January 22, 1874. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGK GARDENER. 



85 



tendency to burst; this is prevented by tying with a strip of 

 matting, or using small indiarubber rings. The above and 

 Cyclamens ought to be grown by all who have a greenhouse 

 without the advantage of forcing houses to bring plants into 

 early flower. 



FLOWER GAUDEN. 



The grass has been growing freely on the lawn, and has an 

 untidy appearance ; on the first favourable opportunity we shall 

 run tbe lawn-mower over it. Potting Zonal Felargouiums from 

 the boxes in which the cuttings were struck into GU sized pots. 

 It is now time to see that Verbenas, Lobelias, Alyssum, Ager- 

 atum, il'c, are propagated if there is not suflicient; and even if 

 there is stock, such subjects as Verbenas succeed best from 

 spring-struck cuttings. Coleus, Iresine Lindeni, and the Alter- 

 nantheras, especially A. ama^na — this last the prettiest, but the 

 most difiicult to grow — should be in a house where the night 

 temperature is about 55", — J. Douglas. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

 N.B. — Many qnestionB must remain uuauswerod until nest 

 week. 



DooBLE-FLOWERiNG STOCKS [B. W.). — Any of the florists who advertise in 

 our columns could supply the young plants. Write to them. 



Cedrus atlantica (D. M.). — Mr. Gordon, in his " Pinetum," says it is 

 " a noble tree, like the Cedar of Lebanon, growing from 80 to 100 feet high, 

 with horizontal branches, and a tabular-shaped head, but rather open in ap- 

 pearance. It is found on the highest mountains iu Barbary, particularly on 

 the famous Atlas range in Northern Africa, at an elevation of from 7000 to 

 1)000 feet, in great abundance, and is quite hardy, and moro rapid in growth 

 than the common Cedar." It was introduced in 1SI3. 



PiNus UAGNiFiCA (ZfZc'Tn).— This was discovered by M. RoezI in 1856* 

 Gordon adds : — " This magnificent tree grows from 110 to 130 feet high, with 

 a most regular appearance, and merits its name on account of its grand 

 foliage, formin.: great plumes at the enda of the shoots. It is found on the 

 mountains of MoraUa, in Mexico," and is the same as Pinus Devoniana. 



Bremen International Exhibition {H. Ontgic8).—YoM had better have 

 it advertised. 



Workman's Flower Show {G. E. C). — In No. 5.38 of this Journal we 

 published rules for village horticultural societies. You can have a copy if 

 you enclose four postage stamps with joor address. 



Rose Pierre de St. Cyr— Pears (C. B.).— Pierre de St. Cyr is a hardy 

 and late-blooming Rose, but there are so many kinds of finer quality it is 

 hardly worth a place among better Roses. Four Pears for south wall in the 

 north— Jargonelle, Marie Louise, Gansel's Bergaraot, Hacon's Incomparable. 

 Four for dwarf standards — Louise Bonne of Jersey, Seckle, Comte de Lamy, 

 Williams's Bon Chretien. 



Wahlenbergia granpiflora (M. a. W.).—lt has been known here for 

 nearly a century. It is portraited in the fourth volume of the " Botanical 

 Maga7,ine," where it is fully described as a hardy perennial, a native of Siberia 

 and Tartary, introduced by Mr. John Bell in 1782. It was then called a Cam- 

 panula, and now some botanists consider it a Platycodon. 



Gardenias in Winter (Julia). — They should now be kept rather dry 

 giving no more water than sufficient to keep the leaves fresh. In February 

 you may place them in your email forcing house, giving them if possible a 

 mild bottom heat ; and if kept moist, gently sprinkling overhead twice daily, 

 they will swell their flower buds kindly ; and when the flowers show colour 

 discontinue the sprinkling overhead. If the plants are not straggling do not 

 cut them down, as it will detitroy this year's crop of flowers. A few plants 

 started at intervals of a month or so up to April will afford you a good suc- 

 cession of bloom. Keep moist after flowering and until the growth is made ; 

 then keep drier, or remove to a cooler and drier house. 



Tomatoes in Pits (A Very Old Subscriber).— As the bedding plants are 

 out of the pits by the end of May, you may, by planting-out strong plants of 

 Tcmatoea then, have in your nnheated pits a fine crop of fruit late in sum- 

 mer and in autumn. The seed should be sown in March in a hotbed, and the 

 seedhugs, when showing their second leaves, ought to bo potted-off singly in 

 Small pots, and retiuned to the hotbed, shading from bright sun for a few 

 days. Keep them near the glass and only moderately supplied with water, 

 and when the pots are full of roots shift into 6-inch pots, and place near the 

 glass in a house with a gentle heat, or in a hotbed ; when about 9 inches 

 high remove to a house or frame 6afe from frost, and gradually harden-off. 

