188 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 4, 1866. 



ground, and s, run at top over which projected a light tin 

 lid, painted. The lower and upper rim were connected by 

 upright bars, and round these bara was stretched and fastened 

 Nottingham-lace netting. The lid threw aside the rains, the 

 small holes of the netting allowed air to enter freely, and a 

 good amount of subdued light, but kept out the smallest of our 

 winged insects, not to speak of birds and larger enemies. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



This has been one of the most troublesome seasons we have 

 known as respects lawn-keeping ; it has been mow or machine 

 continually. Some lawns have been allowed to become rather 

 rough. Even that most in sight would scarcely be presentable 

 if not gone over three times in a fortnight. At longer intervals 

 we have had to use the machine twice on the same ground, or 

 mow with the scythe, and in either case there was so much to 

 take away that we found delay, though it could not be helped 

 at times, was anything but an advantage. After these rains a 

 fine opportunity will be given for eradicating large Plantains 

 on lawns, weeding walks, and rolling walks and lawns, and 

 that rolling will help to keep worms longer from disfiguring 

 the surface of either. 



Worms seldom show in walks that have been dressed with 

 salt, but ours are already too smooth to put salt on them. 

 The roughest walk on the surface will ere long become smooth 

 enough if well Baited on the top. AValks at all smooth, if 

 salted, will retain moisture so much as to be almost impassable 

 in winter. But for these after-effects there is no plan so econo- 

 mical for keeping walks bright in summer as throwing a coat- 

 ing of salt over them on a sunny day, and when you may 

 expect some days of bright weather. There is only one way in 

 which we could use salt for smooth-surfaced walks, and that is 

 by covering the salt with a slight sprinkling of fine gravel from 

 which the mere dust was excluded. This, rolled in after wet, 

 would give a nice walk for the season, as the fresh material 

 would prevent all softening and lifting, and the salt beneath 

 would keep the weeds from growing. 



Went on regulating plants and houses ; potting Cinerarias, 

 Primulas, &c. ; cutting down Pelargoniums ; put in cuttings of 

 bedding stuff, much as detailed last week. Now is a good time 

 to top-dress Roses for forcing. Took up and and potted firmly 

 such shrnbs as coloured Ribes, Lilacs, Syringas, and Rhodo- 

 dendrons. These should be plunged in the ground in a sunny 

 spot, and the tops syringed or shaded for a short time to pre- 

 vent flagging. A little bottom heat in a bed, with the tops 

 fully exposed, helps to fill the pots with roots, and that is the 

 chief element of success. — R. F. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET— September 1. 



There has been a tolerably good supply of wall fruit during the past 

 week, with the exception of Green Gage 'Plums, which are now almost 

 over. Apples are plentiful ; and Pears consist of Beurre d'Amanlis, Louise 

 Bonne of Jersey (both from Jersey), Bon Chretien, and Jargonelle. 



d. s. 



0to3 

 4 



Apples J4 f-ieTo 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bush. 



Currants sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs looibs. 



Gooseberries . . quart 

 Grapes, Hothouse, .lb. 

 Lemons 100 6 10 



Melons each 2 



Nectarines doz. 4 



Oranges 100 1*2 



Peaches doz. 



Fear* ukssert) ..doz. 



kitchen doz. 



Pine Apples lb. 



Plums jj> sieve 



Quinces .... Ji sieve 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts bush. 



d. s. A 



6to5 



8 



20 



12 



3 





 5 











9 







8 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes each 



Asparagus bundle 



Beans, Broad. . bushel 



Kidney . . \ sieve 



Beet, Red doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



BruB. Sprouts J£ sieve 



Cabbage dnz. 



Capsicums loo 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Cucumbers each 



pickling .... doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Gurlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish . . bundle 



8. d. B. 



2 too 

 6 8 

 5 

 2 3 

 2 3 



1 







2 







4 











4 











3 







3 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce per score 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustd.& Cress, punnet 

 Onions. . doz. bunches 



Parsley ^ sieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas per quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes . . doz. hands 



Rhubnrb bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes. . . . per doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable Marrows dz. 



s. d. s. 



3 toO 



1 



6 2 



2 



6 







9 1 



9 1 



2 4 



3 

 6 

 4 

 

 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Charles Turner, Royal Nurseries, Slough. — Catalogue of 

 Bulbous Flower Roots and Tulips. 



R. Parker, Exotic Nursery, Tooting, S. — Catalogue of Stove, 

 Greenhouse, and Hardy Plants, Fruit Trees, Hyacinths, d'c. 



Sutton & Sons, Reading. — Catalogue of Bulbous Flower 

 Roots, Geraniums, Fuchsias, and other Plants, Fruit Trees, d'c. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



•t* 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, d~c, 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.G. 



"Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary" (E. S. F.).— It is true that the 

 name of " G. V.*. Johnson " appears on the title page, but he is not re- 

 sponsible for any edition beyond the earliest. The copyright belongs to 

 the publisher, and over it Mr. Johnson has no control ; he regrets, as you 

 do, that "the old edition of 1852 is as good and as far advanced as that 

 of 1865." 



