240 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 19, 1865. 



Watering Variegated Geranium Ccttikgs (A Lady Gardener). — 

 So loii<? fts the soil remains moist it is not necessary to wiiter the cuttings 

 inserted in the open ground, but during very dry weather they may be 

 watered so as to keep the soil moist, but by' no means wet. Those in 

 pots should be watered as often as necessary "to keep the soil moist. 



Raising Dactylis glosierata elegantissima— Wintering Iresine 

 Herbstii (Sunset).~A. stock of tbis ver>- elegant and whitest of dwarf 

 variegated Grasses, is readily obtained by dividing the roots in spring. 

 Last year we had only six plants, and thev were di\ided into 250 plants 

 in March, every stem being slipped ofl" with a little root. They were then 

 pricked off 3 inches apart every way in good loam,-,vith a little leaf mould 

 added and worked in. covered "with a frame, and kept moist and shaded 

 for a few days. They were then freely exposed to air and duly supplied 

 with water. They make nice plants by ilay, when they are planted out 

 with the other bedding plants. With us on di-y gi*avelly soil this Dactylis 

 is hardy, but in wet heavj- soil it is liable to suffer in winter quite* as 

 much from the wet as from the frost. In such soils it is best to take up 

 the plants in autumn, and winter them in a frame or cool greenhouse, 

 dividing the roots in March, potting, and gi-owing on in a frame. We have 

 now tried it two summers, and find it makes an edging-line, or band 

 early, and keeps good imtil late, alike elegant and gi-aceful, dwarf and 

 dense, and of easy culture. Iresine Herbstii is easily kept over the winter 

 in a dry airy part of the gi-eenbouse with sufficient water to keep the soil 

 just moist. Plants struck in summer and potted off so as to become esta- 

 blished before winter are the best, and give a number of cuttings in 

 spring. It requires free drainage and a compost of two-thirds loam and 

 one of leaf mould well reduced, and then it grows as freely as Verbenas, 

 and is as easily kept over the winter. 



Drying and Preparing British-grown Tobacco for Fumigation 

 (ituc and Learn).— When the leaves have attained their full size and 

 become of a yellow hue they are taken from the stalk, tied together 

 in small bunches by the footstalks, himg in a di-y airy room to drv, and , 

 left there until dj-y and crisp. The first damp 'weather after this the 

 leaves will become soft, and they should be watched to ascertain when I 

 this occurs ; then pack them in a box evenly with the butts or stalk-ends | 

 of the leaves all one way. They are then to be pressed moderately, and | 

 in a few days a slight fermentation will take place, when the bunches 

 should be taken out and shaken to let the beat escape. When this has 

 been done repack lightly. The leaves will not reheat, but it is best to let 

 them remain for a few days laid lightly in the box ; and when all fermen- 

 tation is over, pack tightly in a baiTel, and keep in a dry place ready for 

 use. As the leaves of British -grown Tobacco are not all mature at one 

 time, they must be successively gathered as they ripen. The ciixum- 

 stance of the leaves not being all mature at one time, has led to the 

 adoption of another mode— vi2., when the leaves have attained their full 

 size pull the plants up, tie them two or three together, and hang them, 

 root upwards, in a drj* warm room, if with a temperature of 90- all the 

 better. When dry sprinkle them with water, and then hang up again to 

 dry. Allow them to become di-v again, and then wet them again ; dry 

 afterwards, and let this wetting and dr\-ing be done thrice. When the 

 leaves become dry, but not so as to break, strip them from the stalks and 

 lay them in boxes evenly, and quite close and tight, pressing for that pur- 

 pose; then keep in a dry room. This latter process gives the leaves a 

 colom- which they will not possess if treated according to the first plan. 

 Leaves prepared in this way will be green, while those treated according 

 to the first mode will be of a pale brown and be fit for smoking. Leaves 

 prepared in both ways are alike usefiU for fumigating for green fiv.thrips, 

 Ac., and equally as effective as foreign Tobacco. Pi-evious to 'use, the 

 Tobacco should be chopped like hay and straw, or made into rough 

 shag. 



OacHARD-HousE APBicoTS AND Plums Cracking (Nil De$perandum). 

 —The craclung most likelv is owing to the plants having been rather dry, 

 and then being freely watered; and the hot sim at the time, followed by 

 dull weather, and then bright sun again, encouraging the skins of the 

 fruit to swell faster than the energies of the root could supply them vnth 

 swelling material. In such sudden changes a little shading 'in the first 

 bright days would have averted the cracking. So our experience would 

 say. But then we do not know what to make of Peaches and Nectarines 

 in the same house swelling perfectly without cracking, unless they were 

 better established in the pots. For ourselves, we noticed some three or 

 four Peaches thus cracked, but no Plums. ^Tiat say other growers as to 

 the cause? 



