JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
February 2, 1882.] 
101 
for a spring sowing, but be bas always found it useless to come in as a spring 
Cabbage, having a great tendency to run to seed without hearting. 
Training Espaliers (A New Subscriber ).—We do not know that you can 
adopt a simpler and cheaper method. The only question appears to be making 
the posts firm. This can be done by inserting them deep enough, ramming some 
hard material round them, and supporting them with spurs or stays if necessary, 
the tops of which, cut slantingly, to be just above the soil. If the work is 
neatly done they are not obtrusive, and they impart great strength to a fence. 
For the purpose of tightening the wires neat stays facing the trees should be 
nailed to the posts some distance above the soil, and if well made and fixed they 
will be of great utility and not unsightly. We have seen the plan you adopt 
answer admirably, and we consider it much better than a fence formed of stakes. 
Are your posts stout enough ? 
Camellias for Wall (M. B.). — The following are free growers and 
bloomers, and there are many others equally good if you are unable to obtain 
suitable plants of the varieties named—Alba plena, pure white ; Imbricata, red 
sometimes marbled with white; Mathotiana, red; Mathotiana alba, white ; 
Cup of Beauty, blush, occasionally deepening to pale rose on some petals ; and 
Heine des Fleurs, vermilion red, sometimes flaked with white. We cannot re¬ 
commend dealers of any garden requisites. A moment’s reflection will suffice 
to show how unfair it would be for us to do so, as by recommending one vendor 
we should virtually disparage others of equal repute. 
Fence for Tennis Ground {Amateur). —The height of your fence, 4 feet, 
and your strong yet well drained soil, suggest the suitability of Roses for forming 
a hedge. These, we think, would be far more enjoyable than annuals or climb¬ 
ing plants, few, if any of which, would flower all through the tennis season ; 
but with such Roses as Gloire de Dijon, La France, General Jacqueminot, Jules 
Margottin, Prince Camille de Rohan, Crimson Bedder, and other free-blooming 
Hybrid Perpetuals, you would seldom be without flowers. No climbing plants 
will adhere to galvanised wire netting, but would have to be secured to it. There 
is yet time for planting Roses, and a nurseryman will supply you with suitable 
varieties if you state the purpose for which you require them. Two dozen 
would be ample for your purpose. If you prefer annuals, Nasturtiums would 
grow well, or a line of Sweet Peas would be fragrant and attractive, but would 
not continue flowering during the whole season. 
Hibiscus Cooperi (IF. G.). —A compost of about equal parts turfy loam 
and peat, with a liberal proportion of sand, will suit the plant well if the 
drainage is carefully attended to. Select a light and not too warm position in 
the stove for the specimen, and with ordinary care in the supply of water and 
keeping the plant clean—scale and mealy bug being its chief enemies—little 
difficulty will be experienced in having it healthy, with the leaves brightly 
coloured. The Maranta will succeed under similar treatment, but a slightly 
higher temperature is preferable, employing shallow pans or thoroughly drained 
pots, as any superfluous moisture in the soil is injurious. Rather less loam is 
needed in the compost than that recommended for the Hibiscus. The Caladiums 
may be started at once, employing a compost of loam, peat, or leaf soil, well 
decomposed manure, and plenty of sand. The loam and peat should be broken 
up roughly, but all should be as well mixed as possible. As growth advances 
liberal supplies of water will be needed, with frequent syringings until the leaves 
are well developed. A light position in a stove improves the colour of the 
foliage very much, and it is well to have the plants as near the glass as is con¬ 
venient, or they become drawn and weak. 
Roses in Pots {E., Dunse).— If your Roses are healthy and roots plentiful 
we should not hesitate to cut them down at once. This would be much better 
than the alternative plan you suggest, and stronger and dwarfer plants would 
follow. If you prune them now the lower buds will start and good flowering 
growths be produced. As regards immature wood, that at the top, which you 
propose leaving, is less ripe than that at the bottom, from which growths will 
issue if pruned. Removing the young growths to which you allude would not 
weaken the plants, but rather strengthen them by concentrating the root power 
which will be expended on fewer shoots, and which would consequently grow 
more strongly than if the sap were distributed through a greater number of 
growths, which must be necessarily smaller. It would not be advisable to cut 
the plants down after flowering, nor will there be any necessity for it if you 
prune them now. As the plants have the protection of glass you will still have 
early blooms ; and if we understand the condition of your plants rightly, much 
finer blooms than if you permit the present growths to extend. The size and 
strength of the plants, however, you have not made clear to us. 
Dapline indica Unhealthy {Paddle). —Your plant appears to be in a 
very- bad state, and careful attention will be needed to restore its lost vigour. 
