aot 
. Apri 
1834.) 
THE GARDENERS 
CHRONICLE. 
479 
the plant, consequent upon profuse flowering, aided no 
doubt by the attack of insects, the want of nourishment 
in the soil, and the season being rather warmer than is 
altogether conducive to their well-being. Many amateurs 
experience considerabie difficulty in managing their plants 
at this season, and therefore a few remarks on their 
treatment may not be unacceptable. 
After the plants have done blooming, or rather after they 
ave become shabby—for they should not be allowed to 
Perfect all their bloom—remove them from the greenhouse, 
and divest them of all the flower-stems, and such of the 
leaves as may have an unhealthy appearance ; examine 
the roots to see that the drainage is free ; remove the sur- 
face-soil to the depth of one inch, and replace it with 
Nich light sandy compost, taking care to place it well up 
Yound the base of the plant, so as to allow the young 
Shoots to strike root into it, and if they are at all filthy, 
fumigate them slightly for several nights in succession 
With tobacco, When they are clean, they must be 
Placed in a warm shady, corner, on a north-west aspect, 
and if a frame and sash can be spared to cover them in 
Stormy or cold weather, it will be to their advantage ; 
but they must be fully exposed at all other times. In 
the Course of a month or six weeks after they are thus 
treated, they will begin to produce shoots pretty liberally, 
and when these are about an inch long they must be 
thinned out, leaving sufficient to form a specimen-plant 
fo another season, and using the remainder for propaga- 
tion. At the same time the plant should be cut in to 
Make it form an uniform head in the following season ; 
but the knife must be used cautiously, as the plants are 
Tather impatient of its influence. 
na week after the above operations are performed, the 
Plants will require shaking out of their old pots, and 
*€-potting into smaller ones. In doing this, proceed 
Cautiously ; that is, damage the old healthy roots no more 
t can be avoided, but get as much of the old soil away 
them as possible. The compost for autumn potting 
Must be rather poor than otherwise; and should consist of 
‘urfy loam, peat, and sand, in about equal proportions, 
With a sprinkling of leaf. Jd for the t: i 
‘ Be careful to drain your pots thoroughly, which 
Will be best secured by using the inverted pot, and adding 
titer sized one every time the plants are re-potted, so 
thee by the time the plant gets into its blooming pot, 
i ere is a hollow cone through the centre of the ball of 
es which secures it against any stagnation of moisture, 
nd also admits of a free ingress of air to the roots. 
‘ave practised this mode of draining Calceolarias for some 
te vee and find it the best that can be adopted. 
the Pee a are potted and replaced in the frame, 
ea ~ require to be kept close and rather cool until 
fr, y Degin to make new growth, after which air must be 
reely admitted, 
b if large handsome Specimens are desired, the plants 
must be kept slowly growing throughout the whole winter, 
ut of course without being forced in the dull months. A 
Young plant, however, vigorously grown from this time 
til next March, will generally make the finest specimen 
for exhibition, as for that purpose it is not large plants 
that are required so much as clean, neat, compact, and 
lhxuriant specimens. During winter, Calceolarias do not 
*equire much water (but should not at anytime be allowed to 
Aig) 3 in summer, however, they can scarcely have too much 
ei it, The best soil that can be used for growing Calce- 
clea in is equal parts of turfy loam, peat, and leaf-mould, 
tee about one-sixth of white sand mixed with it. This 
is Old be used as rough as possible, and if the leaf-mould 
pl a half decomposed, it will be all the better for the 
Ls 
from 
& only secret in growing Calceolarias is to get the 
S strong in autumn; grow them gently, with 
y of air, through the winter; put them into their 
in Hee pots on the one-shift system in the first week 
ke ebruary, and then push them along in a gentle heat, 
“ping them free from insects, until they show bloom in 
Place’ after which they must be grown in a cool, airy 
a fe, to prevent the flower-stems from being too much 
Wa.— HW, P, Ayre. 
HOME CORRESPONDENCE. 
