232 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTDBE AND COTTAGE GARDENBB. 



[ September 9, 1875. 



over with a fiue syringe in the forenoon. This applies particu- 

 larly to Ccuiiellias. How often does one hear of complaints of 

 the buds dropping off, and uo reason can be afeigned for it ? jet 

 it is quite certain that the plants must have received a check in 

 some way, and the most probable reason is that the drier closer 

 atmosphere of the greenhouse or conservatory has disarranged 

 the functions of the plants. It is always safe to damp the 

 paths for a few days at first, and also to draw the syringe over 

 the leaves about twice a-day, and in a week the plants will be 

 reconciled to their new quarters. 



Cijctamcns that were potted about sis weeks ago have now 

 made vigorous growth, being furniahed with short-stalked 

 healthy leaves, many of them being beautifully marked with 

 silvery bars and veins; so that, independent of the flowers, the 

 plant itself is very attractive. The plants are kept in a cool pit 

 with the ventilators open night and day; they are also near the 

 glass. This is one of our most useful decorative plants for 

 flowering in the winter and early spring mouths, but it will not 

 succeed if the plants are overshaded with other tall-growing 

 specimens, or if they are not near the glass. 



Sfatice profusa and S. Holfordii are both useful summer- 

 flowering plants ; the first-named is the best, and it is easy of 

 culture. At the present time they require careful attention, 

 as red spider, green fly, and mildew simultaneously attack 

 them. The mildew can only be removed by flowers of sulphur 

 being dusted on the parts attacked ; fumigating with tobacco 

 smoke and syringing will destroy the others. Mildew is the 

 most insidious enemy, and does much mischief before it is 

 observed. 



Slage Pelargoniums were cut over last week, and are now 

 starting strongly into growth. When the shoots have started 

 about an inch the plants will be shaken out of the pots and 

 repotted, generally into pots a size smaller than that in which 

 they had been previously ; thus the largest specimens are grown 

 in ai-inch pots, and after the roots with part of the old soil has 

 been removed the plant will then go into a 7-inch pot, to be re- 

 potted again into the flowering pot about tho first week in 

 February. 



PLOWEB OAHDEN. 



Much of our time has been taken up with the Gladiolus, pre- 

 paring tho spikes ready for exhibition and tying the later spikes 

 to sticks. As many persons now grow the Gladiolus for exhibi- 

 tion a few words on the way in which the spikes are arranged 

 may be useful. Here there is no dressing, but the spikes are 

 cut and exhibited fresh from the hand of Dame Natiare herself. 

 It is necessary to shade the spike ; ours are merely covered with 

 a sheet of paper, which is fastened to three or four sticks placed 

 in the ground and tied at the top. Eaiu does not disturb the 

 paper unaccompanied by wind, nor does wind without rain ; 

 when both are together the papers are torn off and the spikes 

 much injured. It is then necessary to cut the spikes to save 

 them from injury. Messrs. Kelway of Langport are the beat ex- 

 hibitors of this flower, and at present aie the champion growers. 

 They^ cover their stands with green baize, and the spikes are 

 held in the stands in an upright position by being fastened to 

 brass rods fixed in a horizontal position to upright standards 

 of the same material. The stands for twelve soikes are 3 feet 

 by 2 feet. 



Planted-out Giant Brompton Stocks. The true old sort is not 

 common, but it is a splendid Stock ; the individual flowers are 

 very large, and the spikes of flowers are from a foot to IS inches 

 long.— J. Douglas. 



HOKTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 

 Secketaries will oblige ns by inforiaing ns of the dates on 

 which exhibitions are to be held. 



KtLHiKNOCK.— September lOtli. Mr. M. Smith, II, King Street, Sec. 

 STiMFOHD (BuEGHLEr Paek).— September 15th and ICtli. Mesara. Johnson 



and LaxtoD, Hon.-Seca. 

 Cetstal Palace Company (Bees aad their appliances).— September 21st to 



23rd— Sec., J. Hunter. 

