262 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 18, 1886. 
tended 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. 
“ Bosh ” (£>.).—We have seen the paragraph to which you call our atten¬ 
tion, and have nothing to say jagainst it. It is, perhaps, true. We are 
under the impression that we have inserted articles by the writer of it in 
these pages. 
Mould in Manure ( Guildford ).—It is quite natural for manure to become 
white with mould if it remains long undisturbed or gets too dry. If turned 
occasionally and kept moist there will be no mould to interfere with the 
growth of Mushrooms, but ODe load is not sufficient for making a bed in the 
open air. See supplement to the fourth edition of “ Mushrooms for the 
Million.” 
Brussels Sprouts (TV. J.). —If you will write on one side of the paper 
only and send your article early in February it will be then more acceptable 
and generally useful. Letters on seasonable subjects from practical 
gardeners are readily inserted. 
Grapes Decaying ( One in Trouble). —No doubt the wet weather and 
leaky house have had much to do with the mishap, with a too low night 
temperature. The colder a vinery is the greater is the condensation of 
moisture on the berries, and it is this which causes them to decay. We 
suspect also that the Vines are not in the best of condition, and the berries 
have too thin skins. 
Notching Vine Roots (A. Z.). —If Vine roots are notched now, and a 
gritty compost, consisting of turfy loam and a large admixture of wood 
ashes, be placed round them they will form fresh roots this season ; at least 
that is what we found in the case of some Vines that were improved by 
that process. Old Vines, such as you describe, and which cannot be lifted, 
usually bear better by training young rods very thinly in the summer, and 
not cutting them back closely at the winter’s pruning. You can scarcely 
err by following the practice described on pages 173 and 174. 
French Marigolds ( William Dean). —The strain, of which you send 
flowers, is excellent. Tne blooms are compact and symmetrical, not coarse, 
and the colours rich and clear. They are the more remarkable as being 
grown in the middle of a smoky town, and the cultivator deserves praise 
for tending the plants so well. Their superior condition proves that French 
Marigolds are admirably adapted for gardens in towns and smoky districts. 
Brompton Stocks and Wallflowers ( T. M.). —The Stocks having been 
thrice transplanted ought to withstand an ordinary winter in sandy soil; 
still, as there is always the possibility of a severe winter occurring it is 
prudent to establish as many plants in pots as can be accommodated in a 
cold frame, or where some protection can be improvised. With a clear 
space between the rows of your Wallflowers the plants ought to be 
sufficiently hardy for passing the wint-r with little or no injury, but every¬ 
thing depends on the severity and continuance of frost. Tree leaves 
lightly placed amongst and over the plants afford good protection in severe 
weather. 
Fungus on Pear Leaves (A Young Hand). —The Pear leaves sent are 
seriously attacked by the parasitical fungus Rcestellia cancellata. In 
its early stages it may be checked with sulphur. Collect and burn all the 
leaves, wash the trees and wall (if they are trained to one) in winter, and 
take away the surface soil, adding fresh; in fact we think the roots require 
to be placed in fresh soil, and the site deeply drained. You do not ask for 
information respecting the Vines to which you allude, and which require 
much the same treatment to render them satisfactory. 
Gardeners Leaving {Young Gardener). —lathe absence of any special 
agreement the time for giving notice is determined by the payment of 
wages, and as you are paid we kly a week’s notice on either side suffices to 
terminate an engagement, though it is often more convenient to give longer 
notice. We know nothing about the advertising agency you mention ; but 
we know that there never was a time when gardeners experienced so much 
difficulty in procuring situations as at present, and we earnestly hope that 
no one will take hasty action in throwing himself out of employment 
who cannot afford to remain out for several months —or years. 
Azalea Bed {St. Catherines). —The best soil for Azaleas is unquestion¬ 
ably peat, but we have had them thriving admirably in loam on the sandstone 
and freestone formations, and quite luxuriantly in sawdust from loose 
boxes in which hunters have “run” during th) summer,'mixed with an 
equal proportion of turfy loam. We have no doubt of cocoa-nut fibre refuse 
being an excellent material for mixing with loam for the growth of Azaleas 
and Rhododendrons, having a sixth of sand added, and put in 18 inches 
deep and made quite firm. We have also seen them luxuriating in a shallow 
siliceous loam overlying sand, with a good mulching each year of cowdung. 
