246 



JOUKNAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



[ September 23, 1871. 



is tnrf, place it at the bottom, and mis it with an equal quantity of leaf 

 soil or old decayed manure, and then fill up the hole with two parts good 

 loam ( turfy if it is at command), one part leaf soil or old manure, and 

 half a part of sand, raising it in the centre 1 f'jot above the surrounding 

 level. Plant in March, water well in dry weather, and mulch with short 

 manure in June and again in autumn, but at the latter season with more 

 littery manure ; let the dead grass remain throughout the winter, and 

 remove it at the end of March or early in April. 



Temperature of Stove {J. T.).— From this time and during winter 

 the temperature should range from 60-^ to 65'- at night, and from 70^ to 75^ 

 by day, with a rise from sun heat to 80^ or 85^ up to November, after- 

 wards to the middle of February let the temperature be from 55^ to 60^ 

 at night and 65^ to 70" by day, with a rise of from 10^ to 15"^ from sun 

 heat. 



REaioviNG Fruit Trees (F. Ji.).— You may safely remove at the 

 close of this month the trees planted a twelvemonth last Novem>ier, only 

 take them up carefully, preserving all the fibres possible, and keep the 

 roots from sun and air by covering them carefully with mats. Water after 

 planting, shade from very bright sun, and sprinkle with water overhead 

 morning and evening, but not if the weather be moist. 



Araucaria not Thriving IH. P.). — We do not think the Araucaria 

 will be of any more good. It has evidently been too deeply planted 

 in the first instance, and the tree sought to recover itself by putting out 

 roots near the surface— another evidence, if one were needed, that 

 Conifers, of all trees, should never be deeply planted. Though we think 

 your tree hopeless, we would, nevertheless, cut away the " ball root," acd 

 plant so that roots newly formed on the stem will not be covered with 

 more than 6 inches of soil, and this we should do at once. Secure the 

 tree well against winds. 



Black Grapes not Colouring (S. Temple).— Vfe think you may have 

 too many Vines, but the chief mistake is too many bunches. We have 

 in the case of two Hamburghs made the same mistake, and the berries 

 are scarcely all through red, whilst those of Lady Downe's beside them 

 are like ripe Sloes for colour. 



HED3E FOR A Flower Garden (A Lady).— HoWj, as you propose, 

 would answer very well, and you may move them quite safdly at from 



3 to 4 fact high if they have been transplanted withia two years. Their 

 removal will, however, be costly, and if you purchase smaller plants, so 

 long a time must elapse before they will answer for shelter, that we 

 should plant some other evergreen. Common Yew answers perfectly, 

 and can be safely removed when of considerable size, so that you may 

 iorm a hedge at once. We prefer Yew to all other kinds of screens in 

 trimmed grounds. Berberis Darwinii makes a first-rate evergreen screen, 

 and grows much more rapidly than either Holly or Yew, and is a mass of 

 golden flowers in spring. The quickest-formed" fence we ever had was of 

 American Arbor-Vit:B ; it was made in a day by planting trees 6 feet high 

 at about 18 inches apart. Any of the plants named would answer your 

 p-arpose well, all being suitable for the boundary of a flower garden. 



SoLANUii ciLiATCii CASTING ITS Eerries {A. S. .-!.).— We think it arises 

 for want of a proper supply of water, or, in other words, the soil is too dry. 

 Give water more copiously, and we think the berries will swell off. 



Dwarf Standard Dessert Apples (Elston).—S>ix good kinds for dwarf 

 standards are Early Red Margaret, Dutch Mignonne. King of the Pippins, 

 Sykehouse Russet, Cox's Orange Pippin, and Pitmaston Nonpareil. 

 A'pricots and Nectarines would not succeed as dwarf standards in North- 

 umberland, unless against a south wall. Plums would do. and of them 

 we advise Goldfu Gage, Orleans, Kirke's, July Green Gage, Victoria, 

 Belgian Purple, Prince Englebert, Jefi'erson, and Diamond. 



House for Roses— Propagation House, &c. (J. Ducker). — We cannot 

 undertake to give plans of proposed houses, hut are always glad to give 

 all the information we can, and criticise any submitted to us. Of the 

 Rose house we may say that for so small a house we should not think of 

 planting out the Roses, but would have them principally in pots ; indeed 

 all, except a climbing kind at every 4 feet. Instead of a span-roofed 

 house we should have a half-span on one side facing the north, and the 

 longer half of the span facing the south. The front, 7 feet high, should 

 be formed of 3 feet of brickwork and 4 feet of glass, &c., and the whole 

 of the front glass should open, and that at the back the whole length of 

 the house. Along the front we would have a stage of latlis 3 feet wide, 

 level with the top of the brickwork, and, allowing 2 feet 6 inches, have 

 a stepped stage to the back wall, but 3 feet flat nest the wall. In front, 

 b-eneath the stage, have a border in which to plant the climbing Roses. 

