December 29, 1S70. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



519 



such trees except for forming pyramids. For dwarf fan-training we do 

 not like them. '• Fruit Gardening for the Many," will suit you. It may 

 be had from our office for five stamps. 



Cyclamens after Flowering (Q. Q.). — After they are removed from 

 the sitting-room, place them in a pit or frame, and protect them from 

 the frost. Keep them watered, and in June plant them out in a border 

 protected from the direct mid-day sun. In August take them up and repot 

 them, placing the pots on ashes in a cold frame The soil at all times 

 should be moist, but there is no necessity for watering after they are 

 turned out into the open ground. When moved from the sitting-room, 

 they must be kept safe from frost. 



Geraniums in Rooms (Idem).— In frosty weather you will need a fire, 

 but so long as the temperature doe3 not fall below 35°, there is no neces- 

 sity for one. It is necessary to keep out frost. There can be no question 

 they winter better without fire heat than with it. So long as your room 

 is above 88° have no fire, and keep the plants dry, giving a little water 

 occasionally to keep the wood from shrivelling. 



Transplanting Strawberries (Idem). — We would not remove the 

 runners planted last August until February, or early in March if the 

 weather be unfavourable in February. If carefully lifted, preserving to 

 each a good ball, the plants will be little the woree, watering being care- 

 fully atended to in dry weather. 



Various (Q. Q.).— As regards the small vinery which will not be put up 

 until May, we do not think you would gain a season by your neighbour 

 growing yonr Vines in pots from February to May ; but you would gain «. 

 good deal if the Vines, instead of being grown in pots, had the roots laid 

 out nicely in shallow baskets, and were thus started in the house, and 

 the baskets were then punk just as they were in a nicely made border in 

 the end of May or beginning of June. With warm water and a little 

 covering there need be no check to the roots, which there would bo in 

 turning them out of a pot. The Black Hamburgh and Lady Downe's will 

 succeed well enough in the same house, but the latter should be planted 

 at the warmer end. and even then the hunches will only be getting fully 

 ripened when the first have all been used. In a late house we have some 

 Lady Downe's now not more than ripe, but the Hambnrghs are quite 

 sugary and showing signs of shrivelling. The chief reason for having 

 the flue, as referred to at page 478, under the front stage is, that the heat 

 rising there is more easily and equally diffused. A flue under the centre 

 stage would give off just as much heat ; lint as he.it always rises it would 

 not so readily keep cold from the front glass. When we have heated 

 houses by fines or pipes close to the back instead of the front wall, we 

 have always liked to have more heating power. True, there will be a 

 circulation, the heated air rising to the apex and falling down to the 

 front. This is best done when the heating medium is partly confined, 

 and there are openings in front with air flues beneath the floor connected 

 with the heating medium. With the flue near the front, the heated air 

 rises at once against the front and the lower part of the roof glass. In 

 your case, however, if yon had the flue in front it need not interfere with 

 the planting your Vines inside. Heat ascends, and will not hurt the 

 roots nor the stems if a foot from the flue. All the Pears you men- 

 tion will do well as bushes or pyramids. Wo are surprised you do not 

 place among them two favourites — Mario Louise and Louise Bonne of 

 Jersey. In your case we would decidedly prefer buBhes and pyramids, 

 but we can have no objection to cordons, a capital plan for filling every 

 spare space; and a little protection for them when in bloom would be 

 desirable. 



Vines on Glass-covered Walls (Amateur). — There is no objection to 

 tho perpendicular glass remaining in front of the Vines during the winter. 

 It will be more beneficial than injurious, though, all things considered, 

 we should be inclined to remove it, and not replace it until the Vines 

 began to grow. 



Peat Soil for Geraniums (Idem). — It would be good to mix with 

 your soil for Geraniums, but it will not supply, or only to a small extent, 

 the deficiency of decomposing vegetable matter, as leaf soil or manure 

 would do. Water freely in dry weather, and once a-week with liquid 

 manure ; 2 ozs. of guano to a gallon of water will be Bufflcient, a plentiful 

 supply being given, and not driblets. 



