Octubcr 22, lb7i. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HOUTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



367 



Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 

 relating to Gardening and those ou Poultry and Dee 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 

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 



Books {B. T. J.). — We do not know the book yoii name. TbompEon'a ia as 

 useful now as when lir&t publit-bed. (J. H.). — The bout is Yere Fueter's " Pre- 

 liminary Drawing Book," published by Marcus Ward, Chaudos Street. 



Secretahjes of Horticultural Societies (TK. il/. P.). — We know of no 

 rule binding secretaries to eeod copies of schedules to applicants, nor should 

 they be atked to do so unless the cost of postage accompanied the application. 



Monthly Tenant (J. P.). — You cannot legally remove the shrubs and 

 other plants you have planted unless your landlord permits. 



Treatment of Koses in Pots (H T.). — The treatment you propose, if 

 well carried out, will insure success. The plants are more liable to be attacked 

 by grten fly than red spider. If you waut good flowers in winter it will be 

 necessary to place I he pots in the forcing house or pit. Syringe the plants 

 daily, and if green fly appear fumigate with tobacco. You also mention 

 "resting" and * hardeniug-cff." Mow a Rose tree is never at rest, unless 

 (he temperature is tiear or under the freezing point, so that the routs must 

 not be dried-up. In winter not much water is required. When the tlowers 

 are about to open remove the plants from the forciuy house to the greenhouse, 

 and after flowering still keep them under glass if the weather is unfavourable. 

 Do not place the pots out of doors until May. 



Tbansplantino Tea Koses (Q. W. J.). — Nest month we should remove 

 thtm from the stiff clay soil and plant thom in the lighter loam. The plant- 

 ing would be safer performed now than in spring, but we should not move 

 them until next month, for the wood, as they are flowering, will not be over- 

 ripe, but they will be better of frost to stay their growth. They will need in 

 tbo'r new quarters to have protection given the roots as well as the heads in 

 severe weather, and nothing answers better than dry litter, bracken, or hay 

 lightly disposed over the heads, removing it in mild weather. 



Twelve Dahlias for Exhieition (IF. R. C).— Arbitrator, Earl of Rad- 

 nor, John Standish, Leah, Lady Gladys Herbert, Mrs. Dorling, Richard 

 Headly, Ovid, Toison dOr, tJmpire, William Priugle, George Eliot, Lord 

 Derby. There is little difference in the earliness of Dahlias. Plant early, 

 and protect with branches of spruce for a few days. 



Zonal Geraniums for Cool House (S. P.).— Jean Sisley, scarlet; War- 

 rior, ditto; Miss Rose Peach, rose; Madame Rudersdorff, salmon; Mrs. 

 Bousby, clear salmon; Vesuvius, scarlet; Madame Vaucher, white; Leonidas, 

 britjht red. 



Phlox (id^mj.—Emile Mezard, Liervallii, Nightingale, Orphee, Kigolette, 

 Souvenir des Ternes, Virgo Marie. 



Pentstemons {7(ft)H).— Conquest, Flambeau, George Sand, John Blaikie, 

 Minstrel, Robert Rutherford, Thomas Bruce, William Sutherland. These 

 arc all good sorts, but yon should apply to any of the eminent florists who 

 advertise in nur ci lumns, and ask them to supply your wants. 



Leeks for Edging (Ec/icutria).— Wo never heard of their being so em- 

 ployed. You must mean iioiisc-leeks. They can be had of the principal florists 

 who advertise in our columns. 



Replanting Lapageria rosea {An Old Subscriber, Dublin). — The north 

 or shady side of the house is more suitable than the south or " sunniest 

 tide," and we should at once transplant it to the former, moving carefully, 

 and taking caie to provide for it abundant drainage and rough flbrous peat 

 soil with very fibrous loam, two parts of tte former to one of the latter. 

 When the plant is growing freely water abundantly. The shoots not elongat- 

 ing after they have advanced to 4 or 5 inches may be the result of dryness 

 at the roots, accompanied with a dry atmosphere. There will be less danger 

 of the plant suffering from dryness on the shady side of the house. From 

 the present time to January is a good season to remove the plant. 



