October 28, 1876. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOETICUIiTCBE AND OOTTAGE GARDENER. 



387 



The best way is to plant in rows 4 feet apait, and at the distance 

 of 2 feet between the plants in the rows. A stout stick is driven 

 into the ground at the end of each row, and about -i feet C inches 

 oat of the ground ; a stout wire is strained between the two sticks 

 near the top, and another wire ia strained 1 foot 'i inches lowtr; 

 to these wires the Raspberry canes are trained about or 

 9 inches apart. An ensy way ia to plant out 3 or 3! feet apart; 

 the canes, four or five from each stool, are tied together at the 

 top, and two plants are made to meet together in the form of an 

 arch. It ia a rude way, and the most is not made of tlie ground. 

 Its advantages are that no sticks are required, and the training 

 is easily done. The planting should bo doue as soon as con- 

 venient. The best sort for general purposes is the Fastolf. 

 Carter's Prolific and Fillbasket are also sorts with large fruit, 

 and very free-bearing. A few plants of Yellow Antwerp should 

 be planted, aa they are useful as a dish for the dessert. The 

 October Red and Yellow may bo planted for the same purpose, 

 bat they may only be looked at, as they seldom have any 

 flavour. 



FRUIT AND FOKCING HOUSES. 



Vinrries. — We requ.'re to look very carefully over the bunches, 

 as the berries are so apt to become mouldy, and if these are not 

 removed at once decay quickly spreads. The leaves are now 

 falling rapidly, and these must not be allowed to litter on the 

 ground. All that are decayed we remove from the Vines by 

 hand. On some of the Vines bunches cf laterals have been 

 formed beyond the bunches; these we can now cut away to one 

 leaf from the bunch, which will further promote the circulation 

 of air and light amongst the berries. If the day is fine, with 

 sunshine, we throw open all the ventilators and have a good 

 heat in the hot- water pipes, stopping it off again about one in the 

 afternoon; by shutting-up time the pipes are cooled down and 

 the ventilators are closed till morning. But suppose there is a 

 change in the weather next day, a drizzling rain, a leaden sky, a 

 thick fog, or what is as bad, a thick close moisture-ladcn atmo- 

 sphere : well, we look inside the vinery, the air is clear and dry, 

 we do not open the ventilators in the morning, nor at noon if 

 the sun does not come out, the pipes are kept quite cool, and 

 ventilating the house wonld only let in damp. If the pipes 

 were heated and air admitted mere harm than good would arise 

 from it. 



We have taken advantage of the wet to have the early houses 

 washed, the Vines washed and cleaned, and the borders renewed. 

 The instructions for this are the same that have been recorded 

 €very season ; still we would urge the necessity of thoroughly 

 clearing off all the loose bark from the Vines without scraping 

 it quite into the inner bark. Indeed we always think the Vines 

 are injured when we see the old bark quite peeled off all over 

 the house. It is not necessary to do this, but it is quite neces- 

 sary to clear away all loose or superfluous bark about the old 

 spurs. All these require to be very carefully cleaned. A little 

 extra time now, when time is not so valuable to a gardener, will 

 save days of anxiety, and ofttimes fruitless labour at a time 

 when work is pressing on all hands. After sponging the canes 

 well with strong soapy water, pressing it into all the crevices, then 

 paint all over the young and old wood with the usual mixturer. 

 Those who require Grapes early in April will now be starting 

 their Vines; let it be done very gradually at first, and without 

 any artificial heat when the weather is fine. 



MUSHROOM HOUSE. 



The beds will now be in good bearing state, or showing signs 

 cf the coming crop by the surface of the bed becoming marked 

 in places with a white substance, from which the tiny Mush- 

 room forms itself, and then the numerous dots rapidly increase 

 oa those white patches. In other parts of the bed single speci- 

 mens start up, or patches of three and four together. The 

 largest MushMoms are obtained when they come very thinly, 

 the thick patches furnish quantities of " buttons." According 

 to the state of the bed so will be the quality of the Mushrooms. 

 If the bed is dry the crop will be tough and leathery ; but the 

 state of the bed must be seen to as soon as the Mushrooms 

 appear. After the first gathering, water with tepid water, say 

 T-j^ or SO"*, and if the atmosphere of the house is naturally dry 

 place some clean straw over the surface to retain moisture. 

 Those who have to maintain a snccession of Mushrooms through 

 the winter months will have one bed ready to make up when 

 the other comes into bearing. Even under the best manage- 

 ment Mushroom beds are uncertain both in the quantity, pro- 

 duce, and length of time they continue in bearing. Sometimes 

 the spawn is not so good one time as it is another, nor is it 

 possible to have the beds to heat Just as they are wanted. Kot- 

 withstanding all this, a good grower can generally tell at the 

 time of spawning his bed how the crop will turn out — that is, 

 preBuming the spawn can be depended upon. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



Chrysanthemums are now coming into flower, and we depend 

 upon them for the next six weeks to tupply us with nearly 

 all the flowers required. We grow over l.JU varieties, includ- 

 ing some of all the different sections, and as they are trained 

 and arranged in many different ways an excellent effect can 



be produced. What the Chrysanthemum requires is to bo 

 potted in rich clayey loam, and to be well supplied with manure 

 water from the time the buds set until the flowers open ; if this 

 is doue the flowers are rich in colour, with stiff, enduring petals. 

