May 29, 1373. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



441 



with the soil some very old manure, leaf soil, or fresh rich soil. If the plants 

 are good, and the situation open, water freely in dry weather, and there will 

 be plenty of flowers. Stir the surface of the boU fretiueutly, so long an it can 

 be done without injury to the plants, and pick off the decayed leaves and 

 dead trusgc-s of flowers. Peg the Verbenas down as they advance until the 

 surface is covered. 



Bed OS Lx-WNC-Vrs. B. Lynton). — Amaranthus melancholicug ruber edRed 

 with Centaurea will be best. Purple Verbena edged with yellow Caloeolaria, 

 but the latter must be kept pegged down. 



Male Blossoms of CacuuBER (Cucumber). — Leave the male blossoms on 

 the plants whether you require seed or otherwise. 



Vise Border— Peach-house Border— Vines and Peaches (Dumbar- 

 tonshii':'). — For youi- Vine border you will need about half a ton of half-inch 

 bones, ten bushels of charcoal, and one part in sis of the soil of cow manure. 

 For the Peach border we should have a quarter ton of half-inch bones, eight 

 bushels of charcoal, and one part in six of cow manure. We should prefer 

 the Cow raauure for the Peach bjrder, especially if the soil is lij;ht. Add one 

 part in ei:,'ht or ton of old lime rabbish to your Vine border. The soil you 

 name will be suitable. The Vines we should advise for your house are 

 Black Harabur;,'h, Frankenthal (Pope's Hamburgh), and Mill Hill Hamburgh, 

 which are all black, aud of white kinds Buckland Sweetwater, Fuster's White 

 Scediintr, and General de la Marmora. These will do well t^igethor, and come 

 in about one time or succeed each other at a few days' interval. Ef you wish 

 for those which require heat and will han^ some time, we should advise you to 

 have a uorder inside the house of not less than 3 feet iu width, and plant the 

 Vines iuside. Muscat Hamburgh, Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat, AliL;aute. Lady 

 Downe's, all black ; and Muscat of Alexandria, and Trobbiauo. The former 

 lot will, however, suit you best. Of Peacbes have Royal George, Noblesse, 

 and Grosse Mignonne, with Elruge Nectarine. 



Mrs. Pisce's Vine Shoot Points Dead (G. Taylor). — This is not an un- 

 common occurrence with this variety of Vine, when the shoots havQ grown 

 the length yours have. We found shading with some light material a pre- 

 ventive. You must pinch-back to a healthy leaf, and the shoot will start 

 again. 



Scaring Rooks (D.). — There is no better plan than to secore a winged one 

 to a stake by string, moving it about, or it will answer nearly as well to sus- 

 pend a dead one by the neck to a string between two stakes. A lad with a 

 pistol, up soon and about late, will keep them off. 



Grapes Sptitted (Lilly, Sussex). — All the berries you enclosed were 

 affected by what gardeners name "the spot," an ulceration usually caused 

 by a deficient supply of sap. Cah sff at least six of the siiteeu bunches, give 

 the root>i a copious watering with weak, tepid, liquid manure once a-week, 

 and mulch the surface of the soil over the roots. 



PLANTiNr; A Circular Flowee-bed (Monitor). — We think your proposed 

 planting of the circular bed very tasteful, and that it will look well, especially 

 when the sun shines. Tour edging of Mesembryanthemum cordifolium varie- 

 gatum will look well in all weathers, and so will the patches of Alternantheras 

 and the dividint^ lines of Lobelias ; but though Mesembryanthemum tricolor 

 is one of the best and is often good in dull iaye, in otlier dull days it may 

 incline to shut its blooms up. We forget the properties of the Mesembryan- 

 themum pomeridianum in this respect, but if it is one that only opens to the 

 sun's rays the yellow segments will be defective. All such Mesembryanthe- 

 mnms bloom best iu rather poor soil. But for these matters, of which we are 

 in doubt, the proposed planting would be uniqne and louk well ; aud we do 

 not see how on that style you could improve it, except by increasing the fine 

 triangles of Alternantheras, and thus relieving your yane;^ated edgings. 



YouNo Plums in Orchard House Falling (C. B.).^The young fruit 

 sent aeem troubled with one evil, mildew; and we think a second, an attack 

 from a small thrips. The first in an orchard house is generally produced from 

 three causes — a d^^ficiency of early ventilation, too much dryness or too much 

 moisture at the roots. To keep things right, the law of reciprocity must ever 

 be attended to. For instance : In a bright sunny day there is an eitra demand 

 on root action; and if the roots are then dry, the shoots, and especially the 

 young fruit, will suffer, and there will be an invitation given to disease and 

 the attacks of insects. On the other hand, in very dull weather such as we 

 have lately had at times, deficient drainage and an extra soaking at the roots, 

 jast because the leaves will not carry on reciprocal action, will be apt to foster 

