February 1G, 1882. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 143 
White Azalea (J. Freeman). —Tlie flowers are very attractive, white, 
petals of good substance and smooth. One of the blooms somewhat resembles 
a Gardenia and the other a Balsam Occasionally similar flowers are produced 
by A. Borsig and Bernhard Andreas alba. Is the variety a seedling ? If all the 
flowers are like those before us we think it meritorious. 
Fungus on Mushrooms (T. TF.).—The fungus that is attacking your 
Mushrooms is Xylaria vaporaria, and has probably been introduced at some time 
or other with unpurified manure. It spreads rapidly in damp underground 
cellars and in such positions as you describe. We can only suggest that the 
cellar be subjected to a thorough cleansing and disinfecting process for extirpat¬ 
ing a pest so troublesome and injurious as this undoubtedly is. The rough grass 
you need for sowing under trees is Aira coespitosa. 
Asparagus ( Willesden ).—There is very little difference in the varieties of 
Asparagus, and none as to their adaptability to any particular kind of soil. 
Either the ordinary Giant Asparagus as sold by nurserymen, or Connover’s 
Colossal will give satisfaction if the soil is suitable and the cultivation sound. 
Clay soil is not suitable for Asparagus, and in some clays the plants will not 
grow. A rather light, or, at any rate, a free gritty soil containing a liberal 
admixture of vegetable matter, is requisite for the production of fine heads. 
Tour soil must be well worked and pulverised, affording such additions as will 
render it free, or you can scarcely expect satisfactory results. If you need 
further information relative to preparing the soil and planting we will readily 
supply it. 
Strawberries (Idem). —You ask for “Strawberries that will ripen in June 
and August.” If you mean you want varieties that will not ripen in July, we 
fear you will not succeed in obtaining them. The following are good varieties 
for succession, and will succeed in strong rich soil—Vicomtesse Hericart de 
Thury, Sir Joseph Paxton, Dr. Hogg, Elton, Eleanor, and Frogmore Late Pine. 
If you require more varieties and will state the number, we will make a further 
selection. 
Plants Too Tall (IF. J. P. .?.).—You say your plant is either a Dracaena 
or an Australian Palm. If it is a Dracaena you may adopt the practice you 
suggest, but if a Palm the plan is not applicable. You had better ask a good 
local gardener or nurseryman to see the plant, and take his advice on the subject. 
If the size of the specimen cannot be reduced, possibly you might exchange it 
for a smaller with someone who may be furnishing a large conservatory. 
Aphides on Peach Trees (R. L.). —Your trees are attacked by the 
Peach aphis, in respect of which Mr. Abbey has recorded that “ Nicotine soap at 
a strength of 3 to 4 ozs. to the gallon of water applied to the trees resulted in 
death to the insects and no injury in any case to foliage or fruit.” Mr. 
Abbey’s experiments with this insecticide may be found on page 280, April 8th, 
1880. 
Climbing Plants for Cool House and Stove (/. F.). —You give no 
particulars as to the size of the houses for which the plants are required, so we 
have selected about an equal number of strong and moderate-growing plants. 
Greenhouse —Clematis indivisa lobata, Cobasa scandens, Habrothamnus elegans, 
H. aurantiacus. Hardenbergia ovata, Hibbertia dentata, Lapagerea rosea, L. alba, 
Lonicera sempervirens, Bhodochiton volubile, Tacsonia Van-Volxemi, and Man- 
devilla suaveolens. Intermediate House —Bomarea Carderi, Bougainvillea glabra, 
Gloriosa superba, Manettia bicolor, M. micans, Passiflora princeps, P. kermesina 
Rhynchospermum jasminoides, Stigmaphyllum ciliatum, Thunbergia Harrisii, 
Jasminum grandiflorum, and Lagerstrcemia indica. Store —Allamanda Hender- 
soni, A. Schotti, Bignonia venusta, Clerodendron Balfourianum, Dipladenia 
Brearleyana, D. amabilis, Hexacentris mysorensis, Ipomoea Horsfalliae, Jasminum 
Sambac flore-pleno, J. gracillimum, Petrara volubilis, and Stephanotis floribunda. 
Manuring Vine Border (Reader). —If you have “no time” for applying 
liquid manure when it is needed, we presume you will have “ no time ” for 
removing a portion of old soil from the border, adding fresh loam with a fourth 
of wood ashes and a 6-iuch potful of crushed bones to each barrowload of the 
compost, and over all spreading a layer of rich manure 4 or 5 inches thick. This 
is the best mode of improving a Vine border where the root-action of the \ ines 
is defective. If the border is well drained, and water passes through it freely, 
you might, if you had time, apply liquid manure to it now, either using the 
drainage from dunghills, diluted sewage, or 2 ounces of guano dissolved in each 
gallon of water given. Liquid manure may be applied stronger now than in the 
season of growth. Such an application would be beneficial, but not so effectual 
as a fresh and suitable medium for the roots to work in. The quickest mode of 
assisting Vines is to spread 2 ounces of guano, or twice that quantity of super¬ 
phosphate of lime, on each square yard of the border just before a heavy shower 
of rain in June or July. 
