252 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 1, 1868. 



should be Fhaded from the midday snD, and the plant should be well I Vines, with roots deep in the soil, to make a deep drain in front of the 

 supplied with moisture whilst growing in sammer. j border. Take away as much of the surface soil as you can without 



ECHEVERIA METAILICA PROPAGATION {J?. E. G.).— YoU will best BUC- 



ceed by dividing tbe plant, taking off a few leaves with a portion of root. 

 The divisions should he potted, and the plants, if possible, placed in a 

 house where there is a brisk heat, keeping them moist and shaded until 

 they are growing freelv. It will be all the better if the pots can be 

 plunged in a hotbed of irom 75° to 80\ 



Clematis Jackmanni Naked (A SiibgcribeT^ Treland). — Your plant of 

 this beautiful Clematis should be cut down to within a foot of the soil ; 

 and to induce the production of more shouts, those starting from near the 

 fiTound may be stopped when they have Rrown a foot or 18 inches. Train- 

 ing them zigzag will also cause the production of more side shoots. 



LiLiuM LANCiFOLiUM CtjLTDRE (Linu). — It succceds in an open border. 

 PJant in November, cover the bulbs with about 3 inches of soil, and put 

 a like depth of leaf mould over the place where they are planted. 



Tacsonia Van-Volxemi Flower Buds Fallinc. (A Lady Subscriber). 

 We can only account for the fiower buds falling by the plant not being 

 trained near enough to the glass, and a deticiency of light owing to the 

 Passion-Flower, and we imagine the soil is not sufficiently moist. The 

 soil should be well watered, but not so as to saturate it. Weak liquid 

 manure may he given once a-week. For winter blooming do not prune, 

 but thin out the shoots if too close, and train them about 6 inches apart, 

 and from 6 to 9 inches from the glass. It ought to bloom well this 

 antumn and winter. Mandevilla suaveolene is a fine climber. Train it 

 near the glass, and keep it well watered. It is not a shy bloomer, all it 

 requires is age and strength. 



Seedling Fuchsias {G. T. M. Purris). — Yuur double flowers appear to 

 he of great substance, with a smooth outline, but not differing from many 

 other double varieties. The single flower with long sepals is too coarse 

 to be of any use. 



Removing and Potting Capnation Layers (An Jgnoramus). — Your 

 plants, if of the choice sorts, will be best potted and wintered in a cold 

 frame, and bo planted out in spring. If well rooted, the layers may, 

 when detached from the old plant, be now planted where they are to 

 remain. 



Hollyhocks Wintering fldcm).— The plants would be best taken up. 

 potted, and wintered in a cold frame, the pots being plunged to the rim 

 in coal ashes. Plant out in spring. 



Manuring Strawberries ynrn Seaweed {Idem). — For plants in beds 

 or TOWS, the seaweed may now be placed between the rows, and about the 

 plants, in the same mr.nner as manure. A dressing .of this kind now, 

 1 or 2 inches thick, will be highly stimulating and enriching, and if a 

 little fresh loam be placed on the seaweed, so as to cover it, all the better. 

 Before applyiDgthe seaweed remove all weeds, runners, &c.,and the space 

 between the rows should be lightly stirred, merely scratching the sur- 

 face. The seaweed ought not to be ilug in. 



Peopagating Magnolias {Cor7iufiu().— Layering is the best mode of pro- 

 pagation. It may be done now or in spring. The layers take better 

 when a t-lit is made about half way through the shoot, commencing the 

 cut immediately below an eye or bud, and on the under side of the shoot. 

 This pnrt ought to be placed in the soil aud securely pegged down. By 

 next autumn the layers should be examined, if well rooted detached 

 from the old plant, aud planted out ; hut if not well rooted they should be 

 left another year. 



Shelter for Wistaria sinensis [Idem).— The Wistaria will not grow 

 in the shade, nor will it succeed in the open ground. It requires a wall 

 with a south or west aspect, and sheltered, and does best in soil dry 

 rather than moist. It may, however, succeed if your wooden house faces 

 the south. I 



Quince and Medlar Trees (Idem).— In ordering, it is well to specify 

 what kinds you require. Of Quinces, the best are the Apple-shaped and 

 Pear-shaped; and of Medlars, the Dutch, but the Nottingham, though 

 smaller, is better flavoured. 



