312 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 





Of 

 fbl- 



Adonea, describes a glass hothouse, belonging to or 

 his patrons, which was set apart for similar plants, as fol- 

 lows, in one of his Epigrams :— " As you are afraid that 

 your pale fruit trees, natives of Cilicia, cannot withstand 



the winter, and that a too cold wind may nip your 

 shrubs, you take care that by panes of tali; the 



chilly 



wintrv blast may be kept off, and that nothing be au- 

 mitted but sun and a genial air ; and yet I have nothing 



but a miserable lodging, with a window that does not fit, 

 and where Boreas himself would not find a habitation 

 Is it thus, cruel man, that you lodge an old friend . 1 

 had much rather be the guest of your tree ! The use 

 of some heating apparatus is here cleariy referred to ; but 

 Seneca (Letter 122) tells us that the Roman hothouses 

 were heated by steam. He denounces the unbridled 

 luxury of his contemporaries 

 trary to nature who require Roses in winter, and who, by 

 the use of hot water, and application of heat, compel the 

 Lilv to blossom in winter, instead of in the spring V* It 



late 



" Do not those live con- 



is remarkable that the most direct evidence of the use of 

 hothouses by the Romans should be furnished by a poet 

 and a philosopher. Comptes Rendus. 



Calendar of Operations. 



(For the ensuing week.) 



PLANT DEPARTMENT. 



Although the general potting has by this time been 

 completed, there will be some plants, particularly young 

 ones intended for specimens, that will require another 

 shift ; and many free growing plants will require larger 

 pots once a month, until they are about to commence 

 flowering ; when they should be assisted with liquid 

 manure and top dressings of rich soils. If the pots have 

 been perfectly drained, and the plants potted in open soil, 

 water may be liberally administered to those which are 

 growing and rooting freely ; but, if anything like 

 stagnation be observed, the fault may generally be 

 attributed to some defect in the drainage, which should 

 be immediately examined, and put right. A sufficiency 

 of air to produce a free circulation should be at all times 

 admitted in the houses ; but during the more active 

 season of growth, more than this is unnecessary, unless 

 for the purpose of moderating the temperature in very 

 hot weather. Shading should only be used in strong 

 sunshine, and should be so arranged that it may be easily 

 removed or reapplied in changeable weather. All 

 growing plants will require constant attention, in the 

 training and occasional stopping of the young growths, 

 especially of those intended to form handsome specimens. 

 To plants in a growing state, the allowance of heat, 

 shade, and moisture, during the day, should be 

 increased rather than decreased, proportioning them 

 to the still increasing strength of light. A temperature 

 of 68 9 is sufficient for anything during the night, and 

 whenever the weather is so warm as to raise the inter- 

 nal temperature higher than this, give air more abun- 

 dantly ; but even in this case, a little fire will be neces- 

 sary the last thing at night, to prevent the house being 

 too cold at daybreak next morning. Syringe early in 

 the afternoon, that the superfluous moisture may dry 

 up before dark ; and in order to assist this, some of the 

 ventilators should be opened about a couple of hours 

 after syringing, and be allowed to remain open ail night. 

 This applies especially to houses with closely glazed 

 roofs, where sufficient air to prevent stagnation cannot 

 enter by means of the laps. Begonias that have had a 

 rest after flowering will now require to be cut in ft 

 little, and to have their shape regulated ; and when 

 they begin to grow, let them be repotted, using turfy 

 loam, peat, and a little rough leaf-mould. If placed in 

 a warm house, and syringed freely in the evenings, 

 they will soon commence their new growth ; after 

 which, they must have plenty of air, to prevent their 

 becoming weakly. Pelargoniums, Calceolarias, and 

 other summer-flowering greenhouse plants, should 

 have sufficient room to enable them to enjoy the full 

 benefit of the sunlight, with a free circulation of air. 

 The flower-stems of the Calceolarias should be sup- 

 ported with small neat stakes. 



FORCING DEPARTMENT. 