Cypripedium insigne (Idem). —If this is the species to which you refer, 
the following mode of culture practised by a competent gardener will be suitable 
for your plants —■“ This easily cultivated Orchid well repays good treatment. 
Our plants are repotted in the spring of every second year; if they are allowed 
to remain longer without repotting the flowers are much smaller than they ought 
to be. For plants in 6 or 7-inch pots about 1^ inch depth of drainage is given ; 
the roots of the plants are washed clear of all old material, and the new potting 
soil is packed equally amongst the roots in repotting, leaving half an inch be¬ 
neath the rim of the pot clear for receiving water. The compost consists of 
peat, sphagnum, dry cow dung, and broken potsherds, and the second year a sur¬ 
facing of cow dung is given the plants, and soot water used for watering. After 
flowering the plants are placed in a cold vinery, and in spring are kept warmer. 
Through summer a pit is found for them, and when in flower they are placed 
wherever they may be required.” You will find an excellent article on Epi- 
phyllums on page 196 of vol. xxx., March 9th, 1876. If you do not possess this 
it can be bad from the publisher in return for 3£d. in postage stamps, and a 
request that he send you No. 780 of the Journal. 
Propagating Clematises (0. M. B .).—Although the young wood just 
when it is passing from crispness to firmness will emit roots in sand under bell- 
glasses, the pots being plunged in gentle heat, much care is needed in manage¬ 
ment, and success can only be achieved by experienced propagators. The best 
mode of increasing Clematises is to graft the young wood of the na.ture indicated 
on pieces of roots with fibres attached, of such free-rooting species as C. Flam- 
mula, the roots being potted, and the pots after the grafting is done being 
plunged in gentle heat or kept close in a moderately heated structure. You will 
find fuller particulars on grafting and growing Clematises on page 394 of vol. ii., 
third series, the issue of May 6th, 1881. This number can be had post free for 
3£<i. from our office. 
Grafting (J. II.). —The methods represented by the examples are correct, 
but the workmanship is not good. There must be no portion of the slice above 
the stock, as is much too visible in the larger specimen, neither must the tongue 
of the scion be broken at the bottom ns in the example before us; otherwise 
bark fits to bark closely and well, which is a very important point. In the 
smaller specimen the system, which is as good as any for wood of that size, is 
very imperfectly carried out. Neither the slicing of ti e stock nor scion is done 
with sufficient smoothness and regularity, and grafting thus done would not be 
successful. The bark of the stock and scion must at least fit closely together on 
one side, and on both sides if possible, as might have done in this case ; but in¬ 
stead of this the bark does not touch with any degree of regularity on either 
side of the stock. We presume you are aware that only firm last year’s wood is 
suitable for scions. We are unable to name the Apple. It has no relation to the 
Blenheim Pippin, and is probably a local variety. We consider it worthless, and 
should cut down the tree and graft with a superior kind. 
Cutting-down Camellias (II. IF.).—No plants endure cutting better 
than these. You may cut them down as close as you desire, and then, if the 
root-action is even fairly good, and the plants are kept in a warm house and 
syringed frequently, young growths will issue from the old wood freely. If they 
are cut down en’irely, as if pruning a Rose tree,and the roots are much crowded 
or in inert soil, they may have a great part of that soil removed, reducing the 
old balls considerably, and giving them a fresh sweet compost of turfy loam and 
peat in equal parts, and a plentiful admixture of silver sand. By carrying out 
this practice many tall and unsightly Camellias have been transformed into 
dwarf bushes bearing healthy foliage and fine fiowers. You may cut them down 
whenever you can afford brisk heat with moisture to induce them to break 
freely. 
