May 20, 1876. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HOBTIOULTDBB AND OOTTAGB QABDENEB. 



395 



setting the {rait, stopping lateral growths, and training tbem 

 down to the wires. 



ORCHABD HOUSE. 



The trees have all been re-arranged and more space allowed 

 by removing some of the Pear and Plum trees outside. The 

 growths have alpo been stopped and thinned out ; the house is 

 also syringed night and morning, applying the water with con- 

 siderable force from a garden engine. Strawberries on the 

 shelves are either in flower or the blossoms have set; in the 

 latter case the fruit has been thinned out to from sis to a dozen 

 on each plant. The fruit must also be supported above the 

 leaves with eprays of Elm or Beech. "When the fruit is set 

 apply the syringe vigorously to the under sides of the leaves, it 

 is the only certain way to keep the plants free from spicier. 

 Our plants are now freely watered, and every alternate watering 

 is with liquid manure. 



CnCDMBERS AND MELONS. 



The work in this department is comparatively easy, as but 

 little artificial heat is required. Thinning-out the old growths 

 and tying-ia others in their place must be attended to. There 

 is no excuse for spider being on the leaves, as the syringe may 

 be used two or three times a-day. Cucumber houses may be 

 used for other purposes if required during the summer months, 

 as a plentiful supply of fruit may be obtained from frames. 

 "With good management Melons that were sown in January will 

 now be producing ripe fruit; this should be supported to the 

 trellis on small boards fixed under the plant and attached to 

 the trellis by wires until it is quite ripe. It can easily be 

 known when the fruit is ripe by the perfume which it gives off, 

 and by cracking round the stem where it is attached to the 

 fruit. If the fruit is not required at the time it is cut from the 

 plant it may be removed to a cool room, where it will keep a 

 week or ten days. 



GKEENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



Air should now be freely admitted, the ventilators front and 

 back should be thrown open to their fullest extent unless the 

 wind is high. They may also be left open all night unless 

 tender plants have been brought in from the stove or forcing 

 houses. Water must also be applied freely to the plants : of 

 coarse it may be overdone, but a little care would prevent this. 

 All plants making their growth mast be watered before the 

 mould in the pots becomes so drv as it is allowed to do when 

 plants are at rest or in winter. The hair-like fibres of Indian 

 Azaleas. Cape Heaths, and many New Holland plants are 

 seriously injured if the soil becomes so dry that the ball shrinks 

 away from the sides of the pot. Another evil of equal magni- 

 tude is imperfect drainage. When the plants are repotted the 

 crocks should be laid-in carefully, and an inch of fibry peat free 

 from dust should be placed over them. If worms are excluded 

 the compost will be effectually prevented from mixing with the 

 drainage. If the drainage is choked or the plants suffer at any 

 time for want of water, it will not be possible to grow them into 

 handsome specimens, and some of the more choice and miffy 

 plants, such as Hedaroma tulipifera, and nearly all the Heaths 

 are liable to die off through the ill-treatment. Epacris and the 

 early-flowering Heaths will be repotted if possible this week, 

 nsing only rough fibrous peat; if naturally sandy all the better, 

 as bog peat is not adapted for Heaths and Epacris. 



Cinerarias have bloomed well up till now, but as they were 

 looking seedy the plants were placed in a cool shady place, 

 where they will furnish cut flowers for a week or two. Stage 

 Pelargoniums well advanced towards the flowering period have 

 taken their place. In case any green fly should be upon the 

 plants, as a precaution the house has been fumigated. If this is 

 delayed until the flowers open the smoke will cause the petals 

 to drop off. 



The never- failing perpetual-flowering Carnations make agrand 

 show, the fiery Proserpine, the flesh-coloured Miss Jolliffe, the 

 Picotee-edged Picturata, and the pure white Avalanche, with 

 many other intervening shades and stripes, give us a profusion 

 of most useful flowers. Cyclamens have been stripped of their 

 flowers and seed pods, and with the Primula amosna have been 

 removed to a cold frame, where they are shaded from the noon- 

 day sun. 



Roses in pots — Teas and Hybrid Perpetuals — claim consider- 

 able attention. In the house, where no artificial heat has been 

 applied, the Teas are juBt opening their flower buds. Niphetos, 

 with its white shell-like petals, is very beantiful; it is a fine 

 Rose, and bni few of the new sorts come up to it. Belle Lyon- 

 naise is a fine hardy Tea Rose; it opens well in the house. 

 Madame Margottin is superb indoors, but opens badly on a wall 

 outside ; Madame Falcot and Safrano are best in the bud ; 

 Niphetos is also a fine button-hole flower. Mildew and the bud 

 worm have been very troublesome to us ; the one has been 

 destroyed by hand-picking, and the mildew by dusting with 

 flowers of sulphur. 



PLOWEB GARDEN. 



