January 13, 1876. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



37 



The Pine-Apple Nursery Company, Maida Vale, London, W. 

 — Ooneral Catalogue of Garden and Farm Seeds, Oladiolus, 

 Bulbs, d-c. 



Smith (t Simons, 36, Howard Street, Sb. Enoch Square, Glas- 

 gow, — Cultural Guide and Descriptive Seed Catalogue. 



G. C. Short, Market Place, Stokesley. — Deseripiive Catalogue 

 of Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 



Louis Van Houtte, Royal Naraeries, Ghent, Belgium. — Cata- 

 logue of Gesneriaceous Plants, Begonias, Dahlias, HoseSy d-c. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*,* AU 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 so 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. AU articles intended for insertion 

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

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 



Books [E. J. J. B.). — Mackintosh's " Book of the Gnrden," and the " Cot- 

 toge Gartlener's Dictionary." {J. Brown). — Gordon's volume " ThePinetum," 

 deecribea all the Conifers, but there are no plates. In Loudou's " Eacy- 

 clopa;dia of Plants " there are woodouts of the foliage and cones, and of 

 flowering plants. 



Doctor Harvey Apple (H. L. E.). — It is not the damo as " Waltham 

 Abbey Seedling." This is a modem variety, but Doctor Harvey is one of the 

 oldest. Parkinson in the reign of Queen Elizabeth describes it aa " a faire, 

 greate, goodly Apple, aud very well rellished." You are correct in Baying it 

 is " one of the best cooking Apples.'' 



Pears not Kipening (F. Holloiraij).— The pyramidal- shaped Pear is 

 Beurrc Ranee, and the other Jeau de Witte. "We think you gather them too 

 Boon, aud keep them in a room too wai-m. 



Wild Flowers (G. 5.).— We cannot say more than that they will conclude 

 when all our native flowers have been included. 



Mushrooms in Cucumber House (H. TV.).— The temperature required 

 for Cucumbers is too high for the growth of fleshy Mushrooms, but they 

 would, nevertheless, prow, but be poor as compared with those grown in a 

 lower temperature. You will need to have a bed of fresh horse droppings a 

 foot thick, and beaten very firm, and when the temperature of the ilroppings 

 has subsided to 80^ you may then insert pieces of spawn not less than an 

 inch cr larger than 2 inches square. Insert these 2 inches deep, and 

 make the surface of the bed again firm after IilUng-np over the spawn. 

 In a week alter spawning cover the bed with soil iu a moderately moist state, 

 BO that it may bo beaten firm aud smooth, the soil being good turfy loam 

 and 2 inches thick. The Mushrooma will appear iu about six weeks, when 

 the bed is to be kept moist, avoiding overw;itering. The pieces uf spawn 

 should be inserted about 9 inches apart, and for the size of the bod you name 

 you wiJI require about two bushels of spawn, or a "brick" per square yard. 

 ^Ye shall be obhged by particulars of the heating from the kitchen range. 



Repotting Stage Pelargonidjis (A Sub6cribcr).~'Repot them now if 

 they have already been stopped; but if not stopped, do so now, and repot 

 about the middle of February, giving them their blooming pots; and by 

 paying attention to tying out the shoots and aSordiug a light position with 

 free ah-giviug, watering carefully, aod applying liquid manure whoa the pots 

 are filled with roots, you will obtain a quantity of bloom. Keep cool, but safe 

 from frost. 



Fuchsias for Eaely Flowering (Idem).— Cai-in the plants and placa in 

 the temperature you name, and when they are making fresh shoots repot, 

 keeping moist by sprinkling overhead morning and evening, and watering 

 carefully at the roots until those are working freely iu the fresh soil, tlien 

 supply water more freely. Shift into the blooming pots when the roots are 

 showing at the sides of the pots. 



Select Pansies (G. F.).—Stlfs: Locomotive, Mrs. Horsburgh, Mrs. 

 Knight, Cheiub. Finale, and Ma^^terpioce. Fancy : Lady Ross, Miss Mac- 

 meeking, Rev. H. H. Dombrain, "William Baird, Pandora, and Little Kittie. 

 The best mode of stiiking cuttings is either under hond-Iights or iu culd 

 frames in light soil with a fourth of silver sand, taking the young side shoots, 

 and inserting in April or May for autumn flowering, and in August or early 

 September for spring. Particulars of treatment are given in "Florists' 

 Flowers,' which may be had free by post from our oflice for five penny 

 postage stamps. 



