5(M 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  7,  1899. 
TO  CORRESPONDENTS 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice, be  directed  to  “The  Editor,”  ia,  ivxitre  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  be  accompanied  by 
the  names  and  addresses  of  the  writers,  but  these  will  neither  be 
published  nor  disclosed  when  initials  or  nom  de  'plumes  are  giveD 
for  the  purpose  of  replies. 
Correspondents  should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions  relatim 
to  Gardening  and  those  on  Bee  subjects,  and  it  is  convenient  when 
each  question  is  written  on  a  separate  sheet.  All  articles  intended 
tor  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. 
Birds  and  Fruit  Buds  (C.  H.  B.). — We  have  found  dusting  the 
bushes  with  newly  slaked  lime  when  they  were  sparkling  with  globules 
ol  water  on  a  still,  misty  morning  to  act  as  a  very  useful  deterrent.  The 
June  should  be  dashed  upwards,  downwards,  and  in  all  directions  When 
the  work  is  well  done  every  twig  when  dried  will  be  quite  white,  and 
the  lime  which  falls  to  the  ground  is  there  beneficial.  Perhaps  other 
methods  will  be  described  by  practitioners. 
Vines  for  Unheated  Houses  (Amateur).— Chasselas  Yibert,  Earlv 
Smyrna,  Frontignan,  and  Foster’s  Seedling  (white  Grapes),  also  Black 
Hamburgh  Black  Prince  and  Madresfield  Court  (black  Grapes)  succeed 
in  unheated  houses  farther  north  than  the  Midlands  in  favourable 
localities  and  seasons,  under  judicious  management.  This  mainlv  con¬ 
sists  in  husbanding  the  sun’s  heat  after  the  Vines  start  into  growth,  allow- 
h!ft  v  ®  HI  f do  this  naturally-that  is,  not  coddling  them  in  the  spring, 
so  as  to  prevent  growth  before  April,  then  pushing 
them  ahead  by  judicious  early  closing,  especially  after  the  Grapes  are  set 
fltin^nro  ^  W<S  npen.ed-  At  the  same  time  we  consider  that 
m  *re  i“c,>"i,iete  if  pr°’isi»“ « “‘lo 
Cineraria  Diseased  ( F, \  C.  A.).— The  plant  is  what  is  known  as 
damped  off  at  the  collar  and  very  tantalising  it  is  to  the  grower.  It 
is  affected  there  by  the  sleepy  disease  fungus,  called,  when  infesting 
Potatoes,  Fusanum  solam,  and  if  attacking  Tomatoes.  F.  lycopersich 
With  equal  right  it,  on  Cinerarias,  may  be  called  in  your  case  F  Cinerari 
But  it  also  attacks  herbaceous  and  shrubby  Calceolarias,  and  aiso,  a-ain’ 
infests  Humea  elegans,  and,  still  further,  often  causes  Myosotis  sylve^stris 
heSs°o™l]'d  g-  Pat  ’  ?h6rf  is  practica%  no  difference  between 
the  so-called  species  except  that  due  to  the  “host”  which  it  occupies 
and  by  which  it  subsists.  The  cause  of  the  affection  is  too  deep  poUing 
or  planting  in  most  cases,  the  moisture  of  the  soil  acting  prejudicially  on 
the  stem  which  has  been  a  considerable  time  out  of  tlmground  This 
sudden  collapse  has  been  known  to  gardeners  long  before' sleepv 
?esulteofUb,grU9-Wa!Rregan  d  aS  the  CaUSe’  and  alwa>'8  considered  asPa 
result  of  burying  the  collar  in  potting  or  planting,  especially  when  the 
plant  has  become  root-bound  or  hard  and  stunted  in  the  Growth  There 
n°i  ^ppear  closo  root-binding  in  your  case,  but  the  plant  has 
been  put  down  quite  an  inch,  and  it  is  there,  and  there  onlyP  that  the 
d 1  sense  appears  ;  hence  the  old  gardeners  were  not  far  short  oAthe  mark 
when  they  attnbuted  it  to  too  much  moisture  at  the  collar,  which  caused 
int  G-  t0,deca^  8°  *?  fay>  ,nvltinff  ‘he  fungus.  We  do  not  consider 
any  application  would  do  any  good.  The  plants  should  be  kept  as  dry 
as  possible  consistent  with  the  preservation  of  the  foliage  in  freshnesf 
but  no  amount  of  watering  will  restore  infested  plants.  Possibly  the 
