THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 287 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Vines in Pots. — Amateur. — The vines in pots may be left out of doors during 

 the current month, but it is not desirable that they should remain out until the end 

 of January next, when you propose to commence forcing them. It is in every way 

 better for the vines that they should, after the end of this month, be placed in a 

 cold, airy house, and the soil be kept in a moderately moist state. Many cultiva- 

 tors suppose that grape vines require no water whatever when at rest, but this is a 

 serious mistake, and many failures have occurred through keeping the soil dust dry 

 through the winter. If you are compelled to leave the vines out of doors until mid- 

 winter, stand the pots upon a hard surface, and then pack newly-gathered leaves 

 between the pots, for the purpose of protecting the roots from frost. 



Cement for Flowers. — Lady Subscriber. — The cement used by the bouquet- 

 makers in Covent Garden Market, and elsewhere, for fixing the petals of flowers 

 that soon fall off when the bloom or truss is removed from the plant, is easily 

 prepared. It is made by dissolving gum shellac in methylated spirit; sufficient 

 gum is added to the latter to make it of the consistency of gum ordinarily employed 

 for gumming paper. It should in fact be just thick enough to run rather slowly 

 from a small brush dipped into the solution, and then held over it ; therefore if too 

 thin, a little gum can be added : on the contrary, if so thick that it does not flow 

 readily from the brush, it should be reduced by the addition of a little more spirit. 

 When prepared it should be kept in a well-corked bottle, it is a very good plan to 

 put it in a rather wide mouthed bottle, and to cut a notch on one side of the coik 

 just large enough for the handle of a small camel's-hair brush, so that the brusli 

 can be constantly kept in the cement, and the latter air-tight. The common prac- 

 tice in using the cement, is to dip the brush into it, and then let a drop fall into the 

 centre of the flower, or if it can be done without damage, the brush charged with 

 gum is inserted into the centre of the bloom, the gum cements the petals 

 to the calyx and to each other, and they are therefore quite unable to fall ofl". 

 It is consequently of considerable value when pelargoniums are employed. The 

 cement may be purchased ready prepared, but as a bottle full, which costs eighteen 

 pence or so, may be prepared for a few pence, it is quite unnecessarj' for us to speak 

 of the economy of preparing it at home. Methylated spirit, which is used for 

 its cheapness, has a rather disgreeable smell, and those who object to it may employ 

 instead spirits of wine. 



PENTSTEMON.Sk — S. B. — Cuttings of these showy flowers may now be struck in a 

 cold frame. Select the tops of the young shoots, and insert in pans filled with light 

 sandy soil. AVhen nicely rooted, pot off separately, and winter in a cold frame. In 

 March next plant in the border. 



Zonal Pelaegoniums. — Young Gardener. — The zonal pelargoniums in the 

 borders, where they are not overcrowded, will be most valuable for conservatory 

 decoration next year, if managed with care. The best course will be to select a cer- 

 tain number of plants as quickly as possible, and prune them rather hard back, and 

 as soon as they commence to break again, which will be in about a fortnight after- 

 wards, lift and put them in pots of as small a size as possible. A rather light sandy 

 soil should be employed. If it is not convenient to prune the plants as here ad- 

 vised, lift and pot them in the course of the month, and leave the shoots the full 

 length. In January or February prune them into shape and shorten the shoots 

 sufficiently to insure a good supply of young growth from the lower part of the 

 plaut. When zonal pelargoniums are pruned at the same time as they are removed 

 from the open beds, a portion of the shoots die back and leave ugly blanks. 



Unripe Tomatoes. — K. S. — The full grown unripe fruit are not worthless, as 

 they will, if gathered in clusters and suspended in a warm room, attain maturity and 

 be of the utmost value for making sauce, and also for sending to table freshly 

 cooked. 



Greenhouse Query. — H. F. — The house requires painting and whitewashing, 

 and we should advise you to have it done with as little delay as possible, for it is 

 not safe for tender-rooted plants to be left out of doors after the third week in the 

 month, and ten days or a fortnight will be required for the smell of the paint to 

 pass away. The woodwork and the glass should be well scrubbed with hot water 



September. 



