June 1, 1371. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



383 



Dracffina magnifica, Croton Joliannis, Agave festiva, Agave Iiorrida 

 hystrix, Agave Kegelii, Agave Besseriana Candida, Agave Kerchovia 

 snacrodonta, Agave Koezliana, Fremontia californica, with large 

 yellow flowers, which were first produced, we believe, at Messrs. Veitch's 

 ■nursery in 1S65 ; and for Dioscorea retusa, with a greenish, catkin- 

 like, agreeably-fragrant infiorescence, and a neat plant for a pot trellis. 

 Like awards were made to Mr. Bull, for Cypripediumuiveum, Primula 

 japonica. Primula japonica splendida. Primula japouica lilacina. 

 Primula japonica carminata. Primula japonica alba, Anthurium 

 Scherzerianum Dixoni, Malortia simplex, Da^monorops cinuamomea. 

 Hydrangea stellata prolifera, Hippeastrum pyrochroa, Elaphoglossnm 

 Herminieri, and Arenga Bonuetii. Also to Mr. William Thompson, 

 of Ipswich, for CoUinsia violacea; to Messrs. A. Henderson & Co., 

 for Phyllauthns mimosrefolia ; to Mr. B. S. Williams, for Adiautum 

 Capillus-Yeneris crispulum, Caryota truncata, and Dracrena Liervallii ; 

 and to Messrs. E. G. Henderson & Son for Thalictrum adiantifolium, 

 the foliage of which is beautifully divided. Mr. Nye, gardener to E. 

 Foster, Esq., Clewer Manor, who exhibited a collection of fine seedling 

 arge-fiowered Pelargoniums, had lloricultural certificates for Conquest, 

 Cffigar, and Blue Bell ; Mr. Turner, for Silver Tricolor Mrs. Kousby ; 

 and Mr. W. Paul, for Virgin Queen, white. flowered. 



The Rhododendrons and other American plants of Messrs. John 

 Waterer & Son, gave promise in another week of affording a fine dig- 

 play ; at the time of the Show, however, but few of the flowers had 

 advanced beyond the half-expanded bud state. 



SOME VINE COMPLAINTS AND THEIR 

 REMEDIES. 



We this season lost a valued Dutch Hamburgh Viae which 

 had been grafted on a Cbasselas Masque, and which produced 

 flne bunches and berries. We could assign no cause, except the 

 gnawing of the stem all round, and pretty deeply at the surface 

 of the ground, by mice and rats. We rather think that the death 

 of some of the Vines referred to by correspondents, may be owing 

 to a similar cause. Washing the Vines with strong mixtures 

 at all hot, or even after these have been boiled together, is 

 .often dangerous. We seldom have had Vine stems touched 

 that were planted inside the house, a plan we would practise 

 wherever we could, as the Vine stems are safer in every way. 

 As respects washes for dormant Vines, or comparatively so, we 

 revert more and more to simple applications. Warm water as 

 a wash is still one of the best and safest insect-killers. If the 

 object of the smearing be to seal up any eggs of insects that 

 may be present, we question very much if any composition 

 whatever is better than thinnish clay paint. If made with soft- 

 soap water, say 2 ozs. of soap to a gallon of paint, the paint 

 will go on more easily and crack less. 



Three things we have been requested to notice as respects 

 "Vines. " A." is alarmed because there are little white beady 

 .dots like heads of pins along the shoots of his young Vines. 

 He may rather rejoice. Such appearances are the signs of 

 healthy vigour, and as the growth becomes less luxitriant, and 

 the wood attains more firmness of texture, they will all dis- 

 appear, and leave little or no trace behind them. Many of the 

 shoots in our orchard house are beaded thus all over, though 

 Jrom first to last they have had little soil to grow in, but they 

 receive several rich waterings during the season, besides what 

 escapes from Strawberry pots set along the front. 



" B." finds that every morning the sharp points of his Vine 

 ^£aves, in a house to which hardly any heat is given, are loaded 

 with dew drops, and he is afraid of scalding. This is also a 

 «gu of health and vigour, as no diseased or unhealthy leaf 

 will condense the vapour around it as a healthy leaf will. In 

 £ome of these warm mornings it is quite delightful to notice 

 the edges and points of Cauliflower and Strawberry leaves 

 loaded with dew points. Such appearances on the Vine leaves 

 show also that there is a good deal of atmospheric vapour in 

 the house. The colder the points of the leaves become, the 

 more thoroughly will they act as condensers of the vapour. 

 An extreme of cold would lead to the formation of ice drops. 

