 

 lowest leaf or leaves. It should be done before the flower stems are 

 more than 2 feet high. 



Camellia Stocks (Wcnil. — The usual stock in grafting Camellias is 

 the Single Red Camellia, though other sorts are sometimes used. They 

 are raised from cuttings of the ripened wood at the end of August, and 

 by seeds, which should bo sown in spring. 



CUTxn^'G Down Ferns (/dflTn).— The fronds should be removed as they 

 become brown, and by degrees as the new growths are formed. If, 

 however, they have all dead or browned fronds, then they may be cut off 

 now if under glass, or, if out of doors, now is as good a time as any. 

 Cutting-down is best deferred until spring, as the dead fronds protect 

 the plants or crowns from frost during winter. 



Fertilising Cucubiber Blossoms {Idem). — The operation you have 

 seen performed is fertilising the female flower, or that having the fruit at 

 its base. What you havo seen put in the flower is the male flower deprived 

 of its corolla, and the yellow dust or pollen on the centre portion of the 

 male flower is that necessary to be placed on the stigma of the female 

 flower. It is done to secure the setting of the fruit, and especially to 

 secure seed of any particular kind. The fruit will set without the blossom 

 being fertilised, and for tabic it is best without seed. 



Coarse Grass on Lawn (T. F.).— The only remedy that we know short 

 of returfiug would be 'giving the lawn a" good top-dressing of jShort 

 manure now or in autumn, andthis would encourage the weaker Grasses, 

 and the coarse ones would grow so luxuriantly that from close mowing 

 their crowns wonld bo cut o9F, and whilst they become weaker the 

 smaller sorts will become thicker. A good dressing of bone dust will 

 answer the same purpose, and it maybe civen now; indeed, anything 

 that encourages the growth of the grass will tend to make the lawn less 

 coarse, and to oviircomo the coarse grass sow Suckling Clover liberally 

 now, 8 or 12 Its. to the acre, rolling well afterwards. 



Plants fob North Wall (J", i^.).— There are few plants that will 

 succeed on a uorth aspect, but Ivy does so admirably, and few Ivies are 

 tiuer for the purpose than Kcegneriana, Tree, and the Irish. Cratiegus 

 pyracuutha will also succeed, and so will Cotoneaster microphylla, but 

 the Ivy is best. Jasminum nudiflorum is fine for a north aspect, flower- 

 ing in the middle of winter (January), but it is deciduous. It is one of 

 the most free-growing of plants, and very desirable on account of its 

 free winter flowering. 



Heating a Third House from One Boiler [Joseph C. Carnahy). — 

 If you have, as you say, plenty of power in the boiler, 60 yards of 2-inch 

 piping will do between the boiler and the new house; but the pipes 

 should be laid in a wooden box packed with sawdust. For another fiie- 

 place a small boiler would be cheaper. 



Setting Grapes {E. S.). — The parties you refer to have their own 

 opinion ; but in sunny weather especially we damp the floors and stages 

 of the vinery whilst the Vines are in bloom. 



Vine Roots Dead (James Crump). — Neither rank bones nor garbage of 

 any kind is good for Vine borders; but as your Vines grew pretty well 

 for two years, we cannot see how the bones equally mixed in the border 

 should "kill them now. It seems more likely that something wrong has 

 been given thom at the roots. 



Grape Bunciies Becouiing Tendrils fZ«Jifiws).— The chief causes of 

 the Vine bunches running away into a sort of tendril and not opening the 

 blooms, ai-e unripeued wood and luxuriant growth from rich soil and deep 

 roots. The simplest remedy is to keep the wood more free of laterals, 

 to give more dry heat in the autumn to harden the wood, and to keep 

 the roots drier. 



Training Vines (An Old Subscriber).— Yoa are quite right in having 

 your Vmes from 14 to 18 inches from the glass. That secured, it matters 

 little how you train them. We would rub off none of the shoots now 

 showing, except tho weakest, and so as to retain one or two shoots show- 

 ing fruit to each spur. As the main shoots reach the top of the house 

 you must treat the terminal one the same as the rest, and stop at a joint 

 or two beyond the fruit. Besides the unsightliness, a spur 6 inches long 

 will be as fruitful as one 2 inches or less in length. As you have two 

 •?uch spurred shoots for each Vine, you could provide for one or two new 

 shoots this summer by selecting one shoot near the base of each shoot, 

 or of one of thom — we would say both — and allow that to grow rather 

 more than half the length of the house without stopping. After stopping 

 and before, allow laterals on the young shoot until towards autumn, and 

 allow laterals on few of the bearing spurred shoots. Next spring cut the 

 young shoots to about one-third of the length of the rafter, and for that 

 space remove all the spurs from the old wood. Do the same the nest 

 year, and thus in the third season you would have a fresh leader, or 

 rather two to each Vme, with spurs close home, and then you could cut 

 away the old stems and replace with younger ones. Syringing helps the 

 Vine at first, but in unhealed houses it may be dispensed with if the 

 floors are kept damp in hot weather. 



Failure op Tbees in Orchard House (TT. £.)•— We should think the 

 failure of your trees by not setting was owing to repotting rather late in 

 autumn, and tho wood beinu imperfectly ripened. The repotting should 

 be done as soon as the fruit is gathered. We have had fruit trees in 



