April 6, 1871. ] 



JOUENAL OP HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



261 



and tben setting them in a vinery to complete the growth, continuing 

 them in a house at a temperature of from 40° to 45'^ from fire heat in 

 ■winter. They are the better, however, of a cool stove temperature at all 

 times. 



CrcLAiiEN HEDERiEFOLiusi CcLTURE (T. W.). — We conclude your plant 

 is C. repandum (C. hederfefolium of some). It flowers in April, producing 

 bright red flowers, or it may be C. neapoUtanum, also C. hedercefoUum of 

 some, "Which has bright rosy pmk flowers in September. The corms of 

 the former, and, indeed, all Cyclamens out of doors, should have a cover- 

 ing of not less than 1^ inch in thickness, and we give ours a top-dressing 

 of partially decayed leaves. We find the following do well on the slightly 

 elevated parts of rockwork, shaded from the direct midday rays of the 

 SUD, east aspects being most suitable, though tbey do well in the w«st— 

 C. coum, bright red, flowering in February and March; C. europceum, 

 red, flowering at the end of summer, and fragi-ant ; C. neapolitanum, 

 rosy pink, September; C. repandum, April; and C. vemum, red, like 

 C. coum, but with a slightly marbled leaf. Of these C. neapolitanum is 

 the most free-growing, doing well in not very shaded woods, particu'arly 

 on their margins, where there is a deposit of vegetable matter. We have 

 seen corms nearly 6 inches in diameter producing hundreds of flowers. 

 Such plants as these by walks in woods are as much gems in autumn as 

 Primroses are in spring. It is remarkable they are not more extensively 

 planted. The ground must be free of stagnant water. 



List of Roses (A Cottage Gardener], — All the Ptoses in the list are 

 Hybrid Perpetuals, except Charles Lawson, which is a Hybrid Bourbon, 

 and one of the finest summer Eoses grown. We do not know John Grier 

 or Due d'Anjou ;a\\ the rest are rightly spelt except Duchesse de Medina- 

 CceU and Madame Charles Crapelet. 



Peuning Ivy (IF. IF. Jlf.).— There are two sides to most questions, and 

 yours relative to the Ivy is not an exception. The advantage of cuttlng- 

 in pretty closely now Ivy on a wall is, that the Ivy is kept near the wall, 

 and you will have a mantle of beautiful fresh green in a few weeks. The 

 disadvantage is, that for a short time the Ivy will look rather bare and 

 stunted. Where this would be a drawback, we would shorten-back for 

 one senson. But where there is not a pretty close trimming, the Ivy in 

 time would get too heavy and come too far from the wall. We should 

 prune now. 



Edging for Yellow Calceolaria Bed (J. W.). — If there is room we 

 would prefer a narrowfringe of Cerastium, and tben Purple EiugVerbena 

 in front of the Calceolaria. Good plants of Lobelia would do equally 

 well. A fine edging would be formed of Iresine Lindeni kept low. 



Heating a Pit ey a Flue (A Sufescrf&fr).— There can be no question 

 as to beating such a pit by a flue. For a small place like it, we would 

 have the flue ad round, and place it on the floor of the pit, sinking the 

 stokehole all that more, so that the fire-bars of the small fireplace should 

 be IS inches beneath the level of the bottom of the flue. If you studied 

 economy in materials, the present front wall and back wall might f jrm 

 the outer sides of the flue. You would not obtain so much heat as if the 

 flue stood detached. For 2 feet from the furnace we would make the flue 

 of brick-on-bed, all the rest we would make of two bricks on-edge, and 

 just so wide as to be covered with a 9-ineh ti;e, or even a brick laid across. 

 If you have the means we consider that a chamber a foot or so over the 

 flue would be best. The cheapest mode we have ever tried was using 

 rough slabs of wood to go across, and then fiUing-inthe rather open 

 spaces between them with brickbats and very rough mortar. These 

 allowed the heat to rise pretty freely. Where slate or stone cannot bo 

 used for chambering, we would, however, dispense with the chamber, and 

 as you propose, fill-up the space with clinkers, brickbats, &c. We once 

 had a pit that did such service as never was beaten with hot water or any 

 other mode of heating. In this case the flue, instead of being close to 

 the sides, was fully IS inches from the sides, back and front. That space 

 back and front, as well as the space between the flues, was filled-up w.th 

 bats and clinkers in as loose a state as possible, so as to form in reality a 

 chamber. On this rough rubble, a little above the level of the flue, at 

 back and front in the centre of eash light we set an upright drain-pipe 

 of 4 inches in diameter, the lower end resting on a common house-slate, 

 but raised above it half an inch by three pieces of tUe placed beneath it. 

