February 24, 1863. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



157 



without your leave, and carried off or dug their bills into the best 

 of the latter. Who will invent the most suitable cover-all 

 for a garden, that will let plenty of heat and light through and 

 keep out the smallest birds and the larger insects, juBt as we 

 find it necessary to do so ? . 



We may as well here allude to another matter growing out ot 

 this high-preserving question. In many gardens there is a diffi- 

 culty in finding pea- stakes, and when found they seldom last 

 good for more than a year, and then come in as fuel for fire- 

 lighting. Many for want of them are obliged to grow low Peas, 

 or allow them to run over the ground without stakes at all ; but 

 in such circumstances we believe there is a loss aa respects 

 quantity and quality. We have several inquiries on the subject, 

 and see nothing better than iron supports with holes for wires 

 to run through ; but though these are used in some places, we 

 feel certain that the person who manufactures an article that 

 will be Bomewhat economical in price, and which will be easily 

 moveable so as to be taken from and to a shed as desired, or, m 

 other words, put up and taken down with little trouble, will 

 command a large sale for the article. Strained wire fences are 

 now getting common for eBpalier trees, Raspberries, and even 

 Gooseberries and Currants, as when the two latter are trained 

 flat fine fruit is not only obtained but the ground between can 

 be cropped with other things. 



We seem, however, to have lost Bight of the birds. Well, 

 as yet we have not done more than rough-prune Currants and 

 Gooseberries, thinking it better to leave the final looking-over 

 until we see how the birds and we agree as to the right quantity 

 that shall be left to us. Meanwhile, to prevent their taking a 

 delicious morsel, we mix-up a tub of rather thick wash, formed of 

 soapsuds and about equal parts of lime and soot, and double 

 parts of clay and cowdung, which, when thoroughly blended and 

 mixed, will pass easily through the nozzle of an old syringe. 

 This, with a handful of salt to every eight gallons or so, is Bquirted 

 over the bushes and the forwardest Pears, and sticks on pretty 

 well by the help of the clay and the cowdung ; and should 

 continued rains come before the buds are safe we must just re- 

 peat the operation, and try thread, looking-glass, pieces of tin 

 suspended, and all the rest of it. But so long as the buds are 

 thus crusted they will hardly be touched by any bird that has 

 any pretension to epicurism. 



Strawberries in pots that are standing in bed3 and intended for 

 forcing will need looking after, as, if they get too dry, the flower- 

 buds will be apt to perish. We think a few of ours have done 

 so, as the air has been very drying of late. If the frost should 

 come much more severe, however, it will be advisable to cover 

 them up at night after such watering. 



Gave a little air early in the morning to Peach-house in bloom, 

 increasing it gradually to mid-day, and waived a broad board 

 quickly near the blossoms to disperse the fertilising pollen. 

 Shut-up pretty early in the afternoon, so as to do wiih as little 

 fire heat as possible. Temperature at night ranging from 45° to 

 50° ; during the day with sun from 70" to 85°. Temperature of 

 the first vinery breaking, 60" at night, air early, and heat allowed 

 to rise with sun to 80° or 85°. 



The most of the bedding plants are now moved from the 

 Peach-house and from other places where heat is more required 

 for other purposes. To find room for them we were forced to 

 cut the remainder of the Grapes in the late vinery, keeping a 

 good bit of the shoot with them, and sticking the shoots into 

 moist soil in a moveable box, and covering the box with dry 

 moss and clean paper. This Buited our purpose best on the 

 present occasion, though we would give the preference to the 

 plan mentioned by Mr. Thomson of sticking the shoots into a 

 beetroot, and allowing the bunch to hang over a Bhelf in a dry 

 cool place. 



Sow, as to the Vines, it is right that mischances should be noted 

 as well as successes. In cutting a young Vine we found that the 

 stem came to us. Unfortunately, against our own wish on such 

 a Bubject, the Vines are planted outside the house and brought 

 in through a hole in the front wall, a little moss being placed 

 round the stem in the hole. Now, just where the stem entered 

 the hole it seemed to have been gnawed through— in fact, but 

 for examining it carefully, it might have been Bupposed to be 

 cut through. But the most curious thing is that not a vestige 

 of the stem could be found from the cut or nibbled part, and 

 no remains of nibbled wood, and though we searched carefully 

 not a bit of the stem could be found, or even the larger 

 roots, though we found the smaller ones in the border. A 

 young Vine in an earlier house was found exactly in the same 



way, not a vestige of stem from the cut part, but all gone, and 

 no signs of nibbling, such as sawduBt-like pieces of wood left. 

