348 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 24, 1865. 



When the growth is made lessen the snpply of water, and place in the 

 full snn. Keep moderately dry daring the winter, and it wUl assuredly 

 flower next year. 



Plague of Ants [Id^m). — You cannot ponr ammoniaeal liquor into, or 

 Spread pas tar about their haunts in-doors without damage to the plants. 

 Ab you are able to entice them with treacle, mix arsenic with it. and this. 

 if they come and eat it, will kill them. Be sure to keep it out of the reach 

 of fowls and domestic animals. 



Laurel Leaves for Destroying Insects {S.B.). — The common Laurel 

 leaves in winter and young shoots in summer are destructive to various 

 insects, such as green nnd brown aphis, thrips, red spider, and mealy bag. 

 A good barrowload of the shoots and leaves bruised between a mallet and 

 stone and put into a small house, will often make short work of every 

 insect in it. and leave a pleasant perfume behind, like a manufactory of 

 custards. We often find that burning such bruised materials, provided 

 the smoke that issues from them is cool, will kill green fly when the 

 tobacco smoke has failed to do so; but just like tobacco and pastils, it 

 will not always do so. As a wash from the syringe and garden engine, 

 we consider laurel water next to good tobacco water for efficacy, and 

 most of the stone-fruit trees like it as much as the insects dislike it. A 

 good barrowload of shoots bruised, put into a barrel — say eighteen 

 gallons, covered over with four gallons or sis gallons of boiling water, 

 left covered up all night, the bajrel filled up with common water in the 

 morning, the liquor poured through a sieve into the engine and used 

 directly, will generally do good. 



Yellow Persian Rose Cuttings Failing (John WalUi4^e).—Thc reason 

 of their not taking root was the want of a little bottom heat, and the 

 shoots being too mature when they were made into cuttings. They take 

 root more tardily than Hybrid Perjtetuals, but uot more so than Moss 

 Boses,and the reason of these rooting so tardily, is that the shoots or cut- 

 tings are not put in immediately after flowering, which is the proper 

 time. 



Steiklng Verbenas and Calceolarias {Tdem).~'We cannot undertake 

 to write articles on subjects that have been repeatedly treated of so 

 recently. Verbenas are best struck in pans with a little rough soil at the 

 bottom, about an inch of loam and leaf mould upon it, and then 2 inches 

 of silver sand ; or fill the pans one-third of their depth with loam and 

 leaf mould in equal parts, and then fill up to the rim Viith silver sand. 

 Take short-jointed growing, not flowering, shoots about 3 inches long, 

 and if they have a couple of joints to be inserted in the soil and a grow- 

 ing point they are the right kind. Cut them transversely below the 

 lowest joint, take off the lowest two pairs of leaves, and dibble them in 

 the pan l.J inch apart evei'y way. Water to settle the sand about the 

 cuttings, and stand the pans on ashes in a cold frame. Keep close and 

 shaded for a few days, and after the fourth day give about an inch of air 

 to prevent their damping ofT. In ten days or a fortnight they will have 

 struck; gradually harden off, and place the pans on boards in an open 

 situation until the end of September. Then take out the points of the 

 cuttings with the finger and thumb, and remove the pans to a sheltered 

 but open situation. In November remove to a cool house only just frost- 

 proof, place them near the glass, give air daily, and enough water to keep 

 them from flagging, but not a drop more. The cnttings are to be put in 

 about the third week in August for store plants. They may be put in 

 after that time, but must have bottom heat. In March the store pans, 

 if 12 inches in diameter, will each afford about 150 cuttings, which may 

 be inserted like the others, but must be placed in a little heat until 

 struck. A mild hotbed of 75 with a con*fspanding top heat will cause 

 them to strike in a week; harden, and then pot off, or prick them out in a I 

 frame. Another lot of cnttings may be taken from the store pans, and j 

 those recently struck will need stopping; the points taken out will make 

 excellent cnttings. If these are not sufficient another batch of cuttings ; 

 may be obtained from the store pans, but two from these and one from i 

 the spring-struck cuttings are nil we care about, preference being given ■ 

 to putting in more store cuttings than depending too much upon those 

 Btmck late in spring. Just now is the time for putting in Calceolaria 

 cnttings. We insert ours in a cold frame on the system recommended 

 by Mr. Fish, and which has never failed during a trial of several years. 

