141 
November 28.1 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
only remedy is to place a thick layer of moss all over the beds, and to 
! water the beds well three or four times, from the middle of May to the 
end of July. We have seen a score of kinds of Pancratium , all with 
white flowers, but not one under fifteen inches high in the flower-stem. 
I They are all stove plants, except P. maritimum , the one which grows on 
the northern shore of the Mediterranean. 
Ivy and Hoses (.1 Subscriber and Admirer) .—We once saw a cot¬ 
tage with all the walls quite covered with ivy, and the common China 
rose trained round ail the windows and the two doors, with a plant of the 
| white Cydonia japonica behind each scraper at one of the doors, and 
we never saw any other arrangement which looked half so rich. The 
i roses and ivy were planted at the same time, and, therefore, had it all 
j their own way for some years ; but when the ivy reached the top, the 
j roses were unfastened from the walls, except in two places, midway and at 
top, and tied to the ivy shoots here and there. Your roses planted after 
the ivy being established, will have a hard struggle for the first three years, 
because the roots of the ivy will be sure to suck the goodness from the 
new bed of soil, which, of course, you have made for the roses; and the 
only way to get them to agree, is to fork over the soil, once a month in 
summer, round the roses, and give them plenty of water. Old tea-boxes, 
in imitation of Mr. Beaton’s tar-barrels, sunk among the ivy roots, and 
filled with good rich soil, and well watered in summer, would gain two 
or three years on your plan; it is so very difficult to get any plant to 
establish itself by the side of one already in possession. 
Garden Plan (M. S .).—We hardly know what you wish; but if it is 
only our opinion, it is this:—We do not altogether like the two beds of 
dahlias being close together, but the rest is so well done that there must 
be a reason for them—perhaps the colours and way of training. The 
other parts are extremely pretty and well arranged. The end figures, 1 
and 2 , come very near our own beds and arrangement for fancy gera¬ 
niums ; bed 5 in No. 1, Dark-purple heliotrope, and 9 in No. 2 , we do 
not like so well, on the supposition that Voltaireanum is the heliotrope, 
which, with us, looks always as if frost bitten, and, therefore, uncomfort¬ 
able ; and, by all means, “one who has a right to be pleased ” with No.9, 
must not be otherwise dealt with for all the gardeners in England. 
Indeed, notwithstanding the great pleasure we derived from studying 
your plan, that about bed 9 and the centre roses pleased us the most. We 
suppose the heartsease are removed in May to make edgings for the two 
crescent beds of standard roses; at any rate, pansies rooted late in the 
autumn, or in early spring, would flower well in these two beds all sum¬ 
mer ; we have had them so all this season. 
List of Fruit-trees for Espaliers (0. L. T., Sittingbourne ).— 
Pears: Dunmore, Marie Louise, Bcurre diel, Winter Neilis. Plums: 
Precoce de Tours, Orleans, Green Gage, Golden Drop. Apples: Kerry 
Pippin, Ribstone Pippin, Nonpareil, Lamb Abbey Pearmain. As you 
have not stated their purposes, we have recommended a succession of 
table fruit only. By limiting yourself to four pears, you disable us from 
scheming a complete succession. As to nurserymen, be sure to get them 
from one of long standing and of repute. Do not buy fruit-trees of little 
town gardeners. In shrubs, a man may judge by the eye; but in fruits, 
you must take the vendor’s word. Your old pears being ordinary stan¬ 
dards, and not worn out, you may graft all the good kinds you can on 
them—say Beurre diel, Marie Louise, Passe Colmar, Glout Morceaux, 
Aston Town, Swan’s Egg, &c. Only put plenty of grafts on ; when they 
bear, you can encourage which you please. 
Vines and Cucumbers (A Cheshire Rector). —If you must force 
cucumbers in January, and the roots of your vines are outside, it will be 
better, perhaps, to turn your vines out. We have known, however, very 
good crops without, by taking the precautions necessary. First, the 
vines to be pruned the moment the leaves begin to fall, and then tied 
close to the roof, interposing a mat or something to keep off solar excite¬ 
ment, and another to prevent the air around them from attaining too 
readily the temperature of the warm air of the house. Then, when the 
vines are to commence forcing, say in the beginning of February, place 
hot manure over their roots, and sustain a heat of 70° in their soil. As 
J to pruning, let it be according to the character of the young wood, reserv- 
! ing plump eyes and cutting away that which is weakly or inferior. 
Dressing Lawns (A Worcestershire Man). —Sand is a good dressing 
for any lawn, and so are fine coal-ashes, more particularly on heavy land, 
1 but neither will keep down worms, nor will any other substance in nature. 
All the doctoring about killing worms is nonsense—we might as well 
| believe that we got rid of the rooks in one field by killing all of them 
with one lucky shot; but, like the worms, others will take their places 
in a very short time. However, as the worm does not fly like the rook, 
if any one were to kill all of them in one parish some parts of the land 
might be exempt from worms for a season or two—that is all. Brush 
down the worm casts now, and the frost will keep the creatures away till 
the return of fine spring weather. It is immaterial what quantity of sand 
or ashes you use, provided you do not smother the grass : the rains will 
soon wash the dressing into the roots of the grass, and cause a firm 
bottom. Like worms, sand improves lawns by helping to drain it. 
Flowering Shrubs {J. H. N.). —Mr. Beaton will get through his 
lists of shrubs before the time for spring planting commences. We can 
add our testimony to the beauty of the Cratcegus genus. 
