THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
026 
the most suitable, hut Verbena Imperatriee Josephine w ill do. As you 
do not return till July, why not sow Lobelia ramosa about the tenth of 
May, and transplant them there till you have a stock of the Salvia ? We 
would sow an edging of Nemophila round the roses in 1, about the last 
week in April, and the rest with Mignonette, which would cover the 
ground, and spread out after the Nemophila was over. Fuchsias arc 
inadmissible, and moss w r ould look very bad. Golden variegated Hot lies 
arc the best things for your corners ; you can cut them to any shape, and 
keep them to any height for many years. We cannot be at the expense 
of returning plans. 
Daphne odorata (Ibid). —You ought to cut it down close to the old 
wood after flowering, and the young tops will make cuttings. 
Lilium lancifolium (Ibid). —Shake it out of the old mould imme¬ 
diately, and repot it in a fresh compost, in the same pot. It ought to 
have been potted long since, and the white Lilies ought to bave been 
transplanted last October. This is a good time to plant Hollyhocks, but 
October would have been a better time for them also; the dealers supply 
them ready for transplanting. Double Poppies are annuals, and to flower 
them in the autumn, sow three times in May; at the beginning, middle, 
and end of the month. Picotees and Carnations should be planted now', 
or soon; you cannot retard them, but in your locality you will have 
Cloves in August. 
“A large Circular Pond in a flower-garden, which is to have a 
fountain in the centre, has a margin of grass four feet wide all round, 
then a gravel walk of six feet; now, this pond looks cheerless in winter. 
What can be introduced round to give it warmth in winter ? The border 
is too narrow for Rhododendrons, and rock-work is objected to.” Can 
any of our readers give a good suggestion ? 
Tan for Hot-bed (Tiverton). —Three loads, put in a tu’o-light pit, 
will be sufficient for all the propagating and specimen-plant purposes 
you name ; but the retaining of heat enough for cucumbers, will depend 
upon the time you wish to use it for this purpose. Mr. Fish forgot to 
mention tan , the other week, as a medium of heating, or he would have 
said that the drier it could be made, so as just to allow decomposition to 
j proceed, the more mild and lasting will be its heat. There is little 
i trouble with unhealthy steam from tan. Before using the bed for cucum¬ 
bers, it would be advisable to turn it, and add a little fresh at the bottom. 
Rough Plate Glass (Ibid). —This will have no prejudicial influence 
either upon your cuttings or cucumbers, but quite the reverse. You will 
have enough of light, and require no shading. We have seen abundance 
of it used, with no detriment, but have had little experience with it our¬ 
selves. 
Potting after March (Ibid). —This must be regulated by the object 
aimed at. We are potting almost every day in the year ; but as many 
are a little uncertain, as well as yourself, attention will soon be given to 
j it, in a more extended form than could well be done in this column. 
Autumn-sown Annuals (Cowes). —Autumn-sown annuals need not 
j be transplanted till after the middle of March ; where they are thick, 
; remove them in little patches, otherwise in single plants, and plant them 
j pretty close to one another. Lobelia ramosa must be sown in heat, about 
' the last week in March ; and for late autumn flowering, again early in 
May. 
Nemophila Insigis (F. P. S .).— This is the best bedder of its class 
: and colour as long as it lasts, or say five or six weeks, and Lobelia ramosa 
is the best to succeed it on the same bed, and the easiest to manage for 
that purpose. If the Nemophila is sown in the spring, the Lobelia, to 
succeed it, need not be sown till the middle of May. Please to repeat 
the portion of your question which has not been answered: it has escaped 
our memory. Sunvitalia procumbens, sown about the middle of April, 
is the best dwarf yellow plant to succeed your yellow pansy; it will go 
1 on to bloom till the frost stops it. You may sow it in the open ground, 
and transplant any time up to midsummer, after you remove the pansies. 
Pig-sty (R. P. II .).— Seeds will not vegetate in the plaster you sup¬ 
pose. Make a border, and plant fast growing climbers to run over the 
sty. Your plan for a willow hedge will answer perfectly; such hedges, 
made with various plants, were common some years ago round Perth, 
; and we saw one so planted in the Experimental Garden, Edinburgh. 
Scarlet Annuals (J. W .).— There is not such an annual as you 
| want, that we can recommend, 
Many Questions (Flora Montague). —Cut off the tops of your Cal- 
j ceolarias , to keep them back. We do not recollect having seen the 
I Mistletoe on the ash, but it grows on the acacia. Proceed as advised 
I last year. The blue and white Campanula you will have seen men- 
| tioned last week ; plan* them three or four inches apart, after inuring 
I them to a cold frame. Sow Antirrhinum and Penstemon in March, and 
! they will flower next autumn. Celsia grancliflora, from cuttings this 
j spring, will bloom next autumn. The shade of trees will not do as a 
substitute, either for a bank or north wall. A cold pit may be above 
ground, or partly sunk ; the name signifies that no artificial heat is 
applied. Dianthus is the family name for Pinks, Carnations, Sweet 
Williams, with Indian Pinks, and many others—all nice in the borders 
of a mixed garden. Calceolarias and other plants may be potted in 
March. The Globe Amaranthus is a tender annual, and will not do as a 
| bedder. Pelargoniums are better the second and third year from cut- 
I tings. You certainly are not at all “ unscrupulous to occupy so much 
room but you should write oftener, and not let questions accumulate ; 
then you could be answered at greater length, and better to the purpose; 
i a whole page might be usefully filled in explaining your two sheets of 
I questions. 
