cm 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[Sept. 



1855. 



Calendar of Operations. 



(For the ensuing week.) 



Dutch 



this 



in 





PLANT DEPARTMENT. 



Conservatory, &c— -Hyacinths and other 

 bulbs are now being offered by the dealers 

 country, and should be procured and potted without 

 detay where they are wanted for early forcing, and 

 even where early forcing is not intended there will be 

 a better chance of procuring first-rate t.ulbs now than 

 some months hence; for as a matter of course the 

 earliest purchasers endeavour to secure the most pro- 

 wising bulbs. Plants of the Citrus family meant for 

 •forcing in winter for the decoration of tins house 

 should now be fully exposed to the sun and air, in order 

 •to get their wood well ripened, upon which their flow- 

 ering freely will greatly depend. The Mandarin Orange 

 feeing a free grower, with a dwarf bushy habit and 

 small foliage, and a most abundant bloomer, is probably 

 the best for this purpose, but any of the varieties flower 

 profusely provided the wood is thoroughly ripened in 

 autumn. These and the delieiously fragrant Daphne 

 imh'ca are iiiv iluable for winter blooming, and should be 

 largely groun for this purpose wherever sweet-scented 

 flowers are in demand at that season. Also see to having 

 plenty of the old Salvia splendens, which is an exceed- 

 ingly gay plant and very useful for mixing among the 

 Chrysanthemums in the show-house. We have found it 

 a good practice to place the largest plants of Salvias in a 

 shady situation out of doors for a few weeks in autumn, and 

 plants so treated will be found to bloom more strongly,and 

 'last longer in beauty than others run up in a warm house. 

 •Greenhouse. — Look carefully after the watering of 

 Sarge ' specimens of hard-wooded things, especially 

 Heaths and other fine-rooted plants, which are soon 

 Jinn red by being either over or under-watered. Exa- 

 mine the specimens often and carefully, and where they 

 are found to be dry water thoroughly, so as to moisten 

 the whole of the ball ; also look sharply after mildew on 

 the soft- wooded Heaths, and dress the plant with sulphur 

 directly the enemy is perceived. These will, however, 

 be mostly out of doors, where mildew is seldom trouble- 

 some, but they must be guarded against getting too wet 

 at the root — laying the pots on their sides during heavy 

 rain?, especially plants that have been recently repotted. 

 Get Azaleas that have set their buds tied into form as soon 

 #s can be done, in order to give them a neat appearance. 

 Also attend to the staking and training of other things as 



leisure time can be found. Look carefully after red o , - -. ,*. mmm ^ M ^ „n f n „ 



• j n • r^\ i ±k;„«. ^i„« thpv mav look at this season, seldom answer well lor 



spider on Bossiseas, Chorozemas, and anything else i»ey may iuu*. <*b una *cao V , 



plants to fruit at the desired time, there is no 

 method so certain or so little injurious to the plants as 

 keeping them cool and dry for a month, exposing them 

 to as much sunshine as the foliage \> ill bear without 

 scorching, and then affording them a moist warm tem- 

 perature and a brisk bottom-heat, giving sufficient water 

 at the root to properly moisten the soil. Take off and 

 pot, or plant out suckers at short intervals as they can 

 be obtained of sufficient strength, for having a regular 

 succession of plants is the most likely way to secure a 

 regular supply of fruit. Vineries.— Take advantage of 

 the present dry weather to giva a'r freely in houses 

 where the ripening of the wood is the object, and if a 

 little fire heat is used, with air, this will be much more 

 efficacious now than later in the season, when the sun 

 will be less powerful. But save in the case of young Vines 

 with a very gross habit it will hardly be necessary to 

 use fire heat while the weather continues dry and sunny. 

 Keep the surface of the border in a free open state, so 

 as to encourage evaporation, f >r keeping the roots too 

 wet is the main cause generally of the wood being 

 backward in ripening at the proper time* Figs. 

