JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
270 
[ March 30, 1882. 
If it be well also to remove a portion of the surface soil give a sprinkling of 
soot, and then add fresh soil containing no snails. A good mode of preventing 
snails ascending the pots is to stand each plant on a small pot inverted in a 
saucer always kept tilled with water. This will also be conducive to the health 
of the plants. 
Tuberoses (Amateur ).—There is great danger in overwatering before 
growth takes place and roots aie produced. There is no better and safer plan 
for amateurs than to pot the bulbs in healthily moist soil—that is, neither so 
dry on the one hand as to crumble, nor on the other to “ cake ” and retain the 
finger marks clearly when grasped—and then to plunge the pots in cocoa-nut 
fibre refuse or ashes, and cover them an inch deep in a frame or greenhouse. No 
water will then be ndeded until the growths protrude through the covering. 
The pots must then be removed to a light position, and water given to keep the 
soil regularly moist. 
Potting Azaleas (C. D .).—On page 243 of our last week’s issue you will 
find sound instructions on the culture of Indian Azaleas. As you neither state 
the size of your plants nor the pots in which they are growing, it is impossible 
for us to say whether they need repotting or not. We can only say it is easy to 
err by overpotting, while it is not difficult to keep even large plants healthy in 
small pots provided they are sufficiently yet carefully watered, giving them 
once a week weak and clear soot water, or liquid manure made from cow's or 
sheep’s dung ; but such aids are only needed when the pots are crowded with 
roots. If you repot the balls must not be reduced. The same remarks apply to 
Ghent Azaleas, only a third of sandy loam may be added to the peat. If they 
need potting it must be done a week after the plants have flowered, taking care 
that the seed pods, if any, are removed. The soil must be made firm. 
Grafting Fruit Trees (J. II. B .).—You are unquestionably “left in the 
lurch,” and we are not sure that we can extricate you. Unless, however, you 
are only a very new reader of the Journal you have only yourself to blame, 
for it has been repeatedly stated that the scions must be cut from the 
trees several weeks before the time for grafting, and inserted in soil in a cool 
position to arrest growth and enable the stocks to be in advance of them. Had 
you applied to us a month ago we could have complied with your wish, but we 
doubt if it is possible to do so now in a manner that will be either satisfactory 
to you or ourselves, but the subject shall have our prompt attention. 
Tea Roses (G. C., Derby ).—They do not succeed where the air is not pure, 
but as your plants have made strong growth the blooms would probably be more 
satisfactory if you were to cover your beds with tiffany affixed to a framework 
such as you could easily make. We know of no book giving the information you 
require. You would obtaui useful knowledge by examining a few houses in your 
district, in which there must be several. A small boiler and pipes would be the 
best for heating, but a well-constructed flue of earthenware pipes would do. 
Poultry Manure (Anxious ).—This is an excellent manure, and according 
to Dr. Anderson, Professor of Chemistry, Glasgow Universitj-, the analyses of 
a sample gave the following results. The dung was collected as fresh as 
possible :— 
Water . 60 88 
Organic matter and ammoniacal salts . 19-22 
Phosphates. 4-47 
Carbonate of lime. 7’65 
Alkaline salts. 1‘09 
Sand. 6'69 
100 00 
Ammonia. 074 
Phosphoric acid in the alkaline salts equal to 015 phosphate 
of lime. 0'07 
Calculated dry, and after deduction of sand, hens’ dung had the subjoined 
composition : — 
Organic matter and ammoniacal salts . 59-26 
Phosphates. 13'79 
Carbonate of lime. 23-58 
Alkaline salts. 3'37 
10000 
Ammonia. 2-27 
The relative values of different manures can only be determined on the crops to 
which they are intended to be applied. You can obtain what you require from 
manufacturers of, or large dealers in, artificial manures who are established in 
the market towns of agricultural districts. We cannot do anything so in¬ 
vidious as to recommend any particular vendor, as our doing so Mould be 
manifestly unfair to others equally reputable. 
Aralia Sieboldi (Flora ).—This is a distinct and handsome evergreen shrub 
which has proved hardy in the south of England, bnt is employed for conserva¬ 
tory, balcony, and room decoration. It has large deeply cut Fig-like foliage of a 
bright shining green colour. There is also a variegated form which is very at¬ 
tractive. The story you have been told respecting this plant is simply absurd. 
