348 



GARDENERS' MA GAZINE. 



May 28 



NSWER S T 



CORRESPONDENTS 



Editorial communications should be addressed to the Editor of the Gardeners' 

 Magazine, 148 and 149, Aldersgate Street, E.C. 



The Editor will be glad to receive photographs of gardens, plants, flowers, trees, 

 fruits, &c, for reproduction in the Gardeners' Magazine. He will also be 

 greatly obliged by correspondents sending early intimation of interesting local 

 events relating to horticulture. In sending newspapers containing matter to 

 which they wish to draw attention, correspondents are requested to distinctly 

 mark the paragraph. 



Specimens of plants, flowers, and fruits for naming or opinion should be sent to 

 the Editor of the Gardeners' Magazine, " Endsleigh," Priory Park, Kew, 

 Surrey, and as early in the week as possible. All parcels must be sufficiently 

 prepaid. 



Secretaries of horticultural societies are invited to send early notification of forth 

 coming exhibitions and meetings, and are requested to advise us concerning 

 change of dates 



Pansies.— J. Y., Desborough : We do not recognise the particular strain 

 from which the flower sent was obtained. It is a fancy variety, and very pretty 

 by reason of its wire edge, but it would not successfully compete with the well- 

 known varieties you mention. Fancy varieties would certainly be the most 

 effective— other things being equal — in a class for twelve blooms of any variety or 

 form of pansy. 



Border Carnations. — J. Y., Desborough : Any carnation is a border 

 variety that is quite hardy, has a robust habit, flowers freely, and requires the 

 minimum of support. The flowers must be bold and the colour tffective. Not a 

 few of the best exhibition carnations make fine border varieties. Of course, for 

 exhibition purposes, border varieties have to be cut from the border where they 

 have been grown unprotected. 



Repairs to House. 



In the absence of any written 



If the tiustees 



—J. G., Liverpool : 

 agreement to do so the landlord is not bound to execute repairs, 

 do not repair the structure you will not be justified in withholding the rent ; you 

 might, however, put the matter to them in a reasonable manner, explaining the 

 verbal agreement of the deceased landlord ; then, if they still object to execute the 

 necessary repairs, you could give notice to quit. Rent would have to be paid up 

 to the end of tenancy, but meanwhile, unless to your advantage to do so, you need 

 not do any repairing, having entered into no agreement to do any. 



Heating Apparatus.— A. R. R., Orpington: The boiler should be set 

 level, and it will be advisable to have a competent workman to do the work, other- 

 wise a poor job may be made of it. The flow pipes should rise about an inch in 

 every thirty feet, and there should be a corresponding fall in the return pipe. 

 Different forms of boilers give different powers of heating ; consequently, it will 

 be best to inauire of the boilermaker what the capacity of his design is, the depth 

 at which the boiler should be set, and the amount of rise and fall in the pipes 

 necessary to insure a good circulation. 



To Prepare Quassia.— A. L. M., Halstead : The best and most 



economical method of preparing a quassia insecticide out of the quassia chips 

 obtainable from horticultural sundriesmen is to soak the chips in cold water for 

 twenty-four hours, and then gently simmer the whole for ten or twelve hours. 

 From eight to ten pounds weight of good quassia wood should be sufficient for one 

 hundred gallons, and to this should be added about five pounds of soft soap. 

 Some of the soap should be used in the water when the chips are stewing, as it 

 helps to extract the bitter principal. If the amount of chips mentioned are used, 

 as much water as can conveniently be managed will do to soak and simmer them 

 m, adding the water to make up the hundred gallons, and the remainder of the 

 soap, dissolved, after straining the mixture from the chips. Quassia is a useful 

 preventive of insect attacks, and has a most cleansing effect upon foliage ; but 

 there are other mixtures more effective and easily produced for use as remedies 

 when an attack of aphis has been made. 



Cooking Californian Prunes. — G. W., Canterbury : As a rule the great 

 mistake made in the preparation of dried Californian prunes for table is the small 

 amount of time allowed the fruit to soak in water. It requires about two and a-half 

 pounds of these prunes to make one pound of the dried product, and these fruits 

 are exposed to sunshine for about a week during the drying process. When we 

 considemhe time necessary to extract the water from the fresh fruit ere it is ready 

 for packing it is manifestly unfair to expect the dried fruit to properly plump up 

 m the two or three hours during which they are usually soaked. Try the following 

 method for stewing Californian prunes : To one pound of fruit, thoroughly 

 washed in several waters and drained, add three pints of cold water, and allow 

 them to soak for from twenty-four to thirty- six hours. Eventually place the 

 prunes in a porcelain-lined stew-pan and allow them to simmer gently for a little 

 less than an hour in the water in which they were soaked. Keep the stewpan 

 covered closely during cooking, and if any sugar is needed add this a few minutes 

 betore the fruits are properly cooked, and allow the whole to boil for a minute, 

 lurn it out into a dish and keep covered until cool. The result will be about 

 four pounds of excellent fruit. 



