458 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 8, 1870. 



Irish Peat Charcoal. — Several correspondents ask where they can 

 purchase Irish peat charcoal, so strongly recommended in Mr. CuthiU's 

 manual of market gardening. Anyone who can supply it would be repaid 

 for advertising it, stating price, &c. 



Taking up Gladioli (Bertram).— Your soil being " black loam, subsoil 

 sand, on the Mansheld stone," there will not be any danger of leaving 

 them in the ground, but we would top-dress with partially decayed 

 leaves. 



Various (Amateur).— 1, The cause of the Calceolarias, Tom Thumb 

 Geraniums, and Lobelias doing so badly iu your soil, is no doubt want of 

 humus. Give it as much leaf soil or well-rotted manure as you can 

 now, and work it well into the ground, digging to a good depth. 2, The 

 glass placed before the Calville Blanche cordon Apple trees should be 

 removed from now until spring. 3, Having no greenhouse, your only plan 

 of forwarding Tomatoes and Celery is to sow the seeds in February, and 

 growing the plants in a hotbed, pricking off the Celery into pans wh n 

 large enough to handle, and pot ting-off the Tomatocj in small pots, grow- 

 ing them in a hotbed, and hardening them off by May. 4, Budded and 

 grafted P'um, Pear, and Apple trees may be moved in the nutumu suc- 

 ceeding their working, and in the case of grafted trees, will be maiden 

 trees but the budded ones will not be maidens until the autumn follow- 

 ing, and it is well not to move them until they have made a year's growth. 

 5. Quince stocks are propagated from cuttings and layers, and also 

 suckers, choosing young wood for both the cuttings and layers, and 

 planting or layering at once. The Paradise Apple stocks are raised from 

 cuttings, putting in in February cuttings of about 10 inches in length, 

 with a short heel of the previous year's wood. 



Pounded Oyster Shells for Cinerarias (One Anxious to Learn). — 

 It is well to mix them with the compost iu the proportion of about one- 

 sixth, but they should be calcined. They are not equal to watering with 

 liquid manure; but watering often with that is not good for anything, 

 unless the liquid is very weak. Giving it twice or thrice a-week is quite 

 often enough, and we find one good watering better than constant appli- 

 cations. The plants require time to elaborate the food given them. It 

 is necessary to give both the oyster shells and liquid manure, the latter, 

 when the pots are filled with roots, at every alternate watering, or once 

 or twice a-week. Oyster shells are good for mixing with the soil for 

 Chrysanthemums, also Pelargoniums, and almost, if not all, pot plants, 

 except those, perhaps, that require peat soil. 



Chrysanthemum Seed Sowing (Berlehampstead Subscriber) — Sow in 

 March in pans of light sandy rich soil, and place in a hotbed. When the 

 plants appear give abundance of air, and keep them near the glass. 

 When large enough to handle prick them off about an inch apart in pans, 

 and return them to the hotbed or a cold frame. Shade them for a few 

 days, then harden them off, plant out iu June iu an opeu situation, and 

 water them iu dry weather. Iu autumn the plants may be taken up and 

 potted, and be wintered in a cool house or frame. They will need to be 

 potted and then growth encouraged the second yeir, and iu the autumn 

 they will flower. The " Ed cyclopaedia of Gardening" is published by 

 Messrs. Longman, price 31s. Qd. 



Cleaning Neglected Garden— Fruit Trees Unpruned (E. M. J.). 

