570 



JOURNAL OF flOBTlOOliTdRE AND COTTAGE GARDENEK, 



[ Doceniber 2-i} 1874. 



on the ground; but if any of the beds required to bo trenched 

 and mauured we would do them. The snow could be swept off 

 as the work progresaed, and oue set of men would wheel the 

 manure while the others continued with the trenching. The 

 depth of snow prevents the frost from taking any effect on the 

 surface. Trenchiu^ niay be done when the ground is frozen 

 deeply, but it is nut desirable. The tirst thing to do after a 

 steady fall of snow is to look over coniferoua and other ever- 

 green trees ; any that ax'e in dancer of being broken should have 

 the enow shaken from them. We are preparing to plant a few 

 specimen trees by dig:,'ing-out holea '2 feet G inches deep and 

 6 feet diameter. There is a depth of from 9 inches to 1 fuot of 

 very light noil, and quite half of it is stones, the remaining por- 

 tion is gravel, in which no trees will thrive. This gravel has to 

 be wheeled away and loam put in its place. The few tre^s that 

 have been planted thrive well with this treatment. In ihe 

 course of three or four years the diameter of the hole requires 

 to be enlarged by 3 feet, which gives a further space of 13 inches 

 wide for the roots to travel into. When coniferous trees have 

 been dug round in this way it has been found that the roots 

 have travelled into the gravel. 



Bedding planf:i are being potted-off from the boxes in which 

 the cuttings were struck. The largest proportion of bedding 

 plants succeed best if they are grown in boxes, bat an exception 

 to this is to be found in the different sections of zonal or bed- 

 ding Pelargoniums. These we invariably pot ; the smallest 

 plants in GO-sized pots, the larger in ly's. The hoase where the 

 plants are placed is kept warmer than a greenhouse, and the 

 atmosphere is dry. We do not require many Verbena cuttings 

 thin year, else preparation would soon have to be made for 

 striking the cuttings ; these do well in a temperature of 55'-' and 

 a moist bottom heat of 85^ or 'JIJ-. Calceolarias in boxes are 

 still in a cold frame behind a north wall. They were put in 

 late, and only a portion of them seem to be rooted as yet. The 

 lights are protected by mats from severe frosts. As the larger 

 outer leaves of Auriculas ilie they must be picked-off, as they 

 rot and are the cause of decay. We draw the lights quite off 

 the frames if the frost is not severe and the sun shines in the 

 day. Large plants do not suffer if no more water is applied to 

 them until February, but if the small offsets are dry they may 

 be benefited by a little water. We are also cai-eful not to allow 

 any rain to fall on them. Carnations and Picotees require very 

 similar treatment to the Auriculas, except that it is very un- 

 desirable to allow any of the pots to become dust-dry; but if 

 the soil in the pots was sufficiently moist early in December 

 they will not require water more thau two or three times until 

 the first week in February. We air the frames on all favourable 

 occasions. 



Hollyhocks and Dahlias are not such universal favourites as 

 they were twenty or thirty years ago, but both plants are indis- 

 pensable in large gardens, and thanks to such enthusiasts as 

 Turner, Keynes, Rawlings, L^ing, Chater, Hawke, and others, 

 very great improvements have been made in them. The Dahlia 

 roots should be in a cool shed, but. of course, frost must not 

 reach them ; damp is also injurious, and shows its presence by 

 causing a white mould to gather round the neck, which spreads 

 down to the tubers and destroys the incipient growths. Holly- 

 hock roots are best planted in a cold frame in light loam; they 

 may be planted quite thickly. Air the frame freely, but protect 

 from rain. Any plants that are weakly, and of which there is 

 not likely to be sufficient stock, should be potted-up and placed 

 on a shelf near the glass in a cool house. — J. Douglas. 



TEADE CATALOGUES KECEIVED. 



Buttons^ Spring Catalogue for 1S75. — Auiateur'3 Guide. — 

 Sutton & Sons, Reading.— Chis is copiously illustrated with ex- 

 cellent chromo-lithographs and woodcuts. 



