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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ AugnBt 18, 1870. 



even the Ribston Pippin Apples looked tolerably well, which 

 they rarely do in many places. Mr. Bradley had been trying 

 some experiments with this fruit ; he had worked some robust- 

 growing varieties with the Ribston Pippin, and thought the 

 result was more satisfactory than when the latter was not 

 double-worked. I forget which variety waB employed, but I 

 think it was the Yorkshire Greening. More than one tree was 

 operated upon with success. 



Now, in the two cases referred to, there was a great difference 

 of soil. In the firet there was a somewhat adhesive loam, not 

 by any means a stiff clay, but destitute of stones and sharp 

 sand, the Bubsoil a sort of grey marl, and the surface so fine in 

 texture that water did not easily percolate ; in the other case 

 the soil was more open, with a gravelly bottom, dry and porous, 

 but not hungry in the sense in which that term is usually 

 applied, for Plums, in particular, seemed to do remarkably well. 

 The managers of both these fruitful orchards are strenuous 

 opponents of cultivating orchard ground, especially after the 

 trees and bushes have attained some size, and their roots 

 occupy the ground ; and certainly the appearance of their 

 orchards indicated the correctness oi this view. Their ex- 

 ample, indeed, is partially adopted in many cases when the 

 standard trees attain sufficient size to be thought worthy of 

 occupying the whole of the ground ; the undergrowth being then 

 removed, grass is sown, but this is a questionable benefit ; at 

 least it is doubtful if it is so good as preserving for the use of 

 the fruit crop the whole energies of the ground, whilst provid- 

 ing that shade and covering so necessary to keep in the moisture 

 during such dry periods as we are now passing through. 



I might say more on the matter, but I will merely remark 

 that in such a place as an orchard there is ample space for the 

 gradual decay of any woody or vegetable substance that may 

 be put upon it, and the benefit of such substances to the soil 

 they lie upon is evidently not yet sufficiently appreciated, 

 but may be roughly judged by the fact of a stone of some size 

 lying on the ground protecting the roots of all below it, but 

 remove the stone and the result is hurtful. This well-known 

 fact has led in many instances to landlords objecting to their 

 tenants removing stones. 



I advise all those who have not tried the plan here described 

 to do so on a small scale, until they feel assured of its success, 

 and in the eDd I have no doubt they will regard the practice of 

 mutilating the roots of Apple, Pear, and other fruit trees as 

 injurious ; at the same time, as some assistance from manure is 

 wanted, and the finer description of dung and easily-worked-in 

 manure may be required elsewhere, the orchard forms a suit- 

 able place to deposit all such cartloads of rubbish as are re- 

 jected from other quarters. Time works wonders with such 

 unpromising materials. — J. Robson. 



they must be well ventilated. Careful and constant watching 

 for snails will be necessary, for if these get in they will take off 

 scores in one night. In about three weeks the plants will be 

 large enough for potting-off; small 60's cr small thumb pots 

 may be nsed, and if the plants have not hitherto occupied a 

 cold frame, let them have the protection of one at this stage 

 and onwards through the winter, if protection from frost and 

 good ventilation can be afforded. The shifting of the plants 

 into larger pots may go on when the plants require it and the 

 weather is favourable ; a good general guide, however, is to 

 shift when the roots are well at the sides of the pots, though 

 the plants must not, under any circumstances, be allowed to 

 become pot-bound when in a young Btate, for it causes pre- 

 mature flowering, and often throws the plants into a sickly 

 state, from which they will not soon recover. 



Good specimens may be grown in 6-inch pots, a size, per- 

 haps, large enough for the amateur, but if plenty of space is at 

 command, 8-inch or even larger pots may be used with ad- 

 vantage. Arrange the potting so that the last shift shall not 

 be later than the last week in February. 



The compost I recommend to be used consists of strong 

 turfy loam one half, decayed leaf mould and road grit in equal 

 parts to make up the other half ; add sand liberally, and about 

 one-fourth of the whole bulk of decomposed cow manure sifted. 

 This soil will do for all the pottings, from first to last, only as 

 the plants increase in size use it in a rougher state. 



