October 19, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICOLTUBB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



307 



are open, allowing it to go out after midday. Always water the plants 

 in the mornini?. For a good late Grape, later than those you have, we 

 recommend Madresfield Court Black- For very late use, in February or 

 March, Lady Downe's is the best. 



Vines for a Cool Vinery (C.E.). — There is no black Grape that can 

 be recommended to ripen in your house before Black Hamburgh. Tou 

 may try the Muscat Hamburgh, and it cannot be too well known that 

 Madi-esfield Court Black Muscat, though a late Grape, ripens well in a 

 cool house. Of White Grapes to ripen before Backland Sweetwater there 

 is White Frontignan and Royal Muscadine. The latter, though not a 

 showy Grape, is still a good hardy sort for a cool house. 



Potato (W. J, SJtepk:rdswell).—yi'e cannot be certain of the name of 

 the Potato you sent, but think it is Douglas's Irish Kidney. Do you not 

 think it very hollow in the eye and wasteful in dressing ? As you require 

 a change of seed we would recommend you to change the sort at the 

 same time. 



Trellis for Peach HotrsE [W. C). — The best material for your trellis 

 is iron wire trained horizontally across the rafters, and fixed 9 inches- 

 apart and 12 inches from the glass. In your lean-to house, with trees 

 trained to the back wall, you ought not to trellis the house more than 

 half the distance up the rafters, leaving the upppr portion of the roof 

 clear to allow the sunlight to reach the trees on the back wall. 



EosEs (G.).— Yes, we think Bessie Johnson promises to be a late as 

 well as an early bloomer. Wo know that flowers were upon it on the 

 10th inst. at Mr, Curtis'a, the South Devon Rosery, Torquay, who, you 

 will remember, raised it. 



Clay Soil and Lisie (X. r.2.).— The mixture would be a good top- 

 dressing for light land ; and the clay, after being burnt and mised with 

 lime, would be equally good for heavy land. 



Errata.— In the description of Preston Hall, page 260, third line from 

 the beginning, read "right-hand side" instead of left; and at page 262, 

 and tenth line from the top of second column, read " upwards of 70 lbs." 

 instead of 60, the bunch of fruit having considerably exceeded that weight. 

 At the bottom of first column, page 273, read " frariie " for pane. 



Cherries for a North Wall (A.F. B.).— Morello is the only one worth 

 growing on a north wall. For a west wall you can have Green Gage Plum 

 and the Purple Gage. 



FarriT- growing for Profit (J. H. C). — From the little information in 

 your note, we warn you not to invest your money as you suggest. We 

 ahall pntlish soon some notes on market gardening. 



Planting Flower Beds (Amateur, Cork).— We have no doubt that the 

 bed would look well. We have no faith in Myosotis sylvatiea for the cor- 

 responding bed, but would recommend the common M. palustris, only it 

 requires moisture, which can be had by mulching. M. azorica also would 

 do, only both must have the seeds picked ofi". The other year we noticed 

 a beautiful border of M. palustris at Ashridge Park in August ; we noticed, 

 however, that it was well watered. Mr- Fleming used it largely, and with 

 fine efifect, at Trentham. With some attention the Forget-me-not will last 

 quite as long as Viola comuta, and the latter will stand longer if fresh 

 planted every year. To continue regular and well it should likewise have 

 the soeds removed. If your fancy stones are of a dark colour, or if you 

 make them black with a coat of tar, or, if the smell be unpleasant, with 

 lampblack and oil, then you could not have a more beautiful ring inside 

 of them than Cerastiuni tomentosum. If the stones are of a light 

 whitish coloui', then Osalis corniculata rubra with its dark foliage would 

 look well, with the Pyrethrum inside. 



Frame for Bedding Plants {I. H. M.).~'We would recommend you to 

 have the floor of the pit or frame for preserving plants through the winter 

 a little above rather than under the ground level. We would have no 

 fermenting material beneath ; it will cause more harm in winter by send- 

 ing up damp than it will benefit the plants by the heat. You cannot 

 have anything better for setting your plants on than dry ashes, and kept 

 as dry as possible by taking your plants out as you water them, and 

 letting them drain before you return them. They will be a little safer as 

 respects the roots if plunged to the surface in cocoa-nut fibre. All the 

 hardier bedding plants may be so kept, and there is no better plan for 

 Calceolarias. A little house that you could go into, with a small flue or 

 a hot-water pipe, would in the end be more serviceable and economical, as 

 mats for covering are becoming dearer every year, and one mat will not 

 be sufficient in severe weather without litter over the mat. 