B. Dean. Ealing. — Catalogue of Choice Potatoes.— Catalogue 

 of Primulas and other Plants. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*^* All correspondence should be directed either to "The 

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

 Mr, Johnson or Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoid- 

 ably. We request that no one will write privately to any 

 of our correspondents, as doing eo subjects them to un- 

 justifiable trouble and expense. 



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 

 tihould be written on one side of the paper only. We 

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 



Back Ncmbees (Sussex). — You can have them all post free if you encloso 

 80. 6d. with your address. 



AsHANTEE Leaf (iiosa).— Maoy associations with Guernsey would induce 

 U6 to aid you, but it is impossible. Ko one could identify a plant from a leaf 

 8Uoh as that you enclose. 



Dessert Keeping Apples (A Subscriber). — Adam&'a Pearmain, Bess Pool. 

 Claysate Peaimaiu, Cockle l^ippiu, Cos's Orange PippiD, Golden Reinette, 

 MargU, Nonpareil, Ashmead's Kernel, Sturmer Pippin. The tree is ft 

 Podocarpus. 



Protuberanoe on Vines (D. B.).— The excrescence on your Vines is a 

 true gall, caused by the deposition of the eggs of the destructive weevil 

 Otiorhynchua sulcatua, the grubs or larrfr of which you have extracted from 

 the swelled part The cause of the spreading of the disease to other Vinei is 

 simply that of the female insects creeping from plant to plant. The pro- 

 tuberances should be carefully opened and the grubs destroyed, and in the 

 spring the plants should be looked over after du?k, as the parent insects are 

 noctuioal in thoir habits. They are also ver7 timid, falling to the ground 

 when alarmed, so that it is advisable to lay sheets of white paper under the 

 trees, on which they may be easily seen. — I. O. \V. 



Cross-breeding Floaters (Bui/ord).— The most succefr>ful mode of ob- 

 tainio^' good and very distinct varieties is to employ the pollen from a male 

 flower grown on another plant than that bearing,' the female parent. To avoid 

 previous and uodesh-ed impre;:ination. the anther;s in the female parent, if they 

 are produced in the same llower with the pistils, must be removed by a sharp- 

 pointed pair of scissors, and the flower enclo-cd in a gauze bag, to exclude 

 msncts, until the desired pollen is ripe. Another effectual mode of avoiding 

 uodosired impregnation is briuRing the female pareut into flower a little 

 earlier than its congeners, and removing the anthers as above described: the 

 stiyma will remain a long time vigorous if uuimpregnaCed. When double 

 flowers are desued, if a double flower should chance to have a fertile anther 

 or two, thei^e should bo employed for feitilisation, as their offspring are 

 almost sure to be very double. To obtain a chauge of colour apply the pollen 

 from a flower of the same species that has the desired colour. 



Fowls' Dcng (A Corutiant Header). — It is a very powerful fertiliser. Mix- 

 ing lime with it ia not advantageous. It is applicable to all vegetables. 



Stove (Frigidns). — We do not know the stove you mention, and cannot 

 judge between rival inventions. 



Cherry Trees Gumsung (L. J. fi".).— We advise you to get your trees on 

 the Cerasus Mahaleb stock. May Duke is one of the hardiest, and Governor 

 Wiiod is also a very Ijno early Cherry ; the trees are hardy also. Do not place 

 any manure near the roots unless it is well rotted, but it is not necessary 

 if you can take the foltowiag advice :— Dig out a hole 4 feet In diameter and 

 18 inches deep, remove all tlie soil, and flil-up with rotted turfy loam. Mix 

 no manure with it, and in this plant your trees. Do not allow the ground 

 over the roots to be dug at all. 



Twelve Lkst Hvacinths (/f. W. S. C.).— We should select Lord Derby 

 Jardin des Plantes, Pink Perfection, Gl-jria Mundi. Nil Desperaninm, George 

 Gleuny, Antouelli, Queen of England, Mrs. George Bundle, Lady Slade, John 

 Salter, and Baron Deust. 