^ Pineries. — Let the plants be liberally snpplied with 

 air and moisture during their growth, and especially 

 those which are swelling their fruits. The latter should 

 be watered with liquid manure, and where it is desir- 



FLOWER GARDEN AND SHRUBBERIES. I 



Even in the latest situations, the planting out will now 

 be nearly completed ; and the chief things requiring at- 

 tention will be the watering of all plants that need it, 

 and the bringing on of the late struck cuttings as quickly 

 as possible, to make up for any that may be deficient. 

 There are few places in which a sufficiency of room is 

 provided for those beautiful and useful plants, more 

 particularly grown for bedding purposes ; and as 

 struck cuttings soon come into flower, if carefully re- 

 moved from the frames into the flower-garden, we would 

 recommend every possible attention to be paid to them. 

 Places which are not visited by their respective owners 

 before August, may be made to look gay, with cuttings 

 not put in before April. We have put cuttings of scarlet 

 Geraniums into a border in June, which were a perfect 

 mass of flowers in September, without any other at 

 tention than merely watering them after they began to 

 grow. Annuals which have been sown or pricked out 

 into frames or beds will now require transplanting into 

 their final situations, and biennials into reserve beds for 

 planting out next spring. A sowing of annuals should 

 now be made for autumn flowering, including Mig- 

 nonette, Nemophila, Virginian Stock, Silene, Collinsia, 

 Sweet Peas, Gilia, Kaulfussia, Godetia, Clintonia, and 

 any others which are sufficiently showy, and come 

 quickly into flo wer. 



HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



| Proceed with the final disbudding of Peaches and 

 Apricots on the walls, leaving no more shoots than can 

 be laid in without crowding. Where the young shoots 

 seem likely to grow very strong, they should be stopped 

 as soon as they have made from four to six leaves ; and 

 from the laterals consequently produced, one or more 

 may be selected, which will generally form good bearing 

 shoots of moderate strength ; but if the wood they pro- 

 duce is still too strong, stop again, and continue the 

 practice as long as the tree persists in throwing out 

 strong growing shoots. This moderates the growth in 



too vigorous, and helps to diffuse 



t0 C °, r Jo e !P?H?ents. 



tt* 



U. 



Notices „ 



Back Nos. : The volumes for"l849 and imTZZ 

 30s each—Full price will be given fn r v ay 

 -Full price will be given for t%M\^]i" . . 



Newspapers, or half price for the NewsnanL* i mhtn 

 31, 35 ; 1848-49, 50. newspaper alone : \%£ 



Bees : H. The improved cottage with * k~ ^ 

 at the top. Y. ca ° e ' Wlth aboard and ov^ 



Canary, Tricks of the : Emily B. You mu«t l_ ,. 

 move your pair of canaries from their hrL.J? uW J *• 

 place them iu a smaller cage. As they ^J "«fr * 

 ther, by all means let them live under thVim. WeUt * 

 Nature has furnished them with sue. I* T0 ° f; *»» 

 organs of « destructive^*," put them "p Tr» n *"* 

 poses no more. Provide yourself at once ^th?JS& 

 pair of lively, sray-coloured canaries, and von hL! *?■** 

 to secure three fine healthy broods W K yetti * 



Cinerarias: G R T. No correct opinion can h» f^ i 

 quality of seedlings until they hav^^ereS 'p ° f *l 

 habit will not always indicate value, and therefore w^ff 

 reject none until they had blossomed * e *° i « 



Cotton Blinds ; R A H. We doubt whether Unset,! * •* 

 prevent their mildewing but if dipped in TSnrt *! 

 chloride of zinc, they will be saved. 80latlM * 



o & 



those parts which 



the sap over the whole tree with greater uniformity. 

 The neglect of timely and judicious stopping of the 

 gross shoots often proves to be the ruin of many a fine 

 tree. Where the Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots 

 have fortunately set an abundant crop of fruit, it will 

 be necessary to examine them carefully, and to take 

 some away where they are too thick ; this should be 

 done when they are about the size of Cob-nuts, as they 

 come in usefully for tarts and preserving. Attend 

 vigilantly to the destruction of caterpillars and aphides. 

