UMASS/AMHERST 312066 0333 3094 9 :Z^ PEACTICAL GUIDE m EYEEY DEPAETMENT OE HOETICULTURE. CONDCCTED BY GEORGE W. JOHNSON, ESQ. THE FRUIT-GARDEN, by Mr. R. Ekkinqton, Gardener to Sir P. Egerton, Bart., Oulton Park. THE KITCHEN-GARDEN, by the Editok, and Mb. J. Barnes, Gardener to Lady RoUe, Bicton. THE FLOWER-GARDEN, by Mr. T. Appleby, Floricultural Manag^er to Messrs. Henderson, Edgeware Road. THE GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW-GARDEN, by Mr. D. Beaton, Gardener to Sir W. Middleton, Bart., Shrubland Park. THE STOVE AND FORCING DEPARTMENT, by Me. R. Fish, Gardener to Colonel Sowerby, Putteridge Bury, near Luton. THE APIARIAN'S CALENDAR, for the Management of Bees, by J. H. Payne, Esq., Author of " The Bee-keeper's Guide." VOLUME II. LONDON : PUBLISHED BY WM. S. ORR AND CO., 147, STRAND. MDCCCXLIX. T-^k- J TO OUR READERS. Having concluded our second volumej and witli it the first year of our periodical existencCj we tm-n, like the Pilgrinij to look back over the'path we have traversed. Like him we are grateful for the past and hopeful of the futm-e : grateful because we have won our way most successfully, and because we know we have achieved a measm-e of good by improving the gardening, and by sprin- khng pleasure and comfort round many British homes. We are hopeful because our sphere of use- fulness widens as we go, and because the materials and the aid for effecting our pm-poses increase ai'ound us as we advance. The cultivation of the soil is ever improving, to keep pace with the increased wants and numbers of mankind ; and, like the Giant of old, our contributors, each time they touch the soil, seem to gather fi-esh strength for successful efforts. We can assure our readers that the difficulty with us all is not to find information, but to select that which best suits their present need ; and to do this will obtain, as it has obtained, our untiring exertions. There is a rich harvest to be gathered in during the year before us, and at its close may we again be able to say^ with that Pilgrim of other times to whom we have alluded, " We gather strength from the thiags which are passed." INDEX. MAS5x! Abelia floribunda, 327 Abies canadensis, 30 Abraxas grossulariata, 193 Abutilon striatum, 82, 137 Acacia, yellow, 123 Acherontia atropos, 305 Achiraenes, list of, and culture, 199 Acuba japonica bare of leaves, 247 Agapauthus culture, 180 Ageratum, 91 lloplectus capitatus, 259 ,... _.. — ->— ing, 39, : flower beds, 13 ; rules, 46 Aloysia citriodora, 179 Alpine plant culture, 174 Amaryllid culture, 242; soil, 124; hybridizing, 242 ; longifoUa, 147 Ambury in cabbages, 126 American cress, 145, 272; blight, 85, l65, 273; plant culture, 175 Amherstia nobilis, 259 Ammonia, sulphate of, 138; sulphate and carbonate of, 169 ; fixing, 204 Anemone roots, storing, 186; culture, 36, 45, 86 ; sowing, 87 Aneroid barometer, 328 Angelica culture, 70 Annuals, sowing, 129, 303; culture, 278 Anthomyia ceparum, 149 Antipathies of plants, 91 Antirrhinum culture, 137 Ants, destruction of, 30, 51, 114, 167 Aphelexls humUis, 192 Aphides, to destroy, 20, 47, 11, HO, 126, 133, 231 ; list of, 149 Aphis ribis, 82 ; fabse, 88 ; cerasi, 85 ; lani- gera, 273 Aphrophora spumaria, 249 Apples, storing, 295 ; pips, sowing, 203 ; da- maged bark, 271 ; cateriiillars on, 180 ; cankered, 168 Apricot, Haisha, 234; dropping, 180, 235; culture, 174, 251 ; stopping, 128; thinning, 56 ; caterpillar, 56 April showers, 21 , formation of, 134 Aquilegia glandulosa culture, 138 Argynius euphrosyne, 293 Argyrotoza bergmanniana, 86 Aristolochia sipho, 62 Artichoke culture, 70, 121, 232 Arum culture, 51, 180 Arundo donas, 204 Asparagus culture, 70, 121, 132, 232, 281; stripping berries from, 288 ; soil, 248 ; seedlings, 272; beds making, 148, 290 ; badly made, 124, 168 ; salting, 92, 138; beetle, 125; liquid manure for, 101; va- rieties, 30 Astelma eximium, 92 Auricula seedlings, 259 ; culture, 15, 26, 78, 81,265; gathering seed, 185; repotting, 130 Autumn growth, mistake about, 321 Azalea, Ghent, culture, 173 Azaleas, China, culture, 72, 197 3 list of, 122 ; in vinery, 124; compost ior, 147; their beauty, 99 Balahinus Nucum,26i Balsam leaves dying, 191 Bankaiau rose culture, 123 ; in pots, 1 14 Barbarea vulgaris, 167 Barley, black, 287 Baskets, rustic, f^l Bead tree, 223 Bean aphis, 81; to destroy, 133; blossoms falling, 92 ; culture, 102 Beans failing, 72 Bedding-out, plants for, 35, 78. 90 ; potting, 327 ; white flowers for, 123 Bedding, roses for, 25, 35 Bee, sting of, 42; Nutt's discovery, 42; Roberts* treatment, 43 ; feeding -trough, 20 ; swarming, 20, 42, 43 ; appeai'ance of drones, 21 ; dead larva, 51 ; moving swarms, 104; putting glasses on, 104; joining distance, 161 ; ventUation, I61 ; Taylor's hive, 161 ; glasses, 161 ; shading, 161 ; love 6f, 162; second swarm, 169; mismanaged, 169 ; returning swarms, 180, 2l6; that will swai-m, 192; housing in winter, 204 ; nar- rowing entrance, 216; additional room for, 216; removing glasses, 2l6; knife for combs, 217 ; stings, cure for, 222 ; to pre- vent swarming, 223 ; Cotton's hives for, 223 ; not using upper hives, 192 ; under hiving, 236, 272; ing sid : killing, prognosticators of wea- ther, union of stocks, 284 ; hives, 272 ; draining combs, preparing wax, 285 ; de- priving, 284, 281 ; moving small hives, 304; puff balls for fumigating, 304 ; treatises on, 316; hives, size of, 327; autumnal unions, 340; stocks, 341; Taylor's hive, 340 ; co- verings to hives, 341 ; enemies, 341 ; pedes- tals, 341 ; Huish's hive, 347; fumigation of. Bee-keepers' calendar. May, 41 ; June, 104 ; July, 161 ; August, 216; September, 284; October, 340 Beet, red, 7 ; removing leaves, 271 Begonia culture, 191 ; fucioides, 62; winter- Benevolent Institution, 22 Berberis dulcis, 315 Biennials, sowing, 129; transplanting, ig6; culture of, 277 Bindweed, to extirpate, 224, 303 destroy, 23 ; to sof de ' lop, David, Black arch moth, 237 Blackberry jam, 346 Blackthorn \vinter, 18 Blossoms falling, cause of, 71 Boat fly, 204 Bog earth,?] nacha, 237 Bones, dissolved, 29, 51 ; for manm-e, 327; bone-dust charred, 61 Borders, for fruit, 39, 257 ; cropping, 204 ; in conservatory, 6I ; formation of, 312; plants 348 ; plants, wintering, 328 for south ( Boronia serrulata, 91 Boscobel oak, iSS Bouquets, to arrange, 193, 26l, 330 Bouvardia triphylla, I69 Box-tree pruning, 10, 191 Brachyglossa atropos, 305 Braganza cabbage, 72 Breast-wood, 96 Brick-field, to reclaim, 124 Broom, 178 Brown beurre, 62 Broxbournebury, Mrs. Bosanquet's, 264 Brugmansia culture, 124 ; arborea, 30 ; cul- ture, 347 Brunsvigia Josephine, hybridizing, 242 Brussels sprouts, when to cut, 337 Budding fruit-trees, 260 Buds, to distinguish, 248 Buff tip moth, 26u ; caterpillars, 317 Building, best time for, 229 Bulb moving, 6I, 62 Bulbs, leaves of, preserve, 67; forcing, 311, 334; autumn flowering, greenhouse, 3l6 ; Dutch, 332, 334 ; planting, 332 Buiiium bulbocastanum, 3l6 Cabbage culture, 38, 200; sowing, 214; not hearting, 303: planting, 313, 337, 339; moth, 33 Cactaceae in rooms, 44 Cactus culture, 10, 44, 72 ; aeed sowing, 147 ; done flowering, 236 ; turned brown, 348 ; cuttings, 316 CEclestina ageratoides, 9I) 223 Calceolaria sowing. Calendar for May, 52; June, 114; July, 170; August, 224 ; September, 292 ; October, 348 Calyx, its uses, 115 CameUiaa, best kinds, 58 ; potting, 59 ; cul- ture, 30, 60, 68, 89 ; soil, 62 ; in peat, 137 ; cuttings, 236, 265; in open air, 272 167 Canary nasturtium, 30, 38 ; creeper, 81 Canterbury bell seedlings, 259 Cape gooseberry, 71 Cape jasmine, 147 Capsus damicus, 292 Cardamine pratensis, I67 Cardoons, 38; culture, 132 Carnation culture, 25, 50, 62, 130, 197. 278; layering, 155; carding, 186; potting. 321 ; soil for, 138; list of, 234 ; tree, 260 Carpathian bell-flower, 167 Carpocapsa pomonella, 63 Carrot culture, 103, 40 ; storing, 52 ; after potatoes, 168; to save from wire-worms, 224 ; taking up, 339 Caterpillars, hand-picking, 96 ; on standards, 124; their phenomena, 317; to destroy, 346 Catharanthus, species of, 213 Cauliflower culture, 28, 38, 80 ; kinds of, 6I ; failing, 113 ; heads spreading, 124 ; to stand the winter, 236 ; sheltering, 245 ; sowing, 269 ; early, 338 Cedar and Deodara alike, 32 Celery culture, 7, 80, 133, 232, 300, 343; manure, 113; planting, 189; earthing, 325 Centipedes, their use, 11 Cerostema porrectella, 21 Chamomile in turf, 137, 166 Charcoal as drainage, 236 Charred refuse, 340 Chaumontel pear, 112 Cherries falling, 180 Cherry, aphis, 85 ; tree barren, 303 Chicory in England, 50 ; sowing, 19 1 China Aster, sowing, 26, 315 Chinese manuring, 64 Chiswick garden, 140 Chou de Milan, 48 Christmas rose culture, 180 Chrysanthemum moving, 81 ; culture of, I06 cuttings, 88, 314; list of, 107, 147; train ing, 148; bedding, 196 ; propagating, 230 layers, 288 ; liquid manure for, 304 Chrysomela asparagi, 125 Cicada, 83 Cider grounds aa a manure, 10 Cinerarias, done blooming, 62, 99 ; seedlings, 88; list of, 133; somng, 19I, 210; insects on roots, 32? Citrus vulgaris myrtifolia, 72 Clayey soil, to drain, 112; cidture, 123, 138, 147, 169 Clianthus puniceus, 17, 272 Climbers, pruning hardy, 14 ; for greenhouses, 15,36,51; li3tof,259; in balcony, 62 ; for s.E. walls, 223; for trellis, 316; dressing hardy, 277 Clove and carnation, 291 Clove carnation culture, 321 Clubbing in cabbages, 20, 126 Coal ashes, 204 Coboea scandens, 123 Coccus hesperidum, 92 ; testudo, 92 Coccus Nerii, 10 Codlin moth, 63 Cochlearia officinalis, I67 Coleworts, 159 Colours of flowers, 51 ; their arrangement> Compost of turf, 290 Conservatory, Mr, Wilson's, 262 Convolvulus, blue, 38; arveusis, 224; majofj 270 ; spit, 249 Copings for walls, 20 Copper wire for training, 162 Corrsea cuttings, 91 Corrosive sublimate applied to plants, 113 Cossus JEsculi, 225 Couve Tronchouda, 48 Cowslip vinegar, 40 Crab culture, 204 ; hedges, 327 Crane fly grubs, 6l Crassula culture, 253, 265; cuttinga, 211 Creepers, for window, 10, 30 ; (see climben) Crinum, 147 Crioceris asparaegi, 125 Crocuses, 148 ; moving, 20 Cross breeding, 90 Cuckoo's arrival, 31 ; heard, S3 ; flower, I67 INDEX. nerature of bed, 124; blossoms impregnat- ing, 134; in pits, 51, 6l ; deformed, 14"; bitter. 2G0; bitter tasted, 29 1 ; diseased, 248, 260 Cucmnis Colocyntbis, 260 Cuphea platycentra, 30, 82, 147; seed, I/O ; mel villa, 71 Curculio Nucum, 26 1 Currants, watering black, 56, 128 ; planting, 248; pruning, 129,148; shoots,148; sphinx, 1 15 ; protecting, 240 ; culture, 174 ; the flow- ering, 70 ; aphis, to destroy, 82, 85 Cuttings, of flowers, 36; for emigrants, 51 ; to raise, 107; to strike, 166, 210; of soft wooded plants, 309 ; striking, 327 ; mnter- ing, 334 ; In phials, 248 Cyclamen, seed, to grow, 87 ; culture, 174 Cyrtochilum Citrinum, 259 Cytisus culture, 123 Daddy Lokg-legs, 6i Dahlia culture, 36, 108, 197, 209, 329, 259, 2/8; cuttings of, 36, 315, 347; seedlings, 98, 143 ; manure for, 92 ; list of, 109 ; pans, 169 ; characteristic of good, 143 ; destroyed by slugs, 147; not growing, 180; shading, 209 ; green-centred, 291 ; leaving in border, Dames' \'iolet, 167 Damson blighted, ISO Dandelion, to kill, 6l Death's-head moth, 305 Dees, John, 167 Delphinium, the genus, 265 Dew, cause of, 329 Dianthus genus, 296 Dibblers, 235 Dielytra spectabilis, 82 Digging, 171, 250; implenisiTt for, 123 Disbudding fruit-trees, 12, 127 Diseases of plants, 125 Dolphin, S8 Draba aizoides, l67; incana, 16? Draining clayey soil, 1 12 Drilling andsurface stirring, 342 Drip from glass, 29 1 Dutch bulbs, 334 Earth not culture, 316 Edgings of turf, 221 Efts, 260 Elder causing blight, I79 Elichrysum spectabile culture, 192 Emigration, 279 Erica Cavendishii, fine specimen, 303 Eriosoma lanigera, 273 ; lactucse, 307 Eriostemon intermedium, 41 Ermine moth, 73 Erodium defined, 222 ; moschatum, 260 Espalier training, 148 Evergreens, transplanting, 320 ; propagatlmg, 321; fence a good one, 328; from , seeds, 333; for balcony, 81 ; for walls, 109 ; cut- tings of, 253, 258; for chalk soil, 286 Everlasting flowers, 246 Fermentation caused bv fungi, 95 Fern, culture, 174 ; native, 314 Fernery, 264 Fig, culture, 3 j varieties of, 4 ; disbudding, 84 ; training, 85 ; pruning, 294 ; Brianzolo and Nerii, 315 Filbert suckers, 85 J from seed, ]6S; certerpil- lar on, 2^0 Fingers and toes, 126 Finochio culture, 72 Firs, new, 234 Flea locust, 83 Florence fennel, 51 Florists' flowers, garden for, 21 Flower-gardens, laying out, 5 Flowers, arrangement -of, 118; traiuing:^ 142; stand for, 103 ; th eir parts, 93, 13fl j to arrange and prese-fve, 193, 206 ; sowing, 210, 223, 236; sha/ies for, 186, 220; si;oring roots of, 265 J prot ecting, 247; their colours, 331 Forsythia viridiasiraa, 29, 112 Frame plants turn'mg yellow, 92 Frame for melons, 327; two-light, 128 Frog-hopper, 83 Froth-hopper, 24.9 Fruit, gathering and storing, 275, 308 ; v'tpen- ing phenomena, ig.t Fruiterers' Coniipany, arms of, liyi Fruit-Earden, plantin::'. :i(i : Fruit-tree, borders. -m .,. 1,. |. ■ luj packing for export , . 1 n u.n-th wall, 347; OVCr-lir.n : , , , Fuchsia, leaves curhn in - , (iMuri'lcsH, 20 ; sowing, ;io ; spcctabiiis^ :ju ; cutt'cng4 36, 236; 111 a hot-bed, Gi j flowcra lalOiug, 82; exoniensis, 114; leaves spotted, 123; seedlings, I68, 223, wintering, 347 ; flower buds dropping, 17O; seed, to save, 179; not flowering, 223 ; its history, 190 ; ful- gens, 191 ; seratifolia, 223 ; to bloom in September, 223 ; corymbiflora, its culture, 230, 271 ; standard and wall, 229 ; cordi- folia, 327 ; Ricartoni, Macrostemon, Cora- lina, large, 344 ; history of genus, 328 ; treatment of old, 347 ; grown too large, 348 Fumigation, 18, I62, 232 Furze, double blossomed, 271 Gardenek, Db. George, 74 Gardeners, longevity of, 22 Gardenia radicans, 147 Gardening, its moral influence, 151 Garden, reel, 8 ; periodicals, 31; plan, 108; in towns, 123 ; beetle, 171 ; overflowed, 222 Gas-lune, its uses, 151 ; compost, 271 Gentlana acaulis (gentianella), 107 Gentianella, culture, 30, 51 Geometra grossulariata, 113, 193 Geranium, bed of scarlet, 62 ; culture of scarlet, 78; leaves diseased, 113; soil for, 114 ; frame for, 62 ; boiling water to, 123 ; cuttings, 147, 222, 248, 315 ; hybridizing, 199 ; its history, 200, 222 ; defined, 222 ; pruning, 187 ; its kinds, 243 ; not flowering, 27S ; sowing, 248 ; digest of culture, 287 ; in winter, 259 ; scarlet, 272 ; liquid-manure for, 304 ; potting scarlet, 311 ; soil for scarlet, 3l6; Shrubland scarlet, 304; win- tering, 304, 347 Gerarde (John), 31 Germination, phenomena of, 11, 330 Gesnera, losing colour, 271 : zebrina, culture, 31G Gladioli, culture, 88; hybridizing, 156; plant- ing, 180; removing, 222; not flowering, 224 ; in moss, 31 5 ; soilfor, 32S ; sowing, 347 Gladiolus cardinalis, 51 : planting, 236 Glass, rough, 262 Glory pea, 17 Goat keeping, 10 Gold-fish, water for, 9 Gompholobium venustum, 41 : hh'sutum, 41 Gooseberry, Saw-fly, 31, grubs, 317 : blos- soms, 46: pruning, 47: culture, 50: the flowering, 70: borer, 113: aphis, 148, 174 : protecting, 240 : raising seedlings, 301 : sheddingtheir leaves, 328; removing bushes, 347 Gowan, 53 Grafting clay, removing, 148 Grapes, out-door, 235 : dropping, 248 ; shank- ing, 248 : in pots, 29I : not setting, 222 : list of 315 : ripening unequally, 347 Grasses for pasture, 10 Green-fly, to destroy, 20, 47, 77, 110 Greengage, fruitless, 138 Greenhouse climbers, 15, 36: adjoining par- lour, 19: for vines, 23: window, duty on. 61, 82: _ 91 : pi ifor. 99: cheap, 124 : arrange- mciic, luo: stages, 14?: heating, l62, 248, 303, 336 : united to hothouse, 336 Grey streak moth, 21 Guano as a manure, 2, 30 : wtificial, 3 : HABEOTnA Haltica ncmorum, 93 Hammatophora bucephala, 2G0, 317 Heartsease (see Pansy) cuttings, 121 : layers, 122 Heath culture, 26; culture of hardy, 57; list of, 57, 122, 247; mould, 71 ; in gardens, 1G8; txu-ning yellow, 147 Hedgehog, 73 Hedges, weeding, 152; planting, 3-18; dress- ing, 233, 277 ; fruit trees near, 348 ; shape Helianthemum polifoliuni, vulgarc, and guttatum, 167 Hemlock spruce, 30 Hemp, for fumigating, 18 Heraclcum giganteum, 3»7 Herbaceous flowers, list of hardy, 301 Herbert's passion-flower, 37 Herbs, gathering, 178 Hesperis matronalis, 167 Hibiscus syriacus, 6I Hives, painted, 61 Hoare, Clement, 306 Hoeing, 158; its use, 101; and importance, Hollyhock seedlings, 259 ; hybridizing, 271 j their history, 285 ; staking, 197 ; propa- gating and training, 296 ; sowing, 315, 316 Honey, how exhibited, 328 Honey-dew, to remove, 147; its nature, 181 Honeysuckles, green fly on, 138 Horse-dung for flowers, 235 Horseradish, to kill, 235 Horticultural Society's shows, 133, 201, 205, 234, 246, and Supplement. Horticultural shows for cottagers, 115, 148, 151; \nllage, their benefit, 319; societies, 225; warning to, 139 Hot-bed, of tan, 168; making, 244 Hothouse, heating, 336; and greenhouse united, 336 House sewage, 20, 123 Housing plants, 310 Hoya carnosa. 62 Humming-bird moth, 1 Hyacinths, 18; culture, 332, 334; feathered, 62 ; after blooming in water, 72 ; in boxes, 220 ; forced. 26O ; in pots, 333, 345 Hybridizing, 90, 100, 143, 155, I99, 204, 211 Hydrangeas without leaves, 137; cuttings, 242 ; changing colour, 243 ; to make blue, 327 Hylesinus piniperda, 329 Hylurgus piniperda, 329 Hypericum Nepalense and Chinese, 327 Ice plant culture, 191 ; sowing, 291 Inarching, 347 Indian pink culture, 304 Innoculating with grass, 114 Ips piniperda, 320 Iris, 236; chalcedonian, 192 ; hybridizing, 211 ; xjphioides, 223 Italian ray grass, 215 Ivy pruning, 8, 14 ; to grow quickly, 123 Isias, wintering, 347 Jargonelle pear wearing out, 143 ; spots on leaves, 71 Jasmine growing weak, 303 Jasminum grandiflora, 17 Jerusalem artickokes, 121, 271, 33g Julus complanatus, 52; pulchellus, 139, 191 Kennedya eximia, 41 Kennel manure, 19 Kerr, H. B., Swiss Cottage, 240 Kidney bean culture, 28, 40, 60 ; runners, 102; pruning, 146, 159 Kirby, Rev. W., 212 Kleinia articulata, 179 Labels, zinc, 9; china, 10 Ladder, orchard, 275 Lamb Abbey Pearmain, 61 Lapageria rosea, 234 Larch, 46 Larltspur culture, 265 ; list of, 265 Lashmar's seedling grape, 110 Lathyrus californicus, 71 Laurustinus, ■gathered, 137 Lavender planting, 217 Lawn, treatment of, 197 ; mossy, to cure, 235- Leather jackets, 61 Leaves, colour and size of, 53 ; their uses, 63; blistered, 204 ; cause of falling, 293, 305 , autumn tints, 293 Leeks, 40 ; transplanting, 271 ; culture, 328 Lema asparagi, 125 Lemons, soilfor, 113; culture of, 179 Lepisma saccharina, 191 Lettuce culture, 28, 40, 103, 159; sowing,215; to stand the winter, 272, 284 ; aphis, 307 ; planting, 339 Leycesteria formosa, 248 173 Lilium lancifolium, 175; compost for, 180; list of, 347 ; longifolium culture, 235 Lily, stems of, 92 ; Japan, 260 ; culture, 175, 180, 310 ; list of hardy, 309 Lily of the Valley, done flowering, 123; cul- Liquid manure for trees, 10,20,51; for plants, 19, 20, 113, 138. 192, 'J36; to ascertain strength of, 78, 101 ; value of, 169, 274 ; of soot, 220 ; straininiT, 2yi ; \\ here to appli", 293; diluting, 315, 3^6; mistake about, 322 ; making, 328 ; for fruit-trees, 348 Liquorice culture, 14S Loam, defined, 84 Loamy compost, 113 Lobelia densiflora, 41 Lophosperraum, 30 Loves of the plants, 91 Lozottenia hevigana, U3 Lucerne cidture, 113; sowing, 147; cutting, Lychnis fulgens culture, 223 iblooramg, 235, 327: Maceoglossa stj ]\Iadarae Laffay ros Magpie moth,"l93 Magnolia grandifloi Blamesti'a brassicse, 83 Mandevilla suaveolens, 36, 82, 271 Mangold-wurtzel, taking up, 339: leaves^ 236: culture, 39, 52, 103: manuring, 113 Mannington's pearmain, 19 Marigolds, their history, 285 Blarl defined, 84 Marvel of Peru seedlings,, I69 Masses, plants in, 35 Maurandia barclayana, 30 BTeadow, ornamented, 13 Mclia azederach, 223 Melilecea euphrosyne, 293 MeUlotus leucantha, 71 Melolontha horticola, 171 Melons, their produce, 235 : not setting, 248 : diseased, 248: Bromham hall, 271 ; Flem- ming's hybrid, 271 : culture, 17, 28, 61, 89, 101, 19O: in pita, 51 : Queen Anne's, 30: temperature of bed, 124 : forcing, 200 Mermis, 147 Mesembryanthemums not blooming, 108 : culture^ 272 Mice, to protect peas from, 315 Midsummer shoots on fruit trees, 95 Migjnonette, pruning tree, 3", 191,32/: its history, 269 : sowing, 210 Mildew on vines, 33, 137 = in Wardian cases, 169: its causes, 149: on apple trees, 148^ 204 : on peaches, 148 Mistletoe culture, 22, 106 Moles, banishing, l65 : their use, 71 Moon's influence, 11, l65 Moss as a covering, 235: on fruit trees, l63 : round plants, 71 Mountain ash, 286 Blulberries falling, 291 Mulching trees, 128, 235: kitchen vegetables, 157, 178 Mullein moth, 181 Muriatic acid, 19 Mushroom beds, watering, 314: making, 17, 30, 51, 200, 235, 325: spawn, 62, 248 My Flowers, 7, 17, 28, 44, 70, 80, 89, 121, 146, 160, 178, 190, 200, 217, 233, 245, 258, 269,285,301, 314, 326, 342 Myrtle, dividing root, 260 : moving from border, 291: cuttings, 266: sowing, 267: layering, 71 Narcissi, forced, 260, 311 : potting, 346 Nasturtiums for pickles, 40 Nectarine disbudding, 13 : stopping, 55, 140, Nematus trimaculatus, 31 Nemophila, 92: atomaria, igi " ' ■ "s, 291 Nerium oleander, Nettles, to kill, 92 : ,327 Nightingale heard, 83 Night soil, 191 : to use, 260 Noctua brassicse, 83 : verbasci, 181 : nuba, 317 Normandy cress, 272 Northern aspect, plants for, 138 Notanecta, 204 Nutt's bee management, 42 Nut weevil, 26 1 Oak-gall, woolly, 123 Otdium tuckerii, 63 ; eryaiphoides, 91 : leu- Oleander buds withering, 236 , culture, 72 : pruning, 169 : potting, 291 : straggling, 291 ; cuttings, 266: scale, 10: mismanaged, 29 Onions, transplanting, 124: fly, 149: cul- ture, 40: sowing, 215; ripening, 215: storing, 282, 300 : potato, 304 ; failure, 113 : mnter standing, 258: bending down stems, 282 : transplanted, 290 : tree planting, 29O : grub, to prevent, 103 Orange trees casting their leaves, 204 : house, climbers for, 204 : myrtle-leaved, 72 : scale, 92: soil for, 113 Orchadist's crook, 275 Orgyia antiqua, 3l6 Oyster plant, 180 Pansy (see Heartsease) culture, 25, 229 : list of, 133 ; lajrers and cuttings, 143, 242 : its history, 326 Papilio Euphrosyne, 293 Parsley culture, 200, 269 Parsnip culture, 103, 48 : for pigs, 49 : takinir up, 339 Partridge, anecdote of, 273 Passion-flower, 37 i culture, 133 i cuttings, 291 Pasture, to improve, 10 Paul's Ilosevy, 227 Piedisca Angustiorana, 56 Peach, disbudding, 13: trees, dressing for, 30 : without blossom, 30 : training horizon- tally, 124 : mildew, 150: stopping, 55, 140, 223, 227, 316: the Catherine, 26O: late, Pearl-bordered Fritillary moth. 293 Pear-trees, unfruitful, 20 : for Westmoreland, 50 : culture, 30, 174 : list of, 29 : Blister moth, 53 : shoots, training, 62 : blossoms, thinning, 62 : unfruitful, 81 : falling off, 179: why barren, 183: fruitless, 223 : stopping, 239 : late dessert, 309 Peas, on heavy soil, 71 : culture, 102 : boiled in their pods, 82; sticks, 110: supporters, 46 ; early crops, 49 : skinless, l64, l65, 168 : to grow fine, 179: to guard from mice, 289, 315: early long-podded dwarf, 307 : list of dwarf, 19: cause of failure, 10: height of, 50 Peat, 71 : paths, 110 Pelargoniums, list of, 133, l64, 234 ; hybridi- zing, 148, 156: petals falling, 148: exhibi- tion, 165; leaves withered, 169; cutting back and cuttings, 170 : defined, 222 : Unique, 277: autumn-blooming, list of, 341 : win- tering seedlings, 347 Pemphigus lactucse, 30/ Penstamons in mnter, 291 Penton cabbage sowing, igi Perennials, hearbaceous, propagating, 129: sowing, 303 Periodicals of gardening, 31 Periwinkle, 46 : stove kinds, 213 Petals, their uses, 125 Petunia cuttings, 36 : training, 142 : sowing, 192, 210, hybridizing, 212 Phaliena Evonymella, 73 Phalena pronuba, 317 Phlox, leaves diseased, I69 : list of, 304 Phyllopertha horticola, 171 Physahs edulis, 71 Physiology, its importance, 318 Picotee (see Carnation) culture, 25 : in bor- ders, 204 : list of, 235 : potting, 321 Pigeon's dung, 91 Pig keeping, 341 Pine apple crowns, 260, 271 Pines with vines, 304 Pink, piping, 98 : culture, 25, 229, 278 : buds bursting, 143, 155 : prejudice concerning, 148 ; list of, 235 : species, 296 Pinus benthamiana, radiata, muricata, and tuberculata, 234 Pistil, anatomy of, 171, defined, 3l6 Pit, heating air of, 72 : heating small, 259 Plan of garden. 108, 112 Planter's puzzle, 47 Planting, time for, 19 : rule for, 51 Plants, indicating weather, 93 : near glass, 248 Plum disbudding, 65 : with broken leader, 71 ; pruning 113, 251 ; shedding its fruit, 138; trees, unfruitful, 168; culture, 174 Plumbago LarpentEe, 81, 105; culture, 186, 220, 223, 303 Podura fuliginosa, 148 Pceony, propagation, 148 Poles, the seat of R. Hanbury, 252 Pollards, plants in hollow, 62 Pollen, relative contrivances, 181 : quantity required, 215 Polmaise heating, 108 Polyanthus culture, 15, 26: insects on, 51 : narcissus, 61 : seedlings, 113: repotting, 130: seed gathering, 185 : watering, 197: sowing, 248 : not a species, 3l6 Pomegranate, not flowering, 29 1 Popular errors, 321 Portulaca splendens, 222 Pot pourri, to make, 290 Potatoes, sprouted, 10: thinning stems, 17, 80: storing, 52, 315, 316, 338, 347: insect on, 52 : planting, 51, 52 : stems frosted, 92 : Farmer's Glory, 109 , keeping, ] 13 : Epsom salt for, 123 : murrain, 124 : autumn plant- ing, l65: stemless, 124: storing, 138: cul- ture, l63: earthing up, 148 ; destroyed by frost, 167: disease, 179, 191,283, 338: sets, 180: earthing-up, 180: taking up, 214: hollow, 222 : for seed, 248, 259 : haum turned black, 292 : ill flavoured, 259 : sprout- ing, 271, 304 : ash-leaved kidney, 291 : winter planting, 345 : Rylott's flower-ball, 345 : two crops a year, 346 Pots becoming green, 291 Potting, soil for, 168 : double, 248 Poultry, produce, 30 : yard, 92 : gapes in, 1 12 : chip in, 204 : laying, 269 : feeding, 289 : estimate of sorts, 345 Pricking out seedlings, 134 Prirftly pear, 72 Principles of gardening, 317, 3t0 Prize plants, list of, 109 Prizes, classification of, 226 Psilura monacha, 237 Pumpkin seed, 347 Puss moth caterpillars, 317 Pyralis Pomona, 63 Pyrus japonica, 14 : apples, preserving, 288 i pruning, 291 : fruit, 220 Pytchley Horticultural Society, II6 QUARENDEN ApPLE, 112 Quicken grass, to destroy, 138, l66 Ranunculus Culture, 78, 130; destroyed by slugs, 147; soil, 191 Raspberry culture, 47; pruning, 251, 173 5 thinning suckers, 56, 92, 96, 129; insect, 82; blossomless, 147; moved in spring, 222 ; branching, 304 ; training, 304 : double bearing, 308 : espalier, 347 Rats, to destroy, 72 Red Bar moth, 56 Red spider, to kill, 67, 75 : on celery, 260 Redstart singing, 83 Reel, garden, 8 Rhododendron culture, 175: pruning, 191 Rhubarb gathering, 92: culture, 19, 48, 145, 192, 204: preserving, 124: cutting, 148: manuring, 303: pruning, 304: removing, 328 Rhus coriaria, 271 Rhynchenus nucum, 26] Ribbon grass culture, 204 Ripeness, symptoms of, 276 Ripening of wood, 320 Roberts' flower supporters, 142 Rochea falcata culture, 248, 265 Rockery, 174, 304 : plants for shaded, 223 Rocket, tinea, 21 : yellow, 167 Rock plants, 113: culture, 174 Rock rose, spotted, common, and polium- leaved, 167 Roofs, to find angle of, 304 Rooks, building, 1 Roots, excrements from, 323 : pruning, 65, 319, 331 ; storing, maxims for, 340 ; im- portance of surface, 183; sending abroad, 278 RosaBanksia, pruning, 14 Rose budding, 8, 176, 192; manure for, 10; for bedding, 25 ; in November, 50 ; list of China, 25 : Austrian, for bedding, 57: per- petual, for bedding, 56 : culture of moss, 66 ; cuttings, 67, 211 : climbing, 76: pillar, 76, 85, 96 : in pots, 93, 1 14 : pot cultivation of, 119, 130 : hybridizing, 132, 143, 145: suck- ers, 138: green centred, 143, 147, 192: weeping, 154: buds falling, I69 ; its his- tory, 160: caterpillars on, 169, 179, 222: list for a terrace side, I69 : layering, 176 : pruning, 223: in pots, 176: stocks for, 176: list of, 209: climbers in pots, 177: aphides on, 180: culture, 180: (Bank- sian) not flowering, 192, 223, 204 : buds turning yellow, 204 : nursery (Paul's), 208: soil for, 211: on light soil, 224: double yellow, 223 : for bedding, 228 : waU, 228 : weeping, 228 : new and old, 228 : shading seedlings, 228 ; done flowering, 248 : stocks for, 272: abortive, 291 : list of perpetual, 271 : charred turf for, 292: dark climbing, 27 1 : Persian yellow, 272 : pruning climb- ing, 303 : cuttings and budding, 303, 328, 347: moving, 316: stocks for, 327; rais- ing hybrid perpetual, 327 : over luxuriant, caterpillar, 86 , its 11 ,327 Runcia cratsegata, 1 1 Rustic baskets, 118; plants for, 119 Salt, as a cure for mildew, 54 Salvia cultivation, 342 Salvia patens shedding buds, 247 ; in winter, """ flowering, 223 20 Saxifrages, 122; (pyramidal) propagating, 223 Scale, to remove, 51 Scaring birds, 23 Scarlet runner culture, 102 Scatophaga ceparum, 149 Schizanthus retusus culture, 323 Science of gardening, 318 Scissors for pruning, 113 Scotch Pine-bark bcetlC; 320 Scurvy grass, I67 Seacomb Garden Society, 237 Sea kale, pots, substitute for, 107; culture, 145; bed making, 290 Sea overflowing garden, 223 viu Sei-pink edgings, 328 SeecUiuBs in loose mould, to move, 92 Seeds, structure of, 21 : fertilizing of, 206 : dispersion of, 23?, 249, 261; sending abroad, 2/8: saving, 288, 316: .owing, 330 Selandria oethiops, 222 Semi-transparent calico, 123 Sepals, definition of, 191 Shades for carnations, &c., 186, 220; for plants, 289 Shading, with pots, 124 Shallots, planting, 292 Shamrock, 51 Shelte'rs, 6 : for plants, 6l : for flowen, 166 : straw mat, 309 : winter, 327 Shifting, reasons for, 311 Shirehampton cottagers' show, 290 Shrubbery pruning, 242 Silkworms, dying, 170 ; eggs, 113 Sisyrinchium bermudianimi, 292, 328 Sloping banks, 281 Slugs, to destroy, 30, 102, 137, 138, 142, 220, 269, 290 ; trapping, 313, 346 Snake millepedes, 52, 139 Snapdragon, 217 Snowdrops, 148 Soapsuds for watering, 29 Soil, croi s for wet, 303 ; undrainable, 316 ; poor gravelly to improve, 272 Solanum Jasminoides, 16 Soot, as a liquid manure, 148 Soot as a manure, 220 ; and salt, 290 Sour-krout, to make, 259, 3l6 Sowing flower seeds, 45 Spade, Irish, 9 Spade, its construction, 250 Sphins atropos, 305 Sphinx tipuliformis, 115 Spilosoma lubricipeda, 205 Sjjinach, 40 ; blighted, 291 ; (Flanders) low- onable, 206 Stamford-hill Society, 225 Standard authority, 291 Statice maritima, 328 Stock sowing, 29 ; cuttings, 67 ; and seeds, 148, 169; removing, 223 ; culture, 72 ; (in- termediate) culture, 346 Stopping, 55; meaning of, 1"0; fruit trees, 227 Storing, modes of, ""^ Stove for greenhoi ^ __., ^ , least ten- der, 280 Strawberry culture, 56, 96, 128, 137; tree, 89; badly forced, 128; tiles for, 164; unfruit- ful, 148; worms in, 168; runners, prepar- ing, 174, 214; alpine, 174; worms, 191 ; not setting, 204 ; list of late, 236, 271 ; Black Prince, 292 ; planting, 239 ; forcing, 259, 267; bed making, 271 ; list of, 240, 271 ; dressing beds, 292; British Queen, 260 ; Greer Alpine, 271 ; on border, 304; culture, 343 Studs for training, 221, 271 Suckers, removing, 300 Sugar louse, 191 Sulphate of amm' Sumach, 271 Sunflo' , 301 Surface-Stirring, fork for, 342 Surface grubs, 61 Sutherlandia frutescens, 272 Swallow, arrival of, 21, 60, 73, 83 Sweetbrier suckers, 3l6 Sweet peas, training, 142 Swift, 225 Ta>i i(St naking, 170 Tank for manure, 64 Tendrils, 29 Tenthredo grossularia, 31, 317 : tethiopa, 222 Tcttigonia spumaria, 249 Thinning kitchen vegetables, 158 Thrips on cucumbers, 260 Thunbergia culture, 299 : list of species, 300 Tinea, clerckella, 53 : pomonella, 63 : rosana, 86 : porrectella, 21 TipulK, 61 Tobacco ashes, 92 : drying, 272 : culture, 316 : Tomato culture, 145 Torenia asiatica, 280 Torlrii angustiorana, 56 ; pomonana, 63 Town gardens, 20 : flowers for, 92 Tradescantia discolor. 180 Trailer for a shaded window, 348 Training, summer, 96 : fruit trees, 12? : hori- zontal, 148 : young trees, 151 : systems of, 347 Transplanting, ruling principle of, 315 Tree carnation, 147: potato, 16 Trees, plants under, 19, 218: staking, 24: watering, 24 Trenching, 340 Triphaena pronuba, 317 Triticum repens, 167, 138 Trochilium tipuliforme, 1 1 5 Tropoeolum canariense, 30, 38 : tricolorum, 50, 147, 323 ; lobbianum, 60 ; pentaphyllum, 291: aphis on, 191 Tuberoses, planting, 10: in borders, 48: in water, 51 : not flowering, 316 Tulips culture, 119: list of, 133: taking up, 142 : bed, making, 297, 310 : forcing, 312 Turf-laying, 45, 114, 277: on chalky soil, 315 Turnip, Swedish, 39, 41, 71, 103, 258 : sowing, 88, 102, 215: flea beetle, 93, 102, 189: running to seed, 138 , hoeing, 325 : storing, 82, 339 Tweedia Cffirulea, 272 ,62 Urine as a fertilizer, 220 ; to deodorize, 315 Vapopeer Moth, caterpillar of, 316 Vases, rustic, 97 Vegetable marrow culture, 92 ; training, 169 Venus's fly trap, 20 Verbena cuttings, 36, 242, 327 ; mildewed, 51 ; to winter, 108, 347 ; not flowering, 124 ; training, 142 Veronica, diseased, 304 Vinca, stove kinds, 213 Vine, on pillars, 19 ; pruning, 29 ; mildew, 33, 53, 137 ; in greenhouse, 33 ; blooming, 75 ; moi-ing, 112 ; swelling of the berry, 75 syringing, 76 ; fumigating, 76 ; in pots moving, 91 ; bleeding, 92 ; disbudding, 65 on walls, 117: disbudding, thinning, stopping, 117, 124; leaves dying, thinning, 153; in pots, 148; under glass, 152; grapes forming and swelling, 152 temperature, 163; cure for bleeding, l62, 166 ; in Demerara, 192; out of doors, prun- ing, 195 ; thinning the berry, 196; root cul ture, 196: in hothouse, 256 : leaf blotched, 260, 272 : leaves thinning, 272 : in lat house, 324 ; in pots, 324 : out of doors, 30 Vinegar making, 40 Vinegar jjlant, 61, 74, 166, 328: its nature 94: recipe for, 166 Vinerv, 263 : creeper for, 271 : heating, 52 angle of roof, 257 Violets, 8 : for winter, 98 : list of, 331 Virginnian creeper, 71 Walks, cleaning, 277 owercut*- — '^ Jued. 247 Walkei Walnut-leaf mould, 20 Wall-tree, training with studs, 221 Warner's (C.) gardens, 240 Warrington gooseberry, 240 Wasps, 252 ; to destroy, 327 ; queen, stroy, 137 ; nests, to destroy, 2l6 Water-cress culture, 2/2, 313 Watering, 6, 158, 178 ; leaves of tret pot (overhead), 7! ; pot (Thompson' Water, to make soft, 62 ; gl 112; to improve hard, 148 Weather indications, 93 Weeding, its importance, 214 Weeds, destroying, 72 Weedy soU, to cure, 124 Weekly calendar, 1, 11, 21, 31, 53, 63, 73, 83, 93, 115, 125, 139, 149, 171, 181, 193, 206, 225, 237, 249, 261, 273, 293, 305, 317, 329 Weeping trees, 153 Weigela rosea, 50 Wet-day gardening, 289 White flowers for bedding, 123 Whitlow grass, 167 ; twisted podded, 167 Window, boxes, 30 ; duty on greenhouse, 61, 82 Winter greens, 159 ; aconite, propagation, 169 ; violet, propagation, 169 Wintering verbenas, &c., 291 Wireworms, to kill, 62, 73, 303, 327; to ban- ish, 224 ; destroyer of worms, 93 Wistaria sinensis, "pruning, 14 Wood, its ripening, 95 Wood Leopard moth, 225 Wood-lice, to destroy, 124 Worms, to destroy, 82 ; thread-like, 14? Yeast, its nature, 95 Yellow-under-wing moth, 317 Yew-trees moving, 236 Yponomeuta padella, 73 Ypsolophus vittatus, 21 Yucca gloriosa, not flowering, 316 Zadcbsnebia Californica, 187; culture, 304, 315; cuttings, 82; broken, 291 , flowers for. WOODCUTS. Humming-bird moth . Flower shelter Brimstone moth Bean germinating Rocket Tinea moth Gooseberry Saw fly Cacti in wmdow Pear-tree Blister moth . Peach training Codling moth Small Ermine moth Cabbage moth Turnip flea , Vinegar plant Fungi of fermentation . Plan of garden Pea supporters Currant Sphin\ Digging implement Asparagus beetle Snake Millipede Onion fly Hive ventilator Strawberry tile Shelter for flowen Garden beetle Pistil and seed vessel . Mullein moth Root training Thompson's watering-]io Magpie moth Table for flowers Spotted Buflf moth Knife for comb-cutting Shade for flowers 122 Wood Leopai'd moth 125 Black-arch moth 13y Froth insect . I3y Angle of vinery roof 149 I Nut Weevil . 161 I American Blight 164 ; Ladder for fruit-i 166 Orchardist's crook 171 Shade for plants 171 Fruiterer's coat of arms 181 1 Pearl-bordered Fritillary moth 163 I Quadrant for angle-taking lyi . Peath's-head moth 193 1 Great Yellow Under-wing motli 194 I Scotch-pine-bark beetle 205 Plan of hot ■ 217 I Surface scarifier -Horticultural Society's Conservatory . Collection of Azaleas Orchids Mrs. Lawrence's Collection . . THE COTTAGE GARDENER. WEEKLY CALENDAR. M w APRIL 5—11, 1849. Plants dedicated to Sun Sun Moon B. Moon'si Clock j Day of u u each day. bets. Age. T) Th Mauudy Th. Fieldfare last seen. Yellow Crown Imperial. 28 a 4 m aO 4 45 12 2 44 95 0 ]<• Good Ekid.\y. Turnip Fly appeai-s. Clustcved-Grape Hyacinth. 20 39 5 9 13 2 20 90 7 S Blackbird lays. Wood Anemone. 24 41 rises CS, 2 9i 97 8 StlN Easter Sun. Ringed Suake seen. Ground Ivy. 22 42 7a43 15 1 52 98 !) M E.\ster Mon. Rook hatches. Red Polyanthus. 19 44 8 47 10 1 35 99 10 Tu E ASTE E T . House-Sp arrow builds. Rouen Violet 17 40 9 49 ir 1 18 100 u W Small White Butterfly appear.?. Dandelion. 1!} 47 10 48 18 1 2 101 Maundy Thursday.— The name of this day is of doubtful deri- vation, but it is most probably from the old French maundiant, a beggar, for it was the Thursday of all Thursdays for him. Through- out Christian Europe it has ever been a custom on this day for even Kings, either personally or by their deputies, to distribute alms, or maundies, to the poor, and even to wash their feet, in commemora- tion of that humiliation of our Saviour, in which, on the day before his final suffering, he washed the feet of his apostles. Good Friday seems scarcely a designation so appropriate for the anniversary of the sacrifice for the sins of the world as its more ancient title of " Holy Friday." Eogiishmen have such a propensity to celebrate great events by some kind of eating, that they have even this fasi. These buns are a remnant of the ' Hot Cross l'Z--'i n, not only as ^ms to the poor, but to those who by s ness were kept away from the Communion Table. In the north of England a more appropriate food is prepared, in the form of a pudding of bitter herbs, among which the Passion Dock is also mingled. Easter, let us hope, is derived from the Saxon word Oster, to rise, rather than from Eostre, one of their heathen goddesses, in whose honour certain ceremonies were performed at this season by the Saxon priests. Of the many customs and sayings connected with this greatest of Christian festivals, we can, at present, find space for ' ' ' ' —" If the sun shine on . — When we commenced this de- iDENER, we entertained the hope issarily are, they would lead some to compare our notes with the occurrences of the week, who had never thus " asked questions of nature " before, and that, perhaps, either these, or some others who had previously made notes, would favour us with the results of their observations. In this we have not been disappointed, and by all such communications we shall be bene- fitted and obliged. A clergyman, near Downham, in Norfolk, says : — " On last Monday evening (March 12th), at about 6 o'clock, I saw a I turned c Anothei Bhire, writing to us on the 10th of March, says: respecting those sagacious birds, rooks, may prove not uninteresting to the readers of The Cottage Gardener. There is an ancient colony of them at the Manor House in this parish ; and it has long been observed that, except when prevented by a severe frost or ex- tremely stormy weather, they invariably commence building their nests on a fixed day. The 13th of February is regarded as the day on which they pair, and exactly three weeks from that day they begin to build ; in leap-years, this falls on March 5th, in other years of course on the 6th. I believe that in many rookeries in this part of the kingdom building commences a little earlier than it does in the one of which I am speaking ; probably in some it begins precisely on " " ' ' " SRasth I personal knowledge respecting the rooks here. *' In this rookery, too, as in several others, certain trees are tabooed; and though each successive year some one or two pairs, imbued ivith revolutionary sentiments (not red, but black republicans), attempt to set up their habitations in them, they were never sufi'ered to com- plete them, although they kept rebuilding -with a perseverance worthy of a better cause. It fared with them as it did wth certain mi- feathered bipeds on the day of Kennington Common ; the mass was against them, and the sticks accumulated by the labour of many days were confiscated to the community at large. However, withm the last two or three years, agitation and clamour, as elsewhere, have carried their point ; the interdict has been withdrawn, and youthful rooks have been hatched and reared in the trees which their fore- fathers were taught to regard with supreme awe. Thus are old in- stitutions falling into contempt, and time-honoured usages presump- tuously broken through; and if Louis Philippe^and Pius IX. are readers of The Cottage Gakdeneb, they may take comfort from the fact that other thrones, dominations, and powers, besides their stooped before the mighty spirit ot reform that distin- guishes the age we live i April 1841. 1342. 1S43. 1844. 1845. 1846. 1847. 1S4S. 5 Fine. Fine. Showery. Fine. Fine. Eain. Fine. Fine. Highest & lowest temp. 85" -35° S0=-23= 56°-38° S8°-34° S8°-32° 65°-40° 66°-39° 6l°-40° Fine. Pine Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Bain. Showery. Fine. 54°-37'' 55°-5I° 62°-32° 60°-22° 55°-44° 53°-31° Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Showery. Cloudy. Cloudy. 5S=-35» 60°-26° 47°-36° Showery. Fine. Fine. Fine. Showery. Fine. Showery. Showery. 53°— 34° 58°— 27" 69°— 39° 68°— 27° 56°— 31° 58°— 38° Cloudy. Fine. Cloudy Fine. Showery. Fine. Cloudy. Rain. 550 -37° 57°— 34° 47°— 32° 73° -29° 47°-35° 57°-29° 55°- 34° 53°- 34° 10 Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Showery. Fine. Fine. 49<'-31° 46°-29° 50°-26° 65°-28° 60°- 39° 58°— 30° 53°— 30° 11 Showery, Showery. Frosty. Fine. Showery. Showery. Bain. Showery. 49°-34° 49°-22° 49°-30° 59°-42° I.VSECTS.- One of the most beautiful of our English insects, the Humming-Bird Moth {Macroglossa sfellatarum), is to be found in our gardens during the latter part of this month, and again in June and September, for there are three broods of them annually. It feeds upon the honey in the tubes of flowers, which it collects whilst hovering over them, "inimitably poising itself while on rapidly ribrating wings," and thrusting into their tubes its long flexible tongue. " It is delightful to contemplate the dexterity of this charm- ing insect whilst it sails, all gaiety and grace, round the tall sprig of a larkspur or other flower, probing to the very bottom every tube, neglecting none, and trjing no one twice." It is not uncommon, and its times of feeding are on sunny days between the hours of 10 and 12 in the morning, and those of 3 and 4 in the afternoon. It measures nearly 2 inches across its expanded fore-mngs ; they are dusky brown, with several bands, waved, and of different degrees of blackness ; there is also a blackish dot near their centre ; the hind wings are bright orange, with a darker and redder line round the outer edge ; the body is light bro^vn, with black marks on the back ; the abdomen, or belly, is hairy, with a tuft at the end, which it can open or shut at pleasure. The caterpillar, of a dark green colour, with a dusky line down the back, with a white and yellow stripe along each side, and yellow legs, is found in March, June, and August. It feeds chiefly on different kinds of Galium (Lady's Bed Straw), and Rubia {Dyer's Vfeii).—Hum2>hr!i and. Westwood's British Moths, THE COTTAGE GARDENER. So many questions concerning Guano have reached ns that we think it best to embody om' answers in one general reply, from some jiart of which each of om- con-espoudents jiiay derive the information he respectively seeks. Although guano is a fertilizer new to the English cultivator, it is very far fi-om being only recently employed to eniioh the ground. In Peni it was employed to manure the soU when that portion of South America was first discovered; and its veiy name is evidence of the high estimation in which it was then held by even the ancient Penivians, for guano, in their language, means the dung, or the ma- nui-e, as if it was the especial or chief of all feiti- lizers. This, however, is not left to mere inference, for GarcUaso de la Vega, writing in 1009, says, " In the time of the Incas (early sovereigns of Peni), there was so much vigilance in guai-ding the sea-fowl, that during the rearing season no person was allowed to visit the islands which they ft-equented, under pain of death, in order that the buds might not be friglit- ened and driven away fi'om tlieu nests. Each district had a portion of these islands allotted to it." There are many places where guano, or the dung of sea- fowls, may be collected, as at Ichaboe and other islands on the coast of Africa : but none are equal to that from Pern, for the obvious reason that here less rain falls than in any other jilace where guano is foimd. The dimg, therefore, is at once dried in layers by the heat of the sun, and each layer is so eifectual in keeping the ammonia from esca])ing from the layers beneath it, that when they are dug into they actually emit fumes so pungent as to pain the eyes of the workmen almost insupportably. The large amount of rain falling in om- latitudes is the chief reason why there is no accumulation of guano on the islands about our northern coasts, which are so abundantly frequented by sea-fowl. Chemical analysis shews the cause of guano being so powerful a fertilizer. It aboimds more than does any other with ammonia, the most active ingredient of all manm-es ; and, besides this, it is veiy rich in phosphate of hme, a constituent of all plants; as well as in common salt and other ingi-edients, all useftil as assistants to the growth of plants. The esthnatiou in which guano is held as a fertUizer may be gathered from the most cogent fact, that the number of tons imported gi'aduaUy increased, from 17.33 tons in 181] , to 21i),70-J: tons in 1845. In I8.i6, 89,220 tons were imported, but the decrease arose from the difficulty of obtaining a supply rather than from any decrease in the demand. Yet considerable discredit has been thrown upon this manm-e, as well as upon some who have sold it, by its extraordinary adulteration, amounting in several instances to 97 per cent. We, therefore, advise our readers to employ none but the best Peruvian guano, and to buy it either direct of the Londou Manure Company or from one of their agents. Tliere are other dealers of equal respecta- bility, but we know tliat this Company may be de- pended upon for supplying it genuine. ^Ye now come to consider the different garden crops to which guano has been appUed successfully, and the experiments published ; but we must advise our readers that we beheve there is no crop in their flower, kitchen, or fnut-garden, to which it may not be beneficially apphed, if proper cai-e is taken not to give it either in excess or at a time when the plant is not gi'owing healthfully. Wlien guano has been found not of advantage, it has been either because these cu-ciunstances have not been attended to or because the manm-e was adulterated. The want of common sense in ti-ying experiments with manures would exceed our behef if we had not had many years of intercom-se with those "whoso talk is of bullocks." For instance, we know one party who tried the efficacy of common salt as a manm-e for potatoes by using cut sets, putting them into the gi-ound with a dibble, and filling the holes with the salt! Not one of the pickled sets, of com-se, vegetated. Another worthy gentleman mixed his carrot seed with guano before sowing, and then put it in drills, adding a little guano over the seed. Scarcely a plant came up, for the ammonia of the manure desti-oyed the little tender roots as soon as they burst from the seed. We mention these occm-- rences as a liint to om- readers that discretion and judgment are requisite in experiments with manures, and especially with one so powerful as guano. A vei-y wholesome wai-ning is offered iqion this point by the expeiiments of Mr. Maund. the editor of that excellent periodical " The Botanic Garden." " When appUed to strawberries once a week in a hquid state (four ounces to a gallon), guano made tliem very vigorous and productive ; but sprinkled upon some young seedlings of the same fi-uit it kUled them. Two oimces per yard (five cwt. per acre), were sprinkled over onions, and they doubled the untreated in size. Potatoes maniu-ed with one ounce and a half per yard, were rendered much more hrxiuiant than others having no guano. Brussels sprouts were half destroyed by being planted in immediate contact with nine par-ts earth and one part guano. Gerti- nivms were gi-eatly injm-ed by liquid manure of guano (fom- oimces per gallon) ; but 'plants of various sorts in pots, watered only witli guano-water, half an ounce to a gaUou, have flom-ished astonishingly ; none liave failed. These ar-e lessons which cannot be mistaken.' — fAuctarium, 2'2S.J Mr. Rendle and other persons record, as the result of dearly-pm-chased experience, that where guano has foiled to be beneficial, or has been injm-ious, it has been applied in quantities too powerful for the jjlants to bear. In a liquid state. half an ounce per gallon, and given to growing plants once a week, it never fails to be productive of vigour. Applied to the pino-appk it has been found higlUy beneficial ; and mixed with poor loam or mere sand, it made, in the London Horticultiu-al Society's gar- den, the salvias and vei-henas gi-ow luxuriantly; but it was too stimulating, and proved deleterioils, when applied to them in conjunction with a fertUo soil. These facts have been eoiToboratod by experiments THE COTTAGE GARDENER. ill America and elsewhere. In a pamplilet on " Guano," edited by Messrs. Gibbs, there are many experiments demonsti-ating its biglily beneficial efl'ect when applied to turnips, apple-trees, and raspberries. It is evidently a highly stimulatmg maniu-e, for the fruit-trees blossomed tw'we ; and the other crops were several days forwarder in making their appearance. Tills arises fi'om its abounding in salts of ammonia." Some persons have used it with great success as a mamu-e for the pime-apple, mehn, cucumber, and vaa-ious florists' floivers. They employed it in the form of a compost, mixing no more than one pint of giiano with a barrowfid of eai-th. One gentleman failed in forcing liis cinerarias into bloom by using it; but he put so much into the soil at then- final sliift- ing that he made all then- leaves turn brown. But, then, another says, " I have used it for twelve mouths •with the most gratifying results : not on one plant or vegetable, but on every plant or vegetable that is benefitted by the application of manure. For plants in pots it should be used in a liquid state, and my cinerarias bear testimony to its merits." Mr. J. Selkii-k, of Aigbm-th, near Liverpool, on a light sandy soil, employs it for autumn planted crops, at the rate of one poimd to every fom' square yards, mixing every pound with half a pound of wood ashes. Cabbages and cauliflowers he found especially benefitted, and fi-ee from club-root. Turnips and let- tuces were also equally improved ; and he appUed it with most favourable results as a liquid manure, four pounds to 10 gallons of water, to camellias wnH pelar- goniums. Mr. Henry Ford, of Sheaf House, Sheffield, feU into the eiTor of using guano far too freely, for he mixed two poimds of it in only one bushel of earth, and the consequence was that though an epiphyllum, fuchsias, and cactuses potted in it did well, yet his pienstemons were killed and liis pelargoniums much injm'ed. Another party reports that he has used it as a liquid manui'e to balsams, camellias, and crysanthemums, with the greatest success. Mr. J. E. Teschemacher correctly observes, that if used at all in the oai'th for potting roses, pelargoniums, and other hai'dy strong-growing plants, not more than a tea-spoonful of guano to a quart of eailh should be employed. He found the grass of newly- made lawns gi'eatly invigorated by its application to the soil just before laying down the tiu-f. To 2}eas he also found guano especially a valuable applica- tion. He put it into the di-iUs, but covered it with full two inches of earth to keep the young roots from coming into immediate contact with it. He states that all cactuses and other succulent plants are extra- ordinarily benefitted by hquid guano. We might multiply these results to a much gi'eater extent, but to do so would be uselessly tedious ; and, we will only add, as tlie results of our experience, that at the rate of four cwt. per acre, or about three pounds to 30 square yards, is the best quantity to apply to the soil to any crops. The best mode of applying it is to scatter it thinly between the rows or over the roots of gi-owing well-established plants, just to point it in with a fork, and then to leave it to the rains to can-y down its soluble parts. As -a liquid manm'c, half an ounce to a gallon for most plants, and one ounce to the gallon for succu- lent plants and balsams, are the best proportions. Mix it twenty-four hours before you requii-e it, draw ofl" the clear liquid, and the guano sediment may then have a similar quantity of water again put upon it. These two wasMngs will extract all its most valuable ingredients. This liquid manm-e should be appUed only to healthy plants, and dming then- season of growing. The following composition is recommended by Pro- fessor Johnstone, as an artificial guano. It has been proved, be says, by experiment to approach in value, in a considerable degree, to the genuine kind. It is intended to equal, in eflect, one cwt. of guano. Value. s. d. 78f lbs. of bone-dust, at 2s. 6(7. per bushel* 4 4^ 25 „ of sulphate of ammonia 3 0 IJ ,, of pearlash 0 2\ 2b „ of common salt 0 (i 2i „ of di-y sulphate of soda 0 2i L33i lbs. At a cost of '.) Oi All the above substances, except the first, any druggist will supply. An active member of a Horticultural Society neai' Newcastle-upon-Tyne, writes to us as follows : — " It is mainly to the colliers, and others of similai- class, that we are indebted for the perfection to which florists' flowers have anived. Among the many in this coimty (Northiunberland) may be classed the name of Domond, as one of the most successful of the cidtivators of these flowers; and though an humble ' pit-man,' he has his name chronicled in the pages of floricultm-e. Another of the same class, who died lately, is deserving of record in yom- pages — perhaps as follows: — 'Died at Kenton, Northum- berland, on the 6th of March, aged 70, Mr. Thomas Buckham, a celebrated florist. The deceased, although a humble miner, and passing the half of his life in the bowels of the earth, covdd appreciate the beauties of Nature, and was one of the most successfid growers of florists' flowers in the coimty.' " THE imUIT-GAEDEN. The Fig. — ^Although tliis is not everybody's fiuit, yet we have known amateurs to produce it in high perfection, and to set much store by it; for when tho- roughly ripened dming a hot period, it is assuredly one of the most luscious of Iruits. A gi-eat amount * Half the weight of super-phospTiate of 1 either in sulphuric or '•■'■'" "■""' •■-"•■" merely ground boae^. THE COTTAGE GABDENEE. of caution ia requisite iu plniitiug the fig out of doors; it is not that it requii-es much of pains or of labom', but the danger consists in the probability of its being over-cultivated. *9o!7.— Almost any soil mil answer for its culture : provided it does not retain moisture too long. We have known iigs answer well in all kinds of free loams, iu ordinary garden soils, and in composts contaming various amounts of vegetable matter, lime-rubbish, &c. The principal point, especially in oiu- more northern counties, is to provide against a too rapid root action ; and this is accomplished either by rais- ing a barrier of bi-iok or stone-work within half a yard of the wall on which the trees are placed, iimning parallel with the wall, or by mixing a considerable amoimt of broken bricks or stone in the soil when preparing for theii- reception. Habit. — We will now offer a few remarks on their habits and tendencies in our fitful climate, and the discussion of these will prepare the minds of our- readers, in some degi-ee, for tlie severe system of root- cultm-e which we shall afterwards propoimd. The fig out of doors in Britain requires all the solar light which oui- mmlcy skies afford; it, therefore, needs the brighest and warmest aspect in om- gardens. It quails before no sunshine, however intense ; it wiU sometimes, nevertheless, cast its fruit through intense (bought : and this is a point to which we shall here- after advert as necessary to be kept in view. Now, in order to obtain the due amount of solar light, the shoots must be trained very tlrinly ; and here it is manifest that over-cultivation is an evil, for the leaf of the fig under any cii'cumstances is exceed- ingly gross, and, by introducing too much of vegetable matters or manures into the soil, the fig becomes quite unmanageable, the tree is crowded with waste spray, and the fruit, if any, is watery and insipid. It ought to be kept in mind that the fig-leaf is veiy absorbent of atmospheric moisture, and that in damjj climates it is probable that it is qualified to obtain nearly one-half' its nourishment by means of the foliage alone. We tlunk we are justified in aifinning this, from so ii-equently witnessing such a degi-ee of luxuriance during periods when a very moist at- mosphere was prevalent, although unaccompanied by rain, and the trees were growing in a hungiy soil. Figs, like other fruit-ti'ees in general, submit to that certain indication of fnutfulness " short- jointed wood;" no plant is a better exemplification of tliis point. Indeed, an experienced gardener can tell at sight, when the leaves are off the trees, whether they bear well and produce good fniit, by tliis crite- rion alone. Ripening of the wood is as essential a principle with the fig as with other tender fniits, and over-cul- tivation is totally inimical to tliis; it renders the whole plant too succulent, and keeps up a late root- action, wliich prevents the tissue becoming soHdified. Wc now proceed to such points of culture as will steer clear of the evils above named, and embody, as far as possible, the necessary conditions for success- ful ciUture. Soil. — As before observed, almost any well-drained soU \vill suit fig-trees ; provided that, with its poro- sity, it also possesses that kind of mechanical texture wliich, whilst it readily transmits moistiu-e, will also retain sufficient to withstand a hot and dry period in the middle of summer. It is well, however, to lean towards an open, porous character ; for if any defect arises tlu-ough extreme seasons of drought in conse- quence of the soil being light, a remedy of a very simple character is always at band in the shape of a. good top-di-essiug and a bucket or two of water. In prefer- ence, therefore, to building preventive walls, and other matters invoh-iug extra expense, we say, so compomid the soU for them as that they may never gi-ow very gross, neither be Uable to suffer fi'om sudden di-oughts. When the native soil of a garden is too clayey, thorough drainage and the introduction of a hberal amoiuit of sand, lime-nibbish, ashes, &c., with a sUght amount of vegetable matter, wiU in general suffice to make it fit for fig-ti'ees. If the garden soil he too light and porous, some adhesive loam may be added, also old peaty or vegetable matter, or, indeed, anything which may happen to be at hand wliich is retentive of moisture in its own natm-e, yet not a "forcing" or rich manure. One tiling is requisite: the bed of soil should by no means be deep. We would never allow above half a yard in depth, unless in situations peculiarly favoiu-able to the cultiu-e of this fiiiit, such as occur iu oui' more favoured coun- ties, as Kent, Essex, Sussex, Hants, Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall. These higlily favom-ed counties form an exception to the bulk of Britain. Those who pro- duce figs with so much ease in those counties will, we have no doubt, wonder why we make so much fuss about the matter. We have, however, gai-dened on the banks of the Thames and in the north, and 30 or 40 years' experience has dearly taught us the vast difference that exists with regai'd to such peculiar' fi'uit-trees as the fig, and, we may add, the vine. Propagation.— 'Ho plant is easier of propagation than the fig ; it will strike %vith the utmost ease from cuttings of the shoots after the leaves are fallen, pro- vided the plant has rested awliile. The heat of a hotbed is, however, very serviceable, and it is well in ordinaiy cases to wait untQ spring, when the eaily cuemnber bed \vill fin-nish a capital oppoi-timitj', as there is no occasion to plant the young fig-trees out of doors until the middle of :May. Suckers, how- ever,— those shoots which arise from the root of old trees — offer the readiest mode of propagating the fig; and these may be out away in the early part of April, and planted at once. Figs may be also gi-afted and budded like our other fniits, but tins is seldom prac- tised, so little occasion existing for this com-se. Varieties. — AVe now proceed to give a list of a select few, which may be relied on as to hardiliood and general utility ; these being the points to which the labom-s of The Cottage Gardener ai-e in the main du-ected. Brown Turkey (Lee's Perpetual). — This is a vciy hai'dy fig, and a veiy gi-eat beai'er. Fiiiit of good size and sUglitly pyramidal, of a brownish colour; pulp very delicious. This is also a great favourite with pot cultivators. Brunswick (Madonna). — A noble fiiiit, of a palish gi-een colour, but tinged with red next the sim ; pulp veiy rich and sweet, and of a delicate pmk colour. This is about the largest kind in the country of the piu-ple class, and, as it ripens betimes, is excelled by none for the open wall. Black Ischia. — A middle-sized dark-coloured fruit, of very good flavour, and a very hardy kind; ripening about a fortnight after the Bnmswiok. We do not deem it expedient to name any more Mnds, as these three may be considered the very best in the kingdom for the open wall. The Brown Ischia is esteemed by some, and is a very useful fig, as arc most of the ischias. Wc, however, prefer the Black variety. As an inducement to the amatom- to plant a fig, wo may mention that in Sussex the fig succeeds per- fectly as »u ordinary standard. AVe were conversing Aprti, THE COTTAGE GARDENEE. with a gentleman from Worthing, the other day, about figs, when he assiu'ed us that ahout that neigli- bourhood they seldom thought of planting the lig against a wall. He named chalky loams as being well adapted for theii- culture; and seemed quite astonished at the complaints of bad ripening in the northern counties, even against a wall; such is, nevertheless, the case in indiiferent seasons. Pruning. — The fig shoiild be pruned forthwith, if not already done. It is merely necessary to remove those points wliich are extending above the wall, and to tliin out the shoots nailed down in the pre- ceding summer; prefering all young shoots of a short-jointed character, and removing all succulent ones. At this period the fi-uit-bearing shoots can be readily distinguished. The main shoots shovild he laid in at nearly a foot apart ; and it is good practice to tie down short-jointed fruitful-looking spm's on the main leaders. R. Ereinqton. THE FLOWEE-GARDEN. Laying out Cotiager's Flower-gardens. — If the plot of gi'oimd apportioned to a cottage be small, we would advise ovn fi-iends not to attempt to cultivate fruit or vegetables on such a small scale. What such a bit of gi'oimd will produce is really not worth a consideration. It is a pity to sacrifice it for the sake of, perhaps, a few inferior cabbages, or a small bed of onions or carrots. A shilling or two would pm-chase twice as much in vegetables of excellent quality. How much more interesting and pleasant would such a little garden look if entu-ely devoted to the cultm-e of flowers ; and, if the cottager could ma- nage to have a hive or two of bees, the flowers would then be profitable, also, as well as charming. Even if he could not raise the means to procm-e a hive of bees, he might dispose of part of liis flowers to repay liim for his trouble, and help to buy better roots and seeds from tune to time, till his garden was fm-nished with really good flowers. This would open another source of profit, as he might then divide the good kinds of perennial flower-roots, and dispose of the duplicates, or extra plants, to his less fortimate neigh- bours. Seeds of annuals and biennials may also be saved, and disposed of in the same way. We state all this, to incline you to cultivate flowers, inde- pendently of the moral benefit and love of them, of which we trust you are not insensible. The following is the way in wliich you ought to lay out your plot of grovmd, supposing that it is so small as not to be worth while attempting to grow vegetables or fruits. If the plot is of an oblong shape, form an oval bed in the centre, and a circulai- bed at each end ; edge them with box, or tlu'ift, or daisies, or, if your soil is sandy, the common heath makes a pretty edging, and will beai- clipping. We have seen, also, the dwarf blue gentian used for this purpose, with beau- tiful efiect. Wlien you have finished edging the beds, then measm-e off a space &-om the beds for wallcs. These should be at such a distance from each other, that the space where they come near each ought to be the proper width of the walk. Eighteen inches for the walks among the beds will be sufiicient for yoin- purpose, as it will not be wise to waste more ground than is absolutely necessaiy. The remainder of the gi-ound should be edged also, and will form a neat irregular border, in which you may plant the larger kinds of flowers, such as dahlias, and any evergreen or flowering slu-ub you may obtain, more especially roses. The oval bed will grow roses also. If you can obtain a sufficient number of this queen of flowers, fill this bed entii-ely with them — you cannot have too many of them. If you are not able to pm'chase them in quantity, you may soon obtain a considerabla collection by raising them from cuttings, from layers, or by bud- ding on the common brier. These briers you may easOy iirocure from some rough hedge-row or coppice in your neighbom-hood. No right-feeling farmer or landlord would prevent you getting them in such situations. Instructions for the several operations of propagating the rose, we have given in various parts of tins periodical, and to them we dii-ect your attention. The cii-cular beds might be planted with such florists' flowers as you may possess, such as pansies, pinks, verbenas, tulips, &c. If you have no such things, plant them with the best kinds of peren- nials. Of coui'se this method of laying out your gar- den may not exactly suit every case. Some plots may be so small as to allow only of one bed in the centre. In that case, fill the borders with such plants as we mentioned, and the bed with yom' choice ones, intermixed with roses. Should your garden be so large as to allow you to cultivate vegetables, by all means make the most of it for that purpose, but do not forget to set apart a portion of it for om- favomites; and do not be niggardly of the space for them. All that we have said in praise of the art of culti- vating flowers, applies equally to you who have space for the more immediately useful fruits and vegetables. Devote, then, a pretty lai-ge space to gi'ow flowers, and lay it out as follows: — In the first place, let the situation of the flower-garden be near to your cottage. The walk leading to the door should be vip the centre : it ought to be at least fom' feet wide. Let the beds for your flowers be on each side of this walk. One side may be a mixed flower- border, containing a row of shrubs, of as great a variety as you can proom-e. In front of those shrubs you should plant, here and there, standard roses, mixed with hollyhocks; and in front of them, tall- growing perennials, with medium-sized roses ; and finally, plant near the edging with low-growing flow- ers. Let tills border be edged with some one or other of the plants mentioned ahove as proper for that pm-pose. Having finished that side of your flower-garden, in the next place turn your attention to the other side. You may lay it out in the manner described above for a small plot of flower-beds, namely, with an oval in the centre, and two circles at each end, vrith borders aU round them ; using the beds for choice flowers as there mentioned. Or you might lay it out in beds, fom- feet wide, with straight narrow walks between each ; all the beds to be edged with something. Beds laid out in this form will be very convenient to stock with one kind of flower in each — pinks, stocks, double wall-flowers, double sweet-williams, carnations, pansies, or even tiilips, ranunculuses, and anemones. This may seem a lai-ge list for a cottage garden, and we do not suppose you will be able to procm-e them all at once ; but your beds may be fmiiished in a very agi-eeable and pleasing fmanner with annuals, until you can fill them with better things. Seeds for them will only cost a few pence : a bed of dwarf rocket, lai'kspur, another of Eschscholtzia californica— the first (a hard name to pronounce) is sounded eslcoltsia, but of the second you will have heard pretty frequently lately. This annual was found in California, by Mr. Douglas ; and has been not imaptly called " the Golden Cup flower ; " so you may have golden gob- lots fi-om that country without risking yom- life in THE COTTAGE GARDENER. April that sickly Innd. Aimilicr nice hai'dy annual for a bed is named ' 'hirh-i'i /,i,/rhrlla (pretty clarlda) ; an- other, Nenuiphihi uisi.iiiis l^,llc^vy gi-ove lover); and a bed of scai-let 10-wock hlooks. This list might be easily extended ; and if you have room for more, look at the list given at page 137, and choose such as may suit your pui'pose. At the end of these beds you may set up yom- tmf pit or frame, which we trust you wOl, if you have not ah-eady, prooiu-e as soon as you possibly can. You wiU find tlrem ex- ceedingly useful. Do not forget to arch over yoiu- centre waUc, as we directed at page 47. This would be veiy ornamental, and a delightful shade from the beams of a July sim. Routine Management. — Evergreen shrubs may yet be successftdly removed and planted. Use puddle for the roots, stake firmly, and water occasionally, and they will be sure to succeed. Borders must be finished raking, and all annual flowers sown without delay. Cuttings may still be put in, and those that are rooted potted ofl' and hardened gradually, so as to bear- the open aii- by the end of April. Seeds, such as have come up and made some progi-ess, should be potted off also, and after they are established be managed the same as the cuttings. Lawn. — This pleasing ornament, if well swept, wiU now requii-e frequent roUing and mowing. If worm-oasts appear procm'e some quick-lime, and put in a common pailftil of water a lump of Ume about the size of a child's head. The lime should be un- slaked. Let it stand tQl the water is quite clear ; then with a rather coarse rose water-pot sprinkle the gi-ass- plot fi-eely till the worms are all killed. The lime- water wOi more readily reach the worms if you rake off the worm-cast, and so open the holes the worms make to cast up the earth. If one pailful is not enough for yom- lawn, make the lime-water in a vessel large enough to hold sufficient. Should one applica- tion not Vill all the worms, apply it a second time, wliich win generally quite destroy them. Should worms be troublesome in your flower-beds or plants m pots, lime-water will lull them there, as well as on the gi'ass-plot, and will not injure the most delicate plant. Wicker Shelters. — There are some beautiful shrubs that open then- magnificent flowers so eaily in the spiing, that their splendour is often defaced, if not utterly desti'oyed, by late spriog fi-osts. We mean the shmbby Chinese poeonia moutan and its varieties, and the Nepaul rhododendron, rhododen- di'on ai'boreiun, and the numerous garden hybrid varieties. To preserve these magnificent blossoms in all their beauty, by saving them fi-om the cold frosty nights, too often prevalent at tliis season of the yeai', is very desirable. A very effectual, cheap, and not unsightly ■plun, of accomplishing tliis de- sii-able end, has been adopted at Messrs. Henderson's, of Pine-apple-place. For the benefit of those who may possess some of these desii-able plants, and to en- courage others who may have been deterred fi-om cul- tivating them on account of this danger, we shall endeavom- to describe it. A sufficient number of stakes, of such a length as that when they are diiveu into the gi-ound their tops may be at least six inches or a foot above tlie side branches, ai-e placed one foot fr'om the outennost brsuiches, and about two feet fr'om each other, sn that the mats, when they ai'e put upon them, and the wicker work, to be described presently, may not touch any part of the slu'ub. Upon these stakes, and fastened to (them with tai-red rope, is then placed a cfrcular fr'ame of very open wicker or basket work, made of green willows. This is left on constantly, as long as there is any danger of frost. Every night, when there is the least ap- peaa-ance of this enemy, the wicker work is covered with mats, which not only prevents the downward efiects of frost, but the upward radiation of heat from the earth. An improvement might be made by having a covering of oiled canvass fitted to the si^o of each wicker tent, and fastened to the gi'oimd ^\^tll loops and hooked pegs. The accompanying wood- cut will shew at one view what kmd of i shelter we have been tiying to describe. We can confidently re- commend these shelters to oin readers. They are so simple, that any labomer, with some ingenuity and a little practice, may make them ; and during the sum- mer and winter season they should be put away in a secure diy place, and wiU last several years. The benefits of these shelters might be extended to the cottager's gooseberries and cuiTants, and many other things. We think oiu- good friend Mr. Errington win agree with us, that a good effectual protection to these fruits is a consiunmation devoutly to be wished. FLORISTS' FLOWERS. Sheltering. — Close attention to the more early blooming kinds, in the article of protection, must be constantly applied, for one night's neglect would cause a complete faUui'e, thus destroying all chance of success, and fi-ustrating aU yom- cai-e during the season of winter. TFateriw;/.— Great caution is re- quisite in the application of this element to florists' flowers at this season of the year, especially to those in pots. Plants are now gi'owing and maldng their gi'eatest effort to produce flowers, and ultimately seeds to reproduce the species ; in consequence, now is the time they requii'e more food, and when water is applied in suitable quantities the food of the plant is made soluble, the only state in which the plant can take it up into the system. Rain-water contains the greatest quantity of suitable food for the genei-a- lity of plants, therefore use this kind of water as much as possible. The grand secret is in the proper appUcation of it, both as to time and quantity. Ex- perience is the best guide in this as in all otlier tilings. Observe yom- j)lants constantly ; if they are gi'owing freely, and the soil appeai-s di-y, they requii-e water. When plants requh-e water in this state, give it^in sufficient quantity to wet the soil thorougUy : a dribbling system of watering is bad in principle and practice. Haviag wet the eai-th well, let yom- plant digest it before you apply any more. If you THE COTTAGE GARDENER. neglect watering at the proper time, the oai'th in the pots will contract and leave the sides of the pots ; and the next time you water, it will pass ofF down the side— thus not performing the office you design it for. The plant, then, ^viU suffer for want of jiourishraent ; and, if this is allowed to continue, they will eventually perish. To ijrevent tliis catastrophe, whenever you observe the soil has left the edge of the pot, stir up the surface ^vith a pointed stick, brealdug the Imnps of earth, and gently press it into the cavity; then give the required quantity of water, and the evil will be remedied. We beg your particular attention to these particulars about water ing. Its proper management is one of the most im- portant points in cultivating any land of plants, but more especially such as we treat of under this head. T. Appleby. GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW GAEDENING. (Mr. Beaton's manuscript unfortimately had not arrived at the time of om- going to press.) THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. Celeky. — The present is a good season for sowing this vegetable, either in some warm sheltered corner, upon well-pulverized rich soil, or, what is better, on a little bottom-heat, and putting an old light or hand-glass over it. Plants may, however, be very quickly raised by merely covering them over at night with any slight covering, and, to ensure the produc- tion of strong healthy plants, let the water, when water is required, be applied tepid, instead of cold. The grower will be well repaid for this extra trouble, which hastens the growth of the celery, and gi-eatly improves its flavom-. If celeiy of a large size be required, prick the plants early on a gentle bottom- heat, water them with tepid water tmtil they begin to shew signs of vigorous growth, and then add a little liquid-manm-e, winch will speedily make them so strong and luxuriant as to be ready, as soon as the season is sufficiently waim and favom-able, to be placed out pennanently, without any danger of being checked and stinted in gi-owth, which is one great cause of oeleiy becoming sti-ingy and tough. Red Beet. — To produce beet of a high colom- and strong sugai-y flavour, the soil is not required to be particularly rich. The present is a good time for sowing, and if the soil is formed into ridges, thiiteen inches apart, it is much better for that purpose than sowing on flat laid ground. Dibble the seed at six inches apart on the top of the ridge, and let the plants be thinned out to one foot. This is better for the amateiu' gardener than affording more room and producing large overgi-own roots; but for the cottager, who has either a cow or pig to feed, some large roots are veiy desirable, providing, when boiled, a most excellent and nutritious food, and one which may be preserved in good condition up to midsummer, and, with care, even to a much later period. Indeed, aU who have ground to spare, with a cow or a pig to feed, should manage to sow a good piece of beet, and also crops of mangold-wurtzel, both of the long red and the yellow globe varieties, which wO give them a succession of excellent keep through- out the year, if well managed. We always boil either beet or mangold-wurtzel together with any other re- fuse vegetables, adding about 1 lb. of salt to every 30 gallons of food so boiled, and give it to the pigs warm, not hot. They thrive upon it astonishingly. and are exceedingly fond of it. Indeed, we do not, at the present time, loiow of anything upon which either cows or swine can so economically be fed. Routine. — The dry March now passed has done all that could be desu'ed in preparing the soil for summer crops. A finer month for aiding us in pul- verizing the son was never known. Herb Beds should be attended to, and put in order without delay, and beds of chamomiles, chives, and mint planted, if not already done, as well as the seeds sown, or beds formed, of ^)o« marjorum, fennel, hyssop, pennyroyal, lavender, white savory, thyme, &c. Savoys and BROcoLt. — Full crops of savoys should now be sown ; also some of the Early Pmple, White Cape, and Grange's brocoli; but the true Walchei-en White brocoli, when it can be procm-ed, is the most valuable vegetable, at the present time, to sow in succession at thi'ee times within this and the next month to come. Early Turnips sow now, in small portions in succession, on weU-preparod soO, in a sheltered situ- ation. Soarijit Runners, too, should be sparingly sown in a sheltered spot, ready for transplanting when the season is farther advanced. Ridge Cucumbers and Vegetable-marrow may now be sown in full crops ; care being taken in pot- ting to keep the plants close to the glass, and freely admitting air to establish a hardy and luxin-iant growth. Tomatoes may bo taken from the fi-ame and placed out of doors, in a sheltered corner, but pro- tected, at fli-st, with some slight covering, until the season is more advanced. James Barnes. MISCELLANEOUS INEORMATION. MY FLOWERS. (No. 23.) The beauty of spring scenery is now greatly in- creased by the busy labours of the woodman There is scarcely a prettier sight than a newly-cleared copse, with its carpet of moss and primroses, the vai-ious pUes of faggots, rake-ware, and hoop chips, that stand so thickly around, and the many voices that soimd cheerily from the different points where work is going on. It is a sylvan scene, indeed, and fliere is nothing uncomfortable to one's feelings in it; there is no whip or spur employed, nothing distress- ing to the dumb creation, so often unpleasing even in the interesting acts of husbandly we delight to watch. In wood-craft aU is hannless and beautiful, and we can sit on a heap of faggots and meditate in peace. What vai-ious and 'lovely wild flowers spring up cheerily, when the air and sun are admitted ! I have seen;;newly-cut copses like the most glowing gardens; when later on in the season, just before primroses disappear, the blue-bells and wood anemones have mingled their delicate colom-s also, and formed a mass of flowers. The sweet wood violets, too, gi-ow tliickly in many places ; and there are in the " green- wood" a multitude of beautifid, though simple, flow- ers, that chai-m tiie lover of nature, and make the morning walk a perpetual ti-eat. The glowing sun- sets now can be enjoyed by those whose early habits admit of evening exercise, and nothing can be more soft and golden than the gleams of light that fall upon the woods and larch plantations then, giving them quite the appearance of golden forests. Late hom-s do not accord with comita-y life — so much of real enjoyment is thrown away. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. Om- gardens are now beginning to looli gay with tlie rich hues of the tulip, whose buds are gi-adually unfolding. There is much gi-ace in their- forms, in spite of their tall leafless stems ; and I admii-e even the commonest lands in the cottage garden. The tulip gi-ows ^-ild in the Holy Land, in Syria, and in Greece, and is much esteemed and cirltivated in Holland. A bed of tulips is one of the gayest and loveliest objects a garden can possess, and they should always stand in masses, for when placed singly, they lose much of then effect, and are apt to blow"about and look disorderly. The rich scent of the violets now, wfth the early showers, greets us as we enter om' garden. A bunch of these dehcious flowers does not afford the degi-ee of scent we might expect ; when near they do not please us half so much as at a Uttle distance ; placed in a saucer of water, or thi-own carelessly on the table, then the fi-agrance reaches us delightfally, and also fi'om the borders. In mild situations the violet wOl bloom almost through the winter, but its scent is then scarcely felt, and, like all spring flowers that come too early, it loses half its charm. The double violet is the richest and sweetest variety. To be fine, they should be parted every yeai, and never suffered to increase into large patches, and the soil should be frequently renewed. Some of our violets are brought from America, and ai-e cultivated on ac- count of then beauty, as they j)ossess no scent ; but I confess they have little charm for me. A scentless ■idolet, like a scentless rose, is such a floral disappoint- ment, that I would rather see its place filled with some less lovely flower. The leaves of tliis plant, among the poor, are fi-equently applied to bi-uises ; and the flowers, when steeped in vinegar, give it a bright coloiu', and an agreeable scent. They should abound in evei-y garden, as they thrive well imder trees, and will flomish on banks, and in almost all situations. Beds of them carjiet the gi'ound under fir-trees, which are not favomable to flowers, and they peep brightly and sweetly from rmder the dry crisp leaves in woods and copses. - The more common kmds of polyanthus are now appealing. The dai'ker and richer the colom, the handsomer they are, especially if the petals, (that is, the leaves that form the flower,) are smooth edged and even. They ai-e really frightful when disfigiu-ed with gi'een leafy cups round the flowers, and sliould not be permitted to remain m the border ; but when not thus encumbered, even the common lands ai-e pretty in gi-oups, and afford a delicate scent. The fuchsias are already beginning to shew life in their swelling knots. A shp that I placed in a flower-pot when the plant was cut down in the au- tiunn, and wliich I kept through the winter in a room, is already pink at every little joint, and means, I hope, to be a flouiislung plant ' before the blooming season. They are so useful, as long-con- tinuing flower's, that they should on this aocoimt, as well as for their beauty, be increased as much as possible ; and beds of them dotted on extensive lawns, have a very gi'acefirl and pleasing eff'ect. My sweet-scented verbena, too, has put forth two rich little buds just at the surface of the soil, tliough its slight sprays are still in perfect re.])oso. These plants are so fragrant, that they should be encou- raged as much as possible. I have seen thenr in cottage windows, gi-owing I'iclily, to a very handsome sine. They should be protected during the winter, but may be placed safely in the ojjen air after the fi'osts are over. They should not reoeive water on the soil, but it ought to be put into the flower-saucer, and drawn in from below. This I wae told by a cottage gardener, whoso plants are very fine, when he gave me a young tree. For some time I obseiTed Iris du-ection, but gi-owing careless, I watered the soil, and I soon found the leaves tmn brown, and cinl at the tips. On retm-ning to the foi'mer plan of watering, the plant seemed to recover, for, as the old leaves dropped, the young ones shot up healthy and gi-een. A season of deep spu'itual importance is now at hand, and wlule the cottage gardener waits for " the early and the latter rain," while he looks for the soft emiching April showers, and the bright sims of May, let liim not forget — nay, let liim Jirst of all remember — Him who bestows them all, and observe with a gi-ateful wiLLLng heai't those times and sea- sons that commemorate still gi-eater and richer mercies, and a far more stupendous work. Let him remember that on Good Friday the death of the Re- deemer pm'chased the salvation of His people ; and let him keep that day holy. It is too often passed by labom'ers as a common day; they seem not to remember the awful histoi-y given of all it witnessed, and spend it in their- usual work-day manner. But it is the most solemn day the Ghiist'ian knows ; and if the labouring population loved and honoru-ed Him who has bought them with His blood, tliey would dehght in remembering and hallowing His death and resurrection, and all the griefs and son-ows of that agonizing time. Wlule we strive to improve the worldly comforts of the cottager, and lu-ge him to habits of dihgence and industij. we shall do him no good if he labour's only " for the meat that pe- rislieth," and neglects that which endures " unto everlastniR life." EXTEACTS PEOM COEEESPONDENCE. RosE-BDDDiNG. — Instead of the T incision, I begin my operation by taking off the bud ; and, after ex- tracting the woody part, I place it on the branch which is to receive it, and cut oft' both exti'emities, cutting at the same time down to the wood of the stock; I then make the vertical incision, open both sides equally and expeditiously, insert the bud, and finish as you du-ect. We cottagers ai-e a hai-d-fisted set; and this plair is more easy certainly, and, I think, more sure of success — all other cu-cumstances being the same, as the bark of the stock and that of the bud join perfectly in two pilaces. The G.\bden-eeel. — I have saved the time and trouble of fixmg and unfixing the line, by the following contrivance, which answers its purpose, and acts with certainty. I had a piece of u-on with a square hole fastened to the centre of the bottom horizontal bar of the reel : the shoidder of the up- right shaft was filed to fit this square hole. In re- placing the reel on the spindle, a distance equal to the thickness of the piece of u-on is left between the top horizontal bar and the loop on the top of tlie spindle. When string is to bo let out, hold the head of the reel dowir ; and when you wish to fix the string, by retm-ning the reel to its upright position, the square hole falls on to the square of the shaft, and fixes it instantly : the cost of the alteration is about fourpence. Now those tilings are so simple that, although they arc imknown here, I can hardly per- suade myself they are now. — A Cottager, Bath. IiiisH I\T. — I beg to suggest, for the readers of yoiu- admh-able work, my mode of pruning this ever- green, wluch I should not do, but that I see nume- rous instances where that indispensable operation is by no moans understood ; and, the more so, fi'om a Apbil THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. recent conversation with a bigot of the common school, of some twenty years' practice. On asking him how he pruned his ivy, lie replied, " I always clip it ;" and although a well-trained screen was at hand, upon which I exemplified, he walked doggedly away, with too obvious an intention of piu'suing bis own plan, than which nothing can be worse. For, if clipped sufficiently close, it must, from the time of its being done, denude the wall or fence of all its beautU'ul gi-een leaves, until fresh ones grow ; and if so clipped in the autimin, leave the whole in an un- sightly bare state throughout the winter; whereas, by my plan, no such result is the consequence, and aU proti'uding snaggs are prevented. In November, I proceed thus: — ^with my left hand I take firm hold of every summer shoot, however small, or however long and dangling, and boldly drawing it oiit to its utmost sti'etch, rmtil it comes to the shoot from which it started ; I then, with my piiining- knife in my right hand, and with a out from, me, take it off close to the stem from which it started ; and by carefully going over the whole with this process, I have the satisfaction of seeing my ivy looking beautifully green throughout the winter, from the summer leaves being imdisturbed. A fi-iend's parsonage (one of your patrons) is covered with Irish Ivy, and aU. the year round looks gi-eeu and snug, from being treated this way, without any straggling branches or obtrusive masses protruding fi'om the walls.— Q. Zinc Labels. — I have long found these best in every respect, whether for pots or the border. I get a thin sheet of that metal ; paint it over with dead white paint ; with a sti'ong pair of old scissors cut them out the requisite shape and size, and write the name of the plant boldly, with a black-lead pencil. A single coat of paint, when necessary, makes them as good as new. — Q. SCEAPS. The Irish Spade. — C. Beamish, Esq., of Delacour Villa, Cork, wi-ites as follows upon the cidture of the soil by spade-labour, and there is much of sound sense in his warnings, as well as in his suggestions. " About seven yeai's ago I commenced the practical operations of a working fai'mer, filled with exalted notions of the perfection to which the arts and sciences had improved the unplements of agrioultm'e, and with easy chau-, comfortable fii-e-side ideas of contempt for the common spade of my country. At- tending the National Cattle Shows annually, I pur- chased without hesitation every thing which appeared to promise any increased facilities for the economy of labom-, or the better preparation of the food for the stock. The result of seven years' apprenticeship to the employment of such implements have in- duced me to change several of my preconceptions in their efficiency. Two of " Richniond's" tumip-cut- ters, which cost me together £1 4s, are only used this winter for the stall-fed sheep ; the turnips for the cattle beiug merely divided by a small hatchet when very large, as they are thrown to the animals, and only two cases of choking have occuiTed amongst 129 head of cattle of all ages, so fed, and including some of the fattest beef that could be found in the county. An excellent tum-wi-ist subsoil plough, wldch cost i'5, is altogether unemployed ; the work being done much better by the old Irish spade and crow-bar, to a depth of from 18 to 20 inches, as fol- lows, viz. : — " 1st — When the subsoil is not too solid for a spade, a band of four spadesmen, one man with a shovel, and one boy. " Let four men mark on their spade handles a length of four feet ; let them dig along the western fence of a field a strip fom- feet wide, and let them throw the sm-face soil in a long heap westwards, or put it into a cart to be drawn at once to the eastern side of the field. Let two of the men then commence digging the subsoil of this strip, with the boy watching them to pick up the stones and throw them far out to the eastwards, to be carted away, for drainage or other purposes. The other two spadesmen then measure ott' fom- other feet from the fli-st digging, and thi'ow the sm'face soil over the strip of subsoil as fast as it is dug, the man with the shovel following them to finish off their work, and turn the grassy side of the lumps of earth downwards. " 2nd— When the subsoil is too hard for the spade, a band of two spadesmen, thi'ee men with crow-bars, and one boy. " Let the blacksmith make three crow-bars, with good l|-inch round iron, six feet long, double-pointed and steeled, and with a light ring welded at ] 8 inches from each of the points. Let the sm'face soil be re- moved, as before mentioned, Jive feet wide along the western fence, then let the three men with the crow- bars strike them together into the subsoil to the depth indicated by the ring, and with one united effort root up and loosen the subsoil ; the two spadesmen throwing over it the smface soil of the next strip of five feet wide, and the boy throwing out the stones, as before mentioned. " Two men putting down then- long-handled, nar- row-bladed Irish spades, one beside the other, have far more power of penetratiag through the stones into the soil than by any other method of using the broad- bladed, short-handled Enghsh implement, which requires the labourer to stoop too much, and is far more difflcidt to be driven tlu-ough the increased impediments which its extraordinary breath must encounter in its passage through the eaith. In like manner, the gi-eat length of the crow-bar admits of the workman standing perfectly erect, and of driving down the point with the utmost force, and with the least possible fatigue; while the long ann of the lever gives great power in forciag the sunk end up- wards, through the tenacity of the hitherto un- penetrated mass. When men have to continue the entire day at severe labour, the more erect they can keep then- bodies, the more easily will they sus- tain a continuance of their toil, and on tliis account the English have adopted a method of bending their scythe handles, which prevents their stooping ; and though such a fomi is a little awkward at first to those who have learned to mow with the old straight handle, after a few days it has been always acknow- ledged by my workmen to be a means of greatly relieving the labour of the scythe. Lest it may be inferred fi-om these observations that I condemn the use of the Enghsh spade altogether in agiicidtm-al operations, I beg to add that it is faj- superior to the Irish implement for marking out drains, and for cut- ting the sui-face sods in making the water channels for purposes of irrigation ; and therefore no farming estabUslunent should be without one of them (rounded at the corners of the blade,) amongst the draining implements. — Carh Constitution. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Water poe Gold Fish (A Subscriber from the commencement). —After the recent experiments of Mr. Osborne, upon water kept in lead vessels at Southampton, we have a greater certainty than ever that it very readily becomes impregnated with the oxide of this metal, and is rendered poisonous by being so stored even for a short time. We lot use such wate: '" Spring < [ not use such we : and matters o 3 the I vhich the fish feed. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. A PHIL Oleanbee (H.B.).-Vou will have found full directions for its ulture in numbers 25 and 26. The " sort of bug '■sticking under the baves ofyoui plant is the oleander scale (Coccismm). Spinge . «•".':? "' J" , t^_._,w„ ,4dcj_ If you require more information let day Mill give are not the them with water heated to I40-. If you reqmre us hear from you again. , . , ,-, . , Guano (.B.C. B., Ham).—'Wi think our editorial you the information you require. Lancishiek PiG-FEEDlsG (Jo/iB Hamkes).—Yi only person who thinks the statement at page 245, of Vol I., a mis- take The statement, however, comes from a correspondent who si^s hilnamefrd who we knoW to be Mr. Saul, of Nuthy Cottage, near Garstang, Lancashire. We wrote to him on the subject, but he has sent us no further information than that simJar statements have been pubUshed in the Irish Farmers' Gazette and the Irish Farmers' Journal: adding, that there " the profits are considerably more, and in the present year, 1 find, they are stiU greater." ^Ve are seeking for information from another correspondent and will intorm our readers of the result. In the mean time we shall be glad if any ot our Lancashire readers wiU inform us of any instances of such profit- able nig-feeding as are mentioned by Mr. Saul, with some particulars as to the treatment of the pigs. In the south of England we cannot obtain such profits. , , ,. , ^ , KivERs' Trellises (74W).— If wewere about to have lights made for a pit, we should not have them made so slight or so rough as for trellises ; but for those which require no shifting, or other wear and tear we should have them made of the substance he recommends, and ivith the angles halved and not dove-taUed. We saw the treUises and lights fixed at Sawbridgeworth, and though not finished oH, yet tney answer the only purpose for which they are intended, viz., cnablmg cottagers and others to ripen peaches, &c. early and without waUs. CiDEK-GKOnNDS (.4 SubscHlier, Bridgewater) .—This refuse of the cider cask is an exeellent appUcation to apple and pear trees. Dig a trench about three feet from their stems, and pour in a gaUon to each. Some persons have thought it a preventive of canker. You may mix it with your house-sewage, as you "■ '"' " """ ^^ the ammonia in it, and make it a still better r kitehen-garden crops. . Name of Plant (JS.).— The plant you enclosed is of the Perennial Blercury (Mei-curialis perennis), and only in South Wales, but all over England. s for any of your ■ Lime (Lct.juii.).— You will find directions for making this at p. 62. Do not mix any Ume with it. A tea-cup- ful sprinkled over the roots of your roses, at a foot distance from each stem, and just pointed into the soil, will be sufficient. Chloeofobm foe Stupifying Bees (M. P.).— You will find at p. 280 all that we can suggest upon this subject at present. Milch Goat (I4W).— It will vield milk before twelve months old ; and will continue prolific for six or seven years. Two goats will yield as much milk as a smaU cow. Those who have lived in India, and on ship-board during a voyage from that country, know the value of its milk, as well as of the flesh of its kids. Ceiticism on White's Selbobne (Rev. H. W.).— Although we are quite sure that no severity of crilieism was intended by our correspondent at p. 124, yet we most willingly find room for the following communication, from a relative of the author of one of the most fascinating and most faithful hooks on Natural History :— "Your correspondent, Hev. C. W. B. (in No. XII.), was somewhat severe, I could not help thinking, upon my relative, Mr. White, of Selbome. He heard some thrushes singing on a certain day in No- vember last, punctually according to the time marked out in your Weekly Calendar— just as your concert bill had announced— but strangely out of all time, as he made it appear, according to Mr. White's rule, that whenever there is any incubation going on there is music. Now surely this rule may hold good without its converse, namely, whenever there is any music going on there is incubation, being true. That the author never meant this converse to be included in his rule, and that, therefore, thrushes singing in November are no contradiction to it, is evident enough from some of the dates of bird- singing given in his Naturalist's Calendar ; for instance, * Robin smgs, Jan. 1—12 ; Missel Thrush, Jan. 2—14 j Song Thrush, Jan. 6—22.' January is no hatching month, nor even a pairing one. And when he says (in the History of Selbome) that thrushes resume their song in the autumn, as clearly he does not connect that singing with incubation or with pairing. After such an autumn and such a winter, it is hard to say where last year's music left off, or where this year's feast of song began. But what your correspondent heard is rather to he considered, I should think, as late autumnal singing, than as ' the early spring song.' " Pastdee (D. /. S.).— The soil of this, you say, is a stiff clay, shallow, and lying on a retentive brash; becoming as hard as pos- sible when dried by either wind or sun. We fear that you will reap no good from this until it is drained thoroughly. After that, put upon it as much of road-scrapings, coal-ashes, gypsum, bone-dust, salt, and dung, annually, as you can spare. Put some of the mixture on now, and then sow on every acre 2 lbs. red clover, 3 lbs. white clover, 2 lbs. perennial rye-grass, 2 lbs. Italian rye-grass, 1 lb. meadow fox- tail, 3 lbs. coek's-foot, 2 lbs. meadow fescue, 1 lb. hard fescue, 1 lb. rough-stalked meadow-grass, 1 lb. smooth-stalked ditto, 1 lb. sweet- scented vernal grass, and 2 lbs. Timothy grass. After sowing, bush- harrow it. Your other questions shall be answered next week. Pea SnrroETEES (W. B. W. SiniWi).— Thanks for the results of your experience : they shall be inserted. Cactus (Lex, Jun.). — You ask if it is now a good time to com- mence with these plants, and if there is a yellow one ? You may begin to give your cacti some water in small quantities, and put them in a little heat, to bring on the flowers gently. Do not force them too rapidly, or they would flower too soon for your purpose. A little manure-water now and then would assist them greatly. There is not a yellow one of the larger-growing kinds, but there is a pale buff unc, called EpipJn/llum crenatum. Several of the melo-eaeti have small yellow flowers, and one or two have moderate-sizcd flow- ers of that colour, but they last only a day or two, and do not flower freely. Your question about Amaryllises is not easy to answer. With vour means, namely, a greenhouse and a cucumber-bed, those bulbs will not thrive in a first-rate manner. By no means put them in your cucumber-bed : place them, as you say, in the warmest part of your greenhouse, and they will do pretty well. Some of the earlier kinds will flower in June. Your other questions shall be answered shortly. A catalogue will be sent you bv post. Inventor of the Cottager's Hive (.-1 Subscriber).— 3. Payne, Esq., Bury St. Edmunds. Mathematical Deawing (A Subscriber, Farnham Gardens).— Hayter's " Introduction to Perspective" will give you, in a popular form, all the instruction you require. Box-TREES(S«ci-in-Wie-JI/Ki).— Your newly-purchased box-trees, though draivn up, if not bare round the lower part of their stems, had better not have their tops shortened. We "" ' * ^'" -It is quite true that the flesh of these is excellent, when boiled, in winter ; not that they eat like a mealy potato. We prefer them mashed after being cooked. Sweet peas will do as climbers over your window trellis, but you may add the nasturtium if you only require common plants. If you would have something more beautiful, and less common, yet nearly as hardy, have the Clematis azurea grandiilora. LiauiD Mandee (A Constant Reader). — See our editorial to-day. Your cauliflowers, planted out in a sheltered situation, ought not to require night-covenngs now. Sheivelling of Gooseberey-Leaves (A Lover of Gardening and Nat. Hist.) — This, we fear, arises from decay either of the roots or the stems. The little red insect you describe is probably an Aearus, some species of which are usually found where there is decayed wood, but not the Aearus tellaris (Red Spider), as you think. We cannot say for certain, as the box was crushed by the post-office stampers, and not an insect was to be found. Thanks for the anecdote of the Centipede, which we will publish, and shall always be glad of such extracts from the book of nature. Speouted Potatoes (Rev. P. W.). — Pick them over, rub off the sprouts, if required only for table, and replace them in dry earth, covering them deeper with earth than before. Liquid Manuee (Ibid). — This does not improve the staple of the soil, but only supplies food for the immediate use of the plants. If the wall trees are old and not vigorous, liquid manure might assist them, but it is too invigorating for young trees. Your other question shall be answered next week. Tobacco Fumigation (^n ^mo^eHr).- You will find full direc- tions at p. 2/0 of Vol. I. Your liquid manure is too strong for your roses ; two parts water and one part urine ivill be better. The leaves, however, are probably affected by an excess of tobacco smoke. Tulip Soil (Ibid). — Mmng quicklime with the soil of your tulip bed, and planting in it within a week, is doubtless the cause of their looking "very bad." There is no until the autumn, then store them soil ne.xt year. ■• China Labels (J.Ball).—Tae medallion pattern you have sent to us is very elegant, and if attached to a shrub or tree by means of a shred of lead passed through the hole in the label, and then twisted round a branch, it would be one of the neatest and most easily in- spected of any we know. ^Vhy not sell them in the biscuit or un- glazed state, so that purchasers might write on them themselves with a lead pencil? For a list of roses see p. 24. Tobacco-water (G. J. B.).—This is applicable for the destruc- tion of the green-fly on roses and geraniums. Other answers in our Su'ccESSioK OF Flo-wees (J. F.).—ll you will refer to page 34, vou will find a list that meets your wishes. Your garden being only slightly shaded will help vou to prolong the succession of bloom. Fuchsia Leaves Curling (^ SK«scri4«-).— You say that there are "very few green-flies j" but even those few arc enough to cause the mischief. If the heat you mention (45°) is the highest day-tem- perature, then is it certainly too cold ; for during some of our late frosty nights the temperature of your house must have been below 32°, and this was enough to affect the leaves. Peas CS.).— You say, that about five weeks ago, you sowed your Imperial Blue peas on the top of a mixture of manure and soot ; and that on examination vou find them all putrid. Now, although sow- ing peas on manure is the worst of all modes, yet if your seed-peas hadlieen good, and your mamtre without any noxious constituent, they ought not to have decayed as you describe. The soot, probably, was too strong for the voung roots. You have no remedy but to sow again, not over the mlinure and soot. To recover, in some degree, lost time, sow your peas in strips of turf with its roots upwards ; put them into your frame, and when well up, plant the slips of turf, with- out disturliing the peas, in rows where you desire. Perpetual Hoses (Jlf. C. J=.).— Instructions for pruning those roses have been given under the head " Autumn rose-pruning." See p. 5/ of vol. I. In your case the directions will be— thin out at least half the shoots, cutting them clean down to the last year's wood (1847), and the remainder shorten in to six or seven eyes. Do not expect many flowers this season, as your roses have to get over the removal and long journey. Tivo or three of the sorts we know, and thev are good ; the remainder are unknown in this country. Bulbs or Tuberoses (74M).— These should be just covered only with earth. London: Printed by Harry Wooldridge, M?, Strand, in the Parish of Saint Mary-le-Strand ; and Winchester High-street, in the Parish of St. Mary Kalcndar ; and Published by William SoMEEVlLLE Ore, at the OHicc, 147, Strand, in the Parish of Saint Mary-le-Strand, London. — April 5th, 1841). THE COTTAGE GARDENER. WEEKLY CALENDAR. i\r W APRIL 12—18, 1849. Plants dedicated to Sun Sun Moon K. Moon's Clock Day of D 12 D each day. Rises. Sets. and Sets. Age. hef. Suu. Year. Th. Song-thrash lays. Thick-leaved Saiifrage. 13 a4 49 aO 11 43 19 0 40 102 18 E. Green Narcissus. 10 51 morn. 20 0 30 103 14 S. Redbreast hatches. Borage. 8 02 0 34 21 0 15 104 K) Sun. 1st or Low S. Willow- Warbler heard. Green Stitcliwort. 0 54 1 19 (ff 0 a 1 105 10 U. Easter T. beg. Black-cap heard. iWUd Tuli]). 4 50 2 0 23 0 15 100 17 Tu. Lian. & Hor. S. meet. Frog Tadpoles hatch. Friar's Cowl Arum. 2 57 2 35 24 0 30 107 18 W. Ox. & Ca.T.b. Marsh Titmouscnoteceases. Music Narcissus. IV. 59 3 6 25 0 43 108 it is Low Sunday.— The first Sunday after Easter, enlightened by Christianity, has received some 'particular title, mating the leading characteristic of a true believer. With called Low, in reference to the humbleness of his spirit ; in Roman Catholic countries it is more usually termed White, regard being had to his inward purity ; and in the Greek Church it is named New Sunday, in remembrance of his altered nature. Such designations were proba- bly applied to this Sunday because, now especially, if ever, after the abstinence of Lent, and the celebration of Easter, every one may be supposed to be more disposed " to walk worthy of his vocation." Phenomena of the Season.— Some few more of the phenomena attendant upon the fferminatiou, or sprouting, of seed, remain to be noticed. Shortly afier exposure to the rejiuisite amount of heat, air, and moisture, the seed absorbs, or sucks in, from the air a consider- able amount of oxygen gas, which oxygen combines with the carbon, or pure charcoal, which is a chief component of the seed, and is again given out by the seed in the form of carbonic acid gas. Whilst this chemical process, or combination, is going on, much heat is caused in the seed ; and though this is scarcely discernible in single seeds, yet it is very readily perceptible when many seeds are together, as in the sprouting of barlej^ whilst being converted into malt— the heat being then sometimes increased to 100° in a single night. Some seeds require to absorb more oxygen during this pro- cess than is needed by other seeds. Thus, wheat and barley only take rather more than one- thousandth part of their weight ; but beans and kidney beans require one-hundredth. Some seeds, during this process, acquire a sweetish flavour ; and there is little doubt that Insects.— In this month, and again in June and August, the Brimstone Moth (Rujicia crateegata) is often very abundant about our Whitethorn and gummy constituents into sugar. We shall conclude our consideration of this department of vegetation in our next number, We have received, from a very intelligent correspondent at Walsall, the following confirmation of the statement we made at p. 155 of vol. i,, relative to the wars of the centipedes and the earth-worms : — *' I was very much pleased with the account of the centipede in a recent number of your invaluable publication. I had, a few days since, ample proof of the truth of your statements. Being in the garden, and seeing a worm come to the surface, writhing, appa- rently in great pain, I was led to examine it, and found a very small centipede clinging to it, apparently intent upon its destruction ; and I stood by to witness the seemingly unequal contest. The worm must have been at least a hundred-times larger than its foe, and seemed to leave untried no means of escaping : it rolled over and over with astonishing quickness, endeavouring to dislodge the centipede by friction against the earth ; it crawled along, tried to bore its way into the soil, threw itself Into rapid motion by its contortions, till it was apparently exhausted, but all to no purpose ; the centipede was not to be dislodged ; the worm, after lying a short time motionless, as if to recover its strength a little, renewed its efforts, but in vain ; it gradually grew weaker, and in a few minutes was dead ; and the victor immediately began to feast upon its victim. I was once a witness to a similar contest between an animal, which was, I think, the larva of a kind of beetle, and an enormously-large worm, in which the former was victorious." Blackthorn hedges and a quarter aero expanded, ' " It is about one inch its fore-wings when ■ colour is a bright brimstone, marked at the base and < the front edge T,vith rusty-coloured blotches ; from the second and fourth of these a scolloped band passes across each wing ; the hind wings have slight dusky lines upon them. The caterpillars are vari- able in colour, being sometiraes.fawn, at others grey, variegated with JAPK... 1S41. 1 1S42. 1 1S43. 1844. 1845. 1 1846. 1847. 1848. It,. te„.p. Cloudy. Cloudy. Frosty. Showery. Cloudy. Fine. Showery. Rain. 45°-27° , 46^-36" 48°— 28° 62°— 45° 54°— 34° 65°-45° 64°-42° 60°-43° Showery. Showery. Snow. Cloudy. Showery. Fine. Cloudy. Showery. 59°-47° 14 Showery. | Showery. Cloudy. Cloudy. Showery. Cloudy. Showery. Fine. 15 Showery. Cloudy. 580_28° 51°— 36" Fine. Fine. Cloudy. 58»-4r' 66°-48° 49° -40° 57°-49° 55°-42° 16 Fine. Fine. Fine. Showery. Cloudy. Fine. Frosty. Rain. 57°-31<' 51° — 31° 62°— 44° 49°— 20° 58°— 46° 17 Fine. 1 Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Showery. 62°— 38° 54°— 22° 18 Fine. 1 Cloudy. Fine. Showery, Cloudy, Rain. Fine. 6l°-30° 58»— 37° 53°-43° 52°— 34° 57°— 35° Our readers will have discovered before this that whilst we are no respecters of old opinions, merely because they are old, yet that we are equally far from soofiBng at ancient lore, merely because it is im- iUumined by modern science. When, therefore, we give the following quotation fi.-om a letter now before us, our readers will not be surprised if we do not dis- miss tlie subject without further notice. The passage we refer to is this : " In your various numbers I ob- serve the days and dates laid down for routine work witliout the slightest reference to the state or age of the moon. Are we really to understand that either her waxing or wauiug has no effect upon vegeta- tion? A fiiend of mine would fain persuade me that it is useless to be sowing or planting this week ;* and, when speaking last week of yom- nmn- ber for this month, remarked ' it is time enougli to get it for ten days to come, this being ' resting time' till the moon changes.' " Now, in answer to om- correspondent's broad ques- tion— " Has the moon's waxing or waning ?io effect upon vegetation ? " — ^we as broadly reply that we think it has. This opinion is founded upon the authority not only of all the oldest wiiters who have treated upon the subject, but upon that of some of the best of aU practical observers — om- foresters and No. XXVIIL, Vol, U. THE COTTAGE GABDENEE. Apiiii. woodsmen. You will fintl these agi-eeiug that trees are most aboimding %Tith sap near the full of the moon, imcl driest, or most free from sap, during her last quarter. Nor do we see any sound reason opposed to the opinion that the moon's attraction eauses tliis result of their e.^perienoe, for if the increased attraction of the moon when at the full is sufficient to cause an elevation of the waters, there is no good reason for expeotmg that that attraction should not influence the rise of fluids in the sap-vessels of plants. And the less inclination have we so to expect, since we Imow that it is a jirevalent opiiuon among physi- cians that the same attraction has a powerful influ- ence over the circulation in the human system.=i: Neither do we Imow that we shoidd argue against the opinion that, influenced by the same atti-action, other circumstances of temperatm'o and moistm'e being equal, plants grow faster during the increase of the moon than during its decrease. Nor do we think it improbable that Moses refeiTed to the facts that fruits are ripened by the sun, but that vegetable gi'owth is also influenced by the moon, when he speaks of " the precious things brought forth" by the one, and "the precious fi-uits brought forth" by the other." (Dent, xxxiii. 34). The same opinion is recorded in other ancient, and in many modern, works upon the cuJtm'e of plants, though we need only quote Palladius, who directs (De He Paistica ii. 22) that timber for build- ing should be felled dmung the moon's decrease; and the following extracts from the Oardmer's Ghwnide : — " The Tnimpet-ti-ee, Mahoe Bark-tree, and some others, are readily divested of their- bark when the moon is full ; but, when in the wane, the bark ad ■ heres tenaciously to the tree. The Sugar-cane has more sap and less saccharine matter at full moon than at any other time, and the phenomenon is called by the planters ' a spring in the cane.' " Another gentleman, wi-iting from Columbia, says, " In this countiy, trees and plants dming the increase of the moon are full of sap; at the decrease the sap de- scends. This is so well-established a fact, that timber felled at the increase is useless, rotting immediately. I have myself seen, in the Cauca, the groat bamboo, called Guadua, whose joints supply the piu'est water in the first quai-ter of the moon, perfectly diy after the full moon." On testimony such as we have referred to, we ground om- belief that the moon has an influence over the rise of the sap in plants, and, consequently, over their periods of gi'owth ; but our belief extends no fiu'ther. "VVe are well aware that numerous jias- sagps may be found both in Greek and Roman -writers on the cultivation of the soU, recommending sowing and planting to be performed at tunes coincident with the increase or the decrease of the moon, but, then, we * The very name of lunatic is derived from luna, the Latin for the moon, and was applied by our older men of medicine to express their opinion of that planet'H influence over mental disorder. also know that the same authors think that the ap- plication of manures, and even the most common acts of life, should be done with a similar regard to lunar influences. Even our own genuine old English wiiter, Tusser, says, in his " Five hundi'ed Points of Good Husbandry": — " Sow Pcason and fieans in the wane of the moon ; Who sowcth them sooner, he soweth too soon ; That they with the planet may rest and rise. And flourish with bearing most plentiful wise." But all this was but a portion of the creed of the superstitious of those days ; and the superstitious were the ma.)ority, for the majority were ignorant. Werenfels thus ridicules an example of these subjects of the moon : " He will not commit his seed to the earth when the soil,but when the moon, requii'es it; he will have his hair cut when the moon is in Leo (the Lion), that his locks may stare Hke this animal's mane; or when in Aries (the Ram), that they may ciul like its THE ERUIT-GAEDEN. Dtsbuddino Fruii-Trees. — We come now to a very pleasurable part of om- duty; for, in handling this subject, we are reminded that spring lia.s indeed arrived, and that om' leth,'pool). — You may continue to apply this to your hardy-flowering shrubs, such as Syringas, Lilacs, and Laburname, but we certainly do not advise its continued application to your pear-trees. (J. D., 'Bradford). — You may apply your house- sewage to your Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Shallots, Onions, Rhubarb, and Salad herbs, in trenches made between their rows, two or three times a week, as soon as they are growing well. Do not apply it to Peas and Beans, unless your ground is very poor, until they are m full blossom. Fruit-trees do not require it, and it is best applied in dull cloudy weather. Garden at Walworth (A Lawyer's Clerk).— Yon say you have done as follows, and you have acted wisely:—" Upon attempting to turn up the ground, I found a surface of about a foot of dense clay ; under this, two feet of black earth ; below, a strong loam, and then again stony gravel. The clay has bee» stripped on, and about the two-feet barrel-drain, communicating *vrith the main sewer. I have had a six-inch shaft brought up to the surface, to put in a drain from the paths. The south side is bounded by a twelve-feet wall, and the three other sides by a close paling of six feet. In the centre I have had a fish-pond dug (in which, I trust, some gold-fish will live); in the centre, eight feet wide and four feet six inches deep, mth a small fountain, supplied from the water-butt. The paths have been dug out, and are com- posed as foUowB :— six inches lime rubbish ; six inches large stones (sifted from gravel) ; and six inches of good gravel on top. Beyond this, nothing has been done ; and there is not a single plant in the ground yet. I now come to ask you what plants I ought to get, pre- ferring to have a few to grow well, than many sickly and dying ones." There is no objection to your planting limes and mountain ashes down the west side, but have nothing to do with standard apple- trees. In the autumn, get some pears on quince stocks, some plums on sloe stocks, and some cherries on mahalab stocks. They will keep quite dwarfs if properly managed, and will not overshadow your ground. If you wish for apples, get some on doucin stocks. All of them may be obtained from Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth. For your flower-borders, we have nothing to add to what we have already stated fully at p. 232. Plant raspberries, gooseberries, and currants, ronnd the edges of some of your oeds, and train them as espaliers. the Parish of St. Mary Kalendar ; and Published by William Somerville Oee, at the Office, 147, Strand, in the Parish of Saint Mary-le-Strand, London.— April 12tb, 1849. THE COTTAGE GARDENER, WEEKLY CALENDAR. " w Plants dedicated to Sun Sun lloon n. Moon's Clock Day of 10 D APRIL 19—25, 18i9. each day. Rises. Sets. and Sets. Age. bef. Sun. Year. Th. Alphege. Swallows first seen. Song-tlu-ush hatohes. Bear's GarKck IV. VII. 3 30 2(i 0 57 109 20 E. Spring Snowflake 5Ba4 2 a7 4 2 27 1 10 no 0] S. Sun's dec. 1 l-SS' N. Nightingalefirstheard. ■Cyprus Narcissus 53 4 4 30 1 23 111 9.9 Sun 2 Sun. aft. East. JeUy Noatoconlmvns. "Vtood Crowfoot 51 6 sets ® 1 35 112 OS M. St. George. Squirrel builds. iHarebell 49 7 7a48 1 1 47 113 34 Tu. Whinoliat first heard, [flj^t ^^^^^ ;Sloe 47 9 i) U 2 1 58 114 35 W. St. Mark. P«. Alice b. 1843. WhitethroatllEarly Tulip 45 11 2 9 115 Alphege was a student at Deerhurst Monastery, in Gloucester- shire, and after various gradations, between being a hermit at Bath to being Bishop of Winchester, he finally was Archbishop of Canter- bury at the time of being murdered by the Danes on this day in the year 1012. Greenwich claims the honour of being the place of his martyrdom. St. George. — It is but t St. George as the patron sa tory. Passing by the fable of his slaying the dragon, and all the other nonsense to be found in " The History of the Seven Champions," we find that George of Cappadocia, whilst a heathen, was so guilty of fraud that he was obliged to fly from the country of his guilt. Seeking refuge at Alexandria, and professing conversion to Christianity, he sided with the Arian sect, and eventually became bishop of that city. His avarice prompting him to plunder rather than to convert the ' ■ lengt] [ murdered by the populfi thus giving occasion for considering him as a martjT who ought to have died unpitied as a malefactor. In his early struggles to establish the Arian power at Alexandria, he had frequently accom- panied its victorious troops, and was on that account selected by the soldiers as their patron. When the English Crusaders reached Pales- tine, in 1096, they found St. George thus elevated .... ,.,...:, , ...._ ._..,_ .^ ^ e they adopted 1 th^ir tutelar saint, and his name as their war-cry. Bringing his legend with them back to England, he was by degrees selected to be the patron of the Order of the Garter, and the guardian of Eng- St. Mark, the Evangelist, is stated by Papias, a contemporary of the Apostles, to have been a disciple of St. Peter, and this is con- firmed by the apostle himself calling Mark, "my son." He was a nephew of Barnabas (Col. iv. 10), accompanied him to Cyprus (Acts XV. 37), and afterwards evangelized with Peter in Asia (1 Peter v. 13). According to some of the most trustworthy of Christian historians, Mark founded a church at Alexandria ; and died there about a.d. 62. Phe 'The ' In April a dove's flood Is worth a king's good.' This sketch shews the bea" after its skin has been stripped ofl', and the cotyledons a a, separated. These cotyledons contain the nutritive matters required for the support of the young plant, of which 6 repre- sents the germ, until it is en- abled to draw nourishment from the soil and air by its roots ind leaves. The upper part of the germ becomes the plumula, or young stem ; and the lower part of the germ becomes the radicle, or voung root. The annexed sketch represents a young plant ; in which n is the plumula, b the radicle, and c c the cotyledons, which have risen above the ground, enlarged and become what are termed the seed leaves.— Carpett^er's Veg. Phys. and Botany. Among the phenomena of the season one of the most interest- ing is the arrival of the swallow. The earliest day of its first ap- pearance, noticed by Mr. Jenyns during twenty years, was on the gth oif April, and the latest on the 26th of this month. We shall state, some day, why we attach much importance to the record of these natural events ; but shall at present say no more than that you may "sow kid- ney beans as soon as you have seen two swallows together." Mr. Payne, writing to us on the 7th instant, says, " The appear- ance of drone bees so early will astonish many persons ; it is what I have never even heard or read of, hut it is true, although by many it will be questioned. I saw them yesterday (Friday> April 6th,) in considerable num- bers ; I have also seen the small white butterfly, many days ear- lier than I ever saw it before." AP.:.. 1841. 1842. 1843. 1844. 1 1845. 1846. 1847. 1848. 19 Fine. Fine. Fine, Fine. Fine, Cloudy. Fine, Cloudy. Satt 58°— 32° 63°-26° 63°-41° 66°-42° ea'-se" 53°-34» 57°_27° 6l°— 36° te.u,. f^t% Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Showery. Fine. Rain. 70°-36° 67»— 45° 68°-36° 54°— 27° ?,^°"t° 54°-46° 60°— 43° 65°— 45° 70°— 38° 66°— 38° 57°-30° 23 Cloudy. Fine. Cloudy. Cloudy. Showery. 59°-26° 70°-39° 63°-31° 57°-37° 23 Rain. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Showery. 48° — 28° 75°— 37° 60°— 28° 71°-39° 72°-34° 24 Showery. 56°— 39° 75°-J7° Fine. fin°— 27° Fine. 71°— 31° Fine. 71°— 34° Showery. 57°— 34° 58°— 28° 50°— 39° 25 Fine. 1 Showery. Fine. Fine. Rain. 59°-52° 73°— 42° 56°— 34° 73°-33° fi7°_52° Insects —The Gray-streak Moth, or Rocket Tinea (Cerostema porrertella of some entomologists, but the Tinea porrectella, and T. hespei idellUt and the Ypsolopkus vittatus of others,) is shewn of its natural size and magnified in the annexed wood-engraving. The fore wings are very pale buff, with large curved marks on the inner margin, white, edged with ashy-black, and black patches at the end next the body ; hind wings pale brown. This moth appears in June and Au- gust, but its caterpillars may be now found feeding on the buds of the White Rocket. The caterpillars are small, green, with yellowish heads, and minutely dotted with black. These c of a fine web, draw the young leaves of the shoe gether, and feed upon the shelter they thus form. No. XXIX., Vof,. II. THE COTTAGE GABDENER. Gardenebs are provertially a long-Uved race ; and that thev should be so might have been aBticipated. for their employment in the open air, with the exer- cise and early hours it requires them to adopt, are conducive to longevity. Knight lived to be 80 years old, Martyn to be 90, Abercrombie, Miller, and Swit- zer,' 80. Spechley 86, and Dickson 84. But the ex- posure to the open air, an exposure not to he shrunk from during seasons the most inclement, whilst it is conducive to length of days, brings with it, also, di- seases which render the close of those days decrepid, painful, and incapable of useful effort. Among other acute diseases to which gardeners are particularly liable is rheumatism, the torturer and the disabler ; and it is so prevalent among them, that it might not be inaptly called " the gardener's scourge." It is to help those gardeners, disabled by such diseases and by old age, when even " the gi-asshopper shall be a burden," and " the dust, ere long, will return to the earth as it was," that we appeal to our readers tliis day. There is in London a society entitled " The Bene- volent Institution for the relief of aged and indigent Gardeners and their Widows,"— such a society as all Great Britain may be appropriately asked to aid; for no one exists whose senses have not been gi-ati- fied by the beauty, the fragi-ance, or the flavour' of some product of the skill of those whose old age that society helps to rescue from peuui-y and sorrow. The society is ably and economically conducted, and thirty-fom- poor gardeners, or theii- widows, are now receiving annuities from its funds, amounting yearly, as a whole, to .£500 ; " but the increasing number of applicants renders an appeal to the public necessary," and when our readers know that the smallest subscriptions will be acceptable, and that no one can he a candidate for assistance untO. sixty years of age, we think that many of them will contri- bute then- mites out of gratitude to those who have laboured to pi'omote an art from which they have derived so much pleasure, and certain as they may be that their benevolence will not be misapplied. The subscriber of a guinea annually is entitled to vote, either personally or by proxy, at the election of pensioners when vacancies occur ; but any smaller sums will be gladly received, and wiU be promptly acknowledged, by the secretary, Mr. E. U. Cutler, 97, Fan-ingdon-sti-eet, who will readily attend to any inquiries. In answer to one signing himself " One from the Lakes," wo answer that the Mistletoe may be pro- pagated easily by its seeds ; and we answer him thus prominently because we think it a subject of general interest, and that some of the infonnation we have to give is known to veiy few. We fear that the season for sowing the Mistletoe is Apbjl passed for this year, the best months for so doing being in February and March. If, however, any of the ben-ies of this parasitical plant are to be lound, the experiment may yet be tried. The mode of sow- ing is veiy simple. Make two cuts, in the shape of the letter V, on the iivder-side of the branch of an apple-ti'ee, where it is wished to establish the Mistle- toe. Make the cuts quite down to the wood of the branch ; raise the tongue of bark made by the cuts, but not so as to break it, and put irudemeath one or two seeds freshly squeezed from the Mistletoe beny. Let the tongue back into its place, and the process is completed. If the seed is good, it will soon send forth its two- leaved progeny, not unlike cueimiber plants when they first appear above the soil. They remain at- tached to the branch, and do not appear at all to injure the tree. We were instructed in tliis mode of Mistletoe-cul- ture by Mr. Weaver, the every-way praiseworthy gardener of the Warden of Winchester College ; and we will add some of his observations fi-om notes we made at the time, because they are extracts fi-om that volume whence, if read aright, no untniths can be obtained — the book of Nature. He shewed us plants of the Mistletoe of various ages wliich he had thus raised, and added that he had selected Febi-uai'y aud March as the sowing time, because he observed that the Mistle-thrush then began to feed upon the berries of the Mistletoe, from which it derives its specific name, and thus was the means of, at that season, depositing the seeds on the branches whei-e they ve- getated. Mr. Weaver opened the bark underneath the branch to receive his Mistletoe seed, not only because it was there preserved ft'om an accumulation of rain water, and was shaded from the sun, but be- cause he observed that the seeds deposited by the thrush floated in the excrement of the bird, and passed with it to beneath the branch. The Mistletoe is found in the gi-eatest abundance in the cider orchards of the West of England, and there alone, we believe, is it tin-ned to any uselid pm'pose. Mr. AVeaver says that it is gathered early in the spring, and the leaves andyoimg shoots, being boUed, are given to young lambs and pigs. It abounds with mucilage, or gummy matter, and is found to be very fattening. The Mistletoe may also be propagated by grafts, and it is said that it will succeed upon any tree. It is certainly found upon the pine in Gei-many, but we question very much whether it would live upon the walnut. It will gi'ow, yet witli ilifliculty, updu tlie oak, but it readily takes upon tlir ;ipiili\ }irar, ]mi|.1iu-, and willow. Our coadjutor, Mr. KriUnn, \Miliiig in 1837, says {Gard. Mag. ui. :i07, N. S.), the iir.sl weeks of May are best for grafting the Mistletoe, and that it should never be inserted less than five nor more than ten feet from the gi'ound. Make an incision in the bark, and insert into it a thin slice of Mistletoe, having a bud and one leaf at tlie end. Grafts larger than half an inch in diameter requu-e a notch to be cut out of the branch, the incision to receive the scion April THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 23 being made below this notch, and a shoulder left on the scion to rest on the notch, as in crown-grafting. Budding the Mistletoe may also be practised in the middle of May. Mr. Beaton says it is only a modifi- cation of grafting, a heel of wood being retained be- low the bud for insertion. Owing to a packet of letters being mis-sent, we re- gret that several con-espondents must remain unan- swered imtil next week, who ought to have received replies in the present number. THE FEUIT-GARDEN. The Depkedations of Birds. — We cannot offer more seasonable advice than to keep a watchful eye on the blossom-buds of fi'uit-trees in general, more especially the cherry-trees ; for fi'equently we have had our trees stripped by a host of tomtits and buMnches. Many plans have been proposed and practised ; some based on tbe principle of destroying the birds ; some by scaring them away ; and others by decoying them in another du'ection. As to their destruction, the gun is sometimes put in requisition, but this is a dangerous weapon amongst fi'uit-trees, and must be used with great caution ; for the wounds occa- sioned by gun-shot on the stems of ft-uit-trees are very prejudicial, and not unfrequently engender can- ker. The infliction of such wounds cau scarcely be avoided, for these birds, when soared by the noise of a footstep, generally settle on some fruit-tree or bush. Poison has been frequently used for their des- truction ; this, too, is a course that few like to resort to in a garden where the favourite dogs or cats, or even the fowls, to say nothing of om- own species, frequently resort. The tops of garden walls seem to present the best battle-field for destroying them ; for to these they might be decoyed by daily placing there a tew radish or any other seeds, of wliich they are fond, in a germinating state, and shooting or entrap- ping them in this situation. Here, too, the dneotion to shoot cannot possibly lead to accident; for we have known a case or two, in our day, in wliich persons have been shot in the face, or otherwise, when suddenly turning the corner of a hedge or wall. Speaking of traps, the common ii'on, or, as it is usually called, " steel trap," is a capital engine of destruction, especially to blackbu-ds and thi'ostles. These may be purchased for about nine-pence each ; and a dozen set on the garden walls, if well attended to for one summer, would go far towards the exter- mination of these fruit-devoiu-ers. We must, how- ever, confess that it is far from being the most humane mode of carrying out the object in view, and that we have never set an iron trap for bii-ds without feeling a secret pain. What, then, is to be done? If they were not kept under by various means, there is little doubt that they would soon become so abun- dant as to consume nearly all the food in the kingdom. We grow a considerable amount of straw- berries, aud we generally gather at least two bushels for preserving purposes ; but this is nothing to what the birds desU'oy. There is little doubt that some forty per cent, of all our strawberries and bush fruit is consumed annually by the birds, in spite of all our precautions. We, however, live (in Cheshire) on the edge of a forest where, in the fir plantations, the birds breed by thousands ; and from which plantations they emerge in flocks as Midsummer approaches. The best part of the desti-oying plan is, neverthe less, to keep a vigOant look out after their nests ; aud to offer premiums for their eggs, after the manner of wasps. Prevention is, indeed, much "better than cm'e ;" and this mode we would fain impress on the minds of our readers, not as merely the business of one season, but to be pursued annually, as the seasons come round. Now, this maxim applies to the smaller birds, as well as the blackbird and thrush. It is all vei-y well to talk of the mellifluous notes of the latter birds ; no one enjoys them more than we do ; nevertheless, a few luscious cherries and strawben-ies, during a burning July sun, are equally refreshing to the palate as the liquid notes of the blackbird, or the measured and varied notes of the throstle. ScARiNO Birds. — Here, again, many plans offer, and each, perhaps, possessing its share of merit ; the adopting either the one or the other, or a combina- tion, must be entirely ruled by circimistances. In tliis part of the country, the good folks who possess a fine May-duke cherry or two, from which they annually realize a nice little profit, are in the habit of afiixing a miniature windmill, the sails of which are some- times represented by a very warlike looking charac- ter, who carries a sword in each hand. These are brandished t.j and fro with the utmost dexterity, by every puff of wind. Such prove pretty efficient for some time, but, like most of the scarecrow family, their novelty and their terrors vanish together, and, not unfrequently, the powder-flask and shot-bag steps in to their assistance. Much the same may be said of stuffed figm-es, of fierce looking personages posted in cheiTy or other trees. We have frequently seen birds take up a position on the very shoulders of one of these belligerent looking chai-acters. Here, again, the gun frequently comes to the rescue. Perhaps the best of the scare-away family, after all, are the suspended threads of worsted, or string, of certain colours, about the object to be preserved. Birds, somehow, possess a sort of instinctive dread of every thing wliich looks like an entrapment. There seems to be some difference of opinion as to the coloui- of this article ; some say white, others contend for red. It is not improbable that a combi- nation of the two would be most efficient. We can- not, however, speak conclusively as to this point ; we have found the white of much service, and the whole thing requires and deserves a much farther trial; let us hope that our amateur friends wiU do the public a service by testing and making them known. The pages of The Cottage Gardener, at least, wiU always be open to well-attested information of the Idud. Another very old plan belonging to this class, is to drive in stakes at an angle of about 45°, and sus- pend a string from the point, from which dangles two pieces of glass, which are so close as to chink with every puff of wind. Some persons suspend a potato or tm-nip with a feather or two stuck in, making a sort of hobgoblin bird. These we have found tolerably efficient over beds of small see. Is, provided they are not placed until the seeds are just emerjiing from the soil. Another and simple mode we may add here, and that is, the layuig very branchy brushwood over the object to be guarded. This we have often tried with sinall seeds, but its appliance to fruit-trees is somewhat difficult. Under the dwarf- ing system, nevertheless, large boughs, or branches, full of spray, might be made to simound the object. The last sti-atagem we wUl name is what we may term the decoying system : this is not in very com- THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. April moil practice. It consists in placing tempting food, of any kind, in another portion of the gai-den from which the ohjeots stand for which the protection is desu-ed. We have found this mode to answer pretty well ; but one dilficulty meets us at the outset, viz., what material will be at once more tempting and yet sufiiciently economical ? It frequently happens that a few of the last year's seeds, such as radishes, cab- bages, brocolis, &c., of wliich the bu-ds are known to be extremely fond, remain in the seed-papers, not having been wanted. Such are too stale to be relied on for a crop ; and if soaked in warm water for a few hom-s, and then taken out, and set in a damp place, many of them will germinate : these, then, may be sprinkled in patches, as decoys, in a sprouting state. This we have frequently done, and they have, in general, answered the pui-pose intended. Last of all, we need scarcely remind oui- readers of the utility of a good noisy clapper, This, indeed, in the hands of a vigilant boy or girl, is fairly worth all the others together. The drawback of expense, how- ever, tells sadly against this practice ; and we fear it can hardly be adopted in gardens on a very small scale. It requires, moreover, to be handled very early in the morning. Many of these rogues per- form the greatest depredations soon after daylight. The common bulfinch is the greatest enemy to fi-uit blossoms of any of our ordinary birds ; and we ai-e not aware that it has any redeeming qualities worthy of notice. Be that as it may, the merits of the bul- finch, if any, are dearly paid for, by the loss, perhaps, of one-half our blossom-buds. Every pains, there- fore, should be taken, during the nest season, to hunt for and destroy theii- eggs ; more especially as their destructive properties are not confined to the fi-uit- garden. Ow worthy coadjutor, Mr. Barnes, can, no doubt, bear testimony to their voracious powers amongst our gai-den crops, particularly the cauliflower, brocoU, and cabbage families. Routine Woek. — As miscellaneous matters appro- priate to the season, we would remind both amateur and cottager of the necessity of seeing that all newly- planted trees are well staked and mulched ; especially standard trees, as to the staking. It is astonishing how much damage occm-s to the young fibrous roots thi'ough " wind waving;" not only ai-e they destroyed as soon as formed, or seriously bruised, but a hole or socket is fomied ai'ound the stem, which, in reten- tive soils, becomes a puddled dish of water, that in a cold and stoi-my spring prevents the emission of those luxmiant fibres from the main stem, wliioh soon, under proper encouragement, overtake the older roots : these, through transplantation, have become con- stricted, or, in technical phraseology, " hide bound." These evils provided against, and a good mulching applied, the trees wiU be found to make the most rajpid progi-ess, provided due attention has been paid to our former advices concerning the prepai'ation of the stations. Wateeing. — Spring, with aU its usual concomitants of fitful, wet and dry periods, so peculiar to oui- Bri- tish clime, having arrived, it becomes the ardent cultivator to be prepared to meet the emergencies of a period of drought. The extreme one of wet we have ah-eady endeavoured to provide for, Be it known, therefore, that under the dwai-fing or plat- form system, trees become by far more sensitive to atmosplieric changes of this description. The op- ponents of these plans, for jJromoting a much earlier fi'uitfulness, wiH, no doubt, urge that such ai-tistic modes only entail additional labom-. Be it so. We do not see why advances in tins matter should not be exposed to prejudice, as well as in all other com-ses which shake the foimdations of that venerable old lady, "prescription." Whilst tlie pillars that support the throne of mighty monarchs shake to their very foundation in these investigating days, why should lier's remain " firm as Ailsa rock ? " Watering, then, if productive of benefit under the old system, is still more so with regard to the one we propound in these pages. The amateur wUl, of com-se, secm-e this point: once recognizing a sound principle, let us steadily and unfliucliingly cany it out. The word " trouble " must be expunged from the dictionary of those who are determined to excel. As to the cot- tager, we hope that white he is digging for his swede tuniips in his over-hom"S, that his children will be taught betimes to cany the water-pot and to paU out the weeds. Such a com-se wUl not only be an im- mediate benefit to the family, but it will tend to pro- duce an industiious race, and to impress upon them the lesson that the futm'e must not be forgotten whilst the present is being cai-ed for. E. Ebbingion. THE TLOWEE-GAEDEN. Latino out a Gabden foe Floeist Flowees. — This is the concluding paper on laying out gardens. Now, in order fully to express what we conceive a florist, whether amatem- or cottager, ought to have and to do, if he enters with aU his heart into the cidture of those eminently beautiful flowers, we shall suppose the garden destined for theu- culture to be a plot of gi-ound without ai\ything on it. A tolerably good fence should suiTOund it, — a wall five or six feet high would be the best. Should the ground be tm-f, let it be pared off, and laid up neatly in a long heap to decay and mellow ; this will be invaluable as a prin- cipal ingi-edient in composts for futm'e use. Aspect. — If you have your choice of aspect, let the ground be rather sloping, facing the south-east, and the situation should not be low ; for in such low- lying places the late fi-osts of spring, and the early ones of autumn, wordd be most injmlous, and often destructive to such plants as are then in bloom. For instance, we have often seen dahlias completely cut by autumnal fi'ost. even so eaily as September, in low situations, whilst on a moderate elevation they were fresh and blooming. The reason of this is easDy explicable, for it is well known that cold au is heavier than warm air; during the day the sim warms the an- in the valley, and, as soon as his power is departed in the afternoon, the colder, and, there- fore, hea^'ier, an- on the hiUs slides or settles down into the valley, displacing the warm an-, which, on account of its lightness, rises into the higher regions of the atmosphere. Now, if the heat of tlus colder and heavier air be below 32°, the plants exposed to it, that are too tender to bear a smgle degi-ee of fi-ost, consequently sufier sooner than those on the liigher and warmer gi-ounds. If, therefore, you can chooso the situation, let it be of a moderate elevation. On the other hand, we would not advise you to choose a plot of gi-ound for the culture of florists' flowers on the top of a high liiU ; tlus would be nearly as bad os the low one. Exti-emes either way ought to he as much as possible avoided. Should you be so mifor- tunately situated that you have no choice, you must exercise yom- skill and forethought to preserve your flowers from the injmy they are liable to in conse- quence of being in either exti'eme of situation. Fm-nUiirc of the Garden. — Having considered the THE COTTAGE GAKDENER. aspect and situation of tlie iilot of ground, we wiJl now proceed to notice and describe the things neces- saiy for a florist's garden. They are, 1. Pits, fi'ames, and hand-lights, including a forcing-pit. 2. Stages for amiculas, polyantlmses, carnations, and piootees. 3. A rose plantation. i. A tuUp bed. 5. A ranunculus bed. G. Beds for verbenas, pansies, pinks, and dahlias. 7. Awnings and other shelters. 8. Potting-shed, bench, and tool-house. 9. Arbour. 10. Compost-yard. Plotting out the Ground. — The situation and size of each of these requisites having been duly con- sidered, put stakes down to denote the different places where they are to be. The pits and frames should be in the best-sheltered part of the garden, open to the south, and protected from the north-east and west winds by either the walls or evergi'een hedges planted for that pui-pose ; the stages for auri- culas, &o., should be on the west side of the garden, facing the morning sun ; the arboiu- may be on the east side, and the tool-house and potting-shed behind, or on the north side of it ; the compost-yard should be on the same side, down to the north boundary ; a compost-yard being rather unsightly, plant a hedge of some kind to hide it — beech or hornbeam are good for this purj^ose. Having staked out these main things, then form your walks, so as to be convenient for each place above mentioned ; let the gi-avel be close to the walls of the pits. The rest of the ground should be laid out in beds, so proportioned in size as to hold the different kinds of flowers you intend to cultivate : dahlias and roses will occupy the largest portion; the beds of tulips and ranunculuses should be in the most open and airy part, but sheltered from the cold and windy aspects. The awning mentioned as a necessary requisite is intended to shade these beds, and the stage when the plants are in flower on it, from the rays of the sun, and from wind, frost, and rain. EosEs FOE Bedding. — ^We have often been sui-- prised at the demand for flowers for bedding ptu-- poses, that is, for flowers of distinct coloius, of one kind, for each bed. "Anything neiv for bedding?" is the peiqietually recurring inquiry. Every nursery- man that has customers for plants for this pm-pose is often puzzled how to supply novelties ; many things have, in consequence, been recommendecl, and made use of for one season, that have utterly failed to please, either on acooimt of the fewness of then- flowers, or the want of decided colours, or a succession of bloom. The passion for such new things has in some degree prevented the use of others of decided merit, and of none more so than the flower with which we have headed this paragraph. ■We have had some inquiries as to what ai-e the best roses for beddiug-out purposes, and shall endeavour to give a few names, with their colom-s and seasons of flowering ; a list, we hope, that will be useful to others as well as to om- correspondents. The rose, by reason of its beauty, clear colom-s, fi-agrance, fine bright foliage, and capability of taking any form, either upright or prostrate, renders it pe- culiarly well adapted to plant in masses of one colom- and one kind in each bed. Roses are classed first into two gi'and divisions, summer blooming and autumn blooming ; these ai-e agahi divided into several sections. We wUl just give the names of each. 1st Orand Division. — Summer roses, flowering ft'om May to July. Sections: — 1, Provence; 2, Moss; 'A, Damask ; 4, Alba (white) ; 5, GaUica (French) ; 0, Hybrid Provence ; 7, Hybrids of Chinese, Boirrbon and Noisette ; 8, Scotch Roses ; 9, Austrian ; 10, Sweet-brier. 'ind Orand Division. — Autumnal roses, flowering from July to November. Sections : — 1, Perpetual Moss; 2, Pei-petual Scotch; 3, Damask Perpetual; 4, Hybrid Pei-petual; 5, Bourbon; 6, Noisettes; 7, China, or Monthly Roses ; 8, Tea-soented China. Some readers wiU no doubt be surprised that there are so many classes of these beautiful flowers ; yet there is good reason for thus dividing them, as it enables collectors to choose such as will suit their various wants and purposes, and to select them also to bloom at any particular time of the year those flowers may be wanted. Roses suitable for beds are kept in pots by most nurserymen, and, therefore, can be had at the time the beds are ready for them. The seventh and eighth sections of the autumnal roses are the China (Rosa indica) ; this group contains the greatest num- ber of kinds for the purpose. Below is a select list from this section, and we shall, ft-om time to time, continue to give such selections from each group as are, in our judgment, the best to plant in the flower- CHINA ROSES SUITABLE FOR BEDDING IN GROUPS. TrAi7e.— Madame Plantier (Hybrid China) ; Mrs. Bosanquet ; Ca- mellia blanc ; Duchess of Kent. Yellow.— 3 xiine (Tea-scented China) ; Eliza Sauvaje (ditto). Bose-coloured. — Adam ; Madame Goubalt. Red and Scarlet. — Fabvier ; Baronne Delaage, Crimson. — Fulgens ; William Jesse. Dark Crimson. — Cramoisie superieure. Routine Management. — After heavy rains the soil in the beds and borders of the flower-garden wiU be hard and chapped; when it is so, stir the surface with a rake, breaJdng the lumps ; be careful, however, not to distui'b newly sown annuals. Roll and mow lawns. Keep a good look out for the apliides, and destroy them with tobacco-water, or sprinkle them with Scotch snuff. Smoke your pits and frames ft-equently with tobacco. Attend to creepers, and train in young shoots before they become entangled. Roll gravel walks frequently, especially those lately made. Ever- greens may yet be planted, but use puddle, and water freely in dry weather. FLORISTS' FLOWERS. Carnations and Picotees. — These should be finished potting, and may now be placed on the stage to bloom. Stfr the surface of the soil in the pots frequently. Let them have the benefit of gentle showers, but protect them from heavy beating rains and sleet, which may yet occur. Pinks. — These lovely, fragrant flowers should now be strong, healthy, and beginning to throw up their flower stems. They require some attention to keep the soil in the bed open and friable. Have a small Dutch hoe, and stir the surface with it fre- quently : this will destroy all weeds, and refresh the plants much. Pansies. — The same treatment is_ requisite for this favourite : some of them will be in flower, and should be protected from heavy rains. This plant sometimes takes a fit of disease, and dies off suddenly at the root, whilst, for a time, the top appears ft'esh and growing. When you observe this, piiU up the plant dfrectly, remove the soil, and put in a healthy plant. If the kind is scarce with you, put in tops of 26 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. APBIL the diseased plant as cuttings, fii-st cutting away all the sickly part of the stems. Place the cuttings in a sandy soil, under a hand-glass, in a shady pai't of the gai'den : they will make tine plants, and will flower in the autumn. Auricula and Polyanthus. — Such as are in flower should he removed to a cool shady situation, but still to he protected from wet : this wiU prolong the flow- ering season considerably. Amateurs desii'ous of purchasing will do well to visit the gardens of the dealers, and choose such kinds, whilst they are in flower, as may suit them. T. Appleby. GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW GARDENING. Heaths. — It is an old and ti-ite adage that some have achieved greatness, and others have greatness tlu'ust upon them. This letter is a practical illustra- tion of the latter part of this proverb, for when I engaged to \vi-ite these popular- essays on window and greenhouse plants for The Cottage Gardener, I had no more idea that I should be called on to fur- lusb one on the cultivation of heaths, than I have at this moment of running ofl' to California in search of gold. But so it is, and thus " gi-eatness is thrust upon me," as, without any doubt, to grow heaths well is the very highest branch of practical garden- ing in our day. Yes, to grow such specimens of heaths as are now entered for competition round London, is the highest ambition of om- best garden- ers, who have long studied the nature of plants, and the power of cultivation over then- wUd natm-es. Therefore, unless the eye and the hands have had a certain amount of previous training in the art and mysteries of cultivation, it is as certain as a mathe- matical axiom, that the tyro in heath cultivation win fail in his first few attempts. Hence my resolve not to broach the subject till after I had traced the whole circle of the catalogue, supposing that that could be done in the compass of a single hfetime. Consequently, should any of our kind readers be tempted to begin heath growing from any thing that I may say, recommend, or suggest, and afterwards burns his fingers in the process, i hold myself ex- empt from all blame on that score. From incidents of early childhood, I know that heaths and superstition grow very well together, and would lead one, if credulous and believing in second- sight, to prognosticate that many unlucky readers ^vlll fail in their first attempts to cultivate these plants ; and the omen is this :— the week before last, I wrote a long letter on heaths, which was lost by some misconduct of the post-office ; and that is a certain sign of bad luck to begin with among the heather, for that is our Scotch name for the heath. If I had my way, I woidd purush the whole race about the post-office, by compellmg them to change their names, and assume that of McDonald, and then wear the badge of that loyal clan, which is a bunch of heather. Now, having so easily got rid of all reponsibiUty respecting these heaths, let me give you a quotation, which goes a long way to shew you what kind of plants they are, for it tickled my fancy very much the first time I read it. " Erica (or heath) is one of the most extensive and beautiful genera known in the vegetable kingdom * =1= * exhibiting a surprising diversity in their flowers, in wluch their great beauty resides. The ricliness of colom', the elegance and variety of form, the deUcacy of texture, or the minute microscopic perfection of their coroUa (flower), are such as no words can describe. Lovely as even om- wild moorland heaths are, they rank among the lowest in point of beauty in this extraordinary genus, in which all the hues of red, pink, and pui-ple vie with each other in the most brilliant mamier, assuming every tint but blue, and fading into the purest and most ti-ansparent white. Some of the species have the corolla as much as two inches long, in some it is not bigger than a peppercorn ; in some it is long and slender, in others inflated like a flask, or dilated like a vase of the purest form, or as round as an ah- bubble ; and there ai-e many iu which it is split almost to its base, and immersed in a calyx (cup encircling the flower), of which the tex- ture and colour are even more brilliant than its ovra. Here, we have a species the surface of whose coroUa rivals in evenness and polish the finest porcelain ; there, another appears covered all over with hairs, exuding a glutinous secretion, which glitters upon its sides like solid crystals ; and some, again, have their colours so dimmed by a loose shaggy coat, that theh- real tint can hardly be ascertained. There are even some in wliich the corolla assumes the very colour of the leaves, only clearer, brighter, and richer." This beautiful and highly-wrought description, although the best ever written on the subject, falls short of the reality. It is from the pen of Dr. Lindley, under the head of " Erica," in the Penny Cyclopaedia — erica being the scientific name for the heath genus, and is a transformation of the Greek word ereiho, to break, as the heath is as brittle as glass. Many country gardeners make a sad mess of this name, by accenting the e instead of the i. Hear also what the late Mr. Loudon said on the beauty and elegance of the heath. " Of what other genus can it be said that every species, without excep- tion, is beautiful throughout the year, and at every period of its growth ? in flower, or out of flower, and of every size and age? Suppose an individual had the penance imposed upon him of being forbidden to cul- tivate more than one genus of ornamental plants, is there a genus that he could make choice of at all to be compared to erica? Perpetually gTeeu, perpetually in flower, of aU colours, of all sizes, and of many shapes." May The Cottage Gardener, therefore, witbout at first intending it, be the means of ex- tending the cultivation of tliis, one of the most elegant families of plants. Notwithstanding all this diversity of form and colour iu their flowers, and although there are between three and four hundred kinds of heaths iu England, they have all such a close family resem- blance, that if you know but one or two sorts, you may readily recognise all the rest at fii-st sight. Greenhouse heaths are natives of the Cape of Good Hope ; and although you may have heard from some pedantic ti-aveller, that " if you wish to see heaths in perfection, you must go (Uke him) to the Cape," they are of aU plants the most miserable and half-starved- looking iu their own counti-}', when compared witli those under EngUsh cultivation. Nevertheless, it is hardly fifteen years since the best specimens of them, brought for competition to Loudon, were not much better looking than those iu the wilds of our Cape Colony. Scotland took the lead iu gi-owing heaths, and kept it for a quarter of a century. Mr. M'Nab, the late lamented curator of the Edinburgh Botanic Garden, was the father of heath-growijig in this kingdom ; for I lived next door to him when he stood alone in that department, and I have seen every heath that was exlubited for competition iu London for the last fifteen years. Mr. M'Nab wrote a pam- ArRH THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 27 phlet on their management — the best practical trea- tise on any subject in our language. It appeared, I believe, in 18:32, and gave a great stimulus to heath- growing, which, added to the liberal I'ewards ofi'ered by the London Horticultural Society, brought the cultivation of heaths, in ten or a dozen years, to actual perfection. Yon may now see scores of heaths on the exhibition-tables worth ten guineas apiece, and some of them so large that two strong men can hardly lift one of them off from the gi'ound ; and we have no plants that can at all vie with them in beauty. No wonder, therefore, that they are such universal favourites with those who can afford to keep a greenhouse and a pit or two ; for to groiv heaths in windows, or keep them in close living rooms, is altogether out of the question. They wUi not even associate well with soft-wooded plants in a good greenhouse, after they are thi-ee years old ; and before they reach that age they should never be seen in a gi-eenhouse, but in dry turf pits, all by them- selves, where they require no fire-heat, for this, at all stages of their existence, is more or less disagree- able to them. None but professional propagators can multiply them by slips or cuttings in anything like reasonable time, and to rear them fi'om seeds is one of the most difficult manipulations in our craft ; therefore. I need say no more at present on these two heads. Fortunately, however, they are amongst the cheapest plants that are sold, if we take into con- sideration the time and trouble necessary to bring them to a marketable state, for I saw them advertised last week, by the hundred, at a shilling each. After all that has been sung and said to the con- ' trary, there is no real difficulty in growing them if the proper soil can be obtained for them. In many parts of England no real peat for heaths can be met with. The nearest to us (at Shrubland Park,) is at Epping Forest, 60 miles off; but we get it down by the railway very reasonable, and it is become a re- gular branch of business to supply sacks of the " real stuff" from the London nm'series to all parts of the country. In London they use silver sand to mix with their peat ; and for very young heaths they make this mixture, like their beverage " half and half;" and as the little things get out of their nursing-pots they receive less sand at every potting till they are stout enough to ti'avel down the country by railway, when they have, or should have, one-third sand and two- thirds peat as their proper compost, and that is about the best proportions for future pottings ; but some peat is more sandy than others, so that a specific quantity of sand, although absolutely necessary for tlie health of the plants, is not to be relied on fi-om print. Silver sand is not at all necessary, except, perhaps, for the nursing stages ; rough gritty sand, if well washed till eveiy particle of earthy matter is got rid of, is more safe than silver sand, as it keeps the peat more open ; but, like medical prescriptions, there is a good deal of prejudice about this point; therefore, whichever you think the best sand is sure to be the best, and if you use it liberally, and never sift your peat, we shall not cast out by splitting straws. Now, the safest way to try yom- hand at heath- gi'owiug is this : ask the nearest respectable nursery- man to show you what remains of those he had down from London last October. If he does not propa- gate them himself, have nothing to do with older plants. Then inqiure if, by taking so many of them, he will insure you that some one or two out of the lot win be in bloom till next Christmas, or some stated period. This being settled, offer him so much a head for them all round, bearing in mind that he cannot well part with tolerable good ones that would make a good succession under a guinea per dozen. If you higgle much, he will probably throw out a bait, and offer you some uiferior sorts at 18s. or even \:)s. a dozen ; and if you jump at this, you will be hooked as sure as Abdel Ivader. and my advice will be thrown overboard. If this takes place before the middle of May, the jjlants may not liave been yet potted this season ; for it is not a good plan to pot heaths early, and the reason is that their roots being so very fine and delicate are peculiarly liable to be somewhat in- jured in getting over the winter; and, unless fresh roots are formed to be ready to seize on the fresli peat, it would be dangerous to re-pot them till early in May, when a fresh set of roots would be sure to be ready, open-mouthed for increased pasture. Now, whatever you may have to pay for your heaths, do not take them home unless they have been fresh potted and fully established in the new peat ; and that you may easily know by turning one or two out of the pot ; and I should not consider them past all danger till the roots could just be perceived peeping out through the fresh ball, because the first two or three weeks with them after potting is the same as teething-time with childi-eu. We shall now suppose that yon have your new heaths sent home in the condition insisted on, and the very first thing you will have to do to them is to double-pot every one of them. There is not a single plant in cultivation for which double-potting is more essential in summer than the heath. A pit would be the best place to put them in ; but, whether pit or gi-eenhouse, let them have plenty of air, and shade them in the middle of the day for the first fortnight or so, till they get well accustomed to the change. This brings us to the end of May. In June, July, and August, young heaths like yours, and indeed all heaths not in flower, had much better stand out of doors, but still in double pots, especially young heaths ; and this double potting will enable you to place them full in the sun, if you had the lights drawn off from them occasionally before they left the pit. But, to make sure against a sudden check, place them for the first fortnight in a shady situation, and after that they are much better in the full sun, as then- roots cannot take any hurt if they are witliin two pots. Some people plunge the pots in sand or coal-ashes to preserve the roots fi'om the effects of scorching sun, but I cannot recommend such inju- dicious treatment. I would prefer keeping them in a north or shady aspect all summer than in this way of plunging them ; because, after heavy rain, the roots would suffer fi-om too much damp, and, although they require a regular supply of water and plenty of it, they will not bear stagnation at the roots with im- punity. The only objection to a north or shady aspect is, that after the turn of the season, when the nights begin to lengthen and heavy dews prevaQ, the heaths so placed make their growth more rapid than their share of sun-light will ripen properly ; and, by the autumnal equinox, when it is time to put them under glass, they would be so fresh and full of un ripened wood, that no one but an experienced hand could carry them through the winter safely. To prevent their running up with long naked stems, it is a good plan to nip off the tops of all the leading shoots several times through the growing season, and every heath should have a regular prun- ing once a year, "that is, when they are going out of bloom. A pair of sharp scissors is better than a knife for this purpose. The first part of the pruning business is to cut out aU the dead flowers ; and when THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. Arr.ir. these are borne on^ slender twigs, you may cutoff such twigs to within two or three inches of the urin- cipal branches, also any dead leaves or shoots. When this annual pruning takes place early in the summer, the sti-ong side branches and aU tops are cut in more or less, and the whole plant re-an'anged with stakes, and neat t\'ing. so as to form a regular head; the branches being opened out a little, to allow a fi'ee ventilation among the foliage, also that the lishtmay reach all parts of the plant, and prevent the decay of leaves and twigs in the centre. But. in all this han- dling, recollect the name means brittle, and the branches wiU not endure pulling about much. Au- tumn-ilowering heaths are dressed iu spring, and ordy the dead flowers and leaves are to be cut out after the end of .Tidy, for much stopping, or nipping, after that time would only encourage the gi-owth of more young wood than could be ripened. "With the usual routine of watering:, weeding the pots, tui'ning the plants round from time to time, tying xvp strag- gling shoots, and guardinff affainst heavy winds, we shall suppose it now the middle of September. It is always dangeroiis to leave them out after this time, but they should not be nut into a greenhouse so early if a pit is at hand. We often have fine weather after the first frost which cuts un the dahlias, and the glass may then be drawn off the heaths all day long, and abundance of air left on at night, thus, in effect, lengthening out to them the summer season. November and December are the ti-ying months for heaths. Those in a greenhouse must have a little fire heat occasionally, to expel damp : but tliere must be air admitted to the house whilst the fire is going ; and in frosty weather, all the heat that they require is just to keep the fi'ost out. Some gardeners do not mind if a few degrees of frost get at their heaths, but any heath that has its flower-buds formed for next season will nm a hard risk of having them killed, al- though the plant itself may not sustain much injury. Indeed, I have seen Cape heaths, as tail as a man and bushy as a juniper, stand in open ground in the Edinburffh Botanical Garden, with six inches of snow and a smart frost upon them, without being in the least injured ; yet I never can bring myself to permit fi-ost in a heathery. For young heaths, a good dry tiu'f pit is a far better place than a greenhouse in winter, and with apower- ful covering you may keep out vmy frost likely to happen in England. From October to Februaiy very little water will do for heaths : I have had them a month without a single drop. It is a good plan, when they do want water, to fix on a flue day, and take them all out of the pit, and water each pot ac- cording to its need. Scrape off the sra-face of the coal-ashes on which they stood, and add some dry ashes ; clean the glass, rafters, and sides of the pit, and when aU is dry again, and the pots well dr.ained, return them- to the pit. This woidd bo of immense use to them three or four times during the winter ; but we shall have time enough to talk of that, and of their spring management, and of that which is the greatest experiment of all — your first attempt at pot- ting them. D. Be.\ton. THE KITCHEN-GAEDEN. SnocEssiONAi. Chops. — Hoe and earth up caiiU- floivers, applying manm-e water liberally to the earliest and strongest, and plant out successional small crops of them. Prick out also from the seed bed, and sow occasionally, a pinch of cabbage, lettuce, and spinach seed, as well as of the small early varie- ties of turnip, for successional crops. Lettuce — This ve(?etable succeeds best, fi-om this time unto August, if it is not ti'ansplanted. Our practice is to sow thinly in cbills, and to thin out the plants to the desired distance, by which means we succeed in obtaining fine lettuce aU thi-ough the heat of summer, and they are not so inclined to start for seed as those that are ti-ansplanted fi-om the seed bed. A few successional crops of hrocoU and cauli- flnwers may also be sri'own in the same way vei-y advantafreously throughout the summer months. Sow them tliinly m drills on well prepared gi'ound, and tliin out at the proper time to the distance desired. Sprtnq-sown Crops. — Carrots, onions, parsnips, parslei/, and other spring-sown crops, now up in diTlls, should fli-st have the surface of the earth loosened on some fine day, by drawing the rake carefully the cross way of the di-iUs, and this should be followed up soon afterwards by shallow surface hoeing, which, as the plants advance and gain sti-ength, must be increased to a greater depth. SoABLET EnNNEBS, — It wiU be found a veiy ad- vantageous plan to place such as have been sowii for ti'ansplanting in shallow ti'enches. which not only protect them fi'om cold cutting winds, but is conve- nient for any temporal^ covering tliat may be re- quired at night, as well as for watering dm-ing the diy season. Dwarf Iridney heans, which are also tender plants and easily injured by cutting winds, may be treated advantageously in the same way. Routine Wobk. — Trench up, without delay, all spare plots of ground where borecole, early coleuort, and hrocoli were gi-owu, ti-enching in all refuse tliat is not fit for the cow, pig, or poulb-y. The cucumber ridge should be fonned, and into this any old hard stumps, or other similar refuse, may be advan- tageously placed to decay, if not needed for chamng pm-poses. Sow in succession, for salads, mustard and cress, turnip and short-topped salmon radishes, as well as iHtuoe; and if the last crop o{red beef is not ah-eady sown, the iiresent is a good season for sowing it. Moderate fermenting beds may also now be made for successional melons and cucumbers, and the linings around those where the fi-uit is beginning to swell off should be attended to by adding fresh dung. Admit an- freely. Take cai-e to place the fi'uit in- tended to be saved on a piece of slate, glass, or any- thing of that kind, to keep them clean and help them to swell off evenly. Melons are never so liable to crack if the blossom end of the fruit is pointed towards the north. James Babnes. MISCELLANEOUS IKPOKMATION. MY FLOWERS. fNo. 25.) DuBiNG this soft and genial month, the tenderer sort of annuals may be sown in the open borders. They will not do well in cold situations, so that it is better to avoid disappointment by not attempting to raise them, for I know, by frequent experience, how disheartening it is to see our little charges dwindling and drooping round us. The most beautiful annual is certainly the China-aster. Its riclmess and variety of colour, the showiness of its form, and its autinnnal bloom, make it very desirable in every garden ; and even in mine, when self-sown, it has succeeded tole- rably well; but spring-sowing has never produced fine flowers, and I sboidd recommend ladies, whose gardens are chilly and late, to try whether autuuni- Apeil THE COTTAGE GARDENER sowing would not answer well. Entire beds of these glowing annuals look splendid; in fact, they lose much of their beauty when sown in small patches ; yet they may be put in wherever vacant spaces occur, for we can scarcely have too many. They grow richly sometimes in cottage gardens, and give great bril- liancy to their sunny borders, where, indeed, most plants do well. I have often remarked how very luxui-iantly both flowers aud vegetables grow in the labourer's gi-ound; a cottage nosegay, a cottage rasp- beiTy bush, a cottage cabbage, always seem sweeter and finer than those in larger gardens, aud I have invariably made and heard the remai-k, that gera- niums and other pot plants flourish better, and endure the winter more fearlessly, withiu the cottage lattice, than in the warm room and sheltered window of the lady amateur. Does it not seem as if the labours of the poor, as if their very pleasures, received a special blessing fi-om Him who sanctified their humble state by choosing it as His own ? And should not this thought make the cottage gardener not only contented with his lot, but deeply, unspeakably thaukfid that lie has " where to lay his head," and diligent to improve those means that God has given him to support his wife and family ? How many hom-s are wasted at the "idle corner!" how many are guiltily spent at the beer-house ! how many are as wickedly passed in wood stealing ! which might be so usefully and happily employed in gardening, in cultivating the willing soil, and raising those wholesome roots and fi-uits that might feed him so abundantly in winter. If the cottager would consider these daily occupations as parts of bis duty to God and man, his days would be longer, his sleep sweeter, his character fairer, and his profits an hundredfold. China-asters when sown thickly must be thinned out when three or fouj' inches high, so that they may not crowd one another. The young plants should then be carefully placed elsewhere, and watered freely prevent their drooping. It i good plan to plf scarcely to to p a flower-pot over all young plants, when first removed till they are well rooted; they then feel the change. The stock is an annual of great beauty and rich- ness, and may be sown now for autumn flowering. When carefully cultivated, they produce large and handsome flowers; and the doiible varieties then ap- pear like tall spikes of roses. The scent is veiy per- fumy also. They may be increased by cuttings in May. Let each cutting retain a small portion of the bark of the stem ; plant them in a shady border, water freely, and cover them with a hand-glass or flower-pot tdl they have struck firmly. The shoots chosen should be strong ones of the same year's growth, and the leaves should be stripped ofi' about half way up. The crimson, purple, white, and variegated varieties, when in bloom, have a splendid effect, both in the gardens of the amateur and cottager, and cannot be too freely encouraged. There is a little tender plant called the night-stock, which is pei-fectly scentless during the day ; but when the dew falls its fi-agi-ance is delicious. I do not know whether it belongs to the species, hut, as the names correspond, I speak of it here. I believe it is difficult, if not impossible, to preserve this charming little flower through the winter without a gi'eenhouse ; yet if only one is pro- cured, and the pot sunk in the border nearest the sitting-room, as soon as the frosts are over, the odour in the evening hours is so extremely powerful that it will quite suffice for a garden of moderate size ; and it is surprising that such a volume of rich, aromatic scent should flow from the little dingy flower that we scarcely notice among the gay blossoms of the border. It is not always biilliant gilts or ready speech that mark true wisdom in the Christian " garden." The Spirit of grace is often unobsei-ved or shghted tiU called forth into active exercise by Him who gave it, and the veiy seasons that cause other gifts to droop or disappear, di-aw forth its hidden fragrance. The chilly air of evening closes many flowers, aud dark- ness hides them aU ; hut the night-stock rejoices in the cool repose of natm-e, and adds her silent meed of praise to that of the glittering stars. 'Fore nging, t made US is divine.' When our fragrant night-stock tempts us to the window or the garden in the calm and silent evening hom-, let us not suffer inanimate nature to rejoice alone, but let our hearts send up to God their incense too, for blessings unfelt by all but man, and of which even he can never taste the fulness till the host of heaven shall " fall down as the leaf folleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig-tree." Wherever we turn our eyes, when among our fi-uits and flowers, they repeat some sacred lesson for om- hearts ; for God has vouchsafed to use them con- tinually in addressing the creatures of His Hand; and soriptm'al imagery is aU drawn fi'om the daily scenes ai-ound us. 'The cottager may be an unlearned and ignorant man in things belonging to this world ; but he may, among his rising crops aud blossoming trees, gain knowledge, compai-ed with which "the wisdom of the world is foolishness." TO CORRESPONDENTS. FoESTTBiA ViBiDissiMA (Flufa) .—This is a new hardy plant from China ; it has yellow flowers, and most easily cultivated. Being new, give it a place against a wall or fence for a few years. Mismanaged Oleani'EB {An Aniatenr).— This, v!hich you Bay was once a splendid plant, but now is without a blossom bud, and has been dosed with super-phosphate of lime until all its leaves fell off, is truly in a pitiable condition. Shake all the soil from the roots, and shorten the bare old ones, leaving only the small fibrous roots. Cut all its shoots likewise to the old wood, else it will never blossom after standing so long barren. Kepot it in good loam mixed with one-third sand, and keep it in the warmest part of the house, but do not stand it in water this season. Tulips (/4irf).— These, like all other bulbs, make roots. Open the soil now round one, and you will see them in abundance. SoAP-SuDS {A S-ubucribt^, Birkenheud). — You ask whether these are good tor watering window-plants, and the same, as well as trees, in gardens ; and we may reply as generally that they are good for all the plants you mention, but seeds are never watered with such stimulants. Give it to plants in the open garden once in ten days, and for Iruit-trees and evergreens you need hardly reduce the strength of the suds, but, to he on the safe side, add one-half rain-water to them, and give this mixture more often. There are no seedling plhnts that will flower well in your window in summer by sowing them now, except hardy or half-hardy annuals, and they will do much better in the open border ; but we shall consider and let you know. Peaks {A Sector, Somersetshire).— Yon have sent us a list of ).ears from which you wish to increase your stock of trees, and we have consulted Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth Nurseries, on the subject, and he has selected the toUowing, which he says he knows to be excellent in good soils in the climate of the southern counties. " This," observes Mr. Rivers, " is of great importance, and, as an instance, Fortunee Parmentier will not ripen north of Trent, unless in a very warm soil and situation." In the lollowing list, the months named are those in which the fruit is ripe, Jvtp. Uojenre d'ete. Av§vst, Benoist. Se/j^., Williams' Ben Chretien, Bfurre d'/.manlis. Jalousie de Fontenay Vender. Oct., Duchess ri'Orleans, Marie Louise, Fcn- . Ecjf ^ , Urbaniste. Dec, Hacon's Incomparable, Tntn.phe de Jodoigne. Jan., Beurre Langelier, Knight's Mmaich. Feb., Inconnue Van Mons, Susette ce Bavay, I'uchesse de Mars. March, Beurre Bre- tonneau. April, Fortunee Parmentier, Bergi,motte d'Esperen. Vine {H — U., Bristol). — The branch may be removed without any THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. April them freely. You should have mixed it with ashes, and then sprinkled it over the surface of the soil ; not in a larger quantity than is di- rected at p. 62 of Vol. I. Pruning Pear-trees {W. H. G.)-— Your pear-trees, planted in the February of this year, intended to be grown as dwarfs, and which are just beginning to vegetate, do not prune by any means. They will, perhaps, shoot weakly at first ; never mind that. Take care, however, to apply a coating of half rotten dung, according to our advices under the head " Mulching." Be sure to water them also, if dry weather occurs : not too much at once. As your wall is only seven feet high, you may train your shoots the first year nearly up- right. Next winter you must lower most of them into nearly hori- zontal lines, when, if they possess a good root, they will in the ensu- ing spring produce nice shoots from the centre ; these %vill, in due time, fill the wall. Heaths, &c. {A Young Florist), — You will find, from our columns to-day, that to cultivate heaths as window plants is a hopeless efl'ort. If you determine to persist, you will read, m the same columns, how they ought to be treated. You will see, in Vol. I., at p. 79, how you ought to water them; and, at p. 311, the soil in which they best succeed. Upon camellia and azalea culture you will see more here- after from Mr. Beaton. Boeder Flowers (Nemo,MUdenhail). — We are much gratified by your letter. If you will refer to pj>. 34—35, of our first volume, you will find a list of flowers which will keep your border gay from early spring to late in the autumn. A still more copious list of early • flowers i We should prefer i J to those you mention, for these bloom for a season, and then your border would be di-eary. If you require more particulars, write Haedy Melon (J. God/re^/).— The small melon " about the size of an orange, and requiring but little more heat than the vegetable marrow" is the "Queen Anne's;" and is sometimes called the " Early Queen," and the " Queen's Pocket Melon." We dare say you could obtain it of any of the seedsmen who advertise in The Cottage Gardener. We will answer your other question next Tabooed (Dianthus).— In the islands of the Pacific, when any place is declared by the priests to be unholy, and not to be ap- proached, it was said, in their language, to be tabooed. Bees (G. W. Prettt/). —You ^viU find your case is met by Mr. Payne's " Bee-keeper's Calendar" for May, which we shall publish next week ; but your letter, probably, will appear also, with a special comment, as your misfortunes in bee-keeping have been experienced by others. Spade Husbandry (W. C. G.).— On this subject read Rham's Flemish Husbandry, in the Library of Useful Knowledge, and Dr. Yellowly's Essay, in No. 4 of the BiHtish Farmer's Magazine, New Series. We do not know, from experience, either Dr. Newington's " patent dibble," or his "hand-row cultivator." We shall be glad to have the report of your trials. Historical Floweks {Margaret).— This book is published by McGlashan, Dublin ; but may be had of Orr and Co., London. Dressing for Peacu-trees (Rev. P. W.).— You mil find the exact proportions for this at p. 157 of No. 15— viz., four ounces soft- soap, one pound flowers of sulphur, and one gallon of water. Chalk versus Lime (/Ai'rf).— If you merely require to add a little calcareous matter to your soil as a food for the plants it bears, a dressing of lime is to be preferred. But if you wish to improve the staple of your soil, then you will require so large a quantity that ch^k must be employed, if only on the score of economy. Dictionaries (Ti/ro).— "The Modem Gardener's Dictionary" is devoted to gardening; '* Paiton's Dictionary " is botanical. The first may be had for five shillings, the latter is priced fifteen shillings. Ants (A. A.). — We have never had occasion to wage war against these insects. The only colony we ever had to depopulate was small ; and we fairly drove them away by digging it up twice a day. They persevered against these daily earthquakes for about a week, and then emigrated. Try spreading gas-lime over their haunts. Flower Seeds (W. J.). — Messrs. Henderson, Pine-apple-place, Edgeware-road, will supply those you refer to. Weaver's Cottage Architecture (S.).— We cannot tell why your bookseller could not obtain this. It is published by H. Pope, Budge-row, London. The " Labourers* Friend Society," Exeter Hall, London, has published some plans such as you name, but they sphe Cup (P. S.) -You have i I this, perhaps, ; right t ) keep it under a bell-glass it improves whilst so covered it will ; that it is not sufficiently estaolished to bear exposure to the dry air of your sitting-room. Your seeds marked Alonsoa irisos are those, perhaps, of Alonsoa incisifolia. There was no insect in the packet when it reached us. We shall publish an extract from your letter, and shall be glad to hear more of what you are pleased to call *' chatter." Gentianella (Marianne E. S.).— Tlic reason why this (Gentiana acaulis) does not bloom in your garden is probably that the soil is too light and too poor. The finest we know are grown in a damp soil, in patches ; they are manured every year, early in March, with a mix- ture of equal parts strong loam and leaf-mould. Do not, on any account, dig or fork near the roots of your Gentianella, but merely " -■ • ■ ^ top-dressing, sprinkling it thickly but care- fully I 1 (J. B.).— The best traps arc little heaps of fresh brewers* grains, or boiled bran ; and the best mode of destroying slugs is to sow quick-lime over the surface of the bed of an evening, when they are out feeding. To prevent their approach to any crop, sprinkle coal- ashes, not aiftod too fi-noly, around it. (/j,-(/),_Your hens are bad layers, or you would have lan sLx eggs daily from 26 hens ; try giving them a little ed. We shall make arrangements for a series of Essays on Domestic Poultry, so soon as we can meet mth any one to be relied upon who practically understands their management. Mushroom Beds (Bircli). — You will find directions for making these at p. 70 of vol. i., and at p. 17 of the present volume. If you ■wish for any further particulars, let us hear from you again on the points requiring explanation. The dung for these beds need not bo from horses fed exclusively on corn, but the higher they have been kept the better, both for producing heat and spawn. Asparagus (A.). — This is a native of England, being found on its sea-shore in many placca. There are only two varieties— the green and the red-topped ; and the "Giant" is only the latter in-, duced to grow to a largie size by an unlimited supply of rich manure during its time of growing. Pear-tree Pruning (A. F. and R.). — You will find this given fully at p. 127 of vol. i. Mr. Errington will probably discuss plum pruning in an early number. Companion to Gardener's Almanac (G. A.).— It has not been published this year. The other contents of your letter shall bo published. Peach-trees WITHOUT Blossom (I. B. Qicarrp).— These, only seven years old, on a west wall, have also only a few leaf-buds on the top branches, whilst the bottom shoots are dead. These must not be cut back, as you propose, into the old wood. We have frequently renovated old shoots like these by budding them in July, introducing plenty of buds on the upper side of the shoots. Mulch them, by all means ; and endeavour to get as luxuriant a growth as possible, in order to get the bark to rise freely. The buds had better come from some other very healthy tree in the neighbourhood. We have found nectarine-buds take best on the peach under these circumstances. Vines in Greenhouse.—^ Subscriber will see shortly that wo shall be enabled to take up the subject of vines in a greenhouse, and, indeed, where apace ofl'ers, other fruits suitable to such structures. Camellias (A constant Subscriber).— Mr. Beaton will probably contribute an article on these, from which you \vill glean what you want. Give them large doses of water now while they are making their annual growth. It will be time enough to pot them at the end of summer. Guano is a good manure for roses and annuals, and all plants, including the camellia, if used in modtn-ation. Sec the pro- portion, at p. 3, Vol. II. Creepers for a South Window (Margaret). — Your boxes are five inches mde and five inches deep, and you wish to know whether these, unshaded, would nourish creepers to train up strings, for the protection of mignonette, which they are also to contain. — The boxes will do well as you propose ; but better if they were 10 inches deep instead of five inches. The best plant to train on strings out- side of a window is the Canary nasturtium (Tropoeolum Canariense)* The next best is the Major convolvulus. They will do better if each is in a separate bos. The Maurandia Barclayana will not associate with either ; nor will it do much good unless you could plant a strong old plant at first. Lophospermum woxdd also do well that way ; but your boxes are not deep enough for it. Use very rich soil and plenty of soap-water direct from your hand-basin. BauGMANsiA Arboeea (Tj/ro).— You say that this beautiful fragrant native of Peru sheds its leaves before fully developed, and that it has been during the winter, and is now, quite leafless. You watered it moderately whilst in leai and not at all during the winter. —You managed it perfectly right ; it only wants fresh soil and en- couragement, for it IS the greatest feeder in the vegetable kingdom. Prune all its last year's shoots to two or three eyes ; shake every particle of soil from the roots, and you may reduce some of them, Kepot in the richest compost, and when the plant is in leaf — say by the end of May—plant it in a sheltered place out of doors, first making a pit, two feet deep and three feet over, and filling this with rich loam and one-third rotten dung. Stake it firmly, and as soon as it is in active growth give it 10 gallons of rain-water every week. This will answer better than liquid ir hear from you next September how many blossi the circle of the pit, and within two feet of the stem, and give a large About the middle c the compost is good ; f how man ' ' : its roots with i , spade round 1 watermg t I thee , and as soon c healed the plant will ^ ^ , up mth a large mass ot soil, and put into a dry shed from which the frost is excluded, and kept neariy dry all winter. No pots arc large enough for this plant after a few Hemlock Spruce (Abies Canadensis) (A Subscriber, Elntstane Rectorij). — This is one of the most elegant of the fir family in Eng- land J but is of extremely slow growth in most parts of this country, though as hardy as the Scotch fir. Plants of it about a yard high, after being transplanted three or four times in a nursery, could hardly fail in your old garden soil. Those that have been kept any time in pots should not be planted ; they seldom do much good ; and that is, no doubt, the fault with yours which die at the points. Fuchsias (Lucy Hannah £.).— The inclosed flower was a cine- raria. The fuchsias mil eoon outgrow the curl in the leaves as the weather gets warm. London : Printed by Harry Wooldridge, 147, Strand, Parish of Saint Mary-lc-Strand ; and Winchester High-sti the Parish of St. Mary Kalendar; and Published by Wi THF, COTTAGE GARDKNKll WEEKLY CALENDAR. M D ■Hi ■11 ■iS\ ■Ml D APRILdr,-MAY2, 1840. Pliinta dedic-itol to e,.d> day. Sun Kises. Sun Moon E. and set. Moon's Age. Cloeli l,cf. Sun. Day of 1 Year. K S M Tir Lesser WldtetUroatlitnird. (Cuckoo tirst lieard. Ittvil Buutiug sings. [fledged. .iSiiN. AFT. Easter. Young Redbreasts Martin tirst seen. [jjeet. St. I>iiilip&St. James. Liiin.&Hort.Soc. Young Kooks fledged. Hedge Mustard. Larger Narcissus. Cuckoo Pint (Arum). l-Ierb Robert. Cowslip. Tu]ip. Charlock. -13 a, 4 41 39 3(i 34 32_ 12 a. 7 14 17 20 22 11 27 4 morn. fi (1 2 1 (1 1 11 ® 1 4s! s 2 211 U 2 49 1 10 2 i9i no 2 17 119 3 % I2I 3 11! 122 St. Philip was the first disciple, and one of the Apostles, of our blessed Lord. Little more is recorded of him in the New Testament hut that he was a native of Uethaaida. The most trustworthy of historians who subsequently mention him, state that, in company with St. Bartholomew, he preached the Gospel in Syria and Upper Asia, suffering' martyrdom at Hierapolis in Phrygia. ated by this festival, is spoken of 1 AiphLt (fliatt. 55), and was, probably, the s in the same Gospel (x. 3), for tlie Greek is often used as descriptive of a cousin ' the Apostles (Gal. i. 19), and had the greatest over the church at Jerusalem {Acts xv. 13), of which ( believed to have been the first bishop. He was killed there, during a tunmlt, about a.d. ()2. He is the author of "The Epistle of St. RIay-day. — From the earliest antiquity this day has been one of festivity, hailing, as it were, the perfect return of spring, and cele- brating her triumph over winter. It is quite true that in uur fickle climate this surly season "oft lingers in the lap of Rfay," but it is only to expire. At Rome, in the Floralia, was now welcomed the reign of the goddess who was then worshipped as the guardian of Uovvevs. Those festivals find a memory among us in our country "Rlayings," and within a comparatively few years all classes joined in the_merry gatherings. Chaucer relates that in his time "forth goeth"all the Court early on fliay-day, both most and least (highest Insects.— At p. 201 of our First Volume, some particulars are given concerning the Gooseberry Saw-fly, and We now give a further des- cription and a drawing of this in- sect, the caterpillars of which are such a pest. The cross lines shew the natural sixe of this Saw-fly. This insect, which has been named by entomologists Nemntus trhnu- ciilatun, Nmnntus rihtu'd, Ten~ tliredo grossiiliirioi, and Ttiithredit course of April. Its body is yel- lowish-hrown ; its antennixi nine- jointed and brown ; the crown of the head, eyes, three large spots divided hy a light line on the back, and a large spot on the breast, are all l)lack ; the body, or belly, is orange; the wings reflect the colours of the rainbow ; and their i and lowest), to fetch the flowers fresh, and branch and bloom." The people, however, gradually became disgusted with the celebration, and Charles the First's was a heedless ojiposition tothespiritof the times, when he issued a proclamation for the encouragement of Blay-games and the setting up of May-poles. They were forbidden by an ordi- nance of the Long Parliament, and by Charles the Second were again revived, but they have since gradually decayed, until they remain only as scenes of low debauchery in obscure villages, and "as dances of chimney-sweeps in our town districts. Phenomena of the Season.— One of the'niost interesting events the cuckoo, whose notes seem to us in nne wandering spirit of the air. The average ot cweive years' ooservation gave Mr. Jenvns the 27th as the day about which this voice mav be expected, yet he heard it as eailv as the 21st of April, but in some vears not until the 7th of IMav. In Sussex, the 14th of April is called "the lirst cuckoo day," that being its earliest period ; but the 21st of April is the day on which it is there commonly heard. The martin is sometimes seen in the same county on the 20th, but almost always by the 30th of April. Mr. i-li"" " Hi north of our island. L fi'om the south towards known to every one that the " cuckoo 1 the note of the male only. That of the as Mr. Jenyns observes," " a kind of c' few notes uttered fast ' io familiar to us all, is luite unlike it; being, ^ cry, consisting of a ably clear and liquid." Apk.. mi. ,842. .84:,. 1S44. 184 5- 1S46. ,847. 18JS. 26 Fine. Fine. Rain. Fine. Fine. Sliowery. Cloudy. Fine. & lowest te.p. 06°— S."," 5S°— 34° 72°— 45° 63°-47° 53°— 30° 57°— 43° 54°-26° Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Showery. Fine. 64°-44° 54°-36° Sliowerv. 54°— 40° Fine. Sliowerv. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. 56° 28° 66°— 30° 64°— 50° 6l°— 27° 6c,°-40° 29 Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Stormy. 57°— 35° rf-lS" 66°- 38° 06°-49° 60° -33° 58°— 27° 30 Fine. Fine. Fine. ' 7-1° -41° 69°-49° ei°-44° 6l°-30° Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. 70°— 42° 70°— 38° 65°— 48° .56° -51° 58° — 44° 60°— 36° 2 Stormy. Fine. Fine. Fine. 69°-40° 71°-36° 64°- 36° 68°-52° 59°-3d° 64°-31° the the underside of the gooseberry leaves, and less frequently those of the red and white currant. The eggs are hat within ten days i and the an-ival of the caterpillars mav be Itnown from the leaves being eaten through into numerous small holes. These caterpillars are pale green, with one ring at each end yellow ; the head, tail, feet, and rows of spots on their ?ides, being black. Successional broods are hatched from the beginning of May until October, but it is during May and ,lune that they are usually most abundant and destructive. Some of these descend into the earth form cocoons, and bring forth fresh tlies at the end of the summer ; but the ' throughout the winter, and rm of saw flies. The best First Volume. If okl John Gerarde could be summoned from tlie grave, where he has now rested nearly five half cen- turies, and we wished in a moment of time to shew him what has been, and is now, doing for horti- culture since lie was gardener to Lord Treasurer Burleigh, and cultivated his own Physic Garden in Holborn, we would bid bi,n oast his eye over the pe- riodicals dovoted to gardening, now lying upon our table. Such evidence would strike liim the more forcibly, because he Was a miter on the same subject, and his huge " Herbal, or General History of Plants," is a monuinent of his industry and skill, and of the best specimens of horticultural literature and di'aughtsmanship i^roducible before the year ItiOO. No. XXX., Vol. 1L THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. Ami Tliat literature was accurate so long as the authors contined tliemselves to what they had seen with tlieir own eyes, and cultivated with theii- own hands, but if they had restricted themselves to such genuine knowledge, there could have heen no " Herhals" of two thousand pages injthose days. To fill such monstrous volumes, recourse was had to classical fables, and not less absurd nawatives of eacli plant's medicinal virtues ; but in the periodicals now on o\n' table, it woidd be difficxdt to decide which deserves most praise, the varied and acciu-ate horticidtiu-al knowledge they contain, or the extreme beauty of the embellishments. We can imagine old Gerarde to ex- claim, " What ! have you now three papers published weekly devoted to gai-dening? The Oardenefs Jour- nal, the Gardener's Glironide, and the Cottage Gar- dener 1 Why, in my time few gardeners could read ; and then- masters took small deHght either in Moun- tain's ' Gardener's Labyrintli' or in Dodoen's ' Herbal," the chief books then to be foimd on om- craft." We would then point to the pile of monthlies on the same " pleasant gentle paradise-work ;" and pass before liim that three-pennyworth of sterling stuff. The Midland Florist. Its editor, Mr. Wood, himself a nurseryman and florist, as|well as a man of taste and candour, secures to its pages such information as those who delight in gardens require, and takes care that tlie information is trustworthy. As an example, we would draw old Gerarde's attention to the essay on " The Calceolaria," by JMr. Woodhouse, in this month's Number, if we did not remember that it is a plant £i-om South America — a quarter of tlie globe but just known in Gerarde's days — aaid that the flower itself is new even to ns within these last twenty years. Then there is The Florist, published under the superintendence of Mr. Beck, of Isleworth, almost equally celebrated for tlie beauty of his pelar- goniums, and of the vases of slate for gardens which he manufactures. The embelUshmcnts of each are excellent, and well worth the money chai-ged for the entire Number. The contents are devoted to florioid- ture, and are usually valuable, and on topics of in- terest ; take, for example, in the Number before us, " How to have roses in November," by Mr. Elvers, of Sawbridgeworth. Next would old Gerarde find upon owrhen-p, Paxton'silagazineofOardening and Botanij, and he would certainly admire its lovely embellish- ments. THodker's Journal of Botany and Kew Garden Miscellany wmdd be charitably passed by without comment (for we must remember that Gerai'de would be from a land where " the weary are at rest) ;" if the startling suggestion at p. 95 did not meet his eye— that the cedar of Lebanon 'and the deodar of the Himalayah are the same trees. " Ah !" the old botanist might then exclaim, " human knowledge is not all truth, any more tlian when I travelled for more certain information in the IGth century. Wo doubted then whether we know the true cedar of the Scriptures, and fi-esh doubts, I see, are j-et accumu- lating. Dioscorides, Theophrastus, and Pliny, say it bore herriex, but our cedar of Lebanon had cones ; and now you bring fonvard another of still fwther vaiying form." Dr. Hooker's observation is, indeed, somewhat startling; and many a planter, many a pm-chaser of novelties, will go forth to look at liis deodaras with veiy varied thoughts wlieu he reads this — ■" I incline to the opinion that if the deodar of the Himalaya had been discovered in a locality nearer to the cedar of Lebanon, botanists would have consdered it only a variety of that classical tree ; and tracing, it as we can do, according to tho testimony of travellers, from Mount Atlas in the west to the chain of Taurus and Atlai on the cast, we may fau-ly infer that the same species reaches the Himalaya range, and sti'etches as far as Kamaon." We should especially draw our old visitant's atten- tion to Tlu! Botanic Garden, edited by ilr. Maund ; nor should the remark be omitted, that this, as weU as The Midland Florist, is printed at a countiy town scarcely -sdsitable in his day. It is decidedly one of the cheapest and most usefid of om gardening publications, for the name really does not coiiicide with its contents : botany there is in it, but of horti- cultm-e much more — and of good horticulture too. The five coloured drawings of flowers and fi-iut in each Number are beautiful as well as coiTCCt. We think that we remember its commencement in ISiiU ; and it has not merely maintained but increased its good character throughout. Our length of days does not extend so far into the past as to enable us also to remember the bii-th-timo of the next monthly old Gerarde would find upon oiu' table, Curtis s Botanical Magazine, for tlvis was commenced in 1787 ; and it could teU a cm'ious tale, if able to write an obituai-y of its species born and deceased during its long career. We could om'selves tell some odd anecdotes of those who, in days gone by, have been its editors, but we have no space to spare for such reminiscences, for we have to attend most to what is usefid. Even this venerable maga- zine shews symptoms of conformity to the utilitarian spu'it of the age; for the publishers have found it desirable to associate with its accomplislied botanical editor (Sir. W. J. Hooker), a coadjutor, Mr. Jolm Smith, who gives some brief observations on tho culture of cacli species figured and described in its pages. By no publications would the old garden-botanist of the Elizabethan age be more delighted than by Tlie Ladies' Flower-Gardcn of PerenniaU and Anmads, publisliing in monthly Numbers, imder the cai-o of Mrs. Loudon. In no periodical of the present day is the beautiful and useful more happily blended. Lastly, Gerarde would come to a quai'terly publi- cation. The Journal of tlie Horticultural Society of London, of which ha would probably inquire, in tho AiTjr, THE COTTAGE GARDENER. words of a modern authority, '■ ^Vhy are heavy articles mostly put here, and more useful articles elsewhere?" But the criticism would he too severe, foriu the pages of this journal are to ho found ahun- dance of solid information relative to tho. higlici- hranohes of plant cultivation. The " Tahlcs of Tem- perature for the use of Gardeners," hy Mr. Thompson, is an example; yet we suggest that they would he nuich more usefid if they contained the high- est and the lowest monthly temperatures of each ]ilace, instead of the mean monthly temperatm-es. T'o tell us that the mean temperature of a country in Jainiary is 62°, is but an uncertain guide for us in cultivating a plant of which it is the birth-place ; for to produce that average the highest temperature there might be 80°, and the lowest 4-1°; or those extremes might he 100° and 2-1=°— conditions of tem- perature requiring the gardener to adopt very dif- ferent modes of cultivation. TitL-LY sorry ai'e we to find that tlie mOdew on the leaves of grape vines is still maldng great ravages east of Loudon. Even in a vinery, the whole of the leaves of which were destroyed this year hy the fumes of burning brimstone, the disease lias reappeared on the new leaves. We shall have some remarks to make upon it next week. THE EEUIT-GAEDEN. The Vine ix Geeexhouses — We have now, dur- ing the last six months, dealt so far with the leading principles on which, as we conceive, most of our out-door operations are based, that the veriest tyro win doubtless be able to take a more sure footing than he could have done if left merely to 2n-escriptiou. Our aim has been (and will so continue) to give a reason, based on some thoroughly-recognised prin- ciple, for everything we recommend. We, therefore, liold no mysteries; the day for such has nearly passed away ; somehow or other, there is not so gi'eat a re- lish for these things ; for although, according to a celebrated writer on Taste, " obscurity is one source of the sublime," it is by no means the source from whence benefit will arise to the masses, who, in the main, are thirsting for knowledge of a practical, and, of course, available, character. Our piu-pose in thus reporting progress, is merely to point to an occa sional digression-— to give it a hard name — which we may henceforth have to make in our track, in order to accommodate a very numerous and very ardent class of amateur horticulturists. By our correspond- ence we see that we are charged with neglecting to treat on the vine in the amateur's greenhouse, who, perchance, may have his vines in pots, and these, together with his peach or his fig, in such simple structm'es. Now, as this class of om- readers must be in some degi-ee represented, and as oar clever co- adjutor, Mr. Beaton, has, in Iris dainty province, stepped aside occasionally from the window-sill to the little greenhouse, we do not see why we should not, in some degree, emidate Mr. Beaton's civilities ; more especially as we can in the coiu'se of our la- bours discuss, in due time, all the matters concerning the cottager and the amateur as to out-door muttevs. as they come to hand. We, therefore, hoping to make oiu'selves useful, proceed with The Vixe tx the Greenhouse. — It most fre- quently happens that the amateur who possesses but one, or, at tire most, a couple of small houses, and who grows grapes, is constrained to gi'ow gera- niums, and, indeed, miscellaneous gi-eenhouse plants beneath the shade of the vines. Although this is certainly not the way to do full justice to either the vines or the plants, it becomes imperative, and we do not deem it our jirovince to raise objections on an unavoidable afi'air, more especially as, by some nicety of management, grapes and plants of a tolera- bly respectable character may be grown together. We cannot now, for various reasons, " begin at the beginning," which would, indeed, be to show how houses should be constructed, and how borders shoidd be made ; this we can turn back upon in due time, that is, at some time, perhaps, more approjni- ate to the operation. We had better take up the subject according to the position the majority of our amateurs' vineries will be foimd in now, that is to say, the grapes either undergoing their first sweUing, or shortly coming into flower. Borders. — Much discussion has of late taken place about the propriety of applying artificial heat to vine borders, the roots being outside. Now, although we are small advocates for a mere theoretical settlement of the operations either of the garden oi of the field, yet we are constrained to say that this is one of those questions which, abstractedly, might have been settled by mere theory. Follow nature, cries every one, both practical s and theorists; but how follow nature -svith a gr-ound heat some twenty de- grees below the atmospheric temperature in which the young shoots are gTowing ? It is well Imown that in natui'e, over most temperate parts of the globe, a degree or two in favour of the average tem- peratm-e of the earth over that of the atmosphere exists. However, our space is too precious to foUow this branch of the ai-gumeut farther; suiEce it to say, that we have proved the immense benefit to be derived from the use of fermenting materials, applied to the borders over the roots, beyond all question ; and we, thereibre, beg to recommend it earnestly to all amatem-3 who can command the material. We wiU now give a few simple dii-ections as a sort of calendar, promising to return to the main principles on which all successful vine-cidture must be based, whenever time and space will permit. Grapes Swelling. — By this we mean the first swell- ing; and as a warmer atmosphere is needed the moment tliey come into blossom, we will suppose that the cultivation of plants beneatli them will have been divided into at least two lots ; those which need, or will bear, heat, and those liable to di-aw if so treated. This operation shoidd be sedulously attended to as soon as the vines begin to blossom ; for it is well even to have a chance of setting foot on the stage, or pit, whilst performmg the operation of thinning the bunches; and the plants, moreover, being set farther apai-t, they will not be so liable to " draw," or, in other words, to grow leggy and un- sightly. Under these circumstances, the thinning out of the ben-y may be nicely completed, and this matter may be cai-ried on in a progi-essive way. At the first thinning, those berries which seem wedged up in the interior of the bunches may be cut away, and, by the time this process is perfornied in an ordi- THE COTTAGE GARDENER. Avr.u, naiy sized gi'eenbouse, those which were fii-st operated on will reqiiii-e looking over again. The tliiaaning of the berries may thus continue at intei-rals. accord- ingly as opportunities occm- ; but tlie final thinning sbould be accomplished before the hemes are as large as very small peas. One thing we would vage : do not by any means overcrop your vines ; one bunch of ti'uly good gi'apes is fairly worth half-a-dozen in- ferior brmches. To set forth any precise number of brmches on a given vine as the standard, were indeed ridiculoiis. If the vines are healthy, we consider that whether trained on the long-rod system or on the spm-ring method, whether one vine occupy the whole house or sLx, that from 13 to IG pounds of good gTapes ii'oin each rafter ought to satisfy any amateur with au ordinary gi-eeuhoiase. Therefore, dm-ing the thinning process, if too many bunches develop themselves — allowing, we will say, one pound weight to a bimoh on the average — remove all above that quantum. One poimd per hunch may seem a very small affaii' to some persons, and so it is for exhibition pui-poses ; this, at present, we are not writing for: lil^e the cultivnii I Imt^v i^-..,,-,i- ben'ies for show, such require :i sj^fiin/ ium.Ii- ni cultru-e. In our advice, we are i:iKiii- inl.i r.insi.lLia- tiou the defective enerfi.'^ >•]' '!':i!> >'!- ilivougli badly constructed bori!. ;: ! - ': i '- known to be the ease, our :il fnictlw mark than above. Il i '" l^ Ir'i- liial. the bunches produce loose -; rier-iniL; -Inml.lei- : when such is the case, we say rut ilinn ;iwjy. laovi.ledthe weight before quoted e;iii \u- miliiii'^ileil. We have frequently known whole buuches liadly coloured through the e>ctra appurtenance of these unwieldy shoulders, especially when there was a sluggish ac- tion of the root. It must be borne in mind that the oolom'ing, and, of course, i3avom'ing, process is mostly can-ied out through the mstnunentality of the three or four large feaues which accompany the bunch, sup- posing the shoot to have been pinched or " stopped," according to usual practice, one joint beyond the show, or yoimg bunch. Such leaves can only elaborate a given quantity of the cambium or true sap, that quantity being dependent on three things : — first, the size of the leaves and the capiacity of their sap vessels ; secondly, the extent of their exposure to the hglit ; and, thii'dly, the supply of sap from their root, in order to furnish abundant food for elaboration. Temperritiire of the Oreenhome. — We come now to atmospheric temperiilnie durinii' the earlier stages. In remarking on this |iiiit ei ilie -nhject, we wOl state both what amonni ilie\ nmsi have, and also what they may have : the iirst rehii ini;- ]iri!icipally to artificial heat, and the last to -nl.u Ihni I V.nu'the period of the young shoot expiiiiiliiie uiiiil ilie bunch is fairly developed, the avera,L;e lempei^idne sliould range fi'e'in "I'l" at iii,L;'lil lo Ci.". ■ li\ (la\ ; all, I iVeni ihe latter jMai.ul imli] iln' lir-l swellin- i^ e.iiiiiileie.L lai by llielll alel 70 I.V .lax wil.l lie .eeiile,!. X,,w, as to wlial lliev »„/,,■ liaM\ IhiriiiLf Ilie rnvM,alne,l Stage, (lie Iheni U'ler IIIHV lie alioUeil tl. Teaell, as thehi-lie-i linilll.s:,' iniv lime hehveen three ,,V1, lek and live i'.M, .111 any eiv.'n ila\. I f. Ih.h.'N .a-, s.-viaaj days are continuously sunny, il i^ w.H mil l.. iiiv-j^i in such a high temperature, hul l.. 1.. •■.lui. m wiih au exti-eme of 80°. The high i. iii|i. )■ .im. Ii.i.n,' quoted, if persisted in for many .lays, wmilil as^meilly cause a weak and watery growth ; Im- lie- ro.as iiin'- less artificially heated) would not in a hdidei ,,i smne 4&° to 55°, be able to absorb food .|iiiiklv .•noueli to supply the copious elaboration or perspiraliou which would necessai-ily take place. We do not conceive that there is the least occasion to advance the night- heat, by artificial means, at any time whatever aliove 60°. The vine, like all other plants, enjoys a sort of periodical nightly ie~t, whi. h Nature has "wisely pro- vided, in most climes, \,\ wiilalrawiug the som-ce of light and heat: an. I im .lali. nation or change of the jmces, of any vnhie to the system of the vine, can take place in darkness ; alth"ou.gh the heat be in- creased, such only tends to dissipate the energies of the ti-ee. We deem it good culture to reduce the amount of heat as soon as the first sv,,llinL: is eom- pileted. About five degrees of tli.' .kn lieal may he given up. Indeed.this wiU necessai il\ . n-m ilir,',neli a more liberal ventilation than was jieiniiiii il .luiing the fii-st stage. Ventilation. — "No small share of the success in grape-growing depends on the mode of ferating the house, or " giving aii-," as it is commonly termed. Motion, in the internal atmosphere of houses, is now universally admitted to have a beneficial effect : the only question is, how it should be produced? In a riilnie ]ia].ir we will offer some suggestions on this lie.iil : till- 111,, present we will merely offer a few cau- tiniis. Ill iIk- lii'st place, we say, bring your vines up somewhat hardy : that is to say, inure them to some amount of aii- on every possible occasion, fi-om the moment the young hud npiens. It is, however, deemed necessaiw bv most old practitioners, to keep them what is t.Tm.'.l ■• ,-]n-r" .Inriie' tli.' lir.-l swell- ing; and we will ma ,li-eiii,' ihai a soi„,wl,al lai-i,'cr berry may he prodnee.l hy sn.'li means, Tlii, .amrse is, however, too perilous for us to advise it to the amateur. We have ft'equently known vines treated on the close system. If two or three daj's oeciu- to- gether in wluch there arises no necessity for giving air. and they are kept close, they become tender as a matter of course, and more sensitive to every pufl' of ivind; perhaps, on a succeeding day, there occms a bright sun with a piercing wind, and air iniist be given, or the vines will burn: let ii ke lun-iilevod, then, how the poor vines have be. n, v,li,il w.' must call, enti-apped, under these cu'cumstauces. \\'hilst. however, we advocate a rather liberal vcntihitiou, let , it not be thought that we are anxious to admit either ' the chilling current or the boisterous gale. On the contrai'y, we advise (hat air must he given with very great caution at the /H,h:/.< ../' iii^/riss ilnring the early spring months : iml. i il. il' th.' Iimil saslies ojien, and they can be gi-adnaleil, an a|ieitiii-e . I half an inch will suffice at from, ..n all Iml airy siiiin\ .lavs 'n,,-, principal amount as n. ihe .'eivss ,.|' heMr. .1 aii- must he at the back : laa-e ilie \.-nlilaihiii imi\ |ir.iee,(l at aliberal rate, especially hL any lights where ihe vines ai-e not quite at the back of the house. Fires. — The mana.geiuent of the fires is no uuim- ly the Ih'C ready lor lighting i-nsioned by liot flues or pii)es ■ n bright suunv days than by a lilth- liaek air /-e/e/'e ,., r, « e',-/,.-/,- i„ Ihr ,in it .'V.-r so lilll.': this iinrili.'s the aliiiospl provides against any danger from burning. THE COTTAGE GAR.DENER. vso dl' another week ov two we will liii-ii 111 Ihcsc subjects. TITE FLOWER-GARDEN. ; i,,K Cinouvisr. ,x I\rAssi.:s.— Those pla li-l erbuin. This is a beautUiil plant, with abimdance of bloom, and lasting a long tune. It grows 2-|- feet high. Penstemon gentianoides roseum. Dwarf. — Geranium, Lucil rosea. Verbenas, Excelsa and Standard of Perfection. 5. Blue and Purple. — Tall. Salvia patens (most beautifid), Delphinum Barlowii (splendid plant). Dwarf. — Lobelia eriuus conipacta (very pretty and neat). Campanula carpatica. Verbena, In Josephine. 0. Lilac or Blush. — Tall. Plilox eordata, P. Thomsonii, Aster linifolius, and A. punctata. These are late bloomers, and may succeed some of the more early kinds. It is rather a difficult colour to fill. In more dwarf growers there is Clarkia prd- chella, but it is only an annual, yet deserving a bed with its beautiful rosy lUao flowers. There are also some varieties of German stocks, of low growth and suitable colours. Select aoeordinglj'. Verbenas, Cli- max and Eosetta. 7. White. — I'all. Double white Rockets make a beautiful bed, as also does the double white Snap- [mperatrice dragon, and double I'.-v.^ifcw. Tbi not half so well known iis i|, .Irsrrvrs I Phlox ouinillora: niMl Vrri,rtrj. Mm Wcbad nearly iV.rgotten to mciil rahlc bedding-out plant, of excellent has hitelj' been discovered ; we mi illed " Purity,' Llbi|--1» llon.ivr. C;,,,,,.;!,,,,!:, ,.,r|i:ilii., :illi:- is :,l-,u . vooil xvliiio loni;l;.^lM;:; llouiT. \-\ : iHriniiinir. small pels, and treated exaetly like s\\eet ]iea they arc up and out of danger, one oidy retained iu each pot, and when the pot is ( of roots the ball may be turned at onee all that I think necessary to say as to liitirre manage- ment is, that as soon and as often as side branches issue forth I'r them at the know the valur ol' leaves to the stem al inirc ; Im and trimks of all tn is : the rest, is iirsi loriinil li out all the leavr- m ihil trees will grow in the W.i same thickness all tlir \ that way, no matter Ian stem will only be the ;_;ia no lady of taste would \\, No ! j'ou mtist liavi- ,as first year, and lla stmis by all tilings in tin' wm a bantam fowl. In tie' more than the half of tl the bottom, and only tak in ten days or a fortniKl tern of your tree, j^on must stop lint. Some people, who do not VIS, I lit off the side slioots close bill the substance of the stems IS :irid 111 ignnnette trees among il li\' ilir IcaMs: and by cutting Ini la^liaai I be stems of your li.riii 111' a liiMlc^stick, or be the ir way ii|i : anil if ynu gTOW it laiw iiiii' llir licail 'iiiav be, the gla.M of a iniiik alln- all: and 1 lliaiik>iuiroi- a dozen of them. as many leaves as you can the Ills .if your trees ought to look, wmlil. as feathery as the legs of till' s.riiiid year you ■n'ill cut ofl' r till sr siilr spurs, beginning at taking iiU'a pair at a time, and another couple, and so on progi'essively. Nothing is worse in principle than to strip off many leaves at one time. I have said nothing about the Howers yet, but there must be im llnwia-s tbr first season, at least as long as there aiv •.niininil in [\,r bnnlri-s, .Mbr tlir middle of O.-mln ,■ \,ai may Irl \nnr Itr.-. bin,, 1,1 all the winter, but brl.'ire thai iiip'tlinii oil' as fast as they appear. Wliou the first little pots are fidl of roots, say about midsummer, shift the plants into ft-inch pots, which is the next largest size ; and if they have done well llnv may want aiintbi r shift by the end of July, but 'nrvrV sbifl ilmn aflrr ib'r middle of August, brean-r, if v autumn, they would iml lib t healthy roots ; ami nnlr,, \],r | OUS roots lufMiv \Mnl.', ih tumble about N.nir rais lirfciv i This is alsi'i a :mi,m1 nmr m villus, und the ('anary biril |ila rienns), two of Ibr Im si snnnnrr cliiiibrrs I'm- ibr mil- side of a window, 'i'mi y sow tlidii exactly likr the mignonette, iu very small pots; and when they are well up you can put then either into larger pots, ■ nice boxes, and train them up on strings in any 1 liaxr a .■nlil with slnuig full of vigor- forest would :r was out. Blue n,„ml- laney way you may front of a house nics the meshes being a.li canary plant was trtiii as regularly a- larr-w", remai'l-.alib, wi il. I In gardmni-' I . u >■ sa F.nmvr. I. Ill ..„.■..( I whole e a net ; and the le twiiK.^ ill done with this canary iigtime; but as I shall , way soon, I shall defer to communicate his mode of managing this eUmber; for I am quite satisfied there is no gardener in this country who can manage it better. He need be under no apprehension about his letter not being fine enough to appear in print, as we all write hero in the most simple and phun style, in order to make our deligbful tasks easily understood by any one, if he or sbr can only spell the wnnls. S]ii akiiig of plain litters, reminds me of a iiiriiiiiiainlniii 1 in- truilid til sriid to the editor abmit Iniia,, mi the old eyes, aud I am sorel\ |i "Withhold not good IVn'ni i when it is in the power of tin THE IvITCHEN-GAEDEN. C-AeLiFLOWEns. — In planting oul snreessii of this uselul vegetable, it is a gnml |ilaii : sent time, and throughout the sniiimrr n dip the roots and steins up to the rullai uf laiils .ev of lliirk laiiiil, (II invvent tin- all irks ,,f ibr grub, so |irrvaleiil iii iiiaiiv inralil ics. 'I'liis bad brltrr be (lone just before ivplaiiling tlieiii. 1 f soapsuds can be procured for mixing the soot iuid clay, the effect will bo more beneficial than if water idone is used for tlie purpose. The same system shoidd be adopted also wbri, phinliiigoutsueeessionsnf rillier mhuorts or r„hl„i,,r nhnils. •fi. ..blain iiiurkK rrisn. lim-tla- liave bivii all nil again iir.i.ln,v,l let Ihesr sliiiii|.-, oversbadownl in C.MS1HMINS. Tl Insert the seed .lis; ips somi.' spare but not seeds. may now be made. ■ five feet aiiart, on soil that has been previously well trenehed and inii- ntu'ed. If the soil has also been ridged and Ibrkid, so as to have become well pulverized, shallow In nrlii s may be linmed for sowing tlio seed, similar l.^al^ ('i.i,ii;\ wbii-li may have been jiricked out on sligJit bnt beds, iu frame's, or potted, may now bo ])ut out in trenches, made on well pidverized soil. DwAnf KiDNKY Beans and Runners, of the same Idnd, slioidd now bo sown iu full crops. It is a THE COTTAGE GARDENER. .mood plan oiltior to transplant or sow oilliov of tlicsr vMrielics in slialknv trenches, wliu'li allonl soiim slii'ltor lo llir yoimg plants, soueco^sarv al llini- \Wm sUirtiiig: ami it is a convenience, as has liron licrm'f stilted, lor any temjiorary covering that may he needed cm enlii nights, for watering in dry weather, an.l they are also a jirotection from cutting winds. Rour'iNK Man.-^gkment. — Sow successions of cii- ciniilifr,^. iiiiioiix, and vegetable marrow. Reduce the covering used over frames containing early crops of these. Apply tepid mamu'e water to the plants hav- ing fruit now freely swelling. Prepare for ridging out plants of these crops in the open ground, to be protected by hand-lights, oiled paper frames, or other covering. Jajies Baknes. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. ALLOTMENT GARDENING FOR MAY. Fkuit-Tkee Borders. — As our remarks are in- tended to api)ly to the ordinary cottage garden, as well as to field gardening, we must take some notice occasionally of the fruit borders, or marginal strips ; for thesi' may be turned to account occasionally; as Ihi' ImiIiIiul; a plot of ground is such an immense biui'lil I'liir d.nii.'d to the mechanic in smoky towns), Ihal ni)| an null should be either lost or neglected. Wlifu gardens are first enclosed, a good many use- ful little tiuugs may be obtained from the fruit bor- ders, [)rovided they be plants which bear shallow culture; for no deep digging will be pmsued here through oiu- recommendation. We may as well SLiy at once, that six inches is the very extreme depth to wliieh any cultm-e may be pei'mitted to reach; indeed, tlris is more than we should jn'actice. The kinds we would recommend for border cultme are the following : — Spinach, cabbage lettuces, York or Matchless cabbages, radishes, kidney beans, shallots, parsley, turnips (the Dutch), kohl-rabi, and most of the herbs, at least those which do not spawn too much at the root. Provided the fridt borders are about six feet in width, one drill and an edging of any Idnd will be a profitable course during the first three or fom- years ; in which case the cfrills may be drawn about two feet, or nearly so, from the tree stems, fr-om end to end ; and, instead of digging any deeper than here suggested, we advise that a little old manure be put in the drills; this we call"hiruig a crop," for the rropping i> iioi to be allowed to rob the border, but iiM'ivly 111 liold a temporary situation there. Whilst, llii'irtdie, till' trees are yoimg, some of the larger and grosser vegetables may hold a situation there, such as the York cabbages, kohl-rabi, &c., and these, for a short period, may be placed in double drills. Some rotation, however, will be necessary even here ; and the drUls of one year may be exchanged for a broad- cast crop the next, for which we know of uotliing better than the Dutch turnip, spinach, or cabbage lettuces. We gi-ow quantities yearly of the Dutch turnip, on fruit borders, by merely hoeing the seed in. 'I'he turnips, the spinach, and the lettuces, will all be wanted for the cow or pig ; of the latter two it is impossible to get too much; and the spinach, when run to blossom, and half a yard high, is a very excel- lent thing to give cows which have become over- heated by other diet, and which may, in general, be k-nown by the cow eating the very soil from the lir(l;^c liank-. ; tins overdieating is apt to produce the As III.' livi's r\ii'nd, and the border becomes much shad.'d. it is III \ain to crop much. In such cases the J")utrli Inniiii may be sown in the first week of Marrli ; but whilst tlie trees are young we would take a crop of the iiauimersmith lettuce off in May, which had been sown in the end of August, and then follow in the same season with Dutch tmuips. We do not wish to confine the cottager to these crops; we merely wish to show what may be accomplished by a severe economy, accompained by sound infonna- tion as to the habits of the vegetables in question. Mangold Wdrtzel.— We must now stay to inquire whether this useftil root is sown ; our's has been sown a fortnight. If not, let it be sown instantly, accord- ing to former advice. The young plant will want a thorough weeding as soon as above gi-oimd, and the next process will be what is termed " singling them out;" that is, removing one where two come up side by side. Before these two processes, however, the hoe should be plied between the drills ; this enables the weeders and singlers to see their work plainer. Swedish Turnips.— By referring to om- last allot- ment [Urections, p. 301, it will be seen that we advise these to be sown a fortnight later than the mangold, on account of then- liability to mildew. The first fortnight in May is a very good time, and we hope oar cottage friends have got their Swede portion of the allotment in a forward state of culture already. The Scotch have a saying that " the midden is the mither o' the meal rhi'sl ;": 1 if this hold good with our grain ry^y-. il is livlily iru.' nf our root crops, whicli makr tlicrrliy a rammis pn |,;(ration in om- fields for wheal : as, aUliongh quality is requisite for this valuable grain, fresh manures, which the tm-- nip thrives on, would run the wheat into straw too much. See, therefore, that the root crops are well manured, for no manure must be used for the potatoes which are jjlanned to succeed them in 1850. Take care to raise the drills by some means ; this is easily accomplished on ordinary fiat garden gi-ound, if in good tilth, by drawing a small drill on each side of a garden line, and close to it ; this will leave a raised mound, or ridge, in the centre, in which the seeds may be dibbled. If the soil is not very good, it is advisable to introduce a mixtra-e of some stimu- lating manures, in the drill manner. Guano. — Real good Peruvian guano, we fear, may be thought out of the cottager's way. Such guano, however, it should be remembered, can be pru-chased Ibr very little more than a penny per pormd. We are persuaded that it is quite witliin the cottager's reach, and peculiarly efficient under a proper course of management. Indeed, nothing else can accom- plish what we woidd desire so weU, at so small an outlay. About twenty pounds would be enough to form the basis of a rmxture, which Avill be found to work wonders for the yoimg plant. Such is appli- cable to most of our crops ; but the Swede is so liable to the fly and other mishaps, that anything which will develop the plant rapidly is particidarly worthy of attention. Let us, nevertheless, add a caution concerning its use : it must never be put into narrow drills in its raw state. Any old mellow vegetable soil, thoroughly decayed leaves, very old tan, or any charred weeds, or other matter, is capital to mix with it; and, if nothing else is at hand, some old and spent sawdust may be used. A couple of barrowfuls of such, spread over the floor, with twenty pounds of * lu English, "The duug-heap is the mother of the flour bin." THE COTTAGE GAEDEXER, Apr.iL the guano added, aud the sweepings of a chmlDe}^ all. thorotiffhly hleiided, will make one of the most fertilizmg drill manures possible; and, withal, ex- ceedingly economical, for the whole wOl not exceed a half-crown. This, then, should he sown hy hand in a di'ill after the seed is deposited, and then slightly soiled over. We now leave, for the present, two of the best root crops, for the cottager, next to potatoes; and having disposed of divisions Nos. 1 and 2, in the diagi-am p. 181, -we will proceed to look over Nos. 3 and 4, and advise some subordinate aliaii's. HoEN Caeeot. — We have before strongly mgcd the cidtm-e of tliis on the cottager. If, however, he prefers the larger sorts, he must get them sown di- rectly. They were intended for division No 2 in drills, but it is quite likely that division wiU he full. If so, a bed in No. 3 must be seized on, for can-ots must be had. The same kind of di'essing as recom- mended for the Swedes will answer with these ; for, above all our crops, the cai-rot most needs quick growth whilst young ; for not one of om' vegetables is of so slender a habit, and a single slug will devour some hundreds in one night. We have before said that the Horn carrot must be so\vn thick, and prdled or thiuned out almost daUy for use, when as tluck as the thumb, leaving enough for a full crop afterwards. Lettuces. — As we have set out one division for miscellaneous articles, we hope to jiersuade the cot- tager to gi-ow lettuces all tlie summer, on some portion or other. A good bed should be sown im- mediately, well manured ; the manm-e not dug in too deep, and of a rotten character. It is useless planting or sowing them in poor sod, and no crop wiU more amply repay the value of the manure than this. The cultivation of summer and autmnn let- tuces should, in our oiiinion, form part of eveiy cottager's pig feeding system. They are exceedingly nutritious, and all swine devour them greedily. They may be suffered to shoot up to seed, and it is asto- nishing what a bulk of rich material a bed of a dozen yards in length \vill yield in this state. Spinach is another usefid summer crop for pigs ; the cow win also eat it gi'eedily. Any spare comer will suit it, and it wiU succeed best in summer in the shade of other crops, provided the groimd is manured. Bed Cabbages. — If these have not been planted, it is not yet too late, if a few spring-sown ones can be i)i'ocured. No cottier shoidd be without a score for pickling purposes. As connected with picldcs, wr innv In r. ii;inn' tlir nasturtium. This is aji iMi^iIii'j;, u . lul i.n.l wholesome pickle, and we. slmnM liKr in .c ilir time when every cottager's wil'r p.i^^r.-^id ininiuilly two large jars of pickled cabbage, one Jar of luisLiu-- tiums, ami a couple of pickled onions : those articles would add relish to many a frugal meal tlu-ough the ensuing season. Nasturtiimis shoiild be sown im- mediately, first soaking them in warm water for six hours. They must be ]iut on the poorest soil in the garden, and may be staked lilie pease, or carried up string, or even sown ;it ihr in,.t ol o-awky or naked fi-uit trees, and canifd ii|i iImm ■inns. Tlieve should always be a few near llir iIchh |Mr,\|i, and near road sides. Nothing gives juuie miiiiiuct gaiety to tlie cottage, tluan runners, nasturtiums, lioUyhocks, and sunflowers.-- 1 with this t Congleton, and we may ; lade according to this reic lENEK, No. 26, it is regrr Ec^■^'EHs. — These we adverted to at p. ."02, and we hope our cottage readers wiU be sure to provide a few. Let them remember that it is quite possible for the potato some season to faU worse than it has ever done : well would it be, in sucli a day, for those who had gradually weaned themselves from the con- stant use of the potato, by acquh-ing a relish for the various articles here jiointed out. Leeks. — Another most useful cottage vegetable is the leek. It is not generally known that the leek when highly cvdtivated, and blanched by soiling up lilie celeiT, makes a most dehghtfid dish, well boiled, and a little butter added to it. It has all the mellow pulpiness of the sea-kale, and is much richer fla- voured. Early plants, planted immediately in rich soU, wUl make large plants by the autumn, and will keep for many months. Peas. — Let these be well stated, above all things, for it renders them much more profitable ; although we have known capital crops grown on the gi'oimd in fresh imilianured soU, especially of the Prassiau kind. Broad Beaxs. — Do not forget our advice about soUiug them up, for fear of wind. GiiEENs, BnoooLis, &e. — Of course the seed-bed recommended at p. 301 has been secm'cd in the mis- cellaneous division No. 4 ; and if so, the green kale, savoys, Brussels sprouts, thousand-headed cabbage (for the cow), &c., will now be nice young plants, almost coming into their second leaf. If, however, any of these have missed coming, sow again directly, soaking the seed in warm water for six. hom-s pre- viously. We named a few hrocolis of the late kinds before ; it is now time to sow the autumn and winter hrocolis. The best for the cottager are Hammond's cape. Snow's winter white, and the Walehcren. A small palili of ( a. li will do. Tt is not unlikely that he will br alilc 1(1 liiiv a frw of some nardcner, and this will pave Inm Lmli i,n-uiind aial labnuv. KiDXEY JJEANS. — We licvc mcau Llic dwarf kinds; we do not, however, recommend them to the cottager, unless in our most southern counties, for tliey are neither so profitable nor so ornamental as the nmncr. If some should be required, we advise the negi-o variety, and that they shoidd occupy a row on some narrow border fully exposed to the sim. CfOf.-MBERs. — We should like to see eveiy cottager enjoying a cucumber-bed ; and if he has a little manure left, which is too fresh for digging in, it may as well be employed this way as lay bleacliiug with t]ir -mi; lli( trimmings of chtch sides, or any ndi- lieliy inai, lials, leaves, fern, &c., may be mi.xed Willi I he iiiass. A trench must be formed in some well slichrnil nook; it should be dugout a spade's depth aud three feet wide ; the warm materials will tlms be a foot below the level, and may be pUcd half to make the cheap and excellent vinegar T ■.,-. ha n-. .1 rnr some years, and find it as good for every ]mr|(-'vr. ,i , ' i, ; i ;- pirkles TZ^^^ urenndtielic; washing out, unci there is no danger ",:!;e April THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 41 a yard above it; the whole then covered with the soil thrown out. Glasses, with tlie cottager, are out of the question ; a few sticks, however, mii.y be put round and over them, and a mat, or any old cloths or sacks, thrown over them at night for a wliile. If he can get a strong plant or two of the ridge cuoiunber from some gardener, it will be weU to plant that at one end ; for general pin-jioses, however, we think the ordinary gherkui should be hisaim : here he will be less likely to fail. It will soon be time to make a trench for celery, for the cottager shoidd gi'ow it as early as he can. Half-a-hundred plants will be as many as he ought to indulge in, for this is a sheer luxury ; they more- over require much manure. Paksley. — We hope plenty of this useful herb has been sown ; if not, let some be put in immediately ; perhaps as an edging to some compartment. Seed Beds. — Under this head wdl come the vari- ous greens necessary, not as principal crops, but in order to supply any gaps which may occur during the season. The first thing we would name is the Swede. A small bed should be sown at all times, in ease the di-ill-sown crops should fail. Some, indeed, prefer transplanting as a system, but we do not. These should be sown a week or more later than those in the drills ; for it is better for the drills to wait for the jilants than the plants to wait for the drills. We have known, in numberless instances, great stalky overgi'own plants transjilanted in a dry time, after potato crops ; and they have always proved a partial failure. Such plants, too, require severe top- ])ing ; and our nistics generally cut every vestige of leaf off, leaving nothing but a few bare sticks, with a prematurely formed bulb at the end : this is cai'ry- ing abuse to its very limits. Swedes in the seed-bed should have the scythe passed lightly over them as soon as they become rather gross, merely topping the leaves. This checks then- growth slightly, and, by admitting more light and air, prepares the plant for the vicissitudes it may have to undergo. Lettuces. — A good bed may be sown directly ; no more need be sown until the beginning of Jidy, or they run too fast to seed. Oahhages. — We have before advised the cultivation of the dwarf kinds, the spring-sown ones are now ujj. No more need be sown until the second week in June. Sow a good breadth then, and a few more at the end of the month. GenerjIL Maxims of Culture. — We need soai'cely say, do not suffer weeds to choke the young crops. Endeavour to pick the weather for this operation. One hour's hoein'j in dry weather is worth a whole day's work of the land in damp weather. If the sea- son continues damp, hand-weeding must, in many cases, be substituted for the hoe ; and when the hoe is used, the weeds should lay a day to slay, and then be distributed with an iron rake. Above all, do not allow any weeds to seed. Take care to di-aw plenty of soil to the stems of all greens, cabbages, &o. ; en- deavour to cover most of the stems. Use deep cul- ture in the centre between all drill crops, but apply the hoe with caution near their stems. The tap- rooted crops wiU, however, be an exception : we con- sider deep hoeing near to their stems beneficial when the plant has become strong and the thinning out is completed ; such will destroy a few of the side forked fibres, and induce them to go deeper in quest of food. PLANTS DESERVING CULTIVATION. Intekmediate Ehiostejion [Eriosicmon iiilermc- dium). — This plant is absurdly named " interme- diate," because equally resembling two other species of the same genus. It is a native of New. South Wales, and is a beautiful plant in the greenhouse during the winter and early spring months. Its flowers are white, tinged with pink, and very abun- dant. It requires to be gi'own in a well-drained soil of turfy peat, mixed with a little sand. Watering must be carefully attended to in the summer ; and to make it bushy, the leading slioots occasionally shortened. " It may be propagated by cuttings under a bell-glass in bottom-heat, or by grafting it on stocks of <:iinr,i ,iIh,ir—{/lotifiiiniI M'ii.j.. t [i i.«.i m. and send them to the persons of u In.m tin) liave agi-eed to purcliase, that the bees may be hived into them at the time of swanning. Should it be straw liives that are chosen, let there be no sticks placed within- side them for the bees to fasten their combs to, for they cause them much trouble in forming the combs, and render the extraction of the combs almost im- possible. Let there be no sugai-ed ale nor honey put inside the hive, but let it be as clean and dry as possible ; and when it is fixed where it is to remain, let there be no mortar or clay put round to fasten it to the floor-board — the bees themselves will do tliis more efl'eotually. Clay or mortar trnds very much to decay the hives, by retaining moisture, aud is a harbom- for moths and other insects. On the depriving system, a hive may be expected to stand for fifteen or even twenty years, if properly managed. Purchasers should endeavour to obtain the very in whicli it is to remain upon the evening of tlic day it swarmed ; for should its removal be delayed even till the evening of the next day, the combs will in rl\l l.ellrt:. He'medy iOB THE SxiNO Of A Bee. — i\'rsons wlio are much amongst bees must now and then e.xpect to meet witli a sting, although to myself it very rarrlv happens: never, indpod, Imt wlien' acciaoitally liaNiii-laal mv hau.l u|.oii our. ,.i- uhn, having YVr-^,d nil,. l„:,irall, tlir .l,v\rnf my r,,al. ■•■fllO inflammation induced." .Vtin- c xiiaciini; ilic sling. I apply the least possible (|uaiilily ol' /,/,//(,./ /„:i,is.w, swelling nor lullii taken not to use I. Remember, the q eti'ectual the cure. THE BEE. BY THE HEV. C. A. A. LLOYD. {Continued from p. Hi'i..) DtscovJSRY OF Thomas Nuit. — Nutt discovered that if a liive was so contrived tliat part of it could be ventihited at pleasure, the queen would not lay ;s III. Ill THE COTTAGE GAKDENBR. sorvi'il lliat lioiii'yfiimli tlius tbniied whs free from litvvir, i-l^s, ami Iht liinul. It llirn .Mvurred to liim lliat if |Mi1 nlllir liivrcMiM In' wnlilMlod, SO as to rcseiiililr llic u|.('ii air, liniu'y so |ir(nliii-od woidd be equally inire. The experimeut was tried, and with full i , iu side hives Mr. Nntt was bom in the Fens of Lincolnsliii'e, and bis cdiicalidii did mil extend beyond writing and aritlmii'lic. lie was li.nnid apiirentioe to a shop- liri>|iri' uliii ("inii'd nil si'viral bi-anohes of business; but ui Isi-.'i lie was iilllieied with illness so severe that he was obliged to walk upon crutches. The subject of bees liecame Ids amusement in his hour of feeble- ness, and, at length, he made a discovery, which is certainly a very important one (as far as the use of honey is concerned) to all who regard the lives of the little busy insects who labour to afford us a grateful food and medicine, and the very useful substance of wax Mr. Nutt states when he made tliis discovery, he had not read a single book on bees, and that had he done so, there was nothing in any book he had since seen that could have given him any hint on the sub- ject, namely — ventilation to jpreventthe queen laying her eggs in a side hive. Side hives had been adopted long ago ; but the great discovery of Nutt is not this, but ventilation regulated by the thermometer so as to prevent the au-insideof thehivesever beingmorethan 75°. In order to carry this new system into effect, a board must be provided which will hold three hives. This must contain passages with slides, so that the three hives may be united or disunited at pleasure. Tlie entrances should be six inches wide through the board, and the height of a single bee. This saves cut- ting tlie hive, and is easier made narrower in the au- tumn, when wasps make attempts to rob the bees. This kind of entrance keeps out many plunderers, and also acts as a drain for the moisture which con- denses in the hive. There should be a seijavate doorway rather higher for drones and the queen bee, to be kept open only in the drone season, or when the bees require more room than the entrance of six inches afford. On the middle of the board must be placed a hive of bees, which the writer prefers being of straw. The side hives he prefers being Of wood, as much more convenient for ven- tilation and inspection, and also for affording the bees an opportiuiity of building the combs more regularly, in them there should be an opening at the top and bottom, covered with slides of perforated zinc. There should be glass window's and shutters to afford a sight into the hive as often as requisite. If the side hive has some old comb in it, tlie bees will take to it the i-eadier, or in want of this the in- side may be smeared over with honey or sugared beer. If, after all, the bees should swarm, jiut them immediately into the side hive, and restore it to its place, leaving open the communication into the middle hive, and, as far as my exjjerienoe goes, they will not swarm again. There ought to be thenno- lueters iu the side hives, so contrived that they may be seen when required. When the air in the side hive is above 75°, the ventilator must be opened imtil the temperatiu'e is reduced to 0.")°, but not below. When the side hive is full, slide a piece of sheet-iron imder it, and remove it in the beat of the day to another shelf Take away tlie slide, and in about two hours all the bees will have left the hive, which may be removed into the house, and, if the ventilators have been properly at- tended to, the honey wUl be found qvute pure. When a side liive is taken away, the bees shoidd be obliged to pass through the other side hive in their passage to and from the middle hive. Another way of taking the side hive when full is as follows : — Open the upper and lower ventilators so as to reduce the inside of the hive to the tempera- ture of the open aii'. When night approaclies, the bees wiU leave the side hive for the warmth of the middle hive. The slide must then be closed which separates the hives. The side hive may then lie taken away without disturbing a single bee. If tiie hive has not been kept properly ventilated there will be larvaj in it, and the bees will not so readily quit their dwelling. If any bees remain, the hive should be turned up and covered with a coarse cloth, and taken to some outhouse at a distance fi'om the old hive, and left until morning, when the bees will be found on the cloth, which may be spread upon the grass, and the bees wiU Hy home ; or they may be taken into a room in a house and driven away vnth smoke. They will fly away through the window, and retm-n to their dwelHug. Bees upon the plan of side luves, without allowing them to swai-m, will make more honey, and caiTy less farina. Fewer eggs will of course be laid by one than by two queens, and the bees will consequently have more time to gather honey. Upon the system of swarming, the new colony is often lost, and particu- larly in windy weather, and late swarms are injmious rather than beneficial to the bee-keeper. Mr. James Koberts, of Crediton, in Devonshire, at the latter end of last century discovered a way of managing bees, so as to obtain honey purer than in the common way of keeping them. A large vessel was placed under the hive, with a hole in the hive board, and a corresponding hole at the top of the vessel, so that the bees coidd descend into the lower apartment. This being a large airy open space with no permanent opening but at the top leading into the hive, the warm air natm'ally ascends, and the lower vessel is thus kept cooler than the upper, and in a rough way gives the advantage of Nutt's plan. In a line day in the autumn, a bole is to be opened at the bottom of tlie lower vessel, and the hole at the top closed. The bees escape at the lower opening, and in the evening the owner may take as much honey as he thinks the bees can spare : a small falling door of talc might be put at the hole at the bottom of the lower vessel to prevent the bees from returning. Mr. Eoberts called the upper hive the " rnsii-ver," and the Irnvei- tlie " Remunerator." A [ilaii III' iieaiiv the same kind is described to have been |ii'ari ised ' liy a, elergvnian near Pethiviers, in Mill^ sopmtwwt uid C fju ciosftsimw: which attain toise\eial teet m heiglit Ontliot«n uppoimnst sli( hf"=: ( losi to the gl !«•- ui smiU jHiN n ^fimiinlhii, I V il lanes, or niuildy roads, will iiol do so wrll, luTausr they are not suiUciently gritty. J^et the edges ut llio walks be kept neatly trimmed, if bordered by txiri', or if passing through a grass-plot. A sharply cut walk looks dressy and pleasing, but if neglected it has a slatternly, ra.gged air, and neither the lady nor tho cottager' should allow of this. The edges of beds and borders, too, must be neat and sharp ; a small pair of clippers, or large scissors, will enable a lady to keep the straggling gi'ass from trespassing, and the very improved appearance of the garden will well repay the trouble. Flowers look more gay and happy in well trimmed borders ; they are almost as much set off by the neatness of their residence as the active mistress of a cleanly cottage is by her's. Nothing delights the eye of a passer-by so much as a neat and blooming cottage garden, and a clean and bright looking cottage kitchen, with its shining tables, and clock-case, and dresser, and tins. Whoever enters that cottage will be aliiiost sure to find a sober husband, well clad chQdren, and happy faces. They wDl also be almost sure to find on the well dusted shelf, the Book that says, "Behold, thus shall the man be blessed that feai-eth the Lord." I have seldom entered a cottage of this description without finding such to be the ease ; and / am quite sure, that next to the fear of God, and love for His statutes, to which alone a blessmg belongs, next to that holy fear and love, the most effectual way to keep the labourer from the beerhouse, the children from starvation, and her- self from wretchedness, is for the wife to have a clean and quiet home. Dirt, disorder, and discord always point to the beerhouse, and the beerhouse in return points back to them. For her own sake, then, let the cottager's wife be clean and thrifty ; but let her re- member that tliere is a curse, and not a blessing, upon all who do not " hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God." This is a good time for laying down tinf, either for lawns or to fill up useless borders. Let the soil be ral^d very even, and raised sirfBciently high to allow for the sinking of the soft earth after the sods are laid down. They should be neatly fitted together, and well beaten down ^vith the spade : roll them fre- quently, if possible, to press them into their places ; but as many ladies may not be able to achieve this, they may content themselves, as I have often done, with ti-eading constantly upon the surface, and press- ing the edges and uneven pai-ts down firmly with my feet. The soft showers of April will soon cause the young gi-ass to spring up, and the imsightly look of the fresh sods vfill fast disappear. The seeds of perennials and biennials should now be sown for next year's bloom. Where a lady possesses warm sunny borders, it is very interesting to raise seedlings, and watch for new varieties when they come into flower. Pinks, carnations, sweet- williams, polyanthuses, auriculas, and anemones may be increased by seed sown at this season. The seed bed should be in some retired spot, as the plants will not beautify the garden, and shoidd be marked out into squares, to separate the different kinds. Here they wOl remain till old enough for removal in the sum- mer. All these plants may now be parted, and fresh planted, for blooming this year ; as also heartsease, rose campion, double daisy, and many other beautiful perennials, if they have increased so much as to need TITK COTTAGE OATJDENKi;.. aud in iiill lionnly. The iinppy anemone, which is the parent ni' ilir li.'