438 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 24, 1883. 
Fuchsia Flowers Malformed ( M ).—The transformation of the sepals 
into leaf-like organs occasionally occurs not only in Fuchsias, but many other 
plants, and is regarded as simply a reversion to an original form. The sepals, 
petals, stamens, and even the pistil itself are regarded as metamorphosed leaves 
greatly altered to serve special purposes. In double flowers you see the reversion 
of stamens to petals, then the petals often assume a calyx-like aspect when this 
is green, and a still further alteration is observed in the specimen you sent, in 
which the sepals are becoming foliaceous. In some plants, as in Water Lilies, a 
gradual transition from one organ to another can often be seen. 
Anisanthus splendens (.1/. D .).—This is a greenhouse Iridaceous plant 
from the Cape of G-ood Hope, and is usually increased by offsets. Sow the seeds 
in pots, pans, or boxes of soil composed of sand, loam, and peat in equal parts, 
to be watered well before sowing, and the seed covered its own thickness with 
fine soil, and then with squares of glass. A shaded position in a frame would 
be suitable, as the soil would not dry so rapidly as in a dry sunny house, and it 
must be kept constantly moist. When the seedlings appear remove the glass 
and assign them a position where they can have sun and air. When large 
enough they can be transplanted in other boxes, and eventually be placed singly 
in pots. A frame is a suitable place for growing them in summer, and they can 
be wintered in a greenhouse. 
Value of Manures {II. IV .).—Instead of £60 ammonia is valued now’ at 
£100 a ton more or less, but more rather than less lately. Soluble phosphate 
slightly under the sum you name, £24. Precipitated phosphate is valued at 
from £15 to £17 10s. per ton, and insoluble, when from mineral sources, not 
infrequently as low as £5 ; but chemists differ considerably, sometimes as much 
as £10, or even £12 10s., being allowed as its value. When in a very fine state 
it is better value even at the latter figure than is soluble, or rather “ bone earth ” 
made soluble, at £24 per ton. 
Cucumbers Diseased (C. If. if., Hawkhurst ).—-We very much fear your 
Cucumbers are attacked with a disease that is almost incurable. If not, the 
exuding moisture is the result of gumming. This is usually caused by too rich 
soil, and the leaves cannot elaborate the abundant sap with which they are sup¬ 
plied. The remedy in this case firmer and poorer soil. If the plants are 
affected with the disease above mentioned you will have the greatest possible 
difficulty in eradicating it. We only know of one recorded instance of success 
in this, and that is by Mr. William Taylor, Longleat, on page 423 of our last 
volume, the issue of November 9th, 1882, and you will do well to peruse that 
article. Mr. Harding, Orton Longueville Gardens, has found that the disease 
spreads the more rapidly under a low temperature, and that a distinct improve¬ 
ment followed on the temperature being raised 10°. We know of no book that 
gives “tables of analyses of the different fruits and flowers,” nor are we at all 
sanguine that a knowledge of the chemical composition of the Cucumber would 
be of any real service to yon. The only tabulated analysis at our command is 
by Dr. John, who found the fruit composed of the following ingredients :— 
Water . 
Substance similar to fungin 
Soluble vegetable albumen 
Resin .. 
Extractive with sugar 
Mucus .^ 
Phosphate of lime.. 
Phosphate of potash ,. 
Phosphoric acid .. 
Ammoniacal salt .. .. V 
A malate 
Sulphate of potash 
Muriate of potash .. 
Phosphate of iron .. .. j 
97.13 
0.53 
0.13 
0.04 
1.66 
0.5 
100.0 
Examine the roots of the plants and let us know if you find any tubercles on 
them. If you do not, and the disease of the fruit spreads, we shall be glad if 
you succeed in banishing it to hear of the method you have adopted, which we 
will publish for the benefit of others. 
Thinning Fruit ( F.J .).—All communications should be read intelligently. 
A moment’s reflection will show you that a tree of Pitmaston Duchess or Beurre 
Diel Pears cannot perfect half so many fruits as small varieties like Citron des 
Carmes ; and again, a tree of any variety only moderately strong cannot sup¬ 
port such a large crop as a vigorous tree can. If you have regard to the variety 
and the condition of the trees you will not err ; but let the thinning be gradual, 
not completing until the fruits are swelling freely, and you are sure those 
finally retained will prosper. Mr. Young details sound practice, and has secured 
leading prizes at the best hardy fruit shows in the kingdom. Syringe the house 
as you suggest, provided the water does not contain much lime to leave a 
sediment on the foliage. 
