318 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTIOUIjTORB AND OOXTAQB GABDBNEK. 



( AprU 22, 1875. 



before they become too stiff. Plants grown to produce large 

 flowers are not stopped at all, but the shoot is trained to a single 

 stick. This plant is subject to the attacks of aphis, and this 

 pest must be efiectually destroyed before the plants are placed 

 ont of doors. 



Lapageria rosea and L. alba are now making the young 

 growths. These must not be allowed to twine together and 

 round the wires, but must be untwined when they do so, and 

 be merely tied to the wires. Knitting cotton is excellent for 

 the young shoots to twine round, as if at any time it is neces- 

 eary to remove or re-arrange the growth the cotton may be cut. 

 Hyacinths and Tulips are now nearly over, but their place is 

 well supplied^ by Cyclamens, Primula amoena, and varieties of 

 it, the most distinct being the white and lilac sorts. Cinerarias 

 are also indispensable at this time, the flowers lasting so very 

 loDg in beauty, and are so well adapted for cutting from. In 

 hot drying days sprinkle the paths of the houses with water in 

 the forenoon. — J. Douglas. 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



Secretaries will oblige ua by informing ns of the dates on 

 which exhibitions are to be held. 

 Manchesteb (National Aaricula Show).— April 27th. 

 Jehsey.— May 5th, RoResJune 16th, Autumn October l3th, Chrysanthemum a 



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

 Bath.— May 12th, September 1st and 2nd. Mr. B. PsaraoD, 13, Milsom 



Street, Sec. 

 Blackbuen.— May 17th, 18th, and 19th. Mr. W. Ditchfleld, Hon. Sec. 

 Crystal Palace Company.— Flower Show, May 29th ; Rose Show, June 19th ; 



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



■Wilson. Bees and their appliances, September 21at to 23rd— Sec, J. 



Hunter. 

 CoTENTRY.— May 3lBt. Mr. T. ■Wigston, 8, Portland Terrace, Lower Ford 



Street, Sec. 

 IjBBds.— Juno 9th. 10th, and 11th. Mr. J. Birkbeck, Delph Lane, Woodhouae, 



Leeds, Sec. 

 Bubton-dpon-Trent.— June 16th. Mr. Wm. Shave, Bond Street, Sec. 

 Glasgow.- June 16th, September 8th. Mr. F. G. Dougall, 167, Canning 



Street, Sec. 

 Fabeham.— June 23rd. Mr. H. Smith, See. 

 Exeter (Rose ShowJ.— June 25th. Mr. J. N. Gray, Queen Street Chambers, 



Hon. Sec. 

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

 Maidstone. — (RoseB), June 30th, at Vintera Park. H. Benatead, Esq., 



Hon Sec, Rose Club, Mill Street, Maidstone. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*,* All correspondence 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 eubjects 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 tbrea 

 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. 

 Address (J. Porter).— "We do not know to whom you refer. 

 Pansy IH. W. M.\. — The colour of your PanHj, a reddish bronze, is not 

 common, neither is it new. It is a little deeper than that of the variety 

 called Annio. As the flower is of good form we advise you to preserve the 

 plant BB a parent for further improvement in rich coloura. 



Gebanittm Lccids.— "C. B." asks, "Will 'Age' inform me where one 

 can obtain in perfection plants or rooted cuttings of the Geranium Lucius he 

 BO strongly recommends in the Journal of Horticulture 7 " 



Greenhouse {N. P.). — We cannot recommend. As you quote from Meaara. 

 Boulton & Paul's catalogue, why not write to them? You ought to be able to 

 decide for yourself from their well-illustrated catalogue. 



Chicken Manure (A. S.).— You cannot do bettor than o£fer it to some 

 tnartet gardener or nurseryman near you. 



Meadow Saffron in Pastdbe (F. W. H.).— The specimen you enclosed is 

 the Meadow Saffron, Colchicum autamoale. Many cows have been killed by 

 eating the leaves. The only effectual and cheap mode of destroying it is to 

 employ some women to cut every plant down to the bulbs. Spuds and old 

 knives may be used for the operation. 



