416 



JOURNAIi OP HOBTIC0LTURB AND COTTAGE GArvDENEB, 



( Jane 17. 1869. 



glazoJ, wc wonld not removfl it, bnt haveit "frosted" in some neat 

 pattero, which a painter would give yoa. It should bo white, as coloured 

 glass is not beneficial to plants. The glaRR shonld be frosted on Ihe 

 inflitle, and the frof^tinj,' will last a. number of years if well done when the 

 glass is dry, and will prevent the Ferns beiDg' scorched by the bud. The 

 aide lights shtmld be frosttd as well as tha roor. If it js not already 

 glazed, ground or frosted rIhsb should bo employed. 



Rhubarb (1). B.j.—lt is a fuHiftrm-rootetl plant or vegetable. The 

 term "fruit" is confined exclusively to the part containing the seed of 

 s plant. 



AcHiMTENEs AND GLOXINIA CuLTnRE (J. -4.).--The Achimencs should 

 be potted in February or March, pine ng the roots rather thickly on the 

 aorface of a seed pan. filled to within half an inch of the rim with a cum- 

 poStof equal parts of fibrous loam, sandy peat, and leaf mould, adding 

 one-sisth of sand. Cover with halt an inch of fine soil, and idaco tho 

 pan at tho back of a Cucumber frame. The filosinias may be started tit 

 the same tinie, placing them in pots about twice the width of the tubers. 

 The compost used fur the Acbimenes is suitable for them. The fioil 

 should not be made wet ; merely keep it moist, watering jaet within the 

 rims of the pots in which the Glosmiaa are, so as to give moisture to the 

 soil without pouring it over the tub-rs. When the AohimoneB and Gloxi- 

 nias are beginning to grow thf-y may have water more freely, and when 

 the former are from IJ to 2 inuhes high, potlheai in shallow pots or deep 

 pans, U or 8 inches high, taking them op with as much soil and as many 

 roots as pot-sibie, and planting them about 2 inchea apart. They should 

 be continued in the fr;ime or hon?e, nnd ought to have a. temperature of 

 60^ at night, and 7 J'' to i:,"^ by day. with a rise to Bu'' or 85-' from sun boat. 

 They should be kept thus until they are advanced for flowering, whtn 

 they shonld be hardened-off and removed to the greentooEe, where they 

 will flower well in the warmest part. The Gloxinias should be shifted 

 into larger pots when their pots become full of roots, giving Ihem their 

 final shift by the time the flower luds appear. They should bo kept near 

 the glass to prevent their becoming orawn. and should have slight bliadc 

 from bright sun, b>irdeuing them off and removing them to the greenhom^e 

 PI they come into bioom. When the flowering is over, both the Achimenes 

 and Gloxinias should have a light, airy position, giving no more water 

 than will be eufiicicnt to keep the foliage from flagging, and when it 

 begins to turn yellow withhold water, and set the pots on the floor, which, 

 by the moisture it will commuuicate to the pots, will prevent the soil, 

 from becoming dust dry in winter. From October tj March the tempe- 

 ratm-o should not fall below •U.f, but it ts better at 4.5 ., 



Caladidus in a Cool Housb (Jdfvi).~Yon could not grow any of the 

 Caladiums satisfa^-'torily in a curd house such as yoa, describe, as they 

 require a winter temperature of from 60^ to 65^. If you could give them 

 that you might start them in a hotbed, and continue them in it until the 

 Bun had sufficient power to give a Btove temperature to your greenhouse. 

 C. esculenlum is ouo of the most hardy, but you should remember that 

 last winter was unusually mild, and another winter may not be so favour- 

 able. Caladiums are stove plants, and require a greater heat than moist 

 Btovc plants to grow them well. 



Shading Begonias (/(/erji).— Slight shade from bright sun is very bene- 

 ficial, and ought to be given from March to September to the plants ^rowni 

 for their foliage, whilst those cultivated for their flowers cannot have too 

 much Ugli'. 



