174 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
March 1, 1894. 
about 3d. per letter, and the punch about 23. 6d. Perhaps the correspon¬ 
dent referred to will oblige with particulars. 
Polnsettlas—Matter fur Press {C. E .').—We are obliged by 
your communication, but when matter is written on both sides of the 
paper its publication is on that account delayed. Many communications 
when so written on large sheets of paper often have to wait for months, 
and several, we are sorry to say, are written in vain. Sheets of manu¬ 
script are cut into strips for distributing among a number of compositors, 
and this cannot be done when the writing is on both sides. See the 
instructions at the head of this column. 
Azalea mollis (A. TP.).—The Azalea mollis after flowering should 
be encouraged to make free yet steady growth in a light, but cool airy 
house. When the weather is warm and genial, and there is no fear of 
frost injuring the foliage, the plants should be plunged outside in an 
open sunny position. This Azalea succeeds best when planted out and 
lifted for forcing every alternate year. A very good book, by Mr. B. 
Wynne, on the Tuberous Begonia can be had from 1, Clement’s Inn, 
Strand, London. The price is, we think, Is. through booksellers, 2d. or 
3d. more by post. 
Madresfield Court and Black Hamburgh Vines (^Welshpool'). 
—Both these varieties may be grown successfully in an unheated 
house in the south by husbanding the sun heat during the summer, 
but not before the Vines start naturally, as they will in April, for 
when started too soon there is danger of injury from spring frosts. 
We prefer the Vines planted inside, but free access given by openings 
in the front wall for the roots to pass out. For a cool house or one for 
summer Grapes an outside border is best, planting the Vines in it, and 
taking care to protect the stems with haybands. The trellis for the 
Vines should be 16 to 18 inches from the glass. 
Maidenhair Ferns (X. X'.).—The grubs you write about are the 
larvse of a weevil. They destroy Maidenhair Ferns and also Auriculas 
in the open ground. We know of nothing that will destroy them 
without injury to the plants. With the Adiantums you can eradicate 
them easily enough. We have done so several times. Shake away all 
the soil from the roots, allowing it to become a little dry before doing 
so, and frequently the maggots will fall out as well. If you have any 
doubt about any remaining thoroughly wash the roots and crowns 
in tepid water, then allow them to drain well before repotting. If 
you find grubs only in a few plants when you turn them out we 
advise you to burn them. If in the majority treat them as advised 
above. 
Pruning Tea Hoses (J. F. Ripon). —Tea-scented Boses may be 
pruned in the same way as Hybrid Perpetuals. First cut out entirely 
all the weak wiry looking wood, and shorten the stronger and more 
promising young branches to good dormant buds. The extent of the 
shortening depends on the length and strength of the wood. A rule 
easily to be remembered is this—the weaker the shoots the more they 
should be shortened, the stronger they are the longer they should he left. 
The weak may be cut back to 2 or 3 inches, the medium to 4 or 5 
inches, the strong to 6 or 7 inches. If a great number of mediuip sized 
flowers for cutting are desired instead of a moderate number of fine 
blooms, then the long and strong growths, instead of being cut back 
may be arched over in the form of bows, and thus fixed in position, and 
then all the good buds on the stems may be expected to produce flowering 
growths. It must be understood that this long stem method of obtaining 
a profusion of Roses only applies to well established plants, and those 
recently planted (last autumn or this spring) should be closely cut back. 
From the middle to the end of March is usually a good time, for 
although growth may be extending from the upper part of the stems 
even before then the lower buds will be dormant, and if by too early 
pruning these back buds are forced into growth too early in turn they 
may be ruined by sharp spring frosts. We have seen Roses pruned in 
West Yorkshire in April with satisfactory results, but much depends on 
the season. 
Vines for Bean-to House (d/ay).—1, One or at most two Vines 
would be sufficient for a house 20 feet by 9 feet. If one, plant the 
Vine in the middle of the front, and train two canes from it, one to the 
right and the other to the left, along the front of the house about level 
with the eaves or trellis ; and stop each 1 foot from the ends, pinching 
the laterals to one joint or leaf as made. In the autumn cut the laterals 
off, and shorten the canes to within 2 feet 6 inches of each end. When 
the buds break the following spring, train a cane up the roof 2 feet 
6 inches from the ends, and towards the Vine leave two others 
6 feet from the end canes, and 2 feet 6 inches on each side of the 
stem of the Vine. This will give you four canes 5 feet apart, which will 
afford better results than would a greater number of canes closer, 
stopping them 1 foot from the top of the house, and keeping the laterals 
pinched to one leaf as made. In the autumn, when the leaves fall, 
shorten each cane to 3 feet, and the following spring rub off all but five 
growths, training one as a continuation of each rod, and the others 
laterally, two on each side of the rod 18 inches apart. Thus, in the 
third year, you will have a well-established Vine and some Grapes, with 
a full crop in the fifth year. Another plan is to plant Vines b feet 
apart along the front, the end ones 2^ feet therefrom j train a cane from 
each, which will reach the top of the house the first season, and being 
treated as advised for the other method—that is, the laterals pinched at 
every leaf, the cane stopped 1 foot from the top of the house, shortening 
them in winter to 3 feet from the bottom of the rafter-—you may secure 
fruit in the second year, and a full crop in the fourth. The Vines may 
be planted 4 feet apart, which would require five Vines, but better 
results are had at the greater distance, especially if you wish to grow plants 
beneath the Vines. The extra strong canes would be better fruited in 
pots or tubs than planted out in the border, as they would be more 
under control. 
