BOO 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTDKE AND COTTAaE G^AEDBNER. 



[ March 7, 18S5. 



TcTE Leaves Tcknbo Bbowx {Onf in a /*!>). —We are at fi 1ors< to 

 account for the scorchinc of the leaves and fruit eo early as the 14ih of 

 February. The temperature from fire beat must have beon extremely high, 

 and the air of the house esces^ively dry, and some other cause must have 

 existed as well, to account for the complete destraction of the folinere and 

 fruiu We think your border pood, though vre should have liked It better 

 had it Dot bean so deep, and without leaves over the drainage. Your pit is 

 4 feet deep with 1 foot of drainage at the bottom, and a good thicknes' of 

 leaves above it. Leaves are apt to bpcome a soap-like mass, and thus 

 prevent water escaping freely by the drainage. In place of the leaves we 

 would recommend you to place 6 inches more rubble on that already at the 

 bottom of the pit, then a layer of turvea, grass side downwards, und then 

 to fill in with turfy loam from a sandy soil chopped with a spade, adding to 

 this equal quantities of boiled half-inch bones and charcoal, so as to form 

 one-^ixth of the whole. Instead of mixing any manure with the compost, 

 rely on top-dressings of rich compost for nourishinc the Tines. Vege- 

 table matter is apt lo form a close heavy mass when thoroughly decom- 

 posed, and the Vine will not thrive in a soil containing an excess" of close, 

 heavy, vegetable or animal matter partially or wholly decomposed. As the 

 roots are healthy, to what do yon attribute the weakness of the wood? If 

 you are satUfied it is due to the misfortune, and not to the border, by all 

 means leave the latter alone. We fee nothing wrung in it except its depth, 

 the leaves over the drainage, and the manure mixed with the soil. Turf, 

 manure, and bone dust being ita ingredients, we do not see how it could be 

 improved except a^ above. All the sorts are good for general pui-poses. 

 Your best course would be to train a shoot from the bottom of the rod and 

 cutback the old rod to that shoot after it had pushed another shoot a foot 

 or BO long. If cut out now the danger of bleeding is great, and the Vines 

 will be weakened. The young cane will, if the roots are healthy, reach the 

 top of the house thi-^ season, and If well ripentd a crop of fruit may be had 

 In the following year. We do rot think any good would result from re- 

 taining the old rod and weak spurs upon it. 



Tines Showing Fel-it Indifferently (A Tounff Oardencr). —The 

 bunches of embryo fruit sent us were strong'and long in the footstalk, the 

 shoulders for the most part blind or defective in the flower-knobs, at.d the 

 bunches inclined to curl or become tendrils. We have found such effects 

 caused by Tines being grown in rich, deep, cold, outside borders, which have 

 a tendency to produce gross long-jninied woort, usually imperfectly ripgned. 

 Your?, however, cannot suffer from this, the root" being in an inside border, 

 and completely under commantJ. You have placed a foot of manure on 

 the inside border, and you poured cold water copiou^ly ou the manuie to 

 wash its nutritive n atters into the soil. Tliis cold-drenching a Vine-border 

 when the Vines are but little advanced in growth is bad. A check is given 

 every time the cold water is applied, and the rootlets form indifferently in 

 scold wet border. You commenced to force early— at Christmas, and the 

 Tines were advanced for flowering by the early"part of February. You 

 brought them on slowly at first, and since they broke have kept them at 

 60° by night, and 70^ by day from fire heat. This, combined with the 

 drenchings of culd water, is sufficient to account for the bad condition of 

 any Vine subjected to such treatment, esp' cially Muscats, and these you 

 say are thf worst. Had the water used been a few degrees warmer than 

 the mean ten-peratnre of the house, so ag to bring the border into a nice 

 moiEt condition, commencing to force with a temperature of 45° by night 

 lor the firft fortnight, increasing it to 50° at the end of that period, in 

 another fortnight to 5o^, and in another to 60" ; then we think the bunches 

 wonid not ha%ebeen in the condition of those sent. Throwing the house 

 open in summer is only wise und*!r certain circamstances, and should never 

 he done nnMi tlie wood is hard and brown, or well ripened. Keep the 

 border moist for a f-hort time before commencing to force, and well watered 

 when growth commences j decrease the amount of water after the Iruii 

 changes colour, and leave it off altogether after the fruit is ripe. Bring the 

 Vines on gradually, and do not esceed r.u" by night until the leaves attain 

 their full size. Waier always wivh tepid water, anil do not expose the Vines 

 or throw open the house until the wood is thoroughly ripened. 



