JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. c'anuary 2». I9«i. 



W*im FOtt Wall* *md Fp.uit Trees (C. C. E.).-Ume water i« made 

 bv pUclnK U IM. of fresh limo in ■ ho(rshe«d ^nd poarinn in 40 gallons 

 of wMeT. stirriiitf woll UP: au.l. nfter nUndinj? for (ortyeklit hoar*. Iho 

 cIcAf li.iuiJ drawn niT i^ lim- wat.T. Wo havo not n^icd thf- f..r destroyinB 

 \niecu l)Ut wo find It Ih.- Wsl o( all ««.-nt-* for ctoarhi« a lawn of wormH. 

 Wo httvo no faith In lis W-inR a^od to kill the o«tfrt of insects and wo do 

 not recommend it a. a w-i^h for walU. Wo recommend all wall8 to be 

 waahiHl with frenh limo and soot in oqaal parts, broaK'ht t.» the conslw- 

 tcncvof whitowasb bv tbo additloa of enouK'h boilinR unne or Btronff 

 li.jnid manuro. Applythoraixturo bot-tho hotter the bottor. t«lhoT* j 

 and brush it woll into ovorv crevico. and if it do not kill the cRffs it wtll 

 •ml tboni ap for over ; 4 or.-t. of soft soap and H oz-<. of suit, dissolved in 

 A iralloQ of water and applied hot to the wall, form an excL-lleut wash, and 

 will kill mns< and the otfrts of most inxect^. The elHcacy of these and 

 other remedies in a Rreat monsare depend-t on the composition being 

 thorouk'hiv bru-^hed in. The trees may also be washed with the latter 

 Bolnlion applied hot. and with a brush, and well rubbed into the 

 croTioei. being careful of the buds. It should not bo applied hotter 

 than 1(H) . For winter dressing fruit trees, 8 ozs. of Gishttrat compoand 

 shonld bo dissolved in a gallon of soft water. 



MvTiiEWs's Eliza Pear— Melon Marrow (A L-idy Snhncriber). — 

 Mathews's Eliza Pear is the same as (irooui's Princess Koyal, rich and 

 sng.irv. and in season from January to March. The jam made from the 

 Melon Vegetable Marrow is jnstlike that from the Apricot. The seed has 

 been advertised in the pages of this Joarnal. 



Rhododendhon and Camellia Leaves Spotted (Wfm).— The leaves 

 sent have the appearance of having bein;; wetted frequently, as if by 

 water dripping from the roof, and their pa)o colour arises from want of 

 light, growth being mide at this dull season. Keep the foliage dry, and 

 water the plants whenever thev require raoistnre, and not oftcner. You 

 will know when to water by the dryness of the soU. Then give a good 

 watering. The cause of the leaves browning and becoming spotted may 

 be due to the plants being watered onco-a-week and all at the same time ; 

 and, each receiving the same Quantity of water, some must have more 

 than thev re.|uire. whilst others have the soil too dry. On examining *he 

 Camellia loaf we have come to the conclusion that the drainage of the 

 pots is not so perfect as it ought to bo. That, combined with "the buds 

 not being fonnod perfectly through a deficiency of heat in the preceding 

 Bommer, wUl be sufficient to account for the buds falling. This evil 

 mainly arises from deficient root-action. 



LESoniEKiNa a Greenhouse (af*in<:'tr*((*r).— The plan No. 2 with the 

 hipped roof would be the most snitable for gaining the objects you have 

 in view. The junction of the sashes or sash-bars would be best done 

 against a ridge-board ; and if the house is 30 feet long two iron pillars or 

 rods would suDport it more thoroughly. 



HEMLOCK IN A Grass-co^'ERED ORCHARD (A Worct'sterakire Lo^i/).— TVe 

 fear there is but little hope of eradicating this pest while you continue to 

 allow the grass to grow for hay. If you could pasture it for one season, 

 and cut off the foliage of the' Hemlock frequently as soon as it shows 

 above ground, it is likely that you would succeed in destroying it. We 

 have ourselves a similar "case to yours. Apiece of ground has been In 

 hay for some years, and being under trees the crop is not an important 

 one, especially as the Hemlock seems to increase rather than diminish, 

 it being only cut when the hay crop is, and that more for appearance 

 than use. Cutting off the tops' an inch or so below the surface with a 

 thistle-spud is a good practice; and if this be followed up during April, 

 May, and .Tune the Hemlock will be much weakened, and hut few plants 

 of it will be left for another year, and these would succumb to a similar 

 course of treatment. 



Weeping Pine (J. G.).—\ Weeping Pine would be an acquisition, and 

 there is a probability that the seed in your possession, from Finland, if 

 fresh, would produce one. Sow it in about a month heuce in sandy 

 turfy loam, in pots, and place the pots in a cool frame. 



Planting a Vinery {F. Jrtm«).— We generally approve of the proposed 

 planting of the vinerj-, but we think your planting at back will be thick, 

 and would recommend not more than five in the first house, and ten in 

 the second. In the early house, in^^tead of three 5Iuscats, we would 

 have ono Dutch Sweetwater and one Buckland Sweetwater, or Royal 

 Muscadine, for the early ripening, or as you have Hambnrghs in front, 

 you may have fewer Hamlmrghs at back. In the larger or later house wo 

 would not plant four Golden Hamburghs. not because the Gi"ape is not a 

 good one, but it is a little uncertain, and should be cut when ripe. One or 

 two Vines of it would be enough. Wo would substitute for it and the variety 



not named, Muscat .-f Alexandria, Hownod Muscat, and Mu-^cat Ham- 

 burgh. Iii-4i'ad nf having two Iturl.ar'-si Vines, which are also a little 

 uncertain, <.ne white Gr.ipe. either Calabrian Raisin or Trobbiano. would 

 make a g.x>d companion. Those throe and Lady Downo's roquiro a good 

 heat in autumn to ripen them before winl«r. Tho plan propos.'d will 

 do well. 



