February 37, 1873. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



169 



the pot to oue-third its depth with crocks, placing the roughest of the com- 

 post over the drainage, and fill to the rim with two parts li:,'ht fibrous loam, 

 one part sandy peat, half a part leaf soil, and a fourth of silver sand, well 

 muced, made fine, and sifted through a ijuarter-inch sieve. Make the surface 

 even, press it gently, and water moderately. Scatter the seeds cvmly. and 

 strew a little verj' fine soil over the seeds. Place the pot in a hoibed at 70 to 

 75-, keep just moist, and shade from bright sun, so as to lessen the necessity 

 for frequent watering, which should be done with a very tine-rosed watering- 

 pot. The seeds of the Echeveria may be sown in the same way. Keep them 

 in the hotbed near the glass, and admit a moderate amount of air ; take cai'c 

 that the soil do not become dry, nor, on the other hand, sodden T\ith wet ; and 

 when the seedlings can be handled pot-off singly in small pots and retuni to 

 the hotbed, shading and keeping close. When they arc growing freely admit 

 air. and when the Begonia roots reach the sides of the pots remove the plants 

 to a stove and encourage their growth. The Echeverias should be hardened 

 well off, and removed to a greenhouse or cold frame. 



FiTTONiA CrLTURE (0. K. SJ.— They are propagated by cuttings, which 

 strike freely throughout the summer. They should be taken off with two joints 

 and the growing point, and the leaves should be removed from the lowest 

 point. Insert them romid the sides of a pot, or singly in the smallest size of 

 pot, in sandy fibrous peat two parts, one part fibrous loam, and half a part 

 each of crocks broken up small and silver sand. Insert up to the second 

 joint, and place in a bottom heat of 75^^, covering with a hand or bell-glass, 

 and keeping dose. They wiU soon root, and should ho shifted into larger 

 pots, or, if the plants arc put round the sides of a pot, pot them off singly. 

 T'ntil establisheil they should be kept rather warmer and closer for a time 

 than older plants. Fittonia argyroneura, like the Gymnostacliyums, is gi'own 

 well in pans about 6 inches deep, draining fully 2 inches deep, and spreading 

 over the drainage a thin layer of sphagnum or rough peat; then bring the 

 soil well up above the rim, nicely rounding it to the centre, and press gently, 

 but not very tightly. The soil should consist of two parts sandy fibrous peat 

 torn up roughly, one part fibrous sandy loam also torn up roughly, half a part 

 each charcoal, leaf soil, and crocks broken up rather small, and one-sixth of 

 silver sand, the whole well mixed. Put in the plants, several in a pan, train 

 the shoots over the surface, and keep regularly moist, sprinkling overhead 

 twice a-day, and affording a moist atmosphere, with shade from bright sun. 

 It succeeds in a stove. 



Mignonette Bos {J. TK).— A very neat terra-cotta box 3 feet long, like 



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that represented in the accompanying engi'aving, may be obtained for 10s. or 

 12x., and for little more you may purchase one of a still more ornate design. 



HiPPEASTROi MACULATUM CULTURE [0. N. .?.).— Hippeastrums are pro- 

 pagated by offsets, which should be taken off abont this time, or when they 

 are beginning to grow, placed in small pots, and put in a gentle bottom heat 

 for a few weeks. In July, or when the pots are full of roots, shift the plants 

 into -l^-inch pots, and forward them in a brisk heat, with an abundiince of 

 moisture. The plant succeeds well in a compost of fibrous yellow loam two 

 part';, one part each leaf soil and sandy peat, with half a part of well-rotted 

 manure, and a sixth of silver sand. Kepot when the growth is at its height 

 in June or July, or before growth takes place, in the latter case placing in 

 a bottom heat of 75- to encourage the emission of fresh roots. Water mo- 

 derately at the commencement of growth, but as this increases water very 

 freely, and maintain a moist atmosphere, sprinkling overhead twice daily. 

 After August, reduce the moisture and place the plants on a shelf near the 

 glas.si, giving no more water than will keep them from flagging during the 

 winter. They ore stove plants. Should the leaves fall, give no water up to 

 Februaiy, then pot and place in a hotbed. 



EfiG-TLANT Fruit (A Young iJ-'df^cr).— The fruit of the Egg-plant is not 

 eatable in a raw state, but is sometimes cooked. It is principahy groT\-n in 

 this countiy for curiosity or omanent. The seed should be sown in a hotbed 

 in March or April, and the plants treated as Vegetable Manows, planting 

 them out in a warm situation. 



