March 28, 1865. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICFLTUEB AND COTTAGE GAUDENEE. 



257 



Neglf.cted Fruit Theer (J. C: Z.). — It is not too late for pruning in 

 your loculity if you do so at once. The hedges, if not erergreen, may be 

 cut. Hollies and other evergreen hedges, ahoiten in with Lho knife late in 

 next month. 



CUMBI.VO AKD TRAtLIXG .\nnUAL3 FOR WiNDOTV (i?,. J)nrlford),~-'Tbnn- 

 bergia alata and T. alata alba are showy plants, requiring lo be raised in a 

 gentle hotbed ; Tropxolam Lobbianum Caroline Schmidt, with deep scarlet 

 flowers, would alno answer; Tropipolura Brilliant is also good ; Gypsophila 

 muralis, pink ; Sanvitalia procumbent, yellow and brown ; and Saponaria 

 cdlabnca, pink, are trailing plants of compact growth. For such a situation 

 as inside your south window we would not recommend the above, but have 

 Slaurandya Barclayana and its white variety, one or both of the Thun- 

 bergias, for the climbers ; and Convolvulus ^mauritanlcus, Nierembergia 

 gracilis, and Lobelia speciosa, for suspending. 



VisERT Replasting-Bordee-makino (rorts7iiVc).-The Grapes being 

 cut in June, and the Vines not being wanted for replanting, we would at 

 once make a new border and plaMt the Vines. Provide vnurself now with 

 the Vines you intend planting. We recommend for an outside border— one 

 Buckland Sweetwater, one Foster's White Seedling, one Black Hamburgh, 

 one Pope's or Victoria Hambursh, and one Black Prince or White Fron- 

 tiguan,just as you wish for a black or white Grape. You could not well 

 select a worse Grape for an outside border than Canon Hall, and if tou 

 require the ."Muscat flavour choose White Frontignan, which is by far 'the 

 best of the Frontignans, and the only Grape with a Muscat flavour worth 

 planting in an outside border. Keep the Vines vou have as cool as po.'slble, 

 aiid disbud them to the height required, leaving two shoots at the height, 

 where the Vines when planted would reach to the rafter. Provide turf cut 

 ? '?■?.' ""'^'^ ^'°'^ " "^""I's where the soil is neither strong nor light, a 

 lighush yellow loam being best. In an open sont pile this layer above layer, 

 grass side downwards, in a stack 4 feet wide, an-i as much high, and hare 

 ready a quantity of old brick rubbish to mix with it at the rate of one cart- 

 load of brick rubbish to six of turf, adding to each cartload two bushels of 

 boned luaK-inch bones, and a like quantity of charcoal. When the Grapes 

 are cut oig out the border the full width if there is time, but G feet from the 

 trout will do. If you have the omion make the greater part of the border 

 above ground, and if the situation is low and wet there is the greater neces- 

 sity for doiiig this, and concrete the bottom. Mortar riddlings from 3 to 

 inches thick, beaten hard, will do, putting them on in thin layers and 

 beating every layer. On this place from 6 or 9 inches to a foot of stones 

 nalt onoks. 4.c., for drainage, and the bottom of the border should slope to 

 the front, where there should be a drain with an outlet at one end. Place 

 tnerougnest drainage materials at bottom, and the finer at top, cover the 

 ttramage with a layer of sods, grass side downwards, and on the sods lay 

 -leeiol tne compost thoroughly mixed, chopping the turf a little but not 

 very noe^ and beating down with a fork, so as to consolidate the compost a 

 il™°' .''^^™/>"J -0 inches of the compost on the drainage, and keeping 

 some chopped nner close by, turn the Vines out of the pots, having first 

 introduced the cane through the aperture into the house, and disentanule 

 tne roots without breaking or injuring them, and spread them out on ihe 

 suriace. Cover an inch deep with the fine soil, and water with aired water, 

 riant tne wboie, and then, commencing with the lirst Vine, place over it 

 it incnes more of the general compost. Shade from bright sun and strong 

 ugnt, sprinkling the Vines witti water frequently during the day, and keep- 

 nig tne air of the house moist by sprinkling every available surface. If 

 ury weattier ensue the Vines should be watered at the root, mulching the 

 border with short Utter to prevent evaporation .^fter thev recover the 

 planting tnake choice of the best shoot, cutting the other away, and remove 

 me snadmi: gradually. Keep the house rather close, giving air early and 

 Closing early, and maintaining a moist atmosphere. 



