ialr 9, 186B. ] 



JOURNAL OF nOUTIOULTUBE Ai(D COTTAGE GARDENKB. 



SI 



the first lots, plaoinp; tho latter behind a aouth wall to be shaded, 

 where they are tliiivinK boaulifully. Old cut-down planlB of 

 Cinerarias wo Bhall plant in a shady bed, eo as to tako wliat 

 good strong suckors wa want from them. These two tribes 

 alone help to mako houses Ray and lively in winter. Tlioso 

 who have favourite kinds of herbaceous Calceolarias wiiicb tliey 

 wish to keep, should turn them out in a shady place after cut- 

 ting them down, and depend on growing on again from the 

 TOckers or shoots that puth from tho roots. Florints' Pelar- 

 goniums are now chiefly standing in the full sun on the ground 

 out of doors, and, except in extreme cases, we prefer watering 

 the ground instead of the pots, so that the wood fhall be 

 well hardened before pruning. The moisture at the bottom 

 is generally sufficient to prevent tho plants flagging in- 

 juriously. — R. F. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— July 8. 



Thk fluppliea flro quite aB heavy as last week, and most of the hothouse 

 produce is of a very inferior description. A considerable quantity of 

 forei^ Apricots, Pouches, and Nectarines are also nmonff the dealers, 

 and the first instalment of ai.ono West Indian Pino Apples was oCfcrod for 

 sale to-day in very good condition, at from la. to 2a. each. 



a. d. B. d 



Apples H sieve 1 6 to 



Apricots doz. 2 4 



Otierrles lb. 3 1 



Ohestnnta bnsh. 



Currants 3^ sieve 4 



Black do. 4 6 



FlRs doz. 4 8 



Filberts lb. 10 



Cobs lb. 9 10 



Gooeeberries . . quart 4 8 



Orap«s, Hothouse.. lb. 2 5 



Lemons 100 8 12 



fl. d. s. d 



Melons each !S OtoG 



Nectarines doz. 4 8 



Oran!?es 100 12 



Peaches doz. G 12 



Pears (dessert) ..doz. 2 



Pino Apples lb. 3 5 



Plums !i sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 4 8 



Strawberries., per lb. 6 10 



Walnuts. 



, bnsh. 10 IS 



do per 100 1 2 



Artichokes doz. 



AsparafTus 100 



Beans, Kidney }4 sieve 



Beet, Red doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Braa. Sprouts ^ sieve 



Cabbage doz. 



Oapsicums 100 



CazTOts bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bnndlo 



Gnonmbera each 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish .. bundle 



VEQETADLE3 

 s. d. a. d 

 2 Oto.S 



6 

 8 



Leeka bunch 



'■ Lottuce per score 



; Mushrooms pottle 



8 Mustd.& Cress, punnet 



Onions per doz bchs. 



Parsley per sieve 



1 6 ! Parsnips doz. 



j Peas per quart 



1 Potatoofl bushel 



6 Kidney do. 



2 Radishes doz. hunches 



1 Rhubarb buuiile 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach busijel 



Tomatoes per doz. 



5 Turnips bunch 



d. a. d 

 4 too 

 6 1 

 4 

 a n 





 8 





 4 



S) 

 9 

 6 

 

 6 

 4 

 

 8 

 

 n 

 G 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



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

 mental writers of the "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solehj to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, <&c., 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, B.C. 



We also request that correspondents will not mix 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 next 

 week. 



Books (Novice). — There is no single work devoted to forcing Vines, 

 Strawberries, and Cucumbers, but all of them are included in the '* Cot- 

 taRe Gardeuer's Dictionary." a new edition of which with a supplement 

 will bo published this week. They are also included in Thompson's 

 ** Gardener's Assistant." 



Pasciated Melon Stem (J. F.). — Fasciation only occurs in very lux- 

 uriant plants. We have seen examples of it in Asparagus, Ash, Holly, 

 Daphne, and Antirrhinum, but never before in the Melon. It is the for- 

 mation of an excess of woody fibre in the fasciated part, but tho cause is 

 unexplained. 



Grates not Swellivg-off (J. Bryan). — The few large berries in the 

 bunches sent bad been set (contain fertile seeds), hut the multitude of 

 small berries contain no seeds- You should assist the setting as was 

 recently recommended in our columns. The bunches you enclosed were 

 not thinned. They should have had three-fourths of the ben'ies re- 

 moved. 



METEonoLoov (ObscrvcT). — There is no doubt that a knowledge of 

 meteorology is useful to the gardener, though not so much so as a know- 



lodBO of botany and chemistry. \<e recommend you to purohaso ISuchan's 

 "Handy Book of Meteorology." A second edition ha s just boon issued, 

 and is really a now book, so much has bnon added sin co the first edition 

 appeared, aitbough that was published no longer since than laxt year. It 

 is an excellent work. Its author is Secretary of tho Scottish Meteorolo. 

 gical Society. 



Grass ob C.ravei. (Emilyl.— On no account have your lawn supplanted 

 by gravel. The grass may bo "very brown" during this tropical dry 

 heat, and it may be " very weedy " sometimes, but thnse aro temporary 

 deferts. and ea^dlv prevented by watering, and uiiiig tho spud to unroot 

 tho weeds. Nothing would compensate for the loss of tho lawn iu front 

 of your drawing-room windows. Road tho following, and ropont that 

 you ever contemplated destroying your lawn : — 



"The grass, the grass, the beaiitifitl grass, 

 That brightens this land of outm. 

