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JOURNAL Of HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



I March 11, 1875. 



plenty of room. One bushy sturdy plant that has had sufficient 

 space to develope itself is worth three or four that have been 

 overcrowded ; the latter do not start into growth until the 

 summer is nearly gone, and they also suffer much during the 

 process of hardeoing-oij. It is difficult to give details of work 

 amongst bedding plauta at this season, as there is continual 

 work moving the plants from warm to cooler houses, and from 

 heated structures to frames or turf pits. All subtropical plants 

 must be kept growing in a little heat until a change occurs in 

 the weather. — J. Douglas. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Books (Q. A. B.). — We have no such work. At one large eetablishment we 

 saw lists printed on a slip of paper, and the cook marked the articles needed. 

 Any piiuter would print a thousand of Buch lists for a few PhlUings. 

 ( C. L. T. ). — Dr. Hooker's " Synopsis of Ferns " has no illustrations ; Mr. Lowe's 

 has coloured figursB. Any bookseller could ohtain either. "We do not know 

 the prices. 



Cost of Digging (A Subscriber). — Dig^ng light garden soil one spit deep. 

 l\d. or 2d. per rod. If the soil be heavy, 3rf. 



Prince's Briar Roses (J. P.). — They are fully Hoticed in our No. 703. 

 Your wall Cherry trees need root-action. Give them a good soaking with 

 weak liquid manure, and keep mulch over the roots. 



Preserving Garden Nets (A Constant Efadcr).—B.a.ve them soaked 

 thoroui^hly in a tanner's pit of oak-bark liquor, and when not in use keep 

 them in a very dry place. 



Cattleya citrina (A Subscriber).— It will succeed in a cool house in the 

 temperature you name, which we prepume is from Ere heat. It should have 

 a higher temperature when flowing — 6D- to 65- at night, and 15'^ to 85" or 

 00", the latter with sun, and should have more moisture, being sprinkled 

 with water two or three times a-day, and this contiaued until the growth ia 

 perfected, when the block should be kept more dry, a light sprinkhng once 

 a-day, or nut that in du 1 weather, being the whole of the plant's require- 

 ments during the season of rest. It succeeds the best of slight shade from 

 powerful sun. It ought not at this season to be kept wet, but only damp, 

 until the growth is considerably advanced, and then increase the supply of 

 moisture with the growth. 



Propagating SPH.EaoGVNt: latifolia [Idem).~Yonr plant will not suc- 

 ceed in thb temperature you name, it is too low, and to this is to be attri- 

 buted the falling of the leaves and the rotting at the collar. The point of 

 the shoots may be made into cuttings of two joints with the growing point 

 to each, the leaves removed from the two lower, and insert to the nest pair of 

 leaves singly in pocs well drained, and in a compost of sandy peat, turfy 

 loam, leaf suil, and silver sand in equal parts. Place in a bottom heat of 75- 

 to 8U , and keep rather close, moderately moist, and shaded from'bright suu 

 until rooted, when they should be shifted into larger pots, and have a moist 

 atmosphere without syringing overhead. In potting from the cutting pots 

 omit half the quantity of sand named for the cuttings. 



Pruning Orange Trees (Comer vatorii\. — The plants, having become 

 straggling, ought at once to have the straggling growths cut back or removed, 

 and if the heads are very thick of wood they should be thinned. This should 

 he done with judgment, so as to produce evenly-balanced heads. Too much 

 pruning, however, would only encourage growth and induce overcrowding, 

 which will make the growths weak aud liable to go off. No precise instruc- 

 tion cau be given, bat the above will give the needful idea of what should be 

 aimed at in pruning Oraoge trees. 



Ferns and Plants kur Diiawing-koom (Manor Hill). — We have found 

 the following plants very suitable and easily cultivated. Ferns are very 

 useful, but it is necessary that the growths be completed and hardened- 

 off before placing in such a position, or the fronds from the drier atmo- 

 Efphere of a drawing room are liable to suffer. Ferns are — Adiantums 

 assimile, Capillus- Veneris, a?thiopicum, cunoitum, formosum, setulosum; 

 AspJeniums bulbiferam, caudatum, dim'^trphnm. and pricraoraum; Blechnura 

 occidentale, Davallia dissecta, D. tenuifolia, Doodia aspera.Goniophlebium 

 appondiculatum, Gymnogramma ochracea, G. tartaroa, Lantrea decomposita, 

 L. decurreos, L. elegans, Lomaria gibba, L. Herminieri, L. Patersoni, Nephro- 

 lopiM davallioides, N. exaltata. Platycflrium alcicorne, Platyloraa rotundiiolia, 