Heating a Small Greenhouse (Clifton). —By your request your letter 
was submitted to “ D„ Deal,” who has replied as follows—“ My house is 20 feet 
by 9 wide, and my difficulty in heating it was simply that any hot-water ap¬ 
paratus that I then knew of would have had far too much power for so small a 
building, and that therefore the waste would have been great. And as economy 
was one great object with me, I determined, with the assistance of one of those 
native geniuses who are sometimes found in country villages, to heat it with hot 
air; but instead of making flues to have 6-inch drain pipes. This I did, placing 
the small furnace at one end, bringing the pipes all round the inside at a little 
distance from the wall, and making the chimney close by the furnace, so that 
there was the full benefit of the fire given to the house. I found, however, that 
in severe winters, when there was of necessity a larger amount of fuel used, the 
soot soon collected, and it became necessary to clean out the pipes oftener than 
was desirable, and it was very troublesome to have to take the elbows to pieces 
in so doing. We therefore altered it by building at each turn in the flue where 
the elbow should have been a small opening ; this was covered with a tile about 
12 inches square. When it became necessary to clean the flues, all that was 
required was to take off the tile, and thus easy access was gamed with a flue 
brush to all parts of the flue. This has succeeded perfectly, and I have no diffi¬ 
culty. As to the temperature at which I keep the house, I can only say my sole 
object is to keep out frost, and so long as this is done I am not careful about the 
temperature rate. I have lately seen a boiler which requires no setting, and 
which seems to act well; still I am so thoroughly satisfied with my present 
plan that I should not be induced to change it for any other system.” 
Making Bone Manure (A Few Subscriber, Liverpool). —We extract the 
following recipe from the" Gardeners’Year Book ” on making superphosphate of 
lime—“ Place 5 cwts. (or twelve bushels) of bones on an earthen floor, surrounded 
by a rim of ashes ; pour on as much water as the bones will suck up, and then 
pour on 2 cwt. of sulphuric acid ; it will boil somewhat violently for a while ; 
when this has subsided it will get tolerably solid, and the ashes and all may be 
shovelled up together, and will be fit for use in a day or two.” Another mode 
of dissolving bones is given in the same work which we cite—“ Take a large 
watertight hogshead and cover the bottom with about 6 inches deep of dry soil; 
on this put a layer of bones of the same depth, and cover them entirely with 
wood ashes; on these another layer of bones, then ashes, and so on till the hogs¬ 
head is full, placing a good thickness of ashes on the top. Leave it exposed to 
the rains all summer and winter till spring. Then on removing the contents 
of the hogshead, the bones will crumble to powder under a slight pressure, and 
form one of the most valuable manures ready for immediate use.” The 
manorial value of bones consists in the great quantity of phosphate of lime they 
contain. You will find more particulars and much valuable information in our 
manual on manure, which can be obtained post free from this office in return 
for 3 \d. in postage stamps. The “Year Book” (price Is.) can only be had now 
from Smith’s bookstalls at the railway stations. 
Heating a Mushroom House (Idem).—Fa doubt if a paraffin stove would 
not do more harm than good, as it would dry the air unduly, and a high tem¬ 
perature and dry atmosphere in a Mushroom house are great evils. Mushrooms 
really require but little heat. Hundreds cf pounds of the finest quality are 
gathered weeklj r throughout the winter from beds in the open air, but covered 
thickly with straw, near London, and without doubt they might be similarly 
produced near Liverpool if the necessary cultural skill were provided. If you 
can keep your house at a steady temperature of from 50° to 55- you may willi 
otherwise good management have abundance of Mushrooms. The surface of the 
beds may easily be kept at that temperature if the beds are thick enough and 
are well covered to conserve the heat. Or perhaps you may have room to place 
a heap of sweet fermenting material in the house, and if so this will afford a 
genial heat. If the house is by exposure or the thinness of its walls and roof 
liable to sudden fluctuations of temperature, thatch it thickly ; the temperature 
will' then be equable, and for the greater part of the year suited for Mushrooms. 
A still damp air and the temperature above named are the conditions you should 
aim at providing ; a dry air, draughty place, and a high temperature being in¬ 
imical to the growth of Mushrooms. A'our other question had been answered 
before the receipt of your second letter. 
Arrangement of Vinery (Yorkshire Rector). —Your proposed alteration 
will be a very great improvement, and we think the projected arrangement of 
the house is good. The flue and plant stage over it will do very well, but slates 
would be preferable to open latticework over the flue, the heat from which 
might otherwise be too dry for the plants. The pipes mustnot.be in direct 
contact with the furnace, but a length of 6 feet should be built with bricks, as 
the intense heat might cause the pipes to crack. There should be a rise of from 
6 inches to a foot from the furnace bars to the flue, and all the turnings must 
be smooth—that is, there should be no sharp angles or elbows anywhere. A 
damper would be useful placed in the chimney for regulating the draught and 
conserving the heat. The Vine border is of the proper depth and well formed, 
and the first 5 feet will be ample for the first year. If you covet a large number 
of medium-sized bunches of useful Grapes, you may plant five A ines, those at 
the ends being 18 inches from the extremities of the house, and the others equi¬ 
distant between them. If you prefer a fewer number of bunches and fine ex¬ 
amples, four Vines will be sufficient. They may enter the house just under the sill 
and on a level with the front stage as shown in your sketch. In all probability 
all the Vines will not flourish equally well ; and if one makes better progress 
than the others and produces better fruit we should take an additional rod or 
