JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



April 21, 1863. ] 



Propagatino Ficus elastica, &c. (A flea<?<r).-By catting down a plant 

 and cutting up the shoots into lengths of two eyes each, one to be under 

 the sandv Foil oi the pot and the other above it, and keeping the cutting-pots 

 in a warin frame, they will doubtless all strike. Iberis corifolia and dwarl 

 Cistus may be both struck from cuttings in like manner if the cuttings 

 ■were taken off when the young shoots are about 3 inches long. Linum 

 grandifloi-um coccinium comes best from seed. 



PsirmiKB ( Garnons Gardens).— Not the same. Yours is purple, the 

 other is double blue. 



Ivy Pruning (/. S. Cliorlcu).— Never clip Ivy; the cut leaves become 

 brown and distigure the plants. Have the shoots shortened-m as needed 

 by the aid ot a pruning-knife. Now is the best time for the operation. 



Poinsettia pulcherrima Propagating ( A Su bscriber).— Cuttings of two 

 joints, one joint in the ground and one out; will strike freely in a hotbed, 

 and the best time we have tried them is the end of July, as the plants then 

 do not get so leggy as they do when put in earlier. Keep them warm all 

 through the growing season, and it is only after the crimson head is formed 

 tbat the plant may be treated as a greenhouse one. 



Figs Falling-off (A Subscriber).— Most likely your Fig trees in pots, 

 Btanding, as you say, under the shade of Peach trees, either lack the 

 necessary sun required to perfect the functions of impregnation, which in 

 the Fig is different from that of other fruits ; or, il the plants may have 

 at any time lacked water, the same result will follow. Tour remedy with 

 the succeeding crop lies in trying to avoid these evils. Hard forcing at the 

 particular time that impregnation is going on is fatal to the Fig ; but the 

 economy of the plant is wrapped in more mystery than that of most 

 others. We may also say that in the growing season abundance of water 

 is wanted, and neglect of this will occasion the falling-off you complain of. 



Peaches not Setting {A Six-years Subscriber).— Tfe can see no cause, 

 nnless extra dryness in winter and extra soakingwhen coming into bloom, 

 which will frequently make the buds drop. From what you state, how- 

 ever, we incline to think that the trees were over-luxuriant and the wood 

 not thoroughly ripened. We hare had much the same happen with an 

 Apricot tree. It was lifted two years ago ; but last year the wood was 

 •vigorous, though not over-strong. When cutting it this spring we foretold 

 the bloom- buds would do no good, and almost every one has fallen. There 

 was no strength in them, for though laige and flourishing in appearance, 

 their attachment lo the branch was very slender, and in most cases the 

 germen or young fruit was wanting. We would advise you to pinch the 

 wood more this season, and in September either lilt and replant or root- 

 prune, so as to secure more thorough hardening of the wood. 



Propagating-bocse (/. r.).— A place 7 or 8 feet wide and 40 in length. 

 or say 10 feet wide and 30 long, would suit you. Now, this might either be 

 a lean-to or a span, and both would be economical accoraing to your 

 material. If you had bricks, the cheapest would be— wall at back 8 feet, m 

 front 4 feet, fixed roof, ventilators back and front. For bedding plants 

 strike everything in autumn, and you would need merely a small flue to 

 exclude frost. If you want to propagate in spring, perhaps it would be 

 best to have hot water all round for top heat and below one bed at least 

 for bottom heat. If we knew more of your needs and the materials at 

 disposal, we might advise better. 



Destroying Slogs and Worms— Pine Leaves Decaying (A This-years 

 Subscriber).— lr. the garden in the open places you might use a dusting of 

 salt, enough just to whiten the ground, but a good liming would be the 

 best remedy. Watering the lawn with clear lime-water would be the best 

 and safest remedy. We think the brown spots on your Pine Apple leaves 

 either have been caused by bruises by tying-up, or they have had a check 

 of extra cold or damp, or both, in winter. 



Plants from Ceylon (6". A. ).— Tou can neither have the Anoectochiius 

 nor the bulbs from Ceylon and Sumatra without trouble. We should be 

 doubtful of the Anxctochilus unless taken up carefully and packed in a 

 thick-glassed Wardian case and carefully attended to on the passage. The 

 bulbs, too, must either be sent home with balls growing, or, what would 

 be much better, marked where thev grow and taken up when in a dormant 

 state, in which condition they would come with leasttrouble. The more at 

 rest the Antectochils are the safer will they come, but without care on the 

 passage we should imagine there would be little chance of their doing much 

 good afterwards. 



