January 30, 1803. ] 



JOURNAL OP HOBTICULTUEB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



i91 



no mode resorted to for preventing that heat finding its way to 

 the smoke vent. This ooiild be easily done by fixing a fire- 

 brick or himp iu front of that opening, but from 1} to 2 inches 

 from it, which would causa the heat to beat more against the 

 sides of the stove before escaping by the chimney. So far 

 the theory is right and feasible enough ; but in practice, if the 

 smoke pipe goes out at the side of the stove, and if that open- 

 ing is or more inches from the inside top of the stove, and 

 if the ashpit door is close, from whence the air for combustion 

 almost alone must come, then such partial bIocl;ing-up of the 

 outlet is of little or no consequence. Anything of the cliaracter 

 of a damper in the smoke chimney would also prove an an- 

 noyance. 



Some time ago I wrote on the importance of such matters as 

 those above referred to, and without experience I would not 

 have credited that heat could bo so regulated and economised — 

 that is, kept in the stove, merely by regulating the air admitted 

 at the ashpit opening. On lighting an old iron stove here, 

 the ashpit drawer is generally pulled out. As the fire burns it 

 is put partly iu, and when the fire iias fully taken hold the 

 drawer is put iu altogether, and three small slits one-eighth of 

 an inch wide and an inch long are left open until the stove 

 and the ."J-inch metal pipe through the roof become tolerably 

 warm. A length of about 7 feet of that 9-feet pipe is upright 

 in the house. With air on at the ashpit door, even with 

 these three slits open, the pipe close to the roof will be almost 

 as warm as the stove, showing clearly that then a good portion 

 of the heat from the fuel is escaping into the open air; but 

 when we close two of these air-slits, it is a long time before 

 the heat is at all diminished in the stove, but the upper part 

 of the pipe soon becomes cool, showing that but little heat is 

 escaping into the open air. The regulation of air by the ash- 

 pit door has, therefore, a great effect in economising heat, and 

 does, in fact, what otherv.-ise might be effected by blocks and 

 dampers. Every ashpit door left open when the fire is esta- 

 blished, proves incontestably, whether connected with a stove, 

 furnace, or boiler, that the fireman is either ignorant or too 

 careless to practise what he knows. Such a simple matter as 

 leaving ashpit doors open in the case of common furnaces is 

 only of little importance where fuel is of little value. I hope 

 that all who have commenced, or intend commencing with 

 these stoves in their small houses, will carefully note the state- 

 ments as to successful management iu " J. W.'s " excellent 

 article.— R. F. 



canker on some of the .shoots in the Poach house, and I re- 

 marked to Mr. Wilkie that I thought it was owing to galvanised 

 wire being used, which, although it had been painted, wag 

 worn in places. 



I should like to know if I am wrong in my impression, as I 

 have never since used galvanised-iron wire as a trellis. — J, 



DOUGL.VS. 



ARAUCxVRLV CUNNINGHAMII SINE^'SIS. 



We have here three plants of this very ornamental variety, 

 which Mr. Smythe informs me have been planted out on the 

 lawn, and withstood the severity of our winters uninjured 

 for eleven years. It is of a very gracsful habit, and a much 

 faster grower here than Araucaria imbricata. The tallest is now 

 6 feet high, 6 feet 6 inches in diameter of branches, and during 

 the last two seasons the leader has made a growth of IS inches 

 each season. 



As this Araucaria is said by some to be tender, I should like 

 to hear the experience of any of your correspondents who may 

 have tried it. — Thomas Winkwokth, Elmham Gardens, ThetfonI, 

 Norfolk. 



GALVANISED WIRE FRUIT TRELLIS. 



In the Journal of January IGth Mr. Kadclyffe recommends a 

 galvanised wire trellis for I'each and Nectarine trees ; and in 

 the same number Mr. Abbey also recommends galvanised-iron 

 wire for garden walls. On the contrary, I had arrived at the 

 conclusion that galvanised-iron wire is injurious to Peach and 

 Nectarine trees, causing canker in them. 



I first saw galvanised wire used some six years ago. It was 

 stretched horizontally in front of the wall at the distance of 

 about 2 inches from it, and had a very neat appearance. I had- 

 the management of the trees, and I found wherever any of the 

 shoots were tied too tightly, so that the shoot was pressed 

 against the wire, it would most likely be cankered ; and I was 

 confirmed in this on reading an answer to a correspondent in 

 another periodical, wherein it was stated that galvanised wire 

 is_ injurious to Peach and Nectarine trees. Painting the 

 wires was recommended ; but if wires are intended to be 

 painted they ought not to be galvanised first, as wire is made 

 exceedingly brittle in the process. 



