quite at a loss how to arrange the diamond-beds, or whether the border should be all one colour-say Flower of the Day.A YOUNG BEGINNER. [Here is the one-half of a geometric flower garden laid out in groups, with cross walks between them. Each group is complete in itself, and planted cross-cornerways, in such a manner as no critic can find fault with. It is an excellent plan for many situations, and for very limited places near large towns, where rents are high, and gardens are more in name than in length or breadth.

Suppose this figure occupied the centre of the grounds to a house rented at £150 a-year, a walk down on each side of it, then a border on the right of one and the left of the other, and then the boundary walls, there would be no more economical way of doing it than this, or something on this model or style. There is not a particle of grass in the whole. But a city man, whether he be rich or poor, carries the same notions of turf into the country which we of the country feel when we see the blackbirds with green turf in the bottom of their cage in Londonwe seem to think the birds could not live in town without it. But nobody seems to think or know that so much grass in such confined spots is the reason why ten doctors assist the pulse

where one might be sufficient if there was no grass inside the garden at all. My own garden is the most open in all Surbiton, yet there is not a blade of grass in it to retain damp, and never shall be as long as I live. That, and not allowing standard trees to choke up the free circulation of the pure air from the Surrey hills, is the very reason that all grades of the inhabitants visit me in my den, except the doctors, and they never come near me, because they have never a moment to spare from visiting other people.

I never counted how many scores or hundreds of such gardens could be made out of one statute acre of land, and every one of them with two rows of tall trees down the whole way; then so many evergreens; then the breadth of a pair of sheets in grass down the middle, which is too damp to walk or stand on for ten hours out of the twelve the year round; but children and the female branches of families cannot resist the temptation of getting on the grass, "it is so enticing," "so nice," or "so like the country." All that is quite true, yet it is also the shortest road to catch colds, and they lead to worse results. The planting of such figures need not necessarily be cross-cornered, as it is here, but that gives the opportunity of a change of planting a second time.-D. BEATON.]

DIAMOND GEOMETRIC HERE, from "A YOUNG BEGINNER," is the first instance of the diamond geometric panel being placed before the British gardener in black and white, as far as we know. Whether as a single figure in front of the drawing-room window, and between it and the public road, or as a sunk panel on grass, or as one of a pair in any suitable position, it is one of the simplest to plant, and may be made most telling in effect by a judicious planter of all the designs that could be got into the same compass. The requirements of this design demand imperatively that the two centre figures, 1 and 2, be planted exactly alike in colour, and with the same kinds of plants. The framework of our

1 and 2 is represented by the figure 9; it may be all of gold and silver in colour. A band of Cerastium tomentosum on one side the side of the inner walk, another band double the width of the Cerastium on the outer side of Stachys lanata, and a row of specimen plants of the Golden Chain along the centre, just touching when they are planted; then if there is more space left between the gold and silver than is desirable, insert dark blue or light blue, with a thin line of Lobelia speciosa or Lobelia ramosoides on each

PANEL FLOWER-BEDS

contrast. If we should all live till next year we might muster up enough of Arabis variegata to go all round and round, which is half a Golden Chain of itself, and that too on the outside then to relieve the middle, nothing is so good as Baron Hugel, and Lobelia speciosa on each side of it.

The two diamonds may be anything you like, so they be both the same. What I should put in would be Crystal Palace Scarlet Geranium, edged with the variegated Alyssum; but Flower of the Day and Lobelia speciosa would be just as good,

7

9

4

side of the Golden Chain. I saw your demand for Stachys anticipated at Pine Apple Place Nursery, and I have no doubt but most of the nurseries have been thinking of what you would The worst of it is the price of such large Golden

be at.

