102 



JOURNAL OF HOUTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENEE. 



[ February 4, 1875. 



Botue have uot yet startod ; they look quite si'seii and healthy. 

 A severe froat does not seem to affect them much.— J. Douglas. 



PROVINCIAL HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



Secketaries will oblige us by informing us of the dates on 

 which exhibitions ara to be held. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



-T. Jefferies it Sons, Cirencester. — Garden Guide. 



"W. Potteu, Nar.^ery, SisBinghurst, Staplehurat, Kent.— D(^- 

 scriptive Catalogue of Seeds. 



Pooloy & Co., 23, Bush Lane, Cannon Street, London.— 

 Wholesale Priced List. 



W. Rumsey, Joyning's Nursery, Waltham Cross. — Select List 

 of Seeds, (do. 



Edmondson Brothers, 10, Dame Street, Dublin.— S^nw^ Cata- 

 loQitc of Seeds, <^C'C. 



Robertson & Galloway, 157, lagram Street, Glasgow.— 7)e- 

 8criptive Seed Catalogue. 



W. Samson & Co., Seedsmen, Kilmarnock.— General Cata- 

 logue of Seeds, d-c. 



J. Laing, Forest Hill, London. — Descriptive Catalogue of 

 Seeds, Sc. 



Hooper & Co., Covent Garden, London. — Gardening Guide. 



F. & A. Dickson & Sons, lOG.Eastgate Street, Chester,— Caifi- 

 logue of Seeds. 



J. C. Wheeler it Sons, Gloucester and London. — Little Book, 

 or Seed List. 



H. Caunsll, Station Road, Woolwich. — Floral Guide. 



P. S. Robertson &; Co., 33, St. Andrew's Square, Edinburgh. 

 Descriptive Catalogue of Seeds, Lnplevietits , (C*c. 



W. Ball, King's Road, Chelsea, London. — Retail List of Select 

 Seeds and New Plants. 



Drummond Brothers, 52, George Street, Edinburgh. — Cata- 

 logue of Seeds. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*,* All corrGSpondencQ should be directed either to "The 

 Editors," or to "The Publisher." Letters addressed to 

 Mr. Johnson or Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoid- 

 ably. We request that no one will write privately to any 

 of our correspondents, as doing bo subjects them to un- 

 justifiable trouble and expense. 



Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 

 relating to Gardening and those on Poultry and Bee sub- 

 jects, and should never send more than two or three 

 questions at once. All articles intended for insertion 

 should be written on one side of the paper only. We 

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 



Books (^iicia).— We know of no book on growing? fruit for the London 

 market, {ff. N. 0.).— The " Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary," with Buppiement, 

 can be had of the publishers, Bell & Daldy, York Street, Covent Garden. 



Seedling Apple (Messrs. Broitvi).— Your seedling Apple is very handsome 

 n shape, very beautiful in colour, ?,nd very good. 



QuARRENDEN Appltl (InqiLircy). — The flesh is usually pink near the rind, 

 and becomes lighter until it passes into white nearer the core. 



Akrangement of Ribbon Border (C. P. ^.).— We repeat the statement 

 BO of ten made, that we cannot undertake such arrangements, but we most 

 willingly criticise any which may be submittod to us. You have doubtless 

 ideas ol your own ; let us see them, and wc may then lie able to assist you. 

 Yon have ample materials for a rich and tasteful arraugement. Strive to 

 make it good, not only in itsolf aud fiir its positiou, but al.so iu its relation to 

 the surrounding features, of which you say nothing in your letter. 



Mushroom Spawn (li. Dnvies). — Spawn may bo found in dunghills, horsc- 

 miU tracks, aud such places. In May a heap of Lho droppings of cows, 

 Bheep, and horses, or any one or two of them, without the admixture of any 

 undccomposed straw, is l-o be collected, and one-fifth of road-scraping with 

 one-twentieth of coal ashes added, tlie whole being mixed together with as 

 much of the draiuings from a dunghill as will make it of the consistency of 

 mortar. Being well iDcorporated, it is then to be spread in a dr>', sheltered, 

 airy place, on a smooth surface, and beaten flat with a spade. When become 

 of the consistency nf clay it is to be cut into slabs about 8 inches square, a 

 hole punched half through the middle of each, and piled to dry, an opening 

 being left between every two bricks. Wlien perfectly dry a fratjment of the 

 spawn is to be buried in the hole previously made. It will shortly sxiread 

 through the whole texture of the slabs if kept in a warm dry place, when 

 each may be broken into four pieces, and when quite dry laid on shelves, 

 separate, and not in heaps, otherwise a bed will be formed for the spawn to 

 run in. 