[February 20. 
Economical Fuel. —A Berkshire friend says: “Your correspondent, 
‘ Taffy,’ alludes to a species of fuel commonly used in South Wales, and 
I can, confidently, confirm his statement from the experience of my own 
family when residing there. We lived for some years near the coast, and 
found the clay balls a most excellent substitute for coah. They were 
worked up into the size of large cricket balls, and laid, quite in a wet 
state, upon the fire, and so as to allow the air to pass between them. 
They soon became red hot, and gave very great heat. But they were 
always made with a particular strong blue clay, dug out of the sands 
when the tide was out. Can ‘Taffy’ inform us whether any clay will do 
for this purpose? If so, it will be an important benefit to almost all 
your readers.” 
Grafting Passion-flowers (Ibid) —You may graft the Scarlet 
Passion-flower upon the blue one, but it is not hardy. The new bright 
blue variety you inquire for, is Nemophila insignis grandiflora. 
Primula contusoides (E. S.). —This a deciduous perennial; that 
is, it loses its leaves from September to March. You need not fear but 
your plants will grow and flower well next spring. 
Soiling Cows (Spes). —On your light, rich soil, no crop will answer 
so well as Lucerne. Sow thinly in drills, 18 inches apart, at the end of 
March. Sixteen or eighteen pounds are sufficient for an acre. Italian 
Rye Grass is frequently sown after Tares, but the sowing should not be j 
before September. It will come in during April for mowing for your ; 
cow's. Give abundance of liquid-manure after each mowing. 
Tusser (A. M. D.). —When we said the name is extinct, we meant j 
that no one is alive of that name—not that his works arc forgotten ! 
Our Volumes (S. \V. W.). —Wc publish them in half-yearly volumes, ! 
because many people like that size. If you prefer it, you can wait 
until the end of the year, and we supply covers for those who select that 
size. 
Old Walls (E. S. M.). —If you cannot have them pointed, there is 
nothing durable we can recommend. 
Moore’s Hand-book of Ferns (S. E. H.).~ The price is five 
shillings. „ 
Bees (G. E .).— Keep your bees in the old hive, allow them to swarm, 
put the swarm into a new hive, and drive the old stock in the autumn. 
Barley-sugar does not require to be moistened before giving it to the bees. 
British Ferns.— A correspondent (M. C. R.) requires specimens of 
Lastrcea rigida, Woodsia alpina , Cystopteris montana, Asplenium ger- 
manicum, and Trichomanes speciosum. Also a fertile frond of Lastrcea 
thelypteris, and a frond of Polystichum angulare . She will make any 
necessary remuneration. 
Tarring Walls (A. Foster). —We can say decidedly, that blacken¬ 
ing the walls with gas tar, does forward grapes grown against them, 
especially if radiation from the walls at night is checked by the glazed 
frames, as you propose. Black Barley, we believe, is best sown in the 
autumn. 
Name of Plant (D. A. B.). —Your creeper is called by some Calam - 
pel is scabra , but we prefer the elder name, E cm'emo carpus sea bra. Sow 
the seeds you name in March, in pots plunged in a gentle hotbed. 
Thanks for your criticisms. A German scholar tells us it is Kohl-rubi , 
and not rabi. 
Charcoal Fire (T. Hughes). —This would be decidedly injurious to 
your plants in a greenhouse. You must advertise for the other infor¬ 
mation you require. 
Old Eggs for Breeding. — W. J. M. writes to us thus:—“ In reply 
to your correspondent, ‘ An Original Subscriber,* who wishes to know 
how long eggs may be kept prior to hatching, allow me to say that I 
have hatched chickens from eggs three months old, which had been kept 
in a cool, dry room, in bran ; however, I would not make sure of hatching 
eggs after two months old. As regards Bantams having a black tail and 
mane, with white body, I have never heard of any such breed, although I 
have hatched and reared hundreds of all the best varieties of Bantams ; 
but for beauty, size, and abundance of eggs, none will beat the Gold and 
Silver spangled (Sir John Seabright’s breed); these, if pure, are ex¬ 
ceedingly small and beautiful.” 
Melilotus leucantha (A Subscriber). —Any London seedsman 
will obtain seed for you. The seed of Salvia nemorosa can be had, we 
think, of Mr. Stark, seedsman, Edinburgh. Cut down your old Melilotus 
plants. 
Baking Powder (B. M.). —Can any of our readers give a receipt for 
making this, which is used in pastry ? Your other questions next week, j 
Red Spider (Fearful). —Sulphur, applied by means of a hot-water 
plate, will not injure your plants ; we prefer this to brushing it on the 
flues. 
Our Villagers (E. R .).— The authoress has published no separate 
work, but her “My Flowers,” in a volume, will be published in the 
spring. 
Nutt’s Celery (A Cottager). —You should have inquired the price 
before you ordered it. Eight shillings for half an ounce, is exhorbitant. 
We suppose he wishes to sell plants, not seed. At all events, he will 
not sell much at such a price. Why not return it, with a civil note, j 
saying, you cannot alford to pay such a price ? 
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 
Christchurch, City of London.—February 20th, 1851. 