Plants for North Wall {W.''_H. Midw'mter).— -There are no flowering 

 plants suitable fur a north wall, except, perhaps, Jasminum nudiflorum, 

 which succeeds well and flowers at thid season. Cotoneaster miorophylla has 

 very neat evergreen foliage and fine red berries, but does not flower well 

 against a north wall. Ampelopsis Veitchii is a neat plant for a north wall, 

 also A. hederacea ; but the finest of all plants for a north aspect are Ivies, 

 which in the green and variegated forms are very handsome. 



Grafting Picea nobilis (C. J. D.i.— It may be successfully grafted, but 

 the plants are never so shapely as those grown from seed, though if leaders 

 are employed for grafting there is no great difference between grafted and 

 Eeedling plants. The stock most commonly employed is the common Silver 

 Fir (Picea pectinata), and the time to operate is in March or April ju^t before 

 the tree from whence the scions are taken commences to swell its buds. 

 Budding is not, that we are aware, resorted to, and neither it nor grafting 

 are desirable modes of propagating this finest of the Piceas. Araucaria im- 

 bricata is not grafted. All Conifers of horizontal side-branching habit ai-e 

 best from seed. 



Eucharis amazonica in Greenhouse {Amateur).— Tlds very desirable 

 bulbous plant cannot be grown satisfactorily in a greenhouse. It requires a 

 stove temperature— a brisk moist heat when growing, and to be rested in a 

 cooler and drier atmosphere. Uoiess you decide to have roue house divided^ 



and one of the compartments kept at stove temperature, we should advise 

 you to didcard the Eucharis. Your method of heating is of the worst kind. 

 Wo should obtain a stove boiler and fix it cither inside the house or in 

 an outhouse, having 2-inch hot-water pipes, of which you will require two 

 rows — i.e., a flow and return, along two sides and one end, or both if you 

 have not a doorway at the end, or all around excepting doorway, or an equi- 

 valent of four rows in front and at one end. If you have a division for the 

 stove compartment you would require double the quantity of piping. The 

 fruit trees in pots may be introduced to the greenhouse early in nest month. 



Select Bronze Pelargoniums (J. M.). — Black Dougla?, Mrs. Harrison 

 Weir, Prince Ai'thur, Rev. C. P. Peach, W. E. Gumbleton, and W. R. Morris. 



Salt for Destroving Weeds (An Ehvcn-years Subscriber]. — We have 

 not noted tho particular quantity per square yard required, but we should 

 think about 2 lbs. It is best applied during dry weather in April or May. It 

 is not, however, nearly so good a woed-dcstroyer as that noted at page 586 of 

 last volume in answer to "J. R.," which see. 



Leek and Celery for Exiiirition (Zrft-m). — Ayton Castle Giant Leek is 

 a fine large kind, but we have it this year surpassed by " Carentan." Of 

 Celery, Leicester Red {Major Clarke's Solid Red) is a fine red, but a larger is 

 I very 's Nonsuch Pink. Williams's Matchless White is vci'ygood, a larger white 

 kind being Seol&y'a Leviathan. Sow tho Lock outdoors in March, and tho 

 Celery in gentle heat early in March, keeping near the gla?s to prevent the 

 seedlings drawing, and prick-out iu good rich soil outdoors in a sheltered 

 situation when the seedlings have a pair of leaves besides the seed leaves. 



Vines and Strawberries {Constant Reader).— Yon should plant Alicante 

 instead of Buckland Sweetwater. Muscat Escholata is similar to Muscat of 

 Alexandria. You might plant the fruiting caue of Alicante aud fruit it this 

 season, but do not shake out the roots, as it will be necessary for you to do 

 with those Vines intended to bo permanent. Tho Strawberry plants in pots 

 and the Peach trees in pots would botli succeed in the warm house. Placa 

 the Strawberry pots on a shelf near tho glass. They will do better if you 

 can start them in a low temperature with the Vines to begin with. 



Fruit Trees for Wall (Wc^t Coast).— On the highest portion of the 

 wall plant Royal George Peach and Pine Apple Nectarine. The trees ought 

 to be 20 feet apart. We name three of each sort, and advise you to plant 

 the Plums or Pears on the wall facing south-west. Peaches: Rojal George, 

 Early York, and Bellegarde. Nectarines : Pine Apple, Elruge, aud Victoria. 

