August 2, 1864, ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



95 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*** We request that no one will write privately to the de- 

 partmental writers 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 ad- 

 dressed solely to The Editors of the Journal of Horticul- 

 ture, $fc, 171, Fleet Street, London, E.C. 



"We also request that correspondents will not mis 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 CDmmunications. Also never to send more 

 than two or three questions at once. 



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

 week. 



Melons Cracking (C. P.).— If we read your letter aright, we can readily 

 erplain why your Melons crack. There is a word in your letter which may 

 either be mat or heat at night, and whichever it is the atmosphere of the 

 place in which the Melons are growing will he affected. Heat should he 

 applied during the day; and if given at all at night much less will be 

 required than during the day, and a little air should be left on at night. 

 There should be at "least 10 s difference in cloudy weather, and 15° to 25 s in 

 sunny, between the day and night temperatures. If you cover the lights 

 with mats, that will also create a confined moist atmosphere and too high 

 a temperature by night, and cracking will be the consequence. Leave 

 a little air on at night, fire briskly in the day, giving at the same time 

 abundance of air, and keep the fire low by night, or allow it to go out if the 

 thermometer does not sink below 65°. You ought to have given water more 

 copiously at an earlier stage, and not allowed the plants to be without 

 it for weeks. 



Strawberry Beds (IF. W.).— Your soil will not do for Mushrooms. 

 They grow best in moderately light rich turfy loam. The best time to 

 make Strawberry beds is as early in August as the runners can be had for 

 planting, or in March. As your old beds bloom and set well, we think you 

 will do wrong if you shift the plants, especially as they will never do much 

 good afterwards. Old plants are only fit for the rubbish heap. We advise 

 you to manure well in autumn, and to point it neatly in between the rows 

 with a fork in March. "When the Strawberries are in bloom water freely 

 between the rows, give a drenching of water after setting, and mulch 

 between the rows with short grass, or, better still, clean straw. If any 

 difficulty be experienced in watering make hole3 in the sloping bank, and 

 "fill them with water, closing them again after the water has sunk into the 

 ground. If these means be adopted we expect that your beds will bear 

 well next year. In making new beds dig the ground deeply or rather trench 

 It 2 feet deep, and then work in a good dressing of manure. As your soil 

 is clay it will not require treading, and it ought to give you good ci'ods ; but 

 if it were light it should be well trodden down, for Strawberries like a firm 

 moderately rich soil. 



Thrips on Vines (A Subscriber). — You have nn remedy but to smoke 

 the house with tobacco. Tobacco smoke will not injure the Grapes in the 

 least if the tobacco paper be of good quality ; but to make sure, we advise 

 you to employ shag tobacco, and to smoke moderately two nights consecu- 

 tively, rather than fumigate strongly on one night only. Cucumbers to 

 fruit at Christmas should be sown in the second week in August, the seed- 

 lings being duly potted, and planted in their final or fruiting quarters by the 

 middle of September. 



Roses (Agnes).— After blooming cut the shoots back to six or eight leaves, 

 and this makes compact heads. Blairii No. 2, Brennus, and Madame 

 Desprez are better adapted for pillars than standards, as their habit is so 

 vigorous, By summer pruning they may be kept within bounds, stopping 

 the shoots to eight eyes, but only once during the summer, and that imme- 

 diately after blooming, or by the middle of July. Give the Geranium cut- 

 tings in pots abundance of water, and the sun shining on the pots will do 

 good instead of harm. 



"MrsiuLUs (Mauch line). —There are now many varieties much resembling 

 that which you gent in colour and markings, and which did not appear 

 sufficiently striking. Doubtless, however, from the circumstances you name, 

 and long carriage, the beauty of the flower was much deteriorated. 



