1844.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



149 



TO** • 



the lower 



f hot w^eTpif^s along the front and both ends ; 

 Lr or return pipe lies in a trough made of bricks 



^Zman'ccment;" this can be filled with water so as 



«tir5f » «>"< thc P 4 P e ' that k i may raiSC / T 8 ^^ 

 ninoVrerful steam in the pit when required Besides 



and powerrui * Melons, Cucumbers, and 



riD ^ P *otlerthin^ l *™ 



^^^^ wWcb I ^d very convenient By 

 Sis means I can easily enlarge or reduce the size of each 

 compartment to suit exactly the purpose it may be wanted 

 for Suppose that in next autumn I shall have fruited 

 off a number of Pines, and consequently have three or 



loose 3 bricks lengthwise, about four feet from the front 

 wall and fill up the space with tan for bottom- heat. 

 "When the heat is risen to the proper degree for putting 

 in the plants, the soil is put on in little hills at first, and 

 the tiellis is fixed in its place, in which is left an open 

 ipace at the back, in one of the corners, about two feet 

 iquare, for the purpose of going in to regulate the plants. 

 This is very easily accomplished by pushing down the 

 light and having a short ladder to step upon ; the laps in 

 the glass are puttied perfectly close, and for at least four 

 months in winter no air whatever is admitted, and the 

 plants receive very little water, — say once in a month at 

 most,— and then only a small quantity is given them. In 

 pruning up the centre of each light I generally take only 

 a single shoot, which pushes out its bearing laterals 

 throughout its whole length, and this covers the whole 

 surface of the trellis under the light. Should any accident 

 happen to the main shoot, a lateral brought into its place 

 will soon fill up the vacancy. With respect to the sorts 

 most worthy of cultivation, I have tried a good many of 

 the most famed varieties for three years past, and I find 

 they differ widely, both with regard to bearing and hardi- 

 ■ess. The true Sion Cucumber is the kind that I prefer 

 before all others for general cultivation ; it is a hardy and 

 prolific bearer, and answers either in winter or in summer 

 for pot-culture or for planting out in beds. Of the long 

 kinds the best I have met with is one that was sold in 

 London two years since, under the name of the Superb 

 White Spine ; it is hardy, and a good bearer. I had 

 three lights of it last year, which kept ia bearing for 12 

 months, and would have borne longer if they had been 

 allowed. It frequently grows from 22 to 26 inches long, 

 and is a very handsome-shaped fruit. From one plant 

 of this growing in a box standing on the footpath in 

 a corner of the Pine-stove, I have cut, since the middle of 

 January, seven brace, averaging 18 inches in length each. 

 The blaek-spined sorts appear to require a stronger heat, 

 and are of a' more rambling habit than those that are 

 white-spined; but I have just now in bearing three lights 

 of Latter's Victory of England, which seems to be a 

 very hardy sort, as well as a handsome and prolific bearer ; 

 it is the best black-spined Cucumber I have yet met with. 

 —Robert Reid, Nobfe Thorpe. 



