February 3, 18G3.] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



103 



week of dull weather the saucers were filled up to the brim every 

 morning, and thus the Strawberry was made a marsh plant. In 

 such circumstances of the plants a good rain out of doora would 

 most likely have secured a fine crop ; but then that rain passed 

 beyond the roots and did not stand stagnant around them. 



Looked over Strawberry plants in orchard-house to see that 

 they did not become too dry. The house being a lean-to, had 

 the Peach trees against the wall untied well washed with soap 

 » and water, and when dry painted with sulphur and clay, putting 

 about 3 ounces to the gallon of Gishurst in it. The wall was 

 then washed with fresh lime paint, darkened sufficiently to a 

 dull colour with lampblack, as in such a house the reflection of 

 light and heat from a very white wall would have been too much, 

 especially wheu the trees were in bloom. In such lean-to houses 

 used as vineries, the Vines being taken up the rafters, a much 

 whiter or lighter colour may be used. When, however, in such 

 a house, we have used the back wall from top to bottom for 

 shelves, we have frequently given such a wall two washings — 

 first a dull white as above for the early part of the season, that 

 the plants near the wall should not suffer ; and then a lighter 

 colour in summer after the leaves of the Vines had fully ex- 

 panded, but keeping air on for several nights afterwards, in order 

 chat all the light possible should be thrown back from such a 

 wall, so as to benefit the Vines in general, and any plants on 

 the floor, or on the stage, in particular. Amateurs with their 

 one lean-to may thus see the importance of not having their back 

 wall too bright in spring if they grow plants against it, and the 

 equal importance of not having" that wall covered with dirt and 

 green slime as the autumn approaches. See late notice on " The 

 Science and Practice of Gardening." We mention these little 

 matters more prominently because we are all apt to take to 

 gardening by fits and starts, and if this can be laid to the charge 

 of us professionals, we fear the fault would be found more 

 general amongst amateurs and cottagers. What a difference 

 often in the little houses of the former in spring and autumn, 

 not to speak of the lumber-room appearance in winter ; and 

 what a change from the trim garden of the cottager in April and 

 May, and the weeds and decay and wretchedness too often seen 

 in September and October. We recollect once that a company of 

 gardeners expressed an earnest hope that the late Mr. Loudon 

 would not take a tour among certain gardens in the autumn, 

 as they were sure the masses of rotting decayed pea-haulm, and 

 decaying and rotting vegetables, would furnish him with a whip 

 for satire, which would be all the more keen because it was felt 

 to be true and well-deserved. 



Went on with forcing very gradually, as detailed last week, 

 keeping the Peach-house from 45° to 50° at night, and 50° or a 

 lew degrees more in dull days, with a rise in sunshine to from G0° 

 to 70°, with plenty of air, shutting-up early in the afternoon, 

 and if sun heat can be enclosed, giving little or no fire on mild 

 nights. Earliest vinery averaging 50° at night, buds beginning 

 to swell. Vine-pit, a small place, buds breaking, from 55° to 

 60° at night. Some Vines in pots that had little but a cool 

 orchard-house to grow in, are showing very fair, though I did 

 not think the wood quite hardy enough for early work. Small 

 Eig-house being full of plants is kept from 40° to 45° at night. 

 All fruit trees in pots out of doors and in-doors in open, cool 

 houses, such as orchard-houses, are plunged in stubble. This 

 has not been necessary this season, as yet ; but it is of little use 

 protecting a pot when the soil is as hard as a brick. Giving air 

 has required much nicety, not so much owing to cold, as to the 

 force of the gales, which necessitated the pinning and fixing of 

 sashes to make all secure. 



PLANT DEPARTMENT. 

 Of this we have room to say so little that we must refer back 

 to previous weeks for details, merely stating that walks were 

 swept, and lawns rolled, a few more ashes put on Hollyhock 

 crowns to send the water past, Pansies and Pinks and Car- 

 nations firmed, &c. A little dry soil or leaf mould should be 

 ready, for putting as little cones over forward Tulips, if a severe 

 frost should come ; ditto as respects Hyacinths ; and the sur- 

 face of the ground intended for Ranunculuses and Anemones 

 should be aired. Plant-houses were watered, cleaned, and ar- 

 rangements made for having lots of cuttings put in — snch as 

 Verbenas, Geraniums, &c. In the grand establishment referred 

 to above, the foreman took us to see a cold pit of Calceolarias, 

 which seemed to have been done exactly as we described our 

 own to have been done in the autumn. Although not a word 

 ■was said to that effect, we could see at a glance that there was a 



little rivalry about these Calceolarias among the young men, and 

 we must own that they were in most excellent condition, and 

 becoming fine strong plants for Mrs. Bird to lift and pot, or 

 for our friend to transplant where he could give them good treat- 

 ment, as houses and pits 6eem to rise whenever Fortunatus 

 chooses to put the wishing-cap on. We would even say that 

 the plants are, perhaps, a little better than our own ; but as we 

 do not wish ours to hurt themselves with crowding, for more than 

 a month to como, we are rather more satisfied with them than 

 if they had been stronger. We shall also, in three weeks or so, 

 take a few cuttings off the points, as last year we felt the want 

 of some small plants for outsides. — R. F. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

 *.** We request that no one will write privately to the depart- 

 mental writers of the " Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to The 

 Editors of the " Journal of Horticulture, Sfc." 162, Fleet 

 Street, London, HJ.C. 

