310 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ April 27, 1871. 



Nothing can be simpler than Ihe mode of planting the central grotip- 

 We are a little coofased as to the numbering, as ^ye cannot find No. 6 ; 

 but we presume it must have been intended as a couple of the four of 

 No. 5. Here we would lite you to remark, that in the twelve clumps 

 in a circular form there are just three fours that are planted _ alike, 

 and if every one of these twelve beds round the central fountain had 

 been planted differently, ihere would not have been the tithe of satisfac- 

 tion derived that there' will be from the balancing of three distinct modes 

 of phmting. We are not quite sure as to all the beds being edged with 

 Oerastium, hut if they are, then we would like a double edging inside for 

 some of them, such as blue for yellow, and purple for pink. &c. Then of 

 ■the four lO's in a parallelogram shape, we prefer those with the diagonal 

 lines across done with Coleus Vers chaff el ti, and the angles, or triangles 

 rather, fiUed with Flower of the Spring and Mrs. Pollock Geraniums, with 

 a slight line of blue inside the Oerastium edging. Of all the pretty 

 •Coleuses. the only one we have met with to be depended on for out-door 

 work is Coleus Verschaffelti, and we have made many trials of whites 

 and yellows to group with and show off its rich colours. Let us here 

 note, for the benefit of our correspondent and our readers, that Mr. Alex- 

 ander McEay, jun., of Woburn Abbey, has, so far as we are aware, beaten 

 us all in finding the richest harmonious contrast for the Coleus. The 

 single large bed of the Coleus at Woburn last year was edged with a 

 double row of the Polenionium cieruleum variegatum, and we can only 

 say that that single bed has been a thing to think and dream about ever 

 since. The nest best planting of that bed at Woburn w.as when it was sur- 

 Tounded with a fine uniform belt of rather old white plants of Cineraria 

 maritima. We planted out much more of the Coleus than Mr. McKay. 

 We know of places where, perhaps, ten times the number of plants 

 were put in, and all were admired in the various combinations, but this 

 Polemonium, with its shades of green, white, and yellow, and the cut 

 artistic form of its leaves, seemed just fitted for the rich crimson of the 

 Coleus. We should be glad to hear of a better edging. We say to the 

 possessor of this fine garden at Hazelhurst, and to our readers generally, 

 Try at least a small bed if you can, and report to us the result. We 

 mean to try ourselves, and we trust our plants will be strong before 

 planting-out time. We are ever glad to imitate when it is not given to 

 us to originate. The four S's will look well— Golden Feather Pyrethrum, 

 Lobelia speciosa. Calceolaria amplexicaulis ; only the Calceolaria, if grown 

 strong, will be out of all proportion to the Lobelia. Iresine X,indeni and 

 Herbstii, or a line of Purple A^'erbena, would be better, or a line of the 

 imperial Dwarf Ageratum. The four large beds of Stella Geranium 

 should also have something to tone them down in height to the Cerastium 

 edging. But we know we have said enough. We are alludiug to plants 

 grown strong. If the Geranium plants are small, then our objections do 

 not apply ; but for ourselves we like to see growth as well as bloom, and 

 4o have the ground wholly concealed when the beds are at their best. 



Edging foe a Eoedeb (A Cottage Gardener).— As an edging inside Bos, 

 Cerastium tomentosum makes a good and permanent line, enduring 

 ^hiree years aud more without requiring to be renewed. AU it requires is 

 ■cutting occasionally to its proper limits, and in antuma we cut ours to a 

 width of about 4 inches, and it grows remarkably well, and would flower 

 well in May and June ; but we cut it close down early in May, audit makes 

 nice spray by the time bedding plants are put out. 



Twelve Select Evergreen and Variegated Shrues (Idem). — The 

 "following all bear cutting well, and may be kept of the height you require 

 — 3 or 4 feet :— Laurustinus, Aucuba japonica maculata (old Aucuba), 

 A, japonica limbata {if you had a male plant they would produce berries), 

 Buxus arborescens marginatus argenteus and B. arborescens marginatus 

 -aureus, Ilex Hodginsi, Gold-edged Holly, Silvtr-edged Holly, Taxus ad- 

 pressa, T. elegantissima, Khamnus angustifolius varie^atus, and B,. lati- 

 "folius maculatus. For our own part we would have Laurustinus, Gold 

 and Silver-edged tree Box, Hodgius's Holly, and Gold and Silver-variegated 

 Holly, two of each. They would need to" be cut-in every year before they 

 began to grow. 



