January 30, I86S. J 



JOUBNAL OF HOKTIOULTUllE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEU. 



101 



lind Ihoir wtiy through tho holes iu tho pots. Trees planted in borders 

 and traiued to a trclUa aro proferablc to thoae grown in pots, lor thoy 

 ;{ivo loss trouhio iu watering, but good Peache.s may bo obtained from 

 troo.4 in puts, and from tho trees being in potti they aro more convenient 

 and Huit:iblt' (or pbices where it is not desirable to have a house whoHy 

 devoted to them. Many can find room for a few trees in pots, but cannot 

 devote a house exclusively to thcni, and even in places wlicre there aro 

 Peach houses with trees iu borders, and it id not desired to force early, a 

 few trees in pots are very useful. Good Peaches are ffrown, both with 

 and without heat, ou trees in pots, and wo have no doubt of your buc- 

 ceeding. 



PASSiFLonA QUADRANOULAnis ( !('. I(. i/.).— Therc is no need for setting 

 Iho fruit. It does f o rather freely naturally when the plant is not loo 

 vigoroue, but is rather shy when tlie plant is grown iu rich soil, and has 

 abundance of room for tho roots. Contiue tho roots more, give abundance 

 of air, all tho light possible in a position near the glass, and in the early 

 part of the day apply pollen to the stigma with a cauiel-hair pencil. 



Books (Ti(moiisc).~Tho "Vine Manual" will suit you. Yuu can have 

 it free by post from our oftice if you enclose thirty-two postage .stamps 

 with your address. [A. 6'.).— No supplement to the " Cottage Gardeners' 

 Dictionary " has been published. 



Striking Epacris Cuttings (Titmouse). — The best time to propagate 

 Epacrises is from the beginning of March to the end of August, and the 

 earlier the cuttings aro struck the better it is for the well-being of the 

 plants, as they can be potted-off and become established before winter. 

 Take a 4 or C- inch pot, half fill it with crocks, place over these a thin 

 layer of moss or very fibrous peat, and then fill to within an inch of the 

 rim of the pot with a compost of two-thirds silver sand and one-third 

 sandy peat ; then make level to the rim with silver sand. This done, take 

 another pot a little deeper and wider, and put into it as many crocks as 

 will raise the rim of the smaller pot to the level of the rim of the larger 

 pot, and the space between their sides fill halfway up with small crocks, 

 next put in a layer of mo^s, and then fill to the top with silver sand. A 

 good watering having been given, the pots should bo placed aside for the 

 water to drain ofl', which it will be by the time the cuttings are prepared 

 for insertion. In selecting cuttings preference should bo given to those 

 that have begun to grow, the young shoots being an inch or two long ; 

 take them off with a small portion or heel of old wood, some of the old 

 wood being cut or taken off, and the heel smoothed with a sharp knife. 

 If cuttings are taken from the young growth entirely, the shoots must be 

 somewhat firm, more particularly the base. The cuttings should be put 

 in around the sides of tho small pot, and in circles towards the centre, 

 not allowing them to tiuch each other. They should have a gentle water- 

 ing and be allowed to dry; the pot should then be plunged in a mild hot- 

 bed or where there is a temperature of 65-, a bell-glass being placed over 

 the cutting pot. with the edge resting on the sand between the two i>ota. 

 Shade from bright sun should be afforded, and tho sand must be kept 

 moist, for if the cuttings droop for want of watersuceess is very question- 

 able. The bell-glass should be taken off once a-day and wiped di-y. When 

 the cuttings have struck root, the bell-glass should be gradually removed 

 in order to harden them off before potting. 



Pelakgoniums in a Cold Frame Mildewed (^maieur).— Yonr only 

 remedy is to keep the atmosphere drier by giving more air. It is hardly 

 possible to keep the more tender kinds in a frame, on account of tho 

 frame having to be for a long time closed during severe weather. A little 

 fire heat is necessary. Pick off the worst leaves, cut away any dead 

 or mouldy stems, and daub the mildewed leaves and stems with flowers 

 of sulphur. 



