March 12, 1974. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOULTURB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



227 



thickness of well- decayed leaf muulj, raixinfi it well with tlio Boil, and in 

 this plant the Calceolarias, aft.r carufully taltiiii^' up, in rows 9 inches by 

 C inches apart. Water after planting, shading from bri^'ht Bun by mats 

 placed on sticks arched over the bed, which will also be uKefuI for supporting 

 mats on frosty nighta. "When the plants have becomo established after 

 planting stop them so as to induce a buwliy growth, and keep well supplied 

 with water. From the bed they ore to bo moved with good balls to where 

 they are wanted to flower. 



Bedding Lobelias (F. J.).— Old plants are not so good as those which are 

 young, as the former will liower earUer than thn latter and do not produce 

 a succession of bloom until autumn. Seedling plants are freer in growth aad 

 keep up a better succession of flowers than those frjm cuttings, but the seed 

 must bo true, which is not always the case. | 



Greenhouse Plans (IT. G. C.).— We prefer No. 1 with the ends facmg 

 north and south, and the sides east and west, the ridge- and-furrow roof run- 

 ning lengthwise of the house. No. 2 is not good, but would answer. 



Vinery Heating (iJt'?0.— As your house is in the shade more flre heat will 

 be needed than if it were exposed to the sun. We should commence fires 

 about the end of the present month or beginning of April. Keep the tem- 

 perature at 55^ at night for the first fortnight, commencing with 50*^ and 

 increasing gradually to5j^and during the next fortnight rise to 60 , Keep 

 at thfit until the Vines are in flower, then give a rise of 5' at night, and after 

 flowering let the night temperature be 60 \ On all the temperatures named a 

 rise of 5- may be given on dull days without sun, 10- to 15 with cloud but a 

 little sun, and 15'^ to 20'' or more with bright sun and abundance of air. It is 

 not desirable to apply fire heat to Vines early in the season when the roots 

 are in an outside border. 



Ornamental Beet— Blue Lobelias (J. F. C). — Beta vulgaris kermesina 

 is not superior as an omamental-foliaged plant to Dell's Crimson Beet, which, 

 with many aliases, is the finest for garden decoration. The best Lobelias of 

 the speciosa class are Biilliant, Blue Boy, Compacta or Crystal Palace Blue, 

 which are of dwarf dense habit ; those of rather stronger growtii are Lobelia 

 Erinus speciosa grandiflora, and Trentham Blue. Of the pumila class the 

 best are pumila grandiflora, Sunset, red lilac; and Purple Prince, purple 

 tinged with brown. \Viiere not otherwise stated the colour is blue. Others 

 are Cobalt Blue, Heather Bell, pink, ^^^lit8 Perfection, Piarl, Snow, and 

 Snowdrift. Finely sifted ashes, unless washed, are not suitable for lightening 

 soil for pocting. Sand is far preferable, though washed ashes answer well. 



Camellias Dirty (E. Robinson}.— The leaves are covered with a black 

 fungus from the plants being infested with scale, and not in conseiiuence of 

 the soot and dust of the chimney. Wash the leaves with a solution of soft 

 soap, 4 ounces to the gallon, as hot as the hand can bear it, but not raoro 

 than 140-. The stems, as well as both sides of the leaves, should be washed 

 clean with a sponge, taking care not to allow the soapy water to run down to 

 the roots. 



Cocoa Nuts Spjlouted (F. Bowlea). — As the trees which produce them 

 attain a height of 50 feet and require'a stove heat, we advise you not to attempt 

 their cultivation. 



Constructing a Vinery {Marlcet Gardener). — We considerthe construction 

 of your vinery will answer, and we have no suggestions to offer, only we 

 should have Foster's White SeeiJling in place of Royal Muscadine, and Black 

 Hamburgh as you propose. Buckland Sweetwater is also a fine, large, white 

 Grape for an unheated house. The Vines we should have planted inside, the 

 front wall of the vinery being arched so as to allow of the roots passing out- 

 wards. The border under the circumstances stated will not requiro draining, 

 but we should add to every square yard of border half a peck of half-inch 

 bones, and mix them with the soil at least 18 inches deep. We do not think 

 you will succeed with Peaches against the back or end, as in a few years the 

 roof will be so covered by the Vines as to render the fruiting of the Peach 

 trees very uncertain. 



Produce of Vines {H. Forrest). — It is difficult to form a conclusive 

 opinion, as so much is dependant on the state of the Vines and the treatment. 

