580 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . [ December 23 , mo. 
those of the old and attractive shrub named above. It is a native of South 
Africa, whence it was introduced to this country towards the close of the last 
century. The first plants or seeds were forwarded to Kew, and from these other 
gardens obtained their supply. The plant is named in honour of a Swedish 
traveller who introduced it. For flowering in winter and spring under culture 
in pots it is most effective, the growth being free, and the large trusses of flowers 
produced in profusion. 
Growing Grapes without Fire Heat (F. IF.).—That they can be so 
grown your own successful experience proves, as also does that of other culti¬ 
vators. The sense in which your letter was understood by a correspondent as 
misleading was that there was no indication of the locality, and it is obvious 
that the Isle of Wight and the southern districts of the kingdom generally offer 
far greater chances of success by this mode of culture than do the much colder 
northern counties. We have seen Grapes fairly ripened during a favourable 
season in a house having no artificial heat in Nottinghamshire; but last year, 
although every effort was made to aid the ripening of the crop, it was worth¬ 
less. A house is rendered doubly valuable when means are afforded for excluding 
frost and giving a little assistance to the Vines during their early stages of 
growth ; the Grapes may afterwards be grown, if required, and ripened without 
fire heat, the locality and season being favourable. Much disappointment has 
been experienced in cold districts by orchard houses having been erected with 
no means of excluding frost from them in the spring when the trees were in 
blossom, and after all the expense that had been incurred good crops of fruit 
could not be produced until the structures were heated. Growing Grapes and 
other fruits in unheated houses is entirely a question of locality. In one district 
the plan will answer, in another it is quite unreliable ; and the safe mode—the 
m03t economical in the end, and the most profitable—is to afford the means for 
supplying artificial heat when it is necessary. 
Melons (/. E.). —Read’s Scarlet-flesh and Eastnor Castle Green-flesh, which 
you name, are excellent free-growing and good setting varieties. It is not the 
nature of Melons to continue setting and swelling their fruits over a long 
period ; but if an early crop is ripened and cut the s ime plants will, under good 
cultivation and attention, produce a second crop; but amateurs do not often 
accomplish this satisfactorily. It is no trouble for us to answer inquiries when 
we can do so usefully. 
Propagating Frame ( Amateur). —The frame to which you refer is very 
useful for raising seedlings and striking cuttings, and if you have space in your 
greenhouse for one you will find it of service to you. The value of the frame, 
however, depends on its management, and a fair knowledge of gardening and 
ordinary intelligence are only needed to work it satisfactorily. We know it has 
been employed with success by many amateurs, and only one failure has been 
brought to our notice, aud this we suspect was not wholly the fault of the frame. 
Uses of the Catalpas (IF. Harris). —The species forming the genus 
Catalpa are more remarkable for their beauty than by the possession of par¬ 
ticular economic qualities. C. syringeefolia is a handsome North American tree 
that thrives freely in this climate, and when in flower is unsurpassed. They 
are mostly of quick growth, and have a light grey-coloured wood of rather fine 
texture, and when well seasoned is said to be durable. It also admits of being 
very highly polished. The bark has the reputation of possessing stimulant and 
tonic qualities. 
Soil for Cucumbers ( Cucumber Soil). —As the soil you name is “very 
good ” we think you will succeed in your object. Mix with it now a portion of 
soot, as much burnt refuse as you can obtain, a little decayed hotbed manure, 
with a sprinkling of the fowl manure, and produce a heap as rough and open as 
possible, as fine, close, and flbreless soil is not good for Cucumbers. If in addi¬ 
tion to this, which may form the bulk of the beds, you add layers of fresh turfy 
loam and manure as the roots protrude from the surface, you ought with other¬ 
wise suitable culture to succeed in growing good Cucumbers. 