 For the propagating house the walk would be best in the centre, with 

 beds on each side, which should be chambered, and have two rows of 

 4-inch pipes beneath each. The bed may be covered with about 3 or 



4 inches of plunging material. Two rows of 4-iuch pipes would be re- 

 quired all round for top heat. Ventilation at the top would be sufBcient. 

 One fire would do for both houses if you employ a boiler and hot-water 

 pipes; but if you have flues, which we do not consider suitable, you will 

 need a fire for each house. The loam with a clay subsoil is the more suit- 

 able of the two kinds for Roses. 



Caterpillars Infesting Cabeagewoets (37yfo?j}.— There are plenty of 

 things that will kill the caterpillars, but we cannot advise their applica- 

 tion so near the season of use. We advise their being picked ofi' by 

 hand, also to dust with quicklime early in the morning or late at night. 



Scarlet Runners not Podding {A Constmit Reader). —We think the 

 cause of the Scarlet Runners not podding is the dryness of the soil, the 

 plants being against walls. Had good supplies of water been given two 

 or three times a-week, with liquid manure occasionally, we think your 

 crop would have been excellent. 



Cutting Down Periwinkle {J. L. P.).— It will not do to cut down the 

 Periwinkle at this season, especially as you wish to have the slope on 

 which it is planted green all the winter. The best time to cut it down is 

 in March, removing any irregular growth in August. 



Green Gage Plusi Tree Dying Suddenly {A Beginncr).~'Ihe tree, 

 with its inner bark reduced to a reddish powder, is attacked by Scolytus 

 Pruni, and contains burrows of the larvse and imagos. Though apparently 

 in a healthy condition, it is to be suspected that tbe tree was not so in 

 reality, later researches into the history of tbe Scolyti indicating that 

 they locate themselves chiefly in trees which are either under some 

 morbid influence, or have been partially destroyed by other insects. Wo 

 recommead the removal of that particular tree. At this season of the 

 year there is no reason to apprehend the evil would spread, since the 



beetles appear in June and July only to deposit eggs, and the larvse have 

 no power to migrate from tree to tree. 



Spring Flower Gardening (TF. Hj;i(fs).— We could not do better for 

 you than recommend " Spring and Winter Flower Gardeuine." by Mr. 

 Fleming, which you can have by post from our office for 2s. 7}(Z. Were 

 we to enter fully into the afi'iir it would require a treatise, and then we 

 should break through one of our special rules, which prudence demands 

 we sbould adhere to, and that is, to criticise proposed planting, but not to 

 give the planting for a flou-er garden. It would be impossible to do this, 

 as the applications would be endless. But, just as a hint, suppose you 

 filled No. 1 with a centre and two bands of Hvaciuths, say white, blue, 

 and red, with an edging of Viola cornuta ; then edge all the other beds 

 next to it with Cerastium, and plant, according to your proposal, each bed 

 with two colours of Tulips— the Van Thol would be pretty and cheap— 

 but keeping the lighter colours to the centre, and the scarlet and crimson 

 to the outside. Then the eight circles we would do in pairs of Crocus, 

 edging yellow with purple, white with blue, and so on. The four large 

 outside beds we would edge, two with Viola and two with Golden Fever- 

 few, and these we would mix or cross, so as to make a dig'erence. If you 

 had Anemones they could come in well in two colours iu these beds. 



Joints of Hot-water Piping (Jas. Luck).~\7e have just done some 

 thousands of feet of hot-water piping, and we have used rope yarn, or 

 rather lint yarn, and red lead, and not one has filled. We like it best. 

 Other plans have their advocates. 



Hot-water Piping for Wintering-hottse (An Old Subscriber).— i:he 

 house containing about 9500 cubic feet of air, 330 feet of 4-inch pipe, all 

 flow a la Cannell, will keep the house quite safe. Say 45^ to 50^ in winter. 

 Protecting Peach Trees on a Wall (J. P. F.).— To make the most 

 of a covering of glass for your wall you should enclose enough of space 

 to enable you to walk inside and attend to the trees. If you hid spare 

 sasnes you might set them against the trees, a foot or 18 inches distant. 

