DoMmber 16, 1876. 1 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENBR. 



537 



when the first ice ia formed. The ice is stored all above gronnd ; 

 it is all sent to sea in the summer months to preserve finh until 

 it can be delivered at Billingsgate Market. The usual form of 

 ice house for private families is that of the inverted cone. The 

 well is dug on the shady side of an elevated piece of ground, 

 and is further protected from the sun's rays by being planted 

 upon ; the well is arched over and entered by a passage from 

 6 to 12 feet long. The well may be any size, the larger the 

 better, but it should not be lees than 6 feet in diameter, and 10 

 feet deep. The passage is paved with strong ikgstones to resist 

 the pounding of the ice with mallets ; af ler being passed into 

 the ica house it is further pounded, until a solid block of ice is 

 formed in the house. The ice is best when it ia about an inch 

 thick. The secret in keeping ice ia to pound it together so 

 closely that little or no air can penetrate the mass, and it 

 ought also to be kept from the air after the house is filled. The 

 passage to the house ought also to be closely packed with ice. 



MUSHROOM HOUSE. 



Those who are preparing materials for the beds must be fully 

 impressed with the importance of having the manure as dry as 

 possible, for there is no danger at this season of having the 

 beds too dry; if the materials are over-wet the spawn will pro- 

 bably rot instead of running into the bed. It is seldom that 

 the proper degree of temperature can be obtained with wet 

 material, it either heats tno much or becomes rapidly cold ; 

 whereas a moderately dry bed, if pressed down, firmly main- 

 tains a genial heat until the Mushrooms appear. As soon as 

 they begin to show above ground the bed will most likely 

 require to be sprinkled with tepid water ; this prevents the sur- 

 face from cracking, and produces fleshy Mushrooms which are 

 dry and leathery if the beds become too dry; 53' at night and 

 60' by day ia the best temperature for the house. Admit air 

 daily even if it is in but small quantities. We do not like much 

 artificial he at in the house. For the sake of neatness the roofs 

 are generally slated, but thatch keeps up a far rnore equable 

 temperature ; it is cooler in summer as well as being far more 

 preferable for winter. 



PINE HOUSES. 



During this month and next PiL.ea do not require much atten- 

 tion. All the plants that have fruits in diiierent stages of deve- 

 lopment must t e looked over to see that they do not suffer for 

 want of water at the roots; the soil does not dry very rapidly at 

 this season, but still it must not become quite dry. It ia neces- 

 sary in the neighbourhood of London to wash the outside of 

 the house as well as the inside; there is a certain amount of im- 

 purity in the atmosphere, and more so at this season than any 

 other. We are always certain of a deposit of a sooty substance 

 after the thick fogs. It need not be stated that not only Pines 

 but all hothouse plants require all the light it is possible to give 

 them at this season. We have also washed both woodwork and 

 glass internally. No hothouse plants will succeed unless both 

 plants and glass are clean, especially in the winter season. 



PLANT STOVE AND ORCHID HOUSES. 



Even more so than in any other plant-structure would we urge 

 cleanliness in these houses ; not a single ray of light should 

 be intercepted, and this is also the best season of the year to 

 eradicate all sorts of insect pesta. Thrips are very injurious to 

 Orchids ; even L<ehaa and Cattleyas suffer very severely from 

 their attacks when the growths are being formed. It ia now a 

 very good time to destroy them by fumigating. During the 

 summer months the growths are rapid and succulent, being 

 very easily injured by tobacco smoke. At present this can be 

 applied strong enough to kill the pest without injuring the 

 growths. It is best not to apply the smoke too strong ; rather 

 give it three times at intervals of, say, three days. Any plants 

 that have dust or dirt upon the leaves should be carefully 

 sponged with soapy water ; we would insist on great care being 

 taken when this is done, as many valuable plants have been 

 permanently injured by the leaflets being bruised or broken 

 when they have been washed. 



The most useful of plants at thia season are the Orchids, 

 either for cutting from or for decorative purposes. Their showy, 

 quaint, and attractive flowers far surpass the other denizens of 

 the stoves ; aLd the length of time, if they are carefully tended, 

 that they continue ia the greatest point in their favour. At 

 present in our warm stove is a plant of Veitch's variety of 

 Vanda suavis, the flowers of which have been in full beauty for 

 at least a quarter of a year. Some autumn-flowering varieties 

 of Dendrobinm formosum giganteum last almost aa long ; then 

 peeping out from an undergrowth of Ferns are numerous spikes 

 of Calanthe vestita in variety, and the noble C. Veitchii. 



Passing to a house where cool Orchids are grown we have 

 the brilliant Epidendrum vitellinnm, wbioh haa been in flower 

 since July. Odontoglossuma are always in flower. 0. crispum 

 is an " aU the year round" species; the poEsessor of a dozen 

 plants need never be without dowers. Some persons may think 

 such plants are expensive, but it is not so. Freshly imported 

 plants in good health of many of the finest species may be 

 bought in the principal London nurseries at 5s. each. There 

 are of course a few rare species that wilt always command high 



prices, but on the other hand they are always worth the money 

 that was paid for them, or even more if the plants are kept in 

 good health. Deciduous Orchids have now lost their leaves 

 and are at rest; they require very little water at this season — 

 only suflicient to prevent the pseudo-bulbs from shrivelling, 

 The evergreen species must not have very much water, but 

 they require rather more than the others. 



