May 6, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OF nORTICUIiTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



357 



SoDTHOATB,— July 3rd. John Miles, Esq , Hon.-Seo., Southgate, N. 

 Durham and NoRTHnMBE bland.— To be held at Elswiok Park, July 7th 



and Hth. Mr. K. Revely, See. 

 GRANTHAM.—Jnly 7th and 8th. Schedules, &a., from Mr. Lyne, Bookseller. 

 Froue (Riso).— July 8th. Ur. A. R. Batly, IIou.-Sco. 

 KiLSBY.— July 8th. Sec, Mr. C. E. Bracebridgo. 

 Nottingham.— Roeo Show, &c., July 8tb, Uth and 10th. Apply to Alfzed 



Kirk, Mimicipal Oflicas, Nottiugham. 

 Oxford (Roaos).— July 9th. Mr. C. R. Ridley. Ilon.-Sec. 

 IlBWORTH.—July Hth. Mr. R. II. FeU6e, Heworth, York, Ilon.-Sec. 

 OCNDLE.— July U h. Mr. Alfreil Kintr, Sea. 



ToNHiuDaE.— July 14th. Mr. W. Blair, Free Press Omee. Hon.-Seo. 

 Wimbledon.— July 15th and 16th. Mr. P. Appleby, 5, Linden Cottages, 



SunnjBide, Wimbledon, Hon.-Sec. 

 Darlington.— July 16th, at Southend. William Hodgson, Sao. 

 Brecon,- July 22nd. Mr. W. J. Roberta, Sec. 

 Helensburgh, N.B. (Rose Show).— July 23rd and 24th. Mr. W. Uie 



Waddell, Sec. 

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

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



Ilon.-Sec. 

 Southampton.— July 31sc and August 2ad. Mr. C. S. Fuidge, 32, York 



Street, Lower Avenue, Sec. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*^* All correspondence should be directed either to "The 

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

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

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

 of our correspondents, as doing bo eubjeots 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. AU articles intended for insertion 

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

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 



Books (F. TT.).- Our "Fern Manual" contains a deRcriptvve list of green- 

 house Ferns and how to cultivate them. A now edition is uow being printed. 

 {Alliance).— Oar "Garden Manual" coutaiua the iuforniation you require. 

 You can have it free hy post if yon enclose twenty postage stamps with your 

 address. 



Repotting Azaleas (East of Fife). — The plants, now that they are grow- 

 ing fret^ly, should bo repotted in sandy peat, affordin::; good drainage. Wa'er 

 carefully for ii time after potting, and keep in a house with a brisk moist hrat 

 as that of a viuery at work ; sprinkle overhead morning and eveniug, keepiug 

 the plants in heat until the growth is complete and the buds set, when they 

 should be removed to a cooler and more airy house. 



CflARACTERisTics OF Show Flowers {J. A.). — Our " Florists' Flowcrs " 

 contains many characteristics. You can have it by post if you enclose five 

 postage stamps with your address. 



South-west Wall (Bluebell). — Any plants or fruit trees you like to plant 

 against it will sucaeed. We cannot answer particularly so vague a question. 

 We CEinnot guess what kind of plants or fruita you would prefer. 



Seedling Anemones (L. L.). — Tour seedling Anemones are all varieties 

 of Anemone hortenais except No. 3, which is a variety of A. coronaria. Some 

 of thete varieties of hortensis are very pietty, especially No. 2. The white- 

 flowered one, marked No. 4, is Anemone nemorosa. 



Liquid Manore fob Asparagus (L. I. B.). — The finest Asparagus we 

 ever grew was watered with house sewage. A trench drawn between each two 

 rows was filled daily. The drainage from the stable one gallon to twenty 

 gallons of water may be used. The period for applying it is now, and as long 

 as cutting coulinuea. 



Sycamore Tree (J. S.).— It can only be the outer bark that is decayed, 

 or the tree would have died. Such being the case you may remove the earth 

 from round the tree, and cover the place where tho bark is decayed with a 

 plaster of cow-dung and clay. 



Grapes Spotted (E. Smith.)— The roots are inactive. If the roots are 

 inside the house, water them copiously with weak liquid manure slightly 

 warmed. If the roots are outside the house, put a heap of hot fermenting 

 dung over them. 



Call Ducks in Garden (C. A. J.).— They will pick up slugs, and do little 

 or no injury to the plants beyond resting on a tuft of some creeper. If there 

 is grass around the water in your garden they will not eat otUcr green leaves. 



