228 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ March 19, 1868. 



AXLOTMENT GAEDEN9 (J. H.).— We know of no rnles required except 

 that the tenants shall pay their reuta regularly, and keep their plots free 

 from weeds. If you call at our office as you propose, there is a pamphlet 

 awaiting you. We recommend you to look at "Allotment Farming,', 

 which is only 3d. in price. 



Whitewash (S. P.).— To present its rubbing off dissolve plasterers' 

 size in the water. A little washerwoman's stone blue added imparts a 

 good tone to the white a>.d improves the appearance of the interior of a 

 greenhouse. 



Flower Seeds.—" J. H." wishes to know where he can obtain seeds ol 

 the following plants:— Tussilago petasites. Salvia ncmorosa (ol Sir .James 

 Smith), Origanum humile. Origanum rubescens (of Haworth), Cuscuta 

 sinensis, Anacampseros populifolinm, Kepeta Mussinii, and Phaceha 

 tanacetifoUa. 



VEKBENiS OF DisTlscT CoLOuns (F. J.).— Purple— Purple King and 

 Admiral of the Blue. Tho latter is a bluish purple with a white eye. 

 Scarfft.— Firefly, and a very dwarf-growing scarlet is Melindres splendens. 

 JFftitf.— Le Grand Boule de Neige and Snowball, iiosc— Eeine des 

 Roses, Crimson, and Crimson King. 



Wood Teellis {Idem).— It is quite unnecessary to have the laths placed 

 across each other obliquely so as to form oblong lozenges^ as by your 

 second plan, and we do not approve of vour first plan by which they are 

 placed vertiCiiUy. We would have them horizontal. The latter will do 

 Cinches apart; that is a very good distance for tho plants you name. 



OXAHEITE Okange LEAFLESS (.( Constnut .tiihscriber\.—These Oranges 

 generally produce flowers and fruit very abundantly and but little foliage. 

 This is mainly due to the plants being allowed to carry all the fruit that 

 sets, and vre have seen a score of fruit upon a plant, for which half a 

 dozen would have been enough. We would thin the flowers, reduce the 

 fruit when it is set, and give the plants the benefit of a moist and rather 

 warm greenhouse so as to encourage free growth. A temperature of from 

 50- to 55° at night, and from 05- to 70' by day will, no doubt, give you 

 growth, and, of coiurse, better foliage. 



Temperatche for Plants (J,fcm).— Pleroma elegans and Statice Hol- 

 fordi are warm gi-eenhouse plants. You would see what Mr. Douglas 

 stated with respect to their cultivation in page 182. Gesnera cinnabarina 

 and Hibbertii are stove plants and cannot be grown in a greenhouse. 

 They are of easy culture. Some excellent hints on the management of 

 Gesnera cinnabarina were given in page 149 of the Journal for February 

 20th. 



Seeds of New Zealand Plants (O. H'. D.).— We do not know the 

 native names of New Zealand plants, and cannot, therefore, assist you. 



COKREA Culture (Wrm). — You do not say what size your plants are ; 

 we will, therefore, take for granted that they are young plants and in 

 small pots. They must now be potted (unless they are in flower), in pots 

 2 inches wider than those they are now in, using a compost of two-thirds 

 sandy fibrous peat and one-third loam from rotted turves old and mellow, 

 aad silver sand equal to about one-sixth of the whole may be added, and 

 a like proportion of bits of charcoal or small crocks, which ivill keep the 

 soil porous. The fresh pots should bo thoroughly clean inside and ont- 

 side, and good drainage should be provided by placing potsherds at the 

 bottom, and to the extent of one-fourth the depth of the pot, and upon 

 these may be placed a thin layer of moss or turfy peat. The plant being 

 ' - turned out of the pot, remove the old drainage and any loose soil that 

 comes away easily, but do not disturb the ball beyond loosening the out- 

 sides a little with a pointed piece of wood ; place enough soil in the pot 

 to raise the collar of the plant within half an inch of the rim ; introduce 

 the plant in the centre of the pot, fill up around the ball with the com- 

 post, making it rather fii-m about tho old ball, give a good watering 

 through a fine-rosed watering pot. and place the pots in the warmest part 

 of the greenhouse, but near the glass. A temperature of 45^ at night and 

 55^ by day from fire heat will be sufficiently warm. The plants should 

 not be allowed to suffer from want of wafer ; indeed, after the roots are 

 working freely in the fresh soil they should be well watered, and a gentle 

 syringing overhead morning and evening will be more advantageous than 

 too much water at the roots until they recover from the potting ^.u^ ....;i 



shift, the same compost being used, and the same course pursued as in 

 the previous vear. If the plants are old they may be slightly disrooted 

 everv vear, anil repottediin the same size of pot. Correas'are rather subject 

 to red 'spider, but it may be kept under by a free use of the syringe, and 

 tbey are sometimes attacked by scale owing to their being kept too warm. 

