3S 



JOUBNAL OF HORTIGDLTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 9, 1374. 



back. A press of other work prevented us from doing ours until 

 the end of last week, when a beginning was made. The young 

 growths must not only be cut-back, but it is also highly desir- 

 able to thin them out. No good fruit can be produced from 

 any variety of fruit tree if that is a thicket of wood. If Apples, 

 or Pears, or any stone fruit of a hardy nature, is to be of good 

 quality, it must be freely exposed to sunshine and air. The 

 nature of closely-cut-in trees is to become crowded with wood, 

 and many amateurs at the work are afraid to use the knife. 



We have a fair crop of Apples, but Pears and Plums, the 

 latter especially, are very scanty. Some of the Cherry trees 

 have gummed badly. Correspondents sometimes ask for a cure 

 for this disease (it may be called), for it is a disease even if it 

 is induced by a rusty nail or tight tying. It is like the Vine 

 disease, or rinderpest in cattle, thou;;h it is not infectious. The 

 best way is to destroy the tree altogether when it is badly 

 attacked. We have commenced to layer the Strawberries, be- 

 ginning with Black Prince. This is yet the best for early work, 

 and for this purpose should be layered in small 60's (2J-inch 

 pots), and repotted in a month after layering in 5-inch. They 

 will be ready to cut from the plants in two weeks after layering, 

 and generally in two weeks more may be potted into their 

 fruiting-pots. We used to be very particular in mixing the 

 compost that was used for potting into their fruiting-pots ; but 

 one season having on hand a large quantity of the soil that had 

 been used for growing Melons, this was taken both for the 

 layering of the runners in small pots and for the final potting, 

 and gave most satisfactory results. Fix the runners in the 

 pots with a small peg. When once the black aphis has taken 

 H firm hold of anj' tree, it is very difficult indeed to destroy it. 

 On the Morello Cherry trees they clustered in millions, and 

 though the shoots were dipped in a solution of tobacco water 

 and soft soap sufficiently strong to kill them, some escaped, but 

 their enormous powers of reproduction soon brought forward a 

 fresh supply. 



Vineries. — In a dry season like the present it is well not; to 

 overlook the outside Vine borders. When Vines are in healthy 

 growth they require a large supply of water at the roots, and in 

 dry districts with rainfall so much below the average that it 

 has been this year, the Vines will suffer if the border does not 

 receive two or three good waterings. Inside, the same attention 

 is required. The Grapes have not yet commenced to colour in 

 the late houses; when they do, some attention is necessary to 

 prevent scalding. Lady Downe's is very much subject to this, 

 especially if the house is kept close and moist. The opposite 

 conditions to this will produce freedom from scalding — viz., 

 plenty of air in the day with the surface of the borders and 

 paths sprinkled with water twice aday in hot weather, and 

 only once if the days are dull and cold, and that in the morning. 

 In many gardens the appearance of the bunches of Black Lady 

 Downe's is quite spoiled by inattention to admitting plenty of 

 air at the time the Grapes begin to colour. 



Pot Vines, as shown at exhibitions, and as seen in well- 

 managed gardens bearing fruil, are not at all what they ought 

 to be, the Viues making little wood, and bearing small bunches 

 with badly-set berries. It is sometimes necessary to grow pot 

 Vines for fruiting when young Vines have been planted, and a 

 supply of fruit is required before they come into bearing, or for 

 some other Ciuse ; but the practice is not to be recommended if 

 it can be avoided. Where canes were started or eyes put in 

 earlj', so that the wood would be ripened for early forcing next 

 year, it will now be ripening. Still continue to give plenty of 

 water at the roots, and syringe freely, maintaining a high tempe- 

 rature, and not until the leaves near the base of the Vines show 

 signs of changing to a yellow colour should this treatment be 

 altered; then more air should be admitted, the temperature 

 ought to be lowered, and the atmosphere drier, the leaves will 

 then gradually fall off. The Vines may then be removed to a 

 cool house, and water given sufficient to prevent the soil from 

 becoming dust-dry. Over-dryness destroys many of the small 

 active fibres, which is no doubt the cause of many failures. The 

 reverse treatment — standing them out of doors until the pots 

 are deluged by the autumn rains, is equally injurious. 



Peach House. — The routine work here is much the same as that 

 detailed in previous numbers, though a few words may not be 

 out of place as regards gathering the fruit ; and having recently 

 Been a quantity badly bruised by bad management, a hint to 

 some may be useful. No fruit is more easily damaged than 

 Peaches, it must therefore be carefully handled, gathered, and 

 placed on cotton wadding at once, even if it has only to be carried 

 as far as the fruit room. Should it be necessary to send Peaches 

 a distance, a thick layer of cotton wadding should be placed in 

 the bottom of the box, and a strip of wadding wrapped round 

 each fniit, place it on its base, and lay them close to each other. 

 The strip of wadding will prevent the fruit from touching. 



PLANT STOVE. 



Amongst the most useful of stove plants may be named Ixoras. 

 The Howers last a long time in beauty, and tlie whole of the 

 varieties are of free growth and easily managed. I. coccinea is 

 one of the very best, so brilliant in colour. I. javanica is not 



posFessed of such richly-coloured trasses, but they are mora 

 freely produced; and very distinct in character is I. Colei,' 

 which does not seem to grow so healthily as some of the others, 

 but which may be grown into good plants, as the very fine ex- 

 amples of it eiihibited by the Messrs. Cole abundantly testified. 

