532 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  14,  1899. 
Cucumber  Root  Disease  (P.  P.). — We  doubt  if  the  now  ancient  remedy 
you  mention  is  obtainable  anywhere.  If  it  had  been  found  as  generally 
efficacious  as  was  expected,  you  may  be  certain  it  would  be  included  in 
nurserymen’s  and  seedsmen’s  lists  of  garden  requisites. 
Basic  Slag  and  Kainit  for  Sandy  Clay  Soil  (4.  K.). — We  have  not 
found  basic  cinder  phosphate  particularly  effective  on  sandy  soil  unless 
the  soil  contained  a  large  amount  of  humus  or  animal  or  vegetable 
matter.  A  mixture  of  7  cwt.  of  the  phosphate  powder  and  3  cwt.  of 
kainit  per  acre  would  give  good  results  if  the  land  were  rich  in 
organic  matter ;  but  for  your  soil  we  should  advise  a  mixture  of  equal 
parts  of  steamed  bonemeal  and  best  quality  kainit,  applying  5  cwt.  of  the 
mixture  per  acre,  or  lbs.  per  rod  now,  or  as  soon  as  practicable,  follow¬ 
ing  early  in  spring  with  2J  cwt.  of  sulphate  of  ammonia  per  acre,  or  If  lb. 
per  rod  ;  or  mix  the  whole  together  and  apply  at  the  middle  of  February, 
or  as  soon  afterwards  as  the  state  of  the  ground  permits.  If  your  land 
contains  a  considerable  amount  of  vegetable  matter  the  manure  you  name 
would  answer  well,  and  it  might  also  be  used  for  bulbs  and  Roses  outdoors. 
The  best  time  to  apply  it  would  be  in  the  autumn  or  now.  The  mixture 
we  advise  would  be  more  suitable  for  plants  under  glass,  reducing  the 
kainit  a  little.  We  could  give  a  more  complete  formula,  but  the  several 
ingredients  are  not,  as  a  rule,  easily  obtainable  in  small  quantities. 
Fertiliser  for  Raspberries  (M.  ft  W.). — As  you  cannot  procure  stabl# 
manure  without  considerable  difficulty,  and  as  Raspberries  require  con¬ 
siderable  humus,  we  should  give  a  broadcast  dressing  in  the  early  spring 
of  rape  dust  or  meal.  It  is  a  bye-product  from  oil  mills,  and  should  be 
guaranteed  to  contain  5f  per  cent,  of  ammonia.  Apply  5  to  7|  cwt.  per 
acre.  It  is  preferably  harrowed  in  or  covered  lightly  with  soil  to 
prevent  loss  of  ammonia  evolved  by  decomposition.  Supplement  with  the 
following  mixture  : — Dissolved  bones,  dry  and  crumbling,  9J  parts  ; 
muriate  of  potash,  3  parts  ;  kainit,  4  parts  ;  nitrate  of  soda,  1J  part; 
and  wood  ashes,  quite  fresh  or  unbleached,  2  parts  =  20  parts.  Mix 
thoroughly  and  apply  at  once — i.e ,  not  keeping  it  after  mixing,  at  the 
rate  of  5  to  7J  cwt.  per  acre.  The  dressing  should  be  given  as  soon  after 
the  middle  of  February  as  the  state  of  the  ground  permits,  One  of  the 
simplest  and  best  dressings  for  small  fruits  is  equal  parts  of  bone  super¬ 
phosphate  and  kainit  5  cwt.  per  acre,  applied  in  the  early  winter  pre¬ 
ferably,  and  not  later  than  February,  pointing  in,  then  when  growth 
commences  in  the  bushes  apply  nitrate  of  soda,  crusned  fine,  2  cwt.  per 
acre. 
