304 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 20, 1838. 



Grosse Miononne r. Rotal George Peaches (Lincoln). — A. Royal 

 George and a Grosse Mignonne of equal merit, health, tic, having over- 

 grown each other, so that you are under the necessity of removing one 

 of them, we advise you, as they are in a Peach-house, to retain the 

 Grosse Mipnmine, as there it will be less liable to mildew and other 

 defects thau the Iioyal George. 



Storing Medlars (Medlar),— The fruit should he left on the tree until 

 the end of October or beginning of November, or until the stalk parts 

 readily from the shoot, and when that is the case choose a dry day for 

 gathering and placing upon shelves iu the fruit-room. Do not place the 

 Medlars upon straw unless very clean and dry, as that is apt to cause 

 them to be mouldy and aequire a musty flavour. They are subject to 



moved to a depth of 1 ;j< ■ , nor on those parts where the hills have been 

 taken down, unless fresh soil be brought and the subsoil removed or dug 

 up aud exposed to frost, so as to become ameliorated. 



Belladonna Lilies KOT FuotShbhtg (E. M.). — Your treatment is alto- 

 gether wrong. They ought never to be placed in a cupboard, nor to be 

 potted so frequently. Keep them under-potted, and set on a shelf in the 

 greenhouse, keeping them iu the full sun all the year round, aud well 

 supplied with water up to the end of May; thou reduce the quantity, 

 but do not allow the soil to become dust dry at any time, and do not pot 

 them again until they have flowered. Afterwards let them raise them- 

 selves out of the pot before any more is done than rectifying the drain- 

 . , age. We fear your situation out of doors was not warm enough. They 

 the attacks of a fungus which first makes its appearance on the stalks t require a border in (front of a greenhouse or stove to do well in our 



and spreads over the fruit. To prevent this the stalks may be dipped in 

 a strong solution of salt. Careful supervision is necessary, any mouldy 

 fruits being removed when first seen, otherwise the fungus spreads 

 rapidly. Your fruit, we think, is attacked by fungus, and if so is unwhole- 

 some. 



Pruning Evergreens [Iflem\-zjW& know of no cheap work on tho 

 subject. You may avoid stumps by not cutting back too closely, and by 

 always cutting back to smaller or twiggy shoots. Allow some shoots to 

 remain longer than others, and cut tho strong shoots closer to their base 

 than the twiggy ones. Judgment is required in cutting trees so that 

 they may look well. Nothing is uglier than a " crop," or all the branches 

 cut to one length. Leave them feathery. 



Cranberry Culture (J. P. G.).— Tho Cranberry may be cultivated in 

 beds of peat or bog soil, and is best on the margin of a clear pond or 

 running stream. Dig out the ground so that the bottom of the bed 

 may be f> inches below the surface of the water. Place about 3 inches 

 of sandstone over it, and above that 9 inches of bog soil. The plants 

 may be planted about 9 feet apart, and then allow the water to run 

 iu. If you wish to grow the American Cranberry, which is larger and 

 better than the British species, you may make in a damp situation a 

 bed of bog soil 9 inches in depth, and 6 inches below the surrounding 

 ground when finished. The roots should be planted in spring when 

 danger from frost is past, or early in autumu, at 2 feet apart, and they I 

 quickly spread in all directions. The plants should never be allowed to 

 suffer from want of water. Their home is a hog or swamp. We do not 

 know where plants may be had. 



Raising Terns from Spores (IrZfmh — Half fill a pot or pan with 

 pieces of broken pots, and fill to the rim with peat two-thirds, and loam 

 one-third, aJding one-sixth of silver sand. Make the surface smooth 

 and firm, and give a good watering. Whilst wet scatter the powdt t or 

 Spores of the Fern over the surface; or, holding a frond with ripe 

 -p..re-e;i>es over the pot, rub the hand against the back or underside 

 of the frond, and the yellow or brown powder-like spores will settle 

 upon the surface of the soil. Gently pat the surface with the hand and 

 cover the pot with a bell-glass, its rim fitting exactly within the rim of 

 the pot and resting on the soil. Place the pot in a saucer, and fill the 

 latter with water, always keeping it full, and put all in a house with a 

 temperature of from GO' to 65% the house being shaded from bright sun, 

 or if not, a paper cap made to fit on the upper part of the glass, and put 

 on during blight sun, will answer every purpose of shade. The surface 

 of the soil must always be kept moist, and the glass should be kept on 

 closely until the soil becomes green ; then tilt the glass a little on one 

 side by night, and increase the amount of air by day and as the surface 

 becomes more green. Continue the bell-glass over the pot until the plants 

 have formed two or three fronds, and then gradually harden off aud pot 

 the seedlings when large enough to handle, keeping them moist and 

 carefully shaded. 



