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JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 17, 1863. 



potted Bome Azaleas with the pure material, and instead of being 

 old refuse as in the previous year, it was new. The plants lan- 

 guished and died, still I do not blame the refuse for this, but my 

 own imprudence. An Azalea has a close ball, so by potting in 

 loose refuse, crammed in too, the water passes through it 

 without wetting the ball at all : the consequence is, that the roots 

 are dried-up, and when they are gone the plant goes also. This 

 was a hazardous experiment, certainly, but the plants were doomed 

 to be thrown out, for they were too large for our small houses. 



Others have been in an equal dilemma with myself, and al- 

 though giving their vote for the refuse as a first-rate material for 

 Ferns, Begonias, Gloxinias, &c, they prefer peat for hardwooded 

 plants. 



A florist who grows Camellias well had a few sickly plants, 

 and he, fingering my refuse dust, ordered twelve bags ; so when 

 the parties just mentioned remonstrated against my recommend- 

 ing the refuse lor Camellias, I went to see what he had made 

 with his twelve bags. 



" How do you like it ? " " Very well." " That's strange," 



exclaimed I ; " I had two gardeners from H last week, and 



they do not like it." "But, I do," rejoined the florist, "and I 

 have been to the Midland station to see what they will bring a 

 truck for." This was proof enough. My friend liked it, and 

 stepping into his greenhouse he took me to a lot of young 

 Camellias, only grafted last year, growing in the infallible refuse 

 dust. Some were in flower, and I in a quizzing way said they 

 were nothing extra. "Nothing extra!" said he indignantly; 

 "look at the size and bright green of their foliage, the brightness 

 of the colours of the flowers, their size, and feel for yourself the 

 stoutness of the petals," all the while holding the flower in his 

 hand between his fingers ; " and," continued be " where will you 

 find a better-formed flower ? " The points were incontestable : 

 therefore I simply said " it was an exception." " An exception ! " 

 quoth he ; " but look here, in an adjoining house, for growth on 

 my two-year-olds, none of your three-inch shoots, but a six-year- 

 old plant in two years." That was enough ; he bad tried the 

 refuse, and had become an enthusiastic lover thereof. He uses 

 it, half loam, half refuse, with a good admixture of silver sand, 

 or about one-Bixth of the whole. He says, and his plants bear 

 testimony to the fact, that it is good material for Acacias, Aza- 

 leas, Camellias, and anything requiring peat soil or leaf mould. 

 He puts his bedding plants in with a sprinkling of the refuse ; 

 but he does not place an Azalea with a ball as bard as a turnpike 

 road in the pure refuse as I did, but uses half loam and refuse, 

 and gives the whole a sprinkling of sand, which is very different 

 from potting in the rough refuse. 



I tried what effect it would have on Rhododendrons ; but as 

 they grow so luxuriantly here, though the soil is a strong loam, 

 the difference was not great, though decidedly in favour of the 

 refuse. 



Some one, Mr. Beaton, I think, hinted that the refuse would 

 be a good compost for Melons. Unfortunately, I had not a 

 frame at liberty, but in the first week in July I planted two 

 plants of the American Bidge, one in a bushel of refuse, the 

 other in loam, and two of Achapesnorricher Melon in a similar 

 manner, and treated them alike. Both set their fruit imme- 

 diately, and as the season was far advanced a couple of fruits 

 were only left on each plant. The American in refuse gave a 

 Melon, large, deep green, changing to yellowish-green when 

 ripe ; fleBh red ; flavour poor, but late Melons are not over-well- 

 flavoured in general, slightly netted; Bhape of fruit elliptical; 

 weight of each fruit from the plant in the refuse, ljlbs., and 

 3 lbs. 6 ozs. respectively. The plants in ordinary soil gave 

 smaller Melons but of better flavour, the weight being 1 lb. 7 ozs., 

 and 1 lb. 12 ozs. AchapeBnorricher in refuse afforded a Green- 

 fleshed Melon, the rind netted and warted, spherical in shape, of 

 a moderate flavour, flesh thick but melting, and rind no less thick. 

 The fruits weighed 1 lb. 14 ozs., and 1 lb. 7 ozs. In common 

 soil the fruits weighed respectively, 15 ozs., and lib. 4ozs. 



My master, who is partial to Melons, pronounced these new 

 kinds of Ridge Melons flavourless Pumpkins ; but he cannot 

 appreciate (and he is a judge), any other Melons than Scarlet 

 Gem, Excelsior, Beechwood, and Egyptian. The Persian breeds, 

 however, are equally good. The smaller the Melon the better 

 the flavour, and the larger they are the more sugar is needed to 

 season them. 



