166 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTTJKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( Angnst 19, 1876. 



when well grown has a fine appearance. It is very subject 

 to mildew, eo that it will probably not be grown again. Rivera's 

 Lord Napier has again proved itself to be a sterling variety ; the 

 fruit is quite as large as Elruge, and it comes in a few days 

 later than Hunt's Tawny. Stanwick Elruge, although it has 

 not much of the_ Stanwick about it in appearance, is distinct 

 and very good ; it ripens with ElruKC, and is also coming in. 

 It is now necessary to withhold syringing altogether, and to 

 admit air freely night and day. 



PLANT STO^'E AND ORCHII) HOUSES. 



The stove is being thoroughly cleaned-out and repainted. To 

 do this it is necessary to remove all the plants to another house, 

 in order that the woodwork may become dry before the paint is 

 laid on. It is very little use painting a house at all if there is 

 any wet in the wood, the paint prevents the moisture from 

 getting out as effectually as it excludes it. Indeed it is a 

 question whether paint is of any use to preserve the wood when 

 a very high moist atmosphere is required. It certainly eaves it 

 from splitting by the sun ; but decay is not arrested in places 

 that are continually wet. If any substance could be invented 

 that would exclude wet from the wood it would be a great boon 

 to Orchid-growers and cultivators of exotic plants. 



Insect pests increase very rapidly at this season, and should 

 be carefully watched, else irretrievable mischief is done in a day 

 or two. We have been much pestered with thrips on the 

 Orchids this season, and it has required much care and per- 

 severance to destroy them. They have attacked Cattleyas and 

 Dendrobiums principally on the young growths. They hide 

 quite in the centre of the growths, where they cannot be sponged- 

 out. Even after being washed-out two or three times a-week 

 they still continue to appear. Persistent washing, however, ul- 

 timately destroys them. We use rain water and soft soap only. 

 Fumigating with tobacco smoke destroys thrips, but it is very 

 dangerous to use it in Orchid houses when the plants are making 

 their growth, and at that time the insect does most mischief. 

 It is well to fumigate freely during the winter months, or late 

 in autumn after the growths are formed. White scale is also 

 a very troublesome pest, and does much injury to Cattleyas, 

 Lffilias, and other Orchids that have the peeudobnlbs covered 

 with a thin ekin fitting closely to the bark. The scale works be- 

 tween this skin and the bark, and cannot be destroyed until the 

 covering is removed. Where the insects can be reached they are 

 easily destroyed with soapy water. This insect is imported 

 from the Brazils and other troj-ical countries with the Orchids. 

 Eed spider ought also to be mentioned, as it often does much 

 damage to the young growths before it is observed. Many of 

 the smaller Dendrobes suffer from its attacks; if the plants are 

 syringed daily this will hold it in check. 



In the cool Orchid house the difficulty is to keep down the 

 temperature without shading too closely. Our house is a small 

 span-roof well exposed to the sun. A house of this character 

 does very well in winter when all the light and sun possible is 

 not too much. But if only one house is to be available for this 

 class of plants, let it be a span-roof on a wall facing north. 

 Odontoglossums adapted for the cool house are seldom attacked 

 by insect pesta. Green fly will make its appearance on the 

 flower spikes and spoil the appearance of them, but it can be 

 easOy removed with a small brush. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



The Gladiolus beds are in full beauty now— at least our own 

 seedlings that have not previously flowered. The named varie- 

 ties that have been purchased at considerable expense at dif- 

 ferent times daring the last eight or nine years are very poor 

 indeed, and the longer the roots are grown in our ground the 

 worse they become; whether a change of soil would restore the 

 leaves to a healthy green has not yet been decided, possibly it 

 might. Many growers of this fine autumn flower complain of 

 the unhealthy growth this year. We have been placing sticks to 

 the spikes as they advance in growth. The heavy rainfall has 

 saved us much labour in watering. 



Hollyhocks we have not grown since the disease has become 

 30 prevalent. Sulphur will destroy the parasitical fungus that 

 attacks the leaves. The spikes ought to be fastened to the 

 sticks as they advance, and all decaying flowers be removed. 

 The growths of Dahlias ought also to be trained to their sup- 

 ports ; tbey are easily broken over at the neck with high 

 winds. The same may be said of Phloxes and Pentstemons. 

 How seldom one sees a collection of either in a private garden ! 

 but nothing can be better for decorative purposes in autumn, 

 and they are bo easily cultivated. The spikes must be tied to 

 sticks as they advance. Late cuttings will just now be coming 

 into flower. 



Those who have still Carnations and Piootees to layer should 

 see that the loam used is free from wireworms. A few of them 

 had not been observed in the loam we used for ours, and they 

 have burrowed into the centre of the stem where the notch was 

 made and destroyed a number of our best plants. It is well 

 always to layer more plants than will actually be required in 

 case of accidents. In a few days we shall be busy putting in 

 cuttings of zonal Pelargoniums, beginning with the Gold 'Tri- 



colors, and getting in all the shy-growing sorts first. Verbenas 

 and Calceolarias of the shrubby section delight in a dripping 

 season, consequently they have made good growth this year. 

 Koses that were budded two or three weeks ago have been looked 

 over and the fastenings loosened. Placing sticks to Asters, 

 hoeing and weeding flower beds and borders, have occupied a 

 portion of our time. — J. Douglas. 



TBADE CATALOaUES RECEIVED. 



James Carter & Co., 237, High B.olhOTn.—Oatalogue of Dutch 

 Flower Roots, <ic. 



