170 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GABDENER. ( Fcbruarr «7, 18M. 



Mistletoe (J. Fcrnrick).—Tho borrlofl aro ripo In Deroraber. Febraary 

 and March arc tbo best tnontbs for sowing the seoda. They snccood best 

 OQ the Applo trco. Vour best chance for obtalnini; eeod would bo to 

 apply to Rome one in Herefordshire, or Devonshire, the orchard districlK. 



CoiAiSixr. CrLTivxTi'-'N (A Oardfnfr) .—The journal you mention mnst 

 not bo tmnnferrcd to our columnn. We will tako an V-iirly opportunity 

 t« publish some information on tbo other subjects yon mention. 



Market GAROENiNn (C/i/if^r).— Thero is no doubt that " first-clnHS 

 iroit will sell well in London at the rijfht time," but you mtmt ro to 

 Covenl Garden Market nnd arronfio n-ith soutc of the fmitorcrs there ft>r 

 its sale. If you could find a market for your produce near home, you 

 wonld avoid risks and carriage expenses. 



IiEAS-To Glazed House (P.).— For your hoaso. 45 feet bv 12. ft saddle- 

 back boiler costing from £3 10a. to £A wonld suit you, and from two to 

 four rows of four-inch pipes, accordiug as you merely wished to keep out 

 froEt, or to force moderately, or early. 



Angle op Vinery Roor (E. C. I>i/JK?n).— Forpeneral purposea. and as 

 combining most advantages, the roof at an angle of 45 would be best, 

 then the height of the back wall above the front wall-pIatc would be the 

 £ame as the width of the bouse. Such a house will do for Grapes at 

 all seasons. Sir .loseph Paiton's plan answers verj' well if the venti- 

 lators between the sashes are in two or three pieces instead of one. 



GnowTNo Mealy Potatoes.— Will " W. Ross, Jlrrefurdfhirc," be good 

 wiouph to infonn mo wbt-n, and how, the manures named by liim at page 

 128, are to be applied ? The ground on which I might try them has, some 

 of it, been manured. In naming " nittn>'e" gardens, does he nicitn vege- 

 table or kitchen gardens. Also, the cost of the mnnure per acre, nnd does 

 it retain its properties for more than one season ?— R. G. H. " In reply 

 to*G. P.,' I do not give much importance to the fact of how tbo alkali 

 is applied, pro\ided a sufficient quantity bo within the reach of the plant. 

 If sown broadcast more is required, and the alltalies being very soluble, 

 in a wet season they wonld soon be carried beyond the reach of the 

 plants. Impressed with these views, I have used as much dung as avail- 

 able, and then when planting ordered a handful of the mixture (the 

 alkalies named, with guano or superj'bosphate), to be placed between 

 each set. The last two dry seasons I have found the alkalies, Ac, not all 

 dissolved when the Potatoes were raised, but enough to insure mealy 

 Potatoes. Our stock of Flukes being nearly used up, I ordered that tbo 

 Skerry Blue should be conked. It is r.itber a coarse, round, deep-eyed 

 Potato, bnt upon the tal'le. two dr.ys ago, the Potatoes were as mealy, 

 white, nnd fine as any Hibernian conld desire — I should sav. perhaps, 

 vegetarian, for I have for nearly twenty years avoided the use' of flesh as 

 an article of diet, and of all vegetables the Potato is my irroatest friend : 

 therefore, I have made it my study how to grow hf:nUhv. fine, mealy 

 Potatoes. That I have succeeded is proved by the fact, that if I have 

 .qny to sell the dealer near will give a much higher price for my Potatoes 

 than for those of any one else ; and in the dry autumn of 1864. my cart, 

 loaded with fine Dalinahoys. was run after as a striking sight bv iieople 

 who were taking up Potatoes not much larger than boys' marbles. To 

 save further trouble, I may state that the alkalies at the pricesnamed have 

 been sujiphcd to mo by William Hunt & Sons, Lea Brook Alkali Works, 

 Wednesbun-, StaffordBhirc.— W. Ross." 



Plants Infested with Insects (S. E. B.).— Neither on the Ageratum 

 nor Geranium le.ives is there any trace of insects beyond the ofter-cffects 

 of red spider on the former, and of thrips and red" spider on the latter. 

 The air of the house must be exceedingly dry and hot, and much too 

 close. Give air daily in mild weather, and employ no fire beat except to 

 keep out frost. A good syringing or two daily for a fortnight will make I 

 the Afferatums all right. Fill the house with tobacco smoke on two con- i 

 secutive evenings, and syringe the plants in the morning. Be careful to 

 "have the foliage dry before fumigating the house. 