Lobelia kermesina— Bedding-out (Q. Q.).— This Lobelia is generally 

 Btrono-er-growing than Lobelia speciosa true. It will do well for pincushion 

 beds,"either with Golden Chain or Cloth of Gold, or even such white 

 variegated ones as Manglesii, Bijou, Alma, &c. See what Mr. Fish said 

 last week about pricking-out struck bedding plants in temporary beds. All 

 autumn-struck are better for being pricked out separately. It is amazing 

 what a difference the fresh soil does. After the middle and end of April 

 Mr. Fish prefers turning out into such beds cuttings struck in pots just in 

 lumps instead of singly. They thus receive less check, grow freely, and can be 

 divided at planting with less care and trouble than by any other mode. If 

 you could pit them, keep them under glass, and give every encouragement, 

 of course, that would be better than planting-out under a rough protection, 

 but then that suits the amateur who wants a few hundreds. Were some of 

 us to do so we would need a Kelso for ourselves and a good village of glass 

 houses. Much of your success, too, will depend on what your Vine shutter 

 is. If it is board or thick canvass, we can acconBt for its not answering— 

 it would not be near so good as a piece of calico. If glass, the plants ought 

 to have done better. We think the Golden Chain, when it does well, is 

 still the best; but Cloth of Gold is much freer-growing, and has a fine sott 

 feel, as it were, to the eye, and the flowers are a blilliant scarlet. See 

 "Doings of Last Week." 



List of Annuals (Idem).— 1, dwarf pot Poppy ; 2, Schizanthus pinnatus ; 

 3, Clarkia integrifolia ; 4, Chrysanthemum Burridgii ; 5, Calliopsis 

 pygmtea; 6, Portnlaca, mixed; 7, Ice Plant; 8, Collinsia bicolor; 9, Oxyura 

 chrysanthemoides ; 10, branching Larkspur; 11, Erysimum Peroffskianum ; 

 12. Gaillardia picta; 13, Gilia tricolor; 14, Delphinium Ajax. humile; 15, 

 Calliopsis bicolor ; 16, Calliopsis cardaminifolia ; 17, Phlox Drummonji. 

 Asyou want to know how these transplant, we may say that 1, 2,3, 4, and 5 

 transplant tolerably well; 6, indifferently; 7, medium; 8 and 9, well; 

 10, very badly ; 11, 12, and 13, pretty well ; not so, however, 14 ; 15, well j 

 16, we do not know the variety ; 17 likes a damp and rather peaty soil. 

 Moist dull weather will enable you to transplant the whole with tolerable 

 success, excepting the Larkspurs, which are best sown in small pots and 

 transplanted whole. 



301 



Evergreen to Cover a Wall (P. S. 0.).-The wall being 3 feet high 

 and in a damp place, we think that Escallonia macrantha is about the best 

 nUnt that we km w of for the purpose, as last-growing plants are unsuit- 

 able Thelface b"ng damp and shaded, prevent, many of the more showy 

 shrubs betag planted. 8 Some of the berberises might do ; or a Coumeas er 

 looks not am ss, but best when allowed to ramble where it likes. With 

 regard to perennials for a small garden, some of our Numbers for last year 

 contain select lists of plants of this kind, which may, perhaps, suit your 

 purpose. We are also promised an article on this subject from a corre- 

 spondent. 



One Furnace for two Flues (it. A).-You can do as you propose 

 witl Tone furnace and dampers; yet we would rather have * separate 

 rurnace close to the other one for the separate Hue. Ion may manage them 

 together admirably yourself, but your stoker may not be so attentive. 



Vises Breaking Prematurely (J. Mackenzie) .-la such circumstances 

 we would allow the Vine to run without stopping, and give more expansion 

 to the laterals. There is no rule without exceptions. The directions of 

 Mr Thomson are admirable, but in extreme cases he would vary them, 

 it is of little consequence the few buds breaking ; the shoots will yet get 

 pretty strong, a n5 will form good buds. We should not like Musa 

 Cavendishii to be subject to a lower temperature than 50" in winter. 



Flower-garden Plan (D. 0.).-The left-side group will look vary well, 

 with one change. In 1 place Perilla in the centre and Cineraria round it. 

