294 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 10, 1884. 
Lettuce (E. T. H.). —Probably you are right, but we cannot speak 
positively on the matter. 
Name of Beetle ( W. H.). —The insect forwarded is one of the predacious 
water beetles (Dytiscus marginalia). Although aquatic in habit, they w'll 
sometimes quit ponds and ditches to hunt land insects, and should they occur 
in a garden they would be rather beneficial than otherwise. 
Non-Execution of Order (J. B.). —There is evidently some mistake 
somewhere ; the advertisement does not appear very explicit. We will 
write to the advertiser on the subject. Possibly, however, by this time you 
may have heard from him yourself. 
Sowing Seeds (Orchid). —It is absurd to suppose that there is any 
advantage in sowing seeds on any particular day in the calendar ; on the 
contrary, great disadvantage may result if the weather and ground be unfit 
for the reception of the seed on the stipulated days. Your neighbour must 
be very credulous to believe such nonsense as is published in his almanack. 
The Orchid you have sent is Tricopilia suavis. 
Garbled Citations ( Exit Verity). —The note you have sent, if printed, 
would be enigmatical to the majority of our readers. When a person resorts 
to altering another person’s language, and founds thereon an argument, be 
ceases to be a fair controversialist, and damages his own reputation in the 
most effectual manner. 
Bulbs Decayed (G. Long). —Your garden appears to be infested with a 
species of Julus. Does the land need draining ? Soot and lime liberally dug 
in would be useful, and in addition to that we should place wood ashes round 
the bulbs when planting. Are you sure the bulbs were sound when planted ? 
and were they planted in good time ? Watering the beds with a mixture of 
petroleum and water (2 ozs. of the former to a gallon of the latter) would 
probably be advantageous. Try it now and note its effects. 
Planting Standard Roses (S. B.). —It is late now for planting Poses; 
still they will grow if the roots are kept quite moist when out of the ground, 
not otherwise, and the stems and branches also kept as moist as possible. At 
the time of taking up the Roses we should shorten every shoot closely, leav¬ 
ing only about two dormant buds on each. Should the weather prove dry 
after planting hay bands wrapped round the stems and kept moist would be 
very beneficial, and if made and applied neatly would not have an unsightly 
appearance. The Shallot to which you refer is probably the Large Brown 
Russian. 
Preparing and Spawning Mushroom Bed (S. W., Scarborough). —It is 
just possible you kept the manure too long under preparation in the shed, 
but still the bed will probably gather heat. Cover it thickly with straw, 
and if this fails remove the top 6 inches of the bed and place in a layer of 
warm manure, replacing the former. A newly made bed often remains ap¬ 
parently cold for a few days, then the heat rises more or less rapidly. It 
should rise as high as it will, and then when declining insert the spawn ; if 
inserted when the heat is rising the mass may become too hot. A thermo¬ 
meter plunged an inch or two in the bed is a safe guide, as when it registers 
80° the bed will be right for spawning. Failing an instrument, let a stick 
be kept in the bed, and when it is new-milk warm the manure will be suitable 
for the reception of spawn. 
Aerial Roots on Vines (PF. G.B.). —The presence of roots in large numbers 
issuing from the stems of Vines suggest that the roots in the borders are not 
affording the requisite supply of nourishment for supporting the growths 
and foliage, or that the atmosphere of the house is kept unduly moist. These 
adventitious roots cannot be regarded as “ beneficial,” neither is their removal 
beneficial nor apparently injurious. When they occur no harm is done by 
leaving them to shrivel, and, except that their appearance is objectionable, 
they are not usually removed in a fresh growing state. The address of the 
Secretary of the Leeds Gardeners’ Benefit Society is Mr. W. Sunley, Bacchus 
Hill, Moor Allerton, Leeds. 
