308 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ April 27, 1871. 



"We also put in our last batch of Coleus and Iresine, as we 

 tbink then we shall have enough to use them fieely, and cut- 

 tings now will form fine plants sis weeks hence. Few plants 

 beat the Coleus for colour, but to have it good the plants must 

 be well-established and not turned out until the first or second 

 week in June. We have prepared a place under glass to re- 

 ceive some hundreds of potted plants. We shall most likely 

 plant a large number out in a bed under glass, as both Coleus 

 and Iresines make plenty of fibrous bushy roots, and, there- 

 fore, will lift we]]. The great inducement to us to turn out 

 bedding plants in beds, turf-pits, &c., is, that with the excep- 

 tion of the first watering at planting, the plants rarely need 

 any more until they are lifted and taken to the beds. In pots, 

 ■the watering must be frequent. — E. F. 



TKADE CATALOGUE RECEIVED. 



George White, 3, JVIoss Street, Paisley. — Catafoaue of Flo'iistsi' 

 Flowers, GreenJiousc, Herbaceous, and BecMinrj-oiit Plants. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



HEDASoiirA TULiPiFEEA [B^eclaroma). — This is now called Geaetyllis 

 tulipifera. It is of the natural order Myrtacea;. 



Pine Apple Cultube [Ten-years Header). — As you need inftrnction on 

 the entire manngement, you had better buy " The Pine Apple Manual." 

 You can have it free by post if you enclose thirty-two postage stamps with 

 your address. 



CoRDYLrNE HELicoNiFOLiA [East Susscx) .—UlAs is one of the many 

 synonymes of Cordyline tertninalis. It is a native of Ceylon. The flowers 

 are wliite. In "The Botanical Register," pi. ]7i9, it is portraited and de- 

 scribed under the name of Draccena teiniinalis, or Sandwich Island Tee 

 P;ant. There is a long description of it there, and in Ellis's " Polynesian 

 Ess^arches." 



GrLLYFLOWEP. [G. C?.).— Although this name is now usually confined to 

 species of the genus Slatthiola, yet it is sometimes now, and was com- 

 monly by the old herbalists, applied to species of Dianthus. 



CnrEEAiiiA Culture (.4 Lady, Cardiaayishire). — A communication in 

 last week's Journal probably contains the information you need. If not, 

 write again, and state the directions you need ; we shall readily reply. 



EosE Geubs — Mae£chal Niel [Howarth Asliton). — The grubs are mo.st 

 probably one of the Rose weevils. There is hardly any way of getting 

 rid of them except handpicking, but tyringing with soft soap and tobacco 

 water will greatly help to keep them in check. The strong shoots of Horechal 

 >'iel have probably been injured by the some grub. If the shoots are cut 

 off it will most likely be found that one of the weevils has eaten down 

 the centre of them. We have seen them eat as far as 5 or 6 inches down 

 the centre of the shoot, and whenever the top leaf turns black it will 

 generally he found that a grub has attacked it. "We cannot account for 

 the Marechal Niel not doing so well this year as last, unless the roots 

 nave gone too deep, and into a subsoil that does not suit it. We should 

 advise surface- dressings to encourage the roots to keep to the surface. 



KosES FOR Pots [M. H. B. L.). — Twenty-four for Pot Culture : Alfred 

 Colomb, Antoine Ducher, Charles Lefebvre, Comtesse de ChabrLUant, 

 Franijois Louvat. John Hopper, Jules IMargottin, Madame Victor Yerdier, 

 Marguerite de Et. Amand, Monsieur Woolfield, Madame la Bavonne de 

 Rothschild, Monsieur Nnman, Scnateur Vaisse, Victor Verdier, Marciuise 

 de Castellane, Elie T'lorel, Marquise de Mortemart, Berthe Baron, 

 Souvenir d'un Ami, Madame Willermoz, La Boule d'Or, Adrienne Chris- 

 tophle, Gloire de Dijon, Marie Sisley. Twenty-four for Out-door Plant- 

 ing : Alfred Colomb, Annie Woofl, Charles Lefebvre, I)uke of Edinburgh, 

 Horace Vernet, La Duchesse da Momy, Madame Caillat. Mdlle. Bonnaire. 

