September 28, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



245 



farther apart, and water should be given with more care. The 

 sun during the nest three weeks will do much to perfect the 

 fruit buds, and on this success will greatly depend. Some of 

 our readers can never have their plants strong enough to suit 

 them, but it is easy to have very strong and yet unmatured 

 growth. We would sooner have plants somewhat weaker, bat 

 with the buds well ripened and matured. The same rule will 

 .also hold good as respects fruit trees in general ; the ripening 

 of the fruit buds ought to be of more importance than any 

 mere growth, and, therefore, all mere growth that can be re- 

 moved to give more sun and air to buds, will be of importance. 

 See what was said about clearing plants out of late vineries, 

 and keeping them dry. 



ORNAMENTAL DEPAET3IENT. 



Calceolarias were shaken by the deluge of rain a fortnight 

 back, and are not such dense masees of colour, otherwise the 

 beds, aa a whole, never were more brilliant. The dryness 

 began to tell on some rows of Ageratum, and even on beds of 

 Coleus, and we were forced to water them and some rich beds 

 of variegated Geraniums. We had our beds very early and 

 strong this season, an advantage when the family stays in the 

 country for the whole season ; but later beds would look fresher 

 and require less picking late in autumn. We were obliged to 

 pick Ageratums closely. The dense lines showed the ripened 

 seed-heads, but when removed there was plenty of the light 

 blue left. To have the' beds fine early and late, much picking 

 must be resorted to. 



Cuttings. — We have put in a good proportion of our cuttinps 

 for nest season all right, and for economical purposes the bulk 

 of them are inserted at once in shallow hoses. We went over 

 our beds several times, so that no opening or break should be 

 made in the beds. We know some of our friends who manage 

 very cleverlyin this respect, and take their cuttings, when they 

 have no resident family, a month or sis weeks before they are 

 likely to be present; and in that case cuttings can be taken 

 more freely without the contour of the beds suffering at all 

 when the family become resident. Much care must be exer- 

 cised when you have nothing but the beds to depend on for 

 cuttings, and a family resident that looks on them every day. 

 In such a case we would never be satisfied until we had what 

 we have not had yet — a reserve garden whence cut flowers and 

 cuttings should be taken. Of course there are men who can 

 take cuttings even from beds, so as to leave little or no trace of 

 the knife behind them ; and tbera are, too, many others who, 

 if they git hold of a oatting, throw all considerations of taste 

 and the appearance of the bed to tte winds. When a gardener 

 in a large place must chiefly depend on local labourers, in such 

 cases a reserve garden will be seen to be more a matter of 

 importance. To secure bedding plants in the highest style of 

 floral art, nothing should be taken from the beds, until the 

 period of natural decay, but faded blooms and leaves. 



We must refer to back numbers for what is needed for pot 

 plants, &;c., just to reiterate two ideas that have been men- 

 tioned, but not sufficiently ventilated. First, in saving the 

 contour and outline of flower beds by taking short, stubby cut- 

 tings from the base of the plants, you will get nice healthy 

 plants, but they will bloom freely later than those plants raised 

 from cuttings more esposed to sun and air. 



Secondly, In looking at the brilliancy of .flower beds in the 

 open air now, in comparison of which the finest greenhouses 

 and conservatories look poor in comparison, who is there that 

 will give us from half an acre to an acre of ground covered with 

 glass, and heated so that such striking masses of bloom should 

 be continuous, instead of a few months' duration ? — E. F. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Books (Po'mologist).-'Tb.e " Fruit Branual ;" a new edition is in prepa- 

 ration. The second edition of the " Rose Garden," price 6s. 6d. The 

 price of the " Rose Annual " for 185S-59. 1859-60, is 5s. ; for 1860-61, and 

 1861-62, 4s. You may obtain both from the author, VTaltham Cross. In 

 a like manner you may obtain Mr. Cranston's book from King's Acre 

 Nurseries, Hereford. The Rev. S. Reynolds Hole's book is published by 

 Blackwoods. (A. H. A.) Henfrey's Introductory Course of Botany by Dr. 

