426 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 8, 1868- 



matter with the roots, and the Vine? Inside conBequently |>ut forth roots in 

 self-defence. Probably the border wants some fresh material or drainage* 

 Vine ik Outside Border {R S.]. — If yon con obtain as much of your 

 small young Vine shoot as will leiive you a bud or two tolerably well 

 ripened inside the Louse, we wohIu prune to the one or two bnds, and 

 carefully remove all other buds and spray. If not, iiU'i the Vine, as you 

 say, is so weak, we would carefully take it up, and gro a it in a pot inside 

 until midsummer. 



Top-dressing a Vine Border (It. S.).—A little limp rubbish on the 

 surface of a border for Vinos would do no harm, but vUo propriety of a 

 heavy dres^infj wonkl dci>cnd on the state of the border, and in no case 

 would we add much to the surface at one time. The dressing of dun'-: 

 over the lime rubbish would be beneficial. Cow dung would not be so good 

 as horse dung, unless it were balf-decnyed and rather dry. For want 

 of better, fresh cow dung may be used and broken up when dry, the chief 

 objection to using it wet and fresh is, that if the border is wet before 

 applying the dung little air will pass through the close surfnce. 



Hyacinths in Pots (An Amateur) — Tf your Hyacinth bulbs are in the 

 open air under ashes, they will not pi-obably want any water until you 

 take them out to grow them for bloom. The mo\ing tbeni for this purpose 

 ought not to take place until the pots are getting full of roots, and the 

 top of the bulb is moving. If your bulbs are under cover they may 

 become too dry, but it will be better to water all round the pots instead 

 of making them too wot. We should think that being potted a month, 

 many of the pots may now be romoTed into the light. Try a few and see 

 how the roots are. 



Heating a Conservatory (E. A.).— The fireplace you have in the con- 

 servatory would keep out frost, more especially if furnished with a regu- 

 lator to cause a small draught at night. We do not know the terra cotta 

 stove to which you allude, but we think a fair-sized iron stove would do 

 for the conservatory and the gallery in connection with it, if the stove 

 stood a few feet from the fireplace, free all round, and a metal pipe went 

 from the stove into the chimney. In such a case tlie fireplace should be 

 boarded or banked-np. The stove will give out three or four times the 

 heat of the fireplace. A flat-topped one would be best, is you could place 

 a vessel of water on it. 



Fig and Rose Trees in Pots iAgaricm).—If you. wish to have a good 

 crop of Figs from the plants in pots, do not shorten the shoots now or at 

 all, but thin out the weakest so as to aive more room. Do not let the 

 soil in the pots become dust dry, but dryish rather than wet. Remove 

 some of the surface soil with a pointed stick, and replace with rich com- 

 post. Do not repot either now or in the spring. When you wish to 

 repot, do it immediately you gather the fruit. If the plants are much 

 shaded in a vinery they will not fruit well. On tho same principles as 

 those on which we give the above advice we would say, force those fine 

 Roses in pots as you have received them, so full of roots. Do not attempt 

 to repot them until you have obtained flowers from them. 



Succession and Heights of Peas (An .-fma^fiirK— Of the three Peas 

 named, Bishop's Longpod is about 1^ foot in height ; Advancer from 2 to 

 2i feet; Yorkshire Hero, 2^ to y feet in height. Of these none is very 

 early. For a dwarf early Pea the best is Little Gem, 1 foot in height. It 

 comes in a little before Advancer, and then the other kinds would follow. 

 As a succession and higher, and fine Peas, we would recommend Harri- 

 son's Perfection, 2A to 3^ feet; Veitch's Perfection, 2,Uo 3^ feet; Mam- 

 moth Dwarf Marrow, 2^ to 8i feet. These three are first-rate in quality 

 and generally bear well. In some places Veitch's Perfection does not com 

 so well as in others. A smaller Pea always bears well— Knight's Green 

 Marrow, from 3 to 4 feet iu height. 



FatriT Garden Arranging {T. T.). — We should prefer planting in De- 

 cember, instead of February ; but you may safely plant during mild 

 weather until March. The meaning of '■ double worked," is that the 

 plant is twice grafted; this does not interfere with the training at all. 