 Plunis : Green Gage, Jefferson, and Coe's Golden Drop. Pears: Louise 

 Bonne of Jersey, Marie Louise, and Doyonno du Cornice. Cherries : May 

 Duke, Black Tartarian, and Elton. It is better to have them worked on the 

 free stock for walls. Pyramid Apple trees would come iuto bearing in two 

 years. Plant the trees 9 feet apart. They would probably last forty or fifty 

 years. 



Roses in England {J. A. C). — Roses were sold in the flower market of 

 Athens, and many varieties of Roses were cultivated by the Romans. They, 

 we have no doubt, introduced them into England, and had them in tho 

 gardens of their numerous villas here. In tho fifteenth century the Red aud 

 White Roses were tho distinguishing badges of the Royal houses of York aud 

 Lancaster ; and Lyto, the earliest of our writers on plants, in 1578 names 

 many varieties as then cultivated in our gardens. Liuacre brought to ua 

 from Italy in 1524 the Damask Rose. 



Grafting (G. W. J.).— We know of no special work on the subject. The 

 directions in our " Fruit Garden Manual" are euflicient, and you can have it 

 for five postage stamps. 



Asplenium Trh_'iio:mane3 var. i\:ajus (Q. illcDoit^dl/).— Mr. Lowed ^es 

 mention thifl, but says that it is a largo growth of the normal form. The 

 climate of Devon increases the size of tho original. 



Dii'LADENiAH, itc.T FOR FLOWERING IN JCLV {A)iiatcur).—'M.ach depends 

 on the heat at your command, aud the character of the summer. About the 

 second week in Februaiy would he a good time to start the plants, i-egulating 

 the heat according to their growth. 



Names of Fruits {E. M. Stone).— Wo, Chaumontel ; 249, Gilogil. (N.B.) 

 — Pears — 1, Zephirin Gn'goire; 2, Ne Plus Meuris ; 3, Doyenne- Goubault ; 

 ■i, Crasanne. Aj}ples—1, Selwood'a Reinette; 2, Not known; 3, Golden 

 Harvey; 4, Peaison's Plate. (W. F. C.).— 1, Hollandbury; 2, Bess Pool; 

 3, Claygate Pearmain ; 4, Not known ; 5, Winter Greening ; 6, Delaware. 



NiMES of Plants (S.).— Viburnum' Tinus. Tho Conifcra; cannot be 

 named from the scraps sent. {Camel). — 1, Adiantum tenerum; 2, Pellffia 

 hastata; 8, 4, forms of Selaginella Martonsil; 5, Pezlza coccinea. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PIGEON OHEONIOLE. 



BRISTOL POULTRY SHOW. 



(Gontiiiuccl from iiagc 17.) 

 Brahmas. — The Dark cockerels mustered twenty-nine entries. 

 Fir8t(Lingivoocl), a neat bird of beautiful colour, and well grown. 

 Second (Hamilton), a well-shaped bird, but getting a little yellow 

 in the saddle. Third (Lingwood), a stout chicken, but raiher 

 inclined to be coarse iu comb. Fourth (Lyon), was a nice bird. 

 Pen 318 (Wright), highly commended, was a pretty bird, neat in 

 comb, the best coloured bird in the class ; but he is rather nar- 

 row, and wants time. Pen 322 (Le Seur), highly commended, 

 was also a good bird. Pullets. — First (I?ercival), pen 357, a 

 prettily pencilled bird, but small. Second, 368 (Lingwood), a 

 fine well-shaped pullet, with nice markings. Third (Newnham 

 and Manby), a good pullet, and deserved her position. Fourth, 

 360 (Percival), a moderate bird, tolerably pencilled, but small 

 and deficient iu leg-feathering. We liked many pens in the 

 class much better. The Hon. Miss D. Pennant and the Bev. J. D. 

 Peake showed birds wo preferred. Pen 3ijl (Ansdell), unnoticed, 

 we thought a good bird ; she was well feathered, and a splendid 

 colour, and as size has not been a very great consideration with 

 the Judges in their Brahma pullet awards this season, we think 

 they might have placed her in the prize list. In old cocks 

 Mr, Lingwood was again first with a grand bird ; Mr. AnBdell 



