494 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
{ December 26, 1878. 
these are so valuable that we cannot imagine that nurserymen 
would thus offer them for sale; and private owners usually 
cherish such handsome shrubs so highly as to refuse to part 
with them. From whence are such beautiful and valuable 
specimens obtained? 
—— Mk. ELLIS writes to us as follows on the SEVERITY OF 
THE FROST IN THE NORTH :—“ At Bothalhaugh, two miles and 
a half east of Morpeth in Northumberland and four miles 
west of the sea, the thermometer fell to 10 degrees below zero 
(42 degrees of frost), on Friday, December 13th. Bothalhaugh 
is in a very sheltered valley 35 feet above the sea level. There 
are several places in the neighbourhood where the mercury 
fell below zero, but none where so many as 10 degrees were 
marked to my knowledge. This corroborates the experience of 
the Rey. F. W. Stow, who, in the Times, gives the great differ- 
ence between the temperature on the high ground at his house 
and that in the valley below.” 
— THE balance sheet of the NEWCASTLE BOTANICAL 
AND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY shows that the total receipts 
for the year amounted to £2116 15s.,and the expenditure, 
including £238 17s. 6d. due to tne Treasurer from last year, 
was £2238 Os. T3d., leaving a balance of £121 4s. 94d. due to 
the Treasurer. The receipts include the following items :— 
Subscriptions, £1214 18s. 7d.; admissions—spring show, 
£184 13s. 6d.; summer show, £469 16s. 7d.: autumn show, 
£212 Os. 9d. The payments included £649 Is. 6d. for prizes 
and £373 12s.for music. Messrs. Taylor and French, who have 
done so much for the Society, have, solely owing to the pressure 
of their private business, resigned their position as Honorary 
Secretaries—a decision that was received with unanimous ex- 
pressions of regret at the recent meeting of the Society. 
WORK FOR THE WEEK. 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
MEN during the present “slack time”—we envy those having 
one—may be usefully employed in preparing the necessary soil 
for spring potting, and turning compost for the enriching of 
flower beds, pushing forward every description of work that will 
ease that at the busy season. Look frequently over the stock of 
bedding-out plants. Frost and snow are not favourable to them ; 
the plants can have but little air, andif kept warm they make only 
enfeebled growth. Avoid that as much as possible by keeping 
the plants cool, and give no more water than to prevent the 
foliage flagging. Keep succulents as dry as possible and free 
from frost. Verbenas, Petunias, &c., require a rather dry atmo- 
sphere, aiming at 45° as a minimum, and excluding frost. Pelar- 
goniums should be kept gently moving, nothing is gained by 
starving them in winter. 45° to 50° is a suitable temperature for 
the variegated kinds, and 5° less for the green-leaved varieties. 
Coleuses, Alternantheras, and Iresines require plenty of light and 
heat, 50° being a minimum, and require to be kept moist and 
moving during the winter. 
FRUIT GARDEN. 
Proceed with the pruning and dressing of espalier and wall 
trees—Apple, Cherry, Pear,and Plum. Pear trees infested with 
scale may be freed by dressing them with petroleum, applying it 
with a brush, and American blight upon Apple trees may be 
similarly destroyed. Tarred string is suitable for securing the 
branches of espaliers, and medicated shreds answer periectly for 
securing the branches of wall trees. When the condition of wall 
fruit trees is unsatisfactory an examination of the roots should be 
made, especially in the case of unfruitfulness resulting of over-lux- 
uriance, which may generally be remedied by judicious root-prun- 
ing, using a sharp knife for the purpose, extracting from the soil 
the portions cut off,as if left they would probably foster fungoid 
growth to the injury of the live roots. In the case of exhaustion 
resulting from overbearing or poverty of soil, the soil should be 
removed down to the roots, exposing a considerable portion of 
them, avoiding injuring them in the least degree ; and if there be 
any dead or decayed roots remove them, then cover the roots with 
turfy loam with a third of thoroughly decayed manure. Tread 
the soil firm and mulch at once with littery manure. Trees are 
frequently rendered unfruitful by having the surface roots muti- 
lated with the spade. 
FRUIT HOUSES. 