 Continue to let down the canvas screens at night, 

 whenever the weather is wet or cold ; and wash the 

 trees frequently with clean soft water by the engine. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



A cool moist atmosphere should be maintained in the 

 Mushroom house, and cleanliness strictly attended to ; 

 let the hay used for covering the beds be occasionally 

 changed, as it forms a more congenial harbour for 

 insects, when allowed to get old and musty. Pay atten- 

 tion to the destruction of woodlice, by laying slices of 

 Turnips to attract them, in addition to which a few 

 toads should be kept on all the beds. The Onions will 

 soon require thinning, and if a sufficient breadth has 

 not been sown, a bed should be prepared for transplant- 

 ing those into which are thinned out of the principal 

 bed. Make a sowing of the silver-skinned variety, 

 moderately thick, to produce small bulbs for pickling. 

 Give plenty of room to all growing crops, and stir the 

 ground frequently with a fork, to encourage their pro- 

 gress, and to keep down weeds. Make successional 

 sowings of all summer vegetables which are of short 

 duration, as Peas, Beans, French Beans, tall Runners, 

 Spinach, &c, and salads of all kinds; also early Cabbages, 

 and a small sowing of Cauliflowers for late autumn and 

 early winter supply. For Spinach crops, sown at this 

 season, the ground should be rich and deep, or the 

 produce will be bitter, and will soon run to seed. Trans- 

 plant Celery, and water freely, that the young plants 

 may not suffer from the check, or from drought. 



State of the We&ther near London, for the week ending May 15, 1851, 

 as observed at the Horticultural Garden, Chiawick. 





May. 



able to produce the fruit as large as possible, its swelling 

 will be assisted by removing useless suckers, and by I 

 affording a slight shade during bright sunshine. Main- i^ ay 

 tain a moist atmosphere by sprinkling the paths, walls, 

 and other evaporating surfaces, and by loosening the 

 tan, to induce an exhalation of the congenial vapour 

 g therefrom. Vineries. 



M 

 < 



x 

 C 



o 



c 



S 



Attend to tying, thin- 

 mng, and stopping. Where plants of any kind are 

 necessarily grown beneath Vines, the shoots of the 

 latter should be stopped at the first joint above the 

 fruit, and the spurs on which there is no fruit should 

 be stopped at the fourth or fifth leaf. This will also 

 apply to Vines on the rafters of greenhouses, which are 

 just now being thinned and regulated. In disbudding 

 not more than twice the number of shoots necessary to 

 produce a crop should be retained, one half of which 

 will carry bunches this year, and the other half will 

 make wood on which to produce next year's crop. 

 Peaches and .Nectarines which are just ripening, 

 should be assisted by a dry atmosphere, a free ad- 

 mission of air back and front, and by removing any 

 leaves which shade the fruit from the rays of the sun 

 In the succession house, very little fire will be required 

 at night, if the sun-heat is properly economised by 

 closing early in the afternoon. r,,: ~ ~ AL J 



as they advance. 



Satur. .. 10 1 10 

 Sunday . 11 11 

 Monday IS. 12 

 Tues. .. 18 

 Wed. .. 14 

 Thura... Id 



13 

 14 

 O 



I 



Baromktxr. 



Te*fbkaturk. 



Of the Air. 



••,-» 



Average 



29.f>76 



29.613 



29.7 



30.070 



30.2 



30.3 



30,265 



29. 



29.598 



29.7 1 5 



29.H75 



30.242 



30.291 



30.152 



, 



Max. 



59 

 70 

 60 



63 



58 



57 

 64 



Min. | Mean 



Of the Earth. ! Wind. 



L foot 



2 feet 



deep, j deep. 



43 



37 



47 

 43 



31 



*/ 



29 



30.003 29.930 \ *2.4 3fi 7 49.5 I 50.4 4S.9 



51.0 



I 43 



53.5 



50 



56.5 



51 



53.0 



52 



445 



52 



42.0 



51 



HA 



49 



s. 



s. 



N. 

 N. 



N.E. 

 N.E. 

 N.E. 



X 



as 



.00 

 3 

 .00 

 .29 

 .00 



.on 

 .00 



.32 



May 



,n~?! ne u : ^watmjrht; large, distinct, Unar halo. 

