JOUBNAIi OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE OAHDEMEB. 



[ May 14. 1868. 



quickly. Cat them when of lens size, aad give more beat aod moisture. 

 The more quickly they are cto^"i the more crisp and lees bitter they will 

 be. The stalk end being bitter and the other portion sweet, shows the 

 fruits to be slowly grown and old. Large Cncombers, unless quickly 

 grown and cut young, are seldom good. The kind may have something 

 to do with the bitterness. 



ScAEiNG Rocks (E. C.).— We know a place where there are two rookeries 

 close to the garden, and the rooks do not interfere with the crops in the 

 kitchen garden. During twenty years' experience in places where rooks 

 aboonded we never had the least trouble or anxiety on their account. 

 So far as we know they do not eat fruit ; they do not care for green Veaa. 

 We think the devourers of your fruit must be jays, which seldom show , 

 themselves during the day, and you say the mischief is dona during the | 

 early morning hours. Were it done by rooks these would visit you during 

 the day. Your Peas, we think, must have been taken by wood pigeons as 

 well as jays. We would advise you to make sure that the rooks do the | 

 mischief before you wage war against them. It would be easy to detect 

 the thieves by rising at dami, and watching for a few consecutive days. ; 

 If rooks are the perpetrators, then we would shoot one or two and hang 

 them on a pole as a warning to the rest. It will hardly be necessary to 

 repeat this, only you may drive away birds that you may by-and-by regret. 



Variegated Pansies (T, I,. 1.— Variegated Pansies are not very un- 

 osual, but are not common. The variegation of the plants we have seen i 

 was either not permanent or not sufficiently well marked to render them 

 of value as variegated plants. In those we have seen the markings were 

 chiefly yellow. ! 



Removing Strawberry Runkers (7d^m).— Strawberry plants in flower 1 

 may have the runners removed if you do not require runners for a new 

 plantation, but if you do, the first runners will be best and should be ' 

 left. 



CriLTURE OF IxoRAs (One Who Loves JVoirfrs).— Ixoras succeed in a | 

 compost of two-thirds sandy fibrous peat torn in pieces by the hand, and ; 

 one-third fibrous loam from rotted turves, adding about one-sixth part of | 

 silver sand and charcoal in pieces from the size of a hazel nut down to | 

 that of a pea, the whole being well mixed. The compost should be made 

 rather fine, but not sifted. Good drainage is essential. Their proper 

 time of rest is winter, during which they should be kept dry, but not so 

 mach so as to cause the foliage to flag. From September to Februarv 

 the temperature may be tO- at night, and from 65' to 70' by day, and 55 

 at night in severe weather will not be too low. From February onwards 

 the temperature should be slightly increased, so as to have it 65' at night 

 by May, and from 70^ to 75' by day without sun, and from 80' to 90^ with 

 son and abundance of air. These temperatures may be continued until i 

 September, when they should be allowed to decline. ' 



Epacrises after Flowering (Idem), — It is not right to start Epacrises i 

 in a stove after flowering; they should have what pruning is required, 

 and be kept in a cool, light, anil airy house or pit, and rather moist so as | 

 80 as to encouraj^e free growth. I 



Removing Protection from Fruit Trees (J. S. Gordon). —The pro" I 

 tection for Plums and Pears will hardly be required after April, as the j 

 trees vrill be in leaf. The fruit is quite as liable to injiu-y from frost as 

 the bloom, if not more so ; the protection, therefore, should be kept in 

 readiness for times of severe frost, when it should be employed, and then 

 only. We cannot name plants from leaves. 



Using Ammoniacal Liquor in Evaporating Troughs (J. B. B.). — 

 Not having tried it for this purpose, we cannot recommend ammoniacal 

 liquor. We think it would answer if diluted with six times its volume of 

 water. We keep our evaporating troughs full of liquid manure made by 

 dissolving 4 lbs. of guano in thirty gallons of water. 



Hanging of Late Gr*pes [A Reader).— As you have sent us no less 

 than three letters we will take time to consider them. 



