JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 15, 1884. 
394 
tolerably strong, yet porous, careful watering and mulching the surface 
with manure, with judicious ventilation and scrupulous cleanliness of the 
foliage—neither insects nor mildew being permissible—are the chief factors 
in the successful cultivation of this grand Rose. 
Eucharis amazonica (J. C.). —We believe that it has been authorita¬ 
tively determined that there are not two varieties of this plant. What is 
regarded as the inferior form is simply degeneration arising from defective 
cultivation. This is not by any means the fault of the cultivators exclu¬ 
sively, but in numerous instances is the direct result of inadequate means 
for growing the plants well. It is impossible for us to indicate the cause 
of the failure of your plants without knowing somewhat of the treatment 
to which they have been subjected. Possibly the}' have been overpotted, 
and have not at all times had sufficient heat. Good turfy loam, with an 
admixture of crushed charcoal or wood ashes, well-drained pots, and a stove 
temperature, moist in the growing season, and the plants shaded from the 
sun, are the chief essentials in successful culture. Bottom heat is of great 
advantage in starting the plants after repotting, and they invariably suc¬ 
ceed the best when the pots are filled with roots. Try the plants in fresh 
soil and smaller pots. 
Insects on Rose (Wanderer). —The reddish-brown insect adhering to the 
stem is the large brown scale. This is objectionable enough and injurious to 
the plants, but is not the cause of the mutilated foliage. There are at least 
two enemies attacking your Roses, one of which may be a snail or weevil 
which eats the leaves, the other the scale that extracts the plant’s juices 
through the stems. The scale may be destroyed by dissolving 2 ozs. of soft- 
soap in a gallon of hot water, than adding half a wineglassful of petroleum, 
and applying when cool enough to the stems with a brush. The plants may 
also be laid on their sides and syringed with the same mixture, provided it is 
done in a shaded place and the Roses are kept out of the sun for a day or 
two afterwards. You had better also search with the aid of a lantern for 
nocturnal depredators. We suspect your plants are in an enfeebled state by 
defective root-action, inferior soil, or some error in treatment, but on this 
matter we cannot speak conclusively on the evidence of a “ specimen ” nearly 
2 inches long. 
Seedling Alpine Auriculas (Idem). —If the trusses you have sent have 
been gathered from plants, four dozen of which are growing in a box 
18 inches square, in which the seed was sown last March, you have great 
reason to be satisfied. If such trusses can be produced by plants so crowded, 
what may you not expect when they are strong and established in good soil 
with ample room for development ? At once divide and transplant the 
crowded seedlings in good compost in a shaded place, a frame or under hand- 
lights on the north side of a wall would be suitable ; or they may be potted 
and eventually transplanted where required to flower, either in a border or on 
rockwork where there is sufficient fertile soil for promoting and sustaining 
vigorous growth. We note they are border Alpines of the strain of the late 
Mr. Alexander Honeyman, and are better than we should have expected 
could be produced in the time and under the circumstances indicated. 
Seedling Auricula (J. P.). —The name you suggest has not been appro¬ 
priated, and you are quite justified in attaching it to your seedling. It is a 
white-edged flower, of which there are comparatively few of superior merit. 
Nor can we place this in the first class. Its pale tube is a defect, and the 
paste is somewhat angular yet very dense. The body colour, purplish black, 
also appears to run too much into the narrow edge; but by packing in dry 
cotton wool the meal was smeared over the colour to such an extent that the 
appearance of the flower was greatly marred. Grow the plant well, and send 
us flowers next year so packed that they arrive in the same condition as 
when they were cut. Though not perfect, it is yet the best seedling Auricula 
that has been sent to us this year. 
Soil for Chrysanthemums (Z. Y. X.). —The basis of the compost should 
consist of rather strong turfy loam, with decayed manure added to the extent 
of one-sixth, a little less or more according to the quality of the loam. An 
admixture of wood ashes with a sprinkling of soot and bonemeal, say a 6-inch 
potful of each to a bushel of soil, would improve the compost. Charred soil 
is of great value, and you cannot err by subjecting at least a portion of the 
loam to the action of fire. With a well-prepared compost of the nature in¬ 
dicated you will not require to use sulphate of ammonia or artificial manure 
of any kind for some time. The mixture recommended on page 285 would 
be admirable for Chrysanthemums if applied at the right time—that is, when 
the plants need more support than the soil affords them. It is easy to err by 
over-manuring during their early stages of growth. We have seen plants 
ruined by too generous culture during May, June, and July. They grew 
most luxuriantly, but produced inferior blooms ; but, on the other hand, 
many plants are injured by starvation. You must exercise your judgment 
in this matter, and we think you will succeed in your object. We are glad 
the Vines have improved. Early morning ventilation should be particularly 
attended to. 
