454 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
{ December 12, 1878. 
BOOKS (Af. Unwin).—A small manual, “ Fruit Gardening for the Many,” 
published at this office, post free 5d., will afford you sound and useful in- 
formation. TheJournal of Horticulture is 3s. 9d. per quarter, free by post. 
BRIAR CUTTINGS (J. S.).—It is fully late now to insert Briar cuttings, 
but if the weather continues mild you may try them. Select well-ripened 
shoots of the current year’s growth from the hedgerows. Make the cuttings 
about a foot in length, carefully removing allthe eyes except three or four 
at the top, and let the base of each cutting be cut transversely and smoothly 
close under a joint or removed bud. Insert the cuttings firmly about 9 inches 
apart in rows 2 feet asunder, and draw some soil to them after the manner 
of earthing Potatoes, only allowing the portion with eyes to be above the 
soil. When growing freely in August level down the ridges and insert one 
bud in the side of each rooted Briar as near to the ground as possible. The 
bark usually parts from the wood freely where it has been covered with soil. 
We have found the cuttings strike freely when inserted during October and 
November. 
BRITISH WILD FLOWERS (Z. Y. P.)—We publish a work so entitled— 
plates coloured. Ten volumes are completed, price 23s, 6d. each, each 
volume containing eighty plates. You can have them at our office. A 
uumber is published monthly, price ls., containing four plates, with full 
descriptions. 
TREES FOR ESPALIERS (Orchard) —Green Gage and Purple Gage Plums; 
Early Harvest, Kerry Pippin, Gravenstein, and Blenheim Pippin Apples ; 
Williams’ Bon Chrétien, Fondante d’Automne, Marie Louise, and Winter 
Nelis Pears. If you mean by tile-planting paving under the stations, that 
will very much depend on the nature of your soil. 
STEAM versus HOT-WATER HEATING (VW. A/. G.).— Heating by hot water 
‘is cheaper, safer, and healthier than heating by steam. Cheaper, because 
no appreciable amount of steam is produced until the water is heated to 
212°, and consequently a great amount of fuel is expended before steam is 
produced, which otherwise would have been turned to valuable account if 
the hot-water mode of heating were adopted ; safer, because no accident can 
happen with heating by hot water as applied by hot-water engineers, but 
there is no absolute immunity from accident in the case of heating by 
steam ; healthier, because a highly heated surface of 212° is far more per- 
nicious to human beings or plants than a surface less highly heated. In 
heating by steam the maximum temperature must always be produced let 
the weather be what it may; but in the case of hot water the surface of the 
pipes can be heated to any degree required according to circumstances. If 
a sufficient amount of piping is provided the requisite amount of heat can 
usually be produced in churches and forcing houses without the water 
boiling at all. Thus the saving of fuel in comparison with heating by steam 
48 incontestable, 
BOILER DRAUGHT (8. O. J.).—Six inches is not too wide for the side flues 
of a saddle boiler, but the depth of such flues is often considerable with a 
view to expose as much of the boiler surface to the action of the heat passing 
along the flues. Nine inches depth of flue is ample. Too much is expected 
from side and top fiues. We can only attribute the want of draught in your 
apparatus to some undue contraction in the fiues, or depressions with pro- 
bably too contracted an ashpit, air not being supplied in quantity to 
maintain rapid combustion. 
SOWING LILIUM AURATUM SEED (W. ©.).—The seed ripens perfectly well 
in this country, and should now be sown in pots or pans well drained, 
employing turfy loam and leaf soil or peat in equal proportions, with about 
asixth of sand. The seeds should be sown rather thinly and be covered 
about a quarter of an inch deep with fine soil, placing the pots in a green- 
house and keeping the soil regularly moist. The plants will flower about the 
third year if they are well cultivated. 
