November 25, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



471 



Edwiu Cooling, Mile-ash Nurseries, Derby. — Catalogue of 

 Boscs, Fntit Trees, Omametital Shrubs, and Winter-Jioiuering 

 Plants. 



C. Kilminster, Burgess Hill, Susses. — Catalogue of Dutch 

 Flower Moots. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*^* All 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- 

 justihable trouble and expense. 



Correspondents should not mix upon the same sheet questions 

 relating to Gardenmg and those on Poultry and Bee sub- 

 jects, and should never send more than two or three 

 questions at once. All articles intended for insertion 

 should be written on one side of the paper only. We 

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 



Books [Yoitng Hopeful), — As you need a cheap work, our " Garden Mannal 

 will suit yoa, free by post for twenty postago stamp?. (E. 1'.).— You do not 

 say whether you wish for a book on gardening, or for general instruction, or 

 for mere amusement. 



Grapes at Osmaston Manor.— "We hnve one or two letters confirming the 

 explanations we gave. There was no imputation that Mr. Harrison is not a 

 skilful gardener, and therefore wo need not occupy more space relative to the 

 subject. 



Adtertisement for Gardeners {F. H. F.). — Every gentleman advertises 

 for the kind of assistance he requires, and no one need be offended. Many 

 men who are not qualified for a head gardenership would very efficiently 

 manage a small garden and help in other ways. 



Shears (E. W.). — We are obliged by your sketch. They are a good variety 

 of garden shears, and are well known. 



LiousTKUM JAP0NICD3I {C. 22.).— This beautiful evergreen slirnb, of spread- 

 ing bushy growth, with large white flowers " like a white Lilac," is perfectly 

 hardy, but is improved by a sheltered position. 



Propagating LErcoPHYTON and Alternanthera (C. J.).— Leucophyton 

 Browni is hardy in light well-drained soil, but in web heavy soil is liable to 

 gooff in winter. Plants may be taken up, potted in light soil, and wintered 

 in a cold frame with protection iu severe weather. Propagation is effected 

 by division in spring, or the wiry "spray" may be put in as cuttings in 

 gentle heat- Alternantheras should be potted or placed in pans, and 

 wintered in a temperature of 50^ to 55", and encouraged in February with a 

 brisk moist heat, the cuttings being put in March in a good bottom heat, and 

 grown-on so as to make nice plants by planting-out time. 



Vines Producing Smaxl Grapes (An Irish Subscriber}. — Give the border 

 a dressing of rich compost — light turfy loam, with one-third of manure 

 addf'i, a fourth of charred vegetable refuse, and a fifth of half-inch bones, or 

 three parts turfy loam, and one part each manure, short and freeh, charred 

 refuHe, and half-inch bones, the whole beiug well mixed. Remove the surface 

 soil to the depth of 3 to 6 inchei-', if you can go so deep as the latter without 

 injuring tlie roots, and replace with the fresh compost one-third thicker than 

 the soil removed. This may be done now, mulching over the surface with 

 httery manure, removing the littery part in April. A sprinkling of guano 

 over the surface of the iDorder washed-in with water at a temperature of 

 75"^ when the Grapes are set, and again when the first indications of colouriug 

 appear, in each case makiug the surface of the border quite yellow with the 

 guano or 4 ozs. per square yard, will be of great benefit to the Vines. 



Trees for Cemetery A\'enue (A Sub. to " Our Journal"). — If the situ- 

 ation be sheltered, not bleak and exposed, the Deodar (Cedrus deodara) would 

 be the most suitable, and the next best in evergreens Lawson's Cypress 

 (Cupressus Lawsoniana). If you want shade for the footpaths you could not 

 have anything better than Limes, the red-twigged variety being best, Hunt- 

 ingdon Elms being good, also common and purple Beech. 



pRCNrNG Clematises (G., Killarne}/). — The plants having become bare at 

 bottom, yoor only plan vrill be to cut them down to within a foot of the base, 

 and depend upon shoots being emitted from latent buds at the bottom of 

 the stem ; but if the stem be devoid of them your best plan would be to dis- 

 entangle some of the shoots and train them downwards over the trellis and 

 as low as you can, depending upon the shoots they give next year for covering 

 the trellis equally throughout, which can only be secured by frequent regula- 

 tion of the shoots during growth. Propagation may be by layers made now 

 of firm shoots. Prune the Clematis in early spring before growth takes 

 place. Deutziaa and Syringas require no pruning beyond shortening irre- 

 gular growths and cutting out old bare wood. Do it in winter after the 

 leaves have fallen, but in mild weather. 