Nectarine Leaves Skeletonised (W. M.). —The injury to the foliage is 
neither caused by insects nor fungus, but is the result of defective root- 
action or a deficiency of food for maintaining the trees in a healthy state. 
Of this we have no doubt whatever, and if you lift the roots and place them 
in fresh loam with a mixture of calcareous matter, and at the same time 
accord the trees otherwise good management, they will produce very different 
foliage, stouter and greener, that will resist the effects of the sun. The 
transparent patches in the leaves show a deficiency of chlorophyll. There 
is, indeed, little or no substance there, and those weak parts shrivel and drop 
out. We have only once before seen a similar case, and the trees were com¬ 
pletely restored by the means above indicated. If there is no fruit on the 
trees you may lift them at once, and keep the foliage fresh by syringing and 
shading until new roots form and take possession of the fresh soil; or the 
lifting may be done immediately the crop is gathered. If it must be post¬ 
poned, the best thing you can do in the meantime is to apply liquid manure 
copiously to the roots, ventilate early in the morning, and in very hot 
weather shade the foliage slightly either by spreading netting on the glass 
or sprinkling it with limewash applied with a syringe. The trees have pro¬ 
bably been overcropped. They are certainly in an enfeebled state, and 
urgently need renovation. An abundance of fresh roots working freely in 
good soil will have a magical effect, and if you can carry out our suggestions 
this summer you will probably have healthy trees next year. 
Liquid Manure in Vinery (A Lady). —Liquid manure placed in the 
evaporating troughs in vineries is either injurious or beneficial according to 
the judgment that is exercised in its use. Strong guano water and highly 
heated pipes when the foliage is still tender and the Grapes quite small, and 
the ventilators left closed too long in the morning, would be very likely to 
result in the scorching of the foliage and the rusting of the fruit. Your safe 
course will be to wait until the Grapes commence swelling after stoning 
before using liquid manure, and then to leave the top ventilators slightly 
open at night, increasing the ventilation immediately the temperature com¬ 
mences rising in the morning. Then you may expect the ammonia in the 
atmosphere to prove beneficial. 
Pelargoniums and Fuchsias for Autumn Flowering (Idem). —It is 
quite easy to have the plants flowering in October if you wish them by grow¬ 
ing well any free-flowering varieties. Probably those you have will answer 
very well, and possibly if we printed a list we should simply name several 
varieties that you possess, and, besides, you give no indication of the number 
required, and we do not know whether you desire to grow six or six dozen. 
Grow the Fuchsias in frames in a shaded position in summer, removing the 
lights on favourable occasions from June to September, and especially at 
night for the benefit of the night dew ; indeed, the plants will only require 
protection from sun and heavy rains. Some of the finest we have seen were 
grown outdoors during July and August, the pots partially plunged in 
ashes on the north side of a wall. The plants must be kept growing freely, 
repotting them as may be needed to ensure this, and watering and springing 
them regularly. If the wood is allowed to get hard you cannot well retard 
them. Pinch the shoots as they extend 4 or 5 inches, and permit no flowers 
to expand till September. The plants must never be root-bound until they 
are placed in the pots in which they are intended to flower, or the wood will 
ripen prematurely. When the plants are near flowering clear liquid manure, 
such as soot water, will be very beneficial. The young plants to which you 
allude are quite amenable to the treatment indicated, and old plants that 
flower in July, if pruned slightly, repotted, and grown in the same manner, 
will flower again in the autumn. Zonal Pelargoniums grown practically in 
the same way, only in a sunny position, will flower equally well late in the 
season, young plants producing the finest trusses, old one3 affording them 
the most freely but smaller. Plants that have flowered in June, then cut 
down, and a fortnight afterwards shaken out and repotted, will flower freely 
in the autumn. Young plants may be topped occasionally till the middle 
of August, and then have the flower buds picked off if earlier than you wish 
them. They must not be starved at any time, but be kept supplied with 
water as needed to promote healthy growth, giving weak liquid manure 
occasionally when the pots are crowded with roots and flowers are forming 
freely. 
