October 2, 1866. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



265 



Ambroiso Verschaffelt, Rue du Cbanme, 50, Gbent, Belgium. 

 — Prix-Courant pour VAutomme, 186(> et Printsmps, lsf>7. 



Louis Van Houtto, Gbent, Belgium. — Catalogue of Flower 

 Roots, Azaleas, and Camellias— Catalogue d'Oignoru a Flews, 



Ihilbes d, .SVnvs et de Plein Air. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



•»• Wo request tbat no one will write privately to tbe depart- 

 mental writers of tbe "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, aud Country Gentleman." By so doing tbey 

 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 

 Stret t, London, E.C. 



We also request tbat 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. 



Boons [Constant Render, U. Norwood).— You can have the following 

 from our office free by post :— " The Garden Manual " for twenty postage 

 stamps, •' Window Gardening, by R. Fish." for ten postaae stamps, en- 

 closed with your address. (Lea rner). — Honfrcy's " Rudiments of Botany," 

 and Hogg's "Vegetable Kingdom," will suit you. 



Vise Leaves Crimsoned {Vine Leaf).— "The colour does not indicate 

 disease, but that the functions of the leaves are ceasing. The leaves of 

 Black Champion, Black St. Peter's, and some other Vines assume this 

 colour as they fade. 



Rose [B.).— There is a legion so nearly like the buds enclosed, that wo 

 cannot venture to name it. 



Insects on Fuchsia Leaves (S. If., Wiltshire).— They are destroyed 

 by thrips. As the contents of the whole house, Vines, 4c., are similarly 

 scourged, we would dust everything with a mixture of equal parts dowers 

 of sulphur and Scotch snuff. So soon as the leaves have fallen we would 

 remove and burn these, scrape the loose bark off from all the stems, and 

 paint them over with the same mixture made creamy with soft soap and 

 water. Next year prevent the occurrence of the pest by admitting more 

 air and keeping the air moist. There must have been great neglect of 

 these requisites. 



White Grapes at the Aberdeen Horticultural Show (.1. one, Aber- 

 deen). — No one can form a judgment entitled to any weight unless he 

 saw the Grapes. Condition, form of bunch, weight, flavour, &c, have to 

 be compared. 



Vineries (II. jr.).— Before referring to your present queries we would 

 direct attention to what was said by " H." at page ■£V\ ; but for covering 

 a width of 18 feet we do not think that you could do better than have a 

 hipped roof. Of the three elevations sent No. 2 will answer well, and so 

 will the mode of planting. In No. 1 we would have the drainage in the 

 middle of the house, and the concrete and rubble sloping to it from front 

 to back ; and then wo would plant in front as proposed, about 2 feet from 

 the front, and also along the back wall, the Vines taken up and trained 

 down beneath the span and rafter. This would leave the centre of the 

 house for any other purpose you might wish. Planting in the centre, as 

 in No. 2, would do very well, but we should prefer the above arrangement. 

 You cannot have a return-pipe at the back of the house on a higher level. 

 By the plan proposed you could have it on the same level as the pipes 

 in front; but either in that plau or in No. 2 you could more easily 

 have it close to the flow-pipes. The easiest plan would be to take the 

 flow, from the boiler underneath the doorway, let it rise abovegrouud 

 afterwards, and then take it into a socket wide enough for inserting your 

 flow-pipes, which at the farther end would go into another socket-pipe, 

 with an opening in one end for connecting the return-pipe. Thus your 

 flow-pipes would rise all the way to the extreme end, and your return- 

 pipe would do the same, and thus fall regularly as it returned to the 

 bottom of the boiler. You might with advantage distribute these pipes 

 more regularly over the width of the house ; but all the flows must be 

 connected with tbe main flow from the boiler, and join in one main pipe 

 at the farther end, to which the return-pipe must be attached. In your 

 case the return-pipe may be on tbe same level as the flows until it. 

