90 



JOUKNAL OF HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ February 2, 1871- 



iolnesa and prudence there would have been loaves in the 

 cupboard instead of empty shelves ; but unfortunately referriDg 

 to the past will not bring the bread, to say nothing of the beef, 

 ■for the present. The greatest kindness to such people would be 

 to give employment, and, in some cases, a little advance to the 

 ■most distressed. In many places a good deal could be done at 

 such jobs as those referred to above, with great benefit to the 

 employed, and often to the advantage, or, at least, the no great 

 loss of the employer. What is thus spent in labour will in its 

 results be a very different affair from that given in mere 

 charity, either personally or through clubs and societies. 



Strawberries in Pots. — On some of the coldest nights, besides 

 •old sashes, we threw a little litter over the pots. The frost, 

 'however, has never icjured us to the extent that mice and rats 

 have done. We have already lost some scores of pots from the 

 buds of the plants being eaten out, and that independently of 

 rings of tar round the beds, trapping, and even shutting cats 

 up where the plants were. Oar losses this year, however, are 

 small in comparison of what we have suffered in some seasons. 

 Forward pots will be all the better of having the blooms dusted, 

 using fine feathers, a camel's-hair pencil, or even a dry hand 

 gently. As lately alluded to, plants coming on gradually, and 

 not yet showing, should be rather under-watered, and no water 

 should stand in the saucers. Hence beginners will be safer if 

 the pots merely stand on boards. 



Peach House. — Owing to alterations and fresh work in other 

 houses, our Peach house is so crammed with plants above and 

 below, as scarcely to give 1 foot of path or moving room. 

 Hanging and other shelves have been so relieved as to permit 

 of Strawberry pots being placed on them, and the fruit trees, 

 irom the heat used to keep all the plants safe, are coming into 

 bloom near the heating medium. For the last fortnight we 

 have scarcely had an hour's sun all put together, and, therefore, 

 -to fertilise the forward blooms, a thin piece of wood, to act in 

 the way of a fan, has been waved over and close to them, so as 

 to help to disperse the pollen, and some very soft feathers, as 

 irom the breast of a partridge, have been used for the purpose, 

 as specified above for Strawberries. These modes are chiefly re- 

 quired in such very dull weather, and they will be most effectual 

 in securing their object when the eun peeps out, if only for 

 -a few minutes. Nothing can quite make up for the want of 

 the sunbeam in such cases, but something may be gained by 

 the modes referred to, and still more by a low temperature in 

 proportion to the weather securing strong blooms, instead of 

 weak ones in a somewhat high temperature uncounteracted by 

 the strengthening rays of direct light. In such weather we 

 would rather have a Peach house below 50"^ than above it at 

 night, with a rise of from 5° to 10^ during the day ; but if the 

 day was sunny, and air given early, however little, and the 

 ^ise in temperature gradual, we would not object to a rise, from 

 sun heat alone, to from 5° to 25° higher. We would far prefer 

 that gradual rise to admitting great blasts of cold, fiosty air. 

 In such cold, unsettled weather, when fire heat must generally 

 be resorted to in the morning, the chief danger will come from 

 a strong fire heat and a bright sun heat being allowed to act 

 together, and this can only be prevented by the care and atten- 

 tion of the person who, in firing and air-giving, attends to the 

 houses. When sun is expected it is always well to let the fire 

 heat become gradually reduced as the sun gains power, and the 

 fire heat again begin to tell as the sun heat declines. 



OENAMENTAIi DEPAETMENT. 



Sere the chief work of routine, as alluded to in previous 

 numbers, has been cleaning, attending to plants in houses, 

 bringing forward Hoses, Deutzias, &c., and bulbs in heat, 

 taking off and inserting cuttings of plants, of which great 

 <iuantities will be wanted in summer, and preparing for sowing 

 such annuals as Lobelias and Petunias. Preparing for slight 

 hotbeds has also occupied some time. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



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

 week. 



