December 28, 1869. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



507 



ing anything of yoar neighbourhood, objects, or acquirements. If you 

 enter into the business, your best guide will be to do as the most success- 

 fal florists and market gardeners in your vicinity do. 



L^TE Pears (ir//f-t'Z^).— Eonrr^ do Ranee will do well on a wall, and 

 comes in after Josephine de Malines. Doyennt- d'Aleni;ou, or, as it is 

 nsually called, E.ister Bcarr^, and Bergamotte Esperen, will do well on a 

 wall. 



Dark Hybrid Perpetual Roses (Inquirer).— Black Prince (W. Paul) 

 and Horace Vemet, or Fierro Notting. 



CucuiTBERB Bitter (Cucumis siUivu>i).~'Vhe cause of Cucumbers being 

 bitter is their not being grown quickly. When grown in a temperature 

 of 65' at nitrht, and 70 or 7!i^ by day, they rarely are bitter. Very often 

 they are bitter from being allowed to grow to a great size, whereas they 

 should be quickly grown and cut whilst young. 



Blackberries (B,rJ:hampstcad Suftsi-rificr^.— The common Blackberries 

 are not worth introducing to gardens, but, if they are desired, now is a 

 good time to transplant them, selecting the smallest plants. The ground 

 should be trenched, working in a liberal quantity of manure. Rather 

 light, well-drained soil is best. Plant them in lines 6 feet apart, and 3 feet 

 from plant to plant. The canes may be trained to stakes in a similar way 

 to Raspberries. Tho Lawton and Dorchester Blackberries are far better 

 than the common sorts, bearing much larger and better-flavoured fruit. 

 There is a new variety from France, the Kocbelle, said to be even supe- 

 rior to the Dorchester and Lawton. The latter wo have grown very fine, 

 and we find them useful for tarts, &c., in autumn, for they bear until 

 frost stops them. For covering low walls, palinps, or anything unsightly, 

 they are both useful and ornamental, requiring but little attention. 



Protecting a Vine Border (AnoHur Amateur). — By covering the 

 border with the frame you will be able to ward off wet, which it is desir- 

 able to do in winter, as well as to secure a considerable amount of warmth, 

 by keeping the frame closed at night, and in dull, cold weather. It would 

 be a good plan to keep it on until May. From this time till then it may 

 remain closed, except that after March the lights maybe drawn off on 

 fine days, and to atlmit gentle rains, using them for protection from frost, 

 and to keep off heavy continuous rains. In severe weather a coveiing of 

 mats or other material, in addition to the lights, ought to be given, so as 

 to prevent the border from freezing, or you may mulch it with 5 inches 

 of short littery manure. This would act both as a protection to the roots 

 against frost and as a manure, the lights keeping the border from becom- 

 ing saturated with rnin. 



Time of Grapes Ripexino iWm. Hilloak).— The Vines you mention, 

 Alicante and Child of Hale, will ripen their Grapes at the same time, and 

 under the same conditions as Lady Downe's. 



MELON'S AKD Celerv (J. W. C'.).— For frame culture no Melon sur- 

 passes Beechwood, and for exhibiting, Meredith's Hybrid Cashmere, 

 though we find few Muions equal Beechwood if true. Of Celeiy, Man- 

 chester Red is good for a general crop, and for its keeping qualities In- 

 comparable White. It is, undoubtedly, the best white Celery in culti- 

 vation, either for early or late use. 



Vines from Eyes (/(/(n;)- — The Vines from eyes in 4-inch pots should 

 DOW be cut back to two eyes, have the soil shaken from the roots, and be 

 potted in the same size of pot. When the Vines begin to grow, transfer 

 them into larger pots as those they are in fill with roots, and by Juue, if 

 encouraged with a gentle heat and moist atmosphere, they may have 

 their final shift into 9 or ll-ineh' pots. By autumn they will be strong 

 canes, fit for planting oat next spring but one, or they may be fruited in 

 pots, taking care tu have the wood thoroughly ripened. 



Vine Propagation from Eyes and Cuttings iCon amorc). — The canes 

 intended for propagation should, at the time of pruning, be reserved, and 

 be kept with the ends in moist soil until the end of Januai-y, ■when the 

 eyes should be prepared for insertion. From the back of each eye make 

 a cut with a sharp knife slopingly upwards, bring it out about three- 

 quarters of an inch above the eye, and on tho same side as that on which 

 the eye is situated ; a similar cut is made downwards, and then the eye 

 is ready for insertion in a 4 J-inch pot, laying it horizontally, eye upwards, 

 and covering with about half an inch of tine soil. Tho soil should bo 

 moist, but not very wet. and should always be kept moist without being 

 made so wet as to become sodden; the pot to be plunged in a bottom 

 heat of S^f^toSO', and not less than 70-, with a top heat of 60" to 15'. 

