THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



Kartell a tfiuall » "• for catching the ram-water and 

 overflow from the aquarium and other houses. It is 

 •bout $ or 10 feet in diameter. Into this basm I 

 minted one of the Victorias, on the 25th of June last. 

 The plant has grown remarkably well, the largest leaves 

 attaining a diameter of more thau 4 feet. It has not 

 yet, however, bloomed, and may not, as cold weather is 

 near at hand. Sash, blocked by whiting, has remained 

 over the basin during the whole time. I am satisfied 

 that we can flower the plant next season in this position. 

 The third plant is still in the small seed-pan m which 

 the seed was sown. The excitement produced by the 

 weeessfui cultivation of the Victoria on this side of the 

 Atlantic has been very great, and I am happy to say 

 that no one has affirmed that the glowing accounts of the 

 plant were at all exaggerated. Jndeeed, the universal 

 sentiment is, that no tongue or pen can exaggerate it. 

 Co > Cope, in /looker's Journal of Botany. 



The ' fo- Botanic Garden— New Houses. 

 sumin rof the present year an addition was m 

 the establishment by the building of two stoves, the 



larger intended for aquatic, the smaller for Orchidaceous 



are 



_„ kept dry. See that the pots of all plants thatare 

 plunged in the ground have their rims covered an inch 

 deep'vith the plunging material, to preserve them from 

 the action of the frost ; and let an extra covering be 

 laid over the Hyacinths and other bulbs which are 

 plunged out of doors. 



FORCING DEPARTMENT. 



Cucumbers in pots for planting out should be kept 

 growing steadily ; and when a shift into larger pots is 

 required, let them have some lumps of half-decayed turf, 

 a little well-rotted cow manure, and some flaky leaf soil. 

 Plunge them in bottom heat in a light pit, removing all 

 fruit and male flowers as they appear, and stopping the 

 shoots at every second joint. Thus treated, the plants 

 become strong and healthy, and when put out in a well- 

 prepared bed, they produce fruit in a very short time 

 and in great abundance. Those plants now bearing in 

 boxes should have liberal treatment in regard to rich 



i 





of hot water traversing its centre. 



plants, which, with the propagating house contiguous, 

 orecte-i previously, constitute a range 84 feet in length, 

 extending along the eastern side of the garden, in a 

 direction nearly parallel to the river Cherwell. The 

 former of the twonewhousss is builtupon a new plan, with 



a ridgi and furrow roof, composed of glass let into iron 

 frames without columns to support them.* It encloses 

 a tank measuring 26| feet by 17 feet, warmed by pipes 



The depth of the 



water in the tank is 3 feet 6 inches, and a slight motion 

 is given 'to it by means of two small overshot wheels, 

 which may be made to revolve by the application to 

 them of a minute jet of water. In the centre of this 

 tank there is a mound of soil, previously burnt, into 

 which is introduced the Victoria Lily, the plant 

 about which so much curiosity has been excited ever 

 since the period of its first flowering at Chatsworth. 

 Round 'the margin of the tank may be also seen the 

 following interesting aquatic productions of the tropics. 

