346 



JOUENAL OF ffORTlCULTDRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 5, 1868. 



wall, which it does not require, being very hardy. The fruit may be im- 

 proved by mulchinp, in summer, the surface over the roots, and watering 

 freely in dry weather. 



Foreign Exporters of Orchids (E. M. L.).— Oar correspondent wishes 

 to know the names of Orchid shippers at various places in the East and 

 West Indies, 



Appl\-tng SuLpHrR TO VmE3 (H. C.).— There is a sulphurator which, 

 byturniDs: the handle, disperses the flowers of sulphur, much after the 

 manner of a winnowinR ninrhine ; but we find that the sulphur mav be 

 applied very effectively lo the Vine leaves by the aid of a common flour- 

 dredger. We have hoard notbin<? more about " Sigma's " circular vineries, 

 If we receive any information we will publish it. 



Abies kobilis Seed (F. P.).— That which you enclosed is not fertile; 

 but we think that we have heard of its ripening seeds in England. 



Roses for Exhieixion iT. IT. Johmon).—*' You wish for the names of 

 Roses for exhibition, and for a sugfjestion of others. Of those you have 

 named the following are very excellent ;— Alfred Colomb. Madame Victor 

 Verdier, Jules Margottin. Gloire de Dijon, Marrchal Niel. Charles Lefebvre, 

 Pierre Notting, Prince Camille de Rohan, Oomtesso de Chabrillant, Sena- 

 tenr Vaisse, John Hopppr, Souvenir deDr. Jamain, Exposition de Erie, 

 Marguerite de St. Amond, Marie Baumann, Pr. Andry, Abel Grand, An- 

 toine Ducher, Madame Margottin. Lady Sutlicid, Baronne Adolphe de 

 Rothschild, Triompho de Rcmies, Madame Alice Bureau, Acidalie, Ba- 

 ronne Prevost, Charles Verdier, "William Griffiths, Prince de Portia, 

 Madame Charles Wood. Gloire de Vitry, which is splendid on its own 

 roots; Princess MaiT of Cambridge, not here, but known to me: and 

 Baronne de Maynard, not exactly a show Rose, but lovely ; a continuous 

 and most abundant bloomer— a splendid white bedder. I advise you not 

 to buy the new Roses named till I have proved them. If you will have 

 novelties buy Marie Cirodde, Madame Rolland (not Madame Roland), 

 Vicomtesse de Vezins, Monsieur Noman, Duchesse d'Aoste, and Comtesse 

 de Jaucourt. I eujigest these:— Monsieur do Montigny, a splendid Rose, 

 given up ! Marechal Vaillant; Madame Julie Daran. Leopold Premier- 

 pat the last two in a shady place, they will then bloom freely; — Som- 

 JbreuU (Ten). Souvenir d'Elise (Tea), Madame Willermoz (Tea), Souvenir 

 d'nn Ami (Tea), Adam (Tea), and Devoniensis (Tea). These fire, with 

 Madame Margottin, are the cream of the Tea-sceated Ptoses, and first-rate. 

 Sombreuil is the hardiest of aU. Mr. Taylor says Vicomtesse de Vezins 

 will be first-rate for ten years, and Pitord (or Pitford) is superb. — W. F. 

 Radceyffe." 



Pelargonium, FccnsiA, and Calceolaria Cuttings (I/jnorancf). — The 

 Pelargonium and Fuchsia cuttings we would put in pots, drained with 

 one-third their depth of broken pot; then nearly fill them with open 

 sandy soil, and surface with sharp sand. Insert the cuttings about an 

 inch apart round the sides of the pets, give a gentle watering, and, as ' 

 you have only a dwelling-house to strike them in, place them in the most 

 sunny window you have, being careful not to water as long as the foliage 

 keeps from flagging. They ought to be kept from frost. The Calceolaria 

 cuttinss may be put in the shallow wood boxes, and in good loamy soil, 

 but avoid the manure you have by the waggonload. Place a layer of sand 

 an inch in depth over the surface, and in that insert the cuttings about 

 an inch apart, giving a pentle watering, and placing them near some 

 window. The soil should be kept moist, but avoid making it very wet. 

 The pronunciation of Calceolaria is Calceolaria ; Anemone, Anemone ; 

 and Ranunculus, Ranunculus. 



Top r^REssiNG Pot Vines (r. J. 57.).— Your Vine being in its fruiting 

 pot and intended for bearing nest year, it ought not to be repotted, but 

 should have the drainage put in order, and as much loose soil from the 

 surface removed as it is possible to do without injm-y to tlie roots. Then 

 top-dres^ with loam from turf, adding one-fourth of old manure and one- 

 sixth of half-inch bones, or a couple of good handfuls of bonedust. 



