Angnst 19, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTIOULTURB AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



167 



LiLiUM GiGANTEnM {It. B.). — You Will requir© to pot aud grow-on any 

 ofFaets or youn^' plants which arise around the parfmt, ami uuiler |,'ooil troat- 

 ment — if., whiltini^ into larger pots as they fill with roots, aud keeping well 

 snpplied with water during (growth, affording thorn groouIioiisQ treatment, 

 they wilt flower before or by 1878. 



Doo Rose Suckers for Stocks (TiUm). — The snobers will after a year's 

 growth be available fur takinj^ up, and allowinfj about 4 inches of ro-it stem 

 to each th«y may bo planted, and out down to about 4 inches of tlie soil, and 

 the followinii sea'ion they may be budded at or near the aurface. Exoeptiag in 

 very strong soil Manetti stocks are far preferable to Briars for dwarf plants. 



Rose Leaves Mildewed (H. <3.1. — The dark parasitical fun^ns on the 

 leaven may be prevented by copious waterings of the roots, and mulchinf? the 

 snrfice over them. Do bo now, and give repeated syringings of the leaves, 

 dnatiug them with flowers of sulphur after each syringing. 



Golden-leaved PELARGONrirMS {C. L.). — Golden Banner, Crystal Palace 

 Gem, Pillar of Gold, aud Cloth of Gold. Gold and Bronze are— Chieftain, 

 Harold, Mrs. Harrison Weir, and Prima Donna. 



Large-leaved Hollt (Ru$ in Urbc). — We think it is an eitra-vigoroas 

 form of that truly noble variety. Ilex aquifolium nobilis, which is of vigorous 

 growth, having a very fine appearance. 



Auriccla Offsets (Alfred). — As your Auriculas were repotted in May. it 

 would be better to leave any offsets on until the spriog, and when you top- 

 dress them if they are then rooted take them off, in the meantime taking 

 care to have the earth well round the collar of the plant, so as to induce them 

 to throw out roots. For the same reason leave the double plant of Colonel 

 Taylor until the spring. 



Vines Attacked by Mildew m. Q. A.). — In your case we do not think 

 yon have anythiaf; to fear, only persist in the nse of the sulphur whenever 

 and wherever the mildew appears. In winter dress the Vines thoroughly 

 with 1 lb. of soft soap to a gallon of tobacco juice brought to the consistency 

 of paintby adding fljwers of sulphur, and apply with a brush, taking care not 

 to injure the eyes. 



Grapes Shrivelling (A S)i6scrz6«r).— Either the Grapes are shanked or 

 the border is dry. In the former case the foot-stalk of the berries, also some 

 of the main stems of the shoulders or other parts of the bunches, will bo dried 

 and become brown in colour, having a wire-like appearance, and the berries 

 so affected are devoid of flavour even if the shanking do not occur until the 

 berries are far advanced tn ripening; and if it tak^s place when the Grapes 

 are changing colour the shanked berries are sour. If it arise from overdryness 

 of the border that may be obviated by keeping it more moist; but we ap- 

 prehend the border has been all along too dry, preventing the Grapes attain- 

 ing a good size and ripening off fully. The fiUingof the house with bedding or 

 other plants is against the keeping of Grapes, as from the moisture resulting 

 from wai^ering the plants damping of the berries takes place, which is 

 difficult t.) dispel in dull wet weather. The house may, however, be cleared 

 of the Grapes when the leaves have fallen, cutting the bunches with a few 

 joints of wood and placing them in bottles of water in a dry place, a few 

 pieces of charcoal being placed in the bottles to keep the water sweet. 



Vines Unfruitful (E. F.)— The leaves you sent us show the lower part 

 of the shoots to be weak, and the upper part too vigorous, which is due in a 

 great measure to the richness of the border; and the weakness at the lower 

 part of the canes we think due to the border, from the waterproof covering, 

 being dry, and the growth in the early stages weak. We presume you stop 

 the side shoots at the sisth leaf, and stop the laterals at the lirst leaf, and 

 the subsequent growth also at the first leaf. The laterals upon the cane you 

 will Iiavo stopped at the first leaf, and subsequent growths keep closely 

 stopped to one leaf. If this has not been done do it at once, and treat the 

 Vines now as if you were ripening-off a late crop of Grapes— i.e.. leave a litt'e 

