Fubraary C, 1873. ] 



JOUKNAIi OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



127 



Fig (f^. 5.).— Yoa wiUfindtlieEeculver in the " Fruit Manual " as a syno- 

 nym of Black Provence. 



Arnhtt's Stove (R.B.P.).—The stoves used by "J. W. " (page 53), are 

 2 feet inches high and 18 iuches square. Three stoves are in use there : two 

 in vineries and one in his employer's entrance hall. They cost £i each. He 

 fears one of the size mentioned would not be sufficient to heat 5400 cubic 

 feet of space ; but this, in a ^eat mea-sure, depends on what is meant by 

 " heating," and also the material surrounding the space. In a lean-to vinery 

 faciu',' the south, a stove placed in the centre and close to the back wall — the 

 worst place in the house, so far as an equable tUffusion of heat is concerned, 

 but the only oue convenient — the ^'iues are started in February, and Grapes 

 cut about the 20th of July. This is what the stove will do, and all it will do, 

 so placed. The house is IS by 14 feet, 14 feet high at back, 6 in front, con- 

 taining 2520 cubic feet of space. If the stove had a better position, and were 

 only required to exclude frost, an adiUtional 1000 feot would be safe in its 

 keeping', and perhaps more. Much depeuds, however, on the style of house, 

 its aspect, whether or not contiguous trees or buildings break the force of 

 wintry blasts, &c. In another bouse of the same size as the above, a stove is 

 used merely to exclude frost. It has never failed to answer its purpose, 

 although placed at the back of the house and under the stage. 



TwENTY-FOFR PiLLAR RoSES {.47nnf(-i(r).— Cbarles Lefobvre, Alfred Colombi 

 John Hopper, Emilie Hausburg, Countess of Oxford, Madame Victor Verdier, 

 Senateur Vaisse, Marguerite de St. Amand, Mdlle. JTario Rady, Duchcsse de 

 Morny, Madame Clt-mence Joigueaus, Fisher Holmes, Madame Caillat, Victor 

 Verdier, Boule de Neige, Baronne de Maynard, Mdlie. Eug'-nie Verdier, Dupuy- 

 Jamain, Gt-nt-ralJacqueminot, Duchesse de Caylus, Maurice Eernardiu, Jules 

 Margottin, Due de Cazes, Duke of Edinburgh. CUmherx ;— ^Gloire de Dijon, 

 Man-ehal Niel, Devoniensis (climbing), Celine Forestier, Triomphe dc Renues, 

 ♦General Jacqueminot, *Fehcite Perpetuelle, *Sir J. Paxton, Acidalie, La 

 Biche, Jauue Desprez, Cloth of Gold. We name only twelve instead of twenty- 

 four, as many of the climbers are only single-bloomers, as the Boursaults, Ayr- 

 shire, &c. We have not mentioned the Banksian Roses ; both the yellow and 

 white are well worth a wall, but require a good position. Those marked with 

 an asterisk are the most hardy. 



CrcrMBERS IN Pots (G. 3f.).— Plants in pots require more care in water- 

 ing than those planted out, and we should grow them in the latter way. We 

 have no doubt of your succeeding with them in pots; the plants will come 

 earlier into bearing, and will not go so much to wood as those planted out, 

 but they are not so durable. The Melons we should plant out in a bed forthe 

 same reason as we would plant out the Cucumbers— viz., they do not need i>o 

 much care in watering, and produce larger fruit than pot plants. 



Annhals Flowering Late (^4n ^rKa(eur).— The Large-flowering Emperor 

 Stock sown in April will have fine flowers in autumn. The Intermediate 

 Stocks sown at the same time are also good. Calliopsis Burridgii, C. Drum- 

 jnondi, Candytufts sown early in June. Centaurea Cyanus in varieties, Ery- 

 simum Peroffskianum. Cbrysanthemum Dunnetii flore-pleno, Dianthus Hed- 

 dewigii liore-pleno and var. diadematus. Branching Larkspur var., Leptosiphon 

 densiflnrus aud var. aibus, Lupinus nanus. Striped French Marigold, Large- 

 iloweriug Mignonette, Scarlet and Striped Invincible Sweet Peas, Dwarf Double 

 Scabious, Senecio elegans vars., and Verbena venosa. 



Conno%-er's Colossal Asparagus iIdcm).-~Your plants of this trans- 

 planted last spring, and which gave a good many shoots large enoutih for 

 cutting, may safely have the large shoots cut this spring ; but we should not 

 continue cutting after the middle of June, and we would only cut the large 

 heads to avoid weakening the plants. We should continue to give plenty of 

 manure of all kinds throughout the summer. It is the means of securing fine 

 heads for cutting the succeeding year. 



