380 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



r June S, 1869. 



The history of the above important cross will sbortly be given in these 

 pages. French and Show Pelargoniums will not cross with the Zunals. 



ZoNAX Pelargonium Leaf Spotted (E. It. IF"., Pcnnjn). — The leaf 

 appears as if the plant were grown in too close and rich a compost. 

 There is no remedy but to give a poorer and more open compost. Notbing 

 is better than loam from turf which has bjen laid-up for six or eight 

 months, torn in pieces, and made rather fine, but not sifted, giviog goud 

 drainage, a light poiition, not farther from the glass than 2 feet, and ad- 

 mitting air freely. Water carefully uutil tho plants are well rooted in 

 the fresh soil, then water freely when tho soil becomes dry, but before 

 the leaves flag. 



PFLAnooNiUM Leaves Cuhled and Brown {Oi'orgc TKuy}.— The most 

 likely cause is their being infested with aphis, ixnd the evil may be oc- 

 casioned by keeping the soil too wet, too cIosh, and badly drained, not 

 giving a sufficieucy of air, and not keeping them near the glass ; but wc 

 can only siirmiee iu the absence of either a specimen or particulars. 



Vines Breaking Irregularly {Q. S. G.).— Newly-planted Vines, es- 

 pecially when the roots are uncoiled and laid out, eumctimes do not 

 break over-strougly at first, unless great care be taken to have the roots 

 in full action. That wou'd not account for the strong Vines in pots 

 breaking so weakly and showing no fruit, if the plant? remained in the 

 pots and were top-dressed with rich compo-t. We shonld imagine either 

 that the Vines have been rather hurried, or that the wood, though strong, 

 had not been suflBciently rip&ned. Last summer wo saw a house like 

 yours, the Vines planted inside in a good border, with means for the 

 roots to go out, and the young Vines looked very miserable. Watering, as 

 far as surface-appearance went, seemed all right: bnt on pushing our 

 stick and fist into the border, the cause Wits at once apparent. A few 

 roots near the surface had been moistened, the bulk were quite dry. We 

 would not think of furtlicr cutting back the Vines now, as there is plenty 

 of growiug time before them. See that the roots are right. 



Insect Infesting Vines (S. S.).— Tho insect infesting llie Vines is 

 Curculio cupi ens, or Copper-coloured Weevil, which feeds at night. Lay 

 a white sheet on the floor and border, and after dark shake the rods and 

 shoots, and t!ie insects will fall upon the sheet, and may be cleared 

 away and destroyed. This repeated a few times will considerably thin 

 them ; it is the best means of doing so that we know. 



Watering, Mandking Vines, &c. (Idevi).— The Vines at the fourth 

 season ought to bo strong, and should bo capable of bearing from 12 to 

 20 bunches each ; but from your description we should think them ve;y 

 weak indeed, nnd it would have been better to have cut them back to 

 within three eyes of the bottom of the rafter, and taken a rod from each 

 with two side shoots, on which you might have had a bunch each. You 

 would thus have secured a good cane for next year's bearing. The num- 

 ber of bunches you purpose leaving is not too many, but we do not fee 

 how you will furnish the bottom of the I'odswith bearing shoots, or shoots 

 of any kind, without cutting the rods back. They should have water 

 every fortnight or three weeks, a good tupply, so as to reach the lowest 

 roots, and not daily dribblets, which do more harm than good. The 

 watering should be continued until the Grapes are advanced in colouring 

 for ripening, keeping up a moist atmosphere by sprinkling or syringing , 

 the paths, floors, &c., twice or thrice a-day. Tho Lady Dowue's Grapj 

 will set freely, but requires rather more heat than the Black Ham- 

 burgh, bvit from 60*^ to 65° at night will be quite high enough. You may 

 now water with liquid manure after the berries are set, and again in 

 a fortnight or three weeks. V/ith regard to manuring the border, you ' 

 may now give a dressing of bono dust, and in autumn or winter, after 

 the Vines are pruned, give a to|)-dre88ing, about U inch thick, of fresh 

 horse or sheep droppings, and tm*f cut I4 or 2 inches thi^k from a pas- 

 ture where the soil is a loam of medium strength, light rather than 

 heavy, laid up in alternate layers for two or three months, and then 

 chopped up rather finely, adding to every six barrowsf ul one of half-inch 

 bones, the same of mortar fiom au old building, and a bushel of calcined 

 oyster shells, the whole well mixed. Point the border lightly over, and 

 then apply the above. The stopping of the shoots is right, but the main 

 rod or cane should not be stopped until it reach within 1 foot of the top 

 of the house. We cannot advise about the Apj'le and Pear trees until 

 you send us a specimen of the insect, and of the foliage attacked by it. 