 The Marie Louise Pear is one that does not succeed well on the Quince, 

 but by working the Quince with a variety that succeeds on it, and then 

 working that with the Marie Louise, the latter is rendered healthy and 

 prolific. You write of cordons with single stems 2 feet apart. They will 

 certainly only have a single stem, and but one shoot to begin with, but 

 another ehoot will be originated in the year following tho planting, and 

 you will have shoots 1 foot apart, or the wall or space will be covered 

 with branches or cordons 1 foot apart. You certaiuly expressed a desire 

 for vertical cordons. We think you are acting wisely to have all the trees 

 against the walls oblique-trained, but those in the open ground vertical- 

 trained. Vertical cordons will succeed admirably, i feet being allowed 

 between the rcws of trees. 



Boiled i^ersus Unboiled Bones (.-1 Lady in dicshire) —Bones in a 

 ground state are in general boiled, to free them of the oily matter, or 

 rather it is extracted for making cart grease, and other purposes. In this 

 state :l:ev are best applied to Vines for surface dressing, but fur border 

 making they are best unboiled, but kept so as to be dry or old. When 

 used fresh, and with a quantity of fatty matter adhering to them, we have 

 known them injure the roots of the Vines coming in contact with them. 

 When used unboiled the bones should not be placed in immediate prox- 

 imity to the Vines, but at the lower part of the border, covering for 

 6 inches or so of the border with turf only ; or if bones are used let them 

 be old and dry, or boiled crushed bones. 



Oleander not Flowering iId€m).~YouT plant 3 feet high does not 

 flower because it is not old enough. We advise you to pot it next spring, 

 when it begins to grow, in a rather small pot for the size of the plant, 

 draining well, and using a compost of two thirds turfy loam, and one 

 part leaf mould or sandy peat, adding one-sixth of silver sand. Encourage 

 growth by afi'ording a moist atmosphere, syringing twice daily, arid 

 giving a good supply of water at the roots: indeed, when prowing it 

 should have abundance of water. It should have tirn warmest situation 

 in the greenhouse, and when it has ceased growing, give it the lightest 

 and most airy situation, diminishing the supply of water, and it will, no 

 doubt, form bloom buds and flower another year. In winter keep it dry, 

 giying no water except to keep the foliage from flagging. 



PKimiNG Lapageria rosea {W. H. M.].—Ji is desirable to have the 

 Shoots thinned when they become too thick. It would not injure the 

 plant if the thinning be carefully done. Remove the oldest shoots, and 

 especially those which have flowered. It may be done in January or Feb- 

 ruary, bat best when the plant is beginning to grow, or a little before it 

 does so. 



Moss ON Gooseberry and Cchrant Bushes (G. P.).— It would be 

 desirable to remove the moss, and we would do so at once, and, after 

 scraping ofi" all you can, take off the soil round each bush as low as the 

 roots, but without injuring them, replace it with about four good spades- 

 ful of manure, and then cover the manure with the soil removed, or part 

 of it, not burying the stem too deeply. You may then wait until the 

 first rain, and whilst the bushes are wet dust them thoroughly in every 

 part with fresh-slaked lime. It will destroy the moss, and be less 

 tedious of application than washing them with lime and soot. The Ume- 

 dueting may be repeated early in spring before the buds open. 



Beetroot Storing (Idem). — You may store Beet the same as Potatoes 

 and cover with soil as you propose. It keeps well. To name -Imit we 

 must have good specimens. There is more than one kind of Pear 

 called -The Pound." 