 We also request that correspondents will not mix up on the 

 same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get, them answered 

 promptly and conveniently, but write them on separate 

 communications. Also never to send more than two or 

 three questions at once. 

 We cannot reply privately to any communication unless under 

 very special circumstances. 

 Evergreen Flowering Shrubs for Paling (67. K, Scvenoaks). — 

 Properly speaking, there are no wall, or espalier, or fence evergreen 

 flowering plants. The Escallonia macrantha is only a conservative wall 

 plant— that is to say, not sufficiently hardy lor ail places and all winters in 

 Kent. For a garden paling 4J feet high, a row of bush plants is all 

 that is needed; and the two best evergreens with good flowers for tha 

 style of fence are Berberis Darwinii and ilicifolia. A hedge of Cotone- 

 aster microphylla, kept to the height of your paling, is one of the most 

 beautiful hedges we have ever seen when loaded with its coral berries. 



Cocoa-nut Refuse Dust [W. S. F.).— For all pot plants except Ferns> 

 and a few very rare plants and bulbs, use the same quantity of this refuse 

 dust as the usual quantity of peat, leaf mould, and sand. The dust sup- 

 plies the place of sand, leaf mould, and peat in general composts. 



Guano ( W. S.).— From two to three hundredweight per acre is the 

 proper quantity, the larger quantity being for a soil more than usually 

 impoverished. It is most beneficial on retentive soils. 



Watering Roses {A Subscriber).— Mr. Rivers says the best manure for 

 Roses is three gomd substantial brown soakings of manure water during 

 the winter months, while the Rose3 are at rest, and he ought to know 

 what is best for (loses. Your gardener followed his advice. 



Fine-foliagei> Plants for a Greenhouse {Idem). — There is no such 

 thing as a greenhouse class of fine-foliaged plants. All such are now used 

 out of doors in beds and borders during the summer months; and most of 

 the stove fine-foliaged plants do better in the greeahouse, while the tedders 

 are out of the greenhouse, than by being kept more close than in a stove, 

 and not so much confined. 



British Water Lilies (L. T. V.).— From the middle of March to the 

 middle of April is the best time to plant the native Water Lilies; but 

 February, or any time during the winter would do. The best way to do 

 the work would be to procure large lumps of the roots with the soil 

 attached, then their own weight would keep tbcm down. The next best 

 ■way would be merely to take so many of the fleshy roots and fix them in 

 the mud, or, if the mud were too loose, to put thick lumps of turf from a 

 clay ground over them, or, rather, to stick the roots in the turf first, and 

 then place them in the pond. Eighteen inches of water would be deep 

 enough to grow them ; but we have had them in water much deeper, and 

 in summer we have had them in a less depth for mpnths and doing well. 



Grafting Roses (J. J. Smyth).— It is too soon yet to begin to graft 

 Roses on Manetti stocks, unless you have a hot propagating-house to put 

 them into. Mr. Beaton told us the other day he intended to graft Roses 

 in February ; but for ourselves, we should think the nrst week in March 

 about the best time. In the nurseries, they have been grafting Roses 

 since October in their hothouses. The best " liquid that causes cuttings 

 dressed with it to throw-out roots," is rain water collected in shallow- 

 ponds at the lower corner of rich meadow land ; and the best liquid to 

 cause Vines to root is the same pond water, with gallon for gallon from 

 a deep horsepond, into which the drainage of a farmyard is allowed to run. 

 Atriplex hortensis rubra as an Edging (R. W.).— The Purple Orach 

 plant that is used for flower-beds is Atriplex hortensis rubra of the cata- 

 logues, and is now to be had true almost everywhere. Most people train 

 it 'down and nibble it to keep it to the proper height, but that is not the 

 best way. The true mode of proceeding is to plant two rows of it i inches 

 asunder, to make one row or line, and when it is 6 inches high to pinch- 

 out the tops ; after that to pinch-out at every second joint of new shoots, 

 also to uluck-off every leaf as soon as It becomes rusty, which makes con- 

 stant room for a succession of new leaves. We had it that way all last 

 summer as fresh in September as at the end of May, and quite as low, 

 without a single row being bent or trained. 



Aroentea (Idem)-.— Argentea is only a second name in plant nomen- 

 clature, and there are a hundred kinds of argentea. The plant you mean 

 is rather a nice plant, and the name of it is Centaurea ragusina : it is not 

 better than Cineraria marttima. The one called candidissima is the 

 finest Centaurea, but is dearer. 