DESTROvrNO Insects (R. T. F.).— Any one of the preparationa advertised 

 answer the purpose. We cannot insert testimonials, for if we did bo for one, 

 others would claim that cheap mode of adveitisinK- 



AuGHiNTiuRGU Blackherry (J. H. TF.).— Some nurseryman at St. Fran- 

 cisco, California, cuuld supply it probably, but we know of none. 



Vines and Peaches Injured (A. B. C.).— There is not a doubt but the 

 overheating would act injurionsly upon both Vines and I'eacbes, but we are 

 not prepared to say a morning temperature of 70'' a week before the Vines 

 flowered would so dry the atmosphere as to scorch the leaves, but wo incline 

 to tho opinion that the pipes or flues have been bo highly heated as to cause 

 injurious fumes to be given ( ff, and these would account for the condition of 

 the leaf sent ns. Scorched it is by some agency, it may be the overheating, 

 an overdose of tobacco smoke, or the sun falling powerfully upon the leaves 

 while wet. A temperature of 65'- in the morning is '2r>'^' too h\\i,\i for Peaches 

 in flower, and would be highly injurioua to their setting, though we do nut 



consider we should be justified in attributing the cause of the poor crop to ib 

 alone, as we know many iuetances of such mishaps in overheating occurring 

 without being attended with such disastrous consequences as those yoa 

 describe. The after-effects upon the Vines and Peach trees will not be per- 

 manent. 



Melons and Cucumbers in a Small House {An Amateur). — Your small 

 house will answer from May onward for either Cucumbers or Melons, the 

 plants being forwarded in a bed, and strong before placing In the house. 

 They may be grown in either pots or boxes, and the shuots be trained about 

 a foot from the glass. Telegraph Cucumber would annwer admirably for the 

 house. Little Heath Melon would succeed well in a frame with fermenting 

 materials, or it would do in the house, though Cucumbers and Melons are 

 best grown separately. 



Vines in Cool Vinery (Idem). — The Vines may be syringed in the even- 

 ing, but we do not recommend the practice escept when the Vines are break- 

 ing, discontinuing it so soon as they are in leaf. The floors, walls, and every 

 available surface we should sprinkle with water at beweeu 7 and 8 a.m. and 

 at 5 P.M., damping the floor, ic, at noon in bright weather in addition to 

 morning and evening, which is a better means of supplying moisture than by 

 directly forcing it upon the foliage, and especially their under surface, by 

 syringing. 1 he Vines not having been pruned we should disbud so as to 

 leave two buds or shoots from the base of each growth of last year if upon 

 the spur system, or if rods, leave the shoots on opposite sides of the oane at 

 12 inches distance apart. We should have a thermometer in the house about 

 its centre, and with its back to the sun. Give a little ventilation at 65° to 

 allow of any accumulated moisture being diesipated, and allow the tem- 

 perature to rise to 75^^ before incrtaeing the au*, and then admit it rather 

 freely, not aUowing it to fall below 75-, and with full air the temperature may 

 rise to 80^ or 85'', and in summer to UU' without injury, reducing the venti- 

 lation as the temperature decreases, and altogether by the time it declinea 

 to 75^', and if it rise to 8U' after closing no harm will be done. If mildew 

 appear dust the infested parts with flowers of sulphur. We could not give 

 you the full treatment of the Vines ; that you may learn from the '* Vine 

 Manual," published at our office, and to be had therefrom by post iX you 

 enclose 2s. l\d. with your address. 



Greenhouse Flue Heating (B. B.).— Your house maybe heated aatis- 

 factorily by flues but not by one (umace, as it will require to be too highly 

 heated, and at the furnace would be red hot, whilst the other end of the flue 

 would be comparatively cool. To heat safely you would require two Jurnaces, 

 and in this case it would be more costly than heating by hot water, which we 

 advise. Two 4-inch pipes along the front at about 3 feet from the front wall 

 and on the level would be suffloient in the severest weather to exclude frost. 

 The front wall of the greenhouse we should have 2 feet above ground, thea 

 3 feet of front hghts, and the back wall will need to be 13 feet 6 inches high. 

 The trellis for the Vines should be fixed 16 inches distance from the glass. 