 mildew aud other evils. We would advise you to examine and see if there is 

 any trace of mildew on the foliage. Some of our readers contend that too 

 much moisture at the roots iu dull weather is the chief cause of mildew ; but 

 over-dryness or what will produce a weakening effect will be just as likely to 

 produce the evil. A twelvemonth a^o we were asked to look at some Peaches 

 and Plums in pots, the youn^^ fruit and many of the leaves being blotched 

 with mildew. The soil seemed in a proper state as regards moisture, aud we 

 were a'leured the watering had been done with the greatest care, and that the 

 roots had not suffered from excessive moisture nor dryness. We could from 

 appearance^ hardly take this on trust, and opening our clasp knife we made a 

 small hole 3 inches deep at the side of the pot, and beyond that depth the 

 soil might as well have been kiln-dried. The mystery was at once solved. All 

 the evils hail come from a mere dribbhng surface- watering. Thousands of 

 plants find their resting-place in the rubbish heap, simply because the at- 

 tendant cannrit think of the propriety of trying the soil with his finger or 

 a pointed stici:. or ringing a pot to ascertain the state of moisture inside, and 

 not merely at the surface. Attention to watering and air-giving is the great 

 preventive. When mildew makes its appearance a fine dusting of sulphur is 

 the best reme'-l,7. The nest best, and also as setting thrips and green fly 

 pretty well at defiance, is a good syringing with weak Gishurst water, less 

 than 2 ozs. to the gallon. We should say 1 oz. or Ih oz. of soft soap to the 

 gallon, well dissolved in hot water, aud any sediment left out, and that 

 apphed at not less than 100^ We would treat your trees with such an ap- 

 plication now, first with sulphur and then with these washings. To encourage 

 free growth and cleanlines'^, we would also recommend a syringing with c ear 

 Boot water two or three times a-week. As respects growth it is invigorat- 

 ing, and if it does not kill the worst insects it helps to keep them away. We 

 like to sniff the acent the clear soot water leaves behind it. Like other good 

 things it must not be used too strong. A peck of soot and a pound or two of 

 quicklime would be strong enough for thii-ty-six to forty gallons of water. The 

 other day we put a barrowload of good dry soot into an old puncheon sunk into 

 the ground, holding about o^e hundred gallons. That was worked up with a 

 little water with an old broom into a pasty substance before the baixel was 

 fijled with water, and then a good shovelful of fresh lime was added, all stirred 

 'he broom again, aud in twenty-four hours, after removing a little scum 

 Q,^-- -rface, the liquid if put into a bottle might have been mistaken for 

 out a iv ; but for most syringing and even watering purposes, a pail- 

 in flowei ■ 



ful of such liquid would have required two other pailfuls to be added. We 

 know of no better method for getting the properties of soot in a liquid state 

 as clear as the finest sherry. As there have been some inquiries as to the 

 clear aoot water, these hints may not be out of place. Two things here we 

 should like to notice. First, that one of the greatest safeguards for fruit trees 

 in pots, as respects a medium state of moisture, is the frequent mulching of 

 the surface in summer. It makes a great difference in the time of drying up 

 the soil, although it does not dispense with all care in ascertaining the state 

 of dryness beneath ; and, again, owing to a press of other work, our orchard 

 houses did not receive the usual care as respects washing, &c., but they have 

 never been more free from insects, and many of the trees, as Peaches and 

 Nectarines, have set but too much like ropes of Onions. Just before the 

 buds began to move much, the trees, woodwork, &c., were well syringed with 

 soft-soap water at about 17U", the water finding its way into most holes and 

 crannies. They had little more at the top until the fruit was set. when they 

 had several good washings with aoft-soap water at about 140°, and in strength 

 about 1^ oz. to the gallon, aud since then they have been washed several times 

 after a bright day with the diluted soot water. We seldom think of syringing 

 such houses in dull weather. After a very bright day it seems to refresh the 

 trees. One word more. Oar experience teaches us to depend more on early 

 air-giving than on the mere quantity given late. A few hours' sun in the 

 morning and a close house may do incalculable mischief. With early air the 

 house temperature may rise and fall considerably with safety. 



Hoes (Celia). — Some one of the implement manufacturers who advertise in 

 our columns may have those you particularise. If they have not, any black- 

 smith could make them if shown the drawings. 



PaiMTTLA JAPONICA AND AmARANTHUS SAilClFOLrOS CULTURE (R. F.).^ 



You do not state in what conditiuu your plants are, or whether you have seed. 

 We presume the last. Sow the seeds at once in light fibrous loam, with a 

 fourth of leaf si^il, and place the pots in a frame with a gentle heat, keeping 

 moist and near the glass. The Primulas may not appear until next spring; 

 keep the soil moi^t, and in a greenliouee. When the plants are up and con 

 well be handled, pot-off singly in small pots, and remove to a cold frame. 