SIelons not SnxTiNa (New Poet). — We consider the non-setting of the 

 fruit a result of the plants having been " kept moist, and given Utile air." 

 The foil ought to be moist, indeed a good watering should bo given beifore 

 the flowers expand, and without makiag the surface moister than can< 

 bo helped. Keep it dry when the plants are in flower. Air should 

 be given in the morning, and when the atmosphere is dry fertilise the 

 flowers, which you seem to under.'^tand, in the early part of the day. The 

 frame should be shut up early in the afteraoon with a good heat, by 

 the time ihe temperature is about 75'\ giving , air iR the morning n't 

 VCy^ increasing tbn amount with the heat, ami allowing the temperature 

 to rise to 85'-' or 9(1 from euu heat. The shoots should be kept moderately 

 thin, and those showing fruit should bo stopped one joint beyond the fruit 

 if the plants are strong, or two joints if thoy are weak. A Cockscomb 

 Bbould have an even comb, representing the half of a circle, and it 

 should be regular in outliae. if at all jagged and irregular, as reprer 

 sented in your letter, it will never please those who are accustomed to a 

 good well-grown head. 



Inseotb on Asparagus (E. P.). — We should think your plants are 

 attacked with the Asparagus beetle (Crioceris asparagi), which perforates 

 the buds, gnaws the rind of the seem, and feeds ui>on the leaves. Picking 

 off the larvae and beetles which may be found from May to September ard 



the only means of freeing the plants of this inpecl. It would not do the 

 plants any tatm, but would be rather beneficial to remove the eurfat^ 

 soil down "to the crowns, tnking care not to injure them, aiid replace H 

 with fresh boil enriched with manure. 



Pelargonium Leaves Spo?ted and Br.ifiTEHEi> (F. S)^ — The lcaT<^s 

 have been severely infested with aphis, and the spots and blisters have 

 been caused by the 8 un shining on' the foliage when it was wet. The 

 atmosphere ought to have been kept dry, wnd the foliage ttot wetted in 

 April, admitting air ^arly so as to disBipate any ufoistnro accuuiulating 

 during tbo nitiht before the stin conld shine powerlully on the phints. 



BLiriRTED Leaves M. H. J. L.).~Tho teityb leaf cuclobed bi, in garden 

 phrasoolug\, "blistered." The thickening of the p:irfnr)iynia, and> the 

 confeiiuentdiatoitioa, are occasioned by espoaure to sudJea vicis-'itudea 

 o{ temptjriituro. To prevent blistering, efluctive protei-tiou is the only 

 means. Pick ofl" the blistered leaves. We cauDot dt:tnct any blight oto 

 the other loaves. Bee answer to anoiher con'espondcnt this day. ' 



Beet nut Progbessinc iL. Q.).~1i your Ecet is intended for onaa- 

 montal purposes, wo are not j^urpriscd at your complaining of its being 

 late and making no progrosa, as ours is in the eame condition ; but 

 guano will do no good unless the ground is poor, as toi> much manure^ 

 the ground will to a certain extent spoil tho colour of the foliage. If the 

 plants show four or five leaves each, they will take their position in the 

 flower garden by August. A sowing about the 1st Of July, putting in th^ 

 seed rather thickly ao that the plauts may be not much larger than full . 

 grown Kadishes, answers best for winter nnd spring display. . 



howiNG Kidney Beans Late (Jrf^TTif.— Wobav^eownlhedwsrfvarietiee 

 as late as the Ibt of August, hut th->t is too late in gt-nc-ial, allliouf^h the 

 result in the case alludt-d to was satis'actory ; but scailet Kuuuers ought 

 not to be sown later than the Ist of July, hu i evt- n then willnot continue 

 in bearing later than those gown on the 1st of June. Circnajstances, 

 however, compel a late sowing sometimes. 