Ranting Widow.— Helena C. W. says: “ The plant so called in the Isle 
of Man, and described by a correspondent in page 77 , No. 109 , is probably 
the Epilobium angustifolium, or French Willow Herb. It is of rambling 
growth, and from that circumstance may possibly have been called, by 
some, the Rambling Willow , which in course of time may have degene¬ 
rated, in some localities, into the somewhat odd name of Ranting Wi¬ 
dow. If this conjecture be correct, no specimen can now be sent, as the 
plant is not only out of flower, but, at this season, dead down to the 
ground. An excellent representation of it may, however, be seen in Mrs. 
Loudon’s book of “ British Wild Flowers.” 
Winter Blooming Carnations. —Mr. Fish writes to add these to 
his list of flowers for winter bouquets. Propagated early in the spring and 
grown in rich loamy soil, they will come into bloom after Christmas, in 
the greeenhouse, without forcing. The Anne Boleyn Pink may be cut in 
the spring also without forcing. 
Pansies (J. L. Phelps). —Yours is a very fine specimen for the time of 
year. (F. L.). —Your seedling flower is very large, but crumpled; its 
purple ground colour and yellow eye are very usuul. It will be a good 
border flower, but its crumpled petals will keep it from the exhibition- 
stand. 
Campanula Carpatica (H. J.). —This is quite hardy; you will see 
what we said about it last week. All the verbenas you mention are half- 
hardy. Sown in February in gentle heat, they Mall bloom in the autumn 
of the same year. All the other plants have been described in late 
numbers, if you refer to our indexes. 
Feeding Bees in an old Straw Hive (Somerset). —Cut a hole in 
the centre of the top four inches in diameter ; have a board to fit on this 
with a hole of the same size, which may be done with very little ingenuity, 
and put your bee food in the proper feeder on this board, and cover it 
over with another hive without any [entrance. Buy Payne’s Apiarian's 
Guide; it is 3s 6 d, we think. Where did “ the green worm ” attack your 
cabbages, at the stem or leaves ? 
Fruit-tree Borders ( Philocarpus ).—No worse practice could be in 
gardening than trenching these borders ; and no crop more injurious 
than potatoes could be grown in them. One great object in fruit cul¬ 
ture is to keep the roots of the trees near the surface, whereas deep dig¬ 
ging destroys all within nine inches of it. As to Coal ashes for lawns, 
see what we have said to another correspondent. Soda will keep cream 
or milk from getting sour longer than saltpetre will, but we cannot say 
whether it would be any hindrance to the speedy production of butter. 
We believe that Mr. Roberts's Strawberry Tiles are registered, but he 
need not be afraid that any one will imitate them. We gave our opinion 
upon them at page 164 of our second volume, and that opinion has been 
fully confirmed. No man who is not mad will attempt to make Deto¬ 
nating Balls —the process is one of great danger. 
Dorking Fowls (E. B.). —Our correspondent wishes to know where 
she can obtain some genuine. 
GreenIiouse (J. B. Maxfield). —If you do not wish this to have the 
full power of the sun at noon, then build it as Mr. Appleby long since 
pointed out for his orchid-house, namely, facing the east; and its ends 
pointing north and south. Your other question next week. 
Cover for Bee-hive (A Retired Tradesnian ).—The sized milk-pan 
we use for covering a Payne’s Cottage Hive is 19 inches in diameter 
across the upper rim (or from three to four in your drawing), and 9 
inches in diameter across the bottom—both inside measure. It rests on 
the edge of the hive ; and no straw is put on the top of the hive in 
winter. There is never any fear of bees being injured by cold—hunger 
and damp are their worst enemies. Talc for making the bee trap can be 
bought in London of the dealers in minerals, such as Mawe and others. 1 
Freshly-moved Laurels ( H. E. A.).—Do not water these with 
soap-suds or any other liquid manure. You may mulch over their roots 
with advantage. Rhubarb needs no protection further than stirring the 
surface of the bed slightly, drawing off a little of the earth, putting on a 
little well decayed dung, and then returning the earth. By this means 
the crowns are slightly covered, but this is not absolutely needed. 
Names of Plants (Patria'j.— Your ferns are:— 1 . Asplenium tri- 
chomanes. 2. Blechnum boreale. 3. Poly podium vulgar e. 4. Aspi- 
dium filix-mas. 5. Scolopendrium officinarum. (B. C .).—Your orange- 
coloured flower with small heads is Lantana crocea , the red and orange 
flower Gladiolus psittacinus, and the light blue flower is Plumbago ca - 
pensis. ( Young Gardener). —1. We believe to be the leaves of Thuja 
orient alis, the Chinese Arbor yitae. The two broken leaves it is quite 
impossible to distinguisli; send us a specimen in flower. (H. J.). —Yours 
is a double variety of Pyrethrum parthe?iium } or Common Pellitory. 
CALENDAR FOR DECEMBER. 
ORCHID HOUSE. 
Air : none is required excepting on very fine days, when the sun shines 
brightly, and the thermometer indicates more than the maximum heat i 
required; care must be taken, also, that the external air, if frosty, does | 
not blow directly upon the plants. Insects, such as mealy bug, scale, 
cockroaches, green fly, thrips, &c., to all of which these plants are liable, , 
ought now to be diligently sought for and destroyed. Potting should 
now be done with such as are growing. See former numbers of The f 
Cottage Gardener for the method of performing this important I 
operation. Plants (not orchids) suspended from the roof of the orchid 
house should now have fresh baskets and fresh compost. Water must 
only be given to such plants as are growing. Phuius grandifolius 
(Large-leaved P.) will now be showing flowers, to bring them to perfection 
give free supplies of water. Syringe logs occasionally, on such mornings 
as are likely to be sunny. T. Appleby. 