PELARGONirMS TO FLOWER II? JcNE (Forcst HUD.—Thcj should not be 

 stopped after the first week of April, but be careful about doing it then, 

 unless the plants ore very vigorous. A week earliei' would be better if the 

 plants are weak. 



Tea Boses (Torquaj/). — The Summer Eosea on their own roots we should 

 not trouble about budding or grafting, for it is likely they would give you 

 endless trouble with suckers. We, therefore, advise your digging them up, 

 trenching the ground, and manming it well, and then planting with Per- 

 petuals and Tea-scented Koses. They will afford you far gieater satisfaction. 



LxiAS AND Ranunculuses (Idi'jii). — The Ixias will succeed in a warm 

 border out of doors if protected from severe frosts by a mulching of leaves. 

 The border must be light and dry, but they must be well watered in dry 

 weather. They should in this case be planted 3 inches deep. The Eanuu- 

 culusew should be planted abont 2 inches deep in good ri'.h loamy soil about 

 4 inches apart, making a drill about 2 inches deep, putting some sand at the 

 bottom, and then placing the roots claws downwards, and pressing them 

 about half the depth of the claws into the ground. Place a little sand over 

 each root, and make level with soil. Water freely after they "button" or 

 show flower. Take up after the leaves turn yellow, and after di-j-ing stoie 

 away in dry sand in a cool place. The Kanunculuses should be planted at 

 once. They will succeed in the place where you wish to have them. The 

 Ixias should have been planted in October, or, better, potted and kept in a 

 cold frame or pit, with protection daring the winter. Both are very fine. It 

 is a pity they are so Uttle grown. 



Mignonette and Stocks in Early Sumiier (Suh^crihrr'x Gardener). — 

 The Mignonette for May and June flowering should be sown in February on a 

 gentle hotbed; keep the plants near the glass, and when they are loi-ge 

 enough to handle they should be potted singly in small pots and replaced in 

 the hotbed until they become estabUshed and have filled the pots with roots, 



when they should be shifted into 4J-inch pots, and be set in a cold frame. 

 Here they should bo kept moist, and have air moderately at first, increasing 

 it with warm weather, and hardening well off by planting-out time, when 

 they may be put out along with other bedding plants. Some sow the seed 

 about the middle of August in pans in a greenhouse or cold frame, potting-off 

 when large enough, and winter on shelves in the greenhouse or in a pit secure 

 from frost. The plants are jwtted in 44-inch pots in Febmarj'; in March, or 

 early in April, they are shifted into li-inch pots, and all the flower-spikes are 

 pinched-off up to May; they are then planted out the third week of that 

 month in a flowering state. The Large-flowering Pyramidal is the variety 

 mostly employed. Stocks for flowering at tho time you name should bo sown 

 out-doors at the middle of July, and in September should be taken up and 

 potted singly in 3-inch pots, to be plun;-'ed to the rim in coal ashes in a frame. 

 There they are to remain over the winter, picking-off all dead leaves or decay- 

 ing parts, civing air freely in mild weather by drawing-off the lights, but re- 

 placing them when it is cold and wet ; when rainy, though the lights are to 

 be on, they shoiUd be tilted at the back. Afford the protection of mats 

 over the hghts in severe weather. In February, or as soon afterwards as the 

 weather is favourable, shift into 4.J-inch pots, returning them to the frame, 

 but this time the plants are not to be plunged. Admit air freely, and plaut 

 out at the end of April, or earUer if mild. The Brompton in scarlet, purple, 

 and white varieties is good, also Emperor and Intermediate in various shades 

 of colours. 



Garden Seat Varnish [M. H. ill".).— Varnishes are of various colours, and 

 are expensive to make. We advise you to buy a varnish from a painter. 



Training Allamandas {E. ilf.).~It is preferable to train these plants on 

 balloon or other trellises, but they will succeed admirably trained to the roof, 

 or to a trellis against the back wall of the stove. They will not flower well 

 in the latter position if the wall be shaded much by climbers on the roof or 

 plants in front of the wall. If not shaded they will succeed very well. We 

 cannot tell the name of a plant from a leaf, there being so many alike. 



