February 20, 1873. ] 



JOURNAL 0^ HORTICULTURE AND COtTAGE GARDENI^R. 



inn 



FRUIT DEPARTMENT. 



The weather has kept us back in pruning, tying, nailing, &c., 

 and the frost has helped to prevent the trees pettiufj too for- 

 ward. We notice that the birds have been making more free 

 than is desirable with Apricot buds. Trees in orchai'd houses 

 must be pruned, and glass and woodwork cleaned forthwith. 

 Wa moved Strawberries from pits and frames into Peach houses, 

 and from other pits into a hot-water pit. From circumstances 

 we shall be much later than usual. A good many of our Straw- 

 berry plants in pots have been iujured by rats and mice feeding 

 on the buds. Singularly enough we lose few by this means 

 when the plants are in the open ground, but let the plants be 

 fine ones in pots, and they are almost sure to be attacked ; and 

 the finest plants, as a rule, are pitched upon for this destructive 

 attack. 



"We gave plenty of air in the mild days to Peach trees in 

 bloom. In dull days we gave a slight rise from fire heat to 

 permit of this to be done. In sunny days less fire was necessary. 

 In a sunny day, with a nipping fierce north wind, we gave com- 

 paratively little air, but lessened the fire heat. A little air early 

 given, and a little artificial heat, in a sunny frosty day, would be 

 better than allowing a cold frosty air to play at once on blooms 

 that had been considerably weakened by the previous protection 

 and very dull weather. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



See what has been lately said of lawns, turf-laying; protec- 

 tion to Auriculas and half-hardy plants ; planting Ranunculuses, 

 Anemones, itc, when the ground is drier; protecting forward 

 bulbs in the open air; and attending to Hyacinths, Tulips, i^'c, 

 in houses, giving them some manure water slightly heated, 

 as the flowerstalks and heads show, which adds much to their 

 strength. If given earlier it may also impart strength, but at a 

 sacrifice of colour. In hardly any case will mamu'e water be 

 useful to flowering plants in pots until the pot be crammed with 

 roots and the flowerlnids begin to appear. Of course, there are 

 cases where strength of growth is necessary to the formation of 

 flowerbuds, but these must come in as exceptions to the rule. 

 As a general rule Lilacs, Roses, Deutzias, Spartiums, Wall- 

 flowers, Stocks, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, tVc, when forced 

 derive the most benefit from manure watering when the flower- 

 buds appear or just commence to swell. The whole of the 

 Pelargonium group are bettered by manure watering after they 

 are knotted for blooming, and when the pots are well supplied 

 with roots. Given at an earlier period, it would so much en- 

 courage grossness of foliage that the flowers in comparison 

 would look meagre. — R. F. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



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

 week. 



Books (Cflmjcc).— The "Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary" and Jolmson'a 

 " Science aiul Practice of Gardening." Both can be had from our office. 

 (Mar). — MiKti Plues's " Rambles in f^earch of Flowerless Plants " is a separate 

 work. (A Suh^^cribi'r for IVrtrs).— The "Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary " in- 

 cludeH all garden plants and their culture, &c. ' [H. T.).— The " Cottage Gar- 

 deners' Dictionary " is a t;ood work of reference, and would Rive you the 

 needful loformation on all garden subjects. Our " In-door Gardening " would 

 suit you m reispect of the greenhouse. The former may be had free by post 

 from oui- office for 7s. '2d., and the last-named for Is. Ihd. (A Beginner).— Our 

 " Keane'3 Out-door Gardening " would suit you. Free' by post from our oflSce 

 If you enclose twenty postage stamps with your address, 



CvcLAiiEN Soil (E. F. TI^.).— There are full particulars in our number 

 published on January liSrd. 



Grape Chop [F. R. F.).— No one, even if you had mentioned the variety, 

 could have told what would be the probable produce of Vines during three 

 years. Too much depends upon soil, vigour, and season. 



Presekving Grapes {G. 7i.).— There are a drawing and description of the 

 mode by putting the end of the spray into a bottle of water on page 313 of 

 our 57l8t number, published on the 7th of March, 1872. 



Panshanger {Ignoramus).— It is near Hertford ; railway station, Cole Green. 



Ni-NEHAM Park Onion (A Subscriber).— It was brought to public notice 

 by Ml". Stewart, when gardener at Nuueham Park. It is only a good strain 

 of the White Spanish. 



