208 



JOURNAL OF HOUTIOOLTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 5, 1871. 



Vines we should not do so until they had made Bhoots an inch or two lontr, 

 but keep them in the house with the soil moist, and instead of pruning rub 

 off the eves, so that when the Vines are phmted shoots will he produced at 

 the bottom of the lafters, or where you wish fcr side shoots, at which point 

 we should leave thi-ee shoots— two for spurs, and one to train-up for the rod. 

 In planting?, the roots should be disentangled and spread out, whether you 

 plant now or after the eyes have broken. In the latter case the Vines should 

 be shaded for a few days and watered. The temperature for the first month 

 may be 50^ to 55° at night, and 65- by day; for the second month GO- to 65^^ 

 at niprht, and 70'' to 75'^ day, on which a rise of 10^ to 15"^ may be allowed with 

 sun and air. 



Planting -Terusalem Artichokes {A Siihscrihrr].—V/e fear your north 

 border deprived the plants of sun and warmth needed for their full maturation. 

 Give them an open and sheltered position, and a light soil if porfsible, well 

 dug and moderately manured, and plant in rows 2 feet apart, the sets 9 inches 

 or a foot from each other, and 6 inches deep. Plant at once. Last season 

 was not a favourable one, but we attribute your non-success more to the 

 position than the season. 



Bulbs rnoM Japan (Tom Matton). — A compost of equal parts light fibrous 

 loam, sandy peat, and leaf soil, with a sLxth part of silver sand, will no doubt 

 be suitable, as it is for most bulbous plants. We should pot them so that 

 the bulbs would be covered with soil level with then- crowns, and, if there 

 are any Liliuras, so that the potH may not be more than tliree parts filled 

 with soil, to allow of the plants being top-di-essed after they have made 

 shoots a few inches long. They t^hould bo placed in pots, which should bo 

 drained efficiently, and iu no case need exceed thi'ee times the diameter that 

 of the bulbs. The soil ought to be kept just moist until growth fairly com- 

 mences, and then water more freely, but be careful not to water over the 

 bulbs, especially not until they are well started into growth. Afford them a 

 light airy situation. They will succeed in a greenhouse. 



ViNts FOR SM.U.L ViNi^RV (AUquh).—Yom- houPB being heated go that you 

 can cijmmand a good temperature, and having also a pipe in the border, you 

 may plant, as you propose, Duke of Buccleuch, Muscat of Alexandria, and 

 Lady Dowue's; but the first will succeed iu a temperature much lower than 

 is required for Lady Downe's, which we should omit, and have Madresfield 

 Court. 



Sowing Alternantheea amcena and Coletts (An Old Suhncrihcr).— 

 The Altcrnanthera is not dirticult to raise from seed when this can he 

 secured. The Coleus may be sown in pots filled to within three-quarters of an 

 inch of the rim with sandy loam and leaf soil, two- thirds of the former to one- 

 third of the latter, adding a sixth of silvjer Hani, and making the surface fine 

 and even ; then scatter the seed regularly, cover about an eighth of an inch 

 deep with fiue soil, place in a hotbed, and keep moist, being careful not to 

 overwater or the plants will damp-off. Keep near the glass, and when large 

 enough to handle pot-off singly, return to the frame, keep shaded froju snu 

 until established, :ind shift into larger pots as the roots reach the sides, 

 removing to the gi-eenhouse in June, and hardening well off. 



DwAHF LonELiA— White-foliaged Plant for Carpet-beddikg (Idem). 

 — There is no dwarfer blue Lobelia than pumila grandiflora. which though 

 not so deep a blue as some of the taller sorts, is nevertheless good. A dark 

 blue sort is Brilliant of the speciosa class. Carter's Cobalt Blue is a clear 

 pure blue. Antennatia tomentcsa is one of the best white carpet plants and 

 hardy, as is Cerastium tomentosum. The latter we consider best for your 

 pmpose. 



So\viNG Nertera DEPitESSA [E. S.). — The red capsules should bo opened 

 and the seeds i^cattered over a pot well di'ained and filled to within half an 

 inch or so of the rim with fibrous loam, sandy peat, and a little leaf soil, making 

 the surface very fiue and even. Just cover the seeds with very hne soil. The 

 soil should be watered before sowing the seeds. Place in a greenhouse, and 

 cover with a hand-glass or a bell-glass, hut it ought to be slightly elevated. 

 Keep moist, and to lessen the necessity for watering, shade from bright sun. 