Chains. Let us therefore try it again. One side Cerastium, the other variegated Alyssum, or Mangles' Variegated Geranium trained down, whichever of the two is cheapest or is in stock, with a Tyrian purple along the centre-the good old Orach or the Atriplex hortensis rubra of the seed lists; but that is neither rubra, rubescens, nor rubicunda, but pure and simple purple. But put in Perilla instead, it will need less looking after; and if it is two shades darker, that amounts to as many degrees in

2

and yellow Calceolarias without an edging equally good. Then if Baron Hugel took the place of Orach or Perilla in the frame, I would

centre the Flower of the Day with one of

them, or the Calceolarias with a yellow brownish kind of the

same. The opposite beds, 3 and 4, must, of course, be blue or purple, no matter which; but nothing lilacy must go there on account of what is in 9, which embraces two sides of 3 and 4. The corner beds must be planted crossways, if this figure foliows immediately after the last, on the grass or gravel terrace-as 5 and 8

the

the san plant 6 and 7 ditto. figure, or any like it,

is seen from the windows from one end, they should not stand crossways; but the two nearest the eye to be yellow Calceolarias, and the furthest end pair Crystal Palace Scarlet Geranium.D. BEATON.

MOORE'S "FLORAL MAGAZINE" for April contains plates of 1, varieties of Clarkia pulchella; of 2, Pelargoniums; 3, a very artistically executed plate of Celosia cristata (aurea), the yellow branching Cockscomb, which is now likely to be again culti vated; and 4, Carnations Rose of Castille, rose flake, eminent, purple flake. We do not think that the former is at all flattera, it being a much fuller flower than represented in the figure.

33

ae, and Pre

TRAINING THE BRITTLE YOUNG SHOOTS OF VINES.

WOULD Mr. Fish in his papers, "Doings of the Last Week," or any other kind friend, inform Clumsy, how they manage to tie out the young shoots of their Vines? It invariably happens to him, that as soon as he touches one of them to bring it down to the wires that it comes out of the socket, and makes him stamp his feet and bite his lip in vexation, and bitterly bewail his extraordinary clumsiness.

The other day I thought these Vines wanted tying, “Just as the twig is bent," &c. First shoot got all right. Good! Well done Clumsy! Bravo! The very next-got hold of it as softly and delicately as possible, put the mat round it, pull a little. Hem, no need to pull any more, it dropped out. You may guess what a wry face I pulled. I gave over, put mat and knife in my pocket and walked away. I begin to think that I have the worst luck in the world, and that I am, indeed-CLUMSY.

[Clumsy, indeed! I do not believe a word about these thumb fingers as yet; but congratulate you on the crisp, healthy condition of your Vines, though that is no reason why you should break off their nice fruitful side-shoots in attempting to tie them regularly. Patience in such matters is a great jewel, and the shoot that will not come low enough at once, will come down after a time, when just a slight hasp is put on it to keep it from the glass. In such a case as yours, however, it would be best to lower the main stems of your Vines-say 3 inches or 4 inches, by swinging them to your rod or wire, instead of tying them to it, and this will bring all your shoots low enough to avoid any likelihood of breaking off when regulating them. I recommended this plan to some friends; but it was almost too good for them, for it made them so careless that they never tied out their side shoots at all, but allowed them to pop their noses up to the glass, and the weight of the fruit brought them gradually to the horizontal. This, however, was slovenly, if not clumsy."-F.]

GROWING HORSERADISH.

THERE are many ways of growing Horseradish-we write in answer to "AN OLD SUBSCRIBER." It is always best when from one to three years old; for if the root is much older it becomes woody and hard, instead of succulent and juicy. Now is a good time for planting it. It grows best in rich sandy loam, but is not very particular as to the soil.

The ground should be trenched at least from 18 inches to 24 inches deep. If poor, give a good coating of manure, and dig that into the bottom of the trench, but do not let it mix with the upper part of the soil, as that would encourage side rootlets. The ground being trenched and levelled, mark it out in rows 18 inches apart, and then make holes in the rows 12 inches apart, and 15 inches deep, and in these drop three-inch pieces of the crowns of old Horseradish plants, with the green part uppermost, or three-inch pieces of any part of the roots, with the top end uppermost. We have found them do equally well. Then fill up the holes with a mixture of sandy loam and fine

coal ashes.