-—I was pleased to find you expressing it as your 
be that it is wrong to imagine that grapes require to 
congrrosed to the sun to bring them to maturity, as it 
that m™ns a statement which I made on a former occasion, 
ave frequently seen them of a better colour when 
under the shade of leaves or beneath a rafter than 
Of 5 More exposed, and that they are less liable to shank 
dban Such a situation. I cannot, however, subscribe to the 
exten ne that the longer the shoots are permitted to 
i: 
Pines, 
pinion 
Stown. 
When 
the 1 the greater the benefit to the growing crop, even if 
ing eae could be exposed to light, which is impossible 
Space Othouse, where a bunch of grapes is expected in the 
a which every half-dozen leaves would require. Tam 
Oubt ful 
he fruit 
tritter fo; 
cong owing Season, ( 
na ess my ignorance,) but experience and observation are 
my si I on which I had with an 
ae 
i . 
ation we embryo bunch, because I perceive the berries, 
thinning) or early stage, swell the faster for it. In 
ning some bunches lately, I observed two shoots that 
had proceeded from a double eye; both had a bunch of 
grapes,—that from the small or hind eye not having even a 
leaf beyond the fruit, yet the berries are larger than on the 
other shoot, which has leaves, and is, moreover, much 
stronger. I am aware that this is a dangerous field for an 
uninitiated writer to enter upon, when Mr. Knight and 
others have demonstrated that, unless there are leaves to 
draw and prepare the juice of a fruit, it will neither swell 
freely {nor have flavour; but I have seen both Peaches 
and Plums without that auxiliary, as large as others, and 
have tasted them when ripe, and found them not flavour- 
less.—J. Murdoch. [It should be observed, that we do 
not object to stopping” in order to make bunches 
swell. What we doubt the expediency of is the prac- 
tice of cutting away or destroying all laterals, &c.] 
——Setting aside your judicious observations at p. 443, 
I have this year stopped at the bunch those Vines 
which produce fruit in pots, and judging from the 
quality of the fruit, I see no cause to abolish this 
practice. In Spring, when every foot of glass is to be 
made the most of, it is to be recommended with the pot 
System: more rods may be admitted with less fear of 
crowding them; the foliage grows to an immense size, and 
is so full of sap that if the mid-rib is broken, it soon 
heals over and appears as capable of producing a plant as 
a cutting of the Salvia or a Gloxinia leaf. A Black 
Hamburgh Vine has been subjected to this treatment for 
many years, and annually \bears from 30 to 40 bunches, 
which are ripe in May. ‘The branches are always kept in 
heat, and the roots are always warm from the bark-bed in 
front of them.—W. Brown, Merevale. [We trust it will 
be observed that the roots here are kept warm.] 
Pines.—I feel greatly obliged to ‘* A Subscriber,” as 
Well as to “* A Subscriber from the beginning,” for favour- 
ing me with their opinion respecting the failure of my 
Vines, (mentioned at p. 414,) although I do not agree with 
either of them as to the supposed cause. The failure of 
my Vines cannot be attributed to the difference of tempe- 
rature between the house and border, since I do not lose 
one leaf before the sun attains sufficient power to warm 
both the house and border. As “A Subscriber” states 
that his Vines recovered as soon as the sun became powerful 
enough to warm the border, that is ‘sufficient evidence 
that his Vines are not affected in the same manner as mine, 
‘“\ Subscriber from the beginning ’’ says, atp. 461, he is 
persuaded that Ihave planted my Vines too deep, but 
upon examining their roots the other day, I found them 
en feet from the front of the house, within an inch of the 
surface, and quite healthy. In an adjoining house, I have 
five Vines which were planted a year earlier than the 
others, and were treated in the same manner; in the third 
year each bore seven bunches of fine grapes; and this 
year they have each ten bunches upon them, as fine as a 
gardener would wish to see.—S. Querill, Park Villa. 
Guano was applied to Cauliflowers, and it has been 
found that those to which it was applied were not injured 
y the Wire-worm ; it was sufficiently tested, the plants 
having been watered alternately in the rows, and every 
plant not watered was more or less infested.—Zephyrus. 