Gladioli Geowino in Pots (TT'". B ).— Gladioli may be so grown success- 

 folly. Pot them in six-inch pots, and transfer them to efght-lnch ones as 

 soon a? the roots re.ich the eides of the pot, and again into a 10 or 12-inch 

 size, plungiog the puts in the open giouiid in March or April, protecting the 

 foliage with an invetted flower-po:. Your soil being unsuitable need not 

 prevent your planting them out, and an you want t:-em for exhibiting, they 

 do much b'tter planted out than grown in pots. Takeout the soil to a 

 depth of 18 inches, and fill id with turfy loam, well reduced leaf mould, turfy 

 peat or bog soil, and well rotted manure in equal parts, well mixta and 

 chopped up, adding pand to make the compost moderately porous. This 

 should be plac^ in the bed eurly, and 6 inches higher than the surronnding 

 eui-fuce toallow for ectlUng. Top-dress them, 1 inch or 1^ inch deep, in the 

 last week In May and the second week in July, with rich compost whether 

 tbcy be in pot« or planted out. During the growing season keep well 

 watered, a thorough foaking once or twice a-week being preferable to con- 

 stantly wetting the enrface. Syringe ibem on the afte^noon!^ of fine days, 

 and after a good watering stir the surface between the plants 2 or 3 inches 

 deep, but do not disturb the roots. \Vc do not know a creeping plant that 

 wonld niit yotir room. 



DAni.i4f>, Vkmuekas. Carnations and Picotkes foe Exhibition { TT". I}.). 

 — Dahliae-^hob Uidiey. Lord Derby, Lord Palmerston, Cygnet. Model, 

 Lollipop, Uandfortb Hero. Beauty of llilperton, Norfolk Heio, Criterion, Ca- 

 ractacus, and DuchcsH of Wellington. Verbenas. — LordClifden. Foxhuiiter, 

 Tbeli.i, Victor Emanu«-1. Oaiibaldi, Elfri'la, Chieftain, Mrs. Holford, Mrs. 

 Moore, Mn. Woodroffe, Urban, and Funtc'tlic. rarnafioH*.— Drcadnouglit, 

 William Fitt. Capt. Thomwn. Mr. Ainfrworlh, Hope, Tenby Klval. Kucia, 

 Cbri5t«pber, £ir Henry ilavclock. Mayor of NottingbHm. King John, ami 

 Illuminator. i'ico^«V,— Lord FJcho, Flower of the Day, Rival Purple, 

 Favourite, Farorito, Ariel, Ucv. A. Matthews, Rosy Circle, John Linton, 

 Ada Mury, LuvelineM. and Miirgaret. 



'Qoijiv.nAumu IH Pa*u-uoEUKu— CaopMNo Vine-horder wiin Ohionh 

 (O. Ilandcni. — You will brit get rid of the HorKeradiah by digging or fork- 

 ing out the roota, pcri^ihting in ihii a-* frequently as the fhootu come up. 

 Care will be ncceiuary not to injure the nH)t» o( the Pear trccii. 'I'herc t« 

 no wh-^dc-alc method of rtc^toymg the Horseradish exctpt by agentH that 

 wonld kill tbc rootn of the treen as well. Onions on a Viuu-burdcr arc bad, 

 they would impovcrUh tbc soil, and to would any crop. 



Mowrvo MACTinrnH {R. 3/. C.).— They all wurk well, and we cannot 

 Tcr^-»mcnd one maker In preference to other*. Do not have u largo one If 

 to ^1 Torkcd by one man. 



Fowls' Dong {Guernsey ^/ua).— Mfike of it liquid manure by putting a 

 peck to forty gallons of water. Apply the liquul once or twice a-week 

 between the rows of drilled Onions, or to any other of your kitoben garden 

 crops. 



Broccolis from November to FEnnuxnY (Jf. C).— The Walcheren is 

 the best autumn Broccoli, coming in in October, and lusting with protection 

 up to Christmas. Grange's Autumn White, and nammon-i*s White Caue, 

 are good useful sorts for late autumn use. SnowV Winter While is probably 

 the only Broccoli that can be depent^cd on (and that not always) for fur- 

 nish'.ng heads in January and February. Early White JIalta ia a good early 

 kind, and Hopwood's Early White sometimes comes in in February. The 

 seed should be sown rather thinly in the first week in April in gooi ground, 

 and when the young plants are Iar<e enough they should be pricked out, 

 tinally plantmg in well-manured ground, 2 feet apart, and 3 feet from 

 row to row, taking them up with balls, and keeping them well watered 

 until established, and afcerwards in dy weather, otherwise they will head 

 prematurely, especially the Cape varieties. Keep them well earthed-up, 

 and in autumn bank them quite up to the leaves with soil, mulching be- 

 tween the rows with litter, and a little spread over the heads in frosty 

 nishts will protect them from injury. The Wulcheren should be taken up 

 when the heads are about half theif full size, and the plants laid in clo?e 

 together in an open shed, or where they can be covered with straw during 

 severe frosts. We had fine, large, close heads up to Christmas last year. 



Peas for Septkmbek and October (/rfcm).— A sowing of British Queen 

 mide m the la-t week in May, will usually produce Peas for use in Sep- 

 tember. We make a sowing abuut the middle of May, another ten days 

 later of British Queen, Hairs* Dwarf Mammoth, and Ne Plus Ultra, and 

 invariably have Peas from these sowings in September aud October, and we 

 have gathered from them on the 2Uth of November. Sow these three kinds 

 on ground prepared as for planting Celery, at three different times during 

 May, beginning in the fir.'t week, and sowing at intervals of ten days, and 

 yoii will have an abundant crop of late Peas of tlie tinest flavour. If your 

 soil is light, sow early in June a breadth of an early sort, a<? Advancer, Early 

 Green Marrow, anil Eclipse. We make it a practice to sow these three, com- 

 mencing on the 18th of June, and with three sowings at ten days interval, 

 we have the midJle of July nearly. 



