348 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



[ May 7. 1868 



PELiRGONinMS (H. J. S.).—YonT Pelargoniums are no novelty. Several 

 of the marbled section, such as Empress of the French, the Duke of Wel- 

 lington, Ac, have this bad habit of producing abnormal trusses. Cala- 

 diums well grown usually produce leaves of the size you mention. 

 {J. I. Jun.}. — Not at all uncommon ; too many like it for us to attempt to 

 name it. 



Pansies [Sarniana). — There is nothing remarkable in your seedlings- 

 The light variety is the best, but, like all this fancy section of Pansies, 

 wanting in substance. Hundreds of seedlings of the same character are 

 in cultivation. 



Vine Leaves Turning Brown (Hardup). — We could not satisfy our- 

 selves that there was anything on the Vine leaf, though in several places 

 it looked as if attacked by red spider. If there is merely the brown warty 

 appearance on the leaves, that will most likely remedy itself. It is gene- 

 rally the result of too much moisture at the roots, and a damp atmo- 

 sphere inside, which prevents the foliage perspiring freely. Give a little 

 more fire heat in dull weather, and keep the air of the house a little 

 drier. 



Flower Garden Planting (.U.. Gunqrofi).—'W ith your proposed ma' 

 terials we would alter the arrangement thus :— No. 5, place two or three 

 plant** of Trop.-eolum canariense against the Plum tree in the centre, and 

 along with it four or five plants of the Convolvulus major, allowing these 

 all to run somewhat wildly together, then just one row round of the 

 Perilla, pruned to the right height to meet the Brilliant Pelargonium. 

 Amongst the Pelargoniums, at equal distance, have four plants of dwarf 

 Caunas, and thon your broad edging of Cerastium would be effective. 

 With regard to the beds 3 and 2, we would plant them with Madame 

 Vaucher" Pelargonium, and give a wide verge of Golden Chain ; 1 and 4 

 we would plant with a low yellow Calceolaria, as Aurea floribunda, and 

 give a broad edging of Lobelia speciosa ; 3 and 2 would he improved with 

 ft row of Purple King between Madame Vaucher and the Golden Chain. 

 In fact, a low Verbena, purple or mulberry, would be better than the 

 Golden Chain unless it do well. 



Watering and Temperature in Ground Vineries {Vva).—Yom- Vine 

 in a ground vinery will, after growing freely, require much watering, and 

 if manure water be afforded all the better. If a novice at such watering, 

 place half a peck of superphosphate of lime before watering over the 

 ground where the roots are, and in a fortnight follow with n quart of soot. 

 When a ground vinery becomes too hot a little more ventilation should 

 be given by opening the spaces at the sides more. In a very hot day we 

 would not be alarmed if the thermometer rose to 100" full in the sun 

 below the glass; but it will be as well if it do not rise much above 90-. 

 Shading would neutralise all the benefit of the glass covering. With air 

 constantly, it is amazing the heat a Vine will bear when the heat rises 

 gradually, and there is no confined atmosphere or moist vapour. 



Melon Culture (J. T. S.).— As to Melons and dung beds see *' Doings 

 of the Last Week" for two or three weeks past. The plan of the flues 

 will answer, but not well if the furnace is to be above ground. Have it a 

 foot or 2 feet below it. If the flue is to stand on the level of the ground 

 have the going and the return flue in a chamber, covered over with flag- 

 stones, slates, or slabs of wood. If slabs of wood be used, place them 

 across roughly, 6 inches at least above the flue, and leave spaces between 

 every two slabs, which fill with brickbats, and then roughly plaster 

 over. On these slabs place soil, and at back and front have openings to 

 let the heat ascend, furnishing them with plugs to regulate the heat at 

 pleasure. 



Prolonging the Flowering of Nastcrticms {Trop.eolutbs) (Flora). 

 —We have no difficulty in inducing the dwarf Tropseolums, as Tom 

 Thumb, &c., to bloom all the season, merely by picking extra leaves off 

 and preventing seeding much by gathering exhausted flowers. However, 

 you may plant dwarf Salvias, though we do not know which you mean. 

 if the Tropteolums do not please, we would plant the Salvia or Scarlet 

 Pelargoniums at once. 



Protecting Taoetes from Slugs (Tdrml.— Nothing is so effective 

 for freeing a bed from slugs as going over it before bedtime with the 

 help of a lanthom. The nest best plan is laying down fresh brewers' 

 grains in little heaps, and gathering the slugs from them early in the 

 morning. 