The condition of your plants shows the soil to be unsuitable, and we should 
take it out and have 18 inches depth of peat, which is best taken from a 
moor where Heather grows, the top 3 or 4 inches being best, and with a 
goodly admixture of particles of white sand. This chopped moderately 
small will grow them perfectly. The brown spongy peat used for Orchids 
is not suitable for Azaleas. We should not cut the plants down—at least, 
not until they had become well established in the peat bed, and then you 
may cut away the stunted growths, so as to encourage stronger growths 
from the base, and so insure larger trusses of bloom. Hardy Azaleas in 
variety are not so common as they deserve to be in gardens. 
Green Gage Plums Gummed {Old Subscriber). —It is generally the result 
of a deficiency of calcareous matter in the soil, but not always, as we 
have seen it occur when there has been a very vigorous growth followed 
Toy a large reduction of foliage. We think, however, in your case that 
it is caused by a deficiency of calcareous matter. In the autumn we 
should give a dressing of quicklime at the rate of a bushel per rod 
(30^ square yards), and point it in with a fork as deeply as can be done 
without in j ury to the roots, mixing it with the top 9 inches or a foot of 
the soil. A better plan would be to get some old mortar rubbish, breaking 
it small, and picking out any pieces of lath or wood ; and removing the 
soil down to the roots picking some from amongst them and giving fresh, to 
which has been added a sixth of the mortar rubbish. If the roots are 
deep they should be raised, bringing them ud so that the topmost are not 
deeper than 3 or 4 incheB when covered with soil, which also should contain 
the lime rubbish. Make the soil firm about the roots, and mul:h the surface 
with short littery manure. 
Planting Pinks and Violas—Burying Leaves ( E. T. B ).—Pinks are best 
planted now, so that they may become well established before winter, and 
if mulched before the setting in of severe weather they will not be likely 
to suffer any injury from frost. Violas for spring flowering are best planted- 
in October, or so soon afterwards as the beds or borders are cleared of their 
summer occupants. If you mean to bury leaves in a body with a view to- 
form leaf mould you will prevent their decaying so quickly as if they 
were made into aheap above ground, kept moist, and turned over occasiona'ly 
outdde to inside, so as to insure and hasten decomposition. 
Peach House (Aurora). —A house 12 feet wide is much the b st- 
Narrow houses are most common because they are most economical, but 
they are not nearly so good as houses that will allow of trees in front 
trained to a trellis fixed about 15 inches from the glass and brought about 
two-thirds up theroof, so as to allow of trees being grown at the back. The 
upper part of the front trellis should be curved downward or brought down 
from the glass to about 3 feet, so as to admit of more light to the back 
wall. Ours are of the width named—12 feet. We have the trellis 15 inches 
from the front lights, and curved so as to cut off the otherwise sharp angle 
that would occur by following the lights, the trellis being t»ken up tbe roof 
at 15 inches from the glass for about 4 feet from the front, and the distance 
then gradually increised to 3 feet from the glass at 8 feet from the front of 
the house. This admits of light to the back wall trees. Our houses have a 
foot of wall above ground supported on piers of 9-inch brickwork, with 
2 -feet openings between to allow of the roots passing outside, stone heads 
covering the openings just level with the inside and outside borders. The 
front lights are 3 feet, and open by crank and lever movement from the 
bottom outwards the whole length of the houses, each house, of course, 
separately. The back wall is 11 feet 6 inches high to the under side of the 
coping, and the roof is fixed under it. At the upper part we have lights 2 feet 
6 inches wide, which open by crank and lever movement. Such houses cost 
more than the narrow Peach cases, but have the advantage of a double set 
of trees— i.e., in front and against the back wall. The trees are planted 
inside beneath the trellis. Peaches are well grown also on trellises across 
the border up to the roof. A very fine house of this kind at Wilton Park 
was figured and described in this journal of January 10th, 1884. 