EUCHARIS AMAZONICA (Jdem).—The plants may be had in flower at any 
period of the year, it being necessary to secure a good growth, and when 
that is complete to place the plants in a house with a temperature of 50° to 
55°, affording water only to prevent flagging. With from six to eight weeks 
of cool treatment they may be had in flower in about four to six weeks after- 
wards by placing them in a brisk moist heat of 65° to 70° at night and 70° 
to 75° by day, and more certainly with bottom heat of 80° to 85°. The plants 
do best under rather than ovyer-potted, but if large plants are wanted they 
may be shifted about once a year, and preferably early in the year. The 
“Cottage Gardener’s Dictionary ” is 6s. 6d., post free 7s. 2d. 
FRUIT TREES ON A WOODEN FENCE (Amateur).—-If the gas tar is 
thoroughly absorbed into the boards it will do the trees no harm; and 
although it will become very hot on bright days till covered with growth, 
yet afterwards the foliage will prevent that, and therefore a change of 
colour is uncalled for. 
‘+ DISSOLVED BONES FOR GARDEN CROPS (Jdem).—Bones dissolved in 
sulphuric acid form superphosphate of lime—a most yaluable manure, ex- 
tremely soluble, and therefore soon taken up by plants. It may be applied 
as a top-dressing to permanent crops, such as Strawberries and Asparagus, 
at the rate of 10 tbs. to a square perch, or about 14 cwt. to an acre, early in 
spring, and also sown broadcast and worked-in with hoes among Onions, 
Turnips, Cabbages, Lettuces, and in fact all garden crops. 
CULTURE OF PHAIUS (Aus).—These are terrestrial Orchids, all of easy 
culture. Pot them in spring, just before growth commences, in well-drained 
pots in soil consisting of equal parts of fibrous peat, turfy loam, old hotbed 
manure, and silver sand, taking care not to elevate the plants on a mound, 
but to keep_the soil level and well below the rim. Place them in a night 
temperature of 65°, rising to 70° by day, and increasing to 75° and 80° as the 
days lengthen. Water them well during growth, and afterwards remove 
them to a cool house till October, giving very little water. In November 
they again require a lively temperature and an increasing supply of water, 
by which means they may be had in flower towards the end of the year. 
FORCING WHITE LILAC (Jdem).—The Lilacs sold in Paris in winter are 
cultivated in pots plunged in the open ground and also planted out in beds, 
these latter haying the roots cut round with a spade about the end of 
August to induce a free formation of flower buds and to facilitate the 
removal of the shrubs to the forcing pit, where they are again plunged or 
planted in the bed. The temperature, cool at first, soon rises as the buds 
push till it reaches a maximum of about 80°. The branches are frequently 
syringed and the roots well watered with tepid water. The most curious 
part of the business is the fact that the glass remains covered with mats of 
SUN termed puillassons, day and night to exclude light and blanch the 
lowers. 
SEEDLING BRIARS (Zy'0).—Seedling Briars areZpreferred to Briar_cuttings 
because of the greater vigour which they possess, in common with all other 
seedlings, over cuttings. 
PROPAGATION OF HOLLIES (7. H.).—Hollies, both green and variegated, 
may be raised from cuttings made in October and inserted in sand under 
handlights or bellglasses. Green Hollies, however, are usually raised from 
seed gathered early in winter and buried in sand till March, when it is taken 
up and sown in drills on any spare border. The seedlings are transplanted 
the first or second winter afterwards as they become large enough. 
BREAKING-UP GRASS LAND FOR POTATOES (J. Z.).—The turf should be 
pared thinly and burnt, or you will run much risk of having the crop spoilt 
by wireworms. It would undoubtedly be best to trench the land. That, 
however, is an expensive operation, and we have obtained excellent crops of 
Potatoes by deep ploughing, followed by a scarifier or large horse hoe to 
break up the clods; afterwards spreading and ploughing-in manure at the 
rate of twenty to fifty cartloads per acre according to the condition of the 
soil. A similar process to this could of course be done on asmall scale with 
spades or digging forks. For Strawberries the turf should also be burnt and 
the soil trenched two spits deep, which would be about 16 inches, keeping 
the subsoil at bottom and working-in plenty of rich manure among both soil 
and subsoil. Nothing will be gained by planting now, but if you could 
obtain plants in March they would become thoroughly strong and well 
established for another season. Vicomtesse Héricart de \Thury_and Sir 
Charles Napier are excellent sorts for preserving. 
