20 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 5, 1877. 



do not require any earthing-np, as enough soil for this pur- 

 pose falls in the bottom of the trench wneu water is applied. 

 When crisp Lettuces, Radishes, and other salads are required 

 at this season the best place to sow the seeds is under a wall 

 facing north, and even there it will be necessary to water freely 

 in hot dry weather. 



Peas are bearing well. William I. has been the earliest, 

 although it was closely followed by Alpha, a better Pea as regards 

 flavour, although the first-named sort would be much the best 

 variety for market purposes ; the pods are larger and of a deeper 

 green colour. If Leeks are not planted no time should be lost 

 in getting them out. They ought to be planted early in June, 

 or even in May, to give the best results. The variety called the 

 Musselburgh is considered the best. In Scotland every garden 

 has its bed or quarter of L9eks, and they are used all through 

 the winter months. They are planted in rows a foot apart, and 

 9 inches between the plants. A rather deep drill should be 

 drawn first, planting in the bottom of the drill. The portion of 

 the Leek most esteemed is that part which has been blanched 

 under ground, and well-grown specimens will have a foot in 

 length blanched, and be very neariy as much in circumference. 

 The cottagers in Scotland reserve the best pig manure for their 

 Leeks, and the plants are not allowed at any time to suffer by 

 want of water. 



VINERIES. 



Red spider, which has not been very troublesome until the 

 last two weeks, is now showing itself. We still hold that paint- 

 ing the pipes with sulphur that has been made into a thin paste 

 by means of soapy water is tbe best way to destroy this pest. 

 Many good gardeners, amongst them the late Mr. Pearson of Chil- 

 well, doubted tbis. It is a question whether they have applied 

 the sulphur in the right way. We have usually heated the 

 pipes first to the proper heat, and then applied the mixture. 

 It is just possible that if the pipes were graiually heated to the 

 required temperature after the sulphur has been applied the 

 effect of it might not be so apparent. We generally find the 

 spider has been destroyed after thres dressings. A correspon- 

 dent last year recommended heating shovels to a certain tempe- 

 rature and then dusting the sulphur on to them. This we have 

 done this year, and although many spiders were seen alive after 

 the operation, they received a considerable check; and if we 

 had persisted in it four nights instead of two possibly it would 

 have been entirely destroyed. We shall soon clear the Grapes 

 both from the early Hamburgh and Muscat houses, when it will 

 be an easy matter to destroy the spider by syringing the leaves. 

 The difficulty usually is to retain the leaves in a healthy state 

 until the fruit has been cleared off. 



Where Grapes are nearly ripe in succession houses it is 

 probable that there may be some small or shanked berries on 

 some of the bunches; these ought to be carefully removed at 

 once, as they serve to spoil the effect of a whole houseful of 

 Grapes. Black Hamburgh Grapes colour best if they are shaded 

 by the leaves ; but to produce the rich amber so much esteemed 

 in Muscats it is bettsr to push the leaves gently aside, or even 

 to remove them altogether. The same remark applies to most 

 other varieties of white Grapes. 



We have just finished thinning-out the Grapes in the late 

 houses. We close early and keep the atmosphere rather moist. 

 Artificial heat is not needed in any of the houses ; for even if 

 the thermometer does fall considerably at night it is only for an 

 hour or two, as by shutting up with sun heat early in the after- 

 noon the temperature does not fall below 70° until near mid- 

 night, and the sun begins to have an effect on the temperature 

 between 4 and 5 am. We would rather have the lower night 

 temperature, as under that treatment red spider is not so likely 

 to attack the leaves. 



Vines in pots which have been grown-on for early forcing will 

 now have completed their growth, and it will be well to see 

 that the wood is sufficiently ripened; this will not be done by 

 withholding water and admitting plenty of air. Although the 

 wood appears to be ripe it may not really be so. The main 

 object of the cultivator is to develope the buds from which the 

 fruitful spurs will start nest season. To do this water must be 

 applied to the roots and leaves as usual, and a high temperature 

 should be kept up. If the Vines are not (as they ought to be) 

 already in their fruiting pots, lose no time in potting them as 

 previously directed. 



PLANT STOVE AND ORCHID HOUSES. 



The hot drying weather has necessitated much watering and 

 syringing. It is certainly better to keep plants clear of insect 

 pests than it is to destroy those pests after they have become 

 established on the plants, and to keep the plants clean it is 

 necessary to Bee that they are in a healthy growing condition ; 

 and those plants that will bear syringing ought to be dewed 

 overhead at least twice a-day, and in some instances the water 

 ought to be applied with considerable force. Watering must also 

 be carefully attended to. A plant may be either over or under 

 watered, but this will not readily happen with those who under- 

 stand their work and give tue requisite amount of attention to 

 it. It is better to allow the potting or such work to stand over 



for a few days than to neglect the watering of plants when they 

 are in full growth. 