-l II, ni K' llowcvs, comes from a very sunny laml in cnliMn ,,iir northern soil. It is a native oi' Ihr (li\ ami limning; plahis of Sp-ia and Asia-minor: and it also blossoms at the feet of the wallflower, on the verdant steeps of Mount Caraiel. The poppy anemone has a delicate white flower, ^vith a crimson ring round the centi-e ; and, with the deej) red and pui-jjle varieties, eiu'ich and beautify cm- borders till late in sprmg'. Among our cottage banks and hedges, aud cluster- ing beneath their walls, that pvrtty, sinijilf flower, the periwinklr. now blnniii'; IVr,-lv.' li i-; :i richly- growing, spreading' plaiil : I lills nji .laiiij. corners, odd nooks, and v nl spares, nsclully ami prettily. The blue and white flowering plants should be placed together; and it asks for no hoon but to be let alone, and bloom and spread in peace. I love to see it entwining itself among cottage pailiugs, and creep- ing over the banks md luider the windows, where there is sometimes Ittle space for other flowers to gi'ow; and it is occasionally foimd in native wilduess wandering by the sid es of streams. The bright elegant blossoms of the larch are now showing themselves on the taper sprays. They are small, aud add nothing to the general appearance of the country, but when examined are exquisitely beautiful, and tinge the ti-ees with a delicate hue before the leaf appears. They will soon, however, be smimuided by the soft gi-een tufts that clothe the boughs; and when this gi-aceful tree stands fully arrayed in its green and crimson dress, few caii exceed it in beauty. Its spicy fragi-ance, too, is powerftd, espci'ially' aft(a- rain, and then it sends forth its odours in ;ilinii(liinee; and I have perceived the peculiar and nrll-known scent of a larch planta- tion at a very extraordinary distance. There is something exceedingly sti-ildrig in the sweetness of trees and plants after rain has fallen. It is like the outiiouring of praise for mercies granted, and speaks loudly to the careless, rmthankful heai-t of man, who receives so many mercies daUy and hourly, yet scarcely seems to feel them, or to think from whence they come. The son"- of birds, too, is more loud and tunefidwhen tli.' soli shower has passed away, and the sun briglilens th,. .^littering scene. Let us, as we enjoythesiiiell of liie refreshed earth, and the chorus of rejoicing birds, add our heartfelt homage for the showers of blessings He pours upon us in ten thousand forms : and let us exclaim, with worship- ping Israel, " the Lord is good, for His mercy en- diu-eth for ever !" ALLOTMENT GARDEN RULES. " An owner of allotments " has favovned us wth the rules subject to which he lets them to the tenants. We think they contain all that is desirnlile ; and they have the great merit of being short a,nd inlelli gible. The last ride, we agree with our corrcs]ionil ent in thinking new; and, moreover, it is highly beneficial anil e(|nitalile. Hosays:— "Before I ibiw n|i lliese rides I procured others from various i|naileis. They ajipeared. in general, to be ton cnm|ilicalc'il. M\ object was to midco mine as leailiii.L;' in llieir l mv lor Ibeln.l I li;i\e nevel-seen in any others. The ],ooi' (leople t.'ll me, thai is ,.no of gi-eat value to them, as the hire of a cart and horse is a serious matter for them ; and it costs me nothing. I send one of my carts down to a cottage ; it is left there for a few hours without the horse ; the la- bourer iills it himself, and in the evening, after other work is done, one of my horses is sent again, and conveys it to the allotment field. No horse or cart but my own ever goes uito the field. " The twelve allotments, wliieh consist of a rood of land each, .shall be let at a yearly rent of twelve shillings each, that is to say,' ten shillings for the land, one shilling in place of all rates and tithes, and one shilling for the maintaining of the gates aud fences. "The land shall be let for one year only, and no notice to quit shall be considered necessai-y ; but it shall be relet to the same occupier, provided bis conduct has been satisfactory during the preceding year. " The rent sliall be considered due on Martinmas- day in each year, a,nd if it remains unpaid for ou(^ week the allotment shall be forfeited. " The allotments shall be cultivated solely by spado husbandly. "Each occupier si J all be allowed to fence and to divide his land as he pleases, but the same cro|i shall not he planted two years in succession on the same part. " A space of eighteen inches shall be left on the south side of each idlotment, as a division between it and the adjoining portion. "Any occupier trespassmg on his neighbour's aUotnieut, or suffering Ins cliildren to do so, or turning any live stock on the land, shfill not be allowed to continue his allotment after the end of the year. " Any manure provided by the occupiers, shall be led for them to then- respective allotments free of EXTRACTS FROM COERESPONDENCE. GoosEBEniiY Blossoms. — At this season of the year gi'eat injury is done to the gooseberry hlossoms by small birds taking or picking off a portion (and in some eases the whole! oT the ijowia-s, 'fhese tliey donoteat, hut only pull llinn oir. eilh,a- lor miseliief or amusement, as yon may liml them lyinu" under the trees from which tlicy I'lavo been pulled. I have found that the blooms thus mutilated are never pro- ductive, their fruit seldom or never attaining the size of a good sized marble. The most eflectivo aud ec(.i- nomical plan to prevent the birds deslnning the blooms is to get a few sii.'ks ulinnl three (|n:Miers o)' a yard long; to insert tlirse in Ihi' eiound. a lew inches dcp]i, at a dislnnee of si.v or eight yards njiai't, on each side of your edoseberry -trees; take a |iorlion of kuitline I'otlon iwbioh maybe bought al tlie ho- sier's lor a liall'|iianiy an otuicc), tic it lo the lirsl begui not r( J. Tv^ of sticb, lis the lai the first year also are dilTerent. :\l\ row of peas, up MJopt this plan; and < ;le bloom afterwards.- I luy substitute iongh our plans laving a double in a stake, say Ai'inr THE COTTAGE GARDENER. tVoiii three to torn- feet long, and at every three or foni- IVi'l (HstiiiiiT. I tlicn took coarse spun twine (vo|ii'-v;irii, iK till' sailoix ciiU it), and stretched it loiLLjitiuliiiall) (.ir Iciin-lhwiso) IVoni stake to stake, from tlie botiom iiji to the top of tlie stakes, My experience of this then, the first season, was, that at tlie third or fourth S])iice hetwixt the rows of twine my peas all i^rcw out: and, as they are not nice to ■ ///,• ,1 sii N.,«-. grower ; but if ho keeps some spare twine, and stretches it longitudinally as the peas gi-ow, I should say, from my experience, that a very excellent suh- stitute would be found, — W, R, W. Smith, Glasgow. [Our correspondent may he right ; and some sti-ing jilaced lengthwise, as well as up and down, may be required ; but we shall be better able to tell a few weeks hence, for then a crop of peas will have told us what they think of our supporters, — Ed, O. 0.1 Pe,v Supporters, — Another correspondent, who signs himself " Ajmbler," and who seems to be one of several allotment gardeners who have poured all their scraps of information and their inquuies into one letter — a plan we hope others wiU adopt — also seems to prefer putting the string lengthwise, or horizontally ; and his plan beats our own in cheap- ness. He says — " We think of ti'ying to gi'ow peas with the bands or cords running horizontally, qvdte the reverse to your plan, I shall put a stake every four or five yards along each side of the row of peas, and take small tarred band or string, and oari-y it horizontally along the side of the peas, passing it once roimd each stake as I come to them, leaving a space of three, four-, or si.x inches betwixt the lines or bands of cord, keeping them nearest together at the bottom, stretcliing the lines as tight as to adjust them well straight. I think by using this, instead of all sticks, the peas wOl have more light and air, and we shall not be encumbered with so many sticks to thrust into one corner or another ; and the room they oecupied during winter will do for something else, as I have no gTound to spare for such sticks neither winter nor summer," Gooseberry Pruning, — In pruning gooseberry- bushes, I differ a little (from Mr, Turner,) in the shortening of what branches I may chose to leave. I cut all branches clean out except those which stand right and well ripened, and these I never shorten at all; because this, in general, would make a new shoot just at the tip-end where I had cut it oft' at. But, if I leave it on, that is, the shoot at its full length, it hears fruit its whole length, and the new wood springs from the bottom of the branch or from the main stem of the bush, and keeps it more handsome, and bear- ing lower down, — Geo, A^fbler, [If our con-espondent only wishes to grow mode- rate-sized gooseberries, for household purposes, his plan may be pursued very successfully ; but, to obtain very large fruit for dessert or for exhibition, Mr, Tur- ner's mode of pruning is best, — Ed, O. O.] Nux Vomica to Poison Mice, — I have used it many times for the house ; and if a Httle sugar be put into the liquor in which the nux vomica has been boiled, and the wheat steeped in it, the mice will stay and feast until they die at or near the plate,— W, W, Planter's Puzzle. — T will just remark on Seuilis's pu/zle forphiiiliMs, Ibat I iiuist give it up, liiil I Ibiiilc I ran tell how to plaiil ■.' I Ir.'c-, in ... 20 r thus ; — " Senilis" may ibal is. a flgnre having b.r (111 it according to piisilv ours: ilii'ii. 111! I'arli aiiL;!.' in iIm' lii^airr, and also wliiav tbi' bill's iutiTsrrt ra,-b olbrr. lie may plaut his trees. — A Lover of Gardening. [If we understand om- correspondent correctly, the trees, according to his explanation, must stand in the following order. — Ed, C, G,] Madajie Laffay v. Prince Albert, — The hybrid pei-petual rose Prince Albert, which you recommended a correspondent a few numbers (No. 23) back, will most probably disappoint him. Even in the Isle of Wight, where most roses, including China and Tea- scented, bloom to perfection in the open ah, this rose (Prince Albert) rarely or ever opens well. Why not have said Madame Laffay ? I have one in a damp situation and facing the nm-tJi, which is covered with bloom every year ; it well repays me any attention I bestow upon it, — G, W. Tucker, Destroying the Green-Fi.y. — I do not observe any notice of my plan for clearing insects off my house pets, and if it affords a usefid hint to any of my fair ftiends at a distance they ai'e welcome to it. I use a brush, what painters call a " half-pound " brush, and, if I see a few insects on a leaf of one of my geraniums, I hold the leaf in one hand firmly, and with the brush in the other touch the leaf, both back aud fi-ont, lightly and qvuckly, whiffing the apludes, and the dust too, as far otf as I can, I go over the stems and leaves in this manner' very fre- quently, and consider that it does the plants much good. Having seen tobacco-smoke produce fatal effects, I never use it. Single insects, here and there on a plant, I remove with a shawl-pin, or some such tiling. If on a tender-leaved plant, a narrow slip of paper, bent to a half-tube shape, cau never injure the most fragile texture, and a piece held in the other hand, for receiving the intruders upon, prevents them from falling on another part of the i^lant, — K, B,, Birkenhead. Raspberry Culture, — IwUl say a few words on the ciUtivation of the raspberry, having gi-own it for five or six years with great success. The manure that I give to the canes is chiefly that of the pig, in rather 48 THE COTTAGE GARDEXER. more tbau a half docayed state, put on ■\vlieii I culti- vate the f=ri-oiiiiil at (litl'ereiit times (if tlic yeav. The pniuvng I prrloiiii ihr iiiv| timr hy culliii^' oil' the old canes assomi ;i- tin' iniinii'al crop iv nvn-, tliough I do not always unii i,.r tliai, hut 1 (mU thf old canes oil' iHlorc tla\ have ipiito done bcarhig, and all the weulo -I of ilir yoiMi;,' ones, but two or tlu-ee, to within fnnii tuo lo tlin f inches of the gi'oimd; and by thus treating- tlitiii, 1 get a veiy fine crop of fruit, of supe- rior flavour, and very large. ]\Iine are tlic single bearing red variety. — E. P., a IMech.anic. Tu]!EHosE IN Oi>EX BonDERs. — The Rev. C. B. Taylor, of Otley Rectory, near Ipswich, in a letter dated April IJth, says, " We have had the tuberose in open borders, growing sti'ongly on deep gi-eeu stalks, of a moderate height, imd the' buds tinged with pink from their healthy strength." Rhub.\1!b Culture. — Thinldng tliat the following method of gi-owing a large cpiantity of rhubarb from a few roots may assist cottage gardeners to pay their rent, or be a som-ce of profit to them, I take the liberty of sending it for insertion in your valuable work. In September choose a place m the garden that has a south or south-western aspect ; for one root dig out a pit of four cubic feet, and in the same proportion for more roots ; fiU the pit with alternate layers of Utterij stable diimj and turf, tread- ing them down as they are put in. Plant a root of Victoria rhubarb in the ceuti'e — let the plant gi'ow the first season without prrlliug off the leaves ; the second season it will be a fine healthy plant, and the pi-oduce will be enormous. Two roots of the Victoria variety have produced at the first plucking more than 360l"bs of stalk, without the leaves, and sold in tlie market for 17s. The yearly produce from two roots will be about twenty-four or twenty-five shillings. Cottagers residing near market towns, by grondng rhubarb this way, may realise enough to pay their rent, on a very small space of ground. They have the means at command, for tmf may be pared fi-om the roadsides and ditches, and dung may be collected from the road in a very short time. As rhubarb obtains treble price when brought into tlie market early, one or two roots of a large and early variety should be planted. The Early Monarch possesses both these properties. — Jos. Ball, Lomjton Farms. SCEAPS. COUVE TnONCHCDA AND ChOU BE MiLAN. Mr. Mcintosh, of Dalkeith Palace Gardens, says, " The culture of Choa de Milan is ueaiiy the same as that of Scotch kale or German borecole, viz., sow in the third week of March, and plant out the stronger plants in June, leaving the smaller to be planted out in Jidy for a suceessioual crop. They woidd, how- ever, lOce all kales, be the better to be transplanted from the seed into a nursery bed, and from the latter transferred to the place where they are to gi'ow. Of the Couve Trouchuda, or Portugal kale or cabbage, there are a dwai'fer and taller land mentioned in seed lists. We have cultivated both, and found much less difference between them than there is between the tall and dwarf Scotch kale or curlies. At the mo- jnent we do not recoUeot of liaving heard the Couvo Tronchuda called Russian cabbage ; nevertheless, it may be so, and if so, it is a very improper name, as it is almost too tender to stand an ordinary English, mucli less a Russian winter. The taller Couve Tron- chuda was introduced into England in 1821, and the dwarfer kind in ie-:2-i. They should be sown at the same time as early euulifiower, upon a slight hotbed, and planted out in June." — North British Ayriad- turist. [lu English, Chou de Milan is literally The Milan Ccdihage. The Courc Tronchuda is the Portuguese name for our Rihhed Cahhiii/e, or Kale. It is much gi-own in Portugal and i ranee; the large, white, fleshy ribs of the leaves being excellent, when cooked as sea-kale. — ^Ed. 0. G.] Oxiox DnESsrxG. — Mr. Smith, gardener at Pitfour, Aberdeenshfre, gi'ows onions in the following mode : sowing the seeds upon the manure, and pressing it down with the back of the spade, then covering them with a little soil from the alleys. When about an inch above gi-ound, give them once evei-y tlu-ee or four weeks a mbctru'e of guano and charcoal dust, to the extent of a handful to each squai-e yai-d, one- third being guano, choosing moist days for ai)plying it. Luring "the years 1845-46 and 47, Mr. Heudy says he saw this practised ^vith imvarying success; and onions weie e.xliibited at tlie Aberdeen and Peterhead liorticultm-al Society's shows which mea- sured 14-| inches in circumference, grown in tins way upon a black stiff soil, aU of common sorts. — Ihul. F.icTs ABOUT Parsnips. — C. Beamish, Esq., of Dela- cour ViDa, Cork, has contributed the following interest- ing communication to tlie Cork Constitution. In Feb- ruary, 1847, Mr. Richard Hartland, of Paii-ick-sti-eet, had some good, well-mixed farm-yard dung spread over two English acres of his farm, " Ardmanuing," a deep lime-stone soil. He then had them spade trenched 18 to 20 inches deep, at a cost of OOs. per acre, throwing up to the surface from 2 to 3 inches of the yellow subsoil. He sowed Jersey pai'snip seed in drills, 16 inches apart, about the 1st JNIai'ch, 1847, kept the ground clear of weeds, by surface hoeing during the srunmer, and his produce was about 20 tons of roots to the English acre. Upon these he fed every description of animals, and about the 1st March, 1848, he killed seven pigs fattened entirchj upon them, cut up in small pieces, in the raw state, without any other kind of food, or any cooliin(j uhat- soever. The butcher who killed them said he had never in his life met with healthier intestines ; the fat was beautifi,dly thick, clear and soUd, the meat was firm, and peculiarly white ; a juece of bacon which I cut up on my own dinner-table was pronounced by every one who partook of it, to have a delicious flavour, without tasting at all of the parsnip upon which it had been fed. Influenced by so favourable a resrdt, about this time last year I sjiread good, short, well-rotted dung over a field of several acres, which I then trench- ploughed 12 inches deep, and pulverised with " Kiiic- wood's" grabber. " Lazy-beds" were then formed by the plough, 6 feet from the centre of each fin-row, from wluch the earth was dug and tlirown up by the spade and shovel, to obtain artificial depth, the beds being 4^ feet, and the furrows 18 inches wide, when completed. The seed ha\ing been steeped two or tlu-ee days in well diluted liquid drainings from the dung-hiU (about 7 lbs. to the English acre), two men placed opposite ouo another, in contiguous furrows, opened with light Irish spades, driUs of about ou(^ inch deep, eight to eleven inches apai-t, across the beds, their spades meeting in the centi-e. A girl followed in eacli furrow : each girl, extending her hand at the same moment to within about five inches THE COTTAGE GARDENER. of the centvo of tho bed, dropped a few seeds at equal distances in tbe same cut, so as to liave the plants fi-om 0 to 10 inches apart across the beds. A man Uandimi on the top of the led covered the seed tirmly with the back of a hay-rake, and by his ordinary walking, while at work, further pressed the earth closelyupon it. A man with an iron garden-rake, slaniUiiij ill the furrow, came last, picking off lightly the larger stones, and removing any obstructions to the coming up of the seed. Thus, four men open- ing drills, two gii'ls sowing, one man covering the seed, and one man raking off, formed a band, in which all appeared to be equally occupied. Supposing wages to be lOd. per day for men,'i= and ad. per day for women, and a plough and paii' of horses 5s per day, the expense of this method of sowing is as follows : — s. d. Spreading manme, broadcast, with a shovel 10 I'loughing into beds 5 0 Digging furrows, shovelling the earth over beds, and levelling 7 4 Somng and covering seeds 3 8 Being a total of about 17s. 4d. per English acre. One plough for l^ day, and 12 men in one day, pre- pared and trenched sufficient beds for one day's sowing of five men and two girls. One thinning, and three weedings, during the summer, cost alto- gether from 30s. to 40s. per English acre, a few spots where the seed failed being filled up -vvith the best of the plants removed in the thinning ; but though parsnips appear to gi-ow well after ti-ansplanting, so great a uumber of small fibres come in the place of the broken tap-root, that it is scarcely worth the trouble and expense of attending to. The crop gTew well, and promised to be very abundant, until about the 1st of September, when the leaves began to show spots, like those on the potatoes, which rapiidly in- creased, and about the middle of that month vegeta- tion most probably ceased. Instead of the 25 tons winch I expected from the luxuriant appearance of the growth in August, I dug out finally only from 10 to 18 tons, according to the goodness of the soil in different parts of the field. Seventeen pigs have been fed upon some of them throughout the winter, given perfectly raw, cut into pieces, and I never saw more health, more firmness of flesh, or more growtJi fi-om any otlier description of food. Having kept an ac- count of the expense of sowing and cleaning this crop in drills (20 to 24 inches apart), I find it to be only about half that of beds (with 2tbs less seed per acre), therefore, where the soil is sufficiently deep to be moved to the depth of 18 or 20 inches (the tap- root icill descend three feet in a permeable subsoil), the drUl system would appear to be the most preferable. Peas. — The following was communicated lately to the Irish Farmers Gazette, by Mr. James Drummond, gardener at Blair Drummond, near Stirling, cele- brated as a model of the taste of the late Lord Karnes, author of the " Essay on Criticism." — " The vaiieties of the garden pea ai'e very numerous and very hardy, not particularly adajited to forcing, but may be greatly accelerated by sowing in pots, in boxes, on pieces of turf, di'ain-tiles, &c., and placing them in a peach-house, glazed pit, or frame, and, when four or six inches high, planting them out in a warm border along the south side of a wall, hedge, or paling, and protecting them for some time with yew, spruce, or silver fir branches. " I have practised the following method for at least 18 years, and find it far preferable to sowing in pots, boxes, turves, or drain-tiles, &c. When I com- mence forcing the early peach-houso hero, which I do about the beginning of February, the border inside of the house, on each side of the pathway, is covered to the depth of three or four inches with cow-dung gathered from the park ; over this is laid two inches of half decomposed tree-leaves, passed through a very wide sieve, raking level, and boating slightly with the back of a spade : upon this the peas are sjirinlded as thick as they will lie together, so that one seed may not lie above another, and covered with riddled leaf-mould two inches thick. In the course of tlu-ee weeks or so, the peas are fit for plant- ing out, being from fom- to six inches long. A border on the south aspect of a wall is chosen for the first planting ; the gi-omid being dunged, and dug deep and fine, the line is stretched in a diagonal across, or in a parallel du-ection along the border, according to taste or circumstance, and a deep perpendicular cut or fiuTOw made along the line. The peas are tlien raised ii'om the border of the peach-house, with a three-pronged hand-fork, in large turves, and carried in a basket, barrow, or sieve, to the prepared drill. They are then divided with the hand into small patches, drawing each patch longitudinally, then placing it in the cut fun-ow, in the manner of plant ing box-edgings, letting the roots hang as perpendi- cular as may be. By this operation very little of the dung and leaf-mould falls from the roots. The eartti is then laid over and pressed fii'm to the roots, and another furrow made and drill planted in the same manner, nine inches fi-om, and parallel to, the other, thus forming a double row. A Uttle earth is drawn up about them with the draw-hoe, and staked pretty closely, and a few sUver-fir twigs are stuck among the stakes to ward off sharp fi'osts ; these are removed when the weather gets mild. ' I have been long in the practice of planting and sowing my peas in double rows, with the rows from 20 to 30 feet apart, and cropping between with dwarf vegetables, such as cabbages, cauliflowers, carrots, leeks, onions, turnips, schorzonera, salsafy, beet, &c. I find, by experience, that the peas pod far better, and are not so apt to mildew when the rows are considerably detached ; and they are excellent shelter for the dwarf vegetables between them ; and, also, that ti-ansplanted peas do not gi'ow so tall, and are more productive than those that are not ti'ansplanted. This may be attributed to then- being , sown among the leaf-mould, where a greater ramLtioation of tlie roots takes place than in common moiild ; and, in addition to this, in the act of raising the plants for transplanting, each of the main or tap roots is broken off, and, the consequence is, after being transplanted, a further multiplicity of the rootlets ensue.* Peas sown on the 1st of Fobmary, and transplanted as described above, are fit for gathering about the same time as, or even sooner than, those of the same sort sown on the 11th of November pre- ceding, in the open air, along the bottom of a wall of south aspect. I gathered excellent race-horse peas on the 20th of May last, and some former years, which were sown on the first week of February prC' ceding, in the peach house, and transplanted as already described. This may be considered very early for this part of Scotland. can be formed of the advantage gained in every way. One very ma- terial one he does not mention — the room gained ; for they only take up the space of any low growing crop." This is certainly true, if the rows are ranged one end to the north, and the other to the south, so as to throw but little shade on the crops on cither side of them. — Ed, C. 6, THE COTTAGE GABDRNEF,. Arm By tlie accelerating and transplanting metlioJ, there is a great saving of seed, especially if the winter and spring months are vei-y wet and frosty ; it is also iiiuro secure against the attacks of mice, pea-li)wl, iiiLiVdiis, iukI |ilii-iis;ints, llic latter uf which are aiunii.j; ili.-wni-si ilrpivdiiliM-s llial I'vrr entered the iiivriiiets ..I a t;:ii(leii, Siiii-r I iiilii|i|eil ilie ahovo plan of guiiimuitiug aud tiansplanliug my peas, my loss in seed has been comparatively trifling, as I make successive sowings of peas, beans, and Trench beans till the end of May in tlie houses for trans- planting, when, for six weeks after,'! get the piiuei pal late crops sown in the open garden wiilmni much molestation, as the pigeons and plieasniiN comnut their greatest ravages in the spring moullis, before they begin hatching their young. To farmers, small holders of land, aud cottagers, a modification of this plan may also be of great use. A slight Ii.jIIm'.I may be made in any warm spot ex- posed hi I lie ^un'-, lays: the cow-dung and leaf-mould may lie laid mi llie surface of the bed, and the peas sown, eiiveied uitli the moidd, and protectBd with boards, a mat, an old carpet, or spruce fir branches, wattled hurdles, &o., and transplanted as described,^ thus saving seed, aud bringing au early supply of peas to the table. Germinating peas for transplating, by the above method, is attended with far less labour than one would suppose who has never practised it. A border of 200 square feet will contain a sowing of two pecks, and this is about the size of the inside border of an ordinary peach-house or vinery. The following mv the sorts of peas generally sown here, with the height of the straw; a sowing of which is made every Ibrt- uiglit, from the 1st of Eebruary to the middle of July, sowing in the order in which they stand in the list, or nearly so :— Height ft. in. Prince Albert '-i 0 Early race-horse '! 0 Early Warwick 3 0 Early frame ... ... ... ... •! 0 Charlton 4 (I Groom's dwarf 1 d Beadman's dwarf ^ 0 Bishop's long pod 1 (5 Auvergene ... ... ... ... J 0 White podded ^> 0 Knight's dwarf marrow 4 0 Woodford's green marrow M 0 Pitrple podded ... ... ... ... i'p 0 Knight's taU marrow li H matchless marrow, ... ... tj 0 Victoria marrow ... ... ... ... 7 (I Blue Prussian 1. 0 British Qtteen ... ... ... ... 4 I' Bhte cimeter I o Large crooked sugar •> " Fair herd's champion ... ... ... 4 0 The last two sowings are Ivuiy b'rame and ICiirly Warwick. How TO HAVE Roses in November.— Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth Nurseries, gives the following di- rections. In February take up some two or tliree-years- oklplaiitsiil'iiiiynflliefolliiwiiienvliridPerpetuals: — Bapilnie \;r,'.,.L Ml'^ I'dliel'l, lliiliin lliiod, Goant des I'.alaille-,, |,a Iteiiii'. ( eiiite de M milalivet, Dr. Marx, Hiiel ^ ,,r SullierlaiLil. Mari[uise lioccella, Madame l„illav, r,,iidesse Duelialel, Kivers, and Sidonie. Slmrien their I. in:.; innls I., Iialf their length, but ieaviu" Iheii- liliinus nulls and heads un- pruued. Plant them thickly under a north wall or fence. At the end of April take them U]i, ]irnnr' then- heads closely; plant tliem in soil nnmured •^ix inches deep with half-decayed dung, and due Iwi feet deep. Dip the roots in thick puddle of hiam and water ; pour water intn eaili Imle liefore filling in, and give a geiith' iires.,iiiv uuh the foot. " Rose- trees treated in this maunei will last for several years, and this annual treatment may be exactly as above." — Tlw Flurist. HoME-onowN Chicory. — At a late meeting of the Shetfield Literary and Philosophical Society, Mr. G. Wilkii are do\ £100,11 resemh It is SM destroy d' ultivation of 1. 1 he root is sliced, ry, or wild endive hi se names is it (r,e/»,;'L/';«^//i».i,'io,''hy^dr'!! known, was furmerly enllivaled very rarely ani sparingly, to be hlanehed and U'-rd in salads. Iti now grown to the exlenl meniinued ahuve for tlr sake of its roots, winch aie used a.-, a. substitute foi or to mix with, coti'ee. It is very wholesome, and tli flavour, ai'ter roasting, agreeable. — Ed. G. hiikm-!, At ili, cuiu- emcnt of this month, during showery \w ;,i);ri. phmt . utim^'s of Double Wallflowers, and Pansieii } and divi.!. rin r-->i-. ..i .Vtv(/>o- litan and. Jlussian Violets, transplanting hi inL[.;iriiin>n iur putting to flower in winter. Half-hardy plants may nuw Ijc Lrou^'ht from the CTeenhouse and their other winter shelters, and diiitributed in the borders. Mild moiat weather is most suitable for this work. The more tender climbing annuals, such as Trop^olum aduncum and Convolvulus major, should not be planted out until the end of the month. Put in slips of fine double Hollyhocks, and double White and Purple Rockets, under hand-glasses, or near a wall on the north side. Cuttings of China roses plant in a shady place. T. Appleby. ORCHARD. Disbud, atop, and commence training all Wall or Espalier Fruit Trees through the month. Grafted trees of former seasons, continue to remove useless shoots from. Grafted Trees of the present spring, if growing, remove clay and loosen the bandages slightly at the end of the month. Budded Trees of last year, re- move useless shoots from. Swelling Fruit of Apricots, Peaches, and Nectarines, thin out, lightly at first. Gooseberries, watch the caterpillar, dust them {if infested) when the dew lies on them with the powder of hellebore, a decoction of the common foxglove is also said to destroy them. Black Currants, water hea\'ily if dry, e. Strawberries, water well towards the end; also clean thoroughly from weeds, and place straw or grass for the fruit at the end of month. Vines, disbud, stop, &c., e. Figs, disbud, e. Raspberries, thin away weak suckers, e. Cherries, watch for the black fly towards the end, and use tobacco-juice, half-pound of shag to the gallon. Plums Trained, treat same as cherries for the fly. Mulcding, see that all needy or newly planted trees are well mulched, three inches thick. Watering, let all fresh planted or hea^7 bearing trees be well watered towards the end if drj-. Blights, watch the develop- ment of insects on every species of fruit, and act according to the advice in The Cottage Gardener in back numbers: remember that little more than half-a-pound of shag tobacco to a gallon of water will destroy every species of aphides. M'alks, renew or dress, using salt with care if weedy. Borders, clean and dress all borders. Mow or otherwise keepdown gross herbage in the ordinary orchard, R. Ereington. eagus, keep clean; apply liquid manure. Balm, plant. Ba plant out. Beans, sow, hoe, top. Beet (Red), thin; (WTiite anu Green), sow. Borage, sow. Borecole, sow, b. ; prick out ; plant out; hoe; leaving for seed. Brocoli, sow, b.; plant; prick out. Burnets, sow and plant. Cabbages, sow ; plant ; earth up. Cap- sicum, plant out. Caerots, sow; thin. Cardoons, sow, b. Cauliflowers, take glasses from; sow, e. Cblket, sow, b.; prick out; plant out; water; leave for seed. Cuamomile, plant. Chervil, sow; leave for seed. Chives, plant. Coriander, sow; leave for seed. Cress (American), sow; (Water}, plant. Crops, failed, replace forthwith. Cucumbers, prickout; plantout; attend to forcing. Dill, sow, and plant. Dung, for hotbeds ; pre- pare. Eaething-up, attend to. Endivb, sow, e. ; leave for seed. Fennel, sow and plant. Hotbeds, attend to; linings, &c. Hyssop, sow and plant. Kale (Sea), attend to blanching, &c. Kidney Beans (dwarfs), sow, b. ; traniplant from hotbeds ; (runners), sow. Lavender, plant. Leeks, sow; thin; leave ridge out; attend to forcing; thin laterals. Mint, plan EOOM Beds, make, b. ; attend to those producing. Murtard and weed, &c. ; bow for planting again in spring; (Welsh), leave for seed. Parsley, sow; leave for seed; (Hamburgh), thin. Parsnips, thin, Sec. Peas, sow; top those blooming. Pennyroyal, plant. PoMPioNS, sow, b.; ridge out, b. Potatoes, plant, b. ; hoe. Purslane, sow; leave for seed. Radishes, sow; leave for seed. Rape, for salading, sow ; (Edible rooted), sow. e. Rosemary, plant. Rue, plant. Sage, plant. Salsapy, thin, .'tc. Savory, sow and plant. Savoys, sow, b. ; plant; prick out. Scouzonera, thin, &c. Sorrels, sow and plant. Spinacu, sow; thin; leave for seed. Tansy and Tarragon, plant. Thyme, sowand plant. Tomatos, they appear. ; thin ; leave for seed. Turnip Cabb.vgk INC. attend to, in dry weather. Weeds, destroy a G. W. J. iONDON: Printed by Harry Wooldeidce, 147, Strand, in the Parish of Saint Marv-lc-Strand ; and Winchc^tur Hit:h-streL-t. in the Parish of St. Mary Kalendar; and Published by William SoMERViLLB Oru, at the Olficc, 147, Struud, in the Parish of Saint Mftry-lc- Strand, London.— April 'jOtb, ia<9. THE COTTAGE GAP.DENEE. WEEKLY CALENDAR. Day of Year. D 7 U each day. Rises. Sets. and Sets. Age. bef. Sun. Th. Invent, of the Cross. Yell. Wagtail arrives. Poet's Narcissus. :30 a. 4 24 a. 7 3 14 11 3 17 123 4 h'. Botanical Soe. Meeting. Pettychaps heard. Stock Gillj'flower. 28 3 3b 12 3 ?,4 124 -1 S. Latticed Heath Moth seen. Apple-tree. Globe-flower. 20 27 4 2 13 3 29 125 fl Sun. 4 Sun. aft. Easter. Greenfinch builds. 24 28 4 2C 14 3 3") 120 7 M. Long-eared Bat seen. [heard. Asiatic Globe-flower. 23 30 rises © 3 3!) 127 B Tit. Easter Term ends. Turtle-Dove Lily of the Valley. 21 32 8 a. 41 10 3 43 128 9 W. Burying Beetle seen. 1 iSolomon's Seal. 19 33 !) 37: 17 3 47 129 land the " Rlav blossoms/ Invention of the Cross. — We know not why this should be retained in our almanacks, as nothing more is intended by it than, to point out the day on which Roman Catholics believe that the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, discovered the cross on which our Saviour was crucified. -Floweh {TroUius EurupcEus). — As in the south of Eng- ay blossoms," or flowers of the hawthorn, are considered oi the season, so in Scotland, Westmoreland, and other Border counties, is this flower, known there as the luckert- gowa/i, considered especially as the May flower. It is the festival flower of those parts, and many and joyous are the parties assembled at this season to go and gather " the gowans gay." Phenomena of the Season.— The most striking event of the season is the gradual development of t/ie leaves of our deciduous trees and shrubs. The "young green" tints of spring are indeed highly characteristic, but they are not monotonous in colour ; and, although green predominates, yet, as we look out from our library- ^vindow, we can see many beautiful varieties of that same green, and other hues blending and harmonizing with it. The dark glossy upper surface of the Pt/Tms japonica's leaf, and its dull paler surface be- neath, looking as if nature had united the leaf of the camellia with that of the apple to form a third; the green, shot with red, of the young cherry leaves, and so polished as if they were newly varnished for their first appearance; the grass-green sweetbriar leaves, the slightly darker peach leaf, with one stain of carmine upon its young point, and the yellow-green of the double-blossomed crab, are all strikingly before us, and all telling of that wondrous and beneficent Insects.— Every gardener must have observed the leaves of his pear-trees, especially those of the Chaumontelle, blotched with dark brown spots in the autumn. We had a standard tree of this variety in Essex that annually was thus injured, whilst a Swan's Egg and an Easter Bergaraot close by were . '\ : caused by the caterpillars, or grubs, of a very small moth called the Pear-tree Blister- moth {Tinea Clerckella). The caterpillars of this moth belong to a family called "miners," on ac- count of their working beneath the skin of the leaves they attack, feeding only on their pulp. The red spots often seen on the leaves of the vine and turnip are caused by grubs of this habit. On opening one of the bro\vn blisters on the pear-tree leaf, a small active shining grub will be found, fleshy, yellowish white, hairy, and with l6 black feet ; the head and a line down the back are brown. When thus disturbed, the grub lets itself down towards the ground by a silken thread. It forms its cocoon in the earth, or beneath some withered leaf upon its surface. From this cocoon, the moth comes forth chiefly during May, though it has been observed at the beginning of April. In our drawing, the grub and moth are represented of their natural size, and the moth magnified. The upper wings are orange, with a silvery spot on its outer edge, and a mingling of black, lilac, and pink on the inner angle ; "an orange feathery mark and four black lines mark their upper surface, and they have a white fringe around them. The hind wings are narrow, lead- coloured, and fringed. Mr. Knight's pear-trees were so injured by their grubs that he, at one time, resolved to remove them. The best mode of prevention seems to be to collect the leaves, and to pare off about an inch of the surface round egch tree in. the autumn, and to burn them. variety m unity which characterizes the universal handiwork of their Creator. Various beyond enumeration are these colours, and, therefore, ' .. . . . other colours is that V ^ ., -, ^.. it can look longest without fatigue. The kindness' of God is here apparent, for he who " clothes the grass of the field," if he had been even careless of man's comfort, might have permitted that general dress of nature to have been painfully crimson or drearily purple ; for plants with leaves of this colour are to be found, and such colour is, therefore, not inconsistent with vegetation. We need refer only to the red beet, the under side of the cyclamen, and the bracteal leaves of the scarlet bartsia {Bartsia coccinea). The utility to man of the leaves of plants is no less than their beauty is gratifying. The senna is only one plant out of hundreds that have Iiealing m their leaves ; those of the tea-plant give a beverage that is the quiet cheerer of all the homes of England; those of the mint and the sage are examples of others affording a grateful seasoning to our food ; and the swectbriar and verbena are examples, as common, of those which gratify another of our senses. Turning our attention to size, we find that the smooth burdock {Arctium lappa) has the largest leaf of our native plants, it being often 20 inches long and 18 broad ; but this is lilliputian when compared with the leaf of the Talipot-tree {Corypha umbraculifera) : this native of Ceylon has a leaf 11 feet long and l6 feet broad in its widest part. Being about 40 feet in cir- iference, this leaf forms a most capacious and efficient shelter Mav. 1841. 1S42. 1843. 1844. 1845. 1846. 1847. 1848. 1 temp. Rain. Fine. Showery. Fine. Cloudy. Cloudy. Stormy. Fine, 50°— 13» 71°-46° 66°— 44° 65°— 45° 59°— 37° 70°-52° 53°-40° 72°— 33° Fine. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Cloudy. Showery. Fine. 69°-.50<' 65°— 33° 66°— 45° 60°— 36° 66°— 46° 58°-36° Cloudy. Showery. 66°-45° Fine. 62°— 46" 63°— 42° 72°— 43° 58°— 27° 60°-31° 74°— 36° 6 Showery. Showery. Rain. Fine, Stormy. Showery. 65°^3° 60°-47° 53°-32° 72°-36° 55°-37° 63°-43° 7 Cloudy. Hain. 59°-29°' Fine. Showery. Fine. Showery. Fine. 66°-47° 63°— 46° 76°— 43° 50°— 37° 66°— 43° 65°— 50° Showery. Rain. Fine. Fine. 62°-44° 63°— 11° 49°-^ 2° 79°— 44° 52°— 34° 69°-42» 60°— 48° 76°— 36° Cloudy. Stormy. ^9^- Cloudy. Cloudy. 60°-32° 78°-49° 59°-38° 72°-49° 65°-48° 78°— .18° Av,/ We noticed briefly, in ovu' last Number, that the mildew, which for the last 'three or four years has been such a scourge to the vines in Kent and the neighbourhood of London, has again made its ap- pearance in the same vicinity. We have had leaves ti-om vineries at Walthamstow, vineries, where the entire fohage had been destroyed once this season by the apphcation of the fiunes of bm-ning sulphur. but the mildew is again strong upon them, and affording evidence that the fungus, which is the disease, is capable of resisting agents fatal to" the leaves on which it preys. We have examined the mildew by the aid of a very powerful microscope, and detected, in various stages of gi-owth, the minute parasitical ftmgus to wliich Mr. Berldoy has given the name of Oidliim No. XXXL, Vol. XL THE COTTAGE GARDENER. IMav more intelligence in 'I vitis, or Egg-fungus Tucherl but which might, tvi its title, have been called Okli of the vine. The generic name, Oidium, alludes to the egg-form of its spores or seed vessels; and is still fm-ther appropriate ft'om their, and all the other parts of the fungus, ha-vdng a pearly appeai'ance, like that of the lightly-boiled wlute of an egg. The mildew makes its first appearance on the underside of the vine's leaves, probably because that side has least light and most moisture— cii-oumstauces favourable to the growth of all the fungi. By degrees it spreads, invades the upper surface of the leaves, and eventually covers the fi-uit also. To the naked eye it has a mealy appearance, like the mark left upon a dark cloth by contact with a floury band, but when viewed through the microscope there appear pearly threads running, like minute sprigs of coral, over the smface of the leaf; and fi'om the angles of these spiigs arise little oval bodies, which Of tins fungus's tenacity of life we have ali-eady given one instance, and we bave witnessed another in the fact that after some of the vine's leaves sent to us had been allowed to become di-y and dead by exposure to tlie aii- in a warm room, yet the fungus upon them survived, and resumed its pearly appear- ance after being moistened with water for a few minutes. Knowing the powerfvdly desti'uotive effect produced upon the fungus tribe by common salt, we instituted some experiments to ascertain its effect upon this Oidium. We all know that the common musteoom, sprinkled over with salt, dissolves away into a black liquid, which is the clrief ingredient of catsup ; and we also know that a solution of common salt sprinkled liberally over the stems of mildewed wheat destroys the fungus, Puceinia yraminis, which is there established. Guided by these facts, we took a small piece of a vine-leaf tMckly infested with the Oidium, and repeatedly agitated it in a solution of common salt — the solution being of the sti-ength of sea-water, or four ormces of salt to the gallon. By degi'ees all the Oidium disappeared ; and, after allowing the solution to remain on the leaf fi-agment for about two hours, scarcely a particle either of the pearly mycelium (the connecting sprig of the fimgus) or of its seed vessels could be detected by the mi- croscope, though white lines and fUms, apparently their empty cuticles or skins, remained. Now, a gardener could not submit the leaves of his viiies to such an agitation in salt water as that to wMiicli we subjected the fragment above named, but he could fi-equently and abundantly syringe tlicm, or he coidd employ a woman to sponge with the saline soliition every leaf shewing a symptom of the disease ; and in either case, after alloiving the solution to remain on the leaves for a few hours, he should sjiinge the whole plentifidly with water oulv. Both the water and the solution should be of the same temperatiu'e as that of the vinery. To this ti'eatment we would di-aw the consideration of our gardening friends, and recommend it to then- earnest and assiduous attention. Fortunately, the only vine we bave under glass has not a spot of mildew upon it, nor have any of the vines in our neighbourhood, therefore we cannot cany oiu' experiments fm-tber : but we can offer some few additional facts for the guidance of oiu' readers. Vei-y few plants are injui'ed by a iceal- solution of salt remaining for a limited time upon then' leaves ; and the following have been the results of our expe- riments with water containing foiu' ounces per gallon in solution. Our experiments were tried late in the afternoon of a cloudy and rainy day, such, we con- sidered, being most favom-able for all operations requiring a plant's leaves to be wetted. We dipped leaves, whilst stUl attached to the vine, into the above solution, and left as much of the solution upon them as would cling to them for one, three, and fifteen hours. At the end of those houi's res- pectively, we washed the leaves in clear water, and not one of them sirffered any injury. They, are now gTomng as freely as any of the other leaves which have not been dipped into the saline solution. Sustained by these experiments, we recommend to all gi-owers of vines attacked by the oidium to tiy the effect of a saUue solution upon then- mildewed vines. It will do no hai-m, at all events ; and if they go by the following rules, we incline to the opinion that it will either very effectually check, or eutii-ely remove, the disease. 1. Use a solution not stronger than 4 ozs. to the gallon ; and let the temperatin-e of that solution be the same as the temperatiu'e of the virjeiy. 2. Apply the solution about six in the afternoon ; let it remain on the leaves for twelve boms ; then syi-inge it off ^vith plain water, also of the temperatme of the ^^nery. ?<. Repeat the application every evening, followed by as regular a syi-inging with water, imtil tlic disease is overcome, or the application is shewni to be of no avail. 4. Sprinkle three or fom- pounds of salt over the sinface of the border in which the roots of the vine are gi'owing ; for evei-y application aiding to impart salt to its sap is inimical to the fungus ti'ibe. It will not be useless to inform our readers tliat this mildew is communicable by contact ; for in many cases the plague may be kept witlun a naiTow compass, if not entirely stayed, by picking off each leaf as soon as the leprous spot is perceived upon it. Nor is it communicable only from one vine leaf to another, but from the vino to other plants. Thus the Rev. M. J. Berkley relates that some healthy chrysanthemums, placed under a vine infested with the oidium, were all covered with the same fungus in May THE COTTAGE GARDENER. a few days.* All plants, therefore, should be stantly removed from a vineiy in which the makes its appearance. Every diseased leaf, and all the refuse from the infected vinery, shoidd be bui'nt. It is but just to observe, that the first public no- tice taken of this disease was by a very intelligent writer from the neighboui'hood of Margate, whose letter, signed " Progressionist," appeared in the Oar- dener's Journal in October, 1847. After very cor- rectly pomting out the pai-asitical nature of the disease, and stating that it visited Ids vinery during the two previous years, lie observes, upon its more advanced state, that its effects upon the fi'uit ai'e to produce a sweUing and a cracking, accompanied by a very strong disagreeable smeU, and ending in the gi'apes becoming a mass of rottenness. Another ob- server describes the smeU as being Kite that of old, mouldy, decayed wood. THE FRUIT-GAEDEN. Stopping and Disbudding. — We have now arrived at that period wlien the most vigilant attention is necessary, not only with one kind of fniit, but with most of those we oidtivate. The course we are about to recommend is not only requisite as tending to improve the character of the fruit in the present season, but the welfai-e and stability of the tree in succeeding years. Although, at first sight, the pro- cess may appeal- troublesome or expensive, it is, in reality, an economical procedui'o in the end. A trained tree, started fi'om the first on good principles, both as regards root and branch, wiU, after a three years' coui'se, not require above half the labour which \vill have to be bestowed upon one planted and trained without system. Nor is tins all ; for the neglected tree will soon become absolutely uncon- trollable, or only to be controlled at the sacrifice of a large portion of valuable branches, which had taken years to fonn. Thus, it will be easily seen where the economy of the subject really rests. In addition to disbudding at this period (the principles of which we discussed in a previous Number) , we have now to point to, and explain, the principles of what is termed, by gardeners, " stopping," and, by some amatem-s and others, " pinchmg." Stopping or pinching, however, is cajiable of classification. Stopping is practised, in general, for one or other of the following reasons, or for any two or more of them in combination. First, to check over-luxmiant shoots. Secondly, to concentrate the sap in a given shoot. Thirdly' to give room to other competing shoots. Fourthly, to check a too late root action. Om- busuiess, in this calendar, wiU be to deal with the first, as being pecidiarly appropriate to the sea- son. r/je Peach and Nectarine. — After a slight disbud- ding, it will be found, on examining healthy peach or nectarine trees, that certain gross-looldng shoots thrust themselves forth from various portions of the tree, more especially from yoimg and over-excited subjects. This case is, in general, caused by close pruning, which has become necessary iu order to compel tlie rising ti'ee so to throw out branches as that provision may be made for every portion of the wall being covered iu a pei-manent and, of com'se, profitable way. Such young trees possess, in gene- ral, a violent root action ; and by removing young shoots which would have constituted legitimate channels for the sap, the root becomes master of the branches ; or, in other words, the balance wliich na- ture had provided is temporarily destroyed. We very frequently, notwithstanding, find older and bearing trees producing these gross shoots ; these are called by some gardeners, " watery wood," and by the French gardeners, "gourmands" (gluttons). They may be found on bearing trees, as before ob- served, as well as on younger ones ; and this may, at first sight, appeal- strange; for it might be consi- dered that the bearing propensities of the other trees would prevent such an occurrence. It is, however, we believe, neither more nor less than one of those efforts of natm-e, which may be frequently observed in other subjects besides the peach — an extra effort to prevent prematiu-e decay. Such shoots very often spring forth just below a branch which has borne a heavy crop of tmit, and which Jias thereby become somewhat exhausted ; in which case there can be little doubt that some degree of constriction, or pai-- tial shrinking of the vessels, has taken place. These gluttons, then, if suffered to remain unstopped, will, in most cases, cut away the supplies from the old bearing shoots, and lead to the necessity of then- being cut off in a very short period: a process ft-aught with danger to the stability of the tree, and which, in all cases, may be prevented by the antici- patory course we are about to recommend. To revert to the case of young peach-trees : how often do we see them with shoots some 3 or 4 feet long in the beginning of autumn ; and of what use is this amazing length of " rod ?" The tree, too, it may be, has only four or five such ; and if the proprietor asks an opinion of a practical pruner, his advice is, especially if he be "one of the olden time," to out- them all back to two or thi-ee eyes. The proprietor, of course, wonders how liis wall is to be covered by such a procedure. He is, however, told that it must be so ; and as he is not usually armed with fu-gu- ments to withstand blue-apron authority, he deems it expedient to give way. Without stopping to in- quire whether all, or only a portion, of such willow- looking rods should be cut back in such a case, we may just draw attention to what this tree might have been imder proper eultm-e. We subjoin a diagi-am, which will, after a minute's considera- tion, illustrate the matter. A, shews the gi-oss young peach or nectarine in October, having rambled imstopped through the summer. B, shews what the same woidd be in Octo- ber, if stopped in May. The cross marks denote the points at which it would become necessary to pi-une them in the succeeding winter. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. On a careM examination of the two, wbioh are, we tliiuk, tolerably faithful, it will be seen that a whole twelvemonth will be gained by the timely stopping of gi-oss yoimg trees. Nor is this all : the unstopped one will have acquii'ed such a power of root, that, after pi-uning close, another set of these "basket rods" may be expected in the succeeding year, to meet with a similar fate in theii- turn, unless severe root pruning be had recom'se to. We will now advert to the second ease, viz., the production of occasional gross shoots, or " robbers," by established beaiing trees. These, as before ob- served, if left unpruned, would continually form out fresh channels tor the principal supply of sap fi-om the roots, to the detriment— indeed, prematui-e decay — of the true bea,ring wood : they would, moreover, in their tm'u, be cheated out of their supplies by other gluttonous shoots, and so on until the tree would become worn out, partly by exhaustion, and partly by the severe amputations which would, in the course of tftne, become necessary. Let us, then, impress on the minds of all those who ai-e taking their lirst steps in peach and necta- rine cultm'e, not only the propriety, but the necessity, of pinching off betimes the points — called " stopping" — of all those gross shoots, which show a disposi- tion to shoot into lateral branches. Where such a disposition exists, it wUl generally manifest itself by tbe time they are about six inches in length, which wUl occur, in the main, fi-om the beginning of May until the beginning of June ; alter which, stop- pmg of another kind, and for other reasons, wUl commence ; of which we will treat in due comse. Apbiooi Thinning out, for tarts, will shortly com- mence : let it be done with caution, and progres- sively. In no case tliin away the forward and more bold-looking ti'uit, but merely cripples, or those which are lodged in the interior of clusters. They cannot, of com-se, be situated equally all over the tree ; but could they be so placed, we consider that every six inches square ought to carry a hue fruit, and we speak witnin bounds : nevertheless, do not thin thus far for some time. If the tree is Ukely to bo op- pressed with its load, apply some guano-water, or other clarified liquid manure, according to former clh'ections ; this, poured on a coating of mulch, will do much good, and wUl save the energies of the tree untU the final tliiuning. Beware of the Catekpillah in the leaf of wall- trees, but especially of the apricot. As soon as any of the leaves appear rolled up, let them be examined and uncoiled. A little gi-een maggot will be found, and the only way is to carefully open the clustered leaves, without wounding them, and find the rogues, which may then be readily destroyed. The eggs hatch successively for several weeks ; the trees, there- fore, should be run over once a week, if possible.* Sthawbekkies. — Once more let them be weeded thi-ough, for no weeds may be allowed to smother the fi'uit, which requii'es all om' sunlight and a fi'ee cii'- culation of au'. The first runners may be cut away betimes, and litter or sU'aw introduced among the plants on the heels of this operation, in order to keep the ii'uit clean. Above all, use abimdance of water in diy weather to those in blossom : no good crop can be guaranteed without a very liberal supply. Black Curkants. — If the weather should prove dry, a good wateiing wiU prove of immense benefit as soon as the bushes are out of blossom : this woidd save many a crop which is otherwise lost ; and we would paiticularly advise the cottager to let his chil- dren attend tp them. It is of no use giving the water grudgingly; it is almost impossible to give them too much, on free and open soils, at this period. Raspberries. — The suckers will be soon shooting up rapidly, and it is a good practice to thin them out betimes, leaving about five or six to each stool. If the stools are excessively strong, some of the veiy strongest and all the weak ones may be removed. If the stools are weakly, take away the very weakest, and only leave three or fom-. As miscellaneous work, we would point to the ne- cessity of watchfulness over orchard afi'airs in gene- ral, especially as to the depredations of insects. Hand-picldng must be resorted to ; and hero again the cottager's childi-en will be found as useful as gi'own-up labom-ers. We much feai- that, alter so ungenial a spring, om- prospects for the summer will not prove very fiatteriug. R. Errixgton. THE PLOWEE-GAEDEN. Roses por Bedding in Groups [eoiitiinud). — In the two preceding Numbers we described the most proper and best louds of China, Tea-scented, Noisette, and Bourbon roses for bedding out in gi'oups, one kind in each bed. This is a way that displays the beauty of each kind of rose to the greatest advan- tage. We have seen dark Cliina roses planted in a bed, and then a wu-e trellis placed over it, raised about six inches fi'om the ground in the centre, and brought gi-adually down to the gi'ass at the edge of the bed. To this treUis the briuiches of the roses as they grew were tied down ; in the com-se of a short time the ends of each shoot tm-ned up- wards, and produced abundance of roses. The bed then presented the appeai-ance of a large bouquet of those splendid riclily-coiom-ed flowers, forming a truly magnificent spectacle. We strongly recom- mend tliis method to our readers, and assure them, if they give it a trial, having tiie soil right, the plants strong, and a moderately fine season, with the requisite attention to tying down, weeding and wateiing, the display of beautiful flowers will bo agreeably surprising. We shall this week proceed to give a list of a class or two more of these beautifid flowers, commencing with the perpetual roses suitable eou bedding. 1f/ii/e.~Pcrpetual white moss. It is a somewhat singular fuct that this beautiful autumnal rose is the only clear white one in this class, the darker colours seeming greatly to preponderate. YtUaw. — It is equally extraordinary that there are no yellow perpetual roses. ' ' ■' a, Comte d'Egmont. sicaHet. — None strictly May THE COTTAGE GAEDENEE. of this coluui-. Crimson.— Lee's Crimson or Bose du Koi, Louis Buonaparte, Madame Laffay, Dr. Marx. Dark Crimson, — Louis Pliilippe, Mogador, Antiuous, Edwar-d Jesse. Tliis class of roses is very rich iu the two last meutioned colours. Any of the lands named will answer admirably to plant in beds ; the collector may choose which he pleases, and he is sure to obtain a rich colom-ed, very double, and free-flowering rose. Austrian Eoses. — Persian Yellow. — Tliis is the very finest of liai-dy yellow roses; it is of a rich orange yellow, very fnU, lai'ge, and superb ; it opens its flowers much better than tlie yeUow Noisette, and is altogether a very desu'able rose ; it is also a free bloomer, and has a neat foUage, with tlie scent of the sweetbrier. To succeed in growing and blooming it well you must place it in a good loam, mixed with peat and leat-mould. In pruning, all that is reqidi'ed is to thin out the shoots pretty freely, and not shorten in the remainder, but peg them down to the ground their fidl length, or very nearly so ; if the slioots are very long and rather weak, you may take ofl' fom- or Ave buds fi-om the end. By tliis method of pruning, each bud will break and produce flowers on short upright shoots, neaa-ly the enth-e length of each of the long shoots ; the bed then wUl be truly gorgeous. Habdy Heaths. — This is a tribe of plants of neat habit ; several of them ai-e of low gi'owth, and, con- sequently, are very suitable for small gardens. We were much pleased lately by seeing a bed of the early-flowering heath (Erioa lierbacea) in fuU bloom. We consider they are not half so much grown as they deserve to be ; like the greenhouse species, they are always pretty, whether in flower or not. We shall devote a few lines to giving a h'st of the species, tlieh- varieties, and the culture tliey require to make them ornamental, and show them off to the best ad- vantage. LIST OE HABDY HEATHS. alls (Southern heath), 3 ft., upright j , (scarlet, grey-leaved h.J, ,, ,, aibUt (white, grey-leaved h.), low growth. ,, „ aCruparpurea^ (purple, grey-leaved h.) ,, cUiaris, (fringed h.J, stragghng growth, 14 ft. [6 in. ,, herbacea, or camea, (desn-coloured h.J, low growth, busby, „ Mediterranean (Mediterranean h.J, tall, 3 ft. ,, muUifiora, (many-flowered h.J, low growth, 9 in. ,, ,, atba, (white, many-tlowered h.J ,, stricCa, (upri^-ht h.J, tall growth, 1^ ft. ,, ramulosa, (small branching h,J, tall, 2 ft. „ „ rubra, (red, small branching h.J, 1 ft. ,, tetratiXy (four-leaved h.J, low growth, d in. ,, „ rubra, (red, four-leaved h.J, low growth, 6 in. „ „ atba, (white, four-leaved h.J, low growth, 6 iu. ,, ■ vulgaris alba, (white, common h.J, middling, 1 ft. ,, ,, aurea, (golden, common h.J, middnng, 1 ft. ,, ,, lateu, (yellow, common h.J, middling, 1 ft. „ ,, plena, (double-llowered, common h.J „ „ rubra, (red, common h.J Soil. — Hai'dy heaths require a sandy peat soil ; this, m some locaUties, may be had in any quantity. They will grow in bog soil, especially Ji. tetralix, provided it be mixed with sand, and is well broken up and pulverized for several months previously to using; il', however, the diy sandy peat soil can be had, It is much the best. The place to look for it is wliere the wild heath thrives abundantly : it is gene- rally in such places mixed naturally with white sharp sand, and is then in the best condition for the purpose. Cleai' away the heath, wild grasses, and otlier weeds from the suiiace, and have it carted home. Empty the common soil out of your bed alio, .t six niches deep, then wheel in the heath-mould, and with your spade brealc it into pieces, making it moderately hue, especially on the surface; let tlie soil on the bed be raised a little in tlie centre, gradu- ally sloping to the edge. We suppose your neath beiL or Oeds wiU be on a lawn: in such a situation it wiU have a handsome appearance, it is not neces- sary, however, to have it on grass. Heaths look weU, and thrive quite as well, in a flower-garden, in the parterre style. Planting. — Having made your bed you may plant it immediately : place the tall growers iu the centre, the middle-sized ones next, and the dwarf in front ; do not plant them too thick, but aUow space for each variety to grow in its natural form and hahit. As soon as the planting is finished, rake the bed pretty smooth, and, if you can procure some short green living moss, cover the entire suiface of the bed or beds with it; the best kind of moss for this pm-pose is found on old stone walls, in shady situations, or on natural rocks : with a little care it may be stripped off from such places in tolerably large pieces. To keep it from blowing from off the bed, lay a few small rods across the bed upon the moss, pinning them down with hooked pegs. You will find this moss of great service, both in winter and summer ; in the former season it protects the roots from severe frost, and dm-ing the summer from the heat of the sim and from di'ought; moss being a good non-conductor. With this article as a covering, once a week watering wUl do more good than watering every day without it ; the moss, too, gives the bed a singular and neat appearance. More than twenty years ago, when the itch for soribbhng first infected us, we, having ex- perienced the benefit of moss as a covering for American plants, \TCOte an accoimt of that success, and sent it to the late Mr. Loudon, and he published our maiden essay in the Oardener's Magazine, then the only periodical devoted to the science of horti- oidtin-e. We have tried moss as a protective on many occasions since that time, and have always found it beneficial. Try it, ye who have not succeeded ui successfully cultivating rhododendi-ons, azaleas, kal- mias, ledums, and other plants usually denominated " American," including those we are writing about, viz., heaths. Oeohises. — Amongst your heaths thus covered with moss, a number of those very interesting, and dithcidt to cultivate, plants, the hai-dy orchis tribe, may be grown very successfully. In the bed of Ajuerican plants refen-ed to above we planted several British species of orchids, and they certainly grew and flowered better than we ever saw them under any other cii'cumstance. Culture. — To retui-n to our heaths. "After they are planted, and the roots covered with moss, they will requfre no other attention for the first year, ex- cepting weeding, and watering occasionally iu very diy weather, in the spring following they will re- quire pruning to bring them into a nice bushy shape. Uur space will not allow us to write any more on this subject tliis week ; we will return to it again shortly. The Weather.— On Wednesday, the IStli of April, we had a heavy shower of snow from the north-east; and the prediction we ventm'ed to make, some time back, that ft-osf generally succeeds hail and snow showers, was, to oiu- regi-et, fulflUed in this instance, to the great iiyury of the early flowers that were not carefully protected.* The leaves, and in many in- stances the shoots, of the Chinese pseonies {Pmnia alhijlora) were completely destroyed ; the shoots also of several kinds of clematis were sadly nipt. Amidst all this desolation we were agi-eeably pleased to find the new shrubs introduced by Mr. I'ortime stood the weatlier bravely; Weigeki rosea, Jasminum iiiidi- * There was a heavy snow on the l/th, 18th, and igth, at \Vi Chester. On the night of the 19th the thermometer was down 32°.— Ed. (;. G. 58 THE COTTAGE GAKDENER. U.\ forum, and Forsi/lhia viridusima, are very little injui-ed, even in a moderately exposed situation; thus proving, beyond a doubt, that these three beautifid things are hardy enough to endure the winters of this country, at least near London. We shoxild be glad to learu fi-om our friends in the north how this spring-winter has affected those new shrubs in theii- neighboui'hood. FLORISTS' ELOWERS. We ti-ust our amateur and cottage fi-iends have remembered om' instructions, and have protected their pets fi-om the fi-osts that succeeded the snow storms we were visited with so severely. Without great care and secm-e covering, the auriculas, poly- anthuses, tulips, ranunculuses, &c., will have suffered nnich. Should you at any time be so unfortunate as to have allowed the fi-ost to reach such things as scarlet geraniums, fuchsias, and other plants in your cold pit, or any other place under cover, you may recover them by sprinkling them with very cold water and thicldy shading them from the sun, thus bringing on a gi-adual thaw in the dark ; it is the too sudden change fi-om a fi-eezing atmosphere to wai-mth that does the mischief Continue to shelter yom- florist's flowers. You wfll have had a severe lesson of the necessity of such jirecautions. If your favoui-ites have suftered from this unexpected visit of such severe weather, all we can say or vu-ge upon you is to be more cai-eful in futui-e. T. Appleby. GEEENHOUSE AND WINDOW GMfflENING. Camellms. — Tills family, like the tea-plant, to which it is nearly related, stands at the head of Chi- nese botany, and was named by Linuseus, the great Swedish reformer of natui-al histoi-y, after CameUus, one of the Jesuits who explored the interior of the Chinese empire. It is, therefore, a oomplimentaiy or commemorative name, and if the old Jesuit coidd now bo permitted to see the extraordinary extent and beauty of the progeny of his namesake, he might well be proud of it ; whilst the memory of Linnaeus him- self, the most eminent of modern natm-alists, will be ha,nded down to posterity by a little trailing weed, Linnaia horealis, called after him by one Grouovius, a botanist of Leyden ; and, as it is said, in contempt for his sweeping reforms of the an-angements and naming of objects of natm-al liistory. The first ca- mellia that was introduced to England is the single red, one of the haa-diest of the race, chiefly used now as a stock to work the double ones on. It is not a hundred years since the cultivation of camellias be- came generfil in England. Lord Peter is said to liave been tlie first who possessed the single red camellia, about the year 1739, but it was very rare for more than twenty years afterwards. In China it is said to attain the size of an ordinai-y cherry-tree. In 1792, the first double camellia was introduced; a varie- gated one, red, ivith white sti-ipes, and is the one we now call " the old double-striped." Some years since I bought a plant of tliis variety for a gentlemaii, which was 23 feet high, and olotlied fi-om top to bot- tom with leaves and flowers. The " common double- white" camellia was inti-oduced about the same time; and, notwithstanding the hundreds that have since been raised from seeds in Europe and elsewhere, not one of them exceeds it in beauty and regularity of form ; and the only one that comes up to it, in the I same colom-, is " the fringed white," also of Chinese origin. Of all the cameUias, tins is my own favoiu-ite ; the only diflerence between it and the old double- wliite is, that the petals (leaves of tlie flowers) aa-e ciliated or fi-inged on the edge. Another of the old ones, called " Lady Humts Blush," is nearly as good as the above, witli a difi'erent tint, being of a buff white, blushed with pink. Then comes the " Wara- tah " or " anemone-flowered." Tliis is a totally difierent flower in shape fi-om all the rest, and is the parent of a distinct section of the family ; ha\dng the centi-e of the flowers in the form of a double anenome, with a guai-d row of petals round the outside liJie a liolly- hock flower. There are several distinct species fi-om China, two of which ai-e strikingly handsome ; one is called the " apple-flowered camellia," with a rosy blush flower; and the other is called " Captain Rawe's camellia " or " reticulata." Tliis is almost the last really fine oamelUa that has been brought over fi-om Cliina, and it is also difierent fi-om the otliers, with large half double red flowers, more Uke those of a poppy ™' ^^^ pseony than a real camellia. There ai-e several others fi-om China or Japan, but not to be mentioned in these days, when we have such a host of superior seedlings that it is as diificidt to choose fi-om as it is to select among the dalilias ; and, like the dalilias, some new and superior ones are turning up every season. England took the lead for many years in seedling camellias ; Germany followed ; and, latterly, the Italians and others have been successful raisers of fine cameUias ; even " brothei; Jonathan," over the water, has been gouig ahead in the race, and " he guesses that ere long he shall be upsides with old Jolin himself at a congi-ess of national com- petition ;" so that we ai-e not likely to want for new camellias for some time. I have seen, at various periods, above 60 kinds of superior cameUias in bloom ; but there are a gi-eat number, and some fii-st- rate ones too, that I only know from report. How- ever, if I had tlie means, I could select and buy two dozen of very first-rate ones, embracing all the tints and shades of colour which the famUy possess. Tliere may be a dozen more of vei-y good ones, but tliat is the outside number of a good silrclidii (mU of.-i hun- dred or a himdi-ed and fifty sort^ iImi mny Im' ImJ in London and fi-om the continent, I A\a\\ i^wr » list, ^vith short descriptions, of those I would clinnsr : and, as a good variety wUl take up no more room than an inferior one, the Ust may be found useful: then, to begin with the best Whites, there are the old double u-hiie. \}ic frinijid white, and Gandidissima — three soiN tlint would puzzle any one to choose which \v;l^ nallv lire lust. The old white is perhaps a sliadc beliJiRl in the lap- ping of the petals (flower-leaves). When the petals are of a thick substance, well rounded at the points, perfectly smootli, with no wa\'iness on the edges, and he over each other regidai-ly, Uke the tUes on a rooi', the whole flower is said to bo perfect. The anemone- flowered ones, of com-se, ai-e judged by another standard. Now, the lapping of the petals in a rose or camellia is called being imbricated, fi-om tlio Latin word imbricatus, when they Ue over each other in a perfect foi-m, Ulce tUes on a roof. Therefore, tlu^ meaning of the old double white being not so perfect in the lapping is, that the flowers sometimes are not so highly imbricated as in the other two. Now, place the fringed and candadissima together, and toll me wliich is the best of the two. Ai-e they not both best ? Well then, wo must have a casting vote ; your sister Mary vnil decide at a glance. Place them both in her hair, one on each side, and let her THE COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 59 look iu the glass. The fringed one, decidedly! Well done, Mary : the fringed white camellia is the best after all, and ladies ai'e the best judges of fonai and beauty in flowers ; and we may talk and write as long as we can about our flowers, but we cannot get over that. Neither can we boast of having got these, the best whites, from seeds : they are genuine orientals, and candidissima is a kind fi-oni Japan. White and Pink. — Duchess of Orleans and Alexina ai-e decidedly the next best light ones : they ai'e jnircly and beautifully imbricated, waxy white, with stiipes and blotches of rosy pink or carmine, and are altogether the most lovely flowers one can look at. The "Duchess" is from the continent, and Alejdna is an English seedling named after Alexina Low, only daughter of the celebrated nvu-seryman of that name at Clajjton, near London, who first sold it. Red. — Bealii is, perhaps, one of the very best of the reds ; it is of a deep red, and shading towards the centre to a light rose or salmon colour. Tliis is a genuine Japanese Idnd, introduced to China and to England by Mr. Beale, after whom it is caUed. During a residence of 40 years in Cliina, Mr. Beale sent over the cream of the Cliinese and Japanese plants, if we except the Japan lilies and some other line thmgs brought over by Dr. Siebold. This ca- mellia is often sold under a very different name, indi- cating an English name : it is Leeana superha ; but it should be cancelled in oiu- nursery catalogues, as nothing is so provoking on either side as to ascertain that you have bought or sold a plant twice over under two distinct names ; and it is an vmdoubted eiTor to say that Leeana superba is different from Bealii. Another eiTor is perpetuated by calhng tliis " Palmer's Bealii," as if Mr. Palmer raised it from seed, when it is weU known to any one who has any pretension to the genealogy of this tree, that Mr. Palmer only named it in compliment to Mr. Beale, in vol. ii. of Chandler's and Booth's splendid work on the cameUia. Frankfortensis is another in the way of the last, and nearly as good ; a rich rosy red, well marked with lighter spots of the same tint. The name is variously spelt in the catalogue, but the above is the way it is spelt by the person who raised it from seed in 1834 — Jacob Rinz, a young friend of mine, at Frankfort-on-the-Main, that beautiful Ger- man town, which was fitted up last yeai- as a national nm-sery for suckling politicians. Henri Favre, a French vainety, and Hendersonii, an English seed- Ling, are two more of the light red class of the first water ; the latter, called after Mr. Henderson, with whom Mr. Appleby lives ; and as they manage them there better than in most places, Mr. A. can put me right if I omit or oven-ate any in my Ust. Eximia and Imhricata are two of nearly the same shade, dark red, very large flowers, and as regularly imbricated as an artist could make them in wax. Eximia is, I believe, the first of this class raised in England by Mr. Chandler, of Vauxliall ; and there was a cry against it some years since as being a shy bloomer while in a young state, but that was owing to the treatment. It is only a dozen years since that we leanied fi-om the German gardeners that when young camellias are in a very vigorous state, they should not be potted in the spiing, but not till the flower-buds are formed ; and the reason is this : the pots being crammed with roots in the spring, if the plants are then fi-esh potted, many of the sorts ran too much to wood, and forget to make flower-buds ; but when such plants are allowed to make their an- nual growth when cramped at the roots, they cannot grow so fast, and the check throws them immediately into bud. July is time enough to pot those camel- lias that are to flower from November to January ; and those that bloom late iu the spring may be pot- ted in September. It is true, that when these ]jlants are old and full grown you may pot them any time in the j'ear with almost equal advantage; but we are now considering the best management for a young lot, many of which are fi-esh seedlings of compara- tively a recent date, and, like seedling fi-uit-trees, re- quire a judicious ti-eatment to bring them into regu- lar habits. On the other hand, sickly plants of ca- mellias are often cured by being fresh potted at the time they begin to grow, or, say, about this time ; then they should have one-fourth sand in the com- post, with a little peat, and receive very moderate watering ; but when they are not to be potted in the spring, and the pots are full of strong roots, you can hardly give them too much water for the next si.K weeks. This episode wOl make my letter more intricate, and I often adopt the plan on pm-pose, in order to cause young people to read them over and over again before they can master the subject. I have little notion of dressing up these letters so as that they may be gulped over in one swallow, like bread and butter. What one leams very easily is just as easily forgotten. Now, let us see which is the next best cameUia. Imhricata alba, or Wliite Imbricated Camellia. — This ought to have been classed with the Duchess of Orleans and Alexina, but, class it as we may, it is a splendid thing, white, with a rose sti-ipe up each petal. I see, by a memorandum I sent to the Gar- dener's Magazine in 1837, that tliis was my favourite then ; but there have been since a constant stream of new ones of the same shape, to divide one's atten- tion, and I have since transfeiTcd my choice to the frmged white, which is not veiy Ukely to have many rivals in my day. Landrethii is a Geiman seedling, of which I first heard from Mr. Rinz, of Frankfort : he said, in 1842, that this was the nearest rival of his seedling Frank- fortensis, but of a lighter hue, being a clear hghtrose all over, and imbricated as regularly as Imhricata it- seE Ochroleuea. — This is one out of four which one of om- readers bought lately at a sale, and inqmi-ed whether they were fii-st-rate. This is the best shaped of the foui-, and is as regularly imbricated as the last. The colour is novel, being white, with a yellow cen- tre. Hive some of the tea-scented roses : but, unfortu- nately, it is not always true in its colom-, the yellow fading off; yet it is well worthy being ranked among the first, as, if it should not come quite trae, the size and shape will still be as good as in any of the best sorts. Queen Victoria, Alhertii, Mutahilis, Traversii, and Lowii, are all of the same class ; of most beautiful form, the colour light red, and a white stiipe in each petal. They are, therefore, beautifiil " carnation- striped flowers," which are very striking, particularly Alhertii. When the white is quite cleai-, and coii- fined to the stripes, I know of no flower more beau- tiful for the hair. DonMUeri and Tricolor are also of the same breed as the carnation ones above, but they are real pico- tees, there being no regular strijies in them, but mottled all over, and they are neither a good sliape nor a regular form, and not half double ; neverthe- less, I never knew any one acquainted with the sub- ject who did not class them as first-rate. Dr. Siebold brought the first of the Donkliieri fi-om Japan, along THE COTTAGE GARDENER. Mav witli the iK^autifnl lilies and many other fine things, that were lust iil'ln- luiun- landed safely at Antwerp. It so happemil I lint hr, Siebold's cases arrived when the French wiii- hcsi. -^iuiJ the citadel at Antwerp, I believe in l.so) : and Ihi; place where the cases were put was soon filled with cavaliy horses, which Imooked everytliing about in such a way that it was a wonder that a single leaf was saved ; and ovn ori- ginal caurellia Donklaeri was in this melee. Mr. Donkliier, after whom it is called, told me the story : he was then gardener at Lovain. The name is sel- dom spelt right in our lists, but this is the way Mr. D. always signed his name. Palmer's: Perfection. — A lai-ge deeja red one, and, perhaps, the veiy best of om- English seedlings. The form is regularly imbricated, and the shape can never be excelled. It was raised by Mr. Palmer, whose celebrity in the cultivation of these plants is well linown to all who have taken an interest in the progress of improvement in this family. Marchioness of Exeter. — This is one of very recent origin, said to be very line ; but the only two plants of it that I have yet seen in Hower were very young, and the flowers were not quite iirst-rate ; but I was assured by a good judge that it might safely be classed amongst the first light red or rose coloured ones. Brochii and Saccoi nova axe two beautiful Italian seedlings ; the fonner, an imbricated light piuk- coloui-ed one, dashed with white stripes, and some- times with blotches of white ; and Saccoi nova red, with a violet tinge, and as regularly imbricated as any on the list. I believe they were both raised by Dr. Sacco, of Milan, who is said to have been the fii'st successful gi-ower of them in Italy, and the first who recommended the use of the rotten wood of the Spanish chesnut to be mixed with their compost. There is a large class of the Waratah, or anemone- flowered breed, m any of which are beautifully mottled, like picotees, but they are going out of fashion of late yeai-s, since the imbricated class became better known. But we have move than enough of them to-day, although the list might easily be doubled. Soil. — ^Within the last few yeai-s there have been large quantities of young camellias sent over to London from the continent for public sales, and causing a wide spread of erroneous opinion as to the proper compost for them. The foreign ones being invariably potted in peat onli/ ; but the continental peat is as different from om's as chalk is from cheese ; and our peat, if used alone, is almost poison for them ui pots, although they wDl do in peat beds out of doors. All young camellias with us, until they are seven or eight years old, will grow better in three parts good mellow loam, and one pai-t sand and rough peat, than in any other mixture. After that age, piu'e loam and sand will keep them in better health than anytliing else; and at that age, if the loam is rich, and of the right sort, they will not requu-e fresh potting but every second or tliird year, but only to have a Uttle fresh soil put on the top. _ W.viERiNG. — As long as they are of a manageable size no plants are better fitted for cool rooms, but dry heat is very injm-ious to them ; I have seen a whole crop of their flower-buds di-op ofi' on being introduced into a warm dry staii-oase. Then- leaves give no indication of want of water by drooping lUce many other plants, and it is always more safe to keep them rather moist at the roots than run the risk of getting too dry. lu an ordinary greenlwuse their roots keep growing all winter, and, therefovc, they will require to be kept regidarly watered all tlie year round; and, as I said before, if tlie pots are well drained, you can liardly water them too much when gi'owing, but no manure-water should ever be givin them till after the flower-buds ai-e fonned, and none at all if they are not in good health. Prcnixg. — They will bear pnming as well as apple-trees, and just as they are beginning to grow is the proper time to prune them ; but as long as they keep well clothed with leaves, and gi-ow regular without straggling shoots, there is no occasion to piime them at all. Next week I shall give a digest of their treatment in rooms, pits, and greenhouses ; also the treatment for sicldy ones. D. Beaton. THE KITCHEN-GAEDEN. The continuance for so long a period of the late unseasonable and very cold weather will cause, we fear, gi'eat loss and disappointment in many of our late gardening operations. The quantity of snow that fell on the ]7th, 18th, and liHh of April, the wind at intervals blowing almost a hmiicane, and the many severe fi-osts since the begimiiug of that mouth, win probably not only retard and weaken vegetation, but perhaps also destroy those young seedliugs which were about malting, or Ijad ah-eady made, their appearance above tlie surface of the earth. It will be necessaay, therefore, to examine immediately om- beds of carrots, onions, and jwrsHt;)S, as well as our lately sown cauliflou-crs, coleworts, borecoles, hrocoUs, and, indeed, all the brassica family ; many of which, we fear', wiU, be foimd with shanked stems, and these will be easily detected after the oc- cmTence of a few hot days. If discovered to be in a bad state, suooessioual sowings of these crops should be made without loss of time ; and it may be the means of saving many of the crops from total des- truction if dry dust be scattered among those that are already above the ground. Dirarf Idihieii leans and scarlet runners, having been already planted, will be found, we fear, to have suflered much, or, at all events, to be so much weak- ened, that a reserve should at once be sown in some sheltered comer for transplantation. It was consi- dered safe by our ancestors to sow or plant kidney beans as soon as two swallows were seen together ; but this year (in Devonshire) wUl prove an excep- tion to the old adage. The swallows, in that part of England, generally make their first appearance fi-om about the (ith to the 10th of April ; and this year, notwithstanding the subsequent severity of the wea- ther, so destructive of Icidney beans, I observed, on the 7th irfstant, no less than three pairs of swallows skimming over the surface of the lake. On the same day the notes of several other varieties of om- small birds of passage, such as the red-start, the white- throat, and the nettle-creeper or black-head, &c., were to be heard in and about the warm shrubberies. Years ago, when living in the more eastern coimties of Kent, Surrey, Middlesex, and Essex, tlie 17th of April was there about tlie usual time of these wel- come visitors malving their first appooi-once ; so that it seems that they visit this locality, on an average, ten days earlier. The nightingale, I am soriy to say, does not visit us here. The soil is now so saturated and cold, tliat it will take some days of sunshine to wann it ; consequently, May THE COTTAGE GARDENEK. as lias often been observed in fonner years, uotwitli- stauding- all the open mildness of the winter, it will be a late sjn'ing for most kinds of vegetation. Erom the l;2th to the :i 1st of April we have had, in this locality, the severest nights tliat have occurred since the ;21st of December, and more snow than has fallen during the whole of the last whiter ; consequently all kinds of fruit and vegetables are very seriously in- jured, and present the most miserable appearance "that we have ever seen in the last week of April. The luuTicaue of wind prevented the proper cover- ing and protection being afforded to the gi'owing urops that the severity of the weather required. Er,\mes. — Sow, in succession, the best varieties of i'ticnmbers and melons; keep well thinned the vine whrre tlie fi'uit is swelling; and should the canker make its appearance, which is not imlilcely after the lute mifavourable weather, dust over the parts af- fected a little fresh slaked lime, taking care, when applying water, not to wet either the foliage or the \ane' of the melon. Our standing rule, indeed, has been for yeai's, as we have frequently observed, never to water over the heads of either cucumber or melon, but to apply it amongst them fi-om the spout of the watering-pot without the rose, and by watering around the inside of the pits or frames at shuttLng- up time, which causes a kindly vapom' to aiise during the night. James Barnes. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Dandelions (J. S. L.).~A tedious but only effectual mode of destroying the dandelion on your lawn, is to cut each out with a knife or spud in dry weather, and to put a spoonful of salt into the hole upon the stump of the roots. A woman will go over a large lawn in a day. The grass will soon stool out and cover the blank patches. Lamb Abbey Pearmain (Ififrf).— This has no other name either in Lindley's " Guide to the Orchard," nor in the Horticultural So- ciety's " Catalogue of Fruits." You could obtain it of any respect- able nurseryman. It is a middle-sized apple, of the usual pearmain shape ; eye'small and deeply sunk ; stalk short and deeply inserted ; yellowish green on the north side, and red, spotted with black, on the sunned side ; flesh green next the core, but yellowish near the skin ; crisp, juicy, rich, and aromatic. Lasts from January to April. Raised in 1803, by Mrs. Malcolm, of Lamb Abbey, in Kent, from a kernel of the Newtown pippin. Name op Grdb (Ih: Sylvester).— The dirty-looking grubs which you have sent, and which you say are destroying your peas by eating their roots, and which are similarly destructive to strawberries in your friend's garden, " where he has found thousands of them," are the larva of one of the crane flies, so familiarly known as daddy long- legs {TipulcB). Your grubs are probably those of Tipula prateiuiia or T. quadrifaria. These grubs are called, by gardeners, " surface grubs" and "leather jackets;" are dirty white, stained with, earth colour, with wavy lines of the same down the back, and heads almost black. They are found not fai- from the surface in our gardens during April and May, especially where the soil is wet ; and feed on the roots not only of those vegetables you mention, but upon those of kidney beans, potatoes, lettuces, &c. Indeed, scarcely any root is rejected by them. They change to the pupa state in August, and in a few weeks after from thence come forth the crane flies. Lime- water has no effect upon them, but quicklime and gas lime dug where they are, is said to be fatal to them. We should pare off two or three inches of the surface, wherever practicable, mix it thoroughly with one bushel of gas lime to two bushels of the earth, and after turning it over at the end of two days, spread it as a manure wher- ever required. Errata.— At p. 11, line 24 from bottom, for " Runcia" read " Rumia." At p. l6, line 24 from bottom, ior ^' facimtlatus" read *' fasdcuiatus." At p. 17, line 36 from top, for '* grandijiora " read *' grandifloruvi.''* Window Duty {Rev. Mr. Baker).— A greenhouse, connected with the parlour, as mentioned at p. 10, we think would be within the , 55, buildings not used for the purposes of habitation, decision upon the point. Thanks for the two corrections, Exposed Situation (R. P. Burtoji).—We can suggest no better mode of procedure than that you should plant a belt of quickly growing trees, such as the black poplar, or whatever tree may be better suited to your soil. Plant on the S.W. and other sides whence the offending winds come. Altiiea Frutex [F. J, Williams),— Th\B is the common name for the Syrian hibiscus (Hibiscus si/riacus). The flowers are shaped like those of the mallow; but they are uf various colours, those of some varieties being white, but they are chiefly of various shades of purple. Plant your cuttings in a pot of light earth, cover it with a bell-glass, plunge it in a gentle hot-bed, and keep the earth gently moist. It is — !„-.» T* i.„3 ijggjj cultivated here for Bulbs {Ibid). — All choice bulbs should be taken up and dried, but they must on no account be moved until the leaves are quite dead. If you cut off the leaves, or move the bulbs before the leaves are dead, it will injure or prevent the production of flowers next year. Adage {Rev. J. S. L.).—We are quite sure you are right in stat- ing that our adage, at p. 21, refers to the river Dove in Derbyshire ; yet it may well bear our interpretation that a gentle increase of our rivers' waters in April is universally favourable to vegetation. Budding's Mowing Machine (Ibid).— We fear that this will not answer your purpose, unless you have some one you can depend upon for keeping the blades of the machine sharp and in constant good order. It certainly will not roll a lawn sufficiently to render a roller needless. Vinegar Plant (John Horsier/ and E. Mugridge) .—This, we be- lieve, is an aquatic plant introduced from Italy, which, when put into a mixture of sugar and water, grows and rapidly converts the mixture to vinegar. We hope to give further information shortly. Painted Box Hives (Municeps).— These are noi bees, if they are not painted on the inside ; neither i Cauliflower {Ibid). — Your seedsman is pretty correct : there is but one kind of cauliflower, and early or late crops of it are usually dependent upon the times of sowing. At the same time there are three varieties recognized — the early, the large late, and the sed- stalked. Our coadjutor, Mr. Barnes, has also stated in some of his published writings, that there is a large late variety, quite distmct rrdahl from the common. We can only say, that i met with, pass into each other according to the time of : the richness of the soil. It is on record, that a poor gardener was Westminster Hall for selling, i cauliflower-seed, seed which ng-leav bility 0] f the tribe to be ( 1 impregnated and t Bone Dust used for Hardening Iron {J. W., Birmingham). —The bone-dust so employed, if we understand the process, is car- bonized by coming in contact with the 1-ed hot metal. If this be so, the bone-dust will be improved rather than reduced in value by the process. Animal charcoal is a very excellent manure. Fuchsias in a Hot-bed (S.-^wrfersora).— The heat arising from stable dung is not injurious to fuchsias, but you must keep it very moderate ; never higher than 70°. You need not shade them, but you must keep them well supplied with air, and that very moist. Too great dryness has occasioned the red spider, of which you complain. To fumigate with sulphur, use the mixture specified at p. 271 ot Vol. I. Apply it round the sides of your frame at the time there men- tioned. You must apply it until you find the vermin are all gone. Conservatory Border (Lex, Jan.). — The climber appears from the phonetic spelling to be Stephanotus fioribundus. We are never at a loss to know what plant any reader means if he only spells it ac- cordingly as it sounds. Your proposed plan of making a border for cbmbers" over the flue across the east end of your hothouse will not do at all, although that is the coolest part of the flue ; it would in one week render the s "" only I le flue ana pipes end? this border might stand a yard from the pipes and tramed to upright rods ' " ' ■ > - -^ a few inches above the flue, might answer. The Stephi Carnosa, and new passion-flower, will require 40° of heat in winter to do any good, and to be kept very dry. Why not make a raised border for them where the flue and pipes enter the house, being the warmest climbers 1 then arche the pipes. Pit foe Forcing Cucumbers (J. W. Siee).— You propose to have a small brick pit, three feet deep, 7 feet long, and 3^ feet wide, to be heated by hot-water pipes, supported on pillars within a few inches of the slates supporting the soil. This plan, for growing ' ■ is very good and will answer perfectly. See 1 the back wall, leaving a passage 3 iig the side < page 265, Vol. _ . . want ; if the pipes stand one brick clear from the bottom and three inches below the slate it will be enough, because the smaller the cavity the better. Do not make the slate covering quite close, leave a small space between the edges to drain ; place a thin layer of rough cinder ashes over the slate, then a thin turf, and the mould on that. Winter Shelter for Plants (/AirfJ.— With a wooden shelter over the glass, and abundance of straw stubble or fern to put on all round during severe frost, you may keep your geraniums, fuchsias, &c. safe enough in a cold frame If vou were to plant them into the pit in September, using light soil, they would keep much better than in pots, and would not require any water from October to Maich. Damp is a much greater enemy to plants than frost. To grow these plants bushy, nip olf their tops occasionally, and allow them plenty Border Plants in Pots {John Wilson BlacJtett).— To let W( alone, is a good maxim ; and you have done quite right to keep yo border plants in their winter pots Leave them just as they ; THE COTTAGE GAT?DENE?>. HovA C.\,RNn> \ • 1 i II--' but a greenhouse plant, thoujrii i' ^ ' ' . n .■ ::m. .11 window in winter if kept dry like ;i < ,1. [u^ i ■ iiM\M 1 ;t v^ . 11 ;: iri|uires forcing like a vine from' the end of ."March to July, and e\cii a pine-etove would suit it better than a vinery while growing ; therefore, although it may live and look green, ai you say, and even produce a few flowers in a low temperature, yet it is only throwing time and space away to keep it otherwise than as a stove plant. answers to one correspondent may be useful to hundreds, and we shape them, as much as the nature of the subjects permit, to render them generally beneficial. Cut off the flowers of the cinerarias as soon as they begin to fade. Keep them going as they are till the May frosts are over, when they are to be turned out of doors into a shady place ; then cut them down to the surface of the pot, and plant in a rich light border, and regularly water through the summer. In August take them up, divide them, and pot the best pieces for flower- ing next spring, or perhaps earlier. Leaving them in the ground later than August is the cause of your losing them in winter, as they have not time to get well established when left later in the open air. Camellia Soil (ZAirf).— The Birmingham nurserjTnan ought to know better than to tell you that peat would answer for youi' beau- tiful white camellia ; in truth the peat brought it to the verge of ruin. See what Mr. Beaton says of them to-day in another column. Begonia Fdcioides (Jfiid).— This is, indeed, one of the finest new plants we have, but mil not do well for a greenhouse. It requires more heat while growing, say from March to July ; it will then flower most splendidly all the autumn, and may be kept rather drj' in a good greenhouse. Cuttings of it struck now would flower next autumn twelvemonths. Every one who can command a little extra heat in spring ought to grow it. Scarlet Geranium Bed (A Subscriber, Putnei/).—An oval or circular shape would be the best form. The size is a matter of taste and convenience. If your garden is small, a large bed would be in in bad taste ; you had better have two or three small ones. Should your lawn be large, your bed may be large also. If you choose the oval shape, eight or ten feet long by five or seven feet wide; are good proportions. Let the centre be raised considerably ; the soil should be of a rather poor nature, but not strong loam or clay. This poor soil will cause your geraniums to grow less and flower more. Mit- chell's To7n Thumb's Master is the finest scarlet for a bed we know ; but it is, as yet, rather dear (2*. fid, each). There is a sort called Prospect or Pre-eminent, that is excellent for bedding ; being dwarf, free blooming, of bright colour, and having large trusses. Feathered Hyacinth {A constant Reader).~Yo\x do not say what kind of soil your garden consists of, neither do you state the aspect, both of which will affect this plant. Make a compost of leaf- mould, peat, and light loam, in equal parts, and as soon as your feathered hyacinths have lost their leaves by a natural decay, take up the bulbs and put them in pots ; three bulbs in a pot five inches wide, using the above compost in a rough state. Place these pots during summer behind a wall or low hedge having a north aspect ; and in autumn, plunge them in coal ashes in a sheltered part of the garden on a south aspect. They will gain strength to flower, treated in this manner, for a year or two ; after which, they may be planted in patches, or in a bed made of the above compost. The patches should have some of the compost put in them to grow the plants in ; it should be at least eight inches deep. Carnations {Frederick Ge/es).— You have hitherto managed quite rightly in keeping them sheltered from rain, but you may allow them to have gentle showers ; protecting them, howi heavry rain, or hail and snow. Cactus truncata (J/Wrf).— This is now called EjAphyllum {epi upon, phijllum leaves— bearing its flowers upon leaves) tnmcaium. You may treat your grafted plants exactly the same as you did those on their own roots. (Herbert). —These are the toughest of all the gar- Neither salt r lime have both been recommended, but we do not see how you could apply these to your soil in which tender annuals are growing. It is said that the^ leave the place where white mustard is grown, and this is worth a trial. It is also said, by excellent authorities, that if you grow daisies they will leave all other roots for these. Frame for Geraniums (G. Ltoigtrt/).—A three-light frame, heated by a flue, would do for wintirin^' your plants in, without r,j r.r I, III. Vou only require to '" ' ''" ' \ull give enough heat I ') iii>t put any sand or Ilia soon become quite unit Im in_' uiitrred. Thc frame 1 ijluiiiii. u !i little heightened. having any bottom-hen exclude frost from them for bringing your plant ether plunging materia dry, and would be too would do for camellias, ' thissaltto a'^allonof A i quite strong enough, and should not Lu iinjrc Liian once a wcck. Do not put it to anv seed beds, but to good-sized, growing, healthy plants. It will benefit your penurally, including ro«cs, auriculas, peas, and beans, as soon _■ flower liudM are visible. Thanks for thc correction. TTAGK (;ardi:nkr ADVERTISEMENTS (C. ./.).— Your binder ind no ihlfirulty in omitting these from the weekly numbers, if cctcd. lit: will cut tiiL-ni oil" close to the ipncr marginal line, so leave a Iqp ov(;r for stitching through. Urate op London Manure Company {O.roniensisK applied to the soil, t^vo pounds to every thirty square sufficient. We think it is more lasting than guaiio ; ' fits extend beyond the first crop. We have ounce to til. -dl n ■! ^ ,1 ,. We hope to have more Himaiayah pumpkin--. , it jiresent wc cannot supply your loss. Removin 1 I : : i' —This must not be done in any case until tluir it,i\ I - ,'i' ii i.i ii \uu move your daffodils, jonquis, and crocuses /ton . il..-> uiii .A^..>in \\c.ikly, or not at all, next year. The leaves and ruois ";tre now employed in preparing materials for next year's flowers. You may rnfj off the shoots of your plums, apples, and gooseberries, if those shoots arc coming where you do not require them. Hard Water (7Airf).~For making tea, &c., the best addition, we believe, is a very minute quantity of sulphate of ammonia. Hand-book oi' Field Botany {A Dissenting Minister).— This is out of print. Brown Beuere Pear (£. MttgrJdge). —This is against a wall, healthy, not over luxuriant, blossoms at the ends of the branches only, and bears no fruit. The brown Beurre Pear, although an excel- lent old kind, is one which, we fear, may be termed " worn out," at least in many districts. A good tree of pears of this kind is now seldom seen ; and yet we have none much better among the newer kinds. Do not root-prune wearing-out kinds. Tie down a consider- able amount of nice short-jointed spray this summer, and try that. We suspect you prune on the old destructive " spur system," Pear-tree Shoots (S. T., Ipsxoich). — You ask, whether tying do^vn thc young shoots in the spring vfUI produce blossom-buds. We fear not, but it will strengthen those already formed ; therefore, tie down some of the moderate of last year's shoots, if not pruned away, the select close-jointed knotty wood "the In all cases preference ~- Qts of this year, choose those Hollow Pollards on a Lawn {Rev. C. W. L.).— For these, which you have arranged as rustic vases in your flower beds, we should select flowers of peculiar expression for the centre ; for, as your climbers will be festooning around somewhat rudely, prim forms would not look well. The following, though not particularly novel, would perhaps answer : — 1, Humea elegana, surrounded in the pol- lard by Love-lies-bleeding. 2, Fanckia lancea^folia, a large bush ; this would want nothing round. 3, Group of tall Scarlet Lobelias, at least five, surrounded by the larger Chrj/seis californica. 4, Fuchsia, strong bush of the old Gracilis, a branchy semi-pendulous kind; nothing around this. 5, Pei-sicaria, a group, surrounded by Love-lies-bleeding. 6, Rose bush, the Phccnix (Bourbon). In addition to your climbers, pray add the following ;—iI/awm«d^« Barclayana, Rhodocfiiton volubile, Lophospermujn erubeseens, Ca- lampelis scabra, and TropeeoUim pentaphyllum. The Asplenium felix fcemina, or lady fern, would look well in a pollard ; so would Dollards would be well i grown specimens in pots through much with mere drainage. Bore an auger hole to let waters escape. Cover or surround the things inside with moss ; and top-dress with six inches of half-rotten manure. Use a strong loamy soil also. Boundary Row or Standard Roses (J6id).— Hollyhocks would look well between the roses in your back row. If any thing low is required, dwarf dahlias, or well-grown groups of China aster. Thinning Pear Blossoms (/6irf).— The only danger in your course is, that you will reduce your chances of a " good set." ^\'e have little faith" in thinning out blossoms : why not wait till they are "set," and then thin out? If they set well, leave a pretty full crop ; in that event, you can apply liquid manure if necessary. * Climbers in Balcony {W. H., Islington).— The canary bird plant, blue convolvulus, sweet peas, and lophospermum, will succeed with you in an easterly aspect ; use a rich light loam for them, and double pot them. See pp. 30 and 38. You may now put out thc ithua. See p. 311, vol. i. Antirrhinums will r Osimtnda regatis, or royal fern. Such pollai agapantl Yuu will find See p. 311, vol. 1. Antirrhinums will grow with you. Sheltered Peaches {An Amateur Gardener).— Yonr peach- trees, sheltered with canvas, have failed to set their fruit, whilst your neighbour, who did not shelter his, has a good crop. Be assured that your failure did not arise from your sheltering, if properly managed. There must be a difference in thc aspect, in the time of blooming, or in the soil ; or you left your trees uncovered at sonic time when severe cold or keen easterly winds were prcvaibng. Mushroom Spawn (A71 Admiring Subscriber).~One bushel of loose spawn is required for a bed 10 feet long and five broad. If you use spawn bricks break them into the portions marked upon them, and plant, in rows, a portion six inches apart each wa; directions given by degrees for cultivating all the flo^ Much has been given lUrcady relative to thc pansy ar LiLiUM Lahcifolium Album t'^-, Kendal).— has been quite right. This is generally later in starting than thc red variety. You should give it moderate waterings, so as just to keep thc soil moist, and treat it exactly as directed lor L. L. riibrum LONDON : Printed by Harry Wooldridge, 14", Strand, in the Parish of Saint Mary-le-Strand ; and Winchester High-street, in the Pansh of St. Mary Kalcndur ; and Published by Wii-liam SoMERViLLE Ore, at the OHice, H7, Strand, in the Parish of Saint DJftry.lc- Strand, London.— May yrd, ISJy. THK COTTAGE GARDENER. WEEKLY CALENDAR. M D W D JIAY 10—1(5. 1849. Plants ilcdicatcd to each day. Sun Rises. Sun Sets. Moon R. ami Sets. Moon's Age. Clock ! Day of bef.Su„.| YeL 10 11 I'j 13 14 15 Th F S M 'J'u W Dikldy Loug-legs appears. Kced'nimtmg lays. Eilj ol Valley flowers. RuiiATioN SuND.Av. Swift appears. Dot Moth appears. Hawthorn flowers. Spotted Ely-oatoher appears. Fiii(-l(Mvrd I'u'ony. Vrlliiw Asphudol. Common Comfrey. Common Poeony. Eastern Poppy. Large Star of Bethlehem. 18 a. 4 10 lO U 10 •■JO a. 7 ;iu ;38 :V.t 41 42 44 10 dO 11 17 11 m morn. 0 35 1 7 1 37 18 U) M) 21 '2-i 24 :i 50 3 52 3 54 3 55 :! 55 3 55 3 54 130 131 132 133 134 135 130 Rogation Sunday. — ^Among the Romans it was customary to celebrate annually a festival called Terminaliu, in honour of their idol Terminus, who they considered as presiding over the bounds of their estates. During that festival, the owners prayed for a blessing upon their farms ; but there is little room for doubting that one in- tention of the ruler who instituted this annual festival was thereby to perpetuate the memory of the boundaries, for the avoidance of litiga- tion. Even at a still earlier period, we know that the Levitical law not only forbade the removal of land-marks, but invoked a curse upon ) tending to a confusion ot property (Deuf ■ - ■ facilit ' the boundaries,* i afforded to the introduction of Christianity by grafting s customs, induced its e; d the ligious exercises upon the old idolatrous customs, induced its early teachers to make a religious ceremony of these perambulations ; and, until a very recent period, these perambulations have been kept up, accompanied by a particular form of "rogations," or prayers (from rogare, to ask) and sermons under " gospel trees," in which God's blessing upon the neighbourhood was besought, and his providence enforced. The religious exercises have now almost or entirely ceased throughout England, yet many remnants of the festival and its at- tendant customs remain -, all shewing that the particular production of the place was especially the subject of the people's supplication on the occasion. For example, in the salt districts of Cheshire and Worces- tershire, the brine springs are decked with flowers j at Newcastle, " cheerful libations " are still poured out in honour of the " coaly Tyne;" and about Keston, in Kent, the land of fruit, they run into the orchards, and, encircling each tree, sing — " Stand fast root ; bear well top ; God send us a yoiding sop ! Kvery twig an apple big, Every bough apples enow." Phenomena of the Season.— We will conclude our observa- tions upon the leaves of trees, for their blossoms are rising around us and becoming prominent phenomena. The following is from " The Principles of Gardening :"— The duration of a leaf is in general but for a year, though in some plants they survive for a longer period. It is generally of a green colour. Light seems to have a powerful influence in causing this ; since, if kept in the dark, leaves become pale yellow or even white, unless uncombined hydrogen is present, in whieii case they retain their verdure though light be absent. Hence their blanching seems to arise fi-om their being unable to obtain this gas under ordinary circumstances, except when light is present. Now the only source from which they can obtain hydrogen, is by decom- posing'water ; and how light assists in the decomposition, may per- haps be explained by the disoxygcnizing power with which it is gifted. The violet rays of the spectrum have this power in the greatest de- gree ; and Sennebier has ascertained by experiment, that those rays have the greatest influence in producing the green colour of plants. When leaves are of any other hue than green, they are said to be coloured. This variegation is often considered to be a symptom cither of tenderness or debility ; but Mr. Knight has demonstrated lungs and stomach of animals ; they not only modify the food brought to them from the roots, so as to fit it for increasing the size of the parent plant, but they also absorb nourishment from the atmosphere. The sap, after elaboration in the leaves, differs in every plant, though it appears to be nearly the same in all vegetables when it first arrives to them. The power of a leaf to generate sap is in propor- tion to its area of surface, exposure to the light, and congenial situa- tion. Evergreens transpire less moisture than deciduous plants, which would lead to the expectation that they are more capable of living in dry situations, M'hich, in general, is really the case. The transpiration of plants decreases with that of the temperature to which they are exposed, as well as with the period of their growth. This explains why the gardener finds that his plants do not require so much water in cold weather, nor during the time that elapses between the fall of their blossoms and the ripening of their ' ' ' ' ; than one-half blooming. The t the leaves ; and if these gradually decay and fall, the plant ceases until fresh leaves are produced, benefit which plants derive in rooms, greenhouses, and other con- fined inclosures, from keeping those surfaces cleansed with the sponge and syringe. Some plants are particularly sensitive to in- jury from any cheek to their transpiration, among which are the tea- scented roses ; and it thence arises that they cannot now be culti- vated in nursery- gardens near London, where they once flourished when that metropolis was less extensive. The drier the air the greater i the amount of moisture transpired ; and this becomes s justly la- illustrated this, by showing that if the raised only five degrees, viz., from 75° to ■ mthin it retains the same degree of moisture, a plant that in the lower temperature exhaled f>7 grains of moisture, would in the higher temperature exhale 120 grains in the same space of time. Leaves have the power of absorbing moisture as well as of emitting it, which power of absorption they principally enjoy during the night. During the day leaves also absorb carbonic acid gas, which they de- compose, retaining its carbon and emitting the greatest part of the oxygen that enters into its composition. In the night this operation is in a certain measure reversed, a small quantity of oxygen being absorbed from the atmosphere, and a smaller proportion of car- bonic acid emitted. Carbonic acid gas in small proportions is essen- tial to the existence of leaves, yet it only benefits them when present in quantities not exceeding one twelfth of the bulk of the atmosphere in which they are vegetating, though one twenty-fifth is a still more favourable proportion ; and as hotbeds, heated by fermenting matters, rapidly have the air within their frames contaminated to a much greater extent than the proportions above-named, thence arises the injury to the plants they contain from a too long neglected ventila- tion. The leaves turn yellow from the excess of acid, which they are unable to digest, and which consequently effects that change of co- lour which also occurs in autumn, and which will be more fully con- sidered when the decay of plants is detailed. Insects. — Every grower of the ap- ple knows how liable his fruit is to be "worm-eaten." He finds basketsful of "windfalls" even in the calmest Aveather, and that the cause of the loss is a small grub, which has fed upon May 1841. ,842. 1343. 1844. 1845. 1846. 1848. 10 Fine, Fine. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Showery. Showery. Fine. 65°— "46 64°-35° 5/°— 33= 68°-38° 58°— 36° 70° -40° 72°-54° 76°- 36° tuai,. „. Fine. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. ^'T' o 77° 46° 65"_44° 62° — 34° 64°— 52° 72°— 34° »° Fine. Showery. 51°— 37° 67°— 46° 58°— 42° 69°-48° Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Showery. Showery. 66°-42° 78»-39° Fine. Fine. Showery. 63° 40° 72° 36° 64°— 50° 70°— 38° 6l°— 36° 62° -38° Fine. Fine. Fine. Showery. 74° 40° 63°-43° Fine. Cloudy. Cloudy. Showery. 63°— 47° r4°-4!)° 68°-42° 63°— 50° 65°-40° 63°-45° 03-40- the pulp of the fruit ; but how, when, or where those grubs got there he has not the slightest notion. As it is one of the most injurious of insects to one of our most useful of fruits, we shall give more full particulars than usual, borrowing them chiefly from BIr. Westwood's essay in the Gardener's Magazine, iv. 23.5, N. S. The grub in ques- tion is the larva of the Codling Moth, Carpocopsa pojnonella of some and Tortrix pulpy parts of the apple that J it has nearly attained its full , it feeds on the p'ips of the apple, which, thus attacked in its most vital part, soon falls to the ground. No sooner is the apple fallen, than the grub quits the ft-uit by the passage which it had pre- entomologists, but Tinea pomonella, Pyralis pomom pnmonana of others. It is i "^^ ' *"" " the grub chiefly feeds ;_ when. No. XXXII., Vol. II. (U THE COTTAGE GARDENET!. \-iouslv gnawed, than I they 1 - Bram divty white colour, wath a "brown head, varied' ivith darkish brown marks. The body is slightly hairy ; the first segment after the head is whitish, with minute brown spots ; the other segments are of a pale colour, with about eight small tuljer- clcs on each ; each of the three anterior segments is furnished with a pair of legs, and there are a pair of feet at the extremity of the body. In its early state it 's of a dirty reddish orflesh colour. The caterpillar wanders about on the ground till it finds the stem of a tree, up which it climbs, and hides itself in some little crack of the bark. The fall of the apple, the exit of the grub, and its wandering to this place of safety, usually take place in the night-time. It gnaws away the hark a little, and ha^-ing made a smooth chamber, spins a little milk-white silken case, in which, after a few weeks, it becomes a chrysalis ; and in this state it remains through the winter, and until the following June, when the moth comes forth, and is to be seen hovering round the young apples on a midsummer evening. The moth itself, of which we give a cut, of the natural size and magnified, is a very beau- tiful insect, about three-quarters of an inch in expanse : fore wings aped being open, and not concealed by a little mas i, which is the case with those apples' from which larva has not made its escape. Theselittle — ' --^ of the lar^'le, which are also to be seen in the •itbin the apple. The grub mark. The hind wings reddish-brown, tinged with yellow. The moth lays its eggs in the eyes of the young apples, one 'only in each, by introducing its long ovipositor (egg-tube) between the leaves of tlie calyx. As soon as the egg, is hatched, the little grub gnaws a hole in the crown of the apple, and soon buries itself in its substance ; and it is worthy of remark, that the rind of tin- n\i\>\v, as it" scU-ptcd for the ])urpose, is thinner here than in any i:i [nr, imil i mihi- qucntly more easily pierced. The apple nin"> r , ; ,iK u, .;.<,; is the Codling. It will be evident, from the i i ' ! i;i.- habits of this moth, that there are considcral. I ii i\;iy of its extirpation. It is impossible, for institm i . !-■ ii ;iv;u' nt :!ie presence ot the enemy within the fruit, until the mi-^ehief is actually completed ; and. in like manner, the destruction of the moth, from its small size, and its habit of secreting itself in crevices of the bark, &c., is equally impracticable. The gathering up of the worm-eaten apples immediately after their fall, and before the enclosed caterpillar has had time to make its escape, cannot but be attended with good effect ; care, however, must be taken to destroy the lar^'a, which would destroyed in the chinks of the bark c 'the a 1 and winter. On evevy available occasion we enforce upon our readers' attention the two great operations of plant culture — Stirling the soil and maumiug. Two thou- sand years ago Cato urged the same topics upon liis countrymen. "The first tiring in oultiTating the soil," says this wise Koman, " is to plough ; the second is to plough ; and the thii'd is to manure." (De Be Bustiea.) It is upon this " tlurd" fundamental ope- ration of good oultivatioii that, again, we have a few words to offer. More than once we have given information which we thought woidd assist the cottager and the ama- teur in maldng a tank for holding the manure for his garden, and we have now to describe one which we have just completed, two feet deep in front, two feet six inches deep at the back, six feet long, and tlu-ee feet wide. "We liad a hole dug out by the side of the pig-stye six inches deeper, and one foot wider and longer than the above size. Into tlds hole wo poured six inches depth of asphalt over the entii-e bottom ; we then put in a wooden box, previously made of. rough slabs, of the size above men- tioned; tlien put in some broken brickbats round the l)ox, pouring in asphalt to fill up the inter- stices between the brickbats, as these were put m a few at a time. A lid mth staple hinges, so as to be removeablo at pleasm'e, covers the whole ; and a gutter communicates fi-om the stye into this water- tight tank through a hole near its top. The whole cost less than thirty shillings. The asphalt is made according to the I'ecipe given at p. 258 of our first A'oluiiie. If the cottager puts together tlie wood-work of the tank himself, forming it of old cask staves, or other rough material, and without a lid, he may make it for ten shillings. The wood-work is only required to keep the fork and the shovel from injur- ing the asphalt. In a tank like this all the house sewage and refuse of the garden can be preserved and mixed, and not a drop of the liquid dramagc (the most valuable portion of the fermenting mass) is lost. Wo liavB just liad our attention more particularly recalled to the subject of manures, wliilst pemsmg the recently published work entitled " China and the Chinese. "■■'■■ The devotion of these people to the cul- tivation of the soil, the ceremony of their' Emperor annually ploughing the soil, then- successful culture of the chrysanthemum and the dalilia, and their ex- treme care in accumiilating manm-es, are facts long since known, but until we read these pages we had no idea that then- cai'e to store up fertilizers descended to such minute particulars. The statement we made (Vol. I., p. 144.) about the jars for the preservation of the liouse sewage is fully confirmed by Mr. Sii-r. He says that when walldng thi-ough the gardens of Con loon on the mainland, fi'om whence Hong Kong is supplied with fruit and vegetables, "in each gar- den is to be seen a large earthen vessel, uncovered and exposed to view, in which is accumulated all descriptions of filtli, which, although veiy requisite and proper when used for manure, sends forth any- thing save an agi'eeable odour, and is not peouliai-ly pleasing to the visual organs." But the salvage of fertilizing matters seems to be viewed as a duty by all classes, and descends even to such minute parti- culars as saving the refuse of the barber's ti'ade. "When the operation of shaving and hah'-di'essing " is terminated, the barber receives about five cash (less than three farthings), carefully collects the hail- in a small tub (wliich he aftei-wards sells to the manure gatherers), and walks off to another pai-t of the town in search of fiu-ther employment." Manure gathei-- ing in China is a regulai- trade. " Manm-e is usually applied in a liquid state, night soil being prefen'ed ; and there are coolees (porters), says Mr. SiiT, who make it then- business to go fi'om house to house, purchasing this and other refuse animal and veget- able matter, which they sell to the farmers. It would bo impossible to enumerate the substances which are used for manure ; tlie parings of nails, cuttings of • China and the Chinese, their religion, character, customs, and manufactures. By H. C. Sirr, M.A., Barrister at Law. Orr and Co., London. This is a highly interesting and faithful portrayal of the Chinese, and is the rcsiilt of observations made during Mr. and Mrs. Sirr's residence of several vcars in China. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. hair, the sorapings fi-om the beard, bones, ordure of animals and bu-ds, are all applied to the same pur- pose." Wo quote these facts because they shew a whole nation alive to the importance of preserving eveij- thing that aids in the production of food ; and if they were not thus cai-eful, the soil would not be enabled to yield sufficient for the nourishment of the people — for China is the most populous empire in the world. Om- cormtrymeu will do well to take a lesson fi'om them ; and if the household of any cottage would be as minutely particular in saving every par- ticle of refuse for one year, thej' would do so ever after, for they would be convinced of its importance by the increased fertility of their garden. THE TRUIT-GARDEN. Root Pbuning. — It may seem strange to many of om' readers that we reintroduce this subject at this period ; nevertheless, we deem it our duty so to do. The spring has been so very ungenial, that in all probability the general cry will be that the blossom of the earlier fi'uits has set badly. We have passed one of the most severe Aprils on record ; and, fi-om what we (san learn, the severe fi'osts and snow which ooouiTed extended over the entii-e surface of the kingdom. London papers reported cases of extreme severity — as much as 7° or 8° of frost. Newcastle-on-TjTie reports were similar ; and we can bear ample testimony as to the condition of Chester and the neighbourhood, for we ourselves registered 6° of frost, and it was doubtless, on more than one occasion, greater. Now, as these thi-ee stations con- stitute nearly a triangle including a great portion of England, the universality of this terrible weather is a tolerably fail' inference. Much havoc must have been committed amongst our more tender fruits, especially apricots, peaches, plums, pears, and cher- ries. The consequence of all this is not merely the loss of fruit, total or partial ; such trees will have little or no labour to perform, for such we term a cessation from bearing for one season. What, then, is the consequence in a futm-e season ? Why, that all gross-growing trees wiU produce more breast wood than ■ever ; and then comes a host of queries, of course, to The Cottage Gabdener, as to what is to be done with these unruly subjects ? With regard to old trees, or those wMch have borne heavy crops for years, the case is very diiJerent — it is a kind of vegetable jubilee to them. Indeed, if our gracious Creator had not, in his infinite wisdom, laid the foundation for the occasional occiu'rence ol' what the world call ■■ blights." tlicrc can be Uttle doubt that thf longevity of most of oui' Iruit-trecs would be much ahi-idged ; and not only this, but very niLioh of their produce would be of an inferior caste, both jxi size and flavour ; therefore, with Pope, let us admit that " partial evil becomes universal good." The reasons, then, for introducing the subject now, is to show that something may be done, by anticipation, towards the productions of another year. We have several times root-prmied fi-uit-trees, imder similar cu'cumstances, dm'mg the last twenty years ; and, when judiciously performed, it has always answered the point we intended. Indeed, we may boldly appeal to many of om' readers whether they have not, before now, removed a pear-tree out of season, as it is the usage to say, perhaps at the end of Api-il; and whether they have not, occa- sionally, been sm'prised to find blossom-buds on such a subject in the ensuing autumn, when, perhaps, it never produced one before ? and all this in con- sequence of what we must, in an oflf-hand way, term abuse. Those who have gross and barren trees, therefore, may fearlessly apply the horticultural lancet, even at this period. We would not prune back so severely as we would in the end of October. It is better, at this period, to be rather more moderate ; and, instead of pruning so much of the extremities of the roots away, to leave the trench open for a few weeks, in order to check them by di-ought. This is by fai- a more legitimate com'se than root-pruning. Indeed, the forming a deep trench round a gross tree, and suffering it to remain open most of the siunmer, would generally go far towards taming the most robust of our fi'uit-trees, and would not unfrequently supersede the necessity of more severe operations, especially if a hot and dry summer occm-red. It woidd be tantamount to planting the tree on a hiUock, totally elevated above the gi-ound level, the effects of which ai-e weU known, and not yet suffi- ciently appreciated in our northern counties, or in the moist climate of Ireland, and the chilly one of some parts of Scotland. The only thing that tells against this course is the untidy appearance of such excavations : we, therefore, dare only recommend this com-se in the ordinary orchai-d. We have before treated of the general maxims or principles of disbudding, as applicable, in the main featm-es, to most of our trained fruit-trees in com- mon; we now deem it necessary to handle each family of ft-uits in detail, as every one possesses some slight peculiarity. We thus hope to bi-ing good fruit culture home to every man's door in due time, and make every point as familial' as household stuff; and if we should live half-a-score years longer, it is not improbable that what appears at present erudite or obscure, will be familiar to the cottage urchin of those days. Disbudding the Plum. — We commence our de- tails with this fruit on account of several queries recently addressed to us, and which we hope to answer in the course of om' remarks. On referring to page 156 (No. 15), it will be found that we alluded to the vast difference in habit of gi-owth between different sorts of plums. Thus— the Wasliington, the Magnum -bonum, the Jefferson, and suchhke, are managed with much difficulty in a trained state, unless some special means are taken to dwarf them. Our platforms wiQ assuredly accomplish all this in the most faithful way, provided the points be duly carried out. We have, however, another duty to perform, and which must by no means be lost sight of Tlie great majority of the readers of The Cot- tage Gakuener have to deal with established trees ; established, in the main, on principles averse to the objects here proposed. There are other kinds of plimis whicli requu'e a more generous soil — of such are the Greengage, the Royale Hative, Coe's Golden Drop, Morocco, Precoce de Tom's, Imperatrice, &c. To commence with the grosser kinds .-—these, in a trained state, wiU begin to make very coarse shoots, from various pai-ts of the tree, towards the end of May ; and means must be taken to equalise the sap, THE COTTAGE GAK13ENER. wliicli those rol.lHT:^ w^mM f;iiii ;i|iiivopnate to them- selves. Theiv mii>i. ji.'v,]iliiK», be no monopoly here: the \Ylinl,' -y-^l'iii of ih.' tivc imist he consi- dered a rnmiiioii«c';iUli, ii.ud care must he taken that no aiiiiiiiiiiiH ( ruiinvell renders the ati'air migatovy. Coarsi-L;ni\\iiij, |.liiii;s should he more hherally dishiidili il :iii(l slnppcd than, perhaps, any oth.er fruit except tiie ii,?. Ot course the dishuddiug -will take place first ; hut immediately on the heels of tViis operation the finger and thumh must he in requisi- tion. If occasionally the spurs from Tshich such rohhers are produced possess few natm-al spurs, or the germs of them, and no fi'uit 4ias set, they should he cut out altogether ; this is far better than merely disbudding the robber, for there is always a tendency to a monopoly of tliis kind in a spur wliioh has given birth to one of these coarse shoots, for the fact intimates at once that it has capacious sap vessels. This cutting away of old spm-s may he rather exten- sively practised under the above circumstances, in a spring like this, when little or no sacrifice has to he made in the fi-uit of the season. On the removal, however, of those spurs, a substitute will be requisite, and this wiU be found in the practice we long since suggested in these columns of tying down a liberal amount of youni;- shuoW. ^niiniaUy, on the older wood, using such, -M'u v ii li^i-, ii me somewhat stiipped of its ban-en sjiuis. :i- -.i liviii-.; treUis. This is no mere sup>positious mode uf procedure, neither is it a bor- rowed feather from a nobler plume ; we write in all cases, or nearly so. wliat we have proved repeatedly ; indeed, this tj'ing down iiraetiop we have followed for at least ten j'ears. Sume ntlier lunllers incidental to the seasom must now \>v prncnded with; and we leave the plum that aU the we. regular disbudi most other triii •keep a sharji In practical men t. a i'esemblanc(^ If these olnstii- water from a s for il' fr rely observing I will only reqxui'e 1 if you will, like it is necessary to iiphides — by some lly" — which bears •- the garden bean. ts, apply tobacco- ig tobacco, half pound maximum A\ill make a gallon; and, in the ease of young trees, or where trouble is not a consi deration, the ends of the shoots may be dipped in the mixture, by bending them down slightly before iiaihng. The Vine on Walls is now breaking into leaf, and we beg to remind our readers of the propriety of early disbmliliiii;. T)iis r:miiii| oouunence until the show for fn III nni lie ,lixi m.^iiii-lied. The amount of tluniung ol' (■(iiiise iiiiisi l,e ilependcnt on the sti-ength of the livr -IhII,.!', Imwrvei-. thin rather liberally. For a linillliv inv. He i-lmuhl say that there may he in'mlureci , hmirh in eveiy two square feet. Siieli gm^sse-;, neveiilieless. eaii only serve as a rough guide to ttic most ine.Kperienced, for soil, age of tree, and the former year's crop, should be taken into consideration. ( >f course the thinner-out equally leaves, perfect ■pends. will take care to leave t)ie ' dispersed as possible, in m which cater for the fruit, n dovelopiuent, for on iliis i bla'lik-, mill ■., I i,,i| Iniiler- •<[ ilie pivsenl ve,iv, n bepillrlM'l iilhl. IM ;, ,.,MI|,le .,{ rM'., 11,1,1 IVeqUell stopped liiinu^ ilic summer, thus furmnig a resei for luturc years. We will return to the vine ( iMig- R. Ekrinoton, THE rLOWEE-GARDEN. EosRS For. GnorpTXG in Beds (couohiilcil). — There are so great a number of kinds of roses that answer admh'ably for bedding purposes, that we feel almost at a loss wliich to recommend in preference to others equally as good. We shall give a few more than ai-c needful for moderate-sized gardens, but none but what are reaUy good for the pmqiose. Om' readers, consequently, need he at no loss wliich to have and wMch to reject. )lliiti' Diimasl- — Madame Hardy. TI7,//e Pro,v'«ff— Unique. r,'usr-r,,luiiriil. — Common Moss. A bed of roses nil "I ilii- kiiul is, when in flower, one of the finest - 1 ■_: 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 ■ kill L;dom of Flora exhibits. The deUcious lr:i'.;r;ii;ri and lovely hue of this beautiful rose, half >lirnii(kil, as it were, with a veil of gi-eeu mossy s|iiiiy, ii'uilirs it pecuharly atti-active and desii'able. 'I'll qiow it til the gi-eatest perfection, you must take sniiie ]iiiius; and before we describe the proper ma- un^' neni ii requires, we vdU observe that the same iiiainieiii will >uit aU the strong gi'owing Provence, haniask. and (iallio (French) roses, when gi'own on their own roots as dwarf roses. In tlie first place, the soil shoidd be of a good loamy texture, made rich with veiy rotten dung. The plants shoiild be put in early in autimm, and a covering of short dung spread all over the bed. The first year they should be pruned to three buds of the previous year's gi-owth. In the autumn of tlie fol- lowing year, fork the bed over, and lay on a fresh coat of rotten dung ; then in the spring, early in March, procure a few hooked pegs, and peg down a sufficient number of the strongest shoots to cover the bed completely, shorteniug them in a few inches from the extremity of each shoot. Cut off the shoots that are not wanted, to the same length as you did the spring jireviously. The shoots thus pniued, and those pegged iluwu, will send up short shoots, and each will have a Imiieli of fine flowers. Though the first yiar's lijoom wiU produce some tolerable iJowers, tlie seeonil w ill he by far the finest. To prevent the lieil III iiiL; (iiiiiely bare of flowers in the spring, some |iatilir~. el ei, leases and snowdrops might be planted amongst tlaaii «'ithout any injuiT te the roses. In the atituinn. ai'lei- llie ruses' liave dieie lileoming, cut oft' all the ileeayeil llinveis. andi.lani a few low grow- ing annuals, sueh as Xolaua jif'strala, NeinophOa insignis, Leptosiphou androsaceus, and others. These will serve to make the bed look gay when the glory of tlie rose has departed. small beds. Sweetbriers—Bouhle scarlet. La Belle clistiugucCi We have now finished the list and description of roses fei- III ililini.; imiposes, and we hope our labour will be. aiee|iialile In such of our correspondents as have askeil I'm- iliis inrorraation. Next week wo shall try to give a hst of the best cUmhing and piUiu- roses. KoLTiNK AVoiiK. — N'catnci's. — Every part nl the lliaLuii needs niiiM ever |m loaf. All flowers ilial re,|ii, shoidd have tliem a|i|.lieil growth, luid be tieil to ilie they require il. They arc May THE COTl'AGE GARDENER. bi-okuu, either by their own weight or hy heavy rains, or gusts of wind. To know wliother your gardiii is in tlie best possible conchtioii, visii mnv iiml Ihrii otlier gardens, and compare then] wiili ynur ii\\)i. Good exnmph^s of well ordered, well kept, and ucally managed gardens will have the effect of stirring you to imitate them in j-om- own. Such as are comparatively neglected will act as a warning to you not to fall into sucli a slovenly way of management. By such com- pai-isons you will be enabled to perceive auy deliei- encies which you woidd not have observed had you been constantly seeing no other garden but your own. Deoaying flowers ought to be cut off as soon as seen, especially those on bulbous rof)ts, for by so do- ing you will strengthen the roots much. If you wish to save seeds of any kind leave a few seed vessels on, but take away the flower leaves, and tie the stems up with the seed pods, so as to give them as neat an appearance as jiossible. By no means cut off the leaves of your bidbous Howers until they turn yellow. Tliis is an important point, to be strictly attended to, if you wish to have flowers the followmg season. Crocuses and snowdi-ops, on grass-plots that are con- stantly mown, soon disappear, in consequence of having then' leaves prematurely cut off: these, how- ever, might be saved by leaving little tufts of gi-ass, where they grow, uncut. Double Wallflowers and Stocks. — Now is the tune to put in cuttings or slips of these sweet-scented flowers. Set about this immediately. Take the cut- tings off; smooth the bottom of the cutting with a sharp knife; strip ofl' the leaves halfway up, leaving about 1-^ inch with the leaves on entire ; then plant them thickly vmder a hand-glass, in a shady part of your garden. If you can procure some fine sand, cover the surface with it about half an inch deep : this will help to prevent them damping off. Give a gentle watering to settle the earth close to each cut- ting; then place the hand-glass over them. The only care they require aftei-wards, is to remove all decaying leaves as fast as they occur, and to have a moderate watering whenever the surface appears to need it. CiTisA AND Tea-scented Roses. — Cuttings of these plants may now be put in, and they wiU make good strong plants by the end of simimer : they will strike very well under hand-glasses, or even without any- thuig over them, if put in imder a hedge or wall having a northern aspect. Prepare the grotnid first by making it fine, brealdng it with a spade in the manner described at page 14, vol. 1. Prepare the cuttings by cutting them off just below this year's growth ; then, if you use hand-glasses, put them in in the same way as described above for the double wallflowers. If you have no hand-glass for them, put them in rows, as described at the page just men- tioned. The best and quickest way, however, to pro- pagate those roses is in pots, filled to within one inch of the top with light sandy loam, without any mix- tine whatever; the remaining inch fill uji vAt\\ sand of a close texture ; give a gentle watering to make the saud firm, and then plant the cuttings close to the edge of the pot ; place the cutting pots in a frame or pit, where there is a gentle heat, shading when the sun shines : they wiU root in six weeks. Cuttings of a gi-eat number of plants will grow so treated, such as the large family of phloxes, penste- mons, antiniunums (snap-dragons), diantliuses (sweet- williams), &c. The laicn keep well rolled and frequently mown. The turf will then grow thick, and be of a good dark green. Widls h ix'gul;u-lv, al lots, [.p cle >lled :'ud . nailing tliu young ^\\ to trellises or pillars constant labour will i ation. When cliinbi: nd marks on tiiJK^ 111' niiii. :ii]d practise liiT r(.ii;,liiiil, iitleiition, in to thu wall, or tying them the case may be. A little a world of trouble and vex- ■e neglected for a length of time, Ihi' liranchi's I'liii l(i;_;i;lli('i-, :nid clasp each other s(i cluM'ly, thai ii livi|Mriilly li:ip|»'ns, in untwisting tliciii, sd'inc (ilthciii gi'l lirdlirii ;iiid brrdsed; whereas a small amount of care, properly bestowed at the right tune, will have a good eii'ect both upon the climbers and upon the minds of our amateur and cottage readers. Insects. — Now that the warm genial weather of May has once more arrived, myriads of oiu patience- trying small enemies will be hatching into existence, and will prey upon the long-looked-for ornaments of our flower-gardens. Instant measm'es must be taken to arrest their ravages. Red-spider. — This small creatvu-e, almost invisible to the naked eye, will now be coming into life from the egg state, and will be actively engaged in sucking its food out of the buds and young leaves, and thereby crippling the growth of botli leaves and flowers. As soon as you perceive the leaves of any lands of plants appear to have ,brown spots upon them, you may expect the insect is feeding. Examine a leaf with a microscope, if you either have or can boiTow one, and you wiU soon see him, like a red-coated soldier foraging in a corn- field, hard at work. The most efl'ectual remedy we know of is soap water, made with one pound of the common brown soap dissolved in five gaUous of hot water : this, applied all over the plant, at a lukewarm temperature, will destroy all the living ones. If you add about half a pound of sulphur vivum to the mix- ture, it wiU prevent the ravages of those that are yet in egg at the time of the application : they cainiot feed upon leaves that are coated with sidphur, and so, for want of food, must perish. The mixture may be applied to plants out of doors, that is, to standard roses and chmbers against walls, &c., with the syringe ; as the insects are generally on the imder side of the leaves, the end, or nozzle, of the syringe ought to be bent uiswards, so as to enable you to reach the enemy in Ms most secret hold. If you can apply the mixture so as to wet the under side of the leaves thoroughly without the bent part, of coiu'so you need not screw it on. Plants in pots may he dipped over head in the soap water by placing a little moss over the surface of the earth in the pot, spread- ing yom- fingers over it to keep the soil in the pot, and reversing it; then dipping the leaves and branches into it, and immediately restoring the plant to its upright position No red-spider can exist after such a bath. Syringe afterwards, in a day or two, with clear- water, and your plants will soon show, by a renewed vigour of growth, the bene- fit of your trouble and care. FLORISTS' ELOWI'.RS. Wo have so very little space left for this part of oiu- week's paper that we can do little Jirore than promise to write more about them next week. Still continue the protections by covering up every night, over tulips, ranunculuses, dahhas in frames, as well as verbenas, fuchsias, and petunias ; giving plenty of air in fine weather to harden thenr off for planting out towards the end of the month, T. Ai'pi.eby. THE COTTAGE GAllDENER. Mav GKEENHOUSE AJVD WINDOW GiVEDENING. Camellias. — Let us now take tlie more pleasant dirision of this subject, and treat of camellias in a perfect state of health, which may easily be known by their glossy dai'k gi'een leaves, and tlie wood of the last few years' gi-owth being plumper, with a smooth bark, and with the bark on the last year's gi'owth perfectly clean and shining. It is, indeed, a pleasure to attend to, and arrange for, the wants of camellias under such, conditions, nor is it less so to go over the same groimd with the pen. Let us, therefore, in this happy mood, begin with them just as they are going out of bloom, for the flowers ai-e all over by this time. It makes no matter, however, at what time of the winter or spring they cease to bloom, the treatment must be the same ; only when they bloom late in the autumn, or in the dead of winter, they will have a long rest before theii- gi'ow- ing season comes roimd; whereas those that come latest into ilower — say in April — can hardly be said to get any rest, as they are in active gi-owth soon after the flowers drojJ off ; but whether the tune be long or short the plants ought to be kept cooler than when they are in flower, and to receive no more water than will keep the soil fi-om getting quite di-y. The longer they are ke2Jt in this comparativelj' cool diy state, being then- natm-al resting time, the more vigorous they will grow, and the stronger they will be to carry out a hea\7 load of theii- ohai-ming flowers. G-ardeners are often obliged to break these rules, and force their camellias to grow and form then- flower buds at unnatm-al seasons, but with that we have nothing to do at present. Therefore, after the camellia bloom is over in-doors, or in a green- house, the plants ought to be removed to a cold pit, and the cooler it is the better, if the frost is excluded; there to remain and to receive as much air as the season will allow, and as little water as will keep the soil a little damp, until eveiy bud that is likely to grow that season is fairly started into leaf, so that the whole will be on the move without any artificial stimulus, but merely by their own natural eifoit. It is well worth while to bear this point in mind, as much of the success depends on it, simple though it be, and the reason is tlds, — if a liberal supply of water is given at this stage, and a snug wai-m room or atmosphere is allowed them between flowering and brealdng into leaf, the buds at the extremity of the shoots will push into leaf long before those less prominent are ready to follow them, many of wluch may not be able to push at all, as they must be deprived of their due share of the ascending sap, which will flow more readily into those that are already in action, just like a badly managed pear- tree, in which you may see some top shoots strong enough to make fishing-rods, and others, neuj-er the bottom, not stotit enough to support a robin, much less a crop of fruit, 'rherefore, when camellias have done flowering in a waiin room, or in a good green- house, they ought to be I'emoved to a cold pit to take their natural rest, there to bo supplied with all the air which the season will allow of, and as little water as will only keep them from actual dryness ; merely a damp atmosphere at this time is enough, and if the frost is just excluded it will be warm enough for them until new leaves appear all over the plants, when the lal.l. s mu^i I,,, invned, and a very different mode of m:iii:i-riii, III i,,. inlnptcd. Take adMiniimr ni :i line, day on wliich to tiu'n them out of the pots one by one, and examine the state of the drainage. Undo all the crocks that will adhere to the ball, and re-arrange them carefully in the j)ot, placing a layer of fresh moss over them ; return the balls without any additional soil, the process being only intended to secure a thorough di'ainage : then scrape away the old smface of the hidl down to the first roots, and replace it by fresh soil, and tlie whole ai-e then ready to set to work in eamest. Give them a good watering, and set them in the pit again, but instead of abundance of air as heretofore, keep them rather close, not opening the Ughts till after breakfast time, and shutting them down agam as early as thi-ee in the afternoon ; and if tlie Sim is at all strong the glass must be shaded from nine m the morning to fom' or five in the afternoon, for the young leaves are extremely liable to be scorched or disfigru-ed while in a soft young state. When the day is wann they ought to be sprinkled overhead with water, through a flne-rose pot or a hand syiinge, tTOce a day, a little before noon, and again when they are closed down for the day ; this will keep the atmo- sphere of the pit damp, and a hot smoking vapom' ■\vill aiise ti-om the confined heat in the afternoon, so that instead of a cold pit you have them in a regidar Calcutta stove. Yet, before suniise next morning aU this is cooled down to such a degi-ee as would be apt to give one the ague, a state of things most natm-al and gi-ateful to vegetation in vigorous health and growth. How often have we read of ti'avellers com- plaining of excessive heat under a vertical sun, and the oppressive vapour arising fi'om periodical rains in the tropics, and yet the cold so piercing before sun-rise as to make their teeth chatter ; and, notwith- standing all this, we can form little idea in om- latitude of the excessive luxm'ianoe of the vegetation in those climes. Therefore, let us imitate this state of tilings if we wish our camellias to excel in beauty, instead of following the misguided notions of other days, when house-plants were subjected to the un- natui'al treatment of being kept in an imiform tem- peratvu-e throughout the twenty-fom- hours, depriviag them of their daily rest by artificial heat during the night ; let us rather push them along by assisting nature, and they will do so at such a rate by tliis natiu'al system as that you might almost see them growing. In about six weeks, if all has gone on well, most of them will have finished tliefr gi-owth, and more air may then be allowed them ; but still shade them, and keep up the atmosphere wai-m aud moist around them, untO thefr flower-buds are well set, which you may easily know by their being so much more prominent than the common wood-buds. This brings us to the end of the second stage of our management, aud we must now steer on a difi'erent ooiu'se. The plants have been rendered so excitable by the foregoing treatment, that if continued much longer they woiild wOlingly make another gi'owth, and the flower-buds would develop themselves into fresh shoots, much longer than the former ones; 1 have evGu seen' young camellias forced to malcc three growths in one season, and each gi-owth longer than the preceding one ; those were very rare ones, and were hurried on in order to get more increase from them, as every bud on a camellia may be turned into a new plant, like budding-roses, but not al'ter the same manner. More light, more air, and less water, both at the roots and overhead, wiU now settle them down, in two or tlrree weeks, to the ordinaiy condi- tions of healthy good-looking plants, and then they arc ready to be fresh potted. But lot us first sec how i'ar we have advanced in the season. If wo May THE COTTAGE GARDENER. suppose the plants to bo put into the cold pit about the time this letter sees the light, say the first week in May, the growth finished by midsummer, and the cooling down period to be fidl three weeks, we are then in the second week in Jrdy, and any time be- tween that .and tlie middle of August will do equally well to pot them. However, those that are intended to bloom from November to Christmas ought to be potted as soon as they are ready for it, and the spring Howermg ones will not suffer any loss if they are not potted till the first week in October. For some years I potted a large assortment of these pliiuts, in number very hard upon 500, including 93 sorts, some in the fli'st week of August and the rest in the first week of October, and they were as healthy and flowered as well as one could wish. At that time I used to get annual siipplies of new seedlings fi-om Italy, Gennany, and Belgiiun ; the Italian ones chiefly raised by Dr. Saeco, of Milan, then the most celebrated grower of tlris class in Italy ; the Gei-man seedlings I had from M.M. Rinz and Griineberg, of Frankfort-on-the-Main; and the rest fi-om Mr. Mackay, of Liege, nauies weE known in plant circles here ; but I have a sad story to teU about all these by-aud-by. In the meantime let us pot the first succession of these plants. If one could procure that land of soil which old gardeners and old gardening hooks called mellow loam, because a handful of it in a dry state would feel to the touch like new flour from the miU, and a Uttle sand added to it, there is no mixture that can be made in which the camellia would flourish better. I have used it near London for some years in the pure state fi'om tln'ee different localities, — Noi-wood, the Essex Flats, and Stanmore Common, north from Edgeware ; but as this particular loam is very diffi- cult to be had in most places, one-third good peat is generally added to the best loam that comes nearest to hand ; and, with a httle sand, this mixtm-e does very well if the pots are kept weU drained. They are potted like other plants, but the drainage ought to be more perfect for them, as if they bloom in winter they will require a Uberal supply of water, and of liquid manure too, aU the time they are in bloom ; so that unless the drainage is veiy good, there would be gi'eat danger, at that dull season, of the soil getting soddened, and the roots of camellias, notwithstanding the apparent sti-ength of the plants, are as susceptible of injury as those of a Cape heath. They should never receive a di-op of hquid manm-e all the time they are forming their new wood, nor until after the flower-buds are all set, but after this potting they would flower much stronger if they had liquid manure once a week from this time tiU they are out of blossom. Those that are to flower in November may be retm-ned into the pit after potting, and kept a little close for a week or two, and also shaded a little, and after that in all fine weather the lights may be drawn off eveiy afternoon, so that they may have the evening and night dews, and the Ughts di-awn over them after breakfast time. In cold, rainy, or dull weather, let the lights be on, but let them be well aired. I see no reason, with these simple rules, and such humble contrivances, why you should not have as fine a show of bloom as any gardener whatever. Such, then, are the simple means by which the ca- melHa may be kept in perfect health for nobody knows how long. It is not by any very extraordi- nary exertions of mind or body, but by a close and steady adherence to the simple laws of nature that we are to look for success in gardening. In the second place, let us consider the best means of restormg unhealthy camellias to a vigorous state, and the first step in this process is to ascertain, if possible, the cause of the cUsease, for without some knowledge on this point the doctor can only pre- scribe at a venture. The cause of nine-tenths of the failm-es experienced in the cultivation of this, and all other plants, must be looked for at the roots. In the first stages of a disease many of the roots may have perished without any visible change being evi- dent in the leaves or branches, for the camellia will not die off at once, like a heath and many other plants, but will straggle on for mouths, and even years, before the case is hopeless or beyond a cure. The first symptoms of diseased roots wUl not become manifest, without examination, until the growing season comes round. At tins stage, the natm'al energy of the branches being not seconded by the enfeebled roots, a stinted gi-owth of short- jointed wood, and a profusion of flower-buds, ai-e the sm-e consequences. Now is the proper time to adopt measiu-es for arresting the progress of the disease ; and, instead of allowing the plant to spend its re- maining strength in producing this heavy crop of bloom, every one of the flower-buds shoidd be cut off at once. Thus the strength and substance necessary for maturing a crop of diminutive flowers will be saved, and wiU then be expended in strengthening the wood-buds for the next growth. If the roots, in the meantime, are judiciously treated, the chances are that they will be m a fair way to support a healthy growth next season; and, iJf so, this plant may take its place among the first class of healthy ones; but, to ensure a permanent health, it should not be allowed to bloom too freely for the next year or two. The best treatment for diseased roots is to shake off as much of the old soil from them as can be done without breaking them ; then to cut back such as are already dead at the points, and also those that appeal- anyways cankered or imsound, and to repot them in the smallest pot that will hold the ball with a httie fresh compost all the way roimd, and this compost to consist of eqiial parts of loam, peat, and sand, with a thorough good drainage, and for the nest three months to keep the plant in a close, cool pit, with a damp atmosphere and a low diet, that is, as littie water as will keep the soil fi-om getting too di-y. If you were to double pot it, and keep a layer of damp moss on the top of the soil, with constant shading, once m ten days would do to give it water, even in the height of summer ; and sva-ely a favourite plant is worth a little petting. Now, let us suppose that this plant has been neg- lected dur-ing the first stage of the disease, and that it was allowed to bear that lai ge number of blossom- buds, which, when they were about three-parts grown, would begin to drop off; the plant, tlu-ough sheer in- ability, not being able to can-y them any longer; and those of them that would open, what would they be? Nothing better than mere aboi-tions. Bad as the state of tliis plant is, I shall give you an instance out of many which are in a much more hopeless condition at this moment in many parts of this gi-eat garden- ing counb-y ; but let me first tell you that the plant under consideration is to be ti-eated exactly as in the former case, with this addition, that all its branches must be cut down one-half theii- length : and this comes of letting it go so long without attempting a cm-e. If I were writing on tins subject fifteen years since, I should end here about cidtnre and cm-e, and treat THE COTTAGE GA?>DENE1 May of Iheiv propagation: but, since that time, a great niistbrtuno has befallen the English amateur, uvisiug out of tlie camellia traile, wliich, a sense of .iustice to a large class of amiable readers, will not allow me to jjass in silence : 1 allude to the sales of continental camellias in London, not one out of a hundred of wliich would be cheap as a gift, and 3-et thej- seldom want health and an abundance of flower-buds, which expand ti-eely on their first arrival; but, ou the con thient, they invariably grow the oameUia in a soapy kind of peat, which cannot be obtained in England. When the plants ai-e not fresh potted annually, as those sent here for sale seldom are, this kind of jieat gets so hard and close, and the roots are so cramped in il, thut all tlir gardening in tliis country can sel- dom fonr (he plants to root in our compost or sepa- rate iImiii liMiii I he continental peat. The result is soon tulJ. Ill a lew years tliey dwindle to untliing : and people take up tlie idea lliiit ramiHia-; kiv iliili- cnlt to manage, and also thai |iiai i~ (»i imal Im their proper ciUtivation ; and all il]i> pnjuilir.', \.x ation, and troulde, arise from - these ciieap sales." Cheap, indeed ! D. Be.iton. THE KITCHEN-GAEDEN. Angelica. — -Tlie crops of this vegetable which have been already sown should now be well thinned. As soon as the plants are found to have one leaf besides the seed leaves, tliey shnuld be singled out to three or four iiK^hes a|iai1. if any faihu'es are ob- servable in any (if ilier.iws. liise no time in taking up such plants as eau he sjiaicil from the thickest spots, and transplanting them to the vacant places. If large, crisp, clear stalks of tins article for confec- tionary purposes are required, single out the plants at the last thinning from eighteen inches to two feet apart. To encourage a rapid growth at this sea-.in liberal soakdngs of liquid manure nnisl lie a|i|ilir(l. Soot also, either mixed witli water or applied willi the liquid manure, is very serviceable to this crop. Artichokes. — The stools should now be tliinned of all weak or superfluous suckers ; and where new plantations are ie.|uiie(l, they should be made by carefully takii in some ,.( fue sti-ongest suckers and planting them Mnnly in rows, two feet apai't, or in paii's, leaving three feel between each pair, and foiu- feet apart from row to row ; shading them at first with sea-kale pots, or with a few boughs, until tjiey are safely rooted. AsPAUAOfs. — TIk^ season for enlting this vegetable hasnow commi ie-e,l, ami s.ime rare is reqmred in this operation, ler,l, in lln'osiin^- ifuvii tlio knilc. any of the Irndi jnsl Mailim; IVoin lie evowns should either he ,■ ir l.-reTniiml. ,.r lie so mncli ininiv,! manure niny now be apiilied at iiitm-vals. It add.', . To hods that i lay have l.eel, plantr St s-aso e"l,r|t,a .. and thai are not ami it -laevriA h a. He' Ihpml man inteialr.l nf h^iniil aila.rpn. iiv may I oni'lu'eslKHd enl.rappiSe stronger and with greater hcnelit. RoirriNii MAXAriEJiKNT.— T.ook well to the ainvl jiursniji, iiiiinii, and otlier spring-sown seeds, as, owiu' to the hist having been a luid seed year, and the lasl month a nei-t uulavourahle one for the growth of all seedliuu-. nnniv v.H-aucies may occur in our beds that wiU render iransplantatiou necessary ; and this must be aileiidud to with the greatest energy, or a falling oti'in the jiroduce of the forthcoming autumn will nwst assuredly be the consequence. James B.ir.xEs. MISCELLANEOUS INFORILVTION. :my flowers. (No. 2;.) What lovely, graceful blossoms now hang fi'om the slight hongiis of the ribes, or flowering currant and gooseberry! How rich, how delicate they are, and iiinv vefi'pshing is the scent of the red-flowered blael; (ain-ant ! T wish these beautiful varieties were more Ljmeral in our gardens, for tliey would add materially In ilieir spiiiig loveliness; and they are hardy enougii 111 .lecciiatc the simplest garden, and would improve the i-ottage border without expense or trouble. They. too, are natives of California, where they gi-ow wild among the woods, and flourish with the ricliest luxu- riance near rivers and streams. I sometimes see a little stream passing through the gai'deu of cottages, or a wide brook forming its boundary ; and the banlcs are in most oases neglected and wasted, gi-owing nothing but rank grass, or weeds, or briers. Such banks are particularly favourable to sti-awbemes, and they may be cultivated with profit; or, if orna- ment is preferred, let the beautiful ribes be planted there, and rojniee in its cool refresliing situation. It will s]ir ad ami ilronp graceiidly over the water, and give the litile L;ar(lrii an an' of liveliness and ele- gance thai \v ill emitrast well with the deep gi'een, serious loiiknig laurel, evergi-een oak, or yew. The wliile-U.iw, ling gi-ooseberry, with its piu'e wax-like hells, is a ln\ely variety, and shoidd he gi'ouped with the darker llowering plants. We might thus beau- tify manv jilaees that disflgiu'e our gardens ; for in country 'villaL;es and lanes a horse-pond or wet ditch is freq'ueiilly iouud close to the cottage hedge or paiUngs; and a very little time and ti-ouble might make the bank neat and convenient for the gi-owth of flowers or fruit. Tliere are several varieties of the ribes, and thev mav all he increased by cuttings. A common -oil will 1"' i|nile snllieient for them. Thus they are |ieeiiliaih adapleil to the unlearned gar- dener, who. like myself, may know notking of cvdtm'e, nor he alile in |iroenre ilie eompostsnecessaiy for more lemlia- |ilaiiis. Tlirre is, however, one plant SO beau- lifnl, Ihal I nnisl make inliM'est for it, if possible, iu a lailv's "arileii ; I mean the magnolia. Against a sinnivwall. i.r in a slieltere.l sihiation, it wOl do weU. if |.i-ole,-lril (Ini'in.n- Ihe winter: ami 11 is really worth smile lilllr |irlling if a garden possesses a situation ravianal.le f.ir it-, ^iiiwtli. ..Magnolia plants may bo liMn-|ilaiiieil iiiiw; iliey may also be layered either al iliis luiir ni in ihe autumn; and they may be inereaseil hy niiiin-s, oidy this process will rcqiuro Wl .1 III sligl, Mat THE COTTAGE GARDENER. The large ricli flowers and long glossy leaves of this nohle plant make it a beautiful addition to the lady's garden. In the southern counties it would no doubt succeed extremely well, and repay some little increase of cnre and watohfidness. A gai-den totaUy without anxiety almost ceases to interest the mind, which naturally requires something about wliich to busy itself; and, therefore, if a lady can contrive to cvdtivate one or two half hardy plants, her garden will amuse and excite her much more agi'eeably than when she has nothing to fear from pests or rain. To mat up her magnolia, to give air- and wa,ter to her myitle and camellia ja.ponica, will be a little pleasant induce- ment to take the air herself, when the chilling winter day woidd otherwise keep her closely within doors ; and it will always be interesting to watch theii- spring shoots coming fonvard, and mark the promise of their beautiful flowers, which wUl add so gi-eatly to the richness of her summer gai'den. Let a mag- nolia, therefore, if possible, clothe some sunny "gable end ;" it will remmd us of the gi-eat western world, fi'om whence it comes, so vast in its proportions, that its lakes and rivers, its very trees and plants, are larger than those of Em-ope, and surprise us by the size of their leaves and flowers. Myrtles may now be layered, but the youngest shoots only should be chosen. Stk the earth well round the plant ; and then let the tender twig be bent into the soil, and often watered. They may be removed next spring. Layers may be made till May. If any old neglected jjlants shoidd have thin heads, they may now be treated in the following maimer, if they "liave been kept tlirough the winter in the house : — take them out of the pot, prune the roots, by removing all that is old and weak-looking, replace them in good fresh soU, and then cut down then- head branches till within ttoee or four- inches of the stem. By this management, they will shoot about the time they are placed out, and, witli shade and water, will make fine plants this summer. That beautiful and useful plant, the Vu-ginia creeper, should be planted now. It is so bright an ornament during the dark luilovely season when flowers are gone, that it should he placed ui every possible nook, against every wall, trellis, and veranda, to mix with the dark green ivy, and to cheer us when our walls would otherwise be bare. It wiU strilce from cuttings or layers, and the latter opera- tion may be effected now ; hut by proeiu-ing a rooted plant time wiU be saved. The Vu-ginian creeper is almost a singular instance of leaves turning as it were into flowers, to please the eye and enrich the garden when nothing else is left. It is another proof of the tender care of om- Heavenly Eatlier, whose hand bestows so many blessings, and who deigns to regard even our simplest pleasures, and provides them all. The glowing creeper delights the eye when every twig is hare, and every flower has faded ; we gaze with pleasm-e on its brilliant fohage, and value it as a floral treasure. Let us remember that its lovely peculiai-ity is meant to please om- eyes, to enliven our cheerless winter, and to raise our thoughts to Him who speaks in evei-y thing around us, whose voice sounds in the breeze, in the shower, and in the snow storm, and whispers in every beau- tiful object nioidded and given by His hand. Since our smallest enjoyments ai-e not beneath His notice, but are so gi-aciously provided and encouraged, let us trust Him for the greatest blessings our hearts can need or desire. Let our thoughts wing their way from earth to heaven — from the beautiful things we see to those glorious things we cannot see — and let us remember, with ovei-flowing hearts, that our homes and om- giu-dens, gilded and gladdened as they are, shadow forth but coldly and dimly those " many mansions," whose glories fade not, and whose " fasliion passeth " not " away." Let not Uie things of time deaden our hearts to those of eternitv. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Lathyrus Califoenicus {One whom a Garden makes happy). — You can obtain this species of everlasting pea from Messrs. Hender- son, Pine-apple-place, Edgeware-road, or of any other seedsman who advertises in our columns. Its flower is purple ; height four feet ; blooms in June and July. It was brought from California in 1826. If your large-flowered Lathyrus is pink, it is probably L, grandijlorus. Thanks for your information about Forsythia viridissima . Melilotus Leucantha C-^ Subscriber, Nottijigham).— Messrs. Gibbs and Co. or other large dealers in grass seeds may have it. Grow it from seed if you can. Peas {A. Y. Z.). — On your heavy Highgate soil they %vill grow slowly. Spreading an inch in depth of coal-ashes close up about the stems, and three inches on each side the rows, will promote their growth. Knight's Dwarf Marrow would probably suit you. Moss ROUND Plants (Rev. P. S.). — Moss upon the surface of the soil of all potted plants is beneficial ; and it as beneficial to put the another an inch wider all filling the interval ' Society for Interchange of Plants {Zii'rf).— The intention is good, but there are insuperable obstacles in practice. Manage- ment, advertisements, lists, postage, and carriage, would cause expenses eating up all the benefits derivable from the exchange. Cape Gooseberry {Ibid). — This, which you rightly suppose is of the same family as the love-apple or tomato, and has potato-beiTy- sliaped fruit, yellow when ripe, is Physalis edulis. We never met with it preserved, but are not surprised at its pungenfjuice irritating your throat. We will insert your other suggestions. Plant Shedding its Blossoms {A Subscriber, Martock). —The blossom enclosed, as far as we can make out, considering its bruised state, is not a fuchsia, but Cuphea Melvilla. The cause of its shed- that 1 temperature of the i weather which happened about the 17'th of April. Nothing 1 vass shelters, and not allowing the sun to shine upon it early in the morning, could have prevented this. Reine Claude Violette Plum (iiirf).— The top bud of the leader of this newly-planted plum has been broken otf, and a small bud is forming near the wound, but the bud next below has produced a very strong shoot. We recommend you to rub off the small upper bud, but not to cut off, until autumn, the stump from whence it springs ; and to adopt the very strong shoot for the leader. Over-head Watering-pot {W. D. Paine). — This (sometimes called " a shelf watering-pot,") is a flat utensil, like a very flat tea- canister, with a short spout perforated with holes, and is intended for watering plants " above the head " of the operator, and too near the glass to admit a watering-pot of the usual shape. They may be had of any dealer in horticultural implements. Bog, Peat, and Heath Mould (/ftirf).— These names are usuaUy employed indiscriminately by gardeners, and all correctly use, with- out distinction, the terms peat and Iienth mould ; for by these is in- tened that blackish soil, interspersed with 8hai;p white sand and small fibres, foupd upon the surface of dry soils where the common heath abounds. Bog earth ought to be distinguished from this, because though it is a peat, that is, a mass of dead vegetable fibres, yet it comes from wet places, and usually abounds with acid and irony matter, with very little sand, and is not suitable for general plant culture. Swedish Turnips {Jethero). —This root is not less Uable to run to seed if transplanted, nor do the turnips from transplanted plants attain so large a size, generally, as those not transplanted. At the same time, we recommend you to have a small bed sown for trans- planting, because the mildew or turnip-fly may thin the ranks of your main crop, and the gaps must be recruited. Skirvings keeps the best, but it runs more to neck than Laings ; we advise you to grow some of each, and to use the Laings first. Moles (Ibid).— We do not know of any mode of driving away these friends of the farmer and gardener. They live upon wireworms and other underground vermin ; and we could quote an instance of a field that was useless from the number of wireworms in it. The moles came to it, and after burrowing it all over, left it for the neigh- bouring fields ; but they did not leave it until they had eaten up the and rendered the field safe for cropping'. ;IJE COTTAflE GAr.DKNER DEBTKOYINf. \Vl ! 11-. 1 cultyindestroNin- lietween the lartr out with aknil.. Repeat tills tliicl. • Bkoad Bean-, l ^ .i •■•• patches seems ;- n m i.. > u forth meetin'.- «nV - :n.ll.., beans arc sound a., i ^,■'^.v^u■ have sent. Von prol.ably st uhere the f:.ilurc.s have occu stances, like- strewing strong lings nuutJiHt push their «a Time foe Ridging Cuci entirely dependent upon the the 1 will have no difli- in your stable-yard A thickly with salt. .1 reappearing. -.tnts on tirst coming; -,troyed them. The tliickly in the ])laccs ail into which sced- , Brecon). — This is FIBERS (J. B. 1 that then, and at anv time a/tei-wards during early summer, cucumbers may be grown on ridges. If you want a rule for knowing when a cucumber seedling is fit for planting out, it is when it has two rough leaves, each two or three inches broad. Vinegar Plakt (E. T. and J. N., Brixton).— This plant is not knowTi in the neighbourhood of London, but we are making inquiries in other quarters. Plants for Market Purposes (.r. T^. Bwrg-ess).— We willget your inquiry answered privately. Cockle And Mussel Shells (J. A'.).— These can be burnt into lime, the same as oyster shells, and would then make as good manure. Chou de Milan {D. A. //.}.— This is quite different from the Couve Tronchouda. Ne.mopuila maculata ('TF. J.}.— This is an annual. See its history at p. 40, vol. i. Portfolios for The Cottage Gardener are sold bv Mr. Low, Fleet-street. We think that if you look into our pages* to-day, and into previous numbers, you will find all the information you require about roses. Cyclamen (FredericK-).— The best soil for them is light garden- soil mUed with a little leaf-mould or rotten stable-manure. See p. 91 of vol. i. for full directions as to their culture. To destroy ants in your wall, see p. 51 of present volume. Myrtle-leaved Orange (J. N. U).— You say that this is only 18 inches high though twenty years old, that it has never ripened any fruit, and that now the tips of the branches are dead. Your plant is the true myrtle-leaved orange, a variety of the common Seville orange, and called by botanists Citrus vulgaris rayrtifolia. Of all plants they are the most tenacious of life : the ball of your plant is probably so close and hard as to exclude air and water. Pick off as much of the old soil now as you can ; trim any dead roots, and repot in pure loam, and one-third sand, and also one-third of the whole of very small charcoal, but not dusty ; the charcoal will keep the mass porous, and is a good correcter of sourness in the compost. Chicory {A Subscriber).— The report we gave about this is cor- reetly printed. The profit is large, because the consumption is great, and the competition limited. Hyacinth Bulbs f.^iVeifBeffmner).— Plant these from your water vases into a sheltered border without injuring their roots or leaves, and do not take them up for drying and storing until the leaves are dead. Next vear, if planted in the border, they may bloom weakly ; but will bloom strongly the year following, if properly managed. Melon Soil (An Amateur, Eaton Soco«).— The best soil for melons is the top spit from a rich pasture, chopped fine, without any addition. If the pasture is not very fertile, mis thoroughly together eight parts of the soil, with one part of very decayed dung, with a little rubbly charcoal. Destroying Rats (■47nicK5).— Try the " phosphorus pills " pre- pared by Mr. Purser, Chemist, 40, New Bridge-street, Blackfriars. We cannot say when Mr. Barnes will be ready with more information about charred re/use. Braganza Cabbage (Clericus iZ.).— We believe that this is the same as the Portugal cabbage or borecole noticed at page 104, vol. i. Our answers to correspondents are included in the index. If any are omitted it is the result of accident. Begonia Fuchsioides (C. R.), — You will have seen your first note answered at p, 62. It is quite unavoidable that a delay of some days must elapse before questions can be answered. Oleander (W. H. G.)-— You observe that, at p. 28/, vol. i., Mr. Beaton directs that " one-half of the flowering branches must be cut down every year to the lust \oint from the old wood," and that he, further on, adds—'* Such of the shoots as you intend to cut down ought to have the three points of the shoots round the fiowers stopped as soon as they appear. This will throw the whole strength ot the branch into the flowers, and will cause the bottom eyes to push out three strong shoots, a> soon as you cut down the branch after flowering." Vnu iH-ih ..l,~. i iImi these two passages are difficult to reconcile: iiiiii M; i. imii's reply :—" We arc glad that you have given r. ■ i ; i" clear up the obscurely worded passage. It sd . i i A'- the young shoots start off in threes rouml i'. . ', . ^m to 'k-nt,'tlKii loiip; iM-fure tlu- bottom heat by down next spring; therefore, it is only plant to allow them to make any young the other hand, you wish your plant t shoots to extend, and those of the low spring ; thcrcfure, allow thr-iu to produce n Our rea.l.T- ; I,, . ■■r..i.'. ,li.' ix-quested t( CACTt s 1/ .' .—Your cactus you say is covered with ,l,,sf :in,i I. 'n ;i- ihist." You may easily clean it with a I \ nn must water it regularly till next September, Ir, through the winter till March. Therightwayto i |. Lints, at first, is by placing the pot in a saucer of v^.i:,i ;, , liM uri.^LL- soil looks damp; and to repeat this once or liULc J. UL'-j. ;ii;. rw.uds as they appear dry. rmcKLV Pear {Ibid). — The plant, "with four large leaves grow- ing one out of the other, flat, and similar in appearance to a cucum- ber," is a kind of prickly pear or opuntia. It requires the same ma- nagement as the cactus. It is no beauty, only a curiosity; your green-edged auriculas are capital : we like that sort best; Azalea Indica (Jiirf).— When your white azalea indica has done flowering, pot it afresh in peat, and give it a liberal supply of water. It is a very good plant, well calculated for a mndow. For further directionslook over the first volume. Hot-beds are " lugged" in to Kuit others, and you shall have one some of these days ; the sooner the better. (Infelii- Tyro).— You obtain a sufficient jy means oi pipes passing from your boiler under the soil resting on slates, but you cannot sufficiently raise the temperature of the air of the pit. The remedy is very simple. Have another flow and return pipe (two-inch pipe will do) fixed to your boiler ; but the pipe running round the upper part of your pit within the air to be warmed. This pipe will not at all interfere with the operation of the pipe which gives your bottom heat. Name ov Insect (W. S., Datston).— The "worms" you enclose arc wireworms, being the larvse of a small beetle known' to entomo- logists as Elater lineatus and E. segetis. We condole with you on their " abounding in your garden," and on their " dcstroj-ingnearly all your cloves and picotees," by eating away their roots. We can tell you of no other remedies than those mentioned at p, 62 of our last number. Your other questions shall be answered in our next. Climbers for S. Wall {A. B., Somerset). ~\Xe think that against your sheltered south wall, if the roots and stems aie well protected in winter, that the Habrothavmus fasciculatus, Soiunum jasininoides, and Clianthus puuiceics, might be safely cultivated. Pansies and Fuchsias C^^MmwKs).— They can all be had of the party you name. A Flower- LOVER prom CniLDHoOD is thanked for her excellent communication. Some of her queries will be found answered in numbers since she wrote. We will insert her letter in our double number. FiNOCHio (A Subscriber). — You will not succeed, we fear, in cul- tivating this, which you call " Florence Fennel." Sow in drills two feet apart, to remain where sown, Scatter the seed two inches apart, and half an inch deep. Sow in a slight hotbed, and under a frame. The seedlings must be small-hoed to kill the weeds, from which they should be kept completely clear throughout their growth ; but at first only thin to three or four inches asimder, as it cannot thus early he determined which mil be the most vigorous plants. After the lapse of another month, they may be finally thinned to seven or eight inches distance from each other. Moderate waterings arc required through- out their growth during dry weather; and in the meridian of hot days the beds are advantageously shaded, until after the plants are well uj). When of advanced growth, about ten weeks after coming up, the stems must be earthed up to the height of five or six inches, to blanch for use, which will be effected in ten or fourteen days. In the whole, about twelve or fourteen weeks elapse between the thue of sowing and their being fit for use. In autumn, if frosty mornings occur, they should have the protection of some litter, or other light covering. The Common Stock (W. F.).—Yo\x say yom- stocks die in the spring of the year and never come into fine flower. You grow them too strong ; or, in other words, your soil is too rich for them. Again, you sow too early and transplant too late. The stock is a native of the south of France, on dry gravelly hill sides. This ought to be imitated as much as possible. Sow your seed very thinly that or rather poor loam, about the end of ]\Iay ; let them place to flowei' ; or, what is more sure, place some in pots and prO' teet them from the heavy "=- "*^ """* -'■" ' -^^^ ""-' during the summer and winter, and apply a little liquid r ■ 1 the spring to bring fine flowers to perfection. London: Printed by Harry Wooldridgk, 147, Strand, in tl Parish of Saint Mai-y-le- Strand ; and Winchester High-street, the Parish of St. Mary Kalendar; and Published by Willia Somervillk Orr, at the Otfice, 147, Strand, in the Parish . •Saiut Mury-ic-Straud, London.— Miiy 10th, JS^D. THE COTTAGE GABDENER. WEEKLY CALENDAR. M D 17 w V MAY 17—23, 1849. Plants dedicated to each day. Sun Rises. Sun Sets. MoonR. and Sets. Moon's Age. Clock hef. Sun. Day of Year. Th AscEN. HOLV TliuES. May-fly appears. ; Early Red Poppy. 7a4: 4&a7 2 3 25 3 53 137 18 i'' ilidge appears. \ Mouse Ear. C 47 2 29 20 3 51 138 I'J IS Dunstan. Broods of Starlings fledged. Common Monk's Hood. 4 48 2 50 27 3 49 1.39 20 Sun Sun. aft. Ascen. SaUor Beetle appears. ' Horse Cliesmit. 1-^^,,,^^ Ragged Eobin or Cuckoo- ■i 50 3 20 28 3 40 140 ■n M Sun's dee. 20° 13' N. House-martin builds. bl 3 58 29 3 42 141 ■»> Tu Trinity Term begins. Raspberry flowers, Yellow Star of Bethlehem. 1 52 sets @ 3 38 142 03 W Greasy-FritiUary Butterfly appears. IILililC. in. 54 9 a 11 3 34 143 : but one V. 51). Even in the laws of Alfred the Gi-eat it is mentioned as "The Holy Thursday ;" and we must all, as Christians, acknowledge and love to foster the remembrance of "The glorious Resurrection and Ascension.'* There is one elegant custom still observed in some parts of England on this day, which, so far from considering " more honoured in the breach than in the observance," that we ^vish it were more associated with thoughts of "the fountain of living water," and more generally observed. We allude to the " the well-flowering," at Tiaaington, in Derbyshire, aud elsewhere. " Still Dovedale yield thy flowers to deck the fountains Of Tissington upon its holiday ; The customs long preserved among the mountains Should not be lightly left to pass away. They have their moral ; and we often may Learn from them how our wise forefathers wrought. When they upon the public mind would lay 'ghty principle, some maxim brought , the day is a day of entire festival ; and the remem- brance of its yearly household gatherings softens the hearts of many wanderers from its homes in distant climes, and who were there not since "long, long ago." All the wells of the village, live in num- ber, are wreathed and garlanded xnth flowers. The villagers put on their holiday attire; friends "from afar and from hard by " gather to them; service is performed at church, a sermon preached, the wells are visited in succession ; the psalms, the gospel, and the epistle for the day are read, one at each ; and the day is concluded by the villagers gathering under " their own vines," and within their own wicket-gates. Shaftesbury "byzant," an offering from that town to the well at Motcombe, whence comes its supply of water, had its origin from similar feelings of gratitude. Dunstan, after whom so many of our churches are named, if divested from all the miraculous absurdities with which his history has been disfigured, will be found, as is observed by Mr. Sharon Turner, to be "a character formed to act a distinguished part in the varied theatre of life." He was a scholar and a man of science, therefore the ignorance of the age confounded his knowledge and his experiments in the laboratory with magic and its incantations ; but he became a courtier, and fell : for the mitre of Canterbury, to Insects. — Mr. Westwood has justly obseiTed that of the leaf-de- stroyers the most injurious species are those which live in society, en- closing themselves in a common web. One of these is the Small Ermine Motii {Yponomeuta padetla of some, and Pkalmia evonymella of others). In some seasons, the caterpillars of this little insect are very destructive to our apple-ti-ees ; and in France its ravages are sometimes so exten- sive, that it has been regretted there that the old law, prominently his am- A.D. 988, without any I warning. which he attained, only served to exhibit more bitious and his remorseless nature. He died title to be remembered in our calendar but as £ Phenomena op the Season.— The Rev. John BjTon, ^vriting from Kdhngholme, in Lincolnshire, has favoured us with the follow- ing interesting and seasonable notes :— " I send you the dates of my having seen the first swalloiv for five years past— 1845, April ''I • 1846, AprUH; 1847, April 27 ; 1848, AprUlS; 1849, April 26. This tillage IS situate two miles from the Humber ; and, I believe, swallows may almost always be seen besides its banks two or three days, or even more, before they are seen at the village. I think a good description of that too well known pest, the wireworm, its his- tory and its changes, with a statement of the best method of banish- ing it — for, I fear, to destroy it is impossible— would be generally in- teresting. You must have seen it stated that moles and partridges prey on it : but, in cottage gardens, such remedies could not be re- ._ J ._ ,____. pjined to think that soot and water will generally correspondent. It is now pretty generally believed that all i about the hedgehog forestalling the milkmaid are utterly groundless; and I see that Rusticus (quoted in Chambers' Journal of last Feb- ruary,) brands them as " horridly unbelievable." Be that as it may, I always find the gipsies adhering to the old notion : and, though I am aware that the authority of these gentry is somewhat question- able^ I am inclined to give some weight to their testimony on this point for several reasons. First, as they regard the hedgehog, at certain seasons of the year, "a dainty dish to set before a king," they may be supposed likely to be well acquainted with its habits. Secondly, their poaching propensities lead them abroad at an ear- lier hour than most other persons ; and they assert that the theft is committed (to iLse the words of Southey) " Before the cow from her resting-place Has risen up, and left her trace On the meadow \vith dew so grey." And, thirdly, they could have no object in deceiving me in tijis matter. If they could in any way be gainers by telling an untruth, I much fear that they would not hesitate to do so ; but I cannot be- lieve that so many parties as I have questioned on this point would agree in their testimony unless it was correct, and when nothing could be gained by it." Another correspondent, writing to us from Wells, in Somersetshire, says he heard the cuckoo there for the first time this year on the 27th of April. {Gardeners'' Magazine, iii.434, N. S.) Our drawmg represents the moth magnified and of May 1841. 1842. 1843. 1844. 1845. 1846. 1847. 1848. Highest & lowest temp. Cloudy. Fine. Showery. Showery. Showery. Rain. Fine. Fine. 68°— 46° 6S°— 43° 52°-43° 69°-32° 57°— 31° 6l°-36° 69°-45° 79°-52° Fine. Pine. Showery. Showery, 54°-44° ^»- Rain. 69°-40° 48°-45° 62°— 46° 70°— 4,5° 80°-39° Showery. 19 Showery. Cloudy. Fine. Cloudv. StormT. Fine. 65°— 36° 60°— 43° 59°-38° e3°-49° Showery. Cloudy. Showerv. Showerv. Fine. Cloudy. 63°— 46° 60°— 44° 66°-37° 21 Cloudy. f^ Cloudy. Fine. 62°-46° 66°-42° ^17''° Cloudy. Showery. Fine. Showery. Fine. Fine. 68°— 43° 65°— 42° 56°— 45° 6r'-46° 59°— 41° 71°-46° Pine. 75°-46° 64°— 13° 63°— 52° 70°— 43° 60°— 44° 71°— 47° 89°-59° 72°-38° longitudinal rows, but on the hinder margin they are more irregular, and tend to a transverse disposition: the hairy fringe of the wings is livid. Posterior wings lead-coloured : fringe rather paler. Extremely variable : some examples having the ground of the fore wings white ; some with a livid or pale lead-coloured central cloud ; others, again, entirely of a pale or deep lead colour ; and all intermediate shades occur : the number of spots also varies. The caterpiUar is of an ashy white colour, with a brownish head, and a number of small black spots, of which the largest form a series on each side of the body. It has sixteen feet, the three front pairs being joint* ' ' " ' - . ~ ments. The four following pairs are membranaceous, middle size, and the body is smooth. It prefers only some kinds of apples, which is the more remarkable, because its principal food (whence its specific name is derived) is the bird cherry (Padus), although the white thorn is also even more subject to its attacks ; whole hedges being sometimes entirely defoliated in summer, and covered with webs. It is a peculiarity in the history of this insect, that it is not only social in the caterpiUar state, but that it retains its Bociidity during the period of its pupation, the cocoons being formed within the web which had ser\'cd for the abode of the caterpillars. These webs are quitted from time to time, and new No. XXXIU., Vol. U. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. .^cts several webs in the course of its catcrpilla f which is, that the caterpillars do not quit their webs 'to feed, but only eat such leaves as are enclosed in each iveb. The number of inhabitants in a colony vanes from one hundred to two hundred ; and, hence, the more numerous the colony, the more frequent is a change of residence required. The caterpillars eat only the parenchvma of the upper side of the leaf; they also arrange their threads longitudinally, each, apparently, having a thread of its OWTI, along which it moves either backwards or forwards without disturb- ing its neighbours, which, when in repose, are arranged side by side. For the destruction of these insects, various plans have been recom- mended. Mr. Major says that nothing more is required than the application of strong soapsuds forcibly applied with the engine, so as to break the web, that the suds may reach the insects. Where the trees are not much infested, gather the webs, includbag the cater- pillars, by hand, and destroy them in any way most convenient. Care should, however, in these cases, be taken to kill, and not merely to disturb, the caterpillars. Mr. Lewis suggests the picking otf and burning of the leaves whilst the caterpillars are in the mining state ; the presence of the insects being indicated by the blighted outward appearance of the leaf : but prevention is always better than cure, and it seems to us easier, as well as more advantageous, to destroy the moths as soon as they are produced, and before they have had time to deposit their eggs. The generally simultaneous appearance of the entire brood in the winged state,"together with the very con- spicuous appearance of the moth, will render this a matter of great facility. A sheet may be laid beneath the branches in the daytime, which should then be shaiply struck with a stick ; when the moths, which at that time are sluggish, will fall into the sheet, and may easily be destroyed. Another name nmst be entered in tlie long, monni- fully long, roll of "the martyrs of science." Dr. George Gardner, Superintendent of the Botanic Garden of Ceylon, has fallen a victim to his con- tinued researches after the botanical riches of the tropics. " Death's coal black wine " came to his lips as it usually does, in those climates, to the san- guine and energetic ; and he has died, unwarned, in the prime of manhood. He was a pupil of Sir- W. Hooker, when the latter was Professor of Botany at Glasgow ; and, almost fresh from the class room, he voyaged to South America in 1835, and devoted himself to the examination of its Flora. " The shores of Brazil," he relates, " were finally left on the 10th of June, 1841, and I arrived safely at Liver- pool, with all my collections, on the 11th of July, having been absent five years and two months. It was a sovn-ce of no little satisfaction to myself, as well as to those who participated in my collection of dried jilants, amounting to about 7000 species, that they all arrived in the most perfect state." {Hort. Societji's Journal, iii. 256.) Some of the results of his observations have been published m the fonu of " Contributions to a History of the Relation between Climate and Vegetation." But these were wTitten duiing the necessarily unoccupied hours on ship- board, for his love of research, and his zeal for the increase of botanical knowledge, were not compatible with protracted studious employment at borne. In 184-t he was appointed Superintendent of the Ceylon Garden ; and he addressed himself to the duties of the office with his accustomed zeal. In the interval, he had published his " Travels in the Interior of Brazil ;" and when ho reached Ceylon be had abun- dant employment to sweep away from the garden the consequences of previous inattention, and then to examine its too-much neglected botanical riches. He published some essays on the subject, and was employed upon a larger work, for in one of his last published essays he said — "I am at present engaged in prepai-ing a work which will contain descriptions of all the vegetable productions indigenous to Ceylon, illustrated with coloured figures of some of the more rare, beautiful, or useful species. This, however, wiU be a labour for several years to come " — but those years were not permitted to him. He died at the beginning of the present yeoi-, of apoplexy, and before be had attained the age of thirty. 'We hope that Ins MSS., as well as the beantiful di'a\^'ings of Ceylon plants, which we remember to have seen at Calcutta, from the pencOs of General and Mrs. ■V\'alker, will yet be placed in competent hands, and made pubUc. "^Ve have had so many inquiries relative to " The vinegar plant," that we think it best to answer our correspondents generally, by placing here the fol- lowing letter ft-om a successful cultivator of the plant, Mr. Reid, gardener to Mrs. Clarke, of No blethorpe Park, near Barnsley: — "I am unable to give a scientific description of the substance known by the name of ' the vinegar plant,' but it is a fungus, wlutish in colour, of semi-transparent, jelly- like appearance, and when full gi-own about the size of a dinner-plate ; tough to handle, and about an inch in thiclmess. Although I never heard of, nor saw it until last year, yet I find it is very com- mon in this part of Yorkshire amongst ti'adespeople, farmers, and cottagers, as by making use of it they are able to obtain a good useful vinegar, at the cost of about one penny per quart. The process is as fol- lows : — Dissolve i ft of moist sugar, or, for highly- coloured vinegar, ift of treacle, in three quarts of soft water. Put this mixtiu-e into a wide mouthed jar, and the \'inegar plant with it; cover the mouth of the jar either with white paper pricked fuU of holes with a pin, or with a thin piece of gauze. Let it remain in a warm room or corner of the house for about five weeks, when the process will be completed, and the vinegai- fit for use. During the process the plant, if it is a good soimd one, ^vill gi-ow consider- ably both in diameter and thickness, floating on the surface of the liquor, and when taken out a young plant will be found adhering to the under sm-face of the old one. This young one will be nearly as large as the old one, but much thinner ; and must be care- fully, separated from its parent, and set to work by itself in a separate jar. The old plant, also, may bo safely set to work once or twice more, and wiU pro- May THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 75 duce a youiig plant each time. Some people ad\dsc to add a spoonl'ul of yeast to the mixture : we have ti'ied it this way, but cannot perceive any advantage aiising from it." THE FEUIT-GARDEN. Vines in Gbeenhouses. — lu The Cottage Gak- DENEK for April 26th, we promised to retiu'n, ere long, to the subject of vine-culture in the ordinai-y greenhouse ; and, indeed, it is necessary such should be the case, for tlu-ee or fom' weeks at this period form a most important item in the progress of a tree of such rapid development as the vine. It so hap- pens, moreover, that notliing very pressing in out- door fruit-culture is on hand ; therefore, no sacrifice has to be made ; and there can be little doubt that some of our amateur friends, who have but recently obtained the luxury of a nice little plant-house, wiU receive some useful practical liints fr'om the discus- sion of this subject. At page 33, we adverted to the economy connected with the plants on the stage or pit, which we are supposing to exist in the vineries of those to whom we address omselves, also to tem- peratiu'e both day and night, ventilation, &c., &c. ; assuming that the vines were either about blossom- ing, or conunencing the first swelling. Blooming Period. — We owe some apology for not going more into detail on tliis point in our last observations. Brevity now will best befit this portion of the subject, for, doubtless, most of our readers' vuies have passed it. It may merely be remarked, that once an opinion was prevalent, that a particularly moist atmosphere was necessary to the due impregnation of the blossoms ; tliis idea is now exploded. Mr. Paxton, of Chatsworth, was amongst the first to show that there was no real ground for the practice, which had been handed fr-om one gai-- dener to another, on the faith of some emphical practitioner in former days, who, perhaps, had been successful, in spite of the practice, through attending to other points of much greater import. Let it not be supposed, however, that we advocate a very dry atmosphere. Some amount of atmospheric moistm'e is absolutely essential, both to the health of the foli- age, and in order, it would appear-, to enable the flower to bui'st its calyx, or cup which holds the flower. In such cases, therefore, instead of charging the atmosphere with hot steam, it will amply suJfice to sprinkle the walls and pathways twice or thrice a day. Some kinds of gi-apes are what is termed " shy setters ;" of such are the Muscat or Tokay section, the Black Damascus, &c. It is the best practice with these to use what is called " artificial impregnation." This is accomplished by taking a sheet of white paper daily, and collecting the pollen, or male dust, from the blossoming hunches of good setting kinds, such as the Black Hamburgh. A gentle flii-t about noon of each day will shake down as much pollen as win be reqmsite ; borrowing tlius fr-om each bunch in blossom. TMs fijie dust, which wiU appear Uke sulphm- scattered over the paper, must be applied in a dainty manner, with a camel's hau- pencil, touch- ing lightly the sm-faoe of the blossoms of the bunch to be operated upon. Dm-ing this operation we ad- vise that a hvely heat of 75° be kept up : if 80° it will be none the worse. A lively ou-culatiou of aii- is also necessai-y. As the month of May -wiU be far advanced when this reaches the readers of The Cot- tage Gardener, no vines will be in blossom but those intended for very late use next winter. The best of all grapes for this pm-pose, beyond all doubt, is the true West's St. Peter's ; and this is sometimes rather shy at "setting" The operation alluded to may, therefore, be performed on this kind occa- sionally. As pot^lants of various kinds will be generally in the vinery, we strongly advise, as one of the main featm-es of management, that the vines be at all times kept hardy ; not starved with cold, but always inui-ed to as free a ventilation as tlie weather will permit. Tliis may startle some old practitioners, perhaps. We ai-e persuaded, nevertheless, that there is no occasion for so much codling of them as is fr-e- quently practised, 2}rovided, only, that tliey are inured to a free ventilation from the moment tliey first break. On iliis we take our stand ; and those who persist in the practice, wiH soon find that a vine will bear a puff of wind even as well as other trees. Let it, however, be understood in connexion, that we do not mean low temperature : tliis is qidte another afiaii-. If ail- must be freely admitted in order to keep things robust, it is evident that a certain amoimt of artificial heat must be provided. These observa- tions we conceive to be pai-ticularly necessary to the amateiur, who, under such a mixed system, wiU have his geraniums, ericas, calceolaiias, cinerarias, &c., besides a host of nick-nacks, some of them approach- ing the character of what we term " stove plants," under the same roof. Now, all these things we know cannot be grown so robust as when treated singly. It is past the art of man to do so, provided, in the latter case, they ai-e handled by men of sound experience. Nevertheless, we hope, in the course of oiu- greenhouse papers, so to systematise, yet sim- plify, matters, that a very high point of cultme may he obtarued, both with the grapes and the plants; a point which shall satisfy the most fastidious. Swelling of the Beeey. — The gi-apes having been didy thinned out, the next point is to see that, during the period of then- first swelling, the atmos- phere of the greenhouse is well attended to. In the first place, a day temperature of 65° must be secured dm-ing all fafr weather. If, nevei-theless, very bad weather occurs, wet and windy, it will be qiutc as well to give up a few degrees, and, in point of fact, to descend to the minimum pitch, or, in other words, mere night heat, that is to say, 60°. This will be found, under such circiunstunces, a benefit more than otherwise ; for, as before observed, heat of an exciting character, without a proportionate amount of light, is productive of iujm-y rather than otherwise. This course, also, wiU prevent the plants " drawing," and thus suit all matters. The greatest stress, never- tlieless, shoidd be placed on a free cii-oulation of aii- at every fitting opportunity — night as well as day — provided the necessary warmth can be maintained. Before leaving this division of the subject, we beg to be pardoned a repitition we deem necessary. At page 34, we advised a very early morning ventilation ; we beg to repeat it, as a point of paramoimt import- ance ; indeed, tins is one of the reasons why sound practical gardeners have, of late, so much advocated the practice. We feel persuaded that many of the so-called diseases, rust, scab, &c., &c., have been, in the main, injmies to the cuticle or skin of the yoimg grape, than which nothing can be more tender, and wliich is exceedingly impatient of a hot, moist and stagnant atmosphere. Insects. — The red spider is most to be dreaded of THE COTTAGE GARDENER. May all these depredators, and the best recipe for it is sulphur; at least we can only say that we have not seen a red spider on the vines under oiu' choi-ge for the last half score years, or, indeed, much longer. 'We may, therefore, detail at once oiu- mode of appli- cation. The vineries here (Oulton Park) are heated by hot-w-ater piping, and we make a point of using these as the principal agents in destroying, or rather preventing, the red spider. About four dressings in the year secure to us a perfect immunity from this pest, not only on the vines but the plants, for we ai-e crowded to sufibcation with stove and miscellaneous plants, kidney-beans, pines, and a host of other things, beneath the vines at all times. This is no choice-work, it is a case of necessity'. The houses alluded to being 30 feet in length, by about lb in width, and about 12 feet high at back, we use about six ounces at least of flowers of sidphur in each house: this we have found by many years' experience to be sufficient. The mode of application is veiy simple : the sulphur is put in a bowl, and is applied by means of a painter's " dusting bmsh ; " one man with a syringe goes a-head of the sulphur man and sp-inges the pipes, keeping them constantly wet ; the sidpluu' is then apphed by merely dipping the brush into the bowl; enough adlieves to the dampness of the bi-ush to fonn a regidai- coating or paint. We must here observe that we only apply it to the return inpe ; the advance or " flow " pipe we fear, as it is so much hotter; the bottom pipe we plaster thickly fi-om end to end, and no miscluef has ever occun-ed through some scores of operations. This we have ever found efi'ectual, and, if followed up, there will be small occasion for daubing the leaves of the vines with mixtm-es; this plan is to be avoided by all possible means, for gi-apes without a bloom upon them appear mauled, and can never be relished hive those which look a perfect pictiu-e on a dish. Syeikgixg. — Many persons deem it indispensable to syringe vines occasionally ; tve do not. Syringing is of some sei-vice wliilst the vines are what is termed breaking, that is, when the buds are biu'sting open ; it facilitates the bm-sting of the buds, and promotes size in the leaf, which latter circumstance is closely connected with size in the beny of this year, and the bimch of the succeeding yeai-. But to continue to syringe vines after the berries ai-e set, or, indeed, whilst they are setting, is certainly a most eiToueous mode of procedm-e. In the fii-st place the vine has such a copious elaboration to perform (which depends much, of coiu-se, on the perspii-atory organs), that comparative di-yiiess in the atmosphere is needed at most times. It is almost needless to add that this perspii'ation cannot take place so freely whilst the leaf is wet, or the atmosphere sm-charged with vapour, as under a drier an-, and, of com'se, a more free motion of this needfid element. A study, indeed, of the cha- racter of the climates where the vine grows indi- genous in the highest perfection, wUl soon convince any one of the error of keeping the vine leaf fre- quently wetted. There is another view of the case, and that is the beauty of the beny, which is dependent not only on its size but on its colour, and tliat dehghtful bloom, as it is called, wliich adds so much to the beauty of tins noblo fruit. A well-coloured black- Hambm'gh gi'apo, with a fine bloom, is a rival to the most chastely tinted plum ; which is, indeed, no small re- commendation, for who does not admire the bloom of a flue purple plum? We woidd not, therefore, syringe a vine at all after blossoming commmcos, and not too much before that period. 'What is called " breaking well," is in the main dependent on more powei-ful agencies than syringing, viz., a powerful root action, together ^vith slow breaking after well ripened wood of the preceding year has been tlio- roughly rested : these are the gi-aud principles on which the eye must be fixed ; this the goal at whicli we must aim at arriving. These things secm-ed, and a hberal ventilation pmsued, all other matters about which so much fuss has been made may be faii'ly written down as subordinate. There are those, how- ever, who fancy they cannot subdue the red spider without syringing freely ; we confess that half-a-score years ago such was om- opinion. As before obsei-ved, since we adopted systematically the sulphm' plan, wliich we have detailed, we have scarcely ever known a red spider to set foot in our houses, and the sy- ringing has of com'se fallen into disuse. Fumigation must be had recoiu-se to occasionally, and tins will suit the plants as well as the vines, prorided it is done gently ; our plan is to fumigate gently tlu'ee days, or rather evenings, in succession. Some plants ai-e very impatient of heavy fiunigation ; of such are the fuchsia family, the hehtropes, and the mignonette ; and the best practice is to remove them while the operation is proceeding. During the first swelhng of the grapes the plants on the stage ought to be kept very thin, for it is well to keep a somewhat closer atmosphere during this part of the process than we shall advise afterwards. An old frame or pit, therefore, might receive the weediugs out of stock, and such as the hardier ericas, and plants in general, if not blooming; inferior or late geraniums, together with much young stock for succession, also may be placed here on ashes, and protected by double mats at night in severe weather. R. Ebkingtox. THE FLOAVER-GAEDEN, Climbing and Pillar Roses. — In addition to tlie lists and description of roses suitable for bedding m- groups in beds, our fair correspondents desu-ed a list of clunbing and pillar roses. Desh'ous always to comply with the wishes, and give every information witlun om power to all classes of om' readers, we shall this week give a select list of really good roses for the pvu-pose of covering imsightly walls, or the house of the amateur as well as of the more lumible cottager. These roses are also veiy suitable to plant either against the lu-ched, trellis-covered walk, or against pUlai's set up purposely to train them to, and show then- lovely blossoms to the gi'eatest advantage. We shall place them before our readers in their seve- ral classes or sections, so that the cultivator may choose such as will suit then' situation and taste. Climbing Roses. — Bmmault. This is quite a distinct section, veiy gorgeous, of rapid, vigorous growth, blooming in large clusters. To prune them rightly, tlun out the branches severely, but do not shorten much those you leave. Amadis, or Crimson — Deep purplish crimson, large nnd semi- double, cup-shaped flowers. Blush, or De i'/s/c— Blush, rose centre, very large and full, globular. Etegatia — Crimson-purple, streaked with white, showy, globular shape. AynsHiBE Roses. — Theso may be properly termed "running roses," being of a fi-ee and rapid gi-owth, wOl thrive in rough wild situations, such as rocky banks, or to climb up old or dead trees. I'or these purposes there are none to equal the Ayi'slui-o varic- Hay THE COTTAGE GARDENER. ties. They also fonn beautiful drooping objects, if budded upon tall standard wOd briers. Ayrshire Queen— BaA purple-crimson, large and semi-double, cup-shaped. Queen of the Belgians— Ctexmy white, small and double, cup-shaped, iiag-a— Pale flesh, large and double, globular. Evergreen Roses. — These are a valuable section, blooming in very lai'ge clusters of from ten to fifty floor- ers iu each. They retain their line shining foliage the most of winter, are fi-ee gi'owers and very hardy. Lilve the preceding, they form beautiful weeping lieads if on tall standards. Prune them so as to leave the largest previous yeai-'s shoots, which will flower in the extreme ends. Fclicite perpetuelle— Creamy white, small and double, of a compact form. Madame Pfanher— Beautiful rose, double and cup shaped. Myrianthes-Hhish, edged with rose, small and double, cup shaped Spectabile — Rosy lilac, large, double and of compact shape. Banksi.\n Roses. — Like the last, nearly evergi-eeu, requiring a warm wall and dry border. They should be trained with long shoots, to bloom on the short branches these shoots make, and will then flower very freely and beautifully. The older they are the more flowers they wiU produce. Any long strong extra shoots they may produce, that are not wanted, should be cut away towards the end of June. Banksia Alba — White, very sweet, in clusters of small elegant flowers, cup-shaped. Banksia Jaune Serin — Yellow, equally fine as the last,5with large flowers, and cup-shaped. Banksia lutea—The old yellow, very small and double, and cup-shaped. Banksia Odora- tissinia — Pure white, extra sweet, small, double, and cup-shaped. Hybrid Climbing Roses. — These, on account of their decided climbing habit, are separated from then- proper section. The two first are varieties of Rosa multiflora hybridized with other Idnds. The last named is a variety of the Musis rose. They require priming the same way as the Boursaults. Laura Bavoust — A most desirable rose, pink, changing to blush, and verjr double, of a compact shape. Russelliana — Strong grower, dark crimson, and double, of a compact form. Madame D^Arblay — White, blooming in large clusters, very showy. Rosa Multiflora. (Many-floweredrose.J — The va- rieties of Bosa multiflora are rather tender, requiring a warm sheltered situation, and a vei-y gentle use of the knife in pruning. " The seven sisters " is a splen- did variety when it has proper treatment. AU the above are truly climbing roses. If the garden is small, select one only out of each section. There are a large number of hybrid Gliina summer- blooming climbers ; for autumu-bilooming, hylDrids of Bourbon, Noisette, and Perpetuals, are proper; a hst of which, as pillar roses, will appear shortly. Insects. — Li the last number the destraction of the red spider was treated of. The next species of insect most destructive to the inliabitants of the flower garden is the Aphis, or plant louse, usually called the green fly. Like the red spider, tins insect feeds by suction on the juices of the plants it infests. It breeds prodigiously fast, so that if you perceive but a few one day, in a very short time, if not checked, your roses, calceolarias, verbenas, &c., wUl be covered with them; and, by sucking out the sap from the youngest leaves, causing them to contract into de- formed shapes, turning them yellow, and eventually destroying them. This destruction is even more rapid than that by the red spider. Happily the green fly is more easily destroyed than the red spider, es- pecially if the means to do so are resorted to in time. For insects of this kind in pits, frames, or plants under hand-glasses, there is notliing so effective and less troublesome to apply than tobacco smoke. Some of oiu- correspondents write that they find this remedy too powerful, but if it is judiciously applied no harm wiU ensue. When you intend to fumigate your plants choose a still evening, and let your plants be quite di-y. Place them closer together, and in the clear space thus obtained put either an iron pan, or, if you have not such a thing, use a hard-burnt garden pot; put in it a few red hot cinders that do not smoke, upon those cinders put your tobacco, or tobacco paper, rather damp. A cloud of smoke will immediately rise, and will soon fill the fi-ame As soon as you judge it to be well filled with smoke, remove the pan, or pot, and cany it to the next fi-ame, if you have more than one that requh-es smoking. Be extremely care- ful that the tobacco does not break out into a flame, as it is that which does the mischief. If you perceive a likelihood of blazing out, prevent it with a sprink- ling of water, very gently applied. Cover up the frames with mats to keep in the smoke as long as possible. The next morning examine the aphides, or green flies, and if you find any alive repeat the smoking the following evening. This second appli- cation will most eft'ectually destroy all your enemies. There will be none left aUve to teU the dreadful tale to the next generation. You may now sj'iinge the plants pretty severely, to wash away the dead bodies of the slain, and the plants will again thrive and flourish in perfect health and beauty. The green fly on plants out of doors, so situated that the smoke of tobacco cannot be so perfectly con- fined as to destroy them, requii-e a difi'erent mode of attack, though the same herb furnishes us with a remedy against the foe, only it must be appUed in a different form; that is, as tobacco water. This can be had at any tobacco manufactory, or it may be made by steeping 4oz. of tobacco in a gallon of water ; let it stand in the water for a week or so, occasionafly stu-ring it with the hand, and squeezing the tobacco to bring out the strength. It will then be very pow- erful, and perhaps will bear an addition of water, previously to using, to the extent of one half. Apply it to standard roses by chppiug the infested branches in it during a dry evening, and syringing them the next morning. Por roses on pillars, or against walls, use the syringe filled with clear hquor, and applied gently all over the shrubs. Verbenas and calceolarias in beds are often duiing the summer months much inim-ed, and their beauty deteriorated, by these in- sects; also roses in beds sufi'er much from the same cause. We know no better remedy than the above mentioned tobacco wat«r, applied \nth a syiiuge or fine-rosed water-pot. These operations may be troublesome, but who will grudge the tronbte and sUght expense to rid his flowers of those uijm-ious and beauty-maiTing parasites. Other kinds of insects must <;laim our attention in a futui-e number. Planting- — Now tlie warm weather of spring has fairly set in, you must begin to plant out the stores of things that you have been preparing so long to make the flower garden gay and beautiful. Fuchsias, Scarlet Geraniums, Verbenas, Petunias, Dahhas, Roses m pots, half hardy annuals, and a host of other things described at page 3.5, vol. ii. Loosen the soil in the beds with a thi-ee-pronged fork, breaking and level- ling it so as to put it in a good condition to receive the plants. Choose, if possible, fine dry days for tliis operation. Set the plants in their places aU over the bed. Such as are of a trailing natiure should be allowed room enough to spread ; others may be plant- ed thicker on the gi-ound. When you have set the plants in order, commence planting in the centre of THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. May tlie bed : stick a spade deep and firmly into a convc- nieut place, then remove the centre plant; make a hole, sufficiently deeji to receive the plant, vsdth a trowel ; lay your trowel down and take up the jJant ; turn it upside down, and give it a gentle tap upon tlie handle of the spade; catch the plant with one hand, and with the other put away the pot, either into the walk or on the gi-ass near the bed; then put the plant in the hole, filling in the soU close round the ball. Avoid deep planting above all things. Proceed with the next plant in the same manner until the bed is quite filled, levelling the soU neatly as you go on ; then finish by a gentle watering, and no more care will be required until the plants begin to grow and spread. In mixed flower borders, plant out in the most open places, the tallest gi'owers behind, and the dwarf ones iu front. Leave room, however, for more tender plants to be put out hereafter. FLORISTS' FLOWERS. AnmciaAs and Polyanthuses. — Those that have done flowering may now be placed in a situation ex- ))osed only to the morning sun tiU about ten o'clock. Set them on a coating of coarse coal ashes to prevent worms fi'om getting into the pots. Do not place tliem either under the drip of trees or near a hedge ; the di'ip is very injurious. Remove offsets, and plant them in small pots; if you could place them under hand-glasses for a short time, it would do them good and encourage them to grow. Seed. — If you are desirous of saving seeds from those plants, protect such good varieties as are likely to breed well fi-om heavy rains, as too much wet is apt to rot the seed vessels. Ranunculuses. — To seoui-e a good bloom attention must be given to keep the plants in a healthy gi'ow- ing condition ; stn the soil between the rows gently with a small stick, being careful not to injm-e the roots; then give an abundant supply of water, as those plants love it much. See that there are no insects on the under side of the leaves, they being eimning enough to secrete in such places; destroy tliem by all means, or they will soon destroy your plants. T. Appleby. GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW GARDENING. Window Geraniums will either now be in bloom or nearly so, and those to succeed them will probably be showhig flower-buds. In either case, alternate waterings with weak liquid manure will be of great benefit to theni. It will be recollected that we have already observed that those who know the na- tm-e of tlie geranium never give it strong water till the flower-buds are seen, because any encouragement that way diu-ing theii' first growth would only tend to long shoots; or, as gardeners significantly say, "long legs." Fuchsias also should begin to bloom by this time, and they take abimdance of water all the time they arc in flower, and liquid manure once a week. Liquid Manure. — As it is often veiy difficult to know the exact strength of liquid manure, the fol- lowing rule is the only guide that can safely be relied on ; a pound or a handful of this or that substance to a given quantity of water will answer very well for practical peojjle well versed in those things, but for those who know nothing on the subject such mles might kiU all their plants; as, for instance, one pound of guano from one sample may be as strong as two pounds from another sample of it. The amoniacal liquor from the gas works is an excellent manui-e for most plants; so likewise is soot and water, it left till the black slime settles to the bottom. All sorts of common manure, if steeped in water, will make excel- lent liquid manure, and the whole of tliem mayjbe used with the greatest confidence, if the following simple ride be attended to : — On a hot sunny day take a sam- ple from your liquid manm-e cask, and pour a little of it over the tops of nettles, or any soft weedy plant you care nothmg about. If the leaves curl up a little, your liquid manm'e is just the proper strength for all fancy pot plants. If the nettle leaves tm-n quite black, and seem scorched, yom' liquid is too strong, and you must add more water to it to reduce it. It is quite true many plants will bear it four times stronger than others, but it is so difficult to guai'd against accidents, that some absolute nile seems ne- cessaiy, and the above is the safest that has hitherto been tried, and if the leaves ai-e not at all aflected by the application under a strong sun, the liquid will not add much strength to the plant. Now, it is quite safe to use liquid manure thus tested for eveiy alter- nate watering through the summer, and the more lands of ingi-edients are used for making the liquid the more effectual it seems to be. We have one large tank here (Slu'ubland Pai'k), into which the various sewage drains from the mansion dischai'ge tbeii- contents after sundry filterings. We can di'aw large quantities fr-om this tank perfectly cleai-, and it kiUs all the green fly on the roses and other slu-ubs, all through the garden, by applying it two or three times in succession with a garden engine ; and, to guard against accidents, I never allow it to be used until it is first proved as to its strength, and I find it of immense advantage. For geraniums in a -window I never found a better thing than the daily supply fi'om my wash-hand basin, and one can give that three times a day if it were needful, without doing them hai-m, but the conti'ary. Scarlet Geraniums. — I have often said you can- not have too many of these. Specimen plants of them are often injured by want of proper attention about this time, especially such as have been kept di-y all the winter; for, when tliefr energies ai-e in action after a long rest, they are sure to malco twice as many shoots as can find room, thougli you may train them out as fai- as they wUl go. Those who are well up to the way of managing these useful plants, i-ub ofi' all the smaller shoots as fast as they ai-c pro- duced, no matter in what part of the plant they may appeal-. The grand secret is to produce three, flvo, or seven shoots, of exactly the same strength. Now, if you look at that scarlet geranium iu the window — I mean the one with the three shoots — you wiU find the reverse of this, the tlueo shoots being in three difl'orcut degrees of strength, and all of them iu-ojust showing flower-buds, one at the top of each, curled up among the leaves. These flowers wUl appeal-, if left to them- selves, as good, bad, and indifferent; and a gai-dencr passing by, if oven on a railway, wUl notice how badly tho plant has been ti-eated, and what a pity it is that some one did not tell Uie owner of tliis plant either how to manage it better or ad\dse him to read The Cottage Gardener, where he would be sure to find something about it, by looking first at the index ; and if he did not find tho name of all the plants ho wished to read about in the index, why, if he is in a pai'ticidar hurry, ho will write a letter to tho editor. May THE COTTAGE GARDENER. stating in plain words, and stOl plainer ^vl■iting, what is amiss with his plants, or whatever ho may want to know, and an answer for him will be as studiously considered as if he were the Duke of Wellington liimself ; for all con'espoudents are on an equal footing in these pages, and in all other papers which aim at being useful; therefore there is no reason why any one in this fine country shoidd stick up a gauKy or unequal-sided geranimn in liis window, like the one we are now considering. It is now too late in the season to rectify the error of unequal-sized shoots by stopping them, as, if they were to have only the least bit of the top broke off, the flower-buds will be destroyed, and no more flower-buds will appear till new shoots are formed to produce them. In that case, the flower- buds on the two weaker branches had better be sacri- ficed, for, if they are left, they vrUl not be very creditable, and by removing them the shoots will grow on and get stronger. By the time the flower- buds on the top of the strong shoot are well up above the foUage, and the shoot itself is grown a joint or two beyond where the footstalk of the flower head issued fi'om, this shoot is to be stopped, in order to throw the whole strength of the plant into the flowei-s. This is always a wise measure for many plants, particularly the scarlet geranium ; but, besides this, I have a particular object in view. By stopping the strongest shoot, and allowing the two inferior ones to proceed without flowering, they will soon be able to overtake then- rival, which, having been stopped, will now be pushing up two or three shoots in place of one. Two of the best placed, however, should only be allowed to gi-ow ; and now we have four shoots that will be very near-ly of equal strength, each of which wQl be allowed to produce a truss of bloom late in summer ; and as soon as each truss or flower-head is well up above the leaves the shoot is to be stopped, more particularly if the sort be one of the very strong varieties — such as the Shnbland Scarlet, the best of tliis class ; Tarn O'Shanter or Goliah, two very nearly aUied to the Shrubland Scarlet, and might pass for it in a crowd. For the dwarf and small growing scarlets, stopping the shoots before the trusses is not necessary ; but let us follow the large sorts to the end of the season. If they ai-e in very good health, our example plant will be in bloom full six weeks. The fom- shoots must not be allowed to form side branches, although they may make vigorous attempts to break out into new shoots where they have been stopped. By the time the last of the fom- trusses begins to fade, the plant has done its work for that season. Now, recollect this is perfectly indispensable for car- rying out a new system of growing these large trussed scai-lets, which I, shall often have to allude to as something much out of the common way. Young plants — that is, two-year old plants — are only to be allowed to jn-oduce one set of bloom in a season, like a common window geranium, although, if allowed, they would go on flowering to the end of the season. All the dwarf sorts may go on flowering as long as they will ; but, beside these, I shoidd much wish to hear of a couple of these large scarlets attempted on this new plan by every reader of The Cottage Gab- DEN'ER. Some readers no doubt will smile at this, and so would I some years back, but the age for pooh-poohing is gone past ; and when a meritorious object like this is to be attained, it is much better to put our shoidders to the wheel, and place the vehicle of improvement on the broad railway gauge, than arrest its progi-ess by laughing its friends out of countenance. As a further inducement, I may men- tion that some of the first gardeners in the counby are just beginning to adopt this new system of growing these large scarlet geraniums for fui-nishing large conservatories, living-rooms, stah'cases, and the like, for the highest nobility in the land, and D. Beaton among the rest. No wonder, therefore, that he woidd thus early take the bull by the horns ; not to let him into a china-shop, however, but to place him quietiy on the window-sill. This, hke many other improvements in plant-growing, is fully as much adapted to the cottage as to the palace gar- dener. The gi-and foimdation of the system is, that the plants ai'e not allowed to bloom but once in a season ; that the shoots are all to be reared of equw sb-ength, or as near to that as art can do it ; that no small side shoots be allowed to interfere with the growth of the principal flowering shoots ; that these be stopped one joint before the flower stem ; and that as soon as the plants are done flowering they shoidd be turned out of doors to ripen their gi-owth in some warm sheltered place. Here the plants ai-e to be liberally watered, but no fresh growth allowed ; every little shoot is to be rubbed off as soon as per- ceived : the bottoms of the flowering shoots will turn to a glossy brown by -and -by, indicating a degi-ee of ripeness favourable to the next year's crop of flowers. Any time between the middle of August and the end of September these shoots are to be cut down close — say to within two joints of the older wood — or, if any of them be weaker than the rest, it must be cut to one joint. For a week or ten days before cutting the plants, like all other geranimns, they ought to receive but very little water ; this will prevent their " bleeding," as we say when the sap of a plant drops or oozes out fi-om the cut. A few days after cutting, the wounds will have dried sufficiently to stop this bleeding, and then the plants may be watered, to set them gi-owing again ; and by the time the fresh shoots are an inch or two long, you must look them all over to thin out the supernu- merary ones. A gi-eat deal of the success of the system depends on this part of the business bemg done properly. If any of the shoots before they were cut down were much stronger than the rest, you may allow them to bear three new ones for next season ; and see that you make choice of those best situated to form a regular head for the plant. Then the next-sized shoots ma,y have two left on, and the weaker ones, if any, must be trained with one shoot only. The probabDity is, therefore, that the whole will come up of vei-y nearly the same length and strength next season, blooming at the same time ; and if they do, and every thing has gone on in tlie right way to that time, depend upon it our gi-acious Queen will not have a better specimen of good gar- dening for the whole season. Talk of growing pine- apples as big as tm-nips, and gi-apes as large as plums, why that is nothing compared to a Shrubland scarlet geranium, with nine, ten, or a dozen of its immense trasses of bloom of the size that I antici- pate ! And now we may as well finish about the right compost, the wateiing and wintering, and also the spiing cultivation, so as to make the whole sys- tem complete in itself. These large kinds partake much of the chai-acter of succulent plants — such as, for instance, cactus, aloes, and suchlike things— and these not only requii'e jiarticularly good drainage, but a good deal of small charcoal or old lime rub- bish, like that used for the mignonette, to be mixed with the compost, in order to keep it open and porous so THE COTTAGE GARDENEE. Mav equally throughout, and also to arrest or correct any sourness that may take place in the rotten dung that ^vill be used in the compost. I must also state that it is uot sale for amateurs of no great experience to use moss over the di-aiuage, as I often recommend for other plants, because in win- ter the moss will hold the moistui-e too long for their very succulent roots, although they will require but very little water all winter, and they must not be put up "for drying like ordinary scarlets. The whole pro- cess all the yeai- round will be much after the model of growmg the best fancy geraniums ; therefore, it is not advisable to cut thenr do\vn early in the autumn, for fear of the new shoots gi'owing too long before the winter ; let us say the middle of September, and the young gi-owth regulated as above by the second week in October, then they are ready for potting. It will save room, and answer your pui-pose just as well, to look in the first vol., page 150, and see how Aimt Harriet potted her geraniums, and also how she used to winter them. The same plan mil do for these plants, only, if you have a dry cold pit, they would be better there, plunged in dry coal ashes, and neai- to tlie glass, than in the best window or gi-eenhouse; and with that treatment, three tunes would be enough to water them from the end of October to the middle of Febniary. When they are to be watered, take them out as I mentioned the other day for heaths. [f you have many of them, or even half a dozen, a coviple of them might be taken to a wai-m room in February, in order to get them into bloom early; and when they begm to grow fi-eely, they must be potted at once in the pots they are to flower in. Use the very best loam you can find, and add one-tlurd veiy rotten dung in a dry powdeiy state, with a good handfid of the old lime mortar; and, at this spring potting, put a good layer of moss over the di-ainage. Water with plain lukewann water till the flower-buds appear and the shoots are stopped, and then with weak hquid manure as often as tliey require water, untU the blooming season is half over. Let us then hear how you have succeeded, and how you approve of tliis new plan. Six weeks after the first two were set in motion, take in another lot, and put them through the same process. After that the remaming ones may be left m the pit to come on of their own accord, but never attempt to pot them till you see they are in active growth. I think, if I have made all this clear enough to be well understood, it will give a great im- pulse to tills branch of gardening; and I am not awai'e that a syllable has been liitherto published on the subject, but if I shall hear or read of any improve- ment on the plan, I shall not faO to mention it. D. Beaton. THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. Broooli. — Prick out the young plants as soon as they can be handled, or else lioe and thin them out in the sead bed, so that, either way, good sturdy plants may be secured for planting out permanently by the time that the pea ground and other summer crops are cleared away. The same practice is neces- sary also with regard to borecoles and coleworts, all of which will be greatly benefitted by timely thinning and pricking out. Caui-iI'Lowees. — Continue to sow small quantities of seed either in seed beds or in di'Dls, where, after being duly thmned, they are to remain for a standing crop. It will be found an advantage, dmiug tlifl en- suing summer mouths, to sow or plant in partially shaded situations, liberally suppljiug those well es- tablished with liquid maiuu'e, to winch a moderate quantity of soot and salt should be added. Celehy Plants should also now be pricked out upon weU pulverized soO, but taking gi-eat care at the time not to prick too deeply into the soil, but to keep the collar and seed leaf of the plant above the surface. Strict attention is necessary upon this point, lest the celery should be heart-smothered, an accident to which it is particularly liable. Sm-face stmlug, and the apphcation of a little weak tepid hquid manm'e, wiU be foimd veiy gi'eatly to encou- rage the gi'owth of celery. A few of the early pre- pared plants may now be put out for early autumn use, but it is not advisable to take more than will be absolutely needed, or to plant to any extent tliis month, on account of the tendency which celeiy has to start, and become pipey, previously to being blanched. Curled Endr-e and Lettuce should now be sown in succession ; the latter, as previously dii-ected, tliinly sown in di-Uls, to be tlunned for standing, which, for sunnner pm-poses, is by far the best plan. RouTTNE Work. — Sow, in succession, hcans, peas. Icidney leans, mid ninneys ; and duly thin the smaU sprew shoots from the crowns of sea-kale, leaving only the sti'ongest, the gi-o\vth of which must be en- com-aged by the application of liquid mamu-e, with some salt dissolved in it. JerusaUm artichojces must have the earth well stu-red about them as soon as they appeal- above gi-ound. Potatoes now above gi'ound should be kept well hoed and surfaoe-stuTed ; and those that have been cut down by the frost and are putting forth many shoots, should have the weakest of these hoed out, leaving only one or two of the strongest to each plant. One or two shoots, ac- cording to then' strength, is our maxun ; for if many weak ones are allowed to remain, notMng but a mass of small tubers will be produced. Although disease is still to be discovered about the shoots of the potatoes, yet it is at present veiy limited m extent to what it has been in former years at the same season. Jajies Barnes. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. JIY FLOWERS. (No, 28.) There is something m the very name of May that is delightful to Enghsh feehngs. Although it is not now so soft and warm a month as it used to be in our cluldish days, yet we always expect it with anxiety, and welcome it gladly, for it seems to us to be the very time so beautiliilly described by the royal peumau : " For lo, the winter is past, the raiu is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the suiging of bu'ds is come, and the voice of t!ie tm-tle is heard in our land." We have, it is true, much cold and wet in the Mays of late years ; but let auy one take a woodland walk on a bright and genial morning, and see if Solomon's exquisite description does not suit even our northern climate woU. Gardens, and fields, and woods, and wilds, are all alike bursting into summer beauty. The hedges in every lane are covered with woodbine and wild roses ; the veiy bramble sprays are beau- tiful as they droop over "the path, with tiieir delicate May THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. 81 gi'een sprigs ; and the many wild creepers that cling to the trees and bushes give grace and richness too. It is surprising that so many who possess fine gar- dens, and parks full of rich and varied beauty, should, just at this season, choose the heated rooms and smoky air of London, when the country is so full of interest and loveliness, when God's own works are so fresh and fair, and when all natiu'e appears more especially to show forth His bounty and goodness to the childi-en of men. How much of real, rational, and spiritual enjoyment is thus lost to the rich and noble, which the country resident and cottage gardener so fidly possess, and ought so diligently to use and profit by. Til at lovely flower, the aiuicula, is now in full bloom and beauty. It is an interesting plant to our minds, because it is so generally admu-ed and culti- vated by that interesting class of cottage gardeners — the inhabitants of manufacturing towns — whose long dull days of labour, far from sweet scents and cheer- ful sights, are cheered by their window flowers ; and the beauty and perfection of then- different lands, I am told, is very gi-eat. Our heavenly Father blesses honest, lawful labour of every kind ; and to sweeten and lighten that which is peculiarly dreary, yet so very necessary to meet the wants of man, he bestows a taste which, more than any other, tends to refresh and soften, and civilize, the mind of the artisan, by bringing into his dwelling the beautiful objects of nature, and showing him, even in his close, confined apartment, some of the wonders of the soil. The aui'icula was long known by the name of the mountain cowslip. It braves the high and snowy parts of Switzerland, Germany, and Italy, and yet blooms wildly in the warm soil of Persia. How astonishing it is that the burning sun of the east, and the freezing gales of the west, should be alike favourable to this little downy floVer! Masses of its ricli and many-coloiu-ed blossoms look beautful, even as a common garden plant; and, if a little attended to, are really veiy fine in size, and tolerably powdered with their peculiar meal. I love to see them in large patches, so that I may gather a bunch with comfort to enjoy their very agi'eeable scent, and they make the garden very gay. A very lovely creeping annual, extremely suitable for the trellis or porch, is the canary creeper. It is a very light, elegant plant; -its feathery blossoms so strongly resemble in colour the bird from which it takes its name, that we almost fancy we see them perched among the leaves. The seeds may be sown now ; and, if in a sunny, sheltered spot, it will soon climb and beautify the bower. I very seldom see it, which sm-prises me, for it is an elegant plant, both in gi-owth and blossom, and forms a pleasing vai-iety among the summer foliage. If scarlet runners were planted near it, the mixture of colours would be very rich ; and, although a common plant, the effect of the scarlet runner is very good, even when placed alone. A boweiy walk, formed of tail thin rods fixed opposite each other, and bent into arches, when covered with scarlet runners, has a veiy pretty effect in a cottage gai-den ; and a few seeds of the canary creeper, placed here and there, would add much to its beauty. The convolvulus major, too, should not be overlooked. How rich and gay might the simple garden thus be made! or, even without these arches, the appearance of the Utile homestead would be improved if these light climbers were wreathed round the standard fruit-ti-ees, and even allowed to cling to those against the wall — for their branches and ten- drils are so tender that they could not in any way injure or shade the fniit. What a lovely scene is an English hamlet, with its bowery hedges, neat wickets, and glowing gardens — its straw covered roofs and glittering orchards, all clustering round the quiet solemn tower, that tells so truly the grand secret of England's peace Is there, on the far-famed continent, among the fine sceneiy oui- countrymen run so eagerly to see, anything so beautiful as this? Let the cottage gardener rejoice in his hard-earned wages. The time is now, indeed, one of unexampled pressui'e and distress ; the rich and the poor are tried and troubled, for the burden on agricultm-e is heavy to bear ; still, let the labourer " look up to the hills fi-om whence cometh oiu- help." Let him remem- ber the bondage of Egypt, and who it was that could alone deliver the Israelites from thefr calamities; and let the British heart rejoice in the blessings of freedom and 2^eaee, when all looks dark and threaten- ing, believing that " in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength," for the Word of God has declared it. The lilies that bloom at our feet, the ravens that soar above our heads, the very sparrows that take away our cherries and peas, teach us im- portant scriptural truths, and bid us wait on the Lord to be clothed and fed. Whatever helps to endear our village homes, to encourage diligence, and to increase lawfril profit, is doing a service to our queen and country, as well as fulfilling a part of our duty to man ; and the love of gardening is as useful, as harmless, and as home- endearing a taste as the English labourer can pursue. Let him actively employ eveiy prudent means, but always remember from whom alone the inci'ease TO CORRESPONDENTS. Moving Cheysakthemums {H.B. Wells).— You have a hedge of chrysanthemums, which has stood undisturbed for three year.s, and you now wish to improve their health and appearance, and to remove them to another place. You propose placing them in large pots, in an arched building you possess, having light and air if re- quired.— There is no necessity of potting and placing them in such a building at all ; take them up carefully, reducing the plants into moderate compa.ss as to size, and renewing the soil, making it rich with rotten manure — the chrysanthemum bemg a gross feeder. Plant them again immediately and give plenty of water. They will soon recover the shifting, and long before the flowering season will be strong and healthy, and will flower abundantly. Planting a Flowek-Garden (-H. M. fl.).— To lay out or form your plot of ground into an ornamental and agreeable pleasure- garden, we would advise a shrubbery at the further end from the entrance ; beds of flowers on the grass ; and a winding walk at a short distance from the walls. These we would cover with creepers, such as roses, honeysuckles, jasmines, pyrus japonica. Wistaria sinensis, &c. You might form some rising ground here and there, so as to have an undulating surface. Your idea of a bed of rhododen- drons in one corner and of heaths in the other is good. A mound of rock-work in the centre between them, butkeptinarecess, asitwere, would be interesting and in good taste. If you will send your address - --r.Api '' " See t . garden in something like that style EvEKGEEENS POE A Beighton Balcohy (W. X.).— The ever, green shrubs suitable for such an exposed locality are very limited, though your balcony be of " a good size." We can name none but the spruce fir, juniper, cypress, alaternus, box, and phillyrea. Unfruitful Pear-teee (T. A. Lockwood).—Youi tree, 40 years old, blooms profusely every year, but makes little new wood, and only once durmg the time has had even an average crop ; just when the fruit is formed it nearly all falls off. You have " topt it," you have cleaned the bark, and you have given it liquid manure, ** but all is of no use."— We think there can be little doubt that your pear- tree has descended into a sterile or ungenial subsoil. Were it ours we would bore beneath it ne.xt November, and cut away every deep root, without disturbing the surface roots. As a preliminary step, however, let the loose surface soil be scraped off directly, and top- dress nine inches deep with old manure and rotten turfy material, thus coaxing a series of new fibres to the surface preparatory to the loss of the tap roots next autumn. In addition we would apply both knife and bill-hook next autumn, thinning out all interior branches. Plumbago Laepenta: (J Somersetshire Curate). — You have kept your plant in a south window, open on warm days, without a fire in the room, and you complain that its leaves have become " reddish bronze," and that the growth has been almost imperceptible. — You ask our advice, but we cannot give it confidently. It is a plant of 83 THE COTTAGE GAEDKNEB. May which very little ia known as ret as to its capabilities. M'hen Messrs. Knight and Perry sent it out it ^vas stated to be a suitable bedding out plant ; this is now rather doubtful, and the state of your plant partly proves it. Vou must not pve it much water, nor expose it to draughts of cold air ; as it grows larger repot it in light rich sandy t cold air ; as earth. We (:annot advi ; yet knoiyn whether i ; much fear i vill breathe open air. ZiucHSNteRiA Californica (i6id).— This, you say, is doing well, and has thrown out several shoots, already more than an inch long. — It is perfectly hardy, having stood the winter in the Horticultural Society's garden at Chiswick. If you wish to propagate it take off 'ngs with a sharp knife, and plant them in ' *-' • - 3 hot-bed or in a pot, under a tumbler glass, the cutting! plant them in sand, as they root pot them off into after they may be planted out for good. Peg ; it for a few day ots ; in a month mt down to the ground if planted out, but if in a pot t water, as we know no other Try an abundant supply for a time, and let us know the result. Amaryllises (fr.Lerfg-er).— You have these plants in 10-inch pots, some of them have flowered, and some have not ; and you ask whether it is proper at the potting time to shake the soil away and repot them, or merely let them rest, and grow them in the same pots without dis- turbing them at all ? whether the roots are to be preserved entire at potting-time ; and whether the bulbs should be quite under the soil ?— In reply, we have to observe that the true amaryllises are now fast going to rest ; water them more sparingly ; do not shake off the old soil from their roots, and do not repot them till the roots increase so much as to split the pot. Mr. Beaton advises all bulbs to be buried in the soil ; he also maintains that their roots shoidd by no means be cut or mutilated, for they cannot be too old. Look over his directions again. Gladioli (Un Francais)—Yom gladioli, planted the same week as Mr. Beaton \yrote, have not yet made their appearance.— Turn out the balls, and if no roots are seen, the bulbs must have perished ; but examine them, they may yet vegetate. If not, take them to the person who sold them to you, and make him supply others in their place. Raspberries Destroyed by an Insect (Rev. C. Churton). — Last year the blossoms and fruit in vour Shropshire garden were repeatedly destroyed, by being partially eaten through the stalk just below the fruit. Unless you can send us one of the marauders we cannot tell you his name, but we suspect that it is a weevil somewhat like that described at p. 269 of our first vol. Thus, the copper- coloured weevil (Curculio cupretis) eats half-way through the stalks of plums, deposits her egg in the wound, and leaves natural decay to bring the fruit to the ground. If you find one of your enemies, oblige us by sending it to us in a strong pill-box. Names of Plants {James Elsden).~Yova bulbous-rooted plant is Fritillaria meleagris, a native of England, and commonly known as the Guinea-fowl flower, or Chequered Daffodil. Your shrubby plant is Daphne pontica. It may be increased by grafting on the common Spurge Laurel. You will find something about it at p. 224 of vol. 1. (J. W. Peckham).—The drawing you have sent us of an orange-coloured flower streaked with scarlet is a portrait of Abu- tilon striatum, or Striped Abutilon. It is a greenhouse evergreen shrub, and a native of Brazil. (A. ^.).— The weed upon your lawn " with leaves spreading out flat as rays from a centre, so flat that the scythe cannot touch it," appears to be the Buck's-hom {Plantago coronopus). It is a most troublesome weed. Serve it as we recom- mended, at p. 61, the dandelions to be served. Strawberries in Bloom (A. .4.).— Water them freely, notwith- standing the cold weather, if rain does not occur. DiELYTRA Spectabilis (/. W. Irviug) .—This is a hardy herba- ceous perennial native of Siberia; stem about a foot high; flowers purple, blooming in June and July. It is easily propagated by divi- ding the roots ; and it will floiuisa in any rich light garden soil. Of Plumbago Larpentee you will find the information you require in our columns to-day, and at p. 235 of vol. i. Of Zavchsneria Californica you will find all the information in our 1st vol., at pp. 10, 235, and 295. Cuphea Platycentra (Ibid) is a greenhouse evergreen shrub. Its flowers, scarlet and white, appear in June. It is a native of Mexico. For its culture sec p. 268, vol. i. Cinerarias done Blooming (An Amatevr Subscriber). — Y'ou will have seen, at p. 62, an answer to your Question a* to their treat- ment now that "they look very bad, and the leaves are turning Worms and Ants (Hortus).—To drive these away, see what we have stated at p. 124 of vol. i., and at p. 51 of the present volume. The most powerful application for the destruction of worms is a solu- tion of corrosive sublimate, but remember that it ii a deadly poLt07i, and that any chicken, or other li'ving creature, eating a worm so killed will share a similar fate. Dissolve two ounces of corrosive aub- evcry forty gallons of water, and soak the ground with '■ 'smoBtcffe ■ C- - -- _..-..- ;, col. 1, line 31 from top, read "Fuc The correspondent who has pointed out this observes, in reference to JJodoe/«7on, mentioned in the same page: — " Ilodochiton is indis- putably of the masculine gender, and therefore requires, as the ter- mination of the adjective, volubi/(>, not volubi/e. The error seems to have been very generally adopted. Substantives {from the Greek) ending in 71 are apt to deceive, as pogon, a beard. Peas Boiled in thbir Pods (Rev. C, Cfiapman'). — Our cor- respondent observes truly, "We often have, at continental tables- d-hote. green peas boiled whole— the pods I mean ; sometimes they are sliced like French beans, sometimes 3er\-ed up whole as gathered from the plants ; they make a delicious vegetable, but I never met with it ■ :ountry. In great simplicity I one day ordered a dish of the youngest pods to be gathered and sent t ly ■ ible boiled whole : they -ould not'do at all ; the more they were boiled the more stringy they were. I was told afterwards that the peas I had eaten abroad were of a particular kind, used only in this way, and never shelled. None of the nurscrj-men or seedsmen in this neighbourhood know anything about it, and seem civilly incredulous. Can you tell me the name of this pea, and where it is to be had in this coimtry ?" — We often have wondered that this " all- eatable pea" has not been introduced into England. It is the Pisum sativum viacrocarpum of botanists, and may be had pf any seedsman at Paris under the name of Pois- mms-parchemin, or Pois-mange-tout. Fruit-trees Badly Planted (/i(rf).