4dO 



JOURNAL OF HORTIGUIiTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( May 29, 1873. 



other subjects requiring attention. This ought always to be i 

 looked to in time, as, if neglected, the plants will be much in- 

 jured. The beautiful Adiautum farleyeuse requires frequent 

 potting to do well, and will not grow freely if allowed to be pot- 

 bound iu the early stages of its growth. Turfy loam, with a 

 little Orchid peat added, seems to suit it. "We have beeu wash- 

 ing, training, aud re-arrauging the plants. In the conservatoiy 

 the work has beeu similar to last week. Azaleas are now making 

 a good show, and require much attention as regards watering 

 and shading. If the soil in the pots is allowed to become over- 

 <irT, or the flowering plants to be exposed to the sun for a few 

 hours, the effect of either will be most disastrous. We are care- 

 ful to remove all dead or decaying leaves and flowers from 

 Pelargoniums and other flowering plants as soon as perceived. 

 Any little attention of this sort can readily be given when the 

 plants are being watered, aud young nieu who are alive to their 

 duties will not require to be constantly told about such trifles, 

 which, however, if not attended to in time, are a constant 

 source of annoyance to many persons. 



We sowed Cineraria seed, and placed the pots in a frame 

 ■where there is very little bottom heat ; we do not trouble about 

 the uamed sorts now, as seedling plants grow most freely, aud 

 are less trouble. Primula sinensis has been pricked-out of the 

 seed-pans into small pots, and is growing freely. Primula ja- 

 ponica, which was sown in August last year, is just coming up 

 in an irregular manner; the plants are potted-off singly in 

 small pots as they become large enough. We have also been 

 potting-off the latest-struck cuttings of perpetual-flowering Car- 

 nations ; they are potted singly in smaU 60-sized pots, aud 

 placed in a frame, where the lights can be kept close for a few 

 days, afterwards air is freely admitted.- 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



We have beeu filling rustic baskets with plants ; these, with 

 some stone vases, are placed in suitable positions on the lawn. 

 In the centre of the vase is planted one of the more choice stage 

 Pelargoniums, aud around the edge trailing plants and dwarf 

 subjects. The weather is warmer now, but we shall not venture 

 to plant-out the tender plants for a week longer. The Roses 

 are growing freely, and promise to give us good flowers ; we 

 should have looked over them aud thiuued-otit the youug shoots, 

 as well as destroyed the bud-worm, but want of time prevents 

 XLS. Mowing the lawn and trimming the edgings, as well as 

 destroying all weeds, have occupied the rest of our time. — 

 J. Douglas. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

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

 week. 



New Flower-pot (J. H.}.— You had better write to Mr. Matthews and 

 askhun if it is registered. He can best reply to the question. 



Twelve Good Frame Auriculas (AiiTkida). — Green-cdgtd. — Traill's 

 ■General Neill, Campbell's Lord Palmerston, aud Headly's Conductor. Oi-ey- 

 ^d^erf.— Fletcher's Ne- Plus-Ultra, Lightbody's Richard Headly, and Cheetham's 

 Lancashire Hero. White-edged. — Popplewell's Conqueror, Smith's Ne-Plus- 

 XTltra, aud Heap's Smiliug Beauty. Stf//i.~Spaldiu^'s Blackbird. Campbell's 

 Pizairo , and Li^thtbody's Lord Clyde. Refer to the advertisers iu our columns 

 lor a florist to supply them. 



Primula japonica Propagation (Jrfcm). —Primula japonlca is propagated 

 by division of the roots as well as by seeds. 



Spring-flowering Greenhouse Plants {Idem). —Erica hyemalis, Heda- 

 jToma tulipiferum, Acacia gracilis and ai'mata, Pimelea miiubilia, Azaleas, and 

 ■Camellias. 



Dielytra spectaeilis (H. /?.).— At Tunbridge Wells and in our southern 

 counties it begins to bloom in April ; but in the midlani aud more northern 

 counties, except under walls, it does not flower until at least sis weeks later. 