Maxagisg Orange Trees is Tcbs (.4 Stiiscriber).— The trees being 

 properly retubbed they would require some time to make fresh roots before 

 tney would show any benefit from the fresh compost in the shape of growth, 

 inough they would have grown had they been placed in a suitable temper- 

 ature. Oranges do not usually flower until .\pril or Jlay under or linary 

 treattnenr, that being bare protection from frost. If vou could afford the 

 iresn-tnbbed trees a nice moist atmosphere, with a night temperature of 50=, 

 wun a rise of a" on dull days, lO" on those which are cloudy, with clear 

 intervals, and 15° to 20" on clear days, with corresponding ventilation, thev 

 wonio be gently stimulated into growth, increasing the temperature in a 

 lOrtrHgbt to 55°. The trees may be syringed overhead morning and evening 

 w-itn water of the same temperature as the house, and the paths, flues, and 

 not-water aopaiatus, being! snrinkled twice or thrice dailv, this will raise a 

 moist growing heat, and the trees will soon show their 'flowers and make 

 new growth, the appearance of the flowers being dependant on the ripening 

 01 the wocd the preceding season. Keep the soil moderately moist, neither 

 very wet nor very dry. but moist enough lor the roots to run in, giving 

 copious waterings until the ro^its have taken firm hold of the soil. Water 

 copiously whilst growing, and keep the soil well sup^lied with moisture 

 wnusi the frnit is swelling, lessening the supply in winter, wet be: 



Y<?Jl^ I-*" tlrynesa, though both are injurious 

 40« to io° 13 sufficient in winter. 



then 

 A temperature of from 



Seedling CrsEaiRiAS (Country Curnte). — They are pretty, but none 

 that are Rood fionsts* flowers. Considerin?^ the thousands which are raised 

 annually, it is rather curious that so very few are excellent or novel. 



Vine Lkwes Cildmpled [T. i?.).— The appearances exhibited by the leaf 

 enclosed are those arising from a check given to the Vines after growth has 

 comraenced, and may be caused by the dry cold air admitted in ventilating 

 ibe house, and a deficiency of heat and moisture in the house at the time. 

 The leaves on the young plants will be all right when the season is more 

 advanced. The temperature after the leaves appear should he 60^ at niifht, 

 and 75' by day, when air may be given, TO'' by day from tire heat being 

 Bufflcient. Those fruiting in poia would have been less liable to a check or 

 to injury from the changes of the atmosphere had they been plunged— if in 

 bottom heat so much the better. The insect is Curculio picipes, or Pitch- 

 black weevil. Search for it at night, spreading a white cloth beneath the 

 plants on wliich it feed^, and shake tile plant over the sheet. 



Fuchsias for Eshibitios {R., Darifordi.—ThQ best Fuchsias of last 

 year's for exhibition and deconiiive purposes are Charming, Don Giovanni, 

 Printair, Sunshine. Cloth of Gold, when well grown is very beautiful, Minnie 

 Banks, amongst light ones in excellent, and the largest white-corallaed 

 Fuchsia is perhaps Emperor of the Fuchsias. 



Flower-qaruen Plan {Gertrude).— It. is not advisable to send a list of 

 plants on one page and a plan on another page, which we can only see by 

 j turning the leaf. We think your proposed planting will do very well. The 

 j white Chrysanthemum will do mixed with the Scarlet Geraniums if the 

 ' white is good, and kept the same height aa the Geraniums. In order to work 

 j in your materials we would either mis or ring the three circles at each end. 

 j the two opposite each other with pink, or scarlet and yellow, and the other 

 j one by itself, with purple and white. "We can hardly depart from the reso- 

 I lution not to plant beds or give the best planting, for that would require the 

 ■ whole lime of several of our best coadjutors at tbis season; but if yon 

 I choose to rspeat your plan, however coarsely, and tell us your proposed 

 ! planting, we will criticise it and tell how, if possible, it may be improved. 

 I For this purpose you should state the size of your beds. If you edge all 

 j the centnil beds with Cerastium your using one or two colours in the beds 

 1 will depend on the size of the plants you bring next the Cerastium — for 

 I instance, if you U'^ed a tall Calceolaria a row of purple Verbena would bring 

 I it down to the Cerastium. We cannot be sure of the plant of which you 

 i send leaves because you do not give its height, nor whether it is hardy. If 

 I hardy, and the flower stem aoout 1 foot or 6 inches in height, then we 

 ! suspect it is a variety of Ajuga alpina, or reptans, as one or two varieties 

 I have parplish leaves and blue flowers. We are not sure, however, whether 

 i ihe leaver are purple, or have become so from the packing. Some of the 

 ] tall Lobelias have leaves very similar, but then these have generally scarlet 

 I and not blue flowers, and they are not generally hardy. Let it be clearly 

 I understood that it is nest to impossible to name many plants from a leaf 



alone. 

