136 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 16, 1851. 



south. We shall "be sorry to give them any artificial heat. 

 It may be wanted "with late-struck plants. 



The rain of Tuesday just saved our flower-beds for a little 

 longer display. As stated last week, we never saw Gera- 

 niums much better, the drought, as yet, has affected them 

 but little. Calceolarias that were never finer are again 

 showing signs of distress, and we presume we shall be able 

 to give them no help, as water for cattle, let alone plants, 

 is now becoming a serious consideration. We find there was 

 a mistake in printing last week, when the lawn is spoken 

 of as getting "green." It should have been "brown." 

 But for this brownness we question if the principal parts of 

 the flower garden ever looked better. Visitors have ex- 

 pressed their astonishment at such masses of bloom in such 

 drought, and with little or no watering. We cannot erpect 

 it to last much longer, as we fear anything like watering is 

 entirely out of the question. Already Calceolarias are 

 drooping, and we fear that dwarf and tall Dahlias, indepen- 

 dently of mulching, must go to the wall, and, unless a soak- 

 ing rain comes, we must be satisfied if we can save the roots. 

 We mention these facts because already gardeners situated 

 as we are are being found fault with because vegetables are 

 becoming hard, and flower-beds decaying, and fruit falling 

 before it comes to perfection. If water cannot be had, and 

 ail other palliatives are taken to lessen the consequent evils, 

 we say, advisedly, that the gardener who does what is 

 possible ought not to be blamed if he cannot accomplish 

 the impossible. That our beds and borders have continued 

 fail' up to the present time we attribute to the surface- 

 stirring having prevented cracks and extra evaporation : to 

 giving the little water that could be spared exactly on the 

 principles detailed in a late article on watering, and, perhaps 

 more especially, not to any richness in the soil, but to deep 

 stirring and pulverisation before planting. — R. E. 



COYENT GARDEN MAKKET.-ArersT 13. 



The supply is well kept up both from home and abroad. Pine Apple?, 

 Grapes, and Peaches, are plentiful, cheap, and good. Raspberries are now 

 very scarce, and of Lemons there is a very short supplv, consequently they 

 have made a great advance in price. Imports from abroad continue heavy, 

 and comprise Greengage and other Plnms, Apricots, Fontainblean Grape?, 

 Apples, and Pears, in abundance. Morellos are the only Cherries now to be 

 had, and Strawberries are over. 



FRUIT. 



Apples £ sieve 1 



Apricots doz. 1 



Cherries lb. 



Currants, Red...£ sieve 2 



Black do. 4 



Figs doz. 2 



Filberts & Nuts per lb. 



Gooseberries . ...i sieve 1 



Grapes, Hambnrghs lb. 1 



Muscats 3 



Lemons 100 10 



Melons each 1 



d. s. 

 to 1 

 3 



Mulberries .... punnet 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges 100 12 



Peaches doz. 



Pears (kitchen). ..bush. 



dessert doz. 



Pine Apple3 lb. 



Plums £ sieve 



Quinces do. 



Raspberries .lb. 



Strawberries ...punnet 

 Walnuts bush. 14 G 



VEGETABLES. 



d. e. 

 4 too 

 



Artichokes each 



Asparagus bundle 



Beans Broad J sieve 2 6 



Kidney £ sieve 2 3 



Beet, Red doz. 10 3 



Broccoli bundle 



BrusselsSprouts | sieve 



Cabbage doz. 9 1 



Capsicums 100 3 5 



Carrots bunch 5 



Cauliflower doz. 3 6 



Celery bundle 10 2 



Cucumbers each 6 1 



pickling doz. 



Endive score 13 2 



Fennel bunch 3 



Garlic and Shallots, lb. 8 



Herbs „ bunch 3 



Horseradish ... bundle 16 4 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce seore 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustd. & Cress, punnet 



Onions .►...bunch 



pickling quart 



Parsley ...doz. bunches 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



,, bushol 



Potatoes ....bushel 



Radishes doz. bunches. 



Rhubarb bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Spinach sieve 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunch 



VegetableMarrows doz. 



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TRADE CATALOGUE RECEIVED. 



Ferdinand Gloede, aux Sablons, near Moret-sur-Loing 

 (Seine-et-Marne), Prance.— List of New and Beautiful Straw- 

 berries. Autumn, 1864. 



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 unjastifia'ble trouble and 

 expense. All communications should therefore be ad- 

 dressed solely to The Editors of the Journal of Horticul- 

 ture, Sec, 171, Fleet Street, London. E.C. 



We also request that correspondents will not mix up on the • 

 same sheat questions relating to Gardening and those 

 on Poultry aud Bee subjects, if they expect to get them 

 answered promptly and conveniently, but write them 

 on separate eoinaiunications. Also never to send more 

 than two or three questions at once. 



KVB. — Many questions raust remain unanswered until next 

 week. 



Caladiums (J. Poicell,)—Tnost you mention were imported from Para. 