 Masters, is the best book you can nest study. 



Verbenas {0. 0?'pef).— Their colours are good, especially the purple, 

 but the form is defective. It is impossible to give an opinion on the 

 value of Verbenas for bedding without seeing the plants. 



Phloxes (A Cotistant Subscri'ber).~'We cannot recommend tradesmen. 

 Any of the principal florists who advertise in our columns could supply 

 uperior varieties. 



Photogeaph (Novus Hovio). — ^Write to Mr. Barron, Eoya Horti cultural 

 Society, Chiswick, W. 



Auriculas {J. Martin). — They will not do in a greenhouse j better have 

 a common garden frame, and place the pots on coal ashes. 



Grapes Sheivelliug (TT. D.).— We do not think that you have over- 

 cropped your Vines, and unless the Grapes are what gardeners call 

 *' shanked " — that is, the stalks of the berries decayed before the Grapes 

 are ripe, which of course cuts off the supply of nourishment to the berries 

 and causes them to shrivel— the cause must be an insufficient supply of 

 water at the roots. A Eeader has a house of mixed Vines, and the berries 

 of Madresfield Court are shrivelling when the others are all right. We 

 would in this instance look for the evil at the roots. The Vine when 

 growing requires a large quantity of water, and until the Grapes ar& 

 ripe should not be allowed to become dry at the roots. 



Cutting down Elace Prikce Vine (T. K.).— The best Grape Viu& 

 to grow in an early house for market purposes is Black Hamburgh. Train 

 up a shoot from each of your Black Prince Vines, and when you start 

 your vinery introduce in pots two plants of Black Hamburgh which have 

 been cut over some time previously. You should allow two shoots to 

 grow from each Vine, and when the young rods are about 5 feet long 

 inarch them, making the connection about 2 feet from the surface of the 

 ground. The second shoot on the Hamburgh Vine will do to obtain some 

 fruit from in the pot the following season. Inarching Vines is a more 

 certain method than grafting them. The edible kinds of Gourds are 

 useful for making pies when Apples are scarce; slice them up, and use 

 Apples and Gourd in equal portions. 



Grapes Mildewed {JR. B.).— The Vines in both your houses have been 

 attacked by mildew; it attacks both the leaves and fiuit, causing the 

 berries to crack, and prevents them from swelling to the usup.l size. 

 Sulphur is the only preventive or remedy. On the first appearance of 

 tbia pest throw flowers of sulphur over the leaves and berries, wlier& 

 affected, with a Eulphur-distributor. 



RoTAL Ascot Vine (i^^arZer).— Royal Ascot is a good Grape. It is well 

 adapted for pot culture and for planting in the vinery. It is superior to 

 Black Prince and Trentham Black. It will not supersede the Black Ham- 

 burgh for general cultivation, nor is it as a Grape equal to Black AlicantOj 

 but it ripens earlier and does not require so much heat as that variety. 



Fungus on Celery Leaves (W. H; Data).— The fungus is Trichobasis- 

 heraclei, the brand state of Puccinia; Darluca filum is also present. At 

 this stage we know of no remedy, 



LiLiCiis (J. Stuart).— All Lilium lancifolium. 



Grapes Shaneing {J. H).— Tour signature was not clear, so your query 

 was answered August 10th, page 109 to " T. H." 



Planting a Vase with Bulbs [A. W. B.).— For such a vase, the plant- 

 ing would depend on the time you want it to be gay. To have it a perfect 

 blaze at one time, what would or could be better than so many bands of 

 Crocus 9 inches apart, each band of a distinct colour, and contrasting 

 with its neighbour, as white, purple, orange, blue, &c. ? 



Cost of Trenching Ground {liogator).—Fov No. 1, or trenching two- 

 spits deep |20 inches) in good loamy soil, we have paid jglO per acre, or 

 one halfpenny per square yard, and for No. 3, twice No. 1, or Id. per 

 square yard, which, of eoiirse, includes the removal of the roots and 

 levelling; but much depends on the ground and the value of labour in 

 the locality where the work is to be done. Tho price we name is where 

 good labourers have Ss. per day. 