Sowing Annuals for Spring Bloom (E. F\— It is now too late to 

 sow them. To do well they should be sown iu September or early in 

 October. It would therefore be better to defer sowing until spring, and 

 then they will not flower nearly bo soon as if sown in autumn. Your 

 Tropaadum was too much crushed and faded to be identified. 



Bowling-green (An Old Sub.).— We advise dressing the bowling-green 

 in February to the depth of an inch with equal quantities of finely 

 sifted ashes and rotten manure. Allow the dressing to remain until 

 April, and then go over it with a rake, tilling up the small holes. On 

 a dry day, with an early prospect of rain, sow over it Cvnosurus cris- 

 tatus, 4 lbs. ; Festuca dnriuscula,41bs. ; Poa neruoralis, 2 lbs. ; Trifolium 

 minus, 4 lbs., and Lotus corniculatus, 1 lb., and roll well. Allow the 

 grass to grow until the beginning of May, then mow and roll twice 

 a-week. The, weight of seed named is for an acre. Towards the end of 

 May give a dressing of guano at the rate of 2 cwt. to the acre, applying 

 it during wet weather, and repeat it during the first showery weather in 

 July. Should worms be troublesome after rolling well on the previous 

 evening, in autumn during moist weather water the grass with lime 

 water, which will bring the worms to the surface, and they may then be 

 swept off. One peck of lime to thirty gallons of water is the right 

 strength. Put the lime iu a cask, pour the water in. stir well, allow the 

 liquid to stand for forty-eight hours, and uso the clear liquid only. It 

 may be applied with a rose watering-pot, give a good drenching, and, if 

 necessary, repeat the application. Bo careful to keep the grass well 

 rolled, and especially in autumn. 



Destroying Thrips (Chart?*). — Choose a calm evening and fill the 

 house with tobacco smoke, so that a plant cannot be seen from tho out- 

 side through the glass. Repeat this every alternate night for a week, 

 and smoke again whenever the pest is seen. Burning sulphur is so in- 

 jurious that it will kill Vines as well as all animal and vegetable life. 

 Tobacco smoke -will destroy the white and black thrips. Be sure to have 

 the foliage dry when the house is fumigated, and shut it up close, 



Mandevilla suaveoi.ens Culture (Edward Gray).— Keep the plant 

 in its present pot until March, and then repot it. The plant will not lose 

 its leaves. Give no more water than sufficient to maintain it in health, 

 and to prevent the leaves shrivelling. It will be all the better of a rest. 



Lawn Renovating- F. J. C). — You will overcome the moss and coarse- 

 ness of the grass by giving a good top-dressing of rich soil between the 

 present time and March, scratching the surface with a long-toothed iron 

 rake two or three times. Frequent mowing and rolling will do the rest. 

 The best and only way to level a lawn is to take down the hills and fill 

 Up the hollows, putting in stakes with their tops all on one level, and 

 filling up the ground or taking it down as required. Grass seeds will 

 not thrive in a poor subsoil, from which the surface soil had been re- 



cliinato, a mulching of leaves in winter, and the soil to be well drained. 



Propagating Pernettya mucronata (Idem). — It is propagated by 

 layers and cuttings, the former being successful. The seedlings raised 

 from its berries may not flower for another five years. You can only 

 accelerate that by frequent removal of the plants and propagation. 



Book (J?. Jenkins), — Loudon's "Villa Garden" might suit you. We have 

 a volume now printing on the same subject, and fully illustrated. We 

 have to apologise if we have not answered former queries ; please to 

 repeat them, for we do not remember them. (M. A. E.).— We know of 

 no botanical work devoted to alpine plants. 



Greenhouse for Wintering Plants (Xgnoramttafr— Pot a width of 

 81 feet we would have a two-feet walk in the centre, a stage of several 

 shelves against the back wall so as to rise within 1H inches or so of the 

 t |p, ind a flat et:ige or shelf in front. You may have about three venti- 

 I lators in the front wall, and front glass would scarcely be needed; and 

 two gpod ventilators, one at each end, just below the apex, would be 

 quite sufficient, so that you could have the roof fixed and no rafters. 

 P.; ilish plate would suit you, so would Hartley's rough plate, which would 

 require no shading. Either a brick Ai null's or a Hays's stove would suit 

 you. If the latter, have one with a flat top, so that you can set au iron 

 ijasin of water over it, and see "Doings of the Last Week" as to a small 

 pipe leading from it to the external atmosphere. 



