September 22, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



233 



Queen, Winter Nelis. Plums: Green Gage, Kirke's, Jefferson, Coe's 

 Golden Drop; and for kitchen, Pond's Seedling, Victoria, and Prince of 

 Wales ; if a white Plum is wanted, White Magnum Bonum. Cherries : 

 May Duke, Black Tartarian, Bigarreau Napoleon, and Late Duke. Apples : 

 Adams' Pearmain, Red Ingestrie, Golden Pippin, Cellini, Cox's Orange 

 Pippin, King of the Pippins, Scarlet Nonpareil, Sykehouse Russet, and 

 Kerry Pippin. Strawberries : Black Prince, Sir Joseph Paxton, Keens' 

 Seedling, Dr. Hogg, Sir Charles Napier, Frogmore Late Pine, and Mr. 

 Radclyffe. Standard Roses : Alfred Colomb, Anna de Diesbach, Baronne 

 Prevost, Caroline de Sansal, Charles Lefebvre, Comte de Nanteuil, Due 

 de Rohan, Eugenie Verdier, Jean Bart, John Hopper, Jules Margottin, 

 KiDg's Acre, Lord Clyde, Louise Peyronny, Madame Charles Wood, Mare- 

 chal Vaillant, Prince Leon, Senateur Vaisse, Victor Verdier, Souvenir de 

 Leveson Gower, and William Griffiths, all Hybrid Perpetuals. For walls : 

 Gloire de Dijon, Climbing Devoniensis, Marechal Niel, Tea-scented; and 

 of Noisettes : Jaune Desprez, Lamarque, Solfaterre, and Cloth of Gold. 

 These require wallB with aspects between south-east and south-west. 

 For other walls and trellises : Alice Gray, Dundee Rambler, both Ayr- 

 shire Roses ; Myrianthes, Rampant (Evergreen) ; Madame d'Arblay, and 

 Rivera's Queen (Hybrid Climbing). In your light soil it will be necessary 

 to manure well. 



Wintering Plants in a Cold Vinery (Merlin).— To winter bedding 

 plants safely you ought to have a stove or other means of keeping out 

 frost. Though you will need artificial heat, it need not be so great as to 

 cause the Vines to start into growth. A temperature of 40° from fire heat 

 will not injure the Vines, and will insure the safety of every kind of 

 bedding plant. Could you not have the house heated by hot-water pipes ? 

 A small saddle boiler with a stokehole outside would be better than a stove 

 inside the house. There is no possibility of keeping bedding plants in a 

 vinery unless frost can bo excluded. Heat is requisite in dull damp 

 weather for expelling damp, and would be useful for the Vines in a cold 

 wet season. The Vines may be pruned at the beginning of December, or 

 when the leaves have fallen. Pruning ought not to be deferred beyond 

 the middle of December. The Vine border would be better if covered, 

 but many borders are not covered, yet good Grapes are produced. 

 It would be well to find another place for the annuals and to cover the 

 border, but, instead of tarpaulin, for a cool vinery a top-dressing of rich 

 compost and half-inch bones may be employed ; but the annuals will 

 keep the sun and air from the border, besides depriving the Vines of 

 support. 



Fruit Trees not Bearing (Idem).— You will best restore yonr trees 

 to fertility by taking them up this autumn as soon as the leaves fall, 

 lifting each carefully and with a good ball, and replanting at once. The 

 standards, which we presume are orchard trees, we would not lift, but 

 merely thin out the shoots if too numerous, or, if not sufficient to form a 

 good head, shorten the long vigorous shoots half their length. Why give 

 the trees liquid manure when their growth is rank? With lifting in 

 autumn you ought to check the vigour of the trees, and so induce fruit- 

 fulness. As regards the wall trees, we would take out the trench about 

 2 feet from the stem, cut off all roots there, and any roots that strike 

 perpendicularly downwards between the trench and the stem, working 

 under the roots. Then fill up the trench and mulch the ground, also that 

 round the bushes, with 2 or 3 inches thick of short littery manure. Keep 

 all shoots well pinched-in in summer, except those required for extension. 

 The Apple trees are infested with American blight. Syringe the trees 

 well with a solution of 2 ozs. of soft soap to a gallun of water, directing it 

 against the parts infested with the insects. You may obtain self-register- 

 ing thermometers of most nurserymen, or of any optician. The cause 

 of plants of Geraniums and Fuchsias losing their leaves when taken into 

 rooms is the want of sunlight ; their retaining freshness longer when 

 taken from the open ground may be a result of their greater hardiness. 