Inscriptions.— In order to clear a stone slab of Ljchens, 

 place the stone face downwards on the ground, if conve- 

 nient; but if that cannot be done, cover it with loam or 

 soil— the richer the better. If the stone should form part 

 ot a wall this may, nevertheless, be done by fixing a 

 ooaru a short distance from it, and filling up* the space 

 vntii soil. In Scotland, grave-stones may be frequently 

 nf C V } '! ng ?" S rouud > fa ce downwards, for the purpose 

 Wihf ii n i L,chens and rendering the inscriptions 



T^f a 1-'~~ We .-2 ,ave recei ™d three recipes for making 

 thltth tu d . ,fferer,t correspondents. One informs us 



M«i k Ing never faiI * t0 make Kg"** S° od bread :— 

 mm about two quarts of malt in a gallon of boiling 



into ll 1 lt f and about two Lours > ^cn skim it off 

 add „ x , Sma11 tub ' and when it is sufficiently cool, 

 cient r „» ;! P °r ful 0f * east ' whicli will produce a sutfi- 

 W i w.T ? u F a iar * e bdkin 5- Re P ea * this whenever 



formlr T e. a .t?« W' ^^ kec P in * * little ° f tbe 

 same a/h • e lhe next work > the process is the 



the wt im ° nly withouL atlJin S Hoi>^ or boiling 

 be nut hi *1 l t !* e , weath « ^ very cold it may require to 

 fall to fl 7 i .. ea fire t0 D,ake it work. Yeast will 



the ton _! b °! t0m 1 0f the tub, besides that which rises to 

 ?east mi* , Another states that eight gallons of excellent 

 Wer anHi ,. made as follows :— Take ten gallons of 

 Uen s'train ,k ?• 1>ounuof Ho P^ boil them for two hours, 

 of ground Vh qU ° r ,nt0 a tub > and stir in half a peck 

 ally- let it ? j ,X them weI1 together and stir occasion- 

 of yeast f i °. nt|1 blood - w arm, then take one gallon 

 "mainsof ef at first ' and afterwards from the 



a11 toeethpr your ,° 1 wu 8t ock f with two pounds of flour, mix 



• nd strain • f V lt Work ci « ht hours - tben stir ic U P> 

 result win k u a el » and kee P ifc wel1 corked. The 



* n <* bet« P u Ut e,ght S allons . which has an appear- 

 Method of • , 0f thick beer aQd thin y east - The 

 •toneofhr. i mg yeast for the manufacture of 35 



P °tatoes m K 8 f 8 f ° llows : "~ Boil one and a half P eck of 

 and a halVTu , m Wel1 and strain them, add about one 

 ^enone-Ji rf C ° ld Water ' mix lhein well together, 

 of fl our stir n ab ° Ve P atent y east ' with two pounds 



U »ettinjr 1 ', ? lld COver dowu for five Lours P rior 



hottr «» aMofdi ngC, i W L Gh WiU be read * in sevea or ei « ht 

 be u »ed in t»ir- V. the, weather ; great precaution must 



0rd er to £et tl!! S i ? P ° nge at the first or se ™nd fall, in 



* ,Iow ed to lie n ? 8Weet * The dou « h must not be 



int ° the 0T o„ Q ger than an h °or in hot weather, but put 



u »cn as soon aa n n ..a.i. m. • ... . - : 



or two, it will, if fa a stone bottle, tightly corked, 

 and put in a cool place, keep good for a long time. 



A third communication says : — Boil one ounce of 



Hops in four quarts of water until the Hops fall to the 

 bottom of the pan, strain it, and when milk-warm, add six 

 ounces of flour and five of sugar ; set the mixture by the 

 fire, stirring it frequently ; in 48 hours add four pounds 

 of potatoes, boiled and bruised fine ; next day bottle the 

 yeast— it will keep a month. One-fourth of yeast, and 

 three of warm water, is the proportion for baking.*** 

 [We have tried this, and find it a good substitute for 

 yeast. A fourth communication on this subject very nearly 

 agrees with the last.] 



What is the best Temperature for the Pine- Apple ? — 

 We are always best answered if the reply to our queries 

 can be obtained from Nature ; and the reply, therefore, to 

 the above query shall be from observations made at Cal- 

 cutta. In the vicinity of that city, the yellow-fleshed Pine- 

 apples are high- flavoured, and commonly weigh between 

 5 and 6 lbs. ; and Mr. Speede, in his " Indian Hand- 

 Book of Gardening," says (p. 18.3) that, by a system of 

 very ordinary cultivation, his brother grew them weighing 

 7| lbs. This was, of course, when the plants were ex- 

 posed to a climate of which the following Table s^ows 

 the monthly averages of temperature taken at the hottest 

 and coldest periods of the 24 hours. Now, although Pine- 

 apples may be obtained nearly all the year at Calcutta, 

 yet their period of greatest perfection is from April to 

 September. This may be termed their ripening or stove 

 period ; and it will be found, upon referring to this Table, 

 that the average maximum temperature of that period is 

 above 91°, and the average minimum more than 79^ : 



J. 



34.5 

 (30. 



F. 



90. 



M. I A. 



90.5 



71. 



97- 

 /7.5 



M. 



95. 



J. 



91.5 

 SI. 



Jy 



98. 



80. 



A. 



87- 



S. 



90. 



so. 



Max. Temp. 

 Min. Temp. 



I may just observe that the above are average tempera- 

 tures, and that the Pine-apple in Bengal often has to en- 

 dure such widely-differing temperatures as 129 c and 53 c . 

 From these facts I conclude, that if in England the tem- 

 peratures each month never ranged higher in the Pinery 

 than the minimums in the above Table, they would not 

 be too high in proportion to the diminished light of our 

 latitude. — George W. Johnstn. 