Its root-action is defective, but whether the soil is unsuitable or whether the 
plant is root-bound and has been starved by want of water we have no means 
of knowing. Either extreme—that is, a soddened soil causing the roots to 
decay, or drought at times causing them to shrivel, would have similar results 
a comparatively leafless and sickly plant. Turn the plant out of its pot and 
remove any inert soil, even reducing the ball to half its bulk, and place in a 
clean well-drained pot just large enough for holding the roots conveniently. 
Employ a compost of sweet turfy loam, adding a little leaf soil, about a fourth, 
and a free admixture of silver sand ; work the soil well amongst the roots and 
press it rather firmly. Apply water with great care, only giving it when the 
soil appears dry, and then in sufficient quantity to penetrate the entire mass. 
Place the plant at the warm end of a greenhouse, and syringe it occasionally 
during fine weather, and it will perhaps recover. Crush some charcoal to 
powder and apply it to the wounds on your Indiarubber Plant. 
Peas, Beans, and Tomatoes for Exhibition {A. Z.).— The season for 
Telegraph Pea generally extends to about the middle of July. To be certain or 
good pods for exhibition at the end of July or later, extra care must be taken, 
as unless the ground is well manured and deeply dug mildew will prevail, and 
the pods resulting will be easily surpassed by the varieties of the Ne i ’lus L ltia 
type. Much depends upon the season, and for this reason we should advise a 
small sowing be made early in April, and again about the middle of the month. 
Sow the seed thinly, mulch heavily, and when pods are set give one or more 
thorough soakings with liquid manure. Pinch out the points of haulm when 
the first pods are set, and thin them out a few days later. Carters Levia¬ 
than Broad Beans will well repay similar liberal treatment. Sow seed towards 
the end of March, and again early in April, the object being to secure pods at 
their best just when required, and this is not always possible from one sou mg. 
Supposing the Tomatoes are to be grown in a comparatively cool Peach house, 
early in April will be a good time for sowing seed. Keep the seedlings growing 
without a check, as the growth cannot well be too sturdy if fine crops of fruit 
are expected. You do not state how you intend to grow them, but if in pots 
attend carefully to the watering, giving liquid manure frequently, and a good 
top-dressing when the fruit is swelling. In any case single stems are preferable, 
all side shoots being kept closely rubbed out. The latter operation is par¬ 
ticularly necessary where the Tomatoes are planted in rich soil, as in this case 
they grow most luxuriantly. If the fruit fails to set, flowers must be fertilised 
artificially. 
Ccelogyne cristata {Allen). —The following note, communicated by a suc¬ 
cessful cultivator, will perhaps meet your requirements Ccelogyne cristata is a 
charming Orchid and popular with all growers. No garden where choice white 
flowers are in demand through January, February, and March should be with¬ 
out a few plants. It is not difficult to grow. It is an evergreen plant, and its 
growth is made after flowering. 1 he flowers last nearly five weeks if not in too 
much heat and kept free from damp. The plants will succeed on blocks or in 
pans. When on blocks much more attention is necessary as regards water; 
therefore we prefer them grown in pans. The compost should consist of 
chopped sphagnum moss, peat, sand, and plenty of broken potsherds. The 
drainage must be abundant, the pans being half filled with crocks, as liberal 
supplies of water are necessary during the period of growth. This species can 
be grown well in an ordinary plant stove where the temperature is between 
55° aud 60° at night, with the usual rise in the day. It enjoys a good rest, 
and its fleshy pseudo-bulbs allow of it being kept tolerably dry at the roots, and 
it is much benefited by being placed In cooler quarters after growth is com¬ 
pleted, but should not be in a lower temperature than 45° or 4b°. It is neces¬ 
sary while the plant is making its growth to shade it from the sun, yet in the 
declining months of the year after the growth becomes somewhat ripe it should 
be gradually exposed to more light and a cooler atmosphere. If any plants are 
unhealthy they should be turned out of their pots, the roots washed, and then 
placed on blocks with a little moss, and suspended from the roof of a house 
where a temperature of about 60" is maintained. They will soon make fresh 
roots, and when sufficiently recruited can again be placed in pans. 
