256 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  September  11,  1902. 
CELERY.— Considerable  quantities  of  Celery  well  advanced 
in  growth,  which  have  been  well  fed  and  are  thoroughly  moist 
at  the  roots,  may  now  be  finally  earthed.  When  the  weather 
is  dry  and  the  plants  are  dry  is  the  best  time.  To  such  rows 
preliminary  earthings  will  have  been  given,  hence  there  is 
nothing  superfluous  to  remove.  The  leafstalks  may,  however, 
be  gently  drawn  together  and  held  loosely  with  strands  of  bass 
or  raffia  grass.  This  prevents  soil  reaching  the  hearts.  Break 
the  soil  finely  and  work  it  round  the  plants  with  the  hands, 
pressing  firmly.  Form  slopes  on  each  side  rather  steep,  so  as 
to  drain  away  the  moisture  from  the  plants,  an  excess  of  which 
causes  rapid  decay  at  the  centre. — East  Kent. 
*  *  *  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  subject  1  them  to  unjustifiable 
trouble  and  expense. 
Plan  of  a  Bothy— Competition. 
“Well-wisher”  promises  a  first  prize  of  £3,  and  the  Editor 
supplies  a  second  prize  of  £1. 
The  rules  of  the  competition  are  as  follows  : — The  plan,  drawn 
to  scale,  must  not  exceed  Tin  broad  by  Tin  deep,  and  must  be 
clearly  defined  on  stout  paper.  The  plan  must  provide  suitable 
accommodation  for  six  men,  and  the  cost  of  the  building  ought 
not  to  exceed  £200  to  £220.  A  statement  of  the  general  items 
of  cost  should  accompany  the  plans,  together  with  any  written 
comments  thereon.  The  competition  is  open  until  Christmas, 
1902,  by  which  date  all  plans  must  be  in  the  hands  of  the  Editor. 
The  sender’s  name  and  full  address  should  be  enclosed  when  send¬ 
ing  the  plan,  and  the  sender  will  alone  be  held  responsible  for  it. 
MAKING  A  LAWN  ON  SANDY  SOIL— INOCULATING 
VERSUS  SOWTING  (Ivittie). — We  assume  that  the  ground  has 
been  duly  levelled  and  moved  to  an  even  depth,  a  fine  and 
relatively  firm  surface  secured.  In  that  case  the  plot  may  be 
sown  with  grass  seeds,  the  sooner  the  better,  and  a  selection  being 
made  of  species  of  grasses  suitable  for  a  sandy  soil,  this  matter 
being  named  to  the  seedsman  in  ordering  the  mixture,  there  is 
no  reason  why  as  good  or  even  better  lawn  should  not  result,  as 
by  inoculating  or  inserting  pieces  of  turf  about  3in  square  a  foot 
distance  apart  over  it  and  sowing  between.  By  inoculating 
about  1-lGth  of  the  turf  necessary  for  laying  it  down  at  once  is 
required,  and  in  order  that  the  grass,  mostly  Perennial  Rye  Grass 
(Lolium  perenne),  may  the  more  readily  spread  over  the  whole 
surface,  the  intervals  between  the  inserted  pieces  should  be 
raked,  and  not  rolled  or  beaten  until  the  patches  meet,  which 
they  will  likely  do  about  midsummer.  By  sowing  now  the  grasses 
would  obtain  a  fair  hold  before  winter,  and  even  if  lifted  by  frost 
they  would  roll  down  again  and  form  a  good  lawn  by  the  early 
part  of  the  summer,  not  being  cut  too  close  or  too  early  in  the 
spring,  but  keeping  well  rolled. 
MELONS  DISEASED  (F.  G.  D.). — The  leaves  are  affected  by 
Melon  spot  fungus,  Cercospora  melonis,  which  is  very  prevalent 
this  season,  not  only  on  Melons,  but  on  Cucumbers,  market 
growers  suffering  very  severely,  the  malady  taking  the  shape-  of 
an  epidemic  and  preventing  full  crops  from  being  secured,  indeed, 
not  half  a  crop  being  secured  on  the  second  batch  of  plants,  it  not- 
attacking  the  early  ones,  seldom  appearing  before  the  turn  of 
the  days  after  midsummer,  when  the  night  dews  become  heavier 
and  the  morning  moisture  is  longer  in  being  dispersed.  The  roots 
are  quite  sound,  and  though  the  stems  give  some  indication  when 
cut  through  of  sleeping  disease,  we  failed  to  discover  any  destruc¬ 
tion  of  the  vascular  bundles  or  myoelia  therein,  and  though  the 
parts  became  slightly  brown,  as  in  attack  by  Fusarium,  there  was 
nothing  of  a  determinate  nature.  The  slight  cankerous  affection 
at  the  collar  yielded  the  mycelial  hyphee  of  some  fungus,  but  there 
was  no  connection  between  it  and  the  vascular  bundles,  as  is 
the  case  in  attacks  of  Fusarium  in  the  production  of  the  early 
form,  or  Diplocladium.  Probably  more  air  and  a  drier  atmosphere 
would  arrest  the  fungus  on  the  leaves,  but  this  is  so  decisive  as 
to  prevent  further  progress  in  the  plants  and  fruit. 
“  BUSINESS  ILLUSTRATED  ”  (Ever  Anxious).— This  publi¬ 
cation  is  obtainable  through  the  ordinary  sources,  i.e.,  the  book¬ 
sellers  and  newsagents.  The  address  of  the  publishing  office  is 
44-47,  Bishopsgate  Without,  London,  E.C.  It  is  published  every 
alternate  month,  price  Is.  per  copy,  or  free  by  post  Is.  4d.  You 
would  certainly  find  it  interesting  and  useful. 