CAMEtLiA Leaves Browned (R. G.).— The leaves sent show your plants 

 to be in a " very unhealthy state," very small and spotted. The smallness of 

 the leaves may he natural, but wo know of none su small when in health. 

 The ill health is a consequence of inactive roots, which may arise from an 

 unsuitable compost, or it may be sodden and sour. The fault in the atmo- 

 sphere is too much moisture upon the leaves, cither from syringing or drip 

 from the root, which keeps the loaves wet, and drops hanging from their 

 edges, the sun fallio;,' powerfully upon them then causes the brown blotches. 

 The remedy is to syriuge loss or prevent the drip, and not all^w the sun to 

 fall powerfully upon them. Ours are shaded from early April to the end of 

 September, and are not syringed at all, moisture being obtained by f/equent 



sprinklings of the floor, walls, Ac. Turn the plants out of the pots now, as 

 they are not flowering, and remove any soil not occupied with roots, and 

 repot in clean pots and well draiuni, just large enough to admit the roots and 

 adinit of about three-quarters of an inch of fresh soil all round, potting 

 firmly, being careful not to injure the root^, but to work the soil in amongst 

 thom, so as to leave no cavities, and keep the neck or collar of the plants 

 raised in the centre of the pots. Water carefully, but keep moist until the 

 plants aie growing freely, then water abundantly, but take care not to mako 

 the soil sodden. A good compost is three parts the top inch of a pasture 

 taken off where the soil is a rich, light, sandy loam, one part sandy peat, one 

 part leaf soil or thoroughly decomposed cow dnng, aud one-sixth silver sand, 

 the loam chopped up rather fine, using it with its turf, the peat broken rather 

 fine, and the whole well mixed. 



Camellia (J. W.). — We are sorry wc cannot name it. Florists' flowers can 

 only be identified by those who specially cultivate them ; they are in legions. 

 Heating Greenhouse (Dr. Andre). — Have a small stove boiler and 2-inch 

 hot- water pip'^s; a flow i^ud return all round the house except the doorway 

 would be sufficient to exclude frost, to dry rp damp, and promote a circula- 

 tion of air in dull weather. You may have the stove outside the house in a 

 shed, or in a hall or corridor if convenient, or the stove may be inside the 

 house, having a funnel or pipe to carry outside the products of combustion. 

 The price would not be much greater than a flue, but for expense write to 

 those advertising in our columns and ask for estimates. 



Protecting Fruit Buds from Small Birds (.4. G.).— Boil a pound of 

 quassia chips in four gallons of soft water ten minutes, and add to it as it 

 cools a pound of soft soap, and add those in sufficient quantity to a paste 

 formed of equal proportions lime and soot, passed through a hair sieve to 

 form a liquid that will pass through a syringe, and eject that over the trees. 

 The lime ought to be fresh slaked, and adding the soot afterwards. The 

 composition is good a-rainst insects, lichen, and moss, as well as for pro- 

 tecting the buds from birds. Repeat if washed off, but usually one applica- 

 tion suffices. 



Protecting Iron Cistern from Frost (P. C.).— The best plan is a 

 wood casing, allowing a 2-inch space between the wood and the cistern, and 

 fill this with dry sawdust. The top should be protected in the samo way, 

 excepting, of course, the supply-pipe and overflow, and the pipes are best 

 encased in wood filled with sawdust, or a straw or hay baud wrapped round 

 them. 



Potting Rose Cuttings (E. L. IF.). — The cuttings now rooting would bo 

 best potted if you intend to gi'ow them in pots, and place them in the cold 

 house or in a frame. For outdoors they should be potted and kept in a cold 

 frame until they are well rooted, when they may be planted out, ha\'ing been 

 well hardened-off. You mistake about Gloxinias and Achimenos not being 

 mentioned in the " Greenhouse Manual." They arc mentioned in the 

 calendar for March, April. May, Ac. Williams's "Stove and Greenhouse 

 Flowering Plants " may suit you. It may be had through any bookeeller. 



