October 28, 1871. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



32E 



ground roughly with a wooden rate, gave a Bprinkling of salt, 

 and then placed on the surface enough of the manure to form 

 a covering fully 2 inches in thickness. This covering is chiefly 

 put on in order to save the crowns and buds from severe frosts 

 in winter and spring. 



Cucumbers. — Those which were planted in pots sunk in a 

 •warm bed in a pit, have produced unusually well all the season. 

 We meant to have replaced them before now, but they are still 

 bearing so freely that we do not like to remove them just yet, 

 and therefore have potted some strong plants in 10-inch pots, 

 so that we may keep them in little space until we remove the 

 others. It is likely enough that with a rich, light, top-dressing 

 the plants would bear all the winter, but there is a little more 

 risk with them than with younger plants. We lately took out a 

 plant showing signs of distress ; it bad stood through the sum- 

 mer and winter of 1870. Once we had a plant in a wooden 

 box in a Pine stove that stood and bore well for two winters 

 and the greater part of three summers. Besides frequent 

 pruning and cutting, and frequent rich top-dressings and ma- 

 nure waterings, the peculiar treatment it received was a spong- 

 ing at times of the thick stem to remove greenish incrustations. 

 The cracking of the stem longitudinally, and the consequent 

 damping and decaying at the cracks, destroyed the plant at 

 last. But for curiosity, we do not think there was any real 

 advantage in keeping the plant so long ; for even as respects 

 room Cucumbers may be kept in little space in rather large 

 pots until they are turned out into beds or fruiting pots, so as 

 to show fruit at once. 



We had this plant years before we were troubled >with the 

 disease, as whilst its attacks continued we could find no 

 remedy, except frequent sowing and planting, for after the 

 -disease appeared we were perfectly helpless to save the plants. 

 As we have frequently stated, we are ignorant now what 

 brought it, and what took it away. We met with a fact lately in 

 an establishment where Cucumbers were grown for market. In 

 one house there was not a trace of disease. In another house 

 the plants weie killed ; there was ihe breaking-out guttering on 

 the fruit, and the unmistakeable brownish blotch on the foliage. 

 The glass sashes of this house had been brought a good many 

 miles from a place where they had been used for Cucumber- 

 growing, and where the Cucumbers grown were diseased. The 

 glass and woodwork had been thoroughly washed, bat it would 

 seem that somehow the taint had come with the sashes. Fresh 

 painting might have obviated the evil. We can only say might, 

 for in our own case we have washed glass, woodwork, and walls 

 with water as hot as it could be applied. We have shut the 

 place up, and fumigated it with burning sulphur. We lime- 

 •washed the walls with hot lime and sulphur, ran a paint-brush 

 over all the woodwork, glass sashes included, and then, after 

 a fine growth and gathering a few fine fruit, the disease would 

 again show itself. The famed Cucumber-grower in the case 

 referred to above may consider himself fortunate it the disease 

 is confined to the one old house. We would rather grow any- 

 thing else in it than Cucumbers. 



Mushrooms. — We missed our old shed this summer, as what- 

 ever there might be in the park, there are reasons for our not 

 taking any from thence. We have had a fair supply from the 

 Mushroom house, but not the basketfuls of plump fleshy Mush- 

 rooms we used to have from the shed. We have covered a bed in 

 the Mushroom house with a little litter. It has been spawned 

 about three weeks, and we should like to see the Mushrooms in 

 another three weeks, as the older- beds will be getting thin by 

 that time. This bed was in excellent order when spawned and 

 ■earthed-up, and had just the desirable warmth to entice the 

 spawn to run ireely, but for a few days lately the heat seemed 

 ■to decHne too much, and hence the covering. Besides, this 

 bed, being a shelf bed, we put the most of the material that will 

 he used for another piece in the ground space tor a bed under- 

 neath, and run mats round in the space between, so as to con- 

 fine a little the heat of this fresh material to act on the bed. 

 We can easily regulate this as well as the covering, when 

 the bed shall have become healthily warm again. Too much 

 heat would be injurious, and too little would not so much injure 

 as delay the gathering of the crop. Having a hot-water pipe 

 we could have turned heat on, but that would not have so well 

 •suited our purpose, as two other pieces are coming on, and both 

 beds are yet too hot for spawning ; one, though in otherwise 

 excellent order, and firmly beaten, keeping its strong heat longer 

 •than we expected or wished, as we generally maintain a regular 

 supply, not from large beds, but from small beds following each 

 other. Had we applied the hot water, the house and this bed 

 we are waiting to cool sufficiently would have been heated 



throughout, whilst all we wanted was to give a little extra heat 

 to the first bed we have made this autumn, and this the dung 

 beneath will do, whilst the mats round will prevent the steam 

 affecting the Mushrooms now growing. When we get the 

 desired heat in the bed, not more than the warmth of new 

 milk, we shall remove the mats, and can easily keep down heat 

 and steam by throwing some rough fibrous dry loam over the 

 surface. This, mixed with the manure, will do for another 

 piece of a bed, and we generally make those raised on shelf 

 platforms before the beds on the ground. The material we 

 have often alluded to; horse droppings, with about an equal 

 portion of short litter, is the best, and this should be rather 

 inclined to dryness than to wetness, especially at this season. 