TOP-DRESSING  CHRYSANTHEMUMS  (Cambridge).— You 
cannot  do  better  than  top-dress  your  plants  at  once,  which  will 
assist  in  keeping  the  roots  active  and  supplying  the  plants  with 
the  necessary  food  to  enable  them  to  develop  their  flower  buds. 
It  is  surprising  what  assistance  a  top-dressing  of  rich  material 
proves  to  the  plants  in  their  latter  stages,  after  the  roots  inside 
the  pots  have  taken  full  possession  of  the  whole  of  the  soil.  A 
system  of  top-dressing  is  practised  by  the  majority  of  those  who 
grow  large  flowers  for  exhibition.  You  will  find  equal  parts  <;f 
good  fibry  loam  and  cow  manure-  with  a  little  soot,  say  a  Gin  potful 
to  half  a  bushel  of  soil,  an  excellent  top-dressing  for  your  plants, 
and  the  roots  will  not  be  long  before  they  take  possession  of  it. 
Some  first-rate  cultivators  top-dress  their  plants  with  cow  manure 
only,  but  we  prefer  the  compost  advised  above. 
YOUNG  VINES  (An  Amateur). — It  is  difficult  for  us  to  say 
why  the  berries  of  your  Grapes  are  small  from  the  information 
supplied  to  us.  The  size  both  of  the  bunches  and  berries  depends 
in  a  very  large  measure  upon  the  growth  the  Vines  made  last 
year,  and  also  upon  the  condition  of  the  wood,  whether  thoroughly 
ripened  or  not.  It  is  impossible  to  expect  Vines  with  unripened 
wood  that  possesses  neither  strength  nor  vigour,  whether  young 
or  old,  to  produce  berries  of  a  large  size.  Young  Vines  very 
frequently  produce  large-sized  bunches,  but  the  berries  are  often 
smaller  than  from  vigorous  Vines  of  a  greater  age.  This  is  not 
always  the  case,  for  much  can  be  done  in  swelling  the  berries  to  a 
large  size  by  good  cultivation,  which  under  inferior  treatment 
would  only  be  small.  The  pruning  would  have  nothing  to  do  with 
the  size  of  the  berries.  You  cannot  expect  us  to  answer  your 
other  question  about  the  soil,  for  you  have  not  said  one  word 
whether  you  made  special  preparations  for  your  Vines,  or  in  what 
compost  they  are  growing.  If  your  letter  had  been  less  brief  we 
might  probably  have  given  you  a  more  useful  answer. 
ROOT-PRUNING  (F.  J.).— You  had  better  not  prune  the 
trees  till  the  crop  is  gathered,  which  you  say  will  be  in  October. 
The  remarks  on  root -pruning  in  September  are,  as  you  intimate, 
sound  and  clear,  but  they  apply  to>  fruitless  trees  of  luxuriant 
growth.  Yours,  it  appears,  are  not  quite  fruitless,  yet  are  growing 
too  freely,  and  you  will  not  err  by  root-pruning  in  October,  or 
immediately  the  fruit  is  gathered. 
NAMES  OF  PLANTS. — Correspondents  whose  queries  are  un- 
ansivered  in  the  present  issue  are  respectfully  requested  to  consult  the 
following  number.  (T.  J.  R.). — Your  number  6  specimen  (second 
batch)  last  week  should  have  been  named  Juniperus  virginiana  var., 
and  not  Biota.  We  require  to  see  the  cones  for  a  nearer  identification, 
(Mid-Sussex). — A  splendid  specimen  of  Polygonum  orientale.  (Frank). 
— Ercilla  (Bridgesia)  spicata,  but  a  miserable  specimen.  (Able). — 1. 
Lonicera  hirsuta ;  2,  Aster  acris ;  3,  Deutzia  crenata  fl.-pi. ;  4, 
Staphylea  pinnata.  (F.). — Solanum  jasminoides. 
Note  to  Readers. — We  request  those  of  our  readers  who  nrtY 
experience  any  difficulty  in  obtaining  copies  of  this  Journa* 
regularly  to  be  good  enough  to  acquaint  us  with  the  fact. 
- - 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick. 
Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens  at  Chis¬ 
wick,  height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
Direction  of 
Wind. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Rain. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
Lowest 
Temperature 
on  Grass. 
1902. 
August 
and 
September. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
1 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
43 
02 
© 
& 
5 
43 
m 
© 
& 
o 
J 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Ins. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Sunday  ...31 
E.S.E. 
57-4 
56-3 
66-2 
57-0 
0-21 
61-3 
60-7 
58-4 
52-0 
Monday  ...  1 
S.E. 
63-5 
62-2 
71-2 
56-2 
0-08 
61-3 
60-5 
58-4 
45-9 
Tuesday...  2 
S.W. 
66'5 
62-0 
69-0 
50-8 
0-04 
6i'5 
60  6 
58-4 
42-5 
Wed’sday  3 
W.S.W. 
68-5 
63-0 
70-2 
62-2 
— 
62'4 
60-7 
58-4 
58-2 
Thursday  4 
w.s.w. 
65-2 
58-8 
76-0 
54-9 
— 
62-2 
61-0 
58-4 
43-7 
Friday  ...  5 
W.N.W. 
55-2 
54-2 
67-9 
51-3 
— 
61-8 
61-0 
58-4 
42-7 
Saturday  6 
N.W. 
57-7 
55-3 
70-0 
50-0 
60'8 
60-8 
58-4 
42-0 
■ 
Total. 
Means  ... 
620 
58'8 
70-1 
54-6 
0'33 
61-6 
60-8 
58'4 
46-7 
The  first  part  of  the  week  was  dull  and  wet,  the  latter  part  fine 
and  bright.  A  heavy  gale  of  wind  occurred  on  the  3rd  inst. 