Books (Auric^ila).— You. can have tho three books you name free by 

 post from oar office if you name them, enclose eighteen postage stamps, 

 and send your address. (M. G.). — Keane's " la-door and Out-door Gar- 

 denins" contains complete monthly directions for in and out-door 

 cardening. You may have the two Tolumes per post Irom our office for 

 3s. 4(i. in stamps. 



Tax on Gardener— Gun License (Constant Reader).— Yon must make 

 a return of your gardener on the schedule of taxes. Unless you take out 

 ji game certificate, you must have a gun license to entitle your gardener 

 to Bhoot small birds. 



Foreign Nuhsertmen's Psices (G. S.). — We are quite aware that they 

 are much lower than those charged by nurserymen in England, but unless 

 plants are purchased in large quantities the expense of cirriage renders 

 those prices quite as high. Competition is so active here that if a living 

 profit could be made out of lower prices, some nurserymen would soon 

 adopt them. 



Italian Seeds (J. E. B.). — We cannot name plants from seeds. 



Red Lead on Seeds (TF. C. W.). — It has no injurious influenca in any 

 way. The subject was remarked upon in our eighteenth volume. 



Acorns in a Bottle of Water (J, £.).— They are only so treated as a 

 curiosity, so you may keep them there aa long as you please. 



Pears Decaying at their Cores {Europa). — Some varieties are more 

 prone than others to blet like their near relative the Medlar, and those 

 you sent are two of them. Xo reason has been assigned for this. If 

 ripening was hastened by keeping the fruit warm and in the light, tho 

 exterior might ripen before the interior began to blet. 



PAL3I Seeds Sowing {Dclta).~The kinds you name, like all the tribe, 

 are easily raised from seeds, but these are slow in vegetating. They may 

 be sown now singly in small pots in a sandy-peat compost, and the pots 

 should be plunged in a hotbed at 85" or 9D^, and if there is a top heat of 

 70" to 75^, with a rise from sun heat to 85" or 90-, they could not be better. 

 The soil must be kept moist, and a close moist atmosphere is desirable. 

 They may vegetate in from sis weeks to three months, but, if they do not, 

 have patience. 



Abutilon and Lantana Treatment (Idem). — The former is a green- 

 house plant, so is the latter, but both may be used for flower-garden 

 decoration from May to October. We presume they are now kept rather 

 dry. In February, or early in March, prune them if at all straggling, 

 cutting them pretty closely ; indeed, we cut ours closely in, like a Rose 

 bush, to two or three eyes, shake the plants out of the pots, reducing the 

 ball considerably, and repot in a compost of light turfy loam, with one- 

 third leaf soil, and a free admixture of silver sand. Liberal drainage is 

 given, and the plants are sparingly watered for a time, but sprinkled 

 overhead two or three times a-day with aired water, and when they are 

 growing freely liberal supplies of water are given. The plants should be 

 shifted into their blooming pota by the beginning of Jane. A light, airy 

 position in a greenhouse suits them. 



Melon for Frame {C.}.— Your deep wood frame will be suitable for 

 the hardier sorts of Melons. If you can command enough stable dang 

 to fill the frame to within a foot of the glass, you will be enabled, from 

 the bottom heat to grow Beech wood or Heckfield Hybrid, both good, free- 

 setting kinds. We would fill the frame with the hot dung by the middle 

 of April, and when it had settled down, or in a week, we would level it, 

 and put in tbe centre of the bed a ridge of soil from 10 inches to a foot 

 in depth, and with a base twice as great, covering the dung all over about 

 3 inches deep. When tbe compost is warmed through we would turn out 

 tho plants, one at every 2 feet, the end plants being 1 foot from the ends. 

 This is better than planting two plants under each light. When the 

 plants commence to spread their vines, add more soil, so as to cover the 

 bed 10 inches deep. The best compost for Melons is a strong loam, and 

 if turfy all the better. It should be chopped and made firm. No manure 

 is necessary ; but if you cannot obtain hot dung, then you may add to 

 the compost one-fourth of well-rotted manure, mixing it well. Failing the 

 hot dung, you will need to grow what are known as the hardy ridge 

 varieties, and of those Achapesnorricher is the best. The plants should 

 be raised on a hotbed, though the variety named will do sown where it is 

 to remain. 