Pines.—Preparations must be made for producing ripe fruit 
during the months of May and June. Smooth-leaved Cayenne, 
Black Jamaica, and Charlotte Rothschild, which failed showing 
fruit during October and November, will not now throw up in 
time to ripen at the period in question, and attention must 
be directed to such as attain perfection in less time—such as the 
different kinds of the Queen, Enville, Providence, ke. Choose 
forthwith those plants which have an enlarged base with a 
tendency to open at the centre, signs of the fruit being shortly 
visible, placing them in a light house or pit, affording brisk 
bottom heat of 85° to 90°, and a top heat of 60° to 70° at night, 
and 70° to 75° by day, and 10° more when the external conditions 
are favourable. A genial atmosphere should be maintained, but 
do not produce it by steam from the hot-water pipes, as syringing 
the plants overhead once or twice a week is ample and then very 
lightly, on fine afternoons damping the house. See that the soil 
is In a proper condition as to moisture, using tepid water with a 
dash of guano in it, applying it copiously when required, which 
will be about every ten days. Former instructions as to plants 
in other stages will need to be continued as before advised. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Conservatory.—This structure will now be gay with Christmas 
Roses in pots, Laurustinuses, Andromeda floribunda, early-flower- 
ing Rhododendrons, sweet-scented flowers such as Lilacs, Violets, 
Roman and Paper White Narcissuses, Roman Hyacinths, Cytisuses, 
Cyclamens, Primulas, Heliotropes, Richardias brought into flower 
in heat, the stately distinct flowers of which are very effective ; 
Epacrises, wintering-flowering Heaths, some of the early-floweringe 
Acacias, Azalea indica vars., flowered in heat; Camellias, late- 
flowering Chrysanthemums, Epiphyllums, Lily of the Valley, 
Amazon Lily (Eucharis amazonica), Hippeastrum pardinum, 
Plumbago rosea, P. coccinea superba, Poinsettia puicherrima, 
Euphorbia jacquinizflora, Thyrsacanthus rutilans, Centropogon 
Lucyanus, Aphelandra cristata, A. Roezliana, Dalechampia Roezl- 
jana rosea, and many other plants which make a very effective 
display. As some of those are from structures somewhat warmer 
than conservatories generally a little extra heat should be given, 
not, however, exceeding 50° by artificial means, affording at the 
same time increased humidity, the atmosphere of conservatories 
often being kept too dry for a majority of forced plants, hence 
their short continuance in good condition in such structures ; 
therefore supply the plants well with water at the roots to com- 
pensate to some extent for the loss of moisture by the foliage, and if 
there be evaporation troughs fill as many as will afford the 
requisite humidity, which will prevent damping the paths, which 
should be kept dry and comfortable for the visitors to this 
structure. 
TRADE CATALOGUE RECEIVED. 
Shinn & Co., Niles, Alameda County, California—Descriptive 
Catalogue of Fruit Trees. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
* * All correspondence should be directed either to ‘ The Editors ” 
or to “The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Mr. Johnson or 
Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoidably. We request 
that no one will write privately to any of our correspondents, 
as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
BRIARS (W. Tipton and E. Thody)—Write to Mr. Ware, Hale Farm 
Nurseries, Tottenham, London. 
GREEN ROSE (A. X. and S.).—It is Rosa viridifiora, a well known butnot 
a common plant. It was figured in vol. xxili., page 132, of this Journal. 
List OF FRUITS (J. W.).—Pears: Peach, Fondante d’Automne, Doyenné 
du Comice, Marie Louise, and Winter Nelis. Plums: July Green Gage, 
Purple Gage, and Coe’s Golden Drop. 
BLACK CURRANTS UNFRUITFUL (J. W., King’s Lynn)—We think the 
evil of which you complain is chiefly attributable to imperfectly ripened 
wood. The shoot you have sent is very immature. If several of the 
branches are removed from the bushes so as to admit sun and air to the 
foliage, we think fruit buds would form freely. Perhaps, also, the soil 
requires draining. The Primulas are good, but none of them so dark as the 
variety you mention. We hayeno authority to give the address you require, 
but we know the fruits referred to are produced as stated in the article to 
which you refer. 
AZALEA AMCENA (Spade).—Large worms in the pot would so injure the 
roots and also check the drainage as to cause the leaves to fall from the 
plant. Dissolve a lump of lime weighing a pound or more in a gallon of 
water, and when clear water the plant with the lime water. The worms 
will then come to the surface and may be destroyed. Do not disturb the 
roots until the plant has Howered, when it may be repotted if necessary. 
The temperature is right. 
CO-OPERATIVE GARDEN STORES (A. F.).—We do not know of any stores 
of the nature indicated. If there are such, a letter addressed to the Manager 
will be delivered by the postal authorities or will be returned to you. 
PETROLEUM AS AN INSECTICIDE (R. C.)—I have seen no ill effects 
resulting from the petroleum reaching the roots of plants, and I do not 
think there is any danger that the small portion I recommend will harm 
them, but I generally turn the pot plants on their sides when syringing- 
them. Permanent plants, such as Stephanotis, however, have been operated 
on in an upright position. Besides, we know that some able correspondents 
have recommended petroleum in a dilute form to be sprinkled freely over 
Carrot beds to check the Carrot grub, and, again, itis now a common practice 
to dress Peas and other large seeds with undiluted petroleum. The soil, 
therefore, in which they are sown must be highly impregnated with it, and 
nothing bnt good comes of it as I can testify. Some of my friends have 
tried petroleum as a fertiliser for Caulifiowers and other gross-feeding plants, 
and have thought well of it, but I cannot speak of this from my own know- 
ledge—WILLIAM TAYLOR. 
SLOW-COMBUSTION BOILERS (R. A. P.).—Upon due consideration we 
think our reply will be most useful to yon if we avoid direct answers to the 
questions raised in your letter, and offer a few facts relative to the matter 
for your guidance. The combustion of fuel in all boilers is slow or fast, 
yery much in proportion to the setting of the boiler and the care shown in 
