September 23, 1880. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 293 
George Rnndle and Elaine grown in the open air during the summer and placed 
in the vinery in October would probably occupy the space profitably. 
Propagating Fuchsias (J. £.). —You will not be able to strike the 
young growths at this season of the year without artificial heat, and if you were 
they would not make good plants, as you have not the means at your command 
for growing them on properly. You had better gradually withhold water from 
the plants and permit the leaves to fall; the plants may then be preserved in a 
light or dark frost-proof place during the winter, the soil only being kept just 
moist. If they are pruned closely in the spring, and when growth commences 
have all or nearly all the old soil shaken from the roots and repotted in fresh 
compost, they will grow freely, afford good cuttings that you can strike readily, 
and both old and young plants will grow well and flower freely. The growths 
of your Rose will be better trained to wires about 6 inches from the glass than 
secured to the sashes, and it would probably succeed better if planted outside 
the house, the growths being trained inside after the manner of Vines. In this 
case, however, as with Vines, it is necessary to protect the stem from severe 
frost by enwrapping it in haybands. 
Arrangement of Greenhouse (A. A.).—-You do not state the width 
of the house ; but judging from the fact that you have borders of the width of 
8 feet, we thiuk you have room for a central stage with a path in front between 
the stage and the low border, and a narrow path at the back for opening the 
ventilators. You might reduce the front border if necessary, while the back 
border we should clear away, aud form a flat stage a foot wide 4 feet from the 
ground ; on this you could place tall-growing plants, and train such as are 
suitable to the wall. For attending to these plants and the ventilators a path 
2 feet wide would be sufficient. The back of the stand or stage should be per¬ 
pendicular, and the top a little higher than the stage near the back wall. The 
height, however, of both these stages can only be determined by the height and 
size of the house. The principal stage will slope to the front, the bottom shelf 
being about 2J feet from the ground. You might, whether you decrease the 
width of the front bed or not, raise it a foot or even more to make it more 
uniform with the height of the stage on the opposite side of the front path, 
which should not be less than 3 feet in width. The front bed would be suitable 
for dwarf plants, which would thrive well near the glass, the taller plauts being 
arranged on the stage. You will need a path along at least one end of the 
house. If the ground, from the wall to the back of the stage, is raised a foot 
or more, the ascent being by a couple of steps, it might be more convenient for 
attending to the plants at the top of the stage, which may be 2 feet wide, for 
accommodating large plants. But this path elevation must depend entirely on 
the height of the house and the central stand. As you do not give the dimen¬ 
sions of the structure our reply can only be of a suggestive character ; it may, 
however, be of some use to you. 
Vines Starting Prematurely (/. //., Bacup).— You have scarcely made 
your case clear to us, inasmuch as you do not state whether you have pruned the 
Vines or not. If you pruned them in July you erred; if you did not prune 
them we cannot understand how they could “ start afresh and show bunches ” 
now, unless the growth is in the form of sub-laterals, which not unfrequently 
show fruit in the autumn, the axillary buds on the primary laterals remaining 
dormant. If your Vines are pruned and the fresh growth starts from the spurs 
close to the main rods, all you can do is to train the rods to the roof, manage 
the house as to moisture and temperature as if in spring, and with proper atten¬ 
tion to the Vines (the same as is given in spring) you wall have new ripe Grapes 
soon after Christmas. If the Vines have not been pruned, and the young growths 
to which you refer are produced at the extremities of the laterals, the base buds 
remaining dormant, then you may rub off the young growths, keep the Vines as 
cool as possible by shading them, and dry by sheltering them from the rains, to 
prevent the primary buds on the lower parts of the principal laterals starting 
before the time you require them. 
Propagating Hollyhocks ( Saxoring ).—Probably if some of the sturdy 
offsets were potted now and placed in a frame they would emit roots, but the 
usual time of striking cuttings is in the spring, taking off the shoots when 
5 or 6 inches long with a heel, and inserting them singly in small pots and 
plunging them in slight bottom heat. You may also divide the plants in 
spring, or rather take the offsets from them with some roots attached, and plant 
them where required to flower. Hollyhocks are also propagated from eyes or 
cuttings in the summer. These cuttings are made from medium-sized or small 
flowering stems where they are a little firm, and a small leaf is produced from 
each joint. If cut smoothly close under a joint and slantingly an inch above 
it, and these “ eyes ” are inserted firmly in sand under handlights, watered and 
shaded to keep the leaves fresh, roots will soon be emitted and growth issue 
from the axil of the leaf from which the flower bud has been removed. Cuttings 
have two joints, the lower being inserted in the soil to produce roots, the upper 
being just above the soil to produce growth. This mode of increase may be 
adopted in June or July. If you can take offsets from the plants now with 
roots attached, pot and place them in a frame, that would be a sure mode of 
increasing j our stock ; but when a great number of plants are required the 
other modes of propagation are resorted to. 
Grapes Decaying (C. Edwards). —The Grapes were quite smashed by 
having been sent loosely in a tin box. Fruit should always be packed so that it 
is immoveable in transit. We have no difficul ty, however, in determining that the 
bunches are much shanked, and judging from the general appearance of the 
stalks we have no doubt that the root-actiou of jmur Vines is defective. If the 
border is wet it must be drained, and the old soil should be removed from the 
roots and fresh turfy loam applied. You state no particulars as to the age and 
growth of the Vines. They probably require renovating, and if so you cannot 
do better than adopt the plan described on page 227 of our issue of the _9th inst. 
