300 



JOURNAIi OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEK. 



[ April IC, 1888. 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes doz. 



Asparagus 100 



Beans, Kidney 100 



Beet, Bed doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Bros. Sprouts i sieve 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicams 100 



Carrots bnnoh 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Cucumbers each 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bnnch 



Horseradish . . bundle 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce .... per score 

 I Mushrooms .... pottle 

 [ Mustd.tfe Cress, punnet 



I Onions per bushel 



Parsley per sieve 



Parsnips doz. 



i Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes doz. bunches 



j Rhubarb bundle 



! Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



1 Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes.... per doz. 

 { Turnips bunch 







1 

 9 

 



d. e. 



S too 

 I 

 1 



a 





 

 9 

 4 6 







1 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



• «• We request that no one will wi-ite privately to the depart- 

 mental wi-itera of the "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By bo doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communicationa should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, die, 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.G. 



We also request that correspondents will not mix upon the 

 same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them an- 

 swered promptly and conveniently, but write them on 

 separate communications. Also never to send more than 

 two or three questions at once. 



N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 



Books (C P. Otdson).— Keane's "In-door Gardening" will suit you. 

 It contains directions for cultivating greenhouse plants throughout the 

 year. You can have it free by post from our office if you order it and 

 enclose twenty postage stamps with your address. 



Berries (M. (7.).— They are of the Aucuba japonioa. If the seeds in 

 them prove fertUe, but we think they wUl not, there must be a male 

 plant in the neighbourhood; or some of the blossoms on your verj- 

 old plants must have produced stamens. All your specimens are of 

 A. japonica. 



MEDraiLiA MiGNiFiCA (G. D.).— It belongs to the natural order Melas- 

 tomaceaj, and to Decandria Monogynia of the linnoan system. It is 

 a native of Manilla. The flowers are pink. It was introduced by Messrs. 

 Veitch, in 1850. A portrait of it is in the " Botanical ilagazine," t. ioSi. 



SoROHUM TATARICUM (Tri/ci.— Any secdsmau could supply seeds ; but 

 it is entirely useless to attempt to cultivate it in this country. We are 

 glad you were not swindled as others were. 



Vines Mudewed (John B".).— The Vine shoots are infested with 

 mildew. Dust all the infested parts with flowers of sulphur, paint the 

 open places in the wall with sulphur. Give more air even if you reqmre 

 more firing. Taken in time no gi-eat harm will be done. It is much more 

 serious when the bunches are afl'eeted. 



Flower-bed Planting (St. Dennis).— We would arrange your fine- 

 leaved Pelargoniums thus— Mrs. Pollock centre, then Italia Unita, and 

 outside Sunset. To make it more complete we would place a string of 

 Cerastium rfiund the outside, and carpet all the rest of the bed with the 

 dwarfer blue Lobelia. We would not tmn out the Roses in pots in the 

 greenhouse until the middle of May. 



Window Gardening (C.HaU).-Fern.s, especiaUy in a Fern case, will 

 do well in a north aspect inside a window. Balsams may be potted 

 singly when they are 3 or 4 inches high. You must keep them inside the 

 window imtil June. Use 3 or 4-inch pots at first, and when fiUed with 

 roots transfer the plants to 3-inch pots, which are large enough for 

 Balsams in windows. All plants will bloom longer m such an aspect, 

 but they win not grow so sturdy nor knot so well for bloom as if grown 

 where the sun's rays would reach them. 



Fig Trees Casting their Fruit (A. S. A'.).— Some kinds of Figs are 

 much given to throw their first crop. The Singleton generally fruits best 

 on the current season's growth. In damp houses there may be some- 

 thing in what vou say as to the atmosphere being too damp, but as a 

 "eneral rule, the falling of the frnit is rather owing to dryness at the 

 roots Fig trees in pots, therefore, ought either to stand on or m the 

 ground, and have a saucer to stand in, the bottom of which should bo 

 kept moist. We shall be glad to receive your remarks on Lady Do^vne s 

 Grape. 



