July 31, 1868. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



91 



joint, with a cleaner baso in general than any the sharpest 

 knife could give it. These are at once inserted in sandy soil 

 under a hand-light, shaded at first from tho sun. Sometimos a 

 little film may bo left at the baso of the cutting thus made, 

 which may be removed with a sharp knife, but that will sel- 

 dom be necessary. This mode has also the advantage of not 

 spoiling much the appearance of tho old plants, nor yet of in- 

 juring them much for dense flowering in tho following season. 

 Tho young plants struck now will produce tho best flowers next 

 season, but not in quantity like older ones. 



Cinerarias. — Pricked off and potted off seedlings, and turned 

 out a lot of plants done flowering after cutting them down, in 

 order to obtain strong rooted suckers from them by-and-by. 

 Theso will far surpass for blooming and health old plants 

 grown on by any mode. 



Calceolarias. — Now is a good time for sowing herbaceous 

 and semi-herbaceous kinds for next season's blooming. The 

 best mode is as follows : — Select a cool, shady place, either 

 under hand-lights or a frame. Tako six-inch pots, drain well, 

 and fill to within 1} inch of the rim with rough loamy soil 

 having sand in it, then have half an inch of finer sandy matter 

 containing a little leaf mould or peat ; water well, and let the 

 pots stand for twenty-four hours, then level the surface, and 

 scatter the fine seeds evenly over it. Cover with just a sprink- 

 ling of silver sand, and press again. Set the pots in their 

 place, but thinly, and cover each with a square of glass, and 

 keep the cinders or ashes, &c, on which the pots are set, damp. 

 This will be better than watering the pots, as the first watering 

 will generally give moisture enough to bring the seedlings up, 

 and then it is better to sail or dip the pots when dryish than 

 to water overhead. As the seedlings appear the squares of 

 glass should be raised on one side, and ultimately removed, 

 and ere long the little things will want pricking off. 



Flower-beds. — Much against our will we were forced to water 

 most of these, and especially the Calceolarias, as they were 

 heavy with bloom. We tried to make the hoe and surface- 

 stirring do instead of the watering-pot, and they did wonders ; 

 but a few Calceolarias showed signs of distress, and we thought 

 it prudent to water. Scarlet Geraniums stood well. On Tues- 

 day morning we had a heavy drizzling dew, which may end, 

 despite the stationary condition of the barometer, in a heavy 

 rain, which would now be acceptable to many things, though 

 it might retard late haymaking. The day after watering we 

 went over most of the beds with the hoe, where access could 

 be obtained, to leave the surface rough again, alike to keep in 

 mouture and to allow it to penetrate into the ground without 

 running off, if it did come to us from the heavens. This is 

 especially necessary in raised beds and borders. This watering 

 may be a small matter where nothing more is required than 

 fixing a hose to a supply-pipe, but it is a great labour where 

 water is scarce, and where all that is used must be carted, 

 wheeled, or carried. Much time and labour are often lost in 

 gardens from the size of gates and doors preventing the access 

 of carts, water-barrows, &c, and even where water could be 

 brought, from the false economy of not conveying it in pipes 

 where most wanted. Where water must be carried, the labour 

 is vastly increased. 



Placed Pelargoniums done flowering full in the sun, and will 

 give little water that the wood may be well hardened before 

 cutting them down. Fresh arranged verandahs and conserva- 

 tory. Potted Primulas, Geraniums, Balsams, &c, and attended 

 to plants much as described in previous weeks' notices. — R. F. 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokoa each 



Asparagus .... bundlo 

 Roans, Broad. . bushel 



Kidnoy . . hi Biove 



Beet, Kod doz. 



Broccoli bundlo 



Brus. Sprouts % siove 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums 100 



Carrots buuch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Cucumbers each 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish . . bundle 



8. d. 



2t 





 5 

 2 



a o 



1 o 







1 

 

 4 



I) 





 4 

 

 



Looks bunch 



Lettuce per score 



Knehroomfl pottle 



Mustd.& Cress, punnet 

 OniouH. . doz. bonohes 



Parsley '- sieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas per quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidnoy do. 



Radishes . . doz. bands 



Rhubarb bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinaeh bushel 



Tomatoes. . . . per doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable Marrows dz. 



8. d. a. d 



3 toO 



H 



2 



4 



2 



9 



9 



2 



» 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— July 28. 



Ai>L descriptions of small fruit, such as Currants, Gooseberries, &c, 

 are very plentiful now, and the fine weather has been most favourable for 

 bringing them to market. Foreign produce is also abundant, and eagerly 

 sought for to furnish our northern and midland markets. Good sound 

 Potatoes are in sufficient quantity for all buyers. 



Apples % sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bush. 