Sowing Centaurea candidissiiia and Mesehbryantitemum: cordipo- 

 LIFM variegatl'm — SoiL FOR AzALEAS {Atinic). — The seeds of the Centaurea 

 should be sown in a pot or pan of light loamy soil, a third of leaf soil, and a 

 sixth of silver sand well mLted and made fine, especially at the surface of the 

 pot. Cover the seed with fine soil about the eighth of an inch deep. Place 

 the pots in a hotbed with a temperature of 65" to TO"", keeping the soil just 

 moist. "UTien the seetUings appear place them near the glass, and give no 

 more water than is sufficient to keep the soil moist; and when they have the 

 second leaves pot them off singly in the compost used for sowing the seed: 

 3-inch pots are large enough. Return them to the frame and shade thera 

 from bright sun. Their growth should be encouraged xmtil the early part of 

 May. when they should be hardened off. Plant out at the end of May or early 

 in June, by which time they will be nice plants. The Mesembrva-ntheraum 

 should be soflTi in tbe same way, only the soil must be more Randy, aud the 

 seeds should be only just covered with very fine sandy soil. To that named 

 for the Centaurea odd a third of old lime rubbish. When the seedlings can 

 be handled they may be pricked off about an inch apart in pans; and when 

 they meet they should be potted singly in 3-inch pots, and again placed in the 

 frame imtil established. The plants may be grown in a cold frame in summer, 

 and kept in winter in a greonhouse or pit from which frost is excluded. The 

 plants will not be strong enough to turn out until the second year. Indian 

 Azaleas succeed admirably in a compost of three parts brown fibrous sandy 

 peat, and one part very turfy li;^ht loam, with a fifth part of silver sand, tho 

 whole broken up small, and well mixed but not sifted. Drain the pots well. 



Hyacinths not Growing tvell (Sussex). — We are unable to account for 

 the Hyacinths growing so badly, but we do not think it could arise from tbe 

 bulbs ha\ing been imperfectly ripened. We do not approve of placing them 

 from a cold frame in a stove for a time and then moving thera to a greenhouse. 

 From the frame they should have been introduced to a greenhouse not over 

 45' at night, and kept there not less than three weeks ; then, if necessary to 

 have a few in flower early, they might have been placed on a shelf near the 

 glass in the stove, but they would do better in a temperature of 40' to 45" at 

 night, and 50' by day from fire heat — in fact, these are the highest tempera- 

 tures to which the bulbs should be subjected if they are to have good compact 

 spikes. We think the sudden change ^om the frame to the stove is the cause 

 of the mischief. Cinerarias when flowering, or at any stage of their ^Towth, 

 should not have the pots set in saucers filled with water. Though ihey delight 

 in coolness and moisture at the roots, yet the water in the saucer causes the 

 soil to become sodden, and the plants are apt to die off, suddenly flagging, with 

 the soil little better than mud when the sun is at all powerful. 



CHRYSANTHEMrM Bl'ds NOT OPENING (W. B.). — Tho probable cause of tho 

 buds not opening is, that they were infested with thripa or green fly when in 

 an early stage of development. 



Young Apple Espaliers (ItUm). — The leader ought to be cut back now, 

 cutting it just under one of the horirontal wires. When the trees start into 

 growth, one leading shoot must be trained in a vertical position, and one on 



each side laterally along the wires. If tha leading shoot ia very strong it 

 may be pinched at the next wire ; three shoots will break from the leader, 

 which may be treated as the others. The young side shoots ought to be cut 

 hack pretty closely in summer to induce tho formation of fruit buds. 



Black Hamburgh Giupes not Colouring (J. ilfrtcfccn^tt).— Overcrop- 

 ping is doubtless the cause ; you also overcrowd the house with yoimg wood. 

 Our own method of pruning is that called by gardeners the short-spur system. 

 We cut back to the second eye, and when tbe young shoots are sufficiently 

 advanced in gi-owth we retain that with the best bunch, and rub off tbe others. 

 Do not aUow your Vines to grow as you saw them in Italy. You might have 

 a good show of bunches, but none of them would be fit to present on the 

 table, and the Vines would be very much injured for next yeai-'s crop. All 

 young wood intended to bear fruit next year should be freely exposed to tha 

 light. 



Repotting Camellias (G. M. B.).— You may now repot those done bloom- 

 ing and put them in heat at once, or they may be repotted after they have 

 made their young wood. 



Celery Decaying (S. P. S. X.).— Celery in general has not been good this 

 season, and has kept badly owing to so much wet. The Sandringham Dwarf 

 White is an excellent sort. We advise you to try Williams's Matchless Red. 

 In earthing-up Celery be careful that the soil do not fall into the heart of the 

 plant. Always eorth-up in dry weather and when the soil is dry. 



