TO 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[October 31. 
the use of sulphur, I differ from them on the following 
grounds. In my early practice I used sulphur in common 
with other gardeners, but soon gave it up as a useless 
remedy against insects. Afterwards, I had some conversa¬ 
tion with one of the Messrs. Loddiges, who strongly recom¬ 
mended, or rather the fumes of, it from the hot flues or pipes 
as certainly destructive for the red spider. This came from 
so good authority, that I gave it a fair trial; but in my 
anxiety to save the foliage on my vines, I went too far, not 
being content with simply following the plan just noticed, 
but foolishly wont through the vinery with some sulphur on 
a hot shovel. I soon found my error, for many of the vine 
leaves were scorched, without any apparent injury to the 
insects. Indeed, the next day tiiey were as lively as ever. 
I then put some of them to a stronger test, by placing a 
kidney bean plant, swarming with the red spider, under a 
hand-glass, and then filled it with sulphur smoke enough to 
stifle his Satanic Majesty himself. But when the scorched 
plant was put out in the sun, the insects appeared as if 
nothing had happened. Since then 1 have not used sulphur 
except for mildew, against which it may be of service if ap¬ 
plied early. I say nothing of the great unpleasantness of 
entering a fine looking greenhouse or vinery impregnated 
with sulphur, however engaging be the plants. — John 
W lGHTON. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
*** We request that no one will write to the departmental writers *.f 
Thk Cottage. Gardener. It gives them unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. All communications should be addressed “ To the Editor of 
The Cottage Gardener , 2, Amen Corner , Paternoster Row , London." 
Select Plants tor Greenhouse (J. S.). —You will see you have 
been attended to. 
Heaths for Sitting-room (M.). —Of these mentioned a fortnight 
a{?o, try Willmorei , Linnet aides, and Ventricosa. Keep them as free 
from dust as possible. Give them as much air as you can by even setting 
them outside the window, when the air is mild and the temperature above 
40°. If you keep good fires in your room in the evening, say a tempera¬ 
ture of 60°, your heaths will be ruined unless you can manage to move 
them to a cooler place, returning them to the room before going to bed, 
when the fire has got exhausted. 
Mimosa Pudica {Wrinkle). —This, if true, is properly a Brazilian 
annual; and, therefore, both its nature and its native locality would unfit 
it for living in your window over the winter. The Scnsitiva is the sensi¬ 
tive plant, which would stand in your window in the heat of summer, but 
would fade in such a position before winter. 
Young Fuchsias {Ibid). —These, if growing, should be kept in the 
large room where the Arnot’s stove is. If kept in the frame, you must 
protect them from frost until their growth is finished; after that you may 
place them anywhere, secure from frost, until growth commences, when 
you must give them light cither in your frame or the large room; the 
latter would cost you least trouble, if you can give air when wanted.— 
Geraniums trut down and potted three months ago, and now in leaf. 
These will do well either in the frame, properly attended to with cover¬ 
ing, &c., but will do as well kept near the windows in the large room, 
kept alike from being too hot and also from frost. See what Mr. Fish 
has said to-day and in late articles.— Plants for windows in winter , with 
nice leaves. What are better than myrtles and cut-leaved svvcet-sccntcd 
geraniums, some of which arc blotched with white and some with yellow ; 
some with a black dash along the middle, while many arc perfectly green. 
Wc shall think more about it. 
Cheap Greenhouse Plants to Bloom in Winter {Kirkdale ).— 
We will see what can be done. 
Various {J. W. T.). — 1. Fuchsias and roses taken up now will not do 
much good if placed at once upon the shelves of a greenhouse. The 
fuchsias should be kept, in the shade until fresh roots arc formed, if pre¬ 
serving the present flowers is the object. The roses must be treated in a 
similar manner ; but a cold pit would suit them best if you do not wish 
them to bloom until next season. More will be said of roses by and bye. 
2. “Is it not a general rule that all plants after blooming in pots ought 
to be immediately laid aside for rest in a cooler temperature?” With 
many it is, not all;—with many quite the reverse. 3. Greenhouse climbers 
have often been referred to. Those that remain the longest in bloom, we 
can hardly state without knowing the temperature you intend maintain¬ 
ing. Tropaiolum pcntaphyllum will flower from April to December; Tro- 
puzolum Lobbianum will flower all the winter; Passiflora catruleu, race - 
mosa , and Ballotii , will bloom nine months out of the twelve; Maude - 
villa suaveolens the best part of the summer; Kennedya monophylla and 
Maryattai in winter and spring. But none of these will do for present 
planting, unless you obtain large plants. 4. Rose cuttings may yet be 
struck if kept in a gentle heat, and dry heat secured for the top to pre¬ 
vent damping. 
Various {Arthur Loftus ).— You will be attended to. 
Work on British Ferns ( J . S.).— Moore’s Handbook of British 
Ferns will best suit you. 