 Maria Baumann, Monsieur Neman, Pierre Notting, Princess Mary of 

 Cambridge, Abel Grand, Baroness Rothschild, Dr. Andry, Elie Moi'el, 

 John Hopper. Lord Macaulay. Madame Clemence Joigneaus, Marcruerite 

 de St. Amand, Mdlle. Marie Rady, Monsieur Woolfield, Senateur Vaisse, 

 Savier Olibo. Climbers: Gloire de Dijon, Celine Forestier, Climbing 

 Devoniensis, Martchal Niel, Triomphe de Rennes, Solfaterre. The 

 above, except Gloire de Dijon, are tender, and require a wail. Standards 

 — Sumvier Eoses : Charles Lawson, Coupe a'Hcbe, Juno, Paul Perras, Paul 

 Eieaut. Hardit Hybrid Perpetuah : Baronne Prevost, John Hopper, 

 Madame Charles Crapelet, Victor Verdier, General Jacqueminot, Antoine 

 Ducher, Vicomte Vigier, William Griffiths. Bourbons as Standards : 

 Saron Gonella, Louise Margottiu, Michel Bonnet, Baronne de Noirmont, 

 Louise Odier, Modele de Perfection. 



Camellia Repotting [Valtevarcda). — Tour plant now in flower and in 

 ■growth we would not repot until the growth is complete — about June ; and 

 we would not pot then if the plant is not in a very small pot, but leave 

 it until nest spring, and then pot before it begins to grow, ii-respective of 

 the flowering. The Camellia is best potted just before it begins t-^ make 

 :iresb growth. All pottings afterwards should be conhned to shifting into 

 larger pots without disturbing the ball. 



Dapicce indica Treatment (E. S.).— Repot the pbmt now, and do not 

 give a lai-ge shift, but remove any loose soil, and repot in as small a pot 

 as you can. Provide good drainage. A compost of two parts sandy peat, 

 one part leaf soil, one part turfy loam, with a free admi?:ture of sharp 

 sand, will grow it well. If legg>-, it may be cat down, and in this c^se 

 you must not repot until the new shoots are 2 inches long. Continue it in 

 hoat until the growth is made, and then remove it to a cold pit, or any 

 cool, airy house. To flower, it requires a temperature o£ ^15^ in winter. 

 The main point is to have the wood well ripened. 



Tree Mignonette Management iTrfcirt).— For flowering throasrbout the 

 winter, or say from Septomber to May, we sow now; indeed, the plants 

 are just up, and when large enough to handle they nre potted off in 8-inch 

 pots and placed in a cold frame. Here Ihey remain with the lights off 

 in mild weathei-, and when the pots are full of roots the plants are 

 shifted into 4^-iuch pots and plunged out of doors in an open situation, 

 affording the plants lenty of room. They have a neat painted sticS, 



about IS inches high, placed to each, so as to keep them erect, and 

 to that they are tied as required. When they show flowers these are 

 pinched off, and repeatedly through the summer. They are shifted into 

 6-inch pots in June, and are put into 9-inch pots at the close of July. 

 Beyond picking off the flowers they receive no training, and we have 

 them pyramids from IS inches to 2 feet high by the close of September, 

 and they bloom all the winter in a temperature of 4Q- to 45' ; indeed, they 

 are now in fine fljwer, and will be so until plants in the open ground come 

 in. The main point is not to allow any great development of flower, but 

 cut it as we do by the handful nearly every day from September to June, 

 as soon as it is sufficiently developed. If the plants are allowed to 

 develope a large amount of flower they soon become poor. A compost of 

 light tm'fy loam two parts, one part sandy peat, and one part old cow dung 

 or leaf soil, with a half part of charcoal in pieces varying from the size of a 

 pea to that of a walnut, will grow them well, adding sand liberally. 

 Good drainage is necessary. Sprinkle them overhead every evening in 

 summer, and every morning in winter, and water so as to keep the soil 

 moist. The kind we grow is Reseda odorata meliorata. It is of vigorous 

 growth, and has fine flowers of an orange red colour. 



Weak Growths of Asparagus (Amateur). — We think it best to cut the 

 weak as well as the strong shoots, for we find it tends to make the strong 

 shoots push more surely, and earlier than they do when the weak shoots 

 are left. We cut all until the end of May, and then allow two or three 

 shoots to rise from each crown, depending for cuttings on those that rise 

 over that number. Some let the^weak shoots grow, cutting only the 

 strong, which is also a good plan.' especially when the beds are thin of 

 plants and the growth weak. We have, however, so few small heads, 

 from the circumstance that we thin out all the weak shoots in the pre- 

 vious year, that they would not be worth leaving ; bat if our beds in 

 general produced small heads we should leave them, cutting only those fit 

 for table. Late-continued cutting is ruin to Asparagus. 