Plants for Spring Flowering (W(?ml.— The Alyssum saxatile sown 

 in the end of July will scarcely bloom early in spring. Sweet and Varie- 

 gated Alyssum, if the latter he kept protected, will do. The Mule Pink 

 would also require more time, but that is most to be depended on from 

 cuttings. The Myosotis, Snapdragons, Silenes, Wallflowers, and Stocks 

 will do well ; but the last will need protection in winter. 



Clematis Jackmanni (C. P.).— We are unable to explain why the 

 Clematis Jackmanni has lost its natural green colour. It may regain it. 



ZoNALPELARGONiUMS(.4S»b«criftf)-,G;fn/mron*.— We could not identify 

 them as you suggest. They are now too numerous and too nearly alike. 

 Those you mention are very good. 



Cdtting-rack Maiden Trees after Planting— Growing Winter 

 Cucumbers IH. B.).— Maiden Peach, Apricot, and other trees planted 

 against a wall in March, should be cut back according to the training in- 

 tended. If to be trained in the fan-shape we would cut back each tree 

 in the end of March to, say, four buds from the bud or graft, so as to 

 obtain five shoots instead of one, two on each side, and one for the centre, 

 to be cut down next year. Did we mean to make cordons of them we 

 would merely shorten the shoots. You need not despair of the Vines yet, 

 but, of course, much depends on the mode of transplanting. Cucumbers 

 may be grown in winter with bottom heat by means of a flue in a chamber, 

 but there must be outlets under control for letting the heat into the at- 

 mosphere of the place, and in that case the flue must be sound. You 

 will do little good without a space between the flue and the earth. 



Orchard-house Plums not Setting (C. P.).— The Plums would not 

 set well in that heat unless air were given— even a little all night. 



Peach-tree Leaves Blighted {.4. M. TT.).— The best thing to do with 

 such blighted Peach leaves is to remove them gradually, so as not to 

 injure the tree, and fresh green leaves will take their place. We cannot 

 account for such leaves without knowing more about the trees. 



Covering the Walls of a Fernery {E. Z. ,4.).— We advise you to 

 cover them with the small-leaved Ivies, both green Pnd variegated. These 

 would thrive and be very handsome all the year round in an unheated 

 fernery. We presume vour walls are low, and that plants of compact, 



close leaf-growth are required. We recommend Hedera helix digitatn, 

 minor Donerailense, minor marraorata, marginata Cullisi, marginata 

 pulchella, taurica. minor lutea, chrysophylla, marginata elegans.grdcilis, 

 marginata argentea, and aureo-maculata minor. You may procure the 

 above and the Golden-edged Ivy through any nurserymen advertising in 

 our columns. 



Radish Culture (.4/i<rf).— Radishes prefer a rich light soil. The ground 

 cannot be too well dug, and should be broken fine, and a good dressing 

 of very old manure or leaf mould well mixed with it. The situation 

 should be open, and not shaded in the least. To have good Radishes the 

 soil must be well pulverised. The surface should be made fine and the 

 seed sown rather thinly, for if the plants come up very thickly and are so 

 allowed to grow, good Radishes will never be produced. Cover the seeds 

 with half an inch of fine soil. If the weather be dry give a good water- 

 ing a day or two after sowing, and if tbe weather continue dry give a 

 watering every evening. If the weather be showery, of course watering 

 will not be necessary. For summer use tbe Turnip-rooted Radishes are 

 best ; the long-rooted are best for spring, early summer, and autumn use. 



Pruning Laurels (Idem).-— Your Laurels being large, now would be 

 the best time to prune them, as they would then have an opportunity of 

 making a good growth this season. If they are not required to be cut-in 

 much, tbe be&t time is early in June, and go over them again in August, 

 shortening all irregular growths. 



Removing the Flower Stems of Arums (Idem).— The flower stems 

 of Arums and all plants should be removed as sraon as the flowering is 

 past, unless seed be wanted, then, of course, they must remain. Allow- 

 ing the flower stems to remain only weakens tbe plant. 