 — As the soil is good we would not burn the top spit, but at once trench 

 fully two spits deep if the soil is good to that depth, or as deeply as you 

 can'without bringing too much of the bad soil to the top. If this were 

 done between now and February, the ground would be in first-rate order 

 for planting with Potatoes. The leaf Boil will answer very well as manure, 

 placing it over the Potatoes in the drills, and we would supplement it 

 with guano, at the rate of about 3 cwt. per acre. It would give them a 

 start. Sow it broadcast. The wall trees thirty-five years old we would 

 <*rub up, and replace with younger treeB. There is poor chance of your 

 cutting them into form after being so long neglected. We would not 

 plant fruit trees after February, if we could help it, but have planted very 

 ■successfully iu March. We would trench the borders, and clear out all 

 the old roots we could find. It would be well to dig a hole for each tree, 

 and pave the bottom ; it would cause the roots to spread, but would not 

 prevent their going down; to prevent their doing so the interstices be- 

 tween the stones should be filled up with concrete. The planting with 

 chopped sods and fresh soil is good, top-dressing with rich manure. For 

 a south and east aspect in the north midlands of Ireland, we advise for 

 the south wall :— -Apricots — Hemskerk, Iiaisha, and Moorpark. Peaches — 

 Noblesse, Grosse Mignonne, Violette Hative, Malta, Barrington, and Early 

 York. Plums— Early Favourite (Rivera's), July Green Gage, Green Gage, 

 Jefferson, Transparent Gage, and Angelina Burdett. Of Pears, for the 

 east wall, Beurre d'Amanlis, Calebasse d'Ete, Marie Louise, Glou 

 Morceau, Dr. Trousseau, Beurre Diel, Beurre Bacheiier, Beuire d'Arem- 

 berg, Beurre de Ranee, Winter Nelis, Josephine de Malines, Van Mons 

 Leon-le-Clerc, and Ne Plus Meuris. If you wish for more Plums, Belgian 

 Purple, Prince Englebert, Oullin's Golden, "Victoria, Kirke's, and Coo's 

 Golden Drop, will suit ; and if for Nectarines, Elruge, and Violette Hutive, 

 will succeed on the south wall. 



Pruning Dwarf Fruit Trees [An Amateur). — We should not prune 

 more than is necessary to give them the required shape. The less 

 pruning bush and pyramid fruit trees have in winter the better. Of 

 your two plans, we consider the pruning but little the better, and we 

 think the notching over the buds will not interfere with their breaking. 

 The inverted fAl i3 ^ De proper way to cut the notches ; the straight cut, 

 or directly transverse, is more likely to result in the shoot being broken 

 above the bud at the cut. We question very much the soundness of the 

 notching system. In the end we fear it will lead to gumming and canker, 

 and if not, the &hoots will ever be liable to breakage. 



Heliotrope Losing its Leaves (Aritus). — It is usual for the Helio- 

 trope to lose its leaves at this season, and it is well to give no more 

 water than a little occasionally to keep the wood firm. The plant ought 

 to have a temperature of not less than 85°, and if you require flowers at 

 this season, 45° to 50° are necessary, the soil being kept moist, and in 

 favourable weather abundance of air given. The plant, however, ought 

 to have rest by being kept cool, yet safe from frost, and comparatively 

 dry at the roots, pruning before it is again excited into growth. Thus 

 treated, it will grow and flower more freely and strongly than when other- 

 wise managed. We are unable to account for the Roses in pots throwing 

 out shoots about half an inch long and then withering. Are they not 

 potted with the j unction of the stock and scion above the soil ? It ought 

 an all cases to be covered with soil. 



Cobrea Leayeb Falling (Delta).— It is a result of imperfect root- 



action, and may be caused by bad drainage, giving too much water, and 

 so saturating the soil, and sometimes by want of water in summer. The 

 chief cause, however, is scale, which, by its secretion, causes honeydew 

 on the leaves, and their pores being closed they fall. The temperature 

 in which the plants are is too high ; 40- to 45 D will be sufficient at this 

 season, and with that, a light, airy situation, and water enough to keep 

 the soil moist, the plant does well. The hot dry season has been very 

 trying to all plants of this class. In summer it is desirable to grow 

 them in a cold pit. Keep your plant dry, giving no water except when 

 the soil becomes dry, then supply enough to show itself at the drainage, 

 and we think it will recover. Repot in March, and keep the plant cool 

 with plenty of air. 



Forcing Spirjea japonica (G. O.).— The plants will flower early in 

 February if placed, at the beginning of December, in a hous<i with a tem- 

 perature of 45°, increased to 50° in a fortnight, and then to 55° in another 

 fortnight, if afforded a moist atmosphere and the needful supplies of 

 water. The temperatures named are from fire heat. 