— These, which you say were put into holes just large enough to receive the roots, in *' a very stiff coarse clav, described by some one as in winter all bird-lime, and in summer all cannon balls, holding water like a sponge, only not parting with it so readily," must all be taken up next autunm and replanted in " stations," as described in our first volume. Never mind their having been planted three years; they can be moved almost without feeling the removal, since you say " the roots have made no growth ;" nor will they whilst in their clay basons. You may apply charred refuse to your gooseberry and other fruit trees even now with advantage. Do not dig it in. Mandevilla Suaveolens (J. C. and A Subscriber). — Y'ou can obtain this from any of the nurserymen who have advertized in our columns. It will not thrive so as to blossom freelj', except when planted in the border of a greenhouse or conservatory. Swedish Turnip Storing (X. X.).— Try cutting off with the top such a slice of the bulb as to remove all the collar, or part from whence any sprouts can arise, and store the bulbs thus beheaded in layers, with earth, in a shed. In the case of carrots, this mode is most effectual. Y'ellowly's Fork (J, Ptrf^eon).— We do not think that these are sold ready made, but any blacksmith could make you one from our drawing and description, given at p. 289 of vol. i. They cost about 5s. each. Monthly Calendar (/Aid).— In this, *'b" means beginning, or first half of the month ; and "e" means end, or last half. Loam {Constant Reader, E, Dereham).— You have made a gi-eat mistake in using " a sort of brick earth soil " for potting your camel- lias. It is quite true that, in some parts of England^ farmers and brick-makers call brick-clay " loam ;" but gardeners apply this term to a mouldy soil in which neither clay nor sand predominates, such ■ usually found to form the top spit of a rich pasture. for which would do better. You abundantly every evening. Soot is a Rahdnculus Awning (Juventus). — Oiled cartridge paper ' do for this, but calico, made water-proof by a preparatir ' will publish a recipe if you requi ' ' • ^ ^ ^ good manure for stiff land. Thread Netting for Greenhouse (G. Ti/e).— We never saw anything of the kind, but you will obtain ever>' information probably from Mr. R. Richardson, 21, Tonbridge-place, New-road, London. If you do not succeed write to us again. Bulbs {Rev. G. F. L. Owen). — Any of the florists who advertize in our columns will supply you with genuine bulbs. Messrs. Wilmot and Co. are florists, at Lewisham, Kent. Window Tax on Greenhouses 'S. . W. P.).- We are very glad to find that the opinion we exi-> e^>•■ed as to greenhouses commu- nicating with parlours not beingli ;i .e to the mndow tax, is conflrmed by the foliowmg case sent to us by a correspondent : — " I beg to inform you that I was charged six additional windows by the assessor of taxes, but thinking myself aggrieved I applied to the surveyor, who, having examined them, took off the extra charge, at the same time stating that I was only liable to pay for the windows of the rooms communicating with the greenhouse or conservatory. I will thank you to introiUice this in your answers to correspondents, for the information oi your numerous readers who may be similarly situated, or who may wish to erect greenhouses, but are deterred from the fear of addmg expenses in the shape of window duty." Diseased Apple-trees (G. M. Lee). — The canker in your trees may be caused, and certainly will be increased, by their roots pene- trating into the subsoil — "a cold, wet, clayey gravel." Draining this ismost desirable. Wo shall write fully upon the subject of this disease before long. Black Fly on Currant-trees (Jiirf).— This is the Aphis ribis, or Red-currant Aphis. Syringing with strong tobacco-water, or fumigating with tobacco-smoke, whilst a large sheet, reaching to the ground all round, is spread over the bush, are the only effectual remedies. Alpine Strawberries f,47ni>). — Y'ou can obtain plants, proba- bly, of any of the nurserymen near London. Planted out now, and well supplied with water, they would yield fruit in September. Liquid Stable Manure (A Constant Reader, £. Dereham). — This may be used for camelhas, fuchsias, and geraniums, with advan- tage. One gallon to five of water will not be too strong for them, probably ; but see Mr. Beaton's rule, or test, in to-day's paper. "" asparagus it might be applied as strong as one gallon to Do not give liquid manure to any crop just coming up. D of water. London : Printed by Hab Parish of Saint Mary-lc-Strand ; and Winchester High-s the Pariah of St. Mary Kalendar; and Published by Willia Somerville Orr, at the Office, U7, Strand, in the Parish Saint Mary-le-Strand, London.— May l/th, 1849. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. WEEKLY CALENDAR. M D w D MAY 34—30, 1849. Plants dedicated to each day. Sun Rises. Sun Sets. Moon R. and Sets. Moon's Age. Clock Davof bef. Sun.i Year. ■>A Th Q. \'ic. B. ISig. Small Heath Butterfly. Oriental Poppy. 08 a. 8 05 a. 7 lU 14 3 3 29 144 ib V Pes. Helena b. 1840. Bees first swarm. Common Avens. 57 50 11 7 3 3 23 145 ■iii s Augustine. 0.\.T.e. Grizzled Skipper Bfly. Rhododendi-on. 50 08 a 50 4 3 17 146 i'i HtJN WhitS. Vcn.Bede. Garden Carpet Moth. Buttercup. Dingey Iris. Mountain Blue-bottle. 50 morn. 0 3 10 147 m M WhitM. Sandpiper fii^t seen. .04 VIII. 0 34 1> 3 3 148 •^y 'J'n K. Chas. II. rest. l660. Stinging Fly seen. 53 1 0 04 7 2 56 149 m VV EmbeeWeek. Oi.T.b. Swallow-tail Bfly. Spearwoi't. 52 3 1 20 8 2 48 150 ledictine monk sent to evangelize in s noticed by us in the calendar for March I the year 5g6 ; was instrumental in re- animating Christianity among our countrymen ; became Archbishop of Canterbury ; ^nd died on this day, about the year 60/. I born at Ja of Durham, piety ; and his " Ecclesiastical History" is a surviving evidence of his learning and industry. It is not an excess of praise to say that he was the best scholar and the most pious ecclesiastic of the dark age in which he lived. He died on the day to which his name is appended in our calendar, and in the year 735. His body was at first buried in the chapel of his monastery at Jarrow, but was afterwards removed to Durham, and placed in the same coffin with the remains of St. Cuthbert. Whitsuntide. — This festival, superseding the Pentecostal feast of the Jews, celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the first Christian converts, Gentiles as well as Jews. (Acts ii.) Whitsunday is the seventh Sunday after Easter, and appears to have been annually commemorated even in the time of the Apostles. It has been thought that the name Whitsun is allusive to the white garments, indicative of purity, worn by the early Christians at this season ; but it is more probably derived from the Saxon word Wlta, superior knowledge, it being the festival commemorating the gift of vriadom direct from God. Restoration of Chaeles II. — Although oak apples are worn on this day, it was not because Charles the Second was at this season of the year concealed in the oak at Boscobel. That concealment was on the 6th of September, l651, three days after his defeat at Worcester; but "Oak-apple day" is the anniversary of the king's birth, which was in 1630, and of his entry into London, after the Protectorate was overthrown, in l66o. The king's concealment in the oak is thus described in a little volume published at the time, and called "Boscobel" — " Colonel William Carlis (Careless) made choice of a thick leafed oak, into which William and Richard Penderel helped both the king and the colonel, and brought them such pro- vision as they could get, with a cushion for his majesty to sit on. In this oak they continued most part of that day, his majesty resting his head on the colonel's lap, who was watchful that his majesty might not fall ; and in this posture bis majesty slumbered away some part of the day." An oak tree, said to have been raised from an acorn of the real " Charles's Oak," and enclosed mthin a brick wall, was growing at Boscobel but a few years since, and, probably, is there still. Phenomena OF the Season. — Avery trustworthy correspondent, writing to us from Bury, in Suffolk, says: — "With us the night- ingale sang on the 23rd of April, swallows appeared on the 25th, the_ cuckoo was heard on the 26th, and the redstart seen on the 29th. Perhaps you will oblige us in a week or two, in your entomological corner, with a figure of the * Cicada,' ' Frog-hopper,' or ' Plea-locust,' Cfor by all these names is it kno^vn,) and its history— that destroyer of carnations and picotees, and general defacer of almost every plant. How is it generated ? The perfect insect is not seen till August, and yet we have the young now in abundance in the greenhouse, and even upon seedling plants under glass." We will, before long, give a drawing of the curious insect to which our correspondent refers, and which is more popularly known as the "Cuckoo-spit," {Tetti- gonia spumaria). Insects.— During the latter part of the evenings of this and the next month, a middle-sized brown moth may be seen very often flying in our gardens, and visiting our beds of cabbages and lettuces, of which its caterpillars are most destructive. This is the Cabbage Moth {Mamestra brits- sic/s, and Nocfua brassicce of some naturalists). It measures about l3 inch across the opened fore wings, which are dusky brown, clouded with darker shades, and marked with pairs of dark spots on their front edge; from these spots proceed the streaks which mark the wings across ; there are various spots on the wings, some yellowish, and those in the middle surrounded with white, the kidney- shaped one with a whitish grey cres- cent round it, and blackish beyond ; the wings have a grey, yellowish- striped fringe, and near this, at the point farthest from the body, they have a row of black triangular marks ; the hind wings are Ught-brownish grey, with dark veins ; the body and head are of various shades of blackish grey, with a darker stripe of the May 1841. 1842. 1 1843. 1844. , 1845. 1846. 1847. 1848. ifcs't ternp. Fine, Showery. Showery. Cloudy. Rain. Cloudy. Cloudy. Fine. ro^-osi 65° -40° ! 68° -44° 66°-45° 6l°-45» 75°-45° 71°-44° 76°-41° Fine. Showery. Fine. Cloudy. Showery. Cloudy. Fine. Cloudy. 26 Fine. Showery. Showery. Fine. Rain. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. 8U°-58° 66°-47° 66°- 45° 58°-41° 73°-39° 75°-36° Cloudy. Fine. 82°— 60° 68°-51° 63°— 43° 56°-43° 67°-48° 71°- 42° 84°— 50° 67°— 34° 28 Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Rain. Fine. Fine. 80°— 51° 70°— 41° 65° -44° 59°-48° 67°-49° 67°-41° 91°— 59° 77°— 37° 29 Fine. Rain. Stormv. 72°-54° 71°-46° 58°-44° 55°— 48° 77°-45° 39 Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Cloudy. Fine. 74°— 49° 73-4b° 64°-48° 6l°— 45° 64"-39° 79°— 44° 77°-44° 72°-39° the side of clods c white, surrounded " .pe. The caterpillar is found in July, August, and September, feeding upon 1 of cabbages and lettuces. The only remedies are, destroying the moths seen, and hand-picking the caterpillars. The latter bury themselves in the A SUBJECT for very just regret occurs in the want of precision in tlie language, or rather in the names, employed by the cultivators of the soil. Take as examples the terms " Marl' and " Loam" and ask any six farmers, or any six gardeners, to explain the kind of earth which they intend when tliey make use of either of those terms. Not one of their definitions wUl be quite alike, and some of them so irrecon- cilably different as to shew that they are speaking of different things. It was but the other day, after Mr. Beaton had recommended the employment of loam in potting camelKas, that a correspondent wi'ote to inquire whether he was right iu employing bi'ick earth to those flowers, for brick eai'th is known as " loam " iu the district where he resides. Another intelligent correspondent, from the neighboui'hood of Bungay, writes as follows : — " The term ' loam ' has such a wide field of appli- No. XXXiy., Vol. II. 84 cation, from the compost mentioned in vol. i. p. 12-i, to the sand I here obtained from a pit ; and loam is also referred to as the rich matter that is obtained from rotted turves fr'om old pastures. Mr. Beaton, in this week's number (10th May), in his interesting article on camellias, refers to a ' mellow loam' which, ' to the touch,' is ' like new flom- fi-om a miU.' I have often tm-ned it over in my mind, how these different loams coidd be best distinguished. Now, would not an article on the best way of managing loams from a pit, before they are brought into use, be yery accept- able to young hands? I cannot help thinking it would. Few young gardening aspii'ants have any very definite idea of what is meant by ' loam,' or how to bring it into a state fit for use. At page 14, vol. i., you give a definition of good loam, but the majority of cottagers and many amateiu-s ai-e excluded from the privilege of getting soil from an upland pasture except in small quantities, and the pit is their only source of supply. From necessity I have used a good deal of such loam fresh from the pit to make up borders, and to improve the staple of soU, and also a mild white clay which is intermixed with chalk- stones, and pulverizes to atoms with the first frost. =;; So far as I have yet been able to judge, the efi'ect has been good." Now, with regard to the meaning of the term "loam," as employed by om'selves, we never have, nor shall we ever employ it in any other acceptation than what we believe to be its legitimate meaning — namely, soil easily crumbled, that does not quickly become diy in summer, or too moist in winter. This kind of loam admits of many qualifications. It is turf I/, when taken fi'om a pasture, without first re- moving the gi-ass or turf fi-om its surface ; it is sandy, when sand renders it more light than is desfrable for a fertile soU; clayey, when clay is similai-ly rather iu excess; chalky, if it contains more than the usual amount of chalk. In addition to these distinctions, gai-deners often employ some others,"whicli though quite intelligible to themselves, yet convey no meaning to the unprac- tised amatem;. Thus, by midden loam is always meant soil taken from the surface of an old pastm'e ; and by kagel loam, a rich crumbly soil of a dark brown or hazel colom', owing partly to its containing more than the usual quantity of decaying vegetable mat- ters. Loam, then, or soU crumbly and constituted so as neither to be too wet nor too di-y under ordinaiy circumstances, is usefrd for rendering light soils more retentive of moistiu'e, and heavy soils less retentive, by being mixed with them. It is, also, one of the most useful matters for potting plants. For this pur- pose, whether from a pasture or from a pit, it had better be placed in a heap, and tm-ned over four or five times during exposure for a twelvemonth to the sun, afr, and fi-ost, precisely as is directed at p. 14 of our first volume. For potting purposes it must not be mixed with dungs or any other liighly stimidating * This " mild white clay " is a genuine marl. Marl is e of chalk with either clay" or sand. In the first case it is marl;" in the second, "sandy marl." THE COTTAGE GARDENER. M.4T manures ; but if the loam is obtained fi-om a pit, it may be advantageously mixed with a small quantity of dead leaves, or of the bottom of an old wood stack, about one part to ten parts of loam, to be thoroughly incoi-porated by the tm-nings and yeai-'s exposm-e. THE FEUIT-GAEDEN. The Fig.— To no fi-uit-trce is disbudding of gi-eater importance than to the fig. Let the soil be ever so carefully constituted to avoid luxuriance, stUl the fig, in a trained state, will produce a host of superfluous side shoots, as well as numerous suckers fi-om the roots. Old wom-out ti-ees, or those which have home abundantly for years, may prove an exception, but thus it is with the majority. On examining the cha- racter of the wood as it springs forth, two or three distinct kinds may be clearly traced ; distinct as to the proportion the thickness of the young shoot bears to the length of what botanists term, the inlernode, or that part between each two joints. This iuter- node, as we have before observed, furnishes by far the best criterion of fi-uitfulness in nearly all our fruit-ti-ees, and should at all times be kept under examination, for it will at once fm-nish a key to the conditions of the tree, prospective as well as retros- pective. Of the three different kinds of wood, one will be fomid of an over-luxm-iant character, long in the internode, and thick or succulent in substance; a second kind wUl be found almost as weakly as straws, lanky and .■^pongy; and a thii'd kind will be found robust, but sliort-jointed and compact. This last is the kind of wood to reserve for future bearing. This sort of wood does not ramble so fast as the others ; and, whereas the first-named kind may possess inter- nodes of two or three inches in length, the latter will fi-equently possess three or four joints in that com- pass. These things may not be suificiently manifest for two or three weeks yet; when, however, the young gi-owth has advanced so far, we trust om- readers wiU be ready to study thefr chaa-acter. The present beai-ing of these remai-ks refers to dis- budding; implying, thereby, a selection of the wood which is to produce the next year's crop. Much allowance must be made for the habit of varieties of this fruit: some natm-aUy produce a grosser shoot and a larger leaf than others: some, as the Lee's Perpetual or Broun Turkey, seldom produce wood too strong, their beai'ing properties are so gi-eat. As soon, therefore, as the character of the young shoots can be distinguished, so soon should disbudding com- mence ; for, in the ma,iority of figs on walls, by far the largest proportion of yomig shoots will have to be stripped away. As this process of rubbing off buds will have to be repeated at intervals through Jime and even July, it is weU to proceed somewhat cau- tiously at first ; in fact, with the amateiu-, the Uttle niceties connected with his miniature ft-uit-garden will furnish a constant source of employment ; and, to a well-ordered mind, a kind of gi-atification which will be sought for in vain in the mazes of the world's struggles for wealth or fame. Here there are no rivals, no capricious fluctuations or oscillations, such as frequently cause the pendulum of publlo life to waver in a painfid degi-ee. The Creator has so or- dered nature, that a steady attention to her axioms or first principles will, in the main, ensure success in horticultural operations. May THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. 85 Another matter must receive attention : tlie root suckers must be tliinned out. We need scarcely say that no more of these are to he retained tlian are neoessai'y to fill the vacant spaces on tlie wall, or to tie down on the older branches. And here, tlie whole question assumes a wider bearing ; for, on look- ing over our notes as to past proceedings, we find that although we have several times suggested the ty- ing down of young spray of a fruitful character on the stems of aU the spur fruits, yet we have not hinted at the same course with the fig. We may here advise, tlien, what we consider to be the very best points of practice with this tree. Eu'stly. — To train it, if possible, perpendicularly, in order that the main shoots nnining in parallel lines may always remain in the same position, and be equi- distant at all points. Secondly. — To keep those permanent " leaders " a greater distance apart than is usual; say 10 inches in the small-leaved kinds, and 15 in those of the large- leaved section. Thu'dly. — To commence, as early as possible, a system of tying down the short-jointed young spray before alluded to ; observing to tie down no two young shoots side by side. Fourthly. — To encom-age no root suckers beyond what ai'e reqiusite for the above pui'poses. We may here state what our reasons are for this com'se. In the first place, we are decidedly of opinion that, with regard to all trained trees natives of warmer climates, it is of the utmost benefit to keep a portion of the wall totally unshaded, in order that by absorbing freely a portion of the solar rays, it may prove a reservoir of heat ; giving its heat out again gradually in the neighbourhood of the fruit. Now, the fan system is not complete in this respect; indeed, is not thoroughly adapted for a tying down system. It would scarcely be possible to keep the leaves equally divided by this system ; for it is evi- dent that the poiat from whence the branches di- verge, and which form a letter V, as before observed, would be more crowded than some other parts ; in- deed, on the fan principle, the fui'ther the branches extend, the wider they are apart. If, therefore, the tying down be admitted, and the propriety of getting the wall itself heated be also allowed, we conceive that the parallel training follows as a matter of If, however, old and well established trees, which answer well, aie fan-trained, our advice is, "let well alone :" this is another afl'aii-. We speak of starting young trees on a settled system. For the present we leave the fig and pass on to miscellaneous matters. Apples. — The Amenoan Blight. — In the course of the month of May this tremendous apple-pest will begin to reappear, unless fairly exterminated dm-ing the winter. We have some trees which were infested, and which we fairly bathed, as it were, in the hquor before adverted to, by means of hand syi-iaging, several times repeated. We are almost inchned to flatter om-selves that the enemy is departed ; if, how- ever, he return, we shall apply train oil or gas tar by means of a painter's brush ; for, although a wliole- sale application of these powerful things is very injurious to the bark of the trees, yet we have often used oil, in light oases, without any perceptible in- jm-y. When, however, the tree is much infested, oil is out of the question. Nevertheless, mere hand- brushing is a gi-eat disturber, even with a dry yet coarse brush. StiU. it is safe practice to use some daubing mixture, which wiU at least oavise them to suspend operations, even if it does not look them up in their dens. For such a proceeding, we would suggest another ehgible application at this period. Beat up three ounces of soft-soap in a gallon of warm water, add three handsful of flowers of sulphm-, and then add haU' a gallon of strong iirine from the sta- bles; beat the whole well together, and keep add- ing pure clay until the whole is a tliick paint. This, daubed into then holes, will wedge the insects up in prison long enough for them to be destroyed with the caustic powers of the mixtm-e, and will not injure the trees like oil. Towards the end of the month the apple-trees in fruit wiU want hand-picking carefiflly, to free them from the caterpillars. Those amatem's who have only a few dwarf trees ought not to leave on them one of these depredators. Such operations wOl surely form, at times, a recreation for the female members of the family. Cherbies. — ^The cherry aplds or black fly (Aphis cerasij may be expected at the end of the mouth. Tobacco-water is the best remedy, and they may either be dipped in a bowl, like the plums, by bend- ing the young shoots forward before they are nailed ; or the whole tree, if much infested, may be syringed with the mixture. The disbudding of cherries, or thinnmg out, may stand over for a couple of weeks or more. The operations necessary with the cherry, with the excep- tion of a clearance of the aphides, ai'e by no means so urgent as with some of om other fruits. The Filbert. — The ground suckers will shortly make their appearance. Let them be stiipped eleai- away, according to previous advices. The Black Cdrrani. — Here, again, the aphides frequently create serious depredations. Preventive measures are the best; and such consist, in the main, by supplying a permanency of moistm-e to the root. When the shoots become much infested, tobacco- water, according to our pliun and cherry recipes, should be applied ; and, although rather expensive, it will assuredly pay for the application, inasmuch as not only the cm-rent year-'s crop but the perfect- ing of the future year's wood depends on cleanliness. E. Ekringtos. THE rLOWER-GARDEN. Pillar Eoses. — There is no kind of shi-ub, how- ever beautiful, that is used to ornament a garden scene, so well adapted to take vaiious forms as the rose. It can be used as a dwarf tiny plant to fill the smallest bed; as a bush to plant amongst other shrubs ; as one to plant in beds of lai-ger dimensions in groups ; as a tail standard, to form avenues of roses on each side of a noble walk ; standai-ds can also be planted in groups on a lawn. These, also, are often planted in the centre of a large cu-culai- bed, with half standards aroimd them, and dwarfs in front, thus forming an amphitheatre of roses, which, when in bloom, is one of the finest sights in the floral garden. It can also be used to cover naked banks and dry rocks, and as a chmber to ornament the amatem-'s villa, or the more humble abode of the cottager ; also to plant against naked walls or palings, and to form drooping shrubs when grafted on high standards, to wave gracefully then boughs, laden with fragrance and bloom, in the wai'm gales of summer and autumn. All those forms are very beautiful ; but amidst them all, elegant though they are, there are none that show ott' the beauty and grandeur of the rose with such efl'ect as training tlaem up pillars. We oaanot too strongly recom- THE COTTAGE G.4EDENER, May mend to om- amateur and cottage readers this mode of cultivating " Uie queen of flowers." Fine exam- ples may be seen in various places, and in most nui'series. Perhaps the finest one of the kind may he seen at the Cheshunt Rose nin-series, helonging to A. Paid Rud Sons. This pai-ticular pUlar rose is named Wells's Oarland. Though not a firstrate rose, yet the great numher in immense clusters that it produces gives it a splendid appearance at a short distance. A strong pole, some years ago, was set firmly in the gi'ound, the rose planted at its foot, and three shoots trained up round the pillar. These, in consequence of being twined around, have broken into shoots, bearing flowers all the length of the pole. These shoots bear- such an enormous quantity of flowers that the piUai' may he seen at a consider- able distance, looking then hke an immense wreath of snow hanging gracefully m the an-. We mention tills as an example which may be easily adopted by any persons that can proom-e poles for the pm-[)ose, and will take the pains to train the roses properly. The poles, when single, ought to be pretty stout, and set finnly in the ground, or they may be blown down by sti-ong winds. More slender poles may be used if placed in a triangular' form, about three feet from each other at the base, and the ends brought together at the top. Tie them together there with some strong taiTed cord, or with stout copper wke. Tliey will, in this form, stand the strong gales mucli better than when planted singly. The best kind of poles for this purpose are young larches — the tliinnings of plantations — they last much longer than any other kind. Should you adojit the triangular piUar, you may either plant tlu-ee roses of the same variety or have three different kinds — planting one at the foot of each pole. This being a matter of taste, we may leave the choice to the cultivator. Train the roses from pole to pole, so as to completely hide them when ill fuU foliage and flower ; they will then form a beautiful tall pyramid of flowers. Our cottage friends may easily have pillar roses, as in the country such poles may be had almost for nothing. It is ti-ue that larches do not gi-ow evei-ywhere ; and, in the case of there being none near you, other kinds of poles may be used — such as oak, ash, or hazel. These will last a considerable tune if the ends that are in the soil be chaiTed, and then dipt in pitch while warm. Set them in the sun some time till quite diy jireviously to using them. Pillars for roses are, in the gardens of the gentry of this country, often made with u-oii rods, with arches of the same, or small chains hung loosely from pillar to pillar, so as to form beautifvd festoons of those lovely flowers. These arches, and chain festoons of roses, on each side of a terrace walk, have a beautiful effect. Sometimes the arch is thrown over the walk only, and the roses trained over head. In one instance, the three modes are happUy combmed, and with the happiest results. This instance to which we allude is in the gardens of the amiable Mrs Bosanquet, of Broxbourne Biuy, near Broxbourne, in Hertfordslui'e — a lady whose skUl and success in cultivatbig roses are well known for many miles around her neighboiu-hood. A visit to her gardens, where flowers of all kinds that grow in the ah- are cultivated to the highest point of exeeUence, is a rich treat, to be remembered with feelings of the highest delight. The remark has often been made that the love of flowers has the efiect of making the possessor happier, wiser, and better ; and never has this axiom been better exem- plified than in this instance. This lady takes great deUght in her flowers, and spares no expense to have the garden Itept in the best state of cultivation. She is a kind neighboiu' to her equals, a good mis- tress to her servants, and a benefactor to the sick and needy — thus proving the truth of the axiom above refeiTed to. Tliere ai'e, no doubt, huudi'eds of such characters in tliis countiy, lovely as then- flow- ers, " doing good by stealth, and blushing to find it fame." May then- number be gi'eatly increased throughout the land ; and may The Cott.\ge Gar- dener be one of the means of that increase. To retimi to iron pUlars. Our amateur friends willing to be at the expense of erecting such, may easily ascertain the cost of any respectable iron- monger. These may eitlier be formed of a single upright rod, or with four rods at about nine inches distant from each otlier ; thus forming a square pillar, fastened with cross pieces of strong wne. The rose may be planted in the centime, and the branches as they gi-ow be trained to each corner rod, and small shoots trained between them. Bring all the shoots to the outside, and do not allow any to twine round the rods, but tie them to each mth has matting or smaU twine. These can be easily tlien loosened from the pillars whenever they requu-e painting, an operation that must not be neglected, as the u-ou will soon rust, and thereby injure the plants, and be very unsightly. Previously to plant- ing the roses make the soil veiy rich, as you requiie those roses to grow quickly in order to flower freely, and cover the pOlars, arches, and festoons as soon as possible. Pruning. — PUlai- roses should receive a land of temporai-y pruning about November, At that time shorten in the long straggling branches only. In the beginning of March, prune in the side shoots to tlu-ee or four eyes, and tie in the leading ones to nearly their full length. Take away all coarse, sti'ong, gluttonous shoots — those robbers of the strength which ought to be husbanded to nouiish the flower- bearing branches. Other matters caU for oiu- atten- tion, so we must defer the list of kinds suitable for this purpose tOl om' next Number. Insects. — Tlie rose caterpillars* will now begin theii- desti-uctive attacks upon the leaves and young buds of the rose. No application of any liquid that we know of will desti-oy tliese desti-uctive insects. The only way is to cnish them mth your finger. " The worm i th' bud," alluded to by Shaljespere, is this insect. In the bud, then, you must look for it ; but too often the effect is discovered before the cause ; or, in other words, the buds containing the flowers are eaten by this caterpillar before you per- ceive its presence ; but tliis is the effect of Wiuit of observance. We advise you, therefore, earnestly, to be dihgent eveiy day in examining your rose bushes, and crush the enemy before he has destroyed your rose buds, and tlius made of no avail all tlio pains, cost, and anxiety you may have bestowed. l-'LORISTS' FLOWERS. Anemones. — The tine double varieties will now be beginning to expand tlieir variously-coloiu'ed flowers. Protection from heavy rains, sleet, hail, and cold • The caterpillnrs attacking the leaves and huds of roses are those of more than one speeies of moth, but the most common arc those of the Ai'ffi/votosa Bergmannimia, or Tortrir rosann. The moth is very small and beautiful, and is often very numerous in gardens, and about hedges, late in July and early in August. The caterpillar draws the young leaves of the rose together by its web, and pierces, with numerous holes, the mass thus formed. The caterpillar is about half an inch long, of a dark flesh colour, mth a black head. The remedy is to open the leaves attacked, and to destroy their assailant. May THE COTTAGE GARDENER. blasts must be continued. Unfortunately we liave still, occasionally, very ungeuial weather, whicb ren- ders those shelters still necessaiy : yet do not cover Tip too much. Expose them to the sun whenever bis beams ajipear moderate. Shoidd the weather have become warmer before these lines meet the eyes of our readers, and the sun shine forth in all his strength, shade -will then be as necessary from too great heat as it has been, liitherto, from cold. The gardener is a creature of watchfulness against ex- tremes, at all times, and of all kinds. Too much wet, too gi'eat di'ought, too much heat, and its oppo- site, too much cold, the lover of his flowers will be constantly guarding against, and, by the proper ap- phances, negativing the ill effects of those extremes. Anemone Sowing. — Anemone seed may now be soivn. The way in which the greatest success was achieved that we ever knew we shall try to describe. We are quite certain, if the following directions are faithfully carried into practice without any crinkum crankums of would-be gardeners, the result will be highly satisfactory. Eirst, fix upon your bed or beds in a moderately warm sheltered part of your garden. Then remove the old soil away from the beds to the depth of 16 or 18 inches, according to the situation of your garden. If it is low and swampy, with a wet clay bottom, do not dig so deep : if high and diy, or with a sandy or gi-avelly subsoil, you may go a little deeper. The soil being removed, then put in fi-om fom' to six inches of unmixed cowdung, such, for instance, as might be gathered up with a spade in the fields where these animals feed. Upon this layer of dung place as much good fresh loam from your compost yard as will raise the beds to their former level, or a little higher. Make the surface very fine, and then sow the seed. Anemone seed requires to be well rubbed with the hand, either amongst some sharp sand or finely sifted coal-ashes, to separate the seeds. When the seed is sown, cover it uumediately with some sifted, light, sandy soil, three-quarters of an inch. It will soon come up, and should be frequently watered in dry weather. Beds so made will flower the same year, and will produce an amazing quantity of truly magnificent flowers. 1'. Appleby. GEEENHOUSE AND WINDOW GAEDENING. Growing Cyclajien Seed. — I was much amused, one morning last week, on observing a strong looking countryman running after me along a shady walk in the pleasure gi-ouuds. He was nearly out of breath, and oozing at every pore, when he came up to me. He was carrying a lai-ge jilant of the Cyclamen per- sicum imder bis ai'm — and a beautiful plant it was — in a nine-inch pot, and just going out of bloom. " Well, sir," quoth I, "you seem to have overslept yourself this morning, being in such a hurry so early." " No, master, begging yom- pardon, 1 am seldom in bed after five in the morning ; but I am out of breath." " I see you are, and out of the way too : don't you know that we are very pai-ticular here about letting strangers into these gardens." " I knows you be, hut I am no stranger ; the baronet knows me since he was a boy ; I rent imder him at Crowfield, only four miles across ; and I was coming over to see liim tliis morning, and I heard say that you have been writing a book about flowers, and 1 says to my wife last night, dash me if I don't take that 'ere cyclamen over to-morrow, and see Sir William's gardener about it. Perhaps he ciin tell me the reason why it won't seed with us. And here I am, rough enough, as you see, owing to this cold wind ; but, thank goodness, I have a comfortable home, and would be glad to see you if you was coming over om' way. I am sure my wife would be very happy." "Very happy if you were to engage me to do her garden, I suppose, eh ? But what is it you want me to do about this cyclamen : it seems like a large plant— how do you manage it?" " I keep it in the window along with the other plants, and give it no water, after the leaves drop off, till new leaves come again in the autumn. We had it many years, and it always blossoms better than any of them I ever saw; but I have tried all sorts of advice to get it to seed, but the more I try, the more it won't do it; so, if you would be so good as to put me on the right way, I am sure my wife — " "les, yes ; I know you fanners are a kind-hearted, generous race ; but here, in Suffolk, you have an odd way of insisting on yom- visitors smoking in your ' keeping rooms :'- and when people go to Rome, they too often think they must do as Rome does, for fear of becoming marked birds : so, if you please, let me examine your plant, and if we can get it to seed next year I may come over to see it, but shall not engage to smoke. What is the lai-gest number of blossoms you have seen on this cyclanien at one time ?" " I have often counted fifty fiiU-blown ones, beside those that were coming on and going off." " And it never seeds?" " No." " Does it shrivel much in summer when dry ?" " Sometimes ; but I believe my wife gives it water now and then." " You keep it always in the window ?" " Always ; and every year it tries to seed, but as soon as the stalks begin to coU, the top of them withers away, as you see." " Well, tlien, it strikes me that you either keep it too dry in summer or give it water in a saucer while at rest, and so damage the roots; and if the bulb, as we may call it, has to renew its roots every year, or is otherwise expended by too much di-ying, it has not sufficient strength left to make seeds, for that is the last and greatest eflbrt of all plants. Keep the soil moist as long as the leaves are gxeen ; when they fade, plunge the pot in a border in fi-ont of your house, so as to be an inch below the surface ; and, if the soil of the border is heavy, put three or four little stones under the pot, which, in showery weather, wfll assist the drainage better than if the bottom of the pot were resting on the solid mould. Thus the bulb will be kept in a uniform state dm-ing its resting time — ^neither too wet nor too diy. In September, as soon as the new leaves appear above ground, raise the pot till the surface of it is level with the top of the border, then water it, and leave it out as long as the w-eather is favourable. The leaves will be more firm, and their footstaUis much stronger, if they are first allowed to come to their full size out of doors. Many gardeners turn these cyclamens out of their pots, and plant them in the borders, about this time, to be repotted in the aritumn ; and that plan answers very well with them, but it is more troublesome for amateurs, as the roots wiU spread in the border before the leaves ajipear, and on being removed are very liable to get broken. They must also be fresh potted, and the more late that is done in the autumn the more troublesome they will be to pass tln-ough the winter. Therefore, it will be safer, and just as well, for the dry cyclamens to be left in then- pots : but to leave them in a window, or on a shelf to di'y all the summer, is poor gardening indeed." • Keeping room, a local name for the parlour. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. May Gladioli, — These will now be pushing up strong ribbed leaves ; and they reqiiii-e abundance of water, and as much au' as can be let in. When it is a dry summer, theii- leaves are subject to the ravages of the red spider ; but these are easily kept down with soap-water, as Mr. Appleby says (page 67); and the leaves of gladioli are the easiest to clean, as you have nothing to do but dip a soft rag or sponge in plain or soap-water, and, beginning at the bottom, rub them closely bet\^"een the palm of your left hand aud the wet sponge. This will invigorate any leaf, and particularly these sword-shaped leaves, and keep them free from various kinds of insects if persevered in regularly, or systematically, as we say. Without a system, gai-dening is little better than a lottery. Cinerarias. — If seeds of these are sown this week, or, at the failhest, before the middle of next week, and the young plants well nm'sed, and got into three-inch pots before the end of July, they will come into flower late in the autumn, and so go on through the winter. One thing is absolutely neces- sary, in order to bloom them so early from this sowing, and that is that they be not shifted into fresh pots till the central stem is seen rising out of the three-inch pot ; and then you may put them in five-inch pots, in a rich compost, supj)lying them with liquid manure occasionally. Chrysanthemums. — Cuttings, or divided slips, of these, as soon as they are well rooted, may now be planted out of doors in a rich piece of gi-ound ; and as soon as they begin to grow fi-eely, the tops to be pinched off, in order to get the plants well furnished with blooming shoots from the bottom. This is an easier way to get fine bushy plants of them than gi-ow- ing them all the summer in pots; but they should be taken up early in the autumn and potted before they get too strong, and thefr removal would be safer if done in dull or rainy weather. It is not at all too late now to put in cuttings of them, and they will strike or make roots without the aid of glasses, if they are merely put into some light compost in a shady place, and not planted too thick, nor made longer than four inches. Let them have foiu- inches between them each way. When they are rooted, and begin to grow freely, the very tops ought to be pinched out, aud then the bottom eyes, to the number of four- or five, wUl soon make as many shoots, so that by tliis plan you can have a nice plant at once from the cuttiug bed. When these new shoots are just one inch long is the proper time to remove them. A garden ti-owel is the best thing to transplant them with, as you can take up some of the soil along with the roots, so that they will hai'dly know that they were removed, parti- cularly if you give them a good watering as soon as they are tresh planted ; and by the time they are six inches high you may stop all the centre shoots, or those that apjiear the strongest. Such shoots as are weak may be left as they ai-e, and the force of growth at that season will soon make them of equal strength with those that were stopped. Thus a handsome bushy plant may be formed easily, and more so if the outer branches are trained or tied out to sticks, so that the sun and air may reach the middle ones, and all secondary or small side branches be rubbed off as fast as they appear. Another way I have seen in practice, but not in print, is well worth tiying, and this is about the right time to begin it. Plant two or three strong cuttings in a very small pot, say a three- inch pot, and place them either under a hand-glass or in some close shaded place. When they are rooted, choose one of the best, or strongest, and discard the rest ; retain it in the small pot till it is five or six inches high, then pinch out the point and give it abundance of weak liquid manm-e. This will cause it to make three or four side shoots, and if it makes more i-ub them ofi'. As soon as these side shoots ai-e fafrly in gi'owth, pot the plant into the nest largest sized pot, rising very rich compost, and nothing but liquid manm-e to' water with tlu-oughout the season, and the plant or plants to receive only one more potting; that is, three pots in all. Dwarf plants are thus formed, the flowers of which are very superior to those reared by any other mode of growing the plants. When these plants ai'e intended for exhibition, all the backward flower-buds are cut out with a scissors, and only a moderate portion left, and such as may be expected by then- size to open at the same time. As we of The Cottage Gardener are a kind of happy family among om-selves, who can talk over these little matters just as private families do when the curtains ai-e drawn, and they sit round the cheerful fire, with then- feet on the fender, let me hear how many of our younger branches wiU cairy off the best prizes next autumn with their pot chrysanthemums thus reared. But any of us who may enter the lists in competition with others not of om' cfrcle, should maintain that kindly disposition for which we ai-e already much noticed; for, assm-edly, competition even in flowers is a sad tempter against the best feelings of out nature ; for I have seen as much of it, and of its effects, as most gai'deners of my day; and the best of us are but poor humanity, after all. D. Beaton. THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. We have now fuUy entered upon one of the most interesting periods of the year, and vegetation is making I'apid progi-ess in all directions, although the present month has certainly been remarkable for its sudden atmospheric changes from heat to cold. A few days of excessive heat, with thunder and hail, were suc- ceeded by others with cold winds and cutting frosts at night ; thick fogs, also, and heavy dews have prevailed ; and, although the efieots of such changes ai-e clearly visible, yet we still find there is a general prospect that the eai-th will yield an abundant return to reward the skill and persevering industiy of man. Hoeing and thorough sm-face sth'ring must be well and regularly attended to amongst all gi-owing crops ; and all blanks, or failm'es of seedlings, or planted-out plants, filled up, as every foot of soil that is sufiered to remain vaoautis.of com'se, alossto the cultivator: reduciag his profits, imd thus increasing the rent of the gi'ound, every portion of which should be fuUy occupied with growing crops. Peas and Beans should now be topped; the latter, if affected with the black aphis or dolphin (Aphis fabaj should have a washing with soapsuds. One or two good applications will efiectuaUy destroy these obnoxious pests, and the soil wiU also be greatly benefitted by the operation. Carrots. — The last week in I\Iay or the first week in June is a good time for sowing a ci-op of this vege table, for the supply of the tabic with nice young caiTots during the autumn months. Turnips should be sown in succession, and, by all means, drilled. As soon as they are up, the Dutch hoe can be passed between the di'Uls, and a short- toothed rake across them. A few dry wood ashes or charcoal dust will be found very beneficial to strew over such crops as may be affected by the fly. This application will also encourage the growth of the May THE COTTAGE GABDENER. 80 plants, and keep the sm-faoe of the earth open and Mable. The main crops of Swede turnips should now also he sown without delay. Mangold-Wukizel and Red Beet, as soon as they can be seen above gi-ound, should be surfaoe-stuTed ; and all vacancies filled up by transplanting. Borecoles, such as Brussels sprouts, Buda and other Icales, must be duly pricked out ; and, where this operation has been already attended to, some of the strongest plants may be got out between the early peas and beans. Some of the brocoli, coleworts, and ceUry, for use in autumn, should also be pricked out and planted in succession. CcouMBERS, on the ridge and in slight hot-beds, should be nru'sed on by surface-stu'rings, applioations of tepid water, timely stopping, and by mulching the surface of the soil. Melons. — The full growing season for this de- licious fruit having arrived, to secm'e a good crop they should be supplied with sweet holding soil, with- out the addition of manure of any sort, and a kindly moderate bottom heat maintained : taking care that it does not rise so high as to scorch the roots. Excessive heat to the leaves, also, must be avoided, otherwise they will gi-ow weak. The plants must be stopped, the first time, at the second joint, allowing three shoots then to grow to the length of six or seven joints ; then stopping again the side shoots, which, if a fi-uitful variety, will show fruit at eveiy joint : these shoots must again he stopped one joint above the show- ing fruit. The more that can be managed to get alto- gether into bloom, on some simny day, the better, as by tlus means a choice of the best and handsomest fruit may be obtained for swelling, and aU the in- ferior and ugly-shaped fruit can be taken off. As prevention is better than om-e, a little sulphur vivum, mixed ^vith hot hme or clay to the consistency of paint, should, as before recommended, be brashed occasionally on the inside of the pits or frames, to guard agamst the attacks of the red spider, which may be effectually prevented if taken in time. James Barnes. MISCELLANEOUS INFOEMATION. MY FLOWERS. (No. 29.) One of the loveliest of shrubs is the arbutus, or strawberry-tree, and in this month it may be transplanted. It is a veiy beautiful addition to the garden, and should be placed singly on the lawn ; or, &' among sln'ubs, should stand in a conspicuous place that its full beauty may be seen. The rich glossy foliage and deUcate flowers make it a charming ornament to the autumnal garden; and it needs httle care except in severe weather, when it should be guarded from the fr-ost by htter laid over the roots, and, if convenient, a piece of matting fixed over the top would be a sufiicient safeguard to the boughs ; but where this is not easily to be done, they may he left to brave the winter ; and they must not be con- sidered as dead even if the branches die, for the ti-ee itself is rarely killed, and, if suffered to remain till summer, will almost certainly sprout again, and form a handsome plant that season. Many persons have been known to destroy then- dead-looking plants after very severe winters, while others, who have suffered them to stand, have been rewarded by their retm'n to health and beauty. We must not mind keeping an unsightly shrub among om' rich clumps, or letting it stand for a time withered and bhghted on the neat gi-ass-plot — it may reward our patience, and bccoiiK^ as beautiful as ever. Are we not thus reminded of some plant in the domestic garden — of some one, too, in the garden of our heavenly Father — that has stood for years leafless and dead, till hope itself had almost withered; and yet that plant has spi-ung into Ufe, at last, and become the pride of the garden. The common arbutus is a native of Italy and Spain, and also of Ireland, whose mOd and genial afr, and fi'uitful soU, would, with active cultivation, rival many southern countries. The less hardy ai'butus, distinguished by unlearned gardeners as the oriental or eastern arbutus, requfres more care, but blooms earlier in the year, and has far more beauti- ful flowers and foliage. This variety is a native of Gi-eece ; grows to an enormous size m the island of Cyprus, and abounds in Palestine. In that once rich and glorious land our own common ai'biitus also gi'ows, flowering much later than the other even in that warm chmate, and attaining a consider- able size. In the deep rich vales of Palestine they gi-ow into splendid trees, and are sometimes found with stems measuring six feet in cfroumferenoe. Mingled with the fruitful and fragi-ant trees of the Holy Land, the arbutus is so general and conspicu- ous as to be particularly noticed by ti-avellers ; and its fr-uit is even more beautiful than its flower. When we think that the little shrub we cherish here, scarcely exceeding a few feet in height, gi-ows to such a stately height and size, even now, in a land lying desolate and neglected ; when we think of om- gar- den flowers growing wildly and riclJy on those hills and plains ; of the " Ulies" that spangle the fields, and the mighty olive trees that stand like eternal monuments among the rmns and desolation around them ; — what ideas arise of what Palestine was in the days of her past greatness, and what she will be in those of her coming gloiy. Dear as is om- British home to British hearts, yet who can refuse to "pray for the peace of Jerasalem ?" The arbutus hkes a good soU, and, if possible, peat. If a sheltered spot can be set apart for this shrub, so much the better. It is worthy of some little care. If any lady or cottage gardener possesses a camel- lia japonioa as a pot plant, they must now carefully shade it from the sun, as, if exposed to its influence, the rich gi-een of its polished leaves fades, and becomes a sickly yellow ; therefore, fi-om this time tiU Septem- ber, let them enjoy only the early morniog sim. One is apt to fancy that a gi'eenhouse plant must love the sun, but m tliis case it is not so. Let them have light, only not sunshine ; but these charming flowers will thrive in shade where most other plants would die, and are therefore singularly adapted to form one of that class so pathetically and expressively tei-med, inp. 282 of vol. i., " prison plants." The glowing blossoms of the camellia, so richly colom-ed, so fine in form, so firm in textm-e, charm the eye ; and they possess no scent to make them unwholesome in the closest room; while the ease with which the plants are managed will en- able many persons to cultivate them whose time or means might preclude theii- undertaking those of more pecuhar habits. The httle interesting ti-ouble they give is only with regard to watering. Let the bottom of the flower-pot be well covered with pieces of broken earthenware ; let the soil be lumpy also, to permit free drainage, which is essential to the plant; and during the growing season water should be freely given, but at other times it should be kept rather dry. After the flower buds are formed is the time of THE COTTAGE GAEDEXER. May peril, for if tliey are " drougbted" only for an hour the buds wOl certainly droj) off ; and they wiU do so, too, if the soil is soddened. Care in watering, a loose, lumpy state of the soU, and shade, are the few and simple" riUes for flowering these lovely plants ; i and they are just sirffioient to interest and amuse without expense or difficulty, and this, to a town i flori-t, is of siiiiu; oonseqitence. These flowers" are so [ truly licMiuil'iil tliiit I hope many may he induced to I attfinpt till ii- nilture, both as window and border : plauts, iiiid if they succeed in blooming them I am sure tliey will be abundantly repaid. The leaves will ! sometimes become dusty and dirt)', and then they will be refreshed by sponging them \vith water till they look clean and bright. Sometimes the roots in pots will become matted, and tmable to receive a pro- per degree of moisture : this will be known by the sudden dropping off of the leaves and buds, wliile seeming to be in perfect health and beauty. The plant must then be repotted, pruned, and exposed to the hottest sim, but let the full blaze fall on the pot alone ; the plant itself must be carefully shaded. This treatment wiU restore its health and strength. Stu- the sui'face of the soil fretptently, to prevent the gi'owth of moss, and syringe them often in summer. Let me again recommend ladies to natm-alize the camellia japonica, as I have described in a former paper. The beauty of then- lawn or border wUl be 60 greatly added to by these rich shoots, that if they can possibly contrive the simple means of hardening them, they wUl never regi-et having done so; and thus a splendid plant, now little known except in gi-eenlionses, will take its place among the vaiied beauties of om- EngUsli homes. The fr-osts and eliil- ling nights wOl soon be over, and then they may with safety be tm-ned into the open gi-ound, but place them in a dry, well drained situation, and screened as much as may be from cutting wmds. Our gardens are now daily growing brigliter and sweeter ; every bud, every flower, every sprig that clothes the boughs, utters a fresh word of praise and thankfulness. Let our hearts respond, and let us unweariedly declare, " as we lie down and rise up," and " as we walk by the way," the goodness and mercy of God. HYBRIDIZING. HvBniMziNG is the name of that fascinating process by wliich we obtain new seedling plants from two distinct species of the same genus, or family, or from two varieties of a single species, by merely crossing the one with the other. We have thus three names, the A B C of the language of hybridizmg, or cross breeding, and I may, thus early, state that na- tm-alists, as well as the practitioners iu this art, both in the animal and vegetable kingdoms, have by then' writings and speculations rendered tliis most simple art a perfect Babel, and that by not first learning the A B C of the art. It is, therefore, most essential that the first three letters, or names, should be well un- derstood on the thresldiold, otherwise on entering the temple we may easily be led away, like the rest, into endless confusion ; for there have been as many theories, or rather hypotheses, broached on tlris subject as on the origin of evil. A ijenus, a sjwcies, and a mriety, are the A B C. The genus is the family, A; tlie species, B, are the different members of that family, and these mem- bers wiU only interbreed among tliemselves, and with the varieties C, which must have sprung from the species. In obedience to the divine command to "increase and nnihiiily." the different species of a famihj of plant-, a-, will :is tlic species in a given family of auininl-. iirr loinied to breed with each other, imder ciTt:iin restriutions; some with more freedom than others, it is true, and some resist aU ad- vances in this du'ectiou. But for want of sufficient materials, or data, no theory can yet be oonsti'ucted by which we could say beforehand that such and such species wDl cross ; we must aim at this knowledge by actual experiments, step by step, and every reader of The Cottage Gaudexer may easQy try an experi- ment, and even gain a step, and every step gained is a new fact ; and we all know that it is fr-om a multi- tude of well-attested facts that useful theory can be formed on any subject. Tlierefore, the more recniits that we can enlist into this exjjcrimental field, the sooner these facts will accumulate, on which to con- struct a sound theory that will assist the whole of us. The only absolute rule that we are yet in possession of, is the one I have referred to ah'eady — that plants or species wiU only intermix with others of their own family. This is certain and settled. I may state, however, that many assertions to the contrary have been advanced, but they are aU too apociyphal to require a passing thought. It is true that iDotanists and zoologists, in their respective sphe^-es, have unavoidably classed many plants and animals in dif- ferent families, to which they were not assigned " in the beginning," and many of these naturalists were at first very jealous of the cross-breeder's art, as it revealed iu some instances the looseness of then- classification, hut all this misunderstanding has hap- pily passed away, and now, if you can clearly prove that two plants" wUl crosss together, although they may liave been placed in two different families in the arrangement of the gi-eatest botanist, he will give way at once, and range these plants iu one family. Therefoi'e, in addition to the great interest attached to cross breeding, as a means of increasing the diver- sity of our flowers, it is a useful check on the labours of the botanist, by which he may clear doubtful points in his an-angement, or allow the gardener, or rather The Cottage Gaudenek, to do it for him. Now, to attain to such distinction, we must clearly learn the meaning of our ABC; let us, therefore, for illustration, take the gemis or fiimihj to wluch we ourselves belong. In every arrangement aM families have a particular name to distinguish them from each other ; and the name of our family is manlnnd. " In the beginning " there were only two species of tins family or genus — Adam and Eve; although this definition will better illustrate my meaning, it is not strictly correct. Here, then, we have a genus and two species, but no variety, which is the only remaining letter iu our alphabet. Now, when Cain and Abel were borne into the world, can you say whether or not they were two more species of the genus, or merely two vaiieties of it? On this simple question hinges all the learned disquisitions with which phi- losophers have allowed themselves to be led away into old Chaos again, on the subject of cross-breed- ing, both among animals and plants ; and thousands of the unlearned have also followed iu their path, some in one way and some in another; for, like other questions that can bear to be handled on all sides, this one has had many expoiuiders, almost every one of whom either adopts a new phraseology of his own, or applies that of another iu a different sense to the original meaning intended for it. Hence the Babel of immeaniug or misappUed terms in the language of cross-breeding ; aud hence, too, my reasons for ad- verting to these things, in order to guard mv readers THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 91 against faUing into these quicksands ; for, without first explaining the terms which I mean to use in writing on this fascinating subject, and witliout sliewing the reason why T make use of such terms in preference to others in current use, I cannot expect to make myself so clearly understood as I wish to be, in order to be really useful. I may premise, how- ever, that I do not intend to enter on any of the ab- struse points connected with the subject, but merely the simplest i-ules pointed out by actual experience; and, if I am so fortunate as to succeed in raising an interest on this very interesting topic among our readers, who may not yet have heard of such a pro- cess, sure I am that I shall be adding another strcmg link to that golden chain wWch abeady encircles their gardening resolves. Now, whether we look on Cain and Abel as two va- rieties from two distinct species of the genus mankind, or as two legitimate species, it makes not the slightest difference. The world was peopled from this stock ; and, of all the analogies that have been found to exist between plants and animals, none are more clear than this, namely, that whether we look on plants of one family as distinct species, like Adam and Eve, or as varieties, as we may call Cain and Abel, for argument sake, makes no difference in the process of cross- breeding ; for, if they will cross at aU, it will only be among themselves, for there is no obvious limit be- tween a species and a variety in as far as cross-breed- ing is concerned. Here the grand analogy between plants and animals ceases, The family manhind has, in the lapse of ages, branched out into distinct sections, and eveiy section into subordinate forms ; so much so, that infidels have made a strong handle of this to oast discredit on the revealed word of God, who, for wise purposes, has so constituted this family that the most dissimilar members of the best mai-ked sections of it will "increase and multiply" in obe- dience to His wUl. Not so plants, however ; they, too, or, at least, many of them, have branched out into well-marked sections from original types, like the human race ; but, in the majority of instances, plants thus far removed will not interbreed with each other, but only within their respective sections. The offspring of a cross union among plants may be fertile, half fertile, or altogether quite sterile or barren ; and, as far as we yet know, either of these conditions are not induced by the near or distant re- lationship in the parents ; for every degi-ee of rela- tionship in the parents has been found to produce these effects in their offspring ; so that any two kinds of plants may look as like each other as is possible without being absolutely the same plant, and an offspring fi-om their union will as likely be barren as one produced trom two plants which one could hardly think belonged to one family ; so that we have no criterion in the outward aspect of plants by which we can pronounce beforehand whether they will cross with each other or not; or, if they do, what degree of fertility may be expected from their offspring. Zoologists, starting from the well-known point of the cross between the horse and the ass, and at first beheving the two parents to belong to different families, have admitted the possibility of union between the members of two different families, and that the offspring fi'om such union woidd, in all cases, turn out to be sterOe, as in the case of the Spanish mule ; and, not only that, but even went so far as to oaU such offspring mules. Botanists, rea- soning from analogy, unfortunately admitted the same views in the vegetable kingdom, and brought a world of confusion and uncertainty on themselves and their followers in consequence. We are now only gi'oping om- way out of this darkness and con- fusion, but every season, and almost every experi- ment carried out according to natm'al laws, shews clearly that those views of natui-alists are either un- tenable, or, at all events, require reconsideration. Therefore, knowing that plants the nearest in affinity may produce a barren or sterile offspring, as well as those the most distant, I shall give up the word mule altogether, as conveying no sensible meaning, or a falsehood. Hybrid and cross-breed I shall use as synonymous, although the two words have been used for two different degrees of crossing by the first authority. I shall so use them as meaning the same thing, because, after all, the difference is only in the words, not in what they represent. The simple act of crossing two plants together, any one, even a chUd, can learn in two minutes ; and next week I shall begin with that process. D. Beaton. TO CORRESPONDENTS. *** Several correspondents are obliged to remain unanswered until next week, from want of room. Pigeon's Dung {W. H. ^.;— This is one of the richest of fer- tilizers, being nearly equal to the best guano, and it may be applied with advantage to all garden crops. It abounds with ammonia and phosphate of lime. If you use it for making liquid manure, you may employ half as much more than is directed for guano at p. 3 of the present volume ; all that is there said relative to the employment of guano is applicable to pigeon's dung. Ageeatum U^id).— There is no plant known to us as Ageratum grandiflorum. There are but six species — angiistifolmm, cmruleum, conyzoides, laiifnlium, mea:ieanum, and strictum : they are all an- nuals, all bloom in June and July, and all are white or blue : they are from a foot to a foot and a half high. The two first named are greenhouse annuals, the others are hardy. AU, of course, are propa- gated by seed, but cuttings from them root freely. We suspect that your plant is not an ageratum, but a variety (grandiflora) of Cales- tina ageratoides. If our suspicions are correct, it is a greenhouse herbaceous perennial, a native of New Spain ; its flowers are sky-blue, and bloom in August ; its greatest heighth one foot, and it is propa- gated by cuttings. Names of Plants (/. N. B.).— The white flower we think is Arabis alpina, and the vellow flower Alyasum saxatile, but from such small specimens it'is difficult to be sure of the trivial names. ' * " " ' -Your plant is Boronia sen-ulata, a gre( ' " " " ■ s the > from New South Wales. It requir pot to be very thoroughly drained, and, consequently, the pot should be larger than lal for a pla - ■ ■ ' * ' with some rubbly ( plant of its a should be sandy })eat, mixed want of good drainage, and, probably, keeping the air of your greenhouse too moist, that makes the leaves of your Boronia spotted. (A Subsa-iber, Surbiton) .—The plant from the meadows in your neighbourhood is Orchis morio. " ._ — — . You propose with bark or earth strike cuttings in, tl pit. This for striking cuttings, nor will it do as a sanu ueu, as me pipes cannot safely be heated but in the dead of winter, and merely to exclude frost. Introducing hot bark would only spoil your greenhouse plants, and the space is far too narrow to hold bark enough to retain sufficient heat for ten days. Moving Vines in Pots {Ibid). — Vines in pots may be removed and planted any time in the year. From May to Midsummer is the best time, and they take no hurt if their stems are 10 inches from the pipes. We know of many not farther from the pipes ; those in the Queen'^s new garden, for instance. Greenhouse adjoining a Parlour (T. Picton). — Your green- house, six feet wide, has no room for a front shelf, but only for the usual one sloping to the wall in the centre. The friend who tells you that plants nest the glass " take no harm" is the best gardener of the two ; but, after all, your other friend carries the day, as you have no room nest the glass. Barometrical Tabi.e (Meteorologicus).— We have the offer of more than one, and, at the commencement of our next volume, shall probably add it to our table of temperatures. Honeysuckle (3Iary Marshall).— This planted at the foot of an apple-tree certainly vrill not prevent the latter bearing fruit. This is not "a silly question" to ask, for there are antipathies as well as " Loves of the Plants." Some plants will not grow well near others, and another set will only grow in their company. The corn-flower, for instance, is only seen among wheat. This arises, probably, from the secretions from the roots or leaves of the latter being favourable to the growth of the flower. Arbdtus (Uid).—l{ this is the common sort, by all means turn it out into the open ground. An old Pyrus Japonica and Morella cherry-tree had better be merely unnailed from the wall about to be rebuilt. CoRRCEA C76irf).— You do not mention the name of the species, but, whatever it is, a cutting of a well-ripened ahoot, planted in a pot THE COTTAGE GAPtDEXEPu May of damp sand under a bell-glass, without The best mode of propag:atmg the best k upon a etock of one of the commoner kinds. Your large specimen will not endure the cold of our winter in the open ground, but your Almond will, if of the common kind. We shall give an extract from your note in our nest. Frame Plants tukwing Yellow (W. S.).— The Convolvulus, Zinnia, &c., thus affected, after being raised in a hotbed, are suffering from the cold winds we have had. They will soon recover. Transplakting Seedlings {Ibid). — You ask for the best mode of moving " seedlings raised in pots, in soil half mould and half sand, but which do not transplant singly ; the mould is so loose that they fall to pieces and are destroyed." — Lift them carefully with a fiat stick, and pot them singly, or three together, in a small pot. Put them into the frame, and keep it close for a week. Passiom Floweu (/6/rf). — This was cut down in the winter, and continues green, '' but without buds or leaves."— Put in into a close. frame, and it will soon shew both. Bees (G. W. Pretttf). — Your letter has not been printed, but it shall be in our next double Number, with a short comment by Mr. Payn POTA {G. M. G.) take toes," we suppose iu August, you must Beedlings when they hav ' ' Vegetable-Marrow (Ibid). — We strongly recommend who has a garden to grow To obtain cabbage ■' Shaw pota- rick out the P" each an inch broad. some other pompion of mode: size when ripe. It is an admirable store vegetable, of the greatest ser\'ice to boil and serve at table, either whole or mashed. Mr Cut- hill's mode of growing it, as a successional crop, after early potatoes, is very good : he says, " The seeds of the marrow may be sown about the 1st of May in a warm comer. When transplanting comes, the early potatoes wUl not be near ripe, but lift a root of potatoes every five or six feet in the rows, leaving six or eight rows of potatoes, and then another row of marrows ; when ripe store them away for use." Those who have not yet sown pompion seed may yet have the plants sufficiently forward by sowing in pots of very rich earth, or earth mixed with thoroughly decayed dung, keeping the pots in a warm greenhouse or room of the dwelling, and supplying the plants regu- larly and liberally with water. Autumn-Planted Potatoes (X. 1'.). — The stems of your pota- toes, planted in November and January, were "cut off by the frost." Never mind ; do not do anything, but loosen the surface with a hoe between the rows. The stems will all come again, and when you take up your crop you will be able to laugh at '* the old stagers," who you say are now laughing at you. Cucumber Mildew (fleu. A, Stead). — The whitish spots which attack your neighbour's cucumber leaves, and gradually spread over them, is the mildew. Your description of it, as seen through your microscope, is quite correct. '*It has the appearance of very fine white cotton, interspersed with straight silvery lines, headed by a transparent globular cap, or head." It is a minute fungus, closely allied to that we described at p. 53. It is most probably Nicothecium roseum (which is really a species of Dactylium), but it may be either Oidium erysiphoides or 0. leucomum, both of which Mr. Berkley believes to be species of the genus Erysiphe. But whatever the species may be it is a fungus, and the remedy is to dust the leaves with flowers of sulphur. Chicory Seed {A. C. Nottingham).-— Yon can obtain this of any seedsman who advertises in our columns. Nettles (Rev. F. G. K.). — The only remedy we know is to cut them down close to the turf; then to pare this off, and to cover over the roots of the nettles to the depth of half an inch with common salt ; then put back the turf so that the salt may dissolve gradually. Your turf over the salt will be killed, but this can be easily replaced when the salt is all gone. s (A. C.).— Covering your asparagus bed with salt in decidedly wrong ; the best time for applying it is now. (See p. 113, Vol. I.}- If you put the salt on very thick in the winter, when frost and snow were prevalent, you probably caused so low a temperature to the plants as to kill them. Mixing salt and frozen water together causes one of the lowest degrees of cold known. However, asparagus is very backward this year, and your plants may have vegetated after you wrote. Climber for Lattice Work {T. J. Cross),— "No plant will answer so well for the lattice work, to act aa a screen all the year, as Irish ivy, especially as it will be partly shaded by the lilac before it. Flowers in Town Gardens (Eneas).— The double daisy will c to grow nd leaf-mould, in equal parts, we havc'foiind the bf st flowers. The best liquid-manure for them is made from .;uano, or pigeon's dung. Half an ounce of sulphate of ammonia to a gallon of water may be used once in ten days to dahlias. It should not be given until the flower-buds appear. Stems op White Lily (76irf).— These, which you say are broken off by accident, will not grow. — You can try cutting them into three- inch lengths, and burying these an inch below the surface, keeping them well supplied with water. We do not believe they ^vill emit roots, but let us know the result. Ashes of Cigars and Tobacco f/6id}.— These contain sulphate of potash, muriate of potash, and phosphate of lime ; therefore, in small quantities, probably would be useful as a fertilizer. We know of no experimenta made with them. Kaspberries (A. A. Clericus).—You.r raspberries have thrown up many suckers all round them, and you wish to know what you should do with these. Dig them all up except three closest to each of the present stools — these three to be preserved for bearing next year— and one sucker further off from each stool, to be .removed in October, when jou are making your new plantation. iiLA iNSiCNis (A Subscriber, Wigtonshire).~ThU has rs. The species which has white flowers, spotted with rather pnrple, must have been either NemopJiila atomariii Ui. You may get these from the florists who advertise in our columns. Rhubarb Gathering (Grtj-rft^ner). — The best mode is to remove a little of the earth from round the bottom of the leaf-atalk, and then slip it off from the crown without using a knife. AsTELMA BXiMiUM (S.).— This is the name of your plant, which you correctly state to be a native of the Cape of Good Hope. If you can obtain seed from it, you may raise seedlings in a gentle hotbed, and grow the plants in your window. Queen or the Prairie (liid).— This is a hardy hybrid climbing rose, having flowers rosy red, striped with white. If you thin out the branches very much in the autumn, topping those you leave, and reduce the roots at potting time, so as always to keep it growing in a 12-inch pot, you will probably be able to cultivate it in your window. But we hope Mr, Beaton will "say something before long about the culture of roses in pots, and he will then not forget the example set by the Yellow Banksian rose in a pot at the Chiswick Show. Df,stroying Birds (/Aid).— Wc shrink from all recommendations as to the modes of taking away life from animals, and prefer, our- selves, to scare birds away. Thanks for your beautiful little book, "Birds' Nests and Birds •" it deserves to be sown over the land, and its price, t^vopence, cannot prevent its general diffusion. Weeds on Asparagus Beds {A Subscriber, Surbiton). —Sow them so thickly with salt as just to appear white ; it Avill kill the weeds and benefit the asparagus. Wooden Cistern (Gardener). — Paint it within and outside with gas tar, boiling, and mixed with a little fat. Bean-blossoms Falling (P., £.re/er).— You say that "a hole is bored in the case (calyx) of the bean-blossom, causing both the flower and bean to drop off." — Some weevil may do this, but we never knew an instance of the kind. When we have observed beans shed their blossoms, it has always been from the want of water to the Potatoes Cut off by Frost (7itd).— This having happened tT;\-o or three times, your sets "now have tillered out from five to fifteen shoots each."— This is abad symptom, and is ominous of a poor crop, from exhaustion in the sets. If^ the case was ours, we should thin these multitudinous stems to one or two to each set ; after doing so, hoeing the surface of the ground between the rows, but not earthing them up. Please to let us know the result. Poultry (A Constant Reader). —These may be kept in your yard ■ ■" ' iquare, and you cannot do better than have it half turfed and the remainder where they all your questions will be considered when wi write about poultry keeping, find J -One of the main branches being broken off you are unable to stop the bleeding, which is so profuse as to water the ground beneath. We never knew the following plan fail : — Cut the face of the wound smooth, and apply a thick plate of iron, heated intensely red hot, until that face is completely made black —in short, is reduced to charcoal ; then immediately rub in very hard a salve, previously ready, made of two parts tallow and one part fresh quick-lime. Cyclamens after Flowering (Clericus, Beds.). — Mr. Beaton's directions to the farmer, in our columns to-day, are exactly applicable to your case. Scale on Orange-trees (T. Griffin).— The insect on your orange and lemon-trees, haAing a tortoise-shaped shell or covering, is one of the scale tribe, and is either Coccus hesperidum, or Coccus testudo. They will be destroyed by holding the trees for five minutes Mice (C. F. C . covering the surface 140°, Chiswick Show (S. W,, Uxbridge), — We are obhged by your note. You approve of our former Supplements because they "add to the stock ot information cottage gardeners wish to obtain," but you object to the last Supplement because unsuited to their sphere and reciuirements ; and you tell us that it is not a satisfactory reply that it IS optional with any subscriber to take it or to reject it. Now, as it is BO printed as not to be pa^cd with the volume, we think that reply conclusive ; but you are quite right in supposing that we have otner reasons for printing our last Supplement. First, among these, and contrary to your opinion, we wished to report to our friends, the cottage gardeners, what the best horticulturists of England can do in gardening suitable to their sphere ; for, with comparatively few ex- ceptions, the plants exhibited were either greenhouse or hardy. These shows, also, are the annual epochs of English gardening, fur- nishing data, as being the present perfection of cultivation, from which we may mark future improvements ; and we think the hum- blest of our readers may usefully employ this data. It is only fair to ourselves to add that *a sale of many more than we ever hoped to dispose of would be required to repay our outlay on this Supplement, yet we purpose repeatmg such a Supplement annuallv, unless oiu- readers generally object ; but giving our reports of the other two shows of the Horticultural Society gratuitously to our readerR. We shall give lists of the prmcipal winning plants at the Chiswick and Regent's Park Shows in our next. jondon: Printed by Harry Wooldeidge, H7, Strand, in th( Parish of Saint Marv-le-Strand ; and Winchester High-street, ii the Parish of St. Mary Kalendar ; and Published by William SoMEEViLLE Orr, at the Office, 147, Strand, in the Parish ol Saint Mary-lc-Strand, London.— May 2-tth, 1849. THE COTTAGE GARUExNER. WEEKLY CALENDAR. M H ;u 1 i 4 0 c D MAY 3l^IUNE C, ISiO. 1 Plants dedicated to each day. Sun Rises. Sun Sets. Moon B. Moon's! Clock andScts.j Age. |bef. Sun. "^i:'. Th. E. S. Sun, M. Tu. W. Eour-spotted Dragon-fly. Niconiede. Botau. Soo. Meeting Virginian Spider-wort flovveis Trinity S. Common Red Poppy flowus Spotted Fly-catclier lays. K.Hanov.b.1771. Linn.&Bot.Soc Meet Landrail first heard. Yellow M.utagonLilj AellowKose Pimpeiuei Pi OA once RobB Indian Pink [Rose Thieo lea^ed Llima Coinmoii Pmlv -)1 a 3 44 17 0 7 lU 1 M 2 '■)7 3 2-> iiseh ba .>( 0 lU U 13 o " n 2 1 1 1 ^,1 1 1' 1 )j ] >-\ Ijj Ijb 1j7 NicoMEDE was a Christian who suffered martyidom at Ron during the persecution under the Emperor Uomitian He is behe^| to have been a disciple of St. Peter, and toha\e suflered death < account of his strenuous efforts to protect his brethren of the sar faith. We can discern no ^ood reason why his mme has be retained in the reformed calendar in preference to others no^^ omittc And so certain an indication is it of wet weather beinp i the flowers of this plant (Anagnllis arvensis) aie still ; hours after sun-rise, or if thev close in the da; itLer ha^r that it is called " the poor man's weather-glasb Tl ere i other flo\A'crs equally sensitive to the pr( . familiar very one of their white stai for it the ap ; tound closed of lield bind weed {Convolvutus arvensis] tilis), purple sandwort [Aren {Stelluria media). If the A z mangold (talenat , and chickweed oi stitth^A 'igold (la^elf), e)t /o)rema n will speedily fall liut i s but the PHE^o■MF\\ OF THE Se\son —If theie is any truth in the old A cold l\Ia'\ and a \\mdj Makei the bain fat and hmh ' -•* we shall hiie a plenteous harvest tins ;eai tci an unsensonible re duction of temper iture and hi"-h unid*! ha\e chaiicteii/cd the month now closed On one ot its di}s we ob er\ed i hrge eaith \ oimrush forth from its hole m a liwn evincing the gieitest ipoi \ 1 1 its con toitions ind ^Aee\.pected to wit nets') inothci stui c d/ a, single vesicles ; 4, vesicles, with buds ; c and il, the same, more advanced. This is not the only way, however, in wliich they midtiply; for, sometimes "the vesicles are observed to burst, and to emit minute little grams, which are the germs of new plants, and which soon develop them- selves into additional cells." The chief phenomena attendant upon fermenta- tion, whether it terminates in the formation of spirit or vinegar — the production of carbonic acid.gas — is such as attends upon the vegetation of fungi ; for these, unlike other vegetables, give out that gas dur- ing their growth. THE FRUIT-GAEDEN. Anomalous Position ofEbuit-theks. — After such a fearful period of starving weather and severe frosts as we experienced through the greater part of April and into the beginning of May, it may well be expected that our fruits in general must be flung out of their usual condition, and that peculiar means must be taken to restore the breach made by such an unto- ward season. We have gai'dened in various parts of the kingdom for some tbirty-flve years, but never before did we e.\.perience such AprU frosts. We have, ill consequence, put om- fruit trees of all descriptions under a severe scrutiny, in order to see what measures are iieoessaiy to adopt to restore the balance, and ensure fruitfulness in the ensuing year, for we must not be cast down; "none but the brave deserve suc- cess," to use an old saying applied to other affairs. The elaboration, or, in plainer words, the formation of the next year's blossom, is chiefly performed by the first developed leaves of the spring ; such are iu many cases destroyed or seriously injured, especially on the apricot, and some tender pears. Now, the most ordinary observer must liave learned to distiuguisli between late made shoots, commonlj^ termed " midsummer shoots," and the wood of the early spring, which assumes betimes a more lusty appeai'ance, and aoquii'es very soon after midsummer a brownish tint, the mere consequence of early ela- boration of the sap. Nobody expects fruitfuhiess from the watery shoots made after midsummer; such shoots are in, what we tenn, " an anomalous position ;" that is, are flung out, of course. To be siu-e, they are not productive of serious injury immediately to the very constitution of the tree, since trees of all kinds produce such in the order of nature; but this they do, they prevent a concentration of the elaborated sap, on which fi'uitfulness depends ; they are robbers, and, what is more, they shade and iiioline to barren- ness the more mature branches. Another point — iu tender sorts of fi-uits, such mid- Oij summer shoots olistnict the ripeiiiiuj of the icootl ; uow tliis is a point of so much importance in all dwarfing systems, that it sball be our constant aim to keep it continually before tlie readers of The Cottage Gar- DEN'Ei;. Some persons may tbiulc that to hardy fi'uits the question is immaterial; but we say that ii is most matcnnl to uU fruits that are in a com'se of training, and has more to do with economy of space ultimately than many persons are aware of; to say nothing, for the present, of the fruitfidness of the trees. Insects. — Such being the case, therefore, it becomes all parties at the present crisis to do all they can to secure the welfare of the earliest formed leaves, or what remains of them. To accompUsh this, we re- commend imiversal diligence in hand picking, in order to rescue such foliage fi'om the depredations of caterpillars and various insects, which are siu-e to infest them It is now time to make diligent seai-ch, and this must not be done heedlesoly We have THE COTTAGE OABDENEP,. 5Lu- 1,1:' T, ihich ne-'ilv the whole of the 1 1 '' \'i have nosby iMdeia 1 able ' any known apiicot tree', u leaves v,eie infested seen clumsy oi heocll wholesale, in oidci i turn with the idlei oi These leaves, then, 1 means be destio-sed dunng the opeiation, a little ordinaiy caie will uncoil them, and expose the m truder to the fate he descivos. Caie must be taken that all those caterpillars which fall to the gi-ound during the operation be destroyed before they crawl away, which they will slioi-tly do if left awhile. Om- remarks hero ;:,:,!> ; > 1 1- ^iprioot, a fruit so valuable that itisseai^ , .- take too much pains with it in this roi-i i . . :; ^..jlore observed, everything depends on tlit: iu\.-j, , ahuu of the foliage as to the pro .uction of Uossoui for the ensuing season. A similar process must be observed with regard to pears, and indeed all our fine fruits in a trained state ; apportioning the amount of attention to the degree of importance they possess. As to apples, a.nd the ordinary fruit trees, they will require some further directions, and to such we will shortly attend. Breast Wood. — This is a technical term given in cominon to the side sprays, or lateral shoots, springing from the principal leaders, whether young or old. These are at all times tolerably numerous, provided the trees be in a healthy state; but this season they will be unusually abundant, in conse quence of the small amount of fruit, and tiie check which the earlier formed wood has received. The management of this will require special directions adapted to each mode of training, and we will make a point of sayiu.g something every calendar for a few weeks on tins head, taking hold of the subject ac- cording to the order in which the operation should lie iieiibniii'd. ]"'or the present we merely offer re- ma 1 1; ~ <'la 'J a I rilized character. Ir > !ii i • ii-i. on the slightest consideration of the ^a-j..i. ia,a it will be absolutely impossible to tie duwu ur uail 'iJt the shoots which spring in trained trees; the whole tree would speedUy become con- fusion, and light woidd be so much obstructed, that general barrenness woidd be the sure rosidt. Again, it is well knownthat very sevfav ilislanMhiL;- is ]>]■>-■]»- dicial to fruit trees if perfonia il ai , aial iliai all operations of this character tan -I he p- iinriaiMi hy instalments. These two poiuU hi Jng hxcd in the mind, it is very easy to systematise the rest of the proceedings, for the only two questions that occur will be — How many of these shoots do 1 wish retained ul- timately'? and how many will it be expedient to totuUij .ii allll^^ tu go over ' I shoots which , om- remai'ks ■i!i\ -rneral; some he hner fniits, to- itious mode of pro- ■il in tho mind, the sooner a small |inila.ii i- v.aiaivra liia liiliar; and in pialbriiiing this ui"a-aliuii, any nl' a ilMui.il'u] .•liaract,-r may liiivc then' pLiiuts piuchfd uif; imh r ' and pinch the mercpoiiii • have to be cut away liij here are, as we observe I CXCeplii':: will ]"■ I'i'i gethev V : , : - ., . : cedui'r, I a Easi laiji I - \\ ' ai .11 d to the propriety of thinning out the suckers, in TuE Cottage Gabdexer for May 3rd. As the season has been so very back- Avard, the operation will be thrown much later in most places. Easpberry suckers have at all times a tendency to travel away from the original stool or parent plant. This is incouveuieiit, as tending to treak up that systematic cr|uahtviu iioiiit of distance, (and, by oonse.jih la .-. ii- ■ aJihi-'-aa, ,,i' iialii au.lair.) on wliich the fla\' .■•■.' . :'. i ni ■. lahde- pends. Let, tla'. : ; . : , ,. .1 l._a the future crop wl; a - '!■'";.--. to iht- parent stool, ohoosiii- 1 ■! t.a the next year which are stroll" a' a , - : all the rest may be cut away or p. : ■ .-y i.\ ihr root, except where yomi'^ -a ! : ' luircd for a new plantation in the e!a a . . : -iicn, of course, an exti'a portion must Ii. i 'a li laiu' or five are amply sufficient for the HI ;xL >Lai ,> crop, independent of new planta- tions. Those who want large raspberries for exhibi- tion pin-poses should at this period disbud a few canes of the Fastolf or other approved lands. On looking over the canes, )nany inferior blooming sprouts will be found, which merely serve to obstruct light from the superior shoots : such may be at once rubbed away. One half of those sprouts wMch usually spring from the old cane will suffice for a nice sprinkling for exhibition pui-poses. Wlieu the fruit is swelling, some liquid manure should be applied; and to -T.iw . xliiliiijiiu fruit, a couple of suckers only to ea.h ■. ., : .. a 1..' left. Sti;" liaise who desire clean fruit shoul.l 1 . alaafi some material under the and li.">'. ■':■'■ i a. a, ai a. -I -i: ■.'.! i . i ....r.-mojily clear.iii ..i . :i ..-.■.I ■ y aaii.^ly W .■ l.av. I..a..n' ad- verted vo watenug ; we ngain repeat, that no inut is more benefitted by watering during the swelling process than the strawberry : of course this has been attended to before now. Let us advise our friends to persist, when necessary, until the moment that the first strawberry in the garden begins to turn colour, when the water-pot must at once be laid aside. B. ERniXGTON. THE FLOWER-GAEDEN. Pillar Eoses.— Agreeably to the intimation given in the last number, we now'proceed to give lists of the best kinds lor the iiuvposa, naming a sufficient inunber of earh .ila-s. v.i ||,:i| nnr ivailors uuiy have plenty to choosa IV.iMi, liiiW.'M'i- lavaa their gardens may lie. As ni.isi nuisiivyiiirn keeji these now in ]"it-.. ili.iy ran li. Iia.l ai anytime of the year, and r.aiai'.r.l \\ ii!i |i(ai.ii sali'iy; the only care in plant- ing li.iin-- 1.1 l.ivak Ilia |M.ls gently, and give a good waiia-ing at the tiiiio, ivpeating it frequently during dry weather. Though there are soveraV vigorous growing roses amongst the Provence, Damask, and I'rench lands, yet they are scarcely fit for training up pillars; we Mat TtlE COTTAGE GARDENER. shall, therefore, select from the Hyhrid-Cliina, Noi- sette, aiul l?iiui'hou varu^ties. together with Bour- sault, Ayi-shire, llybrid-Perpetuals, Hybrid -Bour- boiis, and Xoiscltes: all of which contain somo ex- cellent kinds, well adajited for pillars. Hybrids oi- Chinese, Bouebon, and Noisette Roses.— Belle Blarie, superb rose, fine form, large and full. Clicnedolc, light vivid crimson, very large and doulilc. D,uke of Devonshire, rosy lilac, striped with white, large and double. L,! Superbe, bright rose, large and very double. Lord John Russell, rose, brilliant, showy, large .'^nd double. Magna Rosea, light blush, often tinged with pink, very large and very double. Petit Pierre, bright rosy violet, very large and double. Richelieu (Verdier's), splendid, lilac, large, and full. Tippoo Saib, rosy carmine, large, and very double. Vulcan, brilliant BouRS.\DLT Rose. — Amadis or Crimson, deep purplish crinlson, large, and semi-double. This variety, having strong vigorous shoots, is one of the very best to form a pillar of roses; it fre- quently has shoots six or seveu feet long, which the following summer break at nearly every bud, and are covered with flowers all their leugth. They should bo suffered to hang loosely, in order to display all their beauty. Ayrshire. — Dundee Rambler, white, edges pink, numerous small flowers, and double. Miller's Climber, bright purple, semi-double. Hybrid CLiiiBmr, Rose.— The Garland, nankeen and pink, changing to white, very showy, semi-double. We referred to an example of tliis rose iu our last week's number. Hydiud PKRi'KTUAr,. — The strong vigorous growers of this class of roses are excellent for pillars, and have the advantage of blooming through the autumn months. On that account we advise the greater number of roses for this purpose to he selected from the following names : — Gloire de Rosomane, brilliant carmine, showy, large, and semi- doutDle. Earl Talbot, deep rose, very large and full. Jaques Lafitte, cherry crimson, edges paler, large and full. I.ady Sefton, glossy lilac blush, very large, and double, Louis Buonaparte, Vermillion, glow- ing, very "large and full. Madame Pepin, beautiful pale rose, the outsides of the petals white, large and full. Reine de la Guillotiere, dark crimson, edges red, large and full. Karl of Derby, pale rose, large and full, curious foliage. Olivier de Serrcs, deep rose, large and full, also curious foliage. Bourbon Roses are peculiarly autumn roses: they are also fi'ee and constant bloomers, with fine foliage, bright colours, aud in general finely shaped flowers. Acidalie, blush white, superb, large and full. Cardinal Fesch, fine violet-crimson, distinct and full. De Lamartine, fine bright pink, very large. La Grenadier, bright crimson, tinged with purple, glow- ing, and double, flfadame Deprez, superb rosy lilac, clustering, large and full. Premises de Charpennes, white, centre rosy, large, and very double, in clusters. Souvenir de la Malmaison, clear flesh, edges blush, very large, and full. Triomphe de Plantier, rosy crunson, large, and very double. NoTSETTE Roses. — These bloom generally in large clusters throughout the summer and autumn. They are free growers, and fragTant. Cerise, rosy purple Wendel, son-scarlet, lari Vitellina, white ycUo' . sometimes cherry, large and double. Clara large and full. Eclair de Jupiter, bright erim- double. Grandiflora, pale flesh, large and full, e flesh and yellow, very large and full. We have now accomplished our pleasant task of selecting fi-om large numbers such kinds of roses as we know to be most suitable for the various purposes to wliioh they can be applied. We have eudeavom-ed to select perfectly hardy varieties, and of as varied characters of form and colour as possible. The cul- ture of this emphatically and justly styled " Queen of Flowers" has been progressing in this eountiy for years, and lias now reached a degree of perfection that om- forefathers never dreamt of ITave we reached the ultimatum in form, in colour, in frag- rance? We trow not. We say, then, to such of our readers as have time, means, and opportunity, try to raise seedlings ; and, in order to do so with some prospect of success, use the same means as are adopted in raising improved varieties of other florist flowers. We will, in a future number, try to point out the most likely method to aecomplish, so desira- ble an end. Rustic Baskets and Vases. — In flower-garden scenes it is sometimes dcsii-able, in order to create a variety, to adopt viiiioii^ mml,- mid objects to attain such a varied a.p]i.vi,iit' ,■ ;i-, \vill produce eftects agreeable to the cw :iihI I:i-i. .\ cheap way to accomplish this is'lu |il;ir,' i:; m I,;, 1,, i-; jn pi-.iper situations,flIled with rich li ill . imi i nh h, ivn'ivi- suitable plants. 'I'lmsi' Im . ;!v nculc : any moderately ingcuii MIS nM-jM'iiiiji' liKiy i.jnn tliem. Having fixed on tlie sizes you wish fur, procure some inch boards, either of sound oak, whioit is the best, or of well-seasoned elm or deal. Cut them into the proper lengths, and nail them together the rioiit width — they will then form a square. Now, we think the best form is a circle, tliough tlie octagon is nearly as handsome. Mark, then, tlie desired form on this square, and, with tlie proper kind of saw, cut it into the desired figure. When this is done, you have, as it were, the ground work of your basket, or baskets, made The next thing is to fix upon th(j depth — this requires some consideration. If too deep, the basket will be a great weight, aud look clumsy ; and, if too shallow, there will be too liillc earth for the plants to flourish in, so as to produi^e healthy foliage and plenty of flowers. Now, Hk- extremes, we should say, are twelve inches, wiiicli is too deep, and four inches, which is too shallow. Take, then, the medium between the two, and make the depth eight inches, aud you will be right. But what size shall we advise '? In truth we had nearly forgotten that. Well, we say the size depends oii circumstances and situation. If your garden is moderately extensive, you may have them wliat we consider the largest size to he manageable, that is, from three to five feet in diameter. If a small garden, this size would be inconvenient, and take up too much room. Yet there is no reason why you shoidd not have two or tlu'ee of those ornaments. For such a garden, the most projier dimensions would be two feet ; and, for that size, six inches deep would be proportionate. Having, then, fixed upon the proper size, and cut them to it. proceed to nail to the circular or octagon bottom the sides. If the shape is round, let the pieces of wood to form the sides be narrow, bevel inwards the sides, and shape them so as to form the cu-ole ; but, if of an octagon form, the pieces will be, of course, of the width of each of the eight sides, and planed to fit at each corner. Fasten them firmly together -with nails, and the main foundation and walls of yom- baskets are complete. But they want something more to give them an ornamental, finished appearance. On the top of the side piit some split hazel rods of sufficient thick- ness to cover it, and hang over the outside edge about half an inch. Place some of the same kind close to the bottom ; then, between the two, cover the plain boards with one of the two things we shall now mention. The first and cheapest is some rough oak or elm bark, so closely fitted as to give the idea that tlic basket has been cut out of a sohd tree. The next is more expensive and troublesome, but cer- tainly more ornamental. It is split or whole (as you may fancy) hazel rods, formed into a diamond, circle, or any other tasty forms. These should fit so close as to completely hide the material of wliich the sides are formed. The bark plan A^ill led r, -ncv mhv- thing more doing to it after it is mini ; i : nl securely nailed to the sides, but tli i, should have a coating of boded lui^n I ml aiiihiil. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. May Tliis will preiserve them, ami give a polished suvfiieo very oniauieutal. lu those rustic baskets a gi-eat luunber of suitable plants may be gi-own ; and wliile our readurs are making them and preparing them to reecivo such plants, Ave will prepare a list of them, cli sliall appear in an early Niunber. :a Oi Pi..> )uT. — As the weather is now happily become milder, and we hope the warm genial gales of srunmev have steadily set in, we may safely plant out verbenas, i^etunias, fuchsias, dahlias, lobe- lias, roses (China, from pots), gaiUai'dias, salvias, anatheras, calceolarias, geraniums, hardy and half- hardy annuals, &c. All these may now be safely planted out, especially in the more southern counties. Perhaps, in the northern parts, such as, for instance, Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumberland, it may be adAasable to delay a week or a fortnight longer before the more tender things, such as dahlias and geraniums, are finally and fairly planted out, and fully exposed to the weather. Dahlias. — Prick out seedhngs in pots, foiu- in each, and keep them under protection a fortnight longer. All tlungs intended for ])lantiug out should be exposed to the full influence of sun, ah-, and rain, every day, and night, too, when wann and mild. Neatness.— Continue to keep everything neat and clean. The la,wn shoidd be rolled and mown now at least once a fortnight. Hoe the flower-beds fre- quently, whether weeds appear or not, as the opera- tion benefits the plants gi-eatly. Stick sweet peas with neat twiggy branches of the hazel, and tie up diligently all flowers as they advance in gi'owth aud rcquh'e it. ELORISTS' ELOWERS. Pinks. — These pretty, fragi-ant flowers will be shooting tip then- flower stalks, and should have sup- ports put to them in time. Sticks made of double plasterers' laths, and painted green to imitate the colour of the flower-stems, are the best. We trust our former instructions of having them ready made have been acted upon ; if not, lose no time in getting them ready. Tie slacldy, so as to allow for gi-owth. Now is the time to pipe pinks. The term pipe is only another word for a cutting. We suppose the term has been adopted from the resemblance of the flower stalk to a tobacco pipe. Some persons pull ofi^ the pipings fi-om the plant, and stick them in without more ado, but this is a slovenly way ; besides, in pulling oft' the pipings the main stem of the ]ilant is materially injured^nay, often destroyed. The more coiTeot way is, with a sharp Imife, to take the cuttings off close to the stem, without injuring it, leaving a sufficient number of shoots to preserve the health of the plants. Take off' one kind at once, making the proper number or tally at the same time ; then dress the pipings by ci^tting off the lower leaves, leaving about four at the top. Those leaves should not be mutilated or shortened, as they are the organs to send down sap to form the roots. Put them in pots filled with light earth, and a covering of sand upon it. Place them in a fraijie with a little bottom-heat, watering gently when di'y, aud shading from the sun until they are rooted. T. Al'PLKlSY. GREENHOUSE AND AVINDOW GARDENING. Violets.— About the end of May or very early in .Tune is a good time to prepare double violets tq flower next winter and spring ; that is, an the sup- position that old plants of them arc at hand. It is always easier to get good stout flowering plants of violets by dividing the old ones, than rearing young ones from the side ruimers ; but when we are short of plants, and wi^h to ciilavi,'!' nur stork, rcMourse must be had to viniucrs ;i- w.-ll :is t.) iliviiliii'^- old plants. They are U,l , m i-;;.! .n |ii',iii;i;_^:iliiig iiny ),eirls..k a II..U.1'. Iku. k..,|, al a -.rauuuu flower. but the very best si.rl-.. im iiunv mI' ilinii iivo so de- for jiisiiiii.'.', w.-'-.,' S..111,' ll.,vM'i's ,,|„'ii and some iu bilitated from one c;\i\ •■ oi' ;ni,,iiH r. ilmi U is ail up- bud; tl,..-.' Ill 1,11.1 ail' I'll. '1. ".-.'.I 111 a ,L;"reeu covering, hill work to increase lie mi m (|u;iiiiitv hv tiie usual and oiilv till' tip . ..k ilir ll..«'. T |.';i\i'-< peeping out at modes of cutting and ilividm-^ iln' ..Id plmils. the p.,ii,l i lliai .',,\,'i'ii,.4 1" III.' lirsl |.art of a flower. Hybeidizikg.— Tn tli.' iiil.'...lii.i..i\ icmarks on and is call,.! ili,' .',(/;/.' :, \\..i',l ..1 i.i'..'k origin, signi- this subject, at pa;^.. 'Mk ,^.. h-iv. s.. i, that one fying a .'..v,','. s.. II I-, v.r\ .a-\ 1., 1,111. 'luber. Some family of mammals, u- iKini.nli ,i i.iiu all annuals people cull tins •■ the lluwur-.-uj.,' bill it is more of a that suckle then- yon: 1 l.i, i i;- from two iudi- saucer than a cup, and we of The Coitagf. Gak- ^•iduals ; and that d . i . i , 1 1 . , . . s eiierations the DENEU will take things in then- right meaning, and present characters, .■•.:. hi.iii .. . md habits of the call the cal^rx a saucer, and the flower a ('up, because dift'erentrai-.'-; ..1' 11. .■ I.iiii :iiiiil\ w.iv sliiiiipc.l ..ii llie ll..\vi'i- when wide i.i.cii sils in the ralv\ like a thembyloc;.! -ip .n.v , .....1 ..iL.t .•;mi,..v. S..i.i.' 1, '11-, '111, 111 Us siiiicev- N..W. Ink.,' ..1,,' ,.k lli.'s,' wide of themosi .■mni.Ll n;.liii,ili 1. ],r],ryr lh;il ;.ll !!..■ np.'ii Hn\'.'rs ,.k that sa s'l'i-aninni, an.l inside, in other animids l,;,v, iii iik.' in -v. Iiitiii.-1i.m1 ..nl the middl.' ..k It, vm, uill M', 1, 1,,| ,,k 1',', 1,1,-1, oblong fi-oin a few original types ; and, like man himself. bodies, .'iili.'.l »«//., ',',s', all 1„ Id lip al .ll 111'. ,1 it l.-ngths owe their present conditions to the influence of on the i..|. ..k wliiii-li tlii'.'a.l-. .iili.'.l /,l, nil, Ills, from climates and v.arinu? cnuscs. And it is as firmly filam.\\\' l.alin k.H' a llir. ;i.k 'kli.-.' aiilli..', ovien beli,-, r,-l by r.tl„-T il, ,t tl,.' .-liin-,-n.t races, or families. with two slhs on one si.l.' v. Inn ih. y arc .pnn^ ripe. of |.; ■■ ' ■ '" '' ■ ;. .il, .;iii, that is to say, and a yellow dust is seen ...-i.l, il..'-,' ..|.,'i.;n..;s ; this ha\. 1' , , . i:, i, m.lions, for which dust is called j>o?/f», and .-, ll..' -1 tt..n.l.'iliil thing tli.'\- -'y- ii"A 1 I'liiiiM. ii..iii a few original in the economy of the ve-, lal.l.' kin-.|,.ni. The dust, types. Wlion we see that we ourselves .nv prnnili..! ..1' |...lli'i., is iin.r tliai. ili.' Iii. .si ll.iiir, and yet a to add new forms to those already in .mi.i ..■.■, 1.; -....(I iii,i'j,i.ik\in,.^' ;.4lassv,ill sli.wili.'il it consists of the means pointed out to us by the liui.i ..1 - .. ii.-.'. iiian\ II parii.'l.'s ..k ilill.'i'iiii kniiis, but always or rather by the H,nnd tb.-it vna.V tl..a„, k,- i.i;i\ «,II ..k if..' i.iii.' k..iiii 111 111.' s.'iiii.' pkiiil. You would pause before we can y,.iii :i\ ...■ .Ii--,. in IV Hi.-.' j.i'i.l.i.l.lv il.iiik 1 \wis ,h',iwni:.',,ii III.' imagination if views. But whether lli.' .■ i.l.ir, !,.■ ri-l ..Ili.r 1 \M'i'.' 1.. s,i\ iliai .iiic ..k ih.'s.' aiiilirrs contained wise, they wiU not 1111..I1 ..ir.vi ih.' u.^us ..f m. III..1'.' ihai. a ili.iiis.iii.l ..'I'liii.i p., 11,',, :— what shall brerdiii.L;, whirl, 1 ui-1, 1 ..|.|;iiii 1.. tl,.. iiniiiihal.Ml \M' si,\, 11,111, hIii'ii it is i'i,';,i'lv mail,' mil that a tl'ial i.|:i!il .';.iv ilr, i.l.'.l 1,, ii.iliii-c inii. l';iiiiilii'- i.uin ikLii-iln. illii.li.'.l l.y t.'ii ll.i.u'san.l, nii.l ll.at ten ofwl.-l.. ■.'■\ .■ il,.- lull ■, iMInllx, hav." a--l.l,i'. .1 .hi .liM.lnal ;;i''ain oulok these iiumbei'luss thousands is frivi 1 , ;. 1 : :i, .iil!.av,il .■.„iiii n.- ;iii,l l,..-M,li.-s .•n.l.,«..l will, a power that can produce the largest ..al. II..' in khigland. The bee gathers this pollen Iliii. III.' Il..\vers, and is the yellow balls you see IV,, 1,1 1 1, , I, , . i.ii.r,: l.ni | Imi m. ,.iilu:iril .ii.|..;ir- • :nv' , i'l ' :i:-|M,,i 11, l..'r..ri'li;iiid 1.) siiv wli.'ll.ia- .,r U.)t III.' ililii'l'i ill linailliiTs ,.1' ;i||\- iilii' riiliii!\ will 111. 'Ill .'an-viii'^' into ihr hiv,' on' ibri.- hiiiil h-'u;s ; and i)il(a-bjv..l ,\iil, ,;mI. ,.iI,.t. All lliiil wr ;ir.' .■.aiaiii ll wr .'.iiil.l 11. Ilk., a ,',',l,;Mlali.,ii nk ll..' ni.i..brr of of is~;.i„I lli„l IS ,.,.1 \.-| Inllv a. Ill, 111. .1 l.v S..III.' - p. .11. '11 grains a single li..' ,',„il(l -allici' in ,„„' dav. I that 11.. ],lii..l, and piLl.'al.K ,i..' ,iiiii„.,l, is ullnw.'.l 1.. sl„„il,l i„,| l„. siirpns.'il ikil slM.nld l.ir il lliat the CV..S- '.Mil, :iii.,ll,,T |.l:iiil ,.,■ :ii)iii,:,| n..! . .riyiliall V «li.,l,' W...1I.I I'Xi'.'i'.l tlial wliii'li .'.mill .,i'iL;iiiate a of II,.' s;lli|,' '.I...'!, .,1- l\|,.' ; ;mi.I llilil nil ill.' r'lsi's thai, l.av.' 1.-'. 1, a. Kill, .'.',1 I., II,.' .'. .iil I'.'i I'v l.v d 1 liVi'.'i 1 1, p.,ll,'i,, III. ri'lnri', is till' kail, I'l' i.k all i,lai,|s .mil tri'es. na,tiiralisl., iir,- ,.iih, s.. nunv v.i'.li.'ls ■ii.^ii'nisl iIm'ii' i-la.'li 'p"ll,'i. L:'raiii .•,,i,lains i.iatl.i sn.ail.'i' than ou'ii .'lassili,'aii..iis; Il 1'. li'li,' lli.il iiiiniv aii„|. .';!.', p,,ll.'n, aii.l IS ll,,' s.il.sla.1,'1' \\l,.,'li is ll,,' kcr, 11. dating run 1,1' h'li.'.it l.i'lw.'.'ii 111.' :, 1,1111:1! :ii,,| v.'..;'.!;. I,l.■ prill, 'ipk' III 111,' v.'i;,'lalilr kin-d.in. In ll,r very .•,.|,li',' .ik ll... s;i..i,' ..;.'. ',,!,. .111. Ili.tt,'.' «(' ha\,' breii a.;•,|l,a 1 1 il a, ,..■ 1 lia>.' Willi III.' siil.j.'.'l, lliiiLaU the looking iU, you w.li s,,. ,,..,■ bltle thread called a coiir,isi,,i, H l,i.l ■,', ,',i 1,;,., 1,, II,,' n.iwers and stiih, coming u). l.v itsrlk. ami when it is lipe it elf.'.'i- ..:' .'.'I. - la'i .'.111!". I. ..ill 111 III.' iiiiiiiial and divides at the t..], iiit.. \Ur bllle bonis, Tliese little v-,Lal''l.l. 1 iii .: 'i'i , Ii.-'.' i.ii iii 1 i'ii' lu'ip.'- lin.-ns arc Ibr shi/iiui. an.l Ih.s stigma ill each flower ti.;., '1 1- ,, .'i .i i 1''. .,i„:i 1 i,,i'.' ili-awi, IS ll.,' m.,|)„',' ,;k all s,',',ls ,1 p,',„hlr,.s. It is of llii'i'-' ""-i i ' . " ii. i" i . " ;■ Ili.'se dilk.'i'.'.it k..i'iiis ill .liir.'i'i'iil planls. 1 ml by its style II is ,n all i-as.'s In.ni.l I., 1.,' ,illa,'l„'d to' Iho little salisli 'li 1 ,i;,|. Iii.],,,,;.;' I'll ;'! . :il, :.':i-l„ :.il ll,,' Inrls s.'i'v uli.'iT III.' si'.'ils .',,1,,,' I,, malm-ilv. ,.r, in ,,||;,'l' »,„',|s, I,, ll„. ..',',',/ ,-,'.«,'/, Tl„,nsa.i,rsnk c,,..- (if .'li's, iii'.'.'ili,,.;' ,1, ,11, \ r,,,,,iK 11,'.' lillli' l„'lli'r lliaii i,','liii','s ai'.' all, .a, as 1,, l„,w ll,,' pnll,'., IVrtiliz.'s the blim! ', li.l' iii ;, 11 I'i," ,i . 1 ,|i.','ilil,'l,l .11, ll,l' si'i'.ls; kill pl,il,,s,.pl,.'i's ar,' l.,alli to adniil ..nvtliing II,,',,, L' : "1 ,l,;i: '■, ,,1 ',,', il', , .,,.1, ll„',','l-,.i','. Il,al, lli,.y .','11.1.1,1 wril ,'N|.liiiii,aiid llu'y hav 1.,'rn puzzling llii'ii' Ill-nils k,..' 1,1. a.^'.' 1.1 aiTiiiint I'm- Ihis siiuple. p.-,„','ss; s,, simpi,', iml.T.l, ll.al a rl.ild can umler- el..' 1 ,i, ■ ,. , liihl iliiii „,,N 1. :,,!.',' ,.1' Tiii';'CoT- slaud il, ik ll,' is lii'si |,,|,| ihal a ,'ii','iilali,m ..k the ■r..'i. 1 . 'i .1 ; ,-. :is lik.'h l.,':,ri'i\,' ;,l 11 just oon- juices ,,r all planls, ai„l in all |,ai'ls „k a plant, is clii-ii.ii. -1' i' 1.', 1. ,.,11, ,11,; 1,11, Illy Ilk iilauls, as the 'couslaiilly M.'iii,^ nil, and )..,,.'r so when 11. ry ai'e in mo^l ..'....j.i.uiiiiaU plulobuplar. 'Eel us, therefore, a gfowiug stale; j.art of lliis circtilaliun goes on THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 101 lietwccn tho cmlino seeds m the iwd vessel, and tbe sU in, (liioii:;], til" snl, uidA^lKntlK pnll, ii nniii lui I I N n U IlllU IUsmI 1 \ 1,11, I, isl , ,1 \ ,11, tl, M il , ,11 1 ,11 11, II nil il I mil 111, imii. ipl, 1 luud U] I 1 d NMi , i.liiu I 111 position ol the style tu the I m I lln I, ilili tiou takes place Theieloi, ill ll,ii w 1 \ i i IS to dust tlio stigma with tin i 11 u u\i u 1 lli i iipe tor the opeiatiou, and t,Ltds ul Iht scuul. kind will toUow m due time, but wlieu we w ish to have .1, oioss-bied plant fiom the imiou o± two distinct paients, tbe poUen bags oi autbeib must be cut out lioiii the one that is to beai the seed, and the stiangei pollen used m its stead D Beatoin THE IvITCHEN-GAEDEN. AsmriCrUs — Notwithstanding tin late abundanci ol lam, tills e-veellent vegetable shoidd at this btason be assisted m e-i eij posbible mannei by tbe applioa tion ot hquidmanuie, which ah we ha\e beloit ob bened, will, it applied in gloomy and sboweiy wea thei have a unicli moie btneflcnl eliti t not oiJ-^ on aspaiagub but on all giowiUf, ciopi wbttbei ot the ^lukn 01 tbe held than when the soil ib di> ind and iiom the contmuince ot hne wtilbei Liquid nnnuie ti oulates to i giextei e tent uid so d b ni witli til giLitLi expedition to tl t c\ticiiiL poiutb ot the filiious loots when the soil ib moisttntd and solt encd b^ d imp oi i an and may at such times be given m smallei quiutities and amuth^ieitei de giee ot stiength The uhantago ol tin ipplii. itioii of liquid manuie to glow mg no], m i\ \ n i idih be tested by my one who his , i \ , ,11, cxulifloweis aspua£>us oi an^ otl,ii m I II n m the shoit spice ot ^4 bom 1 \ i] i 1 i m d, lite so il m^ ot manuie to one ji 1 1 mil, lhi_ othti uutoiK li(.d \ gieit ditieii II I i' i 1 uu and bixuum.L will ^ i\ so, n 1 i i il ' ittii d tl) 111 , ^ lit ,, 1 w itb hd ) the lit all w ill lull cow h lU 1 Imdtium tU. dx ilii, I con^ e> ed into one i c i n I ' 1 1 I 1 1 , getliLi so much qieati i mII 1 H, 1 who lix^e land and au with iii ii h (cptacle may blew liipinl m iniii ml much gieatei economj tl i i tli \ i i, | miiiuies to ipply wliin ili ^m., i sid it they will tale o II) 1 ^u m md 1 lb ot soot mi\mg them togcthci with one bogbhead ot watei and it the wf itbci bi cloudy oi showeiy at the time ol itb ipplieitiou this iinnuie will leqiiiu no moie diluting hut it tin il , 1in lud tbe atmospheie cleii it should eill, i 1 il i lud in 01 diluted betoie applicition Mil, I u 1 the rpiaiiLity ot w itei 111 thiou.-,h lli pin iimui i md autumn mouths we const mth ippl^ t dl 1 lud ot litoben gaideu pioduce liqiudmiuuic hicwtdm the bimc wiy tiom night oil tbi excidiint ot uu mils 01 poultn and soot Liu lillei ib one ot tbe best teitilizeib toi aspnimiu md with x little salt also added is most bcuehciil not ouh to that lege tabic but to nil Ink and all the bi i sn x (cabbage) taniilj LicLUBErs — Plants winch have foi some time )i ul kxding shoots should have these thinned pietfj tieely b) degiees until the cleaiest and stiongest vmc alone is lett The whole of the suitaee soil sboidd be gently stiiied ovei, and alibeial soakmg ot manuic applied ; and when this is well soaked into the bed, it be coveicd ovei to the depth of two oi thiee with good tiesh open well puheiized sod 1 1 the out dooi iidgob should ba\e the sod well 11 mud them, and be at once midched toi the and abiiudau c ol au iilmittbd Id su lqc a sup noi fla\oui ibe sulpliui and hme lu the m&ide ot the flames mubt not be toigotlen Pu I MM \^ 111 K— 11 lilt out m sill (1 sn,a Uk rio]is ,il , \ I 1,1, 1 ' I) I I //„ ,(, „. ,,,u, lj,,n. Halt-, keep up a success], II i dulls and thinning out i l -£■)((/() f should now be sow i n 1 Dwait liUhicy leans and niiiiui-. sh ulil i pi nt I lu succession, and the hoe and scauhei kept well to woik amongst gi owing ciops ot all kinds James Bu.Krs illbCELL iNEOUS INEOEMaTION \LL()TMENi GIRDENING 101 JUNE Il oui pieMOUs ubii e 111 bieu i eiiun iollDwed out most ot the < ol i Ml i ^ bj the time thi i i , 1 point is bicili ml II I uei lll\ atcud tl till iLU \ ill i mill h I much m one week dumio o eibonis i m mco i id iiti mm will do m t\-\o lal ui-, tli i on ul I —In the ultui oldulleiup it is w 11 11 the hi t eh\ pill 1 I s)fu is i mill « 1 , UL b h leuiod lud lun the hoe till , 1 1 \ 11 III mils in oidei to eailiie the I 1,1 1 1 \ \ 1 I it) weed tlie dulls \ itliout ijji I I n w I a I day 01 tw 0 will bt so 1 11 slim is t 1 en ilk tin in ti see the dull iiops dis- tinctly Ihc hist hoping tliiou.,li pioMd d the sod IS h^ht and in leiy line tilth ma^ be pcitoimed w itli the Dutch hoe tew oidmai^ dbtiiu nl h ih tvei wc tcai will be undei so hi^h it tuie lb to pel nut its use ^^ e el i i the Dutch boe on the sooie ot it t tine ot tne sod bit as meiel> ti ili tm^ ^ wjiich it this busy pniiod misliL eithuui e I m men loi we considei ihe oulmai> en i \ hoe lii snpeuoi is to thi nil, niiu il u s j i idiu id ,>u th od Vttei the lui ' i 1 lent cultUlfc to 11111 ' thi hoidd be ,' i si ,1 tl 1 1 UUl .Jill I ul ! pu to aie lelion ol tl c u elew II I I beeouips 1 woibc conductoi ot 1, 1 l\ nil I 1 1 hdde t-) be to I opb dtptudeut on \ci} hi^h cukuic lui then pioht. Insects.— Whilst all this is proceeding, a very 102 THE COTTAGE GARDENEE. May watchM ej'e must be kept ou the depredations of iusects of all kinds, especially the common slug. Tlie damage done by these nightly depredators is enor- mous. Tt would not be too much, we think, to affirm that one-eighth of the jiroduce of allotment or cottage gardens is annually wasted by the common slug ; and he shoidd, therefore, be regarded as a national enemy, and no jiains considered too gi'eat to prevent liis ravages. Indeed, we should aim at nothing short of extermiuation ; and were a regular system of liming carried on (with judgment in its application) for a couple of years, we are persuaded that the trouble would be amply repaid. The com- mon slug is a great pest to the young can-ot above all the garden crops ; and, as tins useful vegetable has acquii'ed double the amount of importance it formerly possessed, through the precarious position of the potato, eveiy pains should be taken to secm'e a good stock for the winter. As before observed, lime fi'esh slaked is a powerful agent, both to hold the slugs in check, and to destroy them if fairly brought in contact with it : still much depends on watching the movements of the slug. Everybody knows that they commit the gi-eatest havoc after a dry jieriod, if mild rains occur. Occasions like these should, therefore, be seized, and the lime, being in readiness, shoidd be apphed in the evening just before the an-ival of night. Such applications shoidd be repeated at times on likely occasions — the cotta- ger's lads or lasses could soon be taught to manage these small matters. Ordinaiy cinder-ashes, with the mere dust riddled out, mayj be occasionally spriulded over the beds ; this prevents slugs travel- ling, and we have used new sawdust as a temporary expedient. Much, indeed, may be accomplished by hand picking, — on a dewy evening himdreds may be gathered by the cottier's children. Whilst malcing remarks on this marauder of the allotment garden, we must not forget the turnip fiij ov flea. This little rogue is but too well kno^vn hy liis ravages. In turnip sowing we know of no better maxim than to divide the amount of seed to be sown into two por- tions, and to soak one half in warm water for six or eight hours previously to sowing. After soaking thus long, the water must be strained oil', and the seed spread on a dish to diy slightly before sowing, for it necessarily becomes overcliarged with moisture. J t may lay thus for a day or two in some cold room, taking care to sow it just before the sprout appears. By this course at least two chances are established. The soaked seed will appear full a week before the other ; and, if it stand in defiance of the fly, the other half (which we ought to have said must be nuxed with it at the time of sowing, and whifli comes up later) may be cut away OTth the hoc : llii' mere loss of a little seed is as nothing in compiiiiMni of the value of certainty in the crop. We lay, bnw- <'vei'. tlie utmost stress on the use of a small amoiuit of highly stimidating manure ; and, above all, as we oliscrved in our last allotment paper, on good Peru- vian guano. Ti-]iMPS. — The main points in 'turnip ciUttU'e, as to tlie securing of a crop, arc, we conceive, to watch .(■arelully (he jioriod of sowing, and so to lu-epare the soil llhi'l the vduug plant miiv spriiiL;- loiili with tlie utuioM r;i|.iailv. As t(. Ilir inniin- iiniiit, wr would ratlin- k.vp i)n' mciI in ihe I.m", and sow a lortuis-ht iatei tn : enoLi tain the ynllll^ inn dmu!^lit. We !in roUiug, where soils siill maui- ■oiit;li .1 period of Iveeates ef firm laraeter. Whilst speaking of turnips, we would du-ect the attention of cottagers to such sorts as Dales Hi/brid, and the Yelloiv Bulloik. It is well knoi^Ti that to obtain the Swede in perfection a much earher sowing thiin with the ordinaiy white kinds is necessaiy. It happens, nevertheless, with the cottager, that he has not at all times gi-oimd to spare during the month of May for some Swedes. Under some rotations, however, spare plots come to hand during the month of June ; and, as this is too late to sow Swedes with any prospect of a bulky crop, it becomes a consideration what kind to choose. Now, the Dale's hybrid is apparently a cross behveen some wliite turnip and the Swede, and combines the keeping properties of the latter with the rapid growth of the former, consequently is peculiarly adapted for the cottager to sow in June; for he must strain every nerve to obtain keeping store roots, more especially if he keep a cow or pigs. The YeUow Bullock is also a good sound tirniip, and adapted for June sowing : when it is desirable to sow turnips in Jidy, or the early part of August, then we recommend the Early , Stone or the Dutch. To wind up tins consideration of the tm-nip, if your soil is good, and rather loamy, and you can obtain nice Swede plants, and the weather is favoin-able, you may plant Swedes ; but in other cases, and especially during the end of June and tlu'ough Jidy, it will perhaps be better policy to sow the before-named kuids. Peas. — "We need scarcely oflPer remai-ks about stick- ing, &c., such will be accomplished as a matter of com-se. Towards the end of the month some of the peas will begin to overhang the sticks, mid wlien a sufficient crop is set, the tops of such should he pincherl off, in order to swell oft' the pods, and to ensure an ein-ly remnval I'rniii the ground, for we mustliiivi' a <■)■■">]< nl'.^n-eii-kale, or .itliev of the green tlibe, iilt'lliis jiea t;iiuiii(l wlieu tliev ari' removed. Beans.— ,'^lMml'tlle lirgiuniug ol .lune, the earliest beans will be in full blossom. As soon as a good crop is set the tops may be jiinched ofi'. This, as in the case of pens, will hasten the swelhng of the pods, and get the gi-ound cleai- betimes for some cole worts in August. Topping, also, fi-equently pre- serves the crop from tlie fly, for after the top is pinched off these desti-uctive pests are not quite so much at home, and the pods swell much more freely. Let the succession crops of beans be well soiled according to former advice, taking care to press it close to then' stems ; let them also be topped in due succession, or, at least, as soon as a crop is well set. ScAHLET RuNNEKs. — Watcli this uscfid vegetable carefully; the slugs are apt to make sad havoc with (l.eiii. Hand ,.iekiim- must be l.a.l ivmurse In in suell a raMV 1 ,rl ihen, be slak.d briilnes. ,,■■ sll-ilios |Mil le llieiii. II ,,u-bl lob,- more -riHTallx known tlial ex.vllenl -Tops may be obla,nr,l will, very low Sticks, or, indeed, without any, bv ~-io|.],ini; oi- |iineli- ing them betimes, and by continuiiiL; -m h sto|i|iiiig at intervals. 'The tiiie secret ol sun-rss wilb the runner is to provide rich soil, to stop freqin'Utly, and to water in dry weather, taking care, also, to pick all overgrown pods clear away at every gather- ing, unless it be a. few for seed. The jiigs will oousume those wliicli are getliiig too ripe. Cabuots. — The liorn-i'uinits, if hown according to nur advice in Ibe be!;iiiiiinn^ of February, will soun be fit for use. I'ov Ibiv inav he drawn when about the si/e of Ibr villi |M ■; ol a bi-ei- tub, and in that sliite are escelleni lo a^-l I in Ibirkening the eolliigers' soups: lor, ill boilini^lliriii willi a jiiece of biicoii, they will partially go to pieces in the soup : they May THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 103 will, moreover, prove an excellent substitute for the potato. These carrots wOl stand as close together in the first thinning as two inches ; and by commencing to pull them at the above size, a most astonishing amount of produce may be obtained from a very moderate-sized bed, proving a source both of profit and convenience, for a bunch may be pulled almost every day after the end of May. L,\RGK Kinds of Cahbot. — These will now be coming up, and, if in drills, must receive the kind of cultin-e suggested at the beginning of this paper. The plants may be thinned sUglithj at first, merely singling, but finally to about five inches apsu't if iu beds, and to four if iu drills. Be sure to keep down weeds, and to watch for slugs. Paksnii's. — Similar culture to the large carrots, only they must be allowed an inch or two more room. The final thinning, however, must not take place until the plant is eight or nine inches lugh ; the thinnings then will be veiy useful for tlie pig. JNlANGOLD. — The mangold will now be fairly above groimd, and will want weeding and " singling." Tlie latter signifies the first thinning out, whicli consists in merely removing a plant where two stand close together. In the next thinning they may be " set out" at their final distances — about eight or nine inches apart m the di-ill ; this thinning must not be performed until the plant is out of danger— say five inches in height. Swede Turnips.- — Those sown in drills recently will now be up. Here, again, the same principles must be pursued as with the other drill crops. Thorough weeding after hoeing through between the drills, and singling or thinning out, must be at- tended to. Swede Seed-bed. — Those who desire to have stout plants of tlie Swede must, above all things, keep the seed-bed clean weeded from the very first. When the plants are beginning to grow rather tall or gross, we generally pass a scythe lightly over them, just cutting oft' the points of the leaves. This, by letting light and air amongst the stems, strengthens the plants, and renders them better able to withstand a period of drought, or intense light when transplanted. Various Greens in Seed-bed. — Clean weeding is here as necessary as in the case of the Swedes. It is neoessaiy also to thin them out a Uttle if they come very thick, providing enough pla,nts are left for use. Those who wish to have very forward plants of a particularly strong character, should prick them out on rich soil betimes. Indeed, it is well thus to transplant all of this family, if time permit, when they are growing very fast, and the plot for which they are intended is not ready for them. Onions. — Let them be clean weeded, but not hoed through, imless in drills, and then the hoe sliould not go so close to them as to loosen the bidb. The yruh is the great enemy to be dreaded. We have found it a good plan to save soapsuds betimes, putting them into anything that will hold them : in a few weeks they will become stale and very nau- seous, and in this state we water the onion beds with them about twice a week. This we have foimd a preventive, as the fly, whicli is the parent of the grub, does not seem to take to them under such cn- cumstances. Chamber lye, too, might be kept for tins purpose until stale, and one quart added to each gallon of soapsuds ; we would then add one gallon of water to a gallon of the mixture. As soon as watered, it would be worth wliile to dust either soot or lime, separately, lightly over them : this would adhere to the plants. The whole will prove at least a manuring. Lettuces. — These require a great deal of water, to have them largo, as the season advances. Tim cottager need sow no more until the beginning of July, as they run to seed, and are not worth their land in the heat of summer. Dutch Turnips, if sown in the beginning of March, will soon be fit for use. As soon as large enough, they may be drawn up, their tops out off, and, being piled in a heap in a cool, shady place, some damp soil may be beat over them. These will last the cottager's wife for a couiile of months, and the ground will be at liberty for other crops. Spinach. — This wUl soon begin to run up to seed ; in this state it may be pulled up root and branch, and given to the pigs. It will be found a good pre- ventive of oostiveness, to which pigs are Sometimes liable when confined in a small stye, and fed on heating diet. The cow will also eat it greedily. Having thus glanced at most of the cottager's crops in succession, we must now see what may be sown or planted, and cast our eyes over the divisions in our diagram, jiage lisi, in No. 1. The potatoes will all be up : we advise the free use of the hoe, stirring the soil deep, especially in the centres be- tween the rows. When these potatoes are planted a considerable distance apart, some cottagers introduce green-kale between them thinly. To accomplish this, however, the rows should be nearly thirty inches apart, or much confusion occurs in getting up the potatoes. This is a course we have not advised with the winter potato, as it involves the loss of several rows of potatoes, which are the cottager's chief de- pendence. If, however, the disease should unfortu- nately appear earlier than usual, it will be well to plant through between them immediately with the green-kale, the thousand-headed cabbage, or the Brus- sels sprouts; or those who are very anxious for keep- ing roots may try Swedes, but the latter wUl be most likely to become choked with the potato haulm. SpAHE Ground. — Any spare ground Avhioh may come to hand during the month may be most advan- tageously employed by sowing a bed of horn carrots. We would particularly advise this, for the other crops may suffer from the gi'uh ; and, if these miss, some coleworts may he planted on the bed, without digging, in August. Cabbage or Coleworts. — A bed of these must, by all means, be sown about the middle of June, not later. These we consider very important, for we shall show, in Jidy, how some liundi-eds may be introduced amongst or around other crops. 'The best kind for this purpose, with which we are acquainted, is the Matchless ; but any of the compact eaily heading kinds of the Early York character wUl answer. Not less than one ounce of seed should be sown at this period. About celery, cucumbers, leeks, &c., we need say little here ; plenty of sound advice adapted to the cottager may be found in the kitchen-garden depart- ment of tills work. We may, therefore, merely con- clude this paper by strongly urging on the cottager the immense advantage to be derived from liigh cul- tivation, and a freedom from weeds. Let the cottager be firmly persuaded that every stroke with the hoe in liis garden wiU be attended with a corresponding amount of profit, none the less certain although prospective. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. May THE BEE-KEEPER'S CALENDAR.— June. By J. H. Payne, Esq., JutJwr of " The Bee-Keepers Guide," (fc. It fi-equeutly happens, where bees are managed upon the depriving sy.stem, that, for want of timely room aud vculilation being given, a swarm comes oil' from the stocl;-liivP, leaving the bell-glass or small mil] 11, r;iiv liriiiL; liik'ii 1" lii^l''ii il.i\i 11 III'' --liiiw cover upon llii- |i;irrnl linr; Inr n.i lurilHi' |iriilil ran be ex- pi'Ctnl I'niiii il lirvdiiil II srcniil, iiuil, jn'iiiaps, atliird swarm, which are ahuosl sure to I'ollow. In tliis method of immediately removing a swawu to the apiary, Gelieu agrees with me, and for which he gives the following reasons : — " Alnst people who have bees allow theii- swarms to n uiniii lill th.' evening in the jilace where they li;i\r ;iii:-;litnl. and do not move them to the apiaiy lill alter siiin-il. This method has uiany iucoiivcuiri'ircs ; as soon as a swarm lias con- g-eniitnl ill Uir iii'w hive, and seems to be at ease in iu tlir lllll^l niilii>.lrious amongst the bees fly off to tne licldi, liut with a great many precautions: they d-^scend the front of the hive, and turn to every side tt. examine it thoroughly, then take flight, and make s ime circles in the air, in order to reconnoitre their i;-,ed with tlir taking it ; in si-'lves ill till ot It. until Ihrv Thus many In in* bourers arc ln,i, the swarms In v ceived comiiii; i Experience ha-. 1 beating warm mi swarm leaves ilic methnil is 1(1 wait do the same iu returning. If the flight in the morning, the same excursions during the day, and |irecaution, as, becoming familiar- ■Wiii'i. they are less afi-aid of mis- h;, \)r\t morning, supposing them- r phirr, they take wing without .vlinv ihry have spent the night, luir rciiini, not to And the hive in y ll\ aliimt aboutall day in sewch I'li li'-li willi fatigue and despair. ■u\r ■iistom ot c time a Tlie best to rli tlir n i^':>' r- rniMivcil Ji'oui iLs lu- Urcling this is, first r. and afterwards to ipiakiv lillcil, ami more room ■ kiM.w'ii l.y li lowded state ^la-s. .iimI liy Ihrii' lii'ing seen of lllr lli\r al llllir or tOU iu and moist of swarms," says good Mr. Pm'chase ; and, however incorrect tliis position may at first sight appear, the attentive observer will quickly become convinced of its trntli. Second Sw.m;m- ^ <■ ml >warm generally leaves the hive about i ilic first, but the time may be exactly a ii: m, landing quietly beside the hive after im ' < .. \^'i" h tlie queen may be dis- tiinily heard "to tuu in hir treble voic," (Butler's Fiiiii'iiin Mimarchi, Ed. lt)43,) which is a certain iu- diratiou that a second swann wfll leave the luvo. Sliiaild Iwn m- lliirc .|ii.rii~ he heard one after the oihrr. il will lir .ill iln li >11. .v, iiig diiy. if the weather lir mil \rr\ imra\.iiMMl,lr Sliuijd the queens cou- liiiiic In |ii|H' aliri' ilir ilrpai'ture of a scoond swami, a third w ill rrrhinihi lidlow in a few days; but if one or two i|ia I IIS In- liaiiid dead beneath the hive on the next iiminiii,!;-, im mure swarms can be expected. JoiMiNu bwAii.Ms. — I must here observe, that second and tliu'd swarms are very seldom, if ever, worth pre- serving by themselves ; but two second swarms, when joined, are very little inferior in value to a first swarm, and the union is veiy easily effected in the following manner. When two second swai'ms, or a second and third, come off on the same day, hive them scpai-alcly, and leave them till an hour and a half aftri- siiii (I : then spread a cloth upon the ground, ii|inii ulmli, by a smart and sudden move- ment, sliakr all the hoes out of one of the liives, and immediately take the otlirr ami plarr it gently over the bees that are heaptd Imlii tlin iipou the clotli, wedging up one side alnmt ball an inch, that the bees oiitsifle iiiny pass nmirr, ami tlav will instantly distuil" l.n- '[iia I III llH'ii- iirw al>M,l.v Nrxtiiinrn- ing, hrlis. Ih-.l -■ MllhiVr ll,m llrulvnillr,! Iiivp to the l.lii.T n, v.liirl, ,1 I. M ivmain. Tl,i~ iloiihled populaliuii will umK will, .l.Hil.lr Mirrr ami ill the stock, frmii wliirli mm'li pvntit imiy'lM' dmivrd. Two second swarms, or a second and tliird, may be joined in the same manner, although one of them may have swarmed some days or even weeks later llia'ii llii'ollirr; lalcinL; i-iivr.'liowrvcr. not to make llir lii- 1 mir I llln llir -rrMinl, l,u| tl,,- -rOOud tllB fifSt. \ lliii.l ami a liaiiili par.'rl ,iay be known by then being hllcd \Mth honey, and the combs id! sealed up, oi they may u mam till those placed be neath them aic also sealed up Upon very stiong and populous hives, m a good season, it is nrct ssaiy to place e^en a thud, but this niusi In n iiu \> d with gieat caution, and ceitamly not In Ion tli did ot August 01 the besiimimg ot Septnulii i iml u it then unless the paient hive contains lull t\M at) pounds of hone) M VNNLR 01 T^kiNo HoNn — At uoou, upon a clear hue da), pass eithei aAeiythin knitt in fini wiie 111 hMiii till line and the glass inti mil d 111 111 t iki n illhispi I iiitiou be neglected, a pii 1 1 ul 1 1 iiib is tie- ijtii nth li it luojeiting fioui the lop 111 Ihi nm h II oi the bottom ol that taken, wliiili \ ill i in iiiiub tiouble to the opeiator Two adi|itin li ml (si i page 305, ^ol i) placed bet^iiii iIh Ihm iml iIm glass, will be found veiy cou\ciin nt Im tin kiiiU m •niio will then only ha\e to be passed betwei n tin m, and the dangei ot bieakmg the combs thus be obvi- ated To E\prr ihi Bn s n oai nir Glass — The glass must bi hill il M (1/ ^1 iitl\ 1 I pt in the same iiosition, and plai I il np 111 lliii I urn i li il Howei pots, oi souie- tbmg ot 111 kind 111 isliulil jilact, about thuty 01 toitv Naiils liom till hni mil tin hi i wM make thi 11 I SI a]ii m about tin m lilli i n niiiiiih s ( .i utle- iKss, asl luiM biioie Slid 1 Mi\ni is n^, m tins, as ni ,ill otbei o^ieiations with 1 ics mdi i d it is the only means of ai comphshing thi tiid iksiitd, thtie fore, remove tlie glass \nj gently, and place it about siv niches fiom the giouud on bucks oi llowei jiots, as abo^c shaking, bcatiii" oi binniiu liip'i undi i It, ha\t all a contiaiy 111 i linn lli il disin 1 ni'nii the bees, they aiP alniiinl li\ ilin iml \mII m,l ha\c the glass toi houis iml pulii] .Ins uhm these means aic lesoitcd to tin ^1 i -. Imii..; Iliii placed, a loud humming noise is lii^l In ,nil . ml tin bei s aie then seen to leave it, iml in li\( oi ^i\ minutes (all e\.cept a tew stiaggliis, lh.it iii.iy hi blushed out with a feathei) will ha\e Iclt it, but should the ipi. en be m the glass, (which -seiy laiely happi ns,) ipute a diifeient appeal aucc piesents itsell, no noise will be heaid, noi a bee scaiccly seen to lea\e it, but the hive tiom «hich it has been taken «ill, m a veiy shoit time, appeal m gieat contusion Wheuc\ei this occius the glass must be ictuined ini mcihately, and tiken ofl again t)ie next day When a glass 01 box of honey is taken, it must not be left till the bees aie all out of it, tor it is veiy likely to be attacked by lobbeis, and a gieat pait ot it earned awaj in a shoit time Kobbeis maybe known by their endeavouring to enter the glass or box, while the. bees belonging to it, being separated from their queen, fly home immediately upon leaving it. I have frequently found it necessary, in order to prevent robbers from attacking the glass, to remove it from dace to place eveiy four or five minutes, oi to take :lii :!la s into a d iil i m d looni, so that a small poi- Mii III li'.;lil 1 i.liiiilli d Ihiough a hole which com- shiiig to sie bome o lliosi Hi geneial mm i\\ that It is n 1 111. Ill I have, ^i\. n I design to , Mull Holbom, W li.iilh to be m ill I . ilili to ictei iiiin I . |iio. 111. ,1 1,1 »i.l. (I inilii bee glassis .,1 , m use, the) ai. mm li difficult "to imlm I II theiefoie, within tin Messis Nughbmu thiough \Ahose knnl possi ..sion ot soniL achantages ol this si ip il lis, will In \ii) gieat The bees will liaM Iml lit.l. w i\ t.i ii . m the glass, and will geneialh lomiinm woikiiu imim diately on Its being placed upon the line, and again, when the fiibt glass is paitially hlled, auothei may be placed beneath it, and so on. which will pi event any delay in the woikmg, which is otheiwise almost sure to happen when a full glass is taken otf and an empty one put m its place PLUMBAGO LAKPENT.L In youi aCLOmit about Plumbago laipentae, p "^l ot -iol 11 , )0U should ha-vc given the toUowmg as the II 1 .111 wh") this new plant looks blown and sioklj m III iii\ h mils I have it as tine as any plant I evei iw iml also as sickly as can be Having had two plnuts 111 It eaily last autumn, I wmterecl one m a veiy cold house and nevei offeied to jiropagato fiom It since, and it would do yon good to ( ome to see it , It IS such a beauty now that I ,im suu no one has yet oveiiated it Tin -.i . oml \>l ml I ' ul d iwn . ul) m September, ami nml. II iiillin -. Ii m it ulmli looted as last as ,i lin li ii tin . ami tin nmtlni plant, Ik-eptm a hothoiis, ail tin wmtii lutLmhug that they shordd glow on and piudiice me plenty ot cuttings" eaily m the spimg, but soon aftei Chiist mas they looked sickly, anct as soon as the spimg advanceci the same lusty blown coloui complained of by youi coi respondent made its appeaiaiice, and glow they woidd not, by hook or by ciook, so that I had to lake a few cuttings iiom my beautrlul plant to e,i I 1 stoi k tiom, and these soon looted, and as fast 1 1 I o'lld get othei cuttings tiom then tops I chd so, 111.1 miH I have a laige stock of them Theietoie, 1 I 111 . I iU see howdiscieditli is In. ii bi.mghtonthis Inn 11. w plant The nuisi i\ in. n in I In ii huiiy to ( itih tin maiket, tieatcd ,ill Ihni ] I nils as joui liiimbl. snvant did his second om mil h. hvien M.il and I and the public we e. Because I can put all my plants in such a small space, to winter them and to look tidy too ; as here, if I did not want my pots for any other purpose, I could wash them and put them aU away in the dry for another year. 3. Be- cause I am more at leisure about Christmas to attend to this work, and by potting my suckers then I have a nice lot of strong healthy plants in the spring to put my hand upon when I want them. One thing I always do before I commence potting ofi' my new stock : 1 ask my excellent master if he has either promised any cuttings or suckers to any friend, or if he will want any to give away in the spring: so as not to have the trouble with more pots than I want. The Flowering Pols. — I commence planting my plants into their flowering pots about the last week in April, and, perhaps, finish by the first of May. The soil I use is l„ain and Iraf-nionld : alaait half andhalfof each. Inn ird ,.v.a- tlnv ,.i- rmir liiia's, and broken to pieces \\rll Im I'imv nscil, Iml imt siftiMl, In potting, I put alaiiil a - ly ' B. Let iiim trv sw.-m'ih May. iiud i'nlli.w tin not liuuUy swarnie.d. coinb will second swa treutiuont ( thr..\v nir S reak i n obta liLti'. 77/<' hi>li' ill I/if hij, of the liive sliould liavti 1m-(ii iiiimIc /;.///■ iiirlifs ill diiuueter, instead of a nuiiilM r 1)1' Miiitl! onci', and all would have gone on well."—Ej>. U. a.-] FoRSYTHiA ViRiDissiMA. — I obsei've, ill the No. for April 1^, an inquiry i-especting the i*'orsytliia viridis- sima, as to wht-ther it is quite hardy. 1 nuiy just state that T turned out a plant into the open border (in Leicestershne) last May, and when 1 protected the fuchsias and other tender shrubs this plant was totally overlooked. Still it bn>^ stood the winter per- fectly well, not liriii- iiijiiivd in tin- least, till the past month, wlii^n tlic lip^ «'l' ilif ^lionts have been nipped, but not In iiijurr il.^<>M; whom a GAnnEN MAKES Happy. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Accenting Names (//. //.).— We have not omitted to consider the advisahility of undertaking to accent the names of plants to indi- cate their proimnciatiou, but we find that it cannot be done, so as to insure accuracy, in the expedition necessary for printing a weekly publication. Vine in a Ureenhouse (T. Pjc/oh)-— This is the best time to plant a vine in a greenhouse, but it must be out of a pot. A vine cannot be removed from the soil before October. We approve of your memorandum book. We have seen many such, and there is fancy in these useful articles as in other things. Ventilating Bee-uives {R. J5.).— There is not any ventilator rccjuired in the small hive or box that is placed upon " The improved cottage-hive," but when they are nearly filled, should the bees cluster at thi^ iiiniidi ut" the liivii, ]ihice another small hive or box between the on.- ii.ii ti.ilii Mll>.l till Ml. ^tock, which will afford both room and ■ information about i QuAitRENDKN : Kiif.r, J«».).- xeely advise you what to plai jart of your arches or cavern ! Scofopendrium vulgare, Aspidiu kinds VES (//«■(/).— Your scarlet geraniums have got the the spot, caused, no doubt, by too much damp growing in improper soil. Shake them clean out i roots in rain water, repot in light pure loam well n in a frame kept close and shaded for a few days, grow ; and then gradually inure thera to bear the lut are scarcely worth the trouble, as you can buy good strong plants at 12s. the dozen. Stupifying Bees (M. R. (f.). — We have never used either ground ivy or laurel leaves for fumigation of bees, therefore can give no directions for their application ; the latter, being poisonous, we should consider very objectionable. Fungus maximus (Lycoper- don prafense), or great pufF-ball, is found in woods and meadows in the autumn, and if gathered when ripe, and dried, may be kept for any length of time ; but as this is not at all times readily to be ob- tained there is an excellent substitute for it in the Racodium cellare, or mouse skin byssus. Now, this substance abounds in the London Docks' wine vaults, and mav be obtained abundantly at any time. It is often found several feet in length. The apparatus for usingthis, or anv of the befoie- mentioned substances, may be had of Messrs. Neighbour and Son, 127. High Holborn, London. Pruning Scissohs [I/hiignis). — The very best you can use, and we are glad of tliis opportunity of recommending them to all our readers, are to lie had of i\Ir. J. Turner, Neepsend, Shefiield. He will send a pair in a case, post-free, to any one who will enclose to him 18 penny postage-stamps. We think them better than a knife tor most pruning purposes, for the blades are of such a form as to cut clean without any bruising ; and although so small as to be carried in the waistcoat pocket, yet they have power sufiicient to cut easily through green shoots a quarter of an inch in diameter. GoosEBEERY BoEEa(/. Tumtr).— The small green caterpillars with black heads, that wriggle backwards so actively when disturbed, we believe to be the produce of a very small moth, "called Lozotcsniu Itsmgana. It is very closely allied to the rose moth, described at p. volume. We sliall be glad to receive from you one or more of the berries with the borers in them ; for if you are correct in think- ing these small green caterpillars are connected with the injury, you will refute the statement, made by Mr. Major, that the berry borer is the larva of the moth Geometru gross ulariata. Names ov Plants {C. J. Y.}.— We are sorry that no one florist in the world could name your cinerarias from merely looking at a few blooms ; there are hundreds closely resembling each you have sent, and each with a different name. The same remark applies to yonr roses ; we could, probably, be right in assigning names, but when you can be certainly correct at the expense of a penny postage-stamp, why not apply to the florist from whom you purchased them ? '' My Flowers" {Flora).— It was a mistake to number the paper at p. 204 " No. 15," it ought to have been numbered 14, so that not one is omitted, and we quite agree with you in thinking " they are really so good that not a particle ought to be lost." When this vo- lume closes, the same writer will commence another series of papers on a subject even more interesting. Bee-covee (Fra7tk). — Your an-angement of the stand is quite correct for your hives. Your side hives maybe either of wood or straw. Buy "Taylor's Bee-keeper's Manual;" it will give you an- swers on doubts which may be desired, quicker than through our columns. Do not fix the posts of your cover so as to touch your bee- stand, they will enable mice and other vermin to crawl up. Answers to Correspondents (ClericuN, Beds).— Yon will find an answer to your last query at p. 92. We answer every one without any favour, whatever position in society he holds, and we are uncon- scious of having ever omitted a reply to any one. When delays occur, it is only because we are seeking for information on points on which we may entertain doubts. If any of your queries yet remain unanswered, pray oblige us by repeating them. Volume I. and Index (R. L. T.).— This has been completed, with a general index. A cover and the index, ready for binding, may be obtained through any bookseller, at our office, priced thirteen - pence. All the back numbers may be yet had. We have reprinted some of the early ones three times ; but, as we cannot do so any more, we recommend our subscribers to lose no time in completing Liquid-manure for Celery (J. B. 5.).— This made from pig .and stable-manure is best, but the addition of sheep's dung and the dung of oxen fatting on oil cake woidd be beneficial. Mr. Nult adds a little sulphate of ammonia. We recommend you to follow his mode of culture, and that by Mr. Turner, so fully detailed in our Gaeden Netting (P. S.).-You p. 82. Early Lewisham cabbage n about the early rhubarb. No room f Angle von Greenhouse Roof nt).—Vo 1 e of a maker n ly DC sown at any tin have not heard anythii r more answers this wet (A Subscriber from th i at page TJO of ( the best n found a rich ligl The top spit of in it, would do 1 drainage is good Oni. lANGES AND Lemons f/iiVZ).-We ha : loam mixed with one-fourth leaf-mould rich pasture, with the turf chopped up and rotted ithout any addition. Above all things le best, d rotted : that the Caul ashes, strongly impregnated they are with caustic potash, : the failure. You put it below and ove seed in the drills, so that the young roots were destroyed by it as as they appeared. Your eauliflower-plants, dipped into soot and saltpetre, were all killed by i i-iolent. We s : they might. Such ; full c may gro THUS Seedlings (Cottager).— By ctirciul the blooms finer but not change their colours. You must them out of your border now or they will bloom weakly next year. The roots and leaves are at work, preparing the mate- rials for next year's growth. Pit Building (X. t>.).~Your situation facing the S.W. iswcU situoted for this, but we can add nothing to the very ample directions we have already given in our first volume. Potato Culture {Ren. T. E.). — Thanks for your paper; it shall Silk Worm's Eggs (A Cottage Gardener).— Their change of shape and the black specks are symptoms of their hatching. Keeping in a room where there is a fire is all that is necessary. It is of no use hatching them before the mulberry leaves are ready. Nature will bring them out together, if you leave them to her. CoaRosiVE Sublimate (T. O. J»/.).— We cannot give as our opinion that if carrots, parsnips, "and other roots of that kind, would grow in a soil " saturated with corrosive sublimate," they would not be rendered dangerous as a food for man. We believe that such a soil would kill them, but, if it did not, there are so very few salts when in solution that roots reject altogether, that we fenr some of the corro- sive sublimate would be taken into the vessels of the plants, sufficient in quantity to render them unwholesome, if not fatal, as food. This, is onlv an opinion, for we know of no experiments on the M. Marcet found that kidney beans were killed in two 1 watered with a solution of oxide of arsenic. 3 Keeping (X.X.).— It is probable that-potato tubers will many years, and then vegetate ; but, under they cannot be kept for three years, and planting. BOILER {Expectans). — The open boiler for heating a pit, :d at p. 263 of vol. i., is a boiler, or pan, without any top. r flows and returns along the pipes just as well in an open ose boiler ; it only requires more attention in keeping it full You can have them of any height you please. Flanges .rfaces by which the ends of the pipes are fastened to each j'useTf! COTTAGE GAP>DENK I SE (Bunl-sio).— Vour \\Tiitc ) tall and straggling, mi you e under command. 'J'his-. and putting forth flowers t)elorc tlie leaves ; ttieie is no I.;n- fii its nut (loin" well, however. It should have been pruned a little more elose when you began watering it in the spring. The (lowers that appear so earlv before the foliage were in bud last autumn, and they shew how well you kept it through the winter ; if the frost had killed the top of the shoots it would have had the same cffeet as sprmg pruning : sueh examples teach the best gardeners amongst us. Cut olf four or five inches from all the shoots that shewed the early bloom, and give the plants a liberal watering, for this t lose a day in sowing 3UTEE Cdv GttEENHorsF: (H. H. C.).— The Hahvothamnus fiiscienttitus. You should I plan under c must induce us to increase this. We which may enable us to meet your wishes. Grass Seed (Brookland Gardens) .—By all means sow these mi- mediately rather than in autiunn, though much later than it ought to be for the purpose. „ , Pe^t (ir. S.).— You will find this defined at p. 71 of the present volume, and more fully at p. 14 of our first volume. Geranium Soil ilhid), — Equal parts of turfy loam and rotten stable manure, heaped together, turned, and stirred repeatedly toge- ther for 12 months, makes an excellent basis for a geranium compost. When used for potting, two parts of this mi.xture to one part of leaf- mould, with a bttle lime rubbish and mbbly charcoal. E--TnBF L.IVING {R. Jl/.).— From circumstances beyond your control you have been obliged to postpone laying turf until now, and it has lie'en much broken. Y'our best plan will be to insert the pieces with the dibble as closely together as you can, so that they are put equally thick over the whole space ; sow over it grass seeds, and then roll it smooth. This mode is called " innoculating " with grass. S\LT AND Water (P.). — We never recommended this to be poured over cabbage-plants attacked by caterpillars. Hand-pick them every day, and you will have none remaining the third day if '"ant's'^ Nests on Lawn (W. W.).— Heap over them some refuse lime from the gas works. It will turn the grass brown for awhile, but this will recover its green colour. CALENDAR FOR JUNE. GREENHOUSE. Air. Give .ibundance of abrwith all possible freedom; bringallbut the tenderest plants out of the house, and place them at first in a very sheltered situation. Camellias and China Azaleas should now have more than greenhouse heat till they finish growing and set their flower-buds. Cuttings, as last month. Dressing— keep all plants in a dressy state this month by pruning, stopping, and tying. Earthing — give fresh earth, or surface soil, to pots that do not require a shift soon, as that portion is now soon exhausted by constant watering. Geraniums, the earlier cuttings of these are now made i for next year. Prunii stopping young growths. Inarching of Jasmines, Oranges, &c., may now be performed, but not Camellias. Leaves are the lungs .and stomach of plants, and as susceptible of injury as our lungs. i matters this month, being the height of the grow iug season. Lavers of many woody plants may *•- — -"• "' tles, jjropagate by cuttings ■-•'— >•-" -'— — U. Be Lfmons, either in bloom or in fruit, give hquid manure to once a week, and, if fruit is an object, thin their blossoms, and dust those left with the pollen to insure impregnation. Rain, if excessive, or long in continuance, remove the greenhouse plants back under shelter. Seedlings, attend to, as they now soon smother each other if left to themselves. Shift fast growing plants, and for the whole month let it be a standing rule that no plant is to want for anytlnng the cultivator can do for it in the shape of potting, watering^ shading, training, tying, and cleaning. " " ;i\ be sowed, b. AuRlci . ut seedlings. Baskk l;n:.NNiALS and Perenni i;ri,Dous Roots (Tu1i| uiaove offsets from ; dry Pinks INCS (or Cuttings) of destroy the Aphis or Green Fly ; Roses tobacco-water. Salvia Patens, pinch down centre stem to make it bushy. Seedlings of Perenni.ils and Biennials, transplant. Seeds (ripe), gather in dry weather. Seed Vessels, remove, to prolong flowering. Water, give freely and fre(|uently to all newly moved plants, and to others in dry weather ; early in the morning or late in the evening is the best time. Brmnpton Stocks and Mosses Irtter- mi'diittt should be sown on a north border. They will require to be potted in September, and sheltered in a cold pit or greenhouse during the winter. Peg down Salvias, and, for a time, until the layers are rooted, cut off the flowers. Verbe.vas, peg dowTi to cover the beds sooner; put in cuttings of new kinds to get strength for winter. Tulips, continue to shade to prolong the bloom, b. ; towards e. e-xpose them to full sun to ripen the bulbs the same purpose, and Rockets, put ii to ripen IPS of D< Double M'allflowers. Sweet Willi: ORCHARD. Hand-pick caterpillars from all fruits carefully, b. Disbud all fruits in a trained state progressively through the liionth. Thin out rival shoots in general. Stop or pinch all over-luxuriant shoots from Peaches, Plums, Pears, Apricots, &c. Insects, watch carefully, and apply the necessary preventives with vigilance throughout the Feu from trained trees v nded. Mu Intedft lantcd trees or those in a weakly condition, s, or those requiring assistance, through hand-pick frequently for the caterpil ith if dry. out fruit Pears on w'^alls, thin where too" thick, e. Peaches. thin at intervals, if too thick, through the month, regulate, b. Fics, thin out liberally, b. ; stop rather generally, e. ; water if dry, e. Raspberrie.^ ! Strav 5 shoots vatcr freely, b. ; put straw or litter lieueath leaves, ERRiEs from runners, pick away .all early bloom. 1 out for bottUng, m. Currants, pinch back U. Ehbington. KITCHEN GARDEN. Alexanders, earth up. Artichokes, weed, &c. Asfaragds beds, clean, &e. Basil, plant. Beans, plant, hoe, &c., ad^Tine- ing crops. Beets, thin, &e. Borecole, plant, sow, b., prick out. Brocoli, sow, b., prick out, plant. C.\bbages, sow, prick out, plant, earth up, Sec. Capsicum, plant, b, Cardoons, thin and plant out. Carrots, thin, Ifzc. Cauliflowers, prick out ; seedlings, earth up ; le.ive for seed. Crleriac, plant. Celery, sow, b., plant; earth up advancing. Coleworts, sow for, plant. bers, sow, b., plant, b. ; in forcing, attend to. E.^rthing-up, at- ■ " plant. " tend sow ■ earth up advancing s, for dri-ing and crops. Garlic is fit for present use. Herb distilling gather. Je (dwarf), sow ; ES, hoe, &C. KiDN (runners), attend to. Leeks, thin, &c., transplant, e . Lettuce, sow, plant, !kc. ; leave or seed. Melons, plant out. Onions, thin. «:e.; transplant into defi w; (Hamburgh), Parsnips, thin. thin. Sage, plant. Salsaf V, thin. Sav Dvs. plant, prick .Seeds, attend to and gather. Sm v, , - out,' I . Turnip (A i ,:.M>n,,n. plant. veget now in seas on. The cutting 11. lie you cut this season the less you will have ("verthe beds with sal , so as to be per- eepti - this month. ,„,. .^^ : rn, , ,. H ... . --;":;■■.; r. Strand, in the er High-jtreet, in THE COTTAGE GAYIDENER, WEEKLY CALENDAR. 1 i\r w JUNE 7—13, 1810. Plants dedicated to each day. Rises. .Sun Sets. jroonR.I Moon's and Sets. 1 Age. Clock bef. Sun. ?^L!^ 7 Tll Coiims Christi. Nightingale's song ceases. Red Ceutamy. 10 a. .'1 U a. 8 i. ir. 10 1 31 158 ^' 1'' Common I-Ionej'siiekle flowers. Moneywort. 4li 12 !) 59 17 1 20 159 9 S |Diigo-ev-moth appears. Berberry. 40 1'3 10 37 18 1 9 ino Id SuN'' 1 S. Ai'T. Trix. Silver Y moth appears. IBastard Aoorus. 4") 13 11 12 li) 0 57 101 11 If St. Baknabas. Common Mallow flowers. Midsummer Daisy. 4.-) 14 11 41 20 0 45 l(i'^ Tu Trin.Term.e. Kcdbreast's2cl brood hatch. White Dog Rose. 45 14 1:3 W Small Blue JJutterfly appears. Garden Ranunculus. 44 l.j 0 8 e 0 21 104 Corpus Ciieisti (Body of Christ) is a festival first instituted by Pope Urban the Fourth in the year 1264, and still celebrated by Roman Catholics. Various reasons have been assigned for its institution, the least objectionable of which is, that it is to celebrate the blessings conferred upon mankind by the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. This festival is always on the Thursday next after Ti'inity Sunday, and was, at one time, a day of some consequence in the conduct of our legal affairs : for, ' was directed by statute 1 Words endeavouring to ; of which has been shewn by its subsequent alteration. St. Barnabas, although not one of the twelve chosen by our Lord, is spoken of as one of the Apostles in the Scriptures (Acts xiv. 14). From the same book of Holy Writ (iv. 36) we learn that he was a Levite, native of the Island of Cj-prus, and that his name originally '•■" • -'---■ ,^ being i- 1 the reign of Henry the Eighth, Trinity Term to begin on the day after this feast ''fur ever.' ' a render a human law immutable, the vanity i Joses. He received the i the other apostle brought the money and laid it at their feet." We know that he afterwards accompanied St. Paul as a preacher of the gospel ; and that when he separated from him he went to evangelize in his native island. The time and manner of his death are not certainly known. There is an " Epistle" extant which is generally believed to have been written by him. Phenomena of the Season. — Proceeding with ournotes upon the parts of a flower, we will commence with its outermost covering —the calyx, the cup or outer wrapper. The green rough skin en- Insects. — Every one acquainted with old gardens must have fre- quently noticed that one or more of the branches of the currant-trees tenanting them have suddenly with- ered and died without any appa- wood of the branch be split down the centre, the pith will be found all consumed, the tube where it had been blackened, and nothing remain- ing but the excrements of a cater- pillar, which may also be caught at his work of destruction if the exami- nation is made so soon as the branch first shews symptoms of M'ithering. This caterpillar, fleshy, whitish, with four yellowish brown spots near its head, is the larva of the Currant Sphinx (Trochilium tipuliforme and the Sphinx tipuliformis, Sesia, or JEgeria, or Bombecia tipuUformis, and Bembecia tipulifoi"me of others). The parent moth is beautiful, and may be seen at the end of May and early in June during hot sunshine, either settled on the leaves of the currant, or flying around the flowers of the syringa and lilac. It is about three-quarters of an inch across the wings when these are quite opened ; the prevailing colour is bluish black, \vith various parts yellow ; the antennae black ; the breast with a yellow line on each aide ; the abdomen, or lower part of the body, has three yellow rings round it in the females, and four in the males ; the fore wings are barred and veined with black ; it has a brush of flne scales at the end of its abdomen, which fan it can expand as it pleases. The red, white, and black currant, and, we think, the gooseberry, are all liable to its attacks. It lays its eggs at this time in openings of the bark of a young shoot, and the caterpillar immediately it is hatched penetrates to its pith, and eats its way down this until it reaches the pith of the main branch. The only securitive measures are to kill the moth whenever seen, and to split open the withered branches and serve the caterpillars aimi- Jarly, closing the flower-bud of pieces when the flower blooms,' is" absolutely necessary for a flower to poppy, which splits into half- egg- shaped xample of the calyx, ^It is not alyx, many being without sider these petals are the calyx, and that the tulip has no petals. One of the most marked of calyxes is the cup of the acorn, though other bo- tanists will not admit that it is one. Another calvx, which most of our readers, probably, have considered as really petals or flower leaves is the beautiful crimson or pink, according to the variety, outer cover- ing of the flower of the fuchsia. In no case can we consider the calyx as of no other use than ' ... the flower ; for it resembles i: takes carbonic acid gas from the air ana recurns to it oxygcne It is true that sometimes, as in the poppy, it falls when the flower' bursts It and opens, but that is no proof that it did not help to nourish the petals and other parts durmg their early growth. In most plants the calyx continues until the seed isjipe, and in some, as the AVinter cherry (P%srt/is alkehensri), it notonlv remains leafy but increases in size. From these, and from other circumstances, we have no doubt that the calyx is of use for preparing sap to nourish either the flower or the frmt during some stage of its growth, or to aid in strengthen- ing the stalk in proportion to the weightof the fruit it has to sustain. In some cases it has another use, for it remains bearing a silky parasol- hke crown, helping to disperse far and wide the seed to which it is attached. _ Familiar instances of this are furnished by the dandelion and the thistle. JUNE I 1841. 1842. 1843. 1844. 1845. 1846. 1847. 1848. 7 Highest & lowest Showery. Fine. Showery. Cloudy. Showery. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. 57<'-46= 78»— 51° 64°— 50° 7I°— 50° 67°-57° go°— 56° '^ir'''L'„ Showery. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Fine. 67°-53° 57'=-390 76°-49° 63»-49° 80°-51° 72°— 40° 77°— 51° 64° 48° 10 Fine. Fine. Stormy. Cloudy. Fine. Cloudy. 77°— 56° 60° 42° ?i°^t° 54°-45= 89°-54° 64°— 48° 83°— 12° 78°— 50° 67°— 41° Showery. Showery. Fine. Fine. 53°— 37" 90°-51° 67°-48° 82°— 56° S5°— 54° 85°— 50° 74° 52° 13 Cloudy. 65°— 37° 90°-55° Rain. 5B°-49° Fine. Fine. S4°-57° Fine. 86°-52° Showery. 64°-54? 1^17J- The foUowiug, from the head gai-deuer of an esta- blishment in Kent, is only one of very many letters now before us, all urging tbe same topic as deserv- ing our especial advocacy : — " I can bear testimony to tlie value of The Cottage Gardener as an agent of improvement amongst the working classes, and I think you would gi-eatly forward the end in view if you woidd give the aid of your pen to the advocacy of Horticultural Shows for Cottagers. No one can over-estimate the value of such societies, so greatly do they imjn-ove both the moral and social condition of the working classes. It is astonishing to see what a revolution is caused in any village when once it has its annual shows, and it is also surprising to see the excellent crops of No. XXXVI., Vol. II, THE COTTAGE GARDENER. June ve-retables that are pvoduoed ou small gardens whicli previously to the society being fonned bore nothing but weeds." We can bring a hundred testimonies to the same most gratifying and most important facts. Then, surely, the establislunent of sucli societies requires no advocacy, for such results, with a ti-umpet tongue, siunmon every one on to aid in arranging institu- tions so fi-anght mth benefits to those to whom we are more indebted for food and raiment than to any other class of society. As examples are much more iufiuontial than pre- cept, and as for many years we have been earnest l)leaders for the general estabUshment of A'Illage HoKTicuLTDKAL SOCIETIES, we will devote our aUotted space to-day to a liistory of one now flom-ishing at Pytchley, in Northamptonshii-e.'- This village society has been established 12 years, and is going on with abundant success. By " success " we do not mean merely either that its funds ai-e more than equal to its expenditm-e, or that its meetings are well attended by the wealthy and the gay, but we mean that it has seoiu-ed also these gladdening consequences, " The gradual improvement which has taken place dming the last 12 years in the comforts,^ respectability, and general habits and ohai-acter of the cottage population of Pj-tcliley, affords encourage- ment for the establishment of similar societies in other villages." Pytchley is but a scattered village in an agi-icul- tm-al district ; the parish contains less than three thousand acres, and the land " is a mixture of good and bad pasturage, tillage, and copse; of gentle slopes, some towards the sun and some away fi-om it." The number of its inhabitants are but 611 ; " it has no resident squire, no inhabitant who keeps a gardener, nor until last year (18i8) any ai-tificial garden-heat beyond that under a few cucumber frames." Much less has it any of Edgington's mar- ques, or any baronial hall ia which the gatherings of Idtohen-garden stuff, orchard fruits, and border- flowers can be spread out for view, hut " the place where the shows ai-e held (the only suitable place in the parish) is the village school-room, 20 feet square by 12 feet high." Immediately after school, on the evening of the day before a show, the stages are raised, and the festoons, arches, and other devices, are decorated with flowers, and fixed in their places. The show day, of course, is a holiday to the scholars, and tlieu and there are exhibited all the best that village gar- dening can produce in its season. " Fruits and vege- tables usually grown for food," " Open-air flowers," " Greenhouse or Room plants," " Bees," " the Neatest ♦ We recommend to all who desire a fuller account, and the necessary rules tor regulating such a society, a little tract by the Rev, Abner W. Brown, and priced only twopence, entitled "The History, Kules, and Details of a Horticultural Society established in 1837, at Pytchley." It is just published by Messrs. Wertheim, Paternoster Cottage," and " Children's Nosegays, of wild flowers only," are among the subjects for which prizes are ofiered, and the result shall bo told in a letter we received from the Idnd-spirited rector himself: — " The cottagers gi'ow t^\'ice as much cabbages, potatoes, and onions, from the same little patch, and of a quaUty many times superior, to what they chd six years ago. The flowers are much more nume- rous in every cottage ; the beer-house less frequented ; the chm'ch better attended ; the Sunday more de- cently kept ; the cottagers more comfortable. ;Many a poor man who formerly never tasted rhubarb, for instance, has his rhubarb dumplings for supper now in May and Jime ; he has liis onions and leeks to liis bread and cheese at lunch ; he lias his salad and radislies for Sunday dinner, and often for supper, and has a large mess of Icidney beans, and broad beans, and marrowfat peas for his cluldren's dinner ; and you may usually mark the members of our society by then- general steadmess of conduct, and the ah of comfort in their cottages as compai'ed with many of their neighboiu-s. The farmers, too, enjoy theu- share of the competition, and have a deUght in promoting the comfort of then' poorer neighbours, and in leaving their prize things for sale at night. The people are pleased at om- endeavours to do them good, and we generally succeed in making the day of competition one of happiness. You would not imagine what English wild flowers are, unless you have seen them hi such nosegays as clever tasteful childi-en can make up ; I certainly never did. I am anxious not to ascribe to merely external matters a gi'eater importance than they deserve, but cer- tainly such a caiTjing out of the paroclual system as little village institutions of this kind afford the means, has the happiest efiect upon the comforts, the character, and the morals of the poor, and is a powerful aid to the clergyman in liis efforts for tlieir improvement in more important interests." And what has been the e.-cpense — what have been the means whereby so much of imalloyed good has been acliieved ? The reply is before us. During the twelve yeai's of the So i iIm water from heavy rains pass freely through tlic di'aiiiagc June THE COTTAGE GARDENER. and holes at the bottom of each. You must not forget those two last mentioned points of culture — the drainage, which is best made of broken garden pots and rough charcoal, mixed, and the hoh's iu the bottom of each, to allow the superabundant moisture to escape fi-eely. If these two points are neglected, or not properly done, the plants will iu long con- tinued wet weather soon sliow the eftisets of bad management. Their leaves will turn yellow and drop off, the flowers will be poor and scarce, and m extreme wet weather the whole will die. Rut if proper caro is bestowed upon the drainage, rainy weather will have a beneficial eifect, and the plants will flourish as healthily as theii' neighbours iu the open borders. The plants that are proper for vases are, for one, scarlet geraniums, edged with that beau- tiful annual Rliodanthe Manglesii, (Mangles' Eho- danthe), with the yellow drooping moneywort {Mimu- his nimimularis). For another vase, a fuchsia of a drooping habit in the centre, Gennan stocks of various colom-s around it, with the canaiy-coloured nasturtium (Tropeolum canariense) as a drooper to hang over the edges. The next vase might have a blue sage plant {Salvia iwtens) iu the centre, with Glarlna pulchella (pretty clarkia) next to it, edged with dwarf fairy roses, and a Maurandga Barclayana for the weeper. These are for the summer months. In early spring vaiious other tilings might be em- ployed to fill them with, such as crocuses, snowdrops, wail-flowers, saxifrages, especially Saxifraga oppo- sitifoUa, wall-cress [Arahis alpina), white and [Au- brietia deltoidea) piu'ple. After these early flowerers are out of bloom they should be removed, a little fresh earth added, and the summer flowers jiut in. A tliin coating of liraig green moss would be orna- mental, and would preserve the roots from the too sudden changes of the atmosphere. In diy weather they will requii-e well soaking with water once a week, and sprinkling every evening. We would remark, jjreviously to leaving this subject, that you may, if you so prefer, fill one or two of your baskets or vases entirely with one sort of plant, such as scarlet geraniums, fuchsias, or dwarf faiiy roses. If the vases are fixtures, as soon as the summer flowers are removed you might plant in each any of the following plants, to look green dm-ing the winter : Yucca recurva (Recurved Adam's needle), Y.flameii- tosa, anifikimentosa variegata (Thready, and Thready variegated-leaved Adam's needle) ; Pioea canadensis (Heralock spruce) ; a dwarf bushy box tree, or an aucuba japonica ; any of which would have a better appearance than empty vases. In very severe frost cover them with an extra thickness of moss. The rastic baskets had better have the earth taken out of them, be well cleaned, and be removed during winter to some diy shed, to preserve them from the weather. FLORISTS' FLOWERS. Tulips. — Before these lines reach our readers the glory of these flue flowers will be almost departed. 'Take care to destroy all the seed-vessels as soon as the flowers decay. This will strengthen the bulbs greatly, and wiU allow them all to shed their leaves equally, thus enabling the cultivator to take up all the bulbs at once. Remove the awnings to allow the sun to play fully upon the beds. This will ripen the bulbs much sooner than if they were kept covered up. Ey no means cut off a single leaf till it turns yellow naturally. Should some few of them continue green longer than the rest, thrust a trowel in the eartli near to such, and lift them gently up so as to break off the roots, but do not lift them up so high as to lay the bulb bare. This will prevent them drawing up any more sap, and will cause them to ripen as soon as the rest. T. ArtLEUY. GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW GARDENING. Pot Cultivation of Roses. — 'Those old gardeners who used to cut their moss and cabbage roses on Christmas day would not thank om- reporter for saying, in the Supplement, that this was the newest branch of om- gardening ; but that is little to the purpose now, when a Mgh state of cultivation prevails every- where iu this countiy, and when a new class of practitioners have arisen, who are, in their tm-n, to be insti-ucted in the best practices of the day. Soil. — In treating of roses, in or out of pots, not- withstanding the gi-eat diversity characterising the various sections of the family, there is one point in which they all agree, and that is, that, from the least to the greatest, the whole requu-e the very richest compost to grow them to anything like perfection in pots : two-thirds of the best loam that can be had, and a third of rotten manure ; and to keep this com- post from settling too close about their roots, about a sixth part of small broken bones or charcoal should be added. Plants. — Roses selected for potting should have been budded low near the gi-ound, on healthy young stocks. Standard roses, aud even half standards, are awkward things in a small greenhouse. The stock and all tlie naked part of the bottom shoots, or what we call the coUar of the plant, shoiJd not exceed more than four or five inches in height ; then from three, five, or seven shoots, all of as nearly the same strengtli as possible, should diverge at regular distances from this collar, in order to form a com- pact globular bush. Plants of this description, and of two or three years of age, are always to be had in the large rose nm-series ; but unless it is stated iu the order for what purpose the plants are intended, one year old plants probably will be supplied, which may be a trifle cheaper; but when we consider the time and trouble necessary to fonn " a good head" upon them, it is cheaper in the long run to furnish ourselves with suitable plants at once. Besides, it is only where large masses of lliem are grown that proper selections, for particular purposes, can be made. However, when they are to be reared at home for pot culture, if they are budded low enough, that is, close to the ground, a little practice and a few disappouQtments will soon teach us the right way of bringing them to the desired form. 'Training. — 'Then to begin training from the begin- ning, suppose we look over those that were budded last summer — and this is just the right time— we shall now find them pushing up a strong leadmg shoot from the bud, and in some cases two or three httle weak ones trying to come up from the bottom of tliis leader. If the whole are left, as is too often the case, to go on as best they may for the whole season, we should find at next pniniug time a very strong central branch, aud a few straggling spray at the bottom not worth retaining. In that case the strong shoot must be cut down to foiu' or five buds, iu order to get as many shoots from the very bottom next season ; and this large cut wOl form an awlc- ward shoulder for some years. Indeed, letting well alone in this manner, is a crying evU everywhere ; gardeners, nurserymen, aud amateurs, are often at THE COTTAGE GARDENER. JnxE fault -liere ; and tliose wlio are beginuing, for tlie first time tliis season, to nurse rose plants fi'om tlie beginning, will stand a better chance of success than some of the oldest of us, if they vnW only attend to The Cottage Gahdenek, who is very particular about liis roses. Who would not be a cottage gar- dener? or live in a snug cottage covered all over with roses ? or, rather, who would not exchange a palace for such a scene in the rose season, at any rate ? But I am '■ loupin o'er a Un."=:: No jilant or tree that is intended for training, whatever that training may be, should be allowed to have its own way the first season — hke the rose above, taken as a bad example. No, if you wish to rear a plant in the best possible Itealth, and in the shortest time, wliether it be a rose bush or an apple tree, or any other tree or Imsh, the proper time to begin the training is when eitlier the bud or tlie graft, which- ever may have been used for propagating, has made a few inches of growth, and that is just about this time with us ; therefore, let us go back to one sample of a badly managed rose. It is full six inches liigh, and two little sprigs are struggling to rise by the side of it, all from the bud put in last season. Now is the time to jilunge into the mysteries of ciiltiva- tion: Ibis liriiiililul strong shoot, having embryo tlowir Inid, -.'.i III!' top already, must be thus early stojijird 111 lii^ hiaillong career, and nipped on tlie very tlnv-,lMil,| (.| lilc, like many a young aspirant. By iii|i|Mii'_; iiir llii' to|i 111' (liis leading shoot with the foi-o-liii-'T mill lliiimli, 1 nnly leaving fom' joints, or liuil^,. on tlir sliuiip, wr ;iiTest the flow of the sap in that tlirection. Jiiil ii.i«. in llio height of the growing season, the ;-;i|i will not bo stopped thus, but merely directed intn niinm' iliaunels; and the little stragglers that ^v•u^c jiautiug for existence the other day are now the main channels for the aiTested sap, and in three weeks they will become respect- able side branches. Before that time, however, the foiu- eyes left on the stump ^vill push out into branches also, and so divide the sap in equal por- tions between them all — at least, let us hope so ; but the thing is not quite so easUy efieoted as it is to write or read about it. Now, instead of one strong leader, we have four, or may be six, shoots all spring- ing up from the bottom, not very strong yet, it is true, but the season is still long enough before them to give sufficient strengtli for our purpose. Thus, by one magic nip with the finger and thumb we liave gained a whole season, avoided the ugly cut wo depririitril, iinil have laid a sure foundation for a propri- ill iiiliniiun of the branches, so as that we may tinin llinii iii'ln'wards in any way we think best. Eor the rest of tliis srii'^nn. nil tho ■nttnidnnrr the plants require is tn nllim im idr Innnrlii^ niu- llowers, to exhaust iinv nt ihr hil :nu\ lo j^ivr llirin a good supply of rieli'lii|iiiil niiiiinrr nrrusinuiilly lill tlie end of August. Jiy tlie latter part of October they will be in good condition for potting. Fotting. — Nurserymen and gardeners pot then' roses as early as circumstances will allow after the fall of the leaf, or, say, before the middle of Novem- ber ; but if amateurs rear their own plants as above, I think the safest time for them to pot their roses from the open groimd is any timi' in I'cbruiiry : they will then not only escape llir li:uiWii|i-; nt' along winter but another advantage nmy lir ;^:nnril, and one that is often overlooked — a plaiU, iiu nitiUcr uf irjiat kind, should never he pruned and jjoUcd at the same time. This ride is as binding as a principle. Now, the end of October is the best time in the year to • Jumping over a waterfall. prune roses, and also all other bushes and ti'ees which shed their leaves in winter ; aud the reason for doing it so early is this — the sap is not yet at rest, and when a portion of a branch is cut off, the buds that are left will receive all of it that would otherwise circulate through that portion that was cut ofl'. This will cause the buds to swell and get more plump be- fore the winter sets in; and on the first dawn of spring these buds are ready to make a far sti-onger growth than if they were not so much charged with sap late in the autumn ; but if the roses were pnined and potted in October, the great advantage of this accu- mulation of sap in the buds is lost. The practice, therefore, although sanctioned by long usage, is bad in principle ; hence it is that I recommend Februai'y as the best time for the amateur to pot his own roses. If, however, he is to have them from a nursery, he must get them home as early as he can, as all the old fanciers who want more roses are sm-e to be culling out the best shaped plants before ordinaiy people think of what they ought to be about, and the first come is therefore sure to be the best served. It must be tlu-ough this that all writers on roses, and pai-ticu- larly niu-serymen, have put so much stress on October potting; but I say, as an old hand, that February is the best time — other circumstances being the same ; at any rate it is the safest time for amateurs who rear then- own roses. I have heard or read somewhere that it is a good plan to pot roses in October and not prune them tUl Febi'uary, on the jilea that with all then- branches on they would form roots in the interval. This is just that kind of jilnusilili! physiology which teaches us to makr two liiilvi^ 111' a cherry and to split straws, or whirli, wiirn " Inkm at the flood, leads to" nobody knows whuro. Thi' roots of roses wfll bear to be well pruned at potting ; but, what is " weU pruned?" you say. Just to out off the strongest roots to six inch lengths, and if there are little fibrous ones let them alone ; if you can coil them round the pot they will assist the plant till new roots are formed fi-om the cut ones. The size of the pots must depend on the quan- tity of roots : the fewer the roots the smaller the pot to hold them, and the contrary. After this potting the roses are to bo nursed for another whole year. They must fill the pots with roots before they are lit to bear flowers. Plunging. — The usual way is to plunge the pots in sawdust, sand, or coal-ashes, and, in many instances, in the open ground ; either of these modes that is most cimvi mint will do equally well, the pots to bo just I'lMivd Willi ihe plunging material; and to keep ofl' I III siniinin diouglit from their roots, some miflcliing, III Ihr Ihirkiirs^ (if nn inch or two, is indispensable. Thr lii'^l iinilrliin'^' is i-oUni dung, as every shower will rarry dii\\ n so noiirishnirnt to then' roots, and evriy lime Ihi y air wall nil Iho richness of the ma- nure is similarly beuolioial. It is also a good plan to put pieces of slates under the bottom of the pots, to prevent the roots passing tlu-ough, and so getting da- maged when the pots are removed. If every tlung has prospered, they ought to make good plants before the end of the season, and be fit to bloom aluuidnntly next sprmg. Chin.\ A/\i,i;as,— T nmsl |iul olf their after-manngc- mcut Ibi- aii.ilhi r wrrh, in oidn- to say a few words as to the Irriiiiiiml of China a/.aU/as, ibr whieli I am pressed. The iiiuir. 1 am pushed to write about this, that, or the oilier kind of plant, the more I like it, if only showing that we are creating a general interest on the subject we write about, and few plants deserve more encouragement than these gorgeous azaleas. June THE COTTAGE GARDENER. All that I liave room for, liowover, at pvesent, is to state that through the month of Juue the same treat- ment I reeommemled for oamellias is also applicahle to these azaleas, with the exception that they do not reqiure so much shading as the oamellia. D. Beaton. THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. Ahtichoke. — ^This vegetahle requires especial at- tention at this season of the year. Clear away all superfluous and weakly shoots, and apply hberal soalfings of good liquid manure. When the time arrives for cutting artichokes, great care must be taken not to destroy any small ones that may he shewing on the same stalks, as these will continue to gi-ow after the principal stalk is cut, and afibrd a good succession. If new plantations are required this year, they may still be made by planting the strongest suckers, and shading them with sea-kale pots or green boughs. Jebusai.eji Abtiohoke. — This useful tuberous- rooted vegetable may also, at this time of the yeai-, be greatly assisted by continually scarifying and deeply hoeing the soil, and clearing away ail suckers and weakly shoots, leaving one only, and that the strongest, to each plant. To secure an abundant crop of good tubers, the plants shoidd be placed in the row at the distance of two feet from each other. The tubers of the artichoke are a good substitute for potatoes, and cows, pigs, and poultry, also thi'ive well upon them, and devour them eagerly. We feed swans, ducks, geese, fowls, pigeons, and pheasants, and indeed poultiy of all kinds, occasionally, with them, and And that they like them exceedingly. With the exception of mangold-wuitzel, there is per- haps no other tuberous-rooted vegetable, or indeed bulbous-rooted either, that is capable of producing the same bulk and weight of produce as the Jerusa- lem artichoke ; and another great advantage which it possesses is, that it may be grown for years upon the same spot of gi-ound, and the produce, indeed, in- creased, provided the soil be annually well trenched, and kept afterwards loose and open by thorough sui-- faoe stirrings Aspabagus. — Those plantations which have this season been cut fi'om for the first time must now be cut fi-om no more, or the plants will become weak- ened and exhausted, and a gi-eat deficiency in the next year's produce will be thereby occasioned; and those plantations that are in full production shoidd not be cut too closely. If showery weather prevails, sprinklings of salt may be applied with gi-eat advan- tage, in small quantities and often, for we do not recommend extreme apphcatious ; but the present is the best time for applying the salt, and if given in moderate quantities, with other liquid manure, the effect will be most beneficial. Routine Work. — The main crops of broeoli, bore- cole, cauliflowers and coleivorts, should now be planted, and a good sowing of caulijlowers made for autumn coming in. Full crops of coleworts shordd also be sown to secm-e an abmxdance of good strong plants for planting the spare ground, such as the pea, bean, and early onion beds, as they become cleared in the latter summer and early autumn months. Good pre- parations must be made for the principal crops of celerij, and a succession of plants pricked out. Onions, 2Kirsnips, and carrots, should have their final thin- nings ; parsley should also be thinned, and a portion ti-ansplanted, and to the earliest and strongest plants. soot may be applied with Indeed, soot applied iu a 1 one of the best and most IVi tation generally that can ]« grentp^t advantage. 1 i-liilr. v>u' liiid tobo MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. MY FLOWERS. (No. 30.) What a variable and uncertain climate is that of our island home ! How unexpected has been the severe though short winter we have just experienced ; and howmy poor honeysuckles have withered beneath its influence ! They were just putting forth their buds, and I was counting the weeks till they would livirst into bloom, when such a cutting fi-ost and eiistcrly wind swept over them, followed by heavy snow, tliat they seemed perishing, and I feared then- beauty was over for the season. The last few days have been mild ; some soft rain has fallen, and I find my favou- rites, to-day, considerably revived and strengthened. The promise of bloom, however, this year, is not so great as usual; and I fear tliis sudden check may weaken the flowers. The weight of the snow that has fallen, though not so deep as the falls in winter, has broken a large and gi-aceful limb from a flue cedar. It is almost always the case when snow falls late in the spring : dming winter it wUl lay in thick masses on the spreading boughs, and do no mischief; but when- ever a spring fall has taken place, so surely has a branch given way. A few years ago, several snapped together, and, for a time, disfigm-ed the tree. Is it that the flowing of the sap renders the wood more brittle ? The severe and sudden changes that aflfect om- gardens and all their beautiful inhabitants, " from the cedar-tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hys- sop that S2)ringeth out of the wall," remind us of the mutability of all that is beneath the sun. AVhen worldly prospects are fairest, a cloud passes over us, a heavy sorrow falls, or a cutting disappointment, that withers our hearts Uke the early leaf-buds, and tells us, with wholesome and merciful sternness, that " this is not oru' rest." It would not be good for us to learn the changeable nature of this world only from trees and flowers ; neither is it enough to read it in the Book of God. We must learn it directly from the teaching of our Father ; His finger points to the solemn truth, and His hand stamps it on cm- hearts. This is the time for increasing heartsease by cut- tings, though it may be effected all ttoough the sum- mer. They are such rich, gay flowers, and bloom on so unweariedly, that no garden should be without them. The variety of colour in this lovely family is great, and the tints usually are strong and lively. They look best in single beds, where then- showiness may be seen to the best advantage ; and, if some taste is exercised in mixing the colours, the eflfect is admii-able. They prefer a cool, moist situation, there- fore the beds should be level; and, if a litle soil can be procured fi-om the sm-face of a pastm-e, it will benefit them. This soil, with a portion of manure mixed with it, is used by the florists about Man- chester; but composts are not easily obtained by ladies, and, if they are of very impatient spirit, they cannot wait tOl it is all mixed and seasoned, and fit for use. With a spade and a light wheelbaiTow (made expressly for ladies' use), an immediate supply of soil may be obtained, which, for simple gai'deners, TFIE COTTAGE GARDENER. .Tune will do extvrinrly «vll, an.l Mirli alone willti-oiilile themselves wiili my i-i nuirk-. Always choose J'oinig shoots for riitiiii;^^ : (or nM ^1m",is at the end of the summer will bu Ijullow-, aiul not likely to throw out roots. The euds of shoots, about two inches long, ai'e proper for cuttings, and should he cut through just raider a joiut. Put them in fine sandy soil, shade them for a few days, and water them freely. If cuttings are reQuii-ed late iu the season, they must he struck iu pots, and placed in a wai-m window to assist them in rooting. Heartsease wiU sometimes he difficult to increase hy oiittiugs; they may then he layered in fine soU, covering the wounded jiart witli some that is nicely sifted. These j)lants wiU often have shoots that sh-ike root themselves; these may he taken off at any time, hy cutting off the offsets with a portion of root to each. Always have your pruning loiife sharp and clean ; a hlunt or notched edge wUl lacerate the tender plant, and nearly pull it out of the gi'ound hy the force requii-ed to separate the shoot or branch. Always close yoiu' knife, or put it in its case, when done ^vith; and do not let it lie open on the damp gi'ass, or dig up weeds with it, as I have often done. Have a small pointed trowel always in j'our apron pocket, that you may not hastily employ your pruning knife to indulge your indolence. Another way of increasing heartsease is by throwing a double handful of finely sifted soil into the centre of a plant when it begins to spread, by this means induomg the plant to throw out roots near the sm-face. This must he done in June; and then, early in September, take up the plant, wash away the soil from its roots, and divide it into as many plants as it will admit of. To ensure the finest bloom, plants should he raised every year, and they should not he allowed to smother each other's stems, as they will do, because they gi'ow so rapidly, and their luxuriance soon impoverishes the soil, which makes the flowers small ; therefore, renew them often. They are easily managed, and as they bloom during nine months of the j^ear, (those raised early in the year blooming from April to July, and so on,) they are useful as well as beautiful. The Saxifrage is a rich and handsome flower, aud the leaves are ornamental too. It enlivens the spring garden, and possesses so many varieties, that it is well worth cultivating. It is a native of high and snowy lands, both in Norway and Siberia, as also in Italy and Switzerland. It glows on the confines of perpetual snow, which cherishes its roots, and pro- tects it through the intensity of those ten-ible whiters, and our frosty seasons will often injm'e it, without its accustomed mantle. The London Pride, one of my favourites, is a member of this family, though little resembling them either iu leaf or flower. The Saxi- frage will bloom in valleys as well as on ice-bound mountains, and wiU even adapt itself to London air and smoke; thus bringing the dreary solitudes aud unbroken silence of its native lands into strOdng contrast with the restless movement and tmceasing dill of our vast metropolis. What a range of thought may a "Prison plant" awaken! Iu telling its his- tory, what new, and grand, and beautifitl, and feai-ful things it speaks of! What heighths and depths, what frozen desolations, dwell among " the everlasting liiUs ! " aud what snowy plains aud soft rich vallies lie avoimd them! " Mercy" rejoicing '• against judg- ment." Sui'ely everything that God has made echoes the song of Moses — "Who is like unto the Lord among tlie gods'? Who is like thee, glorious iu holi- ness, fearful iu praises, doing wonders?" PRIZE PLANTS. TjIsts of plants whicli took either first or second prizes at the May shows of the Hovticulturnl aud Royal Botanic Societies. (Continued fnini ]>. lo'.l ; AZAI.E.V TXDIC.V. Azalea imlica Rawsonu, B. 1 . 3 feet high bv .1 feet diameter „ lateritia, B. 1, H. 1 & 2 J b „ Laurcnceana, B. 1, H. 2. 3' „ exquisita, B. 1 . „ priestantissima, B. 1 «; 2 „ sinensis, B. 1 & 2, H. 2 „ magniflora, B. 1 2 " " l^^'i'l'S'-' ' ■1 " " macrantha purpurea, B. 1 Ij ;; ;; triumphal, »: 2 „ „ rubra pleno, B. 2 „ alba superba, B. 2 'i „ optima, B. 2, H. 1 „ Gledstan^ii, B. 2, H. 1 & 2 :i „ exquisita, H. 1 & 2 ■> HEATHS. Erica prdpcndens, B. I and 2 . i feet igh b, 3.J feet diameter 2^ „ vasKliora, B. 1 & 2 . 3 b „ niirabilis, B. 1 & 2 S „ dcprossa, B. I & 2 „ metulffiflora, B. 1 „ pcrspicua nana, B. 1 & 2, H. 1 2 „ inutabilis, B. 1 & 2, H. 1 l\ 2 „ intermedia, B. I 3i „ denticulata moschata, B. 1 24 I „ Humeana, B. 1 . . ^ „ ventricosa coccinea minor, B. 1 . 2 „ tortubeflora, B. 1 3| „ Cavcndishiana, B. 1 & 2 . 1 „ elegans stricta, B. 1 „ ventricosa alba, B. 1 „ nitida, B. 2, H. 1 . „ elegans, B. 2, H. 1 & 2 . 3 „ deleeta,B.2 1 if „ fastigiata lutcscens, B. 2, H. 1 . „ Wcstphalingia hyd., B 2 „ vestita var. alba, B. 2, H. 1 3| ? „ Beaumontiana, B. 2, H. 1 3 „ ventricosa superba, B. 1 2i 1 „ coccinea, B. 1, H. 2 . ? minor, B. 1 & 2 „ suaveolens, B. 1 . 3 „ primuloides, B. 2 . „ Hartnelli, H. 1 & 2 2.i ^ 3.| „ propcndens, H. 1 & 2 , 4 vassieflora, H. 2 . k „ trossula alba, H. 1 31 EXTRACTS PROM CORRESPONDENCE. Digging Implement. — A clergyman, writing to us from the neighbom'hood of Faversham, Kent, says:— "Tliey have hereabouts a very useful and economical garden tool, which I have never seen elsewhere. It is called, very ap- propriately, a " mule," for it is a cross between the spade and the fork. Take an old worn out fork, or, as they here call it, a " sprong-spade," and get the vil- lage blacksmith to unite the tips hy welding to them a strap of steel about 1^ inch wide. Then you have a strong light spade, fit to dig any soil that is not very crumbly, as represented in this sketch. There is, or was, a spade much used iu Chesliii'e. It was made of one piece, in- stead of having a hollow for tho insertion of tho handle, as with us ; consequently it would wear down to a very stump, and ho sharp to the last. Can you tell me if any such are to bo prociu-ed June THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. 193 in these parts, or hi London?" [" Lyndon's cast steel spade" is made on the above principle, and can he bought anywhere. — En. G. G?\ Epsom Salt to Potatoes. — So far as I am person- ally concerned, your mistake of my conimunication regarding the treatment of potatoes is of no conse- quence ; but I am afraid some may think me mad enough to advise tlie soaring potato sets in a solutiou of sid'phate of magnesia. My communication had no reference to potatoes for planting, but a kind of treatment recommended by Messrs. Moberly, in their printed directions for diseased potatoes at digging time, to stop the progress of the disease, and to cause the decayed part to slough off after boiling or steaming. When potatoes are cut for planting, I drop eveiy set into aii--slacked quicldime, and thus cauterize the wound and stop the bleeding. I approve of di-illing about 3tt>s. of sulphate of magnesia per pole on the potato ridges before earthing iip. I am quite sure that the moon and planets, at certain periods of their orbits, exert a great influence on vegetation for good and for harm. — Rev. Walter Sheppard, Her- mitage, Newhiiry. [ We do not tliink our readers could mistake Mr. Sheppai'd's practice, for, at p. 189 of vol. i, it is parti- cularly stated. We are sony that oiu' correspondent cuts his potato sets. There is no practice more con- ducive to a healthy crop than planting whole, middle- sized, potatoes; they require no cauterizing, and resist the attacks of slugs, wet, &c., much better. — En. 6'. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Name of Plant (Zwrnm).— The red flower of a creeper sent by you is a Loasa, but whether L. Hei-bertii ov L, lateintiavfe csLnnot decide from the crushed state of the specimen. If the first named it is a hybrid, but if lateritia it is a native of Chili, Fuchsia Leaves Spotted {H. I.). — The small brown spots are caused, probably, by your not supplying the roots sufficiently with water. The leaves have the pinched ajjpearance indicating a deficient supply of moisture ; when this deficient supply of sap occurs the leaves always die do\vn to the requisite amount of surface. Decayed tan is better for digging into open borders than for pot-culture. Use guano as a liquid manure ; if you sprinkle it dry over the surface half its virtue (the ammonia) passes away into the air. You will find what you require about Campanula pyramidalis at p. 258 of our first volume. Birds' Nests and Bieds {J. D. L.).— The publishers of this little 27-page book are Whittaker and Co,, Ave Maria Lane. Payne's Book on Bees (A Herefordshire Subscriber). — The title of this is "The Bee-keeper's Guide," and the publishers, Groom- bridge and Son, Paternoster Row. Garden with Clay Soil (I. T^^.).— Your ground being on the top of the hill, and surrounded by other allotments, is well situated for draining, and to do this will improve it very much. Cut a main drain down the slope, with side drains running into it at such depths and distances as you will find directed in our previous numbers. Your main drain will terminate, we suppose, against the "boundary of one of your brother ^lotment tenants, and he will be a wise man to carry it on through his own plot, leading into it side drains, as we recommend you ; if he will not, dig a deep hole at the lowest edge of your plot, and let the outfall of your main drain be into it. Your house slops and the house droppings will form excellent liquid manure, but will bear mixing witti much water, otherwise it mil be too strong for your crops. By '* night-soil" is meant the entire contents of privies. Save your ashes until the crops are off", and then dig them in ; coal slack, or dust of coal, would be very good to dig in similarly, to improve the staple of your soil. No question is esteemed '* simple " by us when put for the sake of gaining informa- tion useful to the inquirer. Woolly Oak Gall {Cynips gitirk). — The gall which you describe as found at Weybridge, and " like a fiock of wool, with the lustre of silk, and as white as snow," is caused by one of the smallest of the Gall Flies, Cj/nip^ quercusramuli. This gall has been formed when- ever we have seen it, but it is rather rare, by the insect wounding the male blossom of the oak. You will find a description of the insect in Curtis's British Entomology, pi. 688. Marl {W. H. G.). — The specimen you ha%'e sent is clearly a marl, and very rich in chalk. It eff'erveaces like soda-water when even a little vinegar is poured upon it. Tobacco and Hemp (T. IF.).- You can get the first at any tobacconist's, and the second of any rope-maker. Semi-transpaeent Calico {A Somersetshire Recior).~For .'iO square feet of calico one pint and a half of pale boiled linseed oil, half an ounce of sugar of lead, and two ounces of white resin, are required. Grind the sugar of lead in a little of the oU before adding the remainder and the resin ; mix and simmer them in a large iron pot over a gentle fire, and apply to the calico whilst hot by means of a large brush. The calico should be dry, and tacked tightly on to the frame before applying the mixture, which renders it waterproof as well as semi- transparent. This is much more durable and transparent than the paper smeared over with oil noticed by T. Thorpe. House-Sewage {Thomas, Boxley road).— This, with the laundry soap-suds, will make most excellent liquid manure for all your kitchen -garden crops. After much rain it will not be too strong, but in dry weather mix with every bucketful a similar quantity of water. Thanks for vour information, which shall be inserted. Yellow Accacia {W. H.).— This will now do better out of doors. If you see any seed-pods on it, preserve some of them ; they aie easiest reared from seeds ; but cuttings of half-ripened wood will root ; very rich soil and abun- dance of soft water. CoBiEA ScANDENS (Uid). — You ask how to overcome its shy fiow- ering?— By age only. This month is the time to sow them to come in next year. Kept over the winter in 3-inch pots, and merely secured from frost, and planted out next May, they would flower abundantly. Blue PASsiON-fLowER (Ibid). — You wish this to bloom abun- dantly. Train the young shoots at full length, and in October of each year cut them back to within two joints of the older branches. Cover them in frosty weather, and they cannot fail. They are free bloomers after attaining three years of age. The easiest and best way to increase the common passion-flower is by cuttings of the roots. If the cuttings are taken from an old plant in April, they will produce flowers the following autumn in good soil and against a south wall . Gladioli (Ibid). — You have managed these correctly according to Mr. Beaton's directions. Yours will bloom in July. Salvia Patens (Ibid). — This, and, indeed, all the sages, require good rich soil to bloom well. White Penstemon (Ibid). —This is too dull to be a fine border Boiling Water to Geraniums (J. S. L.).—A lady applies this to them by pouring it into the saucer.—Present our compliments to her, and say we are surprised to hear of such bad treatment, which is not defensible on the plea that the plants endure the hardship. In answer to your other querj', small cheap volumes are more available than large ones of high price. Yellow Cvtisus (P. S.).— There are so many yellow flowered species, that we cannot tell its name from the colour of its petals. The old wood should be cut out at once, and the strongest of the young branches be cut back a Uttle now, in order to keep it bushy. They like good rich soil, and plenty of water while growing. Lily of the Valley after Floweeing in a Pot (Ibid).— These should be plunged in a border with a north aspect, pots and all. The pots to be one inch below the surface, and so far apart that the leaves do not quite touch each other, Water them as long as they keep green, and they will bloom during many 5'^ears in succession. Sphenogyne (Ibid). — The name is appropriate, the pistil being wedge-shaped. Eschschnltzia. — We never considered the meaning of this unpronounceable name ; it was given in honour of a Dr. Esch- scholtz, or, according to your translation "in plain English," Dr. Ashwood. Catananche, meaning " strong incentive," is closely al- lied to the chicory, and is a nice border plant. Hoses do not require a greenhouse, but Mr. Beaton will exhaust the subject. Plants with White Flowers for Beds (/f.Vr.).— Your gar- den being sheltered from the north and east, and sloping to the south, your idea of planting the white jessamine to cover a bed is perfectly feasible. Plant three of them near the centre, in rather poor soil, to check too great luxuriance of growth ; peg down the strong young branches, pruning away all the small spray. These shoots will break at almost every eye, and send up short shoots up- right. At the end of each of these shoots there will be produced clusters of flowers. For a month or six weeks your bed will be unique. The plants will not, however, produce a su( flowers. We should prefer a bed of white fairy roses, 1 w?tite clove carnation, called " Purity." A very pretty white bed might be formed with the Phlox omniflora, or the double white rocket. Yellow Banksian Rose (lbid).~Th\% will succeed grafted or budded on the common blush China, but it is, we are afraid,t 00 tender to cultivate, even when so budded, against an iron trellis. It is, however, worth a trial ; and we should be glad if you try it to hear with what success. In pots, as greenhouse roses, low standard Banksians would undoubtedly do well, and flower more freely than if not grafted. They require some two or three years growth before so desirable a free flowering state can be attained. Our editorial to-day will direct you to full information about village horticultural s (Pegasus). — You say the soil of insects that nothing will grow. Are you quite sure that nothing will destroy them. If you had stated what kinds of insects infested your soil we might have told you what would " the soil entirely and procure some Creepers for your walls will grow either in pots or long trough-like boxes, but they will not thrive nearly so well as in a border of good fresh earth. No kind of creeper will do so well as Irish i^-y for your north wall. On the south and east, the latter being the front of your house, a variety of creepers would thrive well. Try the following honeysuckles of sorts : mountain clematis {Clema- tis montana), vine-bower clematis {C. viticella) and its varieties, flame clematis {C.flnmmula), white jessamine, Pyracantha or ever- green thorn, Chinese wistaria (Wistaria sincTisis), and the Virginian creeper. All these will grow in almost any situation not facing the north. They will thrive moderately in large pots or square either of wood or slate; *"■'■ -^— "^ *^- '- —^ ^^ thrive and flower much be THE COTTAGE GAPtDEXER. : (Ibu -The ( J of this kind apparatus. hot-house builder near you, or even to two, and have an ■luding even'thing— bricks, wood, ghiss, and the heatintr The south-east corner of your i^arden would be a fjooil 1 for it. Let it be heated \vith hot water— no other mode is half so good. You might form a very cheap but very small greenhouse outside the window of your house, in which would thrive very well the cacti tribe. The diflBculty would be how to heat it to keep out the frost. It might be done with a hot-water pipe from a boiler at the back of your room or kitchen fire. Asparagus Beds Badly Made (A. J/O-— Four years ago you excavated the ground to the depth of four feet, and laid in three feet of horse manure, then one foot of good soil, and planted the aspara- gus roots, which were warranted three years old, six inches from the surface. They came up well, but the manure subsided, and the soil sunk below the level of the other ground. You top-dressed yearly, and the consequence is, that now, not more than forty heads have appeared above ground out of two large beds, though the roots are alive. Our advice is to remove all the soil from the surface of your beds, until you arrive at the crowns of the roots. If you do this care- fully, you will not destroy many shoots ; cover the crowns about three inches deep with soil. Do not cut any more this season, but, in about a fortnight after uncovering the crowns, give the beds a good soaking of liquid manure a ^ • ■' ■' commended at p. 58, vol. get buried too deeply. Primroses Manured -with Soot (Tote).— It is not true that primroses are thus changed to polyanthuses, but we are informed by one who has tried the experiment that their colour is changed to a dull pink. We see nothing improbable in this, for the colours of hydrangeas and rhododendrons are very much influenced by the soil in which they are grown. Vine Stopping (C. E. S.).— If very strong shoots, pinch them off two joints above the bunch, but, if weak, at the first joint above it. Do not let Scarlet Runners, nor any other climbers, grow before or against your wall pears. Although they have no fruit upon them, they have to ripen their wood for next year. Training Peaches Horizontally (J. Jt/.).— The plan has been often tried, and has generally failed. The reason we think is, that the sap cannot be so well equalized in this way. The peach-tree has such a tendency to grow by fits, if we may use such a term, that all possible means should be taken to prevent a preponderance of vital action in any one part. No plan has yet arisen to supersede fan- training. If, however, you will again try the horizontal mode, lay in the leaders nearly nine inches apart, and endeavour to carry your spray from the upper side, as Sevmour did. Cauliflowers Destroyed 'C67taWe5L/o//rf).— The grubs which have eaten through your young cauliflower stems, and either greatly injured or destroyed them, are the larva of a crane fly, and you will find what we have to suggest concerning them at p. 6l. Geranium without Leaves {J. K. SedAerg-A).— Cut it down to within three or four buds of the soil, and treat it exactly according to " Aunt Harriet's plan," so fully stated by Mr. Beaton at p. 150 of our first volume. You will find at pp. 62 and 99 of the present volume what you ought to do with your cinerarias done blooming. Sow your anemone seed directly, as directed at p. 87 of this volume ; and all that you require to know about the poeony at p. 289 of vol. i. The lists you require are in the same volume. Chinese Azaleas {R. W. Lnxton).—\i your vinery is not too much shaded it will be an excellent place for your China azaleas to make their growth in and set their buds. As they " produce few or no flowers •' with you the roots are in a bad state ; shake off as much of the old soil as you can and repot them in fresh peat, and under the vines they will recover gradually. Verbenas not Flowering {AFloiver Lover from childhood), — Last season was not favourable for flowering verbenas in pots on a gravel walk. Try again, after this mode,— shake them completely out of the old soil in which they were wintered, cut their longest shoots in half, and repot them in large pots, using rich light com- post, and after a good watering keep them in the 8ha"de till they begin to grow, then inure them to the sun, and they cannot fail. No plants are better suited for growing in large pots than the verbenas, if the body of the pots are secured from the sun by double pots, or by plunging, &c. Brugmansias (Ibid). — Your red and yellow brugmansias, which grow in winter and rest in summer, would be invaluable to some, if that habit could be established. Cut them close in when taken up in the autumn, and in spring shake off" the old dry soil and use fresh, and with good waterings they will soon turn to be summer growers. Hardy Herbaceous Plants (Ibid).— To fill up the gap between spring flowers and the summer greenhouse plants none are so ctfce- tual as the hardy annuals, of which wc shall speak more particularly next August, that being the time for sowing tliem for next season. Soil FOR Amaryllis ('G.T.Da/eJ.—Youarequite right. The whole order of amaryllids should be grown in good strong loam without any mixture. No one knew them better than the late Rev. Dr. Herbert, ;ind that is what he always recommended for them. Asclepifui Doug- lusii is not vet in the hands of florists. Calampelis Scaura (W. S.).— This will not do much good this season if sown now, but any time this month you may sow it to pro- cure plants for next year, and it is best to treat it and theMfinra/idt/a as biennials. As a general rule, the coba;a, balsam, mimulus, phlox drummondi, and, indeed, all Hcedlings, ought to be '* pricked out;'* that is, shifted from the. seed-pot as soon as they can be handled. You had no cause to apologize for " multitudinous inquiries ;" it is just what we want, as the more wc k»iow of the wants and wishes of our subscribers the more wc arc able to be of use to them, wliieh is though the evening prev decay, and that, from failed. Open the ground thcr i the r ;" these nelon beds, when the (J. J.).— Gas lime will destroy them and drive them away if strewed thicldv over tlieir haunts. They are very destruc- tive to cucumber and melon plants by eating off' the outer bark. Two boards or tiles, kept one-eighth of an inch apart in the framcH, make an excellent trap, which should be examined every morning. toad or two in the frame will rapidly thin them, ' ' "■' ^'- abused animals arc introduced you must keep a saucer the frame. In No. 7 you will find directions for making a bed. The temperature of your cucumber and i ' fruit is ripening, should range between 85° and 70°- Potato Murrain (J. S. Efendeyt^.—lf this disease has attacked vour Ash-leaved kidnevs you cannot do better than tread the soil ifirmly over the roots and close up to the stems, but do not injure these, much less pull them up. As soon as the stems turn yellow naturally dig up the crop and store the tubers under a shed in layers, with earth between each layer. Old Neglected Garden Soil (R. Brhner). —Trench your gar- den throughout three feet deep all over, turning the top spit down to the bottom. As you have a gravelly subsoil, this will render draining less necessary, and will get rid of a great mass of weeds. Still many will come up for a year or two, and your only remedy is an untiring use of the hoe, dock-extractor, and hand-weeding. Above all things never let a weed seed. Old Brick-field (M. HI. B.).— This, which you say has six inches of sod resting upon clay, is a tough encounter for you. You must drain it thoroughly ; pare oft' the sod, and have it piled into a heap, to be turned repeatedly, and thus have the turf converted into good manure ; have a spade's depth of the clay taken from the entire surface and burnt. Spread the ashes so obtained, and the decayed sod, evenly over the field, and trenched in two spades' deep. If you win go to this expense, and, in manuring after the first year, take care to have all the coal-ashes, coal-slack, and other porous matters you can command, dug in with the manure you give it, the field will reward you for your determination. Stemless Potatoes (H. L. iJf>ff4).— The phenomenon you men- tion of potato sets forming a cluster of young tubers underground, without throwing up any stems, has been frequently observed, but never philosophically accounted for. It is only an excess of the habit of the Walnut-leaved Kidney to produce early tubers, small stems, and no flowers. You had better take those sets up and consume the produce, they will be of little bcneht if left. Transplanting Onions (C.).— Those which have come up too thick may be transplanted into gaps in the rows when of the size of a crow-quill. Take them, in the evening, with a trowel, so as to injure their roots but little ; put their roots immediately into a puddle of earth and water, and water the holes into which you move them before inserting them. Do not bury even the end of the stem next the rootlets. Unfruitful Bergamot Pear (Napoleon I)uo7iapnrt€).—0uv observations, in reply to BIr. T. A. Lockwood, at p. 81, are precisely applicable to your case. Uncompact Cauliflower-heads (Charles, Plumstead).~-Thc cause of these bein^ spreading, instead of firm and compact, arises from want of sufficient moisture to the root. Hoe the ground very frequently between the rows, and give them a flood of water every night, and of liquid manure once or twice a week. Either clay, . chalk, or marl wdll improve the staple of your very sandy soil. Caterpillars on Pear-trees (A Subscriber from the First). — A lime-duster invented by the late Mr. Curtis, of Glazen Wood, Essex, is the most efficacious instrument for checking their ravages. It is something like a very large watering-pot rose ; and, being charged with lime powder, and fixed by a socket on a pole, enables the hme to be dusted over the highest branches even. Nothing but hand-kicking every evening, and lime-dusting, by shaking a gauze bag full of lime at the same time to windward of each bed and crop, will keep slugs under. We do not know whether Epsom salt will kill them. Barilla powder would kill slugs as well as lime, but it would injure the leaves of plants. Corrosive sublimate, dissolved in water at the rate of two ounces to forty gallons, would probably kill them, but remember it is a deadly poisoft, so do not put it near any- thing that will be eaten. Unhealthy Cactus (F. C. iV.).— Treat it exactly us is directed at p. 72 of this volume, and afterwards cultivate it according to Mr. Wakefield's plan, detailed at p. 41. Lime (A Disciple). — You need not refrain from adding this to your soil, for although it drives ott' the sunmnnia of dungs if mixed with them, it soon becomes chall; whin mixod wiili Hic soil, and chalk does not drive off the amnioniu in'in ilu- maimn >. mentioned. Flower Pots as Smadiis .lhi,r. 'I'lusc, m hen inverted over flowers, do well to shaili; their hli.nm, ;i-; uf --U-aH shew by a drawing as soon as wo can find room, hui liiry will iMt .lo well to strike pansy cuttings under. Old drinkin;: ij'hisMs do \ ery uril. tor the olijrct to be attained is keeping a iiioi^^t iiLiiiospberc round the leaves, without when bottled, will keep until January. London: Printed by Harry Wooldridgk, 147, Strand, Parish of Saint Marv-le-Strand ; and Winchester High-ati tlie Parish of St. Mary Kalendar; and Published by \Vi Somerville Our, at the OHice, 1(7, Strand, in the Pa Haint Mary-le-Strand, London.— .Iatte-;th, ISUJ. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. WEEKLY CALENDAR. IJ each day. Rises. Sets. and Sets. Age. bef. Sun. Year. Th Young Swallows fledged. Sweet Basil. 44 a 3 16a8 0 32 23 0 8 105 15 f Young Redstarts fledged. Sensitive Plant. 44 16 0 59 24 0 4 166 10 S [\'y oasts its leaves. Moss Rose. 44 17 1 au 25 0 17 167 17 Sun a Sun. apt. Trinity. St. Alban. Monkey Flower. Horn Poppy. Sweet Rocket. 44 17 I 56 26 0 30 168 18 M Tadpoles fore-feet seen. 44 17 ■2 30 27 0 4:) 169 111 Tu Meadow Brown Butterfly seen. 44 18 3 10 28 0 50 170 •20 W Q.Vic.AccESS. YoungGreenlinchesfledged Doubtful Poppy. 44 IS 4 1 © 1 9 171 St. Alban, notwithstanding the mist raised around his memory by the miracles assigned to him and to his relics by lloman Catholic writers, certainly existed, and was one of the earliest martyrs in the Christian cause who suffered in England. It is usual to consider - him as actually the first of such sufferers, and, consequently, he has been styled "the Proto-martyr," and "the St. Stephen of England." He was born at Verulam, near the place where St. Albans, in Hert- fordshire, now stands ; served in the army of Diocletian, returned to his native place, was converted to Christianity, and was there be- headed, during the great Dioclesian persecution, about the end of the third century. More than four centuries after St. Alban's death, Offa, king of the Mercians, erected and dedicated a monastery to his memory on the spot where he was believed to have cndm-ed mar- tyrdom. Phenomena of the Season. — Before proceeding to remark further upon the parts composing the floral beauties so characteristic of the season, we would observe that the 15th of June is St. Vitt/s^s day in our old calendars ; and that an opinion closely resembling that entertained relative to St. Swithin's was hold concerning the anniversary of St. Vitus. An old distich says that, if it rains on this day, rain will occur every day during the thirty days following. In our last Number we considered the calyx, or outermost covering of a flower, and next in order to this is the corolla. By this name botanists know the usually beautifully- coloured leaf or leaves form- ing, in general, the most showy and ornamental portion of the blossom. It is either in one piece called the petal, or, if in more than one, the petals. The delicacy of structure, the brightness of I the exquisite I'ragnmce, which arc its common cha- , fully entitle it to the name of " the joy of plants." It has been the opinion of some, from whom it appears presumptuous to differ, that, because the structure of petals differs from that of leaves, therefore they are of no use but to protect the inner parts more essential for the production of seed. From this opinion we cannot but differ, for the petals have a vascular system, will not open unless oxygen be present in the air they grow in, and the forma- tion of the stamens, &.c. fails if they are taken away before the latter are fully grown. To these facts, all tending to shew the services performed by the petals, may be added the fact that they sometimes become leaves, ana that leaves often approximate in colour and form to petals. Moreover, we know that they form peculiar secretions, almost universally pleasing, and often highly beneficial to man. The blue of the violet gives the chemist a test useful for the detection of alkalies and acids ; the rose petals give one of the most fragrant of oils; those of sufflower yield the most delicate of colours ; those of the chamomile one of the most grateful of bitters ; and those of the inartguld find their way into the kitchen. All these varieties of secretions intimate tliat flowers act a more important part in the economy of vegetables than to be merely the coverings of the sta- mens and pistils, or even to gratify the senses of man, or to attract the attention of insects to the office of dispersing the pollen. Would the most gorgeous and most fragrant part of plants be so gifted for mere secondary purposes ? Is sucli the subordinate and only pm-posc of a flower like that of Raffiezia Arnoldi, three feet in diameter ; or of the still larger and more splendid Victoria re^ia, with its hundred petals of rosy hue? We think not ; and we incline to the opinion that, whenever present, they act an important part in the early noui-ishnient of the stamens and pistils. .Tune 1841. 1842. 1843. 1844. 1845. 1S46. 1847. 1848. Highest & lowest temp. Fine. Fine. Rain. Fine. Fine. Fine. Eain. Fine. 72°-=53 88°— 53° 69°-57° 75°-49° 82°— 53° 82°— 50° 67°-47° 73°— 50° Cloudy. Fine. Rain. Fine. Fine. Eain. 69°— 36° 80° — 48° 71°— 48° 73°— 43° 84°-60° 87°— 56° 62°— 44° 80°— 56° 16 Fine. Fine. Showery. Fine. 72°— 41° 76»-43° 7i°-46° 78°-40° 75°-50° S7°-50° 60°-45° 82°-54° 17 Fine. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Stormy. Fine. Showery. Fine. 75°— 50° 77°-52° ^^ Fine. Stormy. Fine. Showery. Cloudy. 6,5°— 50° 77°— 54° 19 Cloudy. Stormy. Cloudy. Showery. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Cloudy. 69°-45° 71°-49° 78°-48° 72° -47° Cloudy. Fine. Cloudy. Showery. Fine. Stormy. Cloudy. Cloudy. 66°— 54° 72°— 52° 63°— 39° 74°— 53° 74°-49° 87°— 62° 67°— 52° 66°— 47° Insects.— ThcBtems of our asparagus are robbed of their bark, and the future produce of the plants proportionately \ by a small, brightly- long ; give a drawing, shewing it of its natural size ana magnified Asparagus Beetle (Crioceris aaparagi, and Lema and Chrys^ asparni^i of some) is rather more than a quarter of an inch prevailing colour blue-black, upper surface of thorax red, black, wing-cases edged with orange and varied with cream-coloured and blue-black marks. This beetle is found upon the stems of aspa- ragus during the present month and until September. The eggs, which are oval and slate-coloured, are fixed by one of their ends to the young spray of the asparagus. The grubs are soon hatched from these, and are fleshy, greyish-green, gradually thickening towards the tail, marked with black spots, and having black legs. As soon as fnll- grown, after shedding their skins several times, they bury themselves in the earth of the asparagus-bed, forming a parchment-bke cocoon, in which they remain, for the most part, throughout the winter, and the beetle comes forth from the cocoon in June. We say "for the most part," because we incline to Mr. Westwood's opinion, that some ' live through the winter. One was found in our garden Dusting the ^ should be applied very early i with dew. jMuch ingenuity has been devoted and niispent in the classification of the diseases to which organized bodies, animal and yegetable, are liable. It is inis pent, because, unlilce classification in some sciences, the aiTangement of diseases in gi-oups, according to our pi-esent amount of knowledge, neither aids the anemory nor concentrates information. Those who will bestow attention upon vegetable chseases— a subject every way worthy of that attention — will be benefactors to the cultivators of plants, as well as to physiologists, just in proportion as they accurately observe the circumstances preceding, and the pheno- mena attendant upon, the progress of those diseases. What we want at present — what we are miserably No. XXXVri., Vol. II. THE COTTAGE GAEDENEK. June tleflcieut in — avo the facts exhibited by plants in a state of disease. Knowledge on this subject can be only acquu-ed by observation and experience ; that is, by conversing with the things about us, by noticing them attentively, and by subsequent reflec- tion. Every cidtivator is capable of doing this ; and if, wlien he found his crops diseased, he would reflect and record fi-om what soil he obtained liis seed ; how, and in what weather, it was committed to the gi'ound ; its subsequent cultui'e ; the crops that pre- ceded ; the treatment of the soil ; the seasons, whether wet or dry, or severe, through which the diseased crop has vegetated; with any miscellaneous observations that his own common sense might dictate, vegetable medicine would soon advance more in one year to- wards that state of reasoned knowledge that deserves the name of science than it has done during the last century. As observations multiply, the adjutant sciences, chemistry and botany, will contribute and apply their impi'oved stores of information ; and if few specifics for the diseases of plants are discovered, we are quite sure the causes of disease will be better ascertained ; and every one is aware that to know the cause of an evil is the most important step towards its prevention. It is some help to a research in this interesting department of knowledge to imderstand clearly what disease really is, and to comprehend generally whence it arises. As the health of a p)lant is the correct performance of its functions, disease may be defined as the dist^u'bed, or incon-ect performance, of one or more of those functions ; and the mildew which des- troys our peas ; the curl that infects our potatoes ; the ambury, or club-root, to which our turnips and other species of brassica are liable ; and the shank- ing, or ulceration, which attacks the stalks of our gi-apes, are only a few of the most commonly observed instances of such disturbance. The dis- tui'bance in every instance arises either from one or more of these four causes: — 1. Decline of energy in the plant arising from its old age. 2. From the attacks of parasites, whether insects or plants, which wound its vessels and suck from it its juices. 3. Its food being improper either in quantity or quality ; and 4, being made to vegetate in an ungenial tempe- rature. We are much tempted to dwell at some length upon the various diseases arising, specially, from each of these causes ; but we think it will be much more beneficial to consider, without any prefixed theory, each disease that may be brought to our notice ; remembering, and begging our readers to re- member, those causes wWlst dwelling over the details. We have been requested to give some information relative to the Clubbing in Cabbages, and we shall do so from another work in which we stated the results of our researches concerning this disease. It is peculiar to. the Biiassica tribej and is knowji by the various names of Hanbury, Anbury, Ambury, and Club Root. Fingers and Toes, a iiame apphed to it in some parts, alludes to the swollen state of the small roots of the aftected plants. Cabbage plants are frequently infected with ambuiy in the seed-bed, and this inciijient infection appears in the fonn of a gall or wart upon the stem imme- diately iu the vicinity of the roots. If this wart is opened, it will be found to contain a small white maggot, the larva of a weevil. If, the gaU and its tenant being removed, the plant is placed again in the earth, uidess it is again attacked, the wound usually heals, and the growth is little retarded. If the gall is left undisturbed, the maggot continues to feed upon the alburnum, or young woody pai-t of the stem, until the period an-ives for its passing into the pupa form, previously to winch it gnaws its way out through the exterior bark. The disease is now almost beyond the power of remedies. The gall, increased in size, encircles the whole stem ; the alburnrvm being so extensively desh-oyed, prevents the sap ascending, consequently, in di-y weather, sufficient moisture is not supplied fi'om the roots to coimterbalance the transpiration of the leaves, and the diseased plant is very discernible among its healthy companions by its pallid hue and flagging foliage. The disease now makes rapid progTess, the swelling continues to in- crease, for the vessels of the alburnum and the bark continue to afibrd their juices faster than they can be conveyed away ; moistme and air are admitted to the interior of the excrescence, through the perfora- tion made by the maggot; the woimded vessels idcerate, and putrefaction and death supervene. The tumom- usually attains the size of a lai-ge hen's egg, has a rugged, discharging, and even mouldy surface, smelling offensively. The fibrous roots, besides being generally thickened, are distorted and mon- strous from swellings, which appear throughout their length, apparently arising from am effort of nature to form receptacles for the sap, deprived as it is of its natural digestion in the leaves. These swellings do not seem to arise immediately from the attacks of the weevil, for we have never observed them contain- ing its larva. This disease when it attacks the turnip is a large excrescence appearing below the bulb, gi-owiug to the size of both hands, becoming putrid and smelling very offensively. These distortions manifest themselves very early in the turnip's growth, even before the rough leaf is much developed. Observation seems to have ascer- tained that if the bidbs have attained the size of a walnut unafi'ccted, they do not subsequently become diseased. The maggot found in the turnip ambury is the larva of a weevil called Cureulio pleurostigma. Marsham describes tlio pai'ent as of a dusky black colour, with the breast spotted with white, and the length of the body one line and two-thirds. Jdne THE COTTAGE GARDENER. General experience testifies tliat the ambmy of tlie tm-uip and cabbage usually attacks these crops when grown for successive years on the same soil. This is precisely what might be expected, for where the pa- rent insect always deposits her eggs, there are these embryo ravagers. That they never attack the plants upon a fresh site is not asserted ; but the obnoxious weevil is most freqiiently to be observed in soils where the tiu'nip or cabbage has recently and repeatedly been cultivated. Another general result of experience is, that the ambmy is most frequently observed in dry seasons. This is also what might be anticipated, for hisects that inhabit the earth just beneath its surface are always restricted and checked in their movements by its abounding in moistm-e. Moreover, the plants actually affected by the ambury are more able to contend against the injury inflicted by the larva of the weevil, by the same copious supply. In wet sea- sons we have, in a very few instances, known an infected cabbage plant produce fi-esh healthy roots above the swelling of the ambmy. Mr. Smith, gardener to M. Bell, Esq., of Woolsmg- ton, in Northumberland, expresses his conviction, after several years' experience, that charcoal-dust spread about half an inch deep upon the siuface, and just mixed with it by the point of a spade, effectually prevents the occurrence of this disease. That this would be the case we might have surmised from analogy, for charcoal-dust is offensive to many in- sects, and is one of the most powerful preventives of putrefaction known. Soot, we have reason to believe ii'om a slight experience, is as effectual as charcoal- dust. Judging from theoretical reasons, we might conclude that it would be more specifical; for, in addition to its being, like charcoal, finely divided carbon, it contains sulphur, to which insects also have an antipathy. A slight dressmg of the sm'face soil with a little of the diy gas lime, that may now be obtained so readOy from the gas-works, will prevent the occurrence of the disease, by driving the weevils from the soO. Of the gas lime we recommend eight bushels per acre to be spread regularly by hand upon the surface after the turnip seed is sown, and before harrowing. For cabbages, twelve bushels per acre would not probably be to much, spread upon the surface and turned in with the spade or last ploughing. Although we specify these quantities as those we calculate most correct, yet in all experiments it is best to try various proportions. Three or four bushels may be foimd sufficient ; perhaps twelve, or even twenty, may not be too much. In cabbages the ambmy may usually be avoided by frequent transplantings, for this enables the workman to remove the excrescences upon their first appearance, and renders the plants altogether more robust and woody ; the plant in its tender sappy stage of growth being most open to the insects' attacks. The warts or galls that so frequently may be noticed on the bulbs of turnips must not be mis- taken for the ambmy in a mitigated form. If these are opened, they wUl usually be found to contain a yellowish maggot, the larva probably of some species of cynips. This insect deposits its eggs in the turnip when of larger growth than that at which it is attacked by the weevil, and the vegetable consequently suffers less from the injury ; but the tm-nips thus infested suffer most from the ft'osts of winter, and are the earUest to decay. Finding it quite impossible to provide space in our present form for all the valuable information we have at our command, we have, to-day, enlarged our num- ber to sLxteen pages. We shall make this increase permanently in the course of a few weeks, and, as in the present instance, without any increase in om- price. THE PRUIT-GAEDEN. Tbaining — At this period fruit-trees in general make most rapid growth, and, unless the early formed shoots are attended to in time, much havoc is com- mitted very frequently by storms, and most unsightly gaps in the trees may occur, which it will take con- siderable time to rectify. Training, therefore, of all kinds should commence immediately. The young trees should be first in course, for it is of the utmost importance to give these an early attention. There is no occasion, nevertheless, to attempt to nad or tie in all the shoots at tliis period ; many will be either too short or too weak as yet. In fact, it is better to suffer all the weaker portion to grow for some time without training, for they wUl acqufre more strength in their rude state. We have always been accus- tomed to consider early training of the strongest or most forward shoots as having a tendency to equahze the sap, for there is little doubt that a slight check is given to those shoots which are thus brought under discipline betimes. Another disbudding or jnnchiiig back will be requi- site immediately, previously to the nailing or train- ing. Some persons, however, perform this process during the course of the training, and a good plan it is; for a judicious tree manager, during the operation, will readily perceive which shoots are really neces- sary for another year, and wliich are superfluous. All" of doubtful character may merely be pinched back, especially those which we have before termed successional shoots, forming a reserve to renovate the fabric of the tree, when, tlu-ough age or hard bearing, the branches shew a tendency to become naked. The remarks here offered are intended to apply principally to the old fan training ; for those under the horizontal or any special mode, some shght mochfioation of the plan becomes necessary. It is well to go over all spur-bearing fruits as soon as possible, and endeavour to make a selection of the shoots which are to be tied down, according to the " tying down " process we have previously advised. We do not expect, however, that the shoots of proper character can be well distinguished for another week or two. As soon as they can, let them at once be tied down on the principal shoots ; this being done, the points may be pinched off most of those which THE COTTAGE GARDENER. June will reqah'e to be cut away finally. "We like tins plan better than any rude attempt to sti-ip them sud- denly away ; such stripping disturbs the balance of the tree too much, and is very apt to cause the embryo fruit spurs to become changed into rambling breast wood. They are, therefore, better kept as a couuteipoise for awhile, or until the over-rapid and fitful growth — to which aU healthy fruit-trees are liable in early summer — has somewhat passed away. In this manner they act as a kind of " safety valve " for awhile ; and, by pinching off the tops merely, a slight check is given to the root action ; for let every one be assui-ed that not a leaf or a twig can be removed from a tree, when in a growing state, with- out a corresponding amount of influence for good or for evil to the root, so that mutilations injudiciously carried out are not performed with impunity. We win return to this subject shortly ; in the meantime we must glance at most of oiu' other fruit-trees, for all want particular attention at tliis period. Mulching. — ^In the first place, we would inquire, are all midching processes didy carried out according to former suggestions in this work ? If not, pray do not delay ; it will he readily seen, by looldng over the back pages of The Cottagk Gardener, to what sub- jects it should he ajiplied. Black CnHRANi. — In seasons such as this, when such fearful havoc has been made amongst fruits in general by the April frosts, any crop which has escaped should be held doubly valuable, and no pains should be deemed too much to assist in seciu'ingand perfecting it, Om- present subject seems to have suf- fered as little as most, at least in this part of the kingdom (Chesliire) ; and, as it is so very liable to suffer fi'om di-ought, we advise liberal waterings — if with soapsuds or dunghill drainings so much the better. If the latter is used, cai-e should be taken that, if strong, it has plenty of water added to it; let, however, a, thorough soaking of some land be applied forthwith, ruiless very wet weather occurs. It is as- tonishing what an amount of moisture the black ciu'- rant will enjoy; and no fruit wiU better repay this labour of watering. Aphides, too, which are so destructive to this fniit, will in general be found to prevail in a corresponding ratio to the amount of dryness. This is rather sin- gular, but we know it to be a fact after many years' close observation ; and we also know that plenty of water, at the period the aphis commences its ravages, win check their increase amazingly. The reason we conceive to be this: — a dry period thickens and sweetens the sap, through a high course of elabora- tion ; for the completeness or intensity of the latter process is dependent on the ratio which exists be- tween the supply of the raw material from the root and the amount or rate of elaboration. Thus, when the root supplies, what we may be permitted to tenn, this vegetable chyle in an amount perfectly eqiuvalent to, or more than sufficient for, the purpose of elabora- tion, the insect, although present, does not prosper ; but invert this course, and we soon have the bushes smntlK red witli the destructive insect. This is a fact ii'jt coniinrd to the black currant alone; we have witnessed a similar course in most cases of plant- lice. Mulching is of eminent service with the black CLUTant : indeed, if we coiUd not obtain a slight co- vering annually for our crops, we would cut jilenty of grass out of the neighbouring ditr-lies and r-nvov tlio gi-oimd with it, or spread a l.'ivn- ,il' fi.sli .lu!.' |iriit, if at hand, over the surface, imiml, a ^li..;iii, s,.iliii'_; over the roots would be prodm-tivi- nC hrjirlit, K\ ny one who watches the root action of this fruit must lie struck with its pecidiar habits of producing a vast profusion of fibres close to tlie surface of the soil ; thus evincing, we suppose, its partiality for the gases of the atmosphere, together with atmospheric humidity. CnEnny. — As we before observed, the cheriy aphis will begin to commit havoc on the trained trees. We cannot hope to di-ess large standard trees for this pest ; but those in a comse of close training, or imder a dwarfing system, must have particular atten- tion at tins period. Before training the young shoots in, whether on a wall, on pales, or trained on stakes, a wash of tobacco-water sliould be provided. Tobacco-paper at the rate of 1 tb to six oz. of sti'ong shag tobacco, will make one gallon of liquor, which will destroy these pests at one dipping. To he siu-e, the trees may be syringed over; but this requires much hquor, and is, therefore, rather expensive. We prefer dipping the yoimg shoots, which is easily accomplished; a small bowl or basin in one hand, and the other hand occupied in bending the twigs into the bowl, will be foimd a sure process. The shoots must be dijiped faiily overhead in the liquor. Plums. — These wiU requne the same kind of dip- ping as the chen-y : that is to say, all superior kinds about which any interest is felt. These are liable to damage from a gi'ub, also, which cm-Is itself up in the foliage; such must be hunted for by hand pick- ing. Apmcots. — Some of the breast wood of these, wliere a healthy constitution prevails, will by this time begin to assume a luxuriant character. Wlien such is the case, and the shoot or shoots in question are not wanted for training in as leaders, the points should immediately be pinched or stopped. If this course is taken in time, embryo fruit spm-s of a genuine chai'acter will be found formed at the base towards autumn. Indeed, this is the reason why overgrown apricots, in some of om' Idtchen gardens, are inferior in produce to those we occasionally find on the houses of cottagers in some parts of the king- dom. The latter are not pampered; their soil is moderate in point of richness ; there is no digging and manm-ing over the roots for cauliflowers, celery, and such gi'oss feeders; therefore, a slow, but safe, and certain root-action continues ; and the tree is altogether placed in cii'cunistances appi-oaching those of the apricot in its native clime (the Caucasus) ; the only prime condition wanting being a gi-eater amount of solar light in the aggegate. Not by any means a greater intensity, for om- southern aspects in Britain are quite bright enough on sunny days ; but the mis- fortune is, we have so many murky ones as a set off compared with our bretlu-en of the south. How- ever, what nature does for them, art must do for us ; and if we cannot make sunhght, we can at least pre- vent gross and supei-fluous shoots from shading in an unnecessary degree those natural spurs which are inteuilril liy iiiitniv Id ]irnihice successive crops. Sti; \» l;M;l;^ W r 1ii,|m that om- readers have contrive. 1 1. 1 |Mii sciiirtliiiiL; under their strawberiy plants, to prevent the ftiut coming in contact with the soil. When clean new sti-aw is used, it is neces- saiy to guard against the attacks of mice, which aro almost sure to be attracted to the spot by the gi-oin remaining in the straw. Traps should he set the moment the strawben-ies are about commencing to ripen. If the weather is dry, they will bo much hrnclittrd by iinoOirr good watering, particularly the lah 1- kiihl-;' 'tlir Alpines, especially, should receive wall 1- anil liij^li ( iiliivation, cutting away all weak and cniwdi'il iiiiiiiprs, and by all means keeping June THE COTTAGE GARDENER. RAsi'UKmuKs.— Let us lipg oiu- fricuds to bo sure aud thin away as uiauy waste suckrrs as -.wi: not wantcil I'or tlio nu.xt year. Tliis liinrlils lli.' mrp exoci'dingly, as well it may. Tlio doiililc liciiriiig raspberries nuist only have a couple or tlu-ee suckers to each stool, and these shovdd be carefully I'astcued to stakes, or some other contrivance. We geueriilly tonu a continuous rail, and train them thinly on this, I'lir unless they are in a position to receive all the sunlight they will not succeed. Ukii and White Oureants. — It is a capital prac- tice at this period to go over all tbese bushes, and remove a portion of the young shoots, stopping them alter the manner of other fruits. We perform this operation with the garden shears, dubbing about one-third of the tops off; and, by passing the shears round the sides, reducing the lateral spray in about the same ratio. This improves both size and liavour of the li-uit, and prevents the young shoots from being broken by wind-waving. Wasps. — Every attention should be paid to search- ing for the nests of these pests of the friiit-garden. We i>ay si.K-pence a nest for them through May and dune, and three-pence each afterwards. Much may he done by their- timely destruction. R. Ebeington. THE ELOWEE-GARDEN. Routine Management. — This being a busy time of the year, there are many things to attend to imder this head. Our cottage friends will now, as the da,ys are long, have time to do much of pleasant work in theii- gardens. We would not have them, by any means, neglect their fruit and vegetables; but, at the same time, we advise them, with all om- might, to at- tend to their flowers. As there is nothing that foi'- wavds work so much as being methodical in all ope- rations, we would say to you, set apart a certain bom' or iioura in each week to the culture of the orna- ments of your garden — the flower-beds aud borders. These include the shrubs, the lierbaceous perennials, the biennials, aud the annuals, besides the floi-ist flowers. 'L'hese last-named we hope all our readers cultivate more or less, and for instructions about them we refer to the head under wliich they are treated upon, in some degree, every week. The Shrdubehy. — At no time of the year does the English shrubbery j)resent such a beautiful ap- pearance as now : the laburnum, with its elegant golden tassels; the Iflac, with its beautiful spikes of sweet-smelling flowers ; the scarlet thorn, weighed down so as to form wreaths of lovely tinted bloom ; and the guelder rose, with its balls of snow. Tliese, together with the beautiful white Spanish or Portugal broom, the rhododendrons, azaleas, &c. — combined with their light green foliage — ^render.our shnibberies, now, Iho most lovely of all sights. Who would not love to wander in such beauteous scenes as these? wliiil minds are so callous and insensible as not to be gvatilied with such simple pleasures? We pity, with all nur licart, such of our fellow-creatures as are so eireuinstan(vd, either by occupation or health, as to bo prevented any day from contemplating aud enjoy- ing tlic beauties of a garden at this peoidiar season of the year. The man whose heart is rightly in time will, in the fulness of feelings, exclaim, " What a beautiful world we live in! how wise and gi'acious is the divine Creator of those lovely objects, and how thankful we ought to be that He has bestowed upon us so many blessings, with a capacity to enjoy aud appreciate them!" The first employment of the first ss the gaidtn even m i s f 01 tarn he ui)Ojtd th it sunipleasuu th m^l in man upon e ulh wis ti state of inn pleasant oc( i | I i a less degii u I ll havenowtoioot uj U rewards the nidustn II i || I llii shrubs that we hii\ ill ] | l 1 aud planted, now giat 'uUj p Ui th u II nus uid fragrance to dehght oui sense b stimuUtmg us to continue our caie to msuie a contmuauoe of those innocent delights At this season shuibs leqmie but litll U I n keep them cleaied hom weeds Niwh 1 1 I I will require plentiful siqiplies "il w il I ther. Such as hive 1 e u st il 1 shi d I 1 1 to see that the ties d i I i ii il i I i i , tight. Prune awiy dl I I I I t 11 in down to the hviUf, p it I II Id I i i li strong growing sho t 1 I I I I 1 1 i t I their due sliaie ol sim I M II \ I 1 I so heavy with bloom tl M I I I i ii^ especially when wet wiLli i n i [ ll i i]^ ^Mth a two-pronged stake till the floweis diep Herbaceous Plrennials — Seveial spec its oi these desirable flowers will now lequue sticks to support their advancing flowei shoots It is vciy nccessiiy to apply such suppoits culy to secuio the flowei stems from giowing ciooked oi hem^ biokcn with heavy rains Be m time with this as well as eveiy other needhil operation. Use the hoe and rake fre- quently, to keep down weeds and give a fresh appear- ance to the borders. Nothing shows more that you care for the well-being of your flowers than the fi'e- quent use of those necessary instruments. Propagation. — The large families of iihloxes, pen- stemons, campanulas, delphiniums (laricspurs), clie- lones, dianthuses (pinks), &c.,may be propagated now by cuttings under hand-glasses, placed iu a. sliady situation. If struck and potted separately they make fine plants for the following season. A number of plants of this description produce bottom shoots that wfll not flower this year : these make excellent cut- tings or slips, as they are sometunes called. Take these off carefuUy with a sharp kuife, and treat simi- lar to the more woody cuttings ; like them they wOl make strong plants for next year. Hepaticas, and all similar early blooming plants, may now be divided, and planted in a border shaded from the sun ; they will there make fresh roots and nice tufty plants, to be planted iu the borders in autumn, to produce then- welcome flowers in the early season of spring. Biennials. — Wallflowers, Brompton and Queen stocks. Honesty, French honeysuckles. Hollyhocks, Canterbury bells, Antirrhinums, Sweet-williams, Rose campions, and sweet Scabious, may now be sown in an open situation, in moderately rich soil ; sow thinly : there is nothing gained by sowing thicldy. Water gently in dry weather every evening. Annuals (to flower late). — Some kinds may yet be sown, such as candy-tuft (purple and white), elarldiis, colliusia, eschscholtzias, gillias, k'auU'ussia, dwarf lark- spurs, leptosiphon, nasturtiums, nemophila, ten- week stocks, and visearia oculata. These will all flower, aud make the garden look gay in the later months of the year. There are also several kinds of perennials that at this season of the year it \vill be proper to sow. We will mention a few of the best. Delphmiums, hearts- ease or p.ansies, lathyrus azureus, linums, lupinus polyphyllus,uuttallia,papaver bractcatum, peas (ever- lasting), potentillas, stenactis, phloxes, ami peustc- nious. Seeds of all those may be had from any re- 130 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. speotable uursciy or seedsman, and will produce a great number of desirable plants. AVe tlu'ew out a bint to our cottage friends, Bome time back, that they should foiTu a kind of a society for raising such plants : each cottager to produce or raise one or more kinds of flowers, to exchange with liis neighbour for other kinds that his neighbour has raised; and, by this means, severally to benefit each other, so as to accumulate a selection of flowers that it would be impossible, for want of space, for any cot- tager to command within his own garden. We trust tills suggestion will be acted upon; and, as this is the sowing-time for such things, let each cottager, who has such right feeling neiglibom's, act upon this plan. We need scarcely repeat, under this head of routine management, that tlie lawn must be kept regularly rolled and mown ; the edgings neatly clipped, and all icecds warred against most perseveriugly. We mean, especially, such weeds as docks, dandelions, plantains, broad-leaved grasses, or any other weeds that too often disfigure the grass-plots both of the amateiu- and places of larger pretensions. FLORISTS' FLOWERS. The work of the florist increases now evei^y day. He must care for those flowers that have done their duty this year, in order to secure then' services in the season to foUow, as well as upon those from which he yet expects to reap a harvest of delight, aye, and profit too, dming the remainder of the season. We shall, therefore, call your attention to the following classes of flowers that must be attended to forthwith. AuiucuLAs. — These gems being entirely out of bloom, now is a good season to repot them, in order to have a strong good growth to flower finely next season. Have your compost of light loam, rotten cow-dung, and decayed vegetable mould, in equal parts, with a portion of sand, about one eighth, well mixed, and in a state neither wet nor diy, ready in such quantities as your stock of plants may require. Tm-u out of their pots your blooming plants ; remove carefully all suckers that have roots to them ; lay them on one side, then shake off' nearly all the old soil; trim the roots sparingly, and then your plant is ready for the new pot. Place a large crock, or broken jjieoe of pot, or an oyster shell, over the hole of each pot ; put upon this a number of smaller crocks to the depth of three-quarters of an inch ; then place upon them about half an inch of the fibrous part of the loam, and upon that a piortion of your compost; then with one hand hold the plant rather above the level of the rim of the pot, and with the other fill in the compost amongst the roots. Proceed thus till the pot is filled, and then gently strike the pot upon the bench to settle the soil, leaving hold of the plant tliat it may settle with the soil. 