 LoNo SOTTON.— September 23nd and 23ra. Mr. J. W. Swain, See. 

 TioTAL HoRTiccLTuBAL SociETV OF ABERDEEN. — September 23rd. Mr. 



A. J. Rennie, 123i, (Tnion Street, Aberdeen, Sec. 

 Alexandra Palace fPotitooa).— September 29th and 30th. Mr. P. McKin- 



lay, 23, Upper Thames Street, London, Hon.-Sec. 

 Jersey.- Autumn October 13th, Chrysanthemums November 10th. Major 



HowelJ, Spring Grove, St. Lawrence, Hon. Sec. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



B. S. "Williams, Upper HoUoway, Loudon. — Catalogue of 

 Bulbs, Fruit Trees, Roses, tOc. 



Thos. S. Ware, Hale Farm Nursery, Tottenham, London. — 

 A B CBulh Guide and List of Sj^ ring -/lowering Plants, 



"William Ramsey, Joyniugs Nurseries, Waltham CroES, N. — 

 Catalogue of Boses and Ornamental Trees. 



William KoUiason & Sons, Tooting, Jjond.on,— Catalogue of 

 Dutch Bulls, Conifers, d-c, 



Messrs. Dick Radclyffe tt Co., 129, High Holborn, London.— 

 Catalogue of Dutch Bulbs and Garden Bcquisites. 



R. B. Matthews, 65, Victoria Street, BelUnt.— Catalogue of 

 Dutch Flower Boots, <C-c. 



Messrs. Kobertsou & Galloway, 157, Ingram Street, Glasgow. 

 — Catalogue of Dutch Bulbs and Garden Bequisitcs. 



Messrs. Dickson & Robinson, 12, Old Milgate, Manchester. — 

 Catalogue of Dutch Bulbs, Grape Vines, i(-c. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

 *^'' All correepondence 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 troublo and expense. 



Peaches Blotched (G. S.}.— The hnvaening of tho Ekin usually occurs on 

 the eido moat exposed to the eun, Bud the varietiea thinnest-skiuued are 

 moat liable to tho injury. We never no'icod this disease on Peaches under 

 felaes. These facts point to tho cause of tlie disease, the fruit being exposed 

 to great changes of temperature— strong sunshine by day and rapid cooling 

 at night. Shading would probably prevent the occurrence. 



Saline Manures for Potatoes (C. L. Z>.).— One hundredweight of each 

 of the Baits is the quantily per acre to be used. 



Maidenhair Ferns and Stephanotis Wintering [A Suhscribcr}, — 

 The Maidenhair Fern we presume is Adiantum cuneatum, which will winter 

 quite safely iu a greenhouse, becoming partly or wholly deciduous, and 

 BUould bo kept with the soil moderately moist, and they will start into 

 growth freely in spring and should then be repotted. The Stephanotis may 

 also be kept in a greenhouse, being kept dry, but tho plant will need to bo 

 placed in a brisk moist heat iu spring. 



Variegated Pelargoniduh for Bedding iIdcm).—Gold€}i Tricolor—M" 

 hambra,LadyCQllam,Mr. Headly, and SirBobert Napier. Quid and Bronze— 

 Constantioc, Harold, Prima Donna, and W. E. Gumbleton. Qolden-Uaved or 

 GohUn-cdgcd—CTy^ioX Palace Gem, Golden Banner, and Pillar of Gold. 

 SiU'iV-variegated.—'PtmQQ Silverwings. Silver-edged— Bti^hX, Star, May 

 Queen, and Miss Kingsbury. 



Growing Melons in Pots (G. G.).— Donot do so if you can grow them 

 in a bed; the fruit is f mailer, often too small, from pot plants, and they 

 require much more attention iu watering. The plants shuuld be raised as 

 for planting, potting them cff singly in the first instance in 4,-inch pots, and 

 when these are filled with roots trcmsfer to the fruiting pots, which ought not 

 to be less than 11-iuch, arid need not exceed IS-inch, though we haTe known 

 very eatisfactory results from plants in 15-inch pots. The pots should bo well 

 drained, and the compost employed strong, rich, fresh loam, and made very 

 firm. Iu potting keep the neck ur collar raised in the centre of the pots, and 

 let the soil incline from the centre to the rim of tho pot, and if space ba left 

 for a top-di-essing of rich compnat after the fruit is set and begun to swell it 

 will bo an advantage. 



