258 



JOURNAL 01? HOKTIGOLTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 17, 1874. 



from lU to 1.5 feet high, and as much in diameter, this cannot 

 be managed bo easily. 



Then as to planting. A hole must be dug-out wide enough to 

 allow the roots to be spread out, and some rotted turfy loam 

 should be shakeu-in amongst the roots, and trodden-in firmly 

 with the feet. It is not uncommon to plant young trees in rich 

 soil, loam mixed with manure, etc., but this is wrong ; all such 

 rich composts ought to be avoided, as tending to produce gross 

 growths, which ultimately produce gumming in Plum and 

 Cherry trees, and canker in the Apple and Pear. The trees 

 will grow freely enough with the turfy loam, and wiU form a 

 perfect network of fibrous roots into it. Then as to wall trees. 

 If it is important to be early on the alert to select the best trees 

 for the open borders, it is even more important that those in- 

 tended for walla should be clean, healthy, and well balanced. 

 Trees three years old are the best to purchase for this purpose, 

 and usually they have five or seven young growths which have 

 been properly trained the previous summer. Do not plant too 

 close to the wall, and the ground ought to be allowed to subside 

 before uailing-in the tree. 



Kunning the hoe through Strawberry beds and culting-off the 

 runners once in ten days or a fortnight. We have explained iu 

 previous numbers that it is our custom to destroy the Straw- 

 berry beds as soon as the fruit has been gathered, and the 

 runners obtained for the following season. Of course, the system 

 of annual renewal could not be followed out if the runners were 

 not planted-out early, and the plants kept quite free from weeds 

 and superfluous runners. 



Vineries. — Daring the last week the weather has been very 

 unfavourable to the keeping of Grapes, and a few berries have 

 shown signs of damp. Where there are no plants in the houses 

 to cause damp there is not much difficulty iu keeping Grapes 

 at this time of the year, but if the weather prove unfavourable 

 it wiU be necessary to keep-up the heat from the hot-water 

 pipes, and to open the ventilators freely by day, keeping the 

 house closer at night, and not allowing the pipes to become 

 quite so warm. The earliest houses here are not started before 

 December. Those who begin to force in November should now 

 prune their Vines, and make the usual preparations. Mildew 

 has been very prevalent this year, and it would be as well to 

 impress upon the minds of all who have been annoyed by this 

 insidious parasite during the past season, that now is the time 

 to use preventive measures, and prevention is not only better 

 but easier than destroying it, after the parasitic threads have 

 taken hold of the leaves and berries. As soon as the Vines are 

 pruned, wash all the wood (after having removed the loose bark), 

 with warm soft water in which soft soap has been dissolved to 

 the extent of 3 ozs. to the gallon. The water should be applied 

 with a sponge. Before the rods are quite dry, paint them with 

 the_ same water thickened with flowers of sulphur. This is 

 suflicient as far as the part of the Vino above ground is con- 

 cerned. Now to the roots : What is the state of the inside 

 border? Probably it has not been watered since the Grapes 

 began to colour, and is dust-dry. It is quite a mistake to allow 

 the roots to get into this state, as it is so diificult to get the soil 

 sufficiently moist again. After repeated waterings the surface 

 may be moist for a few inches in depth, and as no examination 

 is made further than this, the cultivator fancies that it is all 

 right with his Vines. They may start well and grow away 

 freely at first ; but if the border is dry underneath, this healthy 

 growth will not continue, lateral growths will not be produced, 

 or, at least, not freely, consequently the Vines are predisposed 

 to the attacks of red spider and mildew. The condition neces- 

 sary to conduce healthy root action is first, thorough drain- 

 age. It is not always necessary to lay drain-pipes to carry the 

 water to an outfall, but at least a foot or 18 inches of brick- 

 bats or rough stones should be laid underneath the border to 

 allow the water to drain away from its under surface. Second, 

 the border should not be allowed to become thoroughly de- 

 siccated, as is too often the case ; but even when the Vines are at 

 rest it ought to be moderately moist. Third, when the Vines 

 are started give a thorough good watering, enough to soak quite 

 through to the drainage, so that the entire mass of roots are 

 saturated. We treated a house as recommended above, where 

 the crop of Grapes had been destroyed for twenty years by 

 mildew, and the Vines after being allowed one season to pro- 

 duce fruit-bearing wood, carried a splendid crop of fruit the 

 next season and were free from mildew. 