 air on at night, an opening at aach light of about 3 inches, and with this air 

 on have the night temperature 65'^, by day 70- to 75'^ without sun, admit 

 more air at "iS-, having it full when the temperature is SO'' to 85^, and com- 

 mence reducing it at 80-, closing at 75^, but leading on the night air pre- 

 viously named. Continue this until the wood is quite brown and hard ; this 

 ought to be the ca?e in a month, then lower the temperature 5" in each week 

 after from fire heat, admitting air fully. The waterproof covering for the 

 border may be all very well when you have Grapes, but the b jrder may, when 

 the Vines are at rest, be too dry. In your case we should only cover the 

 border in November with about 9 inches thickness of stable litter, and leave 

 this on until the close of March or early in April, then remove all the littery 

 part, and point-in what remains with a fork, not going so deep as to disturb 

 the roots. In pruning, which do so soon as all the leaves have fallen, cut 

 every other shoot to two, and the others to four eyes, and the cane cut back 

 to one-third its length. Dapresi the rods in spring when the buds com- 

 mence to swell. Upon the shoot which is cut to four eyes take one near its 

 base for fruit bearing the year following, and from one or other of those 

 above it yon will certainly have fruit. Leave one shoot of those showing 

 frnit as well as the one at its base, rubbing off the others, stopping the one 

 at the base at the sixth leaf, and the other one joint beyond the bunch. 

 Those cut-in to two eyes you know how to treat ; and it is only for us to say 

 that the upper shoot carrying fruit is to be cut away to the shoot next below 

 it, that giving you wood for next year's bearing, much nearer home than was 

 the one removed. Keep the house cool in winter, not higher than 40" from 

 fire heat, and the nearer it is to 40^ the better. 



Planting Vines (A. ^f. B.).— The Vinos should not he less than 8 feet 

 (5 inches apart, which will give you ten Vines for the length, five in each house. 

 In the earliest house we should have two Mill Hill Hamburgh and one each 

 of Black Hamburgh, Duke of Buccleuch, and Foster's Seedling. For the 

 second house two Muscat of Alexandria and one each of Madresfield Court, 

 Mrs. Pin-e. and Lady Downe's Seedling. The Black Muscat requires more 

 heat to ripen it perfectly than Black Hamburgh; it ought to have the same 

 heat as the White Muscat. Canes of a fruiting size may be planted, but they 

 ought not to be allowed to carry more than two or three bunches the first 

 year. We prefer good-sized canes, and not allow them to carry any fruit the 

 first season. Good canes of either description may be had of any of the 

 principal nurserymen advertising in our columns. We cannot recommend 

 dealers. It is a mistake to have only an outside border. The Vines ought 

 to be planted inside, having a border were it only 3 or 4 feet in width ; and to 

 allow of the roots passing outside, the front wall should have openings about 

 2 feet wide, with a 14-inch pillar between, and arched over. The border 

 should be the same in width as the rafters are in length, and the depth 

 S feet 9 inches, 9 inches of which should be drainage, there being drains below 

 the drainage to carry off the water, which should have a proper fall and out- 

 let. The soil most suitable is the top 3 inches of a pasture taken off with its 

 turf and chopped op ic pieces 3 or 4 inches square, the soil being light rather i 



than heavy loam. Of this six parts, two parts old mortar rubbish, and one 

 part each charcoal and half-inch bones, tlie whwie to be well mixed together. 



Fruit Trees iRohin). — It would be all very well to procure a number of 

 each kind of tree you propose cultivating, prove them, and propagate such as 

 you Cud answer your purpose, had there been no previous workers in the 

 same field, and by their experisnce able to t^ive the information you are told 

 to ferret out for yourself. There is no necessity for the procedure you are 

 recommended to pursue, and we do uot advise you to do so. If you wish for 

 standard or large-growing trees, and have room for them, and are in no hurry 

 to partake of the fruitjyoumay raise a stock of Apples and Peirsfrom pips, and 

 Cherries, also Plums, from the stone ; but if you want to keep f.hera within 

 reasonable bounds, and to have them to fruit early, thay must uot be upon 

 the free stock, but the Apple upon the Paradise, Pear on Quince, and Cherry 

 on Mahaleb. If you want large trees they may be upon the free stock, and 

 the mode you propose of propagating them will answer, planting out the 

 seedlings when a year old, aud budding or grafting them when strong. We 

 name a few of each kind of fruit suitablo for garden as pyramids, bushes, or 

 espaliers on tlw dwarf stock. JpplrH—Di'fiaert : Early Red Margaret, Bed 

 Aitracban, Kerry Pippin, Margil, Cox's Orange Pippin, Ribston Pippin, 

 Mannington Pearmain, Old Nonpareil. Syke House Kusset, Keddlestone 

 Pippin, Melon, and Sturraer Pippin. Kitch'ti Apples : Keswick Codlin, Lord 

 Suffifld. Cox's Pomona, F.lenheim Pinpin, New Hawthornden, Mere de 

 Menage, Bedfordshire Foundling, Small's Admirable, Dumelow's Seedling, 

 Betty Geeson, Rymer, Warner's King, and Gooseberry Apple. Pears : Sum- 

 mer Doyenne, Beurrc Giffard, Beurn- de I'Assomption, Williams's Bon 

 Chretien, Beurrt' Superfin, Louise Bonne of Jersey, royennti Gris, Doyennfe 

 du Cornice, Beurre Diel, BeurrL' d'Areraberg, and ]Jergamotto Esperen ; Jar- 

 gonelle and Marie Louise doing well upon the free or Pear stock. Plums^ 

 Dessert : Early Green Gage, De Montfort, Oullin's Golden Gage, Green Gage, 

 Kirke's, Jefferson's. Transparent Gage, Guthrie's Late Green. Kitchen : 

