November 1, 1864, ] 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



359 



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, $(c., 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 communications. Also never to send more 

 than two or three questions at once. 



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

 week. 



Seedling Potato, Hand's Freedom. — This, which we notice-! as exhi- 

 bited at the Royal Horticultural Show, was raised by W. Hand of Newcastle- 

 under-Lyne, Staffordshire, and not of Newcastle-on-Tyne. 



Ltlidm lancifolium Culture (F. W. B.). — These Liliums withstand the 

 winter when planted C inches below the surface in light loamy soil, but 

 require the protection of a greenhouse or a cold frame when crown in a pot. 

 The bulbs, when the foliage decay?, should be potted in light, rich, turfy 

 loam, with good drainage. Little water must be given during winter, but 

 sufficient to keep the soil from becoming dust dry ; and a plentiful supply 

 should be afforded when growing. It may be grown in a pot in a cold green- 

 house or frame, having abundance of light and air. The other we do not 

 know under the name, nor are we aware of any sueh plant, and we haye 

 grown them all. 



_ Lilt Culture: [Idem). — The JaeobreaLiJy (Hippea strum), should be crown 

 in a pot. The idea that it will grow with air and light, without soil, is a fallacy. 

 Pot in strong turfy loam by February, plunge in a hotbed if at command, and 

 water sparingly until growth commences, then water freely, aid keen well 

 supplied until the foliage attains its full size, afterwards gradually diminish- 

 ing the quantity until the leaves decay, and then discontinuing watering 

 altogether. Winter in a dry airy part of the greenhouse in the soil in which 

 the bulbs have been grown. When the flower-scape appears, and is on the 

 point of expanding, remove to the greenhouse, where the plant will flower 

 finely from April to June. Cyclamen peisicum requires a compost of turfy 

 loam, peat, and leaf mould, in equal parts, with a free admixture of sand. 

 It should be potted just when it commences to grow, or in September, pro- 

 viding efficient drainage. It should now be on a shelf near the ela?s in an 

 airy pars of the greenhouse, and be throwing up for bloom (our Cyclamens 

 are in bloom 1, and should be watered, so as to keep the soil not verv wet nor 

 dry. After flowering, or in spring, remove to a cold frame, plunge in coal 

 ashes, and after May it may be plunged out of doors, and left there until 

 September, when it should be potted. We shall say something on the culti- 

 vation of Liliums and Cyclamens shortly. 



Lawn- mowing in Winter — Ivy upon Oak —Yew Hedge Injured by 

 Drought (An Old Suhscriher).— Unless the winter prove milder than ever 

 was known the grass will not grow much, and will not require more 

 than one mowing after this ; or the final mowing may take place when the 

 garden is cleared of leaves, and otherwise cleaned up for the winter. After 

 that, rolling once or twice a-week in mild weather, and keeping clean of 

 leaves, &c, will be all th:it is required until April, when mowing will of 

 course be necessarv. Ivy planted by an Oik will be a long time ere it will 

 exert any great influence on the Oak ; but it certainly does injure all trees 

 to which it is allowed to cling. It smothers them. We noted that some 

 young Oaks with Ivy growing on the stem were much smaller an*.: weaker 

 than those without the Ivy. The Yew hedge will right itself if left alone. 

 All that can be done is to mulch the ground for a yard on both sides of ihe 

 plants with short litter or manure, let it remain on through the winter, 

 and in March place an inch of mould, on that. Liquid manure, if given 

 at all, should be applied at every alternate watering, and only when the 

 plants are growing. Copious waterings in dry weather are preferable to 

 frequent waterings with manure water. 



