5U 



JOURNA.L OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



t December 23, 1371. 



potted bnlba in a little heat to draw the roots down, whilst the 

 tops of the pots are help cool. We also often aseist the free 

 lising of the fiower-stem by means of funnels of paper, or even 

 a pot of smaller size placed over the other containing the balb, 

 "Window gardeners who possess no hotbed, and who yet wish to 

 have early bulbs, as Snowdrops, Crocus, Hyacinths, and Talips, 

 in their window, should pot the bulbs earJy, and place them in 

 any dark place where the roots will be encouraged to develope 

 themselves before the flower-stem. A dark closet or cellar is 

 the proper place, and the pots will be all the better if plunged 

 in either sand, ashes, or moss, and covered with a little of the 

 same material. When the pots are full of roots they may be 

 brought to the window as the tops are beginning to show. 

 These if covered up will have a yellowish tinge, and should not 

 be fully exposed to the light until they become somewhat green. 

 If wanted early, the pot or funnel over them will help both pro- 

 cesses, and the rooting may be hastened by some weeks in this 

 manner. The pots are set on as above, not in saucers, and as 

 thickly as they can stand, with a little moss or sawdust stufied in 

 between them, and whilst no water is given to the pots, warm 

 water about 90^ is poured on the moss or sawdust, and extra 

 heat thus supplied to the bottom of the pot. We found we could 

 giin as much as three weeks in full rooting by this process, 

 and by continuing it the flowering was also earlier. We also 

 found a good plan for getting early bloom without the help of 

 a hotbed was to place a 5-ineh pot into a 6-inch pot, fill the 

 bottom of the large pot with moss, and the space between the 

 pots with moss or sawdust, and then water between with water 

 at from 90° to 100''. Allow the flat or saucer, which even then 

 is a little distanse from the bottom of the inside pot, to remain 

 fall. Each pot thus has a hotbed for itself. Where room is 

 an object, the outer pot should be dispensed with as the bulb 

 -comes into flower, taking care, however, that no violent check 

 is experienced. In watering the temperature should never be 

 colder than the heat of the room, say from 60^ to 65°.— R. F. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Dickson & Co, 1, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh.— CafaZo^^^e of Forest 

 and Ornamental Trees and Shrubs, Conifers, HJiododendrons, dx.— 

 Descriptive List of Gladioli. 



B. S. Williams, Victoria and Paradise Nurseries, Upper HoUoway, 

 London, N. — Descriptive Catalogue of Floiuer, Veqetahle. and Aari- 

 cuUural Seeds, 1S7-2. J . y 



J. Wheeler & Son, Gloncester, and 59, Mark Lane, London. — 

 Wheeler & Son's Little Book, or Select Seed List for 1872. 



Sutton & Sons, Keading. — Suttons" Amateur's Guide and Spring 

 Catalogue for 1872. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



A.B. — Many questions must remain, unanswered until nest 

 week. 



Address {A. CncJ-eft).— Mr. West died two years since. 



Exchange CoLUirN (C. F. H., Dorset).~V7e are willing to insert ex- 

 change advertisements not exceeding two lines for Is. It is not our fault 

 th&t so few have availed themselves of this facility, which, on looking 

 back, you will find we offered long ago. 



Anti-cloche (An Old Lover of Horticulture). —Vte can onlyinsert it as 

 an advertisement, for -vvhich the charge would be heavy. 



Roses for a Trellis (H. £■.).— Gloire de Dijon, yellow; Bonle de 

 Aeige, white; Alfred Colomb, red: John Hopper, rose: and AOel Grand, 

 pink. 



Apples and Peaes for Espaliers (A Subscriber, Tre?and.— Apple trees 

 should be worked on the Paradise, and Pears on the Quince stock. Some 

 varieties of Pears do not succeed on the Quince, but may be worked on 

 the Pear. Trees three years old from the graft, specially trained, would be 

 the best to plant. Horizontal-trained wall trees as sold in the nurseries, 

 will answer your purpose. It will be best to train your Vine in through 

 a hole in the brickwork at the base of the wall. The mulching which the 

 border should receive in winter will cover that part of the stem exposed. 

