4,76 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ June 30, 1863. 



practical knowledge of gardening he would not have considered 

 it strange that in Erance, on the 8th of May, some of the sorts 

 composing my lot were not of the same size as those frequently 

 shown in London by Mr. Smith and others. This is easily 

 explained. Of course on the 8th of May no out-door Straw- 

 berries are ripe in this part of Franc?, and consequently my lot 

 consisted chiefly of what is called " afterfruits " of forced plantB, 

 the finest of which were then gathered. Thus it is quite natural 

 that the berries generally could not be of enormous size. Had 

 the Exhibition taken place a fortnight earlier, when my crop 

 was at its best, the fruit would have been very near the size 

 attained by the best growers round London early in June. 

 This, I think, sufficiently proves that in France there is some- 

 thing better than the " Fraise des quatre saisons j" and that upon 

 the whole it would have been wiser of "D." of Deal to abstain 

 from his satirical report. 



As to his observation of my having written "prodigious 

 things " on Strawberries, I leave my fragarian friends in England 

 to decide whether there was any exaggeration in what I humbly 

 submitted to the public. Whatever I wrote was done in the 

 most impartial spirit, and never exceeded the truth. — Feemnand 

 Gxoede, Les Sablons, Moret-sur-Loing, France. 



SUCCESSION OP FLOWERING HERBACEOUS 

 PLANTS. 



I see in the gardening world those who, like myself, are not 

 so passionately fond of so much bedding stuff. Why should 

 we? Are there not many hardy herbaceous plants equally 

 beautiful that would require but little care? Like our bedding 

 plants, the more care taken of them the better they would be- 

 come. 



We have great men who take economy for their motto. 

 Would it not be more economical if they were to turn their 

 attention to those plants that are much hardier ? We now have 

 to find pits, frames, covering, besides a great deal of labour and 

 some firing, to protect them. Surely that is not economy. 



I have talked to some about this matter. They say " We 

 should not have the great variety of colour which we have in 

 the bedding stuff." JNo, neither do we want it. Where is the 

 need of a number of shades ? In my opinion we only want 

 distinct colours, and we have these in the hardy plants. 



I think if our nurserymen and cross-breeders were to spend 

 half of the time and money on the hardy class that they do on 

 the most tender things, we should soon have them much better 

 than they already are. Or have they been so much improved 

 that there is no more room for improvement ? 



Why I thus plead the cause of hardy plants is this. I am 

 writing in the middle of June when bedding plants have scarcely 

 made a move, and before they get properly into bloom it will be 

 at least mid-July; or, supposing we count from now, there 

 will be June, July, August, and then comes September, when 

 we may expect frost to cut them off. So we have to nurse them 

 from eight to nine months, and we have only three months of 

 pleasure from them. That would not be the case with the more 

 hardy plants. There are many that bloom early and late. I will 

 give a list ; every one wishing to have bloom all the year round 

 might Belect from them and their varieties ; — 



January. — Eranthis hyemalis, Helleborus niger. 



February. — Arabis albida, Bulbocodium vernum, Cyclamen 

 coum, Helleborus fcetidus, Hepatica triloba, Scilla sibirica. 



March. — Anemono apennina, Anemone nemorosa, Arabis 

 alpina, Aubrietia deltoidea, Aubrietia purpurea, Cyclamen eu- 

 ropeeum, Erjthronium dens-canis, Gagea glauca, Helleborus 

 atro-rubens, Leueojum vernum, Narcissus Tazetta, Scilla amcena. 



April. — Alyssum saxatile, Arabis rosea, Atragene canadensis, 

 Doronicum caucaBicum, Erythronium grandiflorum, Fritillaria 

 imperialis, F. prsecox, Gentiana acaulis, Iris puinila, Leueojum 

 sestivum, Libertia grandiflora, Narcissus jonquilla, Omphalodes 

 verna, Oruithogalum utnbellatum. 



May. — Achillea ptarmica, Achillea tomentOBa, Ajuga alpina, 

 Ajuga genevensis, Ajuga reptans alba, Armeria dianthoides, Ar- 

 meria maritima alba, Asperula odorata, Believalia operculata, 

 Corydalis sibirica, Czackia liliastrum, Dielytra epectabilis, Do- 

 decatheon integrifolium, Hesperis matronalis, Hoteia (Spiraea) 

 barbata, Iris cristata, Iris sub-biflora, Lupinua macrophyllus, 

 Lupinus polyphyllus, Ornithogalum montanum, 



June. — Adenophora verticillata, Allium Moly, Asphodelus 

 luteue, Camassia esculents, Cerastium tomentosum, Gladiolus 



byzantinus, Iris amcena, Iris florentina, Iris sambucina, Ixio" 

 lirion montanum, Lilium bulbiferum, Mimulus variegatus. 



