1 8 POT-POURRI FROM A SURREY GARDEN 



been rigging up a delightful arrangement for feeding Tom- 

 tits. I hang half a pound of suet and a cocoanut on either 

 end of a piece of thick string. This should be long 

 enough to reach the lower window when suspended from 

 a small iron rod by a ring hanging at the end of it, the 

 rod being nailed to the window-sill above. The string is 

 passed through the top of the cocoanut, of which the 

 bottom is cut off, making a hole large enough for a bird 

 to get in. It greatly adds to the artistic effect to hang 

 the cocoanut about a foot lower than the suet, or vice 

 versd. The small birds cling to the string while they 

 peck their food, and so make a continual and beautiful 

 design. To help them to cling, a few little crossbars of 

 wood are knotted into the string and form a sort of rough 

 ladder. In really cold weather, or with snow on the 

 ground, they become wonderfully tame. Another way is 

 to plant a post in the ground with one or two cross-bars 

 nailed to the top, on which are hung similar arrangements 

 to those just described of cocoanut and suet, or an old 

 bone. 



This warm winter has suited the Christmas Eoses, which 

 are uncommonly good. The great secret in light soils is 

 to mulch them well while they are making their leaves. 

 Water them with liquid manure when their flower-buds 

 are forming, and protect them with lights in the flowering 

 season, especially keeping them from heavy rains or 

 snow. For these reasons grow them in a bed by them- 

 selves. In the greenhouse I found a Choisya ternata, 

 which I had cut back hard last May, covered all over 

 with its beautiful white flowers. It had been forced in 

 the stove for about ten days. This is a most delightful 

 plant in every way, easy to strike and to layer, quite 

 hardy ; though, when growing outside, the flowers are 

 sometimes a little injured by hard late frosts. It is invalu- 

 able for cutting to send to London at all times of year, as 



