212 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ September 1, 1881. 
E. G. Henderson & Son, Maida Yale, London.— Catalogue of Bulbs. 
Thos. S. Ware, Hale Farm, Tottenham, London.— Catalogue of 
Bulbs and Hardy Perennials ( Illustrated). 
George Templeton, Prestwick, N.B.— Catalogue of Selected Roses. 
Edmund Philip Dixon, Hull.— Catalogue of Bulbs. 
Osborn & Sons, Fulham.— Catalogue of Bulbs. 
o r 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
%* All correspondence should be directed either to “The Editor” 
or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dr. Hogg or 
members of the staff often remain unopened unavoidably. We 
request that no one will write privately to any of our correspon¬ 
dents, as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. 
Early Nectarine (II. A. R.). —Lord Napier is the earliest variety in culti¬ 
vation ; the fruit is also very fine and of excellent quality. It will be suitable 
for both the objects you have in view. One of the best of the older Nectarines 
for forcing is the Elruge ; but if you only want one variety, and that the earliest, 
choose the former, and order your trees early, good examples not being easy to 
obtain late in the season. 
Brood of Caterpillars (TF. Thomas). —Those received are examples of the 
common species, Pygmra Bucephala, also called the buff-tip moth ; about a 
fourth of the size they would reach at maturity. Though very partial to Elm 
and Lime, they are often discovered on various fruit trees, and they appear 
indeed to be rather promiscuous feeders. The conspicuous moths may be 
detected laying their eggs in July. 
Reine Marie Henriette Rose (IF R. (?.).—We have no doubt this Rose 
will succeed out of doors in your district, assuming the soil and aspect are 
suitable. The only doubt we have of the position you name being suitable is 
that it may be too hot and dry, and in all probability the plant would grow 
more freely in a cooler aspect. 
The Phylloxera ( Philodendron ).—The insect attacks the roots and leaves 
of the Vine and not the bark in the manner you suppose. You will find illustra¬ 
tions of a leaf and roots when attacked by this pest in our issue of August 19th, 
1880, also notes on the history of the insect. If you do not possess this number 
it can be had in return for 3.jtf. in postage stamps sent to the publisher. 
Prize Gooseberries (C. Freeman). —We are unable to give you the infor¬ 
mation you seek; but if you write to Mr. Charles Leicester, nurseryman, 
Macclesfield, and enclose a stamped directed envelope for a reply, he will no 
doubt be able to answer your inquiry. 
Report of Show (II. E. Monk). —We have waited some time before noticing 
your letter in case the report to which you allude came to hand. We have not 
received anything from you in addition to the letter which is referred to in 
another column. 
Select Greenhouse Adiantums (0. 0.).—In addition to those you 
name you might grow the following—A affine, A. concinnum latum (in a warm 
corner), A. hispidulum, A. reniforme, A. pubescens, and any varieties of A. 
Capillus-Veneris. Adiantum cardiochlrena is a stove Fern, and is described in 
the “ Synopsis Filicum ” of Hooker and Baker under the name of A. poly- 
phyllum, a native of South America. It was introduced nearly twenty years 
agoi 
Pruning Budded Briars (F. 7?.).— The Briar growths in which the buds 
are inserted are best left unshortened until the spring. If they are shortened 
now the buds often start into growth, and as that growth cannot be firm and 
matured before winter it is in extreme danger of being killed by the frost. It is 
better for the Rose buds to remain dormant through the winter, when they 
produce strong growths in the spring, and often afford fine exhibition blooms. 
Strawberries and Vines (A. Sankey). —It is impossible for us to recom¬ 
mend dealers in plants or garden appliances of any kind, as if we were to advise 
you to apply to any particular nurseryman we should cast an unmerited slight 
on twenty others who could supply you as well, and this, as you will perceive, 
would be obviously unfair. Write to any of those nurserymen who advertise in 
our columns, and if they do not possess every variety you want they will 
probably obtain it for you. All nurserymen of standing keep true stocks of 
d ines and Strawberries, otherwise they would soon lose their reputation. 