Heating a Vinery (Birstwffli Lnd'jr).—\, Your two flow-pipes and a 

 return inside a perforated flue will give you about enough heat to com- 

 no iM-r forcing iu February, and fee one flow and return in the flue will 

 do iMi-the Late, house, in which the Vines may be allowed t° break naturally. 

 •J, The flue, Is inches wide, covered with perforated files to let heat up 

 from the return-pipes will do well in assisting Vines in pots placed on 

 th. 'in; but were v. v Building such" a flue along the hack of the house we 

 would prefer to have the tiles close, leave all our pipes exposed, and take 

 I from the turnace ;il'>ng the t\\\-\ and nut at a chimney at the 

 farther end. 3, On your plan, ye.-; 4, ditto ; arid 5, ditto; but we would 

 prefer the flue fop hot air from the furuaee, :md the return-pipe exposed. 



Various (.S*.). — Before you read this, irnbiMv, yui will have regretted 

 sending your discourteous letter. We are obliged to limit our replies. 

 Information as to the culture of one or two plants we readily give at a 

 time. 



GaRJDHN Tlan— Stove, &c. (Sf. U.).~- We have no doubt that Hays's 

 stove would suit your small house, especially with a gas-pipe leading 

 from it ; and in very severe weather you could either have an evaporating- 

 pan, or keep the floor near the stove damp. There is the advantage, that 

 for such a stove you can do all the work comfortably whatever the weather 

 may be. If your -^leenhouse part had a tiled floor a small flue beneath it 

 would also answer well; and considering the expense of the prepared 

 fuel for the stove we think it would be found more economical, but of 

 that we canuot be certain, never feaving worked tin stove. We approve of 

 the summer planting of your long circular border of 902 fret, but think it 

 would be improved by an gdgingnext the grass all round of Ccrastium or 

 yariedated Arabia, which would be useful both for winter and summer 

 plantmg. There are many ways in which such a border might be made 

 gay in raring and the ground well covered in winter; but the difficulty is 

 to dp it in any way, and urns, without previous preparation, "as reason- 

 ably as possible." Such a border could be filled entirely with herbaceous 

 plants, as different kinds of Daisies, Primroses, Polyanthus, blue, purple, 

 and yellow Cliveden Pansies, Anemones, especially the single scarlet, 

 ■ the yellow and orange Cheiranthus, and a number of colours of Wall- 

 I flowers for the back of the borders. With tho exception of the latter, 

 | which had better be sown every April in a border, and the Anemones, 

 which should be lifted when ripe and planted now, all the rest would 

 need to be taken up about the middle of May, planted, and divided be- 

 fore planting, in a reserve garden, and be planted again when the 

 bedding plants were removed. A very interebting border may be thus 

 formed: A row of Winter Aconite near the edging line, and behind ita line 

 of Snowdrops ; then, say, one-foot circles, with a foot between them of 

 the different coloured Crocuses and Primroses ; then a foot from these 

 other circles of dwarf Tulips, Pansies. Cheiranthus, and Polyanthus ; 

 behind these patches of taller Tulips, Narcissus, and Hyacinths, backed 

 by Wallflowers. The whole ground between these little circles might bo 

 carpeted with Cerastium, or with such annuals as pink and white Vir- 

 ginian Stock, white and pink Silcne pendula, and blue Xoniophila, sown 

 in a border in -Tulv, and lifted and transplanted as soon as the bedding 

 flowers were gone. Much might be done by sowing boxes of such annuals 

 in the groenhouse now, keeping them hardy after being established, and 

 planting them out in February or March. For early spring blooming 

 there are few annuals that will need hotbed aid. These are two out of 

 the many ways such a border may be managed, and both would yield 

 what you want— cut flowers; but both would be costly if no preparation 

 has been made, as by no mode of managing annuals sown now in a green- 

 house, or sown in a slight hotbed in February, aud hardened off, and 

 planted out about the middle to the end of March, will they bloom suffi- 

 ciently to be removed Defore bedding-out time, with the exception of 

 Virginian Stocks, Silenes, «fcc. The common Candytufts will bloom very 

 early if sown from July to August; and we have omitted to state that all 

 the sweet Violets would do well in such a border in spring. To make the 

 most of it there will be great labour in removing as well as in planting. 

 We think your combination of vinery, greenhouse, and fowl-house will do 

 very well, "and we think the size of the back runs will do. Your proposed 

 plan of setting the plants which stand over the place for fowls on inverted 

 saucers set inside of other saucers standing upright in the usual way, 

 were it not for the fowls' picking the covering of the wire fence that 

 separates the fowl part from the general gie -nhome, would improve it in 

 appearunce. 



