484 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE, 



[July 20, 



budding the Pencil on established tree* Ol the Apricot; the 

 ■hoots from the buds growing freely, and producing plentifully. 

 wh'-n th» general stock of Peach-tn e* could not be kept in i 

 healthy state, though great pains were bestowed upon them by 

 a Tery clever gardener. This fact would seem to intimate that 

 It would be worth while to try Apricot stocks for Peaches to a 

 greater extent than is generally done. 



Tomatoes . -Keep these fastened to the wall or fence; thin 

 out the shoots and leaves, and pinch out tne point* before the 

 Clusters of blossoms, where early fruit is de»irabe Without 

 the assistance of a wall they will not do much good north or 

 Aondou. unless in favourable situations — thoueh I always 

 fegret planting them near a fine tree, they are such gross 

 feeders. For their culture. Capsicums. **.. and the '"'wardm*- 

 of early crops, dwarf wails with doping border* ought to exi>t 

 in every grdeu. It is very fashionable to speak ofa C^ener 

 as an ignorant practitioner who crops perhaps rather closcij 

 his fruit-tree borders, though nine cases in ten it is the result 

 not of choice, but of necessity, aware a> he is that the some- 

 what inferior condition of bis fruir-trees will not be such an un- 

 pardonable evil as being behind with a good early supply of the 

 best vegetables. Peas.-A last sowing nny now be made of 

 some of the early sorts. A sowing of Dwarfs might be made 

 towards the end of the month, where the situation was very 

 favourable, and means of projection could be resorted to. 

 Asparagus —The present weather offers a good opportunity tor 

 sprinkling the beds with salt, and supplying them with any 

 rich manure you can spare. J»o/«/«rs.— Those who are partial 

 to young waxy Potatoes may now plant some tubers saved from 

 the earliest crops. If previously greened in the sun they will 

 grow more vigorously. The rows may cither be covered with 

 litter on the approach of frost, or they may he dug up, and the 

 produce kept in dry sand. Cabbage —Prepare for sowing for 

 the main nop next spring. In cold situations, they cannot be 

 sown too soon DOWj in warm favourable places, it will be as 

 well to defer it for eight days. Routine — Keep planting winter- 

 stuff every favourable opportunity.— R. F. 



VI.— ARBORICULTURE. 

 Old Woods.— See preceding Calendars for what is required to 



be done in this department. 



Coppif*.— Go through these frequently, In order to sec what 



Is Wanting j what you do not observe at one time you may 

 at another. 



Young Plantations.— About this time young Oaks will be mak- 

 ing their second growth j therefore young plantations should 

 be frequently gone over, for high winds oftentimes do con- 

 siderable injury to luxuriant fOVOg shoots, and especially to the 

 leaders. Should the latter happen to get broken, they may, in 

 a great measure, be rectified in the same season, and a new 

 leader secured, if properly attended to. 



Nursery work.— Keeping the nursery clean by frequent 

 weeding and hoeing, and attending to pruning and training 

 young plants, is nearly all that is requisite at this season in 

 private nurseries. But remember, no knife should be used now 

 on the young shoots ; only the finger and thumb should be em- 

 ployed to pinch off the end3of too luxuriant side shoots. — W.B. 



VII.— CO 1 TAG Kits' GARDENS. 

 In consequence of the late fine weather, everything is 

 now growing rapidly, and the hoe, which should never be ulle, 

 ought to be more than usually active in keeping down weeds 

 and stirring up the ground between the rows of growing crops. 

 The flower borders should also be attended to. Tie up any 

 plants that have been broken d«»wn by the late heavy showers, 

 and let Verbenas, which are now making vigorou rowtb, be 

 pegged down until the space allotted for each plant is covered, 

 after which they may be allowed to grow at random. Paiti- 

 cularly attend to the tying of Dahlias, which arcvery apt to get 

 broken by sudden storms. Remove all crops that have ccused 

 to be useful, as they only exhaust the soil and encourage snails 

 and slags j and let th« ground be prepared for winter Greens, 

 which should now be planted as soon as possible. While the 

 weather is favourable, Celery, if not already «.' -ne, should also 

 now be planted in beds, which is the best plan for the cottager, 

 as when planted in this way it occupies less ground. If It is 

 intended to make new plantations of Strawberries, select now 

 tome of the strongest runners for that purpose ; by planting 

 out early they become well established before winter, and often 

 produce a good crop of fruit the following season. In cottage 

 gardens a row is frequently planted along the sidesof the walks, 

 so as to encroach as little as possible on the space required for 

 vegetables, and in such situations where the exposure is open 

 they often ripen abundant crops of fine fruit. The soil most 

 suitable for Strawberries is a strong rich loam, but they will 

 succeed well in almost any soil that has been properly manured, 

 and is in good condition.—/. M'H. 