 The trellis to which the Vines are trained should be 15 inches from the 

 glass. 



_ Temperature for Tree Carnations (S. C.).— To ensnre the flower- 

 ing at this period of the year they require a temperature of 50- at ni^ht 

 and 5- higher in the day, admitting air freely with an advance from sun 

 heat. Give them abundance of air and light, and keen them near the 

 glass. 



Variegated Hollt Propagating (Idem).~The variegated kinds are 

 raised by grafting ou stocks of the common or green HoUv, and the best 

 time to do this is in March. They may also be raised from cuttings of 

 the ripened summer shoots, put in during November on a north border, 

 and covered with a hand-glass. 



Repotting Pelargoniums (Idem). — It should be done at once, not 

 giving a large shift, as you wish them to flower earlv : but if they are 

 already in good-sized pots, we should not advise their being repotted. 



Mulching Newly-planted Fruit Trees (F. J.).— Two to 3 inches of 

 stable litt< r is not too much to put about newlv-planted fruit trees. It mav 

 be put aU over the ground, or in a circle of about 3 feet around each. If pat 

 over the whole surface it could be pointed-in during the sprin« and 



would be a means of enrichin« the soil. Prune newly-planted pyramids, 

 bushes, &e., very little, merely taking off the irregular or unnecessary 

 growths, whicti is all these trees require at the winter trimming. The 

 principal pruning should be done in summer. It is better to prune at 

 planting than in spring. 



Sutton's Order List {Je_^). — Your note is an advertisement. We 

 have seen their list, and agree with you that it is one of the most useful 

 published. 



Weeping Trees {B. A.). — There is no known system of "raising" 

 weeping trees, nor can we account for some trees producing their shoots 

 pendulously, whilst others grow erect. Some are species and others sports, 

 but none that we are aware of have been raised from seed, nor a pendulous 

 habit induced by any forethought of man. Weeping trees are propagated 

 by grafting on stocks of kindred species at the height of stem required. 

 The sprig of shrub enclosed to us in flower is the Strawberry tree, 

 Arbutus Unedo. 



Orange Tree Leaves Browned (J. D.).— The leaves enclosed to us 

 are very badly browned, which we think may be owing to dressing with 

 some compound, or perhaps to their being constantly wet from syring- 

 ing or drip frora^ the roof. The cause of falling is probably due to potting 

 at this season, which has occasioned -a check, and brought on the affection 

 you complain of. It woald be well to give the plant the benefit of a mild 

 bottom neat of 65- to 70-, so as to induce a good root action, and if that 

 is done we think the foliage would be better. It is evidently the Man- 

 darin Orange (Citrus nobiUs). 



EosES IN Pots (P. Paget). —The Roses in the coolest part of the con- 

 servatory should be kept rather dry until the early part of February, and 

 pruned. If not already potted do it now, and defer pruning a fortnight. 

 Hyacinths coming into flower would be benefited by the application of 

 weak liquid manure. 



Rose (J. Carr) — We do not know Madame Harriott. There is one 

 named Madame Barillet. 



Twestt-foue Dwarf Koses {M. A. B.). — Alfred Colomb, Charles Le- 

 febvre, Marie Baumann, Baroness Rothschild, La France, Gloire de 

 Dijon, Cecile de Chabrillant, Duke of Edinburgh, 3Iargaerite de St. Amand, 

 Dr. Andry, Senateur Vaisse, John Hopper, 4bel Grand, Emilie Hausburg, 

 Victor Verdier, Mons eur Noman, Pierre Notting, AldUe Engenie Verdier, 

 Countess of Oxford, Duchesse de Caylus, Marquise de Castellane, Edou- 

 ard Morren, Xavier Olibo, Mdlle. Marie Rady. Add to these as Teas — 

 Souvenir d'un Ami, Madame Willermoz, Belle Lyonnaise, Souvenir 

 dEIise. 



EprPHTLLr3r3 for Grafting on Pereskia Stocks (W. W.).-~E. trun- 

 catum var. Kuckerianum. tricolor, vioiaceum Snowii, salmoneum margi- 

 nitum, roseumamabile, Kussellianum, magnificum,albo-lateritia,albo-vio- 

 lacenm, purpureum, Bridgesii, aurantiacum, and E. speciosum superbum. 