Larch and other Resinous Trees — In a late Number 

 are some observations by " C. Wren," on an article of 

 mine, p. 61, on the propriety of felling Larch for dura- 

 bility in the early part of summer. The words, " June 

 is the best time to fell resinous trees for durability/' 

 require explanation. What I intended to say was this : 

 *' My friend — an experienced person — says they should be 

 felled just when the sap begins to be fluid, in sprin 



before the first buds and leaves are expanded, as the 

 resinous fluid is more regularly dispersed in the wood" 

 (perhaps by being more miscible, and filling up the pores 

 — at least he said the timber was better from that circum- 

 stance.) This brings the time I intended to state for 

 felling such trees to the period " C. W. H." proposes, 

 viz., in March. I then inquired if such were the fact, 

 and could" it be corroborated by other experienced per- 

 sons ? As the sap or resinous fluid remains in Larches 

 in a dormant state all the winter, viz., in the state 

 in which it was deposited at the end of the previous 

 autumn, it cannot have undergone much change, if 

 any, before the buds and leaves have expanded ; there- 

 fore there can be no doubt but early in spring is the best 

 season for felling such trees, but whether ju*t before or 

 after the sap begins to be in motion, requires to be proved 

 by accurate experiment — I am inclined to think after. 

 The beat time to prune resinous trees, to prevent bleed- 

 ing, is soon aftsr the sap is fixed, late in autumn or early 

 in winter, or else after the first buds and leaves have 

 expanded in spring, but by no means when the sap first 

 begins to flow in spring. — W. Billi*\gton. 



Preservation of Wood. — In a late Chronicle, "A Sub- 

 scriber " asks for information about Burnett's Antiseptic 

 Solution. This is the chloride of zinc,] patented by Sir 

 William Burnett in 1838, and which has been very suc- 

 cessfully tried at the Woolwich Dock Yards, and is now 

 becoming adopted in the navy. It has been found supe- 

 rior to Kyan's Patent Solution, the chloride of mercury. 

 The solution of the chloride of zinc contains one pound 

 of the chloride to five gallons of water. Another 

 simple process for preserving wood and other substances 

 appears to be that of Mr. Juhn Bethell. This consists in 

 the application of creosote, along with coal-tar, or other 

 bituminous matter. The wood is thoroughly saturated to 

 the centre of the log with great rapidity. A load of Fir 

 timber will absorb as much as forty gallons, the close- 



case, as to allow straw mats to be pushed in tightly 

 between and around them, leaving the entrances free. 

 The case was then laid on the floor of one of those fly- 

 vans which are constructed with double springs, for the 

 conveyance of musical instruments. Thus accommodated, 

 I accompanied the Bees on their journey, travelling with 

 them about 90 miles, and occupying neaily three days in 

 the transit. On examining them at the end of their journey- 

 not a Bee nor a comb appeared to have nutained the 

 slightest injury. After placing them in their new locality 



I gave them their liberty, when they issued forth most 

 vigorously and joyously, and soon felt themselves at 

 home. — Edw. Bevan, Esgair Evan, Montgomeryshire. 



The Polyanthus. — I have been much pleased with" W. V 

 remarks upon the Polyanthus, and agree with what is 

 advanced regarding the necessity of paying more attention 

 to the raising of new varieties ; but this is not so easy a 

 matter as may be imagined. There is so great a simila- 

 rity in all the seedlings that are yearly raised, it rarely 

 happens that a distinct variety can be obtained. It is 

 said that attention has not been paid to collect seed from 

 first-rate varieties ; but I can assert that seedlings have 

 been raised from one which is considered a leading one ; 

 viz., Ilufton's Earl Grey, alias Clegg's Lord John 

 Russell, that cannot be distinguished from the original; 

 although only Pearson's Alexander, Buck's George IV., 

 Nicholson's Bang Europe, Collier's Princess Royal, as 

 well as some others equally select, were grown in the 

 garden. Pearson's Alexander generally produces seed- 

 lings so much similar to the patent, that many now sold 

 as Pearson's Alexander are nothing but seedlings from 

 it. The great difficulty in seedlings is getting them dis- 

 tinct with respect to marking and character; and the 

 question is, how is this to be remedied ? for seed sown 

 from first-. ate sorts ouly has been unsuccessful, and some 

 of the more recent new varieties have been accidentally 

 raised by persons who grow only a few plants, and those 

 not leading ones. Cheshire Favourite was raised by 

 an individual who professes only to be a Gooseberry 

 grower, and has only a straggling plant or two. There is 

 ample room for improvement, and the only way of attain- 

 ing that object is perseverance, and, occasionally, some- 

 thing may turn out different, which will amply repay the 

 florist for his trouble and exertions. The cultivation of 

 seedlings, if net attended with success, will be a source of 

 enjoyment to the fancier, af seedlings generally are more 

 vigorous, and bloom more freely than such as have been 

 a long time in cultivation ; and although they may not be 

 quite equal to the parent, yet they may be planted in the 

 borders, as they are not so tender as those that have been 

 nursed long. With respect to the'management of Poly- 

 anthuses, I do not think they are so difficult to manage as 

 is represented. I am afraid the reason why they do not 

 succeed in the south is, that proper care is not taken of 

 them. Loudon, in his " Encyclopaedia of Gardening," says, 



II they are very hardy, and will stand the wettest and most 

 severe weather;" but the only varieties that will stand alt 

 weathers, are Buck's George IV., Faulkner's Black Prince, 

 and Boardman's Victoiia; the two last are not considered 

 stage varieties at the present time. Probably, in mild 

 winters, a collection may be wintered on a warm border ; 

