April li, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAOE GARDENER. 



283 



Apple-tree Shoots Diseased (P. J.).— The roots have descended pro- 

 bably into an ungenial 6ubaoil ; and this, combined with the deficient 

 warmth of las: summer, has caused the outbreak af canker and the shrivel- 

 ling in the shoots. If the subsoil is heavy or wet it should be thoroughly 

 drained ; but whatever the subsoil may be, we recommend a trench 2 feet 

 deep to be dug on one side of eajh tree, andthia the earth picked away from 

 beneath i:, so that all descending roots may be cut through. Then return 

 the earth, and keep the surface slightly manured and mulched in summer 

 to induce the roots to grow nearer the upper stratum of soiL Do not let 

 this be dug, for such digging compels the production of roots lower down. 



Prize-takino Garoexers (A Tounj Showman.).— Never mind what 

 "T. R." or any one else says about gardeners exhibiting, but go on. 

 Everybody writing in favour o: his hobby is liable to use strong expressions 

 without intending to offend. 



Stalks and Fruit of Goees Gages Turning Yellow (Amateur).— 

 There is no doubt that the roots have descended into a soil that is ungenial. 

 Serve them as we have recouimenied another correspondent to serve his 

 Apple trees, but do not do so until the autumn. At present the best treat- 

 ment will be to remove the soil until you come down to the roots nearest 

 the surface, and cover these with some thoroughly decayed manure, and 

 water with tepid water. Cover the roots thus a distance of 3 feet froin the 

 stem all round. The absence of bees will not injure the crop. 



Bcds of Apple Trees Deformed [Mrs. W.).— The information you now 

 send fully aeoourus for the diseased and decrepld state of the trees. " Sub- 

 soil yellowish gravel ; ground has been cropped close up to the very trunks 

 of the trees." The surface roots have consequently been destroyed, the 

 trees compelled to root down into the gravel. The remedy is precisely the 

 same as we have recommended to-djy to another correspondent whose 

 Apple tress are affected in a somewhat similar way. You have justly 

 abolished the cropping, and vou must now cut away the descended roots 

 and encourage surface roots. The deformed shoots we should prune away 

 by degrees. 



Flower-gardes Plan (Sarah.).— If Tom, Jack, or Harry had sent us 

 =uch a p'an, we should have been tempted to eng.ave it, just to show what 

 an amount of labour and worry some people would take to make a lot oi all 

 sorts of n»U"es in a flower garden, some of them hideous enough, and 

 having no possible connection or balancing with eacn other. There is 

 scarcely a figure in the two large groups but might be surpassed by another 

 still more uzlr. and that without disarranging in the least the general effect 

 asa whole. As it is ■• Sarah " who asks our advice, why we can only 

 remind her that disjointed variety is fatal to beauty, and that the planting 

 intended will be far superior to the forms of the clumps, and the effect will 

 be far better than the colouring with which she has kindly given us an idea 

 of what the apoearance will be. We would recommend her to carry out 

 the proposed pi in- ing this year, witb.such little modifications as may be 

 suggested ; and next year, after reading all the notes on flower gardens, 

 ■cut up her large flower garden into several distinct groups, so as to give 

 to the whole roT.re light and shade, as well as distinct features At present 

 there are two muups, one on each side of a walk to the greenhouse, which, 

 with the exception of the centres, seem to have little similarity or balancing 

 ■with each other, and yet our correspondent "Sarah has fair ideas of 

 grouping and balancing. Thus on the left-hand side there is a cen.re of a 

 lar-e figure that might be considered a star with large rounded points, and 

 that is to be fi.led with mixed Verbenas, which scarcely any planting can 

 make look i',1. Then round that there are tnree circles and three large 

 oblong beds alternately, the circles being filled with Aureauoribunda Calceo- 

 laria which also will, no doubt, look well. The three oblongs, all varying in 

 form, but near enough to ovals with blunt rounded ends to suit our purpose, 

 are thus planted i-lhe side next the Verbenas blue Lobelia, the centre 

 Christine Geranium, the other side Lady Plymouth white variegated-leaved 

 -Geranium. The colours of the bed put down are blue on one side, pink in 

 the middle, and white on the other side. A good friend told us the other 

 day that really we must put a bridle on onr ta ncy-tbe illustration of the 

 Sony chaise in the sketch of Straffan was really outrageous, VS ell, let him 

 and " Sarah " settle it between them. There, as anybody may see, is the 

 pink bodv oi the pony chaise with one wheel charmingly blue and the other 

 wheel as" delicately white. With this exception the balancing system is 

 pretty well maintained, 10 and 12, 9 and 13 doing well as counterparts 

 -though, from the large size of these and the remaining beas _hey would 

 have done well for broad edgings. We also think 14 should balance with 3. 