Grafting Vines (IiZtja). —Black Hamburgh may be grafted upon Buck 

 land Sweetwater, and now is a good time to do it, the scions being in a dor* 

 mant state. Both, however, succeed so well upon thair own roots, that) 

 except for changing kinds, the working of them is undesirable. 



AspLENioM Fronds Eaten and Browned {F. W.). — The most likely 

 cause of the damage to the fronds is by snails or slugs, woodhce being also 

 addicted to eat them. Examine the plants at night with a lantern, when yoa 

 will probably find the depredators on or near the plants. The brownness we 

 presume is that of the old fronds, which is usual at this time of year, they 

 being soon after this replaced by new growth. 



Camellias not Flowering (Zdem).— The cause of the plants not flower 

 ing, or not forming buds, is due to over-vigour; but buds may be formed, and 

 they may be cast, which is mostly a result of weakness and imperfect root 

 action. 



Sowing Aucuba Berries (J. J. S.). — You may bow the seed or berries 

 without removing tho skin and pulp surrounding the seed; but we think it 

 just as well to remove it, and sow in rich light soil, and place in gentle 

 heat; in about six weeks or earlier the seeds will be up, though we have 

 known them not to germinate until the times you quote. In answer to the 

 correspondents to whom you allude, the vagary is not ours; it is that of 

 the seeds themselves. The uncertainty of growth is common to many seeds, 

 as Palms, Koses, HuUies, Thorns, tic; even the Primula japonica we have 

 had up in little more than a week after sowing, and at auoth er time the 

 plants have not appeared under twelve months. 



Lawn Sand (G. A. J.). — Write to the proprietor, who advertises in our 

 columns. 



Seakale (ChippetOiam). — Plant at once young roots, not more than one 

 year old, but if convenient leave the old roots for another year, and after 

 cutting throw them away. You will then have a vigorous young plantation 

 o give a full supply for many years. Seed sown now in rich soil, breaking 

 the outer shell of the seeds, will in two years give an abundance of fine 

 crowns for regular forcing. 



List of Orchids {F. L). — About seven of the species named may be de- 

 pended tipon to flower between the 1st of November and the first day of 

 April. Fourteen are what are termed cuol-house Orchids, the remaining twelve 

 being adapted fur the intermediate house. Tho cool huuse ought to have au 

 average minimum temperature of 45'^ during winter, the intermediate house 

 an average of 55". None of them will succeed in a cool greenhouse. The 

 ordinary occupants of a greeohouse require more air and a much drier at- 

 mosphere than is necessary for Orchids. We advise you to build a small 

 house specially adapted for cool Orchids. Unless you do this yoiur success 

 will be mure than duubtful. The plants aro cheap enough if tliey are healthy, 

 but we wuuld not purchase an Orchid unless wa first saw the plant. We also 

 think it right tu inform you that the best cool-liouso Orchids are umitted in 

 the list, such as Cattleya Skinueri and C. crispa, Epidendrum aurantiacum and 

 E. priamatncarpum, Lfplia autumnalis, L. majalis, and L. superbiens ; 

 Lycatnte Skinueri, and the many fine varieties ot this useful Orchid; Mas- 

 devallia Harryana which is now cheap; Odoutoglossum crispum in variety 

 (thici is the beat cuul-houbo Orchid, indeed it is the most useful of all Orchids); 

 O. triuniphans, O. Insleayi and varieties — this is a fine winter-flowering 

 species, as is also O. nebulosum; Oncidiums such as O. bifoliimi majus, 

 O. hastatiua, O. macranthnm, O. nubigenum, O. Phalienopsis, and O. ti- 

 grinum. All the Pleioues are winter-flowering and adapted fi>r a cool house. 

 Sophroniten grandifiura and Stauhopea tigrina are also suitable. We advise 

 you to purchase ginnl plantn, they aro tlicapest in the end. The best dwarf 

 tree Carnation is Miss Jglliffo. Pictumta is alyo dwarf aud very pretty. You 

 uught t" have the Scarlet Pink " coccinea." 

 Beginning Oaodenxno ( 2*. M. £.}.— Yoa seek for iuf ormatiua too exteuaiva 