Willow NEAR a Pond (B. TT.).- We should say that the Weeping Willow 

 will not be injured by your doing so unless the roots are largelv fed by 

 the pond. If many roots are matted round and beneath the pond, it 

 might be advisable to place two or three loads of rotten dimg over the 

 bottom of the pond before placing the soil in : that would prevent all 

 injury. 



Vine Border (E. .S.l. — We see no objection to your manuring the 

 border as proposed, provided you do not make the soil too rich. Earth 

 is one of the best deodorisers, therefore unless there be a great excess of 

 manurial matter, we do not apprehend any bad smell. 



Transplanting Evergreens (Inquirer),— yo such manual has been, 

 nor IS likely to be, published. You cannot do better than refer to the in- 

 strnctions from time to time given in these pages. 



Insects on Pear Leaves (J. M.).~The insect is the SUmy Grub, the 

 lar\'!e of Selandria ^thiops of Fabricius, the eggs of which are deposited 

 in Jime and .July. The insect is of frequent occurrence from July to 

 September, and the remedy which you adopted— namely, dusting with 

 Imie, the only effectual one. 



Growing Grapes in an Orchard-house (A. Q.).— There will be no 

 difficulty m the matter, provided the trees you have in fruit are so low 

 as not to shade the back wall, against which vou propose ha\'ing your 

 Grapes. We would also advise your having the Vines together, but the 

 house would look better if you planted them separatelv, took them up 

 the back wall, and then brought them over an arch dowii the roof. The 

 Grapes hanging from the arch would have a fine effect. The only draw- 

 back to the Grapes would be the extra air when the Peaches were ripen- 

 ing. When the Peaches were gathered vou could give less air, which 

 would ripen the Grapes and harden the wood of the Peaches \-c. For 

 such a cool-house nothing will answer better than the Black Hamburgh 

 and the Royal Muscadine (white). We could give vou a list of others, as 

 Espeiione and Buckland Sweetwater, but, on the" whole, we think the 

 above would be the best. 



Various {Mhia). — Your seedling Pansies will probably bloom early in 

 summer if all go well. If au admirer of Fuchsias with golden -blotched 

 leaves, you may add Aucuba^folia and Cloth of Gold, to those which you 

 already possess. Seedling Carnations if not double will not become so. 

 {Statice). — We do not know what is meant by " cardinalis." Pvemo^Tng 

 the seedling Peach tree, if done so as not to injure roots much, will tend 

 to hasten rather than retard fi'uiting. (E. M.). — As the object with 

 seedling Pelargoniums is to flower them quickly, instead of growing fine 

 specimens, it is unnecessary to top them. After flowering give the same 

 treatment as to plants from cuttings. Mart-chal N'iel Rose is_uot likely to 

 be cheap this season, as the demand for it will be great. Auriculas 

 cannot be propagated so rapidly as other plants, hence cannot be sold so 

 cheaply. 



Planting Vines in a Shaded Greenhouse (A Young Befjinner).—'nie 

 shady position of your house is a very bad one for Vines. They require 

 all the sunlight possible. Besides the Black Hamburgh, the best Grapes 

 for such a house would be the Esperione (black), and for whites, Royal 

 Muscadine and Buckland Sweetwater. From 2 to 2^ feet will be deep 

 enough for your border. We would take no more soil away than would 

 give room for your rubble, concrete, &c., and the proper depth above. 

 Slates will be an improvement above the open rubble and the sods. Your 

 soil will be all the better if taken only :2 to 3 inches in depth. We would 

 use only a very little rotten manure, chiefly where you plant the Vines, 

 or leaf mould, but In such a border you may mix a quarter of a ton of 

 boiled broken bones, a few bushels of charcoal, and a load or two of lime 

 rubbish, the light character of the soil renders less of that necessary. 

 With all your other proposed modes of action we agi'ee. The border if 

 2 feet above the general level at back, may slope down to 6 or 9 inches 

 above the general level in front. The only thing we are sorry for is, that 

 you should go to all this trouble for a house that receives no dii'ect sun, 

 except for a short time at midday. We lately saw a large vinery 

 hemmed in with trees on all sides, except a little bit in front, and even 

 that was gi-eatly shut out by a Weeping Willow on the lawn. Things were 

 so unsatisfactory that we ad\ised the house being turned into a fernery 

 and Moss-house, and a new vinery to be built where sun could reach the 

 Vines. 



