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JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENKB. 



[ Ootobor 29, 1868. 



pT-ANTiNfi A Gaiiden (A Mechanic). ~V/e cnnoot undertake to plant 

 gardcDR, but if you will toll us your nppliances and mennB, nnd what yon 

 intend doing, we will Rive you our best offices. In addition to the little 

 Ixwks ordered, wo would recommend Kcane'a " Out-door (rardening," 

 which may be had from our office for twenty stftmpa. Meanwhile we 

 would say, that thouKh we would commend the carefulness with which 

 TOO Lave pencilled your plan, we cannot eee how you can make it work, so 

 as to have a bolder ou three sides at least, 18 inches wide, a priivel path 

 Tonnd the four sides of the square, and the inside of the aquare itself 

 Jaid out with five clumps, a large oval in the ceHtre, and four triangular 

 beds at the comers, and these beds to be surrounded by and divided from 

 each other by grass, and all this in a space of 14 feet by 8 feet. Even 

 supposing that there could be room, we would alter the plan so or not to 

 Rive almost all the space to tha centre bod, merely making that tbe 

 largest, and the others in proportion, as at present that bed, simply from 

 its size, would proi>ouderiite over all the rest of the garden. Perhaps, 

 however, we read you wrong, and the central part surrounded with grass 

 ia of itself 1 4 feet by 8 feet. If bo, the above remarks as to relative size 

 will hold good, and as you show no grass on the border aide, neither 

 would we have grass in the central part, as, if not much more than a foot 

 wide, it will always be difficult to manage. The square corners of your 

 walk will always be unpleasant when tbe space is so small and the walks 

 so narrow, and you would gain much in comfort, nnd the outline would 

 be more artistic, if you have only one clump in the centre— namely, a 

 circle or oval, make your waJk more circular round it, and add in pro- 

 T>ortioii to the width of the border at the four corners. As we do not 

 know your conveniences we cannot tell you how to provide for next sea- 

 son's display. You cnuld plant the white-leaved CeraKtium in little bits 

 U8 an edgini? to your border now. You could back that by dividing roots 

 oj Daisies and Violas, say red Daisies and yellow Violas. You could 

 also do your central beds with Wallflowers and Rooltets. We need not 

 say bow pretty you could have it in spring with Crocuses, Pnowdrops, 

 Tnlips, Hyacinths, and N'areiisus. If you have any place under glass, or 

 a spare window near which to set a table, you might sow rarlon-s kinds 

 of hardy annuals, as dilTercnt Nemophilas, Candytuft, Sweet Alyasum, 

 VirginirmStock. Silcnes, the dwarf kinds, EsehPcholtiiias,A:c., tob« trans- 

 planted in March, when they would bloom early, and tbe co^t of the 

 seeds would only ho a few pence ; but it would be' usoleey for us to make 

 sogfrestioiis which you might not be able to act upon. If you attempt to 

 rival the f^ne lin?8 of colour of fine-foliaged plants which Vou have seen 

 in the porks of London, you must have glass, and be furnished with heat 

 of some sort- If you had a spare room with plenty of light you might 

 raise plants in a small box. with a place for hot water beneath ; but you 

 wonld have to harden them off by degrees, so as to be able to stand out 

 of doOTB. If yon have had little experienco wo would advise you at first 

 to try bulbs and dwarf hardy annuals. The annuals we have named, if 

 sown under protection now. would come in early, and would be succeeded 

 by others of the same kind sown in March. As edgings to such small gar- 

 dens Box answers we)l. neat tiles better, nnd flinf* and pebbles of small 

 size are not to be despised. With a brush and colour, you may give these 

 flints or small stones any colour you hke. 



FoKM OF Ohchard HOUSES {X ).— Spau-roofed aro preferable to lean-to 

 honses according to circumstances, span-roofed houses admit more 

 light, and may be so placed as to take full ndvantngo of the morning and 

 afternoon sun. and whore no wall exists they will be cheaper when the 

 space enclotied is consiJered ; but if to be kept at a high temperature 

 they will cost mnro in heating. Lean-to's against a wall arc much warmer 

 in acold place v.ben they face the south. and provided walls are already 

 there, the fronting them with glass is never unadvisable. In cither case 

 the Vine borders may be made entirely outside, leaving the inside borders 

 for other purposes, and iu that case the front wall may be solid ; but if 

 on piers or arches, and only 2 feet of a border could be g'iven to the Vines 

 in&ide. it would be better, as the Vine stems would be secure at all times. 