 The whole of the stem seemed to be gone, and yet Grapes, which 

 one would have thought more tempting, were left untouched. 

 What made me conclude that mice were the destroyers was 

 the following fact : A rather old Vine had not swelled its 

 berries to the usual size in the autumn, and on examining the 

 stem in the hole in the wall it bore traces of biting and injury 

 for fully halfway round. Mr. Mouse must now be looked after ; 

 but, seeing the Grapes untouched, and seeds drying in the house 

 quite safe, we never thought of looking after the stems that went 

 through the wall. Do any of your readers know of a case of 

 such wholesale destruction of young stems ? Not a bit could 

 we find, nor even a root of any size. Out of doors we found 

 Bome young Apple trees that were fast going the same way. 

 The nibbling had commenced at the surface of the ground, and 

 when discovered the Btems and most of the larger roots proceed- 

 ing from the collar were nearly gone. In these cases, too, the 

 stems farther up were not touched. 



PLANTS, PEOPAGATIKO^ &C. 



Much the same as laBt week. As soon as the late vinery is 

 all thoroughly cleaned, we will fill every available spot with 

 plants and keep them and Vines as cool as possible. For this 

 purpose we will bring all the Vines near the front of the house 

 that we may not only give plenty of air, but shade the Vines too 

 if necessary.— R. F. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Ambroise VerBchaffelt, 50, Rue du Chaume, Ghent. Spring 

 Catalogue of Stove, Greenhouse, and Hardy Plants, dec. 18oJ. 



C. B. Saunders, Cesarean Nurseries, St. Saviour's, Jersey. 

 General Catalogue of Fruit Trees. Catalogue of Trees and 

 Shrubs. Select List of Cape Bulbs, Tuberous Boots, Sfc. 

 of Azaleas, Camellias, Dahlias, Fuchsias, Geraniums, Sfc. 



List 



We 



We 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



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

 mental writers of the "Journal of Horticulture, tottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed soleq, to The 

 Editors of the "Journal of Horticulture, Ice, 162, J!leet 

 Street, London, F.C. . 



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. _ 



cannot reply privately to any communication unless under 

 very special circumstances. 

 Plantino Flowee-beds {Cruciferus)—ll we could make an exception 

 in favour of any one, it should be in the case of so staunch a supporter ; 

 bu we cannot make any exception. If yon will arrange the plants m the 

 beds, and send us an outline of the beds and how you P™P°«> to P'*?* 

 them, we will point out what we consider mistakes, if there are any. No 

 one can plant beds the situation of which he has not seen. 



Pasture Grasses von Queensland <C. C.).-We should send Crested 

 Doe's-Tail, Hardish Fescue, Wood Meadow Grass, Evergreen Meadow 

 Gra g s. White Clover, and Suckling Clover. Calico soaked in ^eiod 

 would be liable to spontaneous combustion on the voyage. The .my 

 remedy would be to have it packed in tin-lined boxes, and soldered-down 

 to exclude the air. 



Budding Plums ok Sloes «?. Carpenter).-Sor five postage stamps you 

 can have free by post from our office, " Fruit-Gardemng fo *M»y. It 

 contains directions for both grafting and budding. Plums grafted on sloe- 

 stocks do not do well. Either sulphuric acid or caustoc P°^ W *£S 

 ™. refuse bones available as manure. The potash mode is preieraoie, 

 being not so liable to cause injuries during the crumbling-down process. 



Zinc-lined Boxes, Ac. (.A Subscriber).-We have used zinc as a limn* 

 both for ptant-hoxes and water-tanks, without observing that it injured the 

 plants. . 



Italian Coded Seed {A Subscriber, JBlackheatK).- We know of no 

 reason why the plants should not do as well as other Gourds and Cucum- 

 bers, if ridged-out at the usual season. 

 Kose Annual (IT. S. J/.).-We have no information upon the subject. 

 Date Palm Parasite (Date P a hn).-The little "seeds " you n: ientio» 

 are the convex hardened bodies of the females of a small species of 

 Coccus, covered with a thin pellicle of white waxy secretion g ving them 

 a fungus-like appearance. Some of the females were shrive 11 d-up, ha,mg 

 already deposited their eggs, but others were still filled with eggs, so that 

 the tree must be cleared of them at once or it will be destroyed.— w . ■ 



