'■•ri26 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
Febrnary  8,  1900. 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
W.  Ball,  King’s  Road,  Chelsea. — Seeds. 
H.  J.  Jones,  Lewisham. — Seeds  and  Plants, 
Louis  Van  Iloutte,  pere,  Ghent. — Plants  and  Seeds. 
L’Horticole  Coloniale,  Parc  Leopold,  Brussels. — Plants. 
H.  Merryweather,  Southwell. — Seeds. 
W.  Paul  &  Son,  Waltham  Cross. — Seeds. 
Pinehurst  Nurseries,  Pinehurst,  N.C.,  U.S.A.  —  Wholesale  Seeds  and 
'North  Carolina  Plants. 
J.  Russell,  Richmond,  Surrey. — Seeds, 
W.  Sydenham,  Tamworth. — Pansies  and  Violas. 
T.  Vallis  &  Son,  Chippenham. — Chrysanthemums, 
T.  S.  Ware,  Ltd.,  Tottenham. — Seeds. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be 
directed  to  “The  Editor,”  12,  iviitre  Court  Chambers, 
Fleet  Street,  Xondon,  E.c.  It  is  requested  that  no  one 
will  write  privately  to  any  of  our  correspondents,  seeking 
information  on  matters  discussed  in  this  Journal,  as  doing  so 
subjects  them  to  unjustifiable  trouble  and  expense,  and  depart¬ 
mental  writers  are  not  expected  to  answer  any  letters  they 
may  receive  on  Gardening  and  Bee  subjects  through  the  post. 
If  information  be  desired  on  any  particular  subject  from  any 
particular  authority  who  may  be  named,  endeavour  will  be  made 
to  obtain  it  by  the  Editor.  Letters  of  inquiry  must  be  accom¬ 
panied  by  the  names  and  addresses  of  the  writers,  but  these  will 
neither  be  published  nor  disclosed  when  initials  or  noms  de  plume 
are  given  for  the  purpose  of  replies. 
Correspondents  should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions  relating 
to  Gardening  and  those  on  Bee  subjects,  and  it  is  convenient  when 
each  question  is  written  on  a  separate  sheet.  All  articles  intended 
for  insertion  should  be  written  on  one  side  of  the  paper  only  ;  and 
the  name  and  address  of  each  writer  must  be  known  by  the 
Editor,  though  not  necessarily  for  insertion.  We  cannot,  as  a 
rule,  reply  to  questions  through  the  post,  and  we  do  not  under¬ 
take  to  return  communications  which,  for  any  reason,  cannot 
be  inserted. 
Employment  in  Australia  (G.  C.,  jun.'). — Your  best  course  will  be 
to  procure  the  “  Horticultural  Directory  ”  from  these  oflBces,  price 
Is.  3d.,  post  free,  and  write  to  the  several  Australian  nurserymen 
named  therein.  They  would  certainly  reply  to  you  if  they  were  in 
want  of  an  assistant  with  a  knowledge  of  the  English  trade. 
Evergreen  Creeper  for  a  High  Wall  with  an  East  Aspect  (B^.  G.). — 
The  best  of  all  evergreen  climbers  for  quickly  clothing  a  wall,  especially 
one  30  feet  in  height  and  somewhat  sheltered  by  trees,  is  the  common 
large-leaved  Irish  Ivy,  Hedera  helix  canariensis.  Plants  in  pots  are 
the  most  satisfactory,  as  they  travel  and  plant  quite  safely  even  when 
6  feet  in  height  or  more. 
Lime  and  Manure  for  Tomatoes  Under  Glass  (A.  Z.).— The  lime  and 
manure  recommended  to  “  R.  F.”  for  Tomatoes,  in  our  issue  of 
February  Ist,  answers  well  for  cultivation  under  glass.  Salt  is  named 
in  relation  to  lime,  and  we  wish  you  to  observe  that  the  lime  ought  to 
be  applied  and  dug  in  some  time  in  advance  of  using  the  salt,  but  the 
salt  left  on  the  surface.  It  is  not  generally  advisable  to  use  salt  and 
lime  at  the  same  time,  but  we  advise  kainit  instead  of  salt,  and  so 
escape  chloride  formation. 