 Hlore heat with less moisture in the house would so far prevent 

 the leaves acting so freely as condensers. There is no danger 

 of scalding provided air is given sufficiently early to prevent 

 the sun acting on a confined atmosphere, and if, in addition, 

 in a cold morning a little artificial heat is given along with the 

 air, so that the leaves become dry before the sun shines strongly 

 on the house. The mere dewing of the foliage is a thing to be 

 glad of in general circumstances. Of course there may be 

 special exceptions, such as Strawberry plants grown in pits, 

 where, if even air were not given during the night, and a 

 little more heat maintained, the dewing would be so excessive 

 on the foliage as to tend to damp the fruit too much, or, even 

 jclog the blossoms. Before the bloom opened it was all desir- 



able enough. In larger houses, and the leaves farther from the 

 glass, there would be less of this heavy dewing. 



Lastly, " C." is alarmed because in one of his houses where 

 he is forcing, the Vine stems are throwing out threads with 

 whitish points like roots, and some advise removing them, and 

 some encouraging them, and he wants to know the reason of 

 their growth, as they never appear in a late greenhouse vinery 

 where the Vines break naturally. The Vine is naturally a 

 climbing plant. It is not desirable that it should be so in cul- 

 tivation. The presence of these air-roots always proves one of 

 two things, generally both — viz., a goodly amount of atmo- 

 spheric moisture in the house, which entices the roots to pro- 

 trude, and, again, a want of free reciprocal action from the 

 roots in the soil. Less use of evaporating-pans, more air, and 

 more free root-action would reduce these roots from the stem 

 to a minimum. Our impression is, that the more they are 

 encouraged the less will the roots grow and take up from the 

 soil. To prevent anything like sudden checks, the removal o£ 

 the aerial roots should be effected gradually — not all at once. 

 We have seen pots of soil and balls of moss suspended beneath 

 them, so as to give additional strength to certain branches and 

 parts, but we can hardly say the results were ever very as- 

 tonishing. It takes a considerable time before aijrial roots pro- 

 duce fibres. The more vapour from evaporating-pans, &c., the 

 more freely will they grow. Like our correspondent, we rarely 

 see them in late houses. We have no recollection of seeing 

 any in an unhealed orchard house. In such cases there ia 

 generally more air with less atmospheric moisture, and less dif- 

 ference as respects the temperature of the roots and branches, 

 than ia often found in early-forced vineries. Our opinion, 

 then, is, that in early houses such roots in moderation need 

 give no alarm, but, on the whole, we would rather not see them, 

 and to encourage the proper roots we would remove the aerial 

 roots from each Vine gradually.— R. F. 



RABBITS VERSUS CUPRESSUS LAWSONIANA, 

 AND ABOUT OTHER CONIFERS, &o. 



I AM sorry I cannot endorse what Mr. Abbey has stated re- 

 specting this tree, for here we find the rabbits injure it much, 

 although not nearly to the extent that they do other Conifers. 

 Out of three or four score trees from 4 to 12 feet high I can 

 only find three or four which have been left untouched ; some 

 of them have been completely cleared of their branches for a 

 foot from the ground. To say whether it is done for food X 

 cannot, but I often find much of the spray on the ground. It 

 has surprised me to see the size of the branches which these 

 little fellows will nibble off, often the size of one's finger. The 

 height, too, at which they will manage to bite off the branch 

 or the centre of a tree without the aid of snow is remarkable. 

 I have just measured some branches from 2 feet 6 inches to 3 feet 

 from the ground, cut off in a manner that would vie with the 

 operation performed with a sharp knife. I cannot account for 

 the rabbits not eating Mr. Abbey's Gupressus Lawsoniana, but 

 it is an addition to our knowledge of the queer propensities of 

 " bunny ;" for how often do we see a few trees of the same 

 sort near each other, one will be eaten bare and another not 

 touched ; but let a rabbit nibble off a bit and leave it on the 

 ground, or perform a little in the way of examining the roots, 

 and every one which comes that way will follow in his wake 

 until there is nothing left, or the tree is laid prostrate on the 

 ground. 



Another strange propensity of the rabbit is to attack a newly 

 planted tree with greater relish than one which is established, 

 although the established tree might be one of its favourites ; 

 hence the necessity of protecting, at least for a year or two. 

 Still, I know not which is the more displeasing to the eye — 

 trees deprived of their under branches (which in the course of 

 a few years, as the upper branches weigh down, will leave 

 nothing wanting if the tree is of a spreading habit), or to have 

 them surrounded with a variety of contrivances to protect them 

 from vermin, but also hiding them from the eye that they were 

 put there to be admired by. This renders trees useless for orna- 

 ment. It would be considered folly for a painter to take great 

 pains in producing a good picture and then to have it framed 

 with larch poles. The eye of the spectator would be drawn 

 first to the frame ; should he be induced to look into the picture 

 to detect its merits he would immediately exclaim, " How ab- 

 surd it was to use such a frame ! " It is just the same to plant 

 a handsome tree and barricade it with things so unsightly 

 in their appearance ; to do so may be excusable in the case of 

 a fruit tree, because the mind would conceive that the object 