Gooseberry Caterpillars (IF. S'). —You do well to adopt the idea 
that prevention is better than cure. Your plan will be to remove the 
surface soil well down to the roots to a distance of 18 inches or 2 feet 
from the stems, and bury this with the cocoons it contains elsewhere 
deeply. Then if you dredge soot under the bushes and cover with a 
mixture of loam or good garden soil and decayed manure jou will 
get rid of the enemy, and put new life into the bushes by means of the 
new soil placed on the roots. Mulching heavily with fresh tanner’s 
bark prevents the ascent of the egg-depositing moths, and to a certain 
extent otherwise benefits the bushes. 
Plgr Tree Casting- Its Fruits (X. L,). —The fruits are very small, 
and have been shed in the early stages of swelling. On close examina¬ 
tion internally the floral organs are found to be very defective, indeed 
the embryonic constructions are such that there could only be one result 
—abortion. The Fig is one of those trees which casts imperfectly 
formed embryos when the fruits are the size of a pea to a horse bean, 
also those fruits which do not satisfactorily pass the flowering process. 
This is the more remarkable since the Fig seldom perfects seeds in this 
country. The cause of your fruits dropping is probably that the Fig 
tree grown in a vinery was more or less shaded, so that the points of the 
shoots from which the first-crop Figs are chiefly produced were not 
sufficiently ripened. The only thing we can suggest is to keep the 
growths thin, and expose the points of the shoots in the late summer— 
in fact, throughout their growth—to all the light possible, so as to 
thoroughly ripen the wood. 
Sowing Iiawn Seeds (J. G.). —By the words “ levelling down 
the terrace ” we presume you do not intend sowing on a slope. The 
ground must be clean, fertile, and made quite firm. For insuring a 
quick growth of lawn grass it is quite worth while to surface the plots 
half an inch thick with sifted soil, largely consisting of decayed vegetable 
matter and wood ashes, the residue of burnt vegetable refuse, also 
sifting a little over the: seeds after sowing. Finely crushed nitrate of 
soda, applied after sowing at the rate of a little over an ounce per 
square yard, expedites growth. By sowing, if the ground and weather 
be suitable, towards the end of March, the lawn ought to be “ quite 
green ” before the end of May. By sowing during the first days of 
April we have had a lawn close and green enough for “ croquet,” when 
it was in fashion, within eight weeks ; but the weather was not un¬ 
favourable. We have known injury done by frost when sowing has 
been completed before the middle of March. Sparrows and finches often 
devour much of the seed if they have their will. Most, but not all 
persons like a little white Clover in lawns, as it renders them greener 
in dry weather. The seed is usually sold and sown separately. If you 
state the extent of the ground to one of the seed firms who advertise in 
our columns, and ask for the requisite quantities of Grass and Clover 
seeds, they will be sent in right proportions for forming a good 
lawn. 
Barly Chinese Primulas (Anxious). —If you want fine plants at 
their best in November you cannot do better than sow the seed early in 
March in heat, as proposed. If kept steadily growing they might be 
had large enough to well fill 7-inch pots, and to flower strongly by the 
time mentioned. During the hottest part of the year keep the plants 
in a cold frame or pit. Shade from very bright sunshine, and when 
the nights are fine draw off the lights, so that dews may freshen the 
leaves. Do not pinch out the first or central truss, as it is only by 
retaining this that a good pyramid of flowers can be had. 
Camellias Unbealtby (Ditto). —Doubtless it was thrips that 
ruined the leaves of the Camellias you desire to restore to good health, 
and we suppose you have already extirpated this pest. Retubbing 
Camellias is a rather big undertaking. Luckily it is not often needed, 
large trees thriving admirably undisturbed at the roots for many years. 
All they need is an occasional top-dressing of fresh fibrous loam, with a 
little fine dry cow manure added, and occasional supplies of mild liquid 
manure. In all probability the trees you have taken charge of are 
not well rooted. If on examination the soil is found in either an 
exhausted state or much soured, you will do well to either reduce the 
balls, lift out, redrain and retub the trees, or to pick away much of the 
old soil from round the sides and from the surface, damaging none 
of the roots, and replacing with fresh compost. The latter should 
consist of two parts of fibrous loam, devoid of lime and roughly broken 
up, to one good leaf soil and partially decayed horse droppings, with 
sharp sand and charcoal added freely. You might also add a sprinkling 
of bonemeal with advantage. Pack the compost rather firmly about 
the roots, and avoid saturating the new soil. Gentle heat and humid 
atmosphere, accompanied by occasional syringings, would be likely to- 
promote a stronger, healthy growth than formerly; but the process of 
recovery will be somewhat slow in any case. 
Conservatory Climbers (T. P. H. B .).—Conservatories are 
usually kept moderately warm, enough fire heat being given during 
the colder months of the year to keep the night temperature at from 
45° to 50°, an increase of from 5° to 10’, according to the external- 
conditions, taking place during the daytime. This intermediate tempe¬ 
rature would suit climbers generally met with in such structures well, 
and certainly the six sweet-scented kinds to be named. For back walls 
