August 12 , 1880. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 149 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Wm. Cutbush & Sons, Higligate, London. —Catalogues of Stove and 
Greenhouse Plants and Bulbs. 
Wm. Paul & Son, Waltham Cross. —Catalogue of Bulbs. 
John Laiug & Co., Forest Hill, London.— Catalogue of Bulbs. 
Damman & Co., Leipzig. —General Catalogue of Plants. 
George Rudd, Undercliffe, Bradford, Yorkshire. — Catalogue of 
Auriculas, Carnations, and Picotees. 
*** All correspondence should be directed either to “ The Editors ” 
or to “The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Mr. Johnson or 
Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoidably. We request that 
no one will write privately to any of our correspondents, as doing 
so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions relat¬ 
ing to Gardening and those on Poultry and Bee subjects, and 
should never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended for insertion should be written on one side of 
the paper only. We cannot reply to questions through the post, 
and we do not undertake to return rejected communications. 
Culture of Tea Roses (Reader'). —You will gain all the information you 
require from Nos. 995, 998, and 1002 of this Journal. 
Twin Cucumbers (B. C .).—We have had many specimens sent to us 
similar to the one to which you allude ; indeed twin fruits appear to be plentiful 
this year. 
Caterpillar on Clematis (Rusin Urbe). —This is the caterpillar of the 
Buff Ermine Moth (Arctia lubricipeda), which feeds on a variety of plants in 
gardens. There is no remedy but hand-picking. 
Clematis Injured (Idem ).—We are unable to account satisfactorily for 
the withering of the buds and tips of the shoots. We have seen them injured 
by the wind, and also shrivel when the soil has been too dry for affording the 
support necessary for continuing free and unchecked growth. The soil may be 
moist enough on the surface, but is it moist below ? 
Manure for Mushroom-growing (7. IV. C .).—There is no practical 
difference between the droppings of horses and mares at the time the droppings 
are collected for making up Mushroom beds. We have employed both for many 
years with satisfactory results. 
St. Ignatius Bean (T., Derby ).—This is the seed of Ignatia amara, a plant 
that is allied to the Strychnos nux vomica of commerce. The fruit is about the 
size of a Pear, and is covered with a thick rind. The so-called “ beans ” contain 
a large quantity of the alkaloid strychnia, which has been employed in medicine. 
Various (Flora ).—The “ Green Bose" you could possibly obtain from any 
of the chief nurserymen. Schinus Molle requires a stove temperature in this 
country to grow it successfully. There are botanic gardens both at Frankfort 
and Hamburgh. 
Jasminum officinale (S. C. 0 .).—Possibly this is the “ common white 
Jessamine ” to which you allude ; if so, it may be allowed to'grow freely during 
summer, and in autumn prune in the straggling shoots. It may be propagated 
either by cuttings or layers. 
Cucumbers not Swelling (Half-pay). —The most likely cause of the fruit 
turning yellow at the neck, being crooked and bad generally, is the recent dull 
wet weather, and could only be remedied by gentle fire heat so as to admit of a 
circulation of warm air. The most reliable variety for market purposes is 
Telegraph ; Paragon also is very good. 
Mealy Bug on Stove and Greenhouse Plants (.4 Victim to Bug).— 
A solution of nicotine soap, 6 ozs. to a gallon of water will destroy mealy bug ; 
the plants if small being dipped, or if large laid on their sides and syringed, 
turning them so as to thoroughly wet every part. The solution should be 
applied at a temperature of 100° to 120°. 
Grapes Shanking (J. K. Boyd ).—Bemoving large quantities of foliage at 
one time is almost certain to produce shanking or scalding, but generally the 
former, and is not favourable to the perfect finish of the Grapes, not infrequently 
resulting in deficiency of colour in black varieties. 
Men Required in Garden (Subscriber ).—Much depends upon the extent 
■ of glass and the flower garden, but as a rule a man to every' acre of ground 
is considered sufficient, the glass being in proportion to the extent of ground 
as usually prevails in private establishments. Had you given more particulars 
our reply would have been more explicit. 