Muscat Vines Breaking Badly (H. H. B.).— Muscats early in the year 

 usually Htart indifferently, and require to bo brought on gradually, the at- 

 mosphere being kept very moist, as also the rods ; these being depressed, as 

 stated by Mr. Douglas a short time since, with a moderate temperature to 

 begin with, and gi-adually raised. Thoir not breaking iu your case is not de- 

 pressing the upper part of the canos, bringing them at least level with the eyes 

 at the lower part of the Vines. The Vines we presume are planted inside ; or 

 the bad breaking may be due to the roots being iu a cold, wet, outside border. 

 We should depress the rods now aud maintain a tempeiaturo of 60" at night. 

 Go- to 7<r by day, and keep very moist. Vines this season have broken as 

 well as we can remember. 



NiGiiT-scENTED Stock Cultube {Somerset).— The plants require an 

 abundance of air and light and very careful watering. Pot-ofi' the seedUngs 

 three in a 3-incU pot, not burying them deeper than the seed leaves, and 

 water carefully, shading from sun until established. When the roots are show- 

 ing at the sides of the pots shift into 5-inch pots, which are sufficiently large. 

 Two parts loam, one part leaf soil, with a free admixture of silver sand will 

 grow them well. Picotecs sown last June and wintered in a greenhouse will, 

 if planted-out in April after being well hardened-off, probably flower outdoors 

 this summer. They ought to have an open situation. 



Cucumbers Growing in .Vinery (L/rm).— They will grow in 11-inch pots, 

 but 13-inch are better. They will require top-diessings with rich compost. 

 Boxes may be 15 inches long, a foot wide, and a foot deep. The trellis for 

 them ought not to be less than 2 feet from the Vines. If the roof of the 

 house be closely covered with the Vines, the Cucumber plants will do little 

 good beneath them. 



Heating Houses {J. P. of York).— The houses would be heated more 

 economically by a boiler than bj flues ; two furnaces consume more fuel tban 

 one, and you will not requh-e a larger furnace for the boiler than for ono flue. 

 Two 4-inch pipes along the front and one end will be sufficient to exclude 

 frost from a lean-to house if the width does not exceed 15 foot ; if wider they 

 ought to be taken along both ends, and all round if a span. To give a stove 

 heat or for forcing Vmes early in the season you will requu-e twice the 

 quantity of piping as for the other houses. It would be best to take the 

 main flow and return along the back of the houses through a shed or sheds, 

 which will be useful for Mush room -growing, or if the roof were of glass for 

 Ferns, and from these branch to the several houses, having valves to each, so 

 as to work each separately or together. 



Vines to Fruit Late (Inquircr).~Yonr Viuos being Black Hamburgh 

 need not be started, but allowed to break naturally, as they will in April or 

 earlier, and need not have greater aid from fire heat than to keep the tempe- 

 rature from falling below 50- after they are in leaf, and when in leaf securing 

 to them a night temperatore of 55^, though it may in the morning fall to 50' 

 without injury to the Vines or crop. In August and early September, or 

 when the Grapes chauge colour, it may be necessary to afford a little fire heat 

 by day if the weather be dull, cold, and wet, so as to cause a circulation of 

 ail-, or allow of its being freely given without lowering the temperature below 

 G5^ to 7(r by day, and GO^ at night- The Grapes wiU colour in a lower 

 temperature, but they will not be so rich in flavour, nor keep nearly so well 

 as those ripened in a higher temperature. The Grapes will be ripe at the end 

 of August or beginning of September ; and the atmosphere being kept dry, 

 having air day and Jiight, and no moisture in the house from plants, they will 

 hang in good conditiuu imtil the new year. 



Nerxeka scaponhhdes {J. Field). — We do not know the species. All those 

 of the genus known to us are creeping plants, and half-hardy. 



Sea-kale Pots {E. M. P.). — For so small a number a? four the expense of 

 packing and carriage would be more than equivalent to a retailer's charge. 