8 Wenth 





iding July 13, 1844, aa 



Stat* of tfa 



pr near London for the week er 



observed at the* H< 



oriiculiural Garden, C! 



sKTKft. Th KAMt Mr* 



riiiwick. 



July 



H«W ' liAROI 



T«». 



Wind. 



Rain. 



Ar«. j 



Max 



Min. Max. Mia. I Mean. 



W ¥ * * I **• 



S> »<» * * ■ » 



/rid. 19 



90 



89.989 



».870 



78 



56 b7-0 



\v. 



.06 



Sac- 13 



37 



99 905 



IMM 



7i 



69 98.5 



s.w. 



.53 



Sua. 14 



N 



89.<J7» 



89.63' 



IS 



«7 



61.0 



w. 





Won. 15 



• 



r>.9*B 



99.809 





m 



61.0 



w. 





Tu«i. IS 



o 



•JM 





75 



49 



68.5 



s.w. 





W«d. 17 



1 



90.093 



90 M8 



73 



69 



62.5 



N. 





Than. 18 



9 



».75i 



997»8 



73 



45 



690 



w. 





Averaiir i 



| WK88 



»:> :\ > 



7«-* 



49.1 



61 8 1 



69 



July 12 Fine, with litfht clotidi ; thowery, cloudy. 



— 13 Fine in the morning, with light cloud* ; constant rain throughout 



the day. 



— 14 Very fin* ; clear and cool at night. 



~ 16 Very fine, with bright gun ; clear and dry air. 



— 26 Oven-ait and fine ; clear and cold at night. 



— - 17 Fine, with light clouds ; dinky clouds with dry hare. 



— 18 Light clouds, and very fine throughout; cold at night. 



Mean temperature of the week 1.3 deg. below the average. 



State of the Weather at Chiswick during the last 18 years, for the ensuing 



Week ending July 27. 1844. 



July 



Aver, j Aver. 



Highest^ Lowest 



Temp. Temp. 



San. 81 



Tae*. 98 

 Wed. S4 

 Thur.85 

 Fri. 96 

 Sat. S7 



71.0 

 70.3 

 71 1 

 72.3 



74.3 



73.7 

 75.0 



51.1 



61.8 



52.4 



62.5 



51.3 



683 



61.6 





No. of 

 Years in 



which it 



Rained. 



Greatest 

 quantity 

 of Rain. 



Pr«prailin»r ^ 



(finds. 



Mean 

 Temp 



f 



^ 



* 



X 



• 



00 



is 



• 



X 



6 



5 



* 

 • 



X 



61.1 



7 



0.54 in. 



- 8 



3 



61.1 



13 



187 



3 



8 



1 



— 2 



6 



4 



1 



61.8 



7 



0.40 



1 



9 



9 — I 1 



3 



5 



4 



62.4 



4 



1.03 



_ 



5 



a i s •< 



2 



9 



69.8 



4 



0.28 



93 



9 



_ 



_ 



3 



7 



1 



63.0 8 



0.70 



1 



1 



3 



1 



8 



6 



3 



1 



63.8 | 6 



M. 



1 



9 



3 



1 



9 



4 



3 



9 



The highest ttinp.mure during th. abor. period occurred on the 81st, 

 1834— therm. W; and the lowevt on the 24th. 1838, and 83rd. 1813— th.rm. 40'. 



Notice* to Correspondents. 



The Reprint of Mr. PAXTON'S COTTAGERS' CALENDAR 



is now ready, price 3d. each Copy. An Index has been added 



to this present Edition. Parties wishing to have copies for 



distribution among their tenantry can have them at the rate 



of 25 for 5s. 



