THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
75 
April 29. 
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I had of the law, but not so now, or I should not have planted so many 
valuable shrubs and trees for the benefit of such a landlord as mine. In 
Michaelmas, 1832, a case was tried, Cooke v. Anderson, which decided 
the right to remove shrubs and trees, which had been theretofore the 
cause of much dissension between tenant and landlord, and as an act of 
individual spirit, the defendant in this action is entitled to the public 
thanks. The right of tenants in such cases was established as a warning 
to overreaching landlords.”—We are much obliged by this communica¬ 
tion, but we should be still more so, by having a reference to the book 
in which Cooke v. Anderson is reported. We believe the law is as we 
have stated it, and Cooke v. Anderson must have some facts entitling the 
tenant to an exception from the general rule. 
Cure for Warts. — J. K. T. says :—“In No. 181 is noticed the Ra¬ 
nunculus arvensis, or Common Crowfoot. There is one very useful pro¬ 
perty belonging to this British plant, which I do not think is generally 
known, and which I should like to see recorded in your valuable publi¬ 
cation. On breaking the stalk of the growing plant in two, a drop of 
milky juice will be observed to hang on the upper part of the stem ; if 
this is allowed to drop on a wart, so that it be well saturated with the 
juice, in about three or four dressings the warts will die, and may be 
picked off with the fingers. It is the most certain remedy I ever saw, as 
I have seen people, whose hands were nearly covered with them, cured 
in a few weeks. I have also removed them, by the above means, from 
the teats of cows, where they are sometimes very troublesome, and pre¬ 
vent them standing quiet to be milked.” 
Rhubarb Wine Bottled, and not Fine nor Effervescent 
(A New Subscriber ).—This should be laid down in the cellar; a few 
years age would very probably improve it. A bottle should be opened 
occasionally, for examination. The wine made last May, which shows 
a gravity of 11 on the glass saccharometer (which being multiplied by 5, 
shows 55, the real gravity ), should be brought up into a warmer room, 
stirred, and thus encouraged to ferment. It should be tested daily, and 
when the scale on the glass instrument shows that the wine has been 
attenuated to 8, let it be again cellared. When it has been further re- | 
duced to (3, stop the fermentation, and proceed as directed in vol. iv., I 
treating the wine exactly as if it had been made this year, not bottling, of 
course, until next March. With respect to Roberts*s Saccharometer 
not being procurable—again I must say, “ Read your book.” I stated 
some time since that these instruments may be bought for 6s., and tin 
case a trifle extra, through Messrs. Black, Edinburgh, or Whittaker and 
Co., London, publishers.—W. H. Livett. 
Flower-bed Plans (J . S.).—There is no modern work devoted to 
this subject. You can have the two first volumes of The Cottage 
Gardener bound in one, and covers for the other volumes, by applying 
at our office, 2, Amen Corner, Paternoster Row. Other question next 
week. 
Gulls (Rev. R. M. E.). — These certainly eat slugs, though they 
prefer worms. 
Weigela rosea (Ibid).— It is quite hardy, and may be planted out at 
once. It grows to the size of the .Scarlet Ribes ; at least, we would allow 
it the same space. The Cantua dependens and Escalloniu macrantha 
might now be sold for a shilling each, but the exact price we cannot say. 
Anemone japonica and vitifulia, Pentstemon azureum and cor difolium, 
Phlox verna and nivalis, Coreopsis lunceolata , and Cineraria maritima , 
would suit you, besides many others we have named often. Try and get 
the Lithospermum rosmarinifolium , as you have so fine a climate ; and 
we shall keep a look out for other things that will be treasures to you. 
Potatoes left where Grown. — J. K. T. says, “Your correspond¬ 
ent, Mr. W. E. Howlett, in his article on leaving potatoes in the ground 
during the winter, and digging them up as they are wanted for use, must 
bear in mind that last winter was one of the driest on record, aud, con¬ 
sequently, very favourable for his plan ; but had we a very wet winter, 
such as we frequently have, the potatoes would have been as waxy as 
possible, and many of them probably have rotted in the ground. Another : 
great disadvantage of this plan is, that owing to the late digging-up of 
the potatoes as they are wanted, often in very wet weather, it leaves the 
land in such a state that no early crops can be got in ; for land that is 
naturally heavy, once dug in wet weather, will take nearly a summer to 
get dry.” 
Cats.—J. K. T. observes, “ These are the greatest nuisance that a 
cottage gardener has to contend with. I have very frequently had a 
whole bed of choice seeds scratched up by them in one night, therefore I 
am obliged to use defensive measures. My plan is to get a mouse, or a 
bird, open it, and put as much strychnine as will cover a sixpence in it, 
and put it where the enemy comes ; and it will never visit you the second 
time.” (Strychnine is a virulent poison.) 