CiNERAniAs FOR BEDDING OuT {/;. .S'. »('.).— Tho seod, sown in the end 

 of January in a ffrecnhonsc. may grow. It wonld have been better placed 

 in a hotbed. ^NTien the rough leaves appear the seedlings should be 

 pricked off an inch apart into pans, and when they fill these, pot them 

 off into 48, or 4i-inch. pots, aadwheu established in these harden off, and 

 finally plant out in beds of good rich soil early in June. If kept well 

 supplied with water, and the surface mulched with an inch of rich com- 

 post in the beginning of July, they will, aa we have proved, flower in 

 autumn. 



Pij-NiiNG [H. J. Jacfe«on).— The nurseryman you name we consider 

 quite trubtwortby. 



Flueless Stove {Z)a;.-(/onian).— There is no stove without a flue that 

 can be used in a greenhouse without injuring the plants. 



RiCTN us— Ferdinand A emin ess— Yucca oloriosa— Wigandia caraca- 

 SANA Seed Sowing (Zfia).~l!\iC> seed of all should now be sown in pots, 

 oc pans, well drained, and three-parts filled with a compost of turfy loam 

 two-thirds and leaf mould one third, with a free admixture of sand. Sow 

 the seeds thinly, and cover with a thickness of soil equal to their 

 diameter. Give a gentle watering, and place tho pots in a hotbed of 70 , 

 and maintain an atmospheric temperature of from 60" to 6ii' by night. 

 Keep the soil constantly moist but not w.-t. and when the plants appeor 

 admit air and keep near the glass to prevent tlieir being drawn up. When 

 sufficiently large to handle, pot them off singly in small i>ots and grow on 

 in :the hotbed, shifting them as they require it, and ftnallv harden off 

 and remove to the greenhouse. The Ricinus will be of suflicient strength 

 by the end of May to plant out in sheltered situations in the flower 

 gftrden : but wo question whether the others will be sufficiently strong to 

 plant out in tho first year. Thev should l)e continued in the greenhouse 

 nntil they are so, and planted out from May to October. 



CUTTiNG-iN Indiak-rcdber Trees {H. .S.).— You niav cntback the trees 

 as far as you like and they will shoot ag.-un, and now is a good time. We 

 have cut tbein back ond found no difficulty in reppect of their bleeding. 

 We do not know what w ill prevent their doing so. 



Wire Xetting to ExcLrnE Rarbits {W, -V.'G.).— Netting 24 inches 

 high is sufficient to keep rabbits from gardens so far as height is con- 

 cerned, but they soon find or make a wav under it. We have some 

 netting 2 feet 6 inches high, aad olso somo'2 feet, and tho rabbits never 

 jump over either height. The main point is to fix the wire so low that 

 an inch or two may be covered with soil, for they soon scratch a wav for 

 themselves when the wire is a httlo abovo the surface; but when it is 

 below this they try to make a way beneath the petting, but flading the 

 «'ii« they give up the attempt. 



Books {A. M. T.).— If yon send twenty postage stampR and yoor address 

 to our office, and order Keane's "Indoor Gardening" yon will have it 

 Hint free by post. It details the work to be done in tiie groenhouso OACh 

 wei-k in tho year. 



Weeds on Oravel Walk <F. H. L.).— The best plan wonJd bo to havo 

 the walks turned next month, picking them up and turning tho surface 

 dou-u as deep as tho gravel will allow ; from 4 t-» fi inches is a good doptfa. 

 A good salting would destroy the weeds; but if this were done in April 

 they would re-nppear by autumn, if not sooner. The chief cauno of weeds 

 a|ipi-aring on walks is these becomiuK covered with soil on tho snrfacc. 

 Walks Hhould bo turned at least every other year, and IbU will do moro 

 towards keeping them clean than continaally disturbing tbo surface 

 with a Dutch hoe, and much hand-wcedingia saved. P'or further remarks 

 on the destruction of weeds we refer joa to what was said at page 151, in 

 answer to another correspondent. 



Ipom.»:a Leaiui Pruning (J. TIai/Icvl.— The new Hhoots would start 

 much more strongly if tho old were cut down to within two or three eyes 

 of the old wood or stem. Yonr plant having three or four stems, wo 

 should cut back two of these to two or three eyes, and reduce tho others 

 by one-third of their length. 



Geskkkas Potting (Idem).— Tho tubers, potted in March after hftTinf^ 

 had a rest, would flower in September. We have them now finely in 

 bloom, and as wo wish to have them in bloom earlier next year, we shall 

 withhold water aUogether,and this you may do withoutinjuiing the roots. 

 They will now be formed. The single-flowering Hihuscus mostcommonly 

 mot with is Hihuscus rosa-sinensis. 



Hedahoma TULiPiFETirM CcLTURE f Jf. .Y. U.).— Yours being a young 

 plant it should be potted early in April, using a compost of three ptirts of 

 sandy peat or heath mould, and tibry loam and silver sand each one part. 

