December 24, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
573 
ing to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should never 
send more than two or three questions at once. All articles in¬ 
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. 
Books (Jackson). —A misprint of a figure occurred in our reply ; how¬ 
ever, if you had read the Journal as attentively as many do you would 
have found what you require in the same number on page 506. 
Figue de Naples Pear (Somerset). —This Pear ripens in November, and is 
often very good indeed ; it is described as follows in the “ Fruit Manual: ”— 
* medium size ; oblong. Skin greenish yellow, entirely covered 
with thin delicate russet, and dark reddish brown on the side next the sun. 
Fye open, with very short segments, set in a wide shallow basin. Stalk 
*hjee-quarters of an inch long, inserted without depression, frequently with 
a fleshy lip at the base. Flesh greenish white, buttery, and melting, with 
a ricli sugary flavour. An excellent Pear; ripe in November. The tree is 
hardy and vigorous, and bears abundantly as a standard. 
Dressing Vine Borders (Merchant). —By no means attempt to pick out 
the manure from the fibres or you will undo much of the good the mulching 
has done. Spread on 2 or 3 inches of good loam mixed with any wood 
ashes you may have, also lime rubbish, and if you can add a 6-inch potful of 
soot or bonemeal, or both, to each bushel of the compost it will be improved. 
On this spread a layer of manure; indeed, in that respect proceed exactly 
as you did last year. We are glad yon have carried out our instructions 
so well, and the treatment has proved so satisfactory. The wood you 
have sent is very good indeed, and the abundance of fibrous roots is what 
we anticipated would be produced. Do not dig the borders nor let the 
roots get dry in summer, and you may expect a good crop of excellent 
Drapes. Tour Vines are now in a healthy fruitful state, and we congratulate 
you on your good management. 
Preparing Manure (A Very Old Subscriber). —It is seldom necessary to 
convey manure from stables to the site the hotbed is to occupy when that is 
near a residence. The manure can usually be prepared somewhere else, 
where it will not be offensive, and conveyed to the frame ground afterwards. 
When allowed to ferment in a heap in any convenient place, turned over 
four or five times, separating all adhering particles, and watering as may 
be needed for assisting fermentation, it is what is termed sweetened. It is 
when well prepared not offensive, but has a pungent and not a disagreeable 
smell that is not perceptible a short distance away. It is only in that con¬ 
dition that manure can be safely used. If offensive gases rise in a frame 
placed on a hotbed will destroy whatever plants, cuttings, or seedlings may 
be placed in the frame. It may be stated as a plain rule that if a candle 
will burn in a frame the air is safe for plants, but if the light is extinguished 
as soon as put in it is not safe, and more time must be allowed for the 
escape of deleterious gases and the consequent sweetening of the manure. 
Hampstead Chrysanthemum Show (One of the Committee). —We are 
obliged by your letter, and assure you that if any omission occurred in in¬ 
serting the fixture in our list it was not intentional. Schedules not infre¬ 
quently arrive just a day too late for the dates of the shows to which they 
refer being inserted in the current issue, and between that and the issue 
following the exhibitions are over. We cannot positively say that this was so 
in the case of your schedule, because we have not a clear recollection whether 
it arrived with the ticketB or not. We know the date of their receipt, and if 
the schedule came with them it was just too late for insertion in the pub¬ 
lished list. As to reporting, it is absolutely impossible that our representa¬ 
tives can attend all exhibitions. They travelled over a thousand miles during 
three weeks, and we think, therefore, did as much as could reasonably be 
expected. If you had sent a note of your show it would probably have been 
inserted. We have been told this week it was an excellent one, some of the 
groups splendid. 
Cissus discolor, &c.—Grafting Apple and Plum Trees (A. G. F .).— 
The Cissus and other plants to which you refer in the first part of your 
letter are deciduous, and if you expect them to flower profusely they must 
be ripened until the whole of their foliage falls naturally. You can keep the 
Allamanda evergreen, but it will not rest so perfectly as if the foliage has 
been gradually and naturally ripened off. This should be done, for upon the 
ripened condition of the wood will entirely depend whether the plants make 
long or short growths before they flower after they are started again into 
growth. _ Cissus discolor will not lose the whole of its foliage during the 
winter—in fact, may be kept evergreen if deprived of rest to some extent. A 
shorter rest will suffice for this plant, and then it will not be so long without 
its beautiful foliage. We rest our plants as completely as possible through 
January, and then prune them, and they soon start vigorously into growth 
again, and by this practice this plant is not long deciduous. You could 
keep them evergreen if you could maintain a night temperature in your house 
of 60°. But if you do this do not expect your plants to flower as well as if 
ripened and rested. Plum and Apple trees should be grafted about the end 
of March, but this depends very much upon the season whether an early or 
late one. 
Pruning Peach Trees (D. E.). —Judging by your letter your trees would 
he much benefited by being lifted and the roots placed in good loam, 
with a liberal quantity of lime rubbish and some wood ashes incorporated. 
They are growing too strongly, and the more severely you prune them 
the stronger they will grow if you let the roots alone. With strong 
roots forcing their way into the subsoil there is almost certain to be cor¬ 
respondingly strong growths essentially fruitless in character ; but an 
abundance of small fibres near the surface of the border produce medium- 
sized wood that is certain to be fruitful if the shoots are so thinly dis¬ 
posed in summer that the leaves develope under the full influence of light 
and air, and are kept quite free from insects. We should dig up the trees 
at once carefully, see that the border is well drained, and place the roots 
in fresh soil, taking particular care that all of a fibrous nature are kept 
moist during the operation. A depth of 18 inches of soil will suffice, and 
this not being wet when used you may press down firmly. If you have 
a sufficient number of medium-sized hard brown shoots for covering the space 
between the main branches the “ strong succulent growths ” may be cut 
out entirely, and the shoots that issue^from the base of these in spring be 
either rubbed out or pinched repeatedly in order to divert the sap where it 
may be required by other parts of the trees. Your aim should be to 
produce an equalisation of growth, and by timely disbudding so arrange 
the shoots in summer that there is no serious shading of the foliage by 
overcrowding. As a rule too many summer shoots are retained. Peach 
trees well managed in the growing season need little pruning when in a 
dormant state. 
