December 2G, 1872 ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



523 



applying water at 40° to plants and bulbs grooving in rooms or 

 houses in a temperature of 70°. The rule of safety is to use 

 water as warm as, or a few degrees warmer than, the place is in 

 which they are growing. There will thus be less tendency to 

 weakening or checking. For instance, plants growing in a 

 temperature of 70° might have water at from 70° to 75° ; plants 

 growing in a temperature of from 45° to 50° may have water at 

 from 48° to 55°. There is one tribe of plants, however — the 

 Calceolaria, which we always found injured rather than other- 

 wise by a high temperature under glass, or using water warmer 

 than the place in which they grew. A few of our cuttings in a 

 cold pit close to the back wall became dry lately. The place 

 then would be about 42°, and common pond water was used 

 at about 41°. Only those that were dry had a little drop, as the 

 generality were damp enough, though receiving no water from 

 the time they were watered to settle them firmly when they 

 were inserted. 



Bulbs. — These in slight hotbeds should be watched so as not 

 to get too hot, and before being taken to rooms, or to stand with 

 the pots exposed in a house, they should have the pots raised 

 gradually out of the bed, doing it a little at a time. Let them 

 stand free and be kept a little cooler before being removed. 

 Some of these trifles will in a great measure prevent the dis- 

 appointments that often arise from sudden changes of circum- 

 stances and temperature. These changes are the best of all 

 means for making the plants the favourite abodes of insects. 

 "We have grown even Calceolarias to great size and luxuriance 

 by giving a temperature in early spring of 60° to 65°, with pro- 

 portionate humidity, but under such treatment we found that 

 fumigating became a mere matter of course. In a cooler moist 

 atmosphere we have scarcely needed to fumigate at all. — R. F. 



TRADE CATALOGUE RECEIVED. 

 James Veitch & Sons, Royal Exotic Nursery, King's Road, 

 Chelsea, London, S.TV. — Catalogue of Garden and Flower 

 Seeds, Horticultural Implements, &c 



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. 



Posting our Weekly Numbers (TF. M., Brtxton).—You can have them 

 on Thursday evening. 



Our Back Volumes (C. D. IT.).— Only vol. xv., containing the last sis 

 months of 1868 can be had, price 8s. 6d. The numbers of the first sis months 

 of that year are out of print. Each volume that we have perfect is price 

 &. Qd. The Pouter has not been published in a separate form. 



Indianrubber Plant (B. W. G.).— It is the Ficus elastica, a tree that is 

 folly 20 feet high in its native country. It produces a small fig sometimes 

 in the spring. 



Cucumber Plants from Cuttings (H. B. L.). — The stems may be layered 

 in the soil, and they 'will root freely, but the plants do not transplant ■well. 

 Plants from cuttings are better than those from layers. The points of the 

 shoots should be taken off ■with two joints and the growing point, which will 

 give a length of about 8 or 9 inches. Cut the shoot across below the lowest 

 joint, remove the leaf, and insert the cutting up to the next leaf in a compost 

 of light fibrous loam, with a third of leaf soil intermixed. Place the cuttings 

 in a hotbed of 75°, plunge the pots to the rims, and cover with a hand-glass 

 or put a bell-glass over each separately. Keep the cuttings close and moist, 

 shading from bright sun, and in a week to ten days they will be rooted, and 

 should have air admitted gradually, removing the hand-glass or bell-glasses 

 as they grow. They may either be planted out or shifted into larger pots, 

 planting rather low, and earthing-up as they grow. 



Turnips done Growing (South Devon). — The Turnips will not now at- 

 tain any larger size; the only increase will be of top, therefore they Bhould be 

 taken up, cutting off the tops and using them first. Store the Turnips in a 

 shed, and cover them with stiaw. If they are a white or yellow kind they 

 ■will not keep long, but they may be kept much longer if pulled up and stored 

 than if left in the field and pulled up as wanted, especially if we should have 

 a period of severe weather. Turnips do not exactly stop growth at this season 

 if the weather is mild, but they go to top, which exhausts the juices of the 

 root. 



