416 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 24, 1870. 



Lastly, for the present. Few who travel by rail between 

 thirty to fifty and more miles of the metropolis could fail to 

 notice, chiefly in the morning and evening, trucks and vans 

 filled with long upright tin cans, which help to supply our great 

 metropolis with milk, cream, &c, from the country. The chief 

 difficulty is to get it sweet and fresh by rail from rather long 

 distances. A friend of ours who does a large trade has, we 

 believe, not had a single complaint for several of the last dry 

 and hot summers. He first tried double-sided vessels, and 

 filled the space between with ice and iced water; then, as ice 

 failed, he tried cold spring water ; theD, like " G. Y. M.," page 

 390, he thought if there were openings at top and bottom for 

 the air to circulate between the outer and the inner case, all 

 would be well; but it was not well. The simple mode has 

 been returned to of leaving well alone. The holes are securely 

 corked up. The air in the space between the cases, say from 

 1 to li inch in width, is kept Btill and confined, and with the 

 good results above specified. That body of confined air 

 would prevent the hottest sun acting on the milk inside far 

 more effectually than if the space had been filled with the cold- 

 est iced water. Confined air might be used with good effect 

 for many purposes in gardening, as well as for keeping ice 

 bouses cool. 



We can only now find room for three hints. First, in such 

 weather as that which wo now have let air-giving be moderate, 

 and chiefly at the top of the house, and that after the heat is 

 rising. Air given at the top gets mollified before it reaches 

 and refreshes the plants. Letting cold blasts of coid air into 

 plant or tropical houses is all a delusion. Secondly, be cautions 

 of firing, so as not to give too much heat in dull, cold, cloudy 

 weather. Less cold air will be necessary if there is less use of 

 the furnace. Study the weather, and give a little brisk fire 

 early in the morning in preference to a high temperature at 

 night. Thirdly, for most plants under glass use water from 

 which the chill has been taken, say not colder than 50° ; for 

 tropical plants not under 00° or 70° ; and in cool greenhouses, 

 &&, especially avoid spilling any. — B. F. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



W. Cutbnsh & Son, Highgate, London, N. — Descriptive Catalogue 

 of Stove and Greenhouse Plants, Fruit Trees, &c. 



F. & A. Dickson and Sons, 106, Eastgate Street, and Upton Nur- 

 series, Chester. — Catalogue of Forest Trees, and Hardy and Orna- 

 mental Trees and Shrubs, &c. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*$* "We request that no one will write privately to any of the 

 correspondents of the " Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman.'* By doing so they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, etc, 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.C. 



We also request that correspondents will not mix up on the 

 same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them an- 

 swered promptly and conveniently, but write them on 

 separate communications. Also never to send more than 

 two or three questions at once. 



N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 



Books (A Young Gardener). — Chambers's "Arithmetic, First Course." 

 (Anxious). — Hogg's " Fruit Manual " is out of print. Another and enlarged 

 edition is preparing. [A. H.). — Upon the receipt of thirty-two post-office 

 stamps with your direction, the " Pine- Apple Manual" will be sent to 

 you post free. The " Florist and Pomologist" is published monthly. 



Italian Spring Garden (Hazlchurst). — We have no doubt that the 

 proposed planting of the Italian spring garden will look very well. We are 

 rather surprised that you have no Crocuses, which would have told well. 

 We would use all your 4's alike— yellow Tulips with blue Pansy edgings. 

 The four 7's, white Hyacinths, we would surround with blue and purple 

 Crocuses, or the Swiss Forget-me-not. The four 5's, scarlet Tulips, we 

 would surround with white Crocuses, and striped blue Crocuses. The 

 lour 8's, Nemophila beds, we would border with yellow Crocuses ; 9, beds 

 of Rhododendrons, we would border with Snowdrops, and carpet with 

 Silene pendula. Tho four 10 beds, border with Daisies ; the four 11 beds, 

 border with yellow Crocus. 



Pears por an Orchard (Wyeside).— In addition to the Seckle and 

 Chaumontel, which you have, plant Jargonelle, Louise Bonne of Jersey, 

 and Winter Nelis. 



Fruit Trees for East and North Aspects (Warourton).—~k wall with 

 an east aspect will suit a Chaumontel and Beurre de Ranee Pear, but for 

 the former a warm soil and situation are necessary. Pears for the east 

 wall— Bergamotte Espereo, Beurre Bosc, Marie Louise, Glou Morceau, 



Josephine de Malines, Passe Colmar, Crassane, Van Mobs Leon Leclerc, 

 and Ne plus Meuris. Of Plums you may have Green Gage, Jefferson, 

 Coe's Golden Drop, Kirke's, Transparent Gage, Prince Enelebert, Victoria, 

 and Oullin's Golden. The north wall will only suit the Morello Cherry. 



Black Alicante Grape Small and Stoneless [Wyeside). — The 

 Alicante requires rather more heat than the Black Hamburgh. To make 

 the berries stone and swell, before doing anything else to the Vine, we 

 would pull the dry hand gently over tho bunches when in bloom. If tho 

 hand were well powdered with the farina from other kinds, all the better. 

 If afraid to use the hand, which answers admirably, use a soft camel's- 

 hair pencil, and have a little of the dust of other kinds on clean paper 

 held below, and you can scatter it over the bunch in bloom. 



Vine (X, Sidvwuth).— It is a species, Vitis laciniata, the Parsley-leaved 

 or Ciotat Grape Vine. 