Faulty Flue— Flooded Stokehole [B. DJ.—The flue which emits a 

 sooty smell should be thoroughly eiamined ; and if the mortar is intact, two 

 or three dressings of the whole of the exterior with Portland cement mixed 

 with water to the consistency of ordinary whitewash, aud laid on vigorously 

 with a brush, will prove a cheap and effectual remedy. If, however, the mortar 

 in the joints has perished, so that it may be raked out easily with a pointed 

 atick, the flue ought certainly to be pulled down and rebuilt with hard bricks 

 of good quality, u^ing lirelumps or bricks laid iu fii-eclay for the sides and top 

 ■of the part close to the furnace. Yom- plan of cementing the stokehole to 

 prevent the water from soaking throu^;h the walls is good. Before putting on 

 the cement see that the brickwork is sound; if it proves faulty, replace it 

 •with hard bricks laid in cement. Before making a stokehole iu a wet situ- 

 ation, or wherever there is risk of flooding, it is a good plan to make a drain 

 ■of 4-inch pipes a few inches below the floor-level, connecting it with a grating 

 set in the brickwork of the floor to carry off the water as it enters, the drain 

 being continued to a suitable outlet. 



Combined Peach House and Vinery {Cnnxiant Subscriber).— The glass 

 roof, with front sashes 2 feet high resting on the back wall of a coid pit that 

 is 2 feet above the surface, and 6 feet from a back wall 12 feet high, would 

 form an admirable protection for the Peach and Nectarine trees already 

 planted against the back wall ; but it would not answer tho double purpose 

 of vinery and Peach house in the way you propose, because if the Vines were 

 planted in front and trained up under the roof, the shade would inevitably 

 prove fatal to your present hopeful prospects of Peaohes and Noctaiines. The 

 only reaUy practical way of successfully cultivating Vines and Peaches in such 

 a structure would be to remove the trees to the front, train them to a 

 trellis half way up the roof, and plant the Vines against the back wall at 

 12 feet apart, traiuing them, not down, but along the upper part of the roof- 

 tiellia. Black Hamburgh is the best kind lor general crop. Look well to the 



drainage of the border before you begin building, so that there may be no 

 future risk of stagnant water accumulating in the soil. 



Vines Blighted {J. H.).— What you call "blighted" is by gardeners 

 called " shanking." It is usually caused by a deficient supply of sap. Give 

 copious wateiings once a-week with weak, tepid, liquid manure, and mulch 

 the surface of the ground over the roots. 



Asparagus Culture (North Lancashire). — The main point in Asparagus 

 cultivation is to provide a deep, rich sandy, open soil, with a well-drained 

 subsoil. We advise light loamy soil, drained 4 feet deep, trenched deeply, 

 and mixed with a fourth of manure and a sixth of sea or river sand, or if at 

 all heavy with one-fo^lrth of the latter material. Make the surface very sandy; 

 if plants are put in cover the crowns au inch deep with sand. Dress the 

 beds with salt in March, and again at the end of May, applying on each 

 occasion half a pound per squai'e yard, and water with liquid manure from 

 May up to the middle of September, twice or more a-woek. Cover the beds 

 in autumn with 3 inches of htfcer, and then with an inch or two of soil. This 

 protects the crowns from frost; remove the covering partly in spring, leaving 

 the crowns covered about 3 or 4 inches deep with fine soil or mauure nearly 

 reduced to soil. Sow in two rows 1 foot apart, with 3-feet alleys between, 

 aud thin the plants out to 9 inches apart in the rows. At three years it will 

 be finer than that planted at two years old. 



Black Fly on Cherry Trees (B. B.I.— Having tried tobacco water we 

 think it must have beeu weak. We advise you to try aga'u, adding six 

 gallons of water to every gallon of tobacco juice, and before syringing with it 

 dip the end of the shoots aud the leaves infested in the tobacco water, rub- 

 bing them between the fingers aud thumb. This dislocates and destroys a 

 great number, and, along with the dipping and after-syringing, generally 

 effects a cure. It has not failed with us, nor has syringing them and dusting 

 them whilst wet with tobacco powder, syringing again in the morning with 

 soft-soap solution, 2ozs. to the gallon. When badly infected the finger-and- 

 thumb process, aud dipping iu tobacco water at the same time, are a necessity. 

 Clarke's compound, used at the rate of 3 ozs. to a gallon of water, will also 

 kill them. 



