226 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



f March 12, 1874. 



Ciiciuiibers and Melons. — The plants put out a few weeka ago 

 will be making good progress, but the nights are yet cold, so 

 that it will be necessary to cover the glass with mats every 

 night. The lights should be tilted a very little just as the sun 

 begins to act on the glass in the morning, so that the leaves 

 may dry before the temperature rises to its maximum, AVhen 

 cold north-easters are blowing some close netting hung over the 

 apertures will temper the keenness of the air. Plants gi'own in 

 houses and traiued to trellises overhead are much mere easily 

 managed than those in frames ; and where the bottom heat is 

 appHed from hot-water pipes, as it ought to be, there is no 

 danger of tlie roots being burned by too great heat. The 

 plants, however, become a prey more readily to the attacks of 

 red spider, but this may at least be kept in check by syringing 

 diily with tepid water, which at present is best done just befoi'e 

 the ventilators are opened in the morning. When the days are 

 longer syringing at night is also beneficial. 



Orchard House. — The trees are now iu blossom, and as there 

 is plenty of sunshine with drying though cold winds, the fruit 

 will probably set well. Close muggy weather is the worst for 

 orchard-house trees when they are in flower. It is a tedious 

 process to go over a large house with a small camel-hair pencil 

 to set the flowers, but a few of the more shy-setting sorts may be 

 so treated. Shaking the trees gently with the hand, or tapping 

 them geutly with a stout stick, will distribute the pollen sufli- 

 ciently to cause the main collection to bear an abundant crop. 

 Pear and Plum trees have been left oiit of doors until now. The 

 soiall house in which they are placed to flower, and where they 

 remain until the fruifr is set, has no heating apparatus, aud the 

 liter in the season the blossoms open the less chance is there of 

 injury by frost. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



Many species of hardwooded New Holland and other plants 

 are attacked by red spider, aud as this pest is now waking-up 

 into active life, search should be made and means used for its 

 destruction. Two old-fashioned plants, favourites of our boy- 

 hood, and which would create a sensation at South Kensing- 

 ton if placed on the exhibition-table there, used to be famous 

 resorts of the red spider — viz., Clianihus punicens, the Glory 

 Pea of New Zealand, and the Cantua dependens. Both are 

 readily propagated by cuttings placed under bell-glasses, and 

 they will well repay any care bestowed upon them. The best 

 potting material is turfy loam and turfy peat in er^ual pro- 

 portions, and made sufficiently porous by the addition of silver 

 sand. The plants should be placed near the glass iu the green- 

 house, and be shifted into larger pots as they require it. Should 

 they become pot-bound in an early stage of their growth, their 

 leaves will become yellow and drop off, giving a naked appear- 

 ance. The same effect is produced if red spider effects a lodg- 

 ment on them. Both plants gi'ow freely and may be shifted 

 twice during the growing season ; they are also of straggling 

 growth, and Rhould be trained to sticks placed round the inside 

 of the rims of the pots. The Clianthus produces clusters of its 

 large, crimson, Pea-like flowers in May ; the Cantua a profusion 

 of its large, orange-red, tubular flowers in March and April, and 

 these are so wax-like and distinct in character as at once to com- 

 mand attention. 



Camellias have flowered late this year, aud as the sun is now 

 powerful in the afternoon they require shade. Should Azaleas 

 be required to flower in May place the plants in a gentle heat, 

 and syringe iu the morning. The usual routine work has been 

 re-arranging plants, placing fresh batches in the forcing houses, 

 aud removing those showing flowers. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



It will not be necessary to reiterate the remarks about clean- 

 liness. The lawn should be swept aud rolled whenever neces- 

 sary, and the edgings should be cut round with an edging iron. 

 Scilla amo3na, Erythronium dens-canis, and such-like coming 

 through the surface have been looked to, as in digging the 

 borders toamuch soil was heaped over them. Primi-oses were 

 also divided where more stock of choice varieties was required, 

 and the plants examined for slugs. Potting aud boxing bedding 

 plants have been finished, except spring-struck plants, which will 

 be attended to as soon as they are ready. Finished pruning the 

 Roses ; a number of plants were left until the present time, as, 

 for one reason, a succession of flowers are obtained. Many of 

 the recently introduced Roses are of weakly growth ; these must 

 be well cut back. Others have a tendency to form a thicket of 

 wood, which must be thinned-out in a regular manner. Strong- 

 growing sorts should not be closely cut back. — J. Douglas. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



James Dickson l^' Sons, 108, Eastgate Street, Chester. — Cata- 

 logue of Farm Seeds, Impleinents, &c. 



W. Clibrau & Son, Oldtield Nursery, Altriucham. — Catalogue 

 of Nciu and Choice Plants and Seeds. 



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

 of Choice Seeds for Flower and Kitchen Garden, £c. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*4* We request that no one will write privately to any of the 

 correspondents of the "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture , dx., 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.G. 



N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 

 Ki;v. W. GrLPiN {Hihrrnicus). — Iu a future number, as it may interest 



otliers of our readers, we will publish some biogiaphical notes relative to thiB 



lover and describer of the " pictnrosrjue." 

 Village HoRTicrjLTUR.u, Societies (G. F. E. ; A. 7io.'7''>'«).— "WepubUehed 



rules in No. 538 of this Journal. You can have it post fx-ee for four postage 



stamps. 



Gold Withv [Soxithton). — The name has no relation to the Willow. It is 

 the name known iu the New Forest, Hauls, for the Sweet Gale, Myrica Galo. 