 Provide good drainage, and do not give a large shift. Water carefully for 

 some time after potting, giving a sprinkling of water through a fine 

 syringe on sunny afternoons. Stop the shoots if the plant grow ntraggling, 

 bnt not after .June if it is to bloom in tho following year. After May it 

 would do better in a cold pit. tilting the lights back and front, and sboold 

 bo removed to the greenhouse in good time~sny about the end of Sep- 

 tember, placing it near the front lights nnd not far from tho glass, at all 

 events with no creepers between it and the jrlass. It likes air, but as 

 with all or most New Holland plants, cold frosty currents are prejudicial 

 to it ; and, therefore, in frosty weather it should be given at the back of 

 the house. If your plant is old and showing flower, do not p<it it nntil tho 

 bloom is over, after which it should be kept rather dry and cool for a 

 fortnight, then cut it back pretty closely, leaving, however, enough of 

 last year's shoots for new growths. Keep rather close, and when it has 

 made new shoots a couple of inches long, pot it. picking away any old 

 soil, but without injuring the fibres, and nff>rding efficient drainage. 

 Do not give a large shift, and pot with the neck of the pbint rather high. 

 After potting keep close and shaded until the roots are working in the 

 fresh soil, then gradually remove the shade and give more air. Slight 

 shade may be given on liright days up to .August, when air and light aro 

 necessary to ripen the wood well before T\inter. It blooms from tho 

 points of the shoots, and must not bo stopped after June. 



WooDLicE IN Fern Case (ir.).— Take some largo sound Potatoes, cut 

 them in two lengthwise, and with a knife scoop out in tho centre oi the cut 

 part a cavity of from half to three-quarters of an inch. Tho pieces 

 being laid on the flat or cut side, there will be a hollow into which tho 

 woodlice will find their way, and there they will remain till after day- 

 light. The Potatoes thus prepared are to be laid within the case at night, 

 and in the morning tho woodlice will be found secreted in the hollow of 

 the Potatoes, from which they may be scraped off into a bAsin of boiling 

 water, or chickens will make short work of them. Tho baits will last a 

 long time, and by perseverance in their use the case will be completely 

 cleared of woodlice, or a small toad placed in it will soon effect the samo 

 object. 



Hellebores — Begonias for WiNTER-rLowERiNo {A Lovrr of WinUr 

 Bloom). — Helleborus atro-rubens with purple flowers is a handsomo 

 species blooming in February and March. H. purpurasccna has smaller 

 flowers of a darker puriile. We have not seen the variety to which you 

 refer. Of Begonias, Digswelliana is excellent for winter; so are nitida, 

 incamata, and parviflora. Mnnicata and hydroootyliflora aro very 

 serviceable for spring. They require the temperature of a stove or 

 intermediate-house during the season of growth, but when in flower 

 may be removed tofhe conservatorj'. 



Vines in a GnEENHorsE (G. ilT. F.). — Yon may manage three Vines in 

 your small house, 11 feet by 7, two Black Hamburghs and one Royal 

 aiuscadine, planting ono a feet from each end, and one in tho centre. 

 For such a house a border 4 or 5 fi'ct wide would do. If you use pots wo 

 would have them on the back stage, but we decidedly prefer a border 

 outside, and taking the stems through tho front wall as you propose. 11 

 you thus establish three Vines in the house, they will interfere with 

 your keeping many gi-eenhou?e plants there in summer; but yon may 

 keep your general collection there from the time the Grapes aro cut and 

 the leaves turn yellow, until tlie Vines break nnd bet'in to shade tho 

 lioust — say froni V)ctobcr to May, if you do not force. Tho way to com- 

 bine such a vinery with a general collection of plants will appear shortlj. 

 Back NrsiBERS {J. C.l.— The Numbers can be had from our ofiBco it 

 yon enclose eleven postage stamps. Specify again tho Numbers you 

 reiiuire, and state your full direction. 



Vines in CniCKEN-nousE (B. J., of C).— If we understand aright, tho 

 glazed bouse for vour chickens will be Si) feel long, have a sloping roof of 

 glass of 10 feet, "resting against a wall at back, and a six-foot fence of 

 wood in front. It will do very well for Grapes trained 15 inches from the 

 glass ; bnt it wonld be better still if the front were also partly glaos. Of 

 C4)urrse, forchickens and Vines alike, you would havo to secure ventilation. 

 The Vines would i\n in boxes 2 feet srinare, and the same in depth, but 

 why trouble yourself with boxes at all. when you can plant outside and 

 tako tho stems of the Vines through the boarded wall ? If tho soil is lifiht* 

 add a little somewhit stiff loam if you can obtain it ; if not, some rotten 

 dung and lime, and some bruised boile.l bones. If the soil is dry you 

 need not trouble about draining, but it is safest to havo a drain in front. 



You could biive eight Vinos— four Blank Hamburghs, two Ksporiono, one 



Royal Muscodine. and one Buckland Sweetwater, or more Muscadines il 



you like a white Grape. A small stove might help the chickens in spring. 



Aay of the oursorymen who advertiao io ourcoluums would lupply yea. 