 Pteris cretica albo-lineata, P. longifolia, P. sernilata, P. sornilata crintata, 

 P. umbrosa. Those require stove or greenhouse temperature. Hardy Ferns 

 are even more suitable, of which wo name a few wbich succeed admirably 

 grown in a cool greenhouse: — Asplenium adiantum nigrum, A. marinum, 

 A. trichomanes, Athyrium Filix-fccmina, vars. Applebyanum, apuisforme, 

 corymbiferum, and plumosum, Blechuum spicant, and var. imbricatum, 

 Lastrea dilatata cristata. L. Filis-mas, vai-. cristatus; Osmunda gracilis, 

 O. regatis cristata, Polypodium dryopteris, P. vulgare, P. vulgare cambricum, 

 Polystichum aculeatum, P. angulare cristatum, P. multilidum, Scolopendrium 

 vulgare, vars. covymbiferum, cri^pum maximum, ramo-cristatum; and Lyco- 

 pods, which do well in a stove with moistare, as Selaginellas erythropus, 

 formosa, Lyalli, Martensi variegata ; and In greenhoose, S. Wildenovi and 

 denticulata. Stove plants — Alucasia Jenningsi, Anthurium Scherzerianum, 

 Aralia loptophylla, Croton Juhannis, C. angustifolium, C. Weismauni, Cyperus 

 alternifoiiua fol. variegata, Dracxna Cooperi, D. regina?, D. stricta, D. utilis, 

 D. rubra, D. terminalis, Jacaranda mimosicfolia, Maranta zcbrina, Muss^nda 

 froadosa, Pandanus graminifoltus, Pauicum variegatum, Paullinia thalictri- 

 folia, and Piloa muscosa. Isolepts gracilis is very useful, and such common 

 things as the hne-foliaged Bogonias. The above list will bo more than you 

 will nood, but from it you may select what you require, and it may be useful 

 to others of our readers. 



Geranium Lhaves Browned (T. Bc>il).—Tho leaves are evidently injured 

 by cold aud damp. The plants should have a light position, and be near the 

 glass without touching it; about a foot from it is proper. Then we think 

 you water them overhead, as also the Fuchsias, which during the winter 

 ought not to have more water than sufficient to keep them fresh. The tem- 

 perature ought not to fall lower than 40 at night, and it need not be more than 

 45' by night or day from fire heat. Water more carefully, keeping the soil 

 moist, and increasing the supply as the weather improves and the plants 

 increase in growth, but it will all be of no use if you do not exclude frost. 



Pciii' FDR Raising Water {A!igUcaiia).—You.t plan is not a good one, 

 aud wo do not think 53 yards too long a distance to draw water by hand- 

 power. We should have an ordinary iron 4-inch barrel pump at A. instead of 



n, as any ordinary pump will raise water 15 feet. This ^vill allow of a dear 

 fall of a feet from a to B, the pipe being taken above ground with that amount 

 of fall by the delivery pipe to the reservoir b. A 2-inch deUvery pipe you 

 would have instead of 2-inch suction pipe, and it would be not only clieaper, 

 as a more economical pump would answer, but be very much easier to work. 

 The pump could be raised upon a platform at a. 



Cucusibers in Peach House (3/. J.). — Very different indeed is the treat- 

 ment required by the two. The Peaches require considerably more air — in 

 fact, they could not in summer have too much, and the Cucumbers to succeed 

 in a greenhouse require to be kept closer, more moist, and warmer than ia 

 good for Peaches. 



Vallota purpurea (A Lady). — It will flucceed as a window plant, and ia 

 one of the beet. All that it requires is a window with a south aspect, and to 

 be potted at this season if it require it. a^ it should now be making fresh 

 growth. It should be liberally supplied with water up to July, after which it 

 will suffice if the soil be kept moist. The leaves will require to be sponged 

 occasionally to free them of dust. After June it may be stood outdoors in an 

 open warm exposure, well watered or kept from flagging, removing to the 

 window in early autumn. 



Knight's Monarch Pear (C. B.).— Tt is usual for this Pear in a hot and 

 dry season to become bard and never become tender in flesh. It is not suit- 

 able for a hot and dry position, but is one of the finest-flavoured kinds whoa 

 grown on a west aspect. The fruit now hard will not ripen, especially as 

 they have shrivelled, which would indicate imperfect ripening and too dry an 

 atmosphere in the store room. See remarks on shrivelling in another 

 column. 



Crocuses Eaten (W^m).— Mice are the most likely canse of the injury of 

 which yon complain ; a few would be sufficient to commit the damage, field 

 mice existing often in greater numbers than is supposed. SquU-rela wo do 

 not think would take them, and they do not suck rooks' or partridge eggs any 

 more than the goatsucker sucks goats or the hedgehog cowd ; all are popular 

 absurdities. 



