October 25, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



333 



Violets.— We have a letter for " G. E. H.," which Gan be forwarded if we 

 receive the full address. 



Covering Peach Trees with Glass (Kittic). — Of the three plans we 

 prefer No. 2, and if the glass lights at the top were made to lift up with a 

 rod, which could easily be managed, it would make a most efficient covering. 

 The sashbars ought to he 2i inches deep by liiuch wide. No. 1 plan would 

 answer equally well, but we object to the wood top. 



Strawberry Treatment (A. B. C). — By your letter we fancy yours is 

 rich light soil, as such soil has a tendency to cause the production of leaves 

 minus fruit. The runners were too late in being planted to bBar fruit last 

 summer. Another reason may be in the fact that you have not good varieties. 

 Let your beds alone this winter, but obtain some rnnners of such sorts as 

 Keens' Seedling, President, Auguste Nicaise, Duo de Magenta, and Frogmore 

 Late Pine, and plant in another portion of your ground; then look out in 

 "Doings of the Last Week" for instructions as to future treatment. 



Rhododendrons not Showing Bloom Buds (Idem). — You did wrong to 

 pot them at the time you did; it is best to pot after the bloom buds are 

 formed. They will not be likely to form them now. 



Maejng Vine Border (A. A 7 .).— The root3 sent were dried up, but we did 

 not notice any disease upon them. NothiDg could be worse to put in the 

 bottom of a Vine border than " old oak stumps," and your proposed compost 

 is far too rich. Two cartloads of hotbed manure is enough to mis with sis- 

 teen of decayed turf; to it add two cartloads of Jime rubbish and 2 cwt. of 

 crushed bones. You need only turn the compost twice before using it. 



Gloxinia Treatment (Dcsjyeranduvi).— The leaves are turning yellow 

 beoause the plant is going to rest for the winter. Lay the pots on their 

 sides in your honse, and you need not water them until February, when it 

 will he time to start them. Do not place the pots close to hot-water pipes, 

 else the corm or bulb may become too dry. 



Replanting an Old Orchard (Subscriber). — As the ground under the 

 old trees has been for so long meadow land we advise you to trench the 

 soil before replanting it aeain with young trees. If you do this we are 

 confident that they will do well. Add manure at the game time if the 

 ground requires it. 



Removing a Pear Tree (E. B.) — If the tree has not been disturbed at 

 the roots for twelve years we would make a semicircle round the roots at 

 4 feet from the stem, then dig a trench about 2 feet deep and work a foot 

 nearer the tree, raising the roots, and after placing some turfy loam amongst 

 them fill-in with the ordinary soil ; the tree may then be removed nest year 

 in November. It will be found to be a mass of fibrous roots where the loam 

 was put in. 



Treatment of Imantophvllum miniatcm (Subscriber), — This plant is 

 usually classed as requiring greenhouse treatment, but it does better with a 

 little more heat than the ordinary greenhouse temperature. Your plant may 

 be too much shaded under the Vines in vinery. If it was placed near the 

 glass and enjoyed more light it would flower. It succeeds well potted in 

 turfy loam, a little leaf soil, and sand added to it. 



Alteration of Vinerv. (J, W. L.). — It will be quite necessary to have the 

 ventilators at the highest part of the roof. You must therefore cut the long 

 rafter at the point b, and use the bottom part for the short lights at the back. 



Transplanting Roses (J. P. B.). — It will of course he best to transplant 

 your newly budded Roses to the permanent positions ; the only reason for 

 hesitation is the unornamental appearance which they will present for the 

 nest year or two Cut back the Manetti Btocka to within 2 or 3 inches of the 

 bud immediately, and carefully remove all stem buds aud suckers when they 

 are taken up. "Rivera's Rose Amateur'a Guide," D. Thomson's "Handy 

 Book of Fruit Culture under Glass," and our owa manual of " Fruit Garden- 

 ing for the Many," are the works you require. 



Trellis for Roses (C. T. S.).— Stout galvanised wire strained from eye- 

 letsor staples driven into the mortar answers admitably. They maybe 

 strained up and down with cros3 wires in the form of squares or diamond- 

 shaped, fastening every two wires -with wire thread at every angle, and driving 

 in a few intermediate staples to stiffen the central parts. A handy man can 

 do a large space in a few hours with a pair of nippers and a hammer. 



