December 28, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



559 



it may be increased to 55°, and when the leaves are formed to 

 60°, and 65? a little further on. Unless the roots of Vines are 

 forced by bottom heat they do not begin moving until the leaves 

 are formed, and to force hard before this is a tax upon the 

 energies of the Vines which, if persisted in, would ultimately 

 ruin them. When it is seen that the growths are shooting 

 vigorously the Vine will endure a very high temperature, but it 

 is better that the minimum in the case of Muscats does not ex- 

 ceed 70°, and for Hamburghs 65°. The following varieties may 

 be mentioned as requiring Muscat heat : — Gros Colman, Alicante, 

 Lady Downe's, Gros Guillaume, Trebbiano, "White Nice, Syrian, 

 and True Tokay. In the Hamburgh temperature Royal Ascot, 

 Black Prince, West's St. Peter's, Royal Muscadine, Buckland 

 Sweetwater, Golden Hamburgh, Foster's Seedling, Duchess of 

 Buccleuch, Duke of Buccleuch, Golden Champion, and Dr. 

 Hogg will succeed. Lady Downe's does well in the same tem- 

 perature, although it is named in the list of those requiring 

 more heat. 



There is such a manifest control over the roots of Vines in 

 pots that they may be forced more rapidly than those planted 

 in the open border, and the roots of which have gone over the 

 bounds allotted to them. It is also of importance sometimes 

 to push the Vines on rapidly, in order to have the Grapes in 

 by a certain time ; and if the pot Vines suffer it does not matter 

 much, as it is more profitable to grow a good crop the first 

 season and to destroy the canes after the crop is gathered. 



Late Grapes still hanging require daily attention, as it very 

 much depends upon the care that is taken of them as to heating, 

 ventilating, removing decaying berries and leaves, whether the 

 fruit will keep long in a presentable condition. Another matter 

 is the sweeping-out of the houses. In some cases this is in 

 charge of a careless boy, and he will, by raising clouds of dust, 

 in time cover the berries with it, and so render them unfit for 

 the dessert table. It is well to keep every part of the house 

 clean ; but when sweeping is necessary it ought to be done 

 gently, and not oftener than once a-week. 



PEACH HOUSE. 



We alluded on December 7th to starting the house, and in- 

 structions were given as to watering, syringing, temperature, &». 

 Some may even have started the earliest house before that date. 

 Peaches will not stand suoh a high temperature as Vines, not 

 that the trees will not thrive, for they will grow rapidly, and 

 the more bo because the buds will drop to the extent of en- 

 dangering the crop. 'Early in the season 55° for a night tem- 

 perature is the safest, a little ventilation being left on at night. 

 A very dry atmosphere is not the best at setting time ; dry by 

 day and moderately moist at night is the best. The flowers 

 will not be likely to set well without a little help ; they should 

 either be brushed over once a-day with a camel-hair pencil, or 

 they may be fertilised by gently rapping the wires twice a-day 

 with a stout walking-stick, when the pollen will be distributed. 



PLANT STOVE AND OBCHTD HOUSES. 



We have repeatedly urged the importance of destroying all 

 insect pests at this season of the year, when they and the plants 

 are in an inactive state. It is a good plan to fumigate the house 

 once a fortnight from the beginning of January until the end of 

 February — -that is, if many of the plants have been infested with 

 thrips. When Orchids and other tender stove plants are in 

 growth they are not unlikely to be injured by the fumes of 

 tobacco smoke, and even at this Beason of the year the operation 

 must be performed with caution. We wash the leaves of any 

 plants that are attacked by brown or white scale and mealy bug 

 with rain wateu in which as much soft soap has been dissolved 

 as the leaves will endure with impunity. 



The roof of the stove must not be shaded with climbing 

 plants ; it is a great mistake to leave too much leafy growth 

 between the plants on the stage and the light at any season, but 

 especially during the winter. In the first place nothing can be 

 more unsightly than a quantity of shoots trained one over the 

 other. This should never be ; we would as soon train the 

 lateral growths of Vines one over the other as of flowering 

 plants, for in neither case can success be attained. An Alla- 

 manda trained to the roof was cut back to within a few feet of 

 the base of the rafters. A plant of Bougainvillea glabra was 

 removed to the greenhouse some time ago. The roots have 

 been kept dry since, but the leaves have not fallen to a very 

 great extent. Clerodendron Thompsonii and C. Balfourii wo 

 shall always winter in a house where the temperature does not 

 fall below 55° for the future. It is not safe to place the plants 

 in the greenhouse, as we have lost them in that way in previous 

 years. 



Caladiums, although the soil is as dry as dust in the pots con- 

 taining the tubers, are safer under the stage in the stove than 

 anywhere else. There are some Amaryllises in flower at present 

 which were placed in heat some time ago, but the flowers are very 

 much inferior to what they ought to be. 



