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JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t September 5, 1872. 



stead of harrowing or carting them away. When sometimes 

 we could not do this well with the heavy remains of winter 

 Greens, we have had them pulled up and left on the ground 

 for a number of days, and if these days were sunny the 

 Stumps and foliage got into small compass, and were easily 

 moved to the rubbish or the charring-heap. Such stumps 

 fairly dried char well. It is necessary to burn rubbish to 

 ashes at times ; but though the ashes are useful, the produce 

 is very small in comparison with charring, and charred rubbish 

 suits almost everything 



Raspberries. — Commenced clearing these by removing the 

 canes done fruiting and tMnning-out the others, leaving just 

 enough of the best, that the sun and air may duly ripen and 

 harden the stems or shoots. This, under ordinary circumstances, 

 insures a good general crop the following season. If the ground 

 between the rows can be spared, a good mulching of rotten 

 dung will greatly assist the root 3 all through the winter. We 

 generally mulch the rows, and have Lettuces or Cabbages in 

 the middle. These do very well until the free growth of the 

 Raspberries in summer gives the plants too much shade. 

 Even the canes, when they lose their leaves in autumn, still 

 afford a little shelter, and break the force of the wind for the 

 benefit of the low plants between the rows. 



The showers seem to have improved Apples and Pears con- 

 siderably, but, on the whole, we fear that even our limited 

 crop will not be so large and good as usual. It is a great draw- 

 back to find Apples scarce, they can be used for so many pur- 

 poses. Several holders of Apple orchards have told us that 

 they have not a single Apple, instead of having scores of 

 bushels. Such seasons as this may lead to stopping the cutting- 

 down of orchard trees, and greatly lessening the fruit supply 

 in many establishments. In one large place it is proposed to 

 do away with the wall trees that yielded the chief supply for 

 the establishment, and to cover them with the best kinds of 

 Ivy, as being so much more pleasing to look at at all times. 

 But what about the fruit ? Will green or variegated leaves be 

 as good in a dish as rich luscious fruit ? "Of course we can 

 buy." That is true ; but we know pretty well what the buying 

 of everything will end in, and what will be the comfort involved 

 to all concerned. 



Proceeded with potting Strawberries, as alluded to last week, 

 watering houses, damping the floors in warm days, leaving a 

 little top air on all night to prevent moist vapour collecting, 

 and in very hot days, to save watering, we spattered the glass 

 with water just whitened. This is the simplest of all modes 

 of shading for a temporary purpose. 



Sulphur-coating Hot-water Pipes. — We took occasion also 

 to cover our piping with sulphur- made into a paint with soft- 

 soap water, and daubed any exposed part of a wall near the 

 apes of lean-to houses with the same, as a security against 

 red spider, thrips, &c. No harm will result from sulphur 

 fumes if the pipes are not hotter than from 160° to 170°, above 

 that temperature there is danger to tender subjects. For 

 Black Hamburgh Grapes just setting we should not like the 

 pipes to be the least above 160°, and for Maiden-hair Ferns we 

 should not like to expose young fronds to a greater heat than 

 150° in the pipes, if these pipes were coated with sulphur. We 

 once saw the young fronds of some scores of Maiden-hair 

 spoilt by sulphur fumes, but the pipes were between 190° and 

 200° in temperature. It is hardly safe, therefore, to put sul- 

 phur on a warrn flue, as that near the fireplace may easily be- 

 come too warm. In such a ease it is safer to put the sulphur 

 in a vessel of water, and place that vessel on the flue. 



Sulphur thus applied is often a great help for keeping in- 

 truders at a distance ; but it must not be allowed to become 

 too hot, or the fumes will be as destructive to vegetable as they 

 are to insect life. When we once used an iron stove to help a 

 house a little, it would have been madness to paint the out- 

 side of the stove with sulphur, but we had a large, moveable, 

 iron pan set on the top, supplied with water, and into that we 

 used to stir a pound of flowers of sulphur at a time. The 

 water in that evaporating-basin was rarely above 160°, but 

 the vapour given off had a fair portion of sulphur in it that 

 helped to keep the red spider at bay. Sulphur thus may be 

 made a good servant, but it is worse than a despot if it obtains 

 the mastery. We have seen many a bunch of Grapes when 

 young much injured by too much heat in the pipes coated with 

 sulphur. 



This might with propriety lead to another remark — that it 

 is no true economy to study with how few feet of piping a 

 house can be heated by making the water boiling hot. It will 

 he found most economical in the end to have more piping, and 



never have the water at its highest within 30° or 40° of the 

 boiling point. Hardly anything at all tender will long stand 

 the unhealthy heat from pipes with water in them nearly at 

 the boiling point. Even in cold weather we should sooner let 

 the temperature fall 5° to 10° below the usual standard. Old 

 gardeners know whenever they enter a house if the pipes are 

 overheated. 



OENAJIEXTAL DEPARTMENT. 



Both lawns and walks in the pleasure grounds are now in 

 good condition. For other matters we must refer to previous 

 weeks' notices. — R. F. 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



R. Parker, Exotic Nursery, Tooting. — Catalogue of Hyacinths 

 and other Bulbous Roots, Fruit Trees, &c. 



Dick Radclyffe & Co., 129, High Holborn, London, W.C.— 

 Catalogue of Dutch Bulbs, Fruit Trees, Garden Requisites, &c. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

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

 week. 