Layering Clematis (F. J.). — You may now layer any shoots of this class 

 of plants, making an incision at or just below a joint, and about halfway 

 through the shoot, layering in the soil and securing witli a peg. It will not 

 be until this time twelve months that the thoot so layered may be detached 

 from the pai'ent plant. Firm young shoots are best. 



Concrete Beneath Vine Border (J. D.). — A layer of stones, brickbats, 

 fthella, or chnkere, 6 inches deep, to form a dry bottom ; a layer of chalk or 

 lime in the proportion of 1 to 10 of the stones or other foundation, and well 

 rammed to the thickness of 3 inches; over this half an inch of gravel and 

 lime, (T fine chalk ; water and ram well again. 



Vines for Greenhouse (iJcr. Ocorgc S.).—l( youh&xe not Vines, it is likely 

 jou would have climbers, and the one is not more injurious than the other ; 

 in fact, Vines are not to injui-ious as climbers, from the fact of their being 

 leafless in winter. Either may be injurious or useful, just as they are 

 planted so closely as to cover the roof with foliage and cause too much shade 

 lor the growth of plants beneath, or at a good distance apart so as to only 

 partially cover the roof, and so afford in summer an agreeabie shade. I) you 

 have no other house for Grapes we should advise them, but rot planted more 

 closely than 4 feet apart, which will give you six Vines, they being planted 

 along the front, the two end Vines 2 fett from each end. Had your green- 

 house front wall been on arches we ehould have planted them inside, and had 

 the border partly within and partly outside the house. Without the wall on 

 arches we should plant the Vines outside, and introduce them through a hole 

 for each in the biickwork. unless you will have holes made in the wall 2 feet 

 ■wide, Jeavin^i a 14-inch pillar between, and putting in an arch over the 2-feet 

 space to support the sill, which the centre of the arch maybe just under; 

 and in that case we should plant inside at inches or a foot from the front 

 wall, triioing the cnues 15 inches or 16 inches from the glass, and up the 

 roof. We should have two Black Hamburgh, two Buckland Sweetwater, one 

 Trenthom Black, and one Foster's White Scedhng. 



Grapes Mildewing {M. J.). — As the Vines and Grapes mildew every year, 

 there is something radically wrong either with the border or the ventilation 

 of the house. Is the border well drained? tee to it, and if water lodge 

 remove it by drainage without delay. If the house is ill-ventilated have the 

 ventilation put lit^ht before another season. It is not manure the border 

 requires, mildew chiefly showing itself on Vines growing in soil which Is too 

 muist and lich. A top-dressing of equal proportions of turfy loam and half- 

 decayed stable manure would be good, putting it ou about 3 inches thick and 

 incorporating it with the soil of the border to a depth that does not interfere 



with the roots. You may also add a bushel per square rod of half-inch bones, 

 mixing with the surface soil. When the Vines are pruned strip the rods, &c. 

 of the loose bark, and dress them with a composition of soft soap, 1 lb. to a 

 ^'aUon of tobacco juice, which may bo had of any druggist, and add sulphur 

 vivum Bullicieut to bring it to the consistency of paint or cream. With this 

 composition dress every part of the Vines, brushing it well into every angle 

 and crevice, and taking care not to rub-out the Vine eyes. Keep a strict 

 watch next season for the appearance of the mildew, and upon its first ap- 

 pearance dubt the affected parts with flowers of sulphur, and repeat the 

 application as may bo necessary, admitting air freely. We trust you will 

 have better success another year. 



Grapes Varying in Size {A. B. P.).— Not knowing any of the circum- 

 stances we can only express, aa our opinion, that deficient root-action and 

 insufficient thinning of the bunches occasion the defect. The only merit of 

 the Gros Colman is the large size of the berries. Their want of colour may 

 arise from defective root-action. lu each case a better supply of moisture to 

 the roots, and a little weak liquid manure, would bo remedial. 



Pears (J. F.). — Soldat Laboureur is the same as Beurrc d'Aremberg. 

 Olivier de Sen-ea is a good very late Pear. All the others are of no account 

 on this side of the Channel. You will find them all described in the new 

 edition of the "Fruit Manual," which will appear- in the course of a few 

 weeks. 