RiiAMNrs Frangula (J. p., I'ort).— Writs to " Rhamnus," office of this 

 Journal. Mr. James Smith, Darley Dale Nurseries, Matlock, can also sup- 

 ply it. 



Dandelion (C. £J.).— There is a long communication on its use as a salad, 

 &c., in oiur No. 3, N.S., published April 16th, 1861. 



GiLLiFLOWER (.i Laflij in Cheshire).— Yoiw friend is quite in error; the 

 name is certainly not a corruption of " July Uower," but of the French name, 

 * ' Girofli'e." Your mother is accui-ato in her description, showing that the 

 Carnation in Scotland seventy years ago and more was knoiVn as the Gilli* 

 flower. 



MnsHROojis IN Greenhouse {Mrs. Bains).— Tvfo 4-inch pipes will be suf* 

 ficient for the greenhouse if not very ^vide. If the house is at all wide it will 

 be better to take them round the end as well as front. Mushrooms will grow 

 well under the stages if the heating pipes are not too neai- them, and if the 

 water from the stages does not drop on the beds. Saucers for the plants 

 would fio far remedy this ; but perhaps the best plan would bo to have a water- 

 proofed cover, or tarpaului, not laid on the bod, but 3 or 4 inches above it. 



Planting Eosery [N. Tr.).— -We are sorry that, owing to press of ques- 

 tions, we were not able to answer yours sooner, and even now cannot give you 



much assistance. The list of Roses is good, and with the exception of Mrs. 

 Rivers, which we fear is too weak and uncertain a grower to depend upon, 

 they may all be planted for beds. The design of the beds, however, is to 

 very irregular, although somewhat uniform in its irregularity, that it will be 

 difficult 10 plant so as to produce any definite effect either by contrast or 

 harmony of colouring. We should recommend you to try cross- balancing— 

 for instance, to use Charles Lefebvre and Fisher Holmes for match beds ; 

 Louise Vau Houtte with Duke of Wellington, Prince Camille de Rjhan with 

 Pierre Notting, and so on. We are led to make these remarks, as iu some 

 cases the buds adjoining eai:h other are very similar in colouring, in others in 

 great contrast, and we hardly know which plan you intend to adopt. If we 

 ouce began to alter the position of the Ruses, we should have to alter so many, 

 that wo prefer to leave it to your own judgment. 



Deficient Heat from Hot Water {J. i?.).— As your piping is sunk under 

 a grating, we thoroughly approve of having 100 feet or so more piping; and in 

 the position indicated, and for the purposes mentioned, with your piping 

 exposed, you would have had enough with 1 foot of piping to 21 cubic ie<.-t of 

 air. From our own practice we should say that pipes so sunk under a grating 

 make their heating power under a grating fully oue-fourth less than would bo 

 at once available if they were fully exposed to the atmosphere of the house. 



Zigzag Gas Boiler (Cons^rra^ory).— We sent your queries to the manu- 

 facturer, and in reply he says :— " First, the supply of gas will not be quite 

 equal, but the flame will not go out with a reduced pressure. Secondly, Bun- 

 sen's au' and gas burners give the greatest amount of heat, and without 

 smoke. Thirdly, the boiler can be fixed inside or outside. The Hue pipe is 

 made large enough to carry off any eflluvia or unconsumed gas. Foui-thly, 

 the ascent of heat is not perpendicular, but under and over a series of flat 

 surfaces containing thin layers of water. Fifthly, there is no accumulation 

 of soot, as Buusen's air and gas burners are used, and a blue flame is emitted." 



Heating from Kitchen Boiler {Clara).— We prefer 1-inch instead of 

 three-quarter-inch for a convoying pipe from the kitchen boiler; as part in 

 the gieenhouse has 2-inch pipes, the return should not be less. The green- 

 house must be small if you can heat it with two pipes, even if both were of the 

 diameter of 2 inches. The supply-cistern is placed right enough, and, as 

 stated lately, it is a matter of comparative indifference where it is placed, 

 provided it is higher than the highest point of the pipes, and there is a small 

 air-pipe at the highest point of the pipe, such as where you show the return 

 elbow. With a ball-tap the boiler will be kept full, whatever you take out of 

 it for house use. The steam-pipe is valuab!e in all close-topped boilers; but 

 we would have a tap on it, to be open when no heat is wanted in the green- 

 house, and to be shut when you want a brisk circulation in the greenhouse 

 pipes— at least very nearly shut. The pipes will carry off the extra heat 

 without wasting heat by the escape of steam. You should have a tap on the 

 valve un the flow-pipe into the greenhouse, as heat from the boiler there would 

 be unwelcome in summer. 