 Early Prolific, Belgian Purple, Prince EuRlobert, Victoria, Mitchelson's, 

 Diamond, Autumn Compnte, and Belle de Septembre. Cherries : Empress 

 Eugenie, May Duke, Royal Duke, Belle de Choisy, Carnation, Kentish, Reine 

 Hortense, Late Duke, and Morello. 



Pruning Lord Suffield Apple {C. W. D.).— Cut back at once the main 

 shoots or the continuation of the main branches to 10 inches just above a 

 leaf ; the main shoot or leader to 1'2 or 13 inches. If you require to form new 

 branches these should not be nearer to each other or those existing than 

 1 foot ; and stop, or in your case cut all the others back to three leaves, and after- 

 wards stop to one leaf, as late growth may result. It will admit light and air to 

 the frnit and spurs; upon the maturing of the latter you will be dependant 

 for future produce. If auy overcrowding has resulted by the neglect to which 

 the trees have been subject, thin-out the crowded parts at the winter pruning, 

 and attend to stopping earlier another season. 



Nectarines Cracking (A. B. C).— The air in your orchard house is pro- 

 bably kept too dry. The skin of the fruit does not expand sufficiently fast to 

 contain the flesh of the fruit as it increases in growth. 



Cherry Shoots Blighted (L. J. 7v.).— The shoot sent is covered with a 

 black fungus, a result of the attack, at an earlier stage, of black aphis, which 

 might have been destroyed by dipping the shoots in tobacco water. Shorten 

 the shoots, cutting away as much as possible the infested parts, aud take 

 prompt steps another season to prevent a recurrence of the mischief. 



Melon with Male Flov^ers only (licv. S. A. B.). — As a rule the male 

 precede the female flowers by several days, the former appoariug upon the 

 main shoots, whilst the female ate for the most part borne by the side shoots 

 at the first and second joints. If there be no female flowers upon the side 

 shoots they being male flowers, the plants are in much too loose soil, and 

 the growth is very free aud long-jointed. We think, however, your plants are 

 late, and that you will in a few days have female as well as the present and 

 other male flowers. The present season has been a very trying one for Melon 

 growers with only indifferent means of affording artificial heat. 



Cucumber in a Collection of Vegetaiiles (T. J. H).— We know of 

 no reason why it should not be so exhibited. It is a culinary vegetable. 



Saline Manure for Potatoes (C. B., Qodaltiiing).—'W6 should dig in 

 the manure at planting time. 



Names of Fruits (T. T.).— Beurre Giffard. (A Connaught Subscriber). 

 —No. 2 appears to be Nectarine Plum. 1 was smashed. We cannot under- 

 take to name Plums without a shoot and leaves accompanying the fruit. 



Names of Plants (0. O.).— Veratrum viride, L. {Rev. Denli Moore). — 

 One of the American species of iFloothera. {An Amateur). — 1, Polypodium 

 vnlgare, var. cambricum; 2, Pelltea rotundifolia; 3, Scolopendrium vulgare, 

 var. crispum ; 4, Ditto, var. multifidnm ; 6, Ditto, var. angustifrons ; 4, Poly- 

 stichum angulare, var. We only name six specimens at one time. (A. J.).^ 

 1, Too withered; 2, 3, and 4, Merely bits of spray aud leaves. 



POULTEY, BEE, AND PIGEON OHEONIOLE. 



CATALOGUES. 



We do not think secretaries and ponltry-show officials pay as 

 mnch attention to the catalogue department of our shows as 

 they should do. Loud and frequent are the complaints we have 

 about the non-arrival of catalogues on the proper day, and often 

 of their never appearing at all. We have had two letters from 

 gentlemen this week. One living in Kent writes word, " Do say 

 something in our Journal about catalogues. The system gets 



worse and worse. I wrote and asked the Secretary of the M 



Show last week for a catalogue, and begged him to send it by 

 return for an especial reason, and it never came to hand for five 

 days, and the report and prize list had then appeared in the 

 papers." We take also an extract from the;other letter. " Please 



if you attend S Show send me a catalogue, for I have given 



up writing to the shows for them, as they either send them too 

 late to be of any use, or bag the stamps in toto." 



Now these things should not be, for really to the great body 

 of exhibitors who do not attend the shows, and who send their 

 birds on as parcels, a catalogue is of the greatest possible service 

 and importance. We really do hope something will be done to 