Trop^olum Jarratti geandiflorum for a Bay Window {E. Taylor), 

 — It is a pretty climber, and will succeed trained near the glass in abay 

 window, if frost be excluded. Now is the time to procure aud plant it in 

 a pot well drained, using fer soil a compost of sandy peat one-third, and 

 two-thirds sandy turfy loam. It is well to pot in a rather small pot. and 

 insert this in one of larper size, placing crocks nt the bottom, so as to bring 

 both rims level, and fill in between the pots with soil. The plant should 

 be rather sparingly watend UBtil it is growing freely, then water freely, 

 but not so as to saturate the Boil. 



Cutting off a Vine Stem {An Old Correspondent). — If from vonr two- 

 stemmed Vine you cut off one stem, the roots would not perish, but would 

 increase the vigour of the remaining portion, provided you prevented 

 bleeding. This may be done by removing the stem and brinches after 

 the Vino has giown a few inches in spring, or by applying Thomson's 

 Styptic to the wound if the stem be cut at the winter pruning. 



Clematis not Flowering (Poplar).— Your plant growing very vigor- 

 ously, it would appear that the soil is rich, and this circumstance will 

 account for the plant not flowering. It will not flower freely until its 

 Tigour be subdued; but we would not check cmwth by root-prunins if 

 the plant has a large space to grow over; but if limited, we would lift it 

 in autumn nnd replant. You may, however, by keeping the branches or 

 shoots closely secured to the wall, and at equal distances ai>art, and thin 

 rather than thick, eflect the better ripening of the wood, which we think 

 will give you flowers in a year of two. 



Inarching on a Sweetwater Vine {J. T. N.). — We would prefer in- 

 srching a white Grape on a Sweetwater, but the kind must depend on the 

 heat yon can afford the Vine, as Royal Muscadine for the open air or a 

 cool house; Marchioness of Histinga for a vintry, if huge bunches are 

 desirable; and a Muscat, as Eowood Muscat, where heat can be given 

 freely ; or Trebbiano where late-keeping is considered an object. 



Seedling Pansy and Golden-leavfd Pelargonium (G. MeBoufjal). 

 — Of the Rose, the whole of the petals bad dropped and lost their colour. 

 The Pansy, Katy Bell, is good of its kind, very circular, but rather thin 

 in the petals. The Pelargonium leaves are nothing new. It is unsafe to 

 Judge of the plant by a single leaf. A plant should be sent to judge of 

 the meiita of its foliage. 

 Vines Unfru:tful (C. J.).— It will help your healthy but unfruitful 



injuring the roots, x)ut on a couple of inches in thickness of sweet fibrous 

 loam and some old mortar, &c., to encourage the fibres to come up. En- 

 tice them still more by keeping the border dry and warm by covering 

 with VI or 1:) inches of dry litter, and keep the house drier and hotter 

 with fire heat for a time now, as long as the leaves continue green. 

 If the wood is rank and nnripeued, you will have but little fruit. If 

 these remedies do not prove effectual— and the heating should have com- 

 menced in September — then the best plan next year would he to take up 

 the Vines carefully and replant nearer the surface, after draining, Ac; 

 but the above will often be successful. 



Vines not Flowering [R. TT. J5., Dontci). — With a concrete bottom, we 

 should think your Vine roots have not gone down too deep. The yearly 

 surfacing precludes the idea of scarcity of food being the cause. If the 

 border is not drained in front of the bed of concrete, there may be too 

 much moisture at the roots, and that would prevent the wood being well 

 rijiened. The drain may make all risbt. Again, as the Vines, though 

 refusing to flower, seem to grow well, try what a little more air and dry 

 heat will do for them this autumn. We presume that the yearly dressings 

 have not buried the roots too deeply ; but if so. they will be better if re- 

 planted nearer the surface. If the roots are only a fair distance from the 

 surface, we would try hardening the wood with extra dry heat now. 



Preserving Soaklet Pelargoniums in Winter {J. Bere».ford). — The 

 best plan of keeping Scarlet Pelargoniums hung up in a cellar, is to 

 shake all the earth from the root>:, prune off all the soft parts of the 

 plant, wrap the roots in moss sliphtly damp, and hang them up. They 

 will do best in a dry cool cellar. They will nee J no attention until they 

 begin to break all over the old stems in sjjring. when they must have 

 light and air. and if put into small pots all the better. Of course some 

 will die, bat many may be expected to live. Wo think if the plants are 

 pruned of all soft parts, all foliage removed, the roots also cut-in to a 

 length of 6 inehes or so, and these roots packed firmly in large pots or 

 small wooden hoses, the Pelargoniums will keep better still. A 10 or 

 1'2-inch pot will thus hold a good number of stumpedin plants. Very 

 little of the Into suramer'a growth should be lelt, as it will be sure to 

 i decay. It is well to dip the t<ip of the plant in dry lime or wood ashes, 

 as it prevents the juices bleeding. A hay loft or garret, where a little 

 h'ght can be given in mild weather, is even better than a cellar. 