In-door Hotbed — Pelaegonium and Geranium (Espinasson). — A hotbed 

 in or under a hothouse is so called. There is no very great difference between 

 what are commonly called the Geraniums used for bedding purposes and the 

 Pelargoniums used for in-door floweriug. Both are Pelargoniums. Pelargo- 

 nium is characterised by having usually seven stamens and unequal-sized 

 petals ; Geranium, by having ten stamens and equal-sized petals ; and Erodium 

 by having five fertile anthers usually. The three genera are nearly allied. 

 We do not know Dr. Regel's recommendation. 



Hotbed Making {St, Brij? id). —There are directions in our No. 617, which 

 you can have for four postage stamps if sent to our office with your direction. 



Heating a Hothouse.— '* I have a double span-roofed stove with a wal 

 up to the eaves on the north side, aud the west end joins the conservatory. 

 The spans rise 2 feet, and the house is 10 feet to the eaves, so it will average 

 11 feet high. It is 16 feet wide and 25 feet long. Tho wall at the front and 

 ends is 2 feet high, the rest glass. How many feet of 4-inch piping will be 

 required to keep up a stove temperature? — J. R." 



[TTndei- the chcumstances you will want about 200 feet of 4-inch piping to 

 keep up a temperature avernging 65" in severe weather. If you would he 

 satisfied with 60-, and even 5- or 10° less in severe weather, 50 feet less of 

 4- inch piping might do. As the piping is to be sunk imder a grating, we would 

 say fully 200" feet, as it is better to have plenty of pipes than to have them 

 too hot.] 



Cucumber Bed over Hot-water Pipe— Mushrooms in Greenhouse 

 Vinery (A Nine-years Subscrihrr).—TiU-m over and round the hot-water 

 pipe with brickbats ; bring them 1 foot above tho hot-water pipe, and over the 

 rubble place a layer of turf grass downwards, or, faUing such, the rougher 

 parts of the compost, and then the soil for the plants. Oue pipe for top heat 

 is too little. You ought to have at least two 4rinch pipes for a pit 10 feet 

 wide, and then you would only be able to plant out early in March. Under 

 the circumstances we should not advise planting until April. You raay have 

 other means of affording heat, as fenuenting materials placed within the 

 house, and in this case you may commence at once. You will need a tempe- 

 rature of 60^ to 65*^ at night and 70^ by day, with a rise from sun heat of 10° 

 to 15- with air. You may grow Mushrooms successfully in your greenhouse 

 vinery under the stage, providing you can keep the bed dry for sLx weeks after 

 it is spawned and earthed ; but should the bed be liable to suffer from wet, 

 occasioned by drip from watering the plants on the stage over the Mushroom 

 bed, it is likely the latter will not succeed. 



Stove without Chimney {(?. I/. B.).— No such stove, whether the fuelbft 

 patented or unpatented, can be placed among plants without injuring thera. 



Camellia (R^aiitr).— We have given the correct spelling. 



Names of Plants (S. ^mftkr).- Ccelogyne cristata, Ldl. (S. D.).— A. 

 species of Lfelia, probably L. anceps. (George P.).— A species of Isolepis. 

 (At a Loss).— Your specimens are very insufficient. 1, Much crushed, is pro- 

 bably Lffilia anceps ; 2 and 3, Species of Maranta or some allied genus; 4, Be- 

 gonia sp. 



POULTET, BEE, ATO PiaEON OHROinOLE. 



POULTKY SHOW JUDGES. 



It i3 with great satisfaction we announce that onr much- 

 esteemed Judge, Mr. Hewitt, has recovered from the accident 

 which he met with on his journey to the Crystal Palace, and 

 that he has resumed those duties which for so long a period he 

 has filled with so much advantage to the real lovers of poultry. 

 No one has done more to promote the interest of poultry exhi- 

 bitions, and we know of no one who could be spared with more 

 difficulty, his unimpeachable conduct having helped much to 

 raise and sustain the position of poultry shows, and his decisions 

 giving such little cause for criticism. 



The judge is the most important officer in connection with a 

 poultry show. An influential committee may be formed, a good 

 Secretai-y elected, some most distinguished patrons announced, 

 valuable prizes offered, an attractive schedule issued, a great 

 entry obtained, a suitable building found, some fine specimens, 

 compete, and all that the most careful consideration and fore- 

 thought can suggest be done to promote the success of a show ; 

 and when completed, if the judging is confided to an incompetent 

 or prejudiced hand, all the former labours will be unappreciated, 

 and the result will be dissatisfaction and disgust. Even the 

 winners wUl feel that the honours they have obtained are due 

 to accident or injustice, aud pity tho credulity or the injustice 

 of those who were prevailed upon to make such a selection. 