Nitrogenous Manures.~W. F. II.; In the cultivation of hardy fruits 

 A™ Jv J^\° °aI CX0 P 9 k is a mista ke to supply an excess of nitrogen, even 

 £n v5 £° * P^P^ 5 ^ present in sufficient quantities. If more nitro- 



S^aSTS^ ? "? S an . the cr °p needs > the tendenc y wil1 te to P roduce 



c^trSl Ini ° f fnUtS and seeds ' In the «se of *> excess 



rfS^f f 011 to continue growing too late in the season to admit 



buds YnTo 1 ? C 7°°t * nd ^ Production of properly developed flower 



Kiio.p^a'lS ° h S ^ Pr0p ° rti0n ° f 0De ^ rt 0f ^ one P** 



SoSMS^iS^t i **** ° f P 0 ** wiU * the most suitable - Yc.* 

 £bfe^^^^^^^ -st costly element, and the most 



nmonia, be applied Sth ^aS S f ° f ^? °' ^ ° T ° f 

 with the requirements of th T rlf^w^ ft^ bI< 2L m ^f^*?* 

 cussion of late in America as to whethif?^ , Ther ?- ha ? ^ /°^erable dls ' 

 potash would be benefiSl whm^S™ hbcnU a PP h f ^ons of Phosphates and 

 but as vet nothing Z^W mtr °genous manures had been used too liberally, 

 duc as yet nothing approaching an agreement has been reached. There, however 



appears to be a preponderance of opinion and as w k v * 

 orchard trees are benefited by applying phosphates *A*££t^ 

 nitrogen has been used, as these minerals helD tn JEa ^ when an cxcm <rf 

 developed wood A soil that is rich in minerS ma£rf wf,! \ a m ° re 



soda, 

 but 



. Nitrate of soda does not exhaust the land in the m ir mOW1 or Ditr «e of 

 but if the supply of mineral constituents is limited a rnnf£° mm ° nly su PP°«ed. 

 nitrate of soda or other form of nitrogen will bv nrS ? US W^kToI 

 enable the crop to use up the mineral ,L P T?!^ a ra P* 



soil. The exhaustion is not caused by 6 the nitm te * of*^ lm v f overi »h the 

 fact that the crop has used up the available supplies of nW « , from ^ 

 case of the majority of garden crops, it is advisable to ^Sv T\ h *• 

 nitrogenous manures at intervals throughout the period on a ," uick acting 



trees the best results are obtained by giving sufficient in onf 0 °r two ^* 

 in the season to promote active growth, as when this is done th T treef ?T 

 in a comparatively short time, leaving the remainder of the season for th 



tion of the wood. 



It is essential to avoid supplying the trees with 

 excess of their requirements, and especially late in the season. 



up 



nitrogen i 



Mildew on Strawberries. 



E. S., Hailsham : It is quite evident that 



the 



use, 



strawberries have been subjected to atmospheric conditions much too r™- * 

 close for their successful fruiting. They have also been staged It 1 

 together, and evidently not allowed sufficient light to strengthen the SS!.?*^ 

 perfect the berries. If there is the slightest sign of millew u^^&S 

 foliage ere the plants are taken m for forcing, the leafage should be dinned i? 1 

 sulphur mixture that will stay the fungus. Then, also, if the pest appeS S£ 

 housing, further dippings may be given until the spikes come forward t S 

 it will be necessary to apply flowers of sulphur or liver of sulphur through; 

 distributor to the parts affected. With stout, well ripened crowns and den 

 foliage to start with, there should be no difficulty in forcing strawberries fcr 

 providing fruit at this date, but with so many other subjects in the same 

 there is too much moisture at the times of setting and ripening. 



Lime for Clayey Soil.— T. E. R., Hull: Lime has a wonderful effect 

 upon heavy clay soils and exerts a mechanical, as well as chemical, action. Lime 

 renders clay soil friable by mixing with the particles and preventing the conditio* 

 known as " puddling." It also keeps the soil friable in dry weather, for where* 

 the clay shrinks and hardens in the absence of moisture, the lime does not shink. 

