September 16,1880. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 269 
they will have a temperature of 40° to 45° at night and 50° in the day, 
so that they will come on with little forcing. For forcing the early 
varieties should be employed, such as Borsig, Narcissiflora, Raphael, 
all three with double white sweet-scented flowers; Fielder’s White, 
alba, vittata elegans, and Jean Vervaine, one of the freest and best 
of Azaleas, which are all valuable for affording cut flowers, and for 
decoration. The later-flowering plants must not be shaded any 
longer, and they should at once be tied into shape before the growth 
is complete, so that the points of the shoots may assume their upright 
position. 
Chrysanthemums should have the final staking and training, the 
upright bush form being most suitable for general purposes. Employ 
no more stakes than are necessary to keep the plants in shape. 
Where large flowers are wanted the side growths must be removed 
from the principal shoots, retaining the latter in numbers propor¬ 
tionate to the size of flowers required, retaining a single flower to each 
shoot, removing the flowers not required as soon as they are large 
enough to cut out with a pair of scissors. Plants trained with single 
stems for specimen blooms must also have the side growths removed, 
and all flower buds except the central one. Afford liquid manure 
liberally. Pot the chief batch of Hyacinths, Narcissuses, Tulips, 
Crocuses, &c., plunging the pots in a good bed of ashes 6 inches 
below the surface, and if there is convenience for throwing off heavy 
rains it will be an advantage. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Louis Van Houtte, Ghent, Belgium.— Catalogue of Azaleas, Camel¬ 
lias , and Rhododendrons. 
Robert Mack & Son, Catterick Bridge, Yorkshire. — Catalogue of 
Roses. 
James Yates, Stockport.— Catalogue of Bulbs. 
*** 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. 
The Growth of Beans (/. //.).—There is no foundation whatever for 
the absurd story to which you refer, and it is surprising that such singular 
notions can be entertained now-a-days. 
Wall Trees (Ramalho ).—All kinds of fruit trees that will succeed against 
a brick or stone wall in your district, will also succeed against a flint wall of the 
same aspect. Peaches and Nectarines would no doubt thrive well, as also would 
Pears; but the wall is too low for growing fruit trees satisfactorily. 
Vine Wood Injured ( Fleetwood ).—We shall be glad to receive some leaves 
of the infected Vines, which we think will aid us in determining the cause of 
the peculiar substance growing on the bark. Please send us a fair sample, say 
half a dozen leaves, not selecting those that appear the most healthy. 
Bulbous Irises (E. S. 11'.).— For culture in pots Xiphion persicum and 
X. reticulatum are the two best and cheapest you can employ. Several bulbs 
should be potted together in a 48 or 32-size pot, in a rich light compost of loam, 
leaf soil, and sand, with a small proportion of well-decomposed manure. Place 
the pots near the glass in a cool house or frame, and the plants will flower several 
weeks before those out of doors. The Spanish Irises should be planted during 
the present month or early in the spring. 
Bracken for Mulching (Sussex). — The bracken referred to as em¬ 
ployed for covering the ground between the row's of Strawberries was placed 
on the beds when the plants commenced flowering, and consequently had been 
cut during the preceding autumn. The bracken is stacked for the winter and 
cut for use in the spring, the same as cutting hay. The Strawberry beds were 
heavily watered before the covering was applied to the surface. 
Farfugium grande (A. Boyle ).—The variegated form of this plant is 
usually the most marked when the plains are grown in rather poor soil, and in 
a position not too moist and shaded ; but slight shade is not objectionable. We 
have recently seen plants in the most satisfactory condition growing in shallow 
soil, and shaded from the mid-day sun from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. Try your plants 
in a similar position. 
Wintering Mentha Pulegium gibraltarica and Herniaria 
glabra (Derby ).—The former will pass the winter safely in a dry position on the 
south side of a wall or fence, small tufts beiug planted at the present time,‘to 
become established before winter. It is well, how'ever, to plant them so that 
they can be covered with handlights or a frame in very wet or severe weather. 
They may also be wintered in boxes in a cold frame, to be well ventilated during 
all favourable w'eather. Herniaria glabra is perfectly hardy. 
Grapes Decaying (J. M., Cheshire ).—Various causes have contributed 
to tbef very unsatisfactory state of your Grapes. In the first place, the Vines 
appear to have been rather too heavily cropped, and when such is the case the 
skins of the berries are always deficient in texture, and consequently the fruit 
does not keep well. Next, the bunches were not thinned sufficiently for keeping 
for three months and more after they were ripe. They were thinned correctly 
for use in June, but not for hanging until the present time. Further, the 
atmosphere of the house has been kept too moist and close, and mouldy berries 
have not been cut out so promptly as was desirable. Possibly the house is in 
a damp position, or there may have been some leakage from the roof. When 
Grapes are ripe and the slightest appearance of mould appears on any berry 
that berry should be cut out, or the mould speedily spreads through the entire 
bunch. With more vigorous root-action the fruit would be produced in better 
condition for keeping after the crops were ripe. 