July. — Acanthus spinosissimus, Aconitum variegatum, As- 

 clepias syriaca, Asclepias tuberoBa, Epilobium spicatum, Epilo- 

 bium spicatum albitlorum, Liatris squarrosa, Lilium, tigrinum, 

 Lychnis chalcedonies, Mimulus cardinalis. 



August. — Aconitum japonicum, Chelone obliqua, Coreopsis 

 grandiflora, Funkia subcordata, LiatriB spicata, Solidago humilis. 



September. — -Acis autumnalis, Allium azureum, Amaryllis 

 belladonna, Anemone japonica, Bulbocodium versicolor, Col- 

 chicum byzantinum, Colchicum variegatum, Liatris elegans, 

 Oporanthus luteus, Solidago canadensis, Tritoma pumilis. 



Novembee. — Aconitum autumnale, and many more might be 

 added. I have given the time of these coming into bloom ; 

 some of them will last two or three months. 



In giving the above list let it be understood it is not intended 

 to exclude the bedding plants altogether — far from it. They 

 will make a good addition to herbaceous plants. I hope some 

 of our more experienced men will give their opinion on the 

 subject. 



P.S. — I forgot to put in the proper place the following well- 

 known favourites, which might be added to the above list : — 

 ABters, Phloxes, Dianthus, Larkspurs, Foxgloves, Snapdragons, 

 Hyacinths, Tulips, Daisies, Polyanthuses, Pansies, Violets, For- 

 get-me-not, Hollyhocks, Pentstemons, Campanulas, Crocus, 

 London Pride, &e. — G. H. 



HOT WATER veesus FLUES. 



I think that the gardening world is much indebted to Mr. 

 Robson for bringing this subject so prominently forward. I 

 am perfectly satisfied that the more it is ventilated the more 

 good will be derived from it. I, like Mr. Robson, am situated 

 in a dear coal country, with coal at 19s., and steam coke at 21*. 

 per ton without cartage, which adds 2s. 6d. per ton to the cost. 

 I cannot advocate the cause of flues against hot water from ex- 

 perience, having had the working of flues and hot water in the 

 same place, for the vinerie3 followed in succession, thereby 

 depriving me of the data which are necessary to arrive at a 

 correct estimate. I always felt certain that, making allowance 

 for the difference in temperature, a third less fuel was consumed 

 by the vinery heated with hot water. 



I perfectly agree with Mr. Robson, that the best boiler is not 

 yet obtained. I have a No. 5 tubular boiler from an eminent 

 firm in London, that when we are in the full tide of forcing, 

 consumes more than two tons of coke a-week. Some time ago, 

 out of curiosity, I placed a thermometer in the top of the 

 chimney, about 16 feet high, in eight minutes it indicated 260°. 

 How high it would have read I do not know, as the ther- 

 mometer split to pieces the instant I replaced it. 



I feel convinced I could work a small vinery of 25 feet by 12, 

 with the waste heat of this boiler. Such is the opinion I have 

 formed from four years' experience of its working here. _ As far 

 as my experience goes, I am inclined to think that boilers are 

 not so much at fault as the contractors for the heating ap- 

 paratus. 



If more piping were allowed — say a third more than what is 

 now considered to be sufficient, the apparatus after becoming 

 heated would not require so great a combustion to keep up the 

 desired heat. A more steady and moist heat would thus be 

 obtained, and if a third less fuel could be saved, which I think 

 might be the case in those counties where coal is so dear, the 

 balance will do far more than outweigh the first cost of piping. — 

 W. Mc. L. 



MILLIPEDES-CLUB ROOT— GARDEN MICE. 



How could I destroy the insect which I have enclosed ? It 

 is most destructive to my Strawberries. I have gathered quan- 

 tities of these with holes eaten quite through, and have found 

 the insects curled up in the middle of the berry. With me I 

 think they are more destructive than the slugs. 



Is it the same insect that causes the Cabbage and Broccoli to 

 club ? I cannot plant anything of the kind that has to'-stand in 

 the ground long, without a large ball being formed at the root 

 to the size of a half-pint cup, and I find from two up to twenty 

 or more of these insects when I take up the roots. 



I am also very much troubled with what is called the grasi 

 mouse. This mouse has destroyed nine Melons, the largeflt one 



