47u 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 12, 1872. 



Aspabagcs Planting (Meadow Pipit).— There is little, if anything, 

 gamed by planting large plants, which, from the loss of roots, do not trans- 

 plant so well as younger and smaller plants. We prefer plants two years old; 

 we have net found those three years old answer nearly so well as plants one, 

 or at most two years old. Tbe best time to plant is at the end of March or 

 tarly in April ; it is better to plant them when they are beginning to grow, 

 lather than when dormant. As regards kinds, that known as Giant is most 

 in repute. Connover's Colossal is said to be the largest variety known. You 

 may, probably, procure plants of it cne year old. 



Pot Vines in an Early Hofse (Subscriber).— When particular advice is 

 required the particular circumstances should be detailed, otherwise we might 

 write an essay, and yet not meet your case. Start the Vines very gradually, 

 beginning at 45°, creeping up in a fortnight to 50°, and then going on as 

 gradually to 55°, and not exceeding 60^ by artificial heat until all the buds 

 have swelled and broken. With these precautions we have forced pot Vines 

 very well on a platform or stage, with the ordinary care of moistening the 

 buds several times a-day in bright weather. Secondlv, if the pots can receive 

 a mild bottom heat cf from 70° to 75°, and in three weeks 80°, it will greatly 

 help the Vines. It matters little whether the pots are plunged in a mild 

 hotbed or are placed in a sort of wooden case over a flue or pipes, provided 

 the heat at first does not exceed 7(T, and rises a little gradually ; it will be an 

 advantage to get the roots a little in advance of the shoots. When we could 

 not secure any of these advantages we still found it to be in favour of the 

 plants if we could set the pots in large fiats or saucers over t ; e hot-water- 

 pipes or fine; but in this case the pot did not rest on the bottom of the 

 saucer, but on three pieces of pebbles or brick, an inch or U inch from the 

 bottom, so that water could stand in the bottom of the saucer without the 

 pot standing in it. These little matlers may seenp trifling, but after con- 

 siderable experience we have no doubt that success will much depend on such 

 trifles, and all the more when early forcing is the object. 



Grapes in a Greenhouse (A Northamptonshire Subscriber).— "We do not 

 think that the Muscat will do much good in a house where the frost is 

 merely excluded. For the six Vines to be added we would recommend one 

 Koyal Muscadine, one Buckland Sweetwater, cne Black Champion, one Black 

 Prince, one Trentham Black, and one Lady Downe's for keeping. As expense 

 seems to be ns object, we would advise purchasing strong fruiting canes, say 

 the half dozen, in large pots. Plunge the pots after cracking them all round 

 to let the roots out. Take what fruit you can of these for a year or two. At 

 the same time plant out younger Vines in the usual wav, and treat them for 

 enduring plants, taking little or nothing from tbem for two years, and by that 

 time yon can remove the forward exhausted plants. 



CHArsioNTEL Pear Trees not Succeeding — Pruning the Sweet Bay 

 <R. S.). — There is nothing the matter with the youngwood of vonr Pear trees. 

 The spotted appearance is natural to it. A heavy and deep "soil ought to be 

 well drained. Have you paid attention to this ? Pruue the Bay tree in spring 

 before it starts into growth ; shorten-back the gross shoots, "that is all that 

 will he required. Place your "Lemon" plants in heat in the spring;, the 

 young growing shoots will strike freely in a Utile bottom heat. 



Pruning Old Apple Trees (67. S.).— Your Apple trees have been bad y 

 managed. When pruning is performed it is quite as necessary to thin-out the 

 shoots as it is to cut them back. Thin-out sufficiently to allow light and air 

 to circulate freely in the centre of the tree. Cut out the greater number of 

 the accumulation of spurs you write about, and cut the leading shoots back 

 to within 1 foot from the base. Cut all young wood close back where it is not 

 required. Parkes's steel spades may be'had of Palmer & Eodgkinson, Sutton 

 Works, Biriningham ; forks of A. & F. Parkes & Co., Dartmouth Street, Bir- 

 mingham. 



Knight's Monarch Pear not Ripening (Janet).— We planted a Knight's 

 Monarch Pear on a wall with an east aspect, and like yours it bore a good 

 crop last year, which never did ripen, but remained hard until April. This 

 year they are now coming in, and are of excellent flavour'. Pears are very 

 capricious as to soil and climate. If you find this variety will not ripen with 

 you, cut down the tree and graft with some other variety. 