Uses OF Glass House {A Nerv Beginner).— Yonr house, when finished 

 will be rather small for a vinery, but the time at which you complete it need 

 not interfere with your planting Vines. We suppose you will be able to 

 plant the Vines by the end of April, having the border and all ready for them 

 by that time. Until then we should keep the Vine^ plunged in sawdust or 

 ashes under the protection of a wall or fence, procuriug them now, and prun- 

 ing so that they will have length of cane sufficient to reach the rafters. They 

 will not have grown much, if at all before May, when we should 

 plant them out, and if they have shoots 2 inches long all the better. 

 It has been proved that Vines are quite as well planted after they have 

 commenced to grow as when they are dormant. On turning the Vines 

 out of the pots, disentangle the roots, spread theru out, and cover 

 with good rather fine soil, and give a moderate watering with water 

 at a temperature of 70 . The Vines will require a year to become 

 established. From the smallncss of the house we should prefer it for 

 Cucumber culture, and you can have plants in readiness to plant out 

 by the time the house is finished, rearing them in a hotbed. With 

 ordinary treatment you will have Cucumbers in ab^ut six weeks after 

 planting, and they will continue to bear throughout the summer, or 

 until they are replaced by plants for winter fruiting. If yuu have 

 Vines you will be able to grow plants under them, the house being available 

 for wintering bedding Geraniums and other plants. We should, however, 

 have Camellias. If you have Cucumbers you may grow some stove plants, but 

 as a vinei7 your house would be more useful for plants than if it were a Cu- 

 cumber house. 



Haerothamnus Treatment (B. M. TF.).— The plaut should be cut down 

 soon after flowering, and kept rather dry until it make fresh shoots an inch 

 or two long, and then be shifted into a larger pot, and encouraged with 

 copious waterings and a moist atmosphere. If not flowering prune now. If 

 the parts removed are young shoots with firm wood, they will strike freely if 

 inserted in sandy soil and placed in a gentle hotbed, shading from bright sun. 

 The young shoots may be stopped to give a bushy habit, but the stopping 

 must not be practised after July, for the flowers are borne on last year's wood, 

 on the ripening of which depends the flowering. Propagation is best effected 

 by taking off the stubby side shoots after they become fii*m, but whUst the 

 plant is in growth, inserting in sandy soil, placing in a bottom heat of 75^, 

 either keeping close or coveiing with a bell-glass, and shading from bright 

 sun until rooted. 



Erica h\-emaxis Treatttent {Idem).— The flowering over, cut the plant 

 back rather freely, but leave a number of yoimg shoots. It should be pruned 

 between the middle of March and the early part of April, and if it need a 

 t^hift it should be potted again about the middle of June. Any irregularities 

 of growth may be stopped up to the middle of July, but not afterwards. For 

 cuttings take the points of the young shoots after they become rather firm. 

 The short stubby shoots are the best, trim them of leaves to half the length 

 of the cuttings, and insert them in silver sand, the cutting-pots being half- 

 filled with diainage or crocks, and then to within half an inch of the rim with 

 sandy peat made very fine, placing the roughest over the drainage. Surface 

 with silver sand to the depth of fully half an inch, press firm, and give a 

 gentle watering. Let the pnis stand a few hours, then press gently, and 

 again water; after they have stood for a night insert the cuttings round tho 

 sides and place them in a close pit or frame, coveiing the cuttings with a hell- 

 glass resting on the sand just within the rim of the pot. Keep close and 

 shaded from sun until they are rooted — this you will know by their gi-owing 

 freely — then,adniit air gradually, and pot-off before winter. 



Jargonelle Pear Tree Cankered (S.).— We believe the canker in your 

 tree has arisen from the roots being in unsuitable soil ; they may have pene- 

 trated into the subsoil. We would lift the tree very carefully next autumn 

 and replant in some decayed light turfy loam. Lime in the soil will some- 

 times cause the trees to canker. Cut away the cankered portion and aftei'- 

 wards dress the wound with grafting-wax. 



White Cyclamen persicum (Carolus).—I{ you could obtain seeds from 

 pure white flowers, you would, doubtless, have some of the seedlings hke the 

 parent, but a large percentage would differ in colour. There have been some 

 exceedingly fine white varieties exhibited at the metropolitan meetings 

 recently. Snowflake exhibited last year had a first-class certificate from the 

 Royal Horticultural Society, and White Perfection, a most superb variety, 

 also received the highest award given by the same Society, on February 12th. 

 It was sent by filr. Little, of Twickenham. Any of the large se^Jimeu could 

 supply you with seed. 



Dressing Vines (St. Brigid).— This may bo done any time when they are 

 at rest. A good dressiug Is composed of 1 oz. of soft soap, 4 ozs. of flowers 