 The frame is placed facing the north, on a row of bricks level with the 

 surface, and if Calceolyria cuttings have been inserted in the same place, 

 the old soil is taken out 6 inches deep and replaced with 3 inches of good, 

 rather strong, turfy loam, well mixed with leaf mould in the proportion of 

 two-thirds loam to one of leaf mould. On this is laid 3 inches of pit 

 sand, and, after beating this a Httle with a spade to make it firm, the 

 cnttings are inserted lA inch apart every way. They are sUpped off from 

 the old plants and are slips instead of cuttings, being side shoots about 

 3 inches in length slipped off with a kind of heel. All the leaves below 

 the upper pair and growing point are removed, and any raggedness 

 at the lower end of the slip removed with a knife, and but very little 

 of that is needed. They are inserted up to the leaves, well watered, and all 

 the air possible is given, lights being only used to protect them from heavy 

 rains and frost. We do nut care about their rooting before Christmas, by 

 which time we mostly expect frost. From this they are protected by a 

 covering of straw over the lights, and they never receive light all the 

 time the uTound remains frozen hard. In mild weather they have all the 

 air possible. About the end of March, or early in April, they are planted 

 out in beds prepared as for Celery, and protected from frost by mats 

 spread over hoops. The points of the shoots are taken out soon after- 

 wards, and the plants are finally planted out with balls in their blooming 

 quarters. 



Vine Shoots Diseased {W. J. S.). — Your very unripe and weak Vine 

 shoots sent us have those appearances usual after a verj' severe attack of 

 thrips, and there seems to have been a little mildew also. If it were 

 mildew the shoots and branches would be covered with a Cine mealy 

 white powder. To kill it dust the parts affected with flowers of sulphur. 

 To destroy the thrips fill the house ^v-ith tobacco smoke two nights con- 

 eecntively, and every other night for a week, then keep a sharp look out, 

 and whenever a thrips is seen smoke again on two consecutive evenings. 

 The leaves, judging by the appearance of the wood, must almost all be 

 destroyed by the pest, and that with the wood little more than half ripe. 

 It is the worst case we have seen. We could have been more positive as 

 to the cause had you sent us a leaf. 



Cct Flowers of Zonale Geraniums ( W. W. B.). — We know of no 

 objection to their being employed in the formation of bouquets for ex- 

 hibition, but no Committee, we thini, would ofler prizes for them to be 

 exhibited alone as cut flowers. 



Forcing Strawberries and Vegetables (J, R. Eeader).~Yoxii plants 

 having sound well-ripened crowns may be placed in your house to force 

 in December, but fur better not until January. If you wish to force 

 them early they must not now be potted, and for eai-ly fuixing the pots 

 are not too small. They ought to have been potted in July, but it is now 

 too late to make up for lost time. They will fruit all the better in conse* 

 quence of the pots being full of roots. Beneath the shelves ur stages you 

 may force Rhubarb and Seakale, asthfty donot need light, and the Seakale 

 must be covered with pots to exclude the light in order to have it white. 

 Of Rhubarb — Mitchell's Albert, Crimsun Perfection, and Linna;us are 

 good sorts, and so are Victoria and Giant for bulk of produce. There are 

 no better forcing Potatoes than the Ash-leaf Kidney and Myatt's Prolific 

 Ash-leaf Kidney. Peas will not pay for their room under glass, and the 

 only kind for growing in pots or boxes is Tom Thumb or Beck's Gem. 

 Sangster's No i yields a far better crop, but will not do where the forcing 

 is great, for it needs room, and air day and night. Dwarf Kidney Beans 

 would do better, and pay at least ten times better than Peas, for they 

 will barely pay for the expense of seed. The temperature nill not be 

 high enough for Kidney Beans until the Strawben-ies have set their 

 bloom, after which it will be sufficient. 



Sowing Iresine Herbstu for Bedding next Vear (F. D. T., Jersey).— 

 Instead of sowing the seed now sow it in a gentle hotbed in the first week 

 of next March, and when the seedlings come up and the rough or first leaves 

 appear, prick the plants off an inch apart, still continuing them in the 

 frame. When they become strong gradually harden off and place them 

 in the greenhouse. Pot ofl' singly into small pots and grow on in the 

 greenhouse, planting out in May, by which time they wiU be nice plants. 

 Without a hotbed plants to bed out next year cannot be had. Plants 

 from cuttings would suit your purpose better, and they may be struck 

 as freely as Verbenas; besides we do not know where seed is to be 

 procured. 



