May '27, 18G9. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



363 



or 8liortcning-hnck the shoots, so an to aecnre n vlgorons crowth tho first 

 yonr. and eepecinlly for wnll trees, rtoint? it by February if it is not douo 

 io Novojiihcr. In the matter of pyramids it is not so material, and, 

 iudeed, if thoy wore i>roperIy punimer-pincbed such wintor pruninff in not 

 nocossary, but is positively injurious, the object b^in^ toltof ]) thttm closo 

 nnd compact. Tho object of winter priming is to aocuro Ki'owth, that of 

 summer pruning,' to restrain growth imd promote fniitfulncss. Wo pre- 

 sume you have ii ButUrioncy o! shoots on tho trees aKainst the walls; 

 train them in their full leneth, and you can, hv now shortening tho 

 leader, secure shoots at tho places where you wish for additional shoots to 

 cover tho wall, stoppimiall the shoots, except the extension of each branch, 

 at the tliird lonf, and to one afterwards throuis'liout tho pcason. Tho 

 pyramids we should stop at the fourth or tifth leaf ; and tho leader, if the 

 tree is under 4 foot in height, when it has thrown 9 or 10 inches. 



Protecting Cfieiiuies fhom Birds i Idnn).—T\ie best material that 

 we have u^od is hexagon netting : but tiffany, which you have by you, will 

 an9W£r, putting it on when the Cherries are'swelUng and bccomingred. 



Baromrter and Thertiiometkr {Mr:^. Keatin;f). — Write to Messrs. 

 Negretti A Zambrii, Hatton Garden, London, E.C., and tell them what 

 you need, and ask the prices. 



SoFTENiN'o HAiin Water iLlrm).—Th(} hardness is nsually canscd by 

 the carbonate or sulphate of lime beiuc; dissolved in the water. It may be 

 rendered soft by niixin;^ a tal'h^spoouf ul of washing soda with each bucket- 

 ful of the water, and leaving it exoosed to the air for twelve hours. Tha 

 water so treated will do for watering plants. 



IxtA Culture (C. /i. iT.).— The pots should be phiced out of doors in 

 summer, plunging them to their rims in the ground or in rnal ashes, sup- 

 plying witli water in dry weather, but not after the fcUage bet-'ins to 

 decay, as the moisture of the soil will be sufRcient. Pot them at tlie end 

 of September or beginning of October, watering at planting ; let chem be 

 freely watered for a month or six weeks, so as to encourage free root- 

 growth ; and keep them plunged iu cial ashes in a cold frame or pit, 

 pulling oir the lights day andnight when the weather is mild, protect- 

 ing from heavy rains by drawing on the lights, and in frosty periods 

 protecting with mats or straw nver the lights, and removing the plants to 

 the greenhouse in spring, assigning them a light and airy position. 



Seedlixo Cyclamens (Idem).~At the end of this or beginning of next 

 month place tho plants out of doors, but shaded from the midday sun, 

 keeping the soil moist; and at the end of August pot them in -W-inch 

 pots, and place in a cold frame on coal ashes, keeping them well supplied 

 with water, hut not with the soil saturated. The lights unly should bo 

 used in case of heavy rains, and then air should be freely admitted by 

 tilting the lights. In October the plants may bo potted into ti-inch pots, 

 still keeping them in the frame, and protecting from hpavy rains and frost, 

 and removing to a light and airy position iu the greenhouse before severe 

 weatker occurs. Any plants that grow viaorously mny be shifted in 

 November into 7 or 8 inch pots. The plants will flowec next winter or 

 early in spring. 



Banksiin Rose not Flowering- (Mem).— The situation is probably too 

 cold, and the plant too freely pruned. The shoots should be trained 

 fheir full length, and not very closely together, removing no part at the 

 winter pruning beyond the uuripened portion of the young shoots, as 

 the flowers are produced on laterals from the previous year's shoots. 



Tacsonia Van-Yolxe3ii not FLowERiN'i (Idem). —The plant should 

 have the shoots trained not farther from the glass that 9 inches, and 

 better if 6 inches only. It should have a moderate amount of air, en- 

 couraging by copious waterings a free growth, training tho shoots 

 moderately thinly, so as to secure to them plenty of light. A good growth ' 



being made, keep tho jtlant dry lioth at the roots nnd in tlie atmosphere. 

 Your plant may bo a fte<Mlliiig, and m that case it will not flower until itd 

 vigour bo overcome by confining the roots. 



Compost for Looania florihunda (An Amateur).— Two parts sandy 

 fibrous peat, one part turfy i)eat, and nno-sixth each of silver sand and 

 charcoal in pieces from the size of a poa uji to that of a hazel nut for 

 largo plants, not taking out tho dust, the whole to bo well mixed and 

 incorporated, providiof^ good drainage. 



FcciisiA Leaves Diacolouiikd f.l Suhitcribrr). — The leaf sent has begua 

 that discoloration which will end in tho fall nf tho loaf unless tho cause 

 be removed. That is the failing to give air before the sun shines powerfully 

 npon tho house, ^o as to dissipate the Ci>uden-fnd moisture on tho leaves, 

 for tlio sun shining powerfully upon them whilat wet causes their dis- 

 coloration. It is not caused by overwateriug; avoid that, yet keep tho 

 foliage from flugging. 



Flower Rohdrr (Pari.— Your arrangement will look very well if tho 

 season is moist enongh to keepthe yellow in thoPyretbrum. If not, yellow 

 Calceolaria or Mrs. Pollock Pelargonium would bo better. 