Privet, Box, and Rhododendron Propagation (J. H.).— Privet is 

 best propagated from cuttings, which if put in in autumn in the same 

 manner as cuttings of Currants, root well and become good plants in 

 twelve mouths. Privet may be raised from seed, which should be sown 

 when ripe, in beds of good, rich, light soil Bos, tree Box. being the only 

 suitable sort, is propagated by cuttings, which should be put in early in 

 autumn or spring, in a warm sheltered situation in sandy soil. Seed may 

 be sown iu spring, and trees from seed grow tho most rapiuly and make 

 the straightest best wood, which is very valuable. Tho Rhododendron is 

 best propagated from seed, which may be sown in boxes or pans well 

 drained and filled, or nearly so. with sandy peat and a layer of very fine 

 sandy soil on the top. The surface should* be made level and be watered, 

 and the seeds scattered thinly and pressed in, covering them very slightly 

 with silver sand. Tho pans may then be removed to a cold frame, where 

 attention should bo paid to shading from bright sun, and keeping the soil 

 moist by watering thrnugh ii very fine rose. A little moss may be placed 

 over the pans ; this will lessen "the necessity for frequent waterings, but 

 the moss must be removed when vegetation commences. The seedlings, 

 wheu large enough to handle, ought to be pricked-off 3 inches apart, shad- 

 ing and keeping them close until they have again struck root; then 

 gradually admit air until they are fully exposed. Keep tho soil always 

 moist, and protect the plants from frost and powerful sun. 



Wild Tamarind Seed SownJG (W. H. S.).— The Wild Tamarind 

 requires tho heat of a stove in this country, being a native of Sierra 

 Leone. The seed may be sown now in sandy soil and placed in a stove, 

 the pots being plunged in a hotbed of from bo to ilD . When the phmts 

 appear give a moderate amount of air, and keep the soil continually moist. 

 The nearer the plants are to the glass the less liable will they be to be- 

 come drawn up. When large enough to handle they may be potted singly 

 in small pots, and grown in the stove. A compost of one-third sandy 

 peat and two-thirds loam, with a liberal admixture of sand, will suit them 

 welL Afford plenty of light and air. 



Cutting Ivy (W':m).— When Ivy reaches the top of the wall its 

 growth should be cut off. This will cause the shoots lower down to 

 spread. If you wi^h to cover the top of the wall, then you will let the 

 shoots grow over it. To cover a wall well with Ivy the first branches 

 should be trained over the lower part, stopping them frequently so 

 as to cause enough shoots to be produced for covering the wall. This 

 effected, the covering of the upper part is a very easy matter, as the 

 energies of the plant are chiefly directed to the top. 



Mushroom-growing in a Pit (G. P.).— The space, 30 feet by 3 feet, 

 would answer admirably for growing Mushrooms. We would fill the space 

 to within 1 foot of the top with any description of rather dry littery 

 manure, and make the top foot of horse droppings with most of the 

 straw shaken out. The droppings should be iu a moderately dr>* state 

 when used, and put on in layers, each layer being beaten quite firm before 



another is putou. The bed cannot be made too firm. A gentle heat will 

 bo produced, and when this has declined to 1)0 . you may insert pieces of 

 spawn It or 2 inches square in the droppings, jn.it placing the spawn so 

 deeply as to co\er it half an inch. The lumps of Mpawn may he put in 

 6 inches apart every way. Within a week the surface should be covered 

 about an inch deep with good, rich, turfy loam, and it should be beaten 

 and made quite firm. No water should be given for six weeks, and then 

 tho bed ri.hould have a gentle sprinkling, and be covered with a little hay. 

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

 Protection from frost should bo afforded. 



Plum Trees Unfruitful (/rfcnt).— The Plum trees which make vigor- 

 ous shoots, but do not bear fruit, may be root-pruned, and the Pear trees 

 as well. It will only be necessary to return into tho trench the old soil, 

 which is, no doubt, quite rich enough, if not too rich. In that case you 

 may fill the trench with two-thirds loam from a p;iMturc, taking the top 

 S or 4 inches witli the turf, which may be chopped, but not made very 

 fine. The soil should be of a rather light sandy nature. To this add 

 one-third old mortar from an old building, the older tho better, well in 

 corporated with tlie loana. The soil for the Pears should be a strong loam, 

 but avoid the lime rubbish. 



Turf Ashes as Manure (J(?c;n).— They aro excellent for manuring all 

 kinds of soils, and would do well for a flower garden, and in the kitchen 

 garden especially for Onions and all the Brassica tribe. 



Crinu&i capense Culture {St. Dennh).— This plant succeeds admir- 

 ably, grown in pots. Do not put them into large pots now, but shift them 

 into pots twice the diameter of the bulbs, providing good drainage, and 

 using a compost of loam from rotted turves two-thirds, and one-third 

 leaf mould or sandy peat, adding sharp sand liberally. Pot so that the 

 neck of the bulb may be covered with soil. Deep pots are best. Water 

 liberally when growth commences, and copiously when the plants are in 

 full growth, gradually diminishing the supply when the growth is per- 

 fected, and in winter keep dry. After a good growth has been made 

 expose fully to light and air, and keep dry, but not so as to affect tho 

 foliage. Probably your bulbs will flower, but that depends on the ripen- 

 ing of the growth the previous year. 