Begonia Davisii flore-pleno (G. T., Oporto ).—The parcel which was 
packed on the 15th inst. reached us on the 21st, and the flower and leaf arrived 
in a very withered state ; the former had, in fact, shaken in pieces, which were 
curled up like tea leaves, but of a different colour. The leaf was sufficiently 
fresh to enable us to perceive it is diseased, and it is in consequence of this and 
the corresponding check to the growth of the plant that the flowers have come 
malformed. It is not improbable that the tuber is unsound, but still there may 
be sufficient healthy roots to enable the plant under good management to pro¬ 
duce healthy growth and properly developed flowers. We hope it may be so, as 
a well-grown example of this variety is very beautiful. Your plant will need to 
be watered with great care, and must not be kept in a house having a very hot 
and dry atmosphere. 
Insects on Primroses, &c. (A. if. B.).— The specimen sent is not a 
beetle, but a species of woodlouse (Oniscus asellus). It and others allied thereto 
are sometimes very troublesome about flower beds, also they are fond of infest¬ 
ing frames. Usually they feed at night, concealing themselves by day. When 
potatoes are tried as a trap, the best plan is to put some pieces of boiled potato 
into little pots and cover them with moss. Into these the woodlice eagerly creep, 
and they may be shaken out every morning. Or they have been trapped into 
this way : A slate is placed against a wall and another slate over it, slanted so as 
to leave a space between the two. Then the ground beneath is well watered 
(moisture being very attractive to these insects), and numbers will hide under 
the shelter of the outer slate. They have been kept out of frames by smearing 
the edges with some substance of powerful odour. 
Rose-showing and Boxes {Practice ).—We cannot give yon a better 
reply than we have previously given to a correspondent as follows :—The blooms 
should be exhibited in boxes, the stems of the blooms being placed in tubes 
filled with water, the tubes being embedded in moss, the smoothest and freshest 
of which should form an emerald surface to display the blooms to the greatest 
advantage. Each bloom should be cut with as much foliage attached to the 
stem as possible, but no leaves must be added. If the blooms are cut on the 
morning of the show they should be secured early and before the dew has eva¬ 
porated from their petals. The moss in the box must be moist, and the blooms 
should be arranged so as to stand a few inches above it. Many new beginners 
spoil their boxes by pressing the blooms close down on the moss. The boxes 
should have lids which, especially on sunny mornings, must be kept over the 
blooms until the last possible moment before the judges enter the show. We 
have known many prizes lost and Roses spoiled by the blooms being exposed too 
early and too long. The boxes should be 18 inches wide, 6 inches high at the 
back, and 4 inches in the front. The length of the boxes should be, for twenty- 
four Roses, 4fert; eighteen Roses, 3 feet; twelve Roses, 2 feet 2 inches ; and 
six Roses, 1 foot 6 inches ; the covers being 7£ inches in depth at the back, and 
5 inches in front, 4 feet 1 inch in length, 1 foot 7 inches in breadth, and having 
a narrow beading within the four sides, half an inch from the bottom of the lid, 
overlap the boxes, leaving ample room for the Roses, and are secured for travel¬ 
ling by stout leather straps. 
Exhibiting Auriculas {Idem ).—Seedling Auriculas equal in merit to 
named varieties would not be prejudiced in competition because they were seed¬ 
lings ; but you would be extraordinarily fortunate if you could stage seedlings 
of equal merit with the best named varieties. For a schedule of the National 
Auricula Society’s Show, southern section, write to Mr. Douglas, The Gardens, 
Great Gearies, Ilford. 
Span-roof Pit (Trike ).—The cheapest house for your purpose is a sunken 
pit having a passage along the centre, a fiat stage on one side with hot-water 
pipes beneath it, and a shallow trench on the other side for the Cucumbers. Let 
the building run north and south, and remember that the lower in reason you sink 
your passage the cheaper will be your building. With the fioor of the passage 
3 feet below the surface, side walls a foot high, with the ridge 3 feet 6 inches 
above the level of the eaves, or 7 feet 6 above the psssage floor, would answer 
very well, and the roof angle would be suitable for summer Cucumbers. Head- 
room has, however, to be considered, and as the trellis for the Cucumbers must 
be a foot from the glass, that will be your guide as to the height of the roof 
and depth of the passage. Both the retaining walls of the passage and the 
outer walls need only be of 4J-inch brickwork. The passage need not be more 
than 2 feet wide, and the side spaces for the plants each 3 feet, or a total 
internal width of 8 feet. The glass should be 21-oz. seconds, and the panes 
20 inches by 12, which is a useful trade size to which we give preference. No 
side lights are necessary. Ventilate by means of a flap a foot wide along the 
west side of the ridge. Make the flap to lift by means of simple levers, perforated 
with holes to slip on an iron pin attached to the roof close to the bottom of the 
opening. The kind of boiler you mention will answer very well, only take care 
that its size is in proportion to the piping, of which there should be three rows 
of 4-inch, with a valve to shut off heat from the cool end, the boiler being of 
course at the warm end of the pit. 