 Exposure in summer is the best remedy for it. 



Plumbago Startino (A. Z,.).— The plant of Plumbago capensis should 

 now be pruned and started into growth, and when it has made shoots a 

 few inches long it should be repotted. The Stcphanotis floribunda should 

 not be started until the beginning of May ; and the Bougainvillea spec- 

 tabilis should be retarded and kept in a cool house imtil the beginning of 

 June, but we very much question your having it in flower at the time 

 named — the middle of July, 



Striking Cuttings Over a Flue (A Subscriber).— V!e fear your chance 

 of striking cuttings bv placing them upon the greenhouse flue is very 

 small, as the heat will'be so fluctuating. We would advise your placmg 

 a flagstone or thick slates upon the fine, and have a box made about 



3 feet long and from 18 inches to 2 feet wide, according to the width of 

 the flag or slate bottom placed on the flue. The box may be 15 inches 

 deep at back and 1 foot in front, and should have a glazed frame or light 

 covering it. The light may be hinged to the box at back, or it may shde ; 

 it is always best to have it moveable. You may then place the box upon 

 tho flag, "place 3 inches of coarse gravel at tho bottom, and then from 



4 to 6 inches of sawdust or other loose plunging material, in which you 

 can plunge the pots containing the cuttings. Tho light bemg put on, 

 vou may secure a moist and close atmosphere. A thermometer placed 

 inside liiay rise to 60° or 70°, which will be sufllcient heat for tho cuttings 

 you name; indeed they will strike weU if yon cannot command more 

 heat than from 60= to 55° at night. Any excess of heat or moisture may 

 be disposed of by raising the light. Shade will be roquu-ed from bright 



Fumigating with Tobacco (Idem).— Tor a house the size yon name 

 half a ponnd of tobacco paper will be suflicient. Y'our best mode of fumi- 

 gation will be to take a flower pot, make the hole rather large, and place 

 two pieces of wood on the floor or on a slate in front of the house, so that 

 tho pot will stand unon them and air pass under the pot, the hole being 

 left free. It the tobacco paper is rather dry half of it should be made 

 damp, but if it is all wet half of it must be made rather dry. It shouia 

 be torn in pieces about the size of half a crown, and the damp and rather 

 dry be kept separate. Choose a calm evening, and, having the foliage or 

 the plants dry, shut the bouse np closely, and place a few lumps of char- 

 coal in the fire, and when they become rod hot put them at the bottom ot 

 the flower pot. Two or three lumps about the size of a walnut will be 

 suflicient of lighted charcoal to place in the pot, which without delay 

 should be set upon the pieces of wood; and upon the charcoal shouia De 

 put the rather dry tobacco paper, placing it lightly over the charcoal. 

 When it commences to smoke put on more of tho rather dry paper, ana 

 then the damp tobacco paper. You may repeat the fumigation the next 

 night but one, and again in a week. We think this will destroy the green 



"'odour from Liquid Manure (.■;. .S.).— We would not recommend the 

 disinfecting of the liquid manure, for tho odour of which you complain 

 is quite as stimulating to the leaves as the liquid is to the roots of tne 

 plants. Liquid from sheep's droppings is more poweiful than tnat oi 

 cows, but is not so unpleasant, and it does not clog the watering cans. 

 Only place a peck in a tub, and pour over it thirty gallons of water, ana 

 stir well up and frequentlv until dissolved. For a greenhouse, in conse- 

 ouence of the smell of liquid manure being objected to, wo have employed 

 soot water made by pouring thirty gallons of water over a peck of soot. 



The soil 



must not be saturated with water, nor should it long remain dry, and it plants, and for ground where seeds are to be sown it may De poureu ou 



must never become so dry as to affect the foliape. Tbey may be kept „ndilntod qome time nre%iou3 to sowing the seeds. >ighl_sou mixeu 



rather close for ten days or a fortnight after potting, and a slight shade ■ 



maybe given from bright sun in the early part of the day; but when 



they become established they cannot have too much light and air, but 



avoid cold drying currents. Abundance of air and close proximity to the 



glass are necessary to secure compact gi-owth. By June the plants will 



have filled the pots with roots, and when that is the case they may be 



potted in 8-inch pots ; hut not unless they have made good growth and 



tilled the pots with roots. The same compost as that previously used may 



be employed, and a good watering given. After potting place the plants 



in a cold frame or pit if at hand (if not return them to their old quarters), 



and keep close and shaded from bright sun for ten days, but adniit a 



little air evert' morning and shut up early in the afternoon, giving a 



gentle syringing morning and evening, but avoid anything like heavy 



waterings until the plants are fairly established in their fresh pots, when 



n more liberal supply of water will be necessary. It should, however, be 



given with care, and air should be admitted freely. In warm weather the 



Ji^hts may be drawn down at night, and drawn on in the morning, tilting 



them high at back, and if very dry hot weather a slight shade from hot 



sun will be beneficial. The growth being now vigorous, any straggling 



side shoots should be cut or pinched back and a close pyramid formed. 