Further, being on a visit to my friend, Mr. Wilkie, gardener 

 at Oak Lodge, Kensington, only a few months ago, I saw 



THE MISTLETOE IN FRANCE, TURKEY, AND 

 AMERICA. 



Allow me to add a few particulars to those given by yont 

 correspondents respecting the growth of the Mistletoe in France. 

 I can speak from experience, for I have travelled through the 

 country in almost every direction where there is anything o£ 

 interest. 



The Mistletoe is abundant throughout the east, west, north, 

 and centre of France, and more especially so in the districts 

 where fruit trees are grown (chiefly Apple and Pear trees), and 

 in the valleys of rivers. Nowhere is it so plentiful as in the 

 valley of the Loire and those of its tributaries. At Indre, 

 Nif-vre, Sarthe, Loiret, and some other parts, it occurs almost 

 exclusively on Poplars in moist places ; and the Black Italian 

 Poplar (Populus virginiana), and the Carolina Poplar (P. an- 

 gulata), are more favourable than any other to its growth. 

 This circumstance is easily explained. The seeds of the Mis- 

 tletoe are contained iu a white berry, of which the viscous 

 matter adheres to them even after having been digested by the 

 thrushes, which are very fond of the berries. The birds in 

 winter often leave the woods for the borders of the rivers and 

 streams, to seek for insects, which are more numerous in the 

 sheltered valleys than in the open fields and the woods. At 

 nightfall the birds perch on the tops of the tallest trees (Pop- 

 lars), and the droppings which fall on the branches frequently 

 contain Mistletoe seeds, which stick to the bark. In the fol- 

 lowing spring the parasite germinates, and grows rapidly at the 

 expense of the abundant sap of the Poplar. Iu orchards it is 

 likewise the thrushes tliat deposit the largest number of Mis- 

 tletoe seeds on the Apple and other fruit trees ; but this is 

 chiefly dono when the fruit is ripening, that being the time 

 when the birds take up their quarters in such places. Other 

 birds assist the thrush in disseminating the seeds, but thrushes 

 are the principal agents. 



I may add that everywhere in France this parasite is sought 

 for and destroyed, as it is very injurious to the trees on which 

 it grows, by feeding on the sap. 



It has been observed that the Mistletoe is much more abun- 

 dant on trees with spreading branches than on those of fastigiate 

 or pyramidal habit, such as the Lombardy Poplar. It is also 

 found on Lime trees, the Ash, Willows, and softwooded trees, 

 but very seldom on hardwooded trees, such as Elms, Beeches, 

 and Hornbeams ; and still more rarely on legumiBous trees, 

 such as Cytisus, Eobtnia, and Sophora. 



Botanically the Mistletoe is not affected by the different trees 

 on which it grows ; that question has long since been studied. 

 That the Mistletoe does grow on the Oak cannot be disputed ; 

 but its existence on that tree is exceedingly rare, not more 

 than two or three instances being known in France. 



The Salvia of which the name was lately asked is Salvia 

 horminum, which is common on the Pic du Jlidi and Col de 

 Tenda. — Edouakd Andke, Paesij. 



One inquiry I would like to make of your St. Malo corre- 

 spondent, and that is, Is the Jlistletoe found on the Oak in 

 any quantity in the part of France she writes from ? In Eng- 

 land, as mentioned in my former note, it is very seldom found 

 on that tree, although at an earher period of our history it may 

 have been more plentiful. It would be interesting to know if 

 it exists in western France on the Oak in any quantity, and if 

 so, possibly cultivation may have had some part in driving it 

 away. 



Your correspondent's picture of its abundance in Brittany is 

 at variance with the idea of good fruit being pilentifully pro- 

 duced there, as the healthiest and most vigorous trees are not 

 likely to support this parasite ; at least, it is not so in England, 

 where the best cultivated districts produce least Mistletoe — 

 in fact, I may say that it is but rarely met with on Apple 

 trees under twenty years old, and many healthy trees of double 

 that age are free from it. It has, however, its favourite loca- 

 lities,_ and in such places attacks trees of a younger growth 

 than it does elsewhere. The questions would naturally arise, 