Heating an Aviary (A Suhscriher). — We are not quite sure if you wish 

 to heat a and c, as well as the glass-covered part e. A small conical 

 boiler with the fire inside, with indiarubber fastenings for the pipes, would 

 suit you, as you wish all to be moveable. In all such boilers exposed and 

 set aboveground there is a loss of heat, unless there is a non-conducting 

 covering placed over them, and then the pipes must be higher in the 

 house. If against e, you could place a small furnace and one of Rivers's 

 small flat boilers over it, yoa could heat-all the places comfortably. For 

 economy we would place a brick Amott's stove in b, and if fed from the 

 outside all the better ; if birds are there, place a wire guard round a. 

 If you want heat in a and c, then hive an 18-inch opening at the apex of 

 the c roof, and one close to the floor of each department, and the circula- 

 tion will be ample, though it would be difficult to heat the wire-covered 

 place. This would be the simplest plan. An iron stove may be used 

 instead of brick, but the brick would be the most kindly ; and the bricks 

 could be taken down, though not so easily as the iron stove. An iron 

 stove 15 inches square, with a fireplace of 9 inches in the centre, and 

 height of 24 to 30 inches would be ample. It would be best square, so 

 that the flat top might have a vessel of water placed upon it. 



Heating S^iall Greenhouse (H. (?., Chichester).— Use Shrewsbury's 

 gas apparatus. If you write to the maker and tell him the size of the 

 house, &c., he will inform you of the size and price of the apparatus. 

 {J. Tart).— TJse Shrewsbury's gas-heating apparatus. 



Heating Workshop [An Old Subscriber, Camden Boat?).— Being nearly 

 20 feet square, one large Shrewsbury's gas-heated apparatus would suffice. 

 Tell the maker the size of the workshop. 



Slow-coiieustion Stove (Amiciis).SVe cannot give you any farther 

 details of the stove you inquire about. A good Geranium of the Jean 

 Sisley shade of colour in the list we gave last week, is Blazer— the finest 

 of the bright scarlets. 



Rats Baekin-g Frttit Trees {F. H.).~U you do not wish to destroy 

 the rats, which we presume are water rats, you may di-ess the stems with 



paraffin oil, or you may wrap the stems with a hayband, and coat it all 

 over with coal tar. The rats will not touch the trees, as in doing so they 

 must get the tar on their coats, which they keep most scrupulously clean. 

 If they are ordinary rats poison them by all means. 



LiLicais (0. P.). — The Liliums you name will in a greenhouse start into 

 growth in December, or between that and March, according to the tem- 

 perature. If the pots are protected from frost it is sufficient. 



Gloxinia, Amaryllis, and Vallota purpurea (Bulb Amateur). — 

 Gloxinias to flower in July should be potted in February and forwarded 

 in a stove, or a pit with a stove temperature. Those for August should 

 be potted in March, and those for September in April. The Amaryllis you 

 must retard by keeping them dry in a cool stove until six weeks before 

 you wish them to flower, and then give a brisk bottom heat to start them. 

 Vallota purpurea will ordinarily flower in a greenhouse in September, 

 but may be had in flower earlier by placing it in a gentle hotbed. The 

 plants ought to be in pots when you get them, and if not, should be 

 plotted as soon as received. Pot the Liliums now, winter them in a cold 

 pit or cool house, and protect them from frost. Grow them in a green- 

 house for July, in a cold pit for August, and out of doors for September 

 flowering. Twelve Liliums are not too many to make a good 11-iuch pot. 

 Of Vallota we have a scor^ or more flowering bulbs in a like size of pot. 

 Amaryllis and Gloxinia should be singlo bulbs. 



Pruning Newlt-planted Fruit Trees (F. i?.).— We advise you to 

 prune them at once, and mulch the ground round them with the stable 

 dung you speak of, but we should prefer its being rather littery. 



Viola cornuta and alba Dividing (A Coiistant Subscriber). — The 

 best time is now for securing to each division a fair amount of roots. 

 For late summer flowering March is preferable. It is better for a head 

 gardener to enter a new situation in autumn than in spring. We cannot 

 name the twelve best Lilies for greenhouse decoration in the spring. 

 Liliums are summer and autumn flowering. 



Preserving GERANiuiis (A. B.) — Without a greenhouse, and being 

 ignorant of the convenience you have, wo cannot say how you are to pro- 

 ceed in order to have strong plants in the spring. Either you will need 

 to keep them in a room, dry and safe from frost, or packed in dry sand in 

 a cellar, all the leaves being picked off. Eeep them there safe from frost 

 until March, then pot and place them in a frame over a gentle hotbed. 