Propagating Rhododendrons (Wcml.— Grafting is practised for the 

 choicer varieties, the stock being potted the winter previouply, and kept 

 plunged in coal ashes in a sheltered situation over the rim, and duly seen to 

 (or water in summer. Grafting la beat done at the close of August or early 

 in September, side grafting being the most eligible mode, the plants after 

 gi-aftmg being shut up iu a frame, the lights inside brushed over with 

 whiting brought to the consistency of whitewash with skim milk. Cuttings 

 of the young wood inserted at the same time in sandy peat, surfaced with an 

 inch of silver sand under a han'l-light or cold frame, shaded and kept moist, 

 and if given a gentle bottom heat after a callus is formed they will root more 

 surely and speedily. 



DrviDiNG Gladiolus (Idem).— Take up the clumps the early part of next 

 month, whether they have fohage or not, and planting again the same day, 

 they will sustain no injury. 



Temperature for Todea superba and Adiantusi farleyense (J. P., 

 jw.n.}.— The Todea will do iu a cold house, but better in a house from which 

 Irost is excluded, to which we should at once remove the plant. Adiantum 

 farleyense requires a stove, or in winter a night temperature of 60- to 55", 

 and day 60" to 65". A.assimile aud A. cuneatum will succeed in a house from 

 which frost is escluded ; but A. cuneatum grows better in a cool stove or 

 warm greenhouse. 



Grafting Vines {B. A'.).— The stocks should be cut-back at once to where 

 yon propose to graft, aud the optration should be performed when the ImuHo 

 is started, putting-in the gi'afta by the usual tongue or whip-grafting, and on 

 the upper side of the rods. The stocks cut- back nuw should be pared smooth, 

 and have applied to the cut part Thomson's styptic or patcut kuotting used 

 by painters. This will leave no wound for bleeding only where the scion is 

 inserted, and this should be well secured. Have two eyes to the scions, using 

 grafting wax in preference to clay, covering over the junction with a little 

 moss, sprinkling with water three times a-day lightly. 



Grafting Camellias (/-^rnd.— "Wliip-grafting iH best, as by it the neatest 

 and brst junction is secured, and the best time for performing it \n in Hpring, 

 juet wlien the plants are commencing making fresh growth ; bit it must be 

 done before the scions have commenced to push, the scions being of the well- 

 ripened growths of last year, and with three or four leaves or joints. After 

 grafting place the plants under a handlight in a houpo with a temperature of 

 55^, and if the pots are plunged in a bottom heat of 70' to 75\ they will nuito 

 more speedily aud with greater certainty. Iu six weeks the uuiou will bo com- 

 plete, the bandage should be loosened, and the plants gradually hardened-off, 

 but continued in heat until the growth is complete, then removed to a cooler 

 house. 



Parsnips Cankered (B).— The cankered surface ia due to the attack in 

 the early stages of growth of the Carrot-fly (Psila rosfp), or Psila nigricornis, 

 aud we have known caokor result from the boring into the roots by the 

 maggots of the Crane-fly (Tipula oleracea). Quicklime and siot pointed 

 into the ground at sowing time, half a bushel to each per 30 square yards, is a 

 good prGventivo, but a better remedy is gas lime at tbe rate of half a pack 

 per rod (30| square yards), or twenty bushels per acre. The amraoniacal 

 liquor of the gasworks diluted with six times its volume of water, aud applied 

 to the ground with a rose watering-pot a day previous to sowing, is al.-<':) a 

 good preventive of canker. After an attack of maggot the plants go very 

 much to top, having remarkably fine luxuriant foliage. 



Removing Roses (H. B.]. — Leave them as they are until required to bo 

 moved, keeping the growths after July shortened rather closely, preventing as 

 much ft-^ possible long >appy growths from being made. In removing keep the 

 roots from drying winds, and by watering at planting, and sprinkling over- 

 head daily if the weather be dry, you may safely move them in September. 



Planting Orchard (Oregor;/ Young). — The tree'^ are sufMciently close 

 together without the Plums between each line of Apple and Pear trees, which 

 will only leave the trees 13 feet 6 inches apart, whereas they should not be 

 less thau 20 feet, better 24 feet apart. We should remove the Plum trees, or 

 increase the distance to 24 feet, or yon may leave the Apples and Pears as 

 they are and plant the Plums elsewhere 24 feet apart. This distance is not 

 too much, especially as you propose growing bush fruit in addition to the 

 standard trees We should trench tbe ground at least 18 inches deep, and 

 loosen the bottom of each trench another 6 inches, but not bringing tu the 

 surface more than 6 or 8 inches of the previously unmoved ^^oil, and apply 

 the manure to the surface, and pointing it in. It would be desirable to give 

 some well-rotted manure well mixed with the soil used for planting with. 



