230 



JOURNAL OF HORTICtlLTUBE AND COTTAGE QAEDENER. 



[ September 24, 1868 



nry ourselves, but we wish it to be set down as a floral axiom, 

 that when flower beds are expected to be the very best, as far 

 as the weather will allow, no blooms should be taken from 

 them BO long as they are fresh. When culled over every day, 

 and the best always taken, it is impossible that the beds can be 

 so full and bright as they otherwise would be. 



During such heavy rains as we have had. Auriculas should 

 be protected with a sash, and have plenty of air back and front. 

 A tine opportunity has been given for potting Carnations, 

 pricking-out Pinks, Pansies, Daisies, Wallflowers, &c. Many 

 of our Stocks planted out early in spring, and that lost every 

 leaf by the depredations of the fly, are breaking afresh and 

 blooming well. All tender greenhouse plants should now be 

 taken under protection, but allowed plenty of air, and others 

 so placed that a little protection can be given in a cold night. 



Calceolarias may still be sown for spring blooming — full 

 directions were lately given ; and the seedlings from the first 

 sowing, if they can be handled at all, should now be pricked off 

 and kept in a cool shady place. Owing to the dry heat, a little 

 fly and a semblance of thrips appeared on some of our Cine- 

 rarias, but the insects have now taken their leave, or been killed, 

 by placing in a box some bruised laurels inside of the frame in 

 which the plants were set. Repotted the most forward Chinese 

 Primulas, and potted in small pots numbers of young plants 

 to succeed the others in spring. These little plants in 3^ and 

 4-inch pots, with a large truss of bloom, are very useful for 

 filling vases and baskets, and are in every way superior to cut 

 flowers. A handsome vase in a room, filled with small plants 

 either out of pots or with the pots concealed, will ever be more 

 pleasing than cut flowers, and will involve the sacrifice of far 

 less time. 



Pelargoniums that were cut down we will repot in a few days ; 

 Younger ones showing bloom for autumn we keep under glass, 

 and give them plenty of air. Ferns and stove plants want an 

 overhauling as soon as we can find time. 



Fropagation. — We are still busy with bedding plants, and 

 will be so for a few days longer — rather later than we like ; but 

 our plants, though flowering abundantly, made less than usual 

 growth in the hot dry weather ; and then when growth came, 

 having no spare borders to go to, we were averse to spoil the 

 symmetry of the beds by taking cuttings, however carefully. 

 One reason which is a kind of solace to us for late cuttings, is, 

 that if we had them early they would become too large for the 

 room we could give them in winter. Most of our plants must 

 stand thickly in winter, say 1 inch being allowed to most 

 Pelargoniums, and less to Verbenas, Heliotropes, i-c. We have 

 placed most of the stronger-growing Scarlet Pelargoniums in 

 boxes out of doors, and just shaded them a little in the hottest 

 days, and now they hold up their heads to the sun, and are 

 caUusiug for rooting. Most of the Variegated Pelargoniums are 

 in boxes in a cold pit under glass. Our Verbenas, Heliotropes, 

 Ageratums, &c., we have put in pots in the same pit. If a 

 portion of these do not root quickly, we will take them out and 

 give them a little bottom heat with a cool atmosphere. We 

 shall have to move them in about a month at any rate, as they 

 are now in the same pit as that which we generally fill with 

 Calceolaria cuttings, and it will be time enough to take these 

 off then. We think we are just late enough to strike the Helio- 

 tropes without heat, but they will do if the weather continue 

 warm. We prefer all these plants to be struck cool — that is, 

 with nothing but the heat of the sun, as they stand rougher 

 treatment all the winter than if they had been made more 

 delicate with bottom heat. 



Even in such simple matters adhering to a system is useful. 

 The Variegated Pelargoniums under glass would need little 

 shading ; but such cuttings as Verbenas would soon flag in a 

 sunny day, and one point of a good system is never to let a 

 cutting flag if possible. A common shading over the glass is 

 objectionable for two reasons — first, it is liable to be blown off, 

 and the sun causes the cuttings to flag before the mischief is 

 remedied ; the second is, that the person who puts the shading 

 on very often forgets to take it off in time, and every hour that 

 shading remains when not wanted just so far militates against 

 the cutting rooting quickly, so as to be able to look more after 

 itself. For these reasons we frequently dulled the under side of 

 the glass with whitened water, and in bright sunshine just dewed 

 the cuttings with a fine-rosed syringe in preference to giving 

 shade, keeping the sashes down to prevent the moisture going 

 off. This season, having some sashes to spare for a few days, 

 we have dulled the outside of the glass, and placed another 

 sash over it for a short time. Under such treatment one ele- 

 ment of success is to keep the sashes shut daring the day, and 



to open them, say bv tilting them up half an inch behind, 

 from evening to the time the sun comes on the glass in the 

 morning. 



