216 



JOURNAL OP HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 3, 187i. 



pest after it has gained a foothold. The continned dry weather 

 has been very favourable to its further development, and a few 

 have been perceived on the yonng plants. Syringing them with 

 soot water is beneficial to the plants and destructive to red 

 spider. Hoed between the rows to destroy weeds. Stirring the 

 surface is also beneficial to the plants in the earlier stages of 

 their growth, causing them to grow freely ; afterwards when 

 they are well established, have grown to a considerable size, and 

 the ground is consequently fall of roots, these would be in- 

 jured by hoeing or digging amongst them, so that it is better not 

 to interfere with the surface, and any weeds that may have 

 escaped the earlier operations of the Dutch hoe can be pulled 

 out by hand. There seems to be considerable difference of 

 opinion as to the best sorts to grow. The varieties raised by 

 Dr. Eoden— Early ProUfic and Duke of Edinburgh, have been 

 grown here ; they had every justice done to them, but failing to 

 give satisfaction were discarded. Black Prince is unquestion- 

 ably the best early variety, and it is excellent for forcing. Next 

 to it comes Keens' Seedling — this variety has often been con- 

 demned because those who disparaged it had not the true sort. 

 Then President, Sir J. Paxton, British Queen, or, where the 

 last-named fails, Mr. Kadclyffe ; Dr. Hogg, Cockscomb, which 

 is very large, but bears a good crop of fine-flavoured fruit ; La 

 Constante ; and for late use there is no better sort than Frogmore 

 Late Pine. Let good healthy runners of the above sorts true to 

 name be planted, and the result will be satisfactory. A new bed 

 ia planted every year and the old plants destroyed. 



Hoeing the quarters of Basphcrries, and tying up the young 

 canes loosely in a position where the sun and air can act upon 

 them. Raspberry plants do not require so much sunlight or 

 air as most other fruit trees and bushes. In a wild state this 

 fruit is found in damp ground and under the shade of trees; and 

 perhaps the best-cultivated specimens we ever saw were of the 

 Fastolf variety, which continued to bear enormously for succes- 

 sive seasons ; the canes were planted in moist, rich, unctuous 

 loam under a north wall, and not only had they the shade of a 

 12 or 14-feet wall, but Apple trees to a certain extent shaded 

 them from the afternoon sun. As it is getting towards the 

 season for planting, those interested should make a note of this, 

 and plant in a shady part of the garden, trench deeply, and 

 manure richly. Excellent varieties to plant are Fastolf, Carter's 

 Prolific Yellow, and Red Antwerp. 



FRUIT AND FORCING HODSES. 



Fineries.— It is better that the fruit be ripe before the month 

 of August is over. Ours will not be so this year. Little or no 

 artificial heat was applied after the Grapes were thinned, and as 

 we ventilated freely, thinking to keep the red spider out of the 

 houses, this accounts for the late ripening. The Muscat house 

 is kept at 70°, and the Black Hamburgh and Lady Downe's at 

 65° by night, with a proportionate rise in the day; the weather 

 is also extremely favourable for the ripening of all sorts of fruit. 

 Xateral growths had made much progress, and have been cut 

 quite back where the houses were sufficiently shaded with 

 leaves. Looked over the bunches, and cut out any shanked or 

 small stoneless berries. Many persons find Royal Vineyard a 

 bad setting variety ; treated as we have previously recommended 

 when the Vines are in flower, almost every berry sets. We never 

 had it better than it is this year. The bunches are very large 

 and the berries of fair size ; if the house is kept dry the berries 

 will also keep well. 



Mushroom House. — Preparations should now be made to get a 

 bed ready. Horse droppings should be gathered every morning 

 uiitil a sufficient quantity is obtained. Some persons are careful 

 to remove nearly all the straw from the dung, but this is not 

 desirable ; a little straw with it is an improvement. The ma- 

 nure should be thrown up in a heap, and turned over once a-day 

 until the rank steam has been evolved, when it is ready to be 

 made up into the beds. Recent experience would lead us to re- 

 commend that a third part of the manure for the bed be fresh 

 cow dung. Tread the material in firmly, and allow it to remain 

 until the heat has sufficiently subsided to allow of the bed being 

 spawned. No bed ought to be without a thermometer to test 

 the bottom heat ; those with large experience may thrust a 

 stick into the bed and be able to test it by hand, but this is at 

 best very uncertain, as the hand is in itself much warmer at 

 one time than it is at another. It is also as well to note that 

 there is more danger to the spawn by over than by under heat- 

 ing. The spawn will not be injured if the temperature of the 

 bed is not over 85°, and when the thermometer falls to this point 

 the spawn may be inserted, and the f=urface of the bed covered 

 to the depth of 2 inches with loam. Let the temperature of the 

 house range as steadily as possible at from 55° to 60°. There 

 ought also to be a moist atmosphere ; in a parching atmosphere 

 there will be neither quantity nor quality. 



STOVE AND ORCHID HOUSER. 



Climbers on the roof of the stove trained to trelliswork may 

 be allowed to grow freely in summer and to shade the roof. Now 

 we cut out all unnecessary wood, so that what is allowed to re- 

 main may ripen well from exposure, and most plants underneath 

 are benefited by getting more light and air to fit them to stand 



more sturdily the short dull days which are now rapidly ap- 

 proaching. 