Forcing Rhubarb and Sea-kale (Idem).— To force the Sea-kale and 

 Rhubarb, which you have at present covered with leaves where it grows, you 

 have only to invert over the crowns of the Sea kale pots or boxes which are 

 not less than 15 inches and need not be more than 21 inches deep. It is 

 desirable to have openings large enough to admit of its being seen when the 

 Sea-kale is fit to cut. The Rhubarb will require deep pots or boxes — even 

 hampers will do. They should be from 2 feet to a yard deep, and it is well if 

 the tops of these are moveable, so that the stalks can be gathered without 

 going to the trouble of removing the pots, boxes, or hampers. The dung we 

 Bhould presume to have been thrown into a heap about a week previous, 

 watered if dry, and to have attained a good heat. We should mix this with 

 an equal quantity of leaves, if you have them at command, place the fer- 

 menting materials about 3 feet wider than the pots, &c, all round, and fill-in 

 between and around these with the dung and leaves, forming a hotbed over 

 the plants, carrying it about a foot higher than the pots — say 2 feet 6 inches 

 for the Sea-kale, and 3 feet 6 inches for the Rhubarb. Place the hottest 

 materials at bottom, and the longest and coolest at top. In a fortnight to 



three weeks you will have both Sea-kale and Rhubarb, and will need to start 

 another lot, therefore you must apportion your stock so as to keep up a sueces- 

 sional supply, not having a glut at one time and nothing at another. The 

 heat will need to be seen to; thrust a stick into the litter about half its 

 depth, and by feeling its end you will be able to regulate the temperature, 

 taking off some of the litter if too hot, and covering deeply if not warm 

 enough. The stick should be hot, without causing a sensation of burning. 

 If so hot that it cannot be held in the hand the bed is too hot. 



Wild Flowers {Miss H.). — What you say is true, but it would be ob- 

 jectionable not to give portraits of all flowering native plants. The present 

 volume concluded with last month's number. 



Hot-water Cistern— Training in Ground Vineries (H. T.). — It is not 

 of much importance where your supply cistern for the boiler is, provided it is 

 higher than all the pipes, bo as to keep them full when the air is expelled. 

 The size is of little moment in large places, as the expansion is more gradual. 

 In small houses it is well to have the cistern large enough to permit of the 

 rapid expansion of the water, otherwise it will run over when hot, and be empty 

 when cool. We have cisterns communicating at once with the extreme end 

 of the flow pipes, and there all the pipes are filled. When convenient we 

 prefer the cistern to be not far from the boiler at a proper height, and a small 

 pipe to go from it at once to the bottom of the boiler. In ground vineries we 

 have seen the Vines fastened to wires, and also laid on slates — in the one 

 case the Grapes suspended, and in the other lying on the slates; and, on the 

 whole, we should give the preference to the suspended, so far as the uni- 

 formity of the berries were concerned. What say others ? 



Planting Early Potatoes (B. S.).— Last spring was unusually warm in 

 the early part, and severe in the latter part. This told disastrously on early- 

 planted Putatoes. Your soil, being gravelly and light, ought toaLSwerwellfor 

 early Potatoes, and your preparation is excellent. In such a soil we should 

 not plant until early in March, and not then if the soil were not in a fit state. 

 We should have the sprouts from one half to three-quarters of an inch long, 

 and then plant not more than 6 inches deep, earthing well up when the tops 

 were 6 inches high. Early Racehorse is a good sort; Veitch'B Improved Ash- 

 leaf, Mona's Pride, and Myatt's Prolific, are all good. We like the last better 

 than any, but it is a few days later than the others. 



Plants for Back Wall of Vineries (G. J. EC.). — The late house will 

 answer well for Camellias. They must have a good border, and be trained to 

 a trellis. We should advise Camellias for the early house as well, if you find 

 Camellia blooms desirable in November onwards, and by means of the two 

 houses you will be able to keep up a succession from October to April. The 

 kinds we find good are Bealii, bright crimson; Bonomiana, white, flaked 

 and shaded red ; Conspicua, scarlet, semi-double ; Mathotiana, crimson ; 

 Mathotiona alba, white ; Monarch, scarlet ; Reticulata fiore-pleuo, rose ; 

 Rubens, deep rose; Valtevaredo, rose; Targioni, white, red stripes; and 

 Alba plena. The only other subjects we advise are the Orange family, and we 

 should have them, if you think one house of Camellias sufficient, in the early 

 house. The following would succeed — Citrus Aurantium (Orange), C. nobilis 

 (Mandarin Orange), C. acida (Lemon), C. decumana (Shaddock), C. Limonum 

 (Lime), C. medica (Citron), C. myrtifolium (Narrow-leaved Orange). They 

 would produce an abundance of flowers, and fruit indue course. 



