August 17, 1876. ) 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



151 



ORCHARD HOUSE. 



The house has not been forced so much as usual, but we 

 gathered a good dish of Early Tork Peaches on the 2ud of 

 August, and Rivers's Early York came in a week later. Early 

 Grosse Mignonne, a very fine variety, is a little later, but it is 

 far superior to either Early Tork or Rivers's variety. Following 

 Early Grosse Mignonne closely is the Royal George, one of the 

 most oertain bearers and an excellent Peach. Grosse Mignonne 

 and Bellegarde are rather later, and there are no better mid- 

 season sorts. We have thiB season disoarded Hunt's Tawny 

 Nectarine, and shall now trust to Rivers's Lord Napier for the 

 earliest. This sort, with the Pine Apple and Victoria Nectarines, 

 will be grown for generations yet to come. If Mr. Rivers had 

 not given us any other Nectarines, these three would have 

 handed his name down to posterity. 



The ventilators are now kept open night and day, and the 

 trees are watered only when they require it. Too much water or 

 too little is almost equally injurious to the fruits, and a little 

 experience is necessary to arrive at the right medium. The 

 same person ought to attend to the watering and care of the 

 trees all through the season, as the surface-dressings applied to 

 them are very apt to deoeive ; that part may be wet while the 

 under part is dusty dry. 



When the greater portion of the fruit has been gathered it is 

 time to repot the trees. One half of the trees will be potted this 

 year, the other half to be top-dressed later. Those trees that 

 are repotted this year were top-dressed only last year. It does 

 the trees no harm to disentangle the roots to a very consider- 

 able extent, the main object being to give the trees a supply of 

 new food, and this may be accomplished by reducing the ball of 

 roots. If li inch of the fresh potting material can be rammed 

 down the sides quite firmly it will be sufficient. This reduction 

 of the ball is only necessary when the trees have been shifted 

 into pots of the maximum size. In either case it is always best 

 to disentangle the roots a little with a pointed stick or rod of 

 iron. Good turfy loam rather of a clayey character is the best 

 staple, and to it should be added a fourth part of decayed 

 manure. We added chalk to our light loam, but did no*" notice 

 any improvement therefrom. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



We make a good display with Phloxes at this season, and they 

 form a very distinct feature. People tire of the monotony of 

 scarlet Geraniums. In many places the largest proportion of 

 the flower garden and flower borders are planted with them, 

 and the houses are ablaze inside. They are certainly very use- 

 ful plants, and are well adapted for decorative purposes. They 

 are easily grown and propagated, and for this very reason every- 

 body grows them. They are not more easily grown, however, 

 than Phloxes. Oar plants were propagated in the spring from 

 cuttings put into a hotbed in March, and each plant has one 

 strong spike. They are grown through the season in 5-inch 

 pots. After flowering the plants are cut-down and turned out 

 of doors, to be planted in an open border or beds, where they 

 flower magnificently; the Bame system of management is re- 

 peated next season, and after the second blooming the old 

 plants are destroyed. 



A press of other work has prevented us from quite finishing 

 our potting, but it all ought to be done this month, especially 

 thelarger hard wooded plants. Smaller plants may be potted later, 

 if it is necessary to make a choice as to which ought to be left. 



The stage Pelargoniums have been cut down. The old plants 

 have been left out of doors for the present. Before cutting 

 them they are allowed to become quite dry at the roots, and no 

 water is given until the wounds are healed. They bleed very 

 much from the cut parts if these precautions are not taken. 

 The cuttings are put-in at once, and they root best if the pots 

 are placed on the stage of the greenhouse near the glass. The 

 cutting-pots ought not to be watered for twenty-four hours after 

 the cuttings are put in. 



We are tying and training Chrysanthemums into a suitable 

 shape.. The shoots have a great tendency to become straggling 

 if allowed their own way, and it is quite necessary to train the 

 growths into position before the shoots become too hard. The 

 plants require plenty of syringing and watering in this hot 

 weather. _ Whenever aphis appears the points of the shoots are 

 dusted with tobacco powder. 



Lapageria rosea and alba eclipse in beauty all other greenhouse 

 plants at present in flower. If the plants have been well syringed 

 up to this time they will be clean and healthy, and it is as well 

 to omit syringing them when they are in flower, but a moist 

 atmosphere must be kept up in the house. Now is a good time 

 to layer the shoots for the production of young stock. Mode- 

 rately strong well-ripened young wood is the best to layer. If 

 the work is done this month healthy well-rooted plants will be 

 produced by this time next year. Good Bandy peat is the best 

 material to layer in. 



Liliums make a good show, but the hot weather causes the 

 flowers to fade rapidly. All decaying flowers and leaves must 

 be removed at onoe, and a re-arrangement of the plants ought 

 to be made weekly. — J. Douglas. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Wm. Cutbush & Sons, The Nurseries, Highgate. — General 

 Bulb Catalogue. 



J. Linden, Rue de Chaume, Ghent, Belgium. — Catalogue of 

 Camellias, Azaleas, &c. 



Wm. Paul & Sons, The Nurseries, Waltham Cross. — General 

 Bulb Catalogue, with Lists of Camellias, Azaleas, t&c. 



HORTICULTUEAL EXHIBITIONS. 



Secretaries will oblige ua by informing ug of the dates on 

 which exhibitions are to be held. 