Grapes Shanking (A. C. S.).— You do not say whether your Vines arc 

 planted inside or outside. Wo think it is vory likely that lighter cr tpping 

 will prevent the shanking, but not altogether if the roots are very doop 

 If so. lifting would be the best remedy ; but as you w^nt to make sure of 

 a crop whiNt effecting an improvement, trv what a lighter crop an 1 more 

 (ire heat will do. The strength and vigour of the wood seem to denote 

 want of ripeness. We would try the plan you suggest, planting against the 

 back wall, and training down the glass, and allowing the Vinos in front to 

 go on until those at back becarao strong; and to assist them in doing 

 this you must let them have a good portion of light. Then when you re- 

 place your present Vines, wo would advise you to plant Inside; but to have 

 the inside bor ler, however uarrow. higher by a few inches than tho out- 

 side one. Our Vines, to our sorrow, are all planted outside and brought 

 in through the wall, but it is not a good plan. Be sure- of drainage, tkc 

 least stagnant water will cause the Black Frontignan to shank. 



Frcit TitEEfi IN Pots iA. Y. Z.).—\onr pit or houses m»telon at 

 p. 529 of No. 248), being 9 feet in width, your four-fcot bod in front wobll 

 do well for Melons, with two four-inch pipes below the bod and two for 

 top heat, as recommended at page 529; but if you wished to grow Cucum- 

 bers in that bed in winter, it wuuld be advisable to have three pipes for 

 top heat instead of two, or if vou grew anything that required a 

 great heat in winter. Now to the first inquir>-, as to what fruit trees in 

 pots you could grow in a second bod, 2 feet wide, at the back of this house, 

 with no bottom heat, and 4 feet from the top of the bed to the glass, wc 

 would reply that you would succeed with no hardy fruit trees if placed at 

 once in a temperature that would suit Melons; nor would the fruit, if 

 obtained, be of much value if you allowed the glass t*> be pretty well 

 covered with the branches and leaves of the Jlelons. If, however, you 

 started Peaches, Vines, or Figs In some other places, or in the same place, 

 but beginning below 50 . and raising the temperature gradually to 60 , so 

 as to have Peaches set. Vines showing their bunches, and Figs their fruit, 

 before these plants had a temperature of from 60 to 65 at night, and 

 from 7i> to 85 or more with air in sunny days, then the fruit trees would 

 do in the same temperature as would suit the Melons ; and the flavour of 

 the fruit would be fjiir just in proportion as there was an open spare of 

 glass over them, and the sun would also shine through the openings 

 between the leaves of the Melons. If you are fond of Figs, perhaps they 

 would be best in such a position. A dozen pots might_ be placed in 

 such a border. Peaches would require great attention to air-giving. We 

 need not allude to tropical fruit, but the Passiflora quadrangularis w^iuld 

 do well against such a wall, and the Melon-like fruit would swell well if 

 care were taken to fecundate the flowers artificially. It would often be 

 well to keep such a house as you describe as a propagating-honse and 

 Melon-house alone. Supposing you to sow now, propagating could go on 

 with the heat that would suit the young Melons, and a dozen of plants or 

 so could cither be grown in large pots, or at first only half < 'f the bed might 

 be given to them, the re^t being kept for propagating ; and when the plants 

 were struck they could be set on the back bed to be slightly hardened off. 

 Then if you sowed in April, tho Melon plants, say a dozen, could be planted 

 in the back border, which would be warm enough in May and June 

 without bottom heat, and these could be trained down the glass by the 

 time the first crop was ripening and going off. Sow again in the beginning 

 of June, and you could have a late crop in the bed with the advantage of 

 bottom heat. Such a narrow back bed would also be useful for Ferns and 

 low flowering plants that liked heat. As to the second inquiry, we would 

 be satisfied with the clean gravel above the clinkers for bottom heat, and 

 5 inches from the pipes will be quite enough. We would place no cocoa- 

 nut fibre between the gravel and the soil, as the fresher it is and tho drier 

 it becomes the more \vill it act as a non-conductor, and keep the heat 

 from rising into the soil. As you have placed brickbats and clinkers 

 around the pipes in an open manner, it is necessan.- that you should have 

 pipes, say drain-tiles, an inch or 2 inches In diameter, not only for pnur- 

 ing down water, but also allowing air to enter ; for if tho air round the 

 pipes were thoroughly confined the heat would not be transmitted by it 

 any more than by dry cocoa-nut fibre. 



Names of Fruits.— (£. C.).— Glon Morcean. (T. L.).— Ne Plus Moans. 



Names op Plants (,V. D.).— 1, Doodia caudata ; 2, Aspleninm lanceo- 

 latum. 



METEOROLOGIC^VL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of London for the Week ending January 20th. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



CROOKS IMPROVED IXCUBATOR. 

 The accompanying engraving is a representation of Messrs. 

 Crooks' improved incubator, which, though not differing ma- 



terially in principle and form from the older apparatus, never- 

 theless presents some important modifications. To show m>rc 

 clearly what these are it will be necessary to describe briefly the 

 original apparatus. The size known as No. 2 was calculated to 

 hatch 60 hens' eggs, or 84 Pheasants' eggs, was 22 inches high, 

 1.5 inches wide, and 11 inches from front to back. The trays 

 of perforated zinc, lined with blanket, were enclosed each in a 