W. Cutbush & Sons, The Nurseries, Highgate, London. — De- 

 scriptive Bulb Catalogue. 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 

 Seobetaeies will oblige us by informing us oj the dates on 

 which exhibitions are to be held. 



EAsrnoDRNE— in tho Devonshire Park.— Anjast 19th. H. A. E. Bnmble, 



Esq., 26, Hyde GardenH, Sec. 

 Qlastonboey.— August 19th. Rev. E. Handley, Hon.-Seo. 

 PoMTTPOOL.— AuRust 19th. Mr. Ernest Deacon, Hon.-Sec. 

 Ulverston.— August 2Jth. Mr. Geo. Hieham, Hon.-Sec. 

 CoNlSTON.— August 24th. Mr. Jas. DickiusoD, Hod. Sec. 

 Hartlepool.— August 24th. Mr. Councillor H. Magoris, HoQ.-Sec. 

 Newbdby. — August 24th. Mr. H. Seymour. Hon. -bee. 

 Alexandra Palace.— Metropolitan Society's Antnmn Exhibition, August 



24th and 25th. Eev. H. H. Dombrain, Westwell, Ashlord, Kent. Hon.- 

 Sec. 

 Burton-on-Teent.— August 25th. Mr. W. Shave, Sec. 

 Isle of Thanet (St. Peters). — August 25th. 

 Eamsoate.— August 25th. C. D. Smith, Esq., 8, Marine Terrace, Margate, 



Hon.-Sec. 

 Dundee.— August 26th, 27th, and 28th. Mr. E. McKelvie, 61, EeJorm Street, 



Sec. 

 Wakefield.— August 28th. Mr. A. Holmes (Parish Clerk), Sec. 

 Chippenham.— August Slst. Mr. Alfred Wright, Sec. 

 Deal and Walmer. — August Slst. 



Bath.— September Ist and 2nd. Mr. B. Pearson, 13, Milsom Street, Sec. 

 Great Tarmocth.— September 2nd. Mr. 8. Aldred, Hon.-Sec. 

 Niton and Whiiwell.— September 2ad. Mr. E. W. Berrv, Hon.-Sec. 

 Alexandra Palace ilnternalional Fruit Show).— September 2nd, Srd, and 



4th. Mr. A. McKenzie, Sec. 

 South of SC'itlasd.— To he held at Dumfries, September Srd. Mr. J. 



Blount Dinwiddle, 11, Buccleuch Street, Dumfries, Hon.-Sec. 

 Crystal Palace Company. — Autumn Fruit and Flower Show, September 



7th to 9th — Sec, F. W. Wilson. Bees and their appliances, September 



2l8t to 23rd— Sec, J. Hunter. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

 *,* AU correspondence should be directed either to " The 

 Editors," or to " The Publisher." Letters addressed to 

 Mr. Johnson or Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoid- 

 ably. We request that no one will write privately to any 

 of our correspondents! as doing so subjects them to un- 

 justifiable trouble and expense. 



Naming Fruit. — Our chief authority being away, fruit had better not be 

 sent until a fortnight hence. 



Address {Col. Miljnan). — The address of the Company ia 21, Whitehall 

 Place, London, S.W. 



Early Vermont and Late Kose Potatoes. — J. Bates has these grow- 

 ing in his garden, and the tubers are so alike that he cannot tell one from 

 the other. He wishes to know if they are different names for the same 

 variety. 



Potato Failure (P. M. B.). — Your American varieties were destroyed by 

 the curl or "new disease" to which they are liable. Dig in the i^aline 

 manures at planting time next year. Do not add auy other manure. Grow 

 only Ash-leaved Kidney and Myatt'e ProUfic, and take up the crop in July. 



Wintering Zonal Pelargoniums IE, L.). — You may winter your plants 

 in the frames from which frost is excluded by hot-water pipes, but we advise 

 that the plants be potted. If planted out as you suggest there woiUd not 

 only be a greater liability of the plants being injured by damp, but a check 

 would be given them at planting time, for this class of plants do not trans- 

 plant well. In wintering you may trim-in any straggling shoots to make the 

 plants compact and shapely, and remove entirely all the large leaves. This 

 will admit air to the stems and render them less liable to be injured by damp, 

 and will also afford more room. The plants may bo as closely together as 

 possible, providing the air can circulate freely amongst them. The nom- 

 ber which you can accommodate will depend on the size of the plants. H 

 you like to try the experiment of planting them out, put in 6 inches of soil 

 and make it very firm, and keep it dry on tho surface; but we strongly advise 

 that the plants be potted, and in the end both time and plants will be saved. 

 An important point to attend to is that the plants be taken up before thef 

 are in the slightest degree injured by frost. 



Mildew on Roses (J. L. BX — The usual scourges — orange fungus and 

 black mildew, owing to a sudden check in the growth, are on your Rose trees. 

 Send us further particulars as to soil, situation, treatment. &c. Syringing 

 with clear soot water, and dusting with flowers of sulphur, with liber il treat- 

 ment of liquid manure in summer, and mulching with manure in winter, are 

 the best remedies. If the growth in 1874 was such as you describe it, the 

 trees will recover. 



Eucalyptus globulus (Sussex). — The specimen sent us has the appeal^ 

 ance of having been excessively watered, the stem being thereby destroyed. 

 These plants in a young state are impatient of water overhead. Avoid water- 

 ing on the stems, and use soil less rich. 



