too 
THE COTTAGE GAKDENER. 
Scripture Phrases (Rev. H. P. G .).—We were annoyed and dis¬ 
pleased by the use of the phrases at pp. 60 and 6l, quite as much as any 
of our readers can be. We know' the writer too well not to be aware that 
they were passed uncorrected in the haste of composition; and the Editor 
claims exemption from blame, because unavoidably absent at the time of 
insertion. 
Vallota Purpurea (T. W. T.). —This when imported, or sold by 
the dealers, is sometimes like a hyacinth bulb ; at other times, it has the 
remains of strong fleshy roots. In either case you may place it in a warm 
part of the greenhouse, but do not pot it until fresh growth is commenc¬ 
ing ; or you may pot it at once, but keep it dry until the roots are push¬ 
ing freely, and the bud is breaking. You would succeed better if you 
could induce your plant to bloom earlier. As it is, as soon as it has done 
blooming, cut down the flower-stalk, and put a little lime and charcoal 
over the place to prevent anything like mouldiness; and instead of a dark 
place as formerly, keep your plant in the warmest and lightest part of the 
greenhouse, supplying it with water as long as the leaves remain green. 
When a change is perceptible refrain from watering, and by and bye turn 
the pot on its broadside, exposed to the sun, or shake it out of its pot, 
and place the bulb on a shelf in the sun, with a very slight covering of 
moss or paper, just to prevent its being roasted. Itepot again when 
growth commences. 
Ventilation (F. W. T.). —This will receive attention ; meantime, it 
is always sound policy from February to October to give a little back air 
before the sun strikes upon the house, as the confined air of the night is 
thus got rid of. . 
Hyacinths for House (S. C .).—“ These are potted and placed in a 
dark cellar. Shall I water them ? ” No, if the soil was moderately moist. 
“ How long shall I allow them to remain ? ” Until the pots are well 
supplied with roots, and the stems have grown an inch or two ; or if you 
have a slight hot-bed, you might forward them for the greenhouse or 
window. With or without a liot-bed, a small funnel placed over the top 
of the bulb, made of paper, will draw up the flower-stalk. You need not 
keep it on longer than you like. Your small bed in front of greenhouse , 
in which geraniums are planted in summer, you could not do better than 
fill with early bulbs—hyacinths, tulips, jonquills, crocuses, snow-drops, 
See. ; or you might have some early flowering low shrubs and herbaceous 
plants, such as evergreen candytuft, arabis, and daisies. 
Moving large Apple-tree (G. E. H.). —Your large apple is an 
adventurous affair, being two feet in circumference. We will make a 
chapter soon on the most proper mode of conducting such an operation. 
In the meantime, throw out a trench immediately, six feet from the hole 
on all sides, and let it remain out all the winter. Then, without delay, 
prune away all crowded weak-looking shoots, especially from the interior, 
with a most liberal hand ; even removing limbs which look exhausted, 
taking care to case the large wounds over with a mixture of clay, cow- 
dung, and lime, well kneaded, covering the whole with a piece of cloth. 
Thus let it remain until the beginning of February, before which period 
you will find an article on the subject of removal. 
Greengage Unfruitful (G. G.). —We fear your greengage with the 
four stems is merely the apology for a tree, the offspring of a debilitated 
root. Your soil is most ungenial in an unimproved state, enough to 
account for it. We would destroy it, and plant another on a prepared 
station, as frequently advised in these pages. If, however, you will try a 
remedy, apply a top-dressing of nice fresh soil and decayed manure, at 
the same time excavating beneath the tree, and cutting away all roots at 
half a yard below the ground level. Your wall-trees may have had pre¬ 
pared soil; the others probably not so. 
Pit for Figs (G. S. B .).—Your pit will, indeed, be superior to what 
you term “ Rivers’ trellises.” Your angle is too sharp ; we should make 
it about 20°. This is as we conceive a proper subject for a north light, 
for we do strongly object to these sharp angles; they may be aptly termed 
heat traps. By a north light (as indicated in your sketch, which we re¬ 
turn), you will reduce the height of your back wall materially, and enable 
the operator to carry out many of his manipulations with facility. We 
would plant out the figs ; in so doing, however, eschew all manures. 
A compost of two parts mellow loam, or sound garden soil, one part half 
rotten leaves or weeds, and one part lime rubbish will be quite good 
enough, probably too good, the first two years. You must have ventila¬ 
ting flaps in the front and back walls, as indicated by the dots. Pray do 
not give up your glass ; asphalte can never do what glass assuredly will. 
Of course, by our suggestion, you will have two lights in length. Your 
north light may slide, but the south one merely lift up. 
Oyster Vegetable (St. Nicholas Rectory ).—Our correspondent will 
be obliged to any one who will send to us for her seeds of the oyster 
vegetable Mertensia maritima (formerly Pulmonaria muritimu). It is, 
in plain English, the Sea-lungwort, and is a hardy herbaceous plant, 
native of the sea coasts of our northern counties, and of Scotland. “ It 
is in taste and appearance (when cooked in transverse slices) exactly 
similar to oysters.” 
Mildewed Crocus Bulbs (A Lover of Flowers from Childhood ).— 
Your crocus bulbs in damp moss, and now in a dark closet, have begun 
to emit roots, but mildew or mouldiness is appearing. Wipe off the 
mildew without disturbing the roots, dust them with flowers of sulphur, 
and bring them out into the light and warmth of the parlour window. 
Other questions next week. 
Chrysalis (T. P. M.). —It is a chrysalis of some moth (not a grub) 
which you sent us, and is of too common a form for us to tell of what 
species until the moth comes forth. 