Flowers Falling Prematurely in a Conservatory (J. C HI.). — When 

 Camellias that are planted in a bed in a house so well veutilated as yours is 

 shed the flower buds at this season of the year there is something wrong in 

 the soil, the bed, or the watering. Camellias answer in loam, in peat, and 

 also in a misture of both, with enough grit or other hard substance to afford 

 a quick and ready passage to water, care also being taken to drain the bed. 

 When this is well done yon can hardly give too much water ; but if the drain- 

 age be at all inefficient, then bud-dropping and yellow foliage soon follow. 

 The fact that plants in pots also shed their buds soon after they are brought 

 into the house points to overwatering, and we should not be surprised if you 

 find that somebody has amused themselves with a waterpot in your absence. 

 A hot dry atmosphere induces bud-shedding among greenhouse plants. 

 Camellias require no artificial heat, only for the esclusion of frost. 



Wintering Acacia lophantha, &c. (Sambo).— Acacia lophantha lives 

 through the winter in the open air in the Scilly Isles, and it would probably 

 do so insome parts of Devon and Cornwall, but in all other parts of this 

 country it must be taken up at once and put in a greenhouse or pit. In the 

 public gardens of London a fresh stock of it is raised every spring from 

 cuttings or seeds, young plants with clean single stems being found most 

 useful for bedding purposes. A packet of seed can be had for 6d. Scented 

 Verbena (Aloysia eitriodora), may frequently be met with in the south in 

 snug corners, and trained to sunny walls, where it esists and flourishes for 

 many years. Under less favourable circumstances it must have the shelter 

 of a frame or shed in winter. Fuchsias may be left out if the crewns are 

 protected by a little heap of coal ashes ; but as by this method the whole of 

 the stems are usually cut down by frost, it is far preferable to lift them and 

 put th?m in any shed, cellar, or frost-proof building, covering the roots with 

 sand. We have seen them wintered successfullj by covering-up the entire 

 growths, roots and branches, in a heap of leaves from autumn till spring. 

 When this is done care must be taken to remove the leaves from the branches 

 before the new growth appears, or much of it will be broken off. 



Planting Bulbs in Open Beds (Idem).— Lilies of all kinds may be 

 planted from the present time till March. If the soil is poor and thin deepen 

 aud enrich it, planting the bulbs quite 4 laches below the surface. Hyacinths 

 and Tulips answer best when planted in September and October. Both may 

 however, be planted successfully till the end of the year. 



Insect (Rosa). — Smith in his " Ferns British and Foreign " says, " Within 

 the last twenty years a small white-winged insect like a midge has made its 



appearance (supposed to have been first introduced with imported plants to 

 Kew). They congregate on the under side of the fronds, and when the plant 

 is moved dart off like a flock of white PigeonB. At first it was supposed to be 

 harmless, but such is not the case, as it has been found to feed on the cuticle 

 like thrips. Repeated tobacco fumigation destroys it." Wo have found it on 

 the under side of leaves more especially the Tobacco plant (Nicotiana), also 

 on Rivina lfevis, Panicum plicatum, Oldenlandia Deppeiana, and Nephrodium 

 molle; but these plants were growing in a Cactus house where the atmosphere 

 was rather dry, while houses in elose proximity in which Ferns were growing, 

 and the atmosphere always kept very moist, have even been quite free from 

 the insects. The name of the insect is Aleyrodes vaporariorum. 



Names of Fruits (J. Woodliffj.—l, Beauty of Kent; 2, Bedfordshire 

 Foundling; 3, Bess Pool ; 4, Braddick's Nonpareil; 5, Golden Russet. (South 

 Devon). — 1, Devonshire Buckland: 2, Hunt's Dens Ans; 3 and 4, Emperor 

 Alexander; 5, Wheeler's Extreme; 6, Not known. (Joseph Robinson). — 

 Golden Noble. (New Plant and Bulb Company). — 2, Wormsley Pippin; 

 S, Melon Apple; 8, Downton Pippin; 10, London Pippin; 13, Golden 

 Reinette; 14, Lady's Finger. (C. J. B.). — Dumelow's Seedling. (Connaught 

 Subscriber).— Nelson's Victory. 



Names of Plants (J. P.).— Echeveria glanoa. (Q. A.).—l, Fuchsia pro- 

 cumbers; 2, Pellffia bastata; S, Onychium japonioum; 4, Pella?a rotundi- 

 folia; 5, Asplenium Adiantum-nigrum. (0. G. H,) — Cattleya Loddigesii. 

