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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  18,  1901. 
pests  on  their  first  appearance.  A  little  softsoapy  water  applied  with 
a  sponge  to  the  first  specks  of  red  spider  on  the  under  side  of  the 
leaves,  and  the  young  scale  dislocated  by  a  brush  dipped  in  methylated 
spirit  diluted  half  with  water,  saves  much  after  trouble,  but  care  must 
be  taken  not  to  injure  the  fruit,  which  is  extremely  tender,  and  shows 
traces  of  the  injury  to  a  serious,  if  not  ruinous,  extent  when  ripe. 
Supplies  of  water  at  the  roots  are  needed  through  all  the  stages, 
yet  less  when  the  fruit  is  ripening  than  during  the  swelling.  Figs  for 
home  use  should  be  ripe  when  taken  from  the  trees;  those  for  sending 
away  must  be  gathered  before  they  are  fully  ripe.  Increase  the 
ventilation  at  70°,  affording  air  constantly  during  the  period  of  ripening. 
A  day  temperature  of  80°  to  85°  from  sun  heat,  and  night  temperature 
of  60°  to  65°,  is  suitable. 
Trees  in  succession  houses  and  inside  borders  will  need  abundant 
supplies  of  water,  and  those  in  narrow  borders,  and  carrying  heavy 
crops  of  fruit,  require  liquid  manure,  with  rich  surface  dressings. 
Attend  frequently  to  tying  in,  thinning,  and  stopping  the  shoots  at 
about  the  fifth  leaf  of  such  as  are  required  to  form  spurs,  and  avoid 
overcrowding  the  shoots.  Maintain  a  night  temperature,  after  the 
leaves  become  full-sized,  of  60°  to  65°,  and  70°  by  day,  allowing  a  rise 
to  80°  or  85°  from  sun  heat,  ventilating  from  70°,  closing  at  80°,  so  as  to 
raise  the  temperature  5°  to  10°  afterwards. 
Late-house  trees  require  syringing  on  fine  days,  sufficiently  early  to 
allow  of  their  becoming  dry  before  night.  Ventilate  in  the  early  part 
of  the  day.  Strive  to  secure  solid  growths,  and  close  early  in  the 
afternoon,  with  plenty  of  atmospherio  moisture  where  there  is  means 
of  excluding  frost,  but  in  unheated  houses  afford  moderate  moisture 
only. — G.  A. 
- - 
Cyclopedia  of  American  Horticulture. 
Some  time  ago  Messrs.  Macmillan  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  published  the  first 
part  (A — D)  of  a  great  work,  which  had  occupied  L.  H.  Bailey, 
Professor  of  Horticulture  in  the  Cornell  University  (U.S.A.),  for  some 
years.  The  second  volume  of  this  elaborate  work  of  reference  has 
also  reached  us,  and  we  hasten  to  describe  the  general  plan  of  the 
publication,  as  specified  in  the  part  which  came  first  into  our  hands. 
Professor  Bailey,  who  is  in  the  forefront  of  the  go-ahead  brigade  of 
American  scientific  and  practical  horticulturists  and  litterateurs,  had 
seme  years  ago  conceived  that  America  was  ripe  and  waiting  for  a 
thorough,  sound,  and  complete  cyclopedia  of  the  art  and  science  of 
horticulture,  embracing  also  garden  botany.  He  set  to  work,  and  with 
the  help  of  an  army  of  capable  horticulturists,  and  others,  from  all  over 
North  America,  he  compiled,  and  indeed  is  still  compiling,  a  literary 
production  which  will  be  to  our  American  brothers-in-craft  what 
Nicholson’s  “  Dictionary  of  Gardening  ”  is  to  plant  lovers  and  cultivators 
in  this  oountry. 
The  work  discusses  the  cultivation  of  flowers,  fruits,  and  vegetables, 
describes  all  the  species  which  are  known  to  be  in  the  horticultural 
trade,  outlines  the  horticultural  possibilities  of  the  various  States, 
territories,  and  provinces  of  America,  and,  to  our  minds,  one  of  the 
freshest  and  finest  features  of  the  work  is  the  inclusion  of  biographies 
of  those  persons  not  now  alive  who  have  contributed  to  horticultural 
progress.  Another  very  great  point  in  favour  of  the  work  is  that  all 
the  information  is  from  first  hand,  from  original  authentic  authorities. 
