6i 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
.lanuary  15,  1903. 
*  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. 
FELLOW  OF  THE  ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY 
<C.  iM.). — It  gives  us  much  pleasure  to  have  your  name  for  pro¬ 
position  to  the  benefits  of  the  R.H.S.  We  trust  you  may  in¬ 
fluence  others  to  join  this,  the  chief  horticultural  society  of  the 
kingdom,  and  we  may  here  announce  that  we  will  do  our  duty 
by  handing  in  the  names  of  responsible  persons  who  may,  through 
us,  wish  to  become  Fellows.  The  society’s  offices  are  at  II7, 
Victoria  Street,  London,  S.W. 
A  SELF-ACTING  FOUNTAIN  (N.  R.  S.).— Two  gallons  of 
water  would  be  sufficient  to  cause  the  fountain  to  work  for  a 
considerable  time.  You  could  estimate  to  within  a.  very  small 
quantity  by  first  ascertaining  how  many  cubic  inches  of  water 
w'ere  contained  in  two  gallons  by  placing  the  water  in  a  straight¬ 
sided  vessel,  and  then  multiplying  the  depth  by  the  breadth 
and  the  result  by  the  length  ;  then  finding  how  long  the  jet  took 
to  squirt  or  throw  up  one  cubic  inch ;  estimate  the  entire  period 
for  the  total  contents  by  simple  proportion. 
CLOSING  VALVES  OF  DUPLICATE  BOILER  WHEN 
NOT  IN  USE  (Anxious). — If  the  boilers  hav^e  separate  flow  and 
return  pipes,  and  are  otherwise  quite  independent  of  each  other, 
there  is  no  reason  why  the  flow  and  return  pipe  valves:  of  the 
boiler  not  in  use  should  be  closed  while  the  other  is  working, 
the  flow  from  the  latter  and  also  the  return  being  quite  clear, 
.so  that  the  water  can  circulate- properly.  In  that  case  it  is 
ueoessary  to  have  vent  pipes  to  each  boiler,  .so  that  the  water 
can  swell,  as  there^  is  sure  to  be  some  expansion  of  the  water  in 
the  boiler  not  in  use  from  the  heat  of  the  furnace  and  boiler  by 
its  side,  hence  the  precaution  to  prevent  accident  or  bursting  of 
the  boiler.  If  the  boilers  have  not  separate  flows  and  returns 
then  the  boiler  not  in  use  should  not  have  the  valves  closed,  and 
there  will  be  the  circulation  you  describe  more  or  less  in  the 
boiler  not  in  use  from  the  other  in  working,  which  will  to  some 
extent  lessen  the  heating  of  the  other  boiler,  or  to  the  extent  of 
the  water  heated  in  the  boiler  instead  of  in  the  flow  and  return 
pipes,  otherwise  it  will  not  affect  the  working. 
DISA  GRANDIFLORA  (G.  S.). — A  great  point  in  the  culture 
of  this  handsome  terrestrial  Orchid  is  to  keep  the  plants  steadily 
growing  through  the  winter.  The  most  successful  cultivators 
divide  and  repot  when  the'  plants  are  pushing  up  fresh  growths 
after  flowering  as  in  early  autumn.  As  you  have  not  done  so 
you  had  better  carry  out  your  proposition,  but  it  would  probablj^ 
be  better  to  place  three  tubers  in  a  Gin  than  one  each  in  smaller 
pots,  as  the  larger  mass  could  be  kept  more  uniformly  moist. 
Nearly  half  fill  the  pots  with  drainage,  and  in  very  fibrous  peat 
with  all  loose  soil  particles  shaken  out,  broken  charcoal,  and  sand. 