 We take many Vines through a hole in the front wall, but several times, 

 do what we couUl. we have bad the Vine stems gnawed by rats. The 

 merit of houses thsit rise from low piers in front, be they span or lean-to, 

 is that you depend on the glass roof entirely for light, and as that rnnf is 

 generally rather Eteep. the plants trained under it are better fitted for 

 early and late crops. In attending such houses, most of the work must 

 be done from tbe outside, or you must stoop considerably in doing it 

 Jrom the inside. In a lean-to or span-roofed house, where the sides are 

 high enough to permit a person to walk near the side inside, the flatuess 

 of the roof is countL-vbalanced to a certain extent by the bght in winter, 

 late in autumn, and early in spring, that passes directly through the front 

 glass. Such houses are best for plants or ornamental purposes, as you 

 can enjoy them better from being able to walk about easily. Where mere 

 frnit culture is concerned, the roof rising from ricrs or a low wall, say a 

 foot or 18 inches above the ground, does very well ; but then utility more 

 than elegance or uieic convenience are the main objects. 



Hyacinths in Pots {A Constant Sithscribcr).—Vk'e should prefer a mix- 

 ture of sand and leaf mould to mere cocoa-nut fibre refuse as soil for 

 them. 



FnujTiNG Vines {;?rat?cr).— We have no faith, ag a rule, in tftkingtwo 

 bunches instead of one from every shoot or spur of a Vine. It is perfectly 

 impossible to tell you what quantity of water your inside Vine borders 

 will require ; but this we can say, keep the roots rather dry, not dust drv, 

 in winter; water so as to have tho ground somewhat moist as gi-owth 

 commences; give more water as growth proceeds; and just manage to 

 have the surface somev.hat dry as the Grapes ripen. Before colouring, 

 if you are sure by personal examination that the soil is moist enough 

 right through, a damping of the surfice will be all that will be required. 

 With such a border it will not be easy to overwater in the growing time. 

 Cold water should not be used. 



Sowing Rose Seed iF. S.).— The heps should be gathered when ripe. 

 early in November, and kept entire in a flower pot filled with sand. At 

 the end of FebruLiry or beginning of March they must be broken with 

 the fingers and the heeds sown in pans, which should be deep— not less 

 than 8 inches iu depth. They ought to be well drained, and filled to within 

 half an inch of tho rim with two-thirds loam from turf, and one-third 

 sandy peat or leaf mould, addiug sand if the soil does not contain enough. 

 The seeds should be placed rather thinly, and covered with half an inch 

 of fine soil. The pins should have a good watering, and be plunged in 

 the open ground iu a sheltered but open situation. They must be pro- 

 tected from mice by a covering of very small-raesbed wire netting, which 

 will also keep the soil moist from the shade afforded, space being allowed 



between tbe soil and wire for the plints to come up ; threo-quartera of an 

 inch will be sufllcient. The soil should be kept moist. The plants will 

 appear in Rlay or earlier, and when they have three or four loaves they 

 may be tnken up and potted in small pots, be placed under a handglaaa 

 for a fow days, planted out in good rich soil, and they will then make 

 strong shoots fit for budding in August or September. Very often the 

 seed does not vegetate until the second spring; the pans, therefore, 

 should be allowed to remain until May or June of the second year. 



Elm Tbee Injured by Insects (A Sub-crilcT).— The bark falling off 

 suggested that the Scolytus destructor had assailed the tree, for which we 

 know no remedy; but the holes "large enough to admit the point of a 

 little finger," intimate that the ravager is the caterpilltir of the goat 

 moth, Cossus ligniperda. It mav be sometimes destroyed by thrusting 

 wire up the hole, but the misuhief done is irreparable. 



Back Numbers [Q. Reed).^The whole of tho numhera you mention' 

 and tho index, can be obtained from our office. 



Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary Si'PPLement (R. J". 8.). — You can 

 have the Supplement free by post from our office if you enclose twenty 

 postage stamps with your address. 



Pears Mealy (Soulh ll'i^s).— Tho Beurr^Bose Pears, grown on a south- 

 west wall, ni'jftly and deficient in flavour, would probably have uot been 

 thus faulty if the soil over the tree'sroots had been mulched and watered 

 well during the late hot dry summer. 



SrruATioN Needkd (J. C).— Yon ranet write to the principal nursery- 

 men, stating your qualifications and testimonials. 



FonciNo-noTTSE Managesiknt (K. P.).— "In-door Gardening" contains 

 the management for each week. You can have it free by post from our 

 office if you enclose twenty postage stamps with your address. 



MiMDLUs TBicoLon [A. C.).— We only know that it is stated to bo a 

 native of Mexico, and was introduced'to this country by Hartweg about 

 1849. 



IMelon Apple Tree TJNFRUiTFin. (KingsJ)ri(fgievsi8).—The shoot you 

 sent is thickly covered with the Apple-scale insect (Aspidiotus couchi- 

 forniis). Brush tho stem and all tbe branches with this mixture:— Soft 

 soap, 2 lbs. ; flowers of sulphm', li lbs. ; tobacco. 1 lb. ; and a wineglass of 

 spirit of turpentine. Mis the sulphur, turpentine, and soap into a paste 

 with warm water : boil the tobacco for an hour in a covered saucepan in 

 some more water, strain it, mix it with the soapy mLxture, and then add 

 enough v. at or to make five gallons. A south wall is too hot a situa- 

 tion for tho tree in Devonshire. Mulch and water often in dry summer 

 weather. 