Gooseberry Trellis {G. H. P.). — Pray do not erect a gooseberry j 
trellis without ensuring a good soil. The gooseberry likes a sandy loam, 
not, however, so sandy as to be “ hungry.” If your native staple is too i 
clayey, you will find ample directions in back numbers of this work for I 
the modes of correcting it. If you can introduce some turfy and mellow 
material from old pastures, pray do ; the more vegetable [remains con- ; 
tained in it the better. There must be no stagnation of moisture; this 
would prove fatal to the plan. As for the distance of the uprights, you I 
may soon determine that—only fancy a couple of field iron hurdles leaned I 
against each other. We would place the wire for training five inches j 
apart. The hushes may he from five to seven feet apart in the lines. As 
for the fastening of the curtains, surely your blacksmith will furnish you 
hooks and rings or something equivalent. These arc subordinate matters, < 
and of so simple a character, that the veriest tyro may plan them by I 
putting his head to work for two minutes. 
Vinery and Greenhouse { W . H . B .).— If your vines are or have 
been good bearers, we would cut them back progressively—main stem 
and all to the very wall-plate of the house at front. Then, supposing 
you have nine, cut three down now, three more the next autumn, and 
the last three the succeeding one. You will then not be thrown entirely 
out of grapes. You cannot ensure a regular crop of young shoots from 
old vines by cutting old spurs entirely away. If your vines are taken 
out, and you can command heat, why you can grow anything—Kidney 
beans, cucumbers, mushrooms, strawberries, Sec. ; but remember the 
heat requisite for some of these things would ruin the vines ultimately, 1 
for they require an annual rest. Your oranges and lemons, formerly in , 
pots, arc very likely starving in the midst of plenty; very likely turned ' 
out without crushing their balls, as bad gardeners do coniferous plants. 
First examine and see if the old ball is not dry. If so, pile sphagnum 
moss over it, and every time you go past them, for a week to come, pour 
a little water on the moss. A radical cure must be sought for in taking 
them up and transplanting, with a full knowledge of the cause of failure. 
Take care of some of your huge geranium bushes, or other exotics, to 
take the place of the aloes, See. The achimenes family, grown strong in 
pans, arc well adapted to endure shade. As to your bouquets, we have 
little doubt that Messrs. Beaton and Fish will, before long, give a chapter 
on this most important branch of fancy gardening. 
Gladioli Planting (A Constant Reader ).— Queen Victoria, gnn- 
davensis, formosisBimus, ramosus, psittaeinus, and floribundus, need not 
he planted till the spring; Cardinalis and Bczantinus plant now. Try 
and get a cross between the Bczantinus and psittaeinus. Bczantinus 
is the only one of the European ones which is at all likely to unite with 
the Africans. Try ramosus also with the pollen of Cardinalis. The 
country is full of crosses from the rest in your list. 
Wholesale Queries {S. J .).— Your eighteen inches of good soil on 
a clay subsoil, wc recommend to be drained well, and the evergreen, with 
most other trees and shrubs, will grow well. For lists, look back in our 
indexes, and watch what Mr. Beaton will say this winter. He is to com¬ 
mence about such things as you want now. You can also grow anything 
that can be grown in our climate, by our instructions only; but the 
ripening of grapes out of doors you must take upon your own head. You 
say you can get any quantity of chalk, and to this wc reply we wish we 
could exchange situations with you. Loam eighteen inches deep, clay 
bottom, high, so ns to be easily drained, and abundance of chalk at hand : 
a prince could require no more ! and a gardener would be satisfied with 
half your advantages. You shall hear of walks shortly. To renovate 
your lawn , take oil" the coarse turf two inches thick if you can, and put it 
in a heap for future composts, and that will in a few years pay for making 
a good lawn. Dig the ground, and sow with the grasses we have recom¬ 
mended next. February and March, and pick out broad-leaved weeds. 
For the flower and pleasure-ground, drain three feet deep, and use large 
or two to three-inch pipes or tiles ; and for the fruit-garden, at least four 
feet, Sec. After covering the pipes or tile^threc inches with the strongest 
of the clay, wc would fill in the next foot with chalk in rough lumps, except 
where the drain lies under the walks; there we would use all chalk for 
filling up, after securing the pipes with a coat of strong clay. The reason 
for covering the drain first with clay, is to prevent chalk water encrusting 
the pipes. Now, after all this, let us hear of your success from time to 
time. Wc sometimes are astonished at seeing only one out of a hundred 
returning to give their fellow readers an account of the benefit derived 
from our careful advice. 
Turning Bees to the North {Pedagogus rustims). —In preference 
to moving the bees from a south to a north aspect, Mr. Payne would 
recommend the screen figured in Mr. Taylor’s Bee-keeper's Manual, 
page 167, 4th edition. It will answer the same purpose; and if removed 
many of the bees, on a mild winter’s day, will return to their old quarters 
and be lost. Mr. Payne is also very anxious to hear of the trial being 
made, in different localities, of placing a few stocks facing the north, 
where the sun never reaches them ; not for the winter only, but for the 
whole year permanently. In Holland, we are told, the bees arc gene¬ 
rally so placed, and do remarkably well. 
Small Hives crkventing Swarming {A Pupil).— Mr. Payne has 
not had a swarm from any of his stocks for many years, where the small 
hives have been put on ; but it must be remembered that simply putting 
on the small hive will not prevent swarming. The bees must be induced 
by guide-combs to work in it, and when having done so another small 
hive must be supplied between the one partially filled and the stock, and 
in some seasons even a third, before the upper one is ready to be taken. 
