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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ January 6, 1863: 



Plants for Back of a Conservatory (T. B. C.).— As you seem to have 

 quite enough of Vines in front, the best thing you could do with the hack 

 -wall would be to plant it with Camellias and Oranges. Some years ago we 

 described how such a wall was beautifully clothed in a vinery and Peach- 

 house at Tmgirth. If you planted Vines at the back and trained-down, 

 there would be no doubt of their succeeding beneath the glass ; but with 

 the other Vines, and the Btage in the centre, neither tliey nor anything 

 else would do any good against the back wall itself. With that stage 

 even Oranges and Camellias would thrive only in proportion as the Vines 

 were kept pretty close to the rafters. 



Peach Trees in Bad Order ( W. Novolan).— We fear your trees, which 

 you say have not made more than 2 or 3 inches of wood the past season 

 are past all remedy, and if so, removing them and planting others in fresh 

 maiden loam is the best thing to do ; but if they are young trees, and not 

 otherwise diseased or deformed, the free and judicious use of the knife may 

 Testore them, taking care to leave what young wood you do retain at its full 

 length. If, however, these sho-t shoots have not ripened well there must 

 be something wrong with the border, and if it want draining let that be 

 done at once Report to us the result, and attend to some other instruc- 

 tions that will be given from time to time on the Peach and other trees. 



Scarlet Geraniums in Boxes (A. P. S.).-It you have space at com- 

 mand in spring, it would certainly be better to pot these singlv in small 

 pots ; but, as generally happens every inch of glass is full to oversowing 

 at that time, and it is hopeless to expect a pot for every plant. Mr. Fish 

 has, on former occasions, explained how he deals with them, and Mr. 

 .Kobson has also promised to do so. The latter, to whom we have referred 

 your inquiry about putting the cuttings into the boxes at once, instead 

 ot first striking them in the open ground, says there is no particular 

 disadvantage either way; but he prefers taking-up and replanting, as 

 greater regularity can be given to the mass in the box, as by having them 

 put into the box at first, the loss of one or two cuttings in a particular 

 place causes a gap. Mr. Robsin says he often enough keeps Variegated 

 Aiyssum, Lobelia, Tropaeolura, and other plants in boxes; but for the 

 spring-forcing of these in hotbeds broad pans are better, as they suffer less 

 oy being plunged in the sawdust or other damp material, otherwise the 

 boxes are quite as good and more convenient in handling, &c. Verbenas 

 are better kept in winter in larger pots, as the spring growth is of most 

 consequence in them. 



White Scale om Pine Apples (J. A).— Tour dusting the roots of Pine- 

 Apple plants with soot, will not kill the white scale upon them. Washing 

 the whole plant, roots and altogether, with soap water holding a little 

 size in solution, and at a temperature of about 140°, letting the plants 

 ?S n ' ,. in a dayor two swingeing them through clean water at about 

 120 would be more effectual. The best plan of all would be to have a bed 

 made from 30 to 36 inches deep ot fresh horse-droppings ; make a wicker 

 oed over it, on that place all the Pine plants, and shut-up close for forty- 

 eight hours if the atmosphe ric heat is not above 100°. 



Thrips on Cucumber Plants {E. O. Q.).— If the plants are in a house, 

 that you can examine the under side of the leaves, there is nothing so 

 effectual as the Weaver remedy— that is, " Catch and kill them:" thus 

 have a basin, with a little water, and a small sponge wet, whioh daub on 

 every jumper you see. We prefer doing it with the finger ourselves. You can 

 use syringing very little at this season. Next to the above, the best remedy 

 is smoking two nights running with the best shag tobacco. If that does not 

 settle them, break and bruise a bushel of laurel leaves, and spread them 

 out in the place ; and if that does not do, smoke again. Be sure the smoke 

 is cool. The mischief is that, if you have allowed the thrips to get a-head, 

 you may kill all alive in a couple of smokings, and in a few days you will 

 ■have fresh generations of them to tease you. If taken in time/there is 

 nothing like a quick eye and a nimble finger. 