Cistern in a Greenhouse (A. L. L. JK.).— Circumstances .alter cases. 

 Yon speak of an open cistern in your gi-eenhouse, and that is very dif- 

 ferent from having a tank aU the length of the house and merely covered 

 with boards, with an opening between every two boards. As mildew ap- 

 peared we think that this open tank was partly the cause, and, there- 

 fore, we advised means to bo taken to prevent the vapour rismg. Of 

 course, in that case, we would draw water by means of a pump, or by an 

 opening large enough to get a pail in, the opening to be covered by a 

 board We have had open cisterns like yours in a house, and without 

 doing any harm, but we have also found harm thus done ; and if a cistern 

 is large a great body of cold rsiin water passing at ouce into it very 

 much cools a house. Wo think, therefore, a wooden cover, partly move- 

 able, would be useful over such a cistern merely as a preventive of evils. 



Changing the Colour of PRnmosES (Trmttj ijrnjisjj).— We have heard 

 that soot, also cow dung, will change the colour, but we do not remember 



that turning them upside down was a necessary part of the process. Mr- 

 Abbey informs us that when a boy he planted a number of common Prim- 

 roses (Primula acauUs), and they were in full flower at the time. Advised 

 by an old woman he scattered a quantity of soot over and around each 

 in the same manner as is done to prevent the ravages of slugs, and these 

 plants in the following year produced pale reddish lilac flowers. We 

 should be obliged for particulars as to the change of colour, not only of 

 Primroses, but other plants. We have common Primroses which were 

 planted some years ago, and many of these, or their ofl'spring, now pro- 

 duce reddish fluwers of various shades. Very many retain the natural 

 colour of their fiowers. but the red-flowering plants are not so vigorooa 

 as those retaining their original character. 



Orchard Trees Infested with Red Spider (TF. M.). — The speci- 

 mens sent are severely attacked by red spider ; but we do not agree with 

 you as to your not being able to syringe the trees now the blossom is 

 dying otf. We would advise your syringing the trees early in the after- 

 noon when there is mild weather and no likelihood of frost at night. 

 The fruit set, you may syringe the trees with 2 ozs. of soft soap dissolved 

 in a gallon of water, applying it in the evening, and syringing in the morn- 

 ing %vith clear water. Keep the trees well supplied with water at the 

 roots, and apply a top-dressing of rich compost to the surface of the pots 

 or border. 



Fruiting Pine Plants (Ji/em).— If yon now obtain fruiting Pino plants 

 it is probable that if strong fine plants they will fi'uit this summer ; but 

 we could not say when unless we saw the plants. They will not require 

 potting now. If they do not show fruit before August, or iire not then 

 showing, you may pot them but without much reduction of the ball, 

 merely taking ofl' the lowest leaves, potting lower, and removing any of 

 the soil not occupied with roots. 



Asphalt Garden Walks {Bolt. Orton).— Silt the ashes when dry 

 with a half-inch sieve, form them into a heap like those which bricklayers 

 make in mixing mortar, make a hole in the middle, and into it pour 

 boiling coal tar. Mix to the consistency of mortar, and when cool put 

 the mixture to the thickness of 3 inches where the walk is to be. The 

 ground should previously be made level and of the desired form, 

 keeping it highest in the middle to throw off the water, and it should be 

 made so high next the grass or soil that when the asphalt is put on it 

 will be level with it or very little below it. Put on the asphalt when the 

 gi-ound is dry, and after the surface has been made even sprinkle it with 

 enough spar' or fine-washed gravel to give the walk the appearance of 

 being of gravel. When the asphalt has become tirm enough to bear the 

 roller, roll it well and make it quite firm. Avoid walking upon it until it 

 has become hard. In a few days It will become ven,- solid. 