NICE, APRIL 1, 1861.-The past month of March is stated by residents to have been quite of an exceptional character. The mornings and evenings have usually been calm, with strong winds in the daytime. This year, however, winds have prevailed occasionally in the night as well as the day, sometimes rising in the evening and subsiding before morning. From the 25th of revi Feby to the 24th of March the weather was magnificent, only one shower of rain uung ing that period, and nearly a cloudless sky, the wind generally from west, north-west and north. On the 25th the wind changed to the east, and since then a

good deal of refreshing rain (which was much wanted), has fallen. The temperature of the month has ranged from 42° at night to 62° in the daytime, the night average being 52°, and that of the day 584° in the shade.

One great advantage of this place is the dryness of the atmosphere during the winter months, and it is rather remarkable that the summer months should be more humid than those of winter. According to scientific observations published for the last year, it appears that the highest hygrometric mean (taken by Saussure's hygrometer) was in the month of July 63°, and the lowest in the maximum 70° during heavy rain in December, and the minimum month of February 54°, the average for the year being 59°. The 37° on the 5th of March, occasioned by a strong mistral wind then blowing. A similar account, if it could be furnished by any of your correspondents as to parts of England, would be very interesting by way of comparison.

Our ordinary English summer Swallows have now made their appearance here in considerable numbers, and also the Martens. Handsome Swallow-tailed Butterflies, Red Admirals, orange and sulphur-coloured, with several others are becoming numerous. Grape-vine shoots are in many places 6 inches long, and showing the bunches; Figs are out in leaf, with young figs on the branches.

During the month the following wild flowers have come into blossom

March 4. Antirrhinum nicæense, large yellow.

وو

6. Lithospermum purpureo-coeruleum, splendid blue. 12. Allium neapolitanum (fine white-headed Garlic). Symphitum officinale and tuberosum.

16. Polygala nicæensis, fine blue.

Iris pseudacorus (yellow Flag).
Chelidonium majus.

Coriaria myrtifolia.

23. Ornithogalum umbellatum (Star of Bethlehem).
Hyoscyamus albus (Henbane).

Cistus albidus (showy large Pink).
Muscari racemosum and M. comosum.
Leucojum tricophyllum (Snowflake).
28. Amelanchier vulgaris, on the hills.

In the gardens and hedges are the China and other Roses, very fully coming into flower, and in most places looking very healthy, free from insects. Pear trees and Cherries were in full flower on the 19th, also Quinces and Elder on the 24th. A large white Spiræa (grandiflora) is very showy in the public garden; also Lilacs and tree Peonies, Honeysuckles, and Banksian Roses. Wistaria consequana (or Glycine sinensis), is in blossom on walls also Green Peas and new Potatoes. and standards. Asparagus is now quite common in the markets,

The Tomato is much more used in cookery in Italy than in England, and it is grown in considerable quantity for the purpose. The young plants are raised with but slight covering in the open air, and, having been transplanted once, are now nearly ready for setting out in their final quarters.

Oranges are fully ripe and sweet. The general crop has been gathered; but there are many yet left upon the trees, which are now showing blossom for this year's crop. In the course of the present month an Orange flower fair is held in the town. The flowers are quite an article of commerce, and are sold by weight (like hops in England), to the distillers for perfumery, as are also the do! double Violets, so extensively grown in this neighbour hood.-E. COPLAND.

DECAY OF CROCUS BULBS, AND THEIR PROPER CULTURE.

FINDING that you require to know the nature of the soil, and the mode of culture adopted by me, before you can express an opinion as to the cause of the decay of the parent Crocus bulbs after flowering in pots, I beg to say, that employ ordinary garden soil mixed with about one-third leaf mould and a portion of silver sand. I drain the pots well, and surround the bulbs with silver sand alone. The pots are kept in a dark cellar for a month after planting, and are then removed to a greenhouse without heat, where the bulbs always flower abundantly. I leave them in the pots until the leaves are quite decayed, and on removing them, always find the original bulbs rotten, and four or five small ones formed.

On removing Narcissus bulbs, treated precisely in the same

way, I find each bulb divided into three or four small ones, which do not flower the next year.—H. A.