Manuring Apple Trees ( Old Subscriber).—It the trees are not too old 
for renovation you cannot do better than carry out the plan you propose. You 
may apply the liquid of the strength you name in sufficient quantity to penetrate 
the soil to the depth of at least 2 feet. Merely wetting the surface to a depth of 
an inch or two will be of little avail, neither will much good be done by pouring 
the water close to the stems or within a few feet of them only. The roots have 
a greater spread than the branches, and their extremities are the most active 
in gathering food ; the application must, therefore, be complete and thorough as 
far as the roots extend. This soaking, even without removing the grass, would 
do good ; but if the trees make but little growth they would be still further 
benefited by removing the turf and a little surface soil also, adding au inch of 
fresh soil next the roots, burnt refuse of any kind being excellent, and a thick 
covering of rich manure, the liquid manure to be applied before spreading on 
the fresh compost. Remove any dead or cankered wood, and if the branches 
are covered with lichens dust them when wet, as after a drizzly day, with freshly 
slaked lime, or dress the stems and large branches with strong brine. 
Dwarf Roses (.4 Subscriber). —The following are all good varieties ; but 
the last named, and possibly some of the others if they grow strongly, may need 
pegging down. Prune them all rather closely in March, and the following year, 
instead of pruning so closely, peg down some of the stronger growths, and you 
will have a fine display of flowers. Marie Baumann, Charles Lefebvre, La France, 
Baronne de Rothschild, Louis Van Houtte, Etienne Levet, Alfred Colomb, 
Francois Michelon, Marie Rady, Madame Victor Verdier, Marquise de Castellane, 
A. K. Williams, May Quennell, Marie Finger, Star of AValtham, La Rosiere, 
Gtlndral Jacqueminot, Duchess of Bedford, Duchesse de Yallombrosa, Mrs. 
Baker, Madame Lacliarme, Sir Garnet Wolseley, Mons. E. Y. Teas, and Gloire 
de Dijon. 
Vines in a Stove (A Twelve-years Subscriber). —If you must grow stove 
plants, and keep the house warm and moist throughout the year, you ought not 
to be expected to grow Grapes in the same house. Vines require much more air 
than do stove plants, also a period of rest in winter, and these they must have 
or they will not produce good Grapes however suitable the border may be. It 
appears you are able to afford the Vines some rest this year, and by all means 
do so; it will benefit them, but they cannot be satisfactory if they have not 
rest, the wood being matured, every year. Greenhouse plants and Vines may, 
with good management, be grown successfully in the same structure, but stove 
plants and Vines cannot, as the former require a high temperature, considerable 
atmospheric moisture, and often but little ventilation—conditions that are 
totally unsuitable for Vines. When Vines and plants are grown together it is 
often an advantage to have the houses so constructed that the Vines can be 
trained outside after the wood is matured, and there remain, being protected 
if necessary for three or four months. You cannot have any better instructions 
for eradicating mealy bug than have appeared in our columns during the last 
six month?. When the Vines are pruned, dress them thoroughly with a strong 
solution of soft soap or Gishurst compound, S or 6 ozs. of either being dissolved 
in a gallon of water, adding thereto an ounce of paraffin, the wash to be used 
as hot as the hand can bear and applied with a brush. This scrubbing, tho¬ 
roughly done, is more effectual for cleansing Vines than painting them with 
any pigment. If you have mealy bug on the plants the insects are almost 
certain to spread to the Vines in the same house. 
Vine Shoots Injured—Galvanised Wire {Civis).— The spots on the 
shoots are not the eggs of insects. The bark appears to have been injured as if 
the Vines bad been seriously attacked with thrips. The wood is not well 
ripened. We presume you removed most of the injured portions when pruning, 
and you cannot do better than wash the rods with the solution recommended 
to other correspondents. Instead of most of the writers on the subject of gal¬ 
vanised wire disagreeing with you, the majority of them confirmed your state¬ 
ment as to the wire being injurious. Injurious some of it undoubtedly is, and 
especially in certain positions. You will find some notes on the subject in the 
present issue, and others will follow which we think will not be uninteresting. 