 The Neiumbium speciosum, the sacred Bean of Egypt, 

 a plant of much historical interest, being figured on the 

 sculptured monuments of that country, but no longer 



found there, though common enough in various parts of 

 the East Indies. Its leaves, which are orbicular, some- 

 times measure 3 feet in diameter ; and its flowers, which 

 -are very handsome and fragrant, often exceed in their 

 native country the size of 10 inches. The ancient 

 Egyptians used the seeds, which are enclosed in a fruit 

 like that of the Poppy, as an article of food. Another 

 plant from Jamaica, with smaller leaves than the above, 

 is also a kind of Neiumbium, a genus differing in the 

 multitude of its pistils from thfe true Water-Lily, of 

 which we have in the tank the following exotic species. I 

 N. cserulea from Egypt, a very beautiful plant with ' 

 large blue petals ; rubra and stellaris from the East 

 Indies ; dentata from Sierra Leone, nearly allied to the 

 Nymphsea lotus of Egypt, with leaves ribbed on the 

 tack like the Victoria regia, and flowers with a green 

 calyx, and numerous white petals ; odorata minor, a 

 small fragrant species from North America; and 

 micrantha from the river Gambia, with elegant small 

 white flowers, and viviparous leaves. Here also may 

 be seen the Pistia stratiotes, a gigantic kind of Duck- 

 weed common in the ponds of the West Indies, the 

 leaves of which in like manner float loosely on the 

 surface ot the water unattached to the soil ; two species 

 of Pontedera, namely crassipes from Guiana, distin- 

 guished by the swelling petiole of the leaf, and ca>rulea - 

 from .North America, the flower of which is analogous 

 to that of the Lily, but has a naked perianth ; the 

 Limnocharis HurabolJtii, a plant with conspicuous 

 yehow petals ; a 'fine specimen of the Papyrus already 

 alluded to m the Guide ; another gigantic species of 

 ^oge, from Madagascar, the Cyperus alternifolius ; the 

 Jussieua pundiflora of Carolina ; and a curious tropical 

 Fern, called Ceratopteris thalictroides, a native of both 

 hemispheres, having its sterile fronds bipinnated, and 



£1 11 "^T C ° nteaC,ed iDt0 Hnear revolut * ^gments, 

 both kinds being viviparous. The shelves on either side 



ofthe house contain several fine tropical plants, and a 



In the ! top-dressing and liquid manure, and only one or two 

 ade to I fruit should be allowed on each plant at a time. French 



Beans require a temperature of 60° by night, and a rise 

 of 10° or 15° by day /according to the weather. Air in 

 moderation is also indispensable; for when kept too close, 



Put sue- 



few handsome climbers are planted In the™l. The 

 «tove whidh flanks tli« V«*n£. u ._ ... ie 



desiemprf f ^s 'he 7 ictori * hou se to the north is 



Calendar of Operations. 



( For the ensuing week.) 



to 



give all the 



OnPmnrr o„ «' th * S mUSt be d °Ke 



,* ;♦* , 0pemn £ an >- sashes by which the latter can be 

 admitted, as otherwise ih*A«™~ :m • , . De 



of diminished tS y Th? P ^ incr ! ased in 8tead 

 back as well as front ientStoxS * ^ & "& ° f 

 by them a free rfwJKS? £l»£« ™» s > * s 



of weather, 

 half-hardy 



the plants soon become drawn and slender, 

 cessions of Sea-kale and Asparagus into suitable situa- 

 tions for keeping up a supply. We have already, in 

 former Calendars, stated how these are best forced at 

 this season. Small salads should be sown regularly, so 

 as to maintain a constant supply. As these salads are 

 so much in request, and so soon become shrivelled when 

 cut at this season, we have adopted a plan of having a 

 number of small boxes (about 14) 12 inches long, 

 4 inches wide, and 2 inches deep. We sow in these 

 boxes every second or third day, and when any salad is 

 required the boxes are sent into the house, so that it can 

 be had perfectly fresh at the moment it is wanted to be 

 served up. Boxes of Mint and Tarragon should be put 

 into a mild temperature, so that a supply may be ready 

 when required. Prepare beds of leaves for early Pota- 

 toes, spring Carrots, and Radishes. 



FLOWER GARDEN AND SHRUBBERIES. 



Most of the deciduous trees having now lost their 

 leaves, advantage should be taken of all suitable weather 

 for clearing them away, especially from the turf and 

 gravel walks, that the first shower of rain may do away 

 with the dirty and smeared appearance consequent upon 

 the use of the besom or leaf-rake. After a sufficient 

 quantity of leaves has been secured for fermenting pur- 

 poses, and for decomposing into compost, the residue 

 may be drawn into open spaces in the clumps, and 

 covered with a little soil, to prevent their being blown 

 about with the wind. In the course of the next twelve- 

 months these leaves will rot, and next autumn they may 

 be used as a top-dressing or mulching for newly-planted 

 trees. Advantage should be taken of frosty weather to 

 prepare the ground for planting trees or shrubs, by 

 trenching well the clumps or spots which they are de- 

 signed to occupy; and by carting or wheeling any 

 necessary material on the ground while it is hard enough 

 to bear the traffic. Actual planting however, must be 

 deferred until the weather is favourable, as the roots 

 cannot safely be exposed to frosty air. All plants re- 

 cently removed should be well mulched with half-rotten 

 leaves, or some other similar material, which will serve 

 to dig in as a sort of manure in spring. Let all such 

 plants be securely staked, as by nothing are they sooner 

 injured than by being rocked about by the wind. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Beds of Asparagus intended for forcing, should be at 