 On the right side of the walk the centre and the six beds round u are the 

 same as on the left side ; bnt here balancing ends and the beds opposite 

 each other on the two sides of the walk come in as contrast rather than 

 in uniformitv, as Trentham Rose and Heliotrope, Mangleau Geranium and 

 Purple King Verbena, &c. We find no fault with this : it is just the 

 Question of the pair of horses-matched or dissimilar ! \S e do not know 

 the size of the beds, but we judge they mnst be rather large, and therefore 

 such as would be improved by edgings, and pretty broad ones. On the 

 ■whole, though convinced that " Sarah's " labours are greatly increased by 

 the form and arrangement of her beds, we have no doubt the effect of her 

 planting will be far superior to the colouring on paper. 



Seedling Ciseeaeia (A- r.).— Showy, but nothing more, so far as we 

 can determine from two withering pips. The truss and habit ot the plant 

 ■have to be considered. 



Dendrobitm sobile (A Subscriber).- Too much dryness at the roots 

 and a moi'i warm atmosphere are apt to make this Dendrobe break, as you 

 describe, " freely along the bulb;, but not from the bottom." It you dislike 

 th° appearance', vou had better take the pieces off and form with each a 

 fresh plant. For'ilignonette Trees, see article in another page. 



Burnt Earth for Vine-borders (Q. Q.).— The rougher part of the 

 burnt earth would answer well for the Vine-border. A few bones in 

 addition would be advisable, as the burnt earth will act chiefly in a 

 mechanical manner for keeping the soil open. 



Plants between Rows of Gladioli (Idem) — Why should you have 

 plants between rows of Gladioli at all 1 The Orach will answer as well as 

 any other, and by pruning and nipping you may have it just any height 

 you please, from 6 inches to 6 feet. „,. . 



Goiden Chain Geranidh (Idem).— The yellow edge of Golden Chain 

 varies much according to exposure and growth. It is generally nearer 

 three quarters of an inch than one-eighth of an inch, but frequently there 

 is less green than yellow. There is no accounting for such things. With 

 us Brilliant Geranium flowers nicely ; bnt we never have 60 much white 

 at the edges as many of our neighbours. 



Camellia eximia (A Subscriber).— A. double-centred Camellia flower is 

 not of usual occurrence, but we have seen two or three simUar instances. 

 They occurred, as yours seems to have occurred, on a robust well-grown 

 plant. 



Flower-garden Plan {Diffidence).— We will publish a drawing of your 

 plan next week, with a few notes. 



Vines the Season after Planting (/. C, Halifax) .— If not experienced 

 you would have acted wisely to have let your Vines break naturally, 

 merely keeping frost from them, giving them a lift with a little fire heat in 

 dull cold weather in summer, and ripening the wood early by a little dry 

 heat in autumn. We know of no fruit Iree so suitable for training under 

 the ridge of a cool greenhouse as a Vine. If you fancied such a fruit, 

 however, the Passiflora edulis would do very well, and would fruit in the 

 second or third year. The fruit is purplish-coloured, and about the size of 

 a hen's egg. Some people are very fond ot the fruit, as it is very peculiar 

 in flavour and luscious. We think Henfrey's "Rudiments of Botany" 

 would suit you to commence studying. 



Vines feom Eyes and from Layers ( W. J/.). — We know of no supe- 

 riority possessed by Vines raised from eyes in comparison with those 

 raised from layers. They are usually raised from eyes or from cuttings, 

 because more can be so raised from the shoots pruned off, and because ii is 

 not often that layering is convenient. 



Portable Manures (/. Picard).— As a general manure guano will suit 

 you. Rake vour mossy lawn, and give it a dressing with finely-sifted coal 

 ashes and a little cubic pelre. For a kitchen garden you will require more 

 than one package, and had better send a post-office order. A manual will 

 shortly be published at our office, entitled " Manures for the Many," which 

 will give instructions for their application. 