Heating a Greenhouse {H. A. M .).—Your question is not sufficiently 
clear. As we understand your letter you wish to form a greenhouse on the top 
of your house, to be heated from a kitchen range 18 feet below. There will be 
no difficulty in this. If you send 3 ^d. in postage stamps to the publisher, and 
ask him to send you No. 769 of the Journal, you will find an illustration of a 
vinery heated fron a kitchen boiler ; and if you adopt the same principle, taking 
the flow pipe from the top of the boiler direct to the greenhouse, then round it, 
the return passing down by the side of the flow and into the bottom of the 
boiler, the water will circulate. Without knowing the size, length, and height, 
both at the front and back of your proposed greenhouse, or to the apex if it is 
a span-roof, also the aspect and exposure, no one can inform you how much 
piping will be required to heat it. 
Zonal Pelargonium Guillon Mangilli (X. X).—Since Mr. Taylor's 
commendatory notes of this variety were published on page 544 we have received 
several letters asking where plants can be purchased, as the writers have not 
been able to find the name in catalogues. We know the variety to be an excel¬ 
lent one, and those who have plants of it for disposal would do well to advertise 
them. Mr. Taylor is not a nurseryman, and we are not justified in forwarding 
letters to him from those who wish to obtain plants of the variety in question. 
Names of Fruit (No Name).— 1, Not recognised; 2, Team’s Pippin; 3, 
Winter Colman ; 4, Beurrd d’Aremberg. (A. Banks). —1 is Cobham ; 2, too 
shrivelled for identification. 
Names of Plants {Inquirers). —1 is Sparmannia africana (see above) ; 2 
very much shrivelled, but resembles Prenanthes elegantissima. {C. J. A.).— 
The specimen was quite insufficient for identification, but it is not Libonia 
floribunda. Send a flowering spray. {R. P. O.). —The flower was much crashed, 
but is like Oncidium cheirophorum, which requires a stove temperature. {Prima). 
—The scarlet flower was so much shrivelled as to be almost unrecognisable, but 
we think it is Bouvardia Hogarth. Dry cotton wool is the worst material in 
which to pack flowers, as it extracts the moisture from them. We do not 
undertake to name varieties of florists’ flowers, and the blooms of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums sent are far too imperfect for identification ; we can only say No. 1 
resmbles James Salter, No. 2 Mrs. George Bundle, and 3, Gloire de Toulouse. 
(■/. S. Upex ).—Zygopetalnm Mackaii. {Mrs. Axe ).—It is impossible to identify 
the shrub from the few shrivelled leaves you have sent. 
POULTRY, PIGEON, AND BEE CHRONICLE. 
THE CULTIVATION OF LAND BY ANIMAL POWER. 
Steam culture is now made available to a much greater extent 
than at any former period, and there is no doubt that it will in¬ 
crease in the estimation of the home farmer under certain circum¬ 
stances, although there are but few home farms that contain 
arable land sufficient to make it good policy to obtain and main¬ 
tain a full force of steam tackle to do the cultivation thereon 
without a considerable force of animal power in addition. Again, 
upon small farms, such as those which have previously employed 
two or three teams of horses, steam power is now often called in 
to supplement the animal power without any estimate of it or 
proportionate reduction of the number of animals employed, it 
being considered best to hire steam as occasion may require ; but, 
owing in a great measure to the fickleness of our climate, the de¬ 
mand for hired steam tackle often occurs in many directions at 
the same time. Now this fact makes it very difficult for the 
home farmer to know how and to what extent the animal power 
of the farm can be diminished. This being true, it is fast becom¬ 
ing advisable to further consider how far and in what way the 
animal power on the farm may be increased, or so changed and 
managed as to be able to do without steam power, and to accom¬ 
plish the various work connected with tillage of the land in good 
season and in a practical manner, thus avoiding any of the dis¬ 
advantage and disappointment of not being able to secure the use 
