April 1, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTIOULTURE AND COTTAGE QARDENEB. 



•261 



at the same time, thau in the south of Scotland or northern 

 districts of England. 



A secoud sowing of Broad Beans should now be made. If 

 Brussels Sprouts, Savoys, and Broccoli for the earliest crops 

 ai'e not already sown they ought to bo put in at once. 



FRUIT .IND FOBCINO HOUSES. 



Pineries. — A high degree of temperature can be kept up in 

 the fruiting bouse now if it is necessary to push on the fruits 

 that are swelling, with a minimum of 70°, rising to 90^ with sun 

 heat; but the quality of the fruit is deteriorated by a high 

 temperature, as it necessitates the house beiug kept pretty 

 close, much artificial heat in cold nights, and proportionately 

 more atmospheric moisture. Under such circumstances the 

 crowns are frequently drawn-up out of proportion to the fruit. 

 Should a day or two of bright sunshine occur after a dull period, 

 it it as well to shade any fruits swelliog-off with a sheet of paper 

 during the hottest part of the day, say from ten to two in the 

 afternoon. The fruit should also he tied to sticks to prevent it 

 from falling over, for unless the fruit is quite upright the crowns 

 will be one-sided. 



OECHAKD HOUSE. 



The Peach and Nectarine trees will not be in flower for a few 

 weeks yet ; the house has been well aired, and no artificial heat 

 has been required at night, so that the lateness of the bloom 

 will in all probability be the means of a good set. Plums and 

 Pears have only been taken-in this week; however, a week or 

 two of fine weather would cause all blossoms to open rapidly. 



A little care is ueccssarj' in watering the trees, and there is 

 more danger of the flowers dropping through the roots becom- 

 ing too dry than if too much water should be applied. Thorough 

 drainage is of the utmost importance, and there is but little 

 danger to be feared from superfluous water when it drains away 

 freely. Should the trees not be quite free from brown scale, 

 now is the best time to look over them and have the scale re- 

 moved, afterwards washing the place with strong soapy water. 



Strawberry plants on the shelves do not as yet make much 

 growth ; the pots are watered alternately with weak liquid 

 manure. They ought also to be watered with care, as the 

 B-inch pots are crammed quite full of roots ; there is not much 

 danger of ovorwatering any of them unless the drainage has be- 

 come choked through worms working. When this is the case it 

 is best to turn the plant out, aud after clearing the crooks from 

 mould carefully replace the plant as before. Worms may be 

 destroyed by watering with clear lime water. Remove succes- 

 sion batches of plants to the forcing house as they are required. 

 Any variety will bear rapid forcing now. President and British 

 Queen are the best for late crops. 



PLANT STOVE. 



Climbing plants are growing freely, and if neglected now will 

 be materially injured for the ensuiug season. Those trained to 

 the roof should not be allowed to twine into each other, not 

 should the young growths on the same plant be allowed to do 

 this. Those growths that coil round the wires must also be 

 untwined in order to train the plants as they ought to be done. 

 Stephanotis, Ipomcea, Hoya carnosa, and all rapid-growing 

 creepers should be looked over once a-week. 



Pot plants of the same climbers should be trained in the same 

 manner. The flowering growths must not now be trained 

 round the trellis but to string, cue end of which is attached to 

 the trelUs and the other to the roof of the house ; this allows 

 the leaves aud flowers ample space to develope themselves, aud 

 when the flowers begin to open, the growths may then be tied 

 into their proper places. The splendid plants of Stephauotia 

 florihunda and other stove climbers exhibited at the metropolitan 

 exhibitions are obtained in this way. 



Not a single mealy bug should be allowed in the house. We 

 can only recommend hunting them up with soft soap and water. 

 It is mere waste of time and money to fancy that this pest can 

 be destroyed by merely syringing the plants infested with any 

 decoction. 



Thrips are also very troublesome in the stove. Tobacco smoke 

 will destroy them if it can be applied strong enough, but the 

 leaves of many stove plants are very tender, and the young 

 fronds of Ferns will not stand smoke. The best treatment is to 

 wash the insects off with a sponge and soapy water. Eed spider 

 is kept in check by syringing the plants ; those that cannot be 

 syringed must be washed off by hand. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



We have run the mower over the lawn aud cut the grass 

 edgings. It is now time that all the pleasure grounds should 

 be in first-rate order, as a badly-kept lawn spoils the best place. 



If any shrubbery borders have not yet been forked over it 

 ought to be done at once. It may not be desirable to fork or dig 

 where choice herbaceous plants are, but the Dutch hoa at least 

 should be run through the ground, making the surface neat with 

 a small rake. Ehododendron beds should be hoed and raked, 

 and a dressing of rotted manure be placed over the surface. 

 This practice is especially needful in dry districts, as it not only 

 nourishes the plants but retains moisture. Hoed beds of spring. 



flowering plants, and also stirred the surface of Pink beds for 

 the second time. 



Auriculas are now throwing up their flower trusses, and it is 

 desirable to shelter them from the east wind ; in fiae days the 

 lights may be removed for a few hours in the middle of the day. 

