176 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDKNER. 



[ August 29, 1872. 



have instanced several of these, such as Tingrith. In many 

 larger places, before the gardener gives a degree of neatness to 

 the half of the place, instead of going on he ought to turn back 

 to the beginning. If gardening is to be a matter of enjoyment, 

 we prophesy that all the pleasing eye parts must be less instead 

 of larger. Nevertheless, it is not large places that offend alone 

 in this way. Many of our amateurs lose an amount of enjoy- 

 ment from the neglect of it. In a small garden at the back of a 

 house in a street, we were astonished to rind specimen plants in 

 a warm border of the very best rarest of the Tricolor Geraniums, 

 cornered with Arabia lucida and Lobelia densa. We know the 

 hardworking : owner of the place would often spend on that 

 little place more than some proprietors of large gardens would 

 spend on everything except labour. With a fine eye for real 

 beauty he seldom comes down to the little niceties of neatness. 

 The dirty earth-like little paths round his fine little beds, 

 greatly marred the effect. Something like two barrowloads of 

 fine sandy bright gravel would have quite altered the effect. 

 The diamonds and pearls would have had something like a set- 

 ting. We advert to this, because simple neatness is not always 

 attended to by amateurs who in other respects are first-rate 

 gardeners. 



Japan Lilies. — It is only when we go into some amateur's 

 garden of a few yards square, and yet containing all the best 

 flowers of the day, that we can form an idea where the millions 

 of plants in our nurseries ultimately find a home. In just such 

 a little place we saw the centre of two beds filled with the best 

 Japan Lilies, as speciosum punctatum and rubruin, and auratum. 

 The best bed had the sides filled, so as to come gradually down 

 to the pathway, with fine stubby plants of different-coloured 

 Fuchsias in full bloom. The Lilies had a gorgeous effect over 

 the Fuchsias, and the Fuchsias were so planted between them 

 that when the Lilies waned the bed would still be a rich unique 

 one. We think that the Lilies and Fuchsias were all in pots 

 plunged, so that any proposed alteration could easily be made. 

 In such small places planting, or rather plunging, in pots is a 

 great advantage. Our friend spoke of having the Lilies plunged 

 in the ground all the winter; but without entering into the 

 question of their comparative hardiness, there is often too 

 much damp in winter in these small back street gardens, so 

 that we should recommend that the bulbs should be trans- 

 ferred in their pots to any cool dry place for the winter, and 

 fresh potted and exposed to light as soon as growth commenced 

 in the spring. Any cool place, as a cellar, however dark, would 

 keep them safe, and without any trouble in covering up in 

 winter. 



Watson's Lawn Sand. — Years ago we said something about 

 this sand, and we have had a number of inquiries; to save 

 writing we wish to record our impression here. It is quite 

 true that it kills all thick-leaved plants, as Daisies and 

 Plautains — that is, that it turns the leaves black when used 

 in the quantity prescribed. Used more freely, it seemed to 

 kill the root outright; but used just as directed, though it 

 made the leaves black and shrivelled them up, so that a 

 broom could get rid of them, the roots in many cases threw 

 up a fresh shoot some weeks afterwards. For small places 

 it would be an easy mode of getting rid of such weeds ; for 

 large places the expense would be considerable. Its most strik- 

 ing property — and we were unbelievers until we tried it — is, 

 that though it thus acts on the thick-leaved Daisies, Plantains, 

 &c, it does no injury whatever to the grass of the lawn. — R. F. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



J. Veitch & Sons, Royal Exotic Nursery, King's Road, Chelsea* 

 S.W. — Catalogue of Hyacinths and other Bulbous Roots. 



F.& A. Dickson & Sons, 106, Eastgate Street, and Upton Nur- 

 series, Chester. — Catalogue of Dutch Flower Boots, &c. 



Sutton & Sons, Reading.— Catalogue of Bulbous Flower Boots, 

 Plants, Seeds, &c. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*** ^"e 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, B.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. 



Books (A Constant Reader).— "The Forester," by J. Brown, is the beat 

 book. You can obtain it from any bookseller. It is published by Blackwood 

 and Sons. 



Market Gardening (Baron).— Our " Kitchen Gardening" and "Fruit 

 Gardening " will tell you how to cultivate all the crops of a market garden. 

 Which crops to select for cultivation must be determined by the demand in 

 the market you send to. Eight pounds an acre is a high price, but might be 

 justified by the business to be done. Near London it is usual to pay .£5 per 

 acre. The number of stocks of bees you could keep must be entirely guided 

 by the bee-pasturage of your neighbourhood, and as we do not know the 

 neighbourhood we cannot give an opinion ; but as you are near moors to 

 which you could carry them, it is probable that you might profitably keep 

 forty stocks. A yearly tenant must give six months' notice of his intention 

 to quit, the ending of that six months to be at the period of the year the 

 tenancy commenced. 



Trailing Plant for an Arch (E. P.).— As it must be evergreen, plant 

 Crattegus Pyracantha and Hedera R&'gneriana. 