'This will bring the soil level with the rim of the pot ; put a little more soil around the plant, and press it gently with your fingers, so as to leave the soil a quarter of an inch below the edge of the pot at the sides, and level with it in the centre. Finish the operation neatly, and you have done the first plant. Proceed in a similar manner with the rest till all is completed. Place them upon a bed of coal-ashes, in a situation where the sun does not shine upom them after ten o'clock in the morning. The proper sized pots for blooming plants is the size known as 32s ; they are about 5^ inches in diameter, and of proportionate depth. 'The suckers may either be put singly into small pots, or three or four in pots of the same size as those for the blooming plants, and to be treated in a similar )nan- ner. 'The single jiot plan is the best if you have room to winter them in. Water them all in fine weather, and keep a good look-out for worms and slugs. PoLYAMTHUs. — It is also time to repot polyan- thuses. 'They requii'e a stronger compost than the ain-icula; add, therefore, one tliii-d more loam; shake them out of the old soil ; take off the suckers, or side shoots, and pot them in a simDar manner to the auricula. If mfested with their grand enemy, the red spider, they may now very conveniently be cleansed from him. While you have the plants out of the soil look diligently for this pest, and if the least trace of his presence be perceived apply the soap water and sulphur, as mentioned in a former Number. Some recommend planting them out now in a shady border dming summer, and taking them up and potting in the autumn. We cannot approve of this plan, for two reasons : first, because wliatever sort of weather may come you cannot remove the plants to shelter them ; and secondly, the gi-eat check they mil necessarily receive at the time of potting in autumn. No : we say, ti-eat them as di- rected for the amicirla, and you will be safe. CAnNATioNS and Picotees will now be advancing rapidly towai-ds the flowering season. Look to the ties almost every day, or they may do miscluef. If you see any too tight, cut them at once, and retie them more loosely. Thin the buds to three or fom* at the most. Stu- the soil on the surface frequently, and let not a weed live. You may place them now on the blooming stage, if not already there. Should any suddenly turn yellow, the \virewonn, that gi-aud enemy to these flowers, is feeding upon them ; and as he preys in the dark under the soil, it is difficult to find out his whereabouts until the mischief is com- plete. 'I'he only remedy, now, is to lay a trap for him in the shape of a slice of potato, put in the soil as near to the plant as possible without injuring the roots. 'The green fly will also make its appear- ance ; dust this fellow with common Scotch snuff — it will stop his ravages at once. Ranunculus. — 'These fine gentlemen of the floral kingdom should now be in grand health and strength. There ought to be no yellow leaves, no sickness, no flagging, but such vigoiu' of constitution as will en- able them to produce what is required of them — large rich-coloured blossoms. They will still, even if in that state, require the fostering cai-e of then owner to bring them out in gi'and style. 'They love abim- dance of moistm-e, a soO firm without cracks, and shade on sunny days. Apply these means judiciously, and they will not disappoint you. 'T. Appleby. GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW GAEDENING. Roses in Pots. — We have seen already that the end of October is the right time to procure the best roses fi'om the nursery for potting, but that if an amateur grows them at home, and primes them in October, February is as good, and perhaps a better time, for him to pot them. After potting, we have also soeu that they require a whole year's nursing, jihuiged in an open jiicce of ground, before tliey are tit to be brought in-doors, and that on the supposition that the plants were strong enough to begin with ; for we must not lose siglit of the tact, that roses are much more diificult to manage in pots than they are in the open borders : oven gardeners, who can see at once when anything ails them, find their rosesmore trouble- some in pots — that is, compared to open gi'ound cul- THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 131 tivatiou. I meution tliis, because some young be- ginners, -wbo can liai'dly make a rose bush blossom out of dooi-s, may tbink that if tliey bad it in a pot it would be all riglit. Just as many of that class kill their plants with too much kindness, thinking that when anything is the matter with tliem they are to be brought round again with liquid manure, whereas that finishes them efi'ectually. There is no more difficulty, however, in growing roses in pots tlian there is in growing fuchsias the same way. Roses phmged in pots require to be regularly watered in dry weather, and, although mulched with a thick coat aay ■ The rich liquid manure. The whole secret of getting a fine healthy bloom of roses anywhere, and particu- larly in pots, is to allow them constantly the very ricliest diet ; to keep them clean from insects and grubs ; and to see that they are not crowded, either with too many branches or among themselves. Let every individual plant have a free open space all round it, to let in the sun and air to the very heart of it, and by the end of the first growing season the plants ought to be in good oonditon to flower well next spring, and with ordinary attention they will keep improving for many years, that is, jirovided they are not much forced. When they are strongly forced to flower much out of season, it has the same eflect on them as forcing has on the hyacinth, and they take a year or two to get over the check ; but to flower them six weeks before their usual time will not hurt them even the first season, and as they get old they will assume a habit of early blooming, and tlius a plant that would be much weakened if made to bloom at first as early as the middle of April, wiU in a few years acquire the habit of blooming natui-ally as it were at that time, and with a little management could be made to bloom a month earlier without dis- tressing it too much. The great use of roses in pots is to prolong theii- season of flowering; to have them in bloom two months before then- natural season in spring, and to prolong their season in the autumn. It is not worth while to bloom roses in pots from the end of May to the middle or end of August ; and, if it were, the short time they keep in bloom would not pay for the trouble. Nurserymen and others who grow them for competition bestow much labour on those they exhibit in June and July ; and one may admire this excess of diligence, and finely grown plants of any sort aae admu-ed by lovers of gardening, but, com- pared to an ordinary display of roses in the open gi'ouud, these summer pot-roses seem almost child- ish. Nevertheless, these pubUo exhibitions of sum- mer roses do much good, as the j)ublio can see them in their best attii'e ; and, by comparing one with the other, a better judgment can be formed on the merits of new ones, or of those that we did not before see. The more successful growers, besides carrying off the best prizes, get up their names in tiiis branch of commerce — and a name is everything in trade ; but, for private gi'owers in general, and especially for those in large towns, to suppose that they can gi-ow and bloom roses in the height of summer, by merely putting them in pots, is not to be thought of ; but any one with a few spare lights, or an ordinary green- house, and the requisite degree of perseverance, may assuredly add a great feature to his rooms, early and late in the season, by a few dozens of pot- roses. Like every other branch of gardening, the first resolution to begin a fair start is often the most difBcult part of the business ; and, as to failm'es, the best gardeners do not look for success in every I experiment ; if they can but see clearly the main points of a new experiment before they begin, they risk the minor details, and every failure is as sure to instruct them as the most successful attempt. Let no one, therefore, put off the pot cultivation of a few roses, at least, from any idea that the thing is troublesome or costly. Indeed, the expense of keep- ing a large number of roses in pots is a mere nothing. They require no house protection fi-om frost, and, except a few tea-scented roses, will do better from the open ground, after a hard winter, than if they were coddled up in a greenhouse. Let us now suppose that a good selection of pot roses is got ready by the 1st of February, the pots well filled with young roots, and the shoots cut back last October according to then strength ; the very strongest shoots being left from six to nine inches long, the longest to have only five buds, and all above that number to be picked out with the knife. Now, this rule is sadly neglected, but it is so essential as to amoimt to a principle. The usual way of pruning roses and all other bushes is to cut down to so many buds. Now, I want five buds on the strongest branch, and sometimes you may meet with half a dozen buds at the bottom of some shoots in the space of two or three inches, and if I cut down to the fifth bud from the bottom, and so on with all the other shoots on a well grown rose plant, the consequence would be that all the young branches that would come up after pruning would issue from almost the same point, and so be as thickly set together as " three in a bed," and smother each other ; but by cutting the shoots at diiferent lengths according to their strength, and afterwards taking out the buds, except those wanted to form a tolerably open head, we lay the framework or skeleton of the futm'e plant with much gi-eater ease. Therefore, at the first pruning for flowers the strongest shoots need not, or rather shoidd not, be cut closer than nine inclies from tlie old stem, one bud being left at the extremity, another near the bottom, and three more at equal distances between the two, and all the rest on that shoot to be disbudded. The second sized branches may be cut at six inches from the bottom, and three buds left on them ; and the third size, if any, need not be left longer than a couple of inches, and only one bud left on them. But now let us suppose that our plants had been so well managed during the growing season as that each produced five shoots of equal strength, and well balanced as to the distances between them. In that case each would be cut into nine inches, and if the flee stumps were tied orrt nearly horizontally, so that they would radiate from the centre lOie the sjjokes of a wheel, we shovdd have the foundation for a bush eighteen or twenty inches in diameter at once ; and if five buds were left on each of the radiating stumps as above, and each of them formed a shoot, there would be too many shoots for the diameter of the head; but that is just what I am aiming at. When the shoots were so far grown that one coidd see which were the most promising for blooming, one half would be stopped when not more than four inches long, and the rest left to flower ; or say a dozen flowering shoots and as many spui's, for the stopped ones would bo kept short all the season. At the next pruning, all these shoots and spm-s woidd be cut in to one eye from the horizontal branches, and the same every year afterwards, unless it were intended to in- crease'the size of the head in diameter. In this case, the shoots at the extremities of the branches must be left three or four inches in length, and brought to the horizontal position like the parent shoot. THE COTTAGE GiUlDENEK I know very well how difficult it is for the uu- iuitiated to carry a long description in the " mind's eye," therefore let me recapitulate. A strong shoot from a last year's hud is cut hack about Midsummer to five eyes; these will break into five shoots, and no side slioots are allowed on them. In October the five shoots are to he cut down to two eyes each; and in tlie following Febiiiary the plant is potted and nursed for one whole year, and only one shoot allowed to grow from each of the five shoots. At the second pnining in October those are left nine inches long, and Ibiu- or five buds on each ; ti'om these buds the flowering branches come out every year afterwards. The nearer you come to this standard the more perfect your plant will appear ; and you may calculate on three times the quantity of bloom that ordinnry pruning gives. There is no secret in finwcviiif;' aiiy rosn well, prnTirled it has been well iiiii-scil ihr luwidiis vciir, ;iiiil then pro- perly pruiii'iL Any oin' wlio iiuilii-i^hiiiils pruning the grape viii tlic hjiiii- systi^iii will liiid no difli- culty in coiiipreheudiug this plan of pruning roses. Both flower on the current season's gi-owth, and both may be pruned exactly alike ; and, although each of them be carelessly treated, they are so gene- rous as seldom to fail to produce a crop. Any time in Februaiy or beginning of March will be time enough the first year to introduce pot-roses into the greuiiliousc or pit. The latter is the best place for tlniii, rspi linlly if a couple of lights or a single coijiii;iiliiiriii cnuM be spared for them, when they could bi; Irualcd on a systematic plan — but witii the ordinary treatment of the gi'eenhouse or mixed pit tliey will do very well. As they are quite hardy plants, and begin to grow freely with us out of d.Hii-s ill .April, we liii.vi^ (.lily (o iiiiiliilc our April ulsi easier imitad'i I in n cclil pil iIkmi Ajnil. I I'llir \v^illl^■r is cold, air is iiiliniilnl s|i;iriiiL;l\ iulo |]i.'|'i(; wlini the sun brcuks mil, iJ .April slinurrs" nn- nisily supplied with the syniigc or rose watering-pot; and the pit being closed for the night say in Eebruary, without iirtiticiid heat, will be mild enough for an April night, and still sulficiently cool. After they are in fuU leaf they will soon tell their own wants ; but, as the spring roses are now over, and shoiUd be turned out of doors in a shady place to rest for a while, [ need go no iiinro into tlirjr nilturo to-diiy. k1.:s . :i i> the liiiiiinii riiiiiily. 'I'hr |iiin' ( 'inn'iisiii ii is not more easily disliuguished from llir M:iliiy;iiiii Mdiigoliiiu races, than are the so ealliil hUi'ilixli niiil l''i;iicli roses fi'om those called the Smlfh innl ( 'liiim lincils, and so on witli other scctiinis nl' lliiiii. Tlic griind Sirrel. linwrvrr, is still In ],r rniiiid mil .•iiiiMiiw- II, n vrllnir rn„s, ImiI liMihlsmiir rnuanls d,, nnl srrni mil collections of pure yellow roses, but, instead of responding to this call, our competitors rather flooded us with those bull' roses raised in France among the tea-scented ones, and at last we were compelled to withliold these prizes alto- gether. I say " us," aud " we," because I am a fellow of the Society ; and I tool; great interest in the issue of the yellow rose prizes, Init we wore com- pelled to cancel them. 8tni I am in hopes of seeing new yellow roses in abundance, and, as we are now entered on the rose season, it is a good time to begin experiments. Try all the yellows within your reacti ; divest them of their own pollen before it is ripe, and apply the poUen of another yellow as soon as the stigmas become viscous on the toj) ; where the petals interfere you may cut them off— they are of no use in the foi-mation of seeds. I never crossed any of the rose family, and, therefore, can only give cliance hints rospoi'tiiio- tlif jirnress, bnl it is a settled ques- tion tlii.t till- Unwrr Inives or petals dn nnt assist either tlin I'eeiiiHlatimi .if the emliryn s.vds nr help to bring them tn perlietiou after tliey are lertilizrd : and as, in the rose particularly, tliey arc raucli in the way of the cross-breeder, they may be dispensed with. In a day or two I shall try a few experiments, and detail the exact process next week. D. Beaton. THE KITCHEN-GAEDEN. AsPAHAGus. — -Those who stdl continue the iild- fashioned cast-up-bed-and-deep-aUey system, should, if possible, fill up, or partly till ii|i, such alleys with refuse or earth nl -nine kind : Im- ihere is no doubt that by this iil'jeeiimialile sy-lem ilie roots of the asparagus get sell. Mi-ily nijiiivl .InriiiL;- the summer do Im more lasliinnaMe U> enjoy the natural flavour of this exci'llenl vieetalile, by dispensing with the carthing- up system and eiittiiig the shoots in a green stale. 'J'he shoots, too, produce more abundantly, and the plants remain a juuch longer period without becom- ing exhausted, when not loaded with eiu'th to so great an extent. Our ciislmii lias long been to sow the seed in drills itto leei apart, or to plant one year old seed- liiej-; at llie same distance Jiviii, row to row, and tlie |il;iiiN. j» Ihe riiw iVmii mie loot to one foot six inches aparl. lakiii;; ii|i e\eiy alieniate row the socoud ycav Inr Imviiie-, and Ihns |ea\ iiil;^ the rows in the planta- Linn, by the lime nf the cutthig season, four feet apart. I'lvery autumn, as soon as the asparagus stalks are ri2ie and aro cut down, we !ip]ily a quantity of .some kind of manure, which is allowed to remain on the surface until spring; iiiul about the first week iuMim-h this is earelnlly forked in, li.pnd niiumre is ap|ilied at tlie same time, and also at inti'rvids tliroughout the asjmragus season. Cauuoons should now be thinned luid surface stii-rod, aud, if required, sonio of the best idiuits may be moved into trenches which havo been trenched deep and will iiiannred. Liquid manuro may be alKallla^eollslv ii|i|ilied as soon as the plants ha\e well eslal.li,|ie,| lliemselves. Cki i;iiv --In pliiiitiiig out this useful vegetaiile (^are must lie taken not to phiiit too dei'ply. The June THE COTTAGE GAKDENER. collar aud seed leaves of tlio plants must be kept well above tbo siiilai-o nf the soil: IViv ilisap|ioint- meiit, notwitbsta.udiiiL; Ibe lust, pve|i.nali(iii of Ibe soil, ol'ten oeours in i-iiiisi'i|iu'iiri' of (no dci'ii planting. Celery is a, plant lautieularly tenacious ot its luart, and more parlieularly of its being smothered when young'. ItouriN'E AVonK. — Sow now ])retty liberally good dwai-i' cabbages for cokworts ; green or young cab- luii/cx for the end of the summer months, and also cauli- Jloticrs for autumn use. The fly, which is so trouble- SDiuc throughout the summer to the whole of the s(^edling cabbage tribe, may be expelled in some (logroe by drawing green elder boughs over the seed beds, and also by dusting them early in the moi'n- ing, whilst the dew is on the plants, with dry wood ashes. Successional sowings of the quickly-coming-in kinds of tiiniips should now be made; and, if diy weather prevails, those that are already up and growing will be much improved by good soakings of water, without which the bulbs will be hard and of an uujileasant ilavom'. James Babnes. MISCELLANEOUS INEORMATION. PRIZE PLANTS. ( Continued from p. 122. ) The following were in ooUeotions taking, in May, either lirst or second prizes at the Eoyal Botanic and Royal South London i'loricultural Societies' exliibitions. B. stands for Botanic, L. for South London Society. PELARO ONIUMS. Adom.5, B. 1, L. I Matilda, L. 1 Ajax, B. 2, L. 2 Mrs. Brock, B. 2, L. 2 Ai'abella, B. 1 & 2, L. 1 Mont Blanc, B. I, L. 1 Armada, L. 2 Mount Etna, B. 1 Bertha, B. 1 Negress, B. 1, L. 1 Bianca, B.2, L, I Orion, B. 1, L. 1 Blanche, B. 1, L. 1 Painted Ladv, B. 1 Brcnhilda,B.2, L.2 Paragon, B.'l Pearl, B. 1, L. I Brockie, B. 2 Camilla, B. 2, L. 1 Pointer, B. 1, L. 1 Capdla, B. I Prince Alfred, B. 2 Cassala, L. I Queen of Bourbons, B, 2 Cassamlra, B. 1, L. 1 Refulgent, B. 1, L. 1 Cavalier, B. I, L. 1 Rosamond, B. 1, L. 1 Centurion, B. 1, h. 1 Rosy Circle, B. 1, L. 1 Cotheraton, B. 2 Ruliy, B. 1, L. I Dclicatissima, B. I, L. 1 Dido, L. 2 SirW. R.Gilbert, B.2, L. 2 Emma, B. 2 Sylph, L. 2 Forget-me-not, B. 1, L. 1 Sylvia, B. 1 Govcrnon, L. 1 Sunrise, h. 2 Gulielma, B, 1, L. 1 Superb, B. 1, h. 1 Gustavus, B. 1 Titus, B. 2 Hebe's Lip, B. 1 Voyager, B. 2, L. 2 Luna, L. 2 Vesta, B. 2 Maid Marian, L. 2 Vesuvius, B. 2, L. 1 Marian, B. 2 CALOEO LARUS. Beauty B, 2 Fair Maid of Kent, B.2 Chaneellor, B. 2 Goldfinder, B, 1, L. 1 Conspicua, B. 1, L. 1 Jehu, B. 1,L. 1 K:u\ St. Germain, B. 1, L. 1 Jenny Lind, B; 3 Kclipae, B. I, L. 1 Solicitor General, B. 2 Kueliantress, B. 2 Vesta, B. 1, L. 1 CINER ARIAS. Alboni, L. 1 Edmoniana, L. 1 Album, L. 1 Eleanor, B. 1, L. I Annie, L. 1 Emily, L. 1 Armanda, L. 1 Gem, L. 1 Attraetion, B. 1, L. I Beauty of Pecltham, L. 1 g^a,^;.'L. . Cleopatra, L. I Maid of Artois, B. 2, L. 1 Climax, L. 1 Maritana, B. 2, L, 1 Conqueror, L. 1 Matilda, L. 1 Coronet, B. 1, L. 1 Newington Beauty, L. 1 Cromaiae superior, H. 2, L. 1 Pearl, L. 1 Cyrus, B. 2, L. 1 Penelope, B. 2, L. 1 Defiance, B. 1, L. 1 Koyal Crimson, L. 1 Delrt'ht, L. l Vernalis, B. 1, L. 1 Duchess of Sutherland, B. 1, L. 1 Arethusa, L. 1 Aurora, B. 1, L. 1 Bellona, B. I, L. I Blooming Girl, B. Charmer, L. I Clim.ix, B, 1, L. I Commodore, L. 1 Constellation, B. Cyclops, L. 1 Dr. Wolf, L. 1 Duchess of Ruthn Duke of Norfolk, Example, L. 1 Exquisite, B. I, L Fire King, L. 1 Gem, L. 1 Goliah, B. 1 Hamlet, L. I Juventa, B. 1, L. Aglaia, L. 1 Bacchus, L. 1 Bijoux- des Amateurs, L. 1 Brulant Ecletant, h. 1 Captain White, L. 1 David, L, 1 Duke of Devonshire, L. 1 Fabius, L. I George the Fourth, L. 1 Holme's King, L. 1 Lady Exeter, L. 1 White Sergeant, Wonderful, L. 1 Zabdi, B. 1, L. Madam Vestri.s. L. I Mason's Matilda, L. 1 Me.-id.jra, L. ! Newbrokc Bizarn^ L. I Prince Albert, L. I Robinson's Prince Albert, Strong's King, L. 1 -Triumph Royal, L. Violet Blondea , L. 1 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S SHOW AT CHISWICK. June 0th. The elements were more than usually pro^Vitious on this day, and 3'et, as if resolved to be tantalizing even to the latest time that foul weather is compati- ble with fair, tliere were showers aroinid Loudon near to the midnight preceding, and a cold wind, which intimated that it came as a herald from a still more chilly birth of the atmosphere behind. How- ever; it was tantalizing, a,ud fear suggestive, and no more, for the mornuig of the 9tli was as bright as any morning of June need be, and the day through- out wasits worthy continuation. The company, consequently, was veiy large, and nev«r was there a gayer, more beautiful, or more unclouded assemblage at a Cliiswiok fete. The mUitai-y bands were in attendance as usual, aud in just unison., with the beauty aud harmony witliin the gardens were the arrangements without side. All was most orderly, the police regulations being perfect, and, we believe, not a "grunt, growl, or grumble" could be heard from a visitor from the time of his entre to the time of his departure. Now for the more horticultural portion of our report, aud we will observe generally, at the outset, that the Show was fuUy equal to the June Sliow of any otlier yea.r, taken as a whole, and in many instances, especially the Heaths aud Calceolarias, for example, far superior. In some otlier respects there was cause for dissatisfaction, and prominently among the causes for this unwelcome feeling was seeing so ni.'iiiy plants carrying off the great prize of all, " The tVrtilirati' nt 1 lonour," most of which same plants carrii'd oil' Iho sanie prize but four little weeks before at the May Show. It is true that the jilants appeared not only in sustained but in improved health and beauty, and for this Mr. May, Mrs. Lawrence's gardener, deserves " credit and reno-iyn," for it is not an easy task to continue to be excellent; but stiU it is a cause of dissatisfaction that the same ])lants should have the same gi'eat prize two months from the same Society, more especially following THE COTTAGE GAEDENEB. JrxE when it is known how much of the merit of creating tlie specimens belongs to Messrs. Eraser and other florists. However, the fault, if any, lies with the Society in not pro\'iding against such monopolies of prizes. It must he admitted on all hands that Mrs. Lawi-ence's plants foi-m a glorious and not-to- he-spared featm-e of the Show, and though it may he, or may not be, that the present rules admit of the distinction of " The Certificate of Honour" being considered as a prize to the party who has the heaviest bill at a florists, yet still we shoiild be sorry to see such a collection absent or diminished in e.xcellence. On the other hand, considering Mr. May's skill, is it not libellous upon him to suppose that he would not still be among the foremost, even if the rules were somewhat more stringent against newly purchased plants? And is it, or is it not, a dis- couragement to other gardeners to he beaten by a mass of excellencies recently gathered together into one collection, and that have not been nmsed through all seasons by the same skill ? Be this as it may, now for the results of the day, to wliicli we may have occasion to reovn-. Collections of Thirty Stove akd Greenhouse Plants.— The same parties as at last month's show — Mr. May, gardener to Mrs. Lavvi-ence, of Ealing Park, and Mr. Cole, gardener to H. Collyer, Esq., of Dartford, exhibited large collections, contending for the Society's gi-and prize of the Certificate of Honour. It was very properly adjudged to Mr. May, whose plants were in excellent condition ; in fact, much better than at the last show, being more full of flower. We noted the following as being the best: — Polygala acuminata* • Stepfianotis floribunda, trained Epacris grandiflora, an immense plant . . 7 Pavetta caffra . . . . • ■ 4 Leschenaultia biloba major . . . -2 Azalea Gledstonesii, a low bushy plant full of flower sj Dipladenia crassinoda, a fine plant . . .5 Franciscca latifolia . . . . • 5 „ a.j Tabernajraontana coronaria . . . . 5 „ 4 Cleroilendrum Kffimpferi, with two noble spikes of flowers . . . . . . 7 ,, 0 Pimelea spectabilis, very fresh and full of flowers . 5 ,, 4 Chorozema ovata, a difficult plant to cultivate, but shewn in fine order . . . . 2j ,, 2 Aphelexis humilis, and another species, both full of flower, and of equal size . . • 2^ ,, 2J Franciscea angusta . . . . • 24 ,. 2 The second prize, the large gold medal, was very properly given to Mr. Cole. His plants were cer- tainly very fine, but some of them rather past their prime. He had good plants of Pimelea decussata . . . . .4 feet by 4 feet Aphelexis argentea . . . . . 3 ,, 3 Catharanthus oscellatus . . . . aj „ 3 This is the plant better known as Vinca rosea. Aphelexis humilis splendcns, a fine variety with very large flowers . . . . . 3 „ 2j Pimelea Hendersonii, a neat, well--flowered plailt, full of its lovely pink heads of bloom . . 2j „ 2 COLLECTIONS OF FIFTEEN STOVE AND OREENHOUSE PLANTS. The Eirst Prize, gold Knightian Medal, was awarded to Mr. Green, gardener to Sir E. Autrobus, of Gheam, Surrey. The whole of these plants were exhibited in Mr. Green's best style. We noted the following as being veiy fine : — Erica Caveftdishlana . . < . . n feet by 3 feet Leschenaultia formosa . . * • ■ 2^ ,, 2j Dracophvllum graeile, very elegant . . . ^t ,, 3 Rondclctia spcciosa . . . . • 4 „ 3 Leschenaultia Baxterii, a most excellent, high- coloured, liandsomc plant . . ■ - 2 ,, 2j Polygala cordifolia Sj „ 3 All the height, r t from the surface of the Second Prize. — Gold Banksian medal, to Mr. Tay- lor, gardener to J. Costar, Esq., Streatham. This collection was nearly equal to that of Mr. Green's ; it was a gi-oup of well-grown plants, in excellent order. We can only notice Erica Bergiana 4 feet by 3 feet „ Cavendishiana, a healthy young plant . . 2 „ 2 Polygala oppositifolia . . . . . 5 ,, 4 AUamanda Cathartica, a noble plant . . 4 ,, 4 Polygala cordata . . . . ■ 4 „ 3^ Third Prize. — Silver gilt medal, to Mr. Cai-son, gardener to W. Farmer, Esq., of Nonsuch Park, Sm-rey. A veiy respectable collection of large weU- gToxsTi plants. The following were particular-ly good, Stephanolis floribunda . . . .6 feet by 4 feet AUamanda cathartica . _ . . . . 6 ,, 4 JMusstenda frondosa, a curiously handsome plant, with large white bracts and pure yellow flowers 2 ,, 2i Ixora coccinea, a small plant with 12 fine heads of scarlet blossoms. Fourth Prize. — Large silver medal, was awarded to Mr. Pamplin, Nurseryman, Lea Bridge. He had a good Dillwvnia clavata, 3 feet bv 2j feet ; also Colconema rubra, 4 feet by 4 feet ; and Vinca rosea (Catharanthus oscellatus), well flowered, 2 feet by 2 feet. Fifth Prize. — SUver Knightian medal, to Mr. Pawley, of Bromley. We noted as good, in his col- lection, a low-trained Azalea variegata, Ij feet by 3 feet; also a fair Stcphanotis flori- bunda, and a fine Aphelexis macrantha purpurea. Sixth Prize. — Silver Banksian medal, was given to Mr. Glendinning, of Cluswick, nurseiyman. Tliis collection consisted of rather small plants, but in good flowering condition. Mr. G., if he takes care of his plants, -mil, another year, take a high stand as an exhibitor. Collections of six Stove and Greenhouse Pi_^.nis were numerous, and shown in good care. Om- notices of them must be very brief. Fu-st Prize.— Silver gilt medal, to Mr. Kinghorn, gardener to the Earl KUmorey, of Twickenham. In this coUectiou was a noble plant of Pimelea decussata . . . . . 4 feet by 6 feet Epacris grandiflora . . . . . 4 ,, 3i Azalea Gledstonesii . . . . . 2j „ 4 Second Prize. — Certificate of excellence, to Mr. Bruce, gardener to Boyd Miller, Esq; He had in "ood condition Epiphyllum speciosum Aphelexis humilis ... Pimelea Hendersonii .... Third Prize. — Largo silver medal, to Mr. Clarke, gardener to M. Black, Esq, of MusweU Hill. Six large, even, well-grown plants, particularly Aphelexis macrantha purpurea . . . 3 feet by 3 feet ,, humilis . . . . . 2 ,, 2^ Erica humeana . t . . . 3 ,, 3 Fourth Prize. — Silver Knightian medal, to Mr. Jack, gardener to E. Loraine, Esq., of Wallingford. He had a good. by 3 feet Cercus speciosissimus Clerodendrum afiinc, with six spikes of fiowe 6 feet by 4 feet A prize of equal value with the last was awarded to Mr. Malj'on, gardener to S. Brandam, Esq. Leo- gi-ove, Blaokheath, He had a fine Pliymatanthus tricolor (Pelargonium tricolor), and a good Lesche- naultia bicolor superba. Sixth Prize. — To Mv. Stanley, gardener to H. Bcrens, Esq., near Cliiselhurst. In this collection the following were well flowered : Chorozema varia nana . . . . , 8 feet by 3 fed Azalea indlca alba . . . , ■ 4 ,, high Leschenaultia formosa . . . , 27 ,, 3 Single SrEcniENS sitnwrNr, A high state of Cit,- TiVATioN were cxliibiled numerously. Tlie following THE COTTAGE GARDENER. obtaineil prizes : — Certificate of Excelleiioe, Mr. Cole and to Mr. Bruce, for Aplielexis macrantha purpurea. This tribe of plants are well adapted for exhibition purposes; they are very showy, easily cultivated, bear carnage well, and last a long time in flower. By refering back the reader wUl perceive that almost every exhibitor had one or more in his col- lection. Large silver medal— To Messrs. Veitcli, for a fine plant of Mh-belia dilatata. Silver Kuightian medal. — To Mr. Ivison, gardener to his Grace the Duke of Northumberland, Syon House, for Ecliium fruticosum ; and to Messrs. Veitch, for a flue, lugh-coloured specimen of Tetra- tlieca verticillata. Silver Banksian medal. — To Messrs. Henderson, of Pine Apple Place, for a magnificent specimen of Pimelea Hendersonii ; and to Mr. Epps, of the Bower nui'sery, Maidstone, for Aplielexis macrantha pm-- purea. Certificate of merit. — To Messrs. Veitch, for their pretty Hoya bella. Specimens of New or exthemely eaee Plants. — There were some interesting plants exhibited under this head. The silver gilt medal was awarded to Messrs. Veitch, for a new Esoallonia named maorantlia, with large tubular crimson flower, produced in corymbs at the end of each shoot. It was stated to be be quite hardy. Certificate of excellence. — To the same enterprizing nurserymen for a new Lisianthus named pulcher. It is a tall slender plant, with a head of fine scarlet flowers. Large silver medal. — To Mr. May for Portlandia gi-andiflora, not new, for it was introduced from Ja- maica in 1775, but very rare. Silver Knightian medal. — To Mr. Jack for Poso- queria longitiora, a large gardenia-lilve plant, with long tubular white flowers of short dui-ation. Certificate of merit. — To Mr. Mylam, for a new Odontoglossiun and for Pbaloenopsis rosea, and to Mr. Glendinning for Hoya imperialis. COLLECTIONS OF TWENTY EXOTIC OEOHIDS. The cultivation of these singiilai', beautiful, and, in many cases, highly odoriferous plants, is evidently on the increase, as a proof of which we need only mention the fact that there were exhibited, at Cliis- wick, last Saturday, five large collections of 20 spe- cies each, four collections of 10 species each, and tlu-ee collections of six each : comprising, altogether, 158 plants besides single specimens, and, generally speaking, in good flowering condition. That the company was highly gi'atified with the sight may be infered from the fact that no tent was more crowded with spectators, eagerly anxious to catch a ghmpse of these most interesting flowers. Mr. Mylam, gardener to S. Eucker, Esq., was awarded the First Prize, the large gold medal. (We should like to know why the certificate of honour was withheld ?) In his collection was a gi'eat number of really fine plants, particularly Aerides roseum, with six spikes ; Acineta Euckeri, seven flowers ; Angroe- cum caudatum, six spikes ; Aerides afiine, eight spikes ; A. crispum, three spikes ; the lovely Lcslia ma,ialis,mth three flowers; Pbaloenopsis gi-andiflora, strong, with nine large flowers on one spike; and a new Aerides, named after Lady Larpent. Indeed we might, would our space allow us, enumerate with praise every plant in this collection. Second Prixe. — Gold Kuightian medal, to Messrs. Veitch, nurserymen, Exeter. Tliis was also a good collection, containing many fine plants, in excellent showing order considering the distance they had travelled to the exhihition. We noticed, especially, Cattleya MossiiB, a large mass, with 20 flowers all ex- panded; Calanthe veratrifolia, 11 spikes; Oncidium ampliatum, six spikes; Pbaloenopsis grandiflora, four spikes : P. amabile, tln-ee spikes ; and Cvpripedium barbatum, 25 flowers, all open. Third Prize.— Goli Banksian, to Mr. Williams, gar- dener to C. Warner, Esq. of Hoddesden, Herts. T'his collection was exhibited by Mr. Williams in his usual style of excellence. Every plant showed great skill in cultivation. The only objection that could be made to the collection was a deficiency of the rarer kinds of orchids. This, however, will be supplied in time, and then we shall see Mr. Williams' plants come as often first as his competitors. This is a principal good that such friendly competition will lead to, even more than has yet been accomplished. Amongst so many specimens of great merit in culti- vation, we can only notice Dendrobium Wallioliia- num, a large mass with flowers past numbering; it was three feet through and as many high, the flower spikes actually touching each other. Brassia ma- oulata, nine spikes, with every flower expanded; Brassia Wrayje, 10 spikes, four open ; Brassia ver- rucosa, eight splices, very long, and all in flower ; Aerides crispum, fom- branched spUces ; Cattleya MossifB, 12 fine flowers; Epidendi-um crassifoHum, with 17 beads of its pretty pink flowers; and Odon- toglossum citi'osmum, with a spike of five flowers. Fourth Pm«.— -Silver gilt medal, to Mr. Eae, gar- dener to J. Blandy, Esq. of Eeading. The grand atu-aetion in this fine collection was the truly noble plant of Saccolabium guttatum. This is, without doubt, the finest plant of the kind in cultivation. It has more than 20 of its beautiful spikes of flowers fully expanded. Mr. Eae also had Cattleya mossiae, with eight large flowers in great perfection ; Aerides crispum, five spikes; the rare Dendrobium Devonia- num, with four of its delicate flowers expanded ; a new splendid variety of Cattleya, something like a C. mossiae, but having deeper-coloured sepals and petals also ; Cycnoches Loddigesii, the Swan-flower ; and C. chlorochilum. Fifth Prize. — Certificate of Excellence, to Messrs. Loddiges. This collection contained several veiy rare plants of this tribe, as might be expected, considering the immense collection of epiphytes these gentlemen possess. They were, however, deficient in size, which accounts for then- collection being placed last. They had a new Cattleya from Brazil, of sui'passing beauty, sometlung like C. superba,>;= but much finer than that justly esteemed species; also, the curious Dendrobium undulatum, with two spikes; the new and rare Saccolabium furcatum ; Cattleya mossiae grandiflora, a large-flowered species of the finest rose- colour ; Aerides afiine rubrum ; Oncidium bifolium, with many spikes; and the richly coloui'ed Brough- tonia sanguinea. COLLECTIONS OF TEN SPECIES OF EXOTIC OEOHIDS. The First Prize, gold Knightian medal, was awarded to Mr. Plant, gardener to S. Schroder, Esq. of Stratford. A finely grown collection, containing especially, a good Aerides crispum, one spike, with six strong branches ; Dendrobium moschatum, foiu- spikes, very fine ; Lacosna bicolor, two spikes ; Cir- * This fine Cattleya is very beautiful, its sepals and petals are broader than C. superba, and of a deep rose-colour; the_tip is of the richest dark maroon. i:ir, THE COTTAGE GARDENER. rhea fusco-lutea, large mass, with mimeroiis spikes ; and Oucidium intermedia, witli two sti'oug tlower- stems. Second Prizp, crnld Baiil-Mnn morliil. Air. Dobson, gardener to Iv IhvK, r.-,.|.. M, w,,itli. This gentle- man's orclii^U. lil.r 111- Lvniiiiiiiii^, iiii|iriive every season. lie liad j.iiilimliivly liiip Oiici.liuin amplia- tum major, with five strong spikes in iidl flower; also a good Cattleya mossise superha, with eight flowers. Tliird Prize to Mr. May, gardener to Mrs. Law- rence. In this eolleotion was the rare SaeeolaViium ISlniuei, with a sj)ike of its lovely flowers upwards of afoot long; also a good Cattleya mossise, witli six flowers; Aoiidi's aliiui', a large mass, hut short of flower; and a '(n.iil I'lnfouopsis, with thi-ee spikes. Fourth y-//;.'.— Crililirate of Excellence, to Mr. Carson. Ilu IiluI a good Cattleya mossiie, with 14 flowers e.-ipauded ; a lai-ge mass of Acanthophiiipium hioolor ; a nicely flowered Barkeria speotabilis, and a fine jdant of Aciueta humholdtii, with 3 long spikes of flowers expanded. COLLECTIONS OF SIX EXO OECHIDS. Fir<;f 'I'l-i-r — Silver gilt medal, to Mr. Kinghorn. Til i!ii -iiiall roUcetion there were some very fine plaiii^, mar . -.|iia-ially Phalsenopsis amabilis, with 20 11u\M 1 : a iia-,' Siiccolahium gnttatum, and Onci- .s'r.M//,//.,;;,.— Cevtifieate of Excellence, Mr. Ger- ric, t;,iril. II. 1 lo Sir .Tohu Cathcart, Bart., Cooper's IJill? !l(. hail iiiiii! ]ilants of Aerides affine, Sacoo- lahiiiiij -altaiiiiii. ami ihe ailinired butterfly plant, 77//)vi' yliii. There were some neat small E. ventricosas in this collection, but they wanted age and attention to make them first-rate plants. COLLECTIONS OF NINE CAPE HE.iTHS. Fh'st Prize. — To Mr. May, gardener to G. Good- heart, Esq., Beckenham. Kiit-a Cavendisbiana . . . .2 feet by 1 feet. ,, vestita eoeeinea . . . . 2J sj ,, daphnoides . . . . • -h -^ Second Prize. — Certificate of Exeelle Cole. His best plants were ,, Cavendisbiana . . . .2 2 Third Prize. — To Jlr. May, gardener to Mrs. La Fourth Prize. — To Mr. Roser, gardener to I. Brad- bury, Esq., Streatham. Fifth Prize.— To Mr. Green. SINGLE SPECIMENS OF CAPE HEATHS. Large silver medal to Mr. May, at Mrs. Lawrence's, for E. vestita coccinea. Sliver Kuightian medal to Mr. May, at G. Good- heart's, Esq., for Erica ventricosa alba. Certificate of Merit to Mr. Malyou, for Erica veu trieosa ; and to Mr. Green, for Erica propendens. COLLECTIONS OF HOSES IN POTS. First Prize (Amateurs). — SUver gilt medal, to Mr. Roser, gardener to J. Bradbury, Esq., Streatham. We note the following as heuig good roses, in fine order, in this collection; — Baronne Prevost,"Las Casas, Madame LaflFay, La Reine, Rivera. Second Pri:e. — Silver Bauksian medal, to A. Ifow- landsou, Esq., Rosnnthal, near Lewisliani. Good kinds, in first-rate condition, in this collection, were NURSEr.TiMEN S PRIZES. Fir&t Prize. — Gold Bauksian medal, to Messrs. Lane and Sons, Berkhampstead. In this collection we were much struck by the following varieties : — - (Hybrid Bourbon) Paul Perraa, (China) Las Caaa-s (Hybrid China) Madame Plantier, (Hybrid Per^ietual) Queen, (Hybrid Bourbon) Great Western, (Hybrid Bourbon) Coup d'Heboj (Tea-scented) Adam. Second Price.- Silv Paul and Sons, Chesli rdal, to Mo following w, eally (1 leet lil;;h, a yellow tiibnlar flov N (Hvbrid Bourbon) Paul Pcrras and Coup isonii, yellow, (Hybrid China) Henry llarbct. 'iertificnte of excellence lo Mr. Mr. F. had in his collection the s, in ex(^ellent condition : — THE COTTAGE GARDENER. A. Rowland, Esq., Lad a prize awarded to him for 25 varieties of cut roses ; aud Mr. Francis exliibited a tray of tliat rattier new and fine rose, Geant do Bata'illes, wliioli was much admired. TALL CACTI IN COLLECTIONS. First Prize.— Gold Banksian medal, to Mr. Green. Tliis was a noble collection of those gorgeous flowers ; tticy assisted materially to fill up the void occasioned by the absence of the brilliant azaleas. Mr. Green ha,s, for several years, been veiy successful in this tribe of plants, but at this exhibition he surpassed all his former displays. We note a few of the most showy. Epiphylltim imrantiacum .... 4 feet hy 2 feet ,, rubni ecvuka . . . . 3 ,, ^ „ spceiosuiii elcgniis, new and l)e.-iutiful . 2 ,, '2^ Ccreus spceioaissimus . . . . . 7 ,, 3 Ejiiphyllum ackevmannii . . . . 7 „ 3 Second Prize. — Silver gilt medal, to Mr. Falconer, gardener to F. Palmer, Esq., Cheam. This also was a well grown and superbly flowered collection, but not quite so fine as the preceding. The finest speci- mens were . 5 feet by 4 feet Grueniiouse Azaleas. — First prize, to Mr. Green, certiliciito of excellence : A. variegata was a good spe- cimen, ti feet by 4-J feet, and A. rosea punctata was also iu fair condition. PiTciiEii Plants. — Mr. Smith, gardener to Mr. Lawi-ence, had a silver Knightian medal awai-ded to him for a collection of these curious plants. Statices. — Mr. Glendinning had a prize awarded to him for six species of this genuS; viz., Statice dianthioides, frutescens, tuucronata, puberida, arbo- rea, aud speciosa. Ajtaryllids. — Mr. Iveson had a prize for six ama- ryllids, which he exhibited in good style. RANnNcuLUSEs, &c. — The silver Banksian medal was awarded to Mr. Tyso, for a splendid collection of ranunculuses; and certiflcates of merit to Mr. Costar, for a similar collection ; and to Mr. Gad, for a fine seedling lai-ge petunia, named Enchantress Calceolaeias were never shown in gi-eater beauty. The Jifst jirize was given to Mr. Gaines, who ex- hibited Gustavus, Cavalier, Prima Donna, Bianca, Don Juan and Eclipse. The second jirize was given to Messrs Henderson, of Pine Apple Place, for l!)uke of Rothsay, Miss Rattray, Dr. Neil, Lucy Ashton, Catherine Seaton, and Black Agnes. Pelarooxicjis. — Of these we shall speak in a future Number, observing only at present, that we tbouglit tlie best of the seedlings were Hoyle's Cecil and Beck's Major Domo ; and of the fancy varieties, Mr. E. Henderson's Jl'/ano, Alice Lawton, and Beauty of Ohiswiclc. No white Pelargonium yet excels Pearl ; it is still the gem of its colour. LiLiuM LANOiroLiuM puNCTATUM. — Mr. Groom ex- hibited twelve of these beautiful aristocratic-looking . iiowers. We never saw their pure white, turbaned ' flowers more beautifully bloomed. Fruit. — A very few gi-apes, with one basket of Noblesse peaches, another ot' the Violette Hative nec- tarine, one of figs, and about a dozen pine apples, constituted the whole of the show in this department. There was one Lemon Queen pine, and that weighed 41bs. (iozs., whilst the common queens ranged between albs. 10 ozs. aud 5 lbs. 1 oz. They were well grown. EXTRACT FROM CORRESPONDENCE. Queen Wasps. — As this is now ttie full season for queen wasps, pennit me to mention a very efficacious way of destroying them. Put a good percussion cap upon the ni|)plt'. of an emjily gun or strong pistol. Let the wasp settle, then bring the muzzle close u]i, and fire the ca]) ; it will generally brhig the insect down in a disabled state, doing little or no damage to the leaf or branch on which it is settled. If tlie locality is not of consequence, a pistol charge of loose powder will be still more efficacious. I need hardly inform you that the Pyracantha has peculiar attrac- tions at this season for wasps. I have, this morning, killed the fourteenth off of a plant at my door. If you could prevail on your readers more g(>nHVii]ly to plant this tree, and to watch for the wiisps, which iirc certain to resort to them in the s)iriii^, tbrtu' in-rds would soon be as scarce in this country as, loiluuHtely now, is the hornet. — Cleeicus. TO CORRESPONDENTS. CllAMOMll.F. IN TuRi.' (Brtti). — We know of no other mode of destroying this weed than by cutting it down within the soil as often as it appears, and putting a spoonful of salt on the stump of the root. Slugs (A'.Y.J. — The eottager was quite right in his practice of get- ting up early in the morning to hand-pick the slugs from his crops : it is the best mode of keeping them under; but putting them into brine or lime, or crushing them with his foot, would have been a more speedy mode of destroying them. Mildew on Vine-leaves (F. W. TiUocJc). — If you burn sulphur and tobacco in your vinery you will kill every leaf and every grape, and yet not get rid of the fungus. In the case we mentioned at page 33, the mildew returned upon the new leaves. The leaves yon have sent to us are very severely attacked ; and, let us add, that we fear you aid the progress of the disease, by keeping the in- whati from the promotes the growth of the mildew fungus. If the case was our own, we should pick oiF a good many leaves, selecting, of course, those most affected, and these we should burn. This would admit more light into the house, which is unfriendly to the growth of the fungus; and, for the same cheeking pui-posc, we should keep the air of the house dry. In a case so severe as yours, we would have every leaf thoroughly washed clear from the fungus by means of a sponge dipped in salt and water, four ounces to the gallon. Let this be done in the evening, and the next morning have the whole well syringed with clear water. After this, an occasional syringing with salt and water, and then with clear water, as directed at p. 54, would probably keep down the disease. We have more confidence than ever in this treatment, having received a letter from a correspondent, in which is stated that it has been adopted for remov- ing the mildew from cuimmier leaves with complete success. STEAwnEnRiES.(/l Working Man).— It the runners are strong the age of the parents producing them is of no consequence. Those who grow the finest strawberries never allow them to remain after the second year ; the beds are then broken up and others formed in a diiferent situation. We will here add that the grower of the finest strawberries we ever saw, trenches the ground for them full three feet deep, digging in with every spit as much rotten stable manure as can be worked in. His British Queens are red all over, havingno ' green noses.' The best time for making your beds will be August ; and if your friend will then let you have his last year's runners, from which he has nipped the blooms, if you move them carefully you will save a ANTiaEHiNHM CuLTDEE (C.).— Antirrhinums require to be sown in the spring, either thinly where they are to flower, or in a spare corner, to be transplanted when three or four inches high. They will grow in almost any soil. Hydeangeas (H., a SuSseWiei-).— These, you say, are only partly in leaf, but shoots arc strong from the bottom. By all means cut down the old sticky stems, and if the roots are good the bottom shoots will flower in the autumn. Laoehstinas (I6W).— Those planted last autumn are turned brown, either entirely or partially. Cut the brown tops off, or say the whole of the last growth ; and after so much May rains they ought to shoot again from the old wood ; at least, be in no hurry with them ; we have seen them push after looking dead for some months. Camellias in Peat (H. C. Wells).— " A good gardener near you pots them in very fine peat to be had near you ;" hy all means use the same ; but in doing so, if they are in loam now, you ought to shake oil as much of it as possible. Mr. Beaton says he has seen them grown in peat successfully in many parts of Scotland ; but, knowing that certain kinds of peat is poison to them, he does not re- commend it. Abutilon Striatum (A Subscriber from the commencement). — This is the name of the plant so misspelt by those from whom you bought it. It is of the same natural family as the hollyhock, as you 138 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. thought, and is one of the hardiest of greenhouse plants ; will stand several degrees of frost, requires very rich soil, a large pot, and abundance of water in summer. "When in good health it is a very showy plant, and flowers from May to October. It is a. good plant to train against a wall in summer ; to be taken in on the approach of frost. A notice of it you will find at p. 82. Magnolia Grandifloea (Ibid). —This does not require a green- house even in Scotland. It will do with you at Thame much better against a south wall. In the southern counties it grows and flowers in the open shrubbery. Carnation Layers (An Admirer of the C. G,).— "The top spit of a very old pasture, good, and full of fibres," which you have as the soil for your cucumber bed, will do at the end of the season for potting your carnation layers better than if used fresh from the pasture. \ Clay Brought to the Surface (/iid).— You have done richt to rake together and burn the excessive lumps of clay. If too much clay still remains at the surface, retrench the ground, and thus get it below again. Quicken Grass (An Amateur).— ^h.i% weed, which is also kno^vn as whicken, couch, and twitch grass, is the Triticum repens of bota- nists. There are only three ways of getting rid of it, viz., by deep trenching, a thick crop of late potatoes, or forking it out. The last is an endless job, as every fragment of its creeping roots grows. But there are many worse grasses in good lawns ; and, if you mow your lawn often, it will not disfigure the rest of the grass. Egg-Plum Shedding its Fruit (franfr).— The plums drop when nearly full grown. Perhaps the roots have descended into an un- genial subsoil. If so, you must, after carefully deciding this, cut away the portions which have descended below the true level, and try and introduce some impervious material beneath them. Trans- planting either, if the trees are not too old, may be resorted to in the ensuing autumn. Best Rhubarb (Ibib),~'We are for the "Victoria." There are many other good kinds, but none, we think, to excel this in general utility. Strawberries Badly Forced ( ).— We should advise you to plant these in a rich border, and if well watered, as they did not hear in your forcing pit, they may bloom in September, and can then be taken up carefully without disturbing the roots, and put under glass. They will yield a late crop. You had better have some fresh plants of last year for early forcing. Asparagus Planting (G. E. L.).—The. best time for doing this is April, when the shoots are begining to grow. Two or three year old plants are best for planting. We will give directions when the time arrives, LiauiD Manure (W. Mansell) .—Yon do not tell us how much horse and pigeon's dung you put into " ten or fifteen" gallons of water. How, then, can we say the proportion of the T ' ' use ? Then the vagueness of " ten or fifteen " gall render our answer further difficult. We assure you, ai that in plant culture, as in other sciences, there can of results without precision in the means employed, of horde droppings and three of pigeon's dung, r the proportion of the liquid you should d all our readers, )e no uniformity Twelve gallons dung, soaked " "' fifteen Storing Potatoes (A Great Admirer).— Dry marl may be used for this purpose, to place in alternate layers with them, instead of sand or earth, as wc recommended. We are glad to hear from you that the potatoes in your neighbourhood (Malvern) are looldng so Bean Aphis or Dolphin (M. A. Maidstone).— navins taken off the tops of the affected plants, you have done all that you can on such large breadths. Watering them with soap-suds and lime water, we fear, will have injured the blossoms without affecting the aphis. On small plots, after removing the tops of the plants, a very effective application is a dusting of Scotch snuff. We apply this with perfect success, also to the aphides on our choice gooseberry bushes. We take a bason with some of the snuff in it, and stir the ends of the affected bushes in it. Salting Asparagus Beds (A Subscriber).— Aspava^s, being a native of the sea shore, will bear the application of moderate doses of salt without any injury. If you sow the salt broadcast over the plants able an answer, but there are none that will there flower satisfactorily. We would recommend you to try the double blossomed cherry, tlie honeysuckle, the variegated and double bramble, aiid the common Irish ivy. These are hardy enough, and may do better t we anticipate. With regard to flowers for the borders, almost any kind will thrive on the south one ; but on the other, the north one, very few would do well. Lily-of-the-valley must be one, and the Scotch double buff primrose another. You might try also some dwarf rhododendrons and Provence roses, with variegated periwinkles to run amongst them, also crocuses and snow drops. Do not expect too HoNEYSucMi- ,\"n.ni ^ nil havc two honeysucklos trained up two trees, a. ,n, trreen fly that they are almost destroyed, and \ ■ ■ , ■,, water to destroy them without success. You ] ■ •.:>,■■< n-^i .ii<\,[\ci\ it sufficiently, or it has not been-strong cuiui-li, 'l'i\ .l-.lh., ur. if your honeysuckles are too far gone, cut them doxvn iminr-diat^ly. There is a long summer yet before for them to make fresh shoots, and ripen them too, before the autumnal frosts t ins lIbid).—To destroy the slng'i that • the bed with clear lime water, twice, ecn. Brewers' grains are an excellent trap, and so are cabbage or lettuce leaves. Examine these traps every evening by candle-light, and very early every morning. Use these means in every part of your garden most perseveringly for a month, and you will be rid of them. Brewers* grains are a good manure when in a decayed state, Two-Light Frame (Rev. C. W. L.).— A frame with two lights for protection purposes in winter should be4i ft. ^vide and 7 ft. long. This will hold a considerable number of such things as verbenas, petunias, geraniums, &c. At the time to force roses, strike cuttings, sow seeds, and various other useful operations, the plants protected through the winter may be put out under a hoop and mat shelter. A gentle hot-bed should then oe made, with short well prepared Utter, and a covering of tanner's bark laid upon it. The cuttings, roses, and seeds may be placed upon that, and will answer well if due care be taken that the heat is moderate. Roses (Ibid).~'riic two roses (Wm. Jesse and Souvenir de Mal- maison) that you have flowered in doors may now be planted out, and should have the long straggling shoots pruned in to half their length. They will then breakafresh and flower again in the autumn. Instead, however, of planting them out, keep them in the pots, plunged behind a low wall or hedge, and they will flower much stronger next year than plants taken up and potted in the autumn. Rose Stock Suckers (Uid).—rhe strong rose stocks vou speak of as breaking strongly near the ground may be budded, as soon as the shoots are long enough, with Wm. Jesse, Mrs. Elliot, Aubemon, and Louis Buonaparte. These are good roses, and will answer your purpose. Budding of roses may now be commenced, provided the buds part easily from the bark ; and the bark of the stock, through the abundance of sap, rises readily with the budding knife. AaoiLEGiA Glandulosa (Ibid). — This requires a good strong " "" " 11. It may be pro- best increased by seed sown in pots, plunged in a decayed hotbed. Rose Suckers {A. Y. Z.).— Your rose suckers undoubtedly injure the old bushes, and in two wavs : first, through the creeping root that connects them with the old plant they draw off the strength which ought to support the parent stock : secondly, the roots of the suckers impoverish the soil, thus again robbing the old plant of food. From those suckers of a year's growth having roots of their o^vn, remove the soil carefully where you think the connecting roots are, and, when you have found them, cut them clean through with a sharp knife, and let them exist on their own resources till the autumn, and then remove them to a situation where they may support themselves. All suckers of this year's growth destroy as they appear. Greengage (Ibid). — Your greengage, which is very vigorous, blooms, but does not bear, is too luxuriant. Clear away the soil to some of the strongest roots, and cut them in two. This will cause your tree to produce better, because less luxuriant, shoots for bearing. Names of Plants (A S77iatterer).—Yo\ir plant is Ruscus andro- gynus. It is a native of the Canary islands, and too tender to endureour winters, though "tr.ained to a south wall in a sheltered corner in the county of Suriy." Being an evergreen climber the best place for it is against the back wall of a greenhouse. (H. P. Vibert.) — Your shrub is a Solanum, and, be believe, Solamim uniiusti/olium, but the sprig you sent was too small to judge by. If we are right, the grcenhousi the poles, descri support of peas. TuRMips Running to Seed (George).— This must have been occasioned either by their being too much shaded, or not being well watered during the late dry weather, or by the stock being of an early-seeding habit. If you avoid all these errors your turnips will not seed prematurely. Sulphate of Ammonia (An Admirer, Halifax'). —This salt being a compound of sulphuric acid and ammonia, you may form an excel- lent supply for yoiu-self, by pouring oil of vitriol (sulphuric acid) into some ammoniacal liquor from the gas works, until no more bubbles arise from the liquor. You may obtain sulphate of ammonia, in crystals, of the London Manure Company, for about 18s. per cwt. Cucumber Blossoms (Ibid).—lt is not necessary to impregnate these in order to obtain /rM)7 from them. Many first-rate gardeners testify that they have removed the blossoms before they opened, and yet the fruit was perfected. If you require seed from the fruit, im- pregnation, of course, is necessary. Slugs (H. S. il.).— These are perfect insects, and not the larva of a fiy or moth. There are many species. The name given to them by entomologists is Lima.v. Answers to your other questions next :(A. . C.).- by putting a sm.i -Prevent this if i Double Wali.-i i -.» , i; ./. ( . .\nr>r„o(l).—Yom flower is a fine UiuivLLiluun-tl \;iiiriy of prcat merit, We have seen the same variety about Windsor twclv. It IS the richest and darkest coloured double wnll-flowt LONDON : Printed by Harry Wooldridge, 147, Strand, in the Parish of Saint Mary-le-Strand ; and Winchester 11 igh-strcct, in the Parisli of St, Jlury Kalcndar ; and Published by William Somervillk Orr, at the Ollicc, UJ, Strand, in llic Parish of Saint Mary-lc-Strand, London.— .lune Uth, 1819. THE COTTAGE GAUDENETi. WEEKLY CALENDAR. M D ■l\ 2-2 ■u 20 27 D JUNE 21—27, 1849. PlOTts dedicated to ■ each day. Sun Ri.ses. Sun Moon R. and Sets. Moon's Age. Cloc. bef. Sun. Day of Year. Tit. IQ. Vict. pro. Long. day. Pavtri.lseahalrh. F. Isun's dec. 23''2;' n. Six-spot Burnet Blotli S. Wheat tlowevs. [>^'^<-"- SaN.I3.S.A.TR. N\T.,I.BArT. Blidsummer-D. M. Conimon Wasp abounds. Tu. Privet Hawk Moth scon. W. Cuckoo last heard. ,^'il.OI■•s Tluslns. riiiiilrvlHirv r.clls. I,;,dy's Slip,,,.,-. St. .lohn's Wort. Sweet-william. Blue Sowthistlo. : Perforated St. John's Wort. ir, a. :l 15 4:) 4") 40 40 47 18 a. 8 1!) li) 10 10 10 in 8 54 0 41 10 on 10 50 U 21 11 or morn. 1 4 5 fi 3 1 22 IS 2 14 2 27 2 30 17.! 170 177 178 Longest Day.— This is alwiiys c but it is not strictly so, the next day longest day at the Greenwic' Llered to be the 2Ist of June, no lieinc RUp;htly lonc^er. The (lotluctiug for refrac- Baptist.— This festival, in com- ■ our Redeemer, was first instituted ce been observed both by the Papal as born about six months before our old, "the word of God. in the year 48S, and has eve and the Reformed Church. Lord : and, when nearly 33 ; him in the wildcrnesss," which he appears to have made his abode, and, obeying its summons, he left his solitude and "preached the bap- tism of repentance for the remission of sins," in "all the country round about Jordan." At the end of a ministry of about 13 months' continuance he appeared at the court of Herod Antipaa, and reproved him boldly for his incestuous intercourse with his brother's wife, He- rodias. The result is told us in Scripture {Matt, xiv), and we will onlv add that the place of St. John's imprisonment was the Castle of aia'chcuius, near the Dead Sea. His murder occurred a.d. 33. Phenomena ov the Season. — We now come to the considera- tion of one of the parts essential to all flowers for the production of seed— Wte stamens. These are the long stalks (filame^its) usually white, with yellow heads (anthei's), situated next within the petals, and being the male portion of flowers. They vary in number from one, as in the common Marestail (Hippuris), to a great number, as in the strawljerry, and in form as represented in the annexed woodcut. It is on the number and some peculiarities of the stamens that the celebrated Linnffian system of arranging plants is founded. In double flowers the stamens are changed into petals, and these flowers are, consequently, incapable of producing 7;of/en, the powder which, when applied to the pistil, impregnates the seed and renders it fertile. This pollen is produced by the anthers only ; and, to secure that it shall reach the summit of the pistil, many contrivances are provided. Thus, in most flowers hanging downwards the stamens are shorter than the pistil, so that when the pollen is shed it may fall down upon it ; and in the berberry, when the filaments are touched gently, they spring forward and dash the anther ag:ainst the pistil. Vollen con- sists, as may be seen when examined under the microscope, of nume- rous little bags, angular in the violet, kidnev-shaped in the narcissus, and perforated in the pelargonium. They differ in colour or form al- visiblc in the cypress, birch, readily by placing s ; anthers of Valerian ( Insects.— At p. 52 of our present T i volume, we expressed a doubt whether ; June. ] 1841. one of the Snake Millipedes (Julus com- , platanus) really attacks the root of the I gj I Showery, potato until this is in a state of decay, Highest | & lowest 71°- 47° 22 I Fine. 73° -46° Fine. 67°— 52° Showery. and the si to another and much smaller species, Ju/MSTJw/e/ie^/KSjrepresentedinour draw- j in^ of its natural size and magnified. L Cabbages have been very liable, during the recent spring, to wither away when about half grown. When pulled up, their stems, just below the surface of the ground, are foimd to be thoroughly decaved, and in the decayed place are usually a colony of this species of snake millipede. Now, the question arises, is this insect the cause of the disease, by wounding and eating the bark of the plant; or does the parent wound the baric, depositing her eggs in the wound, and then wet, and the irritation produced by the larvae, complete the fatal wounding ; or does the decay first arise, and then this millipede comes to it to feed upon the putrid part, and the mites {Acari) which frequent the places where decaying vegetable matter occurs ? These are questions to which the answers, at present, cannot be decisive ; and we shall be glad of any facts 1843. 1843. 1844. 1845. 1846. Showery. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. 73°— 51° 73»-51° 83°-52» 80°-51° 81°— 56° Showery. Fine. Fine. Fine. 750-48° 70°-40° Fine. Fine. Fine. Showery. 72° -49= 91°-63» 73°-51° M°-48° 89<'-67'> 74= — 52° 67°-48° Cloudy. Cloudy. Fine. 74°- 52° Fine. Cloudy. Cloudy. Showery. Cloudy. Rain. 73<'-44<' 76° -49° es°-5o° 66°- 56° 73°-50° 670—46° ! 770—52° Cloudy. Fine. 70°— 41° 81°— 55° Showery. Showery. 67°— 48° 75°— 55° Cloudy, j Showery. 630—52° 690—52° Showery. Showery. 70°— 480 65°— 52° Cloudy. I Cloudy. 710—50° ] 7,30-540 Cloudv. Cloudy. bearing upon the subject from any of our correspondents. In our own opinion, this Julus does not attack the cabbage whilst this is healthy, but that the wound may be occasioned by the parent milli- pede, and that the young ones feed on the mites which frequent the decaying wound. This millipede is a sandy grey colour, having on each side a row of small crimson spots. The number of legs vary with the age of the insect, but the greatest number observed in the Julus pulchellus have been about 170. When disturbed, it coils itself round in the way we have represented. It has been found in decayed onions and pansy roots, as well as in cabbage stems. Quicklime and gas4ime, incorporated with the soil, destroy or drive away these creatures. In a recent Number we advocated the establishment of villago Horticultural Societies, and quoted in- stances and testimonies shemng the beneficial in- fluence such societies exercise over the improvement of the gardening- of the many. There is another class of local Horticultural Societies, which have also for their object the improvement and diffusion of the practice of gardening among the more wealthy classes, and to these societies we will offer a word of warning, suggested to us by the state of some of the departments of the London Horticultural Society's garden at Chiswiok. Let local societies strictly and invariably endea- vom- to attain their object by judicious rewards alone. Let them hold out prizes to be attained by the growers of the best vegetables, the best fi-iut, and the best flowers. Let them tempt all within their influence to contend for those prizes. Let them sit No. XXXVIIL, Vol. II. THE COTTAGE GAliDENER. ill judi^-iiiPut upon the competition, and let them dis- tribute tlie prizes liberally, judiciously, and with a virtue above suspieiou. Let them do all tins, and they shall reap a liarvest of success; but never let them endeavour to promote horticulture hy their example, — never let a local society have a garden ; for, if they do, we warn them, from long; experience, that it will be worse than a failure. A garden would swallow up their fimds, and the things cultivated in it would, for the most part, be useless, except as a warning, enabling its members to say, " If you wish to know how any plant ought iwt to look, go and see it in our garden !" We could name half a dozen instances where this was the result, but we forbear, inasmuch as the utmost penalty of the mistake has been paid — the funds of the societies have been involved, the plants sold, and the gardens abandoned. It woidd not he very difficult to enlai-ge upon the rea- son for this, but let it be summed up in one sentence — In such gardens there are not the inducements, always foiuid to be requisite, to stimulate and to sustain us in our pursuit of excellence. But, instead of dwelling over the reason for such failures, let us point out their consequences, for these are far more important. Such failures are injurious to the credit and influence of the society ; and they exercise a benumbing influence over the horticultm-e of a vici- nity. Subscribers do not care to belong to a society that is ridicided ; and the gardening of a neighhom-- liood is not improved when a cultivator is able to say, " Yes, those plants do look bad, but those in the society's garden are worse." If such failures are productive of evil in a local so- ciety's garden, how much more are they to be depre- cated when occurring in the garden of a society like the London Horticultm-al. If gardening in all its de- partments is )iot illustrated there in a state of excel- lence the most superior, it works a measure of harm instead of good. Now, that superiority does not pre- vail in some of the departments at Chiswick; and we are about to quote a few extracts from our note-book, as a friendly nudge to awaken the society's authorities from their slumbers upon some points, as well as for the information of our readers. We observed, on Saturday last, that the plum-trees were almost universally blighted at the Chiswick gardens — a fate they are unavoidably enduring with the rest of England ; but why is the American blight allowed to spread upon the apple-trees, from branch to branch, and fi'om tree to tree, without a remedial attempt? The persevering application of spirit of turpentine to each patch of blight hy means of a brush would gradually subdue the post, or restrain it within harmless bounds. The peach-trees are well trained, hut, with tho exception of one variety, tho Aotoii Scot, almost without a single fruit. Wo should like to know whether shelters were employed, or whether tho ex- ception was accidental, and one more instance added to many we have noticed that this early peach often escapes and bears a good crop when the later varieties are all cut off. We should also like to be infonned why the pyra- midal system of training standard pear-trees, by fastening the points of then- branches downwards, has been neglected or abandoned. We remember that it was a system held up for imitation by some of the society's authorities, and if it has proved to be a failm'e, as the trees in question intimate, this ought to be announced; for, to have committed an error is no crime, and the warning afforded by the confession of an error is a benefit only second in importance to the promulgation of success. In the kitchen-garden department we observed a state of aflairs causing no little amusement to some of the visitors. Several of the beds of seedlings had only one plant in them, and all were wofiilly defi- cient. Whatever may have been the cause of i'aUure, the beds should not have been left in that state. The peas were grown in single rows, with sticks on each side, which may be, or may not he, economical ; but there cannot be two opinions that it is not good gardening to gi'ow them in rows at jnost three feet apart, and the tall varieties nearer together than the dwarfs. When we turned to the glass structures, there the plants were almost entirely looldug in a state of high culture ; and we would only suggest that those in the gi'eat conservatoiy are becoming far too crowded, and that such miserable calceolai'ias as are there in pots should be at onco' banished. We make these observations with the anxious desire that every department of the Chiswick giu'dcu should exhibit horticulture in tho greatest state of cxceUeuce consistent with oiu- present knowledge of the science. We would not have even its seedling cabbage beds defective, for it ought, in all gardening, to be " our gi-oat example as it is our themo." If there is any one department which, from peculiarity of soil or situation, or other cause, cannot bo main- tained so as to exhibit superiority in cultivation and produce, we should recommend that department to he abandoned, because, for the reasons we havo assigned, it will always bo quoted elsewhere as an excuse for inferiority. THE FRUIT-GAEDEN. The Peach and Neotaiune. — Wo had verily in- tended to have said a few words on tho vino, in doors, but on looking over our fruit-trees, with a somowliat anxious eye, we are constrained to advise a little attention to the jicach and noptarine, which at this period, and ospcciiilly uiiilcr the firfumstinices of llie past spring, may bo cxi.rclrd lo play soiiii' straiiLiv vegctablo vagaries. Wr liavi' lu'lnri' alliuli'il lollMisr mono]iolising shoots tmiiid "j^diiniiaiuls" by iIh' Eroucli ; and, in common gardening lauguiigo in (liis June THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. country, " robbers." From the maiden tree, planted last winter, to the tree in full beai-ing, the peach is peculiarly liable to tho production of such shoots in tlio early part of June, especially if tho tree be very lioaUliy and in good soil. Sti'ong growing trees re- (|nii\', Ihcrrriiro, more management than those that ai-c woiik ; luiil, if such shoots be left imoontrolled, it will bf found, in a season or two, that tho tree, although, perhaps, larger in volume, has produced long rambUng boughs, intniding on their ueighbom-'s position; whilst a considerable portion of the wall, near the trimk or collar, has become either nearly without yoimg shoots, or those which exist are so de- prived of sap by the over-luxuriant shoots as to be almost useless. The existence of these " robbers," therefore, merely points to the fact that the tree is making effort after effort to regain that species of liberty which it has lost, viz., that of a standard or ordinary tree ; which, we need scarcely add, is the character of the peach in its native country. These " robbers" may be readily Imown. _ It will be remem- bered that, in one of our earlier numbers, we classi- fied the wood of the peach and nectarine under three di^sions, viz., that of a proper or medium character, that which is too weak, and that which is too strong. However, to those who are not much at home in gardening matters, we may as well observe that all shoots which commence branching off into "axillary" or side spray wood may be considered over gross. As an example of axillary wood, and in order to make our observations perfectly familiar and certain, we would point to such a gross growing shrub as the grape-vine. Everybody must know that the vine, when growing strong, produces abundance of side spray where the shoots have been growing a few weeks : such are technically, and, indeed, scientifi- cally, termed " axillary" shoots. All shoots, then, during summer, which commence branching in this way should have their points pinched off as soon as this disposition is apparent ; nijiping off merely the extreme end. In the case of young trees just begin- ning to acquire strength, it is well to permit them to ramble a httle longer before stopping, in order to ac- (piire a good root action, and to get a good portion of tlio wall covered betimes. This procedure is per- fectly compatible with the future welfarei,of the tree, as one of the prime reasons for a severe course of stopping in established trees is so to equalise the sap that the fruit on all the subordinate parts of tho tree may be duly supplied with nutriment ; which is not the case when gi'oss shoots are permitted to I'evel in the root supplies unmolested. Young peach and nectaiine-trees, therefore, may have "more law" than older trees; but, towards the middle of August, if such young trees stiD. shew a strong root action, a severe oom-se of stopping should commence with these also : taking care to keep the eye directed, in a speoiiil manner, to a few of the very gross leadincj shoots, wliich wOl contrive to push forth, in many cases, young points lUitU the beginning of October. We may, now, as well observe upon the manage- ment of the lateral or axDlaiy shoots which have sprung foL'th from those shoots which were " stopped" or pinched ; and, we would say, just look carefully over yom' peach-trees at this very period ; and, once for all, note down in your mind's eye the different character which manifests itself in tlie different kinds of young wood before aUuded to. On the leading portions of your vigorous peach-trees you wUl perceive some strong shoots, whether stopped or unstopped, wliich have produced two or three pairs of these ax- illary shoots. On others, not quite so strong, there will be seen a disposition to proceed in a similar course; this is shewn by a couple of tiny leaflets which have taken the liberty of developing them- selves ill the very nursery of the future bud ; these two leaflets, by-the-by, frequently receive the acces- sion of a tliird, wliioh, indeed, generally becomes a wood bud: that is to say, it produces a branch in the ensuing year, while, ten to one, the two outer ones become blossom buds. Well, these thmgs you must carefully take notice of, and, by pursuing the same course next spring at the period of leafing, you will establish the identity of tho parts in question, and trace out the pecidiar formations of the respective parts to which we now allude. Some of the leading shoots have developed, we will say, three pahs of ax- illary shoots. Now, shioe our limitation of space on the wall, and oiir desire to promote a heathful elabo- ration by means of light, prevent all these shoots being nailed down, a selection must bo made. In the first place, the first pair of axillaiy shoots are of more value than any of the rest ; there is a gi-eater probability of their tissue becoming hai-dened ; or, in other words, their wood becoming ripened. These, therefore, must be reserved, provided always that there is space at liberty on which to traia them ; and when they have grown about nine inches in length, their tops must be pinched in like manner, in order to solidify their character. When the first pan- are thus retained, the next pair, in general, must be stripped clear away, for there is seldom room to lay them in : they would, indeed, be too close to the others. This done, it becomes a question whether to retain the next pair? All we can say is, that if they can be nailed down, without overshadowing other shoots, by all means do so, takhig care to " stop" them when about eight or nine inches long. After seeming two pairs of these axillary shoots, few more are worth saving, at least in our northern counties : autumn, with its chilling damps, comes on betimes, and the growing principles, if not checked by natural means, must re- ceive a check by some artificial coiu'se. Hedge-row Fruits. — During last December, we offered some hkits to the cottager on the cultm-e of hedge-row fruit-trees ; and we shall feel it a duty to continue, at intervals, such advice as may be neces- sary. In the first place it is veiy probable that yoimg trees in such situations will be much benefit- ted by watering, especially if the hedge-row is ele- vated above tlie groimd level. Where newly planted trees are thus circumstanced, we would give them every assistance possible in this way, even adding soapsuds or dunghill drainings to the water, if such fertilizers are spareable. When they get well estab- lished they wiU need little pains. The stems, too, should be kept fi'ee from weeds ; such may be pulled or cut down, and thrown on the surface of the soil over the roots to act as a mulching — they wiU keep the roots cool and damp. Care must be taken, also, to train young stiipling ti-ees to a leader of the desu-ed height. Any side spray which is pniduced in yoimg rising trees must by no meaus be stripped away suddenly, it shoid.d be merely puiclied back when about a couple of inched long ; the part remaining will tend to thicken the main stem, which is apt to grow up too slender without such precautions. Birds, &c. — We hope that every one anxious about his fruits has taken care to banish those terri- ble fruit stealers, the blackbu-d and the throstle. iUso, the wasps' nests taken now save much trouble, as also much fruit. R. Ekringion. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. June THE FLOWER-GARDEN, llouTiN-E WoKK.—Thc Fhirey-hcds.— The gi-oups of flowers in licds are now all planted, and will rcquii-e considerable attention to keep them in due order and neatness. You will now find all the articles you manufactured in winter of great use ; we mean such useful things as flower-sticks, hooked pegs, and lahels. Verbenas. — These useful plants, for filling beds, will now begin to grow quickly and will require peg- ging down. Previously to doing this, let the surface of the soil be stirred rather deeply with the Dutch hoe. Do this on the moruiug of a day that promises to be a bright simny one. The sun will then destroy all the yoimg weeds efteotually. In the latter part of the afternoon you can rake the beds carefully, so as not to injure the plants, clearing away all the rubbish from each bed as you proceed. Thus, if suddenly called off or stopped by showers of rain, your garden mil not appear httery and neglected in any part. After this operation is completed, let the plants be pegged down regularly all over the beds, concealing the pegs as much as possible, so as to give the idea that the verbenas had grown so close to the gi'ound naturally. Sweep the gi-ass, to clear away all litter, and then you wUl have finished yom- job in a work- manlike manner. Petunias may be treated similarly, but wlU re- quire a little more care or the branches will break. The same instructions apply to the following : roses, grouped in masses, to fill a bed or beds with one colour; scarlet geraniums, gaUlardias, heliotropes, and some others of less note. AU these, to keep them close to the ground, require the same manage- ment. Mixed Plower-bobder. — In smaU gardens tliis method of cultivating flowers will be necessarily adopted. The agreeable appearance of the border of flowers, planted in this manner, will depend greatly upon the way in which it is furnished. Tall growing varieties should be planted or sown at the farthest distance from the edge, medimn-sized ones next to them, and the low gi-owing varieties in fi-ont. Gene- rally spealdng, these borders will be filled with her- baceous perennials, but, although these are sufficiently numerous, yet there are so many beautifid flowers very desirable that are not of that class, the amatem- or cottager is quite justified in cultivating them. Such jilauts, as wo have mentioned as suitable for grouping in beds, may be, with great propriety, planted in the mixed flower-border ; but we do not recommend, in that case, the use of liooked pegs, as that plan causes the plants so treated to occupy too much space. Instead of pegging them down, we advise tying them up to short sticks. Place round each verbena and other trailing plants four or five sticks, and tie a shoot to each. Let the sticks bo placed at such distances from each other as will, when the plants arc grown and in flower, give each the appearance of a large specimen, some 12 or 18 inches across, according to the size each plant is likely to attain. This operation of tying them up re- quires almost a daily attention, so that they may not become too long or brittle to take the desired form. Sweet Peas. — In some gardens it may be desirable to have a row of these sweet-smelUng pretty flowers, to servo as a division between the vegetaldc or fruit- garden, scpnvalnig llicso from the flower-border or gai'il.ii. 'I'licy "ill unw. wlirthir sowji in a row or in |i;itrlii'N. ivi|iinv mi|.|mii'1. Tlir most common ar- tiflrs iisimI I 111- I he |Hir|i.isr :iiv llii' lirauches of ha/.cls. Thoy should bo aLraiglit, and weU furnished with small spray for the tendrils to catch hold of. Clip off all sti'aggling twigs, and stick them in close to the bottom of the jilants, to support them tiU thoy reach the higher twigs of the taller sticks. A neat, usefid, aud effectual support for sweet peas was sent to us some weeks ago by Mr. John ttoberts, of 34, East- cheap, London. It is made of wu-e in a cii-ciflar form, about eight inches diameter, with six uprights and half cuxular bauds of wire attached. It is so contrived as to be in two pieces, wliich join together with sUdes, and then form a circle to sur- round the plants. Mr. Eoberts has registered this article, and intends advertising it in The Cottage Gardener. If made sti-onger and higher than the one sent us for inspection it would form a good sup- port for dahlias, hollyhocks, and other tall-gi-owing flowers. Should any of om- readers wish for fm'ther mformation about this useful article, Mr. Roberts will be happy to give it by post. Insects. — Slugs. — Several of our correspondents have written to us for information how to destroy these destructive pests, one of which we answered last week ; but, as we find that they prevail unusually this season in various pai-ts of the counti-y, it may be advisable to enter more fuUy into the means to relieve the gai'dens of such of om- readers as ai-e plagued with them. We remember, more than 20 yeai-s ago, complaining to an old Scotch gai-dener, of the de- struction that woodlice had effected among some seed- ling polyanthuses, aud asking liim how to get rid of them. His reply was short and pithy, " Catch them, an crush them atween twa stanes." Tlus, though an eft'eotual way of getting rid of such vermin, whether woodhee or slugs, is rather too tedious. Where a garden is very much infested with slugs, the follow- ing methods should be perseveilngly put in practice. First, lay traps for them of brewers' grains or cabbage- leaves, placed in small heaps in vailous parts of the garden. Every night and very early every momuig gather up all that may have crept out to the ti-aps to feed, and destroy them. AU crops just springing from the gi'ound should be fi-equently dusted with quick- lime and soot. The lime will desti-oy all the slugs it touches ; aud the soot wiU prevent them fi-om feed- ing upon the yoimg and tender leaves, besides being beneficial tOylhe crops as a mamue. Lastly, if those means fail, water the ground with clear Ume-watev two or three nights in succession ; this will destroy worms as well as slugs, aud will not injtu'o the ten- derest plants. As wo observed before, all these pre- ventives aud destructives must be used i^ersoveriugly. FLORISTS' FLOWERS. Tulips. — As soon as the loaves of these beautiful flowers are turned yellow take up the bulbs immedi- ately. If delayed some time, and the weather should bowel, lliiir is (l;iiii.;rr of their stalling fresh roots, which wouhl Mt|iii[' llie bloom next year. When taken u|i. rxiM.sr ilirni to the sun a few hours every morninn imlil ilnv imn Inowu ; and wlicu perfectly dry, (livi.lr IVoin 'll.r llowrnn- ludlis all llu' olfsrts. Have your 1ki-s ivadv to rn-nvr il,rni.«illi Uiruamc of cacii kind fairly wnUrn np.m .a.li iia- Y.iu may either keep Llie oifsets and ttowia iii;; imoIs sciiarair m- not, as best suits your convenuauT. Sninr llmists have a nest of drawers to keep lln ir ludlis in, and a good plan it is, but small growers may keep Llicir roots of tulips very well in pajier bags. They slionid be kept in a cool dry room till the planting si^asuu arrives again. I'ansies, — These flowers will now be produein;;', if June THE COTTAGE GARDENER. well mcanaged, their best flowers, whicli will be injiu'cd mucli, and the blooming season shortened, if exposed to the weather of om- variable climate. Shelter from rain, wind, and a too powerful snn, must be put into practice. This is a good time to in- crease thorn, eitlier by layers or cuttings. Directions for these operations have been given at page 47 of vol. i. Pinks. — Thin the flower-buds to three or four to each stem. The buds will now be advancing towards expansion. Some liinds, and good ones too, are apt to burst the pod on one side, and so produce a one- sided, imperfect Hower. To prevent this, tie round each bud you wish to bloom in perfection a piece of soft bass-matting, or, which is far better, have some Judian-rubber rings of the proper size placed round the bulbs. If you observe any of the flowers still inclined to open iiTegiilarly, take either a sharp knife or a pair of small pointed scissors, and open the divisions of the calyx, or green flower cup, so far as you judge sufficient to enable the flower to expand equally on every side. Continue to increase the pink by pipings, as dii-ected in the last Number. Dahlias. — Einish planting, if not already done. Seedlings ought now to be so forward as to be fit to transplant into rows in the open air. They may be planted rather thickly — that is, let the rows be Irom two to three feet apart, and the plants one foot to eighteen inches in the row. When they are in flower, select those that have good properties, and pull up those that ai-e decidedly bad. By good pro- perties we mean such as are perfectly double, with tlie centre weU up, with a round form" each petal or flower-leaf rather cupped, the lowest petals projecting a little beyond the next tier, and the second row of petals a little beyond the thu'd, and so on up to the centre, which should be full, but not so much so as to prevent them expanding : no eye, or anthers, should be visible. Possessing these properties, with clear bright colours, and a good size, your seedling wfll be worth preserving. T. Appleby. GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW GARDENING. Hybeidizino. — In my last letter I said that I never attempted to cross-breed roses, but that I would try a few experiments in order to enable me to explain the process more simply in this article. I have now done so, and I may safely affirm that liad it not been for this anxiety to dish up a nice story for The Coiiagb Gakdeneb, I should have lost one of the greatest treats I have experienced for many years in the examination of flowers. If I have cut up one flower, I am within the mark in saying that I have dissected many thousands, and out of that number I do not recollect of havuig met with a single instance where the interior of the young seed vessel was so arranged as in the rose, and I was not aware that such conformation as there presented itseU' was to bo met with in the whole vegetable kingdom ; but more of this another time. Every school-boy may be said to possess a certain Imow- ledge of comparative anatomy as soon as he is able, in his own way, to dissect pomologicaMij, if there is such a word, and compare on his palate the differ- ences which exist between a strawberry and a cherry ; a fact which I learned from the first botanist of this age, who, on his way to place two of his sons at a celebrated academy, oaUed in to see a rare collection of plants then under my oliai-ge, and alter seeing all ihe " new things," the conversation, naturally enough, turned upon botany, and amongst other questions I asked him if the two young' students were likely to turn out " chips of the old block ? " " Why, yes," he replied, adjusting his spectacles, " both of them have already acquired the most essential point requisite for an expert botanist ; for," he continued, speaking botanically, "each of them has a good practical knowledge of comparative anatomy;" meaning, no doubt, that they made some proficiency in cracking nuts, eating apples, sucking peaches, and all that sort of anatomy. Our knowledge of flowers, and of the incipient fruit winch accompany them, must be limited indeed without some process of anatomy, if only to split a rose into two or four parts with a common l^nife, as I did the other night. A hybri- dizer may cross and re-cross his flowers till dooms- day, but, unless he makes himself familiar with the different parts wMoh compose a flower, then- various arrangements, and the fimctions allotted to each, he is deprived of half the pleasure and interest which the subject never fails to impart. Therefore, this involves a certain smattering of botany, the shghtest Imowledge of winch would also add to the zest of dissectmg a flower for the first time. Now, with only the most superficial knowledge of these things, I began last week to dissect flowers of the various sections of the rose, from the single wild brier, tln-ough the various stages of semi-double flowers, on to double and the most double ones. From this summit I descended on the opposite side through all the gi-adations of that malady which we call " green eyes," or centres. I had eleven flowers in all, and most of them I had to split into fom- parts,^ and after two hours' examination and comparison of all the pai-ts, although, as I have said already, I never crossed or opened a single rose before, unless I can shew you how best to go to work at once with them, I shall engage to forfeit my nationality, the severest punishment a highlander can undergo, and get through it with a safe neck. I believe I have read the substance of aU that has been pubhshed on the subject of morphology— a science of recent birth, and which explains the natm-e of vegetable mon- strosities, of which the green centre in a rose flower is a sad but famiUar instance— and from all this readmg I did not obtain so clear a view of this new doctrine as ft-om the dissections of which I am now writing. Procure a quantity of green-centred roses to- STiorrow ; let them be in difierent stages of transfor- mation, from the changing of the pistil to a rough grey surface, up to the full development of a green leaf; cut them into four pieces, and unravel the pistils one by one from the central mass in which they are all jammed together ; compare these in all their stages with the perfect pistUs in the centre of a single rose, and you may gain a tolerable insight of the rudiments of morphology, and you may see in reality a more strange metamorphosis of parts, and their progress in the transition state, than the rich mythology of Greece supplied to the pliant qufll of Ovid. The fact before you of a lady of the bedchamber, or a maid of honour to the queen of flowers, being trans- formed into a green-eyed Susan, or to a perfect rose- leaf, is even more singular, tliough not so sad, than that of the lovely Thisbe being turned into a mul- berry-tree after her tragical end with Pyi-amus, her nnhappy lover, whose fates every schoolboy has sin- cerely and most affectionately lamented. Now procure a single rose, the blossom of a wild brier will do, and let us examine the parts in succes- 144 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. Jl'nk siou. In all roses the flower ia seated on the young liip, or seed vessel, and every seed vessel, from a rose liip to a full rijie peach, is called hy hotanists a^jcn- (/(irp, a word you will easOy learn when I toll you that the meaning of it is " round the fruit or seed," and is talicn from two Greek words, ^ert, ahout, and Imrpos, a fruit. Therefore, an apple is a pericarp, and so is a pear, and a peach, and, in eating these, we do not eat the real fruit of the tree, but the peri- carp of the fruit, for the seeds are, in reality, the fi-iiit. Tlje rose, tlien, is attached to the end of the jiericarp, and we must have them both. In most Jlowors the difl'erent parts are an-anged in four wliorls, or rings round the stem as a centre. It is so iu oiu- single rose, tlio outside covering or calysi; is one whorl ; tbru the single row oi petals is the se- cond ; the third whorl comes next, and is composed of an indefinite number of stamens, or " gentlemen at arms," as they really ai'e, with powdered heads, iu the shape of dusty pollen ; and the centre whorl is composed altogether of pistils, her majesty's maids of honour, all of whom — and they are many — are desperately tight laced by the contraction of the mouth of the pericarp, thi'ough which they issue into the presence aud very centre of Uleir lords. Here, thru, wr havr llie pericarp, calyx, petals, stamens, :!ibl |iistil^. 'I'lio two last-named are called the seed Minaiis. iiiiil llic calyx aud petals, floral envelopes. The btaiiiLu.s iu the rose vould continue in this condition, we should have no cause of complaint or disappoint- ment, for, from my slight acquaintance with the rose as a breeder, I am hil to lirliovr that it is from flow- ers of this slagc of (l-\i'l(.|niiriii that we ai'e to look lor sui'coss ill ci-osmiil; llinn 1 1 is not to be sup- 1' ■ !■ laal ^.r-,tii , HI |ic rlrl il. ■ volopmeut, wUl pro- lii' ■ 'O ,iMio; 'liji ,1 I la \ iiig any experience lo .oi :.: il , i r.iiiii,,! .|Mal< ]iositively to the nal con vers neut phVMoai;! I M. DccaiiiloM, 1 1 (joucva, aiijoiig ll uj IM.;? or .-IS,'! I'l rasidcd, and lie c Wlin, lio wa^ iillv 1 iioiil;Ii, lie would oidy write his IVoiii-li I iiigiiago, and I was obhgcd to i iilra-.aiiL lask, as I do not understand l:ui"iia"c. Ho told mo, however, that his father — now no more — whose shoes he is now fast lilUng, and who was the first authority iu all matters relating to botany and physiology, could never fathom the mysteries of cross-broechng so far as to have been able to lay down safe ndcs for its application. Therefore, as I have said already, we must work on step by step. No doubt all oui' great nurserymen could, fi'om theu- extensive experience, tell of many fine roses that are sure breeders, and of others, equally good, from which no seeds can be ob- tained. A list of such plants would be a welcome article for any of oiU' gardening periodicals, and to none more so than to The Cottage Gakdeneb. In the absence of such a guide, all that I can offer at present is to point out the necessary conditions iu the stamens and pistils of a rose to render them fit subjects for experiments. I have said that it is not necessary that the stamens should 1k' |iiasiMil, it is indeed safer that tbey should not lio so. , xro|a iu the form of petals, thus render iug till- ilowoi' jurlictly double, and therefore having no puikn of its owu to interfere with the experiment. But it is essential to success that the pistils be in a perfect state, which has not been the case in every instance in those roses I have examined. To be iu a proper state for the pollen, they shoidd be perfectly smooth and fleshy, with their tops {stigmas) moist with a clammy fluid, wliich is theu- element of fecun- dation. The rose which is made choice of for the other parent cannot be a perfectly double one, as in that case it woidd, as we have explained, be without stamens, and could yield no poUen, But the more doubli^ il is llh' bolter, provided it has a few perfect antlna ; .liai-rrl iiiiii poUen, which is easily known by llion |io\\(l( I \ a|i[.caranoe. The pollen of the rose is ol' a li.L;lilri .oloiir thau is generally the case with other flowers, aud is ripe when it will fall fi-om the anthers in tlie form of dust on the least touch. The best aud easiest way of applying the poUen to the pistils is to cut away tlie petals, loavius tho stamens attached to the top of the peri(air|i. itlial lo|i iseallid the torus.) Now, with the piiiraip JMiwreii ilic fingers, draw the stamen gently tlirro or ioiir tiiiirs across the clanmiy stigmas of the pistUs, aud, if the poUen is qtute ripe, it will adhere to the moist stigmas, and the work is finished. After a while the poUen grains will imbibe so much of tlus fluid as will cause them to bm'st, aud (Uschargo theii- contents ; then a chemical action is supposed to lake jdace ; at any rate, tlie mixed jiucc circulates lliroii^h llie pistil, tlie hottoui ..1 wliijii, in the rose, ,;-, .illaehe,! Ilnnie.llatelv to lhee,v//H, wl,i.-li al. No , that til sUon erings ol tho foliii i[i, or pericarp, iu a 0 generality of sueli no moment to the i are various conjectures as to tie pollcniscd juice — to coin a new to the ovule or emliryo seed, ,ii other day, I said lliat lliis eoiii|M is, tlio whole |,rore., all, r ll,e 11 of the |,ulleu is le have asscrUxl iiied into tubes 11 H) slides down ll), and so, by THE COTTAGE OARDENBR. upwards, wo cannot readily yield assent to such an ex- treme doctrine. Let us rather assign tliis part of the business to the care of the philosophers, who, no doubt, will settle it right enough some day or other. If we could but succeed in originating a double yellow perpetual moss rose, we ought to possess philosophy enough to rest satisfied with om- own part of the business, and not interfere with that wliioh is the lawful province of our betters. The next division of tlio subject belongs more to morphology than to hybridisation, but let us see whether or not we may derive some usofid hints from this part also. As for myself, I am tempted almost to believe that if we could fathom tho cause of the monstrosity of green centres in the rose, it might throw some light on the reason why the French growers have hitherto excelled the English in the production of sujierior new seedlings, and if so, it would prove a good hit. There nuist be some cause for every thmg, although it may often, as in this instance, be difficult to discover it. We have already traced the progress of development from the single brier to the full blown rose, with the parts perfectly organised, only that tho stamens have been converted into petals, all this being the effect of care and cultivation ; but no sooner have we anived at this perfection than the rose makes a retrogade movement, according to om- ideas of a perfect flower, but no doubt in accordance with some na,tural law. The next move is in the pistils. Out of these, and these only, are the gi-eeu leaves, which disfigure the centi'e of so many roses, formed ; thus clearly show- ing than the nature of the pistils is very different fi'om that of the stamens, at least in the first stages of monstrosity. As soon as the pistils begin to turn into green leaves, their legitimate office of conveying the pollen to the yoimg seed is at an end, and they are, therefore, past use for cross-breeding, but they may yield to tho influence of the pollen up to the moment of the first derangement ; and as we know the stigma, or very point of the pistU, is the last part of the flower to come to perfection, whatever the distm-bing cause which occasions the monstrosity, it must be in operation in the juices of the parent plant long before it reaches the pistils. We know, also, that certain peculiarities in plants, as Avell as in animals, are transmitted to their oifspring; there- fore, it is obvious enough that if the influence which causes monstrosity is already in operation in the juices of the plant, but not yet so far advanced as to Jiinder the operation of the pollen, this influence may be ti-ansmitted to the seedlings from such a cross ; hence the difflc^dty of procuring fine double roses from seeds. It is not necessary that the young seedlings should manifest the gi-een eye, to prove that they inherit some inherent quality fi-om their parents which deranges the symmeti-y and beauty of theii- flowers— it is enough if the influence appears in any other form. Now, this brings us to the question. What causes the gi-een centres in roses? If we knew the real cause we could apply a remedy, and tins, for the production of new seedlings, would be of immense advantage. To make a short stoi-y of a long one, which has already exceeded too far, I may say that over-feeding in the absence of strong sun- light is generally believed to be the cause of gi-een centi'es, and that most of the maladies or other pecu- liar appearances in plants have originated from the culture in the previous season or seasons. If this be so, the heavy and constant rains of last summer, and consequently the absence of sun heat and light, will account for the prevalence of gi-een centres iu the rose this season. From all llils, nml IV-., n i.b^r.r- vations I liiivo madi^ on dlbn- |il;iiil , '< ;iiii '■^■' !.■ infer that tlic siicrrss of llic Imv.,,-1, i- ,■ ,. ..-i ■ - raising so iiiniiv I'liir srcdii,!.' i , ■ ; M, : . the fact, that Ihi'V iiliihi>i :ih.;i.,-, I,. , ,• iii ; :■ . ;1 i-, plants in pots, so !1S In Ii:iaI' lln'lu IIIMlrr hi'li.T mn trol in respect to I'crd ill-;, IdiIitiI, I Imv.' n.i iic.;il.l at all in my own miiii[ oil Ihr siilj.'.'i. 'I'luir rlrm' atmiK^iilicrc iiKiv :i1sii iissisi lln'iii; l.iil, llic ( : riiiiiK ■, still rh-.nvv i,hnos|.l., IJPto with the Fivncli THE KITCHEN-GAEDEN. Ajieeioan Cress. — This is considered a good au- tumn and winter salad, and where the water-cress, for which it is an excellent substitute, caniinl, be conveniently procured, the American cress juii.y bf cultivated i'n any corner of the garden. Tlie w'ed should be sown thinly in drills one foot apart, and the plants pricked out at the final thinning to eight or ten inches aj^art, or it may be sown in a di'ill to form an edging similar to a parsley edging. It is fit for use as soon as the leaf is three inches long, and should be pidled or picked in the same manner as parsley. About midsummer is the best time for sowing it, so that it may become luxuriant and well established by the autumn. If the crop is found to be pretty strong by the middle of August, a portion of it should then be cut back to ensure a good supply of new and tender leaves for autumn and winter use. We make it a rule to cut a portion of it back at three different times, by which means an excellent succes- sion is secured. ' For the cottager or amateur who has but a small space of gi-ound to spare, tins variety of cress is a most valuable article ; indeed no gai'- den should be without it. SE.wf.tLE. — Without a good share of attention at this season of the year, a fine and abimdant amount of jiroduce when the cittting season arrives must not be expected ; but if all small and spurious shoots are carefully taken ofl', the surface of the soil kept well scarified, and liberal soakings of liquid-manure, witli salt dissolved in it, applied, good, strong, clear crowns, for producing the next season's crop, will no doulit be the result. The blossom shoots should be taken oE early, with the exception of one or two which may be required for seed. Rhubarb, as soon as the cutting season comes to a close, should be liberally supplied with strong liquid-manure, so that an abundant and luxui'iaut produce may be seciu-ed for the next season. It is a very erroneous system to allow either sea-kale or rhubarb to stand its chance, for, as soon as the out- ting or gathering season has passed, that is the tune when such crops are the most in need of some assist- ance. TojiATOEs. — The success of this crop depends much on the management of tho next few weeks. Keep the plants to a leading shoot or two ; if space will admit of it the side slioots should be kept thin, and stopped a joint above the show of every buncli of blossom. When the fi-uit is sufficiently set, eaeli bunch should bo thinned of all abortive small fruit, leaving only a few of the strongest and best shap( il ones at the base of each bunch. If any cpiantity of small green fruit is required for pickling, the bunches may be allowed to remain a short time longer before they are thinned, and then considerable assistance 14G THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. June may "be given by applying liqiiid-mamu-e to swell off tile remaining fruit. Turnips sliould now be move fully so^vn wherever ground can be spared, as the quality of those sown now will be good, and they will come in at a time when a change of table vegetables is desu-able. EoDTiME Management. — All spring sown crops should by this time have had their final thinning ; so long as the hoe or soaiilier can be i;sed among the plants, it should be kept steadily in operation. All lands of autumn and winter crops must now be got out, between the crops of peas and beans, and on all spare gi-ound that may become vacant. Growing crops of Dwarf Kidney Leans shoiild be earthed np in good time, to prevent the wind from brealdng them. Successions of Scarlet Runners, too, shordd now be planted. Those that have sticks or strings for climbing should have attention by leading up a shoot to each ; and those intended to be kept dwarf must be regularly attended to, by stopping the lead- ing shoots. When the crop is well established the application of diluted liquid-manure will be found beneficial. A short row of Scarlet Runners may be made, by due attention to stojiping or pinching out the tops of the shoots, to produce enough for the regular consumption of a good-sized family, particu- larly if the beans are gathered when in condition, and are not allowed to rob the plants by being left until they become too large for cooking. James Bahnes. MISCELLANEOUS INEORMATION. MY FLOWERS. (No. 31.) DcniNG May, the whole country may be called a garden. Wherever we turn om' eyes we are charmed with glowing blossoms, among which the apjile-ti'ee stands almost unrivalled. Notliing can be more lovely than its delicate clusters of flowers, so perfect in form, and deliciously fragivint. It has even been chosen by Solomon to describe the perfection of Him whom man rejected, and thus gives it a sacred interest in our hearts. Whenever we see the i-ich bloom of an orchard, we are sure that a cottage nestles near it ; it gives us a feeling of comfort and brotherhood, and peculiarly distinguishes the snug, happy homes of old England. Let us, as we gaze on the beauty, inhale the sweetness, and expect the future treasures of these valuable trees, remember Him, who is " among the sons of men" as " the apple-tree among the trees of the wood." When the cottage gardener goes forth to bis work in the early morning, the rich scent of his blooming ti'ees should raise his heart with douhh praise to God, for they s]5eak of much more precious tilings than winter store, if he wiU hsten to their voice. The wild cherry is silvering the woods, the wild clematis deck- ing the hedges, the fields are glittering with butter- cups and daisies — those first of infant joys, — and our country rambles are now only embittered by a muddy lane, or a rustling snake. All else is beauti- ful ; the tliickening meadows, the rising crops, the soft deepening tints, and the snowy May, wliich almost gives a wintiy wliiteness to the scene, form such a world of loveliness, that we almost ask our- selves if sin and sorrow do indeed dwell within it ? In the simple gardens of my readers, there is not much to do just now, except to weed and clean. The annuals are sown and coming up, therefore the beds should not bo much distui'bed, unless to remove weeds, or prick out perennials and biennials from thf seed-beds. Let sticks or stakes be placed soon to sweet peas, convolvulus, &c., as they should receive support the moment they require it ; and I have often found sweet peas, &c., sn oiitanoflpd tngother, by for- getting the sticks atlii'^t, I lint I Ikivc injured them by ti-yingto untwist th'!,i. :npl tli v bnve not done well inconsequence. In Imnlrv^. wlioc seeds are not sown, rake continually, in order to keep them clean and neat ; rake weU under plants and shnibs ; it looks very slovenly to see a neat appearance kept up as if for show, with a dry, hard, untidy space within the leaves or boughs. Clip box edgings, if old and rough : always let them be neat and close, and clean at the roots ; weeds should never be suffered to spring up among them. Box is beautful as a shrub, it is beautiful as a bower, it is beautifiil as a high screen to gardens, it is beautiful as one of the vivid scrip- tural emblems of the glory of the Ghiu-ch of Christ. Rich, aromatic, and evergi'cen, it is joined with " the fir-tree and the pine-tree," to picture ibrth the beauty of that " sanctuary" which was opened " to all be- lievers," when the " worldly sanctuaiy" was done away. It continues to clothe tlie heights of Leba- non, it still " beautifies" the forsaken land, that shall, ere long, " blossom as the rose, " and flourishes in a wild state in Europe, Asia, and America, thus bring- ing before the eyes of many nations the promises of God. The box opens its delicate green flowers du- ring this month, as do the pink hawthorn, the lilac, and the laburnum. The ])ink hawthorn is a beauti- ful addition to the la^^Ti or shrubbeiy. Its rich co- lour mingles well with the labm-num, tire giieldre rose, and the white and dai'k lilac, and it is veiy ornamental when standing singly, if the lawn admits of it. If a white and pinls: variety are budded on the same stem, the effect is good, or j^lanted so closely as to interlace each other. The labm-num is a very gay and gTaceful ti-ee ; when in fuU flower it looks almost like a golden fountain. How beautiful the lulls of Switzerland must look, covered with its rich blossoms, for there it grows wild and abun- dantly, and must often remind the Enghsh traveller of his happy home. The Scotch laburnum has larger leaves and flowers, and blossoms later in the season. The lilac, that sweet cottage shrub, is one of the loveliest and most spicy of the ti'easures of the soil. We received it first from Constantinople, about tluee hundred years ago, and it still continues to decorate the palace and the cottage — a general favourite. It blooms in some parts of Africa and Asia in a native state, and yet it will gi'ow weU even in London ; though in the close and crowded yards, where no fresh air can enter, it only puts forth leaves, yet they are almost flowers to those who live in such unlovely precincts. There are several common varieties of the lilac, aU beautiful, and there is the Persian lilac, a very elegant slu'ub, both in leaf and flower. Its leaves are more pointed, and its flowere more fea- thery in their form than the common kind, wliich gives the shrub a less formal afr, but in fragi-ance I do not think it can surpass them. I sometinres see the hlac mixing itself in the cottage hedge, and form- ing a lively, pleasing ornament to the bowery lane. If they were sometimes planted among clumps in parks and paddocks, they would add much beauty to the home soeneiy, and so would the laburnum. I have seen them in such situations, and admired tho gi'oup- ing much. How brightly, too, does the country glitter with that sweet and brilliant plant, tho fur/o ! It is quite the ]nide of May and June, in spite of many rivals, and spreads itself, lilco a rich carpet, THE COTTAGE GARDENER. over heaths find downs, as well as among hedges and dingles. A coiumon, covere^i with furze blossoms, is. enchanting hoth to sight and sm.ell, and when grown in patches on the lawn, or among shrubs, is a loTeby addition to tbcm. No wonder the Russians pet :it in the gi-eenhouse as one of tlieir choicest flowers. How many " common " plants and flowers we should esteem, if they would but refuse to floimsh in the open air ! Among tlie suows aiid dreary plaijis of Russia, om- wild, unheeded flower becomes a trea- siu'e, tlius teaching us to prize our fruitful, fi^agi-ant land more than we do. The fui7,e may tell the fm*- clad Russian, as he paces his conservatory, of the flowers, and fruits, and verdure of its native soil ; of the nicely tempered freedom of its highly 'favoured people; of their peaceful homes, their busy labom-s, their cottage tjardens — those simple, useful enjoy- ments, so fiUl of interest and profit; above all, it may tell him of the pm'e, imsullied light tliat shines on British soil, cheering the humblest dwe-lling, and refreshing the weariest heart with "bread" tha.t never fails, and *' water" that never runs low. Let us rejoice to think what pleasant things England's flowers may tell to other lands, and let i\s all pray that her Protestant walls and bulwarks may stand firm, without which, neither wood, nor stone, nor steel, can g*uard her shores. TO CORRESPONDENTS. CuPHEA Platycrntea {W. F. G.).— This plant was found origi- nally on a batch of orchideje from Guatemala. Mr. Smith, gardener to J. Anderson, Esq., of the Hulme, Regent's Park, was the raiser of it ; and the plant, so discovered, is the parent of all the plants in this country. It is a beautiful perennial, half shrubby, with scarlet tubular flowers, and is found to be sufficiently hardy to live in the open air here from Rlay to September. It is easily propagated either by seeds or cuttings, the latter flowering most freely. It requires a cool stove to winter in, but a greenhouse is too cold. In the stove it will flower all the year. Plants of it make a beautiful bed in the summer months, provided the soil is well drained, and not too rich. Dahlias and Ranunculdses (A Constant Reader, Islington). — You have, indeed, been unfortimate to lose your dahlias and ranun- culuses, but, as your ground is so full of slugs, there is no wonder. See our remarks about the destruction of slugs in this Number. la the autumn drain your plot effectually— remove as much of the clay- as will enable you to lay in your garden a foot of fresh clean aoD. Without this your garden wUl be a constant source of vexation in- stead of enjoyment. Cape Jasmine (R. P. Appleford). —This (Gardenia radicans) is an excellent window plant whi' be kept in health all the ye; autumn-flowering plant. The turning yellow in the leaves ; in flower, and i round. Treated that way it is an ;ause of your's casting its flowers and ! that the plant had be ung purpose! lime obtained from either limestone or chalk . . 1 \ your vacant ground at any time of the year. Your excellent letter gratifies us beyond expression, and shall be published in our next Number, Owls (W. fl".).— You can obtain a pair forifrora 5s. to 7s., at J. Hallen's, No. 9, Little St. Andrew-street, Upper St. Martin's -lane, London. Vinegar Plant ( ). — Sugar dissolved in water alone vrill take four times as long to become vinegar as they do if a vinegar plant be placed in them. Plants on Geeenhouse Stages ( ). — Tlie less crowded they are the better, because the less do they shade each other. The reason they are usually put close together is that there is a deficiency of room for the plants requiring the protection of glass. Chrysanthemoms (J. H. Horsey).— Mr. Weaver thinks "the two best dark pui-ple chrysanthemums that he knows are Campestrone and Pilot, but that FlecMer is first-rate, and a large good formed flower. The two best compact whites that he knows are Coronet and VestUy but L'ange Gardian is a real good white too. Victoi-y Mr. Weaver docs not like well enough to grow it. He grew it two years ago, and a fine specimen he had of it. Annie Sautter, he says, is one of the very best of yellows, and Superb Clustered Yellow he thinks the next best." Geranium Cuttings (^7na<««').— Plant these about the middle of July exactly according to the system directed generally for " cut- tings," at p. 14 of our first volume. In about six weeks they will be rooted, and may be potted singly in small pots. You may preserve your geraniums through the wmter in your room ; and for an admi- rable system of culture, we refer you to p. 150 of the same volume. Green Leaves in Centre of Roses (Ibid — Pupil). — ThG pistils are converted into leaves, either partially or entirely. The cause of this transformation is obscure. See what Mr. Beaton says sample of morphology. We shall your plants are healthy their fruit is crooked, and yellow at the e when young.—This arises either from the fruit being unequally ex- posed to the light, or from being exposed to sudden changes of tem- perature. If the leaves or roots arc subjected to these changi^s, whether from the season or from the bed declining in heat, crooked fruit is the consequence. You will have seen that we quite agree with you as to the benefits arising from village horticultural societies. TiiEEAD-LiKE WoRMS (1^.).— Thcse worms which, as you say, " are like threads, almost as tough, and from three to six inches loop, some nearly black, and others of a grey colour," are of the gennv, Mermis of Dujardin, and have been mistaken for species of Gurdins. We have observed them in our o\vn kitchen-garden this spring, on tin- face of the ground, and after a heavy fall of rain. Some natur;iU;;is bebeve that they prey upon other insects, but nothing certain is known about their habits. A very full norice of them is in Jcnyii's " Obsen-ations in Natural History," p. 303. Raspberries Dei'icient in Blossom (An Admirer of yow Jowrwo;}-— Your raspberries have "behveen one and a half dozen and two dozen suckers arising from each stool." No wonder, then, that they are deficient in blossom ; for you may remember, as a rule, that just in proportion as any plant propagates at the root so does it de- cline in propagating \yy seed. Reduce the suckers to three or four at each stool, and by cutting off the roots every autumn in a circle, of which the radius extends one foot from the old stool, all round, yon will have more fruit. Remove all the suckers but three or four every liably, from your giving them too much " water every day." They require very gentle root moisture and perfect drainage. Double them as recommended by Mr. Beaton, at p. 27 of this volume. Excessive Liming {Lilium),—YQ\x must, indeed, have put on large quantity of lime," to kill your standard roses, and so to inj your bulbs that you have not had a single flower. As soon as leaves of the bulbs turn yellow take them up, and trench every poss ble spot, laying i hly, to expose it to the air, but do r IdK' flowers a those flowers enumerated as suitable for tb"e' purpose, "at p. 98 of c^. present volume. Honey Dew (Robert French). — Syi'inge with soapsuds your Pyrus japonica and China roaes which have their leaves covered with this sticky exudation. Apply the soapsuds in the evening, and the next evening wash the trees thoroughly with clear water. This treatment repeated two or three times will improve, if not cure entirely, yom- trees. The seed of the Pyrus japonica is useless. The staple of your clayey soil can only be improved by mixing thoroughly with it such lighter materials as coal-ashes, sand, and fine bricklayers' rubbish. A good coating of the sea-sand, fresh from the coast near you, and trenched into your spare plots, would be one of the best of applications for the purpose. You wdl find all the information you require about soot, liquid-manure, and potting roses, in our previous numbers, Teop(eolum teicolorum and Tree Carnation (Rose Gar- rfiner).— This, in a sunny window, but shaded in the heat of the^day, though in flower, has its leaves beginning to fade ; and your Tree carnation is sending out rich shoots. — Your tropoeolum* is right enough ; it goes to rest now, like tulips and hyacinths, and springs up again in September or October. Keep it dry and in the soil during the interval in a store room. It is a good window plant. If you merely nip oflF the buds from the points of the side-shoots of your Tree carnation it will suflice, and enlarge the principal blossoms. Changing a Primrose's Colour (A Lovej- of Flotvers).— The diiferent tints in primroses and many other flowers arc sometimes in- fluenced by particular soils, but cannnot, with certainty, be changed artificially. Slips or offsets of the primrose will root better in a shady place than in the open border by the side of the parent plant. Lucerne {J. B. H.). — The only way to insert the seed in rows is by the drill, or by making little gutters or drill furrows with the hoe. The seed must not be buried more than an inch deep. Azalea Compost (Ibid).~A compost one-year old and frequently turned, made of cow-dung, sods, and sea sand, will, probably, be as good as any other substitute for peat to azaleas. Cactus Seed (B. //.).— Sow your cactus seeds now in about an inch thick of pure sand, the rest of the pot fill with common small cinders. Water the sand before sowing the seeds, and merely press them into the damp sand, and sprinkle a little sand over them to imbed them. They will be up in three weeks; and, if not too thickly sown, may be left in the seed pot till next April, giving them but very little water after October till March. It is always safer to leave them in the seed pot the first winter ; and with so small a quantity of sand, and such good drainage, they cannot possibly take any hurt. They would be safer reared in your greenhouse. Cacti reared last year from good cuttings will begin to flower next May. List of Geeenhoose Plants (/Aid).— Never think it "rudeness to drop us a hint." A list of greenhouse plants which may be reared from seeds or cuttings, as you suggest, ivill be given as soon as we can find room for it, but you sec how crowded our columns are Amaryllis Longifloea Rosea (Ibid),— This is most probably the Cape Crinura, often called A. longifolia, not longiflora. If so, the leaves are very long, and run out to a sharp point, whereas the points of the leaves of true amaryllises are blunt. Place the pot. which you say is a twelve-inch, in a saucer full of water till the end of August, if it is the Crinum, and it cannot fail to flower, for it is a half water plant. If it is a true amaryllis it must go to rest in TTTE COTTyVOE riAT!DENKn, of Flowers). — These arc thei , .IS probably they are the common :s must be taken up every year, when ' ' ti-ifiing subjects of inquiry ;" there is nothint^ trilling about one's flowers. opinion on the yellow standard rose without seeing a piece of it in leaf. Different kinds require different treatment. PccoNiES (I/}ld) arc propagated by dividing their roots in the autumn or spring. Double Ktocks (Ibid) are difficult to strike from cuttings, but it is done occasionally, and you may try it. Stock Seeds (/i/rf).— The annual sorts are best sown in the spring, but the biennial Brompton stocks, which you grow so beauti- fully in Suffolk, is not too late yet to be so\vn, but no time should now be lost. ScAKLET Pelargonidms, Geraniums (Ibid), mil not cross with the light window sorts. Watch what Mr. Beaton will say on that subject. You will see to-day how to know when the pollen is ripe. Jargonelle Pear (BrooMand Gardens).— We fear that the Jargonelle pear has long shewn symptoms of what is termed " wear- ing out." This is much to be lamented, as we scarcely have an ■ frequently c he shoots "die northern i i kingdom — "the ends of the shoots die off." Our plan has been to continue cutting out the decaying points, and to encourage the production of fresh shoots by slight top -dressings. The latter, if the tree he on a wall or fence, should be tied down ; and on no account attempt to force the tree into a system of spur bearing. Espalier Training (H. S. iE.).— The distances necessary for espaliers have been dealt with, in recent Numbers of The Cottage Gardener. As a general rule we should advise from eight to ten inches ; much, however, depends on the size of the leaf of the fruit, of whatever kind. When a tree is well trained, the espalier lines should appear distinct, like drill lines in a field. We are not aware whether the intemode, or space between the branches, lengthens after becoming real wood : we dare say it does, but in so tritling a degree as not to be worth calculation. Apples on espaliers are usually finer fruit than on standards. Before planting your large piece of ground with apples, pray inform us what course of culture, if any, you intend to pursue between the rows — we can then ad\'ise you better. Give us, also, some idea of the prime object in view. The articles on tr-iining wall fruit mil appear in due time, but in a progressive way. Note the No. for June 2lst. We will soon devote a chapter to the subject of horizontal training as compared with the Rhubarb (L. R. Lwcos).— Your rhubarb producing many small leaves, and quantities of flower stalks, though you manure it liberally, intimates that you cut too much from it ; give half of your plantation a year's total rest, manuring liberally, cutting down the flower stalks, and giving liquid manure in the summer. Rest the other half in the same way the year following. Afterwards do not take so much from your plants yearly. Asparagus Beds (75id).— The time to make these is in early spring, so soon as you can get plants that have put forth their shoots about an inch long. Vine in a Pot (Ibid).— Yom may turn out this from the pot into the border in front of your greenhouse at once, the sooner the better, taking care not to disturb the roots. The Black Muscadine is a good grape for a greenhouse, but a Black Hamburgh is better. Gooseberry Aphis (Ibid),— It will not do the trees any harm to remove the points of the shoots affected with this pest; but the best treatment is to dip them into a bason containing Scotch snuff. The ivy we think would soon overwhelm the Virginian Creeper growing by its side, if not kept mthin bounds by pruning. Payne's Bee-keeper's Guide ( ).— This little volume is published by Newby, 72, Mortimer Street, Cavendish Square, and not by Groombridge, as we thought. Potato Culture [J. H. Horsey).— We shall be glad to have the results of your planting in every month, from September to March. Remember accuracy in experiments is their only source of value, therefore weigh- your produces, do not merely measure or judge by Rhubarb (T, Morgan).— The "Victoria'* is the best for general purposes. Your " Gigantic," if a true specimen, is also a fine variety. In this case, if your soil is as good as your neighbour's, and you manure liberally, you will soon equal his in size. The sand you en- close would do well we think for gardening purposes, there is scarcely any oxide of iron in it. Liquorice (Ibid) thrives beat in a rich light soil, two or three throughout the texture of the s It is propagated by cuttings of the side-roots, which spring from" the vhich r plants, and ] horizontally just beneath the surface, : should be about two inches beneath the surface. The only cultiva- tion the plants require is to be frequently hoed, and in autumn the decayed stalks to be cut down, and the earth stirred between the rows. The roots are not fit for use until of three or four years' growth. The season for taking them up is December, January, or February. A trench must be dug regularly along! each row, quite down to the ex- tremity of the principal roots, which descend two feet and more. Hard Water (W. H. G,).—li compelled to use this for watering plants we should make it tepid, and add an ounce of sulphate of am- monia to every 30 or Go gallons of the water, in proportion to its degree of hardness. Plardness, of course, is the common expressioiv for describing the state of water wiith much of calcareous salts in .it.. told you that " ^^lH v. last, but that they wiil .^i; formed you, or you must colours grow side by side : without injury. , and whites among them, Mildew on Apple Trees (Cleri(nts).^Wc never before saw the young shoots of these trees so miserably mildewed. Asyousay thetrccs are " small and manageable," try what washing them in a weak solu- tion of salt, and then in clear water, will do. Follow stnctly the mode we recommended for the vine ; only, instead of syringing, you might dip the ends of the shoots into the salt and water and wash them there thoroughly. Brocoli (Ibid). — To grow this particularly fine only requires the bed to be richly manured, and dug two spades deep, keeping the manure, however, near the surface. Fill the dibble holes with clear water before inserting the plant, and when well-established give them liquid manure occasionally. Village Horticultural Society (Ibid). — This may be esta- blished at any time ; but the shows must take place at such times as the produce of the kitchen and fruit gardens are in perfection. Ask the Rev. Abncr Brown, Pytchley, Northamptonshire, for any relative information. We know that he will delight in replying. " '" ^ ^ ' " 'of your peach ; thoroughly pierced with -drained. The subsoil red-marl. The fruit affected like that 3 of raildew cannot recover, and we should advise it to be all'picked off. Treat the shoots as we have recommended " Clericus" to serve his mildewed apple trees. Dig doi\-n, also, so that you can get un- derneath the roots without disturbing those near the surface. If any have struck down into what you call '* red marl," cut cleanly through them. You say that some of your trees were infested in a similar way last vear ; are the same trees only infested this year? Horizontal Training [A. A., C/en'tt/s).— Nectarines will not succeed with this mode any better than peaches. Soot as a LmuiD Manure (Ibid).— To get mixed with water, put it into a tub, then a false botl holes over the soot, and, upon this false bottom, pour the water. It will gradually soalc the soot, and may then be mixed. Bulbous AND Tuberous Roots (5. Gateshead). — Such flowers as the crocus, snowdrop, and common anemones, need not he taken out of the ground for winter storing ; but tlie more valuable kinds are found to be thus best preserved from loss, and to bloom better and truer, in general, than those left in the ground. Pigeons (H.). — These lay when one year old. Pelargonium Petals Falling (Legeolium). — The dropping of the pelargonium petals is a common complaint this season, and is omng to the state of the weather last May, when we had a succession of dull, warm days, and then a bright, hot, sunny day. Slight sha- ding is the best remedy in such cases. If the pistil and stamens are cut out as soon as the flowers open, it will prolong their existence. Working Plans (J. Bull).— Tray let us have an article from you, or from one of your neighbours, on heating greenhouses, &c., and the draught, &c., of their furnaces. No one will be more pleased with the subject than Mr. Beaton, who will respond to your request some of these days, but we fear he cannot give working plans. These things do not come within any department of The Cottage Gar- dener, but we shall think it over in our minds, and, depend on it, anv thing that we can do welt shall not be lost sight of. Name of Insect (Tyro). — It is the Podurujiiliginosa, and pro- bably comes from your cucumber bed, being found wherever decayed vegetable matter abounds ; but this insect is not known to be injurious to plants. Clay on Grafts (Eastoniensis),—Yo\i need not be in a great hurry about your clay ; many never touch it the whole season. It is, however, beneficial to rub it'off, after a rainy period, about midsum- mer, to remove the original bandage, and to bind another round; the latter not tight, by any means, but rather close. Take care to rub away superfluous shoots from the stock near the grafts, or they will rob them. Strawberries not Bearing (Ibid). — We would advise you not to propagate from these, but from good bearing plants. Currant Shoots (Ziirf).— Shorten about one-third of all this year's fast growing shoots about the middle of June, whether leaders or side shoots. Do not, hoM'ever, totally expose the fruit to the sun until they are coloured. Names of Plants (Lancustriensis).^We think your flower is Hibiscus rosa-sineiisis, but you should have sent a leaf as well as a flower. Gesneras will not escape Mr. Beaton's attention. (A Flower Lover from Childhood).— li it has leaves doubly crenatc your flower ■ Primula nortusoides ; your ferns are Adiahtum reniforme and NG UP Potatoes (Peter Love).— We never adopt this practice, it retards the ripening of the tubers, and diminishes the weight of produce. AS^. LONDON: Printed by Hakry Woo Parish of Saint niary-lc-Straml ; a tlie Parish of St. Wary Kalcii.lav ; SOMEEVILLK O.BI, at the Ollicc, Saint Mary-le-Straml, London.— Ju High-str 1 by \\'l THE COTTAGE GARDENER. WEEKLY CALENDAR. M \v 1 Plants dedicated to Sun Sun Moon R. ATnorN Clock Day of D D each day. Rises. Age. bef. Sun. yL. 28 Th. Q. Vic. cok., 1838. Wasp Beetle seen. Blue Corn-flower. 47 a. 3 19 a. 8 0 14 8 2 02 179 •2i 1-'. Yellow Rattle. 48 18 0 37 9 3 4 180 30 S. Great Horse-fly seen. Yellow Cistus. 48 18 1 a 10 3 10 181 i SCN. 4 S. AFT. Trinitv. Blackberry flowers. Apfrimony. 49 18 1 ay 11 3 27 182 2 il. VisitatioiiB.V. M. Rooks roost ontheirnest Wldte Lily. 50 18 1 58 la 3 39 183 ii Tn Dog Days beg. Hort. See. Meet. [trees. Wood Mallow. 50 17 ■2 33 13 3 50 184 t W. Wood Leopard Moth seen. Copper Day Lily. 51 17 3 13 14 4 1 185 St. Feter, the apostle, has his martyrdom commemorated on this day, and it is remarkable that St. Paul suffered on the same day, though in a different part of the world. When his Lord and Master summoned Peter from his occupation of a fisherman, to be, with his brother Andrew, "fishers of men," he substituted for his original name of Simon, that of Cephas, in the Syriac signifying "a rock." This in the Greek is Petra, whence our name of the 'son of Jona is derived, V^'e need not follow this ardent, generous, self-confident apostle through all the notices taken of him in the New Testament. He was crucified at Rome in the year 65 ; andwiiilst, as transg:ressors, we may derive hope from the knowledge that Jesus loved Peter, even after the latter had denied all knowledge of him, yet let us remember that his repentance followed even upon one reproving look ; that he shewed his repentance by a life devoted to the fulfilment of liis Lord's commandments, and that in his death he did not deem liimself worthy even to die in the same position as that in which Jesus suffered. Peter, at his own request, was crucified with his head downwards. Visitation of the Blessed VinciN Mary.— A festival was instituted by Pope Urban the 6th in 1383, to be held annually on this day, to commemorate fliary's visit to her cousin Elisabeth, imme- diately after the Archangel Gabriel had announced "the glad tidings" of her being selected as the agent for the incarnation of our Recdemer. UoG Days begin. — By dug days the Romans intended about forty days, during which occurred the heliacal rising of Cnmculn, the Dog- Star. But we calculate these days from the period when the sun comes in conjunction with Siriiis, the brightest star in the constella- tion Canii -' ■ - because at this period sun most vertically. Translation of St. Martin. — Martin, Bishop of Tours, was noticed in our observations on Martinmas day (November 11th). Insects.— In light soils, especially, the onion is liable to suffer from the grub or larva of the Onion Fly {An- thomyia ceparum, or Scafophaga ce- parum of some writers* . The gardener the thickness of a straw, turning yel- low, and the leaves sunk down upon the ground, may at once know that they are the victims of this insect. Even when of larger growth the onion is still liable to suffer from its attacks, and even up to the time of the bulb's full growth. If the outer coats of a young onion thus destroyed are stripped off, the grub is at once detected ; but if the onion is older the tci'ubs are often numerous. In both cases they will be found feeding on the very heart of the onion. The grub varies "from about a quarter to half an inch long, is fleshy, shining, whitish, cylindrical, tapering from the head to the tail, and di\ided into twelve segments. The pores through which it breathes are yellow, and in the first segment. In about three weeks from the time of being hatched it changes This day is commemorated by the Church of Rome as that on which the remains of Bishop Martin were removed, or translated, to a noble shrine at Tours. The same tradition is recorded of forty days* rain Ph : Sea i recorded relative -One of the i riking phenc ever to have seen them in such myriads, and so universal as they are in the present year. Every plant seems to have its particular louse, or aphis, and whilst we are writing this, we have upon our table specmiens of the blackish currant louse (Aphis rides), of the black dolphin or bean louse (A. fabce). of the green louse of the rose {A> ros^), of the bluish green louse of the honeysucUle {A. lunictrm), of the whitish louse of the filbert [A. corifllx)', and of the radish louse {A. raphani), the males of which are red and the females green. VVe could have others from the peach, the black currant, the sweet pea. and the apple, but our catalogue is sufficiently long, and as we look upon the total destruction they have brought upon a honeysuckle, v.c can understand more forcibly the plague of the flies wherewith " the land of li^gypt was corrupted," and how powerless is man when Uod chooses to humble him even by an assailant as contemptible as an aphis. Mild winters, and cold moist springs, are favourable to the production of aphides, for in such seasons the tissue of the young shoots of plants remains long juicy and unripened into woody fibre. This green juicy state is that most productive of food for the aphis; and it is a wise provision that animals are always prolific in propor- tion to the abundance of their food. The female aphis durmg sum- mer can give birth to twenty-five a day ; and, upon data admitting of no dispute, it is shewn that during her life she may see around her descendants amounting to the enormous number of nearly six mil- lions! No wonder, then, that during our present season of tardy vegetation aphides have been so injuriously abundant. 1 1841. 1842. .843, 1844. 1845. 1846. 1847. 1848. 28 Rain. Stormy. Fine. Fine. Showery. Fine. Fine. Fine. Highest tejnp. C9°-43° 69°-50° F^ne Fine. 83°— 52° 65°— 48° S3°— 54° 76°— 57° 7.'-.°-56° 71°— 48° Fine. Showery. Fine. Fine. Fine. ;i°-50° 67°-49° 79°-50° 70°-53° 72°— 54° 67°— 37° Showery. 70°-50° Fine. Stormy. Rain. Fine. Fine. 63»-59» 79°-54° 71°— 52° 70°— 58° 72°— 53° 65°-40° Cloudy. 69°-60° Cloudy. 69°— 46° 73°— 53° 62°- 53° 65°-56° 75°-59° 64°-51° 68°— 50° Cloudy. Cloudy. Cloudy. Rain. 79^-53° /S'-.W" 76°-59° 72°-57° 73°-53° 67°-5a° Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. 76°— 59° 78°— 53° 68°— 55° 75°— 50° 92°-66° 83°— 43° 73°-4B^ ehesnut-coloured, oyal Tliis the •, covered \\ilh blaclc liddleof thpiil)d.,men. ; transparent, almost pupal about a fortnight, the pcrfeet fly comes forth, lines, and appearing as magiiified in our c female, and is entirely of a pale a^hy colou bristles. The male has a black line down the t The antenna? and legs are black ; the wings i colourless, but iiridescent pink and green. The female eggs v\ithin the leaf sheaths of the onion, close to the ground. She continues to lay her eggs from May to September, producing several broods during that period. The latest brood remains in the pupa ; through the winter, so that all old decaying store onions should s. The best preventive of this grub is to the ' '■' ■ " ■ The cold wet spring and uugenial summer of last year, followed by the niikj winter, and a spring this year like that of the preceding, have fostered those plagues of the gardener, the aphis, the slug, and the mildew, until their ravages have been more general and more destructive than we ever remember them in former years. The heat and dryness of the month now closing has tloue much towards the restraint and destruction of tho two insect plagues, bitt the Mildew still contmues, and in some places, and under some circumstances, even in an exasperated form. To this we will, therefore, call to-day the No. XXXIX., Vol. II. 150 THE COTTAGE GAKDENER. June attention of our rendei-B, premising tbat whether on the stems of wheat, or on the leaves of the chrysan- themum, pea, rose. vine, peach, apple, cucumber, or berberry, and on all have we seen it this year, it appears in the form of minute iungi, vai-ying in colour and form, the roots of which penetrate the sap vessels, rob the plant of its juices, and distni'b both its secretory and respiratory processes. It is quite clear that some of these fungi spread fi'om plant to plant by means of tlieir myriads of minute seeds being conveyed to their stems and leaves; as in the instances of the vine mildew being communi- cated to the chrysanthemums and cinerarias, as mentioned at p. 5.') of the pi-esent volume. But we are also of opinion that in many instances these parisitic fungi are communicated to plauts from the soil. The seeds of these minute yet destructive sap- suckers are wafted during their season of production in millions over the land, and will not only survive oin- severest winters, but will vegetate and emit seeds though attached to bodies widely differing from those living forms upon w-bicli they thrive most luxuri- antly. Thus crops of parasitic fungi have been raised upon clods of damp earth, and we remember to have seen a large mass of that which is known as the smut in wheat (Ureclo segetum) growing over the interior of a paper pill-box, in which some gi-ain in- fected with it had been placed. Under such circum- stances it is next to impossible to guard our plants from contact with the seed of these fungi, and after adopting, in addition to especial cleanliness, an annual dressing of oin- stoves, gi'oenhonses, frames, walls, and the trunks and branches of our trained trees, with a mixture in which sulphur predominates, as recommended at p. 76, we have then done our best in the w-ay of prevention of the destmctive in- vaders. But another question has to be considered ; can we do nothing to the trees and plants themselves rendering them less liable to suffer from their attack? We entertain a very strong opinion that we can, and we believe that tlie following observations, before made by us in another place upon the mildew which affects the peach, are applicable to all other plauts subject to be similarly afl'eoted. The white parasitical fungi, that are either the cause or injurious, consequence of the peach-leaf mildew, are Oklinm oi/sijihoid s, Sporotriolndn ma- crosjihomm, Tonila huliijoUlen, and Enjsiphe pannosa. We have little doubt that these fungi never attack plants that are in good health, for we entertain tlie opinion that it is only the sap of diseased plants — sap in a state of decomposition — that is suited to be the food of the fungi. Pi-evention, therefore, is pre- ferable to curative ap))lications, and we have no doubt tbat if the peach-tree is kept in due vigour by having the soil well drained, and prevented from excesses of either moisture or of dryness — and if its leaves are similarly protected from being e.xposed to sudden atmospheric changes — they will never be visited by mildew. We are justified in tliis conclusion, because with this disease our peach-trees, in the whole com-se of our practice (which has extended over many years), have seldom or never been troubled. JSIildew of all kinds generally accompanies an impeded root action, and we have generally fmmd that stagnation sud- denly caused, whether by excessive heat or drought, is liable to produce it, more especially if succeeded by much solar light. We have little doubt that in such oases the elaboration (by overtaking or being in advance of the absorbing power) produces more highly concentrated juices, which are adapted to be food for this obscure class of parasites. The best preventive is a good top-dressing of rotten niauiu'S in the early part of June, and as soon as drought sets in a thorough soaking of water. If caused by bad and deep borders, the remedy must bo sought in thorough cbainage, or an entire renovation of the soil. There is no doubt that some peaches are more liable to be visited by this disease than others, and those are the kinds which are most luxuriant growei's. It so happens that most of these have no glands at the bases of their leaves. This was long since noticed, and again lately commented upon by Mr. Blake, Secretary to the Croydon Gardeners' So- ciety. He observed that the kinds which have no glands are all subject to mildew ; such as Double Montague, Ford's Seedling, Red Magdalen, Noblesse, Vanguard, Barrington, Grimwood's Royal George, Belle Bausse (Grosse Mignonne), and Early Galande. These kinds are all liable to be affected with tlie mildew, whether planted indoors or out, in any ]iart of England : but then it is soon stopped ; a little slacked lime and sulphur vivum settles it. There are a number of peaches, and very fine ones too, that possess glands ; some with one, two, or three pairs of ovate, and some with the same number of renilorm glands, all of which kinds resist the mildew. Mr. Blake trained the shoots of those with glands over those infected, and they would not receive the infec- tion. Similar observations are apphcab! ; to the mildew on the vine, apple, and cucumber. In every instance the grossest and most luxuriant gi-owers are wortt affected. At this present time we know of two vine- ries communicating by a glass door with each other ; in the one the vines are vigorous and luxuriant, with their roots in the border, and they are severely mil- dewed ; in the other vmery the vines are less luxu- riant, and some of them, of compact habit, gi-owing in pots, and these are without any mildew upon them. If The Cottage Gardener never wrought any measure of good further than that which is so un- jjreteudiugly acknowledged in the following kiici', 'HE COTTAGE GARDENER, :>]. we still should feel, gi-atefuUy feel, that we liave not been labouring in vain. To anuoiinoe this thus prominently for no other reason than because we would have our good work discerned ^YOlJld be no motive deserving of reprobation ; but we do it from another motive, viz., to. sustain what we urged the other day in favour of village Horticultural Societies. We then shewed that these societies are an efficient mode of encouraging a taste for garden ing among the tenants of " the cottage homes of England;" and this letter bears ample testimony to the happy consequences springing from such an aroused taste. " In this, my first letter to you, I feel it a duty to bear my humble testimony to the gTeat good, moral and physical, your important work has conferi'ed upon me, and I trust it has also been so to many others. At the time your work appeared, ft'om its novelty I was induced to take in the Numbers as they appeared, and then followed a strong desire to have a garden of my own, which I succeeded in obtaining about the middle of February, and fi-om that time I may date a complete reformation in my character. Previously, the money and time I liad to spare was spent hi tlie public-house ; now, both are spent in my garden, and to what a different end I leave you to judge. I never liad better health than now ; I have more money at command ; my wife and children are better clothed and fed, and I am liappij ; and for all this I feel I am yom' debtor. I am afraid of trespassing on your time, or I might fill the sheet with benefits. After this I need scarcely say that yoin- first volume has the proudest place on my book shelf And now, having said more than enough, perhaps, of myself, let me say something for others. I have been trying the gas-lime at your suggestion. When I entered on my garden (which contains 770 square yards) it was quite smothered with weeds and grass, having been neglected last year. The walks were like a grass-field in appearance; and after cleaning them the grass still sprang up, and caused me much trouble. I then, after the second scraping, thought of the gas-lime, which I applied — drawing it thinly over the walks with a spade, and crushing the lumps. I have now clean and hard walks ; not a blade of grass has appeared, nor anything except the dandelion, which still pushes through. I have tried it also with potatoes, and the six rows where it was dug in previous to planting are easily to be dis- tinguished by their more healthy appearance. As a top-dressing I also tried it, and here its effects are wonderful. I threw it thinly over the lialf of a border where I planted some red potatoes, what are called here cups, the other half I left without ; and now, while the former is without a weed, the latter is quite green with cliickweed ; and the potato tops fully two inches higher on the limed ground tlian the other." S. F. C.^ EiTHEU next week, or the week following, accord- ingly as our arrangements may be completed, The Cottage G-akdexeb will be enlarged, without any extra charge to its subscribers, to sixteen pages. Of the foiu- pages thus added a portion will be devoted to advertisements, and the remainder to additional information in om- present departments, and to one new department — The Stovji:. We do not make these additions without having kept primarily hi view how we can increase our utility. By enlarging our size we shall not only be able to make the pages devoted to advertisements fonm a cover to each weekly number, so much desired by some of om- sub- scribers, but we shall be able to devote more space to each branoh of gardenmg, and to give du-ections for the cultm-e of stove plants, many of which we find either are or can be oiiltivated by our readers. When these arrangements are completed we shall be the largest and cheapest periodical devoted to gar- dening, and were it necessary we could flU some of our columns with testimonials of even a higher and more gratifying character. THE PEUIT-GAEDEN. Tratxixg Young Trees in Gexeeai..— By this period young and healthy trees will have made lengthy shoots ; and, where it is desirable the trees should take any specific form, much pains must be taken in the early period of their existence, in order to force them to assume the desu-ed form. ^ Modes of training are so various that we can do little mora than speak of general principles. First of all, we advise that the distance of the main leaders be taken into particular consideration. We have known many a capital mode of training defeated by neglect during the first year or two in this respect. The distance of the niain leaders must be regulated by the character of the tree, in regard of its partiality for light, and the size of its leaves. Where the tying down system is intended to be carried out, the prin- cipal leaders shoidd be a considerable distance apart, If on walls, such as the peai' and the plum should be about ten inches, and the apricot about eight inches. As for the peach and nectarine, we may suppose them to be on the fan or radiatmg principle; and all we can advise about these is to place the shoots at such distances as that the leaves may overlap each other as little as possible. One point we must here advert to in connexion with the early training of young trees, whether on walls, espaliers, or as dwarf standards. Young trees, for a year (or it may be two years) after planting, are apt to jiro- duoe but a veiy few shoots, and these may, in the second year, tals:e a somewhat luxuriant character. Now, part of the extra strength concentrated, in such cases, in the principal stem, may be diverted into the production of an increased number of fresh shoots, wliicli will prove of much service in assisting to form the future fabric of the tree, merely by bind- ing the grosser shoots down betimes : this wiU cause more shoots to be developed than otherwise would be the case. Since the shoots which ai-e making rapid growth, then, must be trained in the direction or form they are intended to assume, let it be done as early in the season as possible. Sometimes it happens that centi-al shoots in young trees of the peach, the plum, the apricot, and the pear, are exceeclirujly lusmiant: when such is the case, it is highly advantageous to pinch off the point of one or two, in order to produce an increased amount of 15:; THE COTTAGE GARDENER. Ji-> sboots; by tliese means the wall or trellis will be much sooner covered than it would hare been. ■Such pinchiuy should be performed as early in June ■as possible, in order to give time for tlie young spray lo become ripened. Hedges. — We wouldhere direct the attention of tlie cottager to bis hedges, to which he caiuiot pay too earnest attention, for what is a cottage or allot- ment gai-deu without a good fence '.' The first thing necessary in establishing a good hedge is to ycep it free from weeds. Some people seem to think that it does not matter about a hedge being a little foul — they are much mistaken : one half of om- hedges are spoiled during their eai'lier stages by weeds alone. If the quick takes the mildew early, we find it the best plan to dub or clip it immediately. The next set of shoots -nail very probably prove free from this pest. The Vine In-doohs. — It is now high time to re- deem our promise of assisting gai-deners who possess a small gi-eenhouse in which they attempt to cany out grape culture, as well as that of plants in general. Most of the plants which were inmates of that gi'een- house through the winter are now placed out of doors in some sheltered situation, and their place supplied by the annual tribes, half-hardy gay flowers, Achi- nienes, Gloxinias, Sinningias, Tlumbergias, Torenias, &c. &c. Now most of these things will not only bear but enjoy more heat than the hard-wooded triljes in general, and, so far, things wiU better agi'ee. We must here stay to deprecate the wi-ath of our worthy coadjutor, Mr. Beaton, 0]i whose manor we have been poaching for a moment ; and, having the fear of his syringe before our eyes, we will get us away to our vines speedily, hoping that he will throw light on his subjects beneath the vines, for we fear the vine laterals wiU much shade them. Indeed, this is one of the leading points in in-door vino cul- ture, where |ii:.i:: . „, ■ ; 1. ■ r. i;,'i.".l lwiii';i';i ilv vines; a lf:in;. i ■■ , how much nf : ;■■ ,, i i ;.;,^ I.. '■■. .: or held in cl i tI;. r.,r ;ji.' :'l,,' ui' ilir |ii;ii,i-.. w iilii.iu injm-ing the permanency uf tlie vine. We think, therefore, that it will be Veil to talk this part of the subject over before proceeding furtlier. Wo are particidarly anxious t'lit ,-i , . .r'. is. especially the amateurs, who in lln^ i ■ : wd and reason- ing class, and dehgl it I' ov than mere dry rules, should be thoi'onjhh, nnuiihlod in the very first principles which lie at the bottom of all impor- tant horticultural processes ; we shall, therefore, at all times, make it our duty to give the rationale of aU matters which Ave deem "of first-rate import. Vine Stoi'iung is one of these matters of import- ance. It will be obvious to every one that, unless some process of this kind is resorted to, the shoots of the vine iu-doors would speedily become conftised, and that most of the larger leaves would be shaded by spray of inferior gi'owth. Such, beneath the murky skies of Britain, would not answer ; beneath the glowing and, I may add, at times, burning at- mosphere of tlie East, and beneath such a vast increase of atmospheric heat, there is little doubt that n A' :,i\ . ;fii: of laterals thrown ovri^ die lav^f r ■. limes, exceedingly liu:i-iiri;il, ;iii(l inteini'' ■:.)■■ liv nature for tljat \-it\' ]Miiji(.-^r. The buuiiiil'i; !i.:';idof God is manifest lu llii.s s object after all ; and it mu^l !"■ lionir in luiiul by om' young and rising bnitiiiilluiisis, that it the stopping took place two or three joints beyond the " show" there would be no bai'ni, but probably good, all other ciroiunstances bearing a just relation to tho proceeding. 9nd Period : the First Swelling of the Bmrbv. — After tho young points have been pinched, or, in gardeniii;;- l;in'.ii;i.>v. " stopped," in a very few days each joir Is 'v, i :-■ ii'iniiiiL;' will put forth a side shoot, I .iin.l •■ liili'nil" or "a.rilhiri/" shoots. ',-■■■ - ^ hi vrMiirsI .Mil- iTadrrs, oiice srh-rs 1,1 llic I, r] i s ,,. ,. ., ,.. ,■■ : ^;i|-- deurts, .iiM In . ,,. ■ :,s, MH.Jr mciuory Willi llisiu. Tin- \\iil ^ :\ ■ ll,r vm-h.i^s uf The (Jott.vgk GaiiueMii; — nut endless trouble, fur being exceedingly busy is notliiug new to thoin— but it will save the readers a host of repetitions, the place of which may easily be supplied with sound infor- mation. This digression has been forced upon us June THE COTTAGE GARDENER. vy-i by the earnest desire to avoid repetitious, aud to uiake uiu' laboni-s truly useful. \\rll, lliiii, " lateral" or " axillary " shoots, what is to lie done with them? they are nature's own eiibrt. Aud what did nature design them for ? Why, to extend the fabric of the tree right and left, eithe)- on the banks of the Rhine or in wild wood- land scenery, where they gTow in perfect freedom, and festoon themselves iu every direction. This cannot be permitted iu a British greenhouse, and we must, therefore, see whether nature insista that every lateral must be preserved, or whether she has endowed the vine with capabilities of yielding to artistic modifications, to please her " masterpiece called man." The latter is happily the case, as proved by every day practice for centuries, and the fact is as convenient as it is surprising. It is, there- fore, foimd the best policy to continue stopping these laterals or axillary shoots very frequently whilst the Jirst sweiUng of the berry is jiroeocdiug ; the fi-e- quency of the stop])ing being determined chiefly by the aggression which occurs in the act of these laterals rambling so far as to overshadow the first made or larger leaves. The residt of this close stopping certainly is to limit the extension of the tree according to its innate powers ; such, however, is amply compensated for by increased size iu the berry, the powers available being concentrated more in the immediate neigh- bourhood of the brmch This stopping, therefore, is repeated as often as necessity calls for its repe- tition, until the first swelling is completed, when ^yhat i|. termed the " sioinnij " period commences. During this crisis (which in general lasts some six or eight weeks) the berries appear stationary ; nature seems to be engaged in forming and organising the vital principle iu the seed, the perfecting of which is one of the great ends of the existence of the vine. The close stopping dirring the 2ud period having accomplished all it was intended to do, may now, for awhile, cease, at least in part, and as much spray suffered to ramble freely as space can be found for. This coui'se will excite, indeed create, an extra volume of root, which will be of immense service both in the current season and for strengthening the tree for future progression. The leading shoot, above all others, may now be encouraged to ramble freely in any direction open to it; this it is, indeed, which holds by far the most powerful reciprocity with the root. We say not that stopping of all kinds must absolutely cease during this period; still, iii free-gTowiug vines, some amount will be necessary ; it must, however, be stoppimj of necessity ; some of the shoots will begin to cross each other's track, and such must be made to give way by a timely stopping. Sku Period : the Last Swelling of the Bebey. — Now again commences another and distinct crisis in the vine : nature ha^d-Ug formed abundance of perfectly developed organs for a thorough elabora- tion of those juices which, as before observed, must give flavour to the fruit aud solidification to the fabric of the tree ; having thereby also brought au increase of new roots into play, and having tho- roughly organised the seeds in the berry, the rest of the matter becomes what we may term appropriation of the juices. The fruit acquires flavom- and the buds plumpness and firmness ; for whilst the fi'uit is perfecting, another year's stock, at present iu em- bryo, are being organised and folded safely up in their winter's coats, in the simple-looking buds which may be found in the axil of every leaf, and which may be counted on, and dealt with, as seeds laid up in their winter's store. Thovilir,! i,,]-;,,, ;^ of the tree now becomes elaboratii Ml, '■'•'■ i-i . ' ii language, signifies a chemical translu/Mi ,, ; i. fluids, to be appropriated by the I'niil aul : li> l.ii.i ,. Light — abundance of solar light — with a complete circiilatiou of air, and a comparative dryness of at- mosphere, are now the grand requisites. To obtain the greatest amount of light on the 2>rincipal leaves is henceforth the object of the cultivator; and to accomplish this he must strip away aU those laterals which shade in any degree the larger leaves. This done, finger and thumb work ceases; the cultivator has done all that was required of him. Before we conclude let us endeavour to impress one idea strongly on the minds of our embryo gar- deners : — Do not strip away leaves or spray in order to throic sim-lif/ht on the fniit. This is a veiy common error: the fruit receives its colour through the agencies of tlie leaves, and not in spite of them. Sim-ligiit is by no means indispensable to their colouring, nay, it is prejudicial unless when they ai'e becoming perfectly ripened, then their cuticle (skiu) is able to bear it, and leaves are sometimes plucked away fi'om any late grapes, in order to facilitate the dispersion of damps leading to mouldiness. 'These remarks contain, we conceive, the whole rationale of the process of stopping, according to our notions and practice. Doctors difler, so do gai'deners, aud it is possible that, like other mortals, we may hold erroneous views iu some respects; such we caunot hope to escape entirely, but we believe that the foregoing account of stoppmg will be found in the main to embody the very best practice extant. With regard to the rearing of young vines for the first two or three years, some deviation fi'om the above practice is necessary ; we must, however, defer that, having much to say on the subject. As vinery advice peculiar to the season, we say, do not coddle your vines ; ventilate freely at all times, taking care that back air is given liberally before seven o'clock in the morning. Those who want to get them forward as soon as possible may close their houses soon after four o'clock v.m., with a solar heat of 95°. If the borders are indeed well di-ained, and the soil, as it ought to be, porous, liquid manure should be given in all dry weather, especially dm-ing the end of the first swelling, and through the entire part of the stoning process. Half-rotten manure, mixed with old leaves, may be laid on the border four inches thick, and the liquid manure sprinkled on these when verv hot with sunshine. It is well also to applv the "liquid heated to 90°. R. Ekkington. THE FLOWEK-GAEDEN. Weeping Trees. — A more proper name for trees of this description would be drooping, for they are trees the branches of which, instead of growing iu the more general way upwards, send their slender shoots downwards. The weeping willow, the weeping ash, aud the weepmg elm, are tiie most familiar examples of tliis mode of growth. In order to have handsome trees of this description, it is necessary to graft or bud the weeping variety on tall upright species of the same genus. Choose such as have clean straight stems ; prune off all the small branches to the desired height, and if there are three branches near the top leave them on, to receive, at the proper season, a graft on each. The tree will then sooner \u THE COTTAGE GARDENER. make a good liead of weciiing lirancbes, and bo equally balanced on each side. As it is now a good season ibr budding, if any of our readers have such handsome upright-growing willows, ashes, elms, beeches, and lahumums, as will make good stocks for drooping varieties, let them be budded Ibrthwith, in the same manner as is described in a former page for roses. Should these buds suc- ceed, you will have gained a season, or, at least, have secured a growth early in the following spring. Should part of the buds fail, the stocks will he m good condition to gi-aft in the March or April follow- ing. These stocks should not be worked — tliat is, grafted or budded— till they have attained the height of eight feet, or thereabout. There is no objection to ten or twelve feet in height, but rather an advan- tage, especially in such strong and rapid gi-owers as the weeping ash and elm. By having straight stems of such altitude the trees will Ibvm a natural shady harbour, under which, when the weather is hot, chairs or rustic seats might be placed. For such weeping slutibs as the several kinds of cytisus, and roses that have pendant habits, stocks of lesser heights would be more desirable, and for this reason, that as they are grown chiefly for their flowers, those ought not to be too much elevated. From five to six feet wQl be quite high enough. Uses of Weeping Trees .\nd Shrubs.— We have already alluded to one use to which trees and shrubs of this description may be applied — that of forming a leafy bower, as shelter from the burning heat of the sun in summer. They are also sufficiently orna- mental to be very desirable. What is more elegant and graceful than a drooping tree, a willow or a birch especially? What more beautiful than the pendant rose, its branches clothed with flowers of every hue? Then the pretty cytisus, either with purple or white flowers, is very ornamental in front of the shrubbery, in the middle of a bed of flowers, or planted on the lawn. As ornaments, then, in garden scenery, they are of use and very desirable. Some of them, and more especially the weeping willow, are very beautiful if planted near the edge of a piece of water. There they are quite in character, and the more so from the pleasing shadow they cast upon the water. Another use is a more important one, and that is to plant them near to the graves of those who are " gone before." Here the term " weeping " is more appropriate. No other kind of tree, e.xoept, perhaps, the cypress, is so well adapted as a memo- rial of departed friends. The laithful servants of Napoleon shewed their attachment to their master by surrounding his tomb (it St. Helena with the weeping wDlow ; and when they left the island they brought slips of those trees, and planted them in their gardens in " la belle France," as remembrancei-s of him who, whatever his faults as a commander of armies or ruler of nations, had been to them, his domestic servants, the best of masters. The most e.Ktraordinary weeping tree we ever no- ticed is in the grounds of the Earl of Harrington, at Elvaston Castle, near Derby. A common ash (Fnix- iniis excelsior) of some fifty or sixty feet high, with a clean straight strm. Irad, ihrcn years ago. all its side branches jmuicil ..IV in i,r;,i]y the top of the tree. Upon the bi'^'li. si -1 h M.inr grafts of the weeping variety were iir.ri;,VL Thry stirceodfd, and when we had the privil,-' >.! ., i^.; iImI mn><,nv iilucc tliey had made .-;. .i, ,, . ,^. ,>;;--■- .lowiiu;ir,ls, with every prosjur; , , , !!, In tli" rmirse oi a few years tlii- i.r. v,iii l,r ..ur oi tl.r. miuiy wonders of tliat wonderful plan. We believe there are some similar examples to be seen at Chatsworth, the princely mansion of the Duke of Devonshire. These I examples shew what maybe accomplished by aj-t; but, some of our readers may exclaim, what is the use of such things in amateur and cottage garden- ing? why cite such laces . examples i W( can only reply to such questions by quoting an old ^ proverb : " what man has done man can do." A i young ash or elm, or common willow, may be gi-ow- ing in the shrubbery of an amateur, or 'the hedge- row of a cottager's gai'deu; and, though of them- j selves not uninteresting objects, they may be ren- ' dered much more so by grafting weeping vai-ieties | upon them. Tims the wonders of the graiting art | may be shown in many an obscure nook througliout the land. We shall conclude this essay on weeping trees by giving a list of them, and trust such a list will be useful to some of our readers who may be desirous to cultivate these interesting trees and shrubs. Cerasus Juliana pendula (Weeping Cherry). Cytisus purpureus {Purple Cvtisus). var. albus" (White Cytisus). Betula pendula (Weeping Birch). Fagus sylvatica var. pendula (Weeping Beech). Ilex aquifolium var. pendula (Common Weeping Holly). Larix pendula (Weeping Black Larch). Sallx Babylonica (Babylonian Weeping Willow). Ulmus fulva pendula (Weeping Elm). Weeping Roses. — These are such beautiful ob- jects, so easily attainable, and so capable of being grown in every garden, whether large or small, that we are inclined to dwell a little longer on them. Every lover of flowers that has seen a thriving, healthy, weeping rose, with its long pendulous Shoots covered with their lovely tinted blossoms, will agree that they are most beautiful objects ; and we advise those wlio have not seen them, to visit some rose garden where they are cultivated, for we are quite sure they will be highly delighted. To obtain them for the gardens of the amateur or cottager there are two ways : first, by purchasing them at some nur- sery ; but. as the summer season is not the proper one to remove roses, pay a visit to some rose nursery, and mark such as you may admire, to be removed at the proper season' to the garden of the purchaser. Secondly, if you do not choose to purchase, and have some tail briers fit for budding, procure some buds of the right kind, and insert them into those stocks. Now is the very best time for that operation. If you have no stocks, hut possess some staudard roses, put some buds of weepmg rosrs inlo :is iii.iiiy of them as you may think desirable. II ilir 1mii1> >liould take, or grow, reduce the otlicr luaiiclii ^ -rulually, and in the spring allow none to grow Inn ilie desired kind. In this way you may have, in a short time, some beautiful siJec'imens of weeping roses. But, say you, how shall we know what kinds will grow in that manner? We are hajipy to give you that informa- tion, for the follov/ing are then names : Ayrshire Queen, dark purplish crimson, large, and semi-double. Queen of the Belgians, creamy white, small, and double. Ilu:;a. pale Ucsh, large, and double. Splcndens. white, edged with red, semi-double- Banksiictlora, white, centre pale yellow, small, and double. Carnca-prandiflora, pale llcsh. large, and doiilde. Ulyriantlius ilenoiicule, blush, edged with red, small, and double. Kampante, pure white, double. Spectabile, rosy lilac, large, and double. To cause the weeping roses to form regular, well- flowered h ads. tilt' Inllowing liints must be attended to. Ellin !■ liavr a ircllis for them, formed of wire in an umlnvilii ^lla|M:, of such a diameter as the kind of r.wi' may ivipiire, or stretcli some strong snudl cord from the centre of the rose-tree down to JUNB THE COTTAGE GARDENER. the gi-oimd, and fa5teu it there by strong; hooked p3,;j3. To this trelhs of wire or cord tie the down- ward loag shoots, thiiininnf away the weaker ones. lu the autumn cut otf only the very e.-ctremity of the preserved shoots, which will flower their whole length, giving to the tree the appearance of a half- glolie, and literally one mass of flowers. But our sheet of papsr informs us we must close this pleasant subject, or we shall be obliged to leave short another of our no less delightful tasks — the consideration of FLORISTS' FLOWERS. The plants of this descripton that require peculiar care now are the carnation, picotee, and pink. The Pink will be now opening its flowers. To prevent them -iii^ning irregularly — that is, in tech- nical i)hravi. buivciin/. or opening on one side more than the other — let each pod be encircled either with a ring of bass mat, or with, what is better, a ring of Indian-rubber, and with a pair of small scissors open the green cup or calyx on the opposite side to that where it is appearing to burst too much. This will allow the petals of the Bower to spread open regu- larly, so as to form perfectly round flowers— a form indispensable where perfection is desired. The same method must be followed with the carnation. The picotee very seldom requires it, and for tins reason, that the petals of the latter flower are shorter, and fewer in number, and so are very rarely seen to open on one side more than another. Carn.\t[ons and Picotees will benefit at this season by being watered once a week in dry weather with liquid manure of very moderate strength. LwEBiNG Caknations AND PiooTEEs. — The young shoots will be now long enough to layer. We think this the safest and surest way of propagating these highly prized flowers. Where, however, they pro- duce more shoots than can possibly be layered, take them off, and pipe them in the same manner as described previously for the pink. Having removed them, you will have more room to operate upon the remainder. Trim off the lower leaves with a sharp knife, without injuring the bark ; leave about three pair of leaves, and just below the third pair make an incision or slit with the knife, about midway between two joints. Place a thin piece of wood in the incision or slit to keep it open, peg the shoot down carefully, and so proceed till every layer is done round the plant. Then cover them with some light rich soil ; and go on from plant to plant till your whole stock is layered. The best kind of pegs are made of the fronds (branches) of the com- mon brake or fern. Water the layers occasionally, and they will nearly all root, and make fine plants by the end of August. T. Appleby. GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW GARDENING. HvBRrDtziNG. — I have said that the stamens, or male organs, in a flower, are analagous to the floral leaves or petals, double flowers being occasioned by the conversion of the stamens into petals ; and hence I have inferred that the petals are perfectly useless, either as far as the impregnation of the ovule or the future development of the s-;ed is concerned. I also said that the petals might be cut off whenever they interfered with the operation of dusting the pollen, as they often do in tube-shaped flowers, when the pistils are hid from view, such as the verbena, the florist's polyanthus, and itl many other flowei's of rious fori tail, as i But I will e.\plain this more in de- ipert hybridizers, whom I could uame, seem not to be aware of this fact. We have the evi- dence of our senses that stamens are converted into petals— no one doubts that, who has the least know- ledge on the subject; the petals must, consequently, partake more or less of the nature of stamens, for the change has not altered their nature, only their outward form ; and we all know, by this time, that the oflice of tlie stamens is simply to uphold the an- thers or pollen bags on their summits, and when the pollen is ripe and dispersed the office of the stamens is at an end. We also know that flowers selected for crossing must be deprived of their stamens, to get rid of the pollen, befoi'e either it or the stigma is ripe. Therefore, seeing that this does not aft'ect the operation of the pistils when touched by pollen from another flower, why not get rid of the petals as well as the stamens, if they are in your way wlien you are cross- ing the flower, _seeing they are exactly of the same nature? If you hold still to the belief "that the petals are endowed with the property of supplying nutrition, or are in any other way essential to give power or effect either to the pollen or young seeds, I must refer you to the great Deoandolle, who is the first authority in botany and vegetable physiology, and who has clearly explained all this in bis "Vegetable Organo- graphy," translated into English, a few years since, by Boughton Kingdon, Esq., who was so kind as to pre- sent me with the work, although we are perfect stran- gers, and who, if his eye should ever glance over this page, wOl be glad to learn that his labours have been of great use to me. Between 182!) and 1836 I ob- tained perfect seeds from between 90 and 100 kinds of plants, after first depriving them of their petals for the purpose of experiment ; and, in 1837, I said in the Gardener's Magazuw, that the presence of the petals is not necessary for the purposes of cross- breeding; and, after ail this, the future historian of our gardening, in the middle of the nineteenth, cen- tury, will have occasion to place these tliree significant marks ! ! ! after telling bis readers that, in a standard work on flowers, jmblished in London in 1848, very minute rules are laid down to avoid damaging the petals of a flower in the act of hybridizing it, as if that could make any difference to the issue of the experiment. I shall not uiention either the book or the writer farther than to say that both are of the first respectability, and the latter deservedly accounted the most successful of our hybridizers. But we are all of us in our infancy in this department, for it' is only about 70 years since the first experiments, to ascertain the possibility of obtaining crosses in the vegetable kingdom, were instituted in Germany by Kolreuter, who, therefore, is the father of this branch of our craft. In England, these experiments were followed out, at a much later date, by the late Mr. Knight, of Downton Castle, then President of the Loudon Horticultural Society, and chiefly with the view of improving our fruits and vegetables ; and, about the same time, by the Hon. and Rev. Dr. Her- bert, late Dean of Manchester, who took a wider range, and experimented on many of our popular flowers, and more particularly on bulbs, with which he was more conversant than any other botanist. The late Mr. Sweet, a clever practical botanist and cultivator, much about the same period, was engaged in similar * At first sight this maj' appear to he opposed to the opinions ex- pressed at p. 12r>, but it is not so, for the writer of the " Phenomena of the Season" quite a;?rees witli i^Ir. B^'aton. that the petals may he removed without injury to fertiUty after they have e.tpanded, or '• after the stamens, '&e., arc fully grown." la the Gum cistus they do so naturally.— Ed. C. G. Ia6 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. June "^ of i\-liich appeared in \ ■ ' iM:;;isecl. In one of experiments, detacIioH several works on wlr these works, on till-' '.' . . '<. ivcs some A'ery in- teresting details of Imv, .III ^^ r .|.i\v ;Tpraniums began first to be obtained, liy crossing some of the wild species from the Capo. I spent a whole day, last summer, lookhig through this work in the library of the Hortieiiltural Society ; and to compare, in one's mind, the noble specimens of geraniums that were exhibited that week with the little weeds from which they originated, was, indeed, a most singidar con- trast. Thirty years of patient industry were expended before a geranium was obtained that woidd be now thought good ejiough to plant out in a common shrubbery. Many now regret that the breed or present race of geraniums is not more varied into sections, as they might have been, bad the best co- lours of the original juv,. nl Ik i ,i iViUowcd out, each in its own strain, ill H 1 1 l' on with only a few wldch yielded m-' . i i i he impatient hy- bridizer, as has been il -: i,; •:• r- c utly, in the case of the calceolarias. The older florists, however, had more reason to be content with what they could get, as few families that have been experimented on in this way are so obstinate as the geraniums to part with their wild characters. I know of only one other instance, the Lobelia, where the offspring of species almost identical in character and aspect becomes ab- solutely sterile at the first or second generation, like some of those of the wild geraniums. In 18.37, Dr. Herbert published a large work, with coloured plates, on an extensive division of bulbs allied to the Amari/Uis, to which he appended a full description of his own experiments in hybridising for 30 years, as well as a, history of what others had eflected in ili' -nn 'n Id, Imth here and on the con- tinent. "Jiii II' I I to be the first popular account oi ' . i in the vegetable world, wliich appcari d i.; v.iij l^aiguage, and it gave a pow- erful impetus to tlie art in both hemispheres. Before the appearance of this work, the crudest absui-dities were in circulation about cross-breeding. AVe have all of us since mended our ways, but many w-eeds spring up yet here and there. In 18i7, Dr. iSerbert wrote two long papers on the same subject, in the Journal of the Horticrdtural Society, full of the phi- losophy of hybridizing, and containing many start- ling facts ; in short, after the investigations of 40 years, lie has here summed up the result of his own views on the subject, founded on the facts he and others had brought to light by cross-breeding. He finally arrives at this conclusion, " Can we, in the face of these phenomeni, asscit that no vegetable since the peuod betoie the sun and moon gave it light, no bird 01 fish since the Almighty called tliemfoith from the salt mud, no rir 'tnie ot the eaith binoe it was evoked inn ' 1 * ii 1 rlnpaited ±iom its precise oil I I I iirucc'' Let us be more hui 1 lit scientific knowledge, li ^ I 1 1 111 in oui examination of leicili I iinUi, ,iu(l h I us gnc aloiy to the infinite I \usdoni ot God. I call and nnt ithoraable pow It slH sutticient to hold that woidb (an haAe no pri iMi m we have been m thi I ' n consideiately Itiu i\ i tid obscure 1 \ (lonn precise 1 look w ith com- I ked out, to find able toielutehim. and force him to reconsider the arrangement he has made ; but the fact is so. The cultivator has the test of truth within his scope : and, far from being an evil, I look upon it as a great advanlngc, because it will lead the industrious and int. ir_ i.i n.'. nor to take a higher view of the object- i. i i I , i, , and to feel his own connexion witli . i ; .i it will force the scientific to rely less on iIj. if <'\mi la.iatiou, and to feel that they must be governed by natural facts, and not by their own preference." Without "facts," we may pin-suc and detail our in- vestigations of the mystery of cr..-- !... ■■.lin ' I" little purpose; there is no safety wii!i i . ' i i. is, for tliere is no room yet for much u . . ; : i i 1 1 i n ..; . To facts, therefore, let us return, and ■ . !■ b.^ ilic 'I'lailioli are best crossed. They are, of all plants, the easiest to cross, and the result of the operation, is soon known. It is now just 42 years, tlus summer, since the first gladiolus was crossed in England ; and if it was crossed elsewhere before that time, we have no record of it. Therefore, all that is now known respecting the breeding qualities of this family was ascertained by a few individuals as far back as 20 ov 30 years since. There is one point, however, which j seems to be of much importance, that has lately been i mooted in I'l-ivnt.- ri-vi:.^- r' ^preting this family, viz., | that lb. i; ; , i bi d the more certain it is ' topvu.bi- .1 II : !i.i Although I am quite athouK' v.iiii 1. .■ ill li;,, t rininot say if this is a real fact or not. biii i b. Ii vr in it. Like all other plants that arc l.i In i rn-, d, llic gladiolus must have the anthers ciii .ml b. im.' tiM.'y open to relieve the pollen. Sii',^,.,.,. v.. biiv' nidv" t-.vo sorts, liowever, andtbiii ^ . v.i 1. I - ..l.iam -lmN Ir.im bnlb. each by the p.ib. II ..1 ill ..ih.a-, \.i\\, ibi, was a pii/zlu in my call .t..,-., in;: .lay,-, but tl is |iUiiii raioiigb now. It has boon ascertaiued that pollen which was dried with a flower on a specimen, and kept in a book or lierbarimn for a number of years, was capable of undergoing a similar process to that of fertilizing a stigma, when jilaoed in water or otherwise damped ; but it was not ascertained if such pollen could ferti- lize seed or not. This account was published in 1829,=;= and. from that day to this, I have eveiy sea- son reserved unripe pollen for days, weeks, and even months ; and I have some by me now six years old. I have found that poUen will ripen though taken from a flower at an early age, say some days before the anthers would open natm'ally ; and all that is neces- sary for its preservation is an absolute exemption froin damp, and not to be dried quickly if extracted belbre it is ripe. I believe there is no pollen but will keep a montli or two, and that is quite enough for ordinary crossing. The best way to keep it is to fold it in silver paper, and to enclose this in coarse brown paper, the packets to be kept in a drawer in a dry room. Well, then, yon see that with only two gladioli you may easily get a cross from each, unless you "are extravagant enough to throw away the pollen ; however, as the flowers of a gladiolus do not open all at once, there is no need of preserving the pollen at all ; but I am anxious not to leave a stone unturned that would throw any light on the subject in hand. Tlicrr r-. only one stjdo in the centre of a gladiolus, ml lbs .livides into three parts, or stigmas, at the I.MS an. I I t!ie part to dust the pollen on. Wlien III., pari- ai-p ready for the pollen, tiiese stigmas open into two halves, or are dilated, as botanists say, and the edges of these little openings are the real stigmas. The anthers which bear the pollen are alwn,ys in * Magazine of Natural Historj', vol. i., page 1. JUXE THE COTTAGE GAKDENER. tlnees 111 tins flow ei cHch flowei imauably havmg onlythieestiuiK us ulu h li Iduptlu uiiluis When tlie polltu IS njii III Dilli Is I II t lull 1 top to bot torn, and tliei( i^ i liii \\ (ln\ii il utio ol e4th opeumg, so tluiL lli uiUi is an i k li m t^■^o ]iaits The easiest way ol applying thispolku to the stigm.i, lb to out oiF the flowei whobe polltn -jo i sir to usi then Tvitli I ptnkinh cut ofl hist tin petals donn as 111 ,is 1 K\ III sjlit then yoa will only lia\t tbt tubi ol 111 II i\ 1 L) H Inch the bottom of the stamens aie Htt 11 'i 1 til II with the point of the knite, siufjk out oni till st uiK us with a iipe authei keepm^ hold ol it bLtuten tho kuiie and youi thumb, ^nd lu Uiat position apply du anthei backwaids and toi waids on tin sligma, when }0U will see the dusty pollen adh iiug each tinib to the btigmab and then tbe ^\oik lb done It is always a good plan, howovei to apply tbt pollen twice, say in the moinmg and atteinoou oi, altei the inteival ot a day oi two, with some floweis «liose stigmas lemam tiesh toi seveial dijb A^ heie a i toss is diflicult to be obtained, it is a good plan to usi polltn fiom two oi thiee floweis, and lioin as m lu^ ] ! mis il the^ aieathand, but the pollen pLiuts m I !« \ \>^ oi tbe same kind, as no tlowei \m11 \ 111 il nillnence ot two kinds ol jioUen at tliu im tim 11 it did so bieed liom two kinds, tbt pioi 1 ss ttoiild bt called 6Hp ifnl ill iii a monstioiis dnctune, so itpugnaut tn )i itiiu lliit tew ol the moic learned physiologists tount ii in i it now though (unc of tbtm leaned that \\a> till lli labnuis ot till eais substquentlv Anothn ieatiue will meet the young beginnei in the glatliobis, peihaps, loi tin fiist time Thcie is no tiace ot a i aly\ oi outci f oveimg m an> of them, noi, indeed ni any ot the illy like flowtis then coioUa is mostly tkMdedmto six paits and thiec ol lliese aie the tiiie petals, the othei thiee lepiebenting the calyx in a petal-like foim But the most cmious ol all is 11 stamens ot the gl 1 1 1 wbiih this foims gladiolus IS takt i ol tl, n 1 IMS 1 II nil fact disclosed m the I 1 1 ill the nis tube, of awaie this name swoid, on account i| 1 1 1 L a two-edged swoid It gkithaloib 01 swoidsmen,it theie name The stamens, being the th kuiglits ol the oidei, and I I 'luitiy but 1 heie is a i 1 itanicdl 111 I ids, gay and tlul I iht) ii , tht kiii^lits in\ luably tiun 1 itks on the 1 ubes So li e\pi you meet with hi I flonri witli tliic^^ stamens only, and the the opining ioi the pollen opposite 1 stigma -y on maj depend on it the I 1 tht uib tube, of which oui gladi I 1 I i\ D Beato> THE KITCHEN-GAEDEN. BoKEcoiL, and also all the othei ^aiietics of the lidf tamilj should now be planted out in tuU ciops, A.'^v.eW a,i>th.e chumluailul i ilha I mil wir;/ A\\ Ihi- ue most piotitihli 1 s 1 II ilii lottagei , and tin t li I 1 II wiU not only pioii I ' 1 ii I tl the inealmdii s u t u t u^ iiint 1 > \lio ha^e no giouud to spait may piano the I 1 uiied ciojis betwot a the loi.s ol pocs beans, in I ( iih potatoes, whcie thcv will glow and bi come wtll (stabhshed hj the tunc that these last aie cleaied away and ab soon as they at lenioved, the gioimd muot be well ioiked and scaukcd, and libeial soakings ot hquid ii i n li d to the diffeient 01 ops ot kilts II 1 e bmall kinds ot titbliacji should I j lanteti, and suc- (ts K is n 11 jiltnt-^ 01 gioimd I /s biiins diiait hidiiey I toi a itumn use, alwajs I alieadj planted may bo lu \ 1 1 ) the application ot liquid mainuc aid the constant use oi the hoe Rot TIN'" '\\ oKK — Celnt/ am! hrks should now be plauf' I itssion antl attendetl to as deacubed lops JiJarly jyuLatoeb, onions, and ■./ 1 vested, and the giound ioiked up 11 1 loi the planting ot cape and othei s idilhiuns aihhaiic cnihu lettwe, a, iti null lui ail nil Itw onions loi pulling %oun i le tchuj, as \\ ell as all » ; / ii the ndge slioidd be did} mm Ind si ij^ | ( tinned and as bibted by inannie ^^atei and tht simp lenniks also apply to those in tiames oi pits, as well as to melons Anothei sowing ol cat h may be made Fens, beans, ladi Lij htiiwi, '.iiiiht iiinne)^, tauhfioi'ei'! and many othei gaiden tiops, may, at this seabon ol the jeai, li hot chy weathei pie^ails be gieatly assisted by slight mulchings with any kind ot leiuse mattei, winch is benchiiil by pieventnig evapoiation, and consequently kti ping the soil about the lools moist J\MEs Barnes MISCELLANEOUS IKFOEMATION. ALLOTMENT GARDENING FOB JLLY We have now aimed at that pait ol the summer when. 111 the pioductiveuess ot many oi his gaiden 158 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. Jr.NK or allotment crops, the cottager wiU eutii'ely for- get the ti-oubles of a previous winter and a tardy spring. He will now, we hope, he enjoying the fruit's of perseverance, in the shape of good new potatoes, early cabbages, Horn carrots, turnips, lettuces, &c., &c., whereby not only will the tlniity housewife he amply supplied, but the pigs and cow, if any, will he partalcing of simQar benefits ; for, where the cottager's wife is enabled to work up abundance of vegetables in-doors, there is sure to be plenty of scraps for the pigs : and all this has a salutary influence on the size of the midden, or dunghill, in the eneuing year. EoEECASTiNG. — Under a mixed system of cropping, which we in part recommend to our allotment holders, one of the most important matters at this jirecise period is to anticipate, with a searching eye, the decay of mere summer crops ; and, by studying the habit of gi-owth of the crops, the dui'ation, together with the method of gathering or housing, to introduce, as far as possible, vegetables for a long winter be- tween or among those summer crops. The method of gathering must be taken fully into consideration, for where rows of things stand already somewhat close, say peas, and much tramphng in the gathemig is sure to ensue, it is sometimes better poKcy to suffer the whole crop to be removed before planting a succes- sion of any kind. Tins points at once to the expe- diency of having much forecast in the early spring ; for all these tlungs, by careful consideration, may he anticipated. We hope, therefore, that our allotment friends will not hereafter complain so much of the tediousness of winter, hut ui then "ingle nook" ru- minate over them ; for, assm'edly, to digest a scheme of cropping, embracing all possible capabilities, will occupy many a leisure hour, both profitably and, to our taste, agreeably. For the above reasons, we have at times, probably, advised greater distances between crops than might, to some persons, seem comjiatible with the cottier's limited space ; it must be remem- bered, however, that there is a point at which close cropping must stop, and to go beyond which is certain loss, whether in the garden or in the farm. However, these things are capable of gi-eat improve- ment, and we are assured that immense progress will be shewn in this matter during the next year or two, and that the discussion of the subject in The Cot- tage Gaedenee will be productive of some service, if only in setting other minds at work. Hoeing. — As foremost business of the season, we may commence with hoe culture, whether for clean- ing land or for its mechanical effects on the soil. "With regard to the latter, not only is the soil pulve- rized and made of easy access to the tender fibres of vegetables, but organic matters, manures, &c., are more intimately blended with the soU, and brought within the reach of atmospheric agencies. Thus, more food, besides a greater liberty to range in quest of it, proceeds h-om plenty of deep hoe culture. When we say deej}, however, we must add a caution : — due attention should at all times be paid to the character of the roots or fibres which feed the plant. Thus, with regard to the carrot, where land is in good con- dition, or containing some maum-e near' the surface, the carrot is apt to branch into forks and become rough. Now, we consider it beneficial to hue drtp pretty close to the cmrot in its earlier stages, b( inL; persuaded that the tendency to become forked is in some degree checked by such hoeing: many nl' tlir fibres having a bias that way become destroyed in the operation. With respect to the potato, however, the case is different; every possible means should be taken to encourage surface fibres; such the potato wUl produce, like a net-work, close to the suiface of the soil ; and, notwithstanding that much fuss has been made about hoeing through them, we aj-e per- suaded that many crops are much injured this way, not by hoeing merely, but by hoeing too close to the main stems. We care not, however, how much hoe- ing is performed in the earher stages between the di-ills. Such is exceedingly beneficial, aud cannot be too much practised. Therefore, we advise the cot- tager, at aU times, to examine the character and pre- sent condition of the plants, and to apply the hoe accordingly. AVateeing. — This necessaiy operation must occa- sionally he had recom'se to, chiefly, however, to get newly planted crops established. We do not hold with watering either peas or leans ; we never found it answer; neither will the cottager find tune for such extended operations. Onions, too, how seldom is watering them satisfactoi-y ! unless it he resorted to for the jiurpose of introducing some stimulating mamn-e, as guano, when the soil is veiy poor. Where watering will be truly beneficial, iinder the allotment system, is in the germination or sprouting of seeds, a matter about which we take to om'selves some blame for not offering advice concerning this delicate pro- cess sooner. In the transplanting of lettuces, cab- bages, &c., toe, the process becomes highly necessaiy, as not unfrequently tlu-ee weeks ai-e lost in the prime of summer through neglect of this operation ; and it is manifest that the bulk of crop which would be produced in three weeks would amply repay the small amount of labour requisite. At the moment of germination, or sprouting, many broad acres are spoiled throughout the kingdom by dust. The little white point, which constitutes, in fact, the future plant, is of the most dehoate character, and not capable of existing one hour in mere dust. This often gives rise to the saying which is in use in the country, that "the seed would have been much safer in the bag." Much attention to these apparently trifling minutiae, therefore, is requisite ; and, for our parts, during the heat of summer, we almost invariably soak our seeds for three pr four hours in lukewarm water, iniless the ground is thorougUy wet through recent rains ; if dusty, we keep our seed in the bag, regardless of losing time, unless, indeed, the ground is ahsolutehj dry — too dry to enable the seed to ger- minate at all — -then, we say, sow, by aU means, with- out soaking ; for the seed will be ready when rain does come, a,nd the soil, in this state, is much bene- fitted by roUer pressm-e. Weeding. — We need merely, under this head, re- peat that no high culture can be carried out without a freedom from weeds, especially seeding weeds. Let the valuable old proverb never he forgotten, for it is true to the letter — " One year's seeding makes seven years' weeding." Thinking hit l!isiN(i Ciiops. — If the course of culture aud croiiiiiii'.; wi' li:ivc from the commence- ment of our lalimir-. mi--^ -nd has been duly carried out, there will, at this puriod, exist a surplus of vegetable refuse, which will be of immense benefit to the pigs and the (;ow. One of the cottager's children should be appointed to go over all standing -ivriis ,,!■ i-abbj-^ . ;il,oui hvir|^ a week", and collect iill ilii' Innsr lr::,c^ fn.iii i-liiiits which havc bceu brhradcil. Il 1- l:!iiiriii;il.lr \vli:it a valuable lunount of iiiiurviiil is lo-i fur «iuit .if this proceeding. Tlie pigs are greedy devourers of everything in this shape, and all tends to increase the buUc of the manure heap. Young plants of. mangold, Swedes, parsnips, carrots. iOc, should now be looked over JUNI- THE COTTAGE GAllDENER. once or twice a week, and suvplus plants, and those termed " bolters," signitj'ing nmniug to seed, re- moved to the cow or the pigs. These things should he done at set times if possible. There is another old saying very applicable in this case — " What is done at any time is never done." Distances oi? Ceoi's. — ^As sound thinning out wiU have to be done during this month, we may as well say something of the final distances of the respective crops, especially the root crops. We will suppose tlii^ soil in a state of high culture : if poor, let them all stand closer by about one-third of the distance hiTc laid down. Mangold should he about ten iuclirs a]iiirL iu the row ; Swedes about eight inches ; jiKi-.siiips about six inches; and carrots, the large Ivuids, about five inches. We speak now of the JiiKfl distance, as left at the last thinning, for we Avould thin them out at least three times, and at each thinning there will be something for the pig or cow. Winter Gbeens. — The month of July is, of all the year, the most eligible time to plant the chief of those greens and brooolis which must form the supply through the ensuing winter. The allotment holder at this period, therefore, sliould consider what may turn out most profitable, and, in doing this, he must reckon on what live stock he will possess through the ensuing winter. As a general remark, we should say that the thousand-lieaded cabhage is the first on the list, as to producing a great hulk of material from any kind of soil. Next to this we would place the green hde, which is notoriously hardy, and will thrive in most soils; moreover, it has the merit of being a capital vegetable for man as well as beast. The thousand-headed cabbage, how- ever, will produce its sjjrouts earlier in the spring, hemg very excitable. The Savoy we dare not re- commend, as it is too wide in the shoulders, and does not thrive well in inferior soils. In addition to these come the various hrocolls ; and we frankly confess that we should like to see the cottager enjoy- ing his head of brocoli occasionally, if only for his Sunday's dinner, becauSe, when boiled in the same pot with a piece of mellow bacon or pickled pork, it is, in our opinion, a dish for monarchs, that is to say, provided they could bring the hearty unpam- jiered appetite of the brown cheeked cottager to bear upon it. As for hrocolis, however, as they must for the present be classed among luxuries, we must be rather chary in om' advice. It so happens that some brocolis produce a large amount of material for the pig or cow, besides the head. This is not altogether dependent on kind, but on period of planting as well. We would therefore recommend those to the cottager from which a great deal of residue in the trimming goes to his live stock. Moreover, in spring he has few dainties ; we would, therefore, try to per- suade him to plant a few spring brocolis directly on some tolerably open spot, and for this iiurpose we recommend the ordinary Z«te S^i'/'hir. :\/rlr,!l,'x late White, and tlie Wileove, or /S',,;/(,/.s' p.nitcuhir late White. A few of each, or all of any one son, will do. This being accomplished, he may ti-y to get a few plants of the Walchereii brocoli, a few Co^>«, and a dozen of cauliflower plants, and pop them in between some other crops, as a succession about the middle of Jidy. The latter will fm-nish his table occasion- ally from September until Christmas, and the former will do the same through March, April, and May. CoLEwoRTs. — We advised in June (p. lO.S) that a good bed of these should be sown about the middle of that month. These will bo nice plants by the middle or end of July ; and we do advise the cottager to cram a few in every nook or corner that can be spared. We would not by any means sutler them to tlirow out crops of greater hulk and more profit, but we do recommend their being planted, at this period, on all portions in which there is not room enough for greens, brooolis, Swede turnips, &o. Coleioorts are merely early and close hearting cabbages, sown at a peculiar season : this gives them their peculiar cha- racter. Much of their growth is made in a low temperatm'e, in proportion to the amount of light, and hence their character of being compact, or, in other words, producing a great amoi.mt of useful food in a small compass. On good open plots, such may be planted fifteen inches between the rows, and nine inches between the plants in the row ; if, how- ever, they are put among other growing crops which shade much, a little more room must be given. IjETtcces. — During July, say about the first week, aud again about the middle, it will be found good policy to sow a bed of lettuces. The soil should have a little manm'C iuoorporated with it. We recommended a suspension of the sowings during a part of May and June, on the ground that the plants run to seed if sown during that period, and during the heat of summer attain hut little size. The July sowings will not be liable to these ob- jei.'tions, and will serve to fill any blanks that may occur. We know of no crop more profitable to the cottager than the lettuce ; and although for bis own eating he may sow a little of the Bath cos, yet for pig-feeding we think that the old Hammersmitli cab- bage lettuce is the most profitable, for it may be planted at only six inches square apart, and it is astonishing what an amount of pig I'eed they wiU produce at that distance, ]u-ovided they are not pulled for use before going to seed — say two feet in height. It is scarcely too much to affirm that svfine in general are more partial to the lettuce than to any other green food ; and, when their nutritious quali- ties are taken into consideration, it is no wonder that pigs should tlu'ive so fast as they do on them. We do heartily wish we could persuade cottagers in general to devote some attention to their cultm-e, being persuaded that their merits in economising other and more expensive food is not by any means appreciated. Those who have an open jilot to spare may grow them broadcast. The manm-e shoidd be rotten, and need not be dug in above six inches in depth. When the plants are up they may be hoed out precisely the same as turnips ; indeed, for field culture this is the very plan. Salahs, Pickles, &c. — We hope that some little advance has been made ui these luxuries, if we may so term them. Red cabhage of a spring sowing may yet be planted, and even nasturtiums sown in a warm corner, provided the seed be soaked m warm water for six or eight hours previously to sowing. The latter makes a very useful general pickle. A row of ccler)/ should be planted now, if not already done, and, towards the end of tlie mouth, a bed of radishes and cresses. The Ainericaii or winter cress should be chosen. This will be in cut all the winter and spring. RuNXEE Kidney Beaxs.— Again we repeat, as soon as your runners get to the top of their stakes or lines pinch their tops oif. T'ake care to water them liberally iu dry weather — drought is fatal to their long bearing : care should also be taken to pick off all overgrown pods, unless it be a few for seed. It is surprising how a few of those lusty pods exhaust the plant. THE COTTAGE GAllDENEE. We may now close our monthly remarks, having neai-ly exhausted our subject for the jiresent as regai'ds allotment gardening in July. In a few more weeks we shall have some fresh advice to oft'er. The storing of roots, and general preijaration for the approaching winter, as well as for an anticipated new yeai-'s com-se of cropping, will begin to attract our attention, In conclusion, let us advise the cotta- ger .to bestow all the sm'^ilus labour he can on his root crops ; let him resolutely keep down weeds, and apply hoe-cultvu-e, with occasional applications of liquid manin-e, resting ;i- i,r;;. i'l", nving such advice he will do nil 1 1 i : .i;'al- able winter, and wUl, in i > nung his childi-en to industrion-^ i iiim , iiM-' :! :,-riM r per- ception of the bounties of our gracious Crcalur. MY ELOWEES. (No. 32.) Gay and fragrant as our spring gardens are, they are imperfect without the rose ; and now that lovely flower, in all its rich variety of scent and colour, is blooming freely. In almost every portion of the globe the rose is known, and esteemed the first of iowers. South America and Australia alone do not possess it. Brilliant and striking as the native flowers of S. America are to the traveller's eye — glit- tering and gi-aoeful as are the wild plants and creepers that hang in masses fi'om the boughs in uncultivated yet exuberant richness — it seems to me that eveiy eye must seek for the rose, and regret its absence. In the north of Europe the native rose is single, hut in some of the southern lands it is fre- quently double. The sweetest and lovehest variety of this beautiful family, the moss rose, loses its mossy veil when removed to the South of Em-ope. It seems as if its delicate nature, being a native of Provence, in the south of France, needed a warm covering to suit our chilly climate; for when it retm-us to the genial atmosphere of its own home it thi-ows off its beautififl dress. What a striking, what an afl'ecting, instance is this, of the provision made by God for one of His wondrous creations I when by its Maker's hand, aii'l ■ " das they are, strengthened i. :■ ! ,.<'.s of a cold, ungenial clune. \\i:, ;: : .j^i Jl. -rj lesson we may learn from its eloixuent lips. Need wc fear to trust that gracious hand, through the changes and chances of this mortal life, when we know and see that His mei'cy is over afl His works? Let our sweet moss roses be henceforth sweeter stiU, as show- ing forth so plainly the care of our heavenly Father, and cheering our hearts with the sweet assurance that He careth also for us. The rose seems to unite us to many distant lands : it is really a citizen of the world, and speaks to us of very interesting times and places. It blooms on the hills over which the road passes from Joppa to .lerusalem; and Burckhardt speaks of roses blooming abundantly among the ruins of Bozra, thus reminding us again of many things dear to the Christian's heart. We are carried away in spuit to Him who "is glorious in His ap; parel, travelling in the greatness of His strength ;" to His weak yet afl'eotionate disciple, whose example ^hoidd shame us into equal repentance, after equal and often repeated giultj and to the city where David dwelt, whose position among the hills is so beautifidly used to depict God's care in standing "round about His people, from henceforth even for ever." In the little village of St. .John, also, the roses grow in thick plantations; and thus blooming in the desert where John preached to the multitudes, it may repeat to our icnthinking heaals, " Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 'The beautiful crimson and wjiito rose, which wc caU " York and Lancaster," has much historical interest in our eyes. It h said that it first appeared when the rival colours of those two families were blended together by the union of Henry VII. with Ehzabeth of York, after a long and wi-etched period of desolating war ; and it has, therefore, been ever looked upon as an emblem of peace, dear to every British heart. We know notliing of the hoiTors of ci^'il war, iind long may this bright rose he its only symbol ! It is pleasant and profitable thus to be reminded, by the flowere we love to cultivate, of some of the causes for grati- tude and praise which we so abundantly enjoy; and the rose, in its glomng loveliness and exquisite frag- rance, possesses a deeper interest stiU, being chosen to describe the perfections of the Church of Christ. Let us third; of this as we inhale its odour. What- ever raises our heai'ts and thoughts to spiritual things conveys a blessing; and the charm of a flower may be enhanced sevenfold, if it urges us to increased devotion, or shows more clearly the power and love of God. The wild rose, ton, that lovely ornament of the summer lane, is l":mril'nl in it-; form and colour. A spray droopius iV : 'i. covered -mtb its small delicate bin-- u-. as we pass; and though they arc so -ih.ri ; ■,. ■.,. \\n- perpetual succes- sion dining the flowering season makes them a valuable addition to the rural treasury. They arc blessings, too, in store for the birds, ready for the days when fruits have passed away ; and, with the berries of the thorn, they afford a long and abundant supply. We often say, " we shall have a long, severe winter, because there ai'e so many hips and haws," and we speak it unconcernedly; yet does not this very assertion declare the goodness of God, in pre- paring food for the creatm-es He has made? How carelessly we pass by mercies that greet us at everj' step ! 'There is little to be done now in our simple gai'- deus except to remove weeds and keep everything neat and clean. Tie en leiots ai-e so rich and luxiu-iant that we .1,- .111 overpowered by them! AVith regain , . ; n , instead of clipping them, it is best, vii'ii ;: s'nan Imile, to cut hack the redundant and encroaching boughs, which may be done at any season, and they never look unsightly or thin when pruned in this way. A hedge of lam'el when clipped looks frightful at first, but if done with a knife it is by no means disfigured. A lady can always keep her shrubs in order in this way, and her taste V, ill be tiir more ornamental than when leav- iie; ii ni 111 ' MI'S of a labourer. Let mc recom- iie iin , ^" to spend much of their summer .li> n i.,>. _ nlon. It is delightful to leave the rooiii^ lu wujiii wc have sat so many dreary mouths, and reside, as it were, under the trees among our shrubs and flowers, listening to every sweet country sound, from the soft Imz/. of the insect to the less musical, but decjily me li nn ;, imom- nfthc field — each and all full' , .mi-e"— and enjoying the geninl » 1 ntii -. i !.■ r -nn, so full of health and cheutlidueo. .\ia:i\ l.ulie;. arc fcaiiul of sitting out of doors; they dread dimips, and dews, and drauglits. Let them use proper caution, hut let them live as much as possible in the open air ; it is in itself a medicine, and 1 cau speak fi'om long ex- perience that it strengthens, and hardens, and cures. It raises the spirits, cUverts the mind often from things that are not in themselves delightful, and fills THE COTTAGE GAKDENER. Ifil it with iitional and pi nsaut thoi It It me uige eieij hth to tn tl i 1 1 1 i ( she will hnd it one ct i III I Lpt Us only liP 11 the \ ll I i 1 1 and Honti lu e^flyllilll i 1 i-\»'i\ 1 / I i e\ei> boii_,h nnd tin 1 et md then wi sh ill lean kh=;on& nl w isdom that will bt hle^t tn us when ill these beautilul thmgb of time shall ha\ e pissed aw ay ioi e\ci IHI BEtlvri PEES C\L} ^clJ well Miiij peisons iiound mt (Bui> St Ed munds) hii\L lost be^el•ll ot then best peopled luveb by chbcontmumg to teed the bees md this oen ib lite as the 1 ith of Maj It is Aciypnbxlk thit second and thud sw ums will be coming m ^uh and bhould It pio-\e so I would lecommend then b(mg united tl late s\/aims 01 thiee oi torn ot them bcnig jut to,ethti I'lsivN L Pels Ii\ — I have hequeutl) been asked How iai do bee go in seal eh of honey ' and indeed this ib a question ot eoubideiable im p stance toi up in it m a gieat measiue depends whethei the position selected ioi them be tavouiable or unlavoui-able, and it is a matter that each apiaiian may very easily ascertain for himself in the following simple manner : — Late in the season, when food becomes scarce, and upon a very fine morning, select a piece of buck wheat or heath (both of which the bees are very fond of), that is situated about three or four' miles from the apiary upon which the experi- ment is about to be tried. Let two persons be supplied with a dredging-box filled with hair-powder, one tinted with vermillion or any other colouring matter, and the other plain ; let one of them go to the field or the heath, and, at the exact time agreed upon by the parties, let each begin the operation of dusting the bees, one at the mouth of the hives and the other in the field ; the tinted bees returning to the hives, and those dusted with plain powder seen in the field, will not only prove that the bees have rfone the distance, but will also shew in what time the joiu'iiey has been performed. Vesiilation, — Much has been said about ventila- tion, and many are the inventions for effecting it, but I have not seen one that is really efficient ; its advantages, both in preventing swarms and in pre- serving the colour of the combs, no person at all acquainted with the management of bees will deny. The best ventilator that I have seen is this of Mi- Taylor's. " The ventilator I use," says Mr. T., " consists of double tubes, both resting on a flaunch in the hole pre- pared for them ; the outer tube is of one inch diameter and six inches long, with six half-inch holes dispersed over it ; it is soon fixed down in its ])lace by the bees, and so must remain. The inner tube is of perforated zinc, with a tin projecting top as a handle, and a cap to put on or oft' this as required. The bees will stop up the zinc tube when tliey can get at it, when it ) in lb turned lound a bttk to piesent a new sur- I \ hen wliolly stopped it may be withdrawn 1 liCL an 1 I c\ an tube sul stituted: this ma'y I ithoiit tie le 1st dangei to the operator, but I 1 I illy to avoid crushing any ithm the outer tube; an I I \ the hole at the bottom. I I 1 ees glue up all crevices ml til 1 tl 1 1 f xUed jj>oj70?ts, a resinous evudatiou li mi cut uu tiees r 1 a tiagiant smell, and iemo\ ible 1 > the iid ot hot watei Liadiptmg Mi T i} loi s \ entilatoi to the small hnc 01 box the mnei tube must be made without the I loiectmg top as a handle and the cap made e^ en w ith tl e tiauncb "Vttei all howe\ 01 the most c eitam as well as the most simple plan is to litt the, stones apart upon small pieces ot sheet lead especially between the slock hive and glass box oi small hive in immediate connexion with it the stork hi\e itself may also be 1 used half an inch liom the flooi bond by means of blocl b oi w ood ot that tbic! ness This precaution lb necessaiy on'\ m -seiysidtij we ither, and when swaiimng is likely to oeeui jSo feais need be enter- tained at this time ol lobleis foi when honey is to be had abioad the bees will ne^el pilfer it fi-om their neighbours at home As soon is the very hot weathei is o^ ei it wiU be necessary to remove the 1 locks andicbtoie the hives to then original posi- tion, T.wlok's Asiatecb's Bee-hive, — Persons who have possessed themselves of this excellent hive are by this time (middle of June) anxiously looking for swarms to put into them, or quite as anxiously watching the progress of those already at work in them. The first swarm that I hearei of in this neighbourhood was on the 30th of May, and was safely lodged in one of these hives by a friend of mine, at Thetford, in Norfolk, The guide-eombs being properly fixed wUl insme their working regu- larly upon the bars of the stock-box, but not quite so surely upon those of the upper one ; for, notwith- standing every precaution being taken to prevent it, they will sometimes commence worldng their combs fi-om the top of the stock-box, which forms the floor of the upper one. This must be attentively watched for the first three or four days after opening the communication between the boxes, and any comb observed in this position must be immediately re- moved. Glasses and Small Hives, — The proper time for opening the communication between the boxes, as well as for putting glasses or small hives upon swarms that are in the improved cottage-hive, must in some measure depend upon the season. In a good season it may be done from the 18th to the 2 1st day after the time of their being hived. In some seasons I have had a glass holding 10 pounds of honey-comb filled in less than a fortnight from the time of putting it on. When this happens, a box or small hive shoidd be placed between it and tlie hive, as directed at p. 104, vol. ii., or, in all probability, a swarm will be thrown off; to prevent this every possible means must be taken, for the swarm coming so late in the season, as this must consequently be, is generally of no value, except to unite to others, and the stock itself is so weakened by it that it seldom lives tlu-ough the follo\viug winter. Shading. — Should the weather prove very hot and sultry, it will be necessary to shade newly-hived swarms for a few hours in the day, say from ten tiU two o'clock ; a green bough answers very well for 162 THE COTTAGE G.\KDEXEE. this purpose — tUat from a fir-tree, perhaps, is the best as well as tlie most durable. I have more than ouoe seen the combs of a newly-hived swarm so heated by a July sun as to fall from the top of the hive, and tlie honey to run in a stream from its entrance, consequently the stocks were ruined. The Season. — Although stocks are generally very populous, tliere has been at present very little honey stored, and swarming is much later than usual : this appears to be general, which several letters now before us tend to confirm, among which is one from that veteran in apiaiian knowledge, Dr. Bevan. Writing from Wales, on the :jlst of May, he says, " My bees are all in full vigour and very populous, but have stored but little honey, and have not yet swarmed." And a friend, writing from London on the Ith of June, says, " In this neighbourhood bees never were so scarce, and many old bee-masters have not a single stock left." A clergyman, from Col- chester, of a still later date, writes to us, saying, " During the last two years at least two-tlurds of all the stock-hives in Colchester have perished ; I have lost upwards of 30, and am now almost bankrupt, but as great a lover of bees as ever." As great a lover of bees as ever! yes, neither time nor ill success has ever in a single instance, within my knowledge, at all abated the interest excited by our little favon- rites in those who have entered in earnest into their management and habits. I could adduce many cir- cumstances in addition to the one already mentioned to establish the truth of this observation ; let two suffice. The venerable Dr. before mentioned is at the present moment removing from Wales, the scene of his active life, to the place, I believe, of his nati- vity— certainly the place of his early life (Hereford) — to end, in all probability, his days, and amongst the few things he considers worth bringing with him are HIS liEES. And, again, a very hi,gbly respected friend, who has all Ids life been a bee-keeper, and who has, both by his careful observation of their habits and by his valuabh^ publications, done much for tlie furtherance of apiarian science, is now fi.^ed in the centre of London, where the attempt to keep hees would be altogether impracticable. Still, how- ever, the interest which he feels in their management is as much alive as ever, and is fully exemplified in his keeping a man almost constantly employed in making liives for the purpose of presenting to his apiarian friends in dift'erent parts of the kingdom, i can spriik to this circumstiinrp witli mncli plcnsurc. forlhavr luv.rll' ],rrn II ivri|,ir,il Innilanv U'lir. of all his invriiliiiii^. miniv nl' wliirli iut fiir sii[irriiu' In anything <>{ Ihr knul 1 liiid rvrv l.olbi-c siru. EXTRACTS FROM A NOTE-BOOK. In my late remarks upon jiniiiiii'j ir;/. 1 advisedly used the words, " out from mr," Imi emitted to say, why./'rom me, which is imi'iiiiinii : lor. however sharp the knife, the usual cut oil' tmninls you endangers dr.agging the ivy from its hold on tlm wall, which if once done, even in a small degree, there is great risk of the next high wind tearing it ofl' piecemeal. I have seen as much as twenty yards on a screen wall brought down all at once from tins cause, and only replaced by copper mre and the use of suitable nails and st;i]ilrs. In reference to copper wire, I find it It is ilu-xible and resists all ctl'ects of the weather. I am so partial to the use of this wire that, when thin- ning my grapes, I take a coil of the fittest size, and after stretching it to its utmost (after the manner of bellhangers) I cut it into various lengths, place these lengths upon a convenient board of portable construction, and after tlnnning a bunch, the shoulders of whicli require support or expansion, 1 take a suitatile length of the wire, bend it at each ead, and by hooking one end into the shoulder, and hanging the other end upon the parent branch, raftei-, training wires, or anything most suitable, I get through the op 'ration o'i ly'iiuj up much readier, and more to my satisfaction than by the use of bass strands, string, or anything else ; and after the griiji-. III.' j.i I o ivil, tlie wires, being preserved and suiii' I .> lii I i i nil for years I fancy [ have so;ne ])rL' : ,1-11 . r I I'll upon the subject, from having buik a i/nrii/uiiisr m the midJle of a large town, the suii not reaching it until 11 o'clock, and the vines having to run up a trellis 10 feet high before enter- ing; and when I was told by some experienced grape growers I should not get a berry, yet out of which small house I cut, the seventh year after planting my vines, 313 bunches of good eatable grapes — and though late (for I used no firing) some of them deli- cious— and sent as presents to my friends in a triumph. I had only seven rafters, and the sorts were. Black Hamburgh, White and Grizzly Fron- tiguac, and White Muscat of Alexandria; soiiv of this latter scarcely got ripe. Whilst on the subject of tf^Kes, I will me ntion a little matter that cannot he too much know 1. although of no use this voar. Speechley (with \ •hoiii 1 was ])i'rsoniillv ari|iiiiiiili'(ll is very dithisi' u| even alter In- n .i.lir;,ii ,11 of s'iUiir-w:iK. blaild.'r. searin", &l--. 1 i . ill. Ill ilii.lv without cure; where- as an aiimi , 1 1 ; Id me oi a very simple remedy, wli" ,, 1 '. ioiiformly found efficacious, and it is till ',. ■ ,[ 111 parts of old cheese .and unslaked limj ; work them well together into the consistency of putty, when, after cutting the bleed- ing vine at the injured place quite smooth, with a slope, so as to bi'iiig nil llio sup v.'ssels equally under till' oprratioii, pliir- a siiHi/ieiit iiiniitity of the com- po-ilion upon Ihr mil oi' yinr thumb, and, by a sti'oii.L;- pn's-^iii-r llii'iTof. woi'l; as nnich of the com- poiuid as possible up into the sap vessels at the cut, and in a few hours J have always found the bleeding to cetise. roini'l Iv.l mil III ' i ■ ii^iiiiillv iloih', wli.'ii 'small, liy III' rniiiu'iiii ; 1-, i .» cl.-irnv tl hiimber of llir hrllov, s Willi i ili |..' . | m i ht i u' I lir roiir-irst tobacco (leaves ol' yoiii' own iiiM'.vin;; iiml ili'ving are cheapest and best) ; put a bir^ln n .1 hoi riuder from the tire upon the top of the clini^ ■ \', Inn in the house; blow gently until the tiro -vis Imhl. and tlieu puff away as Inn'.;' iis ynii ciin rrmaiii for the smoke; then, hav- in;;' a siiiiilili' iipri'iiirr near the floor, puff away thniii'^li till' -mill' : iiml li.ilf a pound of tobacco will, if w.'ll apnliril. roinnloirlv liU tho plarr, so as the liliinl, tiii'i'i'iii (' ol iil'lii'sl 111' MTii, and every grcon lly will l.r pn^l i-onn ory. Of u'se this should be douo al'lrr llie si.iii luia left, and iho house shut up for the night as close as possible. If rain- ing, the better, as many chinks in the glass will be then closed up by the water. nue- Sclffecihii'j iVoi'i oiiiiploto elHcacy ol A friend of my ac- June THE COTTAGE GARDENER. quaiutanoe lias one of theso stOTes iu liis hall, and such is its etficieucy that, it warms tlie whole place beyond need ; and I am satisfied that, as there is no noisome smell, dirt or any other objection, it will be found best of anything, for the use of amateurs, where great heat is not required, and where cleanli- ness aud economy are considerations. Indeed, such is the smallness''of cost iu fuel that two might be ungrudgingly used, where one was found not suffi- cient. About a peck of coke will supply one for six or eight hours (according to size and draft) ; so that, feeding itself imtil the whole is consumed, two fill- ings, the one at three or four o'clock in the afternoon, and the other at ten, would carry the heat all well and safe through the night. I was greatly pleased on noticing your reference, a week or two ago, to the cottager's nosegai/oi gilli- flower; for such nosegay, mth the addition of sothern- wood or ladslove, has for many years been one of my noticeable delights of a village church congrega- tion— being amongst the almost unvarying appen- dages of a respectable cottager. — Q. POTATO CDLTUEE. I HAVE been particularly desirous of learning the best mode of cultivating "the potato, more especially for the benefit of the numerous holders of half-acre allotments in this parish (in which every labouring man has, for some years, liad half an acre of good land at a low rent), amongst whom I have witnessed sad distress, on account of the loss of that staple ar- ticle of food. I have a beautiful piece of land, about three quarters of an acre in all, of which rather more than half an acre lies in a pleasant slope to the S. and S.W., surrounded by walls to the E. and N. An excellent wholesome soil, rather light, and the subsoil limestone rock ; of all the pieces of land I ever saw, the best calculated to bear good and early pota- toes. I broke it up (it was an orchard) last year, and it bore, the first year, a very good crop of potatoes ; though half the crop was rotten, the remainder was excellent. Having read all I could get at, that seemed worth the trouble, aboiit potatoes, I determined to ti-y the fol- lowing various plans. When the crop was dugout, I put by, in a large dry room, a few sacks of the same po- tatoes that grew there last year, because I believe that it is not necessari/ to change the seed, and I wished to try. These were Soden's early Oxford, an excellent and very early potato. I laid them out, their heads all one way, according to Cuthill's excellent plan, and left them, on straw, to shoot. Before planting time they had produced fine strong shoots, from three to eight inches long, very thick and strong. (1 planted, in October, a few perches of these, before they began to shoot, but not on the slope — at the bottom of it, where there is a clay subsoil, much less fit for po- tatoes. I put them in deep to avoid the frost.) I bought a sack or two of Ash-leaved Kidneys, but not having room for them in-doors, I dug a trench as Cuthill advises, in which I laid them to shoot ; and along with them I placed a few sacks of Pretty Betties, grown in tlie same orchard. I also sent to Fifeshu-e for some other eai'ly potatoes, to see whether change of seed was an advantage or not. In the month of November I trenched the whole of the gi'ound, 20 inches from centre to centre, as Cuthill advises, and sowed over the ridges 2 cwt. of salt and 4 bushels of soot to 15 perches. It is exactly according to Cuthill's plan, but seems to be a very small quantity. In the middle of Januaiy I began 10:3 planting. I took all the sots out nf the room, had them laid very carehilly im triiys, ii'i.'cliii.i( rvery one that had the snuxllest iujiiry l.'. lln' ynuu.^- ^lloot, laid them at the bottom of tlir hvnclio, iiml turned the ridges over them. I did the same thing with the Betties and also with the Ash-leaves. The Scotch ones I had not taken so much care with, having no room to lay them out singly ; hut they were planted as above. The early Oxfords (whicli h ad been laid out in a, Roosi,) have all come up wonderfully strong, shoots as thick as my httle finger, and thicker in some places. They came up very early, long before those of the same sort planted in the autumn, and were cut off three several times by the frost, (excepting a few which I was enabled to cover with straw, and where I hope to dig young potatoes in eight or ten days). But they have recovered themselves most wonderfully since I wrote to you, and are now, not- withstanding their having been cut off by frost, large and strong in the stem and leaf, looking as green aud rich as ever I saw a potato in my life. They are the admiration of everybody here. The Scotch potatoes are also looking very well. They were out ofi' once by the frost, but have made play since wonderfully ; but they are not so fine as the Oxfords (of whioli, you will remember, the seed was grown in the same laud). I now come to the Betties and Ash-leaves. You will remember that they were laid by to shoot iu a pit. They were covered with straw and earth heaped over them, to keep them from the frost. There they shot wonderfully in the winter They were taken out in January, like the Oxfords, very carefully ; but the difference between them was this : the Oxfords, in- doors, had been kept quite dry ; those in tlie pit, though in a rocky soil, liad got damp. This last circumstance I am sure it is which has caused them to rot. Tliey were Tiot pitted in a heap, you will un- derstand, but laid in rows, no one potato being on any other — one potato thick. I mean ; so no fermen- tation could take place, hut they got damp there ; and though the few that have come up are unusually strong and fine, at least 19 out of 20 rotted in the earth and never came up. This aud two or three other experiments I have made, prove to me clearly that whatever be the original cause of the rot, diy- ness is its cure, and moisture only increases it. May I be permitted to add that my intention in so acting with ray potatoes was this : to get them all out in June, manure the ground immediately with stable or fann-yard dung, plant it with mangold-wm-tzel (saved in a bed for the purpose), pull and store the mangold-wurtzel in the beginning of November, and then trench, salt and soot again, and so, without any change of seed at all, get two crops every year off the same piece of land. I did this to show the allotment holders what the land is capable of. Owing to cir- cumstances, the late frosts, &o., I fear I shall not he able to do it this year ; but I feel sure that it is, on hght and well drained land like mine, easily to be done, and if I live I will try. I shall be very happy to shew you the land, &c., if ever you come this way; and, as we are close to a railway station, you may perhaps pass ns some day. I must add that no other potatoes in this neighbourhood, that I know of, have failed, excepting only those which were allowed to get damp in my pit in the winter. Rev. T. E. FLOWER STAND OR TABLE. A description of this, which I have had in use for the last four years, may interest some of your read- ers. It has "a pillar and claw about one foot ten THE COTTAGE GAEDENEK. JUNL inches high, tevmiuating in a peg wliioli receives tlie slab of the tabic. The slab is about two feet in diameter, and has a coiTesponding hole in its centi-e, and vests on the ledge formed bj' the difference of size between the pillar and the peg, wliioh latter is of the thiokuess of the slab, so as to be flush with its surface. A couple of small bolts which ran into the pOlur, and are let into the surface of the slab on each side, seoin-e it in its place. The object of making it moveable is, that the sub-sm-face is flat or bevelled at the edge, and, with a cloth cover, makes a pretty book table ; and the other surface has a moalding round the edge, and, being turned upper- most when a flower-stand is wanted, receives a ring of wire or osier basket-work, about seven inches high; and withm that a tin tray, about five inches deep, which may be turned to account in various ways: the most obvious is to hold cut flowers, and when full of rhododendrons it has a fine eifeot. Another simple use is to hold pots of blooming plants ; and those who have tried the dotihle potting you so often recommend will see the merit of the fol- lowing contrivance. A strong lattice-work, or board fifll of large holes,"rests on legs about one inch high at the bottom of the tin, which is filled so far witli water that the surface of the board shall be quite diy — on this the pots stand ; and the interstices between them all, and between tliem and the basket- work; being lightly filled or covered with moss, the pots and' roots are kept constantly cool and damp by evaporation. Much admiration has been excited by two other uses to which I have put my flower-table. I have made a miniature geometric gai-den, by placing sundry jellv iiots, i-c, in regular order, then filling the intoi\;'; wil: .liuiii sand or soil, and sowing mustard i in - the eifect of a gTeen ground (moss a:; |..,!iiuse); each vase being then filled Willi Lia null 11.-, uf well harmonized colours, a difi'erent mass in each, the efi'eot is complete. I also fill my tin with water in the simimer, covering the surface w'ith white ^\-atei--lily leaves and flowers, which, if not all.. . / ,,, ,.,,,,/ ,,, ;', ...,„. close and expand for man \ , , ■ ■ ly, making a miniattu'e lake. \.!, ! i; i m i i with admi- ration. The tin i.i;,y L. iiil-a wiV.i inu.si, and bulbs growing in it, in spring, iiany other devices would suggest themselves to any one who possessed one of these tables, whicli I believe to be of a fashion of much older date than myself, or, perhaps, than any of yom' readers, but not tlie less worthy of their notice on that account. A Flower Lovku fP.oji CarLDiiooD. STRAWBERRIES. The following observations, made by us in another publication, are appropriate at the present season. Hound strawberry plants grown in distinct rows, it is necessary to cover the surface of the soil with straw between the rows, or with the mowings of grass, during the blooming and tniiting. This pre- serves nioi''v ,liri-.vl:^'"'l. '^'iH. i-nvmngs, howf'Y.T iM "■■ I '■.' ' ' ' ■'■■ 1 ■ and other |)/- . ■ ,;i,, i .. ■ ••! "|. -j.iiato form lia-,( i' ',-..• r.ii|i|l|l\ ■ ii'."_;r-|. ,1 ;,.:i -illlsti- tutc. Gi-ass u-ill 111' louiid 'to answer better than straw. It does not harbour slugs or mice so much, for, as it whlicrs, it lies so close and compactly on the ground that they cannot crawl under it; ancl, at the same tune, the surface always remains dry and crisp, ofi'ering a safe and clean bed for the fruit to rest upon. This supposes, of course, that care is taken in spreading it not to lay on too much ; enough to cover the surface of the ground, but not more, is all that is required. When tOes are emploj'ed. each tile should have a circle foiu' inches in diameter cut from its centre, be 12 inches square, and be in two parts. They might bemads for a vei-y few shillings per lOUO, aiil les-: than half that number would cover a bed six !.xn by forty. It would improve theii- assistant-ripening jjowers if painted with coal-tar. A tile of another foi-m for this purpose has been lately invented by Mr. John Roberts, of 34, East- cheap, London. "It is represented in the accompa- nying woodcut, and is thus recommended by hhn : — and produce fruit much finer and earlier. The tiles are placed on feet to allow the wet to run under; and should the plants grow so large as to ovcrliang the tile, they can bo 1,. |,i '.r. {',:< 'r.- ■■'..' ■ ■ 1.. i . -m >.i' a small socket, 'fli > ■ i : :, > ; n--.! with the durabilil;. : i ' "■ ' n once purchased tin-;, xmH !::-* ; -z imii,; _. ■ r- \\r think they would be better without" feet, for the hollow underneath is a shelter for slugs. PELARGONIUMS. The ibUowdng were in collections taking either first or second prizes at the Horticultural Society's Shew at Chiswick, June 'Jth. Beauty of Claiiha Berthn Cassandra Centurion Cinderella Cruenta Chimbor.izo Duke .. MaWd Hero of Surre Ibraliim Fuel. Jenny Lind La Belle 1)'.-V1 The fancy pelargoniums are certainly a new feature June THE COTTAGE GARDENEE. in geranium growing, and ai'e very beautiful when exliibitod in such line s]jeeimens as were seen at Cbiswielc. There is a neatness and elegance about them that is exceedingly pleasing; grown as the exliihitors manage tlieir plants they arc great orna- ments to the greenhouse. Amongst tlie many nice varieties now cultivated there is none in our opinion superior to Anias as a light one, and jStatuiski as a darli one. Amongst the seedlings ol: this class Mr. Ambrose had one named Beauty, of a dark colour in the upper petals, with the lower ones blotched with rose, whicli promises to be a very good variety ; also The Gar- land, a variety with a goodly quantity of that beau- tiful rose-colour, similar to Anias ; and Formosa, of a much deeper rose and better shape. In the collections of the other kinds of pelargo- niums, amongst the older varieties, Mr. Stains's Pencics, Miss HoU'onl. and Pearl, were splendid specimens of beauty and skill. Mr. Cocks, of Chelsea, had also a very line scarlet-gTound variety, named Salamander, which, for high colom-iug and large trusses of large flowers, was much and deservedly admu-ed ; he had, also very line, Centurion, a dark flower ; Pictum, rose chiefly ; and Bosamond, a deep rose. Mr. Robinson's Forc/etme-not was a specimen not easUy to be forgotten ; it is a grand improvement upon the DiiJie of Cornwall ; also liis Pearl, Sarah, Negress, and Beauty of Clapham, were exceedingly tine. Seedlings of this class that were worth grow- ing again were somewhat numerous. Beck's Major domo struck us as being one of the best both in form and oolom', always excepting Hoyle's Prince of Orange, which was describee^ in our account of the May meeting ; this splendid variety was again shewn at this meeting, and again in excellent condition ; every geranium grower must have it. Hoyle's Ru- hens and Ajax are also first-rate varieties. Upon the whole, the shew of pelargoniums was re- spectable as to quality, but deficient, sadly deficient, as to quantity ; indeed, if the fancy varieties had been absent the tent would have been half empty. How are we to account for this? The fashion is to shew such large plants that very few individuals either can or will afl'ord greenhouse room enough, and this is the grand reason why there are so few competitors. Reduce the number of plants required for each prize, or have two sets of numbers. Why not have threes or fours as well as sLxes '? We t\a-o\i out these hints for the serious consideration of the Council of the Horticultural Society. Pelargonium Exhibition. — AgTeeably to adver- tisement, an exhibition of seedhng pelargoniums took place, on Friday, the 15th instant, at Upton Park, near Slough, This exhibition is got up by tlie raisers of Pelargoniums for the express purpose of provingtbeir seedlings. Competent judges are chosen, and the plants placed before them to adjudicate upon; then' juclgment is to be final, stamping, of course, a great value upon such as they give prizes to. We like this plan much ; there can be no mistake in this matter. The ordeal that each flower exlubited has to go through, should it win a prize, gives it " a character for life." The following w'ere judged worthy of their respec- tive prizes: — Foster's Oipsij Bride, a dark flue va- riety; Magnificent, a noble rose variety, raised by Major Foquet, Isle of Wight ; Field Marshal (Veitch and Sons, Exeter), a bright scarlet-ground variety ; Aurora's Beam (Beck), a dark rose variety. EXTRACTS PEOM COEEESPONDENCE. Dkiving away Moles. — In your answer to Jethero, on til'' liiili nf Miiv. you say you know of no method ol'iu: ' > ; I Kilos out of his garden. Kow, there is ii ; ' I i;ni I liave seen adopted, and, if drive them after what id sti'ong M lialves, the ii'l Ihey will of an onion -Thomas, you liavi^ told Iniii, In onions, old ones will and put one part ju^ can perceive the mol •\Try soon quit the pi fresh cut, it seems, is too strong for then Boxleij Road, Maidstone. Peas Boiled in theib Pods. — In your answer to correspondents, under this head, you state that they can be procmed in Paris, which is quite correct. They are grown all over the continent, and as far north as Sweden, but they are likewise grown to a very great extent in this country, I myself having two acres planted out for seed, comprising the under- mentioned sorts, which are those cultivated in this country : — Dwarf Sugar (or eatable pods), three feet high; TaU Sugar, five to six feet high ; and Tamarmd Sugar, five to six feet high. This last is very curious, the pod resembling the fi-uit of the tamarind, from the peas showing prominently outside ; the pods of this last will grow five inches long and one inch broad. For cooldng, care ni are young. — D. Haiks, Seed^u it they < Lane. Ameeican Bliuht. — In v;- ' ihlier you enumerate many recommemialinn . lo: ■;! iiiiig rid of the American blight from apple-trees. I have, for many years, used one whioJi I have never found to fail, and is perfectly harmless to the trees, viz., spirits of turpentine. This year, thoroughly to test whether it would hurt a tree, I caused one to he washed all over with it, and it now appears one of the most vi- gorous plants in the garden. — C. Moon's Influence. — I beg to inform you that I have tried planting peas in the increase of the moon, and in the decrease. Those planted in the decrease look much better, and are a great deal thicker, than those planted in its increase. The soil, the seed, and the situations are exactly the same in each. The first crop was planted on the 19th of March, the other on the 28th. Tliere is at least a fortnight dif- ference in then' appearance. — A gkeat Adjiikek, Malvern. [A great many more experiments, and all agreefaig in then- results, must be recorded before w^e shall have the behef established in us, that the moon's age at the time of sowing has any influence over the productiveness of the future crop. — Ed. O. G.] Entike E.u'able Peas and Autumn Plantino Potatoes. — Seeing a notice about the entire eatable pea in yom- useful Journal, I inquired of my brother, who grew some at Mottiugham last year. He says they are neither a profitable nor yet a very good pea, unless eaten so young as to be wasteful. They are not equal to the Iddney bean, between which and the common pea, he says, they appear to be a cross (if such a thing is possible.) With respect to autumn planted potatoes, I may add the experience of my last year's crop, which was a very good and healthy one up to the time we began lifting, which I intended doing by taking up every alternate row as requu-ed. We iiad not gone far when they were attaolced with the blight, the tops all fell, and the potatoes became so spotted that I thought it advisable to lift them at once during the wet weather we had, and to dry them on a hot plate. These did not keep wlule we used ICG THE COTTAGE GARDENEB. tliem, and those left imdug were worse still, so tliat it was quite impossible to save any for this year's planting. While those that were dug loose in the gi-oimd, hut escaped notice, have come up amongst the cabbages, which were planted immediately, in such a stronp: ;iud hcflltliv niauncv tlipt 1 have tilled up the -:!;-'': ! I ■; :li;~ -■ t'- ■■r-i- ^y them. I ', ' ■ ' ; ii ■' : ■ high ,111,1 •- !- .,■■;. OnthoM'l.i;,i||.>i L\ Mr ;.;„;• I^M.T :.• A April, 1 counted iillceu slight items most of those missed in the^ ground, a perfectly sound in ^larch. and these with the spots on appeared to he just as they w-r- i:; t^r- I'-.tiiiiin, and the remainder of the poail' mi certainly next autumn, if mine :!!■. : .• loose from the stems without takii:;, i ;:, a wanted. — P. M. L., Stockwell. SinmiNG CfTTixes. — I have substituted h glasses for phials, and white sand for mould, in striking cuttings of roses and fuchsias, and in my opinion they look infinitely better, and are more secure while standing on the window ledge. I cer- tainly have found it an excellent plan, and am much indebted for your suggestion. — Ax Admitskr of your | JoURXAl. ansplantiug - l(i inches v one stem. oor, eai'ly in in one root ; stated, were ^hall ill. TO inth t answers to my queries, yet I could not forbear smil- ing to think that i had been familiar with the ■• vinegar plant " of your con-espondents for men' than -10 years without beiuff aware of it. It turn< out to be ter, mucilagi fermentatin; sugar vim , can be us- other houi' Shelter FOR Flowers. • — I send you the aocom- pianying drawng of a simiilifled method of shading, or protecting, flowers from sun or rain. A friend of mine who is a gi-ower of tulips, wish- ing to retard some of the forward bloom as well as protect them from the recent rains, and not ^" ' . wishing to place an awn- ing over the whole bed, was at a loss for a simple, yet efficient plan, until Mr. John Gale, of this place, gave him the above, which answers admirably. It is suited to any description of plant or flower, by using various sizes of sticks and pots, and is considered to be the best and most efficient mode of partial shad- ing known here, — H. K., Wldthy. To Stop .\ Vine's Bleeding. — The following de- scribed cement I have found the most effectual to }n-eveut a cut or broken vine from bleeding, I keep it in a small glue pot to prevent it fi'om burning, when heated for use : — a oz, of rosin, 1 oz, of bees' wax, and 1 ov.. of red ochre : while in a melted state add a little plaster of Paris. The late Mr. Knight recommended a mixture of quick-lime and the poorest cheese pounded together. I have used this, but in vei-y had cases I have not found it to answer, though it usually has the effect desiri^d, — Eev, C, A, A. Lloyh, WJdttington, near Osireslrij. BoscoREL Oak, — I wnnld inst, mm " Royal Oak," as it is i"ili il i- -■•'M -'■•> cobei. It is a rather liin ' : n closed within ii'on palisiii I and reared within a cnir! i ; really could not say foi' I- ^ : i it as it is at present, I n i- i ■ been in its present statr I.t ii 1- v ii Lover of Gardening, VJNEG.A.R Plant. — Your coiTespondenco must, think, be the most onerous and troublesome part of your editorial duties, and which I am bound to say you most faithfully discharge, I thank you for your tion that the ■wing at_ Bos- li 1 was born , ,^..' ilacc, I - it has 1.1;. y'jv-.—l\ plant" at all, but mere inorganic mat- in invariable product of the acetous V 1 ''■,,' --^ipfar made with it, merely 11 as well as the best that . . :. if which more anon, AU 11' \i :i .iis, either expend part of theii" preserving (pialilies on the juices of the vegetables employed (cowslip for instance), or, as in the case of gooseberries, contain another acid beside the acetic (■vanegar), viz,, the malic acid, abundant in all our fridts, but which rather detracts from, than assists in, the preservation of vegetables. The " vinegar plant" I have said is mucilage; it is called by the l''i!ii''. liii.l iiiiiiili vinegar manufacturers "mother (,, . .1 is found that a portion of it put iu.i .. . 1 materially accelerates the acetous fcniii.ut,.u^jij. though, fi-om many year's' experience, I muoli doubt a good vinegar being made in so short a time as " five weeks," 1 am of opinion tliat in that short time the whole of the alcohol (the first product of fermentation), woiild not be decomposed, nor woiUd the whole of the mucilage be separated, the -latter condition being essential to a good vinegar for pick- ling. Indeed, the boiling of vinegar in this process is only intended, by coagulation, to sepai-ate any mu- cilage that may remain. In my family for six and thirty years we have been in the habit of making a nil!! '. ';llr.. ,1-1. I ,lant;" belie^•ing it to be of tbr f-v'] f:nvilv.--ED, G. O.] ' . ■ i\ Turf, — If it be true chamomile 1 . . ,. .'S.I why shoidd yoiu' correspondent, ■ I I . 1,1, .^.'t lid of it'.' In the soil which I',. 'Ill' .11 ii, ■■ |'':ii'i. 11 .[iiiii'i, .'.1' sand, I have seen 111' ' . ; 1 ' . ( I .'I rliamomUe only. It li:: 1. . . : . ' I'lrfu ever possesses; is " ii ■ , ' ii.'i , ■ 1 ' iii'odle between the Iri' ' .. ' ! . ; I'M"'!'' of the soil; when li'i'M I ,1 . II ' 1 ' , I iVagi'ance ; and in 111'. i'"-i 1 1 111 I II" -111 r- IT. -. rvfs a perpetual and vivid ycriliii'r, wliirli in a sliaip sandy soil, gi-ass-turf will lint do; of course, it must be "often mown to keep down the lilossoius. If the soil be such, to whicli t)ie plant is native and congenial, it might be wiser tu convert thr whole tiu'f to chamomile, tliau to root out that which intrudes there, — W, P. T, Quicki:n Grass, — I would suggest a fourth way to the salts and oxides of these metals are highly poisonous. Junk THE COTTAGE GARDENER. get rid of iriticum rcpens, in addition to those men- tioned by you at p. 138. Neitliev tliat, iior ;iiiy otlier oreepinff-rooted grass willlong eiiduii', iii!l(>--; it Ims loose, deep, and light soil. No one evri- s:i\v 7'iilicum ivjk'hs in or round the gateway of a lirhl wliere cattle or sheep are frequently driven in and duI. nor in a field whioli has been for some years haliitu. illy depastured, unless it be in the hedge-rows and hiinks. where the cattle do not tread. If your correspondent, " Amateur," will try frequent rolling with a heavy roller, I am induced to think he will find the Tiiticum repens gradually disappear, without deforming his lawn by digging it up for a potato crop, or trenching. Any other mode of compression, as the making his lawn a fair field, or a village cricket ground, or the site of a bazaar, or a horticultvn'al exhibition, or folding it with sheep repeatedly, will have the same effect.— W. P. T. Destruction of Ants. —It may be trseful to know that I have found a moderately strong solution of the common washing soda available for destroying ants. In two spots in our garden they have not appeared since I gave their hills a good soaking. The soda does not appear to have injured the box (against which the bills were tlu-own up) in the least degree. — WlLLI.«I T. Death of a Distikguished Gooseberry Grower. — We have this week to record the death, under very melancholy circumstances, of one of the most successful cottage gardeners in the north of England, namely, of Mr. John Dees, mason, of Gosforth, near Newcastle-on-Tyne. It appears that on Thurs- day last, the deceased, together with a fellovv-work- mau, was engaged in making a " staple," and whilst suspended in a cage down the pit-shaft for that pur- pose, an explosion of fire-damp took place, wliioh ujjset the cage, and precipitated tbeni to the bottom, a distance of fifty yards — both being dreadfidly mu tilated. The deceased mostly excelled in tlie culti- vation of fruit and vegetables, and many are the instances recorded in the local newspaiiers, for years past, of his numerous successes in winning prizes, at the difFdrent shows in the district; but in the cul- tivation of the gooseberry he pre-eminently distin- guishe I himself, and vanquished all competitors in the neighbourhood. Last year he grew a red one fo the weight of ii dwt. 5 gr. Destruction of Potatoes in Lancashire. — The potatoes on the moss lands in the neiglibourhood of Garstang, in Lancashire, have been totally destroyed by the late frosts, tlie first of which occurred on the morning of May 'JSth, the second on the 8th, and the third on the lath of June. By this last attack the hard land potatoes have also sufFjred eousi- derably. Whether any of the tubers will yet be enabled to send forth new shoots is, at present, ira- jiossible to say, but the loss will, under any circum- stances, be very great, as many hundreds, if not thousands, of acres are completely cut down by this imlooked for visitation. Replanting with the early lands would be the best and most certain remedy, but such seed cannot at all times be procured. — M. Saul, Oarstang. [We once knew a good crop of potatoes pro- duced on some very dry land, and in a very favour- able season, from sets planted in July ; but we cannot consider planting in June, even the earliest sorts, anything like a "certain remedy" for the case in question. If the autumn prove wet and cold, there would be no crop worth consideration. — Ed. C. O.] SCRA.PS. Beautiful British Plants, No. III. — Barharea vulgaris. — Yellow Roelcet. — This line plant, a native of the sides of our damji ditches and small water- fonrses, is noticed on account of a double variety of it being pretty general in cultivation, thriving in almost any soil or situation, and blooming profusely during the summer months. Cardamlne pratcnals. — Cuckoo Flower. — A beau- tiful plant enlivening our moist meadows with its elegant lilac flowers in the early S])ring months. There is a double variety in cultivation, well adapted for the shaded side of rock work. Hesperis matronalis. — Dame's Violet. — This rather uncommon native plant should be in every collection where good flowers are grown. It has large hand- some and fragrant heads of lilac flowers. From it has originated all the varieties of double rockets, from the brightest purple to white, which ornament our gardens, and never shall we forget the sensation produced on our first acquaintance with this odori- ferous gem in its native grandeur near the town of Gargrave, in Yorkshire. Drnba aiznides. — -Whitlow Grass. — A diminutive, yet interesting, rock plant, with its leaves collected in dense cushion-like tufts, and bright yellow flowers in March and April ; well worthy the attention of the cultivator. Draha incana. — Twisted-podded Whitlow Grass. — This interesting species is well worthy the attention of the curious fronn its great rarity, being seldom met with except on almost inaccessible rocks. Falcon Glints, in Durham, is one station where it is toler- ably abundant. GocUearla officinalis. — Scurvy Grass. — A plant met with pretty frequently among the stones and banks of most" of our rivers, with fine glaucous leaves and white flowers, blooming from early spring through most of the summer months. It is fre- quently met with on the sea-coast. Helianthemuni guttatum. — Spotted Rock Rose. — A very rare and interesting little annual, with bright yellov7 flowers, each petal of which has a bright red spot at is base : should be sown on fine soil in a cold frame, as the seeds seldom vegetate in the open air. Helianthemuni vulgare. — Common Rock Rose. — Of this beautiful and well-known rock plant there are splendid varieties, both with single and double flowers, througli every shade of colour, from deep crimson to bright yellow. Heliantliemum poUfolium. — .Another of those beau- tiful Yock roses which add such interest to the station where they are met with ; with hoary leaves and white flovvers. Very rare. The specimen in our herbarium is from St. Vincent's rocks, near Bristol. — S. — Durham Advertiser. CABP.iTHiAN Bell Flower {Campanula carpatioa). — Last summer we saw some large patches of tliis old herbaceous plant growing in a border so luxuri- antly, and shewing such a brilliant display of its blue flowers, that we resolved to recommend it for more general attention, and to inquire more about its ha- bits, but a necessity for this is in some degree re- moved by the following communicated to the Gar- dener's Chronicle, by Mr. J. F. M'Elroy, of Stamford Hill : — '■ This desirable herbaceous plant grows ra- pidly, and may be readily increased in April by divi- sion ; the (rooted) slips should be planted 4 inches apart in a bed of rich compost, well drained. In borders plant in patches consisting of five plants 168 THE COTT.