184 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[December 10. 
Our pages run the circle of the globe, and we should be most thankful for 
such information from any clime, so as to render us more useful. In 
return, we shall be happy to furnish lists, or any information within our 
sphere, for any settlement in either hemisphere; and the more corre¬ 
spondence we can originate on this subject, the more useful we must be. 
We had hoped ere this to furnish some very useful topics from our mis¬ 
sionary stations in foreign parts, and wc arc looking forward with interest 
when our friends and patrons at home shall put us in possession of such 
information. 
Jerusalem Artichokes Storing (TF . H., Cheetham). —There is 
little difference in the effect upon the tubers, whether you leave these in 
the ground where grown, or take them up and cover them with coal ashes 
in a dry cool place, but we prefer the latter mode, as it allows the ground 
to be ridged for exposure to winter frosts. 
Oleander not noxious to other Plants (J. L.).—It is “an old 
wife’s tale ” that the Oleander emits a vapour injurious to other plants 
in the same greenhouse. It is liable to a peculiar insect, the Oleander 
scale ( Cocus Nerii ). 
Winter Treatment of Chrysanthemums ( A Youngster). —Your 
practice has been to cut them down close to the pot, and if you do not do 
this until the leaves have faded, you do right. You then put the pots 
into a cold frame, and if you take care to give them air freely, to prevent 
them becoming dry, and to exclude frost, as much as you would from 
Auriculas similarly placed, you would also do right. This is not the bar¬ 
barous treatment they usually undergo. 
Fixing Ammonia (Tiryduil). —We do not recommend chloride of 
lime for this purpose, as cheaper or more efficient than diluted sulphuric 
acid, but it removes all other offensive animal smells besides those of the 
ammonia. 
Brown Stout (A Grateful Subscriber). —Ladling the water into the 
mash-tub will do very well. Any cooper will tell you how to make a false 
bottom to your mash-tub, but your old mode of running off the wort will 
do. Quantities you can calculate as well as we can, from what we have 
stated in No. 97 . Every one knows when beer is fined by its clearness. 
We cannot state prices of such articles as you inquire about. Putting 
liquid manure on the surface of vacant ground is the most wasteful mode 
of applying it. Its ammonia is wasted into the air, and by the rains. 
The best mode is to apply it to the ground just before digging it for a 
crop, and to water this with it as soon as the crop begins to grow. 
Drainage (An Amateur , Peckham). —To make your main drains be¬ 
neath your pathways will be a good plan, and sufficient if they run the 
whole length of your garden 30 feet wide. 
Tobacco on Surface of Pots (L. R. Lucas). —This is only em¬ 
ployed as directed by Mr. Savage (vol. iii. p. 215), that the fumes may 
drive awa/ the green fly; you must not pour water over the tobacco in 
watering. 
Rough Plate Glass (Rosea). —This is perfectly well adapted for 
your greenhouse. One of the most elegant conservatories we know has 
been glazed with it for some time, with perfect success. 
W. de. G.—You tell us you have “ an immense quantity of spent,” 
something which looks like “ dung,” but we were not aware that this 
is used by “calico printers;” please to enlighten us upon this point, and 
say what is done with it by the printer, and we will then tell you its value 
as a manure. 
Azalea Suckers (Elizabeth). —These should be removed as fast as 
they appear; and if they persist in coming, serve them as Mr. Beaton to¬ 
day recommends the barberry suckers to be served. 
Grasses (A Subscriber). —The grasses we recommended for a cricket 
ground, will answer as well for a lawn, the object iu both being fine her¬ 
bage. We do not recommend you to trench the ground, as it will render it 
needlessly uneven for your purpose. Those grasses are not the best for 
permanent pasture, because here you require the most nutritive grasses, 
and they widely differ in this quality. If wc knew the nature and situa¬ 
tion of your soil we could give you a list of pasture grasses. 
Poroto Bean (J. A. M .).—Our correspondent has sent us the follow¬ 
ing extract from Bryant’s Wanderings in some of the Western Republics 
of America. We shall be glad if any of our readers can furnish us with 
the scientific name, and any other particulars relative to this bean, which, 
if even half-hardy, would be a great acquisition to our culinary resources. 
We fear, however, that it is only some variety of the Haricot Kidney- 
bean, none of which are duly appreciated here. “ The plant that bears 
the Poroto bean is hardy and prolific, aud I believe would grow wherever 
sown and attended to. It is not likely that these lines will be read by 
any labourer, but they may, possibly, by some one who has at the same 
time the wish and the influence to ameliorate the condition of the poor in 
their own cottages. In Chili, they calculate a large double handful of 
the dry bean as a good allowance for a man, but the beaus swelling very 
much makes the allowance a large plateful. I will give the receipt for 
cooking them :—‘ Put the beans in an iron pot, cover with water, and boil 
for half an hour. Throw out the water, draining it with caie, for the water 
is unwholesome, but leave the beans in the pot. Cover again with fresh 
water, and boil until the beans are nearly done, then drain the water off 
a second time. For the third time of heating up, keep the beans in the 
pot, but add no water; instead, add a little (this is for English cottages) 
dripping, kitchen stuff, salt-butter, or lard, according to the means. 