 but in the north they are not risked ; all are framed. I 

 am not an advocate for their being grown in pots, although 

 when they are raised in that way for exhibition, they can 

 be placed in any situation, and either hastened or retarded, 

 as required ; and when the bloom is over, it is easy to 

 have a border prepared twelve inches deep, of the follow- 

 ing compost : — 



1 barrowful of rotted cow-dung. 



1 „ horse-dung (droppings are generally used.) 



1 „ maiden soil. 



1 „ peat earth ; 



all which should be mixed up and worked for twelve 

 months previous to using, so that it may be rendered per- 

 fectly sweet and pure. Put the plants in this, not plung- 

 ing the pots, without displacing much soil. I hive wit- 

 nessed the superiority of the mode of growing plants in 

 a border, and shall, until I find occasion to alter, continue 

 that system, although the potting system is principally 

 adopted here. The border in which I grow my plants, is 

 bounded by a double hedge — the outer one is of Thorns, 

 and the inner one of Beech-trees ; it is again subdivided 

 by Beech-trees every five yards, which prevents the sun's 

 rays from acting too powerfully upon the plants, and 

 causing them to flag ; it also keeps them cool. The bor- 

 der has only the sun shining upon it until eleven o'clock 

 in the morning, and the fence screens them from the 

 mid-day heat. I put down a frame of wood eighteen 

 inches high at the back, and nine inches at thc front, and 

 fill in the compost, which is deep enough to bloom the 

 plants in. Glass-lights four feet by three feet are kept 



grained woods less. A cubic foot of Beech usually weighs 



81bs. heavier after it has been prepared by this plan than ] orer them from October to the end of April, in order to 



" " protect them from all severe weather, taking especial 



care to take off the lights every mild day, and to give 

 them as much air as possible during that time; but, 



before. The price of the creosote is Zd. per gallon. In 

 some places — Liverpool, for instance — it may be had for 

 2|rf« Preserved timber, by Bethell's process, is sup- 

 plied to the railways at los. a load beyond the price of 

 common timber. The use of creosote is strongly recom- 

 mended by Sir John Barrow, in his " Life of Lord 

 Anson." He states that Kyau's Patent (corrosive sub- 

 limate) does not prevent decay, neither does it prevent 

 the Teredo navalis from penetrating the timber, as has 

 been proved at the Dock Yards. Wood treated with 

 creosote becomes nearly waterproof, and is not touched 

 by the T. navalis ; it requires no painting, but after ex- 

 posure of some days it loses every unpleasant smell. — J. 

 Transportation of Bees. — In answer to ,l C. W.'s " in- 

 quiry, I beg to inform him that I secured my Bees in their 

 boxes, by screwing each floorboard firmly to its box — 

 covering the entrances with fly-proof wire. The boxes 

 were then laid upon the bottom of a large deal case, at 



Sur Pass any | " i0 ? n aS P° 8sibl e. This will be found to 

 u * ed - This 11 ' ! ? east tLat can be made » if properly 

 COu r*e, have t n ? 1S ° n a lar S e scale, aud will, of 



ttac - If a small pro P or . tiona °ly divided for domestic r _, 



*er quantity be made, viz., a gallon such a distance from each other and from the sides of the taken up plants with roots from 12 to 18 inches long, 



above all things, I take care to protect them from 

 receiving much rain from October until February, as 

 they do not like much moisture ; besides, when they 

 are too moist, severe frosts have much greater effect upon 

 them. Emerson says they require the same treatment as 

 Auriculas, which coincides with ray practice. In order to 

 give them air during wet days, I have a curved flat iron, 

 about 18 inches long, 1 inch broad, and about J of an 

 inch thick, with 4 holes like a keyhole placed at equal dis- 

 tances, and fastened by a staple to the frame, being fur- 

 nished with a pin having a square slunk and head sui jJ" 

 cient to to through the wide part at the top, which falls 

 down and keeps the light perfectly fast in windy weather, 

 and it can be elevated or lowered according to circum- 

 stances. By this mode mildew is prevented. I have 



and 