Propagating Clematis Jackmani (A Florist). —These plants can he 
increased by cuttings of nearly half-ripened wood in the spring of the year 
if inserted in sandy soil and placed until they are rooted under bellglasses 
in a temperature of 50° to 55°. This, however, is not a certain method, and 
layering is never practised by the trade. The best, quickest, and safest 
method is to propagate them by means of grafting. Strong roots from any 
other kind must be procured during the winter and kept moist in cocoa-nut 
fibre refuse, sand, or any similar material until wood is ready for the scions 
in spring. Plants from which the wood is taken are generally wintered in 
cold frames and brought forward in them by keeping the frames moderately 
close. The young wood should be used for scions, say after it has attained 
3 or 4 feet in length, and before it becomes haif ripened towa’ ds the base of 
the sloots. Each scion should be cut off just above a pa ; r of eyes, and the 
wood betwe n the joints left to each scion should be cut wedge shape. The 
strong roots should be cut clean across the top, then split down the cent e 
and the scion fitted in between. The bark of the scion and the root.must 
be fitted together on one side and then bound into position by matting) 
worsted, the first being the best. One pair of eyes is sufficient for each 
scion. After this the grafted roots should be potted singly in 3-inch pots in 
sandy loam. A gentle watering should be given, and the pots plunge! in a 
propagating case where the bottom heat ranges about 75°, and the top heat 
55° to 60°. Attention must be paid to dewing them over daily, preventing 
the sun from striking upon them, and lifting the lights of the case. 
Clematises are easy to graft, but unless care is taken with them for the 
first few days or a week afterwards they will all go off. Union soon takes 
place between the stock and scion, and if they can only be kept from damp¬ 
ing until they have reached that stage they will be perfectly safe afterwards. 
Sirex gigas (C. D.). —The Sirex gigas is found in the north of Europe ; 
it has been taken in England, but very rarely ; it is a Briish species, and is 
sometim-s taken in Scotland. It is likely to be met with in Pine forests, as 
the female seems to prefer that wood to deposit her eggs in. The male is 
considerably smaller than the female, and has no sting. The sting of the 
female consists of three parts—a sheath which divides into two parts or 
valves, and a fine instrument somewhat resembling a needle ; it is with thi 9 
instrument it wounds its enemies, and the sting is said to cause excruci¬ 
ating pain. The microscope discovers this part to b; beset with a number 
of very minute teeth, like the edge of a saw ; with this sting the creature 
can pierce the wood of sound tre-s ; for we suspect it does not always 
deposit its eggs in such as are decayed, but rather in such as will supply 
the larva with nourishment when it is hatched. The eggs are laid in clusters 
of 200 or 300 together; they are of a pile yellow colour, about the thirtieth 
part of an iuch in length, and shaped like a wearer’s shuttle. The larva 
live 3 in the body of the tree, < nlarging its habitation as it increases in sice, 
for it never leaves the tree till it becomes a winged creature. The larva 
when full grown is about ljj inch in length, and as thick as a goose quill. 
It is a heavy sluggish creature, almost cylindrical, the head very small, and 
the whole of an uniform pellucid yellowish colour. It has a small spine at 
the end of the body like those by which the larva of some spinges are 
distinguished ; this Bpine is also a striking character in the perfect Sirex. 
In the pupa the form of the winged creature is more visible than in the 
larva state ; it is of a browner colour than the larva, and the rudiment of 
the sting and legs are very visible. 
Plants for and Arrangement in Herbaceous Border (M. C. B .).— 
The roots from the Laurels will extend a considerabl s distance, and the 
heat in summer will have a drying influence on the border. About 3 feet 
from the background or hedge of Laurels is near enough to plant the 
herbaceous plants, and that distance should be allowed between the plants 
in the back row ; the next row 2 fe -t from it, and 3 feet apart in the row in 
quincunx order; the next row 18 inches, and the plants 18 inches asunder 
in the row ; front row 1 foot from the other, and plants 1 foot apart in the 