 once covered with half-rotted leaves or manure, to 

 prevent the ground being frozen, and so that they can 

 be dug up easily in any weather. Those beds which are 

 not intended for this season's forcing, should also receive 

 their winter's mulching at the same time. The surface 

 of the beds should first be lightly pricked over, and then 

 a scattering of salt should be sown over them, at the rate 

 of 1 lb. to the square yard ; and upon this, a coat of well- 

 rotted dung should be laid about 5 inches thick. The 

 alleys also between the beds should be well dunged, and 

 forked over as deeply as it can be done, without injuring 

 the roots which extend into them. Pits and Frames 

 will require very careful attention during severe weather, 

 as it will often be necessary, in order to prevent the 

 effects of frost, to keep them closely covered up during 

 the day, as well as at night. But if due attention has 

 been paid to our oft repeated cautions to keep the 

 inmates dry, they are in little danger of sustaining any 

 in jury, provided the covering be ample (excessive 

 rather than otherwise), and also that advantage be taken 

 of every favourable opportunity of admitting light and 

 air, even if it be but for an hour in the middle of the 

 day. Caution, however, must be observed in exposing 

 the plants to the direct rays of the sun, as that 

 can never be done with safety while the leaves are 

 m a frozen state. In such cases, light should be 

 admitted on the north side only, that they may be 

 gradually thawed by the moderate warmth of the 

 atmosphere. 



■W£^w»*ffi=? h *** 



State of the Werfeernev London, for the week endin* Not "0 1S31 

 aa observed At tW» Hnvti*..i»..— i a ni_i~V . • - u » ,33i » 





observed at the Horticultural Garuen. Cuiawick. 



ciency of room for 



naif-hardy plants hi note *« — »sr ut room 1 



during th'e &£, Z?£jV££S& ^ & 

 »a" ; »ud if they can be 7 HS.^ a no * 



c. 



if they 



be protected \77T " D ° rth 

 •-eh rl «**J. [I \ temporary 



Not. 



erection covered with tar-cloth, sufficiently K S? P ' 



their heads to shelter them from rain 2,1 ' gh , ab ° ve 



Jjr and light, it would be still betU?^E£ a ll ^f^ 



of plants which our frosts will not bfu^™^? 

 •«n never shines on them while ther^ffijSJ. f* 

 -d the frost will have still less eff Jet ^fc^ [ — - , 



6 



§ 



s 



iUaOMRTlX 



Friday.. U 21 



Satur. .. 15 '22 

 Sunday . ]* f 



Monday 171*24 



Tuei. .. is 25 



Wed. .. ]9 J* 



Thara... 20 '27 



Max. Min. 



TaMPBHATUBl 



Of the Air 



30.3*9 

 30.0*22 



29.34. 



29.821 



29.871 



29.849 



30.062 



30.100 



29.94 f 

 29.815 



29.701 



29.839 



29.6 14 



29.S61 



Mean 



OftheKarth| Wind 



1 foot 2 feet 

 deep. , deep. 



I 



Nov. 



ov. o* 



-— - • 



}t— -Clear and cold with bri*lr rm-*u — t » 

 18-C,ear ard fro.ty ; ^^^i^SS: 

 19-Severe frost for th* *«,i^ rJ D ^ • ****** fro 



snow-flakes. 



for the period of the 



20-Clear and frosty • fine • cU* r **a t . 



Meaa temperature oUhe weeMou* £ °&IV 



frost at 

 teason; , 



1* 



ow the sy 



State of the Weather at Chisvdck, darn,* the U,t M 



ensuing week, ending &JW&& 







0) ** 



5^ 



Nov. 



2-£ S 



5s^ 



£ * 5 



> u 





Sunday 2 1 



48.* 



35.9 



42.3 



Mon. 24 



48.0 



33.5 



40.7 



Tues. 2) 



46.3 



33.4 



39 9 



Wed. 26 



47.4 



33.2 



40.3 



Thurs. 27 



47.0 



35.4 



41.2 



Friday 28 



48.2 



36.8 



42.5 



Satur. 29 



48 5 



3>.S 



42.0 



No. of 

 ^ears in 

 which it 



Rained. 



10 

 9 

 13 

 12 

 If 

 13 

 14 



«' *".'<** 



Pretaai^^ 



0.36 in. 