Tulip Compost (S. A. if.).— "We have found the following the best of all 

 composts for florists' flowers, and Tulips in particular. Take turves from a 

 rich pasture, cut 3 inches thick, lay them in a heap for twelve months, turn 

 them over twice, sprinkling a bushel of soot at each turning to every cart- 

 load, and add one-third sheep manure at the second turning, or, if that 

 cannot be had, hotbed, or other well decomposed manure may be substi- 

 tuted. The main point in growing Tulips is to prevent stagnant water 

 lodging in the soil under the bulbs; otherwise, give them what kind of 

 compost or treatment you may, they never bloom satisfactorily. If the loam 

 he heavy a little sand maybe added to keep it open; yet Tulips flourish 

 in a rich, deep, and moderately strong loamy soil. 



Cucumbers Dying (Idem).— Vie think the Cucumbers are not heslthy at 

 the roots, and that both the top and bottom heat is too low. Try to en- 

 courage vigorous root-action by a little warmth, keep the atmosphere moist, 

 the soil damp, and air on at all favourable occasions. If they have been in 

 bearing some time remove a few inches of the old soil and add fresh, laying 

 in the young shootB, which will root into the new soil and reinvigorate the 

 plants. 



Pine Apple Scale (An Old Subscriber) .—It you had sent a few insects 

 we would have known whether it was the white Bcale or nor. It is difficult to 

 destroy, and if you have only a few plants, tbe best plan would be, to get rid 

 of them, clean all the place thoroughly, and begin with fresh stock. We have 

 always found the simplest plan was to gTow the plants in fresh dung heat, 

 as Pines will bear tbe fumes from fresh dung which would kill most other 

 plants outright. This will seUle those above ground, but will not dispose 

 of those under the soil, hence the difficulty of the cure. 



Neglected Order (A Gentleman's Gardener in Kent). — There must 03 

 some mistake we should think, but we cannot interfere in such matters. 



Votes (An Anxious Inquirer). — We think you are quite rigV.t in not 

 acting upon the advice of those who do not feel themselves responsible for 

 the results. Hear what they have to say, but use your own judgment. 

 Your Vines, pruned seven years on the spur system, will not need the spurs 

 to be brought nearer the rod if they have been properly pruned each year 

 to one or two eyes at the most. They produce good crops of Grapes, What 

 more can you wish for? We advise you to let well alone, and to be content 

 with the Vines as they are, so long as they continue to bear well. We have 

 some now that have spurs over 1 foot long, and though a little unsightly, 

 as you say, some of the Vines are producing upwards of thirty bunches on 

 20 feet of rafter, and the bunches will weigh between 2 and 3 lbs. each. If 

 you cut the spurs close to the rod shoots will proceed from the dormant 

 eyes situated upon it, and these may show fruit sufficient for a crop, but 

 the chances are two to one that they will not. We do not recommend that 

 practice, but would prefer bringingup a young cane from the bottom, and 

 letting it bear on one-third its length in the following season, cutting off one- 

 third the spurs of the old rod, and sr) on year after year until the old 

 rod be done away with. By this plan you will improve the appearance of 

 the Vines, but we question whether they will be improved in bearing, 

 though they may if old. For general vineries we prefer the spur system; 

 but long and short rod also answer well. If there be any difference between 

 one system of pruning and another, the long rod system gives the largest 

 bunches ; but what is gained in size of bunch is often lost in flavour, spurs 

 very often giving more compact bunches, more even berries, and better- 

 flavoured fruit. 



Paulownta imperialis (Laurus).— It belongs to the natural order Scro- 

 pbulariaceae, and is a native of Japan. The common Laurel is Cerasus 

 laurocerasus ; the Portugal Laurel Cerasus lusitanica. 