 approaches the boiler. Now to the questions : 1st, Return, no higher 

 than the flow. 2nd, Ventilators correct. 3rd, Support the pipes at or 

 near the joints with small piers or holdfasts of iron rising from the con- 

 crete ; the former arc preferable. 4th, 3 or 4 feet apart, according as the 

 house is to he occupied solely with Vines, or with these and other plants 

 beneath them. 5th, Except the shelf or stage, not with Vines on the 

 back wall. With Vines in the middle of the house you could have Figs, 

 if the Vines on the roof were 4 feet apart. You might also plant in front, 

 and in the middle, and in both cases train upwards. 6th and 7th, 15 or 

 18 inches. 8th, Yes, if you plant in the middle of the house, and do not 

 let in plenty of light from the roof. 9th, Yes. 10th, Yes. but oue inch in 

 eight or ten" would be better. 11th, Drainage is essential, 12th, For tall 

 plants a shelf may be placed as proposed. For Strawberries a wide one 

 under the hip would he useful. Before the Vines cover the roof or come 

 into full leaf shelves may be suspended 18 inches from the glass. With 

 Vines against the back wall and in front there might be a low stage in the 

 centre. 18, Tank as proposed will do. Many prefer a cistern several 

 feet above tbe highest pipes, and placed near the boiler, with a pipe from 

 it to near the bottom of tbe boiler, kept constantly open ; but in this case 

 there must be small air-pipes at the highest end of the pipes. We must 

 never again have such a tissue of queries. 



Cucumber-house {A. R. L ). — For early Cucumbers you had better 

 have a bed on each side, and then you will require three times the 

 quantity of piping — that is, three pipes in each chamber, with the means 

 of letting the heat from the chamber into the atmosphere. The single 

 pipe in the other houses will do what you intend. 



Hardy Ferns (A Lover of Ferns), — Tho following would endure your 

 Lancashire winters : — Allosorus orlspuB (Mountain Parsley Fern) ; Athy- 

 rium Filix-fivinina (Lady Fern), and its varioties aputefonne, plumoBum, 

 and multifidum ; Asplenium viride (tlreon Splcenwortl ; A. trichomanea 

 (Black -ribbed Maiden-hair Spleenwort); A. adiantum-uigrum (Black 

 Maiden-hair Spleenwortl: A. ruta-inuraria (Rue-loavcd Spleenwort or 

 Wall Hue) ; Blechnum spicaut (common Hard Fern), and its varie- 

 ties ramosum, cristatum, and luneifolium ; Cystopteris fragilis (Brittle 

 Bladder Fern), and its variety dentate,; C. alpina (Alpine Bladder 

 Fern); C. montana (Mountain Bladder Fern) ; Polypodium vulgare (com- 

 limn Polypody); P. phegopteris (Mountain Polypody or Beech Fern); 

 P. dryopterie (Smooth Three-branched Polypody or Oak Fern); P. Ko- 

 bertianuin or oalcareum (Limestone Polypody) ; P. alpestre (Alpine Poly- 

 pody); Polystiehum aculeatum (common Prickly Shield Fern); P. angu- 

 lare* (Soft Prickly shield Fern), and its varieties proliferum, imbricatum, 



and polydaetylon ; I'teris aquilin: imniOQ Brake); Lastrea tbelypteria 



(Marsh Buckler Fern); L. montana or Oreopteris (Mountain Buckler 

 Fern); L. Filix-mas (Male Fern, or common Buckler Fern), and its va- 

 rieties paleacea or Borreri, erosa, Sohpneldii, and cristata ; L. rigidu; 

 L. cristata, and its varieties uliginoso, and spinulosa; L. dilatata ; 

 L. aunula; Scolopendrium vulgare (common Hart's-tonguo), and varie- 

 ties; Woodsia ilvensis ; Osmunds regalls; and Ophioglossum vulgatum 

 (common Adder's-tongue). The above are British, to which you may add 

 Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitivo Fern) ; Polystiehum proliferum, P. acros- 

 tichoides, P. pungens ; Pycnopteris Sieboldi ; Struthiopteris germanica, 

 S. peunsylvanica ; Woodwardia radicans ; Cyrtomium falcatum ; Ony- 

 chium japonicum ; Osmunda interrupta, O. cinuamomea, and O. spocta- 

 bilis; Asplenium angustifolium, and A. Halleri. 



Strawberries for Succession {Subscriber).— Black Prince, Sir J. Pax- 

 ton, Eclipse, Keens' Seedling, and Marguerite for early and second early ; 

 Comto de Zans, Rivers's Eliza, Wonderful, Dr. Hogg, Sir Charles Napier, 

 La Constante, Frogmore Late Pine, Bicton Pine, and Orange Chili for 

 medium and late varieties. 



Aspect for Figs {Idem).— To fruit successfully in our climate, Fig 

 trees require a south aspect aud protection. 