Cuttings and Seed-sowino in Greenhol'se {A Lover of Flowers).— 

 In your small greenhouse, in which you use fire heat only when there is 

 fmst, you want some simple contrivance for obtaining a little bottom heat. 

 The simplest we know is a stout wooden box, say wood 1 inch thick and 

 34 inches long, 17 inches wide, 13 inches deep at the front and 18 inches deep 

 at the back, all inside measure. If this wood is well seasoned, and the whole 

 neatly put together and grooved where ends, sides, and bottom meet, it will 

 hold water if a little white load be run in the joints. Even without that, it 

 will do so if the box be soaked in water for a short time. All that would be 

 required then would be a plate of zinc or tin placed with a few supports be- 

 tween the bottom and it, and 3 inches from the bottom, with a plug or tap at 

 one end and a funnel-pipe at the other, so as to supply the vessel beneath the 

 plate with hot water from '2 to 2^ inches deep. A few small pebbles or clean 

 rough ashes should be placed on the ii'on, and then you can phmge the pots 

 in what is most handy. Such a box will hold eighteen of what are called 

 48-pots, and thirty-two of what are called 16-pots. The water will generally 

 be hot enough if supplied once a-day, and an equal temperature can easily 

 be afforded by removing only a part and adding a part of hot. Such a bos 

 should stand in the greenhouse or wiudow. A rough box would do if you had 

 a tin vessel 3 inches deep and covered. With a box having a bottom of iron 

 you could heat with lamp or candle, but the box of hot water is the simplest. 

 The top should consist of three squai-es of glass moveable, resting on the 

 back and front, and if each square is in a neat frame all the better ; but they 

 may be easily laid on and moved without any frame, and a tack in front will 

 prevent them sliding, ^^^leu thus moveable the squares can easily be turned 

 top Ride under. 



Trenched Ground not Fertile {H. T.).—ln trenching your garden 

 ground, we apprehend you have gone too deeply and brought too much of tiio 

 gravelly subsoil to the smface. This will, from exposure ta the atmosphere, 

 become ameUorated, and the present apparent evil will ultimately result in a 

 positive good by giving you a greater depth of soil. We should apply the 

 manure yon propose, and not be sparing of it ; and this we should give at 

 once, pointing It in with a fork, aud at the end of Blarch we would use salt 

 at the rate of ten bushels per acre. Tliis will rid you to a great extent of 

 slugs, and then, before sowing or planting, dress with nitrate of soda at the 

 rate of 1 lb. to 30 square yards. By all means apply guano aud soot as a 

 liquid manure during the period of growth, and we think you will be rewarded 

 by superior crops. 



Aloes Wintering in a Cellar (Sw.f5r.r).— We think your cellar would 

 answer at the dullest period of the year, say December, January, and Febru- 

 ary, if the plants were kept dry and safe from frost. In October, November, 

 March, April, and part of IMay you could probably accommodate the plants in 

 an outhouse where they would have light, which you need only afford in mild 

 days; and at night a covering of canvas, in addition to closing the doorsi 

 would give you all the protection you require. 



Potting Geranium Cuttings (F. /.).— The cuttings may be potted-off 

 from the boxes now, aud placed in the propat,Mtin.,' frame heated by hot water, 

 where they should remain not less than a fortnight— better three weeks, 

 during the last week of which they should have air freely admitted, so as to 

 harden them well off before removal to the cold frame. In the latter they 

 will need protection at night, or during frosty weather, by mats or other cover- 

 ing placed over the lights. 



Setting Peach Tree Blossoms (H.C. J.).— \Mien the pollen la perfected 

 shake the branches uf the trees on the back wall of your vinery. 



Rhododendrons (J. Taylor).— The varieties are such a multitude that no 

 one can name any but those markedly distinct. We lately noticed fully the 

 winter blooming. 



Zigzag Boiler— Ahnott's Stove (A. A.). — "We are equally surprised with 

 yourself at manufacturers not fully advertising their inventions. More particu- 