Soil fob Roses (S. AT.).— Your black loamy soil, with the addition of a 

 fourth each of tbe marly clay and old hotbed manure well intermixed, will 

 grow the Roses well, the ground being trenched 2 feet deep, and the manure 

 added and mixed with the soil as the work proceeds. 



Preparing Ground for Dahlias [Id^m]. — We should have the soil 

 trenched now two spits deep, placing between the top and bottom spit a 

 liberal dressing of manure, and place the marly clay on the surface after 

 trenching, aud throw up the soil as roughly a s possible for the winter. During 

 the firHf. dry frosty weather after tlie middle of February fork-in tho marl, 

 thriiwing the ground level, aud in March apply to tlie surface a liberal dress- 

 ing of well-rotted manure, and fork it in during dry weather, again turning 

 the surface with a fork at planting time. 



Pruning Roses (T. Kcnjicth). — Having planted them this month wa 

 should not prune them until February, and the dwarfs at the same time, in 

 both cases pruning rather closely — i.e., the strong shoota to three or four 

 eyes, the medium to two, and weak shoots to one eye of their base. Secure 

 the plants against winds, and if frost prevails in February defer the pruning 

 until milder weather. 



Peas for a Small Garden (Wt'm).— William I. (Laxton's) is the finest 

 of all early kinds, attaining to a height of about 3 feet. It may be sown at 

 the beginning of next month in a warm situation, or the first open weather 

 after the middle of February or in March, sowing at the same time Best of All 

 {Maclean's), which attains a height of about 3 feet, aud the latter-named kind 

 at intervals of three weeks up to the middle of June, putting-in at the same 

 time Omega (Laxton's) about 21 feet, and these will give you a supply of 

 Peas of the first excellence up to October, and later if frost permit. 



Select Carnations and Picotees {Idtin). — We name a dozen of each, 

 the first-Dumed in each class being the most moderate in price. Carnations — 

 Crinuion Bizarrcti : Eccentric Jack and Isaac Wilkinson. Scarlet Bizarres : 

 WilUam Pitt and Campanini. Purple Btzune.i : Purity and James Taylor. 

 Purple Flakes: True Blue aud Ajax. Scarlet Flakes: John Bailey and 

 Superb. Base Flakes: Mrs. Martin and Sybil. Picotees — Bed-edged: Mrs. 

 Keynes, Princess of Wales, and J. B. Bryant. Purple-cd{jed : Mary, Alliance, 

 and Mi-3. Little. Rose and Scarlet-edged: Gipsy Bride, Juliana. Mrs. All- 

 croft, aud Mrs. Fisher. YeUow Grounds : Prince of Orange and Claude. If 

 you only want them for cut flowers the Clove Carnations are good, aud there 

 are now some very fine varieties, as King of Yellow-;, Bride, Prince Arthor, 

 Geant des Batailles, Maiden's Blush, and Christine ; and of Picotees Mrs. 

 Kelk, Sparkler, Amazon, Margaret, Gem of Roses, and Beauty. 



Renovating Vinery [R. A. If'.).— The border inside ought to be the full 

 width of the house, especially if you have no outside border; but the present 

 width of outside border we should retain in addition to the inside border, 

 having the front wall with 2-feet openings and 14 or 18-inch pillaia, the open- 

 ings the depth of the border, and arched over, or a stone head placed across 

 the openings and only a few inches below the level of the border. The 

 openings and outside border may be made after the Vines have been planted 

 a year or two. To have Grapes in June you will require four rows of 4-inch 

 pipes along the front of the house. We do not recommend any particular 

 kind of boiler, but we advise you to have one sufficiently powerful to 

 do its work with ease. You may plant the Vines inside and still continue 

 the present Vines, but we should not continue them more than a year; and 

 if the Vines are closely planted, or if they cover the roof, it would be well to 

 discard the old Vines at once, for the young Vines must have room for their 

 foliage to be fully exposed to light and an-, so as to secure the thorough 

 ripening of the wood. Plant Btrong or fruiting canes, bat do not allow them 