Seme  time  ago  we  read  an  article  by  Professor  Bailey  in  one  of 
our  American  contemporaries,  wherein  he  described  “  The  Making  of  a 
Cyclopedia.”  It  was  not  the  getting  together  of  the  material  for  the 
work,  but  the  verifying  of  every  name,  fact,  and  the  multitudinous 
statements.  The  “  proofs  ” — that  is,  the  slips  of  printed  matter  fresh 
from  the  hands  of  the  compositor,  were  gone  over  a  surprising  number  of 
times.  One  reading  would  be  strictly  devoted  to  checking  the  names 
of  plants,  another  reading  would  deal  with  the  authorities  for  the  plant 
names,  and  so  on,  each  effort  being  precisely  directed  on  one  phase  of 
the  article  under  consideration. 
We  refer  to  these  facts  to  show  that  the  greatest  pains  have  been 
taken  so  as  to  guarantee  reliability  to  the  books  as  works  of  reference. 
Without  such  painstaking  authorship  a  cyclopedia  would  be  of  no 
worth  at  all.  There  will  be  four  volumes  altogether,  and  illustrations 
are  presented  on  nearly  every  page.  In  all  there  are  over  2000  original 
engravings.  Stress  is  repeatedly  laid  in  the  editor’s  preface  upon  the  fact 
that  the  work  is  essentially  for  horticulturists,  not,  however,  alienating 
the  botanist,  who  cannot  do  other  than  prize  such  compendious  and 
useful  volumes. 
The  beginning  of  the  A  to  D  edition  contains  an  assortment  of 
necessary  explanations,  and  here  nomenclature  and  pronunciation  are 
briefly  discussed.  The  editor  states  that  he  has  desired  to  be  conser¬ 
vative  in  the  vexed  question  of  names,  a  point  that  is  particularly 
important  when  treating  of  cultivated  plants  whose  names  become 
established  in  the  “trade”  and  are  worth  money.  We  have  heard  of 
new  names  having  also  brought  heaps  of  money.  A  Yankee  plant 
dealer  once  blazonly  advertised  “  The  great  American  Velvet-plant,” 
and  executed  his  orders  with  the  well-known  Verbascum  Thapsus, 
which  can  be  found  wild  on  any  limestone  land ! 
*  By  L.  H.  Bailey  ;  Messrs.  Macmillan  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  price  21s. 
Each  genus  of  plants  is  first  of  all  botanically  described,  then  ful* 
cultural  directions  follow.  Confused  species  are  compared,  and 
descriptions  are  furnished,  so  as  to  make  matters  as  plain  and 
thoroughly  satisfactory  as  is  possible.  The  following  notes  on  aquatics 
will  convey  a  fuller  idea  of  the  cultural  articles,  although,  of  course, 
each  genus  likewise  receives  due  consideration. 
Aquatics. 
“  All  aquatics  require  a  rich  soil,  and  this  without  limit,  a  depth  of 
water  from  1  to  3  feet,  and  ample  space  to  spread  their  succulent 
leaves.  In  a  natural  pond,  where  there  is  an  accumulation  of  humus 
overlying  a  clayey  subsoil,  nothing  more  is  wanted,  but  on  a  sandy 
or  gravelly  bottom  it  is  necessary  to  place  a  layer  of  rich  soil 
12  to  18  inches  deep.  In  artificial  ponds,  built  of  masonry,  a  layer  of 
rich  soil  is  necessary  if  the  plants  are  to  be  planted  out,  as  is  best  for 
Nelumbiums.  The  soil  best  suited  for  aquatics  is  a  turfy  loam, 
inclining  to  heavy,  and  thoroughly  rotted  oow  manure,  two  parts  of 
the  former  to  one  of  the  latter,  and,  where  possible,  it  should  be 
composted  some  time  before  using,  and  turned  over  two  or  three  times 
to  thoroughly  incorporate  the  manure.  When  oow  manure  cannot  be 
obtained,  other  thoroughly  rotted  manure  may  be  used.  The  next  best 
fertiliser  is  pulverised  sheep  manure,  but,  this  being  less  bulky  and 
stronger  in  proportion,  should  not  be  used  as  freely  as  other  manures  ; 
one  part  sheep  manure  to  nine  of  soil  is  sufficient.  Chemical  manures, 
ground  bone,  horn  shavings,  &C-,  should  not  be  used  unless  in  extreme 
oases,  and  then  very  cautiously. 
“Depth  of  Water. — In  natural  ponds,  Water  Lilies  are  found 
growing  in  water  from  a  few  inches  to  4  and  6  feet  deep,  but  in 
artificial  ponds  a  depth  of  12  to  18  inches  will  be  found  sufficient  for 
most  Nymphseas,  and  18  to  24  inches  is  a  good  depth  for  Victorias. 
In  constructing  an  artificial  pond,  a  depth  of  2  to  2|  feet  is  ample. 