 10— Might haze ; very fine ; shower in afternoon ; clear. 

 ZmJ!?* De; al,ght h * ze J verjrd»y; cloudy and fine. 



Jo S.*" C * U » very fiam * rain ia afterroou. 



13-Jine throughout; clear and cold and night. 

 14-Mne; cloudy with dry air; clear aud frosty at night, 

 lo— Very clear; fine; clear; fronty. 

 Mean temperature of the week. 8| de*. below the average. 



State of the Weather at Chiswick during the l*t 25 years, for the 



ensuing week, ending May 24, 1851. 



Prevailing Wind 



Tie in the young shoots 



Sunday 15 

 Mon. 19 

 Tues. 20 

 Wed. 21 

 Thura. 22 

 Friday 23 



Satur. 24 

 The 



»47%wi e *4 l / mper ' t ?rj d » uriD,c the • boTe * eriod occurred on the 23d 

 1847-therm. 89 deg . ; and tn» loweat on the »d and 24th. 1837- therm ?n all ' 



Ferns : T IF. They have no flowed Count ZnmioikiW 

 serrations by no means lead to any such inference mLIT 

 they in the least disturb the views of systemati-te T%? 

 however is a question of pure science, which we* ctaS 

 discuss here. w * ai * 



Insects : W G. A dry situation, with camphor, caieDutdi - 



a few drops of quicksilver in the drawers, will prevent £ 

 ravages of mites. The bodies of greasy mothithonMlI 

 moistened with naphtha. W.—RS. Strips of paper tied frhtir 

 round the stems of your fruit trees and standard RomlS 

 well covered with tar or bird-lime, will prevent the beetkt 

 you have sent (which are the Otiorhynchus vastaterhSii 

 ascending your trees. It is better also to place a whiteeS 

 or sheet under the trees, and shake them on approach!* 

 them with a light after dark, rather than hunting forfi 

 beetles by hand, as they fall on being alarmed. IF. 

 Manures : J Macaulay. Mix it with peat charcoal, or anv other 

 fine and soft charcoal. Peat ashes will not answer. Mr 

 Cuthili's Treatises are still on sale ; you can procure them 

 by applying to him at Camberwell. 



Market Gardening : F G. Mr. Cuthill's papers on this sub- 

 ject can only be had in the Gardeners 1 Chronicle,* 



Melon Leaves: F H S. Your leaves are in a terrible pickVe. 

 It seems to us that they have been infested with thrips, and 

 that they have been brought to their present state by 

 unskilful attempts at destroying this pest. 



Mice : J B. We know of no better plan of getting rid of them, 

 than by trapping them. This, we should think, might be 

 effected without difficulty, provided proper skill is employed 

 in baiting and setting the traps. J 



Name* of Plants: Erzeroum: 400, Campanula glomerate; 

 479, C. rapunculoides.— Carring Cathol. Yellow Bankaian 

 Rose and Baccharis halimifolia.— George Pickering. It seemi 

 to be some kind of Hoarea ; but a broken leaf and a rough 

 sketch do not enable us ^o speak precisely. Cassia mimo- 

 soides is an old plant, and probably exists in somebody'e 

 garden ; though we do not remember having seen it cnlu. 

 vated.— 5 A. 1, Tritoma media; 2, Cochlearia officinalis; 

 3, no flowers.— T D H. One is no doubt a mere variety of 

 Dendrobium densiflorum ; the other is a curious thin?, cer. 

 tainly allied to CcelogTne, and especially to C. prolifera, but 

 not in a state for determination. We have it from Mr. 

 Lobb, who gathered it on the Khasiya Hills. — i? J G. Aipw- 

 nium lucidum, Forst. S.—Fhlox. Some kind of Mesembrr- 

 anttiemum, not determinable without leaves.— MQ s. 

 Acineta Humboldtii, badly coloured.— P B. A variety of 

 Oncidium stramineum.— E tf. Hippeastrum vittatum.-Atew 

 enquiries stand over for further consideration. 