A few handfuls of refuse sprinkled on the meadow made people 

 inquire the reason of the place being different from the rest, and 

 it shows itself now. It would be a good dressing for mossy- 

 bottomed lawns. 



Potatoes do well in it, and give an increase of weight over 

 ordinary manure. Erom a nine-yard row of each the weight was 

 — of manured Potatoes, 2 st. 8 lbs., and from the refuse dusted, 

 3 st. 4 lbs. 



The rough refuse fibre appears to be a good substitute for peat 

 for Orchids ; but as I have not tried it with more than a dozen 

 plants or bo, and as I intend to test that material thiB season, I 

 cannot Bpeak decidedly. However, the results already attained 

 are very gratifying. 



In conclusion, I beg to tender my thanks to those who first 

 proved the merits of the refuse dust, and more especially to 

 those who made known the material, thereby placing in the 

 hands of the small gardener and amateur a substitute for the 

 not-alwavB-comeatable ingredient peat, and even when it iB to 

 be had, not always of a suitable composition. Through writing 

 to The Journal oe Hoetictjitu.be, my time has been seriously 

 encroached on by private communications, and as this is incon- 

 venient to me, I purpose, but reluctantly, to become au unlocated 

 correspondent of this Journal : therefore, good readers and 

 correspondents farewell. — G. A. 



AEEIAL EOOTS ON FEONTIGNAN AND 

 CONSTANTIA VINES. 



TINE-STEM INABCHING. 



Some Frontignan and Purple Constantia Grapes, which I 

 have in the Bame house with Grapes of other varieties, begin at 

 a certain Btage to emit aerial roots, which dry-up, as the houBe 

 is kept dry to ripen the crops, and the fruit becomes worthless. 

 As this is not the case with other Tines (St. Peter's, Black 

 Hamburghs, &c.) in the same house, it is evidently not owing to 

 mismanagement inside the house; but, in all probability, the 

 outside border should be of a different soil for Frontignan 

 Grapes — perhaps of a hotter and drier nature. I should, there- 

 fore, be glad to know whether, if they were in a border by them- 

 selves and with a third or fourth of sand or gravel, you think 

 they would answer better, though the soil should lose in richness ? 

 The present border is of the common description, as recommended 

 for growing Vines, and is covered in the winter by tiles in order 

 to protect it from wet. 



Would you also inform me whether it would be difficult to 

 inarch the stem of a Vine, about ten years old, low down ? as, by 

 this means, the pot with the young Vine to be inarched upon it 

 could rest upon the floor of the house. The proper and best 

 plan would be, I suppose, to inarch upon young wood ; but the 

 former, if feasible, would be the more convenient. — AN Amateub^ 



[You will help your Vines by pulling-off the aerial roots as 

 they appear, which will force them to root in the border ; then 

 dig a drain or a deep well opposite them in the border, and work- 

 in some lime rubbish. If that does not have the desired effect, 

 then raise the roots next autumn ; at the end of September re- 

 plant in fresh soil, of which lime rubbish may constitute a third. 

 "We should U8e that, broken bricks, and charcoal ; but not sand 

 or gravel. 



As to Vine-inarching, you may either inarch or graft before 

 the sap is in motion ; after that you can graft with a dormant 

 scion after the leaves of the stock are expanded. The inarching 

 in the growing period is most easily done when both are growing 

 as you Btate. See " Doings of the Last Week."] 



OKCHID CULTIVATION, CEOSS-BEEEDJNG, 

 AND HYBEIDISING. 



Theee has been for the last few years a steady and unabating 

 increase in the ranks of Orchid amateurs all over the country. 

 Gentlemen of wealth, not only in England, which once reigned su- 

 preme in this respect, but also in Scotland and in Ireland, have 

 devoted large sums in founding, and adding to, collections remark- 

 able for their individual and intrinsic beauty ; and all of them 

 possessing an interest which we may look for in vain in any other 

 of the great divisions of plants. To the great body of the people 

 the allocating such large sums for, in many instances, such small 

 commodities seems inexplicable and anomalous; but to those 

 who have cultivated a taste for flowers, and who are accus- 

 tomed to see the greater portion of the choicer subjects of Flora 

 under cultivation, this division possesses an interest, both indi- 

 vidually and collectively, such as to warrant any reasonable ex- 

 penditure. Besides, it iB well known that skilfully-managed 