Burning Sulphur in a Vinerv (A Kentish Amateur).— Ot course you 

 do net mean to burn sulphur in your vinery with plants in it,toki!l thrips 

 and red spider, because it would kill every green plant If the Vine 

 wood is well ripened, and you took every other plant out of the house, you 

 might then burn half a pound of sulphur mixed with sawdust in such a 

 house, doing it before dark in the evening, and keeping the house shut 

 the following day if dull, but giving air if sunny; then scrub the house, 

 and do as detailed in " Doings of the Last Week " a fortnight ago. A little 

 care and trouble now may save you much annoyance in summer. The 

 Tradescantia zebrina has white bars along the purplish-like leaf. 



Heating a Greenhouse and Frames (S. Taylor).— There is nothing to 

 prevent your plan answering, only when you work both greenhouse and 

 frames, it will be necessary to regulate the draught with the damper below 

 ■the coil, as the heat will be more apt to ascend there than pass along the 

 flue. A little regulating will make that all right. If your furnace-bars 

 could be sunk a little more— say 6 or 8 inches, it would be as well ; but as 

 fchey are you will manage. 



Bouquet Frames.— W. H. M. asks, "Is there any place in London 

 where wire frames for making hand-bouquets, as described in No. 662, 

 Vol. XXVI., page 172, oan be bought 2" Can any of our readers give the 

 desired information? 



Forcing Pelargoniums (Eortus).— Alba multiflora, Gauntlet, Crimson 

 King, Dennis's Alma, and BlaDchefleur will answer your purpose for early 

 spring flowers. 



Cbment Instead of Putty (Idem).— Portland cement instead of putty, 

 lor glazing an old, ricketty, leaky greenhouse, and with waterlogged sash- 

 bars, is a very odd idea and a very unlikely thing to answer ; but as we 

 have never tried it, and never heard of such a thing, we would recommend 

 you to try the original idea yourself, and let the world know how it 

 answers. But we can confirm your apprehension, and say from experience 

 that paint and putty laid on wood that is green, damp, or wet, is a sure 

 method to destroy such woodwork. 



• R , A v tf w 1 ATEa (Inquirer).— H the thatched shed is very old, the water 



will be apt to become thick and smell disagreeably ; but you could remedy 



this by causing it to pass first through a small barrel with a lot of charcoal 



and gravel in it. There will be no danger from that source of red spider, &c. 



Tobacco Required for Fumigating (Idem).— For a house 20 feet by 



2, leet, a quarter of a pound of shag tobacco would be enough at a time, 



rimed slowly, and the smoke emitted cool by passing through a covering 



of damp moss. B 



Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary (M. A.).— It contains both the botanical 

 rid English names of plants. 



Chrysanthemums for Exhibition (Young Gardener).— Ton want to 

 exhibit next Martinmas, without knowing when to make the cuttings— on 

 the first of the new year ; and then you want to know the best twenty- 

 four kinds for showing. There are hardly twelve kinds of good habit to 

 make specimens of that would carry a prize in these days. 



Ice-keeping (An JEleven-years Subscriber).— We think you have over- 

 done the ventilating. If twenty loadB fill the place, the ice-well must be 

 small, and extra care requisite. The water at the bottom , if it did stay there 

 would melfc the ice if the vapour arising from it rose up. The ventilation 

 has been extreme. We would have kept the surface of the ice covered, and 

 had a six-inch opening in the door, and a three-inch opening in the dome. 

 Mr. Fish uses no straw when he does not ventilate. If he ventilates 

 moderately he prefers the surface of the ice to be covered with straw. 