Determining the Extent of a Kitchen Garden (A. B. C.).— Your 

 question admits of no conclusive answer. The wants of an establish- 

 ment vary considerably, for it is not so muoh what each person eats, but 

 what is to be placed on the table. We have no means of estimating the 

 extwnt of ground that will be required for producing a supply of vege- 

 tables for each person, varying as people do in their likes and dislikes ; 

 but we have known a kitchen garden of three acres supply a family of 

 thirteen members, and an average of fifty besides in the servants' hall; 

 and an acre and half barely meeting the wants of a family of three, with 

 nine servants; "whilst we have known one-eighth of an acre supply a 

 family of four, with five servants ; and three-quarters of an acre supply 

 seven, with four servants. 



Lieonia rLoniBUNDA Leaves Falling [J. C) — We can only account 

 for the leaves falling from the plant receiving a check. Probably it has 

 been grown in a warm close atmosphere, and received a check in removal. 

 We think it will recover. It is usual for the plaat to lose apart of its 

 leaves in autumn. We have it succeeding well in a greenhouse. 



Names of Ferns (Idem). — The Silver Fern is Gymnogramma tartarea; 

 the Gold, Gymnogramma ochracea"; and the green frond, Litobrochia 

 (Doryopteris) palmata. 



Cocoa-nut Fibre for Rhododendron Beds (C.B.).— The fibre, which 

 is the waste of the brush and mat manufacturers, is of do value for 

 plants, though for plunging pots in and mulching it may have value. 

 This fibre is very different from the refuse, which is so much valued as 

 an ingredient in composts for plants. The latter is like mahogany 

 sawdnst, and is a good substitute for peat. It may, therefore, be used 

 for mixing with the soil intended for Rhododendron beds and all plants 

 requiring peat Boil, though for Azaleas, Heaths, and all hardwooded 

 plants, which for the most part have very delicate fibres, it requires to be 

 old, two years not being too old. Used fresh it is too open for those 

 plants. It is also valuable as a compost for Ferns and Orchids— indeed, 

 there are few plants not improved by its application. 



Achimenes Treatment (A. B.).— Remove them from the soil carefully 

 after the middle of February, and place them in pans well drained, and 

 filled to within half an inch of the rim with a comport of light flbroua 

 loam two parts, leaf soil one part, and a fourth of silver sand. Place 



them on the surface close together, but not touching each other, and 

 cover lightly with fine soil. Water very carefully, but have the soil 

 moist, and place the pans in a hotbed with a bottom beat of from 70° to 

 75°. A Cucumber frame will answer well. In the course of a few weeks 

 the plants will have grown a couple of inches ; place them in pots or 

 pans, taking them up carefully, and placing them about 1£ inch apart, 

 the weakest at the sides, and the strongest in the centre. The pots 

 should be well drained, and if pans are used they should not be less than 

 G inches, better 8 inches deep. A compost of two parts turfy loam, one 

 of leaf soil, and one of well-rotted manure, with a free admixture of 

 silver sand, will grow them well. It is well to so pot that a slight top- 

 dressing of soil can afterwards be given. Return the pots to the hotbed, 

 or if not convenient, place them near the glass in a vinery, stove, or any 

 house with a moist growing heat of from 60° to 65° at night, and from 

 70° to 8(F or 85° by day. When they need Btaking attend to it, and top- 

 dress with fresh compost. Let them have a brisk heat and a moiBt at- 

 mosphere, watering as required, but taking care not to make the soil 

 sodden by too frequent watering, and, on the other hand, not allowing 

 them to suffer from dryness. 



Vines for a Ground Vinery (M. Rosa).— All of the Vines yon mention 

 will do ; but we would recommenl White Muscadine, Grove End Sweet- 

 water, Early Malingre, and Black Prince for your ground vinery. 



Ground Vineries (Subscriber).— It may be possible to get one piece of 

 glass 7 feet long, by 28i inches, but the way in which ground vineries are 

 usually glazed is by the panes of glass being the width between the upper 

 and lower frames, and of any length you please. They are usually 

 20 inches. 