Coping for Peach Wall (F. L. G. C.).— At the under side of the stone 

 or other coping it would be well to arrange for a protective coping for the 

 frees in spring. A coping of 11 inches in width is good; or two 1-inch 

 floorint^-boards 7 inches wide, tongued and grooved ; and in joining them to- 

 gether, if you brush hot pitch into the groove and upon the tongue you will 

 have a rainproof joint. Across the boards, at every 3 or 4 feet, you will need 

 to naU a cross piece 4k Inches wide to keep the boards from warping. Instead 

 of two 7-inch you may have two 9-inch boards joined together ; and you will 

 have a 14-inch or 18-inch wooden temporal? coping, just as you employ the 

 different width of boards. To support the wooden coping you will require 

 iron brackets. We have found none eo handy as the following: — Fig. 109 is 



□ 



Fig. 109. 



an illustration of it. Fix to the face of the wall pieces of iron l.J inch by 

 half an inch, and 13 inches in length, with a square hole at the top 1^ inch 

 by three-quarters of an inch, and another of half an inch, 9 inches from the 

 top hole, with two holes for bolts to drive into the wall. The plate will on the 

 face have the appearance of a, fj. 109. The plate should be let into the 

 under side of the coping up to the top of the upper square hole, and before 

 driving-in the bolts a (-pace an inch longer and the t-ame size in other respects 

 as the upper hole must be cut out of the face of the wall Ik inch deep, oppo- 

 site to where the plate is to be fixed. The distance apart ought not to exceed 

 6 feet. Wrought iron is the most suitable material, and the plates should be 

 well secured by the bolts. These plates are to remain permanently fixed in 

 the wall. The brackets are of cast iron, and though they are not different in 

 pattern from those for shelves, instead of screw-holes they have at the top a 

 lug W inch long one way, and 1^ inch the other, and a stud at the bottom 

 which fits the lower square hole In the plate. The use of the lugs will be 

 seen on reference to b. To fix them, all we have to do is to put the top lug 

 through the top hole in the plate and let it drop ; it will hang by the lug, and 

 cannot by any possibility fall out, and the bottom lug drops into the lower 

 square hole in the plate. The coping hoards are then put on, and will fit 

 exactly beneath the coping, and having an incline outwrtrds, the water will 

 drop clear of the trees. A screw will keep the boards from being dislodged, a 

 hole being at the end of the bracket that is within an inch of the end. The 

 coping boards should have a coat of boihng coal tar when dry, or of black 

 varnibh,aud will last many years, they being put on when the first blossom 

 opens, and they may remain on permanently up to June. They may then be 

 removed, be replaced when the fruit commences to ripen, and be left on until 

 the leaves fall, taken off again then, and remain off until the blossom is ex- 

 panding in spring. In addition to the coping boards yon wiUreqnire a canvas 

 or other screen to protect the blossom, young fruit, and tender foliage in 

 spring from frost. It may be fixed to the outer edge of the coping boards, or 

 made to move backwards and forwards by having an iron rod and rings, 

 taking care to secure it against winds. 



Garden Frames {A. C. A'.).— A one-light frame may be about 4A feet in 

 width from back to front, and 3 feet G inches the other way ; 15 or 18 inches 

 high in the back, and 9 in front, with a glass sash or light, made to fit the 

 top completely, to sUde up and down and move away occasionally. A two- 

 light frame may be 7 feet long, 4^ wide, and 15 or 18 inches high in the back, 

 with bars reaching from it at top' to the front, serving both to strengthen the 

 frame and help to support the lights ; the two liyhts to be each 3 feet 6 inches 

 wide, made to fit the top of the frame exactly. A three-light frame should 

 be 10 feet 6 inches long, 4^ wide, and from 18 inches to 2 leet high in the back, 

 and from 9 to 12 or 15 inches in front, observing that those designed prin- 

 cipally for the culture of Melons may be rather deeper than for Cucumbers, 

 because they generally require a greater depth of mould or earth on the beds, 

 though frames 18 or 20 inches in the back, and from 9 to 12 in front, are 

 often made to serve occasionally both for Cucumbers and Melons. Each 

 frame should have two cross bars, ranging from the top of the back to that of 

 the front, at 3 feet 6 inches distance, to strengthen the frame and support 

 the lights ; and the three lights should be each 3 feet 6 inches wide, the 



