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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  September  12, 1901. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be  directed 
to  “The  Editor,”  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street, 
London,  E.c.  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. 
Tulips  and  Gladioli  (S.  T.). — We  never  give  the  names  of  seedsmen. 
Let  the  seedling  Gladioli  remain,  but  well  covered  with  coal  ashes  in 
winter  to  exclude  frost. 
Asphalts  (N.  B.). — It  would  do  very  well  for  flooring  a  greenhouse. 
It  is  made  of  lime  rubbish  two  parts,  and  coal  ashes  one  part,  both  very 
dry  and  sifted  fine.  In  a  dry  place,  and  during  dry  weather,  mix  it 
with  boiling-hot  coal  tar  into  a  mass  as  thick  as  mortar,  pat  it  3  inches 
thick  to  form  the  floor ;  sprinkle  over  it  coarse,  dry  sand,  and  when 
■cold  pass  a  light  roller  over  it. 
Books  Wanted  ( Young  Gardener). — We  do  not  know  of  any  very 
cheap  work  on  “  stove  or  greenhouse  plants.”  Mr.  B.  S.  Williams, 
Paradise  Nurseries,  Upper  Holloway,  London,  N.,  published  two 
volumes  in  1883,  which  may  probably  still  be  had  ;  the  price  was  7s.  6d. 
John  Murray,  Albemarle  Street,  London,  publishes  a  grand  book  on  the 
subject  (the  best  in  fact),  by  Mr.  T.  Baines;  price  either  16s.  or  a 
guinea,  we  are  not  sure.  There  is  the  “Encyclopaedia  of  Gardening,” 
by  T.  W.  Sanders  (Collingridge),  which,  however,  treats  very  meagrely  ; 
price  about  2s.  6d. 
Lilium  giganteum  not  Flowering  (K.). — If  kept  dryish  all  the  winter, 
the  Lilium  in  your  greenhouse  may  do  well  enough  next  spring ;  but 
all  things  considered,  unless  this  can  be  done,  we  would  repot  it 
carefully,  and  keep  it  in  a  cool  place  free  from  frost,  patting  the  earth 
in  firmly,  and  just  seeing  that  the  roots  did  not  suffer  from  dryness. 
When  it  commenced  growing  next  season,  we  would  set  the  plant  on 
moss  kept  moist,  or  in  a  saucer  with  half  an  inch  of  water  in  it,  in 
preference  to  watering  much  on  the  surface,  until  growing  freely. 
Ulcerated  Grapes  (A.  Y.  TV.). — They  are  so  much  affected  by  what 
is  technically  called  “  the  spot,”  that  the  berries  are  totally  gangrened. 
We  have  little  hesitation  in  saying  that  it  is  occasioned  by  the  want  of 
sufficient  activity  in  the  roots,  so  that  they  do  not  supply  sap  in  quantity 
sufficient  to  keep  pace  with  the  demands  of  the  growth  within  the  house. 
If  the  roots  were  kept  warmer,  and  supplied  with  a  little  tepid  liquid 
manure  during  the  berries’  growth  and  ripening,  such  ulceration  would 
not  appear.  The  roots  might  be  kept  warmer  by  exposure  of  the  border 
to  sunshine,  and  covering  at  night  and  during  cold  days. 
Building  a  Vinery  (An  Old  Subscriber). — You  propose  building  a 
vinery,  60  feet  long  and  15  feet  wide,  in  Yorkshire.  If  the  natuial 
advantages  of  your  place  be  good,  we  see  no  reason  why  your  under¬ 
taking  may  not  become  a  good  investment  if  you  go  the  right  way  to 
work.  First  of  all,  secure  good  drainage ;  and  though  you  mention  you 
do  not  intend  to  heat  the  house  at  first,  still  let  the  mode  of  heating  it 
be  considered  at  the  time  of  building,  as  it  will  most  likely  have  to  be 
done  after,  and  may  be  more  difficult  then.  And  as  coals  are  cheap  in 
Yorkshire  a  good  flue  may  serve  your  purpose.  Keep  the  house,  or 
rather  the  border,  above  the  level  of  the  surrounding  ground  rather 
than  under  it,  and  if  you  only  want  it  for  growing  Grapes  glass  in  the 
front  may  be  dispensed  with ;  only  if  the  front  wall  be  more  than  3  feet 
high  there  ought  to  be  glass  ;  if  below  that,  sliding  shutters  not  less 
than  2  feet  square  and  3  feet  apart  may  be  worked  in  for  ventilation. 