Snowberry and Corchorus japonicus Pruning (E. M. M.). — It is 

 scarcely possible to prune these so as to look well. The only plan that 

 we know is to well cut out the old wood, and then prune the parts remain- 

 ing, so as to form compact bushes. The long shoots of the current year 

 may be cut in one-half or two-thirds their length, and the side shoots 

 shortened much in the same way as Roses. The Snowberry, however, 

 need not have the side shoots shortened ; thinning them and shortening 

 the long and straggling shoots will be sufficient. If they have spread 

 considerably from the main plant by suckers grub these up, leaving the 

 most compact bushes. Spring is the best time to prune the Corchorus. 

 Just before it begins to grow, and any time during the winter, will suit 

 the Snowberry. 



Peach Trees Infested with Brown Scale (A. B. D.).— The trees 

 being at r^st, paint them with a solution of 8 ozs. of soft soap to the 

 gallon of water, applying it with a brush at a temperature <j-f 120°, and 

 being careful not to dislodge tha fruit buds. A few syringiugs with water 

 at a temperature of 160° will answer quite as well, but the soft soap is a 

 great antidote to the attacks of red spider. Allowing the house to be 

 open when frosts prevail is a capital means of keeping down insects. 

 Clarke's and Gishurst Compound will also destroy the scale. 



Starting Pines (Idem). — The plants you wish to start for fruit in 

 spring ought now to be kept dry, if for no other reason than the low tem- 

 perature you are giving them; but that, with the dryness, will hasten 

 their starting for fruit in spring. We would not place them in the 

 Cucumber house before the beginning of February, keeping them dry 

 until then. It is likely they will fruit as you wish. 



POULTRY, EEE, AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 



THIS SEASON'S MOULT. 



Many of my Dorking chickens have gone entirely through 

 the moult, having changed, I believe, every feather. This has 

 especially been the case with a very fine cockerel that I in- 

 tended exhibiting, so thai as it prevented my doing so when I 

 wanted, I took especial notice of him, and I do not think he 

 has a chioken's feather left. I never saw chickens in such a 

 naked state before, and have often wondered at the cause. 

 They have had no stimulating food for months. 



I am afraid Mr. Wright's plan to stop pullets laying will be 

 in many cases very difficult to carry out ; at least, it will be so 

 iu mine, as I have only one large grass run over whioh all my 

 fowls stray ; therefore, I do not see how I can vary the soene ; 

 but, nevertheless, the idea seems very good, and is borne out 

 to some extent by the very common fact of a laying hen being 

 removed to a fresh place ; in many cases this will at once 

 stop her laying, and if the change will stop a ben laying, it is 

 very likely to put off the laying of pullets. My plan hitherto 

 for this purpose has baen to leave off stimulating food as soon 

 as possible after the chickens leave the hen. Of course, this 

 must be done gradually. — T. E. Eell. 



CRYSTAL PALACE POULTRY SHOW. 



This Show was opened yesterday, and whether for numbers, or, in 

 some of the classes, for quality of the birds, must be ranked this year 

 as one of the first, whilst in Pigeons it has eclipsed every other. The 

 darkness of the d?}*, and the late hour at which the awards were con- 

 cluded, prevent our criticising the later classes as we could wish, hut 

 of the main classes we are able to give something like a correct de- 

 scription. In going through the Show we recognised many of the 

 Birmingham competitors, and the condition in which these birds were 

 shown reflects the highest credit both on the Birmingham and London 

 Committees. "We were also much struck with the suitability of the 

 Palace for a poultry show, the diffused character of the light showing 

 nearly all the classes to good advantage. In only a few was the light 

 bad; and the very worst- placed tiers could be far better seen and 

 judged than many ranks at Birmingham. Partly owing to this, and 

 partly to the smaller classes, there was on the whole much more satis- 

 faction with the judging. 



DORKINGS. 



1. — The cup for old G-rey Dorkings was taken by Mr. Martin's well- 

 known Rose-combed pen, combining grand size with remarkably good 

 legs and feet. Though not yet quite at their best, these birds seem 

 hard to beat. Second and third, good-framed single-combed birds 