 The soil ought to be moist. When the young plants appeal' admit air by 

 raising the glass, and increase it with the gi'owth, removing altogether in a 

 short time, the main thing being to keep the plants from being diied-up, and, 

 on the other hand, not soddened with wet. We should be glad if you would 

 send us a few capsules. The Ouvirandra fenestralis would not have suflicient 

 heat, we fear, in a warm sitting-room, but we should be disposed to give it a 

 trial if you can command a plant without any gi'cat outlay. It would be a 

 most interesting subject for a sitting-room, and if you succeed we should be 

 glad to hear of it. 



Glass for Roof Conservatory [J. C. B.}. — Rough plate glass is good 

 and prevents scorching to a great extent. We use plate glass polished and 

 ground on the side placed interiorly, and not so treated on the outward side. 

 It answerg admirably, but is more costly than rough plate. The ground 

 glass is a quarter of an inch thick, and tlie rough plate ought not to he less. 

 Ours is half an inch to five-eighths of an inch. 



Roses of 1873 (J. W. B.).—lt is impossible to give a reliable opinion on 

 them yet. We do not know what you mean by " stopping Briars to prevent 

 thcii" dying-down below the shoot." 



Soils (Cron). — Either would do for pitting if mixed in due proportions 

 with other materials suitable to the plants to be potted. 



Sutton's Red-skinned Flouruall Potato (S ickli ii;f hall).— It is a late 

 round sort, good cropper, of good quality. You will find a coloured illustra- 

 tion of it in Messrs. Sutton's "Farmer's Year-Book," 



Plants for Exhibition in August (Yountj Exhibitor),— The Draco- 

 phyllum, Pimelea, and Kalosanlhes you will need to retard, keeping them as 

 cool as safety permits until June, when you may make an awning of tiffany 

 to shield them from heavy rains and shade them from bright sun by day ; but 

 let them be exposed at night, unless heavy rains prevail, when covering should 

 be placed over the plants. The Heaths will need to be kept back in the same 

 way. As your house receives but little sun in summer it might be shaded 

 and air freely admitted; thus you may keep them back noarly as well as out 

 of doors. Keep the Polygala in heat until the growths are complete, and then 

 remove to the cool house. It will flower when you wish it, but may need to 

 be placed in a gentle heat again a month before the show. The Erjthrina 

 should be started early in April and bo grown in a Ught house. Vallota 

 should be placed in heat now, so as to get the growths forward, and by the 

 middle of June it should have a light au*y position in a greenhouse, giving no 

 more water than will keep the plant from flagging. By introducing the 

 plants into heat you may flower them when yon wish, or they may not require 

 forwarding. To have plants in flower at a stated time requires considerable 

 judgment. No decided instructions can be given without seeing them, their 

 present condition being everj-thing. 



Planting Lilium lancifolium and auratum (Hor(o;i\— Pot them &i 

 once in a compost of equal parts of fibrous loam, leaf soil, and sandy peat, 

 with one-sixth of silver sand. After draining the pots efficiently place an 

 inch of the rougher parts of the compost over the drainage, and three parts 

 fill the pots with the compost thoroughly mixed and made fine but not sifted, 

 and then introduce the bulbs, placing some silver sand under and around 

 them, then make level with the crown with soil, pressing the latter gently 

 round them. Place in the greenhouse and keep moist, increasing the supply 

 of water as the growth advances, and afford the plants a light airy position 

 near the glass, allowing for growth. Top-dress the plants when they show 

 roots, as they will just above the bulbs on the stem, adding a fourth of well- 

 rotted manure to the compost above named, bringing it level with the rim of 

 the pot, hut allowing a little space for watering. Victoria Aster we think the 

 finest. 



I^-^' for Window Box (W.). — The neatest I\'y, if you wish for a green- 

 leaved sort is Donorailensis, and taurica is good. The neatest silver varie- 

 gated is elegantissima. The small-leaved variety of Virginian Creeper (Am- 

 pelopsis Veitchii) would answer well ; but both it and Ivy would take a time 

 to cover the sides of the box, and would take in the soil, but not so much 

 as to injuriously affect the gi-owth of Geraniums, &a. 



Flowers for a Vine Border and under the Shade of Trees 

 (M. A. B.). — It is bad practice to grow flowers ia a Vine border. The gross 

 habit induced by the rich soil may be avoided by surrounding the roots of the 

 flowers with soil of a poorer description. Polemonium cieruleumvariegatum, 

 or the Golden Tricolor Geranium Lady Cullum, would answer in place of the 

 Calceolaria. Santolinaincana, by its neat, dwarf, and very compact growth, 

 forms an ailmuable substitute for the Cerastium, to which it is really superior. 