Root- pruning  Apple  Trees  (A.  M.).— An  Apple  tree  from  a  seed  or  pip 
has,  “as  some  say,”  three  “sets”  of  roots — taproot,  “to  hold  the  tree 
firm;”  large  roots,  “to  create  wood;”  and  small  fibrous  roots,  “to 
create  fruit.”  The  philosophic  “some”  say,  “Don’t  cut  the  taproot, 
cut  the  large  roots,  and  don’t  cut  the  small  fibrous  roots.”  Others 
say  “  Cut  the  tap  root,  and  not  the  large  side  roots.”  No  wonder 
you  ask,  “Could  you  kindly  tell  me  which  is  right?”  The  Apple 
tree  in  a  state  of  Nature  has  a  tap  root,  the  continuation  of  the 
radicle  from  the  seed  or  pip,  the  object  of  which  is  no  doubt  to  fix 
the  tree  firmly  in  the  ground  ;  but  cultivators  make  Nature  sub¬ 
servient  to  the  requirements  of  man.  The  stocks  for  Apple  trees  are 
of  two  kinds — “free,”  as  raised  from  pips  or  seeds;  and  “dwarf,” 
as  propagated  by  cuttings  or  layers.  Only  trees  raised  from  seed 
possess  a  tap  root,  and  in  the  case  of  free  stocks  the  tap  roots  are 
shortened  in  transplanting.  This  gives  rise  to  lateral  or  side  roots,  so 
that  eventually  the  tree  has  large  roots  all  round  the  root  stem,  and  a 
number  of  small  fibrous  roots.  But  Nature  is  strong,  and  sometimes 
forces  the  tree  to  push  straight  down  roots.  These  descending  side  roots 
are  often  called  tap  roots  These  large  side  roots  may  become  too  strong, 
and  instead  of  inducing  profitable  fruit-producing  growths,  incite  the 
extension  of  over-luxuriant  fruitless  branches.  When  this  is  so  the 
strong  roots  require  to  be  shortened  for  promoting  fibrous  root  formation 
nearer  the  stem.  The  object  of  this  is  to. induce  the  tree  to  produce  a 
mass  of  fibres  in  the  ameliorated  surface  soil,  as  these  are  conducive  to 
fruit  production  In  root-pruning  some  fibres  mu9t  of  necessity  be 
sacrifi  ed,  but  as  far  as  practicable  the  small  roots  with  their  fibres  should 
be  retained  intact. 
Names  of  Plants. — We  only  undertake  to  name  species  of  cultivated 
plants,  not  wild  flowers,  or  varieties  that  have  originated  from  seeds  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  securely  tied  firm  boxes.  Thin  paper  boxes  arrive  in  a 
flattened  state.  Slightly  damp  moss,  soft  green  grass,  or  leaves  form  the 
best  packing,  dry  wool  or  paper  the  worst.  Those  arrive  in  the  best 
condition  that  are  so  closely  or  firmly  packed  in  soft  green  fresh  grass,  as 
to  remain  unmoved  by  shaking.  No  specimens  should  be  sent  to  rest  in 
the  post  office  over  Sunday,  on  which  day  there  is  no  delivery  of  postal 
matter  in  London.  Specimens  in  partially  filled  boxes  are  invariably 
injured  or  spoiled  by  being  dashed  to  and  fro  in  transit.  Not  more  than 
six  specimens  can  be  named  at  once,  and  the  numbers  should  be  visible 
without  untying  the  ligatures,  it  being  often  difficult  to  separate  them 
when  the  paper  is  damp.  (F.  A  C.).  —  Though  we  do  not,  as  above 
indicated,  undertake  to  name  “varieties”  of  plants,  including  those  of 
Chrysanthemums,  but  only  “  species,'  we  have  no  objection  to  answering 
your  question  on  a  definite  point.  The  blooms  sent  appear  to  us  to  be 
the  true  variety  you  name.  A  large  number  of  blooms  on  a  plant 
would  account  for  their  being  somewhat  small.  They  would  be  different 
in  exhibition  form  from  crown  buds.  (C.  It ).— 1,  Phoenix  reclinata  ; 
2,  Kentia  Canterburyana  ;  3,  K.  Belmoreana  ;  4,  Nephrolepis  davallioides  ; 
5,  Lomaria  gibba  ;  6,  Asplenium  viviparum.  ( Orchidist ). — 1,  A  good 
spotted  form  of  Odontoglossum  crispum  ;  2.  Oncidium  varicosum  Rogersi  • 
3,  0.  Forbesi.  ( J .  E.  P,). — L  chnis  viscaria. 
Names  of  Fruits.  —  Notice.  —  We  have  pleasure  in  naming  good 
typical  fruits  (when  the  names  are  discoverable)  for  the  convenience  of 
regular  subscribers,  who  are  the  growers  of  such  fruit,  and  not  col¬ 
lectors  of  specimens  from  non-subscribers.  This  latter  procedure  is 
wholly  irregular,  and  we  trust  that  none  of  our  readers  will  allow 
themselves  to  be  made  the  mediums  in  infringing  our  rules.  Special 
attention  is  directed  to  the  following  decision,  the  object  of  which  is 
to  discourage  the  growth  of  inferior  and  promote  the  culture  of  superior 
varieties.  In  consequence  of  the  large  number  of  worthless  Apples  and  Pears 
sent  to  this  office  to  be  named,  it  has  been  decided  to  name  only  specimens  and 
varieties  of  approved  merit,  and  to  reject  the  inferior,  which  are  not  worth 
sending  or  growing.  The  names  and  addresses  of  senders  of  fruits  or 
flowers  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.  Only  six  specimens  can  be  named  at  once,  and  any  beyond  that 
number  cannot  be  preserved.  They  should  be  sent  on  the  first  indication  of 
change  towards  ripening.  Dessert  Pears  cannot  be  named  in  a  hard  green  state. 