The plants may be advantageously pinched back about twice 

 in the early part of their growth ; this dwarfs them, and con- 

 siderably increases the number of flower stems. At short 

 intervals give some gentle smokings with tobacco, to keep the 

 green fly in check ; remember that if it odco establish itself 

 on the plants, the foliage being thick and close to the soil, it is 

 not easy for the smoke to penetrate, and it will be almost im- 

 possible to free the plants of the enemy. Water must be given 

 sparingly in the depth of winter, but towards spriDg, and after 

 the plants have established themselves on their last shift, 

 plentiful supplies may be given, with liquid manure from cow 

 dung added. The great improvements that have been effected 

 in this plant of late years render it no longer a difficult matter 

 to secure a good strain of seed, with a large per-centage of good 

 and distinct-coloured flowers ; but the most varied assortment 

 and the most pleasing strain I have grown was from a packet 

 of seed, called Thomson's strain, purchased of Messrs. Yeitch. 

 — Thomas Recobd, Lillesden. 



CULTURE OP THE HERBACEOUS 

 CALCEOLARIA. 

 With amateur gardeners this beautiful plant is becoming 

 more popular, and with the cottager it is now an especial fa- 

 vourite ; most gentlemen's gardeners are in possession of a 

 good system of growing this plant, therefore I only offer my 

 remarks to the first named. 



Perhaps the most difficult part for the amateur to overcome 

 is raising the seedlings; in this I think even professional 

 gardeners often err by treating them too kindly. The follow- 

 ing is a good plan. Prepare a shallow pan by filling it with 

 light soil ; press this down so as to present a very level surface 

 a little below the rim ; add sufficient silver sand on the surface 

 to fill up the interstices ; water well with a fine-rosed watering- 

 pot, giving enough water to thoroughly moisten the soil, let it 

 drain off, and then sow the seed. After this add a sprinkling 

 of very finely-sifted sandy soil, be careful only to just cover the 

 seeds, and finish by giving a mere sprinkling of water. Place 

 the pan in a hand-light on a bottom of coal ashes ; a suitable 

 spot is a cool part of the garden, where no sun but plenty of 

 light can reach the pans. The surface soil must not be allowed 

 to become dry, and water very carefully to avoid washing the 

 seeds out of the soil. The ashes may also be kept moist. A 

 good time to sow the seed is the middle of August. 



When the seedlings are large enough to be handled, prick 

 them out an inch apart in pots or pans. If hand-lights can be 

 provided continue the same treatment ; but if not, a cold frame 

 will do, placing the plants on a cool bottom, and keeping them 

 near the glass. For a time, at least, they must be shaded 

 from bright son, but at all times and stages of their growth 



GLOXINIA CULTURE. 

 Possessed of rare elegance of form both in its foliage and 

 flowers, easy to cultivate and to maintain in full beauty and 

 freshness for a considerable time, the Gloxinia takes high rank 

 amongst summer-flowering pot plants. Strictly speaking, it is 

 a tuberous-rooted stove plant, and this is doubtless the reason 

 why Gloxinias are not more frequently to be seen in the ama- 

 teur's collection of plants contained in his solitary greenhouse 

 or conservatory. Many persons who admire them very much 

 never think of attempting to grow some, because they have no 

 stove or other glass structure in whieh a high temperature is 

 maintained. Now this is a mistake ; and it is my object in 

 writing this paper, while treating of Gloxinia culture generally, 

 also to endeavour to show how the plants may be grown and 

 kept from year to year by persons having only one glass house, 

 without the aid of a very high temperature. 



A cheap and easy method of obtaining a collection of Glox- 

 inias is to purchase a packet of seed, which should be sown 

 early in March on the surface of a pan well drained and filled 

 with fine soil. The seed should not be covered, but the pan 

 should be placed in the brisk moist temperature of a hotbed, 

 and the soil kept damp. When the young seedlings have 

 formed two leaves they are potted siDgly in 3-inch pots and 

 kept in the same position, taking care to paint the glass with 

 whitewash, as all Gloxinias, and especially young plants, thrive 

 best when kept moderately shaded. The seedling plants form 

 firm tubers in the 3-inch pots, in which they are kept through- 

 out the first summer and winter ; as growth ceases they may 

 be removed to a cool house, and they are stored in winter on 

 any spare shelf where the temperature is kept at about 10° 

 above the freezing-point. The tubers are not disturbed till 

 spring. The only important point in their winter management 

 is to see that the soil never becomes very dry, for if it is not 

 kept somewhat moist every tuber will perish of dry rot. 



When spring comes round again, or rather at any time in 

 the first four months of the year, the plants may be shaken 