Maiden Frpit Trees (Ignorance).— A. maiden plant is a tree that has 

 never been pruned; fur instance, a Plum stock budded this year witli a 

 Peach will iiuxt year have a single strong thoot from tbe bud inserted in 

 the Plum ; that in autumn is a maiden plant, and the shout is to be cut 

 down to two buds situated at 9 or 10 inches from tbe ground in order to 

 furnish side shoots, tho bei^t two at that height being selected, as you 

 will find explained at page '2(IG. 



Soil for Vine Borders (G. P. Ii.).—Yo\i cannot make your Vine border 

 with anything better than tbe top spit— say a inches deep, of a good 

 loamy pasture. Allow this to lie in a heap for six months, and then add 

 a load of brick rubbish, and a couple of bushels of broken boiled bones 

 to every seven or eight loads o| the turfy mixture. 



Potash for Dissolving Bones {Nemo).— Tbe exact quantity required 

 cannot be told, for bones difi'er in the amount of phogphate of lime which 

 they contain. Coat each bone with the powdered potash, and strew a 

 little over each layer of bones. 



Pigeon ManuHe (Pigeon). — Some nurseryman or gardener in your 

 neighbourhood Vi^ould probably purchase it. 



ExTKKMiNATiNO Ants (if. Smart), — They may be driven away by re- 

 peatedly strewing guano, or pouring over their nests the ammoniacal 

 liquor from the gas works, or you may pour into their nests a solution of 

 Clarke's insect-destroying coniponud at the rate of 2 ozs. to the gallon. 

 You may, after the fruit is set, syringe the trees with a solution of the 

 compound, and once a-month up to August, or ofteuer if the pest 

 appear, doing it in the evening, or early in the morning, for ants are 

 early and also bite workers. The compound will free your trees of other 

 insects as well as the ants, as aphis nnd red spider. 



Names of Fungi (B«r&;V/.'7e).~The following is a list of your Fungi; 

 there ia none decidedly edible:—!. Lycoperdou saccatum, a rare species 

 of Pnflball ; 2, Agaricus flaccidus, belongs to an edible group, but we do 

 not know its qualities; 3, Agaric us lerugiuosus, poisonous; 4, Agaricus 

 f iscicularis, poisonous; 5, Hirueola auricula-jud:e, the Jews-ears of tho 

 old herbalists, sometimes used in tbe present day by old country folk and 

 quacks, but useless as food or physic. 



Namps of Fruits (O. Y.).— We have not received the stamps, and the 

 fruit aft^r being kept uutil spoilini,' was uivi-n away. (Win. McLennan). — 

 Your Apple is Kavelston Pippin. (//. H. P.) .—1. Margil ; 3. Koyal Russet ; 



4, ILeinette du Canada; D, London F'ippiii; 6, Blenheim Pippin; 7, Non- 

 such ; 8, Court-Pendu-Hlat ; 10, Yorkshire Greening; 11, Duraelow's 

 Seedling; 12. Braddick's Nonpareil; 15, Cockle Pippin; 17, Sturmer 

 Pippin. (Quince).— 2, Vicar of Winkfleld; 3. Passe Colmar ; 4, Beurre 

 Diel ; 5, Glou Mori;eau ; 6, Triomphe de Jodoigne; 8, Colmar; 9, Ber- 

 gamotte Esperen ; 10, Althoi-p Crasanne ; II, Catillac ; 12, Dunmore. 

 {M. H ].—Ptnrs : 1 and 2, Gansel'a Bergamot ; 8, Lewis. Apples : 1, Barce- 

 lona Pearmain ; 2, Winter Pearmain ; 3, Warner's King ; 4, Ked Bough ; 



5, Sykehouse Russet. 



Names op Plants {M. W. Jir.).— Wo cannot usually name plants from 

 mere leaves. (C. f.).— The Bird Cherry, Cerasus padus. iC.A.M,).— 

 Bougaiuvillea spectabilis. A stove evergreen climber. Native of Pern, 

 Propagated by cuttings. [Mrs. Sartor >s).—\Ve cannot name Pelargoniums, 

 nor any other florists' flowers from specimen flowers. They ara f ar too 

 numerous and difi'er so slightly. {T. lierord).— The name of the plant 

 which has never flowered with you is Pittosporum undulatum, a native 

 of tropiciil Asia and Australia. The singular fungus attacking the wood 

 iu your cellar is Ozonium auricomum, a mycelium. {Castlcreagh). — 

 l,Aspleniimi fontanum ; 2, Pteris longifolia ; 3, Onychium japonicum ; 

 4, Lastrca Filix-mas; 5, Pteris sulcata; G, Microlepia nov;e-zelandia;. 

 (ir. i'.).— Fittonia argjToneura (or Eranthemum leuconervumj, (G. D.). 

 — Amaranthus tricolor, tender annual. (J. B. IF.).—!, Sedum cameum 