 Where the second crop is ripening keep the atmo- 

 sphere as dry as can conveniently be done, and also 

 let the trees be on the side of dryness at the root, 

 but avoid such a degree of dryness as would be 

 likely to injure the foliage or the bearing wood for next 

 crop. Keep the shoots thin and neatly tied in, so as to 

 expose it fairly to light and air, but avoid stopping 

 young shoots at this season. Keep the atmosphere 

 moist where the fruit is swelling, giving the foliage a 

 good washing with the syringe frequently to prevent red 

 spider, and give plants in pots or tubs a liberal supply 

 of manure-water. Melons.— Take advantage of bright 

 weather to give the soil a good soaking of water where 

 this is necessary, and also to trim the vines, removing 

 all useless laterals, &c, which is best done in bright 

 weather, as then there is little danger of the canker 

 ensuing. Give air as freely where the fruit is ripen- 

 ing as the state of the weather will permit, and keep 

 the atmosphere as dry as possible. If any of the 

 late plants are unfortunately infested with spider, play 

 the syringe morning and afternoon as freely as can 

 be done without injuring the foliage ; and use every 

 means to get the plants perfectly clean while the 

 syringe can be used without danger of damp, &c. 

 Where a supply of Cucumbers is required through the 

 winter vigorous young plants should be procured at 

 once, either from seed or cuttings, as plants that have 

 been bearing through the autumn, however promising 



weeds. Let nothing suffer for want of water, especially 

 recently planted Strawberries ; these will be benefited 

 by liberal applications of manure-water. Get spare 

 ground manured and dug or trenched for another crop 

 whenever time can be spared for this kind of work. 



STATE OF THE WEATHER AT CHISWICK, NEAR LONDON*. 

 For the week ending Sept. 6, 1855, as observed at the Horticultural Garden-. 



August 

 and Sept. 



Friday 31 

 Satur. 1 

 Sunday 2 

 VI on.. 3 



Tues. 4 

 Wed. 5 

 Thurs. C 



Average . 



o< 



19 



21 



s 

 •\ 



23 



21 



25 



Babomktxe. 



Max. 



30.210 

 3 0.3 \ 6 

 30 315 



ao.m 



2 9.997 

 20.018 

 30.?74 



:■; i is-i 



Min. 



30.1S1 

 30.?!- 

 30146 

 30.053 



29.962 

 29.987 

 30.226 



TXMPEBATURB. 



Of the Air. 



I 



Of the Earth ^j n . 



Max. Min. 



I 



78 



63 

 67 



71 

 63 

 64 



62 



41 

 45 

 45 

 50 

 44 

 42 

 36 



30.120 63.3 43.3 



Lb r\ n *■» 



1 toot 



2 feet 



riean 



deep. 



deep. 



59.5 



65$ 



Crl 



5 .5 



65 



61 



560 



61 



w§ 



60.5 



61 



60 



56.0 



61 



60 



53.0 



60 



60 



49.0 



59£ 



59 



55.8 



61.8 i 



60.2 



I 



E. f 

 N.W. 

 *. 



BLE. 



K.E.I 



.00 



.00 

 £0 



.< 



.01 

 .(Hi 

 W 



Auk. 

 Sept. 



31— Very fine throughout, 

 1— Clear; fine; clear and cold at night. 

 2— Flying clouds; cloudy; overcast. 



- 3— Clear; showers occasionally ; fine. 



- 4— Overcast; clcudy; slight shower; fine. 



- 5— Fine ; cloudy ; clear and cold. 



6— Clear; cloudy; fine; cold at night. 

 Mean temperature of the week 3£ deg. below the average.- 



RECORD OF THE WEATHER AT CHISWICK. 

 During the last 29 years, for the ensuing week, ending Sept. 15,**&5. 



Sept. 



4> *• 



£3 a 



<D bf £ 



SB* 



43.9 



47.1 

 4K.3 



45.6 



46.0 

 46 9 

 46.5 



"I 



0> 



4> 



SfH 



No. of 

 Years in 

 which it 



Raided. 





Greatest 

 Quantity 

 of Raiu. 



