234 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[JANUARY 9. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
*** We request that no one will write to the departmental writers of 
Tue 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 .” 
Icebergs (G. Parcher). —Mr. Beaton has sent to us a letter which, 
| totally regardless of the above notice, you have sent to him, and in which 
I you ask whether the article on Icebergs , with his signature attached, was 
written by him ; because, as you are pleased to allege, of the frequent 
false statements made in the public prints. Now, if you had reflected 
I for one moment, you would have seen that you were asking, in other 
words, whether the Editor of The Cottage Gardener had committed 
forgery for the purpose of swindling the public. Comment upon this is 
needless ; and we will only add, that in future all private letters sent to 
the writers in this paper will be burnt and unnoticed. 
Cottage Gardeners’ Dictionary (Ibid). —It is too much to ask us 
j to define terms, which every one who knows anything of Botany has at 
1 his fingers’ ends. Every Natural Order (Nat. Ord.) is a group of plants 
more or less resembling each other, and after one of which the Order is 
named ; thus, Mimosuds is the Natural Order of which Mimosa is a pro¬ 
minent member, and (Fabaceae) is the name usually given in botanical 
works for the same Natural Order. 23 -Polygamia \-Monvecia are the 
class and order in the Linmean system, the numbers aiding the memory 
! as to their position in that system.. These particulars apply to Acacia, 
but will serve as explanatory of all the others. 
Cabool, Plants for.—I n our answer about Cabool seeds Clitoria 
, ternata is put as an annual, which it is not; we ought to have said 
I treated as an annual, which is by far the best way to manage it in a 
! warm country. A friend, who so used both that and the Marvel of Peru, 
, at the Natal River, told us how well they did. 
| Burying Bees (Cornubiensis). —Our correspondent says, “An Old 
! Bee-keeper,” who kindly cautions your readers against being led astray 
j by the quotation from the Hereford Times in page 339 of The Cottage 
j Gardener, relative to the entombment of bees, has certainly arrived at 
a wrong conclusion. That communication appeared originally in The 
Gardeners ’ Chronicle for 1841, pp. 717> 785, bearing the signature 
“ Yeoman; ” in reference to whom Dr. Bindley assured his readers, that 
although his correspondent chose to preserve an incognito, he was in all 
respects trustworthy. 
Excrescence on Peacii-twig (A Junior). —The regularly arranged 
rows of a bead-like band round the enclosed twig, are the eggs of the 
Lackey Moth, of which you will find a drawing and desorption, as well 
as of these eggs, at page 207 of our first volume. 
Roses (Jane, Ireland). —Yes, we allude to young wood only; but if 
we -were on the spot we should probably order whole shoots to be removed, 
without reference to the age. Strong hybrid Chinas, and others of that 
free style of growth, must often be dealt with that way, and some of their 
young shoots left much longer than we advise in a general way. French 
pruning is not applicable for our climate in all cases. When shoots, 
j’oung or old, small or large, in a rose or any other bush, get too crowded, 
the only safe rule is to cut out some of them quite close to the older wood. 
Pray repeat the question about the pear-trees, and say the age, kind of 
growth, and the nature of the subsoil. 
Flower-garden (Invalid Lady Gardener). —Your beds are of the 
very best forms, and very well arranged, with the exception of the second 
one from the house in the middle, between the house and basket. 
Instead of that, we would repeat a couple of the nine-feet beds beyond 
the basket; if smaller, that would not signify. The uniformity of the 
whole garden would be preserved with a good selection of plants ; and by 
keeping the tallest in the large corner beds, you might make a very good 
picture of this garden. But in the absence of lists or any guide we can 
go no farther. 
Tools (Sigma). —All the tools that a half-acre allotment holder 
requires, are a good spade; two broad hoes, nine and seven inches ; two 
small hand-hoes , four and three inches ; a couple of stroug round-toothed 
iron rakes; a strong wooden rake; a Dutch hoe; a strong potato fork; 
a hayfork ; a garden line; a wheelbarrow , or two; and a small wooden 
roller. The plough has no business here. “ Half-acre men” should 
show—which they well can—that the spade pays better. A small donkey 
cart would be readily planned by a country wheelwright. The main 
thing is, to get the land in good tilth by thorough working when dry. 
Without this all is uphill work ; and it is thus that more powerful imple¬ 
ments become necessary. Lucerne is sown at the rate of about twelve 
pounds per acre. Rye about two bushels. We will discuss the cow 
question in our February allotment paper. 
Bee-houses (W. F. G .).—Your plan for a bee-house is a very good 
one; the asphalt felt would be objectionable. Paint the whole outside 
with stone colour; either green, lead colour, or white, are not so well; 
! and be sure to have height sufficient for two supers upon each stock, 
which will very frequently be required; and if of glass, they must be 
covered, notwithstanding their being enclosed in a house. The holes you 
mention will afford sufficient ventilation, except in the height of the 
honey-gathering season, and at swarming time, when the doors must be 
open, or the roof raised, as well as the whole front being shaded by mat¬ 
ting or canvass. 
Plan Returned (G. S — B .).—We have no recollection of your plan 
out of the multitude we have to inspect. We certainly have it not in our 
possession. Wewill inquire about figs in pots. Wc saw some rowing 
| in Mr. Rivers’s greenhouses, at Sawbridgeworth, and our remembrance is 
that they occupied about four square feet. He keeps them dwarf, like 
small currant bushes. 