Stove in Greenhouse (J. J. I. K.). — We think the proposed site forth© 

 iron stove at the north end of the span-roofed house is suitable, but for 

 Ferns you will require a pan over it to keep the air moist. The simplest 

 plan would be to take the pipe through a square of the roof ; but you would 

 get more heat if you raised it nearly 6 feet from the floor, took it across to the 

 back wall, and along it to the wash-house chimney. To draw, it must rise 

 first. With your position, however, we should think nothing of an iron 

 stove. We would make a small stokehole and furnace in your wash-house, 

 and take a small flue under your walk from the south eud, round the west side, 

 north end, and east side, to the wash-house chimney. The tile that covered 

 the flue would form part of the path, and in a cold day you need not have 

 cold feet. Two bricks on bed and 5 inches between them, with a tile securely 

 fixed across, would make a cheap and safe flue. A single brick on edge on 

 each side we have seen do, but two are better. If you tiled the path you 

 would know nothing of the flue except from the heat. 



Livistonia altissima, &c. (F. L. S.). — Try 5° more heat — namely, an. 

 average of G(P, with a rise of 10° to 15 Q of sun heat when you can obtain it 

 If the yellow tinge does not disappear, you had better examine the drainage 

 and soil, and, if necessary, repot in a mixture of fibrous loam and heath soil, 

 with a good bit of silver sand and little bright pieces of charcoal. Very pro- 

 bably a smaller pot will be an advantage; and after shifting, if you could 

 keep the roots in a bottom heat of 80° for six weeks, with the top heat as 

 above, most likely you "would see a great change. For your mixed greenhouse 

 of Camellias, Azaleas, Epacrises, Acacias, Cinerarias, Calceolarias, and 

 Primulas, we should not let the thermometer fall below 45" from October to 

 April, and that would be a good average fire heat in cold weather. Of course, 

 if the weather is warmer, take advantage of it, and allow for a rise from sun 

 heat, provided air is early given, and the rise takes place gradually. We do 

 not advise admitting much very cold air into such houses, but we can hardly 

 tell yon what is the lowest degree outside at which we would admit air, for 

 we have let in a little when the air behind a wall was 25° below freezing 

 point, and we were obliged to do it under a fierce sun. But the mode is the 

 main point. For instance, in such a span-roofed house as yours we would 

 give no front air in a very frosty day, unless we could warm it before getting 

 among the plants. But if frosty and a bright sun, we would soon give a little 

 air at the top, if it were only half an inch at first, increasing it, if neces- 

 Bary, by degrees, taking it away early, say by two o'clock, and regulating the 

 heating medium accordingly. This top-air-giving under such circumstances 

 in common houses is the secret of safety ; the hottest moistest air thus escapes 

 in small quantities, and the heavier cold air rushes through it, and becomes 

 warmed and moistened before it reaches the plants. Sprinkling the stage 

 and floor gently with water, and letting the fires down in a frosty bright day, 

 art better than giving too much air when the air is dry enough to parch-up 

 everything tender. In a dull, cold, frosty day the air given would be small 

 indeed, and that just to change it a little, and given with the same care. One 

 flow and return — that is, we presume two pipes all round, are not enough for 

 a span-roofed house 19 feet wide, and we presume somewhat lofty. Yoa 

 would consult economy in having two flow pipes on the same level instead of 

 one, and then the pipes need not be made very hot, and so would not be so 

 trying to such succulent-leaved plants as Cinerarias. As to your taking the 

 pipes, as you must, 70 feet up an air-drain, you will see in answer to a corre- 

 spondent that it is recommended to keep these pipes dry, and either pack 

 them in sawdust, &c, or leave an opening from -the drain into the house. A 

 small opening at the other end will send the heat into the house. # , 

 House for Melons and Cucumbers {G. K.).— If you have plenty of 