Soapsuds for Manure (C. I'.).— They are slightly fertilisiug^ and their 

 benefit arises from the soda and the fatty matter combined with it. If used 

 as you propose, in combination with a manure containing sulphuric acid, the 

 fertilif^int; puwer would be increased. The acid would combine with the soda, 

 forming eulpbute of soda, which is found in most plants, and has been applied 

 beneficially to Potatoes and Peas. 



pAKLiAS FOR EXHIBITION i E da). ~r J Bjnes Cocker, pnrple; John Standish, 

 bright red; Herbert Turner, French white, with a soft tinge of lilac; Arbi- 

 trator, buff or fawn, suffused with purple, yellow at the base of petal; Mr. 

 Sinclair, rose, tipped purple; Leah, golden yellow; Ovid, puce; Thomas 

 Goodwin, maroon ; Alexander Cramond, maroon, shaded with crimson ; Flag 

 of Truce, white, occasionally tipped lilac; Duke nf Cambridge, shaded 

 oranyo; William Priugle Laird, lilac. Fancy: Dolly Varden, white, striped 

 with purple; Mrs. 8 lunders, yellow, tipped with white; Remarkable, reddish 

 bnff, striped with maroon; Flossie Williams, dark, linked with purple crimson; 

 Ebor, chocolate, dark maroon striped; Viceroy, rosy lilac, crimson stripea. 



Select Stove Orchids (Jdeml.—Cattleya Mossik, Dendrobium Bensonire , 

 Lielia pnrpnrata, Maadevallia Harryana, Odontoglossum Alesandrro, and 

 Od'mtoglosHum graode. For baskets, Dendrobiura Parishii, D. chrysanthum, 

 and Stauhopeas devoniana, icsignis, oculata, and tigrina. 



Lilium Browni (H.).— We can only hazard a conjecture that the Lilium 

 you had as "Bruno," is Browni, also known as L. japouicum. It attains a 

 height of 2 to 3 feet, having four or five large white flowers, richly tinted 



externally with brownish purple, or it may have been one of the Tariefcies 

 of longiflorum, whiuh are dwarfer. 



Primula japoniga Sowing (Villa Qardf7i).—Sow now and place in a mild 

 hotbed, keeping tho soil moist, aud the plants, if you are fortunate in haviug 

 new seed will soou be up, and will flower next spring, but if the seed be not 

 new it is likely germination may be deferred until about this time nest year; 

 thercfure, if the heedllugs do not appear shortly after sowing retain the pot 

 or pan, and keep it moist, by which you may bo rewarded in due course with 

 plants. By seed sown so soon as it is ripe wo have had seedlings in a week 

 after sowing. Guard against, or keep a good look-out for, slpgs, they being 

 very partial to the seedlings. 



Training Vines (F. I ).— The shoots which are to form the spurs should 

 be 1 foot apart on opposite sides of the rod, t-o that on each side of tbe rod 

 they will be 2 feet apart, and tho cane or rod between them should, of 

 course, be clear of shuutH, rubbing off any eyes that may appear upon those 

 spaces. Tho shoots should be stopped one or two joints beyond tho bunch, 

 better the first if spaco be limited, as they will break agam, and must bo 

 pinched to one joint— i.e., each succeeding growth, or if you bave ample spaca 

 btop the shoots two leaves beioud the bunch. AU the laterals should be 

 removed but the two lowest, aud those stopped at the first leaf. Stop the 

 leading cane in tbe ground viuery 1 foot from the end, its succeeding growth 

 to one joint, aud the laterals upon it to one joint, and the succeeding growth 

 stop at the first leaf. There is no necessity to add to the length this year, 

 and growths made outdoors would be of no practical value to the Vine in the 

 ground vinery. 



Weeds on Lawn (P. T. B.).— Lawn sand is highly spoken of, hut we have 

 not used it. Write to the advertiser and ask for particulars. We should not 

 think the dressing with soil as you propose would be advinable until the 

 Uwu sand had been applied, and had had time to exert its influence upon tho 

 weeds, acd then you may dress with the rich comp'^at, and sow with grass 

 seeds as you propose ; but do not sow the seeds first and then dress with the 

 compost, which would be to bury the seeds too deeply. They should not be 

 more than lightly raked, or better well roUed-in. 