 Mildew is the worst euemy at this time, and most persistently 

 attacks the leaves; as a preventive we dust all the leaves with 

 flowers of sulphur as the plants aro brought into the house ; thia 

 will keep the enemy at bay for a long time, and should the 

 disease spread further another application of sulphur will 

 destroy it. 



Tree Carnations have been taken in from out of doors, and are 

 now showing abundance of flower from cuttings reared in March. 

 The variety Misa Joliiffe put in at that time and grown on freely 

 makes splendid plants for cutting flowera from. It ia now to be 

 seen in Coveut Garden Market beautifully in flower. Very 

 useful at present are the liouvardias Vreelaudii and longiflora; 

 the plants nave flowered all through the autumn months out of 

 doors. Late plants taken into the greenhouse or conservatory 

 will continue to produce flowera until Christmas. Cyclamens aro 

 throwing up hundreds of flowers. It is necessary to remove any 

 decaying leaves or stalks from the planta at once ; but it ought 

 not to be necessary to remind all who have charge of hothouses 

 at thia season to keep all the plants clean and free from decay- 

 ing leaves and flowers. We are tying and training specimen 

 plants as opportunity offers. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



It ia no use trying to do anything here while walks and grass 

 are surcharged with water. We swept up littery leaves where 

 they were an eyesore, and as soon as it ia posaibl© to wheel 

 barrows over the ground the flowera will be cleared off. The 

 Gladiolus roots are being lifted, but we had to discontinue tha 

 work owing to the wet. — J. Douglas. 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



Secretaries will oblige ns by informing na of the dates on 

 which exhibitions are to be held. 



Jebset. — Chrjsanthemums November 10th. Major Howell, Spring Grove, 



St. Lawrence, Hon. Sec. 

 Loughborough. — November 15lh and 16th. Mr. W. Pallett, 55, Bastergate, 



Sec. 

 NofiTHAMPToN (ChryBanthemums). November 16th and 17th. Mr, N, 

 Gutteridge, 51, Denmark Koad, Sec. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



J. C. "Wheeler & Sods. — Catalogue of Fruit Trees, Hoses, 

 Ornamental Shrubs, Flower Hoots, i£-c. 



G. Prince, H, Market Street, Oxford. — Catalogue of Hoses, 



G. CooliDg, 18, Broad Street, Bath. — Catalogue of Hyacinihs 

 and Hoses. 



A. M. C. Jcugkiudt-Coniuck, Tottenham Nurseries, Dedems- 

 vaarfc, near Zwolle, Netherlands. — Wholesale Trade List of 

 Fruit Trees and Eases. 



J. B. A. Deleuil, MareeiUes. — Catalogue of Amaryllis, Be- 

 gofiia, tfc. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

 *^* AU correspondence Bhould 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 bo subjects them to uu- 

 justifiable trouble and espense. 



Seedling Pear [Burghlry Qardens). — The fruit received ia very fine ia- 

 deed, aud a Pear of the first quality. 



Peaes and Plums on East Wall (P.).— Any of those in your lists will 

 ripen on an eastern aspect, but not on a northern. 



Grapes at the Edinbdrqu Show (D. E, and others), — "We cannot in- 

 sert any Uirther communications on this subject. The question *' What is a 

 bunch of Grapes ? " is quite another subject. 



Early Pears— Salsafy Cooking (ff. S. F.).— Summer Doyenne, Citron 

 des Carmes, Jargonelle, Williams' Bon Chrttien, B6Qrr«;- d'Amanlis, and 

 Summer Thorn. Alter you have scalloped the Salsafy drain it, fry it lij^htly 

 in white sauce, let it coul, then dip it in the white sauce and fry it again. 



Journal of the Pioval IIorticultdral Society {Anxious Inquirer). 

 — It is not now published. Ah to the back numbers, Messrs. Kaukin & Co., 

 Drmy House, Drury Court, Strand, who were the publishers, can give you 

 information. 



Saving Fccjisia Seed (P. T. B.).— As the seeds are enveloped in a pwlp, 

 i'. is necessary, iu order to preserve them, to cleanse them effectually. This 

 is done by washing; bruise the berrios with the hand, and mix them wiih 

 water; as soon a9 the pulp is all washed off, pass the IJquur through a haii- 

 sieve fine enouRh to catch the seed, wavh it repeatedly till it is quite clean, 

 then dry it gradually ; put it np iu brown paper, and keep it in a dry room 

 till spring. Sow it early in March in a mixture of light fcQudy loam and peat, 

 covtr slightly, and place the pots in a gentle hotbed. When the seedlings are 

 half an inch high transplant them in rows acrcB.'j pots 5 inches wide — these 

 will hold about twenty vr thirty plants each, and then replace them in the 

 hotbed. In these pots they may remain for a month or six weeks, and then 

 they will require pottiiig-oJI tio^ly into S-inch pots. 



