March 24, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



233 



disposed of for a time at least. On Monday forenoon some of the 

 lower shoots of the Peaches were as black with the enemy as if 

 you had dusted them with charcoal dust. No doubt they had 

 been enjoying themselves among the dry nodules of soil, had 

 sallied out to escape the watering, and, finding the foliage sweet 

 and fresh after our extra syringing, had resolved on having some 

 of the best that was going. There is little difficulty in killing 

 them by smoking, by washing with Qishurst, or other things, 

 as a slight touch will kill ; but if the touch be slight it will 

 only set free prematurely a batch of young ones, or if one beetle 

 escape you will soon have hundreds. It you take a good fat 

 full-grown one — say as big as a good-sized turnip seed, and give 

 it a squeeze with the point of your nail, or the point of a small 

 stick, you will cause to emerge a string of young ones more or 

 less fully formed, looking under a microscope like a rope of 

 Onions. The myriads thus quickly produced by one insect are 

 incalculable. On the wall-plate of a pit in a sunny day we found 

 some running about, but have seen none since the frost When- 

 ever one is seen it ought, therefore, to be hunted-up ; and when 

 none are suspected, the trees, when the fruit is set, should be 

 syringed over now and then with clear G-ishurst water, clear 

 laurel water, and clear soot and sulphur water, so that the leaves 

 may not present such a tempting bait for them. A little of 

 these precautions will often keep them off altogether. We found 

 last year a beetle very similar covering entirely some plants of 

 Horseradish j but they did not seem to care for other plants 

 or leaves placed beside them. This one that has troubled us a 

 little with the Peaches is very quiet and lazy during the day, 

 but he can run about fast enough at night. If allowed their way 

 they will soon 3uck all the virtue out of a shoot. If not eradicated 

 or destroyed in summer, our experience would give us little 

 hopes of getting rid of them by any means in winter : we 

 question if even a severe frost would kill them — they would 

 find means for sheltering themselves. 



Proceeded with other houses much as detailed in the last and 

 previous weeks, attending to setting Grapes, training Cucum- 

 bers, potting Melons, regulating and changing Strawberries, 

 which are showing their gratitude for the fine sunny days. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. 



Out of doors the work much the same as in previous week. 

 Shifting plants, and being smothered-up for want of space, we 

 have turned out into earth-beds some thousands of bedding plants, 

 beginning with Salvias and Calceolarias, and will follow with 

 Geraniums and Verbenas, These, according to the size of the 

 plants, will have an average space of 3 or 4 inches, so that they may 

 turn out nice bushy plants in May. They will be protected 

 from cold weather chiefly at night by whatever can be most con- 

 veniently obtained. Nothing is better than a roll of calico fixed 

 to poles. Proceeded with making cuttings of bedding plants as 

 room could be found for them, pricking-off Lobelias, and sowing 

 flower-seeds in pots in heat, deferring others a little longer, &c. 

 — 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, ^c," 162, Fleet 

 Street, London, JZ.C. 

 We also request that correspondents will not mix up on the 

 Bame Bheet 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. 

 Packing Plants fob. New Zealand (A Lady).— From May to July is 

 the best planting time there; so not a day ?hould be lost in despatching 

 them. Moss or damp cocoa-nut fibre dust packed closely round deciduous 

 trees, and in a common ■wooden box fastened round with iron hooping 

 would preserve them as well as any other mode. We cannot say where 

 yon can buy Hepatica or Clematis azurea grandiflora seed. 



Goueds (F. £.)•— Such Gourds as Big Ben of Westminster, Dr. Lindley, 

 Goblet, &c, grow large; but for the front of a house we would prefer a 

 heavy crop of a less size. About removing your Vine, see another part of 

 our columns. 



Worms in the Soil op a Lawn {It. C.).— No mode of banishing them 

 is more effectual than watering the lawn once a-week with lime-water. 



Coke as Fuel— Consuming Smoke {J. Mackenzie).— Vfe think good coke 

 is cheuper than coal ; but yours ought to be good at the money. The moat 

 obvlouH means of lessening the smuke, if coal is used, ia to introduce a 

 small pipe, say from half to three-quarters inch wide, communicating with 

 the external air, just in front of the fireplace, which will throw the smoke 

 back on the fire again. A small hole in the furnace door near the bottom 

 is also useful. A bimple mode is to keep the live coal at the neck of the 

 furnace and the fresh nearest the furnace door, and shove it alorig as it 

 bums. The smoke will thus be burned as it passes over the live fuel, and 

 what is behind will be gradually coked. We have several times found that 

 in boiler iurnaces a plate inserted below the damper for sweeping the 

 flue, with a hole of a quarter of an inch in its centre, did much to lessen 

 the smoke, especially when the damper was partially in. 



Proposed Flower Planting (Godetia).— As you want the plants in 

 your beds to bloom at the same time, to be of the same height, and to pre- 

 sent an equal mass of bloom with Nemophila insignis, then we would eo 

 far alter your proposed planting as thus, beginning with lioses at summer- 

 house : — Mignonette ; Nemophila, blue; itschscholtzia tenuilolia, light 

 yellow ; Saponaria calabrica, bright losy pink ; Sweet Alyssum, or White 

 Nemophila; Noluna paradoxa violacta, or prostrata, blue; Mignonette. 