Vine Planting (Reader). — We see no objection whatever to your 

 planting your Vines in the autumn instead of the spring or summer, and 

 just because the ground would be warmer we would prefer jilanting in 

 . September rather than in October. As they are to be inanted inside pro- 

 tection is less necessary, but even then the longer the soil is kept warm 

 the more will roots be made after planting. If the roots were out of doors 

 we would cover with litter deep enough to keep out frost, cold rain, and 

 snow. We have planted Vines that grew freely in June and July. In 

 these summer months, if there is much spreading-out of roots, there is 

 apt to be a check if not guarded against. 



Black Muscat Grapes (W. 31.).— Our experience of Mrs. Pince's 

 Black Muscat Grape is very much in accordance with your own, and we 

 regret to say it is almost universally so. The bunches, as you observe, 

 do not set regularly, neither do they colour very freely. Both the 

 bunches and the berries are large, and the latter of excellent quality ; it 

 is of considerable merit as a late-keeping variety. It is one, however, 

 which, in our opinion, has been far too much lauded, and altogether un- 

 worthy of extended cultivation. In marked distinction to this we have 

 Madresfield Court Black Muscat, which is in all respects excellent, and 

 we have seen it in many places this season. It is possessed of all the 

 qualifications of a good late Muscat black Grape, splendid constitution, 

 free fruiting, large bunches and large berries, tine jet black colour, and 

 good Muscat flavour— truly a meet black companion for the white Muscat 

 of Alexandria. We strongly recommend this Grape. Muscat Champion 

 is a very fine, large grizzly Grape, with a Muscat flavour. When well 

 grown and ripened it is excellent, but, like the Canon Hall Muscat, it iB 

 somewhat diffioult to secure it in this condition.— A. 



Vines (W. 67. G. <?.).— Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat is not suited for a cool 

 vinery. Muscat Hamburgh grafted on the Black Hamburgh succeeds 

 only moderately well in a cool house. All Grapes having the Muscat 

 flavour require heat to bring forth the musky taste fully. The Frontignan 

 class (the Petites Muscats of the French), require the least. Mrs. Pince 

 is a good-keeping late Grape, but we much prefer the Madresfield Court 

 Black Muscat. Your selection of Peaches is very good. For the Necta- 

 rines, however, we should prefer Elruge and Balgowan as two of the beat 

 and most constant varieties grown. The fruit on Black Hamburgh Vines 

 as they are commonly met with varies considerably according to culti- 

 vation. The variety called Frankenthal has large roundish oval berries, 

 hammered, the bunch well shouldered and compact. The true Black 

 Hamburgh has smaller berries, more oval, smooth, with a more loose and 

 straggling bunch. We should say you distinguish them properly. The 

 third variety is the Dutch; berries very large, round, and hammered, 

 very coarse in quality, but beautiful in appearance. We should say this 

 is the one you have. The Champion or Millhill has very large, round, 



! smooth berries, which scarcely ever become quite black, and have a very 

 tender skin and fine flavour. It is of delicate constitution. 



Select Apples and Pears (A Poor Lady).— The following may suit 



you. Autumn Apples.— Cox's Orange Pippin, Kerry Pippin, and Summer 



' Whorle. Pears.— Williams's Bon Chretien, Beurre d'Amanlis, and Jersey 



! Gratioli. Apples for April and May.— Scarlet Nonpareil, Golden Reinette. 



Braddick's Nonpareil. Pears.— Ne iplus Meuris, Zephirin Gregoire, Jo- 



| sephine de Malines. 



Hardiness of Cineraria haritima (B. G.).— It is quite hardy on all 

 but very heavy wet soils, and in very exposed situations. We find it does 

 best when the old tops are left, as they to some extent protect the crowns 

 from the severity of the winter, and to make all sale we generally mulch 

 round the plants with partially decayed leaf soil. The tops are cut off in 

 winter by the frost, so that the plant is not one to be recommended for 

 spring gardening/or not until late. It is best in summer. The dead tops 

 should be cut off in spi'ing. 



Echeveria secunda glauca (Idem).— It is not hardy, nor will any of 

 the Echeverias stand tho winter. Sedum, or Semporvivum californicum, 

 however, is quite hardy in dry soils and favourable situations. It is a 

 fine plant for edgings. 



Naming Apples and Pears (Idem).— If you send them to us carriago 

 paid, and each kind numbered, we will endeavour to name them for you. 

 Half a dozen will be enough to send. 



Hoya carnosa Fruiting (Cliarlcs Walters).— It is rather unusual for this 

 plant to have pods, but there have been several instances this year of its 

 fruiting; indeed, such are becoming general. The cause of its doing 

 so is, undoubtedly, tho bright weather we have had. 



