116 



JOTONAL OF HOETICtTLTTTRE AND COTTAGE GAUDENEE. 



[ August 9, 1S64. 



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. 

 IJVB. — Many questions must remain unanswered until nest 

 week. 

 Strawbeuries (J. B. Y. N.).— Yon can obtain the information you seek 

 for from Mr. Rivers, Nurseries, Sawbridgeworth, Herts. 



Bowness (A Glasgow Subscriber). — We do not know the party you men- 

 tion. 



Books (T. P.)*— The "Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary" is just the thing 

 for you. 



Peas for Seed {A. J&). — Peas for seed should be sown rather thinly in 

 rows about the middle of March, allowing the same distance between the 

 rows as the kinds respectively attain in height. The treatment given to 

 Pea crops generally applies to those for seed — that is, earthing-up, staking, 

 and hoeing between the rows. When the pods towards the extremity of 

 the haulm become white the crop should be pulied up. and laid on the sticks 

 for a few days to dry. They are, after drying, placed, on a dry hard floor 

 and beaten out with a flail. The Peas are then sifted to free them of dust 

 and the seeds of weeds, and stored away in bags, or on a dry floor. 



Lapageria rosea (E. P.). — You need not fear about the air, only give 

 abundance of water at the root. You cannot give it too much air, if only 

 the current is not strong, and that it cannot be with the netting to keep out 

 tees. We think all will be right. 



Vallota purpurea — Ceheus hesagonus (C. M. Major}.— You may 

 separate the roots immediately after the blooming, or, perhaps better, in 

 April. In future avoid deep planting. It is very detrimental to this beau- 

 tiful Lily, and yours rising above the soil is a proof of what it likes. The 

 Cereus may have its top cut off now. This should be done with a sharp 

 knife transversely at the required height The part Intended to strike 

 should be exposed for a few davs until the wound is dry and covered with a 

 kind of skin. It will then strike or root freely in any light poor sandy soil. 

 This is a bad time for grafting the stock. Such operations are best per- 

 formed when the stock commences growing. 



Thrips on Franciscea (Z. Z.). — The black insects on your leaves are 

 tbrips. Make a solution of 4 ozs. of soft soap to a gallon of soft water at 

 120°, and dip the plant in it for about one minute, allow the plant to dry 

 then repeat the operation, and wash afterwards with clear water, or sponge, 

 every leaf on both sides with the above solution. Fumigating with tobacco 

 will also destroy thrips. 



New Vinery (H. P. D. P.). — We presume you can go no higher than 

 7 feet at back. Then for Grapes in June we would have no more than a 

 height of 2g feet in front. If the ten-feet width inside is on the same 

 level, or a little higher than the outside, you could plant inside, and have 

 the front wall on arches; or you could make your front boundary of posts 

 and boards, and have ventilators in the boards. If you sunk the house 

 inside to give you more head room, unless yon kept the roots there, or had 

 extra drainage, you would need to plant the Vines outside and take the 

 stems into the house. This plan would give you more room inside. With- 

 out this sinking, you might have more head room by taking a short hip, 

 say 2£ feet from the top of the north wall to a ridge-board, sav S£ feet from 

 the floor level. You might have four or five openings on pivot hinges in 

 this hipped roof, and, with ventilators in front, all your roof couli be fixed, 

 and glazed with large squares. It would also be as well to have a corner- 

 piece of 18 Inches at each end next the apex made to open. The fine ought 

 to be 1 foot in width, and from 15 to IS inches deep outside measure. We 

 shall be glad to assist if we can. 



Campylobotsts regalis Culture — Mimulus (Rossettii). — The Campylo- 

 botrys is rather difficult to keep in good condition. It delights in a moist 

 calm atmosphere. It is extremely susceptible of injury from water stand- 

 ing on the leaves, sudden changes of temperature, and currents of cold air. 

 By keeping your plant in a close humid part of the stove, in a diffused or 

 not strong light, yet near the glass, and preventing cold, damp, and stag- 

 nant air lodging near it, with good drainage and sweet soil, we think the 

 leaves would retain their beauty much longer. Cuttings of Mimulus struck 

 now will make nice plants for blooming in the greenhouse next spring; but 

 after bloomine once in the greenhouse they are not suitable for planting 

 out in beds. Mimulnses for bedB should be planted in them in the spring, 

 and they make a fine show for a time, but are very poor after a month or 

 two of bright weather. They like a slightly shady situation and moist 

 soil. 