resting  spores  of  the  fungus  were  in  the  soil  or  leaf  mould.  Some^balic 
cinder  phosphate  4  parts,  and  kainit  1£  part,  mixed  at  the  time  of  using 
and  added  to  the  compost  in  the  proportion  of  1  per  cent,  of  the  mixturf 
blended  well  with  the  soil,  and  then,  after  laying  a  few  days  turning’ 
so  as  to  secure  complete  amalgamation,  would  perhaps  destroy  the  semfl 
parasite  or  at  least  have  a  good  preventive  effect.  It  may  even  now  be 
serviceable  to  the  plants,  a  little  of  the  mixture,  say  a  pinch  between  the 
-thumb  and  two  forefingers,  being  sprinkled  about ^he^ollar  and  on  the 
surface  of  the  soil.  It  was  a  mistake  to  refrain  from  the  use  of  chemical 
manures,  as  they,  especially  those  of  a  calcic  nature,  would  help  the 
phmts  to  resist  the  fungus,  if  not  actually  proving  directly  antagonistic 
Tecoma  radicans  ((7.  T.  S .).  —  Sometimes  this  climbing  plant  is 
pruned  in  the  winter,  cutting  the  young  shoots  back  as  may  be  necessary, 
but  the  better  plan  is  to  keep  the  young  growths  thinly  disposed  in  the 
summer.  They  will  then  mature  and  produce  flowers  if  traiaed  on  a 
sunny  south  wall.  It  is  difficult  to  ascertain  when  this  beautiful 
deciduous  climber  was  introduced  to  this  country  from  North  America, 
its  native  place  of  growth.  It  was  evidently  cultivated  in  this  country 
by  Parkinson  in  1640,  as  he  has  described  it  minutely,  adding,  “This 
never  bore  flower  with  mee,  nor  any  other  that  hath  it  in  our  country 
that  1  could  heare  of.”  From  that  we  may  infer  it  could  not  have  been 
long  and  generally  cultivated,  as  the  plant  blooms  freely  enough  when  a 
few  years  old  and  the  wood  is  well  ripened.  It  used  to  be  called 
Bignonia  radicans,  but  was  transferred  to  Tecoma,  the  difference  in  the 
genera  consisting  chiefly  in  the  partition  of  the  fruit.  Plants  are  raised 
from  cuttings  and  layers  in  the  autumn,  and  grow  luxuriantly  in  rich 
soil,  but  firm  growth  in  firm  soil  containing  chalk  is  promotive  of 
flowering.  It  is  popularly  known  as  the  Ash-leaved  Trumpet  Flower. 
See  article  by  “  R.  P.  R.”  on  page  503. 
Gomphia  decora  ( W.  Raby').  —  Small  plants  are  very  useful  for 
decorative  purposes.  When  grown  in  pots  in  warm  conservatories  or 
stoves  the  bright  yellow  flowers^  (fig.  90),  which  are  freely  produced, 
Fig.  90.— Gomphia  decora. 
have  a  very  cheerful  effect  amongst  the  foliage  plants  that  usuallv 
predominate  in  such  structures.  It  is  easily  grown,  but  is  seen  to  better 
advantage  in  a  small  state,  say  in  48-size  pots,  than  when  of  larger  size, 
and  to  maintain  a  ktock  of  suitable  plants  a  few  cuttings  should  be  rooted 
occasionally.  Light  turfy  loam  with  a  littie  peat  or,  preferably,  good  leaf 
soil,  will  form  a  compost  adapted  to  the  requirements  of  the  plant.  Some 
attention  is  needed  to  keep  the  plants  clear  of  insects,  mealy  bug  and 
scale  being  the  chief  enemies,  but  these  can  be  readily  destroyed. 
Apple  Small’s  Admirable  (New  Reader ). — This  is  a  very  useful  hardy 
Apple,  and  we  have  often  known  it  to  be  one  of  the  few  to  crop  well  in 
adverse  seasons.  The  tree  is  a  very  free  bearer,  and  suitable  for  growing 
in  the  dwarf  open  bush  form.  When  the  requisite  number  of  branches 
are  formed,  which  should  not  be  less  than  a  foot  apart,  the  after  pruning 
is  best  limited  to  thinning,  taking  out  superfluous  growths  in  summer  to 
prevent  overcrowding,  not  shortening  the  main  or  bearing  branches.  This 
Apple  was  raised  by  Mr.  Small  of  Colnbrook.  near  Slough.  Trees,  true 
to  name,  can  be  had  from  most,  if  not  all,  advertisers  of  fruit  trees  in  our 
columns. 
