138 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  13,  1896. 
the  way  to  make  a  good  tree,  but  if  such  growth  is  made  later  in  the 
season  it  ought  to  be  cut  away,  as  a  severe  frost  is  almost  sure  to  kill  it. 
Stocks  and  Propagating. 
There  are  different  kinds  of  stocks  used  for  budding  or  grafting  on, 
but  those  mostly  used  are  the  Briar  and  the  Manetti.  The  former  is 
always  used  for  standards  and  half-standards,  and  is  much  used  for 
dwarfs,  the  Msnetti  also  being  used  for  dwarfs,  but  the  growth,  being 
more  sappy  and  soft,  does  not  stand  the  winter  so  well. 
Budding  is  the  most  approved  method  of  propagating  Roses,  and 
is  so  simple  that  it  can  be  easily  done  by  anyone.  The  latter  cart 
of  June  and  early  in  July  is  the  best  time  for  budding,  as  the  stocks 
will  have  made  strong  growths  and  be  at  a  proper  stage  of  ripeness. 
Standard  stocks  will  have  made  three  or  four  shoots,  any  others  forming 
below  should  be  removed.  Insert  the  bud  very  carefully  and  as  quickly 
as  possible,  bo  that  the  sap  of  either  the  stock  or  the  scion  does  not 
become  dried  up.  The  union  will  have  been  effected  all  being  well  in  a 
month,  when  the  binding  may  be  removed  to  allow  the  bud  and  stock  to 
expand. 
Grafting  is  another  method  of  propagation,  the  side  or  splice  and 
the  crown  grafting  answering  best,  but  the  union  is  not  so  perfect 
as  when  budded.  Layering  is  a  sure  way  of  increasing  dwarf 
Roses,  and  should  be  done  about  the  end  of  June  or  early  in  July. 
Cuttings  are  best  made  from  half-ripe  wood  of  the  current  year,  and 
should  be  cut  about  10  or  12  inches  long,  with  a  heel  if  possible. 
Cuttings  should  be  put  in  early  in  August,,  and  allowed  to  remain  in  the 
same  bed  for  about  twelve  months,  when  they  may  be  shifted  to  their 
flowering  quarters. 
Stimulants. 
The  use  of  stimulants  requires  judgment  and  forethought.  A  healthy 
plant  will  assimilate  what  is  supplied  to  it,  if  used  rightly,  with  telling 
effect,  but  a  weak  and  sickly  plant  cannot  do  so.  There  are  various 
manures  used  in  both  plain  and  concentrated  forms,  which  are  rich  in 
nitrogen  or  ammonia,  and  of  course  the  safest  to  use  is  the  draining 
from  the  stable  or  cowsheds,  diluted  with  water  to  about  the  colour  of 
brandy,  or  a  bag  of  soot  placed  in  a  tub,  to  be  used  alternately,  will  be 
found  an  excellent  manure  for  them.  Concentrated  manures  should  be 
used  according  to  the  directions  which  accompany  them. 
Pests  and  Vermin. 
Red  spider,  green  fly,  mildew,  and  rust  may  be  considered  the 
greatest  enemies  to  the  Rose  grower,  but  fortunately  all  but  the  last- 
named  can  be  eradicated.  Red  spider  is  brought  about  by  a  dry 
atmosphere  and  drought.  It  can  easily  be  detected  by  the  appearance 
of  white  patches  on  the  leaves,  which,  if  closely  examined,  will  be 
covered  with  numerous  little  red  and  white  specks,  and  a  microscope 
will  reveal  a  very  fine  web  covering  the  affected  part.  Trees  so  attacked 
Bhould  be  forcibly  syringed  with  a  solution  of  carbolic  soap  or  Gishurst 
compound.  Under  glass  green  flv  can  be  easily  destroyed  by  fumigating 
the  house  with  tobacco  smoke  or  vapour,  but  in  the  open  they  may  be 
destroyed  by  taking  the  branch  in  the  hand  and  brushing  it  with  a 
moderately  stiff  camel-hair  brush.  Maggots  or  caterpillars  are  very 
troublesome,  and  are  often  the  cause  of  much  disappointment.  The 
only  effectual  way  of  eradicating  these  is  to  examine  the  leaves  and 
buds,  where  they  will  be  found  in  a  web,  with  the  leaf  curled.  Mildew 
is  a  troublesome  pest,  and  is  brought  about  mainly  by  changes  of 
temperature,  such  as  a  very  hot  day  and  an  extremely  cold  night.  The 
parts  affected  should  be  dusted  with  flowers  of  sulphur,  or  dressed  with 
any  of  the  specifics  advertised  for  the  purpose.  Rust,  or  orange  fungus, 
causes  trouble  in  dry  seasons,  and  unfortunately  there  is  no  remedy 
by  which  to  destroy  it.  The  best  thing  is  to  pick  the  affected  leaves  as 
soon  as  it  presents  itself  and  burn  them. 
