51G 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t June 25, 1874. 



Evergreens under Trees (B. W. af.).— There must bs Bomethins the 

 matter if " Ivy, Ferus, Periwinkle, rock plants, a-d almjst everytkioK "fail 

 to grow on stumps unler jour Beech trees. The only reason we can {,'i^e lor 

 the failure is that you do not givo water regularly or sufficieLjtly. These 

 thii:gs certainly ought to ;^row in sDch a feituation, but Btum^s and rootwoik 

 are not to be depended on unless the bituatiou ia a moist one, or watering is 

 constantly given. 



Leaves Curled IRobyl—The curling of the leaves on your Plum tree is 

 caused by sudden transitions of temperature from heat to cold, producing a 

 cheek to growth ; and the insects, duding a ready bhelter, take possession. 



Manure for a Garden.—" R. F. B." says he keeps no animals of any 

 kind, and as the farmers in his neighbourhood are precluded from selling 

 manure, he does not know what to do. He has a good crop of grass in his 

 orchard, which he wants to know if he could use. There is no doubt that 

 if you have no other use for the grass you may use it as manure, and this is 

 be&t done in the fresh state. Cut it and dig it in now. What do you do with 

 jour house f^ewage ? If it is wasted by h»ing alluwed to drain away, make a 

 tank and collect it as carefully as if it were fond, fur it will ultimately be- 

 come so if judiciously applied to your garden cn-ps. 



Onions Diseased (A. JB., Rufihy).— They are not attacked by the Onion 

 fly, but by a parasitic fungus, Vermicularia circinans. Water between the 

 rows with lime water and weak puano liquid manure. Auother year, pre- 

 viously to sowing, have the top spit of the soil pared and burnt. 



Grubs Destroying Pinus Shoots {R. S.).— The young shoots of Pinus 

 insignis are infested with the larvie aud pupie of a small pretty red and silver 

 moth, Tui-trix resinana or T. urisnana. We know no other remedy in the 

 present state of the insects than to pi;k off and burn the infested shoots. 

 In a lew weeks' time the moths, which are conspicnoua enough, will appear, 

 and should be caught and killed.— I. O. W. 



Date Palm in Dwelltng-room— Green Aphis on Calceolarias— Cu- 

 cumbers NOT Swei-lino {A. B. C).— Yuu could not *' cultivate a Date Palm 

 in a dwelling-room ;" but it would i-emain in one a long time for ornamenta- 

 tion when the growth is perfected. The Calceolarias infested with green 

 aphis would be best freed by fumigation with tobacco, the plants being placed 

 under a covering to confine the smoke about them, lilling thoroughly with 

 tobacco siDoke. The cause of the Cucumbers not swelling is probably want 

 of heat— the atmosphere being cold and moist. If in a bed, line it with hot 

 ■dung or other fermenting material. In the absence of particulars we cannot 

 fuither advise. 



Datura not Flowering (A Comtant Reader).~Th6 following general treat- 

 ment of this plant is taken from our " Greenhouse Manual." Keep rather dry 

 in winter, or so dry as not to allow the wood to shrivel, and prune in March to 

 within a few eyes of the old wood. Water carefully or moderately until the 

 youDg shoots are an inch long, then repot, disrooting, at least remove most 

 of the old soil, and return to the same size of pot. Water carefuUv, just 

 keeping the soil moist, and syringe lightly overhead with water morning and 

 evening. Slight shade is advantageous until plants have recovered from the 

 potting. When the pot is full of root:i shift into another one-fourth larger in 

 diameter, watering moderately for a time until the roots are in the ficsh soil, 

 then copiously, and syiinge twice daily, directing the water against the under 

 sides of the leaves, and when the pot is full of roots employ weak liquid 

 manure. Alight airy position, and abundant waterings without making the 

 soil sodden. Three parts light fibrous loam, half part eai;h leaf soil and old 

 dry cow dung, with efficient drainage. 



Lichen and Moss on Lawn (Sussex).— The lawn must have a close and 

 moist surface. Bake it well with an iron rake, removing all the moss and 

 lichen practicable, and dress it with compost that may be formed of good soil 

 or rubbish reduced to soil, mixing with it one-tisth of ashes and one-tenth of 

 fresh lime, thrown into a heap, and allowed to lie a week or ten days. It would 

 then be well to sift it with a three- quarter- inch sieve, apply to your lawn 

 in August about half an inch deep, and rake thoroughly afterwards, sowing 

 over it 12 lbs. Cynosurus cristatus, 8 lbs. Fe&tuca duriuscula, 4 lbs. Poa nemo- 

 ralis sempervirens, and 8 lbs. Trifolium minus, along with 4 lbs. Trifolium 

 repens in mixture for one acre. Bake lightly after sowing, and roll thoroughly. 

