146 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTDKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ Tebrawy 24, 187B. 



to the trees, eBpeoially on the afternoon of fine bright days 

 when the walls have been heated to a great temperature by 

 the sun. The water is always colder than the walls, and the 

 rapid evaporation and consequent chill produced must be very 

 injurious to the trees. I suppose the only thing that can be 

 said for it is that it knocks off insects, and perhaps some of 

 thern may be hurt by the fall. A much better plan, in my 

 opinion, is to syringe once or twice during the growing season 

 with water in which soft soap has been dissolved, about two 

 ounces to a gallon. This should be done in the evening after 

 the sun is off ; then it will not harm the trees any more than 

 clear water would, and it will prevent insects attacking them. 

 Soft-soap water is also an effectual cure for mildew on Peach 

 trees, much more so than sulphur 



The syringe, although a very useful instrument when pro- 

 perly used, I believe does a great deal more harm than it does 

 good in the hands of the unskilful, while many who are not 

 unskilful use it far too much indoors as well as out. At the 

 time of closing a forcing house on a hot bright day, when 

 evaporation has been excessive, the syringe is invaluable for 

 dewing over the foliage of plants and moieteniDg the atmosphere 

 of the house, so as to check evaporation for a time till the 

 plants recoup themselves ; but the house should be perfectly 

 closed first. The water should always be a little warmer than 

 the house, and should be applied to the plants in the form 

 of fine spray only, for hard syringing will injure all tender 

 plants 



Syringing in dull weather is not required, the comparative 

 low night temperature that most successful growers now 

 maintain does away with the necessity for it, for when the 

 temperature rises naturally in the morning a natural dew is 

 also produced, far better than any syringing can do it. 



The syringe is fondly believed in by most people for en- 

 couraging Vines and other plants to break regularly and freely. 

 This is a delusion ; I have proved repeatedly that it makes 

 no difference at all to them. I never syringe Vines at all, nor 

 forced Peach trees till after the flowers are set, when they are 

 occasionally dewed over at closing time. What is the use of 

 painting Vines, &o., over to kill insects, and then immediately 

 wash the mixture off with a syringe ? The regular starting of 

 Vines depends on the wood beicg ripe, the roots comfortable, 

 and a comparatively low temperature. — Wm. Taylob. 



HARDY CYCLAMENS. 



I AM much obliged to " R. C." for hie remarks on Cyclamens, 

 but I think much yet requires explanation. I have a hardy 

 white-flowering one, which blooms every year most profusely 

 about August without any foliage, and like " K. C." I have 

 sometimes surrounded it with leaf mould in the hope that it 

 might bury its seed vessels and send-up a batch of seedlings, 

 but I have never been able to obtain any, although the green- 

 house species that we plant out upon a sunny border the latter 

 end of April or beginning of May seeds and reproduces itself 

 most abundantly. Whether it is by the hardy species bloom- 

 ing too late for the seed ripening or not I cannot say, but I 

 partly suepect the young seedlings fall a prey to slugs, which 

 abound very much where the plants are grown. Yet we know 

 that the Cyclamen hcdersefolium is a native of this country, 

 and as such reproduces ittelf iu the usual way ; but unquestion- 

 ably it has its favourite nooks and corners. I remember once 

 on visiting a garden of some note in Cornwall, being shown 

 an edging to a walk in the kitchen garden of Cyclamens that 

 were just putting forth their leaves. This was about the let 

 of September, and I understood they had been establiehed 

 there some years. I thick they were the same kind that is 

 grown in greenhouses elsewhere, but this is not the hardy one 

 I inquire after. 



Might I Etk if there is in reality more than one hardy 

 species, and if so will someone describe where they re- 

 spectively bloom ? If the hardy species I have alluded to 

 could be induced to produce seedlings, and these be taktn up 

 and potted at the time they are in flower, few plants could be 

 more attractive in August, excelling as it does its more tender 

 species in the multitude of its blooms. Cutting a large bulb 

 or corm into pieces and planting them out in sandy soil is 

 only an uncertain way of increase, so many cf the " sets " 

 not growing ; but I yet hope to see the Cyclamen as plenti- 

 ful as the Primrose, if the right way to manage it were only 

 understood. 