Peaches Falling (Idevi^.—V^e should give the trees a good watering 

 the first dry weather afti?r May, not a dribble, but a good soaking, and 

 mulch the border with short manure. A good watering should be given 

 every fortnight, or every week if the weather he very dry and hot, up to 

 the fruit commencing ripening, and then discontinue it. Every evening 

 during dry, hot weather the trees should be syringed, commencing in 

 June, and continuing until the fruit begins to ripen. In moist weather 

 the syringing and watering will not, of course, be required. 



Vine Border, Uscovertng [Idem). — The removal of the material is 

 dependant on the state of the Vines. If forcing was commenced in 

 January, or earlier, the heating materials ought not to be removed 

 until the end of May or beginning of June ; but if the material be con- 

 fined to a covering of litter, the earlier it is removed after April the 

 better. 



Vines (J. 0. JV.).— We think that you have done right in promoting 

 growth the first vear so as to encourage roots, and also in cutting well 

 back the first season. Why not continue such a good system ? We, there- 

 fore, would not at first stop the leading shoots, nor yet the laterals, so 

 short as you propose. You will thus, no doubt, earlier ripen the wood, 

 b:it you will diminish strength and lessen root action. We should say, 

 let your leading shoot grow 2 or 3 feet longer than you have to prune 

 back to next season. When you stop it let the lateral grow a foot or two, 

 or more, without stopping, and instead of stumping-in the side laterals 

 allow them to grow a joint or two without stopping at first. That will 

 add to the strength of the rod. About July begin to shorten them back, 

 and provided the laterals at the point of the stopped shoot are running 

 by August and September, remove all the laterals downwards on the 

 shoots, so that the sun may play on the large bud at each leaf, and thus 

 wood and bud be ripened. Your proposed plan of short-stopping in this, 

 the second year, is liable to be attended with two drawbacks— first, the 

 growth will be diminished, and secondly, there is a danger that from so 

 much early close pinching you will induce the buds intended for nest 

 season to "break prematurely this season. As to your Vine border for 

 next season, depend chiefl7 on your fine fibrous sods. Your horse droppings 

 to be used safely should be kept dry and mixed with enough of quicklime 

 to destroy all fungus. Then to a cartload of the fibrous sods mellowed 

 and sweetened, yon may add a couple of bushels of your charcoal, the 

 same of lime rubbish, the same of the sweetened horse droppings, and 

 about one bushel of the half-inch bones. We would have nothing to do 

 with ashes from wood, decayed weeds, and other garden rubbish, nor yet 

 would we use soot in the compost. Good loam, lime rubbish, and a little 

 charcoal, and more bones than stated above, would answer well for Vines, 

 ■ and von could add dung as a top-dressing, or mulching, removing it and 

 adding fresh every year. Soot, and weeds, and wood ashes, &.C., all tend 

 to make a greasy unctuous mass, in which the roots ere long refuse to 

 thrive. 



Vine Management the First Year (1852).— We presume your Vines, 

 planted last December, were pruned to the bottom of the rafters, or to 

 where you wish for side shoots. As they are now pushing freely you will 

 take the shoot from the uppermost eye straight up, not stopping it at all 

 until it is within a foot of the extent you ultimately wish, and then pinch 

 out its point. This cane will put out laterals, which we would stop at the 

 first joint, and then allow any further growths to be made at will, except 

 on hall the upper part of the cane ; the laterals there we would keep 

 pinched back to one joint. If the Vinos are strong you may have two or 

 four side shoots in addition to the principal cine, but if they are not 

 strong do not allow them to grow unless you require side shoots below 

 tho point to which you pruned in winter ; then yuu must leave them at 

 every 9 inches, but on opposite sides of the rod, so that they will be 

 IS inches apart on each side. Allow them to gmw until they show fruit ; 

 if not fruiting they will have tendrils at the fifth or sixth joint, and at 

 that take out the point of the shoots, or if fruiting at one joint beyond 

 the bunch, and stop all laterals from these shoots at the first leaf, and 

 stop to that afterwards throughout the season. All buds or shoots other 

 than those mentioned should be rubbed off. 



CHRYSANTHE5IU3IS STOPPING (W. X Y.).— Take out the point of the 

 plants from cuttings when 6 inches high, and stop them agaia early in 

 Jxme and about the middle of July. 



Mignonette in Pots for Exhibition in July [A. II.)-— We presume by 

 four pots that four plants only are meant, one in each pot : but as you say 

 there is no limit to number of plants nor size of pots we should have three 

 plants, and for so early as July grow them in 9-iDch pots. Sow in March 

 in gentle heat, and when up remove to a house ^ith a temperature of 50', 