Bkes.— Valhalla.—We really cannot do anything in the matter. 

 Ali we can say respecting Mr. Pettigrew's proposals is that 

 we have ourselves subscribed to his secret, because we know 

 him to be a most respectable man, whose honey is unsur- 

 passed for excellence. 



Carnations.— FT.— There are several causes which will pro- 

 duce the effect you mention. Fcr instance, the diseased state 

 of the layer at the point of severance from the parent plant; 



also late planting-, especially after such dry weather as we 

 have lately experienced ; or should the buds have been in- 

 fested with Aphis, which have inadvertently been crushed on 

 the pod Instead ot being brushed off; this would prove highly 

 injurious, and cause the buds to assume a sickly yellow hue. 

 I would recommend watering with an infusion of half a peck 

 of sheep manure in six gallons of water, or with Potter's 

 liquid guano.— If. 



Colours. —N.O.P. asks, Why is it that all colours made by 

 man are different by candlelight from daylight, whilst in 

 those of nature hardly any difference is perceptible? In silks 

 and cloth It is almost impossible to distinguish blues from 

 greens, yellows from white; purples and pinks also are af- 

 fected: not so with trees and flowers. [Will any one answer 

 this question ?— we cannot.] 



Conikkr/K.— Never employ manure containing azotised matter 

 for these. It may do very well for Hollies, Laurels, and such 

 evergreens, but is fatal to Cypresses, Tews, Junipers, and the 

 whole Coniferous race. 



Dahlias.— Susan.— We know of no better mode of dwarfing 

 these than pegging them oown. It U not necessary to pinch 

 off the flower- buds in order to keep up a later bloom, as 

 Dahlias in general flower well until they are cut off by frost.; 



Heating.- G.C.— Sand is better than sawdust for covering a 

 tank, because the latter will breed fungi. We should have 

 no tear of your hating heat enough ; the great fear is that 

 the soil will get dry. You must provide ample means of 

 watering the solas well as steaming the air. If you grow 

 Melons in your pit, cover the tank with neither sand nor 

 sawdust, but with good maiden loam. 



iNsscTs.— A Lady.— Red Spider is not to be destroyed by 

 water : it can only be kept under by such means. A sulphur 



fumi&ation is the only effectual remedy. S. S. //.—The 



Peach-leaf is infested witu Aphides. The tree should be 

 stringed with Tobacco- water, and the shoots which most 

 abound with the Plant-lice may be cut off and burnt. 

 The Froth. tlies on the Lavender are the larvae of a Tct- 

 tigonla, described and figured in the 2d vol., p. 509, of 



this Journal./*. A. II. C -We shall be happy to comply 



With your wishta, it you will furnish us with the necessary 



materials. A. B. ChUo.—tto. l is Curculio scrophularirc; 



No. :'. Curculio nubtta j 3, Altica testacea. R. W. M. C — 



Not finding any winged specimens in the quill, we cannot he 

 certain r rding your Aphides, but believe them to be the 

 Cinara laricis of Curtis's Guide. Be so good as to send us 

 living specimens of the Caterpillars, lor we cannot tell you 



what it is that destroys the foliage of your Larches, It 



R. N. C— The leaves of the Geraniums are affected by damp, 

 and not by insects. The roots of the Pansies are suffering 

 from the attacks of young Snake Millipedes, which are ex- 

 ceedingly difficult to destroy : unslaked lime, or lime-water, 

 will be the best applications, and you will find other remedies 

 and the history of the Juli, in the Gard. Chron., TOl. i. p. )Q6./i. 

 A. B. C— Your insect is Pentatoma rufipes, which gene- 

 rally feeds upon caterpi lars, &c. R B. Chilo.— The m«<th 



is Zygoma filipendulse ; and the other insect is the larva of a 

 bug, called Pentatoma. R. 

 Manl-rks.- W. R— We really do not see what we can do to 

 satisly you -, we will, however, consider against another week . 



Namks ok Plants. — Ze/ihyrus. — Periploca grreca. An 



Enquirer.— Pluntago major. Destroy it by constantly cutting 



through the crown of the root with a sharp spade. Sub. 



scriber. — Geranium sanguineum. T. 0. HI. — Oncidium 



triquetrum. //. Dovtfafay.— 8»chys recta. We never 



received your former parcel. It. Cowans.— Your leaves are 



attacked by a parasitical fungus. We really can suggest no 



better remedy than stripping the tree and burning every one 



of the leaves. W. Bentall.— Apparently Carex pallescens.§ 



II. H.— The Poke- root may be the Phytolacca decandra, 



called the Virginian Poke. 