Ivv Border Forming {J. A*.). — There is no diflioulty in forming an edging 

 or border of Ivy. All that is required is to plant nice young plants of any of 

 the neat-growing kinds, as :lledera Douerailensis, H. taurica in the green- 

 leaved, and H. argentea ele;;;au8, a line variegated kind for edging, planting at 

 18 inches distance apart, and train the shoots as they grow so as to cover the 

 ground, to meet first, and then to the width re-juired, to which thoy may be 

 kept by cutting. If small plants, they ought not to bo planted more than a 

 foot apart to havo au edging quickly. The Moor is a fine dark-zoned Gera- 

 nium, but Mrs. John Lee has the boldest zone of any, and is a good bushy 

 grower. Santolina incaua is a neat, dwarf, compact, silver edging plant about 

 3 or 4 inches high. 



Apple Trees Cankering (tf. t'.i. — We did not intend to denoimceyour 

 trenching and making the soil deep before planting, but to convey our opinion 

 that when the roots had passed through this, the subsoil being unfavourable, 

 it would hell! you none in preventing canker in the trees. You were quite 

 right in trenching the soil, not bringing up any of the bad soil, and planting 

 high. By surface-dressings the roots maybe kept at the surface, or be in- 

 duced to extend horizontally near- the surface, and so kept from descending 

 into tbo unfavourable subsoil. Making a hole in hard ^'rouud and leaving the 

 other undistmbed is not planting trees, but sticking them in without giving 

 them a chance. 



Fernery amongst Trees ildcm). — It does not answer to cover the stems 

 of large trees by a bank of rockwork and soil close rouud the bole. We lately 

 removed several tons of rock and soil from about the stem of a large Ash, 

 the tree having shown indications of injury, and since it were removed the 

 foliage is better. Keep the rockwork clear of the stems of the trees. 



Tricyrtis hirta Culture (E. S.}.— This fine hardy Japanese plant ia not 

 Bufliciently hardy for your northern high and cold chmate, though, from its 

 free growth, we do not see but that it would succeed as a hardy plant with 

 you in a sheltered spot. We do not think we can improve upon your culture, 

 which each October gives you a plant with " fine foliage, covered with buds, 

 and looking thoroughly healthy," and no doubt it is ; but the placing of this 

 and many other hardy plants in the dry atmosphere of a greenhouse or room 

 causes the plants to go to rest and cast their lower leaves — the oldest fii'st, 

 and then the others, one after the other, until nothing remains but the 

 flower-stem and buds. Were you to plant it out it ia likely you would have its 

 flowers in perfection in a mild season in winter; or were it placed in a cool 

 house in a light, airy, and moist position, or better still, in a cold pit, it 

 would flower perfectly in early winter and onward. With us it loses its leaves. 

 We treat it the same as Liiiuras, lemoving to a cold pit in early autumn or a 

 cool house along with Cbrysanthemnms. We think the flowers are very 

 pretty, being so finely spotted with purple on a white ground. 



Shruds ior Shaded Border (H. T. P.).— The best of all is the Aucuba 

 japonica, then Tree Box, Butcher'n broom, Evergreen Privet, common Laurel, 

 common Holly, and English Yew, with !St. John's-wort and Periwinkle as 

 undergrowth, also Ivy. If the ground is not very much occupied with roots 

 and is dry. Rhododendron ponticum succeeds fairly, tind in some instances wo 

 have found Laurustinus do well. Plants for the border may be Alyssum sixa- 

 tile compactmn. Anemone apennina, A. iaponica. A. neraorosa flore-pleno, 

 Arabis albida and var. variegata, Auhrietia deltoidea grandiflora, Caltha polus- 

 triti flore-pleno, Campanula aggregata. C. rapunculoides, Convallaria polygo- 

 natum, C, majahs var., Delpliiniuni Btiludonua, Funkia undulata variogata, 

 HelleboruB niger, Hyacinthus araethjstinus, Hyperi^ium calycinum. Iris ger- 

 manioa, Meconopsis cambrica, Myosutis dissitiflora, Nepe'a Musbini, Pteonia 

 albifliira var.. P. officinalis vars., Primula acauUs vars., Pulmonaria angusti- 

 folia, P. officinalis, Ranunculus amplexicaulis, Spirsea filipendula plena, S. ja- 

 ponica, S. palmata, Dielytra spectabilib, TrolUuB europjLus, T. napellifoUus, 

 Viola cucullata, and Violets in variety. The border, we presume, is not over- 

 hung, but only ehaded by the trees, lerus that would do are Osmunda 