Clianthus Dampieri Training {Tf'(cm).—li may be trained to upright 

 stakes or to a wire trellis ; but we consider upright stakes put in round 

 the sides of the pot the best, the shoots beingcoilod round them. Train- 

 ing to a wall is bad, as walls are generally shaded ; but the plant will do 

 trained to anything, whether a trellis, globe, or wall, only do not train it 

 in too thickly, nor keep it too close and shaded. 



LiLiusi AURATUJi vcrm-i LiLiu?! Brownii iTdem). — The flowers of 

 Lilium auratum are much larger than those of L. Brownii, and it is a 

 better kind, but both are very desirable. The wood of Victor Verdier 

 Hose is nearly thornless. 



Repotting Roses [A Correspondent).— The best time to repot Roses is 

 earlyin autumn (September! ; but it may be done now. In potting.most 

 of the old soil should bo removed ; but it is well not to injure the roots 

 more than can be avoided. If the plants are required to be kept in small 

 pots, then all the old soil may bo shaken away, and any long straggling 

 roots shortened. For soil, use two-thirds Inam from a pasture, the top 

 2 or 3 inches, with the turf, and this slightly charred, chopped rather fine, 

 and mixed with one-third drj* old cow dung, will form a most excellent 

 compost. Thoroughly decomposed hotbed manure or leaf mould may be 

 substituted for the co"w dimg if the latter cannot be had. One-sixth of 

 sharp sand may be added if the loam is not sandy enough. You may 

 prune standard Roses on the Briar stock from this time up to the middle 

 of March during mild weather, and you may cut weak shoots back to one 

 eye. the strong to two or three, and the very strong to three or four buds, 

 cutting-out the very weak and those dhoots crossing each other. 



Hardv Ridge Melons (/J^rn)-— Wa have grown the American and 

 several! other varieties of these so-called hardy ridge Melons, and have 

 had them of good size ; but we found the flavour, though fair, not equal to 

 that of Melons gro^vn in frames or pits. They succeed best in a cold 

 frame, with a slight bottom heat at the commencement. We fear yon 

 will not succeed with them without glass. Your mode of furnishing 

 bottom heat to plants in pots is Ci^rtainly novel ; but we think the heat 

 thus afforded will be too uncertain, aud so liable to fluctuation as to do 

 more harm than good. You may grow Melons in pots in a greenhouse by 

 clearing out all "the plants aiid converting the house into a stove, by 

 shutting it up closely and economising sun heat, giving about one-fourth 

 the %entiiation you would were it used as a greenhouse. Your plan is 

 certainly worth a triaL The Melons cannot have too hght a situation. 



Fine-foliaged Stove Plants (F. G.).— The following will succeed in 

 the same house with Alocasias, Begonias, and Ciladiums:— Maranta 

 Veitchii, Croton pictum, C. variegatum longifolium, Pandanus elegantis- 

 simus, P. javanicus varieg.atus, Sphrerogyne latifolia, Pavetta borbonica, 

 Maranta roseo-lineat.i, M. regalis, Hoya carnosa variegata. Hibiscus 

 Cooperi, DracEcna stricta, D. draco. D. nigi-escens, Dieffenbachia Bara- 

 quiniana, Cyanophyllum maguificiim, Cissus discolor, Anthurium Lin- 

 digi, and Ananassa sativa variegata. Alocasia macrorhiza variegata yon 

 should have kept dry. and if you do that it will assuredly become dor- 

 mant. The leaves w'ill come all right after a time ; bat a brisk heat must 

 be given in spring, also a moist atmo,jphere and slight shade from bright 

 sun. 



Herbaceous Calceolaria Cuttings [C. ir.).— They are not worth the 

 trouble of propagating by cuttings, and never make good plants, at least 

 not equal to those from seed. You may slip off any of the side shoots not 

 showing f'^r bloom, making the base smooth with a sharp knife, and 

 trimming ofl" the lower leaves for half the length of the cuttings, and 

 then insert these in pans in a compost of loam two-thirds, and one-third 

 leaf mould. The pan should be well drained and filled to within an inch 

 of the rim vith the cmpost named, and then to the rim with sand. In- 

 sert the cuttings romid the sides, and at about 11 inch apart, give a slight 

 watering, and place them in a house where there is a gentle heat. The 

 atmosphere should be kept moist and close, and shade from sun must be 

 afforded. If the cuttings are taken in summer they may be inserted in a 

 cold frame, and kept close and shaded from sun. When rooted they 

 should be hardened-uff.and potted-off .>ingly in small pots. 



Stopping Azalea Shoots (Idcm).—\<>u must not .stop or remove the 

 shoots that come beside the flower buds, as upon theii- preservation de 

 pend the plant's after-growth aud future flowering. 

 Marbiott's Self-begulating Boiler.—" Rose " wishes to know if any 