 We think the other side would look better if balanced m colour with the 

 leftside There is no attempt to do this, and we think there will be a 

 wearisome monotony by having all the beds filled or edged with light 

 colour" as Flower of the Day, Gnaphalium lar.atum, variegated Alyssum, 

 and Mangles' Geranium. We cannot do better than tel you to take a lesson 

 from the left-hand side. The ribbon-border will do well. 



Flowers of Salvia patens Falling [G. B.).-Were it not for the 

 fiowerloflh°s beautiful plant tailing with the least ram, it would be in- 

 viuabefoi the flower garden, as we have n< 'Other Wue-ttowertng plant to 

 eoual it. Heavy dews late in the season have the same effect as rain. 

 There is one or two other blue-flowering Salvias less disposed to shed 

 their flowers than this one, as S. Graham.i and another ; but they are much 

 InferiorTo S. patens in beauty ; in .act, they are no better than some ordi- 

 nary Veronica. We fear we cannot suggest a remedy. 



Lettuce Seed (G. A.).— Thanks. The seed has been sent to the parties 

 you directed them to. 



Manure Water for Roses (Jrfem).-As you say farmyard manure water 

 is not to be had, the next best is sewerage, which may be laid on tolerably 

 stron- as the roots of Roses run much deeper than those of herbaceous 

 plants,' and consequently the sewerage is much Altered ere it reaches them 

 In default of sewerage, guano water will do. Generally speaking, Koses 

 benefit much by a good dose of manure water after flowering as it helps to 

 restore them from the exhausted condition a heavy crop of dowers leaves 

 them in. 



Paint for Posts {A. Q.).-Nothing preserves either the end of posts 

 inserted in the soil or the inside of plant-tubs, so well as charring them. 

 Creosote would be as good as linseed oil in the mixture you mention We 

 should mix two gallons of hot (not boiling) coal tar wltn one gallon of 

 creosote. The latter is poisonous. 



Acacia Propagating IB. £.).— A. armata, Drummondi, grandis, and 

 others striKe °ree°y from cuttings taken off the young wood when about 

 ° inches onta^d put Into sandy soil in a hotbed. Many of the species also 

 seed a^d reproduce themselves that way. The specimen you send seems to 

 be A Heisterii. The greatest enemy to Acacias is the white scale, which 

 is very difficult to exterminate. If it be confined to the old wood a sli sb t 

 coating with sweet oil, laid on with a camel' s-hair brush, is the best remedy 

 we hafe tried, as it improves rather than deteriorates he appearance of the 

 wood Your Cinerarias were not better than many others already in cultt- 

 vation. 



Aioe Flowering and Outgrowing the House (f. F.).-If you could 

 turn the plant outand erect some covering .hat would shelter the flower 

 from ram and extreme sun, and at the same time not shade the plant it 

 would continue in flower much longer than if fully exposed, rh i plant 

 will bear all the cold we are likely to have ; in tact, it is all but hardy 

 But if you wish to preserve the bloom in a state ot beauty as long as 

 possible, it must not be exposed to all weathers. 



White Variety of Vinca minor (Sible Sedingbam).-lt is mentioned 

 in "British Wild Flowers," published at our office. It is not uncommon. 



Insect in Orchabd-house (X Y. .Z.J.-See " Doings of Last Week." 



Names of Plants (Constant Subscriber). -Ho. 1, Stellaria holostea ; ; 2 

 Caltha palustris; 3, Viola canina ; 4, Arum maculalum ; 5 Polypodium 

 vucare (J.C.4.-1, Bibes sanguineum ; 2, some Berbens,__bui the 

 leaves are imperfect ; 3, leaf only. [J. -D., Farfarshire).-\, 

 vulgaris; 2, Mercurialis perennis ; 3, Nepeta glechoma. 



Petasites 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



POULTRY-JUDGING IN PRESENCE OE THE 

 PUBLIC. 



Public attention seems at the present time more than usually 

 directed to the judging of our general poultry exhibitions, and 

 among the many new arrangements that have for a time been 

 adopted and then proved useless, perhaps nothing has been 

 suggested more fraught with objections than that of awarding 

 the premiums in the presence of contending exhibitors, ine 

 principle is based on ground the most open to produce conten- 

 tions of any hitherto known; for it would indeed be a matter 

 of difficulty to devise a plan so well calculated to sow broadcast 

 the yery elements of dispute as the one just referred to. 



I was present a short time back at a meeting where the system 

 was fairly tried, and it was by no means an easy matter for any 