Rose Foliage Eaten (Horace). —The leaves have been eaten and perforated 
by some caterpillar. Syringe the trees with tobacco water—viz., a gallon of 
tobacco juice diluted with 6 gallons of water, adding 2 ozs. of soft soap to each 
gallon of the liquid. Apply it during a calm evening. 
Greenhouse Plant not Flowering (A Subscriber). — The few leaves 
you sent appear to be those of some Myrtaceous plant, but without flowers it is 
impossible to determine the species. The excessive luxuriance you mention is 
probably the cause of its not flowering. Turn the plant out of the pot, and 
repot it in a compost of peat, loam, and sand without any manure. Place it in 
a position where it will be fully exposed to the sun, so that the growth may be 
matured. 
Liming Vine Borders (Beauchamp Stannus ).— Having given your Vine 
borders a dressing of lime in spring, more will not be needed for two or three 
years, unless a small quantity was applied, when a similar quantity may be given 
annually. Lime acts as a decomposer of animal and vegetable matter. It also 
affords calcareous matter, so essential to some kinds of Grapes, particularly 
Frontiguan. 
Vines for Early Forcing (T. Andrews).— Of the Vines you name Buck- 
land Sweetwater and Mill Hill Hamburgh are the only suitable varieties. Frank- 
entlial can be forced, but does not always colour well, and Muscat Hamburgh sets 
so badly that it cannot be satisfactory. Similar remarks apply to Golden Queen, 
which with Madresfield Court are capital midseason Grapes and good for start¬ 
ing in early spring. Gros Colman and Alicante are excellent late Grapes. Add 
to the first two named Black Hamburgh, Foster's Seedling, and "White Fron¬ 
tiguan—all suitable for early forcing. 
Vine Leaves Scorched (F. /.).—The removal of the foliage in quantity 
would have a tendency to induce scorching, and ought not to have been neces¬ 
sary had pinching been resorted to at the proper time. Never allow more foliage 
to be retained than there is sufficient space for, as when the leaves are crowded 
they cannot properly perform their functions, and their removal may, after a 
dull period, result in the remaining leaves being scorched. 
Tomato Leaves Curled (J. Bartlett).—' The variety is either too heavily 
cropped, or is less robust in character than the other that remains in a healthy 
state. There are traces of mildew on the foliage, and on one leaf some dis¬ 
coloration that conveys a suspicion that the plant is attacked with the disease 
similar to that affecting Potatoes. If the brown patches increase in size and 
number you had better cut off all the affected growths, or even destroy the 
plants, with the object of preserving the others that yet remain in a healthy 
state. We have seen thousands of plants quite ruined with the “disease.” 
Yours, however, judging by the leaves sent, appear to be only slightly affected 
with the malady and may possibly recover. 
Tomatoes not Fruiting (77. T. II.). —Many besides yourself find the 
“ early blooms barren ” on plants grown in pots under glass, and several good 
cultivators remove the first flowers and seldom fail to obtain a full crop, the 
flowers subsequently produced generally setting well. It is an excellent plan to 
retain only one stem to each plant, and with sufficient light for the foliage and 
otherwise good management heavy crops are produced. Your letter shall have 
our attention. 
Pruning Chimonanthus fragrans (.17. —Cut back all excessively 
long or irregular shoots after the shrub has flowered, and train-in the branches 
to the wall. During the spring and summer any coarse growths can also be re¬ 
moved. This shrub, although of easy culture, does not usually flower very pro¬ 
fusely unless it is in a warm border and trained to a wall with a south or south¬ 
west aspect. When too luxuriant lifting and replanting is an efficacious mode 
of checking it, and inducing the production of flowers. 