Pack  this  carefully  round  the  roots,  and  finish  by  rounding  the 
material  off  a  little  above  the  rims  of  the  pots,  giving  a  surfacing 
of  pure  sand.  This  Disa  is  a  swamp  plant,  and  must  also  have 
plenty  of  air,  avoiding  sharp  currents,  and  though  regular  mois¬ 
ture  is  essential,  the  roots  will  not  woi’k  freely  in  a  sour  medium, 
bence  the  desirability  of  liberal  drainage.  Light  without  direct 
sun  in  summer  is  also  e.ssential,  and  the  pots  should  stand  on  a 
damp  base  and  be  frequently  .syringed  in  dry  weather.  They 
succeed  in  greenhouse  temperature. 
RHODODENDRONS  (H.  R.  W.). — These  shrubs  grow  very 
well  in  strong  loamy  soil  if  it  does  not  contain  lime.  We  have 
seen  them  luxuriate  in  the  heaviest  . of  loam,  approaching  clay, 
but  in  planting  in  such  land  it  is  most  desirable  to  collect  some 
lighter  soil,  including  leaf  mould,  for  placing  in  contact  with  the 
roots.  They  do  not  grow  well  where  the  .subsoil  is  dry;  neither 
must  it  be  saturated  and  sour.  If  this  is  the  condition  of  yours 
by  the  side  of  the  pool  it  must  be  drained  to  the  depth  of  3ft. 
We  should  not  pare  off  the  turf,  but  have  it  well  dug  in,  chopping 
it  up  and  keeping  it  from  Gin  to  I8in  below  the  surface.  Leaf 
mould,  decayed  vegetable  refuse,  old  tan,  or  sawdust  would  be 
better  than  rich  manure  for  such  land,  and  you  cannot  verj-  well 
apply  too  much  of  those  ingredients.  We  know  of  Rhododendrons 
gi’owing  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner  in  a  mixture  of  half  clay 
and  half  sawdust.  A  few  hardy  Azaleas  look  very  well  amongst 
Rhododendrons,  but  the  association  is  purely  a  question  of  taste. 
The  ground  should  be  kept  free  from  weeds  by  hoeing  periodically 
to  prevent  their  growing,  that  being  much  better  than  waiting 
till  they  become  obtrusive,  then  having  to  spend  much  time  in 
subduing  them ;  and  it  is  injurious  to  both  Rhododendrons  and 
Azaleas  to  dig  deeply  amongst  them. 
LILY  OF  THE  VALLEY  AND  CONDENSED  MOISTURE 
(X.  Y.  Z.). — The  deposition  of  moisture  on  the  bells  of  the 
flowers  overnight  arises  from  the  stillness  of  the  atmosphere,  and 
to  the  fact  that  it  is  heavily  charged  with  watery  vapour  which 
the  air  condenses  if  the  temperature  falls  even  odeg.  The 
obvious  remedy  is  to  damp  the  stages  and  paths  less  frequentlv, 
and  by  no  means  to  damp  at  all  later  than  1  p.m.  during  the 
present  month.  Maintain  a  drier  atmosphere,  towards  which 
end  tlie  practice  we  suggest  will  tend,  and  it  would  be  well  to 
have  an  overhead  .small  hot-water  pipe. 
LATE  GRAPES  (A  Constant  Subscriber).—  It  would  have 
been  better  if  you  had  .stated  your  object  more  definitely.  Gros 
Colman,  Lady  Downe’s,  and  Mrs.  Pince  will  keep  more  than 
a  month  after  Christmas.  So  will  Black  Alicante,  which  if  crop 
and  colour  are  esteemed  of  more  importance  than  quality,  would 
be  preferred  by  many  to  Mrs.  Pince.  Muscat  of  Alexandria 
is  often  kept  fresh  till  the  present  time,  so  is  Mrs.  Pearson  and 
White  Tokay.  Not  knowing  your  conveniences  for  growing 
Grapes,  nor  whether  for  home  use  or  market,  we  name  a  few  each 
of  black  and  white  varieties  from  which  you  can  choose. 