 Do not allow the plants to be exposed to raiu; a slight shower 

 would not injure the Alpine section, but the more tender florist 

 varieties are much better under shelter. 



Carnations aud Picotees will be potted into the flowering pots 

 as soon as we can attend to them. In the meantime the plants 

 have been looked over, the withered leaves picked off, and a few 

 plants that were attacked by aphis dusted with Scotch snuff. 



Planted-out the first batch of Gladiolus bulbs. We have 

 planted as early as the first week in March and once in B'eb- 

 ruary, but it is not desirable to do so, as the plants grow through 

 the ground too early, aud though they may not be cut down by 

 spring frosts they are sometimes injured. To have a continuous 

 display of this fine autumn flower until the end of October a 

 succession of bulbs must be planted every fortnight until June. 

 Do not neglect to place a little sand under and over the bulbs, 

 nor should they be planted too deep; 2 inches of mould over the 

 top of the crowns is quite deep enough for the largest bulbs. 

 Small bulbs should not be quite so deep in the ground. — 

 J. Douglas. 



HORTICULTUBAL EXHIBITIONS. 

 Secretaries will oblige us by informing us of the dates on 

 which exhibitions are to be held. 



Jersey. — May 5tb, Roses Jano 16th, Autumu October 13th, du-ysautbemums 



November 10th. Major Howell, Spring Grove, St. Lawrence, Huu. Sec. 

 Bath.— May 12th, September 1st and 2ad. Mr. B. Peai'sou, 13, Milsom 



Street, Sec. 

 Crystal Palace Company. — Flower Show, May 22nd ; Rose Show, Jane IDth ; 



Autumn Fruit and Flower Show, September 7th to 9th — Sec, F. W. 



Wilson. Bees and their appliances, September 2Ut to 23rd — Sec, J. 



Hunter. 

 OoVEKTKY.— May 31st. Mr. T. Wigston, 3, Portland Terrace, Lower Ford 



Street, Sec. 

 Leeds.— Juno 9th, lOtb, and 11th. Mi-. J. Birkbeck, Delph Lane, Woodboaee, 



Leeds, Sec. 

 Burton-upon-Tkent.— Juno 16th. Mr. Wm. Shave, Bond Street, Sec. 

 CiLAsao\v.— June 16th, September 8th. Mr. F. G. Dougall, 167, Canning 



Street, Sec. 

 Fareham.— June 23rd. Mr. H Smith, Sec. 

 Exeter (Rose Show). — June 25th. Mr. J. N. Gray, Qaeeu Street Chambers, 



Hon. Sec. 

 WiSBEACH— June 30th. Mr. 0. Parker, Hon. Sec. 

 MiiDSTONE.— (Roses), June 30lh, at Vinters Park. H. Bensteal, Esi-, 



Huu Sec, Rose Club, Mill Street. Maidstone. 

 Spalding. — July 1st and 2nd. Mr. G. F. Barrell, Hon. Sec. 

 Durham and Northcmberland. — To be held at Elswick Park, July 7th 



and 8th. Mr. K. Bevely, Sec. 

 Nottingham. — Rose Show, &c., July 9th and 10th. Apply to Alfred Kirk, 



Municipal Ollices, Nottingham. 

 ToNBEiDGE. — JiUy 11th. Mr. W. Blair, Free Press Office, Hon, Sec. 

 Wlmbledon. — July l;jth and 16th. Mr. P. Appleby, 5, Linden Cottages, 



Sunnyside, Wimbledon, Hon. Sec. 

 D.UILINGTON.— July 16th, at Southend, William Hodgson, Sec. 

 Brecon.— July 22nd. Mr. W. J. Roberts. Sec. 

 Cleckheaton. — July 21th. Mr. S. H. Williamson, Hon. Sec. 

 Preston. — July 28th and 29th. Mr. W. Troughton, 4, Church Street, 



Hon. Sec. 

 Southampton. — July SIso and August 2na. Mr. C. S. Fuidge, 32, York 



Street, Lower Avenue, Sec. 

 Ra:msgate. — August 25th. C. D. Smith, Esq., 8, Marine Terrace, Mai-gato, 



Hon. Sec. 

 Dundee.— August 26th, 27th, and 23th. Mr. E. McKelvio, 51, Reform Street, 



Sec. 

 South of Scotland. — To be held at Damfrics, September ilrd. Mr. J. 



Eloimt Diuwiddie, 11, Bucclouch Street, Dumfries, Hon. Soc. 



TRADE CATALOGUES BEOEIVED. 



Louis Van Houtte, Koyal Nurseries, Ghent, Belgium. — Gata- 

 loQiLC of Gcsneriaceous^ BtUboas, and T liberous-rootecl Plantts. 



Ch. Huber & Co., ;i Hydros (Var.-France). — Priced List of 

 Uniamental Plants. 



J. Linden, 52, Eue du Chaume, Ghent, Belgium. — Illustrated 

 General Plant Catalogue. 



John Saul, Washington City, 'D.C.^Descriptive Catalogue o} 

 New and Bare Plants, and General List of Florists' Flowers. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



',* All con'espondence 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 so aubjeots 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 tbi>i? two or three 