Polyanthuses (P. A.). —We are not aware that a cross similar to the one 
you name has been effected, at least we have not not seen any plants that have 
indicated the parentage of such an alliance. We would not, however, say such 
a cross is impossible, as we remember a saying of a celebrated statesman that 
“ nothing is so certain as the unexpected.” Certainly take care of the plants 
and hope for the best, but do not be disappointed if they do not equal your 
expectations. 
Sawdust for Rhododendrons (A. B.,Perthshire). —The article to which 
you refer may be found on page 446, the issue of June 2nd of the present year ; 
but it was subsequently stated on page 495 that “ when Mr. Cuthbert Johnson 
made his Rhododendron bed he used fresh sawdust mixed in equal proportions 
with common garden soil, and to this he added a good dressing of bone super¬ 
phosphate, but we are unable to state in what proportions.” 
Arranging Pipes [( Eighteen-years Subscriber). —Your proposed mode of 
arrangement will certainly impede the circulation ; indeed if the dip is not well 
above the return opening in the boiler, say 18 inches, you will hare no circula¬ 
tion at all, and even then if you have to fire very hard the water may be forced 
out of the supply cistern. It is always undesirable to have sudden dips in flow 
pipes, and they should not be adopted except on the advice of a competent 
hot-water engineer who has examined the apparatus and the whole of the 
connections. 
Seedling Petunia (J. Ribbons). —In consequence of the flowers having 
been placed in the box loosely—that is, without any packing to render it firm 
and immoveable, it had been so'shaken in transit that the outer petals by coming 
in contact with the sides of the box were quite crushed and spoiled. So far as 
we can see the flower appears to be very compact, the colours good, and the 
edges of the petals frilled to a rather unusual extent. Judging by the much- 
injured flower before us, we think the variety is a promising one and worthy of 
preservation. The value of Petunias, however, depends greatly on the habits of 
the plants and their free-flowering character. 
Vines in Stove (J. E., Lewes ).—By all means retain the Vine, the growth 
of which will enter a cooler house. It may start a little earlier on account of 
its stem being in the stove, but not, we think, so early as to prevent your main¬ 
taining the growth. We presume you will not permit any growths to extend 
from that portion of the stem in the warm compartment of the structure. If 
the Vine does not answer your expectations you can remove it afterwards, but 
we should certainly give it a trial. A saddle boiler 2 feet long will be large 
enough for heating the pipes you name, or a conical boiler of the same height, to 
be fed with coke, would answer the same purpose ; the question is simply one 
of fuel. 
Keeping Grapes (8. F). —When Grapes are kept in water a good portion 
of the bunch-bearing laterals are severed from the Vine and the ends inserted in 
bottles of water, such as ordinary wine bottles, a little charcoal being placed in 
each bottle to keep the water pure. The bottles are fixed in a slanting position 
in a fruit room or other suitable place, so that the Grapes hang clear of them, 
and a steady temperature is maintained between 40° and 45°. The room in 
which they are placed should be kept dark or nearly so, much light being dis¬ 
advantageous to the keeping of the fruit. 
Dahlia Blooms Imperfect (Render). —Early blooms often come faulty, 
and they should be removed. Some varieties are also more liable than others to 
produce imperfect flowers, yet by selecting round and smooth buds good flowers 
can generally be secured. Superfluous growths should be removed from the 
plants, and also a portion of the flower buds from the growths remaining, and 
then by supplying the plants with liquid manure if they need it you may expect 
some good flowers if you have good varieties. Soil that will grow Chrysanthe¬ 
mums well will also grow Sparmannias, and soil that will grow Fuchsias will be 
suitable for Eupatoriums. 
Grapes.—A correspondent has sent us some Grapes placed so loosely in a 
tin box that they arrived completely crushed, and the juice from them had re¬ 
converted the letter accompanying them into its original pulp. They were 
white Grapes, and this is all we can say about them. Unless ripe fruit and 
flowers are packed so as to be immoveable whilst travelling, they never arrive 
in anything like the condition they were when sent off, and the senders neces¬ 
sarily fail in their object. (R. 0., Aberdeen). —The Grapes sent were far from 
being ripe, and it is impossible to name them with certainty in their present 
condition. Further, it is desirable that a fair sample of the foliage accompany 
the fruit for the purpose of identification. The white Grape appears to be a 
Muscat, and the other resembles Madresfield Court in appearance, but the fruit 
being quite sour deprives us of an important test in determining the name with 
accuracy. 