Heatino a House for Bedding Plants IJobhing Gardrnrr).~yon 

 should have told us tho size of your house. If it is from 30 to 40 feet long, 

 two ventilators in tho roof and two in fro!it will not he sufficient. Yoa 

 would need four at least, unless on a warm <lay you set tho door open- 

 The command of more air would bo hotter as to heating. A flue is no 

 trouble if well managed, and a small flue would do for such a place. If 

 expense is an object, we would put a small Irick stove inside the house, 

 say in the middle, cover with an iron ulate or a flagstone, and take the 

 smoke out at tho back, or un through the mof. Such a stove with a 

 square top to i)ut a vessel of water on is the cheapest and the best of all 

 where only a little heat is wanted, and we consider brick stoves better 

 than iron, as they never heat so quickly, nor cool so quickly. If you givo 

 more particulars we shall be glad to assist you. 



White Dust on Forced Strawberry Plants (Charlie).— Vfe think 

 your Strawberries must he mildewed, and dusting with sulphur and 

 more air might have remedied the evil. The other question— the plants 

 for bouquets iu winter and spring is a large one, and we will keep it in 

 mind, but for garnishing, grow in the slove Mosses and Ferns, parti- 

 cularly Maiden-hairs, and such plants as Euphorbia jacquiuiieflora, all 

 the smaller-foliaged Begonias, pink and white, which work up well ; and 

 in the gi-eenhouse, besides double-flowering Primu'as, which are invalu- 

 able, grow Mignonette, sowing in August, winter-blooming Ileaths, Epa- 

 erises, Correas, Acacias, Genista, Cytisus, Scarlet Pelargoniums, and those 

 florists' Pelargoniums as Alba multiflora and Dennis's Alma, which come 

 on with little forcing. The Swiss Forget-me-not also comes in very useful. 



Seedling Calceolarias (W. K.).— They are prettily but not uncom- 

 monly marked ; and that is all that we are able to say of them, for the post- 

 office punches had quite flattened them,andthey were packed in a cottony 

 or woolly material, which is the worst of all for flowers. They should be 

 in a stout box and in moss. 



Asparagus Shoots Perforated {E. P.)— We have failed to detect 

 any workings of insects within tho stems nf the Asparagus sent, nor 

 could wo find any, under a microacope, on the exterior of the diseased 

 part. Are you clear that the mischief is cauF-ed by insects? If so, 

 please send a fow separate, as the stems sent had become rotten, and may 

 have destroyed the insects sent, if any. — J. O. W. 



Names of Plants {W. .9co»i.— Pilea muscosa, the Pistol or Artillery 

 plant. (Mrs. Pkelps).~lt is Khododendrou Kdgworthii, a native of the 

 valleys of the inner ranges of the Sikkim-HinxaJaya Mountains, at about 

 8O0O feet above the sea level. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of London for the week ending May 25th. 



POULTRY. BEE, AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 



BEDLIXGTON POULTRY AND PIGEON SHOW. 



The fifth Show at the above place was well managed. The birds 

 •were shown under a well-secured teut, and though the day was wet. 

 yet the iowls did not suffer. Tliey were well attended to, fed, and 

 watered. 



The first-prize O'omr cock was a capital bird, and ran the Brown 

 Beds hard for the cup. Some of the most attractive Duckwings 

 proved crooked on handling, but the first-prize pen was of excellent 

 qualit}-. The Golden-spangled Hinnfun'f/fis were excellent and nn- 

 merons. hut except the winners the Silvers were poor. There were 

 several noteworthy pens of Golden-pencilled, hut only tbe first and 

 second prize Silver-pencilled were worthy of notice. Dorkiwis were 

 bad ; but the Cochins were numerous and well shown, and the 

 Brahma J\)Otras\YeYe even better. The first aud second-prize birds 

 in the Spanish class were handsome, and the cup was given to the 

 first. Most singnlarly the barndoor fowls were a failure , The 

 cottagers' class was well filled, and three extra prizes were awarded. 



In Game Bantams the cnp went to a good pen of Black Beds, hard- 

 pressed by a handsome pen of Duckwings from Mr. Robinson, tho 

 only fault of which was, that the coek showed a little weakness of the 

 tail, doubtless from want of condition. The hen was a gem. Some 

 good birds were shown in the " Any variety " class for Bantams. 



Ayle.sburj- ]>urhs were capital, as were also the Rouen. In tha 

 "Any variety" class. Pintail were first; Brown Call, second; and 

 Gargauy Teal, third ; with Dun Divers highly commended. 



The Guinea Fuirts were excellent ; the first Coloured, and the second 

 White. 



In Piijcous, the first-prize CarrieTS were a handsome pair. The 

 first-prize Almonds were neat in head, but a little dull in the feather. 

 The Blue Pouters in the first-prize pen were more like two cocks than 

 a pair proper ; but the second-prize Whites, thongh they did not 

 show, were handsome birds. Good Owls there were none. Where are 

 the exhibitors of English Owls? surely there is an opening for them. 

 The cup for Pigeons fell to a capital pair of Yellow Tnrbits. In 

 Jacobins, the first-prize Whites were such as are rarely seen, and will, 

 doubtless, be heard of again. This class was generally good. Mr. 

 Yardley's Yellow Barbs iu the ''Variety class" were properly placed 

 aud a nice pair of Black Magjuos were second. 