PoTTixG Fig Trees (Idem) —The best soil for the Fig tree is loam 

 neither heavy nor light, and if from the top 2 inches of a pasture it 

 could not be better. It should be chopped or torn in pieces and made 

 firm. The present is a good time to pot the tree. 



Coleus Wiktertng f J. flf.l.— To winter this safely it should have no 

 more water than enough to keep it from flagging, and the temperature 

 should seldom be lower than 45"^ at night, though it may in severe periods 

 fall to 4Q . If, as you Pay. you want the plants to gi-ow. the temperature 

 should be from 55^ to GO- at night, and from 60- to 65' by day. The best 

 way to keep the Coleus is to have good little well-rooted plants by the end 

 of summer, and to keep them gently gromng duriug the winter in a stove 

 or warm greenhouse, watering carefully, and affording them a light and 

 rather airy situation. The tesaperatur'es named will he destructive to the 

 greenhouse bedding plants. 



Growing Mushrooms under a Summer House (T. M.).—We suppose 

 that beneath your summer house is a sort of cellar. If so, it will answer 

 admirably for growing Mushrooms; and being underground it will be 

 ■secure from frost, except in very severe periods, and then you may cover 

 the bed with dry short straw or'hay. 



Vegetable Marrows and Cucumbers after Potatoes (Jrfrm).— The 

 Potatoes being off by the beginning of June, you may follow with Vege- 

 table Marrows and ridge Cucumbers; but we should prefer planting the 

 Potatoes in rows 8 feet apart, and having a row of Cucumbers between. 

 Between the Potato rows a trench may lie formed, which may be filled 

 with hot dung, and covered with soil for the Cucumbers. Plant them out 

 early in June, unless you can cover them with hand-glasses, then plant 

 in the middle or third week in May. The Vegetable Marrows will do in 

 rows 6 feet apart, so that you may have two rows Potatoes between the 

 Marrows, which should be plantftd by the third week in May, and a flower 

 pot inverted over them in frosty nights for a short time. 



Cutting back Fuchsia f/rfewl.— The Fuchsia which is very straggling 

 should be cut down, but not until spring when it begins to grow. 



Bedding Pi;LARGONirMS and Frost (Idem).~OttT experience is that 

 they will not endure more than a slight frost, or one of a few hours' con- 

 tinuance ; for no matter how dry the soil, their stems, being still succu- 

 lent, will decay on becoming frozen. 



Pruning Black Currants {IdeTn).~You are right as regards pruning 

 Black Currants. Their shoots should be thinned out when they are too 

 thick, and without shortening those left; but when they are not too 

 numerous but very long, to encourage the production of youni? wood, they 

 should be cut well hack : and in order to keep the youns trees low and 

 well furnished with hearing shoots, the young shoots should be shortened 



one-third or one-half their length. It is easy to thin them out, but not 

 80 easy to obtain young shoots from the bottom without losing a year's 

 crop. The strat^gUng bushes of former days are no longer imitated, the 

 present mode being to shorten the young shoots, to keep the bushes 

 dwarf and symmetrical, and by it even finer fruit is produced, as it is 

 home on young wood. Cut out the old wood, encourage young shoots, 

 shorten them, and, if they become too numerous, thin out. 



Heating a Fernery [A Grateful 0«e|.— As you cannot have either a 

 flue or hot-water pipes, yon may have a stove, with a chimney or pipe to 

 take off the smoke, &c., which in most stoves is necessary ; but there are 

 some without flues or pipes. Write to the makers of stoves who advertise 

 in our columns, stating the size of your house, and asking for prices, &C- 

 "We cannot recommend dealers. 



Saponaria calabrica and Silene pendula for Carfetino to 

 Hyacinths (Novice). — We fear neither would flower early enough for the 

 Hyacinths, otherwise they would answer very well as to height. We do 

 not know the bulbs yon mention. 



Paraffin Oil for Destroying Mealy Bug (York). — We can verify 

 all you say as to this destroying every insect it touches. It is the beet 

 remedy for the American blight or bug, and for the scale on Pear and 

 other trees in the open air. It should he applied with a brush, now being 

 the best time to apply it — that is, after the leaves have fallen. We do not 

 know whiit efl'ect tho vapour would have on plants in leaf, but as a de- 

 stroyer of hug and scale on trees in active growth, and where there are 

 no plants, we find it safe and effectual. You may employ it for destroy- 

 ing mealy bug on Peach trees, but we should for the present advise its 

 being kept from the buds. If you were to syringe your tree when there 

 was a likelihood of frost, and tho water became frozen, that would destroy 

 the hug and not injure the tree. We cannot name plants from leaves; 

 flowers are necessary as well. 