Gentiana verna and Iris reticulata Culture (G. S.). — The Gentiana 

 verna requires deep rich fibrous loam, with a sixth part of pieces of lime- 

 stone, gi'avel iu like quantity, and a fourth of sandy peat, very old leaf soil, 

 or cocoa fibre refuse, the latter is preferable when rather old. It is best grown 

 on a sunny bank, but requires to be kept very moist, and to have vei7 

 L'tbcient draiuage. It should be well supplied with water, but so that the 

 latter may pass away rapidly ; constant percolating moisture is essential to 

 full vigour. It will succeed in gaiden borders in deep loam mixed with gravel — 

 better if mingled with pieces of limestone ; and well drained, keeping moist 

 in summer — or it may be grown iu pots in the compost above named. Iris 

 reticulata requu*es good rich loamy soil with leaf soil, and to be kept well 

 Bupphed with water until the growth is complete, and drier afterwai'ds. If 

 the pot be plunged it will have sufficient moisture. It is not tender, thriving 

 well out of doors, and is good for pots. 



Coarse Grass on Lawn {F. J.). — The grasses you enclosed to ns are 

 much too coarse for a lawn. We should grub them up at once, for if they 

 spread they will interfere with the growth of the otber finer kinds. By 

 grubbing-out the coarsest gi-ass and weeds you will best secm-e the growth of 

 the finer soi-ts; and with constant rolling and mowing, never allowing the 

 grass to become long before mowing, wo should give a dressing of bone dust 

 after mowing when there is an early prospect of rain. It would be better 

 given in March. It may be applied at the rate of one peck to 30 square 

 yards. 



Soil for Echeverias and Sempervivums (Id^m).— They requii-e rich, 

 light soil, adding to it some leaf soil or thoroughly decayed manure, and 

 some brick and old mortal' rubbish if at all stiff. 



Heating by Hot Water (Frigus). — There is not any later edition that we 

 know of the work to which you allude. Oui" " Greenhouse Manual," which 

 treats of heating garden structures, would probably suit you. It may be had 

 free by post from our oflice for Id. 



Bottom Heat to Cucumbers {Infelix). — The best mode of fm-nishing 

 bottom heat is by means of a chamber. The heat Is thereby more uniform, 

 and not so liable to sudden changes as in the case of rubble over hot-water 

 pipes. In the latter mode the pipes are surrounded aud covered with rubble, 

 rough at the low.'rpart and finer at the upper, which should cover the pipes 

 9 inches, aud be rather finer uext the soil. The rubble should be coveied 

 with a thin layer of sods, grass side downwaids, or the roughest of the com- 

 post. By either plan you ought to grow Cucumbers or Melons uell. 



White-leaved Pelargonicm (An Australian Corrcspondetit). — No Gera- 

 nium with pure white leaves has stamina enough to live ; all puie white 

 sports have hitherto defied every attempt at propagation. There are several 

 white- variegated varieLies now with white flowers, but those hitherto sent out 

 seem deficient in vigom- for bedding purposes. 



Budded Boses Failing (J. E. B.). — We believe from the specimen sent 

 that the bark of the Hose shoots is eaten by slugs, the damage being done 

 at night and the enemy retreating by day. Is there harbour in the shape of 

 stones, or Box-edging, or rockery near enough for them to travel by night '.* If 

 once either snails or slugs get a taste for a particular plant they will travel 

 long distances backwards and forwards for their food, as we have often known 

 to be the case with regard to Petunias. 



Eucharis amazonica Bulbs Rotted [George). — We have had no ex- 

 perience with the bulbs of this plant decaying. It is evergreen, and should not 

 be diied-off in the same manner as Amaryllis. It flowers three or four times 

 in the year, aud requires to be freely watered except after each flowering 

 period. The puts iu which the plants are should be well drained, and the 

 potting material should be the turfy part of sandy loam with some lea! mould 

 added. We fancy you must have allowed your plants to become too diy, as 

 the other treatment is right. The Amaijllis bulbs should be potted firmly in 

 small pots. Six-inch pots are lai'go enough for the lai'gest bulbs, 4 and 5-inch 

 pots for smaller bulbs. Pot firmly in tmfy loam; withhold water altogether 

 when at rest, and remove the i>ots to a cool house. 



Zonal Pelargoniums not FL0\\'ERiNa {J. Whithi).—T\n% is one of the 

 easiest plants in existence to grow and flower. Your soil must be too rich, or 

 elt^e the varieties you have are worthless. Obtain some of the sorts advertised 

 weekly in this Journal, plant in moderately rich or poor soil, aud they i\iU 

 flower well. 



Flower Beds Preparing (^?ixi<^/i/.) — The beds manuixd in 

 only need forking over and breaking fine ; then plant out an' ■i'-iiio 

 weather throughout the season. If not mauui-ed iu auti~ 