 One pound weiglit of Grapes for every foot of rafter occupied by the Vines is I 

 a very good and safe calculation, and your twenty Vines ought to give you I 

 20 lbs. weight of Grapes each, or 400 lbs. of Grapes in all. The Vines not 

 having been pruned we should still do so, keeping the house cool, and apply- 

 ing Thomson's styptic to all the cuts. The patent knotting used by painters 

 will answer nearly as well ; each will prevent the Vines bleeding. 



Turfing a Vine Border ITwenty-two-years Subscriber). — You are quite 

 right in not having the border turfed, but you may grass the herbaceous 

 border, and have an evergreen hedge at the back so as to shut off the Vine 

 border. The hedge should not be so high a'5 to shade the Vine border much, 

 certainly not mure than 4 feet. Bos 2J feet high would answer very well, and 

 would not hold many leaves, but any caught by it would have to be cleared 

 away as they accumulated. A rustic fence would not answer so well as an 

 evergreen hedge; but could you not have a few flowering plants in pots 

 pluuged in the border in Eummer so as to make it gay, and so take away its 

 bareness ? 



VisERY Management (J. D.).— Too much moisture in the atmosphere, 

 combined with a low temperature, is the cause of the iyoung leaves becoming 

 spotted and damping-off. As you have raised the night temperatiue of the 

 house to 60", probably the evil you complain of no longer exists. If the 

 Vines are not doing well yet, raise the night temperature to 6n', with a pro- 

 portionate rise by day. See that the roots axe well supplied with water. 



Planting Fig Tree out of Doors {A. B. G.). — Do so at once. Brown 

 Turkey will answer your purpose. 



Patent Felt {Juliuf;). — We cannot recommend dealers. 



Violet Cress (A. C). — It is lonopsidium acaule, and has been called by 

 different botanists Cochlearia acauUs and C. pusilla. It is a very pretty 

 annual, introduced from Portugal in 1845. There is a portrait of it in the 

 "Botanical Register'' of 1846. The "Journal of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society '' thus spoke of it: — "It is found wild, according to Brotero, on the 

 basaltic hills near Lisbon, and occasionally on the limestone formation of 

 Estromadura. Desfontaines also met with it in Barbary. A beautiful rock 

 plant for shady situa ions ; its flowers are of a clear lilac, and the foliage is 

 of a delicate pieen colour. It propagates itself by seeds, and by runners 

 ■which throw out roots abundantly into the damp soil. It is a hardy little 

 annual, growing in any rich garden soil, and blooming from April to October. 

 It requires rather a moist {shady) situation. Its small flowers (they come 

 out white and turn to a pale lilac) appear in profusion from April to October. 

 It makes a neat edging to borders in shaded places, and is a capital rockwork 

 plant." 



Rose Leaves Mildewt.d (S. A. E.). — The leaf has been affected with 

 mildew, most probably owing to defective root action. The young shoots in 

 uulieated houses are apt to push without the roots being active enough to 

 supply sap. More air, especially on sunny days, and a little liquid monui-e to 

 the roots, will most probably do good. 



Daphne odora Sthagi;lino (F. A. L.). — We should cut-in the plant to 

 bring it into form, keeping rather dry for a fortnight or three weeks previously, 

 and when it had broken and made shoots an inch or so long we would repot, 

 removing most of the old soil, using a size of pot that would hold the roots 

 without cramping, and placing a little fresh soil all round. Good drainage, 

 and a compost of equal parts peat and loam iboth sandy and fibrous), with a 

 sixth of silver sand will grow it well. Keep rather moist and shaded, giving 

 an increase of temperature for a short time, then admit air and light, water- 

 ing so as to keep the soil moist, but avoid overwatering. The parts removed 

 may be put in as cuttings, which strike freely in gentle heat. 



Heating Houses (fi. O. 0.). — The mode of heating, as shown by your plan > 

 would be improved if you were to take the pipes along the garden house until 

 the early vinery was reached, and then carry the pipes through the wall into 

 it, across its end, and along the front. Two rows of pipes with their returns 

 will be suflicient. For the late vinery we should take the pipes along the 

 garden house until the house was reached, then into the house, and along the 

 end and front. A flow-and-return pipe will be sufficient, and these we should 

 have on the level. Taken through the early vinery, that house would be unne- 

 cessarily and injuriously heated when the Vines were at rest. You ought to 

 have two more pipes for top heat in the forcing house — i.e., two flows with 

 their returns, and the same number of pipes for bottom heat — two under each 

 bed^viz., a flow and return for each. From the fernery frost can be excluded 

 by one pipe all round, likewise from the pits, if not over 6 feet wide, by one 

 pipe at the back as shown in your plan, but you will need to have a valve on 

 the pipe at the side of the feniery next the pits so as to cause the water to 

 circulate directly through the pit pipes, wliich will cut off the pipe along one 

 side of the fernery ; or the valve might be partiaUy shut so that whilst the pit 

 pipe would bo heated fully there would be also heat in the pipe alongside 

 of the fernery. We should have all the pipes 3-iuch, and have them pro- 

 vided with valves, so that you could work the whole separately or together. 

