360 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 1, 18G4. 



Fuenishing Bottom Heat to Pine Plants (St. Ojner).—Yon are quite 

 right as to your plan being novel ; and its answering the purpose for which. 

 it is intended is a great, point in its favour. We never did see any advantage 

 in placing rubble over the pipes, knowing, as we do, that the heat rises, 

 and warms the bed more over the pipes than elsewhere ; but we do see 

 advantage in placing the pipes in an open chamber, and covering that 

 chamber with open slates, or slabs of stone, by which the bed above is 

 equally heated throughout. Such is your system, only you employ wooden 

 sleepers and drain tile?, instead of >t>ne or slate coverings. Though there 

 be a variation of materials the system is the same. 



Gathering Brussels Sprouts (JH. C). — When the Sprouts are large 

 enough for gathering then is the right time, and as for their being only fit 

 to use after frost, it is like sa) ing that summer Cabbages are not worth 

 eating. We cut them as soon as we can, or when about the size of a tennis 

 ball, and quite firm, for if not used they will open or become loose, and are 

 then no better than Coleworts. Try them, and we feel sure you will like 

 them. We have used ours since September, and like them better than any- 

 thing at this season. 



Heating a Cucumber-pit (J. 5.).— For a pit 3G feet long, sunk below the 

 ground level from 18 to 24 inches, width 7 feet, height at back, inside, 

 8 feet, and in front Gh feet, a flow and recur n three-inch pipe, alotfg the 

 front and one end, would only do for Cucumbers planted out towards thn 

 end of April. To plant out about January you would need the double of 

 what you have now ; and to keep on in severe winters you would need a 

 fifth pipe, if you could give no protection to tbe glass on very cold nights. 

 Your tank or box over the pipes, 18 inches deep and 12 wide, will do to 

 grow the plants in, if planted at. first some 5 inches from the top, and 

 gradually earthed-up with rich light compost. We do not think raising the 

 pipes will eive you any advantage. The top of your tank should not be 

 less than 15 inches from the glass, and your trellis at the back wall should 

 he fully more— say 18 inches— and that will give room for the foliage. We 

 do not see how "taking the glass off, and the pipes away, would [make a 

 nice house." We can well fancy how, by raising the back wall IS or 

 24 inches, lengthening the sashes to suit, or having an opaque part at top, 

 where air could be given, and doubling the pipes, you might have a nice 

 Cucumber-house. 



Wintering Geraniums and FncusrAS (K. C). — If the Geraniums are 

 variegated-leaved kinds, vou must not cut, them in ; but if Scarlets they 

 should be cut in and disleafed, if to be kept in the dark (in that case cut- 

 ting in but little'; ; but have the leaves left on if they have light. Give only 

 a little water to prevent the plants drying up, but afford air and plenty of 

 light if exposed to it at all. Little if any water will be needed before 

 March, but if the soil is very dry, a Utile should be given on the morning 

 of a fine day when it is likely to "be dried up before night. Fuchsias should 

 not have any water from this time until March, when they may be cut in, 

 and watered a little at first, increasing the quantity as the plants advance 

 in growth, repotting them when the shoo's are I or 2 inches long. If the 

 situation in which tbey are kept during the winter is very dry the soil may 

 become too dry, they should therefore be examined, and a little water given 

 if the shoots show a tendency to shrivel. Frjgi domo is a good material 

 for keeping out frost, and so is stout canvass, but the first is to be preferred. 

 Conservatory Stage (A Subscriber). — If you have glass for half your 

 height in front, why not have a low stage all round, and the walk up the 

 centre ? or even if you had a flat stage of 2^ feet in front, and a raised stage 

 of 4^ feet for base at back, you would get at your plants with greater ease 

 than on tbe broad stage you propose. The number of shelves must be 

 determined by the size of the plauts. For small plants the shelves may be 

 only G or 9 inches below each other. For large plants thev might need 

 three or four times that space. If you have no glass in front of your 

 house your proposed plau will do. 