Vine Mildewed— Pkach Tree "Worthless (P. B. JF.l. —Something is 

 probably wrong with the roots of the Vine. They may have penetrated 

 into ungenial, cold, wet soil, or the soil itself may be too cold and wet. if 

 the soil is moderately light and open, and thnrougbly drained, we shoal I 

 think the roots all right; but if the soil is wet, and there is no drain, the 

 mildew is probably to be ascribed to that cause. If this is the case take up 

 the Vine, preserving all the roots possible, drain the border, and render the 

 soil lighter by mixing with it a quantity of lime rubbish from an old build- 

 ing. This shou'd be done now or in March. You will gain nothing by cue- 

 ting the Vine down, nor will you have any chance of remedying the effects 

 until the cause is removed. By replanting and bringing the roots nearer the 

 surface the cause may probably be removed ; but if the mildew occur 

 another year dust flowers of sulphur on the parts when it first appears, 

 being careful to dust every part affected. Disease of the wood is more 

 apparent in the hearing of the Vine the year following, than during that in 

 which the disease appears. It would be better to plant a young trained 

 Peach tree in place of the worthless kind. You may cut it down, however, 

 and bud it next summer if you choose to do so, and do not mind waiting 

 three or four years for a crop. The Royal George is a good Peach, and so 

 is Grosse Mignonne. Peach trees are not grafted, but budded. 



Sparaxis Failing (R. R.).— We think the failure was to be attribu'ed 

 to taking up and keeping in a dry place until the time of planting, when 

 the roots, having lo-*t their vitality, refused to grow. This is by no means 

 an uncommon case, but very frequent with Triionia aurea and some others, 

 which ought not to be taken out of the earth at all, except for the purpose 

 of replanting. They should be left in the pot in the soil in which they have 

 been growing, and, though the soil may appear dry, there is a sufficient 

 amount of moisture present to preserve the vitality of the roots. 



Dahlias {S. B. 0.).— The varieties are far too numerous and nearly alike 

 to enable us to tell the names from such specimens. Not one of those sent 

 is first-class, but they are very good for border flowers. 



Pit Sand for Pottino (J. Bryan). — We know of no better mode of 

 testing sand, except by analysis, than to place a portion of it in water and 

 stir it about. If it dirties the water it is not pure silicious sand, and is not 

 to be recommended for mixing with soil. In applying silica to plants it is 

 best afforded in fine grains of silicious sand. Pit sands of all kinds, after 

 being washed, and freed of their earthy particles, answer the purpose of 

 mixing with soil; but the majority are, for the most part, little more than 

 half silicious matter, and when wet little better than masses of mud. Such 

 are to be avoided. The best of all sands is that found in peat soil, the next 

 is silver sand, and the next best river sand, and the latter two are the only 

 forms of silica available for potting purposes. 



Arbor ViTis Browned— Box Tree Moving- (W. Barker).— The brown- 

 nes* of the Arbor Vita? is probably due to the drought. If it is only browned 

 in foliage it may probably recover; but if the wood is brown, instead of 

 green, when cut, we advise you to root the tree up, for it is dead. Once any 

 of the Conifer tribe become ill-looking they rarely, if ever, recover. The 

 Box tree may be removed with a prospect of success if it can be takeu up 

 with a ball, or a mass of fibrous roots, and this may be done in April, in 

 showery weather. You may cut it in, but it would be best to defer that 

 until a year after removal, cutting so that some green parts would be left. 

 You may grow the Strawberries and pyramidal Apple and Pear trees in 

 light sandy soil by liberal dressings of well-decomposed stable manure, or, 

 what is better, cow-dung a year old. 



Managing Fig Trees (JU. M. If.).— When the Fig trees are matted up 

 for the winter the Figs should not bo removed, except those which are 

 nearly full-sized. These may be removed, as they seldom swell after the 

 protection is taken off in spring, but turn yellow and fall off. Any of the 

 size of a hazel nut should be preserved. The ends of the shoots should 

 not be shortened either in autumn or spring; but when the protection is 

 taken off, if the branches are nearer together than 9 inches when spread 

 out, the old long branches with few young shoots upon them should be cut 

 out to the bottom, so as to admit of the branches left being trained in at 

 from 9 inches to 1 foot apart. If they make shoots a foot or more in length 

 in a season, stop them at the fifth leaf; but if the growth do not exceed five 

 or six leaves annually the shoots should not be stopped, but trained in at 

 their full length. Any shoots that tend to fill the tree with wood should be 

 cut clean out, so that air and light may be admitted to the fruit and pro- 

 mote the ripening of the young wood. As the trees are vigorous, we do 

 not think an application of manure to the soil would be of any advantage, 

 but would tend to encourage growth rather than the maturation of the fruit 

 and wood. 