 If you require direct evidence of the mechanical power of lime knead up a ball of 

 pure clay with water and allow it to dry, then, with similar clay, add a little lime 

 and make a ball as before, also setting it to dry. When dry the ball of pure clay 

 will be as hard as a brick, while the ball of clay and lime will crumble readily to 

 powder. Then by its chemical action lime disintegrates the minerals in the soil 

 and sets free the potash for use to the crops. It also exerts a wonderful action 

 upon decomposing vegetable matter, causing the otherwise inert nitrogen to 

 become available as plant foot. All soils containing abundance of organic matter 

 are rendered more fertile by an application of lime, or rather, the fertility is 

 rendered more available to the plants. Again, lime neutralises acidity, and con* 

 quently makes a sour soil sweet and healthy. Poorly drained lands are assisted 

 by lime dressings. Lime also promotes the natural formation of nitrates, and is 

 consequently of great vulue on peaty soils. 



Names of Plants. — Under this heading we can only undertake to nam 

 species and specific varieties of plants, and not florists' flowers. Specimens should 

 be packed in stout boxes with damp moss or leaves as packing material to ensure 

 their reaching us in a fresh state. It is essential that flowers must accompany 

 specimens of flowering plants, that fern fronds be fertile, and that the numben be 

 legible and firmly attached to the specimens. We cannot promise to name more 

 than six specimens at one time from any one correspondent. 



J. M., Merstham : 1, send again; 2, Piptanthus nepalensis ; 3, variety d 

 Pernettya mucronata ; 4, Berberis vulgaris var. ; 5, Berberis Darwini ; 6, 



Amelanchier botryapium. 



A. B., Fawley : 1, Psoralea arbor ea ; 2, Spiraea prunifolia flore plena; 3, 

 Dielytra spectabilis ; 4, Anthriscus cerefolium ; S, an anthemis, send when 10 

 flower. 



Markets. 



Covent Garden. 



Vegetables are both abundant and cheap, while the quality is all that can be dearet 

 Broccoli are especially good and sell well. The turn of warm weather has 

 the demand for salading, as also of green-stuffs generally. Potato trade moaaw. 

 Cut flower trade briik. — 

 Fruit.— Tasmanian apples, ios. 6d. to 16s. per case; bananas ;, 5s. to_ 101 P» 

 >ch ; oranges, i S s. to 18s. per case ; Jafta, ios. to 12s. pfftai&^fj^ 



bunch 



basket; gooseberries, 23. to ; 

 n fi<rc os. 6d. to «. ; peaches 



i. per an* 

 per basket 



* ^ x — »o * 



dozen ; pineapples, rs. 6d. to 4s. per pine. t - 



FLOWERS.-Arums. *s. to as. : carnations, is. to 3S.; euc^s 3^ ^ 



^ c tr» a* • tea roses, 6d. to is. , P 1U *_ 



gardenias, is. to 3s. ; Ldlium Harrisi 

 3s. to 6s. ; red roses, 2s. to 4s. ; cattleyas 

 is. 6d. to 4s. ; and tuberoses, is. to is. 6d. p 

 4s. to 8s. ; marguerites, 2s. to 4s. ; narciss, 



6s. to 9 s - i 



Adiantu 



11 



It 







•I 



1 1 



crispura. 



to 48. ; narciss (scarlet). 4*. ' 



gnonette, as. to 4s. , peiargomu n« _V ^ 

 Ihuses and cowslips, is. to is 6d. J pma ros*9£ 



- to 38. 6d. per do*« l«inch« . 

 ie valley, 6d. to is. : and P^K 0 "; tanch , 



2. TTZa ■ white lilac. 3S. to 4S. P« 



bluebells, 6d. to 8d. ; and ^ 

 gd. ; stephanotis, 4s. to 6s. 



to 6d. per dozen sprays ; bouvardias, 6d. to 8d. ; white mac, £ fnodit 

 Vegetables.— English asparagus, is. to 3s- ' ^^MaM «• » * 



mons, 5s. to 6s. 6d. per cwt. ; Deeiroow, - ^ 'ushrooms, «• 1 

 i. 6d. per pad ; French beans, 3d- » 4d- Pf r l £> ^los, <p- » 

 rhubarb, is. 6d to 2s. 6d. per dozen bundles , Canary p« ^ ^ 

 i. 8s. to ios. : Alpiftrs. ids. to 16s. per cwt. , Frencn, ™ 



Borough Potato Market. 



The demand for new potatos is increasing, as also is the supp^ 

 unaltered for both new and old. Dunbars. X3<f. Jo Reading 

 Hebrons, iios. to iaos.; Bruce, Main-crop, button! Ke„t , ^ js.^Pj^ 

 Saxons, 100s. to iios. per ton; Belgians and «rmai» , ■ <t-y j er ^ys, i»»- w 



Prices n^j 



9S 



per 