Alternanthera amcena for Bedding (A Constant Subscriber].— It 

 would succeed in yonr locality and soil if good plants were turned out. 

 It is easily propagated by cuttings. A few store plants kept through the 

 winter in a temperature of from 40^ to 4o , and placed in gentle heat 

 in February, will afford an abundant supply of cuttings by the beginning 

 of March. Thev should be inserted in a mild hotbed, when they will soon 

 take root, and if kept growingwill make good plants by bedding-out time. 

 Being of very dwarf and compact habit, it is only suitable for edgings 

 and carpeting, and not for centres. You will see, when you have the 

 plant, what its foliage will best contrast with. 



Yucca Flowering (Francis Scott).— "We should not cut off the flower 

 stem, but allow it to flower, which will not, we think, destroy the plant. 



Calceolarias Failing (SuhscribeT). — They sncceed well in a compost 

 of two parts loam from turf taken from a rather strong but not very 

 heavy loam, one part old cow dung, and one part leaf mould, with a free 

 admixture of sand. You may take up any of the old plants that are dwarf 

 and compact, preserving a ball of soil to each, and place them in pots 

 that will hold the ball comfortably. They should not be cut-in, though 

 any straggling shoots may be removed ; and kept in a cool, light, and airy 

 situation in a greenhouse they will flower well in spring. Your plants 

 this year seem not to have had enoujjh of moisture. For bedding pur- 

 poses they are best propagated by cuttings put in before frost in a cold 

 frame, kept there during the winter, and planted out in good rich soil 

 early in April, moving them to their final quarters in May with a good 

 ball of soil to each. The beds should be prepared with a good dressing 

 of rotten manure or leaf mould. To keep down green aphis the plants 

 should have a cool temperature, abundance of air, and be fumigated with 

 tobacco before they are much attacked by the insects. 



Ranunculus not Succeeding (Idem) — The Ranunculus succeeds best 

 in a rich, deep, heavy loam, damp, but well drained. You do not say what 

 your soil is, but from the foliage mildewing we presume that it is light, 

 and in that case wo would plant in Novemher or early in December. In 

 preparing the bed. trench it 2 feet deep or remove the soil to that depth, 

 and replace it with fresh. A good barrowful of cow dung rather old, as 

 much as a man can wheel, should be worked in to every three square 

 yards. The top 4 inches of the bed must not have any manure. Tho 

 best soil for the top is that from reduced turf, but a thin paring from im- 

 mediately under the turf of an old pasture will answer well. The bed 

 should be formed 3 or 4 inches above the surrounding level, for from the 

 deep stirring it will sink, and-on that account it should be made, if 

 possible, in September, for planting early in Xovember, which we would 

 advise you to try, making the bed now and planting forthwith. If, how- 

 ever, your situation is cold and wet, it would be better to plant as early 

 in Febrnary as the weather permits. In planting draw off the soil to the 

 depth of 2 inches, place the roots on the surface, gently pressing the 

 very large roots in, and raising small ones by putting a little soil under, 

 so that the crowns may all he on the same level ; cover with soil to a 

 depth of 1^ inch above the crowns, tailing care not to displace the roots 

 in covering. No further trouble will be needed until the plants come up, 

 when the opening around each plant caused by the forcing-np of the 

 leaves should be carefully closed ; this is best done by the hand, pressing 

 the soil firmly all round. In very dry weather copious watering will be 

 required, especially when the flower buds are forming, should the weather 

 be dry at the time, but surface waterings are of no use, on the contrary 

 they are injurious ; by keeping the soil con'^tantly moist under a hot sun 

 thetemperature is considerably reduced by the excessive evaporation, 

 and the plants become " blind." When water is given it should be in 

 sufficient quantity to reach the lowest fibres. The flowers should be 

 shaded to prolong their freshness, and when over remove the shade, 

 take up the roots when the foliage decays, and thoroughly dry them. 



Pruning Hardy Fruit Trees (A. A. C. H).— The best time to prune 

 all the fruit trees and bushes you name is in November, after the leaves 

 have fallen. It is much better done then than in sprinc, though in places 

 where birds are troublesome in pecking the buds, the spring-pruning of 

 some trees is desirable on that account, but we strongly advise pruning 

 fill trees in autumn, taking other means of making the buds distastefai 

 to birds, or of scaring these. The trees in addition to the winter prun- 

 ing, or when leafless, require summer pruning or stopping, which are 

 distinct operations. 



Cleaning Zinc Labels (Idem). — The ink and corrosion on zinc labels 

 may be entirely removed by rubbing them with sand paper, and they are 

 then eligible for writing upon again. 

 i Compost foe Cvmellias (/. 32".).— Old turf, rotten cow dung, cocoa- 