 In this the eye is to be kept until it has made a shoot nearly a foot 

 long, when it may he transferred to a pot 7 inches in diameter, replac- 

 ing it in the hotbed, which at this period should be at 70-. Ey June the 

 Vine will demand a pot 11 inches in diameter, and with liberal treatment 

 in the way of moisture and heat, will make a strong cane by September, 

 probably capable of bearing a aood crop next year in a pot, and it will do 

 for planting. Without bottom heat the eyes should not be put in until 

 March, and even then a slight bottom heat is necessary, removing them to 

 a greenhouse when the heat in the hotbed declines, or when they interfeie 

 with the growth of the other occupants by becoming too large. Cuttings 

 may he of the last year's wood, with two, three, or more eyes, inserting 

 them 30 deeply in the soil that the uppermost eye is only just level with 

 the surface. The beat cuttings, however, are those with 2 or S inches of 

 the two-year-old wood, and one eye of last year's wood. Cuttings of 

 greater length mav he made, and be planted at once in the border, but 

 the shorter they are the better, iu our opinion, for the ultimate progress 

 of the Vine. 



PoiNSETTiA pclcherrima Leaves FALLING (X. A'. X.).— It is % rcsult 

 of imperfectly-developed growth. The plants should be grown in small 

 pots, and be kept in a light, airy position, and near the glass during the 

 fiummer. They are roasted and stewed in summer; when autumn comes 

 they are dried and starved, and the leaves fall, nothing being more un- 

 gainly than this plant badly grown, though, when well grown, very fine for 

 decorative purposes. It requires a cool stove, and may succeed in a 

 warm greenhouse if the plant bo kept dry in winter. The soil should be 

 kept moist, but nut exces!*ively so, even when growing. In w'nter give 

 little water, only enongh to keep the wood from shrivelling. The Man- 

 devilla suaveolens we should plant out in a border. It would be less 

 troublesome as regards watering, and would make freer growth and better 

 foliage. 



Dressing Orchard-house Trees {An Amateur).— Though the treres 

 are apparently free from insects, it is desirable to dress them when at 

 rest, for the Peach aphis ie apt to be very active even in winter, and the 

 winter dressing is an excellent destroyer of scale. We consider 8 ozs. of 



Soft Boap, 8 ozs. of tobacco powder, and 2 lbs. of sulphur to two gallons 

 of water, make an excellent wash. It should be boiled in a pot over a 

 pputle flra for ten minutes, stirring it all the time, and when cooled to 

 ISC^ it may be applied to every part of the trees with a clean paint l>rush, 

 rubbing it into every crevice, and taking care not to dislodge the buds. 

 This should be done in mild weather, and the sooner the better. In 

 dressing Peach and Nectarine trees, care must be taken to draw the 

 brush upwards, not downwards, otherwise the bloom buds are liable to 

 be displaced. 



FiG Propagation (rorfc.^).— The host time to propagate Figs is in Janu- 

 arj-, or the beginning of February, if you have a good heat of from 70*^ 

 to'75-, and a bottom heat of 80'- to bO''; if not, defer it until the beginning 

 of March, or until you have a bottom heat of not less than 70^. They 

 are best raised from eyes of last year's wood, which may be inserted 

 either perpendicularly or horizontally in the pot, and should be covered 

 about half an inch with light soil. Keep them moist, but not very wet, 

 and in a brisk bottom heat the eyes will soon make good shoots and 

 roots. Thej- should be inserted singly in "-inch pots, and when rooted 

 may bo shifted into larger pots, and forw.arded iu gentle heat. Cuttings 

 will also root freely, taking off shoot.s close to the stem, inserting them 

 two-thirds of their length in the soil, and plunging them in a bottom 

 heat of not less than 70-. Plants from eye? are ultimately the best, but 

 those from cuttiogs become larger in less time. For cuttings, we like 

 the short stubby shoots produced near the base of the tree, and of one 

 year's growth only. We have fruited these in the year they were put in. 



Praise (A Second Garrfcn^r).— All that yoa say is true, but would be 

 out of place in our columns. 



Briar Cuttings {Julia).— li is very likely that cuttings of the Dog 

 Rose or Briar would strike root freely if now put in, though November is 

 a better time. The cuttings should be of the well-ripened wood of the 

 current year, cutting the shoots into lengths of about 10 inches, removing 

 the eyes for two-thirds the length of the cuttings, so as to prevent the 

 eyes "below the soil from throwing up suckers. Insert them two-thirds 

 their length in the soil. 