Camellia Bdds Falling (Perplexed).— There is nothing noxious in the 

 water. Sudden transition from moist air to dry air and more heat is a 

 probable cause of the buds falling. The cause of tire plants in the vinery 

 not dropping their buds is probably due to the greater moisture, and cooler 

 and more shaded state of that structure. Another very likely cause is the 

 conservatory being badly ventilated, as Fuchsias, Citrons, &e., have not 

 done well in it. Was the house painted? If so. the plants were probably 

 put in befote the fumes of the paint had gone off. Perhaps the plants have 

 not been kept well supplied with moisture, or watering may have been 

 overdone, either of which conditions will cause tbe buds to fall. Tou 

 should have thinned the buds to at most two on a shoot. The enormous 

 quantity borne at the point of the shoots, judging by that sent, is more 

 than any plant can swell, support, and properly expand. Then the Citron 

 leaves are infested with brown scale, which you will find on looking at the 

 under side next the midrib, and the insect would be better removed with a 

 sponge and a solution o c soft soap, not too powerful. That, however, has 

 nothing or but little to do with the leaves falling, and that, we think, is due 

 to one or other of the causes named; the buds sent have been defective 

 some time, especially the small ones. 



Vine Roots in Old Tan (A Reader).— \Yc would remove the tan now, 

 and replace it by turves cut 2 or 3 inches thick from a pasture where tbe 

 soil is of a light loamy nature, being careful not to injure tbe Vine roots in 

 removing the tan ; and in placing the turves, which are all the better if 

 from three to six months old, lay the roots in them, covering about 6 inches 

 deep. You will find this much better than tan for Vine roots to ramify 

 through, and it will be a new source of strength to the Vines. We have in 

 the press a work on Vine culture, which will treat fully on the subject. 



Preserving Cucumber- Pollen. — Echium candicans (October).^ — We 

 do not perceive what is wanted with the pollen for winter impregnation, as 

 Cucumbers swell their fruit as well un impregnated us impregnated, and 

 are much better for u^e as they are without seeds. We never experienced 

 any deficiency of male blooms in winter, it might be because we took off 

 all we could put our hands on, yet we always have more than we want, ant! 

 that is none. You may keep the male blooms in a closely-stoppered phial, 

 putting them therein when the pollen is ready for shedding, or you may 

 collect some of the pollen on white paper, and keep it in a sealed bottle, 

 not to be opened except when used, but we question its utility. From 

 your large plants of Echium candicans you may expect some handsome 

 blue flowers in May or June of nest year, if you keep the plant in a light, 

 airy situation in a cool greenhouse, and do not over- water them during the 

 winter. The ^Dike of berries sent belongs to some Phytolacca, probably 

 Phytolacca decaiidra or Virginian Poke, but for certain identity, foliage and 

 flowers should have been sent. 



Grafting Camellias (Pond-dhu).— Camellias may be so managed, as 

 well as Oranges, and any time before fresh vigorous growth takes place in 

 the spring. In all cases, however, where the grafted plants could be placed 

 in a moderate moist heat, there would be no necessity for leaving any part 

 of the bottom end exposed. We have grafted even large plant? of Camellias 

 all over, watered the plant well, then laid the head down over a slight sweet 

 hotbed, and placed a sash from a frame overit, and a mat at each side. The 

 plant was moved once or twice to give water, before the scions commenced 

 to grow freely. We would recommend, as a suitable Peach for your orchaid- 

 house, Walburton Admirable. Coe's Golden Drop Plum is anything but a 

 shy bearer under glass, but it must have abundance of air when in bloom. 

 We believe that in a hou.-e with air full on, and a iittle shaded in summer, 

 so as to retard the crop, this excellent Plum might be kept almost till 

 Christmas, and then in saccharine matter be more like a preserve than a 

 num. 



Planting a Village Churchyard {Tea Rose).— But for what you say 

 about the windows being shaded, we have no doubt the nurseryman's 

 selection would suit you. Keeping that in tiew, we would be disposed to 

 place a Chinese Arbor Vitas in the centre, and in a circle, 6 feet from that, 

 we would plant four Laurels f Portugal), and four Hollies, alternately with 

 each other; and then, 4£ feet farther, presuming that the diameter of 

 circle is ahout 23^ feet, we would plant a low of Laurustinus. The Portugals 

 could be nipped-in as the Hollies grew. To make an appearance at once 

 you might plant common Laurels, pegging them down over the ground. Is 

 it necessary to have that circle at all? Round the sides, where there is 

 room, we would put a plant or two of the common Yew, the Irish Yew, 

 common Arbor Yitae, and Cypres?. A Deodar would soan want the clump 

 for itself. If there were no circle you might have an Araucaria opposite 

 the entrance, and a Deodar at each side, so as to avoid the windows. 