 (Grains). — 1, Pyiethrum frutescens ; 2, Pierardia coronaria? (Zebra). — 

 1, Phvsalis Alkekengi; 2, Specimen insufficient. (IF. Crowder). — Limnan- 

 t-hes Douglasii. (Rev. T. A. BrennanK — The specimens were not numbered. 

 The Editors cannot answer by post. (Richard Carnall). — 1, Eucomis punc- 

 tata; 2, Chrysanthemum fruticosum; 3, Hyseopas officinalis. 



POULTEY, BEE, AUD PIQEON OHEOM0LE. 



THE CRYSTAL PALACE SCHEDULE. 



The schedule is out and the entries are supposed to have 

 closed, but Mr. Howard has announced that the Committee 

 have decided to keep open their entries until after the results 

 of the Oxford Show become known, and that entries will be 

 received until the 29th inst. Oatside and inside the little book is 

 so much as usual that the notices of past year's schedules will 

 almost suffice for this. The highest value of any one poultry 

 cup is £6 6s., and some more money has judiciously been 

 offered for old birds, such as Buff Cochin hens, &c. We are, 

 however, sorry to see that the class for Silkies has been omitted, 

 especially when many fanciers of long standing have this 6eason 

 joined their ranks. It is true they only mustered Beven pens 

 last year ; but if this is why they are now cut out, with their 

 departure should have gone too classes for Silver-pencilled 

 Hamburgh cocks and Silver-pencilled Hamburgh hens, White 

 Leghorn cocks, &c. A national show Bhould surely comprise 

 the best classification extant, and not drop out a class save 

 under exceptional circumstances. We mutt also again express 

 our disappointment that the untrimmed class is allowed to 

 remain ; but we do not blame the Committee one-half as much 

 as the exhibitors generally, for there were twenty-nine entries 

 last year, and that means £10 17s. 6d. in entry fees, and as the 

 cup was given only £2 came from the Society's funds, and they 

 therefore netted £8 17s. 6<Z. ; but we do wonder such exhibitors 

 as Messrs. Leno, Petter, Beldon, Lingwood, &c, oompeted. Was 

 the class only for " Vulture-hocked Asiatics " we would welcome 

 it gladly. 



Langshans have a class and a cup presented to them by their 

 champion. We wonder if Black Cochins from a Black Cochin 

 yard will obtain it. It is truly ridiculous to find what fanciers 

 think of this title, and to see how Black Cochins generally win 

 the clnb's prizes or those given by their supporters. An exhi- 

 bitor whom we know recently won the Langshan cup at a Bhow, 

 and wrote to us afterwards thus : — " The Langshans I must tell 

 you are the expiring effort of my Black Cochins. Having de- 

 termined to get rid of my whole stock of them, and to please 

 one of the Committee I sent apair to that Showin the Langshan 

 class, hoping they might sell. I was rather dismayed at their 

 success, and shall be very glad to be quit of them all." Among 

 the other classes we want to say a word for the Turkeys. They 

 have three divisions here, and we do hope the pens will be 

 properly divided and that we shall see no more of those Ban- 

 guinary fights as we did at the Dairy Show, where two lady 

 exhibitors had to go out to buy canvas wherewith to divide their 

 pens more securely, for the cocks were utterly ruining each 

 other's appearances by fighting ; and their pens too should really 

 be larger, for the one in which Mrs. Wyke's Turkey cock was 

 at Islington could not hold him. And we do sincerely hope the 

 Turkey chicken classes will only have poults this year in them, 

 for we can all remember what many said last year when old birds 

 were supposed to have won prizes for chickens, and how the 

 protest was, we believe, not noticed by the Committee. We are 

 very glad to see the managing body have made a concession 

 regarding the double baskets, and after the unpleasant facts of 

 last year's disqualification they have done most wisely in stating 

 in their sixth rule that wheo fraudulent practices are subse- 

 quently discovered the prizes will be withheld. 



The Judges are much as usual, though the Bev. C. C. Ewbank 

 and Mr. Maldon have been engaged for the French and Black 

 Ducks. We should greatly have liked to. have seen a larger 

 amateur element ; one for Dorkings, another for Cochins, and 

 another for Brahmas would have amply repaid, we are sure, in 



