368 



JOtJENAL OP HOKTICULTUEE AKD COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



[ November 12, 1868. 



the sorts bndded on tbe short Gtandards are nsnally the more delicate 

 kinds. If they are delicate Roses, their being near very damp ground 

 may affect them. The formation of the buds on the terminals is, per- 

 haps, a last autmiinal effort. — W. F. Radclyfpe." 



Long Shoots of Roses (7dc).—" Shoots of Roses 3 and 4 feet long 

 should be either tied to a stake or shortened one-third. Violent winds 

 will otherwise break down those valuable shoots, the hope of next year. 

 I am po open to the furious assaults of the south-west wind, that I am 

 oblif^ed to tie my Roses tightly. One shoot, the strouKest, should in any 

 case be tied to the stake. If tbe shoots are of Roses on the Manetti 

 stock, those shoots will, if pruned back one-third, want no more pruning 

 — W. F. Radcltffe." 



Old Cabbage Rose — Worms (Tuesday). — "Any of the large nursery- 

 men who advertise in this Journal can supply the old Cabbage Rose 

 Worms do no mischief to Roses, nor anywhere else. They, like moles, 

 are natural drainers, and do good in strong land.-— W. F. Radclypfe." 



Japanese Chrtsantbemums (An Amatfvr).~-'These are varieties raised 

 from Chrysanthemum roseum pnnctatum, introduced by Mr. Fortune 

 from Japan. They are omamental, and the flowers may be cnt for vases. 

 Mr. Salter, Versailles Nursery, Hammersmith, introduced them. 



Miniature Fruit Garden {B. E.A. P.).— Three shillings. 



Ice Storing (Eur). — If you enclose four postape stamps with your 

 address, and order No. S48 of onr Journal, you will find in it a plan'and 

 description. 



Grass in Pleasure Ground (H. Z.).— As you mow it to make hay 

 twice yearly, it will require mfiunring, and bVing part of your pleasure 

 grounds, tbe best fertilisers to apply would he bnnednst and guano 

 fifteen bushels of the first-named and 3 cwt. of the other for each acre. 



Fern (C. T. H., Vorset). — A novel addition to the hundreds of varieties 

 of Scolopendrium vulgare. Seme of the spores being in a kind of calyx 

 on the upper surface, it might be called calyciferens. 



Roses in Pots {Ilei\ J. C.).— Paul's "Observations on the Cultivation 

 of Roses in Pots " will suit you. 



Propagating Ivy (J. T. S.}.— The beet way to obtain strong plants in a 

 short time is to fill a number of 3-inch pots with sandy open soil, plunge 

 them in the ground, layer into each a shoot of the current year's growth 

 and, placing a stick to each pot, tie tbe shoot to it. The phoot should be 

 covered with about an inch of soil in the pot, and secured with a peg. If 

 yon do this now or in spring, and keep the soil in tbe pots watered in dry 

 weather, you will have well-rooted strong plants by nest autumn, when 

 the layers may be severed from the parents and planted out. If yon can- 

 not obtain layers, cuttings of the young shoots may now be taken — say 

 from 6 inches to a foot of tbe growiug point — and inserted about half 

 their length in sandy soil in a sheltered situation, keeping them moist 

 and shaded from hot sun in somraer. They will be good plants by nest 

 autumn. 



EcnEVERiA secunda Cultube (TT. 3/. S.}.— It requires to be kept from 

 frost, but you may probably wiuter it safely in a cold frame if you keep it 

 dry and afford protection from frost. The Echeverias are only hardy in 

 dry, well-drained soil and warm situations ; at least, such is our experi- 

 ence. We should be obliged by those having tried them stating whether 

 they have found any of them hardy, and under what condition of soil, 

 shelter, &c. 



Orange Tree Infested with Scale [E. L. B.).—The leaf sent ns is 

 covered with black fungus, and on the imder side by tbe midrib there 

 is seen the cause— namely, tbe Orange-tree coccus or scale. It may be 

 destroyed by washing the leaves on the under side with a sponge, using 

 Clarke's Compound at the rate of 2 ozs. to the gallon of water, and as hot 

 as the hand can bear. What remains after the washing may be used for 

 syringing the tree, and the latter should then be wathed so as to free the 

 upper surface of the leaves of the black substance, using the Compound 

 as before. The washing should be so complete as to entirely remove the 

 black substance from the leaves and stems. 



