302 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  5,  1899. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  8,  Rose  Hill  Road, 
Wandsworth,  S.W.,  and  NOT  to  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers, 
Fleet  Street.  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  departmental  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  b3  accompanied  by 
the  names  and  addresses  of  the  writers,  but  these  will  neither  be 
published  nor  disclosed  when  initials  or  nom  de  plumes  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. 
Arum  italicum  Fruiting  (/.  M.  A'.). — The  “truss”  of  fruit  was  all 
shaken  off'  the  stem  when  received,  owing  to  delay  in  the  transit  through 
misdirection.  It  is  a  native  of  the  Channel  Islands  and  Cornwall, 
and  not  infrequently  seen  in  fruit  in  the  southern  parts  of  England,  and 
even  in  the  north  of  England  the  fruits  ripen  in  warm  seasons,  such  as 
the  present.  It  is  worth  record,  however,  that  it  has  fruited  out  of  doors 
this  year  two  miles  from  the  Manchester  Exchange  in  a  suburb  known 
as  Old  Trafford. 
Foster's  Seedling  Grapes  Spotted  ( A .  IT.  T ’). — The  berries  are  badly 
spotted  or  affected  by  the  spot  fungus,  Glasosporium  lseticolor,  which 
attacks  the  thin-skinned  Grapes,  such  as  Muscat  of  Alexandria,  Duke  of 
Buccleuch,  Foster’s  Seedling,  and  other  white  varieties,  more  than  the 
thin-skinned  black  ones,  and  seldom  infests  the  thick-skinned.  The 
cause,  or  rather  the  facilities  for  the  germination  of  the  fungus  spores,  is  a 
too  close  and  moist  atmosphere,  moisture  being  deposited  on  the  skin  of 
the  [berries,  usually  the  upper  side  or  that  outside  the  bunch,  which 
destroys  the  tender  or  thin  skin,  and  the  fungus  readily  gains  access  to 
the  flesh.  There  is  no  remedy  but  the  removal  of  the  decayed  or  affected 
berries,  and  the  only  preventive  is  a  gentle  warmth  in  the  hot-water 
pipes,  wdth  a  little  air  constantly,  so  as  to  prevent  the  deposition  of  the 
moisture  on  the  berries.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  grow  thick-skinned  and 
thin-skinned  varieties  in  the  same  house.  Why  not  graft  the  two  rods  of 
Foster’s  Seedling  with  the  other  varieties  ?  It  is  a  capital  stock. 
Recipes  for  Making  Tomato  Sauce  (L/ noramus).  —  As  Mr.  II.  J. 
Jones,  of  Lewisham,  makes  most  excellent  Tomato  sauce,  we  asked  him 
for  the  receipt.  This  he  has  kindly  furnished,  and  the  delay  in  replying 
is  due  to  the  fact  that  Mr.  Jones  wms  in  Scotland  when  we  wrote  : — 
12  lbs.  of  ripe  Tomatoes,  1  lb.  of  English  Onions  chopped  very  small, 
J  lb.  of  salt,  and  j  lb.  of  mixed  spices  tied  in  a  muslin  bag  ;  the  whole  to 
be  boiled  on  a  gentle  fire  until  the  Onions  are  tender,  then  strain  through 
a  fine  sieve,  add  1  pint  of  best  vinegar,  and  a  very  small  quantity  of 
cayenne  pepper;  boil  again  until  it  thickens.  It  should  be  bottled 
immediately  it  is  cool.  It  is  better  to  skin  the  Tomatoes,  and  cut  them 
into  slices  before  boiling.  Green  Tomatoes  can  also  bo  made  into  sauce, 
using  the  above  quantities  with  the  addition  of  £  lb.  of  Shallots  chopped 
fine,  4  ozs.  of  castor  sugar,  and  an  extra  half  pint  of  vinegar.  Green 
Tomato  sauce  does  not  keep  so  long  as  that  made  from  ripe  fruit. 