We have brought to a close all potting, with a few exceptions, 

 and these only small plants which will be carefully potted, so 

 that they may make all the growth possible during winter. 

 There is, however, a certain risk in pu!.hing plants forward 

 during the winter months ; growths formed at that time are 

 seldom satisfactory, and it ought only to be done with small 

 plants, and that in exceptional cases. Potted Goodyera anil 

 Ana'ctochilus. These plants are unsurpassed for the beautiful 

 markings on the neat, glossy, velvet-like leaves, and under proper 

 management they are very easily grown. Anyone possessing an 

 ordinary plant stove may grow them. Ours are grown in hand- 

 lights under the Cucumbers, the broad leaves of which afford a 

 little shade, but not enough in very hot sunshine ; it is then 

 necessary to throw some light shade over the plants, in addition 

 to that afforded by the leaves overhead. The pots used must not 

 be large, as the plants do not make much root. Begin by having 

 in readiness a quantity of clean crocks of two sorts, a large size 

 for the bottom, fiUing up the pot to three parts of its depth 

 with finer drainage free from dust ; over this place a little clean 

 sphagnum, then the compost, which consists of equal parts of 

 turfy peat, clean potsherds, and sphagnum chopped-up fine; 

 in this place the plants. Goodyera should merely be pegged- 

 down to the surface of the pot; the other species maybe planted, 

 but very shallow. Some moss encouraged to grow on the surface 

 of the pot has a neat appearance, and if it is kept healthy by 

 frequent dewings with the syringe the plants will do well. 

 Goodyera Dawsoniana should be grown not only for its beauti- 

 ful foliage, but it also flowers freely in winter ; the flowers are 

 borne on spikes, and are waxy white. G. Ordiana is very similar 

 in habit, but the ground colour of the leaves is light green 

 instead of reddish brown, as in Dawsoniana. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Tying and sticking the Gladiolus; removing all spikes from 

 which the flowers have faded. Looking over beds of Zonal 

 Pelargoniums, and picking withered trusses from the plants. 

 Centaureas were put in a cold frame, and have been shaded 

 from the sun. With very little air admitted they root freely. — 

 J. Douglas. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



* * It is particularly requested that no communication be 

 addressed privately to either of the Editors of this 

 Journal. AH correspondence should be directed either to 

 " The Editors," or to " The Publisher." Letters ad- 

 dressed to Mr. Johnson or Dr. Hogg often remain unopened 

 unavoidably. 



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. All articles intended for insertion 

 should be written on one side of the paper only. 



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

 correspondents, as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable 

 trouble and expense. 



PnnPiGATINQ AUBRTETIAS (Sprinjl GnrifcJt).— No adrantage will be gained 

 bv takinc slips of Aubrietias now, as tbey will not have tune to establiah 

 themselves sufficiently tor autnnm planting. If old plants are plentiful let 

 them alone, and at plantin;; time use good-sized root-diviaions, not mere 

 bUd" and cover the ground at once when planting. Small slips put-in in 

 nuantitv now, and remaining over next Bummer, will give an abundance for 

 rlantini in the autumn of 1875 of nice, tufty, well-couditioneJ plants. For 

 raisint' plants by the thousand there is no better plan than somn: seed m 

 heat eHT]y in spring, the seedlings to be hardened-off and pnoked-out, or sow- 

 ing in the open ground in May and transplanting in nursery beds, there to 

 remain until large enough for linal planting. 



Planting oot Stocks (Iifcra).— For a rich and massive bed of Stocks, 

 stont and sturdy plants, made so by having been planted thinly in nnrsery 

 beds in an open place, should be planted, as soon as the beds are cleared, just 

 closely enough that the foliage of one plant touches that of its neighbour, 

 but without any serious jostling or crowding. Whether the plants are largo 

 or small the rule erinally applies. If there are surplus plants, they had hotter 

 be lifted at the same time and planted in a more sheltered and especially in a 

 drier place than where the bed may happen to be situated— that is, assuming 

 there are not pits to wmter a portion in pots plunged in ashes. A portion m 

 the flowering beds may die off from inclement weather, especiaUy if frost and 

 melting snow alternate, and a reserve to draw from makes all right again. 

 If there are no failures the close planting allows the smgles to bo d™*p ""' 

 as soon as they can be detected, leaving suflicient doubles to form a fuU bed. 

 If towards autumn the plants grow very luxuriantly, it is advisable to give 

 them a check by half lifting each with a spade three weeks before the time of 

 llnal removal. The severing the main roots will check luxuriance and cause the 

 emission of feeders ready to take hold of the soil at once in their permanent 

 quarters. If the plants are only of moderate growth this semi-preparatory 

 lifting is not necessary. 



Dn-iDiNG Polyanthus Boots (B. L.).— They and those of Primroaesmsj 

 be divided now. 



Forcing Lily of the Valley (A SKb»cr.(i,TV-Tak6 up the roots care- 

 fully, those with plump round crowns, and place them in pans or boxes, fllling- 

 in the interstices with lich tuity loam made fine. Place them on a bed of 

 leaves or dung with a bottom heat of 65', let them remain there a fortnight 