 Pki.aiioomi/ms.— Simple*.— These have become diseased no 

 doubt on account ot having been kept too dry. Being potted 



I In leaf-mould, chopped turf, and having a good drainage, 

 they require a very *reat deal of water, especially during 



such a se*s. .11 as this.; Fanny.— The truss, cut from the 



Sylph, which you have sent, bearing a perfectly white flower, 

 among the others, is not an uncommon occurrence; at the 

 same time, nothing is known, beyond a white flower having 

 been one of the parents of the particular variety that bears it. 

 How a single flower in a truss, or an entire truss, should come 

 white, when the rest of the flowers are pink, is a matter 

 involved in obscurity. Having had one branch with a com- 

 plete truss of white flowers, we recommend you, by all means, 

 to strike it, as the plant produced from this cutting will in all 

 probability produce white flowers— and a white Sylph, with 

 the size and substance of that favourite variety, will be a 

 very desirable acquisition.* 



Plantino.— A Gaul.— All that has been published concerning 

 Dr. Thackeray's mode of pruning is to be found in our 

 columns, where it has been often mentioned and commented 



upon. 



Rats.— X. Y. Z. is desirous of knowing the meaning of the 

 term •' slamm" in a communication by" G. C." on the 25th 

 May last. Moreover, a piece of calico is to be used rather 

 larger than the trap — Is this to be placed under the trap, and 

 the corners tucked in ? or are other pieces of calico to be put 

 all around the trap ? 



Riioi)oi)Kxi)RON9.-;Vr*. Gall.— These may be grown in a 

 chalky soil, provided pits are formed for them, and filled with 

 leaf-mould. The holes should be tolerably wide, but need 

 not be more than eighteen inches deep. Mould composed of 

 loam and leaves will do. Whatever leaves are used must 

 be thoroughly decomposed, and if they can be mixed with 

 one half peat so much the better.^ 



Strawberries.— G.— The best varieties'for a market gardener, 

 both with regard to quantity and quality, are Keen's Seedling 

 and Myatt's British Queen. The former is an excellent 



forcer.* J. W. Yellow.— Your soil being strong, if once 



unusually dry, no surface watering would have been suf- 

 ficient to insure the perfection of your Strawberry crop; 

 but under such circumstances, irrigation produces the de- 

 sired effect. Like yours, plants are apt to die in intervals be- 

 tween imperfect surface- waterings. Your sand is the " sharp 

 silver sand," similar to that used for propagating. It is va- 

 luable; and if you have it in abundance, a mixture of it 



would improve your stiff Strawberry soil.! A Subscriber.— 



If your beds of Keen's Seedling exhibit signs of decay, your 

 best plan will be to make a fresh plantation. You may 

 obtain good crops from those that do not yet exhibit such 

 symptoms, if you keep them clear of runners, giving them a 

 top-dressing of light manure and fresh loam in winter. The 

 Elton Strawberry is a late sort, rather acid if not perfectly 

 well ripened. We never before heard it complained of as 

 being tender.and suspect you have not obtained the true kind.R 



Swkbt-Briar Hsoob. — I). R.— This may be obtained by sowing 

 the heps of the Rosa rubiginosa in the autumn as soon as 

 ripe ; or, which is better, in the month of March, having kept 

 them in the meanwhile mixed with sand. But it is far more 

 convenient to buy Sv\eet-briar "layer," (young plants,) from 

 the nur-erymen, and to plant them a foot apart early in the 

 month of November. Let them grow as they like for the first 

 year, and cut them down to the ground the second ; they 

 will then spring up and require no more future care than 

 occasional trimming with the pruning. knife or shears, so as 

 to keep the hedge in shape. When it gets naked at the 

 bottom it must be again cut down. 



Vines. — A Subscriber. — The Vine-leaf you sent bears strong 

 marks of the Red Spider, together with a little scorching. 



as soon as th-ir vegetation is at rest for the present season. 