Carnation Seed Sowing (3f. £.).— Seed sown now in gentle heat, the 

 plants potted-oli" or pricked-out in pans when they have two or tbreo leaves 

 besides the seed leaves, and grown in a frame or pit with protection in severe 

 weather, and planted-out in spring will flower, or some of them, next year. 

 We consider the seed is befst sown in the spring; tho plants are then strong 

 and bloom freely the following year. March to May is the best time for 

 sowing. 



Illustrations of Plants {G. i3.).—ScindrtpBn5 ia formed from species of 

 Pothcs, and of neither genera are there illastrations except in Rnmphius's 

 " Amboyna Plants." cEnothera tetraptera is figared in the " Botauicij 

 Magazine," pi. 4G3. 



Spir-t:a japonica Treatment for Window (Idem).— After it had flowered 

 it should have been planted-out in a border of good, rich, light soil, and if 

 rather shaiJed and moist all the batter, or if xn the open, well supplying with 

 water in dry weather up to October. The fcliage ought not to have been cut 

 off, for that only weakens the crowns for futsro fl jwering. The plant should 

 be taken up iu January and potted in good, rich^iglit soil, placing in the 

 window, a cool one at first, aud water sparingly until the plants begin to 

 grow, then increa^a tho supply with tho growth, tho watering requiring to be 

 very free when the growth ia full and flowering commences. 



C0TTING3 OF PANSiES AND ViOLAS (F. J.).— To make them branch and to 

 keep the plants stiff and well famished have the shoots stopped; but this 

 will not be required after tho fii'st stopping with the Pansies. Your north 

 border would suit Spiraja japonica, Lily of tho Valley, and Violets; also 

 Hopatica, Christmas Kose, Troilius europieus, and Myosotis disaitiflora. 



Select Border Plants for Cutting (W^m).— Campanula aggregata,. 

 Cheiranthus longifolius, Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley), the gold- 

 striped variety ia very effective fr^m its striped foliage; Daphne cneoram. 

 Delphinium belladonna, Hemerocallis flava, Iris Germanica Victoriue, ^'a^- 

 cissus poeticua plenus, Primula cortusoides amouna, Pyrethrum lancaolatnm 

 llore-pleno, Ranunculus amplexicaulis, Saxifraga longifolia, Schizostylis ooc- 

 cinea, Sisyriuchium odoratissimum, Spira?a fiUpenduIa plena, S. japonica^ 

 S. palmata, Statice latifolia, and TroUins europfeus. 



Mangolds for Seed (The Old Bushman).— Select tho finest roots, the 

 finest in form, and of medium regular size, and transplant in October or early 

 in November, and bo aa to cover the root to the crown, so as to save it from 

 frost, and protect the rows with litter in severe weather spread over the 

 crowns if the severity of the weather bo unaccompanied with snow, or the 

 roots may be stored away in the usual mauuer, but the top must not be cut 

 very close — the crown not removed, and be ploated at the close of Februajy 

 or early in March. 



CrcuMnERS Gc3:MiNa (P. J. 0.). — It ia a result of deficient root-action, 

 occasioned, probably, from want of bsttom heat. Remove some of the sur- 

 face soil, and give a top-dressing of rich compost, and water about twice 

 a-week with water the temperature of the house, Bprinkliog the house at 

 shutting-up time, end allow the foliage to extend, not keeping very closely 

 stopped. 



Gas in a Sm.all Greenhouse (Garrfcnr r).— We have no experience of the 

 gas stove you mention, but it or any form of gas stove having a funnel to 

 carry off to the external air the products of the consumed g&n, and no escape 