Insects on Dried Ferns (E. Retford).— Dust them with some of Pooley's 

 tobacco. It is advertised in our columns. 



Pears for Pyramids and Cordons (Amateur). — In East Yorkshire plant 

 Jargonelle, Williams's Bon Chretien, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Thompson's, 

 and Monarch. 



Gathering Pears (IF. J. S. H.). — They are ready for gathering when 

 they readily part from the spray if lifted above a horizontal position. 



Evergreens in Pots (E. C. S.). — We cannot answer your query. Visit 

 the nurseries advertising in our columns and judge for yourself. 



Duke of Buccleuch Grape. — In Mr. Barron's report on this Grape (see 

 page 149), in the eighth line, for 300 lbs., read 500 lbs.; and in the fifteenth 

 line, for "not ripening hemes," read not ripening home. 



Kalosanthes after Flowering (Amateur). — The old shoots, or those 

 which have flowered, should be cut back to within 2 inches of their base, and 

 these will each produce two or more" shoots, but they will not flower next year. 

 Besides the flowering shoots there will be others that have not flowered, and 

 these must not be shortened, as they will be the flowering shoots of next 

 year-. Repot now, reducing the ball considerably, placing in the same or a 

 less size of pot, and shift into a larger one in spring. 



Polygala Dalmaisiana after Flowering (Idem). — Cut the shoots back 

 to within an inch of their base if the plant is as large as you wish ; or you 

 may cut some in rather closely and leave others twice the length or more, so 

 as to produce a good head. Keep the plant rather dry until it has made 

 shoots an inch or two long, and then repot. It cannot have too light and airy 

 a position in the greenhouse. 



Winter Treatment of Caladfums {Idem). — Keep them in the warmest 

 part of the stove, but not close to the pipes, as these are apt to dry the roots 

 too much, overdryness being as great an evil as too much moisture. The 

 soil should be dry, but not dust dry. Either the pots should be set on a 

 damp bottom, or have a slight watering once a-week. The plants will need to 

 be shaken out, potted, and started in a brisk heat early in March. 



Old Plants versus Cuttings of Pelargoniums (F. J.).— The plants 

 taken up from the beds in autumn, potted, and duly attended to throughout 

 the winter will be larger, and on that account will make as good a display as 

 plants from cuttings put in now. If you have plenty of cuttings and can 

 raise all the plants you need by that method it is well, but they will not be 

 finer than the plants taken up, only they may be wintered in less room. If 

 your plants are old, say more than two years, the cuttings will he finer in 

 foliage, for the old plants grow more weakly than cuttings. 



Wintering Cuttings in Boxes {Idem). — Cuttings will not keep better, 

 but quite as well through the winter in boxes as potted-off singly. The great 

 advantage of having them in boxes is, that they take up less room, and if 

 potted in spring the plants are as fine by planting-out time as those that 

 were potted in autumn. You should put in the cuttings in boxes now, instead 

 of putting them in hi the open ground and transplanting to the boxes before 

 frost. We shall put in ours forthwith and in boxes, setting them out of 

 doors in the sunniest position we can command, and taking them in-doors 

 before frost. 



Best Bedding Pelargoniums (Idem), — Our correspondent wishes for a 

 list of the best flowering and variegated kinds in their different shades, one of 

 the |best in each class. He would, like our principal growers ".to send lists, 

 similar to those given by our principal Rose-growers in the past spring. 



Sempervtvum californicum and Echeveria glauca (Idem). — The 

 former is quite hardy, but to stand the winter well it requires a dry soil. 

 The Echeveria must be taken up before frost, potted in light poor soil, and 

 wintered in a dry pit safe from frost. 



Carnation Souvenir de Malmaison (M. D.). — We suppose it is the tree 

 Carnation of that name, blush white, large and full flower. The plant in the 

 pot we should remove to a light airy greenhouse about the middle of Septem- 

 ber, and it will, no doubt, flower during the winter. If the plant has flowered 

 this year, it will not flower much again until the early part of next summer. 

 A temperature of 45 c to 50° is most suitable for flowering tree Carnations in 

 winter. Remove the young plants from it to the greenhouse in September, 

 and if well established in 6 or 7-inch pots they will flower well during the 

 spring. They may remain out of doors, and will then flower in Biimmer. 



Grapes Abortive (J. Carpenter). — The Grape you sent is Gros Coulard, 

 which always presents this appearance; and the variety you call Black 

 Alicante, and which is, no doubt, Morocco, is subject to the same consti- 

 tutional defect. 



Primula japonica Seeds Germinating (W. Wormald).— The seeds of 

 this Primula germinate irregularly ; the first plant appeal's in about two 

 months after sowing, and some of the seeds will lie in the ground two years 

 before they germinate. 



Peach Trees Gumming (T. H. T.).— You may as an experiment graft the 

 Peach trees as you propose. You may also graft a Peach shoot on a Nectarine, 

 or vice versd. We think in your case, as the bark is also splitting, that the 

 cause of gumming is to be sought for in an improper border. It may be too 



