February 12, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
141 
supplies of water can be given without rendering the soil sour. Lapa- 
gerias are moisture-loving plants, and do not like a very dry atmosphere. 
Tree Carnations and Bouvardias {Idem ).—Stout cuttings of the former 
will strike readily in a close frame having a temperature of 60° and a little 
bottom heat, and under good management make strong flowering plants by 
the autumn. Bouvardias may be cut down after flowering and started into 
growth in a temperature of 50° to 55°. When the young shoots are half an 
inch long the plants may be repotted, removing a good portion of the old 
soil, keeping them close until new roots take possession of the fresh com¬ 
post, then affording air to promote a sturdy habit of growth. They do well 
in cold frames in the summer, also planted out in good soil and sheltered 
positions towards the end of June, and duly supplied with water in dry 
weather. 
Market Gardening (Grower ).—We do not advise anyone to take land 
near London and enter into competition with the expert market gardeners 
who has had little or no experience in the work of supplying Covent Garden 
with fruit and vegetables. Before a gardener in the country enters on an 
enterprise of this kind he should make himself personally acquainted with 
the nature of the soil and the customs of the market. The competition in 
the work in question is very severe, and even the most experienced growers 
not infrequently make mistakes in providing crops for sale when the market 
is glutted, and thereby incurring loss instead of gain. No doubt land can 
be had now—in Essex especially—at what may be termed a moderate rental, 
but that only means that its cultivation is not highly remunerative. Land 
is usually held on lease for terms and at prices to be agreed upon according 
to its value and position; but we must entirely decline the responsibility 
of advising you to invest the small sum at your disposal in the manner sug¬ 
gested. If after a personal investigation of the whole circumstances that 
bear on the matter you feel justified in carrying out your projects we shall 
not dissuade you, because we have known persons to succeed who have 
started with even less capital than you have at command, and for anything 
we know to the contrary you may possess the requisite cultural ability, 
energy, foresight, and business aptitude to succeed similarly; lacking those 
requisites you would almost inevitably fail. A list of Covent Garden fruit 
and vegetable measures may be found on page 41 of the “ Gardeners’ Tear 
Book,” price Is., post free Is. 3d. from this office. 
Forcing Lilium candidum (P. G .).—To force this Lilium satisfactorily 
good bulbs should be potted during late summer or early autumn. The 
best time is directly after flowering and before tl ey commence to push up 
their foliage, which they do almost directly the flower stems have died 
away. If potted before this growth takes places they become established in 
their pots and form a good quantity of roots before winter. They can be 
placed in a cold frame after potting or stood outside until the approach of 
frost, when they should have the protection of a frame or house from which 
frost can be excluded. The time they will commence throwing up their 
flower stems entirely depends upon the temperature they are in during the 
month of December; if it ranges about 45° at night they will be pushing 
up strongly by the beginning of the following month. After they have once 
commenced to throw up they will bear a temperature of 50° to 55°, but must 
be kept as close to the glass as possible, and where a good circulation of air 
can be maintained to insure a sturdy growth. Forcing must not be con¬ 
ducted in a close confined atmosphere, or they will draw up rapidly and 
weakly and fail to flower profusely, if at all. We prefer removing the plants 
to a cool structure directly the flower buds are formed at the extremity of 
the growth ; if hurried when in this stage the flowers are invariably small 
and very deficient in substance. One good strong bulb should be placed in 
a 6-inch pot. When the flower spike has well advanced liberal feeding 
should be resorted to, giving weak applications of liquid manure frequently 
in preference to strong doses at wider intervals. After flowering the plants 
must be liberally supplied with water until the flower stems die away and 
new growth commences, then they should be repotted. These plants, if 
well attended to outside, after flowering will commence throwing up their 
flower spikes strongly again before autumn, and can be had in flower by 
Christmas and onwards in succession through January and February. This 
Lilium increases in both strength and size if kept in pots and generously 
treated after flowering. During the whole of the summer months the pots 
may be plunged outside, the only attention needed being plenty of water 
and potting or top-dressing with rich material annually. 
Propagating Nepenthes (W. L., Perth). —In the spring, or about March, 
the majority of the plants will need shortening, as they are apt to become 
tall or straggling, which will have the effect of producing new growths at 
the base as well as increasing their number, and it is on these new growths 
that the best pitchers are formed. The parts removed may be utilised as 
cuttings— ie., the firm part of the shoots, for the soft-growing points are 
unsuitable, it being the firm wood only that will root and push growth 
freely. Three at most, or, if the cuttings be scarce, two joints, are quite 
sufficient for a cutting. These should be placed in equal parts of fibrous 
peat, small charcoal or small crocks, and chopped sphagnum, with a sprink¬ 
ling of sand, or they will strike freely in cocoa-nut fibre refuse, placing 
them in a frame where there i3 a brisk heat, and they will root slowly but 
surely. The leaves may be shortened about half or be tied up loosely. It 
is essential that they be kept moist. When the cuttings have rooted they 
should be gradually inured to the atmosphere of the house and the lessened 
* temperature, and then transferred to larger pots, or preferably small 
baskets in peat fibre, suspending from the roof of the stove, giving them 
plenty of moisture, and keeping a sharp look-out for thrips, which, allowed 
to have their own way, will spoil the appearance of the plants. The plants 
thus cut back will produce fresh and often stronger growths if a good 
temperature is maintained. 