Vines Failing (R. 0. M.). — Yonr gardener is quite right, the rain from 

 the roof, nnd cspeciiilly such a wide one, should not be allowed to over- I 

 flow on the border ; but the appearances on what seemed large and i 

 healthy leaves naturally are not whfjl'y to be accounted forframthisciuse. 

 The biown marks and Idotches we would attribute chiefly to a sort of 

 scalding from condensed vapour. The remedy will be early air-giving 

 and a little more dry heat in the house. With tho early air-giving there 

 will be little or no necessity for tho shading. One or two of the brown 

 spots looked like burning from a scratch or notch in the glass ; but from 

 that we should have expected larger and whiter marks. It would be 

 worth while to examine the glass, and if you find any of these spots, to 

 cover them with a little white lead paint. 



Vines Failing lA Subscriber of Sovte Yearn'' Standing). — We suppose 

 the Vines planted by your predecessor on a higher level than the original 

 . Vines, were intended to supersede the last-named, and that he intended 

 to cut the latter away, but it seems both have been allowed to grow. 

 Those en the lower level must have their roots much too deep, and the 

 roots of those on the upper level have, from the increased depth of soil, 

 penetrated too deeply. The soil, too, from tho heavy manuring, we 

 should think has been made very close, heavy, and wet; the drainage 

 may in addition have become choked or defective. Having had no fruit 

 since 18G6, we should take away the Vines and make a new border, if it 

 be found, as we think it will be on examination, that the old border needs 

 renewing. We would then plant fresh Vines. There is little hope of the 

 Vines recovering. 



" Passiflora c^itULEA NOT FLO'vnERiNO( JrfcHi)-— Your plants, from being 

 only recently planted out, will make very vigorous growth, and shuuld 

 have the shoots trained rather thinly, so as to give them plenty of light 

 and air. The principal shoots should be trained about 1 foot apart, and 

 at their full length, and the laterals or side shoots between them, and on 

 these the fiowers will be produced, cutting-bank early in spring to within 

 one or two eyes of the principal branch. The shoots must be thiniaed 

 out where too thick, keeping them nailed or tied up, so as to preserve a 

 neat appearance, preventing too much crowding, and admittiug air and 

 light to evei-y part. We think you will havo flowers next year, if not this^ 

 Bunches of Grapes partly Shriveixed (T. S.).— The ulceration of 



portions of tho bunches of the Grapes, now blooming, evidently arises 

 from deficient root action in the Vines. The growth is very vigorous, and 

 the sap supplied is not auScient to sustain it. We should apply a good 

 bo ikiug of tepid weak liquid manure to the roots onco or twice a-week. 



DouBLE-rLO\VEi:ED Stocks (F. T., Dublin).~Yo\x are quite right in sup" 

 pnsJng that five-petaled Stocks are more likely to proiucp doublr flowers* 

 than those having the normal number of petals, and such should be 

 chosen in ijrefeieuce for producing seed. The regular progression of 

 plants in a particular direction dcpeuis more on circumstances, as bright 

 sunshine and culture, than on the number of petals. We h ive saved seed 

 ciirofullv from five-petaled floAvers, and did not even have at times a 

 single five-petaled one th3 following,' year, to say nothing of doubles. 

 Wo have allowed stout healthy plants with four-peLaled blooms to retain 

 only one or t'A'o seed pods, and in many caseis these produced double 

 flowers. Wo ouco made r. common Daisy in the course of four or five 

 years a doublu one, by means of rich cuUiv;ition, and flowers less than 

 stmi-duuble would often produce double flowers from theii" seed. We 

 hiivG often seen double Daisies revert by degrees to their normal single 

 state, when left years in the same place, and starvad from want of 

 moving. 



Aphis on Asters (Amateur). — The best plan would bo to place them in 

 a fram^, draw on the lights closely, and fill it on a calm evening with 

 tobacco smoke, covering with mats so as lo Itsep tho smoke about the 

 plints 83 much as possible. It will not injure the plants if the leaves are 

 dry. They may be dusted with tobacco powder, which will destroy the 

 aphis. 



Worms in Flower Bopdee (Idem). — Place 14 lbs. of fresh lime in 

 thirty gallons of water, stir well up, and let the whole stand forty-eight 

 hours, then water the border with the clear liquid, giving a good soaking. 

 It will either destroy the worms or bring them to the Burlace, from which 

 they may bo removed. 



