May 1, 1873. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



3S3 



way as the Califoruian species, only not so flat. It turns 

 brown in summer, but I do not think this any disadvantage, 

 and it is perfectly hardy. 



S. ariichiioidfiiin. — Somewhat like the last, only apparently 

 -enveloped iu a sort of cobweb. It is of slower growth, and 

 possibly not quite so hardy, but I have not had much experi- 

 •ence of it. 



S. li'iilfiana. — This, like the Oalifornian Houseleek, has a 

 thick fleshy leaf, but is greener, and more like the common 

 Houseleek. 



.S'. BolUi is in the way of S. globiferum, but smaller, as are 

 also S. aaomatum and S. Beanii, but they seem to be perfectly 

 tardy. I fear, however, that there is some confusion in the 

 name of this plant, but S. BolUi is unquestionably good, and 

 with me, at least, the easiest of culture. 



Thymus micdnx. — A very dwarf hardy plant, rather of a 

 iironze hue, neat and compact, with a slight odour. 



Veronicas. — A variegated form of one of the hardy herba- 

 ceous kinds is good, and makes a neat low edghig. The 

 flowers that are produced, though upwards of a foot high, nre 

 excusable, as when they are removed the plant is dwarf and 

 compact. 



Viola cornuta. — A permanent edging is just the place for 

 this plant, for, with all its merits, it is not adapted for the 

 flower-beds, where it has to be removed every year. It is too 

 ■well known to require comment here. 



Viola tricolor. — .\ hardy variety of the common Pansy, of a 

 bright yellow, has stood one or two summers with me, as did 

 ^also a pale blue some- years ago. I am not in love with either 

 of them, but for variety they may be tried. 



Viola odorala. — The double Russian or Neapolitan Violet 

 anay be tried, as may also the single land. 



Besides the above many other plants are occasionally used. 

 "With Snowdrops, for instance, we have several beds edged, as 

 well as one or two with Lily of the Valley. Crocuses do not 

 succeed well with us, neither does the hardy Cyclamen, but 

 4hat is no reason why they should not thrive elsewhere. The 

 •object aimed at is to edge round each tree or shrub with a 

 neat compact plant that will in most cases look well all the 

 year round, or, if it do not do so, the plant ought to possess 

 more than ordinary merit at blooming time. I by no means 

 intend to imply that the plants noticed are the only ones 

 adapted for the purpose ; most likely there are many others 

 also good, which only want trying to bring them out. Choice 

 florists' flowers are not needed iu this case ; they are too often 

 of uneven growth, and not so accommodating as to site as 

 others of a less refined character. Plants that have a neat 

 appearance from January 1st to December 31st are inliuitely 

 better than objects which are only gay for a short time in 

 summer. — J. Robson. 



PAINTING OF OECHAED-HOUSE TEEES. 



This is a much better plan than simply brushing the trees 

 •over with a composition of lime, Ac, the chief object of which 

 is to exclude the air, and thus destroy animal life, also, pro- 

 bably, preserving the eggs of insects from hatching, as is the 

 ■case iu the preservation of eggs in limewater. The mixture 

 of some vegetable oil, with something to give it body, seems a 

 good idea, and as to killing the trees there is no fear. One of 

 my under-gardeners used a mineral oil to kill the brown scale 

 on an orange tree, the effect of which was to cause nearly all 

 tihe leaves to fall off, though it answered well when confined 

 to the older bark. The oil paint recommended by Mr. Brehaut 

 •(an old schoolfellow of mine more than forty years since) 

 would have had the same good, without the bad effect. We 

 ■use here creosote to keep hares and rabbits from gnawing the 

 bark of fruit trees, and there is no injury to the bark. I have 

 just cut off a piece of the bark of an Apple tree thus painted, 

 and find it has not penetrated further than the thickness of 

 paper ; it was applied the winter before last. The trees are 

 very healthy, and the creosote still protects them ; probably 

 winter is the best time for applying it. 



As the quintescence of a lady's letter is often contained in 

 the postscript, so is the venom contained iu the tail of Mr. 

 Brehaut's article. Two years are hardly too long a time for 

 a tree to recover itself after having been overcropped. The 

 only thing to be said iu favour of the system is that " a bird 

 in the hand is worth two in the bush," but this must depend 

 Dpou the size and quaUty of the bird. — Obseevee. 



