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JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Joae 10, 1876. 



fine blooms from cat-back plants you mnst not forget to treat 

 them liberally with some of that " mojk turtle" which Mr. 

 Reynolds Hole so well says " never fails to act as quioine and 

 Guiness to the weakly, aud a geaerous wine to the strong." 



Auother and a very great objection, more particularly to an 

 exhibitor, is that Manetti plants — and I speak more particularly 

 of them — must be pruued early. The stock is so excitable that 

 if you prune late they bleed, aud in moat iastances die back ; the 

 consequence is, that with a foroiug season like the present 

 your bloom comes too early for many of the principal shows, 

 as I almost fear will be my ca^e this year, notwithstanding 

 my good friend Mr. Camm's kind prophecies on my behalf. 

 Now with maiden plants I should pinch back one-half of them 

 as soon as they have fairly started into growth, and thus en- 

 sure a continuance of fine bloom for a much longer period. 



My answer to Mr. Camm's question, then, ia this, that in 

 form and quality cut-back blooms are most decidedly superior to 

 those from maiden plants, and this I say not forgetting that 

 the very best box of blooms I ever saw in my life was a box of 

 Horace Vernet shown by Mr. Cranston at Hereford in 1873, 

 and they were all maiden blooms — they were simply superb. 

 But my advice to Rose-growers, and more particularly to exhibi- 

 tors, is that they should do as I hope to do for the future. 

 Grow some of each ; grow your plants one year as maidens, the 

 following year cut them back and then have done with them 

 By dividing vour Rose ground into three divisions this can 

 very well be done, as there will be one portion for the stocks, 

 Manetti or Briar whichever is preferred — and I strongly advo- 

 cate the former — another for the maiden plants, and another 

 for cut-back plants, and if this plan is carried out I am sure 

 the exhibitor will have a succession of bloom which will last 

 him from the earliest show until the latest. 



I cannot conclude these remarks without saying a word in 

 praise of that glorious Rose Cheshunt Hybrid, which was 

 raised by Mr. George Paul. Of it being a pure Tea Rose I 

 have grave doubts, but I could stage twenty-four blooms of it 

 now which I am sure, for form, colour, and substance would 

 hold their own against any other Rose that I know. I would 

 strongly recommend all growers who have no plants of it to 

 procure some and plant them against a south wall, aud they will 

 have something of beauty which will be to them "a joy for 

 ever." — Robekt N. G. Bakee, Heavitree. 



NOTES ON VILLA and SUBURBAN GARDENING. 



The Primula, Cineraria, and Calceolaria — Perhips there 

 are no more suitable plants to call an amateur's attention to 

 than the above, for with these three beaititul plants fairly 

 grown he may secure to himself a goodly share of bloom from 

 Christmas up to the middle of June, and neither are these 

 plants of that nature that will call into request an amount of 

 skill beyond the amateur's attainments; the treatment they 

 require is plain and simple, and it is certain they will pay for 

 the pains taken with them. 



Primulas. — Of these there are several strains of more or less 

 variation in colour, and some of a semi-double character, which 

 no doubt are more lasting when cut than some others, but I 

 confess to having a liking for the old Fimbriata rubra and alba, 

 red and white, or such as market gardeners bring into Covent 

 Garden at Christmas time and onwards. These are such as the 

 amateur will not be disappointed with. Seed can be purchased 

 mixed or the colours separate, which ia perhaps the best way 

 to buy for a more perfect strain. For blooming at Christmas 

 the seed should be sown without delay, and those who already 

 have their plants up will perhaps have a slight advantage ; 

 neverthelees, sow at once in a pan or pot of well-drained soil, 

 say sandy peat run through a fine sieve, cover the seed very 

 lightly, press the soil slightly over the surface, water it at once, 

 and place a thin layer of moss over it to prevent the sun from 

 drying the surface too fast; place the pots in a frame where 

 Oucumbers or other plants in a similar temperature are growing. 

 By no means allow the soil to become dry, especially after the 

 seed has commenced germinating. When the seedlings have 

 attained a couple of seed leaves large enough to handle pro- 

 perly take them up by the root carefully with a pointed stick, 

 and prick them an inch apart in pots filled with a similar soil ; 

 keep them in the same temperature until they have made at 

 least three leaves, with one or two others showing, then they 

 will be fit to pot off separately into small pots, adding this time 

 with the peat a little turfy loam, and let them be mixed well 

 together. 