Nightingales: John Bailey. As your butchers only Itu 

 once a week, keep your beef on marble (in a very cold cellar^ 

 covered over with a fine wire sieve. Ants' eggs, and meal- 

 worms are excellent of their kind, but they must be given 

 sparingly to these birds when in confinement. They snojew 

 them to fits. Meal-worms are a yellow, dry worm, totmon 

 meal, and are obtainable at any miller's, or througfc it wwr. 

 Keep them in a jar, with meal and flannel in it; Iwimim 

 damp come near them. Hang your bird on the wau « 

 quiet room facing the window. Administer »e D«ne tj 

 morning, removing it immediately his majesty htsj r™* 

 from it. The other questions will be considered in the form- 

 coming article. W. K. _ € u nr t.n 



Peach Trees: FLH.lt is now too late to P^^/^1 

 your trees planted last October; and their branches, fro 

 to 5 feet, are too long to break well if not a"^ 

 must disbud the extremities, and then the eyes \w 

 near the bases of the shoots, where you re quire w e u 

 Northwood. Cold is the cause of those swollen cuuea^^ 

 everywhere so abundant this season. «° tni °» L f ,. rt ^l 

 till warm weather sets in, and then healthy » u ** meia 

 appear, and the other should be picked o n. i » 

 time take care that no green-fly exist ; snutt wm ^ bf 



Peae Tbees : 5 T. The evil is incurable ; u seems c 

 cold. Have patience ; the trees will recover *™» 

 ance : at lease we see no sign of constitutional u Medl 



Seeds: N B. Raise them in gentle heat; 80 * in * x " att When 

 in pure loam and the Rhododendrons upon p ^^ 

 they come up, and have formed their true leave , 



them off by degreea. . . in t jj e air, you 



Stoves : A J B. In order to maintain moisu ^ floorti 



must syringe copiously, or throw down wa . t ^; t p aiDiDg water. 



orpla/e«2>on your V**^**"*"*^^?**^ 

 A tub of water is useless. Moist earth wil UW butoot 

 sphere as long as the surface of the eartn enongh 



longer. Your own sensations will tell you u 

 whether air is dry or damp. . f the taller 



Yews: RAH. Yes; if you ^V^Lth into its joun| 

 Yew, you will throw so much streD £^_\ on . but on no 

 branches that it will soon equal its co f Kfuiioa of P^ 

 account use manure. You may employ ani tf we Ji 



in alkaline water, if you have it ; but it wm 



to let the roots alone. Illinois, Downing 



Misc : E D. As you intend to emigrate to IUino ^ ^ ^ 

 •« Fruit and Fruit Trees of America f*iHP from the stone, 

 work. The Peach, in that country, is rai ** vig0 roa3lJ W 

 or worked on Peach stocks. The tree s grow * . ^ 

 some years, and then they bee «™f ^ c /i. P^ 

 what is termed the yellows. A aimUai < w %her &t, 



by the Peach stock in this country. Yoai »£ ltfge f ^y 

 to use Plum or Almond stocks ; and ^itwi y c0untrT m 

 can learn to bud previously to leaving 



August, so much the better. II -. ,. f 



° ' SEEDLING FLOWERS. Teryb *M 



Azaleas : J J. White, striped with red ; email ^ 



c/rc^VaxAs: 8 W. A nice nower in the way o^j 



stable. Its faults are, too "£/ *£ad m^Jj^ 



smoothness.*-*? H. * M Z*?°*~t&Wto****^ 

 brown. A very nice flower, but rather too larg 



CiNEEAaias: AZ. Pretty, but too smaU. 



•g* in , 



to be 

 doc 



Cinekaeias: A Z. rretty, out ">»---:> aS large »*■'%, 



Pansies: JF. They should be * £" d t e *J ar tofy. K^Ji 

 -,«..*. „««fhin ff •-.«? s. Ashowyboruerva ' not ba 



worth anything. 



make a good show flower, on 



well defined.* 



be* 



5 ivedttf 

 tece****? 



-for the MWfr, 



'insertion of "^ 





** «-WMT L\= ^XuZTi» 



