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JOUIiNAL OF HOKTICULTURE AXD COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( December 9, 1888. 



Earya latifolia varl<>fi«t«, F»r(u(rium frriuide, leolepli gnoiUs, Sixjfraga 

 a^uicnlosn, Soduiii Siiboldi vnrieR;ituui, Veronica Anderaonl Tari^'K-ilo, 

 » nccn aloiluliu vuri<t-,itu, niij Y. tllnmcDtoea variegate. The abovu. -.vilh 

 troo JUiRniinclto nnd socL balMinrily aunnale as Oomphrena plobosa, 

 Amaninlhus bicolor, Balminis, Celosla pj-rnmidalls, with white, rod, nud 

 orange pluucs, aud Thuiibori,'ia alata «ill kcci) a greoniiaaso ijuito gay. 



Jap.vxebe fsmnEi-i..* Pine (/.;™i.)— Sciadopitys vcrticillntn, we think, 

 would not succeed in au ixpoeed south aspect 800 feet above the soa 

 levol, though, as you say Buses Hourioii beautilully, it would bo well 

 wortli giving it a trioJ. 



BtfBsreo Ch.«kco4l is a %'ikeiit (Df 1 oil).— In an emerccncv we have 

 osed charcoal, coke, nnd ciuders even in open braziers, when the alter- 

 native was hurling the plants with the products of oombuBtion, or 

 KoUing them more speedily and thoroupbly injm-cd by froel. All fuel 

 will iDjure plnnts when liurnid in a etovo wilboul a flue. With prepnred 

 lael, as wbun carbonic add is nentralif ed, or to a certain extent con- 

 Bunjcd as it is formed, the dancer lo a little reduced, but not prtfyentcd. 

 A small chimnoy would prev.ut any danger. We have a ainch pipe for 

 a large stove ; with prepaicd luvl, one not half the size might do. 



Edoixo jo» a Hkd of Robub (CenllfoUa Roirn).— Slost people v.-ould 

 De content without any cdgiuR mnnd s"uch a Uose bed. Wo think a ring 

 OJ the dark China Rose, mined with the miniature wliito, would look very 

 well, and these would bloom well at from 8 to 12 Inches in boisht. The 

 SIOES BnxifraKe. as an everffroen cloro hf-rbacoous plant, would also look 

 Tery well, and so would .1 ring ol sweet Violets, as Double Blue, or even 

 the Eussian Blue. 



OnrnAr.D-notjsE STnAWBEnniES (.teaffiir).— Fee " Doin(?s of the Last 

 « eek, paRe 402. The Str.nvlerry plants in pots, the latter pluuRod ont- 

 Bide, may bo safe, bat they are iu greater danger than if they were iuside 

 the orchard house. Iu moving them to the orchard house (cold), and 

 with no means of hoating. we would nut think of placing tbcm there on 

 Shelves where you intend fruiting their. That would bo merely avoiding 

 one danger with the chance ol ranning into another, as a sharp froBt at 

 any lime for tn-eivo or sixteen weeks hence, might bo rather unsuitable 

 lor plants so situated. Tho plants would succeed much better set on the 

 floor closely, all the leaves left on the plants, and packed in leaves or 

 Utter ; and if the pots had no soeh packing, then there should be a mat 

 or clean litter to cover them in severe weather. Before the plants are 

 placed on the shelves, say in the middle of March, the old spotted 

 leaves should be removed, aud the surface soil cleaned off, and more 

 fresh and rich compo5t added. Wc should put no plants in pots on 

 shelves where we could not keep the frost out. 



_ Pp.rsreo .\PEicoT Tbeeb in Pots— Stoves (Zrtcm).— The Apricot trees 

 in pots, not pinched back in summer, should not he severelv cut back 

 now, but merely a piece taken oflF the ends of the shoots, doing this 

 alter the buds had so far swelled that you could see how to cut with pro- 

 priety. Severe pruning at once would be apt to cause vou to lose the 

 Irmt, and in some cases the tree would also be injured. 'Kext summer 

 you can begm your particular training, and the trees would be all right 

 the following year. We believe that Joyce & Nash's stove, and csoeciallv 

 J-ith their piepared fuel, will bo useful in a severe frost to keep that fros't 

 '■■o™'"! firing tho bloom, and especiallv before there is much wood 

 growth. Optu braziers of charcoal might also be useful in an extremitv. 

 Both stoves and braziers arc dangerous to play with. Joyce's, we believe, 

 TTonld be quite safe with a small pipe going to the external air. 



Selection op Frcits fob a Gahden {W. B.) As vour object is 



chiefly to have free-bearing, profitable, good selling sorts', we would re- 

 commend tho IfoUowing:— 1, Prince Englebert Plum; 2, Dumelow's 

 Seedling Apple; 3, Louise Bonn.3 ol Jersey Pear; 4, Cos's Orange 

 Pippin and Small's Admirable Apples; 5, Denyer's "Sictoria Plual aud 

 Lord Suffield Apple alternately ; li. Cellini Apple and Bemre Bosc Pear 

 alternately ; 7, Williams's Bon Chretien Pear. The Apples to be all on 

 Paradise stocks, and the dw.arf fears on the Quince stock. For the slips 

 at the end we would not recommend any other varieties than Jthose we 

 cave just mentioned. When fruit is for sale, then the more there is 

 of one sort the better it will sell. Voiietv is bad. Josephine da Malines, 



Forelle, and Ptaea Golaur Fears, althoiuib Rood anis, do not crop mDi 

 and Ueurre d'Amtnlla does not sell well ; Bourr, do Cspiaamont U mo- 

 derately profitable, end the same might bo s.iid ol butch Mignonna Apple. 



