May 26, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



385 



Golden Chain and other Geraniums (Q. <3.).— You had better send 

 leaves of the plants is dispute. Very likely one of your plants is golden- 

 edged. We have just pulled off a leaf of Golden Chain at random. It is 

 about 3 inches in diameter, hut will be much larger in summer, yellow 

 all round, some places a quarter of an inch, in others more than 1 inch 

 deep, running into and mottling the green. The flowers are small nosegay 

 blossoms of a bright cerise colour. For practical purposes we consider this 

 and Cloth of Gold the best, and Golden Chain is bo well known that some 

 in your neighbourhood must be acquainted with it. If leaves are sent and 

 numbered we would have no difficulty, wo think, in deciding upon it ; but 

 ■we could not do the same with the many other Goldens you mention, many 

 of which we have not seen. Cloth of Gold has fine scarlet flowers, as good 

 or better than Tom Thumb ; and the leaves, greenish-yellow in winter, 

 become brighter yellow in summer. Sunset took our attention much, but 

 ■we have not got it, and somehow we have seen it nowhere out of doors. 

 We are just in the same fix as to white variegated Geraniums. Mrs. 

 Lennox, Countess of Warwick, and manv others are good. We prefer 

 Bijou and Alma and the old Flower of the Day to any -we have met with; 

 but that is no reason -why others should not have their Queens, Silver 

 Queens, and even like them better than we do Bijou. 



Light Blob Lobelia (Idem).— The best blue Lobelia with a white eye 

 we should presume to be Paxtoniana or Gordoniana. A strong-growing 

 light blue to hang about would be the common gracilis, or, stronger still, 

 begonimfolia. Erinus is light and compact in growth. You may top your 

 Zelindas for the purpose wanted ; hut for our part we have had them in 

 dense bloom from July to November without stopping, by pruning-off the 

 flowers as they begin to fade. To have bloom in mass in September and 

 October you may stop and top now to your heart's content. 



Flower-garden Plan— Wardian Case (Mrs. C.).— We are sorry to say 

 that neither the Lilac Candytuft nor the Nemopbila will be likely to stand 

 the season. We think it is quite likely the Saponaria will yet come up. II 

 not, the best substitute would be a pink Verbena, as Favourite, Loveliness, 

 &c, for No. 2 ; and if you wish No. 1 to be white, white Verbena Snowflake 

 or variegated Alyssum for planting, or white Candytuft or white Alyssum 

 for sowing. Much the same .remark applies to No. 4, Purple Candytuft, 

 which, if it blooms early, will not continue. You would notice in the plans 

 of flower gardens the importance of having a centre. Y'ours can hardly be 

 said to have one, but you write so clearly that we are tempted to say what 

 we think would improve your arrangement. Let 5 and 6 be Calceolarias, 

 yellow and edged with a small purple Verbena, as Charlwoodii or Purple 

 King. Then 1 and 4 we would make purple ; and 2, 3 pink edged with blue ; 

 7, 8, scarlet and white as now, and the rest ditto. Y'ou will succeed with 

 Portulacas and the other things you name, simply by keeping the bottom 

 of the case drier and giving more air— a little, at least, every night— and 

 turn the glass cover in the morning to prevent drip. It will be best, there- 

 fore, to strike those that like a moist atmosphere at one time, aud those 

 that do not like so much at another time, or put a division in your case. 



Insects (/. Galley).— The specimens enclosed by you are of the Snake 

 Millipede, Julus terrestris. They have been charged with eating the roots 

 of Pansies, and you state that Ihey have " destroyed several rows of Peas." 

 Try watering on each side of the rows with diluted ammoniacal liquor from 

 the gasworks. This repeated once or twice a-woek may drive them away, 

 and invigorate the Peas at the same time. We cannot say how much water 

 you should put to a gallon of ike liquor, for this varies in strength, but, 

 probably, one of liquor to three gallons of water would do. 



Peaches and Nectarines Falling (E. M., Ipswich).— As both the trees 

 in pots and those in the borders shed their fruit, we think they are all too 

 dry at the roots. We recommend you to water them with weak liquid 

 manure of a temperature of about 80 g . Give a good soaking that will 

 penetrate down to the lowest roots. 



Rustic Vases.— I purchased some of these pretty vases, but find that 

 they look very white as if mildew had affected them. What is the composi- 

 tion wherewith they are coloured, and how is it to be applied! Perhaps 

 some tradesman who sells them will be good enough to answer this. — D. 