Water  to  the  depth  of  12  inches  above  the  crowns  of  the  plants  is 
sufficient,  and  a  box  containing  the  soil  may  be  12  inches  deep.  Thus 
a  pond  2  feet  in  depth  is  deep  enough,  and  will  allow  a  man,  with  hip 
boots  on,  to  walk  between  the  plants  with  ease.  For  a  small  pond,  less 
than  12  feet  over,  a  plank  laid  across  will  suffice  for  all  operations. 
“  Protection. — Where  severe  frosts  are  prevalent  in  winter,  and  ice 
12  to  18  inches  in  thickness  is  found,  there  will  be  danger  of  the  roots 
freezing.  In  such  cases,  an  additional  depth  of  6  inches  will  be  a  great 
advantage,  and  a  protection  of  bracken,  salt  hay,  green  manure,  leaves, 
or  any  other  non-conducting  materials  should  be  used  to  protect  the 
masonry,  in  severe  weather,  against  expansion  and  breakage. 
“  Planting. — All  hardy  Nymphseas  may  be  planted  any  time  between 
the  1st  of  April  and  the  1st  of  September.  Those  planted  early,  other 
things  being  equal,  will  give  good  results  the  same  season,  while  those 
planted  late  will  get  well  established  before  winter,  and  will  be  in 
excellent  condition  to  start  at  Nature’s  summons  early  the  following 
spring.  The  hardy  Nymphaeas  differ  considerably  as  to  rootstocks. 
Those  of  the  native  varieties  are  long  and  of  a  spongy,  soft  texture, 
and  rambling  in  growth,  while  the  European  species  have  a  much 
larger  and  very  firm  rootstock,  and  grow  more  compact.  In  planting,, 
all  that  is  necessary  is  to  press  the  rootstock  firmly  into  the  soil,  and  if 
there  is  any  danger  of  the  root  rising  to  the  surface,  place  a  brick  or 
any  weight  upon  it,  to  keep  it  in  position  until  anchored  by  its  own 
roots.  Tender  Nymphaeas  should  not  be  planted  until  the  latter  end 
of  May  or  beginning  of  June,  according  to  location.  They  should  not 
be  planted  out  before  Coleus,  Alternanthera,  and  other  tender  bedding 
plants.  They  require  to  be  started  indoors,  and  will  be  grown  in  pots, 
which  are  much  handier  to  plant  than  roots  of  the  hardy  varieties,  and  can 
be  planted  under  the  water  with  ease  and  facility.  Nelumbiums  should 
not  be  planted  until  about  the  1st  of  May.  Southward  the  season  is 
earlier.  The  existing  conditions  should  be  such  that  tubers  shall  start 
at  once  into  active  growth.  They  should  be  already  ‘  started  ’  before 
setting  out.  The  tubers  should  be  laid  horizontally  in  a  slightly 
excavated  trench  and  covered  with  2  or  3  inches  of  soil,  using  a  weight, 
if  necessary,  to  keep  the  tubers  in  position.  Plants,  established  in  pots 
or  pans,  are  very  convenient  for  planting,  and  may  be  purchased  when 
tubers  can  no  longer  be  procured,  and  can  be  planted  a  month  later  in 
the  season  with  good  results. 
“  The  Victoria  Regia  has  always  been  an  aristocrat  among  Water 
Lilies,  and  few  cultivators  could  indulge  in  such  a  horticultural  luxury. 
To  grow  it  satisfactorily,  a  large  surface  space  with  a  greater  depth  of 
water  is  necessary  than  for  other  aquatics,  and  a  higher  temperature  is 
needed  at  the  early  stages.  It  can  be  cultivated  in  the  open  air,  but 
artificial  heat  must  usually  be  applied  and  protection  afforded,  so  as  to 
maintain  a  temperature  of  85°  Fahr.  This  applies  more  particularly 
to  the  varieties  V.  Regia  and  V.  Randi.  In  1898  the  introducer  of 
V.  Trickeri  brought  the  Victoria  within  easy  reach  and  culture  of  all 
lovers  of  aquatio  plants.  V.  Trickeri  is  entirely  distinct  from  other 
known  varieties,  and  can  be  grown  in  the  open  alongside  of  Nymphsea 
Zanzibarensis  and  N.  Devoniensis,  and  under  precisely  the  same 
conditions.  When  planted  out  about  the  middle  of  June,  the  plants- 
grow  rapidly,  and  will  develop  their  gigantic  leafage  and  magnificent 
flowers  in  August,  and  continue  to  do  so  until  destroyed  by  frost.” 
The  first  volume  extends  to  509  quarto  pages,  and  of  course 
is  arranged  in  alphabetical  order.  At  a  guinea  each  the  books  are- 
remarkably  cheap,  and  such  a  work  ought  not  to  be  absent  from  any 
Amerioan  horticulturist’s  library ;  while  plant  lovers  in  this  oountry 
would  certainly  also  find  it  most  welcome  and  valuable.” 