Books (G. B. S.). — Three books are published at our office, price Is. Gd. 

 each, which -will give all the information you mention — " The Garden Manual," 

 Keane's " In-door Gardening " and " Out-door Gardening." The -whole may 

 be had free by post if you enclose 4s. 8d. with your address. (J. B.). — Keane's 

 "Out'door Gardening," price Is. 6d., and "Flower Garden Plans," 5s., can 

 both he had from our office free by post, with id. added for postage. They 

 contain all you need, probably. 



Pruning Marechal Kiel Rose (C.P.. Herts). — Do not shorten the strongest 

 shoots, but thin out the weak ; tie the shoots down umbrella form to a light 

 wire frame, and it will make a handsome weeping Rose bush. Marechal Niel 

 requires a warm aspect and good well-decomposed farmyard manure forked into 

 the roots in winter. Tou may thin out the weaker shoots in autumn, and if 

 any of the other shoots are much longer than the others, shorten them in the 

 spring for the sake of symmetry,' but as a rule Marechal Niel does not like 

 the knife. 



Grapes Rusted (J. S. A.). — The berries you sent were rusted, probably 

 owing to the steam resulting from sprinkling the hot-water pipes whilst very 

 hot while the Grapes were in a young state and the skin of the berries tender. 

 Rust is also caused by sudden changes of temperature or admitting a current 

 of cold air, and often by the pipes being coated with sulphur. We think the 

 steam produced by wetting the pipes the most likely cause of the rust in your 

 case. The large bunches of what you term tubers were probably air roots, 

 they having now dried up. The Grapes not colouring well is probably a con- 

 sequence of too heavy cropping ; and the want of bloom we should attribute 

 to syringing being continued too long. 



Select Hardy Perennials (F. I.). — Campanula aggregata, Delphinium 

 alopecuroides, D. Belladonna, Dielytra spectabilis, Erigeron speciosus, Iris 

 reticulata, Lychnis Haageaua, (Enothera macrocarpa, Papaver nudicaule, 

 Phlox verna, Spiraa japonica, Thalictrum anemoninorum plenum, Trollius 

 europsus, Tritoma Burchelli, T. Uvaria glaucescens, Statice latifolia, Iberis 

 Tenoreana, Geum coccineum gi-andinomm, Gentiana acaulis, Draba aizoides, 

 Cynoglossum appenninum, Anemone apperrnina, A. fulgens, and Hepatica 

 angulosa. A majority of the Sedums are perfectly hardy, and yet need a 

 well-drained and light soil. 



Stopping Fruit Tree Shoots (Idem). — So long as you have stopped or 

 pinched none but the wood shoots you will not have destroyed any fruit buds ; 

 but, on the other hand, stopping causes the formation of spurs, which have 

 the fruit buds at their apes. By stopping they are more fully exposed to 

 light, and the vigour of the trees is directed towards the formation of the 

 spurs instead ef being expended in wood shoots that in any case must be 

 partly if not wholly cut away at the winter pruning. Your treatment is 

 correct. 



Campanula pyramidalis (C. C. P.). — It is not by any means uncommon 

 for plants of this to have different coloured flowers one season as compared to 

 another. Rarely, however, are white and blue flowers produced at the same 

 time on one plant : either the flowers are all blue or all white, as in your case. 

 It is a curious fact. Kext year, if the plants survive, they may have flowers 

 of the normal colour. 



Greenhouse Plants for Flowers in August (Novice). — Crowea saligna 

 najor, Pleroma elegans— those arG what we know of a blue colour. Habro- 

 thamnus elegans, Lapageria rosea, Cassia corymbosa, Mandevilla suaveolens, 

 Nerium Oleander splendens, Thibaudia acuminata, Phcenocoma prolifera 

 Barnesii, Erythrina crista-galli, Vallota purpurea, Witsenia corymbosa, Plum- 

 bago capensis, and Agapanthus umbellatus. As the Mandevilla and Lapageria 

 are climbers and you may not have convenience of growing them, we therefore 

 name a few Heaths — Erica eximia superba, E. obbata purpurea, E. princeps 

 coccinea, E. shannoni, E. vestita coccinea, E. tricolor Wilsoni, E. Massoni 

 major. Those named may not flower exactly at the time you want, so that 

 you will need to forward those that will be too late, and retard those which 

 are too early. The varieties of Lilium speciosum [lancifolium) are fine ; so 

 is Tritonia aurea, but they are hardy plants. 



Peaches Eaten by Earwigs (E. T. M.). — We cannot help you to a 

 specific against the host of enemies besetting your Peaches. 'Trapping will 

 be your only remedy at this stage. Good traps are made by cutting bean- 

 stalks in lengths of 5 or 6 inches. Place them horizontally in different parts 

 of the trees. The traps should be examined daily, and the earwigs blown out 

 into boiling water. Centipedes will also secrete themselves in the beanstalks. 

 For the woodlice we know of no better plan than to cut a large Potato through 

 the middle, take out the inside, and cut out of each side a piece half an inch 

 deep and an inch long. Secure the two halves together by a piece of wire 

 thrust through. The woodlice will enter the Potato through the opening, 

 and can be destroyed whenever discovered, and the trap re-adjusted. A num- 

 ber of these traps will soon thin the ranks of the woodlice. They should be 

 placed in the forks of the branches. The wasps you must also trap. Fill 

 some ginger-beer or lemonade bottles to one-fourth their depth with beer 