Seaweed for Asparagus-beds.— In answer to "W. M.'s" iuquiry in 

 your Journal of May 5, F. W. B. begs to state that he covered his Sea-kale 

 bed in November, aud began cutting the Kale early in February. F. TV. £■ 

 has no doubt that an earlier crop might be obtained by applying the sea- 

 weed is September or October ; but it is important that the lresh seaweed 

 should be covered with earth to prevent its being dried up and losing all 

 nutritive matter. — W. S. M. 



Ants in Pantrt (Wiltshire Hector).— Powdered carbonate of ammonia 

 sprinkled a'»out their haunts, and persevered in for a few days, will probably 

 drive them away. 



Verbena vesosa (5. E. B.).— Any florist can obtain it for you. We 

 know that it was in Messrs. E. G. Henderson's catalogue. 



Various (S J. IF.). — The leaves of your greenhouse Rose are attacked 

 by a parasitic fungus. Dusting with sulphur, more air, and more light 

 would probably overcome the fungus. For the culture of Roses in pots 

 consult " Florists' Flowers for the Many." You can have it free by post 

 from our office if you send six postage stamps, with your direction. 

 Campanula pyramidalis is a perennial. We have never heard before that 

 cocoa-nut fibre refuse destioys plants by inducing fungi, and we believe 

 such a statement is not founded on facts. 



Propagating the Hollyhock (A Subscriber).— This is easily done at 

 the present time, by taking a few shoots about a yard long or so, and 

 cutting them into lengths of two joints each, removing the leaves from the 

 lower joint and inserting the cuttings in sandy soil under a hand-glass. 

 Almost every cutting will grow. Any time in the early part of June will 

 do. Later on in the year this propagating requires the assistance of a hot- 

 bed, and is then more uncertain. 



Pear Tree not Bearing (Idem).— Pear trees cannot always be made to 



ear all over the tree as a Vine can be made to do. If your tree bears as 

 many near the extremities as you think the whole tree ought to produce, 

 you must not complain. A partial remedy, however, may be had by in- 

 troducing some young shoots from the centre of the tree and training them 

 between the older branches and removing the latter when the younger ones 

 are far enough advanced ; but the tendency to bear most on wood that is 

 two or three years old, will always show itself in spite of all that can be 

 done. Allowing the spurs to extend a long way from the wall will some- 

 times induce fruit in the centre ; but the ugly appearance of the tree 

 hur .ly justifies me plan. i year. 



Plant Described (A Subscriber, Mlmarnock).— Your " prickly Pear " 

 we think must have been the Datura Stramonium, or Thorn Apple. It Is 

 a native of this country. 



Flower-garden Planting (An Irishwoman).— We think your proposed 

 arrangements will look very well, and we presume your Shrubland Pet is 

 all right. We have had, however, some trouble in finding the connections 

 in your letter, and were you not a lady we would advise the beginning 

 your tale at the first page of a sheet and going regularly onwards. We 

 have had to twist and turn to find out what you meant or what you wanted, 

 and we are sure you did it quite unthinkingly; but all correspondents 

 asking such questions should endeavour to give as little trouble as possible. 



Treatment op Quickset Hedges the First Year after Planting 

 (E R S ) —Unless the hedge be planted early in the autumn, it is best not 

 to cut the plants down until the following season, when a much better 

 result will follow. In the distriot where the best hedges are reared this is 

 the practice, and it cannot well be improved. 



Plants for. Stumps of Trees on a Sunny Situation (Idem).— There 

 is nothing better than some of the Tropmolums, as Elegans, Eclipse, &c. 

 Ivy-leaved Geraniums are also good, and the Gold and Silver-edged Ivy 

 itself looks very well and does well. Some of the hanging species of Mesem- 

 bryanthemums also look well, as likewise does the variegated Periwinkle, 

 and even Scarlet and other Geraniums do pretty well. On the other hand, 

 Calceolarias, Lobelias, Verbenas, and such plants as like a richer soil and 

 more of it, do not so well, as we expect the quantity of mould is too limited. 



Geuanium Leaves Spotted (A New Amateur Subscriber). -The spot 

 you complain of is mildew, caused, we think, by the plants receiving too 

 much water, or, perhaps, being too much in the shade and not warm 

 enough. After potting-off, bedding Geraniums of the Scarlet class require 

 very little water until they begin to grow. We have never known the evil 

 so late as you seem to have it, but it is common enough in the dark days, 

 but disappears when more sun and drier weather set in. 