 Propagate the Viola by cuttings now, plant in the beds in May or June, and 

 it will continue in full beauty till the autumn. Chenopodium atripUcis 

 raised from seed sown in March will probably answer well in your climate as 

 a substitute for Humea. The tall-gi-owing scarlet Lobelias, too, make capital 

 central gi'oups ; the dark crimson stems and foliage crowned hy bold spikes 

 of a deep, rich, liquid scai'let producing a very tine effect. The old stools 

 are taken up late in autumn and kept in a cool pit or frame during winter, 

 and abundant offsets may be taken any time diu-ing the present month. If 

 you are unacquainted with this lovely and important species, do not confound 

 it with the dwarf blue kinds, from which it is totally distinct. There is no 

 flower of the same colour equal to the blue Lobelia. Have you tried L. pumila 

 grandiflora ? Its deep blue flowers are produced abundantly, and its habit of 

 growth is very dwarf and compact. Vesuvius Geranium wiU not answer 

 under the shade of trees ; besides, the effect of a line of it next Beet would 

 be extremely sombre and heavy, more particularly in such a position. Sub- 

 stitute for it the elegant gi-ey-leaved Centaui-ea Ctementei or C. ragusina. Do 

 not hesitate to repeat the giey, for it will impart precisely the air of bright- 

 ness that you require. 



Potato Planting {A. P.). — The ci'own cut olf, as recommended at page 178, 

 is not to he planted. The cluster of eyes of the crown produce a gioup of 

 small weak stems if it be planted, that weakens the more robust stems pro- 

 duced from the large eyes. 



Vine Roots Decayed (S. A.). — We planted a vinciw in three dinsions, 

 and the borders were made up of turfy loam, ci'ushed bones, charcoal, and 

 lime rubbish, with the addition of some rotted manui'o. The borders were 

 well diained and aired. The first year the Vines grew to the top of the 

 rafters, and tbe canes were all that could be desired; but what was our sm- 

 prise to find the second year that many of the roots were dead, and others de- 

 caying similar to yours. The third year there was no improvement. In the 

 fourth about 3 inches of the surface soil was removed, and some turfy loam 

 put in its place ; the roots eagerly ran into this, and the Vines have done well 

 ever since. The soil you have sent is verj' simOar to that of which our border 

 was made; what we surface-clressed with was of a much Ughter nature. 

 Roots similai- to yours were forwarded to us from a gentleman about thi,-. 

 time last year, and his border had been made on the most approved principle^,. 

 Probably the soil is too retentive in your case, as it was in oui*s. You ought to 

 remove 6 inches of the surface of the border, and replace it with some turfy 

 loam of a more sandy character; the turf .should be cut only 2 inches deep. 



Camellia — Geranium Leaves (C. L. T.). — We cannot name the varieties 

 of the Camellia or any other florists' flower. The leaves indicate that the 

 roots of the Geranium do not supply sufficient sap. Try watering with very 

 weak liquid manure. 



Partly Obliterated Names {J. L.). — 1, Enfant Araeugny; 2, Empereur 

 de'Maroc; 3, La Ville do St. Denis ; 4, Monsieur Noman. There is a Rose 

 called Glou'e de Ducher, but none called " Ducher " alone. 



Names of Fruits (L. Ho/jnr.s).— 2, Golden Winter Pearmaln; y, Claygate 

 Pearmain; 4 and 5, Dumelow's Seedling; 6, Golden Russet; 7, Boston Russet. 



Names of PLANTa{F. E. T.).— Habrothamnus fasciculatua. It is a native 

 of Mexico, and was first bloomed in the Chiswiok Garden of the Horticultural 

 Society in 184C. 



POULTET, BEE, AM) PIGEON OHRONIOLE. 



BLACK BANTAMS. 



Not long ago exhibitors of Black Bantams had, generally, to 

 be content with showing their fowls in the " Any other variety " 

 class, there seldom being any other class in which they could 

 compete, and the consequence was Black Bantams were neg- 

 lected, and by only a few was care taken iu breeding them. 

 But now the committees of most of our poultry exhibitions 

 have allotted a separate class for Black Bantams, with a result 

 most gratifying to the exhiljitors and encouraging to the com- 

 mittees. Fowls of this variety which only three or four years 

 ago took prizes at our leading exhibitions would now, if iu 

 existence, very often find it difficult to obtain a place at many 

 of the local shows. 



In most of our poulti-y books only a limited space is devoted 



to the description of these fowls, which description is, in many 



cases, very scant and without attempting to enter into detail ; 



, and it is with a knowledge of this defect iu our poultry lore 