Banana Cultivation (It. H. .4.).— The Banana can be, and is cultivates 

 in England successfully in most large establishments. It requires a 

 house with a temperature of from 50 ' to 55= at mght in winter, and one 

 of from 6U^ to 6ii by day from fire heat. In summer it should have a 

 temperature of from 60 to 05' at night, and 75 by day, with a rise of 10", 

 15', or 20 ■ with sun. In winter it should be kept rather dry at the root, 

 but not so drv as to aflect the foliage ; Imt when growing it can hardly 

 have too mnch water if the soil is open and the drainage good. Liquid 

 manm-e may be given copiously and at every alternate watering. A moist 

 atmosphere should be maintained by frequently sprinkUng every avail- 

 able surface with water. Air should be freely given, but not so as to 

 cause cold draughts. For compost turf should be taken from a pasture 

 where the soil is a good, rich, but not strong loam, cutting it 2 inches 

 thick ; place it in layers, first a layer of turves, and then a layer of fresh 

 cow dung or sheep droppings an inch thick, then turf followed by dung, 

 and so on, the turf being placed grass side downwards. This in three 

 months will form an excellent compost, and should be chopped with a 

 spade roughly, adding about one-sixth of sharp sand. 



Select Conlfep.s (IF. G.).—Picea nobUis.P. N'ordmanniana,P.pinsapo ; 

 .\bies Donglasii. A. polita ; Thuja Lobbi ; Thujopsisborealis ; Welling- 

 tonia gigantea ; Pinus cembra, P. excelsa ; Cupressus Lawsouiana ; and 

 Thuja orientalis. 



Applting Manure Water to Lilidms (Iso).— When they are growing 

 freely liquid manure may be given to those plants at every alternate 

 watering. The best that we have tried is made by pouring thirty gallons 

 of water over a peck of sheep droppings, stirring it well up before using 

 it. Half an ounce of guano to a gallon of water makes a very good 

 liquid manure, which may be apiiUed once a-week. 



Nepeta teucrufolia [W. M.).— We have not tried this Ncpetafor 

 bedding purposes, and do not think it would prove suitable as an edging, 

 it being of stronger growth than N. nepetella, and not so compact ; the 

 flowers, however, are more deeply coloured. Flowei-iug profusely from 

 July to September, it might be useful as a bedding plant.— G. A. 



Rose Trees Infested with Aphis (itosa).— The best means of ridding 

 plants of the green fly or aphis is to dust them with ground tobacco, 

 applying it with a tin pepper box, which may be had of any tinman or 

 iroomonger. The Rose trees should first be syringed with water, and then 

 dust them with the powder, which adheres to the shoots and leaves better 

 than were it applied to the plants in a dry state. The ground tobacco 

 alluded to is made from duty-free tobacco. 



PiCEA piNSAPO for AN AvENUE (Bobt. Orfoji).— Picca piusapo is suit- 

 able for an avenue, bat is of slow growth. Picea Nordmanniana is a 

 more rapid grower. Both succeed on a clay soil, but are impatient of 

 stagnant water. 



Vines Bleeding (Wye).— The best thing to stop the bleeding of Vines 

 is Thomson's styptic. 'The Vines should have been pruned earlier, and 

 then the bleeding would have been less, if not altogether prevented. 



Potato for Light Gabden Soil (Idem).— The Lapstoneis a first-rate 

 Potato for hght soil, and a good cropper. If you reqmre a wmter sort 

 Arrowsmith's SeedMng would probably suit you. 



Herbaceous Plants from Seed (N. E. H.).— You may sow the follow- 

 ing from now to July, but the earlier the better. They should be sown 

 in pans or shallow pots weU drained, placing over the drainage a layer of 

 the rougher parts of the compost, which should be sifted. The compost 

 may consist of two-thirds flbrous loam and one-third leaf mould, with 

 one'-sixth of sand. FiU to within half an inch of the rim, or nearly to 

 the top if for small seeds, level the surface, and sow the seeds rather 

 thinlyT covering them very lightly with fine soU. None should be covered 

 with more than a quarter of an inch of soU, and some with less, accord- 