Applying Guano to a Lawn (H. E.). — Guano should be sown broad- 

 cast over the lawn during showerj* weather so that it may be washed in, 

 for if spread over the grass in dry weather it will brown it. The guano 

 should be sifttd through a fine sieve before being distributed. Two cwt. 

 per acre will be a good dressing. Superphosphate of lime may be ap- 

 plied in the same way. 



Propagating Prunus sinensis (W. S.).— This Prunus is readily in- 

 creased by cuttings. Cuttings of the growing shoots m^y be taken off 

 after they become hard, inserted in sandy loam, and placed in a hotbed ; 

 or cuttings of the ripe wood may be put iu during the autumn in sandy 

 soil in a sheltered situation, the cuttings being taken off with a small 

 heel of the preceding year's wood. They will root with certainty and 

 be good plants in twelve months. 



Vine Leaves Mildewed (./. B.). — The leaf was spotted with mildew. 

 Dust with flowers of sulphm* immediately. 



CusTARD' Apple Cultup.e {Co nstont Header). — For the successful cul- 

 ture of this the house must be lofty, as it attains a height of 15 feet 

 and more. A stove temperature is necessary, and it would be well if the 

 plant had the benefit of a bottom heat of from 75- to 80^. The compost 



may consist of two-thirds turf taken from an old pasture where the Boi^ 

 is a good sandy loam, 1^ to 2 inches of the upper surface being pared off, 

 chopped in pieces about an inch square ; to this add, in equal proportions, 

 one-third of well-rotted cow dung not less than a year old, and leaf 

 mould, and one-sixth of silver or river sand. Good drainage should be 

 given, and the plant ought to be potted rather firmly, giving a good 

 watering, and plunging it in a hotbed. The potting may take place in 

 February, and the plant should have every encouragement to make a 

 good growth by affording it an abundant supply of moisture and in- 

 creased beat, which should be maintained until October, the plant being 

 then allowed rest by giving a lower temperature and drier soil. A tem- 

 perature of 60^ at night, and from 65^ to 70' by day, will be sufficient 

 during Kovember, December, and January, and increase it during 

 February and March so as to be 70- at night by the middle of May, and 

 from 80- to 95" by day with plenty of air. We are not aware that the 

 Cherimoyer has been fruited in this country, and we do not think plants 

 from seed are likely to fruit in a reasonable time. We shall be obliged for 

 particulars as to the culture of tropical fruits in this country, as it is a 

 subject that must, ere long, have attention paid to it. 



Pea Lea\'ES Eaten (G. TV.}.— The depredator is Curculio lineatus, or 

 pea wee\-il. The only remedy is to spread a sheet by the side of the rows 

 iu the evening, and shake the plants. The weevil retires into the BoU 

 during the day, we believe, and comes forth at dusk to feed. 



Flower Garden Planting (Man o/i^cnf).— With every disposition to 

 oblige, we must decline to plaat groups of beds. Tell us how you pro- 

 pose to plant and we will criticise and point out what we think would be 

 better, if we can. Were we to do as you propose, we should want a staff 

 on purpose, especially for the spring months. We will keep your plan 

 and letter so that we can refer to them when you give us your mode of 

 planting. Your plan is very simple. It would be simpler still if you had 

 no clump in the twiddle of the lawn, and regular parallelograms all round, 

 with the ends swept out by a curve corresponding with that of a circle 

 between them. Then if you had anything in the centre, a cross or a star 

 would come in better than an oval. 



Various (Idem).— Sow Primula? and Cinerarias to bloom next spring 



as soon as you can. Pansies sown now will bloom in the autumn and 



spring. Alvflsum, of the perennial kinds for spring blooming, should be 



struck from cuttings after blooming. Auriculas, Polyanthus, &c., should 



be divided after blooming, or sow the seeds now. All spring-flowering 



plants may be divided or struck from cuttings as soon as they finish 



blooming. 



Green Vitriol for Destroying Weeds on Walks {M. L.).—A pint to 



I four gallons is sufficiently strong. It should be mixed in a well-painted 



I bucket, and applied to the walks with a fine-rosed watering pot, a 



j sprinkling being sufllcient. It should be kept from Bos or grass edgings, 



and should be used in dry weather only. In applying it, walk backwards 



I so as not to tread upon the newly-wetted walk, as doing so would be 



destructive to the boots. It is destructive to everything it touches, so 



that great care is necessary to prevent splashing, and to keep it only 



' where it is wanted,— G. A. 



