January 1, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
21 
%* All correspondence should he directed either to “The Editor” 
or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dr. Hogg or 
members of the staff often remain unopened unavoidably. We 
request that no one will write privately to any of our correspon¬ 
dents, as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. 
Books ( J. . Woods). —Mr. D. Thomson’s “ Handy Book of the Flower 
G-arden ” (W. Blackwood ife Sons); “ The Greenhouse for the Many,” pub¬ 
lished at this office, price 9d., post free lOtZ.; and “The Wild Flowers of 
Great Britain,” also published at this office, will give all the information 
you require. 
Melons for Frame Culture (S. F.). —Blenheim Orange is a handsome 
and good scarlet-flesh variety, and a good green-flesh companion is the Hero 
of Lockinge, both being well adapted for frame culture. As you have only 
a brick pit you will do well to delay sowing and planting till near the 
summer months, as in your case th re will be no possibility of renewing 
the bottom heat. With common box lights the case is somewhat different, 
as the bottom heat can be kept up with fresh “linings ” of heating material. 
April will be quite soon enough for you to sow the seeds, and before that 
time fuller information on the subject than can be given in this column 
will be forthcoming. 
Culture of Bomareas Carderi and conferta (G.A.T.). —These plants 
succeed well in an intermediate house, or at the warmest end of a green¬ 
house, where they can be Pained to the roof and fully exposed to light. 
There should be no difficulty in flowering them under such conditions, but 
they must make a strong and unrestricted growth to ensure success in this 
respect. The soil should be light, sandy, and well drained, but a little 
liquid manure will encourage the plants considerably. 
Mushrooms ( Inquirer , W.). —The most likely cause of the Mushrooms 
coming with “ thick and long stems before the top is formed well” is, we 
think, due to the atmosphere being too dry and variable in temperature, 
the heat being all centred in the middle of the house or its upper part, and 
consequently above the Mushroom bed. We should try covering with a 
little dry soft hay, which will probably enable you to overcome the difficulty, 
which we presume only takes place in changeable weather, especially when 
fire heat is most needed. Keep the walls, floors, and other available 
surfaces well damped, but avoid damping the flue, as it will generate 
moisture quickly and prove inimical to the growth of the Mushrooms. 
They like the atmosphere uniformly moist—a nice genial moisture—neither 
too wet nor too dry, extremes being fatal. 
Semi-dissolved Bones (A'.).—The bone manure seems suitable for apply¬ 
ing to a Vine border as a top-dressing, a 6-inch potful being ample for a 
square yard, and a similar quantity of wood ashes; but we should mix it 
with turfy loam at the rate of a 6-inch potful to bushel of loam, a peck of 
cow dung, thoroughly incorporating along with the wood ashes, and after 
removing the loose surface soil of the borders down to the roots put on a 
top-dressing, 2 or 3 inches thick, of the prepared cimpost. The compost 
above named would answer admirably for Strawberries in pots, applying 
when the plants are taken indoors for forcing, loosening the surface soil, 
taking off the loose, and adding the fresh material. It would be an 
improvement to add half the quantity of soot as of the other two—viz., 
bones and wood ashes, or half a potful of the soot to each bushel of soil. 
Libonia floribunda Leaves Falling ( S . F.). — In all probability you 
did not house your plants early enough. We find they quickly lose their 
leaves if overwatered at any time, and invariably house the plants early in 
September, or before cold soaking rains are anticipated. It is a little odd 
that the old plant retains its leaves, but it may be it has better filled the 
pot with roots, and is therefore less liable to suffer by overwatering. 
Excessive dryness at the roots would prove injurious, and a shift given too 
late in the season might also have done the mischief. A cold greenhouse, 
again, does not suit them, the temperature of an intermediate house or 
warm conservatory being best calculated to bloom them properly. You 
evidently do not require to be told how to grow Libonias, but you leave us 
to guess what the late autumn treatment has been. 
Peas for Succession (Reader). —Sow "William I. on a warm border as 
early in February as the state of the ground permits, and again early in 
March in the open, and with it a row of Telephone. When these are 
pushing through the ground sow another row of Telephone and one of 
Criterion, and the latter variety and Champion of England about a fortnight 
later. When the last sowing is up, or in about another fortnight, sow a 
row each of Champion of England and He Plus Ultra, and in this manner 
June, July, and August should be well provided for. For the September 
crops Ne Plus Ultra is the best, and a row or rows should be sown about 
the middle and end of May, and if you can afford the room yet another 
sowing should be made early in June, and supposing the ground is well 
manured and deeply dug, and the rows mulched and well watered in dry 
weather, they will continue to yield till cut down by frosts. The two 
Grapes you mention will do well together, and the variety you inquire 
about is well adapted for the purpose you require it. 
Climbers for Conservatory Wall (Thos. Jones). —We presume you can 
make a border for the plants, and have it properly drained ; this is essential. 
Nothing would look finer and answer better, especially if the plants could 
have the run of the back part of the roof in addition to that of the wall, 
than Lapageria rosea on one side and Lapageria alba on the other. It 
would need a little time to get them established, but once established they 
would under ordinary treatment do well, and be extrunily beautiful from 
the window. Other good wall plants are Plumbago capensis, Clianthus 
magnificus, Rhyncospermum jasminoidts, Habrothamnus elegans, and 
Thibaudia acuminata. 
