November 18, 1875. ) 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



451 



spirits of tnrpentine, and apply the mistnre with a brush to the leaves and 

 every part iafented, haviog the litiu'.l well stin-ed and mised, and applied at 

 a teinperftturo of 120- to 13U-, aoa this will remove or amother the scale, and 

 after twelve hours the plants should be thoroughly syringed with clean wat*ir 

 also at a temperature of 120- to 130\ If the ecale infcHtii the base of the 

 leavey it is best to place the plantH infested in a frame over a bod of hot dung, 

 the frame being full nf vapnur from the hot dung, and the lieat not exceeding 

 lOU, and the plants placed therein (or twelve hoars aud matted over, and 

 upon their removal from the frame syringed with a solution of soft soap, 

 4 ozs. to a gallon of water, applied at a temperature of 120 ^ the plants will 

 in all probability be cleared of the pest, or it may b9 necessary to repeat the 

 treatment. Any hotbed of hot dung in readiness for Cucumbers, &c., before 

 the soil is put on the bed, the bed being made up of sweetened dung, will 

 answer, and as yours are suckers it may be the readiest mode foryou to adopt. 



Temperatdre for Plants in Winter (Donna ,?<T(/,/ina).— You ask ua 

 to give the culture of no less than seven specien of as many genera. Our 

 reply must be brief. Bromelia Carolina is to be kept dry, bat not so dry as to 

 cause the leaves to become limp ; Dioffeubachia AVallisi requires to be kept 

 moist, and to have gentle sprinklings overhead twice daily; Eucharis ama- 

 zonica to be kept dry, the leaves not, however, allowed to flag, and in January 

 potted and encourn^ied with a briek heat and moist atmosphere; Alocasia 

 metallica to have the treatment of Dieffenbachia; PiiQChezia UMbili^ to have 

 water to maintain the folia^'e fresh; Ixora coccinea to have water to keep the 

 foliage from becoming limp; and .'Ulamaoda to be kept dry, but the wood not 

 allowed to shrivel. A temperature of 65= to 60^ by night with a decline in 

 very severe weather to Tjo'"" in the morning, fi5~ to 70' by day from fire heat, 

 aud 75-"' to 80- or more with sim and air. The Gesnera is probably Donke- 

 laari, and the leaf may bo an Erdnthamuui, but from a leaf and that one dis- 

 coloured it is not easy to determiue the name. 



Compost for Melons {Q. G.).— The top 3 inches of a pasture taken off 

 with its turf and laid-up in a ridge-like heap, with a layer between each layer 

 of turf of fresh cow dung an inch thick, and this allowed to lie six months, 

 and then chopped-ap aud thoroughly mixed, is, the soil from whence the turf 

 is taken being a strung or clayey loam, the best possible compost (or Melons, 

 it being pat- in firmly a foot deep. 



Aquatics in Vinery (T. B.). — Aquatics require light not shaded positions, 

 and will not do well if the roof be closely covered with the foliage of tha 

 Vines, but if only moderately shaded you may he fairly successful with 

 Aponogeton distachyon, Dietis bicolor, Houttunia cordata, Limnocharia 

 Plumieri, Nymphaia thermalis (Lotus), and N. odorata. 



Potting and Pruning Roses (T. B.).— Repot them at once, removing 

 all the soil that can be done without injury to the roots, giving a moderate 

 shift, employing a compost of three parts well-reduced turfy loam with a 

 fonrth part of cdd cow dung or well-rotted manure. Teas require rather 

 lighter soil than Perpetuals, affording good drainage. After potting place the 

 plants in a cold pit or other position where they can be protected in severe 

 weather, the pots plunged in ashes to the rim, and prune the plants when 

 they are taken into the liouse, which if a greenhouse for Rosea in April 

 and May will be the early part of January. The Teas require very moderate 

 pruning, and the Perpetuals rather close pruning. 



Unbinding Rose Buds {E. S.}.— The ligatures ought to have been slackened 

 iu about a month after putting-in the buds; unfasten them now, and let 

 them remain loosely bound over the winter, removing the ties when the buds 

 are growing. There is nothing to hinder your having standards or half- 

 standards, but on the seedling as well as Briar from cuttings dwarfs are 

 preferable. The Apple is not known to us by the name you received it. 



Orchids in Cucumber House (Richard Perrey). — The house will be 

 suitable in winter for some of the warmer-temperature-requiring kinds, but 

 as you have no heat after April except a warm greenhouse we do not consider 

 you would succeed with them at that season, they requiring more heat and 

 moisture during the summer than wiater mouthy. We should not advise your 

 attempting their culture unless you can give them more beat in summer 

 than a warm greenhouse. Our " Orchid Manual" would suit you. It may 

 be had free by post from our office for thirty-two penny postage stamps. 