Names of Plants (Pantonian). —1. Ornithogalum nutans ; 2, Scilla cam- 
panulata ; 3, Iris foetidissima variegata ; 4, Pulmonaria angustifolia. 
(J. PL. E. C.). —Grevillea Preissi. (East Fairleigh). —Ccelogyne flaccida. 
(G. A. J/.).—The large flower is a good variety of Cattleya Mossise. The 
small, white, fragrant flower is Rhynchospermum jasminoides, and the speci¬ 
men with shining green leaves and white flowers is Begonia semperflorens. 
(E. M. C., Limerick). —Your plant is apparently a Bignonia, but we cannot 
determine the species without flowers. A large number of the plants of this 
genus fail to flower under cultivation in this country, though represented by 
strong, healthy, large plants. (M. El. R.). —1, Unrecognisable; 2, A variety 
of hose-in-hose Polyanthus. (Jane). —Cerasus Padus. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— May 14th. 
Large supplies of all classes of goods still arrive, prices remaining below their proper 
standard. 
FRUIT. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
Apples .. .. 
i 
6 
to 5 
0 
Oranges. 
6 
0 to 10 
0 
Chestnuts .. 
.. bushel 
10 
0 
0 
0 
Peaches . 
per doz. 
6 
0 
12 
0 
Figs .. .. 
4 
0 
6 
0 
Fears, kitchen 
dozen 
1 
0 
1 
8 
Filberts.. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
,, dessert 
dozen 
1 
0 
5 
0 
Cobs .. .. 
1 
S 
1 
6 
Pine Apples English., lb. 
2 
,0 
3 
0 
Grapes .. .. 
8 
0 
6 
0 
Strawberries.. 
.. lb. 
2 
0 
6 
l!> 
Lemon .. .. 
,. case 
15 
0 
21 
0 
St. Michael Pines 
. .each 
2 
0 
8 
0 
VEGETABLES 
Artichokes .. 
.. dozen 
8. 
2 
d. 
0 
8. 
to 4 
d. 
0 
Mushrooms .. 
punnet 
8. 
0 
d. 
9 to 
8. 
1 
d. 
6 
Beans, Kidney 
lb. 
i 
0 
0 
0 
Mustard and Cress 
punnet 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Beet, Red .. 
.. dozen 
i 
0 
2 
0 
Onions. 
bushel 
2 
6 
3 
0 
Broccoli .. .. 
0 
9 
1 
0 
Parsley .. dozen bunches 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Brussels Sprouts 
.. i sieve 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Parsnips. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Cabbage .. .. 
0 
6 
1 
0 
Potatoes .. .. .. 
cwt. 
4 
0 
i 
0 
Capsicums 
100 
1 
6 
2 
0 
„ Kidney . 
cwt. 
4 
0 
6 
0 
Carrots .. .. 
0 
8 
0 
4 
„ New .. .. 
0 
2 
0 
4 
Cauliflowers .. 
.. dozen 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Rhubarb. 
bundle 
0 
4 
0 
» 
Celery .. .. 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Salsafy. 
bundle 
1 
0 
0 
6 
Coleworts doz. bunches 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Scorzonera .. .. 
bundle 
1 
6 
0 
6 
Cucumbers .. 
.. each 
0 
8 
0 
6 
Seakale. 
basket 
1 
0 
1 
O 
Endive .. 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Shallots. 
.. lb. 
0 
3 
0 
6 
Herbs .. .. 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Spinach. 
bushel 
2 
6 
3 
8 
Leeks 
0 
3 
0 
4 
Tomatoes .. .. 
.. lb. 
2 
0 
8 
O 
Lettuce .. .. 
1 
0 
1 
6 
Turnips. 
bunch 
0 
3 
0 
0 
THE SHROPSHIRE BREED OF SHEEP. 
( Continued from page 376.) 
We will now refer to this class of sheep as exhibited at the 
Battersea Show in 1862. This useful and rent-paying stock. 