Plumbaoo capensis not Flowering (Idem).— If your plant was too 

 much in the shade during the early part of the summer, it would not have 

 time to prepare its flower-buds before the season was too far advanced lor 

 its blooming. Potting the plant after May is also more likely to produce 

 wood than flowers. It also requires a house a little warmer than an ordinary 

 greenhouse to induce it to flower well, although after it has flowered any 

 cool house will do for it. It does better against a wall than against a 

 trellis in a pot ; but in the latter we have seen it do very well, and we 

 have no doubt but you will succeed if the season be a warm one, and you are 

 able to give it a little heat to begin the summer with. 



Figs in a House Dropping Off (A. W. B.).— Most likely your Fig 

 tree lacks water. At this particular time the Figs seem to revel m 

 moisture, and the tree being in a house the usual moisture it would have 

 received out of doors is denied it. Try watering well and stopping some 

 of the shoots and most likely you will get the second crop to ripen, and 

 more especially if you thin them freely if they show too abundantly. 



Orange Tree not Thriving (Hem).— If your tree was in bad health 

 last year it would have been better to have repotted it entirely, and 

 ascertained if the drainage, &c., was perfect, as we suspect it is suffering 

 tha' way for although the Orange likes abundance of moisture, it does not 

 like it stagnant. The warmth of a conservatory that is at present increased 

 to encourage the growth of the Camellias, will not be too much for the 

 Orange tree. On the contrary, it ought to suit it exactly. Better examine 

 the roots, and if they be decayed and bad cut them in and repot in a rather 

 more open soil with plenty of drainage and in a smaller pot, cutting back 

 the top at the same time, and shade and syringe until the summer's growth 

 is finished, when it may be eradually hardened and turned out of doors for 

 a time, taking care that it does not suffer from too much rain and yet has 

 plenty. 



Catalpa not Flowering (S. P. 3.).-Although we are told this tree 

 flourishes in the swampy districts whore the war is now raging in South 

 Carolina we are far from certain that a damp situation suits it in England. 

 On the contrary, the places where it seems to flourish most are on dry stony 

 or gravelly soils, where it flowers abundantly, and in the hot seasons of 

 1858 and 1S59 it formed seed-pods. As your tree is so old, it would be 

 better to procure a young one from a nursery to plant in some dry place, 

 and in due time you will be favoured with flowers. It seems to require all 

 the warmth of our hottest summers, and consequently in unfavourable 

 situations or adverse seasons it does not succeed so well. We had but tew 

 flowers in 1860 and 1861, but before these times, and also last year, we have 

 never failed in having abundance of flowers on trees planted on dry stony 

 soils. 



Moving an Af-aucaeia (Idem).— We are far from certain which is the 

 best time to transplant this tree, as we onee removed two in April, much 

 alike in every respect, and one of them did remarkably well and the other 

 one died We are inclined to think that September is the best month ; but 

 we confess being uncertain on this point. Much depends on the condition 

 of the tree to be moved, and other circumstances, as one that has stood, 

 a number of years in one place-and that place a particularly good one— 

 cannot well be removed without suffering more or less ; and as it is a 

 naked-rooted plant, a ball with it is not easily obtained. Securing every 

 fibre carefully and planting the same again, and spreading out as careluuy 

 as a tree is nailed against a wall, will generally insure success ; but the season 

 and other circumstances have much influence on this. 



Seedling Pansies (L. F. J.).— We do not discern anything new among 

 them There are two tolerable flowers— the one with pale lemon ground, 

 good eye, back petals, and belt of deep purple ; the other orange ground, 

 small eye, back petals, and belt maroon; but these are inferior to many 

 named varieties. It is very difficult to decide upon the merits or a Pansy 

 from a single flower. Unless three good specimens are sent of each variety 

 we cannot hazard an opinion. The other specimens sent were dehciem 

 both in form and substance. 



Seedling Cyclamens (Cyclamen Ignoramus).— You cannot do better 

 your seed-bed, pan, or pot alone until the plants develope t 

 selves. Continue to give them sufficient water to prevent t 



than let your seed-bed, pan, or pot alone until the plants develope them- 

 selves. Continue to give them sufficient water to prevent their suftering 

 from want of it, and no more. By-and-by you will be favoured with 



foliage, which continue to encourage until the end of the growing season ; 

 after which let the plants go to rest in some cool place, secure rom trOBC 

 and heavy rain, yet not entirely dry, and most likely you will have a 

 number of roots like small potatoes, the largest of which will flower next 



