332 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 25, 1S77. 



VINE EXES. 



It is very desirable to pay particular attention to the fruit 

 hanging in the late house. The leaves are now falling rapidly, 

 and owing to the evaporation of moisture from tbern the berries 

 are more liable to mould than they are at other times. All that 

 can be done is to keep up an equable temperature in the house 

 and to remove the leaves as soon as they fall, or to pick those 

 off from the Vines as soon as they cease to be useful. The dense 

 fogs have also set in generally at night, and sometimes con- 

 tinuing till mid-day. Last Thursday at 11 a.m. it was so dense 

 that a person could not be distinguished at sis yards. This is 

 what tries us the most, especially if the fogs are continued for 

 many days. We are now making arrangements to renew the 

 border of one of the early vineries ; the roots have penetrated 

 beyond their bounds, and no doubt they have gone through 

 the drainage into a bed of gravel underneath. We shall cut a 

 trench through the border parallel with the front wall and 

 about 6 feet from the Vines. All the roots on the further side 

 of this will be cut off, and the whole of the old compost will be 

 removed. After that has been removed the rubble at the bottom 

 will be turned over, removing from it all the particles of loose 

 earth; the rabble will then be levelled over the bottom and 

 some turf be placed over it with the grass side down. The next 

 thing is to work into the old border that remains, and level 

 about 6 or 9 inches of this into the bottom before putting in the 

 compost that has been already prepared. We do not use it any 

 richer for this than it was used for the border when the Vines 

 were planted. The component parts of a Vine border have been 

 so often described that one would think it was known to every- 

 body, had not a correspondent written last week to ask if the 

 following would answer to make a border for Vines — viz., to 

 twelve cartloads of turfy loam add sis cartloads of stable manure, 

 two loads of lime rubbish, and twenty bushels of crushed bones. 

 It was fortunate that the correspondent wrote to the Editors for 

 information, else a large expense would have been incurred to 

 end in failure. One load of decayed manure is sufficient for six 

 or nine cartloads of loam according to its quality, and 1 cwt. of 

 crushed bones would be enough to add to it, with two bushels 

 of charcoal. A cartload of lime rubbish might be added to six 

 cartloads of heavy loam or nine cartloads of light loam. 



PEACH HOUSES. 



As in the case of vineries, preparations must now be made to 

 begin forcing the earliest house by washing the woodwork, 

 dressing the wood of the trees, and renovating the borders. 

 Besides being subject to the attacks of red spider, thrips, mildew, 

 and green fly, the wood is often attacked by brown scale. This 

 pest doeB much injury when it is allowed to increase unchecked. 

 Before painting the wood with the mixture the scale ought to 

 be washed off with a sponge dipped in soapy water. The wood 

 ought also to be tied into the place where it is permanently to 

 remain, and then, if it is necesEary to put any plants into the 

 house, they may be arranged on a temporary stage in the most 

 advantageous position. In the late house the leaves will nearly 

 have all fallen except on such sorts as Salwey, Comet, Lord 

 Palmerston, or other late sorts. A suitable ripening tempera- 

 ture should be kept up, and as soon as the fruit can be detached 

 by hand it ought to be gathered and removed to the fruit room, 

 where it will keep in good condition if required for ten days. 



PLANT STOVE AND OECHID HOUSES. 



At present we are not doing much except to clean the plants, 

 pots, and stages, glass, and woodwork, both outside and inside. 

 Whatever plants are flowering should be attended to, and the 

 flowers be preserved for as long a period as possible. Many of 

 the same plants are in flower that we alluded to a few weeks 

 ago, and they continue quite as long again now as they do in 

 summer. Nearly all the summer-flowering plants are approach- 

 ing the resting period of their existence, and should not be 

 excited by too much heat combined with moisture at the roots. 

 Clerodendron Balfourianum and Bougainvillea glabra — two of 

 our most useful stove plants either for decorative purposes on the 

 home stage or for exhibition — will stand over the winter in a 

 warm greenhouse, but they must be very sparingly supplied 

 with water ; indeed, they will scarcely require any. These and 

 plants of a similar character will pass through the winter in the 

 stove. They will not start into growth if water is not supplied 

 to them. Poinsettias are now forming their flower bracts. 

 These plants must not be over-watered, and an over-moist 

 atmosphere does not suit them. They require a temperature of 

 about 60' at night. A little guano water, or manure water formed 

 by steeping sheep or cow manure in water, adds greatly to the 

 strength and brilliancy of the floral bracts. We have the old 

 variety and the new sort introduced to England by the Messrs. 

 Veitch of Chelsea two or three years ago, and it is interesting to 

 notice the difference in growth between the two, and also that 

 the new sort is later in forming its bracts. It was thought that 

 this new variety would displace the old sort altogether. We do 

 not think so. They are both required; the old variety to flower 

 earlieBt, and the variety plenissima to prolong the display at 

 least two months longer than heretofore. Keep the plants close 

 to the glass and admit as much air as possible, still keeping up 



the temperature to about 60° at night and 65° or 70° by day. 