Ornamental Grasses (5.5.).— Some hints on this subject will appear 

 shortly. 



Laying Out a Pleasure Ground (An Irish Subscriber). — We quite 

 approve of your planting Pthododendrons against the wall of the proposed 

 pleasure ground. At Raitb, near Kirkcaldy, in Scotland, a wall is thus 

 covered with the common Rhododendron right to its top, and the border in 

 front with the very best kinds, as reared and grafted by the late Mr. Crockett. 

 It gave a noble background to the flower garden. When this border is de- 

 cided on you will still have 88 by so much less than 106 feet for beds on lawn. 

 We would rather you would devise a plan for yourself, or send one for us to 

 amend or criticise, which we would gladly do, as well as the style of plant- 

 ing ; but were we to furnish plans for every similar place where such plans 

 are required, we could do nothing else. We will criticise any plan, but we 

 cannot do more. The slope of the ground will be an advantage when the 

 beds are looked at from either side. Something of the simple plan given at 

 p. 113 of last volume might suit. Unless the plan Is artistic, like that at 

 Trentham, or Linton, the simpler it is the easier will it be to plant and 

 manage. 



Roses (A Six-years Subscriber). — Hybrid Perpetuals— Madame Furtado, 

 SenateuT Vaisse, John Hopper, Pauline Lanaezeur, Baronne Prevost, General 

 Jacqueminot, Geant des Batailles, Lord Raglan, Louise Odier, Jules Mar- 

 gottin, Comte de Nanteuil, and Caroline de Sansal. Hybrid Chiuas— Charles 

 Lawson, ChGnC'dole'. Hybrid Bourbon— Coupe d'Hebe, Souvenir de la Mal- 

 maison. Tea— Gloire de Dijon, Adam. Noisettea— Lamarque, Triomphe 

 de Reanes. 



Mildewed Hamburgh Grapes [A Constant Reader, Hammersmith). — 

 The berries had been so rubbed by shaking in the course of carriage 'thai 

 we are not certain whether they were mildewed. We incline, however, to 

 think that they were; and if these Grapes were under our care we should 

 fill a soup-plate with flowevs of sulphur, roll each bunch in t:ie sulphur, 

 and rub each sulphured berry between the finger and thumb, leave the 

 sulphur on for a week, and tken syringe it off. We have seen Grapas thus 

 cured that were severely mildewed. 



Melons (C. P.). — I have not found it necessary to cover with mats after 

 shutting up the frames. With a moist atmosphere and no artificial heat, 

 Melons will rarely be injured if shut up at the hours named. Of course 

 much depends on the weather. If the day be very bright and hot, air may 

 be required for an hour or two longer, and in cloudy weather the frames 

 will need closing earlier. So special time can be given for opening and 

 closing Melon-frames, the times mentioned relating to general rather than to 

 special cases. With ordinary weather, however, the frames may be closed 

 at the hours named, and mi covering of mats is needed ; for if any fear he 

 entertained of the sun being too powerful air should be left on some time 

 longer. To make all safe, however, the lights may be covered with mats 

 for an hour, to be then removed. The mats should not, upon any con- 

 sideration, be left on all night ; but the glass must be exposed from May "to 

 September, or the plants will be deprived of many hours' light and son 

 heat.— G. A. 



Mushrooms (An Amateur of Six Months? Experience). — It matters not 

 whether the Mushroom-bed be in light or darkness. If in light the Mush- 

 rooms will be a little browner in appearance, If in darkness they come paler 

 in colour. We think you will find all you want at pages 447 and 448 of 

 the last volume, No. 169. If you wanted more definite information, and 

 stated your means and material, we would advise you more fully. With 

 your experience we would advise you to delay making your bed for a month, 

 unless it were a very shallow one. If you now make a bed of any size, 

 unless in a cool cellar, yon will be apt to have too much heat, as the heat 

 of the atmosphere just now Is too much for them. 



Covering a Vin-e-border— Azalea- euds not Expanding (A. B.). — We 

 would cover the border with fern or litter by the end of September to keep 

 in the summer heat. Yery likely your Azaleas were dry on the surface of 

 the ball. The plants would be benented by an out-of-door position in Sep- 

 tember if the vineries are densely shaded ; if pretty well for light they 

 may as well remain in the vinery. 