Labour Required for a Garden {A Header).— You will require a gar- 

 dener and a young man or active labourer to keep in good order a con- 

 servatory 24 feet by 22, two vineries 18 feet by 18, Peach-house 31 feet by 

 14, stove 22 feet by 9, frame 3U feet by 8, kitchen garden 32 yards square 

 and flower garden 40 yards square, which last takes three thousand bed- 

 dng plants annually, all propagated. 



Improving a Lawn Treated with Coal Ashes (.4 Subscriber from the 

 Beginning). — Unlr,ss a lawn was hopelessly overgrown with moss we 

 would not recommend coal ashes for it ; but as you say they are in the 

 way, it would be better to scratch them up with a garden rake and sweep 

 them off. Then sift a little fine mould, and mix it with proper grass and 

 Clover seeds, say one part seeds to ten or twenty of soil, and sow this 

 over the ground. After sowing roll the seed in, and if birds are likely to 

 pick them out sow some soot over all. There is no better time than 

 the present for sowing grass seeds, and most likely your lawn will be 

 much improved by this simple process. 



Thin-ended Cucumbers (A. U. L.).— The thin ends of your Cucumbers 

 are not caused by your mode of heating. We think that the Cucumbers 

 wanted more water or more rich top -dressings. Why not have planted 

 them in the bed instead of in the boxes ? The boxes would do well 

 enough, only you must give richer soil and top-dress frequently. We 

 presume you have means for letting up the heat iuto the atmosphere of 

 the house from the flue. You might make a tank at the side of the flue 

 or over it. For your other pit we think a small tank covered with slate 

 would be the cheapest, with reversed turf laid on the Blate before you 

 place your soil on : or, better still, place 4 inches of rubble on the slate 

 below the turf. We are sure, however, you may succeed with your flue. 

 Make the trough 2 feet wide, and 6 inches deep. 



Heating a Vinery (J. B.). — The two four-inch pipes along the front of 

 a house 190, by 14, by 7i feet, will keep it safe, but it will not help you to 

 force the Vines much. We have tried most boilers, and if well set and 

 well managed we do not think there is much difference in them as to 

 total results. In such a large house, 190 feet lon£, there is not much 

 gained by having the boiler inside, unless you shut it off from the house. 

 Tubular and cylindrical boilers are best fed at the top, though they can be 

 fed from below the same as a saddle boiler. Take care that the top of 

 your boiler is lower than the lowest pipe in the house. Wo cannot say 

 what would be the price of a tubular boiler to suit you ; but in case you 

 should want more heat we would recommend a cast-iron cylinder boiler 

 28 inches in height and 22 or 23 inches in diameter, which will cost about 

 £6 10i!. ; or a cast-iron saddle-back, SO inches long, 24 inches wide, and 

 22 inches high, which will cost about £1 less. Good piping will cost 

 about Ss. 6W. per yard. You could place the boiler at one end as you pro- 

 pose, but we would prefer having it in the middle and a glass partition, 

 so that you could have three pipes in one half, and heat it independent 

 of the other. 



Riddell's Boiler {A. B.). — We have no doubt Riddell's boiler will suit 

 you, and so would a small cast-iron saddle-back for about £2 10*. We 

 would make tho small Vino-border inside, plant there, and make a border 

 outside at our leisure. Your proposed piping of one four-inch pipe 

 round a house 14 feet by 8, will keep up a heat of fr©m 40" to 45- in all 

 except the most severe weather. 



Heating a Small Pit {Ardent Lover of Flower*).— Your single flue will 

 be sufficient for your purpose, but then you must make a fresh chimney 

 at the end of the pit. Even then you should have openings to let the 

 heat up into the house. This, as far as we recollect, was alluded to 

 in the last volume, and is very easily done. 



Fuchsia Flower-buds Dropping (Ii. H. S.).— What is puzzling is, 

 that Camellias bloom so well, and Fuchsia blooms drop. Are you sure 

 the plants are damp enough ? Before we altered the glass we would 

 daub it all over with thin whiting, made of whiting and milk, and see 

 what that would effect. Put it on outside during a bright day. That 

 will help to let you know if the dark-fluted glass occasions tho mischief. 

 Grapes in Muslin Bags (F. O.).— Your gardener is quite right in 

 putting muslin bags over the bunches of ripe Grapes. It prevents wasps 

 and flies injuring the berries. 



Comtf. de Zyans Strawberry.— "I beg to state that Comte de Zyans 



Strawberry can be had true to name from Mrs. Nicholson, Eaglescliffe, 



Yarm t widow of the late Mr. J. W. Nicholson), and I can fully corroborate 



all that Mr. Laurenson has said in its praise. — Robert Donktn." 



Names of Flowers (Poor Man). — The petals of the Geraniums had all 



1 fallen off, but if they had remained on no judgment could ha*e been 



j formed of tb<»m from such scraps. The Calceolarias seem both alike, and 



' of the commonest yellow variety, Aurea floribunda. 



