46 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



[ July 11, 187: 



Teniently. Indeed, such plants as Achimenes, Clerodendrons, 

 &c.,may be had in full beauty from June to October through 

 being liberally supplied with manure water, but care must be 

 taken not to give it too strong, especially at first. Keep the at- 

 mosphere as moist as can be done, but avoid damp at night by 

 leaving sufficient air onto cause a gentle circulation, and spare 

 no attention that will keep the plants clear of insects. Stock 

 for autumn and winter flowering will now require some care to 

 have it sufficiently forward to be useful at the proper time. 

 Chinese Primulas, especially the double varieties, if at all back- 

 ward, may now be placed in aldose frame and shaded from the 

 sun, when they will be found to make satisfactory progress. 

 Cinerarias for early blooming should also be potted and started 

 at once, choosing the strongest suckers for the purpose, and 

 placing them in a close shady frame until they have become 

 Tooted. They are sometimes attacked by thrips, but if they 

 are kept cool and moist, and smoked occasionally, no danger 

 need be apprehended from this or other pests, and the plants 

 will grow vigorously. A thorough revision of plants belonging 

 to the greenhouse should now take place, affording them a 

 unal shift for the season, repressing irregularities of growth, 

 and giving, where necessary, support by judicious tying. The 

 obvious reason for shifting during summer is, that before the 

 approach of winter the plants may possess a sufficient mass of 

 Toots to support them through that trying season. 



STOVE. 



Encourage the young stock for winter blossoming. Maintain 

 a moist and comparatively high temperature. An increased 

 ■circulation of air may be allowed to Orchids during bright 

 weather that succeeds a period of gloom, the humidity con- 

 stantly stagnant will otherwise have an injurious effect. 



COLD PITS. 



The stock here will now be growing freely, and should be 

 ■examined frequently in order to see if all is right, for plants 

 growing rapidly speedily suffer from neglect in watering or 

 from the attacks of insects. Examine young specimens that 

 •were potted early in the season, and shift at once such as require 

 more pot room. — W. Keane. 



of Calceolarias giving way during the last week, and resolves 

 expressed that the growers will have no more of them. Our 

 opinion is, that in every such case dryness and heat at the 

 roots were the causes of failure. Secure moisture and com- 

 parative coolness at the roots, and the tops of the plants will 

 luxuriate in the brightest and the warmest sunshine. Use 

 fine-fohaged Geraniums as you may, they will not replace the 

 yellow Calceolaria, and even then it is not pleasant to think 

 that you are beaten in such a simple matter. But for appear- 

 ance, short grass makes a nice mulching, as it forms a kind of 

 felt that keeps heat out and moisture in. We prefer old 

 Mushroom dung when we can obtain it, and we must apply 

 something before the ground becomes warmer and drier. 



Scarlet Geraniums should not be mulched so early, as the 

 roots rejoice in a warm soil. There is not a section of the 

 scarlet and pink kinds but would like a little bottom heat. It 

 is amazing what growth and blooms can be obtained with just 

 a little bottom heat. 



To save water, we must plunge Chrysanthemums and Salvias, 

 and shade Cinerarias, Primulas, &c. — R. F. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



We sowed Endive, Lettuces, &c, for succession; planted 

 Coleworts, and bent down the stems of the first winter Onions 

 with a rake, as that stops upward growth and assists in causing 

 the already large bulbs to swell. We planted out Celery in 

 "the beds used for bedding plants, after adding more short 

 •dung. Cleared off the ridges of Lettuces, not one of which 

 failed in winter, and prepared for Strawberries. We cleared 

 off the first Cauliflower, and shall prepare for Winter Greens. 

 We should have had plenty of young plants out but for want 

 of room. We find many of our plants are blind this season — 

 that is, have no terminal bud. We had to pull up a number 

 of young Caul ifl owers in consequence. 



FKUIT DEPARTMENT. 



We have planted out Strawberry plants from pots. But for 

 scarcity of ground they would have been out long ago, and 

 then we should have had a better autumn crop. As stated 

 repeatedly, the want of sufficient ground for use, and too much 

 of pleasure ground, are a double evil. We gathered a fine lot 

 of Black Prince, Keens' Seedling, &c, for preserving. To our 

 fancy nothing is better than the Black Prince for this purpose ; 

 it is so hard and firm. Of course all these were netted, or we 

 should have seen nothing. 



OENAitENTAIi DEPAET1TENT. 



Fearful that the sun would destroy our massive beds and 

 lines of Calceolarias, we had them watered before the rain 

 came. They will be all the better of the watering, however, as 

 the rains this afternoon would not have reached the roots. If 

 we could, we would water in cloudy weather, or just before 

 slight showers were expected. Of course on Friday, and even 

 on this Saturday morning, we knew that in a scorching sun 

 we watered at a great disadvantage, as the sun so soon evapo- 

 rated the moisture ; but then we found that in many cases we 

 must water or have nothing to look at. 