 The insect pests that chiefly favour Ixoras are scale and mealy 

 bug. If the latter is not cleared from the plants before the 

 trusses of flowers open, the bug will gather into the centre of 

 the bunches, and cannot possibly be dislodged without spoiling 

 them. Stove plants of this character should be well syringed 

 under and over the leaves when in growth, which helps to keep 

 them clean. Eucharis amazonica is also in full beauty, and not 

 even Phalaenopsis itself, the wonderful Moth Orchid, can surpass 

 it in the snowy whiteness of its flowers. The plants with us 

 flower about three times in twelve months. Pot in good turfy 

 loam, with a little rotted manure and leaf mould added, also 

 sand if the loam is heavy. The plants are grown in the stove, 

 but when in flower it is best to remove them to the greenhouse, 

 as the flowers are very fugacious if the plants are kept in heat ; 

 they will also last much longer if cut, taken indoors, and placed 

 in water at once. Crotons are also amongst the most orna- 

 mental of our foliage plants, and they have within the last few 

 years been introduced in sufScient abundance to satisfy the most 

 ardent admirer of them ; it is questionable, however, if any will 

 become such great favourites as C. angustifolium, the Fountain 

 Plant of India ; its slender wavy leaves place it at the head of 

 the list for graceful effect. C. Weismanii, C. undulatum, and 



C. Youngii may safely be added to the most select list. Nor 

 should any stove be without a few of the best Draccenas. 

 X>. ferrea, D. terminalis, and D. Cooperii are the best of the old 

 sorts, but they will certainly be displaced by the new introduc- 

 tions. The most unique amongst them is the new one intro- 

 duced by Mr. W. Bull last year, D. Goldieana. It has its leaves 

 much broader than any of the other species ; these are dark 

 green, and distinctly marked and barred with greyish white. 



D. Regime is also very distinct. D. Fraseri, D. Mooreana, 

 D. magnifica, and others too numerous to mention, are very 

 valuable acquisitions to our stoves. A fault with Dracaenas is 

 that they in the course of a few years become leggy by losing 

 the bottom leaves. To prevent this, or rather a remedy for it, 

 is to cut a notch in the stem at the base of the leaves, and wrap 

 some sphagnum moss round the cut. If this is kept moist roots 

 are emitted, and the stem can be cut quite throuah under the 

 roots, when it may bo potted. It has been a usual practice to 

 allow the fires to go out for six weeks at least about midsummer. 

 We did so this year, but some of the plants showed the ill effects 

 of it this year, and artificial heat was again applied. — J. Douglas. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*,* It is particularly requested that no communication be ad- 

 dressed privately to either of the Editors of this Journal. 

 All correspondence should be directed either to " The 

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

 Mr. Johnson or Dr. Hogg often remain unopened un- 

 avoidably. 



We also request that no one will write privately to any of our 

 correspondents, as doing so subjeots them to unjustifiable 

 trouble and expense. 



SukZlT.ocK (Scotch Thistle).— You ^i\\ find a life-sized plate of the Sham- 

 rock in " British Wild Flowers," No. 4, published at our ofiice. 



Briar or JIanetti (Jane), — The Briar aud Manetti Roses are quite dis- 

 tiiict, and both are used as stocks on which to bud Roses. The former is the 

 common Dog Rose, and the latter is bo named from an Italian botanist. 

 Worsted will do to tie buds, but cotton is more generally used. 



RilsiNG Snowdrops from Seed {IF. r.).^ilr. Robson did not doubt 

 that >inowdi-ops could be obtained from seeds when he mentioned that those 

 which he had sown had not produced plants. Failure probably arnse, he 

 remarks, fiom birds and othtT enemies, or from the seed bein^ simply 

 scattered broadcast over all kinds of ron:jh ground, most of it not touched 

 either with the spade or hoe. He adds that during the past winter he has 

 found the double Snowdrop very useful for gathering for bouqnetf, althoagh 

 it does not multiply itself so fast as the single form, nor is quite so early. 



Strawberries foe Forcing tKecns' Seedling). — The best for forcing are 

 Black Prince, President, Keens' Seedling, Vicomtesse H'Ticart do Thury, and 

 Sir Chailes Napier. 



Chemical Properties of Burnt Clav (H. L. £.).— Btirnt clay not only 

 improves the staple of a heavy toil by making it more workable, but thereby 

 renders it more porous, so that the air can more readily penetrate. Those are 

 not all the benefits, for burnt clay absorbs ammonia, not only from the 

 atmosphere but from the animal manures decomposing in the soil, and retains 

 it, and imparts it to roots of plants in solution in the rain water which 

 reaches it. 



Tobacco Water (Idem). — The simple prevention of its offensive imell 

 woTild be to buil only as many of the stalks at a time aa would make a quantity 

 of liquor useable before it became putrescent. 



Papeu for Hotbed Frames (A'dc/o/t). — It is possible to render paper 

 waterproof, and the following extract comes to us opportunely in reply ;^ 

 " Common paper, by a very simple process, maybe converted info a substance 

 as strong as parchment, by means of sulphuric acid. The paper is simply 

 dipped in the acid : but the acid must be of an exactly determined strength, 

 aud mixed ^ith half its bulk of water. A sheet of paper dipped in this. 