In  conclusion  it  will  be  noticed  I  have  not  touched  on  exhibiting,  my 
reason  for  having  omitted  to  do  so  being  that  I  do  not  claim  to  know 
much  about  it,  never  having  put  up  a  stand  of  Roses  for  competition. 
But  if  the  amateur  has  the  ambition  to  do  so,  my  advice  to  him  is,  first, 
to  learn  the  points  of  a  good  Rose,  which  can  best  be  learnt  by  visiting 
some,  of  the  principal  Rose  shows  and  studying  the  blooms  in  the 
winning  stands.  I  will  endeavour  first  to  describe  the  points  of  a  show 
bloom  : — It  must  be  perfect  in  shape,  full,  having  plenty  of  petals  of 
good  substance,  must  not  show  the  eye,  fresh  and  free  from  blemish,  and 
not  too  far  advanced. 
A  last  word  is  this,  whatever  we  attempt  and  wish  to  be  successful 
in,  we  must  devote  as  much  time  and  skill  as  circumstances  will  allow 
to  obtain  a  successful  result.— H.  Prosser, 
HYACINTHS  IN  GLASSES. 
1  HAVE  now  a  dozen  Hyacinths  in  water,  all  in  superb  condition, 
and,  though  they  have  not  been  in  any  way  forced  into  growth,  every 
plant  is  now  from  2  to  3  inches  in  height ;  the  foliage  short,  stout,  and 
very  robust,  with  a  fins  spike  of  beads  rising  up  through  the  midst  of  it. 
From  the  time  that  the  bulbs  were  placed  in  water,  at  the  beginning  of 
November  last,  up  to  the  present  moment,  the  liquid  has  been  changed  in 
but  one  of  the  glasses,  and  that  because  it  had  become  tainted  from  some 
cause.  In  that  case  the  roots  of  the  Hyacinth,  which  were  8  inches  in 
length,  were  carefully  cleansed  in  some  tepid  water,  the  interior  of  the 
glass  was  cleansed  also,  and  some  fresh  water  added,  and  now  the  plant 
is  as  healthy  as  can  be  desired.  The  glasses  occupy  the  window-sill  and 
a  small  table  by  it,  and  are  thus  fully  exposed  to  the  light.  All  that  I 
find  it  necessary  to  do  is  to  keep  the  glasses  supplied  with  water  as  the 
quantity  decreases  by  evaporation  ;  and  I  now  fill  the  glasses  to  the 
brim,  even  though  the  bulb  becomes  nearly  or  quite  submerged.  If  the 
foliage  becomes  drawn  to  the  light  the  simple  act  of  turning  the  glass 
round  soon  sets  it  right. 
I  have  been  led  to  state  this  much,  because  I  have  within  the  past 
two  or  three  weeks  met  with  cultivators  of  the  Hyacinth  in  glasses  who 
have  complained  of  failures  and  have  deplored  their  disappointments. 
Perhaps  some  cultivators  err  through  too  much  attention,  and  injure  the 
plants  by  overmuch  kindness  ;  at  any  rate,  I  am  decidedly  opposed  to 
the  advice  that  recommends  a  constant  changing  of  the  water  unless 
urgently  needed.  I  have  known  some  indoor  gardeners  who  have  been 
in  the  habit — once  a  week  at  least,  and  in  some  instances  more 
frequently — of  changing  the  water,  entirely  removing  the  bulb  from  the 
glass  in  the  act,  attempting  to  cleanse  the  delicate  rootlets,  I  fear  in 
many  instances  doing  them  material  injury  by  so  doing.  This  is  neither 
called  for  nor  to  be  commended. 
I  believe  many  failures  result  from  two  things — 1st,  that  cultivators 
will  not  place  a  few  small  pieces  of  charcoal  in  each  glass  to  purify  the 
water  ;  and  2ndly,  and  I  much  fear  too  frequently,  from  sheer  neglect. 
I  never  think  of  growing  Hyacinths  in  water  without  the  aid  of 
charcoal,  and  I  always  advise  its  employment.  In  the  case  of  nearly 
all  my  Hyacinths  the  rootlets  have  so  encircled,  and,  as  it  were, 
embraced  the  lumps  of  charcoal,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  remove 
them  from  the  glasses  without  breaking  the  vessels,  and  the  development 
of  the  foliage  and  spike  is  all  that  could  be  desired.  Neglect  is  a  sad 
destroyer  of  plants.  I  have  frequently  seen  on  a  bright  sunny  day  in 
the  early  part  of  March  a  row  of  Hyacinth  glasses  in  a  window,  with  the 
full  force  of  the  sun  playing  on  them,  and  the  glasses  only  half  filled 
with  water  ;  or  else,  neither  is  the  window  open  to  give  ventilation,  nor 
the  blind  pulled  down  to  screen  the  plants  from  the  roasting  influence 
of  the  sun.  In  many  of  these  cases  the  first  love  has  cooled,  and  with 
inattention  will  come  certain  disappointment  and  decay. 
