February 28 1865. ] 



JOTTRNAL OF HORTTCIJLTITEE AKI> COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



181 



pared it far cuttings, which cuttings, as ^'erbeIlas, &c., and 

 many of the best tender anunals for out-doora we will now 

 hiiny on. For Verbena cuttings, &o., we will chiefly use 

 jbalf-circular drain-tiles and old zinc spouting, or troughs, as 

 vessels. In two-feet lengths the latter mate admirable 

 Teasels for propagating. A few holes in them do no harm. 

 Be the okl spouts 2, or 3, or 4 inches or more across, it 

 matters not, they are alike useful. All we do to them is to 

 procure a pole the size of the spout, cut it into round pieces 

 an inch wide, and then cut each in two with a billhook. 

 These two pieces just fit into the two ends, with a couple of 

 tacks at each end. It is best to leave a quarter of an inch or 

 ao open at the bottom, as that with a little rough stuff at the 

 bottom of the trough is all that will be necessary for drainage. 



For general treatment of plants in greenhouse and stove, 

 we must refer to previous Numbers. In such fickle weather, 

 «are should be taken to give fi-esh air, and chiefiy at the 

 top of the house, and in watering not to spill any on the 

 floor. Whatever is spilled will evaporate, and in a frosty 

 night be condensed against the glass, and most likely if a 

 hot sun succeeds it will melt and fall like a shower-bath over 

 the house. A little air given early will help in this matter, 

 in feet, in frosty weather a little given at the top of the 

 house early will prevent the necessity of giving much any- 

 where during the day. 



Moss J Zaicns. — "We would just add one word on mossy 

 lawns. We thoroughly agree that if you pull up most of 

 the moss, you should also top-dress and sow, a-s stated in a 

 late !N"umber. We once pretty weU cleared a piece with 

 rakes, &o., and then dressed with some ashes and lime, but 

 that was not enough. We ought to have top-dressed richly 

 and sown the fresh seeds. The exposure of the roots of 

 the grass, by the tearing away of the moss, let the frost and 

 the cold take such hold as to kiU the grass, and next season 

 fiie piece was like part of a fallow field. But unless where 

 fhe moss is disagreeably long and luxuriant, why meddle 

 with it at all ? 'No more grass lawn, however solid and clean, 

 can be half so agreeable as one formed partly of moss, if 

 you do not sink much in it. In the one case you may have 

 such a comfort as you can enjoy from walking on the floor 

 of a room covered with stout oilcloth. In. the other case 

 you may enjoy such a luxury as is presented by the spring- 

 ing elasticity of a thick soft Turkey carpet. When a'lawn, 

 too. IS covered chiefly with short moss that keeps green in 

 moderate droughts, it is much more easQy kept than one of 

 feie grass. We have known some of such thick mossy 

 lawns that a skiff with the scythe a few times in the season 

 was sufficient to keep in first-rate order. Destroy the moss 

 by all means, if it is so objectionable ; but if it is short and 

 firm, and you like a soft, elastic, easily-kept Lawn, " let well 

 alone."— E. F. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



^"sasENA TEvosA EooT-CTJ TTiKGs {fl". J., Bristo7).—T!]ie CTitting^ of the 

 roots will, if yoa get ttem strong, bloom macli more freely than plants 

 ootained from seed. 



PiASTS IN A Spare Room (T. B. A.).—li we could look in apon tou we 

 wonid better ascertain what yoa chiefly required to do to your spare' room, 

 13 feet lonp, S I'eet wide, and 8 feet high, to render it fitted for plants. You 

 speak of yoar kitchen garden being made over the slates of your coal-house 

 and pigsty. If yoxir kitchen garden had been larger, or if you had ground 

 to use as a flower garden, you might make it very attractive, and have vege- 

 tables earlier with the help of thi? spare room, whether vou could easily 

 aeat it or not. If yon designed to use it chiefly for fiowefs, or a few early 

 S:rawberries, &c.— in fact in whatever way, we would advise you to have 

 your window of 10 fest long made not 5, but 6 or 7 feet in height, so as to 

 huve all the light possible, thou^rh 5 feet will do if you must abide by that 

 Jieight ; but if so, we would p'aue it so that the top of the glass was within 

 a foot of the ceiling. Even then the flrst -i feet would be the most valuable 

 lor^growing pliuts of any kind, and the back part of the room would be 

 E€iw for storing many things in winter. When vou tell us what you are 

 ciDst anions to use such a room for, we will feel more than a pleasure In 

 belpmg you xf we cm. We have no doubt the rabbits will do in the place 

 proposed, but it will be advissble to let them have sods or earth to amuse 

 themselves with. 