Lawn Sowing (E. A. P.), — The beginning of April is the best time to 

 sow lawn grass seeds ; but yon may, if the ground be clean and in good 

 heart, take up the Potatoes, and sow the seeds at once. They will not, 

 however, make much show this year; and unless the land be free from all 

 kinds of perennial weeds, we would not advise you to take up the Potatoes, 

 but let them come to maturity. By deferring the sowing until spring your 

 opportunities of clearing the ground will be greater, and the sward will 

 form all the better in consequence of the soil having been exposed to a 

 winter's frost. If any levelling be required it should be done before the 

 seed is sown. All things considered, we should defer sowing until the 

 spring, though we have no fear of the grasses being injured if sown in 

 August or September. For an acre of medium soil— that is. neither strong 

 nor light, we recommend Festuca ovina f Sheep's Fescue), 5 lbs. ; Cynosurus 

 cristatus (Crested Dog's-tail), 6 lbu. ; Festuca duriuscula (Hard Fescue), 

 4 lbs. ; Lolium perenne tenue, 18 lbs ; Poa nemoralis, 1 lb.; Poa tririalis, 

 H lb. ; Poa sempervirens, 2 lbs. ; Tri folium repens, 6 lbs : and Trifolium 

 minus, 3 lbs., or 46^ lbs. in all. if the soil is light substitute lib. of 

 Avena flavescens, and have 1 lb. less of Crested Dog's-tail; if heavy, add 

 another pound of the last, omitting one pound of Trifolium minus. We 

 know of no means of preventing the footstalk coming off in skeletonising, 

 except extra care. 



Books (C. M. TF.).— We know of no such work. (L. M. iV.).— " Window 

 Gardening," which you can have free by poBt by sending your address and 

 ten postage stamps. 



Ammoniacal Liquor (H.).— You may saturate with the gas ammoniacal 

 liquor as you say, the ground from which a crop has just been cleared away, 

 for the purpose of destroying grubs, &c, and if the ground be immediately 

 dug another crop might be inserted safely after the lapse of two days. We 

 should not add house eewage for the purpose. It would be very bad practice 

 "to apply the ammoniacal liquor to plants in winter—they are at rest then, 

 and would be injured by such stimulants. 



New Boiler (A Young Gardener).— It you will send us a drawing we 

 will give you our opinion upon it, and promise neither to publish it nor to 

 pirate it. 



Fastolf Raspberry (X. Y. Z.).— Three or four of the ripe fruit and 

 leaves will be sufficient to send, stating the nature of your soil, and where- 

 abouts is the garden. 



Clat Soil (A Constant Reader).— You cannot do better than yon pro- 

 pose to give the hungry clay a very heavy dressing of chalk and burnt clay. 

 We should add a large quantity of sea sand. All these additions will tend 

 to improve the soil's staple. 



Hautbois.— I beg leave to state that Hautbois means High Wood, and not, 

 as is stated at page 71, Deep Forest, or, in French, Forct profond. — H. 

 Knight, Chateau de Pont char train, Seine et Oise. 



[We are obliged for the correction, but we can show authorities for haut 

 being translated deep ; and whether bois is rendered by wood or forest 

 matters little. Accepting " High Wood " as the correct translation, it does 

 not apply to the Strawberry under consideration.] 



Name of Cheery (M. Newman).— It is the Reine Hortense. 



Names of Plants (B.M.).-l, Spirsea ariaefolia; 2, Erigeron glabellus. 

 Your Mignonette is most likely suffering from dryness at the root; if not 

 you will probablyfind that some insect is the cause. {E. C. S.).— Looks like 

 Cheilanthes alabamensis, but the specimen i3 much too young to enable us 

 to speak with certainty. (<?. M.).— Nepeta nepetella. (F. S.).-~ Oxalis incar- 

 nata. (J. B ).— Tamarix gallica, or French Tamarisk. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



POULTRY SHOWS. 



August 2nd. Newmillerdam. Sea., Mr. J. Turner, Walton, and Mr. W. 

 Pashley, Newmillerdam. 



August 13th. Wakefield and West Riding. Sec, Mr. J. Crosland, jun. 

 Thome's Lane, Wakefield. Entries close August 4th. 



August 17th. Cottingham. Sec, Mr. Joseph Brittatn. 



August 18th. Burnley. Sec, Mr. R. Whittam. Entries close Aug. 6th. 



August 22nd, 23rd, 24th, and 25th. Alexandra Park. Poultry, Pigeons, 

 and Rabbits. -Sec, Mr. William Houghton. Entries close July 23rd. 



August 27th. Halifax and Calder Yale. See, Mr. W. Irvine, Holm- 

 field, Ovenden, near Halifax. 



August 30th. Pocklington. Sec, Mr. T. Grant. Entries oloae Aug. 22nd. 