Chrysanthemums (C. E. C .).—You ought to have protected the plants 
from slugs with soot and lime, or adopted some other measures to have pre¬ 
vented their being eaten. The plants will yet make fresh growths if the slugs 
are kept from them, not otherwise. No varieties are less liable than others to 
the attacks of green fly. With care and good culture the attacks may be pre¬ 
vented. All flower well in the autumn, and should be grown in the open air in 
the summer. You will find notes and a selection of varieties in another column. 
Cover the Gladiolus corms about 3 inches deep, surrounding them with sand or 
crushed charcoal. 
Peach Flowers Falling (F. C .).~The trees have been kept much too 
dry at the roots. We doubt if you have properly understood the instructions to 
which yon refer, and certainly you have not followed them correctly. The 
mould on the stamens is indicative of the house having been kept too close. 
Some varieties produce more pollen than others, hence the difference to which 
you allude. The house ought not to be kept quite from 4 p.m. to 9 a.M. The air 
has, we suspect, been too moist, and undoubtedly the roots too dry for the welfare 
of your trees. 
Fruit, Bees and Poultry {Worker).—It the district is favourable for bees 
and fruit culture we have no doubt “ a good living could be m ide off three or 
four acres of good old pasture land,” but it could not be done without sound 
practical knowledge and hard work. We are unwilling to advise you to enter 
on such an undertaking solely on the knowledge you can obtain from books; 
indeed, there are no books that give the precise information that is requisite for 
attaining success in an enterprise of this nature. You must at the least inspect 
carefully the work of others who are engaged in a similar occupation, but it 
would be far better to obtain employment under those who have proved suc¬ 
cessful. If you are not prepared to do this you must be guided by your own 
small experiments, by the results of which you will be able to determine whether 
it will be advisable to extend your practice or not. There is a station at Isle- 
worth, on the South-Western Railway, which can be reached in about half an 
hour from the London terminus at Waterloo. 
Soil for Vines (Yorkshire Curate ).—You ask for a recipe for making a 
"V ine border, and at the same time say you can only procure peat, old garden 
soil, and roadside trimmings off a poor gravelly soil. In the first place the peat 
you have sent is of no use for the Vine border, nor for kitchen garden crops 
generally, but it will do for mixing to the extent of a third or a little more to 
the soil for an Asparagus bed. Procure all the roadside trimmings you can and 
saturate the heap with sen-age or such other liquid manure, not omitting urine, 
you can obtain. Turn the heap over once or twice, applying liquid manure each 
time. If you have any rubbish with which you can make a large fire do so, and 
when you have a good body of fire cover the pile with as much garden soil as 
possible, in order that it may be burnt or scorched; then mix the scorched soil 
and ashes with the saturated turf, adding also lime rubbish freely, say to the 
extent of one-tenth of the bulk, and if you can further add a bushel of half-inch 
bones to every two cartloads of soil the compost will be improved. This is the 
best advice we can give you under the circumstances, and a border thus made 
would, we think, with manurial top-dressings, grow good Grapes. Wire the 
house horizontally, stretching the wires not less than 15 inches from the glass ; 
18 inches if you have head room, and 10 inches apart. 
Heating a Greefihouse (Limerick).—There are more than one reason to 
be given for the apparatus not heating satisfactorily. The most common cause 
of failure or imperfect circulation of the hot water is due to air in the pipes. This 
may arise from the flow pipe not having a slight rise from the boiler until the 
highest elevation or level it is considered desirable for the flow pipe to have 
when the return is made to the boiler, and this return pipe must decline to 
the boiler, which will cause the air, if any, to rise to the point highest in the 
pipes and escape by an air pipe ; the water will then circulate and heat satis¬ 
factorily. The circulation is often impeded by depression in the pipes, which 
causes air to lodge often to the extent of separating the water in the pipes, and 
the circulation then ceases. Another and not infrequent cause of the apparatus 
not working well is having the flow and return pipes entering the boiler on 
nearly the same level, which causes the heated water to pass up the return pipe 
in but a slightly less degree than up the flow-, and the circulation is not only 
sluggish, but dangerous in the case of hard firing, and extremely wasteful of 
fuel. However, as you have not given any particulars we cannot do more than 
allude to probabilities, whereas had a more detailed account been given, and a 
rough sketch showing the position of the pipes, their course, and connection 
with the boiler, we might have been able to help you out of the difficulty and 
given a more pointed answer. 