Wotte Tokat Ghape (K. S. C.).--Thi3 is evidently the Vine you pur- 

 <#ised under ihe name of the "Torquay.'' It requires heat, and its fruit is 

 net highly flavoured. • 



,^ip^ P^CEA PiNSAPo {A Suhscriher).—'We have been favoured with a 

 paotograph of one of the finest specimens of this conifer that we have ever 

 jcnown in this country. It is 42 feet in circumference round the lowest 

 onmch^. which touch the ground, and ia 14 feet high, and perfectlv efym- 

 LuSiT ^ growing- in the grounds of F. Brown.lEsci., Farley Hill, 



Li Co-KsrAsiB Sthawbeert (K. Jf.).— It can be obtained from any of 

 vtte principal Bnrserymen in the vicinity of London. 



Mussett's HEATnro Appakattjs.— Having noticed the complaint of your 

 correspondent, at page 118, a^inst '* Mussett's PatenE Hot-water Ap- 

 paratus," I feel bound to state, in justice to the apparatus, that the one we 

 have at this place has fulfilled every espectatlon. It was supplied by Mr. 

 Mussett last October twelve month?, and has been doing duty in a house 

 H feet by 7. My neighbour was less fortunate with his ai fir^t, as it seemed 

 determined to smoke and not make the water hoc. We both condemned it 

 as not fit for the task assigned to it. One day he lighted up and prepared for 

 the usual result?, but the itpparatus worked admirably, and it was only then, 

 he found that the previous failure was all due to hi* own careleesness in not 

 adjusting the lamps according to the printed directions.— H. Moss. 



Chamois Shtk Waistcoats (J. iSMfiscrtJer).— The so-called Chamois skifl 

 is no other than the common untanned wash-leather bo commonly used for 

 cleaning plate, &c. 



Seeds fkoh AusraALiA (.7. £.).— Of the seeds sent all will be better of 

 being sown in pots, well di-aiued, and then sec in a swe-t hotbed, and the 

 plants bardened-off by degrees after they are fairly up. 1. Leptospermum 

 lanigerum, a woolly-leaved plant, might do out of door^ against a wall in 

 the south of England after the plant was well established. 2. Eurybia 

 acnleata is a white-flowered Aster or Daisy-like plant with prickly leaves. 

 3. Rulingia farinosa, a soft-leaved, small, evergreen plant, named after the 

 botanist Ruling. 4. Lasiopetalum femigincum, a rasty-Iooking woolly- 

 leaved plant with white flowers, requiring a good deal of heath soil in the 

 compost to grow it weil, and also particular drainage. 5. Callistachys 

 linearis. The seeds had better be steeped in warm water for twelve hours 

 before sowing, saylStP. It is a dwarf shrub, with narrow leaves and reddish 

 flowers ; seeds enc!o?ed in a pod ; peat and loam. 6. Pomaderris lanigera, a 

 woolly-leaved plant with panicles of yellow flowers, requiring loam and peat. 

 7. Eucalyptus cotinifolia, corymbosa, or something like that. The whole 

 family is allied to the Myrtles, and have many of ihera fine foliage. In the 

 south of England they will stand out of doors. S. Creatia, cannot make it 

 out. 9. Humea elegans. Sow in heat, prick off, and then pot off, and pot 

 on during summer and antumn. Eeep in a temperature not below 45° in, 

 winter, and the plants will produce their feathery heads next season — that 

 i8, inlS66. 10. Creacia sertiena we presume to be Acacia serotina— if ao, 

 steep the seeds before sowing. 11. Melaleuca uncinata, a rather strong- 

 growing plant, and nearly hardy iu the south of Eng'aud against a wall. 

