February 27, 1866. ] 



jouenaij of horticultube and cottage gardener. 



163 



received, as the sucoeas of the undertaking depends npon se- 

 curing a certain number. Communications may be addressed 

 to Xlie Herbarium, Royal Gardens, Kew, W. 



CULTURE OF HOYA BELLA. 



Of the several species of this genus, mone is more worthy of 

 careful cultivation than the subject of the present notice. It 

 requires a free, porous soil, composed of loam and turfy peat, 

 the latter chopped up with the spade, or broken with the hand, 

 ■but not sifted, one-fourth leaf mould, and as much white or 

 silver sand as will give the whole a greyijh appearance. In this 

 compost the plant will grow luxuriantly, aud produce its lovely 

 wax-Uke flowers in profusion. The pot must be carefully and 

 efficiently drained, as a sour soU occasioned by an undue re- 

 tention of moisture is extremely detrimental to the plant ; bits 

 of broken bricks and lime rubbish form a superior drainage, 

 and if a handful of the latter is mixed up with the soil at the 

 time of potting all the better. 



During its season of active gi'owth the Hoya bella delights in 

 a moisture-laden atmosphere, and a temperature of 70', and 

 upwards; with plenty of moisture in the air, only a very 

 limited supply will be required at the roots, and hence the 

 moist atmosphere of the plant-stove or Orchid-house is that 

 most congenial to the habits of the plant. In a well-managed 

 vinery, however, the plant may be pretty successfully cultivated. 

 If grown in the stove or any other glass structui'e where a high, 

 moist temperature is steadily maintained, the plant should be 

 removed to a drier and somewhat cooler atmosphere — say, one 

 with a temperature of 65', when the flowers are on the eve of 

 expanding ; the blooming season will thus be very much pro- 

 longed, the high, moist temperature of the stove speedily 

 causing the flowers to drop off. 



In order to secure a proper ripening of the wood, a late 

 autunm growth should not be encouraged, but if the plant has 

 been kindly treated during summer, this important result will, 

 in general, have been pretty well accomplished by the time its 

 blooming season is over. In winter it should be accorded a dry 

 shelf pretty close to the glass, where the temperatui-e ranges 

 from .55' to 60°. 



When gi'own as a specimen pot plant it is not unfrequently 

 ■trained to a balloon- shaped wire treUis, and for certain pur- 

 ■poses it suits very well. It is also occasionally used to cover 

 the end wall of a stove ; but if we are desirous of showing flower 

 and leaf to the greatest advantage, it should be plunged in a 

 wicker basket of moss, and suspended from the roof of the stove 

 or vinery. It here assumes a semi-pendant habit, and has an 

 extremely graceful appearance. 



Almost the only mauagemeut which the plant requires, is to 

 pinch the points of the leading shoots or branches during the 

 growing season, so as to induce the production of laterals, and 

 thereby secure a bushy habit. If this pinching be duly at- 

 tended to, a severe knife-pruning will rarely be necessary. 

 Early in spring the plant should be top-dressed or repotted, as 

 may be necessary, and then be placed in moist heat and treated 

 as above directed. It is propagated from cuttings, which root 

 ireely iu moist heat. — J. Duijn. 



NOVELTY AND EXCELLENCE ARE NOT TTV^NS. 



Befoiie reading Mr. Eobson's remarks it had often occurred 

 to me that after all the novelties duly trumpeted forth year 

 after year, in reality little improvement had been made for say 

 the last ten years. Since reading the article above referred 

 to, it strikes me that it would prove interesting to many of 

 your readers were you to set up in your pages a kind of tribunal, 

 and bring before your court fruit, flowers, and vegetables. 

 Let them all give some account of themselves — what they have 

 been doing, or rather what has been done for them during the 

 period stated, taking evidence pro and con. In fact, let there 

 be a day of reckoning. After all, what is the use of going on 

 year after year, trade excepted, saying this or that is better 

 than so and so ? To my mind the proof of many things besides 

 the pudding lies in the eating. Give me in the way of Pears a 

 Jargonelle, in Apples a Cornish Gilhflower, and in Peas the 

 British Queen. Can any new kinds be advanced that will beat 

 them ? If so, the information wUl greatly oblige— An Old Bioot. 