The most sensitive of bedding plants are the Calceolarias ; 

 they will delight in the brightest and warmest sunshine, but 

 they will not withstand dryness and great warcuth at the roots. 

 As soon, therefore, as the ground is warm enough, we shall 

 mulch our Calceolarias to secure comparative coolness and 

 moisture at the roots. We have now before us sereral reports 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



%* We request that no one will write privately to any of the 

 correspondents of the " Journal of Horticulture, Cottage 

 Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they 

 are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All 

 communications should therefore be addressed solely to 

 The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, <&c, 171, Fleet 

 Street, London, E.C. 



We also request that correspondents will not mix up on the 

 same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on 

 Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them 

 answered promptly and conveniently, but write them on 

 separate communications. Also never to send more than 

 two or three questions at once. 



N.B. — Many questions must remain unanswered until next 

 week. 



Garden Lads (M. B.). — We presume you refer to the examinations by the 

 Koyal Horticultural Society. If you apply to James Richards, Esq., Royal 

 Horticultural Society, South Kensington, yon will get all the information you 

 require. 



MAkket Garden Potato — Value of an Acre of Fruit Garden 

 (J. W. K.). — For a first early Potato there is none better than Hyatt's Prolific, 

 and to succeed it Lapstone and Early Oxford, the former a Mdney and the 

 latter a round sort, both good croppers, and of excellent quality. Last year 

 and this have been exceptionally bad fruit years. An acre of fruit garden 

 may be worth £20 per nnnnm rental, but much depends on the fruitfulness 

 of the trees and distance from a market. We have known the rent as low as 

 £5, and as "high as £20. The produce may one year be £100, another year 

 under £20. It is a case in which judgment is required. 



Vine Leaves (J". <?. H.). — There is nothing the matter with the Vine 

 leaves, which are those of Vitis aestivalis. 



Ranunculus {Geo. Brook). — The gentleman whose initials you quote is not 

 a seller of Ranunculus roots. 



Oxalis {Domina). — Tour Oxalis plants have gone to rest after blooming. 

 They will appear again in due course. The Agave was no doubt checked in 

 growth by repotting it, and the ungenial weather during April and May was 

 not conducive to growth. No doubt the warm temperature we have now will 

 favourits growth. 



Ltliuji auratum (J. R. P.). — It is difficult to say what is the cause of the 

 depauperated form of flower of T.ilium auratum. There are many varieties 

 of this Lily, and it is quite possible that this may be one of the forms of it. 



Herbaceous Calceolarias and Show Pelargoniums after Flower- 

 ing- (E. J. D.). — Throw the Calceolarias away, but from any you consider 

 good save seed, in which case they should be kept in a light and airy house 

 until the seed is ripe. The only good herbaceous Calceolarias are raised from 

 seed, treating them as biennials. Now is a good time to sow seed for next 

 year's flowering. The Show Pelargoniums should be kept dry, and fully ex- 

 posed in an open situation. Cut them in early in August, and when they 

 have broken shoots about an inch long they should be repotted, and placed in 

 a cold frame. 



Rose Cuttings (A. A. M.). — The cuttings should be taken off as soon as 

 the flowers are shed, when the wood will be ripe, and they should have from 

 three to five joints. Cut them transversely below the lowest joint, and trim off 

 the leaves from two joints of the cutting, leaving three or more if it has five 

 joints, and insert it in rich light soilina north border up to the part whence the 

 leaves are removed, but no deeper. Afterwards cover with a hand-glass, keep 

 close until the cuttings begin to grow, then admit air. Keep the soil moist, 

 but not very wet. Another good practice is to put in cuttings at the end of 

 September under a north wall, and by the following April they will be well 

 rooted, and may be taken up and potted, or planted out. We do not think 

 you could make any use of the old Roses by putting in cuttings now, but you 

 might utilise them by inserting in November cuttings of the ripe current 

 year's wood, removing all the eyes of the part placed in the soil, which should 

 be two-thirds the length of the cuttings. After a year's growth they may be 

 budded or grafted. Could you not utilise them by budding them now as they 

 stand ? Yon would gain considerably, and have a good show even next year. 

 We advise you to try it, choosing well-disposed young wood. 



Rhubarb Propagation (Z. Z.). — Rhubarb is propagated by seed, and the 

 seed of two or three sorts may be obtained of most seedsmen. It may be 

 sown as soon as ripe, in September or October, in drills 3 feet apart and an 

 inch deep, or the sowing may be deferred until March. When the seedlings 