In potting take care that the plant is placed just low enough 

 to be held in its place by the soil to prevent the plant falling 

 about. This time the plants may be placed iu a small frame, 

 on a bed of ashes if possible, and near to the glass. When the 

 plants show themselves established give them more air, but still 



an intermediate temperature, with occasional sprinklings of 

 water over the foliage in the evenings of hot days. As the plants 

 grow on a slight shade will be necessary, and as the pots become 

 full of roots give other shifts till they occupy the sized pot re- 

 quired, which is generally a G-inch pot. When the plants be- 

 come strong the soil may consist of mostly turfy loam and sand, 

 with about a quart of dried cow manure finely sifted to each two 

 gallons of earth. Should the loam be of a heavy nature a little 

 leaf soil mixed with it will be better than peat to lighten it, but 

 if not heavy do without the peat. Such soil will grow them 

 well. After the plants have had their last shift the frame should 

 be placed upon bricks, so as to admit air beneath as well as above 

 them; this greatly strengthens them, and induces the leaves 

 aud leafstalks to become short and sturdy. Do not let the plants 

 remain too long in a dry hot atmosphere without sprinkling the 

 soil around the pots, and when the weather is warm and the 

 plants strong allow them to have air night and day, little or 

 much according as they may be going on. Turning now to the 



Cinerarias, I may say that these are sown the same way, 

 and afterwards grown iu a precisely similar manner as the 

 Primulas, and in the same sort of soil ; iu fact I generally mix 

 up soil for the three sorts of plants at one time and all alike, and 

 I have found these do well with it after a trial of some years. 

 For the Primula it used to be the rule to use peat and leaf 

 mould for reasons I cannot understand, as I could not produce 

 that sturdiness of growth and flowering qualities so necessary 

 to these useful flowers, and somehow or other they so very fre- 

 quently rot off at the neck of the plant; and, again, a mixture 

 of this nature soon became soured and quite out of a state for 

 plant growth. 



The Cineraria is improved in health and vigour if a little 

 charcoal dust is mixed with the soil, and when the plants are 

 in their last shift they will do better than iu frames if the 

 plants are stood in a shady border or a bed of coal ashes; this 

 will be in the months of August and September, when they grow 

 rapidly. With regard to the sowing of the seed, for very early 

 plants they ought to be well advanced by this time, say good 

 plants in GO-sized pots ; but for small useful decorative plants 

 the seed should now be sown, and they will be good plants by 

 the autumn. As to the 



Calceolaria, this is a somewhat hardier sort of plant, and 

 the latter end of July is a good time to put in the seed. No 

 heat is needed for these, but after sowing the seed aud treating 

 the seedlings similar to those directed above, they may be 

 placed in a handlight in a shady corner, the pot or pan standing 

 clear from the ground to prevent slugs reaching the seedlings, 

 for which they have a special liking. These being very small, 

 a little more pains will be necessary in pricking them out, so 

 as to ensure their being fastened in the soil. Calceolarias do 

 not grow fast at first, but when once established, and during the 

 winter months, they make rapid progress. These as well as the 

 Cinerarias must not be allowed to become potbound until they 

 occupy the flowering pot. Again, the Calceolaria must have 

 the centre shoot taken out in the spring ; this allows the side 

 shoots to come along, which form the plant. They, too, like 

 frequent sprinklings of water over the foliage when in a green- 

 house temperature, and just before the plants have attained 

 their growth a little weak guano water may be given them three 

 time a- week, aud both in winter and summer let the plants stand 

 upon a moist bottom. 



The plants are much more liable to suffer from dryness than 

 damp, and they should always be kept as near the glass as 

 possible, and iu a temperature of 45°, or even leas, they grow 

 very fast. The Primula flowers in winter and spring, the 

 Cineraria follows closely, and the Calceolaria in May and June. 

 — Thomas Record. 



DOINGS OP THE LAST AND "WORK FOR THE 



PRESENT WEEK. 



kitchen garden. 



The continued drought is telling upon all crops. Even the 

 Potato plants in the fields are far from satisfactory; the seg- 

 ments of the leaves are curled-up instead of being spread-out 

 stiff, as they usually are in quite healthy plants, and unless 

 copious showers of rain fall soon it will be a serious matter for 

 those whose living depends on their crops. The total rainfall 

 at Loxford so far for this year been but 6.65 inches, and 

 2.29 inches of that quantity fell in January. 



As the earliest Peas and Potatoes were quite at a standstill 

 they had a good soaking of water. Iu watering Peas the water 

 should not be applied with force to the stems, as this treatment 

 is apt to injure the plants. The beat way is to draw a drill 

 close to the rows, and to fill the drills twice with water ; the 

 moisture will permeate the ground from each side of the rows 

 sufficiently to moisten it where the roots are. Alter watering 

 it is best to mulch the surface of the ground with rotted ma- 

 nure. If this cannot be done the drills referred to may be 

 filled-in, which will arrest evaporation. 



It ia bad policy to apply water to any of the out-of-door 