Good Semi-double Zonal Pelargoniums (C. M.). —Amongst so many 
that are good it is somewhat difficult to select a few of the best. The 
following are chosen from one of the best private collections (Mr. McIntosh’s 
at Duneevan) as likely to meet your requirements: — Guillon Mangilli, 
purple-pink with scarlet; Monsieur Buchler, dark purple ; Madame Thibaut, 
pink ; Lucie Lemoine, flesh; Atala and Commander-in-Chief, orange-scarlet; 
David Thomson, dark crimson ; Ferdinand de Lesseps, scarlet, light eye ; 
Metis, crimson, white eye; Orestis, shaded magenta ; Ellen and Imogen, 
salmon ; Sybil Holden and Lady Sheffield, shaded pink and purple : Mrs. 
Leavers, bright rose ; Lucy Bosworth, light rose ; Eureka and Prima Donna, 
white. West Brighton Gem, a variety of Wonderful with cream-coloured 
flower stems, you might also find useful. 
Roses not Expanding (C. W. £>.).—Your plants are evidently unhealthy, 
but the cause of their present unsatisfactory state we have no means of 
determining in the absence of any particulars as to the treatment the plants 
have received. Perhaps the soil is sour by overwatering, or on the other hand 
it may have become too dry at some time, causing the roots to shrivel ; at 
any rate it is almost certain the root-action is defective, as if this were not 
so, and sufficient water was given, there would have been no occasion for 
shading the house during the late bright weather. Have you employed too 
much fire heat and kept the house too close ? You say you have good “ fire- 
heated flow and return hot-water pipes,” but do not say a word as to the 
temperature you have maintained, nor your method of ventilating. Employ 
as little fire heat as possible to keep the temperature from falling below 45° 
at night, and open the ventilators half an hour after the sun shines on the 
house in the morning. Perhaps your plants need fresh soil; if so repot them, 
using a compost of good loam and a sixth part of old manure with a little 
gritty matter for keeping the soil porous, and encourage them to make good 
growth in the open air in summer. 
French Beans Failing (Bean). —You have stated quite sufficient to 
enable us to account for the flowers dropping off the plants. You will 
neither be able to grow Beans nor anything else satisfactorily where the flues 
are so defective as to admit such a volume of smoke and noxious gas into 
the house. It appears to us that an otherwise good structure is rendered 
useless by a defective flue. Such a house is well worthy of being flea ted by 
hot water; but if this method is denied you must have a flue without a 
fissure anywhere for the exit of smoke, or you will not succeed in growing 
anything when fire heat is employed. Well-constructed flues of good sani¬ 
tary pipes, but not in immediate contact with the furnace, where fire bricks 
should be used, have be o n found satisfactory in many places, and cheaper 
than brick flues. A good flue is useful, a bad one worse than nothing, for it 
is a destructive nuisance. 
Azaleas and Heaths Unhealthy (An Amateur). —Azaleas well managed 
flower profusely every year. They require to be firmly potted in good peat 
soil with a little leaf mould and sand intermixed and very carefully watered, 
neglect or mistakes in this respect quite nullifying everything else that may 
be done for them. If once the soil gets quite dry the hair-like roots shrive', 
the leaves fall from the plants, and flowers consequently cannot be produced. 
A greenhouse temperature suffices, a little extra heat in the spring when 
growth commences, and copious syringing being advantageous. Plants that 
are very unhealthy are difficult to restore. Close pruning will not benefit them, 
but. removing a good portion of the old soil and repotting in fresh of the 
nature indicated, using pots as small as possible, and pressing the soil very 
firmly, always keeping it moist but never saturated, placing the plants in a 
warm greenhouse or vinery, syringing them at the least, twice a day, may 
possibly induce th°m to commence fresh growth. That is the only way in 
which they can be improved. Heaths in a “ mangy ” state are perhaps still 
more difficult to renovate. They must not be pruned below the foliage or 
they will die, and the general treatment as advised for Azaleas may be 
adopted, except that they will be better in a cool frame than a warm house. 
Only experienced amateurs and good cultivators can grow these plants satis¬ 
factorily. More extended notes on culture wdll shortly be published in this 
Journal. 