Weeding Mulched Boeder fltZem).— We should not do more than 

 turn the mulching over with a fork, or go over it in dry weather with a 

 Dutch hoe, leaving the litter light, and in either case they would be dried 

 ■up. If they are tap-rooted weeds that are pushing through the litter 

 ■from the soil, you will of course need to fork them out, removing the 

 litter, and when the border is cleaned replace the litter. 



Water-crebses in a Garden Boeder (BT. JLeeu-o?'Y/i(/).— Planting must 

 be done in September, in a moist, shady border. Plant slips, and the 

 ■only cultivation necessary is to dig the earth fiQe,to draw a slight trench 

 with a hoe, to fill this with water until it becomes a mud, to cover it about 

 :an inch deep with drift sand, an 1 then to stick in the slips about six 

 inches apart, watering them until established. The sand keeps the 

 plants clean. They will be ready for gathering from in a very few weeks, 

 and the shoots should be invariably cut, and not picked. 



Stopping Daphne indica ettbra Shoots {B. N. 0.).— You are, no 

 doubt, aware that the flowers are produced from the points of the shoots, 

 and if you remove them as you must do in stopping, the plant will not 

 ■flower next year unless it make fresh shoots, which it is not likely to do, 

 as those of the current year are already 5 inches long. Whatever pruning 

 this plant requires should be done before it begins to grow. 



TSIT03IA UVAEIA GHANDiFLORA Seeds FAILING (Idem).— The seeds 

 enclosed to us appear to be sound. We think if you were to place the 

 pots in a hotbed of 70^ to 75'' the seeds would soon vegetate. No par- 

 ticular treatment is required, only sow in well-drained pots or pans, and 

 in a compost of two parts peat, one part turfy loam, and one part leaf soil, 

 with a free admistui'e of sharp sand, having the surface fine, and just 

 -covering with fine soil. Keep the soil moist, and when the seedlings are 

 fairly up harden them off, remove them to a greenhouse, and when large 

 enough to handle pot them off singly, and place them in a cold frame. 



Grdbs in Soil (Idem).— From your description we should saythey are 

 millipedes which infest your soil. They feed on decaying vegetable 

 matter, but we do not know that they do any great injury to vegetable 

 crops. They are very plentiful in ground which has been heavily manured, 

 and long cropped with vegetables. A dressing of lime is very useful, both 

 ia driving them away and for improving that description of ground.^ A 

 dressing of gas lime will in most cases drive them away. The gas lime 

 should be applied sometime before the ground is intended to be cropped. 



Coleus Propagation {/dem).— The Coleus is of very easy culture, but 

 omnot well be wintered in a less temperature than 50 . The plants 

 r6q,uire as a rule about 10- more heat than Pelargoniums. The points of 



the shoots, taken off when about 3 inches long, strike fi-eely if inserted in 

 sandy soil and placed in a gentle heat- They strike even moia freely 

 than' bedding Geraniums. We winter ours in a cool stove; they are 

 beautiful all the winter, and afford us an abundance of cuttings in spring. 



Heading-down Hollies {A. B.). — Now is the best time in the whole 

 year fcr cutting back Hollies and all everrrreen shrubs ill-shaped or over- 

 grown. You may cat them back to any extent, but leave enough of small 

 branches for making fresh shoots. The branches left need not have 

 leaves, and may be cut in as much as you wish. The best evergreen tree 

 for shelter is Austrian Pine. It stands the sea breeze well, and resists 

 strong westerly blasts better than any other. The Corsican Pine, how- 

 ever, resists them well, grows as straight as an arrow, and makes double 

 the growth of the Austrian Pine. It is very desirable where quick growth 

 is required, and yet, not having so dense a habit as the Austrian Pine, 

 we prefer the latter, but where practicable we would have both. We 

 should plant the Austrian Pine outside, and the Corsican Pine in the 

 internal lines; indeed, we have some screens of these kinds that are 

 succeeding excellently. On limestone soil inclined to swampiness we 

 have seen Nortvay Spruce thriving. Pinus maritima would probably suit. 