-\GE GAEDENER. each. The above mode of culture must be adopted annuallj', in oi-der to ensure success. My plants quickly cover the bed in which they are planted, producing a mass of blue flowers during the latter part of the summer and the whole of the autumn months. Its height, wlien in flower, is from one foot to 18 inches. As seed-pods appear I remove them, in order to give strength to the plants, and to extend its season of blooming. If plants are not obtain- able, a little seed sown in April in heat will produce flowering plants next autumn. There is also a white variety of this beautiful hardy plant." It has been for many years known to our gardeners, having been inti'oduced here as long ago as 1774, fi-om the Carpa- tliian mountains in Hungary. Wholes.\ie Destruction of Binns. — Mr. Bree, of Stowmarket, finding that in his district a system has been extensively introduced of poisoning birds by wholesale, observes in a letter which he has just pub- lished, " I take the liberty of predicting that in the com'se of a few years the farmers of this eorm try will be unable to grow corn crops at all ! You must not be startled at a supposition so bold as this. I will preface my explanation by a short statement mn&e in works upon natural liistory upon the very best authority. Many years ago, the coffee plants in the Island of Madagascar were attacked by the grakle, a well-known bird on the African coast. The grakle is an insect feeder, but having used up the supply, it betook itself in pure necessity to coffee. An edict was speedily issued and carried into effect, for the annihilation of grakles, and every bird on the island was destroyed. All went on very weU for a year or two ; when, lo and behold, the insects and their larvje having the field to themselves began to make sad havoc upon the coffee plants. What was to be done ? There was no alternative but that of bringing back the grakle, which was in due season imported. The coffee planters had, however, gained something by experience, and they resolved to prosper by the same ; they managed to keep the grakle within bounds, and they well knew that he would do the same by the insects. And they were right. By preserving a juste milieu doctrine between the two they were ena- bled to grow coffee. Now I apprehend the fanners in the present il.iy nrr iiri-li in tli- ■ jiiir p.i^iUon as the coffee pi i . . ■''■'.'■ ', , lias been for somi^ ii' .mi.. ^ i , .io-h- bourbood of [mi ..,iiii.-' '.i. ;- 1 !■. i < . ;:' iii.i.:-;iuds upon tbuLisands have' thus been destroyed, and the syslciii cuutiunes. Can anything, I ask, be more absurd and irnitional, I had almost said stupid, than this abominable praetioe ? I will say nothing about the beauty and harmony of living natme, I will not whisper a syllable of the goodness, and beneficence, and wisdom of its great .-Vuthur, for I icuuw from i.x]ic- such ar;.., i. .- . .. 'i ; :! .. . i. ■ TO CORRESPONDENTS. OUT Skiks i.i ioi'fi- 0/ Gardening:.— Thunki fo} ill be allotted as you desire. Never mind "troubling' n editor's natural state of ( " ' • BlA t be the sole p. 124, the beds will look too unsightly. Being below the surface will be no disadvantage to them, and the" edges might be sloped off. The jilants are too old to be moved with success; and, if you are determined upon breaking up yuur beds, you had better plant two or three-year-old plants next spring, from which you may cut in two years. You will tind full directions for tank-making at pp. l:i5, 242, 278, 288, 308, and 312 of vol. i., and at page 61 of this volume. Filberts from Seed (Vertumnns). — It is quite impossible to foretell the quality of the fruit your seedlings Will produce. In general, those with the largest leaves are best. Worms IN Strawberries (Rev. E. F.).— These are not "wire- worms," hut, if we remember right, a species of millipede {Jutuv}. If you will send us specimens we will tell you more about them. Hot-bed of Tah (Peg-o.^i/s).— The t.in must be three feel deep, and had better be made within a bin or frame of boards, and its bot- tom on the ground's suiface. You may form it in a hole dug to that depth, however, if the ground is dry. The centipedes will do your plants no harm. Fresh tan. well drained, must 1,l- used. If entirely lu the shade, nothing v/ill Fi'-^r^'pd in yaiv l.,.>t-hp.) fyfcpt ni,>vlirn'^nis. Caxke] cankered, ine latter ^. . <. ,1 ,, .I'y wet, stiff, white clay," :iti., ■..,.. ..| !:..-.■ i... .'..i. ., ... r ini-t this. As the surface-soil is [iood, and twenty-two nwia-, (.l--cp, you need not hesitate to apply the obvious remedy. Dig a trench by the side of each cankered tree, deep enough and'wiile enontrh to enable you to get effectually at the tap-root, which cut through eleanlv and entirely. All the cankered shoots must be cut off, and the sooner this is "done the better. Moss ON Frdit-tbees (WW).— This also is evidence that your soil is too wet to grow apples, &e. healthily. Drain it thoroughly, or you will not keep away either canker or moss. To remove the latter, scrape it off, and brush the trunks and main branches over with a Soil for Potting {.'1 iVot'icc).— Your garden soil at Bolton-le- Moors is " stiff and cold," which will not do for potting purposes; but the mirserym.m is quite right who told you that " garden mould" fwliinh i- :i 1 ^.im' wonM answer your purpose if you cannot get fresh la;ii,i h .1.1 I i.i 'm. We think tlie fly eating your young cucumber ;iii I . .:; t be the //a//ic// Hej"0/'H»j, described at page 9j . i ' iiing a little fivsh gas lime over the surface ot 111. .1 ,11, . I 'In- I'liints, 7i(^i 0)1 ///e;ji, will banish the maraudeis. i^oi V...L.1 aii.ui.-.i Ijuiucr, try the plants recommended to "H. W., Tewlcculjui-ii," at page 133, for his north border. Ants, to Destro-v (L. H.).— All the information we have to give upon this subject you will find at pp. 30, 51, and 114 of the present volume. t affected. pestilence amuug Uic brai this I will say, that il lli blindly and wiiruliy inlo 1 of tiir ....,;:... 1.1 : .■ ..; ',;, .:.,, ...r i the giaii. I 11, ... ,.,..; :.. ., :,. tllis.J.i.i|.|. ., I , ;.. they .' l:ii,-.i III ...( 1....J...... [|,.-ii I only ellect their o\vn ruin, but they w cause a great national calamity." .iLliliy lll.u „u I \A God's works. But ■s of England run i:Ci and lalal error THE COTTAGE GAKDENEE, No fruit tree will long he successfully cultivated with so great an abuse. We hold that the upper nine inches of surface fibres is fairly worth more than the rest of the roots together. Try and remove your cropping four feet at least from the wall, and examine your plum blossoms next March, and perhaps you will find very many of them minus the pistil or female organ. If so, it is impossible to obtain a crop. Geraniums (5. H. E.).—T'ixe leaves of some of these wither a*^ the edge ; and others do not increase the size of their leaves. You gave them some liquid guano, but only water lately. There is some- thing the matter with the roots ; probably they were over dosed with tcuano, which is fully as dangerous to plants, when used by amateurs, as gunpowder in the hands of children. Shake oflf most of the old soil from the roots, and repot in fresh light rich compost, using pots as small as will contain the roots without cramping. Keep the plants in a back room, or by some other means from the sun for thp tirst ten days, and no more water than will keep the soil m.iibt, buv dump the leaves occasionally. This is always for unhealthy Cliildhood) .Some mesemhryanthemums never flower in England- some only partially, uud others freely. There are from 300 to 400 species of them. Some of them rcijuive very different treatment from others, therefore to say, do this or do that with yours, without knowing more about your sorts, might lead you wrong ; and as we are most anxious not to 'mislead, we hesitate rather than write on chance. However, all the family may be advantageously planted out on dry light soils on a south aspect during the summer ; and cuttings of the yovmg shoots, made at the end of July, and kept in sandy soil, will answer for nezt season better than the old plants. Mildew in Wakdian Cases (Ibid)— Ferns require hardly any water in a good Ward's case through the winter, and very little in summer. Over watering and rich soil induce mildew and mouldincss in these cases. After watering, the case should be left open for some hours to allow the excess of moisture to depart. BouvARDiA Triphvlla {/6irfJ.— Bouvardias are propagated in spring by short pieces of the roots, and in summer before they come to flower, by the young top of the shoots. The former way is the safest for you. Oleander (Ibid) .—Y oil ask whether the oleander may not be coaxed by moisture and warmth to make a growth immediately after the pruning, which is to succeed its flowering. Your plan of cutting all the shoots oflf the oleander after flowering would only succeed where it could be " coaxed with moisture and warmth" like that you might bestow on it. Many things lUiV/ do imder certain circumstances that would not be prudent to recommend generally. Caterpillars on Roses (A Parson's Wife),~You say, " last summer most of my rose-trees were attacked by numerous very small green caterpillars, which fixed themselves on the under side of the leaves, and devoured all the surface, so that the leaf either dropped off or remained perfectly brown and dead. Many trees were thus utterly stripped, and of course the fiowers ruined. This year I have watched narrowly, and, as soon as any brown spots on the outside have revealed the attacks of the enemy behind, I have cut off and burnt the leaf, and washed the neighbouring ones with soapsuds. But I fear the plague spreads, more especially on the climbers which are above my reach. Can you inform me how to preserve ray flowers at present, or how to destroy the nests another year?" All the knowledge we possess relative to these caterpillars is, that we saw their ravages in 1847 fov the first time, but have no knowledge how to get rid of them. We have written to the gardener who had the misfortune, and, if he gives us any information as to how he got rid of them, we will let you know. A dusting of white hellebore powder will perhaps destroy them. Seeds of Winter Aconite and Winter Violet (Ibid).— These may be sown as soon as they are ripe. They are very seldom reared that way. The winter aconite is increased by its roots like a crocus, and the violet from cuttings any time through the summer, and by dividing the old plants after flowering. ought to be dissolved, if broken the oil of vitriol precisely as we directed at p. 62 of our first volume. We do not know the net-maker you refer to. Bees Second Swar:\i [Novice].— Tq prevent your bees swarming a second time is quite an impossibility. After having once swarmed they will do so a second time, do what you will, except you venture upon turning up the hive, and cutting out every queen's cell that it contains. Perhaps you will be able to purchase a cast (second swarm), and to have it hived into one of "the cottage hives," and join your own to it when it comes, and so make another stock. Your old bell-shaped hive you had better keep as it is, to produce swarms, so long as it will last. The time of the second swarm leaving you will know by the queen's " piping." Nehium Oleander (-.' Cottage Subscriber).— Your blossom-buds " do not progress much ;" and, as your other treatment seems cor- rect, we think that all it requires is to be kept standing in a saucer constantly filled with water, until the flowering is over. See Mr. Beaton's excellent essay on this at p. 286 of our first volume. Sulphate of Ammonia (.'■i Friend of Chemistry).— Ca.ThQnatc of ammonia (common smelling salt) is a powerful manure, but re- quires to be used much weaker, and is not found to be so beneficial to plants as the sulphate. Why not dissolve the carbonate in water. and add oil of vitriol to it as long as any effervescence cr-'- ' You would then have formed a solution of the sulphate of Brompton and Queen Stocks (W. H. G.).— Your north horde will do very well as a nursery for your seedlings until the autumn. Vegetable-marrow (G. I. Bell). — This may be trained ove your " slanting jagged rock," at the back of your border. If yo Liquid Manure (Ibid).— You may use this to all kitchen- garden crops with very great advantage. Do not use it too strong, nop oftencr than once a week, in dry weather, In wet weather you may give it twice a week. We must" make the following extract from our correspondent's letter :—" I was greatlv laughed at for some time after using the liquid, or the " nasty stuff," as my neighbours called it, but now, seeing the good effect of it, they are servile enough to beg a canful now and then, and some are constructing tanks of their own adjoining their ji'ig-styes. The liquid which flpws into mine comes from a larjre farm-fold adjoining my garden ; but I am afraid the farmer, who is bejinning to see the good efl'cets of it. will he diverting it into another channel for his own use : and nil this good has been done by a twopenny paper! !" [T. morgan).— Yom- "brick earth" soil rests upon ; subsoil; your remedy, therefore, is beneath you. hoavv dressing of fine chalk with vcmr soil, and this thorough h porated with it in -.uffiri.;nt miuntlty ^\i!l n^mlLv it open. easiU Mix : ngst the number, to describe all tht turned white, but you do not in your bed, nor what kind o of which may have to do with say, quaintly enough, " ^ " the c )thei lon't care whether It lives or t all of the same causes nienti( of the phlox are operatives upon it to prevent it thri them woidd do well if your soil is good, the aspect < of the sun, and all insects destroved as thev appear, ^t uub timtjui the year vou can do but little to restore them to health. Pray write again moVe fuUv. In the meantime remove as much nf the old soil as vou can without disturbing the roots, and place some fresh good loan: about them, destroy all insects, and, if your garden is in a dry situa- tion, water frequently. Marvel of Peru Seedlings (Ibid).— This is a plant from SoutV America, with roots something like a dahlia. Plant them out i ' . feet apart, in a rich loamy soil._ It is very probable th will' flower this autumn. As soon as the first frosts destroy their tops cut them off and take up their roots. Keep them in dry sand or coal- ashes, and plant out again early in May. They will tlower strongly the second year. List of Boses for the Side of a Terrace (A Subscriber).— The classes of roses best adapted for the purposes you describe are the more hardy China, the hybrid Perpetual China, and the hybrid Perpetual Bourbon. From these three classes we shall select such as will thrive and flower well on your terrace bank. Clmui Eo.-ies: Al- cine, rich red ; Cramoisic superieure, velvety crimson ; Eugene Hardy, white; Madame Brehon, rich rose; Mrs. Bosanquet, delicate pale flesh ; Safrano. vellowish. Hybrid Chinese (very hardy) -■ Aubernon, bright rose ; Doctor Marx, carmine ; Edward Jesse, dark purple ; La Reinc, rosy pink ; Reine de la Guillotiere, dark crimson. Hybrid Pp.rpetual Bourbon : Eosuet, crimson vermillion ; Comtesse Jaubert, clear peach; Due d'Alencon, lilac rose; Gloire de Bosomenes, brilliant carmine. Th^e above, we should think, will he quite suflicicnt for your border. To' cover the slope we would advise some of the Ayrshire roses, such as the Ayrshire Queen, Bennett's SeedUng, and Hose Ruga, with two or three of the evergreen roses, as Felicitc pev- petue, Myriantbis, Renoncule, and Rosea plena. On the baiik you might also plant three or four of the Cotoneaster, and a few plants of the Irish ivy. These must be kept close pegged to the ground witli hooks. The roses will run among and over them, and altogether they will form an agreeable ornament to the dwelling, especially if some climbing roses are planted against its walls. Dahlia Pans (W. S., Da Is toil). —The circular pans for the pro- tection of dahlias where earwigs abound will not prevent them get- ting to vour flowers, for earwigs can fly. Your fear that the pans will harbour sluas has some foundation in truth, but you must destroy them bv traps of brewers' grains, buttered cabbage leaves, and water- ing now and then with lime water. If the pans are Iiedded a little into the soil, that will help to keep the slugs from gettmg under the pans. To catch earwigs, look over vour flowers every night with a lanthorn and candle. Place small pots with a little short hay or moss m them upon the stakes. Examine these traps every mornmg, and destroy the insects they may contain. Rose Buds Falling (/Airf).— Your rose-tree sheds its flower buds before they open. It is wrong at the roots. When the leaves fall m autumn, take it up, prune the roots, drain the spot, put in firesh earth, and replant. This will cure the evil, or nothing else will. Bees (E. W. A.)— If you look for any further profit from your bees in the improved cottage hive, disappointment will in all proba- bility be the result. The first bad thing you did was to give an " eke" with nothing between it and the hive, in which your bees had been put the same year. Had you placed a large gla jht have been we'll. The next bad thing was to shut up the bees and place the hive all the winter in an outhouse ; from this numbers died in the hive, and the survivors have never recovered, and more probable than not, they never will. You are right as to the reason of their not having swarmed, "the eke beneath the hive giving too much room." Its removal will most likely prove fatal to the stock. If done at all, February is the best time for doing it. The bees have been kept quite warm enough while in the outhouse ; ]70 THE COTTAGF G.MtDEXER. .TiiNi: unfortunately, too much so. VMuHin^ i « ,.1 . and where that is moved into greenhouse. Stake, trim, and train as required. Suc- the case, drones are always lat|. iii 1 ': trance. In your culent plants, cultiv.ate by cnttini, slips, and suckers. Watering caseyousay there were none i.H 1 |: and cleaning are now the chief occupations ; apply water early in the Cutting BACK Geran.vj^s :,.■ ,. . m >vi .h to have as mnvning by the engine. many cuttings to pniparatc l.y. li.:.: )u ! i M iilants flower tJnther the seeds of iV/i/r^onmni.s- as tlirv ripen, .and head down well next season. Cut the stronncst >li - re :iii!.i-. m i: . . , ' .CO have bloomed early. ( ,'r ,. -,.,/, :..;., v.iiici, llicbl.H.in threejoints from the old "■ Annuals (Tc.nl.-r), brine out from fram.-s ; dress; give fresh fourinchcbluui;. li juu !^..m ^u.Lui;.- .. >;>,u.U pl.,i:U.. Uic .jues- earth; s(ak.» an,i ti-. An -,- M - t-in- ;.l:int ■. -:.!lv, A. I.Kt't ss tion is too Bemral. Stoppin"g (HW).— This word is applied to fuchsia and all other plants, and merely means pinching off the tip of the shoots mth the finger and thumb: repot e. Ii.- . . . . ■■ ' ■ : .v,-., complete. lii i - I , i ... : ■ -.w. Cuttings of W,vi i fi nw^rs ,7/..rfi.— -l-hn,- nie best when young JilIi''e);'shad™uul.,lo':,ti',";uiiut; l.'..t «...lii>. ; v,..ic, Ustli. a.„i give shoots of this seas,,,,-- .,,„.;],, ^,„ ,„, ;. -, „. an, 1 torn, as it were, liquid manure. Curvsantuemvm suckers separate and plant ; lay. Cuttings of some plants, as Scarlet Lychnis, will yet strike, b. from the old bran,!,, i the tail of bark from the old plant «;.. . I;, s is then cut oft. Dahlias require support and pruning. Edgings, clip. Ever- leaving a "heel," m >m, ■ . ■, • : -v- ... „aUllowers, three inches long, will also .u.l.u cumIv, J^..v (.„./„-,. may be made in ?rr''u;T^r''r".''v':in"s|iitVe"t'''v7°erVre..h-' 'h'edges, clip. HoE and two ways— just like the wallflowers ab.„o. rak..;.: 11. n .. ..iii.M'., i,ivi-.<. 1 ..Miati.ins, &c., may be per- CUPHEA PLATYCENTRA Seed (i. D.) may be sown now, and will f.M,., VI; ...: ...1 layers. Leaves, de- come up freely in a greenhouse. But it is raised from cuttings so easily, that we would rather thus propagate it. ea,, 1., a 1 i.M-RE, give occasionally ti. il... i.a:- nil... jiii-aiii. a. 1 a i.-,v other quick flowering Fuchsia fulgens (A Constimt Sulisci-i:ier).—The leaves on your annu.il, lu.n 1,..- sm.iii. 1... .... ...i.ii...... Iji-i.-.c. of Pinks, &e., may plant are few-, and the flower-buds drop off when about an inch long. It is two years old, has four stems, and has had guano-water occa- TausES. seedlinss, transplant; roots of ol.l, part. Roses, bud and sionally. This fuchsia was not cut down low enough in the autumn. lay, b. Seeds, "g.ather as thev ripen. Stake and tie up plants but, if that is the cause of its casting its premature blossoms,^ it will wherever necessary. Transplanting perennials and biennials, complete, b. \\'ater freely, not only the roots, but over the foliage. its leaves were full er.iMi; ;■ I'l..' ;. •• niu.st probably were injured. There should be iu. fi. ;v-.dnst the use of guano for pot plants tillthc..,,.. :. i : n : iprcnticeship to this branch ORCHARD. of culture. Blr. Bc-.n..,i .. amatenr, and very few gar- deners, should use eu.,i„. „; .,;i . ■ .—1 ll«,f r,..,Wnr- m..ve .in- structive to pot plants hi;s ..:■ ,, ,„'.;. 1, > n.ii.l. ir. :■ difficult in its application thn'.i in the : , . . In well for celery, but di.ll .1 1 :. .;. I, '"ll,-.-:! ,....':. '.i . .ni.;lCC. ThauliS fOT Bi-DDi.vG perform in all stone fruit. Apples, and Pears; select .' 1. . ralhcr. Espaliers, continue to regulate (see Wall '! , , • .ung ones head down. Fig-trees regulate, remove a at shoots. Mat over Currants, Goo.scherrics, and Rasp- .\iT over Cherries, Currants, &c. Pruning (summer). an- a.ii ai niorniug and evening. Stocks, clear from lai.: 1 - ' - -: ivoEURlES for forcing, lay in pots; sterile lia a ,i ,1 i, that they may he destroyed. Vines require (.11. 1 a , all late produced shoots remove ; stop bearing your kl"-f. I....' v.l.i. ii v. j. \.^.. pui.li .U .,i. . .-.ii... ..^^ unless vou tr.ii.i ill. Walxits, gather forplckling. Wasps, entrap ; bottles mean the Hmi,liur^li, ov Ltirge-rauted PursU-il. Write again if you. do. of sugared beer are liest. Water newly planted trees in dry weather; keep muleh round. Do not lay in too many shoots of the Fin. when nailing it to the Heating a Small Greenhouse (i. il/., Beuora).— The best mode or heating this is eltlier by a stuie described at p. 260 of our first weather thr."" '■'^. a' ".'',■, \."''aar."'ia''l 'M'all in as'"iv ■„„. ",s of volume, or by the u-nal I'lirnac an.i flues. Silkworms i/.', T). UM.— Tlieir dving so young may arise from many eausrs. Tli.Te is „ parii^ifi,- tiuiL'iis wdiieh kills them. But, if this month ai I .' a , , .11 a , , K..'. la . this be not nr.-si.nt. L'uin.- thrm 1 ;nieh of juicy mulljerry leaves will cau^. ;n, . 1.1.1. i.iK' iii.ir'i.i i.ir ii-ihnn. Some breeders of silk worms .1.. .• ..ruther leaves, till thev have KITC1I1;a. GARDEN. cast lb ir . , ,: : ,i . ,x..,.ssive urecaution, stdl it is Alexanders, earth up. Artichokes, attend to. Asfaragus- tiuitce... .. ...vsparinrfy whilst young. nEDS, clean ; leive off cutting iVom. Beans, plant, b. ; leav- some NAM) < . , / . , ' .,.,.,. i,;,.„- _T!,:,. „;,!, ,l,p '"""'■--"■-^";'"'' wcTh'ouui 'uu„:. ,, ,. •.. .••• ■■ •. 'li. . :. • "■ 1 >■',■•; I.". ■':"'■;:■,', v.:..' ■,'■ '..\": ■..':i s«r^w'ealled'7,r.',. ' ' ' V ' V^ '' 1 .' ,' ' ' '■ ' . ' '" \ ' 'i ,, ■ ""I'a' ' ' ','V„v;'^: purple coloured is II, r. . ■ .■''., 'a. 1 ... a 1 I'.'.a .'i . a'l ' '. ' ii."'i'ak.i with a yellowish u, i . If voufindmanv ^i . i , . : i, ^ , , or 'two. ;h. li. - •'.■■< think it was Gen, „-.-, , ; i : . a , . l.,r specimen. (G. l>i" ■ \ n i - . : tree, Eiimmmus i"ir,> •.■., ..ni -; -n .■...- i - " 1 . .1 1 • ' , , .iiaia maged. I'i'a ' ' 1 "■ / • a ' '.•■ ■ ■ I ' ' r -i" •',"■.".« ': CALENBAli FOE .TULY. T.y • '. , ' ' 'a , ' ...,' 1 ' ' • 1 , , '. "' 'l"i..r GRKRNnOT'SR. s'lia a ; :':'.■ a a .:..' -..:.. .■,'::;.■'' i;v,!7..'"a,','r; Air, a.lniil ir. - h, M V,l |.l:ini. r.. i.ini. .1 mi ili,' \v v- . l.i.: .■..' ii;llv '' ■ ui i ' Ii'-"-' f -e IVom' wecils ' i,-t' ' ' \v\ti'k" where nceessarv v:';,k.w-ood; plant. ' ' ' : ■ slijis.^LW,: - ' ' ' .l"':.a. Oranges and l.i . ■ , - . .uit il thick; remove hi . Ii ; air London: I'.. ll ■' V la i. '^T strand, in the admit freely. IT vi l.,.l they do not dry. Paoe .. , .,,■■;. prick Parish of a Ml ■•. Ilivli-slreet, in the^PaiM..^ ^_ ,, , n a ' 1, ,;! '„;, {w??r into smali pot.. .Sk mm .i... ,„, :., : .■ ., ..inesarc best. Shifting, complete, b. .-SruvE I'unts (Hardier: may be Sai^t Wary-le-.Strand, Luiuhm.— Juue L'Hfi, 1819. THE COTTAGE GABDENETl. WEEKLY CALENDAR. D JULY 5—11, 18i9. Plant.s dedicated to Sun each day. | Rises. Sun Sets. Moon R. and Sets. Moon's Age. (;lock bef. Sun. Day of Year. 9 10 11 K.' S. Sun. M. Tir. W. Clialfmcirs song ceases. [Meet. OldMids.-d. Cam.T.e, Bot. Soo. Th.ilBeok. Oxf.T.e. Glowwovm shines 5 S. AI.T.TRIN. I.appit moth seen Shore beetle seen Yellow-under-wiug moth seen Elephant Hawlouoth seen Double Yellow rose Bearded Crepis Nasturtium Rvenin"; Primrose Marsh Sowthistle Speckled Snapdragon Yellow Lupine 52 a. 3 53 54 55 56 lUa.8 l(i 15 14 1.! 13 rises 8 a. 39 iJ 15 9 45 10 13 10 39 U 4 © l(i 11 19 •20 4 11 4 21 4 31 4 40 4 49 4 58 180 187 189 190 191 192 Thomas a Becket, Lord Chancellor and Archbishop of Canter- bury in the time of Henry II., was born at London in luy, and mur- dered in the cathedral of his see, by four of the King's retainers, on the 29th of December, II70. Becket's remains were translated on the 7th of July, 1220, to a sumptuous shrine at the east end of that cathedral j and this day has ever since been noted as his anniversary. We cannot afford space for the consideration of the merits or demerits of Becket, but vre must warn every one, when reading his biography, to consider that he was no less opposed to the excessive tyranny and power of the barons than he was to the misrule of the King. To con- trol these there was no other engine at his command than the Church ; for the people, as a political power, did not then exist. Without be- ing at all blind to Becket's very great and many faults, yet we know enough to convince us that his gi'eat merits have been almost entirely overlooked. Pheno!V[Ena op the Season. — We now are arrived to the consi- deration of the pisiil, or maternal portion, of the flowers blooming at this season so abundantly around us. A pistil is usually composed of the stigma, the part at, or near, the point, to which the pollen must be applied to fertilize the seed ; the sti/le, usually very long, but sometimes absent, supporting the stigma; and the owarmni, or em- bryo seed-vessel. The accompanying drawing of a section of the customary arrangement ot its parts. The ovarmm, a, or this flower is wrapped over by the leafy portion of the flower itself, which is seen to rise beyond it at 5. The centre of the ovarium is oc- cupied by a thick AesXiy placentii, or seed cord, to which the ovules or embryo seeds are attached, and through the vessels of which pla- centa the sap is conveyed requisite for sustaining the growth of the seeds. There is no doubt that the stigma is the organ for rendering the seed fertile ; it is always in perfection at the same time that the pollen is shed, and is as invariably viscid, or clammy, so that the pollen adheres to it, and immediately bursts. The pansy has a stigma gaping only when the pollen is ritie ; and the Jacobsean lily {Amaryllis fonnosissima) is described by Linnieus as having a liquid drop protruding every morning from its stigma, which is reabsorbed during the afternoon turbid with the pollen which has fallen upon it. In the saxifrages, the stamens bend one or two at a time over the stigma, and, having shed their pollen, retire to make way for others. In the cockscomb, the stamens retire during wet weather beneath the shelter of the concave petals, but in dry weather they advance and scatter their pollen over the stigmas. In the bar/terry, the stamens are similarly bent back under the petals, but if their filaments are tic- kled by the foot of an insect, or the ap- plication of a hair, they spring forward, and dash their pollen against the pistil. Pages might be filled by a detail ot con- ober to demonstrate ' wise provisions, having for their object and consummation the production of seeds." It is upon the number and other circumstances connected with the pistils that Linnsens founded the Orders, or first great subdivisions, of his Bota- nical System. Insects. — In June and July, a small pretty beetle very often may be found among the petals of white roses. It is nearly half an inch long, and rather less than a quarter of an inch broad. Its wing-cases are reddish brown, shining, and shorter than the body; the body July. 1841. 1842. 1843. 1844. : 1845. 1846. 1 1847. ! 1848. .^ Cloudy. Showery. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Stormy. Fine. 1 Fine. & iSwesI temp. 75°— 57° 70°-46° 88°- 55° 70°- 50° 77° -.56° 95°-50° 6 Showery. Fine. Cloudy. Showery. Fine. Showerv. Fine. Fine. 72°— 52° 72° -40° 73°— 51° 81°— 60° 88' — 59° 88°— 59° Cloudy. Rain. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. 62°— 47° 75°— 52° 74° — 51° Showery. Rain. Rain. Fine. Fine. 62°-45° 77°-58° 78°-54° 68°-56° 70°-51° 9 Showery. Fine. Fine. Showerv. Showerv. Fine. Rain. 71°— 44° 72°-49° 73°-47° 74°-49° 71°— 53° 68°- 52° Fine, Cloudy. 7i°-49° 73°-50» 69°- 55° 7a°-60° 71°— 55° 73°-45° 79°— 81° 72°— 47° Cloudy. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Stormy. Pine. 62°-52° 78-55° 70°-46° 73°-49° 83°-56° 72°-48° j and head are dark green, and the antennfe reddish, having: at their ends a dark green elub. This is the g.arden beetle {Phyltoperthu horUcola, and Melolontha hortU'ola of some) ; it feeds on the leaves of apples, pears and roses, gnawing them full of small holes, and even transferring its attacks to the young fruit of the apple. During the latter part of July the female retires into the earth for the purpose of there depositing her eggs, from which the grubs speedily are pro- duced, and feed upon the roots of plants. The only mode of reducing the number of these beetles is by searching for them during the even- ing, when, if detected, they stiffen their outstretched legs, and feign death ; but in the day they fly about swiftly, and are captured \vith great difficulty. Having before us more than one application for dis- sertations on the commonest operations of gardening, we shall comply with the request, commencing with Digging, fully aware in doing so that we have no- thing new to ofter for the consideration of the expe- rienced practitioner, yet agreeing in opinion with one of the api^licants, that " each operation will oifer much suggestive observation suitable and beneficial for amateurs yet in their apprenticeship." It is worthy of remark, that digging, tlie fnnda- meutal operation of all gardening, is almost the last to be improved and well performed even in countries ^o. XL., Vol II. THE COTTx\.GE GARDENER. ■n-hei-e tlie art of cultivating the soil is favoured and advancing. lu Bengal the soil is stu-red no deeper than can be effected by means of a short-handled heavy kodali, or hoe ; in China the surface is merely scarified; and in Ireland, among the peasantry, a piece of clean, neat digging, with their long-handled, narrow-bladed spade, can he veiy rarely distin- guished. It is not so with other gardening opera- tions : sowing, hoeing, and mam.u'ing, for example, are much better performed in all the countries we have named. It may be that, digging being a very laborious operation, and the more laborious just in proportion to its being well done, disinclination to exertion is the prime cause of its imperfect perform- ance. Be this as it may, it is quite certain that dig- ging is the most laborious operation connected with the gardener's art; and yet, as we have observed on a fonner occasion, very few people ever consider in detail the expenditure of labour i-equired fi-om the gardener when digging : it is a labom' above all others calling into exercise the muscles of the luunan frame, and how gi'eat is the amount of this exercise may be estimated fi-om the following facts : — In digging a squai'e perch of ground in spits of the usual dimensions (seven inches by eight inches), the spade has to be thrust in 700 times ; and as each spadeful of earth, if the spade penetrates nine inches, as it ought to do, will weigh on the average full seventeen pounds, 11,900 pounds of earth have to be lifted, and the customary pay for doing this is two- pence halfpenny. As there are 100 perches or rods in an acre, in digging the latter measure of gi-ound the garden labourer has to cut out 112,000 spadesful of earth, weighing iu tlie aggregate 17,000 cwt., or 850 tons, and during the work he moves over a dis tance of fourteen miles. As the spade weighs be- tween eight and nine pounds, he has to lift, iu fact, during the work, half as much more weight than that above specified, or 1278 tons. An able-bodied la- bourer can dig ten square perches a day, or even more if the soil be light, and sufficiently moist to cling well together. But we shall observe more upon this ere we conclude. Before giving any practical directions for the best mode of digging, let us consider what are its objects. These are, to loosen the soil so that the roots of the crop which is to be grown upon it may easily pene- trate that soil, and find food for sustaining the gi'owth of the idants ; consequently the deeper a root natu- rally strikes, the deeper should the soil bo dug ; and as roots always travel in the direction where the best food is to be found, manure shoidd be buried deep in digging ground for carrots and other tap-rooted vege- tables, but should he kept near the surface in digging the ground for dwarf kidney hoans, and other crops having fibrous roots. Decaying vegetable and animal matters are not the only food veipurcd to bo presented to roots for the well-being of the plants to which they belong. Those roots require the presence also of the gases of our atmosphere, and moisture. This explains why, in digging, it is found most advantageous to cut small spadesftd at a time, thus facilitatiug the pul- verizing of the soO ; for, just in proportion to its clods being broken down fine, can the air and its moisture penetrate deeply within it. By moisture, we do not mteud only the rain and the dew, but the moistui'e always present dissolved in the air of our atmosphere. A provision of its Creator, of which even our re stricted powers can readily perceive the wisdom and the beneficence, is that the au- contains more mois- ture in hot weather than iu cold, a fact we must have all observed by the dew deposited upon cold wine- glasses when brought into a warm room. Now, all soO is gifted with the power of absorbing that mois- ture fi'om the air ; and every one conversant with a garden must have noticed how refreshed plants are by ha\'ing the earth stirred round about them, a re- freshment aiising chiefly from the air being thus en- abled to penetrate better to the soil near their roots, and thus for that soil to atti-act fi-ora it its moistin-e. That well-pulverized soO. does atti-act moistiue more powerfully than hard cloddy soil is not Imown either from reasoning or from garden practice alone, but has been demonstrated also in the laboratory of the chemist. Professor Soliluber ascertaiued that 1000 grains of stiff clay absorbed, in twenty-fom- hours, only tlm-ty-six grains of moisture from the air, wliilst a loose garden soil absorbed in the same period of time forty-five gi-ains ; and magnesia, a stiU more finely divided body, absorbed seventy-six grains. Then, again, pulverizing the soU enables it to retain the moisture absorbed better. This we de- monstrated some ycai-s since, and the reason is obviously because a hard soil becomes heated by the sun's rays much more rapidly than one witli a loosened textm-e. The latter is better permeated by the air, which is one of the worst conductore of heat. Mr. Barnes is quite of the same opinion, for he says, " I do not agree with those who tell us one good weeding is worth two hoeings ; I say, never weed any crop in which a hoe can be got between ' the plants ; not so much for the sake of destroying weeds and verniin, wluch must necessarily he the case if hoeing he done well, as for increasing the porosity of the soil, to allow the water and an- to penetrate freely through it. I am well convinced, by long and close ])ractico, that oftentimes there is more benefit derived by crops from keeping them well hoed, than there is from the manure applied. Weeds or no weeds, still I Icpcp stirring tho soil ; well knowing, from practice, the very bonoficial effect which it lias." Wo havo said that tho depth to which soil shoulil be dug, and wlicro tlio food all'ordi'd thoiii by manure July THE COTTAGE GARDENER. is deposited, shoiild he regulated by the length of the root of the plant to be cidtivated, and the just- ness of this will be appreciated from the facts, that in deep, poor, siliceous soils we have traced the roots of trees from, twelve to fourteen feet porpeudicidar without reaching their termination; those of the Canada thistle to seven feet ; common fern to eight feet; wheat, tlm-ty inches; oats, twenty-four inches; potatoes, eighteen inches ; onions, twenty inches ; carrots, parsnips, and beet, two feet. An extensive strawberry cultivator also tells us that he trenches his beds throe feet deep, and has found the roots of tlie British Queen go down the entire depth. Tlie subject grows upon us, but we will conclude om- observations in a future Number. In om- ne.xt number, without any increase of price, we shall commence om- promised permanent adop- tion of sixteen pages instead of twelve pages, as at present. The Stove department has been en- trusted to one of our most skilful gardeners, and we hope that he will begin his essays at the same time. THE PEUIT-GARDEN. The Impoetanoe of Light to Eruit-trees. — The beneficial influence of a free admission of light to all parts of a fruit-tree are mostly admitted in the aggregate, but stUl not justly appreciated in the detail. It has become qidte fashionable, during the last twenty years, to talk of the vast influence which this element has over vegetation, yet we stiU find gardens — the ma,jority we fear — in wMoh, during the prime of summer, the fruit-trees ai-e smothered with yoimg spray, and that, too, at the very period when solar light, acting freely on the leaves of tliose por- tions of the tree considered permanent, is indeed alone beneficial. At the close of the year everybody begins to tliink of pruning, at least as soon as the leaf has fallen ; and then, when light is no longer of service, every pains will be taken to remove useless spray, and to prepai-e for another smothering or choking'course, which the absence of summer prun- ing is sure to produce. Now, why is sucb a course pursued ? A niggardly economy, we doubt not, will be found to lie at the bottom of the whole afikh- as to many persons, who, not having eitlier time or in- clination themselves to perform these operations, are yet able to employ a person to do it for them. We have, in om- day, repeatedly known a whole garden of trained fruit-trees completely spoiled as to the prospect of well organized buds for the ensuing crop, or of a fruitful habit in ensuing years, through a fortnight's neglect during' the months of .lune and July. Only let this be didy considered, and it will at once be seen where the error lies. A fortnight's labour in this respect need only cost the amateur, or persons living at ease (with a nice little garden, containing, in general, a little of everytliing which is truly good in the horticultural way), about the sum of two pounds maximum; and we should be glad to know who would thus wish to render nuga- tory the elibrts of preceding seasons ? Nor is this all: th( prospective [irolit and loss must bo taken mil) cnnsidci-alion. Many gardens of this calibre liiivi- ;i iiicu wall ov paling around them, and con- liiiii, jM iiiii[is. nearly an acre of ground set out in lines uf fi'uit-trues, marginal espaliers, trees under a dwaiting system, together with rows of useful bush fruit. Now, if there be any truth in the principle which we must endeavour constantly to keep before our readers, viz., Iluil lii/JU in Ihr. pr'niic mjciit in jiro- duciiigf mil I'll/ Imhil.-:. where eiiii !"■ Uie ,!.;iiiii in such a garden, pruvided wi^ can prove llml ri:cnj li'ce in it is suffcriiiij creri/ roprietor, avail- ing himself of the advanced knowledge of the times he lives in, follows principles instead of mere tra- ditional rule. Eirst-rate gardeners, perhaps, are consulted ; trenclung, the providing against perni- cious subsoils, thorougli drainage, &o., are had recoirrse to — all tolerably expensive processes, and full of promise. Valuable kinds of fruit-trees, of course, are purchased of the nurseryman, and some other expenses incurred in providing composts, mulchings, labels, &c. Surely, after all these prepa- rations, a systematic mode of procedure should be followed up, and by no means be frustrated in the very prime of the season (when every glimpse of sunshine produces its corresponding amount of effect on fruit-trees) for the sake of a few days' labour. We shall not offer any excuse for thus endeavour- ing to throw light on a subject hitherto somewhat obscm-ed. Of course we do not suppose that all ai-e thus circumstanced— we know many who form honourable exceptions. We have, however, said this much in order to prove that labour at proper periods, rightly directed, will assuredly repay the necessai-y cost; and to assist the proprietor of a little garden in "rightly directing" such labour is a proviuce which The Cottage Gardener delights in, being at once its duty and its interest. The earlier portion of Jidy should be occupied in a very close examination of all fi'uit-trees, especially fancy or trained kinds ; and much of the waste shoots trimmed away, or, in cases of doubt, pinched back. The Easpbeery. — Some of the suckers will by this period have become very luxuriant, and some show a disposition to branch laterally: the latter, notwithstanding their strength, are not such good bearers in the ensuing year- as those of a medium character. When there is sufficient of the good suckers to any given stool, these rampant ones had better be cut down to the ground, for drawing them away by the root will distm-b the other roots in their neighboiirhood too much. Those not yet branched, and which arc overtopping their stakes, may have the point pinched off in a fortniglit or so. Double-bearing ob Autujin Raspberries.— The true bearing suckers will soon be manifest by the blossom-buds appearing. As soon as these can be distingiiished the barren ones may be cbawn away or cut down — tins operation may in genei-al be carried out by the latter end of 'hily. They shoidd by all means be watered in dry weather ; indeed, a little liquid manure woidd be of immense benefit. ]T-i TUE COTTAGE GARDENEK. JCLY and a coating of mulch or top-tlressmg should be immediately applied, if not already done. Steawbebhies. — We advise all those who like full crops of fine fruit to look out betimes for runners, for, unless they are obtained early, full justice cannot be done to runner cultivation. We make a point of spreading some half-rotten leaf-soil beneath those plants from which we desire to propagate : the eai'ly nmuers lay hold of this betimes. It is a very good plau to take a basket of stones early in July, and lay one on each of the forward runners not yet rooted ; they will thus speedily attach themselves. Frequent waterings are necessaiy in order to obtain good early ninners, and groimd should be looked out and prepared to receive them. We seize on any open spot, totally unshaded, and fork in some very rotten manure about six inches deep. In such a situation we jilant them out at about nine inches scpjare apart, for we remove ours with a trowel or small spade, in the end of October, to their final destination in rows. Let it, however, be imderstood that tills is in consequence of a severe com'se of cropping, for the plot intended for their reception, finally, is seldom at liberty early enough. We gi-ow some in beds, and these of coiu-se we prepare for then- final reception at this period, planting four rows in a fom- feet bed, the two outer rows being six. inches from each outside, and the rows of course one foot apart — the plants being ten inches apart in the rows. Tliis is, perhaps, as good a plan for the possessors of very small gardens as any other. AVe cannot say that we fancy any vei-y gi-eat economy of space by maldng strawberiy edgings ; they cannot well receive a systematic course of cultm-e in this position, and they are always making inroads on any other plant or crop which may be contiguous to them. We will return to strawberry culture shortly ; we have not space at present, and very much remains to be said. Alpine Steawbehhies. — Let all runners be cut dean away, and the j)lants receive liberal waterings, using liquid manure occasionally. It will be well to lay slates or tUes beneath them shortly ; and, before doing this, it is a good plan to raise a slight moimd of soil around each plant, sloping away from t)ie plant outwards. TMs fonns a slight incline, which keeps the fruit dry during bad weather in tlie autumn. A shai'p look out must be kept with these, and all other strawberries, in order to keep down mice, which are apt to make sad havoc. GoosEBEREiEs. — The aphides are a great pest to the young shoots of the gooseberry; and at this season, if they are much infested, it is good policy to cut ofi' all the infested points, aud to bm-n them. This shoidd be done very early in July, in order that the second gi'owth, which they are almost sure to make, may become matured. T'hose who can find time will do well to give them a watering of liquid manure immediately afterwards. Red and White Cuekants. — We hope that our advice has been taken in dubbing away a portion of all the watery gi'owths ; if not, let it be done di- rectly. As before observed, do not strip it away in order to let the sun shine on the fruit — this is an erroneous notion. By dubbing off about one-thu'd of the points, however, a glimmering of the solar I rays will reach the fruit, which \nll be highly bene- ficial. If the apludes infest any young bushes, oil' with the points, as with the gooseberries, and burn them. Black Currants. — I^et us beg for one more tho- rough watering, the moment they change I'or ripen- ing : tills will im]iart much size to the frnit. If any old littery mulch lays about, for which no particular purpose exists, lay it over tlieir roots. Plu.ms. — These arc probably infested with apludes. ■\A1ien they are very much injm-ed in this way the tops shoidd be cut away, as in the case of the goose- berries and the cm-rants. Let the breast shoots be regulated, ti-ained, thinned, topped, &c., according to the general principles of disbudding before laid down. Peaes. — Persist in " stopping," or, in some cases, cutting away all supei-fluous shoots. In doing so at this period, form a determmatlon to open out evei-y portion of the ti'ee to a glimmeiiug of suuUght. On south walls a Utile more shading must be per- mitted : such is beneficial. It must be home in mind, nevertheless, that this tliinning or stopping is not in order to tlirow sunshine on the fniit, but on the embryo fi'uit spins, in order that they may be well peifected for another year, and that a ftidtlul habit in general may be induced. Apbicots. — ^A good soakiug of liquid manure is of much benefit, just before the last swelling, to all trees carrying good crops. It will be found to impart much size to the fi-uit, and renewed vigoiu- to the spiiTs of the future crop. R. Eeeingiox. THE PLOWEE-GARDEN. The Rockery. — This term includes the Alj^nnerij, a jilace for Alpine plants, and the Fenieri/, a jilace for such fems as grow on mountains, rocks, and the clefts of old walls. In some of the earlier numbers of The Cottage Gaedener, we described pretty iuUy the situation and the mode of forming a pile of stones, &c., so as to be a suitable habitatiou for these low-gi-owing, truly elegant plants. We hope a goodly number of our readers have profited by our hints, and secured to themselves, in then- gardens, however small, this source of iunocent pleasure. To those who have done so, we now say, take cai'e of your plants so placed. A considerable number of them flower eai'ly in the season, and. consequently, wUl now be out of bloom. Cut ofi' the old flower- stalks, and trim the shoots so as to make nice tufts. Propagation by Division. — Should you wish to in- crease any of them, take them up carefully with a garden-trowel, and divide each tuft into such parts as wUl form plants ; pot them into suitable sized pots, in a compost of sandy peat and loam, well di-ained ; place them on the nortli side of a low waU, or hedge, upon a layer of coal-ashes; give a gentle watering, aud repeat it when necessary. They will require no further care, excepting weeding, and keeping a strict look out for slugs, aud destroying them when found. By Cuttings. — Some rock plants have long tap- roots, aud wUl not divide. To increase such, you must resort to cuttings. Take them oil' with lour or five leaves to eacli cutting. Choose a similar spot to that where you place the divided plants. I'rocure some sand, and alter digging and raking the border place upon it an inch in depth of this sand ; insert into it the cuttmgs, and place a hand- glass over them ; let it remain over them tUl they begin to gi'ow, then tilt it up on one side every day for a mouth, and, If the cuttings stUl appeal- to grow, remove the hand-glass away. A fortnight afterwai'ds you may take up the cuttings, aud ti-eat thorn the same as the plants increased by division. The plants that rcmaui on the rockwork will July THE COTTAGE GARDENER. require, diuinc; dry weather, sprinkling witli water every evening : tliis will lieep them fresh and grow- ing, and will encourage such as have yet to ilower to do so healthily and freely. Tliis watering will cause weeds to spring up ; pluck them away as soon as they appear. To keep the plants on a rockery in good and neat order, care and attention is necessary. Some of these plants grow and spread rapidly, and if not watched and kept within bounds by pruning, will soon nm over and destroy their more slow-gi-ow- ing neighbours. Now, it may be desirable to allow some species to grow with all luxuriance: in that case it will he necessary to transplant the close-gi'ow- ing species into a part of the rockery at a safe dis- tance from their aggrandizing fellows, and thus allow such rapidly spreading kinds to display theia- beauty. Other lands of Alpine plants have creeping roots rumiing undergi-ound : these, however pretty they may be, ought not to be planted in such a place at all. Too many persons that form and plant rock- work neglect this point. Two or three, or even one, creeping-rooted species will, if planted amongst the rest, soon run over the whole space, and render it not only unsightly but positively a uidsanoe. Sup- posing, by way of illustration, that our common coltsfoot was a scarce new plant from the Alpine regions, and a collector sees it iu flower early in April : its bright golden blossoms charm him ; he purchases it, brings it home, and plants it amongst liis Alpine favourites. Those ilowers that had tempted him to purchase it soon vanish, broad leaves spring up, the plant tlu-ives with great luxuriance, the owner is delighted to see it tlmving, but does not observe the aggrandizing qualities of his favoui-- ite rmtil it has spread abroad its creeping insidious roots amongst the unsuspecting content-with-their- station neighboui-s, and the following spring rises up like a haughty usurper, to crush and starve all to death that have a home near it. Such plants, the moment their creeping propensities are discovered, must be rooted out unsparingly. Ferns on the rookwork will now be in full luxuii- auce, and will be greatly benefitted by frequent sprinklings of water, either with the watering pot or the syringe. A covering of li\'ing moss over their roots will keep them cool and moist, and cause them to push forth vigorously tbeii' beautiful fronds. Khododendbons, Ghent Azalej^s, and othek American Plants. — These beautiful ornaments of the flower-garden will now be making their annual gi'owth. ^ The forming of flower buds must take place this season, or there will be no flowers next year. Shouf : the summer prove a di-y one, and no care taken to keep the plants growing healtliily and strongly, they wiU droop in the sun, make puny slioots, and few and smaU, if any, flower buds. In snub a case the industrious cidtivator applies the element the clouds withhold : he waters fi'eely tliese favourite shrubs every evening. They will soon, by tlieir recovered health and luxuriance, show forth their gratefid sense of his UberaUty and industiy. There is no operation in gardening that displays such immediate beneficial effects as the appHcation of water to plants drooping with drought after a hot sumiy day. The good of this operation, however, may be considerably enhanced by covering the sur- face of the soil around these plants with some rubbish that is a bad conductor of heat. Bound I'ruit-bearing plants short littery dung is the best, because that, every time water is applied, either by the hand or from the clouds, the em-iching qualities of the manure are earned down to the roots ; but, in the case of ornamental slirubs in well-l;cpt flower- gardens, littery dung would be unsightly, and so some other substance of the same quality as a non- conductor of heat, and consequent retainer of mois- ture, must be sought for. This article we have mentioned before, when writing about the formation and planting of the " American bed," and also just above in the case of " ferns." The substance we allude to is Uvhir/ (jrcen moss. Cover the roots of rhododendrons, &c., with this, and they will not require half the amount of water, as without it they undoubtedly would, to keep them growing satis- factorily. Layers of Ajiehican Plants and Hardy Heaths. — ^AVater these also in dry weather, and cover the earth with the same article of fi-iendly protection- It will cause them to tlu'ow out roots more freely and much more quickly. LiLiuM Lancifoliuji (Lance-leaved lily) a.nd its voiieties, Album (white), and Speciosmn (showy). — We have great pleasure in announcing to oiu- readers and correspondents that these truly magnificent flowers are perfectly hardy, at least in the neighbour- hood of London. They have stood the weather of two winters in a border facing the east, at Messrs. Hendersons, Pine-apple-place, and at Messrs. Lee, Hammersmith, and no doubt at other nurseries. We noticed those plants a few days ago, and were delighted to observe the healthy appearance they made. We have, then, another grand addition to the many beauteous flowers to grace and ornament oiu- flower borders ; and, as the price of them is becoming more moderate every year, we may hope to see them in every cottage gai'den, even as com- monly as then- equally noble compeers, the white, orange, and tiger-spotted species. Culture. — The tribe of lUies all requu'e a rich deep soil and open situation. The bulbs should be planted, in such a soil and situation, rather deep ; that is, the crowns of each bulb shoidd be covered at least three inches deep. Several sorts throw out roots fi-om the flower stalk not only level with the surface but frequently above it. As soon as these are perceived lay upon the surface some well-decayed cow-dung, covering it with some fine soil to hide its unsightly appearance. If lilies are allowed to grow for several years on the same spot, the soil, even with the above additions, will become exhausted, the bulbs will grow less instead of larger, and, as a matter of com'se, will produce fewer and smaller flowers, Wo remember once taking charge of an old garden where the IQies were in that condition. We had them all taken up towards the end of September, the border trenched as deeply as possible, for the clay prevented us digging so deeply as we could have wished. The border was then manured pretty freely with rotten leaves ; holes were then dug where the lilies were to be planted ; into each hole a good spadeful of very rotten dung was thrown; and this was then thoroughly mixed with the soU at the bottom of the holes : this brought it up to within tlnee inches of the level. The roots, two or three in each hole, were then immediately planted, and covered up with the soil that had been laid on one side : this finished the operation. The good effects of this management were visible even the following year. The leaves put on a dark healthy gi-een, the bulbs increased in size, as also did the flowers. But the best results were to be seen the second year; they were then iu the flowering really gi'and. Many of the white Ulies reached the height of five or six feet, and some THE COTTAGE GARDENER. .TCLY of them liad as many as six or eight tlowers ou a stem. Tlicy were tlie admiration of evei-y one that saw them. ' If any of our readers have clumps of those flowers in such a state as the above-described were previously to replanting, we advise them to adopt the same method. Mind one point, however, viz., to have the roots as short a time out of the ground as possible. FLORISTS' FLOWERS. The Rose. — Now is the very best time to bud roses. At page 22f, vol. i., we gave instructions {with wood-cut illustrations) how to perform this very pleasing operation. Have yoiu' knives well shai-pened, your bass mat, or cotton, or worsted twine, or slips of Indian rubber, whichever may be most convenient, all in readiness. The last is considered the best for tying in buds. Tlien read over atten- tively the above referred to instructions, and follow them as nearly as possible. Rose Shoots to be layered should, as they advance in growth, be bent down to the ground, and kept there by hooked pegs. This year's shoots are the best to be layered. This is the first part of layering roses. After the shoots are all pegged down, leave them so for a time, it being too early as yet to tongue them, and cover with soil. Great nrunbers of roses will now be in flower, delighting the senses with then' beauty and fragrance. Look to your standards, and see that the ties are not too tight. Crush the rose caterpillar daily, and wash the aphides with strong tobacco water to destroy them. T. Ari'LEBV. GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW , GARDENING. Roses in Pots. — The next division of our subject is climbing roses in pots. The fact of the yellow Banksian rose being esldbited last May, as noticed in our supplement, opens up a wide field for our in- genuity, and now there can be little doubt but all our summer climbing roses may be so treated as to form large bushes for pot cidtiu'e, either on their own roots or worlced close to the ground on fi-ee growing stocks, such as the common dog rose, or, indeed, ou any sb'ong variety of their own order or section. Some years since I made many experiments to see which were the best kinds of roses to work others on for forcing, and out of a great number I found the Purple Boursault the most willing to make fresh roots when introduced into moderate bottom heat, and all the roses that I tried seemed to do very weU on this stoclc. I then thought that I could get rid of a tiresome habit which this rose has of throwing up a profusion of suckers from the coUar, by first picldng out the bottom buds on the cuttings, only leaving two or three at the top, and making the cuttings into six inch lengths, four inches of which were buried in tlie soil ; and when they wore well rooted, say at the end of the first season, they were transplaaited into nur- sery rows, but much more shallow tliis time, so that I had tln-ce ijiches of clear stem to bud on below the two nl- II, n .In.ols whirl, Iniiurd (lir head. NoW, I wasuril ;,M ii,,l ii,;,i 1 1 n ^u I 'K v)-, m , i Id cvcr prooced from III ^\ l.iiM'L I [".iiirni III' tlir >iM,:k, as it isnow provril lir\,iii,l :i (Iniilii ijiiil, if WO properly disbud a shoot whicli is not more than one year old, it is in- capable of forming otlier buds on that part ; but, if the buds are not extracted till the shoot is two years old, no art can prevent them afterwards fi-om pushing out what we call latent or incipient buds. Tliis is an extremely ciuious point in vegetable physiology, which no one, as far as my reading goes, has ex- l)hiined scientiQcally ; but the fact is so, and some of these days I may state how it has been finally proved, and also how it bears on some singiUar ex- periments which I mean soon to propose. But to our rose stock e.xperiment. For the fii-st three yeai's my roses worked thus on the Boia-sault promised remarkably well, and then I recommended the general use of this stock for forcing roses, seeing that it was the freest one I met with for making ft-esli roots, and thus to keep in advance of the head while under forcing — gardeners putting mucli stress on tliis part of then- business. Indeed it is the chief reason why bottom heat is so essential for many plants, and also why watering with hdiewarm water is so bene- ficial, by raising the temperatine of the soU about the roots. Mr. Rivers, the gi'eat rose grower, published an objection to my jilan of using this stock in preference to the dog-rose ; I believe cliicfly owing to its pro- pensity ibr suckers. He was right, and the best apo- logy I can offer for not acknowledging him to be so at the time, is to state candidly that I have smce been fairdy beaten by my pet stock, for as soon as the roots arrive at a certain age they spawn Uke a raspberry bush, and no amount of perseverance will keep them down in pots ; and when they are in tlie open ground, you may as well lock the stable after the horses are stolen as to thuik of keeping these troublesome suckers within bounds. Many wi'iters have recommended the use of the Boiu-saidt for stocks, some of them probably on my own authority, but as we are never too old to acfaiowlcdge imavoidablo errors at least, and as I have now made the amende honorable, I could wish that others woidd extend its cu-culation. Among other things I learned during this rose- stock experiment was that every stock I used coidd be forced to flower early as well as any other rose, and this Boursault among the rest; and, what is not the case with many roses, they chiefly maintain then true colours under forcing. Another one, called Laure Davoust, of the section called mnUiflom, does so likewise. I never sew a more beautiful I'nrrrd rnsn thnii tliis; the colour is between a lilac iiimI f'lviirli wliiir : ilir i I idn iiliiiil flowcrs iiot mucli bi"L;vi' iliiiii '■ lurliclnvs liuihiii^," and hko so many doiilili' raimiiculiisi's in iidiiialui'o ; but they are pro- duced in bunches of from 20 to 40 eacli, and as the older flowers take a different tint from the others, and both sets vaiy in colour from that of those in bud, one of these biuiches makes a complete bouquet of itself; and the individual flowers, when well as- sorted as to the shades, are inconceivalily pretty ornaments for the ban-, either as three or four little biiiii'iii's or IV.niipd into wreaths. 'fill uiily "llin rose that I know of which comes near til l.iiuii- Havimst, in sniaUflowersof difTerentshades orioliMir Ml hiij'r trusses, is the old Grevillii, or "Seven Si-,iri-,' iiiM', and one that might be used in the same wa\ ?M\i 111 ihrni is the rauuneidus rose, called Mill I, mill, :i iiinmriilc, a strong growing climber, with small lilii.li wliiir llowors edged with pink ; and Fe- Jinir ii,i,i,/i„//r, also with small flowers of alight cit'iimv liiil. ami a slroug habit of growth. The two lasi an. I I, ami Havousl I ha\o repoatedly llowercd (•ail\ .11 llir ,|„-iug in very small jml^. liiivi.i- I. ad Ihi III ^li::litl\ Inria'd to use for stock?.: ami whrni mv lliry nIhumiI a ilisposition to raiubli' a » a) i'-- rlimliri:. do, 1 luiil In |inich them back to keep thriii IroiM July THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. taldug up too much room. Therefore, although I never attempted to cultivate climbing roses as low bushes iu pots, I can easily understand how the Yellow Bankiian, already referred to, was brought to such a manageable condition as, to my own Imow ledge, called forth loud praises from many good judges of such things at the May exhibition of the Horticultural Society. I have no doubt whatever but all our climbing roses may he so treated successfully. There is hardly any occasion to bud them on other stocks for this pur- pose, hut merely taking cuttings of them and making them in the proper way; that is, to cut strong pieces of the young shoots into lengths of five or six inches, cutting right under a joint and picldng out all the bot- tom eyes, leaving a couple, or at most only three, at the top, which will do away with their usual habit of shooting up from the collar or bottom, where the roots issue fi-om. It will not suffice to slice oif these buds level with the bark, for their connexion with the shoot is analagous to rooting into the bark ; therefore, to do the tiling effectually, we must notch them out by cutting through the bark and part of the young wood immediately before and behind each bud, so as to have a small portion of the bark and young wood removed with them, or, in gardening language, to root them out. The small notches thus made hi the shoot will soon heal over, and be as smooth as any other part. Any time from the middle of Sep- tember to the end of October is the best season for malting these kinds of cuttings. They will gi-ow any- where in the garden, either in full exposure to the smi or in the shade. The soil for them, however, should be well loosened; and if stiff, a little sand put under the cuttings would facilitate the rooting ; they may be put in either by means of a dibber or in the trenches as the ground is being dug. In either way the nde is that they be so firm as that you could not pull them up without a good effort. If you can draw them easily they are so loose that the air wUl get to the cut end and dry it so that no roots can be made. They should remain in the cutting place just twelve months ; and, after midsummer, when they begin to grow away freelj', some weak manure water would encourage them a good deal; but, unless you are chemist enough to know the right proportion, have nothing to do with that stuff called guano : let the farmers have it for their turnips. We have all heard of catching birds by putting salt on their tails, and this new stuff called guano, which we buy in small parcels, is nothing else but a mixture of coloured salts for catoliing innocent birds with. There seems to be a " charm" in salt, for it was only the other day that I read of how they catch the wild deer in Jenny Lind's countiy, by enticing them off their guard with handsful of common salt, which they carry to ■ PW'i: id of of October, these rose cuttings must he taken up, even if they had room enough to grow on during another year, for by the time they are well rooted the bottom portion of them which was so much buried will require to be relieved and brought to the light and air. You wUl find that many of them have rooted from the notches where the buds were taken out; all these roots must be out off, and only those from the lowest end of the cutting be retained, and those of them that are strong must now be cut into four or five inches. The roots of all roses intended for pots are out shorter than for open gi'ound culture. When one is impatient to see the issue of an experiment, some of the strongest of these plants might be potted the hills on purpose. At the end of the first season, or say by the end at once, but nothing is gained by so much hurry, and they will answer all the better if they have one more season in nursery rows. Throughout this second season they require particular attention to pruning, or ratlier stopping and training. You are not to allow them to ramble away in long shoots, as if they were to retain their natural habit ; and as it is essen- tial that they should be well furnished with bottom shoots to begin with like dwarf roses, I would re- commend that during the growing season no shoot be allowed more than three joints at a time, and then to be stopped by pinching off the very point. This will cause other shoots to rise from the three buds, and these, in their turn, are to be stopped also, and so on till the end of August. It will sometimes hap- pen, however, that some very weak shoots are pro- duced under this treatment. When that happens, it is best to let them grow on till they are nine or ten inches long, by which means they will gain sufficient strength for flowering. Another point iu their progi'ess will also require attention and some Httle judgment. If they are very vigorous, and, in the height of the growing season, persist in making shoots from all the eyes after stop- ping, they would soon get too crowded, and by thus obstructing the light and air from the middle defeat our object ; therefore we must thin out, that is, cut away the very strongest and the weakest shoots to give taH room to those in an intermediate state, which answer best. Now, at first sight, it seems odd to stop a shoot in order to compel it to produce more shoots than are really wanted, hut we all know how very difficult it is, and what restraints are necessaiy, to overcome natural habits, winch is the main point we have in view in this instance, and the more sure we lay the foundation the more safely the supersti-ucture can afterwards be reared. As surely, therefore, as we neglect " short stopping" — as gardeners call this sys- tem of pruning — at every two or three joints at the beginning, so sm-ely will the futme plant exhibit long bare branches, or, as we tei-m it, " look bony," always a fsure sign either of bad management or of some mishap having befallen the plant at an early age. By the end of the second year from the cuttings being made, these plants thus treated would be in full condition for first potting, and this would be the proper age to buy them from the nurserymen for the same purpose ; but no nurseryman could rear them so effectually. as above unless he charged about three times the usual price for them : he cannot, even at the usual rate, afford the time to pick out the buds from his cuttings except of such as he intends for his own use. Nevertheless, if we choose to put up with the future annoyance of suckers, and a few rough bony shoots here and there, we may buy one-year-old plants of these climbing roses at sixpence a piece, taking them by the long dozen ; for I see in many of their useful catalogues they offer them at 30s the hundred. After potting, the usual treatment of pot roses will do for them, only that we must never neglect to keep down their clunhing habit by close stopping during the growing season. A few years of this treatment will convert the freest climbing rose to the character of an ordinaj-y bush, as was proved by the Yellow Bankfeian rose already referred to. There is a double white jasmine in our stoves, called samhac, remark- ably sweet, and of a strong climbing habit, but I have managed it for years in pots, exactly as above ; and after the third or fourth season there is no more trouble to keep it within bounds than any other free- THE COTTAGE GARDENER. growing bush. As another instance, what is more familiar than the Catalonian j asmine ((jrandiflora), a Ir-ee climber, grown like little compact bushes, or as standards ? and all this is brought about by close stoppiag wliile the plants are young. I could also cite many otlier instances of long rambling jjlants and cHmbers that have been so managed, and trained into useful specimens of bush oidtm-e ; and, there- fore, why not climbing roses ? The Bauksian roses, both the yellow and white, flower on the last year's wood, different from aU other roses, therefore they must not be pruned late in the autumn or in winter, like other roses, for, if they are, that prevents their blooming altogether. Midsmnmer is the right time to prime them, just after they have done flowering ; and very Ulcely, on this account, they will be foimd to yield to pot cidture easier than some other cUmb- ers. witliout beuig much cramped at the roots, as no doubt some others must be for the first few years. D. Be.«o.x. THE KITCHEN-GAEDEN. Cauliflowees and Coleworts shoidd, at this time of the year, be planted pretty liberally, so that a good supply of autmnn vegetables may be secm-ed, to take the place of beans and peas, in due season. Another good sowing, too, should be made of caidi- flomers, and also of the smaU quick-gi-owing kinds of cabbage, at the beginning of this month. SuBFAOE Mulchi>;g to beans, peas, kidney and scarlet runner beans, as well as to artichokes and other vegetables, iviU, if well attended to at tliis time, amply repay the cottager and gardener for the trouble of performing it. Should dry weather pre- vail, this operation will be most beneficial in prevent- ing the earth's surface from becoming parched, ci-ust-bound, and cracking into fissures. Much of the ti'ouble and expense of watering, too, will be saved, as one hberal soaking to a mulched sm-face has a much more beneficial eflect to gi'owing crops than many waterings without a little previous mulch- ing. Most growing crops, indeed, may, at this time of the year, be very greatly improved in quality and quantity, as well as prolonged in bearing, by middl- ing, and by the application of liberal soaldngs of Uquid-manure, well drenched in with water. The late kinds of pea, partioulai'ly the Marrow, may be thus improved and prolonged to a gi-eat extent, and the opei'atiou of midohing is most assui'edly, also the best preventive of mildew, that well-known pest so destiiictive and so generally prevalent with the late crops of peas. For many years past I have invariably observed that the mildew has been pro duced on peas and other kitchen vegetables, as well as flowering plants, through then- having been suf- fered to become dry at bottom, or, I should rather say, through the earth they are gi-owing in becoming dry imdemeath the roots, in consequence of the sur- face only having been moistened with showers, or by ai-tiflciai means ; and this efiect is particularly visible after heavy fogs and dews. Watering. — As we have frequently observed, water shoidd never be thrown over the foliage of plants and vegetables, particularly in dry weather, but liberal soaldngs to the roots should be applied so that the beneficial efiects may extend to the most needful points. More iujiu-y is often done to crops in hot weather by light sprinldings, or the apjjlica- tion of water in small quantities, than if they were left without any moistm-e at aU ; and the same iiilc applies with regard to the application of liquid- manure, wldoh, if given when needed only to the surface of the earth, and not well washed in with plenty of clear water, loses a great portion of its fer- tdizing qualities by atmospheric evaporation, and aflbrds but little benefit to the crops to which it is applied. RouTixE Maxagejiext. — The 2Mtato onion should now be bunched and hung up in an open, aiiy, shaded out-house to hai-vest, and the autumn sown onions will now requu'e their staUcs to be bent down. Pejyperndnt, balm, chamomile Jiotcers, marjormn, hore- hound, icormwood, and other herbs, should be ga- theied as soon as they become fit, that is, as soon as in fiiU bloom, taldng the opportunity of so doing in fine weather, and taldng eai'e to dry them gradually, to secure, as much as possible, their natural colour and properties. As soon as they are dried, they shoidd be well secured in paper bags to protect them also fi-om dust and damp. J.ames B.arxes. MISCELLANEOUS INTOEMATION. MY FLOWERS. (No. 33.) If the old saying is tnie that " when the broom flowers freely the harvest wUl be abundant," we may expect overflowing garners tins season, for I never remember to have seen such rich and luxuriant bloom as in the month just passed away. Perhaps my floricultural sight has been qidckened since The Cottage Gardener has aroused our energies, but certain it is that I never saw such bright and glow- ing clusters as this year decked the broom. Lovely as the finv.e had been, the broom fau-ly eclipsed her, and the grace and featheiy form of its gi'owth give it additional beauty. If any of my readers have ti'aveUed by the Brighton railway, they must surely have been stmckby the large and picturesque patches of this beautiful plant which so thickly covered much of the wild and lovely country through which they passed, and actually hung in masses from the deep sandstone clifts that overhang the " cuttings," tluis proving that the broom wUl almost spring ft'om the very rock. The efiect of its rich golden wreaths clothing these steep and barren places was very de- hghtful, and I think it might be introduced with great advantage in many situations of this kind which sometimes interfere with our ideas of beauty. Rocky and stony places might be very much beauti- fied by a little attention to those plants winch choose such situations, and of those the broom is one of the gayest and the loveliest. It may be called a " royal " plant, for it is said to have given its name to a luie of British kings ;■'•■ and when we now delight in its beauty and fragrance, we may think of those trou- blous times of war and bloodshed which once was the portion of our now happy land, and rejoice in the peace and safety that shelters our EngHsh homes even more than their gi-oves and orchards. Where would the cottage gardener find rest for him- self or his cabbages if British law did not hedge them in? Let him, then, as he digs and plants, gratefully remember and submit himself to thos(^ wholesome resti-aints that protect his comfoi'ts and enjoyments, and in all things strive to maintain them in their purest and soundest form. The broom would look beautiful dotted about a lawn ; the white flowering variety is very elegant, and JULV THE COTTAGE GARDENER. would form a pleasing contrast either singly or grouped witk otlier slirubs. I do not think it is en- coiiraged as mueli as it deserves to be ; and our move simple gardens lose much interest and beauty I'roni not possessing many " wild" plants that would be much admired it' tliey were only brought thus into notice. The pink flowering tlioru is a beautiful tree for the lawn or shrubbery, and I do not often see it. In cottage gardens, if placed in the hedge or wliere it woidd not take the room of a fruit-tree, it would have a lovely eflfeot; the crimson flowering variety is rich and beautiful, and would group well with the pink and white flowering kinds. During the early part of this month the double wallflower stUl may be increased by slips or cuttings of this year's growth, four or five inches long, if placed under a hand-glass. They are such rich flowers, and scent the au' so agreeably, especially after rain, that we should cultivate them freely, and they are uuth-iug in tlieu- bloom. Pinks and carnations must now be finished piping or layering, each of which operations are minutely described in every gardening book. These flowers are so lovely and so sweet that we shoidd increase them as much as possible, par- ticularly the clove carnation, without which the brightest nosegay is incomplete, and which is indeed a nosegay in itself Flower-stalks must now be supported if tall, and climbing plants also. There are often rough winds in July as well as June, especially about the longest day, that do much mischief, as the fidl foliage of trees and plants cause them to feel their power ; and those likely to suflfer should be strongly protected before that period anives. The tall stems of the bright scarlet Lychnis are sadly disfigured by winds, unless prepared by being tied firmly to a stick. I have been frequently negligent in this matter, and have found my plants in terrible disorder after a boisterous night. I therefore recommend every lady to secure her plants as soon as possible, for .1 know how untidy and comfortless a garden looks when a summer gale has passed over it. Tliere is something peculiarly scorching in a south-west wind, and gardens should, if possible, be screened from that quarter. I have seen the most luxuriant rose- trees almost ruined in a few hours by its blighting breath ; their rich leaves turned brown and crisp, as if fire had passed over them, and much of tlieir beauty gone. This might, in many situations, be prevented by a hedge or clump of trees and shrubs, which would break the force of the wind in a great measure ; or, in forming a garden, we might so place it as that the house or a wall should interpose and screen it on the south-west side. Some little pains are well bestowed to improve, or, at least, protect our flowers, for if the beauty of the rose is injured how can we supply her place ? In the days of our childhood " the rose was the glory of April and May ;" it is still the glory of our gardens, though at a later season. We should now keep our box edgings neatly trimmed, and our lawns mown as frequently as pos- sible, that the turf may be short and velvetty. I love the daisy, yet it does certainly destroy the efi'ect of flowers when it blooms on the grass-plot, and they sliould therefore be often mown. The daisy, though ve value it not, was once very highly prized. It was the favourite flower of one of our British queens, the unfortunate Margaret of Anjou; and was then chosen to decorate the hair, and was even worked upon the embroidered robe. Since that day it has sunk into insignificance, but it is still pleasing to us as the fli'st flower childliood possessess and rejoices in ; and when we see it in the barrenness of the very early s]u-iijg it always gives us pleasure. Its little histoiy, too, is interesting, connected as it is with courtly scenes, and pageantry, and suft'ering. How deep a tale of sorrow it relates, and liow loudly it teaches us that the path of royalty is not the path of peace. Let this simplest wild flower rouse in our hearts a doubly loyal spirit; and let the cottage gardeners strive to shield their monarch's steps from harm, by setting a bright example of quietness and content- ment. If the peasantry are true to the crown, not one of its jewels shall fall out. Ilprese ndesp TO CORRESPONDENTS. Hybrid Honeysdckles (B. Tongue). — Your hybrids from a male of the trumpet honeysuckle fertilizing the pubescent honey- suckle have very handsome, brilliant, orange-scarlet flowers, with a bold foliage, but scentless. They are a very desirable addition to our shrubberies and borders. Thurston's Reliance Pea (Tyro).— We never grew this variety, but we believe that it does not require any treatment differing from that desirable for other peas. Remove the spinach from between the rows, and spread some mulch of long dung thickly over the roots of the peas upon the surface of the soil. Thi - '" ture beneficially, as you say your soil is lig _ wish to grow tlie pods very fine. Liquid manure of sheep's dung once a week, after the pods are set, will aid you also. Larks are not injurious to wheat when in ear. Caruots (Firforia).— We cannot suggest anything for the im- provement of these sown late, and in poor ground without manure. It would be useless to attempt to transplant them now with any prospect of success. If you merely want green food for your rabbits you may water your carrots once a week with weak liquid manure. Rolling Potatoes {Diaconus). — It may be that the potato disease was checked, as you say, in a cottager's garden by roll- ing down the stems pf the potatoes at this time of the year, for consolidating the earth about the tubers has been in several instances alleged to have such a preservative effect ; it helps to exclude the air, and the more the air is excluded the better is putrefaction avoided. But we have no hope that such rolling is a specific against the disease. We believe that this is ii consequence of unnatural treatment during centuries, and that it will take many years of more rational cultivation and storing to eradicate the disease'. Fuchsia Seed [A. A. B.). — When you want to save seeds of fuchsias, or of many other plants, it is a good old rule to assist the plant to produce them, by dusting its own pollen on the stigmas. Imperfect, or want of impVegnation, is often the cause of the seed, pods and berries falling oft". See what Mr. Beaton says on this subi beli! IE Elder cause Blight? I.T. Jl/org-nre).— We do-not the old doctrine that the elder or any other plant either ' Lir elder-tree is a causes blight or prevents it in a gardi favourite let it alone, otherwise it is, by its roots, a great robber i garden, being a powerful feeder. The simplest mode of getting of insects on common hardy bushes is to cut off the points of shoots attacked, as Mr. Errington recommended for currants i gooseberries. It is only the tender points they seize on, and plant is injured by this " stopping " (MM).— This ?Unodora) : from frost. It is by no means a good pof-plant for summer, but excellent for the window in winter. The best way to manage it is to plant out of the pot.s at the end of May without disturbing the ball, to water occasionally through the ummer, and to repot late in September. Kleinia articulata (/6W).— This is as old as the hills, and is in Loudon's Hortus Britannicus under the old name of Cacaliii. It is a succulent of no great beauty. Asa window plant it only requires a very small pot, very poor soil, and very little water in summer, and ; hardly in winter. (A nd always on the upper , beginning at the point, scratching oil t" r going t- - ' ■ ■ - »f the day o e, over the seen and found out the real habits c answer to you at p. l6o. It feeds side of the' leaf, beginning at the point, scratching oil the grs only, and never going to a fresh leaf till the whole of the firs eaten off. It begins to feed late in the evening and continues eating till 8 or 9 o'clock next morning ; resting for the rest of the t' underside of the leaf, but still singly. Look, there bush late and early, and destroy the marauders one oy one. mey are easily seen and only one on a leaf, consequently hand-picking or crushing them is not a formidable job. They are very small, not more than a half-inch long, dullish while, with a dark brown head. Pears Palling off (S. Cooke). — Your pear-tree blossoms well, has abundance of leaves, but the fruit, when about the size of a hazel nut, invariably turns black and falls off.— Whether your pear is a case of " bad setting," as gardeners term it, that is, deficient im- pregnation, or whether something is organically wrong in the system of the tree, we cannot precisely say. It would be very easy to speak in a positive way on the subject, but so many anomalous subjects present themselves in fruit-gardening, that cases occur in which the most experienced and the most scientific feel bound to hesitate. As your tree has been planted 30 years it is quite probable the roots may THE COTTAGE G.VEDEXEE. application latter opura dusting the Compost I plant another tree ot ,p-('lr<'ssing, with th( 1 suifacc (il)res. The Try also, next year, cellent for thi I (Ibid). — Your mode of making vege- ofholdir and that i they 1 I Water (lliid).— Your mode of making and applying thi nure, thus described, arc both good :— In a vessel capable S nine gallons put two pounds of guano and eight gallons of water, let them stand 24 hours, ttetiuently stirring the mixture ; after letting it settle for an hour put it into another vessel holding nine gallons ; then put eight gallons of fresh water into the first vessel, on the guano, for 24 hours. After settling mil these two almost clear infusions together for use. Various Lilidms and Gladioli ('WM; .—Never give guano water to a lUium, L. Japonicum is hardy in England, and likes a peaty soil. L. Venustum we never heard of. Eximium is only ano- ther name for the old L. lon^fiomin, which is not quite hardy with us, but a slight protection will preserve it in a dry bortfer. All the gladioli '■ out of doors here, with a slight protection and a dry bed, age them. Gladioli showing fiower buds in a greenhouse wiU receive no benefit by being planted out now. When the spring frosts are over is the time to plant them out of pots, and the end of October the best time to plant the dry bulbs in the open ground, and no rain should get at them all the winter, r indeed till they are well up in the spring : if you manage that !y will indeed reward you. Umbellatus {not carulen, J. Jl/.).— This, which you describe as "just doubling itself," you must not divide untU the end of March. When these flowers are once established they to flower every year. Give it abundance of water till the August, and keep it in the open air until frost approaches. Christmas Bose, &c. (74W).— This should be divided at th( roots this month when in a dormant state, and planted immediately It will do in any soil that is not too stiff or over wet ; but best in ric'l light loam, such as the borders of a good old kitchen garden. Nc mnter flower deserves to be more grown than the Christmas rose. Par of your vegetable compost, when t it get quite dry for"three months in the meantime. If you' want . increase it, shake the soil from it, and divide the small from the rge fleshy tubers which compose the underground part. See what said of them at p. 51. The acacia should stand out of doors till osts threaten us, and be regularly watered. Pentstemon Perfoliatum \Un Jeuiie homme).—Ti^ this we ne old botanical works ivill find its historv in Loudon's Encyclbpiedia of ph The little cruciferous plant you mention with yellow flowers is, pe haps, Cheiranthus alpinus. The rose you enclose is afl^ected wi ;' green centre," as gardeners call the transformation of the pisti into leaves. We never knew this example of morphology so previ lent as it is this year. Your other question shall be answered ne ought ;nd of quite rotten, should be laid by 1 a wet day." If your urum has presume you mean P. lamigatum, which is called Digitalis perfoliata glabra. You ' ' " ' .■ - . under the See previous a )-).-Yo flowe tp. 143-5. Appleby will ^vrite fully i Plants ( ).— M their culture next week. Skins of Aphides (T. J/or^am).— "The sheUy looking insects "' ■ " > the calyx, &c. of your rose," killed by the grubs of with holes in their backs, adheri are onlj' the skins of aphides, oi parasitic Ichneumon flies. The swollen size of thi their distention to accommodate the growth of the parasite that fed upon their vitals. The hole is that by which the parasite made its — * Your rose, we think, is the Grand Tuscan;/. ; {A Novice).— The pollen is required to be applied to r fragment of flower was too much its name : it is like Cactus Jen- Hybe ;r part but the stigma. I for t ■ Bees'(A Begin -You returned the second swan ^ame forth i since which the be( tered the drones, yet you heard the piping of the qu after that found in front of the hive the bodi«s of two bi rather longer than the others.— If the piping contii swarm again, for it ceases only after the swarm has Icfl numerary queens are killed, which may easily ing them dead on the ground under the hive, you found in front of the hive, which is a certa bees will not swarm again. It is quite unnece; nanner; then. tion of theii dentlyjust c destruction caught, yet i hand. The the sraallir i borne fii:'i. POTAT.^' kind you can cultivate is the t'/uirltoii. Form of Beds (J. W.;.— Your labor ging deep alleys between your bed drained. If it is. then ' " of the strongest, tall. eyes but two out if they are left to is, the others not this and in many lily follow |.pple-leai Rogerson, in Earthing standing that we assigned at p. 148 '"'Tl'anTis'Sr^'" published by Wessri rhe "Farmer's Magazine" Norfolk-street, Strand. Potatoes (Twig).— You are quite right in under- ■ potatoes, and f ' earth up thetuben with earth about an inch deep. The MOR nined the sto probably explains the ilized ; this is one cax t intend to lay it dow D Apricots Falling (Little Tom).— You of these, and flnd them without kernels, the cause of your loss. The fruit had not itone fruit falling, although sufficiently thinned, so that the supply of sap is not suHieient to kec p.-ice with the growth of the fruit. We do translate the Latin nami of plants as much as is possible. The glutinous matter you mentio 1 the something ne.\t week. LS (An Amateur, W. H. B.).— peculiar to the plant, and called fith the ic on which we shall probably s ON Scarlet Runners i the aphides or gi ologists.J;)/;isp;j( nette TURNED Yellow (MM).- The mere fact ol from a window facing the west to another window 1 aspect could not have given that plant "almost i autumnal yellow;" whdst the plant remaining lindow continues green. There is something the oot of the plant moved, or some differeuce in the I Honey-dew. It Ulighted Damson Tree (W. E. H).— This blight upon plum trees has swept all over England. The deformity of the points of the shoots is caused by their being attacked early in the spring by the plum louse, Aphis pruni. The wounds inflicted by this aphis caused the growth to be deformed, and the sap to exude and decom- pose. The white insects (of which we find only the remains of one). usually foi I been some kind of Ac^ d where the putrefactic lture (An Admire:-). you will see how vou refer vegeta 1 rcfei . p. 66 0 i going 0 Horse droppings will make liquid manure, but you imuit put about half as much more as you would of sheep's dung to agallon of water. If you mulch over the roots ot the roses opening with difficulty, and then give a good soaking of water over the mulch, you will assist them effectually. On no account cultivate kidney 'beans or peas round the stems of your roses. Soap Ashes (F. S. B.).— You will find full particulars relative to these at p. 268 of our first voliune. Roses (Gamma).— Fanny Bias is a Gallic or French rose and not a climber! Amadis is a Boursault, and a climber. It is crimson with a purple centre. The other name we cannot make out. You were quite right not to cut off the tops of your violets when dividing them. "" ' at work prepai-ing the materials for the next [NG (/iirf).— Plant in autumn, hut do not put on intil the spring, about March. ;PENT.E AND ZaUCHSNKBIA CaLIFORNICA (A ■rrifirr .~'V\ur^' was such a demand for these this r-riMiun \MTr oMi-t-d to send them "out" in blooms. lost thtii of them ' . — Your dahlia roots unfortunately probably, and, in such case, are of lowevcr, as they are ; perhaps some ■ou sent us is that of Tradescnulia light be wintered in a w 1 manage. We had it once from THE COTTAGE GARDENER, WEEKLY CALENDAR. M D 12 16 17 18 w D JULY 12—18, 1849. Plants dedicated to each day. Sun Rises. Sun Sets. Moon K. and Sets. Moon's Age. Clock 1 Day of bef.Sun, Year, Th F S Sun M Tu W Magpie motli seen. Hoplia argentea seen. Drinker moth seen. 6. Sux. ATT. Trinity. St. Swithiu. Blackbird's song ceases. Bumislied-brass moth seen. Whitethroat's song ceases. Great Snapdragon. Blue Lupine. Everlasting Lupine. Small Cape Marigold, Large Garden Convol- Sweet Pea. [vnlus. Autumn Marigold, r)H a. 3 IV 1 ■2 n 5 6 12 a. 8 n 10 9 6 11 30 11 50 morn. 0 2- 1 .3 1 4T 2 40 22 € 24 25 26 27 r, 14 .5 22 5 28 5 35 5 41 5 40 5 51 19.3 104 195 190 197 198 199 St Switiiin, bishop of Winchester, was horn of noble parentage in that city or its vicinity ; became a member of the regular clergy attached to its cathedral," and, finally, was raised to its mitre, in 852, bv his pupil king Ethelwolph. There is ample testimony of hia learn- iii'T charity, and humility ; and we need cite no other than that he was the preceptor of king Alfred, as he had been of his father, that he built numerous churches where none previously existed, and that he directed hia body to be buried before the western door of the cathedral, esteeming his remains unworthy to repose within its walls. His death occurred a.d. 862. About a century after, bemg canonized by the Romiah Church, it was not considered appropriate that the relics of a saint should be without a worthy resting place ; and, a sumptuous shrine being prepared within the cathedral, it was proposed to translate them thither on the 15th of July. The ceremony, however, was delayed for forty days by the occurrence of a series of heavy rains, giving birth to the lines proverbial through- out Great Britaan : — *' St. Switbin's day, if thou dost rain, For forty days it will remain : St. S'vvithin's day, if thou he fair, For forty days 'twill rain no mair." We have seen that a similar saving is applied in other places to the anniversary of the translation of St. ftlartin, July 4. In France it is in a like manner connected with the festival of St. Gervais, June IQ ; and there is no doubt that it is founded on the observation, made by men of science as well as rustics, that if much rain occurs at the close of June, or early in July, it is followed by a long series of similar weather. There is also reason to know that rain at this period is beneficial both to our corn and fruit crops. soil are acute observers of such phe Insects.— Especially during this month, but at various periods between the end of May and August, a greenish white or slaty -coloured caterpillar — more than two inches long when full grown — may be found feeding on the various species of mullein (Ver(iascu7n) andfigwort {Scrophulariti). On each segment of this caterpillar are four large black dots, sometimes separate, and sometimes running together ; there are smaller black dots along the sides, and a double row of yellow spots on the back, with others on the sides. The head is yellow, sootted with black. This is the larva of the Mullein moth {CucJilUa verbnsci, and Noctua ver- bnsci of some). This moth appears commonly in May. It is about two inches across the expanded fore-wings, which are of a dark reddish-brown colour, clouded and lined with black, and with a large white spot on each resembling the figure 3, as shewn in the annexed drawing. The hind-wings are also reddish -brown, but paler, and sometimes almost white. The female lays her eggs upon the mulleins, and their relative species of plants, which eggs are hatched in a few days if the weather be warm. The caterpillars when of full growfh we have already described, and thev then descend into the ground at " • ■ ..,.,. . " '■ , where they sayings indicative of their opinions upon the point :— " When it rains on St. Swithin's day, he is christening the apples ;" and, " A shower of rain in July, when the corn begins to fill. Is worth a plough of oxen, and all that belongs tlieretill." The small Cape marigold is very appropriately associated with this day, because, as is indicated by its botanical name, Cnlenduttt plu- vialis, it closes its petals at the approach of rain. Phenomena of the Season. — In our last Number we mentioned a few examples of the modes in which the stamens are induced to scatter their pollen upon the pistil, but we must not pass from the subject without mentioning some other extraordinary instances of the contrivances adopted by their Creator to secure the impregnation of the seeds of plants. Created in every conceivable variety of form ■ ■ ■ sauty, the pollen would not reach the stigma of 33 some especial means were provided to effect the In the anowdfops and campanulas, whilst the pendant ■ " ■ , the mouth the winds for the dispersion of the pollen over the stigma. Ruppia maritima, and other aquatic plants, float constantly at considerable depths beneath the water's surface ; but, when the season for impregnation arrives, tliey rise to the surface, expand their flowers, and then again sink within the waters to perfect their seeds. The female flowers of the Valimeria spiralis grow, as the name intimates, on spiral stalks, and remain coiled beneath the water until the time for the poUen^s shedding arrives— the stalks then uncoil and bring the flowers above the sur- face. What add.s to the wonder of this phenomenon, the male flowers are grown on separate plants ; and hence there is further occasion to admire the wisdom which provides that the females shall always rise to the surface at the appropriate time, and that they should never in vain " call their lost lovers." After the pollen has been scattered over the stigma, the stalk resumes its coiled form, and withdraws the flower once more within the bosom of the water. Jdly 1841. ,842. 1843. 1844. 1845, 1346. 1847. 1818. temp. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Pine. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Fine. 64°— 41° 75°-49° 77°- 56° 7S°— 56° 64° -48° 7S°— 49° 90° -55° 81°-4S° Showery. Fine. Fine. Fine. 68°— 42° 7.?°— 43° 67°— 54° 71°— 56° 71°-55° 87°-58° 90°- 59° 82°- 52° Showery. Fine. Fine. Fine. 87°-60° 76°-45° 76°-53° 75°-47° 71°— 19° 93°-59° Stormy. Fine. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. 77°— 56° 76°— 46° 71"— 41° Fine. Pine. Fine. Fine. Fine. 78°-49° Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Showery. Fme. r,5°-49° 81°- 57° 7.5°— 54° 71°— 52° 76°-47° Cloudy. Fine. Rain. Fine. 7i°-4V 81°-57° 75°-49° 73°— 45° the roots of the plants on which they have been feeding:, form cocoons of half-rotted leaves and earth, so fi together as to resemble small hard elods. They remain ■ until the following May, or caterpillar of this moth, although its food is usually , with much apparent satiafaotio^n, the skins which fn ly bound the pupa rious that ually vegetable, the progress of growth. This strange repast, says j\lr. Jviroy, seems even a stimulating dainty, speedily restoring the caterpillar to vigour after the painful moulting by which it has been supplied with it. As Tvas expected, by all who have made the diseases of plants their study, the month just closed, charac- terized by great warmth and dryness, succeeding as it did to a spring of unusual coldness and wet, has been productive of a very prevalent appearance of HoNEY-DEw. It is upon our roses, currants, and gooseberries, but has exuded in such excess from the leaves of lime and filbert trees in Hamjishire as literally to drop from their surfaces. It has been stated by some that, notwithstanding the sweetness of this exudation, bees never feed upon it, but we cau bear evidence of the contrary, and so numerous No. XLL, Vol. II. T?IE COTTAGE GARDENER. were these insects, on ouo oonasion, a few days since collecting the honej--dew from some filbert's leaves, that we were informed that a swarm was alighted upon them. This, however, continued only for less than a week, and now, though some few of the leaves are nearly as clammy as ever with this saccharine exudation, we do not see any bees visiting them. The honey-dew is not, like the potato m\in-ain, a modern infirmity of plants ; for it is mentioned by Pliny imder the fanciful designation of the ' sweat of the heavens,' and the ' saliva of the stars,' though he questioned whether it is a deposition from the air, purging it from some contracted impm-ity. ^lore modern philosophers have been quite as erro- neous and discordant in their opinion relative to the disease's nature. Some, with the most unmitigatable asperity, declare that it is tlie excrement of aphides. Others as exclusively maintain that it is an atmo- sperio deposit, and a third party consider that it arises from bleeding, in consequence of the wounds of in- sects. That there may be a glutinous saccharine liquid found upon the leaves of plants arising from the first and thii-d named causes is probable, or rather certain; but this is by no means conclusive that there is not a similar liquid extravasated upon the surface of the leaves, owing to some unhealthy action of then- vessels. It is with this description of honey-dew that we are here concerned. The error into which writers on this subject apjsear to have fallen, consists in their having endeavom'ed to assign the origin of every kind of honey-dew to the same cause. Thus the Rev. Gilbert White seems (Naturalist's Ccdemlav,) to have had a fanciful and comprehensive mode of accounting for the origin of honey-dew, telling us, under the date June 4th, 1783, " vast honey-dews tlus week. The reason of this seems to be, that in hot days the effluvia of flowers are drawn up by a brisk evaporation, and then in the night fall down with the dews with which they are entangled." The objection urged to this theory by Curtis (Trans. Linn. Soc. vi. 82) is conclusive. If it fell from the atmo- sphere, it would cover every thing on which it fell in- discriminately ; whei'eas we never find it but on cer- ain living plants and trees ; we find it also on plants in stoves and greenhouses covered with glass. Curtis had convinced himself that the honey-dew was merely the excrement of the apliides, and lie supported his theory witli his usual ability, although he justly deemed it a little 'wonderful extraordinary' tliat any insect should secrete as exoreraentitious matter, sugar; lie even thought it possible, if the ants, wasps, and flies, could bo prevented from devour- ing the honey-dew, ' almost as fast as it was deposited,' to collect it in considerable quantities, and convert it into the choicest sugar and sugar-candy. The fact that honey-dew is never found except upon thouppsr siu-faee of a leaf, whilst tlie apliides are as exclusively confined to the under surface, is fatal to the theoiy of !Mr. Curtis. We have no doubt ourselves that honey-dew is an unnatural exudation, caused by a heat of the air and drj-ness of the soil not suited to the habit of the plant on which the exudation appeal's. It is somewhat analogous to that out-burst of blood which in such seasons is apt to occur to man, and arises from the increased action of the secretory and circidatory system to which it aflbrds relief. There is this great and essential difference, that, in the case of the plants, the exti'avasation is upon the surface of the leaves, and consequently in proportion to the abundance of tlie extruded sap are theii- respiration and digestion impau'ed. Azaleas sometimes, but rarely, have the fine hairs on their leaves, especially on theii' lower surface, beaded, as it were, with a resinous exudation. It is never found but upon plants that have been kept in a temperatui-e too high, and in a soil too fertile. This is a kind of hone3'-dew, and, like it, an eflbrt to relieve the surcharged vessels; occuning also in various forms in other plants. Tliis honey-dew, or exudation of sap, may be both jn-eveuted and cured by mulching over the roots of the trees, and giving to them regularly and plentififlly supplies of water. Where tliis was done to one of three filbert trees, all aff'eoted by honey-dew, and its leaves had been well syiinged, it left that one, tliough continuing for weeks after unmitigated on the other two. This, added to tlie successful application of other liquids to plants, in order to prevent the occur- rence of the honey-dew and similar diseases, seem to substantiate the ojiinion that a morbid state of the sap is the chief cause of the honey-dew; for it would be difficult to explain the reason why the use of a so- lution of common salt in water applied to the soil in which a plant is gi-owing can prevent a disease caused by insects. But if we admit that the in-egular action of the sap is the cause of the disorder, then we can understand that a portion of salt inti'oduced in the juices of the plant would naturally have a ten- dency to correct or vary any morbid tendency, either correcting the too rapid secretion of sap, stimulating the plant in jiromoting its regular formatiou, or pre- serving its fluidity. And that by such a treatment the honey-dew may be entirely prevented, we have often witnessed m our own garden, when experiment- ing with totally difierent objects. Thus we have seen plants of various lands, which have been treated with a weak solution of common salt and water, totally escape the honey-dew, where trees of the same kind, growing in the same plot of ground not so treated, liave heonmatoriiiUy injured by its ravages. We think, however, that the solution which has been sometimes omployodfor this purpose is much too strong for water- ing plants. We have always preferred a weak liquid, aud are of opinion that one ounce of salt to a gallon July THE COTTAGE GARDENER. of water is quite powerful enougli for the intended purpose. We are iu doubt as to the correctness of Knight's opinion tliat mere water has a material in- fluence in the composition of such a remedy, since we have noticed that standard fruit-trees, around which, at a distance of six or eight feet from the stem, we had deposited, at a depth of 12 inches, a quantity of salt to promote the general liealtli and fruitfulness of tlie tree, according to the manner formerly adopted to some extent in the cider countries for the apple orchai'ds, that these escaped the honey-dew j'ust as well as those which had been watered with salt and water, though it mfeoted adjacent trees which had been treated with neither salt nor salt and water. Oiu- experience, we think, justifies the conclusion at which we have arrived, viz., that if the roots of a plant are kept healthfully moist, and its leaves are preserved also from excessive dryness, it wOl never suffer from honey-dew. The encouragement conferred upon us by the public justifies us in endeavom'ing to accomplish our wish to be still more useful, by adopting the increased number of pages which we this day and permanently intend to place before our readers. The Stove departmejit has been confided to ]Mk. Robert Fish, long favom-ably known as a contributor to the Gardener's Magazine, GarJmer's Journal, and other periodicals, and now gardener to Colonel Sowerby, at Putteridge Bury, near Luton. Our increased number of pages wUl enable us to add this department to The Cottage Gardexeu, not only without decreasing the space allotted to the other departments, but leaving an in- crease of space for them. Besides, we find not only that many of our readers already possess little struc- tures in which they cidtivate stove plants, but that many more could not only do so but could force fruit, with scarcely any additional expense, aided by the information we shall be able to give them ; infomia- tion still keeping in view our prime object— utility, and the improvement of the gardening of the many. THE PEUIT-GAEDEN. pERSEVEiiANCE Necessaryto SuocEss.-^This priu- iple is as essential in the natural as in the moral world ; most, if not all, of the success-crowned efforts of the present as well as the past titnes bear this im- press on them. Why, then, should fruit cultivators expect to form an exception? T'rue it is that blight- ing easterly winds, cold north-westers, and those April frosts, which appear to carry us back to the apparently hopeless scenes of a dreary winter, cast a damp on the human mind, and, for a moment, excite that sort of impatient spirit which would fain per- suade us that our labours are vain, and that no sub- stantial good can be achieved in fruit-gardening. Such glimmerings of querulous discontent we also have at times felt, as years have rolled on ; but we must also confess and bear honourable testimony to a multitude of feelings of a less heartless, more ener- getic, and less desponding character, when, after the threatening dark cloud, wc have unexpectedly met with invigorating suns and genial showers, and have discovered, time after time, that our efforts, although fi-ustrated for awhile, yet were marked by a real pro- gress, which only required more temper, more pa- tience, and a better mood of mind, to fully appreciate. We, therefore, if we may be aUowed a rather coarse joke, say to all our fruit-gi'owing friends, in the lan- guage of Cromwell, "Trust in the I,ord, and keep your gimpowder dry." To apply the idea conveyed in this strange quotation from a strange character, we say, still trust in sound principles in preference to traditional maxims, and endeavour to increase your perseverance in proportion to the amount of your temporary defeat. We have been led to make these remarks in conse- quence of several applications from earnest contri- butors to The Cottage Gardener, who, in addition to a real English spirit of perseverance, which some- how lurks at the bottom of the style of many of their letters, still show a shade of despondency as to the present prospects of fruit-trees, more worthy of east- ern fatalists than the slowly-daunted and enterpris- ing sons of the north. Many complain that they have no pears, although planted and managed accord- ing to the most approved maxims. Others have failed in their peaches, or chewies, or apricots, &c., &c. Now, when we take into consideration the character of the past April, who can wonder at ill reports? We think it rather strange that there is any fi'uit at all, for we never during some two score years'^ practice, or nearly so, knew such a perilous AprO. for fiiiit blos- soms. With regard to pears, a gi-eat many of om- sub- scribers have complained, in the course of their que- ries, of pears blossoming freely yet never bearing ; and they naturally wish to know the cause. How, we would have it understood that in this, as in many other cases, several causes may tend to one and tho same result. One cause appears to be a kind of decrepitude, the conseqilence of premature old age, induced by abuse of cultiu-e combined with deleterious subsoils. When we say "abuse of culture," we mean that to continue for years to dig a spade's depth and to crop over the surface roots of fruit-trees is sure in the long run to produce evil effects, more especially if the subsoil is of an ungenial character. Trees, in their earlier stages, may and will stand this foul play with impunity; and why? Simply because the vital power being strong and in vigorous play they can continue to reproduce fresh fibres, as a sort of equiva- lent to the mutilation they are made to endure. By degrees, however, this strong vital action becomes tamed ; and, at last, if the poor old tree were skele- tonised at the root, it would be seen standing on a few deep props, sometliing after the manner of a three- legged stool. This is no strained account, as would be ascertained on a close examination as above sug- gested. The following sketch will perhaps serve to ulus- trate the matter. 18i THE COTTAGE GARDEKEE. Kow, wheu the conditions under wliich tlie roots arp situated are taken into consideration, who can expect fig. b to continue for years in as healthful a condi- tion as fig. a. Indeed, if such were the case, the ample directions giren by all men of first-rate prac- tice, to take every precaution in avoiding deleterious subsoils, would at once be overruled ; and trees might be stuclc in anywhere and anyhow, without the slightest pains. "The unfortunate subject, fig. b, may indeed contuiue to grow for many years, but the con- sequences will be that the tree will be altogether thi-o\Tu into a false position — the elaborations will be altogether defective. The tree will, perhaps, blossom freely through sheer poverty or the inabDity to " run to wood," as gardeners term it ; but depend upon it much of the blossom wiU be defective. We cannot, like oiu' friend Mr. Beaton, in his ex- ceedingly interesting paper on Hybridizing, p. 143, urge so minute an examination of the component parts of the flower as he has done, but this we may say, that in matters of this kind we have in scores of cases found either no pistils at all or the same in tlie utmost state of decrepitude, in fact a withered abortion. Oiu' readers will, no doubt, imderstand that by the pistils we mean the female organ of the flower, the little white column which stands up in the very centre of the blossom, and the agency of which is to convey the fertilising pollen or male dust down to the incipient embryo fiaiit or germ; or, as Mr. Beaton terms it, in the strict language of botanists, " the pericarp." Well, then, it must be remembered that these pistils have a most important and exces- sively delicate office to perform ; and are exquisitely endowed, both structurally and physically, in order to carry out the great end of natm-e, that constant reproduction which, thi-ougli all ages, keeps our au-- suspended ball clothed with, verdure and fruits. Nature has also endowed this organ with a termi- nating point, termed the stigma. This has, or should have, a viscid matter exuding at the point, in order to catch the pollen which flies oft" at random -(vith every puff of wind. If, then, this viscid matter is absent through poverty of sap or the decreijitude of ago, success is impossible. We have thus shewn what consequences may ensue through maltreat- ment; no doubt many more occur of wluch we are, in the present imperfect state of science, totally ig- norant. Persons, somehow, get an idea that priming is to accomplish wonders in such a case ; and one wiU show how he pruned half way down, and another at least three parts. But of what avail can scientific manipulations about the branches of the tree be when all is constantly wrong at its root ? Some old trees are great pets with certain persons, and no wonder: who does not look with something almost amounting to veneration on the fine old jar- goneUe at the chimney end, from wliich they re- member l•ecei^^^g so many luscious treats in then- cliildliood, and about which .their father was so proud, and over which he took so much pains? To see such a pet continuing still to produce shoots one season, to canker in the next, is indeed grievous ; and the mind of the owner is kept in a painful sus- pense for several years, as to whether to cut it down and plant anew. Here, however, the dread of wait- ing some four or five years before fruit is produced deters the proprietor, and he continues to try nos- trums year after year, generally to end in failm-e. We have not space in this paper to ofl'er special ■advice on this head, but we do intend to take the case ■ of petted old fruit-trees in hand, and to oficr some i wholesome advice ; for these cases are by no means all iu cm-able. Much may be done even when things look desperate ; much more, however, by anticipation — by beguming to operate with the vei-y fii-st symp- toms of decay. 1 1 may here be observed, that in the case of fig. 6, the deep roots extending into the subsoil must be cut away or extracted from the bad position they ai-e in. Such cutting away, uevertheless, must not be done witliout some previous preparation ; and in future papers we shall, for the sake of simplicity, in treating this subject, refer to the two figures here given. As one preliminai-y step at this period, we would say, lay a compost, half manure and half turfy soil, which has been well blended for a twelvemonth, if possible, over the surface of the roots, extending fi-om the bole nearly as fai as the branches extend. This compost may be six inches deep, and a good watering with liquid manure occasionally will be a boon ; the object being to do away with spade culture, if any, and to induce fresh fibrous surface roots to bo produced, before cutting away the tap roots in the subsoil. E. Eheixgiox. THE FLOWER-GAEDEN. H.^r.DY Aqu.wics. — A con-espondent has made some inquu-ies about these very interesting and ornamental plants. In answer to him, we might content oinselves by referring him to what we have ah-eady written upon the subject at p. 108, vol. i. of this work, but as we there only somewhat bi-iefly touched upon it, we shall now retm-n to the subject, first describing the habi- tations suitable for them, the way to form them, and the cidtm-e they require, concluding with a select list of the most beautiful species. If a query arise as to the usefulness of such a subject or such plants in the amateur or cottager's garden, we reply that the gi-eater the number of objects of interest and beauty in a garden of moderate dimensions, the more likely that garden is to increase a love of it in the mind of the possessor ; and the more the love of the simple plea- sm-es of gardening is ingi-afted into the mind, the less power over it will the too common jiursuits of low, degrading, falsely called pleasures have. Situation. — We say, then, to the lovers of garden- ing, cultivate those really beautiful plants — hai-dy aquatics. They requii-e a proper situation and cle- ment to gi-ow them in. Choose the lowest part of your garden : dig out the soil or clay to a moderate depth ; you may make use of tliis to form a small eminence, and on tliis eminence place a seat, plant- ing it with shi-ubs or ti-ees; and on one side of it you may have a rookery,- a cave, a grotto, or simply only a rising groimd to vary the surface of the gai-den or lawn ; or it may be cai-ted away at once if you do not think proper to make use of it for these purposes. The Aquarium (place for water plants) may either be of a regidar form, as a circle or oval, or u-regular,. which latter we prefer, with a bay in one pai-t, a jut- ting promontory in another, a shelving shore here, and a steep bank covered with shrubs at another point. However small the piece of water may be, a little good taste and judicious management will have the best effect. Having formed the shape by digging out the soil to the reqim-ed depth, from two to three feet, the next point is to make it hold water. There is nothing better than clay for this pm-pose ; it will reqiiii-c preparing to make it retentive of water. Talio a small portion, say a barrow-load, and chop it into small pieces with a sharp spade. If it be di-y, add a JOly THE COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 185 little water to it ; then, with a wooden hammer hav- ing a long handle, beat it well till every part is of an Uniform consistency, having the appearance of clay dough. Spread this on the bottom of the pond about six inches thiek. Proceed with mixing up and beat- ing barrow-load after barrow-load till the bottom is en- tirely covered. Then either put on a pair of wooden- soled shoes or go on it with naked feet — the last is the best way. Tread the prepared clay iirmly, closely, and evenly down. Do this well and properly, and the bottom will never leak. As soon as that part is finished mix and beat more clay for the sides. With the spade, as soon as it or a portion of it is ready, dab it against the sloping bank, commencing at and joining it to the clay bottom. As soon as this is done beat it with the wooden hammer flnnly against the bank. If you have plenty of clay, eight inches will not be too thick for the sides. Remember, the more firmly the clay is beaten to the sides, the better it wdl hold water. The clay must be quite piu'e ; that is, have no stones or other matter left amongst it. If there are any such left, they will serve as conduits for the water to escape by, and all your labour will be in vain. Proceed with adding layers of clay upward until you reach the level you intend the water to be. Carry the clay puddle two or three inches higher, level the natural soil down to it, and let this soil be two inches or more higher than the clay. This wiU prevent it cracking away from the bank. Your aquarium is now ready for the water. Pre- viously to fining it, however, cover the bottom, upon the clay, with a coating of loam, fom- inches thick. This is intended to encourage the water plants to root in, and cause them to grow finely. If you can prooiu-e a sufiicient quantity of rough stones or peb- bles, place them against the banks. These will pre- vent the water from washing away the clay puddle. All being now ready, let in the water. Planting. — As soon as the aquarium is full of water you may plant the aquatics. There are several me- thods of doing this. The best is to have some wicker baskets of various sizes, to suit the size of each plant. rUl one with soil, inserting the plant intended for it at the same time; cover the top of the soil with some twisted haybands, coiling them round the plant; then lace them firmly down with some strong three- oord twine, passing it under the rim of the wicker basket, so as to keep in it the soil and the plant. Throw either a plank or a long ladder across the water. On this you can walk, carrying the plant with you. Drop it into the place you intend it for, and so treat all the other water plants you may have obtained, leaving space for others you may obtain hereafter. Some of them, the water iihj, for instance, have their leaves floating on the surface, but this is not needful at first. They (the leaves) will soon rise to the surface, and assume their natural position. The ivater violet has both its roots and leaves floating; all that is required, then, is to cast it into the water, and let it flouiish avray as it pleases. It may be, as in the case of our correspondent, that the Avater maybe required for cattle to drink. In that case, a place should be fenced off with posts and rails, to prevent them ti'ampling through the puddle or eat- ing tlie plants. That part, as far as they can reach, should have the bottom, upon the puddle, covered with shingly gravel, to protect it from the feet of the cattle. Some of oiu' readers may wish to have aquatics cultivated iu tanks formed with masonry, the water to be used for watering plants in pots, &c. This can be easily accomplished by puddling the bottom with clay, as mentioned above, and building upon it slop- ing walls, using Roman cement for mortar. These, if well executed, are very ornamental and of a neat appearance. If the tanli; walls are carried up three or fom- feet above the level , the plants are then brought nearer to the eye. An example of this may be seen in the royal gardens at Kew. Single plants of this kind may be cultivated in vases or even in troughs, the only thing they will require being a portion of mud at the bottom for the plants to root in.^ The after-culture the aquatics will require is, if possible, to change the water frequently and keep the siu'faoe clear from water mosses. A few ducks soon clear off the latter; otherwise the mosses must be skimmed or flooded off with water, if there is supply enough. A question has been asked, "Where are water plants to be procured ?" The gi-eater part of them are natives of this countiy, and may be had from their native habitats, but, as these habitats are not general, we may mention that the writer of this (Mr. Appleby) can supply them. We subjoin the promised select list : — AjMuor/eton distacliyon (Two-spiked Aponogeton), a very pretty floating aquatic from the Cape of Good Hope ; yet, although from a warm country, it is suf- ficiently hardy to survive an ordinary winter. It has white flowers. Butomus umhellatim (Umbell-floweriug Rush), one of the best of our native aquatics found in ditches. It has beautiful heads of pink flowers, and does not require deep water ; consequently, may be planted near the edge of the water. Cattle ai-e very fond of its leaves. Calla paliistris (Marsh Calla), a native of Korth America, and ftrfZff^i/jtopica (African Calla), both plants of gi-eat beauty ; the latter is on that account cidtivated as a greenhouse and window plant, and is commonly called the "arum plant." This species is rather tender, but will survive oiu- winter if planted in deep water. Hottonia paliistris (Marsh Hottonia), flesh-coloured flowers : a native of Britain. MenyantUes trifoliata (Three-leaved Buckbean), with white flower's. This is another native species, growing in shallow waters. It is very pretty, and worth cultivation. Nuphar lutea (Yellow-flowered Nuphar), a fine water plant, native of Britain. Nuphar advena (Stranger Nuphar), yellow and red; a fine species from North America. Nymphaa alba (White Water LUy). This is, with- out doubt, the finest of our hardy water plants. It loves deep water, with plenty of room, and a muddy bottom to root in. It then will produce numbers of its beautiful large milk-white flowers. Typlia latifolia (Broad-leaved Cafs-tail). Though not so showy as some species, this plant is worth grow- ing, producing its large flowers abundantly in shallow waters. If our correspondent's aquarium is large and will hold more than the above, we refer him to the list at p. 108, vol. i., above-mentioned. ELORISTS' FLOWERS, AuETCDL.i AND PoLYANTHUs. — Every day look over those that are to produce seed, and with a pair of scissors gather such pods as have turned quite brown. If you allow them to burst, it is lUiely you will lose some of the best seeds. Lay the pods, so gathered, upon a sheet of paper exposed to the sun until they 18G THE COTTAGE GARDENER. JfLY iiui-st. A window ledge, or the inside of a gavden iVame covered with the glass, will be a good situa- tion. As soon as the pods are opened and the seed quite dry, separate it from the seed vessels, put it in paper, and store it in a drawer in a cool room tiU the time arrives for sowing it. Double Anemones. — Take np the roots as the leaves decay. Dry them gently and put them into bags till the planting time comes again. Cahxations and Picotees.— The florist will now be on the look oiit, for these flowers will be now opening. They require shade as they progTess. If you have them on a stage with a rolling shade over it, all you will have to do is to let do\^Ta that shade whenever the sun shines. For one or two flowers, and for such as have not the convenience of a regu- lar stage and cover, a shade made as follows will be useful : — With some stout copper wire form a rim or ring, one foot diameter, attach to it six pieces of wire, and join the ends of each to a short pipe made of tin, ijiuch diameter; then form another rim of the same size (one foot) and attach it to the other with short pieces of wire, two inches long. It wiU now have somewhat the appearance of an unglazed hand- glass. Cover it with unbleached calico, and give it a coat or two of boiled linseed-oil. It will be ready ibr use as soon as it is dry. The pipe, or socket, is intended to fit upon the stake used to tie up the carnations to. You have now a useful efhcient shade and protector from wet for your cai'nattons; and when their bloom is over, it can easily be trans- ferred to the dahlia to serve the same 2'urpose. Carnations will now require plenty of water, regu- lar attention to keep insects down, the buds thin- ning, and those that are left to bloom to have the flower cup or calyx opiened with a pair of small pointed scissors. They wiU require cards, also, with a hole cut in the centre, to fit to the bud; each card to be supported by a short length of brass wu'e. These cards are to receive and support the lowest range of petals ; and are of gi-eat use to such flowers as are intended for exhibition. They should be cii-ciflar, and a little larger than each flower. The same kind of covers, or shades, but of less dimen- sions, will suit the ^)i;i/i- ; and cards to this flower of the same form will be useftd in the same way. T. Appleby. GEEENHOUSE AND WINDOW GARDENING. rn:,MBAG0 Laiipent.e. — More than one corrcK- pondent has expressed doulit- rr-y, ;ir:c' t\r,- 1 nii- lifnl new plant. Forinstain ' Va:: ^ "I' it as have been sold out iVcij ill . ' :; j ]iosed never to be able to ciiii" in :iii\ linn;; lil.- ;i good large specimen, for a lifetime at h.'ast. Tliis is by no means the case ; and I am sure that the value of the plant has not yet been properly estimated. I was ibrtunate in getting a good bushy plant of it last AuRust from Mr. Knight, as soon as the stoclc was " let out." It was in a six-inch pot, and had seven nice little shoots on it. Mr. Knight was so oliliging, as he always was, as to say in the invoice, " kct:p it cool through the winter." This was a capital hint, and I have since learned that lie kept it through the winter in a cool spau-vnnlV'd s''e'''i- house, from which the frost was ninvly rxclnilid. and that treatment must have suiteii ii \m II, dllr i wise he could not have jiroduced it, iis li'' dul. Uy iIm' thousand in so short a time. After dallying with it for a few days, like a child with a new toy, my fingers began to itch for a few cuttings from it, ancl six out of the seven shoots were docked down three inches, and the six cuttings of that length were rooted just in thirteen days, and were soon put into as inany thumb pots, thinldng, of course, they would gi'ow on for a whUe, and make nice little plants before the winter came on. But I committed a sad mistake, for gi-ow they woidd not, nor did they make a single joint till the beguming of March, although they were kept on a shelf near the glass in the propagating house, which was kept up at stove heat all the winter. I also put the old plant into the stove for a few weeks, after the cuttings were taken off', to make it push another growth in lieu of the cuttings I took ofi'. It did so, and immediately began to flow^er, and continued in bloom till the end of October, and a beautiful little flower it is, as blue as a violet. This plant was wintered quite cool, and did not begin to grow till the end of March. It has been potted three times since in very rich light soil, one half leaf-mould and peat, the other half of good rich tui'fy loam and sand — the fom' ingi'edients in about equal proportions. It is now in a twelve-inch pot, and stands just twelve inches high above it, and is twenty inches in diameter. By the time it will _ bo in blossom, say about the end of this month, I expect it wDl be two feet through, and have a per- fectly circular head. It will jn-obably keep in bloom till late in October ; after that it wHl be wintered in one of om' coldest gi-eenhouses, and get no more water than will keejj it from gettuig perfectly diy. As soon as it begins to gi-ow next spring, I shall cut it down close to the sm'i'ace of the pot, and put it into a warm house to push it on a little ; and, by the time an inch or two of fresh growth is made, I shall shake all the old soil from its roots, and repot it in fresh soU, and in as small a pot as I cair get its roots into. Then I purpose encouraging it on for six weeks or so wdth a little heat, to see if I can get it into bloom by the beginning of Jidy. I am satisfied, however, that it may be wintered in a dark room or shed like a fuchsia, but not to let it get quite di'y the first season or two, tiU the roots get strong and woody. I even suspect we shall find some day that we can leave it in the open garden all the winter, cutting it down on the approach of frost, and thatching it over with something that will keep it dry and free from frost. If this should tin'n out practicable, it will spread about in a few years like a raspberry bush, for it has already began to stole, or tlu'ow up strong suckers from the roots like the rasp- bcny. This habit we call stoloniferous, from utolu, the Latin for a sucker, and /cro, to bear or carry. Let us now return to the six uTifoi'tuuate cuttings, and we shall find some consolation from the fact that hundreds of those nice plants sent out by Mr. Knight last August were mismanaged last winter like them. Their cultivators thought it no joke to risk' a three-and-half-guinea new plant in a cominon greenhouse ; and those who could aflbrd the iudid- gence of a comfortable warm stove did so, and paid dear enough ibr their extra care. Then came the brown rusty leaves and the grumbling together ; and not a few wished Mr. Knight and his new plant wore sent to ]3ath, if not far away to a celebrated place on the west banks of the Jordan ; and no doubt snnii' wi'iil. iMin .-IS l;iv as (.1 wi-;li 0, Beaton was siiH nil I'l ■ I' ■ ,. I" "i :i I '.'iimeudiiig Ihcni II1I-. Ill .'III: , .; I I,.;,, >- i .UirnCC Hlul Cot- tii-c -aiM' .nil- hiixr ihnv Mirwii iliiii things wcro not so bad ailcr all. Thorcfoiv, lot Ihuse who possess THE COTTAGE GARDENER. a small plant of Plumbago LarpentiB treat it Idndly till the end of next September, and then allow it to go gradually to rest, and winter it after its own natural fashion, and we shall soon forget all past grievances respecting it. A correspondent who adopts the signature " Senilis," or old man, will excuse me if I differ from him a little as to the spring management of this plant. If it is wintered as above it will stand as much heat in the spring as any other plant we force for cuttings ; but when we have it once fairly established, and in abun- dance, the autumn wUl be the best time to increase a stock of it for the following season, and in that case it should not be put into single pots, as my poor cut- tings were, but a dozen of them planted round the sides of a five or six-inch pot, and so keep them in small compass, along with verbenas and things of that sort, during winter ; and, with a little nursing at the end of spring, and till after midsummer, it will come in good time after the eai-ly annuals for an autumn bed in the ilower-garden. If it will really answer that way, we have nothing so charming for a, low bed at that season. On the first of this mouth I planted out three dozens of it in quite an open situation, and after a, short time I shall be able to say how far it will succeed that way. I am also trying specimens of it in a cold frame, from which I di-aw off the lights at night, to let it enjoy the cool night dews; and like- wise in a close damp house, much warmer than a greenhouse, but not now artificially heated, so that I shall shortly be in possession of all the facts res- pecting it that are necessary for its successful management, and which I shall not fail to relate at the proper time. Peoijle who know little of these things will probably be surprised to hear that five thousand pounds sterling have changed hands, or at least have been " booked," for this single plant in the short space of nine months, and I have heard the flgm-e confidently put much higher. Zauohsnekia Californioa. — This is another novelty which I recommended in these pages, and which has given rise to many doubts and fears, more so even than the plant last mentioned, and, had I not seen a ])erfeot specimen of it in bloom this time last year, I should have probably joined in the outcry before the spring was out. But many of lis have been aware for many years that this is really a beautiful thing, perfectly hardy in this country, and a rival to the wild fuchsias in our flower beds ; and there is no question at all about the matter. It is, however, a very slender growing plant, particu- larly so when brought into heat for propagation. The rate at wliich it has been called for from the nurseries this spring caused it to be kept close at work hke the new verbenas and the like, so that - only the merest morsels of it could be had for either love or money ; and, coming as they did out of close, hot, damp pits, the wonder is how they have borne with this harsh treatment so well. The truth is, however, it bears all heat hardships of propagation better than the verbenas, and, like them, a week or two of intermediate temperature wUl bring it round again to stand the open air as if nothing- particular had befallen it. We all know that little bits of new verbenas, bought in at the end of spring, take some time and nursing to make much show in the borders, and it is just so with this new Califor- nian. I received the merest apology of a plant of this from the Horticultural Society last autumn, wliich is now hard upon two feet lugh and twenty inches through; the branches just beginning to show flower buds after yielding about 500 cuttings, the greater part of which are now planted out in beds, the rest being kept in reserve to furnish another bed which is now filled with white and purple clarlciaa mixed, than which I know nothing so gay in their season, much more so than the two kept in separate beds. Gekanidms. — From the middle to the end of July, those geraniums that have flowered early will have to be cut back, so as to get a lot of fresh shoots for flowering next season. It is not good management to allow any pot geraniums to flower too long — for not more than six weeks or two months at the far- thest— neither is it desii-able that the young wood which will arise after cutting down should be longer than a few inches by the end of the autumn ; there- fore, where a succession of flowers is kept up with a few plants, all the success liinges on the proper ma- nagement of these plants. The more low and bushy they are kept, the longer they will live, and the bet- ter "they flower. Gardeners often make them grow so fast, and they have such a knack of training out the branches, that a two-year-old plant would seem as if it were three times that age ; but, with the ordi- nary culture, it takes at least five years to make such plants of them. Therefore, rmless they are cut very low each time, they cannot come to a respectable age without becoming bare and bandy-legged. The great mistake in the management of window geraniums is, that they are so seldom trained when they are young, or after they are cut down. Whatever shoots they make are allowed to grow straight upwards, and then the strongest rob the others of their proper share of the ascending sap, which makes them stiU more vigorous, while, at the same time, the weaker ones suffer in proportion. Thus their natural condition in the wUderness is exempUfled imder a strictly arti- ficial system, and yet nobody is to blame for all this. The best gardener in the country recollects the time he could not grow a geranium, and formerly there were no cheap books, or periodicals, from which an ordinary mortal could pick up even the crumbs of gardening, and if one got the loan of a gardening book, it was ten to one against his understanding half the phrases used, for they were only intended for the perusal of scholars and professional readers. Every profession had, or used to have, a swammer- damia set of phi-ases for itself; but all this is now changed for the better, and, as it is thought genteel and fashionable to possess window plants, we must keep in the fashion by giving up our old fashioned way of growing them. 1 have been in every county in England but one, and I never saw finer gi-own window geraniums than may be seen in and about Ipswich. It is true that here and there you may see such beauties in the windows, and in baskets, and rustic vases about the doors, but here every body seems as if vieiug with his neighbours in gi-owing window plants. How they keep them through the winter is the great mystery, for you may often see whole lines of three and four-year-old geraniums in their windows. Young geraniums that have been bought in this season are sure to be right enough at the bottom, and all that they requu-e is to be out down to three eyes of the new growth they made this season, and" the third or last eye left on the stump should be on the outside of the shoot, so that it may grow out laterally, and give a better form to the future plant. If this tlui'd eye happens to be on the inside, or upper part of the shoot, pick it out with the point of the knife, and cut to the ne.'it eye above it, which is sure to be on the underside, or, at 18S THE COTTAGK GARDENER. least, on one side of the shoots. Indeed, altlioiigli we say cut to three eyes, it is not at all necessary to cut so close ; there must be only tlu-ee eyes left, but, as I said on pruning roses, these three eyes need not be the very lowest ones on the shoot ; the three lowest eyes that are best jilaccd on the shoot are to be preferred, say one on each side of the shoot, and the last imdemeath it ; for older plants that have been thus treated in former years, one need not be so particular, because, if the foundation is already well laid, you can hardly build wrong upon it, pro"- vided you do not allow strong eyes to grow from the upper side of a branch close to 'its bottom. All up- right shoots in the centre of a geranium are better avoided, and it is easier to cut out the eye at first than to tram down the shoot from it afterwards. When weak shoots occur, they must be out to the best placed eye, and only that one left to grow. Nothing looks so ugly as to have long brown shoots on an old geranium. The older tire plant is, the better clothed it should appear at the bottom, but that can hardly be obtained if the shoots are allowed to spring up directly from the bottom. .-Ul the main shoots, while they are young, ought to be trained a little sideways. But what is to be done with those deplorable skele- tons that have not a leaf, or a trace of a bud within twelve or eighteen inches of the pot, and their tops so taU as to dai-ken the window lights? for in a- greenhouse if ever so small we never see such bad gardening now-a-days. Half the world would say, throw them in the clust-liole and buy new ones : very good advice if they worJd follow it up by handing over wherewithal to buy them ; but nothing is easier for careless people than to say buy a set of new things — plants or any thing else ; but where on earth is the money to come from for all tliis ? It is often as diiScult to buy a geraniimi as to buy a new car- riage. They have an old saymg in the Highlands., that a man is not worthy of a new pair of shoes until he learns how to mend his old ones; and we- may apply the adage on this side of " the border" by saying that he we who cannot prune his old ge- raniums properly should never he indulged with young ones. Therefore, we must prune down those long-legged plants, even if we lose them in the at- tempt; and if we should Icill them, we may as well do so at three or four inclirs fi'om the pot as at ten. Let that be the mark, therefore ; choose a smooth part between two joints, and ofl' with the top at one cut. " Here is a pretty dilemma we have just • got into ! Why that plant will bleed itself to death ; we forgot to let it get quite dry before cutting it. If The Gott.\oe Gardekek was to get hold of this, we should have the whole laugh of the parish against, us." However, there was a remedy or two mentioned lately in our pages for bleeding in the vine, and this, will be a capital opportunity to prove the effect, but I must entrust you with the experiment ; only, I may just remark that this stump of a plant had better- be put into the Idtchen window, as being the warm- est place, and, if it will get over the double misfor- - tune — I mean this bleeding and the long legs — it will; do so the sooner by being kept in the warmest place.. Give it no water tUl this wound is quite dried over ;, after that, you may give it a plentiful watering, and- if you sprinkle a little water over it now and then, it- will not fail to make a good plant yet, if the roots, are quite healthy. D. Beaton. STOVE AND HOTHOUSE. Ar this advanced period of the season there will Vie some diffioidty in rendering tliis department, all at once, popular and instractive ; because, in the iirst place, those who possess these structures in their gardens will already have gone through many of the processes which it will be my province to describe and analyze; and secondly, because, li-om those I possessing as yet neither stove nor gi'eenhouse, we caimot expect at first to receive gi-eat attention ; more especially amid the joyous and the beautiful that are now so atti-active in external natm-e. Why (they may ask) should we now trouble ourselves with plants and produce, winch onlj- the rich can com- mand, when we can so easily, without ti'aversing tlie damp paths and dose humid atmosphere of hot- houses, mark and enjoy the gorgeous beauty of open- ing flowers, shedding their ii'agi'ant perfume in an atmosphere common alike to piiiice and peasant; amid those gentle breezes just sufiicient, along with passing clouds, to deprive the sun of its fierceness, and spread the glow of ruddy health over the cheek of female loveliness! or, reposing luider the shade of trees, this season more than orchnarUy luxuriant in their verdme, thence to listen to the rasp of the mower's si^ythe, mellowed in its tone by the 1mm a6d carol of tlie sprightly hay-maker; thence to see the cattle up to then- knees in lierbage, lashing gently then' sides in ecstasy, and thus, by many associa- tions, lending -vivacity and cheerfulness to the richest scenes; and thence to feel the pleasant mingled odour, wafted ahke from new-made hay and flowers of all hues and forms, whetlrer peeping ii-om the hedge bank, adorning the meadow, or gi-acing the parterre J In order to experience contentment, or what is taken for such, a practice is too generally in opera- tion of undervaluing what we do not possess, and painting in high colours om- own acquisitions. Such a practice is just emblematical of the conduct of the fox who pronounced the gi-apes to be as sour as crabs, merely because he could not get hold of them ; dift'erent modifications of the same principle is seen in those who envy what is splendid iu a neighbour's garden, and become dissatisfied with their own, though, upon a certain scale, the one may be as near perfection as the other. Both practices arise from want of gai'dening Imowledge, and intellectual and benevolent expansion of mind. What is beautiful in plants shoidd be admned for its beauty alone. The pleasiu'e arising from producing and tending that beauty is a different tiling. AVhether the plant be grown "in hothouse, gi'eenhouse, garden, or field, its peculiar beauty should at once be recognised. Cidtivate plants -Nvith such a spirit, and they will promote that which is civilising, soul elevating, and goodness tending. If you have no hothouse of your own, yet iu that of your neighbour you may see much to admu'o, mucli to stir to emulation, nothing for mean jealous envy, but many things practised, wliich will act as hints and lessons. The methods of eultm'c are many and diversified ; the principles on whicli they ai-e based are few and simple ; and thus, in ti-eating the department assigned to us, we ti'ust we may be able to throw out hints that -will be useful to the mere general reader. PLANT STOVE. Mvery glass structure connected with a demesne, however small it may bo, ought at all times to be an object of attraction. Its very presence ought ever to caiTy with it the ideas of fitness and utility. Fre- Jut THE COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 180 qiiently this la lost sight of during the summer. The flower-garden is everything — the plant houses have been made subservient to its decoration ; and one, at least, becomes little better than a receptacle for a jumble of et ceteras that should never promi- nently meet the eye. Where there is a stove and greenhouse, the plants of the former are frequently transferred into the latter during the summer months, while the denizens of the latter are tiuned out of doors. This change will be of advantage to both if performed with judgment, as at this season of the year, unless in extreme cases, no artificial heat will be wanted, with the exception of giving less aii- and more moisture. Stove plants require much the same management as those generally found in the greenhouse. When in bloom, the lower temperature of the gi-eenhouse will preserve it longer ; while the fine massy leaves that many stove plants possess will give an air of dignity and tropical interest to the gTeenhouse, which it would not otherwise have. But, even to attain this desirable object, no green- house plant, imless of the hardiest nature, should be turned out of doors, even to the most sheltered spot, before its fresh young wood is made ; and no stove plant shoidd remain longer in the greenhouse than the state of its growth may requhe. A low tempe- rature, with shade, will preserve the bloom ; a low temperature, with plenty of air and light, will harden and ripen the young wood; but a higher temperature and a closer humid atmosphere will be requii'ed, after flowering, to stimulate growth. Where there is only one house, much may be done by having several glass or transparent calico partitions, by means of whicli different degrees of temperature and humidity may easily be maintained; and, failing these par- titions, the plants must be arranged in groups at the different ends of the house, that as muoli as possible their individual wants may be attended to. With tact and attention the smallest place may thus be rendered interesting, because due regard will be had for the principle of fitness and unity of expression. This fitness and unity can never be seen where any part of a garden, and more especially a structure for plants, appears in a neglected state. The ideas and expec- tations which such structures awaken should never be disappointed by inattention to oultiu-e or cleanli- ness. 13e beautiful in expression, if you can, every where in yom- garden, but, in jom- 2}laiit houses, have some of your choicest ge7ns, and then your friends, as well as yourself, will see that you do not possess a house without au object. A few good plants, with plenty of room for them, will at all times, but more especially in summer, produce a better effect than mere large collections Great opportunities have been presented of late years ibr decorating the stove, during the summer and autumn, with soft wooded plants, such as the achimenes and gesnerai, &o., which reqidre no room in winter, and which, though when forwarded, bloom beautifully in the greenhouse ' or window during summer, yet generally maintain a richer luxuriance when continued in the closer at- mosphere of the stove. In circumstances, however, where utihty rather than ornament, the sense of taste rather than the senses of smell and vision, are to be gratifled, the stove may be partly changed into a FOECING HOUSE for the growth of cucumbers, melons, strawberries, Jigs, and pcaclies in pots, and vines up the rafters alter- nately with creepers, or in pots, either trained up a rafter, or round stakes, or a trellis. Much in a httle space will thus be produced, and, where industiy is combined with intelligence, very gratifying results will be obtained. Of com-se, mere profit, in such a combination, must be a secondary considei-ation : extra attention to cleanliness and the keeping down of insects will be requisite, but there will he not only the satisfaction of eating produce reai-ed under your own inspection, but amid many, or, at least, some failures, there wUl be acquired that general practical hiowledge, the safest companion and the best testing agent of science. Robekt Fish. THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. Celery. — This vegetable, the cultivation of which is so well worthy of attention, cannot be too much watered in diy weather; and to produce it large, crisp, and of fine flavour, liquid manm'e must be abundantly supphed. Care must be taken in remov- ing the pricked out plants, to the permanent beds or trenches, that a nice ball of earth is attached to each root, that all superfluous suckers are removed, and the plants put into the earth with the collar just above the surface ; for nothing is so likely to retard the growth of celery as placing the coUai- of the plant in the gi-ound. A considerable gi-owth must be allowed previously to the commencement of apply- ing earth to bleach it. Routine Man.4.gement. — Gardoons may stUl be transplanted with success, and those that are already established shoidd have the earth's surface 'well stiiTed about them, and good manure water pretty liberally applied. Gape brocoli, of both the white and the pm-ple sorts, coleworts, and cauliflowers, should be planted m succession ; and the last sowuigs made for the present season. Mulch all growing crops, and, if diy weather prevails, apply liberal soakings of water. Trench and fork all spare gi-oimd, that slugs may be thereby banished, and the soil kept in a healthy state. Some of the eai-ly kinds of jjotatoes wiU now be ripe enough to take up, and some of the middling sized tubers stored for seed. The ground, after the potatoes are taken up, shoidd at once be cropped with turnips, or some of the kale family, or any other winter vegetable. Turnips should be sown in succes- sion ; and to prevent the ravages of the fly, apply a dusting of dry charcoal when the young foliage is moist either with dew or with gentle showers. In small gardens, the leaves maybe sprinkled over with water in the evening, at any time, and the dust applied immediately, which will always ensiu'e a healthy crop. Where charcoal dust is not easily pirocurable, tie on some green boughs of elder to a couple of sticks, or a temporally frame, as you would a bush harrow, and drag it over the turnips, which plan will also be found an excellent preservative of the crop. Swedish turnijjs should also now be transplanted out, either on the early-cleared potato or other spare groimd.^ CucuJiBEES. — If dry, parching weather prevails, those in frames or pits should have the ventilation varied for a few hours in the heat of the day, by opening the lights at the front part, by which ar- rangement the sun's rays will be in some degree retarded, owing to the light being thrown on the beds at a flatter angle. Apply water abundantly at shut- ting up time. If those vines that have been produc- ing fruit for some time should now be beginning to look exhausted, and the application of liquid maniu-e does not seem to revive them, let them be desti-oyed, and li-esh soU and materials for receiving young plants be prepared and applied. Bidge cucumbers should also be weU attended to with regard to stop- 190 THE COTTAGE G.iEDENER. JlLY ping and regulating the viue, pegging it down care- fidly and securely, to guard against the destructive effects of wind. Melons.— Give all possible assistance to those plants that are now swelling off a crop of fi-uit, by the application of liquid manure : such as are mak- ing their growth, and have not theii' crop of fiiiit set, should be duly thinned, stopped, and regulated, as ]n-eviously dh-ected, and a watchful eye kept over them. When the largest number of sti-ong fruit blossoms are opened at one time, they should be carefully impregnated diuing the forenoon jiart of the day, after having been well aii-ed, so that they may be perfectly dry beforehand. After this has been duly attended to, sprinklings of tepid water should be ajjplied round the edges of the inte- rior of the pit or frame, and they should be shut up early in the afternoons. When the fi-uit has fau-ly set, and made a kindly gi-owing start, lose no time in selecting the required quantity of the strongest and best shaped fruit for the crop, throwing away all others, and begin with a moderate application of liquid manure. As the fruit hicreases in size increase also the strength of the manure, leaving off its ap- plication altogether as soon as the fruit has reached its natural size. If these directions are properly attended to, abundant crops of superior flavoured melons may at all times be secured. No liquid manure, nor any other kind of stimidant, should ever be applied either before the fi-uit has been well set and lias made a start, or after it has attained its fidl size. The preparation of a good healthy soil for the culture of melons, in the first place, is the most essential point, and of much more consequence than the application of any stimulants. James B.\knes. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. MY FLOWERS. (No. 34.) Among the many bright flowers that deck tho garden at this glittering season the scarlet lychnis shines conspicuous. It should be carefully supported by sticks, as the stems are brittle, and a rough wind soon breaks them ofi' or bends them down, injuring the appearance of the plant. The colour is exqui- sitely vivid; and, though the form of the plant is rather stiff and uugi-aceful, it adds extremely to the brilliancy of the border. It was brought into Europe originally from Asia ; and it is said to have made its first appearance at the period of the crusades — thus marking a very interesting era in history, leading our thoughts again to Jerusalem, that home of the Chi-istian's heart, and reminding us that as our ancestors struggled and bled to deliver the Holy City from the hands of the infidel, so should we earnestly find zealously " contend for the faith once delivered to the saints." Let us not strive about things only that are seen : let us wrestle for those that are not seen. The very colour of this doubly-interesting flower afl'eots us, coming as it does from a sod crim- soned with blood, and in times when the blood-red cross waved over legions of brave and devoted hearts, all pressing onwards to Jerusalem. Does it not address itself with exhortation and reproof to us ? Are we so running, so fighting, so pressing onwards to the lieavenly goal ? There is also the Chinese lychnis, and tho lychnis fulgons, a native of Siberia : this latter is a supcrli jilant. They botli require some littlo care in frosty weatlicr, but our common variety is perfectly hardy, and continues to bloom for three or four months. There are also white and double flowering varieties of gi-eat beauty, but I have never seen thorn cultivated, and I believe they are not often met with in our gardens. They would add greatly to the efl'eot of the borders, it' encoui-aged, from their height and richness of bloom. The gay, graceful fuclisia is now taking its place among the flowers, and rivalling them too. With its long drooping sprays, and elegantly formed blos- soms, it is a sti'iking ornament, either in the window, in the border, or as a shrub. It blooms till so late a season that it is quite invaluable, and is easily increased either by cuttings or separation of the roots. I have seen a large plant cut \vith a spade into three or foiu- parts, and each has contentedly settled itself in its new abode, and become a stout little tree. I lUve to see one well-shaped plant stand- ing alone in the lawn, in its own little cu-cle, with its tall taper boughs branching out on evei-y side, laden with its long scarlet flowers like coral eai'- rings. It has a beautifid effect ; and this plant may be trained into a very fidl and handsome form. I have read of a close worsted net being a sufKcient protection for the fuchsia dm'ing winter, but, never having tried it, I cannot safely recommend it. The experiment being simple is worth a trial, and success woidd be really beneficial to the simple gardener. Trained against a wall fuchsias look extremely well; their blossoms are so elegantly formed, and the con- trast between the rich crimson and deep purple petals of which they are combined so striking, that they are peculiarly suited to a wall or treUis, where theii- beauty is most fully displayed. How lovely they must look in then' wild state, in the woods and vaDies of their native land ! They are the rich productions of Cluli !iud Peru, and give us a charming idea of the wild flowers of that fertile land. Their name is derived from that of Leonai'd Fuohs, a German botanist who lived and \vi-ote in the sixteenth century, but they are very recent settlers upon om' soil. The first that ever appeared in England was the Fuchsia coccinea, placed in Kew gardens in 1788, and varieties were not obtained till 18:i3. There is little in the nature of their own country to make them regret it. They tell us of rich mines teeming with gold and silver, it is true ; and they tell us, also, of the cruelties and bloodshed that gold and silver caused, thus reading us a wholesome lesson, and bidding us be contented with such things as we have, instead of coveting riches wliich lead us into temptation and snares, " and into many foolish and hurtfid lusts wliich di'own men in desti'uction and perdition," but they have little else to say. How their warning voice endears to us our native soil, teeming with jjlenty, yet requiring us to use diligence and industry in its improvement, where we possess those blessed statutes forbidding imlawfid gain, and lu-ging to honest labour-, and where we can ei\ioy our possessions in jjeace and safety ! Let the cottage gardener, as he waters and tends liis gracelul ]iliuit. reHoct upon the blessings, denied to many liuds, wliii-li Britain's sons possess. Let him adore llir uumcnikd mercy which causes us to differ, and let him cling faitlilidly to Ins Queen, his Church, his coiuitry, and, above all, his God, for it is by His blessing only that England has braved the surges that have roared throughout the world, and that she still stands calmly amid the wreck of nations. T'ho lowliest cottager may be one of his monarch's body- guard, one of the Church's body-guard, one of I'higland's body-guard, as well as one of God's faith, f'ul people ; therefore, let him not think his garden THE COTTAGE GARDENER. doulil ;li avo all he lias to lool; to. Pie will hi^ siiiiliiin- huiue, and blooming plants, .oil, mill liiisy labours, when he feels how iiiurli of his cDuiitry's wclt'ai'O depends on his steady eliui-ls and peaueahle demeanour. The exam- ple of one lionest, loyal, religious cotiaije (janhiier is a benefit and an honour to the pariah i)i which he lives; and who will not strive thus to labour for his country's service '.' TO CORRESPONDENTS. Onion-like Plant f T. Morgan). — We cannot ** guess" wliat your onion-like plant is, nor would a drawing of it assist us much ; the alliaciEe are by far too numerous and so much alike that we should very probably find it difficult to determine the species if plant] '■ the sections Sepals {Dimithus).—i::\iis name is applied which the calyx is divided. Roberts's Strawberry Tiles (/. flo6er/s).— Vou observe that these being raised on feet from the ground the space underneath forms " a good trap" for slugs. — There is something in this, but we prefer flat tiles as these do not afford any harbour at all for the slugs. You say that tiles not raised allow the dirt to be '* washed over them in heavy rain," and here your tiles certainly have the advantage. Having tried black tiles we prefer them to those not blackened ; and we do not see how the flat tiles could infringe your registration, since a drawing of them and description were published in 1844. Whether we were right " shillings per 1 Names of I divaricata, {Little Tom). — There is no doubt of your plant being NemophUa atomaria. Those flowers with blue-blac' ' ' -'- ^ -^v _.,_-._ Tonbridge Wells".' "See Gard. Mag., viii. 6l6. N.'S. (A Country Clergyman). — The larger specimen of fern from your church buttress is Polypodium Vulgare, and the smaller from the ruined tomb is an Asplenium, but we cannot say w -.ich species without seeing a larger Q, and with fruit beneatlT'the leaves. (Alfred). — Your's is 62 of this volume. (H. ii.).— We were right at first, your plant Geranium striatum. (Rustieus) .-^The leaf you sent is a young - ----- -' ala. If think, of the Umbrella-tree, Magnolia tripetala. If you send three inches of the top and three inches of the bottom of an old leaf, we could say for certain. We wish all of our correspondents to know that it is very seldom that the name of a plant can be told from one of its leaves. (F. Giles) ,— Your pelargonium is not Pearl, its crimson flame has more the character of Beck's Annette, but it is impossible to decide from a single damaged bloom. The other plant is Bonvar- dia triphylla, a greenhouse shrub. Cineraria Seed (W. J. Edge).— The last week of this month and the first week in August cineraria seeds may be sown to produce . get the J Budding Knife {A Propagator), — Mr. Turner, of Neepsend, Sheffield, has sent to us a most convenient and efficient budding knife. It has a blade of the usual shape, a handle permitting a firm grasp, and, at the end opposite to the blade, a very effectual shaped grooved wedge of white metal for raising the bark. This metal does not strike a black colour with the gallic acid in the bark, cliecking the wound's healing, as would be the case if the wedge were of iron. This wedge closes with a spring like the blade, so that the knife may be carried easily in the pocket. It is the invention of a friend of flir. Turner. Potato Disease (Potato), — The leaves of your " second earlies" are blotched as many potatoes are when affected by the decay of the tuber, usually called *' the potato disease ;" but we have seen similar blotches on potato plants of which the tubers were not diseased ; and we have seen diseased tubers where the leaves were not blotched. How are the tubers of your " second earlies?" Worms im Strawberries {Rev. E. J".).— These which you have sent us are the snake millepede, Jaluspulckellus, drawn and described at page 139 of the present volume. We believe that it does not feed herwise wounded. Name of Insect (T. Morgan),— *' The little, active, shining in- sect," of which you enclose specimens, is the sugar louse, Lepisma saccharina, common in dirty kitchens, &c. This is not a subject con- nected with the objects of our journal, and as we really find it difficult to provide space for intelligence closely connected with gardening, we hope that you will not seek from, us information on other topics. Penton or Paignton Cabbage (C.).— You may sow this during the first fortnight in August, the seedlings to remain pricked out through the winter, and finally planted out in the spring for summer Cancelled Leap (J. Dawson).— The leaf containing pages 21 and 22 ill our third number, is to be cut off and destroyed; and the leaf containing the same pages given after page 84 is to be substituted for it. By mistake, the wrong drawing was inserted in No. 3. Your other questions shall be answered next week. Night Soil (A. Z.)— House sewage strained, as directed at p. " or p. 60 of our first volume, is a vary excellent liquid manure, but to suggests, that if e ;CS. ;.).-0u ! obliged by a full _ _ _ . _ ^ us would merely sign their litial of the place where they reside, it would space. Thanks for the repoi experiments with sea-weed ; we shall be still i report when you have weighed the produce. Chicory \lbid),~Th\s is the Cichorium intybiis, and popularly known also as succory or wild endive. It is raised only from seed, which should be sown early in April if required for the roots, in a rich, light soil. Sow in drills half an inch deep and a foot apart. It would be by mere chance that shrivelled cuttings of liquorice root bought from the chemist would grow. But we have seen it kept by them in damp sand quite fresh and juicy. Watering-Pot (ir. TF.).— You ask us which is "the best kind for watering flowers?" — a general question scarcely admitting a pre- cise answer, but, we think, tliat of which the following is an engrav- ing and description, published some years ago in the Gardencr^s Chronicle^ is about the most simple and generally useful, It is made Jij^ Mr. G. Thompson, 390, Oxford Street, who states that its superiority consists in the roses being so formed as to give the water thrown from them the nearest resemblance to a gentle shower of rain, rendering it peculiarly suitable for watering seedlings or other tender plants. As the brass joints, which connect the roses to the sprout, are made water tight, there of the perse screwed ; 6, the either spout holes in which the joints are placed ; e, a large rose for watering flower beds ; /,a smaller rose for water- ing plants in pots. We know of no reel for wind- ing silk from the worms superior to the common reel. There never has been more than one edition of " The Gardener's Diction- the annoy inquiries on this subje^l Ranunculus Soil (W. H.). — The best is a compound of loam, including the turf, from the surface of a rich old pasture, mi\ed with one third its bulk of decayed cow-dung. Continue to Mater vour cactus until about September, and then winter it as recommended at p. 44. Your Banksian rose against a south wall does not bloom; perhaps you prune it at the wrong season of the year : now is the proper time. If you strew salt thickly over your pitched yard, three or four times a year, it will effectually destroy the weeds and grass. Tropceolum canabiense (A Lady Subscribe}'). — Your "canary plant" is attacked by the green-fly or aphis ; and the large one you enclose, coloured light green and yellow, may be called Aphis cana- riensis. Cover your plants over with a table-cloth, and fumigate them with tobacco, according to some of the modes described at p. 270 of our first volume. Box Clipping (S.I>,).— This only requires tobe done once a year. June is the best month for the operation, but you may do so now. Select showerv weather for performing the clipping. Pruning RnoDODENDRONS (Rev. H. Stevens).— The best time for pruning them is just after they have done flowering. Nothing short of turfing, burning, and resowing, will effectually eradicate the ox-eye from your field. Mignonette FOR Trees (A Novice). — This should not be trans- planted at all, being one of the most difficult to nurse after trans- planting ; but prove yourself a good gardener by transplanting your small seedlings into small pots, as soon as you finish reading this number. Place them for ten days or so in a close shady situation — under a hand glass would be the best place for them ; damp their leaves gently twice a day till they begin to grow, and in future sow in pots for this purpose. Balsam Leaves Dying (Zfiirf).— When balsams get out of order there is hardly any means of doctoring them to advantage. When any of ours get deranged we plant them out of doors, and they often prove useful that way. Fuchsia (Jbid),—Thcy only give Latin names to the wild fuchsias. English seedlings bear English names only. There is no English for the fuchsia itself; it is called after a botanist named Fuchs. It does add to the interest, as you say, to " know the Latin names of all the plants one grows,'* and their meaning too, when we can get at it. Fuchsia fulgens (W. H. K.).— You complain that its rich pur- plish red foliage has become green as its growth advances, and you wish to "fetch the colour back." Why, you know, the leaves of our own forest-trees turn from their various spring tints to their " sum- mer green," and no one can prevent this or bring back their early hues in the autumn, neither can you that of your fuchsia fulgens. It was ordered in the beginning that these things should be so, and that !thel 1 for t The Ice Plant (Ibid).— This is an annual which requires the same treatment as ridged or out-of-door cucumbers. You are too late for it this season, as April is the right time to sow the seeds. The Begonia (/Aid).— This has been touched on merely in back numbers. It is now too late to rear it this season ; but if you have it already, ail that it now requires is to be constantly kept well watered and exposed freely to the air. It is one of the best thmgs we have to bloonim a window without much sun, if first reared ina sunny plai Its names are Begonia Euansiana c : discolor. THK COTTAGE GARDEXK?., J[-T,V nly say, land J. W. Sice).— We r to your statement, do all that you can to pre- ; by giving room and ventilation, but should your bees swarm notwithstanding all you have done, never attempt to return them to the parent hive, for it is perfectly useless. A few years since, a swarm was returned to a Nutt's hive, by a friend of ours, seven times, probability, have been collected by them in this time, wlicreas, under the present circumstances of being frequently returned, they have been idle. It is always so ; when swarniing is contemplated, work is abandoned. Trees Over-ltjsuriant {Leighton). — Your case is certainly a curious one. After so much pains and expense you assuredly deserve a better fate. By your trees making a vast quantity of "sappy wood," we should infer that they have many deep roots in soil by far too rich. In proportion as your climate {at Shiffiial) is cold, so should a more severe limitation of the roots take place. Had you stated the age of the trees, we could have offered you more certain advice. As it is, we advise you to commence rooting up some of the hardest worn or wildest trees this autumn, and commence planting on the platform or dwarfing system, directions for which will be found in our pages. If your trees make sappy wood, why use manure either solid or liquid? A more severe root-pruning would probably prove beneficial— it will at any rate stop the tendency to sappy wood. You will find a paper on trees circumstanced as yours are in about a fortnight. We shall, however, have much to say on this head for months, at intervals, introducing useful hints preparatory to the planting season. The double digging of your outer garden will be good policy for vegetable culture, but not for fruit-trees. We have examined your dried-up specimen of Knight's Monarch, We fear it will prove untrue. It must be borne in mind that all the first " aionarchs '* sent out by the Horticultural Society of London were mistakes. For this an apology was made soon after. Liquid Manure (S. T.).— Vou cannot lav too much stress on the value of liquid manure. One thing we must say, that it should not be applied in a crude state. Wc should consider that your powerful tank materials would carrv six times their bulk of water, if the material must come in contact with the leaves of vegetables. As to the fixing by the acid, there can be no doubt as to its economical bearing, Your general policy seems very good. Your wall trees not bearing of course require no stimulants. Would it not be well, how- ever, to use up the sewage matters on your farm, and to brew gnano water and soot water for your garden ^ Grape Vines, Demerara {A. P.).— It is not improbable that vours is by no means a case of disease, properly so called, trfter'all. We should opine that, from the superlative character of your sunshine, and the immense quantity of rain which suddenly supervenes, your case may be what British gardeners term *' scorch- ing." Supposing the ground to be good, and a ground heat existing of some ninety to a hundred degrees, and abundance of moisture, what is the necessary consequence ? The young growth becomes enlarged in a hurried manner, and the perspiratory action i :the t of the climate suddenly by some BIay-Duke Cherry {A Novice).— \\ a cor about your pet cherry. Do not despair, howi a spring ' " ''^ "" or fifteen degrees, commiserate you sincerely Remember what have passed through." Besides, you will find that as cherry gets older the fruit will "set" better. This is always the case in our garden fruits— their grossness of growth is averse for awhile to fertilitv. Botany {D. E. G.).— There is no better mode for you to acquire a knowledge of this science than by studving indefatigably the best publications, and examining the structure of ^plants as they fall in vour way, endeavouring by dissection to ascertam the genera to which they belong, and their specific names. Lindley's School Botany is an excellent elementary work. Stocking a Garden (J. ir.).— It would require an entire Num- ber of The Cottage Gardener to answer such a sweeping inquiry. You cannot do it all at once. ICach month has its appropriate work of planting and sowing. See what is said under the head "allot- ment gardening," and in the "calendars," in the last Number of Cabbages, &c. (D. I/.).— You will find a list of cabbages and hvocnli at p. 121 of our firpt volume, and of savoys at p. 266. There is only one kind of cauliflower. Directions for sowing them, &c., will be found in our calendars. Window Plants {W. H. L. JR.). — These when put under a frame are best plunged in the soil within it. Mistletoe Culture (H. J?.).— You will find cverj' particular at pp. 22 and lOC of the present volume. (Horhi.i).—Vat some stable mulch surface of the soil over its roots, and cut down the flower si they appear, but leave the leaves until they die off naturally. the and flue. Bees not Using Upper Hives (Beta).— The upper hires and glasses should be put upon the stock hives at the end of April, and upon swarms about eighteen or twenty days after their being hived. The communication between the boxes of "Taylor's bar-hive " should be opened at the same time ; both in Taylor's hive and in glasses a piece of guide-comb should be fixed, as directed in the appendix to the third edition of Taylor's " Bee-keeper's Blanual," and in page 42 of the present vol. of TiiK Cottage Gardener. Putting a piece of glass or small hive upon a stock n/fer it has swarmed ia useless. CnALCEDONiAN Iris (Uft jeutic homme). — This grows best in ETOod sandy soil, lilte that in your garden, provided the bottom is warm, for this, lieing from Constantinople, requires more warmth than the other strong growing irises. Our bricklayer has a large plant of it, which flowers every year in deep, black, sandy soil, with a damp bottom. Our plant was taken from this one, and grown in the same kind of soil, but not so deep, and on a chalk bottom. It only flowers once in three or four years. If you can remove your plant next September, and place it in a low sheltered situation with a moist bottom, but weU drained, we think it will flower freely. It is a bpautiful thing, and worth any ordinary trouble. All the strong growing irises should be divided and transplanted every third or fourth year, and the autumn is the proper time. When removed in the spring, only the coarsest of them flower the same season. jMorpuologv {E. H. il/.).— Thanks for the trouble you took to send us the specimen of roses in a transition state to a proliferous flower. In one of them, which received no manure, the axis was prolonged in the centre, having a fringe of eight young flowers at the opening of the pericarp, then a few leaves scattered on the new stem, with flower buds at their axils, and the whole surmounted by a large ly strange conformations of this nature arc met will find this subject double ros with in th( Stocks for Roses {Rev. G. E. L.).- considered at p. 1/6 of our last Number. Budding Hoses (W. JI. G.).— We are much obliged to our friendly correspondent for pointing out what might have led to a serious mistake, as some of our readers might have misunderstood the directions as ivell as W. H. G. The direction is this, " leave the wood full in the eye of the bud " (vol. i. 22.i.) Now, any one accustomed to l>udding would at once understand that the wood in the bud itself only was meant, all the rest being to be removed, so as to leave none of the wood in the shield of the bud, excepting that which belongs to the bud. If that wood is by any chance drawn out of it the bud is useless, and will not grow. Banksian Rose (/loi-a/fV).— Your Banksian rose has been planted twenty years against a south wall, thrives well, is under the shade of a large 'tree, and does not flower. M'e think it a pity to remove so fine a tree. Cannot vou top the branches of the large tree so as they will not shade nor drip upon the rose-tree? Do you prune it rightly? It flowers upon short spurs growing from the previous year's wood". If those spurs or short branches arc pruned off vearly, there will be no flowers. If you can have the large tree lopped— that is, cut back- let that be done as soon as possible. Cut away, also, all too luxu- riant shoots (gourmands or gluttons) from the rose-tree now. In autumn loose the tree from the wall, and cut away at least half of the old wood. Train the remainder regularly on the wall, and close to it nail in all the side shoots of the branches left. Finally, dig the border, adding some leaf-mould or very rotten dung, and we have no fear your Banksian rose wiU flower satisfactorily. We would, however, remark further that, if the large tree cannot be cut back, it would be better to remove the rose-tree, and the best month to do this in is the latter end of October. Should this be the case, we would advise you to prune the roots of the rose-tree nnw. Dig carefully down to them at about three feet from the stem of the tree, cut the roots through there, and fill up around them with some rich light earth. It will strike fresh fibrous roots into that earth, which roots will be a great help to it to grow again in the spring after the )oldi ( worth a trial. {R. C. S.). e of each rose, and generally this year produce green buds to that extent as to mar the beauty of the flowers. Your predicament is by no means a singular one ; we'have observed several cases similar. The cause is a too great redundancy of sap. This may be caused by a too rich and wet soil ; by too long continued rains in eariy spring, followed by late spring frosts. The first cause may be prevented having that ettect by taking up the trees in autumn, dr^iining the soil, and adding some fresh pure loam without manure. Then, pre- viously to replanting, prune in jiretty severely the long wiry roots, pruning the branches also in the same ratio. You ask what are you to do now"? We advise you to cut away all the misformed flowers. The Bourbon Noisette and autumn-flowering varieties will push again, and produce, it is probable, more perfect flowers. Some kinds are more subject to this malformation than others : Madam Hardy, for I be fa\ this malformation thai 1 most situations, whether wet or" dry, iirable or not, and however good the ma- ; may be, will produce those misshapen flowers. M'hat are we'to do, then? Are we to discard this and other varieties with the same propensity ? We say, no ! use every preventive, and cut away the bad flowers as they appear. Aphelexis nuMiLis {E., Falmotith) or o\d Elichrysum ^pccfabile, and the larger variety of it, called Purpurea t^rnndiflora, arc not at all diflicuU to manage. The same treatment as for the epacrises will do for them, and both these and the epacrises are managed in every respect as heaths. They arc slow growers, and will not grow much after thia month till the next spring. Petunia Seed (J6id).— It is too late now, and fully too early, to sow petunia seeds. The end of August will be early enough to sow before winter, but the first week in March is the best time in the year to bow them, the young seedlings being troublesome to carry through the winter. You had better go on crossing the best sorts enough to say which really is the best petunia for crossing, we have seen of florists' petunias '" "-' -' -" ' '""' hybridiicr will notice every ■ ■ ' ' safely and we think he c all to our fancy. O of this nature which comes before i London : Printed by Harry Wooldrtdgr, 14; Strand, in the Parish of Saint ftJary-le-Strand ; and Winchester, High-street, in the Parish of St. Mary Kalendar; and Pubhshed by William SoMERViLLE Orr, at' the Office. 147, Strand, in the Piirish of Saint DIary-lc-Strand, London.— July l-Hh, 1849- THE COTTAGE GARDENER WEEKLY CALENDAR. JULY 19- 1849. Humming-bird Hawk-moth seen Margaret. Goat motli seen. Sun's declin. 20° 28' N. Musk beetle seen 7 Sun. aft. Trin. Magdalen. Turtle-dove last beard. Swallow-tail niotli seen. St. James. Ds. Cajii!. e. 1707. Golden Haw'Kweed. Virginian Dragon's Head. Pliiladelphia:Q Lily. African Lily. Dark-purpleSoabious, Tree Lupine. Bane-berrv. Margaret was tlie daughter of an idolatrous priest of Antioch, and became a convert to Christianity. Olybius, the Roman president of the East, wished to espouse her ; but, upon her refusing to relapse to idolatry, he had her tortured, and then beheaded, about the year 275. Magdalen.— This festival, in eommemoration of her out of whom Christ expelled " seven devils " (Mark xvi. 9), was lirst instituted in the time of Edward VI. St. Jauies, surnamed the Great, either because the senior of the two .James's, or the most distinguished by Christ during life, or because the first martyred of the apostles, was the son of Salome, the eousin-german of the Virgin Mary. He and his brother John were summoned from mending their nets to be " fibbers of men," and were named, by their blessed Master, *' the sons of thunder " — Boanerges. St. James boldly preached the gospel among the dis- persed Jews until a.d. 44, when he was accused before Herod, and Ijeheadedbyhis order. He is not the author of "The Epistle" which forms a part of our New Testament. Oysters come into season on this day ; but the adage relating to this shell-fish warns us that it is never excellent except when there is an r in the name of the month — an adage evidently intended to exclude the months in which the oyster is breeding. On this day, when the Roman Catholic religio'n prevailed in England, it was customary for the priests in the orchard districts to bless the apple-trees, and sprinlde them with holy water. gooseberries, apricots, early apples and pears, cherries, raspberries,, and strawberries, are now gratifying every sense with which we are blessed, for the very vendor's ery of thera in our streets is musical. Varying as fruits do in form, colour, flavour, and odour, still they all have one common office — the maturing of the seed they contain. To etfect this they require a due supply of sap as well as of the peculiar juice of the parent plant, for they make no further advance if the entire wood be cut through below them, so that they are only attached to the parent by a strip of bark ; neither will they advance, though fully supplied with sap, if the peculiar juices are cut off from them by Insects. — During the evenings of this month and August, the Magpie moth is very commonly found. It is the Aljra^tta ^rossulariata of some entomologists, and the Geometra gros- sulariata of others. It usually mea- sures about one and a half inch across the expanded fore-wings, which are very slightly yellowish-white, variously spotted with black, more or less like tliose in our drawing, for the marks are never uniform ; and there is a band of pale orange across each of the fore- wings. The hind-wings arc of the same colours, but without any orange colouring. The body is orange, spotted with black. The female deposits her eggs upon the leaf of a gooseberry or 'currant-tree, and, from these, little looping caterpillars come forth in Sep- tember, and, surviving the winter, begin to feed again upon the leaves as soon as these open in the spring. They arc full grown tow.ards the end of May, and enter the chrysalis state between that time and the end of June. In this state they remain for about three weeks, and then the perfect moth comes forth. The caterpillar is yellowish-white, with an orange stripe, more or less complete, on each side, and with numerous black spots] largest on the back. The chrysalis is black, with orange circles round the pointed end. The caterpillar prefers the leaves of the gooseberry and red currant, but, after stripping these to their very stalks, it will feed upon those of the sloe, peach, and almond. Hand-picking, dusting with the powder of white hellebore, and burning the leaves early in autunui, are the best remedies and pre- vention against this marauder. rernoviug the leaves that frnit'bas a peculiar elabor fluids aff'orded by th : above them c the branch. Yet each ,_ „ , perform, for though the j: . ,.„ , by the branches and leaves be nearly similar, vet each ifrmt differs from another in fragrance and flavour ; six 'different raneties of the peach and of the apple, budded upon the same teanch, still retain unaltered their times of ripening, and their dis- tinctive colours and flavours. Now, the processes going on at dif- terent periods of a fruit's growth are very opposite in their character. During their green and growing state they are usually converting jpummy matter into an acid ; but during ripening they, as commonly, are converting an acid into sugar. To convert gum or mucilage into tartaric acid, as in the early growth of the grape, oxygen in excess should be absorbed, for their relative components stand thus :— „ , Gum. Tartaric Acid. Carbon . . . 42.23 . . 24.05 Oxygen . . . 60.84 . . 69.,12 Hydrogen . . . 6.93 . . 6.03 They might, therefore, be expected to absorb more oxygen than the leaves, and this is actually the case; for though a vine branch will continue to vegetate in a glass globe hermetically sealed, vet the grapes upon it wdl not increase in size unless oxvgen gas be from time to time admitted. The same phenomenon occurs during the ripening of the grapes ; oxygen has to be absorbed during tlie con- version of the tartaric acid into sugar, but a larger volume of carbonic acid has to be evolved, and this is coincident with the result of well established experiments, uniformly testifying that carbonic acid is giyen^out abundantly by ripening fruit. " Six equivalents of tartaric acKI, says Liebig, by absorbing sis equivalents of o.\ygen from ""■ *™«i Krapc sugar, separating at the time twelve equivalents This, howe' - " ■ ' ' ' taking pla rbonic acid.' the only decomposit • sugar is formed in ripe fruit, but there is suffi- ...li..., .c.i»uii 1.0 ueiicve that Its mucilage and starchy constituents are coriverted into saccharine matter by the combined igency of warmth and the acids. It is thus that apples are rendered so much sweeter by baking; and M. De CandoUe states that the pulp of apple dis- solved m water with a vegetable aeid is converted into sugar: and that gummy matter obtained fi-om starch, and mixed with tartaric acid, aided by warmth, effects a similar t July 1841. 1842. 1843, ■ 844. 1S45. 1846. 1847. 1848. Highest & lowest temp. Fine. Showery. Fine. Stormy. Fine. Showery. Showery. Cloudy. 73°— 54° 7,3°— 52° 68°-44° 74°-44° 71°— 52° 74°— 52° 70°-52° 74°- 59° 20'^ 22 Rain. ShoweiT. 67°-54° Rain. 67°-51° Showcrv. Showerv. 65°— 47° Pine. 66°— 46° 66°— 55° Showery. 65°— 52° Fine. 76°-43° Fine. 82°-49° Fine. 89°— 53° ^}°^£° Fine. 73°— 57° Pine. 7S°— 51° Showery, 73°— 55° Fine. 76° 54° Cloudy. 76°-58° Fine. 79°-58° Cloudy.^ 72»™i° Cloudy. 71°— 51° Cloudy. 73°-65° Rain. Rain bs'— 53° 24 04°— 53° Pine. eo°-5o° Pine. 6S°— 51° 70°-42° 77°— 43° Showery. 64°-40° Pine. 6.5°-42° Fine 72°— 47° Cloudv. 89°— 61° Fine. Fhi7"° 92"— 62° 58°-53°' Cloudy. 60°— 55° Cloud\ 64°-57° Fine. 80°— 58° Bain. 71°-47° Fine 76°— 4.,° Fine. 74°-44° Pine. 70°— 53° )?ine 07°-46° Let any two parties take precisely similar flowers and vases, let them be in separate rooms, and when they come forth with tlieir bouquets, these wiU never be similarly arranged. When we say " similarly," we do not allude to the doctrine of chances, shewing that it will be thousands to one agaiust tlie same flowers being placed exactly in tlie same places, but we mean that the taste of the arrangers will be so differing that the same colom-s will be not placed together, and the same form wOl bo not adopted. More than this, sH No. XLIL, Vol IT. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. JlT.Y may add, that iu eveiy such instance of rival displaj', one bouquet shall abnost invariably be most stiik- ingly more beautiful than the otlier. In this there is really nothing more sm-prising than there is in the similar result of experience, that two painters, with the same coloiu's, canvas, and pencils, invariably will produce pictures on the same subject essentially and strikingly difterent. In both cases — the ai-rangement of the cut flowers and the composition of the hvo pictm'es — diversity of taste and of judgTiient pirevail, yet both may have some degi-ee of beauty. It is, therefore, not a pointless question which now Ues be- fore us, " Are there any rules for the arrangement of cut flowers ? " Beyond all doubt there are some general rules for such arraugement, which may be followed with a certainty of producing pleasing results, and we will commence by repeating, as we stated on a former occasion, that flowers may be an-anged either accord- ing to the harmony or the contrast of colours. Red liarmonizes to orange, orange to yellow, violet to red, incUgo to violet, blue to indigo, and green to blue. Green is the contrast to red, sky-blue to orange, yellow to violet, blue to orange red, indigo to orange yellow, and violet to bluish-gi-een. To find the con- trast of any flower, cut a small cii-cular piece of one of its petals, place it upon white paper, look at it steadUy witli one eye for a few seconds, without allow- ing the eyelid to close, then look from the colom'ed cu-ole to another part of the wliite paper, when a circle of another colour will be apparent. This circle is called the spectrum, and is the true complementary colom' or contrast requii'ed. There is no doubt that an'anging flowers according to their contrast or complementary colours is more pleasing to tlie eye than placing them according to then- harmonies. Consequently, a blue flower should be placed next an orange flower, a yellow near a violet, and a red or a wliite should have plants with abundant foliage near them. "White," says Dr. Lindley, " suits blues and oranges, and better still reds and roses, but it tai-nishes yellows and violets. In all cases, however, when colom-s do not agi'ee, placing white between them restores the eftect." These dictates are frequently available in flower- borders, and always in the ejdiibition of dahlias and ranunculuses, as well as for cut flowers ; and it is quite certain that such conti'asts are as effective in promoting tlie beauty of flowers as an orange dress is in rendering a fair face ghastly, or as blue is iu making a brunette sallow. Form has veiy considerable influence over the beauty of the an-angement of a bouquet. If tlie vase is high, the flowers must be arranged in a pyi-amidal form, with tlie tallest in the centre ; but if they have to be arranged in a tazza, or flat vessel, the nearer the jnass of flowers approaches to a flattened seg- ment of a sphere or globe, the more agreeable. In every case, whether the vase be an upright Eb-uscan or of tazza form, it should be veiy considerably con- cealed by the flowers : in the first case, by drooping flowers, such as fnclisias, onosmas, stephanotis, and others of that habit ; and in the case of the vase being of a flat form, by gi'eeu leaves of the ivy or rose clustering around it. Dark leaves, such as these and of the camellia, always couti-ast better witli the flowers in bouquets than any foliage of a lighter hue. Perhaps the most important nde relative to the arrangement of bouquets is, do not crowd the flowers. One of the most vulgar-looking, oppressive objects to look upon, is the tightly-bound huge conglomeration of flowers stuck into a pitcher of water, and called by its tasteless aocumiflator, " a nosegay." Such a mass of flowers usually contains a number sufficient for furnishing a dozen tastefully disposed bouquets, for flowers in these can scarcely be arranged too lightly and sprinklingly ; for if the arranger finds it needful to iuti'oduce even a sprig, to fill up or to conceal any objectionable spot, that part is most usually a faUiu'e — it looks crowded, and the flowers appear as if without room sufficient to display themselves. Flowers for vase bouquets should be always cut from the parent branches, and with a sbai-ji knife; for the less is the injury done to the vessels of the stalk, the longer do these vessels retain the power of draw- ing in the necessary moisture. Even when the flow- ers begin to di'oop, they will often revive if the ends of the stalks be cut oft". Wetted sand is much better for ai-ranging flowers in than water only, for the stems can be thrust into it so as to retain the flower at any desu'ed inclination. i-MSL^ THE COTTAGE GARDENER. Whether water oiily, or wetted sand, be employed, when a fresh supply of moisture is required, the flow- ers will be stimulated and refreshed by adding to the water two or three dm}js of spirit of hartshorn, or of camphorated spirit, or a few grains of common salt. The greatest enemy to the endiu-ance of a bouquet is the extreme dryness of the air of our sitting-rooms. The flowers will retain their beauty tx-eble the time if a bell-glass be turned over them, so as to cheek the excessive evaporation from their leaves and petals. A very elegant mode of efi'ecting this is afforded by a small table, having for its top a marble slab slightly hollowed in the middle to contain a little water, in which the edge of the hell-glass rests, as shewn in the annexed sketch. The unnatiu-al light to which flowers are exposed during festal nights is hut slightly detiimental to them ; it is the dryness of the aii' that is most fatal to their vigour, and this dryness is increased in pro- portion to the number of the lights and the heat they emit. The vitiated air, or, in other words, the lai-ge quantity of carbonic acid and carburetted hydrogen gases produced by the combustion of the wax or gas, and the breathing of the visitors in well-lighted and crowded assemblies, is also very injurious to the healthy growth of plants. Consequently, on such occasions, bouquets are more than ordinarily in need of glass shades, excluding as these do the air, and retaining as they do the moisture. When another instance lilce the following can be quoted within the iirst year of our existence of the benefits derivable fi-om a more general diffusion of horticultural knowledge, who can hesitate from en- couraging local societies to ofi'er cottagers' prizes, and adopting other measures to promote the same good object ? " I believe I should be doing myself a great in- jury (injustice?) were I to neglect writing to you at the present time. Let me first state that I never had a yard of ground capable of cultivation, never dug a yard, nor yet planted or sowed any kind of seed or plants previous to the publication of your excellent work, The Cottage G,iRDENEB. I am a shoemaker by trade, and was gi-eatly afflicted by the sedentariness of my employment, added to which was a habit of di'inking intoxicating drinks to excess ; and at the time I first saw the placards announcing yom' publication, I was in a state of great nervous debility. So much was my whole frame enervated, that my arms hung almost paralyzed by my side, and even I had to take my right hand to lift my left hand as high as my breast. Such was my state then ; thank God, it is not so now. I became a subscriber, and have since succeeded in getting an allotment of 400 yards. This brings me to the point. The ground was sub-let to me by a tenant who held three lots. I took to your advice literally in every department of cropping, except potatoes, which 1 manured. The ground had had several potato crops taken thereof previous without manure, so I was afraid of not getting a crop without manure. I dug my manure ten inches deep for parsnips, car- rots, and onions, and was laughed at by several cv- 2'ieneiiccd gardeners. I sowed all in drDls, which was not approved of by the same people. I pleaded my want of experience as an excuse, and consequently received a great deal oi -very friendly advice, which I promised to attend to next year, but I had pinned my faith to your sleeve this year, and could not re- tract. Next year I expect more will do the same, for my crops, so far, look far better than any of my advisers." THE PEUIT-GAEDEN. The Vise Odt-dooks. — It will be remembered that, in The Cottage Gardener for June the 7th, we had proceeded with the subject of vines out of doors up to the period of stopping beyond the young bunch. It is now high time to show how the rest of the season's cidture should be carried out. Soon after this stopping, the portion of the young shoot both below and above the bunch will begin to put foi-th what we described in a former Number as " axillary shoots.'' Indeed, if the vine be strong, almost every leaf will produce one of these. On examining the socket whence this axillary shoot proceeds, there may be discovered, betimes, a second bud, which is the bud from which the blossom of the next year should proceed. It has always occurred to us that tliis is a wonderful provision expressly afforded to meet those contingencies which are sure almost to occur, and, like the duplicate bud or germ, which most of our ordinary garden beans contain, undoubt- edly placed there by the ordinance of om' gxaoious Creator himself, whose power and goodness are equally evinced in the lowest as well as the lughest orders of creation. It will be readily seen that without this provision the vine would speedily attain a stature and character in our vineyards somewhat inimical to a compact course of culture ; for, as the buds (if sohtai-y) broke and grew, the lower portions of the stems would speedily become naked and barren, and the whole would end in a stragghng and festooning character. To return to siunmer practice. These axillary shoots must be pinched back, when a few inches long, to a single leaf, suffering, however, the leading shoot to ramble longer before stopping. If there be much space of open walling over head, the leading shoot may be sufl'ered to ramble until it has produced as many points as will be considered necessary to prune back to in the ensuing spriag. This accom- plished, it, too, may be "stopped;" but in all sub- seiiueut stoppings we would always allo^v the termi- nal point to ramble more than the side ones ; the latter, indeed, must, through the whole course of culture, be stopped as frequently as they begm to darken the principal leaves. These stopped axillary shoots wiU, therefore, have to remain as mere stumps, with a single leaf, through the summer, imless any of tliem be found to intercept the hght too much from the main leaves, in wluch case there is no harm in cutting the axiUary stmnp clear away : indeed, some cultivators triin them away specially about the period of the fruit com- pleting its first swelling. We, however, prefer less severe mutilations, and should consider it better practice to leave as many of them as do not intercept tlie light until the period at which the berry begins to ripen, when, from the decline of solar liglit and heat, it becomes necessary, in our chmate, to strip ■ them away. THE COTTAGE GAEDENEE. Thinning the Behuy. — Altliougli grapes on the opeu wall are not generally tliinned, yet it must be uuderstood that they are thereby rendered much superior to those untliinned ; the process answers out of doors as well as with those in vineries. The ber- ries will be liigher flavoured and more juicy, and they ^vill, moreover, colour better than neglected ones. We woidd, indeed, advise that they be thinned more on the open walls than in houses, that the fading sunlight of autumn may play freely through and amongst the berries. Of course, before thinning out the^ hemes, the nmnber of bunches must be cai'efuUy looked over, in order to remove any sui-plus ones. No pohoy is worse than over-cropping the vine ; no- tliing is gained by it but mere bulk, and gi-eat is the sacrifice both of flavour in the berry, and as regai-ds the vigour of the vine for ensuing seasons. At page 117 , we gave a general rule for the distance of bunches : we there gave one foot apart as quite near enough, supposing the vine to be strong, and covering the wall or building equally ; we, however, admit that it is not very safe to prescribe distance in this respect, for such must ever be ruled by not only the sti-ength but the position of the branches, so that the bunches cannot be expected to be placed with any particular pirecision ; much must be left to the discretion of the cultivator. We need scarcely obsen-e that the young ^■ine shoots are amazingly benefitted by berug kept trained close to the wall, fence, or roof. The heat absorbed by the body against which tliey are trained is of much benefit in tlie way of acceleration. We win venture to affirm that highly-di-essed and close- trained vines in any jiart of the united kingdom, wiU ripen both wood and fruit a whole fortnight before those which are untrained : and om- chmate is such, even in the southern counties, that every ray of sun- shine is requisite in order to obtain the veiy highest amount of flavour in the fruit, and well ripened wood for the ensuing year, on which not mere habits of fi-uctification alone depend, but also that free and speedy development of the yoimg bimch in the en- suing spring, which hastens the necessary processes betimes — every part or organ being duly prejmred beforehand to perform its neoessaiy fimctions. Let us, therefore, be understood as urging that tliis is no mere theoretic view of matters; let any one try the experiment of well di-essing and of neglect on two vines respectively, and he will be for ever convinced. Root Cdltuke. — Little can be said on this head, for, in general, little is requu-ed. We may remark, however, that if severe droughts occur any time be- tween the first and second swelhng of the fruit, that watering will prove of benefit, provided it is well known that the soU they ai'e in is of a truly porous character, that is, not too retentive of moisture. It is seldom, nevertheless, in Britain, that the vine out of doors is watered : seldom that it requires it. In our southern counties it is very common to meet ■with vines, trained against houses, of a vei-y con- siderable age, and such, having borne crops for many years, would be greatly assisted by watering, especially if any fcrtihzing matters can be blended with the water. It is in everybody's power to apply soapsuds to vines, and a very "good seiTice this material renders, provided, as before observed, the porosity of the soil and the chainage can be relied on. It is well, however, to apply a coating of rotten manin-e previously : on this the watering may be applied ; it will prevent the battering or puddling action' of the water, and furnish to the vines a nu- tritious fluid in combination with the soapsuds. We may close our remarks, for the present, with B good piece of advice with regai'd to out-doov vines ; Be sure to keep them closely trained dmimj the tihule fjrouing season. H. Ereington. THE FLOWEE-GAEDEN. EouTiNE Work. — The principal work now to be attended to in the flower-gai'den is to keep every pai't neat and trim. Perennial Jtotvers, as they go out of bloom, must have all the old flower-stems neatly cut down, the old large decaying leaves removed, and the soil stirred with a small fork, to let in the rains to the roots. Annual Jiouers requh'e sticks of various kinds and lengths to support them. Such as have done blooming should be puUed up and removed to the rubbisli heap. Excepting particularly fine vaaieties, we do not recommend saving seeds, because annual plants in seed are very unsightly ; because this busi- ness is much better done by tlie regulai- seed-nurseiy- man ; and, lastly, because the seedsman sells annuals so cheap that it is no economy to om- amatem' friends to disfigui-e their flower-plots by allowing annual flowers to stand till their seeds ripen. Our cottage friends, it is ti'ue, are not so able to purchase seeds, however cheap, and so they may let a patch of each kind remain till the seed is ripe. Biennials. — Prepare a bed in some open part of the garden, by digging and raldng, to ti-ansplant bi- ennials into. By transplanting them whilst young they will make nice bushy plants close to the ground ; and will, in such a condition, be more able to endm'e the frosts of wdnter. The soU into which you trans- plant them should not be enriched with any ma- nui'e. If it is of a heavy nature, a coating either of quick-lime or of some firmly sifted coal-ashes would be of gi'eat use. Your biennials should be planted tliinly, to allow them room to make stoclcy plants. It is much better to have one dozen of good plants than twice as many middling ones. Should any of them gi-ow up with a single stem, and show no tendency to branch out near the gi'ound, nip ofl' the centre shoot near to the ground. This will cause them to branch out fi-eely, and make plants that will, when the flowering season arrives, send up numerous s))ikes or heads of flowers. Chkysanthejiujis.— Those intended to flower in the open boi'ders or against waUs should now be in their flowering situation. In the borders, put stakes to them by the time they have attained a foot liigh ; against walls, keep them tliin of shoots, and nail them to the waU as soon as the shoots are long enough. Dining di-y weather/ give abundance of water, applying it in the evenings aU over tlie plants. They are gross feeders, and, to have fine large heads of flowers, must have plenty of rich food. Mulch them with short rotten dung, and water once a week with liquid mantu'e. CnnYSANTHEMUMs FOK Beddino. — In the southern counties, to succeed such flowers as tulips, ranuncu- luses, and anemones, these plants are very suitable. The only objection that can be urged agauist tlieui is the height they gi-ow,. but that objection miiy bo obviated by pegging them down wifti booked stii-ks. Plant them so near each otlu'v tlmi tlw slmntsdl' curii, by the time they flower, will ivncli in ihr irnins nf then- neighbotu-s, so that tlie l)e(l «ill \>o i'iiiii|ililily covered witli flowering shoots. Jlanaged judiciously in this way, they will form a fine feature of tlie au- tumnal flower-garden. Chrysanthemums are not 1 1 ii 1 f so much grown tor ornamenting tlie flower-giinlou as they deserve. AVe tnist our readers in the more JilLY THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. favoured couuties will give tliem a trial for out-door cultivation. We guess our ti'ieud aud excellent co- adjutor, Mr. Beaton, will give these flue flowers a strong lift shortly, for window and greenliouse pur- poses. Hollyhocks. — This is another iine tribe of autumn flowers. If they have been properly managed so far in the season, they wiU now be pusliing strongly forth their flower stems. Let them have a stake of sutflcient length and strength driven in pretty close to each stem. Let the stakes be made quite firm and per- fectly upright. The flower stems and the blooms on them are, if well grown, of considerable weight, there- fore they ought to have good stakes, and a strong material to tic them with. Now, any kind of twine is rather apt to out the stems ; we prefer, in conse- quence, stout broad strands of bass matting, as not being so liable to injui'e the stems during the stormy winds of the equinox. This operation of tieing ouglit to be commenced eai-ly, and followed up regularly till the hollyhocks have attained their highest altitude, or at least till they have readied the top of the stakes. We do not think it needful nor yet desii'able to have the stakes so tall as the plants will grow. If they are well secured three-fourths of their height, it will be amply suflicient. The Lawn. — After such dry hot weather as we have had lately, the grass-plots wll, especially if newly-laid, sutifer for want of moisture. If you have plenty of water and plenty of time, let that nomish- ing element be poured upon the lawn freely. Should any cracks appear, flu them up with some flnely-sifted soil. Roll previously to mowing — it will save the edge of the scythe or of the mowing machine. Mow early, if the scythe is used, before the dew evaporates, the grass being then more tender, and consequently more easy to mow ; besides, the labour is not so much felt by the operator in the cool morning air. The sound of the scythe should never, in well-managed gardens, be heard after breakfast time. Finish the mowing, then, before that pleasant meal, and return refreshed. Then sweep the grass up, and convey it away either to line a hotbed or to decay amongst soil in the com- post-yai-d. Trim the edges of the walks and flower- beds, and remove all the rubbish into the compost- yard. When this is completed, the flowers neatly tied up, and the beds and borders hoed and raked, yovu- garden will have that freshness and trim ajij'earanoe so pleasing to the well-ordered miud. FLORISTS' FLOWERS. AuiiicuLAS AND POLYANTHUSES. — Continue to gather the seeds in the manner directed in the last number. As soon as they are all gathered, pot the seed-bearing plants, and place them among the rest. Water regu- larly in dry weather, You wOl And the polyanthus, and its kindred family, the double ijrimroses, much benefitted by having saucersputuuder each pot. The water that nins tlii-ough the soil may be allowed, in dry weather, to remain in them till it diies up partly by evaporation, thus supplying moisture to the air about the plants, and partly by being taken Tip as food by the roots of the plants. The only precaution, to pre- vent possible injury to the roots, will be to tmn the saucers in very continued wet weather. By using these pans, or feeders, or saucers (they are called by all these names), you will prevent, in a great measure, the attacks of that (to these plants more especially) destructive insect, the red spider. Cabn.vtions and Picoiees. — Stir up the soil on the surface of the pots, and remove part away, re- placing it with fresh cbiiipdst. Continue to propa- gate by layering the shoots as soon as they are long enough for that purpose. By doing this at an early season, the layers make roots early, aud can be taken oft' aud potted so as to be strong, well-established pliuits early in autumn, a matter of no small import- ance to enable them to pass through the winter in good health, and thus be i-Bady to start with renewed vigour to grow finely in the spring, and finally to produce then' beautiful flowers at the proper season in the liighest possible perfection. The other need- ful operations are to attend to the tieing them se- curely to the stakes, and to take care that the ties do not injure the stems ; also to thin the buds freely. If the stem is weak, leave only one bud upon it ; if strong, three may be allowed. Nothing is gained by leaving more, especially if you want them for exhi- bition piu-poses. The red spider sometimes attacks the leaves, causing them to turn yellow. As soon as you observe this, syringe them freely every even- ing untU you banish the insect from yom- plants. The green Jbj is another enemy to contend with. The best and most efl'ectual destructive for them is to crush them with the finger, and then wash the stems and buds with a nice soft sponge. Lastly, at- tend to the watering. Let them have plenty during dry weather. If yom- plants are weak, use weak manure-water once every ten days. This will not only strengthen the plants, but also heighten the co- lours ; to preserve which, shade whenever the sun shines. Dahlias. — If these plants have been well nursed, they will now be growing away freely. As they, like the chiysanthemums, are gross feeders, they will reqidre in such hot weather as has prevailed lately abundance of water. A coating of rotten dung spread about each plant will be highly beneficial. Keep them well tied in to the stake. Thin the flower-buds, and cut off any undergi'owu straggling shoots that may deform or injure the general appear- ance of the plants. Hoe and rake frequently to keep tlie surface tresh. T. Appleby. GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW GARDENING. China Azaleas that have been kept close since they ceased flowering will have their young wood well ripened, and, in most cases, their flower buds are now formed. It requnes a long practice to know lor certainty when these have " set theii- flower buds," as the gardeners say, whereas any one can teU when the camellia is set for flower. The best criterion for ascertaining the e.\isteuce of the aza- lea's flower buds is when the points of the young wood made this season feel hard between the fore- finger and thumb. When that is the case, but not sooner, the plants, or rather the pits or other places where they are now growing, may be kept more diy and airy. By-aud-by you will find, by feeling them gently, that the points of the young wood are become knotty aud full, liai'd and prominent, and generally tins stage is arrived at, even with the latest, by the end of July ; while others, that were gently forced into bloom last Februai-y and March, liad their growth done, and their flower buds well formed, before the end of May — May and June being the proper time to force these azaleas, as well as the camellias ; and, moreover, there is not a shade of diti'erence in the general management of the two families. The azalea will stand more heat to force 108 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. July the flower buds to open in tlie dead of winter, and tbey require more sunlight than the camellia whOe they are maldug their growth. These two points are the only shades of diflerence that I know of in the regular treatment of these plants. It is true that they grow in soils of a very opposite nature, but that does not affect their general management. Now, then, is the proper stage, when the flower buds are set, at which Cliina azaleas should be potted. I was well nigh saying the natural time, only in a state of jiature plants are not potted at all. This is one point in which they very closely resemble the camel- lia : young healthy vigorous plants of either family may, and very often do, grow too freely if potted in the spring, and so do not furnish blossom buds at all. This habit is sometimes made the most of with young plants, when it is wished to drive them on at a ratthng pace to make good large specimens, and then their flowers are a secondaiy consideration, for they are potted in the spring, and also at tlie end of summer, and this certainly does make the greatest difference as to the tune they take in coming to a respectable size, but with gardeners the- outci-y is that they gi-ow out of bounds too fast. Therefore, examiue now any young plants that were bought in wliile in bloom, and, if then- roots appear freely orcujiying the outside of the ball, you may safely give t'hem a small shift, even if they were potted as late as last April, and so with any of your own stock. Once a year is quite often enough, liowever, to shift plants of ordinaay siije, and the end of July is certainly the best time for this annual shift; wliile hiigt' specimens, arrived at full maturity, need not be ]iotU'd or boxed (they do best in wooden boxes when tlii'v are old) but once in three or four yeai-s. We have a fine old plant of the original white China azalea, which has been in the same tub since the summer of 1843. I shall not say how large it is either way, for people are prone to say that we poor gardeners sometimes indulge in drawing the long bow ; suflBoe it, therefore, to say that it is as healthy as any mandarin need be, and promises to last in good health as long as the tub stands. After he sets his flower buds he is encoiu'aged with liquid manure for the rest of the summer, and also in early spring when the buds begin swelUiig, which they never far! to do early in February, for the plant, by a long com-se of culture, has acquired a second nature ; and, although it is kept in a cold shed all the winter it never tails to be m bloom by the lust oi seoon 1 week in March rf taken into the con ti^ atoiy thice weel s betoie It is wanted to be m blossom I 1 i\e lead of two oi tluee kinds of nuxtuie foi ] otti ig tl ese azalexs in and when I wis a youngei gi dene I used to tiy cxjeiimcnts tl at wry with tl em m) self 1 t I n n q it sat bed they succeed : ] thi g I and the bettei it tl 1 1 ow but they -niU 1 1 tt> 11 01 such is heaths 1 1 t t 1 n- I 1 1 lit t sott stone oi clocks oi cl 1 them to keep it moio I y a]t to 1 t 1 1 t 1 3 t 1 c that \ tl 1 it c\euif itbad been i tl 1 t instance Oi all the 1 1 comn 1 lei lo koeiiug j II ioo 1} f cl 1] of soft stouc 1 1 (.1 iculioi loam. For giving richness, as well as for porosity, to loam, I prefer rough bones, but prejudice may have something to do with this, for aU seem now agreed that charcoal is best. Yet I do not believe that one word of what has been urged with respect to the fertility of charcoal in pots may not apply to pieces of soft stones, or crockery, equally as well; and, as I said before, whichever of them you tlunk the best will be sure to turn out the best. After potting, the plants ought to be kept in-doors or in a close pit, for the first ten days or a fortnight. This wm encourage the roots to work more freely into the new soil : when once established in the new pots, they should be turned out into a warm sheltered situation, facing the sun, till the end of September. The pots ought to be placed either on a bed of coal ashes, or on bricks, slates, or hoards, to facUitate the drainage, and to keep out worms. To ])revent the azaleas being blown about -with higli winds, a couple of stakes ought to be driven down by the side of eacli pot, and opposite to each other. The head of the pliant being firmly tied to these stakes, and pulling it each way, will cause it to resist the wind much better than if only one stake is used, and all the care they require after this is to see they do not want for water. If August should prove dry or hot, I need hardly say how much benefit they would de- rive fi'om the excellent plan of double potting. Those plants that are to flower beibre Christmas ought to be put under glass, and kept rather close and warm, from the end of September, but the late spring flowcrintr (nn"^ will do better out of doors, as long as it is ^ilr i,, ini^t ilinn to the weather. Such as are indul;;vi I v, uli mhiiiiu'i- forcing, as above, are liable to be iiijunil in tlirir flower buds by early frosts. I liave more than once seen the bad eflects of trusting them out too late in October, and I have had them and camellias safe enough in the open air till a week or two before Christmas, during a mild season. Hardy gi-eenhouse phuits lOce these, when tbey are young, ought always to be put under glass by the first week in October, and, for such, a cold pit is the fittest place late in the autumn, because, when a fine day or a mild night occurs, the glass may be drawn ofi' from them. This wiU prolong their summer season, as it were, but when they arrive at a good size and age they may always be trusted out later. I once Imew a very good and successful gardener A ] J 11 lit ^^oody gieeu 1 tl e lutimm as tl moie space to th 11 1 in 1 1 ii I ] lants wlien fiist 1 oust 1 He hid 1 1 mg ot Ixige oj en sheds wheic he woull have these moie haidy plants lemovcd to on fiosty nigl ts anl 1 e u=^p1 t sa if we tscajt fiost on tl tl 1 1 S I 1 1 11 lOtb to tl 1 s \ ^ eel s h t tunc m ly 1 t I I 1 plmts Iheso China azaleas it once inuied t tl c oi en an and loaiod m ^ciy looi sandy jie it ot no (,ieat dcj th OACi a diy bottom nic lust as haidy with us as tl e Poitug 1 lain el It ^ is only a Icwjeais bacl tl it 1 1 ad fo u nice ] lant ol tl e old wl itc exposed 1 (SI 1 fblaud Pail) to i 1 lit In 1 1 11) stood bel tl It I lot a leal of t \tii I ought to say 1 ^^elc 1 1 ) iicMOusly 0 I lut 1 ly 11 1 1 — IS g ideneissiywl n tl > i Iv Jui_ THE COTTAGE GARDENER. lay dowii plants and tbrow a little soil over their roots: and tlieir auuual growth did not exceed two or three inches, hut they were fully exposed to the north east, and behind a wall. Any cold greenhouse, or good pit, will winter them, and they must never be allowed to get quite dry in winter, like many plants at rest, indeed, I cannot bring to mind any greenhouse plant gi'own in heat that will stand that with impunity. There is a wide field yet open for crossing these aza- leas. Beautiful though they are, and admired by every one, they are yet very deficient in the shape and sub- stance of theii- flowers. We have nothing yet in shape among them to compete with the A. variegata from China. The substance of the petals of some of the new seedlings gives great promise, and shape will no doubt follow ; but as their season is over for this year, we may as well treat of some other flowers which may yet be crossed. Hybridizing. — About this time /jerani am fanciers will be ]]repariug to sow seeds of them for new varie- ties, and here we are only preparing to crop them to get our seeds, but we are in good time yet. The late-flowering plants always yield the best seed ; and many a geranium that refused to take strange pollen last May, will now yield readily enough if we keep them indoors. Bases that have pollen are ten times- more difficult to cross than any geranium — as tho pollen of many roses is ripe as soon as the flower opens. It is not so with the geranium, however; the anthers in them never open before the flower, and then they may easUy be cut off. Some geraniums are, fit for the pollen the same day the flowers open, others- not till the next day, while a third set are three or four days open before the stigmas are ripe. But hot dry weather ripens them faster than is natural for them, and, when that happens, some of them are more reluctant to yield to foreign poflen. Others, again, that are shy bearers, will readily yield seeds if they are kept very cool and out of the sun from the appearance of the flower buds till the stigma is ripe, aud are then introduced either to a warm window or greenhouse while the pollen is efiecting its pur^ pose. D. Beaton. STOVE AND HOTHOUSE. PLANT STOVE, AcHiJiENiss. — In small gardens, where the stove is made to contribute not only to its own embellishment but the adorning of the greenhouse and sitting-room dming the summer, few races of plants can present greater claims to the attention of the amateur than those included in the natural order of gesneracete. This statement will more particularly apply to those plants possessing bulbous and scaly tuberoules, such as the gloxinia, the gesneria, and the acMmeiws, as they contain the following desii-able requisites : they are easily cultivated ; when well gi'owu they are splendid in appearance ; when brought into bloom they will stand in any place under glass, partially shaded, until late in the autumn ; they can be made to bloom at almost any season; and, finally, when done blooming and the leaves decayed, the tubers may be kept in a dry condition in any out of the way place, provided the temperature does not fall below 40°. We shall, for the present, confine ourselves to the genus or family of achimenes. This genus, like others of the gesueraceaj, belongs to the fourteenth class and second order of Linnteus's system. All the species and varieties have scaly tubers. The blossom of the most of them is showy, monopetalous, and tubuliir, the corolla being divided into five more or less irregular segments. Estimate of Species. — The A. coccinea was, until of late years, almost the solo type of the genus. It was then known under the titles of Cyrillapulcliella and Treviranicc coccinea ; both of these generic names were given in honour of continental botanists. I cannot be sure of the reasons why the generic name was altered to achimenes. The coccinea still maintains its high claims upon our attention, from its compact bushy gi'owth, and its abundance of small but brilliant scarlet flowers. Bosea and its varieties ai-e similar in size and habit. These are joined by graiulijlora, rose-coloured ; longiflora, hght blue ; and patens, deep purple : aU of which, with their varieties, have large showy flowers, the segments of the corolla present- ing a nearly flat surface, the long narrow tube acting in much the same manner as the footstalk does in other flowers. Then comes picta, or painted, alike applicable to its variegated foliage and red and orange blossoms. Here the segments of the coroUa are small, and the chief beauty consists in a wider development of the tube and its beautiful markings ; it is dwarf and bushy in its habits. A . pedunculata, so named from the long footstalk (peduncle) of the flower, is similar to pitfrt in the form of its orange blossoms, but very different in habit, being strong and robust in its gi'owth, and, when well attended to, forming a strildng featm'e in the later summer aud earlier tiutumn months. Similar in habit is hirsuta, but the flowers are too dull in colour. We refrain from going farther. All of these may be in bloom now, if the tubers were started in January or February. To have pedunculata fine, it must be started early, as it requires more time than any of the others. Patens comes soonest into bloom : tubers planted now will afford a fine display in autumn. Coccinea and longi- Jlora will come in a little later ; picta does best of all in the winter and spring months, as its leaves are impatient of bright sun. All the species are natives of warm latitudes in America. Propagaion. — This can be efiected by seeds, but, unless for obtaining varieties by hybridizing, it is not worth saving, as even the leaves root freely. Small tubers are formed in the axils of the leaves of many of them ; and, in all, plenty of full-sized tubers are found beneath the soil when the plants have finished their growth. Starting into Growth. — Instead of placing the tubers into their intended blooming pots and lioxes at once, it is better to place them in shallow pans, using any light soil, just slightly moist, and doing little more than cover them. A little damp moss placed on the surface will be an advantage. Very little water should be given before the tubers begin to vegetate, after which it may be given more freely. By this method you will be enabled to choose the strongest growing plants for the centre of your pots. A temperature of about 60° should be maintained, and, if early in the spring, a little bottom heat would cause them to come all the better. Potting. — Shallow pans or boxes will give you plenty of bloom, if well supplied with weak manure- water, but the iflants will bloom longer and finer when gjKown in pots or boxes of tho usual depth. A little earthiug-up may then be given them at times. Attend well to drainage, and cover the tubers when planted about an inch with the compost. Instead of placing them all over the pot, which, when they bloom. THE COTTAGE GAKDENEB. July conveys nothiug to the mind of tlie gardciiesque or the artistic, place the requisite number of tubers — three, live, seven, &c., according to the size of the pot — with their gi-owing ends inclining to the centi-e, and the root ends to the circumference of the pot, similar to the spokes in a carriage-wheel ; and then your specimen, although not so in reality, will convey the idea of a single plant, and not look like a number of plants jumbled together. Soil. — This should be light and rich : thi-ee parts loam, three parts peat, one of leaf-mould, one of old dry eowdung, mixed together, riddled with a tine sieve — not to me, but to discard the finer particles — and then addhig one part of silver sand and one of broken charcoal, will grow them admnably; placiug the roughest part of the soil at the bottom, and covering the surface witli the finer compost. General Treatment. — Proportion the water to the state of growth. Where the roots have not reached, the soil must not be soaked. We shall have a gossiping upon watering by-and-by. The whole family like heat, partial shade, and a moist atmo- sphere, when growing. As the flowering state ap- proaches, inure them to more light and a drier atmo- sphere ; neglect to do this, and you may have fine plants, mth clusters of tubers instead of blossoms. Nature, curbed in her ett'orts fo) way. will attempt it by another, dung frames, extra care will he re age will be injm'ed if tlip ^i ■ : 1 1 1 1 ;n i and air are the only remrdii -., m- AVbeu done flowering, iiiul tlir I move the tubers and prcservi' th reproduction one f you try them in piisite, as the foli- iMiiniieet. Shade 1 1 1 1 1 ' I- preventives. iliiii^c decayed, re- in dry earth, or merely tiu-n the pots on their sides. They must never know anything of frost. Those started eai'ly this spring must be so employed next season ; the different successions should tlierefore be marked. I have found them extremely useful for decorating greenhouses, &c., dm-ing summer. In warm shel- tered places some of them would even succeed for a time out of doors — such as the coccinea and rosca^ HOTHOUSE. Here tlie usual processes of thinning, stopping, training, shading, watering, and stirring the soil, must be studiously persevered in, if you would steer clear of disease and shoals of insects. We shall shortly overtake everything in tliis department when once we fairly obtain elbow room. If in any corner you have a yard of glass to spare, either here or in the stove, try and obtain a late melon or two, either by sowing the seeds directly or, what is better, using plants al- ready ii]i. If the plant shoidd have so many roots ,:i . tn be ]int bniuul. do lint tnni it out, but make a I:irL;vi' ImiIc in tlic I. oil, .in nf llic pot, and then set it Inill' |iluii-v(l nil till' hiirliiri' nf a larger pot, filled «itli roiiyii iiinllow loiiiii, Tvniu toone or two slioots; stop these when a yard in leugtli. Allow only a few laterals, from whence to procure fi'uit, and the pro- duce will be far superior in weight and flavour to wliat could be obtained when the plants are tiu'ned out into pits and frames. ii- Fish. THE KITCHEN-GAEDEN. .UovTiNr; WoiiK. — Very little can be added to the '.fcectioiis iilroridv "ivpii for the pre^^fiit iiiniith. bill care Jj;JI ' i" iiiirti Hi 'irUin;..;' mil lull iTn|r. nl' tlir ithatlhr -iM., .1 I .ii»;i^-H-rll iiinlrlinil ami wii IniviL 'The first snwui^'i nf ciu-ly calibagn may Lm made about the tldi'd week in this luonth, and the last sow- ings of hcaiis, pens, and French heuiis, as weU as a few more scarlet ruiiiters, if there is any ground to spare. The dwarf growing, small, compact kinds of cabbage are the most desirable, both for the amatem- and cottager, as they are quick in coming in, and take but little room. We coufine ourselves to the Match- less. Xuiijiareil. Shiniiii/s Queen, tind East Ham; pllllltill.n 111.- twn tnllnni- al tlir .[istiinCC of One foOt apart racli way, ami tlir iwn latter at one foot three inclii'S (lislaiii'i'. We ]ilaiil all llirsr ujion sloping banks, cast up as dir iiviii-liin;_;- i- |irifnniic,l, from six to twelve feet wl.lf at ilm linit'im, ami Iimim two to four feet high in tlir inidillr, the lica-lit hriij- regulated by the staple of the soil. Tins width we find veiy convenient for the operations of hoeing, scarifjiug, and watering, as well as for collecting the dead leaves, &c. Endive should now be sown in full crop for au- tumn salads, as well as lettuce, which may be sown in drills between the celery, and hoed out when up, or transplanted at thinning tiiiir if tlm weather is fa- voiu'able. The last sowing n\' jfars/,// may be uuide at auv time witliin the next Inrininlii, as a late sow- ing of this vegetable will l.r Inmi.l particularly useful ill till' siiriuL;' ami siimmi'i- utlis, after the early SdWiii'^ lias run I" sc, d. Tin' rarly sowings of paj'S- ley sh.iiilil III' Will iliiniiril ami IuhhI, and liquid-ma- niii-c pivlty lilirrally ap]ilii'il. Cliimiioy snot, as has born lii'lui'i' nlisri", 111. [-. a ini.sl stimnlatiiic;' manmr for |iai'sli'V. ira|i].Ii,',l in a li.iui.l .slatr. nrsown over the mill Ml rainy weatlu'r. I'lll up all varaiicies that may occur liy carefully transplauting. Parsley is a famous plant to remove and transplant. Mushuooji-Beds. — Materials should now be col- lected foi- making a mushroom-bed ready for autumn bearing. Nothiug is better calculated for this pur- pose than the excrement of animals, such as the horse, cow, sheep, or deer, with a good portion of fresh loam intermixed, so that a good lieallliy inois- tiiie may be ke]it up, aud the mixluie may not be siit'i'iril 111 lose any of its most esseniial jh mierlies l.iy evapoialioii, a point which requires very strict attention. In mushroom culture, the fii'st beds need not be made very thick in substance. Jajies Babnes. lillSCELLANEOUS INEORMATION. MY FLOWERS. (No. 35.) In gardens lilte mine there is now little to Tills is a season more of eiijoyunnt than ael labour; for the flowers are blooiniiiL;, m liasten into bloom, aud the lime fir triiii^planliiie, \e lie prd'erred. It is woiLliy of mltiire, as it.s ai'oni sweetness, when the leaf is rubbed by tin' bam very agreeable. A bed of tlie common scarlet raniiun is one of the most lovely aud dolijjli ornaments of tlie sinipli' {garden. How i'ra.^i nosegay is iliat wliieli is Inrmeil only of iheirei'l sei'iiieil as ilii' il.n\i'i',: If a sprig or two of \M . I -''I'liii .1 Miliina is placed among tliem, neeil mil ileslie llie lleliest bouqUCt a hotllOUSe atliird. This jihint origiually came to us from July I'l-IE COTTAGE GARDENER. Cape of Good Hope, w]iero they grow profusely. In India, too, tliey form thickets and jungles; and when rain has fallen, or when their rich fohaga is heateu to drive away the wild animals that link among theui, the perfume is said to be intense. Tlie idea of a llueket of geraniums may well make an English lady sigh ; for she looks at her flower-pots or borders, and hoV poor and scrubby they appear. Yes! such spicy groves are very lovely ; but if we were among them they would be uo enjoyment; such reptiles and aniiiials inhabit them, such scorching sunbeams and noxious dews descend upon them, that no one can linger near them. We may take comfort in our own less lovely gardens, and be thankful that al- though our native land is not so bahny as those distant soils, it is one of far truer liajjpiness. We can sit and inhale ovu- own summer sweetness iu peace and safety. It has pleased a God of mercy to divide His blessings among His children, and when He withholds one joy. He grants another. AVe have cloudy skies, chilly breezes, and a colder soil ; but would any one of us barter one British blessing for all tlie geraniuui thickets of the East? Let ns encourage tliese sweet plants as much as possible, as border flowers. I have seen them looking rich and beautiful, particularly when turned out of the pots, which enables the roots to spread fi'eely; but then the blossoms were not so large or so numerous, on account of the luxuriance of the leaves and stems. There are many very beautiful hardy varieties that form a rich combination with the old favomite scarlet. The ivy basket may now begin to look gay, and reward ns for the patience with which we have waited for it. Rustic stands, roughly nailed together, look extremely well when fiUed with flowering plants. They should be rather low, and the supporters placed so as to look as little as possible like the legs of a table. These things cannot be formed by a lady's hand, and, therefore, in many cases cannot be obtained ; but where it is practicable they give gi-eat elegance to the garden, at little cost or trouble. T'he salvia is a sweet and elegant plant, either for the flower-stand or the border. The colours are so vivid, the crimson is so crimson, and the blue so blue, that they delight the eye ; and their balmy scent is re- freshing and agreeable too. In the open ground they look particularly well, if so managed as to fill a bed. Cut off the flower-buds for a little while, imtil you have pegged down the young shoots of the plant or plants, so as nearly to cover the bed ; then let the fine spikes of blossom expand, and the eflfect will be splendid. The fragrance of the lily of the Talley has just ceased to greet us. What can exceed a btmch of these flowers for beauty, sweetness, and deep interest to the Christian heart. Their very attitude instructs us, for it shows forth so pointedly the beauty of humility, that the violet itself does not surpass it, and yet there is a dignity in their qiuetness that adds another charm. These exrpusite flowers appear almost to be natives of one soil. In some parts of England they grow wildly ; and in the neighbour- hood of Newhiu-y, in Berkshire, there are one or two spots where they abound in great beauty beneath the shade and shelter of copse wood. The vicinity of that town is remarkable for the variety of rare and beautiful wild flowers that bloom in the meadows and woodlands. It is a warm sheltered valley, and the grass and trees seem sooner green, and more richly clad there, than in any other pai-t of the country. The lily of the valley might do extremely well if planted in the wilder pai'ts of our gai'dens, as well as in their sunny borders. Wherever the scythe is not liable to pass, and especially if the soil is cool and moist, they may at least be tried, and ii' content with then- new residence, we shall acquu-e a very charming addition to om- pleasure gi-ound. Many spots in a cottage garden might be occupied with these plants, where, perhaps, other flowers do not gi-ow well. Shady nooks and corners, which sometimes are suffered to be neglected, or filled with stones and rubbish, might become green and fra- grant with these lovely flowers. Not an inch of cottage ground should be suffered to be idle. As with the heart, so with the garden. If any spot, however small, is left unfilled, xip springs an evil weed, or it becomes a wilderness. It is worth notic- ing how iiert/ soon tliis happens. Though " swept and garnished," yet, if left " enqity" the house, the garden, and the heart, become defiled and ruined. Let us, then, plant with dUigenoe and care the garden of the soil, but let us, with far deeper ear- nestness, seek the great Husbandman to dress and tend the garden of om- liearts. The cottage, with all its usefulness and beauty, its plants and flowers, is but for a little while. Oiu- home is "a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Are we preparing for it also ? HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY'S SHOW. July Utii. With the thermometer above 80° in the shade, not a cloud over the heaven's face, and a fresh breeze to refresh those whom the sun's rays otherwise would have warned to stay at home, we were prepared to see the large assemblage of the gay and the beautiful who were gathered together on this occasion, more especially as we knew that bundi'eds would be there, to stroll through the Duke of Devonshire's tasteful grounds, who oared but little for the plants and ft'uit beneath the Society's marquees. Our business, how- ever, is with these plants and fruit, and we will com- mence by observing generally that all the plants and fi-uit looked more bright and " hearty " than at the two previous shows of the year, aUbrding evidence, if it were needed, that natiu'e is a better gardener than man even sustained by all that art and science can supply. The tropical temperature and the tro- pical light, for which art can afford no substitute, had brought the full tints of health upon the coin- j>lexions of the plants. We shall this week give only some brief notices of the specimens exhibited, intending to fill up the account more fully in a following number. Of the new and rare jilants some were highly interesting. The silver gilt medal was awarded to Messrs. Veitch, nurserymen, of Exeter, for Cycnoches har- bdtiim, a most curious and interesting plant to the lovers of orchidcB. The next prize, the certificate of excellence, was awarded to Messrs. RoUison, of Tooting, for a fine plant, Mctrosideros robustus, with good foliage, and cm-ious fine flowers of a crimson hue, having the appearance of a bunch of scarlet bristles. For adorning a large conservatory, this will be a valuable addition. The next prize, the large silver medal, was awarded, to Messi's. Yeitch, for a variety of Cfpripedium hi'^n^ latum. The sUvei; Knightian, to the same firm„ iSor,- an interesting and beautiful species, a Rue.lUi% not- THE COTTAGE GARDENER. July ) specifically named, from Peni. The silver Bauksian ! medal, to Mr. Iveson, gardener to the Duke of Nor- thumberland, Syon House, for JSspelclia argentc^./»./,x«,77./ ,„/,/,„■»„•,/, a plain hi,. feet high, «ilh srarlrl-.iraii-r luhr ,l,a|ir,l Ih.urrs; for the autuiiiiial llo«ri---aiil.'ii tin- |.lai,t i;, i.~rinl Galiriiiman Plants. — .\ii llll^^r^l iu.l;' i.;iiiii|i nl' these plants was exhibited linni iIm' Snrii-iy's jiaidni. We arc given to undersi and Ihr-r nr.- all iHilrrUy hardy, and in that case will I"' a \aliiiililr adililimi tn our flower-garden and shrnhlna-v. 'I'lii'v ciiiiiiiriscd — Adenostoma lasri.ailata ; .\iiroiiia luuhrllala, iu flower, a perennial : .\, pulrlirlla, shiAviiig Inr llinvrr, also a perennial; Ceanutluis cuiu:atus, (J. dcutatus, Castanea chrysophylln, Ceanothus inlegerriunis, C. papillosus, Cupressus goveuianus, Cerasus illicifo- lius, and Calycanthus macro])hyUus, eight evergreen shrubs ; Impatiens repens, a creeping yellow balsam ; Mimulus tricolor, appai-ently a perennial, flowers with a pink ground and oblong dark crimson spots, small but produced abundantly — a veiy pretty species ; Myi'ica californica, a shrub ; Laums regalis, also a shrub ; and Penstemon azureum, a perennial, about IS inches lugh, with deep blue flowers — very fine and desu-able. The Hoiticultm-al Society received these Califor- nian plants from Mr. Hartweg, and have akeady distributed a considerable number amongst the mem- bers ; nurserymen that are members receiving their due share. Mr. Glendinning, of the Chiswick nur- sery, exhibited several of them much larger than any of the above, liaving grown them in heat to hasten their- growth. Amongst Ins lot was a fine plant of Ohelono centranthifolia, the true species, with flower- tube of glowing scarlet. Messrs. Yeitch had again then fine plant called Mitra.ria coccinea. A prize was awarded to it. This, also, is said to be a hardy shrub. We have ab'eady noticed it in a former number. They also exhibited two plants of a variety of that fine bai-dy tree Crypto- meriajaponica. This variety has a more dense foliage and more numerous branches than the well known species. The last new plant that we consider wortliy of particular notice, is a new variety of the esteemed Ileliotrnjic, sent by Mr. Salter, and named //. Grisaii. It is evidently a hybrid between the old //. Peruvia- num and the new H. Voltaireanum ; produces lai-ge heads of fiowers, very ti'agi'ant, and each flower much larger than those of its parents. We consider this a desirable variety, and predict it otII soon be in general cidtivation. Collections of Thirty Stoatc and Geeexhouse Plants. — The first prize, the certificate of exceflence, was awarded to Mr. May, gardener to Mrs. LawTence, of Ealing Park. This coUection was put upon the stage in its usual style of excellence. We can only find space to mention sucli as have been used to re- place those that were out of condition to exhibit again ; and we would suggest to the exhibitors, for this and other prizes, to strive for more variety at the difl'erent exhibitions. However fine and well-gi-own plants may hr. lla' imhlii' will !).• tired of looking at and admirint;' till' sa'iir imlividiial plants from show to show, ami yrar alirr yiar. TliiM-e arc plenty of new (iiir |ilaiiK ill ihr imrsrrirs to lake the place of WOni-iiMt i-prriliirlis anil JMuir s|irries. 'I'lir iii.wt -Ihiwv plant in Mr. Miiy's coUcction was A'.,/..,sw,,//-,x ,■;„,„„,,. „ plant 1 11. hitrh bv -i ft. thiMii-ii: alsn K,il,<,„iilh,s uiii.l.i.r.m'AU lin,', Thr^o bush, covered cquidlj well 111 gracadens. ■\ II I i^v gold modal, to l\Ir. Cole, alsii a ^niid specimen of Kalosanthcs !■ ihvart ]ilant than Mr. May's, but lOUKil, -.1 It. hy i^ ft.; also Schnbcrlia by ;i 1 It. : Nricit aiii/inllacia, :', ft. hy July THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 203 2 ft., a finely bloomed plant ; Erica parmcntiera, 2 ft. by 2i- ft., densely flowered ; Clerodciidntm ka-mpfen, witb two large spikes of flue lioli-colourod scarlet flowers. Collection of Fifteen Stove .\nd Greenhouse Plants were exbibited by tbree parties. First prize, gold Kuightian medal, to Mr. Green, gai-dener to Sir E. Antrobus, Bart., of Cheam, Surrey. Mr. Green is well known to be one of tlia most skilful cultiva- tors of plants of the day, and he well sustained his reputation on this occasion. We have only space to mention a few of the best of the collection. Leschenaultia formosa, 2 ft. high by 3 ft. through, a plant completely covered with its pretty scarlet flowers ; Leschenaultia haxterii major, the same size and quality; Erica jasminiflora alba, 2^ ft. by 3ift ; Dipladenia atro piu'purea, — this difficult plant to grow and flower was shown in excellent health and full of flower ; Allamanda gi-andiflora, 5 ft. by 3i ft., an excellent species, with bright orange coloured flower; Sphenotonia gracile, the Dracophyllum gi-a- cile of other days, a good specimen, 2i- ft. by 3i ft. Second prize, gold Banksian medal, to Mr. Taylor, gardener to J. Costar, Esq., Streatham. This collec- tion was very little inferior to the last: the best plants in it were Polygala oordifolia, 3 ft. by 2 ft. ; Polygala oppositifolia, 4 ft. by 3 ft. ; Ixora crocata, a low bushy plant, with five heads of flowers ; Dipla- denia crassin.oda, with 2i blooms fully expanded ; and Allamanda cathartica, 5 ft. by Si, in good flower. Collection or Six Stove and Gbeenhouse Plants. — Several collections of six were shown. Mr. Jack, gardener to — Lorraine, Esq , of Wallingford, ob- tained the first prize, silver gilt medal. He had a good Kalosanthes ooccinea, an Allamanda cathartica, and a well grown Clerodendrum. Second prize, cer- tificate of excellence, to Mr. Bruce, gai-dener to B. Miller, Esq. He had a good Erica metulfeflora, Kalosanthes nitida, Stephanotes florihunda, and Sollya lineai-is. Third prize, lai-ge silver medal, to Mr. Glendinning. A fine specimen of the new Hoya imperiaUs, with its chandalier-like blossom, was in this collection, and several nice low bushy heaths. Collections of Twenty-five Orchids. — First prize, large gold medal, to Mr. Mylam, gardener to S. Rucker, Esq., Wandsworth. His collection, as usual, was exceedingly rich, well grown, and finely flowered. Om- space forbids us to do more than just notice a few of tlie best. Saccolabium guttatum, four spikes. Vanda Bate- maniana : this truly noble plant had this year but one spike of its magnificent flowers, with crimson spots upon a yellow ground, the back of the petals and sepals being of the finest rose-colour. Phalie- nopsis amabilis, foui-teeu fully expanded flowers on one spike. Aerides odorato, thirty-six spikes, a noble large plant. Calanthe masuca, a rare species, had twelve spikes. Aerides maculosum, a fine, well-flowered plant. Second prize, gold Knightian medal, to Mr. Wil- liams. This collection was marked, as usual, by superior cultivation ; as, for instance, the fine plant of Phajus albus, beai-ing seventeen spikes of its beautiful white flowers. Aerides affine, with one spike with five branches, and fom- other splices, seve- ral of which were branched like^vise. Bai'keria spectabilis, a large mass with five spikes; Saccola- bium guttatum, four spikes ; the rare Epidendrum verrucosum, with a spike of seven flowers. Collections of Ten Exotic Orchids. — These col- lections were numerous. First prize, gold Knightian medal, was very deservedly awarded to Mr. Plant, gardener to S. Schroder, Esq., Stratford Green. His best plant was Aerides maculosum, with two splen- did spikes; Aerides affine ; Cycnoches chlorochiluin, with two long spikes of its bright, frugraut, and swan-like flowers. Second prize, gold Banksian medal, to Mr. Dob- son. He had a good Cattleya crispa, with a spike of six flowers; the rare Epidendrum vitellLnum, and Epidendrum PhcEnioeum. Thii'd prize, silver gilt medal, to Messrs. Rollinsou, of Tooting. This collection was chiefly remarkable for liaving in it an immense mass, scarcely in bloom, of Miltonia spectabile. Fourth prize, large silver medal, to Messrs. Hen- derson, of Pine-apple-place. This lot had a finely flowered Stanhopea quadricorna, with numerous flowers ; also S. Tigrina, with six of its strange, monstrous looking blooms. Fifth prize, silver Knightian medal, to Mr. May, gardener to Mrs. La^vi-ence, of Ealing Pai'k. A good Phaloenopsis grandiflora was in this collection ; also a large mass of Sobralia macrantha, the flowers of which were sadly spoiled by carriage. Having thus briefly noticed the collection so far, we have only space now to just glance at the remainder. Heaths were numerous and in good order, show- ing that care and skill can overcome adverse seasons. The hot weather, for instance, that we have had lately. Pelargoniums were evidently on the wane, there being fewer shown, but those few were in good con- dition. Cut Roses. — Tn this class of flowers there was plenty of competition, and the flowers were up to the mark, but the hot day and close tent soon took eftect upon them, causing them to droop very early in the afternoon. Carnations and Picotees exhibited in excellent order, and kept fresh to the last moment. Tall Cacti were very much shortened both in quantity and height, yet some were neat flowered, well gro•^^^l, plants. Fruit. — A large number of good pines were ex- hibited; some good black gi'apes also; but Muscats, though fine fi'uit, were far from being ripe. Peaches and nectarines were scarce ; strawberries and cher- ries excellent in quality and abundant in quantity ; melons were rather scarce and not first-rate, though tlie weather has been just the thing for ripening this fruit. Looking tlu-ough the exhibition as a whole, we should say it was, on an average, equal to the fonner July meetings. There was certainly no decided im- provement. Let us hope that the council will in- crease their prizes, and the gai'deners increase then- exertions, so as to make those meetings what tliey ought to be — an example of the liighest skill in horti- cultural matters. But we shall have more to say on this and other topics next week. TO CORRESPONDENTS. N.B. A multitude of letters are unavoidably left unanswered untU Plants fob the City (A Citisen).