The greenhouse one was many years an inhabitant of the 

 Bhelves of that structure, without being regarded as anything 



more than a botanical specimen, until the last ten years or so 

 has brought it out into the prominent position it now oc- 

 cupies ; and cannot something of the kind be done for the 

 hardy species? As I said before, I am yet in doubt about 

 there being really more than one hardy species and one 

 tender one, but the great diversity of form which the latter 

 has taken, and the countries from which it was imported, has 

 led to more names being given to it than ajre required. This, 

 I think, is all but generally acknowledged by botanists, and if 

 so, what do they say about the hardy species ? Will someone 

 be pleased to describe to us the one from the other, and the 

 proper name for each ?— J. K. 



OLD TREES-PRUNING GOOSEBERRY BUSHES. 



I HAVE tbis week seen a tree that I buckheaded three years 

 since ; in this case, a Jargonelle Fear on a wall. I bad not 

 much faith that it would ever make a good tree again, for it 

 was much cankered, but it has quite succeeded. It has made 

 plenty of healthy wood, and although there are no fruit buds 

 visible there are many promising-looking spurs. I may add 

 that I cut each branch off about 18 inches from the main 

 trunk. 



And now I wish to say a few words about Gooseberry trees. 

 Many men who call themselves gardeners seem to have no idea 

 of keeping a fuU-bized tree to a convenient height, except by 

 cutting all young wood down within an inch or two of the base. 

 I took charge of a plantation that had been pruned or rather 

 clipped on that system. There was no fruit on the bushes, and 

 I was told there had not been any worth mentioning for years. 

 My employer told me to uproot them and plant young bushes, 

 but I begged to be allowed to try them one year myself. I shall 

 never forget what a job I had with those trees the next winter. 

 They were crowded with short dead bits and strong young 

 shoots. I left some of the young wood, shortening the shoots 

 about two-thirds, and all the rest I slipped off, not cut. The 

 following summer a lady came on a visit. She looked round 

 the garden, and then came to me and said, " Well, gardener, 

 I have been here every summer for fifteen years, but I never 

 saw such crops before, especially of Gooseberries." And truly 

 their burden was greater than they could bear. Why should 

 so many try to grow a few big Gooseberries ? If they would 

 aim at a medium size and large quantity they would give and 

 find more satisfaction. 



In conclusion, I do not believe in anything in the way of 

 shears for pruning Gooseberry trees, whether they be called 

 secateurs, or what are termed here guillotines, which are sup- 

 posed to give a clean cut but in reality do nothing of the sort. 

 They are often spoken of as being more expeditious than a 

 knife, but I can do more work with a good knife and a strong 

 pair of leather gloves, and I am certain the work will be better 

 done than by clipping. — J. J., Lancashire. 



DALECHAMPIA ROEZLIANA ROSEA. 



Facility of propagation, easy culture, free blooming (even 

 when the plants are only a few inches high) during the winter 

 months, long endurance of the flowers in beauty, and delicate 

 sweetness, are some of the recommendations of this plant. It 

 is, however, as well to say that the flower is a lump of yellow 

 disposed at the internal base of the two large rosy pink bracts 

 which guard it, and it is on these floral bracts that the beauty 

 of the flower depends. It has besides the fine floral bracts 

 alluded to, which it produces from the axil of every leaf, rather 

 long, deep green, wavy, oak-like foliage, which hangs down so 

 as to cover the stem. Altogether this is a very easily cultivated 

 and desirable stove plant. It seeds very freely, and requires 

 to be watched when approaching ripeness, as the capsules 

 burst and the seeds are distantly distributed. Wherever falling 

 they are certain to grow, and the plants come up with me in 

 sea gravel, in tan, and in the soil of pots containing other 

 plants, and is simply a stove weed. 



The seeds should be sown at the present time in a hotbed, 

 and the seedlings potted-off singly into 3-inch pots when they 

 are large enough to handle. The plants should be grown-on 

 in brisk moist heat, and be kept near the glass with a moderate 

 amount of air. They usually commence flowering in January, 

 and will continue to do so for somo time. The plants should be 

 shifted into 4i-inch pots when they have filled the 3-inch pots 

 with roots ; but I keep some in the 3-inch pots, as I find these 

 plants very useful. A compost of turfy loam, with a third of 

 leaf soil and a little old oow dung, grows them well. They 