Entrance Gate IH. T. H.).— Wo cannot furnish such a plan. It would 

 b2 too costly to furnish a drawing to all who require working plans. 



Mushrooms in London Cellars (L. T. S.), — Mushrooms may be grown 

 in cellars more successfully, perhaps, than anywhere else. Unless the 

 cellar reached about. 55° in winter the bed would require a little protec- 

 tion from dry hay or something of that kind being shaken over it. In 

 summer they do admirably in cellar.-', because there they are easily kept 

 cool. They will not, however, succeed in cellars any more than anywhere 

 else, unless the spores or spawn run in decompo-ing organised matter, in 

 which the more animal droppings there arc, as that of the horse, the better. 

 Of course there is trouble in taking that material out and in. To lessen 

 that trouble so far we have filled large pots, about 18 inches in diameter, or 

 tubs, or boxes, capable of being easily carried by one or two persons, and 

 filled, spawned, and earthed them before taking them to the cellar, treating 

 each one just a^ we would do a bed. This lessened the litter in the cellar. 

 Trent your dung as you may, you will be apt, especially if the garden or 

 the house is old, to take some woodlice in with it, which of course will grow 

 bigger, and must be trapped as elsewhere. We know of no other insect 

 that will be apt to trouble you if the dropoings are well heated before being 

 used. We have seen fine Mushrooms, Sea-kale, and Chicory, in London 

 cellars. 



Climbers eor Verandah Trellis (T. R. S.).— We have no doubt that 

 the Roses you name will do well enough if you give the ground a good 

 dressing of rotten dung, well incorporated with the soil, and then in summer 

 mulched the ground over the roots with more rotten dung. No daubt your 

 soil is too noor. If you wished a change, we have no doubt that Honey- 

 suckles and Jasmines would do, choosing the hardiest kinds, as the hardy 

 Chinese yellow Jasmine for winter, and the white for summer. We have no 

 doubt, however, of the Roses, but it may be necessary to replan r . Prune, 

 and wash with Gishurst, or something of that kind, to get rid of insects 

 aud their eggs. 



Black Hamburgh Grapes not Colouring (A Young Gardener). — We 

 fear there is something wrong either in the border or the materials of which 

 it is composed. Generally speakirg, Grapes h*re coloured well this season ; 

 but you may perhaps have overcropped the Vines, or a too severe pruning 

 of the summer wood, or its opposite by preventing light and air acting on 

 them, may have something to do with it. Your border, which you say is 

 3 feet deep on a two-foot drainage, is ample enough, or perhaps a foot too 

 deep, and we apprehend if the roots were examined they would be found 

 near the bottom— very likely amongst the drainage and beyond the action 

 of the atmosphere. Soil for Vine-borders ought to be open rather than 

 rich,, and when there is the happy mixture of the chemical constituents 

 required in the food of the Vine, the latter thrives almost in spite of mis- 

 management. When the mixture is an artificial one there is more uncer- 

 tainty. In your case we would be disposed to life the Vines carefully and 

 replant them in a soil more in accordance with their requirements in this 

 country. Some articles on this subject will shortly appear in this Journal. 

 The evil in the case of the Muscats arises from a like cause. 



Sowing Various Seeds {Mary Scott).— Ageratum mexieanum, Arctotis 

 granciifiora, Heliotrope, Portulaca, and Anagallis seeds, should be sown 

 in the first week in March, in pots of light sandy loam and leaf mould, 

 covered lightly with soil, and placed in a gentle hotbed. Pot when large 

 enough— two, three, or more round the side of a small pot, or the first 

 three and last singly, according to their strength, and grow on in a green- 

 house, hardening off m a cold frame. Alyssum compactum is a hardy- 

 plant blooming in spring, and should be sown out of doors in May. 

 Linums are a numerous family, and you do not say which yours is, so we 

 imagine it to be an annual that may be sown in the first week in April where 

 it is intended to bloom, or in pots under glass in March ; if a tender sort, 

 to be planted out in May. Sedum may be hardy or tender, but we presume 

 the former, to be sown out-doors in May, but it will not flower the same 

 year. One of the seeds named we were unable to make out. 