Treatment  of  Asparagus  {Idem).  —  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
cutting  is  a  weakening  process.  We  have  noticed  that  young  Asparagus 
plants  push  two  growths  in  a  season— the  first  relatively  weak,  and 
another,  about  midsummer  or  soon  after,  comparatively  strong ;  and 
these  monopolise  the  vigour,  and  form  correspondingly  fine  heads  for 
developing  the  following  season.  It  is  a  good  practice,  therefore,  to 
allow  the  weak  grass  to  grow  to  the  end  of  cutting  time,  say  June  20th, 
and  then  cut  away,  leaving  the  stronger  only  to  each  rootstock.  Some 
growers  cut  off  the  very  small  shoots  after  they  have  developed,  and 
thus  cause  a  second  growth  to  be  made  earlier,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
cutting  season  pull  out  any  small  shoots,  leaving  only  the  strong  to 
grow.  The  coat  of  stable  manure  early  in  spring  and  the  two  dressings 
of  salt,  about  J  lb.  per  square  yard,  will  be  excellent.  A  considerable 
advantage  may  be  derived  from  the  use  of  Peruvian  guano,  about  2  ozs. 
per  square  yard  applied  early  in  April,  and  repeated  in  about  six 
weeks,  taking  care  not  to  use  it  over  the  heads,  but  between  the  rows 
and  plants. 
Lilium  giganteum  {Tyro). — Let  the  pots  be  twice  the  diameter  of 
the  bulbs,  the  soil  half  turfy  loam,  the  remainder  equal  parts  of  peat, 
leaf  mould,  and  decayed  manure  rubbed  through  a  sieve,  adding  a 
handful  or  two  of  sand,  all  to  be  well  mixed  ;  embed  the  bulbs  in  sand, 
and  first  cover  with  soil  2  inches  below  the  rim  of  the  pot.  Bury  the 
pots  in  cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse  or  ashes  in  a  cold  frame  or  other  cool 
place.  The  plants  will  grow  in  frames,  light  greenhouses,  or  outdoors 
in  summer. 
Improving  a  Lawn  (G.  H.  G.). — In  dry  weather  towards  the  end  of 
March  scratch  up  the  lawn,  breaking  the  surface  soil  with  a  sharp- 
pointed  iron-toothed  rake.  This  must  be  carried  out  when  it  can  be  done 
best,  not  when  the  ground  is  baked  hard ;  still  it  must  be  somewhat 
dry.  If  you  can  further  spread  on  some  sifted  soil  that  you  may  in 
the  meantime  collect  for  filling  up  inequalities,  so  much  the  better 
Then  sow  freely  some  renovating  lawn  seeds,  sprinkling  a  little  soil 
over  them  if  you  have  any ;  if  not,  work  them  in  as  well  as  you  can 
with  a  rake,  and  draw  a  roller  over  the  surface  or  beat  it  down  with  a 
spade.  If  birds  do  not  eat  the  seeds,  and  they  may  be  prevented  by 
stringing  cotton  a  few  inches  above  the  surface,  you  will  soon  have  a 
green  lawn,  and  it  may  be  kept  so  by  judiciously  mowing,  not  cutting 
too  closely  the  first  three  times,  or  several  of  the  young  Grasses  may 
be  destroyed.  Bonemeal  and  the  advertised  manures  are  good  for 
lawns,  applied  at  the  rate  of  an  ounce  or  two  to  the  square  yard  in 
showery  weather. 
White  Worms  in  Poultry  Manure  (Puzzled). — The  minute  white 
worms  are  certainly  not  wireworms,  at  least  we  have  never  found  them 
in  poultry  manure,  but  are  members  of  the  same  order  as  the  earth, 
worm,  Oligochosta.  There  is  little  doubt  that  they  attack  the  roots 
and  root  stems  of  Clovers,  Vegetable  Marrows,  and  other  plants.  We 
have  known  them  injurious  to  Currant  bushes  lay  destroying  the  tender 
rootlets  ;  Apple  trees  on  the  same  ground  not  being  affected.  We 
should  not  use  the  manure  for  fruit  trees  amongst  which  vegetables  are 
grown  until  treated  with  lime  or  gypsum.  Our  plan  with  such  stuff, 
for  we  have  used  poultry  manure  extensively  in  fruit  and  vegetable 
grounds,  was  first  to  disinfect  it.  1,  Spreading  rather  thinly  and 
sprinkling  on  the  manure  air-slaked  chalk  lime,  a  foot  thickness, 
having  about  an  inch  of  lime  placed  on  it,  then  the  heap  was  turned 
two  or  three  times  and  left  for  a  day  or  two,  always  before  violently 
heating  spreading  on  the  land  and  digging  or  pointing  in.  2,  Throw 
the  manure  into  a  heap,  sprinkling,  if  dry,  with  a  solution  of  sulphate 
of  iron,  1  lb.  in  10  gallons  of  water,  and  cover  the  heap  with  gypsum. 