Importing Orchids from India (E. L. J).— The very best time for 

 Orchids to reach England is during the months of March and April. By 

 this restriction it is impossible for the plants to be sent from India in a 

 growing or unripe state, and they arrive in this country exactly at the 

 right time to make good growth the same season. The following is a 

 short list of species to be found in the neighbourhood of Bombay: — 

 AerideB maculosum, odoratum, Fieldingii. crispum, aDd Warneri ; Bolbo- 

 phyllums, various; Ccelo«yne odoratiSBima; Dundrobium barbatnlum, 

 nobile, and Pierardl ; Saccolabium guttatum, Sarcanthus several species, 

 Vanda Roxburghii; and many others of less importance, especially Den- 

 drobes. 



Double Glazing (J. Mackenzie, M.D.). — We are not aware of any re- 

 gularly recorded temperatures undt r the different circumstances alluded 

 to. We have mislaid the results of some small experiments of our own 

 years ago ; but we recollect that in cold weather, when we covered a two- 

 light box with double saBhes, though from the laps the enclosed space 

 was anything but air-tight, that Bimilar thermometers, one laid on the 

 upper light and one on the lower light, so as to be easily seen, often 

 showed from 6° to 12° difference. Will some reader help our corre- 

 spondent to details more definite as to the difference in temperature 

 between double-glazed and single-glazed houses? 



Hot Water Circulating Downwards. — "Will Mr. Giddings describe 

 how a pipe can start and descend 22 feet in 10U feet, and then return to 

 tho same point on a level ? If, as I think, tbat the pipes have first a rise 

 from some other house and the boiler, the flow pipe, as Mr. Giddings 

 terms it, is nothing more nor less than a return pipe, and has no practical 

 effect whatever, neither does it help ' Poor Gardener' or — H. Bailey." 



Caladiums (E. €.). — The party you mention says his mode of growing 

 them differs but little from that described in more than one place in our 

 pages, excepting that he uses poorer soil. His mode of culture is aa 

 follows :— After the plants are no longer ornamental they are set aside in 

 some dry place, often a vinery, and but very little water given ; still they 

 are not kept quite dry, and when the foliage is quite gone the pots are 

 stored iD Borne place warmer than an ordinary greenhouse. In spring 

 the Caladiums are brought out and repotted, and placed in heat, using 

 for the first potting a mixture of rough peat and maiden loam, with char- 

 coal for drainage, and adding sand to the mixture if the pe»t does not 

 contain enough of it. After growing a little while repot, using a much 

 poorer soil this time, very often the sweepings of the pottinw ehed, as a 

 too rich material to grow in, however conducive to robust health, 

 diminishes the high colouring which constitutes the beauty of this plant. 

 He considers it unnecessary to maintain thp high temperature bo often 

 recommended, as plants so reared are unable afterwards to endure a 

 position in the conservatory. 



Names of Fruits (H. Howell). — The Apples you have sent are Pigeonnet. 

 The name certainly does not occur in the " Kruit Manual," but you will 

 find the variety described in " British Pomology. 3 ' It is only second-rate 

 in England. Those you sent are good. 

 Name of Plant (Original Subscriber). — Cerastium tomentosnm. 



POTJLTSY, BEE, AND PIGEON CHSOHICLE. 



THE CHRISTMAS MARKET. 



We promise ourselves, as soon as space vdll permit, to give 

 an account of the Christmas market that may be interesting to 

 our readers. At present, while the fast-recurring shows and 

 the jousts that follow them absorb our space, we are perforce 

 content to notice the salient points of that which has just ter- 

 minated. , 



No market ever opened with brighter prospects for the whole- 

 sale, or more gloomy for the retail, than the Christmas market 

 of 1870. Poultry had been very dear throughout the spring, and 

 it was said the high prices had caused those who had poultry 

 to kill it young, believing— and we agree with them — that it 

 was better to ensure a good present price than to run the risk 

 of many months only to achieve the same result. Then it wag 

 said the French supplies, which are enormous during the 

 Christmas time, amounting to many thousands of Geese and 



