July 2f, 1806. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



71 



a better fortune next year. Some fine Thorns aro now looking 

 rather luxuriant after being despoiled by birds in a similar 

 way ; but it will require a year or two before they aro loaded 

 with blossom as they used to be. 



On the open wall the shoots of Apricots and reaches havo 

 been thinned and laid in to the wall, as perfect blossom next 

 year depends to a great extent on the wood being well ripened 

 and indurated this season. We have known Fig treei grow- 

 ing somewhat naturally against a wall — allowed pretty well to 

 hang as they grew — ripen excellent fruit ; and, in fact, Mr. 

 Tillyard, late of Bentley Priory, was the only one that for 

 sufficient reasons used to succeed by this mode, and better than 

 by a closer mode of training ; but in our climate generally, 

 noither Apricots nor Peaches will succeed by this rough natural 

 rnodo of growth out of doors. Beneath glass it is different. _ 



In orchard-houses went over the pits and walls, still thinning 

 fruit, nipping off laterals, and giving water and top-dressing as 

 required. A little soot thrown over the ground before watering 

 helps the plants, and keeps a little ammonia in the atmo- 

 sphore some time afterwards. For a similar purpose, threw 

 somo soot, also some superphosphate, over vinery borders, to 

 be washed in by the rains, and if this weather continue will 

 water with manure water. Superphosphate wo have proved to 

 be best for present action. Ground or split bones about 1 inch 

 in size we think the best for continuous action, and if these are 

 placed beneath the surface, and kept moderately moist, they 

 will dissolve and give out their properties gradually, and be 

 moro lasting. 



Watered trees or rather bushes in Fig-pit, which have borne 

 splendidly. What a pity the Fig is such a bad carrier. The 

 lover of Figs ought to be near his Fig tree. A late employer 

 could manage a little basket of Figs comfortably. We never 

 could manage more than one at a time, and with long intervals 

 between the times, and then we would not have cared for the 

 one, unless it was soft all over, cracked in from three or six 

 places, and the rich juice oozing out of the cracks like so many 

 rich honeydrops. Now will any one tell us how to send such 

 a luscious Fig from thirty to forty miles? For ourselves, 

 we have packed them when they showed one crack or a little 

 more, with the conviction that they would only have one merit 

 instead of the half dozen. We have been told that they im- 

 proved on the journey when so gathered, and so they might ; 

 but still the conviction on our mind is strong, that if you wish 

 to eat Figs worthy of the name, and as luscious as they can be 

 had in Italy, or even out of doors in Devonshire, then we would 

 say, Live near your Fig tree. We know of no mode of sending 

 them to a distance in their truly luscious state, except by hand. 

 The railway porter is no respecter of niceties, and a thundering 

 crash from the van makes something like jelly of the ripe Fig. 

 Those that will pack and carry in the usual way, are too unripe 

 to let people know what a good Fig is. For ourselves, like 

 Vegetable Marrows, we could not eat them more than once or 

 twice in a season. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



Here we may say that we continued the fresh-arranging of 

 houses, as in last week's notices, proceeded with potting, and 

 were obliged to water Calceolarias in the flower garden, which 

 were beginning to feel the effects of the hot sun ; but as yet 

 not more than a dozen plants have succumbed out of thou- 

 sands. In addition to mowing, edging, etc., did much to loosen 

 the surface of all the beds, as far as we could. — R. F. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET— July 21. 



The markets continue to bo heavily supplied, and there is very little 

 alteration in the description of goods usually met with at this time of 

 year. Continental supplies are more limited as regards vegetables, but 

 compriso an abundance of Plums, Ac. 



Apples % sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bush. 



Currants sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs 100 lbs. 



Gooseberries . . quart 

 Grapos, Hothouse, .lb. 

 Lemons 100 



6 10 



s. d. s. i 



Melons each 2 



Nectarines doz. 4 



Oranges 100 S 



Peaches doz. 10 



Pears (dessert) .. doz. 



kitchen doz. 



Pino Apples lb. 



























Plums '. J j sieve 





 S 6 



Quinces !^ sieve 



Raspberries lb. 



o 

 S 



Strawberries lb. B 



VKOETA1ILKS. 



Artichokes each 



Asparagus .... bundle 

 Beans, Broad., bushel 



Kidney .. Jjj Bieve 



Beet, Rod doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Brus. Sprouts ^ sieve 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums 100 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Cucumbers each 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



ITerbs bunch 



Horseradish . . bundle 



B. d. 



2 toO 



B 





 3 

 2 



1 O 







1 

 

 4 



2 

 2 

 4 

 

 2 



8 



1 



s 



2 6 



H 







4 



8 

 1 

 



6 



» 

 

 



II 















4 



Look* hunch 



Lettuce per scoro 



M ushrooms .... pottle 

 ^1 i M . < , . i, punnet 

 Onions. . doz. bunehos 



Parsley }j sieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas per quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes .. doz. hands 



Rhubarb bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kalo basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinaeh bushel 



Tomatoes. . . . per doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable Marrows dz. 



s. d. s. d 

 3 toO 







3 

 2 



4 

 2 

 S 

 9 



2 6 



3 

 6 

 4 

 

 



Walnuts bush. 14 20 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



»«» We request that no one will write privately to the depart- 

 mental writers of the "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, dx., 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.C. 