Hollies and Aucubas not Fruiting (A Scotch Subscriber). —Hollies are 
not bi-sexual, but the flowers on many shrubs are sttrile. It is not possible 
for us to indicate the local causes that contribute to the result complained 
of. We know on good authority that Hollies fruit freely in an exceptionally 
wet district in the south-west of Scotland. As to the Aucubas not fruiting, 
are you sure that both kinds have produced flowers together ? If the male 
plant flowers first, and you collect pollen and apply it to the flowers of the 
fruiting form berries will follow, weather permitting. We do not find this 
necessary, but have known persons keep male plants in tubs behind a wall 
facing the north to retard the expansion of the flowers until those on the 
other shrubs opened, then if the weather were favourable for the dispersion 
of pollen fertilisation was effected. 
Aphides on Peach Trees (B. J., Co. Dublin). —We'never saw the wood of 
Peach trees so seriously infested with aphides at this season of the year as the 
example you have sent us. It is a pity remedial measures were not adopted 
before, as the trees must be injured by the plague of insects. At once dis¬ 
solve 4 ozs. of softsoap or Gishurst compound in a gallon of boiling water, and 
stir in a pint of strong tobacco water and a wineglassful of petroleum ; 
then add another gallon of water, again mix by violent agitation and syringe 
the trees thoroughly while the preparation is rather too hot for the barrel of 
the syringe to be held in the hand unprotected by a leather glove, or say 
- at a temperature of 130°. This will destroy all the insects that are reached. 
A solution of nicotine soap of the strength of 4 ozs. to each gallon of water 
would also destroy them, so you can use which of the insecticides that may 
be the most readily procurable. By adding 4 ozs. of sulphur to a gallon of 
the mixture and sufficient clay to form a paint you might with advantage 
apply this to the branches with a brush after syringing, taking care not to 
dislocate the buds. Every part of the house should be thoroughly cleansed, 
the woodwork and glass being washed with hot water, the walls limewashed, 
and 2 or 3 inches of soil removed from the borders and fresh compost added. 
It is not possible for trees to prosper in a house so greatly infested with 
insects as yours evidently is. Fumigation and forcible syringing must be 
resorted to in the spring and summer to prevent the increases of insects, or 
you cannot hope to have healthy trees and enjoyable fruit. 
Names of Fruits (W. W. If 7 .). — Your Apple is not known. It is 
neither the Blenheim Orange nor the Dutch Mignonne. (W. Crowder ).— 
1, Withington Fillbasket. 2, Resembles Lane’s Prince Albert. 
Names of Plants (Clifton). —1, Acacia platyptera. 2, Acacia armata. 
3, Diplacus glutinosus. All these plants succeed in a greenhouse or similar 
cool house—the Acacias in a compost of peat, loam, and leaf soil; the 
Diplacus in loam and leaf soil, with sufficient sand to render the compost 
porous. ( T.B.L. ).—The ttree Orchids are all varieties of Ltelia albida ; 
1 is L. albida Marianse ; 2, L. albida superba ; 3, L. albida, ordinary form ; 
the Crinum is C. capense. (Mrs. F.). —Odontoglossum Insleayi. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.—December 31st. 
Our market is at a standstill, with large supplies of No a Scotia and Canada Apples 
still arriving. Grapes in demand at increased values. Kent Cobs dull. 
FRUIT. 
s. 
d. 
S. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
Apples .. .. 
2 
6 
to 3 
6 
Oranges. 
.. 100 
4 
0 to 
6 
0 
Chestnuts .. 
.. bushel 16 
0 
0 
0 
Peaches . 
perdoz. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Cobs, Kent .. 
per 100 lbs. 60 
0 
0 
0 
Pears, kitchen 
dozen 
1 
0 
3 
0 
Currants, Red 
.. £ sieve 
0 
0 
0 
0 
,, dessert 
dozen 
2 
0 
6 
0 
„ Black 
.. £ sieve 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Pine Apples English., ft. 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Figs ., .. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Plums . 
h sieve 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Grapes .. .. 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Strawberries.. 
.. ft. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Lemons .. .. 
. .. case 
10 
0 
15 
0 
St. Michael Pines 
..each 
3 
0 
7 
0 
VEGETABLES. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
Artichokes ,. 
.. dozen 
2 
0 
to 4 
0 
Mushrooms .. . 
punnet 
0 
0 to 
1 
6 
Beans, Kidney 
ft. 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Mustard and Cress 
punnet 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Beet, Red 
.. dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Onions . 
bunch 
0 
3 
0 
4 
Broccoli .. .. 
0 
9 
1 
0 
Parsley .. dozen bunches 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Brussels Sprouts 
.. i sieve 
2 
6 
3 
0 
Parsnips. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Cabbage .. .. 
0 
0 
1 
0 
Potatoes. 
cwt. 
4 
0 
5 
0 
Capsicums 
100 
1 
S 
2 
0 
,, Kidney . 
cwt. 
4 
0 
5 
0 
Carrots .. .. 
0 
S 
0 
4 
Rhubarb. 
bundle 
0 
4 
0 
0 
Cauliflowers .. 
.. dozen 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Salsafy. 
bundle 
1 
0 
0 
S 
Celery .. .. 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Scorzonera .. .. 
bundle 
1 
6 
0 
0 
Coleworts dcz. bunches 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Seakale .. .. per basket 
2 
0 
2 
6 
Cucumbers .. 
.. each 
0 
4 
1 
0 
Shallots. 
..lb. 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Endive ,. .. 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Spinach. 
bushel 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Herbs .. .. 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Tomatoes .. .. 
.. ft. 
0 
6 
1 
0 
Leeks .. .. 
0 
3 
0 
4 
Turnips. 
bunch 
0 
4 
0 
6 
Lettuce .. .. 
1 
0 
1 
6 
THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW YEAR. 
With tlie dawn of a new year thoughts involuntarily crowd 
upon the mind ; past, present, and future, useful regrets, hopes, 
and anticipations tempered by wholesome fears, all come and go 
as we pass in review the efforts and results of the year that is 