 Plant-out in the pits as soon as you can, and do not stop the plants, as it 

 only retards their growth, but train the shoots to the lower part of the wall 

 ri^^ht and left, and this will give you shoots for covering the upper part of the 

 wall; when this is nearly completed keep the plants dry, and they will soon 

 begin to flower. They must then be watered abundantly, stopping the 

 shoots one joint beyond the fruit. The lights ought to be kept on through- 

 out the summer, admitting air as required at 75"^, and to keep the temperature 

 from exceeding 90"^, shutting-up at 75'^. You may have a row of plants ai 

 3 feet apart along the centre of the pit, and the shoots may be allowed to 

 run on the ground or be supported with stakes. Orangefield Dwarf we should 

 have for the centre of the bed, and Hathaway'a Excel&iur for the back wall. 

 We cannot say whether Tomatoes or Eidge Cucumbers would pay the better- 

 Consult a greengrocer, who will tell you what likelihood there is for a demand 

 for Tomatoes. In large towns they usually sell well. 



PotjLTRT Dung (IT. S.). — On no account heat it as you propose, for it 

 would drive off much of the ammonia. It is good for all crops, and may he 

 spread very thinly (4 ozs. to the square yard) over the surface previously 

 to digging, or it may be dissolved in water, 2 ozs. to the gallon, and used as 

 liquid manure. 



Briar Stocks Planting (A. R.).— The stocks may he planted in rows 

 2 feet 6 inches to 3 feet apart, and the stocks 9 inches to a foot apart in the 

 rows. The soil is the worst possible for the Briar, which requires stiff land, 

 but it may be improved by manuring. The situation, if not much shaded, 

 will answer. You may have a row of early Potatoes between each row of 

 Briars. Ihe stocks will b- fit to bud in July, at least the majority of them. 

 Manetti stocks may be planted in rows 2 feet apai't, and the stocks 8 or 

 9 inches apart in the rowB. 



Evergreen Trees Vert Exposed (H. TT.).— Silver Firs require shelter. 

 The Corsican Pine (Pinus Laricio) will suit you. It grows rapidly after it 

 becomes estahhshed, often a very trifle less than a yard in a season. The 

 Austrian Pine (Pinus austriaca) is of denser habit, hut not of such rapid 

 growth as the Corsican Pine. If you could have two rows we would have 

 Corsican Pine at the back and the Austrian Pine in front planted quincunx 

 fashion. This would give you a much better shelter than one row only. 



Trees for Concealing Buildings (Sevcnoaks). — You do not say whether 

 you wish for evergreen or deciduous trees. Wo would not have any of the 

 latter, but should plant two rows of Corsican Pine at the back and two lines 

 of the Austrian Pine in front, and face them with evergreen shrubs, as Hollies, 

 Yews, Portugal and common Laurel. This would give you a much better 

 screen than deciduous trees, which wuuld probably grow quicker ; kinds of these 

 that would suit are Sycamore, Lime, and £Im. Poplars are of quicker growth 

 but not nearly bo twiggy as the others, which is of consequence in winter. 

 You could plant the Sycamore, Lime, and Elm at 8 feet apart, and have every 

 alternate plant and row evergreen shrubs, as Hollies, Yews, Portugal and 

 common Laurel, with a line or two in front, so as to give a cheerful appeitr- 

 ance to the screen in winter. 



Fruit Trees on a South Wooden Fence (J(it'»i).— Being close-boarded 

 and smooth it will answer for Plums, also forCherries and Pears. Plumssuit- 

 able are Belgian Purple, Coe's Golden Drop, Early Favourite, and Jefferson, to 

 which you may add Greou Gage, Golden Gage, and Transparent Gage, which 

 are excellent for dessert; for culinary purposes Mitchelsou's, Pond's Seedling, 

 Prince Englebert, Victoria, and Yellow Magnum Bonum. The Plmus ought 

 to be 20 feet apart. Cherries we Hhoiild havo on the Mahaleb stock and plant 

 12 feet apart, or on the common stock and plant 20 feet apart. Kinds suitable 

 are Empress Eugenie, May Duke, Archduko, Bigarrean Napol-.-on, Elton. 

 Pears on the Quince stock, which you may for horizontal training have at 

 12 feet apart, or upright-trained G feet apart — Citron des Carmes, Beurre de 

 TAssomption, Beurrt- d'Amanhs, Madame Treyve, Colmar d'Ete, Beurrc Su- 

 perfin, Gratioli, Conseilter de la Cour, Van Mous L-'on le Clerc, General Todt- 

 leben, Glou Mon.eau, Beurre Diel, Beurrc Bachelier, Josephine de Malines, 

 Marie Louise, Xe plus Meuris, Beurre de Ranee, Bergamotte Esperen, Passe 

 Crassane, and Madame Millet. 