If  ladies  especially  could  only  come  to  realise  in  some  degree  the 
sweet  pleasure  of  cultivating  with  average  success  some  Hyacinths  in 
glasses — to  daily  watch  for  the  development  of  the  leaves,  and  then  the 
flower  spike,  buds,  and  blossoms,  I  am  certain  that  many,  very  many, 
more  would  be  induced  to  make  an  attempt ;  and  I  am  also  well  assured 
that  where  neglect  now  destroys  the  pleasureable  harvest  there  would 
surely  be  seen  loving  care  and  its  fitting  reward . — Flora. 
WINTER  ACONITES. 
This  cheerful-looking  plant,  with  its  bright  yellow  flowers,  is  not 
half  so  often  met  with  as  it  ought  to  be,  for,  like  many  other  favourites 
of  former  days,  it  is  utterly  neglected  by  the  fashionable  flower  gardener, 
who,  in  limiting  his  display  to  a  certain  period,  has  totally  ignored  the 
remainder  of  the  season,  and  at  least  the  first  two  and  the  last  two 
months  in  the  year  have  no  place  in  his  calendar,  The  plant  is  of  neat 
growth,  and  produces  richly  coloured  blooms,  equalling  in  that  respect  the 
best  forms  of  the  bedding  Calceolaria  ;  and  although  it  blooms  very 
often  in  January,  and  more  abundantly  in  February,  at  a  time  when 
flowers  of  all  kinds  are  scarce,  its  importance  seems  not  to  be  duly 
appreciated,  probably  owing  to  some  idea  of  its  being  difficult  to  manage, 
and  also,  perhaps,  from  its  not  being  sufficiently  known.  Be  this  as  it 
may,  a  plant  with  bright  shining  foliage  of  a  clear  unspotted  green,  with 
flowers  larger  than  the  Primrose,  supported  on  stalks  not  more  than  3  or 
4  inches  high,  and  appearing  almost  in  midwinter,  ought  not  to  be  lost 
sight  of.  It  is  by  no  means  plentiful ;  possibly  it  was  more  so  half  a 
century  ago,  and  the  places  where  it  is  most  likely  to  be  found  in 
quantities  are  some  of  the  old-fashioned  gardens  which  it  is  a  treat  now 
and  then  to  meet  with. 
Perhaps  one  of  the  causes  of  this  plant’s  not  being  more  frequently 
met  with  in  fashionable  winter  or  spring  bedding  is  the  fact  that  it  does 
not  transplant  so  well  as  many  others,  and  the  best  examples  of  it  are 
seen  where  it  has  been  let  alone  for  two  or  three  years  ;  then  it  rushes 
up  in  luxuriance  every  Christmas,  and  blooms  at  the  proper  time.  The 
best  examples  usually  seen  of  it  are  planted  as  edgings  to  Rose  beds, 
and  also  as  edgings  or  rings  round  single  trees  or  shrubs,  where  it  is  not 
disturbed  the  whole  year  round.  In  snch  places  it  ripens  seed,  sows 
itself,  and  often  comes  up  amongst  the  turf,  or  it  may  be  on  the  gravel 
walk,  and  it  also  increases  itself  at  the  root,  but  not  very  rapidly  ;  go 
that  in  most  cases  where  an  edging  of  it  is  wanted  I  would  recommend 
sowing  the  seed  as  soon  as  it  is  gathered,  and  that  care  should  be  taken 
that  it  is  not  disturbed  till  the  ensuing  spring,  when  it  comes  up  thickly 
enough.  Excepting  transplanting  in  order  to  fill  up  defective  places,  1 
would  leave  the  plants  in  the  seed  row  unless  they  are  very  close  together, 
in  which  case  thinning  may  be  necessary. 
Usually  this  plant  thrives  in  a  dry  open  soil,  but  our  experience  with 
it  shows  that  it  also  succeeds  well  in  one  of  a  somewhat  chalky  character, 
as  we  have  seen  it  in  such  a  position  struggling  successfully  to  maintain 
itself  amongst  the  grass  and  other  herbage  under  trees.  If  grown  in  the 
mixed  flower  border  a  stout  stick  or  other  low  mark  should  indicate 
where  it  is,  aB  during  a  great  portion  of  the  year  the  bulbs  are  dormant 
and  there  is  no  foliage.  The  edges  of  rockwork  also  afford  a  favour¬ 
able  position,  likewise  the  margins  of  shrubberies  and  similar  places. 
Early  in  February,  when  it  shows  itself  along  with  the  Snowdrop  and 
Primrose,  no  plant  is  more  generally  welcomed  ;  and  whether  growing 
at  the  base  of  a  palatial  residence,  or  as  a  patch  by  the  pathway  to  a 
rural  cottage,  it  is  equally  at  home. 