 The plants may be shifted iuto larger pots as those they are in fill with roots, 

 and should be wintered iu a frame protected from frost ; or they may ha 

 planted in good soil out of doors. Keep the Amaranthus near the glass, 

 potting-off singly when the young plants can well be handled, and return 

 them to gentle heat, shading for a few days. Shift into larger pots as they 

 fill with roots, giving them their final shift into 7 or 9-inch pots when the 

 plants are 9 inches or a. foot high. Grow in the greenhouse near the glass- 

 Water freely when the pots are full of roots. 



Asparagus Dytng-out (J. E. D.U—We do not think there is anything 

 amiss either with the soil or your treatment, but we are inclined to think 

 your beds are covered deeply with dung in autumn, and this is apt to form 

 too much humus iu the soil, and especially about the crown, and hence decay. 

 Have you tried sowing the seed ? We find if seed be sown where the plants 

 are to remain, that these are stronger than those which are planted, produce 

 as quickly, if not sooner, and the plants do not go off. Sow in two rows a 

 foot apart, with a 3-feet t^pace between each two rows, and iueteid of manur- 

 ing directly over the crowns, cover them with any loose, open, eandy soil, and 

 manure the spaces between heavily. Cover the crowns in winter, as they are 

 liable to suffer from frost if near the surface and grown in rich soil. Remove 

 the soil partially in March, and point-in the manure in the spaces. Use salt 

 as hitherto, and water as often as you can with manure water from June to 

 the middle of September. We think you will not in future have any gapSk 

 We find sea sand the best thing for covering the crowns, and river sand is the 

 next best. 



Ferns in Case not Thrivtug (J. S. T.). — You do not say what kind of 

 Adiautum you have under the glass shade. Taken from a gieenhouse, we 

 presume it is A. cuneatum, wiiich, as a rule, does not thrive under a glass. 

 We should have Adiautum assimile and A. Capillus-^'eneri3 if you wish for 

 Maiden-hair Ferns, planting the former in the centre and the others around 

 it; about five plants for a case about a foot to 15 inches across; or, if 

 you are not particular as to the Adiantums, have for the centre Onychium 

 japonicum, and around it Pteris serrulata cristata and Adiautum Capillus- 

 Veneris alternately. The soil is quite right. We presume the vase has good 

 drainage. Keep the soil moist, aud the glass constantly over the plants. It 

 should be taken off twice or thiice a-week, wiped dry with a cloth, and re- 

 placed. Keep from direct sun, and turn the opposite side of the case to the 

 light every week. We think your case will soon give yon satisfaction. 



Reiiotikg Young Growths of Azaleas (H.E.). — It is quite right to cut 

 off the seed-pods of Azaleas, but a strange idea to cut away the small young 

 leaves and shoots. Instead of that, encourage the plants by keeping them 

 rather close, moist, and shaded from bright sun until their growth is com- 

 plete, then admit light and air freely, and when the buds are set keep them 

 cool and airy. As there are traces of thrips on the leaves, syringe morning 

 and evening, and fumigate with tobacco on a calm evening when the leaves 

 are dry. 



Pot Clematis out of Doors (Idem). — The Clematis will grow very well 

 in a pot or tub, and you may train the shoots to your house, but a mat will 

 not be sufficient protection for the roots in winter. Wrap the pot or tub 

 with hay or straw bands 6 to 9 Inches thick, and cover with the mat for 

 neatness. 



Alyssum 3AXATILE C0MPACTU5I SEEDLINGS NOT FLOWERING (An Amateur). 

 — It is not unusual for seedlings not to flower well the second season. The 

 freest-flowering plants are raised from cuttings, and in this way we advise 

 you to obtain your plants for flowering next spring. Take off the cuttings at 

 once, inserting them in sandy soil in a shady border. We do not know of a 

 red-flowering perennial that would suit to edge a bed of Forget-me-not, ex* 

 cept Belhs aucubfefoiia. Fleming's " Spring and Winter Flower Gardening" 

 will suit you. It may be had free by post from our office for 2^. l^d. 



Roses with Combined Shoots (An Amateur Suhu-rihi-r, Hull). — Probably 

 fasciated from disease at the root. If a great number of small shoots form 

 at the base cut them off with a sharp penknife, leaving only the origmal stem 

 or cutting. Yoor description is too vague to be able to give a definite answer. 

 Melons for Second Crop (F. H.). — Treat the plants in exactly the same 

 way as you would do if no second crop were expected, only you must keep 

 some young shoots near the collar of the plants, and water until the fruit 

 begins to ripen, when, of course, a dry atmosphere and rather dry soil is 

 desirable. When the fruit has been cut prune-back the old Vines to some of 

 the young shoots near the collar of tha plants, aud with moisture they will 

 soon form Vines that will carry the second crop. 



AlstruMERIA Seedlings (Id^'m). — Plants from seed sown this year will* 

 flower next, or if the seed is sown early in heat, and the growth of the seed- 