Hardy Azaleas (R. C. D.). — We have seen hardy Azaleas flourishing 
admirably in soil that did not contain any peat. Unless the soil of your garden 
contains much lime, or is thin with a dry rocky subsoil, we have no doubt the 
plants will flourish if you add liberally leaf soil or vegetable matter of any kind, 
including cocoa-nut fibre refuse or sawdust. If the soil is heavy you cannot add 
too much vegetable matter, and it will be well also to mulch the surface with 
material of the same nature or much-decayed manure, and the roots must not be 
injured by digging among the plants. The mulching is particularly essential 
during the summer, and in addition to it copious supplies of water in dry 
weather will be very advantageous ; the roots of those plants being very fine, 
almost hnir-like, soon suffer by a deficiency of moisture. 
Peach Tree Unsatisfactory (IF T.). —Without having more particulars 
of the condition of your tree it is difficult to answer your letter satisfactorily. 
The falling of the fruit may result from various causes—namely, overcrowded 
growth in summer, and consequently immature wood, red spider extracting 
the juices of the tree, too dry soil, or too close an atmosphere. If you are certain 
that the management has been correct in all these respects we advise you to lift 
the roots and place them in fresh loam. The lifting may be done as soon as the 
buds are prominent, syringing the foliage and shading it slightly if needful to 
maintain its freshness for inducing fresh roots at once. Some people we know 
have advised that Peach trees cannot be safely lifted until the foliage has fallen, 
but this only indicates that they have not had experience in the matter. We 
shall shortly publish notes on the culture of greenhouse Rhododendrons that 
will be of service to you. 
Vines in Pasture (J. B .).—We are pleased to learn that you have profited 
so well by our instructions. We have numbers of correspondents from whom 
we receive similarly gratifying testimony of the utility of our pages. We have 
seen excellent crops of Grapes when the roots of the Vines have been turfed 
over, the soil of course having been suitable. Trench the soil, but not so deeply 
as to bring up much of the sour subsoil, and add bones and wood ashes liberally, 
also drain the site if it is wet. If you could leave the soil exposed for a week or 
two and turned up as roughly as possible it would be an advantage. Take the 
turves off as thick as possible and make the soil firm, or the animals will injure 
the roots. You can give copious supplies of liquid manure in the summer.. The 
method you propose is an experiment, yet one well worth trying, and we shall 
be glad to learn the results of it. 
Names of Fruits (Ramalho). —The variations in character of the speci¬ 
mens you have sent are so great that it is not surprising different names have 
been given when individual specimens have been submitted for identification. 
Not one of those before us is identical in all respects with Early Margaret, yet they 
show more of the characters of that Apple than any other. Soils and positions 
exert a great influence on fruit. We think it is the variety we have named, and 
had the colour been deeper we should have had no doubt about it. (Sussex ).— 
It is the Amire Joannet, and is known in Sussex and some other counties as the 
Harvest Fear. 
Names Of Plants (Mac ).—The Hieracium to which you allude is 
certainly H. boreale, and the one in flower appears to be H. sylvaticum. The 
other two plants are Atriplex patula and Cbenopodium album. (A. II. T .).— 
The shrub appears to be a Staphylea. possibly S. pinnata. ( Winchester ).—If you 
send us a specimen seemely packed in a small box we will endeavour to name 
your plant; the leaf and flowers simply enclosed in a letter were crushed beyond 
identification. (J. G .).—A small flower of Pancratium fragrans. (St. Asaph). — 
1, Areca lutescens ; 2, Nephrolepis pectinata ; 3, Davallia elegans dissecta; 4, a 
variety .of Gymnogramma chrysopliylla. (IF II. L .).—If your plant is a peren¬ 
nial it is Linaria purpurea, but if an annual Linaria hybrida; 2, Lycium bar- 
barum. Willow-leaved Box Thorn, a valuable plant for covering naked walls. 