Asparagus.—* Perhaps,” says Mr. Wallace, of Kelly, in 
your Number of June 24, “perhaps at this time of day you 
will scarcely believe that the great proportion of practical 
gardeners disbelieve the method which you recommend for 
raising Asparagus, chiefly because it does not accord with 
the practice they have been used to, and therefore they 
cling to the old lazy fashion of trusting to covering them 
up with manure before winter, and cutting only a shoot 
here and there in spring.” Now, for the life of me, I 
cannot ‘understand why the champion of reform should 
condescend to make such an uttack upon the majority of 
gardeners, and take upon himself to say that the majority 
of gardeners disbelieve your method of raising Asparagus, 
and I venture to think that they would be equally the 
same in everything else, could Mr. Wallace’s statement 
be proved ; but I stoutly deny the charge, and say that 
the greater proportion of practical gardeners do believe 
your method to be very excellent, because they have both 
seen and heard of the good effects of a top-dressing of 
guano, and during the summer to apply liquid manure and 
common salt. The i cutting of the Asparagus com- 
pletely over in spring is not so new in Kelly as Mr. Wal- 
Jace would have us to believe, for I can prove that the 
same plan was adopted there by a good gardener some 20 
years ago, who has practised it ever since, ‘though not at 
Kelly.” How is it then at all possible that the majority 
would condemn that which many of their number prac- 
tise annually. The honourable M.P. calls upon you to 
“ fortify your recommendation from authority.” Does he 
for one moment suppose that the majority of gardeners 
would question your authority ? or does he think that we 
have not men in the profession who have as much brain, 
anda vast deal more sound judgment in garden affairs, 
who would very soon prove the method to be right or 
wrong? But gardeners are fully aware that you would 
not be guilty of anything 80 ridiculous as to advance any 
doctrine without being fully satisfied of its soundness ; ay, 
and state your views quite specific enough for any one. 
Verily, Mr. Editor, we must be a very stiff-necked, con- 
tumacious, and rebellious race in the west of Scotland, (at 
east Mr. Wallace would have you believe so,) to be so 
easily guiled into anything that we’ may Sugeest i oa 
not acquainted with the honourable Gentleman’ s gardener, 
—if he is a gardener at all,—but i should like Mr. W. to 
inform me whether he is at all acquainted with a person 
who offered, not long since, the very handsome sum of 
271. per annum toa gardener. Where, in the name of 
wonder, that person expected to find a man that would or 
could conduct his garden affairs for such a sum I know 
not ; but I apprehend neither gardeners nor their masters 
ought to be astonished if such a gentleman were to com- 
plain of “men too often distinguished by their obstinate 
resistance to everything new which they themselves do 
not suggest.’”’—_4, Mathison, Clydesdale. 
Nitrate of Soda.—Some persons assert that, although 
a good crop may be obtained by the use of this salt—the 
following year, if the salt is not again applied, the pro- 
duce is poor and the soil is deteriorated. Will some of 
your readers who have experimented during two years be 
kind enough to state the fact?—G. g, 
Potting.—In a late Paper, when treating of potting 
plants, you say, ‘‘to bury an inch or two of the stem of 
a plant is very injurious.” Now, as a general rule, I 
dare say it is correct; but, had I observed it, my small 
collection of plants would have been less by six. In 
August, 1841, [ sowed some Pelargonium seeds, saved that 
summer. They came up, and I kept them so warm that 
they became, when about two inches high, too weak to 
support themselves—all died excepting one, and that I 
plunged up to the first leaf in a rich compost; it grew, 
and is now, as far as form is concerned, a singularly 
beantiful plant—it is about 3ft. 2in. in circumference, 
17 inches in height, and is supported on a single stem 
half-an-inch thick ; it is one mass of leaves, in which the 
shoots are hidden, for not one is visible. It has been 
raised in a room without fire, and, excepting in very 
severe weather, has never, since re-potting, been in a 
warm place. I have raised six more this spring, and 
they bid fair to rival “my pet’’ in robustness. It has 
flowered this summer, and I send two of the petals for 
your opinion.—Z.C. [We regret to say that the Pelar- 
gonium here alluded to was so much shrivelled as to be 
unrecognisable. It did not appear of any yalue in a 
Alristical point of view.] 
