Nevember 11, 1869. ] 



JOUENAIi OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGK GAKDENEH. 



385 



place, and the space is at all large, nothing wiU compare with 

 heating by hot water. Thanks to hnsbanding sun heat, and 

 the still enclosed air, onr unhealed corridors have kept plants 

 better than we could have expected. Where there is a lofty 

 glass root and a thick wall at the back, such plants as Scarlet 

 Pelargoniums have withstood rather severe frosts. With a 

 lower curvilinear roof of zinc the frost made no impression on 

 plants where the glass in front was protected by blinds ; where 

 not so protected at one end. Fuchsia leaves and Pelargoniums 

 near the glass were crusted with frost last week. Something 

 depends on colour, more than is generally imagined. The back 

 wall is painted a light stone colour, which does not absorb heat 

 quickly, but it radiates heat very slowly. Had we sunny days 

 these walls would reflect light and heat more than they would 

 absorb it. The top of the semicircular zinc roof inside is 

 painted almost a pure white, which helps to make the place 

 more light, as any rays that reach the concave roof will bo 

 reflected rather than absorbed. Zinc o^dises very slowly when 

 exposed to the air, but still it oxidises, and to prevent it ours 

 was painted outside as well as inside. By our suggestion it 

 was first paintad a rather light stone colour. Last time our 

 opinion was overruled, and it was painted a dark lead colour — 

 rather darker than the natural colour of the zinc. When of a 

 light colour outside, the zinc-covered portion was warmer in 

 ■winter than that covered with glass, partly owing to its greater 

 closeness, as then the glazing was' done with small squares. 

 Since it has been painted of a dark colour, the zinc-covered 

 portion is much warmer in summer and much colder in winter 

 than that portion covered with glass. The white colouring 

 inside does a little, but not much, to prevent the dark colour 

 outside freely absorbing and freely radiating heat. Hence the 

 zinc becomes very hot in a sunny day in summer, and very 

 cold in frosty nights in winter. From the same causes, when 

 zinc roofs are merely supported on rafters 2 or 3 feet apart, 

 and the zinc is left of its natural colour, or painted of a dark 

 tint, the outline of the roof, instead of being uniform, will 

 be puckered into inequalities, marring its levelness, though 

 not injuring it as a roof for protecting from wet. 



This reminds us that a correspondent says, "I have a lot of 

 old sheets of zinc lying about that had been used for roofing, 

 3 feet wide and 5 feet long, uneven but sound, with the excep- 

 tion of a few holes — oonld I use them for covering cold earth 

 or turf pits?" Yes, it not deemed too good for the purpose. 

 We would place each sheet on a hard level surface, level the 

 worst of the inequalities, then pile one sheet on the other, 

 cover them with a level surface, with heavy weights make the 

 sheets pretty level, and then fasten each sheet to a light frame 

 of wood. These, placed closely together, will make a good 

 covering without rafters. In wet, mild weather they could be 

 elevated back and front, in fine weather be lifted off ; the colour 

 would be of little consequence, as in frosty weather they could 

 be covered with fern, litter, &c. Even the many-cornered 

 pieces can bo easily reduced into shape, for though zinc cuts 

 badly, a pair of steel scissors, procured from an ironmonger on 

 purpose, wDl clip it almost as easily as common scissors will 

 clip calico. — B. F. 



TRADE CATALOGUE RECEI\T:D. 



J. Whitehead, Croft Bank, Hollinwood, near Manchester. — 

 Catalogue of Carnations, Picotees, Finis, ttc. 



COVENT GARDEN M.VEKET.— November 10. 



Scarcely any alteration worth qnoting: the attendance of buyers, 

 however, has been better daring the last few days. 

 ^'EGET.•U!I.ES. 



.\rtichofees doz. 



Asparagus 100 



Bean8,RaQner 3^ sieve 



Broad bnshel 



Beet, Red doz. 



Broccoli bnndlo 



Brns. Sprouts }i sieve 

 Cabbage doz. 



d. s. 

 to 6 

 



Capsicums 100 2 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Coleworts . .doz.bchs. 



Cucumbers .... each 



pickling .... doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish ..bundle 



4 







S 











2 



2 







6 



2 



4 



2 

 8 

 8 

 S 



3 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce score 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustd.& Cress,puunet 

 Onions bushel 



pickling . . quart 



Parsley sieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney ditto 



Radishes doz.bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Veget. Marrows, .doz. 



B. a. 





 1 

 1 

 

 8 

 

 8 

 



9. d 



to 

 2 

 

 

 

 

 

 







4 



n 







1 





 4 



Apples y^ sieve 1 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bushel 8 



Currimts }^ sieve 



Black do. 



Fi(7S doz. 2 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries . . quart 



Grapes, Hothouse . lb. 2 



Lemons 100 10 



Melons each 2 



FRUIT, 



d. s. d I s. d. s. d 



to 1 G ' Mulberries quart to 



! Nectarines doz. 



Granges 100 8 14 



14 ' Peaches doz. 