Propagating Eoses by Cuttings (Agricola). — Spring cuttings may be 

 had from forced plants which have just shed their flowers. These cuttings 

 may be made with three joints cub transversely below the lowest, and the 

 lowest leaf removed, then insert singly in 2-inch pots, using a compost of 

 turfy loam, sandy peat, and silver sand in equal parts; insert the cuttings 

 about 1 or 1^^ inch deep. The pots should be plurgcd in cocoa-nut fibre 

 refuse, sawdust, or other material over a gentle horbed (70° to 75-), and kept 

 close, sprinkling very lightly every morning with water the same temperature 

 as tbat of the bed, and the cuttings to be shaded from sun. In about a fort- 

 night they will have rooted, but they are not to be removed from the frame 

 until shoots are made of 1 or 2 inches in length, and then they may be 

 removed to a frame also with gentle heat, or be kept in the same, but having 

 a little air daily to harden them. In about three or four weeks after in- 

 sertion they wiU be fit to shift into laiger potn, and may be placed in a cold 

 frame, and he kept moist, rather close, and shaded from bright sun for a few 

 days, when they should be hardeiied-off, and planted-out in May, or shifted 

 into larger pots, and growu-on outdoors, the pots being plunged in ashes. 

 Summer cuttings may be taken in July just after the flowers are shed, 

 inserted in pots, and struck either in bottom heat as above described, or in a 

 cold frame kept close, and sprinkled every morning. They will root less 

 quickly than in a hotbed, but quite as stu'oly. Autumn cuttings may be of 

 any spare shoots in September or early October under a north wall, patting-in 

 firmly, and in the followmg April they will be ready for potting. 



Constructing Greenhouse (Afhjield). — It is not desirable to have Peach 

 trees against the back wall of greenhouses, they are seldom satisfactory ; bat 

 yoLi may retain them if you are prepare! to give them a low temperature in 

 winter, which is essential for rest. We should remove them, and have instead 

 a few Vines for the roof of one or both houses, which will give you better return 

 than Peaches against the back wall. You can have the house in two divisions, 

 one of 10 feet for a warm house, aud the other 17 feet for a cooler house. The 

 appearance would be best not to project beyond the house wall, the width 

 therefore will be 10 feet. The front wall we should have 2 feet 6 inches high 

 from the floor line, and to clear the door from drawing room you will need 

 4 feet 6 inches of front lights, aud the height at back 11 feet 6 inches, or just 

 beneath the coping of the wall. The front wall we should have built on piers, 

 and arched over just level with the ground line, and this will allow of your 

 having the Vines planted inside the house, the spaces between the pillars 

 allowing of the roots passing outside. The glass most suitable is 21-oz sheet, 

 thirds quality, and in squares of about 15 inches (not morel wide, and 3 feet to 

 2); feet long. Heat by hot water, having a stokehole in the tool house, and 

 take the pipes from the boiler across the end of the warm house to the front 

 of the house, and then branch to the right with two pipes, and two returna 

 for the warm house beneath the stage, and to the left with one flow and 

 retiu-n for the cooler house, the pipes in both houses being beneath the front 

 shelf, and about 18 inches from the front wall. Vou will need a valve upon 

 the flow pipe of both houses just where they leave the mam, so that you can 

 regulate the heat at will in both houses. The flow and return across the end 

 of warm house will do for both houses. The path the width of doorway, 

 2 feet 6 inches, so that you will have a shelf in front of 2 feet 6 inches in 

 width, aud that height from the floor, and a back stage of 5 feet ; two shelves 

 of a foot and one of 3 feet ia width, each being raised a foot, the first on a level 

 with the front one. These may be made of laths about 1^ inch thick and 

 U inch wide, with an inch space between each. Almost any boiler will heat 

 the houses, so that you wUl not have to get up in the night, the fire being 

 made up at ten o'clock ; you may have one that will not require attention 

 for several hours. The pipes should not be less than 3 inches, and are better 

 4 inches, which is the best si^e of piping. The piping must go the whole 

 length of each house. 



Greenhouse for Amateur (J^noraHtu.-!).— If you have a wall already up 

 and with a suitable aspect the most economical form of house is a lean-to, 

 and it answers very well as a greenhouse ; but if you have no wall the best 

 form is a span, as it admits light equally all around. The best mode of heat- 

 ing such a house would be a stove boiler, and 2 or 3-inch hot-water pipes. 

 The stove may be within the house, having a pipe or funnel to take the smoke 

 and injnrious products of combustion clear of the house. We cannot recom- 

 mend one dealer preferably to another. It is matter for your own choice. 



Heating Cucumber Houhe and Greenhouse (T. Haslam).— To grow 

 Cucumbers and Melons successfully you will require pipes for bottom as well 

 as top heat. Two pipes will be necessary for bottom heat to a bed of 4 to 

 S-feet width, the pipes being surrounded by aud covered with rubble about 

 9 inches thick, aud over this the soil a foot thick. You wiU therefore require 

 the additional pipes fur bottom heat to the Cucumber house, which will make 