Prevailing; Whviv 



found to be liable to this pest, and see that it ia eradi- 

 cated before the plants get disfigured. Page cc Co.'s 

 composition, according to some parties, appears to be a 

 cure for ail kinds of insect pests, but there must be dif- 

 ferent samples of this sent out, for we had much the same 

 success with it as Mr. Gordon (see p. 488), who seems to 

 have found it about as useful as soap-suds. Red spider is, 

 however, easily got rid of by laying the affected plant on 

 its side, and well washing the und 



under sides of the leaves 

 with the engine, applying the water with as much force 

 as tile foliage will bear. Shake out and repot Pelar- 

 goniums that are sufficiently advanced after having been 

 -cut back, keeping them rather close and moist until they 

 strike into the soil. But plants that are fairly estab- 

 lished after repotting can hardly be too freely exposed ; ~ t , - x . .1 

 to air, or kept too cool. Also keep Cinerarias cool and the cuttings been put m a mont h ago 

 moist and attend to repotting such as require it, and ,» reserve stock of strong plants in pots, wl «cj " a safe 

 fumigate immediately nphidef are perceived upon any practice .where there » a large quantity of ^dmg stuff 

 of the plants. Primulas must also be carefully attended squired, and proper convenience '« growing Jem a 'd 

 to, in order to encourage them to make rapid growth, propagating, n spring, these will fuinie . a large quan, 



l« 1 i ±i a 11 • *• l- u u a\ J titv of cuttings next March which will torm equally 

 particularly the double varieties, which are hardly sur- 1 u v m w m tutl ,o° . . A . ... m _ f • * * 



■T ■""*' «T ._ . . . •* * «l-v^+ rt K™ 4-111*111 11 rv r\iif tim« 1\* (Mif t.mf7R TUlt 111 110W. 



winter fruiting. 



FLOWER GARDEN AND SHRUBBERIES. 



The stock oi cuttings should be carefully looked over 

 to see that nothing has been omitted, and that a suf- 

 ficient quantity of everything is in a promising state for 

 making nice stocky plants before winter, and if it is 

 found that the stock of anything is insufficient not a day 

 must be lost in getting in cuttings, for it is already late 

 in the season for this kind of work, and it will be well to 

 bear in mind that plants of things which are at all diffi- 

 cult to winter rooted after this season may be consider- 

 ably thinned before spring, and also that they will not 

 be sufficiently strong to furnish many cuttings for 

 spring propagation, and consequently to provide a 

 larger quantity than would have been necessary had 



* But if there is 



passed as useful subjects for winter decoration. 'Keep S<>od plants by turning out time as ^f^^.^J^' 

 Tree Violets clear of their great enemy, red spider, by a I" the case ot such things as Ageratums, Hehotiopes, 

 liberal 



of the syringe, and give them plenty of 

 manure water, which will assist in keeping them in 

 vigorous health. 



FORCING DEPARTMENT^ 



Pineries. — Where the pot system of cultivation is 



and dwarf Lobelias, it is~useless wintering young stock, 

 as these grow so freely in heat, and are so easily propa- 

 gated from soft cuttings that a few good sized old plants j 

 which require but little room or attention in winter will ' 

 furnish a very large quantity of plants by turning out 



See, however, where there are not plants to 



practised, any of the stock which may appear to require ! time. — , ___ 



repotting should be examined and slutted at once, if I furnish spring cuttings, that plenty are got in at once, 



.t f • / 1 • i i.i a ai— - - A a~ .,:.!«. .,.i,;i a ;+ nan h« dmiA against the risk 



this is found necessary, in order that the roots may get 

 hold of the fresh soil before dull cloudy weather sets 

 in, when it will not be safe to encourage free growth. And 

 any necessary re- arrangement of plants growing in the 

 open bed should also be effected as soon as possible, as 



so as to provide while it can be done against the risk 

 of being short of stock at turning out time. Attend to 

 the potting of such cuttings as are sufficiently rooted, 

 and give every after attention to these in order to get 

 them well established before winter. Sow hardy annuals 



with a little care in shading on bright days and keeping fn the reserve ground for transplanting to assist in fur- 



the atmosphere moist, this can be effected at present nishing an early display next season, for which they are 



with very little risk of checking the plants, so as to exceedingly useful. Persevere with mowing and other 



throw them into fruit, and there is also plenty of time routine work, and go over the beds frequently, removing 