Ripening Second Crop of Figs (J. <?.).— Your Fig trees planted out in 

 a cool orchard-house and showing a fresh crop of young Figs— say in the 

 beginning of July, will not ripen there unless the autumn is very clear and 

 warm, and you shut up the house early in the afternoon. It will be of no 

 use keeping such fruit over the winter, as most likely if the frost did not 

 destroy them they would drop in the spring. By the end of September 

 you will see ; and then if there is no hope of ripening, you can cut off all 

 the fruit that is larger than a good-sized Marrowfat Pea, and lee the plants 

 rest in winter by keeping them rather dry at the roots. 



Bedding Geraniums — Shading Conservatory [Ignoramus). — We could 

 hardly decile there are so many. Of Scarlets, old one3, we would prefer 

 Tom Thumb, Brilliant. Punch, and Excellence ; for Rose Pinks, Shrubland 

 Rose and Rubens : Pinks, Christine. Of Nosegays, none equals Stella as 

 a dark scarlet. Driers such as painters use make capital shading for a con- 

 servatory. A quart of milk, an ounce of flour, and an ounce of whiting 

 make also a nice shading. Half an ounce of soda or less to a gallon of water 

 will do for making water soft. Full exposure tc the sua for a day is better 

 still. We prefer the quassia without the soft soap. 



Aratcarta imbricata Forming Cones (A Subscriber). — It has done so 

 at Bicton and other places. 



Constructing a Vinery (A Three-years Subscriber). — Tour house will 

 be a hipped-roofed lean-to — that is, width 16 feet, back wall 15 feet, 

 front and end walls 3 leet. height of front glass some 6 feet, front sloping 

 glass to join a short hip from the back wall, the ridge from both 17 feet 

 from the floor, length 45 feet. Now, first, your plan will no doubt answer. 

 The main thing for ViEes will be to secure drainage. Then for 45 or 

 50 feet In length, if you propose one end for a greenhouse and the other for 

 a vinery, it would be desirable to have a division with the power to heat 

 one or the other separately or conjointly. This would even be advisable if 

 you wished to have early and late Grapes. In fact, you might force one part 

 and have late Grapes in the greenhouse part. Every place for Grapes we 

 have is filled with plants, except when the Grapes are ripe, when the 

 houses are kept airy and dry. The heating Bfcove would be best placed in 

 the middle. If economy were an object we would have a fixed roof, and give 

 top air by the hipped-roof at back. Anything else you particularly want 

 we will be glad to advise upon. 



Compost for Roses {Jules Margottin^. — You will do well to mix lime 

 with ditch-parings. It should be turned and mixed with black dung and 

 then used. Brick refuse should be laid thickly over the surface, and kept 

 well watered, and then, like burnt field-ashes, it will keep the ground moist. 

 Lime is simply a re-agent, and not a manure. Chalk is an alterative, also. 

 and not a manure. Lime and chalk are best suited to clay lands. Half-inch 

 bones are good for Roses and Strawberries in light lands. So, also, is nitro- 

 phosphate. — W. F. Radcliffe. 



Name of Grape (P. M.).— Your Grape is the Hubsbee, an Indian variety. 

 Names of Plants ( W. S. M., Kilkee).— Aster tripolium. [Viator). — 

 Spiraea ariaafolia, Sm, The Holly is apparently the var. platyphylla. 

 (S.A.P.). — 1, Lobelia erinus, var. grandiflora ; 2, Nepeta nepetella, L. ; 

 3, Artemisia abrofanum, L. ; 4, Potentilla atrosan guinea, Lodd- ; 5, Zebrina 

 peudula, Schn. (Lex.).— The specimen sent is not sufficient to enable us to 

 do more than guess that your plant is a species of Kleinia. (M. M.). — 

 Comptonia a?pleni folia. ( Glasgow Subscriber).— Gymnogramma uchryso- 

 pbylla, a variable plant. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



JOTTINGS. 

 Did you fever attend a popular gathering at an Agricul- 

 tural Meeting — one of those that are peripatetic, go from 

 town to town within the limits of the county, and of which 

 the presence is so beneficial that enterprising towns buy their 