 The pipes should be taken under the paths in a flue formed of bricks and 

 coveied with flags. We do not advise Peach trees for the back walls of the 

 early and late vinery. They would do for a year or two, and then, owing to the 

 shade of the Vines, they would not bear. 



Insects on Geraniums (Miss Allen). — You give no description nor speci- 

 men of the insect, therefore we can only advise you to fumigate the house 

 with tobacco. Shut-up the house on a calm evening, and fill it with tobacco 

 smoke so that the plants cannot be secu from the outside. If, as we think, 

 the insects are aphides, the tobacco smoke will destroy them. We do not 

 wonder at the plants being injured by the flowers of sulphur if it was burned, 

 but dusted on the leaves it will not destroy them. It is of no use against 

 jnsects in that state, but an excellent application for mildew. 



Names of Fruits (H. L.).— Wyken Pippin. (S(rc()cr).— Your Apple is 

 very much like Pomme Itoyale, but we are not sure about it. 



Names of Plants (F. E. r.).— Named last week, page 208. {W. J. H.).— 

 1, Sparmannia africana. We caimot name Rhododendrons from single flowers. 

 4 is in the way of R. retusum. (G. S. B.). — ^Sparmannia africana, native of the 

 Cape. (C. W'.}. — Eriosteraon myoporoiies, D.C. (J. E ngle field).— \, RuseuB 

 (Danae) racemosus ; 2, Material insuflicient. {W. G.). — Omphalodes vema. 

 (T. N.).—ly Dendrobium aggregatum, Roxb. (Bot. Mag., 3643) ; 3, Apparently 

 a very handsome form of D- nobile, or a nearly allied species ; 2 We cannot 

 name without blossom. (T. M. A.). — 1, Billbergia Moreliana; 2, Strelitzia 

 Reginje; 3, SelagineUa flabellata; 4, S. caulescens; 5, S. cuspidata; 6, Pepe- 

 romia Saundersii. (A. Rawson). — Lonicera Standishii, B. Af., t. 5709. (C 

 Digs). — 1. Adiantnm caneatam; 2, Pteris cretica ; 8, Nephrodiom molle ; 

 4, Asplenium marinum. 



POTILTBY, BEE, AND PIGEON OHEOKIOLE. 



OBJECTING TO JUDGES. 



I HAVE read your articles. Are tbey provoked by a rule of the 

 National Ornithological Association to combine to resist or pro- 

 test against awards ? What judge would subject himself to such 

 treatment ? Let the judges be chosen, publish their names, let 

 their decision be final, mistakes or no mistakes, and let those 

 who do not like the names stay at home. 



To be a poultry judge requires practice. This seems to be 

 entirely overlooked. Nothing but practice can give confidence 

 to all the theoretical knowledge in the world, and a non-practised 

 hand will be longer at it than an old hand. If there is a fear of 

 the old hands giving up soon, why not associate younger hands 

 with them without a fee ? Many, I dare say, would pay their 

 own costs to serve the cause in this unenviable ofiice. 



To render my meaning as to practice more clear, I know of no 

 better illustration than the following : When the volunteer and 

 miUtia movement began in Canada a military school was estab- 

 lished, and drill-books issued and studied with a will. At ex- 

 aminations viva voce and in writing, questions were answered 

 beyond correctly if possible. The same people had a company 

 of men put before them and failed in all their attempts to pass 

 for some time. They were flurried— in fact, until they had 

 practice, were entirely put out. A young poultry judge is in the 

 same hat. He knows the written standards by heart— has kept, 

 perhaps, nearly all breeds, some a shorter time, some a longer — 

 but thinks, " I have only so much time ; if I make a mistake 

 (which the veterans often do), what a row I shall get into from 

 our Journal, &o. !" He is in a complete fry until by practice 

 his nerve becomes equal to it ; then he can apply his knowledge 

 in half the time, and confidently make his award. 



But if judges are to be judged by the new Society they will 