Mushrooms without Manure {Dr. Mackenzie ).—As you will perceive 
in another column, Mr. Smith, a new cultivator near Liverpool, grew 800 lbs. of 
Mushrooms in a vinery and another structure. Without doubt a valuable crop 
might be produced in your large house if the instructions in the treatise you 
have obtained are followed and the beds made to commence bearing about 
December, not in May or June. You refer to “comparative failures” of some 
beds in June in Mr. Barter's grounds. The season is practically over in June, 
and as some tons of Mushrooms had been produced by the beds before you saw 
them, the “failures ” were not very serious. You think you can improve on the 
system of culture indicated. By all means make the experiment, and if you 
succeed you will benefit yourself and others. You ask why you may not have 
such a bed as you describe —a hollow ridge heated from below with gas. You 
may have it, but we doubt if you will have any Mushrooms, and certainly not 
if the heat is dry, as it must be by your plan. By ail means try it, and surprise 
the world by your success. It would not be quite fair to detract from your 
merits as an inventor to suggest a means of carrying out your project, as then, 
in case of a grand result, the honour would not be wholly your own, but divided. 
Forcing Lilacs {II. S .).—The Lilac referred to in your note is a variety 
known as Charles X., which is the best we know for forcing purposes, whether 
required white or of its natural colour. When forced quickly in brisk heat it 
is of a very light colour, and this natural tendency renders it very suitable for 
forcing in the dark. It can be produced nearly white if placed in strong heat 
in a pit and mats spread over the lights ; but to have it pure white as you have 
seen in the markets it must be forced into bloom in total darkness. The white 
variety of the Lilac is much more delicate than the one above mentioned, and 
when forced it has a tendency to be of a greenish yellow hue, and in addition 
the flowers are apt to damp, and when thoy keep fresh are inclined to have a 
dirty appearance. These small bushy plants are produced by means of budding 
and grafting. Any strong-growing variety will answer for the stock, which can 
be readily produced either from cuttings or suckers. If cuttings are employed 
and these disbudded, the roots, as soon as they attain any strength or size, will 
produce suckers in abundance, by which means stocks can also he raised. Bud¬ 
ding can be performed low on the stocks similar to that practised in the cultiva¬ 
tion of Apples or Pears. They can also be grafted like them, but earlier in the 
season, as the Lilac commences growth very early. They can also he worked by 
employing for the scion green wood, which quickly and readily unites to young 
wood of the same age and strength ; but to accomplish this a close well-shaded 
house or frame is essential. Budding when the stocks and buds are ready, and 
grafting when the sap has commenced to rise, are decidedly the best methods of 
raising these bushes. They are not produced so as to flower freely in one season, 
as the stocks have to be raised and grown until they are strong enough for 
working. After the stocks have been budded the bushes are not ready for 
forcing for two years. If grafted in spring they might with the more 
genial weather of the continent than we have here be ready for forcing 
the same autumn. Those sent over from the continent annually and sold by 
nurserymen are not produced in one year, for many of them show signs of 
having been severely pruned. But this cutting-back is essential, as the Lilac 
flowers from the wood made and buds matured during the previous summer. 
These little bushes have generally been established in pots and purposely pre¬ 
pared for forcing before they are sent to this country. Undoubtedly the 
best plan is to purchase a stock of plants ready worked, especially for those un¬ 
initiated with the system of producing them, and then by pruning them hard 
back annually, potting when necessary, and libeial feeding, very satisfactory 
results may be obtained from year to year. It is wise to have twice as many 
plants as are required to produce the annual supply, and force them every 
alternate year. Those required for next winter’s forcing should be plunged 
amongst ashes or other material, their growths having been cut back early, 
watering and feeding to be attended to when necessary. If planted out in your 
district these young vigorous plants would probably grow too strongly, and not 
ripen their wood and mature their buds sufficiently to flower well: hence the 
advisability of keeping them in pots, which compels them to make short 