Camellias Gumming (Borderer). — We submitted your letter to a 
gardener who has in his charge a collection of Camellias—splendid speci¬ 
mens—which for cleanliness and health are not surpassed in this country ; 
and this is what he says on the subject:—“ It is both unnatural and unusual 
for Camellias to gum, and our plants have not the slightest sign of gum 
upon them, but this was not their condition some few years ago; on the 
contrary, they were gummed as badly as you describe your plants to be. 
This gumming or glutinous substance upon the foliage and branches was 
entirely due to scale and mealy bug, the latter from climbers that covered 
the roof, and the former that infested the plants themselves. We have but 
little doubt that in your case the cause of gumming is due to insects. Had 
you sent us a sample of foliage and wood with the glutinous substance 
upon them we should have been in a better position to have stated with 
accuracy whether this was really the cause or not. We eradicated all 
insects from our trees by syringing them thoroughly with petroleum and 
water, 1 oz. of the former being used to one gallon of the latter. Care must 
be taken to mix thoroughly the oil and water before it is distributed over 
the plants. This is best accomplished by returning with force the first 
syringeful into the vessel containing the oil and water, and the next as 
quickly as possible upon the plants. This operation is best performed by 
keeping one man continually syringing into the vessel containing the 
solution, while another is syringing the plants. They should be thoroughly 
saturated with this solution, and not the slightest injury will result if the 
trees are shaded from the action of the sun until the whole of the oil has 
evaporated. We advise you to syringe your plants directly they have done 
flowering, and before they push into growth, and again in autumn directly 
the foliage is firm and the growth completed. Our plants are syringed 
with this solution annually when in the latter stage of growth, which, if 
there are no insects to destroy, assists wonderfully in removing any dirt 
that may have accumulated upon the foliage. The difference in the colour 
and robustness of Camellias is natural, some varieties being less luxuriant 
than others and possessing foliage very much lighter in colour. 
Names of Plants (Merchant). —1, Sparmannia africana ; 2, Aubrietia 
deltoidea; 3, Sedum Lvdium. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET. —February 11th. 
Market very quiet, -without alteration. 
FRUIT. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
0. 
d. 
Apples. 
A sieve 
2 
6 
to 4 
6 
Oranges. 
.. 100 
4 
0 to 
0 
0 
Chestnuts .. 
bushel 16 
0 
0 
0 
Peaches . 
per doz. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Cobs, Kent .. per 
100 lbs. 
55 
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., lb. 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Figs . 
dozen 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Plums . 
$ sieve 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Grapes. 
.. tb. 
2 
0 
5 
0 
Strawberries.. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Lemons. 
.. case 
10 
0 
15 
0 
St. Michael Pines 
. .each 
3 
0 
7 
0 
VEGETABLES. 
8. 
d. 
s. d. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d 
Artichokes 
.. dozen 
2 
0 to 4 
0 
Mushrooms .. 
.. punnet 
0 
0 to 
1 
0 
Beans, Kidney 
lb. 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Mustard and Cress punnet 
0 
2 
0 
4 
Beet, Red 
.. dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Onions .. .. 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Broccoli .. 
0 
9 
1 
0 
Parsley .. dozen bunches 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Brussels Sprouts 
.. £ sieve 
2 
6 
3 
0 
Parsnips .. .. 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Cabbage .. .. 
0 
0 
1 
0 
Potatoes.. .. 
4 
0 
5 
0 
Capsicums ., 
100 
1 
6 
2 
0 
,, Kidney 
.. cwt. 
4 
0 
e 
0 
Carrots .. .. 
0 
3 
0 
4 
Rhubarb .. 
0 
4 
0 
« 
Cauliflowers .. 
.. dozen 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Salsafy .. .. 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Celery .. .. 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Scorzonera .. 
.. bundle 
1 
6 
0 
6 
Coleworts doz. bunches 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Seakale .. 
r er basket 
1 
0 
l 
8 
Cucumbers .. 
.. each 
0 
4 
1 
0 
Shallots .. .. 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Endive .. 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Spinach .. 
. bishel 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Herbs .. .. 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Tomatoes 
H, # 
0 
6 
1 
0 
Leeks 
0 
3 
0 
4 
Turnips .. .. 
0 
4 
0 
0 
Lettuce .. .. 
1 
0 
1 
6 
ARTIFICIAL MANURE. 
Again has the time come round for the application of artificial 
manure to grass and corn crops, and if this important work is to prove 
successful no time must be lost in doing it. To wait till March as we 
used to do is to incur a risk of failure which we are bound to avoid, 
and we therefore use the manure sufficiently only to ensure so far as 
is possible that it is dissolved or washed into the soil to dissolve 
gradually and spread an ample store of fertility in it. Already is the 
farmyard manure doing its work well upon the grass where it was 
carted and spread some time ago ; the grass has gradually assumed 
that deep green hue which so clearly betokens fertility of the soil. 
But the action of the nitrates in the artificial manure is more rapid, 
and its beneficial effects are soon visible if enough rain falls after its 
application to dissolve the nitrate of soda and nitrate of potash. In 
a table showing the relative activity of manures Dr. Aitken, chemis 
of the Highland Agricultural Society, gives nitrates the first place i» 
nitrogen and steamed bone flour the sixth place ; and among phos¬ 
phates superphosphates take the first place, while bone dust and 
crushed bones take the seventh or last place. 
We particularly wish to render this article useful to practical men 
having charge of home farms, and who may not have sufficient 
scientific knowledge of the composition of manures to enable them 
to derive assistance from an elaborate essay upon it. To them we say 
therefore that careful experiments have shown that of the seven 
elements of plant food three only are important—nitrogen, phos¬ 
phorus, and potassium, and the other four—sulphur, calcium, mag- 