 Wire Netting for Protecting Fruit Trees (W. F.). — We have no 

 doubt that such a contrivance as that you name will answer admirably for 

 protecting the frnit from birds, but as for protecting the blossom from frosts 

 we are certain they are worss than useless. Th^ wire, as you surmise, will 

 have to be covered with' canvass or tiffany to prevent injury from spring 

 frosts, and wasps cannot be kept away by wire netting with half-inch 

 meshes. The frnit we think will not bs improved in flavour by being grown 

 in a wire cage, nor will the appearance bz improved by the drip from tha 

 rusted iron. Used to preserve the buds in spring, and the frnit in summer, 

 we have no doubt that they will answer admirably, in»other respects we do 

 not perceive their utility. 



Amaranthus (Q. Q.). — "We di not recognise the Amaranthus by the 

 leaves, which only appear to be those of a siiall-leaved variety of the 

 Amaranthus melancholicus ruber. As it has grown so freely, and is so 

 bright in colour, we should certainly save seeds of it, and try it another 

 year. As it doe* so well outside, we do not think it would seed any better 

 by being taken up, potted, and placed undT glass. Having one in a pot 

 place it in a light situation in a vinery, or rather warm greenhouse, and it 

 will seed more surely than if kept in a hothouse. Our Amaranthus melan- 

 cholicus ruber seeds very freely in a greenhouse. If your plant is a better 

 grower than the Amaranthus melaucholicus ruber, of which it is probably a 

 variety, it will be a valuable addition to our list of ornamental-fo'iaged 

 bedding plants. It is usual for the Amaranthus to have the foliage almost 

 green when grown in a strong heat, and partial shade; but the colour 

 becomes brighter when the plants are exposed to the full influence of light. 

 Raising Ferns from Spores (iZtt&y 1 .— Provide a bell-glass— say one of 

 6 or 7 inches in dieraeter, and a pot large enough to allow the glass to go 

 about half ;vn inch into the inside of it. Put a large crock or pie:e of pot 

 over the hole in the pot, and on this place smaller pieces so as to fill the pot 

 to one-half its depth. A layer of moss or the rougher parts of the compost 

 should then be placed over the drainage, after which fill the pot to the rim 

 with a compost of turfy peat, with a little sand intermixed- Gently press 

 it down, leaving the soil slightly elevated in the centre of the pot. Watsr 

 with a rose watering-pot, and place the pat in a saucer of water, which 

 should never be alio we 1 to become empty afterwards. Whilst thesurface of 

 the soil is wet with t'\e watering, brush the spores of the frond on to the 

 soil with the hand, and when this is done put on the bell-glass. The pot 

 should be kept in a moderately shaded and moist part of the greenhouse. 

 The surface of the soil must be kept constantly moist, which it will be if 

 the saucer be kept full of water, and the bell-glass coostautlv over the pot. 

 If, however, it become dry, a gentle sprinkling of water should be given 

 through a very fine rose. When the seedlings appear the bell-glass may be 

 tilted a little on ooe side by placing a smalt stone under the elge. After the 

 seedlings gain strength they should be gradually exposed by removing the 

 bell-glass by degrees, and potted singly when of sufficient streng h. You 

 will only succeed in raising the hardier greenhouse species in a greenhouse; 

 for the hardy kinds, however, it will answer admirably. 



Vines for a Cool Vinery (Idem\ — For a cool house you cannot have a 

 better Grape than the Black Hamburgh. Plant two Black Hambnrghs, 

 two Victoria Hamburghs, one Royal Muscadine, and one Buckiand Sweet- 

 water. "We do not perceive any insect on the Vine leaf; but we noticed 

 those appearances usuilly presented by leaves infested with red spider. It 

 is also scorched, probably by w-Uer standing on it, and for want of air early. 

 If you notice a very small reddish -looking insect on the under si^le of the 

 leaves, syringe forcibly twice daily with water, but if the Grapes are ripen- 

 ing, or ripe, light a gentle fire, and sprinkle a little sulphur upon the heated 

 surface, putting it on wet. The Nasturtium is certainly very curious, the 

 flower especially, but without seeing the plant we are not able to form a 

 proper opinion of its merits. As a curiosity it is worth preserving, and if 

 you have no objection yon may send us a few seeds, and we will prove the 

 plant, and let you know the result. 



Wild Plants Culture [A. G ).— Ton will be most likely to succeed 

 with these by providing the same conditions artificially as those in which 

 the plants are found to thrive best naturally. Make the soil as nearly as 

 possible like that in which the plants have been growing; and the situation, 

 whether open, sheltered, exposed to the sun, or shaded, and other circum- 

 stances, should likewise be taken into account. Most native plants will 

 grow in moderately light loam two-thirds, and leaf mould one-third. Some 

 require a different compost, but we cannot name them without going over 

 the whole of the British Flora. The plants should be taken up whilst in a 

 state of rest, or just <m the point of starting into growth, and replanted in 

 their new quarters, due regard being paid to shading and watering them 

 until they become established. Taken as a whole, their treatment does not 

 differ from that of hardy plants generally. An addition of rich soil or 

 manure will assist them, but it must not be given in excess. 



Various [G. H. Green). —The idea that Peas and Beans grow the " con- 

 trary way in the pod in leap year " is preposterous. We do not know when 

 Father Gavazzi Pansy was sent out. 



Whittlesey's Locomotive Seat. — We have received several inquirie 

 where this can be purchased. Can any of our oorrespon dents say where ? 