Peach Tree Training and Pruning (O. R. 0.). — Your case is not a 

 solitary one. We see in almost every nursery trees that have from three 

 to five or more branches or shoots, the lowest side shoots in most cases 

 not one-third so strong as the upper side shoots and leader. In gardens 

 we see trees everywhere with side shoots or branches not so long, nor 

 nearly so strong, as the central port, and. unfortunately, little can be done 

 to transfer the vigour of the upper shontH to the lower ones, for the sub- 

 jects are in many cases too confirmed in their vices for any immediate 

 improvement to be efl"ected, and yet much may bo done. In your case 

 we would at once cut out the leader, if you have one, and reserve an 

 equal number of side briinches on each side of the stem. The tree will 

 certainly look rather odd without a leader or shoots trained erect, or 

 nearly so. Never mind that, the lower part of the wall must be covered 

 first. Having cut away the leader and such of the side shoots as are not 

 required, no further pruning will be needed unless there are shoots 

 training iu for bearing ; then these must be shortened as already treated 

 of (see page 404). The upper side shoots being stronger than the lowest 

 side shoots, the former must be depressed, bringing ihem with a curve 

 downwards, their points towards the ground or stem of the tree. Let the 

 shoots be bent gently and with a graceful easy curve, and with care, so 

 as not to break or otherwise damage them. Perhaps there are three 

 shoots on each side. The strongest must be bent the most, the weakest 

 least; or they may need vigour, then elevate them, or let their ends 

 cur%'e upwards, and to a degree corresponding to their weakness. The 

 weakest should be curved upwards the most — indeed, the lower shoots 

 can hardly be trained too erect. When they begin to grow, or push new 

 shoots in spring, the battle will begin — namelv, subduing tho strong, and 

 encouraging the weak. The strong shoots will push strongly. They have 

 few if any fruit buds, leave all ; but from the weak remove every blossom 

 bud, and if any fruit set upon the strong shoots leave it, for a time at 

 least, without thinning, and, having secured the needful shoots for ex- 

 tension and bearing shoots, take out the points of all tho other shoots at 

 the first leaf. Permit the weak shoots to push at will, and do not stop 

 any shoots upon them until they are some length ; but to encourage the 

 shoots required for extension and bearing, take out the points of those 

 not required at the third leaf, and keep them closely stopped, for the other 

 shoots will now be prepared to receive and appropriate the sap. Let 

 these grow without stopping— that is, those on the lower branches ; but 

 the shoots on the upper branches will bo growing too strong and long, 

 therefore stop them — the bearing ehonts — at from 10 inches to 1 foot, and 

 the leader of those branches to 14 inches, keeping tbem closely stopped to 

 one loaf afterwards, and the sap will be diverted from the strong to the 

 weak shoots, which, being trained erect and not stopped, will acquire a 

 vigour equal, if not superior, to the upper branches and shoots. It will be 

 understood from the preceding remarks that the lower branches are to 

 have vigour imparted to them by raising them, encouraging growth, de- 

 pressing the strong branches, stopping the shoots of the latter, and 

 allowin^^hese to carry more fruit than if they were not much more 

 vigorous than the other part. All this being carefully attended to, the 

 lower shoots may be made even stronger than the upper ones. The 

 maintenance of an equality of vigour does not only apply to height, but 

 to the side branches, for those on one side may be weak, those on the 

 other strong ; therefore there must be a greater depression of the strong 

 shoots and a greater elevation of the weak, for it is necessary the branches 

 on each side of the tree should correspond in vigour. If one side be 

 weaker than the other, the branches of the weaker side must be elevated 

 more than those on the stronger side, whilst the others may need to be 

 depressed. The shoots on the latter ought to be kept more closely 

 pinched, whilst those on the weak shoots should be encouraged. The 

 amount of foliage on the strong branches will be less than on the others, 

 and the weak ones should be trained at full length, and the shoot at the 

 extremity left unshortened, for the lowest side shoots cannot be had too 

 long. By proceediog as above you will overcome in time the vigour of 

 the upper branches, and secure for the lower what is necessary for their 

 extension; and having covered the lower part of the wall, covering the 

 upper part is very easily accomplished. You cannot obtain tho form of 

 trees shown iajigs. 4 and 8, but you may originate principal branches 

 from the two uppermost, as described for them, and you will only have 

 two side shoots below them. If your trees are not too old, or there are 

 shoots on the lowest two branches at their base, you may remove all bat 

 the lowest two branches, and obtain from the shoots at their base the 

 branches required, and you will have the form of ,ri^. 4 or 8, pages 267 

 and 303. It will be an advantage that the side shoots are some length to 

 begin with, and you will not lose much if anything by beading the trees 

 to the lowest two branches, but they must have shoots of this year near 

 to the stem, or buds from which to originate the principal branches. 



Stripping Bark off Vines (Buhbbte and Squeal-).— "Ho one but the 

 most ignorant could have advised tho bark to be stripped off the Vines, 

 to have them then painted with a linseed oil compound, and then turned 

 out of the vinery; and all this bad culture uierely to destroy thrips. The 

 fumigation with tobacco and the clay paint you have adopted are correct. 

 Tho brown spots on the Vine shoots are a fungus, and will probably be 

 destroyed by the clay and sulphur painting. 



Fruit Tp.ees for near Manchester (E. LA.—Aj^pUs : Devonshire 

 Quarrenden, Downton Pippin, Kibston Pippin, Cockle Pippin, Margil, 

 Pitmaston Nonpareil, and sturmer Pippin. Pears : Jargonelle, Beurre 

 d'Amanlis. and Marie Louise. Flums : Jefi'ersou and Green Gage. 

 Chemj : Early Purple Gean. For South Wall : Bellegardo Peach and 

 Violette Hative Nectarine. 



Errata— Jersey for Winter.— Pago 831, first column, line tweuty- 

 , five, for " south-west " read " north-west." Same page, same column, line 