to get them well established after removal before the 



dormant season. Encourage plants expected to show 



fruit next January to make vigorous growth, for these 



should be sufficiently advanced by the middle or end of 



next month to allow of keeping them ratlier cool and 



iiry through November and December, so as to check 



and thoroughly mature their growth, as unlets this is 



attended to there will be considerable risk about getting 



them to show fruit at that season. Plants which have 



been prepared for fruiting, and which it is desired to 



get up at once, should be encouraged with a moist 



warm atmosphere, keeping the soil about their roots in 



a healthy state as to moisture. Some persons have a 



dread of applying water at the root in the case of plants 



that have been kept dry for a time to check growth, and 



withhold it until the fruit is perceptible; but this is an 



error, causing loss of time as well as injuring the # - . . - 



plants, as unless root action is encouraged, plants become weakly and drawn, through standing too closely 

 cannot be expected to start freely. If artificial t >gether. Stir the surface of the soil deeply among 



treatment must be resorted to in order to get the growing crops, to admit air to the roots, and keep down 



dead flowers, &c, and while the garden is in full beauty, 

 spare no effort to have everything in and about it in the 

 best possible state of keeping. 



HARDY FRUIT AND KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Take advantage of the present dry state of the ground 

 to get Celery earthed up, first thoroughly soaking the 

 lines with manure wattr, also apply quicklime where 

 slugs are troublesome. On heavy soils it is sometimes 

 necessary to surround the plants with sand or sifted 

 ashes to prevent their rotting off in winter, which they 

 are apt to do if surrounded with soil that holds much 

 water. Where anything of this kind is necessary it will 

 be advisable to defer earthing up till later in the 

 season, as frequent soilings of this sort would be very 

 troublesome. Also pull Onions where ripe, and get 

 them dried while the weather is favourable. Thin 

 young crop3 of Turnips, Spinach, &c, before they 



Sunday 9 68 1 48.9 58 5 13 



Mon. 10 69.3 47-1 5^.2 17 



Tues. 11 68 5 4K.3 57-4 9 



Wed. 12 67-7 45.6 56 6 10 



Thu. 13 67.2 4».0 56 6 13 



PriA 14 f.6.7 46 9 56 8 14 



Sat ur. 15 _ 66.6 46.5 56.6 15 



The highest temperature durinK the above period occurred on the l^tb, 

 1841— therm. 8 i de*.; and the lowest on t the 9th, 1831, 11th, lSot, and 1-tb, 

 1843—therm. 31 degf. 



Notices to Correspondents. 



ApRicoTS-r Cardiff. Arrived quite safely this time', although 

 misdirected. _^ 



Books: Sub. Barron's "Winter Garden."— .7 Br. We cannot 

 assist you. If the publishers do not continue to s«ll the 

 "Vegetable Kingdom" in parts, we presume that they hare 

 reasons for refusing. At all events it is no affair of ours. 



Californian Laurel: J N L. Sow the seeds ia pans now— 

 taking care not to bury them too deeply— and winter them in 

 a cold frame. They will come up in spring. J 



Fir Trees: W P. Single specimens may be transplanted any- 

 time between Sept. 1 and Oct. 30, provided proper precaution* 

 are taken. If the operation is on a large scale with smalL 

 plants wait till November. 



Fleas: Voyageur. No-plant growing in this country is known to 

 have the power of repelling vermin. Both the common Chry- 

 santhemum Leucanthemum and Inula Pulicaria are said to 

 possess the property— but we cannot vouch for it. It is not 

 known what plant is used in preparing the Fire-oti o. 



Orientals. 4 _ _ ... 



Glass: Subscriber. We are decidedly of opinion that Hartley 9 

 rough horticultural plate glass is the best for Melon pits. It 

 is altogether a mistake to suppose that Hartley's glass does not 

 transmit light enough. We speak from experience. 