Mrs. Pollock Geraniusi Cuttings F-uling (Wfim).— Without heat 

 Mrs. Pollock and others of the same family do not take root freely in 

 autumn. They strike fast enough in a httle heat in spring, and make 

 fine plants for planting out, if strong cuttings be taken. They may be 

 sti-uck freely during the summer without heat if not put in too late in the 

 season. 



Sowing Cerastium Biebersteini fJdfm).— The seeds should be sown 

 in March, but it is better raised fi-om cuttings and divisions of the roots 

 at that time. Obtain a plant, grow it a year, and you can have thousands 

 of plants by that time twelve months. It is not so good as C. tomento- 

 sum. for it is stronger, grows less freely, is whiter and more woolly in the 

 leaves, which are double the size of those of C. tomentosum, and we like 

 the latter better from the multiplicity of its silverv spray ; it is more 

 tractable, and can be cut into any shape or size. C. Biebersteini is, how- 

 ever, a very good silvery or white edging and ribbon plant, and we grow it 

 largely fur edgings, bands, and lines, and for whiteness, distinctness, and 

 having a less tendency to fiower it is superior to C. tomentnsum. Both 

 are good and may safely be grown and employed in one fluwer garden, 

 for they both have charms pecuHarly their own. 



Housing Chrvsan the mums (Idem).— Take them up before frost; they 

 wUl produce a fine effect in the greenhouse. Water with liquid manure 

 twice a-week until the flowers expand fully, then use water only. The 

 liquid from a stable will do well, diluted with water so as to make it the 

 colour of strong tea or beer. 



Mdsk for the Million iA Subscriber, Manchester). — Having the roots, 

 nothing is easier than to have Musk in quantity by the first week in 

 March. Pot them now in good turfy loam, light rather than heavy, with 

 one-third of leaf-mould. Fill the pots three parts of then- depth with 

 this compost, then put in the roots and cover with soU of the same kind. 

 Plunge the pots in coal ashes to the rim. In the second week in January 

 place them in a heated house (40'^ to 45" K and if a little buttom heat could 

 be given all the better. Increase the temperature to 50^ by the 1st of 

 February, aud 5' more in a week, keeping the house moist by sprinkhng 

 every surface momiug and evening, and give abundance of air. By 

 March Musk will be plentiful, and by introducing plants at intervals of a 

 fortnight a succession may be kept up until it grows in the open ground. 

 In March the seeds may be sown, say half a dozen in a M or 6-inch 

 pot; or a few scattered over the soil in the pot and just covered with 

 soil will soon come up in gentle heat, producing fine plants by July. 

 Seed may also be sown thickly in pans, and the young plants pricked off 

 into p»tts when large enough to handle. A large supply of plants may be 

 produced from a few ounces of seed sown in spring, the plants when large 

 enough to handle being iiricked off into pots, and these plunged to the 

 rim in coal ashes in the open ground after May. Due attention being 

 paid to watering, these plants will fill the pot3 with roots before autumn, 

 and be fit for forcing another year. Seed may likewise be sown in four-feet 

 beds in the open ground in tlie first week in May. just covering with light 

 soil, and shading so as to keep the soil uniformly moist until the plants 

 appear. If kept watered during dry weather the beds will in autumn be 

 full of roots, and these taken up and potted will be good for forcing in the 

 ensuing season. 



Books (A. r.).— The third edition of Dr. Hogg's " Fruit Manual " is in 

 the press. The other work which you name can only be picked up at the 

 old-book stalls. 



Evergreens for North Wall op House (Firm, Devon). — In your 

 wild locality Cratsegus pyracantha or Evergreen Thorn, and C. crenulata 

 will serve your pui-pose. 



Co^-ering a Vine Border in Winter (A Lady Gard.cncr).— Six inches 

 of eowdung placed upon the border would, from its keeping the border 

 very wet, tend very materially to destroy the roots of the Vines, at the 

 same time it would enrich the "soil by the'rain washing the nutriment out 

 of it. Shutters of wood would be the best covering, but as you object to 

 these, and do not require the Grapes before July or August, you may 

 cover the border with a foot of dry leaves, placing on them about 3 inches 

 of rather long litter to prevent the leaves blowing about, and removing 

 the whole in April or early in May. If the leaves are not procurable di-y 

 litter will be preferable to cowdimg. 



F.utiiiNG A SMALL Plot (Alpha). — You may very easily keep two cows 

 on your plot, but as you say you know nothing of farming we recommend 

 you to read " How to Farm Two Acres Pi-ofitably," If you send thirteen 

 postage stamps with your address, you can have it free by post from 

 our office. It will teach you how to manage your cows, crop your 

 land, &c. 