[Now the matter with your Crocuses is as plain to us as if we had all your bulbs before us. The best soil to pot Crocuses in is the top part of the best piece of ground in the kitchen garden, where it was heavily dunged the year before. No leaf mould, no peat, and no sand for potted Crocuses on any account whatever. It is good to put sand and mixture of soils with bulbs of all sorts in the open ground, and with most of them in pots; but the Crocus, and a score of other kinds of bulbs, are more easily grown under hard treatment, with nothing but good drainage, and a good top soil from a good kitchen garden. That soil has been often and well dunged, and dug, and aired, and mixed, and the excess of dung, or the rankness of it, has been naturally dealt with by the crops on it: therefore, the first four top inches of a piece of good kitchen garden soil are more safe for bulbs, whether they be forced or not, than any compost. The leaf mould and sand in your compost in pots for Crocuses made the soil so very open that in March and April it would need to be watered four times a-day whenever the sun shone; but probably you did not always water even once a-day, and you did right, for too much watering soil that is too open only allows the water to wash all the goodness out of the little balls, unless something good was in the water occasionally. You took more-much more, from your Crocus bulbs than you gave them, and the next year they needed a good fallow, a rest in good soil, and not crowded. The great secret in forcing Crocuses early is to have them in the pots between the first and fifth days of September; if they are potted after the 15th of September, they should not be forced early, or else they should be thrown away when the flowers are over as not good enough to

nurse.

All forced Crocuses should be set in the open air as soon as the flowers are over, and in one week after that be planted out at once, and not with the balls entire, which is most hurtful to all bulbs so treated. Break every ball of all sorts of Crocuses into three parts at least; plant the roots just as deep as they were in the pots, and no more. Never disturb a forced Crocus, or any forced bulb under the sun, until it has had one season's growth out of the pots, and two seasons if possible; but Hyacinths require three seasons even in good hands.

A Crocus bulb, a Tulip bulb, and a Gladiolus bulb, and many others, never flower but once; then they die, and their offspring succeed them in offset bulbs. That was the natural cause of your finding dead bulbs in your mould.]

MANAGEMENT OF YEW AND OTHER

EVERGREEN HEDGES.

I LAST year planted a good many Yews, intended ultimately to form a protection against the north wind. They are fine healthy plants, averaging about 5 feet high, very thick and bushy down to the ground, their bases being, perhaps, 6 feet in diameter. Now I do not care about this extreme thickness at bottom, but want to encourage them as speedily as possible to increase in height and thickness at top. Shall I do any good by cutting away a quantity of these lower lateral shoots? Several of the plants have no decided leader, but may almost be described as bunches of suckers. Shall I increase the vigour and tendency to upward growth of the main stems by cutting

out the minor ones?-L. H.

[Your Yew hedge is just 4 feet too much through at the bottom. The best Yew hedge that we have seen was at Boyton, on the other side of Salisbury. It was 35 feet high, and not nearly so much through at the bottom as yours is at 5 feet. There is a natural law about cutting in the boughs of all kinds of evergreens, which can never be departed from in a single instance without doing more or less harm in the long run. It is this-that the lowest boughs all round the bottom of a tree or bush be left longer than those above them, if only the fraction of an inch, and the rule holds good from the bottom boughs to the topmost ones, even of a Wellingtonia. The reason for the rule is this:-If the boughs or branches in any part of the tree or bush are allowed to get longer than those below them, the longest will throw off the drops when it rains, and shade those below from the sun; and when the sun and rain are kept from an evergreen bough it soon languishes, and dies by inches. That is the only reason why Laurels and Fir trees, and

all the rest of them, get naked below. People allow the top branches to spread over the bottom ones. Now, any one who understands that law, and acts on it, can never go wrong in managing a Yew hedge, or a Holly hedge, or a Portugal Laurel out on the lawn, or a Cedar of Lebanon, or a Juniper, or a Cypress, or any other such plants. The more leaders there are in a Yew hedge, or a Holly hedge, or a Thorn or Barberry hedge, or any hedge whatever, the better, provided that none of the leaders are allowed to get much stronger than the rest, which is secured by stopping, in the summer, any of the leaders which are much stronger than the rest.