Currants sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lOOlbs. 



Gooseberries . . quart 

 Grapes, Hothouse, .lb. 

 Lemons 100 



s. d. s. d I s. d. s. 4 



2 0to3 ! Melons each 2 6 to 5 



2 

 6 

 

 5 



Nectarines doz. 4 



Oranges 100 12 20 



Peaches doz. 10 15 



Pears (dessert) . . doz. 1 



kitchen doz. 



Pino Apples lb. .3 



Plains ' j si, ve 



Quinces .... % sieve 



Raspberries lb. II li 



Strawberries lb. 



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, die, 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, B.C. 



We also request that correspondents will not mix up on the 

 same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them an- 

 swered promptly and conveniently, but write them on 

 separate communications. Also never to send more than 

 two or three questions at once 



N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 



Melon Seeds Sprouting (Allan Water).— The seeds in a Melon long 

 ripe, taken from it, and nob dried, would readily germinate during this 

 hot weather. Peas will germinate whilst in the pod. 



Fifty Cut Roses (J. Ereant, juii.; One of the Committee, dc.).— This 

 question needs no further discussion. "Fifty cut Iioses," accepted as 

 the wording is always accepted among gardeuers, means fifty Roses in 

 bloom, and the collection having fifty-one in bloom ought not to have had 

 the prize. It would not have been " hard" to disqualify it, any more 

 than it is hard to disqualify anything exhibited that does not strictly 

 conform to the terms of the exhibition schedule. The schedule in the 

 present instance defines "a truss" (not quite accurately), adding, "any 

 addition, even of a leaf, will disqualify." Tho same strictness should be 

 fallowed throughout the schedule. 



Learning Gardening (A Constant Reader).— Tay a premium to the 

 head gardener, and, when you have been with him the stipulated time, 

 obtain employment in a nursery for a year or two. 



Millet (A. IK.).— It is ground and made into puddings. Apply to a 

 wholesale seedsman. 



Pelargonium and Geranium (J. P. Lambie).— You ask, " What is the 

 difference 1 " and we could only reply fully by giving lengthy botanical 

 distinctions. The genus Geranium has been divided into three genera, 

 Goranium, Pelargonium, and Erodium ; but Geranium is such an old-es- 

 tablished name, that every one is liable to apply it indiscriminately to 

 Geraniums and Pelargoniums. They all belong to the natural order 

 Geraniacese. Pelargonium is characterised by having usually seven 

 stamens, and unequal-sized petals; Geranium, having ten stamens, and 

 equal-sized petals ; and Erodium, having five fertile anthers usually. 



Various (Buoy).— We do not see anything better in your Tropa?olom 

 than several others in cultivation. Gardenia florida might grow and 

 flower in a cool vinery, but would grow much better if kept in moderate 

 heat during the winter and spring months, after which it would flower 

 freely in a cool vinery. We have not used sea water, nor should we ad- 

 vise it to be used. A liberal dressing of salt on the surface of the As- 

 paragus-bed in the spring is the usual mode of applying salt. No. 1 of 

 the wild flowers is Hyoscyamus niger, Henbane. No. 2 we do not recog- 

 nise, and should feel greatly obliged if you would send us some fresh 

 specimens with more foliage, we would then give you the name. No. 3, 

 seedling fronds of Osmunda regalis, or Royal Fern. 



Jasmine (A. H. of B.).— Yonr specimen is of the Spanish or Catalonian 

 Jasmine (Jasminum grandiflorum). Although a native of the East 

 Indies, it has long been naturalised in Spain, where it grows in the open 

 gardens unprotected and is in bloom nearly throughout the year. It 

 abounds in Valencia, Murcin, and Catalonia. In Portugal it is called the 

 Italian Jasmine. The perfume sold as essence or oil of Jasmine is pre- 

 pared from its flowers. Against a wall in your garden at Beckenham it 

 is not surprising that it thrives, (ii. J. G.).— No. 1 is the common Jas- 

 mine (Jasminum oflicinale). No. 2 the Catalonian Jasmine noticed above. 

 Can an Apple Graft be Longer-lived than its Parent Tree?— 

 (A. H. of B.).— We think it can. Grafting upon a young and vigorous stock 

 may impart to the scion a supply of sap more abundant than could bo 

 supplied by the parent stem. We do not say that grafting can perpetuate 

 the existence of a variety of the Apple, but it may continue to iin igorato 

 a scion so long as the organs of that scion are able to elaborate a larger 

 supply of sap. 



Trttonia aueea Leaves Eaten [J. C. Beale).— The leaves sen) 

 eaten bv some insect, which is the cause of thi I -Jite stripes. 



What in i I . ve have no spi en, n bleto say. 