Abpauagds Newly Planted iLicm).-^Yoiir recently planted AsparagOT 

 willnot require either salt or manure wtittr until it bus become established 

 andgr<iwn ireciy, hut if the weather bn dry, perhaps a good watering of 

 p ain water may be of ser^'ice. We often pbml in June, taluog up the 

 seedlings that have been raised in a nursery bed.. Wo prefer the preeent 

 time to any for the purpose. ■to 



Fruit and Vegetables For Mabket tA Constant SubscriheT). — We 

 have put your letter into the hand>* of one well vGiaed in the marketing 

 of hardy JfruitB, and ho in forms us that it ia not uua^ual when a glut of 

 Apples is sent in at once^sny nfter a high wind in September, for the 

 prices to fall so low as not to cover the exiiensaa of carriaee by mil and 

 commission, the difference being charged to the sender. This, of course, 

 is selling fruit at a dead loss, but most giowers have to submit to it once 

 or twice in the season. For places forty or fifty miles from London, where 

 large quantities of fruit are gi-own, the railway carriage is *^d. to 8d. per 

 bushel, and the commission is often 6d., bo thjt if Apples or other frmt 

 only realise IQd. it is easy to see there must be a lose. Nevertheless, the 

 feeling is very general amongst fruit-growers th it a pfylesman's is a much 

 better calling th.m that of a grower; and the high prices th^t fruit brings 

 when retailed s^ern so v.idelyout of proportion to whfvt tne grower receives, 

 that there is evidtntly a good profit somewhere We fear we can give 

 you but little hojeflof amendment Grorers on a large scale ha-ve at- 

 tempted to reform the trade and fiiled. All we can recommend is to try 

 another Siilesmau if you think you have not had justice done. In general 

 it is better to sell small quantities to some of those hawkers or buyers of 

 fruit who attend the markets of inland towns personally, as they manage 

 to ob'aiu better prices than those who have to depend on aalesmen. The 

 prices quoted in Tns JouasAi. of HoaTicoLTCfUi are lor good fruit and 

 vegetables. 



Namr of Fruit (A. F. ?*r.).— Your Apple is apparently French Crttb. 

 We are sorry this answer has been delayed so Jony; owing to jour letter 

 having been mislaid. 



Names of Plants (n. P. J.).— Pyrus Aria- (Janut Sco«)-— l. Saxifraga 

 hypnoidcs ; 2, Agrostis elegans. (A Wut/5crt6*T>.— Centranlhus ruber. 

 (IV. ;5.).— Adenandra speciosa; 2. Eutasia pjyrtifolia. (Mary).— 'xia poiy- 

 stacbya. (R. Maw//i/f(i).— Czackia liliastrum. (A7i Aberdeenfthirc Qar- 

 (f^ncr).— Antennaria plantaginea. (J. MrA).— Serapias p^eudo-cordigera- 

 '(iUary).— We cannot undertake at all timos to name Cape bulbs from 

 fcingle flowers. Wc bulievo your phints to be as follow:—!, Watsoma 

 marginata; 3, Sparaxis stelluris;*. Ixia tricolor; 5, Sparasi<i grantti- 

 flora;6, Ixia raaculata. No. 3 is PolygaU Dalmaifiana iA Fwc-years 

 'Hubeeribcr}.—!, Pteria sermlata; 3, Poiyfticbum angulare; 5, Cytstoptene 

 fragili8;tj, PelUea cordifolia; 7, selagincUa Kr:ius-:iana; 8, Pteria cretica : 

 13, Probably Ctncinalis flava. 



POirL TB.Y. BEE, AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 



EAST INDLVN WILD BREEDS OF POULTRY. 



{Concluded from page 317 ) I 



Fbom the great difference in the voice or crow, in its far 

 greater hoarseness iu the Malays, Cochins, and Brahmae, it 



might certainly jnstly be inferred that these three sorts at 

 least had descended from a larger variety altogether than the 

 Gallus ferrugineus, and that this larger variety is now entirely 

 extinct in a wild state ; but the nearest approach to it is the 

 GalliiB giganteus, or Chittagong Malay (not grey, but red) of 

 IncJii. As mankind spread, the large, heavy, wild breetlswere, 

 of course, much more easily caught, tamed, and domesticated 