Melon Stems Cankering (Gardener).— The canker at the stem and 
roots is caused by a superabundant supply of moisture after the stem has been 
for a time dry, and not unfrequently is caused by the stem being covered with 
leaves ; or drip from the lights will cause it. Remove the leaves which cover 
the stem, and keep a clear space of about 6 inches from the stem all round, and 
if any canker appear rub it dry with quicklime, and dust it over with it after 
the operation. Examine the plants frequently, say two or three times a week, 
and if any canker continue apply fresh lime, dusting again as before, and the 
best results may follow. 
Culture of Indigofera decora (M. D.).— It is of free growth, and 
requires the wood well ripened to ensure profuse flowering. Prune in February 
or March, when the plants are beginning to grow, cutting them in rather closely, 
or in case of old plants spur the shoots into two or three eyes of their base. 
Young plants will of course need to have the shoots left longer for the formation 
of the specimen, and being in a cool airy part of the house they will break 
naturally and strongly. When the young shoots are an inch long turn the 
plants, remove most of the old soil, and pot in the same size of pot or a little 
larger, and place in a close pit, shading from bright sun until the plants have 
recovered, then expose them to light and air, syringing with water morning 
and evening up to flowering to keep down red spider. When the roots are 
slightly matted shift into a pot 2 to 4 inches larger in diameter, providing good 
drainage. Water abundantly when growing and flowering, afterwards expose 
the plant fully to light and air, and in winter keep it dry, not, however, so as to 
cause the wood to shrivel or leaves to fall prematurely. Equal parts of sandy peat 
and fibrous loam, a quarter part of leaf soil or old dry cow dung, a sixth of silver 
sand, with a like quantity of pieces of charcoal form a suitable compost. 
Vegetation North and South (Rev. C. ,S'.).—The average summer tempera¬ 
ture is almost invariably some degrees lower in the district to which you refer than 
in the south of England, and the crops are correspondingly later. We know' a 
gentleman who remains in the south until the small fruit crops—Strawberries, 
Currants, Raspberries, and Gooseberries are over, and then goes to his residence 
in Morayshire aud finds them just commencing ripening. This has been his 
practice for thirty years, and he has never, when the crops were good, been dis¬ 
appointed of his second period of fruit. Nearly all the hay is gathered in the 
south, and grain-cutting has commenced, but with you the corn is not nearly 
ripe. The difference generally holds good throughout the season, but occasion¬ 
ally the autumn is brighter and drier in some districts of Scotland than in the 
south of England, which is fortunate for you, or some crops in the north could 
not ripen at all. 
Roses Exuberant (Irish Subscriber).— Thin-out the growths if crowded, 
retaining those that are short-jointed, removing those that are very sappy on 
the one hand and weak on the other. By thus admitting light and air to the 
foliage you will aid in maturing the growth. As you reside in a moist climate 
you may possibly with advantage remove the tips of those shoots that are 4 feet 
high, but the growths usually become firm without being stopped w'hen they arc 
thinly disposed. If you do not prune the plants too closely in the winter you 
will probably have fine blooms next year, but close pruning will result in further 
strong and perhaps flowerless growths. 
Late Strawberries (IF. B. E.). —Elton, Eleanor, Frogmore Late Pine, and 
Loxford Hall Seedling are amongst the most useful late varieties. Dr. Hogg is 
often late when grown in a cool position, and is of better flavour than the others. 
It is not safe to grow only one late Strawberry, as the varieties do not succeed 
equally well in all districts. Try those named, and select the one most suitable 
for your soil and situation. They can be had from growers who advertise in our 
columns. We never recommend dealers. 
Roses for Chalk Soil (M. B D .).—By trenching the soil and making it 
good with the addition of manure to a depth of 2 feet, and covering the surface 
thickly with manure, all free-growing Roses will succeed in your garden. As 
you do not state the number of varieties } r ou require we cannot usefully make a 
selection for vou , but if you state the number you want to a good Rose nursery¬ 
man, stating also the nature of the soil, he will send you suitable varieties. If 