Vine Eyes not Growing (F. C .).—We are glad to hear from you again, 
and particularly regret to learn of your protracted indisposition. It is just 
possible that however attentive your “help” may have been, that if you 
could have attended to the Vine eyes yourself you would have had similar 
success as on a previous occasion, provided—and this is important—that the 
eyes were cut from hard, well-ripened, and nearly pithless wood. We quite 
understand the condition of the incipient plants now, and do not despair 
that some of them at least will grow freely if the wood was of the nature 
indicated. It is very common for Vine eyes to elongate for an inch or two 
and then cease growing. The first spurt is supported by the food that was 
stored in the wood round each eye, and when this is exhausted before roots 
are formed the growth must perforce cease until they are produced. In the 
meantime it is better not to disturb the eyes at all, or root-formation may be 
arrested. Possibly the atmosphere of the house may be rather dry; if so, 
place a handlight or bellglass over the Vine eyes. The frame in which you 
raised Vines before would contain more moisture than the house. 
Pines not Fruiting (Idem). —The plants are not too old to fruit. It is 
not too late for them to throw up and ripen their fruit this year, and you 
may grow Pines in a house with the temperature named if you manage them 
. properly. Unless your plants are of extraordinary size the pots are too 
large, and in all probability the plants have had too much water in winter. 
In such pots, plunged, and in the low temperature of 56° to 60°, water would 
not be needed at all during the months of November, December, and January, 
then about one watering in February and two in March would suffice. Let 
the soil get dry now until the Raves lose their crispness, and also let the 
temperature remain as it is. This will give the plants a check, and in the 
course of a month you will have no difficulty in maintaining a night tempe¬ 
rature of 70°, and this may induce the plants to show fruit. The previous 
check they received would not prevent their fruiting now, unless it prevented 
their attaining a fruiting size. We suspect they have too much root space, 
and have been kept too moist during the winter. 
Names of Fruits (C. B ). —We have carefully examined the Apples, but 
quite fail to identify the varieties. They are possibly local, and have not had 
other than local names. Please send the Peas as soon as possible; half a 
pint will be ample. 
Names of Plants (H. J/.).—The plant of which you send flowers is Spar- 
mannia africana, which succeeds well in greenhouses, attaining a good 
size. There is no difficulty in obtaining it from nurserymen who grow 
collections of greenhouse plants for sale. (Honeysuckle). —Lonicera semper- 
virens. (L. IF.).—Magnolia conspicua. (Begonia ).—It is almost impossible 
to expect anyone to name plants from specimens crushed in an envelope and 
macerated by the stamping of the post office. Judging from the fragments, 
No 1 is perhaps Begonia Ingrami ; 2, Alonsoa Warscewiczi ; 3, Violet Devoni- 
ensis. (F. A. M., Sevenoaks). —We do not undertake to name varieties of 
Coleuses ; no one can do so accurately from solitary leaves, especially when 
they are imperfect examples. (Climber). —The spray is quite insufficient for 
identification, and, besides, it was quite shrivelled on arrival. ( W. E. B.).— 
1, Eranthis hyemalis; 4, Spiraea Thunbergi. The blue flower is Muscari 
botryoides, and the white one Iberis sempervirens ; from those the numbers 
were displaced. (H. H. G.). —1, Begonia argyrostigma; 2, Weigela hortensis 
nivea ; 3, Narcissus incomparabilis ; 4, Chrysanthemum segetum ; 5, Adian- 
tum macrophyllum; 6, Asparagus plumosus. Not knowing the treatment 
the Fern has received we have no means of determining the cause of its 
sickly appearance. (M. C, B ).—-The large white flower is Magnolia 
conspicua, the other is Tecoma capensis. 
Bees (T. Marriott ).—Your hive is doubtless a strong one, and evidently 
does not need to be fed. We would not advise you to put on supers before 
the end of this month or the beginning of May, and only then if the season 
is favourable. The stock hive ought first to be filled before you put on the 
supers. The size of the supers is a question of taste. 
A Weak Hive (IF. C ).—It is difficult to advise as to the best course to 
be pursued without some knowledge of the stock of bees in question. If 
they are reduced to “ only about a handful ” through some inherent defect of 
the queen you had better destroy them and close up the hive, or the proba¬ 
bility is the bees of your strong stock will plunder it before the present 
n;onth is out. The corqbs and food being “clean and healthy ” will give a 
