22ft 



JOURNAL OF HORTTCtTLTTTRE AND OOTTAOE GARDENER. 



[ March 20, 18W. 



BiJicK AucANTK AND Lady Powse's GnAPFfi.— Will fiomc of yoxa 

 correspondents stale llie n-siilt oi tbcir cxpericnrc. ns to which of these 

 two laic Gmpes hns proved Uic bettor? My own exporience It'ads mc t.) 

 fftvonr Lftdy I)ok-th'N both ah retfards kot-pintj-qualitie'^ and flavour. 



I oripinftlly int<»ndpd to discard L:idy Pownio's nnd plant I'lack AU^nnto 

 in its plftcr-, but I am at present rather doubtful as to whether It would 

 be wise. — O. T>. 



Saponaria CAI.ADRICA SowiN'o IN RosE CiTiCLES (A Suhiicriher).~~lt will 

 not injure tho ll-ises beyond impovorishing and kcopinK the soil dry 

 arotindthora. Rnnd plact^d on the surfnco and pointed iu wouUl make it 

 allUie better for thi? Snponariu. 



Ivy Bekries, Sowing (J<i< wi).— If sown now they will come up abont 

 2fay, and be tliree years before Uiey aro tit to transplant. You would 

 coTer a border niurh more (juiekly by puttint? in eutlinss in a shady 

 border from April to Jtily, and keeping them moist till rooted, and after- 

 wardi^ well supplied with wnttr in dr>' weather. Ctittings so treated will 

 be fit for planting ont iu the following spring. 



Newto\vn and Paradise Pippin Apples (Mnru .Tone/:).— Tho Newtown 

 Pippin is a large yellow .\merican Apple, good alike for table juid baking', 

 but does not do well in our climate except in wiu-m localities, and re- 

 quires a wall to be first-rate. A south-west or M-est a.spect is most suit- 

 able. The Paradise Pippin is better knomi as the White Paradise or 

 Lady's Finger, its flesh is muro yellow tlmn that of the Newtown Pippin, 

 and it is not ribbed, even obscm-Vly, as is tho Newtown. 



RosF.s, Raisino from Skkd (M**™).— Take some pots or pang about 

 9 inches in depth, drain them well, and fill to witliin throe-quarters of an 

 inch of the rim with rich sandy loam two-thirds, adding one-third of 

 sandy fibry pent. The hips should be broken, ami di?*tributed over the 

 surface (lom half an inch to an inch apart, and covered with half an inch 

 of soil. The pots or pans may be placed in a warm open situation in the 

 open gi'ouud, plunged to the rim in coal ashes. Over the pots place a 

 cap of wire so closo as to prevent mice getting through, aud so high as to 

 allow of tho plants coming up; an inch space between tho soil and 

 wire will he ample. The wire assists in keeping the soil moist, and water 

 should likewise be given in dry weather. Some of the plants will, in all 

 probability, make their appearance iu May, if the seeds are sown at onco ; 

 but very often the seed dons not germinate until the following spring. 

 When tho plants have made three or four rough leaves in adtlition to the 

 seed leaves, take them up enreiuUv with the haft of a bnddinij knife, or 

 some such implement, pot them singly in small pots, and place in a cold 

 frame for a few days, or iu a shady situation. In throe weeks or a month 

 they may be planted ont in good rich soil, and by August tbey will have 

 grown strong, some of them of sufficient strength for budding. Two 

 stocks may be budded with each seedling. These will make strong shoots 

 in the following year, if the budding prove succe==ful, and these, if left 

 nnpruucd, will prodnce tlowers in the follo\vinp or third year. On their 

 own roots the seedlings -will not flower until tho fifth or sixth year. 



Slugs, DESTRo^^N(; (Ccsirta).— We do not find any plan answer so well 

 as strewing a little dry soot around the pots or pans, and going at night 

 Titb a lantern and catching them at their meals. They are then easily 

 destroyed. A few fresh Cabbage leaves laid down at night will be found 

 to have slnffs under them in the morning. Perseverance in either of the 

 above plans will soon clear tho place. 



Eripmr-LCu TRt-NCATUM I-osixG the Points of its Shoots (A. C. C. H.). 

 — This arises from keeidui^' the plants in too low a temperature. You 

 cannot keep them too dry if the wood or shoots do not turn soft and 

 shrivel, but water should bo given to prevent thif. You have kept them 

 too dry as well as too cool, and now that moisture is given the shoots 

 drop off at the joints. Keep them in a temperatm-e of from 4r)- to 50- in 

 winter, and not so dry as to cause the stems to become soft and shri- 

 velled. 



Pi.axt:ng Cyclamens (7<Z/rm).— Plant the corras of Cyclamen neapoli- 

 tanum in June in pots or in the open irround, and they bloom in autumn ; 

 of C. coum in pots in July, and they \\\M bloom in January, ami onwards ; 

 of C. Atkinsi at tho same time, and they will bloom in winter and early 

 spring ; of C. persicuni iu August, and as^ain in September, and tbey will 

 flower from November to April according to the temperature. Pot tho 

 varieties of C. europiBum in spring, aud they bloom in summer, and they 

 are the t^weetest of all. C. rcpandum, which Idnoms late iu spring, 

 should lie potted iu autumn. If you \\Tite us, stating more explicitly 

 your wauts, we will endeavour to meet your wishes. 