Pear Trees Unfruitful (O. C. G.). — Wo are unable to account for 

 your Pear trees being unfruitful, the aspect being good. We presume 

 they grow vigorously. We would stop all the shoots on the principal 

 branches at the fourth leaf, except the leaders of tbe branches, which 

 must not be stopped at all. Take out the points when the shoots stopped 

 have made three leaves, and continue to do so throughout the season up to 

 September, after which stopping must no longer be practised. We would 

 farther, towards the end of October, take out a trench round each tree, 

 3 feet from the stem, and work under the ball, cutting off all roots that go 

 down deeply, removing the loose surface soil with a fork, and in this way 

 proceed until the tree could be lifted, preserving as many of the fibres 

 and small roots as possible, and allowing as much soil to adhere to them 

 as they would carry. We would then lift the tree, clear out tbe soil to a 

 depth of 2 feet, give the bottom of the hole a slight inclination from the 

 wall, and place on it 3 inches of lime riddlings, or equal parts of lime and 

 coarse gravel mixed so as to resemble mortar. After ramming hard we 

 would put on another layer 1^ inch thick, and make very firm with a 

 wooden rammer. Place on this 6 or 9 inches of brick and lime rubbish 

 from an old building, the older the better, and on that a layer of turf, 

 grass side downwards, then a few inches of chopped sods, on which 

 place the tree, spread out the roots and place soil amongst them, not 

 covering the uppermost roots deeper than 3 inches. The soil may be 

 the top 3 inches of a pasture on a rather strong yellow loam, and should 

 be chopped rather fine with a spade. Each tree will stand on a small 

 cone, and the ground will slope from the tree outwards. Secure the 

 branches to the wall, give a good watering, and place 3 inches thick of 

 fresh stable litter round each tree as far as the hole extended. The 

 trees are best lifted just when the first indications of the leaves falling 

 appear. Cut-in all the side shoots or laterals, whether stopped or not, in 

 November, after the leaves have fallen, to within half an inch of their 

 base, leaving the spurs entire. We would advise the same treatment to 

 be continued in the following year, only a few good waterings should be 

 given in spring and early in summer, and the lifting must, of course, 

 be omitted. We think you may be sore of a good crop within two years, 

 and you will have more in one season from your present trees than you 

 would in half a dozen years were you to root them up and plant trees on 

 the Quince. Tbe Pear on the Quince stock is very productive, comes 

 into bearing early, and produces fruit of fine size and quality. We grow 

 trees so worked largely, and have planted a tree of them between every 

 two permanent wall trees, which last are on the Pear stock, and are what 

 we recommend for walls of greater height than 10 feet. On lower walls 

 the Quince stock is best, and the Quince has the advantage of succeed- 

 ing in soils where the Pear does not thrive. Some sorts of Pears do not 

 succeed on the Quince well, and of those you name, Jargonelle does not 

 succeed so well as many others, but Duchesse d'.\jigouleme does ad- 

 mirably. The Quince is the best stock forinducing early productivenees 

 in Pears worked upon it. 



Dividing Ixias (S. H.).—Jt is now too late to divide the roots of Ixias, 

 It should be done at the time of repotting, the plants being left undis- 

 turbed in the pots after the foliage decays until the time of repotting. 

 The balls of earth being then carefully broken, the bulbs can be dressed 

 and divided without injury. October is tbe best month to perform this 

 operation, the earlier in the month the better. 



Plum, Pear, and Apple Leaves Injured [A Ten-yeam Subscriber) 

 —Your specimens exhibit unmistakeable evidence of the injury resulting 

 from the cold nights on the early vegetation we have had this season. 

 We cannot advise a remedy. Yours is not a solitary case, trees never 

 promised better. Our neighbours complain of their fruit prospects ; their 

 trees are damaged by cold followed by swarms of aphides. The way to 

 destroy them is to syringe the trees, and whilst wet to dust them with 

 tobacco powder, which should be forced on the under as well as the upper 

 eide of the leaves, there being distributors on purpose. 



Camellias Infested with Aphides (Idem).- Dust the plants lightly 

 with tobacco powder, and wash it off within three hours, wettmg the 

 plants before dusting. The tobacco powder will destroy the aphis 

 within an hour. The tobacco was not good, or the house was not suffi- 

 ciently tilled with smoke, otherwise the insects would have been de- 

 stoyed. As the leaves are sticky we would advise your washing them, as 

 well as the shoots and branches, with a sponge, using a solution of soft 

 soap or Gishurst compound at the rate of 4 ozs. to the gallon of water, as 

 we think you have scale as well as aphides. 



Repotting Camellias (Idem).— ^ow is a good time to pot Camellias. 

 Do not disturb the roots much. We prefer, however, to repot earlier— 

 immediately after the flowering is over. If done now give a slight in- 

 crease of heat, and a moist atmosphere with shade from hot sun. 



Green Fly on Peach Trees (A Lady flaricner).— The best remedy Is 

 to dust the trees with tobacco powder. They should first be syringed 