BESTROvrNG Crickets (Eight-years Subgcriber). — Spread phosphorus 

 paste on thin slices of bread in the same manner as butler, and rather 

 thickly, and on the edges as well as the upper face. Put the slices at 

 night in the places which the crickets frequent, removing tbem in the 

 morning. It will poison all that partake of it, and they will he found 

 near the baits in the morning. If they do not partake of that, mix half 

 a pint of oatmeal, and a teaspoonful each of pround aniseed and caraway 

 seed, with 1 oz. of arsenic, adding a little bird to make the mixture 

 rather lumpy, bnt not so as to form paste. Tbe whole should be well 

 mixed and laid thinly on pieces of paper for the crickets to partake of it. 

 ^ Grapes in August (A. B.).—To ripen tbe wood for young Vines, to 

 ■■start for fruiting nest August, we would start them in December, and 

 have the wood ripe and put to rest, by dryness and shade, by June- It 

 requires considerable experience to manage this kind of work well. 



Asphalting Bottom of a Vine Border {Saml. liohinson). — We de- 

 cidedly object to asphalting the bottom of a Vine border with boiling 

 tar and coal ashes. We should expect the Vine roots to be killed. 



Fungus on Tan (W. Kent, Dublin). — Tbe fungus infesting the tan in 

 your stove, is Agaricus volvaceus, Bull. We know of no means of destroy- 

 ing it otherwise than by removing the whole of the material on which it 

 is fotmd growing. It is said to be poisonous. 



Removing Roses (Sunmj). — We wotild not cut the roots of the Per- 

 petual Roses you are removing unless they extended more than a foot 

 from the collar of the plant. If they were much longer than that, then we 

 would nip off the points. The stronger- growing kinds that you are to 

 place against a wall we would cut-in much as usual after planting this 

 season, but nest summer we would select shoots, and have them some 

 8 inches apart, and these we would merely top in the following autumn, 

 allow the shoots ultimately to reach the top of the wall, and spur-in to a 

 bud all the way up every year. Strong climbers do best on the young 

 wood, with merely the point nipped out, and the old wood removed to 

 make way for the young. We have seen shoota of Noisette 4 feet long, 

 covered with short flowering spurs from end to end. Your greenhouse 

 will answer very well with an aspect due west, bnt in summer you may 

 need shade for two or three hours in the afternoon. 



ijTBECTa ON Beet Leaves (F. and G.). — We could discern no insect on 

 the fragment of Beet leaf you sent. There were some indications of a 

 mining grub having been at work beneath the epidermis of the leaf, and 



as you say the leaves of your Celery have bpen similflrly injured, the 

 marauders may be llie grubs of the Celery fly. Tepbrltis onopordinis. 

 Yon will see it draun and described in the ** Cottage Gardeners' Dic- 

 tionary." The only check is to pick off tbe leaves and bum tbem. 



Gardening (A Mechanic). — We cannot afford fpace for such details as 

 you ask for. If you enclose four postage stamps with your direction, and 

 order " Gardening for the Many," yon will have it sent free by post from 

 our office. After you have consulted that we shall readily answer any 

 query to help you out of a difficulty, but we cannot undertake to teach 

 the rudiments of horticulture. 



Protecting Roses— Sudden Decay (W., Birkenhead'^.— "Vnless the 

 winters are very severe, there is no occasion to tie-up Roses with straw. 

 If it is done, the air should be able to circulate through the covering. To 

 * overdo is often to undo ' The Roses, that had started into weak growth 

 before protection, may have been injured, or they may have died from 

 sudden transition. The straw bands should be removed gradually after 

 having been slackened for a few days. Francois Premier may be more 

 than replaced by Cbnrles Lefebvre.'Senateur Vaisse. and Madame Victor 

 Verdier. Standard Roses frequently die from a knot in the stem which 

 stops the circulation of the sap. I once had one that in summer 'went 

 out ' like tbe snuff of a candle. The roots were good. This puzzled me: 

 I then cnt the stock in half, where I saw a discoloration, like a bam, of 

 the skin, and found the hard knot, or dead wood, which was the cause. 

 When you buy standard Roses look well to the bark. Decay begins often 

 before you receive them. Roses that start into weak growth after budding, 

 should be cut down to one or two eyes in the spring following. — W. F. 

 Radclvtfe." 



