Decomber 12, 1865. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



489 



Namf.r of CnnYSANTHEMrMS (7*. L. MntfOK). — Sovoral of the labels woro 

 tU'ttichcd froHi tlie blooms when theso roiichcd us, find the flowers woro 

 HO fridod that it wiia qiiito iiiipossiblo to make out whut tlio colours of 

 8omo of tlicin weve. Thu nmnes of tlie vnrietios, so far iis we ciiu ninko 

 out, arc: — 1. Ili-Ii'iie; '2, Mrttbiino.Tncinin; 4, liUo PriiKuisso Marie; 0, siiiyle 

 flower; 7. Bert bile : !l. bijou it'IIortieulturo ; 1*2, Hob; lH, Aifilo il'Or; 

 15. MuHtupbii; H', Au^^uslc Mie; 18, (jt-urriil Cnnrobcrt; 2U, Aiuiee 

 Ferrii-re ; 21, like Duke. 



Gkramums and PKLAnooNitrMs DKriNHD (Gcrnnivm). — Botanists now 

 divide thu old k'cnus Geranium into three Konora, but nil the bedding 

 kinds are strictly Pebvrgoniums. The (oMowinK will serve briolly to 

 show the distinguishing chaructoristies. Pelargoniums arc eharacter- 

 ised by having usually seven stamens, and uuoiiual-si'/od petals; Ge- 

 r«niunis by having ten stamens, and equal-sized petals; uudKrodiums by 

 having live stamens. 



IJooK iJ. li. .S'.).— " The Vine Manual." It can bo had free by post from 

 our olHce for thirty-two postiige stamps. 



WiNTKitixi; LiLiUM LANCiFOLiUM (7'. H. J.). — Your pots of those 

 Liliuuis (rulirum and album), now in a frame, mfty bo safidy wintered 

 there if you plunge them to the rim in soil or coiil ashes, and cover the 

 pots with from 8 to (5 inches of dry abort litter. The soil being moist to 

 begin with, they will noed no water before March. You may if more coi - 

 venient set the pots on tlio floor of any house from which frost is ox- 

 eluded, keeping the soil pretty dry until ihe shoots anpcar. whi'u plenty 

 of moisture and a light airy situation uour the glass should bo given. 



MrsnuooMs in a CucuMnEB-ruAMK (/f(''jji).— ^lushrooms can ho grown 

 in an tirdinary frame or pit. You may mako tho bed of sliblc-dung and 

 leaves 18 inches thick as you propose, taking care to have tliese materials 

 moderately dry, and especially tlie loaves, using none but oak or beech, 

 and if thoy and the stablo-dung were mixed and thrown into a heap, they 

 would part with their ranknoss and much of their moisture if allowed to 

 heat ten days or a fortni;-;lit ; then form a bed as you propose. l''or three 

 weeks or n mouth before making tlie bed, the droppiiiL^s slunild be saved 

 daily, or shaken from tho litter.uud they will be none the worse of having 

 some of tho short straws in them. The droppings are to bo daily taken 

 care of, and hiid somewhere tJiinly, partly to dry and partly to prevent 

 thoir heating. When a sufficient quantity has been collected to cover the 

 proposed bed !J inches thick, make up the bed and place the droppings 

 upon it, beating firmly. The firmer, the more eertain will be success. 

 When the heat has risen, and if in ten days the tem])erature of the bed 

 is not more than 90^, the spawn should be inserted about iin inch below 

 the surface, earthing the bed then with \\ to 2 inches of light rich soil, 

 making it very firm. On the other hand, if the heat bo very violent defer 

 spawning until it declines to a nice but not burning heat, and after 

 spawning dufer putting on the ^oil for three or four days, when, if the 

 heat is still declining, earth tlie bed. You will require to keep the sides 

 of the pit b.-inked up with litter to keen out frost, and with the same 

 object to cover the lights sufliciently with mats and straw. In .six weeks 

 from spawning the bed. accordiugto the warmth of the pit, you may 

 expect to see Mushrooms. 



Trf.es Barxf.d by Hakes axd PvVBBits {A Man of /iTrn/!).— Make a 

 paint of lime mixed with gas liquor, and with this daub tho stems of the 

 trees with a brush so f:ir up as the animals can reach, or take lime and 

 gas tar in equal quantities, and fresh cowdung in quantity equal to both, 

 und apply to the stems of the trees with a brush. If you do not care for 

 .appearance the stem may also be coated witli a thick Hm.-wash. By the 

 above means hares and rabbits may be prevented from b.trkiug the trees, 

 but traps and gnus are the best remedies. 



Painting Vines— Digging-in Bedding Plants (F, S. C.).— We i.a? 

 equ il (juautilles of clay and sulphur, with sutficient water to make it of 

 the consistency of thick paint. Instead of a good it is a bad plan tn dig 

 in the steins of Geraniums, Ac., at this time, whether the beds are to re- 

 main empty or to be planted with border flowers in spring. The leaves 

 may be dug in with advantage, for they rot, as do the stems in time, but 

 these become food for vermin, and breed fungus in the soil. 