About the young hedge of Yews which is 6 feet through at the bottom, cut off 18 inches of every one of the bottom boughs on both sides, and the hedge will then be only 3 feet through, and that is quite enough for a fifteen-feet-high hedge. Cut the next boughs a little shorter than the first, the third cut a little shorter than the second, and so on to the top, which at the height of 5 feet should not be more than 6 inches or 8 inches through, if so much, but that depends on the positions of the leaders. Now is the best time for this cutting. At the end of July, regulate both sides again by cutting back such shoots as get over your rule. For the next ten years the bottom should not be allowed to get much wider than the 3 feet. Meantime, Yews would take just as much dung and liquid manure as a bed of celery, and would pay for it much better, by growing three times faster than without that help, which is the only assistance that can be given. Yew trees planted singly will do all the better by having the first foot or 18 inches next the ground freed from branches, in order to let in a circulation of air; and all the leaders, except the strongest or best central one, should be stopped, and after that be kept in constant subjection. But the rule about having the bottom boughs the longest has not a single exception in the whole vegetable kingdom of evergreens. At the height of your trees, if they are single, leave 4 feet across the bottom, and allow only 2 inches more to extend yearly till the trees are 10 feet high; then 6 inches annually for the next six years; after that they will need very little to be done to them. But to get them up quick, ply then well with liquid manure of moderate strength. We planted five hundred miserable little Yews in 1855, in, or rather over, a solid bed of very good rotten dung, just as for a row of celery. They are now finer than your plants, and shine again, but they have had hogsheads of liquid manure.]

REMOVING THE DISAGREEABLE SMELL

FROM GISHURST COMPOUND. THE writer of the interesting article on orchard-houses in your paper of the 9th calls on the inventor of Gishurst Compound for "some agreeable disinfector" to neutralise its smell. Will you allow me to inform him that by making his solution fortyeight hours before use he will find that the greater part of the smell has passed off? As to what remains, I fear it must be put up with. It is due to the combination of sulphur, to which ishurst owes much of its efficacy.

Last year a fine pot Plum tree was given me as being incurably attacked by mussell scale. I dosed it over and over again with Gishurst lather worked up by a shaving-brush. The tree has now a fair show of bloom, and its former owner considers it cured; but though it is many months since the medicine was given, owing to its being used fresh some smell still hangs to the

bark.-GEORGE WILSON.

CULTURE OF THE GRAPE VINE.

I HAVE been a grower of Grapes both as under and headgardener for nearly forty years, and the culture of this fruit has always been a favourite pursuit with me. I may venture to add, too, that I have generally been a successful Grape grower. In the following instructions, however, I have not been guided solely by my own experience, but have gathered up information from most of the best Vine cultivators in the kingdom. As a traveller for many years in the nursery and seed business, I had, whilst performing a traveller's duties, the opportunity of calling at most of the best gardens and seeing the management of the Vine under the most celebrated gardeners, who, I can bear testimony, were always ready to give me any information I might ask for, as to the why and wherefore of their practice in certair

methods of culture, in order to obtain such fine fruit as I saw before me. I was also equally as anxious to find out the causes of any failures I met with, whether with regard to missing crops, shanking, spot, deficient colouring, or any other defect the Vines displayed. All these good and bad points of culture I have treasured up, and intend to lay before the reader; and if he pays attention to my statement on the subject, I think that he will be enabled thereby to so manage his Vines as to bring to perfection good fruit and avoid the failures too many have met with.

The Vine is an accommodating plant, easily grown, and very soon bears fruit. In this country it is grown against walls without any protection; in orchard-houses now so fashionable and so useful; in greenhouses over flowering plants; in stoves over flowering plants and Pines; and, in what is by far the best mode, in houses especially erected for Vine culture, and hence named vineries. It is also grown to some extent to fruit in pots. On all these modes I intend to give my experience, adding the names of suitable kinds for each situation.