Incurved Chrysanthemums from the July Bud {C. IF.). — It is 
nearly impossible to obtain good blooms of incurved Chrysanthemums from the 
July bud. Those who take flowers from this bud make a great mistake, and dis¬ 
appointment results in most cases. By chance a good flower might be produced, 
but generally they are rough and loose. When this July bud is discernible the 
plants if allowed will form three shoots around it, and the shoots below in the 
axils of the leaves will also advance. These buds must all be removed with 
the point of a sharp knife, as well as two out of the three shoots. After this 
is done the strength of the plants is concentrated into the one shoot left, which 
at that season of the year grows rapidly to 1 foot or 18 inches in length. _ On 
this growth another bud is produced about the third week of August—that is, if 
the July bud was not late, l'he time in August that this bud appears depends 
upon the early or late character of the varieties, and according to the time the 
plants are stopped in their early stages. This last bud is the one which developes 
to exhibition size, aud is known as the crown bud. This is surrounded by three 
shoots the same as that produced in the month of July. These as well as those 
that will again spring from the axils of the leaves as soon as the bud is formed 
must be promptly removed, or the crown bud will not develope. Good flowers 
from some varieties that are liable to grow rough and coarse are taken from a 
still later growth, the bud in which differs considerably, and is known as the 
terminal bud. Instead of being surrounded with three growths it has a number 
of flower buds, and these alto appear in the axils of the leaves instead of 
growths, as in the previous cases. What may be termed the August crown bud 
is much depended upon about Liverpool. In the south, an excellent cultivator 
says, the crown bud cannot be depended upon, as varieties that come good in one 
season are worthless in others ; but the surest are Mrs. G. Bundle, G. Gleuny, 
Mrs. Dixon, Alfred Salter, Queen of England, Empress of India, Golden Empress 
of India, Aurea Multiflora, Frince Alfred, Novelty, Beethoven, Guernsey Nugget, 
Eve, and Venus, and these usually come the least deformed on moderately strong 
plants. 
Cucumbers in Greenhouse (IF. //., a New Subscriber). —We never feel 
ourselves “ troubled ” by such letters as yours, and we are always ready to aid 
those who are endeavouring to render their gardens enjoyable aud profitable. 
You can grow Cucumbers in your greenhouse during the summer, or when you 
can maintain a night temperature of 65" without hard firing, and a moderately 
moist atmosphere. No harm will be done if the temperature falls to 60° occa¬ 
sionally in the morning, but it should not be lower. The best plan would be 
to make a wooden trough and place it on the front flue the entire length, and 
as wide as convenient. If it can be made 3 feet wide the sides may be formed 
of 9-inch boards l£ inch thick. If it is narrower the depth must be greater, 
which 11-inch boards will afford. Inch deals will do if strips are placed across 
the top of the trough at intervals of 3 feet and secured to the sides, as these 
would give the necessary rigidity. The bottom may either be formed of boards 
placed closely together with holes three-quarters of an inch in diameter and 
9 inches apart, or a number of narrow boards placed crosswise with quarter-inch 
spaces between them for drainage purposes. The holes or spaces must be 
covered with one layer of crocks and over them a layer of turves grass down¬ 
wards, or failing these with flakes of manure or leaves. The trough will then 
be ready for the soil, the best consisting of two parts of rather strong turfy 
loam, the remaining part decayed manure aud wood ashes. If a twentieth part 
of bone meal is added it will be beneficial. The soil must be rough and open, not 
sifted, and the trough filled about three parts full, the remaining space being' for 
top-dressings of rich soil or manure as the roots come through the surface. 
The soil must be placed in the trough some time before planting in order to be 
warmed. We will now refer to raising the plants. The best plan we think 
would be for you to purchase strong plants when you are ready for planting 
them ; they are not costly, aud should be planted 3 feet apart; or perhaps y ou 
might induce some neighbouring gardener to raise them for you if you gave 
him some seed. Raising good plants is the most difficult part of the matter , 
perhaps on this account you would like to raise them yourself. The best method 
of procedure would be to place a partition across the trough about 2 feet from 
the warmest end, aud cover the space with squares of glass ; you would then 
have a miniature propagating case. In this place a layer of cocoa-nut fibre 
refuse 4 inches thick, keeping it moist. When it is warm fill some 5-inch pots 
three parts full of soil, and when this also is warm, also moist, sow two seeds in 
each pot, placing them edgewise, and just cover them with soil, and lay a small 
piece of glass across each pot; the soil will not then need watering until the 
plants appear. You will only need one in each pot, therefore if two appear draw 
out one when the other is safe. At fiist prop up the glass for a few days, then 
remove it. Apply warm water whenever the soil appears dry. As the plants 
advance add fresh soil, and ventilate as needed by propping up slightly the roof 
of your case, and when they become large remove the glass entirely, then in the 
course of a week stand the pots in the soil in the trough for a few days before 
planting. The heat of the case should range between 70° and 80°. W hen the 
pots are filled with roots the plants will need much water. After being planted 
apply water whenever the soil appears dry, giving sufficient to moisten every 
particle. Syringe the plants in the morning aud again in the afternoon when 
the house is closed, whicli should be as early as possible, so that the temperature 
does not rise above 85° afterwards. When the plants reach the roof pinch off 