Roses for Early ELooinNG (H. Foy). — Tour plan of growing Roses 

 in pots plunged in summer and winter, for early blooming in an orchard 

 house, is quite feasible. We should advise their being grown either on 

 the Manetti stock or on their own roots, and amend your list as under : — 

 Pole Eases : Gloire de Dijon, General Jacqueminot, Madame Charles Cra- 

 pelet, Paul Yerdier, Madame Clemence Joigneaux, John Hopper. For Pots. 

 — Hybrid PerpctuaU : Charles Lefebvre, Pierre Netting, Madame Caillat, 

 Alfred Colomb, Boule de Neige, La Yille de St. Denie, La France, Senateur 

 Vaisse, John Hopper, Duke of Edinburgh, Madame la Baronne de Roths- 

 child. Bourbon: Souvenir de la Malmaison, Louise Margottin, Michel 

 Bonnet. Noisettes same as list, Celine Forestier, Cloth of Gold, Marechal 

 Kiel. In addition to these you ought to grow some Tea Boses — viz., 

 Madame Bravy, Madame Willermoz, Madame do Yatry, Marie Ducher, 

 Adam, Souvenir d'un Ami, La Boule d'Or, Alba Rosea. The best soil is 

 the top spit of good pasture loam mixed with one-third good decayed 

 manure, and a few bruised bones and pieces of charcoal; use sifted 

 cinders as drainage. 



Good Roses of Recent Introduction (C. A. Smi/th). — Alfi*ed Colomb 

 Abel Grand, Eerthe Baron, Boule de Neige, Duke of Edinburgh, Elie 

 Morel, Fisher Holmes, Horace Vernet, La France, Madame la Baronne de 

 Rothschi'd, Julie Touvais, Mdlle. Marie Rady, Marguerite de St. Amand, 

 Marie Baumann, Princess Mtiiy of Cambridge, Monsieur Neman, Monsieur 

 Woolfield, Xavier OUbo, Marquise de Mortemart, Madame Creyton, Thyra 

 Hammerick, Adolpho Brongniart. 



List of Roses (Ji.).— Instead of Madame Canrobert, Comtesse de 

 Paris, Meyerbeer, J. Keynes, Alba Carnea, Exposition de Erie, and Al- 

 paido de Eotalier, we should name Charles Lefebvre, Alfred Colomb, 

 La Duchesse de Morny, Madame la Baronne de Rothschild, Monsieur 

 Neman, Madame Caillat, and La France. The others in the list are very 

 good. 



Showy Climber for Greenhouse (Idem).— For winter blooming there 

 is no better climber than Kennedya Marryattie, a scarlet Pea-shaped 

 flower, with handsome trefoil foliage. For spring and summer you might 

 have Clematis Jackmanni, deep violet purple, or Clematis Sieboldi, lUac 

 white with violet stripes. Nearly all the new Clematises are valu- 

 able as greenhouse climbers, and, being hardy, are not injured in severe 

 winters. Tacsouia Van-Volxemi, with pendant (Passion-flower-shaped) 

 scarlet flowers, is also a vei-y free, showy climber, but requires plenty of 

 space. Some of the Tropieolums of the elegans race are well worth 

 growing as greenhouse climbers. Tbe hardy Passiflira c:trulea forms a 

 valuable climber for covering a back wall, as the foliage is very orna- 

 mental, and it will succeed with a north or east aspect. If your green- 

 house has an intermediate temperature we can recommend the old 

 Plumbago capensis, with its soft French-grey flowers, as a very valuable 

 plant trained as a climber, either for a pillar or back wall. 



Cactus Culture (Idcm),—h^s^ Cactuses ought to be kept on shelves 