SOIL.-Without that is right, all the other adjuncts will be useless, however perfect they may be. Whoever, then, intends to cultivate the Vine should procure, a year beforehand, a sufficient quantity of the top spit of a meadow or pasture, choosing one the soil of which is neither light nor heavy. Bring away the turf and soil together, and lay it in a long ridge near to where it will be wanted. To every six loads of this maiden earth add one load of half-rotted stable-dung. Put this dung in thin layers amongst the soil equidistant throughout. To these add in the same proportion, half a cartload of old lime rubbish, bits of bricks, and such like; also, a good sprinkling of broken bones-say a quarter of a cartload to the other seven and a half loads of soil, dung, and bricklayers' rubbish. Lay the heaps so that the sun will have free access to every side, and in order to effect that the heap should run from east to west. Let the heap lay for three or four months, and then commence at one end and turn it over, thoroughly mixing the whole of the ingredients of the compost. Do not, however, chop it very fine, but leave it in lumps throughout, so that the air can penetrate into the centre of the heap as much as possible. As a matter of course, no weeds must be allowed to grow on the compost during the twelve months. Turn it over again in four months, and that turning will be sufficient till the Vine-border is ready to be formed. Whether the Vines are grown in the open air on walls, or in houses, such a compost must be prepared for them.

DRAINING THE BORDER.-It is of no consequence whether the situation of the border is low or high, it must be drained. Stagnant water is injurious to the roots of any fruit trees, but more especially to the roots of the Vine. In low, level lands, the drainage should certainly be more perfect-that is, there should be a certain and sure outlet for the superfluous water,

and the stratum of stones or brick ends should be thicker.

Let the bottom of the border be above the main drain, and sloping up to the wall. It should be either concreted or rammed down very hard. The drain to carry off the water should be bricked at the sides and covered with stoutish flags, so that, in case of any stoppage from silt or tree roots, it could be opened and cleaned out whenever it required it.

This drain having been made properly, and the bottom of the border made hard, then lay on the rubble evenly all over the border. In high dry lands this layer need not be more than 6 inches or 8 inches thick; but in low situations, even if the border of earth is raised above the level, the drainage ought to be at least 1 foot thick. If the Vines are planted in a border inside the house, that border should be drained also. Level the drainage and run a roller over it. Then, to prevent the finer parts of the soil falling into or being washed into the drainage, cover it over with thin turf, the grassy side downwards. All this being completed, the next operation will be wheeling in the soil. Lay substantial planks to wheel on, and fill it up at the far end to the required thickness, and so on till it is completed. There has beer considerable difference of opinion amongst writers as to the depth of the Vine-border. Some recommend as much as 4 feet, others 3 feet, and some 2 feet. Deep borders are certainly very objectionable, because the deep stratum is often so cold and so far out of reach of sun heat. Perhaps if ot-water pipes were run across the border for the purpose of warming it, then a deep border might be useful. However, to be on the safe side I judge the border should be 2 feet deep. It is the depth I have always made them, and every good grower that I know recommends that depth. The soil being all wheeled

The accompanying section shows the drain to carry off the water, the rubble to keep the soil dry and the soil above it. WIDTH OF THE BORDER.-For Vines growing against walls in the open air 10 feet or 12 feet will be sufficiently wide. For Vineries, Stoves, and Greenhouses.-The rule in general should be, that the border should be the same width as the rafters are long. Some good cultivators have adopted the practice of making the border a few feet wide the first year, and adding to it year after year until the Vines have reached the top of the house. Where appearance is of no consequence, such a plan may be advisable and worth a trial; but as most excellent Grapes have been grown where the border has been completed at once, that plan as a general rule may be regarded as at least equal to the other, and certainly for finish and complete neat appearance far superior; and, besides that, more main drains would be required which would be a needless expense.

There is a Vine-border in the garden at Heath Bank, Cheadle, near Manchester, across which are built brick walls, dividing it into as many sections as there are Vines in the houses. The reason assigned for this was, that each Vine could not encroach upon its neighbour's pasture; and also if by any chance a Vine failed, or it was thought desirable to plant some superior or newer kind, the soil could be all taken out of each division, and fresh put in without disturbing those left to grow. I have seen the Vines in that place, and they were very healthy and produced large crops of good fruit, but I never heard that one of them had been removed or had failed: therefore, the usefulness of this somewhat expensive border for the purposes for which it was divided into long brick pits has not been proved. Yet it may be worthy of a trial, especially in conjunction with a heated chamber to warm the border of Vines for forcing early. T. APPLEBY. (To be continued.)