Bedding-out was begun on the 12th, although it has been a 

 dry season ; the beds not occupied with spring-flowering plants 

 are Bufficiently moist, and the weather is in our favour; we 



plant deeply, and thoroughly water the plants before putting 

 them out. It is almost a pity to disturb the beds of spring- 

 flowering plants ; the season so far has been late, and Wall- 

 flowers, Myosotis, Silenes, and some other favourites are in full 

 beauty. Placed sticks to Carnations and Picotees ; stirred the 

 mould in the pots, and picked off withered leaves. Pinks in 

 beds have received similar attention, and the beds have been 

 watered. — J. Douglas. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



James Dickson & Sons, Newton Nurseries, Chester. — Cata- 

 logues o) Herbaceous and Alpine Plants, and Stove and Green- 

 liouae and Bedding Plants. 



Francis & Arthur Dickson & Sons, The Upton Nurseries, 

 Chester. — Catalogue of Florists' Flowers and Bedding Plants. 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 

 Secretaries will oblige us by informing na of the dates on 

 which exhibitions are to be held. 



Crystal Palace Compant.— Flower Show, May 29th; Rose Show, Jnne 26yi ; 



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



Wilson. Bees and their appliances, September 2l3t to 23rd — See., J. 



Hunter. 

 Coventry.— May 81st. Mr. T. Wigston, 8, Portland Terrace, Lower Ford 



Street, Sec. 

 Leeds.— Juno 9th, 10th, and 11th. Mr. J. Birkbeck, DelphLane, Woodhousc, 



Leeds, Sec. 

 Eubton-upon-Trent.— June 16th. Mr. Wm. Shave. Bond Street, Sec. 

 Jersey. — Roses June 16th, Autumn October 13th, Chrysanthemums Novem- 

 ber 10th. Llajor Ilowell, Spring Grove, St. Lawrence, Hon. Sec. 

 Glasoow,— June 16th, September 8th. Mr. F. G. Dougall, 167, Canning 



Street, Sec. 

 ExETEE (Rose Show).— June 18th. Mr. J. N. Gray, Queen Street Chambe!.?, 



Hod. Sec. 

 Paheham.— June 23rd. Mr. H Smith. Sec. 



Stowjiarket.— June 24fh and 25th. Mr. 8. Prentice, Hon. See. 

 Eeigate (Rose).- June 26th, 1875. Bushby Britten, Esq., Hon. Sec. 

 WlSBEACH.— June SOth. Mr. C. Parker, Hon. Sec. 

 Maidstone.— (Roses), June SOth, at Vinters Park. H. Benstead, 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 wUl write privately to any 

 of our correspondents, as doing bo Bubjeota them to uu- 

 juBtifiable trouble and expense. 



Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questiona 

 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 

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

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 



Books iA. C. iv.).— The " Vine Manual." You can have it free by post i^ 

 you enclose thirty-two pottage stamps with your aldress. 



Grapes Spotted (H. iJ.).- The specks on the stalks are natural, but the 

 spot 8 on the berries are disease. The roots are torpid ; water them freely 

 with weak tepid manure water, and put fermenting dung over the surface 

 above the roots. 



Adricdla Seedlings [Manor). — You are too impatient. You must not 

 expect your Auriculas from seed sown last year to bloom until next year ; 

 some, perhaps, not then. 



Rose Seeds {Q. W. J.). — Rose seeds will often, if not generally, produce a 

 great pn.portion of single or semi-double llowers, but the foliage would cer- 

 tainly be different from that of the Dog Rose or Briar, and we certainly 

 should be disposed to think that if your Rose seed sown produced nothilif^ 

 but Briars that the seeds must have been saved from the heps of the Dog 

 Rose; but if by Briars you mean single wildings, they may be the produce 

 of Rose seeds much degenerated. 



Annuals Rabbitproof. — " L. Q. S." wishes to know of some hardy flowers 

 and annuals that rabbits will not eat. "NVe stated last week all the shruba 

 they leave unnibbled. 



Name of Rose iR. Maitland). — It is difficult to eay from the specimon 

 enclosed, hut possibly it is Thoresbyana, a strong-growing neatly-evergreen 

 climber raised at Thoresby. 



FI.4T Peach of CmNA (J. F.).—'We are not aware of this Peach being in 

 the hands of any of the nurserymen. If you are particularly desirous of pro- 

 curing it you will find it in the nursery of Messrs. Simon-Louis of Metz; or 

 you might try Mr. Van Houtte of Ghent. 



Mari?chal NiEL Rose (O. G.).— The Rose branches or shoots may be in- 

 troduced in'O the greenhouse, the plant bein^ in a border outside; hut it will 

 be necessary to wrap the stem in winter by a hayband, or adopt other means 

 of protection from frost. Tea-scented Roses do not require close pruning, 

 but only to have the weak parts thinned, and any long shoots shorteued-back 

 so as to remove unripe wood. The less pruning they have the more are they 

 likely to flower. 



Apuis on Peach Trees (T. S.).— Syringing is not the best means of 

 clearance, nor is it at all times safe to apply a destroying agent in a liquid 

 form ; but fumigation with tobacco is at all times a safe and efficient de- 

 stroyer of these pests. If one fumigation be not effectual repeat in a day or 

 two, and whenever the insects are seen. If the trees are ontdoors the best 



