May 8, 1886. I 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



3SS 



bloom. Potted-off Balsams, Amaranths, &c. The change in 

 the weather enabled ns to do mnch work, which we could not 

 attempt in snch scorching days, when from morning to night 

 there was a continuous demand on the watering-pot and the 

 syringe. One thing required more labour and material — the 

 furnaces ; when the bright sun left us we were obliged to fall 

 back on more coke and coal. — R. F. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— May o. 



Very few remarks are called for this week in connection with onr 

 market, except to notice the lar^e quantities of Cacuinhers now raised, 

 we may safely say 50 vir cent, more than will supply the demand ; and 

 the importation from Holland having just hegnn, it will tend to lower the 

 prices still more. Continental supplies are well kept up, and now include 

 Cherries, 



5. d. s. 



Apples }-2 sieve 3 to 5 



Apricots tloz. 



Cherries lb. 3 5 



Chestnuts bush. 



Currants, Bed !-j sievo 



Black do. n 



PiRS doz. 8 15 



FUbertg lb. 



Cobs lOOlbs. 160 



Gooseberries . . quart 3 



Grapes, Hothouse.. Ih. 10 1.5 



Lemons 100 6 10 



■\Ielons each 



Nectarines doz. 



Orances 100 



Peaches doz. 



Pears (dessert) . . doz. 10 



kitchen do^. 



Pine Apples Ui. 8 



Plums ^2 sievo 



Quinces .... ^.j sieve 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries oz. 



Walnuts bush. 14 



fl. s. 

 0tol2 

 

 12 





 15 















12 











i 







n 







n 























VEGETABLES. 



A^ichokes each 



Asparapus .... bundle 

 Beans, Broad. . bushel 



Kidnev 100 



Beet, P^d doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



Brus. Sprouts ^^ sieve 



Cabbatre doz. 



Capsicums ino 



Carrots bnnch 



Canliilower doz. 



Celery bimdle 



Cucumbers en ch 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish . . bundle 



s. d. s. d { 

 StoO 6 1 

 



3 







1 



2 

 1 







1 





 1 

 S 

 1 

 



2 

 



8 

 6 



3 



1 



Leeks bnnch 



Lettuce per doz. 



^lushrooms .... pottle 

 Mnstd.& Cress, punnet 



Onions bushel 



Parsley sieve 



Parsnips tioz. 



Pens '^ sieve 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Tladishes . . doz. bands 



Rhubarb bundle 



S:ivoys doz. 



Sei-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes. ... H sieve 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable MaiTows dz. 



d. R. d 



3 too 

 16 

 





 





 6 

 

 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*»* We request that no one will write privately to the depart- 

 mental writers of the "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 aj*e subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 comraunicationa should therefore be addressed solehj to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Uorticulture^ &c,y 171, Fleet 

 Street, Lond/yv, E.C. 

 We also request that correspondents will not mix np on the 

 same sheet questions reliftinj; to Gardening and those on 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them an- 

 swered promptly and conveniently, bixt write them on 

 separate communications. Also never to send more than 

 two or three questions at once. 

 N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 

 Madras Radish (H. M. K.). — It is a variety of, but tbe same species as 

 Raphanus e ludatus, or Tailed-podded Radish. The pods, however, are 

 very much shorter. The Midras Radish has assumed an altered fonn, 

 probably from beinc* loni? cultivated in n. different climate. R. caudatus 

 is a native of Java, where its pods ftttain always a lencrth of between 

 3 and 4 feet, trailing on the ground. The natives cull it Moogree. 



EnPHROu oTioRATTssiMA (^07(011^ — Wo Unow of no such plant. Eu- 

 phronia hirtellnides i>^ the nenrest name at all like it. and the plant to 

 which it is applied belongs to the Natural Order Rosaceae, and is a native 

 of Brazil. 



Peach Trees Shedding their Blossom (A. H.).— If the wood was 

 strong, most likely the want of ripeness has something to do with the 

 flowers droi>pin£». Extra dryness, or extra wet would also cause it. and 

 80 would extreme dryness followed by a thorough watering at once after 

 the buds were swelling. We linew of a similar case years ago, where 

 every blossom fell from want of air during a bright son, but there is no 

 reason for supposing that to be your cnae. 