Names of Fruits (IF. li. C.). —1, Blenheim Pippin; 2, 3, and 5, Duck’s 
Bill; 4, not known. (li. C .).—The Apple is, we think, the new Northern Green¬ 
ing, and is a very useful variety. 
Names of Plants (A. C .).—Alonsoa incisifolia. If all correspondents 
who sent sprays of plants for name in letters would place the specimen betwe en 
two leaves of a Zonal Pelargonium as you did they would save us much troub le 
and themselves some disappointment. 
Honey, not Swarms, Wanted (Clifton ).—Your hive, 12 inches square, 
will probably be ready to swarm early in May. By enlarging hives swarming 
is always delayed, and often prevented. Your box 4 inches deep should be 
placed on your hive as a super some time in April, about three weeks before the 
time of swarming, or in other words as soon as the combs of the hive are 
covered with bees, and if some empty comb or “ artificial foundations ” be fixed 
in the super the bees will enter it at once. But as your hive now is a small one 
an additional box 4 inches deep will not be enough to prevent swarming. A 
second box equal in size will be required, and this may be placed either above 
or below : if placed below it will give the bees more room for breeding in, thus 
making the hive stronger, and likely to send more honey to the super. But the 
box going below should have its crown hole very large, or, better still, without a 
top or crown at all, thus making the hive larger without partition board. If 
the season of 1882 be a good one for honey another super 4 inches deep may be 
required and filled. In using wood supers it is well to have small windows or 
peepholes in them so that we may know what is being done in them and when 
they are full, and also to place a sheet of paper on the crowns of hives to prevent 
the combs of supers from being fastened to them. In hot summers the passion 
of bees to swarm becomes in some instances a mania, and then they disregard 
all kinds of enlargements. In favourable seasons for honey, hives supered and 
managed as suggested above will not only fill their supers bnt be pretty well 
filled themselves by the end of the season. Your other hive will probably be 
ready for supering at a later date; on it try a larger super with some tempting 
guide comb or artificial foundations in it. 
COYENT GARDEN MARKET.— MARCH 29. 
We have been well supplied with all classes of goods, and a moderate trade 
has been doing at previous prices. Early fruits and vegetables show a downward 
tendency. 
VEGETABLES. 
8. d. S. d. 
Artichokes. 
. dozen 
2 
0to4 
0 
Asparagus. 
. bundle 
9 
0 
10 
0 
Beans, Kidney... 
. W 100 
2 
0 
2 
6 
Beet, Red. 
. dozen 
i 
0 
2 
0 
Broccoli. 
. bundle 
0 
9 
i 
6 
Brussels Sprouts. 
. 4 sieve 
1 
s 
i 
6 
Cabbage. 
. dozen 
0 
6 
i 
0 
Carrots. 
. bunch 
0 
4 
0 
6 
Capsicums.. 
. V 100 
i 
6 
2 
0 
Cauliflowers. 
. dozen 
i 
0 
3 
6 
Celery . 
. bundle 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Coleworts_doz. 
bunches 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Cucumbers. 
. each 
0 
9 
i 
0 
Endive. 
. dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Fennel. 
. bunch 
0 
8 
0 
0 
Q.rlic . 
. p lb. 
0 
6 
0 
0 
Uerbs. 
bunch 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Leeks. 
. bunch 
0 
8 
0 
4 
s. d. s. d 
Mushrooms .punnet 1 0 to 1 6 
Mustard* Cress .. punnet 0 2 0 3 
Onions. bushel 3 6 0 0 
pickling. * quart 0 0 0 6 
Parsley. doz.buuches 3 0 4 0 
Parsnips. dozen 10 2 0 
Potatoes. bushel 2 6 S 6 
Kidney. bushel 3 0 3 0 
Radishes_ doz .bunches 10 0 6 
Rhubarb. bundle 0 4 0 6 
Salsafy. bundle 10 0 0 
Scorzonera . bundle 16 0 0 
Seakale . basket 10 16 
Shallots. tb. o 3 0 o 
Spinach . bushel 3 0 0 0 
Tomatoes . tb. 1 0 2 e 
Turnips. bunch 0 4 0 0 
Vegetable Marrows each 0 0 o 
