260 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ September 27, 1864. 



some amends for the flower-beds that are waning in then- 

 brilliancy. 



Flower-beds. — Most of our Calceolaria-beds were tolerable 

 until the heavy thunder showers of last week ; but the 

 ground being too dry to keep the energies of the plants 

 active, the flowers were washed off by bushels. Even some 

 splendid beds of Geraniums had many black umbels that 

 were masses of colour the day before. These picked off and 

 the verges dressed have left them rather gay still ; but the 

 beauty of the whole picture is so broken in upon by the green 

 corymbs of Calceolarias without any flowers on them, that we 

 are going on vigorously to complete our store of cuttings of 

 Geraniums, Verbenas, &c. Most of what we take off now 

 we place in small 60-sized pots, putting the cuttings thickly 

 round the outside of the pot and none in the centre, and 

 placing them in old Cucumber-frames for the present, where 

 they will have a little bottom heat from removing the soil 

 and stining up the dung, with the addition of a little litter, 

 and covering with ashes. Damp we will guard against by 

 air-giving, especially at night. Some Stella Geraniums thus 

 inserted in small 60-pots, some ten in a pot, are now in 

 fuller bloom than those struck earlier. Verbenas thus 

 managed will be far more certain than if old plants are kept. 

 We are giving all the air possible to the Verbenas first 

 struck. 



Eaised Beds. — Here we have noticed some anomalies worth 

 mentioning. A correspondent spoke of beds level and sunk 

 beneath the level, as securing the benefit of all the moisture 

 given artificially, or even naturally. Nothing feels dryness 

 more than Calceolarias, and we believe the best we now 

 have is a ring round one of our pyramidal beds. No, we 

 have made a mistake, the best is planted on the flat, on a 

 raised bed some 2 feet above the lawn, the sides covered all 

 round with Tvy. The sides are formed of rough wood rather 

 open, and the Ivy covers all densely, and that may have had 

 some influence in keeping the roots cool. We ought also 

 to mention, that the Calceolarias were rather small when 

 turned out, but were from cuttings made in the end of 

 October. Some beds on the flat have now scarcely a flower, 

 and those showing wDl come too late to do much. 



In showery days opportunity has been taken to proceed 

 with potting, washing pots, pointing stakes, making tallies, 

 cleaning sheds up, and to spread out long litter that a little 

 rain may fall upon it in order to cause it to heat when thrown 

 together. The season has as yet given us a fair portion of 

 heat. If not, we could not have helped ourselves by heat 

 from fermenting substances, as we had no short grass to 

 mix with the litter, and the dry litter that came from the 

 stable we could do nothing with in the way of watering. 

 We have turned and turned it, getting out every bit of 

 dropping, and set aside a lot of the best for protecting pur- 

 poses in winter. Our valuable rubbish heap looks small for 

 next season from the same causes. — K. F. 



■VEGETABLES. 



TEADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



W. Wood & Son, Woodlands, Maresfield, near Uckfield, 

 Sussex.. — Descriptive Catalogue of Boses. 



Fontaine et Duflot, 2, Quai de la Megisserie, Pans. — Cata- 

 logue of Bulbs, Straviberries, and Blower Seeds. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— September 24 



Both ot fruit and vegetables the supplies are heavy. In Peaches and 

 Nectarines there is a falling off, and Pines are just sufficient for the demand; 

 but Grapes and Melons are very plentiful. The best two ripe Pears at 

 present in the market are Marie Louise and Louise Bonne of Jersey. Apples 

 are very abundant and in great variety ; the best Ribs ton Pippins are those 

 from Jersey. Of Lemons several parcels have lately arrived, and there has 

 been a considerable fall in price. Large quantities of Potatoes continue to 

 arrive both coastwise and by rail, but the demand is dull. 



d. 8. 

 4 toO 

 



Artichokes each 



Asparagus bundle 



Beans Broad ,} sieve 



Kidney £ sieve 3 6 4 



Beet, Red... ... doz. 10 3 



Broccofc. bundle 10 1 



Brussels Sprouts £ sieve 2 2 



Cabbage doz. 10 2 



Capsicums 100 10 2 



Carrots bunch 5 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 10 2 



Cucumbers each 6 1 



pickling 1 doz. 10 3 



Endive score 2 6 4 



Fennel bunch 3 



Garlic and Shallots, lb. 8 



Herbs „ P bunch 3 





s. 

 1 

 

 

 

 



1 



60 

 

 1 

 3 

 8 

 1 



TBI 



d. s. d 

 to2 

 

 

 

 

 6 2 6 

 80 

 

 6 4 

 7 

 14 

 6 4 



TIT. 

 Mulberries .... 



punnet 



s. 

 

 3 

 12 

 3 

 5 

 1 

 i 

 2 



4 

 

 



14 



d. s. 