Lady Downe's Grapes not Keeping iCoytstant liraiUr). — From the 

 house being full of plants, and the roots in an outside border, the crack- 

 ing may be attributed to the wetness of the border, and the dampness of 

 the lunise, which is, probablv. deficiently ventilated. We have them very 

 fresh yet in such a house. The mouldhig of the hemes shows the house 

 to he damp. Keep a tire by day and give plenty of air, letting the fire go 

 out at night. 



Insect Df.stroying Fruit in the Bud (IV'in. Shirldji). — There is no 

 doubt about the in■^eet that shows itself in the middle of thj trusses of 

 the bloom of your Cherry, Pear, and Ajiple trees being a small eiiterj'iHar. 

 We recommend you to \viibh the trees with a mixture of sulphur 2 lbs., 

 soft soap, 2 lbs., mixieg them together in a gallon of warm water until 

 dissolved. Boil 1 lb. of the strongest tobacco for half an hour in three 

 gallons of water, then strain and add it to the otlicr ingredients, as well 

 as half a gill of tul^>t-n1i^e. This is to be applied to every part of the trees 

 with a lirush. If aliltle chiy were added so v.s to give it the consistency of 

 thin paint, the mixture would adhere mn^'h better and longer. Wlien the 

 tref s are untied the wall should be washed with soot and lime mixed with 

 suffleient boiling urine or liquid manure, which cannot be too strong, in 

 order to ^-ive it the consistency of Hmcwash. Apply this wash to the wall, 

 and what ^\ith the brushing and the nature of the ingredients miny 

 insects on the wall will be destroyed. When the buds begin to swell, 

 s\Tinge the trees with soapsuds, or, what is better. 2 ozs. soft soap dis- 

 solved in a gallon of water. Keep a shari> look out, and when you find / 

 tlie buds aiv eaten, examine the trusses, the inside of tho flowers, and 

 the under sidt s of the leaves, which are nil likely plact s for the insect to 

 Inrk ■n, and if it appear curled up squeeze it, and by beginnuig early 

 and persisting in this course you will be able to keep the enemy down. 

 When the blooming is over s\Tinge the trees with a soft-soap solution 

 (2 ozs. in a gallon of wateri, continuing this once a-wer'k till the Cherries 

 stone, and with the Pears and Apples up to July. Still keep your eye on 

 the leaves, and whenever a curled leaf i-< seen, inside it a small gi-ub may 

 be found, or if the leaves are eittn, tho grub that did it 'n-ill not be far 

 away, and may be found in a short time. The above is the only remedy 

 we know of. 



House Sewage {A Header).— When we said that house sewage would 

 injure fruit trees, it was in reply to a question whetherit could be applied 

 to them advantageously at this season. It should only be applied -(Inring 

 their growing period. 



Feiins Dying Off in Waudian Case (C. /I.).— From the Ferns growing 

 and Bending np fresh fronds which only grow a few inches and then die 

 off, we should say that they are all right at the root, and, besides, they do 

 well in cocoa-nut refuse, which is like mahogany sawdust, but they do 

 not do at all well in cocoa-nut fibre, which is lii^bt, bristly, wire-like stuff. 

 Perhaps if yon were to give a little air— say half an inch or so, tlie mois- 

 ture would not condense so much on the glass so as to require to bowipo«l 

 ofT every nioniiug, which shows that tho atmosphere is very damp, and 

 tho young fronds would nut go ofl'butdevelopo fully. We think a little air 

 would make all the •litrercnce. There is no work that wo know of giving 

 minute directions for tho management of a Wardian case. Suttlcient 

 directions for the culture of Ferns iu glass cases uro given in tho " Fem 

 Manual." 



Sa^.t and Limk (S. M. J.).— The best proportions for an acre are thirty 

 bushels of lime and fifteen bushels of salt mixed together. We should 

 bproad it on the surface by hand just before digging down the turf. 



Books for a Youno GAnDENER (7*. W. /f.).— The " Cottage Gardeners' 

 Dictionary," 5^. ; Keane's " In-door Gardening," l*. ijd. ; Keane's " ()ut-door 

 Gardening," 1^. G(i.; .Johnson's '* Science and Practi(;e of (iardening," S*. 

 X'ou can have them all free by post from our ofllcc if you add 2(L more to 

 each lor postage, except the last, which is '.h. Ad. 



Vines from Eyes — White Graves (A Subscriber). — Vines from eyes 

 arc much better than those raised from layers, becauso tho roots and 

 shoot are formed siuinllftneously. In the former case theslioot is formed 

 first and the roots afterwards, and the wood of the shoot is never of that 

 firm consistency and consequent early fruit-beuring character ns in cases 

 when the plant is raised from an eye. The following are ten of the lesf* 

 tender White Grapes that will do in your vinery. JCarly Siumer Fron- 

 tignan. White Frontiguan, Chassolas Vibert, Prolific Sweetwater, Royal 

 Muscadine, Chasselas Musque. Early White Malvasia, Foster's White 

 Seedhng, Due dc MalakotT, BueUland Sweetwater, Early Smyrna Frontig- 

 nan, and General della Marmora. 