Another Subscriber, who has sent a leaf from a Vine that 



has not been furced : — The disease, appearing as green ex- 

 crescences, is an extravasation of sap from the small veins 

 on the under side of the leaf, in consequence of obstruction 

 caused uy the dried-up state of the intermediate portions of 

 cuticle. 1; 

 Zinc Labki.s.— S. E — Wc presume your label i* written with 

 the same kind of ink as is usually employed for that purpose, 

 and which is prepared as follows : — viz., verdigris, in powder, 

 ] drachm ; sal ammoniac, ditto, 1 drachm ; lamp black, i a 

 drachm ; and water, 10 drachms. i 



Miscellaneous.— L. M. N. 0. /'.—We do not know where the 

 plants you ask for are to be had. If in the country, an adver- 

 tisement would uroduce them. J. II. — So. id of iast 



year, and 8 for the present, may be had. No. 5 is out of 



print— send your address with 12 postage stamps. June. — 



Your inverted Hyacinth is an instance of a bulb, accidentally 

 planted upside down, attempting to recover its position, and 

 nearly succeeding. It is a curious fact, already known, that 

 Hyacinths will produce coloured flowers, even although 

 grown in the dark. The phenomenon, which is extremely 

 remarkable, has never been explained ; nor can we explain it. 

 Possibly thccolouring matter is formed the year before i but, 



• if so, where ? and in what form is it hidden In the bulb ? 



C. J.— Seeds sent in paper cases go very well to India by the 

 overland mad, without any other care than that of drying 

 them properly. If yours are too bulky, they will go very well 

 by sea, if packed loosely in coarse canvas bug*, and kept in a 

 cabin, or some thoroughly ventilated place. To put them in 

 boxes of tin, or to send them into the hold, is to kill them. 

 Ripe cuttings taken off in November, with their ends stuck 

 into a Potato, and well covered with an India-rubber or other 

 waterproof envelope, sometimes reach India alive by the 

 overland mail; but they more frequently fail. Such plants 

 j are despatched by the Post-office, or if too heavy, by the 



Indian agents. A Lady.— Ho plant is more easy to manage 



than Euphorbia splendens. It only wants a stove heat and a 



i moist atmosphere. It is very difficult to flower some kinds 



of Cape bulbs. See some remarks on the subject at p. 2&3 



for 1843 ; where the treatment of Brunsvigias is described. 



A'.OJ'.-We never heard of toads eating slug*. -G. C— We 



are unable to answer yemr question as to colouring canvas. 

 You had better apply to dyers. In using Whitney's Compo- 

 sition, the linen should be nailed down slackly at first, and 

 then, after the first application, stretched tight before it is re- 

 nailed. W. />.— There is no such thing as male and female 



Geranium or Fuchsia blossoms. Each flower contains the 



two sexes. A Constant Subscriber.— The Pelargonium sent 



under the uame of Comte de Paris, appears to be the variety 

 named Krectum, the foliage of which is smooth and of a deep- 

 green ; the one named Garth's Witch i3 a flower of the same 

 colour, but not more than one-third the size of that variety, 



nor do the under petals a -pear to be of the same form.* A 



Subscriber.— The Sweet Briar does not make a good stock on 

 which to bud the Damask and Perpetual Roses, but the Noi- 

 sette may be budded with success on the Ruga. X J- W. F. 



—Your two Vines iu pots, infested by red spider, will not be 

 injured by being placed out of doors, and the red spider will 



be much more easily destroyed in the open air. X 5T> Cox, 7T 



For the method of laying down an Asphalte path, we would 



refer you to Leading Article, p. 379, vol. 184 2. J J. H. Wit- 



con— Will find the composition described by M Devoniensis 



repeated at p. 392 of this year* C. A'.- That your Peas 



arc mildewed by the dry weather, there is no doubt; but we 

 do not see now your Vines can have suffered from over-lux- 

 uriant growth. Depend on it, if your poor neighbour has an 

 abundant crop of Grapes, while you have none, he must be 

 the better gardener of the two. There is no remedy for your 

 Nectarines now; dry weather has brought Red Spider, and 

 Red Spider has taken off your leaves. All you can now do, 

 is to syringe plentifully and trust to season. On no account 

 shade ; if you do, you will have no flavour in your fruit. You 

 will learn how to preserve Green Peas by referring to our 

 vol. for 1842, p. 5/4. 