Stopping and Training Chrysanthemums (Artisan ).—If you require 
a few large blooms on each plant for exhibition purposes the axillary growths 
which you show in the sketch must be pinched out; but if you desire a great 
number of smaller flowers to produce a gay effect in a conservatory and for 
cutting for vase decoration some of the uppermost growths may remain. The 
leading growths must not be stopped now. The shoots on the dwarf specimens 
must be trained so that when finished the plants have somewhat of the form of 
an inverted deep saucer, the flowers being at regular distances all over the plant, 
and of the requisite height for forming a smooth surface. Much judgment is 
necessary in training them so as to produce the result required, some shoots 
having to be bent considerably to bring their points to a given position, and the 
growths of your plants are not yet long enough for this to be done. As to con¬ 
tinuing training the shoots horizontally, that must depend on the question of 
your having “ stuff enough ” to fill up the centre well. 
Pruning Climbing Rose (A Reader ).—If the other portions of the plants 
are strong and healthy you may shorten the rampant growths now, and if very 
crowded remove some of them entirely; but if the older portions of the plants 
are weakly and not likely to produce good flowers, then you must retain the 
firmest, short-jointed, and most promising of the young growths, cutting the older 
and weaker parts away. No one, however, can satisfactorily answer a question 
such as yours. We can only make suggestions, to which you must bring your 
own thought and intelligence to bear in carrying them out. You had better 
invite some friend who lias a practical knowledge of Roses to see your plants, 
and he will probably be able to give you some useful advice. Young growths of 
Roses are not more liable to injury by frost than is the older wood of the plants, 
if as much 
Cypcrvts alternifolius variegatus (Idem ).—You have overpotted the 
plant, and employed too rich soil. Gradually withhold water, keeping the soil 
comparatively dry during the winter; and in spring when fresh growth is com¬ 
mencing divide the plant, potting the portion with variegated leaves in much 
poorer and very sandy soil. 
Hardy Fuchsia in Scotland (Amateur ).—It is impossible to name the 
plant from a spray simply sent in an envelope, and which arrived in a much 
crushed and withered state. Possibly, however, it is Fuchsia Riccartoni, which 
is very fine in many parts of Scotland. The best and quickest mode of securing 
flowering plants is by dividing the roots of some healthy young bushes. Failing 
these you must obtain cuttings. The surest mode of obtaining a stock of young 
plants is to insert cuttings of the growing shoots in spring in pots of sandy soil, 
to be plunged in a heated frame or propagating house, and watered and shaded 
to prevent the foliage flagging. These cuttings strike freely, and if duly potted 
and eventually planted out soon make floriferous bushes. Cuttings of matured 
young shoots inserted now in light soil in a cold frame will also strike, but not 
so readily. These cuttings should be 6 inches in length, and inserted 5 inches 
deep, only one bud and joint being above the surface of the soil, and they should 
be protected from frost during the winter. 
"Wintering Potatoes (Subscriber ).—We prefer the Potatoes placed in thin 
heaps on the level of the ground rather than in excavations or pits below it, but 
by the former plan greater care is requisite in protecting the tubers from frost. 
The site should be dry and firm, from 3 to 4 feet wide, the tubers being neatly 
piled so as to form a sharp ridge or apex. They should be perfectly dry when 
placed in the heap, not one diseased tuber being admitted. A covering at least 
6 inches in thickness of very' dry and straight straw should next be given, then 
with the spade commence digging a foot from the straw all round, and continue 
that thickness of soil over the entire heap. For ventilation 3-incli drain pipes 
may be placed on end at intervals of 3 or 4 feet, their ends being just, and only 
just, above the soil at the apex of the ridge. These ventilators must be securely 
closed during wet and frosty weather. With thin heaps of perfectly dry sound 
tubers carefully covered as directed we do not find ventilators necessary in 
wintering Potatoes. When several tons of Potatoes are stored in very large 
heaps drain pipes are often conducted quite through the centres of the heaps 
and out of the tops, and if the tubers are damp when stored the practice is a 
good one. Such ventilators, however, must have attention, or they do as much 
harm as good. 
Grapes for Succession (Old Subscriber ).—We presume you require as 
many varieties as possible consistent with good quality. In the cooler ot the 
two houses you may try the following :—Four Vines of Black Hamburgh, two ot 
Madresfield Court, and one each of Buckland Sweetwater, fosters Seedling, 
Dr. Hogg, and Duke of Buccleuch. The last-named^ is a grand Grape, that many, 
however, fail to grow well, and in case it should fail with you we advise you to 
plant it near a Black Hamburgh, from which you can train two rods it “the 
Duke” has to be removed. Take the same precaution, too, in planting Madres¬ 
field Court, the berries of wh ch crack seriously in some places, otherwise it is a 
fine autumn Grape. In the other house plant four "Vines of Muscat ot Alex¬ 
andria, two of Lady Downe’s, and one each of Mrs. Pince’s Muscat, Mrs. Pearson, 
West’s St. Peter’s, and Gros Colman. Grown in heat the variety last named is often 
very good, and when well finished has a noble appearance. W e have thus named 
eleven black and nine white Grapes, all of which are good when well grown ; but 
no varieties are so useful as the Black Hamburgh and Muscat of Alexandria. 
The Vines for permanent growth should not be less than 3 feet 6 inches apart. 
Growing Tomatoes in Winter (R. D., Liverpool).-ft a start is made 
the present time it should, if possible, be with strong established plants m 
ir 6-inch pots and showing their first bunches of bloom. Failing these cut- 
igs may easily be struck in heat, or, as a last resource, seed may be sown at 
ce. Sow thinly and place in heat, and when the seedlings are up keep them 
near the glass as possible; prick them off when in rough leaf, the strongest 