In the plant stove nearly all the plants are better with the 

 temperature as low as it is safe to have it for the next three 

 weeks, and as the daylight increases the temperature may rise 

 with it. We have removed Anthurium Scherserip„nrjTn to the 



Cattleya house, where the temperature is more suitable than in 

 the plant stove with 60° at night ; from 50° to 55? suits this 

 plant better during the winter months, and the spathes are 

 brighter and of a more leathery texture with the lower tempe- 

 rature. Little need be said about Orchids. Keep the plants 

 clean and at rest; any unnecessary excitement from heat or 

 moisture is injurious to them. The East Indian house Bhould 

 range about 60°, Cattleya house 50° to 55°, and cool house 45? to 

 50°, rising 5° by day. — J. Douglas. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Dicksons & Co., 1, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh. — List of 

 Gladioli. 



Francois Lacharme, Quai de la Vitriolerie, Guillotiere, Lyons, 

 France. — List of New and Choice Hoses. 



A. M. C. Jongkindt Coninck, Tottenham Nurseries, Dedems- 

 vaart, near Zwolle, Netherlands. — Trade List of Fruit Trees, 

 Hoses, Perennials, Aquatic Plants, &c. 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 

 Secretaries will oblige tts by informing ua of the dates on 

 which exhibitions are to be held. 

 Crystal Palace (Artificial Flowers and Fruit). Marchl7th. 

 Newcastle-upon-Tyne. March 21st and 22nd. Messrs. J. H. French, Ben- 

 well House, and J. Taylor, Eye Hill, Hon. Sees. 

 Glasgow. March 28th and May 28rd. Mr. F. G. Dougal, Sec. 

 Leeds (Spring Show). April 2nd and 3rd. Mr. A. Walker, Neville St., 



School Closo, Leeds, Hon. Sec. 

 Wisbeoh. June 28th. Mi-. Charles Parker, Hon. Sec. 

 Tonbeidge. July 18th. Mr. W. Blair, Sec. 

 Isle of Thanet. August 30th. Mr. C. D. Smith, Hon. 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 doiDg so subjeota 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 (F. Cannon). — There are no separate works on the subjects you 

 mention. Those which include them are Mai'tyn's edition of " Miller's Gar- 

 dener's Dictionary " and Loudon's " Encyclopaedias." (A Reader). — We have 

 no Stovo Manual, but our "Indoor Gardening" treats of stove plants 

 generally with other subjects. It may be had by post for Is. Ihd. 



Frames (J. E.). — The Acme frames are patent, and are to be had of Mr. 

 B. Looker, Kingston-on-Thames, to whom your letter has been forwarded. 



Evergreens for Seaside (Frank). — The Tamarisk (Tamarix gallica) and 

 the Japan Spindle Tree (Euonymus japonica) are hardy, and are grown 

 abundantly along the south coast of England. 



P.emovtng Conservatory (W. Booth). — Legally the conservatory could 

 not be sold if attached to the freehold, and you have bought what previously 

 belonged to you. The tenant, we think, cannot compel you to remove it, as 

 he erected it. 



Fongus (A. B., BromUy Common). — The name of your woody fungus from 

 the Cherry tree is Polvporus igniarius. The species is common on Cherry, 

 Plum, and other trees. 



Best Form of Lapstone Kidney (J. B.).— It is too much to ask ns to 

 say which is the best. Try as many sorts as you can and select. Fenn's 

 Perfection is certainly very handsome. The following sorts have all been 

 proved by the Royal Horticultural Society in their trial grounds to be forms 

 of Lapstone — Yorkshire Hero, Haigh's Seedling, Headley's Nonpareil, Hunt- 

 ingdon Kidney, Pebble White, Rixton Pippin, Perfection, and Ashtop Fluke. 



Planting Lateral Cordons on Fruit Border (C. J. D.). — As you in- 

 tend to plant Strawberries between the cordons and walk, the distance 

 between would be a matter of taste. If you plant but one row of Strawberries 

 let them be 6 inches from the edge, and the cordons 2feet. The cordons ought 

 to be trained about a foot from the surface of the ground. Apples are better 

 for such purposes than Pears. Of Apples the best are Early Margaret, Irish 

 Peach, Kerry Pippin, Margil, Ribston Pippin, Cos's Orange Pippin, Manning- 

 ton's Pearmain, Old Nonpareil, Keddlestone Pippin, and Stunner Pippin. 

 The above are dessert sorts. Of kitchen Apples — Keswick Codlin, Hawthorn- 

 den, Cellini, Bedfordshire Foundling, Dumelow's Seedling, Bymer, and Goose- 

 berry Apple are suitable. 



Destroying Wireworms (Henry Thomson).— Soot and lime may check 

 the increase of these pests, but we have found both ineffectual in destroying 

 them. The best remedy would be to burn the surface soil ; but as yours is 

 shallow burning would destroy its staple, and might otherwise not be con- 

 venient. Gas lime distributed over the surface at the rate of one peck to 

 Bixty square yards, and pointing in lightly, is mostly an effectual application. 



Heating Small Frame (A. Macdonald). — Yonr question was answered in 

 our number published December 7th. 



Labour Required in Garden (J. B.). — So much depends on the arrange- 

 ments of a garden, and the requirements of its owners, that it is always 

 difficult to judge with precision from particulars of extent merely. For the 

 garden you describe we think seven men and two 1 boys necessary — i.e., two 