This should not be practised after the middle of July. " In August the 



growth will be complete ; the plants may then be fully exposed night and 



day except when the weather is very dry and hot, then a slight shade 



will be very beneficial, and during heavy rains the lights may be drawn 



OTer the plants but tilted at the back. In October the plants should be 



removed to the greenhouse, bo placed near the glass, and in a position 



which is not shaded, affording them an abundance of air, and to keep 



them from becoming one-sided the pots should be turned halfway round 



occasionally. Avoid cold draughts of air, give water rather sparingly 



and very carefully in dull, damp weather, and, as a rule, water will not 



be required more than once a-week in winter, but the soil must be kept 



moist, and when the plants are in flower a liberal supply will be neces- 

 sary. After flowering in spring place in a cool situation for a fortnight or 



three weeks, then cut them in rather closely, shortening back all the 



straggling shoots, and set the plants in a rather close and moist atmo- 

 sphere. Wbeu the fresh shoots are an inch long repot, giving a liberal 



stirrin" well up, and letting the liquid stand for forty-eight hours, and 

 then stirring again previous to use. We do not say this isequal to hquia 

 from sheep droppings, but it is a good Uquid manure. We have added 

 thirtv gallons of water and one peck of sheep droppmgs to the soot waiei 

 abovenamed ; or put one peck of soot and one peck of sheep s droppings 

 to sixty gallons of water, and have not had any complaints of the smeu. 



Liquid Makure iNe7ccosUe).—'Ihe liquid from night soil is a very 

 powerful manure, and is good for all the plants you name but should be 

 diluted with not less than six times its bulk of_water^when appUed ^o 

 plants, and for ground where seeds are to t " ^ "" ""'"' 



undiluted some time previous to sowing ._. „„,^^„ 



with an equal quantity of dry soil is very beneficial to a kitchen garden, 

 and a very valuable addition to tho manure heap. 



Sowing Grass Seeds (Irf^Tn).— Earlv in April is the best time to sow 

 grass seeds. We would spread a little fine rich soU over the ground 

 previous to sowing, and scratch it well with an iron rake. 2 lbs. lawn 

 grass seeds will be sufficient for the extent of ground you mention. Alter 

 sowing roll well; or, if you have not a roUer, beat well with tho spade, 

 taking care that the soil does not clog to the spade. The seeds are best 

 sown when the ground is dry. 



Cucumber Bed Making (Jrfrm).-We think the time you name would 

 be verv suitable, as vou need not then make so high a bed; one d leet 

 high will be quite sufficient to make in the middle of April. Horse dung 

 i. certainlv best for hotbeds; but we have used st/a^y/>ow <iung snc- 

 ce^sfullv, and should prefer it if you could obtain it for late hotbeds as 

 it does not heat so violently as horsedung. If you use horsedung-which 

 "e should in vour case prefer, as it will be the best for your soil when 

 done with for hotbeds-take care that it is turned ^ye^. °^f ..'i^^^^^^ 

 before being used, in order to secure a milder heat and its parting with 

 the rank steam. If very drv. water should be thrown over it at each 

 tu^Tng It should be made -regularly moist throughout, to give a good 

 enduring heat. 



TREADINO GROUND FOR ONIONS (G. P ).-It is i°'5;>'P«°S»"%*",»,?'°P 



of Onions that the ground be firm, and especially in the case of bght 

 soils It cannot be made too firm, but avoid making it so when it is wet. 

 Your other question was answered in the Journal of March 6th, page 191. 



PlMELEA HENDEnsoNi CoMTOST (B.).— For the plants you name in 

 addition to that now mentioned, the foUowing compost will grow- them 

 well-namelv, two-thirds sandy fibrous peal, one-third well-reduced loam 

 horn rotted tirves torn in pieces with the hand rubbed, and made fine, 

 but not silted, one-sixth silver sand, and a similar quantity of pieces of 

 charcoal from the size of a pea up to that of smaU hazel nut, tho whole 

 well mixed. Good drainage must be provided. 



Watering Lapac.eria rosea IQ. O.).— Your; plant wiU require water 

 ■ every day when it is in free gi-owth, and may have a three-gallon watenng 