Select Gooseberries and Currants (liaHinatloc). — Red. — Ironmon- 

 ger, Warrington, Keens' Seedling. Red Champagne, Wilmot's Early Tied, 

 and Scotch Nutmeg. Ye^imc— Early Sulphur, Gloiy of UatclilT, Rock- 

 wood, Rumbullion, Yellow Ball, andYellow Cliampagne. (rrrt-n.—Gteen 

 Gascoigue, Green Prolific, Green Walnut, Heart of Oak, Hebbum 

 Prolific, and Pitm;{ston Green Gage. U'/ii/r.— Bright Venus, Crystal, 

 Earlv White, Hedgehog, White Champagne, and Whitesmitli. Currants. 

 —Black.— TilActi Naples. iJct/.— Red Dutch, Chen-y, and Raby Castle. 

 V/hite. —White Dutch. 



Glazed South Wall {A Constant Reader). — If the wall with the sonth 

 aspect is high— say from 12 to 15 feet, the simplest plan would Imj to plant 

 the Peach trees against the wall, and from l:">to20 feet apart. Your path- 

 way then might be some S feet from the wall, and you could have a few 

 other things either in pots or planted out in front ; but not sufficiently 

 high to shade the wall. If you preferred a shady walk in summer, then 

 it would be best to plant the trees in front, and train to a trellis 15 inches 

 from tiie glass up to the apex of the roof ; but in this case you could 

 make little use of the back wall after the fruit trees filled their space. In 

 either case the fruit would ripen well without any artificial heat. If you 

 could make up your mind to give a little heat, then such a covered walk 

 might be made very attractive by planting the Peaches in front, as stated 

 above, and planting the back wall with Camellias and Oranges. These 

 would not find fault with extra heat, and a good de.al of shade in summer, 

 and they would be very attractive in winter and spring when tlie Peaches 

 were destitute of foliage. We have never doue anything this way our- 

 selves for want of an opportunity, but numbers of houses have been so 

 done on our advice, and have given great satisfaction. 



Ants — Peach Apricot Iln<j7fim-). — You could not pour boiling water 

 down by the wall without liilUng tho roots and stem of the tree if the 

 boiling water touched them. We advise you to sprinkle guano over tho 

 nest now, and ag lin in spring when tho ants are on the move, and to pour 

 a watcring-potful of liquid manure once a-wcek into the nest, heated to 

 l^O'^, up t'j the time of the fruit changing colour, when, if the nnts still 

 remain, a little sulphur sprinkled over the nest will drive the most of 

 them away. You may keep them from ascending the tree by a band of 

 gas tar an inch wide' along the bottom of the wall, and a similar ring 

 around the stem of the tree. The Peach, or Gros Peche, Apricot is one of 

 if not the finest of Apricots ; the Moorpark is a seedling from it. 



TEaiPERATURE OF StOVE— EVAPORATION-TROUGHS IN WiNTER (Dum- 



bnrtomhire). — The temperature of the stove from October to March may 

 be from 55^ to 60- by fire heat or by night, and G5- by day without sun, 75* 

 with sun and air freelv given, and ftir the remainder of the year it may 

 be from 60*- to 65" by night, TS*' by day on dull days, and 85- with sim and 

 air. In March the temperature is to be gi-adually increased until the re- 

 quisite degree shall bo attained, an increase of 2'- per week being suffi- 

 cient, and in autumn the decrease should be gradual. The evapor.iting- 

 troughs should be empty from October to March, unless you wish the 

 plants to grow instead of rest, when, of course, a growing heat will be de- 

 sirable, and they should have water in them. 



Pruning Roses (Tas7nania).—YonT Roses planted last November should 

 be pruned next February, or early in March during mild weather, the 

 strong shoots to five, the moderately strong to three, and the weak to two 

 eyes, cutting out the very weak, and those that cross each other quite 

 closely. The mulching of straw and leaves should have been removed in 

 spring, it being now time to replace it by fresh, allowing it to remain 

 until March, then removing it, and pointing tho groimd neatly over- 

 Roses that have been established for years should be pruned in February, 

 or Blarch, to. two or three eyes. 



Removing Figs (Idem).—'Remove all the Figs larger than a hnzcl nut 

 with the point of a shai-p knife. Those now of full size will not ripen 

 though they have begun to colour. 



Taxodium Bap.kless on One Side (J(icw).— You may remove the old 

 rotten wood, but if not decayed it would be better to leave it alone, and 

 to plaster tho wound or wood over with clay mixed and kneadt^d to the 

 consistencv of soft soap with fresh horse droppings rubbed thii r.u'h a 

 half-inch sieve, and fresh cowdung— «jf all three equal parts. Wi>rk them 

 to the consistency of soft puttv, or mortar, and with this plaster the 

 scar level with the bark. It should be made smooth, and be gone over 

 in three or four davs, closing the cracks. When it becomes old replace it 

 bv fresh, nnd you will find the bark grow over the dead wood each year 

 a'little, until in time the part is completely grown over. The colour of the 

 plastor is no eyesore. 