I Naiies of Plants (Subscriber, Liverpool).— 'We cannot identify a plant 

 I from a leaf. (D. Haii*).— The same answer applies to you. (.1 Comtant 

 I ,Sub3cr)7>eri.—l, Anemone nemorosa; 2, Muscariracemosum; 3, Corydalis 

 I bulbosa ; 4, Diclytra formosa. (J. H. £.).— Philadelphus hirsutus. There 

 j is no work treating exclusively on Selaginellas. (A, SfornV ).— Libertia 

 grandiflora. (.-f. B.).—l, Erica lachuiEfoha.var. ; 2, E.rupestris ; 3,E.per* 

 spicua ; 4, E. radiata. {/. H.).— Sparmannia africaua. (C. H. H.).—l, Se- 

 I laginella Gnleotti; 2, S. Kraussiana ; 4, S. Slartensii. (Adam).—1, Sela- 

 I ginella Galeolti ; 2, Gymnogramma calomelanos; 3, Adiantum cuneatum; 

 4, A. affine ; 5, Gymnogramma ochracea. (Rolfe).~-l, Cheilanthes hirta ; 

 3, Myrsiphylluni asparagoides. (J. EnfileJield).~Selag'mel\a. cuspidata. 

 {A. W. .4.).— 1 and 2, Acacia leaves are quite indeterminable ; 3. Aspi- 

 dium angulare. (H. W. E.).— Staphylea pinnata. {Elms].~l, Alyssum 

 saxatile;'2, Arabis albida; 3, Aubrietia deltoidea. (E. J. iJ.).— lonop- 

 sidium acanle. (Mr. Foster).— A]iehiR quinata ; it is easily propagated 

 by cuttings of the stem and roots. (F. K).— Apparently Sambucns nigra 

 fol. var., of which there are several in cultivation. {W.Vivcrs).—^Qt dis- 

 tinguishable from a single leaf. Send a part of the stem. (Ireland). — 



1, Forsvthia ^uspensa ; 2. Doronicum caucasicum ; 3, Siphocampylns 

 coccine'us. (E. IF.).— 2, Andromeda polifolia ; 8, Ledum palustre lati- 

 foliura ; 4, Lcucothoi.- axillaris. (A. B.f.—h Double-flowered Spirasa ; 



2, Cytisus supinus : 3, Lonicera tatarica ; 4, Garden Amygdalus. (Manj). 

 —1, Arabis albida; 3, Iberis divaricata. (Spritig F/oicfri.— Lithospermum 

 prostratum. (A. £.).— 1, Strobilanthes grandiflora ; 3, Epimedium al- 

 pinum ; 4, Gentiana alpina. (Subscriber).— We cannot name plants 

 from their leaves. ( W. F. K.}-— Alyssum saxatile. {A. R. C.).— Ribes san- 

 guineum ; ^unus japonica flore-pleno. (W. C.).— Calceolaria violacea. 

 (A SnbscribcryGlenhavon).—l, Corydahslutea; 2, Lonicera tatarica; 3. Sax- 

 ifraga hirta; 1, Daphne pontica ; 5,Leucojum vemum (Spring Snowflake). 

 {G. S.).— C\i.isu3 (Genista) canariensis. (T. R ).— Lonicera tatarica, not 

 wild. (.S. H.).- Prunus (Cerasus) padus. (IK. Tj/rer).- Spiraa laevigata. 

 (Ju/ia).— Ranunculus ficaria. (A. B.).—l, Nierembergia filicaulis ; 2, Ra- 

 nunculus aconitifolius flore-pleno ; 3, Epimedium alpinum. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of London for the week ending May 12th. 



GENEBU. REUABE9. 



Dull and clondy ; fine ; clear and fine at night. 

 Hazy ; clear and very fine ; fine at niglit. 

 Fine ; clear and fine ; very fine ; clear. 

 Overcast; cloudv; densely overcast ; rain. 

 Overcast ; rain, dnll and cloudy ; clear and fine. 

 Clear and fine ; overcast ; clear and fine. 

 Cloudv; densely overcast ; very fine, clear. 