Rhubarb Forcing [Mnnj, Dublin). ~To plant Rhubarb iu a grassy run 

 for fowls, and cover with earthenware pots, surrounding them with hot dung 

 at 2s. 6d. a barrowload, is a most extravagant way of forcing Rhubarb. You 

 may plant Rhubarb roots in the grass ruu, maouring the soil liberally, and 

 planting so that the crowns are slightly raised above the surrounding level, 

 covering them 2 or 3 inches deep with rich light soil, and over each crown you 

 may place the pots, and cover over as well &a surrounding with hot dung, 

 which will give yon stalks fit for use in about three weeks, or if surrounded 

 aud covered with litter you will have Rhubarb three weeks or so earlier than 

 were it uncovered. 



Tubular Boiler {G. Y. E.).— The boiler as shown iu your sketch must be 

 set upright, the one outlet— i.f , flow at top, and the two at the base will be 

 returns. Your object in setting horizontally is no doubt to savo a deep 

 stokehole, but that you must submit to with the present boiler. Yon wil 

 have more heat with the boiler set perpendicularly than horizontally, which 

 would not work satisfactorily nor save anything in fuel. We are unable to 

 see that you will have more heat in the propagating houses than iu the other 

 two compartments, which in addition to the pipes for bottom heat should 

 have tvrice the quantity for top heat as the other, which may be effected by a 

 branch pipe on both the flow and return as the pipes pasrt through the pro- 

 pagating house, they being double in it but single in the other two, as shown 

 in your sketch, which will be sulilcient for Roses and greenhouse plants. We 

 should, however, have a tlow and return into the propagating house in ad- 

 dition to those shown, and these represented by you we should have a valve 

 upon in the propagating house, so that tha heat can be shut off from the 

 Rose and plant bouse at will, with a flow and return always on for the pro- 

 pagating house. The conservatory should have three rows of 4-inch pipes 

 the length of the house, and they ought to be in front, or if you have them 

 in the path in a flue covered with iron grating four rows will be necessary. Id 

 the pathway would appear the best arrangement for the pipes as you have 

 borders with plants in them. You will need valves upon the flow and return 

 pipes of the conservatory, and where the pipes branch from the boiler for it. 

 The nearer to it the better, so that you may not have any waste of heat in 

 uselessly heated piping. 



Hybridising I A Pomologist).— There are fall details in the second volume 

 of Mcintosh's *' Book of the Garden." 



Erratum.— The collection of vegetables for which Messrp. Carter & Co. 

 were awarded a silver medal at South Kensington last week, was described as 

 containing "eight " sorts of Potatoes, it should have been eighty varieties. 



Bulbs in Window Boxes (Novice).— Yon may place the pots in the window 

 boxes, the pots being plunged over the rims in the soil or in cocoa-nut 

 refuse, and they will survive the winter; buti thay would be better plunged 

 ill ashes in a sheltered spot until February, and then placed iu the boxes. 

 The Crocuses planted now will flower iu March, the Hyacinths iu April, aud 

 Tulips in May. 



Grafting Pears on Quince Stocks (C. P. Q.).—Thc most eligible mode 

 is tongue or whip grafting. Tha scions of Pear, Plum, and Cherry should bo 

 takfu off in January, and their lower ends be placed in moist soil. The 

 stock should also ho headed back then to nearly whera it is to be grafted, 

 leaving however a little of the stocks to be cut off at the time of grafting. 

 The grafting phould be done in March or when the stocks are starting into 

 growth. In taking the scions of Plum aud Cherry make sure thit they have 

 wood buds, otherwise they will not gruw. 



Syringing with Soft Soap Solutions {</. H. D.).~The soft soap solution 

 coming in contact with the soil aud absorbed, will not, except in excesaive 

 quantity, injure the roots of the plants growing in it. It would be better 

 kept from the soil of pot plants, which may be effected by laying the plants 

 on their sides, and turning round so as to wet every part with the soap solu- 

 tion, washing the pots itfterwards, as the soapy water adheres to them and 

 has a very uusightly appearance. 