Renewing Heat of CtJCUiiBER Bed {C. S.).— Your pit has sohd brick 

 walls, and to place linings of hot dung against those would be practically 

 useless for increasing the temperature of the bed, as the heat of the dung 

 will not pass through the brick walls. The case would be different if the 

 walls of the pit, back and front, were pigeon-holed from the ground to within 

 18 inches at the back, and 15 inches at the front of the wall plates ; or if 

 your pit he a lean-to from the stove, the front wall ought to be pigeon-holed, 

 and there should be a supporting wall in front, the lining pit being 2 feet 

 3 inches clear of the brickwork. This, kept full of hot dung, would give you 

 the heat needed, the heat passing through the pigeon holes to the bed. 



Striking Cuttings op Geraniums (Wcm). — It is not too early to strike 

 cuttings of bedding Geraniums ; they may be put in from the present time 

 up to the middle of March. A Cucumber house is too hot for autumn- strucb 

 Geraniums, but would answer well for striking the cuttings. 



Trees for Heath Infested by Rabhits (M. A. H.]. — Where rabbits 

 abound, the only tree we find suitable for a high and exposed position is the 

 Corsican Pine. It is of quick growth, and rabbits do not interfere with it. 

 Scotch Fir succeeds well in such a position, also the Austrian Pine, but 

 rabbits bark them repeatedly. Plants a foot to 15 inches high are better for 

 an exposed situation than larger ones, and for that size holes should be made 

 about 15 inches square. In planting, care should be taken to place some fine 

 soil under and over the roots, planting firmly, and only as deeply as they pre- 

 viously were. 



Butcher's Broom Propagation {An Old Subscriber). — If the berries 

 have sound seeds these will germinate if sown in light saudy soil in a, 

 sheltered place out of doors, covering them about three-quarters of an inch 

 deep with fine soil. The plants may in part appear above ground the first 

 season, but usually not until the second year. We do not know that the 

 plant is propagated by cuttings, but the most common mode of increase is by 

 suckers and division, securing to each division one or more growing points or 

 buds, which you will find at the base of the present growths. From now to 

 April is a good time for dividing it. It is ona of the best of eubjects for 

 planting under trees. 



Acacia for Top of Conservatory Wall (H. B.).— For so high a wall as 

 30 feet we do not think the Acacias would suit. A. Julibrissin is the highest- 

 growing we know, but A. coccinea, lophantha, and longifolia are more suitable, 

 the latter being very fine. Tacaouia Van-Vulxemi, wiiich we have consider- 

 ably over the length you name, would he very suitable for the upper part of 

 such a wall, also some of the Passifloras, as P. Comtesse Nesselrode, also 

 Bignoaia Tweediana. 



Blood as a Manure {Provincial), — It is a very powerful manure. Mix it 

 with earth, and apply it fresh. 



CHri'MococcA empetroides {H. Q.). — It is a genus of Thymelacete, founded 

 on a Cape plant by Meisner in De Candolle's " Prodromus," xiv., 6(55. It is a 

 small stirub, laxly and profusely branched, much resembling Passerina fili- 

 formis and P. rigida. It is altogether like a Passerina, exeept in having a 

 globose, fleshy, probably red berry as large as a small pea. There is no book 

 that includes " a complete Ust of florist s' Ilowers and their different varieties." 

 Such an enumeration would fill a thick folio volume. 



Phlox Miss Robertson. — Mr. J. Cocker, nurseryman, Aberdeen, informs 

 us that this Phlox was raised by him, and not by Messrs. Carter, as stated in 

 t' The Gardeners' Year-Book." 



Vine Mildew (S.).— If you have drained the border you have done all that 

 can be done to destroy this pest. The best compound for you to use as a winter 

 dressing is sulphur and soft soap, with a httle tobacco liquor. Should the 

 mildew appear during summer, dust the leaves with flowers of sulphur as 

 soon as it is perceived. If you limewash the walls of the vinery, add 2 lbs. ol 

 sulphur to each pailful of the wash. 



Pruning Fig Trees (I^^.m).— The best time to prune them is late in the 

 spring, but the overluxuriant shoots ought to have been stopped in summer, 

 which would have caused two or three smaller fruit-bearing shoots to have 

 formed. 



Epacris and Heaths Propagating {J. H.).— Epacrises are propagated 

 by cuttings of the tips of the shoots when about 2 inches long in spring or 

 early summer, and Heaths are propagated by cuttings of the young shoots 

 during summer, when they can be hamlled easily, and are 2 or 3 inches long. 

 The pots for the cuttings should be half filled with drainage, and to w ithin 