—Y i > ciently, for '* several tiii^-" i- - If yoii once begin wnterin^^ strav ance and abundant transpiration plants will die off during eontim nd thu avc watered suffi- o watering at all. encourage luxuri- , vou must sustain that habit, or the led dry weather. You will find how le present volume ; and how to malte ir first volume^ Cnnstunt Render}. — Please to look for increasing them by ited in the s page 134, ;22f I hot- torn, read ur..!^!;> .. i \u mher to which you refer is merely the Poultry (Eusticun'j.—Yonr chickens moping about by themselves with drooping wings, and half closed eyes, are probably affected witli the chip or cheep, a name applied on account of the weak plaintive crv resembling this monosvllablc which they utter. Allowing them nonth ( i said to be tht these, and divide L native of the south of Europe, It is benefitted by being cut ...... .^^ coop bcfure they i - that thev get worms, &c., not wholesome for them, ite- move them into aVarm, dry, airy place. Thick gruel, one pint, mixed with a teaspoonful of castor oil, and half a teaspoonful ot syrup ol pin'^er, is said to be a good mbcture for chickens thus diseased, giving 30 e°ach a teaspoonful daily. Crushed fresh oat grits is the best food for them, and the water they have to drink should be ^vann. Pot Pourri {A Subscriber from the hegmnms).—we shall be obliged by a good recipe for this. Your question about cut flowers is answered editorially. PicoTEES IN Borders (L.).— You may their roots, either at the end of October or of March. KinB0NGRASs(76id).— This, which is also known as iariies'inees, P/j(»;erf (Jm.'js, and, according I Arviuio domi.r, var and requires no pa down in November close to the grou being placed over it to exclude the frost. ^ .^ , . Rhubarb (S. /JerAwm).— This is always best sown where the plants are to remain to produce their leaves for use. Do not let them stand nearer to each other than four feet. Beds for rhubarb should always be' trenched deep, and abundance of manure mixed with the soil. Soil for tlie trrowth of plants, valued only for their leaves, cannot be too rich. Y|.. \, ntir cultivated plums arc all grafted on the Mussell or Jivussels stocks. Your climate must surely be very bad for plums. Perhaps your soil is deep and stagnant. deep (three feet) and t ; CoDL say I clay subsoil. Mildew is generally caused by stagua- Ba'nksjan Roses not Flowering (IF. H.).— The late frosts f!i:,ii.,' . 1 ill. il . \ L r lnuls nf these in many places this season. No ru-, s ' !,. ; i-ly than the Banksian, after they have been ihr, , . iuiieil, if they are treated properly. They differ U•'■\^^ II tlowering on the wood made last year; on that ,n , ,uiif \\:v\ vimiiMnotbe pruned after the growing season is over, like other roses. Prune them when they arc done flowering, or vnw, and all the strong shoots they make till the end of August must be stopped when they are a foot or eighteen inches long. The wood made in September will not ripen before winter, and shuuld be cut out at once. Nothing farther is to be done to them till after they flower next season. Mandevilla Suaveolens (Thomas Gri/^/O.— All the large nur- serymen grow or can procure this for you: we must not mention names. It will do little good in a conser^'atory that is kept warmer than our ordinary summers, during the growing season. trees which lost their healthy le;L\i- ' " i.,i, and you aggravated their case by a teni|irr;iui: . < ii ,i would have best suited their condition. Mh. - i. ii ;i thing as orange-trees forced at a trniperatmr m1 i:;ii , > , -.tine m the air but what might rise frona the earth in iln , d, ,_ ih,s like yours, which were in a dark room, an.t h ; i ' i\.s, would do better if the new house had been l.i , : ■ ■ ;inil the air kept moist to saturation. Those whu 1, . , i , -..ms will not produce more this season. Oranges; set in innt inMn in a temperature of from 70° to 75°, with abundance of air, and should be looked over once a day to clear off the remains of dying petals and stamens. Some orange-trees will not fruit easily in conservatories, unless they are artificially dusted with pollen. If you mean to fruit ■ ry must be kept, from collection of orange-trees, yo arch to September, considei d the Mande j\Iarch ordinary MponttEa Learii, StepJifrnotift r, arc the sort of climbers to i will stand any thing, from Jioribundu, and the Hcarlet passion-flo\ "^grow in a real orange house ; but orani 30° to 100°, if they are well rooted. arc attached to the bottom of th. . ' . . .1- vessela," and the styles are petalm. I i , ,. , i hk! the stigma, or part to dust the pnll. i ib,- point of the anther, and standiniz <>' ■ i n M.. .m ih.Ih.I \ -. Imi Mr. Beaton will describe the whole j-roriN-: next week. Water Insect (H. 7. l .—The specimens you sent are the young of the Notonecta or Boat fly. They swim on their backs, mostly on the surface during hot stili weather, and by a single stroke of their paddles they .].->;<■. ml mif <,t" ^iaht. They feed upon smaller water insects, but 1111 hi, ii i im. h, inil upon the very small fry of fish. White I.h : ^ Tlie hud you have sent is an in- stance of ninri.i I I , II .\ ilie whole of the stamens and the 'neath, arc transformed to petals. lilarly sportive, and the ' ' ■ . ■ nttt pcrmit- i being perfected for the "natural develop- of the parts this year. Such deformities are not lUcely to recui- jB (Township of East Dean).— "No grub reached us with your London: Printed by Harhv Wooldrtdgr, 147, Strand, in the Parish of Saint Marv-le-Strand ; and Winchester Hipih-strcct. in the Parish of St. I\Iary Kalendar; and Published by William Somkrville Orr, at the Oflice, U?, Strand, in the Parish of Saint Mary-le-Strand, London.— July IQth, 1849. THE COTTAGE GARDENER, WEEKLY CALENDAR. M D w D JULYaC— AUGUST 1,1849. Plante dedicated to each day. .Sun Rises. Sun Sets. Moon R. and Sets. Moon's Age. Clock bef. Sun Pay of Year. Til St. Aune. Grayling butterfly seen. Wild Cbamoraile. 17 a. 4 56 a. 7 11 6 7 6 11 207 27 b' Blackcap's song ceases. Purple Loosestrife. 18 54 11 32 3 6 11 208 ■-it. s Aclaniral butterfly seen. Mountain Groundsel. 20 53 morn. 9 6 10 209 •-'ij Sl-N f^ S. Ai'T. TiUN. Common gi-asshop- Red Chironia. 21 51 0 0 10 fi 9 210 Mil, M \\ heat out. [per chirps. White MuUein. 22 50 0 33 11 6 7 211 ::|!tii Iloary Ragwort flowers. Great Midlein. 24 48 1 1) 12 6 4 212 1 w L.mnKis day. Swallow's2ndbroodflcdgecl.|!Stramomum. IV VII 1 55 13 0 1 213 1 the mother Sr. Anne is I^elieved by Roman Catholics to have bee (if I he \"ii;^iii Ulary, anrl that her husband was Joachim, ul" St. Anne yMary and Sobe) they also believe to have been the inoaiLTs i-eypc-ctivoly of Salome (Mark xv. 40), and of Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist. The Monday after St. Anne's day is celebrated at Newbury, in Berkshire, as Mace Mondaij. The principal dishes of the festival are beans and bacon ; and a procession is made, with a cabbage for a mace, and other mock substitutes for the insignia of civic dignity. Lammas Day is one of the four "cross quarter days," of which Whitsuntide, Martinmas, and Candlemas, are the other three. In Scotland, generally, and in some other parts of Great Britain, rents are payable upon these festivals, Mas is the Saxon for a festival, and htaf\& a loaf, or bread, in the same language. Now, as this day is called kalam-mas in the Saxon chronicle, and we know that bread made of new wheat was otfered by our forefathers at this time as a kind of first fruits, we are led to believe that the day was ori- ginally celebrated as a day of thanksgiving for the blessings of harvest, and was literally the bread festival, or halaf-uias. It is sometimes called the gate, or festival, of August— ||-«'i// or gooj/l, in the old British language, meaning a holiday or festival. PaENOMENA OF THE SEASON. — Having shewn the contrivances by which, in various plants, the access of the pollen is secured to their stigmas, and the general necessity for such access for the pro- duction of fertile seeds, we may now consider some of the subsequent phenomena. It is by no means a matter of indifference how much pollen has access to the stigma, for though in the pelargonium, Mirabilis jalapu, and i)/. Inngiflora, two or three globules are found to be sufficient to fertilize all the seed in one ovary, yet from fifty to sixty globules are necessary to be similarly efficacious in Hybiscus syriacus. How much plants might be expected to differ in this respect is mtimated by the total want of any relevancv betweea the number of stamens and the number of seeds produced by a flower. The two stamens of an orchideous plant fecundate 8000 seeds ; and, in tobacco, five stamens are suflTicient for 900 seeds, while the fifty stamens of Barnngionia, the eighty stumens of the CoryophylU, and Insects. — In this month prevails that caterpillar of indiscriminating pa- late, which is the larva of the Spotted Buff moth iSpiloso7na Uibricipeda of :s— the apple the two hundred and thirty of Thea (tea shrub), are only sufficient tor fertilizing two or three ovaries. So soon as the seed has been impregnated the decline of the flower commences, the stamens de- caying first, and these being speedily followed by the departure of the petals, and usually of the calyx also. The stigma then withers, and but rarely is its style more permanent. The ovary, on the con- trary, increases in size, and alters in appearance, so than in the instances afforded by our common the strawberry, the fig, and the pea. Let us tra._ changes in the latter. On the fourth of June Mr. Keith cut asunder the unimpregnated seed of a pea. It was then filled with a uniform pulp, and about one-thirtieth of an inch in diameter. On the eighth, in a pod from which the petals had fallen, the seeds had increased to one-twentieth of an inch in diameter, and one or two little cavities were perceptible in them. On the tenth, the seeds were one-tenth of an inch in diameter, and the cavities were filled with thin transpa- rent fluid, or ainnios. On the thirteenth, in a pod of nearly full length, the peas were one-fifth of an inch in diameter, and the embryo, or future young plant, was perceptible in the amnios. On the fifteenth, the peas were one-fourth of an inch in diameter, and the embryo was half that length, but still floating apparently in the amnios. On the twentieth, the pea was still of the same size, its lobes were forming, and the radicle, or future root, was projecting where they were joining together. On the twenty-second, the pea was one-third of an inch in diameter, the lobes were nearly perfect, and the plumule, or future stem, was now discernible. On the twenty-fifth, the seed was fully grown, its lobes united, and the com- plete embryo of the future plant was apparent. The radicle was one-eighth, and the plumule one- twentieth, of an inch long. It is in vain to ask how the pollen acts to produce these mysterious, orga- nic changes. \" \ ' " .... stigma, the pollen awakens'i dormant powers. New secretions^ new depositi ters are occasioned, and new forms are produced, corresponding to those characterizing both parents ; but how such contact operates is among those wonders of vitality which are inexplicable to our limited comprehension. seem to come amiss to this voracious caterpillar— those of the elder, turnip, carrot, mint, scarlet runner, and broad bean, are only a few that have been known to be devastated by the same broods ; and it has been justly observed that, if these creatures ever prevailed extensively, they would sweep away our crops as efi'ectively as a plag' The back of the caterpillar is a dark greenish brown, a: side considerably paler, and rather greener. The separated by a waving wh' 1841. 1842. 1843. 1344. 1845. 1S46. 1847. 1 1848. 26 Highest Fine. Fine. Showery. Cloudy. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Rain. 72°-53» 73=-4B° 72°-56° 74°-55° 71°-52° 76°-56° 75°— 45° 67°— 51° Fine. Cloudy. Showery. Pine. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. 70--49» 67° -48° 75°-63° 81°-50° Cloudy. Cloudy. Fine. Rainy. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. 88°— 57° 77° — 57° 73°— 56° Cloudv. Cloudv. Cloudy. Fine. 76°-44° 65°-43° 88°-60° 30 Fine. Fine. Fine. Showery. Bain. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. 63°— 43° 65"— ,'32° 710-49° 68°— 55° 64°— 45° e9°-62° 80°-48° 71°-5^3° Fine. 62''-44» 69°— 47° 72°— 49° 69°— 50° S9°— 64° 84°— 48° 72°— 51° 1 Showery. Fine. Fine. Stormy. Fine. 66- -4" 73°-46° 71°-45° 68°-52° 92°-60° 91°-46° 69°- 50° .of 1 ■ down each val ( ! of locusts colours are de, and the body is It changes to a black composed of silk and fallen leaf. In this it remains through the winter, and the moth comes forth in May or June. The moth is rather more than Ij inch across the expanded fore-wings, which are yellowish buff-coloured, and the hind-wings are rather paler. All the wings are spotted with black, often as represented in our drawing, but frequently the spots are larger, and running more together. The antennEe and legs are black, and the body is orange-coloured, with rows of black spots down the back, sides, and underneath. Both the moth and the caterpillar should he sedulously sought for and destroyed. The great horticultural shows of England may be considered as having closed with that of Chiswick, on the 11th instant, and it will be time not mis-spent to cast a parthian glance over these past " floral games," for the purpose of striking at those portions which we think should be avoided in futm'e contests. We have on more than one occasion objected to the highest prize attainable at sucli exhibitions of the results of gardening skill, being awarded j'ear after year to those who, though no more skilful than their competitors, happen to serve em23loyers willing to spend vast sums annually in purchasing from florists the finest and the rarest specimens from their nurseries. It is quite true, as we have acknowledged No. XLIII., Vol. II. 200 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. Ji'i before, that rewai'ds so gamed tend in a restricted degi'ee to promote the progress of horticulture — for they encourage florists to import and to foster the rarest of iilants, and such as require great skill to cultivate. But could not the same important object be better fostered and attained by the two gi-eat Metropolitan Societies offermg then- highest rewards to smaller collections? We think they could; for we never see in the collections of thirty plants, specimens not to be foimd in the smaller collections. Neither are the thirty-plant collections better grown than the plants of the smaller gi-oups. Then to niunber and size is the highest prize given— not to pre-eminent sldll ; and gardeners, eveiy way the equals of those who exhibit collections of thu-ty, have to labour imder the mortification and depression of knowing that, though their twelve or twenty plants may be equal or even superior specimens of cultiva- tion, they can never obtain the highest public re- ward of their art, because two parties are able to exhibit ten plants more. The higher the rewards offered to smaller coUections, the more numerous would be the competitors, and, as a consequence, greater would be the benefit, for more widely diffused would be the sti-uggle, and more numerous would be those who witnessed the skilful efibrts for the crown- ing reward of horticultural merit. No argimient need be brought forward to prove that these in- creased centres of exertion would be proportionately beneficial to then' neighbourhoods, as well as to the gardeners employed; and it is equally needless to argue that a florist would be as much benefited by selling a larger number of good specimens of a rare plant, as he would be^by selhng one huge specimen. Sustained by these considerations we feel no doubt as to the desirability of an alteration in the rules for the award of the greatest prizes of the two societies, for at present those prizes are not awai'ded upon terms seeming that they shall be earned by speci- mens demonstrating that their cidtivators possess the gi-eatest amount of horticultural skill. Descending to minor particulars, we worUd direct the attention of the councils of the societies to the dic- tation of some rule restrictive of the use of training stakes. We are not inchned, as some are, to exclude these regulators altogether, because we all know that some flowers, such as several varieties of fuchsia, could not be exhibited in pots advantageously with- out some slight support. But we do jM-otest against the excess of such training and displaying. For instance, one specimen at the last Chiswick show, Comjpte de Beaulieu, was exaggerated by having all its blossoms trained round and staked so as to face tlie spectator — a trick which, so far as Horticultm-al shows should be exhibitions of skOfid culture, and not of manoeuvi-ing, should exclude all such speci- mens even from being entered for competition. W'a shovdd like to ho informed if there is any reason why at Chiswick so few plants, cultivated by the Society's own skilful gardeners, are exhibited. Instead of these plants being exhibited, we see such notices as tliis placed against the Stoves — " Hothouses not to be opened this day." Surely in a Society to which we look for example as well as precept, this should not be, but, on the conti-aiy, when thousands are gathered there from all parts of our islands, the whole stores of the Society shoidd be thrown open for their instruction. We regret this the more, because the ferns and the Californian plants, exhibited on the 1 1th, were sufilcient to make us wish for other specimens. Having so recently written upon the an-angement of flowers, we cannot refrain fi-om refening to that of the two gi-eat collections on the lltli ; for they afforded some striking illustrations of the eft'ects in- separable fi-om tasteful and from ill-contrasted ar- rangement. Mr. May's plants were indisputably finer than Mr. Coles', but they were rendered stfll moi'e striking by their more judicious juxtaposition of colours. We must confine our comment to one point, and it shall be the siunmit of each gi-oup. Both were in a pp-amidal form, [and the apex of Mr. jNIay's was formed by the golden flowered AUn- mancla cathartica, and adjoining it was its natural complemental colour in the blue petals of Sollya linearis, and yet relieved, for the blue is somewhat too dark, by being associated with the white clusters of StepJianotis florihimda. Than this notliing could be more skflful ; wliilst Mr. Cole had the white flowered Schubertia graveohns as the summit colour of his pyramidal gi'oup, and when white thus fonns the apex of such a form, no arrangement of colours near it can be adopted to render it pleasing. Yet to render the eflect still less agi-eeable, and as if, at once, to be violent and monotonous, scarlets were placed on each side, the Cleroclendrum Iccnnpferi and Clerodendrum paniculatmn being, on either hand, its next neighbours. The superiority of taste displayed in the arrangement of Mr. May's gi-oup sti-uck us most pointedly, and though this coidd have no influence over the prize award, yet it had a great influence in enhancing the gratification of the numerous eyes that enjoyed this display of natm-al beauty. THE FEUIT-GARDEN. BuDDiNo. — As the time is at hand for budding all kinds of fruits, it may not bo amiss to offer a few plain remarks to the uninitiated. We may first ofl'or the rationale of the process, and we cannot do better than make an exb-act from a celebrated modern author, who thus aptly describes it: — "The buds of ti'ees are originated in the young shoots in the axils of the leaves ; and when the bud begins to grow, its connexion with the medulhuy sheath (sheath of the pith) closes, or, at all events, the bud, if detached and properly jilaced in tlie July THE COTTAGE GARDENER. alliiinium of another plant, will become vitally united to it. On these facts the art of budding is founded. This mode of grafting is chiefly applica- ble to woody plants ; and the scion may, in general, he secured to the stock, and sufficiently protected there, by bandages of bast mat, or thread, without the use of grafting clay or wax. The union between the scion and stock takes place in the first instance in consequence of the e.x^udation of organisable matter from the soft wood of the stock, and it is rendered permanent by the retm-ning sap from the leaves of the stock, or ii'om those of the shoot made by the bud." It wDl be seen by these remaa'ks that it is princi- pally the returning sap which promotes the junction between the scion and the stock : a fact which we would wish to impress on the minds of all horticul- tural tyros, and the cottager also would do well to bear it in mind ; for herein lies the germ of a great principle, which rules many gardening processes. A great number of fantastic modes of budding are practised by various persons, especially our neigh- bours on the continent ; and certainly some of them (seldom practised in England) are very interesting to those who wish to exercise then- ingenuity. To exjjlain the whole woidd occupy more space than we can spare in our number; we must, therefore, return to the subject at another opportunity, and in the meantime content om-selves with that portion of it which is principally practised in our great nurseries on out-door fi-uits, for no better practice exists. This land is termed shield budding. The main uses of budding are thus quoted by Loudon : " To pro- pagate some kinds with which the other modes of grafting are not so successful as the rose; to per- form the operation of grafting with gi'eater rapidity than with detached scions or inarching, as in the case of most fi-uit trees ; to unite early vegetating trees with late vegetating ones, as the apricot with the plum, they being both in the same state of vegeta- tion during the budduig season; to graft, without the risk of injuring the stock in case of want of suc- cess, as in side budding, and in flute budding with- out heading down; to introduce a number of species or varieties on the same stem, which could not be done by any other mode of grafting without disfigur- ing the stock in the event of the want of success ; to prove the blossoms or fruits of any tree, in which case blossom buds ai-e chosen instead of leaf buds ; and, finally, as the easiest mode of distributing a gi-eat many lands on the branches of a tree, as in the case of roses, camehias, and fruit trees." Thus far Loudon, who hereby gives a pretty clear Ulusti-a- tion of the objects to be obtained by budding, as distinguished from spring gi-afting, yet forming a mere section of that operation. We need scarcely offer an apology for quoting fi-om so good an authority on this occasion, for we are not aware that we could have enumerated the objects qiute as well. We may now observe that for those who have much to perform in this way, it is indispensable that they provide themselves with a budding knife, for although an ordinary knife may be made to perform the operation, yet it is by no means fit for so delicate a proceeding. This kind of knife can be purchased of any respectable seedsman. Season. — Some choice of season should be made, if possible, for the operation, for it is much better performed when the atmosphere is moist and the sim absent than otherwise; and although nurserymen, from pressure of business, bud in all weathers, yet the amateur and cottager may easily choose a proper period. Besides the condition of the atmosphere, the state of the soil as to moisture should be taken into consideration. If a period of drought should occur, the bark will be found not to rise so readily as when a lively root action prevails ; more especi- ally if the season be far advanced, or the stocks to be operated on are of some age, or " beneath par" in point of strength. This, then, will readily suggest the propriety of root watering previously, even using liquid manm-e in important cases, in order to throw an extra amount of the ascending sap into the sys- tem, by which means tlie bark will rise with a greater facihty. _ Mode of PEHFoniiiKG the Operaiion. — Expedi- tion is the principal thing, and this of coin-se pre- supposes some dexterity and expertness. In summer buddiug, the cutting or shoot from whence the buds or scions are taken is not cut from the parent tree vuitil tlie moment the operation is about to com- mence. Tlie best way is to provide a pan or can with some water in it. The moment tlie young shoot which is to produce the scions is removed from the parent, let all the leaves be cut off, leaving the petioles, or footstalks, of the leaves to handle the buds by. The ends of the young shoots may then be stuck on end in the water, taking care, of coiu-se, to number or name them, if accuracy of this kind be requisite. All being thus in readiness, and the operator having a bundle of long, bright, and strong bast hanging by his side, and a finely whetted bud- ding knife (or a relay of them where much business has to be done) in Iris hand, operations may com- mence. We will suppose what may be termed a um-seryman's case, viz., a young plum, apricot, or peach stock ; that is to say, in their phraseology, the Brussels stock for the plum, the commoner stock for the apricot, and the muscle stock for the peach. Such stocks are generally about a couple of feet in height, and they are mostly budded about a foot fi'om the ground. The operator generally turns his back to the stock, for such stocks are generally branched a little, and by backing up to them, the axillary branches are forced right and left out of the way of the operator by means of his legs. Well, he then takes a scion out of his waterpot, and generally com- mences at the lower end of it. With a clean cut he takes out a bud, now called " a sliield," for it is ne- cessary to cut nearly an inch above the bud, and the same below it : and with this shield a slight portion of the woody part of the stem is taken. Now, with railway speed, the wood must be extracted : this is readily done with the ;finger and thumb of the right hand, and one caution is here necessary. If a hole appears at the back of the bud, on the shield, it must be rejected as worthless ; it is a sign that the shoot is not sufiiciently mature, and that the bud was not properly organised, or that it has been drawn out by the very roots, in extracting the piece of wood, or rather alburnous matter. The bud being right, a slit must be made across the stock, at the very point where the bud must be inserted. This slit runs across, and with the assistance of another below it, and running perpendicularly into the cen- tre of it, must form a figure like the capital letter T. The haft of the budding knife must now be applied to the sides of the incision, and by a gentle pressure up and down, the bark wiU be found to become readily detached li-om the wood. Taldng hold of tlie leaf stalk of the bud or shield, the operator now slips it in beneath the raised bai'k of the incision in the stock, and when this is done, a compact and close tying of bast, from the bottom of the shield to the THE COTTAGE GARDENER. top, completes the process. All tliis, though appa- reutly tedious in the detail, is merely the work ol' a minute, or, at most, a couple of minutes, to au ex- pert and well practised operator. We, liowever, can do no more than lay down the rationale of the pro- cess, and the mode of carrying it out: expertness must he acquired by some practice in tliis as in most other matters. All we can say in addition is that unless each hud is quickly inserted after being ex- tracted from the parent shoot, success becomes very doubtful, especially if the atmosphere is dry and the sun shines bright. We would advise that any side of the stock be selected but that directly south. The sun has a powerful action in the neighbourhood of the bud wlien in this situation ; and such is, there- fore, to be avoided, although we are aware many old practitioners in the mu'series do not pay a.ny heed to such distinctions. The reason is that their mode of conducting the operation is so expert, and so much, expedition is exercised, that the bud scarcely suffers at all iu its transit ; it therefore suc- ceeds in nine oases out of ten. We woidd advise particular attention to the follow- ing points, whatever the Idnd of tree may be, or whatever the height or position may be at which it is budded. 1st. — That the tree be in a state of high elabora- tion : that is to say, great part of the foliage tho- roughly developed, and the growing or extending principle rather on the wane. Tliis will, in general, take place between the second week of July and the second week in August, iu most parts of Britain. 2nd. — That a lively course of root action be se- cured, by having recourse iu seasons of drought to copious watering a day previously to budding. SvA. — To reject all buds that appear torn out or otherwise injm'ed : this is indicated by the hollow before named. 4th. — To avoid any extreme of mutilation or pruning back, at the period of budding; we have seen roses reduced to a mere stump for convenience sake : such cannot be successful. 5th. — To avoid too tight ligatures ; the bast must be quite close, but not tight. It should be under- stood that the bud does not form the union by means of pressure alone ; the bast acts beneficially also by shading the bark of the shield, or bud, thereby pre- venting excessive perspii-ation. Those who have a variety of ftaiits to bud should take them according to tlie order in which the wood becomes perfect: thus, cherries may stand first, apricots second, plums and pears third, and peaches and nectarines fourth. The only after care, is to water occasionally during the first fortnight, if the weather is very dry, and to remove the bandages in due time. This may, in general, be safely done within a month, and the best criterion of the success of the bud is the dropping off of the footstalk. If the bud is taking well, this will fall away in a week or two ; but if the footstalk shrivels up, it is a bad sign. The portion of the stock below the bud should, in aU cases, be kept clear from useless spray. In cases wliere it is necessary to reserve such shoots, it will suffice to pinch off then- growing points. R. ElUUNOION. TliE FLOWER-GARDEN. NOTES OF A JOURNEY INTO HERTFORD- SHIRE. Messrs Pauls' Rose Nuhseuy, Cheshdnt. — Having often been invited to visit this celebrated rose garden, took time by the forelock, jumped into an oimiibus that conveyed us to the Eastern Coimties railway one evening, and, in little more than three-quarter's of an hour, arrived at the Waltham station. And here we might describe the inconveniences of rail- way travelling, the difficulty of obtaining tickets at the terminus at Shoreditch, and the crush and rush to get them. Certainly they manage these things much better at any other booking-office in the king- dom. We might ask this simple question of the directors, Why do you not employ more clerks, and have separate entrances for first, second, and tliii'd class passengers, and have at least two clerks to take money and deliver tickets to the last-named class? We are quite sure the public, or at least that part who liave occasion to travel by yom- railway, would be glad and thankful for such an alteration. But we have arrived, in spite of tliis inconvenience, quite safely, and we tnist to find the giving out tickets managed better on our next visit. As the evening was cool and pleasant, we chose to walk the mile and a half There are some vei-y neat villa residences at Waltham and Chesliunt — the two villages joining at their extremities. About the centre of the former stands a beautifid cross, one of tlie many erected by King Edward in memory of his beloved queen, who rested here on her last journey to London. It is a great pity that the houses which crowd upon one side of this fine monument of a king's love are not removed to a more respectfiU dis- tance. AVe were agreeably reminded that we were approaching a rose nm'sery, by observing the walls, windows, and paUngs of the villas, and cottages too, for the greater part covered with festoons of climb- ing roses, iu full flower, ditt'using their cliaiming fragrance through the evening air. There are seve- ral very pleasant country inns in Cheshimt, which, in the palmy days of coach travelling — now, alas ! no more — had plenty of business. We chose one to rest our weary limbs neai' to the nm'sery gates, for the simple reason of being near to them in early morn. As soon as that arrived, we shook ott' didl sloth, and, after the necessaiy ablutions and duties were performed, sallied forth iu anticipation full of enjoyiug a rich treat. Againsl Un' am-iint dwell- ing of the proprietors of tlir niu-siiv \\r ol)sri\.(l a fine specimen of that beautil'ul rivcjirr, iIh' /lif/iiniii.i radicans, just showing its buds ol' tvuiiiprl-sliupcd bronze-orange coloured fiowers, with line foliage, something like the leaves of the common ash. We would just remark, en passant, that this lovely creeper "is not cultivated for this piu-pose — to orna- ment the walls of a dwelling-house — half so much as it deserves. We inquired ibr the proprietors, Mr. George and Mr. William Paid, and were received by them with that unpretending yet hearty welcome which at once gi'atifies the visitor, and raises liis opinion of the worth and value of such estimable characters. Several of our readers no doubt are aware, as well as wo are, that the original projector and proprietor, Mr. Adam Paul, has gone to that " bom-n from which no traveller returns." Ho was a man universally respected ; and we cannot rol'raiu from bearing our humble testimony to dcinirkd worth; and we are happy to say that his sons are treading in his steps, and wUl, if they persevere as they liave begini in well doing, meet with tlieir due reward. Mr. W. Paul, tho second son, is the author, as is well known, of a treatise on the culture of liis favourite llowcr, the rose, an extremely usoi'id and instructive book, wliioh ought to be iu the hands of Jdi.i' THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. 509 every cultivator of roses. We were favoured by Imving him as our cioeroue through this garden of sweets. A straigiit, broad, nicely gravelled walk loads from the entrance gates, showing oft' to gi'eat advantage a row on each side of standard roses : these are mostly of the older lands, and are remark- able for their perfect health, notwithstanding theii' great age. One tree, the Duo d'Orleans, a Bourbon, wo particularly noticed on account of its large size : the stem near to where it had been budded was a foot in circumference ; the height of the stem iiud head six feet ; the branches covered a space the diameter of which was seven feet, or nearly twenty- one feet in oirciunf'erenoe. The tree was perfectly healthy, and covered with its crimsom and violet- coloured blossoms. Our grand object in visiting this nursery was to notice and remark upon tlie best kinds of roses for the various pin-poses for which the rose is adapted; and, with that intention borne in mind, we trust our observations will be uselul to our readers. Now, the rose that particularly attracted our atten- tion, as pre-eminently beautifid, was the hybrid China Coup d'Helie. Its flowers are lai'ge, cup-shaped, of a rich iiiuk colour. It is well adapted for a standard, for a dwarf for pot culture, and forces well. The Bride of Ahydos, a Tea-scented China, is also a most beautit'nl rose, with flowers of a creamy white, tinted with rose, delicately beautiful, of a good size, and very double. It is impossible, by any descrip- tion, to do j'ustice to the delicate loveliness of this tine rose. In addition to these fine properties, it is most deliciously fi'agrant; it is well suited for pot culture and for forcing; thrives best on its own roots as a dwarf. Fiihjens, an old favourite, of which we need not say mucli, it being so well known. A large standard of this fine rose was pointed out to us, 7 ft. high, branches 34 ft. in cucvLinference, covered with blos- soms of the richest crimson ; suitable for a standard, a dwarf for pot culture, and forces admirably. Proceeding down the straight walk alluded to above, we came to a rising ground, on the top of which is a walk crossing and terminating the long one. On each side of this cross-walk is a row of pillar roses. These have a fine effect from being planted on the summit of the gentle rise : they appear to great advantage. We noticed the following as be- ing excellent pillar roses : — Ayrshire splendens, a fine examijle of a pillar of roses : immense clusters of white, edged with red, myrrh-scented roses ; the branches, hanging gi'ace- fu'lly from the pillar, gave to this specimen such a lovely appearance that we could have stood for hours to admire it. Not less effective was Ayrshii-e Thoreshymia, with pure white flowers, in large clusters and very double. Velours Episcopal, ahybridBourbon, is here gTown as a piUar rose, and was Irighly effective ; its violet pm-ple blossoms contrasting liuely with its paler coloured neighbours. Rosea pi^iui, an evergreen rose, with an unmean- ing name, has a fine foliage, with flowers of a deep rose, and very double. Raiapantc, also an evergi'een rose, of the quickest growth, with pure white very double flowers. Laura Davotist : we shall describe this flue pillar rose when we come to that part of the nursery where it is grown against a wall, it being well adapted for both pnr]ioses. (To he continued.) The Weather. — There is, wlulst we are wiiting, some appearance of rain. We trust, before these lines meet the eyo of oin- readers, we shall have had a copious supply of tliat most needful and much wanted element — water from the clouds. Should, however, our anticipations be not reahzed, we must continue to instruct our friends to water freely, not only the actual spot where yoiu flowers gi-ow, or the pots in which they are put," but also the gi-ound all round, and the walks likewise, and gi-ass. Do tliis in the evening liberally, and the effect will be most beneficial to the cherished objects of your care. Stir the surface frequently of all yoiu- flower beds. This will prevent the oarth from cracking, and will allow the water you apply to enter regularly into the soil. If that soU is hard, baked, and cracked, the water will do very httle good, either running off at the sides, or sinking away into the cracks, thus leaving the flowers uabenefitted by the watering, FLORISTS' FLOWERS. Caenations and Picotees.— Continue the same attention as we directed last week. Shade from sun- sMue, and protect from -winds; the blooms will then last much longer. Dahlias. — Finish layering, as soon as possible, dahlias ; cuttings of new kinds may yet be struck, to form small pot bulbs; great attention must be paid to the staldng and tying them up. The large heavy leaves, in heavy rains, accompanied with wind, soon snap ofl' the brittle side shoots if not securely fastened. If your flowers are intended to be exhibited in competition, thin the buds early. It is a good i-ule to leave no more than one flower on eaoli branch, thus concentrating the whole of the strengtli in that branch, to produce a noble, well proportioned, flower. To preserve the colour and form of the flower intended to compete with, it is necessary to protect it fi-om ram, wind, and sunshine. Tlie caps recommended in our last Number for car- nations answer this purpose tolerably, but the most effectual protective we ever saw was a square wooden box made of thin deal boards, of sufficient size to contain the flower without touching the petals ; one side was made in the form of a door hung on hinges ; a slit halfway across the bottom board admitted the flower stem. The door was glazed with a pane of glass. This door ought to be placed to the north, so that the sun could not reach the flower at any tune of the day, excepting very early in the morning, or late in the afternoon. Each "box was nailed firmly to a strong stake, of the proper height to receive the flower it is intended to protect. If the slit at the bottom be stopped up with moss or wool, no earwigs can get in to spoil the bloom. Dm-ing very hot weather, the door can be left open in the day, to give air to the flower. The best stand of dahlia blooms we ever witnessed was produced under the protection of those tiny greenhouses. Continue to water with liquid-mamu'e, occasionally, during dry weather. Mulch round each plant with short, half-rotten manure, and stir the surface with a short-pronged fork whenever it becomes hard or crusty. Place traps for earwigs, and examine them every morning, destroying those destructive vermin as soon as you find them. Do not think it too much trouble to take a light after night has set in, and carefully look over every flower. If you have any earwigs that have concealed themselves dming the day, you wiU find them now feeding upon, perhaps, your best flowers ; destroy them instantly. By tak- ing these pains, you wOl have at last the pleasure of producing some flowers that wiU not only win prizes, THE COTTAGE GAEDENEK. Jul but be an honour to you as a good and careful cul- tivator of this fine flower. T. x\i'PLEBy, GEEENHOUSE AND WINDOW GAEDENING. Seeds axd Cuttings. — About the end of July, and beginning of August, everj' one who can conunand a window, or a pit where the sun can reach it in winter, ought to sow the fom- following kinds of seeds : Cinerarias, China primroses, Calceolarias, and Mignonette — all of them for flowering next spring ; and, even if part of them are lost in ivinter. money J would be but trifling. Rearing seedlings from cheap packets at all times, and particularly iu winter, is one of the very best exercises for learning household gardening. To water plants when they are grown up, to stake, prune, and shift them as they need it, requii-es more forethought and judgment, it is true; but the nicety — the finger- work of garden- ing— can only be acquh-ed by a good long practice with seedlings. Therefore, if for no greater aim than this, I would strongly recommend as many seedlings to be kept over the winter as circumstances vdll allow. Those who begin now, and soonest, wiU have the best chance, as then seedlings will be in good trim before the winter. Gardeners keep sowing their seeds till veiy late in the autumn, but it is not at all a good plan, although sometimes unavoidable, as in the case of geraniums and others, which have been crossed late in the season, and of which the flowers must be seen before much room is allowed them, as often not one out of a great many is worth anything. If such as these were not got into the soil before the end of this season, they would not have sufficient time to show their characters nest summer ; and, if they were to be kept over the winter unproved, they would eat then- heads ofi', as they say in the high- lands when the winter feed of then stock exceeds the value of many of the animals. I would advise for all smaU seeds like these to have the pots well watered before the seeds are sown in the summer, or early in the autumn. In the spring this is hardly neoessaiy, but now, imless the soil is well moistened before the seeds are put in, the heavy watering necessary to damp it through win be ajot to displace and injure small seeds, which ought to be covered but veiy shghtly. When seeds vegetate at this season they grow away rapidlj', therefore they should not be thickly sown, because, if they are, they get so crowded before they are fit for transplanting, that one half of them are injm'ed so as to make it very difiicult to rear' them. * We all know by this time that small pots are better than large ones to rear seedlings in, and also that seedling plants are safer the sooner they are re- moved from the seed pot after they are in the first or second rough leaf; and when they happen to get crowded in a seed pot, as sometimes they do, even after they are sown thinly, by the watering wash- ing them to one side of the pot, it is best not to wait for their coming to full transplanting size, but to take them up in little patches with a flat pointed stick, and so place them in the new pot — say half a dozen in a patch. This will etfeotvially prevent their getting injured, as tliey may have plenty of room given them. AH that is necessary is to place the little colonies on the surface all round the pot, and then fill up between them with light sandy soil, and then a gentle showor fi'om a watering-pot will estab- lish them comfortably. The great secret in garden- ing, as I have often said, lies in a small compass, and such minute attention is the lower and best stratum of it. The mignonette, however, must be taken out of this classification, as it does not transplant readily. Sow it exactly as recommended for tree mignonette, and, alter it is well up, thin out three or four times, leaving only fom- or five at equal dis- tances to come to maturity. Petuhia Seed. — As these flower li-eely the same season they ai-e sown, most people prefer sowing them early in the spring, and that is the safest time for them. There used to be a good old plan of sowing many hardy annuals in pots in the autiunn, and keeping them over the winter in a gi-eenhouso, or very dry pit, to be ti-ansplanted singly into small pots early in the spring, and, by another shift or two, to be made nice bushy plants, to flower a month or six weeks before the same sorts came into flower in the open gi'ound : a month hence would be time enough to sow such seeds. I have never done much of that sort of gai-deniug myself, but I well recollect having seen, many years since, sjjecimens of good gardening that way, and useful flowers reared for vei'y little trouble, and I notice it now to invite others, who may have stUl followed out the plan, to supply a Hst of such annuals as they found best to answer that way, and any details of management which their own practice may suggest. No doubt hundreds of short rules of tliis kind might be coUeeted, and be of gi'eat use among amateurs, though it is often dilficidt to know where to stop when one begins to write about flowers. Cuttings of a great many plants will now strike root easier than at any other season. A hand-glass or two, in a north aspect, and a bed of light sandy soil, with a slight covering of sand on the sm'face, would turn out many useful cuttings in five or six weeks. Cuttings made in the old-fashioned way, by shpping them fi-om the old wood, thus leaving a heel to them, will root more surely, although they may' be a longer time about it, than such as are taken from the young tops and merely cut across under a joint. But the latter mode is the less tiying to a young 01^ scarce plant from which but few cuttings can be got. The soil for these cuttings should first be watered, and then pressed down tight, so that the cuttings may be firmly set with a small stick or dibber; and wlien the whole is finished oflf, a gentle shower from a rose pot should be given to settle down the surface smootlily. After this they should be left to get partially diied before the glass is put over them, which will prevent the leaves from damp- ing or getting mouldy, as some of them will be sure to do, more or less, by this close confinement. Therefore they wDl require to be watched and looked over once in two or three days ; and when any damj) or diied-up leaf appears, it must instantly be removed to prevent the mischief going any farther. As often as the soil appears dry a gentle shower ought lo lie given, but very little water will suifice to keep tlio whole iu a uniform moist state. As soon as cut- tings under such treatment begin to make tresh leaves, it is a good sign that roots are ibrmed, and now a little au' must be admitted by putting a prop of some sort under one side of the hand-glass, sufiieieiUly high to raise it up a couple of inches or so, and tliis had better be done for the first week only at night, letting down the glass next morning. This will inure the jJauts by degrees to stand more and more July THE COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 211 air, till, at last, the glass may be left off altogether during the night, and kept only partially over them thi-ougli the day. A good deal will he gained by strict attention to these simple rtdes; because, the more hardy cuttings are brought up, the more firm and stocky the plants will tm-n out, and be the easier to pass through our long winters. It can never be too much insisted on, that cuttings and seedlings reared in the autumn shoidd be got ready as hardy as the state of the weather will peimit, whereas those propagated in the spring, having the whole summer before them, need not be so particularly nursed. This is a good time to put in cuttings of tea- soented roses, which are so beautiful in pots ; and if taken up by the end of September and placed five or six in a pot, to be wintered in a cold pit, as they do not stand the frost well at this a,ge, they would be in good order to be singly potted next spring, or, what would be better, planted out for another season in a nursery bed fidl of very rich soil. Some people say they would do better in veiy rotten dung altogether at this stage, provided the bottom be dry ; and, prob- ably, this may be right enough ; at any rate, we know the nm-sing bed for all young roses can never be too rich : and if we were to say for their soil one-third very rotten dung, one-third leaf-mould, and one- third turfy, good loam, we shoidd not be far fi-om the mark. If this bed was made 18 inches thick, over a dry bottom, and in a sunny sheltered situa- tion, we might get tea^soented roses large enough in one season to be potted for exhibition. Crassulas. — This is also a proper time to put in cuttings of crassulas to flower this time next year on single stems. Select for this pm-pose the strongest shoots that have borne no flowers this season. These being always the best when they can be pro- cured. Cut them fom- or five inches from the top, and strip off the leaves an inch or so at the bottom, and when the cut is dried over, after a few hours, put them into pots of nothing else but sand — But they would root in any thing. A window, or a shelf in a greenhouse, is the best place for them to make roots, and they require very little water. I have even seen them flower most gorgeously in nothing but pure sand, and also in haU' sand and half peat, and I have seen them in the very richest composts. We grow them here very largely, and make flower beds of them. The compost we use for pottmg them is yellow loam, and one-third pounded soft bricks, using dust and all ; but I must have a regular chapter on them some of these days, as they are as easily kept and finer than the best cactus. HvERiDiz.ATioN. — -When I began noting down a few stray thoughts on crossing, I had no idea the subject would have attracted such attention. I have had since to give several verbal lectures to friends and neighbours, and I have even been requested to write about crossing wheat and barley, and other grain crops, as if farmers have not had enough of crossing and recrossing amongst all their crops of late years. All that I have room for to-day, however, is to explain to a worthy man (J. B.) how the iris is crossed. He says, " I cannot find out, after dissecting a good number of flowers, where the pistUmn is to be found. The anthers seem to be situated upon the seed ves- sel, and entu-ely to close over the top of it, so as to prevent the possibility of fertilizing ; yet, of course, this cannot be, for the iris bears seed freely with mo." This has always been the case. The iris is a puzzle peg to all young beginners in cross-breeding, and yet this morning a clever young gardener who called here found out this toystery, for the first time. in. my presence, after faUing to unravel that of the " blue bells of Scotland," or, as the old song has it, " my own blue bells." The anthers in the iris are always three in each flower, and, in appeai'ance, do not difier from those of the gladiolus and most flow- ers. They are inserted, not as J. B. supposed "upon the seed vessels," but into the bottom of the sepals, or the three large petals which hang down. The true petals are much smaller than these sepals, and stand always erect. Now, if you hold an Ms flower in your hand, and follow me, we shall soon make the thing plain enough. You see the tlu-ee sepals branch out, in an arch-lilve form, between the erect petals, and then spreading out into a broad limb, which hangs more or less down ; take hold of this broad part of the sepal and pull it down flat against the seed vessel, when you will see the stamen inserted at the bottom of it, holding up the anther in a bent form under an arched something, between a petal and a sepal. There are three of these arched things, one over each anther. Now, pull off the broad se- pals, leaving the stamens under this arched process, and then you have three erect petals with these arched things commg out between them, and, as botanists say, are incumbent on and over the sta- mens and anthers, which fit into the form of the arch completely. If we recoUect that in the u-is tribe the pistils are always found at the back of the anthers, we shall have no dilflculty in comprehend- ing these arched bodies to be the true pistils, as, in reality, they are. This form of the pistil is called petaloid, that is, something in form of a petal, or nearly so. The style in our u-is divides at the upper end into two wings, and just between these wings, and opposite the top of the anther, is a thin trans- parent membrane, which is the real stigma, having the clammy surface on the upper side, or that far- thest off from the anther. By cutting out the an- thers before they biu'st, and by applying the pollen from another flower to the upper surface of this thin membrane, a cross may easily be effected, much easier, indeed — now that we know the parts — than in many other flowers of a more simple form, as here we have nothing to cut away to get at the ti-ue stigma. Let us finish our dissection by carefully cutting out the stamens and the erect petals. The sepals we have already torn off, taking care not to disturb the three arched pistils, only taking off the ring, or tube, to which the sepals, petals, and sta- mens were joined ; and now we have only the seed vessel, with these thi-ee arched styles fixed to the top of it, as all styles are. If we look carefidly, we shall find that there is only one style after all ; the short column between the top of the seed vessel and the bottom of the arched branches is the trae style, and is branched into three petaloid divisions. In the gera- niums, the style branches into five of these divisions and, if each of these was also of a petaloid form, what a strange flower they would make ! When the bees ai-e looking for the honey in the flower of an iris, they cannot easily disturb the pollen, or dust it on the film of this kind of stigma, so that those end- less varieties we see in the bulbous irises are pro- duced by the wind shaking off the pollen from the diflferent flowers ; the pollen of the Ms, and of many other kinds of plants, being almost as subtle as elec- ti-icity itself. Therefore, it is very essential that all flowers should be cut off from an iris plant, or bed, except those operated upon, while the experiment is in progress. I have no room to-day to give the rea- son why my friend could not make out the dusting of the bell-ilowers, or campanulas. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. Tlie Petunia was jioiuted out to me the other day as a fit subject to explain how it is best crossed. Tliis, the purple petuuia, is the first plant I ever crossed with the express view of proving a botanical puzzle. It was inti-odviced about the same time as the hybrid Calceolarias, from Uraguay, or what used to be called Banda Oriental, a country on the south side of the Brazils, of which Monte Video istlie capital; and, on its first appeai-auce, the botanists were at loggerheads about its natui-al af5.nity, some giving it one name, and some another, so that in a short time it bad three distinct family names — Salpiglossis, Niercmhergia, and Petunia. This was thought a favom-able opiportunity to test the accm-acy of om' very first botanical authoiities. Of Salpiglossis, we had two or tln-ee kinds then. The small Nierembergias were only beginning to attract attention ; and of Petunias, we then only possessed the old white nyctaginiflora. All those who had any experience in crossing, could perceive, at once, that the question lay between the Petunia and Salpiglossis, and to which of these the new plant belonged was the question to be solved by the hybridizer ; for it could not cross with the two families, or, if it did, the youngest of them would have to go to the wall, for then it could not be upheld as a distinct species, but be absorbed in the other, which had the priority of name. At the outset, I did think that I could unite the two families of petunia and salpiglossis, by means of tliis new plant, but I was in error — so nearly do some families approach each other without being absolutely the same kind, and the marvellous nicety of descriptive botany is brought more promi- nently before us on such trying occasions. The new plant and the old white petunia made no scruples against crossing, but united each with the other's pollen at once. The three plants under ex- periment were kept widely apart fi-om others of the same Idnd, to guard against the intrusion of any pollen but the one intended. The flowers I cut off at the middle of the tube, in order to get the stamens extracted without injuring the stigma, for it is not easy operating on the petunia without dispensing with the open part of the flower. Well, one day I thought the die was cast, for I found a seed-pod' on the salpiglossis sweUing fast, but it had no " cross- mark " on it. It is always a good plan to tie a piece of matting or worsted to the footstalk of every flower one crosses for experiment, to distinguish them fi-om others not crossed; and, to save one's memory, it is also a good plan to tie a small label to a single shoot, instead of to one flower, and five or six flowers on that shoot may be crossed with the same pollen, to give a better chance to the experiment. One name or number will then serve for the whole, and so on with other shoots, or single flowers ; but what- ever tlie contrivance may be to distinguish the crossed flowers, it is called the " cross-mark." The seeds of this pod of the salpiglossis, however, turned out to be no cross after all, but only those of a flower without petals — a cu-cumstance that has since been often noticed by others, and is another confir- mation of the slender part which petals pla.y in the process of fertUizatiou, to say nothing of a lai-ge number of apctahus flowers, or such as are by nature devoid of petals altogether. Many other attempts— and by diff'erent individuals — have been tried in vain to unite the salpiglossis with petunia, but the actual process is the same in crossing both families. Before the flower opens — or say the day before it is expected to open — out it very carefully across the middle of the neck or tube, and oast o'ff the top like a hood. The stamens, being inserted just inside this ti.ibe, will foUow the cut part, leaving the style behind in the middle of the cut tube. In the course of the following day the stigma is ripe for the poUen ; and, to apply it. all that is necessary is to tidte an open flower, cutting away the limb, or open part of it, just below where the anthers appear in the throat ; then, with the bottom of the tube between tlie fingers, touch the stigma with the anthers, and the pollen will immediately adhere to the juicy point, aud then the work is completed. Next to gardening and botany there is no branch of natural lustory so fascinating to the young, or more iiseful for us all, than that which teaches the extent and wonderful variety of insect life — entomo- logy, from entomon, an insect, and logos, a discourse. The professors and cultivators of this science are therefrom called entomologists ; and I rejoice at being able, through the pages of The Cott.ige Gar- dener, to convey to all such, and to many others, the gi-atiiying intelligence that the father of English entomology, now in his 90th year, is still hale and heai-ty. The Rev. William Kirby, ]\I.A., F.R., L.S., &c. &c., visited the Shrubland gai-dens the other day, accompanied by Miss Rodwefl, an amiable lady, who delighted in administering to the pleasures of the visit. Mr. Kii'by was wheeled in liis garden ohaii-, but would walk part of the way ; he conversed freely, quoted poetiy, laughed heartUy, put a number of close questions, and appeared to enjoy himself as much as possible. He appeared very much pleased Avhen I requested liis permission to write this notice for The Cottage Gakdenek, which I told him was much read by the clergy, and that by its means, and by quoting from it, and by translations, there coidd be no doubt but his friends and admirers in all parts of the world woidd hear and would rejoice at his being so wonderfully weU in the evening of his useful career. He then suggested that it might impart some interest to his friends if the following dates were given, which he supphed liimself on the spot from memory, and Miss Rodwell said she believed they were all con-ect. He said, "I was born on the inth of September, 17S9, and, after leaving college, I entered on the curacy of Codden- ham, but the following year, 1703, 1 was presented to the living at Barham, where, you will find, I have been for the last 50 years." This was noted under a large oak in the centre of the garden where the paiishes of Coddenham and Barham join. Another incident aimisrd liiiu mui'h : he wns told tliat his aut..v;Tw|ili in II, r viMlnr's liouk WMuhl 1... highly gnililvin.;' h. Sii- Willi;,!, I ami (l,c 11,,,,. Lady IMidilirl.m, llim iibsriil in I .oiulou, :iim1 In lli,' gnrden visitors geucr.ally. He then wrote, - llrv. Willi, iiii Kirby," in a bold round hand, a lilll,' ir.iiii ; mid. after expressing great pleasm'o at even lliin;.; he saw. ho drove homo in the cool of the iiltnuoou vciy cheerfully. What a great blessing it is thus to see an aged and faithful servant of God, full of yeai's and honour, in the jiossossion of good hoaltli and his niilunil r„,',dli,'s, w.iiliii- Viitimlly fni' "uli.Mir'i.r the si';,,:,l 's-iv,',,:" ,,,„l l„r,v lo,ril,|'v. ,.i, m„-I, .h.-,,- sious, llir pnivTuI' li,r i',,v:,l psalimM iv,-ii,-s to Iho before I go hence and bo no more." U. Beaton. HOTHOUSE DEPAET]\IENT. PLANT STOVE. ViNCA, SYNONVMB Cathaeantiius. — Who doos not know — who can know and not admu'o — the beautiful THE COTTAGE GARDENEE. IVi though common peiiwinlcle, in its larger and lesser species, and their different varieties, clothed with glossy gi-een foliage, or variegated with silver and golden tints, and adorned with flowers, single and double, sweetly blue and delicately white. Amid the gorgeousness of summer floral attractions, the peiiwiiildo is apt to be overlooked, just as other ob- jects, such as human flowers, of humble aspirations yet conscious worth, are not obtruded upon public gaze, but bloom the most sweetly in the retirements, and even amid the vicissitudes and disappointments, of life ; so those hardy vinoas, or periwinkles, lowly in their growth, shine most sweetly amid the sered aspect of winter, flourisliing in almost every soil, and where nought else would gi-ow; and beautiful too are they, when S25ring returns the new foliage to the trees, as their pretty flowers are imfolded at your feet, and theu- trailing shoots form a carpet for your tread, while in the distance is heard the purling of the brook, and overhead sweet notes of love and harmony are echoed and re-echoed from tree to tree. Amid such scenes, thoughts have arisen, resolutions been made, vows registered, hopes engendered, that, if rightly directed, give a colouring of purity to oiu- sensibilities, and a tone of integrity to our character ; and hence, lovely as are the few denizens of the stove that belong to the genus, I seldom look upon them without reverting to the many associations connected with tlieir hardier types, that fringe the walk, mantle the knoll, and clothe the glade beneath the thick shade of the " greenwood tree." The genus Vinca, or Periwinkle, belongs to the .Ttli class and 1st order of Linnfeus' system, and to the natural order Apooyn-\oe.«. The term vinca is probably derived 'from vinoio, to bind, in allusion to the long, trailing, pliable shoots, which all the peri- winkles possess, thus fitting them for ligatures upon a small scale. The stove plants ai-e somewhat diff'e- rent in the appearance of their flowers, and altoge- ther difierent in their habit of growth, as, with the exception of a small blue annual (V. pusilla), the others are small, upright, evergreen shrubs, natives of the East Indies, which have been cultivated in this country for more than a centuiy. I do not know the reason why botanists should have given to the tender part of the family the generic name of Catliaranthus (from catharos, pure, and anthos, a flower), but there can be no doubt that while they are altogether, so far as mere growth is concerned, destitute of those peculiarities that render the term vinca appropriate to the hardy species, they will sus- tain the title cathamiitkus, for few plants can so rea- dily awaken impressions of purity and innocence, blended with beauty. Were it the object of this journal to treat deeply upon botanical science, I should, of necessity, be forced to give up the ofKce of occasional steersman, and take a seat on the side of the craft ; but stiU a little knowledge of its general principles is necessary before you can imderstand the simplest description of a plant, or experience that pleasure which the in- vestigation of its sta'ucture confers ; a pleasm'e more elevating and enduring than that experienced by the common admirer. Take the present instance. The family of which we ai-e treating is monopetalous in its coroUa. We presume you know the meaning of all such terms, and also of stamens, pistils, &c., and, if not, we shall be too happy to make you as knowing as we are om'selves. Well, just glance at the blue flower of the larger 2^eriwiiikle, the vinca major. It looks like a convolvulus. Aye, but you see no stamens and pistils adorning its centre. Why, no, it has none. Wait a bit : observe that yellowish centre of the flower ; stir it up with the point of a needle or tlie point of yom' penknife ; and, lo ! you will find that that yellowish marking is the back of five separate anthers, or heads of stamens, whose thready filaments are imbedded in the tube of the corolla, while the faco or pollen side of each of these anthers is inverted over, and fii-mly clasps, the stigma of the ])istil. And what a stigma ! It seems like a number concentrated in one. And what a pistil altogether ! No description can give you such an idea as one practical peep. Take a homely iUustra- tion. You have seen many of the columns which supported the old-fashioned round tables. The arti- ficer has left a wide part at the base where the feet are to be insetted, the rest of the column is round and tapering ; as he nears the top a wider space re- sembling a ring has been left, then a groove, and then another ring, wider still, on winch the table is to rest; and just such an appearance does this cmious pistil present, the widest part at the top being that which the anthers are clasping. Evi- dences of the power and wisdom of the Deity there are in the corn-sing of a star and the upheaving of a continent, but similar evidences appear in the stmc- tm'e of a plant, in the formation of a flower. Else- where we have winds, insects, irratibility, &c., made subservient to the promotmg of fructification, but here, and in other cases, we find that the stigma of the pistil cannot escape if she would from the ferti- lizing principle. The stiiicture of the flower of the vinca or catha- ranthus, residents of the stove, is more wondrous still. The corolla, elevating itself by a long slender tube, is expanded into a flat blossom two or thi-ee inches in diameter, divided into five segments so equally that the passing observer would take them for five separate petals ; just inside the junction of the segments is a pretty ring of a difierent colour from the segments, and inside the ring a Httle hole, as if formed with a needle, the termination of the tube which supports and elevates the beautiful blos- som. Beneath the little opening, and concealed by the tube from observation, are the parts of fnictifica- tion, similar to what I have described as existing in tlie hardy species, but less conspicuous, though, if anytliing, more elegant, the style which sujaports the whorled-knobbed stigma being as fine as a silken thread. This little liole seems the only inlet for light and air. Oh ! for the the wishing-cap and the invisible coat of fairy-controlling times, to get en- sconced in the bottom of that slender tube, to behold the eflect produced by the first rays of light through that camera obscura opening, and gain some know- ledge as to the how a some thousandth ])ai-t of a grain of pollen can traverse that tuberculated and whorled stigma, descend that long slender style, and fertilize the germen at its base ! Stove Species or Vameties. — There are only three with which I am acquainted: Vinca rosea, rose, with 2)urple ring ; V. rosea alba, pure white, with crimson ring, named ocellata by some ; and V. alba, pm-e white, with a yellowish ring. I have heaxd of one with variegated foliage. Propagation is easily effected by cuttings of the young shoots placed in light sandy soil under a bell- glass, and with or without bottom heat, in July. CuLTUEE. — They flom-ish best in equal portions of rough loam and peat, with a few pieces of charcoal and a dash of silver sand. Cuttings put in now will make fine plants next season. If your room is very limited, either depend upon young plants, or treat ;i-i THE COTTAGE GAKDENER. the old ones, in a mouth or six weeks, as Mr. Beaton recommends for geraniums; saving a few of the most luxvu-iant for blooming later. Butif youhave another house, where you can maintain during the winter a temperature of 40°, then you may keep large plants of these and many besides during the winter, thickly stowed together. True it is that most of the leaves will drop, but never mind, if you can only preserve a few on the points of the shoots to keep the sap in motion. Yery little water must be given. Transfer them to the stove, when you can find room for them, in the spring. Give them a little more, yet still a limited supply, of water at the roots, but, instead, a humid atmosjihere, and a dash of the syringe over- head. Soon, from the base of the shoots, yoimg shoots wiU be protruded ; when these are an inch in length, prune back the head to the young gi'owth, allow them to stand another week, and then take them to the potting bench, having previously aRowed the ball to get rather dry ; then reduce the ball with a pointed stick, saving, if possible, aU the fibres, but getting rid of the old soil ; repot in a smaller pot, and, if you can, give them a week's or a fortnight's bottom heat. By-and-by pot again, and you will obtain specimens, ornaments alike to the stove, the greenhouse, and parlour, dm-kig summer. FORCING. I have just room to say, finish layering your straw- lerry runners in small pots, if you want nice fruit next March or April. Robert Fish. THE KITCHEN-GAEDEN. Pl.\sting. — All newly planted vegetables require, at planting time, a good soaking of water, particu- larly in di-y weather. These soakings must also be repeated occasionally afterwards, to get the crops into free gi'owth, taking care to apply the water to the roots, and to keep up at the same time a loose open surface by fi-equent scarifyings. Plants will by these means establish themselves, and make pro- gress in spite of heat and drought. Sowing Cabbage Seeds. — From the last week in July to the twelfth of August is the proper time for sowing the best varieties of cabbage ready for the following spring. The soil, which should be in a healthy and well pulverized state, should be weU soaked with water twelve hours before the seed is sown, so that the water may sink into the earth to a considerable depth, which, after due preparation for sowing by raldng and forking, renders it less liable to become hard and surface-bound, should very dry weather prevail. The seed should also be soaked twelve hours previously to sowing, which will be of great advantage, in dry weather par- ticularly. It is a good system, also, to mix the seed with fine charcoal-dust previously to sowing, so that it may separate well, and thus be sown evenly and regularly. Dry wood-ashes is a good substitute for charcoal-dust, when the latter is not obtainable. In hot, di-y weather, the evening is always the best time to sow, and the seed beds should be slightly shaded with boughs, pea or bean haulm, straw, or any other article of a similar description, until the young plants are just appearing above the surface, when the covering must be immediately removed, to prevent the young plants from being drawn up and weakened thereby. A slight spiinlding of water must then be applied, and a top-dressing of charcoal- dust given immediately, so that it may adhere to the young plants whilst moist, which will not only pre- vent the attacks of the fly, but also promote and encourage the growth of the crop. Routine Woek. — Sow now a small spot, or a drill or two, of Flanders spinach, which will produce a good supply of leaves for autiunn use ; and spare spots should at the same time be chosen, in warm, sheltered situations, for sowing, about the twelfth of August, the main or jirincipal winter and following spring crops. The earth should be weU forked, and tm-ned about in the hot sun to sweeten and pulverize, and, at the time chosen for sowing, the large clumps of earth shoiild be broken down, manui-e pretty liberally applied, and either dug or bastard trenched in. The latter is our own practice, ridging it in two feet ridges, and forldng it down pretty fine previous to sowing, which is done in drUls, ft'om one foot to one foot six inches apart. The latter is our distance on well prepared rich soil. Potatoes. — The early varieties having now become pretty generally ripe enough to take up and store, the gi-ound should at once be again cropped with coleworts, kales, and turnips. With us, the eaily varieties of potatoes are good, both in crop and quantity, as well as the late varieties, of wliich we grow a few of the best to keep up the difterent kinds, should there be in future any chance of cultivating them free from the desti-uctive disease. The diy hot weather, this summer, has been particularly favom-able to the potato crops in this locality ; but in all that we have inspected throughout the season, we could stQl discover traces of the old enemy, though in a very weak and retarded form ; the fine summer weather, too, seems to have weakened the symptoms stUl more, and the early crops are there- fore sure of being good, both in crop and quantity, as well as cheap in price. Good potatoes, we hear-, may now be had at lOd. per score. Our plan is, to make three samples of potatoes at taking up tune : ware (such as would do for market), middlings, and chats. The first, of coiu'se, for house consumption ; the second, for planting whole again for the nest year's crop ; and the chats, for pigs, poultiy, or other stock. Ridge Cccumbers and Melons should be well supplied with water at the root, but by no means over the foliage. The fi-uit should be thinned from tho former for pickling, and fi'om the latter for pre- serving green. James Babxes. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. ALLOTMENT GARDENING FOR AUGUST. Weeds. — The state of the weather has been such that every one able and wiUitig to labom- wDl have cleared his garden or allotment holding by this time. To those who are yet in an-ears we would say, lose no time in at least eradicating seed weeds; do this at least in mercy to yom'self in the coming year, for be assured that where one weed seeds this year unmolested it will require double the amount of labour in the next year to root out its progeny. Thei'e is, however, if possible, higher reasons, or, at least, reasons having a more immediate beiu-ing, why rambling weeds should be kept under; they exercise an injurious influence on the crop of the present year, both in root and leaf. It will requu'C nearly as much nutriment from the soil to bring to maturity a gross tliistle, or a patch of gi-oundsel, as to produce a Swede tuniip, or a good carrot or parsnip. But this is not all ; by their shade amongst growing crops. July THE COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 215 especially such as require all the light our Britisli skies afford in the aggregate, they arrest or intercept the elahpratmg processes in a most injurious way. To those who consider this too nice a point we would say, just watch your early carrot hed next spring, and notice particularly where your best early carrots come from : not from the middle of the bed, certainly ! no, although these are the tallest and strongest look- ing, you will find those standing rather thin on the outsides and next the light, although much weaker in appeai'ance, the better carrots by far. It is, in- deed, the same with all other crops, and whether one carrot is shaded by another or by weeds, still the effect is the same ; nevertheless it is certainly more profitable to have a case of carrot versus carrot than carrot versus weeds. The fair inference from all this is, then, twofold in character ; — first, weeds are at all times prejudicial, both in root and leaf, to any growing crop ; and next, that there is a point at which to stop in close cropping ; beyond this is not only loss of seed but a positive detriment to the crop. Culture. — The hoe may still he used to advantage between all driU crops, if only to preserve a greater amount of moisture in the soO, for the cottager should remember that solid soil will dry quicker in summer than that which is loose. Deep stining, moreover, in the centres between the rows prepares the soil for the spread of the fibres ; and where the land is of a stubborn character, such culture is the next best thing to a summer's fallowing ; and herein consists a strong recommendation of drill cropping over broadcast. The soil will ever he found in a superior condition under the former mode of culture, and containing of com-se better prospective advan- tages. AVe advise a little soil to be drawn to the stems of the mangold, at least to the long red kind, immediately ; some persons dispute the propriety of this practice ; we have, however, done this for years, and we know it to have a most beneficial efl^'ect, espe- cially on very light soUs. The carrots and parsnips will require no more handling until the harvesting period, unless there be any weeds amongst them ; if so, let these be drawn clean out, for no time may now be lost. Filling Vacancies. — One of the maua policies of this season is to look over all blanks forthwith, and see that they are filled with something useful. The Swede turnip is the most eligible of anything, on account of its compact growth and keeping qualities ; hut, unless they are planted immediately, and that carefully, and watered, they will be too late to produce any bidk of crop. The next best thing, perhaps, is the York or other dwarf and compact cabbages. These will occupy little room, and may be stuck into any blank. It not unfrequently happens that the grub has been busy with the carrots or onions ; when such is the ease, the blanks may be filled on the first shower. The cabbage we recommended to be sown in June will be proper for the purpose. TuBNiPs. — If any spare hed or border can be found, some turnips should be sown in the first week of August : these will supply the family all the winter until nearly the end of April. The yellow or white stone is peculiarly adapted ; the Dutch also is very useful for garden culture, for none of the large topped turnips should ever be allowed a place here : they shade the ground, and are apt to elbow their neighbours too much. As these will be very liable to miss through the fly, or through drought, we advise what we generally prac- tise, viz., to divide the seed into two parcels ; to soak one portion for six hours in tepid water, and then mix the two portions together, and sow. The soaked seed will come up nearly a week earlier than the other, and if the fly should rob these, another lot of plants will rise on their ruins ; tlius offering two chances. Some attention, however, must be paid to the amount of moisture in the soil, for if the soil is dusty, the seed had better remain in the bag until rain, taking care that the soil is prepared ready for its reception. Lettuces, — If the cottager has a pig or two, we advise him strongly to sow plenty of the Bath coss lettuce in the first week of August, not later. These, wlren nice plants, may be stuck into every nook or blank that comes to hand, and they will he found to produce a good hulk of pig meat through Sep- tember and October, and will assist in fattening the hog. The seed should be soaked in tepid water for three hours, for it ought, indeed, to have been sown in the third week of July, in order that it might be running to seed when used ; it is both more bulky and more nutritious in this state. If an open bed is to spare, or any plot where a few di'ills could he sown, it would be found worth while to dig in some rotten manm-e about six inches deep. The lettuce will thus produce a very heavy crop. The drills should be one foot apart. Spinach. — If the allotment holder likes a dish of spinach occasionally, he should sow a httle of the prickly Idnd in the first week of this month ; any out-of-the-way corner will do for this. Onions. — A small hed or patch should be sown in the first week of the Lisbon or Deptford kind, and a small patch of the Welsh also ; half'-an-ounce of each will suffice ; they wiU stand over the winter, and furnish young scallions until late in the spring. If any of the Deptford or Lisbon remain in March, they will be found very useful to transplant. Onions Bipening. — As soon as the onions begin to bend and show signs of ripening, it wUl he well to bend them down in order to get them early har- vested, and to occupy their beds with coleworts as before recommended. We always practise this, and obtain a good crop. Those small kinds of cabbage sown in the end of June will he well adapted for this purpose, with, perhaps, some of a July sowing. We use a new broom to lay the onions with ; they are, however, easily put down by the hand. Late Peas. — If any of the marrowfat class have been sown, they will require their tops innched off as soon as they reach the tops of their stakes. This will cause them to branch, and to continue long in bearing. Runners. — These must also he topped similar to the peas, and we advise the cottager to see that they are frequently watered in diy weather. No crop requires water more than this. Various Greens. — We hope that our allotment friends have taken care to plant some green kale and savoys; these are most useful winter things, and, as before observed, may be introduced between growing crops. They may yet be planted, but they will not grow very large after this period. Let those planted at the proper ])eriod be well earthed up; this process is of immense benefit to all the green tribes. Cauliflowers and Bboooli. — The first weelc in August is a good time to plant a few cauliflowers, Walcheren brocoli, and the Cape brocoli. These will come into use from the end of September until Christmas. Leeks. — When getting strong, these will be much benefitted by soiling up. When blanched, they make a valuable and wholesome dish, and may be cooked THE cottagp: gardener. and eaten as sea-kale. As au ingredient in winter soups, they are of much service to tJie cottager. Hedges. — We conclude our monthly advice by expressing a hope that the cottager will see that all his hedges are neatly dubhed ; true economy of soil demands this. The character of a cottager may in general be guessed by the coiidition of his hedges. THE BEE-KEEPERS CALENDAR.— August. Bij J. H. Pai/iw, Esq., Author of " The Bee-Keeper s Guide" i(o. I TRUST that I have already sufficiently insisted upon the necessity of imitiiig second and third swarms, so that, amongst the readers of The Cottage Gahdenek who are bee-keepers, not even one second or third swarm can be found by itself It should be impressed upon the mind of every apiarian, " that the larger the colony at the outset the better the bees will work, and the more prosperous it will become." A stock weak at the outset never does well ; the method of uniting, as given at page 104, is very simple, and may be accomplished in a few minutes, even by the most inexperienced person. Retdkning Swarms. — Returning swarms, either first or second, to their parent hives, is what I have never done myself, neither have I over recommended it to others. It is not only attended with much trouble, and, generally, with a failure of the object desired, but filso with much loss of time to the bees, and that at a season of the year when every hour is of importance to them. I have a letter now before me, in which it is stated that a swarm left a Nutt's hive on the third of June : the queen was captured, and tlie swarm returned. Witliin a few days of the time before mentioned it came out again, and was treated in a similar manner ; and so it continued to go on until nearly the end of the month, when the swarm, instead of being returned to the parent hive, as had been done many times beforo, was hived into an improved cottage hive, where it is doing very well, but during the whole time that swarming was pninrr on. wliirh occupied three weeks, and these the /" w llnrr H,,Z,s of the year, working was entirely Ml i'liii'il (\^liich is always the case), and not a piiiiiKl nl hniipy was Stored; whereas, had the swariu been put in the cottage hive in the first instance, from fifteen to twenty pounds of honey would, in all probability, have been collected by it in that time. I W('ll id in Norfolk, cut .. sent out a swarm. He captured the d returned the swarm ; after a few days •ii.nn came forth again, and was ti'eated in the iiianufr : and it went on to swarm for either nv iiiiir liiiirs. .'mil w:!-; rrliiriird as many i\rr|il llir li|s| . w 1 icl 1 II \Mls|,lll iuto a UOW Tliiiiri'ii i|ii.'rii> «nv iMpiinvil iiiid destroyed come oil; II itself m Ihi lull, the lu'blpiuL i.f the scaam having itliur swarm uur stock wore of any viilue. ivlbre, say, let all be dono that can be nit swarming, by giving room and vcn- rli Willi mrlias vi'VV rarrly, iudrrd I 'V,-. l-nl,.,|. |;,,| ,i; iin,.,- ,;,T\ Hirnns III In piTirlll ^wiiniiiii.ir.ii swiinii slinnld vci' ;iUriii|it ivturiiiiig il, hill liivc it by Taylor's Amateur's Bar-hive. — In this hive swarms may be retm-ned successfully in the following manner : as soon as the swarm has left the parent stock, the combs of which will be left almost without bees (except brood in the cells), with the help of a few puffs of tobacco smoke fj'om a cigai', proceed to take out each bar with the comb attached to it, and wherever a queen cell is seen cut it out, and return the bar to its place — this operation may perhaps occupy ten minutes. AVhen this is done rctm-n the swarm, and the queen, finding no successor in the hive, will not attempt leaving it again. Queens' cells may reacUly be distinguished from those either of drones or workers — the two latter being in a hori- zontal ))osition, while those of the queens ai-e per- pendicular, and upon the edges of the combs. I am now enabled to make a very satisfactoiy report of this liive, having throe of them at work in my own possession, and five others amongst my fi'iends, all of which are doing remai'kably well. The combs in every one of them are worked evenly upon the bars, and the upper boxes of several of them are already nearly filled with honey. Indeed, it is the opinion of my friends and myself that the bees work with gi-eater vigour iu these boxes than in any other kind of hive. I may here observe that Mr. Taylor has lately made a very considerable improvement in this hive by the addition of another box, which, iu good seasons, may be placed between the lower and upper box, before the latter is quite filled. Entrances to Hives to be Naurowed. — Towards the end of this month, it will li^' iirr.-.^;iiy to con- tract the entrances of the hi\r-., il.;ii tin hns may be better enabled to defend iIkiiim'Im^ lioin Ihe attacks of wasps. In Taylor's hive these things are supplied, but, in the cottage hive, I have found wedges of cork of different sizes to answer remai'k- ably weO. Wasps' Nests to be Destroyed. — It will be well to liave diligent search made in the ncighboui'hood of the apiary for wasps' nests, and to have them destroyed, for which piir]iosr spirit of tnrpi'utine appears to answer rriii;irli;ilil\ wril, 'I'lir uMial me- thod of procedure, 1 lirllrvr, l^ in |.Ul ;i MllllU quini- tity into a common wi no Imtllr, to put tlio mouth of the bottle into the hole leading to the nest, and sur rounding it with earth ; very little turpentine is re- quired, bottle much the 1 ill wet the sides of th( sp will b, greater distance from llm jmn was anticipated. A ]i;ulial in occur when there hajipiiis lo l.i nest instead of one, but u seroi following evening is sure to [uo Additional Rooji. — It will in additional room to any colony decrcahi', not only tVuiii the killing of the dmnus, but by the death of numbers of the workers. Rejiovinc; Glasses and small Hives. — Small hives and glasses that are filled, and the cells sealed up, may now bo taken off and stored in cool places, observing to keep them in the same position as when standing upon the stocks : but supjdy no frosh ones — the honey gathering season being now chiefly July THE COTTAGE GARDENER. Kn'ifk for CuTTixi; out Combs. — This knife, which is so pimple ill iis constraction, and so easily used, desi'iM's 111 lie luiulo generally known. Gelieu, to wliom ii|iiiiiiinis are much indebted, tells us that in Switzeiiand it is couiraouly used, and that the combs, from hives of any shape or materials, are extracted without any difficulty. It is formed of a strijj of steel, two feet long by one-eighth of an inch thick; the handle is twenty inches long by half an inch broad. The turn-down blade, of two inches in length, is spear pointed, sharp on tlie edges, and bent so as to form an angle of ninety degrees with the handle ; the other blade is two inches long by one and a half broad, and sharpened all round. The broad blade cuts and separates the combs from the sides of the hives ; and the sjiear point, which is also sharp on each side, admits, from its direction and narrowness, of being introduced between the combs to loosen them from the top of the hive. MY FLOWERS. (No. 36.) I H.WE been particularly struck, when travelling, by the fondness for flowers observable at the railway stations, with very few exceptions. Wherever a por- tion of ground, however small, can be appropriated to a flower-bed, there I have almost always remarked one. I have seen a strip of border full of flowers immediately beneath the platform, close to the line of rails; I have seen a glowing border smiling among the unearthly-looking places that usually surround a station; and I have sometimes seen really beautiful plants decorating the office-window. Even the box of the policeman, in its loneliness, is surrounded by a border, in which, if nothing else can find space to grow, a stock, a polyanthus, and a wall-flower, are sure to be cherished ; and, in every instance, that little petted border looks rich and gay. All these things mark the pubhc taste — they evidently show that man has a genuine love for flowers — for a rail- way station is almost the only part of the habitable globe, except, indeed, it may bo a lawyer's ofiBce, where woman's influence is neither seen nor felt. No taste of her's is brought to bear upon any part of the system ; the joys and sorrows of those regions belong exclusively to inan, and I therefore notice, with inte- rest and pleasure, how universally the love of flowers prevails. This shows that every endeavour to im- prove this harmless enjoyment, which cheers and employs many solitaiy hours, must be useful and beneficial; and perhaps The Cottage Gardener may instruct and amuse the railway gardener in his lonely watchings, and assist to beautify and render more productive the portion of ground he cultivates — for useful gardening should, if possible, accompany that which is only ornamental. A few vegetables would increase the interest of the little garden, and to the wife and family would be a certain good. Almost every kind of flower is now in full beauty. The borders are really teeming with sweetness ; and the soft refreshing summer breezes waft it into our very rooms. The delicious scent of the lime blos- soms, though at some little distance, really perfume the house ; and when we approach, the tree it is almost oppressive. To stand beneath a lime-tree, in the flowering season, is quite like standing within a bee-hive. Every little flower attracts one of these busy insects, and the ' hiun' is lilce that ot a hive when a swarm is about taldng wing. Wlren we listen to these little lively creatures, and watch their dUigent and untiring movements, how it condemns the sloth and inactivity of the "reasoning animal!" All! how much more the spiritual! Did we but " improve the shining hoin'," did we but labom' for our futurity as the bees labour for theirs, how well would it be with us ! Did we but cast our eyes from the lime-blossom to the earth, where the ant hurries on her thrifty errand, and " consider her ways," we might learn a deep lesson of wisdom too ; she has " no guide, overseer, or ruler," yet " she gatbereth her food in the harvest." We have a Father who guides, over- sees, and rules, yet the meat we are so ready to gather perishes, and that which " endui'feth," we trifle with or throw madly away. One of our sweetest summer plants, and a useful one too, is the lavender. Every garden should possess at least one bush of tliis higlily-scented ever- green ; and as a light and poor soil suits it best, no one need be without it. It may be increased by cuttings or slips of a year's growth as well as of the present season. j\iay and June are the proper months in which to effect this ; but I have little doubt of their doing well in July also, provided the slips are kept well watered and shaded from the light. Slips and cuttings must be from five to seven inches in length, and the lower leaves must he strip- ped off to the middle of the stem. They may be re- moved in September or October. July is the month for gathering the flowers, either for drying or distil- lation. They are very agi'eeable in drawers, work- boxes, &c. ; and, in sick rooms, the stalks, when bui'nt, afford a very pleasant scent, by no means overpowering to the patient. In poor soil the la- vender is much more fragrant than in rich soil, which causes it to grow luxuriantly, but it is then frequently unable to endure the severity of winter. A poor soil strengthens it and prolongs its life. Hence we see it flourishing so contentedly in the poor man's garden, and smelling so much more sweetly than in the borders of the rich. Do not our hearts somewhat resemble the lavender? Are not days of adversity far more favourable to our spiritual growth than those of perilous prosperity? and do not Christian graces then give forth a sweeter fragrance? Let those among us who feel the soil in which their Father's hand has placed them to he cold and un- genial, gather a sprig of their spicy lavender, and learn a lesson from its sweetness. They will then, perhaps, beai- more eheerUy the adverse seasons through which they pass : knowing that He who forms the plant best knows its temper, and the treat- ment that is good for it. The lavender is in truth a desert plant ; it scents the desert winds both in jVfilca and Asia, where it grows wildly. How grateful to the English traveller — to the devoted missionary, toiling along bis holy but weary way — must be the sight and smell of this well-known plant, recalling to their minds their cool sea-girt home, its cottage gardens, and all its peaceful pleasures. Few flowers gi'aoe the desert, yet, even in those terrible regions, one fragrant plant is sent to cheer and refresh the heart, and to remind us that no situation of our lives can be so dreary but that our Father will plant a blessing there. One very beautiful flower is worthy a place in a lady's garden, though little esteemed, and wild in its origin — I mean the snapdragon. The deep crimson variety is particularly rich and handsome, and ui some cottage gardens I have seen them splendidly bright. The formation of the flower, too, is curious, THE COTTAGE GAEDEKER. J ULY and it contains witliin its closely folded petals a sweet liquid, of wliioli insects are particularly fond, and which seems placed there and guarded, as if by closed doors, for their especial use. The little erea- tm-es force then' way in, but the structure of the en- ti'ance forbids their return, and they effect their es- cape by gnawing through the extremity of tlie flower. What a beautiful, what a merciful provision, for the myriads of little helpless creatures formed by the Hand divine! Nothing made by Him is ever for- gotten, nothing is so small but His eye sees and His mercy sustains it ! If not for its beauty, yet for its use and for its instruction, let us cultivate the inte- resting snapdragon. There are white and pink va- rieties—all lovely. They will spring gaily and con- tentedly from the very wall tliat sin-rounds our garden, thus helping to beautify what is unsightly in itself; and 2M-oviding, as they do, for the wants of the small- est of living creatures, do they not loudly and re- proachfully call upon us to trust fully in Him, whose word has declared, " bread shall be given thee, thy water shall be sure." Let the cottage gardener listen again to the language of the flowers of the field, aud ponder these things in his heart. GARDEN HEDGES. As in a recent Number (No. 39) you call the attention of cottagers to then- garden hedges, I beg to add my testunony to the importance of that appa- rently small consideration, but which, I further beg to say, is anything but trifling. Whoever goes over a farm, the fences upon which being neglected and had, does not at once pronounce the occupier a bad manager ? The attention now so conspicuously paid thereto throughout my neighbovu-hood sufh- cieutly shews its importance amongst modern im- provements. I reside in one of the best cultivated districts in Lincolnsliii-e ; and the recent general amendment of our quickset hedges is astonishing, by the plan of slasliing (not clipping) them, which, being done twice a year, when theii' periodical growth is completed, is easily performed by a slashing hook (a one-handed instrument), with which an active skilful labourer, in the employ of one of our best agricultm-ists, I am assured, can slash one mile of hedges in a day, if undertaken when the shoots are young, which must be the case if done twice a year. Under this gentleman's recommendation, the towing-path fence of an adjacent canal (com- prising a length of thirty miles) was put under this process two years ago, and now looks more like a superior garden fence than that of a public work, and this more from the mocU of slashing than the slashing itself. It is found so efiicient that neai'ly all the quick hedges about \is are put under similar treatment, with the certain results of good and bad workmanship. The mode is simply this : it is done with a slo2}e upwards, so that a hedge five or six feet high, having a base of three feet at the ground, shall gradually rise in a cone-like fashion to a point, or witliiu three or four inches, at the top. The result is, the thorn of which the hedge is composed grows from the very bottom to the top, whicli it never does, nor will do well, if cut straight down, leaving breaks and defects along the eutu-e fence. I was asked by a friend, some years ago, what I would recommend as a division fence to some gardens he was about to allot to the labourers upon his estate. I at once said quickset, not to exceed five feet in height, or more than two feet in width at the bottom — to bo clipped in a cone-like fasliion to a point at the top. He adopted the plan, and the result is most satisfactory \rith thirty gardens, upon about SLX or seven acres of land. 1 have found the sloping of a lain-el screen in my own garden very effective, which screen, when previously pruned straight, never did well. — Q. ITALIAN RAY GRASS. Ii is foiu-teen years since I first made trial of the Italian ray gi-ass, and with very satisfactoiy results where the soil was suitable. It is only a biennial, and therefore is not suited for an ingi-edient in per- manent pastm-es or meadows. It is not improbable that the dui-ation of this gi-ass may be prolonged, in like manner as wheat, it is said, may be rendered jierennial, by continually cropping it before it has completed its flowering state, and by abrmdance of liqidd manure. A moist soO, or abundance of arti- ficial moistm-e, seems to be most congenial to it. A silicious soU, or a mixture of sand and clay, seems to suit it best: its jiroduce on a dry, light, calcareous soil is very little superior to that of common ray grass. It has been doubted whether this grass be properly a Lolium; and, accordingly, Joshua Rodwell, Esq., of Alderton, near Woodbridge, has separated it from that genus, and has assigned it to a new genus, under the name of Folium, and he has called this spe- cies Trifolium, in which uomenclatm'e the Agi'icultural Society's publishing committee acquiesce. To what circumstance it owes its specific name, he, Mr. Rodwell, has not explained. Tliis gentleman states, in the 2nd vol. of the Royal Agiicultural Society's Journal, p. 214, and in vol. 5, p. 286, that he sows four pecks of seed to the acre. Mr. Dickinson, in vol. S, p. .573, of the same Jom-nal, states that he sows two bushels (but thinks three bushels is better), by a broad-cast machine ; or, if sown by hand, fom- bushels to the acre; and, as his success has been unexampled, I should prefer either of these two first mentioned quantities to Mr. Rodwell's four jiecks. Four bushels, however, seems excessive. With respect to the time and manner of sowing, it may very well be sown with any spring corn without injury to the corn crop, in which case it wUl yield some feed between harvest and winter; or it may he sown by itself in July or August, or with any serial crop, or flax, that shall he sown for green meat, between the so\ving of the spring corn and Septem- ber, but the earlier it is sown the more vigorous the growth. If abundance of liquid manure can be supplied, its powers of production seem to he almost unlimited ; and no plant appears so likely to enable a cottager to keep a cow on a small allotment, if ho can command an ample supply of sewage, or other fertilizing matter ; but I fear it is rarely found that, with all the industry and carefulness which a cotta- ger can bring to hear on the subject, ho can make more manure than his garden will absorb for the production of culinary vegetables. If there he any siu'plus, it could not he better bestowed than oir Italian ray grass. The plant is most prolific of seed; and, though the first purchase is expensive, the cot- tager will be to blame who does not provide liis future supplies of seed fi'om liis own growth. w. r. T. PLANTS TTNDER TREES— CYCLAJIEXS, &e. T)iKHE are two plants, both of the same genus, which I have never seen in any cottage garden, and not often m the garden of any amateur, though llicy are very pretty, quite hardy, and very easily culti- vated, or, ratlicr, as I shall presently shew, want no July THE COTTAGE GARDENEE. cultivation at all. The jjlants to which I allude are the Ivy-leaved Cyolameu, Oi/dameii hederifolimn {C. europccum of Sir J. Smith and others), and the Cos Cyclamen, C. coum. I need not tell you, hut it may he necessary that I should state, for the information of some of your readers, that O. liederifolium hlooras in August, when most other plants are out of hlossom ; the flower, if not showy, is very elegant; the foliage, which appears after the flowers, is also a great recommendation to this plant, for the form of the leaves is very hand- some, they are heautifuUy marked, and preserve their freshness during the autumn and winter, and early part of the spring, that is to say from Septem- her to April or the heginniug of May. The leaves of the Cyclamen coum also appear in the autumn, and, like those of C. lederifolumi, retain their fresh- ness tlu-ough the winter; they are also very hand- some ; the up])er surface is of a hright green, and the imder surface is tinged witli red. Tlie flowers appear early in the spring, or, rather, in the latter part of the winter, when few plants are in blossom except the snowdrop and the winter aconite (Erantliis lojcmalis). If I remember rightly, C. coum was in bloom Lu my garden in January last. Both of these plants are raised from seed as easily as mustard or cress, provided the seeds are sown as soon as they are ripe and thorougUy dry. I wUl now explain what I mean by saying that these plants need no cultivation. I planted, some years ago, a few plants of both these species of Cyclamen in a bed shaded by a small Cedar of Lebanon, where they have sown themselves in the greatest jn-ofusion ; a considerable part of the bed is literally paved with the tubers of 0. hederifolium, and C. coirai is not much less abundant. The seeds of C. coum, and perhaps also those of C. hederifolium, seem to germi- nate in the sear and fallen leaves of the cedar, and afterwards to strike root in the ground ; but I find that these plants increase almost as rapidly in a bed in which I have a few American plants. I mention this circumstance because it appears to me that if these plants had no other qualities to recommend them, they are valuable on account of their growing and thriving under the shade and drip of trees ; in- deed, such a situation seems to be peculiarly favour- able to them, as it is to many others, viz., those which grow naturally in woods and thickets. I believe that those parts of a garden wliich are over- sha,dowed by trees are often considered as lost ground, yet I think that, if a proper selection of plants were made, a very flourishing and gay flower-gai'den might be formed under the ti-ees of a very thickly planted orchard. I wiU mention a few plants which, besides the cyclamens, I have found by experience to be well suited to such situations. The common primrose, snowdi'op, winter aconite, wood anemone, the yellow anemone {Anemone ranunculoides) , the various species of convallaria, as the lily of the valley {C. maialis), and Solomon's seal, C. pohjgonatum, O. multijiora, C. hifolia, &c. ; several of the gerania, as Geranium sylvaticmn, &c. ; tutsan' (Hyperioum androscemiim) , Hyj)encmn calycinum, and probably several other hyperica; nettle-leaved bell-flower {Campanula tra- ciielium) ; fetid gladwyn. Iris fatidissima ; that very beautiful and curious plant the lady's slipper {Cijpri- pedimn calceolus) — this jilant is, however, I believe, rather scarce, and will not thrive in every kind of soil ; to these may be added several of the ferns. To the few plants which I have here mentioned, the greater part of which are very common and not very showy, might be added a multitude of others, many of which are very beautiful. May I be allowed to suggest that a list of hand- some British and foreign plants, which would gi-ow well under trees, might be acceptable to some of your readers, and that perhaps Mr. Appleby, or some other of your contributors or correspondents, would have tlie kindness to furnish us with such a list. You are, I doubt not, aware that Cyclamen liederi- folium is by some considered to be a British plant ; Sir James' Smith has given it a ]Jafe in his Flora Britannioa, and mentions one habitat, viz., Bram- field, in Suffolk, but expresses a doubt of its being a genuine native. I will add that a gentleman, with whom you are perhaps personally acquainted, but whom I conclude you know by name, Mr. Masters, a most respectable and ingenious cultivator at Canter- bury, informed me many years ago tliat Oychimen hederifolium of every shade of colour, from a deep crimson to a pure white, had been found gromng in a " shave" or " shaw," i.e. a small wood, near Maid- stone, for the length of a quarter of a mile. Whether it is still to be found in tliat habitat I do not know ; I fear not, for Mr. Masters at the same time told me that some of the London gardeners had discovered the treasure, and that one of them had carried away a bushel of the tubers.— Eev. Edwaud Simons, Ovinyton Evctory, Norfolk. EXTRACTS FEOM COEEESPONDENCE. Village Horticuliueal Shows. — As a proof that what I stated some time back respecting the import- ance of village horticultural societies is correct, I beg to hand you a report of a show held in a small village in the north of England. You will see that there were some good varieties of tulips exhibited, as well as other things.-;^ Previous to some eight or ten years since, the village alluded to was one of the most wicked places that could be found. It was no uncommon sight to see, on leaving the house of God, which was situated on a " green," a number of the most depraved of men collected round a cock- fight, dog-fight, or even a man-fight, giving utterance to the most horrid imprecations and blasphemy. Now, some of those men who once were at the head of all descriptions of vice, are the principal exhibi- tors, and are remarkable for their Christian bearing and industrial habits. Pieces of ground, which then * Etal Horticultural Spring Snow. — The anniversnry of her Majesty's birthday was celebrated as usual at Etal, on Thursday the 24th Slay, by hoisting the royal standard in the morning, and firing: a royal salute of twenty-one guns from the Castle at twelve o'clock ; and in the evening a 'dance took place on the village green, which was kept up by the villagers and others i have held the annnal show of tulips, &c., on the same occasion, as was done last year ; but the backwardness of the season, owing to the recent ungenial wea- ther, rendered it necessary to postpone it until Tuesday the 29th, on the afternoon of which day the show took place. Mr. Robert Green- field, gardener to Richard Croster Askew. Esq., PalliDshum ; Mr. Henry Waite, gardener to Thomas Friar, Esq., Grindon Ridge ; ]\Ir. John Ferrier, gardener to George Carr, Esq., Greenlawwalls ; and Mr. William Davidson, gardener, Grindon, officiated as judges; and their awards, which gave general satisfaction, and were read over to the public in the show room shortly after six o'clock by Mr. Paxton, the acting manager, were severally as follows ;— For the best sue Best" six tulips, of sorts, (for Mrs. Greg- son of Lowlynn's prizes), to David Young, for Matilda, Carlo Dolce, Strong's Benjamin, Duke of Wellington, Flora, and Marccllus. There were many other prizes for ranunculuses, anemones, pansies, geraniums, window plants, nosegays, and kitchen-garden vegetables. 2-^0 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. bore nothiug but crops of nettles and tliistles, are now clothed with the gayest beauties of tbe floral Idugdom, or groaning under their loads of the finest vegetables that can possibly be gi-Q-mi. It is asto- nishiiag tliat in suoh a short space of time such a revolution could take place. The houses, which were once dens of poverty and filth, ai-o now changed into neat wliite-waslied cottages. The pubHc-house is giving way to the reading-room, and the cock-fights to the shows. And all this I believe to have been caused by tbe establisliment of a bortiouftural so- ciety, wliioh was first stai'ted by the father of the writer, and sustained by the liberality of a noble lord (F. Eitzclarence) and his amiable lady and daughters. The village is now a glorious example of what may be done if the rich would but lend their- aid.— J. L. MiDDUEMiss, Gardener to A. Pott, Esq., Timhridge Wells. Pyrus Japonioa. — In The Cottage GAEDEXEn, June 21st, page 147, in answer, I apprehend, to Robert French, it is said, " the i-m/ of the pyrus japo- nica is useless." Three years since I raised a large pottul of seedlings of the pyrus japonica from seed, ripened on a south wall, at Ashley, Hants. The ripe fruit of this pyrus makes an exquisite ])reserve, much superior to quince marmalade; but the fruit itself is very hard and harsh, and requires more stewing by far, to make it tender, than the common quince does. — W. P. T. [When we said that the seeds of the pyrus japo- nica are useless, we only meant that other modes of raising it are more unfailing and rajjid. — Ed. C. G.] LiQDiD Manuhe of Soot. — A correspondent sends the following recipe for maldug this fertilizuig liquid : Soot one pound, rain-water five quarts, quieldime half a pound. Mix the whole together, and imme- diately cover the vessel in which it is made quite close up ; stir it once every day for three days ; if not quite clear add a little more lime (when it will be fit for use) ; a little, say four omioes, sulphui-ic acid may be added to Ji.v tbe ammonia. When re- quh-ed for use, add one-half water to the solution. — H. S. D. [We think the lime a decidedly injurious addition, helping to drive off the ammonia of the soot ; and adding the sulpbm-ic acid would only partially mend the matter, for it would unite with the lime instead of the ammonia, — Ed. C. G.T Shade for Flowers. — Seeing in your last Num- ber of The Cottage G.utDEXEii the description of a I shade for blooms.'I beg to inclose a nide drawing of one I invented last year, which fully answers the purpose, and will, I think, be found less cumbersome and expensive, and which the merest tyi'o wiU be I able to make. Figiue 1 represents a piece of paste- board (old hat-boxes will be quite as good,) about eight inches by six, less or more, for I make them of dift'erent sizes. By bringing the two bottom corners together, so as to overlap a little, tbe pasteboard can be nailed top and bottom to a tliiu lath of wood, as in fig. 2, which can be tied at the required height uj)on a tall flower-stick, which shoidd be squared a Uttle to make it set firm ; or it may at once be tacked to the stick as shown in fig. -S ; but I advise the for- mer method to be adopted, as they take up less room j when stowed away for another season. These shades will endure heavy rains if the pasteboard be mode- rately stifl", and will last several years. I have used mine for tidips two seasons ; and they will do equally well for the ranunculus, carnation, rose, pink, and dahlia.— John Batteesby, Maiisjiehl. [This shelter would be rendered more durable by being painted over with the composition described by us at p. 123.— Ed. C. G.] Slugs.— I have tried soda-ash for slugs, at the rate of half a pound to six square yards, and found it drive them away or kill them, aiid very much benefit the strawben-ies that were planted on the bed. I tbiuk om- slugs are difierent from yoin-'s ; we never foimd them above ground, though we have looked for them with a candle at night. — Hexby Sandtohd. Plumbago Laei>ent/e and Hy-acinths. — Mr. Bea- ton has kindly supplied this week some useful infor- mation respecting the management of the Plum- buffo Larpentce, and if I may be allowed to sug- gest an addition, it is to peg down all the luider ofi- shoots, treatment which succeeds admirably in cover- ing the pot, and adds greatly to the beauty of the plant. We have some very fine specimens in this town ; in fact I saw this morning, at Macintrie's, moi-e thau four dozen sti-ong he.althy plants, full six inches high, all waiting for customers, at eighteen-pence each. I really wish times were better for the sake of the poor nurserymen, and also that all who had the means had alOce tlie disposition to encourage tliis useful class of men. I have been thinking also how much we might add to the circulation of The Cot- tage Gardeneb by advertizing it with our tongues. I always make a point of speaking of and recom- mending it to all my friends, and am selfish enough never to lend it, except for a sight, to any ouc that has tbe means of purcliasing the same. Pray re- commend your readers to get some boxes made for hyacinths. About two dozen mixed bulbs in a box has a splendid eftect. — J. H. H., Tmniton. Urine as a Fertilizer. — Of the many forms of liquid manure, vriiie must rank as one of the most jiowerlid. Liebeg observes that, " in respect of the quantity of nitrogen contained in excrements, 100 ]i.-irts of tlie urine of :t licnltliv ui:in arc cqniil to l;lnn|,iirls,,niH' fivsl, ilun^' of '■., ]i,,rs,.." Tl b:H lur- llin- l.rri, Iniina. I.\ :in;iivsis, IhaL Inim iinun.ls uf A-;i fair crop of turuiiis, (hir liinnlivil |iiirls ul' wlicat grown on a soil iiuiiuiivd wiih cnw .Imi',;, wliidi ri,ii. tains only a small iiroiiDvlion nT iiili-u^i'ii, iiUnnlcil only ll-lia parts of gluten, oi' tlint constituent of vegetable matter which contains the same elements. Jl'I.V THE COTTAGE GARDENER. and is niiparently identical with animal fibrin, and (i-J-:! I: pints of starch : while the same quantity ■ grown on soil manured with urine yielded the maxi- mum of gluten, namely, 35'1 per cent., or nearly three times the quantity. Human urine has greater manuring value than that of the cow, horse, or sheep : its salts contain above 8 per cent, of phosph ates, which are entirely absent in the urine of animals, except- ing that of the pig, which contains phosphoric acid. These facts are much in favour of the occupier of a small garden or farm, and such we suppose the cottager to be, as it is frequently a question of difficulty to decide what shall be done with the house scwiige ; wliilst on tiie other hand, solid manure being souglit after by the farn]er is expensive, and to a certain extent difficult to be obtained. In some eases in Englarid, and very generally in Holland, it has been found profitable to collect the whole of the refuse of the house together, and thus the dilution, wliich will be found necessary in using lu-ine, will be eft'eoted. The fat contained in the water whicli has been used for culinary purposes contains carbon, wliioh in vegetable substances used as food (when in the dry state) amounts by weight to nearly half the whole together. Soapsuds after washing, as well as water used for personal ablution, are also valuable on account of the alkali they contain, which, although its proportions are smaller, is nevertheless a necessary element in the formation of plants. As to the con- dition in which urine should be applied, there is some difference of opinion ; the application of chemistry, liowever, shows that a loss of some of its most valuable constituents is sustained by allowing it to ferment, as sulphuretted hydrogen is generated as putrefaction proceeds, and when this gas is emitted, a large quantity of ammonia is also given off with it, which, of course, is objectionable. There is, therefore, a good reason for the use of ft-esh urine as a manm-e, in order that the more volatile parts may be given in then- full proportion to the ground, and not dissipated iu the atmospliere. I am informed by a gentleman in Suffolk, that he has made experi- ments with house sewage, and also with the drainage from his farm-yard buUdings, and he finds that for grass, mangold wurtzel, and other green crops, the former is decidedly the best ; tliis he very justly considers to be attributable to the quantity of am- moniacal salts contained in human urine. It now re- mains only necessary to bring these cm-soiy remarks to a practical conclusion, by suggesting the import- ance of every one possessing ever so small a farm or garden providing some kind of receptacle for liquid manure. Let not the cottager be laughed out of the purjMse once formed of preserving evei-y drop of liquid which may be valuable as a fertili;:er. There will no doubt be some to ridicule, as was the case with respect to a small but wise farmer in Surrey, who was for a time the butt of his neighbours be- cause he collected all manner of " nasty stuff" in an old baiTel in one corner of his yard ; but ridicule soon gave way to surprise, hot immixed it may be with envy, when the results of the distribution of the contents of the obnoxious cask were seen. — F. E. W., Kentish Town. SCRAPS. Beautiful British Pl.4.nts. — Viola odorata (Sweet Violet). — This fragrant gem, which adorns our di-y hedge banks in early spring, should be grown in quantity in every garden for the sake of its flowers, being in great request for theu' fragi-aucy. Tlie double flowered, as well as the white variety, are also general favourites. J'iola hirla (Hairy Violet). — A very interesting plant, with pale blue flowers; occasionally met with in dry gravelly woods. Viola canina (Dog Violet). — This plant is noticed on account of a white variety of it being in cultiva- tion, of great merit as a rook plant, with small dark green foliage, and abundance of beautiful white flowers. Viola lutea (Yellow Violet). — Another of those in- teresting little plants which shoidd find a place wherever good rock plants are grown. Viola tricolor (Heartsease or Pansy). — An insigni- ficant weed met with in dry gravelly cornfields. No- ticed on account of all those splendid varieties whicli adorn our gardens and plant exhibitions having originated from it. Wlien the parent and offspring are contrasted, the skill of the florist is exhibited to surprising and triumphant advantage. Tamarix amjlica (Tamarisk). — A spiral growing shrub, found on the south-west coast of England, witli beautiful spikes of pink flowers. No shrubbeiy should be without it. We are informed that on the Lizard, in Cornwall (from which we have specimens), that it is plentiful. — S. Durham Advertizer. Nahrow Turf Edgings. — Mr. Duncan, gardener to J. Martineau, Esq., of Basing Park, Hants, has adopted, and recommends, in forming a geometrical flower garden, that the edges of the beds, to separate them liom the gi'avel walks around, should have these edgings. The best turf for the purpose, he says, is that composed by the finer grasses, such as is found on sheep walks, and the Hampshire chalk downs. The width of the strips only one inch, cut regularly and uniformly by holding firmly upon the turf a lath of that width, and passing a sharp knife down each side. The soil beneath the edging should be sterile to keep the grass dwarfish. Beat the turf only slightly when laying it down, and keep it oUp- ped with the garden shears on each side, so as to keep it pyramidal. Mr. Duncan says he has had these edgings for thirteen years, and says he knows none equaling it in neatness, appropriateness, free- dom from trouble, and from insects; to which he might have added cheapness. — Hort. Soc. Joiirn., iv. 190. Permanent Studs for Wall-tree Training. — Mr. Fleming, gardener to the Duke of Sutherland, at Trentham Hall, recommends these as much pre- ferable to the old system of nails and shreds. For studs he uses the common cast iron naOs with square heads, and ties the shoots to these with shreds of bast mat. For fan-trained trees he places the studs eight or nine inches apart in every course of bricks, but for pear trees trained horizontally he places the studs in every second course. To prevent corrosion , the nails before using are heated red-hot, and in that state thi-owu into boiled oil ; and for the sake of ap- peai-ance the studs are put in quincunx order, a stud in each row being opposite the middle of tlie space between two studs iu the row above and in the row below it. The advantages of this system, Mr. Flem- ing says, are avoiding all harbour for insects, eco- nomy, saving of time, and neatness. 100 square yards of wall require 5000 cast ii-on nafls, which ai-e equal to 50 tbs weight, at lid per pound. (Journ. Hort. Society, iv. 193.) A correspondent, without appearing to be aware of Mr. Fleming's plan, writes to us as foUows : — " I beg to give you a piece of in- formation as to my mode of naOing my wall trees, 222 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. whicli T have but lately adopted, and which I have never seen or heard of elsewhere, hut which to me seems to have many and gi-eat advantages. My plan is first to drive a nail into the wall, and I then take a piece of the metallic wire, the same used for tying up flowers, and having formed a loop round the shoot to he nailed, making the loop sufficienthj large to give the shoot full room to swell, (which at the first I was not sufficiently careful to do, and rather nipped the shoots,) I then twist the other end two or three times round the nail. The metallic wire is perhaps a little expensive at the first, yet it seems to me attended with as many advantages as wUl repay the outlay.:;: The wall is not so torn ahout as in imnailing; there is no occasion to take out the nail, merely untwist- ing the wire ; the shoots are not so shaded ; there is not the same harbour for insects ; it requires much less time and trouble of an amateur hke myself, and in this way is a much pleasanter operation, and the wall looks every way neater. What sug- gested it to me was, from mj having seen some jjart of my walls had copper wires fixed to them ; I found, however, on tying the shoots with bast, I could not fasten them so as to prevent them moving backwards and forwards ; and it then occurred to me that the metallic wire would give a firmer hold, and this again suggested making use of it to fasten to nails, and which I now like much better even than the copper wire. I so much like it that, unless for some good reason, which I do not yet see, I purpose using it to my wall trees." — S. T., Ipsuich. Bee Stings — How Cured. — The only 2yositive and immediate cure for a bee-sting, that I have ever heard of, that may he depended on in all cases, is Ton.\cco. This remedy was recommended to me as an infallible cure ; yet I had but little faith in it, still I tided it, and as I supposed, properly, and found little or no benefit from its use. I reported its failure to cure in my own case, to my informant, and he stated that I had not applied it thoroughly, as I ought to have done ; that he was certain that it would be an efl'eo- tual cure, never having known it to fail in a single in- stance, when correctly applied. The next time I got stung, I applied the tobacco as directed, and found it to cure like a charm ! The manner of ajiplying it is as follows : Take ordinary fine-cut smoking or chew- ing tobacco, and lay a pinch of it in the hollow of your hand, and moisten it and work it over until the juice appears quite dark coloured ; then apply it to the part stung, rubbing in the juice, with the tobacco between your thumb and fingers, as with a sponge. As fast as the tobacco becomes dry, add a little mois- ture and continue to rub, and press out the juice upon the inflamed spot, during five or ten minutes, and if applied soon after being stung, it will ciu-e in every case. Before I tried it, I was frequently laid up witii swollen eyes and limbs for days ; now it is amuse- ment to get stung. — Minera American Bce-h'ejwrs Manual. ♦ ^Vhy not use narrow strips of very thin sheet lead ? Wc always use these strips for trainiog to trellises.— Ed. C. G. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Geranium Cuttings (Beu. P. W.).—\ny light-soiled border ei- posed to the sun will answer for striking these. We fully intend to < have a series of articles on the management of pigs, cows, and poultry, so soon as we can find those who have practical knowledge to write on such subjects. We shall be very glad to find parties who ■>• you, except Stk.iwbehky Tiles (J. floJei-b).— Aswe c as obliging us with your advertisement, we " malevolence," With similar propriety, you charge us, in the same letter, with saying what we " know to be false;" and though this will not influence our future judgments upon your inventions, yet it obliges us to request that you will never again address us upon any subject. Potatoes {A Suhscribev). — The slices of your Ash-leaved kidneys were completely dried up, and acted as wafers to stick together the pages of your letter. You describe them as having a black circle in their centres. This is not the disease, or. as we usually term it, the potato murrain. The black circle, which will terminate in hollow centres, occurs very frequently in over-luxuriant potatoes, which yours seem to be, for you say the steins are " a rich dark green, and succu- lent," which ought not to characterize the Ash-leaved kidney at this season ; and you manured the ground for them. We think your gotatoes quite available for food, and they will keep for seed if they ave only hollow centres. Do not take them up until the stems are turned yellow. Pkopagating Fuchsias (/. M., Penlonmlle).—Thess, as well as myrtles and geraniums, are propagated hy cuttings. A hot-bed is not required for striking these. See p. 147 of this volume, and the refer- ences theregiven. For fuchsia propagation, sec Mr. Beaton's excellent directions at p. 221 of vol. i. I (TIcu. P. S.l.—" Putting these taking them out of tti,;ir pots. Geraniums and Pe out after flowering," does not mi but only placing them outside of the seeds of these and of pelargoniu ripens. Gernniurn is such an old-estal liable to apply it indiscriminately to They all belong to thenatund order Go cnera : — Peliirgoniitin, eharac- ens, and une(|ual-sized petals ; equal-sized petals ; and Ero- tcrizcd by dhnn, having five stamens. KuuBAKB (J4M).— This refuses to grow, you say, in a certain garden abounding with wireworms. Do they attack the roots and destroy the plants, or do these merely continue small ? Garden Overflowed rv the Sea (74rrf).— The overflowing occurred "a few years back," yet since, the garden, a stiff clay, will scarcely grow anything. — All that the owner can do is to dig in annually heavy dressings of fine chalk, coal ashes, and river sand, throwing up all vacant plots into ridges during winter, and thoroughly drain- ing it. By this treatment he will have the excess of salt washed out from the soil by the rains. Adding sea sand, and without drainage, will tend to keep his soil too saline and barren. We know a garden near Ipswich that suffered similarly ; it remained covered with sea- water for 24 hours. The asparagus beds were improved, but many other things, such as the cherry-trees, were killed. The soil gradually recovered its former fertilitv. Raspberries (/4iVZ).— these being moved in the spring is the cause of their want of productiveness. Do not reject them on this account. Wuleh over their roots, and water them during very dry weather. Planting two roots together would have been bad garden- ing. The fault was in not moving in the autunm. They will do dis^u^bing their roots in the spring. Of Citluiidrhiia there are seven- teen :>pecics, therefore we cannot tell the names of two of which you give no other description than that they are smaller than C. discolor, PoRTULACA Splendkns (Iiid),—Yo\i considcr this hardy because you sowed it in an east border, near Favcrsham, during April, and the seedlings are doing better than other plants r.aiscd^ in a green- house and tr.insplanted. This is no proof of its being hardy, for this term is applied to plants that will endure our winters. Any tropical plant would have lived this summer in our borders. Error. — At p. 192, col. 1, line 5 from bottom, strilce out the words " piece of." Bees {A Young Apiarian), — You fear a third swarm issuing from your hive, because, when other bees are working, its tenants are quiet, and the hive is lighter than it was a month ago. Never mind these appearances ; we think your stock is doing well, and that it will soon recruit so as to be able to stand the winter. Much of the loss of weight arose from the swarms it had sent off. Uemovino Gladioli (A Young .bri,l ii.a'|.ctual, brilliant r.;d, larn'.', and v.Ty il.iiilil.'. ,/,-/;( /;tiial, iaili; with j'ellow centre— the sp.a-iiii.Mi li.av iii.a-iir..l '.'I li^ot in circumference ; Ai/n/j,/i.: hyliia.l (lima, Liaulilui. New llo.sES. — Of tliose whieli «■.■ n.ili.a'il a> luan^ particularly good, we name the r..ll.'u m- : -i '.'»/;/,,« dc Segur, Si hybrid Provence. (:.ii,i;i/ X.f/nri-. hy \V, ,/,■ /', /■..illlirri /!,U,il//rs i\,ll/„lli,: hinili/. GaUic, dark ciin very double. / , son; good form, Beyond the rui I. all l.'^i. a spl.'iLilid now ruse of llie iii'-.iii, slia.l.'.l with purple. Queen I'll, a liiH' y.'llow. M.^, II. il wrW known, the following : /,./././ //.niii/hm, u liylirid per- pii.-.- lull 1.11. 1 lai--.-. annul Capi- ..n. Ilk.' \.'lv.l, an. I v.ay .l.uible. yl.ri.l ]i..i-..'l|.'. p.'a.:li l.lussom; very ilih'. /,././// Mirr /'id. a dwarf of a'yd.Milil. ■,-.....! Iniaii. Dr. Arnold, '/i.im.lillv /Irnn; lino Idao. Ohl, ..11, anil -..■ail.t shaded; large, and './;/, I.yliii.l Cliina, brilliant crim- auiu iuo two long bods of seedlings, some of wliich were in flower. One iu particuhir we noticed, a dark crimson, four-seasons' rose. Passing to the left we entered a field of roses, in rows, for sale. Here we saw numbers of ttie finest Idnds in full flower, perfectly healthy, not an insect to be seen, and making fine strong shoots for the next season. At the lower end of ibis field were two long beds, bouii.l.'.l at 111.' . il-.swith bricks, and fiUed with saw- dust : ill II \\. IV ].iiiii,L;.'.l pots of seedling pines and van. .11- sill iili^ III. .111. t interest in these beds was Ihi' nuvt'i tuudu ol s/uulinij the seedlings. At about a yard distant from eacli other wiUow rods were bent over ; and, as they had been put in green ui the spring, they had taken root at each end. Almost every bud had broken, and the shoots thus produced shaded the seedhugs sufficiently from the summer sun, with- out drawing or otherwise injuring them. We think this mode worth imitation for various purposes where shade is desirable, being so simple and so cl)eap. W.\LL Roses. — Crossing from the field of roses, a walk led us to a wall which stretches do\vu to the dweUiug-house. This waU has planted against it several of the best kinds of roses. We noted the following as being particularly good at the time : — Laura JDavoust, a hybrid multiflora, pinli, changing to blush ; a beautiful double rose, flowering in im- mense clusters. Wo liad the curiosity to count one bunch, and found it contained upon one stem be tween thirty and forty perfect flowers ; and this was by no means an uncommon head, there were plenty more quite as numerous. From this description our readers will perceive that Laura Davoust is, for covering a wall, a most exceUent kind. Leo/iohliiie d' Orleans, evergreen climbing rose, white, siiadod with rose ; beautilul, and very double. 3li/riaiit/iis renonoitle, evergreen, blush, striped with rose ; small and double ; a beautififl wall rose. RiisselUana, hybrid midtiilora, dark crimson ; very fine and douhli. ; a strong grower. Tlioiigh not so free a bl.H.iM.i- a. til.' al...\.'. Hi.' r..l,.uv imd form of this r..s.' ivii.l.a, it a .l.',iraM.' ^a^i. ly, \V.' III. 11 M-ii.'.l ih.' pr..pa-ating-by-cuttmgs do- partni.'nt., wliirb i-. ii niaiiul'a.-lory of plants on a large scale, some twenty or thh'ty thousand cuttiu.i^s being struclt annually. Here are ranges of j.its, heated hy hot water tanks, iji a chamber covered iu witli shit.'s and b.iards. with abont six inclies deep ill' .■,au(bisi I.I pliiii;-;. III.' cutting pots in. Such are till' 111. an-, iis.'il lur ^irikin^^ cuttings, and, apparently, ithiH' ibrco of 'I'll.' 1 -.'. I"! I.T. ill'.: rosos arD of considerable (xti'iil. On.' ..I III. Ill IS now occupied with some speciiiioiis of Ori/jiioiiwriajiqionica, and other kinds of pines, besides a great number of secdluigs, of vawous ages, of C'edrus Ikodara and Araiwariu imhricala. Such aro the brief notices we .made at this inter- esting nursery. We sliall only add that the wholo is in good order: excellent walks, fi-osb-rakod bor- ders, and not a weed to be seen. We must now close the accovmt of our visit by remoi-king that a plcasautor day wo novor spent, the weather being line, tliough somewhat too hot, which ratlier caused some of the rosos to droop. We visited afterwai'da the gardens of H. B. Ker, Esq., C. Woi-uer, Esq., Mrs. J^osaiiquct, and R. Hanbury, Esq., near Ware, in aU of which wo noted some tniugs that wo trust Aug THK COTTAGE GARDENEE. 220 will be iutorosting' and iisoful. But our pages warn us that oiu- aUottod sjmco is nearly full, and, thero- fore, wo must reluctantly defer giving those notes till next week. FLORISTS' FLOWERS. FuoHsi.vs. — All that are planted in the borders will now be growing freely, and producing their elegant blooms of scarlet and jnu-ple profusely. They are susceptible of being trained in various wiiys. If planted to cover a bed in the parterre, the Hli(')ots should be pegged down so as to completely cover the soil. The shoots should tlicu be allowed to grow upright, as much of the beauty of the flowers woidd be hid and spoiled by the rains if kept too close to the earth. Standards. — Fuchsias also make excellent stand- ards, and m that form the flowers are seen to the greatest advantage, hanging like ear-drops gracefidly, and, as it were, courting you to examine their beau- ties. To obtain a standard form, commence when the plant is yomig, shortening the side shoots, and training to a straight stick the central shoot. As tins shoot advances, repot the plant to encoin-age its growth. When it has attained the height of two ieet, you may prune off the lowest tier of branches quite close to the stem, shortening the others, and so on till the stem has reached six or more feet high. Perhaps some of om- readers may ask — Why not prune off the side shoots at once? If that was done, the shrub would neither grow so rapidly nor make so stout a stem. Any of our readers may easily prove this by planting two fuchsias, or any other kind of shrub or tree, as near alike as possible in licaltli and size. Prune one in the manner above described, and cut off all the side shoots of the other: the dili'creuce between the two would soon bo mauifost. Fuchsias against a wall. — ^These plants thrive and flower admirably if planted against and nailed to a wall. They grow here rapidly, and cover the naked wall as beautifully dm-ing the later months of the year as any plant we know. If tlie border at tho foot of the wall be made of light rich compost, the fuclisia will last several years. Tho shoots may either be protected with mats through tho whiter, and so kept ahve, or they may be left uuju'otected, and allowed to die down to the surface; but the roots must be protected with some tanner's bark, coal-ashos, or short htter, through the winter. They will then spring up with gi-eat vigour in the spring, and with shoots so numerous as to require three- fourths of them plucking away, in order to give the otiicrs room on the wall. 'J'lie fuchsia may be used also as a pillar plant ; and a most elegant one it is, too, for that purpose. Planted amongst other shrubs it makes a uicc bush, if allowed to grow just as it pleases. It will lool^ fresh and green, and flower profusely, when there are few shrubs in that state during tlie autumnal mouths. Dahlias. — Such as have not been well secured with stakes must have them applied without further delay. Look over oiu' former instructions, and piut them in practice as the plant grows and the flowers appear. Should any of the side shoots grow very strong, and there is danger of their breaking off at the place where they spring from tho main stem, let more stakes of suBlcient length be driven in to su]iport tlie side shoots. Be content with a moderate number of flowers — one flower to each shoot will be quite suflicient— and you will have a better chance of havmg good show flowers. Look diligently for earwigs and slugs, both being great enemies to spoil your best flowers and plants. Pinks. — The beauty of these flowers will now be rapidly passing away. Cut off all decaying flowers, and keep the remaining ones tied up neatly. Pipings that are rooted should be planted out in a kind of nursery-bed. Nip off the leading shoot, to cause them to break, so as to make bushy plants. If you wish to save seed, of course you must leave a few pods on your blooming plants, choosing the best formed and most perfect flowers for that purpose. Pansies. — The early layered and early struck cut- ting plants will now be in fine flower. Protect them from heavy rain and hot sunshme with shades. Cut- tuigs put in later, that have rooted, ought to be pot- ted now to make strong plants, to be protected m frames through winter. T. Am-leby. GEEENIIOUSE AND WINDOW GAEDENING. Peepabation roR Wintee. — In the height of sum- mer, when stove plants can be safely trusted into " cold pits" and warm greenhouses, — when cuttings will stiike in the open borders, as well as under glass, and while the gardeners are resting on then- oars as it were, without even yet taking a thought either how their stock is to be housed next winter, or best ai'ranged for another season, — the amateur and the young beginner ought to look about them, and see that cold pits, frames, and greenhouses, whe- ther new or old, are in proper repair. All new pits, and, indeed, plant erections oi' .-dl disiMi|ilioiis tliat are to be made use of next wiiihi-, slionld now be constructed: every week this wnik is iMaycd ren- ders the structures less fit for phiutb in Uio coming season, and less substantial tliemselves diuing after years. The most extravagant way of beginning gardening for the first time is by getting up winter accommodation for a select assortment of half-hardy ]dauts late in the autumn, and in a hurried maimer; therefore, I would strongly advise that those of our readers who are now hesitating about doing such and such repairs, or building such a house or pit as Mr. so-and-so has foimd so useful — or who, per- haps, have as far advanced as to have " half a mind" on the subject — to give up aU hesitation, and get the other half-mind finished off before the end of the week, and then for them to set about the thing in earnest. We may get a wet autumn. " Long dry, long wet," is a liUl proverb in our climate, and, although glass lights may be made and painted iu-doors, brickwork must be done in the open air. Young plants suffer much damage from heavy rains, and if their hiibita- tions are either under repair, or over wet from being recently put together, what is to become of them? It is true that plants ill-treated m the autumn will not show the symptoms of bad manageuieut so readily as they would the want of water in sunny weather, — stUl the tale wfll be told, in some shape or other, sooner or later. In " the good old times" there used to be set days for particiflar operations. Plants would then be housed on a certain day or week in the autumn, without reference to the weather. If the flues were cleaned out ready for action, the sashes painted, and the glass in repair by tho autumnal equinox, it 230 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. was thought good management ; but in our day the weather determines those points, and we must be in readiness to act on a few hoiu's' notice. Then, the sooner we begin the more safe we shaU be at tlie end Now for plants to fill these houses and bloom in the autumn. Here 1 must congratulate mysell' on being placed between two such good friends as Mr. Appleby and Mr. Fish, who lend me a help- ing hand occasionally to fill the gi'eenhouse and the window sill. I was much puzzled early in the season what to do about the ucliimeneses ; they ar-e so pretty and so very useful for my department that it seemed hard to be obliged to pass them over in silence because they arc strictly stove plants early in the season — not more so, however, than cocks- combs. Now, this is an instance out of several others that came before us the first season, proving, without much doubt, that it was desu'able to have a department of these pages devoted to stove and forc- ing purposes. It is very gratifying to all of us en- gaged on The Cottage Gabdeneu, that the extensive demand for the work has enabled the proprietors to increase its size at the original price, and thus enable the writers " to work into each other's hands," — to use a cottage phrase — as in this instance of the achi- menes, a name given to this beautifid family by Mr. P. Browne, in his " History of Jamaica," without explaining its meaning ; and, I believe, I read some- where, or heard it said, that no one knows the meaning of the term, or its true pronunciation. By common consent, however, the accent is put on the penultimate— that is, the last vowel but one, thus, Achimenes. I hope Mr. Fish will help me out with other stove or half stove plants for autumn in the greenhouse, such 8.S jiisticias, erantliemiims, aphcUndras, and so on. After the geraniums and fuchsias have done flowering, and tUl the clu'ysanthemums come in, is the worst time in the season for a full display of greenhouse flowers, and without the aid of a little stove one can hardly make both ends meet at that season. Chkysanthemu-Ms.— I intended to have left the summer cultivation of the chrysanthemum to Mr. Appleby, along with liis other out-door plants, but, as he thinks otherwise, I may say that this is just the proper time to get window plants of them, not liigher than 18 iaches or so. This is done by layering the tops of the strongest shoots into little pots, the same way as they do with strawberry riuiners for forcing. These shoots are very brittle, and snap almost as readily as glass, therefore tliey must be very cau- tiously handled in the operation. Make choice of strong old plants gi-owing in the open border, and single out as many of the centre shoots as you wish for plants of each sort. Have a quantity of small sticks, a foot or 1 H inches long — for every slioot ought to be tied down to a stick previously to layering. Take a shoot and bend it down towards the horizontal as low as you can get it without breaking; then, about the middle of it, push ono of tiie sticks firmly into the gi-ound, and tie the shoot to it; now, take a tlu-ee-inch potful of the richest compost within your reach and sink it in the border, leaving the run level with the surface, and about four or five inches from the point of the horizontal shoot. Tlie most difficult part of the process is now to be tiled by bending down the shoot so that it be half an inch in the pot. Ihe most expert at layering chrysanthemums are generally allowed ten per cent, of breakage, and if a young beginner docs not break more than five-and- twonty per cent., he need not blush much. These layers will root much faster if they are " tongued," as we say when we make a slitrcut at the bend. Tliis tongue-slit is made on the under side of the shoot, opposite the centre of the pot, by drawing the knife towards the point-end of the shoot, maldug the cut about an inch long ; then, by tm-ning up the point gently, this tongue separates a little ii'om the bend, and in that position is laid in the pot : the point above the tongue being four inches long must be tied to a small stick thrust down by the side of the pot, otherwise the least pufi" of wind will break it ofl' at the tongue. When the whole are thus finished, give them a gentle shower, to settle the soil about them ; and, if the weather is dry, a handful of moss or some- thing of the kind, to lessen the evaporation from tho soil, should be put on the smiace. At any rate, the soil in the pots should not get di'y dm'ing the time the layers are rooting, and the layers need not bo removed tUl the middle or end of September, as, al- though they ought to be weU rooted long before then, the noiuishment they derive from the mother plant vnil gi'eatly assist them to form strong flower-buds. When they are to be removed, first cut tho old shoots just outside the pots, and immediately give them a good watering, but on no account distm-b the pots at this stage, for the roots are probably out through -the bottom, and over the top of the pot also if it was covered with moss, and if they were disturbed the same day as the youngsters were weaned from the parent, the check both ways might prove fatal to the whole experiment. Leave them as they are ono whole week, then, with a spade, loosen up the pots, and the roots, if out in the free soU, will thus be pre- served. Pot them as soon as they are up, using pots of a size to take in all the roots comfortably, smd as rich a compost as you can make — say half rotten dung and half loam. Place them in the shade for another week, and, if the weather is diy, sprinkle them over with water twice or even three times a day. The whole secret in getting good dwarf plants from layers is that no check whatever be allowed to then' onward com'se. The moment you can see flower- buds on the chrysanthemum, whether as dwarfs or tall bushes — but not before — use rich liquid-manure freely. Whatever the state of tlie weather may be, they should have manure water at least every other day, but none before they show for flower, for that would cause them to gi'ow on still taller than is na- tural to them. I would much recommend this prac- tice of layoiing large numbers of them, and, if tlicy are not all wanted in that way, three or foiu- might be put into one pot when they aa-e taken up, and tliiiij form large specimens of less height than can be hiul any other way. They wiU come in usefid wliere tall plants could not stand, and where small dwarf ones would make little show. Cuttings, or divided portions of tlic old plants, tinned out into a free border last May, i I' well iilicmli il to according to previous direction^, will iikiIm' ilir best flowering plants with tho lensl irnuliic; iiinl, fi'oni this time, these sliould be cheeked ut the rociU once in ten days. This is done by pushing down a spado about six or eight inches fi'om tlie side nl' llu^ phmt, and half round it, so that one-huU' of the roots are cut ; the other half of tho circle may be cut in a similar way ten days nftenvards. I'hich time pour down a quuntity of water in tlic 0])0ning left hy THE COTTAGE GARDENER. J3J. compass, so that they may be got iuto oi'dm Ml u:,,. yet an abundance was in both the scnnn I i > ■ swarms were late, there bas not been till,. i i , i to be bred. We never rcconumaul hhui i' ii.um, ;m;i.,i hvneath that in which the l'^' ■ ^ ■ i ■^iiy ulyccLiunLdjlu, because you can never oht.iin ' ' ii i ''- ili;it principle, a box l tlicre are three, e year old ; and having once been the bottom om;. u im^ i)ei;ii luicu with brood and pollen, and the combs thereby very nmch darkened, and, in all probability, many of the cells will be found partially filled with the pollen. Gladiolds Cakdinalis (Ibid).— Yaw ask what depth of covering this should have? Three inches of soil ; or, if you mean protection covering, three inches of dry eoal-asbes, and a thatch to throw off the wet. The flower-spikes of G. ramoms branch out occasionally, and so do those of other gladioli. The name is not at all appropriate. Irises (Ibid).— his Susiana and I. Cbalcedonica are the same. All the varieties of Iris Xiphium and Xiphioides are handsome, but their names are so ephemeral that a selected list would do little good. We will get a list of the best tuberous-rooted irises. Fuchsia Corymriflora (Y. Z.}.— This flowers freely if the wood is ripened in the autumn. Keep it rather dry after the middle of September, and in November prune it back to the ripe brown wood. Your own treatment after that ought ' "■'^ '" Oleanders (Ibid).— As the flow< are cither badly rooted or they want i ing. Keep them in-doors all the a glass, and do not let them go to rest of all, sec if the soil in the pots is no out as much of it from the roots as y loam in its place, using tbe same pots. Cacti donp. FLowi-uuNfi (Wm/).— Tlie cacti after to be kept in-door^ fJI tlirlr Tr.Avfli is finished, and after that tc placed inasunnv -■'.-' ■< ik, Idle or end of September, cording to thc^iii' I'uringrain, turn the pot with i -buds wither, your oleanders )re sun and M'ater while grow- umn, and the tops near the ,1 late in November; but,./Sr.si too close and hard, if so, pick I can, and add some fresh rich to pot off these ;i Treat /■ I/, u . Vnu will find :;,).( 1*1 \ul. 1., iiiul at p. 30 of the present should be potted singly immediately. '" F.fulgens as we have directed above for F. cnvymhijlom. (iuano is a word of three syllables. Have tbe colouring matter of your spring analized. Any nurseryman in London will Victoria rhubarb. The covers procurable volume exactly. You must * Fernery {R. P. U.).— Y. tpp. 98, •^ you with Mya ■ otiicc fit the 1 of Low's portfolios, will find full directions for mak our first volume. Sea-] (Tl.UJ).^^ 1 ])lant3, if not very young, Full It I MANGOLD-wiuti/.]-.!. l>K.\w.> Jl. W. Livplt).—Yn\i may phick off the oldest outside leiiVLy, as well as tbosc of your large hrocoHs which did not bead in tbe sjjring. Iloil lliem before you give them to your pi^; boil all green loud before so employing it, and after a month's trial vou will never again give it uncooked. Latr Strawderry (/6/f/).— Tlie best tliat we know h the Elton. Swaioatonc's Seedling occasionally bears a second crop late in Ibe autumn. Tlie White Alpine is a perpetual hearer : we have gathered a large plateful of this in the middle of December. Cdarcoal {F. S. ^).— This should be used in pieces about the size of a small nut, and it is mixed with the soil in pots to render it porous, and facilitate the drainage. Some persons arc also of opinion that it slowly forms carbonic acid in the soil, which is beneficial to the roots of plants. Outside Pages (Rev. H. Parker). — You wiU see that wc have anticipated your suggestion, and increased our size at the same time. You need not have the first two pages of the Numbers that had only two pages of advertisements bound up with the i : cut them off yourself at the i -We must refer you to there replied, and tbi for your support uiii IjuiUIing. Khododcn- iig is the best mode of lay still stop and dis- ley, but they s Jjake district, .."V. v... .^ Birtwistle, on the banks of the W i church has been built by a jui' ;i promising even than those af I stances, you ask for our aduec. \\\ ,' transplante they ;re abpve sixty 01 sou they grow in. easily enough at any at age is comparatively a least twelve months |ii this, ymmg fibrous n^n very careful to prcsii' teniber is tbe best tiin seed pod, and leat. cherry. That of wl forjni.i. { Wiiliam leaves is Spirwa ■in London: Printed by Harry WooLDUinGE, 147, Strand, in tli Parish of Saint Mary-lc-Strand ; and Winchester High-street, i the Parish of St. Ulary Kalendnr ; and Published hy M'jllia SoMRRviLLE Orr, at the Office, 117, Strand, in the Parish i Saint Mary-lc-Strand, London, — August 2iid, ISJO- THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. WEEKLY CALENDAR. M D w AUGUST 9—15, 1849. Plants dedicated to each day. Sun Kiscs. Snn Sets. Moon R. and Sets. Moon's Age. Clock bef. Sun. Day of Year. Th Linnet's song- ccasos. [fly ,ee„. St. Lawrence. Silver-spotted akippcrbutter- Oommon Eagwoi-t. :1S a. 4 ;W a. 7 10 ] 21 5 1.3 221 10 F Common Balsam. 39 31 10 30 23 5 4 222 u S Dog days end. rcongregate. 10 S. AFT. Tein. Swallows and Martins China Aster. 41 39 11 3 fT 4 55 233 \:> Stto TallmarshSowthistle. 43 37 11 43 24 4 46 224 ^:^ M Q. Dowager n. 1792. 2nd brood of Martins Marsh Groundsel. 44 35 morn. 35 4 35 225 14 Tu Goldfinch's song ceases, ["edged. Graceful Zinnia. 46 23 0 30 36 4 25 226 15 VV Assum. B.V.M. Large blk. Stnpliyline seen Virgin's Bower, 4r 31 1 26 37 4 13 227 St. Lawrence was a native of Spain, and is venerated by its people as their guardian saint. He was martyred at Rome in the time of Valerian, for distributing the treasure of the church among the poor, and thus disappointing the cupidity of the Roman prefect. He died on a gridiron placed over a slow fire, on this day, a.d. 258. The battle of St. Quintin was fought on this anniversary in the year 1557, £ind as it terminated in favour of the Spaniards, their sovereign, king Phillip, in conformity with a vow he had made, built a church, a monastery, and a palace, all commemorative of St. Lawrence. The palace— the far-famed Escurial, near Madrid— is built in the form of a gridiron, and all the chief ornaments, in some mode, refer to the same instrument of torture. Its erection occupied twenty-four years, at an expenditure of six millions sterling. Assumption of the Vihgin MARV.—This is avery distinguished festival of the Roman Catholic Church, instituted in 813 in com- memoration of what its members believe, viz., the assuming, or taking up. into heaven of the body of the mother of our Saviour after her decease. It was customary in the same church to implore a blessing, at this harvest period, upon herbs, plants, roots, and fruits. Phenomena of the Season.— We have followed the entire process of vegetation, from the ftrst germination of the seed, through the growth of the plant springing from it, till this has itself ripened its fruit; but vre are i ■ ^ i . - ^- . . across our study window, that we have left unnoticed i by their Creator to provide for the dispersion of the ripe seed, and the consequent preservation and healthy growth of each species. This is a subject so full of interest that we shall devote a separate note to each mode of dispersion, beginning with that which very eariy engaged the notice even of poets— flight before the mnds. " Nature nought disdains : thoughtful to feed Her lowest sons, and clothe the coming year. From field to field the feather'd seeds she wings." Nor must we forget in this .thought upon "the wisdom of God Insects.— At the close of last and during the whole of tlie present month, the Black-arch moth, the male of which is represented in our drawing, may be found, during the day-time, with closed wings upon the trunks of oaks and other trees. It is tTie Psihira monacha of some entomologists, and the Bombi/x or Liparis monacha of others. The males are smaller than the females, measuring about one and a half-inch across the opened fore- wings, whilst the females usually mea- sure an inch more. The colour of the moth is a creamy white, spotted and streaked with black, in the manner here shewn. The hind -wings are dusky. The antennse are hlark, and the body dusky, tinged above with pink. The caterpillar is ashy brown, with tufts of reddish hair on the back, and a black, heart-shaped, spot on the second segment of its body. It probably varies in colour according to the plant on which it has fed, for it is by no means particular iu its nourishment. It feeds on the leaves of the Scotch fir, bramble, birch, apple, oak, elm, aspen, lime, and willow. The caterijillars appear in June and July. They have never appeared very abundant in this country, but in Piussia and France, at the end of the last century, they did so much injury that M. Beekstein savs that it "would not be replaced in a hundred years," In 1829, at Stettin, four hundred acres of nines, oaks, birches, and beeches, were entirely stript of their leaves manifested in the creation," i tial period of the year, when render them more than ordinarily eflifiient Some seeds, such as those of the dandel groundsel, and thistle, are furnished .nese seeas are ripe at an equmoc- strength and prevalence of winds agents in their diffusion. vith I- like appendage, very varying in its curious structure, called by botnnists the pappus, but all of a parasol or shuttlecock form, and so all pro- motive of the floating of the seed upon the air. How eft'nctual this is for the intended purpose our eyes have sufficient evidence every year, but of the efficacy of the winds in tliis respect wc have still further evidence in the facts that M. Decandolle found two lichens on the south-west coast of Prance- lichens natives of Jamaica— which he lielieved to have been brought to where he discovered them by the south-west winds. A still more striking example is afforded by the Can.^dian flea-bane {Erigeron Cf/nudefisi-i), which, within a century after its introduction from North America, spread itself over France, England, Holland, Germany, Italy, and Sicily. The long downy awn of the feather grass (Stipa pennata)is peculiarly constructed not only for conveying the seed to a distance, but also for sowing it. This awn is barbed, and, catching hold of any object, twists round and round until it conveys the seed not only down to the earth but into it, and then breaking off leaves it to vegetate. Other seeds have appen- dages of another form, but still calculated to bear them to a distance from the parent plant. Thus, the seeds of the maple have mem- branes attached to them resembling the wings of a fly ; those of the elm have a similar membrane encircling them ; and those of the tulip tree (Liriodnndron tiUipifera), and of some of the pine tribe, are similarly winged. We might easily multiply such examples, but we will pass on to notice that some seeds are so minute and specifi- cally light, that, without any appendages, they float upon the air, and are easily conveyed away to regions very distant from that where the parent is resident. Instances of these are common in ferns, mosses, and fungi, of which the puff ball (Lr/coperdon pratense) is a familiar instance. The seeds of these are so minute that Ray, one of the most careful of nature's observers, estimates that a single stalk of spleenwort (Asplenhim) jields a million annually. ,341. 1842. 1343. 1S44. 1 1845. 1346. 1847. I84S. 9 Fine, Fine. Fine. Fine. Rain. Fine. Showery. Stormy. & lowest 70--49'' S2°-57° 71°-6S° 66° -44° 69°— 40° Fine. Stormy. Fine. Fine. Rain. Fine. Showery. Stormy. es-'-sso 93°— 60° 68°— 44° 76°-41° 68°— 5,3° 71°-55» 65°-48° 74°-43° 11 Rain. Fine. Fine. Stormy. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. 6S°— 4C° 71° -47° 73°— 57° 79°-6l° 70°-52° 12 Fine. Cloudy. Showery. Fine. Cloudy. 65°— 41° 78°— 55° 86°— 58° 73° — 54° 13 Cloudy. Cloudy. Fi™- „ Rain. Showery. Rain. Fine. 70=-54- 73°-56° 66°-44° Fine. 7»°— 54=' 85°— 48° 79= -59° 65»— 19° 62° -52° 77°— 49° 79°— 52° 60° — 53° Fine. Stormy. 82°— 60° Showery. Cloudy. 70°— 50° 02°- 52° 62°-44° 79°— 50° 80° -.56° 68»— 55° It is quite needless for us to reiterate what may be found urged by us in favour of " cottage allotments" from the first iiage of our first number down to the last number we issued to our readers ; but we have received such testimony of the benefits arising from " The Seaoombe Gardens Allotment Society," and of the spirited way in which the allotments are cul- tivated, that we are induced to publish its rules, and a letter relative to the subject from Mr. W. Hen- derson, the very intelligent nurseryman of Oxton, No. XLV., Vol. II. THE COTTAGE GABDENER. AccrST near Birkenheacl, wlio may be considered as the steward of this allotment estate. CONDITIONS OF LETTING, AND HULES TO BE OBSERVED BY THE TENANTS. 1 . — The rent to be paid p.nnually on the first Saturday in August. 2. — The tenant to give up possession at any time on receiving three months' notice. The amount of compensation (if any) to which he may be entitled for crop in the ground to be determined by the 3.— No tenai 4.— The fence, and road adjoining to and opposite each allotment, be kept in repair by the occupier of such allotment {by road is meant that within the enclosure). 5. — Any dispute that may arise amongst the tenants, having reference to these allotments, to be referred to the committee, whose deci- sion is to be binding, 6. — Any tenant who may not comply with the foregoing conditions, or who may be convicted of any offence against the laws of the realm, will be at once deprived of his allotment ; and the Society wish to impress upon the tenants that the retention of their respec- tive allotments will depend on their orni industry, sobriety, and general good conduct. Seacombe is a village in Cheshire, close to Birken- head, and Mr. Henderson adds these particulars conceniing its allotments : — " The garden allotments at Seacombe were brought into existence through the exertions of some gene- rously disposed gentlemen residing in the immediate neighbom-hood. A few of the names of the more prominent promoters of this truly philanthropic little scheme being — Smith, Esq., — Venny, Esq., H. Winch, Esq., — Blackburn, Esq., the Eev. Mr. Roberts, the clergyman of the place, and Mr. T. Dean. These gentlemen form a committee of management ; the Eev. Mr. Roberts being chainnan, and Mr. Dean secretary. The present aspect of the allotments tes- tifies most clearly and encouragingly to the success of the society and its good management, as well as to the industry and perseverance of the tenants. This would forcibly appear to you, had you but seen the state of the land at this time last year — then, a piece of the most tmeven and unimdtiug portions of common land upon which you have, iierhaps, ever looked ; full of clay holes, and partly swamp, with a ditch of stagnant and ])ostiferous filth (not watei-) traversing its length. The first ste]j taken by the committee was to have an efBcient main di'ain formed in the centre, into which the side drains enter. The boundary fence was ne.xt put up, and then the gi-ound was divided into 36 allotments, of 400 square yards each, for which each tenant is to pay a rent of 10s. per annum. This, though a seemingly high rent (about .£6 per acre), yet it must be remembered that the landlord, the lord of the manor, will receive no rent, at least only a nominal one, and the committee, after the necessary expenses for keeping up the boundary fence, &c., are defrayed, will return the suiiilus in the shape of prizes among the tenants, for the best kept and most judiciously managed allot- ments. In addition to this, Mr. Winch has kindly supplied, gi-atuitously, tho poorer tenants with cardeu seeds. ° "I have been requested to direct my attention from time to time as to the manner in which the allotments are cropped and kept; and, in the month of Septem- ber, to report on the whole, specifying, of course, particular sections, with my opinion as to the best arranged, or any other commendation I may deem deserved, either by tjic produce, quality, succession, or order, &c. I need hardly tell you with how much pJeasurel endeavour to second the views and efforts of a society taking up such a benevolent undertak- ing. I do not speak of this ' benevolence' as being so commendable in a pecuniary or charitable poiiij of view (neither, I am well aware, do tlie gentlemen connected with the society), but I contemplate in it that genuine philanthropic spirit, whicli yearns for the bettering of the condition and conti-ibuting to the happiness of our fellow men; of withdrawing the mechanic and tho labourer from the haunts of vice, folly, and demoralization ; from the contaminating influence of the I/eer shops, and inducing him to employ his leisure hom-s in a garden, where, while his intellect is kept clear and his mind serene, he is preserving his bodily health, and, at the same time, adding to the resom-ces and comforts of his family. Surely there can be no scene so tiidy gratifying to the properly constituted mind as to see the bronzed, sturdy labomer, with interested nn'en, cheered by 'liis thriftie wifle's smile,' who, seated near liim on the ' green cope,' whilst the youngsters ply the hoe, or by hand eradi- cate the intruding weed. Then fancy such a family, ' labour o'er,' set round the clean though humble board, enjoying the well-earned ' crust and cliceso,' with the addition of a salad of their ' ain recriu'.' and. if you will, a cup of beer, hroiight home to he shared hy all, not sottishly drank with boon companions pn the skittle or ninepin gi'ound. " Such a picture, thank God, is not now an un- common ocoun-ence in ' happy old England;' but I would have them multiplied until eveiy waste com- mon and barren bog shall be covered with luxuriant and thrifty vegetation, ameliorating the stubborn soil and the human heart at the same time, scorning alike the worhhovse and the corn laws. "I hold tliere is much of the nature of a lihel in the reiterated opinion that the labouring class, as a body, are improvident. First place a man in a position to better his condition ere you condemn his want of energy and thriftiness. Illusti-ative of this allow me to relate a case coming under my own notice. Some years ago, while residing in Scotland, a nobleman remarked to me, ' I wish you woidd instill into the minds of our countiymen the same desire for tidiness and order in theii' dwellings avid gardens so universally evinced among the cottagers in England.' My reply was, ' My lord, first put them in the same position ; give them a place to live deserving the name of " cottage," and pull down, blow up, or burn these miserable hovels.' These hovels were merely four walls, having one opening in the side by way of door, two other holes to let in light, miscalled windows, and another hole in the apex of the roof to let out the smoke ; nothing to divide this ' bothie ' into apartments but the back of the huge press bedsteads, and destitute of ceiling or covering to the roof-timbers and thatch. The reply was characteristic of the man, ' Let me have,' says he. ' a plan for such cottages as you would recommend.' They were produced, the cottages were erected with all appurtenances (on a small scale) of a comfortable cottage ; the miniature flower-garden in front (instead of a midden and puddle), the China roses against the walls, the back-door, covered ash-pit, iSic, and the neat kitchen-garden. Having left Scotland before all was carried out, I did not have the pleasure of congratulating the pro])rietor on his spirited example and the tenants on their changed position." The following bears such honourable testimony to the decorum and good conduct of those of our fellow- THE COTTAGE GARDENEH. 3;30 coimtryraeu whom it is usual to have excluded from such exhibitions, on the plea of their recldess spolia- tions ; and convoys, at the same time, such gratiljiug iutelligonce of the increased practice of bee-keeping among cottagers, on the depriving system, that we think it worthy of preservation. Oiu' con-espondent, wi'itiug from Bury, says : — " I was very mucli gratified yesterday (July 27th), at seeing seventeen exhibitors of honey at our horti- cultural slxow (all obtained by deprivation), both iu boxes, glasses, and small hives, all by cottui/ers, and all tlie honey of the Jinest quality. The show was held in the beautU'ul grounds of Hardvvicke House, about a mile distant from Buiy, which, through the kindness of Sir Thos. and Lady Cidlum, were thrown open to the public from one till nine o'clock ; the stoves, conservatories, &o., being closed at live. The band of the Queen's Lancers, from Norwich, were allowed by their colonel to attend for the day. There were -ilTl tickets sold at the lodge-gate, so that, with members and their families, there vrere neai-ly, if not quite, six thousand persons present. Our kind-hearted mayor issued a request a few days ago that all shops in the town sliould be closed at one o'clock, that all persons might have an opiportunity of enjoying the treat offered, which was generally responded to ; and enjoyed it was, for there appeared to be a sjnile upon every face. I walked up this morning, and am happy to find that not the slightest damage was done either iu the houses or the grounds." THE FEUIT-GAEDEN. The Peab. — At this period of the year, when the solar light begins so rapidly to decline, it becomes necessary to take means to insure a free admission (,>f this fructifying element to all fruit-trees, especially the subject of our present remarks. It appeal's strange, to those unacquainted with the lialiits of the pear, that its long rambling side shoots should be left so long unmolested as we generally hud tliem in most gardens; such are seldom much meddled with until midsummer has passed. When the vigorous natiu-e of the root action is taken into consideration, together with the excitable character of the embryo blossom buds in the early spring, (which may then, by a sudden influx of sap, be speedily transformed into growing shoots) it will be seen that the policy is sound, and that these wild- looldng shoots were merely employed as "safety- valves," suffering the superfluous sap thus to expend itself Nevertheless, the question immediately forces itself on the mind, why encourage the tree to produce superfluous sap ? Here, then, is a pivot on which turns a most extensive question, which want of space, and the inconvenience to the reader of digi-essive sal- lies, alike forbid us to enter rqiou at present. We flatter ourselves, however, before the year is out, to fully discuss tliis question ; and we shall then sliow how much good soil (independent of manure) is worse than thrown away in the formation of fruit borders according to the old maxims. The time has ai-rived, then, when the growuig shoots of the pear may be stopped all over the tree, if necessary, without damaging the embryo blossom bud of the ensuing year ; the character of these is now so decided that no excitement could alter their destiuy. Nature has, by this time, rolled them all up like our ancient Egyptian mummies, and, we may add. embalmed them, too, with a lughly elaborated mate- rial, wliich wUi serve as ready prepared food for the unfolding of the infant blossom bud in the ensuing spring. Such being the case, the next thing is how to obtain a regular admission of solar light all over the tree without any unnecessary amount of mutila- tion; for either to cut or strip all away but the mere embi'yo buds woidd be too severe a process, and would destroy, for a time, that reciprocity of action which nature has wisely established as the chief guid- ing ]3rinciple of vegetation. We may here remark that our practice is at this period to pinch or stop all the points of the young shoots, excepting those wliich are considered leaders at the extremities of the branches. Young trees, however, just estabUshing themselves, may be left gi'owiug, in order to obtain strength to cover the wall, fence, or treOlage in the succeeding year. The operator should first go over the tree caretully, and see what short-jointed shoots can be tied down, or otherwise trained, without darkening the spurs ad- joining them, for all such may be secm-ed. Such being done, and their points pinched, he may at once prune back all the rest to three or four eyes, leaving as many leaves at the base as he can without shading the spurs. Let it, however, be remembered, during the operation, that the whole process is carried out merely in order to admit the solar influences to the embryo fruit buds of the ensuing year, and to induce a fructiferous disposition in those forming for succes- sive seasons; for these will receive an increased amount of elaboration through the sun's rays, which will be of immense benefit hereafter. Some kinds of pears are apt to become mealy iu sunny seasons, of which class is the Easter beurre if on a wall ; this merely proves that the climate is too good for them in such seasons, and that less sun^ light would be more beneficial. When such is found to be the case, we make a point of leaving somewhat more shading over the fruit ; this is easily aocom- jilished by removing a much smaller portion of the waste shoots, wliich we before advised should have two or three joints left on : in this case they may be left eight or nine inches in length. We hope our advice tendered some weeks since has been put in practice, viz., that relating to the selection of yoimg shoots. Again we direct a careful attention to the same priucijile. At this, the last di'cssiug of the season, lot every shoot which appears shorter jointed and browner than the rest be reserved, either tying or nailing tliem down to the wall or fence. Many such will be found to have ceased growing for some time ; these lu-e invaluable, and if reserved will speedily be covered with blossom buds. Indeed the principal object of the dwarfing system here propounded is to cause the trees to produce such shoots alone, and where the maxims here laid down as to root-cidture are strictly carried out such wUl assm-ecUy be the case ; then a tithe of the labour of disbudding, stopping, &c., will suffice, and the trees will blossom abundantly. The Red Smdeb sometimes gets ahead at this period ; where such is the case it must have no jieace : sulphur should immediately be dusted libcridly all over the tree, shakiug it beneath the leaves, in order to cause a fine granular coating to settle over the under side of all the leaves. Strawbeukies. — -Those who have not planted out their runners should do so immediately : not a day may be lost. Indeed, to be thoroughly successful in the culture of this fine fruit by the annual ranner system, it should be planted by the midiUc of July : 240 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. Auonsi there can be no doubt that the finest fruit by iax will be obtained by this course of cultui'e ; we tliiuk, however, that for llea^'y crops, on the average, two years old plants wiU excel them. At tliis period very sti-ong runners should be selected, and they should be removed with gi'eat cai-e, with a ball of eai'th, by means of the trowel, taking caa'e that not a single fibre becomes dry during the operation : such extra care ^vill make up for a fortnight's procrastination. We would now ofl:'er some advice about choice of kinds ; many new Iduds have been introduced during the last seven yeai-s, but we fear but little real ad- vance can be reported as to either flavour or size.. The best early berry still for general purposes is doubtless the Keen's seedling ; this is a universal fa- vourite, and where gardens are very limited indeed, and room can be found only for a small bed, this should alone or principally be selected. Next in order of rii)ening comes the Eliza, a valuable fi-uit ; and then we wojild place next the British Queen. This is becoming as great a favourite as the " Keen's," and deservedly so, for it has every good property. Lastly, the Elton, which follows up the series, and completes the hst of summer strawbenies. The latter Idnd, if planted about four feet from a wall on the north side, will continue in bearing a whole month after the other kinds have ceased. Those who gi'ow these kinds, which are placed in the order of their ripening, wiU have no occasion to trouble themselves about new kinds ; nevertheless, as many persons make a hobby of trying new sorts, one or two may be added to the stock yearly, not, however, with the intention of superseding the others, or for increased jjrofit. The ground for the strawberry bed should be well dug and^ deep, and a reasonable amount of manui-e in a half rotten state dug in. Any soot which may be at hand may be strewn over the soil before dig- ging. Let every care be taken to keep the plants duly watered during the first three weeks, and when established, or towards the end of August, a good dose of liquid manure may be applied. OuHEANTs. — 'Those who desire very late fr-uit on thefr bushes, should cover some immediately. Ordi- nary garden mats will do well for the purpose, and before matting much of the superfluous summer shoots must be cut away, in order that the air may ft-eely cfrculate through the fruit. The proper time to cover them is when they first assume a piak tint throughout tlie berry. GoosEBERRTES. — 'These may be long preserved on the bush by timely covering. Only some kinds, how- ever, are thoroughly adapted for this pm-pose. Of course late kinds are eligible, but even amongst these there is much difference. We know of no kind equal, in tliis respect, to the Warrington, called in Cheshire and some parts of Lancashii-e the Aston seedling. We sti-ongly advise oiu- readers to plant this kind rather extensively : it is good for all pui-poses. B. Eeringxon. THE FLOWER-GAJiDEN. NOTES OF A JOUn,NEY INTO PART OF HERTFORDSHIRE— rCon«iH«cfZ;. H. B. Keb, Esq., the Swiss Cottage, Cheshunt. — In the cool of the evening we took a walk with a friend to visit this place. Our way led past the parish cluu-ch, an aucient building of considerable size, sur- rounded with large clm-treea. Though situated on a rising ground, those trees give it a secluded appeai'- ance — appropriately quiet as the resting-place for the forufatlicrs of the village. Al'ter we had passed till' cliiirrh a little way, we came to a lane on the ri^iil, \\lu.li liiv.iight us in sight of a lai-ge squai'e briik LiiildiiiL;. ouce moated for defensive pm-poses: it ib .■^iUtaLcU in a lai'ge field, f>v so cnllod park, and was, wo were infonjied, built I \ i aiiniKil W'olsey, and had been the residence ol' ih, rr,I..Hl,i!il,lc, Ohvcv Cromwell. Our road lay tlin^u-li ilu^ pink to a se- cluded country lane, at the end of uim li ^t.ind a mat fai'm-house, with a tastefidly-laid-oiii II.hm r-L;aidfU iu front. We were glad to observe tlir In. is \\,)1- fiUed with flowers, and very neatly kipl : wc \x ish wu could say as much of every farm-garden in the king- dom. We inquu'ed the nearest way to the " Swiss Cottage" of the farmer's wife, and received a veiy courteous dfrection. Indeed, we expected a eivD an- swer from the possessor of so pretty a garden. It is an axiom with us, seldom failiug to prove true, that the cultivator or lover of flowers is a wcU-hred, civil person. Passing on our way, we arrived at Mr. Ker's. 'The " Swiss Cottage" is situated close to the road, but so completely hid fr-om it with thick umbrageous ti'ees, that one might pass by and never Itnow either that so beautiful a place was there, or, indeed, any pl-ace but a thick wood. We found a httle gate, forming, apparently, a part of the paUng-fence. 'Through tins gate we obtained admittance ; and the moment we entered, had occasion for our note-book. 'The walk leading to the house is paved very neatly with small pebbles ; and, as no kind of cdsing would grow, a row of neat bricks on each side Inmhil the liiu' of sepa- ration between the soil and till' |Ki\r(l w.iW : by being set level, they were not oflbusivr Ut tlic ryr.nor incon- venient to the foot. In such situations this is the best kind. of dry, clean, fii-m walk we ever noticed. The carriage entrance is ftn-thor on the road ; this is formed in the usual way with gravel The walk we entered by brought us at once to the carriage front. We found the dwelling to be a good imitation of a SviJiss cottage on a large scale. Broad soUd wooden stau-s lead up to the front door, which is level with a co- vered balcony, running round three sides of the dweU- iug, conunaiiding beautiful views of a truly sylvan character. 'The flower-garden iu front of the Imuso is prettily hxid out : the beds weU lill' 'I " ii li llottrv.s, and a good rosery well furnished at llic Imiln i md: this jiaii was iu good keeping, llnv wr mrl uiili others in a growing state. vinery, a large lately-built sti- new mode of growing pea C. Wabneb, Esq., HonnEsBKN. — Mr. Ker was so kind as to send his gardener the next morning with a conveyance, to lake us to the three places men- tioned in our last. For this liberal act of kindness August THE COTTAGli GAKUENEll. we were much obliged to him, and so, we trust, will om- readers, as it enables us to fill the pages of our note-book more copiously, and thus add to the inte- rest and use we hope our observations will lead to. Immediately on leaving Cheshunt, on the left hand we observed a field of four or five acres very oddly cropped with patches of potatoes, peas, cabbages, and other vegetables. This, our intelligent com- panion informed us, was an allotment garden, let out in small plots to the cottagers of Cheshunt and the neighbourhood. We were much gratified to remark that tlie vegetables looked healthy, the potatoes es- pecially, and the whole appeai'ed to be well managed. tint wo must pass ou, to make the most of the day. The cotmtry as we went along looked beautiful, this part of the county being well wooded, and the crops, geuertdly speaking, jiromised an abimdant harvest. Wo cUd not observe any symptoms of the potato disease, and we trust this year we shall have a plen- tii'id sound crop of that useftd escident. We passed Wormleybury, once the seat of the late Sir A. Hume, and durmg his lifetime a famous gardening place, possessing stoves filled with the choicest and rarest exotics, but now, like the master, no more. Our first call was at Mr. Warner's. We found the gar- deners, the Messrs. WilUams, father and sou, both at home. The senior has been gardener there for thirty years: under the direction of Mr. Warner, aided by Ms own skill, he laid out the gi'ounds. The son has the charge of the plants, and, as a proof that ho manages them well, especially the oTohids, we need only refer to the reports of the great metropoli- tan exhibitions for this year. The first things we were shown were two vineries put up thi'ee or fom- year ago ; they are both glazed with large glass ; one with glass 82 oz. to the foot, the other with 16 oz. to the foot, and here we were much struck with the different effect. The heavier glass did not burn the leaves at all, not a single one being touched, but in the other the vines were sadly scorolied. The roofs of both the houses are at the same angle; both were started together ; and so the conclusion we must come to is that thin light glass is more liable to burn the leaves than thicker and consequently heavier glass. The vines in both houses were strong and healthy, and had a good crop of fine grapes on them. Adjoining the vineries are the houses containing tlie fai--famed orchideous plants : there are two, one for tlie East Indian species, and the other for those from South America; the latter serving as a recep- tacle for the former when in flower or at rest. At one end of the Indian-house is some rockwork, cove]-ed with fine specimens of exotic ferns, tlmving most luxuriantly. At the foot of this rockwork is a piece of water to grow aquatics in. This part is very judiciously made and planted, and has a pleas- ing effect, besides afibrding inoisture to the air of the house. The collection of orchids is very good, and showed marks of industry and skill in then- manage- ment, the particulars of which are to be published shortly. Mr. Williams has a good collection of British ferns, wliich he cultivates in large pots in heat, which they appear to bear with impunity. Passing out of the orchid-houses we came to a long canal- like piece of water. This we think might be im- proved by throwing it into an hregidar form ; as it is it has a tame appearance, not at all in character with the ground. At the end of this piece of water, which, by-the-by, contains a good collection of hardy aquatics, we came to a fine specimen of the cut-leaved alder, fifty feet high, the branches covering a space forty feet in diameter. This tree made a good close to the end of the walk : it bad some rockwork planted with ferns under it, which in autumn and early spring, we are told, looked beautifully. This tree caused us to turn to the right, when we had a view of a long straight walk, with borders on each side planted with choice roses and flowers. This walk is terminated by ahighly ornamental building, in- cluding an elegant bath room, and several appropriate paintings in water colours. The bath itself is paved with porcelain, and the water as clear as crystal. A winding walk led us thence to the temple of roses. This is not a building, as might be supposed from the name, but a fine collection of climbing roses. A mound of earth has been thrown up, pillars of iron placed oii-cularly, with iron rods stretcldng from eaclr to the centi-e pillar. Walks under the roses lead to a seat in the centre, and around the whole are flgLU-es as large as life. This temple may be imitated at a moderate expense. The winding walk continues past the temple to the extreme boundary of the pleasure ground ; and in a retired nook is a good imitation of an ancient ruin, now clothed with that beautiful evergreen — ivy. The walk continues to wind amongst some fine trees and shrubs, up a rising groimd, on the top of which is a noble straight ter- race walk. From this walk, as you pass along, there are fine views of the temple of roses, the liath room, and the hothouses, besides the opposite finely wooded hill. We understood on tliat side of the valley there was a fine collection of llir. lir Irilie, which we had nottime to see. Amillii'i' \mi11, leads from the ter- race to what we term Uic Ikihic llower garden — a lawn interspersed \vilii Licds of choice plants. At the lower end of this garden is a conservatoiy of considerable dhnensions, tilled with some fine healthy oraiige ti-ees in full fruit, intermixed with camellias. To the right of the conservatory is a small green- house, filled when we were there with achimeues, gloxinias, fuchsias, and other summer flowering plants, and in a perfect blaze of floral beauty. In returuing Irom these houses we were shewn a building put up as an ornamental dauy, and unique of its kind. After viewing this very neat and useful dairy, we came to om- starling;- |iiiiiit — tlic fi-ont of the dwelling-house. It is snuiflliin.L;- iTunirkable, and, we are sorry to say, wncomiiinii l.i lind, in a place so considerable as this, that the gardener who laid out the grounds so beautifully lias still, after thirty years' servitude, the care of them. Excepting some large old elms, the whole of the trees (and there are some fine specimens), and of cedars of Lebanon especially, were planted by Mr. Williams, sen. The place is well worthy of a visit, and we are sure both the proprietor and gardeners will have ffreat pleasure in allowing it to be seen by :iiiy n's|i((ialilo party. We bade farewell to the MV-^sis. 'Willi, mis. mounted our vehicle, and proceeded mi our jounipy to "the Poles," K. Haubury, Esq.; but the des- cription of what we saw there must be deferred to our next Number. KouTi>qE Management. — The month of August has once more come to us, and, like every other month of the year, it brings its cares as well as pleasures. Spring flowers have departed, and sum- mer flowers are fading, reminding us that time will not abide the will of tlie mightiest potentate, or the humblest of the sons of the earth ; reminding us, also, to " take time by the forelock, and not defer till to-morrow the work that ought tn he ihnii' to- day." The work now in the flowoi'-gnnlfii is lirst to remove all dccityinfj flotfcrs, and mwi to rhriish those to cheer our garden during the two or three U-2 THE COTTAGE G.\EDENEE. Auous months yet left to us of the floral year. Orass lainis : the late rains that have fallen have bene- fited the lawns gi-eatly. They will require now fi-e- quently rolling, sweeping, and mowing. The gi-ass jjlots, indeed, put on their most pleasing appear- ance, if properly managed, duiing the early and later periods of the year. Let all perennials, bien- nials, and annuals, yet to flower, be cai'efuUy tied lip, and kept in a neat trim state. Shrubbebies.^ — Prune in all straggling shoots, and such as aa-e not likely to attain a state of ripeness, especially the shoots of evergi-eens, such as laurels, bays, and arbutus. Green uuripened shoots are sure to be destroyed by frosts, and therefore had better be cut off at once, that the sap may be con- centrated upon the better ripened shoots. FLORISTS' FLOWERS. Pansies. — Cuttings may yet be put in of scai-ce varieties : place them in a sandy soil, under hand- glasses. Such as have been put in some time, and are now_ rooted, should be taken up, aud either planted in a nursery bed, or potted to be protected in frames tlu-ough the winter. . Vebbenas. — The same directions apply to these plants. Cuttings put in now make exceUent plants early in the spring, but require protection from frost during the winter. Verbenas in beds require attention : remove decaying heads of bloom, and peg down those shoots that may be inclined to grow upright or wfld. They ought to be now in their greatest beauty. Weeds. — All we need say about them is, let not one be seen living beyond the time of producing its seed leaves. Moist weather wiU bring them up ; and a week's neglect will cover your beds with them to a sui-prising extent. AUBICULAS AND POLYANTHUSES. — ToO mUCh wet will injm-e these lovely spring flowers almost to death. Let them be protected from heavy rains whenever they fall. T. Appleby. GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW GAEDENING. Am.\.kyllids. — The cold and wet weather at the end of last spring has prolonged the growth of the Belladonnas, Brunsvigias, &c., in the open borders full a month beyond theii- usual time of going to rest, and I fear this will prevent them from throwing up then' flowering scapes next September time enough to be of much interest this season. If so, we shall have them rising next spring as mere abortions, but all that can now be done to assist them is to keep the bulbs as diy and hot as possible for the next month or five weeks, and this is not very easily done when they are in borders where summer plants are growing, as is often the case. 'Those imder my care are in such a border, and as soon as the rain came on after St. Swithin's day I loosened the sm-face soil away from the tops of Jusephina, and placed small glasses over them : this wards off the rain, and the heat of tlie sun accumulates vmder the glass, so that a little extra heat is afforded them. Their roots being in moist earth is rather favom-able to them than otherwise. Where they are grown in frames by themselves, with no other plants to interfere with their proper culture, no doubt they have gone to rest at the usual time, early in June ; or, if they have not, it woidd stimulate them now to have the soil drawn aside to cxjiose the surface of the bulbs to the sun, and by having the glass kept on constantly. 'They cannot be too hot and dry on the sm'faco with only the assistance of a glass covering. I am anxious to try a cross this autumn between the Belladonna and Bmnsvigia Jusephime; aud in case my own bidbs of the latter, under the above disadvantages, should not flower, I shoidd feel very much obliged to any kind reader, who may be more fortunate, if he would send me some pollen of Jose- phinse. The way to do this is to cut oft' some of the anthers with short pieces of the stamens attached, as soon as the flowers open. It is not necessary that the anthers should be open, or, in other words, that the pollen should be ripe, because it will ripen after the anthers are cut ofl', and I forget how soon the anthers of the Josephinas open after the e.xpau- sion of the flower. The anthers, if folded in tissue or other soft paper, will travel by post safe enough. I advise all who possess these beautiful bulbs to try and cross them both ways this autumn. They are very easOy crossed. The stamens are long, and may be taken one after another, and by them di'aw the opened anther across the lobes of the stigma. 'The thi'ee lobes curve backwards, and then is the tune to apply the pofleu. When the flower begins to fade, see that it does not injure the style by col- lapsing round it, as it is sure to do if tlie decaying flower is not cut ofl' in time. Untfl very recently writers used to recommend a camel-hail- bi-ush to dust the poUen on flowers, or lather on their stig- mas. For setting gTapes, pears, or, indeed, any fruit, the operation being only intended to encourage the fruit to swell properly, a brush is as convenient as any thing else ; but, when we waut to obtain a cross between two plants, this camel-hair brush is a treacherous instrument, because, after one kind of pollen is used by it, how are you to proceed witlr the next flower if it happens to belong to the same famfly as the first':' It is perfectly impossible to divest it of all the former pollen without steeping it in boiling water. In short, we may as well dust a di'ess-coat with a powdered wig as think to efl'ect pm'e crosses by means of a camel-hafr or any other brush whatever. Hydrangeas. — About the second or third week in Augiist is a good time to make cuttings of hydrangeas, to flower next simimer in very smaU pots. They woifld turn out inuch finer if the cuttings were taken from strong healthy jilants growing for some years in the open gi-ound. 'The tops of the strongest shoots that are not likely to flower this season would make the best cuttings, as, if rooted qidckly under a hand- glass, and the top buds weU preserved from damp or accidents during the following winter, they form im- mense lai'ge heads of flower next summer, and prove exceptions to the general saying about the ditHciflty of placing old heads on young shouldc ,„, ..nnlrpl;. in very small pots is to muko ciiin ^ '-•>-'• in spring from plants then taken u i ing, and as soon as they are kkiIih m. \ i-i in three-iiii-li [mis, and kopt in a ImM ii^ .1 iIhhhlIi spring. ,\li.>i[i ihr ciiil it\ AIiiv, .n- In1\mtii iljin ; midsuminrr. Ihry :ii.' >liili('il iiil.i llirir ll.m I'liiiy.i' enough to be inured to the open air, whore tlicy generally koi)t in a warm sheltered place nil throi the autumn as long as it is safe to trust them ( thoy are then wintered almost diy in cold ])its, ; August THE COTTAGE GARDENER. in tho spring are ready for being forced into cnrly bloom, or lel't to come in by tUe natural warmth of tho season. T'his isthe usual mode followed byganlcners, but the Aii,l;usI cuttings answer just as wfll iiiiil iirt! attended wilh h-,s li-mihli', lor soiiif ..f thr i'VI,ni:iry euttins's cillni liuwrr ihr sinii,- s,'a:M.ii, ;nid l!un Ihr'y are so small as not to he wurtli th.' trouhleol' korping them, it also happens, occasionally, that with some of the August cuttings the flower-buds are formed before they are sepoi-ated from the parent plant, but if they are quickly rooted that does not injure the size of the flower-heads. The best way to make the August cuttings is to cut them about four or five inches long, to remove the two lowest leaves, and to pick out the two buds belonging to them, as I suggested for strong rose cuttings : this will pre- vent suckers fi'om growing, which will be of some ad- vantage when the plants come to iiower the second season, as we always find that two and three-year- old ])lants flower unequally. These bottom eyes, if not cut out at first, will get up as strong suckers, depriving the rest of their share of nourishment, en- abling them to flower sooner and much larger than the otliers. There is one disadvantage in August- made cuttings well known to gardeners, which is, that the flowers of them come all of one colour, and that the same as that of the parent plant, whether it be . blue or pink ; but those made in February may be made to flower blue or ijink at will. If the mother plant produced blue flowers in the former seasons, and you force it in February, cut ofi" your cuttings as soon as they make three joints, and when they are rooted place them in a rich, light compost, say one- half leaf-mould or very rotten dung, and the rest of any good garden soU, they never fail to produce pink flowers; whereas, if taken fi'om a pink flowering parent, and after rootmg growing them in strong yellow loam, with about a sixth part of iron filings mixed with it instead of sand, nine out of ten of them will produce blue flowers. I have proved this over and over again, and have seen it in other bands, but I never could get an August cutting to differ in oolom- from that of the parent plant. The reason seems to be that the juices of the parent j)lant have already, by a season's growth, formed the substance, or the organized matter, as physiologists call it, out of which flowers are produced, so that no after treatment is able to counteract the effect ; whereas cuttings separated from a plant at so early an age as when they only attain a few inches in length, and are then made to grow in iron rust and loam otherwise im- pregnated with iron, which is well known to favom- the production of blue flowers in the hydrangea, the organized matter refen'ed to is formed from jiuces impregnated with iron oxide, and so produce blue flowers. The intensity of the blue is, I believe, ac- cording to the perfect oxidation of the iron. Chalk- water never fails to counteract this clfect of the oxide on the flowers, as we have often proved here, so that, to give the fairest chance to the experiment of get- ting blue hydi-angeas, I would recommend the out- tings to be taken as early in the spring as possible, to strike or root them iu red rand, to grow them in notliing but red loam and iron filings, according to the above proportions, and never to water them hut with rain-water : but I am not sure whether rusty water from hot-water pipes would not add to the success of the experiment ; at any rate this rusty water is not injurious to these hydrangeas. In some p arts of the country th e n atural soil will produce blue hydrangeas, and in such places it is dilHcidt to meet with pink ones ; and, what is singidar enough, the llial v,o havo acrr-;;; (o lioiv does just the contrary. To lia\o [link liyili'an;j,vas iic\t summer, let us, there- i'nvc, iiiakr our ('iitliii^-;-s now from pink parents; and, if we wisli tlieur blue, wo must take the cuttings at this season from blue flowering plants, for we cannot alter the colour now. Geraniums. — When I first came to treat of these plants in The Cottage G.uideneb, I made no hesi- tation in calling them by their old and original family name — geranium. The nature and import- ance of ancient family names and clanships formed tire first prominent feature in my infant education, and that may account for my predQection for old names and ancient lineage. Knowing also that household words ai'e to us what household gods were to the ancients, and that the one is as easily changed as the other, and, moreover, being then a stranger by name to the class of readers I was going to address, I concluded naturally enough that if I began by first unsettling the endearments and asso- ciations of family or household terms, by calling a geranium "pelargonium," a fuchsia "fuxia," and so on, I should be set down as a pedantic writer, and disturber of things as they are. Or who knows but some would say, " He is a revolutionist ;" and a first impression on that side of the question was then more likely to damage the reputation of the work than otherwise. So the pelargonium was called a geranium on that account ; and I intended, at the end of the second vol., to give this explanation, and to adopt the more modern name in future, but the definition of the two fainDies, or rather the two names, having been given at page 223, in answer to the Rev. P. S., I tnade up my mind to write pelargo- nium in futm-e ; and I would strong urge on young people on the fair side of tliirty to accustom them- selves to the more fashionable name jielargonhm. The title of the new name, however, is not worth a straw ; it was given by L'Heritier, a French bota- nist; and in his time the influence of Linufeus' mode of counting the stamens was in firU force. It has since been proved, iu many other instances as well as in the Geraniaceas, that the number of sta- mens is a variable feature, and not to be relied on for generic distinctions. All the wUd erodiums, pelargoniums, and geraniums, have ten stamens, and all of them have half that number of seeds. These stamens are defective ft-om three to five in different species, that is, three to five out of the ten bear false anthers, or none at all. All the cultivated hybrid varieties of pelargoniums have only seven stamens as their greatest number, the abortive ones having given way under cultivation ; but some have only five stamens, and of these some are fertile and some are not, so that the more the stamens of Geraniaceae are studied with a view to family dis- tinctions the less perceptible these distinctions ap- pear. They are evidently of the same importance here as in the rhododendron, rhodora, and azalea, that is, of no importance at all. The next feature to distingiush these two so-called families is a regu- lar and irregular corolla, or the petals being regular in the one and irregular iu the other ; tliis is a poor and very slender pretension to build a family name on. jMore than one-half of the wild pelargoniums have their petals almost, if not altogether, exactly of the same size, and of course regular ; and among the erodiums, which is only a well marked section, many THE COTTAGE GARDENER. have equal-sized petals, aud many tlie contraiy, so that the i-ei^'iilarity of the petals as a generic dis- tinction is obliged to he conti'avened hy a sti-ing of exceptions. If wo turn to the hard-beaked style when ripe, on which the fanciful names have heen founded, we are in no better plight. Pelargonium means stork's bill, from pelargos, a stork ; geranium is derived from geranos, a crane, that is, crane's bill ; and erodium iVom erodios, a heron, or heron's biU. Now, a good practical bu-dsman (ornithologist) no doubt could distinguish the hills or bealcs of these bu-ds from each other at a glance, for they say that if Professor Owen were shown even a tooth or a nail of a didledum-dee he could tell what sort of a crea- ture it was; but if you take a handfirl of the beaks of all the sections of geraniums, and shake them in a box, there is not a man in existence that will know them from each other at sight, and not one in a thousand with a magnifier and dissecting apparatus could teU then- differences. Therefore, although I acquiesce in the name pelargonium, I protest against its validity; and I maintain that those who prefer the old name, geranium — and I am one of them — have the law of priority, aud the best part of the laws of botanical nomenclature, on theii- side. D. Beaton. HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. TnE greatness and wisdom of a designer are ren- dered most conspicuous when contrasted with the simplicity of the means by which striking results are accomplished. True grandem' and real simplicity are ever found in Juxtaposition and harmony. Mag- nificent means imd striking, dazzling, maclrinery for accomplishinr;' ;i mi^i'o cnniinnn rosnlt rirn orirlritros of povrrlv .,r uAAW\ :u„l w. ;iKiir:,-, ol' ,„Tf,.|,li,ii,, There i ■nmrl, .inliM- Hull, in llir mM ^hI;,-,', •■ . I good innininni iicr.r xfoml sliJI Jnr innii <;/' a tiinir because, for many purposes, lie would make for himself one on the spot, and perform the operation several times over while a thoughtless workman was hunting a neighbourhood to pi'ocure a suitable in- stnunent. In gardening, these principles are con- stantly being developed. The most striking results are not always obtained where the means are the most cuiiimauilin^'. Tiiic the man who progi'esses undtT ilillinilhc, will lii' ihc most ajjt to excel when tliese nli,triirlHiii, mv iniMived, jirovided the same dihgcuco aud auwcaricil application were manifested in the one case as in the oilier; and such are the vaen that, in a great many instances, now occupy the high places of tlic field. We say jimi-idcd, because liw'c isthelHiiht; IWl- tlinn;.!. ,,r:'lu ,:r...,l 1„ ,| vA,r» :,11 its gi'ouped beds as well filled when the manager was obliged to stow away his plants in different houses as best he could as when he had pits and conveni- ences expressly for the purpose. I know a worthy old gardener who makes a poirit of cutting cucumbers every mouth in the year, aud was considered quite a don in liis younger days, who candidly infoi-med mo ho did lint, think he was more successful after all the iiniirnvrnniil- than he used to be with his dung hot- li. il Xnu, in all these cases, the seeming discrepancy is nw iiiL; |wn lly to the want of the wonted attention, ami |Kiiil\ In ihr practice of looking at and admiring Kn|Hn inr siinciures, imagining that they will do more for ns Ilia II Ihry possibly can, without a continuance of om- care and energy. Among all the advances made in gardening none are more conspicuous than those having reference to plant houses, and those structm-es for the growhig of the tender and the forcing of the hai'dier fruits, so as to bring them into use at desii-ahle periods. In everything connected with these, simplicity and adaptation to the end in view, rather than mere external effect, should be attended to. This gi-owing taste for flowers, fruit, and vegetables, out of season, is generally associated with great advancement in cultivation and refinement ; but it shovdd never bo forgotten that such refinements may dwindle down into a mere matter of fashion, and as such possess but few humanising tendencies. When the love of flowers became a passion under the latter consuls and the earlier emperors of Rome, luxury was predominant, vice was rampant, and the manly virtuns nl' llic rarly shni rrpiibliriins gone. No ehastnljiil ln\n n!' thr lr,>aulirill ill llnwrvs could ever have entcrrd the inind nl' llm hlnmly Nevn, hnt n mere dehiro uf display, when lor on'o su|ipei- ihn llnral decorations cost thirty thousand iminnh- l.ni u;s hope that in ouv case the refiuo- iianil whirl, ilii' study of vegetation ]iroduces may and uv;il.; rlli nni v, hul li- n|.lir],l and rendered still ijiniv lu-li.iii< hoMn-r hlriMh^l with the purc in feeluig a,ud the chnstiauly-iunral in aeliuii. HoTiiEDS. — ^It is not our intention to give a history of the forcing of vegetation under the various phases which it presents, but wo will at ditt'orcnt times advert to the various methmls nl' ihiivi!' .;,, and ihe principles to be attended in in nnha- m -mnv nrn- noniy and success. As ih-' lii^t Ihai uennally en- ea.m'S the attention of the rniijM ;■ ;iii.l ihr aniMnui-. is diminished. Many men without an effort, rise to tlie the rourrlieiiinc' "ale that c ipei and tr.iiispareiLl eiilicn, tliau wlien, owing to the im- provement in their circumstances and the cheap- ness of glass, they had provided themselves with a neat eoiiimndinus Iraine or pit. 1 have, at times, seen betti-r ._;i-;i|irs in a hnilselhal artrd Ihe part of >in oiiiiiiiiiii •/iilliri-iiiii — |ilanH ht'inu' ' slanl.lykept in it fnr dernralinn -Ihaii wlieii Ihal 1 muse was given up to vines alone. 1 liavo seen a llower-garden with dwellings by Hues and pipes, tlipro is no evidence to show that they ever thought of such means for tlio growth of plants. Besides the growing of cucum- bers and melons, such hotbeds, wbetlier miide in n pit or with a wooden box set over tlieui. are i\liciuely uselid for striking the cuttings nl nudni- |ihiii|s, forwarding them wlion struck, and iilsn lor grow ini; tender annuals, for the decoration of tlic stove and August THE COTTAGE GARDENER. other houses. Whe will grow tbevo will where else. The i., thill"- will, vouie'- I.e eiiiisi.' pracl. oldi'Sl, iknui tliis season, eut their hii be ^nit to tl along m a, < arm, to olit my e u'sai be a iiiilei your llUtll nlnir tted your of ea ,e.l, , rth, 0 rly altouded to, plants iauce lo be gained no- r surh beds is a great lie.^iiiini-s : iiiiiiiy disii |r|ioiutments ilrudiiin- In a Ic'H siinplo matters. aiiTil aiv sometimes onUvilted, be- ids to loo liold a, e(,inlideu(;c. The ,Ye ]]orii twilled with the question I! lull llici/ liiid hisl since they had 5 '.' (^iiieslious as lu'ovooative might 'a|iiniied IVatornity wlien scudding oriiiiii^', with a hat-box under their aids Irom a i'ortrmate neighbour to rejjlace those lliey had lost. Even at the distance of many years I can perfectly see a jolly rubicund face stretclicd out of a window as 1 passed on a similar errand, while the exclamation boimded in [ bi-iMmbt the warm blood into my cheeks, aiurd out, eh!" Well, this steam must liy oiii' of three ways: first, by turning uliiiL; matter, such as dung and leaves, li I leclly sweet, that is, until all the sul- ydroLji'ii has gone ; secondly, by covering llirr in [lit or fi'ame, with such a thickness ' of manure nearly decomposed, that the beat will rise through it, and the deleterious steam be absorbed in its passage, so as not to reach the enclosed atmospliere ; and thirdly, by having a bottom of slali' in your pit, with a flue of slate or galvanised iron all round, so that, the fermenting matter being thrown niideinealli, the heat will rise tlirough the bottom aud all round the sides without the possibility of steam. By the last, no previous working of the ma- nure will be necessary, but you merely obtain heat ; by the first, there is more trouble but more satisfaction, as the plants are not only supplied, with heat, but with the residts of the slow decomposition of organised material. The second, wlien once you have gained a Uttle experience, you will find for all, and especially for temporary purposes, the most economical for time, labour, aud material. The timiing of such a bed when the heat declines, and the addition of a few barrowfuls of hot fermenting material at the bottom, will have more effect than surroundmg it with cart-loads in the shape of lining. " But how shall I know whether the atmosphere of my bed is siceet or not ?" Lift up the light tlrat covers it; if the drops of water con- densed upon its bars are tinged with yellow or brown, trust the bed with notliing. If the di'ops are clear as the dew, put in it what you will, but even then leave a little air at the top, to be doubly safe. But bow make or build the bed? We have rather put the I'avt boloi-e the horse, and we ca.nnot now give miniitia', liutju-..l revolve in your mind the two follow- ing i|iir.-;lions. and you will soon be beyond the reacli of our insiinclious. What causes the heat in your 1 leap of manure ? Fermentation or decomposition. What ensures that decomposition? Warmth, water, air. Oxygen is not merely the life preserver, it is also the life destroyer, and the vulture that then gorges on its remains. Decompose your bed too much, and there will be nothing left for the oxygen of the air to burn, and coldness will ensue ; build your bed too close or deep, and, as the air cannot penetrate, fei-mentation and heat will be arrested ; biuld it lightly of dryish material, and beat will also fail, because the air without moistiu'e cannot carry on the decomposing process. Ponder these facts, and you wUl soon be able to make a bed that will retain for a long period its heating properties, by consolidating what is light, aud lightening by means of biishwood, &c., what is dense ; by workiug, in shprt, not merely according to rule, but by suiting your operations to yoiu' circumstances. Robeot Fish. THE KITCHEN-GAEDEN. AsPAit.\Gus. — Attend to the instructions given in our last number, and keep the beds well cleared fi'om weeds. Cabbages and CAULiri.owEns. — Do not negleet the last sowings of cabbages, so that an abundance of plants may be secured, ready for pricking out thickly on sloping banks, to stand through the winter. About the middle of this month another sowing of cauli- flower may still be made. To afibrd a good supply for winter consumption, continue to plant out a suc- cession, so that plenty of plants may be coming on ill readiness for taking up throughout the months of October and November, to be stored away thickly to- gether in temporarily made pits of turf, fern, heath, or furze, or to be bung up by their roots and stems, tied up in bunches, in temporary sheds : these sheds may very soon be knocked up by any handy labourer, either as a lean-to or span-roofed structure. We save all oin- asparagus-stalks, artichoke-stems, bean-stalks, and pea-haidm, and also procure furze, heath, fern, evergreen prunings, and, indeed, all, kinds of refuse, in order to form these temporary pits, sheds, and shelters, when needed; they are also excellent places for storing the good healthy soils for cucumbers, me- lons, early carrots, and turnips, as well as for all kinds of potting pm-poses. Celbby. — Attend to the directions given last week, and earth up carefully such as may be ready for the operation, but do not be in too much haste about ap- plying the earth ; and, we must repeat, take care also not to smother or injure the heart of the celery by applying too large a quantity. Routine Work. — Endive should be again sewn, and a succession of the earlier plants put out on borders, sloping banks, or quarters. Sow also, on a liberal scale, about the middle of the month , the best kinds of lettuce, such as the Egyptian brown cos, the Bath, and the Hammersmilh hanhj cabbage lettuce, ior ^^'inter use. Onions shoidd now be sown to stand the winter, which almost any variety will do if sown on a dry healthy spot : they should be sown pretty thickly. About the 12tli instant is a good time for sowing full crops of the Flanders or prickly kinds of spinacli: the soil should be well prepared, in a shel- tered dry situation or a wai-m border, by the applica- tion of a good dressing of manure, and the seed should be sown in drills from one foot to eighteen inches apart. Collect materials together for making mushroom beds in succession; and, as the nights are now getting longer, and will soon become cold, a slight addition should be made to the linings of cacmnber and nieloH pits and frames, by topping up with litter or short grass-mowings, tkc. James Babkes. MISCELLANEOUS INTOEMATION. MY FLOWERS. (No. 38.) Bright, and warm, and beautiul, as is the month of August — rich and glowing as are its flowers — we always feel that it is now autumn, and tliere is some- thing that saddens us in that thought, bummer is so delightful to mind and body, the out-of-door life we lead is sa agreeable, ajid the, length of days so cheerful u& and couvenient, that, in spite of tlie pleasant fireside and family gatherings together of whiter, we do not cordially hail its approach. The first bunch of fading leaves on the lime-trees always gives me a kind of mental overthrow for two or three minutes; and when the harvest is gathered in, it seems like the last boat quitting the departing ship. Yet, how good is every season in its turn ! How mercifidly are they adapted not only to our wants and necessities, but even to our coinfort ! Winter, with all its cold and discomfort, could we part with it? Would not the very sunshine weary ns, if it lasted the whole year round ? And where would our cottage gardens be if we dwelt in perpetual summer? There are no cot- tage gardens within the tropics, whore winter is un- known. No, let us gratefully receive each wholesome change of season : some are less pleasing than others, but all are good; and even this very month dis- plays to us one of God's tender provisions for our winter pleasures, to cheer and beautify the months in which flowers cease to bloom. Those beautiful, wonderful plants, the Everlastings, blossom in tins and the two next months, and their flowers, in all their richness of shape and colour, become dry, and remain totally unaffected by decay. We do not, per- haps, sufliciently consider this remarkable quality, so very opposite to the nature of every other flower, and so singulai'ly suited to the tastes and enjoyments of man. The winter nosegay may, thus, be always pleasing. These lively flowers placed among the leaves of evergreens, and interspersed with any other bud or blossom we may chance to meet with in our usually mUd winters, wiU give a bright and summer- like air to the dark and cloudy days when fire and candle chiefly prevail. The everlastings have no English name; then- botanical name is Helichry- sum, from Greek words, meaning ' sim' and ' gold.' There are a great many varieties, and they are all natives of hot climates. The yellow variety, called " love everlasting," grows abunclautly on some of the Asiatic mountains — on Carmel, and on Lebanon. The crimson flowering plant is particularly said to grow on the Mount of Olives, that sacred spot to which the heart of the Christian ever turns with deep emotion. How mucli may these flowers, then, tell us even of scriptural things ! Of Carmel, so full of remembrances of the prophet Elijah ; of Le- banon, whose forests supphed the timber for the first splendid temple, " the ftgure of the true ;" and of "the mount called Olivet," which witnessed, and shall witness, scenes which no thoughts can image or pen describe, but which every eye shall see and every heart believe. The heliohi-ysum also flourishes in the southern parts of Africa; the wavy-leaved species grows wild in New Holland; and one beautiful white variety, tipped with pink, is brought fi-om Swan River. Our winter bouquet, therefore, spealis of many lands, and seems to unite us to many sons and daughters of our own dear' British soU, tilling and toihng in those thstant regions ; some, perhaps, very dear to us ; and all, as fellow countrymen, claiming an interest in our heai'ts. There is another genus of these everlasting flowers, called Zeranthemums : they are all natives of the south of Europe, and tho dUlereut varieties have purple, white, or red flowers ; only one is yellow. /cranthonnims retain thek bcaiil\ I'': ^^ \, 111 \. ,M ,, 'I'Ik' globe amaranth, too, m;iv I I I 1 1 1 1 : ; and has been, fi'om the eai-lii I . , , I .11 I :il decoration. In Franco and I'm I il;_;;il, I li;i\i ninl. ijuiy still \vi'eath6 it with other flowers, lu ailoi-u the lomb. 'This plant is a na- tive of tho island of Sumatra. There are a groat variety THE COT'TAGE GAllDENEll. ArousT of amaranths cultivated in England ; that which is called " love lies bleechng" has variegated leaves : it is a wild flower of China, Persia, and India. The Prince's Feather is an amaranth ; its long floating plumes aro very elegant, but I have scarcely ever seen it; it is in flower now, and so is the three- coloured amaranth, which is a very pretty vaa-iety : it also comes from the burning east, but adapts itself very socially to our cool climate, and blooms from .Time tiU September, which makes it a very useful ad- chtion to om' borders. During this month we may collect seeds from many plants. The safest way, in case a lady has no intention of altering or fresh earthing her borders, is to dig or tread the seeds in immediately. Self-sown annuals are always the earliest and the hardiest, and most frequently the handsomest. I have known sweet peas planted late hi the autumn, and tliey have thriven extremely well. If we coidd keep our borders quiet, it might be worth while to consider whether autumn-sowing would not be always the better way; but the spring raking, and weeding, and putting to rights, would probably disturb and uijroot the tender young plants. A friend of mine always sows her seeds of eve]y kind in large pots or boxes, filled with good soil ; there the seedlings from them remain, in a suitable situation, till old enough to be pricked out. This might be done in autumn, and they would then be ready for spring planting when the beds and borders are aU put into proper order — thereby avoiding the risk of destroying the seedlings. Perhaps some lady may, like mysrlf, ipidiTiaki' this experiment; and if we are, by tlic IiIi-^sIhl; d God, spared till another spring, wo yn:\\. y. ili;iii>. iu our simplicity, throw :t ii_;'ii n; ni, ili- !..,,iirii of cottage gardening, as SIT ill iL . I'li soil always transplant with li Kikenfroma hotbed, whose In Ml. r limii^ m , n uni so complete a change. Seeds when gathcrtd should bo tho- rouglily di'ied in tlie sun, and then kept in brown paper bags in a very dry place. If we save om- owa. seed, we are sure of its being good, which is not always the case when we buy it; and it is rather an amusing occupation to th-y, and silt, and fold it uji. It is a usefid oocupation too, as it reminds us of much by wliich we may profit. As we separate the broken seed-vessels and all the woi-thless particles that have mingled with the " good seed," a deep and awful parable imfolds itsell'; and, even by our own simple action of scattering "tlie chafl"' to tlio winds or into the fire, we are reminded of the sure and dreadful fate of the ungodly. In how many ways wisdom " uttereth her voice!" how imwcaricdly " she crieth at the gates !" IIORTICULTUEAL SOCIETY'S SHOW, .lui.Y 11 Til. We now couchulc mir noiirrs ,.1' lliis rxldliition. Tai.l Cacti wcrr rxliilHli'd m iilunis of ninrl, Ics altitude than at llic .liinr sin Stanley, giirdeurr to II. I'.nvii-, tion were srviTal w .Ol-liloniiii'il larly -Kjiijilii/lhtiii tnnufhiiiiniiii Second ]iri/.i', t.i .\lr. (iii. ii : plants well-flowered ; our, n.nn I I' i i .l.l'niu i/miiii, had immense flowers of 1 1 i . i .i .m Imr. Coi.LEorioNoi'Fiii-TKMN I "I I lirsi |,rizc, to Mr. Mylam. Three nr r.i.ir y.i' ;i..;ii .Mr. .\l. had scarcely a heath under his caie, ami now, by good management, his collection is brouglit to such a state si 1.1-i/..'. Mr. In llus colloe- auts, jJarticu- iiis .ipeciosus. soveral nice AUGUS THE COTTAGE GARDENER. of perfection as to surpass the oldest competitors. His lot was composed of young li ealthy fi-eely-grown plauts ; the most remarkable were, Erica parmentierimut rosea, 2 ft. high, 3 ft. through; this is one of the most beau- tiful hcatlis in cultivation. E. siivih'ana, a dense hush, covei-ed witli its rosy-coloured globe-shaped blossoms; 7'7. victnhrlhra hicolur, an immense plant, v. fL hi-li. Wl n. tbrnu,.j;h ; E. (Wijmllareandira.iih. by ■-'." It. ; /','. hijhitii. wilh its long tubular flowers in gre;ii br.uily, ; ' 11. by '..'.Ht. Second prize, to Mr. ymitli. gaiildui'i- 1(1 S. Uuifter, Esq., of Norwood. This coUectiou wfis very little inferior to tlie preceding, with the ON.cc])tiouof two or tlu'ee scarcely in bloom. The best we noticed were. Erica massoni, a gi'and spe- cimen of a heath difficult to cultivate, 3^ ft. by 3^ ft. ; E. shannoniana, also a splendid plant, 3 ft. by 3 ft. ; the rare E. ohovata, a low dense bush, 1 ft. high by 2 ft. through ; and a beautiful new heath, E.princeps templea, with bright shining crimson blossoms. Collection of Nine Cape Heaths. — 1st prize, to Mr. Green. Like all Mr. Green's productions, his heaths were brought out in the best condition. We can only notice a few of the best : — Erica massoni, 2 feet iiy 2| feet; E. saviUana, 1| by 2 feet; E. jasmhiiflora alha, 3 feet by 3 feet; E. tricolor coro- nata, 2 feet by 2^ feet. 2nd prize, to Mr. Taylor, gardener to I. Costar, Esq., Streatham. This was a well grown collection. The best were, E. motulm- flora bicolor, 3^ by 3 feet; E. Bergiana, a large densely flowered plant; E. elegans, rather failing, but a line plant ; E. Irhtjana, 3 feet by 3 feet. Fuchsias. — Some iine specimens of culture were exhibited, and Mr. May, of Beckenham, obtained the first prize for a splendid plant of FucJtsia coral- Una, eight feet high, clothed with branches and flowers down to the pot. Mr. Gregory, nurseryman, of Cirencester, obtained a prize for a plant gi-afted with fifteen varieties. This was a new feature in the culture of this charming tribe, and certainly had a pleasing appearance. Fkdit. — The Society offered three prizes for collec- tions of dissimilar fruit, but only one was exhibited ; it came from Mr. Fleming, gardener to the Duke of Sutherland, at Trentham. This collection the judges did not think was in the highest perfection, and so gave it the middle prize, ilO. It consisted of three Queen and two Providence pines, four bunches of black Hamburgh gi-apes, one of Muscats, two dishes of peaches, and two melons. Upon the whole, it was a goodly lot of well grown fruit, and did credit to the exhibitor. Queen Pines (private growers). — Mr. Jones, gar- dener to Su- John Guest, had the finest four fruit, varying in weight from 4 lbs. to 4 lbs. 12 oz. Pbovidence Pines (private growers). — Mr. Flem- ing, a handsome and the largest fi-uit, 10 lbs. 4 oz. Mr. Jones sent a good Jamaica pine, weighing 3 lbs. 12 oz. Gkapes. — The heaviest bunch, was a West's St. Peter, 4 lbs. 7 oz. It came from Mr. TurnbuU. Mr. Fleming showed a bunch of White Nice, 4 lbs. 2 oz. Peaches. — Mr. Snow, gardener to Earl de Grey, sent six of as fine fruit as we ever saw. Mr. Spencer had also fine dishes of Royal George and Noblesse peaches ; Mr. Fleming, a dish of Noblesse ; Mr. Tm-nbull, of Early Purple ; Mr. Ferguson, of Ayles- bury, of Royal George. Nectarines. — Mr. Parker sent Elruge, Violette Hative, and Taverney kinds ; Mr. Turnbull, Elnige ; Mr. Munro, gardener to Mrs. Oddie, Red Roman. Melons. — -The heaviest came from Mr. Munro, 7f lbs., Hatfield's Green-flesh. Mr. Carson> gardener to W. Farmer, Esq., C lbs., Oliver's hybrid. Best flavoured, Mr. Bundy, gardener to Lord Dynever, Cuthill's Scarlet-flesh. CHEnmES (in dishes, 1 lb. each).— Rkflc Tartarian came from Mr. Snow, and vci-v line liny were. Mr. Meyers had the Black Circassiiui ik^mK us lino. Tlie same p'owers showed some splnidiil Kiloii and Big- gareau white clienies. Ste.^wbehkies were exhibited in the finest condi- tion. British Queen and Eleanor, from Mr. El- phinston ; Deptford Pine and Old Pine, from Mr. Whiting. Tropical Fruits came from Mr. Ivison, of Syon House Gardens. They consisted of fruit of the nut- meg, gamboge, cloves, allspice, and vanilla. Mr. Elliott had a plant bearing fruit, in a green state, of the Musa cavendishii. There were many more specimens of fruit, but we have omitted all but the finest. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Bees (A Sulscriher}.— On no account "late in the nutumn tie up your hives in canvas bags, and hang them up in a cellar till spring." They might survive such treatment, but in more instances would be ruined, a.s in a similar case mentioned at p. 204 of this volume. Peotectino Flowers (Well-wislii^r).— Your calceolarias, ver- benas, petunias, and geraniums, must be taltcn up from vour borders and have the shelter of a dry frame, to be well proteetecl from frost, during the winter. Cut down your fuchsias as soon as their leaves have suffered from the first frost, and heap over the roots a mound six or eight inches deep of coal ashes. You cannot do better than to plunge the pots within the frame in coal ashes. You may sow gera- nium, cineraria, and calceolaria seed, but you will see what we said at p 236 of our last number. Your Aucuha japnnica, if in the open ground, ought not to have naked stems ; stop each of its shoots, and cover over the roots with mulch now, and always in summer j your soil must be too poor and dry for it. Advertisements {A Friend Uninovni) .—These help to enable us to increase our size without increasing our price. Strawberries (E. G., L.). — These, raised from runners of 1847, may now be planted out in beds, and will produce fruit next year, if properly watered in dry weather this autumn. Sea Kale (Ibid). — Although your plants are nine years old, we think you may move them, and divide them so as to form a new plantation. well stored and second must not be planted nearer than five feel raspberries do very well three feet apart, and even t\ be too near if they are trained to a trellis. Name op Moth (A Young Entomologist).— It moth (Clisiocampa neusiria), figured and described j {A Young Reader).— kt pp. tion you require. We cannot tell you " how to improve a poor soil" unless we know whether it is heavy or light, chalky, clayey, or sandv. Wire-worms (Stephen Gilbert).— You say that you read in some newspaper of some clergyman having found that soda ash destroys these destructive vermin. This has been often stated, and we should like to have a repoit of some accurate experiments upon the subject. Indefinite hearsay is not worthy of being depended upon. Flded Wall (An East Lothian Subscriber). — You ask us whe- ther we think you can ripen the peach and apricot on a wall built as under, with a flue inside running along the bottom and returning along the middle of the wall ; there are only two turns of the flue, which are nine inches by fifteen inches, but the wall is built of dry rubble work in the centre, between and above the flues, so that the heat may diffuse itself through the wall ; the wall is to be of sand- stone, ten feet high, two feet wide at bottom, and twenty inches at top ; the border concreted, and several inches of drainage on the concrete, with a good slope to carry the water off freely and rapidly. Keeping in view the coldness of the climate, and allowing that the border will be kept very carefully mulched in dry weather, you also ask what depth should the border be, and how wide ? The exposure will he a very little west of south.— Your wall and flue arrangement is good, only we would narrow or run the wall in more towards the top — we shoidd say to sixteen or eighteen inches. Your flues are well placed and suflieient for the purpose ; you will, of course, leave holes at distances for cleaning. Your concreting must have a good slope, and the rubble in contact with it should be quite porous and 1 order to c point we beg you to secur border : this we consider : success. The surface THE COTTAGE GARDENER. ACGCST should ho half its volume above the ordinary ground level. Half vard will be the most eligible depth, and^this should the main of maiden using as much turfy material land, of a/ree, loamy character ; „ be got, but not a particle of ma- uu.c'- the latter will be wisely applied in the character of top dress- inc in dry periods. There is no necessity to make the border wider than seven feet on ace-— -' •'- —" '"'"■ "™-'1" » '•""■"■' """- jecting eight or ten in these provisions, you i ichos square and nine inches deep will be large enough to hold, during the wmter, all the bees that Pray provide a coping, pro- id some canvas or other covering. With : are assured, bid defiance to the frosts or storms of the Lothians. (Apis, Southport). "' e large enough t _- .^ _._ ___ it, and an additional small hive. You should take the honey from the small hive as soon as you see the combs are sealed up (see p. 105 of this volume). If your bees are now flghtmg, they are probably killing the drones, a contest which usuaUy makes them irri- table. . ,,, „ Eeeoes.— At p. 209, eol. 2, " Finish layering as soon as possible," in line 23 from top, kIiouIiI be added to hue 22, as it relates to eama- titin^ riiul iiir-tn,^, A^ ii.2e-_', on]. '2, line .39, for " five stamens" re;!,! • 11 . ., ,1,1, . , :,, ,- I'.iii [lM^ is not invariable in the erodium. ^i.,. \, I, i ,, I lie subject of its characters. At n lM ' I i;ilow" read "above." ■^^ I , I ,,, , , ,. , ,,,rn^,i: ^uli^cnber). — If you are acquainted will suit tlic Koclua liilcatarwitli this difference, that the latter is best increased from offsets, which arc produced freely by every flowering plant. Mr. Beaton latelv promised an article on the crassulas, to which Rochea is allied, and no doubt he will include it as a branch of the subject. Geranium Cottings {An Amateur).— T^e&i are best taken as soon after the plants flowering as they can be obtained. With regard to your reference to Dr. Lindley's " Theory of Horticulture," never mind theories untested bv practice, and the case you refer to is in point. It is best not to put moss or anything else in the space be- tween the two pots when double-potting is adopted. Anything of the sort so put induces the roots to get out between the two pots, and thus the remedy agaiost scorching the roots is instrumental to their de- Pi..\NTS keati'Glass (74irf).— Keeping plants "well up to the glass" dnps often prove detrimental to their vigour and growth in the hcighth of summer. When Mr. Macintosh says that it is essential to have them as close as possible, he means, no doubt, during winter. Small plants, and often large ones too, get scorched when placed on shelves near the glass at any time from May to September, and arc benefitted by being so placed during the other months ot the year. Roses done Floweeikg (W. P. i.).— By all means cut oil the flower stems of your roses of all kinds down to the first strong wood bud. Perpetuals will flower all the stronger for it, and so will China Noisettes and Bourbons. Gallicas, Moss, and Provence roses, though not benefitted particularly by this operation, will look aU the neater for it, and for that alone it is worth while to do it. Sowing Polvanthus and Geeanium Seed (One m'/ioSosuhoo* inhcr Father's GorrfCT,).— Every family ought to have such nook cultivators. The best time of the year to sow the polyanthus is the spring, about the month of April. You may either sow it in a warm border in light earth, and thinly covered with the same, or m a box of such a size as you may have seeds sufficient for. "When the seed- lings are up, and have grown so as to have four or five;leaves, trans- Slant them into a shady border, and there they may remain till they owcr. Geranium seed may be sown now, provided you have a green- house to winter the plants in ; if not, delay sowing till spring. The seedlings require a little heat to bring them up. Sow them m shallow pots in light soil, cover the seed thinlv, and transplant the seedlings four in a pot four inches wide almost as soon as they come up. Keep them in those pots throughout winter, then transplant them agam singlv into three-inch pots, repotting them twice into larger pots, and then let them flower. If you sow in the spring, treat them in a : throi .^iiles of the pots. I1i.- leaves are brown and I, iLiains green, and from lit (town all to below the 11 one. Should those cut iluays look shabby unless ; out of bloom is the right down produce others, still tiie i>hitii:, \m you cut them down. Immediately they time to prune all cacti. Tkee Mignonette (/4W).— Stop all the side shoots, as directed at p. 38, but preserve the leading shoot untouched. Diseased Cucdmbees (S.).— Your bed seems to have been well prepared, with the exception that the soil, which, being of equal parts maiden loam, decayed leaves, and rotten manure, is too rich. The leaves ot the plants turn yellow, their stems canker andbleed, butlittlc fruit sets, and that which does exudes a gummy matter that hardens on its surface ; but the chief of the fruit are abortions, such at that vou enclosed, the blossom end of which is yellow, shrunk, and ulcer- ated. We believe all this mischief arises from the heat ot the bed having declined, and too much water being given. You left ofl' giving water as soon as you saw the plants were diseased, but that was too late— the mischief had been done. No three contingencies could occur at one time to cucumber plants more certain of producing disease than a rich stimulating soil, with too low a temperature and Steiking Cuttings in Phials (W. P., Islington).— The ends ot the cuttings may not only touch the mould in the phials, and not merely be suspended in the water over it, but the mould may cover a bud of the cutting. When the roots arc an inch long, the cuttings may be removed. Water without mould will do. ASPAEAOUS Beds (T. K. B.).— At page 113 ot our first volume, Mr. Barnesgives very full directions how the soil should be prepared we recommend you to incorporate with it as much soot as you can procure, say a bushel to two square yards, besides the other manure. If you cannot obtain soot, use as much of fine coal aahes. The giant asparagus is the best variety. Black Coeeant Plant.ition (Jiii).— Pare ofl" the turf from the piece of grass land on -which you intend to plant, put it in a heap and turn it frequently ; it will make capital soil for potting and otherpur- pnses. Trench your ground all over in the autumn, and |)lant at the end of October. Decayed turf and leaf mould arc cajiital manures for the kitchen-garden. Habeothamniis fasciculatus (WM).— This, we think, wdl grow on vour' south wall, though in an exposed part of Kent, es- peciollj if the border be well drained. Beniemhcr the great point is for the plant to ripen its wood wiU before the winter arrives. HoT-BBns (.f. M., Pentom-ille).— You will find some directions about constructing these in our paper to-day. The best time for raising geraniums and fuchsias from cuttings is directly after they have done blooming. The latter may be raised from leaves (sec di- rections, vol. i., p. 221). Refldfming your pots with ochre will not injure the plants in them. i . 11 som-bud. The for ' ' '' ,: ,' ", .m.dish planting is fully ilf^i I ,,,,., i i, . FOULTEY ir. ,i;, I • |,l;il.lC. Will you obliite u- !■ ' ,■ 1, ' •',,, . ■'■ -I |,iii.iir,,v,jn, but the flow. the ccnti the bolt.. (.).— Take a male blossom, cut off i central parts or anthers gently on ■male blossom to be set. Keep up E (H. Samge).— One so small as "le frost kept you propose, by a sniau tin case heated by a jet of gas, with a flow iind return pipe, also of tin, and two inches in diameter, running_ round the house, or even along the front, near the floor. The jet of gas must burn entirely outside the house, for not only is its consump- tion of oxygen gas objectionable, but the gases it produces when burnt are highly injurious to plants. Answers to your other questions MuSDEOOH Spawn (S. Sm!77i).— This is the name given to the kind of under-ground roots, ha\nng a white fibrous appearance, by which the mushroom is propagated. The other question is not within our province, but may be noticed some day in a treatise on pig- keeping. VillUi .—Your case resembles 1 autuma for | I the following spring. Aa your soil is heavy, that ot Potatoes foe Seed {A Subscriber, Helston). — Let them remam in the ground until the steins are quite yellow, then take them up, and store them in a dry shed in alternate layers with earth. Green- ing them, by exposure to the sun and weather, is decidedly an unnatural injurious course to pursiu". Geapes Deopping in a Vineey («. Wyatt).—the roots of your vines are probably too deep and too dry. Kemove some of the soil all round from the stem to the distance of six feet ; put some long dung or mulch into the hole thus made ; give a good soaking of water over the mulch— two or three buekettuls ; and then return on to the nuileh only a part of the earth removed. Cut out all the dis- coloured berries— thev will dccav and infect the others. Geapes Suankin'g l/(e|., W. D. \<-wliu, .— (..iisi.lcralile doubt is entertained as to the cause of this di^, .. , 1 i.i m, ;ii ..i ..pinion that it is oeeasioued in all instances fri.iii I i, ii pro- portionate to the leaf-action. This umi 1,,' roots being kept in a climate tjuile diflVrin-i' 1 1 ' i, . Ii.' leaves the 19th of June, now runii. Ill: ! I ' . - ' ''/.'".«'.'. as gardeners terra it, was ..e. ..- - [,!;.iits in the seed-bed under somcunf.n,, I, i,.,: ,..,.,, , ,, j. ..I.aldy did not prick-out the secdliii-^, :..i.l i. i i .lin. i... ,h; .ircniii- stances checldng the formation nf ro.its. luid consci|iirntIy promoting the formation of the flower, or seed-producing parts. This is a con- sequence influencing .all vegetables ; if you check the development of the roots you hasten that of the flowers. Name of Plant {E. G. R.). — Yours is Leiicesleria formnsa. a native of Nepal, and of the easiest culture ; it can be multiplied either by cuttings, layers, or seeds. Tlio first plant we had of it has the plants, whether young or old, all stand nuv winters well at Win- chester, and thrive under the drip of other trees. It is said to form u good underwood or shelter for game. London: Printed by Harey Wooldeidge, 147, Strand, in the Parish of Saint Mary-le-Strand ; and Winchester High-street, in the Parish of St. Mary Kalendar ; and Published by William SOMEEVILLB Ore, at the Oflice, 147, Strand, in the Parish of Saint Maiy-lc-Strnnd, London.— August gth, 1849, THE COTTAGE GARDENER. WEEKLY CALENDAR. M w D AUGUST Ifi— 23, 1849. Plants deiUcatcd to each day. EUea. Sun Sets. Moon R. ■indScts. Moon's Age. Clodt hef. Sun. Day of 17 18 19 20 Tir. F. S. SaN. M. To. W. Gveenliiioli's son|Tr ceases. Bs. OF Kent n. 178G. Barley cut. Devil's-bit Scabious flowers. 11 S. AFT. Tein. Common Tansy flowers. Small Copper butterfly seen. Sun's decliu. Vi" 5' N. Belladonna Lily. Sn apdragonToad-flax African Marigold, Rough Cat's-tail ,q-rass Autumn Dandelion. French Maiigold. Meadow Cat's-tail grass. 40 a. 4 50 02 .53 55 57 58 19 a. 7 17 15 13 11 7 2 31 3 43 sets 7 a 5a 8 19 8 43 9 8 28 z 2 3 4 4 2 3 49 3 23 3 10 2 55 2 41 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 The l6th of this month is St. Rochets day, and only requires notice because it was the day generally selected for the celebration of " har- vest home.'* " Sound as St. Roche" is an old adage, alluding to the general belief in Catholic times that he was miraculously cured of the plague. Phenomena op the Season.— Continuing our observations upon the modes adopted by their Creator for the diffusion of seeds, we may commence by observing that the all-wise care which this manifests for the preservation of the species is further demonstrated in the vastness of the number of seeds which most plants produce. Let anv one count the number of seeds produced even by the pea, bean, radi-sh, or any other cultivated vegetable, and he will be surprised to find that, if only ordinarily ])roductivc, not one of them yields less tlian from thirty to oik; hundred-fold. Yet many plants are still more extraordinarily productive. A single stalk of Indian corn {'Lea ■muiis) has borne at once '2000 grains ; one elecampane plant {Corvi- snrtia Helenhan) has yielded 3000 seeds; the common sunflower {Htlianthus annuu^), 400O ; the poppy (Papaner aomniferjim) 32,000 ; one capsule of tobacco {Nicotiana tabaciim), 1000; and one similar seed vessel of vanilla (V. (irnuuUica), 15,000. The second provision we shall notice for the dispersion of seeds to a distance from their parent plant is the elastic force with which some are thrown out from their seed vessel. This is very conspicuous in the garden balsam (Impatiens noli'me-tangere), and both its names refer to its seed vessels being apparently impatient if touched. These seed vessels ke a berry, but when ripe, if touched, they split into ' valves, curl back violently, and discharge the seed to a distance of several yards. The cones of the fir tribe contract during hot weather until they split with a loud crack, and throw out the seed with considerable force. If many thus explode at once the noise is considerable, so much so that IMr. Keith relates of two of his pupils that, having noticed it in a specimen of the stone pine {Pinus pineu), they thought it was supernaturally influenced until the cause of its explosions was explained. A le^s loud, yet joyous, crackling noise may be heard at this time of the year by any one walking among bushes of the common furze or whin {Utex Europmis) on a hot, suimy day. It is caused by the bursting open of its seed pods, and their'eonscquent scattering the seed around. If the seed fell perpen- dicularly where it grew, scarcely one of the seedlings would escape suffocation among the thick growth of the mothev-bush. The most remarkable noise attending this bursting of the ripe seed vessel occurs in the sand-box tree (Hura crepitans) : the explosion, it is said, equals in sound that made by the discharge of a small pistol. The contrivance for discharging the seed of the hart's-tongue fern (Asplenium) is very striking. The seed vessel or capsule is a hollow ball, r ' ■ ■ ' halve . to argue mth any sceptic who refused to acknowledge in these de monstrations not only of their Great Artificer, but that '* in wisdom He had made them all." (for by all these t Ts. — We do not before remcm- ive seen the Froth insect, Cue- pit, Froth-hopper, or Frog-hopper, "■ the popular names refer cither to the saliva-like froth in which it buries itself ; to its jumping powers when full grown, for it is closely allied to the the same time as the cuckoo. It is the Tettigoiiia spumaria of some ento- mologists, and the Ccrcopis, Cicada, or Aphi'opJiora spumaria of others. Its larva enveloped in its froth is especially prevalent upon the young shoots of the white-thorn or quick ; but it also infests the stems of pinks, carnations, lilacs, and many other plants. If the froth be removed, one and sometimes two small, pale green, aphis-like insects are detected. These arc the larva or young of the Froth-fly, and appear like the figure marked c in the annexed woodcut ; b representing the froth it emits. By means of its sharp rostrum or beak it extracts the sap of the plant, and voids it as an excrement in the frothy form which is its character- istic. About the end of July it sheds its skin, leaving it in the froth, and comes forth the perfect insect, as represented by the figure marked AnGUST .841. 1842. 1843. 1844. 1845. 1S46. 1847. .348. 16 temp. Cloudy. Fine. Stormy. Fine. Fine. Fine. Kain. Showery. rio-ss" 89°— 57° 74°— 55° 77°-57° 6l°— 48° 72°-4g° 6s°-6i° 70°-51° Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Firfe. Fine. Cloudy. Cloudv. 80°— 58° 80°— 55° 69°— 47° 69'L'3° Firf&,« 70°-53° 18 Fine. Stormy. Fine. 93°-62° 84°-59° 69°— 43° 7i°— 52° 72°— 54° 85°— 62° 75°— 54° 19 Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Bain. ?»• Cloudy. 77''-47° 73°-6l° 84°— 61° 72°-60° 67°-49° 69°-55° 69°— 42° Fine. Cloudy. Cloudy. Cloudy. Fine. 73°— 57° 72°— 47° 66°— 45° 64°— 59° 71°— 45° 21 Fine. Fine. Fine. 77°-5,'>° 7I°-49° 68°— 39° 70°— 54° 82°— 54° Fine. Rain. Fine. Fine. ^r^- 68"— 54° 83°— 58° 62°— 45° 67°-42° 72°— 19° 67°-48° 65°-44° a; which magnified, and in another attitude, is represented in our se- cond woodcut. About the beginning of the present month the males and females may be found in pairs numerously on the plants they fre- quent. They are of a dirty white colour, thickly dotted and clothed with short hairs ; head broad and bluntly triangular, with black lines down its centre and sides ; eyes, one on each side, near the base of the head ; rostrum long, bent underneath its body when not in use ; antennae ending in a line bristle; thorax and shield {'scutellum), adjoining the back of the head, brownish. The wing cases are brown, mottled with ochre, with four whitish patches on the margin ; .■u„ ..-J... _.: . , iiTidescent. The legs, six in So effectual are they for the purpose that, as Mr. Kirhy states, after shewing their mode of leaping, tlicy will spring five or six feet at a time, being more than 2r)0 times their own length, or " as if a man of ordinary height should be able to vault through the air to the dis- tance of a quarter of a mile." It is not ascertained where the eggs of this insect are de|J0sited, but probably on the stems of the plants on the shoots of which the larva feed. It appears, however, that they can travel after hatching, for seedlings and plants raised from root-cuttings are often affected. We know of no better plan for destroying the insect than drawing the affected shoots between the fingers, and then dipping these into a bowl of water after each grasp. In the case of carnation stems and other flowers, requiring more tender treatment, all the froth m.iy be taken from the insect by means of a piece of sponge, and itself then removed by a camel's- hair brush. No. XLVI., Vol. IL THE COTTAGE GARDENER. August In a former number (No. 40, p. 173) we renew our observations upon Digging, and we now redeem our engagement, confining our observations to the best time for pcrfonning tbe operation, and tbe tool employed. We all know that tbe soil must be dug whenever it is requii-ed for cropping, but as the operation may usually be performed without deti-iment a day earlier or a day later, if there be a reason for so doing, we may observe that usually garden soils are dug ^vith most ease the day after a fall of rain — the sm'l'aoe is then most easily penetrated by the spade, and tlie earth holds better together, so that each spadeful may be cut out and turned over without spilling. In very dry weather, to secure these desirable objects, it is veiy advantageous to soak with water in the even- ing the plot of gi'ound that is to be dug the morning follo\ving. Whilst soil is very wet, or when covered with snow, it shoidd never be dug. In the fonner state it not only increases the laboiu by the greater weight that is to be lifted, and by encumbering or clogging the spade, but the soil cannot be properly broken fine, and after the oooiUTence of a day or two of fine dry weather sinks into uTegularities, owing to the settling down being varied in proportion to the un- certainty of the soil's division : masses of mud always shrink to an extent proportionate to their wetness. Most gardeners object to digging while snow is upon the gi'ound, and, as Dr. Lindley justly observes, the objection is not mere prejudice, for experience proves the bad result of the practice. The evil is owing to the great quantity of heat reqijjred to reduce ice or snow from the solid to the fluitl state. A pound of snow newly fallen requires an equal weight of water, heated to 172°, to melt it, and then the dissolved mixtm-e is only of the temperature of 32°. Ice re- quires the water to be a few degi-ees warmer, to pro- duce the same result. When ice or snow is allowed to remain on the surface, the quantity of heat ne- cessary to reduce it to a fluid state is obtained chiefly from the atmosphere ; but when buried so that the atmospheric heat cannot act du-ectly upon it, the thamng must be very slowly effected, by the absti'ac- tion of heat fi'om the soil by which the fi-ozen mass is siu-rounded. Instances have occurred of fi-ozen soil not beuig completely thawed at midsummer ; when so, the air, which fills the interstices of the son, will be continually undergoing condensation as it comes in contact with the cold portions ; and, ac- cordingly, the latter will be in a very saturated con- dition even after they have become thawed, as well as so cold as to be highly prejudicial to the vegetation of the seed, or to the emission of roots by plants de- posited in it. Witli the tools employed for digging — the spado and the fork — mechanical philosophy has more to do than the gardener over pauses to apply when pur- cliasing them. All the philosophy of the wedge and the lever offers light for our guidance in their con- struction. For instance, there is no law of me- chanics more certain than that the sharper or more acute the angles of the wedge, the nan-ower will be its back or thickness, and the gi-eater will be its penetrating power. Now, the blade of the spade is a wedge, and its power of penetrating the soil is di- minished in proportion to its thickness ; yet how pertinaciously do the makers of spades adhere to the old thick blade, instead of adopting that knife-like thinness, witli a strong mid-rib, adopted in making spades for digging drains, clay, &c., in the cast of England. Eidl one-third less power is expended in using this than in using the old thick-bladed spade. Another advantage of that thin-bladed tool is that a foot-rest, playing by means of a ring-socket at one end up or down the handle, and fixing finnly at any one spot by means of a wedge, enables the operator to stir the soil to any desired depth within the power of the spade and of himself. Another cu'cumstance worthy of consideration in digging is the adhesion of the soil to the blade of the spade. This adhesion, aiising from the affinity or attraction between the metals (for the earths are most of them oxides, ormetals combined with oxj'gen) is increased by the surface of the blade of the spade being also in the state of an oxide, or rusty. The affinity is not only then gi-eater, causing them, in popular phraseology, " to stick together," but the friction, owing to the roughness of the spade's sm'- face, is gi-eatly increased, and the expenditm-e of the workman's strength proportionate. It is for this reason, as much as for the sake of tidiness and pre- servation of the tools, that aU judicious head-gai-- deners strictly enforce the keeping of the garden tools clean and bright. When the soil is hard and difficult to penetrate, or, indeed, whenever it is sufficiently adhesive to permit its use, the fork should be employed in dig- ging, for it is as effectual a tool for the purpose, and requires labour less nearly in the same piroportion that the edges of its three small wedged blades bear to the one long continuous edge of the spade. A drawing and description of the best form of fork for this purpose is given at p. 280 of oiu' first volume. At the same place we notice " Lyndon's cast steel spade" as being the best generally purohaseable. Its blade is thinner and yet stronger than the spades usually produced by the wholesale manufacturers, and the form of its handle is far superior, giving, by being curved a little forward, better leverage than the straight handle of the spade of the east of Eng- land which we have recommended. This leads us briefly to observe that as the thrust- ing of the blade of the spade into the soil is go- verned by all the mechanical laws of the wedge, so is tlie separating and raising the spadeful of earth from the bed equally controlled by the laws of ano- August THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 251 ther mechanical power, the lever. The earth on the blade is the iveight to be raised; the edge of the trench against the back of the blade is the fulcnim ; and the hand npon the handle is the power. Now, the greater the distance between the power and the fulcrum the gi-eater the ease with which the weight is raised. Hence the long-handled Irish spade loosens each spadeful of earth from the bed more readily than does the English spade, but it does not penetrate the soU so easily, because the weight of the body cannot be thrown upon the wedge so effectually. Lyndon's spade, by having its handle curved rather forward, renders less stooping necessary in the exer- cise of the leverage, and this is a considerable aid to the enduring power of the workman. We recommend attention to these various points both to the manufacturer and the purchaser of the spade. THE FRUIT-GAEDEN. TheApkicot — This luscious and extremely useful fruit will require rather simUar attention at this period to the other ti'ained trees, but as some trifling differences exist as to this mode of growth we had better handle the matter in. detail. In the first place, then, it is our opinion, formed after many years' close observation, tliat no tropical fruit cultivated in Britain, whether indoors or out, requires more sunUght than the apricot. The blos- soms in spring are, perhaps, more apt to prove abor tive through malformation than those of any of our cultivated fruits. Now, this is occasioned by influ- ences over wliich we possess the most powerful means of control during the period of growth. We have before adverted to the tendency of the apricot to produce coarse foreright shoots, and pouited to the propriety of stopping them in due time ; also of early training, whereby the shade of rambling leading shoots (which generally possess very large leaves) is avoided. We may now observe that a great amount of useless spray will continue to be produced subse- quently, and that such must be kept under by flnger- and-thumb-work. At this jieriod, especially, all super- fluous shoots, of whatever character, should be re- moved, or so far shortened back as that the embryo blossom spm-s may receive the full benefit of sun- light, for every day is precious at this season. Fruit which is ripening should be carefuUy watched, as the earwigs commit sad havoc amongst them, as also does the wood-louse. Pieces of soft calico may be stuck here and there in various parts of the trees; these wUl decoy the insects, and they should be ex- amined daily. It is a very good plan to batter the wall well with water by the aid of the gai'den engine occasionally, and to watch for the insects beneath the trees, where they may be readily destroyed. An- other plan has been suggested, that of drawing a band along the bottom of the wall of train-oil or tar ; cer- tainly, whilst such remained fresh, the wood-lice could not pass t)ie barrier. If the weather has been di-y, and the trees are heavily cropped, a watering of liqiiid- manure would be of considerable benefit; the friut will be found much increased in size thereby. Plums. — All trained plums should be well ex- amined forthwith, in order to remove succulent or waste spray which may exist to the detriment of the true blossom-buds. It may have been remarked by many of our readers that luxuriant plums, even if they blossom freely, do not " set" theh' blossom so well as weaker trees : indeed, the same may be said of many other fruits. Now this points at once to the fact that embryo blossom buds produced beneath the shade of gross shoots are not so perfect as those or- ganized beneath the fi-ee influence of light. Well may people complain of the blossoms all di'ojjping off, when, perhaps, then- trees remain imdrcssed through .June and July. We say .June and July, for if trained or other trees are well attended during those two months, there need be little anxiety about them for the rest of the summer. It is ridiculous to imagine that a winter pruning can effect everything requisite. Certainly, winter pruning is better than no pruning at all, and, indeed, some amount is requisite ; but how soon do the efforts tlius made to admit light to the superior branches bccouii! m' i",!!. disannulled; and long before midsuunr; ] i ' of the pruner or di'esser becomes requi ii ■ ^ : .. the more to be despised, because, periui]!;,, Im ijui^.. t and thumb can accomplish all that is wanted. Prevention is to be preferred to cure, and, il' we may be permitted an old joke on this head, we vi'ould remind our readers of the countryman, who, altt'r breaking all his gear in attempting to load an enor- mous oak-tree, flung his hat on the ground in a pet, exclaiming, " Dang the hogs that did not eat thee when thee was an acorn !" Let, therefore, tlie plums be looked over for the last time, removing gi-oss robbers or pinching back spray produced since the former stoppings, training also all main shoots care- fully down in their- places. The Oolchn Drop plum wiU now be ripe or ripening, and we would remind those who possess a crop, that if gathered before it is dead ripe with great care, and placed in soft paper m a very dry room, they will keep for two or three weeks. Raspberries.