 The object of this was not merely to let the heat up, but by pouring 

 water down to set that water spreading over the stones near the flue 

 without ever drenching the flue itself. With a wooden plug in these 

 pipes ory top heat or moist heat could be had at will. Over the bottom 

 of these pipes and the top of the flues more open rubble wag placed, 

 finishing with a layer of clean-washed small gravel as the bottom of the 

 bed of earth, small enough on the top to permit the earth being taken 

 clean away without disturbing the bed. As your pit is divided bya brick 

 waU, you might have a moist atmosphere in one division for Cucumbers, 

 a moist atmosphere also in the division for Melons when growing, and a 

 dry atmosphere to give them flavour when ripening. If you can contrive 

 openiuijs at the end for cleaning tho flue, we would prefer the flue, if 

 small, to go all round, as thus less heat would be lost. If you cannot 

 well do so, we should be satisfied with a 14-inch flue along the middle of 

 the pit. We have seen splendid crops of Cucumbers with flue heat. If 

 you had a little house, say 10 feet in width and a rather steep roof, so 

 that you could walk inside, then we would say have a strong flue round 

 the house, shut in the front by a wall, make a clinker bed as above below 

 the soil, and leave the back flue exposed for top heat. 



Annuaj.s foe Flo wee Beds {A. C.)— Annuals wiU do very well in such 

 beds if you take the trouble to pick ofi" the seed-pods. The following would 

 look well, and a penny or twopence worth of each would do. For the large 

 centre bed or border :— Centre with Prince's Feather, a ring round of Love- 

 lies-bleeding, a ring roimd of Erysimum Perofi'skianum, then Clarkia pul- 

 chella, and finished with Clarkia pulcbella alba. The two side beds would 

 look well filled with Saponaria calabrica, and Silene pendula, or Sileuo 

 peudula in the middle, and an edging of blue Nemophila, sowing rather 

 thinly, and sowing again at the end of June. For a lower bed in the 

 centre you might have the Erysimum mentioned above— that stands well, 

 then Clarkia pulchella, Clarkia pulcbella alba, finishing with Silene ruber- 

 rima. These may be sown among the bulbs now, and the bulbs will 

 suffer little from being left in the ground, but you will make a better job 

 and more regular beds by allowing the bulbs to ripen, or taking them up 

 carefully so as to ripen elsewhere, and sowing at once. If you allow the 

 bulbs to ripen in the beds, then fix on a piece of ground, make it rather 

 rich for 2 or 3 inches on the surface, cover with a little fine soil, and 

 sow the seeds thickly in little drills; then when the beds are empty 

 and all ready, lift the little plants with a trowel in little patches, and plant 



these little patches regularly in your beds. Tou may turf now, but hardly 

 with safety, unless the turf be taken up pretty thick and you place it in a 

 tub of water to soak before laying it down. If you cannot do this, you 

 had better defer turfing until the autumn. 



CoiTPOST FOR Geranidms, &c. (A Subscriber).— GeTa.iiium3 succeed 

 well in a compost of two parts light loam from rotted turf, one part leaf 

 soil, or one part of thoroughly decayed dung, with a free admixture of 

 sand. The compost for Cinerarias may consist of two parts light fibrous 

 loam, one part leaf soil, half ap.trt each of sandy peat and old hotbed 

 mauure, and one-sixth of silver sand. For Fuchsias use three parts 

 loam and one part each of old cow dung and leaf soil, with a free ad- 

 mixture of sharp sand ; for Balsams, two parts light loam and one part 

 old hotbed manure ; for Primulas, two parts fibrous light loam, one part 

 leaf soil, half a part of old cow dung, one part of sandy peat, and half a 

 part of silver sand. The whole of the materials should be well mixed, 

 and the loam chopped fine but not sifted. As regards the propagating" 

 house, write to some of the horticultural builders who advertise in this 

 Journal, stating what you require, and asldug for an estimate. 



EtJCHARIS A3IAZ0NICA TO FLOWER FoUR TiMES IN A SEASON (.4 Ladlf 



ill Cheshire). — We know some who flower this plant by placing it for a 

 time in bottom heat until it makes a good growth, and then remove it 

 for about six weeks to a drier and cooler place, and afterwards re-intro- 

 duce it to bottom heat and a moist atmosphere. This is said to cause it 

 to flower as required. We have no experience, however, of that practice^ 

 and anyone having successfully flowered it four times in a season would 

 oblige us by particulars of treatment. 



Queen Anne's Pocket Melon (W. IF.).— It may be had through any 

 of the seedsmen who advertise in our columns. 