Planting a Small Cool Vinery (A Poor Working Man).— We think 

 the proposed construction of the vinery good. You can grow Grapes very 

 well in an unheated house, but it should have a south aspect. We would 

 so contrive that tho border should be partly above the surrounding 

 ground level, and entirely so if the situation is wet. Plant inside at 

 about 1 foot from the front. You will have room for six Vines ; plant the 

 two end ones 15 inches from the ends, and divide the space equally into 

 five parts, which will show you where the four Vines should be planted. 

 Plant in spring just when the Vines are beginning to grow, or in March. 

 Of kinds, we would have one Black Champion, two Black Hamburghs, 

 one Foster's White Seedling, one Buckland Sweetwater, and one Trent- 

 ham Black. 



Arranging a Fruit Garden (A Cottage Gardener). — We think your 

 former plan much the best— i.e„ a 12-feet birder and a walk 3£ feet wide 

 all round, with a centre bed or bonier of 12 feet. This we would disposa 

 as follows : Take off at one end what you require for the ground vineries, 

 having them with their ends north and south ; but irrespective of them, 

 we would have a row of cordon Apples all around, and then two rows of 

 pyramid Pear, Apple, Plum, and Cherry trees, and devote the space 

 between to Strawberries. You can devote the ground to bedding plants 

 and Roses. To grow both well the centre bed would not be too large ; but 

 to mis flowers and fruit trees together is to have neither good, and we 

 thought your original intention was to make your garden profitable. 

 Flowers take from, instead of putting in the pocket. 



Greenhouse on East Aspect— Hyacinths in Pots (H. H. M.). — A 

 greenhouse will answer on a site that gets all the morning sun up to one 

 o'clock. To forward Hyacinths which have been potted some time they 

 may be placed in a mild hotbed ; but if they are only newly potted they 

 would do best plunged in sawdust in a cold frame. 



Soil for a Magnolia (J".).— We have seen the Exmouth variety doing 

 well in a compost of loam from rotted turves, the turf being pared off 

 about 3 inches thick and laid up for sis months. The turf was taken 

 fiom a pasture where the soil was a strong or heavy loam. This we con- 

 sider the best of soil for the plant, though it may sometimes be seen doing 

 well in a peaty soil. For top-dressing nothing is so good as cow dung, but 

 sheep droppings answer well. 



Hiding Buildings (Iieadbeater). — We think the proposed poles and 

 covering them with climbers would not be effectual. The finest screen we 

 know would be of Cupressus Lawsoniana. A double row of this— the 

 plants being 6 feet and the rows 3 feet apart, planting them in quincunx: 

 order — would give you a complete and beautiful screen in a few years. 

 To form one more rapidly you might have a double row of Thuja Lobhii, 

 as advised for the Cupressus; or you could obtain strong plants of the 

 American Arbor- Vitse that would be a block at once, and they may be 

 planted so as to form a hedge. Plants 6 and 8 feet high can bo safely 

 moved. 



Pteris serrulata Varieties— Filmy Ferns (Fanny Fern).— Pteria 

 serru'ata cristata, P. serrulata polydactylon, and Pteris umhrosa are all 

 as hardy as Pteris serrulata. Trichomanes radicans will succeed in a 

 moist atmosphere without watering over the fronds, and it will also suc- 

 ceed when the water is given over the foliage. Constant moisture is 

 the great object to be aimed at, and we think it well not to water over the 

 foliage. We have found it do best in a position where it is kept moist by 

 a little water constantly dropping on the stone or near where it is grow- 

 ing, Hymenophyllum tunbridgense does not require so much moisture 

 as Tiichomanes radicans. It is best covered with a bell-glass and water 

 given below. It also does not require to be so dark, but should be kept 

 from bright sun. 



Early Tulips in Pots (D. M.\— If you wish the Van Thol Tulips in 

 pots to flower early, you may place them in the house, now that they are 

 pushing above ground; give them a temperature of from 55° to 60°, and a 

 position near the glass ; when the flowers show colour, remove the pots 

 to the house with a temperature of 40" to 45°, and the flowers will be 

 finer and last longer than in the higher temperature. If the Tulips are 

 not wanted for blooming early, they would do better in the last named 

 temperature, in which they would flower from the middle of February. 



Top-dressing Lawn (W. Fox). — Cocoa-nut fibre, turf-parings and phos- 

 phate of lime would he an excellent top-dressing for a lawn. The phos- 

 phate we should prefer to salt. We would now have equal parts of the 

 cocoa-nut fibre and turf-parings well mixed and turned over in a heap, 

 and wo would at the end of February turn the heap again, adding to it 

 one part in ten of phosphate of lime. You may give the dressing at the 

 rate of twenty cartloads per acre. Put it on in March, let it lie until the 

 beginning of April, then rake the lawn well, and sow the lawn grass seeds 

 as you propose, not beiog sparing of the Suckling Clover (Trifolium. 

 minus). Roll well after sowing. 



Centaurea candidissima Culture (Idem). — That is the name of the 

 plant of which you enclosed a leaf, one of the best white or silver-leaved 

 plants for bedding. It requiros to bo taken up before frost, to be potted 

 in light sandy soil, and to have a light airy position in a greenhouse, not 

 giving much water— only enough to keep the foliage fresh. If safe from 

 frost it is sufficient. 



Planting Lilium auratum Out of Doors (C. E.).— You may ( now 

 plant bulbs in the open ground, in good, rich, light soil well drained. 

 A peaty soil is most suitable. Surround the bulbs with sand, and cover 

 them with 2 or 3 inches of light soil. 



Plant for a Shaded Wall (A. B.).— Having tried Cotoneaster, we 

 fear your only hope is Ivy. The variegated kinds are, as a rule, of weaker 