Iron Stakes for Roses (Clyde). — Iron, from their durability, are supe- 

 rior to wood stakes, and are not injurioas to the roots. You may fruit 

 pot Vines the year after being raised from the eye, but additional care is 

 necessary to do so with the apparatus you name. The canes should be 

 strong and wcll ripened. 



Ccltup.e of Heaths (Amateur). — The culture of Cape Heaths has 

 been treated of repeatedly in our previous volumes, bat some hints will 

 shortly be given on their calture and varieties. 



Select Plants (A Beginner). — Three Heaths to flower in October or 

 November are Erica colorans, E. arbuscula, and E. caffra. Twelve Green- 

 house Ferns are Adiantum cuneatum, Lomaria gibba, Asplenium dimor- 

 phum, Cheilanthes elegans, Davallia pysldata, Gleichenia dicarpa, Neo- 

 topteris australasica, Nephrolepis tuberosa, Pteris scaberula, Adiantum 

 snlphureum, Asplenium Veitchianum, and Lomaria Belli. Six Show Pe- 

 largoniu-nvi—Ch.Q.T\es Turner, Cliribel, Cycle, Emperor, Maid of Honour, 

 ana Troubadour. Sis Fancy — East Lynn, Fanny Gair, Princess Teck, 

 Marmion, Formosa, and Pink Perfection. Sis titove i^erns— Adiantum 

 farleyense, Asplenium praemorsum, Gymnogramma Laucbeana, G. Wet- 

 tenhalliana, Polypodium appendiculatum. and Davallia polyantha. Sis 

 Achimenes — Ambroise Verschaffeit, RoUinsoni, Multiflora major, Mar- 

 guerita, Purpurea Magnifica, and Sir Treheme Thomas. Sis Fine-foliaged 

 Plants Suitable for Table— Crotou angustifolium, Maranta roseo-picta, 

 Mvrtus microphylla, Dracjena regLna, D. Cheisoni, and Terminalia 



Cyclamens (Cijclamen).— Yon must apply to any of the leading florists 

 who advertise in our columns. 



Peas of Moderate Height (George Yardley). — Ist, Early — Dickson's 

 First and Best, Kentish invicta. 2nd, Midseason and Main — Princess 

 Royal, and Maclean's Premier. 3rd, Late — Yorkshire Hero, and Dwarf 

 Branching. They do not esceed 4 feet in height, 



Mrs. Pollock Geranium Leaves Browned (S. Hiscoe). — The leaves 

 sent appear to have suS'-^red from cold and damp, and we consider 

 these to be the causes of their present condition. They should have a tem- 

 perature of 45- to 50- at night to keep the leaves in good condition, with 

 no more water than is sufficient to keep the leaves from becoming limp 

 or flagging. One watering at a time should be snffioient, without going 

 over twice at an interval of half an hour. Admit air moderately, avoiding 

 cold cutting currents. 



Tulips not Flowering (A Constant Subscriber). — It is not difficult to 

 have Tulips in flower at Christmas, but it is necessary that they be potted 

 early and placed on a gentle hotbed, with very little top heat after they 

 have been on a cold bottom for a month. Early in Novembor theyahould 

 be put in a house with a temperature of 45", increasing to 50- to 55^ at 

 night at the close of that montb, and should be near the glass to keep 

 them from drawing. Another essential is to choose the early kinds, as 

 Due Van Thol, Pottebakker, &.c. 



Tulips Out-doors (Idem). — Tulips do not increase in size of balb from 

 year to year, and seldom improve in size or blooming qualities on those 

 imported. Of course they continue to attain a full dowering size, and 

 give a number of offsets that in course of two or three years come to a 

 flowering state ; in that way they improve. 



Cotton Waste Hotbed (E. If.).— It is formed in the same way as a 

 bed of dung, but being of a greater heat-giving nature it is not necessary 

 to make it so high. It is best used in a brick pit, though one with sides 

 ol boards will answer well. We have made the outside of stable litter, 

 and then filled up the centre with the waste. Four feet high at back and 