 If you would not like the appearance late in summer, sowing may be deferred 

 until March, the seeds being sown with the first prospect of rain in April. If 

 sown late in summer, do i-o with the earliest prospect of rain in September. 

 Bougainviliea glabra would succeed in a wai-m greenhouse, but not in one 

 kept at the usual greenhouse temperature. 



Wall Trees Unfruitful {AUhrmanJ. XVood).~U is difficult to state the 

 cause of your trees being unfruitful, but pr bably they are too vigorous aud 

 the growths do not ripen perfectly. Root-pruning judiciously in the autumn 

 would most likely give you more fruitful trees, and with surface ap[jlicatiuns 

 of manure, and liberal waterings in dry weather, you might secure fiuer fruit. 

 The Peaches and Nectarines may have fallen in consequence of frost, or of 

 insects. Our "Fruit Gardening for the Many" will suit you. It may bo had 

 hy post from our office for 5d. 



Caterpillars on Gooseberry and Currant Bushes {A Constant Ad- 

 vertiser). — The leaves sent are completely skeletonised by the catt rpillars. 

 To destroy them dust the bushes with white hellebore powder through a 

 3our-dredging bos, or yon may sprinkle the bushes by means of a fine-rosed 

 ■watering-pot, or an old whitewash brush, with 1 oz of white hellebore to a 

 gallon of water. White hellebore is a poison, and should be used with care 

 and judgment. Dr. Hogg in his "Tear Book," page 96, etites— " 1, The 

 most simple, least espfn-ive, and certain method of txtermioating these 

 pests ii, to cjver the surface of the ground early iu the spring all round the 

 O'loseberry hushes 2 or 3 inches thick with fresh tan from the tanyard, the 

 same material as is used for bark-beds. Let it remain until the autumn or 

 winter following, and then dig it in. 2, In November or December remove 

 the earth from round the stem of each tree for about the space of 18 inches, 

 and aw dtepas the roots will permit. Expose the roots to the weather for 

 three or four weeks, then fill-in with manure or fresh earth." 



Strawberries Planted Last Autumn (Zd^m). — Probably 'your plants 

 were put out so late and made such small progress as net to form crowns 

 :ror fruiting. Though they have not fruited this season they will, if the 

 runners were from fruitful plants, nfford you an abundant crop next year, but 

 i( the runners were taken from unfruitful plants the chances are you will not 

 next year have a crop of fruit worth mentioning. Too much care cannot be 

 taken in eelecting rimners fur planting, none being taken from plants that 

 have not fruited. 



Peach Tree in Greenhouse (A. E. RusseJD.—lt is difficult to keep the 

 tempeiature BufllcientlT low for Peach trees in winter if pjantf that require 

 to be safe from frost are kept in the house; but we have two Peach houses 



which have not been below freezing-point the past three years, aud have this 

 year a splendid crop, the fruit iu the first house being now nearly all ripe, and 

 those iu the other house will be ripe in July. AVe should keep the house as 

 cool as you can in winter, not exceeding 40 from fire heat, the si^il in which 

 the tree is growincr rather dry, and yet n-.t dust dry, or the buds will fall 

 when the soil is made wet. Do not have the shoots crowded, but keep them 

 at about a foot apart on the main branches, and the main branches a'^iout the 

 same distance apart ; stop the shoots if they exceed 12 inches in length, but 

 if less, or only that length, do not stop them. Any shoots resulting may be 

 stopped at the first leaf. We do not advise your interfering with the roots. 

 Your difficulty seems to he in keeping the house cool in wmter. The roof, 

 we presume, is not covered with climbers or Vines, so as to shade the Peach 

 tree, which would be sufficient to prevent the ripening of the wood and the 

 non-setting of the fruit. 



Screen for Garden (M. 0. D.).— Neither the Evergreen Thorn (CrEetagus 

 Pyracantha) nor Cotoneaflter microphylla would succeed trained to a wire 

 fence in an exposed Bituati^m; but the latter would do so if the situation is 

 not very bleak. Iu an open situation it would ha some considerable time 

 before it attained a height of 5 feet. What more ornamental evergreen 

 screen could you wish than one of Arbor- Vitte ? There would be no necessity 

 for the wire fence, and you might obtain plants of the height you require which 

 would move with perfect safety, and be cheaper than the fence, be-^ides giving 

 what you seek at once. Both the Siberian and American Arbor- Vit* can be 

 had at a cheap rate. Plants which will make an effective screen at once are 

 advertised in our columns at the planting season. 