The  practice  of  pinning  numbers  to  the  eyes  of  the  fruits  tends  to  destroy 
one  of  the  most  characteristic  features  and  increases  the  difficulty  of 
identification.  When  Plums  are  sent  to  be  named  young  wood  of  the 
trees  should  accompany  them.  Leaves  of  the  trees  are  necessary  with 
Peaches  and  Nectarines,  with  information  as  to  whether  the  flowers 
are  large  or  small.  {Surrey). — Borsdorfer.  ( L .  K). — 1,  New  Hawthorn- 
den  ;  2,  Hollandbury  ;  3,  Golden  Russet ;  4,  Scarlet  Pearmain  ;  5,  Brain- 
ley’s  Seedling ;  6,  Wellington  (Dumtlow’s  Seedling).  We  can  only 
undertake  to  name  six  specimens  at  a  time,  as  you  may  see  on  reading 
the  instructions  above.  (F.  F.  D.). — 1,  Ribston  Pippin  ;  2,  Beauty  of 
Hants  ;  3,  Northern  Greening  ;  4,  Golden  Winter  Pearmain  ;  5,  Small’s 
Admirable  ;  6,  Tyler’s  Kernel.  (A.  L.  R.). — 1,  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin  ;  2, 
Bismarck  ;  3,  Newton  Wonder.  ( S .  D). — 1,  Unknown  ;  2,  possibly 
Kentish  Fillbasket :  3,  Warner’s  King;  4,  Dumelow’s  Seedling.  (P.  P.). 
— The  Apple  is  probably  Golden  Harvey,  but  no  one  could  be  certain 
from  the  solitary  fruit. 
CO  VENT  GARDEN  MARKET. — December  13th. 
AVERAGE  WHOLESALE  PRICES.— FRUIT.— Trade  slow. 
s.  d.  s.  d. 
Apples,  English,  per  sieve  3  0  to  5  0 
„  Canadian,  barrel  ...  10  0  15  0 
,,  Nova  Scotian,  barrel  10  0  17  0 
Cobnuts  per  100  lb .  60  0  70  0 
Lemons,  case  .  40  150 
AVERAGE  WHOLESALE 
Grapes,  black  .  0 
,,  Muscat .  1 
Melons  . each  0 
Pears,  Californian,  case...  6 
Pines,  St.  Michael’s,  each  1  0 
PRICES.— VEGETABLES. 
s.  d. 
Leeks,  bunch  .  0  3 
Lettuce,  doz .  0  6 
Mushrooms,  lb .  13 
Mustard  and  Cress,  punnet  0  2 
Onions,  bag,  about  1  cwt.  4  0 
Parsley,  doz.  bunches  ...  2  0 
Potatoes,  cwt .  2  0 
Seakale,  doz.  baskets  ...  18  0 
Shallots,  lb .  0  3 
Spinach,  per  bushel .  2  0 
Tomatoes,  per  doz.  lbs.  ...  2  0 
Turnips,  bunch .  0  3 
AVERAGE  WHOLESALE  PRIDES. — CUT  FLOWERS. 
8. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
Artichokes,  green,  doz.  ... 
3 
0  to  4 
0 
Asparagus,  green,  bundle 
4 
0 
4 
6 
„  giant,  bundle 
15 
0 
20 
0 
Beans,  Jersey,  per  lb . 
1 
0 
1 
6 
,,  French,  per  lb.  ... 
0 
4 
0 
5 
Beet,  Red,  doz . 
Cabbages,  per  tally . 
0 
6 
0 
0 
7 
0 
0 
0 
Carrots,  per  doz . 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Cauliflowers,  doz . 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Celery,  per  bundle . 
1 
0 
1 
3 
Cucumbers,  doz . 
4 
0 
6 
0 
Endive,  doz . 
0 
9 
1 
3 
Herbs,  bunch  . 