_GELflE5nrM sejtpervtrens iJ. p. G.). — It succeeds best trained to the 

 pillars of a conservatory. If grown ont of doors it requires to he trained 

 against a south wall, and to bo matted over in winter, ilillei- so culti- 

 vated it in the Botanic Garden at Chelsea. It has been called Hignouia 

 sempervircns, AnonjTnos Kcmpe^^irens. and Lisianthns sempervirens, 

 yet Cfttesby says that it sheds its leaves in winter in its native place. 

 America, where it is popnUirly called " Carolina Jessamine." Parkinson 

 eultivated it in 1G40. and says that it was given to him by Tradeseant 

 under the name of Gelscmiuum, which is derived from Gelsemino, the 

 Italian name for the Jasmine. We shall he obliged by any of our readers 

 statin;^ their successful mode of culture, and whether they have suc- 

 ceeded in blooming it out of doors. 



Training Vines Hoiu/.ontallt {JK^m'rfr).— Your Vines receiving 

 little or no artificial heat will not require to be brought to a horizontal 

 position, nor depressed at the ends ; but if they h-ive a cane of last year 

 more than six eyes in length, that part should have its end brought 

 lower than the bottom of the rafter, otherwise tho upper part or end will 

 break Some few eyes sti-ouRly, and those lower down on the cane will not 

 break at nil, or verj- wealUy.' If the Vines are furnished with spurs from 

 bottom to top of the rod, and air be given at the hack of the house, they 

 will break well throughout the length of the rod, hut more strongly at 

 top, as they almost always do. 



ScciEssioNAi. Ciiiips OF PE.vs (J Con&tanl Su?Mcri her). —Having sown 

 Dillistune's Prolific and KinKleador, you may sow Dickson's Favourite by 

 the time this appears in print, and in ten days afterwards sow Pri/.etaker, 

 in another ten days Champion of England, and successional crops of it 

 every ten days up to the end of April, at which time sow Veitch's Per- 

 fection, another crop of the same ten days later, and after a like interval 

 sow General WjTidham, once in May, and a last crop in the first week of 

 June. 



EosE-uFDS (.?. y.).— We never heard of any florist or nnrscryman vrho 

 would sell bnds for budding. 