 12. Pultena;a daphnoides. Steep the seeds. Neat shrub with small yellowish 

 pea flowers. To oblige yon we have given this running commentary to your 

 list, and would jast add as a hint to others who now and then send such 

 lists of seeds: i^'irst, that these seeds of yours have either not been col- 

 lected by a botanist, or that you have spelt his names very indifferently, ae 

 some of them we have been obliged to guess at. Secondly, that though. 

 some are singular in their foliage, we question if there is one of the prin- 

 cipal seedsmen about London who would not supply for a trifle those twelve 

 packets of seeds, and in a condition more likely to succeed from your sow- 

 ing than in the case of those sent home in the ordinary manner trom Aus- 

 tralia. Last season we were offered a part of several such collections to try 

 them, but we frankly said that we could not find room or time for them. 

 Ono who was very pressing we told how one that was a long time our co- 

 adjutor used to receive suSi packages with thanks, because it pleased the 

 donors, and then quickly put them in the fire-place. 



SxEJNGiNG Geape Tines {Ferplcxed). — The seeming contradiction arise? 

 from deficiency of explanation. The syringing was intended to be recom- 

 mended to cease from the time that the buds burst until after the fruit was 

 well set, and then to be given once a-week until the berries began to colour* 

 At other times watering the paths, itc, will keep the air suflSciently moist. 

 We know that Gishurst compound may be kept dissolved ready for use, but 

 we are informed by the best authority that it is best to dissolve it at the time 

 it is needed. 



Sklectisg SxaAWBEKnT RuKNERS (/. (?.).— Mr. Fish says he often takes 

 them as thev come, but a number of experiments convinced him that the 

 first rtmners made by the Srr-iwberry became the strongest and beat plantSs 

 and the second and third runners the most fruitfuL 



Eucharis AiiAzosicA {St. AfeUon).—V{U'\iont seeing the bulb we cannot 

 give an opinion as to whether it will revive. Treat is as directed in our last 

 Number, and it will soon give evidence either for or against itself. 



Book (A Toung Gardener).— To instruct you in drawing, such as a gar- 

 dener finds advantageous, Loudon's "Self Instructor'' will suit you. It 

 was published by Messrs. Longman. Any bookseller can ascertain the price 

 for you, (JnguiVe?-).— Johnson's "Farmer's Encyclopcedia," published by 

 Messrs. Longman, will suit you. 



Skimmia japontca and Photinia seerulata (F. M. /.).— The Skimmia 

 is a low shrub, not suitable for a wall, but nevertheless fine for shady 

 places. It would do well in a north aspect, but is a rather slow grower. 

 Photinia serrulata will do for a wall, but should have an east or west aspect. 

 It may do tairly on a northern one near GloucCiSter, but we should preier 

 Ivies. The fiowers are white, and resembling those of the Hawthorn. They 

 are interesting, but not particulaly conspicuous j its chief attraction is its 

 evergreen foliage. 



CoiiPOST FOR Feess [J. J. J.).— Tou could not have a better compost 

 than that to be formed of your materials, loam, cocoa-nut fibre dust, char- 

 coal dust, and silver sand. If yours be the cocoa-nut fibre, and not the 

 dust, it is not good. The dust is like mahogany sawdust. The proportions 

 of the above roaterials for Ferns may be half cocoa-nut fibre dust, a quarter 

 loam (turfy yellow loam is best], and the remaining quarter equal propor- 

 tions oi charcoal and silver sand. Such a compost will do well for Be- 

 gonias ; and there are few plants that would not do well in it. 



Repotting Camellias {Jrfcm).— Pot them in the beginning of April into 

 pots a size larger, but do not give a large shift. Drain the pots to one-third 

 their depth, and place over the drainage the rougher parts of the compost. 

 Prepare a compcst of peat two-thirds, turfy loam one-third, with a free ad- 

 mixture of silver sand. In the absence of peat cocoa dust (but be sure that 

 it is dust, not fibre, for that is unsuitable) may be substituted for it. Turn 

 the plants out of the pots, carefully remove the drainage, and pick away the 

 old soil from between the roots with a pointed piece of wood, being careful 

 not to iniure the roots. Pot rather firmly, but not very hard, and with the 

 collar of the plant slightly elevated in the centre of tlie pot. In potting he 

 sure no vacant space is left between the ball and the sides of the pot. The 

 soil should be worked down with a flat piece of wood, like a label in shape, 

 and a gentle tapping of the pot on the potting-bench will help to fix the soil 

 and fill up any cavitiea. 



i 