 We once used some old sashes, 6 feet long, for 

 a wall of 8 feet like yours. We put posts 5 feet 

 from the wall, and 8 inches abeve the ground 

 On these we fixed a rail to support the ends of the 

 Rashes ; a short rafter of 9 inches in length from 

 beneath the coping supported the sloping rafter 

 at tbe back. The sashes were fixed, and air 

 given back and front by moveable boards, a and 

 h, ventilators. If you have no sashes, the 

 cheapest way would be to have such top and 

 front ventilation, and make a roof fixed in the 

 orchard-house style. We would have the width 

 enclosed from 4 to 7 feet, as the space would be 

 useful for many things. If of the latter width, you could take your glass 

 right to the wall, and have about eight moveable lights at the apes, say • 

 24 by 12 inches. 



Double-spanned Greenhouse (J. Hnr^aie).— The double span-roofed 

 bouses we have recommended for economy of space and construction, 

 and we gave examples of them as existing at Messrs. Lane's, at Berk- 

 hampstead. The mode of top ventilation of a span-roofed house by 

 means of a double ridge-board, with a swinging ventilator between, and a 

 cap to cover all to keep out wet. we have also recommended, and we 

 have given examples of successful practice. Your proposed plan of 

 heating will answer, but if you want a high temperature in the one 

 house you will want double your top-heat piping in winter. The re- 

 turn will answer for both top and bottom heat, and for returns we never 

 trouble ourselves with stop-valves. Your main flow and return may be 

 extended as you like, but they mu?t be low enough, so that in all branch- 

 ing oS"from them the pipes shall rise, and these mains must be above the 

 level of the boiler. Now, though your questions are too numerous for 

 one time, we reply that we prefer the main flow and return to be 4 inches 

 in diameter rather than 6 ; that the connections are generally in such 

 cases 4 inches. We often have them 2 or even less. There will be na 

 difiiculty as to the return, but you may require to regulate or stop for a 

 time the flow in the higher level until the water is going freely in the 

 lower level. We have answered your fourth question already; there 

 would not be enough piping for early work. There can be no question as 

 to the return. The dipping we could not be sure about without observa- 

 tion or a sectional plan. No objection to the houses iu pairs. We think 

 the ventilation will be ample. _The damping must be guarded against by 

 professional care, air-giving, and judgment in watering. The glasses 

 will be useful. Y'ou may then have bottom heat and a coolish atmosphere 

 overhead. The boilers you speak of are first-rate ; in f ict, there are few 

 bad boilers if well set and well managed. We have preferred the saddle- 

 back because it is simple. Your mode of obtaining a moist bottom heat 

 will do if you keep the rough material moist. Trough pipes are objec- 

 tionable in chambers, unless you have some simple mode of filling them. 



Stove in a Greenhouse (F. T., Exon).—'We prefer a flat-hejided iron 

 stove to a round-headed one, and we would have a vessel made to stand 

 on this top to hold water in preference to having the vessel cast with or 

 joined to the stove. There will be plenty of vapour in the one case, and 

 not so much heat as to boil the water. The vaponr thrown ofi" would not 

 be injurious, but as the Grapes ripened you cnuld easily put a slate or a 

 piece of wood over the evaporating vessel. If the vessel is merely set 

 on you may put some flowers of sulphur in the water, but not if the 

 vessel is joined to the stove. 



Names of Plants (Netley). — We decidedly object to naming plants 

 from imperfect material. Here you send mere tips of shoots. Happily 

 all but one are recogoisable at a glance. No. 2 is Ligustrum japonicum ; 

 4, Chorozema vaiium; 5, Correa cardinahs; 6, Lantaua Selloi (or Sel- 

 lowii) ; 7, Poinsettia pulcberrima. You may have the '' Cottage Gar- 

 deners' Dictionary " free by post from our office for 7.^. 2d. (F. J.). — Cle- 

 rodendron fcetidum of Bunge, from Northern China. (R. B. L.). — We have 

 done our best to determine the fruit of the Cucurbit sent to us, and after 

 having subjected it to the inspection of some of our most competent 

 authorities, the couclusion deduced is that in all probability it is_ an 

 example of Cucnmia Anguria, a plant which was figured in the " Botanical 

 Magazine" of last year {see tab. 5817), and known as that which yields 

 a gherldn much used in West Indian pickles. It is the only Cucumis 

 occurring in America, and it has been suggested that even there it may 

 not be truly indigenous, but introduced by the Negroes from Tropical 

 Africa. It is one of a difficult series, running from C. sativus on the one 

 extreme, through C. metuliferus, C. pustulatus, C. arablcas, C. Figarei, 