Fastening Dried Feens {E. J.).— The best mode of ait^cbing them 

 to the leaves of a book ia by small straps of green paper passed over the 

 stem and gummed to the paper by their ends by a solution of gum traga^ 

 canth. You can have The Journal of Horticulture from our office 

 in the way you mention. 



Shasieoce: (J. W. Breton).~-l^o one knows what plaut St. Patrick held 

 up as an illustration of the Trinity. It is a mere legend ihat he used any 

 such illustration. Consequently, whether the plaut you enclose, Oxalis 

 corniculata, is " the true Shamrock," cannot be told. 



Insects on Grape Vine Buds (R B.).— The insect sent (Otiorhynchus 

 sulcatus) is decidedly an enemy to the Grape Vine, gnawing off the young 

 buds. Search for them after dark, previously spreading a white cloth 

 beneath the tree, upon which they will fall, and are easily seen. — I. 0. W. 



NA3IES OF Fruits (John J. Harpnr).—The small conical Apple is Coe's 

 Golden Drop, and the round one appears to be Wyken Pippin. 



POULTEY, BEE, AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 



A DRAIvE-DUOK. 



The following is in reply to " E. W." : — ■ 



■We thiok Pope says, " First, follow nature ;" he was perfectly 

 right. There is a penalty if we do not, and the penalty is in- 

 evitable. As soon as a capon is really made, and the bird has 

 had the good fortune to be the subject of a masterly operator, the' 

 combs and gills have been removed ; all signs of vitality have 

 disappeared ; the comb is not reproduced ; the gills are things 

 of the past ; the tail loses its sickles ; the hackles and saddles 

 diminish ; and the once " gallant " now " capers nimbly in a 

 lady's chamber," hoping to sit on the eggs her ladyship will 

 leave. This is because we have not followed nature. 



The capon is a careful and diligent nurse. It ia " extant in 

 choice Italian " that most of the Italian chickens are reared by 

 capons. We can vouch from our own experience that the 

 authentic capon is a diligent watcher of hens when they are 

 laying, that he may have the pleasure of sitting on the eggs. 

 Most of our readers will be familiar with the real hybrid, the 

 cross between the fowl and Pheasant. Although sex is denied 

 to these birds, yet there is sufficient difference in them to 

 make even the ignorant io such matters say at a first sight, 

 " That is a cock, this is a hen." We once had mauy running 

 and flying about. We also kept common fowls. We kept them 

 as nearly as possible fene naturcB. They roosted in trees ; they 

 laid in baskets nailed to a wall. The "male" hybrid would 

 sit on a bough watching a hen that was going to lay, and when 

 she got on the edge of the basket, and gave audible notes of 

 joy at having produced an egg, he would immediately fly from 

 his perch, slip behind the hen, and, ruffling his feathers, spread 

 himself over one egg, as though it were necessary he should 

 cover " a long score." ■When he was removed from his charge 

 he clung to it with the same pertinacity, and, force being used, 

 there was as much " cussing and swearing " as there would 

 have been from one who had laid fifteen and sat on them all. 

 Few poulardes were ever made in England. ^We are not natu- 

 rally fond of these eccentricities. Esto perpetua. 



When a poulards is made by removing the egg-laying organs 

 at their first development, the meek blushing pullet, that was 

 only anxious to increase the number of the fowls that be, 

 becomes an incipient matador. The pendant comb becomes 

 erect ; the round tail narrows, lengthens, and curves at the ex- 

 tremities ; the hackle and saddle grow ; the spurs lengthen day 

 by day, and, horribile dictu! the pullet crows. To the best of 

 her ability she becomes he. It may be said " Sarve you right, 

 leave the sexes alone." Granted. 



It is said accidents will happen in the best-regulated families. 



A man may legitimately get a black eye without being engaged 



in a disreputable squabble by gaslight. Let ns discourse. 



Such of our readers as shoot will know that sometimes a hen- 



! cook is killed. ■Well, where the dimensions of the bag permit. 