Names of Fruits (Englemi'rc).—2, Beurn- Clairgeau ; 3, Van Mona Leoa 

 Leclerc ; 4, Vicar of Winkfield; 5, Huyshe's Prince of Wales; 6, Ne Plus 

 Meuris ; 9, Eyewood. {Connau(iht Subscriber). — Apples: 1, Scarlpt Pear- 

 main; 2, Striped Beefing; 3, hot koown. Pcnrs : 1, not known; 2, Easter 

 Beurre ; 3, Beurre Bosc. (A Constant Reailcr).^2, Doyenni^ Boussoch; 

 66, Beurre d'Anjou; V2, Soldat Ewperen. (E. H. R.]. — Tha large yellow on© 

 is Beurre Diel, and the small one Ganael's Bargamot. (J. M. J. D.). — Pears : 



1, Nouveau Poiteau; 2, Zi^phirin Gregoire; 3, Brown Beurre. Apples: 



4, Tower of Glamis; 6, Boston Russet. iHtnry Tiirnhuli). — 1, Forelle; 



2, rotten; 3, Marechal de Co;ur. (W. O.). — No. 1 is a good Apple, but has 

 nothing remarkable in its flavour ; 2, Mere de Menage ; 3, Emperur Alex- 

 ander. (C. Z.). — No. 2, Beurre Sterckmans ; 6, Beurre d'Aremberg; 8, Vicar 

 of Winkfield; 15, Culmar d'Aremberg; 14, BergamotteEspereu; 12, Doyenne 

 Goubault. (C. Tiu-ner). — Herefordshire Pearmain. (Daint Druke). — 1 and 2, 

 not known. 3, Court of Wick. (<7. Kclway). — A showy Apple of no especial 

 merit ; probably a seedluig from a cider Apple. (T. Holman). — Nouveau Poiteau. 



Names of Plants {W. T. C). — 1, Nephrodium (Lastrea) dilatatum; 

 2, Aspidium angulare ; 3, Cystoptens fragilis ; 4, Aspidium aculeatum ; 



5, Adiauium hi.spidulurn ; 6, Adiautum Capillus- Veneris, (tf. Qrayson . — 

 Davallia canarieusis and Polypodium Billardieri. (J. L. C). — Pell.'ea falcata; 

 2, PeiUea rotundifolia. (Somerset). — 1, Polypodium Dryopteris. 2, Aspidium 

 angulare. The other three seem all forms of Adiautum cuueatum. (H. V. E.). 

 — It appears to be a species of Kalauchoe. (M. A.). — 1, Saponaria offici- 

 nalis; 2, TradescQjitia virginica. It is difficult to determine species of Aster 

 except from very good specimens; 4 is probably A. Novie-^Vngfiie. {G. M.). — 

 Escailonia rubra. 



POULTEY, BEE, AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 



CRYSTAL PALACE POULTRY SHOW. 



The grand national poultry Show for another year has come 

 and gone, and this evening the Crystal Palace Meeting of 1875 

 will be a thing of the past. Everyone looks forward to this 

 gathering, and while the menu presented continues so choice, 

 and the servers themselves so courteous, nothing else will be 

 able to get into the running as a national show. It is true this 

 year the numbers of entries are less, but that is nothing, for 

 all the while we find four thousand pens we shall be satisfied 

 that this Society is doing good work and producing good fruits. 

 To account for the lesser number of entries this time we have 

 the unsuccessful months of the early year, when in many places 

 the chickens refused to leave the eggs ; and then we have the 

 Alexandra Meeting, which for the first time held its levca this 

 season, and doubtless birds which were found to be quite out of 

 it there were not entered here. As, we should imagine, some 

 did not post their entries until the state of the Alexandra poll 

 was declared. Lots of good birds make their di'liiit here. One 

 or two of our greatest breeders have not exhibited iDefore this 

 season, waiting for this meeting; and we are not disappointed 

 with the results, for we have friends among the little birds, and 

 they come to ua with tiny whispers of what Mr. A has, or how 

 Mr. B's birds are moulting, or that Mr. C has some young 

 wonder in store for the tournament. We may say of the poultry 

 world very truly, that 



" Moving through a mirror clear, 



That Ixaogs before her all the year. 



Shadows of the world appear." 



for it is wonderful to notice how much truth there is iu these 

 shadows that from time to time flit across our paths from the 

 large establishments. Of course, lots of recent decisions are 

 turned upside down here. The winning heroes and heroines of 

 former shows have here to put up with those horrible " highly 

 commendeds," horrible because telling of defeat and showing no 

 returns of any sort for money spent in entry fees and carriage ; 

 but then 



" Let Fiite do her worst ; there are relics of joy, 

 Bright gleams of the past, which she cannot destroy." 



This certainly is cheering, aud the memory of bygone tri- 

 umphs with now defeated birds makes a fine sop for some and an 

 endless fund of grumbling for others. About the judging, wo 

 take the Judges' parts and always have done, for we know how 

 easy it is to go round catalogue in baud and with the aid of 