Treatment of Greenhouse Vines in Winter (H. F. J?.).— The only 

 treatment required is to remove the leaves as they fall, and after these have 

 all fallen the Vines should be pruned between now and the new year-, cutting 

 the current year's shoots to two eyes ; and when this is done trim-off the loose 

 parts of the bark on the spurs as well as rods, and then dress with 4 ozs. of 

 soft soap to half a gallon of tobacco juice, adding as much sulphur vivum as 

 will bring it to the consistency of thin paint, applying with a painter's 

 brush, rubbing it well into every crevice, and taking care not to rub off the 

 eyes. The Vines should not have a higher temperature in winter from fire 

 heat than 4-5" 1 , better if it no not often exeeed 40° from the heat. 



Shortening Raspberry Canes (Bird's-eye). — We think the failure of the 

 crop this year was due to the " cold, dry, east wind just as the fruit was 

 forming." Cutting-out the old canes, and reducing those for next years fruit- 

 ing to from 5 to 7 to each stool, are quite right, and we should have cut off 

 the small extremities of the canes; but you may do it in spring when the 

 buds are swelling. As a rule, we cut off between 9 inches and a foot of the 

 ends of tho canes. If the wood is not ripe, the shortening of the canes is 

 best done in spring. We presume you have given the plantation a good dress- 

 ing of manure; if not, it should be done at once, not digging- in or using an}' 

 implement that will injure the roots. 



Pruning White Jasmine (Idevi).— The irrregular growths and old dead 

 parts, if any, should he removed now, Dailing-in all the shoots that are re- 

 quired for extension or covering the wall. Defer shortening the shoots until 

 .spring. They should be cut back to within an iuch of their base, except 

 those which are nailed-infor extension or covering the wall; such should only 

 have their weak yjoints removed. 



Dome's Champion Leek (N. S. S.).~ We do not know where you can 

 obtain seed. 



Punnet. — "Civis" writes to ask that we will condemn tho use of deal 

 shavings for formiDg this basket, as they give a turpentiny flavour to fruit put 

 into it, but we can do no more than publish the remonstrance. If any basket- 

 maker will produce a cheap an A unobjectionable punnet made of .any other 

 material, the fruit-dealers would probably adopt it. 



Filbert Catkins {Octogenarius). — Like ourselves, we fear you have to- 

 wear spectacles, and that on the 31st of October you had lost them, for on 

 page 358 of our number then published your query is answered. Your 

 Gladiolus query we have sent to a good authority, and hope to publish his 

 answer next week. 



Strong Manetti Rose Stocks (J. S.). — If your Manetti stocks have not 

 grown too much, they may be reduced to me shoot each, and budded-in 



another year; but if they have grown a good deal it is better to transplant, 

 cutting off all but one shoot, and carefully removing all eyes below the ground. 

 Bud on last year's wood, which can be done by earthing-up the shoot, by ridg- 

 ing-up the soil when planting in rows, and scraping away the earth when 

 budding. See reply to "An Old Reader," page 452. 



Lawn Weed? {A Constant Header). — The Daisies may be considerably re- 

 duced in number by removing the roots with an old knife. We should advise 

 their being removed in mild weather during the winter, and with them 

 Plantains and all other weeds. In March dress the lawn with any well- 

 rotted manure, or the remains of a rubbish heap mixed with a fourth of quick- 

 lime, and in April give the surface a good scratching with an iron rake, and 

 remove the rough parts of the manure or compost. In calm dry weather, but 

 with an early prospect of rain, sow over the lawn evenly, G lbs. cf Festuca 

 duriuscula, 12 lbs. Cynosurus cristatus, 2 lbs. Poa nemoralis sempervirens, 

 8 lbs. Trifolium repens, and 4 lbs. Trifoliuru minus. Roll well after sewing, 

 and do not mow much until June, or rather not very closely, and after that 

 keep the grass well rolled and mown, but not very closely in dry weather. 

 The growth of Daisies and other perennial weeds has been much encouraged 

 by the wet of the present season. It is not well to mow so late in the season 

 as December, as if frost occur the grass is apt to become brown, which ap- 

 pearance it will have all the winter. The grass seeds named are for renovat- 

 ing a lawn of one acre. 



EUONYMUS EUROPJEUS AND KALMIA CULTURE (0. W. t>.). — The Sprig VOU 



enclosed to us is one of Euonynius enropceus fructu-albo, the white-fruited 

 Euonymus, very pretty, the berries at this season being fine, and we do not 

 wonder at your- receiving it in a bouquet. It is a hardy deciduous shrub, 

 succeeding in common soil, but it does best in light well-drained ground. Cape 

 Jasmine is the Gardenia fiorida, which will succeed in a greenhouse with a 

 winter temperature of 45°. None of the Cape Jasmines or Gardenias are 

 hardy. The Kalmias are all hardy, and require peat soil. They will succeed 

 in a pot or tub if taken up with a good ball, and not placed in the greenhouse 

 before the middle of January. They force tolerably well, and are sweet- 

 scented. After flowering they should be placed out of doors, plunging the 

 pots in coal ashes, in an open situation, and giving a good supply of water. 