SEEDLING FLOWERS. 



Fochsias.— Z. Z. Z.— The best variety among your seedlings is 

 Hebe, being bright and pleasing iu colour ; but none of these 

 flowers can be regarded as improvements upon those already 



ou t* /. Y.— The seedling marked G is the best of your 



flowers; its great length must render it very showy on the 

 plant. C is very pretty, but the corolla is too little seen. 



J and H are not new.* Foxton.— Of your seedlings, John 



Bull is ugly in form, with the corolla so short that it is 

 scarcely seen. The sepals of the President are coarse, and 

 there are many in the same way. Goliah, with light tube 

 and sepals, and a rosy-purple corolla, is very pretty ; but it 



does not surpass others in the same way.* J. W. Tenterden. 



—We find no improvements in your present batch of seed- 

 lings; neither in size, colour, nor texture, are they equal to 

 the numerous varieties already in cultivation. Something 

 new is required, as there is so much monotony in the sorts 

 cultivated, that some decided novelties are necessary to 

 make exhibitions of this elegant flower effective.* 



Gloxinias.— A Reader.— Your seedling is small, and very m- 

 ferior to some. . „ Afa 



Pelargoniums.-//. 2>.-Your seedling is a showy flower, oi a 

 rich crimson purple; the white centre gives it a lively appear- 

 ance ; it is tolerably good both in form and substance. — 

 J. Y.-Your flower not being well packed, the petals i had 

 fallen, and were partially dried up, so that it was impossioie 

 to form an opinion of its qualities.* u:K!»-ort 



Pktunias.-C. ^.-Several fine Petunias have been exhibited 

 this season, of the same character as your seedlings. »"" J 

 of your varieties are very pretty ; No. 6 is a fine nclipurp« 

 lilac; 7 was damaged, but appears to be good in colou J.: 

 5, white, with dark veiny purple throat, is a good variety , 

 4 also. The other varieties want distinctness. ™ u *'* 

 error regarding P. punctata. A tray of cut bloom, ana p.anui 

 in pots, covered with flowers, were exhibited rfli-rintion 

 Society's Gardens on Saturday last, true to the description 







given of the flower in this Paper last year.* „ nmmnn ,n 



Phlox Drummondi.-£. F.-There is nothing unwmnonm 

 your seedling; the colour is bright and pleasing, but tne iorui 



of the flower is not good.* „ _.„„rrieri as 



PicoxKKS.-fl. C.-Your specimens «n only be Wrdea J* 

 border varieties , the petals are too small, and the colour no 

 sufficiently confined to the edge of the petals. 2 ana 7* * 

 th c best.*— R. H. Jtf.-Yoar seedling Reg.na fai Is , in ^he 

 guard petals; they are small, rather crump ed, and L not. ev 

 on the edge. In other respects we like the fl" w . er ' f ™ 

 white is pure, the petals of good substance, and tne r 

 edging of a beautiful colour. Enchantress, on the c,m "£f d ' 

 has very fine guard petals, and the centre " nes .^ e 8U s b P g t an ce. 

 uneven on the edge; good pod, petals fine m subs g 

 slightly serrated, and the flower rather thin, viz., aen 

 the number of petals Ne plus Ultra is * f™ 1 ^ T oo crum 

 with petals of a good form ; but several of them are th| 



«i«h „„,i i.,...l-..„ an<» th*. netal* are also too jatrs*- 



the 



** bar. 



»» * 



pled "and broken, and the petals are 



edge, with an inclination in the flower to ^^ m 



Vkhbesa.-A Subscriber from the Cemmencme nj. 1 o iQ 



ling being packed up without » n y^in^ffdamp ^ Ug 

 «o dry a state when it arr ived that it was impossio* _ Your 



colour ; and it would not revive in water. ■ ■ • blush 



seedling is a very good variety ; opening of a • «» t the 

 tinge, changing to white, but bearing a little colour 



tube.* 



As the shoots are too weak forbearing fruit next season, you . . • hi. an received too late 



cannot do better than cut them back to the lowest good eye %*As usual, many communications nave oe«u 