FLOWER G-VKDEN. 



The continued wet and hurricanes of wind have sadly marred 

 the beauty of the flower beds. There is still a good prospect of 

 bloom, however, if the weather would continue tine, as it has 

 been for the last day or two. Picking withered trusses of flowers 

 off, and cutting away growths that have gi'own out of bounds, 

 and keeping the beds free from weeds. The autumn-flowering 

 Koses are exceedingly brilUant, and if there is one that could be 

 singled-out for its glowing flowers it would be General Jacque- 

 minot. Charles Lefebvre is also magnificent. The best and 

 also the largest quantity of autumn flowers are produced from 

 those worked on the Manotti stock. Put in cuttings of Tea 



Roses ; these strike freely if taken off with a heel iu lengths of 

 from 3 to 6 inches. They may be inserted from six to twelve 

 cuttings in 5 and U-inch pots. The soil should be equal parts of 

 loam, leaf mould, and sand. The pots are placed in a cold frame, 

 and watered sparingly. They will throw out roots more freely 

 in August, but very few cuttings will fail to produce plants if 

 put in now. 



Getting cuttings of aU such bedding plants as Verbenas, 

 Hehotropes, Ageratum, Cuphea platycentra, &c. What a very 

 fine free-blooming plant is this last, and how seldom it is seen 

 now ! It is a perfect mass of flower, and not the least of its 

 recommendations is that it does not require any attention, 

 either training or picking off withered flowers ; and one of its 

 greatest recommendations is that the plants can be wintered in 

 any house from which the frost is merely excluded. All such 

 cuttings are put into either boxes or pots, and put into a cold 

 frame; bottom heat has a tendency to cause damp, which is 

 injurious. Cutting the lawn frequently and sweeping up fallen 

 leaves, so that the signs of coming winter may be kept out of 

 sight as long as possible. — J. Dooglas. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*,* It is particularly requested that no communication be 

 addressed privately to either of the Editors of this 

 Journal. All correspondence should be directed either to 

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

 dressed to Mr. Johusou or Dr. Uogg often remain unopened 

 unavoidably. 



Books {T.P,C.). — "ThcCotta^'e Giirdenei-y' Dictionary," you cau have it 

 bv post from our office il you enclose 7.s. ^(i. witli your address. {David).— 

 We iinow of no book devoted to forcing all lands of vegetables. Keane's 

 " In-door Gardening " contains weekly dii-ections for forcing them. You can 

 have it free by post if you enclose twenty postage stamps with your address. 



Gaedkners' DinECTORY {B. M. A.). — It is published at our oflice. 



V.ARiEGATED Itiem i Knulsford). — Any of the nurserymen near London 

 who advertise in our columns could supply you. 



Hops {W. T.]. — If you enclose six postage stamps with your addi-oss, and 

 order Town's *' Plantation and Mouagemeut of Hops," we will send it post 

 free. 



Improvjno G.arden Soil (If. II. B.).— I'or a soil of your description there 

 is no doubt an application of clay or marl would be the most enduringly 

 beneticial. If you have this at band it may be laid on the land in spadefuls 

 and at the rate of a hundred cai-tloads per aero. After the first frost aufb- 

 ciently severe to freeze the lumps through, it will upon a thaw fall, and when 

 the ground is in working order the material may be dug-in. It ought, there- 

 fore, to be applied in early winter. Failing the clay or marl, you may add 

 strong loam a dressing up to 6 inches thick, and mis it well iu digging with 

 the soil. A good dressing of cow dung would also be good, as it is more 

 moistm-e-rotaining and cooler than stable manui-e. For the Roses improve 

 the staple of the soil by adding soil of a more retentive nature, and manure 

 well. On BO light a soil they would probably do well on their own roots, and 

 certainly ought to be on the Manetti, as the Briar does not succeed on light 

 soils. Maniu-e liberally, and water freely during growth. 