Eucharis amazonica (W. J. C .).—Judging from the leaves sent and 
the description of your plants, we are almost certain that they are attacked 
by the mite which has played such sad havoc amongst these plants during 
the past few years. Your plants will do no good until you succeed in 
eradicating this destructive pest. If you were to obtain clean stock, unless 
you destroyed all the plants you have and thoroughly cleaned the house, 
they would soon be as bad as those you have now. We advise you to keep 
them rather dry till the end of next month, and then turn them out of 
their pots and remove every particle of soil that has surrounded them to 
some distance and burn it. The drainage of the pots should be subjected to 
the same process. The pots should be cleaned by placing them in boiling 
water. We should cut away all the roots, and wash the bulbs in water as 
hot as it is possible to bear the hands in. After this, dip the bulbs in a 
strong solution of some insecticide, then repot them after after they are dry, 
and be careful to use fresh pots. We should place them in another house 
as far from where they previously grew as possible. They would be all the 
better if you could plunge them in bottom heat to give them a start. We 
have never been troubled with this pest, but know that some cultivators 
have succeeded in stamping it out in the manner indicated, and we shall be 
glad to hear if you succeed in your object. The leaves sent of Clematis 
indivisa lobata appear as if they have been touched by frost. If you are 
certain this is not the case, examine the roots, and there we think you will 
discover the cause of your plant going off. Dryness will cause the leaves 
to go similar to those sent, also saturated soil. Wireworm in the soil will 
also cause this plant to fail. Some years ago we lost a fair-sized plant from 
this cause, and upon examination we found that the maggots had penetrated 
for a good distance the root portion of the stem. 
Names of Fruits.—The names and addresses of senders of fruit to 
be named must in all cases be enclosed with the specimens, whether 
letters referring to the fruit are sent by post or not. The names are 
not necessarily required for publication, initials sufficing for that. 
(J. T. W .).—Beurrc Diel. 
Names of Plants.—We only undertake to name species of plants, not 
varieties that have originated from seed and termed florists’ flowers. 
Flowering specimens are necessary of flowering plants, and Fern fronds 
should bear spores. Specimens should arrive in a fresh state in firm 
boxes. Slightly damp moss or soft green leaves form the best packing, dry 
cotton wool the worst. Not more than six specimens can be named at once. 
(W. B., Leicestershire ).—Statice latifolia. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET. —December 23rd. 
FRUIT. 
B. 
d. 
S. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
a. 
Apples. 
i sieve 
l 
0 
to S 
6 
Oranges. 
4 
Oto 
6 
0 
,, Canadian .. 
barrel 
10 
0 
15 
0 
Peaches . 
perdoz. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Nova Scotia 
10 
0 
12 
6 
Fears, kitchen ., 
dozen 
0 
6 
1 
0 
Cobs, Kent .. per 100 lbs. 
22 
0 
25 
0 
,, dessert 
dozen 
0 
4 
1 
6 
Figs . 
dozen 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Pine Apples English .. lb. 
1 
0 
1 
6 
Grapes . 
0 
6 
8 
0 
Plums. 
£ sieve 
.0 
0 
0 
0 
Lemons .. .. , 
.. case 
15 
0 
21 
0 
St. Michael Pines 
..each 
1 
6 
6 
0 
Melons. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
VEGETABLES. 
0. 
d. 
s. d 
S. 
d. 
S. 
a. 
Artichokes . • •• 
dozen 
1 
0 to 0 
0 
Lettuce. 
dozen 
l 
0 to 
1 
6 
Asparagus .. .. 
bundle 
0 
0 
G 
0 
Mushrooms .. . 
punnet 
0 
6 
1 
0 
Beans, Kidney .. 
lb. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Mustard and Cress 
punnet 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Beet, Red .. .. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Onions . 
bunch 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Broccoli. 
bundle 
0 
9 
1 
0 
Parsley .. dozen bunches 
2 
0 
s 
0 
Brussels Sprouts .. 
£ sieve 
2 
6 
3 
0 
Parsnips. 
dozen 
1 
0 
3 
e 
Cabbage . 
dozen 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Potatoes . 
cwt. 
4 
0 
5 
0 
Capsicums .. .. 
100 
1 
8 
2 
0 
,, Kidney . 
cwt. 
4 
e 
5 
0 
Carrots. 
bunch 
0 
s 
0 
4 
Rhubarb. 
bundle 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Cauliflowers .. .. 
dozen 
2 
0 
s 
0 
Salsafy. 
bundle 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Celery . 
bundle 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Scorzonera .. .. 
bundle 
1 
6 
0 
0 
Coleworts doz. bunches 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Seakale .. ,. per basket 
2 
0 
2 
8 
Cucumbers .. .. 
each 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Shallots. 
0 
s 
0 
6 
Endive. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Spinach. 
bushel 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Herbs . 
bunch 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Tomatoes .. ,. 
0 
4 
0 
e 
Leeks . 
bunch 
0 
S 
0 
1 
Turnips,. .. „ 
bunch 
0 
4 
0 
0 
AGRICULTURAL PROGRESS. 
Laying down land in permanent pasture liad brief notice 
in our first paper upon agricultural progress, but the subject 
is so important that we return to it now, hoping as we do 
that a more full, clear statement of how it is done and why 
it is worthy of more general attention may prove useful to 