Culture of Oct-door Vines (A 2if'0(?frl.— E^peiione will suit yon 

 best for the open wall, and the Black Hamburgh would do well in your 

 warm sheltered posilicn thirty miles south-west of London for a low wall, 

 say 6 or 8 feet in height. We prefer the rod system of trainmg, though 

 spun-ing does well enough. For a high wall there may be several rods If 

 that plan be adopted The spurring mode will require Jess trouble in the 

 management. Of the list of Grapes given, we would plant in your 

 sheltered place only the Black Hamburgh and the Esperione. You 

 would be less likely to ripen the Earbarossa, &c. If you fancied a white 

 Grape you might "use Royal Muscadine or Buckland Sweetwater. We 

 have ripened the Butch Sweetwater very well in and near Loudon. 



Tightening Wires for Cordons (TJcad^r}.— Common thumbscrews 

 may be found in any ironmongers shop. They are greatly used by bell- 

 hangers. We recommended them as being the easiest to procure. _ A 

 thumbscrew is like a common screw, with an eye at one end for fastening 

 the wire to. Place this screw through your already fixed support, and 

 then, with a nut on the thread, the wire may be tightened with the thumb 

 and finger— hence the name. There are many ways, however, well known 

 to every worker in iron. Tho French use some very neat little things 

 for this work, called stretchers or tighteners. You may train your trees 

 in any form you please; for diagonals, however, tho wires should be 

 closer together. 



Climbing Rose {Poplar).— The best hardy elimbing Hybrid Perpetual 

 Rose is Due d^ Cazes. It flowers freely and coutiuuously, early and late. 

 We CHunot tell from the leaves sent what your Rose is. The stronger a 

 wall Rose grows the less should it be cut.' Next spring merely take off 

 tho points of the strong shoots to a good eye on sound wood. However 

 good a climbing Rose tree worked on a Briar may bo, it should bo cut to 

 three or four eyes the first spring after pbinting. It will ultimately 

 become more successful than if the whole plant were left untouched. 

 Manetti Rose plants need not he cut down. Mr. Radclyffe never cuts 

 down his Manetti Roses to the stump, unless there is a cause. Prince 

 Camille de Rohan would make a fine dark wall Rose, but it is much given 

 to mildew. 



Phaseolus caracalla U. Jf. G.).— This is called the Snail-flower and 

 Caracol, in consequence of its hooded flowers, which are large and showy, 

 in colour purple and yellow mixed. It is believed to be a native of Brazil, 

 whence it was brought by the Portuguese, who gave it the name of Cara- 

 calla, which was also ariplied to a hooded dress worn by the ancient 

 Ganls. The plant is often grown in southern Europe, South America, 

 and India. It is easily cultivated in rich sandy loam in a cool stove, but, 

 like all the tender Bean tribe, it is liable to red spider. In such a 

 nuromer as this has been, we would expect the plant to do out of doors 

 for a few months. Your Ipomaea seeds, from Buenos Ayres, are not 

 likely to stand the winter out of doors. 



Vine Roots Diseased {A. J.).— The top spit from the pasture, and 

 mortar rubbish, and a few boiled bones, would have been safer than pea- 

 straw, leaf mould, and half-rotten dung. The soil should also be ex- 

 amined for spawn of fungi. We fear that the roots are attacked with 

 fuuiii or mildew. We can hardly think that the roots can be suffering 

 from wet, as the border is floored and drained, and this has been a 

 peculiarly dry season. Of course, we conclude that tho roots have not 

 been dried with the drought. If the roots are injured by fungi yon 

 might work in about 4 lbs. of flowers of sulphur in the border, and six 

 bushels of slaked quicklime, allowing it to go in for the depth of an 

 inch or two. If that do no good, we fear you must remove the soil, and 

 use what will be less likely to produce mildew. 



Seedling Apples [James Cuibmh).—'So, 1, which is below medium 

 size, is a pretty-looking fruit, with a hard and rather di-y but sweetish 

 flesh. It is not rich enough for dessert, aud we do not think it would 

 cook well. It will, no douht, prove an excellent keeping sort. No. 2, 

 seedling from Normanton Wonder (Dumelow's Seedling), has very much 

 the appearance and character of its parent. The eye is close, and the 

 fruit somewhat angular: these are its only distinctions. In our opinion 

 it ia inferior to Dumelow's Seedling. 