Ledbury. August 17th. Mr. J. B. Masefield, Hon. Sec. 



Norton, near Stockton-on-Tees. August 18th. Mr. C. Turner, Sec. 



Mirfield. August 19th. Mr. G. Senior and Mr. J. Rushforth, Hon. Sees. 



Calne (Wilts). August 22nd. Mr. H. Blackford, Sec. 



Newbury. August 22nd. Mr. H. Seymour, Hon. Sec. 



Bawtry. August 22nd. Mr. J. W. Fritchley, Hon. Sec. 



Dorset County. August 23rd (at Dorchester). Mr. A. Pope and Mr. C. 



Parsons, Sees. 

 Chepstow. August 23rd. Mr. B. Thorn, Hon. Sec. 

 Carshalton, Wallington, and Beddington. August 24th. Mr. J. 



Baines, Leicester House, Carshalton, and Mr. W. Clark, the Nurseries, 



Wallington, Hon. Sees. 

 Largs and Fairlie. August 25th. Mr. D. G. Glen, Hon. Sec. 

 Sandy. August 25th. Mr. E. T. Smith, Hon. Seo. 



Seaton Burn. August 26th. Mr. B. Richardson and Mr. W. Eliott, Sees. 

 Dover. August 29th. Messrs. E. "W. Fry and C. T. Whiteley, Hon. Sees. 

 Chippenham. (Cottagers' Garden Improvement Society). August 29th. Mr. 



Alfred Wright, Sec. 

 Isle of Thanet (Margate). August 30th. Mr. CD. Smith, 8, Marin© 



Terrace, Margate, Seo. 

 Shirley, Millbrook, and Freehantle. August 30th. Mr. Jennings and 



Mr. Squibb, Hon. Seos. 

 PooKLrNGTON. August 31st. Sec, Mr. J. E. Ross. 

 Yarmouth. AugUBt 8lBt. Mr. S. Aldred, Hon. Sec. 

 Thornton Heath. September 1st and 2nd. Mr. W. Raines, 10, Sb. John's 



Yillas, Bensbam Manor Road, Thornton Heath, Hon. Sec. 

 Montrose. September 1st and 2nd. Mr. Ales. Burnett, 2, High Street, See. 

 Stamford. September 7th. Entries close September 2nd. Address the 



Hon. Sees., Stamford. 

 Dundee (International). September 7th, 8th, and 9fch. Mr. W. R. McKelvie, 



26, Euclid Crescent, Sec. 

 Glasgow. September 12th and 13th. Mr. F. Gilb. Doughall, 167, Canning 



Street, Sec. 

 Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. September 13th. 

 Kilmarnock. September 14th. Mr. M. Smith, 11, King Street, Sec. 

 Ipswich. September 17th. Sec, Mr. W. B. Jeffries, Henley Road, Ipswich. 

 Northampton (Chrysanthemums). November 14th and 15th. Mr. W. 



Gutteridge, 51. Denmark Road, Northampton, Sec. 

 Loughborough (Chrysanthemums and Fruit). November 21st. Mr. John 



West, Chapman Street, Loughborough, Sec. 



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 unavoid- 

 ably. We request that no one will write privately to any 

 of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to un- 

 justifiable trouble and expense. 

 Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 

 relating to Gardening and those on Poultry and Bee sub- 

 jects, and should never send more than two or three 

 questions at once. All articles intended for insertion 

 should be written on one side of the paper only. We 

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 

 Books (King Heath).— The " Greenhouse " does not contain the names ot 

 all plants grown in it. The " Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary " would suit you. 

 Covers for our Vols. {H. W.).— Cloth ewers may be had from our office. 

 Auriculas (H. C. D.).— We are not permitted to give the address of those 

 who do not sign their nameB. We can forward letters enclosed to us for the 

 purpose, and prepaid. 



Gladiolus Leaves' Tops Brown [F. A.).— Deficiency of mcistur at the 

 roots is the probable cause. The scrap of plant is of a Begonia. 



Pansy Seedlings (J. Hobbs).— Though small we think it worth naming and 

 sending out, for it is the blackest flower we ever saw. 



Tine Leaves Decaying (T. E. D.).— We believe that deficient moisture 

 at the roots is the cause. Water abundantly thrice a-week daring dry hot 

 weather. "Watering occasionally " is more injurious than beneficial. 



Cucuhibers Bitter [A. Boyle). — As yours and all your neighbours'^ are 

 similarly bitter, we can only surmise that none of them have had a sufficient 

 Bupply of water during this intensely hot and dry weather. 



All-flower (E. T. M. W.).— We do not know a plant by that name. We 

 know All-good, All-heal, All-seed. WaB not w omitted ? 



Prickly Comfrey (H. JIM.— It is a perennial, known to botanists as Sym- 

 phytum asperrinmm. It may be raised from seed by Bowing it in the spring 

 in drills to remain, or the seedlings to be planted out. It grows 5 feet high. 

 It may be farther propagated by dividing the roots in autumn. Each piece 

 will grow, and they should be planted about 3 feet apart. They are quite 

 hardy, and need no culture but weeding. 



Garden near Chester.— In anBwer to Mr. Shortt : In a simple matter of 

 taste I thought that anyone might express an opinion, and as the matter in 

 question seemed to me to he contrary to good taste I said bo, without the 

 least idea that I was reflecting on any one; for surely de gustibus noil dtspu- 