American Blight (B. Burton).- If bv " American bug" you mean the 

 American blight, which appears like little tnfts of cotton on the stems 

 and branches of Apple trees, the most effectual applications are spirit of 

 turpentine, applied to each tuft bv moans of a brush ; or a mixture of 

 1 oz. by measure of sulphuric acid, anil a pint of water, applied by a 

 pieco of sponge tied to the end of a stick. Either application must be 

 repeated until the insects no longer appear. 



Glass Houses (Brook). — For seven postage stamps you can have free 

 by post from our office, "Greenhouses." It contains what you inquire 

 for. There is no such book about flowers as you inquire for. 



Ghubs on Peak-tree Leaves {A Subscriber).— They are slimy grubs, 

 being the larvaj of the Pear Saw-fly, Selandria vethiops. You can destroy 

 them by dusting the powder of freshly-slaked lime over the leaves. 



Fossil Flora (Y.).— Wo cannot afford space for the discussion of 

 geological theories. 



Insects {A Constant Subscriber).— Vfcs found a few common greenhouse 

 thrips, and a flat-scale insect on the leaves of your Vines and Fuchsias. 

 {T. V. H.).— The flowers of your Fancy Pelargoniums are bitten by one of 

 the species of leaf-cutter bees (Megachile ligniseca), for the purpose of 

 forming the lining to their cylindrical nests. We know of no way of 

 getting rid of them except by catching them individually in a fly-net or 

 forceps. — W. 



Verbena Seedlings in Pots {P..).— We think that there is plenty of 

 time for the seedlings to flower this summer if they are nice little plants 

 now, and you would be better able to judge of their merits than if they 

 flowered in pots, and inferior ones could bo discarded. Even if any 

 should not flower, cuttings from them could be taken in September to 

 keep over winter. On the other hand, however, we would keep seedling 

 Fuchsias in pots, as they are generally wanted to flower in these. 



Seedling Geranium (R.).— Your specimen was so much withered up 

 that we could not make anything "1 it. It is not by any means an 

 easy matter to name a few existiug known kinds that would be re- 

 garded as the cream of their section, but we havo again consulted Mr. 

 Robson, and he gives the following as being good with him:— White, 

 Madame Vaucher and Snow-flake ; Blush, Fram;ois Desbois and Maiden s 

 Blush • Pink, Christine and Helen Lindsay ; Salmon Rose, old Rubens is 

 still good, as also Cm-ulea; Scarlet, Crystal Palace, Punch, Tom Thumb, 

 and Stella are good ; Bo.ie, Paul L'Abbe; Dark Crimson or Purple, Im- 

 perial Crimson, Pink Pearl, and Magenta. The last-named section is 

 that to which Mr. Robson advises raisers of seedlings to turn their atten- 

 tion, as offering a new field for experiment. 



Twelve Roses for Pot Culture (It. H. A.).— President, Marechai 

 Kiel, Gloire de Dijon, Madame Bravy, Celine Forestier, and Eugene 

 Desgaches, which are Tea-scented ; Rushton Radclyffe, Pierro Notting, 

 Charles Lefebvre, John Hopper, Empereur de Maroe, and Jules Mar- 

 gottin, Hybrid Perpetuals. Your best plan of retarding them until 

 August will be to keep them in a north asrect, and not to pruno until 

 the end of March, or defer it as long as possible. You will still further 

 retard them bv covering them during bright weather only with an awn- 

 ing of tiffany or some slight shading material. 



Prolonging Lobelia Blooming {C. It. H.).-Thc Lobelia will continue 

 in good bloom up to November. All the good you can do >s to give it 

 copious waterings during dry weather. The circumstance of its being a 

 seedling is in favour of its continuing in bloom till frost occurs. 



Self-colout.ed Carnations (Idem).— In reply to your query, " Is it 

 correct to call a Carnation of one colour, as pink, yellow, white, and 

 crimson, a Carnation or a Pink?" we answer that though florists object 

 to their being called Carnations, such arc more Carnations than I'inKS. 

 Florists admit none as Carnations unless tbey come under the divisions 

 of Scarlet Bizarres, Crimson Bizarres, Pink and Purple bizarres, and 

 Purple. Scarlet, or Rose Flakes. Your yellow Carnations are yellow 

 ground" Picotees, and the others would rank as Carnations but not as 

 florists' flowers. They are, like the Clove Carnation, very good for borders 

 and to furnish cut blooms. 



Polyanthus Seed Sowing {Idem).— It is now too late to sow Polyan- 

 thus seed to furnish plants for a spring garden, as the plants wW not 

 bloom soon enough. Seed, however, may still be sown for other pmposes. 