Campanula ptrasiidalis Culture (Amazonica). — We presume your 

 plants are intended for specimens, that they were sown in April or May, 

 have been potted off singly, and shifted as often ns tbe pots become 

 filled with roots, tbe pots "being kept plunged out of doors in an open 

 situation. They will now be strong plants in 6-inch pots, these being 

 well filled with roots. We are obliged to suppose a case as you do not 

 state what condition your plants are in. The potsbeinu now full of roots, 

 the plants should be shifted into 8-inch pots, providing free drainage, 

 and using a compost of two-thirds loam from tnrf, and one-third leaf 

 mould well reduced, and if at command add one-fourth old cow dung. If 

 the soil does not contain enough of sand, one-sixth of sharp sand may be 

 added. After potting give a gentle watering and place tbe plant in a cold 

 frame, so that tbe foliage will not be more than a foot from the glass, 

 plunging the pots to the rims in coal ashes. The soil should be kept no 

 more than moist, and the plants cannot have too much air so long as 

 they are protected from frost and heavy rain. In severe weather afford 

 tbe'protection of mats in addition to the lights. In February or March 

 the plants will grow rapidly, and when the pots are full of roots, shift, 

 before the roots become very much matted, into 9 or 10-iucb pots, replace 

 in the frame, keep well supplied with water, and give plenty of air. In 

 these sizes of pots the plants may be allowed to flower, but if they are 

 very vigorous and fill the pots with roots, shift them into 11-inch pots 

 early in April, using a compost of two parts loam from turf, one part leal 

 mould, and one part old cow duDg, with one-sixth of sharp sand. More 

 water will be required as the plants grow ; only give it when the soil 

 becomes dry, but before the foliage flags. Manure watermay be supplied 

 once a-week after the pots are filled with roots. The plants, when well 

 grown, are fine objects for conservatory decoration, and splendid for 

 borders. 



Begonia manicata Culture (Idem). — The Begonias yon name are fine 

 for winter or early spring- flowering. They should from August have been 

 kept ratbtr dry, and in a cool temperature of from 50" to 55' at night. In 

 Januarv the temperature may be from 55 to 6G^ at night, and from 

 65' to 70- by day, with a rise from sun heat, and this, with a moist atmo- 

 sphere, and a moderate amount of air, will bring them into fine bloom, 

 which continues a long time. The flowers are very valuable for bouquets. 

 It is remarkable that such free-flowering useful plants are not more 

 generally cultivated. After flowering encourage a good growth, and that 

 secured, gradually withhold water so as to induce rest, and then keep the 

 plants comparatively cool and dry. 



EucHARis AMAZONICA NOT FLOWERING (A PuzzUd One). — We cannot 

 account for your plants not flowering, except by the fohage not having 

 been sufficiently exposed to light, and their not having been liber- 

 ally treated whilst growing, and then well matured by being kept dry 

 and fully erposed to \ii>ht and air. Tbe plant succeeds in a compost of 

 two pai'ts fibrous loam and one part sandy peat or leaf mould, with a 

 free admixture of sand. Good drainage is necessary, and the plants 

 should not be overpotted. Whilst growing afford a temperature of from 

 60° to 65° at night, and 70- or 75' by day, with a rise fmm sun heat, main- 

 taining a moist atmosphere, and giving a plentiful supply of water. 

 When the plants have made a good growth gradually withhold water, 

 place them in an airy situation near the glass, and give no more water 

 than is sufficient to keep tbe foliage from flagging, and to do this very little 

 will be required. A temperature of from 55' to 60° at night, and 60"^ or 

 65^" by day, will be sufficient when the plants are at rest, with an advance 

 from sun heat. 



Destroying Cockroaches and Wooduce (T.).— Poison them with 

 equal quantities of honey and arsenic mixed together and laid on strips 

 of paper in places frequented by them. Immense numbers may be 

 trapped, two teaspoonfuls of honey being employed for sweetening half a 

 pint of water. This should be placed in an ordinary basin, which is to 

 be set on tbe floor at night, with about four strips of wood or plasterers' 

 laths reaching from the floor to the edge of the basin by which the cock- 

 roaches will ascend, and will then fall into the liquid, from which they 

 cannot escape. Woodlice in rooms are best destroyed by placing a little 

 short hay for them to secrete themselves in, and then pouring boiling 

 water over the hay. This is best done early in the morning. If it be 

 inconvenient to adopt this mode, take a boiled potato, wrap it in a little 

 dry hay. and put it in a flower-pot, turn the pot on its side in the places 

 where the woodlice are, and they will congregate in the hay about the 

 potato. These baits should be examined every morning. 



Scale on Orange Trees (F. G.).—V,'c have not tried petroleimi as a 

 destroyer of insect hfe, but have tried paraffin successfully, but only for 

 trees in a state of rest, and where there were no plants. We do not 

 recommend it either for plants in leaf, and especially imder glass. See 

 answer to another correspondent in to-day's Journal, as to tbe destruc- 

 tion of scale on Orange trees. 