[II our most inveterate enemy were permitted to afflict us in 

 any way he chose, he could not deviae a more effectual torment 

 ttat ts eompel n« to be judges oi each a tribuD»I »a jon sug- 



gest. We humbly decline accepting the appointment, and 

 transfer it to the Committees of the Royal Horticultural Society. 



Ton are worthy of your adopted name if you admire none 

 but the three specialities you have named. You cannot have 

 even a succession of them. 



Of Apples, just try the Kerry Pippin, Cox's Orange Pippin, 

 and Sam Young ; of Pears, Marie Louise, Winter Nelis, and 

 Williams's Bon Chretien ; of Peas, Advancer for an early crop. 

 Champion of England and Ne Plus Ultra for later crops ; and 

 then, instead of " An Old Bigot," we shall have you in our 

 pages as " A Y'oimg Convert."] 



SYRINGING ^^NES— INFECTED CLOTHES. 



The syringing of Vines is a subject respecting which muck 

 discussion has taken place, and it has even been considered 

 possible to modify, if not altogether discontinue its use as a 

 preventive of red spider in forcing vineries, and thus save 

 much valuable time. 



For several years I have been endeavouring to find a sub- 

 stitute for syringing, as I never observed that the Vines derived 

 any benefit from it. On the contrary, the results are often the 

 reverse of beneficial, from the fact that if air is not given early 

 next morning the sim is sure to burn or scald the tender leaves 

 of the Vines, by its action upon the water adhering to them. 



In houses of small dimensions, constructed without venti- 

 lators at frcnt and top, burning of the foliage will frequently 

 be your reward. 



Here, last season, we never used the syringe, and its discon- 

 tinuance was .attended with entire success. The Vines had nice 

 clean foliage, short-jointed wood, and were free from red spider. 



I think that by keeping the walls, flues, and floor constantly 

 damp, the necessaiy amount of moisture may be produced to 

 hold the red spider in check. 



Previously to commencing forcing, pruning being done, I 

 would have the Vines carefully painted with sulphur and 

 Gishurst compound, and the walls with lime, Gishurst com- 

 pound, aud siilphur ; the flues might also be washed. These 

 apjdications, repeated several times during the forcing season, 

 will be found effectual in preventing the attacks of red spider, 

 should the insect not be carried to the vinery from other 

 places. For instance, when the person iu charge has been 

 attending to Melon or Cucumber-pits, where the red spider fre- 

 quently aljounds, he may carry the insects on his clothes and 

 deposit them in other structures. I would suggest that such 

 introductions be prevented by having the clothes carefully 

 brushed before entering the vinery. I would also warn the 

 young gardener of the possibility of carrying mildew into the 

 vineries, which might he done if he went there after having 

 gathered Peas or other vegetables affected by that pest of the 

 garden, and if it be true that the same fungus appears on the 

 two plants. — James Keid. 



POT VINES ATTACKED BY THE VINE "\\^i:E^^Ii. 



I FORWARD for your inspection a one-year-old pot Vine which 

 has been attacked by what I suppose to be the Vine weevil. 

 I have hitherto been verj' successful in growing pot Vines, but 

 this year I find they will be a total failure through the ravages 

 of this pest. It is during the time they remain in the grub 

 state that they feeil upon the young roots of the Vine ; and as 

 the spring or forcing advances they assume the beetle state, 

 and come out of the pots by hundreds. 



Our Strawberry plants, too, have suffered very much from 

 the ravages of this insect, both those in the open quarters and 

 others potted for forcing ; it was by this means they were 

 taken into the foreing.houses. — J. E. 



[The bark on the specimen sent was entirely eaten off from 

 the roots of the Vine down to the wood, and from its stem, also, 

 as far as it was beneath the soil's siurface. The insect is the 

 well-known Otiorhynchus vastator, and if not carefully hunted 

 for and destroyed (as recommended in last week's answer to 

 " WiTsoxuN "), it will in a short time gnaw oft' every bud as 

 it appears on the stems. A sheet or white cloth should be 

 spread beneath the Vines, and the beetles hunted for at night 

 with a liglit. They will fall to the ground and feign death on 

 the slightest alarm. — W.] 



Mildness of thk Season. — The weather here (Welwya, 

 Herts), hsa been^o ei tremely mild as to induce some of our 