Vinery and pEACiTEr.v Cojietned (H. %'auphan).~ln your house, 

 50 feet long. 11 feet widr, 12 feet in heichl at back, and R f«et In height 

 in front, and to be appropriated to Vines and Peaches, Poaches against 

 the hack wall, and Vines up the roof, we do not consider that you want 

 anything in' the shai)e of a pit at all in the house. We would proceed as 

 fortows, according as ynti wish the roots of Vine« and Penclies to bo inside 

 tho h"use, or the root's of tho Vines partly outtidc, and according to tho 

 materials at command, bearing iu mind that thon^'h we advocate fresh 

 loam, yet good garden soil would do very well, espeeially if well mixed 

 with fre'ili soil and enriched. First. To* have nil the roots Inside. It 

 would be well to concrete the bottom of the soil fromiiO to 36 inches below 

 the intended surface, and to have a drain in front lower than the concrete, 

 the eonerete slojiini,' from back to fmnt to tho drain. Then.if ynn can get 

 it, fill the place with fresh loam from tho top spit of a pasture, after placing 

 from H to 12 inches of nibble over the concrete. In doing this place the 

 turf over tho concrete, and let tho rest consist of tho soil from tho pasturo 

 taken from under tho gr.^ss for 2 or 3 inchoK in tliickness. Let this be 

 broken with the spade, but not finely, and for such a space add one ton of 

 broken boiled bones, three cartloads of rotten sweet hotbed manure, and 

 three or four loads of lime rubbish. If you cannot get pasture soil yon 

 may use good fresh loamy soil from the sides of roads in your neiRhboor- 

 hood. If there Is no danger of stagnant water, no chance of tho roots 

 Koing down into bad cohl subacnl, yon may dispense with draining and 

 concreting ; but it is very possible yon may wish you had done so after- 

 inrwds. If tho soil of the Rarden is good, you may use that with half, or 

 less, new soil mixed with it, and the same amount of bones, and even moro 

 lime rubbish, and less of manure. Strength can always bo given by sur- 

 face-dressings, and that is tho best way ti use bone dust. In this cose wa 

 would plant the Peaches at back, and tho Vines in a row. abont 3 or 4 feet 

 from the front wall, and if yon liked, you coul.l areh tno stems over to« 

 wards the front, so that the hearing rods should extend from front to back 

 of the glass. The position for planting the Vines will be the best for enabling 

 them and tho Peaches to root freely inside the house, and will also enable 

 you to have a walk all round the house, with u border or l>ed iu tho 

 miJdle, which you can appropriate to any purpose that will not canso tho 

 Peaches on tho back waU to be shaded. By snch n plan the roots will 

 be confined entirely inside the house, and in the openings between tho 

 Vines you could grow low-fruiting plants, as Figs, CUerrics. ^c in pots 

 on the bed or floor. By surface-dressings you could keei> Peaches and 

 Vines long fruitful by such a plan, and you would have them completely 

 under control, as respects moisture anil drj-ness. To do justice to the 

 Peaches, the Vines sliould be planted about fi feet apart, and pruned on 

 the spur system, say seven in the length of the house, and for an un- 

 heated house we would have fonr Black Hamburghs, two Royal Musca- 

 dine, and one Buckland Sweetwater. By the second mode we would 

 have the front wall built on arches, or have pillars to support the silli 

 extend the border on the same slope as inside, from 6 to 12 f*et beyond 

 the wall, and In that case we would plant the Vines Inside, from 18 to 

 2i inches from the front wall. This would give more room to tho roota 

 of the Peaches, and offer less risk of the roots of Peach trees and 

 Vines interfering witli each other, but would require more labour and 

 material. In such a ease the great thing to secure is, to have the insido 

 ground higher than the outs"ide. In cither case yon could use the 

 centre of tho house for tempi)rary purposes, and might have fruit trees 

 of any j-ort in pots before the Peacn trees and Vines wero established. 

 A good Peach-house alone could be made of such a house, by planting 

 the back wall as yon propose, and then planting similar trees within 

 2 feet of the front wall, and training them to a circular trellis 4 feet 

 in height at back, and 4 feet from back wall. We have seen sncli a hooso 

 with Vinos also up the roof, but if not very thin thej* were sure t* iniaro 

 the Peach trees with their shade. As to terra cotta or other material as 

 boxes for ^vindows, there used to be plenty of kinds in the New Road, Lon- 

 don, such as at Austin & Seeloy's, and there are so many inquiries that it 

 would be worth while for makers to advertise, giving prices and sizes. 

 3Ir. Franklin, at the Stevenage Depot, keeps a good assortment of elegant 

 vases, and we liave no doubt there are jilenty of makers. .\ rich brown 

 tint generally looks best for houses tliat are painted a stone colour: but 

 where there is a difficulty in obtaining elei^ant figured terra cotta boxes, 

 much may be done by making neat wooden boxes, which may be painted 

 of any colour and sanded to rf^emhlo stone, and may be tessellated, 

 striped, or engraved, by tacking suitable pieces on, so that when sanded 

 they would resemble diflfereut kinds of stone, and have the advantage of 

 being much easier to move. Terra cotta boxes, however, may be had in 

 great variety in London. AVe do not know how you are in your neigh- 

 bourhood. The last time we were at Messrs. Veitch's nursery, there were 

 plenty to choose from. 



Pruning Mobello CrrERBiES <An Early Sfifejtcnhcr).— In general it is 

 better not to shorten in the shoots of Morello Cherry trees at all, if they 

 are iu good hearint; condition, hut to thin them out pretty well. Where, 

 however, it is necessary to shorten snch shoots, the wood-bud may bo 

 distinguished from the bloom-bnd by its being smaller and more pointed. 

 It is better, however, to leave the pruning of such trees till late in tho 

 winter, when the advanced state of the buds will tell their character much 

 better, and the tree docs not suffer thereby. Of course, do not lot tho 

 buds be too far advanced to fall off in the operation, which they easily do. 



Wellingtonia cigantea (H. Port.'r, iV.D.l.— Thank yon for the malo 

 aud female catkins of Wellingtonia gigautea. The cone you sent is not 

 imimpregnated as ycm suppose, but an impregnated one. Impregnation 

 takes place at the s"tage in which the catkins at present are. and althongh 

 insects and the windsWill doubtless aid in the proecss. there can bono 

 harm in shaking tho branches against each other as you suggest. 



Vine Leaves Spotted (J. C). — The loaf scut exhibits the spotted 

 appearance resulting from the admission of cold air in front whilst tho 

 loaves are wet, and the sun shining powerfully upon them. We have also 

 knoi\-n the same result arise from pourini; water upon the pipes whilst 

 these were hot, and the sun shining on the condensed steam. 



MusHUooM-BED FAILING (C. J.).— As ouo bed of Mushrooms bears 

 well, and the other shows well hut the ^fushrooms rot off when tho size 

 of small marbles, we suspect that the bed is either too dry or too wet, not 

 at the surfaee, but some inehes below the surface. You -will judge best 

 bv making some holes with your finiiers and tryiut?. If the manure ia 

 drv. make little holes over the bed with a pointed stick and water severai 

 times, so as to wet the manure a little without soaking the bed. If the 

 bed is too wet, sweep off the most of tho Mushrooms and cover with 

 8 inches of rough bay; that mt^ tibd to boat and dry the bed. 