 Pansies (E. T^ TT.).— They are common, and only suited for borders; 

 Peaches for Cool House (F. C, Maidstone). — Dr. Hogg, Early Grosse 

 Mignonne, Royal George, Bellegarde, and Walbnrton Admirable. 



CocoA-NUT Fibre Refuee {Mrs. S.). — Apply to Messrs. Earsham & Co., 

 Kingston, Surrey. 



Flower Garden Plans (J. J.).— Tastes differ too much for us ever to 

 furnish a plan. For five postage stamps you can have " Flower Gardening 

 for the Many " free by post from our office. It contains plajis from whicli 

 you can select. 



Pandanus elegantissemus, Maranta Veitchh, and Teritinalia 

 ELEGANS (A Many-ijears Subscriber). — The Pandanus is propagited by 

 offsets, also the Maranta Veitchii. They should be taken off with a fair 

 amount of root, and placed in small pots filled with sandy compost. Put 

 them in a warm close frame, keep them moist, and harden them off after 

 they have begun to grow freely. Terminalia elegans is iacreased by 

 cutting off the growing points, with the base of the cutting firm but not 

 very hard; insert singly in a small pnt placed in one of larger size, 

 covering with a bell-glass, and placing it in a hotbed of from 75^ to 85^. 

 They are all stove plants, and require a compost of two parts loam, one 

 part sandy peat, one part leaf soil, and half a part each lump charcoal 

 and silver sand. Good drainage is aecessary, with moderate pot-room. 

 Water freely when growing, maintaining a moist atmosphere, and shad- 

 ing from bright sun. Temperature 60' to 65^ in winter, eo'' to 70^ at 

 night, 75^ to 90^ by day in summer. Remove all the Walnuts from the 

 husks and store them in layers of dry sand, in a dry cellar. 



Grafting Spruce with Picea nobilis, Pinsapo, &c. (J. D.). — We 

 have no doubt of the possibihty of the graft, but we question its 

 utility, as you will be obliged to use the side branches or growing points 

 of the side branches of the Piceas, and such never form anything but a 

 branch-like tree. Place the stocks in a cold frame, cover them with 

 another frame of larger dimensions, or a frame in a cold house will serve 

 just as well. Graft from the end of August until the scions begin to 

 grow. We consider late in summer the best time to graft. Whiten the 

 glass with a size of skim milk and whiting. Bind with matting and 

 cover with grafting wax. Leave the grafts in the frame uutU the union 

 is complete and the scions are growing, then admit air and harden off. 

 Lilacs and Syringas are propagated by layers and suckers. The former 

 may be made, and the latter taken off and planted now or in spring 

 before they begin to grow. 



Hardiness of Cytisus (Brisbane).— Yon do not say what species it is, 

 but we presume it is C. racemosus, or some of the evergreen kinds used 

 for greenhouse decoration. If it is the kind named we think it likely to 

 be hardy against a west wall. The pot should have enough soil placed 

 against it to cover the rim, and then be mulched with litter. In severe 

 periods protect with mats, removing them whenever the weather is mild. 

 We are not certain that it would survive severe weather with the pro- 

 tection named ; and if you do not wish to risk losing the plant, we should 

 not hesitate to cut away all the roots that are beyond the pot, and any 

 irregularity of growth, and then remove it to the greenhouse. If you 

 have duplicates we should test its hardiness, for we are convinced that 

 many so-called greenhouse plants are hardy in well-drained soils. 



Phloxes frosi Seed (J. TT.).— We can only account for the seed not 

 germinating by its being bad, which is often the case. Sow next March 

 in good light loam, covering the seeds about a quarter of an inch with 

 flue soil, water gently, place in a gentle hotbed, and keep just moist. 

 Place the pots near the glass, and when the seedlings have a pair of 

 rough leaves prick them off in pans at about an inch apart, return them 

 to the hotbed, and when established harden them off and plant them out 

 of doors. Try again, but with ifresh seed. Old seed is useless. We do 

 not credit the assertion you aUude to. Supplying an article is essential 

 to a seedsman's credit. 



Naues op Fruits (Caeopomologist), — Apples,: 1, Trumplngton ; 2, 

 Golden Winter Pearmain; 3, Marmalade Pippin; 6, Dutch Codlin; 

 7, Royal Russet; S, Golden Russet; 9, Yorkshire Greening. Pears: 

 10, Napoleon ; 11, Doyenne Gris; 13, Princess Charlotte. (G. P. G.). — 