Allow  this  to  heat,  and  when  quite  hot  turn  inside  to  outside  and  top  to 
bottom,  again  covering  the  heap  with  gypsum,  and  in  about  a  week 
again  turning  and  mixing,  keeping  after  this  so  thinly  as  not  to  heat,  or 
applying  at  once  to  the  land. 
Rose  Gloire  de  Dijon  (F.  F.). — The  appearance  of  the  leaves 
suggests  that  the  wood  has  not  been  so  well  matured  as  is  desirable, 
and  possibly  the  growths  were  overcrowded  during  the  summer,  still 
if  the  wood  is  strong  enough  and  moderately  firm,  flowers  will  pro¬ 
bably  follow  in  due  time.  You  must  remember  that  no  Rose  can  do 
what  is  expected  of  it  if  the  growths  are  allowed  to  be  infested  with 
insects.  Your  greenhouse  ought  to  have  been  fumigated  long  ago, 
and  the  Rose  well  and  frequently  syringed  to  keep  it  clean. 
If  there  is  nothing  to  pt  event  fumigation  fill  the  house  with  smoke 
from  tobacco  or  good  tobacco  paper  on  two  consecutive  nights,  then 
syringe  the  plant  thoroughly  with  an  insecticide.  If  fumigation 
cannot  be  done  syringe  forcibly  and  repeatedly.  The  advertised 
insecticides,  if  used  according  to  the  directions  that  accompany  them, 
will  answer  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  prepared.  If  the 
stem  outside  the  house  has  been  exposed  to  the  weather  the 
plant  may  have  sustained  injury.  We  have  many  times  stated  that 
such  stems  should  be  protected  with  hay  bands.  Any  that  may  be 
still  exposed  should  be  covered  at  once,  as  when  growth  starts  under 
glass  a  sharp  spring  frost  may  stop  the  rising  of  the  sap  through  the 
exposed  stems  outside  the  house. 
Brown  Spots  on  Clematis  indivisa  Leaves  (0.  D.,  Kent). — There  were 
found  mycelial  hypha3  in  all  the  browned  parts  of  the  leaves,  which, 
with  some  outgrowths  from  the  younger  blotches,  indicate  an  attack  by 
the  rather  uncommon  Rose  mould,  Peronospora  sparsa.  It  grows,  as  a 
delicate  grey  mould,  on  the  under  side  of  the  leaves  of  Roses,  in 
conservatories,  but  we  have  found  it  on  a  few  woody  plants  under  glass 
in  addition  to  Roses,  Clematis  indivisa  being  one  of  them.  The  leaves 
become  spotted  with  brown,  and  soon  shrivel.  This  is  due  to  the 
growth  of  fungal  mycelium  in  the  tissues  of  the  leaf  or  leaves,  which 
spreads  from  a  centre  of  attack.  Being  wholly  internal  in  its  growth 
no  outward  dressing  can  do  more  than  prevent  the  spores  germinating 
or  the  disease  from  spreading.  The  endophytic  nature  of  the  parasite 
may  account  for  “  some  mildew  remedies  ”  not  having  effect.  We 
should  try  the  preparations  in  powder  of  sulphate  of  copper,  such  as 
anti-blight,  fostite,  and  strawsonite,  applying  lightly  and  occasionally 
by  means  of  a  bellows  apparatus.  As  the  leaves  are  smooth  there  is 
some  difficulty  in  getting  the  powder  to  adhere,  therefore  many  use  the 
article  in  solution,  applying  with  ah  atomiset  or  sprayer,  merely  coating 
the  growths  with  the  finest  possible  film.  We  found  this,  after  removing 
all  the  affected  parts  and  burning  them,  effective,  air  being  given  very 
freely  and  the  atmosphere  kept  rather  dry,  for  the  fungus  thrives  beat 
in  a  close  moist  atmosphere,  and  on  I’ampant,  succulent  growths,  th& 
drier  conditions  tending  to  render  the  plant  more  resistant. 