GLADIOI.TJS Ci'LTTJRE (J. J. S.). — The fleason is now too far advanced to 

 make any observations on the Gladiolus to be of service, but if ynu mil 

 look at page 101 of the present Volume, you will there find ail the infor- 

 mation you need. 



GROwrNpT Tobacco <J. Farr).~We have said all that we know upon 

 the subject. We should have no hesitation in growing as much Tobacco 

 as we needed for fumigating our own plants ; though doing so might not 

 be Btrictly legal. 



Pelarooniums Running- to Leaf (Jmatenr, To/nrg.*).— The running of 

 your young Pelargoniums to leaf i.s due to your liberal trc itnient, which 

 is good for old plants, but large pot-room nnd rich compos«t are apt to 

 cause a preponderance of shoot and leaf. A less rich compost, and not 

 too much pot-room, are better for young plants. It ia now late to stop 

 them, but you may do so, but do not cut them hack to one eye or they will 

 bloom very late and ho poor. Stop them, therefore, now by merely 

 pincliing out the points of the nhoots, and they will, if nicely trained, 

 make nice plants for blooming in July and August. They will do hotter 

 in a cold frame after May, and if in eight-inch pots will not require 

 potting, but give weak manure water once or twice a-week. Afford abun- 

 dance of air, keep near the glass, and guard against gi-ecn fly. 



..EscHYNANTHCa SPLENDENS CULTURE (ir. /f. Tf.).— It rcfiuires a com- 

 post of very fibrous brown peat two-thirds, and one-third very turfy loam 

 broken with the hand; to this add onc-siith each of charcoal broken 

 from the isize of a pea up to that of a hazel nut, and silver sand, and tho- 

 roughly iniiorporate. Good drainage is esst-utial, not less than one- 

 fourth the depth of the jiot. The plant should be trained as a bush, 

 putting in stakes 2 feet or 3 feet in height, and after the shoots reach 

 that height allow them to hang loose. Shoots will be produced plentifully 

 from the bottom, and these must be staked, for the plant, so far from 

 being a climber, is of pendent habit, looking extremely well as a basket 

 plant. Do not stop the shoots, nor cut away any of the old wood, except 

 where dead, but when the shoots reach the tops of the atakes allow them 

 to hang loosely as already stated. In spring encourage growth by an in- 

 crease of temperature and a cunstantly mi.iist atmosphere, bulug careful 

 not to over-water and yet afford a plentiful supply whilst the plant is 

 making new growths; but nfter tlie growths are made keep rather dry 

 at the root, and expose to light and air, for oa the well ripening of the 

 wood depends the floweriri--'. In winter tlie plant should be kept dry at 

 the root, and h^ve a dry atmosphere. A temperature of 50' in winter is 

 ample, the soil and atmosphere being dry. nnd, when gi-owing, a tem- 

 perature of from 65^ to 70'^ by night, and 85- to 90^ by day with sun, is 

 desirable. It blooms from the points of the shoots and the axils of the 

 loaves at the upper part of the shoots. 



Roses after Eloomeno (Reader). — The plants that have been forced 

 and of which the blooming is over should be continued under glass, well 

 hardening them off before exposing them out-doors, and then plunge 

 thera in an open situation. The shoots may he reduced to eight loaves 

 if longer, and they may grow at will until September; then pot the 

 plants if required, pruning in the end of October or early in November 

 if you intend to force them. They would be better of a year's rest, or if 

 forced in alternate years. , 



Pelargoniums, Stopi'ING lldem). — If you stop the shoots of the Pelar- 

 goniums now showing for bloom, they will flower at a later period, hut 

 not so well as if they were left to themselves, for this is their natural 

 season of bloom. Your stopping %viU retard the bloom, beyond that. They 

 will, however, bloom well. 