— As soon as the crop is gathered, we advise that the old shoots which have borne the crop be cut away: this strengthens the suckers much. The latter may be looked over, and those which ai-e too weak or too strong out clear away. It may seem strange to some persons to talk of canes being too strong; such, however, may be the case, provided they branch sideways into axiUary shoots: these should always be rejected if others can supply their place, as all the branchy part wiU prove barren in the ensuing year. In thinning them out care must be taken to reserve as many extra shoots or suckers as wm be requisite for new plantations if necessary, or for repan-ing gaps in the old stock. This done, they may be tied to their stakes, but not too close; by leaving them somewhat loose, the sunlight will ren- der their buds more matm-e. Any canes that have reached the height of sis feet by the end of August may at that period have their growing points cut or pinched off: this will cause the buds below the ope- ration to open very strong in the ensuing spring. Where raspberries are in parallel lines, a good chance occurs of introducing a winter crop of some kind of greens between the rows ; and for this pur- ! would recommend the ooleworts, if at hand : the allotment poi for pai-ticulars concerning wliich paper for August. Double-hearing or Autumnal Raspberry. — Tliis use- ful adjunct of the autumn dessert requires some attention at this period. By the time oiu- paper reaches the readers of The Coitage Gaudener, every shoot worth preserving, or, in other wolrds, showing blossom-buds, or in bloom, will bo manifest. Let, THE COTTAGE GARDENER. August therefore, every sucker which is barren he pulled away or cut down ; the former mode is preferable when it can be accomplished ; this, however, is not always the case, for the suckers sometimes form merely a portion of tho old stool, not a colonised fi-agment. However, away they must como, and well- dressed stools must only possess workers at this jioriod ; like tho bees, they must cast out their drones when the day arrives wluch natm'o has marked out. The rest of tho cidture wiU now be resolved into some nice traiuiug of those shoots wluch are blos- soming, and our readers will readily imagine, witliout our advice, that the chief maxim is to obtain as much luiobstiiicted sunlight as possible on the reserved suckers, now about swelling off their autiunnal offer- ing. Wasps. — We must now point to the amoumt of caution necessary with tliis insidious enemy of gai- den produce ; so great ai-e the depredations, and, as a consequence, loss, occasioned by this marauder, that we think, like the rat ease, legislative enactments for their suppression, could they be brought to bear- ou the commimity at large, would not be altogether mis- placed. To those, then, who would reap the benefit of their labom-s, and those who are determined in spite of a Uttle expense to endeavom' to enjoy tho fraits of the cun-ent year, together with a fail- pros- pective Tiew for years to come, we would say take every nest within your reach, and endeavour to convert influential neighbours to the same doctrine. Also, when very choice things, such as grapes, &c., are in question, pm'chase a little gauze, thin canvas, or other economical and durable material, and invest yom- choice fiaiit with it betimes. Pity it is, in our way of thinking, the public are not more alive to the destruction of these hope-de- sti-oying insects : surely every nest destroyed has a tendency to reduce their numbers in futine seasons. " Little strokes fell great oaks ;" or, in other words, " effect is bound to foUow cause." This character of tenure seems, in the present condition of affaii-s, stamped on all sublunary tilings. R. Ekbingion. THE FLOWER-GAEDEN. NOTES OF A JOURNEY IN HERTFORD- SHIRE (Gontimml). We left the pleasant viUage of Hoddesden behind us, continuing our route ou a road formed some seventeen or eighteen hundred years ago by the Romans, and an easy and excellent road it is to this day. In passing on, the wide-spreading hedges at- ti-acted our attention ; beautiful though they are, they are a costly ornament to the counti-y : in some very bad cases these hedges were as much as three yards vyide, and even then were but an indid'eront protec- tion to keep the cattle out of the turnip and com fields. Certainly a revolution is wanted here. These wide-spreading and land-devouring hedges ought to the banks levelled, siugle rows of li'l. :iiiil |iii)|ir|(il r,n- three or four i"il -II •^■■'■■\< i'l- I, r|, L chian, neatly ■I » iili :i liiiiiJ liiil ;iiinually, and as 'I'l liLjIilh 4m'4 Inr hvo I'eet on cacli I" ■! . linJ ll.rronnhv will gain r .'I'l' . ^iihI ji iMiMMjiiiniLih' liicreasc be rooted quiel-w We soon, whilst descending a gentle declivity, observed before us the ancient market town of Ware, rendered famous by the author of " John Gilpin." Our road lay through the town, which is clean, neat, and healthy. It is the seat of a considerable ti-ado in malt, the country around producing, it is said, some of the finest barley of England. Tm-niug to the left as soon as wo got clear of tho town, the road began to liso ; on one side a steep bank circumscribed our view, but as soon as we airived at the summit of the hill we came in sight of the object of our journey — The Poles, the seat of E. Hanbmy, Esq. The road we had taken led to the garden entrance, near to which is the gai-dener s dwelHng-house, a new and ti-uly comfortable residence. Wo were fortunate enough to find the gardener at home in the garden. The smile of his face and the heai-ty shako of his hand assured us that he was right glad to see us. We were soon ready for the treat to tho mind we ex- pected, and when we mention that our worthy enter- tainer is one (and not the least in any sense of the word) of the "Barnes's," whose successful doings in horticulture have been so famous for a number of years, om- readers, at least that portion of them who have had the opportunity of reading the garden- ing periodicals, will expect to "read of this place news that wiU add to the well-eai'ned celebrity of our good friend, Mr. W. Barnes. In the first place we must remark that the whole of the gardens, hothouses, greenhouse, conservatory, flower and kitchen gai'den, are entirely new, of con- siderable extent, and the whole laid out and buUt under the superintendence of the present gai-dencr in little more than tlu-ee years. Wo understand tho designs for the improvements were furnished by Mr. Glendinning, of the Chisvvick nm'sery, and in our opinion do gi-eat credit to him. The miuision is placed happily on the summit of a gentle elevation, having a good prospect of the park in front. The park is fwnished with some fine gi-oups of noblo oaks, " not set too thick, but scattered hero and there." The south fi-ont has a broad teiracc of walk, lawn, and flower bed, extending beyond the house to the east, in ft-ont of the range of plant houses. Close to the house and adjoining one of tlio principal rooms is a neat moderate sized consen'a- toi-y : this is kept constantly furnished with plants in flower from the other houses ; it was very gay on this occasion with gloxinias, achimenes, calceolarias, and other siunmer flowering plants. In front of this conservatory is a Frencli pai'terre with beds of flowers in masses : here we saw for the fii-st tune a bed of that famous plant. Plumbago Larpentte. Now that we have seen it here under favoiu-able circiun- stances and undoubted good management, our rea- ders wiU, no doubt, expect us to give our opinion as to its fitness for bedding pm-poses. On the one hand we cannot positively say that it is a good plant for that pHvpns(\ iipitlier. on tlie otlier hand, enu we sny Its \ stale wIm'Ii Ihcy were [.liiiilea ; ollirr. had not as yet flowered, so tiiat tho time to delerniine the full merits of tho plant as a bedding-out one liad not anived. We may venture to say there was room to hope it would answer for that jna'poso. The verbe- nas, lobelias, scailet geraniums, salvias, &c., Ac. were in full flower and well covered with bloom, making the garden rich in colours of every hue. The division from tlio piuk is effected by a imrapct wall ; four or five feet from it is a broad straight August THE COTTAGE GARDENER. terrace walls, on eacli side of which is a row of standard roses : this walk leads to the entrance of the plant-houses ; they are aU span roofed, of mo- derate height, and glazed with large squares of sheet glass ; they form three sides of a quadrangle, or square ; the one to the east is devoted to stove plants, that to the west to greenhouse plants, and the other to the orchidaceae. In the stove there are some fine promising specimens of the hest kinds of plants re- quiring that heat. The new and splendid Ixora hydrangcofonnis was in fine flower with several heads of its orange-scarlet blossoms : it is a fine species when fuUy expanded. The JEschynanthmes were also finely in bloom, as were the Allamandas, but our space forbids us to describe a tithe of the fine plants we saw ; suflaoient it is to say that they all sliowed the care and untiring energy of the master- mind that has the charge of them. From the stove we entered the orchid house : here, among many others, several plants of that beautiful species the Phalamopsis amabiUs, and the more rare P. graiuli- fiora, were in bloom. The noble plant of Cattleya lahiata, for which this collection is famous, we found thriving wonderfully, and showing at least ten spikes of its magnificent flowers. AU the orchids were growing luxuriantly. We could with pleasure have spent hours among them had time permitted, for if tliere is one class of flowers that we admire more than any other it is these singularly interesting plants, the orchidaoese. We reluctantly left them and entered the gi'eenhouse, which we foimd well stocked with the best plants of the day, all ia perfect health, and promising to make excellent exhibiting speci- mens, if they are ever used for that pui'pose. The space between the houses is very properly laid out as a rose garden, with flowers intermixed. The roses having been planted so lately, though perfectly healthy, rcquu'e time to acquire their full beauty. We left the plant-houses by a winding walk which brought us to the kitchen-garden, yet in its infancy. The vegetables, from the great quantity of fresh earth, lime, and manm-e brought into it, were, not- withstanding the dry weather, in excellent health. The wall trees, considering the short time they have been planted, had just that healthy growth upon them which betokens a long life in prospect. This garden is of considerable extent. From the hurried glance we had of it, we think it must be at least three acres withm the walls. We were much pleased with the methods Mr. Barnes had adopted to j^rotect his strawberries from the drought and from the bu-ds. Clean long wheat straw was laid on each side of the rows ; tliis answered two purposes, it not only kept them moist at the root, but kept the fruit clean. To jorotect them from the birds, long narrow nets made for the pm-pose were stretched along the rows ; and the quantity of fine clean fruit we could see through the netting showed that the labour had been well rewarded. These methods of protecting this fruit are worthy the particular attention of our readers. After observing these points, our attention was di'awn to the mulching appKed to the roots of the wall trees. One good watering, with the borders so mulched with short litter, we were assured did more good than ten without it. The vine borders were treated in a similar manner. Our readers must re- member that the rains had not fallen when we were at this place. The vineries, thi-ee in number, occupy the centre of the south wall. We found the vines making excellent strong short-jointed wood, with fine foliage. The houses were glazed with large squares of sheet glass, and here, as faitliful chroniclers, we must confess the fact that the leaves were sadly scorched by the sun shining through those largo squai'es. Consequently, we soon found our good fiiend was not in favour of this kind of glass for glazing vineries. Remembering what we had ob- served at Hoddesden, as detailed m our last number, we inquired the weight of the glass here. Though not so heavy as we understood that is at the house of Mr. Warner, which did not bum the leaves, yet it was of such good quality as might reasonably have boen expected not to injure the tenderest leaf; yet it has done so to a gi-eat extent, and, of course, may be expected to injure the crops of fruit next season. Shade, Mr. Barnes objects to, for, as he says, if large squares and clear glass are necessary to produce the best fruit, shading takes away that desirable effect. We hope he will let us know next season how his vines work, and whether ho finds the shade (for he is obliged to use it) does any harm. Behind the forcing houses for frait there are some naiTow smaller ones used to force flowers for supplying the conser- vatory, and to nurse young stove plants for the hot- house below. This finished our inspection of this fine place. Many tilings we observed — such as a collection of young trees of the pine tribe, some new plantations, the carriage road, and entrance lodges — we are obliged to omit. Om- next visit was to the gardens at Broxbom-ne Buiy, the accoimt of which we are obliged to defer to our next number. Florists' Flowers. — Look over the last three or four numbers, and follow the directions there given. We have no room for more this week. EvEBQBEENS. — Dmiug moist weather our amateur and cottage friends may amuse themselves profitably by planting a few cuttings of evergreen shrubs, such as auoubas, box, bay, the common and Portugal lau- rels, laurustinus, variegated hollies, &o. If the cut- tings are put in now they will either root before winter, or form a callus, that is will heal over with a substance so named, exuding from the edges of the wound, and fi'om which the roots will push forth early in spring. Success is more certain in this month than any other. Prepare the ground for them on the north side of a low wall, or well clipped hedge, digging and breaking it thoroughly. When this is finished, prepare the cuttings, choosing such shoots as have just done gi-owing, and have become of a firm woody textm'e ; too yoimg wood is apt to damp off. Cut the shoots into lengths : the strong ones to three joints, the weaker ones to four or five ; prune oif the lower leaves close to the stem, and cut the lower end of the cutting clean across, close to the lowest bud. Make no more cuttings at one time than you are able to put in the same horn-, as too long exposm-e to the air will injm-e them. Plant them pretty thickly in rows across the piece of pre- pared gi-ound, pressing the earth firmly to them; so proceed tiQ you have put in all you wish to increase. T. Appleby. GEEENHOUSE AND WINDOW GARDENING. Ckasstjlas. — I have said that we make flower-beds of these in the gardens at Shrubland Park, but be- fore I say how we manage them for this purpose I may as well give a sketch of their natural history, and then the treatment of them, or the rationale of our artificial mode of managing them, will be easier understood or accounted for by the young beginner ; and it is by imitating, as far as our country enables us, the natural conditions under which these beau- THE COTTAGE GAEDENEE. August tiful succulents exist in our Cape colony, that gar- deners have succeeded in bringing their crassvdas to that extraordinary state of beauty for which they are now so conspicuous at oiu- metropolitan exhibitions, particularly those in July. Messrs. Erasers,- nursery- men at the Lee Bridge nui-sery, near London, who are so celebrated for winning the best prizes at these exliibitions, were the first to shew to us ia England what could be done with these crassulas by superior cultivation. Old as I was when they esliibited their first crassulas a few years since, I was so sti'uck with them that I could not get tlie first impression of them out of my head for many days, and I even dreamed of them ; and yet an intimate friend, well versed in these things, told me since that far- supei-ior single heads of bloom of the crassula are yearly brought to the flower-markets of Paris. Now, there is a priu- ciple involved here which I ought to have explained last week when writing on the autumn hydrangea cuttings, for I always find that when a principle, however simple in itself, that is new to me is well explained, that I leam more from a few sentences than from a long disquisition of our ordinary craft prescriptions. Almost all plants, except annuals, lay by a store of nourishing matter over and above what is needed for their own consumption in a given season, and even annuals ai'e not exempt fi'om this law, which appears almost universal in the vegetable kingdom, for they, at least some of them, require a certain period of growth to store up matter for the production of their fruit or seeds. Gardeners take advantage of this law, and in the case of many plants which, Hke our crassula, make a gi'owth one season on which the flowers are produced in the fol- lowing season, they allow the season's growth to bo nearly completed before they take the cuttings fi-om the mother plant, and by that time the extra matter necessary to produce large handsome flowers is al- ready stored up in the vessels of the shoots; and by takuig in August good stout cuttings of such plants, as cacti, hydi-angeas, crassulas, and many other plants that will root quickly, it is found in practice that all the difference it makes to these shoots is that they can produce their flowers better mth the assistance of their- own new roots than they woidd if left on the parent plant, fi-om which all the flowering shoots have to draw their supply. Thence it is that little bits of these plants can be made to bloom in very small pots — the pot and the plant being out of all propor- tion to the size of the flower. But to return to the crassula in their native home. At the Cape of Good Hope they form but a section of an immense number of difl'erent plants which na- ture has provided with tliick, soft stems and leaves, in which duriag the rainy season they store up a large quantity of undigested food, which they elabo- rate at their leisure for many months afterwards un- der the scorchiug rays of a vertical sun. The cactus families represent this form of vegetation in the new world, and what a striking analogy all of them pre- sent to those animals which chew the cud! In a few weeks or months they swallow food enough to servo them the year round ; and, for the bettor preserva- tion of this food, we are told by physiologists tliat these suocident plants arodiflerui I tly c'oiistitiiU'.d from other plants in then- breathing uimI 'iHi't^pinn^' ni-gans, for all plants arc known to ]i\\[]i tin- iiitue lime and sii'ii they have to liiiisli lliiii- lipeiiin.L;' |i|nrrss, lliiis eMUiiii.L;- as near to their nalnial enuilitinn as em- eliiiiiile will allow. Alioiii iiiulMMiniiel- el' l.elei-e the begiliuiug of July then- -luHih is liin-he.l, ami tliey are llieu tiu-ncd mil ef .inui-,, ami |.]miee,l ni saml e'h.se le tlie tVmitWiill ..laiiv ottlie iH.theusi's. ulere tiie heal in they THE COTTAGE GARDENER. ' very hot also, and by watering it occasionally between the pots the roots are kept sufficiently moist without any water being given on the soil in the pots. This treatment is more uniform and more natural to them than any mode of pit or greenhouse culture. On the first indication of frost the crassulas are removed into shallow cold pits, where the lights can be di-awn oil' them every mild day tiU the end of November, when we move them to a dry shelf in the greenhouse ; but they could be wintered safe enough in. a dry pit from which the fi'ost could he kept. Diu'ing the following spring they are kept as cool as possible, being among the first set of greenhouse plants that are removed into cold pits when plants begin to grow in the spring, and they are about the last plants that are bedded out at the end of May ; and they make the most brilliant bed for the whole season, flowering for six weeks to two months, accord- ing to the situation of the beds. We prefer the tall dark scai'let, or old G. eoccinea, for beds, but there are three or fom- distinct sorts that do equally well in pots. It wiU thus be seen that we must grow them one whole year and flower them the next, so that a con- stant succession is propagated every autumn ; and the diftercuoe in the main treatment of our pot speci- mens is really very little different fi'om the above, only that when we want them to be large plants we do not let tliem flower till they are three years old, and this we accomplish by cutting them back any time in the sunrmer when they are full gi'own; and, of course, such very succulent jilants must be tho- roughly dried before these are cut in. With ordinary attention these large pot jDlauts may be kept in a healthy state many years ; but here, where we plant them in beds, there are some rivals to the old plants spring up every year when the beds are emptied. All this is on a regular system. Let us now turn to the other side of the ques- tion, and we may easily trace the cause why these splendid old plants have been so much neglected in cottage g.ardening, for when they are well managed they are iniinitely superior to the best cactus that ever was grown. The reason must be that from not knowing how to manage them, as to pruning, they soon get unsightly; but a few simple rules may teach any one who is fond of plants how to prune and ma- nage them as easily as a cactus, and the easiest way to do this is to take examples from every-day experi- ence. Let us suppose, for instance, that you have a nice crassula now going out of flower, with one or three branches only, and these carrying a flower-head each. If you understood me in the former part of tliis letter, I shall now have no difficulty in making you comprehend that no gardener in the world could make such a crassula flower next year, because its growing season is now over, and there is no shoot of this season's gi'owth left to flower next year. Those shoots that are now going out of flower were made last year, and only a little lengthening took place last May to enable the flower-heads to appear. It is, then, plam enough that we must gi'ow shoots one year to flower next season, and with small plants that is the best and easiest way, just as is done with young oleanders. But it often liappens that plants with only two shoots will produce but one head of bloom, and then the second shoot wiU be sure to flower the year after, and thus a plant may be made to flower every year. ' Again, if this plant witli the two shoots ofl'ers to flower on both instead of one, and you wish the plant to flower every year, you must forego the pleasure of havmg both shoots to flower the first season. In that case, as soon as you can perceive the flower-buds in the spring, you must cut down one of the two shoots and let the other one flower. The lower down the shoot is cut the better. If there is only an inch or two of it left, it is sure to produce three times the number of young shoots that wiU be necessary to re- tain. If you select tlu-ee of the best placed, these wiU be enough for a plant so young, therefore in- stead of two flower-heads we have only one of them, and three others coming up to flower next season. As soon as the single triass of flowers begins to fade, say about this time, this flowering shoot must he cut down close likewise, and from it succession shoots ■svill be obtained, so that in a large old specimen there are many flowering slioots and succession ones grow- ing on at the same time; and, as soon as the plants are done flowering, the shoots which have borne the flowers are cut back to different lengths according to the size or shape the plant is intended to be grown. Some growers do not cut then plants back after flowering, as above dhected, but leave them till the following spring, and then cut down those shoots that flowered last summer. This is not so good a plan, for their plants are too much crowded with shoots through the winter, when every encouragement ought to be given them as to light and air. But, after all, the simplest way for ordinary people is to grow their crassulas, of all sizes, after the same man- ner as the young oleanders ; that is, to flower them only every other season, and in that case they need only to cut down half their stock every spring. In- deed, more than half our pot crassulas at Slu-ubland Park and aU our young oleanders are so treated, and they answer very well. A word or two respecting old stunted or straggling plants of these crassulas, and then I will have done. Whatever number of branches or shoots such pilants may have at present, I would advise the whole to be cut down now, or as soon as they have done flower- ing, to within an inch of where they branched out from the main stem. Before doing this let the soil in the pots get quite dry, to prevent the plants bleed- ing; then water the pots, and place them in some warm place to encourage new growth. As soon as the young shoots ai-e an inch long shake all the old soil from the roots, and put them into small pots in a good compost. If the plants are long-legged, the lower half of the old roots may be cut off, and then so much of the stem may be bm-ied in the new soil, which is not at all injurious to these plants, but it will be found to benefit them much, as fresh vigorous roots will issue fi-om the bmied part of the stem im- mechately ; and this cutting of the roots or ball may be repeated at each succeeding shift until the stem is at last reduced to two or three inches from where the branches begin to fork. By the time these plants have filled the new pots with fresh roots, and the young shoots are two or three inches long, I would dry them off and let them remain dormant thi-ough the next winter. They will not flower next summer, but ought to make a good growth to bloom the foDow- ing season. As soon as they begui gi-owing next spring, if they are thin of shoots, the young tops made this autumn may be cut in one-half their length, when double or even treble the number may be ob- tained; and, as soon as the whole are in motion again, the plants ought to get a good shift. Every morsel of the old shoots cut off now will make cuttings, but the best cuttings are obtained from the top ends of young vigorous shoots ; they 2b6 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. August will make roots either in heat or cold and thi'oiighout theu' whole existence : any mode of forcing is very disagreeable to them. Abimdance of air, sbrong sim- light, and a liberal supply of water diuing two months while they are in active growth, very little w^ter ibr the rest of the summer and autumn, and hardly any through winter, seem to be the most uatm-al way of ti-eating them. Crassula is an old legitimate name given to these plants by Linnfeus, and is taken from the diminutive of ecdssMs— thick or succideut. But the late Mr. Haworth, an English wiiter on succulent plants, changed this name to Kalosanthes, and applied it to the more showy plants of the genus — a most imwar- rantable and uncalled for step, wliich no subsequent writer shoidd have countenanced for a moment. The public, and especially public writers, should set then- pens and shut then- pages against this intermeddling with established names and rules on the part of crotchety spirits who are only confusers of the paths of natural history. However, instead of opposing such innovations, compilers, authors, editors, and reviewers, seein rather to delight in promoting this pseudo-scientific multiplication of names, not con- sidering how they encumber the student and expose then- weak sides to the gaze of the next generation, who cannot faO to perceive that the abettors of this public nuisance knew as much about the natm'al di- visions and subdivisions of genera as I do about the sources of the Nile. Kalosanthes means a beautiful flower, and is as apjilicable to a pansy or a tidip as to our scarlet crassula. Many years since, when I had charge of a large collection of succulents, I tested the value of some of Mr. Haworth's fancifid. names by cross-breeding, and foimd them wanting. I am quite satisfied Ka- losanthes win not stand the true test of the pollen- hag. Even the classical family of Nai'cissus, on the division of which Mr. Haworth staked his future fame as a reformer of natural history, Dr. Herbert, with a few applications of the anthers, proved to be baseless, and that not one of tlie new names was tenable. If we can prove that either a new plant or a new animal had been improperly described from an ill-preserved dead specimen, and that, in consequence, it had been referred to a wrong part of a system or family, then is it only right and proper to change its place, or even its name, when the mistake is most manifest, but that is different altogether fi-om a per- son rising up to-morrow to convince the world that we have been all viTong about om- roses, for instance, and that instead of one family they consist of ten families. Of course he would give them ten famdy names to put us right, hut would they not be all roses stLU ? D. Bb.iton. HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. Vines. — There is so much of the poetical olden- time-reminding, smiuy eastern-clime inspiring, and civilization and social-progress-marking, connected with the culture of the luscious gi'ape, that many of the subscribers to tliis periodical woidd consider themselves endm-ing something like a deprivation if, in some favoiirite spot, they could not sit under then- own \'inp, there to give fancy free roamings amid the evnil^. ;mi(1 ciivuin^liuHvs wilh which its history is assu(i;iius, pale green foliage, and equally grmrlul wiviillis of pink blossom of this all-lovely tree \v;i\iii._' ii|ii)n the warm breeze in the Botanic Ganlrn jil ('iilrnUa. It was providently planted by Dr. Wallich in an open yet shaded quarter, enclosed by a pallisade, and the harmony and delicacy of the colours, com- bined with the elegant form and soft flowing move- ments of all its developments, was an exhibition of vegetable beauty such as we never looked upon either before or since. Mrs. Lawrence has the ho- nour of being the first to bloom it in England. Lemon-coloured Cyrtociiildji (Cyrtocldlum citri- mim). — A pretty orchid from central America. Thrives in a basket of turfy peat, suspended in the cool division of the orohideous-house. Shade in summer, and do not give too much water in winter. —Ibid, tah. 4454. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Potatoes for Seed {A Rector). — It is possible that Walnut- leaved, or even Ash-leaved, Kidneys planted early in August may ripen tubers, very late in the autumn, of suffieient size to serve for seed ne.tt year. The doubt is whether the tubers would ripen suffiei- ently then to produce ji healthy vegetation. We are quite sure no variety taking longer to perfect its growth than those we have named would so ripen its tubers. We should like to know the result of your experiment, employing chiefly the Walnut-leaved Kidney, a light, well-drained soil, no manure, a southern aspect, planting four inches deep, and not earthing up the plants. Poultry (J. H. S.). — To induce hens to lay in the winter, give them each daily about half an ounce of raw meat chopped fine ; and a few handfiils of sunflower seed are additionally influencial. Do not let the cock company with the hens, but keep him shut up, and do not allow any nest eggs to remain in the nests. We do not know which are the best layers of the two varieties you mention — Chitta- prats and the Golden or Silver Pheasant hens. Can any of our readers give us this information ? Hints (J. Lloyd FJielps). — Thanks for your suggestion, but, as we publish in weeldy numbers, we cannot do more than give in the last number of each month a calendar of work for the next month. potatoes in narrow beds with deep trenches between them, elevating your beds before planting by putting on to them the earth from the trenches, and mixing with the soil a good thick dressing of coal ashes or charred vegetable refuse. Fuchsia Soil {A Subscriber). — You will find this, and an excel- lent essay on the culture of the plant, at page 221 of our first volume. Geranium soil is stated at page 114 of the present volume. You cannot successfully bloom geraniums in winter without a hothouse. They ought, when not forcing, always to be kept with the soil very slightly moist, and no more heat than suffices to exclude the frost from them through the winter. Strawberry Forcing {Ibid). — Keen's Seedling and Black Prince are the best for this purpose. Mr. Fish will give some directions for the management of the plants in due course. As a general rule, fiowers in winter should have very little water. Greenhouse Climbers (X. Y. Z.).— Seven most excellent plants of this description are Habrothamnus fasciculatus, Solanum jasmi- noides, Clianthus punieeus, Jasminum grandiflorum, Mandevilla suaveolens, Herbert's Passion-flower, and Clematis grandiflorum. Heating a Small Pit (A Constant Subscriber).— They are quite right who advise you that a flue to heat your pit nine feet long by three feet nine inches wide would burn up your plants. We presume that you merely require to keep out the frost, and, if so, an iron pipe, two inches in diameter, running along the front of your pit, and re- turning along below the same, united at each end by knee pieces, and one of these knee pieces passing into the fire of a small furnace, would he sufficient without any boiler. A small reservoir must be attached, and communicate with the return pipe, to keep the appa- ratus constantly filled with water. Lead colour is that usually adopted in painting gardenframes, but we see no objection to green . White is the best for the inside of your pit, for it increases the degree of light. Succession of Flowers (Sabrina). — You will find a very full and descriptive list of summer and autumn blooming flowers at pages 33 and 34 of our first volume. Hollyhock Seedlings (Ibid). — Plant these out this autumn where you wish them to remain for blooming. Auricula and Canter- bury bell seedlings treat as directed for polyanthus seedlings at page 248 of our last number. Your rose leaves have been eaten by the caterpillar of the saw fiy (Tenthredo cethiops), as described at pages 179 and 222 of the present volume. Sour KaouT (0. H.). — Select the cabbages with the most solid hearts, cut these in half, rejecting all the loose leaves and stalk, and THE COTTAGE GARDENER. then slice them up into very thin slices. If you have 200 lbs. weight of these, and much less will not ferment, then you will require a mixture of 3 lbs. of salt, 4 oz. of pounded carraway seeds, and 2 oz. of pounded juuiper berries. Into a clean 12 gallon cask, sjjrinkling first the bottom with a little of the mLxture, put a layer of sliced cabbage, about 3 inches thick, then a thick sprinkling of the mixture, and so on alternately, until all is stowed in the cask, pressing down each layer very tightly as you proceed. Put a layer of cabbage leaves on the top, and then a clean cloth, u]ion which phirc the lid of Ihc c:isk iixing it with gypsum or other carboniKcd matters. Mixed coal ashes it would become a crumbly ; our first volume there is more than one liquid from the solid portions of fti- 1 light, the bulk of your coal-ash if: W.-.A i use them advantageously to ni;il >■ \ Artificial manures are very good J... , der and charrfd with brine. In cooking sour kiout, tuke the quantity required fur dinner, put it into a stew-pan with water just enough to cover it. Let it stew gently for three hours, stirring it as necessary to keep it from burninf;. An hour before serving it up, put in a few sausages, or a ]jlr''i- >.r [."1-1. . iimI -> v\<- up together. Ki'i> '' M 1 'h the land and the water efts, are perfectly iKiruii' . ■ ;..iisonous; and live upon insects. The irrr';u \ ii n , I ilrvours even the tadpolcs. ' Sto\ ; ('.i; \ I . i; I . -, noisE (Drusiis). — This should be outside, unless ni:i(l*' on llic Arnott system, adopted so successfully by Mr, Rivers, the well-known florist and nurseryman of Sawbridgeworth. A description of this stove is given at page 280 of our first volume. Plants under a frame require the same treatment as in a greenhouse. Vine Bordees (Rose),— You will find very ample directions as to these at pp. 283 — 4 of our first volume. The directions are equally applicable to wall and greenhouse vines. British Queen STRAWBEitnT (/Aid).— This has failed in many places during this year. It does not require any cultivation differing from that necessary for other varieties. The exti-eme dryness of tho present summer, and the inclement seasons of last year, are the causes of failure, we think. Next year the produce ought to be very superior, if the season is propitious. Joining Swaems of Bees (H. T.).— You wiU find fuU directions for so doing at page 104 of this volume. Your other query shall be answered next week. Forced Hyacinths and Narcissi (H. »ivage).— These, which were forced last winter, look smaller than they did when turned into the border from the pots in which they had been forced, and their ottsets are very small. These circumstances always occur to these bulbs after forcing. They will not do to pot again this season, nor will thfy recover in less than two years. Plant the narcissi imme- diately in a Sparc border, covering them three inches deep, and cut off their flowfr-sfoins next spring as soon as they appear. The forced hyacinths oufiht to be planted a month sooner than the usual time, say about the middle of September ; and they also ought not to he allowed to flower next season. Do not remove the offsets from either of them. Winter Carnation iIbid).—\Ve do not know the flower by this name. Is it not the Tree carnation ? At any rate, as it seems stunted, you cannot err by turning it out of the pot into a good border ; and when it is strong, you can either take slips from it for a stock or layer some of the bottom shoots. .Tapan Lilies {Jfnd). — These you have potted into 32-sizcd pots, which are far too small for flowering bulbs of the Japan lilies. Keep them moist as long as they are green, and when at rest put them into pots two sizes larger, taking off a little from the top and bottom of the ball, and keep them as cool as possible through the winter, giving them no water till they sprout well above the soil. Botanical Terms {Ibid). — We endeavour to interpret all these as we go along, but some are so familiar to us that we sometimes pass them by without thinking. You will find, on reference, that we have frequently explained the terms "stamens, anthers, and pistils." " Monopetalous" (one-petalled) means that the corolla or flower-leaf is in one leaf, or of several petals united together. Diseased Cucumbers (Rev. J. Pratt). — Your cucumbers are affected exactly the same as those of our correspondent S, to whom we replied at p. 248, and we believe that in your case the origi I'e believe that i compared with the dryness and heat of the air in which the have grown. We are confirmed in this opinion by the fact confirmed '"first crop of fruit in the frames," wh'ilst the Ijed was in good heat, "was abundant and perfect," and it was only since cut- ting back the plants, and "they threw out vigorous shoots," that the disease appeared. Your ridge cucumbers being similarly affected, though not to such an extent, still further confirms our opinion. Excess of cold water to the roots of the plants in such a hot dry sum- mer as we have had would produce the disease. As soon as roots cease to supply the requisite amount of sap to a highly stimulated leaf or fruit, so soon docs disease commence in them. Pine Apple Crowns (F. G.). — These, which you have obtained from pine apples imported from the West Indies, will not grow at all unless in much better condition than any we have yet seen. In a dung-bed covered with a frame, under the best of circumstances, it is very difficult to grow pines. We will mention the subject again Myrtle Cuttings (T.JI/or^an,).— You will find some directions in answer to another correspondent. Your large myrtle, dividing into two stems a few inches under the soil, may be split mto two about tho middle of next March, but certainly not now. Erodium moschatom (/6irf).— This is a mere annual weed grow- ing in many parts of England, as near Bristol, Oxford, Craven in Yorkshire, ana Bedfordshire. Such plants being only of interest to botanists do not come within our province. Night Roil (P. ir.).— The disagrceablcB attendant upon the use of this arc quite as objectionable as you mention, but the smell may ^|M I i. IS next the wall. Your other questions shall be l)ii.i%\Mi I'l MTKiN (TF. C/fl^e ffndo^/iersl.— We have not a sent <-i lIii.i Icii., aitil liave lost the stock. We only kept four seeds for ourselves, und not one of these vegetated. If any one to whom we sent seed can send us one or two in return, we shall be much HuiSH's Hives (E. G.).— We advise you to apply for these to RIessrs. Neighbour and Son. Holborn. Caterpillar on Filbert-leaf (Enquirer). — The colony, forty or more in number, of small yellowish-green caterpillars, Tiith black heads, dotted with the same colour, and Imiry. are the larvfe of the Buff-tip moth (Hammatophora fjitcr/t/iii/; . n- discovered. Slight traces were oli-i . ' > ' i . l-ml them. Whatever the ultimate, thr |.i>., 11, ii. , vmi, dried-up, blotches was burning bj liic >iL.i - i ■ i' i ;,n,.s results from allowing the accumulation ami ' . <■. ,|.oiir into drops to take place, fromnot giving air H . n 1 . ,i, ih.- morning, more especially when bright sunnv v ■ ■ :■■ .;i;it which is cloudy, as then the leaves arc niur.' 1 1 ■ n mJ deficient in firmness. At present nil h'ntT- ) . : ■ ■ _lii. This burning also results from w;iv.- mm! !■,; , > ,,irh : glass!" or, ^Vorlhcsun rn|,.nr ,1 h ^^,;l r.'niain on duTiug the ; iMu 1. . I. :uid rubbing, thus en! lid I, nil. I glass, without its disadvant; W li. It lii. 1 1,1 |,. j[\.u-k the vine, the parts which they have chiefly irijiirra uR- (mmIj lumied into blotches, as there is no s.ip to snpply the transpiration. We presume the vine-leaf sent was a small one : if of the general size, then we should say the roots were delicient in nourishing power, and then the sun would more easily burn them. Red Spider on Cueert CI''"7).— Give your tree so bad with the red spider a copious deluging with clear soot, lime water, and soap- suds, and paint with sulphur on the wall in a bright day. Thrips on Cucumbers (Jbid).~T\\e cucumbers in the stove, so bad with the thrip, will be hard to cure. Tlicy may be kept down with clear lime and soot water thrown forcibly over the foliage; clear laurel water is more effectual still, but must be used weak, and with caution. You had better get some nice cuttings from a neighbour, or, if not convenient, clear, by washing in weak tobacco water, the points of some of your own plants, place them under a glass in small pots, in a gentle sweet bottom heat— they will be nicely rooted in a week : give larger shifts as wanted. Clear out then tlic whole nf your present plants, and in about a month or five weeks yon may "have nice healthy plants producing fruit, which will continue to do so during the autumn, and, if you chnnRp, the cnrly part tl/n/ii>)- tbemum cordi/oliitm, a greenbmT^f^ trnilrr. ' r,-, n'n/r.' ^r-wnrr r,f the fruit of the plant of whicli \"n -^mi r- . iiii ]< i-i'n Col... cynth or Bitter Cucumber, Ciirmiu- | nr- gative, although the seeds alone .m > . i, wlv as food in Africa. (/Zft.-;c.1— Your vom ,., «< iImi,> , i :„■:, i/.n,', it differs from tho old York and Lanciinier m Ijcnij; r^umlUr, ninrr nimlile, and the red stripings inclining more to purple. {K. li. IK.)— Your fleshy-leaved plant is Crasmla cncvineri. See what Mr. Beaton says to-day and next week relative to their culture. THE COTTAGE GARDENEU. WEEKLY CALENDAR. M D ■2S 24 ■25 30 I w D AUGUST 33—29, 1849. Plants dedicated to each day. Sun Rises. Sun Sets. MoonR.! Moon's and Sots. 1 Age. Clock bef. Sun. Day of Year. Th F S Sdn M Ta W Gold-spot moth seen. f^,,,,,,. Sj^Baetholomew. starlings flock to- Wingecl ants migi-ate. 13 Son. aft. Trin. Ph. Albeetb. 1819. Grey plover comes. St. Augustine. The knot arrives. St. J. Bapt, beh. Martins collect on roofs. Tansey. Sunflower. Perennial Sunflovrer. Banded Amaryllis. Hedge Hawk-weed. Golden Rod. Yellow Hollyhock. ■i 5 6 8 9 5 a. 7 3 VI 9 34 10 2 10 33 11 9 11 50 morn. 0 37 ■> 0 J 8 9 10 11 2 20 3 10 1 .'34 1 20 1 3 0 45 230 237 238 239 240 241 t he is called by St. John, has ' Behold an Israelite in whom. Lycaonia, and Armenia ; and it was ; A.D. 72, that he suffered martyrdom by being 'flayed alive. It is sometimes called " Black Bartholomew-tide," because more than one act of tyrannical persecution has occurred upon this day. The most cruel and bloody of these was the massacre of the French Protestants in 1572. In allusion to the dry weather usually prevailing; at this season, there is this proverb :— "All the tears that St. Swithin can cry Bartholomew's dusty mantle wipes dry." St. Augustine (Aurelius Au^ustinus) must not be mistaken for Augustin, or Austin, whose anniversary was noted under the date of Blay 26th. The ecclesiastic thus commemorated was a native of Numidia, became bishop of Hippo, and died on this day in the year 43n. He was a most voluminous writer on religious subjects, and some of his works are still in request. The Eremites, or order of Augustine friars, arose, it is said, from the habits of seclusion he adopted. St. John the Baptist.— On this day the anniversary of his execution by Herod was formerly celebrated. See June 24th, p. 139. -In ( last 1 August 1841. 1842. 1843. 1844. 1845. 1S46. 1847. 1848. &'low°lst Clondy. Fine. Rain. Fine. Showery. Fine. Clondy. Cloudy. 72° — 440 85°— 46° 69°— 53° 69°— 38° 70°-50° 7.°-59° 6l°^6° 70°- 42° T' Showery. Stormy. Fine. Fine. Fine, Fine. Cloudy. Showery. 74°-46° 7i°-49° 72° -44° 68°— 46° 65°— 49° Showery. Stormy. Fine. Fine. Showery. 71°— 57° 72°— 56° 73°— 50° 69°— 52° 26 Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Showery. 79°- 62° 75°-46° 66° -47° 70° -54° 27 Cloudy. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Showery. 74°- 57° 75°-47° 71°- 38° 7I°-51° 76°-57° 81°— 46° 69°-63° Fine. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. 77°— 52° 72°— 56° 71°— 59° 78°— 40° 66°-47° 78°- 56° 81°-55° 74°- 56° 29 Fine. Stormy. Clondy. Fine. Showery. Fine. Fine. 79°-42° 69°-42° 72°-48° 70°-47° the dispersion of plants by the agency of the 1 enumerate some examples of the currents of rivers and of the ocean being equally eflicacious. The seeds of the mllow herb {Epilobhim Jtirsutum), and of the various species of willow (Salia:), are clothed with a down sustaining them on the surface of the waters by which their parents delight to vegietate, and to the welcome shores of which they are either borne by the stream or wafted by the breeze that sweeps over it. When Francis Leguat was wrecked upon the island of Rodriquez, he found no cocoa-nut trees upon the island, though many of their fruit were brought by the sea to its shores, and from these he and his unfortunate fellow- suff"erers planted the island. These nuts floated thither from the island of St. Brande, situated far away to the north-east of Rodriquez. By means of the rivers which bear theu- seeds down into the Baltic sea, many of the plants of Germany are carried to the shores of Sweden ; by similar means the plants of Spain and France reach the coasts of Britain ; a«d those of Africa and Asia float to those of Italy. Sir Hans Sloane frequently found the fruit of the nicker-tree (Gui- landina bonduc), and of several other West Indian plants, thrown by the sea upon the northern islands of Scot- land ; and Dr. Tonning found similar produce similarly conveyed to the shores of Norway, among them being the Cashew nut (Anacardium occidental a), probably after having floated over the intervening 2000 miles. Insects. — At this season the maggot found in the kemel of the filbert and hazel nut becomes familiar to every one. This maggot is the larva of the Nut-weevil, Balaninus nucum of some entomologists, and Curculio, or Rhynchamts nucum, of others. The parent weevil placed antennse : the beak is as long as the body. When the nut is in a young state, the female weevil, some time in May or Juue, deposits in it a single egg. The maggot is hatched in about a fortnight, and continues feeding in the interior of the nut till it is full grown. The nut often falls when the maggot has attained its full size, and the marauder then eats its way out, buries it- self in the earth, and becomes a chrysalis. The maggot has no legs, nor, indeed, has it any use for them, being hatched in the midst ol" its food ; and it is capable of moving faster than might be expected, solely by the alternate contraction and extension of the segments of its body. The only remedy we are aware of is, in the course of the summer, to frequently shake the trees, which will cause the eaten nuts to fall to the ground, when they must be collected and burned. A, bunch of filberts ; a, the healed wound caused by the weevil when inserting its egg ; 6, the end of the nut ; c, hole through which the maggot came out; B, the maggot or grub; C, the chrysalis ; D, the parent weevil. Mr. RiCHArvD Payne Knight, one of onrmost judicious writers upon " The Principles of Taste," has ohserved tliat *' when many sorts and varieties of flowers are slvilfully arranged and combined, as in the flower-pots of Vanhuysum, they form, perhaps, the most perfect spectacle of mere sensual beauty that is anywhere to be found." At page 193, we gave a few hints how flowers might thus he "skilfully arranged and com- bined," but such of om* readers as can refer to cue of Vanhuy sum's jmintings of flowers will there see "philosophy teaching by example." They will ob- serve that, in gi'oupiug his flowers, tliis most exqui- site painter usually placed the brightest in the centre, gradually decreasing in intensity of colour from that centre to the edges of his groups. They will also find that in each of these lovely nosegays there is one prevailing colour. If it were not so, the group would appear patchy or spotty ; and in forming our bouquets we shall find the importance of following the same rules. If a spray of bright crimson roses No. XLVII., Vol. II. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. August be in the centre, paler roses should be near to it on either side as well as above ; if geraniums prevail in our gi-oup, the scarlet should be in the centre, and the lighter tinted varieties more distant from it, ac- cording to theii- hues. One correspondent asks us " which we think shoiUd be tlie most prevalent colour in bouquets?" But it is impossible to lay down any rule for this. All are beautiful, and the decision of which is the most 60 varies with the taste of the judge, and that taste is influenced by such circumstances as associated colours, climate, and seasons. Thus, we thought, when about to settle for a tune within the tropics, that green would be a cool and refresliing colour for the eye to rest upon ; but, so far from this being the ease, we found that crimson was the most pleasing for the fui-niture of our rooms. In some degree this arose fi-om the excess of that cold absence of coloiu- — white — which predominated in the objects around, from the costume of the native servants to the entu-e walls of the apartments. Yet it is the same, we think, even in England. Here, a bouquet of the brightest flowers is more agi-eeable to the eye in our drawing-rooms than one of paler tints during the in- tense heat of a summer-day's noontide. On these points we have received the following letter from a correspondent evidently accustomed to practise what good taste dictates: — " One of the most beautiful bouquets I ever saw was composed of a mass of scarlet geraniums inter- spersed with fahy wliite roses, and sm-rounded by half-blown double white camellias. A very pretty .bouquet for mourning may be formedof white flowers surrounded by double violets. No bouquet is good without a rich green and a dead white. The flowers should be arranged in masses. For instance, gather myrtle for the green, scarlet geranium, a large tea- scented rose or two, a gardenia or Italian jessamine (if not come-at-able, some common jessamine), some golden calceolaria, and a bunch of nemophylla in signis or blue salvia, and we have the three primitive colours at once, which cannot fail to be pleasing to the eye, whether in painting, needlework, or the fur- niture of a room, in fact in every artilicial arrange- ment of colours. •:= I have never been able to make a small nosegay look well where purples and lUacs were introduced, unless aU reds and blues were ex- cluded. In a large vase, of course, the compound colours may be separated fi'om the primitive, and look extremely well.f The flowers I have named are se- lected because they are found in every garden Cras- sula coec'mea would be a splendid substitute for the geranium; dwarf magnolia for the rose, and blue aolumines for the salvia. The plumbago larpentae is also a lovely flower for the pm-pose. A bouquet for the hand should be formed by winding a long string round the centime flower and successively round each as it is placed, wliioh will bind them firmly to- gether." A physician, who wishes "Vibgyor" to appear as oscd, arc red, blue, and yellow. t The compound colours, so far as flowers for bouquets erned, arc orange, green, indigo, and violet. the shadow of his name, observes in another letter now before us : — "Transplanting plants in flower, to accomplish various desired eflects in the way either of hai-mony or of contrast, brings to my mind a work of Sii- D. Brewster's on Natm-al Magic, or some such popular subject, where he gives very valuable hints on this matter. As well as I can remember liis hints, I be- believe that he takes the seven old coloins of the rainbow ; and, as a general rule, each colour hanno- uizes with the one next before or after it, and con- ti-asts well with the tliird or fourth from it. We all know that the oolom-s of the rainbow are arranged as follows, beginning from the inner edge of its arch :— Violet, indigo, blue, gi-een, yellow, orange, and red. These, if arranged in what may be termed " The Rainbow Round Robin," will stand thus, and illustrate the author's statement. V harmonizes with I and R, and contrasts with G and Y ; Y harmonizes with G and 0, but contrasts with V and I, and so with the others. " I have a great idea that this would make a good design for a set of flower-beds, each of one colour ; and they might be sun-ounded by seven more, the outer set contrasting with the inner, and the centre might be white." Any of our readers intending to build a conser- vatory will do well, before carrying their design into effect, to pay a visit to that connected with the resi- dence of Josiah Wilson, Esq., of Stonard House, Stamford HilL It is not large, but the proportions are excellent, and the whole is characterized by elegance. The length, inside, is 29 feet 9 inches ; the breadth 17 feet 3 inches ; and the h eighth of the sides 17 feet. From these spring an arched roof of glass, and it is to this that we would request particu- lar attention. The roof is of rough plate glass, the lai'gest plates being more than 0^ feet long and 4 feet broad ; they ai-e three-eighths of an inch thick, and cmwed so as to form the arch of the roof with but slight interruption of light by any framework, which is very slight, and none of the bearers nearer than 4 feet, to suit the width of the glass plates. Now, we do not advocate either that the glass be more than half the above thickness, or that the plates be so large as those employed by Mr. Wilson, though the size adds to the beauty, but the rough glass we recommend for adoption most decidedly. The light is as clear as it is without doors, but the glare of the sun's rays is intercepted. It is a softened, grateful light, which, after two years and a half of experience, both Mr. Wilson and his gardener testify is most favourable to the growth of plants, and we can also bear evidouco as to the hetdthy appearance of those THE COTTAGE GARDENEK. 263 gi'owing there in July last. The flowering plants being so far from the glass as in the centre bed of the con- servatory, there was not much fear of their being scorched, hut Mr. Wilson has tested the power of rough glass to prevent scorching in other ways, and has found it quite effectual. We saw a frame glazed with it employed for striking cuttings and other purposes in which shading ia usually necessary, hut with this frame no such shading is required. THE FRUIT-GARDEN. The Vine in-doohs. — Our last advice on this head was ottered in the end of June, and wiU be found at p. 152 of our present volume. We there dealt with three of the principal crises in the annual life of the vine, viz., the development of the bunch, the first swelling of the berry, and the last swelling of the fruit. Having a few words more of advice to offer, we take up the subject at the point where we left it. Persons unacquainted with vine culture would natu- rally imagine that our last assumed crisis, " the last swelling," would complete all the advice that could be offered on this head, and that notliing requisite remained but a reasonable amount of patience to watch their ripening, and a keen appetite to enjoy the fruits of om* watchful labours ; we may add, also, protection from wasps and flies. It is an old saying that " gardening is never done," and true it is. Even when our vines are rooked to sleep by the wintry storms, and robbed of then- vinous treasures, we are stUl busy plotting another campaign ; border making, dressing, and pruning, all present themselves to our view. " Life's cares, however, are comforts," according to one of our bards. To proceed, then, we will urge that although we ad- vised the almost total stripping away of the lateral or axillary shoots in our June advice, yet we would here speak more guardedly with regard to those in- doors ; there is no occasion in the ma,jority of oases to resort to such severe measm-es. There is great danger of those out-doors not ripening at all unless sunlight can be fi-eely thrown on the wall or other body against wliich they are trained, for on the free absorption of heat by such solid materials much of the success will depend; the heat given out from this reservou- during the night greatly enhances the warmth of the an- in the neighbourhood of the fruit. StiU, it wUl be necessary to much reduce a con- siderable portion of them, especially where the par- ties desire to preserve their grapes as late as possible. By the end of September, however, ripe grapes in the greenhouse will require all the sunlight possible ; indeed, it will then become absolutely prune away nearly every lateral, and even ally to strip away a leaf, for the sun must at that period be permitted to shine on the fruit itself The question here assumes another bearing, of a most important character to those who possess only one small greenhouse ; and for such, we hold it a pa- ramount duty to write most explicitly, such persons being less complete ni vine culture in general than those who possess what is termed a garden establish- ment. The bearing to which we allude is the housing of the pot plants, for most of those who possess but one house endeavour to indulge in some little nick- nacks of this kind ; and as we promised, when first commencing our observations on vine culture, to show how the two purposes could be rendered com- patible, we must now beg to enlai-ge a little on such matters. The end of September, then, is a sort of epoch in the liistory of the Uttle greenhouse containing both grapes and pot pla,nts. At this period the plants must by all means be reintroduced ; those, at least, of a true greenhouse character ; and before introduc- ing a single plant the house must undergo a tho- rough revision. We will suppose, then, that it is the middle of the month (by which period operations should commence), and that what plants were in the house at the time were all can-ied out for the sake of a thorough cleaning. The first thing is to examine the flue or other heating apparatus. The flues must, by all means, be thoroughly cleaned : this is a process which re- quires much caution and some dexterity, and should not be trusted to an ordinary workman, for any slo- venly neglect wQl endanger the character of the grapes, as soot, when dry, is so liable to rise into the atmosphere. A dull day should be chosen, in order that no air may be given to the house during the operation. This, and a constant application of water sprinkled frequently round the interior of the flue when opened, will guard against all injury from soot. If the day should prove sunny, a little shading might be thrown over the roof In this way, then, a cauti- ous workman may thoroughly clean the flues of a house without the least perceptible injury to the fi-uit. This being done, a gentle fire should be lighted immediately, and abundant ventilation again had recourse to. The next thing is to give the walls a fresh coatmg of Hme-wash. As before observed, let a lively fire be kept up whilst this is proceeding, and ail- given day and night, in order to dispel all noxious damps which would otherwise be engendered during these processes, for they all involve the use of much water, it being necessary to syringe or sprinkle the floors occasionally for fear of dust rising on the gTapes. Painting we will say nothing about ; it is too late for that operation, which should he performed just before the last swelling of the berry commences. Any little repair necessary should now be accom- plished, and a thorough cleaning-out should finish the whole. It is weM, however, to wash all the wood- work with strong soap water, and to clean the glass. Plenty of sulphur should be introduced among the lime-wash, which will prove an antidote against the increase of the red spider. Whilst these things are proceeding, a thorough dressing of the vines must be carried out. In the fii-st place, we advise that all barren shoots which will not he required for the nest year be entirely pruned away : this wiU serve to encourage the free admission of sun-light, on which, as before observed, everything depends. The next point is to see how much of lateral spray can bo partially reduced or en- thely stripped away : this depends on the luxuriance of the vines, together with the amount of severity practised at the summer dressings. We would as- suredly sufi'er no lateral to shade the principal leaves, and even of the latter it will be necessary to make a Uttle sacrifice occasionally : this must not be done in a reckless way, the object being merely to admit an equal quantity of the ' sim's rays all over the house, which will be imperatively required on behalf of the plants, and will, if cleverly performed, prove of no injury to the vines. Do not, however, remove any of the principal leaves from the last two or three eyes on the lower portion of the shoots ; these must 2(34 THE COTTAGE GAKDENEK, AUGI-ST remain to thoroughly organise tlie buds for the nest year's crop. One large leaf heyond the fruit, if a liealthy one, will sviffice to cater for the bunch, and we would leave as many as we could of the growing extremities at the back of the house, rambling to the latest jieriod : these ^vill keep the root in play, and thus promote the feeding of the berries. Now, if the vines are confined to the spurring system (which they assiu'edly ought to be, as con- nected with the culture of exotic plants in pots), these matters will be more easily carried out with a much less amount of severe stopping than here re- commended ; for, be it understood, our recommenda- tions are not based on shear abstract principles or soimd practice, as applied specially to the vine or to jiot culture — they are expedients, and, of course, less or more, are a compromise in degree of some princi- ples. Nevertheless, the case may be brought to beai- by a judicious course of action. If, on the other hand, the vines are, as we have many times seen them, spread over the whole area of the roof of a gi'eenhouse, and plants cultivated, or rather (in too many cases) merely vegetated, beneath them, why then it requires some nicety of management to pre- vent the grapes from spoOing and the pot plants from " di-awing." We have now handled most of the detaUs con- nected with greenhouse grapes and pot plants in combination ; and we would urge on the amatem- a consideration of the princii^les themselves which govern the success of such procedures. To under- stand these principles well is to obtain the "master- key" which unlocks all rule-of-thumb mysteries ; this win enable an ingenious and mind-working amatem- to fly where others creep. In the coiirse of our la- bours, and before the year is out, we hope to return to this subject, and to deal with it on a broader foot- ing, commencing with the very house and border; perhaps, however, our clever coadjutor, Mr. E. Fish, will anticipate us, and divert our labours to another track, for in handling the matter we certainly ap- proach his confines. R. Ebeington. THE PLOWER-GAEDEN. NOTES OF A JOURNEY IN HERTFORD- SHIRE {Concluded}. Beoxeoukne Buby, the Residence of Mrs. Bo- SANQUET. — In a preceding Number we made some remarks on this place, but, as we only mentioned it in reference to the pUlai' roses, we shall now briefly notice a few other points in gardening that we ob- served on this occasion. The house stands on a gentle eminence, and has on the east fi-ont a valley, with a hill beyond it clothed with wood. On the south the valley widens, and the country is more open. West from the house are the flower-gai-dens : a wall covered witli roses and other creepers dividing this garden from the vegetable and fruit-gardens. The part we are now in is laid out in variously- shaped flower-beds, grouped on grass. One cluster of them is occupied entu-ely with verbenas, eflectively arranged in different colours, one colom' to a bed. Near to them stands a splendid tulip-tree, 00 feet high, of which the branches spread over a circle of 4(1 feet diameter. Beyond this flower-covered lawn a walk turns round the angle of the kitchen-garden, under a coUeotion of hardy weeping trees. Amongst tlicm, in parti culai-, we noticed an lurcommonly fine rose acacia [Rohmia hispida) ; the stem is seven feet high, and a number of stakes arc so aiTanged that the shoots can be tied to them ; as the tree advances in growth other stakes are set up, and the year's shoots tied to them. This has been repeatedly acted upon, and the result is a vei-y pleasing one. Looking over the top of the tree it appears Uke a gi-eeu table, whilst inside, when in flower, it looks like a fancy's bower, of which its pendant, elegant, rose-colom-ed blossoms serve for the festal lamps. This slu'ub is very Kpt to be broken with the wind, but trained in the above manner it is preserved from that danger. Passing under this beautiti.il, novel, weeping tree, we came to the rose garden. Perhaps tliis is the largest private rose gai'den in the kingdom. We did not learn the exact measurement, but it must occupy at least two acres ; it is separated from the park Dy a plantation of laurels : this is in good taste, for, by tills evergi'cen division, the eye is confined to the roses, and not distracted by other alluring objects. The standai-d roses are planted in long rows, and the groimd between is occupied by dwarfs, thus covering it, and partly liiding the long naked stems of the others. At the fai-thest end a terrace walk has been formed, with rockwork in fi-ont, and a seat beyond it. Standing on this terrace, and looking down the rose garden, the effect is most beautiful, at least it was so then (July 9th). We walked down next to the wall between the Idtcben-garden and rosery : this wall was covered with fi-uit-trees, which we understood, as might have been expected, bore no fruit, or vei-y little, in the best season. These trees ought to be rooted up, and then- place covered with such roses as Laura Davoust and others fi-equently mentioned in these pages as suitable for the purpose. We next ■visited the kitchen and fruit gardens, which we found well managed and in neat order. Leaving the gar- dens by the road to the Broxbomiie Station, on the Eastern Coimties fine of railway, just in the hollow of the valley above mentioned, but within the wood, is a plot of ground laid out as an American garden and hardy fernery. A number of trees had been cleared away to make room for it, yet not to such an extent as to expose the plants to more hght than is needfid for their health. An irregularly vrinding walk led around this interesting spot, and at the turning point of this walk a shady gi-otto-like arbom- is formed. Here we met with, and were inti-oduced to, Mrs. Bosanquet, the amiable owner of this sylvan scene : she had the Idndness to point out some of the rarer species of ferns. The health and luxu- riance of all tlie established plants was really sur- prising. The soil in which they flourish so well is composed of sandy peat aaid leaf-mould in a half- decayed state : in this the kinds with creeping roots (or rhizomas) have formed large patches, particularly PnJi/pnrHiim drioptcrin. Onnrhr/ scn.iHiili.':. Axfilniiiim llli.i- I'niiiiii,,. ;iii,l oilii'l-^ -f suiiihir liuhils. i\l;mv of 1^ (In jiiost cxti-aordhiary manner. Asjiicliiim loiicliitis (the holly fern) had fronds more than a foot long, and was sending up others of still greater vigour. The soil was covered with moss, wliich kept it moist, and no doubt was of great assistance in maintaining the ferns in such perfect health. If any of our readers shoidd visit tlus place, they wQl do well to inquire for, and request In hr ^hcwli, this fern garden. Wo coidd have witli |>l(';i-.inv s|i,iil a much longer time amongst its toniiiii-. ini- ili. i, rus ai-e a ti-ibo of espe- cial favourites with uh. iuit i-vciiing was approach- ing, and, what was qidto as important, llic lime I'm- THE COTTAGE GARDENER. the train to London was near; from Broxboume Bury. . so we departed The Genus DELPHiNiuiM. — We intend occasion- ally to give a list of, and instructions relative to, the culture of some of the best tribes of hardy perennial flowers, and shall commence with the beautiful family above named, than which there are no hardy plants more deservedly admired. The colours of the flowers are mostly of the finest azure blue, or of shades approaching to it ; their foliage is generally very handsome, and their heighth for the most part moderate. The entire habit of the family is of a handsome character. The foflowiug is a select list of the best kinds :— Delphii I albiflorum {bluish-white larkspur), 3 feet. Barlowii (Barlow's larkspur), 2j to 3 feet, dark blue, 1 purple ; a fine double-flowering species, of exqui- shaded ^ site colour 3. ,, elatum (tall bee larkspur), 4 feet, blue and purple. The lip of the flower is exactly like a bee ; a curious fine species. 4. ,, elatum pleno (double tall bee larkspur). 5. ,, grandiflorum (great-flowered lairkspur), 3 feet, fine deep blue. This is generally known in gardens as the Siberian larkspur, and is a very fine, but rather scarce species. 6. ,, grandiflorum pleno (double great-flowered larkspur), 3 feet, equally handsome in every way as the last, and much more common. 7- „ grandiflorum azureura (light blue great-flowered lark- spur), 2j feet, azure blue ; a new variety, exceedingly handsome. 8. ,, Hulmii (Hulme's larkspur), 2 feet. This is a very large single-flowered variety, of beautiful pure blue colour. 9. -, pictum (painted-flowered larkspur), 3 feet ; a curious species, very pretty. 10. „ splendens (splendid larkspur), 3 feet, blue, large flow- ers, very handsome, with large fine foliage. Culture. — Perennial larkspurs requu'e a good light soil, consisting of one-tliii-d hazeUy loam, one-third vegetable mould, and one-third peat, the whole to be weU mixed with a little pure sand. The border must be dry, the soil deep, and the situation open. Some of the strong-growing varieties tlnive well and assort well with the lower-growing shrubs. They are, when grown in a suitable soil and situation, perfectly hardy. The season of flowering is from July to September, a time of the year when flowers are in great request in most gardens. As soon as the flowering season is over, cut down the flowering stems to the part where the leaves are: let these remain until they turn yellow. Sometimes, when the season is wet, they will throw up small side shoots about this time of the year or later: those shoots must not be allowed to flower, or they will weaken the roots and the next year's blooming. Propagation. — They may be increased by seeds and by division of the root. As they sport consider- ably by seed you have a chance of raising new va- rieties ; they wiU come into flower the second year after sowing, and, in that respect, do not impose so long a tax upon the patience of the cultivator as some other flowers. The seeds may be sown on a border in rows, in the compost above-mentioned. The month of April is the best season for sowing. Transplant the seedlings in the April following into the place where you intend them to flower. The other mode of increase, viz. by division of the roots, is the only way to keep good varieties pure and genuine. Dividing the roots is an oijeration requn- ing a steady hand, a sharp eye, and a keen-edged knife. The best season to do it in is the month of October, or as soon as the leaves turn yellow. Let every piece you cut off have at least two eyes to it and as much root as possible. Plant them half an inch below the surface in nursery rows, placing over them some kind of protection from frost, such, for instance, as decaying tanners' bark or half-rotten leaves. The autumn afterwards they may be planted ill their blooming situation. FLORISTS' FLOWERS. Adhiculas and Polyanthuses. — Look after seed- lings, and see that snails or slugs do notdevom- them. At this season the soil on the surface is apt to become sour and covered with a green crust; remove this carefully, and stn up the soil with an old table-fork or short pointed stick. Old plants must be protected fi'om excessive rains. If some are observed very wet, lay them on one side for a day or two ; examine the drainage, and if it is stopped up set it right by fresh draining the plants. Keep yom- polyanthuses free from red spider. We have seen some lately almost without leaves, having been destroyed by this in- sidious enemy. Dry Roois of Flowebs, such as ranunciduses, tulips, anemones, hyacinths, and narcissuses, should be frequently looked over, and such as are mouldy or decaying removed from the stock, and the affected part entirely washed ofi'. Dry them thoroughly, and keep them in a place by themselves. T. Appleby. GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW GAEDENING. RocHBA EALOATA. — Tlus beaLitiful succulent stands in the same relation to the crassidas as the Macart- ney rose does to the old Provence or Cabbage rose, therefore it is a true crassula ; but, as they say a good tale is not the worse for being twice told, a good plant may not be the worse for having more names than seem necessary, and this is really a good plant either for a cottage window or for the palace conser- vatory, and one of the easiest plants in the catalogue to grow and flower. I prefer the old name crassula falcata, but it is a distinct section of the family, not so brilUant as the scarlet crassiilas, of which there are tlu-ee or four sorts, but its management is much easier to learn, as it is never pruned. After it flowers once it is thrown away like a cockscomb or a balsam, except when a supply of young suckers are wanted to increase or keep up the stock. We annually flower a few dozens of them in six-inch pots, and we find them very handy plants to put into ornamental jars and stands, to be placed in different parts of the rooms. Any situation wUl suit them equally well ; they keep a long time in flower, and, to a stranger, they look more like artificial ornaments than actual plants, their leaves being of a gi'eyish lead colour, and I should say from half to tlu-ee-quarters of an inch in thickness, so that the name crassula suits them much better than the more modern one of Rochea, which is after a foreigner's name; ■a.ud. falcata, the second name, refers to the shape of the leaves, which are curved somewhat like a reaping-hook or sickle— /«Z- catus being an old Roman term for any hooked in- strument. Some gardeners flower it two or three years rim- ning, but I never saw one of them that way that 1 could fancy. If you stick one of their gouty leaves in a little poto"f sand it will make aplant; but they have afamous way of making little plants, or what we call suckers, among the leaves, and aU that is necessary is to cut off these suckers, or strip them off very car-efidly, when they have four leaves on : March is the best time for doing this, but it may be done any time from ^larch to September. A number of these suckers is 266 THE COTTAGE GARDENEH. August then planted round the side of a pot in pure sand or in light soil, and they soon root. Gardeners say if they get a strong sucker of this crassula, or of a pine- apple, or of an aloe, or indeed of any plant that is grown from suckers, half the hattle of rearing the future plant is won at the outset ; therefore, when there is a choice of suckers, they always take the strongest they can find. The way we keep up our stock of them is this : after the bloom is over we take a few of the strongest plants, ^vitl^ healthy roots, and cut them down as far as where the flowering shoot issued from, put them under a glass — that is, in any of the pits or houses — water them once a week till November, and only once in three weeks through the winter. The stumps wOl soon begin to make suckers, and by the middle of March there is a crowd of them on each plant : these we take off, and sort them into sizes; the very largest are put into thumb-pots in nothing but sand, and by the end of May they get a shift into three-inch pots, and are kept close to the glass tUl the beginning of August, when they are removed outside, and placed with the taU crassulas, close under the south wall of one of the hothouses, and plunged in sand ; but they are not watered, the dews, side rains, and the dampness or shelter of the sand being sufficient moistme for their leaves and roots ; in short, they are now digesting the food they stored while they were regularly watered ; and, if the autumn tui-ns out a wet one, we remove them to a cold pit, still giving them all the an- and sun possible, and by the end of the season they are generally strong enough to flower next year. This, then, is very similar to the treatment of the late scarlet crassulas ; the only difference being that our crassula falcata is not watered in the autumn. They are wintered on a shelf close to the glass in the coldest greenhouse, without any water at all, excepting in a hard frosty winter, when there is more sunlight and flre-heat, which would shrivel them up unless a little water was given to them now and then. They would also require a little water once in three weeks if wintered in the window of a warm room.. In March — that is, twelve months after they were taken as suckers — they are potted into five-inch pots, in the same compost as the other crassulas, but I do not think the kind of soil is of much importance, provided it is open and well drained, and I have no doubt they would flower very well in flue sifted coal- ashes. Of this batch the whole sometimes flower, but after a wet or very dull autumn some of them grow on without flowering, and this is considered good luck, because when they make two seasons' growth their flower heads are much finer, and their suckers are also much stronger. After they are shifted into their flowering pots, they are regularly watered till they have done flowering, and a little forcing will not hurt them, but it must be given iu jNIay, and only till their centre stem begins to grow away rapidly for bloom ; any forcing or confinement after that is certain to injure them more or less. AVe must now return to the second-sized suckers, or more properly ofi'sets. They are gi'own the first season in store pots— that is, about nine or ten off- sets in a nine-inch pot — for they are too small to flower well imder two years' growth, and by the time they are twelve months old they are either potted singly in three-inch pots, or, if they are con- sidered small, tliey are left in the store pots till the end of May, wlien they arc planted in light soil, close to the front of one of the houses, and taken uj) iu August, and potted at once in the pots they are intended to flower in. After all, I think this is the best way to manage them, only I would make the rule of potting them early in August absolute. Those who never saw this plant in bloom may be curious to know what kind of flower it is, but I can- not bring any plant to mind that I can liken it to. It is a kalosantlies sure enough, for halos means beautiful, and anthos a flower; it is even more than that, for, to say the least of it, when well managed it is a most beautiful thing. It rises from 10 to 12 inches above the pot, and on the top of a centi'al column a great number of Uttle flowers grow quite close together, forming a circular head, flat on the top, and from three to five or six inches in diameter ; the colom- is scarlet and gold, and the plant is as easily grown as a common cactus, and lasts in bloom a month or six weeks. Myrtles, Oi.E.iNDEns, and CAjrELLiAS. — From the middle to the end of August is the best time in the year to put in cuttings of these. The camellia cut- tings have been already treated on, and the other two requu-e much the same treatment. Tlie fashion- able way of sti'iking myrtle cuttings is to put a plant into a close damp hothouse early in June, so that the young shoots are as soft as those of a verbena, and when they are a couple of inches long they are taken off for cuttings, planted in pots with sand on the top, bell-glasses put over them, and then plunged into bottom-heat. Nine-tenths of the very hard woody plants, such as is the myi-tle, wUl readily strike vmder that excitement, but that kind of work is only fit for flrst-rate propagators, and ordinaiy people must content themselves with the old-fashioned way of slow and sure work. Myrtle cuttings take a long time to root, but they may be made any time from Eehruary to September. Those made now require less attention, and are more sure to root by the ordi- nary treatment than such as are made at any other season, and as they must be left in the cutting pots till next spring, and be watered all through the winter, the pots should be particularly well preijared for tlieni. Six-inch pots are about the best size for them, drained with an inch deep of small cinder- aslies, then a little good mould over that for the roots to feed on when they reach down so far, and then the pot filled with a very light compost of half sand and half sandy loam. To make the pot look more tidy, a thin layer of clean sand might be put on the top, but that is not essential for the cuttings. The pot is then well watered, and put by till the cuttings are made. The reason for first watering the cutting- pot is that the soil in it wiU press harder together than if only ordinai'ily moist, and the closer tlie soil or the sand is made for hard-wooded cuttings, such as those of the myrtle, the more certain ai'e tliey to root. Now, if a gardener had a large myrtle plant to choose cuttings from, he would only take the little side shoots about three or four inches long, with an inch or so of the bottom (piitr ln-owii from bemg ripe ; he woidd not cut thriii Iml slip lliiiii from the branch, and after cutting lh\;iv ihr iw.i lowrr loaves they would be ready to plant. 'Jliu next best cuttings would be the top of side shoots that ripened all tl\c way up except a couple of inches at tlie very top ; then, by taking two joints of the brown wood along with the green tops, very good cuttings iimvln' miide. Of course these could not be miiilo sliii-ciiiiiii;-:-- like the former, but they would be cut in in^> himI. !■ llic second joint of ripe wood in the u^ual « :i\ . The reason for taldng a little ripe wood at the bottom of the cuttings is to prevent them dampmg in the soil, as they woidd be more likely to do if they were all of green wood. When the cuttings are ready, phmt August THE COTTAGE GAllDENEE. them all round the side of the pot, not in tJw middle, and if you have plenty of cuttings place them so that the leaves will just keep clear of each other and no more ; about an inch will be deep enough to plant them if they are made firm. After they are all in give the pot a gentle shower to settle the surface soil all round the cuttings ; place them in a shady i^laoe for the first fortnight, or, if you have a hand-glass or a cold-pit, either would do very weU for them till the middle of October, but after that a kitchen window would be the best place in which to winter them : here they would need to be watered twice a week, and by the time they made an inch or two of new wood they would be ready to be changed into single pots. To do this properly, let the soil get rather dry ; then tui-n out the ball on a board or bench, and give it two or three gentle taps with your fingers, turning it round and round all the while, by which the dry soil will crumble away with- out breaking the young roots. Place them now singly in 3-inch pots, in any good light compost, for young myrtles are not very particular about soil ; and if you have no hand-glass, you must keep them ten days in a close shady place tiU they take to the new pots, and after that you can do anything with them. There are no plants nicer for a window in winter than a couple of these myrtles — a broad-lealed and a narrow-leafed one for contrast; and when they begin to get too large you may prmie them as freely as a gooseberry or cm-rant-bush. In the gi-owing season it is a good plan to nip oif the tops of the strongest shoots, which wiU cause them to make more side ones, and so keep the plants bushy. If you want to make standards of them (and they look well that way also), all that will be necessary is to let the top grow away without stopping it, and all the side branches that it would make for the first three years to be stopped at the first or second joint, as I said about the tree mignonette, for on no ac- count must a single side branch be cut oft' close till the top has attained the requned heighth. When the top shoot is high enough, nip off the point of it, and three or fom-, or half a dozen, of the shoots im- mediately below the leader may he left to form the framework of the future head. To manage a stan- dard myrtle is exactly the same thing as that of a dwarf bush. Whenever the head begins to look too open it is a sign that some of the branches want pruning to make more wood, whether the plant be a dwarf or a standard, and it is always a good plan, as I have already said, to keep nipping off the points of the strongest and longest branches all through the growing season. They like a good generous compost and plenty of water when they are good-sized plants, and a little liquid manure will give them a more glossy dark gi-een if given about twice a month in Although, like most other plants, myrtles require little water in winter, they must never be allowed to become quite dry like fuchsias and scarlet geraniums. When they are of full age, all the heat they requh-e in winter is merely to keep the frost from them. As an encouragement to others to grow myrtles, I may mention that here we have many fine large plants of them, some so large, indeed, as to require the strength of ten able men to move them about in their- tubs ; and about eight or nine yeai-s ago Su- W. Middleton brought a dozen standard myrtles from the continent, with stems four feet high : then- heads are now four or five feet in diameter; they blossom every autumn, are gtown in dark gTeen tubs, and altogether are really most beautiful plants. They are all of the narrow-leaved sort, and I find that they are best for making standards, as they grow so much closer than the broad-leaved ones. When myi-tles are old enough to bear seeds, they ripen a quantity every year, and that is the easiest way to increase them. Seeds sown in the spring, and placed in a cucumber frame, would by this time have produced nice little plants, but they would grow very well with the heat of a common window. Now, no doubt many of our readers will think it strange that I should be so particular with such a common plant as a myrtle, but I take more pains with such subjects than with others of a higher grade, for we must never lose sight of the fact that we have undertaken to teach the alphabet of garden- ing, that the best gardener in the country did not know so much at one time, and that there are thou- sands annually entering the lists who must begin at the beginning or else be mere dabblers for the rest of their lives; therefore, although many good gar- deners derive some instruction from om- simple nar- ratives, as for myself I seldom lose sight of the import of an inscription which was engraved on the mantel-piece of the school-room where I once was taught : it ran thus, in Latin, " Mild cepi, hoc loco, doctrinam juvent litis" which may be thus para- phrased— " In The Cottage G.\kdener I have un- dertaken the instruction of the uninitiated." D. Beaton. HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. Sirawbereies roil Forcing. — Inquiries thick and tliickening are coming respecting tfre means to be taken for the forcing of this splendid fruit. Where there is, with the editor and contributor, the desire to oblige, it must be the subscriber's own fault if he does not meet with the information he peculiarly wants, so far as it is possible for limited knowledge to supply it. One thing he may rely upon, which is that if we cannot help him we will candidly confess our inability, and not mystify him with a roundaboutism wliioh merely ends and leaves matters exactly as they were. The strawberry is propagated by seed and by runners. The first method is seldom resorted to, unless by hybridizing, to produce new varieties, and for the cultivation of the alpine kinds, wliich generally fruit best when raised from seed. The general method for propagating approved sorts is by runners, which are freely produced from healthy plants, one plant being the progenitor of several generations of such descend- ants, if it is robust in health, and the weather during the end of summer and beginning of autumn should be cloudy and dripping. I would explain tlie process, but an examination of the plant would be more inte- resting. It will at once be seen that the runner performs much the same ofiice for the strawberry and ktndi-ed plants that the scape or the peduncle performs for tlie flower of other stemless plants, only that in the strawberry a perfect plant is formed, true to the va- riety, from the runner, whUe, with some exceptions, we could only expect the S23ecies, not the identical va- riety, from the seeds. The strawberry, therefore, and other kindred plants present some analogy to that part of the animal world that is both viviparous and ovipai-ous; the runner having some likeness to the former, and the fi-uit and seed to the latter mode of reproduction. THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. Keejiing in mind that plants of an approved sort are what is wanted for forcing, I shall advert to several methods, all of which will answer if properly con- ducted, leaving to the intelligent reader the option of suiting his operations to his circumstances. All of these methods I have ])ractised successfully, and therefore I may be supposed to hold the balance with an even hand, being prejudiced to no system what ever, but merely loving that the most which com- mands success and involves least trouble and time in the preparation. The first method, then, to which I would allude is the taking up, not the largest, but the middle-sized and smaller runners now, planting them out in beds three or four inches asunder, depriving them of all nmners as they grow, encouraging their growth by watering, sm-faoe-stirring, nipping off the flowers if any appear the following summer, lifting them with good balls in July or August of the following year for potting, encoui-aging them to root fi-eely, sup- plying them with hquid manure, getting the buds ripened early in autumn, and then placing them in a state of rest, defended from wet and frost, until you wish to excite them into growth. The reason why the smaller and not the larger, the second and not the first, produced runners are chosen for this pur- pose is tliat the first woiild get too lai-ge tmder good cultivation, and in the cu-cumstances would not be so apt to flower weU as the second. So far as I have been able to determine this appears a matter of some importance. It wiU be seen that this method is merely an improvement upon the original system of going to the strawberry quarter and lifting what j)lants you consider most suitable. In either case, if you have plenty of choice, choose those plants possessed of one strong bud or centre in preference to those having two or three prominent buds : the latter seldom spm- well in early forcing ; for late work, that is, staiting them in March or April, they will do very well. The great thing is to get the pots full of roots, and the buds first ripened and then rested, be- fore you proceed to force them. Although involving more time and labom-, I have not found the system preferable to that detailed under method thuxl. As an instance of what may be done in unfavour- able circumstances I may mention that once in the end of October I ascertained that it would be desirable to have strawbenies in the following March and April, but no preparations whatever had been made, and a motley mixed lot of old plants were all that existed to choose from. Those possesskig the boldest well- ripened buds were chosen, taken up, and potted, and immediately phmged to the rims in a slight hotbed made of leaves, sweepings of the lawn, &c., in order that new roots should be formed in the pots, care being taken to leave the tops of the plants completely exposed, unless in heavy rains n.nd severe frosts. Here you will observe two primiplr^ wi iv hIicimI, il to: — first, as the buds were aln-nls ri|iriM',l, ihr nli ject was to obtaia roots thatwniild Mi|.|ily iln' mriins for the expansion of tlm^c buds hImu ilir |i(ils were placed in a house witi I :i lii'^lin iriii|H i;iiiirr : and, secondly, the plunging i)i iIh' I" d, wlnh' ilic top of the plant was exposrd. lndiiL'iii llir v>'ii-- inlhcrm advance of tllr inji, :. ininriplc nnl sullirimlly ill- tended to in I'll il\ iMivm- Thr |h.n\\1iiii cMiiiiiiM'il were crammcil wiili line Innlihy immIs :iirlinhiiiiiis, and produced a very Jair lU'op in iMurcl]. The second method I would refer to, and highly i-ecomraended by some, is using the plants forced this year for forcing again the next ; watering them during summer, keeping them clear of nmners and weeds, removing part at least of the old soil, and shifting them into the same sized, or larger sized, pots in July or August, watei-ing, shading for a few days, and then exposing them on a hard smface to the fidl influence of the sim, for accelerating the ripening of the buds. Eeasornng from analogy, I once had high hopes of this system ; I found that in the case of other plants, the longer they were forced the easier they were to be excited. As one of the first to plant out largely forced plants for the fonning of the general plantations of sti-awben-ies, which not only may give you a fair retmrn of liiiit in the autumn, but a produce next summer so extraordinary as not to be equalled by any other system of plant- ing, I thought I might as well secure some of that vast abrmdance in the forcing houses. Now, though from following out this method I have had fair suc- cess, yet that success did not come nearly up to the high expectations I had formed. For general purposes, I therefore approve of the third method, such as has aheady been referred to in these pages, namely, layering the i-unners of the present year's gi-owth, in July and August, into small pots, to be shifted into larger; or placing one or more runners mto a six-inch pot, iu which it will pro- duce its fi-uit. One plant in a. fom- or five-inch pot, commonly called 4Bs, will produce plentifully for the first crop. Many prefer having three plants in a six or eight-inch pot. When convenient, I prefer layering in small pots of from three to three and a half inches, usually termed tiOs ; cutting the run- ner, and shifting into larger pots when the first is crammed with roots, because there is a tendency with the strawberry to send its roots to the outside of the pot, while the repotting method secures the fiUing of the pot with feeding mouths from the centre to the cu-cumference. If you can obtain nmners from forced plants they will be best. In layering, all you have to do is to bring your pots, drained and filled with soU, to the strawberry ground, lifting the young plant as soon as you can hold it conveniently, and fastening it in the earth in the pot with the tbuiiili II nil a coiijile of fingers, and then jilaoing a siiiiiil lia.l.' ili.aii iViiiii linglit sun for a short hinr. anil lli.ai. I'.ir all Iml llir lirst crop, commenced ill Diri'iiilii r, lliry an- r.-aiiy In br taken up iMul trr hill Mi.'Kiir^ a l^w linni.'lirs ..I' s|ini,r or hnnvl alll(.ll^■-l Ihriii. 'I'll,' lirds ar.. |.itviiiiis1v well pre- pared Willi rotten dung. Befnre plaeing such plants THE COTTAGE GARDENEK. in tlie foroiug house after potting, tliey require to be put in a little bottom-heat for a fortnight, as before described. For late forcing, such plants are fre- quently taken up and planted out in a shght hotbed, where they generally produce plentifully. I have, however, more than exhausted my space upon pre- paring— the storing and forcing must foi-m matter for another gossiping. I must, however, be indulged with a few words more, and first as to suitable kinds. Kean's Seedling stiU. maintains its supremacy as the best forcer and the most abundant bearer. The British Queen is a fine-flavoured noble-looking straw- berry, but second-rate as to bearing, and should not be forced until the end of January. The old Aber- deen Eoseberry is a free bearer, forces well, but the fruit is small, and when forced early not high-fla- voured. I have had them looking well at Christmas : I will say nothing of their taste. Secondly, the soil should be fi'esh good loam, with a sixth part of rotten dung, dried and free fi'om worms ; if stiflf loam, a sixth pai't of rough lime rubbish wiU be an advantage. Thirdly, drainage must be well attended to, and yet worms be excluded from the bottom. Place a piece of potsherd with its convex side over the hole in the pot, above it fully an inch of smaller pieces, then a little green moss to prevent the soU mixing with the drainage, and a sprinkling of soot, which will act the double purpose of a vermifuge and a fertilizer. Fourthly, potting. Pack the soil rather firm, but be sure that the centre of yonr plant stands out free : it must not be buried at all. Fifthly, watering. Weak, clear, liquid-manure, made fi-om soot and guano, I like best, used alter- nately with clear water : they must never know what it is to flag. In rainy days the pots should be turned over on their sides. Pi,. Fish. THE KITCHEN-GAEDEN. As soon as the young cabbage plants are large enough to manage prick them out thickly, so that they may be strong and vigorous for permanent planting. Encourage the growth of brocoli, haUs, and whiter greens, as well as coleicorts, by frequently stirring the surface about them, first clearing away all the yellow leaves, which, if allowed to remain, have not only an untidy appearance but also afford a refuge for broods of snails and slugs. A little slaked Ume should be cast about over all the young crops of vegetables early in the mornings, or late in the evenings, to prevent the attacks of these pests ; and baits, either of brewer's grains or of new bran, should be laid in small quantities to entice them in numbers together, when they may readily be des- troyed. The grub family are also very numerous at this season, and will be Ibimd for the next few weeks very destructive to all fi'esh planted vegetables, if not well searched for and desti-oyed. Oaulifiowers may be sown to stand the winter, by those who may not possess the convenience of hand- glasses or lights, if a good, dry, healthy spot of grormd be chosen, after the 20th of this month. Those who have the above-named advantages will do well to defer the operation until the middle of September, for, if the weather in the autumn should be mild and growing, the plants are apt to become too luxm-iant and too large ; are hable also to severe . checks in winter and in the early spring and when planted out at the beginning of the gi-ow- ing season, instead of progi-ossing favourably, they are likely to start, or button, showing at once a di- minutive flower of no use, and causing only disap- pointment after all the previous trouble and expense. Lettuces and onions should each have another sow- ing made to stand the winter, as well as the early quick gTowing kinds of turnips, such as the Early Dutch, Stone, and American Early. Another sowing also of parsley, which will be found to stand without running to seed until next spring, and will supply the vacancy between the seeding of the early sown, and the coming in of that sown in spring. Parsley sown last spring, and which has now become strongly established, shoiJd have a portion cut back in suc- cession, so that it may furnish plenty of luxuriant curled foliage for winter use. Parsley may be as- tonishingly improved by the application of chimney soot in showery weather, or applied, as is best and most economical, in a liquid state. Radishes and small Salads should also now be sown in succession. James Babses. MISCELLANEOUS INEOEMATION. MY FLOWERS. (No. 40.) August is the month in which our annuals are in full beauty. When the rose ceases to bloom, which is the case, with some exceptions, when July closes, the gay variety of annuals hasten to spangle the borders, as if to compensate for the loss of the queen of flowers ; but nothing can make rqj for the depar- tm-e of the moss and cabbage rose. Those roses which still bloom on are dehcate and gay, and we cherish them because they are roses ; but they are comparatively scentless, and neither their size nor form are so fine as those treasures of the earher months. As July departs I take my first fai'ewell of my garden, for when the roses and honeysuckles are gone I have little to brighten it, as annuals do not bloom handsomely in my soil. The bloom on the honeysuclde has been extremely fine, and has lasted till quite the end of July, which it has never done before. The early promise of blossom was destroyed, and I much feared they would not recover fi-om the unexpected check; but they soon and completely rallied, and came into flower the first week in June, exactly one month later than theu- usual time ; since then the dry weather permitted them to bloom in peace, and they have been one mass of sweetness and beauty for nearly two months, through all the fine summer days, wJien they could be fully enjoyed, for in other seasons I have lost half my enjoyment in consequence of wet and cold weather in May. Per- haps some experienced gardener would inform me, through the medium of The Cottage Gardener, whether I inight witli safety cut off the early buds of my honeysuckles, so as to throw them into flower always in June instead of May. Some of our annuals come from afar, to ornament om- autumnal gardens, and can speak usefuUy to us with then- silent " voices." Perhaps the cottager does not know that the fragrant flower we aU so much de- light in, the quiet looking mignonette, comes fi'om the " land of Egypt" — thatland so wonderful in its lustoiy, so fuU of scriptural interest, so awfully unpressed upon our minds from our earliest childhood, and yet so highly favoured in its glorious futmity ! This little THE COTTAGE GAHDENEE. August simple plant sprang from the plains that echoed the '' cry" of the captive children of Israel, which " came up unto God hy reason of the bondage ;" those very plains that witnessed so many miracles, such awful judgments, and such protecting love : where, in a more glorious day, the Saviour's infancy was passed, and from whence at length " God called His Son.'' How endless and how blessed is the tale this little annual tells ! Surely it should bloom in every garden to remind us all, as we enjoy its jicrfume, that to this day " the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save ; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear ;" that the " covenant" and the promise are " to us and to our children ;" and that " happy is that people who have the Lord for their God." lu these days of national judgment, when the destroying angel is passing over our land, let us remember Egypt ; let us use the means God has appointed ; let us strike " the blood of the larab on the lintel and door- posts" of oiu' hearts, and in faith and prayer await the dawn of om' deliverance. This interesting plant has been seen in a wild state in Barbary also, but it is supposed to have been deposited there accident- ally, or blown by the winds fi-om the gay gardens of the Moorish palaces. It was first brought into Eng- land in the year 1752, and soon became a general favourite. Although of such comparatively recent introduction, we seem to consider it quite a native plant, and, wherever the traveller may chance to find it, it will ever cause Iris heart to spring back to his island home. By the ancients this plant was termed "reseda," from resedo, to allay; because they applied it to wounds to suppress u-ritation. Possibly it might stiU be employed with good effect even in these more scientific times, for the " simples" of earlier days were remarkable for then- healing powers. The French appropriately call it "larese da d'Egypt." Let the cottage gardener cultivate with double interest the flower of that scriptiu-al land. The convolvulus major comes to us from America, where it twines itself round the lofty trees in richness and beauty. How an American must smile when he sees the luxuriant climber of his own vast woods twisting itself in our gardens round a stick ! Yet even in tliis imperfect state it is a lovely and grace- ful plant, and its elegantly formed flowers of purple, pink, and white, look beautiful among the rich clus- tering leaves. The little wild creeping convolvulus, and the large white variety that decks the hedge, are both lovely in form and tint ; the former nestles among the grass, spreads itself by the road-side, decorates the banks, and twines round the bean and wheat stalks. Its numerous pink flowers look bright in the sunshine, but they very soon close their beautifully-folding petals, like miniature umbrellas, tiU the sun's full radiance again permits them to expand. The white climbing convolvulus is, I be- lieve, con-ectly called the " bind-we'ed :" it infests the garden sometimes, and is very troublesome in mine, and difficult to destroy ; it runs rapidly mth many wiry stalks up rose trees and other shrubs, smothering the fiowers, and destroying much of then- effect; and then it is so closely wound round the stems that without much care both leaves and buds wiU be torn off before it can be removed from them. Where it may safely grow, it is an addition to the garden, but not when springing up among the border plants. Our common sweet pea, too, is the native of a distant land, and a far sunnier clime than om's. The pink and white variety is found in Sicily, but the rich purple pea gi'ows wild among the beautiful woods of the island of Ceylon, mingling its delightful odom- with the aromatic fragi'ance of that teeming soil : it tells us of a land fidl of richness and beauty, whose perfumed gales reach the approaching ship before the sailor's eye can see its shores ; it teUs us of unclouded sunsliine, yet heathen darkness, — of abounding treasures, yet no "true riches," — and it speaks " a word in season" to those who do not openly bow down to wood and stone. Even in a Christian land, a land of pure gospel tnith, uc maij he idola- tors. Let a sweet simple flower, brought from a hea- then soil, remind us of a deeply important scriptural command, " Beware of covetousness, which is idolaby.'. SCRAPS. Beautiful British Punts. — Lychnis viscaria (Eock Lychnis). — ^A rare and beautiful perennial, herbaceous plant, with bright rose coloured flowers in June and July ; thriving equally well on rock- work or the flower border. Lychnis alpina (Bed Alpine Campion). — A veiy interesting little Alpine plant, growing on the highest of the Scottish mountains; best gro\vn in pots, where it requires Uttle attention. Our plants seed xeiy freely, winch we find the best method of increasing it. Propagate by division of the roots. The plants are never of long existence. Lychnis Jios eiieiiU (Bagged Robin). — Of this beau- tiful denizen of our marshy meadows, there is a dou- ble white variety in cultivation, worthy a place in every choice collection. Lychnis diurna (Red Campion). — We mention this common plant of our hedge-rows merely to biiug into notice the double variety, which is a most beau- tiful and sho^vy plant for the flower border. Arenaria verna (Spring Sand Wort). — A very use- ful rook plant, with small narrow leaves, and rather large white flowers, found sparingly in the higher parts of the counties of York and Durham ; we have met with it near Widdy Bank House, Upper Tees- dale ; it is also said to be found by the side of the Wear, below Stanhope. Malva moschata (Musk Mallow). — A very showy plant, with deeply cut leaves, and large rose-coloui'ed flowers, found occasionally on diy gi-avelly banks. We have a white variety in cifltivatiou, which blooms more profusely than the parent species, and comes true to its kind from seed. Hyjiericum calycinum (Rose of Sharon).— This plant, though only naturalised in the British Isles, is well deserving of cultivation; it is an excellent plant for the edges of the shrubbery in shady places, with its large solitary yellow flowers. Hypericum androscemum (Tutsan). — A very fine shrub, growing from two to three feet high, with large terminal cymes of yellow flowers in Jiily. We have met with it occasionally in woods in the West of Yorkshire. Ihllin-irum pi'ri'nriiliiiii (CiDiiiuon St. John's Wort). — .\ v.'i-v I'lih' pbiiii, IuuimI iilriitiiully in woods and IxmIl;.'- in ii ;.;i-iiv.Hy >'i\\ ; [\,r Iciivcs lU'e covered with peUucid duls, which arc bcaulJJiJ objects for the mi- croscope. Hypericum montanum (Mountain St. John's Wort). — Another of those interesting St. John's Worts, which win well repay the attention of the cultivator. It is rather a local plant ; we have found it plen- tifully in Mackershaw Woods, near Ripon ; Castle Eden Dene is also a station where it is found. Hypericum pulchrum (Small Upright St. Jolm's THE COTTAGE GARDEN EK. Wort). — Thia pretty plant, with its email heart- shaped leaves, and yellow flowers with red anthers, should be grown by every lover of onr native flora; it is a very elegant species. It is found on dry heaths, banks, and woods. Polygala vulgaris (Milkwort). — A beautiful dwarf spreading plant, found plentifully ou dry hilly pas- tures, with abundance of bright blue, pink, or occa- sionally white flowers, and thrives well on di'y rock work. — Durham Advertiser. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Green Alpine Strawberry {P. F. il/.}.— This is the Oreen Strawberry of the Horticultural Society's Catalogue. You can ob- tain it, probably, from any nurseryman near London who devotes much of his attention to strawberry culture— Mr. Myatt, IMr. Wil- mot, and Mr. Cuthill, for instance. You will find an excellent mode of cultivating Alpines at p. 373 of our first volume. The Green Alpine requires no particular cultivation except cutting off its run- ners as fast as they appear. Gas Lime and Earth (J. M. P.).— A mixture of these, about one bushel of the lime to every five bushels of earth, and well incor- porated by turning over two or three times during two months after mixing, will make a good compost for your ground. You will see in our last number what Mr. Barnes says about transplanting Swede turnips ; they will do well after your early potatoes. You cannot do better than plant coleworts on the ground from which your mangold- wurtzel will be removed. You may now sow poppies, sweet-mlliams, and wallflowers. Double-blossomed Fdeze (Uiex), — This will not blossom though planted in your border at Camberwell. The only reason we can suggest is that the soil is too heavy. Take up your plants in the autumn, and mLx a large quantity, full one-half, of road scrapings with the soil in which you replant them— it cannot be too light. Teaining-Studs {H. Beckett).— Yo^xi: plan of having eyes fas- tened into the wall instead of nails, as recommended at p. 221 of this volume, is better, inasmuch as that it is easier to tie to an eye than to a nail, but they are more expensive. Giving " all the parts of the studs exposed to the air two or three coats of naptha black varnish" is a good suggestion ; and we have reason to know, as you say, that " it is a cheap preparation, and far more permanent than the paints with metallic bases usually adopted." Bromham Hall Melon {T. TT. ittwson).— "We are obliged by your correcting our unintentional error, and we cannot do better than give this extract from your note : — " You state that Mr. Bundy, gar- dener to Lord Uvnevor, had the prize for the best flavoured melon at Chiswick— ' Cuthill's Scarlet Flesh.' The name is incorrect ; I took the fruit up for him, and it is a new melon raised by him and his father at the seat of the Hoh, ' . -- - near Bedford, and therefore called by I Hall Melon.' It is a green-fleshed variety." Perpetual Roses {R. Stratford).— You. will find a list of the best for bedding out at p. 56 of the present volume. Of Damask Perpetuals, the best are Antigone, Antinous, Bernard, Le Page, Madame Thelier, Mogador, Portland Blanc, Rose du roi, and Rose du roi panachee. Of Hybrid Perpetuals, Aubernon, Baron Prevost, Cornet, Dr. Blarx, Duchess of Sutherland, Geant des batailles, La Reine, Louis Buonaparte, Madame Laffay, Robin Hood, and William Jessee. The above are in addition to those you have — Aime Vibert, Albert, and Rivers. Name of Rose (J. B., L.). — Your " Ametu due Ville" is perhaps Ponctue nouvelle, written badly. We are sorry that we cannot aid you in getting the buds of hybrid perpetual roses. Sumach {S. E, S.. Bridgenorth).—U you mean the common or elm-leaved sumach {Rhus coi'iaria), it is a native of the south of Europe, but has been cultivated in this country for more than two centuries. Turkey leather is tanned chiefly by means of its twigs and bark ; its leaves and seeds are used in medicine as astringents, and in Turkey as a stomachic to promote appetite. It is usually propagated by suckers planted in autumn, and if the soil is light and well drained, and the plants are mixed with others in the shrub- bery, it endures our hardest winters without even its young twigs being injured. Dark Climbing Rose (W. R. I.).— You require this to climb over a rustic verandah at your door, and to contrast well with the white sides of your cottage. The best dark-coloured rose climber, and the only one we have of that colour, is the crimson Boursault, a rapid grower, that will thrive in any ordinary border, but, like the rest of the summer climbers, its flowering season is soon over. We recommend you to plant a Gloir de Rosamene on one side of it, and Madame Lafi'ay on the other side. The former is a semi-double rose of striking beauty, and the other one of the best hybrid per- petuals : both xnH flower till late in November. Two-year-old plants of all of them, and on their own roots, we should prefer, and would plant them at the beginning of November. The two hybrids will reach up ten feet in four or five years, if the border is good, and abundance of water given them in summer. Creeper for Back, Wall in Vinbey (A Merionethshire Gar~ dener) .—Mandevilla suaveolens, if the back wall is not too much shaded, is the best creeper you can plant. If the vines are not much forced, and the border is good, it will bloom from the middle of July to the end of October, Late Strawberry for N. Wales (Ibid).~The Elton, by all means, with the red and white Alpines reared every year from seeds. September is the best time for you to sow the Alpines to be planted out next April, when they will fruit abundantly next September and ate thev do very wo t if the weather is dry, ,0N FOR N. Wales (//;itf).— Flcmming's hybrid is the probably 1 seedsman can procure it for vou. Gesneras {E. B. if.).— The leaves I and have become uniformly green. ; sprmg ; at any rate, any '6 lost their dark veining, inot sav what is the cause sandy peat— the ' made compost. Fuchsia Corvmbiflora {7i id) .—Three-year-old seedlings of it ought to flower this autumn. It is a shy bloomer under ordinary management. The best way is to make plants of it into half stand- ards, with naked stems three or four feet long ; to prune their heads as close as a pelargonium before they go to rest in the autumn ; not to shake the old soil from their roots like other fuchsias in the spring, but only once in three or fom- years ; to have them in smaller pots than are generally used, and when they show for bloom to give them abimdance of rain water : thev never want stimulants. Hybridizing Hollyhocks (M. E. S.)— The hollyhock is easily crossed ; the membrane in the flower from which its stamens proceed completely envelopes the styles, and they do not issue from this cover- ing for some days after the opening of the flowers ; therefore, any time before the styles issue from this covering, either scrape oflF the stamens from the central column with a penknife, beginning at the bottom, or the stamens may be cut off with long pointed scissors if you prefer it. In either case see that none of the cut anthers remain inside the flower. By-and-by, the styles, which in number are inde- finite in this flower, issue forth from the top of the envelope, and when they are ripe for the pollen they bend downwards in search of the an- thers. At that stage, and not before, apply the strange pollen, which is easily eff'ected if you cut out the central column from the strange flower with ripe pollen on it. Then apply the pollen masses back- wards and forwards and in among the numerous styles ; after crossing, the flowers ought to be guarded from bees and other insects. You should also bear in mind that all fiowers which have a tendency to sport by seeds will not bear to be violently crossed, that is, that a dark should not be crossed with a light flower. In such floweps there is always a better chance of an improved offspring if the two parents are as nearly as possible of the same colour or tint. A violation of this rule is the fertile source of much disappointment every season. Pine Apple Crowns (F. G.).— These being in good condition from the West Indies, you cannot do better with them than grow them in dung-heat in frames, more especially as you say that you have abund- ance of good dung. Such plants are very often infested at the axils of the leaves with scale and bug, and the steam from the dung will be one of the most effectual means for eradicating these. It will be ad- visable, therefore, not to sweeten your dung, but use it fresh for a month or six weeks to come, so that you may have plenty of steam, which, though strong, the pine will stand, and which the i" " 70°"t 95°, set your plants on the surface after they begin to root. Your chief trouble will be in winter, but even that will be trifling with your sup- ply of fermenting material. In the cold short days a temperature of from 50° to 65° will be sufiicient. The great thing is to diminish the steam as the days shorten, so as to have as little as possible in winter, the heat then being produced by linings up to the very top of the frame, which will thus warm the atmosphere of the enclosed space without giving you too much bottom heat. Fumigating Bees with Fungus (C. iJ. i2. ).— Neither fungus nor tobacco will either discolour or impart an unpleasant smell to the combs if these are laid separately and exposed to the air in a room for a few hours after the operation. Making a Strawberry-bed {H. T.).— The best preparation is deep digging and a plentiful manuring, adding some adhesive loam if your soil is sandy, and sandy soil with drainage if your ground is too heavy. Four kinds are enough for any garden, as kinds are at present :— The best early is Keen's Seedling ; second : August, September, and October. Damaged Bark of Apple-tree (Rev- E. T. Yntes).—Cnt out with a very sharp knife all the wounded part, so that both the wood and the bark of the entire wound may present a smooth live surface. Before doing this have the following composition ready, and apply it immediately, covering the wound thickly, and if the covering cracks fill up these with a fresh daubing : the object is to allow the wound to continue moist from its own juices and to exclude the air and rain. One bushel of fresh cowdung, half a bushel of lime-rubbish (that from ceilings of rooms is preferable, or powdered chalk), half a bushel of wood-ashes, one-sixteenth of a bushel of sand, the three last to be sifted fine. The whole to be mixed and beaten together with drain- ings from a cow-shed until they form a fine plaster. Potatoes Sprouting in Ground (J. F. Halstead).— If the stems of these are still green and vigorous let the potatoes remain, but if the stems are yellow take the potatoes up immediately, and store them in a dry cool shed in alternate layers with dry earth. Leaves of Red Beet (7. P. R.),—The outer of these may be removed now without detriment to the root, but the removal i\'ill not increase its size. We cannot too often impress upon our readers that leaves are the organs which prepare matters for the growth of plants. It is not absolutely necessary to transplant leeks, but they are very much improved by it. It is injurious to cut off a portion of the stems of tall-growing Jerusalem artichokes; they only are thus induced to THE COTTAGE GAKDENER. >ne inch and half-inch diameter. Water- ing strawberries regularly in dry weather is highly beneficial in im- proving their produce of fruit, but it is very injurious to potatoes. Asparagus Seedlings (W. H. CJieetkam).— Let them continue untouched until their stems are dead, giving them now a good sprink- ling of salt, and a weekly soaking with strong liquid-manure. Cut down the stems in the winter and cover the bed with manure. In the sprin g, about May, when the stems make their appearance, give another sprinkling with salt and liquid-manure weekly. Repeat the winter treatment, and in the following April they will be ready for planting. Sea-kaie seedlings may be treated similarly, but they had better be cultivated in the bed where raised from seed. If moved, let them be so this autumn. Now is a good time for propagating the auricula by slips, and for making strawberry-beds. Under-hiving Bees (G. ^.).— You were obliged to increase the room in a round-topped hive by placing a flat-topped hive under it, and you ask the amount of risk if you take the former away ? — The amount of risk will be that of the entire destruction of the stock, for the queen will be in the upper hive, and should you succeed in dis- lodging her there will not be sufficient honey in the lower one to support the bees during winter ; the best method to adopt will be to separate the hives and take away the loiver one, which perhaps may contain three or four pounds of honey. After separating the hives remove the lower one to a little distance, and the bees will leave it in about 20 minutes and return to the upper one. The lower hive will, in all probability, be found to contain chiefly empty combs. Poor Gravelly Soil (E. L. B., Charlton) .—Yovt gravelly soil wants tenacity. This can be given by means of either marly or clay dressings. Plenty of what is termed " greasy peat," also, will prove of much benefit, or, indeed, any vegetable matter, even sawdust. The latter articles are, however, not enduring or " lasting," and the only permanent basis of improvement is the marl or clay. Your soil should produce peas, carrots, parsnips, mangold, kidney beans, and, perhaps, dwarf cabbages. Usually, very early and very late crops will suit best : we fear the middle of summer will try you severely. A\''ith regard to your fruit-tree borders, as yours is a case of severe need, we fear you will be compelled to crop to within one yard of the wall ; try and give up the last yard. You may dig as deep as you like on the one-half next the walk, but on the next three feet your spade must never go above six inches on any account : we have grown capital crops for years this way— the deep rooting crops on the outer half, and such things as lettuces, spinach, turnips, kidney beans, and even dwarf matchless cabbages, on the shallow-dug por- tion ; using manure freely, and elevating the three-feet-wide portion several inches above the ordinary border surface. You will thus have at all times two distinct modes of cropping on the same border, and a little extra manure will prove a sort of equivalent for spade muti- lations. As for your standard apples, you may either leave a bare circle, or lay it down in turf. Do not, however, bring any spade cul- ture nearer than six feet from their stems. Vine-leaves turned Brown (TAe^/).— We do notdeem your's a case of blight ; a bad root is doubtless the cause. The autumnal purple tint on the leaves is quite familiar to us, as frequently accom- panjnng a premature and false ripening, caused by an insufficient supply of sap from the roots. We have known many vines which would blossom, set, and swelloff tolerably fair, but when the greatest demand was made on their root action, which is about the time that they commence their last swelling for ripening them, suddenly they give way, and the leaves become discoloured. A bad-rooted vine may be told by an experienced eye in an instant, merely by comparing its foliage with any good-rooted ones; and this from the walk in front without going into tin j: . ■ hImu-. "^'hu must alter your border ; ample directions will : !!!■ < >i-iage Gardener beforethe year is out. Nothin.. . i-f you now. Improving Lh;ii i m ' i /.''v/t/er).— You can only im- prove the staple of iIj:- 1- . liin im u ,i Lhick covering of clay and chalk, incorporating ihrsc with jr thoroughly; manures then will be more lasting when applied. Tobacco (Leytnitiensis). — The time for gathering this to dry for fumigating purposes is as soon as the leaves are full-grown and look yellowish green. Cut do\vn each plant just within the ground, and leave them on the bed to dry during the day if fine, but house them in a heap everynight. When quite dry hang them up in a dry place, and take the leaves for use as you require. Thinning Vine Leaves (Ibid). — " Taking off euer^/ /?o/ opposite a bunch of grapes" we think cannot be right under any circum- stances ; but we are always unwilling to condemn a gardener's prac- tice until we know all the facts, or have seen the plant he has operated Mesemdryanthemum (W. J., Clapton).— Your plant requires very little water, and is best treated as a cold-frame plant. The cause of the leaves turning brown is the want of proper drainage to the pot, or being left out on cold nights, which were so frequent this Clianthus puniceus (W. X.).— This is not a climber, but is a good plant to train against a wall like a peach tree. Your gardener is right, it is very liable to red spider— but what plant is not if the insects are allowed a footing ? Sutherlandia prutescens (/ij'rf).— Propagate this by seeds, which it ripens in abundance. The best way to use this plant is as an annual, sowing the seeds in peat early in the spring, and turning '-t the plants when the Hay frosts arc over ; or as biennials, when thev would flower a month TWEEDIA CtERULEA {Ibid).—1 yours, turning them of a bronze but one of the worst to grow w should be pruned down to three or four eyes cariy in the spring, but stopping the points afterwards does it little good. If pruned in the [Is injure the flowers of beautiful blue flower, pot ; all its young wood light begin to grow again, and so be good early-flowering roses against a autumnal roses would do to bua on inem, oui we wumu uoc recom- mend the plan generally as you propose, for unless the two or more kinds happen to be of the s'ame constitutional vigour, the strongest sort would starve the other. Madame Laffay, Baron Prevost, and Duchess of Sutheriand, are the best autumn roses that you can buy cheap ; but if you refer to back numbers you will see many more of that class. We do not think that the great rose growers would send you cuttings for budding from ; it would hardly pay for their men's time for gathering, naming, and packing them. Peusian Yellow Rose (A Constant Reader, Worcestershire).^ Thi-. ■ Ml -^'tv, 1 lo-^Yii^- hadly and uncertainly, which must arise, we tliiiil. h-in ;i- 1. ._' nn a bad stock, for it is not particular about snil u: Austrian brier, or c " " --^. -- ( . Ill > I . Air {Ibid). — We know your place very well, ami 111 I- o .11 I, III rmiellias in the open air without any protection wli^u iL-r, hiiU >*a> IjcLueen you and the " Man of Ross." That was a most severe winter, but our camellias flowered the following May, as camellias always do in the open air in our climate, that is, not worth looking at. They will do just as well at Inverness as in any part near Ledbury. It is not the rigour of our winters that is so much against them, but our cold easterly winds in April and May while they are in bloom ; and unless they are artificially protected, and that very care- fully at that season, they will not produce a healthy blossom out of a hundred. The end of May is the right time to plant them out, or as soon as their growth is nearly finished. The ground should be light, with a dry bottom ; the plants should be healthy with good roots, and not younger than five years. Knowing your locality we would not advise you to plant them out at all. Sprinkle lime or soot, or both, about your hotbed, to destroy the snails. Scarlet Geraniums {Rev. C. W. Ch-een).— These, especially the Frogmore, are very \'igorous, but produce very few blooms " open beds. Cold nights and rich soil must be the are not the cause, then the Frogmore does not suit your soil. No plants are more capricious as to soil than scarlet geraniums. Tom Thumb would be most likely to succeed with you. We have been (ililiL ii iM ,1 r Mii ii. III. but the Frogmore would not carry a healthy ]i:i: ' 1 1 is very dry and chalky. f.(i ill 1 ■iinnnlSitbscriber). — ^The size of the hole in the soil! ■ .1 listed by Mr. Payne is four inches in diameter. G.N i: ;. [roved Cottage Hive, No. 7." is constructed to ^\Mii I pint each; the price is 31s 6d. The best man- in i - I - hive is to put an early swarm into it (a May uii I ■ ur U days place the glasses upon it, turning a^uii n.i Mrr.> i- ].l;icod over the holes; and when a glass is filled talu .1 L.ii ^i;tl iLj>;.(L.u it by an empty one ; a good swarm in one of these hives will aftord two such glasses per week during the honey season. It is desirable to fix a piece of guide-comb in each glass. It is not a Ae/^glass that Mr. Payne has had made, but one to place ■under a bell-glass, as described at p. 105, vol. ii. The price is about 2s 6d or 3s. No ventilator is attached to this glass. Lettuces to stand the Winter for Spring Use (/. W. G., Dereham).— The old Egyptian Hardy Brown Cos is not only the best but is at all seasons superior in flavour : the hardiest cabbage lettuce is the Hammersmith. Two or three sowings of each shoulij be made this month and beginning of next. Prick out the largest plants at sis or eight inches apart, and from the middle of October to the mid- dle of November select and plant out on sloping banks, which should face on one side the south or south-west, as the sun is likely to injure the plants in early spring, bplbre the earth is thawitl. if iihmti'd towards the east, c'ausiii'.: i:.' in i.' -l' .Ni. ■■; . .n.I,, . i'" , i i !,,'-. .ll.n-. Dry cinder-ashes will bi- in I :; I;' '■ ' ■' ■ i' -i ■ ii ,,,1 ■thei in draining the soil, if ni m ;i.!l,. -i applied in sufficient quantity. AH lii i i. winter crops as a protection from n. ~i i i , , i wood, peat, or turf, and even conui useful in winter for this purpose. \^ sawdust, old tan, and other refuse, wlnli .-^ -n! the application of these in spring acts not only ;is a stimulator also. Your small fettuee plants ma planting in the seed bed, but protect them also by tions of dry dust. 0.— If your water-cresses are healthy, wc lalf of the bed to be fresh made bv trans- I the other half left until nest fllarcli, which 1' good crctses for both winter and summer lerican, or. as some call it, the Land-cress, li spot e\ery year, as it is not eatable :ifter iionth is a good time for sowing Nortuandij This is picked like parsley. iOWDON: Printed by Harry Wooldridgh, 147, Strand, in the Parish of Saint Mary-lc-Strand ; and Winchester High-street, in the Parish of St. Mary Kalendar; and Published by William SoMERViLLE Orr, at the Office, 147. Strand, in the Parish of Saint Mary-le- Strand, London. — August 2ard, 184£), THE COTTAGE GARDENER. WEEKLY CALENDAR. M D w D AUGUST 30— SEPT. 5, 1849. Plants dedicated to each day. Ris™. Sun Sets. Moon E. and Sets. Moon's Age. Clock bef. Sun. vTar"' 30 Th. Red Bryony berries ripe. Guernsey Lily. 11a. .5 SO a. 6 1 30 12 0 27 242 ■M K, Peaebes ripe. [seen. Autumnal Pheasant's Eye, 13 48 3 30 13 0 9 343 1 S. Giles. Clouded Yellow butterfly Common Orpine. 1.5 44 3 34 14 0 10 244 3 SnN. 13 Sun. aft. Trin. Chaffinch sings again. Golden Rod. 16 43 rises © 0 29 245 H M Meadow Saffron blooins. Common Fleabaue. 17 41 7 a 13 16 0 48 246 4 Tu. Horticidtural Society's Meeting. Common Soapwort. 19 39 7 39 17 1 7 247 5 W. Old Bartholomew. Hawthorn berries ripe, Common Musbroom. 21 37 8 5 18 1 27 248 Saint Giles, or ^gidius, was born at Athens, but passed into France during the year 715, and became a disciple of Caesarius, bishop of Aries ; subsequently a hermit, and finally promoted to be abbot of a monastery at Nismes : he died at this place a.d. 750. His ex- treme charity, and his refusal to be healed from a lameness, that he might not be without " this thorn in his flesh," caused him to be addressed by Roman Catholic mendicants and cripples as their patron saint. The churches dedicated to him were the favourite resort of the beggarly fraternity, and our St. Giles', Cripplegate, in London, even before the Norman conquest, received its name from the mise- rable objects who there assembled to solicit charity. Old Bartholomew is the day on which the festival of St. Bar- tholomew was celebrated before the alteration of our calendar. It is now kept on the 24th of August. The alteration of the calendar was rendered necessary for the purpose of making the civil year agree with the natural year, or that period of time in which the earth tra- vels round the sun. To effect this, in the year 1752 eleven days were omitted between the 2nd and 14th of September, so that this month contained in that year only ig days. Another alteration was effected the same year by making the annual round commence on the 1st of January, whereas, before the passing of the law (24 Geo. 2. cap. 23), the year began on the 25th of March. The omission of the eleven days caused great discontent among the ignorant, who complained that Parliament had robbed then: lives of those eleven days ! These alterations comprise the difference of what are distinguished as the old style and the new style of annual computation. Phenomena op the Season.— The return of the first of Septem- ber brings to memory many anecdotes of the partridge and the pointer which were familiar to us in days gone by, and a few of which now may be recorded aptly. No bird has more enduring courage for the security of her eggs and young ones than the partridge. When near the time of hatching, the hen will remain upon her nest with a pertinacity unequalled by any other of our %vild birds, and regardless of the approach of man, from whom, under other circumstances, she would fly in wild terror. We knew this strikingly exemplified in a : where injunctions ■ loot before them, and to use their scythes carefully, in a field of ray-grass where a partridge was known to be sitting. They were careful men, and took every pains to find out her whereabouts, and to frighten her up from before them, but all in vaiu— shie sat immoveably on her nest, and her presence was only detected by a slight flutter consequent upon the scythe having severed her head. This was passive courage, but the same roused to activity must have been observed by most persons who have resided in the country, when the hen partridge has thrown herself at their feet, and boldly fluttered at a few yards before the intruder, to lure him from her young ones. A still greater in- ; of courage to protect these is recorded by the Rev. Mr. Jenyn I was drawn protect partridge m distr grass field, for her brood being heard, atten- which was waging a most furious cuiiLKSL oetween two of these birds and a carrion crow. Probably the latter had attempted to carry off some of their newly-hatched young, but the two parents resisted the attempt with so much deter- mined vigour as to frustrate the attempt, and to compel the ill- omened bird to act upon the defensive. The contest was long, but at length he began to retreat, yet the partridges continued the assault until the crow was so fatigued, and became so disabled by their blows, as to be unable to use his wings. In this state he was even- tually taken by the person witnessing the battle, who had quietly advanced to the place of action unheeded by the combatants, whose attention was engrossed with the momentous struggle waging between them. One more anecdote, and our alloted space will be occupied. The sagacity of the pointer is well known, and he knows as well as his master does whether a bird has been wounded by the latter ; as a striking instance of this we may relate the fact that a gentleman shooting near the sea-shore at Maldon, in Essex, fired at a partridge, and was sure that he had hit the bird. His favourite pointer was evidently of the same opinion, and watched the bird in his after- flight for some seconds, until it towered and fell upon a little island, or saltan, far from the shore. Sancho's repugnance to the water was immediately overcome ; he hastened down to the water, swam to the island, found the bird, and returned with it in his mouth to his -Unfortunately very few orchard are un- Eriosoma Innigera of gists, and E. matt and Aphis tanigera of others. Its generic characters are, having an abdomen (l^elly) without tubercles or horns, antcnnse short and thread form, and the whole body more or less cottony or tomentose. This pest has been known here only since the year 17S7- Sir Joseph Banks traced its origin to a nursery in Sloane-street, and was led to conclude that it had been imported with apple-trees ft-om France ; however, he found it to be wholly unknown there. If not a native insect, it is most probably derived from North America, from whence apple- trees had also been imported by the proprietor of that nursery. 'Wliatever its origin, it spread rapidly. At first it of the metropolis, ' ■ ■■ ' " kingdom, particularly into the cider counties ; and trees perished from it in Gloucestershire, that, if some mode of destroy- ing it were not discovered, it was feared the making of cider must be abandoned. The presence of these insects is shewn by the white cottony matter in the cracks and excrescences of apple-tree branches in the spring. When crushed they exude a reddish fluid. These insects are injurious by piercing the sap vessels of the tree, sucking the juice, and causing wounds which ulcerate and finally destroy the branch attacked by corroding through all the sap-vessels. The cottony mat- ter in abundant, and, wafted to other trees, conveys to them infection by bearing with it the eggs or embryo insects. Such, however, is not the exclusive mode of diffusing the disease, for althoui " wingless, yet some are probably us to colonization : the 1841. 1842. 1843. 1844. .845. 1846. 1847. .848. temp. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. 80°-67° 70°— 46° 77°-6l° 72°-42° 72°— 47° 70°— 48° 69°-53° 72°-45° Cloudy. Pine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Stormy. 69»— 48° 74°— 45° e4°-50° 83°-56° 80°-44° 7.5°— 54° 79°— 56° 67°— 42° Rain. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. 67°-46° Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. Fine. 74°— 41° 65°-39° 70° 45° Showery. Fine. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. 82°-57° e3°-41° 75°-42° 60°— 41° 75°— 46° Fine. Fine. Fine. Sb-'-iX" 74°-49° 75°-42° 78°-6o° 74°-54° 80°— 47° Pine. Showery. Cloudy. Pine. le^'l?- 7.1''-!4° 00^-50" 79°-58° 83°-57° females ; ally probably produ gh the d with ged. ithe 1- these insects i jirey upon nder ground, and i^jpit-LiKL*. A iree inus ravaged at all sirabuiis iviii suuii uu iiiiifu ii* prompt and vigorous remedies are not adopted. Tlie aifected roots may lie Ijaved and left exposed for a few days to the cold, and the earth before being returned be saturated with ammoniacal liquor from the gas-works. In early March the branches shoidd be scraped and scrubbed with the same ammoniacal liquid, or a strong brine of common salt; but, whatever liquid is employed, the scraping and hard bristles of the brush should pene- trate every crack in the bark. We have found spirit of turpentine, applied thoroug'hly to every patch of the insect by means of an old tooth-brush, the i and the Crofton pippin is al represents the insect of its natural size as well'as magnified. The head, antennie, and proboscis, by which it wounds the san vessels are stiU further magnified. ^ No. XLYin., Vol. II. THE COTTAGE GAEDEXER. As a proof of tlie earnestness of their desire to pro- mote cottage gardening, and of their gratitude for the patronage they have received, tlie proprietors offer to place gi-atuitously at tlie disposal of the managers of each Horticultural Society in England, Wales, Scot- land, and Ireland, a copy of the first volume of The GoiiAGE Gaedeneb. They wish it to he offered as a prize to such cottage gardener as may be thought most deserving hy each Society's managers. The proprietors request that application for copies may be made before the \st of October next, it being desirable that they should knov? the number of vo- lumes they must have bound, as they pro2)ose having the binding executed in a distinct style. Communi- cations upon the subject ai-e requested from the pre- sident or secretary of all such societies. Which is the most beneficial mode of applying manure? is a question requiring attention to many more points of extraordinary importance than ever entered into the mind of a Romford potato and cab- bage gi-ower, having no other notions beyond " plenty of good stuff so rotten as to be easily dug in." In the first place, in what state must manure be to be "most beneficial?" Practice coincides with science in answering — in a liquid state. The spon- gioles, or mouths, of the roots are too small to take in the finest powder human art can form, and it is only when in the far more minute state of division, caused by dissolving a body in water, that any sub- stance can pass through the roots of a jilant to its digestive organs. Nor does this branch of the in- quiry stop here, for though it is certain that manure in solution is the best form of application, then the question arises how strong ought the solution to be ? Experiments on a large scale, added to the general experience of gardeners, demonstrate that it ought to be very weak. Little and often is found to be a healthful rule in feeding plants as well as animals. If much, or very strong, liquid maum'e is given to our crops from which we desu-e any return but in leaves, our hopes will be frustrated, for either disease or unfruitful over-luxuriance wOl be the certain conse- quence. Even to those crops from which we seek a profitable return in leaves — such as sjiinach, rhubarb, and cabbage — if the liquid manure be veiy strong, that is, if it contains much of the saline or other so- luble components of the manure, it very generally destroys the fibrous i-oots and causes death. Take guano for an example, and here, if it be genuine, only half an ounce to a gallon of water is found to be the most beneficial proportion. Even of the dungs containing much less of the salts of ammonia— that of the sheep, for instance — yet no more than a peck of it to thirty gallons of water is found to be most advantageously employed. Even in this diluted form it cannot be given beneficially to plants more than twice a week, or three times if the weather be rainy; this latter fact pointing out still more strongly the necessity of using the liquid at a very reduced strength. Upon these points it is scarcely necessary to ofler any evidence, for it is attested by the universal expe- rience of gardeners ; yet we will quote the following fi-om the most able essay on the subject thathas ever been published : * " Mr. Bai'ber, of Miui-drockwood, had 27 acres of land before his house, and the land was so poor that it originally only fed two cows, and that poorly ; he kept 40 cows and i. horses in his stable close to his house. He put the dung of the 40 cows into a tank, and passed a rill of water through the tank, and ini- gated with the solution 22 acres. With the miscellane- ous refuse of his house and the scuUery, he u'rigated five acres. The produce now, fi-om the same 27 acres of land, fertilised by the liquid manm-e, enables him to feed 40 cows and the four horses. It was a very important experiment as to the result of the com- parison between the effects of the liquid and the solid manure on the same land. There were some knolls of land close hy, which were elevated, and he could not u-rigate; he had not the iise of the hose; and whilst he has got four or five-fold crops by the appli- cation of the liquid manm-e, with all the top-dress- ings he has been able to use he has never succeeded in getting more than one and a half-fold of produce from the same sort of manure, the dung. " I have had a number of other experhnents made, all to the same effect ; and one thing I find, that, by the horticulturists, those who gi'ow lai-ge produce and obtain prizes, invariably, so far- as I have heard, do it by the application of the manure in the liqmd fomi. I have obtained this further vei-y important conclusion from such facts as I have collected, that an extent of dilution such as extinguishes smell is about the best for absorption or assimilation by the plant; that all the progress is made by diluting more and more, and applying more and more frequently. A vei-y able horticulturist, Mr. Pince, of Exeter, tells me that he has arrived at this point, that he applies the liquid manure twice a week, and with one of plain water, as he expresses it, in the interval between each watering with the liquid manure. He gets rid of fibrous matter, and, to use liis own expression, ' I give this water mth the manure in it so clear, that if you were not to Imow what it was, you would not object to drink it.' The two conclusions are in favour of frequent applications of manure hi solution, and of getting rid, as much as possible, of fibrous matter. " Liquid manure has been applied by sm'face water- ing in the Idtchen garden at Worsley, and, as I am informed, at a number of other places, with as marked an effect as upon grass-land, ilangold-wurtzel, cab- bages, and tumips have thriven remarkably upon it. A merchant of Philadelphia (U. S.) who was fond of horticulture, beat all competitors at a show tliore by the enormous size of his cabbages and other produce. His gardener was seen to draw a liquid from a lai-ge hogshead, and dispense it, from time to time, to the plants with the watering-pot. There was an intense curiosity to divine what might be the elixu- which produced so wondrous an effect. The merchant in- • Sewei results of c ■water as lu C.H., with THE COTTAGE GARDENEE. formed me til at he at length yielded to the importu- nity. Ho had the top of the hogshead taken off, and displayed the contents, the i-emains only of common stable-dung. He had had stable-dung put into the liog-sliead, iiUed it with water, and ordered his gar- dener to water the plants twice a week with the solu- tion, renewing the water in the hogshead untU no smell remained there from the dung. He had done no more than this surface-watering regulai'ly twice a week." The next important consideration is — where ought liquid manure to be applied? a question somewhat novel, and invohang consequences that ^^^ll require more space to discuss than we can spare to-day. We must defer it, therefore, until next week. THE TEUIT-GAEDEN. Gathebing and Storing Fruit. — As matter appro- priate to the season we will endeavour to offer a little sound advice on this head, a subject which concerns equally the humblest cottager and the most wealthy pro])rietor. The most important feature to consider at the out- set of the question is the fact that all unripe fruit, such as apples and pears — fruit, we mean, in wldch the ripening process is not quite complete — ferment exceedingly when first housed ; and that this fermen- tation, after spending itself for a fortnight or so, gradually subsides, and by the time the fruit has been a couple of months or so in the store-room becomes imperceptible, although it never entu-ely ceases as long as any moisture remains. The first requisite in fi'uit gathering is, of course, care in the handling. No one can suppose that an apple torn from the tree at random, leaving its footstalk behind, will possess equal keeping capabilities with one slipped off witli that peculiar twist well known to practical men, and which saves the fruit from abuse. In almost all cases the fruit requires lifting sUghtly afterwards, and good gatherers generally take hold of the bough or branchlet with the left hand to steady it, whilst with the right they gently raise the fruit upwards ; this, if the fruit is as far advanced towards ripening as it ought to be, will generally cause the fruit to detach itself We do not mean to say that those who have extensive orchards, and who have, perhaps, many hundred bushels of apples to collect, can pursue such a nice operation through the whole of their trees ; these have not the same object in view as the amateur or cottager, and make use of expediencies which would be quite incompatible with tlie objects of small gardeners. We, therefore, merely point to the course necessary to be pursued by those who look forward to a nice succession of fruit through a tedious winter and protracted spring, whether for home consumption or for sale. Many insti-uments have been invented whereby to facilitate the gathering of fruit, and some of them will be found very useful helpmates to the amateur especially, who is in many oases not so well drilled in such rule-of-thumb matters as the ordinai-y gar- dener. Amongst them we would particularize a most convenient ladder, which is equally adapted for pi-uning standard trees, or for gathering their Dduce ; the acoompajiiing sketch will convey some proa idea of it. described : It is 12 feet in length, and may be thus At A A are iron loops, by means of which the legs, C C, work in every direction, and by which they can be stretched to a proper distance : these legs fold up to the ladder when about to be removed, or when not requned during use. The sharp point, D, enables it to be pushed up among the branches, and is useful for the operator to take hold of B B are cords to act as an additional safeguard against the legs moving ; they are, however, soai-cely neoessai-y. In addition to the above, what is termed the Or- cUardist's crook is used by some. The use of this implement is to seize the branch with one hand and draw it to the operator, and then, by putting the sliding piece over another branch, such branch is held in that position by the obliqueness of the line of pressure, which prevents the sliding piece from moving, thus leaving the operator ft-ee to use both hands in gathering the fruit. The following is a sketch of the implement. -% ^^ Some other modes exist for facditating the gather- ing of fi-uit, but they, for the most part, have fallen into disuse, it being pretty well known that, after all, the chief point is careful handling. An earnest, active gatherer, with a long ladder, a pan- of steps, and a hooked stick, wiU seldom call for more imple- ments : a little off-hand sharpness, with much activity and care, will generally accompUsh all that is needed. Baskets. — ^We must now come to the really prac- tical part of the business— the gettmg the fruit oft" ti-ees, and storing it securely. The I deE of gathering must depend in some degree on the cha- racter of the tree ; thus, for, instance, a dwarf-trained espalier needs but a common hand-basket— steps or ladder are scarcely needed. One thing, however, is necessary, provided more than one layer is put in the same basket, and that is cap paper : we place a sheet between each two layers in the case of choice dessert fruit. In ordinary cases we use hay, or, it may be, rhubarb leaves, but we dare not recommend them ; they are generally expedients forced on us by the hun-y of the moment. To be sure, where there is a very small amount of fruit, and it is unpacked immediately, such will suffice ; but if, unfortunately, baskets should stand a day or two through pressure of business, the hay will impart a musty flavour, and the leaves in decaying corrode the sldn of the fi'uit- „ . , . , In gathering from trees eight or ten feet m height a pair of steps becomes necessary ; ordmary steps, such as are used by workmen in-doors, will suffice, or those flgm-ed in our present Number may be put in requisition by those wno wish to have everything very complete. It is necessary in this case, where onlv one person gathers, to have a basket with a pot- hook, the straight end of which being fastened to the cross handle of the basket by a cord, the hook end may be hung at pleasure on any part of the tree. Thus equipped, an amateur may move his own steps in any direction; ascend, gather a portion in his pot- hook-basket, descend and place them in a larger basket— using a layer of cap-paper between the THE COTTAGE GARDENEE. ArcrsT strata — ascend again, and so on until the gatlieilng is complete. With regard to huge orohai-d trees the case diiiers slightly ; here husiness is transacted on a miicli larger scale ; even Ihe rude wlieelharrow is ofttimes iu requisition, or even a tumbril or light cart — but these are cases not often occurring with our readers ; suffice it to say that much of the husi- ness is here transacted by means of vei-y long ladders, and long hooked sticks occasionally, with sometimes a loud halloo of " BO, mind that ladder don't shp !" when Bill, to shew the amount of his philosophy, will exclaim in return, " Ne'er mind the ladder, lad — get that basket emptied, and let me have it 1 I can't get on for want of Ijaskets !" Well, now we have gathered a lot of apples or pears, as the case may be, and what ai-e we to do \vith them ? This brings us to the storing part of the question. Before, however, proceeding in that pai't of the business, we feel hound to advert to the symptoms of ripeness. Symptoms of Eipeness. — This is a broad term to deal with, and no standard that can he set up \\ill apply equally to all fruits. We will commence with the apjjle ; here we must at once throw them into two classes, viz., table fi-uit and kitchen fi'uit. In the foj-mer it is absolutely ne- cessary that they remain on the tr«e until they have acquned that depth of flavom- for which alone they are esteemed, and which constitutes them a separate class. Kitchen apples for long keeping, on the con- trary, we would gather a little short of that degi-ee of ripeness. There are two acknowledged criteria of ripeness universally admitted in the apple ; the first, that coloured pips or seeds are an indication; the second, that on lifting the apple slightly up it parts tolerably easily from the tree withoutpulliughai-d at it. The last is mostly taken as the test, and we scarcely know of any better criterion. Much allowance, how- ever, must be made for the kind of fruit ; such as are inclined to he diy or mealy should be gathered somewhat earlier ; those of a subacid character, and abounding in Juice, should be allowed to become tole- rably mature on the tree. Fears. — IMore skill is necessaiy in pear than in appL- gatlieiing ; these are so various in character, that the utmost care is necessary. We would, in most cases, advise the cutting a fruit in two, and judgiug by the pips; these should be about three parts coloured iu the majority of cases. Any kinds, as the Easter beurre. which are apt to become insi- pid, should, by all means, be gathered much earlier. Most of the Flemish kinds, especially such as the Beun-e ranee, the Beurre d'Aremberg, the Glout mor- ceau, the Passe colmar, the Winter neilis, theNej)lus memis, &o., should hang until late, imlesson a south wall. Wc have known the Altborpc crassanne to ex- cel all il:'- \"-.i\-- ill I 111- ;j:iiilcii. 1-1. 1 ill the majority of seasMi;, : ;. . I, ;,!,■ iMV . II. i\ : this kind is soevi i . . ritauily were very beautiful, for cousiiiriiliir jmih . had been taken with them. If they had known tlie jdauls before, the sight of them in fresh combination and contrast had, for the time, erased them from their recollection. The value of the articles soon, however, became a matter of inquiiy, and when informed that, independently of the labour, which was considerable, the first cost for seeds had only been a few pence, there was a sudden silence, only broken by one, who had been loudest in testifying dehght, stating somewhat quietly that, " Certainly they were pretty, but, after all, did they not look somewhat common ?' Their being easily procurable dissolved the chaim. Now, I dislike nothing even in flowers though it be common, pro- vided it be useful or beautiful ; nay, I like it all the better for its veiy commonness, because then stores of pleasure are opened up to a larger number of pin- fellow-creatures. Trusting that such are the feelings of the majority of the readers of this work", we shall at times devote a page to the management of some of those floral beauties which many consider can only be grown in stoves alone, but which, with a little exti-a care and coaxing, and but veiy limited conveniences, provided you can only maintain in winter a temperature of from 45° to 50°, will flouiish in the greenhouse dm' ing summer and autumn often better tlian if left in a plant stove, wlule thus the gi-eenhouse and conser- vatory obtain an interest they would not otherwise possess. Having but very hmited means for gi-owing stove plants, I chiefly depend on them fur thus orna- menting a conservatory during summer and autumn, and also a promenade or verandah protected with glass, but not heated by any artLflcisd means. In both places, but especially in the latter, we have had dur- ing the summer, and shall have, the most of them, for more than two months to come, large plants in succession in bloom of achimenes, begonia, gloxinia, thunbergia, clerodendrum, torenia, vinca, lantana, gesnera, justicia, jasminum, stephanotus, gardenia, &c., conti-asting with fuchsias, geraniums, salvias, &o. Emntliemmn and Aphelamlra, aUuded to by Mr. Beaton, are too late, in general, for tliis place, but come in for the conservatoi-y. These are kept in small compass dming -ninter, and grown on in spiing. I sometimes get caught by Mr. Frost, but, having a young stock, it does not annoy me much. As a com- mencement, we will first say a few words upon that beautifijl plant, the ToEENi.i AsuTicA, discovered by Toren, a Swedish clerfTYinau, in China. When first I saw the flower, witli iu iiiarMnl-liko, blended colours of blue, purple mid Ii-'lil liliM'. I 1 bought it was among plants a gem of llir ],iii. si w.ii.r. It belongs to the 1-itli class and 2n(l ui.lir ,ii l.iiiiiimis, and the natural order Scro- pliiilaiiacrir. ami thus is somewhat allied to the beau- tiful and ivrll known Maurandya. The blossom is tulmlai-. and iiHjuopetalous in its corolla, which is generally di\-idcd into foiu' segments, '.flic two upper stamens are conspicuous in the throat of the flower, joined together so as to form a beautififl arch, while the anthers, cohering and projecting, might convey tho idea of an ornamental arcliitectm-al key-stone. August THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 281 Soil. — It flourishes in equal proportions of loam and peat, witli a dash of silver sand. The soil must be rough, and the pots well drained. A few pieces of charcoal would be useful for both pui'poses. Culture. — If kept a second year in the same pots, the plants will bloom profusely, if, after examining their drainage, they are top-dressed with equal pro- portions of such soil and dried cow diing. A plant thus managed exhibited a profuse mass of bloom in the verandah from the end of April to the end of Oc- tober last yeai'. It was then removed, and as the aphis had begun to nibble it a little it was not pre- served any longer. Having flowered so freely, I re- solved upon saving a few more large plants that had been cuttings in 18Jt7, but unfortunately in resolving to harden them well they were placed on the floor of a vinery, and got more cold than was agreeable to them. I find that, even in attempting to keep them in a dormant state, the temperature should not be below 40°, and after the month of January they should have a little more, and all the light you caA give them. I find, also, that many tender plants if inured to it gradually will stand much more cold before the day begins to lengthen than they will do afterwards. This fact is of importance to he known to those with hmited means, who yet may have a forcing-house of some sort, which they set in motion at the beginning of the year, as there many tender plants many get a lift for a couple of months. The Torenias I have now in bloom occupy and completely conceal ti'ellises between three and fom- feet square ; others are trained on circular trellises, others as bushes, three feet in height and three feet through. A young larch or spruce tree, peeled in the spring, with all the twigs peeled and retained, makes a nice support for all such plants to ramble over. Grown in baskets, and sus- pended so that the long shoots hang gracefully down, studded with blossom, is also a very interesting me- thod of treating them. All these plants have stood in the glass-protected verandah for nearly three months, beautifully in bloom, but not equal to the old plant formerly alluded to. If the autumn prove mild, they will remain to the middle or end of October, and then, if I could afford them room and heat, they would make fine objects all the winter ; and, fresh potted or top-dressed in' spring, woidd be ready for another summer's cam- paign. All of them were cuttings at this time last year, potted into sixty-sized (thiee-inch) pots in Sep- tember, removed with many other things to the shelf of a pine stove at the end of October, kqot in a tem- perature of from 55° to G0°, stopped to make them bushy, shifted into a size larger pot in the end of February, moved into 12-inch pots in March, watered carefully so as not to deluge the unappropriated soil until the roots began to work their way into it, then removed under the shade of vines that had shortly before shown fruit, trained, and from thence taken to the verandah in the end of May. Propmjatuuj. — I am putting in a few cuttings just now; they are easily strack either with or without bottom heat, but will root quicker and more surely if placed in a cold close pit for a week, and then plunged in a little bottom heat. But why take off cuttings now, instead of preserving an old plant, and waiting until spring '? Simply because, without en- tering upon the physiological bearings of the ques- tion, autumn-struck cuttings generally bloom more profusely than those propagated in spring. Without making the toreuia a peg on which to hang general deductions, several things must be attended to for obtaining large plants in such a short time. 1st. The i^lants were gi'own very fast under the partial shade of the vines; the flowering 2Jrinciple was brought into operation whe.n exposed to more light. It should always be screened from \ eiy bright sunshine. 2nd. The one-shift system, or nearly so, must be resorted to, and rough and lumpy soil be used. Those who sluft their plants frequently, and use fine soil, must \\d.-^6 patience in waiting longer for a large spe- cimen. 3rd. Watering must be given with judgment. If you cannot water them yourself, and must depend upon an assistant, who gives everything in turn its regular pouring from the water-pot, then you had better content yourself with fi-ec|ueut shifting. Liquid manure may be given sparingly the first season, liberally the second. 4th. The difference of treatment, as respects stimu- lants in the first and second year, is based upon the principle, that if applied the first year there would be fine growth but little flowering. After the com- parative standstill treatment of winter, there would be a great tendency to blooming the second year, and, therefore, to maintain for a long period that bloom- ing process, growth by stimulation must be continued. R. Fish. THE KITCHEN-GAEDEN. Asparagus. — As long as the asparagus continues to make growth, assist the beds by the application of liquid from the cesspool, sewers, farm-yard, or pig- gery, or of liquid manure brewed from the excrements of animals, guano, salt, or soot. When the weather is showery, thin sijrinklings of salt may still be ap- plied amongst the growing asparagus with much benefit. The beds shoidd at all times be kept free fi-om weeds, and the surface of the earth well loosened by the hand scarifier. We are always sorry to observe any neglect on these points ; for when weeds are thus allowed to luxuriate and run to seed, they rob the asparagus to a serious extent, and this, added to the injm-ious practice of maintaining the cutting season too long, weakens the plants very materially ; the roots canker and die away, and the beds become thin of plants from exhaustion, at a time when they shoidd be in a state of the greatest luxuriance for producing an abundant return of strong shoots for the following season. Cabbage. — Continue to prick out abundance of plants, so that there may be a choice of good strong ones when the season arrives for planting the full and general crops of this vegetable. We plant the whole of our cabbage, and indeed all our vegetable, crops on sloping banks; and as it is possible that many of cm' cottage readers may not have had the opportunity of reading our description of these gar- den banks, we will here describe our system. Sloping Banks. — It is as easy to trench the soil into sloping banks as to flat trench it; and as there is a great variety in the depth of different soUs, so there must also be variety in the commencement of the sloping bank system ; and no established rule can be laid down to suit all gardens. As we have before stated, never oast up in trenching too much of the subsoU on the smiace at one time, but fork it up to a considerable depth at each trenching, letting it remain as loose and rough as possible at the bottom, so that, by the fertihzing influence of the air and the rain, the freshly forked earth may be prepared for mixing up with the surface soil at successional trenchings. By this means the most shallow, tena- 282 THE COTTAGE GARDENEE. August cious, ^infertile soil may be made in a few years veiy valuable and productive. As an example of tins, we some yeai-s since commenced operations on a shallow sandy piece of gi-oimd, which had not sufficient depth of soil to admit of the full length of the spade's blade being thi-ust down without bringing up a portion of the huugiy unfertile subsoil of red sand, so that, on begimiing to form cm- sloping banks, we could not allow them to be made more than four feet wide at the base, and only one foot lugher in the centime than the natm-al level of the soil ; but now, where there were not ten inches of workable surface soil a few years since, we have from three to jfive feet depth of the best and easily worked soil, capable of producing abundant and luxuriant crops in close succession. Indeed, we never allow the ground to lie idle a day ; and om- banks are now formed 12 feet wide at the base, and from tliree to four feet high in the centre. Our practice is to mark om- ground at the intended width, allowing a foot between each bank for alleys, and commence om- formation at one end by casting out the trench for one, two, or more banks, according to circumstances ; for, the ground being equally di- vided, the same width or quantity of soil is always left to return with from the opposite end, and thus much trouble in wheeling and removing the earth from end to end is prevented. Instead of laying the earth smooth and iiue as we proceed, we form the slopes as roughly as possible, or cast the eai-th into ridges as open as can be, to admit of the influence of the atmosphere. This in- fluence is of essential consequence if the soU has been previously manured with charcoal, and is to be cropped at once. We then fork, or scarify, the sur- face down, and sow or plant immediately, without making too fine a tUth, for often, if the sm-face is made too fine, and heavy rain should follow close upon the operation, the best prepared earth becoming caked or sm-face bound prevents the kindly coming up of the young seedUngs, and starves the yoimg plants. The soil placed in this sloping position is healtliy at all seasons, which is a gi-eat advantage to cropping ; it is also convenient for surface hoeing, planting, sowing, or gathering the crops. These banks have also a pleasing appearance for kitchen garden crops, and various aspects are thereby secured. One bank, also, shelters the other from cutting winds, seourmg more healthy plants, and producing earlier crops from the warmest sides. Where one bank is only to be made, we mark out our space the intended width, run aline up the centre, make a mark, or place down a few sticks ; commence at one_ end, by canymg one spit in width on each side of the centre, casting both together, forming a ridge, _ then following by casting up the sides to it, breaking up the subsoil as we proceed. Another way, which we also practise, is first marking out one bauk as above the desired width for two or tlnee, and commencing at one end by taking out a trench the entu-e width, and trenching the whole into a sloping bank as we proceed, mixing in the manure regularly when any is to be applied, and leaving the surface in rough ridges the cross way. We also trench down all the refuse that comes to hand, char everything that is convertible and cannot be turned to better acco\xnt, and apply the same to our crops of all kinds. Young Cauliflowers and Lettuce. — If close hu- mid weather prevails, sift dry dust amongst those just up, which will prevent the ravages of canker and mildew. Sow again a little of the winter lettiioes to stand in the seed bed. Those who gTow vaulijiuwers under glass should have it now washed in readiness, and the bed of sweet soil prepared. Onions. — Sow now again for standing the winter for spring planting. Ja.mes B-a-Knes. , for ■ leeks," read " pkuit leeks." MISCELLANEOUS INI^OKIIATION. ALLOTMENT GARDENING FOR SEPTEMBER. We are now approaching fast to the confines of the year-, and the sere Ibliage and changing tints of sober autumn, russet clad, will soon remind us of the retm-n of that period where the old maxim, ■' sale bind, safe find," wiH be of general application. We here, of course, allude to the housing or collecting of winter stores, whether it be the potato, the onion, the caiTot, the parsnip, the beet, or the Swede. It is certainly somewhat early to soiuid the note of preparation ; we do so, however, in order to call our allotment friends to account, to put them on the alert in due time in making provision for the ap- proaching dull period of the year, and in order that they may not be taken by surprise. We may here express a hope that those who have been advised by our allotment papers, and who have earnestly put in practice the maxims therein laid down, will now begin to find that " the sweat of the brow," conse- quent on earnest cultivation, is about to be amply repaid by prospects of a good wintering, added to which we must also include the happiness arising from a consciousness of manly independence, that glorious product so peculiai- to the British soil, and which gives to her sons that stindiness and Hint moral weight which is, and has been, tlif ndniira- tiou and the envy of om- continental neighbours. Long may it flourish and increase. Now to busi- ness. Our labours will at this period be somewhat light in addressing ourselves to those who have been gardening in eai-nest through spring and summer ; to the sluggard we may merely addi-ess the words of Solomon, " Go to the ant." The first feature of allot- ment affairs that strike us is the commencement of the storing season, and, as foremost on the list, we give The Onion. — This is a most important item in the cottager's fai-e ; we were almost going to say his only condiment, but we are forcibly reminded, at the same time, of his piclded cabbage, his nastur- tiums, &c. &c., for, now lie can cultivate liis vinegar plant, we do hope to hear that his comforts iire in the ascending scale. By the time our numllily remarks reach allotment holders, many will Imvc drawn then- onion beds, psjipcially in the .south. Many more, however, will liml tliem a tardy hai- vest, particularly llm-e n( ilie north, and who well know that it requires Mime eaie, il' the weather prove wet, to get them housed in keeping order. Bending down Onions. — We have often heard it argued as to whether onions should be bent down or not; the question, however, lies in a narrow com- pass, according to oiu- views. We say, if the summer is fine, and your onions being forward faU down of themselves, so much the better. If some of these con- ditions are ivvei-s.'d, mid vou liiul voui onions slill unbending lownivls ilu' , nil ,,l' .\iieil>i, wliy llieii, we say, by all ineims l,ei„l llinn ,lo«,,. iiiel llMls nnlilee a more early i-ipeuess, himI, liy enn^eipienee, a lieller keeping store, ^\'u have also anoLlier reason for this THE COTTAGE GARDENER. proceeding : we are anxious that the allotmeut por- tion which has produced a crop of onions should be re-cropped immediately. This is, indeed, the earliest root-crop ground which conies to hand, and it' our ad- vice, as to the sowing of the dwarf cabbage or cole- wort m June, has been acted on, the plants will be ready for this very purpose. They will, however, need a little manure, and such need not be dug in deep; we would rather have it witlun tour or five inches of the surface, for the crop we suggest must have obtained full growth by the middle of October ; some very rotteu manure, therefore, should be selected. But to return for a moment to the onions : how are they to be dried ? This, in backward or damp sea- sous and in our northern counties, is an important question. They are far best, in our opinion, dried by artificial heat, that is to say, in a warm room, unless the season is dry and hot, when we have kuowu them dried as perfectly as though they had been in a kiln. The allotment holder, however, has not always con- venience for indoor drying, but he can keep them in baskets, and carry them in and out daily, for the night dews in autumn frequently retard their drying as much as the sunshine or wind of the previous day had advanced it. Our onion practice is, in pulling them up, to place the root-end to the sun as we draw them, on the very bed in which they grew. Onions grown in wet soils, or soils which have long been under culture, and which of course possess a consider- able amount of humus (the black remainder of putri- tied vegetable matters), are very apt in damp seasons to engender a mouldiness at the root, which if not arrested speedily becomes a putrefaction or gangrene, striking at once at the vital or keeping properties of the bulbs ; such is, in general, arrested immediately by laying them with the root-end to the sun for a week or so. After this the necks (withered stems) may be partially stripped away, and the thorough drying accomplished by the means before described. Those who rope them will pm'sue another course : here the means employed reduce the number of mis- chances much ; indeed, roping is, after all, the safest plan for those who can spare the time. Potatoes. — We are sorry to find that that old foe, the fungus Botrytis infestans, is at work on the leaves of the potato in all parts of the kingdom. It would appear, however, that the evil is much mitigated, for it has not only made its appearance later, but its progress is not marked at present with that degree of virulence which characterized it in former years ; neither do we expect that it will prove so bad, for we lay the utmost stress on a more perfect elaboration of the juices of the potato. We have had much sun-light in the early part of the summer, and maugre the idea — fallacious in our opinion — of Mr. Cuthill and others that sunshine had caused the disease, we stiU think that this mellow and bright state of at- mosphere is everything with the potato. Added to this, it is gratifying to find that some country folks, who formerly were most difficult to win over to any oiiinion but that they had been accustomed to, have at last been persuaded that planting potatoes through the end of April and up to June is not the way to ensure a crop in difiiovilt times, and that what will prove a restorative in such a case will not be bad practice when all is set right again. However, we must try to make ourselves useful as to disease cases with aUotment holders. We have ever been of the opinion — based, as we think, securely on facts — that when the plague spot or blotch has fairly invested the plant it is high time the haum parted company with the potatoes. There can be little doubt that the virus engendered by nn nri-e<;lfd or stngnant elaboratiovi of the sap de:5i','iiil-; ullii- it h;is bci'u formedinto the tubers, and 111 ;i IS ]■■ i .m,, luvc tukfu, as we think, a wrong unpresMdn, iroin th'' fact tliat this upper series of tubers lieiug always invested first with the disease, it must necessarDy be atmos- pheric in its origin. "When, however, we consider that the upper series must of necessity be the first to receive the diseased fluids, we may fairly pause before we adopt the atmospheric or any other theory. It is surely hardly worth while casting about for far- fetched reasons when cogent ones, althoug:h simple in appearance, lie close at hand. Our digression, however, must cease, and our maui point must now be with the allotment cultivator, to induce him to plant cabbages of the oolewort character on ground from which potatoes have been removed. We re- oommeud this course on the presumption that he has a cow or a pig, for in such cases it is impossible to produce too much from the narrow compass allot- ted to sucli holders. Before recropping so late in the season it behoves him to take a prospective glance at the coming year, for we would by no means permit a secondary crop to interfere with any sound policy connected with the next year's operations. As before observed, these coleworts may be planted at one square foot apart, and they will prove very useful to the family through November and Decem- ber, whilst the refuse IVom them will of Coiu-se go to tlie pig, for even the roots will be devoured. Manoold. — Towards the end of September a few of the lower leaves which begin to change colour may be progressively stripped away, and given to the cow or pig. Any "bolters," too, or those which run to seed, should be drawn up and given to the stock, to let the sun shine on their neighbours. No other culture will be necessary for this root. Carhots. — If any of the carrot crops are badly " grubbed," they should be di'awn betimes and em- ployed in pig feeding, for if allowed to remain long they wUl scarcely be usable. No fmther culture ne- cessary rmtil storing time. Parsnii's. — Their cultiu-e merely consists in keep- ing down weeds. Swedes. — Thorough weeding will be necessary, and those which were transplanted late after potato crops should receive a careful hand hoeing. CojiJioN TuHNii's. — Either hoeing or hand thin- ning must here be resorted to ; many persons lose a great weight of root by leaving them too thick. Such as the stone turnip or Dutch should be set out at about eight inches apart. Any early crops which are becoming overgrown may be pulled, and their tops cut off rather into the quick ; they may then be placed on a dry piece of ground, and soiled over like potatoes. Peas. — These, most likely, are all used up long since; if any remain which are getting too hard, they may be pulled up, dried on the hedge, and then thrashed out for boihng purposes. Broad Beans. — Any of these which remain may also be dried ; they will make excellent meal when ground. One portion of this to three of Indian corn meal makes capital pig flour. EuNNEB Kidney Beans. — Keep these close ga- thered, except a few at the bottom for seed. Their long bearing depends on keeping the large pods well under. Greens of all Kinds, Brocolis, &c. — AU these things should be well soiled up, if not already done, and one clean weeding given before they cover the groimd. >84 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. ArGC Cabbages. — If any bard white cabbages remain, they sliould be cut, and given to the cow or pig. They will produce sprouts which will be extremely useful. Lettuces. — It will be advisable for the cottager to sow a Uttle Bath coss and the Hammersmith cab- bage lettuces in a warm nook of light soil. The first week of September is the proper time, provided the soil is good. These will make small stiff plants before winter, and, if covered up with dry litter as soon as frozen, they will keep through the winter, and will produce fine heads in May. Pickles. — Oiu- allotment friends must now begin to think of their pickles, and amongst them we think that cabbage, onions, and nasturtiums, will prove the least expensive and most useful. The nasturtiums must be gathered once a week or so, and care must be taken to pick them clean before frost can seize them, for they are easily spoiled. Hedges. — Any an-ears of dubbing should be at once brought up, and we advise a general clearing of all boundary fences before the days get too short. The dubbings and all the coarse weeds or other refuse may then be got together on a spare bit of ground, and burnt, or rather charred. The residue may then be stored away in any dry corner, and it will be found useful in the ensuing spring to sow in drills with root crops, especially can-ots or turnips. THE BEE-KEEPER'S CALENDAR.— Sept. Bij J. H. Payne, Esq., Author of " The Bee-Keeper s Guide," cC-c. Dephiving. — The time has now arrived for the final deprivation of bees, and where it has been found necessary to place two or three receptacles for honey ujjon the stock hive, the uppermost one may certainly be removed, and generally the one next to it; but the greatest caution must be exercised in taking any more, for twenty pounds, at least, of net honey must be left in the hive for winter store, and should the hive itself not contain that quantity, the box or boxes must be left on, and removed when emptied by the bees some time between December and March ; cer- tainly not later than that time, or the queen may possibly go up and deposit eggs in the empty combs. The method of getting the bees out of the glasses or boxes has already been given at page 105. Deone Killing. — The bees have been later this year in killing the drones than they usually are, which I believe may be considered as a proof that the honey season has also been later. The work of slaughter was commenced with me on the 2()th of July, and is now (August lOtb) going on most furi- ously. Bees Phognosticatoks of the Weather. — I am not aware that bees have ever been placed in the list of those animals which are said to foretel the changes of weather, as many animals of the feathered and insect tribes are ; but in my opinion they stand foremost of the weather-wise. A nice observer, by looking at them in the early morning during the working season, will very soon be able to form an opinion as to what the day will be, and that almost to a certainty ; for they will sometimes ajipeai- slug- gish and inactive, although the morning is very bright and showing every appearance for a fine day ; but the sun soon becomes clouded, and rain follows. And, again, the morning may be dull and cloudy, and sometimes rain may be falling, when they may be observed going out in considerable numbers, and as sure as this is seen the day becomes bright and fan-. Union of Stocks. — Those persons who happen to have very old stocks which are worn out, either by the decay of the hive which contains them, or by the blackened and almost useless state of the combs, from having brood hatched in them for many years, may unite them veiy safely to swarms of this year, or to stocks of two or three years standing, in the follo\ving manner, and for which I am chiefly in- debted to that excellent apiarian, Gelieu. The opera- tion is performed very easily, and without danger. I have frequently accomplished it without any protec- tion whatever. The proper- time for effecting these unions will be either at the end of September or very early in October. Those stocks which are in sormd liives, and tlie combs not much blackened by time, but upon weighing are found to requii'e fom- or five pounds of honey to carry them through the winter, had better have that quantity supplied to them now ; while those that are in bad condition, both as regards Irive and combs, as well as those requiring eight or ten pounds of honey, had better be united to other stocks, for to feed them will be too troublesome, as well as too expensive. The manner of procedure is thus: upon a fine morning commence by blowing a few jmffs of tobacco-smoke with a pipe in at tlie door of the hive you intend to clear ; then turn up the hive, and place it upon its top upon the groimd, and give it a little more smoke sufficient to force the bees to retire within the combs ; then proceed to cut out all the combs in succession, with the knife described at page al7, beginning with the smallest, sweeping the bees with a leather off each piece back into the hive, placing the combs one after another into a large dish, keeping it at the same time covered with a napkin to prevent other bees coming to it. The last comb wid be found the most difficult to come at, being com- pletely covered over with bees. This operation may be performed without gloves or any protection what- ever; the only weapon requii'ed is a pipe or a cigar. The combs being thus all removed, the bees remain as completely destitute of food as they were on the day of their swarming. Replace the hive upon its board, in the spot it occupied when fuU, and leave it tUl the evening, by which time the bees will be clus- tered together lUce a new swarm. During the whole of the day, which is supposed to be a fine one, they occupy themselves with the greatest earnestness cleansing their house and removing the little frag- ments of wax that have fallen on the board, that any one who did not know it had been emptied would take it for the best and strongest of the hives. Just before dark, when they are all quiet, blow a little tobacco-smoke in at the door of the hive it is intended for the deprived bees to enter, and which should be its next neiglibour, either on the right hand or the left, then, turning it up and resting it upon the ground, sprinkle it all over with honey diluted with a very little water, especially between the combs where the greatest number of bees are seen. Five or six table spoonsful generally suflice, bvit at times more may be required. If toolil'tlr be oivin, the ncwc.imois might not be wellreceiveil— lliciv iiiiL;iil lie st.mr linliiiiig: and by giving too inucli Ihr risk oi' drownint;' iiii.^iit beincm'red; the sprinkling, bowcvrr, iiniy .•cas.' wlicn the bees begin to climb up and shelter themselves on the sides of the hive. Then take a table-cloth, spread it upon the ground, and with a smart and sudden shock throw upon it the bees out of the hive that was deprived of its combs in the morning, and imme- diately place the hive that has been sprinkled, and which they are intended to enter, over them, raising it a Uttle on one side with a wedge. They will immedi- August THE COTTAGE GARDENER. atd\ as.t'ud mill join tin' sprinlded ones. Very early the iM'\i 111. iiiiui,l; iHiiilii' hive inits place. Itisvery tli'^uiililr In pl.ir, ii |.i(>cisely in the centre of the pliiri' III, ^ IhiiIi occujHi'd before the union. Three stocks uiiiy be miiti'd in the same manner, and with till' same success, taking care only to empty in the monrint^- those on each side, and make the bees enter tlie middle one in the evening, after it lias been s]iriiikled with honey. In this case it is not neces- sary to remove the one that unites the three families. As ilr. Taylor very truly says, " whether the fumi- gated hive be new or old, poor or rich in honey, the plan of expulsion of the bees is applicable, and that with quite as little trouble, expense, danger, or loss of time, as by suffocation with brimstone. The bees tlius preserved in existence are a clear gain to the jirojirirtor of so many able and willing labourers, eager to enrich him in the early spring, and merely transferred to other winter quarters with no extra expense of feeding wliatever. What, now, can be lu-ged in extenuation of a wanton waste of valuable lil'e '.' The plea of necessity no longer avails as an oxriis'- i'or what henceforth becomes an act of deli- bi'rati' folly — ^perhaps I might say wickedness — that It is a most extra,ordinary fact, that this doubled, or trebled, population, will consume no more honey (if so much) in the winter as a single one; "the why and tlie wherefore" of this I leave for others to decide ; 1 am satisfied of the fact, Some persons, reasoning from analogy, say that as cattle well housed require less food than when exposed to wind and rain, so where there ai'e many bees in a hive they can keep themselves warm by hanging close together instead of eating : so that in a full hive the same quantity of honey goes farther than in a weak one, eacVi bee eating less. Method of Draining Honey fkom the Combs. — Place a sieve, either of hau' or canvass, over an earthen jar, cut the combs containing honey into small pieces, and put them into the sieve ; let them be cut in an horizontal direction. It is better to slice them twice, that is, at the top and the bottom, than in the middle; crushing or pressing should be avoided, for, as a portion of brood and bee-bread generally remain in the comb, pressiu'e would force it through the sieve, and the honey would thereby be much injured both in colour as well as flavour. It is very desirable to have two sieves, for in every hive there will be two kinds of honey, the one almost colourless and fine flavom-ed, found at the sides of the hive ; the other dark and not so good, stored in the centre ; these should always be kept separate. The draining process may occupy, perhaps, two days ; but the largest quantity, as well as the best quality, will be drained olf in three or four hours. The honey should be put into jars immediately, and the jars Jilled and tied down with bladder, for exposure to the air, even for a few hours, very much deteriorates its fiavom-. I may here observe that honey in the combs keeps remarkably well if folded in writing paper, and sealed up so as to exclude the free entrance of the air, and is placed in a dry warm closet. Peeparation of Wax.- — Having drained all the honey from the combs, wash these in clean water (this liquor, by exposure to the sun and air, will make most excellent vinegar) ; put them in a clean boiler with some soft water, simmer over a clear fire until the combs are melted, pour a quart or so into a can- vass bag, wide at the top and tapering downwards, like a jelly bag. Hold this over a tub of cold water; the boiling liquor will immediately pass away, leav- ing the liqmfied wax and the dross in the bag; have ready a piece of smooth board of such a length that one end may rest at the bottom of the tub, and the other end at its top ; upon this inclined plane lay your reeldng hag, but not so as to touch the cold water, then, by compressing the bag with any conve- nient roller, the wax will ooze through and run down the board into the cold water, on the surface of which it will set in thin flakes. Empty the dross out of the bag, and replenish it with the boiling wax, and pro- ceed as befoi-e until it has all been pressed. When finished, collect the wax from the smfaoe of the cold water, put it into a clean saucepan with very little water, melt it carefully over a slow fire, skim off the dross as it rises ; then pour it into moulds, or shapes, and place them where they will cool slowly. The wax may be rendered stiU more pure by a second melting and moulding. MY FLOWERS. (No. 41.) I DO not admire marygolds — they do not please my fancy ; yet they are gay and rich looking, and at this season they enliven the garden with their deep gol- den flowers. There is an interesting tradition con- nected with the French and African marygold, from which the Italian name, that of " fior di morto," or death flower, most probably has sprung. They are natives of America, and are said to have first ap- peared on the soil where the blood of the unhappy Mexicans flowed so freely, when sacrificed to the Spaniards' thirst for their country's gold. Although in these days of pm-er light and higher civilization such horrors are not known, yet do we not need con- tinual warnings to guard us against making " gold" om- " hope," which is equally perilous to the soul ? We may " do no murder," but we may unwittingly worship a god whose name is not " the Lord." If this cottage flower brings this truth sometimes be- fore our eyes, it will, indeed, be worthy a place in every garden, although its colour and scent may not please every taste. The French and African maiy- golds are both American in then- origin, yet they adorn the gardens of India, Japan, and China, where so many far more beautiful flowers abomid. The African variety was brought into England about the year 1.573. The common mai-ygold is, I think, a prettier flower than these ; it is a native of southern Europe, and has long been a useful and favourite flower of the cottage. The leaves of the flower used formerly to be frequently strewn upon broth to add a peculiar flavour, and I can still remember the dis- like which I ever had, as a child, to their taste and smell. The hollyhock is still blooming, and adding much to the beauty of the garden. In large groups, among shrubs, this effect is extremely good, and the variety of colours enlivens the back gi-ound, and brightens the dark mass of evergreens. It is a native of the glowing east, of the cooler soil of southern Europe, and also of the freezing climate of Siberia. How rich, and beautiful must its rose-like flowers appear among the desolate plains of that dreaiT land, where there is so little to cheer the heart of man ! If the inhabitants of those northern latitudes have any taste for the beautiful things of nature, how they must cherish then- few flowers, and what a treasure must the hollyhock be during their short and hur- ried summers ! A single yellow variety has been found growing wildly even in Afi-ioa — thus remark- ably connecting the hottest and the coldest regions. 280 THE COTTAGE GAKDEXER. ArarsT aud reminding iis of the blessings of a temperate climate, where neither frozen plains nor burning sands disti-ess us, aud where oiu' seasons, changeable as the}' are, give us so many blessings. We need to be reminded of these things ; we are too apt to feel dis- satisfied with what we have and are ; and " a voice" from our gardens can deeply and profitably instmct us. A voice fi-om the fields, too, makes itself heard at this season, with loud and affecting eloquence. The interesting labours of the harvest not only gladden our hearts with the abundance of our la- ther's mercies, but they set forth a solemn parable practically before our eyes. As we watch the busy hands of the reapers, and the tall, waving corn fall- ing under the stroke of the sickle, we are forcilily remiuded that " so shall it be in the end of this world." " Who liath ears to hear, let him hear." The broom has indeed spoken truth — there is a rich and abundant store ready to be treasured up. Let the poor man's heart rejoice, and praise "the Lord of the harvest" for His bountiful goodness to the children of men ; let the heart of the rich man re- joice with thankfulness, hut with trembling also, lest he should account his " life" to consist " in the abun- dance of the things which he possesseth." It is re- markable that the cultivated gi-ain — the wheat, oats, barley, and rye — are never found in any country growing wild ; no roving nation possesses them — then- existence marks the tiller of the soil, and although tliey should be found in the midst of soli- tude and silence, yet man has been a settler there. It seems as if an infinitely wise God permitted not these precious fruits of the earth to waste their valu- able produce, but to be kept exclusively as the rewai-d of lalDour. How should our hearts swell with grati- tude for such a striking provision for His creature, man ! How much I wish that the beautifid and solemn salutation of Boaz and his reapers was imi- tated in this our day ! A fuller blessing would be poured out, if men regarded God in all they said and did, and great would be then peace. The rich scarlet berries of the mountain ash are now gleaming brightly among its feathery leaves. It is so ornamental a tree, that I am surprised at not seeing it more frequently, both in the garden and the copse. It gives such life and brilliancy to the shnibbeiy aud the woods, that it should be en- couraged in every spot, and would add gi'eatly to the beauty of the autumnal scenery. I remember tlie striking effect produced by several of these lovely trees mingling with the foliage of a picturesque copse among the Welch mountains. It clothed a rising ground, forming a sort of amphitheatre, at the foot of winch rushed one of those mountain streams of which " lowlanders" dream not. I was then a cUld, but I have never forgotten that amphitheatre of trees, studded vidth the deep red bunches of the mountain ash ; and to this day the sight of one of these trees sparkling in its autumnal glory always carries me bade to the lovely banks of the Irfou. The fohage in itself of the mountain ash is graoefid, and the white flowers in the spring are delicate and pleasing, rendering it a suitable tree for the pleasure ground, as well as the grove. Useless trees ai'o not desu-able in cottage gardens, but a cheerfid looking mountain ash planted in the hedge, in some nook or comer, woidd not, perhaps, be in the way of any better tree, aud would add much to the pleasing appearance of the road or common, as well as to the cottage. What- ever tends to beautify an English cottage, whatever makes it appear more cheerful, more snug and happy, adds to the jnoral beauty of oiu- peaceful aud highly favoured land. Yet, beautiful as our cottage homes must ever be, not merely as pleasing the eye, but as evidencing the quiet domestic enjoyments of our popu- lation, let us not set our hearts upon them, or upon aiii/ thing here below. Our purest eartldy affections may become idolatry— our simplest and most useful possessions may swell into idols. Let the cottage gardener ever remember that " a garden of lierbs" perilled the soul of a lung of Israel. HARDY CYPRIPEDL\. A-, iiiniiy |H r^rius find some difficulty in cultivatmg tlii' I \ |'ri]h iii;i I Lady's Slipper), aud as I have been tiili r.il'ly Mi.c, :,rul in cultivating two species of that gciiiH. vi/.. (' s)H rhiliih: (Slu'wy Lady's Slipper) and ('. /,iih,:alustri.i. This plant is found abundantly in the peat bogs of this part of the country, or, I am afraid I must say, wa^s once found abundantly, as most of the hogs arc ploughed up, and many beautiful and rare plants have become almost extinct. I gi'ew this plant in pure peat in pots, which I set in a pan of water in summer, and plunge in the open ground in winter. This plant increases rapidly. Though most of the orcbideae, which form the tuber peculiar' to that tribe of plants, are difficult to cultivate, I do not think that that is the case with these orchidete, which do not form a tuber. Bev. EnwARD SiJioxs, Ovintjton.Xorfulk. EVERGREENS EOR CHALK SOILS. In a late number you make the observation that a chalk soil is unfavourable to the gi-owth of ovcrgi'cens. Sinco a very considerable proportion of the southern part of this island consists of chalk, and sinco none August THE COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 287 of our strata more requires the aid of evergreens than the chalk does, to make a cottage habitation snug and comfoi'table, you will, perhaps, not think that it is time ill bestowed if we pause a moment to inquire whether the antipathy of evergreens to chalk is uni- versal, or whether there may not be some which do not refuse to assume a vigorous and healthy aspect upon this, which is, for many intents and purposes, so hcrtlthy, so comfortable, and so desirable a site for a residence. Unless we can find such I would not at- tempt to plant there, for nothing looks so meagre, desolate, and poverty-stricken, as to see a plantation of yellow, sickly, imhealthy evergreens, pining and dying away around a dwelling. A naked down is cheering and princely in comparison of such an abor- tion. Our native yew, the weed of ovn- hills, which, if suffered to grow without being mutilated, becomes a most beautifully-formed tree and an admirable shel- ter, deserves the first place. The black A ustrian pine (Pinus Austriaca or nigricans), a rapid and sturdy grower, succeeds admirably on the chalk. The Arbor vitffi (Tliiija), Cupressus viridis, C. torulosa, and, indeed, all the cypresses, also thrive well here. Our native juniper, which spontaneously clothes the sides of many of our hills, must not be forgotten : all the junipers succeed well here. The graceful arbutus and lovely laurustinus afford a decoration to the shrubbery which leaves scarcely anything more to be wished for. The beautiful evergreen barberries, as well as our native variety ornamented with its bril- liant scarlet fruit, thrive well on the chalk. The various cotoneasters, some of which are absolutely evergreens, and others nearly approach to that state, lend theii' willing help ; and the box finds this of a,ll soils the most congenial to it. I had almost forgotten to mention that the holly (Ilex), though not a rapid grower on the chalk, is healthy and sturdy, and in process of time becomes a large tree. Here, then, are materials with which the chalk cottager may ex- clude both the summer's sun and winter's cold, and may create a snuggery of variously-diversified beauty. Doubtless, planters of more experience may be able to add largely to this catalogue, but ne sutor ultra crepidam. W. P. T., Hampsldre. BLACK BAELEY. Some weeks ago I observed an inquiry in The Cottage Gakdenek about hlaok barley, and, as I have tested it this season, I think the result of my experi- ment may prove interesting to some of your nume- rous subscribers. On the 7th of October last I dibbled some of the seed, at the rate of only two pecks per acre, on some of tlie poorest land in Middlesex — -this was after potatoes — and on the 27th of January last I sowed a finther por- tion after turnips. The vegetation was very rapid and luxuriant, and the barley tillered surprisingly, as many as 60 stalks arising from one seed. It stood the winter, such as it was, remarkably well, and on the 6th of June the whole was in full ear, and measured 5 feet 6 inches high . I commenced cutting the winter barley on the 1 1th of July, and the spring sowing on the 28th of the same month. Part of the former is already thrashed, and, considering the destruction by slugs and the enor- mous quantity consumed by span-ows, the produce is most satisfactory. At least one-third of the whole was destroyed by birds, owing entirely to its early ri^jening, and about one-eighth by slugs, so that, as nearly as I can calculate, the produce may be taken at nearly 60 bushels per acre, but no more. The straw is excellent, and had the seed been sown some- what more liberally it would probably return about 2-^ tons per acre. The crop from which I procured my seed was grown on excellent laud in AVorcester- shire, and there the produce was said to be upwards of 70 bushels per acre. Indeed, of this I have little doubt, as I saw the crop just before harvest. The sfa-aw in that case was fully seven feet high, and alto- gether fonned the most magnificent cereal crop I have ever seen. I have not yet thrashed any of the spring barley, but I am disposed to think the average will rather exceed the autumn-sowed in point of gi'ain, while in straw it will be deficient I will now only add that each ear has six distinct rows of grain on it, and that they contain from 05 to 84 grains together. The gi-ound on which it was grown was cleared in time for me to sow Aberdeen turnips, although, had the weather been wetter, I should have transplanted Swedes, and probably had a good crop. Thus, by the introduction of this valuable crop, two crops per an- ninn may be certainly relied upon on all well culti- vated farms. A sample of the grain, with the straw, may be seen at JMessrs. R. Bartrop & Co.'s, 176, Pligh Holborn, who will, I am sure, be happy to exhibit it to any oi^ your friends. T. PnicE, Easteott Cottage, near Pinner. DIGEST OF GERANIUM CULTUBE. Your worthy and intelUgent coadjutor, Mr. Beaton, in his very clever and interesting paper on the gera- nium, in the fourteenth number of your valuable work (vol. i., p. 150), says he intended to draw up in one small paragraph the chief jjoints in the " account of Aunt Harriet's management" there given, but on consideration he thinks it would be much better if his reader were to do that for himself — it would help him to recollect it. Now, as I have followed his recom- mendation, and drawn up the paragi-apb in my own way (though not a "small paragraph"), to assist my recollection, I think, perhaps, if you have room for it, it may (just at this time, when the principal dii-ec- tions it contains are cojning into operation) be useful to others, and not only give Mr. Beaton an oppor- tunity to add something new and pleasing to it, which he is so very capable of doing, but draw some useful observations or queries from other correspondents on the subject. DiHECTioNs. — When the plants have done flower- ing in the summer, turn them out of doors, to rest and recover themselves ; give them no strong water then, but just enough rain-water to keep them fi-om drooping. After a little while they will recover, and begin to grow away freely at the top. Then cut them down, letting them first get dry enough to droop, to prevent bleeding. Withhold water from them for two or three days, that the wounds may dry and heal readily. Cut all the branches down just above the three best placed buds next to where they began growing from the older wood, and if there are any weak or very small branches cut them down to the last bud, so that it may only jn-oduce one shoot next season. After cutting down the plants, slightly water them for ten days or a fortnight, or till the young shoots are about an inch long, and have three or four leaves each ; then shake away all the soil from the roots, and cut off all the largest roots to four, five, or six inches fi-om where they first issued ; trim the small roots a little ; then immediately repot them in very small pots, just large enough to hold the roots with- out being cramped. It should be rich mould, and about one-eighth part sand mixed with it ; put plenty of crocks at the bottom, and a layer of moss over them, before putting on the earth; then water the 288 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. plants with a rose watering-pot, to settle the earth round them and wash the leaves. For the first ten days or a fortnight keep them in a close warm room without sun. In ahont six weeks, say late in Sep- tember, shift them into larger pots, and put a layer of rotten dung over the crooks and moss. Turn the hall of earth into the new pot, raising it under and filling it round with fresh mould. Look at the healtlii- ness and general appearance of the roots ; if you find them all right, put them into the flowering-pots at once ; but if not, put them in smaller pots, in order to shift tliem into larger pots in the spring. Keep them again a little time in a close room after this re- move, but a little sun will not then hmt them. If there are more than six or eight shoots on a plant, rub off the otho's where they gi-ow thiclvest together or are weakest, and if they crowd each other tie tliem to small sticks set in round the pot, so as to keep them in a slanting position, trained out and free fii-om each other. About the end of January stop or pinch ofl' an inch or two of the shoot, if you wish them to blow late or about midsummer. At the end of Ee- bruaiy stop others, to blow later. No stimidants or liquid-manme to be given them till the blossom-buds appear, then soapsuds or other sti-ong water may he used, adding one-half rain-water to it, and giving the plants clear water alternately with this mixture. When the room is cleaned or dusted at any time, put the jjlants outside ; if the weather is fine and warm, or otherwise, cany them into another room. T. Morgan. [Mr. Beaton highly approves of tliis epitome of geranium cultuir, iind ri.M-(immends all young gar- deners to adopt II siuiiliii' innile of impressing know- ledge on their iiiiiHls. I \r mlds the foUomng useful dii-ection: — " ^Miuu wr \v;iiii pchu-n-onium-flowers all the year- round, I cut ii uuiMlirr of ]. hints about the middle of April, and thr Imllv "I mir ^loek about the first week in October : uml I Ivi'ii >lo[ipiug some of the plants until the end of Aiay." — Eu. C. G.] EXTEACTS FEOM CORRESPONDENCE. Cheys.a-nthejium Layers. — In reference to your article on chrysanthemums (p. 230, No. 44), I fancy I can teU you of a plan pursued by my own gardener whereby not only the " 2o per cent." of young layers may be gi'eatly reduced, but not five per cent, even when "touRued" will be lost. As soon as the cut is made liiml :i liiilr Inugmoss round the wound, rather moist, ;ijmI Ii i iI 1"' secured by some fine bass, iui «o« too [iijhilij : yiiii limy then bend the layer as deep as you please iuiu the ]iut, and I do not think more than one in Jifty will break ; the roots strike almost imme- diately through the moss, and I have found very good plants indeed from this process, quite as luxm-iant and as quickly struck as from the plan you advocate, and in my own case very much less hazardous. — Rev. C. H. Browne. [This is a very good plan, but Mr. Beaton informs us that a twist given to the shoot about to be layered, just below where the roots are wished to issue, is nearly as good as tongueiiig it. — Ed. C. G.] Asparagus. — I invilr inv lirnllhT lini-|ii;uUiiiisls In try an expei-ininil smiIi mr ( ih-^crN iii^;- iluil ;iii ;i-- paragus root (111 niMcliny linl-. |in»liHc,l liner ImihIs and ill q-rrnln- iiliiiiHlinMe limn any ulher, 1 thought ofrni-iir- .i':iir' iiiiii II , 111 it year after yeai'itpro- dufid I I il, Ml I Ih iliij'mistress who had an ill-uiiiiiivil nil, I, II, III nni;i,l never instruct a fellow- servant, rcsoh rd on liiirlnng one to be as good a cook as the old one, so I resolved on tiyiug to bring other roots to the standard of tlie favourite one. My first object was to give them somewhat of the character of the superior one, tlierefoie I assisted them to be sterile like it, and lli.ir lu rrii s last yeai-, when half- grown, were stni.pi I 'lil, mi .i|irnition which may quickly be perforinnl v, iiliniii ilrslroying the foliage, wliirli. nf rniu'M-, -Ihiiilil I- ihiiiivd as litOo as possi- hli' I niiiiini iiiruiii iiiiii il Mil , this treatment alone lliiii |.rciilnr,il 111! tl,- mi iiiiii",^.', for last autumn I Usi'ilsuli inurii I'lvuly llnni hi Inn: (a poimd to a square yard), but the residt this year was finer asparagus and about three times the quantity that I ever be- fore obtained ii-om the same beds. After relieving the plants from then- labour of seeding I tliink that a good soaking of liquid-manure should be apphed. I dare say that more experienced gardeners tha,n my- self know all about this treatment, but as they have not benefited theh contemporaries by telling of its success, I put it on paper, Mr. Editor, either to en- lighten the cottage gardener or your Havaunah. — B. M. To Preserve Pyhus Japonica Apples. — We had collected them as they dropped oft' from time to time for their scent, and having at Cliristmas several look- ing rosy and ripe we pared tluin vny Uiiu mul placed them in a weU-oovered jar. v, ilh ihrii nnd nn ihr lo]) of the fruit, and a very litllr wnn r. ami cuidird ilifin thus in a Bain Marie, keeping the steam in closely, over a slow fire, till they were soft. They soften more easily than the quince. Let them stand till cold. Prepare a good syrup of double-refined sugar : boil and skim it well, then put in the pyrus friut to boil ten minutes, and set it aside a couple of hours ; then boil them again till the syrup looks thick and the fruit clear. Put it into the preserving pots, and when cold tie it down. The same proportion of sugar as for quinces. Saving Seed. — Last year I resolved upon tiyiug to save some garden seeds, and now I wish to give you the result of what I call a complete faOm'e. I selected a few fine cauliflowers, two or three of the best kind of radishes, well-coloured and weH-formed ; one sort of lettuce, namely Bath Cos ; and one good kind of cabbage. These being all I can prove at present, I wish to give you the result. Of the cab- bage I have about lialf a dozen sorts, neither cabbages nor savoys; the radishes are neither turnips nor carrots in shape, varying in colour from a light purple to a complete black, and very tough, allhough well watered ; the lettuces are nol worih kii|iiiig; and the cauliflowers are full of giien leia, -. and a very dailc brown in colour. Now, I liml ilnu, alter paying a boy to keep off the birds, i In \aliie nl ihc ground as regards other emii-^, and my ironliie in cleaning the seeds, I had bciiev Ijave imal donliic lor them, say notluug about tlie ainiiisl, I may say.intal loss of my vegelaldes lor Ihi, ■eason ; ami what puzzles me the uio-t i^ ilml I do m>i iliink ili.iv was a bit of seed saved w illiin a nnle nl' .s.ehi iliat [Saving seed is a most jnvi'inion^ dc] gardening. Cauliflower seed, lo he inu brought yearly from Itnly. 'J'liai, ot il sprouts can only he ohtnined perlect Ir THE COTTAGE GABDENER. trict near the citj' from wliieh they derive theh' name. The turnijj seed in the cottager's garden near yon was enough to cross and render untrue to stock all the cahhage and radish seed gi'o\\ai within miles ot it, for hees travel much further. It is the knowledge tliat all seed is uncertain if not saved with tlie greatest care that compels seedsmen not to buy it from chance growers. How could they confi- dently soil it to their customers? — Ed. C. G.] PotiLTRY Feeding. — ^It has often surprised me that cottagers do not more frequently keep poultry; chickens are reared with little trouble, and kept at no expense. I now advise any young person who reads this to tiy aud earn Is 6d, and then to pur- chase a young cock and hen. Shut them up for a day or two till they are accustomed to the place, then let them have the run of a public road, or field in which cattle graze ; they will then require feeding but once a day. And now as to what to feed them on. Do not buy a pennyworth. If you dine on potatoes, nothing can be better than theii- skins. T hope all my readers boil their potatoes with their jackets on; it improves the potato, makes it more wholesome, and feeds your chickens. At this season I dare say most of The Cottage Gabdeneh's readers have peas ; if so, save the shells, and after the peas are boiled put them back into the same water, and let them boil whilst you are dining, then cut them into little bits, and mix them with crumbs from your ])lates (remember, "Waste not, want not"), and your poultry will live well on it. If this advice is thought worthy a place in so excellent a paper as The Cot- tage Gardener, I will next week tell you what to do when you have any eggs laid ; and although you may not " count your chicks before they are hatched," yet I think you may reckon on a dozen eggs within three weeks or a month. — C. M. A. Wet-day Gardening. — This is a wet day, and it has suggested to me a few hints for the cottage gar- dener on wet-day gai'dening. I am very fond of wet days, in a garden, at this time of the year. What- ever you may say to the contrary, I believe in the practicability of transplanting all annuals, even mig- nonette, by choosing a wet day for the pui'pose. Act- ing by your advice, I certainly did sow some annuals this year where they were to remain, and very fine clumps they have made, but in all quarters there are some gaps to be filled up, some unlucky combinations of colour to be remedied : for such alterations, com- mend me to a wet day. In the vegetable garden I have followed the practice of a tribe of small occu- piers whom I believe to be lineal descendants of the serf's who tilled a certain monastic estate, whose ancient gi'ange still stands in this neighbourhood. Early peas, early cabbage, early potatoes, are the forerunners of beet, the winter cabbage kind, and (on a warm border or on a hotbed) cucumbers, celery, &c. ; and I find it best to dig in the year's manuring now, before transplanting. The gi'eat advantage of this method, both in the flower-garden and Idtchen- garden, is that band-weeding can be almost entirely superseded by planting rather than sowing. How- ever, I believe that crops of onions, carrots, and parsnips, may be advantageously alternated with double crops, except in the case of early borders aud favoured bits of gTound protected from east and northerly winds, and lying well to the morning and forenoon sun. Such bits may always grow two crops a-year. I believe that some borders, and fields too, in these parts have grown early potatoes every year for a long time back. Another favourite employment on a wet day is to cleai' off many full-blown fl.owers and all needless seeding plants ; this ensures a fine flush of new bloom when the sun shines out again, and a repeated pleasure. As some of your readers have occasionally inquired about the economy of small holdings, aud as I have not been wholly unsuccess- ful in my own experience of that kind of miniatm'e farming or field gardening, I will at once refer with gratitude to the works of the Eev. Mr. Hickey, com- monly called Martin Doyle, whose works just give the right sort of information, and whose pen I dare say you might engage for that department of your work if the writer be still alive and not quite used up.=i= He is great on pigs, poultry, and cropping.— ViBGTOR. To Preserve Peas erom Mice. — Having seen in the public papers a case of poisoning by arsenic, which was procured under the pretext of steeping peas in it to preserve them from mice, I take advan- tage of yom- excellent journal to mention that if the peas, before sowing, ai'e soaked in a solution of com- mon Barbadoes aloes, it is a perfect protection against vermin, and obviates all danger. — E. J. Shade for Plants. — Having noticed several re- marks and suggestions in your work respecting the method of shading plants, I send you a rough sketch of a shade I constructed last year, suitable either for pot or border plants. It is made with two little hoops (one about as large again as the other) and four pieces of lath ; the laths are tacked inside the hoops, which are i^laced distant from one another about two-thirds the length of the requisite height of the shade, one end of each lath being set flush with the upper rim of the smaller hoop. Various modes of covering the skeleton suggest themselves, and a long-headed philosopher's nigbt-cap would, if made waterproof, serve admirably to di-aw over it ; but in practice we have recourse to a closely-fitting water- proof calico vestment, which shifts off and on, and is made to draw together at the top with a piece of tape. If the shade is used for a plant in a pot, this dress or covering can be turned and pinned up a short distance at the bottom ; but if for use in the open border, then it may be let down to a short dis- • The popiUai writer referred to is^ we believe, long since dead.— 290 THE COTTAGE GATtDENEIl. tanee of the ground, and in either case a small aper- ture may be left at the top, or not, according as it is drawn together — loosely or tightly. Another method of covering can he adopted : the space between the two hoops may be covered either with well-jiasted paper (to be afterwards oiled with linseed oil), or with water-proofed calico. In using the shade for plants growing in the border, the legs of it should be pressed into the soil an inch or so, to keep it firm in its place, and deeper if the last described mode of covering be adopted. The shade from which the drawing is made has one hoop four inches, and the other nine inches in diameter; there are eleven inches between the hoops, and the legs of the shade measure five inches. The size of the hoops, and their relative diametrical proportions, will of course depend upon the height and width the shade is to be made. Many modifica- tions of this plan are readily suggested to serve the occasion, for after all it will be seen that it is but a first cousin once removed to the old newspaper cottage hand-light.— W. H. G. Shieehajsipton GoTT.\GEns' Snow. — On Monday, the 6tli of August, the Sliirehampton Cottage Hor- ticultural Society held theii' first show in the Na- tional School-room of the village, kindly granted to their use by the Rev. ■ — Sayce, under whose more immediate patronage the society is principally con- ducted, and who, on this pleasing occasion, most liberally entertained on his lawn to a sumptuous luncheon upwards ol sixty oi the pimcipxl gentry m the nn.,hbouihood The appioaoh to the rooms \\ IS tastptiilly dec^l'lttd AMth xi 1 es of flowers ind evtigitens flags ^^ from the tops of ll whole scene much i hn=; 111 11 all directions -uses and the tiams oil full h 1 ition weiP M lud the 1 ot tht mo they weie c inteiest in cially weie ol cle^ih pioved wl 0 took the deepest 1 g 1 he potitoes cspe 1 11 1 ind enoimoi s size with out the shghttst indii atiou ot the disease and it was a most pleasing sight at the teimimtion ot the pio ceedmgs to \Mtnpss the successful candidates letmn mg to then village homes with the ciifteient jpuzcs wlucli weie most ludiciously given in gaidennig and cuhudiy implements — Ihos Pi^rriN MeMuii/ neai Jo IviLL Slugs S i ^^ — A i 1 t 1 i papeis since jou li I 1 i 1 ll' I tive to destioymg si 1 \\ il 1 i II i to suggest to you and ni> tcUoN-s sul still is 1 Ihi Cottage &AnnENEn a plan ol my own I tal e about one quait of watci in an-^ -sessel it matteis not what S3 that it will hold twice the quantity to allow foi w h It IS put in then add a handful of com mon salt and dissoh e it « ell I find the e\ ening the best time foi sen clung foi the slugs and I do so with a candle I ha^e meiely to pick them off and thiow them into the solution aud leave them there till the next mominn theie is no fcai of then evei getting out A^ oims aie seived the same So 1 ANn &\iT Onioxs — I used as you lecom mended soot and salt as amauuieloi many oi my ciops and obtamel salisfactoij lesidts ]\ly eaily ciopofcannt { ] \ ^^ in i Pit ii i )■« is excel lent I 1 1 1 I ] otatoes undei one I \ 1 I 1 oiops jlanted at tl i i II u 1 \Mth soot and iujUili with Inn tic kim i fi agi ant diied flo^^ ei s tdd sm all lemons and oi anges stuck viith cloves xnd diied m a cool o\en Ba> salt must Ic p^wdeied and scatteied between the liMis IS the 1 jt is filled TO CORRESPONDENTS )EX (G TT P )—Vy c find it quite impossil Ic to ad nntiee to our correspondents on the arranfrement It ncUides too nany cons derations none ot which 1 We must content ourselves with an^nenng your ::ds {Ihd) — Mr Barnes splan of growing ispangus rs pH tcl n 'Lenten bor nr Octol r -We will attend to Weed\ URnrRovD {O S ) —Corrosive s troy the weeds in your neglected road nor is there any mode of kco] ing them do\ n except bv conQtantlv hofinR- Ihem out and so^\lna; the surfice with silt o thickh tl t t app s 1 tc ^.ott ngl im) — A ton of gas 1 mr 11 111 J r \e It The mi\tuie bhoild and win be ready for use m two or THE COTTAGE GARDENER. Arms of Gardeners' Company (L. S.).— We do not know what these are, hut they might he obtained, probably, by writing to the clerk, Mr. John Finch, 21, Old JewTy, London. The arms of the Fruiterers' Company are as represented in the accompanying woodcut. RiEi'OTTiNG Oleanders {A Cottage Subscriber).— Th\i should not be done now, but early in the spring. Blue Salvias and Pemstemons (76(d).— These will stand the winter in a warm sheltered garden, but the salvias will keep better in a dry shed like dahlias. ZAUcnsNEKiA Californica (Jft/d).— Tliis has been broken off about eight inches from the roots. — These will soon throw up shoots. and the broken part may be made into cuttings. It will hardly flower layering the young shoots. Fuchsia Culture (/. C.).— You may treat all your fuchsias as recommended for F.fulgeiis, Drip prom Glass of Frame (/iirf).— To prevent this turn the lights upside down every fine day for a few hours, and that will dry up the condensed vapour on the underside of the glass. If green slimy matter collects either on the glass or bars, wipe it off with a cloth, and keep a free circulation of air. Pyrus Japonjca Pruning (J. T. C}.— Prune the moment its blossoming period is over, prior to its making new shoots. For filbert pruning see back numbers of Cottage Gardener, where ample directions are given. Cuttings of pyrus from the young wood when mature, or otherwise from such in a deciduous state in November : they are, however, generally propagated by layers or by pieces of the root. The clematis family are mostly propagated by layers ; cut- tings are rather shy. Mulberries Falling (Ibid).— This arises, probably, from our very late and unusual April frosts, which might even affect the mul- berry-bud in a half-expanded state ; or it may, possibly, be some grub or caterpillar. Has the root been subjected to drought ? Keeping Apples and Peaks {W. T.). — In naming sorts of apples to keep after Christmas, we should like to know whether you mean table or kitchen kinds ; we can then, with pleasure, oifer you a select list of kinds. To-day we have said something about storing them. r» „ — u„^„ "^"'(Sffwes).— You have a cottage hive, lour years old, made larger last year by putting a I hoop under not state how you "forced the bees into one of the side boxes,' therefore we cannot tell you why you found so many dead. We are not aware that chloroform has ever been used for'the purpose you Flower-pots becoming Green (L. ii. L.).— There is no mode of preventing this, but by occasionally scrubbing them or by painting them green. TROPtEOLUM PENTAPHYLLUM {Ibid).— Th\%, after having been in flower from last November until August, looks sickly.— Cut it down close to the surface, and let it rest until next spring. It will then grow as before. Oleander getting tall {Ibid).— By all means cut do^vn the top shoots although they have flower-buds ; make cuttings of the shoots and they will readily root. Leave only a circle of the lowest young branches ; after that treat it as durected for tall bushes or Black. Hamburgh Grape (liirf).— This is one of the best kinds to fruit in pots, but, unless well managed, none of them pay for the trouble. The plan has never been adopted generally. Valentia Melon Seed (T. Gr#ft). — Many thanks for the papkets of these ; we are much gratified bv such kind services. Myrtle to Pot from Border {H. T. H.).— Take a spade now, and loosen up the rooted myrtle- cutting carefully, and put it in a five-inch pot, using rich light soil, and if any of the garden soQ hangs .„ .u .. _,. .^.. u...._. .. ._.. ..^ ^^^ pj^^g .J. ^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ cold frame or under a hand- glass. It does not require heat. After that it will do in a window or frame, and must have water occasionally through the winter. Ice Plant (/Aid).— This is an annual, and the only way of prona- gating it is by seeds sown in the spring, in a hot-bed if possible. Roses {G. W. P.).— Plant Madame Laffay, a hybrid perpetual, by the side of the doorway opposite to that where you have planted Alexina. Although the leaves of your Louis Buonaparte have become blotched with large black spots, this is no symptom of disease ; prune it close in November, and it will be all right nest season. The flower- > the roots all the better ; then v buds oi La Reine and Melanie Cornu decayinir those which did open being deformed, intim; either too dry or too wet and cold at the bottni, prune them close enough. Early in Novemb'i prune all roses that do not flourish well, and su. shoots of this season's growth cut to three or li wood, and then remove the top soil till you con place a layer of rotten dung over them, and cove \\ater freely next I\lay and June. blooms on the current year's wood, therefore it very close before it begins to grow in the sp shoots kept thin afterwards. With that treatni^ent, against a south wall in a rich dry border, it never fails w • it abundantly through June, and it flowers in July ' with the soil again ; {W. M. H.).— Tliis ihould be pruned in ing, and the young [Aug We protect i Guernsey Lily (0. W.).-ThishNen of Japan. It grows from September to May, and rests for the summer. No mode has ever been found to cultivate it successfully in England ; we have not sufficient light for it in winter ; therefore we are obliged to buy it from the Guernsev nurserymen in a dry state every July or August, flower it, awd then throw the roots away. It has often been the subject of experiments, but all to no useful purpose. Straining Liquid Manure {A Subscriber, Helensburgh).— Have a cask set up on one end, put at the bottom six inches in depth of flints, on the top of these a little straw, and over this six inches of sand. Then put in a round piece of board of a she to cover the sur- face of the sand, and bored full of holes. This prevents the liquid manure, when poured in, washing up the sand. The strained liquid may be drawn off by means of a spigot. Applying liquid manure in the little trenches at nine inches distant from the roots of your ceieru plants will be sufBciently near to them. Spinach attacked by Green Fly {Ibid).— This is not a com- mon occurrence, but in this year of aphides has been noticed by us before. We should pick off the leaves as the gardener recommended leaves will be your best preventive. Cucumbers Bitter {R. C.}.— Bitterness arises from the imperfect elaboration of the juices; those in the neck of the cucumber being least elaborated are always more bitter than in any other part of the ' --^ Your remedy will be to increase the temperature in which your caryophijUas, and the double variety, ftore pleno. {lilildenhull).— This, with title- 3 ago, and may be had at our ( &c., has been published r price 0}ie penny . Poultry (J. Smart). — Mr. Richardson, whose excellent Uttle book, entitled '* Domestic Fowls, their Natural History, &c.," you refer to, we are informed is lately dead. Potato for Jersey {John Mallet).— Yom wish for a crop by the end of June of good marketable potatoes, and yet the produce to be abundant. In your climate, which is a month earlier than anywhere north of London, the ash-leaved kidney will best meet your require- ments. At Winchester this year, at the end of July, we dugup ripe samples of this variety, yielding from each root nearly twenty-fold. The sets weighed two ounces, and the produce from each averaged Stan ;DAuTHORiTY(i2eu.i2.i?.T1^.).— YouwritetousasfoUows.- duced to inquire whether Loudon's Hortus Britannicus, authority is considered a standard whereby t the habit, duration, and habitation, popular character,' and icteristics there set forth of any plant ? I ask this, bee paring Loudon's description with that put forth by nursery ular catalogues there is too often a total discrepancy. " I think this an important question to determine, as bearing, amongst other things, upon horticultural and floricultural shows. For instance, in exhibit- ing ' a miscellaneous collection of twelve greenhouse plants,' I may have carefully followed Loudon in my selection, and find I am dis- qualified from receiving a prize because the judges (themselves nur- serymen or gardeners) consider such a plant in my collection a hardy perennial or otherwise. *It is true,' they may say, 'the plant was originally introduced into this country as a greenhouse plant, but cultivation, growth, &c., has altered its habit with us, and upon this ground we deem it disqualified for exhibition in such and such a class.' Thus much vexation is caused, and sometimes disgust, ac- companied with a withdrawal of countenance and support from insti- tutions whose tendency and effect is to produce good in our rural districts." — We agree "with you that this is an important question, and we advise you to abide by the most r°"°"* ^'"••- -* ^-~'- — '■- ^—■--- t lists of first-r 'ere stereotyped when first printed subsequent discovery relating to the plants they describe can be inserted. The lists of first-rate florists, on the contrary, keep pace with the progress of horticulture. If a doubt exists as to any plant being a greenhouse or stove plant, we will obtain for any of our readers the decision of some of the best gar- deners in England. Verbenas, &c., in Winter (S. E. S.).— Rooted cuttings of ver- benas, salvias, calceolarias, and suchlike soft plants, may be kept in a cold frame, with powerful covering to exclude frost . The old fuch- sias would keep over the winter with a covering of coal-ashes over them, or they may be kept in a shed or cellar from which frost can Hard Green Centres in Dahlias {H. H.).— These are easily explained. The florets of the disk are in a transition state, but not sufficiently developed to form what we erroneously call a double flower instead of a full one. Some good varieties come out this way 292 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. early in the season, but any that continue to produce these false blooms through the autumn must be discarded, as no remedy that we know of is at all likely to prevent it. ..»_•,* Black Prince Stbawbeekv (K. F.).— We have not yet tried to force this, but have no doubt of its being excellent for the purpose. Food foe Pigs (i'. M. K.).—On your three-eighths of an acre of good ground, "the most nutritious and economical food you could erow" is Swedes, mangold, and potatoes. Heating a Small Greenhouse (A New Subscriber).-You wiU find very full particulars in our first volume. See also No. 45, p. 2-18, and No. 46, p. 259. Ftichsia macrmitha may be obtained for Is 6d ° s'tLwberries foe Forcing (B. M., Cowes).— You will have seen fully directions by Mr. Fish, at p. 268. Strawberry Bed Dressing (P. H.).— Unless your plants are too luxuriant, the best mode of cultivating them is to cut ofi' the runners as soon as they appear. You will find Mr. Errnigton's di- rections for autumn dressing the beds at p. 273 of our first volume. Iron Filings (.W. S., Ctmiden Town).— We are not aware of these being applied successfully to any other flower but the hydrangea for the purpose of changing its colour. _,, . . , .. , , Dew ON Window (Q. Cupar .4ng-usl.— This is no proof of frost, but only shews that the cold outside the window was sufficient cool it as to cause the vapour on the air withinside t( "P™"- „ ,,. . ,r 1 -Xl,:. ;< „o p, g affected the tubers, but where it occurs let the crop be harvested at once, and stored in alternate layers with earth. We shall be obliged by your report. Name of Insect (*).— The coppery-coloured and green insect you found upon your young dahlias is the Capsus danicus, and not at all injurious to them. , „ ■ . Wet Low Land {A Worcestershire Jl/um).— We shaU receive in- formation, enabling us to answer your letter next week. T4YL0E's Amateurs' BEE-nivE {Rev. S. Ogle, and A Reader, Pimton).— You wiU find a drawing, &c., of this at p. 306 of our first volume. Fuller particulars are in a little volume just published, en- titled "Taylor's Bee-keeper's Manual." We must not give the address you ask for. ^, OvEE Liming {J. Edwards).— The reason for our recommending you to expose the soil over-limed as much as possible to the air, was that the lime might thereby be converted to chalk, by absorbing car- bonic acid gas from the atmosphere. When this is done completely, then vou may put on manure if required, but if before it would set free the ammonia of the manure. Charred turf is an excellent ma- nure for roses, especially if the soil is tenacious. W ors(eii, used in budding, may be left on without injury until the spring, it sufficiently List of Roses (An Amateur Suliscriber).—!! you will refer to our monthly indexes you will find lists of the best for every purpose you can require. ^'"■' "' growers. I will be well served by any of the large ^ (H.Ben(l.(l ttie wood is ripened. Strawberries, renio\ - ,, straw- berry beds, dress from waste runners, b. s ■■ . I I -tnclts, save. Vines, remove or stop all usele>- , ■\' .' ^ ^ in general, look over once more. Wasps, .in i p ! .•i^nu 1„, tiles; wasps' nests still destroy. Raspberries, cut ;m.n ilip <.ld beanng wood and train suckers, alpine Strawberries, still remove weak ruuncrs from. R- Errington. PLANT STOVE AND FORCING DEPARTMENT. Air, admit freely during the day but more sparingly at night; day temperature, with sun, from 65° to 85°, night ditto, 55° to 60°. Bark beds, turn and renew, but beware oi too much heat, as, in- stead of excitement, plants should be gradually harilencd and ripened ; an exception may be made in those plants fresh poTricl. as they should be encouraged to fill their pots with ront.^. ( t ■ \ n ^y^v' ■•II decay- ing leaves, insects, mossy surface, anii lI.-. i -^ ^iiirable compost. Early Achimenes and GLoxt i tutitory to being placed out of sight in their v.n i - t,i;, hids, shift and divide very sparingly, the harden in-' i |. 1 1. m _' t.t their buds is more to be attended to. Peopagai itn. .,i mij m it plants, if to be done at all, should be finished in 1 Sue pla, plants, remove from the greenhouse, to the weather and the demands of your the dribbling system ; those growing and i still require a good supply. Shading v cessary, unless with things newly potted. r glass. Tender proportion supply i ; shun at all times ig fiower-buds will 3w scarcely be ne- ES, finish shifting, beware of too much bottom heat ; though ; afternoon, give still a little air in the night. Peach-hocse : spare no attention to obtain the wood healthy and well-ripened ; give plenty of air to those now ripening their fruit. grapes in early houses ; ripen the wood ; bunches more that you intend Figs, Peaches, and all trees ■ should have their wood wcU-ripened, and then look after the mses thin the hang during part of the ' , weed and roll. seedlings and cuttings of Cucumbers for winter : for this purpose none excels the Sion House or Kenyoji. Finish potting Straw- berries for forcing. R. Fisn KITCHEN GARDEN. Angelica, sowt. Aromatic potherbs, finish gathering. Arti- chokes, break down. Asparagus, plant for forcing; beds, weed, &c. Balm, plant. Beans, earth up, &e., e. BEEt (Red), may he taken up as wanted, e. Borage, sow; thin advancing crops. Borecole, plant, b. Brocoli, plant, b. Burnet, plant. Cab- bages, sow, b. ; plant, earth up advancing; (Red), are ready for pickUng. Cardoons, earth up. Carrots, advancing, thin. Cau- liflowers, prick out; draw earth to advancing. Celery, earth up; plant. Chervil, sow. Colewoets, plant out. Coriander, sow. Corn Salad, sow. Cress (American), sow, b. ; (Water), plant. Cucumbers, attend to ; sow, b. ; ridge out, b. Dill, sow, Earthing-up, attend to. Endive, plant, attend to, blanch, &c. Fennel, plant. FiNOCuio, earth up. Heedeey requires dress- ing, b. Hoeing, attend to. Hyssop, plant, Jerusalem Arti- chokes, take up as wanted, e. Kidney Beans, earth up advanc- ing, b. Leeks, plant, b. ; earth up and attend to advancing. Lettuces, plant out, b.; sow; tie up those of full grow' Ns, attend to. M BEns, make ; Spawn, collect. Nastur they becomi attend to tl for storing. Oeac Pennyeoval, plant. Pot M if full lant. MusHE DEEEiES, gather as gathei storing ; (Potato), take up cut down. Peas, hoc, &c. I, plant. Radishes, sow, ». SAGE,plant. Savoey, plant. Savoys, plant. Seeds, gather as they ripen. Small Saladino, sow. Soerei., plant. Spinach, sow, b. Tansy, plant. Tarragon, plant. Thyme, plant. Turnips, sow, b. ; hoe advancing. Turnip-cab- Ceiery plants remaining in the seed-bed may be turned to account by being inserted in a pot of well-manured light soil, each plant being uioved with as little as possible disturbance to the roots, and insetted so deeply that none but the tops of the leaves appear above the sur- face. They will yield the greatest spring crop, 'fhe keeping proper- ties of Onions for store, and now drying, are more injured by exposure to a hcav)' shower of rain than many would anticipate. London: Printed bv Harry Wooldeidoe, 147, Strand, in the Parish of Saint l\In"rv-le-Strand ; and Winchester High-street, in the Parish of St. Mary Kalcndar; and Published by William SoMERViiLE Ore, at the Office, 147, Strand, in the Parish of Saint Mary-lc-Strand, London.— August 30th, 1849. THE COTTAGE OARDEXEE. WEEKLY CALENDAR. M fi w D SEPTEMBER (i— 12, 18-19. Plants dedicated to each day. Sun Rises. Sun sots. MoonR.' Moon's and Seta.: Age. Clock Day of bef. Sun. Year. Tw Autumn Dandelion. 22 a. 5 34 a. 0 8 34I 19 1 47; 249 F Enureluis. Botan. Soc. Meeting. Golden Stai-wort. 24 32 9 6 20 2 7t 250 R S NatmtyB.V.M.Rcd-under-winsmothseen Amellus. 25 30 9 42 21 2 27| 251 0 RiTN 14 S. APT. Teim. Dog-rose casts its leaves. Canadian Goldenrod. 27 28 10 26 ((T 3 48i 252 10 M Great Titmouse sings agam. Autumnal Crocus. 20 25 11 18 23 3 9! 253 11 Tn Scotch Fir leaves fall. ^'ariegated Meadow Saffron. 30 23 morn. 24 3 291 254 12 W House-flies swarm in windows. Peltate Passion-flower 32 21 0 18 25 3 50l 255 EwuRcnus, or Evortiua, was the bishop of Odeans at the close of the fourth century. It is quite impossible to assign a reason for i-etaining his name in our almanacks., Nativity op the BLE3SEn Vibgin Mary.— TIuh festival has been celebrated by the Church of Borne ever since its institution by Pope Servius in the year 695. Phenomena op the Season. — It is quite true that during; many weeks of autumn — which season is considered to begin on the Sth of this month— we have dull wet weather, chilly, and softening the change of temperature davm to that of harsher winter. Yet, " If Britain hath not the serene decline Which makes the southern autumn's day appear Aa if 'twould to a second spring resign The season, rather than to winter drear, Of in-door comforts still she hath a mine." And though our father-land hath not bo much of the sun-light hours which gild in autumn the vineyards of the south, yet it has those green pastures which are so green, even in their autumn garb, as to be unequalled elsewhere, and those autumn tints upon her woodlands that are so lovely as well to invest the period with the character of being " the painter's months." In the western world this season is characterized as *' the fall of the year," and true it is that the leaf's descent to mingle with the soil again is a striking feature of the time ; Sept. 1841. 1842. 1843. 1844. 1845. 1S46. 1847. 1848. 6 Hii-hest & lowest Pine. Pino. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Stormy. Fine. Fine. Bio-a?" 73''-46° 81°- 50° 76° -57° a3°-38° 82°-50° 66°- 31° 6S°— 43° SlMwerv. stormy. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. a3°-49° 73°-53° 77°-65» 8 Cloudy. Rain. Fine. Stormy. Fine. Fine. Showery, 70»-M» 62°— 61° 78°— 62° 79°- 55° 71°-37° 74°— 52° 66°-39° 9 Cloudy. Cloudy. Fine. Stormy. Fine. 68°— 56° 79°— 55° 78°— 40° Fine. Showery. Cloudy. Cloudy. Fine. Fine. f'-^- = 66°-51° 74°-66° e9°-io° 77°- 60° 69°-43° Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Pine. 78°— 6.1° 67°— 53° 74°— 58° 73°— 41° 74°— 52° Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine, 84°— 58° 68°— 45° 75° -61° 70°— 61° 70°— 42° -7°-50° others have characterized September ns "the month of the fading' leaf and so truly enough it is. But these are mournful notes of des- cription, whereas we would rather sound those of pleasure associated with autumn, and call its days "the year's days of leaf- tinting." And how varied is that tinting I— the rich brown mingled with yellow upon the oak, the bright yellow upon the hazel and the lime, the red upon the quicken and the sumach, the red and yellow of the cherry, the tawny of the plane tree, the dull brown of the sycamore, the pale yellow of the maple, the bright lemon of the ash, the orange of the elm, and the bright yellow of the hornbeam, all mingled with linger- ing hues of varied green, form such bright, contrasted, and harmonious breadths of colour as at no other season, and in no other clime, is spread over the woodland landscape. And what is the philosophy of all this? But a. few weeks since these same leaves all wore the vivid verdant livery of the greenwood clan, why then now so changed? The explanation is short and easy. Green is the leafs natural colour so long as the mysterious vital power of the tree preserves them from the decomposing agents of the air, the warmth and the moisture which are encompassing them, but when the year's vegetable pro- cesses have been completed that preservative vital power declines ; those leaves are no longer able to resist the pressure from without, and those yellow, red, and light brown tints, now rendering the foliage of our plants so beautiful, arise from the absorption of an excess of oxygen. When the reduced temperature of the season de- prives a leaf of the power to elaborate the sap, and, indeed, stops the circulation to it of that fluid, the absorbent powers of the organ are reversed, and instead of carbonic acid it inhales oxygen. The effect is speed- ily perceptible. Gallic acid forms, and this, modified by the differing saline constituents of different leaves, changes the hue of their green colouring mat- ter, called chlorophyllite or chromulite, into various tints of yellow, red, and brown. This is the general effect of acids acting upon vegetable greens, and that it is the cause of the autumnal change of colour in leaves is proved by the fact that if a green leaf be dipped into an acid it assumes the same hue, and if a fading leaf be dipped into an alkaline solution its former green colour is restored— the alkali evidently neutralizing the acid that had wrought 'change. Insects. — The FritiUary butterflies are among the most common and most beautiful of this class of English insects. They are mostly found near woods and bushy commons, but as the caterpillars of one of them which is found in this month are occasionally devourers of our garden violets, it may now be noticed appropriately. This is the Pearl -bordered FritiUary, Melitcen Euplirosyne of some entomolo- gists, and the Papilio "and Argynius Enphrosi/ne of others. The wings are tawny-red, spotted and lined with black, and about two inches across when fully opened ; they have a row of silvery or pearly spots round the edge. The caterpillar is black and spiny, with two rows of orange spots on its back. The first brood of this butterfly appears in May, and the second in September, being in the latter season more yellow than in the spring. Where can liquid manure be most advantageously employed ? admits but of one reply. Beneath the sur- face and close to the roots of the plants it is intended to benefit. If it is applied upon the surface a much larger quantity must be employed than is available, or necessary, before it can be made to soak down to the vicinity of the roots which are desired to feed upon it. That is a waste; but, in addition, by being poured upon the surface of the soil, the heat of this and of the sun, aided by the Avinds, speedily drive off a large portion of the manure's most valuable con- stituents. This is inilicatod by the smell, and as Mr. Chadwiek observes in his valuable essay on " Sewer Manure," from which we quoted last week : " All offensive smells fi-om the decomposition of animal and vegetable matter indicate the loss of fertiliziug matter, the loss of money, and bad hus- bandry." But we need not depend upon the testi- mony of our noses only, but only pour a little of the ammoniacal liquor of the gas-works upon the soil during a hot day, and hold over it a piece of paper dipt previously into muriatic acid — the fames which will be rendered visible are the amm.onia escaping and being lost in the air. It is quite true that tlie No, XLIX., Vol. II. 204 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. fumes arising from the sewage water, or liquid ma- nureTormed from animal dungs, are not thus detect- able, but they are escaping in a degi-ee proportionate to the strength of the manure, and all such escape is " loss of money and bad husbandi'y." "But how can j'ou apply it but to the surface?" We will tell you what we have been doing, and then you may judgo for yourself Between two rows of cabbage plants we have sunk a row of garden-pots — a pot between four plants — as represented in this dia- gram; the roimd dots being the pots, and the black dots the plants. What . . , the result maybe we can- o o not tell, for the experi- ment has not yet been long enough conducted, , . . but we do know that the o o liquid manure poured , , . into those pots gets down at once to the roots where it is required, soaking away to them through the holes in the bottom of the pots, and much less manure is required than where it is poured upon the surface, and there is much less evaporation. To the roots of celery plants it may be conveyed in a similar mode by having a draining pipe set up on end at intervals of 18 inches, close by the side of the row of plants, and having these pipes earthed up as the earthing vip of the plants proceeds. We usually gi-ow celery in double rows, the rows a foot apart, and here a single row of pipes may be put in between the rows of plants, and supply both. We owe the suggestion of underground application to Mr. Chadwick's Essay, who says: — " The observation of some casual examples of the increased vegetation marking strongly the course of house-drains wliich run close to the surface of lawns suggested the inquiry whether irrigation might not be conducted in covered instead of open channels of distribution. " Such casual examples of subterranean irrigation on a small scale appeared to me to be demonstrative of the fact (shown experimentally by Sir Humphrey Davy, when he directed the neck of a retort under the soU, and discharged gas into the earth, which displayed afterwards an increased amount of fertihty) that plants are supported by manure in combination with moisture in a gaseous state. This was also shown by the increased fertility of the vegetation of turf coverings over manm'e tanks, where the roots must appai-ently derive their whole nourishment from the moist or gaseous emanations." How grateful to plants is this underground mode of applying manure is testified by the following facts: " When wooden pipes were in use for the convey- ance of water under ground for the supply of towns, before iron pipes were introduced, one cause of ob- struction in the wooden pipes was the roots of trees getting into them. Mr. Mylne, the engineer of the New River Company, stated to me, that formerly if their wooden pipes were carried within thirty yards of trees, they were never safe from having the. pipes, ftEPIEMBER in time stopjied up by the roots. The roots ' found' the joints, and insinuated through them, and then spread out in "foxtails" of fibrous matter, two or tlu'ee feet long, which have in time filled the pipes and seriously checked the flow of the water. SimiJai- inti-usious have been frequerrtly found in earthen di'aius and water-pipes; but it has been reported to me by a good observer that roots have not, under similar cu-cumstauces, entered upon water-jiipes of iron or lead. If it should appear that the roots are repelled from entrance by the rust or injurious pro- perties of the metals, that would seem to be an im- portant fact as to tlie selective powers of the roots. " I have, however, been informed of instances where iron pipes, for the conveyance of warm water under ground, have been curiously sm-rounded by the root of the vine, which would appear to have sought the stimulus of the wamith. " On taking down the walls of Kensington gardens, which were very thick, it was found tliat the roots had forced their way through them, to get into a ditch on the opposite side. 1 have been informed also of instances where roots have forced their way through the walls of houses into house-drains ; and one instance has been mentioned to me where the roots, having grown, have in time actually lifted up and split the outer walls of the house. " It is astonishing the depth that the roots even of the smaller vegetables wiU descend after the water : a deep drain outside the gai-den-wall at Welbeck was cntu-ely stopped by tlie roots of some horseradish plants at the depth of seven feet in the gi-ound. At Thoresby Park, Lord Manvers's, a di-ain fom-teen feet deep was entirely stopped by the roots of gorse grow- mg at a distance of six feet from the drain. At Saucethoi-pe, an estate of Lord Manvers, in Lincoln- shire, a drain nine feet deep was fiUed up by the roots of an elm tree which was gi-owing upwards of fifty yards from the drain ; but under these peculiar ck- cumstances, the elm tree gi-ew at the end of a sunk fence, the wall of which was formed of turf The root of the elm got between the turf wall and the solid bank, and worked its way along till it got into the drain, which it soon fiUed up. The roots of all trees will stop drains, but especially of soft wooded- trees, such as willow, alder, poplar, &c. Ash trees, too, are very dangerous neighbom-s to deep drains. In one case the roots of grass stopped a drain two feet deep in the parish of Mansfield AVoodliouse ; the drain had been canied across a field of old tmf to convey water for cattle fi-om a higher level. The ex- planation of this disposition of the roots both of vegetables and trees to strike deeper than ordinai-y in pursuit of drains appear to be this : — in digging the drains, the sides ai'O cut down sti-aight, and the ground left like walls on each side, while over the drain the earth is all moved ; between the solid and the moved soil for a long time something like a fissm-e or crevice remains, ^^^len the roots in their progi-oss through the solid land reach this fissure, they pass down it, and so follow its course into the drains." Our space warns us to conclude, hut we shall re- sumo the subject at the first possible opportunity. THE FRUIT-GARDEN. The Fio. — As we have observed repeatedly before, rampant growth is the principal hindrance to a fruit- ful habit in the fig. This rampant character will bo favmdthe greatest in the northern parts of the king- Settembkb THE COTTAGE GARDENER.. dom, or rather iu tliose counties which greater amount of atmospheric moisture, as related to temperature, than their neiglibours. There can be little doubt that the leaf of the fig possesses vast ab- sorbing powers, and hence the astonishment of many- persons, who have not thoroughly considered the subject, at finding their figs too gi-oss in what they had considered poor soil. Their vital powers, too, are immense ; we once planted some old truncheons which had lain at the faggot heap through many weeks of a hard winter, when very many of the figs growing against walls were killed. Now, these figs grew well, and, mdeed, ai-e still tlu-iving too fast by half, on a wall out of doors. We advise one more critical examination of the fig immediately ; for where they grow coai-se, and have been neglected for a few weeks, they will bo found too full of spray of a flimsy and immature character, which proves a serious im- pediment to the ripening of both wood and li'uit. In selecting those to remam, be sure to save the very shortest-jointed shoots ; everything depends on a pertinacious adherence to this maxim, which is of equal importance in the case of the fig as the vine. It must bo remembered, nevertheless, that not too many even of these must bo retained ; not he who retains the most good-looking shoots obtains the most figs. We have, indeed, seen cases in which a huge old tree against a south wall will produce a multitude of short-jointed shoots, of such a stumpy and fruitful character that six or seven joints would be comprised within the length of aboutibur inches, which, indeed, was the average length of the young shoots. When such is the case, a considerable number may be re- tained, for the leaves of many figs when in so highly a fruitful state are not so large as those on gross and barren plants, and, of course, do not shade each other so miich. We consider that as many shoots may be tied down as will completely clothe the old stems from bottom to top. We speak now of tying down on the main stems, for we hold this the best plan ; those, however, who choose to nail them be- tween, can do so, for the diilerence as to the fig is scarcely worth contending about, the amount and cha- racter of the young shoots reserved being of far more importance. As to number of shoots, that depends, in part, on the distance at which the main shoots are placed ; if these are, as we have before advised, a foot apart at least, why then there ts every chance of laying in a considerable quantity. We would advise the ojjerator to begin at the top of the tree, and com- mence selecting shoots according to the character heretofore laid down, and when the first is tied down, and its point pinched off—oi which more shortly — then another may be selected close to the very spot where the pinching of the former took place, and so on downwards, strij^ping all those away entirely which are considered superfluous. All small, weak, and immature looking spray, of later growth, must be rubbed off. This severe course of operation will naturally astonish those who are taking in the mere alphabet of horticidture ; for such a severe course of discipline would go far towards ruining the consti- tution of some of oin- more delicate fi-uit ; the fig, however, has such exti-aordinary vital powers, that its total destruction is not easily accomplished. •; Having said thus far about training, selection, &c., we come now to another important part of fig culture, viz., " stopping." Such fig trees as we have aescribed, as possessing a host of short joints in a very narrow compass, and which are fruitful without interference, need not this process : these, however, are the excep- tion— we have the rule to deal with. It is well, there- fore, to stop all those of a doubtful character at the end of August, or the very beginning of September, merely pinching off or squeezing flat the terminal growing point. This will induce the fruit for tho eusiang year to commence forming, so as to receive a decisive character. This stopping, however, is a matter of some uicety, and the period of performing it must be determined both by the kind and its condi- tion or habit. A too early stopping with some figs, which are ]iot very difficult to fruit, would cause them to develop the fruit for the ensuing year too early ; for if they become as large even as a black currant berry, they will be almost sure to perish with severe weather in the ensuing winter. Stopping, therefore, is a matter of some nicety, and had better be per- formed over late than early. These things accom- plished, little more remains to be done to the figs except gathering the ripening fruit ; their ripeness is readily known by then- pulpiness, which may be as- certained in a moment by the slightest pressure ima- ginable. Stohino Apples. — Having adverted to the gather- ing of apples, and the general principles of manage- ment consequent on housing them, we may now be permitted to remark on the general modes of storing them. Every one has not the convenience of an ex- tensive and well-planned fruit-room, and not every fruit-room will hold the stores which propitious sea- sons will yield. Some other mode, therefore, must be adopted besides putting a single layer on shelves, which mode is scarcely to be expected with any other than first-rate dessert fruit : although right in prin- ciple, it is not of universal application, and expedients here become positive virtues. Seeing, then, that such fruit as apples — and even jiears — must be stored in bodies like jwtatoes, what is the best plan to preserve them ? Exclusion of air is a well-known principle, but then there is the fermentation to fight against. It would appear that, before pitting apples or putting them away in boxes, tubs, &c., some sweating should be previously allowed; tor since the apple, and, perhaps, most other fruits, perspire more during the first three weeks after hous- ing than at any subsequent period, it becomes an im- portant consideration whether or not a considerable amount of perspiratory matter cannot be freely voided, previously to the final storing, with ultimate benefit to the fruit. We certainly have never " pitted" them as jieople pit potatoes, yet we have known it done within our ken, and the only impression left on oui- mind is that apples will keep fresh in appearance much longer than if permitted to perspire freely, and, by consequence, shrivel on shelves or floors. We do think that the old plan of placing a layer or two on a floor in some corner of an outhouse, then a thin layer of well-dried straw to prevent contact, then another layer, and so on, is about as good a plau for ordinary purposes as can be devised. To be sure, if kiln-dried straw can be obtained so much the better ; fresh straw being both apt to impart flavour and to engender or foster damp. By such a plan layers of carefuUy-gathered apples will keep a long time, at least those of keeping pro- perties ; taking care to put a layer of the straw or even fern, or such material, if thoroughly dry, between every layer of apples, not more than two or three deep. The room in wliioh they are placed shoidd receive as much ventilation at times as will serve to dispel the moisture arising from them, and which, otherwise, would remain partially suspended in the room, to the deterioration or rather corruption of the walls, floor, cielings, and even the fruit, and the straw THE COTTAGE GxUlDENEE. by which it is siifjiounded. T'lie tiiue for a little veu- tilatioii may he easily determiued by the sensation produced on entering a close room of the kind ; if the ail' is oppressive' to the lungs, depend upon it that a deal of extraneous matter in a gaseous form per- vades the atmosphere. The ventilation, however, need not he permitted many hours where the object is to keep fruit as long as possible. It should, moreover, not be made use of when much atmos- pheric moisture and a duU state of air prevails out of doors; better to wait awhile than to ventilate badly: to exchange foul air for any damp air is no great gain ; better far to wait a day or two. Some persons pack their exhibition or long-keep- ing fruit in jars, and even clean garden pots or other similar vessels have been called into requisition for the same purpose. Indeed, by such means we have seen Eibstone Pippins, Nonpareils, &c. &o., exhibited as fresh in appearance in May as in December ; but we never could hear that they were high flavom-ed. So, then, it seems long-keeping properties, enhanced by artificial means, are in the main obtained at the expense] of high flavour. Like the razors, they will look well, but not cut. However, we would not willingly cast a damper on energies directed in this way ; fruit may, undoubtedly, be retarded a certain time without sacriiioe of flavour. AVe hope soon to be able to say something on this head — a heading which concerns thousands. E. Erbington. THE FLOWER-GAEDEN. The Genus Di.\nihus. — This is a family of flowers that are, for the most part, very beautiful— rich in oolom-s, of fine forms, and of exquisite fragi-auce: the name itself is an elegant one — dios, divine, an- thos, flower — divine flower. In this family is the much admired flower the pink, in praise of which we might launcli out freely, but it is needless. We are sure all our readers are fully sensible of the beauty and fi'agrance of that justly liighly-valued flower ; even the worst variety in the florist's eye ia in any other considered beautiful. We, therefore, submit to the florist that when he discards seedlings as worthless it would be an act of kindness to bestow them upon his cottage neiglibours, to ornament their smaU flower plots ; indeed, not only pinks but any other seedlings of florists' flowers that do not come up to that standard of perfection the raiser judges to be necessary might be very wisely and charitably given to the cottager, to plant in his flower border. There are several beautiful species in tliis genus. We select a few of the best. Some of them are Alpine plants, and are excellent for ornamenting rock- work ; others are little more than biennials, and re- quii-e to be raised either from seeds or cuttings an- nually. They all require a light soil, consisting of half sandy peat, half light loam, with a small portion of vegetable mould well decomposed. Such as are gi-own in pots should be well drained, and plunged when pot- ted either in sand or coal-ashes in an open situation, They are propagated in various ways: some by seeds, as, for instance, the pink, sweet-william, and carnation ; whilst others are increased by root divi- sion, and all of them by cuttings or layers. Dianthus .iggrcgatus florc picno (Double-clustered pink),! foot, red. This is a fine v.iriety, with immense clusters of bright red flowers, suitable either for bedding or for growing in clusters in the borders. Division and cuttings. D. alpcstris (Alpine pii flowers produced abundantly, 9 inches high ; Seeds, division, and cuttings. SeI'TE-MCKR -coloured very neat ; suitable D. arbusculuB (Little tree pinkj, aUo pretty, with ro flowers ; beds and borders. Increaac by seeds, li foot. 1>. deltoides (iilaidcn pink), rose-coloured, 6 inches high ; rock- work or pots. Division or seeds. D. Fischeri (Fischer's pink), pale pink, 4 inches ; a lovely little species. Borders or pots. D. Garnerianus (Garner's pink), l\ foot, rose and white ; very pretty. Division and seeds. Suitable for borders. D. giganteus (Giant pink), rose, 3 feet. A truly magnificent spe- cies, suitable for a large bed or for pots. Increased by cuttings. D. lusitanicus (Portugal pink), 2J feet, crimson cies, suitable for borders. Division and cuttings. D. pumilus (Dwarf pink), crimson for pots. Cuttings. D. superbus (Superb pink), white, 6 inches ; a fine species, suitable for pots, to be plunged in the borders during the time they are in flower. Seeds and cuttings. D. hortensis (Garden pink) i D. caryophyllus (Carnation) j D. bar- batus (Sweet-william). The three last are so well known that it is needless to remark more about them here, D. Hendersonianus (Henderson's pink), a splendid hybrid, with large flowers of the ricliest crimson ; 1 foot. By cuttings or pipings. There is also the D. sinenns, or Indian pink. These are great ornaments to the flower-garden, especially if care is taken in collecting the seeds from the best kinds. The only safe way to do this is to mai-k the best-shaped, finest-coloured, and most double kinds, when in flower, and save seeds only from these, throwing aU the others away. By following tliis up for three or four years you will have a bed of Indian pinks inferior to none in point of beauty. The best ought to be taken up in autumn and put in pots, three or four in a pot. Protect them in a frame, or under hand-glasses, through the winter, giving but little water, and planting them out in the spring in a bed. We have dwelt rather long upon this beau- tiful species, because, having seen some beds of it in flower that had been carefully selected as we have described, we can bear testimony confidently to the rich tints and fine flowers so produced. Hollyhocks. — We have just seen a somewhat novel mode of growing these beautiful flowers, which we think wortliy of being known and imitated. In a nursery, not far from the ancient Pioyal Palace of Holyrood, in the fine ancient city of Edinbugh, we saw a fine collection of hollyhocks nailed up against a wall. That wall was built with whitish stone, and the gi-een leaves, and richly-coloured flowers of every hue, excepting blue (a colour, we believe, tliat has never been seen on these plants), completely covered the wall, and the effect was strikingly beautiful. The walls of many a humble cottage might be so ornamented. Now being the time to transplant seedling hollyhocks, our friends of that class would do well to plant some against the bare walls of either their dwelling or any other building or waU they may have. They would last in such situations very much longer than in the open border, provided there was no di-ip from the house or other building upon them. Make the soil rich with good rotten dung, for the hollyhock is a coarse feeder, and loves a deep, rich soil. Hofly hocks in the borders, now in flower, will require close attention to keep them secm'ely tied to the stakes. Examine the ties, and if you observe them compressing the stems, cut them ofl' and rotio them with fresh matting. Propagate your finest kinds by slips taken off from the bottom of tho plant; do this very cai-ofully so as not to iujiu-o ths old stems. Trun off the lai'gest leaves, and put them in under a handglass in a shady place, using plenty of sand in tho soil. Miu-k such aa you may think the finest to save seed from with a piece of matting or worsted. It is best to do this early, so that there wiU be no mistalw when the seed is fit for gathering. ELORISTS' FLOWERS. TuLir. — It is a good time now to begin to prepare THE COTTAGE GAUDENEB. tlie bed ov beds for these truly noble flowers. Should the 3ituatiou of tlie bed he a iiermaueiit oue, and the soil has been used for several years, it will be necessary to entu'ely renew it. Make the edge of the bed firm by treading and heating with the back of a bright spado ; then stretch a line the entire length, and commencing at one end thrust tho spade in, sloping inwards, to its full depth ; draw it out again without disturbing the soil, and repeat tho operation till the entire body of soil, inside the bed, is cut off from tliat sm-roimding it. Commence at one end and take out the soil, wheeling it away to some other part of the garden, laying it on as a fertilizer. For although it may have lost its nourishing qualities for the tulip, it is by no means poor in respect to otlier plants. For common vegetables, or even for strawberries, it will be found a good application; take it out to the depth of 16 inches at least, leaving the bottom smooth and level, but by no means hard or comjjressod by being ti-odden upon. Examine the drains, and see them set aU right; then lay in a covering of very rotten cow-dung, two or three inches thick, and upon this place your main body of soil or compost, which has been preparing in the compost yard for twelve months previously. This compost should consist of the following proportions: seven parts good light loam from a pasture field, the top spit only; one part rotten dung, two years old; and as much sand as will make tlie whole open and work kindly. Lay this compost in your bed of sufficient height to allow for settling; and new)' Ut it settle behw the general level, but keep it higher by two or three inches. The bed, however, should not bo rounded up in the middle, but kept perfectly even to receive the benefit of the rains. We shall return to this subject next week. T. Appleby. GEEENHOUSE AND -^^NDOW GAEDENING. Campanula Pteamidalis, or the bell-flower, with taU pyramid-like flowering stems. — This good old plant, which everybody knows, or ought to know, is now going out of bloom, and this is the proper time to make a succession stock of plants from it, to flower this time two years. PnopAGATioN, Soil, &o. — About the beginning of September is also a good time to sow seeds of it. The seedling plants will not flower till this time three years, at least very few of them will, but nearly a season is gained by sowing the seeds in the autumn. The seeds are very small, and if sown now must be sprinkled very thinly over the surface of light sandy soil in five or sis-inch pots. Indeed, all seeds sown in the autumn in pots ought to he sown thinner than when sown in the spring, as the weather is more dull and damp, and the growing season chiefly over, so that the seedlings, if they come up very thickly, are in great danger either of damping or bringing up each other so wealdy that they have no strength to pass over a hard or long winter. It has been re- marked that seedUng plants of this tall campanula grow much taller than those increased in the com- mon way by pieces of tho roots and by side slips. From five to eight feet is the usual height for this class, hut seedlings grow some feet higher. Suppose, then, we raise a pot or two of seedlings this autumn ; they would come up in a warm window, and perhaps that is the very best place to set them in. A cold close pit is the next best, but as soon as the seedlings kept . are up they must not day long. As, if Jcli plant is quite hardy iu I'/ii^hiud as that of the winln- iiiJgiHiinit lings safe over the winter, and 207 it have air all ,'r.iw wild, the nil!' treatment iirry our seed- sjiring all the air that the season will allow of shoidd be given to them, and by the end of April they ought to be in a fit condition to plant out in tho open garden. I have often heard and read thnt dung is inimical to this plant, but the truth is there is no plant in the catalogue which hkes dung better, or is more improved by a judicious use of it ; therefore, when your seed- lings are fit to plant out, choose a piece of light dry soil in an open part of the garden, and trench it l(i or 20 inches deep, and you may mix one-third its own bi.dk of rotten dung with it, if you have it to spare ; or if you were to ojien a trench 18 inches deep and two or three yards long, and fill it up to the top as they fill celery trenches, that is, with half muck and half good soil from a compost heap, and sprinkle two inches of the common soil on the top, you will have one of the best beds for the out-door culture of the campanula (whether raised as seed- lings or in the usual way) that can be made. If you have plenty of seedlings you may put them m four or five inches apart, as probably the slugs and gTubs may want a taste of them, and cold easterly winds in May win not add to their number or size ; but as soon as they begin to spread out their leaves, thin them out by degi-ees : by the end of July you may find that a foot apart is not too much for them, and in making your bed or trench you may calculate the space with reference to this final distance. They do best in a single row, and to stand south and north if possible. In hot weather soapsuds or other w-eak liquid manure must be given them, for although with their succulent thick roots they can stand a smart drought, it is not good policy ever to let them get dry or anything like it. Keep the sm-face soil as sedu- lously stirred about tlrem as Mr. Barnes woidd for his best kitchen crop, and by the end of the first season they will have made such progress as late spring- sown plants would make iu two seasons' growth, and, with the rich compost and still richer waterings, they are so succulent that it would be very daargerous to trust them to the fi'ost without protection. The best way to protect them is to scrape ofi" an inch or two of the surface soil : this will eaiTy away young slugs, and grubs and the eggs of insects, many of which while grubs are very fond of this campanula. This should be done on a dry day in October, and if the weather is likely to hold up, the surface may be left uncovered for three or four days. If any of the leaves still remain cut them off; do not pull them, and the crowns of the plants will get well dried and hardened by the exposure. Then take very dry coal ashes, asid place it three inches thick, to the distance of a foot on each side of the plants, and if the crowns are still higher than the coal ashes, make little cones of ashes over them, and only just deep enough to cover them. They may remain that way, perhaps, for a month or six weeks \vithout any frost, and it woidd be a pity to smother them up at first, as if twenty degi-ees of frost were expected the following night. We often commit great mistakes in first covering many plants on the approach of winter by laying it on too thickly. After a first coat of coal ashes, as above, is given, we should rest satisfied till actual frost sets in, and then add more as the case may require. It is the crowns of the campanulas which require protection, then- roots are hardy enough, and these crowns may be killed by over kindness in the shape of a deep cover- THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. September ing. At tlie end of tlie second spiing, when the coal ashes are removed, the same thickness of fresh soil should he laid over the roots, to be kept stirred and watered as through the first season, and in October of the second season go through the same process as before. The following spring will then be the third spring of their existence, and most of them may he expected to flower. For that piu-pose, some people would take them up last October, and keep them in pots in a cold frame, or under the stage of a green- house, but they are much safer where they are : some of their roots might die oft', and often do so, and otherwise get injured, when they are potted in the autumn. 1 see no feasible excuse for the plan at all. What would Mr. Barnes or Mr. Emngton say to me, if I were to recommend rhubarb, sea kale, and asparagus, to be taken up and potted five months before they were wanted for forcing? Why, they would say I was daft; that the roots of such plants could not be removed and potted without some injuiy from breakage, that such injm'ies could not be repaii-ed by the energy of the plants until they were in fuU growth again, and that in the meantime rottenness, damps, and a long dreary winter, would be sure to leave their bad consequences entailed on plants so treated. It would be just so with our campanula potted in October, and yet half the gardening people will either not believe such things or else act as if they took no thought on the subject. I know a gar- dener who was more successful with these plants than any of his neighbours, and he never potted his plants from the nm'sing row ; and he would grow them in rows till late in March, and some seasons not till April, his criterion for seedHng plants to flower being then- beginning to push up from the centre of the crown as soon as vegetation began in the spring, and he would pot none unless they first showed that sign ; and I recollect very well having helped him to pot some after pushing up half a yard of the flower- stem in May, and I do not think that they were any the worse for it ; hut the surest way is to pot them as soon in the spring as you perceive them moving up in the centre. To make plants fi-om the roots of such as ai-e now done flowering, shake the soil away from the roots, and choose the strongest of the side roots for cut- tings. If they are forked roots all the better, as they wiU make more fibres and not run so deep as the smooth straight ones; cut them two inches above the forked part, and take three inches of the fangs, or forked pai'ts, themselves ; then yom- cuttings are five inches long. If they appear- milky on the cut ends, let them dry for a few hours before you put them in; then take a good sized pot, if nine inches over it will do, drain it well and place the root cut- tings all round it, leaving one incli of each above the soil, which must be very sandy, and if it is damp only, you need not water them for three or four days after, and by that time the cut ends will be thorougUy dried or healed over, and then there will be no dan- ger from damp or watering. Place the pot in a spent cucumber bed, or in a wai-m window, and the roots will soon sprout, and for the rest of the winter and next spring ti'eat them as the seedlings, only about the end of March they shoifld be shaken out of the cutting pot, and each have a little 3-inch pot for itself, which it will fill before the end of April, when you are to plant them out, as I said about the seed- hngs, only not so thick this time, as you have strong bottoms ; say ten inches or a foot between each. It is best to give them plenty of room, and if you grow a score of them, they will not take up much space. Now, aU this is the trae cottage mode of rearing and flowering these stately bell flowers, and by far the easiest way ; but gardeners often gi-ow them in pots all along without ever planting them in a trench, and still have them as high as you please ; but they must be carefully watered and watched eveiy day, and week, and month ; and, after all, you may get up some sunny day and find their leaves curled up, owing to some hopeful youth having tried liis hands at experiments with your guano cask the evening be- fore, and so dosed them too much ; whereas, if they were in the open ground, the dose coidd hardly affect them injui-iously. Side shps from the crown of the plant will also make roots, so that they are very easily increased. Here we flower two or three dozens of them every season : we find them vei-y usefid, and we plant out a lot in a mixed bed, where they reach up to seven feet, and look gay enough fi-om early in July to the middle of September. ViiEiETiEs AND Hybridizixg. — There is a kind with white flowers which is not so showy as the blue va- rietj^ and diflerent shades of blue are always to be had from a batch of seedlings, and, as this shows a tendency to sport, I am almost sure if a little pains were taken to cross them new and superior vai-ieties might be got, particularly if such beautiful species as grandis, the great flowered ; nobilis, the noble flow- ered; and the old grandijiora, which Mr. Fortune sent from China, and to which another name has been given, were gi-own after the manner of our present subject, and aU crossed each with the other tmder a high state of cultivation. Indeed, I cannot bring another family to mind now that has not yet been tried that way where so rich a harvest may reason- ably be expected as among these stately Bellworts, as Dr. Lindley teiy properly calls the campanulas. Now, if you have time and inclination to follow out this suggestion, set about it this month ; procure the plants from a respectable dealer; they may be multi- plied and treated as the old one or nearly so, and, if they will interbreed at all, depend on it you wfll have somethnig handsome fr-om their union, and there are no plants less troublesome to cross, as the whole family many clandestinely, therefore the pollen of one can- not affect any of the rest, unless by the hand of man, so that a whole bed of the different sorts may be gi-owing together without the least danger of mixing naturally like many other plants. If Liuuseus had been aware that some families of plants were natu- rally cryptogamic (hryptos, concealed, and gamos, marriage), he would have given a diSerent name to his twenty-foin-th class. The pollen of the Bellworts is ripe and its office concluded in the dar-k whUe the flower is yet in the bud. Then- style occupies the middle of each flower as usual, and is divided at the top into three, fom-, or fivo parts, according to the species ; but these divisions stand up close together, and are as closely embraced by the anthers until the pollen is ripe. After impregnation the divisions of the stigma lengthen out and cm-ve backwards, and each curve is plastered with the pollen on the under- side. Then, and not tfll then, does the flower open, so that in crossing them you will liave to split the flower-buds to cut out the natural pollen before it is ripe, and also take a more forward bud to get the strange poUen from. The divisions of the stigma being close together, the place to put the pollen on is their outside, near the top, and this part is curiously set with a whole network of teeth or hairs, after the manner of the teeth on the driun of a musical box, so that on the least touch of the anthers these teeth will hold the pollen at each stroke, and you may lay Septemiser THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. 209 it all over them so close that if it were possible for other pollen to reach tho stigma it could get no access to the proper parts. The word campanula means little bells, being the diminutive of campanum, an old obsolete Latin name for a bell. But what is the meaning of diminutive itself? asked a friend the other day. Why, a " short cut," to be sure, was the reply, which wo all use more or less. Jack, Johnny, Fred, Ned, Will, Bill, Ben, and Bob, are all diminutives or short cuts for well known names ; and, to tiun from little bells to great ones, we have campanology as the name of that noisy game called " ringing the bells or chimes," which is as familiar and grateful to English ears as the screech- ings of the bagpipes are to the highlander. D. Beaton. HOTHOUSE DEPAETMENT. Thunbekgia. — As a sequel to the paper of last week we shall now allude shortly to this beautiful family of climbers, which, when well grown, are very ornamental alike to the stove and the conservatory dirring summer and autumn, and which require very little more attention than a balsam to manage, if a few points of no diffioidty are attended to. One of these points is the giving them a slight degree of shade from bright sunshine after they have passed their young state. The genus received its name in honour of C. P. Thunberg, a celebrated traveller and botanist. It belongs to the fourteenth class and second order of the Linueean system, and the natu- ral order Acanthacese. All the species are natives of wai-m latitudes, coming from the East Indies, Madagascar, Sien-a Leone, and Trinidad. They are aU tubular and mouopetalous in their blossom or corolla, but in its appeai-ance there is considerable ditl'erence in the various species ; tho coccinea being incUned to be ringent, or somewhat like the snap- dragon family; the grandijiora is foxglove-shaped, or resembling closely a large flower of the largest gloxinia; whUe the others, such as chnjsops and alata, and its allied species and varieties, are salver- shaped, that is, having a long slender tube, while the upper part, or what is termed the limb of the corolla, is expanded into a fiat sm-face — Uke a round dish or salver — of five segments, such as we lately saw to be the case in the tender species of the vinca, and which may easily be seen in the flower of a phlox. T'he beauty of the vinca chiefly consisted in the conti'ast exhibited between the segments of the corolla and the diiferent coloured ring that sm-rouuded the pinhole-opening that terminated the tube, but in these salver-shaped Thunbergias tlie chief beauty consists in the conti-ast between the colour of the expanded segments and the throat of the tube itself, which is generally from two-eighths to three-eighths of an inch in diameter; the width across the seg- ments being from two to two and a half inches. I may also mention that the width of the tube at its termination is owing to a sweUing out that gives it somewhat of a funnel-shaped appearance. There are a few points more in a botanical point of view to which we shall merely advert. Before the expan- sion of the flower you wiU perceive that it is shut up between two gi-een leaves that act as a sheath. At fii'st sight you would imagine that that greenish covering was the calyx, or outer protection of the flower ; but it is not so. If you turn them down you will see that the base of tlie tube is surrounded by a number of short thread-like substances in a whorl-like manner, each of these thready substances being a sepal or division of tho true calyx. The two leaves that enclosed tho flowers are termed braots — a term given by botanists to those leaves from the axils of which flowers are produced, and to those leaves pro- duced upon the peduncle or footstalk of the flower, as in the present case. Such leaves are always difierent in size, and frequently in outline and colour, from the general leaves of the plant. Whatever be the size and colour of those appendages that intervene between the true leaves of the plant and the calyx of the flower, they are termed bracts. As flowers are our object, we shall not advert to the horny-seeds farther than to say they are worth examining ; but before parting with the flower we would wish you to get inside of the tube, and mark not only its own beauty but the beauty of what it encloses. There are the singular and pretty fringed anthers of the stamens; in some, as in the frag vans, there is the little open bowl, terminating as a stigma the slender style of the pistil; in alaia and its congeners the terminating bowl is not a fom-th of the size it is in fragrans, but the style (nearly an inch in length, and very slender) is bent at rather better than an eighth of an inch from its point, so as to lean over the anthers of the stamens. At this bent part, and leaning in a similar manner, is another bowl-like protuberance, three times the size of the terminating one, and resembling the half of a beautiful bivalved shell, fit, by its elegance, for a mermaid, or one of Neptune's ancient naiads. The extreme delicacy and fineness of the finish of these various parts wOl well repay your inspection. It is a striking fact, but no less true, that the more minutely we examine the works of man the more do roughness and incongrui- ties appear ; while the more we examine the works of the Almighty the more perfection and beauty we behold — roughness and unevenness never being de- tected, even by the finest microscopes, without an end and reason existing for them. It was not with- out a purpose that the most splendid embodiment of wisdom that earth will ever witness enforced the proposition, conveying in itself a command and a privilege, " Consider the lilies and flowers of the field ;" for there is small hope of that man or woman progressing in that which is kindly, humane, or generously sympathetic, who can examine the structure of a flower, evidencing as it does not merely the power but the beneficence and goodness of the Deity, and yet can remain unimpressed amid the les- sons it so forcibly teaches. What purpose, then, does this shell-like protuberance answer? I think that it collects and transmits the fertilizing pollen as well as the little bowl at the termination of the pistO. And what are your reasons? I have cut off the point of the pistil, and left this shell-like protuberance, before the pollen boxes of the anthers had opened, and fertfle seeds were produced. I have removed the shell like bowl, and left the small one at the point, and a similar result took place. But now I am, nevertheless, in a fix, for in removing both of these apparent stigmas, in one case at least, by a liberal dusting of poUen over the severed style, I obtained seeds. A stray grain or tube of pollen may have effected fecundation before I took the common means to prevent it; but, as it was, the event rather puzzled me. In many cases there is scarcely such a thing as a style to the pistil, but the stigma is close to the germen. Is it impossible for fecundation to take place when the pistU has no stigma? Older and wiser heads than mine must determine. Plants in many cases are wonderfully accommodating, suiting 300 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. SEriEHBEU themselves to oirciimstauces. Those who have leisure, and who can command a good microscope, may not only amuse themselves in such a field but give us a lesson in turn, and thus shew that they are neither too wise to leani nor too jiroud to teach. Best Species and Vaeieties. — Thunbergia Coc- cinca — flower scarlet; hangs in bunches, smaller, but somewhat similar in manner to the scarlet clustered passion-flower. Flowers most freely on one-year old wood; wiU stand well in the conservatory in the autumn and beginning of winter. Propagated by cuttings. T. grandijiora — large flowered; form akeady ad- verted to; colour light blue, very beautiful when densely dotted with bloom. Should seldom be re- move from a stove temperature. Propagated by cuttings and divisions of its tuberous-like roots. T. clirysops — flower blue and violet; very beauti- ful; have flowered it only once; gave up its growth, most unwillingly, after being fairly beaten. Woidd go some distance to see a good specimen. Grows most freely, and is easily propagated by cuttings. Would soon monopolize a house for itself. T.fragrans — flower white; never detected much of the fr-agrant about it. Flowers and seeds freely. Propagated by seeds and cuttings. Wfll stand in the conservatory in the autumn, but it likes heat, and will stand more dii'ect sun than the following more beautiful species. T. alata, or winged— segments of the corolla, buff yellow; throat of the tube, dark pm-ple, approaching black. T. akita alba, or leueantha — segments of the corolla, satiny white; throat of the tube much the same as the above. T. «»raH«iaca— orange-coloured ; segments of the corolla, bright orange ; throat of the tube similar to the otlxers. Although all these of the alata group ai'e generally set down as species, I consider them as little else than varieties of the same type, but upon this we cannot now enter. All these are freely propagated by seed or cuttings, and answer best when, by either means, they are treated like annuals, and grown afresh every year. They are thus brought witliin the reach of those possessing a cucumber bed, and a small greenhouse ; as, by sowing in the former, say in the beginning of March, and potting and growing for some time, they may then be removed at first to tire wai-mest end of the gi-eenhouse, so that no sudden check is experienced. Where a heat of from 45° to 50° can be maintained during winter, it is best to put in cuttings now imder a bellglass; pot them oif in the end of the month ; jireserve carefully during winter ; pot and repot in spring, until fit to ornament any place you choose under glass, for, though I have grown them in the open an, it requires a fine shel- tered place to render them long siglitable. The pre- ference I give to cuttings 'is owing to their flowering earlier, more freely, and not growing so rampant as plants from seeds. Those who prefer fine folia^-e to masses of bloom will sow seeds. To secure from them smaller foUage and more bloom, more peat and a good proportion of lime rubbish should be incor- porated in the sod. For conunon purposes, equal portions of turfy loam and peat, with a little silver sand, will grow them admirably, using manure water at the first sign of weakness. Generat. Management. — There are two essentials, without wliioh you will never have them long worth looking at, gi-ow them where you will, but miserable leaf-spotted, rod-spider-iuhabited specimens, will be your reward for all your labour. The first essential Is watering not merely at the roots, which must not be neglected, but over the foliage with a fine syringe, once or twice every day ; the second is shade from the noon-day sun, without which the leaves will lose then rich gi-een. After starting them in spring, they thrive admh-ably under tho shade of vinos. When removed to the greenhouse or conservatory, let the same principle be attended to. Even in a cold glass case in which I flower them in summer, I find they must not stand near the back wall, which being of a white colour, the reflection or heat and light from it is too powerful for them. They will flower freely in any place under glass, from June to October, if these matters are attended to. They may be trained to trellises, stakes, branches, or young trees, as re- commended for the Torenia. If you disapprove of making cuttings, you may cut down the old plants, shake most of the soil from the roots, repot in small pots, and place in bottom heat, and thus get the plants to break afi-esh before %vinter, when they may be kept over the same as young plants raised i'rom "cuttings. If you sow the seed in spring, soak it for a few hours in water of 100° temperature, and plunge the seed- pan into a good bottom heat. R. Fish. THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. Celery. — Those who liave now any ground to spare should make another planting of this vegeta- ble, so that a good succession may be kept up until tlie spring. Finish earthing up the earliest planted celery now for bleaching, and keep the successional plantings free from suckers previously to the earth being applied. Keep the surface of the groimd well stirred, and give liberal soakings of good manure- water to aU growing plants. Celery seed should now be collected, and those who may wish to save their own for next year should now select the best and most perfect plants, and put them out for that purpose in any spare airy corner. If the slightest symptoms of tho celery fly appear at this season, water immediately with a mixture of soapsuds and chimney soot. Carrots. — If these are now sown on a diy, shel- tered border, they will be found very useful, early in the spring, to succeed the winter stored roots. The Early Horn is tho best for this purpose. Lettuces and Salads. — Lettuce plants should be early pricked out, and the ground often surface- stirred around them. If any symptoms of canker appear about the plants in the seed bed, this opera- tion should be performed with a stick, or a small hoe, and a little dry dust shaken occasionally over tliem. In close weather, too, tho plants are very subject to mildew, which a dusting of flowers of sul- phur will ett'ectually cure. The last sowing of chervil should now bo made, as well as of curled or Nor- mandy cress. Attend, also, to the planting of endive in succession, and either tie up the early planted to bleach, or place slate or thin boards over it for that purpose. KiDNEV Beans. — Any ono who has a pit or frame to spare may prolong' the Kidney bean season by now planting a crop on a gentle bottom heat. Onions and Leeks. — Store onions wliicli are now ripe should be drawn, well di-ied, and harvested, and in the evenings, which are now getting long, they should be bunched, or roped to a whisp of straight straw, so that they may bo hung up in a dry loft for bEl'TEKUER THE COTTAGE GAUDENEE. liOl liiiited, aucl tho wiiiliH' use. Livkg may slil) may ii.lso lio iilacod iiuirli insnvi- |:..;rllHT. VVij^TKii S)>rN-.uMi.— Atiru.l to i!,i:-, vegetable by now liociug and tluiiniiig it eiil, nnl IVngettiug, also, to assist its gi-owth by keeping tlio sdil well stirrod about it. James BAnNK.s. MISCELLANEOUS INFOilMATlON. MY FLOWERS. (No. 42.) My gavdon now begins to talk very loudly of ap- proaehing winter. The decaying stalks of tlie depart- ing flowers, the leaves that insensibly collect together under the shrubs and in the corners of the flower-heds, and a certain bright colouring on the tips of the boughs, particularly those of the beech and oidc, tell of the re- tiring sap and the rapid withering of the rich summer foliage. If it were not for the knowledge that we ai-e so soon to lose the beautiful clothing of the trees, autumn would be by far the loveliest season of tho year. The bright greens of spring do not rival the rich crimson, and brown, and yellow tints of the fad- ing leaf, which seem to grow richer and brighter as they take their last leave of us ; but there is not the same feeling of hopefulness in us at this particular season, which, perhaps, increases the beauty and plea santness of the earlier days, and checks our perfect enjoyment of tho picturesque when we are about to lose it all. It is a vei-y wholesome warning to our hearts that nothing belonging to earth can last for ever ; and that, short-lived as are the beautiful deco- rations of the soil, even they are not more quickly doomed to destruction than is the hand that cherishes and the eyo that delights in them. The word of God declares that " we all fade as a leaf." What a sermon, then — what a library of sermons — is even one single tree ! and, yet. though they are multiplied around us, though the whirling leaves are often driven against the window, and we stai't at the sudden tap, we heed not the message they bring, and lay not these warn- ings to our heart. Bulbous roots that have done flowering may now be taken up, and the offsets separated from the parent plant. They should be planted again immediately, but the old roots may be kept out of the ground for a month if requisite. I have sometimes thought it might be useful to plant any old roots of tho common white lily, that are not wanted for the borders, in pots by themselves, for the sake of their healmg virtues ; as these roots, boiled in milk, were formerly con- sidered valuable as ap)plications for wounds. In country villages, where medical advice is often distant and difficult to obtain, a knowledge of " simples" would be extremely useful, and with very Uttle ex- pense might be employed in many cases. I have no doubt the poultice of lUy roots would be quite as efficacious, at least, as the " brown soap and sugar," which, is the invariable salve of the poor when suffer- ing from wounds or sores. In rainy weather, polyanthuses may be parted. They should not be allowed to remain in , large bunches, but kept in small, neat roots, as tho flow- ers will then be stronger and handsomer. I have always remarked that the large plants become weak and disfigured in the bloom. Seeds both of poly- anthus and auriculas may be sown now. It is best to sow them in large flower-pots,, as they may then be sheltered in winter more easily, and are less liable to be eaten by slugs. It is very interest ing to watch for new varieties, as the young come into flower the following year ; and, by raising them thus, we are sure of a succession of healthy young plants. I confess I have never adopted tliis plan mysell', but I have been pleased with it when some of my friends have done so ; and if my garden was less cold, and exposed to winds, and the drip of trees, 1 should have done so too. It is almost essen- tial that a lady's garden should possess one sheltered spot, at least; tho warmth and protection of a wall or a high screening hedge, under which tho tenderer objects of her interest may bo safely placed, wliere they may receive light, and air, and rain, without being splashed or blown about by the rougher winds. I feel the full value of what the poor call a " succoury" situation, because I do not possess it; and I recom- mend every lady to endeavour to form a shelter if she can against the north and east. I am trying to per- suade a belt of laurels to thicken and form a hedge, that I may have one warm strip of ground ; but al- though my soU is highly suitable to evergreens, and they grow fast and fine, yet it takes time to become so thick and close as to prevent the searching, blight- ing east wind from passing through them. The tall, bright sunflower is now giving a rich glow to the shrubbei'y border. It is too lar-ge and glaring for the flower-bed, but in the background or among shrvibs it is gay and glowing. It is useful also to those who keep poultry, as its seeds are much, liked by fowls. The settlers in Canada store them for this purpose; and the wife of the cottage gardener in England might thus effect a great saving in her domestic management if sho raised these plants in sufficient quantity to enable her to keep a small stock of fowls. Food, when pmxhased, is far too expensive for the generality of cottagers, but some, whose gar- dens are tolerably large, might set apart one bed for the growth of sunflowers for their poultry : they would assist considerably, if not entirely maintain them. The sunflower is a native of America. It flourishes richly in Canada, Mexico, and Peru, and it is occa- sionally found in some parts of Asia and Africa, but America is its favourite home. Its rich golden flow- er's seem to receive theii' colour from the golden soU in which they grow. The inhabitants of Peru, when first visited by the Spaniards, worshipped the sun ; and those who performed the ceremonies of their idol- service in his temple wore these flowers formed of pure gold on the head and breast, as emblems of their deity. No doubt its name arose from this circumstance, as well as fi-om its being supposed always to turn towards the sun. It brings before us a striking view of the darkness of heathen minds ; and yet even these poor ignorant Peruvians reprove many professing Chris- tians ! Thetj adored the source of light, and warmth, and beauty, as he soai'ed over their rich and beautiful land, cheering and gladdening every hill and valley, wondering at his splendour, and trusting in his power. We have a yet more glorious sun, the " Sun of Pight- eousness," arisen " with healing in his wings." Do we look up to Him, with the simple faith of the un- enlightened Peruvians? Is His mark on our fore- heads and on our hearts? TJie sunflower, as it stands calmly in the border, asks us a deep and searching question. Let us answer it tnxly ; let us look care- fully into this matter, for, perchance, we also worship an idol, and our sun may set never to rise again. RAISING SEEDLING GOOSEBERRIES. The raising of seedlmg gooseberry ti-ees has, until the last few years, been left in the hands of the work- ing classes of this countrj-. Notwithstanding, great improvement has been made, both in the mode of cul- THE COTTAGE GARDENER. Settemcek ture and in the kinds raised. Indeed, it is a question whether there has been so much improvement in the culture and kinds of any other description of iiniit as there has been in the gooseberry during the last SO or 40 years. I find, on refening to the " Goose- hen7 Growers' Register," that in 1810 the heaviest gi-own that year was "Crown Bob," 21dwts. ITgrains; in 1812 the heaviest was a seedling, 19 dwts. 10 gi-ains ; in 1813, " Crown Bob" was again the heaviest, attain- ing 22 dwts. 21 grains ; in 1824, Roaring Lion was the heaviest, 20 dwts. 5 grains; in 18-14, London was the heaviest, 35 dwts. 12 grains. Thus we find from 1824 to 1844 there had been an increase of weightof about 141 grains. The above are all red kinds, but uot only has the improvement been made in this class, but in the other classes, viz., yellow, green, and white, the improvement has been equal. Much as has already been accomplished in the improvement of this useful and delicious fi-uit, much more might be done. I am far from thinking that perfection is attained; but, on the contrary, ray firm conviction is, that if the subject were taken up by gentlemen laying claim to great horticultm'al skill, who had a little lei- sure time, and would devote a little of it to the sub- ject, we might reasonably expect stiJI greater profici- ency to be made. I will oflTer a few remarks on the best means to be employed in raising them, and their management. If I can by this means induce any efficient person to take the subject in hand, I shall be satisfied, and I have not the least doubt but that he will he satisfied also. As in all cases where seedlings are to be raised, whe- ther in flowers, fi-uits, or kitchen vegetables, the greatest care should be exercised in the selection of good kinds to raise the seeds from., this will be the first chief care. If this be not attended to we cannot reasonably expect the seedlings to be superior to the kinds already grown. The fruit selected should be of larffe size and good flavour; its colour is of no con- sequence, for if you select a red one, in all probability you will have amongst those raised from it, red, yellow, green, and white. Sometimes, even, none of the seedlings will favour the kind raised from, whilst sometimes they vary very little. This wiU, I presume, depend upon how they have been hybridized by the bee, with the kinds growing near them. The next care wUl be to seleetivell-formed hint to seed from. I think this is of importance, for if the seed be large and well- formed, it will develop itself in the fruit. Having selected fruit with the aforenamed properties, allow them to remain on the tree until they are quite ripe ; they may then be plucked and broken, the seeds and pulp put in sand, and then rubbed well together, in order to separate the seed from the pulp. The seed and sand together may then be placed in a well- drained flower-pot, sufficiently large to hold it, placing a little sand over the drainage, then the seed and sand, adding a little sand about an inch on the top. The pot containing the seed must then be placed under a hedge or wall, and remain imtU February or beginning of March, when it may be sown on a bed composed of sand, leaf-mould and soil. The whole of the sand and the seed in the pot may be mixed together, and sown as equally as possible over the bed, covering the seed a little better than a quarter of an inch deep. The only care during the first year's growth will bo to prevent the seedlings from making side shoots imtil they have made a sufficient length of " bole" or stem, say nine inches. This may be done by taking out the buds at the sides, leaving the top or terminal bud untU the bole is of sufficient length. Great care should be taken in the removal of the buds that the bark be not bruised, for if the bark be bruised it may be of consequence to the tree after- wards. If the weather prove very dry during the spring or summer months, the seedlings may be occasionally watered after sunset. This will be all the care they will requfre the first year's gi'owth. In November, December, or Januaiy, the seedlings must be taken from the seed bed, care being taken not to break or bruise the roots in taking them up. Whilst they are out of the ground, all the tap roots must be taken off by the pruning scissors, (otherwise, train them horizontally in replanting). If they have made a sufficient length of bole the first year's gi-owth, they may be disbudded from the bottom to within four buds of the top, after taking ofi" the top or ter- minal bud. The three or fom- buds left on are in- tended for branches the following year ; care should also be taken tliat aU buds are removed from about the insertion of the root, for.^if this be not dono they may, by producing suckers, prove troublesome, and injurious to the good gi'owth of the plant afterwards. I ought to observe, that some of the seedlings wiU make gi-eater progi-ess than others; some of them will make a sufficient length of bole and a few branches besides in the first yeai''s growth, and when this is the case the branches may be cut off, leaving three or fom- buds on each branch ; never leave more than three or four branches on a tree. Having pro- perly dressed the seedlings, they may be planted in rows at least 18 inches apart, and the same distance from each other, at a depth of three inches in sand, leaf or vegetable mould and soil, making the smface on which they are to be planted quite level, and spreading the roots well out as uniformly as possible round from the bole. They will requu-e little care during this year, only a little water if the weather be very dry, taking away any coarse shoots that may proceed from the bole ; and it will be also necessary to train the shoots with hooks and props, so as to form the top as nearly flat as possible, but, if anything, rather higher at the end of the branches than at the bole. They must be re- moved in November or December, taking care wliile they ai-e out of the groimd to remove all buds from about the roots as before described, cutting off the superfluous wood that has been made the last yeai-; leaving on such shoots as are well ripened, contain- ing good buds, and are in such a position as may be brought either uj) or down, so as to form a beautiful plant. The shoots left on must have the ends taken off, leaving five or six buds on each ; they must be replanted in the situation in which they oi'e in- tended to remain until they have shown fruit. I think the best mode of planting out seedlings at three years old, is to plant them in rows at about two feet six inches apai-t, by the side of a walk, the same distance from the walk as from each other, in any part of the garden. Allow them to remain until they have shown themselves; if they do not sliow tliem- selves very fine and promising they can remain here I for general bearing j^m'poses, but thoso of them which promise well I advise should be removed the following autumn to the best situation in the garden, in order that they may receive proper cai'o and atten- tion, as directed in The Cott.\ge Gaudeneh, page 303 of vol. I. In order that no ground be lost, onions may bo sown amongst thom, but not iimne- diatoly under thom, as thej' wiU grow without injury to the trees or fruit. I am afraid I have afready ti-espassod too much on your space, but before closing the subject I wish to make a few concluding remarks. In order to secure good seed it is of great unportanco Sepiembeii THE COTTAGE GAEDENEE, that the choice trees, from whicli you wish to procure seed, should be planted as far apart fi-om the com- mon bearing vaiieties as possible; if this bo not done, your " labour may be in vain," or in a great measiu-e retai-ded, at least the chances will bo against you succeeding in the way you would do by adopt- ing a different mode of procedure. This, I think, has been the reason the working classes have been so successful, for what kinds of trees they have grown have been of the best varieties out; they have had " none but the best :" the consequence has been their ultimate success. Should there be any further infor- mation your readers may desire, I shall be happy to afford it, on their sending a line to my address; and should any person be inclined to " try their hand," to such I would say, persevere, for " perseverance is sm-e to succeed." — John Turner, Nurseryman, Neeps- end, Sheffield. WiRE-woEMs. — The Eev. E. T. Yates says: "I see in this week's number a remark on soda-ash. I have found it efficacious in driving away wire-worms, if not in destroying the destructive little marauder." Ebica Cavendishii. — Mr. Fairbaim, of the Nur- series, Clapham, near London, writes to us as fol- lows : — " We think it may interest many of your readers, who may have witnessed the magniiicent specimen of Erica Cavendishii that we have had the pleasure of shewing at the several great metropolitan exhibitions, to be informed that we have plucked 15,945 perfect blossoms from it, and that the plant is now in the most robust health, and promises yet to continue ' Geant des Battailes :' it has certainly gone through its warfai-e most valiantly." f perpetuals ; TO CORRESPONDENTS. Climbing Roses (E. A. M.). — Always keep down suckers of roses by pulling them off as fast as they appear. When climbing roses have filled or covered the spaces allotted for them all their strong shoots must be stopped at every growth ; but probably yours are now too long for this, if so, prune one third of their length away, and any aftergrowth this season stop as soon as a few inches are made. Rose Cuttings {I. R. SJ.— Your instructions for growing these are unexceptionable, but not new. Almost all the perpetual roses ■will grow from cuttings if put in in August, and many of them will do as late as October, such as LaReine, Duchess of Sutherland, &c., and in some soils do much better on their own roots than on the dog- rose. We prefer all the strong Perpetuals on their own roots, but the dwarf and weak gromng ones, budded close to the ground, on some free kind of the China breed. There is an Italian rose now in the nurseries which makes an excellent stock for dwarf ] it is called Manetti, and grows as freely from cuttings i Sowing Perennials, Biennials, and Annuals (T^. W.).—It is now too late to sow biennials and perennials for flowering nest year. The following annuals if sown during the first fortnight of September will flower in April and May, before the geraniums, ver- benas, &c., are planted out ; sow them in an open space in poor, light soil, and be sure not to dig it, only scratch it with a strong rake, and rake the seeds to cover them; the object being to render the young plants as flrm and hardy as possible before winter If sown on rich, loose soil they would grow so succulent that the first hard frost would kill them. Silene Pendula, Compacta, and Regia : three red catch- flies ; they are very showy in May, but weedy at other times. Virgi- nian Stock, pink and white sorts, and Venus' Looking-glass, blueish ; old favourites. Collinsia Bicolor, purple and white, and C. Grandi- flora, deep purple; very showy, rising to 10 or 12 inches. Nemo- phylla Insignis, the finest low blue plant we have. N. Atomaria, white with black spots. Clarkia Pulchella, rose, and C. Alba, white. Sow these separate, but raix them plant for plant when you put them out in February or March, and the efl'ect will be splendid. Eucha- ridium Concinnum Grandiflorum : this looks just like a red dwarf Clarkia, and is one of the very best of annuals at all seasons. Erysi- mum Perofskianum, deep orange; from 18 to 20 inches high ; very 8ho^vy, and requires to be planted q^uite thick. This is also a good summer annual. Platystemon Calitornicus, and Limnanthes Dou- glass!, two weedy lemon-coloured low plants, but useful in May. Callichroa platyglossa, a yellow flower of the daisy cast ; very gay, but weedy. Leptosiphon densiflorus, and grandiflorus, fine pinkish blossoms ; plant them thick, six to twelve inches. Gillia tricolor, light purple ; one of the prettiest of our spring annuals. Eutoca viscida, fine blue flower; but the plant is weedy and prefers a damp shady place. Osyura chrysanthemoides, weedy; but tine yello\x flpwets. Bartonia aurea, splendid yellow flower ; but a v«ry weedy plant. Large quantities of these would make any garden gay in Mayj many „f .1 — 1. ^ English names, and seedmen know them best by our - *i.„. ^i. . ^ great impo- verishers ofthemhavei be recollected that these ; the soil. Plumbago Lahpekt^ C/itrf).—Yourplant which had not flowered at the end of August may yet do so, but certainly next yean ours were then in blossom. Keep it cool. Propagating Calandrina cmbellata (Ibid).— The very top of the little tufts or branches do best for cuttings, but you are too late now for them ; keep the plant from frost and propagate next March. What a brilliant little pet it is 1 Market Gardening (1/. ^., Jfaids/one}.— We are not aware of any separate work upon this subject. It is only gardening on a large scale, keeping in view the cultivation only of those things which meet with a ready sale. Climbers for a Wall (J). T. H.).— You will find full lists of plants, which will answer your purpose, as well as directions for their culture, at pp. 149 and 154 of our first volume, It is quite impossible for us to give a design for ornamenting your well. Your other ques- tions shall be answered next week. Strawberries Overrun with Bindweed {Waltham Abbey),— The best way to exterminate the bindweed, under your cu-cumstancea. is to persist in weeding it out ; it bleeds much when wounded, and one season's constant weeding will nearly or quite wear it out. You may make a })lantation of strawberries now as soon as you can : dig- ging deep, using soil of a rather adhesive character, and introducing Crops for a Wet Hollow {A Worcestershire Man). ~li\}& un- derstand your section aright your pit will always be liable to have half a yard of water in the bottom, pile what soil you may above it. This is not the most eligible site to reclaim : still, such crops as the Black currant, celery, &c., might he cultivated in it, and, perhaps, raspberries. We think, however, that coarse stones or other imperish- able material should be thrown in the bottom, in order to prevent saturation as far as possible. If your old turf is a loam we would by no means burn it ; burning is, we conceive, intended to correct ma- terial otherwise incorrigible. Char your brush wood, by all means, and spread the ashes ; dig the turf in as dressing, or mix and turn it with fermenting materials previous to the spring cropping. We fear burning reduces the materials, if organic, at a vast per centage. Sour peats and sterile clays are, however, improved by fire. Planting Fruit-Garden (G. W. P.).— You may, of course, safely leave a few useful trees, as you describe, until the dwarfs come to bearing conditions : this is a judicious course. Eleven feet is quite near enough; we would have given another foot or two, seeing that gooseberries or currants are intended to form undergrowths. Your apple-trees should be of the kind termed dwarf standards : that is to say, possessing a clean stem of about two feet, with a head like a punch-bowl or, at least, so formed as readily to take that character in the ensuing year. As to kind it is impossible to advise you unless you inform us whether you desire table or kitchen kinds most, and in what proportions ; also whether on a commercial speculation or merely for home consumption. By all means make stations unless you have a fine loamy soil of two feet on a dry and sound bottom. Your espaliers, if kept within bounds, will not be objectionable. As you will have plenty of apples you may plant such fruits as Orleans, Reine Claude, Violette, and Greengage plums ; and Morello, Blay-duke, and Elton cherries. Barren Cherry-tree (Wif^)-— You should have named (he kind. Thin out the shoots in autumn, and try an application of mulch six -luxuriance can scarcely be the cause. ARTiNG (T. H. C.).~As your cauliflowers head complaint to make against your red cabbages, there can be no reason for your common cabbages not hearting except inches thick : well, and you have i and apple do not pro heavy soil and Sheffield smoke are against them, but do they blossom welt ? or in what stage do they fail? Sowing Apple Pips {A Well-wislier). Sow the largest and plumpest pips from the best apples, but not one will produce a tree bearing an apple like its parent, and every pip from the same apple : should select the mother, and the Kerry Pippm and other high-flavoured kinds for the father. For kitchen use we should breed between the John apple, or Northern Greening, and ^ome other also them into a light border, burying each an inch deep and six inches apart. They may also be raised in pots. Remove suckers from them if they produce any. Rhubarb Plants still Vigorous (A Subscriber, Lynn). — If they were ours we should not gather from them any more, but allow the leaves to remain on until they die down naturally. You may still give them liquid manure. A gallon from your cow-yard to five gal- lons of water will be strong enough, and two gallons to each root, if large, twice a week. Heating Small Greenhouse (A Stcbseriber, Exeter). — A pipe flowing from and returning to the copper in your wash-house adjoin- ing would do for heating your small greenhouse, but we cannot fur- nish plans. Any whitesmith could do it for you. Jessamine {Thankee). —Yomt young jessamine is growing weak, and you fear to cut it back, thinking it will spoil the look of it, and yet you ask our advice what to do. Without seeing your plant, soil, or situation, or knowing the time it has been planted, this is not an easy task, at least to be certain to meet your case. Try watering with weak liquid manure ; syringe your plant night and' morning for a fortnight ; and then wait patiently for aether year's growth, which will no doubt be stronger. 304 THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. Lilies (A. Y. Z.).— You will find your question atiBwercd by Mr. Appleby nest week in the weekly essay on " The Flower-Garden." Rotation of Ceops (A Cottnge Farmer, Nonvood).— You have two cowB, pigs, and poultry, and you prow no hay 1 then surely you must buy hay or oat straw? We do think that under spade culture vou may turn out crops more frequently, but the question is too large to be dealt with in a few lines, and our limits do not allow many. We cannot quite understand what you mean by three crops in two years ; pray give us another note, and be a little more explicit. Your case applies to hundreds. Raspberries Branching (A. A., Clericus). —Yon have used rather too much or too powerful manure. Your double-stemmed raspberry canes will do, but we deprecate those which branch many eyes. Top them all iu the middle of September ; tie, however, more than two canes. See full directions at p. 55, vol. i. Rhubarb (/Aid).— Cutting the flower-stalks strengthens the future leaves; cutting or pulling the leaves ** vice versa." Your plants are " below par" or they would have put forth flower-stalks. Indian Pink (Jf)id).—Yowc seedlings are flowering now. It i8 but an annual, or, if you mil. an imperfect perennial. Cutting the flowers off, and above all keeping them dry, airy, and free from fi'ost during the ensuing winter, will go far towards giving you a good bloom next year. Pines and Vines (Y. J»/. K.)-— You wish to know what variety of grapes we recommend you to grow in a span-roofed house, where you intend to fruit pines.— We think that your general plan might have been amended by adopting what is termed the ** Hamiltoman system •" as it is however, and seeing that you will have grapes over the fruiting pinea-a thing of some little difficulty if excellence is aimed at— we would advise you to plant the Black Hambro' and the true West's St. Peter ; we do not, however, see why you should not indulge in a Muscat or two. It is not generally known, perhaps, that the West's St, Peter, the best keeping grape in the kingdom, will both bear and enjoy as much heat as the Muscats. Veronica Diseased (W. H. Eaton Socon).— The enclosed, by its succulence and mildewed state, being ulcerated and covered with a minute black fungus, has every symptom of having been kept in an atmosphere too moist, and supplied with too much water. Try keeping it drier and very freely exposed to the light. Raspberry Training (W. X.).— We have tried all modes of growing the raspberry, and find none like that of training them to an espalier rail, like those of which we gave a drawing for sticking peas at p. 271 of vol. i., omitting the stringing. Your plan of employing posts and ropes approaches to the same plan, and would do equally well ; but the posts ought not to be at wider intervals than three yards, or the rope will hang loose between them. Potatoes (Jiid).— Those which have their stems blighted had better be taken up at once, and stored in a dry shed in alternate layers with earth. It is a common complaint that many of this year's tubers, since the occurrence of rain, have thrown out young tubers ; the same occurs almost every year. Rub all the small ones off before storing; they have not injured the tubers which produced them, for these were furnished with fresh sap from the plant as long as the stems and leaves were vigorous. . ,, ,. . , Potato or Undergrodnd Onion (JJid).— Many of yours rot at the crown.— You have probably grown them large by planting them on very fertile soil ; if this be the case, or if your soil be wet, such ulceration is of frequent occurrence. Middle-sized onions, of all sorts, grown on dry, moderatelv rich soil, so as to be ready for storing by the middle of August, keep better than larger and later ripening "greenhouse Roof (D. J., Birmingham). -The angle or inclina- tion of this, which you require for wintering plants in, had better, if low, be 30°. You will find Mr "-— ' '"■"™^ ^^--^ f^^ building one at p. 119 of ouv fi some time since, with the accompanying draw- ing of a very simple in- strument, a quadrant, or quarter of a circle, by which the angle of any roof can be at once de- termined. Fasten a string with a leaden plummet through a hole in the corner opposite the arc, or portion of a circle. Divide this arc into 90 equal parts ; place the side marked L against the roof in- side, and the string will hang opposite to the mark which is the angle of the roof; inthedraw- " "" ■ house from falling hclow You may lower your floor a little to give you heighth inside. A Rockery {A Constant Reader, Br ompto7i) -Tins will look well if judiciously managed. We have just seen one built round, and ' . circle as yours; the circle is occupied by a .__ , , an aquarium and rockery are comh You will find a list of hardy Bees (Ren. T. G. ~ ' upon the stocks after they are emptied of the honey, but put in a clean dry place for use next spring ; and the opening at the top of tho etraw hive must be closed very aecurelv, and that immediately. Popf-Balls pou Fumigating Bees (John JSW^ffs).- You say that these are flcarco in the part of Yorkshire where yovi reside, You can procure them through any of tho herb-dealers in Covent Garden Market. Mr. Payne informs us that he has heard of the successful employment of chloroform for the same purpose, and promises a rc- jiort in his next calendar. Strawbeeries on Fruit-tree Borders (Subscriber ah initio). —These are the worst crop you could grow. They are there all the year, root deep, and arc a very exhausting crop. No other crops but salading, lettuces, spinach, seedling-beds of brocoli, &c., should be admitted on such borders. Small Fruit under Standard Trees (/Aj^).— We have seen red currants and dwarf filberts tolerably fruitful in gardens shaded by tall appple-trees. Hollyhock Leaves Destroyed {CN, A., Birkenhead).— Yo\a foes are probably small slugs, for these arc very fond of them. By the time you see this, the season for hollyhocks will be passed, and you had better cut down the flower-stems close to the ground. Nas- turtium berries and tnipnonette pods ought not to be gathered green if intended for seed. Chickens will not do well upon rice alone, but they will thrive upon it mixed with barley or oatmeal. Currant' trees against a wall always shed thoir leaves early ; we have some now {Aug. 29) quite bare. "We only rcceivedyour communication this day. Phloxes Three Feet High C^ws/tVus).- Baldryana, white; Wheeleriana, purplish-pink; Paniculata, pink and white; IJnduIata elcgans, deep pink; Blurrayana, rose with yellow eye; and Coelcstia, pale blue lilac. Liquid Manure to Geraniums, &c. (J^ion)— This roust not now be given, nor until after the blossoni-buds shew themselves next year ; neither must you give it to apricot-trcea now nor during the winter. It ought not to be given to any plant except during the period of its most vigorous growth. Error.— At page 2/0, line 36 from bottom, read " La reseda de I'Egypt." Classification op Roses {Rev. N. Stephenson).— "Wc so fully agree with you in thinking that this is desirable that we are making arrangements for determining the distinctive marks of each, so as to avoid the confusion in which too many catalogues are at present. To effect this great good requires judgment, consideration, and much Shrubland Scarlet Geranium (J. T., ]lfanchester).—'Wc should like to oblige you, but such calls have been incessantly made since the article appeared, and the cheapest effort we could now make would cost you more than what the article would be charged for in your immediate neighbourhood. Any respectable nurseryman in your locality can supply the plants you want, for, if he does not pos- sess them, he can procure them through a London nurseryman, or if he applies to Mr. Appleby. Zauchsneria Calipornica (A Leicestershire S?/6.iCTtiei'),— This, by following our advice, is in flower in your open border. Let it remain where it is. It is a very good addition to nur hardy flowers. Dahlias (Ibid).~lf you can keep them perfectly dry, and the frost from them, they will be safer in your border, hut not otherwise. Wintering Scarlet Geraniums (Wirf).— You may put theso all into one large tub, instead of singly in pots, provided you drain well, use rather light soil, and give no more water than will just keep them from drying. You ought also early in October to cut off some of the large leaves, and see what is said to-day about preparing their Liquid Manure to Chrysanthemums (W.H.O.).— The direc- tions are not at all inconsistent. The mode at p. 83 directs liquid manure to he given throughout their growth ; the small pots chocking the production of roots, rendering the plants dwarf, and inducing the production of blossom buds. The mode at p. 230 directs that liquid ' ; not given until the flow large pots, and allowed first is a mode of growing fine dwarfs specimens, which Mr. Beaton had seen practised ; the second is the mode of growing large plants, which he practises himself. Bees (A Counti'y Curate).— V/o are glad that we have lured you to bee-keeping. You must leave your bees in the common hive and wait until next season, when you may put a awarm from it into any hive upon the depriving system that you may select. If it throws off a second swarm or cast you may hive this also into a depriving hive, and then fumigate or stupify the bees in the old stock, and then add them to the cast, as directed at page 28-1. As you vrisli to set an ox- ample which your poor neighbours may follow you had better adopt Payne's "Improved Cottage Hive;"— this being made of str.iw can be easily copied. Your other question will be answered nest week. Names of Plants (£;ns«iic/'/oi-rf).-Your ^ilant isa Ge(m. and, we think, G. urbamim, but we cannot decide without seeing a perfect flower. (0. H., Cardiff).— Yoyxxs is Abiitihn sfriafum. Please t give us more Information about your potatoes. WIk and take up your first crop ? When did you plant yo , did. ' the amount of produce per cTo; Yours is the atrong-smeUing Gooscfoot, Chcnopodium gravcofens^ London : Printed hy Harry Wooldridgr, 147 Strand, in the Parish of Saint Mary-!e-Strand ; and Winchester, High-atrcct, iu tho Parish of St. Mary Kalendar; and Piddished by William SoMBRViLLE Orr, at tho Olfico, 117, Strand, in tho P&riah of Saint Mary-lc*StTand, London,— September fith, 1819. THE COTTAGE GAUDENF.R. WEEKLY CALENDAR. M i:! U 15 w I> SEPTKMBER. IH-in, 1849. Plants dedicated to each day. Sun Rises. Sun Seta. Moon n and Sets Moon's Age. Clock bcf. Sun. Day of Year. i M. Tu. W. Eldov-lmmes riioo. Holy Cross. Vaii'ouror moth seen. [low. 15 S. AFT. Trin. Lime leaves yel- Lambert. [rmclies in flocks. George L and 11. landed. Gold- Ember Week. Dotterel arrives. Saffron Crocus. Passion Elower. Byzantine Meadow Saffron. Sea Starwort. [low. Naxrow-leaved Mai- Drooping Starwort. DevU's-bit Scabious. 33 a. 5 85 07 3S 40 41 43 18a. 0 IG 14 12 9 7 5 1 2(i 2 38 3 53 sets 6 a 44 7 'J 7 34 20 37 28 2 ■i 11 4 32 4 53 5 14 5 35 5 50 0 17 250 257 258 259 200 201 202 » nutting Holy Cross Day was the anniversary of a festival, instituted about the year 6l 5, to celebrate the recovery by the Emperor Heraelius of what the Roman Catholics believe was a fragment of the cross on which our Saviour suffered. It had been seized by Cosroes, King of Persia, when he plundered Jerusalem. The day was called Roodmass dai/ by our Sason ancestors, rood being their name for the cross ; and this will serve as a solution to our readers of the names of some of our churches, and one of their constituent parts— Holy-rood iind Rood-loft. The latter was the place in or near the roof where the cross or rood was kept when not required for exhibition to the vota- ries. It was a rustic custom for all the young village on this festival ; and, as their gambols in the wood ' terized by the sternest virtue, this proverb preserved by "poor Robin" " The devil— as the common people say- Doth go a nutting on Holy-rood day." September IStii. — A well-known observer of our seasons. Dr. Forster, has recorded, as a result of long experience, that in at least six years out of seven the weather is fine on this day. Lambert, or Lanoebert, was bishop of Maestricht ; and although giving him no title to a place in an English almanac, yet it is a fact to his undying honour that he was murdered by those who were iHifiNOAiENAOF THE SEASON.— A "tap at our window" by a falling lenf reminds us that this falling is the most prominent pheno- '""""" of the season ; and if this brief paragraph were not devoted 3 rather than poetry, e— giv falls c light make this our theme ;- I leaf It looks r But points I Such, however, is not our fitting 1 query— T^//y do leaves fall? The r i all the smaller developments of a plant that ; *: _j j^g j.^j,y p^^^^ ^^ j^^ useful the plant ( for a time ; ? leaves), a 18J1. 1842. IS13. 1 1841. 1845. 1815. 1847. 1848. Kt Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Rain. Fine. 79°-59° 68°-51° 72°-47° 73°-61° 71°— 53° 70°-5,5° 64°— 41° 64°— 37° Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Showery. Fine. ^&- Fine. 78°-55» 72°-53° G9°-62° 71°-39° 71°-^8° 63°— 37° 15 Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Rain. Fine. fifl"— 55° 74°— 45° 76°-54° 72°-ai° 57°— 43° 78°-49° 65°-51° 64°-32° 10 7l°— 41° 72°— 48° 73°-6l° 79°-46° 64°-4l)° 69°— 34° 17 Rain. Fine. Showery. Rain. Rain. 090-41° 84°-52° fl4°.-55° 79°-52° 6l°-42° Cloudy. 65°-4"°' Fine. 72°— 50° 02°-48° 80°-5S° a2°-37° 70°-39° 68°— 36° 68°— 36° 1^- Fine. Fine. Cloudy. 74°— 54° 80°-49° 6(l°-48° 68°— 37° That falls on autumn's bosom dead ; For that ne'er tells of what has been, s me what I soon shall be : back on pleasure's scene, futurity." but rather the unimaginative to be one which influ- only reriuircd ... . , .- casts them off. with the petals, the smaller fibrous roots of deciduous trees, and the outer bark, as weU as with the leaves. So soon as a plant has ripened its fruit, and stored up the secretions necessary for ■ ' year's growth (operations effected chietly by the agency of do these begin to fade, and after a short space of ;■■■:- -"-' ■"■■• -/^''' .^■'^''sols and fibres contracting or shrinking faster than those of the branch from which they spring, the separation takes place at the articulation where the differing rates of contraction meet; the Icives then fall, and the scar upon the branch is found already healed over. This healing is effected by a conversion of the sap, cementing the branches, fibres, and vessels together, from a soft and glutinous to a dry and brittle consis- tence, so that at last the leaf falls merely either by force of its own weight or before the slightest breath of wind. We believe that the ceasing of the sap to flow to the leaves is the cause of their decline and fall, for if the root action is kept up artificially the leaves do not fall if maintained in a temper- ature and state of moisture favourable to them. Does the cocoa-nut tree ever shed its loaves ? We do not re- member to have seen any fall from it during a residence of some years in Bengal. Evergreens do not shed their trees, because j winter. s, because a i-oot action, though kly, is proceeding throughout the :'s;i: Insects.— The caterpillar of the largest of the British moths is most usually found during Sep- tember, but this year, at Winchester, we know of six specimens found about the middle of August. These are the caterpillars of the Death's-head moth, Anhernntiii atropos of some entomologists, and the Sphinx or Br/icht/gloftm atropos of others. At first the caterpillar is of a dirty-red colour, but, licromes ycUowisli green, granuhited with minute blacic tubercles on the back, and having seven Irs of strijies on each side : the pairs of one blue and one white stripe, with a purjilisli tint in the centre. The cordal or ttiil spine is brown. It feeds chiefly oh the leaves of the potato and jasmine, but is found occasionally on tlie woody nightshadn, thorn-apple, elder, spindle tree, ^'c. It is rarely seen, for it feeds by night, and hides by day beneath the leaves, and even in the earth. When full-grown in August or September it descends to a considerable depth underground, changes to a deep ehesnut-coloured chrysalis, and in a few weeks appears again as a perfect moth. Its appearance occurs at the end of September .and in October. This magnificent moth me.T.sui-es from four to five inches across its fully expanded fore-wings ; they are very dark brown, varied with black in undulated and rusty-brown patches. The hind- wings are pale dirty orange-coloured, barred with greyish black The abdomen or body is also dirty orange, striped with the same kind ol black, and having a lead-Coloured stripe down the centre of its back, The head and thorax are brownish black, and on the back of the tho- rax is that peculiar skull-shaped mark which has obtained it th( very descriptf * ^^" ^'■""■'" J of the DeaWs-head moth. added t si7e ind the shrill, mournful noise which it mikes, rendei^ it object of terror to the ignorant , but it need be so only to the kcLpci, for this huge piovlcrof the night often steals into tin a^nd robs it of the honey. We may notice that this niotli al.' comes forth from the chrysalis between four and seven in the al noon ; being in this as regular as the Silkworm moth is in con forth at sunrise, and the Lime Hawkmoth at «oon. No. L., Vol. II. ;106 THE COTTAGE GARDENER, SErTEMBFT. Death hns been busy again among tlio gardening community. In the past montli ho singled out tvvo men well distinguished among us in their jjeculiar departments. Mk. Clemekt Ho.MiE, one of tho most enthusiastic cultivators of the grape vino, died on the IStli of August, aged 60. Mr. Hoare, we believe, was a school- master near Chichester, where, as a relaxation, ho cidtivated tho ^-ino, and collected a large and valuable assorbnent. " The result," to use his own words, " of many years' diligent investigation and patient obser- vation," was publislied during the year 1835 in his "Practical Treatise on the Cultivation of tho Grape Vino on Open Walls," and of which work it is not too much to say that it is tho best that has appeared on the subject. That which was agi'coable and pro- fitable as an amusement became ruinous when adopted as acommercial pursuit. He moved in 18-11 to Shirley, near Southampton, and, having taken thither all his vines from Chichester, he endeavoured to derive an income from the sale of vine plants. In 1813 we sought from him some information relative to the cul- tivation of the vine under glass, and thus wisely did he answer us : — " I am about to commence a series of experiments — experiments which wUl, I expect, occupy a space of not less than thi-ee years ;" and ho proceeded to add, among other observations, that until those experiments wero completed he " must abstain fi-om giving any directions relative to the culture of the vino in this manner." Unfortunately for his better fame he did not abide by this resolution with regard to other points of culture. Misfortunes came upon him, and he sought for aid in publishing his work upon '• Planting and Managing the Roots of Vines," in which he promulged a method of gi-ow- ing them in hollow pUlars — a method which at once met \vith the condemnation it merited. Soon after Mr. Hoare became insolvent, his " Vineyard" was broken up, and we fear that, heart-subdued, he has Bimk before his time into the grave. Me. David Bishop is the other horticulturist to whose death we have alluded, and to om- contempo- rary, The North British Agriculturist, we are indebted for this biographical notice : — " At Malone, near Belfast, on the dth August, Mr. Da'idd Bishop, in his 61st year, a victim to the pro- vailing epidemic. Of the father of Mr. Bishop we have no recollection, farther than that he was con- sidered a man of very superior attainments, and con- siderably in advance of his brethren at tho time in which ho lived. Of his family, there only now re- mains one daughter, still resident in the village of New Scone, and one son, Mr. Thomas Bishop, long gardener, and for many years factor, upon tho estate of Methven, a property perhaps improved more by his judicious management than any other in Scot- land. Mr. Thomas Bishop is well known to tho agiicultural and horticultural world by his numer- ous essays in various departments of these sciences. To him Scottish agriculture is deeply indebted for improvements in the artitlcial grasses, as well as for his many and successful experiments upon the potato. Gardening is indebted to him for many of our mo- dem improvements, and, in an especial degi-ee, lor tlie pains taken in instnicting those young men placed under his direction, some of whom have long not only been a credit to their kind-hearted preceptor, but also ornaments to society. JTr. Thomas IBishop is one of oiu' best and most energetic British botanists, and it is with much pleasui-e and gratitude that we have an opportunity of publicly acknowledging that our first lessons in botany were received at his hands. As an arboriculturist, he is also esteemed one of tho first and best, and the pinetum planted by him in tho moor of Methven will bo a monument to his memory long after ' lie is gathered to his fathers.' Mr. Wm. Bisliop, another brother, was an excellent gardener, and died at an early age while assisting the lato eminent Mr. Jenkins in laying out the Regent's Park, near London. He was the first who successfully propagated the camellia by cuttings. Mr. David Bishop, the subject of om- present notice, was the youngest of six sons of Robert Bishop, who was 49 years planter and gardener to the Mansfield family, at Comlongan Castle, in Dumfi-iesshire, and Scono, Perthshire. He served his apprenticeship to his older brother Thomas, at Methven Castle, who was then forming a collection of British alpine plants, wliich seems to have given him a taste for these plants, which never left him . He wi'ought successively under Messrs. John Mitohel, gai'dener at Moneriefi' House, and Robert Miller, gardener at Dupplin Castle ; both of whom were devoted to botanical science, and ad- mirers of flora. Afterwards, he went to London, and wi'ought for some years there, when he obtained tho situation of gai'dener to Lord Bagot, Blythfield, Staf- fordshu'e ; and some years afterwards to Lord Elgin, Broomhall, Scotland. On leaving his service, he took a season to botanise on the mountains in Scotland. He was a day and a night alono on the highest of the Cairngorums. Went agam the second time on foot to London, and dedicated his time to literaiy pursuits, and for a time acted as an amanuensis to the late Mr. Loudon, by whom he was much respected. As the author of ' Casual Botany,' one of the few original botanical works that has issued from the British press in modem times, he has displayed an intimate acquaintance with tlie subject ti-eated on, and adopted a style in composition at once clear and conspicuous, while, at the same time, it is unincimi- bered with tliose technicalities which too often tend to bewilder rather than insti'uct. With this work he ti-avelled the gi-eater part of England and Ireland, visiting the mountains on his way in search of plants, harag discovered many new species and vaiieties, and fixing the habitats of others seldom to be met with, and thereby becoming aequnintod with many scientific friends. About 1830, Jlr. Bishop was ap- pointed curator of the Botanic Gai'dens at Belfast, and upon resigning that charge took gi'ouud at Ma- lone, near that city, where he has since resided, and amused himself in collecting rare British jilants, in the pursuit of which, we believe, he has pcrnmludated cvoiy county in tho United Kingdom, performing tho whole as a podosti-ian. His botanical discoveiios have been important, and many now habitats has ho given for many of our rarer plants, more especially ferns, with which interesting family he was well ac- quainted. The mostextraordiiiiirv .'I' M- .li .rn\erios, we think, was that of a very Mil . i -unied by Juneus r//'imit! in tho wilds ni ' : . : , ■ i plant before undetected by any botani l, :iii.l l>\ 1 .m kindly presented to us. '.riiis extraordinary pliiiil was cxhi- September THE COTTAGE GARDENER. bited at a meeting of the Botanical Society of Edin- burgh, from the collection at Dalkeith, by Mr. James M'Nab, and created great interest ; but not more than was shown by Sir William Jackson Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and Mr. John Smitli, tlio talented curator of that establishment, as well as by many of the leading botanists round Lon- don, to wliom we also sent specimens. Mr. Bishop's name will long be held in remembrance in every garden in Britain, from the circumstance of his origi- nating two varieties of pea of exceeding dwarf Iiabits, and of great precocity and productiveness. The last of those, ' the Early Long Podded Dwarf, ' is decid- edly the best pea in cultivation. Mr. Bishop had a groat tasto for music, and was considered one of the jnost chaste vioUn amateiu' players in the Idngdom. His manner was mild and unobtrusive, particularly with strangers, yet frank and communicative with those )io was intimate with. He was doomed to see many of the vicissitudes of life, yet, in his most de- pressed state, had the highest regard to honom- and integrity." Another pest of the garden has this year forced itself prominently mto notice by its ravages. We allude to the insect which has been and is carrying destruction wholesale among our lettuce cro])s. Upon submitting specimens of the insect to Mr. Westwood, the well-known entomologist, he informs us that other specimens have been sent to him, that they belong to a species which ho did not find anywhere described, and to which he has given the name of Pemphigus lactiicce. The specimens we received were from the garden of Mr. Savage, of Winchester. About one hundred Green Cos lettuces were planted eai'ly in July on a light southern border, resting on a clayey marl subsoil, it being manured with a compost formed of earth, lime, garden refuse, and house sewage, and the preceding crop being early peas. During their early stages of growth the plants looked vigorous, but when they had attained to about half their full size, the leaves, after for some time oxliibiting a green hue mmaturally dark, di'ooped, as if for want of water, and the whole vigour of the plants was departed. This appearance did not occur to a few of the plants at a time, but the whole of the one hundred were at once affected. Upon taking up some of them, the tap and fibrous roots were not decayed, but myriads of small dirty-white coloured insects were upon them, and pervaded the soil in their immediate neighbour- hood, and their exuvite gave to it and to the lettuce roots the appeaj-ance of being mouldy. Mr. Westwood informs us that the insect belongs to the winged division of the Apliida, or Plant Lice, and to Hartig's genus PemjMgus, which differs from the common aphis by having its antenna) six-jointed, audits wings veined moro simply, as well as by having no honey- secreting tubes at the extremity of the body. Wo thought, with Mr. Westwood, that this species had not been previously described, but we have since found it was thus very fully noticed, in 1840, by the 307 mder the name of the " Lettuce Rev. Mr. Jenyus, BUght:"— " In the summer of 1811 the entire crop of lettuces in my garden were destroyed by a blight at the roots, arising from the attacks of a small species of Erio- soma. This insect had never shewn itsolf there in any pi-evious year to my knowledge. In this in- stance, all the young lettuces, from six to nine inches high, were observed with their lower leaves flaccid, and flat on the earth, as if parched from drought : tho older ones, which had been tied up for blanching, were some of them completely dead and brown at the heart, others dying. No insects were observed upon the plants above ground ; but, on pidling them up, the fibres of the roots were found thicldy matted with a glutinous cottony substance, amongst which were crawling hundr-eds of the larvae and pupfe. This was on tho 28th of August, and at that time no per- fect insects were as yet visible. The larvffi were of all sizes, some very small, and apparently but just hatched : here and there imbedded in the cottony substance were tho eggs themselves. The former were rather active in their movements, of a green colour, with six rather short feet, the hinder pair not longer than the others ; the antennas also short, of six joints. The pupaj had rudiments of wings, but were simflar to the larvso in all other respects, except in being larger ; they were exactly a line in length. On placing some of tho lettuces under a bell glass, several of the perfect insects appeared on the 3rd of September ; others following in succession for some time afterwards. These were of two colours, perhaps characteristic of the two sexes. Some had the head and thorax dusky brown ; the abdomen pale dusky, tinged with greenish-yellow ; the legs dusky, with the joints rather darker : others inclined generally to ochraceous-yellow, especially the abdomen, and the collar between the head and thorax."* " Amongst the larvae at the roots of one lettuce I observed a single specimen of the larva of some other totally different insect, which appeared to be feeding upon them. This latter was vermiform, and much attenuated towards the anterior extremity, which was very protractile ; it was of a pale green colour, and about two lines in length. There were also some small brown coccoous among the roots, here and there, likewise about two lines in length, which I kept in the hope of their tm-ning to the perfect state, but without success. Probably these were the larva and pupa respectively of some dipterous insect, which keeps the root aphis in check. When once, however, the nuisance occasioned by this last parasite shews itself in a garden, the only efieotual way of getting entirely rid of it is immediately to pull up all the diseased plants and burn them." * " If the above be an undescribed species of Eriosoma, which is extremely probable, from the little attention which has been paid to the insects of this family,— it might be named E. lactuca, and thus characterized ; E. capite et thorace fuscis : abdaviine oUongo fus- cesccjiii-ochracco, vel viridi-ochraceo ; pedilius fuscis^ articulis satu- ratioribus. Long 1. lin.— Ha4. ad radices lactucK sativre. Possibly it may be the Aphis radicum, briefly alluded to by Ku-by and Spencc, (vol. ii. p. 89,) as deriving its nutriment from the roots of grass and other plants. There are, however, mthout doubt, several species of these root Aphides. I have oeeaaionallv observed another, besides the one described above, at the roots of the Lt/simachia nummularia, when growing in a pot in my garden, and rendered unhealthy by bemg kept too dry. This was likewise a species of Eriosoma, but differed from the E. laatucx in having the abdomen shorter and broader, (or more approaching to round than oblong,) and in being more sluggish inhabit, hardly attempting to move when taken from the plant; it also kept more on the surface of the ground, at the bottom of the leaves and stems, than underground, though many might be noticed at the roots themselves. Eeaumur has given a list of plants, at the roots of which he had found Aphides, but the lettuce is not included. Hist, dcs Ins. (12ino. ed. Amst. 1738,) torn. iii. 2nd part, p. 80." THE COTTAGE OMIDENEU. yjiWEMBLK THE PRUIT-GARDEN. Thk Vine Oot oi' Doors. — We come uow to an important period as to the vino as well as most other tender fruits— a period in which all the solar light our flclde autumnal skies affords will he needed in order to give colour and flavour to the fruit and to complete the organization of the hlossom-hud for the fiitm-e year. As we have before ohserved, we have not a doubt that vine cultme out of doors, at least in all our more southern counties, would become much extended if the main principles of acclimatiz- ing (by which the formation of the very border should be regulated previously to planting,) as also the sub- sequent management on the walls were bettor imder- stood. No wonder, however, that the advance has not been of a moro rapid character (as to the exten- sion of then' culture), since the question of the proper construction of borders has been in constant agita- tion amongst practical men, or even those who com- bine much practical experience with high scientific acqiurements, for the last score of years. Until such parties become somewhat unanimous as to first prin- ciples it is not likely that our intelligent public will place much confidence in the nostrums of either Mr. A. or Mr. B.; however, much progress has been made and much good arisen out of this protracted discussion. Time was when strong loamy soUs, abundance of manure, and borders of some six or eight feet in depth, had their advocates amongst men of first-rate practice ; now, we question whether there is a single gardener of any standing in his profession in the United Kingdom who will advocate two out of the three conditions hero named. It begins to be generally understood that it is cliiefly on a just know- ledge of the mechanical texture of soils that we must rely for success. It has been ascertained, beyond doubt, that the burying a vast proportion of mamu-e in the soil for the roots of tropical fniit-trees to gorge themselves with tends only to that Idnd of repletion which is at once opposed to the hardening of the wood, and, by consequence, to the matmity of the fruit-bud. We have said thus mucli in order to guard inox- jiericncod persons fi'om hastily inferring — in case of failure — that their chmate is not suitable to the vine, and who are thus apt to give up its culture in despair. The subject of border makuig, with the necessarily concomitant questions of depth, toxtm'o, richness, &c., is a fitter matter for discussion during the dor- mant period, and wo shall then probably find occasion to i-evert to its considertion. We glanced in our last paper on tho cultm'e of the vine out of doors, on the necessity that woidd arise for clearing away many of the lateral or axillary shoots which were retained for awliile for a double pui-pose, viz., to prevent the superior fruit-buds of the future season from being forced Lato premature growth, and also to assist in the general elaborations. The period for such operations has arrived, and we may here observe that it is one of those processes which is better dono by instalments. " Natm'e does not like to be taken by sm-priso." Something depends on peculiarity of situation in these matters ; much on tho prevailing character of tho season. Some autumns are so very sunny, that, unless lateral shoots much abound, there is little occasion to bo anxious about them for a fortnight to como ; other seasons are so clouded and dauip tli;it tho ndvipo wo liero oli'or might liavc b(;cu [lul iu ]i)-;i( lice ;i loiliii;;1it sooner : thus, like most oth.;r h.irlii'uil iii-;il iM-ncrc.liiigs, tho niiud of the cidliviitoriiiusLlH' Ihmii,",M In liraron the subject. This is as it should be ; Uijs it is which createw audi an interest in gardening afl'airs — an interest which mcreases at a more rapid pace in Britain thou any other country ; owing, no doubt, to the inestimal)lc blessing of internal peace ; for war is not a befitting cradle for horticidtural science. Wo would say, then, under general cu-cumstances, early in Sejitember let every lateral bo stripped away which shades the principal leaves or intercc]its the sun's rays from shiuing on and heating tlic w;dl. Iu the beginning of October it may become noccssury to thin out a leaf here and there in order to throw a little sunlight on the fruit itself. This will both augment the colour and tlavom-, and tend to dissipate any moistm'e which may occasionally lodge amongst the berries. If any of the leading shoots are still growing they should bo stopped also, as no benefit can accrue to the plant at tliis period from being allowed to produce late and immatui'e foliage, which can never add to the elaborations of the plant, but which wUl detract from them. Nothing will now remain but to secm'e tho fruit from wasps or flies, and to remove decaying or blem- ished benies, if such should appear. Bottles of some kind maybe suspended, containing a little sugar and water, to winch may he added a little sti'ong soin- ale or the bottoms of wine bottles : tho stronger the ma- terial, the more ofl'cotive it wOl provo. Those who may be fortunate enough to possess old sashes from houses or pits, and which are not wanted for other purposes, wiU do well to lean them against the wall before the vines : such will prove of immense service. Fruit Gathering. — We recin- to this subject in order to observe that it requfres constant watchful- ness. There is no occasion to gather the whole of a tree at once ; indeed, such a com-se, although impera- tive with those who gi-ow fruit on a lai-ge scsile, is in- expedient with the amateur or tho cottager. It will be found, with regard to most of our apples and peai's — table fruits we mean — that a great difference in regard of ripeness exists on the same ti'ee at the same period. By gathering them at two or three periods a much longer succession will be promoted. This mode of procedure applies to most of our ajiples and ))oars : those of a late ripening habit and possessing keeping properties especiaUy. Let every care be taken in the act of gathering' too much sti'css cannot possibly be laid on this ; and it lays in the power of the amateur to take double the pains which can bo taken by those who grow fruit extensively for sale, and whoso object, therefore, is of a very difl'oront cha- racter. The Double BEAnrao IIaspuerry. — Much cai'e should be given to those autiuuual raspberries as they ripen, for the birds will tiiki' Ihnii if not well looked after; and (o ftalliii- tlicni UvUdv Ihey are ripe is to lose what liulc llnvour liny ii;iliii',illy possess at this season. A lew bhould bu giilherud every fine day if possible, and they may be sidl'cred to accunm- lato in a tolerably warm room, where, with due caro in thoJiandling, they wiU keep for two or three days and iiiipiuvr in lliiv.iur. TiiK Ai,ri\i: Si i;\\\ iiiuiRY. — Tho same courso must bu pui-siir,l Willi iIhsc :is with raspberries, taking care to haudlo Uk'iii cmly when they aro quite dry, for they aro very tender ur texture when fully ripe. Late Peaches. — Some kinds will still bo found on tho trees in late districts, especially such as the Late Admiral, the Bcllgardo, and the Catherine, as also the Ncwiugtoii nectaiiuo. I'',vcry leaf wliich shades lliii IVuiL sluMild ho iiiiiched oilirely away, for it is I'ssciitially necessary that tlie sun should shine on the friut at this season. September THE COTTAGE GAllDENEK. .'WO Late DessEUt Pears. — In lato situations, late ri- peuiug Iduds, sucli as the Gloiit inoroeau aud d'Arem- bci'fj srctton, tlui Nc plus mciiris, the Winter neilis, llii' liiMirir laiice, &t;., will, at times, prove too late to ;'v| llirii- lull aiiumnt of llavour, unless some exti-a iniMii', lir l:ili(ii to admit the solar rays. When such is Ihr ("ISO W(^ advise another inspection of the trees, and if any of the out-back spray can be further shortened back, so luuoh the better. In extreme cases, the whole to be removed in winter might be removed clean away at orice, for tlic cmhryt.! blossom buds will oujoy thii full amount of soliu' lig'ht as well as the fruit. It is tor wiuit of precaution of this kind that so nmch had " setting" is complained of in the spring ; what else could he expected from the sharp white frosts of A23ril attacking half-organized blos- Suckees. — Another point of bad culture is the per- mitting suckers to grow through a whole snmmer,. smothering the lower branches of fruit trees. The harm they do to the root is as notliing in comparison with the damage often occasioned by then- insinuat- ing themselves (as they fi-equently do) at the back of the branches of wall trees, and then branching forth and choking by their gross shade the sprigs or buds on the lower portion of the tree. If such liave not been destroyed, let them be rooted out immediately. R. Errinoion. THE FLOWER-GAEDEN. Routine Work : Phopaoaiion.- — This ni(njth and the next may be denominated, with strict propriety, preparing and conservative months ; preparing for next year by propagating, and conservative by taking care of them when propagated. Beaiing these two principles in mind, our readers will act wisely if, talcing time by the forelock, they carry these princi- ples out. The plants that ought to be propagated now, if not already done, are anagallises, cinerarias,, fuchsias, gaillardias, heliotropes, lobelias (dwarf), mimnluses (herbaceous), petunias, phloxes, penste- mons, salvias, shrubby calceolarias, scarlet geraniirms, and verbenas. Put these cuttings rather thickly in six-iuch pots, placing them in a frame, and, for a fortnight, sljading pretty closely when the sun shines ; after tliat, gradually leave off the shade. By this is meant shade a sliorter time every day, and to prevent tliem from being too hot give air very moderately at- iirst, increasing the air as you lessen the shade. This unist be attended to in all cases of jilant culture, whether in frames, pits, or glass bouses of any des- cription. Whenever shading is used, the quantity of air given ought to be lessened; and as the cuttmgs or plants attain strength to resist or bear the power of the sunshine, the quantity of an- given ought to be increased. In the ease of cuttings which we are now treating oi", as soon as you perceive symptoms of gi-owth try them as a bird tries its young when she observes the wings nearly grown. If the cut- tings will endure the sim and air yon may he jirctty sui-e they are rooted, and then give air and light accoi'dingly, In order to keep them low bushy plants, pinch ofl' ttie tops at a very early stage; this will induce side shoots, which may he stopt again. If you have plenty of room you may pot ott' the most forward, but this is not absolutely necessary at- this season of the year, as the plants will not gi'ow much during the winter months, and by keeping thcui iu the cutting pots a much larger number of plants can be preserved for the spring. i;ating re for Supposingyou have heon sii(('rs,-,lul these usefirl plants, the next llnir; i taking care of them ; and, hrsul., imiiiii;.: .you win have by-and-by a host of otiifi |.hiiii- lor wlii<-h room will be required to conserve tlnni liom tie- winter's frost. Prepare, then, in 'good liinr, siilo jc- treats. Build pits of bricks laid well in i tar; if expense is not minded build them with hollow walls, that is, two rows of brick with a space of about three or four inches between, and a coping at the top to hind them together. The air in this cavity acts as a non-conductor, keeping out the cold of winter and the heat of summer. If you have the means to send a hot-water pipe through tlie pits in front, it wUl he useful in extremely cold weather, especially in the more northern districts. Cover these pits with glazed frames, and provide mats and straw. Straw Mats.— We have used straw mats, and found them excellent, as no frost could penetrate them, especially if a covering of bass mats were added. Straw mats are formed of little bundles of -wheat straw tied together so as to form an oblong mat of proper size for the iiame it is intended to cover : generally those frames are about four feet wide and five feet long, and the straw mats ought to be of that dimension. They ought not to hang over on any of the sides. Having got all these things in readiness, you are prepared for any sort of weather. To our cottage friends who cannot aflbrd brick pits we strongly recommend pits made of turf, which are good shelters for wintering half-hardy plants, and even, if well made and duly covered, of keeping alive more tender things ; moreover, we say to all our readers, of whatever rank, he in time. Have those frames, pits, &o., got ready without delay, for Jacky Frost is something like a railway traui — he will not wait till you are ready for him. Hardy Lilitjms. — A correspondent having in- quired for a list, and directions for the culture, of these splendid flowers, we have the gi-eater pleasure in giving that information because we know it will be useful to many of our readers. The lilies have heen great favom-i'tes from time immemorial ; Solomon mentions them with great praise, and om- blessed ■Lord says that that prince of wisdom, when most gorgeously apparelled, was not equal in beauty of array to one of these. Beyond dispute they are the most regal of all flowers, whether we consider their majestic bearing, or whether we look at the pm-e unsullied white of Lilium eandidum (white lily), or the brUliautly spotted tiger-like, Lilium tigrinum. It is a great recommendation to the tiibe, also, that they are perfectly hardy, and, comparatively speaking, of easy culture; only a very few species requhe an extra amount of care. Being a large tribe, to cultivate them successfully, so as to slhow ofl' their ma,jestic forms, a rather large space will be needful to contain them, even if only one or two of each be grown. The following are tlie names of tlie species, and the number of varieties ai-c drnoU'd liy ligiaos. The letter « prefixed denotes lli;il llii' s|irci(-^ is i-iillin- tonder. I,ilhii)i riiiiiliihnii (wlnlo); (i. Mpnnicmu (-lapan) ; ,i.lnii,jijl„nnii (!on,^■|l..^vl-lvd): Nt-paleiisc (Nopaull; •i va'r ; /'(///; i:-, 1 1 ii> leaves lH-,L;i'u to grow, I believe any liyuciuth will do well enough either in water, moss, or iu soil ; but I prefer moss as the least liable to get out of order. Water is the most damaging to the bulbs, aud soil may get too dry, or too damp, or mouldy, or the dramage may get stopped, aud many other unlooked-for difficulties besides may occur to it, but moss is free from suc.li impediments. Like a sponge, it Imlds ni(iui;li wiilrr and no more, the roots run tliruUL;li it in nil liiK riinns, aud at last crowd at the bottom uT ij,,' pi.L win iv ilm moss is beginning to rot, aud no doubt they I'eed cm it in that state. The dill'ereut bulb growers iu Hol- land give didereut names to their seedUng bidbs althougli tliey may be the same variety; this is often unavoidable, but it is vei-y puzzliug when you come to make a selection. D. Beaton. HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. We latelydii^ri.,! ;,((,., illm, |,. !!„■ linV'lil, ii, early forcing, of I III. n : p ' )■ I ' ! M:nl of lint glass roofs. For in:: ; ■ i, I' innl;,, |,v(ivided they are not rm, nd i , , ii,i,,r, would be tlio most serviceable at all scasuus, fur wliUe they com- mand the greatest amount of light in winter, the number of rays that would be retlccted in suiuiuor would ivii.lcv shailiriL;- lirxl tn imriccr^smy. Wl.ni once U.r.r n,:,llr,s .•olllc In li.' I 1 n i|, ,1 l-i I I'v ll -Ill abdUl. i,l;i(l\ lliiliv,-, mil iv.viv,- III.' Iirliriil ni' liiiv upriglil liLlir Ih.m .■,. wliirli ;ir,. now olili-nl lo -,1 on as best tliey can iu llalrouled pits aud Iraiues, Having settled upon the angle of the house, the next thing to ho attended to is the Formation of tub Boudeus, both within and with- out, if it be your object to plant in both positions. The subject is a large one, but has already been handled by our able coadjutor, Mr. Errington, and, therefore, requii-es less notice now, as such a border as will grow tender trees well out of doors will not fail to accomplish the same object in the case of those grown within, provided their relative circumstances are attended to. A few words, however, may not be out of place. In most situations we should have, for vines and other tender trees, an impervious bottom for their borders ; that bottom sloping considerably, say at an angle of from 75° to 80°, from back to front. At the front there should be a deep drain, and, if the border is largo, a cross di'ain should run from back to front, below tlie level of the hard flooring, in every 15 or 2U feet. At the termination of the drain at the back, and opposite to it in front, upright tubes should be mserted, that the air may circulate through the di-ains and amongst the open rubble that covers the impervious bottom. This rubble, consisting of brick- bats, clinkers, hard lumpy chalk, &c., should be at least oue foot in tliickness. The bottom may be ren- dered impervious to the roots by means of paving- stone, tiles, slates, or by means of oue part of <|uick- lime to six or seven parts of gravel, with just suffi- cient walri- lo lilind Uiriii i|nirl(ly, andlaid down four inches tlmk. Tlio oiv^i ol.j, ,( iif such bottoms is to prevent rooi^ orliiuL; down, wliicli is one gi'eat cause of unfruiUuliiiss : ;is ih,- oimlr juices formed, owing to too much moisLinr lniiiL; :ili-oi-licd, cannot be suffi- ciently claboraloil in ilir ciisr of plants which are natives of climates nioii' sinniy llian ours. The case of a iiiu'ily IVircst tree is a ditleront affau', the deeper its loois l;,i liio iiion liixm-iantly will it flourish ; the olilainini;- of tiiiiiin- aud tho seciniug of fruit are dijfiivul results, wliirb nuist be accomplished by dif- ferent means. In well drained shallow bordei's the soil-moisture absorbed by the roots is more oxygen- ated from contact with the atmosphere, which is found to assist tho processes of olaboi'alioii jimI j-siinil.iliou bytheleavcs. " Well, bnl." llir;o , i. , I 'l ;i,k, "do all you garclenet>, have lie .i IioL- toms?" No! but that is ,.1'len oni-;/' ,' -I •'<. :U„ij. Were we buUdiug a uew house, we li;i\e li.nl siillhi, nt e\|ieiience in the matter to lead us lo //// :ind ilo what we are recommending. We arc, tleii lore, not lo lie eurolled amnug that class of woiilues wlio, wlien told that llieii- ].raeliee ami llieir leaeliiie,;' ilal not agree, veplieil, •■ 1),. not as I ,|o, Ian .lo a, I WW v.ai." Whatwc a.lvis,',wi' have, d.m.', an.l w.ml.l !..■ iva'.ly t.i do again, T'rue, many of our !..■ I L;ai.leners are opposed to the practice, and their .ipinhiu a., w. II as their success n.re jioints not tn \n- .lisi. L^.n.l. .1 ; hut in one point we all agroi\ an.l llial i- llu,,;,ii.fjt ilmin- tomed li.a-.l.'is w.- I.i.ik unon .- . i.ill i, i, ., sii.-h as iIhi ing, or ol nutans of know ol' I borders th from takii greatest .> wards or 1 1 llaM-st.ni.': oh III, . such vth till THE COTTAGE GAKDENEll. iVuill'iiliirs-i. 'I'lii' liioisluvo that I'alls from the clouds loailcd wilh ail- ami riitili/jiiL;- |ir(i|)crtics is, for such jmi'iHisi/.s, till- liusl, ; aiul, wlirii tliat is not sulliciout, JL liuc:iJiiK's au easy iiuiUf.r to ajiply that wliich lias liocu exposed to atmospheric iuilueuce. The great error eouimitted in fruit-troo borders has arisen from tlio iiraeaiee of treating a peach or a vino just as we would a carrot or a cabbage, or a mere ibrcst-treo, wliere ([uieluiess of growth and luxiu-ianee were tlio main objects aiuied at. In their case, deptii of soil, aiul even deeply stirring the subsoil, are of great im- liortance, because not only is a free scope given to tlie roots, but hi wet seasons they will not be flooded, and ill dry seasons tliey will not be parched. In borders, say for vines treated iu a similar manner, you will olteu obtain rods like good walldng-sticks and leaves like parasols, but the fruit is not uni're- quently small and badly coloiu'cd. l''rom viucs in shallower borders, with wood and leaves half the size, you will obtain superior fruit. Why the dill'erence? In the one case there was more growth than could be thoroughly matured, in the other the juices were all liiglily elaborated; in the one case the wood when cut was soft and some- wlia.t pithy, in the otlier it was like heai't of oak. We do not like to see great luxuriance in our peacli- tiees, but we are aU rather fond of strong wood in our vines, as the finer the shoots, and the larger the leaves, the finer we should expect the future crop to be, provided tlie elaborating of the juices of the plant wore perfectly completed : without tliat the luxuriance is of no advantage. To secm-e that luxu- riance, and yet at the same time to command the perfect ripening of the wood, the roots must be kept within atmospheric influence, and then by surface dressings and liquid manure you may command what strength of growth you require. Do not misunder- stand'us, however : the bottom of your border must be .shqiiiiij, not Jlat ; it must have a natural drain of open rubble all over it, communicating with a good drain iu front. Without these adjuncts we advise you to leave bottoming alone. I have had to do with biittomed borders little better than receptacles of water and mud, by their being made flat, and without sulhcieiit drainage. If you do not mean to do all this, then the host thing will he to follow the advice of tlie opponents of "bottoming," by making and contenting yourself with good drains. For general purposes, a depth of two feet of good turfy soil wiU be rather more than a fair average. For peaches less will do, and without manure. Vines should have an addition of lime rubbish, free-stone, &c., to keep the soil open. The best incorporated manm-e is rough broken bones. Provided the soil is open, and the drainage good, strength, by the help of manure water, can be obtahied at an^ time. We only meant to say a few words, but the matter would easily amplify into pages. One thing in par- ticular let me caution you against, and you must think of it while building yom' walls ; do not s'mle, but raise, your outside borders as much as possible above the surrounding level. Get as much fresh uncroppod top-Rjiit sod as you can, and, if not sufficient, reserve a part of the best of the natural soil of the place ; but, iu order to do this, do not sink a great gully-hole, as if you were going to make a large tank for the holding of water. Every spadeful of earth and clay you remove unnecessarily for this purpose is worse than labour lost. Make all but the best part of the natural soil (and that we should not eare about mix- ing, if it can be done without) subservient to giving the bottom of your border the necessary slope ; in it form yoiu' drains, as deep as you please, and tbon upon tliis place your rubble and prepared soil. Thus, though you cannot obviate the necessity of wheeling in, you wiU avoid the greater labour of digging, picking, and wheeling out. " Ah ! very nice indeed ; but, tlieu, Mr. I'ish, see the additional expense 1 must be, jiut to in raising my walls several com'ses of bricks higher, iu order to enable you to raise this nicely sloping border; and then there is my neigh- bour, Mr. Fine-taste, who will criticise me unmerci- fully if 1 shoidd have a brick above a certain height, so as to be seen at all from a certain window, and pronounce my house, about which you and I are taking counsel, as a great, gawky, staring thing." I reply : first, what is wortli doing at all is worth doing well ; we tried to do well in our yoiuiger days, but then we did not know as now how to do it. Secondly, the course we advise will be the cheapest in the enA ; nay, we question whether the raising of the additional brickwork would not be cheaper at first than remov- ing such a quantity of stiff or gravelly soO. Thirdly, practice demonstrates its importance : doubters should have a trial of some of the tank-like borders some of us have to contrive to manage. Fom-thly, if there is a really valid objection to raising the wall, you may yet do much by lessening the widtJi of the house, when less height would be necessary, and the border might rise to the front waU-plate. And, fiithly, as to Mr. Fine-taste, yield your own judgment to no man ; but unless yom- own taste (inlbrmed, of course), and yom- own good strong common sense, see reasons incontrovertible in what he urges, smile at his well- inteutioned learned criti(!ism, and tell him in turn that wherever utUity and fitness for a given object are so plainly perceptible as to requu-e no explana- tions, there the taste developed cannot he bad. E. Fisu. THE KITCHEN-GAEDEN. Cabbage Plants. — The earliest and best varieties should now he put out in succession for early spring use. The ground should be prepared by a liberal appHcation of good manme, and well ti-enched ; if ridged into sloping banks, as before recommended, so much the better: the ridges may be left as rough as possible, and the young plants which were sown at the proper season for spring cabbages may bo planted at the intended distance on the sides of the ridges, and the intervals filled up with strong coleioort 2)lants, to be di-awn out as they become ready for use tln-ough- out the winter. Cauliflowers. — -Sow full crops of this vegetable, so that the requisite quantity of plants to stand the winter for spring planting may be secured. Watercress. — Those who are enabled to cultivate the watercress, should now, if a new bed is to be made, clear away all the rubbish from the spot selected, and replant. Where the watercress is already established, and has been well gathered fi-om, a part of the bed should be well cleared out, saving all the strongest and best plants to replant again after all the weed, rubbish, and muddy refuse liave been taken away. The beds shoidd, ii' possible, be established whore good fresh water is at aU times running through them. Lettuces. — Prick out and transplant as fast as the seed bed requuvs thhiniug, taking eai\\ these moist mild evenings, to phiec some liaits oi' new brewers' grains, or new bran in small (|(i,iiil dies, hi entice the slugs together, so that they may be dealt with according to the garden laws. Oin- custom is THE COTTAGE GAEDENEE. Sepie> to run roimd the garden with a basket of fresh slaked lime to kill them, and the next morning we again go roimd with a spade and bucket, collecting all we can find, and turning them to account by adding tlicm to the manure heap, for the land at some future time. Celehy. — Continue to earth up gradually and care- fully when the plants are quite dry, drawing up the outer leaves quite straight, and pressing the earth gently round them, to protect, as we have before ad- ■vised, the heart of the celery from being smothered with earth. Exnn'E. — Attend to the directions given last week under the head " celery and salads." Cucumbers and Melons. — Those who have late cucumbers and melons in a healthy state should assist them a little by topping up and renewing the linings ; or, if heated by taulcs or hot water pipes, apply a little more heat; slight coverings at night with mats, &c., will also very materially assist them. Cucum- bers of the best varieties for winter culture should now be sown. A plant or two of the 8ion House or Keiiyon varieties may be grown in any small house where heat is maintained for the pine apple, or stove, or orcludeous plants ; or in a cutting house ; and if either trained up a rafter, or the end, or back wall of the house, a good succession of fi'uitmay be obtained. These varieties also may be successfully cultivated through tho winter in pits or frames, if trained on a trellis and new the glass. Eadishes of various kinds should now be sown on warm borders. MusHBooM Beds.— Collect materials for making the principal bearing mushroom beds as has been pre- viously directed, and those beds which have been for some time in bearing should be shghtly sprinkled with liquid manure, applied in a tepid state, and brewed from the dung of the cow, sheep, horse, or deer, without tho addition of eithersoot or lime. James Baknes. MISCELLANEOUS INEOEMATION. MY FLOWEES. (No. 43.) This is the tinio for making cuttings or taking slips of the cluysanthemum. These are very elegant plants indeed; the flowers, when fine, ai'e beautiful both as to colour and shape ; they are so feathery and grace- ful in their attitude, and soft and delicate in tint, that tliey are well worth some little care, and if possible, should be placed in our windows, as they are liner and last longer in bloom than when in the open ground. By taking cuttings or slips now, we shall obtain flowers earlier no.\t season than by doing so in the spring, but then we must plant them in ]jots that they may bo protected during the winter. The best sorts, of course, should be selected, and the cut- tings taken from yoimg shoots, five or six inches in length, and planted in good sized pots that will hold several of them as they need not to bo planted sepa- rately. Tills should bo done oai-ly in the month. Tho chrysanthemum is an invaluable autumn flower, both in tho room and the border ; it lasts so long, and is so lovely, and has also a pleasant perfume. Tlio small red variety was tho first introduced into this country, but it is now quite thrown into shade by tho many iinor and handsomer sorts wo cultivate. It is often seen in cottage gardens, but seldom in those of the rich. Its native land is China, v?hero it is highly valued and extolled, and so it is in Japan ; but it was only brought to England in the year 1795, although it is said to have been known here at a much earlier period, and then to have disappeared. There are more than fifty varieties cultivated in its own land ; we have also a large variety of them of rich and various colours. The best annual chrysanthemum is said to be that called " ti'icolor,' which has white, yellow, and pru'ple flowers, and they look gay and bril- liant when clustering together in the border. There is something very interesting to us in a Chinese flower: it comes from a laud that piust ever be pleasant to the heart of woman, as so closely connected with her special enjoyment, tea. In the poorest cottages that grateful beverage is clung to when little else can be obtained; and I think most of "my sisters" will agree with me in confessmg that it is one of the last luxuries we should be willing to give up. A flower of China speaks to us of strange things ; of an em- pire dark and idolatrous, yet so firm and resolute in its policy that for centuries it has been sitting soli- tary among the nations of tho earth, unloved and almost imregarded. But for its own peculiar tree, China would be a place unknown, and unchanged amid the changes of this restless world. Now, how- ever, it has pleased God to " lift up" its doors, " that the long of glory may como in." Even in that land, shut in by mountains and seas, and laws, the Gospel has at last been preached ; and wo may, as we watch tho opening buds of our delicate chrysanthemum, rejoice to think that then- dark, unpenetrable couuti-y now hears the " voice of tho charmer," and sees the " true light that hghteth every man that cometh into the world." Noiv the Gospel is " preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, " aa-e we preparing for " tho end" which " shall then come?" The fern certainly cannot bo called a flower, but it is a very beautiful production of the soU, and is in peculiar luxuriance this siunmer. I have seen very dehcate specimens in windows ; I have read of the beauty of the choice ferneries that many gna-- deners possess ; but I turn to natm-e's fernery, and nothing can exceed that. There ai-e spots in tho ' woodlands where the tail, quiet trees stand closely together, yet admitting aii- and sunshine for tho growth of woodland phmts ; and there waves the fern in free and graceful luxuriance, in such rich masses that it seems almost as a moving sen of deep, dark verdui'e, and charms tho eye with its elegant, feathery foliage. In some of the wild, picturesque, park-like spots, through which pathways often run, we meet with scenes that rival anything a garden can display — scenes of unspeakable beauty. Let all who possess highly cultivated gardens cherish and enjoy them ; their various collections show the endless operations of God's creative power, ever wonderli.il and ever now; but let those who possess them not bo satisfied witli tho exquisite tilings that spvoad themsnlvrs nvouud ; let them turn from tho lovi ly lirlds ami liiius, to tho thickets and copses, to tlir lniiutil'ul ilclls timt no one notices, where they will liiul sncli " iVriR'rics," such little bright sunny glades, such groupings of wild shrubs, and such soft velvetty turf, that they may re- turn to their homes enchanted with their own \vild gardens, where weeds do not worry them, or blights and frosts disappoint their highest expectations. I confess that, although I have become a scribbler on flowers, I never did visit a show garden in my lifo without weariness and distaste. I always wanted to go home, or to get out into the park among the trees and brambles, and I am by no moans sure that I do not prefer a picturesque " cottage garden," with all its tangled hedges and unpretending prettiucsses, to SErTF.]\rr,En THE COTTAGE GARDENEB. .'^l.'i that of tho first nobleman in tlio land. Now, I am afraid, I liave shocked some of my readers. Tlic China aster is an invaluable annual. It has sucli a variety of colour that it ornaments tho garden more than any other plant, and goes blooming on so steadily and porsevevingly that it should bo sown in every bed and border. Even in my garden it does tolerably well, and though not very large looks bright and gay. This is also a Chinese plant ; it is valued and higlily cultivated in its native land, and is a larger and finer flower than with us. I have seen a small collection of Chinese flowers painted on rice paper, and brought direct from that country ; the colouring was bright and the form of the flowers seemed pretty. We shall probably now receive many beautiful new plants fi'om that hitherto unexplored region, and thereby have renewed cause to admire and adore the wonders and beauties of God's hand. The daisy now blooming at my feet is a wonder and a beauty, yet we need perpetual reminding, and a new and splendid specimen sometimes awakens a feeling that tho simple daily beauties around us fail to excite. I have seen China asters extremely fine in a cottage garden facing the south, tho soil of which is light and diy. They are not usually raised by cottagers, but they greatly heighten the beauty of their simple gardens. There is always a fertility in cottage soil; flowers seem to do well there, in spite of trees, and shade, and damp, and everything that injures them in higher stations. They always bloom earlier and later, seem sweeter, and glow more brightly than in some more cultivated grounds, and appear to suffer less from blight and frost. There is a blessing on the labouring poor, if they would but feel it. " The poor and the stranger" were tenderly guarded by the sta- tutes of God, and He guards them tenderly still. What- ever may be his rank and station, " He that dwell- eth in the secret place of the most high" is " covered" with "the feathers" and "tho wings" of God, and fenced round with mercy. At this particular time of trial let us all remember that such a man shall not fear " for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth ,at noon-day." TO CORRESPONDENTS. *#* Many letters must r BiTTEE Cucumbers {Hester S.) and the remedy explained at p. 291. Peas Soaked in Aloes ( ' " ing water upon an ounce of a liquor get cold, and soak the peas in it for 12 hours. Your other questions are answered at page 304, Turf on Chalky Soil {A. JS/arfe).— Thereisno mode of keep- ing this green in the droughts of summer except by watering it plen- tifully, and at least once a week with liquid manure. The chalk downs, though clothed with the herbage most suitable to them, be- come brown in summer. You say you have constantly mowed and rolled your lawn, which is laid with turf from a down. You had the turf, therefore, most suitable to your soil, and the rolling was right, Rose Leaves iuewed isitowN (x. i. uross). — uvy ' the want of moisture at the roots have done this. You had better leave them alone now, but next summer put mulch over the roots, and give water occasionally. Dahlia Cuttings (Jfiirf).— Cuttings of the shoots had better be planted several together in one large pot. Insert them round the side of the pot. Hollyhocks arc not annuals but biennials, and are best sown in June, the seedlings to be transplanted as soon as large enough to where they are to remain. For information relative to fuchsia and geranium cuttings see p. 14 of vol. i. and p. 147 of the present. Pray look to our indexes. Your water-butt on the level of the ground in your garden may have a half-inch gutta pexcha tube fixed to it for the purpose of supplying your watering-pots. You will fiud it very awkward to water directly from the tube, and there is not fall from it sufficient to throw the water any distance. Gladiolus (A Curate). —We could make nothing of your flmvcr. Flowers are not examinable if put fresh in a letter and stamped liy the post ; to be of uhc tlicy must reach us as fresh and full as when gathered, and this can only be done by enclosing them in tin cases, Huri-ounded with tisHuc paper slightly damped. The four stamens in a gladioli is a sport of nature. We arc not aware of any other namcn than Nutalensia and Psittucinus being applied to this ghidiohis. Young Gbranium Cuttings (/fiirf).— These now rooting cannot be kept in a cold, dark room over a kitchen through the winter, Init try them ; and also save the old plants in case you fail with the young ones. ZAUcnsNERiA Californica (Jbid). — This is quite hardy, and when done flowering plant it out of doors ; the young shoots may die down from being tenderly treated, but the roots will push up young branches. Gladiolus in Moss (7i((/).— You say this promises well. Wo never saw a gladiolus growing in moss, but Mr. Beaton tells ua that all bulbs which lose their roots and dry annually may be flowered in moss easier than any other way, and with less injury to the bulbs. Standard Geraniums {Ibid). — These have often been made, and if properly managed they look well. Planting Fruit Trees (G. TK. P.).— All letters arc destroyed as soon as answered. If we have not replied to any query, please to put it again ; but we cannot advise as to arrangement of grounds • 8uch advice can only be given after a personal acquaintance witli them, and for this we have no time. Vines in Pots (T. W.). — An essay on these, probably, will appear in our pages very soon. Standard Currants (J?ey. C. W. Z,.).— You will find directions for pruning these, with illustrations, at p. 123 of our first volume. Late potatoes may be safely stored under cover in burnt earth, in alternate layers. It is a very excellent material for the purpose. LiauiD Manure {E. J. //.).— As yourtank receives all your house sewage, which we presume includes soapsuds and other weak watery mixtures, as well as the drainage from your stable and farm-yard, it cannot be very strong, unless your horses, Sec, are numerous. If our assumptions are correct, one gallon of the mixture will be suffi- ciently diluted by mixture with two gallons of water ; but remember liquid manure had better be a little weaker than it might he, rather than in the slightest degree stronger than plants will bear. Grapes Small and Bad (Ciwis). — We hardly know how your bunches and berries are so small, unless owing to the circumstance of the vines being so young, and, perhaps, the wood not being tho- roughly ripened last autumn. As you say that the wood looks beau- tiful and short-jointed, you have no reason to be alarmed, as the scanty crop this season will be all in your favour for a better crop in succeed- ing years. Many good vines are ruined from taking a heavy crop from them at too early an age. Even next season you had better be moderate in the quantity you allow to remain. The chief thing now is to get the wood well ripened, and for effecting that object a small fire, with air, now will be more effectual than a large fire a month hence. There is nothing WTong in the kind of grapes you mention (Chasselas Musque, West St. Peter's, Royal Muscadine, and Black Prince), but Macready's early white we are not acquainted with. Chasselas Musque is a fine grape, a little apt to crack. West St. Peter's ripens late, hangs well during winter ; but as your house acts as a repository during winter for a collection of plants, an earlier grape, sueh as the Hamburgh, would suit you better, though if you force a httlc you may have them all cut before the plants arc intro- duced. As you wish an increase to your list, we should advise aplant of the White Dutch Sweetwater to be placed at the warmest end of the house, as in such circumstances you will cut from it three weeks sooner than from any other ; a couple of Black Hamburghs, and a Muscat of Alexandria. The latter sets well in such a house as yours, where forcing does not commence until March or April, and the grapes will hang along with the West St. Peter's even after you introduce a part of your mnter plants. Moving Plants (T. Thomas). — The general principle that plants should be moved when dormant applies more to out-door than to in- door cultivation, though even there breaking through the supposed principle is frequently more advantageous than otherwise, Mr. Fish grounds his recommendation of starting the Catharanthus, and then shifting {p. 214), upon a rule binding as a principle^ namely, never to check the top and the roots of a plant at the same time, when you can attain your object by performing the operations alternately. The geranium grower knows well how to apply this important rule. He does not shift his plants when he cuts them down ; he allows the strength remaining in the old roots to push out fresh growth, and then he removes the old soil and part of the roots with it, knowing that in the circumstances in which he will place the plant the young growth will sooner cause a protrusion of fresh roots, and thus re-es- tablish a relative and correlative action between the diff'erent parts, just aa roots are sooner formed from a cutting where the leaves are maintained in a green healthy state than in a kindred cutting without leaves, or where from'carelcss management they have been allowed to decay. Berberis DULCis SiiEDDiNG ITS Fruit (iMd), — Try a shadier place for the Berberis dulcis (Sweet Barberry.) We have not had the Eleasure of tasting its fruit, which is black, about the size of a black- erry, and must, as well as the flowers, look very pretty from its long footstalks or peduncle. We recollect seeing some small bushes of it some years ago at the Horticultural Gardens, but there was no fruit. We have heard there is also a deciduous variety. There is a variety of the B. vulgaris (common Barberry), called dulce, with red berries, but we never discovered anything sweet about them. Brianzolo Fig (Ibid). — We do not know the Brianzolo fig ; it is peculiar to the Milanese territory, and also known there as the Fico Passin. The Nerii fig is pale greenish-yellow in its skin, small in size, less than the Marseilles, delicious in flavour, and thrives best in a low temperature under glass. Smell of Urine (Z, Z.).— Mixing sulphuric acid with it from TTTK rOTTAdE riAimRNF,!!. timp to time, ns lonp n^i cffcrvcsicncc, or liubblinp, is ctiused hy tlin addition, uill jirobiildy be tlic best mode of subduing the aniell of that which vou rcquive for liquid manure. Cactus CuTTiivGS {iV. Snv„[r, with stems of 24 inches length, an '* to try them in small pots— say five or six inches diameter- sandy compost, placing them close to the glass in your conservatory (giving one watering only now), and training up to the sash frame or ribs of your roof, there to remain and bloom." They will answer very well in this way, and they will require no shade, except while in bloom. Gesneea Zebrina (/i(rf).— This now coming into bloom will require moderate waterings till the bloom is over; after that let the plant die gradually by withholding water, then keep the pot in a dry warm place till February, or early in March, when the soil must be shaken out, and the scaly tubers may be divided into small pieces for propagation ; but we shall give you the whole treatment of the plant Scarlet Geranium Sou, (P. J. H. S.).— Good garden soil, not too rich or poor, will best suit the scarlet geraniums. The best arti- cle on their treatment is that at p. 78, by Mr. Beaton. Mr. Conway's paper was published by the Horticultural Society. It does not differ in principle from ours. Autumn-flowering Greenhouse Bulbs C^Wrf).— Hyacinths, early tulips, narcissus, Persian iris, &:c., are the best bulbs for your )mrpoae. Wo shall treat of them shortly. After the gladioli and Guernsey lily, there are few greenhouse biilbs that flower late in the autumn. Changing the Hydrangea's Colour (E. if. TT.).— Not " red rand" but red sand is meant at page 24a, line 10 from bottom of col. 1, that being often more impregnated with iron than white sand. Vou must not expect a blue hydrangea from an autumn cutting taken from a pink flowering plant. Plants in London {A Londonm^), — You will find a list of plants that will suit your garden at p, 20 of this volume. If you require them for windows we must ask of you to consult the numerous refer- ences in the index of our first volume. If we received yoxir first note, signed Citizen, it was answered at p. 203. London Early-bound Potato C^. B. W.).—We think you might obtain this of any of the jirincipal potato dealers in Covent- YuccA Gloriosa (A Cnvjitri; Curate). —This, if grown in deep loamy soil with a dry bottom, generally flowers every year; as yours docs not flower, we would advise you to water it liberally from the end of May to the end of August, and yoxi may use strong liquid manure occasionally. We do not think it necessary to stake it, unless it was planted very shallow, and the soil is light. Instead of a stake try two strong pegs driven into the ground, their tops nearly level with it, and opposite each other, at the distance of two feet from the plant ; a piece of stout tarred cord tied to each peg, and fastened to the stem half way up, will keep it secure, and be less unsightly than Sweet Brier Suckers (S. S.).— These, which spring from plants in your hedgerow, should be cut down to within about sis inches of the ground ; they will throw out laterals and thicken the bottom of your fence. Ducks will not eat water lily leaves. Tobacco Culture (A Ladi/ Oardener).—Sovf the seed in alight, rich, warm border in April ; plant out the seedlings when they have four leaves, in rows three feet apart, and tho same distance from each other. Let the soil be very rich and light. When the plants arc five inches high, earth them up, Nip ofl^ the top of the flower-stalk as soon as it appears, and remove all the buds from the axils of the leaves —all the sap is required for these. Rose cuttings may be planted now; see pp. 14, 67, 173, and 2lG, of our first volume. On I'den refuse^ such as weeds, clippings of hedges, dead flowers, &c,, when tho- roughly decayed, will answer well as leaf-mould. The pistil is the maternal part of the flower ; it grows up usually in its very centre, and is that longest threadlike body so conspicuous in the fuchsia. Your other questions will be answered next week. Pit Building (P. U^.}.— If you will turn to p. iGO and other re- ferences given in the index of our first volume, you will find full directions by Mr. Beaton and others. Treatise on Bees (J. B. Storci/). — Payne's "Bee-keeper's Guide," and Taylor's "Bee-keeper's Manual," are both excellent. The first is best for cottage practice. When your Horticultural Society is aetuuUy established please to apply for the volume again. We shall be much obliged by your communicating the letter you men- tion. As your soil is not light, kccji yowr potatoes for planting stored nniler cover between layers of earth until IVIarch, and then iihrnt. Moving Provence Roses {C. S., Mile End nnnd).~\'io not move them until November, and in the meantime render your adhe- sive soil more open by digging into and thoroughly mixing with the border where you intend jtlanting thcni i " ' " and bricklayers' rubbish. Axillary SnooTS of PEAcnES, &c. C^- T- W.).— Your nectarines, and plums, planted last autumn, of which you 1 lick coating of coal ashes strong axillary shoots ; and you ask if these shoulc I pinched or stopped ? — Pineh by all means all axillary nhooti 7/ppin; or superior, parts of the tree, and continue to di of the through the autunin. This is the true way to equalize the strength of the tree : by leaving the lower, or wealter, parts growing most of the sap that would have been appropriated by the others is decoyed into the weaker portions, which you will And next spring after prun- ing back in the rest state will push with astonishing vigor. Winter pruning alone can never effect this. Tuberoses (Hester S.).— Having left these too long unpotted they have produced long narrow leaves which do not arch over the pots, and the^ have no appearance of flowering. We fear they are hope- less ; still, if you keep them over the winter, they may throw up them kept that way. the crimson Boursault in thi jiiiiMI- : M-i , , i.nidis one of the best to bud othir> ^ ; i i ■ 'mi i-Y-li- citc perpetuelle and Princes; I, .1 i ;, ily.but then they are half cvergrcLii. Ji i... .1,1,1; w. / -i:i.; i.i;im pillar roses, for which, and the best rcijioLuLiU, :.lc our U^l^ 111 ilurnicr numbers. Name of Caterpillar (E. F. ir.).— Your caterpillar, about li inch long, feeding on plum tree leaves and on the Prince of Wales Feather, with body black, and tworows of red spots alongthc sides, each spot bearing a tuft of bristlc-likc hair, with four strong tufk of hair on centre of hack, a long tuft of hair at the tail, and two tufts of hair (or feelers) one on each side of the mouth, is the larva of the Va- pourer moth, Orgyia anti(ji/a. Wet Undrainable Garden (T. M. T^.).— As you cannot drain your soil, we recommend you to form it into lazy beds, by digging out wide deep trenches and throwing the earth from them on to the beds on each side. This will partially drain it, and aid you more cflectually than anything to get rid of the Marsh Horsetail (Etjnisetiiin palvsire) which infests it. Chalk or lime without Kuch ;m ;irr;uif:rnn-nt will not kill that bog plant, but may be put on tlir !:'-v )'<--ir ... Saving Seed (P. S.).— There is m. ' 1 ; ., .; ,, .jinrrd in saving the seeds of lettuce, cabbage, ."vc' Ml iliii ^n !i;ivi' (o do is to select such plants for sced-bcariuu- ;i .n iim -1 1 . -lock," that is, which have the most desiralilc j.rnpirnt- lor wliii h they arc cultivated. Never save seed from a IcUmr 11 r ,!ili:i;ri w liicli'runs soon to seed, for "like produces like" in Mi- .< '■■ niMr -.v-. ui ihe ani- mal kingdom, and the sccdIin/-oi;n lu ' ''I [I,, f liii' bad habit. Tell the party you n;uiir 1 . I,' .,1 . iiu 1. illiindits ")ut we caniiMi ,. >■ ■ ■ ,. ■uilire of hothihock scril!. : :' ^ : .. iHili this others. Yc produce small tubers this year, and these phuited out at the usual season will yield some more scrnceable tubers next year. Wc do not think anything favourably of the pam])hlet you allude to. Sour Krout (W. C. (?.).— Two hundred' jiounds by weight of cabbage, as stated at p. 260, is quite correct. Unless there is a large bulk it will not ferment. The firm-hearted cattle cabbages will do for the purpose, but wc cannot say whether the red cabbage will. We shall be oljligcd by your sending us some of the pumpkin seed. If you cannot store your potatoes under cover, you must do so in heaps ; but wc should put a thatch over each heap, otherwise the rain, frost, and snow will inconvenience you. On no account heap the potatoes together, but put them in layers with earth, sand or ashes alternating. In heaps they heat, which wc know is a cause of disease. Earth Nut (Jii*?).— Tliis is the Bunimn buHiocnsfannm, and 7?. ions parts of Kng- ut, jar nut, earth stcd, its flavour Ik If grown in a light denudatum of land by other chestnut, and groiuii botanists. It is knoM AVhcthcr boil'c that of the chestnut r moderately fertile soil, and planted shallow so that the tubers might grow at about four inches from the surface, we think they miglit be grown more than an inch in diameter, and would be an addition to our tables far superior to the roots of the tuberous-rooted sorrel {0.rniis Deppii.) Heating Small Pit (O. C.).—'Wc cannot give you any informa- tion how to effect this on the Polmaisc system, and wc warn you to use a small Arnott's stove in preference. We know of no objection to your plunging your pots in the earth of an old cucumber bed. Your other questions shall be answered next week. Explanation ok Monthly Calendar {.J. IF.).— In our colcn- means beginning of the I {J. I\r., L. -'Wc know of 1 "TmuiD Mamk! ! can be nothing nr.u' ii i iia many scholars. I( mi;i\ v. .-II, i1i,t, i.,i ,-, i , . ■,] brown by ovcr-stiiiiut;»Uiip; tlicin. In. In m < ,1, no need to poln- it over the lonves, (fm - ' 1 ; be (piitc strong enough. You may npi>l\ ii i.^ from the time that tlicy appear above ):r 1 m i to become yellow. ^ Fuchsia Seedlincs {A Lrwrr of (.iarth'»iii:^'\ \t i^ f|nite inipoa- slblc to form a judgnirnf ujion Ilic merits J. E. Bannister).— TMib gentleman writes to us as follows :— " I have followed the directions given by Mr. Mid- dlemiss for the manufacture of this plant at p. 94, and find, at the expiration of six weeks from the commencement of the experiment, nothing but a coating of mould or mildew at the top of the mixture. This mouldy covering has embodied in it several small circles, some- what resembling the engraving given at the same page. I ask your- self, or any of your correspondents who may take the trouble to reply, whether either the whole coating of mould, or the small circles con- tained in it, be the vinegar plant ? The mixture which produced the mould has not turned into vinegar, although I have kept it in the warmest place I could think of, namelv, mv greenhouse.'" have never tried Mr "" * '' ' Aneroid Barometer. — The Rev. E. J. Howman, residii Downham, Norfolk, has most obligingly sent us the following in i swer to the query of a correspondent s ' "" " ' The instrument I tradesman, (inas- much as he would not supply me with one with the manufacture of which he was n.ot perfectly satisfied,) I feel bound to say I purchased of Mr. E. M.Clarke, optician, &c.. Strand— has hung by the side of a wheel barometer, and the register has been taken between eight and nine a.m. To me, so far as it has gone, it appears to be perfectly satisfactory. So far as ray observation has enabled me to form an opinion at present, it strikes me that the aneroid is much more sen- sitive than the mercury, commencing its movements much sooner, and that it is not so much, if at all, affected by a coming gale of wind. Thus, on the IQth of February the mercury fell 33 tenths, while the aneroid fell only 28 . Again , on March 1 st the mercury fell 34, the aneroid 25 ; while on March 9th the mercury fell 02, and the aneroid rose 05 ; and the next day, on the gale ceasing, the mercury rose 41, and the aneroid 37. Of course there are variations which cannot be accounted for, but on the whole the fluctuations of the aneroid, as tested by those of the mercury, are. I think, sufficiently regular as to stamp it a trustworthy instrument." We can only say in addition, that Mr. Howman's register kept during the last seven months justifies his opinion. Pruning Scissors (J. Turner).— Wq, and many of our friends, have tried your improved pocket scissors, and the opinion of all are strongly in their favour. We recommend them particularly for lady gardeners. Low Evergreen Fence (Nemo). — The prettiest and most effec- tive we have ever seen is made of wire stretched six inches apart, ' feet high, with the stems of a row of the larger " iterlaeing between the wires. niMALAYAH ruMPKiN BEED {nev. F. P^e).— Tliauks J we shall be very much obliged by a supply. BIartin Doyle.— We are very glad to hear that the Rev. Mr. Hickey, who wrote under these names, is at this time not only in the land of the living, but is curate of Thatcham, near Newbury, and employed upon a Calendar of Monthly Gardening for the use of the peasantry c ' ' " ' .1 -- .11 , ^ ,. : is the most capable r ; know of for so desirable a work. Leeks (J. P. R.).—By cutting off the tops of the fresh leaves about once a month, the white neck of the leek, which is the useful part, becomes much thicker, the sap being concentrated there by the pruning. The leaves of your vegetable marrows becoming mildewed and 5'ellow is only the usual consequence of autumn dews and chilly nights. If your edgings are of the real Sea-pink (Statice ?naritima) you may very easily destroy all the slugs in it by watering it every evening either with sea water or with a solution of salt in water, four or five oz. to the gallon. You may sow a little Brussels sprouts and German kale at the beginning of this month for planting out in spring. VoLTAiREANUM (J. C, HoUoway) .—X)o not sow the seeds of this until i the moth which is the parent'of thecaterpilla! ,t-offic( I the ■ dahlias unless send them, do so" in a wooden tooth-powder the post-office people will destroy them with their merciless punches. Fuchsia (J. Bofre).— Nearly all the species are from Mexico and Chile, and have been introduced since 1824, except the old scarlet, F. coccinea, which was brought from Chile in 1788, and F. lycioides in 1796- Others come from Peru, Brazil, Demcrara, and New Zealand. Soil foe Gladioli (iAiW).— The best soil for them is one half light loam, one quarter peat, and one quarter leaf-mould. See full directions for their culture in our first volume, p. 100. Names of Plants (P. S.).— Your climber is /pomo-n guamoclit. (R. Reynaldson).—YouT pink flower is Penstemon glnberrtni'um , and your blue flower is^cowi^HWi variegatum, blue and white Monkshood. (Verax).—l, Madia elegans ; 2, Penstemon glaberrimum ; 3, Pen- stemon geutianoides alba; 4, CEnothera Frazcri (?) ; H, Eupatorium corymbosum ; 6, Ccelestina ageratoides ; 7, Buchnera americana ; 8, Phlox suaveolens; 9, Phlox tardiflora ; 10, Rudbcekia hirta ; 11, Rudbcckia purpurea; 12, Cineraria amelloides ; 13, Campanula Trachelium, var. alba; 14, Trachelium speciosa (?) ; 15, Tracliehum Lobelioides (?). (Busy-Body). —Yonv plant is Ccrinthc inacutata, or Spotted Honeywort. jOndon: Printed by Harrt Wooldeidge, 147, Strand, in the Parish of Saint Marj'-le-Strand ; and Winchester High-street, in the Parish of St. Mary Kalendar; and Published by William Somerville Oer, at' the Office, 147, Strand, in the Parish of Saint Mary-le-Strand, London.— September 20th, 18-19. THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. WEEKLY CALENDAR. M w Plants dedicated to Sun Sun Moon R. Moon's Olodt Day of D u each day. Risea. Sets. and Sets. Age. 1jc1\ Sun. Year. •',7 Th Birch leaves yellow. Many-flowered Starwort. 50 a. 5 40 a. 5 (1 10 11 9 2 370 2S F. Ring-dove's note ceases. |-^„t^ ^^^^ Evergreen Goldenrod 57 44 1 iw 13 9 23 271 39 S. Michaelmas Day. Autumn.green-carpet Michaelmas Daisy. 59 43 2 33 13 9 42 272 ;in SlIN. 17. SuN.AFT. TniN. St. Jerome. Golden Amaryllis. 61 39 3 31 14 10 1 273 1 M. Eemigius. Common Snipe plentiful. Lowly Criuum. VI V 4m 44 15 10 20 274 a Tu. Hort. Soc. Meeting. Walnut-leaves fall. Common Soapwort. . 4 35 rises © 10 39 275 W. iJaok Snipe arrives. npwny Helenium. 6 32 6 a. 35 17 10 58 270 Michaelmas Day. — This day, on which our Church reminds its members of "Saint Michael and all angels," and prays for their guardian aid, was first instituted by the Roman Catholic Church in the year 497. ^V'e are at a loss to discover the reason for calling that celestial messenger of God a Saint, who is spoken of nowhere in the Scriptures but as an " archangel." To none but to him do the sacred writers give this title of pre-eminence. Five times do they mention bim, and always as a spirit guiding the tide of battles. Thrice does the prophet Daniel speak of Michael as fighting against Persia on behalf of the Jewish Churcli ; once does St. John, as leading on the ani^elic host against the devil and his angels ; and lastly St. Jude, speak of him as fighting in single combat with the same spirit of evil for the body of Moses . The custom of eating roasted goose on this day is of very ancient date, arising probably from this "pasturer of the common" being now of growth most desirable for table use, and because this great festival of the Romish Church occurred at the same season, and all Northmen love good eating on such occasions. It is quite certain that long before the reign of Queen Elizabeth it was customary to eat " a fat goose*' on the Michaelmas festival. True it may be that on this day, in 1588, at Sir Neville Umfreville's, near Tilbury Fort, *' Good Queen Bess" was dining off this bird, "for her majesty was much affected towards savoury dishes," and that receiving intelligence of the Spanish armada's defeat, she may have commanded that both the event and the dish which she relished should whilst she lived be associated together. All this may be true, and yet the custom have been long practised previously. St. Jeuohe, or Hieronymus, is one of the most eminent of Christian ecclesiastical writers. He was born at Strido, on the borders of Dal- matia, about the year 329, and died at Bethlehem in 420, where he had established a monastery. Be was learned and enthusiastic, but far too intemperate to be reconcilable with our estimate of the Chris- tian character. His writings are valuable by containing many quo- tations from the early translations of the Bible, and by their record- ■d explaining the customs of his Jewish contem- nd therefore founder of the French monarchy. He was born in the year 439, and ENOMENA OF THE SEASON.— One of the I of the autumn is the abunda and nature have been the occasion of much learned i Experiments recorded within the present c ermmea cue correct explanation of the phenomei may leave the erroneous opinions unnoticed. isture dissolved in it, and the warmer the air is 1 does it dissolve. When this air comes in contact with, or touches, anything so cold'as to cool the air so much that it cannot hold all the moisture it contained when warmer, that which it cannot hold is deposited on the colder body in the form of dew. Thus, suppose a cubic foot of air at 60° holding dissolved 20 grains of water, and that at 40° it could hold only 10 grains ; then, if brought in contact with anything so cold as to cool it down to the latter temperature, it would deposit upon the colder body 10 grains of water in the shape of dew. For this reason cold wine-glasses brought into a room of which the air is warm and moist, immediately are clouded with dew ; for the same reason moisture is deposited and runs down the wains- coating and windows of a room ; and the same deposit of moisture occurs when we breathe upon any substance much colder than the air thus issuing from our lungs. From the preceding facts it is evident that before dew can be deposited in our gardens the atmo- sphere in contact with them must contain more moisture than it can retain when cooled down to the temperature of the plants, &c., in those gardens. If the night is cloudy no dew will probably be depo- sited, because it is found that in such nights the earth and plants do not cool down suificiently below the temperature of the air. The colder the bodies with which the air comes in contact, the more abundantly is dew deposited upon them. Thus grass, asparagus, and other vegetables with very numerous surfaces, cool faster than smooth broad surfaces, such as gravel walks, and the soil of the beds ; there- fore on those vegetables the dew is most abundant. Dr. Dalton cal- culated that a depth of five inches of water is deposited all over the British isles annually in the form of dew. 1841. 1842. 184 .3. 1844. 1845. 1846. 1847. 1843. 27 Highest & lowest Stormy. Stormy. Cloudy. Fine. Showery. Fine. Fine. 'Cloudy. 67°-54» 58°-49° 55°— 32° 70°— 39° 60°— 48° 66°— 49° 60°— 28° 64°-52° 28 Rain. Fine. Fine. Fine. Cloudy. Cloudy. Cloudy. Rain. 64°— 56° 59°— 34° 75°— 39° 63°-36° 66°- 38° Cloudy. Rain. Rain. 59°-30° 62°~i8° 65°-36° 30 Showery. Fine. Cloudy. Fine. Cloudy. Cloudy. Cloudy. «9"dy. 65°-44° Cloudy. Fine. 64°— 43° 59°-31° 72°— 55° 70°— 15° 6l°-46° fl7°-52° 65°-52° 63°— 39° 2 Fine. Fine. Showery. Cloudy. Showery. Showery. 64°— 55° Cloudy. 67°-47° 70°-47° 67°-40° Fine. Fine. Showery, e5°-54° Cloudy. Cloudy. Showery. Fine. 63°-51° 67°-38° 71°-41° 59°-48° 67°-49° the Scotch fir (Ptnus sj/li^shi',) and of the heavy-wooded pine (P. poii- derosa) are too frequently obser\ ed to have become yellowish in colour, and tins is found to arise from their being bored by a small insect, the Scotch-pine-bark beetle, Hylufgus piniperda of some entomolo- gists, and Hi/lesinus or Ips pimpei da of others. Our drawing repre- sents this beetle much magnified, but naturally it is only as long as the hue by its side This beetle may be found in June. The wing cases aie pitchy black, raarlted with lines, but the antennee and feet are reddish brown. The rest of the body is black and bristly. The larva, or grub, may be now found ; it is cylindrical, white about the .. .. » : dull yellow. The beetle bun'ows along " " 'r.cBgs of which the grub feeds. We know of no practicable remedy but cut- ting off the ends of the shoots which have turned yellow, and buin- ing them. The present number completes our second volume, and brings us to the close of our first year. In the customary Preface we will record our grateful feelings upon our prosperous course, and shall confine our- selves, therefore, on the present occasion to a brief notice of what are some of our purposings for the future. Among these are a series of Essays on the usual Weather, or Heterology, of each week ; an en- largement of the Kitchen Gaj'den directions ; an in- terchange of Departments among our present con- tributors, so as to give our readers the benefit of their fi'esh experience and knowledge ; a connected series of editorials on the Principles of Gardening; monthly directions for the care of the Poultiy Yard, by the well-known Martin Doijle ; on the Medical uses of our Native Plants, by a Physician, with their descrip- No. LII., Vol. II. 330 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. SEPTEMBEIt tion aud culture ; and, lastly, we will mention that the authoress of "IMy Flowers" will contiibute her geutle dew-drops in a weekly nan-atire of " Our Vil- lage Walks." We will commence our lectm-es on The Pbinciples or Gakdening by considering wliat those principles are which should he regarded in the practice of soic- ing. Sowing has for its object to secm-e to the seeds such circumstances as ,will best promote not only their germination, or sprouting, but the growth of the plants proceeding from them, so as to yield for the gardener that produce which he desires. Let us consider what are those circumstances. In the first place it is essential that the seed has a perfectly formed embryo, or young plant, within it — such as that Uttle heart-shaped body at the point of a walnut's kernel — and that it has arrived to nearly perfect ripeness. The reason for this is ob- vious : the young plant requii-es for its earliest nou- rishment a peculiar compoimd, usually saccharine or sugary matter ; and this compound, in accordance with that universal iitness of things which demon- strates the wisdom of God, is always generated by the combined agency of heat, moisture, and oxygen gas,* from the substances most abundant in the fully ripened seed. Let barley be the example. Saccha- rine matter is essential for the first nourishment of the radicle, or first root, and plumule, or first stem and leaves, of the seedling, and into such saccharine matter is starch converted by the combined agency we have named. It is starch, therefore, that is the chief constituent of the seed. But if barley be ga- thered imperfect, and is dried, the cliief iugi-edient is mucilage or gum ; and this, if exposed to the essen- tials for germination — heat, moisture, and oxygen gas — instead of passing into saccharine matter, is con- verted into acetic acid, or vinegar, and the seed decays instead of sprouting. As it is necessary that every seed should have nearly attained to ripeness before it acquires the power of germinating, and that the more perfect the ripeness the more perfect and the more healthy that germination, so is it equally certain that the length of time it retains the power to germinate dif- fers in almost every plant. The seed of the coffee shrub loses all power to grow unless sown within a few weeks after it has been gathered, whilst ,that of the melon improves by being stored for one or two years, and celery remains capable of germinating for five times the last-named period.f These and aU * Oxygen gas is a chief constituent of the air, without] which gas neither a Gecd could sprout nor an animal breathe. i" nielon seeds, by keeping, improve only in the sense in which gardeners consider the plant improved, viz., less of stem is produced, and the fruit is matured earlier. Whatever checks the development of the early organs, the radicle and plumule, produces this effect, and by age in the melon seed; its starchy component ithe shment^of the parts of the diminishes other instances within our knowledge demonstrate that the more starchy and other matters, into which nitrogen does not enter as a constituent, that a seed contains, the longer will it retain its power to gi-ow, and two fa^miliar instances are common rico and the kidney hean.J Rice contains 80 per cent, of starch, and wiU retain its vegetative powers for many years; wliUst kidney beans, widch contain one-tlm-d their weight of auimo-vegetabla matter and other consti- tuents, of which nitrogen is a component, will not vegetate healthily a second season. This speedy loss of growing power to which seeds abounding in nitrogenous matter are liable, is just what the chemist would predict, for all bodies so con- stituted are most prone to decomposition and decay. At the same time, let us not he misconceived as sajTng that such are the only chemical causes for a seed's shortened or lengthened retention of its gi-ow- ing powers ; on the contrary, we are well aware that there are other causes, and for example may be taken many seeds abounding with oil These, exposed to the free operation of the air, gradually lose their vitality, or power to grow, as the oil they contain becomes ran- cid. Preserved from the action of the air, no seeds are more retentive of vitality, apparently because when so preserved the oil they contain will remain sweet and unchanged for ages. This is the reason that in earth excavated from gi-eat depths below the surface, charlock, mustai-d, and such hke plants, ha-sdng oily seeds, are found to have retained their vitality. In considering this subject, let it ever be kept in mind that almost every species of seed has a peculiar degree of heat, and a peculiar amount of moistm'e, at or approaching to which its vitality wiU be excited into action. Therefore, in all observations on the life-retaining power of seeds, and in conclusions de- duced from experiment, it must be carefully secured that they have not been excited to those first steps of germination, which steps, if talcen and then checked, invariably cause the destruction of a seed's vital powers. This brings us to the consideration of the contin- gencies necessary to cause a seed's germination. We may accept as a rule that no bouquet will be strikingly excellent in which red flowers do not pre- dominate, and in tliis it resembles the chief produc- tions of the greatest historical painters ; it may be called the key-note of their most successful efforts in colouring. Thus, bouquets of roses alone, or of gera- niums alone, mingled with green for shade, are beau- tiful objects ; but bouquets of yellow flowers, such as marigolds or osoholtzias, alone would bo intolerably glaring. It is the same with other decorations- scarlet curtains and crimson velvet dresses are rich September THE COTTAGE GAEDENEB. and pleasing, but either of the other primary colours by themselves — yellow or light hluo — would not he endured. Nature seems to point out the importance of red as an imparter of warmth and cheerfulness — for God intends it to he " a happy world after all " — hy the almost numberless varieties of its tints that are ob- servable. Of 4300 flowers known to gardeners, it will be seen from the following list that they decrease in number nearly in proportion as they depart from the primitive and most lively colours. Wliite ■ - 1104 Green Red - »d3 Orange Yellow - 0.^1 Brown Blue - 504 Violet - 80S It deserves a passuig comment that in nature the colour and form of the leaves belonging to any plant are invariably those which either harmonize or con- trast with its flowers better than any that human taste could suggest. Could any one devise more ap- propriate foliage for the rose or the camellia ? We have been asked to refer to some generally ac- cessible picture by Vanhuysum, and the only one in a public collection which we can remember is, or was, for it is long now since we saw it. No. 121 in the Dulwioh Gallery. Its coloiu-s, we think, will be found to he pai-ticularly harmonious, and where those ■which would otherwise contrast harshly are intro- duced, yellows and whites are, if we recollect ti-uly, judiciously introduced to soften the discord. With these few desultory remarks we shall cease from fui'ther comments upon this subject, doing so the more readily because promised some observations upon the same topic from the pen of a master. THE PEUIT-GAEDEN. Root Pruning. — In our last we adverted to the general poUcy of root pruning, and promised detaOs adapted to the varied circumstances under which the fruit cultivator is placed, from the subm-bau town gardener, with his single pole of ground, unto the proprietor of the noble demesne, or even the com- mercial gardener. The latter class, indeed, so con- trives matters in general that he avoids the necessity for much pruning of this kind ; his mode of planting is not liable to mischances. In the first place, his soU is of a character that little preparation is neces- sary; his subsoil also is of a genial character; or, in- deed, but for these two points, his profession would not prove by any means of a remunerative character. It must he understood, therefore, that in writing for the amateur and the cottager, we write with the full impression that they labour under greater difBculties than the before-named parties; neither possessing, in the main, so good a situation, nor so much skiU. Thus persuaded, then, we wiU proceed. Rootpruning, asatpresentpraotised,maybethrown into two divisions, viz., periodical root pruning by system, and root pruning tlu-ough necessity. The fu'st has been called into notice by Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, the eminent nurseryman, who, in" deed, as we think, may be considered the originator of the system, or, at least, its greatest advocate. Of the other, root pruning through necessity, we must at once he egotistic enough to claim the merit— if merit it be— of keeping the subject warm, and of continually bringing it before the public for the last twenty years. The first kind we have never practised, and can say little about; we, however, apprehend it is not generally needed hy, or adapted to, the majjority of our readers, who rather, it may be presumed, aim at ofi- hand plans less tedious in character. By root jjraning through necessity, then, we merely mean the inducing a fruitful habit in frait-trees which are of too gross a character; such may arise from other causes than mere richness of soil. An apple, naturally of rampant growth, may, by being grafted on a stock of gi-eat powers (or, rather, of strong vital action and capacious sap vessels), prove too gross even, on soils of moderate fertility ; whilst one of delicate habit, gi-afted on a weak or imperfect stock, may prove too weak even to make sufficient young shoots on the most powerful soils. The question of stocks for grafting is a very broad one, and too broad and too digi-essive in character to discuss now : it will ' receive attention in due time. To proceed : the same remarks apply to aU other fruits, and, after all that has been said, written, or practised, we are persuaded that these things are as yet in their infancy. There is, perhaps, more room for real progress in fruit cul- ture than in any other branch of gardening ; and it is to be anticipated (according to the common order of things) that the writer of tlie ii-uit article in The CoTi.iGE Gardener of half a century hence will smile heartily at our present lucubrations. So be it ; we are but links in a chain of which that very learned per- sonage above alluded to will, no doubt, consider him- self as the terminating one. As prehminary remarks, it may be observed that it is not very convenient to the classes to whom we offer advice to take up and replant a select lot of fruit-trees which have been planted some fom- or five years, and which, instead of producing the owner abundance of fruit, have produced nothing but twigs. Cases like this, therefore, oaU for a plan which will cause but a small amount of labour, and, at the same time, assm-edly give confidence that immediate bear- ing shall be the result : such, then, is root pruning. We must now take into consideration the different circumstances under which we find fi-uit-trees ; for it is not expedient to apply the same mode to all. The modification of the system is not so much dependent on kind as on circumstance. Those trees which ai-e growing on mai-ginal borders, and wliich frequently are connected with flower culture, cannot be reached in the excavating process with equal ease on every side. Supposing, however, the flowers, or it may be vegetables, to stand in a line parallel with the walk or line of trees, the roots may be at least reached on two sides — those, we mean, at right angles with the walk, or general line of fi'uit-trees. Here, then, they may be attacked, and our practice has always been to excavate a trench as deep as we can discover the least trace of a fibre : indeed, we generally go deeper (more especially if we think the tree possesses tap roots), for whilst the ti-ench is open it is comparatively easy to search by degi'ees beneath the very bole of the tree, and to cut away all those which have penetrated into ungenial soil. We do not lay so much stress on Su^wecise deptli for the roots to ramble, as on tlie cha- racter of the subsoil; although we do think that wher- ever ri^pening of the wood becomes a matter of import- THE COTTAGE GAEDENER at iVom lialf a yard to two fret in ilc]ith of a of course, pvefrr cutting all round llial llic nuiiin; of any one root on ri|iuilly nr nr'Mlyso, aifccts the wli.i n. ( ) ; liiit niiinirf all round is a i tl l.rr:ltiw/l, W'c will supjiose, then, a trench or cutting ex- ravaffd to tlie (Ic'iitli alliulod to, and of a sjiade's width; evwyvo.,1. ol' .nms,., in tlic lim^ ..!' troncli cutaway: tlirsr m-r -• \rw infii-uns; lull I'ciir not — such are ncfcs-ijiA ;il, liinc ; :is v.rll in tin- vi'.'-fetable as tlio inilniiil liin-jMni Wuv ll,n^ jiroccuding, a I'ni-k nl- innic pnihlr,! Inn] -| 1^ I -^('d tO dlslodgO a, lilllr . nil IV ilir , (irl:icr C.I' I iir culling on the sido next llir live, in lih!. r I li;ii III- iii;iii"l.d jioints may he jinin'.l li:(rl; (111 l»r.iiii, .■ |.i-llriii, in all eases , of roiii )iiiiiil:iiiMii I.', Miiiii 1 . 1m r;n ISC no one can ti'll lull lli;il :i "■,■ V II. CM- .'li;ii:i..|. ) may be supeiiu- (lllrril, c-lHriiilly in .n.il ..f -]:.■ I and. of OOlirsO, knilr an inch oV two, cnltiii^', uliciv |iossililc, I. ark lo wlicic a, riiiitlct ov bunch of rootlets branch fi'oni llie root ill (jncstion. Wlicn ihi! case of gvossness is excessive, we have snniciiiiics made a practice of leaviiiK the trcnclj or liowivii-, is an unsightly one, and, as there is no nh- .■iu/ii/f necessity lor it, we la.y no particular stress on nicslH^hil, UIICIICVIT adclinilh,! It ..r liiin.ihiciic,, iicli iii:ilcri;il . CI ii|..|i liirlN- s.nll ,c/ I-, iiiilcl, , 11'.. Mill .in;i-css ^ i.l'il. Wc'illlcli i' 1 ,1 . mid III maiden iiHirsl, soil; n lic.oninnindcd.we il' a InlMMV .11- soiuid ...iiiicwhill inilclinilc . hir here le In ciile|. ^linHly lo.iiler ml,, vcnleiid'ai-ial r.Miline l« ■"' " ■ "'^■'- ' I'""". ciiNiMnici, iiNiiimenieiii, of llic sl;i|ilc iiT Mills 1 ; a i|iie.,Uou alfcctiug, liiui-u ni- h'ss, ni(c,l, nl' ,,nr ivadeis. Much has been written ahiiiil, maiiiires, lull htllc ahont mcchamcal texture, ,.Xclian'i,'e 'ihc ev,.;iv;||c,| snll Inr aUv'lV.-sh 1 .1. 1 i I 111 I'y tTMrden'snil at Imiid: mid, indeed, Ihe ineiv kilchell vegetable bed adjoiniii.;. il' iml h,,, rich in nn res, may ho substituted. Whilst speaking of manures, wo may observe that none nl' any kind uin,y he intro- cnnclniling this paper, we may remark tliat it laleiiiil llmt iiU the sides of a lirnn s' ' ' ' hoidd be ir the „le ina., al. Nl llied till iitilalions; iiuning is ixiu'iance, In a Mil. iiiiiiiii |.;i|ier we will advert to the dif- fci'cnt kind il iriiii i s — for all must not be cut alike — ami enim; ndi s for cutting as to distance; such beinp regulated hy the amount of over-luxuriance, the ago of the tree, the character of the soil, &c., all of which exercise important influences. K. EitniNOTON. THE ELOWER-GAEDEN. Bulbs ; the Hyacinth. — Now is the time to com- mence planting bulbs of all kinds that are hardy and intended to bloom early. The hyacinths from Hol- land Ihis ycai- are, jnilijing from those we havt^ seen, line hiiilliiN liiilli . Such of our readers as intend to |iUlelill>e tte \Millld lliKisctO loSC HO timC iu givillg is generally to si.vve il Ihul .iiiiie lir-l the hest ; consequently, the -lucL i ulieii ,ill jiicked ever, and the WOl-St roots letl lei. llie -liiv,- |iiieei| cnMlimeV. 'Ihis is the case more eslieiinlly \\ilh llie li\:iiinlh. Ill nlliel- roots, such as miici -ll,, enicns. |iini|Mil, t-iiii\\di'np, &c., there is mil s,, miicli dilleii nee in ihe kinds as soon as |He ihle and tiieu you can take advantage of aiiv line \m;ii her iliat may occur, and put them jiromptly iuin Ihe en.nnd. There are three ways in which the hyacinth may be grown, all of which are familiar enough to our readei'S. First, in the open nir in beds, to bloom leeled In Ihe evci'lliiu nl' llie sea : in I'licl. m.isl of thec^nnll■yha^ hceii reclai d I'l'uin II,,. ncean. The soil there is formed of the nuid, sand, and other deposits of the sea. In this soil those fine bulbs arc produced which are imjiorted every season so kii-.;ely inl.i this cuuiiti-y. In order, then. In Hower iheiii II-, line, mill eiiiiiiiiiie tlieir roots in tla^ same sialc nl |ieiTi ciinii, we iiiiist, fl.s far as possihlc, iiiii- lale niii' neiylihians' siiil. Such of our I'oadiM's as livi^ near the coast can easily procure some sea sand, but to those who live at a distance the ex])enso of carriage woidd be lieavy. llivor sand in tlie interior might bo used, and wo think with nearly as good an cfi'cct. Vegctahle mould is also a necessary article to mix with the sand; and lastly, some t;'ood light loam: tlie proportions to be in equal jiarts. Mix SErlEMBER THE COTTAGE GARDENEB. them all well together in siifEcient quantity to fill your bed. Remove the old soU to the depth of ] 8 inches; lay at the liottom a layer ciC niliMi^, or small polililcs siitcd out dl' till' sand'; cnvci' Ihi-, wilii s.iino lurl', and iipim thiil, iilai'.ii a tliiii Iiiycv nC '.rvy i-dU.en cuw-dung, or decayed hntbud nuiimrc; lliru put, on that the compost, raising it at least four inches ahove the level. The hed would have a neater appearance if edged with slates, or even narrow hoards. The bed sliniild be in suoh a situation as to allow room Ibi' :iii nulling of canvass being stretched over it, eillier iiM !■ :i IVame raised high enough to allow the siirntiiliii- lo waUc under the awning, or at least to allo\\' boojis being bent over the bed at suoh distances from eacli other, and at such a height, as will keep the covering from touching the flowers. The soU should huA'c time to settle a little previously to plant- ing. When tliat has taken place, proceed to jilant tbe bulbs. Mix tlio colours regulaidy, so as to be in harmony with each other. The best way to plant them is, with a spade, to open a trench straight across the bed four inches deep ; then lay a board to stand upon, and put each bidb, as you have sorted the coloins, into the trench, six inches asunder. Fi.x. them firmly in their several places, pressing each down a little : tlie head of each bidb shovdd be just three inches below the surface. Having planted the first row, cover it up with the soil thrown out in opening the trench, and level it neatly. Then proceed to open the next trench eight inches from the first; plant the bulbs in it, and so on tUl all the bulbs ai'e inserted. In this state let them remain tOl the frost of win- ter approaches. Then spread equally over the bed about two inches in depth of spent tanner's hark. This wUl shelter the roots from the severity of the weather, and may be allowed to remain till the blooming season is over ; it will have the effect of keeping the soil moist during dry weather in spring, and encourage the plants to make fine foliage. This is a most desnable point to attain, for without a strong growth and fine luxuriant leaves the bulbs will infallibly deteriorate, become smaller, and after a year or two will neither grow nor flower satisfacto- rily. Wo have in former Numbers pressed upon our readers the great importance of preserving the leaves of all kinds of hidbs in a fresh vigorous growth till they naturally begin to turn yellow, fade, and die. If there is one kind of bulb more than another that requires this care, it is certainly the one now under consideration. As soon as the leaves are in this decayed state, take them up immediately, being very careful not to injure the bulbs in the least. Preserve as many of the roots as possible. Lay the bulbs, with the old leaves and roots adhering to them, in a shady ])laoe for a fortnight, and then remove them into the full sun until both roots and leaves are quite withered. These may then be carefi.dly dressed off, and the bidbs put into di-awers, or hung up in open canvass bags. Whichever way they are stored, the room in which they are kept should be as cool as possible, and quite out of the reach of wet or damp. Examine them from time to time, and remove any coats of th e bulbs that may be moiddy or decaying. Some bidhs may be rotting away entirely ; all such should, as soon as discovered, be thrown away, to prevent them infecting the sound ones. These instructions may appear to some to be too minute, but it is by such close attention to every point of cidture that the cultivator of any kind of plant succeeds in bringing them to the utmost amount of perfection. We can see no reason why hyacinths, with proper soil and carofid managi'meiit, uiay not bo gi'own quite as fine as those in lloliiiiMi, esinViiiiy on tbe south coasts, on flat, alluviiil, ^judy |il;iiii IlyaciiUh in J'otH. — The same ci)iii|in i m,,,!;, :i; we have recommended for the beds uf these |il:iiils will suit well for their culture in ])ots, namely, Iohul, sea or river sand, and very decayed cow-duug, iustciid of vegetable mould, in equal parts. Choose tlm (lols as deep as you can get them — rather more so in |jro- portion to the width than the usual shape. Tlie Kize known as small 33s is the proper one : tiio.^c are about six inches wide at the top. Pots, indeed, might he made deeper on pui-pose for these bulbs, and would be more suitable on accoimt of the roots not spread- ing, but running straight down. Having the bulbs, compost, and pots ready, pro- ceed to perform the potting ; place a large piece of broken pot over the hole at the bottom, and then a few smaller pieces upon it ; put iqion them a little moss; then throw in a little sell, inul pre-;^ il liimly down with the hand; add n, hllle meie, ami jniss it again; and soon till the iiol is marly tull, er just full em. ugh to allow the top ol' the bull) to be level with (III eili^e of the pot; then place it in the centre, auil pill, siiil iiiimud it, pressing it very firmly. If you do nut do tills, the bulb will be apt to rise up when it pushes forth its roots. The reason why we recommend this pressure of the soil is to prevent the roots descending too qvucldy to the bottom of the pot. The whole being potted, choose an open situation in the garden, and form a bed of sufficient size to bold the stock ; dig out the soil deep enough to allow the pots of bulbs to be below the level. Place them in it in rows. To preserve the names, have wooden labels' of sufficient length to stand up above the covering of the bulbs. Put these labels in before they are covered, to prevent mistakes. Woilc in amongst the pots part of the soil, to keep them firm in then places. They may be placed so thick as nearly to touch each other. When they a.re all put in, cover them over with decayed tanner's bark, or coal-ashes, two inches thick. Now, all this ought to be done before the end of October, at the latest. In this situation they may remain till the time they are wanted to be forced into flower. Prepare a gentle hotbed if you have no other convenience. About the middle of December will, for all ordinary cir- cumstances, be quite early enough. By that time the bulbs will in their quiet situation have formed ii, considerable quantity of roots, and will be ijuilo ready to push forth their beautiful fr-agi-ant flowers to ornament the greenhouse or window at a time when flowers are doubly acceptable. Place those selected for the first batch in the hotbed as soon as the heat is moderated, putting them upon a coating of ashes. Cover the frame at nights, and give air during fine days : even in cold weather it will bo desirable to tilt the lights up behind a little every morning, to allow the steam and damp an to esca])e. As the plants advance in gi'owth, give more air and less covering, in order to give a stout strong growth and full green leaves. Put in others in suc- cession from time to time, and then you will have bloom from February to May. EvEROKEENS Enoii Seeds.'" — The best time to sow seeds of evergreens is the spring; some, as tbe holli/, wOl he in the ground for two years without growing, therefore care must be taken that the gi'ound is not disturbed for that time. The benies of the Forttujal laurel and other kinds will soon be ripe ; gather them * This should have been inserted last week at p. 321 . 334 THE COTTAGE GARDENEK. ami keep them in sand till tlie spring. The berries of the arhiitus, or strawbeny-ti'ee, have the seeds ad- hesive to their outside like the sti-awherry, conse- quently they will require separating fi'om the pulp. Crush the ben-y of each gently ; soak them in water, stin-ing and i-ubbiug them with the hand ; drain off the water and the dissolved pulp, and place the seeds upon paper or canvass to dry, and store for sowing at the proper season. The arbutus had better be sown in pans iiiider glass in frames, as the seedlings do not come up ft-eely in the open air. Seeds of the rarer kinds of coniferas had better be raised in a similar manner, such as Araucaria excelsa, Cedrus deodara, C. Lihani, and most other foreign species. jEvergreen oalis and magnolias require sowing in the open ail' in beds, and the autumn following the seed- lings to be taken up and potted for placing in frames or sheltered borders through the winter. We might dwell upon/ this subject for several pages, but we tbiulv we have said enough to enable our readers to raise this ornamental division of shrubs in any quan- tity they may think fit. T. Appleuy. GEEENHOUSB AND WINDOW GAEDENING. DcTCu BuLns. — About the end of August the nurserymen tell us by their advertisements that they " have just received their Dutch bulbs," and, as a matter of course, they are ready to execute our orders. For many yeai'S I have been endeavom-ing to procure a few early hyacinths about the beginning of Septem- ber, so that I might prepare them to flower early in December, but to no pm'pose. Whether the Dutch growers or the English sellers are to blame for tliis I cannot say, but one thing is certain, and that is, if you want hyacinths to pot by the first of September, you must either take yom- own old bulbs or go to Hol- land for a set of fresh ones. The Diitch, who imderstand these roots much better than we do, pot all the hya- cinths, wliich they bloom before Christmas, during the month of August, beginning about the second week of the month. A fuU account of their practice was given by one of themselves some years since in Lou- don's Gardeners' Magazine, so that there can be no question at all on the subject. But in England we may whistle for them till after the middle of Septem- ber. It is true we are set down as rich people, who can well afford to destroy a few, paltry roots annually, but that is not the worst of the story. Many gai-- deners, and their employers too, woidd not care a fig for tlie destruction of a few liyaciuths, provided they could get them into agood early bloom the first season, say by the first of December. However, as agitation is now at a discount— and long be it so — I suppose it is of little use to grumble ; we shall be all right some day or other. Last year I put some hyacinths in fresh moss, rather late in November, to try how much earlier they would flower than others put into soil at the same time and under exactly the same treatment. Those in the moss were in flower ten days before the others, but this might be owing to the sorts, for they were from a mixed sample without names; but, after allowing the benefit of this doubt in their favour, I still think that any of the sorts will come sooner in fresh green moss, and I know they are much easier managed in moss than any other way ; and I ought to know something about them, for, not to go farther back than last season, I flowered GOO hyacinths in pots, and nearly as many without pots, but as tbfy were all in the flower-garden, I must not anticipate my own removal hence by sajdng more about them till I am faii-ly ousted from my present snug berth, fi'om which, as the truth must soon be known, I am about to be turned out, to write about flower-gai'den- ing in the next volume, when all the flowers are nearly gone ! However, I am now writing in my old depart- ment, and it is high time to pot all the forcing bulbs for the earliest crop, but any time between this and the middle of November will suffice to get in tliose for late spring use. I think I could give fair lists of the earliest and best kinds, yet I prefer tnisting to the nurserymen for them, as they buy them fi-om dif- ferent gi'owers, and every gi'ower knows his o^vn sorts best. They can always command a highish price for very flne sorts and for new ones, but then mixed kinds without names are as cheap as possible, and most of them are very good if well treated, but, like many other plants, the cultivation makes an essential dif- ference. Ample directions were given in the first volume about the potting and after-management of these bulbs, to which I refer the reader. Crocuses are the worst things to force, because, if they are excited too freely, they give notlung but a bunch of leaves. They do best if they are in the borders when taken up about the end of November or later, as by that time their flower-buds ai-e well up, and if they are removed in lumps of eai-th, and the interstices just filled up when set in the pots, they take no hurt. There is a beautififl little irk which flowers natm'ally early in the spring, and is easily forced ; it is called the Persian iris. The common double and single daffo- dil from the fields flower two months earher with a gentle heat, but they should all be potted in October in some light sandy mordd, if you prefer that to moss. One seldom sees the snowdrop forced, but it will an- swer just as well as the crocus ; and so will the snou-- flahe, and, indeed, all the hardy bulbs wliich flower OTth us in the spring. Although I use the common expression "forcing," there need be no real forcing at all ; and if I say assist them by a gentle heat, that does not convey the meaning much better. If our September weather, on the average of seasons, were to continue through the winter, it is very likely these spring bulbs would flower with us in February ; and, by imitating the mild September weather in-doors, we call it forcing. Wintering Cuttings. — One of the most pressing questions put to us at present is, " How am I to keep my cuttings of such and such plants over the winter, having neither greenhouse nor pit?" This is the pith of many letters closely written over four pages of post paper. Now, the labour we midergo to read this mass of useless scribbling is about one hundred and twenty- five times more than that necessary to give the an- sworswhen we can make out what the meanings ofthe queries are. I am quite sure, however, from the tone of all the leltcv.s wliich I have seen, that all this e.s:- ti'aordinniy UmuIiIc is L;iven fi'om an entii'c ignorance of its cxi-tciiri', ;iiiil editors are always so good-na- tured that you hardly hear a complaint from them; but it is diftbrent with a labouring man like me, and a cottager too — and a beautiful and comfortable cottage, I am thankful, mine is — and, moreover, my motto being that I had "imdertaken to instruct the uninitiated," I shall just try and instruct cottagers how to m-ite letters. Wo never care about the style of hand-writing, if it is only plain enough, and the spell- ing gives no trouble ; wo like phonetic, or spelling according to the sound of the word, as well as any other; errors in grammar are also got over with Septej: THE COTTxVGE GARDENER. little trouble. That being settled, I shall now tell how I used to begin my first letters thirty years ago, and I find there is little improvement since. " Dear Sir, — I \TOte yon these few lines to let you know that I am in good health at present, hoping and wishing this will find you the same. You must not think that I have neglected you, although I have not written to you for a long time, for which I sincerely ask yom- pardon, &c. &o." At tliis rate the first two pages of my letters were filled ; the next page would hardly hold all the news of the parish, and there being no envelopes in those days tlie top and bottom of the foiu-th page could hardly hold the main subject of tlio letter, which might only be to ask the loan of a book; but as it was then considered unfi-iendly to send clean paper sometliing must be said to fill it up. All tliis is not a whit improved since among the labouring classes, at least those of them who write letters to The Cot- tage Gardener ; and, for this reason, that they do not know better. Therefore, if I can explain to them the true spirit of letter-writing, it will save them a great deal of time and trouble. If the cottager could see many letters which we receive from educated persons he would be astonished how these include so many questions in so few words ; but I shall give a specimen or two, and I would earnestly entreat our cottage readers to try and write in the same way. This is the usual way : — " Sir, will you be so kind as to answer the following questions, and oblige one of your subscribers, D. B." Then the questions follow, and each is numbered thus: — " 1. How would you suggest to winter a lot of cuttings? I have neither a greenhouse nor pit. 2. Is it more safe to pot large fuchsias and scarlet geraniums than to put their roots in sand when I remove them from the frost, and should I cut off any of their roots or tops ? if so, how much? 3. Would it be safe to put in cuttings of these roots or tops so late ? 4. Woidd summer roses root from cuttings put in now? 5. What are the best evergreen cKmbers for a poor, sandy, soil on a dry bottom? 6. What is the best way of killing the thrips ?" Now, here are si.K full questions which no one can misunderstand; they take up very little space, and can be read in one minute. Again, it is considered very selfish to ask an editor to answer in the very next number; all editors wish to oblige their subscribers, but how can tliey if their space for answers is filled up before your letter reached them ; or suppose an editor does not trust his own judgment or memory sufficiently to answer you : be knows his position is too responsible to reply at a venture, and he sends your letter to another, and, perhaps, that one will liave to send it to a thu-d party in order to be quite sure of a correct answer. All this takes iip much time, and is very expensive to the proprietors; but they put up with it patiently in order to render The Cottage Gakdener a first-rate authority on practical gardening; for, after all, that is the only sure way of getting a great number of people to buy it, and without a very large sale they could not carry it on. It has attained such a sale, and the know- ledge of the good it is doing, added to the kind feel- ing with which its readers have received our instruc- tions, have given me a zest to go on with it for another year, but in another department, and all tliat I can promise is to write in still plainer words if I can ; and whoever takes my place in " The Win- dow and Greenhouse department," I hope he will write mucli plainer than I have done, for that is the maiu point, but a very difficult one to keep close up to. I feel that I ought to apologise for thus taking up so much room, and I proiiiise to make up for it soon ; but having gone through those rough slfiges myself, I am certain my plain and well-meant advice will be useful and well received by my poor brethren ; and I know personally that some of them wish to ask advice at our hands, but do not know how to set about it. Tkansiiittino Fruit-trees to the CoLoxrES. — In addition to what I have said about seeds for emi- grants, I am asked to give advice about preparing and pacldng fruit-trees for long voyages. All the experience that I havo had on this subject is not much, but I have sent grafts of fi-uit-trees to Incha, round the Cape, and some of them answered as well as these things generally do. On the other hand, I have had a great deal to do with unpacldng plants of all sorts from different parts of the world, and I have always found those packed in very dry saw- dust preserved the best. When the French block- aded the Mexican ports, about a dozen years since, there where some cases of plants detained at Vera Cruz nine months, which I afterwards unpacked in London, and many of the woody plants were still alive ; and I had given directions to a botanical col- lector to pack cases of plants at Cumana and Caraooas, on the Spanish main in South America, both in In- dian moss {Tillandria usneoides) and dry saw-dust, and those in the saw-dust generally arrived in better condition, although at that tune we all thought " the pastle," as they call the Indian moss, was the best material to pack in. Therefore, if I were pack- ing fruit-trees for a long journey, I would certainly ram them very close in saw-dust previously dried on a kiln, if possible, for, if the least damp or fresh, it would be liable to ferment and spoil the whole on arriving within the tropics. If any one of our read- ers has had experience in sending out such things in a different way, which proved successful, he could not confer a greater favom- on us than to communi- cate the particulars. Meantime, I would sti'ongly advise that fruit-trees destined for voyaging to places far off, be close pruned at the end of September, and not removed from the soil for a month afterwards. During that time, a considerable quantity of the rising sap would accumulate in the vv'ood, and swell out the buds ; the edges of the wounds would also heal over in some degree. Tliis is all that our art can do in the way of preparation, and it should never be omitted. We might also learn a good les- son at home, if we were to prune fmit-trees, standard roses, &c., early in October, aud not transplant them till six weeks afterwards, and I am very confident the worst point, at present, in all our operations is to take lip a woody plant, prune it, and then plant it immediately. Ten years hence, none but the most ignorant will think of such a thing. It is like turn- ing with an empty pitcher from the well, with this difference, that a tree whose cells or cavities are brimful of sap is as easUy carried as one nearly as empty as the said pitcher. Let us not send empty pitchers to Australia, at any rate, now that we know how best to fill them. It is almost beyond the mark to say that the parts where the graft or bud was in- serted should be soimd and healed over, that the trees should not be widely spreading, but as U])right as possible, for the sake of packing close, and that dwarf ones take up much less room. Tall standai-ds, three or four years old fi-om the graft, however, would carry as well as, and, perhaps, better than, dwarf ones. Besides, they would have this recommendation on reaching their destination, that they would be ready to plant at once in the new orchard. Before •.vm; THE COTTAGE G^mDENER. Septejibkr pat'liincj. :ill the small roots should be cut off, anrl the sniiill ciids of the strouger ones. I have heard of tivi'^ liriijft smeared over with diiferent composi- tions 111 uxi'ludc the air ii'om them, but you might as well put a lilack plaster on a man's mouth and nose, and send him to Botany Bay in a sealed bladder, as do that. In packing, you camiot put the saw- dust too close together, as the pitching of the vessel will be sure to try its closeness severely. The case should be of boards an inch thick, and, if dwai'f trees are packed, the case should be sufficiently long to admit two trees in length, then their roots might meet in the centre. If they leave England for Aus- ti'alia any time in November, or early in December, they will cross the line during theii- natural winter, always the best time for this trial, and they will laud in the autumn of that country, which coiTesponds to our spring, and that is still in their favour, as the Australian winters are generally as mild as om- springs, the trees would have a long spring to recover slowly. They should be planted as soon as possible, and very close together for the first year ; staked, and from the gi-ound up to the bottom of tlie branches they should be covered with moss, if pos- sible, and tied round and round with hay-bauds, or bands of some kind, and every two or three days this covering ought to be damped. This is the way we succeed here with invalids, but, of com'se, the bands must be undone occasionally to see if buds are push- ing under them. Fuchsias headed down, dahlia roots, and many other things of that kind, might be sent with them. D. Beaton. HOTHOUSE DEPAETMENT. Heating. — We lately du'ected the attention of those building new houses to the slope or angle of the roof, and the preparing of borders for the plants to grow in; we shall now say a few words, in passing, upon heating. In our younger days there was little besides the smoke flues — anything in the shape of steam or hot water was a world's wonder. The old flues are not yet altogether to be despised ; in small houses there is something to be preferred about them. I have had a fail- share of practice among them, as well as with hot water, and found that, if sound and well constructed, the one was as easily managed as the other ; while the saving of fuel, so much talked about, by the latter, is often more a saving in theoiy than in in-actice. If you intend constructing a flue, see, for ensming a draught, that the furnace is fi-om a foot to 18 inches lower than the opening of the flue. Form the bottom and top of the flue of paving tiles, and the sides of brick, set in lime putty; place hollow tiles, or bricks, or pans of zinc, on the surface, so that when supplied witli water tlie air in your house may be moist in proper tioii to the lieat it contains. Raise the bottom of tho line ii-oiii llic floor by piers of bricks; and if you wish Ui cipudize the t(!mporatm'c plaster tho end iii-,l Ihr lurii;H-c, and have tlii' oUicrriid implastcrcd. Ildi w.ili'r, liiiwcvii', is liisi siipi'i-siMJiiig all such pre- ciinlinii-. as ilir last, liciii;_;- siii-li a good carrier of hoal Lbat Llic end jiuxt iJic Ijullur is seldom much warmer than tho end farthest i'rom it. The cleanli- ness of the system, and the absence of all sulphureous exhalations, even when a leakage takes place, are desirable recommendations. To discuss the various modes of heating by hot water pipes would require pages : a few tilings only must be glanced at. When tlic lioating apparatus is only wanted occasionally, a small boiler and small ]iipcs will be the most econo- mical. The flow pipe should have a slight ascent to the farther exti-emity, and the retui-u pipe a similar descent to the bottom of the boiler The number and extent of pipes must he rrcrnlated liy the sm-faeo of glass, lla- .■iiliira] Trri in llic nirln-c] spacc, and the tem]j<'iiiiiii'' rr,|iiiiv(l \\ hni lai il('t,'n'es of heat are rcnuirr.l. wliirli is i'iiiiiiL;h \\|M-i)ii;. luii I llimk it likely that even now they \\i--iir^" who, like myself, are obliged to liaM- irr.miM' to iiimiliniix. it may be usefid to observe, Liial m u hut, sunny THE COTTAGE GARDENER. un window, wlioi-e cuttings wouJcl sickou, I have tied a jiiecu ol' ])a])cr round the Ij^iin of the flower-pot, so IIS to stiiiul uji like a screen, and shelter the cuttings iVoin tlif ray^i ol'the sun, while the pot itself receives their guiiial warmth, and conveys it to the soil. The ])ai)cr, too, gets warm, and appears to cherish, as vvell as screen, the young plants. We cannot always command the sort of aspect we require for eveiy- thiug, but, by contrivances, much may be done ; and a sunny window is such a treasure, that we may make it almost perform the part of a conservatory. Seedlings, however, are best for jjlanting in beds, because they grow more bushy, and not so high. Seed should be sown in pots, and protected during the winter. If we cannot take posession of a window in which a flower-pot or two can stand during the cold weather, it would be better not to attempt to raise delicate seedlings, or, at least, we must be pre- pared for very probable disappointment, althougli the little anxiety of looking after them may amuse us when our gardens are frost-bound, or bui-ied in wreaths of snow. I confess that I often envy those of my friends whose flower-beds and sheltering places are close to the house, enabling them, in almost all weather, to busy themselves among their favourites, and water or shade their potted plants with ease. My garden is so far off, there is so much lawn to tra- verse, no gravel walks, and no shelter but that of shrubs, that I am often unable to do more than peep at it from the window, and catch glimpses of its con- dition through the boughs of an intervening cedar. A lady of my acquaintance has for some years set- tled herself in a cottage close to a village, yet suffi- ciently retired to be neither overlooked nor incom- moded. It was originally two tenements, but she has thrown them into one, and has carried a rough verandah of fir poles along the front, which has be- come one mass of roses, ivy, and Virginia creeper, the effect of wliioh is lovely ; and it forms a complete cloister of perpetual verdure, where air and exercise may be taken even in wet weather. Her garden is full of flowers, the wall is covered by a bower of honeysuckle, and although there are none of the more choice and tender plants, yet the general effect is excellent; and, enter the garden when I wiU, I am sure to see some flower or another there. All her little possessions are conveniently at hand, and it must be so pleasant to be able, during the hea- viest storm, to rush out and snatch up a buffetted geranium, or throw a mat over a hen-coop, that I cannot help longing to live in such a cottage with everything close to my elbow, where I could watch over seedlings and cuttings without getting wet through, and observe all the interesting effects of the shower and the sunshine with dry feet and un- draggled dress. There is something wonderfully agreeable in the idea of a cottage, something pecu- liarly snug, peaceful, and EngUsli, something that either interests our feeUngs, or pleases our fancy, and has done so ever since we first ranged through lanes and fields in our infancy. Yet I am well aware that^jfaee has notliing to do with happiness, though we too often go about " seeking peace and finding none." A rose-covered trellis cannot satisfy a crav- ing mind, a sheltered cottage cannot give peace to a troubled spirit, nor can hothouses and conservatories content a restless one. We all build " castles" of some shape or size, and sometimes God permits us to inhabit them, that they may say to us, " Happi- ness is not in me." No ; striving to falfll our duty to God and our neighbour in that place which He has appointed is more certain happiness and peace than any situation toe may covet. There are times, indeed, when we may be called to " depart " like Abraham, but moving in obedience to the evident command of God is quite diflerent to ibUowing our own blind will, or fleeing " from the face of the Lord" like Jonah. Let us all be contented with the " bounds of our habitation," for God has marked them out. The cottager may wish for a finer garden, the lady for one smaller and more snug, but wo know not what is best for us. Only let our hearts be fixed on " those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God," only let us lay firm hold of that " hope which we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast," and then, whether our lot is cast in a palace or a cabin, in poverty or plenty, in weal or woe, we shall be able to say with the troubled Shunemmite, " It is well." Let her bright example of contentment read a lesson to our often wayward hearts ; and when we are tempted to seek out fresh paths for our feet, let us think of her quiet, beautiful reply, and be stiU — " I dweU among mine own people." CELERY AND STRAWBERRY CULTURE. Having for a niunber of years raised celery, not very successfully, in pits, I last spring consulted your pages with the view of changing my mode, in order to succeed better. But I must confess I was puzzled when I had done so, for there I found Mr. Barnes, a high authority, planting across shallow trenches five feet wide, six plants in a row, and 18 inches between the rows, in ground which had previously been well trenched, and manured with a moderate quantity of well rotted manure, forked in and incorporated with the soil before planting ; Mr. Turner, a very liigh authority, inserting his plants 12 or 15 inches apart, in pits seven inches deep (not more) and two feet wide, filled with stable manure, and covered with soil an inch or an inch and a half thick ; while Mr. Nutt, a vei-y high authority indeed, places his in a trench 18 inches deep and 36 inches wide, filled with 1 o inches of pig and horse dung, with horn or bone dust, well mixed, and covered with three inches of soil. In this dilemma I resolved upon refemng the question, as to which of these modes was calculated to produce the best and heaviest celery, to the arbi- tration of — experience, by adopting all tlie three. This I did by preparing the pits and planting out agreeably to the directions of each of my masters respectively, in the same spot of suitable ground ; and when the arbiter shall, some time before winter sets in, have given his final award in the case, I shaU let you know the result for the government of my fellow-subscribers. In the meantime I have seen enough to satisfy me that any of the new modes will be better than my old practice, and that, of the two which will beai- comparison, Mr. Nutt's and Mr. Tm'ner's (which I carried out at the same time, while I reserved Mr. Barnes' for my later crop), the latter promises rather the better — probably in consequence of the roots in the shallower pits being kept nearer the warmer surface, while those in Mr. Nutts' deeper pits seek farther down into colder ground. Whether the greater body of manm-e in the latter may encourage a longer and more vigorous growth in the plant in future, time will shew. In the meantime I am very well pleased with my trial, some of my plants already showing a vigorous gi'owth and a massy stem of fully three feet in height. As " doctors differ," at least as far in their modes Ul THE COTTAGE GARDENER. September of gi'owing strawberries as celei-y, and as, although no doctor, I have been rather successful in the cul- ture of that productive and delicious fniit, I may, while I have pen in hand, add my mite to the contri- butory information which your useful pages already afford on the subject, by giving some of the details of iny practice and its results. My climate, then, is what may be expected in a drv situation, far fi'om, and some (iOO feet above, the level of tlie sea; my soil a strong clayey loam, recently treuclied 1111(1 drained, from an old wood, which was full of lioiililers, and very wet. The kinds which 1 liriiieiiiiiUy culliviilr ;ii-e iicjiiiv ""liiil you recommend. I, The h'.rii'a /SVc(//(/(r i!M'. iiiul. (.11 111.' Jii-sl, ii]iiiriinuice of tlio iililiTs, nr oi-ccii lly, 10 amiiii llio |iinls alibcted hy iiicuiiis of a jiicco of s]ioii,i^o (li|ii)c(l ill lliO liquor, Init a soil liiusli oi' a feather will answer as well, and may ho luoio handy in Home cases. We would stvong-ly urge on all our plant growers to Icoop some of this liquor hy them for instant use liccausc, if the hottlc or jar is well corked, this useful ami clieap application will keep good enough for a, whole sea- son. It is as easily made as a cup of tea, ami much in the same way, by pomlng boiling water at the rate of a quart to an ounce of best tobacco, and covering over the vessel tUl the liquor is cold. A tea-spoonful of soot may also be added before the water is put on. The ammouiacal smell from this is very disagreeable to insects, ants, and slugs. IJraw off the liquor quite clean, in order that no disfigurement may ensue to the leaves by its appli- cation.— Senilis. WiNiEU Planting Potatoes. — According to your advice I planted potatoes in winter. I just contrast tlie results:— 184(), iilauted in April, three-iburths diseased; .1847, ditto, one-half ditto; 1848, ditto, all diseased ; 1849, end of December, not one diseased, and the crop about one-fourth more than any of the ])revious. i'art of the gTound was the very same as the l)ad potatoes grew on, because I occupy more ground for potatoes than all other vegetables. — H. B., Sheffield. Poultry.' — I am happy in being able to give an answer to the query (./. //. 8., p. 259), respecting the two descriptions of hens he names. I have seen something of the Ohittajirats, but decidedly prefer the Oolden pheasants, having tried them for two years. They are not sitters, which the former are, but the eggs of the latter are very superior. INIine com- menced laying early in January, but, counting from February down to the end of July, they laid 1000 eggs. I should have said my stock was ;iO hens, and two cocks; and for the last two months lU was the number. This includes eggs sat upon by four hens of anotlier breed, producing 30 chickens. Thirteen eggs were put to each hen. The greater part of the year they have been fed upon rice boiled, with an occasional help of barley. The rice cost me 13s per cvvt., carriage included, at the rate of 10s Gd rice, iis 6d carriage. I have not made up my accounts, to see what they have actually cost me, but think I may be somewhat on the wrong side, although I have lulled 3.3 chickens in the six mouths, which chickens had been kept upon the same materials. They ai-e confined to a good sized yard, with no grass to feed on, but occasionally cabbage leaves from the garden. Under these cncumstances of confinement they require more feeding than if they had the run of a field, where they find much to exist on ; but the ibrmer being dry, it favours the rearing of chicks, of which I have lost comparatively few, that is Ibur or five last year and two this. Ducks, also form a por- tion of my stock, in the rearing of which I have not been so fortunate, having allowed them to sit, instead of placing hens on their eggs. Those hens I have allowed to sit are a kind of Top-knot Malay, T think, which I have crossed with the pheasant, and hope to find some of them will sit. They make good layers. — Robert Haynes, Danesford. tlow( The Intermediate Stock. — The way I grow i to sow the seed the first week in August;, lly first week in September the jilauts are i-cady In |n out in pots. I put three in a six-inrli, or .'.■;-] growing them in very poor soil, and keeping ' all the wiiitci- in a cold frame. They show very early, ami I iilaut Ihcm out the last week in April witii tlii'ir llowcvs Just colouring. I am so very fond of them that I grow as many as I can of them'; some are still blooming (September 4th). I am suro they do better without manure; tliey come ueaily all double. — J. C, Holloway. [Yon have hit upon the best mode of growing the intermediate stock. We are always glad to receive particulars concerning any of oru- readers' modes of cultivation. Such particulars may appear simple to themselves, but they ai-e original and valuable to many.— Ed. C. G.] Rylott's Flour-ball Potato. — A coiTespondeut asked a few weeks since, " Has Rylott's Flour-hall potatoes pink eyes ?" As no one has replied, I write to say that they have not. I wish to say a few words in favour of this potato. In the first place it is a most prolific bearer. I am not aware of one kind which bears better than the " Flour-ball." A friend of mine, from whom I obtauied my seed, informed me (and I have no reason to disti-ust his veracity) that "a neighbour of his planted half a peck (10 lbs.), and had the enormous produce of 13 pecks, or ;ilj0 lbs. ; hut this was in a good locality for potato culture ; however, with me they hear extremely well. Se- condly, the flavour is first-rate. I do not remember having tasted any of a better flavom-. It is true they do not grow large, but of a nice moderate size, and their appearance is good when boiled. They are then very white, and really worthy of the name they bear — "Flour-ball." I consider that they are a second early. I wish every cottage gardener had one peck to plant next season: my impression is they would not regret having made the experiment in planting such an excellent variety. — J. Turner, Nurserijman, Neepsend, Sheffield. Fumigation of Bees. — Some of your correspond- ents appear to be at a loss for the proper material for the fuming of bees. No work on the subject, that I am aware of, gives more ample information than Taylor's " Bee-keeper's Manual," wherein is described a new kind of most effective fungus, which may be procured in any quantity. Veiy probably it can be had of Neighbour, High Holborn, London. I have tried various modes of uniting families of bees in autumn, including that of Gelieu, as given by Mr. Payne, but prefer, as the most simjile, the method detailed in the above-named publication. (My copy is the third edition.) As to chloroform, no one can doubt its effect on any form of animal existence ; but is it wise to introduce among servants or cottagers an agent at once highly dangerous in hnproper hands, expen- sive, and of troublesome application, when a bit of fungus or mild tobacco, scarcely to be valued at a penny, will answer every object ? — An Old Bee- jiaster. [We tliink you are right. Where the fungus can be had, and tobacco can be had anywhere, there is every reason against using so dangerous a compound as chloroform. — Ed. C. G.] Hyacinths, Narcissus, &c. — Bulbs of these, and all other hardy bulbs, that are intended to bloom about or before Christmas, will force better and easier the earlier they are potted this month, because the pots wOl get full of roots before they are brought into heat ; but for spring flowering they will be soon 34G THE COTTAGE 0.\HDENER. SeI'TKMRER enougli if potted any time in October, or even by the middle of November. After they are potted they may be placed m a sheltered place out of doors, and coaj-ashes. earth, sawdust, or leaf-mould heaped over them, so that five or six inches of the covering may stand above the pots. Tire reason for covering them thus deeply is that the heat of the season may not excite the brdbs till then- roots are first made, and if one gentle watering is given at the time of potting it will be enough to excite the roots into gi-owth. Those intended for water-glasses need not be potted, but only buried in light soil, or placed in a box of sandy soil, yet, in either case, to be buried from the influ- ence of the sun, like the potted ones. Those intended to be grown in fresh moss may be potted at once in pots full of moss, and j^laced behind a north wall or any dark corner, and empty pots turned over them ; or if placed in a row, and a board laid over the pots, to keep mice or other vermin from them, it will be enough; or the whole lot may be put down in a cool cellar, the great desideratum being to get them well rooted before the leaves are put in action, and to preserve the bulbs from rats and mice and all such enemies. Some people put rich old manure at the bottom of the pots, and if that does not turn sour or lunder the drainage it will be of considerable use in strengthening the foliage, but hardly of much im- portance for the size or vigour of the flowers, as all, or almost all, the substance which produces the flowers is already stored up in each bulb. — D. Beaton. Two Chops of Potatoes a Year. — I am growing a second crop of potatoes this year, and they are looking very well (August 28th). They are now in flower, and do not seem to be touched with the blight. My first crop was of Ash-leaved kidneys, and this is of Prolific and Jersey blues. This crop is growing in lazy beds. What do you think of that plan? I think well of it; there is no idle ground. [Lazy beds are advantageous in wet soilg and climates. Oblige us by informing us when you planted your first crop, and what amount of produce you have from your second cro]5. Did you plant sets taken fi-om the crops of 1S48?— Ed. C. G.] Blackberry Jam. — Allow me to suggest to those of yoiu' readers who feel an interest in the welfare of then- poorer neighbours, that preserved blackberries are nearly equal to black currant jelly in relieving affections of the throat, &c., arising from colds and coughs. They should be made into jam or jelly in the same manner as currants, save that instead of putting equal quantities of fruit and sugar, half the quantity of the latter will be sufiioient. Thus, to one pound of blackberries I put half a pound of sugar. Might it not be the means, also, of putting a few pence into the pockets of some industrious lads for collecting fruit ? I may mention that many who were in the habit of visiting amongst the poor and sick during that period when the influenza was so prevalent, found blackberry jam extremely useful. — F. W. E. PACiaNG Trees for Exportation. — A son of mine, who has been for some years settled on a branch of the Hunter Piiver in New South Wales, has written to me to request that I will send him out tliis autumn a collection of the best apples and pears and other fi'uit-trees, for a large orchard which he has prepared to receive them. Now, I should be glad to be in- formed, as exactly as possible, the precise time when the plants should be taken up, and the best mode of packing them. He assm-es me that a neighbour has received fruit-trees from England, and that they all lived; but as the winter here is summer in Austra- lia, I am confident it must require the nicest manage- ment to ensure then- siu'viving the voyage. — A. R. A. [Young fruit-trees destined for Australia, or other long voyages, should be pruned immediately, and that closely, leaving no more than two or tln'ee buds at the bottom of the young shoots. This will cause an accumulation of sap in the buds left, wliich helps materially to their success. Healthy, upright trees, and about three years old, shoidd be selected; the names to be on zinc labels, fastened to the trees with copper wu-e. Prune the roots also close. The trees need not be taken up till the vessel is nearly ready to sail. October and November are the best months ; and by far the best way to pack them is in sti'ong wooden cases, using seasoned or dry saw-dust to pack with, and that as closely as yoii can ram it without bruising the trees. You should contract with a respectable nui-seryman at once, show him this notice, and if he engages to transmit them on a safer plan, let him have his own way. Pnming them at the end of September is the most essential part of the midertaking. We shall be very glad to hear from any one who has sent trees successfully to Australia, how they packed them. We want facts. See what Mr. Beaton says to-day on this subject. — Ed. C. G.] Destroying Slugs. — Few questions seem to be put to you more fi-equently than, how to resist the ravages of slugs? It is incredible the numbers I have destroyed by placing slices of Swedish turnij) about the parts infested. They crowd to it, and in wet weather may be picked fi-om the shoes several times a day. — E. I. Caterpillars and Slugs. — About seven years ago I came into possession of the gardens which I now occupy, and the first thing which struck my attention was the leafless and stunted appearance of the goose- berry-bushes. In a short time, as the summer ad- vanced, I found that caterpillai-s were the cause of all this mischief; on fm-ther seoi'ch I began to suspect tliat they were produced by a moth, a handsome one with black and red wings. I observed that it was not to be seen except in the neighbourhood of goose- berry and currant-bushes. I immediately gave my little boys encouragement to kill them by purchasing at a cheap rate the dead bodies of my adversaries. I began this system about three years ago ; gi-aduolly the caterpillar has disappeared, and, though a few moths have been seen and destroyed this year, such a scarcity of caterpillai-s has been the result that I have my bushes looking well and full of leaf, and, in spite of a reward offered for then' apprehension, re- markably few have been brought to justice. I write this for the encoiu'agement of those who may be simi- larly afflicted. Slugs have also been the objects of my attention, and I have found that the best method for destroying them is to place slices of the Swede turnip near the young crops which they are most likely to at- tack. On dewy jnornings they will be found beneath the turnip in great numbers, both gi'cat and small. Now, the great can easily be cut into two parts with a scissors, and their size is always a sufficiently strong inducement to destroy them, but the difficulty was to kill the more minute ones sticking in gi-oat numbers to the turnip ; to effect this I take with mo a brickbat, against which I strike the slice of tiunip, whereby a host of j'oung depredators are crushed in a moment. These suggestions are not very novel, but the practice has been so successful that I hope you will excuse the liberty I take in addressing you on so humble a department of gardening. — J. W., lichton. THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. Potatoes. — A Cornish corresponclent says, " You will be gratified to licar that the potatoes in this ncighhomOiood ai*e looking exceedingly well, iiud shew no symptoms of disease. I am hving in the midst of mavlcet gardens, my house heing within a quarter of a mile of the village of Wilcove, famous for its brocoli. >Sea weed is used for manure in great abundance." TO CORRESPONDENTS. Removing Goosebebhy-bushes (A Cottage Subscnber). — You may remove these now if you injure their roots ns little as possible. We should give them their winter pruning before doing so. This early removal is ouly allow.T,ble because it is a case of necessity; otherwise, the end of October and November are the best times for planting and transpLinting trees. For full directions for asparagus forcing see pp. Q2 and 171 of our first volume. Index to First Volume (FrawA).— You can obtain this at our office through your bookseller for one penny. WiNTEiiiNG Verbenas and Geraniums (H. JI.).— Do not hang these up by the roots unless you wish to destroy them. See what we sav at p, 328 of last Number. Buffalo Celery Show (T. Di2'0Ji).—Send us the weights of the Inarching (A Beginner).— By inarching, or grafting-by-approach, is meant grafting the branches of two trees or bushes together whilst they are growing near each other, and not cutting off the scion or graft from its parent until it has united or grown to the stock. Potato Stoeing (Clericus, Beds).— ^ome of your potatoes have " gone bad" since they were taken up, and, fearing that the same may happen to your main crop not yet taken up, you ask our advice, and it is this : — Fork them up immediately, whilst dry weather con- tinues, and store them in a dry cool shed, in layers alternating with dry earth or chaiTed refuse, covering the sides and top three inches deep with the same." Do not let any two potatoes touch. It is not unusual for one variety to be less diseased than another, as in your case the Farmer's Glories were attacked, but not the "Clumberts." We do not know the latter. Sour Krout {W. C. G.).— If the quantity willnot go into atwelve- galion cask, but which we are told it will if properly sliced and pressed, use a larger cask. Pumpkin Seed {Ibid). — A pumpkin should be cut as soon as the leaves begin to change to a yellowish colour. The flesh of the pump- kin, if a good variety, will be excellent made into soup, as directed at p. 43 of our first volume; or it may be boiled and mashed hke turnips. Wash the seeds in a sieve, dry them, and keep thera in a dry place, tied up in paper. Cut off the heads of the Brussels sprouts and Barnes'' Sprouting savoy when the stems are about eighteen inches high. This promotes their sprouting. Grapes Ripening Unequally {I. B., Richmond) .—In reference to your vines that have ripened and swelled one part of each bunch, while the other part has withered, you should, in the first place, re- move the strawberries from the border immediately and totally. You could not have anything worse, for they not only root deep and ex- haust the soil, but their foliage shades the border, and prevents the soil being so warmed as it ought to be for a native of sunny climes. Try and keep your border for the vines uncropped, and encourage them to root near the surface. See what has lately been said in our pages upon that subject. Secondly, examine if the border is drained j . - . . . light, be careful to give a little air the first thing in the morning, and before the sun strikes upon the house. In late forcing it is always safest to leave a little air on all night. Fourthly, in the succeeding year be satisfied with a moderate crop of good quality, rather than a large crop that -nill be inferior, as much of the evil of which you complain . proper root action, or from these roots being describe ia with, but not often, from neglecting to water well- drained borders during such weather as we had in July and August. Fruit-trees for N. Wall {P. W.J,— The Golden Drop, Impera- trice, and, indeed, all the old plums, will do on your north wall, in addition to the Morella cherry, but not better than on standards. The principal convenience of a north wall for fruit-trees is the ease with which fruit upon it may be covered to keep late, such as currants, gooseberries, Morello cherries, &c. Your suggestions are under con- sideration. We have already done more for popular gardening than has ever been thought of before, but we can hardly be expected to write books on the different subjects ; they are already as plentiful as blackberries, and many of them as worthless, The more you read of such books, the more certainly we shall have you as " a constant sub- RosE Cuttings (Flora, Somersetshire).— Cuttings of summer roses will hardly strike now, but many of them would if put in last August. Good cuttings with " heels" to thera of all other roses may be put in any time in October and November, but the sooner the bet- ter. We have just finished planting many hundreds of them in beds of light earth, in an open situation ; we have planted them in rows across the bed, fourteen inches apart, and four inches from one an- other, and gave them, when first planted, a good watering with a rose pot to fill up the soil about them. Your other question about your beautiful geraniums will be included in a general review of the whole subject next week by Mr. Beaton, and that will be in full time. cuttings, but they may be grafted on the tubers now and in October. They will not be better plants than those obtained by dividing the roots next spring. Raspberry Espaliers (I. B. C.).— The posts for these should be about six feet apart, and the plants three feet from each other. The directions at p. 65 of vol. I. apply to established plants. Canc« planted this autumn will yield you a good crop next year if moved carefully and well cultivated. „ Heracleum giganteum (G. a., fy J. noHnso7i). -Tliis plant grows eight feet high, and its large bunches of white flowers will be out in June and July next if sown now. It is quite hai-dy, being a native of Siberia. Wintering Geraniums (H. B., Edinhirgh).— Every old fuchsia and geranium, such ar > . . .... out light or pots, the same w: and frost. Those out in po them should be pruned before storing, cutting 0 ij „.. recommend you to adopt the plan of heating with gas, ' ■ "" shall Jfol- from your letter for the : readers. It tells as plainly as a fact can do, how old gei fuchsias can be wintered, " Last winter, being in bad health, I had to leave home with my family, so I shut up my house, having taken nil ray fuchsias, geraniums, &c., in pots, into the kitchen. '"' they\ : light nearly four 1 other There Ir but, in the r All of them have lived, laden with clusters of flowers.' Training (G. G. G.).— We have always been in the system as too tedious, and too apt, habit of considering Seymour' with the slightest omission, to get that system we must rely, but on a judicious course of ispecially summer stopping. By the latter a iderpe- - - ' kept I :■ perfect control, . be J it alone. Carry up your bearers on the radiating principle by all means, If your studs are all occu- pied, tie the young shoots down to the branch next below them, until the time of winter pruning. LiLiuM Lancifolium Rubrum (i^. GiVes).— Seewhatissaidin our first volume, p. 248. You need not give any water to old fuefisias, after they have been moved from your border into their winter quarters. Your plant, instead of Datura, is now called Brugmansia arborea. It grows large, and therefore requires much root room. It is really a stove plant, but large specimens turned out into the conservatory borders do exceedingly well ; and even if turned out into the open air about the beginning of June they will flower well. Any rich light soil will suit thera. To strike cuttings of it requires a good bottom heat. Your other plant, of which you sent a leaf, is either an Ipomea or a Calystegia, Do not cut it down, but encourage its flowering, as it is growing well. Balls op Jelly (Ji.iTicA-).— These, which you found when mow- ing, are slugs' eggs. Sowing Gladioli (G. G.). — The soil for this purpose is a mixture of equal parts sandy peat, light loam, and leaf-mould. Bury the seed half an inch deep. Lvias must be kept in a cold pit or frame, with plenty of air through the winter. All that they require is to have the frost kept out. See full directions at p. 112 of vol. i. Heaths in Room {A. T. Blythe).~See, for general culture, p. 26 of present volume; and, in rooms, p. 168. Seedling pelargoniums must be allowed to go to rest in the winter, but the soil must not be allowed to become so dry as that of old plants. Do not allow them to bloom this year. To destroy the aphis on your roses, &c., there is no plan known but crushing them with the fingers, syringing them with tobacco water, and fumigating them with tobacco" smoke. You will see a very able communication in our paper to-day on the culture of the strawberry. Answers to your other queries next week. Weeds on Lawn (Tyro). — The only mode of destroying the plaintains on your lawn is by having them cut out with a knife, and a large spoonful of salt put upon the stump. It is a tedious process, but a woman will do it for a very small aura. Crocuses :n Moss (Stella).— Deep china bowls will do for this purpose ; only water the moss occasionally as it gets dry. By a six- inch pot is meant a pot six inches in diameter across the top. Vines in Pots (J. F. M., Otley).—Yo\x will see Mr. Fish wrote upon this subject last week. Joslin's St. Albans is preferable t Whit "^ ' ■ " ' ■ ■ - heat. Vhite Tokay vine for cultivation in a small house with little artificial They had better be kept i irosts by coverings, they vi trees where they are if you have'put then 1 where you wish them t of the present. L. L. album is white, L. L. punctatum is white and spotted, L. L. roseum is pink, cruentum is crimson, and j-ubrum is red. They grow from three to four feet high. The species is a native of Japan. The size of the instrument for ascertaining the pitch of a greenhouse roof given at p. 304 is immaterial ; if each side is 18 inches long it is a convenient size. Salt on Gravel Walks (Rev. H. House).~See what is said at p. 72. No\vater is necessary. It only destroys weeds for a time, and will serve your edgings the same if you have any. HuiSH's Hive (J. Men-ijield).— The Huish hive is 12 inches wide at the top, 10 at the bottom, and nine mches deep. The zinc covers .r_.__j . last number refer to Neighbour's improved for 1 has a top of wood the size of the hive, in which are five holes many glasses ; the holes arc covered with circular pieces of THE COTTAGE GARDENER. zinc, secured by one nnil only, and are turned aside when the glasses arc put on. Payne's improved cottage hive is of straw entirely, for which see Tur Cottage Gardener, vol. i. p. 239. For the former apply at Mr. G. Neighbour's warehouse, 127, High Holborn, London. Mr. Payne's costs eighteen-pence, and the other three guineas. Wintering Begonia rucnsioiDES (A Subscriber).— Keep it almost dry from the end of October to March, and in a tempera- ture rather warmer than a greenhouse, say from 45° to 60° ; when it begins to grow in the spring cut back the small side shoots to a couple of buds ; give it stove heat if possible to the end of May, and then summer it in the greenhouse. It will bloom from the middle or end of July. Every little morsel of it, and of all the branching bei^onicis, root as freely as willows. Kdcusias Grown too Large (H. N. Kingston, Ireland).— Fuchsias must not be disrooted when growing, but, if necessary, may be closely root-pruned in the spring, like pelargoniums. AH the young wood made this season may be cut off to a few eyes, and also some of the older branches if they are too close together, as soon as the growing season is over, The tnildew on your crops indicates a damp or undrained soil ; sulphur, if applied in 'time, is the best pre- ventive, and liquid manure helps the plants to outgrow it. AauATic Plants (L. I>., C. Parso7iage).— Your complaint of the destruction of your water-plants "by some water insect" is new to us, and we think some other destroyer has done the mischief. Lime is disagreeable to all water insects, and will kill fish if in strong doses ; a little fresh lime dusted on the surface, over the plants, is enough to Plants foe Border under S. E. Wall (Ibid)— We would recommend a row of Escholtzias to be sown along the dry border early in April. It is the only hardy thing that we know that is likely to succeed with you ; we have seen it flourish on rocks, in pure sand and in loose gravel, full in the sun. (Ibid).— Wo prefer the old mode of cutting ' ' ' but opinions """ often done s down the '* sets " when the hedge the point. Why not try a few both ways ? we na but we always planted in October, which is by far the best season. Fruit-trees near a Hedge (E. S., Birmingham). — Your trees cannot answer so near the hedge. Take them up by all means in the end of October, or any time between that and the middle of February, but the earlier the better, and replant them. Perhaps you had better remove them to the other side of the walk, and three feet from it. We do not like these hedge borders ; we think it best eco- nomy to make the walk close to the hedge where ground is precious, unless (it may he) one southern slope for very early things. See our Number for November 9th, 1848 ; there we have fully discussed this subject. As your subsoil is retentive, mind your drainage. Liquid Manure for Fruit-trees {Busj/bodi/).— You may ap- ply the liquid with the greatest amount of benefit when the fruit is swelling, say the early pai-t of June. If very strong, dilute it with two parts water at least. Be sure to cover the soil with litter or mulch previously. Any surplus stock of such liquor may be poured over the roots of hard-bearing trees, any time from November till February, in its crude state, or nearly so. The best way at that period is to bore holes with a poker or crowbar to receive it. Trailer ior a Shaded Window (Ibid).— It is difficult to su;^'gost a pretty trailer for a shaded window. We would try Tro- pu-olum pen-grlimm; this we know will do in shade. The Linaria rt/inbaftit'iii we have seen growing beautifully in such a situation — keeping a water-pan beneath it. Petunias would succeed, if in flower ^hen placed there ; also Thunbergias, if the room has a fire. The Lysimachia niimmularia is a pretty trailer and endures shade. Saxi- fraga sarmentosa looks very pretty suspended in a window. CALENDAR FOR OCTOBER. GREENHOUSE. AiE, give freely in fine days, and sparingly at night, unless the ther- mometer indicates 40°. Azaleas and Camellias, remove into the house. Do not allow any, and especially the former, to get yellow in the foliage. Cvtisus and Genista should be well watered with the syringe to clear away all traces of red spider before being introduced. Clean and fresh surface all plants with suitable composts before housing them. Climbers on rafters, &c., shorten and remove, that the plants below may have as much light as possible. Cinerarias, pot suckers and seedlings. Calceolarias, propagate by cuttings, and pot and prick oft' seedlings; they strike easdy in the beginning of the month. The Tenderest Plants should be boused by the beginning of the month; the Hardier, such as myrtles, chrysanthe- mums, &c., should have a shelter ready \vhen necessary before the end of the month. Those taken from the open borders and potted will thrive all the better if, after the roots had previously been cut round, the plants after being potted should have the pots plunged in a pit or frame in a little bottom heat. Water, give sparingly at bottom, unless in the case of those forming flower-buds or coming into bloom, such as chrijsimthemums, early cinnellian, &c., rather prefer syringing over head in a fine day, until the end of the month, excluding from this operation plants in bloom. R. Fish. FLOWER GARDEN. Anemones, plant. Annuals, done flowering, pull up, b. Au- riculas, move to sunny shelter; protect from rain and snow; remove dead leaves; slip. Bulbous roots, plant; those in flower protect ; phice in water glasses. Carnation layers, plant in pots, e. Climbers, plant. Compost, j repare. Cuttings, plant. Dau- , protect in flower ; begin to take up roots, to dry and s twelve months. Leaves, _ store for composts. Mignonette, shelter. Pinks planting to remain. Planting, generally, may be dom perform as required; dress old potted plants. Primu genus fpolyanth' generally, but especially fuchsias', geraniums, and such like plants, on the approach of frost, the green d such like plan let them stand in the borders to the end of the month, uidess hard frost comes. Ranunculuses, plant. The end of this month and the beginning of the next is the best time to transplant Roses, particularly climbers. Suflter half hardy plants and shrubs; the first frost is the most injurious to them. Sf.edlings, place in shel- tered places. Seeds, finish gathering. Suckers, remove and plant ground. Tuberous-rooted plants insert, especially pao Turf may be laid. D. Be apple: ORCHARD. Storing Fruit, continue to gather in due pears, &c. Peaches and Nectarines, be watchful over those re- maining. Plums, protect the late kinds, as hnperatrice and Cue''ti Late Red, from wasps. Raspberries (Autumn), gather when dry. Strawberries (Alpine), gather when dry. Quinces, gather. Medlars, gather, e. Grapes, ripe, gather and hang in dry room; bag when necessary, b. Figs, gather daily when ripening. Walnuts, gather, m. and e. Stones of fruits preser\e lor sowing. Berberries, gather, m. Planting, commence, e. Preparation of ground for planting carry out. TnoEoucn Drain- age attend to, e. Hedges, finish trimming, b. Thorough cleaning of long grass, weeds, &c., carry out, b. Char or bum all hedgi- NTED Trees water if dry, and iRRiES, rough dress and plant, perform, b. « " R. Er PLANT STOVE AND FORCING DEPARTMENT. Air, admit freely every fine day, and a little during warm nights. Bark-beds, turn and renew, but,"whetheritbe thenew ortheoldyon })uton the top, do not mix the two together, or the heat will be too vio- ent. Bulbs, potforfirstandsuceession blooming. Cucumbers, pot and grow for winter bearing. Clean Leaves from insects, Glass from dirt, and Furnaces and Flues from soot. Fires, Hghtduring the evening, but sparingly ; rather do so in general during the morn- ing, which will enable you to give more air to pines and late vines in fruit, and thus finish the maturing of the wood. Flowering Shrubs introduce at the end of the month for winter blooming, after having been duly rested. Pines intended for fruiting early, should be en- couraged to finish their growth by giving plenty of air. Successions should be encouraged to grow, as long- as there is strength of sun to elaborate their juices. Vines in late houses, sec that the wood is maturing, and disbud where the buds will not be wanted. Shifting may still be done where necessary, but sparingly— though more gene- rally in this department than any other. Strawberries, the most forward in pots, defend from heavy rains (if by no other means), turning the pots on their broadsides. Water growing plants as they require it, and especially those showing flower, such as gesnvru, &c. ; but water sparingly those stopped growing. R. Fisu. KITCHEN GARDEN. Balm, plant. Beans, plant, c. Kiir i:,J, i.il>r n|, !.„■ ■ h.nng, e. ; leave or plant out for seed, li > n '■ mi..Vc. , plant. Cabbages, luii ,. : i m;. to stand the Celery, plant; earth up. Chives, plant. Col Cress (Water), plant. Cucumbers, plant, b. Dii prepare for hotbeds. Earthing-up, attend to. Kn .ONDON : Printed by Harry Wooldridge, 147, Strand, in the Parish of Saint Mary- le- Strand ; and Winchester High-street, in the Parish of St. Mary Kalendar ; and Published by William SoMERViLLE Orh, at the Office, 147, Strand, in the Pariah of Saint Mary-lc-Strand, London.— September 27tb, 1849.