214 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 17, 1863 



and rarely does it recover ita beauty again. In such a place the 

 young leaves should be quite dry before the sun strikes them. 



Melons in pots should not have less than from 65° to 70° average 

 night temperature, and Pine plants for autumn fruiting Bhould 

 now receive their last shift, and care should be taken whilst 

 the bed is preparing for them, that the plants are not chilled. 

 We have seen plants throw up pigmy fruit prematurely, or a lot 

 of suckers instead of a fruit-stem, from such checks being given 

 to the roots, merely by allowing the plants to stand about in the 

 cold ; and because the plants do not show the effects of such 

 treatment as readily as a Cucumber, or an early Balsam, we are 

 too apt to imagine that they may be treated roughly with im- 

 punity. It is from thoroughly understanding this hot-and-cold 

 affair that many things look so nice in small places. The gar- 

 dener there, doing the most particular matters with his own 

 hands, will take care that his plants receive no check. No 

 sooner is a plant out and Bhifted, than it is back again ia its 

 comfortable home ; but in large places you may often find 

 numbers of plants in a cold shed at dinner time. The young 

 people cannot be made to feel how grievously they injure their 

 plants, in thus bringing them to a temperature of from 35° to 40°, 

 when taking them out of and back again to one of 70°. When 

 this is long continued, all the coaxing and warm-watering after- 

 wards will not compensate for the serious check thus given. 



Repotted Fuchsias that had been pruned and started, shaking 

 away a good portion of the old soil, and filled up with fresh rich 

 loam. Placed Dahlias and Cannas on the floor of a house to 

 start them, bringing both from sheds where they had stood the 

 winter. The weather being so cold, delayed planting out bed- 

 ding plants under temporary protection ; but filled every little 

 available space with cuttings of Verbenas, double Feverfew, 

 Geraniums, &c. Made preparations for sowing lots of flower- 

 seeds, and rolled the lawnB and pruned the Roses in flower 

 gardens ; also put in Rose cuttings. — R. F. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Hackberry Tree ( W. D.).— The folio-wing extract from Hogg's " Vege- 

 table Kingdom " gives the information you ask for :— Cerasits padus, the 

 Bird-cherry or Hag-berry, is common in most parts of Britain. The fruit 

 is nauseous, but infused in gin or whisker greatly improves them, and is 

 only surpassed by an infusion of Peach leaves." We may add that Hag, or 

 Hmg, is the Anglo-Saxon for the Hawthorn, and the fruit of the Bird Cherry 

 s not unlike the Haw. 



Vegetable and Goded Show (J. Ckoyce).—We believe that the Royal 

 Horticultural Society do not intend to have a show of this description like 

 that they held last October. 



Calanthe vestita (Orchidophilus).— BeasBured that no discourtesy was 

 intended. We only remember that we considered the notes of Mr. Appleby 

 at page 90 gave the information you needed. If it does not, send your 

 questions again to us. 



Galvanised Iron Wire for Training (J. 2fcCleUan).—The galvanised 

 wire will do very well. The shoots must be tied loosely. 



Achimenes Dying (Idem).— The Achimenes in the vinery might not be 

 ripened enough. The roots, however, whether in-doors or in houses, should 

 rarely be in a temperature lower than 45°. A little frost injures even 

 well-ripened buds of Achimenes. 



Glass for a Small Lean-to Greenhouse (7". P.).— If the roof is to be 

 fixed, and the place at all exposed, it would be desirable to have British 

 plate, seconds or thirds, 21 ozs. to the foot, and the squares 12 inches deep 

 and 15 inches across. If the place is protected, squares 12 by 20 would 

 do, and 16 or 15-oz. glass would be nearly a third cheaper. If sasbes are to 

 be made, then we would propose glass 10 inches wide, and IS inches long. 



Lifting Vine Roots (An Old Subscriber).— As you have taken up the 

 Vines now, place over the border a foot or 18 inches depth of warm fer- 

 menting stable manure, so as to raise the temperature of the border, 4 inches 

 below the surface, to 75° to 80°. Keep the Vines in the house as cool as 

 possible until they break naturally. By that time there will be roots making 

 to sustain them. 



Nerium Flowers Failing (Idem).— Place your Neriums in a sunny 

 place out of doors after June. Water plentifully until September. Thin- 

 out head if too thick. Do not shorten any of the shoots you leave. Give 

 all the sua possible in the autumn, and no more water tban will keep from 

 nagging. Pot in rather stiff loam. Take them into the house in October. 



Planting a Flower Garden (P. M.).~ Were we to plant flower gardens 

 on paper, we should require several first-rate flower-gardeners almost con- 

 stantly employed. We are not able to do that. We will gladly give hints 

 on proposed planting. Your arrangement of last year was not only simple, 

 but very good. It is desirable to change the beds, and if you send us your 

 own re-arrangement, we will refer to the plan and tell you our opinion. 



Rhododendrons not Flowering (Ada). —We can only suppose that 

 your plants were starved last season if they made no new wood. Of course, 

 if they did not do that they could make no flower-buds. Examine the roots. 

 See that the ball is moist to the centre. If the pot is full of roots, repot 

 into two parts peat or heath soil, and one part of loam, with sand and char- 

 coal. Keep in the conservatory until June. Syringe and keep close to en- 

 courage growth ; then set in a shady place out of doors, and by August 

 place pretty full in the sun, mulch with rotten old cowdung, and give 

 plenty of water. The sorts you name will do pretty well out of doors in a 

 sheltered place. 