PEACHES AND NECTARINES FOR ORCHARD HOUSE (Armiger).—The 
following are good varieties for your purpose. Pcuches: Early Beatrice, 
Hale’s Early, Dr. Hogg, Grosse Mignonne, Noblesse, Bellegarde, and Osprey. 
Nectarines: Lord Napier, Balgowan, Violette Hative, Pine Apple, Humboldt, 
and Victoria. Any of the horticultural builders advertising in our columns 
would erect you a good orchard house; and those who advertise wirework 
would supply you with Pea protectors. We do not think the “wire cage” 
suggested would answer the purpose of protecting the blossoms from frost. 
We are unable |[to answer your query respecting Briar stocks, but bast for 
budding can be obtained from any seedsman or nurseryman. 
TEBBS’S FUMIGATOR (A Constant Reader).—It can be had from most 
nurserymen and seedsmen who obtain their supply from Flanagan & Sons, 
98, Cheapside, London. The price varies according to the size of the fumi- 
gator, 
PINE APPLE CULTURE (A Yeung Gardener).—Buy' “The Pine Appl© 
Manual.” You can have it free by post if you enclose thirty-two penny 
postage stamps with your full address. 
HEATING FORCING HOUSE (H. S.).—There is no need whateyer to have a 
sharp rise in the pipes; all that is necessary is that the flow pipe gradually 
rise to a certain point, and the pipes from that point decline. At the 
highest point should be an air pipe to let out the air, and with the pipes full 
of water the circulation will be good. <A saddle boiler, one of the improved 
forms and as shallow as possible for your position, would answer perfectly. 
By having a cistern you could heat the house with return pipes, the cistern 
being a few feet above the boiler as may be required, and the return pipes 
from it passing through the house, not taking them below the return opening 
of the boiler. 
FLOWERS FOR’ GREENHOUSE (Jnquirer).—Bulbs in variety would give 
you the quickest display of flowers. Snowdrops and Crocuses may be potted 
in clumps from the garden. Hyacinths and Tulips may be cheaply pur- 
chased. It is too early to sow seeds of annuals. Wallflowers, Hepaticas, 
Lilies, Violets, &c., may be potted for early flowering, also Roses and other 
dwarf shrubs. 
NAMES OF FRUIT (Miss Hall).—1 and 2, Golden Pearmain; 3, Court 
Pendu Plat; 4, Dumelow’s Seedling ; 6 and 7, Shepherd’s Fame. Non-sub- 
scribers can exhibit at the shows of the Royal Horticultural Society. 
NAMES OF PLANTS (H. Z.).—It is a very handsome frond of Adiantum 
tenerum, a fine Maiden-hair Fern, native of the West Indies and tropical 
America. 
THE HOME FARM: 
POULTRY, PIGEON, AND BEE CHRONICLE. 
SHEEP FOR THE HOME FARM. 
(Continued from page 436.) 
THE Shropshire breed of sheep next demands our attention. 
These sheep are particularly adapted to the western and midland 
districts, which may be said to be their native home; and as 
Shropshire and adjoining counties contain numerous home farms, 
the managers will therefore usually select this breed for profitable 
feeding and fattening. These sheep may be purchased at from 
one to two years old as wether sheep early in the summer and fed 
on the pastures or park land until Michaelmas. By that time 
upon the most fertile grass land they will have become fat enough 
for the market without artificial food. In the case of pastures not 
naturally rich or productive, resort should be had to trough feed- 
ing throughout the summer by the use of mangolds and meal in 
admixture as previously recommended for other stock.*Mangolds, 
however, may not always be available, and particularly where the 
proportion of arable to pasture on the home farm is small; but 
other roots and early cabbages cut up and meal added will answer 
every purpose. Green fodder or grass cut into chaff will do, and 
be moist enough for the meal to adhere to ; and this is most essen- 
tial, for enormous waste will occur if it is attempted to give arti- 
ficial food without something to give it substance in a palatable 