Keeping  Walnuts  (/.  C.  A.). — The  Nuts  should  be  picked  in  alternate 
layers  with  sand  in  jars  or  clean  flower  pots,  scattering  a  little  salt  over 
them  as  they  are  put  in,  which  saves  them  from  mould  and  keeps  the 
kernels  plump.  The  iars  or  flower  pots  thus  filled  should  be  stored  in  a 
cool  place,  preferably  in  the  ground,  such  as  the  angle  of  a  south  and 
east  wall  of  a  kitchen  garden  on  the  north  side.  The  vault  should  be 
formed  of  loose  bricks  3  inches  deeper  than  the  jars  or  pots,  and  so  wide 
as  to  hold  them  conveniently.  The  pots  must  be  covered  with  slates 
overlapping  each  other,  and  with  the  ends  resting  on  the  side  walls  ; 
then  over  the  slates  1  ^-inch  oak  boards  about  the  same  size  as  the  slates, 
so  that  they  can  easily  be  removed,  after  which  cover  the  whole  with 
a  couple  of  inches  of  soil.  The  border  must  be  well  drained,  other¬ 
wise  the  vault  would  be  a  receptacle  for  water.  The  Nuts  can  be 
taken  out  as  they  are  required,  say  sufficient  for  three  or  four  days  at 
a  time.  The  flavour  is  beat  preserved  in  the  ground-vault,  and  the 
ucrncls  are  sufficiently  plump  to  admit  of  peeling.  When  the  kernels 
shr’vel  the  Nuts  should  be  steeped  about  twenty-four  hours  in  water, 
or  preferably  milk  and  water,  rubbing  the  Nuts  dry  for  tabl?. 
Paris  Green  and  Lime  ( C.  /?.). — It  is  quite  true,  as  you  observe,  that 
Mr.  Cousins  says,  in  “  The  Chemistry  ot  the  Garden,”  in  reference  to 
Paris  green,  “Never  use  more  than  J  lb.  per  100  gallons  of  water  (1  oz.  in 
12  gallons),  and  always  add  twice  as  much  lime  (us  Paris  green)  as  a 
precaution  against  soluble  arsenic,  which  is  injurious  to  foliage.”  You 
thereupon  ask,  “how  many  gallons  of  a  saturated  solution  of  lime — the 
clear  liquid  which  results  from  putting  more  quicklime  into  a  barrel  of 
water  than  it  can  take  up— is  equal  to  1  lb.  of  quicklime.”  To  this 
question  Mr,  Cousins  replies  as  follows  Ninety  to  101  gallons,  and 
therefore  impractical.  The  best  procedure  is  to  simmer  the  lime  and 
Paris  green  in  an  enamelled  iron  saucepan  for  a  few  minutes  before 
mixing.” 
Preparing  Ground  for  Asparagus  ((?.  I.  0.  B.). — The  land  with  a 
little  more  than  a  foot  depth  of  top  soil  would  be  best  prepared  by  taking 
out  a  trench  2  feet  wide  and  to  the  full  depth  of  the  good  soil,  wheeling 
or  carting  the  earth  to  the  other  end  of  the  plot  ready  for  filling  in  the  last 
trench.  Then  place  in  the  trench  3  or  4  inches  thickness  of  the  old 
Mushroom  bed  refuse,  and  dig  it  into  the  trench  with  a  fork,  taking 
small  spyts  so  as  to  mix  the  manure  with  the  soil,  and  loosen  this  as 
much  as  possible.  Turn  the  next  2  feet  width  of  top  soil  with  some  of 
the  old  Mushroom  bed  refuse  upon  the  loo-ened  earth  in  the  trench,  and 
in  the  new  trench  proceed  as  before,  and  so  on.  This,  called  bastard 
trenching,  would  give  a  greater  depth  of  loosened  and  enriched  soil  than 
by  ordinary  digging.  The  gangways  are  best  not  robbed  of  soil,  for  the 
Asparagus  roots  spread  considerably  laterally  or  run  into  the  alleys  or 
spaces  left  for  convenience  of  cultural  operations.  We  have,  however, 
seen  and  practised  the  method  you  propose,  and  with  a  generous  subsoil, 
water  percolating  through  and  away  from  it  freely,  the  results  have  been 
satisfactory,  the  beds  being  liberally  manured  each  year.  You  may  sow 
seeds  and  thin  out  instead  of  planting  one-year-old  plants  if  you  prefer. 
Newtownards  Show  ( Amateur  Exhibitor). — There  seems  to  have  been 
no  lack  of  doubts  and  misunderstandings  at  the  show,  judging,  at  least, 
by  your  letter,  but  none  of  thepi  very  serious,  we  hope.  We  have  asked, 
over  and  over  again,  that  a  schedule  be  sent  to  us  of  any  show  at  which 
there  have  been  certain  matters  in  dispute  that  we  are  desired  to  consider. 