Vines Di?bvdding [An Amateur).— '^'^.M until the shoots have grown 

 enough to enable you to dit^tinguisli which will and which will not have a 

 bunch of fruit, and when this is beyond doubt rub ofl' that showing no fruit, 

 or if both show rruit take away thi-- smallest, giving preference to the shoot 

 nearest the rod. You must leave one shoot to each spur, whether it show 

 fruit or not, rubbing otf all otber.i. One bunch on a spur is ample for 

 a goO'l crop, more taxing the strength of the Vine too much. Stop them 

 at the joint or leaf above the fruit, and all laterals at the ttrst joint. The 

 Mobs is Se'aginella denticulata, and the other Cytisus piuciftorus, we 

 think, but the flower was crushed. 



Propagating Qcince Stocks— PARAmsE Stocks ( ).— Quince stocks 



may be obtained by layers, and sowing the pips, now being a good time for 

 doin" both, but the earlier the better. Paradise stocks are propagated by 

 sowing Apple pip-^ now. C'lboca scandens may be propagated by cuttings, 

 layers, and seed, now being the time. Cuttings of Carrants Inserted now 

 would for the most par', strike. 



Planting Cosii'kr.=e on Mounds {Aji TnsJi X-irfi/).— Nordmann's Silver 

 Fir, und Picea Nordmauni ma are identical. The benefit derived from plant- 

 ing' the Pine and fir trihy on mounds of earth is gieat, the chief benefit 

 being that the roots run near the surf ice, and unless the collar be elevated 

 a Conifer seldom thrives. By all means plant them on mounds with a 

 fiuttened top to retain wa'^r. On gotd ground they do not need manure, 

 but a little rich fresb m.nilH placed around the roots will assist their taking 

 hold and becoming e^tublished. 



Fruit Manual (R. Cof(:s).—A new edition Is preparing, and will be pub- 

 lished during the upproachmg spring. 



Registry Offick [A. ^).— Wo cannot answer questions which are not 

 within our province. Consult a London Directory. 



Salting AsPAUAors-nKU's 'A Subscrihcr of Many Years).— "Xon may apply 

 salt now, and throughout :lie time of the Asparagus growing— that is, until 

 the end of September. We have applied the salt two ways— sprinkling it 

 on the surface once u-montn at the rate of an ounco to a square yard, and 

 dissolving it four ounce-' in each gallon of house sewage. This we apply 

 once a-week. The Asparagus \* a native of the sea-shore. 



CrAnuKN Plan {E. A. Z..).— We purpose having your praiseworthy plan 

 engraved and inserted M-ith a brief comment next week. 



STEruANOTis FLORiDUNiiA {N. S.).— Thcrc was no fungus spawn in the 

 sample of soil you sent. It wa* full of the rootlets of some plant, probably 

 of the frtephanotis. The cau!«e of ita loives shrivelling was either deficiency 

 <)f temporatuie or deflcienuy of food ; we think the latter wa^ the deficiency. 

 The pample of soil was mere fi'iry peat. We should remove as much of it 

 u8 we could without disturbing the roots, and replace by a mixture of equal 

 qUiUititiL'S of peat and leaf mould, with a little saud. 



TRADK.SCANTIA zEBBiNA — Lap AOEHiA EosBA ( Jcfi/a A) . — The Withered 

 morsel of a specimen resembles the Trddct-cantia zebrina, or what is some- 

 times called Cyanotia vittata, a creeping, trailing plant with purplish and 

 whitish leaves. It thrives well in n cool stove und warm greenhouse, and 

 makes a good pUnt for a basket suppendcd in a winduw. The Lapageria 

 likes a greenhouse not bdow 45°, plenty of surface room, good peat and 

 luam, abundance of drainage, and plenty of water, but stagnant moisture Is 

 Its ruin. 



P.ou.KR!* POP. Outside Shades {J. ^/'cr.),— There is nothing for this pur- 

 po<-e ^0 light KB wood. The rollerti may be made from 60 and more feet in 

 length if drawn up by each end and the mldclle. In such case-* it Is best 

 where the pulley ropei* pass underneath the roller — that i«, fastened at buck, 

 come down the glass, und go b.tck above the blind to a pulley at the top, ail 

 the rnpeti being Joined to form one in the centre, so that one man may pull all 

 the slringw at once. A blind with a wheel or place (or a rope merely at one 

 cu'I, should not be much mere than 30 ftct In length. We have seen gal- 

 vanUed iron rolleis stout, but hollow insidtt, and about ^)> inch in diameter, 

 do very well, tint if the roller l» heavy, and one pulley Ktiing has loo much 

 to do.'lhey too will warp. The bi.st remedy is to have plenty of pulley 

 string-, and 8uppO'«ing there arts three, the two end oncR may bo brought 

 along the t"p of the ho^^e to the middle, and one man cjn then pull all the 

 three etrings at once. 