 Early Tdlips Shoet-stat:eed [Idem).— The pots, or a paper funnel 



inverted over the flowers, would have done good to the Tulips as well aa 



the Hvacinths. We feat minure water will now he t^o late, but there is no 



harm in trying. We hope the greenhouse treatment will improve them. 



See a note on Hyacinths in " Doiags of the Last Week." 

 SoAPSL'DS {E. A. P.). — There is very little fertilising matter in soapsuds 



alone. lu would be a trifle better than water for all the Cabbage tribe. 



Mixed ^ith house sewage it would form a good liquid manure for the same 



and all other kitchen garden crops. 



Cutting i>' Varieqated Hollt [S. JV. S.).~~Yo\i may cut th3 Holly Int-o 

 the required .=hape in ilay, but the more small shoots that are left the fuller 

 the leave-* will come. It does not matter about leaving any leaves, we 

 having reduced several a yard all round, and left nothing but bare stumps, 

 so as to have the appearance of deciduous trees in winter, and by autumn 

 they were as full of leaves as possible- If the weather be dry after cutting 

 we water twice a-week during its continuance to make sure of growth, and 

 not unnecessarily lose time. We had they do better if not cut until the 

 eyes in the axils of tne leaves have begun to swell. We have some perfect 

 cones that were the ugliest shrubs imaginible before they were cut in. 



Names of Plants (Ceterach). — 1,2, Polvstichum angulare ; 3, 6, 7, Asple- 

 nium adiantum-nigrum; 4, Lastrea dilatata ; 5, Listrea Filis-raas: S, Too 

 young to identify. (Driria).—\, Pi*iy podium vulgare carabricum; 2, Asple- 

 nium appendiculatum ; 3. Polystichum angulare proliferum ; 4, Lastrea 

 Filix-ma'*; 5, Asplenium flactidum var.; 6, Polystichum angulare, young; 

 7, Poly.«tichum aculeatnm lobatuin. They will all grow in a hou.<*e without 

 heat. (B. C.).— 1, Polystichum acrostichoides; 2, Platyloma rotundifulium ; 

 3. Ceterach officinarum ; 4, Polystichum vestitum var. ; 5, Seiaginella 

 Martensii; 6, Polystichum angulare. (/. R. Mar.^k).—!, Appears to be 

 Pavallii. dissecta; 2, Gymnogramma Martensil ; 3, Lastrea decurrens. 

 (S. T. iritis).— Your Fern is Asplenium ndiantnm-nigrum ; the leaf is of an 

 Acacia. (A. W. C.).— Solanum capsicastruui, a South Brazilian plant, suit- 

 able for pot culture, and very ornamental when covered with its scarlet 

 berries. (.^. I) J.— Primula denticulata, var. erosa. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSEEYATIONS in tlie Suburbs of Loudon for tte Week ending Marcli 25th. 



Dat«. 



Sun. 19 

 Mon. 20 

 Tnes, 21 

 Wed. 22 

 Thnrs. 23 

 Fri. 24 

 Sat. 25 



BAHOMETEa, 



TBEEMOMKTEE. 



■Wind. 



Bain 



in 



inches. 



Ge^'ebal Remarks. 





Air. ' Earth. 



Max. 



Min. 



Max. j Min. 1ft deep. 



2 ft. deep. 

 41i 



29.S27 

 29.97* 

 30.015 

 29.944 

 29.S60 

 29 838 

 29.327 



29.399 



29.735 39 24 ' 41 i 

 29 836 36 21 41 

 29- 950 42 24 40i 

 29.913 45 25 40' 

 29.816 40 19 lo 

 29.794 46 18 401 

 29.374 45 29 40i 



E. 



N.E. 



E. 



N. 



N. 



N. 

 S.W. 



.00 

 .00 

 .00 

 .00 

 .00 

 .02 

 .15 



Overcast; cold and overcast; boisterous; frosty. 

 Strong and frosty N E. wind ; cold and dry ; sharp frost. 

 Dry and frosty ; fine bnt cold ; frosty at night, [but cold. 

 Coidanddrv; dusky white clouds; small granular snow; fine 

 Some snow flakes ; slight snow showers & cold ; frosty at night 

 Prosly ; dusky and snow-like clouds ; sharp frost at night. 

 Frosty; densely overcast ; rain; cold showers; rain. 



Mean 



29.7-4 ! 41.36 22.86 ; 40.57 ' 41.1 



0.17 