You  have  not  sent  one,  and  therefore  we  cannot  fully  consider  the  points 
at  issue,  but  we  note  them  shortly.  To  your  first  question,  What  is  a 
“Snapdragon  ?”  our  reply  is,  it  may,  for  the  purpose  of  exhibiting,  be 
either  an  annual  or  perennial,  according  to  the  species  or  variety  staged, 
while  thousands  are  grown  as  biennials.  Antirrhinum  majus  is  a 
perennial.  Please  give  a  precise  reference  to  the  page  on  which  we  have 
stated  otherwise  without  some  qualification.  To  your  second  question 
our  reply  is  that  The  Queen  and  Golden  Noble  Apples  are  not  recognised 
dessert  varieties.  They  are  both  placed  in  the  “cooking”  lists  in  the 
schedule  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  Yellow  Ingestrie  is  a  dessert 
Apple,  under  whatever  name  it  may  be  exhibited.  The  last  case  on 
which  you  ask  for  “light”  refers  to  classes  for  “  six  baking  Apples, 
winter,”  and  “six  baking  Apples,  summer.”  Warner's  King,  you  say, 
was  staged  in  both  these  classes  by  the  same  exhibitor,  who  was  adjudged 
the  first  prize  in  each.  In  the  absence  of  any  special  covering  conditions 
in  the  schedule  we  see  no  reason  to  doubt  tho  correctness  of  the  verdict, 
Warner’s  King  bake3  and  otherwise  cooks  well  as  soon  as  the  fruits  are 
large  enough  in  August,  which  we  think  is  “  summer,”  and  are  often  in 
excellent  condition  after  Christmas,  which  most  people  regard  as 
“  winter.”  Generally  speaking,  we  look  upon  it  as  a  fine  autumn  Apple, 
though  we  have  seen  firm  samples  in  February’. 
Grapes  Unsatisfatory  (T7.  C.  C.). — The  Grapes  are  in  a  bad  state, 
the  Black  Ilamburghs  being  shanked  and  the  Gros  Colrnan  badly  coloured 
and  mouldy.  The  cause  may  be  attributed  partly  to  tho  condition  of  tho 
soil,  as  boih  shanking  and  bad  finish  are  usually  traceable  to  defects  at 
the  roots,  and  partly  also  to  indifferent  management.  Old  vineries  and 
Wines  are  somewhat  difficult  to  deal  with,  as  it  is  practically  futile  to 
attempt  to  lift  the  Vines  and  bring  the  roots  near  the  surface  in  new 
compost  over  thorough  drainage.  It  is  possible,  however,  to  assist,  if  not 
rejuvenate,  the  Vines  by  simple  means,  always  provided  the  soil  is  not 
soddened  and  soured  for  lack  of  drainage.  If  the  soil  bo  suitable  as 
regards  texture,  and  there  cannot  be  much  amiss  with  it  to  produce  the 
size  of  bunch  and  berry  forwarded,  a  dressing  of  best  chalk  lime  air-slaked, 
not  less  than  lj  cwt.  per  rod,  spread  on  the  border,  will  usually  work 
wonders,  partly  by  correcting  the  soil’s  tendency  to  become  sour  by  heavy 
dressings  of  manure,  and  rendering  other  elements  in  the  soil  available 
as  food.  In  addition  to  this  we  advise  a  top-dressing  some  time  after  the 
lime  has  been  applied,  but  before  the  Vines  start  into  growth,  say  the 
lime  now,  and  the  top  dressiDg  at  the  time  of  pruning  and  cleaning  the 
house  'of  a  mixture  of  bone  superphosphate,  dry  and  crumbling,  two 
parts,  and  double  sulphate  of  potash  and  magnesia  one  [art,  mixed 
thoroughly,  and  using  half  a  pound  of  the  mixture  per  square  yard, 
pointing  in  2  or  3  inches  deep,  and  not  more  than  6  inches,  always 
without  injury  to  the  roots.  This  we  have  found  effectual  in  a  case 
of  Vines  as  old  as  yours,  both  a3  regards  shanking  and  deficiency  in 
colouring.  Another  point  is  to  be  caieful  in  watering,  never  giving  so 
much  as  to  make  the  soil  very  wet.  With  the  soil  in  a  properly  moist 
condition  no  water  will  be  required  after  the  Grapes  commence  ripening. 
The  chief  cause  of  shanking  and  defective  colouring  is  excess  of  nitro¬ 
genous  or  organic  matter  in  the  soil,  often  due  solely  to  the  injudicious 
use  of  stable  or  larmyard  manure  and  too  much  w’ater,  especially  in  the 
ripening  stages.  Of  course,  the  soil  must  be  kept  moist,  but  erring,  if 
at  all,  on  the  rather  dry  than  tho  over  wet  side  in  such  cases.  Good 
management  is  a  vital  point,  the  Vines  being  given  plenty  of  air,  not  too 
much  atmospheric  moisture,  and.  the  growths  properly  stopped,  each  having 
space  for  the  development  of  the  leaves  in  full  exposure  to  light  and  air. 
The  mou’diness  may  arise  from  water  dripping  on  the  Grapes  in  conse- 