Asparagus Management (GZaucous).— Your three-year-old plants planted 

 last autumn could not be expected to give you any heads fit for cutting; 

 last Bpring, and we think they will not do much for you next year, 

 though you may cut all the heads that are of a size fit for cutting, and 

 let the small grow; but we would advise you to be satisfied with a little 

 next season ; the produce will be all the better in succeeding years. 

 Leave the "grass" until it become quite yellow, and cut it off early in 

 November. Clear the bod of weeds, give a top-dressing of manure 2 or 

 3 inches thick, and cover about half as much with soil from the alleys. 

 If tho manure be only partially decayed it will do. In March remove the 

 loose portion of the manure, or point the beds over with a fork, not going 

 so deep as to interfere with the crowns, and rake the beds, drawing the 

 rough soil into the alleys. At the end of March sprinkle the beds with 

 salt, and again in May, in the same way as you would for destroying 

 weeds on walks ; and from July to the middle of September you cannot 

 water too freely nor too often with liquid manure. In the following 

 spring you ought to have a plentiful supply of heads. 



Tous-les-mois (Indicus).— We cannot tell you where you can obtain 

 the seeds of the plant from whence this flour is obtained, but probably 

 through some West India merchant. Dr. Hogg, in his " Vegetable King- 

 dom," says, " The article known as Tous-les-mois is obtained from the 

 rootstocks of some species of Canna, by some supposed to be C. coccinea, 

 and by others C. achiras. The substance is prepared in the island of St. 

 Kitts, and it is said that its manufacture is attended with a great deal of 

 difficulty ; it is highly nutritious, and is an excellent food for infants." 



Caterpillars on Geranium and Stachys lanata Leaves (E. M. T.). 

 —There is no better plan than to boil fresh Elder leaves in as much water 

 as will just cover them until it is quite black, then strain, and water the 

 plants overhead when quite dry through a fine-rosed watering-pot, giving 

 a good wetting. Dusting with white hellebore powder will serve the 

 same purpose. Handpicking is an excellent remedy. 



Variegated Geranium Leaves (Kittie).— We do not undertake to 

 name florists' flowers, and it is extremely difficult to identify the varie- 

 gated varieties by their leaves ; but we think yours are— 1, Silver Nose- 

 gay ; 2, Flower of Spring ; and 8, Flower of the Day. 



Pyrus japonica (5. T. H.).— We do not know of any economical use to 

 which the harsh and gritty fruit of this Quince can be put. 



Flower Garden Arrangement (Rush).— We like the arrangement 

 very much, and are pleased you have the boldness to make the four beds 

 round the centre similar, as we believe attempting more variety would 

 not be so effective. As you ask particularly about 5 and 6, we should be 

 inclined to reverse them, as the four 2 beds have Golden Chain round 

 them ; we would therefore plant 6, 5, with Madame Rudersdorff, and edge 

 with Oxalis corniculata rubra; then we would edge 6, 6, with Cerastium, 

 and fill with MrB. Pollock, dotted all over with Lobelia. 



Seedling Plum (W. Miles).— Your seedling Plum, although good, is so 

 similar to others already in cultivation, that we can see little use in intro- 

 ducing it. It is inferior to the variety called Poupart's, which it some- 

 what resembles. 



Bergamotte d'Esperen Pears (Lang).— Let them hang on the trees 

 as long as they will, say till the middle of next month. When they come 

 off freely is the time to gather. 



Rose Buds (Idem).— It is somewhat late now for budding ; you mayt 

 however, try. They might do on the Manetti stock. 



Sifted Lime Rubbish for a Lawn (H. S. W.).— For a lawn lialle to 

 get scorched in summer lime rubbiBh would be the worst possible appli- 

 cation. We should give a top-dressing of rotten manure next March, rake 

 the lawn well in April, and sow over it Trifolium minus at the rate of 

 12 lbs per acre. It is not so liable to brown as grass is in summer, be- 

 sides it is always of a bright deep green. Its drawback is its numerous 

 small white heads of bloom, but run over with the mowing machine once 

 a-week all is kept neat. 



Applying Liquid Manure {A Constant Reader).— Manure water tob& 

 of any benefit 6hould be given when the plants are growing, or during 

 summer. It may be given from the commencement of growth up to its 

 completion, but will not be needed in wet weather. 



Placing Flints around the Stems of Shrubs (Idem).— The practice 

 was recommended by Loudon partly to keep the ground near the stem 

 from being disturbed, and to prevent weeds growiug, and to afford warmth ; 

 but as the flints can do no good in any of those ways in protected oc 

 enclosed grounds, we think it a needless proceeding. 



East Lothian Stocks after Flowering (Q. Q.).— The plants will not 

 be of use for next year's flowering, but if you wish for seed you may pot 

 them, and winter them in a cold frame. That is the only purpose for 