0.5(1 



0.27 



0.54 



0.88 



1.21 



0.56 



I 2 < 1 Mi! 



I - 2 2 r 



The highest temperature during: the above nerinfl ««- 



1328-therm. 60 de*. ; and the lowest on the 29th! I846^ n arred °* ^Ti 



Notices to Correspondent* 



Acer : CFP. We will give you a full account of \h- 



It is appareatly as hardy as a Sycamore anri J P re *«tij, 



Birds: J C E. Yery early in the ensuiiJ T * DOt ri Unli ^o Q J. 

 your birds for breeding until after Christmas rh Dot ba * 

 have got safely over their various ailments w • "* bli 

 your inquiries about the sky-lark, (fee hvnlc! i Insw « 

 Your bird never will be well, or si ng'frLu* 1 '^ °*"wr. 

 ceased to feed him on fig-dust. We have snok i J0U *"• 

 this, on several recent occasions.— R Uit £ y* Mly *b*nt 

 worms and small pieces of raw meat, but von 1 \?* J ^ 

 him to livo beyond Christmas. — J B, Do not h ** &* 

 give your bird loaf-sugar, and never attempt to h*vr "?*?■ 

 at this season. He evidently has the cramp am v € 



is out of order. Scatter some powdered chaiw aI\S 0IBIC * 

 and keep him warm. ~ <- F — «** on hit ..«* 



the •• agitation M 



will be restored in the spring. 



peeulur to this season HUdan^J 



o jr. &ee Gardeners' CkimU 

 Feb. 22, and the two subsequent numbers.— 41^ ^r^l 

 are very affectionate birds, but their song is of lutle T »i 

 Still, an your children are so fond of him, keep him b? ill 

 means.— Hopeful. Yes; the hedge-sparrow, or Dicky Don. 

 nock, is a most merry little chorister, and well worth * cm* 

 We have plenty of them in our garden all the year rouncU 

 J. McPherson. From 3s. to 2 Is. ; but if you have not a well 

 attuned ear, let some friend accompauy you who hu,- 

 Omicron. They will not "open" before March. TheTwfll 

 then continue in song until August.,— Expectation. Int m 

 short time; it will form one of the most interesting of the 

 whole series. — Looker-on. In six weeks from to-dij,- 

 Forward. Bullfinches are very easily tamed. Let the pair be 

 placed in a good-sized cage, open in the front; hang then 

 moderately low, and take constant notice of them. Theyvfl 

 soon recognise your voice, and repay your attention with 

 evident marks of delight whenever they see you approach. 

 They are most affectionate little creatures.— M E a. Yogr 

 calamity is a common, but a 'heavy' one. These poor 

 creatures, every way unfit for a cage, and to lire in this 

 country, get restless and fidgetty after a certain age. They 

 then frequently tall to stripping off their feathen, and so 

 obtain a M new excitement." All you can do is — to feed 

 her low, vary the food, and give as much change of scene 

 as possible, to divert the animal's attention. Take heroot 

 of her cage every now and then, and let your family cosset ber. 

 No other JRecipevf ill cure the evil habit; nor can we yentore 

 to answer for this doing so. FT. K. 



Books : G R T. The Part of Decandolle's "Prodromus," for 

 which you inquire, has not yet been published. It ij laid to 

 be delayed by Professor Dunal. There is no general trans- 

 lation of MohPs works, but several of his treatises are to be 

 found in Taylor's u Annals of Natural History," a capital 

 periodical.—^. L. Paxton's " Cottagers' Calendar," and 

 Whiting's " Flower Gardening for Ladies." J . r . . 



Crickets : R P will thank some of our readers to inform him 

 of a ready method of poisoning or otherwise destroying then 



Flower Gardens : W P P. Plans cannot be described. Apply 

 to your neighbour, Mr. Kemp, of Birkenhead, who mn 



furnish a plan. . . 



Heating : C M. A stove without chimney, with prepared caar. 

 coal fuel, is not injurious to plants, provided it is notauoww 



to dry the air of the house. n .. ^ 



Names or Fruits: WHI. 1, Wy ken Pippin; 3 4. ™""J" 

 bury.y— M T B. The Golden Haroy.ll-Coomto. >h . ^? 

 Mignonne; 2, Braddick's NoDparcil: 8, Larlj Nwpjg; 

 4, Koyal Russet ; 5, 9, London Pippin ; 7, King or the Y>m< : 

 10, braddick's Nonpareil; 11, Reinette Blanched Bipaj". 