[November 14. j 
Unripe Figs (A Lover of Flowers from Childhood). —“As you tell 1 
one of your correspondents that you do not know any use for the small, j 
unripe, green figs now on the trees, you may like to have the following i 
recipe from “ The Cook’s Oracle,” which, barring some of the garlic and 
shallot, has been constantly made in our family for years, The green i 
figs forming one of the favourite and a very foreign looking ingredient, 
especially if some are split in half. Mock Indian Pickle or Piccalilli. — 
To each gallon of the strongest vinegar put 4 oz. of curry powder, same 
of flower of mustard (these two to be rubbed together with half a pint of 
salad oil), 3 oz. of ginger bruised, 2 oz. of turmeric, 4lb. (when skinned) | 
of shallots slightly baked in a Dutch oven, 2 oz. of garlic baked the same, | 
4 lb. of salt, 2 drachms cayenne pepper. Put these ingredients into a stone > 
jar, cover it with bladder wetted with the pickle, and set it on a trivet by 
the side of the fire for three days, shaking it up three times a-day. It | 
will then be ready to receive gherkins, nasturtiums, sliced cucumbers, j 
sliced onions, whole small onions, unripe green figs, sprigs of cauliflower, 
slices of cauliflower stems, radish pods, French beans stringed, capsi- j 
cums, green peaches (to imitate mango), or anything except red cabbage 
and walnut. These articles (except the capsicums) should be separately 
parboiled in a brine of salt and water, strong enough to bear an egg, 
taken out and drained, spread out, and thoroughly dried in the sun and 
air is best, or on a stove, or before a fire, for two days at least, then put 
into the pickle. It will keep several years. Small green melons are a good 
addition, slit in the middle sufficiently to extract the seeds with a marrow 
spoon; parboil and dry them like the other vegetables, and then fill them 
with mustard seed and two cloves of garlick. Bind the melon round 
with thread or fine packthread. 
Preserving Unripe Figs (G. S .).—“In the last week’s number of 
The Cottage Gardener, a correspondent asks if there is any use for 
unripe figs. I have known them preserved and dried in the same manner 
as apricots, cherries, or other fruits for dessert, and in this way they are 
excellent.” 
Tree Onion. —We are obliged by the following kind offer :—“ Having 
last year supplied many of your readers or correspondents with bulbs of 
this valuable but neglected variety, or species, of onion to an extent that 
I little anticipated, I beg to state I am now prepared to meet the demands 
of those who were disappointed, provided two or three postage stamps 
are enclosed to N. S. Hodson, Botanic Garden, Bury St. Edmunds.” 
Feeding Bees (Frank). —“ In feeding bees from the top of the hive 
from a pan, under a bell-glass, the condensed exhalations from the hive 
running down the glass and mixing with the food in the pan, would it be 
at all injurious to them ? ” [ Not at all .] “ I purchased my first swarm, a 
strong one, late in the season, the latter part of July, and now they do 
not weigh but sixteen pounds ; the hive, swarm, and foot-board at first 
weighing about eight pounds.” [Go on to feed copiously .] You are 
right with your Verbenas. 
Planting (Tirydail). —Stuart’s Planter's Guide will suit you. Our 
correspondent says that he wants to know how to make Oxford brawn, 
and that the recipe we gave at page 28 is not the way to make that; will 
some of our readers send us the true recipe. Several correspondents 
have asked for a plan of your polmaise heating. Can you oblige them 
and us. 
Himalayah Pumpkin Seed. —Any one desiring seeds of this pump¬ 
kin, will receive a supply if they send their address on a stamped enve¬ 
lope to Mr. Daniel Farage, County Gaol, Oakham, Rutland. 
Storing Dahlia Roots (H. E. B .).—Your dahlia roots, packed in 
silver sand and kept in a sitting-room, will do very well; but you had 
better examine them occasionally and remove any decaying parts. By 
all means change the water in hyacinth glasses. Do it once a week, 
without injuring the roots ; and use rain water rather warmer than the 
temperature of the room in which they are growing. Mimosa pudica is j 
an annual, and cannot have its life prolonged. Your plant enclosed is i 
Arabis alpina , or Alpine Wall-cress. Instead of putting your Cyclamen ! 
persieum bulbs into sand, keep them in the mould and in the pots where 1 
they have been growing. You may obtain the bulbs you mention of any \ 
of the florists who advertise in our columns. 
Insects (J. S ., Allendale ).—The shoots of the trees you sent to us j 
we think are covered with the eggs of a small mite (Acarus), which is | 
often found congregated in the same manner as the red granules on the 
shoots. 
Cottage Gardener’s Dictionary (Ibid). —This will contain plans 
for heating greenhouses, and all other practical matters connected with j 
gardening. 
Liquid Manure (W. S.). —This may be applied from your overflow¬ 
ing casks to your cabbages, savoys, and celery during open weather. 
Poured upon vacant ground and dug in will be beneficial, when you 
cannot apply it fast enough to growing crops to keep down your store. 
You may apply it in open weather to your winter tares with great advan¬ 
tage. You may apply mulch to fresh planted trees about next Fe¬ 
bruary. 
Names of Plants (J. Watson). — Yours is Baueria rubioides, a 
hardy greenhouse plant of easiest culture. (Brentingly Cottage). —We 
believe yours is Campanula alliar ice folia. (T. T.).—Omphalodes vema ; 
j from Greece and other parts of Europe. 
I London: Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High-street, 
in the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, in the Parish of 
Christ Church, City of London.—November 14th, 1850. 