Trees for Shelter (Hon).— For a group of four it is necessary that 

 the trees be all the same, and they may be either Oak, Beech, Chestnut, 

 Elm, or Lime ; we should prefer tho last. 



White Dahlia (W. G. B.).— The white seedling Dahlia is a very pro- 

 mising one. If all the flowers it produces should bo equal to the first 

 which opened, it will be a first-class flower ; but it would be very indis- 

 creet to form an opinion from one flower, especially the first. It is usual 

 to send three. Name this seedling, and send three flowers to the Floral 

 Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society, and you will soon learn its 

 merits and value. 



Planting Beds for Spring-flowering (S. G. IT.).— In the middle of 

 the centre bed we would have a good plant of Cupressus Lawsoniana, a 

 band round it of white and blue Hyacinths alternately, another of red 

 Hyacinths, and an edging of Arabis lueida variegata. Two beds of the 

 eight suiTounding the centre bed we would plant with tree Box 18 inches 

 high as a centre, and edge with Suowdrop and Winter Aconite ; two with 

 Berberis Darwinii in the centre, using as an edging blue and white 

 Crocus alternately ; two with whito Pottehakker Tulips in the centre, 

 surrounded by a ring of scarlet Due Van Thol Tulips, and edged with 

 Scilla sibirica ; and two with some scarlet Tulip, such as scarlet Due Van 

 Thol or Vermilion Brilliant, a band of yellow and blue Crocuses round 

 these, and an edging of white and striped Crocuses. We would plant the 

 whole of these beds in match pairs, every bod corresponding in colour 

 with tbat on the opposite side. 



Strawberries on Vine-border (.1 Subscriber).— Ton may leave the 

 Strawberries on the border to fruit next year ; but we cannot say it will 

 not injure the Vines, as we think the Strawberries will impoverish the 

 soil, prevent the sun warming it, and exclude air; and you cannot protect 

 the roots from cold. Wo do not recommend anything to be grown on 

 Vino-borders. 



Italian Tuberoses {J. C. B.).— They may be grown the second year in 

 pots, and will do tolerably well, but not equal to the first season. Under 

 the usual treatment they beoome exhausted like Hyacinths, but they 

 may be grown without this taking place. If your bulbs are fine and firm 

 we should give them a trial. 



Asphodels (Hem) —These are for the most part evergreen, and do not 

 require a period of rest like Dahlias. If planted in an open and sunny 

 exposure in a dry, well-drained soil they usually take care of themselves. 

 As to their being worth growing, that depends on taste and on the kind. 

 Some are elegant and have pretty flowers. 



Heating by Hot Water (G. M.).— It does not matter, whether for 

 heating two houses you have one main flow-pip - from the boiler, and 

 then branch oil' bv a T joint or otherwise; and on the whole it is 

 as well that the return-pipes should be oue on each side of the boiler, 

 though that does not make much difference provided these returns enter 

 near the bottom of the boiler. We can conceive a close boiler and the 

 return-pipe in one house being higher than the flow-pipe in another 

 house, and without any prejudicial result. We cannot conceive how in 

 the same house tho return-pipe can be higher than the flow, though for 

 their position in the house thev may be evwtty on the same level, the 

 only difference being tbat one is connected wftn the top of the boiler, 

 and tbe other with the bottom. If the beat rises as freely by the pipe at 

 the bottom of the boiler as by the pipe at the top, it is a sure sign that 

 the boiler must be dangerouslv hot. Wc can conceive a pipe from the 

 top of a boiler going all round the house and rising as it goes until at its 

 highest as it approaches the boiler; but then there must be an air-pipe 

 or cistern, and a pipe dipping at once to the bottom of the boiler, lour 

 boiler would have been better if 6 inches longer. 



Gladioli at Crystal Palace.— "I suppose I must have in my report 

 written ' Messrs. Kelwav,' and cannot charge tho blunder on the printer; 

 but if I did it was a complete lapsus calami; for, as I said, I know that 

 the trophy was Mr. Prince's, and tho other collection Mr. kelway's, and 

 that both were awarded equal first prize-. I beg Mr- Prince's pardon for 

 misreading his notice, and for my carelessness in the matter.— D., Deal. 

 Grapes not Ripening (J. L., Ireland).— We do not know the "Euton 

 Muscat." In a cool house, as the Muscat ripens neither wood nor fruit 

 where the Hamburgh does, we would graft or inarch with Royal Mus- 

 cadine or Buckland Sweetwater if you wish for a white Grape. 