Shrubbery Bare at Bottom (Idem). — The shrubs are hare at the bottom 

 from growing too thickly. Both Laurels and Laurustinus are good growers, 

 and bear cutting well. They will start from near the base and give xou the 

 bottom growth required, providing that light be afforded. We should not 

 dig amongft these shrubs, but as tbe ground is liable to be baked in sum- 

 mer, the surface of tho soil may be loosened with a fork, just pointing it over, 

 and if you could give the shrubs a light top-dressing of rich soil they would 

 amply repay you in growth. What they require to give you closer growth is 

 pruning more closely, which may be done now. The fowls do the shrubs no 

 harm, but are more likely to do good in devouring numberless insect pests, 

 which not uufrequently commit great havoc amongst shrubs. 



Maranta Baraqdini Cdlture {A Subscriber). — Marantas to do well re- 

 quire a rafher warmer and moister atmosphere than is afforded to a majority 

 of stove plants. The temperature at this season should be lif to 75" by day 

 from fire heat, aud 85'- to yU'-' with sun heat, aud at night 6o^ to 70'^, affording 

 shade from bright sun, and keepiug up a regularly humid atmosphere. 

 Li^^htly sprinkle the plants overhead morning aud evening, and keep the 

 patbs and every available surface wet. Use water of tbe same temperature 

 as the house. The appearances you state n^i those of your plant are such as 

 are usually a result of the growths being made in a low temperature. 

 Moderate ventilation only is required, and this without causing suudeu cool- 

 ing or drying of the atmosphere. The present is a good time to repot tho 

 plant Free watering is necessary. 



Climbers for Greenhouse Wall (H. IT.).— If shaded by Vines on the 

 roof, plant CameUias. If not shaded, Mandevilla suaveolens and Lapageria 

 rosea. 



Destroying Woodlice (J. H.).— They are very wary poison-takers, and 

 are not easily vanquished by other means, A ready means of destruction is a 

 toad or two in eacb house, which feed upon these and other insect food. By 

 having one or two in each house we have found these animals keep the wood 

 lice in reasonable bouods. Another plan is to place some pieces of boiled 

 potatoes along the sides of the wails, and other places where they congregate 

 and hide, covering tbe potatoes with a little hay. and in the morning foUow- 

 ing a two-nighta enticing, pour upon the hay boiling wat,er, which, of course, 

 destroys all it comes into contact with. Places should be chosen for the 

 enticing and scalding process where the pouring of boiling water will not do 

 any harm to plants or their roots. We have also found great service from 

 mixing a tenth part of arsenic with finely ground oatmeal, moistened with 

 a little olive oil and thoroughly mixed, forming a crumbling paste, and laying 

 this on pieces ot slate in their haunts, taking care to keep it from domestic 

 animals. 



Calceolarias Dying (Idem).— It arises from a decay of the neck or collar 

 of the plant, and is mostly a consequence of the plant in a youug state having 

 been pot-bound, and at potting being placed dfcp in the soil, so that the neck 

 is covered. Watering upon the stem is also a prolific source of the evil. 

 Calceolarias delight in a cool and moist atmosphere. Soil also has great influ- 

 ence, and we have found that soil of a peaty uaturo is more inimical to the 

 plants tban that of a loamy character. The whole subject is involved ia 

 mystery as to the cause; the decay is common, not only to Calceolarias, but 

 to Cinerarias and Humeas. 



Insects in Greenhouse (D. M. M.).— The beetles you have sent are the 

 common brown weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus, which is far too well known 

 as most destructive to pot plants (gnawing the roots just below the crown), 

 alto to buds of Vines, &c. We fear two or three females must have found 

 their way into your house and there laid their eggn; but surely their white 

 fleshy grubs must have been at work for months or weeks without you haviug 

 noticed them. In their present state there is no better plan than that 

 which you suggest of hunting for them with a light after dark, and 'aying a 

 sheet under the plants, on which they fall as if dead. — I. O. W. « 



Ants in Hotbeds (Mrs. J. LI. M.). — The best means of destroying them 

 is to place small pieces of beetle poison about the size of a pea on a iJiece of 

 slate in their runs, taking care that no domestic animal partakes of it. 

 Another good plan is to have two pieces of sponge, dry and clean, and on two 

 sides smear them with honey ; place those two sides together, and put the 

 pieces in the haunts of tho ants, wbich will pass into the sponge, and may be 

 immersed in boiling water. It answers nearly as well to dredge the sponge 

 with powdered loaf sugar ; the sponges having been washed clean and dried 

 may be used again and again. Ants are alco fond of oiive oil; this, placed 

 about l\ inch deep in jam pots put in their runs will take them in great 

 numbers, it may be left until rancid, then the pots should be thoroughly 

 cleaned and renewed with oil. The best salad oil should be used. 