 Although Withy, or Withio. is the iVnglo-Saxou for the Willow, it is also tho 

 name iu that language for auy twiated rod — any plant's brauch that is used 

 as a band when twisted. Thus in the Ne«:\- Forest Hoar Withy (gieyrod) is 

 the name by which the Wliite Beam, Sorbus Aria, is known, the term grey 

 refeiTing to the whiteness of the under side of its leaves. 



Old Vines of Black HAMBnucjH {A Youu>i Qar(Uncr).—ll is diflicult to 

 say how many bunches of Iiiiit may bo left on an old Vine that has hitherto 

 only borne bunches averaging half a pound each, because if you have becu 

 renovating the Vine at the roots it ought not to be overcropped until fully 

 re-established. If you have not done anything to the Vines we think you 

 ruiglit leave thh'ty launches or more on each, if the wc^ight does not exceed 

 what you say. We would, however, recommend you to see about lifting them 

 in October if you can; and another year, or rather the seasou after thai, 

 larger hunches may be expected, and of course fewer of them will do. 



GuAFTiNG Azaleas and Camellias [Ithm). — We are not acquainted with 

 any work bearing on this subject aloue, but we may say the Camellia is 

 usually gi-afted by inarching— tiiat is, the stock is brought to the plant the 

 scion is to be taken from, and a suitable portion of tho young wood of the 

 latter is grafted either by the tongue process or a plain splice, and being 

 tied together remains until a junction is made. In such a way we have seen 

 a great number of pots, each \vlth a stock in it, raised aud propped up 

 around a lai-ge plant that was grafted to them, a little moss being tied round 

 each junction. If the place could be kept close and rather damp growth would 

 be facihtated. For Azaleas, take the scion off aud graft in the usual way, pro- 

 \ided a damp close frame is to be had; but where large ijuantities are worked 

 and constant attention cau be given, success is more certain than in the case 

 of an amateur. One of the main secrets of success is an atmosphere which 

 assists tho scion after it is sepai-ated from the growing plant, until it becomes 

 united by the flow of sap to the plant which is to support it. 



Adianttjm farleyrnse (F. A'.).— It is a Fern which requires a warmhoase. 

 The place you name may suit it during the summer months, but we are not 

 at all sanguine of your success in wintei". 



Lawn GkAss Weak and Patchy {Rmin CTr&e).— We have no recollection 

 of the answer you say we gave you months since, but probably the following 

 treatment will" improve your lawn — Apply a diessing of very rotten manure 

 to the lawn now, or rich compost, and early in April rake it well with an hon 

 rake, and sow over it (1 lbs. Festuca duriuscula, 8 lbs. Cynosurus cristatuB, 

 and S lbs. Trifolium minus, T^-itli 4 lbs. Poa neraoralis sempervii-ens in mixture 

 for one acre. Rake lightly after sowing, and roll well, not mowing until May, 

 and theu keep well mown and rolled. A dressing of guano in moist weather 

 iu May would much improve the growth of the grass. 



Melons in a Greenhouse (B. F. B.).— It is possible to cultivate Melons 

 in a warm graenhouse iu the hottest part of the summer, but you must not 

 expect to grow anything else in it, and the permanent plants will be very 

 much injured. We have seen a good crop of Melons in a newly planted vinery 

 where the Vines had not done well, and were destroyed in .Tune and Melons 

 planted. So much, however, depends on the season aud other matters that 

 it is dilticult to give a decided opinion ; but we may say that growing Melons 

 on the roof of a low pit is about the best mode that can he adopted, as it 

 allows of the under side of the fohage being syringed to keep down the red 

 spider, and tho f mit can easily be supported by small pieces of netting or some 

 other contrivance. The atmospheric heat after the end of May is usually 

 sufficient for the plant when grown in a closely glazed structm-e that cau bo 

 shut up rather early in the afternoon ; but in general a greenhouse may bo 

 more agreeably umed in growiui^ Balsams, Fuchsias, Cockscombs, aud other 

 ornamental plants during the summer, and we would therefore not advise 

 Melons uuless iu some special case, as where there was nowhere else to plant 

 them and they were much wanted. 



Glass for Conservatory Roof (S»ssca-).— The roof being a span, with 

 the ends running S.E. and N.E., will have one side facing the south-west; 

 for this we would use ground glass, so as to render shading unnecessary, but 

 you must employ good glass, otherwise after frost there will be broken 

 squares. We use polished plate ground on the inner side, the smooth face 

 being placed outside. It is one-fourth inch thick. Frosted glass and ground- 

 rough plate are very liable to breakage, and, though cheaper to begin with, 

 are dearer in the end than polished ground plate. There is no objection to 

 Ferns occupying the centre of the greenhouse and flowering plants the side 

 shelves. We suppose you have considered whether you will have enough 

 flowers, especially Camellias, of which laige plants cannot be accommodated 

 on the side shelves. * 



Greenhouse Heating (G. S. B.).— It could not bo heated by gas, 2-inch 

 pipes being employed, as that would give a lai-ge quantity of water to be 

 heated, but it can be warmed satisfactorily and economically by 1-inch pipes. 

 You will need six rows of pipes along the front, aud the boiler ought to bo 

 within the house. If you employ coal or coke as fuel to heat the boiler, the 

 latter ought at least to be fed from the outside. You will need two 3-inch 

 pipes, or three 2-inch pipes, to give the required temperature in frosty 

 weather. Your house ought to be heated by gas at a cost of about 4fi. per 

 week. Tho pipes should be taken along one or both ends and the front. 



Calceolaria Culture (Bicfps).— Early next month prepare a bed by 

 taking out the soil 6 inches deep and placing it on both sides of the excavation 

 as in forming a trench for Celery ; point into the bottom with a fork a 3-inch 