Protection for Fruit Trees (Museum).— Thin tiffany or Nottingham 

 netting still thinner is the best protection for fruit trees yet out, where the 

 covering is to remain night and day, and where the frosts in general are not 

 severe. Neither of them will be sufficient if the blossom should encounter 

 a frost of 10 r or so. Their chief value is, that through them the openings 

 are small, and the trees are kept dry, rains trickling down instead of 

 going through them. Numerous temporary expedients may be resorted to ; 

 but the moBt lasting and every way the best means yet out, if labour is 

 not grudged, are coverings of strong calico sheeting, put on so as to be 

 easily moved by pulleys or rinsrs. These should be put on as soon as the buds 

 begin to swell, kept on on sunny days to retard the blossom, and removed 

 on dull cold days for the same purpose ; but taken off after the blossoms 

 open in fine mild days, and replaced at night. We have known such covers 

 put away dry, last a great many years, and there is nothing so good yet that 

 we know of. The first expense is the only objection, especially at present, 

 but even now they would be cheaper in the end than most of the things so 

 highly recommended. 



Gishurst and other Insect-destroying Compounds (Idem). — We 

 believe that Gishurst compound is good judiciously used, and so are Par- 

 mentier's, &o, but no preparation will work such wonders us the advertise- 

 ments generally state. A little allowance must be made in these matters 

 for the zeal and enthusiasm of the inventor, and the resulc often is, that 

 after each in turn being a great favourite for a time, the gardener at last 

 often turns back to old-fashioned methods, which on the whole he finds 

 quite as efficacious. Soap and sulphur, and something' of the nature of 

 tobacco, are the chief materials in most of these wash mixtures, and it is 

 often a great advantage to have them in a concentrated form ready for 

 immediate use. 



Name of Fern (A Constant Header). — It is Pteris serrulata. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONLCLE. 



PAST AND FUTURE. 



Otte task is a sort of " Montagne Russe." The impetus 

 derived from the descent of 1862 should carry us up the 

 ascent of 1863. We are thankful it is so, and that on our first 

 appearance in the new year we can hail our friends cheerily, 

 thanking them for that support which has made our task an 

 easy one, and which has given a charm to our daily pursuit. 

 We are glad to avow our grateful sense of the mercy that has 

 enabled us to pen another address to our many readers. 



The year that has just closed has been a prosperous and 

 pleasant one for those concerned in the pursuit of which we 

 treat. The "happy medium" has been its characteristic. We 

 hare had no "sensation headings" of success or failure. We 

 have kept on the even tenour of our way because things have 

 been smooth with us and our pursuits. While we are very 

 thankful for it, we can but feel what a damper it puts on ver- 

 bosity. "Thank you" will express the gratitude of twelve 

 months. The slightest complaint will cover sheets of paper, or 

 feed eloquence for an hour. We are almost disposed to wish 

 we had a little grievance. We know with what feelings we laid 

 down the "History of England " when, at the conclusion of one 

 of the chapters in the reign of George III., we read — " England 

 had no peace at home, and little glory abroad." We knit our 

 brows and sat moodily down in an easy chair, and we brooded 

 from daylight to dusk, and from dusk to dark, and still thought 

 " no peace and little glory." If we had read " peace and glory," 

 we should have had little or no interest in it. Only imagine the 

 difference between lecturing the labourer on the blessings of his 

 position, on 9s. per week wherewith to keep a wife and Beven 

 children, one deaf and dumb, and two under three years of age ; 

 and the poor " ticket-of-leave " who has yet three to serve of the 

 eighteen months which will entitle him to liberty, although 

 sentenced to ten years penal servitude ! 



What a dull audience while we explained to the labourers the 

 advantages of then - position and the luxuries within their reach ! 

 What startling attention from the poor convicts while we told 

 them a large part of the country sympathised with them — that 

 it was enough to deprive them of liberty, without serving their 

 mutton so cold that the fat swam on the gravy — and that all 

 society wanted was to reclaim, not to punish t7iem ! ! 



Reports and reviews are like portraits. The even line of 

 beauty is hard to catoh, and the likeness is difficult ; but in a 

 face with a marked feature — a nose like a knocker for instance, 

 the artist has something to lay hold of. 