Evergreens in Pots for House Decoration (K. R. L.). — You are on 

 the right track. Tender subjects are employed when hardy ones would answer 

 equally well, and with less injury to the plant. Aralia Sioboldi, line, fig-hke, 

 glossy green leaves, a few plants for select positions ; Aucubas limbata, longi- 

 folia, japonica (maculatal, himalaica, the second and last green-leaved, the 

 other variegated; Berberis Darwini, B. (Mahonia) aquifolia; Busus ftrbo- 

 rescens var. ai'genteus, Handworthiauus, aureus, pyramidalis, B. balearicue, 

 B. BUffruticosus elegans; Cerasus latifolius, C. lusitanicus, C. myrtifoUus, Co- 

 toneaster micropbylla, C. Simmonsi (though only semi-evergreen, is fine in 

 berry) ; Daphne laureola, D. cneorum, and var. variegata ; Desfontainea 

 spinosa, Elieaguus japonicus variegatus and Em7a latifolia, though not very 

 hardy are line variegated subjects; Euonymus gracilis roseus variegatus, 

 E. japonicus argenteus variegatus, E. gracilis aureus marginatus, E. radicans 

 vai'icgata; Hollies in variety, Laurustinus, Ligustrum japonicum, Osmanthus 

 ilicifolius argenteus variegatus, Skimmia japonica, Vincaelegantissima. Of 

 Coniferous plants: — Abies Albertiana. A. excelsa vars. Clanbrasiliana, elegans, 

 inverta, pumila ; Cham.Tcyparis thurifera, Cryptomeria elegans, Cupressus 

 Lawsoni and var. gracilis and stricta, lietinosporas ericoides, pisifera, plu- 

 mosa, obtusa nana aurea; Taxus adpressa stricta, T. pyramidalis aurea, 

 T. elegantissima ; Thujopsis borealis, and vars. glauca and variegata, T. dolo- 

 brata; Thujas Lobbi, phcata, aurea, and elegantissima. The tree Ivies are 

 very fine, both the green and variegated forms. 



Tan for Sea-kale Forcing (St. Edmuntl}. — You may take-up the roots 

 any time after Christmas and place them m the spent tan level with the 

 crowns, placing them with the crowns about 3 inches apart, and so that they 

 may be covered with an inverted pot or box to exclude light, adding other 

 covering so as to thoroughly exclude the light, and so secure the thorough 

 blanching of the growths. Or you may place the roots iu a box and cover it 

 over so as to exclude Ught. The tan should be moist, and when the giowth 

 is begim you may water with tepid water, one or two waterings being suffi- 

 cient. To save placing a bos or inverted pot over the crowns, yon may 

 bury the crowns 8 to 9 inches deep with the tan, the tan being moist or 

 watering at planting no more will be req^ii-ed until the Sea-kale is fit to cut, 

 which it is when the shoots are showing through the surface of the tan. 



Lily of the Valley not Flowering (Idtm). — The Lilies ought to have 

 flowered within three years after planting. Either they aie planted very 

 thickly and so are deprived of light and air, and are very dry in summer, or 

 they are in a poor soil and ih-y in summer. If the hret, thin them out, leaving 

 clumps 9 inches across, and the same distance between all around, and fill-in 

 between the clumps with good rich soil, planting those removed in clumps of 

 about 4 [inches across, 9 inches apart every way, the soil being enriched with 

 leaf soil or well-rotted manmc. They do best in a border shaded from 

 midday sun, and will flower all the better for good supphes of water in dry 

 weather during gi'owth. If they are not crowded top-dress with good rich 