We may also add that in general, and especially after such a 

 dry season as this, plants at all likely to be affected by thrips 

 or green jiij, as Verbenas, Petunias, &c,, have the cuttings, all 

 but the bottom end held in the hand, drawn backwards and 

 forwards through tobacco water, or something of that kind, 

 before inserting them. This little trouble at first often saves 

 much trouble afterwards. If the cuttings are at all badly 

 affected, we let them be for an hour or two after this bath, 

 and then draw them through clean water at 130' before insert- 

 ing them. — 11. F. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— September 23. 



Prices much tlie same as last week. The supply of Peaches is falling 

 off, also that of Plums ; but vegetables are more pleutiful. 



8. d. 8. d 



Apples yi sieve 1 6 to 2 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb, 



Chestnuts bush. 







Currants ^.. sieve 



Black do. 



Fl(!8 doz. 10 2 



FUberts lb. 9 1 



Cobs lb. 9 1 



Gooseberries ..quart 



Grapes, Hothouse, .lb. 2 6 



Lemons 100 10 16 



Melons each 2 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges 100 12 



Peaches doz. 4 



Pears (dessert) ..doz. 2 



Pine Apples lb. 4 



Plums fj sieve 2 



Quinces doz. 1 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries., per lb. 



Walnuts bush. 10 



do per 100 1 



d. B. 

 0to5 

 











16 a 



2 6 



Artichokes doz. 



Asparaprus 100 



Beans, Kidney ?-j sieve 



Beet, Red doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Bras. Sprouts ^^ sieve 



Cabbnpe doz. 



Capsicums 100 



Carrots bunch 



Cftnlil]ower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Cucumbers each 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Oarlio lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish .. bundle 



VEGETAELES. 



8. d 



B. d. 



0to6 LeekB bnnch 



Lettuce .... per score 



Mushrooms pottle 3 



Mustd.A Cress, punnet 

 Onions . . . .per bushel 5 



Parsley per sieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas per quart 



Potatoes bushel 4 



Kidney do. 4 



Radishes doz. bunches 1 



d. B. d 



4 too 6 



4 



4 









 4 

 1 

 



Rhubarb bundle 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes.... per doz. 

 Turnips bunch 





 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



G. Jackman & Son, Woking, Surrey. — Ctitalogne nf Plants. 



E. G. Henderson & Son, Wellington Road, St. John's Wood, 

 London, N.W. — Autumn Catalogue nf Bulbs, Floxoer Boots, 

 Greenhouse and Stove Pla7its, Poses, Fruit Trees, d'c. 



Fisher, Holmes, i: Co., Handsworth, near Sheffield, t)S, Fruit 

 Market, Sheffield, and Market Place, Eotherham. — Catalogue 

 of Imported Dutch and other Flower Pools. 



W. Hooper, New Wandsworth, London, S.W. — Catalogue of 

 Dutch Bulbs and other Flower Pools. 



Giles & Pascoe, Grove Hill Nursery, and 12, Hindley Street, 

 Adelaide. — General Catalogue of Trees, Plants, and Shrubs. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Books (Clraredon). — Williams's " €*rchid-Grower'9 Mannal." There is 

 none with coloured plates except at a very high price. (W. Smith). — Wo 

 believe the work you name is oat of print. 



Plum Tree Overhanging a Neighbour's Garden {An Old Sub- 

 scriber). — Ask the owuerto cut off the branches which extend 30 low, and 

 5 yards over your ground. If he neglect or refuse to remove them, tell 

 yonr attorney to Rive him a legal notice to do so, and to take the neces- 

 sary steps for compelling him to remove them. 



Calcareous Loam (H. B.).— It is a mixture of chalk and earth. It is 

 sometimes called marl. 



Rhubarb Forcing for March Cutting (I. H. D.). — To have Rhubarb 

 in March in a greenhouse the plants should be placed in the house at the 

 beginniug of February, and you will have stalks fit to Rather in about a 

 moQth. To have Rhubarb fine a temperature of from 50' to 60'" is ne- 

 cessary, it will then be fit for use in three weeks. This temperature, 

 however, would very much iojure the greenhouse plants. 



Sowing Verbena and Heliotrope Seed (Ithm). — To have strong 

 plants well bardened-ofl'hy May, the seed should be sown from the middle 

 of February to the beginning of March, in a mild hotbed, and well 

 bardened-off before planting out. 



Flowerless Plants (.-I Lady in Cheshire). — No plant produces seeds 

 unless it has flowered previously. We speak of plants generally. The 

 Fungi and other cryptogamic plants have a peculiar reproductive system. 

 Some plants have female flowers and male floweis. The female flowers 

 bear the seed. The Cucumber and Melon are familiar examples. The 

 plant yon enclosed is the Datura stramonimn, or common Thorn Apple. 