 12 Court of Wick ; 14, Blenheim Pippin; lb, hbod eta* 



Greening; 18, Coe's Golden Drop.ll-W y *^' ?.! f£? 

 raised near Maidstone has probably no name. » U »J 



dish fruit, fit only tor kittwi 



uiues. — encin* *», •»•——*; — vVp will tell J»» 



juire a careful examination. " « _ ranu i a t».- 

 M C. Perhaps bulbs of SaxiftVJ ^ U B ^ 

 Hsandra prostrata.-C^. Wm torn u«* 



handsome, tolerably large, rounuis« •*«•••-; — * lM1 fc n own* 

 Wi-TIm N, and HA \V. Those not named were ^w 



Names of Plants : J Weeks. Apparently one ot ™* t0 

 of Celosia argentea.-ii G T. The leaves 8ee ™ ^identi- 

 Mespilus graudifiora, as far as we can judge ; dui q ^^ 

 fication cannot be sure without flowers or iron. ^^ 

 1 and 2, Ficus reptans ; 5, Brachycome , ibend ^ 1^ Tfae 

 fussia amelloides.— Shem. 3, Amaryllis W J ^JJ m lc u yon 

 other two require a careful examination^ 

 next week. 



R WKW. Disandra prostrata.— u i"* 'T^I.w* flei 

 WWKeane. Such specimens are indeterminau .^^ %Q 

 we never name Cryptogamic plants, hayi D » r p Da truti- 

 gardening.— D J. Setaria itahca.-ii *< <?' _j u &**** 

 cosa, Herberts trifolia^a, Benthamia tragi wr used tor 



Setaria italica, the small German MuW . ,8 __ j St it is 

 poultry feeding. This plant is common in ' • hacca racy - 

 not practicable to name such fragments BouW j D g a ultU 

 HDD. iEschynanthus grandiflorus ana . i9f Uryo» 



4 baselloides.—/2 F H. 1, Hymenopbyllum i« 

 rostratum. . n rich warm ^ 



Pears: B B B. In the south of England, mj. ucedTer y 

 and in Javourable seasons, the Marie LoU,s ! th * f r uit i» "**• 

 tine, and abundantly, from standards ; ana ^ 

 wise better flavoured than from walls.ll rger cmen inoo* 



Poor-rates : A Victim. We do not see why ^ 

 not pay poor-rates, as well as other people. ^ Febra ij 



Seeds : A M S. Sow them in peat, sand, aua 10 thein j,» 



in a hot-bod. Pot the bulb* in loam now, a f ^ *m 

 a greenhouse without water till they Wi ^ fflll n ^ 

 give them a little, and increase it till tney ^^ ^v* 



Shrdbberies : R P. Fill it up with Ivy, ** i %n tdh le 

 beris aquifolium, with plenty of commM 

 Hollies, and Privet. „ Aat11 on tbe VlDe i-s, 



Vises: E W. By all means buy "\$*T*t*^& 

 excellent book noticed by u§ at p. ^' " ern iDg *f L { of 

 We have no further information c0 ° c ^ aiC i wiU ** 

 Vinery. Perhaps our eorrespoadent m 





44 



41 



4 'J 

 35 

 41 



37 

 43 



i5 



34.5 



19 



3©.o 



2G 



34.0 



27 



MM 



10 



2}<.5 



35 



3K0 



2i 1 



33.5 



4.3i 



44 



N. 



42 



43 



w. 



40f 



42 



w. 



40 



41 



N. 



3* 



40 



N. 



37| 



39 



s.w. 



374 



39 



N. 



29»965 j 29^44 j 40.4 I 23 1 3i.S I 39.3 



41.1 



.00 



**> 

 .00 

 .00 

 .00 

 .00 



.00 



how he is getting on. 



address 



Misc. : M H. If you will send us J our ^T^you.^ toa 

 stamps, tbe number will be forward^ a ' drer u*«* \^M 

 never give prices, which is the boitoe" oi % *&*. 

 will find the kind of information J* * j a ,btt ^ 

 Conifers in Knight and Ferry's Catalog ^ y s 



Hshed"by"the Horticultural S^^^essrt 

 Journal, or in a catalogue sent ou^dj 



oti 2 



■M I Edinburgh. }— R F H. See p. 13*, 