Retarding Phajus grandifoltus (F. W. S.). — The plant having now 

 begun to throw-up its spikes, and as you do not wish it to flower until the 

 first week in April, it should be at once removed to a greenhouse where there 

 is a night temperature of 40°, in which it will not take any injury if kept 

 rather dry. You will need to introduce it into heat early in March, but you 

 must exercise some judgment in this respect, for if the spikes are only a foot 

 high then, and the flowers barely showing, it will take nearly a month to bring 

 them out; if they are less advanced, more. The plant may be worth 42s. 



Succulents for Greenhouse (H. B. Hj. — Tho leaves you enclosed to us 

 appear to be those of Echeveria undulata. The reason you cannot find it in 

 a catalogue, is its being generally known as Cutyledonundulatum. A few suc- 

 culents for a greenhouse are; — Agave americana luteo- striata, Bonapartea 

 juncea filamentosa, Beaucarnea reeurvata, Dasylirion acrostiohurn, Yucca 

 filamentosa variegata, Y. quadricolor; Epiphyllum Ackerrnanni, E. crenatum, 

 E. Jenkinsi, E. Mallissoni and var. roseum, E. speciosissimum, E. speciosum, 

 audvar. superbum,E. truncatvirn, vars. puipureum, albo-lateritia, Ruckerianum, 

 SusseUianum, Salmoneum, splcndens, and violaceum Snowii ; Kalosanthes 

 coccinea superba, K. miniata, K. Napoleon grandiflora ; Styphelia tebiflora, 

 and Rochea falcata. These are fine either from their foliage or flowers. If 

 you want some of the more curious — Mammillariacaput-Medusffi ; M. elephan- 

 tidens, M sulculanata ; Opuutia senilis, O. Rafinesquiana, O. cyliadrica eristata ; 

 Ecbinopsis multiplex, E. Pentlandi sanguinea; Echinocactus cornigerus, 

 E. gibbosus, E. niyriostigma, and E. tabularis. 



Insects (G. 77. H.}. — The grabs which have eaten the roots of your Cycla- 

 mens, &c., are the larva? of the very destructive weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus. 

 There is no other remedy than carefully removing and sifting the earth, so as 

 to find and destroy every grub, fur if but a very few be left, they will swamp 

 your house next year-. — I. O. W. 



Names of Fruits (Rev. F. Si/mom). — 1, Beurre Diel; 2, Easter Bearre; 

 S, Passe Colmar; 4, Thompson's; 7, Van Mons jueon Leclerc; S, Vicar of 

 Winkfield; 9, Knight's Monarch. 



Names cf Plants [T.L. M., Subscriber). — We are sorry we cannot name 

 any of your plants, for they were all florists' varieties, which we never venture 

 to distinguish. (J. M.). — 1, Doodia lunulata; 2, Blechnum occideutale ; 

 3 and 5, Aspidium (Cyrtomium) falcatum; 4, Asplenium flaccidnm ; 0, Chei- 

 lauihes elegans; 7, Schizostyiis coccinea. (C. F.). — Wormwood (Artemisia 

 Absinthium). The flowers enclosed are all it ever produces. (Robt. Miller). 

 — Cymbidium elegans, Lindl. (G. G.). — Scolopendrium vulgare, var. multi- 

 fidum crispum; Gomphocarpus fruticosus. (McA.). — 1, Tortula muralis; 

 2, Bryuni and LTypnum mixed; 3, Raccmitriiim fasciculare ; 4, Pogunatum 

 aloides; 5, Sphagnum ohtusifolium. 



P0ULTSY, BEE, AND PIG-EON CHE0MCLE. 



NOTES AT THE GREAT SHOWS. 



Peeyexted by a severe indisposition from undertaking the 

 serious work I generally have on hand at the Crystal Palace and 

 Birmingham, I wandered about this year a sort of :i fancier un- 

 attached," or idle apprentice, and I am ashamed to say rather 

 enjoyed it. It was pleasant to meet old and new friends, and 

 have time to speak to them, without the pressing consciousness 

 of work to be done ; and instead of scanning the merits of pen 

 after pen, to indulge my own individual fancy, and then turn to 

 the general features of the whole. The one drawback was the 

 serious accident which lamed Mr. Hewitt, and sent him home 

 in hot haste as soon as judging at the Palace was over, and de- 

 prived Birmingham of his valuable assistance altogether, to the 

 sad loss of that venerable Exhibition. He was missed byalmost 

 everybody, and his absence forced on many minds the reflection 

 "What would the fancy do without him ? Let us only hope that 

 this contingency may not have to be faced for many years to 

 come. 



It was impossible- to avoid comparing the Palace Show witii 

 Birmingham. The authorities of each had almost avowedly 