NAMES  OF  PLANTS. — Correspondents  whose  queries  are  un¬ 
answered  in  the  present  issue  are  respectfully  requested  to  consult  the 
following  number.  (F.  M.). — 1,  a  twig  of  the  Sensitive  Plant ;  2, 
Tibouehina  inaerantha  ;  3.  Epacris  sp.  ;  4,  Eiiea  hyeinalis  ;  5,  Ei-ica 
gracilis.  (N.  N.). — 1,  Helleborus  caucasicus  ;  2,  Narcissus  papyraceus  ; 
3.  Gyninogramina  schizophylla ;  4,  Selaginella  Wildenovi.  (T.  J.). — 
1,  Pelargonium  tomentosiun  ;  2,  Cymbidium  Traceyanum. 
TRADE  NOTES. 
A  Wet  and  Sunless  Season  and  the  Seed  Crop. 
In  their  seed  catalogue,  Messrs.  Hogg  and  Robertson,  of 
Dublin,  issued  the  following  special  notice: — “In  consequence 
of  the  wet  and  sunle.ss  season,  seeds  generally  have  been  in¬ 
differently  ripened  and  haiwested.  W^e  would,  therefore,  recom¬ 
mend  our  customers  to  sow  more  thickly  than  usual.” 
Barr's  Seed  Guide. 
We  have  pleasure  in  .specially  drawing  attention  to  the  fol¬ 
lowing  points  in  Barr’s  Illustrated  Seed  Guide.  The  whole 
is  arranged  alphabetically  to  facilitate  ready  reference.  On 
page  22  they  give  .some  useful  practical  hints  on  the  raising  of 
flower  seeds.  A  fine  li.st  of  novelties  and  specialities  for  1903 
will  be  found  on  pages  23-34,  while  in  the  body  of  the  catalogue 
only  the  best  and  most  useful  of  kitchen  and  flower  garden  seeds 
are  described.  A  list  of  the  best  gardening  books,  is  given  on 
pages  no  to  112. 
Ware’s  New  Catalogue. 
We  have  received  the  new  catalogue  of  vegetable  and  flower 
seeds  from  Messrs.  T.  S.  Ware  (1902),  Limited,  and  this  is  also 
their  main  catalogue  for  the  celebrated  collection  of  Begonias.. 
We  observe  that  the  list  also  includes  Gladioli,  and  a  selection 
of  miscellaneous  bulbs  adapted  for  winter  and  early  spring 
planting. 
- - 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick. 
Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens  at  Chi.s- 
wick,  height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
0 
1903. 
January. 
action  c 
Wind. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
Bain. 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Lowest 
Temperatur 
on  Qrass. 
U 
5 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
•49 
ui 
Q> 
to 
s 
Lowest. 
Sunday  ...  4 
w.s.w. 
deg. 
44-1 
deg. 
40-7 
deg. 
52-4 
deg. 
40-3 
Ins. 
0-73 
deg. 
40-4 
deg. 
430 
deg. 
46-0 
deg. 
31-5 
Monday  ...  5 
S.W. 
52-5 
51-8 
58-7 
42'5 
0  04 
421 
43-1 
46-0 
38-6 
Tuesday...  6 
S.W. 
51-9 
49-8 
52-6 
50-7 
0.02 
44-9 
43-9 
45-8 
47-7 
Wed’sday  7 
S.W. 
47.7 
44.4 
50-5 
46-9 
— 
45-3 
44-8 
45-9 
40-8 
Thursday  8 
S.E. 
33-5 
32-8 
46  T 
31-5 
0  02 
42-9 
45-0 
46-0 
20-6 
Friday  ...  9 
is.w. 
45-2 
43-4 
52q 
33  0 
0-03 
42-0 
44-5 
46T 
27-4 
Saturday  10 
S.W. 
44'9 
43  2 
47-3 
44'5 
43  6 
44-3 
46T 
37-3 
Means  ... 
1 
45*7 
43-7 
1 
'  51-4 
41-3 
Total. 
084 
43-0 
44T 
460 
34-8 
With  the  exception  of  two  bright  spring-like  days  the  weather 
during  the  rest  of  the  w'eek  has  been  dull,  dark,  and  rainy. 