Plants for Beds (G. H.). — If you merely wish to fill-in the open spaces 

 between the permanent plants, then you could not have anything better 

 than those bedding plants which delight or thrive in dry, hot, poorish 

 soil. Of these, Petunias do well, as also do the different varieties of 

 Troppeolum LobbiaJium elegaas ; Gaaaniaa, Cineraria nioritima, and Ge- 

 raniums would do well, hut the soil would not suit Verbenas, Calceolarias, 

 and Lobelias. Of permanent plants, Commelina crelestis, Alfitriimeria 

 aurantiaca, which you have ; Anomatheca cruenta, Aquilegia Vervaeneans 

 Asclepias tuberosa, lirodia;a congestn, CJstus formosua, C. roseus, 

 C. Ledou, C. purpureus. C. ladauiferus, and C. algiuvcuais ; Centaurea 

 raontana, Daphne cncorum, Dielytra spectahilis and D. cucullaris, 

 Dracocepbalum, Erodium Richardi, Euphorbia portlandica, GMlium 

 griecum, Linum llavum. Gladiolus byzantinus and G. communis, Heme- 

 rocallis fulva, Hormiuum pyrenaieum, Lagurus ovatus, Linum mono- 

 gjnum, CEnothera raacrocarpa, CE. taraxacifolia, Pancratiiuu miiritmium. 

 Phlox frondosa, Plumbago Larpentpe, Salvia argentea, Scabiosa grandi- 

 tlora, Btachys lanata, Trichonema bulbocodium, Verbascum in variety, 

 Zeph>Tanthes Candida and Z. rosea. These last are mostly herbaceous 

 perennials, and may be had as plants at moderate prices from most 

 nurserymen. 



HoLL\'HOCK Leaves Spotted (TT., a Sttbscrihn-). — The leaves are 

 badly blotched, and this, we think, from frost. There are also traces of a 

 fungus or mildew, and this if the same as we were some time ago 

 pestered with, will yield to a dusting of the leaves with fresh slaked lime. 

 Water in summer with manure water. We apprehend your soil is light. 



Black Xsts (A Constant Rcad>^r).^Sprin]i\c guano, or pour ammoniacal 

 liquor from the gas-works over their nests and runs. 



trOLiATH STRAWBERRY <J. H.). — It is usually Called Kitley's Goliath, 

 and can ho supplied from IVIrs. Nicholson's, or any other nursery where 

 Strawberries are cultivated for sale, and are advertised in our columns. 



Holes in Indian-rubber Tubing.— The indian-rubber tubing of au 

 American garden engine, which has been in use for two or three years, 

 is wearing in several places-into a multitude of small holes, which 

 are rapidly increasing by the jet. Is this normal? Is it owing to the 

 action of the we;tther? Could it have been prevented by any mode of 

 taking care of the tube? Ought it to be xmseiewed and stowed away 

 during winter wlien not in use V— P. H. G. 



Planting Geraniums in Rose Circles (W. M. S.).— Planting Gera- 

 rnniums in the small circles in which there are standard RoseB, will im- 

 poverish the soil, and interfere with the well-being of the Roses ; but if 

 vou keep the soil rich by toi>-dressings of manure and copious manure 

 waterings, you may have' plants in the circles without injming the Roseet 

 to any considerable extent. 



Acacia deaijiata Unhealthy (A Lady Suhsrriher).—V?o think that 

 the bron-nness and faUing of the leaves must be caused by the soil not 

 being kept sufficiently moist, or bad drainage would produce the same 

 result. The ill appearance of the foliage might also arise from a de- 

 ficiency of licht and air in proportion to the heat. The growth.s, judging 

 from that sent, are very weak. Is the house well ventilated, no plants 

 on the roof overshadowing the Acacia, the soil free, suitable, and well 

 drained, and the temperature not mure than sufficient to keep out frost? 



Plant for Wall of Conservatory {Idem).— Of the plants which yon 

 have. Plumbago capeneis would be the most suitable. Wo do not know 

 of any more suitable for a hot wall in a coaaeryatory-tliiu BoM^vjU^a 

 speciosa andLuculia gralissima. 'iq" Si nj eiiiij i-j i^vHtitLi^^ ^-J- 