GR.iFTiNG Pears on the Quince Stock {W. H. S.), — It is not neces- 

 sary to cover the part worked with soil. We have tried them both ways, 

 and prefer those with the union of stock and scion a few inches above 

 the groimd level. Om* reporter did not recognise it, and we have not 

 seen the specimen. 



Striking Golden Ch.un Geranium (Idem).—Atiev several years' ex- 

 perience we have given up the jiropagation of this useful kind in autumn, 

 from our finding that the cuttings strike in half the time, and without 

 failure, in spring. We take up the old plants early in October, and pot 

 them without any reduction of the head or shortening of the shoots, and 

 keep them in a light aiiy situation, di-y at the root, yet moist enough to 

 keep the leaves fresh, and in a temperature from fire heat of 40- or 45^. 

 About the middle of February they are placed in a vinery with a tem- 

 perature of from 5U- to 55- by night, and by the middle of March each 

 plant fuiTiishes us with from six to twelve cuttings acconling to 

 their size. We then fill a sufficient number of three-inch pots with turfy 

 light loam two-thirds, and one-third leaf mould well incorporated, first 

 placing a crock over the hole in the pot, aud then half an inch of the 

 rougher parts of the compost. In the centre of each pot we make a hole 

 double the diameter of the cutting, and of a depth corresponding to the 

 length of the cutting, drop a little silver sand into the bole, place the 

 cutting with its base thereon, and fill in round the cutting with silver 

 sand. A gentle watering is then given, and the pots are placed in a frame 

 with a bottom heat of from 75^ to 80"\ and a top heat of from 65' to 75^. 

 In three weeks we have well-rooted plants, by which time the old plants 

 will ilmve pushed afresh, both they and the cuttings being placed in a 

 cool-house and gradually hardeued-off by May. In this we have them 

 equally strong with those struck in August, without the trouble and room 

 lost consequent on wintering them, and they grow as fi-eely, and so do 

 all the variegated class. If our stock were limited and we desired to 

 largely increase it, we would take cuttings in August, and these would 

 afford cuttings in spring, otherwise we would not care about striking any 

 variegated Geraniums in autumn, as the younger the plant the more 

 freely it grows. 



Compost for Primulas, Cinerarias, and Calceolarias (Lex). — ^Loam 

 from rotted tun-es a year old two-thirds, leaf mould three parts reduced 

 one-third, ^vith one-sixth of silver sand added for the first, and the same 

 quantity of that or river sand for the last two. Sandy turfy peat is to be 

 preferred to the leaf mould for Pi-imulas. 



Planting Hyacinths {Idt-m}.— The best time to plant Hyacinths in 

 the open ground is in October and early in November. Plant in pots 

 from this time to November, but the earlier the better, and October is the 

 best time to place bulbs in water. .\11 Hyacinths are of the most easy 

 culture, and though we add the names of some really good flowers, to be 

 had at moderate prices, we cannot say that they are more easily cultivated 

 than those at a higher price. Single White : Grand Vaiuqueur. Elfrida, 

 and Rousseau. Single Red: Diebitz Sabalkansky, Madame Hodgson, 

 Norma, and Amy. Single Blue: Charles Dickens, Grand Lilas, Nim- 

 rod, and Prince Albert. Double White, Blush, or Cream: Prince of 

 Waterloo, La Toui- d'Auvergne. Anna Maria, and La Deesse. Double 

 Rod : Czar Nicholas, Waterloo, Princess Roval, and Grootvorst. Double 

 Blue : Lord Wellington, Comtc dc St. Priest, A-la-mode, and Blocksberg. 

 Forcing Kidney Be.4ns (.4. j;.).—We use 11-inch pots, and grow nine 

 Beans in a pot, but sometimes also nine-inch pots, and six Beans in each. 

 Of kinds, after ti-ying all we could procure, Canterbury. Sion House, and 

 Fulmer's Early are the best thi-ee, and Ne\\"ington Wonder for using with 

 the pods whole or cut. A compost of light turfy loam suits them well, 

 that from tmwes a year old is the best, half filling the pots, and then 

 eartbiug-uiJ when they are sufficiently gro^^Ti. which is when they show 

 the second leaves or when the first are level with the rim of the pots. We 

 know of no work devoted to forcing, but you will find much on the 

 subject in our pages of the past, and all that is needful is treated of in 

 " Thompson's Gardener's Assistant." As to meet special cases is in part 

 the object of oiu- labour, we shall be glad to assist you. Strawberries 

 will do fau-ly in the same house with anairj' and Hght situation near the 

 glass, but better in a house with a lower temperature, at least until the 

 fruit has set and begins to swell, liidney Beans should not have a less 

 temperature than from 55- to 60- at night," 50-" is enough for Strawberries 



uutU the fi'uit is set. 