Names of Fruit (J: P.).— Pears.— I, Catillac; 2, Doyenne" Boussoch ; 

 7, Chaumontel; S, Conseiller de la Cour ; 9, Vicar of Winlttield. Apples. 

 — 1, Franklin's Golden Pippin Apple ; 3, Golden Russet; 6. Golden Winter 

 Feormain ; 13, Dumelow's Seedling ; 14, Lady's Finger ; 15, Hollandbury. 

 Others not recognised ; and we are not sure we distinguished correctly the 

 6 from the 9. f W. E.).— 2, Lewis' Incomparable ; 3. Wvken Pippin ; 4, Winter 

 Majetiug; 6, Wormsley Pipuin ; 7, Catshead ; S, Golden Reinette ; 9, York- 

 shire Greening ; 10, Winter Queening ; 11, Dumelow's Seedling ; 12. Crimson 

 Queening; 13, Beauty of Kent; 16, Early Nonpareil; 18, Syke House 

 Russet. {Constant Header* Ross). — Pears. — 2, Tfacon's Incomparable ; 

 3, Passe Colmar; 4, Glou Morceau ; 5, Brown Beurre ; 7, Easter Beurre. 

 Apples, — 1, Blenheim Pippin; 2, Norfolk Beefing; 4, Dumelow's Seedling; 

 5. Cox's Orange Pippin ; 8. Court of Wick. (M. £., Bolland Road,.— Your 

 Pear is Uvedale's St. Germain. {R. J. Watson). — 1, Winter Pearmain ; 

 2, Bezi de Caiseoy, in use from November till March, ripening in succes- 

 sion; 3, Chaumontel. {A. W.).— Your Apple is the Golden Noble. Where 

 numbers are omitted the fruit to which they were attached was not recog- 

 nised. (J. Harriett).— \, Passe Colmar; 2, Zepairin GiSgoire; 3, Josephine 

 de Malines. (A Young Pomologistj.—Youv Apples were named at page 299. 

 We do not remember the Pears. 



Names of Plants (Dublin).— Your Fern is Athyrium Filix-f comma. 

 (J. Smith, Orton Mall: —I, Asplenium adiantum nigrum; 2, Asplenium 

 trichomanes ; 3, Polypodium Robertianum; 4, Polypodium drjopteris; 

 5, PoKstichum aculeatnm lobatum in a young state ; 6, Polystichum 

 lonchitis. (Johnny Tucker), — 1, Rhipsalis crushed— perhaps cassytha; 

 2, Arthroporiium paniculatum ; 3, Ficus repens ; 4, Gvmnogramma tartarea; 

 5, Some Saxifrage ; 6, Serissa Icctida. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



THE ORIGIN OF BRAH1EA POOTSA FOWLS. 



I feel sure it would give much satisfaction to a large 

 section of the poultry world, as well as to myself, if some of 

 your correspondents who are learned in Brahmas, would be 

 so kind as to give us some information through your columns 

 which may tend to throw some light on the question at 

 present so unsettled, "Are they a true breed or not?" And 

 I hope they will accompany any communications with some 

 reliable data on which their opinions are formed. 



In your last Journal, I see you state that you consider 

 them either a variety of the Shanghai, or a cross of the 

 Malay, and as some maintain them to be a distinct breed, I 

 presume we have here the three points between which 

 opinions vary. 



Having only kept them for a myself short time, I do not 

 feel competent to form a decided opinion ; but I must con- 

 fess, as I kept Cochins at the same time, I could not help 

 noticing peculiarities in their habits which disposed me to 

 lean to the opinion that they were decidedly not Cochins. 

 Indeed, of this I feel certain, but then it is evident those 

 peculiarities might have been introduced by a " cross." 



I am, however, disposed to think that if the breed had 

 been obtained by crossing, they would occasionally " throw 

 back," but I never heard of such an occurrence. Certain it 

 is that they are a most valuable kind of poultry for all pur- 

 poses, whatever be their origin ; and although I do not at 

 present keep poultry, I join with many others in regrets 

 that such determined efforts should be made to deny them 

 the place they deserve. — W. H. B. 



[Dr. Gwynne, of Sandbach, Cheshire, was one ot the first 

 to possess this variety, and he informed us that he ob- 

 tained them from Dr. Bennett, of the United States. He at 



