February  13,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
145 
fastened  a  sharp  twitch  every  morning.  By  this  means  every  plant  is 
shaken  and  the  earwigs  dislodged,  as  the  slightest  movement  shifts  them 
The  black  fly  often  causes  much  trouble.  Tobacco  powder  dusted  thickly 
over  the  shoots  clears  them  of  most  insects,  and  a  daily  hosing  overhead 
helps  greatly  in  this  respect,  besides  being  most  refreshing  to  the  foliage 
itself.  This  hosing  should  not  be  done  late  in  the  day.  In  fact  mid¬ 
day  is  the  best  time,  no  matter  how  strongly  the  sun  may  be  shining  on 
the  plants.  The  foliage  will  come  to  no  harm,  and  one  can  almost  see  the 
leaves  drink  in  the  moisture.  The  idea  that  any  “  scalding  ”  will  result 
is  a  most  erroneous  one.  Besides  its  beneficial  effect  on  the  plants 
themselves  this  treatment  is,  as  I  have  said,  very  effective  in  keeping  the 
shoots  free  of  insects.  One  more  point  and  I  have  done. 
Damping. 
Many  a  splendid  collection  of  plants  has  failed  to  fulfil  its  high 
promise  through  faulty  or  careless  “  finishing.”  The  one  great  evil  to 
be  feared  is  of  course  what  is  known  as  “damping  ”  or  premature  decay 
of  the  blooms.  The  causes  are  various.  The  first  and  most  common 
one  is  the  injudicious  application  of  stimulants  during  September,  and 
more  especially  after  the  plants  are  housed.  This  forces  the  sap  up  into 
the  expanding  blooms  when  there  is  no  growth  to  absorb  it,  with  fatal 
results.  It  is  most  harmful  to  use  any  chemical  manure,  such  as  sulphate 
of  ammonia,  after  the  buds  show  colour.  Another  cause  of  “  damping  ” 
is  bad  atmospheric  conditions.  The  effect  is  in  this  case  produced  from 
without,  but  the  result  is  just  as  bad  as  in  the  first  instance.  It  is,  how¬ 
ever,  more  easily  remedied.  During  the  night  a  dew  condenses  on  the 
blooms,  and  in  the  early  morning  the  petals  will  be  found  in  something 
like  a  cold  perspiration.  This  alone  is  not  injurious,  indeed  it  is  rather 
beneficial  than  otherwise,  as  it  freshens  the  blooms.  The  mischief  is 
done  if  the  sun  is  allowed  to  shine  on  them  in  this  condition.  They 
immediately  “  scald,”  tiny  blisters  are  formed,  invisible  at  first,  but 
quickly  resolving  themselves  into  a  number  of  specks  like  dust.  When¬ 
ever  this  is  seen  on  a  large  bloom  it  may  as  well  be  cut  at  once,  for  in 
twenty-four  hours  it  will  be  worthless.  Some  varieties  are  peculiarly 
susceptible  to  this  evil.  Viviand  Morel,  Col.  W.  B.  Smith,  and  William 
Seward,  for  instance.  In  order  to  prevent  such  calamities  keep  the 
water-pipes  slightly  warmed  during  the  night,  leaving  the  top  ventilators 
of  the  house  as  wide  open  as  the  weather  permits.  In  the  morning,  if 
it  seems  likely  to  be  a  bright  day,  throw  open  all  the  ventilators  to  their 
full  extent,  and  turn  on  full  heat  until  about  nine  o’clock,  then  turn  it 
off  altogether.  By  adopting  this  plan  the  air  will  be  prevented  from 
becoming  stagnant,  the  condensation  will  not  be  so  heavy,  and  in  the 
morning  all  superfluous  moisture  about  the  house  and  on  the  flowers  will 
have  quite  dried  up  by  the  time  the  sun  has  any  power.  During  the  first 
half  of  October,  however,  the  blooms  should  be  kept  slightly  shaded  from 
the  full  glare  in  bright  weather.  Individual  blooms  may  be  protected 
by  pieces  of  newspaper  twisted  in  the  form  of  a  hood.  Situation  has 
much  to  do  with  keeping  the  blooms  in  good  condition.  Much  more 
difficulty  in  this  respect  is  experienced  in  low-lying  grounds  or  near  the 
sea  than  on  high  inland  situations.  The  colours  of  the  blooms  are  also 
much  affected  by  this.  Watering  should  be  very  carefully  done  at  this 
stage.  W.  Seward  and  Col.  W.  B.  Smith  require  but  very  little  water 
when  expanding  their  blooms,  and  strong  manure  at  this  period  means 
certain  ruin  to  them. 
Some  Borts — not  necessarily  the  strongest — require  much  more  water 
than  others.  W.  H.  Lincoln,  Lady  Selborne,  Mrs.  Nisbet,  Thos.  Dennis, 
and  Lilian  Russell,  will  take  three  times  the  amount  of  water  that  other 
not  less  vigorous  sorts  will ;  but  that  is  a  matter  in  which  only  experience 
is  of  use.  Miss  Dorothy  Shea,  Golden  Wedding  and  W.  Seward,  require 
especial  care  in  this  respect. 
There  are,  of  course,  many  details  of  Chrysanthemum  culture  which 
I  have  omitted  to  deal  with  ;  but  as  I  said  at  the  commencement  of  this 
article,  my  object  was  not  so  much  to  write  a  formal  description  of 
Chrysanthemum  growing  as  to  interest  those  who  have  just  commenced 
to  “go  in  for  Mums.” — Feed.  C.  Smale,  Torquay. 
THE  CULTIVATION  OF  HEATH  LAND. 