Heating : J K R. A common flue is the least expensive mode ot 

 heating your small greenhouse, and it will be found quite suffi- 

 cient to keep frost out of it.J . .. • „, . ^ 



Hollies : D Q. They do not form berries because the flowers 



are destroved by cold in spring. - • 



Insects: WD. Your Pear and Cherry trees are infested with, 

 the slimy grubs or larvae of the black-winged sawfly, Ten- 

 I thredo(Blennocampa)sethiops. Dust the leaves with lime or 

 syringe them with lime-water. A boy with a large camels 

 hair pencil dipped in the lime will be able to destroy all the 

 grubs on a tree in a quarter of an hour, touching each grub, 

 with the brush. This is a more certain and less wnsiffhtly- 

 plan than dusting the trees indiscriminately.— ^ H. See tne 

 last answer: you will find the history and figure of the 

 insect In Gardeners 1 Chronicle, 1842, p. 692. Its appearance is 

 in no ways connected with the darkness which suddenly came 

 over Blackheath a fortnight ago.-itf J B. Your larva! feeding 

 on the parenchyma of Geranium leaves are the very young 

 caterpillars of one of the Noctuidas, most probably Mamestra 

 oleracea.-?F B. The insects found on y? u ' ^^P®?" v"! 

 giniana are apparently young wingless i nd \ vld «? ,s ® f f; a ^„ 

 Juniper!, of De Geer (Mem. III., tab. iv., fig. 7.) Fumiga on 

 under a parapetticoat would destroy them.- ^4 Constant Reader. 

 The yellow flies which have attacked your Pear leaves .are a 

 small froghopper (Typhlocyba flavescens?). Dusting theleaves 

 with lime will prevent them attacking the parts covered wun 



the dust; but as the insects are very * ^ * n *J* e n :S: 

 cannot be made to cover the leaves entirely, the flies cann°t W 

 thus destroyed. A few sheets of paper coated with the s snmj 

 matter used for the common fly-papers and laid under ine 

 trees, the leaves of which should then be shaken, would destroy 

 numbers of them. W. 

 Nami.s of Fruits: T C. Red Astrachan Apple. J „ oWfJlT1 tl7 



Names of Plants : We have been so often obliged to w Il,ct *?"^ 

 decline naming heaps of dried or other plants, that we ^emtire 

 to request our correspondents to recollect that we never «« 

 or could have undertaken an unlimited duty of .th»s km • 

 Young gardeners, to whom these remarks more especially appj. 

 should bear in mind that, before applying to us for ^sisUnce, 

 they should exhaust their otfc>r means of gaining in J°.^\ * 

 We cannot save them the trouble of examining and tiling b 

 for themselves; nor would it be desirable if we could. £» 

 can do is to help them-and that most willingly, it » 

 requested that, in future, not more than four 'plants may 

 sent us at one time.- J. Rosa microphylla and Cletbraar borea 

 -J aB. Pteris aspericaulis Wall., a native of N epal and [o ne 

 parts of India. S.-E A A. Physianthus albens, a M|M 

 plant.-rr*«rotim. 378 and 118, Astragalus aduncus ; r £V 

 Echinus ; 332, Astr. Lagurus; 1382, some form of Pmus 1 unm 

 — T C. Campanula Loreyi. .. ht | oaBl 



Pjeoxy-seeds : EA G. Sow them now in pans « »K njrth 

 and peat. Just cover them with soil ; ^eep them on t he 

 side of a wall, and they will come up "^.JXir chance of 

 after. Do not water them, but let them take their cnan 



weather. . n „ fl ,» ft «RGi" 



Russian Mats: A Correspondent say-S in ans^r to Jv. 



that the best substitute for these is Fngi Dome ifo/g^ « 

 litu ; but he adds that it will not do for packing or tying v 



poses + 



is the well-known HyJag«J 

 .ortant that we will refer to n 



is an 





Scotch Firs: A Sub. The en 'my 

 piniperda. The subject is so important 



at length next week. t «n master 13 au 



Sin Harry SinAwiERRY.-The letter from Lanca* g tly 



advertisement. The inquiry by Fragana has be on sumc ^ 



answered already. No doubt the Strawberry m quebw 

 mSS 1% All stove plants except Erythrina laurifolia and 



Statice Holfordi. received too lata 



.„* As ami, many communications have ^ een i^!!L nfl uiries 



*and others are unavoidably detained til ^« necessary inq ^ 



can be made. We must also ^.^^ tere^ 

 numerous correspondents, the insertion ol wuo&u ■■ 



contributions is still delayed 