Destroying Mice (Eve). — The best means of preventing mice devour- 

 iag Crocuses in the open ground is to set a few traps baited with a small 

 Crocus bulb. The common brick or fig3re-of-4 trap will be found the 

 most serviceable. Set the traps near to where the Crocuses are attacked, 

 closing up the holes, and remove every part of the roots brought up and 

 partially devoured by the mice. 



Gesnera zeerixa CoaiPOST (A Lrrhf h> Chexhirr'/.—Tv/o parts fibrous 

 loam, one part leaf soil or old cow dung, and one part sandy peat, with a 

 free admixture of sharp aand. The pots should be well drained. We 

 have known the roots destroyed by too-powerful doses of liquid manure. 



Melons and Cucumbers in the SA^:E Frasie {E. E.).— You cannot 

 well grow both in a two-light frame, for when Melons are setting and the 

 fruit ripening they require a drier atmosphere than is suitable for Cucum- 

 bers, which at all times need a moist atmosphere to secure a succession 

 of crisp good-flavoured frui*. By having a boarded partition you might 

 have Melons under one light, and Cucumbers under the other, and then 

 you could grow both, for they require but little variation in the soil and 

 bottom heat. It would be much better, however, to grow them in 

 separate frames. Beechwood (true), is one of the best, if not the very 

 best of green-fleshed Melons in cultivation. It is the best hardy frame 

 Melon. 



Melon fob Preserving {E. B.).— Bignell's Scarlet Flesh is an ex- 

 cellent kind for preserving. Conqueror of Europe is another good sort, 

 and pale green in flesh. 



Planting Strawberries and Fruit Trees (A Poor Lad;/).— Yon may 

 next March procure runners of this year that have been put out in 

 nursery-beds, and, by moving them with good balls, and carefully plant- 

 ing and attending to them with water, you may have a moderate crop next 

 Juue or July. For cropping Rivers' EUzai* better than Sir Joseph Paxton, 

 but it is not so early as the latter. The former, for its heavy cropping 

 qualities, ought to be in every garden. You may probably obtain plants 

 iu small pots, and those put out early in March would give you fruit 

 next year, or the summer of planting. February, during mild weather, 

 will be a good time to plant the fruit tree?, but they may be planted now, 

 though we consider midwinter about the worst timeiu the year, especially 

 in cold wet soils, and duricg wet weather when the ground is very often 

 nearly mud. Court of Wick and Sturmer Pippin are two good winter 

 dessert Apples. Two Plums for standards are Diamond and Perdrigon 

 Violet Hiitif. Planting Rhubarb from now until March will afford a 

 supply of stalks next spring, bi:t to do well it ought to be little cut from 

 the first season. 



Compost for Chry3ANTHe:mums (.4 Co^r-'^anf Scad'^r). — Two parts loam 

 from rotted turves, and one part leaf soil or old cow dung not less than 

 a year old, with a free admixture of sharp sand, will grow them well. 

 Hard potting after the plants or |cuttings are struck shnuld be practised, 

 as it provents lanky growths, and keeps the plants stifl", shrubby, and 

 short-jointed. The'Primuhis we should think are very fine. Being good 

 in foliage, with large, well-bloomed trasses nicely elevated above the 

 foliage, the plants examples o: good cultivation, they certainly would be 

 fit for exhibition, but though size of bloom is a merit, other c msiderations 

 are of equal moment. 



Desfontainea. &c. (E. 21/.).— Any of the principal nurserymen who 

 advertise in our Journal could supply you. 



Cider Apples {Coventrij).~1he delay has arisen from our applying for 

 trustworthy information. You will see a replv in our Joarnal to-day. 

 The Normanton Wonder is only another name for Dumelow's Seedling. 

 Being very juicy and rather aromatic, it would produce probably a good 

 cider. 



Athospheeic Moisture in Vineries {An' at c jit). —In a long answer to 

 a correspondent, vou will see that atmospheric moisture for Vines is 

 pretty fully considered. One thing is there omitted— the impropriety of 

 syringing or watering pipes or flues to obtain a moist vapour. That 

 plan is verv fitful in its operation, and besides that, there are other objec- 

 tions, such" as obtaining vapour at times too hot to be suitable to plants 

 near it. The best plan for securing atmospheric moisture is to have 

 evaporating vessels made of zinc, tin, or cast iron, to fit on the pipes or 

 flues ; then the vapour will be in propoi-tion to the heat. Some time ago 

 we alinded to the importance of the fixing accurately. Some vessels, 

 2 feet in length, ^ith a semicircular form beneath to clasp the pipe, we 