Ivv Leatzb (Fojrc^rorr).— We know of no special namo for the variety 

 you eneloBod ; It is one of the many forms taken by the leaves ol tho 

 Iledera Uelix foliis-argenteis. 



DAnuAs (.1. 2.1 — Lilac Queen, Firefly,High'-hcrifr. nearly black, Leah, 

 and Perfection. Fair Imogcuo comes near your other reqairemout, and 

 there are plenty of lilac-tipped and shaded flowers. 



Water rnou a Limestone Sikatcm (J. C. Uralj).— Water passing 

 throncb limestone Is not good for many plants, especially Heaths, Ai:alcaa, 

 and other plants with very small delicole Chros. Unless drawn from a 

 well or spring in the rock tho w.itnriu Itmcstono districts Is little dilTerent 

 from fresh-water streams generally, and is not inimical to plants ; indeed 

 wc );!iow places where good il.ints are grown ivitb no water except liiat 

 from limestone. Could you not have tanks to receive tho rain water from 

 the roofs of your bnildings :• It is the best for plants. The water from 

 limestone may be improved by exposing it in a cisteru for a few days 

 before use. 



Ar.OE Leaves koi Deveioitno (n. P.).— Tho plant has become slanted, 

 prob.ably from being placed out of doors whilst growing. Pot the plant 

 in spring, removing most of the old s.iil and the suckers, aud place it in 

 light tuvly loam, providing good drainage whether in a pot or tab. En- 

 courage it with a moist atmo.spluro and gentle heat, w-atering It sparingly 

 at first, and increasing the supply with the ?r.:iwth. It would bo well not 

 to put the plant out ol doore unt'il July. 7 he suekais should be potted 

 when taken ofl'. They will make good plants in a rear or two, continuing 

 them under glass for a time. 



Seedling CcccsrEER (O. Etftrarrf*). — The specimen yoa sent to as, 

 which you state is a crojs between Edwardi'fl Eclipse end Craig'B Prolific, 

 is Tciy handsome and of a most useful eljo. 



WiNTEi: KcLis Pr.AT. U.vFauiTruL IS. J5.V— We think your tree is too 

 N-igoroos, and its rontb have evidently passed into Ibo su'osoil. Wo wonld 

 lift the tree at once, and place concrete under it to keep tho roots from 

 going down ; and as inducements for tbcm to remain near the surface 

 apply top-dressings of ileh compost infiumiuer and give copious water- 

 ings iu dry weather, restraining too-vigorous growth by comparatively 

 close stopping. Probably in removing the tree you have placed it in a 

 oolder position than it was when it throve well, and that may be tho canse 

 of the fruit being small and cracked. Except in warm sitaations it 

 does little good as a pyramid. It reciuires a wall, and is one of the very 

 best Pears. 



Management of a Sloping Bane (Wtm).— Wo think the elope ongbt 

 to be grass, and if it be twice the perpendicular height it wotild not only 

 look far better than anything else, but would not Uc difficult to mow, venr 

 little more so than a level lawn. Ivy ^.ould do t oler.ibly well ; indeed, 

 nothing excels it as a surface-covering. The small-lcavcd sorts are best. 

 Plants shjuld be put in, if of the small kinds IS inches apart, and of the 

 strong-growing sorts from 2 feet to 2 feet 6 inches apart. Plant in ilarch, 

 spreading the shoots over the surface, and securing them with pegs. 



Tree Exposed to Smoke (£. J/.).— No tree will flourish in the situa- 

 tiou you describe. Tho Plane Tree ead;ires smoke better than most 

 others. 



Border Edgixo Tiles.— We arc informel that those mentioned on 

 page 419 may be obtained from llr. Hammill, brick and tile manuf actoxer, 

 Bridgewater, 



Celery with Solid Stem (0. W. B.).— Tour Celery would "bolt"— 

 that is, produce a ilowcr stem, as soon as mild weather occurred. Yoa 

 plant too early, or do not keep it sufficiently watered, or grow it in too 

 poor a soil. 



Names of Fruits (ff. A. B.).—l, Marmalade Pippin ; 2, Ribston Pippin ; 

 S, Braddick's Nonpareil ; 5, Kingston Black ; G. Pearson's Plate ; 7, Trum- 

 pingtou ; 9, Winter Greening; 10, Yiirkshire Greening; 11, Beurie Diel ; 

 12, Catillac ; 13, Lady's Finger ; 14, Grey Leadiugton. 



lIETEOreOLOGICLL OBSERVATIONS in the Sulaurbs of London for the week ending December 7tli. 



POULT RY, BEE, A3JD PI GEON CHRONICLE. 



COMPETING COMMITTEEMEN. 

 "An Old Comuitteemak," writing in the Joui-nal of Thurs- 

 day last, is so temperate and persuasive, that were I dealing 

 with individuals and not a class, I should be disposed to forego 

 my objection. I readily admit that committeemen work hard, 

 and spend liberally at their own show. It is, however, by no 

 means a consequence that they should have the chance of a 

 silver cup. My objection is founded upon a fixed principle 

 that prevention is better than detection, and the conviction, 



which no one will deny, that if malpractices have not arisen 

 from the custom of competing committeemen, the custom is 

 op!n to dishonesty. What is true of committeemen is in the 

 same measure true of the juiiges at poultry shows. I do not 

 thiuk that anyone will be rash enough to aay that malpractices 

 have not taken place. Common sense answers " Ak Old 

 CosiJiiiTEEMAN's'' assertion, that Birmingham being strong in 

 two particular breeds, would never show the best birds of these 

 breeds if committeemen were ejccluded from competition. Such 

 a restriction might exclude from Birmingham as committee- 

 men very celebrated exhibitors of those breeds ; but, as com- 

 mitteemen, there are plenty of others capable of taking their 



