350 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



[ May 19, 1871. 



The caljs having been cut to remove the anthers, the seed 

 pod may shortly before it is ripe be enclosed in a small muslin 

 bag, otherwise much of the seed will be lost. 



The green fly will if undisturbed soon spoil a collection of 

 Mimulas. Fumigating is troublesome and very apt to scald 

 the plants ; but this peet may easily be kept under by syringing 

 the plants when in the seed pans, or by dipping, when in pots, 

 in a solution prepared with 10 ozs. African aloes, 3 ozs. potash, 

 16 ozs. soft soap, and 12 gallons of water. This solution will 

 keep good for weeks, and is very useful in destroying fly on 

 Eose trees and other plants that are in the open border. 



About twenty years ago Professor Lindley most obligingly 

 sent me flowers of Mimulus tricolor ; since then I have neither 

 seen nor been able to hear of it. Can you or some of your 

 numerous readers furnish any recent information about it ? — 

 Abraham Claphah. 



A LITTLE MORE ON THE CULTURE OF THE 

 VIOLET. 



Living so far north, and 500 feet above the level of the sea, 

 a few words from me may not be out of place, as I have for 

 eleven years flowered Violets successfully during nine months 

 out of the twelve. 



Like your correspondent " J. Vf., Lincoln," I confine myself 

 to five sorts — namely, Neapolitan, Czar, Single White, Single 

 Eussian, and Double Eassian. I will take them in the order 

 in which I have named them. My practice is in April to 

 ( i/ide the Neapolitan Violets, and transplant them from a cold 

 frame, under which they are kept from September, to a north- 

 east border where thfy are shaded from the midday sun. I 

 think nothing so injurious to the well-being of Violets as for 

 them to be exposed to a scorching sun, particularly during such 

 summers as we have had for the last three years. The same 

 plants are taken up and planted in the cold frame early in 

 September, a little fresh soil being added, also some well-de- 

 cayed leaf soil. All the runners are cut off at the same time. 

 If the plants are kept a little close, and a skiff with the syringe 

 given morning and evening for a few days should the weather 

 be hot and dry, they will soon repay the trouble, provided the 

 frame is open to the morning sun, closed two or three hours 

 before sunset, and well covered in frosty weather with loose 

 straw. That which has been used in the stable I find the best 

 to keep out frost. By following the above method I have 

 gathered Neapolitan Violets from September up to (he follow- 

 ing May. 



Next in order is The Czar, which, on account of its long 

 flower stalk, is very useful for banquets or in dressing vases. 

 It is also valuable from its hardiness, at least it has been so 

 with me. It was quite green after the severe winter, and flow- 

 ered beautifully as soon as the frost was over. 



I find that the Single White does not like transplanting every 

 year, for I have not had a single flower on some plants which 

 I transplanted last spring, while some left in the same place as 

 that in which they have been ever since I came here flowered 

 beautifully. 



My favourite, however, is the Single Eussian. When it is 

 -transplanted every year and grown where it is shaded from the 

 midday sun, I have had it in flower from July until the end of 

 March, provided the summer was not too dry and the winter 

 was mild ; but this year is an exception, for I have lost from 

 frost nearly all my plants of it that were in a south-west border 

 near the Box. 



The next variety in order is the Double Eussian, which 

 I find most difficult to grow. I have planted it in the frame 

 with the Neapolitan, but it was always eaten up with the red 

 spider. This year I left the plants out all the winter, and 

 nearly lost them owing to frost ; but after taking them up, 

 dividing, and transplanting, they have in a great measure re- 

 covered and are showing flowers. 



I make it a practice to plant my Violets where the water can 

 be had close at hand, and I give them a good soaking twice 

 a-week when the weather is dry, also a good dusting of soot 

 and guano about once a-fortnight just before watering, and 

 after the sun is oft the plants, whether there is any red spider 

 or not. This acts as a preventive. Being very much troubled 

 with the wireworms, I find no better remedy than soot and 

 guano. In fact I cannot grow many plants here without it. 



I ought to have stated before that I have transplanted all my 

 Yiolets except the Single White to the north-east border, on 

 account of the very hot dry summers we have lately had. It 

 will therefore be necessary to transplant them again early in 



the autumn to some warm corner or border. I have never 

 adopted this course before, but, except as regards the Neapoli- 

 tan, I do not think it will much retard their blooming if care 

 be taken to lilt the plants with good balls, and to well water 

 them if the soil is dry. — T. Elcome, Nortli Wales. 