Salvia patens.— As‘‘Mr. Ross, Holme Gardens,”’ 
asserts that Salvia patens ‘is hardy, I beg to inform him 
that a plant was left out last winter in the garden here, by 
mistake, the soil and situation, however, being as favour- 
able as in most places at Holme. While digging the 
border, the tubers were turned up. I inspected them 
minutely, in order that if any vegetation remained, some 
cuttings might be got from them. However, it proved 
otherwise; for although the tubers were fresh, the crown 
of the plant was completely decayed, so that it was utterly 
useless and good for nothing. Possibly Mr. Ross’s plant 
may be hardier than those grown in the neighbourhood 
of  Avoch.’’ — Cromdale. —— Considerable doubt 
seems to be entertained by your subscribers as to the 
above plant being ableto stand the winter unprotected. 
I was determined last winter to try for myself, and sorry 
Tam that Ididso. I give ‘you the result. I hada fine 
Salvia on a south and very dry border, and when it had 
ceased flowering and the stems had partly died down, I 
covered it over with what we call pea gravel, and placed 
a flag-stone on the top to protect it from the heavy rains. 
In the spring) 1 found, to my regret, that it was dead. 
Not wishing to risk my other plants, I took them up in 
the autumn, and potted them in soil ; kept them in the 
window of my cottage, and allowed them occasionally a 
little water. The consequence was, they started to make 
shoots early, and I have a fine collection, all being 
alive. As the latter mode is so simple, and not attended 
with much trouble, I would advise your correspondents, 
at all events, not to try the experiment of leaving out all 
their plants during winter.—Chemical Jack. [We think 
enough has now been said about Salvia patens.] 
® Silk Plant of Madeira.—The beautiful plant in Ma. 
deira, called by the natives Arrore de Seda, or Silk Tree, 
is the “* Gomphocarpus fruticosus.”” Perhaps this may be 
the “ Madeira Silk Plant”? mentioned in your answer to 
‘Zephyrus,” at p. 465.—£. J. M. 
Arrowroot.—Y ou state at p. 447 your wonder that “the 
West Indian cultivators do not turn their attention more 
to the production of Arrowroot,” and that **if it could be 
had genuine, at a moderate price, it would be Jargely 
consumed in England. But 3s. or 4s, a pound isa’ pro- 
hibitory price.’’ Allow me to say that I have imported 
for my own use, and for the purpose of giving away 
amongst my poorer neighbours, whatever, quantity I have 
required for many years past, direct and genuine from the 
West Indies; and that the reason why it is not more 
cultivated, is, that the price at which it is sold (genuine) 
there for will not sufficiently repay the producer for 
trouble—i. e. 12, 12s. 6d. per cwt.! Add to this the 
present rate of duty, 1s. per ewt.; freight, 4s.; sundry 
expenses, say 2s. 6d. ; = 21. per cwt. As I have stated, 
I obtain my Arrowroot genuine, and at the above price 4 
so that if sold even at ls. per pound, there would be a 
clear gain of 150 per cent. to the retailer, and at the price 
you state some 400 or 500 per cent. The fault, then, 
lies not with the West Indian cultivators, but with the 
English retailer.—A st Indian. 
Gladiolus communis.—In the heart of the New Forest 
I gathered, about a week since, the inclosed Gladio 
evidently a small variety of G. communis. It w 
with many others in the midst of lon 
never, that I am aware of, been notic 
foundiin a wild state.— Pinus. 
Chamomile.—Two years ago JT plan 
double Chamomile behind a north 
soil. The following year I was g 
the blossoms, with the exception of one or two patches, 
lus, 
a8 growing 
& grass, but has 
ed as having been 
d three beds of 
1 in very strong 
dug up, and replanted, after receiving plenty of manure 
i good double-flowering plants from a 
neighbouring garden, and this year, I think, everyone is 
Will any of your correspondents have the kind- 
ness to inform me whether it is the aspect or the soil that 
does not suit them J. WwW. T. 
Tank System of Heating.—In the drawing given of my 
tanks at p- 460, the dimensions are so much reduced 