Grass Seeds for a Lawn (Mrs. Edwardes). —As you tell us that your 
soil is “a good loam,” we have no difficulty in answering your question. 
! For an acre, you will require 6 lbs. of Cynosurus cristatus (Crested Dog’s- 
tail), 3 lbs. Festuca duriuscula (Hardish Fescue), 2 lbs. Festuca tenui - | 
folia (Narrow-leaved F.), 20 lbs. Loliumperenne tenue (Slender perennial 
Rye grass), 1^ lb. Poa nemoralis (Wood Meadow grass), li£ lb. P. ne- j 
moralis sempervirens (Evergreen do.), lif lb. Poa trivialis (Common j 
Meadow grass), 7 lbs. Trifolium repens (White clover), and 2 lbs. T. 
minus (Small Yellow clover). An Amateur will please to take this 
as an answer, if his soil is similar; if it is not, he must state its character. 1 
Crop after Potatoes (Causidicus). —As your light land in Norfolk 
was manured for the potatoes (hence one cause of their being virulently , 
diseased), you need not do more than give it another slight dressing of I 
manure, and sow barley early in the spring, as you wish for a uniform | 
crop. It ought to produce a good crop if sown early. 
Mistletoe Seeds (G.). —You will find a very full account of how l 
these should be sown in our 29 th number, page 22. 
Minor Questions (An Inquirer). —Messrs. Knight and Perry will 
send you lists, if you apply in the mode you mention. The true Forget- 
me-not does not grow by the side of ponds. You have some one of the 
half-aquatic species of Veronica, and these will not flourish in dry garden 
soil. Your Morcllo cherry-trees are blighted annually. Blight is too 
indefinite a term. Do you mean they are attacked by insects, and if so, 
of what kind ? The caterpillars attacking your Brocoli were probably 
those described at page 207 of the present volume. 
Name of Plant (Sancho). — Yours is the Christmas rose (Helleborus 
niger). Thanks for your hints. 
Begonia Coccinea (An Inquirer). —The leaf is a full sized healthy 
one. You have acted right in every respect; only we would not have 
given it such an amount of rotten dung. It will not interfere with the 
luxuriance; only it may render it longer before it flowers. You have 
nine shoots 14 inches long. They are likely to bloom in a month or two, 
and all the readier if you kept it rather dry and cool for a month—say in 
a temperature from 45° to 50°—and then put it in a temperature 10° 
higher, and give water. Do not think of shifting it; but if it does not 
flower, as you may have grown it too luxuriantly, do not cut it down, 
but shift it in April, or thereabouts, and grow it on all the summer, 
when you will have a specimen that for abundance of bloom will be 
worth going to see at this time next year. See articles on Begonia, by 
Messrs. Fish and Appleby. 
Cineraria Leaves Curling (F. W. T.). —The removing them 
from a clcseish damp frame to an open dry greenhouse is the cause. 
They like a moist atmosphere. Give a sufficiency of water, and syringe 
the shelves and foliage for some time at least. See an article to-day 
by Mr. Fish. 
Plants Not Doing Well (J. B. H.). —There is no doubt but you 
will succeed, even in Liverpool. Your hopes are well founded; for wc 
never knew an instance of a man that was ashamed, not frightened, at a 
failure, but who was destined ultimately to succeed. Your fresh, damp, 
new flue, with a temperature raised from it of nearly 60 ° in a frosty 
night, was sufficient of itself to produce some of the appearances you 
mention,—and, besides, it was at least 15° too high for every plant you 
mention, except the Pentas and the Gesnera zebrina. Your second error, 
therefore, was putting plants in the same house that required different 
temperatures. To preserve your Pentas , place it at the warmest part of 
your house; if the leaves of the Gesnera arc still beautiful you may 
place it beside the Pentas ; but as soon as it gets unsightly put it beneath 
the stage, and give no water until it begins to grow again in March or I 
April, when you may pot it, and it will bloom nicely towards the autumn, j 
but your house will be too cold in winter. Before your flue gets nicely 
set and dried be satisfied with 40° in a cold night, and then you may let ' 
the heat rise 5° or 7° afterwards, with an allowance of 10° or 15° for sun- 
shine. 
Meliantiius Major (J. W. G.). —This is an old plant, peculiar for 
being found almost solely at the Cape of Good Hope and Ncpaul. It is l 
a strong-growing tree-like shrub, with beautifully cut milky-green leaves; 
the flowers are produced in large bunches, but are not very striking. It : 
likes sandy loam with a little peat. It will require much room in your ! 
greenhouse to grow it in perfection. It has stood and thriven well I 
against a wall, with a slight protection in winter. In Devonshire it 
endures the winter in the open border. 
Derivations (A Clergyman). —In the same spirit which dictated your 
criticisms are those criticisms received; and the Editor begs to return 
you more than common thanks. Will you further oblige him, in strict 
confidence, with your address, as he wishes much to write to you pri¬ 
vately. 
Spanish Cock (J. N —, 33).—Our correspondent wishes to know 
where he can obtain one of the pure breed. Payne's Cottage Hive is the 
best for you ; if you write to J. H. Payne, Esq., Bury St. Edmunds, lie 
will supply you probably. 
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.—January 9th, 1851. 