 We would again urge the utility of the winter-flowering Calan- 

 thes. Now that the balba can be purchased at a very cheap 

 rate, and can be grown in an ordinary stove amongst other 

 plants, every collection should contain them. We simply pot 

 the bulbs when they start into growth in February or March — 

 three small in a 5-inch pot, selecting the largest bulbs to be 

 potted in 6-inch pots. Turfy loam with a little decayed stable 

 manure added is the best potting material ; they do better in 

 this than in peat. C. ocnlata rosea and lutea are the earliest 

 to flower, to be succeeded by C. Tnrnerii (pure white) and 

 C. Veitchii, the beautiful hybrid we owe to the skill of Mr. 

 Dominy. Of these there are many shades of colour, from pale 

 rose to crimson. The noble Udontoglossnm grande is very 

 beautiful at this season, and is easily grown. We have it in the 

 cool house with Odontoglossums from New Grenada, and in the 

 Cattleya house with the Mexicans. The variety 0. grande 

 leopardinnm has the labellum of the richest gold and crimson 

 bars; the sepals and petals are also much darker. O.biotonense 

 is easily grown, and its spikes tower erect above most others. 

 O. antumnalis is throwing up vigorous spikes, but the flowers 

 will not open for a montb. yet. Although many plants are in 

 flower or showing, it is not well to excite them with too much 

 heat or moisture. We keep the OdontoglosBum house about 50°, 

 a few degrees less or more according to the weather ; the Cat- 

 tleya house about 55°, and the East Indian Orchids 60° to 65°. 

 — J. Douglas. 



TRADE CATALOGUE RECEIVED. 



Charles Turner, Royal Nurseries, Slough. — Catalogue of Roses, 

 Fruit Trees, £c. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



* m * Al! correspondence should be directed either to "The 

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

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

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

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

 justifiable trouble and expense. 



Books (B. 22.). — £i Greenhouses for the Many," price Gd., or " Garden 

 Manual," Is. trf. 



Instruction (Punlico). — Write to Messrs. Veitch. 



Turnips (A Lady Header). — They are stringy if they have produced stems 

 for flowering. They are best kept by being brried in sand in a cellar. 



Fern {A. McDonald). — It is Aspienium fontannm. 



Leaves (L. H.).— We cannot name from leaves only. The Vine roots have 

 probably descended into an unsuitable soil. Manure the surface over them. 

 Echeverias may be wintered in a greenhouse. 



Tying Fruit Trees (E. W.).— Stockholm-tarred string is not injurious to 

 the tree tied with L it, but you must adopt means to prevent the bark being 

 chafed. 



Trellis (SamSo).— Train over it Ivy and Crataegus Pyracantha. 



Salsapy {A. S. H.).— Sow in March and April in an open situation in shallow 

 drills 9 inches asunder, scatter thd seeds thinly, and cover them half an inch 

 deep. When the plants are 2 or 3 inches high thin to 10 inches asunder. 

 During very dry weather water occasionally very plentifully, and if half art 

 ounce of guano is added to each gallon of water it will be very beneficial. 

 They will have large roots by September or October ; and in November, when 

 the leaves begin to de^ay, a quantity may be preserved in sand for use in 

 time of severe frost, but "those left in the ground will not be injured. In 

 spring, when those remaining in the ground begin to vegetate, the shoot9 

 when a few inches high maybe cut for use as Asparagus, being excellent 

 when quite young and tender. 



Celery (IF. J.).— Dig a trench and bury the sticks, leaving the green tops 

 uncovered. 



Tines Mildewed (£. S. and a. F.).— They seem to have had a slight 

 attack. Ton can do nothing now until the leaves fall, when you must prune 

 the Vines ; then wash the wood with soapy water, and paint it afterwards 

 with a mixture of flowers of sulphur stirred in soapy water till it is of the 

 consistency of thin paint, add to it a little tobacco liquor. No harm will be 

 done to your Vines if the wood is well ripened. Vines are most subject to 

 mildew when they are unhealthy. Probably the roots have gone down into 

 unsuitable soil ; if so it would be best to raise them as you propose and put 

 in fresh soil. Vine3 are more subject to mildew in a greenhouse than they 

 are in an ordinary vinery. The low temperature is the cause. When the 

 parasite appears dust the leaves with flowers of sulphur. The gas stove 

 would not cause mildew. Paint the Vine when dormant with the sulphur 

 mixture. 



Late-keeping Apples (A. B. C.).— Gooseberry, Wellington, Blenheim 

 Orange. Ranunculus will not do well behind a north wall. 



Treathtent of Orange Trees [Idem). — They will do in a temperature 

 of 65° during the winter months, but it is not desirable to keep them in this 

 temperature unless they are bearing a crop of fruit which it is intended to 

 ripen. The trees can be kept much cleaner aadmoro healthy in a greenhouse 

 temperature. 



Boiler. — W. Palmer wishes to know some gBrdener who has tried Messrs. 

 Heap & Wheatly's boiler for heating a small greenhouse. 



WrfirXG Peach Wall ( ). — The trees will not do so well with the 



wire3 fixed 6 inches from the wall as they will close to it. 



Erratum.— Mr. Wootten Wootten, Headington House, Oxon, writes that the 

 foot-note attached to his list of Roses on page 802 should read as follows :— 

 La Eosiere has not been sufficiently tested to compare with Prince Camiile 



de Rohan, nor has Marguerite Brassac as regards Charles Lefebvre. 