Boyal Vineyard Grapes not Setting — Peaches Dropping {An Old 

 Reader). — The Royal Vineyard Grape sets its fruit well at Loxford Hall, 

 Ilford. The globules of water you allude to can be removed by drawing the 

 hand down the bunch. The hand must be dry and clean. It is best done at 

 10 a.m. ; this will also cause the fruit to set. The " fly " you allude to is not 

 easily destroyed, hut persistent fumigating wiU do it, and that is the best 

 way to get rid of it. If you ventilate your houses freely, anj see that the 

 trees do not suffer from want of water at the roots (when you water the border 

 you must give sufficient to drain down to the bottom of the border), the fruit 

 should not drop off. 



Vines (J Guernsey Amateur). — They have done well. Stop the leading 

 shoots when they have grown to within 18 inches of the top of the rafters, 

 and stop all lateral growths at the first leaves that are formed. 



Canvas Hose. — We have been infoimed by several correspondents that 

 canvas hose can be obtained from those houses whose advertisements will be 

 found in our pages, and which deal iu seeds and t:arden implements. 



Cucumber Plants Stopping (A Subscriber, R. T.).— The plants having 

 been shopped should not be again stopped until they reach to within a foot 

 of the length required; but should they bhow fruit, stop them at the first 

 joint beyond, and so on throughout, thinning-out shoots that are getting old 

 and bare, and training young and fruitful ones in their place. 



Ivy under Chestnut Trees (H. Q. 0.). — The Ivies do not grow because 

 you plant them under the trees, and they are deprived of nourishment owing 

 to the roots of the latter, whilst moisture is shut out by the foliage. It is a 

 different case where Ivy is planted at the same time as the trees, or springs 

 up naturally with them, the Ivy making progress and root-growth propor- 

 tionate with the trees. The only way now to succeed is to plant some 

 strong plants outside the spread of the heads of the trees, giving them good, 

 rich, light soil to grow in, and their shoots may he trained beneath the trees, 

 a little soil being placed on the surface, and the shoots secured with pegs. 

 Go over them during growth occasionally, and train the young shoots towards 

 the centre of the circle which the Ivy plants form round the tree. The 

 Ivies having soil to grow iu, deriving their support from watered ground, will 

 flourish, and soon cover the spa'i^e under the trees. Plant a yard apart. 

 There are no better kinds than the English (Hedera Helixi, Irish (H. cana- 

 riensis or hibernical, and Etegner's (H. Biegnerianal. The dwarf-growing 

 and small-leaved kinds are best for edgings to borders, as H. donulieriensia 

 and H. taurica. H. digitata is fine for a border edging to shrubberies or on 

 rustic work. The new silver-edged H. elegantissima is very neat fur small 

 edgiogs; II. poetica and the variegated form are also good. 



Azaleas after Flowering (Co. ^nfrim).— Place them in a house or pit 

 with a temperature of 55° to 65" at night, and 70'' to To*^ hy day, with a rise 

 from sun heat to 80^ or 85° or more. Sprinkle them overhead morning and 

 evening, and keep the atmosphere moist by sprinkling the floors, walls, and 

 other surfaces with water of the same temperature as thatof the house, giving 

 shade from bright sun, and continuing this ti'eatment until the growth is 

 complete and the buds are formed, then remove to a cool and aij'y house. If 

 the plants require potting it should be done before they are placed in heat. 



Bedding Geraniums (Jcitiml.— The following are good:— Bayard, crimson; 

 Crimson King, dark crimsou ; Dr. Tait, crimson ; Jean Sisley, scarlet ; Master 

 Christine, pink; Red Dwarf, deep red; Shakesi^eare, deep red; R. Kvans, 

 rose; Lustrous, scai-let ; Vesuvius, scarlet; The Bride, white; and Flame, 

 vermilion scarlet. 



Names of Fruits (ilf. C).— It is a difficult matter to name Strawberries 

 from one fruit. That you sent is like Eleanor. 



Names of Plants (Alpha BarncO.— Habenaria bifcHa. (Bosa).— Lager- 

 strtemia indica. {G. W. J.).— We cannot undertake to name Ruses or any 

 florists' flowers. There are varieties which so closely resemble each other, 

 and which differ only in mere shades of colour, that to attempt to name 

 them correctly from a single fl twer would he impossible. [G. LuscombcK — 

 Arum Dracunculus. (R. iVdsh).—'Pimelea. decuasata. (Alex. Millar).— E.rio- 

 phorum angustifolium. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PIGEON OHEONIOLE. 



ME. TUBMAN'S PARTRIDGE COCHINS. 



I HAVE read with some surprise and aminyance the remarks 

 ou my Partridge hens exhibited at Bristol Show, in your con- 

 temporary, the Fanciers' Gazette. None can be more pleased 

 than myself to have my birds submitted to a fair aud just 

 criticism ; but when a critic speculatively asserts, without facts 

 or any information to justify such an assertion, that such and 

 such birds are " cross-bred," aud that they are the product o£ 