iRafters  and  sash-bars  fastened  to  a  purline  in  the  middle  will  do  very 
well  if  the  whole  of  the  glass  is  to  be  fixed,  which  it  may  be  if  thought 
well  of,  having  a  board  not  less  than  a  foot  wide  to  act  as  a  flap  to  give 
air  at  top.  This,  in  addition  to  the  doors  at  the  ends  and  the  front 
shutters,  will  do  very  well.  We  do  not  fully  understand  your  ideas 
about  the  glazing;  but  assuming  you  to  use  21-oz.  glass,  squares  about 
8  inches  wide  and  about  20  inches  long,  work  in  very  well,  it  is  better 
not  to  have  them  any  wider,  and  the  Vines  may  be  planted  a  yard 
apart.  And  as  the  house  is  to  be  used  only  for  Vines,  wires  stretohed 
the  whole  length  of  the  house,  and  about  1  foot  from  the  glass  and 
1J  foot  from  each  other,  answer  as  well  as  any  way ;  and  if  the  end 
fastening  be  good,  any  small  wire  will  bear  them  from  the  rafter  or 
glazing-bars,  and  you  can  train  your  Vines  any  way  you  please.  If  the 
materials  for  your  Vine  border  be  good,  you  will  have  canes  fit  to  carry 
a  fair  good  crop  in  two  years;  and  some  soils  in  North  Cheshire, 
Lancashire,  and  Derbyshire  seem  to  contain  in  themselves  everything 
wanted  to  secure  good  Grape  growing.  At  all  events,  let  good  drainage 
be  thought  of  at  the  beginning,  and  other  things  will  present  themselves 
to  you  in  a  manner  that  will  prompt  you  to  understand  their  wants ; 
and  our  columns  are  ready  to  reply  to  any  further  communication  you 
may  think  fit  to  make. 
Identification  of  ^ Palm  j(S.  P.). — Most  likely  a  Seaforthia,  as  you 
surmise,  but  only  an  expertjseeing  the  plant  could  tell  you  correctly  and 
definitely.  “  “ 
“Book'(A.  F.). — “  Vegetables  for  Exhibition  and  Home  Consumption,  ’ 
by  E.  Beckett,  is  published  by  Simpkin,  Marshall,  Hamilton,  Kent  and 
Co.,  Ltd.,  London. 
Superphosphate  of  Lime — Sulphate  of  Ammonia  (TV.  Adams). — About 
5  cwt.  of  the  first  and  2  cwt.  of  the  second  per  acre  is  an  average 
quantity  to  apply  to  your  light  land  grass.  Apply  them  in  the  spring. 
We  should  sow  them  broadcast  over  the  surface  during  wet  weather. 
Aoply  to  the  artificial  manure  companies  for  other  information. 
Report  of  Sandy  Horticultural  Society’s  Show. — Our  attention  is 
called  to  a  mistake  made  by  our  representative  who  reported  the 
above  society’s  show  for  us.  The  report  appeared  on  page  229,  last 
week,  and  in  the  bottom  paragraph  but  one  the  first  prize  for  the  best 
twelve  bunches  of  stove  and  greenhonse  cut  flowers  was  taken  by  Mr.  C. 
Forbes,  head  gardener  to  E.  Bird  Foster,  Esq.,  Anstey  Hall,  Trumpington, 
Cambridge,  and  not  by  Mr.  T.  Lookie,  as  we  stated.  The  names  of 
the  flowers  were  Allamanda  Hendersoni,  Plumbago  capensis,  Vallota 
purpurea,  Nerine  Fothergilli,  Achimenes  Mauve  Perfection,  Hoya 
carnosa,  Bouvardia  grandiflora,  white  Begonia,  Hsemanthus  cocoinea, 
Crassula  (Rochea)  faloata,  Crinum  Moorei,  and  Schubertia  graveolens. 
Grapes  not  Colouring — Figs  not  Ripening  ( A  Three  Years’  Subscriber). 
— It  is  no  easy  matter  to  account  for  Grapes  not  colouring  well  at 
certain  times,  as  there  is  sometimes  an  unaccountable  capriciousneBS  in 
certain  Grapes  to  do  so.  Generally  speaking,  there  is  something  wrong 
when  they  do  not  colour  well,  as,  when  they  begin  to  change,  the 
transition  from  green  to  black  ought  to  be  rapid — no  hanging  in  the 
red  state.  Neither  do  all  the  berries  in  a  bunch  colour  together,  some 
being  green  while  others  are  quite  black.  This  is  when  all  is  right.  It 
sometimes,  however,  happens  that  a  too  heavy  crop  occasions  the  berries 
to  colour  badly,  or  the  growth  of  some  other  crop  on  the  border 
occasions  their  doing  so,  or,  what  is  quite  as  bad,  their  shanking. 