Calanthe vestita Flowering (H. Davis).— lis common time of 

 flowering is winter. It is not unusual for it to throw up flower spikes at 

 this seaFon, but it will be some time before the flowers expand. Let the 

 growth be well perfected. You did right to keep the plant di"y from 

 December to March, and to pot it when it began to grow about a month 

 ago. Water rather sparingly until the plant is in free growth, then water 

 frwely, keeping a very moiit atmosphere, thereby encouraging a good 

 growth, and, that attained, seek its maturation by gradually withholding 

 water, maintaining a drier atmosphere, and giving more air. If the 

 phint is likely to flower sooner than you wish, remove it to a drier and 

 cooler house. 



Bodgainvillea Culture (Idem).— The shoot sent appears from the 

 foliage to be that of B. spectabilis, but the foliage varies much. It re- 

 quires to be grown in a border of sandy fibrous loam, and so that the 

 roots will be confined to it. Keep the plant dry after a good growth has 

 been made, as it may be for weeks late iu summer and autumn, so as to 

 ch»ck its vigour and promote the ripening of tho wood. The shoots 

 should be trained about 6 inches from the glass, and be kept moderately 

 thin, not allowing them to crowd or overshadow each other. 



DicKSONiA ANTARCTICA TREATMENT (J. j4.).— The plant whilst gtowing 

 requires very copious supplies of water, the soil being kept very wet, and 

 at no time must it be dry, not even iu winter, but at tliat so ison it will 

 not need so much as in summer, and yet the foII must be kept moist. 

 The trunk during the season of growth may be sprinkled with water 

 twice a-day, and the plant's foliage also, taking care not to give it in such 

 quantity as to cause it to rest in the hearts of the plant, but from 

 September t.^ March that will not be required ; indeed, it is liable to 

 brown the foliage if persisted in at that season. It succcods admirably 

 in a vinery having th3 Vines started in March, and assisted in spring 

 with a little heat in cold periods, and in winter it is enough if frost be 

 excluded. The Vinos flflfurd the pl.^nt an agi-eeablo shade. It will also 

 succeed in a greenhouse, the temperature in Printer 40"* to 45°, and in 

 summer 50- to es"" at night, and from Vo'-' to 80- or 85 by day from son ■ 

 accompanied with air. If grown in a greenhouse sUght shade must be 

 given from very bright sun, maintaining a moist atmosphere when grow- 

 ing, and giving a moderate amount of ah'. The old fronds may he cut 

 away close to the stsm when they became brown, which will be the case 

 as the young fronds appear, and are somewhat advanced. 



Cinerarias and Prihula Seed Sowing Idem\~To havo the plants 

 bloom in December and January, the seed should be sown at the beginning 

 of Aprilingontleheat, pricking "off the plants when large enough t J handle, 

 and growing them in a cold frame. Plants flowering in December will 

 continue until February; but you may, to make sure, sow again at the 

 end of April. To have Cinerarias in flower in wintei-, a temperature of 

 50"^ at night will be necessary, and the plants must bo strong and ad- 

 vanced for bloom in autumn. 



Cannas (Id'^m\— The Cannas are plants with flno bold foliage, and do 

 well in sheltered positions, but in exposed places become much cut and 

 battered by the wind. They are desirable for giving a sub-tropical ap- 

 pearance in gardens, otherwise they have little mer.t. Maize should be 

 planted out early in June, and the plants should then bo strong and well 

 hardened off. 



Liquid Manure for Rhododendrons {A Subscrib£r).~B,hoioiendxonB 

 may have hquid manure at every alternate watering. You may employ 



1 peck of freyh cow dung to 30 gailons of water wtU mixed and stirred- 

 up previous to use. We have no experience in giving guano water to 

 I^h idodendrons and do not recommend its use. The best manure that 

 wd know for Khododeudrons is cow dung, and in light loamy soils top- 

 dreselaga of cow dung give the plants great vigour, and improve the 

 colour of the foliage. Manure water only should be given when the 

 plants are coming into bloom or making fresh growth; at other times it 

 is not required. 



Guano Water for Eoseb ildem) —Guano water may he given Roses 

 when they are in free growth, or once a-week in May, and twice a-week 

 up to October, if the weather is so dry as to render watering necessary ; 



2 ozs. to the gallon will be sufliciently strong, and 1 oz. if tho watering 

 be frequently repeated. Liquid manure may be given alternately with 

 guano water, and will be more benificial than injurious. 



Pears in ORcnARD House {Amateur).— Wg do not feel competent to 

 answer your questions relative to Pears for the market, as our ex- 

 perience" is limited with respect to these, but we may say that in some 

 fieasons wo foimd early Pears under glass very sweet and rich, and rich 