Watering Melons when Ripening (A Forevian). — It is not a good 

 plan to water Melons when they are " just ripe," for it tends to gorge the 

 fruit with sap, cracbing often results, and the flavour is deteriorated^,. 

 Nor would it be well to allow the fruit to remain on tho plants after being^ 

 quite ripe, even if it were practicable, as the fruit will part from the 

 footstalk if allowed to remain until dead ripe. They should be cut before 

 that time. 



COPROSMA BAUEKIANA ViRIEGATA PROPAGATION (J- T.). — Take CUttingE 



of the cun-ent year's shoots when half ripe, insert them in sandy loam, 

 peat, and silver sand, place them in a good bottom heat of 75^, and keep 

 them close and moist. The soil should be kept moist but not very wet^. 

 They will root well in from three to sis weeks, and should be potted off 

 singly, and returned to a hotbed for a few days. When established they 

 should be well hardened off. The best time to put in the cuttings is 

 early in August. 



Tulips for Sejiultaneous Flowering (.4. .4.).— Imperatorrubrorum 

 and Yellow Rose will not suit, as the latter is a late-blooming kind, hut 

 you may have Yellow Tournesol in place of Yellow Rose. Duke of York 

 would not suit Yellow Rose, as the former flowers much earlier than the 

 latter, but for Bleu Celeste Yellow Rose would suit. In the single varie- 

 ties you would be better suited, as more of them flower together than is 

 the case with the double varieties. You might have Proserpine, dark 

 rose, dwarf ; Belle Alliance, scarlet, dwarf; Chrysolora, yellow, dwarf ^- 

 Artus, scarlet; Keizer Ki-oon, crimson scarlet, margined with yellow; 

 Monument, rosy cerise, flaked white; Couronne Pourpre, dark crimson;-. 

 Bride of Haarlem, white, striped with crimson ; MoUere, purple, yellow 

 base ; Cramoisie superbe, rosy cerise; Royal Standard, white, feathered 

 with rosy crimson ; Yellow Prince, yellow; and Thomas Moore, orangej. 

 tall. Ne Plus Ultra and Sir Walter Scott Crocus are both lilac ; theiro 

 would be no contrast, though Ne Plus Ultra is a lilac purple. Lord Ma- 

 caulay is a large dark purple, and would suit Sir Walter .Scott. A dozen 

 good and not expensive kinds of Gladiolus are Berenice, Endymion, 

 Florian, Mars, Leelia, Le Titien, Janire, Jeanne d'Arc, Napoleon III., 

 Raphael, Rembrandt, and Ninon de TEnclos. Lachenalias will do well 

 in a greenhouse, from which frost is excluded, on a shelf near the glass. 



ECHEYERIA SECUNDA GLAUCA AND SeMPERVIVUM CALIFOKNICDM; HARDI-- 



NESS (F. J.). — The Echeveria is not hardy, and should be taken up, 

 potted, and kept safe from frost. The Sempervivum is hardy in well- 

 drained soils, and not very rich. If the soil is rich, and not dry, take up 

 the plantp, pot them, and winter them in a cold frame, keeping them dry. 



IiAPAGERiA ROSEA Shoots GOING OPF {J. E. TF.).— We should attribute 

 the cause of the strong shoots from the base dying off when about 

 16 inches long to want of a good root action, in which case it will bo 

 necessary to look to the drainage, and give some fresh rough peat, remov- 

 ing as much of the old soil as practicable without interfering with the 

 roots. Are you sure the shoots are not eaten off by slugs ? We have a 

 plant which has had all its shoots cut off in this way several times at th 

 height you name. Snails, slugs, and woodlice are very fond of the young 

 shoots of this plant. Examine the plant after dark with a lantern. 



Soil for Pahipas Grass (A. JB,)-— Take out the soil where you intend 

 to plant to a depth of 2 feet over a circle of twice that diameter, K there. 