Perhaps  this  is  the  case  with  our  subscriber’s  Vines.  The  description 
of  the  Vines,  and  of  the  house  they  are  grown  in,  is  very  good ;  but  it 
may  be  all  neutralised  if  the  border  is  used  for  flowers,  and  such  things 
as  Fuchsias  are  allowed  to  cheat  the  Vines.  Figs  like  a  great  deal  of 
water  while  in  a  growing  condition,  and  they  also  require  the  full  sun, 
which  they  cannot  have  at  the  back  of  a  vinery ;  it  is  therefore  only  a 
few  fruit  at  the  top  that  are  likely  to  do  well.  If  the  evil  should  arise 
from  the  roots  of  trees  or  other  things  getting  into  the  border,  remove 
them ;  and  if  the  Vines  require  it,  lift  them  up  and  replant,  after 
securely  making  the  border  afresh  in  the  manner  described  in  former 
numbers  of  this  Journal. 
Indian  Corn  (A  Devonshire  Vicar). — -In  your  climate  Indian  Corn 
would  probably  ripen  annually,  but  in  less  temperate  districts  of 
England  it  has  been  proved  to  be  too  uncertain  a  crop.  It  requires 
a  very  long  and  hot  summer  there  to  ripen.  It  is  propagated  by  setting 
the  seed  in  equidistant  rows,  from  2  feet  or  3  feet  to  5  feet  asunder. 
The  proper  season  for  planting  it  is  from  the  middle  of  April  to  the 
beginning  of  May.  For  this  purpose  the  earth  is  opened  with  a  hoe  to 
the  depth  of  3  inches  or  4  inches,  and  in  eaoh  hole  are  deposited  four  or 
five  grains  at  a  little  distance  from  eaoh  other.  As  soon  as  the  young 
plants  appear  the  weeds  are  carefully  eradicated,  and  the  earth 
gradually  heaped  around  them  till  the  ears  appear,  after  whioh  they 
are  left  till  the  harvest  arrives.  The  ears  are  then  gathered,  and  dried 
in  an  open  situation ;  for  if  this  Corn  be  heaped  together  it  is  apt  to 
ferment  and  putrefy,  or  to  sprout  and  grow.  The  best  method  of 
preserving  it  is  to  husk,  or  thresh  it  out,  as  soon  as  the  harvest  is 
completed,  to  dry  it  perfectly  in  the  sun,  and  deposit  it  in  cool,  dry,  and 
airy  situations.  Maize,  in  countries  where  it  is  extensively  grown,  is 
subservient  to  a  variety  of  purposes;  its  bulky  stalks  afford  an  excellent 
winter  food  for  oattle,  provided  they  have  not  been  cut  in  too  dry  a 
state.  The  American  Indians  paroh  the  Corn  carefully  over  a  fire, 
without  burning  it,  after  whioh  they  pound  it,  sift  the  meal,  and 
preserve  the  latter  for  their  constant  provision.  In  the  United  States 
excellent  bread  is  prepared  from  Indian  Com  by  kneading  the  boiled 
flour  into  a  stiff  paste,  either  alone  or  mixed  with  that  of  Rye  or  Wheat, 
which  is  fermented  with  leaven  or  yeast,  and  then  regularly  baked. 
This  bread  is  called  Johnny-cake.  It  is  sometimes  made  from  the 
pottage  of  ground  Maize,  called  homony,  and  is  extremely  palatable 
and  nutritive.  The  Americans  also  oonvert  the  Maize  into  a  species  of 
malt,  from  which,  as  well  as  from  the  bread  itself,  they  brew  a 
wholesome  beverage.  The  many  purposes  to  which  this  grain  may  be 
applied  will  be  found  well  set  forth  in  Cobbett’s  work. 
Names  of  Plants  ( J .  N.). — Odontoglossum  grande.  (J.  Morris). — 1, 
we  have  been  unable  to  compare  No.  1  yet ;  the  other  is  a  Salpiglossis. 
(TV.  H.  Davey). — 1,  Gmgko  biloba;  2,  Pinus  excelsa;  3,  Cupressus 
(Retinospora)  filifera ;  4,  Sequoia  sempervirens,  the  Redwood  of 
California;  5,  Abies  Pinsapo;  6,  Ailanthus  glandulosa,  the  Tree  of 
Heaven.  This  tree  produces  enormous  leaves  when  consistently  hard 
pruned  ;  effective  for  a  lawn.  (Kittie). — The  Compositse  are,  as  a  rule, 
very  confusing;  we  think  your  specimens  are,  1,  Rudbeckia  nitida. 
(laciniata)  fl.-pl. ;  2,  Helianthus  multiflorus  fl.-pl. ;  3,  Rudbeckia 
(laoiniata)  nitida;  4,  Rudbeckia  fulgida  (A.  L.  S.). — Lobelia  elatior. 
(4.  P.). — 1,  Solanum  Seaforthianum  ;  2,  Cattleya  labiata  ;  3,  Rudbeckia 
BpeoiosH. 