 6 tol 

 8 

 20 

 12 

 10 

 3 

 8 

 7 

 6 

 

 

 20 



d 

 3 

















Currants, Red. ..4 sieve 







n 



Pears (kitchen' 



...bush. 







n 



Filberts & Nuts 100 lbs. 

 Gooseberries . ..,$ sieve 





lb. 

 h sieve 



do. 

 . ...lb. 

 .punnet 









 





Strawberries . 





 n 









Horseradish ... bundle 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce score 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustd. & Cress, punnet 



Onions bunch 



pickling- quart 



Parsley ...doz. bunches 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Radishes doz. bunches 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Spinach sieve 



Tomatoes £ sieve 



Turnips bunch 



VegetableMarrows doz. 



d. s. d 



6to 5 



4 6 



2 



2 6 







6 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*#* ^ e 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 HorticuZ- 

 tare, Sfc, 171, Fleet Street, London, E.C. 



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. 



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

 week. 



Seedling Verbenas [F. A. S.).— Your collection of seedling Verbenas 

 contains some very pleasing varieties; the colours are good, but not new, 

 and the flowers deficient in form. General Simpson and Nemesis are the 

 types of a good formed flower; Purple Queen, Model, Medina, Aurora, 

 Princess Dagmar, were perhaps the best. "We would advise your sending 

 specimens properly put up in a stand for the opinion of the Floral Com- 

 mittee at its next meeting. 



Preserving Walnuts (E. P.). — They can be kept quite moist, and peel 

 easily, if put into a pan and placed in a cold damp cellar. 



Lilium LAscrroLiUM in a Window (M. P.).— We presume it has flowered 

 and the foliage is now decaying ; if so, repot it now in a compost of 

 turfy loam with a little leaf mould and well-rotted manure mixed with it, 

 providing efficient drainage. Gradually withhold water after flowering 

 until the foliage decays, when the stems shot-Id be cut down to the surface, 

 and no water given except a little occasionally to prevent the soil becoming 

 injuriously dry. You may stand the pot in a cool dark place until the foliage 

 appears, when it will require to have light. It must be kept in the pot 

 during the winter. 



Trichomanes radicans Culture (C. R. S.).— Brain the pot to one-third 

 its depth, and then fill up with chopped fresh sphagnum and pieces of brown 

 peat in equal parts. Oh this place the plant, laying out the creeping 

 rhizomes or stems on the surface, which should be pressed firm. Place 

 pieces of sandstone on and between the rhizomes, not so as to cover them, 

 but in part to maintain the plant in a proper position and for the roots to 

 cling to. Sprinkle with water through 'a fine syringe night and morning 

 in summer; but in the morning only in winter. Cover with a bell-glass 

 fitting within the rim of the pot, tilting it on one side about half an inch aff 

 night, but keeping close by day ; place the pot in a pan of water always 

 kept full, and keep in a rather shaded part of a cool greenhouse. 



Propagating Double Petcnias [Jajnes Hurst).— 1. We strike a number 

 of cuttings in autumn, and obtain a stock from these in the spring for late 

 blooming. Autumn cuttings bloom much earlier and are the finest in the 

 months of June and July, whilst spring cuttings are superior for blooming 

 in August and September. 2. Young plants bloom better, though not more 

 profusely, than old plants ; the flowers are larger and the foliage finer. 



Roses in Pots (A Lady Subscriber).— You may have a fine bloom at 

 Christmas. We do not think you will gain but lose by repotting the shrubs 

 now ; but as the earth is low and sodden, turn them carefully out of the 

 pots, remove the drainage, and replace it by fresh, placing a layer of moss 

 over it, and then the least portion of fresh compost so as to raise the surface 

 of theball to within half an inch of the pot rim. Keep in a light airy situation 

 in the greenhouse, sprinkling with water twice* daily through a syringe in 

 bright, but in the morning only in dull weather and keep well supplied with 

 water at the root. After blooming gradually withhold water, still keeping 

 the soil healthfully moist until April, then place under a wall or in some 

 sheltered situation, plunging them in coal ashes in May in an open situation. 

 Repot in June, and prune in July, and by this treatment you will have 

 Roses through the autumn months up to Christmas. 



Crootses and Snowdrops to Bloom at Christmas [/. _£. TF.).— If you 

 have clumps of these in the garden, take up the most promising and pot them 

 in six-inch pots, in a compost of loam and a little leaf mould. Water, place 

 in a cold frame, and keep there until the beginning of November ; then place 

 them in a cool greenhouse on shelves near the glass, and where they can 

 have air daily. Keep well supplied with water, and in three weeks place on 

 a shelf in a house with a temperature of 50° by night, with air daily, and 

 in another fortnight if they be not sufficiently advanced for blooming at 

 tbe desired time, increase the temperature to 55°. Air, light, and not too 

 high a temperature are the essentials to success. See what is said about 

 them in another page. 