 As often stated, however, we have had fine beds formed chiefly 

 of litter and tree leaves to give an enduring heat, and with 

 from 3 inches of horse droppings on the surface. AH these 

 matters, however, have already been largely dwelt upon. 



OKNAMENTAL DEPAETMENT. 



Besides mowing, cleaning, and rolling, the chief work has 

 been potting, shifting, making cuttings, washing glass, renew- 

 ing glass where broken ; also making arrangements for lifting 

 some plants, for making Calceolaria cuttings in the manner 

 often described for planting and potting Pinks, and for getting 

 Chrysanthemums under cover. — E. F. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered tmtU. next 

 week. 



Epitaph (Stafford]. — Your loss we hnow is very severe, so we do not 

 criticise your letter, but suggest that you should adopt this epitaph and 

 ponder on it3*moral : — " A gardener wandering round the garden, one day 

 asked, ' Who plucked that flower'? ' One of his fellow-labourers replied, 

 ' It was The Master plucked it.' The gardener held his peace." 



Book of Gabden Flahs (A New Beginner}.^-'We know of none except 

 our "Flower-Garden Plans," price 53. 



Mr. RlVEKS's Portrait {Drummond Brothers). — It was finished and 

 suspended in the Council Room of the Koyal Horticultural Society six 

 months ago I 



Leaves of Seedling Fuchsia ((J. Rudd). — They are very rich and 

 unique — one crimson with a black centre, and the other yellow with 

 a green centre and crimson nerves. 



EcHEvERiA fiiETALLicA {Lowcr Nonvood). — We pabKshed the mode of 

 propagation in page 279 of our number of the 12th inst. 



Stove iL. B.). — We cannot grce an opinion of its merits, not knowing 

 anyone who tried it. 



Patent Glass Orchard (F. E.). — We know nothing of the structure. 



Probable Prices of Fruits (J. S. O.^So much depends upon 

 season and quality, that it is impossible even to guess without the pro- 

 bability of misleading. 



Cantua buxifolia Culture { W. D. A.]. — We fail to see in what respect 

 you err in regard to your specimen of Cantua buxifolia. It is a plant 

 usually regarded as of easy culture, requires to be grown in a greenhouse, 

 has even been known to stand out the winter in Devonshire with but 

 shght protection, and should be treated to a compost of light loam, iibry 

 peat, and silver sand. As it is a native of the Peruvian Andes, at a 

 pretty high or considerable elevation, it was expected on its introduction 

 into this country to prove quite as hardy and as easily propagated as 

 Fuchsias. Are you sure you do not keep it too hot ? Your winter tem- 

 perature may be as low as 45° without any detriment. As to bottom heat 

 you cannot do better. 



Rose Difficulties (E. E.). — "I should like to know -whether Roses on 

 the Manetti stock, or those on the Briar, or those on their own roots are 

 the best to grow in made soil ?" No one can tell, unless knowing what 

 the made soil is. If your soil is clayey. Briar Roses will do well in it. If 

 it is of a light character, Manetti Roses will do best. If it is light and 

 extra rich, Koses on their own roots will do well. I am often asked, 

 *' Which do you prefer, Roses on the Briar, on the Manetti, or on their own 

 roots ? " Well, as I am a very high cultivator, I should like all my Roses 

 on their own roots. I buy them on the Manetti stock because they bloom 

 at once, and gel on their own roots within two years. They are then 

 double-rooted. When they become strong on their own roots the Manetti 

 roots will probably deteriorate. The roots of the worked Roses being on 

 tbe surface, injure those of the Manetti stock which are beneath. If 

 your soil is unsuitable to Roses, you must drain it, and mix plenty of 

 decayed dung with it. If it is sandy and you cannot have clay, 

 marl, or loam, procure cbalk or lime. If your land is stiif, mix sand or 

 ashes, and use unfermented manure. Half chalk and half clay is " white 

 land ;" it is the finest soil. There are only two patches of it in the 

 county of Dorset. Broad Clover never fails on it, nor any other crop. 

 Try and copy it. The trenching your land 3 feet deep and putting 

 6 inches of stones at the bottom is good management. If you can obtain 

 some pasture clots, and chop them up, and mix them with the soil, they 

 will do good. If you have cow dung mix it with the sell ; it is excellent 

 manure for Strawberries and Roses, and never injures anything. It is 

 tlie manure for Dahlias and Hollyhocks. Buy the Roses next-named 

 —Perfection de Lyon, Madame Chirard,' E. Morren, Marquise de Cas- 

 tellane, Elisa Boelle, Elie Morel, Baron Chanrand, Comtesse d'Oxford; 

 and for your south frontage, Reve d'Or, Noisette, distinct and of great 

 beauty. — W. F. Radclyffe. 



This Year's Pears. — " T. G." asks, " Have any of your correspondents 

 complained of their fruit, especially Pears, being this year deficient in 

 flavour and in keeping quality •? My Pears are exceedingly deficient in 

 both flavour and keeping, or else my taste is much depraved. This is 