There are hundreds of old Vines in the country that might be greatly improved 
if the mode of renovation there detailed were carefully carried out. There is no 
better time for lifting the roots than the present, or immediately after the crops 
are cut, and before the leaves fall from the Vines. 
Vines in Low Situation (G. A.).—We think you may reasonably expect to 
produce good'Grapes under the conditions you name, provided—and this is very 
important—that you keep the feeding roots near the surface of the border by 
mulching with manure, especially in summer. If you do that and water occa¬ 
sionally in dry weather, the moisture and rich food will not render it necessary 
for the roots to descend into the subsoil in search of the moisture they need and 
will find if it is possible, which in your case they will have no difficulty in doing. 
If you neglect the surface of the border by permitting it to become dry in the 
summer the roots will inevitably descend, and then your Vines will not long 
remain in a satisfactory condition. Had we been consulted before the border 
was made, we should have advised you to make it entirely above the ground 
level of the district, and then if you had concreted the bottom you would have 
been quite safe from the stagnant moisture that exists below the peat bed. 
Follow the course we have recommended of mulching the border with manure 
to remain on all the summer, and then, if the Vines diminish in fruitfulness after 
a few years, lift the roots and place them in fresh and good soil, making the 
border as we have indicated. 
Plants to Flower in August (A. D.). —Allamanda Hendersoni should 
now be kept rather dry at the roots, and in plenty of light, so as to ensure the 
thorough ripening of the wood. It should be kept rather cool and dry through 
the winter, but not so dry as to cause the wood to shrivel, aud should be pruned 
and started early in April. Anthurium Schertzerianum will require ordinary 
treatment up to March, when it must be kept cool, or in a temperature of 50° 
artificially, and about the middle of June should be placed in the stove and 
encouraged with plenty of heat and moisture; whilst resting it must be com¬ 
paratively dry. Bougainvillea glabra should be kept cool and dry up to June, 
when it must be pruned and started in heat. Clerodendron Balfourianum also 
should be similarly treated until June, and then started, not bringing it on too 
quickly. Rondeletia speciosa major being pruned and started early in April will 
flower at the time required. Statice profusa will also require to be cool and as 
dry as the foliage will bear up to July, when if placed in moderate heat it will 
come on gradually. Stephanotis floribunda should not be started until May, and 
may then be brought gently forward. The present condition of the plants will 
exercise an effect on the flowering, but it is a question of retarding the flowering 
to a later period than usual, and requires considerable experience and judgment 
on the part of the cultivator. Some started at the time named may come into 
bloom too early, and will need to be retarded, and others may need assisting, 
which can only be ascertained by the grower. 
Names of Fruits ( George Swailes). —The Apple is Alfriston. 
Names of Plants ( Northampton). —1, Gymnogramma chrysophylla ; 2, 
Gymnogramma peruviana; 3, Platyloma falcata. (V. S., Bristol). —Leycesteria 
formosa. (J. S., Forfarshire). —1, Sidalcea malvasflora; 2, Chelone obliqua. {No 
Name).— 1, Nephrolepis exaltata ; 2, Goniophlebium colpodes ; 5, Platyloma 
rotu ndifolia ; 6, Tropteolum speciosum. Send fronds of the other Ferns bearing 
spores. 
POULTRY, PIGEON, AND BEE CHRONICLE. 
SHED ACCOMMODATION FOE CATTLE. 
(Continued f rom page 271.) 
In making further allusion to the accommodation for cattle we 
must observe that our remarks upon box feeding have not included 
any statement as to the value of the manure obtained in boxes 
compared with other modes of securing it. The quantity of dung, 
including both liquid and solid excrement voided by cattle, may 
be estimated to weigh about 80 lbs. daily ; and if box feeding will 
retain for use more of this than any other method it becomes a 
matter of some consequence, particularly as the value of the dung 
voided by full-grown animals, whether dairy cows or fatting cattle, 
would, according to the nature of the food consumed, vary from 
Is. 6d. to 2s. 3 cl. per week per head of stock. Various interesting 
experiments have proved these items to correctly represent the 
result of box feeding if properly carried out. We also find that 
when 20 lbs. weight of straw is used as litter it will yield of well- 
made manure four and a half times increase, or 90 lbs. weight of 
fresh box dung. It is further considered that twice as much litter 
must be employed per head when animals are fed in open yards 
and sheds. Assuming this to be the case, and supposing the weight 
of fresh dung to bear the same proportion to that of the litter in 
both cases, it is clear that a given amount of litter used in open 
yards will be saturated with only about half as much of the excre¬ 
ments of animals as it would be in boxes, the remainder of the 
moisture being made up by rain water. At any rate, it is obvious 
that the amount of the constituents derived from animal excre¬ 
ments that will be carted to the field in each ton of dung will be 
extremely variable according to the mode of its manufacture. 
It must, however, be borne in mind that to obtain the full value 
of box-made manure it should be laid upon the land direct from 
the pit. 
Buildings for stall feeding next claim our attention, for practi¬ 
cally this is the only mode of caring for cattle under cover avail¬ 
able in the pasture districts of the kingdom. The scarcity and 
dearness of straw renders box feeding almost out of the question. 
We have, however, to deal with two important objects in this 
case—the health and comfort of the animals, and the rendering 