We are very cartful in watering all stove plants at thia 

 season, it is the resting-time for nearly all of them. Our aim 

 ia therefore to study the wants of the plants in this respect 

 and when it is necessary to water them to give sufficient to 

 saturate the whole mass of soil, not giving any more watei 

 until it is actually required. — J. Douglas. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Hogg & Wood, Coldstream, N.B.— Catalogue of Forest and 

 Ornamental Trees, Bases, Shrubs, Conifers, d-c. 



Robert Cragg, Rose Nurseries, Car Colston, Bingham, Notts, 

 — Cataloijue of Eoscs, Pansies, Spring and Summer Beddin/f 

 Flants, d-c. 



Richard Dean, Ealing, London, 'W.— Classified List of New 

 and Choice Potatoes. 



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 bo subjects them to un- 

 justifiable trouble and expense. 



Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questioES 

 relating to Gardening 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 [An Old Subscriherl—'M. Decaiane'sbook is costly. Messrs. Triibner, 

 Paternoster Kuw, cuuld iufurm jou fully. 



Keeping Apples and Peaks (H. A. W.}. — Place them singly on shelves 

 In a dry cold room, and in the dark. Keep out frost and do Eoi wipe them. 



BuSE Beauty of Glazenwood [P. L., JVolverkamplon). — Thia new Kose 

 is in the handa solely of Mr. Woodthorpe of Glazenwood, near Braintree, 

 Eses, who haa not jet commenced sellmtj it to the trade. 



Heating Aeranoements (fl. L. E.). — The arrangement of the pipes ia, 

 as reyarda the gieeuhuuse division, correct, and also those of the smaller or 

 stove compartment, oi.]y you have too much " stuff " over the pipes to afford 

 bottom heat for atnkuig cuttings. The pipes to Kive bottom heat should not 

 be cuvtred more deeply than 6 inches with rubble, and upon it place the 

 plunging mnerial for the pots. We advise your having for ihe propagating 

 bed a frame made with the hinged lights, and this with the greater moisture 

 and closer atmosphere required for propagation will afford speedier end 

 greater certainty of operation. 



Raising Caepet-bedding Plants from Seed (P. F. S.).— AU the plants 

 you name may be raised from seed, but except the Amaranthua melanchoUcua 

 ruber all the others are best raised from cuttings, as seedlings are too green 

 in Ihe foliage to be of value for effect until late in the season. Dwarf- 

 foliaged plants for beddmg purposes that may be raised from seed are DeU's 

 Crimson B ;et, to be auwn early in April in good light soil in an open situation, 

 and transplantea in May in permanent quarlers, or sown at the close of April 

 where the plants are to remain ; Cineraria acanthifolia and C. maritima, sow 

 in a hotbed in Mar,h and grow-on in heat, pricking-off when large enough to 

 handle, hardening well eff before planting out ; Echeveria metahica treat in 

 the same way as Cineraria, also Oxalia tropieoloides and Golden Feather 

 Pyre thrum. Sttllaria graminea aurea and the other plants jou name are 

 raiaed from cuttings. 



Heating with Inch Connection Piping (Subscriber). — The 1-inch pipes 

 conaectiLg the 4- inch pipes in the conservatory will answer so long as they 

 remain free; but from the Accumulation of sediment and corrosion the 

 waterway becomes cloaed in a few years, hence we do not advise anything less 

 than 2-lnch pipes. They would be better in a covered flue tban in drain 

 pipes, which are unsuitable, as they do not admit of access to the pipea in 

 ease of need fi.r let aira. Bough plate gla^a a quarter of an inch thick ia the 

 best fur the roof of a conservatory with a view to avoid shading the glass. 



BocvABDlA not Thbiving {Bomccdi<c].—Tbe sprays sent are destroyed 

 by thiips or red ppider, or both, wbioh arises from excessive heat and an 

 insufficiency of muiature. To do well in winter Bonvsrdia^ require a tempe- 

 rature of 50^ to 65^^ from fire heat, and even tbis ia of no avail if the plants 

 have not been property prepared for flowering during the Bummer. Fumigate 

 with tobacco, aud maintain a temperature 10*^ leaa than that you at present 

 have, with a moiaier but well-ventilated atmoaphere. We shall have au 

 article shortly on the cultivation of these plants. 



Potatoeb and Gooseberries for Exhibition (Q. F.). — The best four 

 sorts of each sec'ion at the -Alexandra Palace Potato Exhibition were: — 

 iiounds— Porter's Excelsior, Rector of Woodstock, Model, and Early Market. 

 Kianeys — t^nowflake, leifection, Excelsior, and Waterloo. The best Gooae- 

 berriea at the National bhow at Manchester were :— ii^(i— Ploughboy and 

 Londun. ye/foic— Leveller and Ringer. Green— Shiner and Telegraph. 

 >f fti(€— Antagoniat and Hero of the Nile. 



Constructing Greenhouse {C. K. L.). — We fear we can be of little 

 aervice to you beyond giving you a few ordinary hints aa to the general con- 

 atruction of the honae. We preaume that being erected againat a north wali 

 it will be on the southern side, and a lean to. The house ia narrow ; the width 

 would be better increased to 9 feet, and having a 9-inch wall in front this 