Sowing Clianthus Dampieri Seed (An Original Subscriber).— Soak 

 the seeds in water at 140° for some hours before sowing ; then place the pot 

 in a mild bottom heat, and cover but slightly. We would advise you to 

 take out those you have sown, sow afresh, and treat thus— nay, further, we 

 would put a single seed in a small pot, and take to a cooler place as soon 

 as the plant is up. You may then transfer the plant before the pot is 

 full of roots to a larger pot. If you had a pot of seedlings they would 

 suffer in shifting, as the plant is touchy in enduring moving. 



Pelargonium Culture (L. F. P.).— Water must be given to all plants 

 just as they need it. In a sunny week they will want water, probably, every 

 day, or every other day, according to circumstances. In dull weather 

 water may be needed once a-week, or once a-fortnight. Your Geraniums 

 you must treat according as you want flowers from them this season, or 

 fine specimens in the following year. In the first case place the plants 

 where you can command the fire heat. When they have got over the 

 journey repot into larger pots— say 6 inches. Stop the shoots that are 

 too strong a fortnight afterwards, and then these will flower in the end of 

 summer. If fine plants are your object, stop all the shoots, pot in a fort- 

 night, begin to train, and pot once or twice during the summer, bnt not 

 after AuguBfc or September. These will make nice early plants next summer. 

 Let the temperature be from 45° to 5u° at night in average weather, from 

 50° to 60° in dull days, and 10 Q more from sunshiue. Buy " Window-Garden- 

 ing for the Many," you can have it free by post for lOd. from our office. 



Flue-heating a Greenhouse (Wisbech). — Of course you lose a little 

 heat from the top and only one side of the flue being exposed ; but the top 

 alone being exposed ought; to be sufficient for such a small house if the flue is 

 9 or 12 inches across. We presume that the flue is almost a dead level in the 

 house, but it would have acted better if it had risen a little from the 

 place where it is connected with the furnace rignt on to the chimney. If 

 the flue is quite level the chimney will require to be higher. There is one 

 thing you omit — the furnace, and it strikes us as very likely that your furnace- 

 bars are not low enough. If not many inches below the bottom of the flue, 

 sink the bars low enough to be 24 to 30 inches below the level of the bottom 

 of the flue. Our opinion coincides with that of our coadjutor Mr. Robson, 

 that for all such single small houses a flue is preferable in every way to a 

 boiler. The expense of heating such a place with a boiler alone will be 

 much more than with a flue, as bu much heat will be lost up the chimney 

 by the firBt mode. And then, as for economy, you will have a small boiler, 

 the beat will be more irregular without considerable attention, as when the 

 fire is out the heat is soon gone ; wbereas, wben a flue is heated it keeps 

 its heat a long time. We would, therefore, advise the flue so far as effec- 

 tiveness and economy are concerned ; and we do not see why it should not 

 draw. We should be glad to know if the hint above is of any use, and if 

 not you may give us more particulars. — R. F. 



Flower-garden Plan (W. M.).— We never undertake to plant. All 

 that we can do is to criticise the planting proposed. 



Rhododendron Aucklandii, &c. ( W. Broicn). — Sir W. Hooker("Botani- 

 cal Magazine," t. 5065J, speaks ol it as "magnificent," and '• in some re- 

 spects the finest of its genus." It flowered in this country for the first time, 

 we believe, at Mr. Gaines' Nursery, Wandsworth, in the May of 1858. We 

 know of no reason why ic should not interbreed with Rhododendron 

 ciliatum. 



Monoch-Zetum (Idem). — This name is derived from two Greek words, 

 monos, one, and chaite, a bristle ; the connective of the anther being 

 lengthened into a kind of bristle. 



Names of Plants (F. J.). — We cannot name plants from leaves alone, 

 except in rare instances. 1 is an Echites; 3 appears to be Cytisus filipes. 

 ( W. H. M.). — Chorozema cordatum, (Novice, Gorey). — 1, Pleopeltis lyco- 

 podioides ; 2, Phlebodium areolatum ; 3, Cyrtomiuin faicatum ; 4, Pteris 

 hastata. (An Amateur, Co. Tyro7ie).—Cyc\-doaea conm is all right. Poly- 

 gala Dalmaisiana is a British- raised hybrid, requiring the protection of a 

 window or a greenhouse in winter. Sou may prune it back when done 

 flowering. The small shoots will strike in peat and sand, with a bell-glass 

 or a hand-ligbt over them. If you allowed a little seed to ripen, and sowed 

 it in a pot in the window, that would be the easiest plan of obtaining plants. 

 The plant will be safe enough out of aoors from June to the middle of 

 October. You are all right at,out the Auriculas. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



ECCENTRICITIES OF THE WORCESTER, AND 

 BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND 



POtTLTBT SHOWS. 



I eecoll'ECt hearing a story once of a lady ringing for her 

 servant to sweep the floor after some of her visitors had de- 

 parted, declaring that these same visitors had dropped so many 

 H's, that the carpet must be strewn with them. Taking up the 

 Worcester schedule makes me fancy that some kind friend with 

 the dust-pan is needed, to raise up some of the classes which 

 have dropped unheeded by the tender mercies of the Committee. 



We are supposed to be living in the year 1863, when shows 

 are no longer in their infancy, and when exhibitors expect, and 

 have a right to expect, a different prize list. I am one of those 

 who think it rather questionable whether the entries, being 

 similar in amount, it is altogei her justice to the exhibitor to have 

 prizes varying in amount. If you take any catalogue and 

 make a proportion sum — if Dorking entries receive such an 

 amount in prizes, Malay entries should receive so much ; or take 

 any other breeds. I do not think that it always holds that those 

 classes for which, if I may so call it, extra prizes have been 

 offered fill in proportion to those prizes, whilst often it is palpa- 

 bly the opposite. Take Devizes, where, as some of your readers 

 may recollect, I took down a few notes. There £5 5s. offered 