 Oh, why do we rudely let it pass, 



Anil only praise the llowers? 

 Tlie blossoms of spring small jovs would brmg. 



And tho HiiiTiiner-blooni look sa'l. 

 Were the earth not green, ami the distant Hcone 

 In its cmeraMrobe not clad. 

 Then sing tiio grass, the beautiful grass. 



That brightens this land of ours ; 

 For there is not a blade by Nature made 

 Less perfect than the flowers. 

 "The grass, the grass, the feathery grass. 

 That waves in the suninier wind, 

 That stays when tho flowers all fade and pass. 



Like a dear old friend, behind ; 

 That clothes the hills and the valley fills. 

 When the trees are stripped and bare ; 

 Oh, the land would bo like a wintry sea, 

 Did tho grass not Unger there. 

 Then smg the grass, tho bonny green grass. 



That to all such a charm can lend ; 

 For 'tis staunch a i;d true tho whole year througb. 

 And to all a faithful friend. 

 "The grass, the grass, the bountiful grass, 

 Oh, weU may the gift endure. 

 That never was meant for creed or class. 



But prows for both rieh and poor. 

 Long mav tho land be rich and grand 

 Where the emerald turf is spread; 

 May the bright green grass, when from earth we pass. 

 Lie lightly o'er each head. 

 Then sing the grass, the bountiful grass. 



That stays like a dear old friend ; 

 For whatever our fate, it kindly waits. 

 And it serves us to the end." 



Shading by Whitening the Glass (An Irish Sulucritcr).— The details 

 youreftrtoareprobably these:— "We have found no m >da more simplo 

 than skim milk.with a little poivdered whitening mixed with it— say as 

 much whitening as the size of a walnut— reduced to a flue powder, and 

 thoroughly mixed with two or three quarts of milk. We would advise 

 those trying the scheme to do a piece of gl.ass first, let it dry, and add to 

 the milk or whitening as they require less or more shading. If it bo put 

 on quickly and thinly by one mau with a brush, and another follow with 

 a dry duster brush, merely daubing it quickly with the points of the dry 

 brush, the shading will have the appearance of sh uled ground glass, and 

 look neat. The least quantity of whitening in the milk will give as much 

 shade as Hartley's rough gla'S." 



Cherry (r^nfurion).- Your doubt was well grounded; it is not the 

 Black Tartarian, but the Earlv Purple Gean. 



Cuss 35 at the Leicester Show (.■In Inteniinn Competitor).— ka 

 " hardy fruits" aro specified, we consider that any grown under glass 

 would be inadmissihle. You had bettor write to Mr. Cox, tho local Secre- 

 tiry, and ask him it Grapes and Peaches may bo exhibited in that class. 

 His address is 37, Market Place, Leicester. 



Glow-worms (C. P.).— The female Glowworm lays her eggs in tho earth, 

 or upon the moss and low damp plants, to which they are affixed by a 

 viscid secretion. The larva; feed upon various kinds of snails. If you 

 have the means of providing the larvai with these animals, the earth in 

 which they live must be kept moistened. You wi'l find a summary of the 

 history of the insect in " Westwood's Introduction," vol. i., page 250.— W. 



Ripeness or Pelabgonidm Seep (An Inqvircr).—'The seeds are ripe 

 03 soon as thev become brown, when they usually separate, and are sus- 

 punded in a kind of whorl and ultimately fall, having a sort of horn to 

 them. The seed when quite hard and brown is quite ripe, and should be 

 gathered and sown forthwith. We cannot say much for its germination ; 

 indeed, we thitk it abortive, but we trust we are wrong. 



Stove Climber (/. ii.).— It is hard to say which is the best stove 

 climber, but our choice would be Stephanotis floribunda. 



Tea Plant Management (C. P.).— It succeeds admirably in a coo! 

 greenhouse, and does well in a compost of two-thirds sandy fibrous loam, 

 and one-third turfy sandy peat, adding sand liberally. Tho diainage 

 should be good, and a light airy situation should bo afforded. When 

 growing a good supply of water should be given, and when at rest it will 

 be enough if tho soil'bo kept moist. Its treatment does not essentially 

 differ from that of hard wooded gi-eenhouse plants. We fear it would not 

 succeed out of doors in winter, unless it were planted against a south 

 wall, and protection given during severe frosty periods. 



Cleaning Melon Seed (J. P.).— Melon seed should bo separated from 

 the pulp by washing well in a saucer or basin containing water. Th;g 

 should be done effectually without injury to tho seed, and when complete 

 the light and bad seeds will swim, and these should he skimmed otf, and 

 the heavy good scols will sink. Run off the water, place the seeds on a 

 shelf to dry, and when dry put them away in paper. 



Condensed Steam is Vinery (,-( Sovicc).—\S(! are at a loss to acconnt 

 for tbo condensed moisture on the Grapes, especially as you leave air on 

 day and night. We can only suppose you have not given up spnnklmg 

 the floors, or by watering plants have caused too much moisture in 

 tho house. Leave oCT fires at night, give a little air at top at night, and 

 allow no more water to he laken into the house. It is not possible to 

 remove the stains on the berries. Ho not attempt it. 



Ice Plant TREATMKNT(/ISi'(<scr!6<T).— Your plant bfingstrongwcwou'd 

 make a bed for it by digging out a pit about 18 inches square, in a warm 

 suunysituation, and d. op enough I j hold a barrowful of hot dung ; cover 