Thyrsacanthus rtjtilans fob December (Idem), — The cutting? yon 

 insert in a few days will no doubt form plants which will flower in Decem- 

 ber, but these will not be fine. You will, of course, place the cuttings in 

 bottom heat, aud when struck transfer them to larger pots as soon as the 

 roots in the cutting pots reach the sides, again place the plants in bottom 

 heat, and continue them in it until they are rooting freely, then withdraw 

 them by degrees, and remove them to a late vinery or other house where 

 there is a brisk heat and moist atmosphere, and by August thfiy will need 

 their final shift, which will be determinable by the size and condition of 

 the plants. Large shifts are not to be commended. In September afford 

 a light, airy position in a warm house, giving no more water than enough 

 to keep the foliage fresh. In October they should be placed in a house 

 with a temperature of from 60^ to 65^ at night, aud from 70° to 75° by 

 day ; and if bottom heat be at command, plunge the pots, and the plants 

 may flower at the time you require. Old plants would serve you better^ 

 and flower under ordinary treatment in a stove at the time you name. 



Khododendron Flower Buds Injured { W. H,), — The bud enclosed to 

 us is eaten by the larva of some insect, but what we cannot determine 

 in the absence of a specimen. The bud sent was not destroyed. It 

 would have flowered had the damage proceeded no further. 



Beta beaziliensis Treatment (H. C). — We should prick ofi" the 

 plants just coming up, as soon as they are large enough to handle, into 

 other pans about an inch apart, and continue them in a frame with a 

 gentle heat until they have recovered from the removal, and then plant 

 them out in the open ground in May after being well hardened ofi" in a 

 cold frame. They should have deep rich soil and an open situation. On 

 their full-leaf development depends their efi'ect. Good ordinary garden. 

 soil answers well. 



Seedling Cineraria (E. P, Y.).— The flower is large and showy, but 

 is altogether defective as a florists' flower. 



Sutton's Red-skinned Flourball— President Lincoln Potato 

 (G. (?.). — We do not know the American variety you naine. We sent your 

 inquiry to Mr. Fenn, and he replies: — "I can perceive no difi'erence 

 between Sutton's Red-skinned Flourball and the American Red Potato. 

 Whether one or the other is sailing under the synonymy of President 

 Lincoln I cannot say, further than that it is very likely to be the case ; 

 but this I do know, if the renaming of the American Red goes on as it has 

 begun, it bids fair soon to outdo, in the matter of aliases, our old English 

 *' Grammar," and that will tend to confusion worse confounded. I believe 

 there is a Potato called President Lincoln, and I trust it is bettor than 

 any of those Ameiican sorts which I have proved, more worthy than them 

 to commemorate the name of so great a benefactor of his species." 



Grafting with Weeping Ash (A Novice in Gardening). — The main 

 point is to procure some nice common Ash stocks with clean stems, and 

 of the required height (9 to 12 feet), and stout, so as to stand without 

 support. Take the scions from the Weeping Ash, the moderately strong 

 growths of last year before they begin to swell the buds, and insert their 

 ends in damp soil in a shady place. When the buds of the stock begin to- 

 swell, cut ofi' the head down to where you wish to graft, choosing a smooth 

 part of the bark, and put on the scion there in the same way as you would 

 an Apple or Pear, tying and claying in the same way. Whip grafting is 

 perhaps the most eligible method. You will find full particulars respect- 

 ing grafting in the " Science and Practice of Gardening," which may be 

 had free by post from our office if you send Ss. 3^d. with your address. 



Red-leading Peas (Idem). — Steeping the Peas in train oil and sulphur 

 not proving effectual, we advise you to try red lead. Moisten the Peas 

 thoroughly with water, dust over them red lead, and then stir them 

 with a piece of wood until every Pea is covered with red lead. We put in 

 about three pinches of red lead to a quart of Peas, a pinch being as much- 

 a3 can be lifted between the finger and thumb. It does not in any way 

 interfere with the growth of the Peas. ^^Ji 



Otaheite Orange infested with Scale (F. E. P.). — The brown 

 spots on the leaf sent are the Orange Scale (Coccus), and their secretions 

 are the honeydaw you speak of, which in time is possessed by a black 

 fungus. If you remove the scale, the honeydew and black mould or fun- 

 gus will disappear. Pick off the brown spots whUst young or soft with the 

 point of a knife, and wash the leaves on both sides with a solution of soft 

 soap, 2 ozs. to the gallon, as hot as the hand can bear, dropping into the 

 solution about twenty drops of spirits of turpentine. 



Puzzling Ants (Q), — If the fruit trees in your orchard house are in pots, 

 set them on bricks in saucers full of water. If not in pots, have small vessels 

 of water, say formed of zinc, an inch wide and an inch deep, to set round 

 the plant. A little wadding, the outside dipped in oil and soft soap, and 

 tied on tho stem, will prevent them rising. If on a wall outside, .the best 

 plan is to syringe the wall well with a clear solution ;^of limejand soot 