We have been basketing and repotting Orchids. Where there 

 is a large collection of these interesting plants to attend to, 

 those in charge of them find plenty of employment fox every 

 day in the year ; and almost every month from spring until 

 autumn something requires to be done in the way of repotting, 

 basketing, fixing on blocks, &a. When the wants of the plants 

 are known there are few subjects more easily grown, but if a 

 check is experienced from any cause it may be years before 

 the plant recovers. Another thing, you must not be in a hurry 

 with them— they will not be driven. If an Orchid flowers a 

 month or two earlier this year than it did last, this we consider 

 .evidence that the temperature is too high, and probably if this 

 should be continued the plants will sicken and die. When they 

 flower about the same time each year it is reasonable to sup- 

 pose that the temperature at least is suitable. The beautiful 

 Masdevallias, which are so easily grown and increased, are not 

 new introductions ; at least, not all of them, but those that were 

 introduced prior to the cool-house system perished miserably. 

 The sam9 fate befell many of the choice Odontoglossums, which 

 are quite as easily managed as the others. We have now learned 

 to avoid the rock on which our predecessors foundered, and we 

 keep the cool Orchid houses cooler than the outside air during 

 the summer months. Masdevallias and Odontoglossums have 

 been repotted, and as the plants require a considerable Bupply 

 of water the pots are filled about three-fourths of their depth 

 with potsherds. Cattleyas, such as C. Warneri, Mossiae, Men- 

 delii, &c, have been repotted. These species are now making 

 fresh roots, but we find that after repotting they do not flower 

 so freely the next season. Large specimens require repotting 

 but seldom. Some of the best cultivators Bay once in seven 

 years is often enough, others say they ought to be repotted every 

 alternate year. We saw at Messrs. Veitch's nursery, King's 

 Road, Chelsea, the other day, many large specimens that had 

 not been repotted for many years. The leading growths had 

 grown over the sides of the pots, and a wig of roots depended 

 from their base, showing conclusively that the roots were aerial, 

 and depended for their sustenance not from what they ex- 

 tracted from the potting material (into which they had no in- 

 clination to travel), but from the atmosphere. It is so with 

 many Orchids ; they do not succeed until a large proportion of 

 the roots hang over the sides of the pots. After repotting a 

 moister atmosphere is maintained than previously. — J. Douglas. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



%* All correspondence should be directed either to "The 

 Editors," or to " The Publisher." Letters addressed to 

 Mr. Johnson or Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoid- 

 ably. We request that no one will write privately to any 

 of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to un- 

 justifiable trouble and expense. 

 Books (T. J. C.).— Yon mast apply to the publishers, Messrs. Bell &Co. 

 Thrips os Vines (M. D., Forest Gate).— The leave3 sent are very much 

 infested with thrips. When a few leaves only are attacked an exoellent 

 remedy is to sponge them with strong soft-soap water made by dissolving 

 4 ounces of soap in a gallon of water. If all the leaves are covered with 

 insects fumigate the house with tobacco on two consecutive nights, then 

 syringe the Vines as heavily as possible, directing the water between the 

 bunches. In a week or ton days other insectB will appear from eggs de- 

 posited on the Vines, and fumigation must be repeated. 



Ailantus [A Diligent Reader). — The leaves you enclose are not Ailantns 

 leaves. 



Boxes for Showing Hoses (A. D.). — The boxes which close for travelling 

 can be made by aay carpenter, and of the size desired. We know of none 

 ready made. The Rev. Canon Hole has given the following dimensions and 

 instructions : — 



Length. Breadth. Height. 



For 24R0363, i feet. 1 foot 6 ins. Back of box, 6 inches, front 4. 



„ 18 „ S feet. „ „ „ ii 



„ 12 „ 2 feet 2 ins. „ ,, ,, ,, 



,, 6 „ 1 foot 6 ins. ,, „ „ i, 



The covers, being 7$ inche i in depth at the back, and 5 inob.es in front, 4 feet 

 1 inch in length, 1 foot 7 inches in breadth, and having a narrow beading 

 within the four sides, half an inch from the bottom of the lid, overlap the 

 boxes, leaving ample room for the Roses, and are secured for travelling by 

 stout leather straps. Within the boxes some exhibitors have holes pierced 

 at equal distanoeB on a uniform surface of wood ; but as Roses differ in size, 

 it is more conveoient to have the facility of placing them where we please, 

 and for this purpose it is desirable to have strong laths (three-fonrthsof an 

 inch in depth, and 1| inch in width) extending the length of the box. These 

 laths sh mid be six m number, and should be nailed on two strong pieces of 

 wood, cro-sing the bo* one at each end, 2 inches below the surface. The 

 upper and lower laths should be fixed one-eighth of an inch within the box, 

 and the four remaining so arranged that there will be five interstices ljinoh 

 in width — three for the Roses, and two merely to reduce the weight. Tnere 

 will be a space of 1} inch between the laths and the upper edge of the box, to 

 be filled as follows :— Cover the laths with sueets of brown paper, two deep, 

 and cut to fit the box, and npon these place the best moss you oan obtain." 



Daic.ENA Unhealthy (E. 3. B.). — As you do not state what Dracaena it 



is " loosing rather shabby," we cannot say whether it ought to be planted 



out during the summer or not. A book whioh gives simple and brief directions 



for the culture of the-ie and other subtropical plants, can be obtained from 



/ Mr. B. S. Williams, Viotoria Nurseries, Holloway, London. 