I FOEWAKD my experience in painting trees with oU, such as 



is used on cart harness, which sets like varnish. I have about 

 a dozen Apple trees which had been nearly killed by the wooUy 

 aphis. I tried other things, which proved useless, and this 

 autumn, after pruning, I painted every shoot. It has ap- 

 parently destroyed the aphis. We have had all sorts o£ 

 weather this last few nights — wet iu the early part, and 3° of 

 frost iu the morning. This is rare here, as I believe we are 

 a Uttle higher than Wolverhampton, and we are near to the 

 highest tableland in England, so I am told. — A Novice, Wol- 

 verhampton. 



THE WEATIIEE. 



Accustomed as we are to regard east wind as an evil, yet 

 the very frequent prevalence of wind from that quarter and 

 from the north during the past month, by its retarding in- 

 fluence upon vegetation, will doubtless prove a real benefit. 

 The present unkindly aspect of the weather here (in Mid- 

 Sussex) is causing considerable anxiety, especially in regai^d 

 to fruit prospects. A sharp frost set in on the evening of 

 Wednesday, April 23rd, and continued to increase in intensity 

 during the night, reaching its maximum of 7° at 3 a.m., the 

 thermometer then standing at 25°. Frequent showers of snow 

 and sleet fell during Thursday, followed by a slight frost at 

 night ; on Friday the snowstorms became heavier, and evei'y- 

 Ihing at all exposed was encrusted with the snow which fell 

 during the afternoon, and so cold had the surface of the soU 

 become that the snow lay tDl Saturday morning, and the ther- 

 mometer fell to 23°. 



Notwithstanding this untimely severity, the fruit trees 

 appear to have sustained very little damage ; both on Wednes- 

 day and Friday night the shoots of Peach and Nectarine trees 

 having the shelter of a wide coping were stiffened with frost, 

 yet the fruit escaped harm ; the fully-expanded blossom of 

 Pears, Cherries, and Plums is destroyed, \m\, that which was 

 only partially open escaped unscathed, with the exception of 

 a slight browning of the petals. Bush fruits are also un- 

 harmed. The young foliage of many Kalmias and hardy 

 Azaleas is destroyed, I conclude this was caused by the frost- 

 laden wind, from the fact of some other plants of both genera, 

 that were in some measure screened by high trees from the 

 wind's full force, being unhurt. 



A striking instance of the value of wall-shelter is evinced in 

 a flourishing young plant of Akebia quiuata ; some of its shoots 

 projecting a few inches from the wall are cut off, while all 

 those that are quite close to it have sustained no harm. — 

 Edwaed Luckhubst. 



TEEATMENT OF YOUNG VINES. 

 I WISH your advice as to the proper treatment for a vinery 

 started at the end of March, newly planted with eight Black 

 Hamburgh Vines. This is their first year, and I intend that 

 they shall run wild this season — that is, to allow eight or ten 

 canes to run from each Vine. I do not intend to fruit them 

 till the year after next. I want to kuow whether it is better to 

 give plenty of air on hot days, or the reverse. I take care to 

 keep the house moist, and wet all the paths, especially in hot 

 weather. I am afraid of giving too much air lest tlie Vines 

 should not grow fast enough, still I wish to adopt that treat- 

 ment which is the best. The house is a very fine one, south 

 aspect, quite new, about 2.5 by 15 J feet. The Vines are planted 

 inside the house iu a border prepared for the purpose. Some of 

 them have already made shoots about afoot in length. I shall 

 be glad if you ■will say whether Vines should be kept very dry 

 during their blooming season, and also whether you would 

 advise a Uttle heat at night during the time they are iu bloom 

 in order to get them through their bloom quickly. I should be 

 glad if you wUl say if 80" Far. is too hot for sun heat at mid- 

 da}'. — 0. Peecival. 



[Although we advocate allowing young Vines to ramble rather 

 freely with two or three canes the first year after planting, yet 

 we are of opinion that eight or ten are too mauy by one-half 

 or more, and of these there will, doubtless, be one shoot stronger 

 than the rest. This should be trained in its proper position, 

 allowing the others to ramble at will, providing, however, 

 against injury of any kind. Those shoots that are not re- 

 quired should not be pulled or cut off, l)ut stopped by pinching- 

 off their tips. It is proper to keep the house moist and the 

 Vines syringed in hot weather, but not so much so in cold 

 sunless weather, otherwise mildew will make its appearance. 

 At such times gentle fire heat is almost a necessity. 



In rearing a house of Vines the aim with us would be to 