STRAWBERRY CULTURE AND COMING CROP. 



The statements of the gardeners in this neighbourhood, and 

 my own observations, remove from my mind all apprehensions 

 of a light crop of this fruit. I looked over my plants this 

 morning, and found them throwing up very strong flower-stems, 

 and having foliage remarkably luxuriant, considering the 

 severity of the winter and the prevalence of cutting east winds. 



My mode of culture is simple, and consists in taking off the 

 runners as early as possible in the season, and I am very par- 

 ticular to pull up all unfruitful plants. I plant the runners a 

 few inches apart until well rooted, taking care to shade and 

 water for a few days. About the end of August I plant them 

 in their permanent beds. 



Last season I was very short of that most useful sort La 

 Constante, and so adopted the system of dividing the old roots, 

 and now in appearance they are quite equal to the beat runners 

 I have. 



In my opinion no Strawberry beds should be allowed to 

 stand more than three years. I plant a piece of ground every 

 year, and destroy those I have fruited three seasons. I think 

 it is a great mistake to dig between the rows. A good plan is 

 to cut off all the runners and dead leaves in the autumn, and 

 then put on a layer of sifted leaf mould an inch deep, and in 

 the following April to give them a good mulching with partly- 

 decayed stable manure. After the first flowers are set give the 

 plants copious waterings with weak liquid manure, always in 

 the evening. 



Three things Strawberries must have if a good crop is ex- 

 pected — viz., plenty of room, plenty of air, and plenty of water 

 in dry weather. 



I may add that the general fruit crop looks most promising 

 in this district ; Apples, Cherries, Plums, and bush fruit being 

 remarkably full of bloom, and many of them well set. — Eichakd 

 Jamesos, Gargrave. 



EFFECTS OF LAST WINTER, 



As a record of the hardiness of various shrubs is always 

 useful I send you the following notes. The situation of the 

 garden, which is at Colwyn Bay, near Conway, is unusually 

 favourable, yet a registering minimum thermometer showed a 

 lowest temperature of 11° — i e.. 21° below freezing, and nearly 

 all my East Lothian and Emperor Stocks were killed. Eugenia 

 apiculata, young shoots slightly injured. Euonymns japonicns 

 aureo-variegatus, young shoots killed, plants not otherwise 

 injured. Pinus longifolius, killed. Skimmia oblata, Elaagnus 

 japonica variegata, E. pungens variegata, Osmanthus ilici- 

 folius, 0, ilicifolius variegatus, Cryptomeria elegans, Thujopsis 

 dolabrata, Pinus insignis, Cnpressus macrocarpa, Spirjea Lind- 

 leyi, S. Eeevesi, S. Hookeri, Grislinia littoralis, Cupressus 

 sempervirens, Enrya japonica variegata are quite uninjured. 

 Ehododendron arboreum is nearly it not quite killed. CUan- 

 thus puniceus grown from seed stood the weather uninjured 

 against a south wall, though otherwise unprotected. — Aljbed 

 0. Walker. 



CYPRIPEDIUM NIVEUM. 



The genus Cypripedium has many claims upon the attention 

 of lovers and growers of plants, for the species are nearly all 

 very easily grown into good specimens ; their flowers are ex- 

 tremely beautiful, in many instances richly coloured, and 

 remain a very long time in all their glory, to which may be 

 added a singular and unique structure, which never fails to 

 attract the eye of even the most casual observer. 



Amongst the many fine kinds of this genus to be found in 

 our gardens, the species which the artist so faithfully ponr- 

 trayed last week takes first rank. It is a close, compact-grow- 

 ing species, producing thick fleshy leaves, which are from i to 

 6 inches long, by Ij inch broad, oblong-obtnse, dark green 

 above, with irregular blotches and streaks of metallic white; 

 the under side is dark purple. Peduncle about 6 inches long, 

 usually one-flowered ; sometimes, however, two are produced. 

 The dorsal sepal is large, broadly ovate, pure satiny white 

 within, stained with rosy purple outside, lower sepals coalescing 

 into one, considerably smiUer than the superior one, ovate, 