Tropjeolu-h Seedlings (T. C, Yorkshire).— Both are too ragged to be 

 of much use while there are so many good forms of the Lobbianum breed. 

 No. 1 is pretty, and from your description of its habit may look very well 

 in a bed ; but of that, of course, we cannot judge. 



Tom Thimb Geranium Leaves TcnNlNG White (A. £.).— We fear your 

 plants receive too much water, or are in the shade too much. Many of the 

 Tom Thumb breed of Scarlet Geranium become blanched-looking in the 

 foliage in winter, but recover as the spring advances, and we hope yours 

 will do so also. Keep your plants more dry, and if they have been in the 

 shade remove them gradually to the light ; and if you keep the place a little 

 warmer it would be better. We tully expect shade and moisture are at the 

 bottom of the evil, and that a contrary course will remove it. 



Twfntt Hardy Annuals (^1 Subscriber).— The following will succeed 

 well in most places if sown on an open border :— Clarkia pulchella, Erysi- 

 mum Peroffskianum, Iberis grandiflora, some Larkspurs, Leptosiphon 

 densiflorum, Schizanthus pinnatus, Viscaria oculata, Saponana calabnca, 

 Calliopsis (may be late), Collinsii bicolor (good and hardy), Nemophila 

 insignis, Convolvulus minor, Stocks of Ten-week breed, Marigolds of the 

 orange or old English class, purple Jacoba?a, some Lnpinuses, and (Enother3S 

 or Godetias ; and if the soil and season be favourable Asters and Chrysan- 

 themums do pretty well sown in the open border. To these we may add 

 Sweet Peas, Mignonette, and Nasturtium, all useful annuals in their way. 



Names of Plants [Querclis).—l, Rhamnus alateraus ; 2, Amelanehier 

 botryapium: 3, Rusous aculeatus ; i. some Cypress, not to be recognised 

 from a scrap. (A" Old Lover of Flowers).- Your "Australian i-Uac' 

 is Hardenbergia monophylla, formerly Kennedya, and in an early volume 

 of the "Botanical Magazine" is drawn and named Glycine bimaculata. 

 (A Subscriber).— The flowers of Rhododendron Maddeni are white. The 

 leaves vou enclosed look like those of R. arboreum. (A H C.).-Habro- 

 thamnus elegans. (E.H. IF.).— 1, Pilea serpyllifolia ; 2, Onoclta sensibllis, 

 a hardy, not a stove Fern; 3, Woodwardia, or Doodia media. 



POULTRY, BEE, an d HOUSEHOLD J3HRQNICLE . 



THE POULTRY CLUB. 



To make a good donkey race every competitor should ride 

 his neighbour's donkey; and if the proposed rules for judging 

 are carried out, we would suggest that every man s pen shall be 

 iud»-ed by one of his opponents. Eye is no longer required; 

 gift is all moonshine ; practice is nothing. There are the rules, 

 and a first-prize pen must possess the qualifications that are 

 put down. ISo. 6 condemns No. 5 in Hamburghs because the 

 tail is not pencilled, and No. 5 condemns 6 because the hackle 

 is spotted. No. 3 condemns 4 because there is a loose comb, 

 and No. -4 condemns 3 because the pike is down instead oi up. 

 This is not so ridiculous as it may seem. Rules are to do away 

 with discretionary power and awards, which form the ground- 

 work of all complaint, and to inaugurate the golden age by 

 informing exhibitors what they must breed, and by what rules 

 they will be judged. . . 



There will be something quite touching in the resignation 

 with which a whole class of exhibitors will submit to be told 

 that none of their pens are perfect or come up to the standard 

 as settled by the Club. It may be that one ill-conditioned 

 person will ask to have the money returned, as no prizes are 

 awarded; but, of course, an appeal to his better feehngs will 

 cause him to admit the injustice of his conduct. How beautiful 

 the spectacle will be of a score of disqualified exhibitors all 

 perfectly satisfied, studying the points, admitting their short- 

 comings, and wondering at the folly that permitted them in 

 past times to take prizes they did not deserve ! _ 



What a good example will be set by the President, Secretaries, 

 and Council if they give the cups they have gamed to decorate 