0, Pears, kitchen .. doz. 20 30 



I dessert doz. 8 5 



4 Pine Apples lb. 3 6 



10, Plums lo sieve 3 G 50 



9' Quinces doz. 1 G 26 



Raspberries lb. 



5 Stiviwberries lb. 



20 i Walnuts bushel 10 16 



5 I do 100 1 2 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



i , J -^g request that no one will write privately to any of the 

 correspondents of the '■ Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing ihey 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed tolely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of llurticulturc, dr., 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.G. 



N.B. — JIany questions must remain imanswered until next 

 week. 



Books (-•1 Subscriber^—Tbe " Garden Manual," " The Cottage Gar- 

 deners' Dictionary," and Johnson's " Science and Practice of Gardening," 

 will give you all necessary information. You can have them post free 

 from our office if you forward 12s. 2d, in postage stamps with your ad- 

 dress. We cannot answer your question about the Customs. 



Address {A Subscriber). — We do not know it. 



PROLONorNG THE Beacty OF THE Akbutus Behhv. — " It is too valuable 

 for purposes of table and other decoration to allow it to die without an 

 effort to prolong its existence." Try dipping the berries, when quite dry, 

 as they hang on the shrubs, into some coachmakers' colourless varnish. 



Excrescences at the Ease of Hollyhock Stems (H. B., noniton). — 

 The excrescences were caused, we think, by the stems being cut down 

 too early. The roots were still active, and the growth not sufSciently fast 

 to dispose of the sap they supplied, and it consequently estravasated. 

 Probably it will not perceptibly injure the nest year's blooming. 



Vaeiocs {Amateur). — We do not think there wotild be a sufficient de- 

 mand for such a work as you name. There is no good work on aquaria. 

 Some notes on the marine aquarium are in our columns to-day. You 

 will have seen in our last number some directions for wintering Coleuses. 

 Mr. Liovd's successor is Mr. King ; the direction is Great Portland 

 Street. 



Silver Beet Ccltcre (D. H.).— The seed should be sown in good 

 rich s *il at the beginning of May, in di-ills 15 inches apart, like the com- 

 mon Beetroot. The plants should be thinned out, when large enough, to a 

 foot apart in the rows. They should be kept free of weeds, stirring the 

 ground about them until they are of good size, or as long as it can be 

 done without injury to the leaves. The midribs of the leaves are used like 

 Sea-kale. No blanching is required, but some cover the plants with Sea- 

 kale pots, and the pots with leaves. In this way the midribs become 

 more tender, but are less vigorous, though if the plants start for seed 

 the stem is good. Some take up the roots and place them in a cellar, 

 covering them with dry sand ; and in a Mushroom or other house where 

 there is a gentlo heat, they may be blanched by covering with boxes or 

 pots, and the leaves are very tender, mere so than those taken from the 

 plants in the open ground, but what is gained in tenderness is lost in 

 flavour ; besides, the midribs are not so thick and fleshy. 



Passiox-flowee not Flowering (E. B. B.).— Yonr plants being seed- 

 lings, will account for their not flowering, and we advise you to thin out 

 the shoots now so as to expose them fully to light and air, and thin them 

 out considerably next year, so that they may continue so. Keep them 

 dry at the roots' from now until next March, or until they begin to grow, 

 and yet not so dry as to cause the shoots to shrivel. The roots are best 

 confined, as when these have a large space to run in the plants grow 

 much too freely, aud, of course, flower sparingly, ?nd in eomo cases 

 not at all. We should think your plants will flower next year, but it 

 is not unusual for seedlings 'not to flower until the third or fourth 

 season. 



PLANTrNG Anemones (T. H.).— The best times to plant Anemones are 

 October and Februai-y. We prefer October for all but very heavy wet soils, 

 and there we think Februai-y planting best. The October planting flowers 

 earlier than the February one. For named kinds required for furnishing 

 blooms at a certain time, February planting may be desirable, otherwise 

 wo do not recommend keeping the roots out of the ground so long, 

 except for the purpose of increase. 



Salting Asparagus Beds (H. J. R.). — The present is not a pood time 

 for applying salt, beciiuse the rains and snows of winter wash it away; 

 the roots are at rest, therefore do not absorb it. and it acts as a stimulant 

 to their bark at a time when they are injured rather than benefited by 

 stimulation. Two or three slight saltings of beds during the growing 

 period are the best practice. 



Ranuncclcses in Pots (P. £7.).— They are not often grown in pots, but 

 they may be grown in that way. See answer to " Iris," October 7th, 

 page 290. 



Gishurst Cojipound [J Condon).— Apply it exactly according to the 

 printed directions which accompany the compound. 



Pecning a Vine ra a Ground Vinery (.4 Cottager).— We have re- 

 ferred to " ground vinery " page 51, Ko. 4S3, and as the one rod left has 

 grown strong, and is 7 feet in length, we would cut it back to 3 or 3J feet. 

 It would have helped the ripening • f liie wood if yon had given little air 

 after the middle of September. The sun heat is the best of all maturers. 