Being  a  gardener  out  of  place,  I  have  rented  two  acres  of  land  to 
endeavour  to  get  a  living  by  growing  fruit,  flowers,  and  vegetables  for 
market.  The  land  was  formerly  a  common  with  nothing  but  Heath, 
Furze,  and  coarse  grasses  growing  on  it.  Before  cultivating  it  an  inch 
or  more  of  the  surface  was  pared  off  for  fuel.  The  ground  was  then 
trenched  about  18  inches  deep,  and  about  3  inches  of  the  surface  put  at 
the  bottom.  This  top  part  consists  of  brown  fibrous  peat,  full  of  Heath 
roots,  with  a  good  sprinkling  of  silver  sand  in  it.  The  subsoil  varies 
from  yellow  loam  to  black  bog  earth  ;  underneath  this  is  sand  mixed 
with  a  little  clay  and  gravel ;  in  some  places  the  under  part  is  all 
pure  silver  sand,  with  only  2  or  3  inches  of  peaty  soil  on  the  surface. 
There  are  drains  put  in  from  2  to  3  feet  deep.  The  water  in  the  wells 
is  less  than  3  feet  from  the  surface  now.  There  is  a  plantation  of 
Scotch  Firs  on  the  Bouth-east,  and  no  other  shelter ;  it  is  a  sunny  spot, 
but  very  bleak  in  the  winter. 
The  ground  is  very  poor,  vegetables  such  as  Seakale,  French  Beans, 
Lettuce,  and  Asparagus  refuse  to  grow  without  manure.  I  should 
esteem  it  a  great  favour  if  any  of  the  readers  of  the  Journal  of  Horti¬ 
culture  who  have  bad  experience  in  the  cultivation  of  peaty  and  boggy 
soils  would  say  through  the  pages  of  the  Journal  what  would  be  likely 
to  suit  the  soil.  I  have  commenced  working  up  a  stock  of  Violets, 
Lily  of  the  Valley,  Narcissi,  Strawberries,  aud  1  thought  of  getting 
some  of  the  Irises  that  flourish  in  damp  places.  Would  it  be  advisable  ? 
The  ground  has  been  under  cultivation  three  years.  I  entered  on  it 
last  spring. — J.  A. 
[We  shall  be  glad  if  any  of  our  readers  can  help  an  industrious  man 
who  is  trying  to  help  himself,  by  imparting  the  desired  information.] 
SPIRAEA  CONFUSA. 
The  above  is  the  name  of  the  plant  of  which  “Journeyman  ”  sends 
us  a  flowering  spray.  The  plant  is,  as  he  observes,  especially  useful  for 
early  forcing,  because  the  plants  can  be  lifted  from  the  open  ground,  and 
after  suitable  preparation  they  are  placed  in  heat,  and  flower  in  a  short 
time.  The  habit  of  this  Spiraea  is  compact  yet  graceful,  the  slender 
FIG.  22. — SPIRA2A  CONFUSA. 
branches  being  clothed  with  fresh  green  leaves,  and  terminate  in  neat 
heads  of  pure  white  flowers  (fig.  22),  which  are  produced  very  freely  and 
last  for  a  considerable  time.  Spiraea  confusa  is  as  easily  grown  as  any 
other  form  of  the  genus.  A  good  loamy  soil  suits  it,  and  after  forcing 
the  plants  should  be  encouraged  to  make  a  free  growth,  which  must  be 
well  matured  out  of  doors  in  a  sunny  position,  as  they  will  thus 
gradually  acquire  an  earlier  habit  of  flowering.  If  planted  out  they 
should  be  lifted  early  in  the  year,  potted,  and  introduced  to  moderate 
heat,  as  if  placed  in  a  strong  heat  they  are  not  so  satisfactory. 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
Drill  Hall,  February  11th. 
The  exhibition  held  at  the  Drill  Hall  on  the  above  date  was  a 
magnificent  one,  in  every  way  worthy  of  hearty  commendation.  Orchids 
were  staged  in  great  variety,  large  numbers,  and  of  superb  quality. 
The  exhibits  before  the  Floral  Committee  were  also  numerous,  and 
generally  of  much  merit,  while  the  collections  of  handsome  fruixs  shown 
reflected  the  highest  credit  on  the  growers.  The  difference  between 
this  show  and  the  corresponding  one  during  last  year  was  remarkable, 
and  proves  what  effects  the  weather  has  upon  the  quality  and  size  of  an 
exhibition. 
Fruit  Committee. — Present :  P.  Crowley,  Esq.  (in  the  chair)  ;  with 
Rev.  W.  Wilks,  and  Messrs.  T.  F.  Rivers,  G.  Bunvard,  II.  J.  PearsoD, 
J.  H.  Veitch,  T.  J.  Saltmarsh,  A.  H.  Pearson,  G.  W.  Cummins,  H. 
Balderson,  G.  Sage,  G.  Wythes,  G.  T.  Miles,  G.  Woodward,  W.  Pope, 
J.  Willard,  T.  Glen,  J.  A.  Laing,  F.  Q.  Lane,  W.  Bates,  C.  Herrin, 
R  Fife,  A.  Dean,  and  J.  Wright. 
As  will  be  seen,  there  was  a  good  attendance  of  members  ;  there 
were  also  several  highly  meritorious  collections  of  fruit,  for  which 
medals  were  granted.  Several  new  Apples  were  also  examined,  but 
however  serviceable  to  the  growers,  they  were  not  considered  suf¬ 
ficiently  distinct  from  or  superior  to  others  in  cultivation  to  merit  special 
awards.  The  collections  ot  fruits  were  first  examiued. 