 The Convolvulus minor would be too rampant, and in dump seasons too 

 green, and in the afternoons too dull. The narrow beds will look as well 

 without divisions, the plants being allowed to touch each other. A nice 

 ribbon iu lines might also be formed of such a border. 20 by 7 feet, and 

 then the border might slope, from having the tallest lines at the back. 

 The Godetias of ■which you are so fond ■will do very well for the crosses. 

 On one side we would sow or use rnseo-alba, and on the other side rubt- 

 cunda or Lindleyana. All these will bloom long if you pick off the flower- 

 seeds and water in dry weather. 



Pruning Orange Trees {£.). — Very seldom, indeed, do Orange or 

 Lemon trees require any pruning, unless they become diseased, when they 

 may be cut bacK to a limited exttnt ; or, if trained against a wall, they will 

 occasionally want a fore shoot taken away. But when grown as bushes or 

 trees they seldom need the knife, unless they encroach on the pathway, 

 against the glass, or in some way or other usurp more than their allotted 

 space, when they may be cut back by taking out some of the most offending 

 branches, avoiding by all means giving a clipped appearance. About three 

 weeks or a monih before the season's growth commences is the best time 

 to cut ihem, when they speedily recover and conceal the mutilation. 



Peach Trees in a House without Fire Heat (D. i\ B.).— Your trees 

 which are in flower will only require plenty of air until the bloom sets, 

 when they may be syringed ; and as it is not unlikely that green fly may 

 make its appearance, a gentle fumigating once or twice wiih tobacco 

 will be required about the time the fruit is setting. Disbudding may 

 commence, but this must not be all done at once, but by degrees. The 

 amount of water given must be regulated by the dryness or otherwise of 

 the site. Generally speaking, deluges of cold spring water are bad ; and as 

 you say your trees are planted against the front of the house, it is likely 

 agreat part of their roots run outward?, and, consequently those inside will 

 require less water. We should hardly think your house in the north of 

 Northumberland would be altogether safe without fire heat from some of 

 the severe frosts now and then occurring in some seasons ; but you may 

 guard against this by covering the glass with mats, or something of that 

 kind. After the fruit is set you may syringe the trees every morning, 

 using rain water for the purpose. 



Disa from the Cape {Frank). — The species named by you— viz., Disa 

 grandiflora, barbata, purpurea, rubra, cucullata, and fragrans, are not 

 all known to us — in fact, so much uncertainty of late years has arisen in 

 the nomenclature of Orchids of this class, that it is probable some of the 

 species you have received may exist under another name. Your best way 

 is first to treat them as greenhouse bulbs, and after they begin to grow 

 to increase the heat to that of the stove. It they be in n.asses of several 

 bulbs together that will easily part, separate them at once, but do not tear 

 off a half-formed offset until it be sufficiently advanced to part easily from 

 the parent root. We shall be glad to hear how yon succeed with them. 

 Cape bulbs, once very popular, have been neglected for many years, but 

 are again taking their proper place in public opinion. 



Cutting-in Evergreens (A Subscriber). — March and April are the best 

 months for pruning them, as the shrubs speedily afterwards make new 

 growth, and recover the unsightly mutilation. They may be cut-in at any 

 time during the winter ; but for the reasons above given, we have always 

 preferred delaying it until a short time before they started to grow. It is 

 not advisable to cut all the foliage away; leave a branch or two on for a 

 time, even if they be cut off hereafter, as they encourage the growth of the 

 new shoots. 



Greasy Liquor {T. H., Reigate).— Apply it to any part of the soil where 

 Cabbageworts are to be grown. 



Temporary. Edging Plants for a Kitchen Garden (67. Graham). — 

 Beet, as you propose, will do ; but we should prefer Parsley, or say a part 

 of both with a little Thyme also if wanted. Having 500 yards altogether, 

 we should say it would be better not to have it all of one kind. One ounce of 

 Beet seed will sow 100 yards ; but as the seed is not expensive, it is better 

 to sow more than that quantity of seed on the jpace. Beet bears trans- 

 planting very well, and it is advisable at all times to sow a little on some 

 favoured spot to fill up gaps in the general plantation. 



Kohl Eabi and Mangold [Idem).— About 4 or 5 lbs. of seed of the first 

 per acre is a fair allowance ; the other is a large seed and may take double 

 that quantity ; but, in seeds that are inexpensive, and when the quantity 

 of ground is small, it is better not to pinch seed. Sow a little of both in 

 some favoured corner at the same time as you sow your main crop, so as to 

 have plants to fill up gaps, &c. 



Rose Tre*;s and Bonk Manure (Subscriber).— If the worms -which are 

 attracted by the bones neize also upon the roots of your newly-planted Pose 

 tree3, then by all means take these up and replant them in fresh soil -with- 

 out the bones, allowing the latter to lie ex osed to the air if possible to kill 

 the vermin. If, however, the worms only attack the bones, no particular 

 harm is done ; and if other conditions are favourable the Hose trees will 

 come all right. If, however, the bark of the roots is eaten away, no time 

 must be lo=t in removing them, washing their roots well in lime water to 

 efface all traces ot the pest beiore planting them in their future situation. 

 We are not sure what you mean by the term "worms." 



Jamaica Ferns [P. £,)— If yuu procured some botanist to name the 

 specimens, your best plan then would be to advertise the collection for sale. 