I Season with salt, and, if it can be afforded, pepper, and heat the moss up 
for a quarter of an hour, stirring gently now and then.* I have often, 
after a long day’s work, sat down to a plateful of the above humble dish, 
with a relish I have scarcely felt at the Cafe dc Paris, or the Trois Freres ; 
and can add that I was more fit for work after the first than the last. I 
will answer for it, than an English labourer would go back to his w r ork 
with his inside in a more perfect state of content, than on a scanty meal 
of bread and cheese, and, moreover, do his work easier. Besides, the re¬ 
mainder may be heated up again for supper; and no labourer can eat 
food more invigorating, and at the same time more satisfying. As to the 
usual growl of—‘ Try it yourself,’ I never recommended anything, unless 
I have tried it; and I can truly aver, that I was never more fit for real 
hard work than when I lived for many weeks upon those Porotos.” 
Flower-bed (B. A.). —Your large bed of geraniums will look ex¬ 
tremely pretty. Your white-edged is Mangle's Variegated: it will not 
at all have the bad effect you fear—quite the other way ; but Statuiskii 
and Purple Nosegay are poor dull things for such a bed. Unique and 
Diadematum would be far preferable. Lucia rosea will not answer in 
this arrangement. 
Anagallis (Ibid). —They are low-spreading plants, but they do not 
come true from seeds. Get a plant or two of Carnea, a light pink, and 
Philipia , a large blue, and you may soon get up a stock—they root as 
easily as verbenas. Calceolaria umplexicaulis is very good for a bed, but 
the soil should not be rich. 
Soil for Standard Roses (H. IF., Lemisham). —In the absence of 
good loam, or rose soil, rotten cow-dung three inches thick, and forked 
into the light soil, is the next best application. In your soil, the drainage 
from a dung-heap, stable, or cow-house may safely be used now, next 
March, May, June, and July. Give a gallon to each plant every time. 
There is no rule for the strength of liquid manure —weak and often is 
the safest. Have nothing to do with guano. If you look to our indexes 
you will find lists of all the climbers you require. 
What is Mulching ? (Ibid) —We have certainly answered this 
question half a dozen times ; and the best of the matter is, that perhaps 
no English Dictionary is without an approach to a correct definition. It 
is putting undecomposed stable dung or other vegetable litter over the 
soil above the roots of plants, to keep that soil from drying too much. 
Repotting Plants (IF. T.). —You wish to know the best time to 
repot plants that rest through autumn and winter, and you mention 
Lilies, Cyclamens, Cacti, and Mesembryanthemums. You will obtain 
that information in full in The Cottage Gardener's Dictionary ; but as 
that work is not all out yet we may state that Lilies (the Japan varieties 
we suppose you mean) must be potted immediately, and kept just moist 
enough to encourage new roots to be emitted. They ought to be placed 
in a cool pit, and just protected from frost. Cyclamens repot in a 
month’s time. Cacti and Mesembryanthemums pot in March. 
Sand for Cuttings (Ibid). —Nothing answers so well as silver sand 
for cuttings. River sand finely shifted, and washed from all impurities, 
is the next best. Sea sand is too strongly impregnated with salt. 
Hardy Aquatics (H. G. B.). —We thought our former reply to your 
queries explicit enough. The clay at the bottom of your cistern for 
hardy aquatics should be two inches thick, upon that a layer of rich loam 
four inches thick. We recommend you to grow in it the following :— 
Menyanthes trifoliata, Aponogeton distachyon , Hottonia palustris , and 
Butomus umbellatus. Your cistern is too small for a water lily, unless 
you devote the whole to it. We do not know where you could procure 
seeds of them; and, if you do get them, they will be several years before 
they flower. Plants are cheap, and flower the same year. 
Elder Flower Wine (T. Phillijfs). —No. 8. —Take the flowers of 
elder, and be careful that you do not let any stalks in ; to every quart of 
flowers put one gallon of water and 3 lbs. of loaf sugar ; boil the water 
and sugar a quarter of an hour, skim it, and pour it on the flowers, and 
let it work three days ; then strain the wine through a hair sieve, and put 
it into a cask ; to every 10 gallons of wine put one ounce of isinglass, dis¬ 
solved in cider, and G whole eggs, close it up, and let it stand six months, 
and then bottle it. 
(J. P. Jones ).—No. 9 .—To 9 gallons of water add 30 lbs. of lump sugar 
and the rind of 12 lemons, which boil for half an hour ; when new milk 
warm, put in a peck of elder flowers, free from stalks , tied in a muslin 
bag, which allow to remain in the liquor for tw r elve hours, then squeeze 
out; after which, put a little yeast on a toast, to work for a couple of 
days, then barrel it; after which, add 12 lbs. of raisins chopped, the juice 
of the 12 lemons, and 1 ounce of isinglass ; in six months bottle it. 
Stove Maker ( Verax). —J. B. has said that either of those who 
advertise in our weekly columns will do. 
Error (Rufus). —The error at page 16 of The Cottage Gardeners' Dic¬ 
tionary, under the head Acis, was one by the printer. It should be 
“ Snowflake,” instead of “ Snow.” Thanks for the correction. 
Error. —At page 150, col. J, line 11 from top, of the present volume, 
for Iolv read high. 
London: Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester Iligh-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.—December, 19 th, 1850.- 