0 
2 
0 
0 
s.  d. 
to  3  0 
5  0 
1  6 
9  0 
6  0 
s.  d. 
to  0  0 
0  10 
1  6 
0  0 
4  6 
4  0 
5  0 
21  0 
0  0 
4 
5 
0 
0 
0 
4 
a. 
d. 
8.  d. 
s.  d. 
s.  d. 
Anemones,  doz.  bunches... 
2 
6  to  5  0 
Maidenhair  Fern, doz. bneh 
6  0  to  8  0 
Arums  . 
8 
0 
10  0 
Marguerites,  doz.  bnchs. 
3  0 
4  0 
Asparagus,  Fern,  bunch... 
2 
0 
2  .6 
,,  Yellow,  doz.  bnchs. 
6  0 
9  0 
Carnations,  12  blooms  ... 
2 
6 
3  6 
Mimosa,  per  bunch . 
2  6 
3  6 
Cattleyas,  per  doz . 
12 
0 
24  0 
Mignonette,  doz.  bunches 
6  0 
8  0 
Christmas  Roses,  doz. 
1 
6 
2  6 
Narcissus,  white,  doz.  bun. 
2  6 
6  0 
Chrysanthemums,  white 
„  Yellow,  doz.  bunches 
3  0 
5  0 
doz.  blooms 
6 
0 
9  0 
„  double,  doz.  bunches 
2  6 
4  6 
,,  yellow  doz.  blooms 
5 
0 
8  0 
Odontoglossums  . 
5  0 
7  6 
,,  bunches  var. 
0 
6 
1  6 
Pelargoniums,  doz.  bnchs 
8  0 
12  0 
Eucharis,  doz . 
6 
0 
8  0 
Poinsettias,  doz . 
15  0 
24  0 
Gardenias,  doz . 
6 
0 
8  0 
Roses  (indoor),  doz . 
6  0 
8  0 
Geranium,  scarlet,  doz. 
,,  Red,  doz. ...  ...  ... 
6  0 
8  0 
bnchs . 
6  0 
12  0 
„  Safrano,  packet 
2  0 
3  0 
Lilac,  white,  bundle 
6 
0 
8  0 
,,  Tea,  white,  doz. 
3  6 
6  0 
Lilium  Harrisi,  12  blooms 
12 
0 
18  0 
„  Yellow,  doz.  (Perles) 
5  0 
7  6 
„  lancifolium  album  ... 
3 
6 
4  6 
Smilax,  bunch . 
5  0 
7  6 
,,  ,,  rubrum... 
3 
6 
4  6 
Violets,  Parma,  bunch  ... 
6  0 
8  0 
,,  longiflorum,  12  blooms 
8 
0 
12  0 
,,  dark,  French,  doz. 
1  9 
3  6 
Lily  of  the  Valley,  12  bun. 
18 
0 
24  0 
,,  ,,  English,  doz. 
1  6 
3  6 
PLANTS 
IN  POTS. 
a. 
d. 
h.  d. 
s.  d. 
s.  d. 
Arbor  Vitae,  var.,  doz.  ... 
6 
0  to  36  0 
Ficus  elastica,  each . 
1  6  to  7  6 
Arums,  per  doz . 
18 
0 
24  0 
Foliage  Diants,  var.,  each 
l  0 
5  0 
Aspidistra,  doz . 
18 
0 
36  0 
Lily  of  Valley,  per  pot  ... 
1  6 
2  6 
Aspidistra,  specimen 
15 
0 
20  0 
Hyacinths,  Roman,  per  pot 
1  6 
3  6 
Chrysanthemums,  per  doz. 
6 
0 
12  0 
Lycopodiums,  doz . 
3  0 
6  0 
Crotons,  doz . 
18  0 
30  0 
Marguerite  Daisy,  doz.  ... 
10  0 
18  0 
Dracaena,  var.,  doz . 
12  0 
30  0 
Myrtles,  doz . 
6  0 
9  0 
Dracaena  viridis,  doz. 
9  0 
18  0 
Palms,  in  var.,  each 
1  0 
15  0 
Erica  various,  doz . 
30 
0 
60  0 
„  specimens  . 
21  0 
63  0 
Euonymus,  var.,  doz. 
6 
0 
18  0 
Poinsettias,  per  doz. 
15  0 
36  0 
Evergreens,  var.,  doz.  ... 
4  0 
18  0 
Salvias,  scarlet,  doz. 
6  0 
12  0 
’•’erns,  var.,  d<>z . 
4 
0 
18  0 
Solanums,  per  doz . 
9  0 
18  0 
Ferns  small,  100  . 
4 
0 
8  0 