Growing Geraniums. — A. B. C. D. asks our opinion upon this mode 
of growing them :—After the flowering season is over, I cut my plants 
down, and feed them with guano-water until they are well broken out; 
then I fresh pot them, and keep them close for awhile to recover. I give 
no more manure-water to them till the latter end of February, then I 
make use of the guano again. In March, I top all the shoots, using the 
guano-water rather often, until I have them to break out again, the same 
as the specimen sent; then I intend to withhold the manure-water until 
the blossom-buds appear, and give them a little more after. I have about 
40 plants in 6 and 8-inch pots, with from 20 to 30 such shoots on each 
as the one sent; they are from 9 to 12 inches high from the rim of the 
pot, and 18 to 22 inches through.” Like the proof of the pudding, you 
have shown us that your system is good and sound practice. The only 
thing we see objectionable, or rather, superfluous, is giving them strong 
water immediately after cutting them down. The shoot sent was very 
healthy and robust. 
Flower-Garden (A Constant Subscriber). —How unfortunate you 
did not comply with our rule, for your terrace geometric garden is re¬ 
markably well laid out, and very easy to plant. If the centre of the 
house had been opposite the central walk, the whole would be the most 
complete arrangement we have seen ; all that we can say is, to keep the 
scarlets, yellows, and whites, in the outside-beds; let No. 1 group on 
each side be of the same plants, and keep the blues, lilacs, and purples, 
in the triangles No. 2. 
Elm-tree Bleeding (G.).—Forsyth’s composition is the best we 
know of for stopping the bleeding of the elm-tree, but it should be 
applied when the sap is at rest. We have often cured such wounds as ' 
you name with it, but perhaps some kind reader may let us hear of a 
better remedy. The composition is made with fresh cow-dung, wood- 
ashes, and old lime, in the same proportions as they mix lime and sand i 
for builders* mortar, at least, that is the way we always made it; when 
this gets dry, it often cracks, but a second slight covering will set it as I 
hard and close as plaister, and it will last many years. 
Coral Plant (C. E . R.). —This beautiful plant (Erythrina crista - 
gulli), is well suited for planting against the south side of a cottage or 
castle, but it requires a slight covering over the roots in winter, such as 
any of the new fuchsias want. The stems die down yearly, after bloom¬ 
ing, and it is very easy to save the roots; a little heap of coal-ashes would 
answer as well as anything. 
Single Dahlias (B. B.), —We never heard if Mr. Beaton’s sug¬ 
gestions respecting the Beauty of Thetford dahlia were acted upon ; and ! 
we have heard nothing about them or 'Belinda since. 
Budded Roses (A Subscriber). —Your question has been answered 
lately by Mr. Appleby. It is best not to cut away a small portion of the 
shoot beyond the bud until the first growth is about finished—say to the 
beginning or middle of July. Leave six inches or so of the old shoot, 
and tie the young shoot from the bud to it as soon as it is fit to handle. 
Flower Garden (Bertha). —A very prettily laid-out garden indeed, 
and the planting judicious, except the Golden Chain geranium bed, which 
will be too low for that part of the garden. We would plant it where you 
intend the pentstemons ; move these to the purple petunia bed, and put 
this petunia where you have the Golden Chain. The composition would 
still be the same as you propose yourself. This change will put the 
lowest plant and the richest foliage next the windows, and be a rich 
foreground to the picture. You are fortunate in having so many of the 
Golden Chain ; but plant them as thick as your stock will allow. 
Joslin’s St. Alban’s Grape. — J. Murdoch says—“You lately en¬ 
quired of your readers to inform you what they knew of the Joslin’s 
St. Alban’s Grape. I have for these last three years grown it in pots 
in juxta-position with the Chasselas lMusque, and neither I nor any of my 
friends could ever perceive the least difference between them. The 
mature wood of both is a bright brown ; their leaves of medium size, 
rather hard, without the least down, little or no lobe, but regular serrated; 
the berries perfectly round, and, except fully exposed to the light, or 
allowed to hang long on the vine, of a greenish white, and prone to crack 
if over-watered when getting ripe. It was a sad mistake of Mr. Thomp¬ 
son when he took it for a new variety, for no one will accuse him of 
lending his aid to gull any one; but grapes grown under different cir¬ 
cumstances often assume altered characters. For instance, the old Black 
Hamburgh is said to be round, and Wilmot’s has the appearance of 
being beaten with a hammer. This latter circumstance made a person 
exhibit as Wilmot’s, at the Horticultural Rooms, one October, grapes 
which I had seen during the summer growing on vines I tended thirty 
years before, and which were then of a good age.” An answer to your 
question next week. The Browallia was gratefully received. 
Bees. —We agree with A large Devomhire Bee-keeper , when he says : 
—“ We should like to see, through the pages of The Cottage Gar¬ 
dener, this year, instances of early swarming in different counties of 
England. Also, statements of the largest quantities of honey taken, and 
under what system. We rejoiced to see such kindness manifested to the 
: author of The Honey Bee , by his neighbours sending him some stocks of 
bees. We should be very willing to give him some, but the distance 
prevents. We admire his work, and his excellent lecture on the manage¬ 
ment of the honey-bee, delivered when he was 70 years of age, and the 
first lecture ever delivered by him.” We think “ A Country Curate ” 
was right, at page 38, as to the cause of bees forsaking their hives, which 
in your neighbourhood this year has been of very frequent occurrence. 
Blue Gentian (B. B.). —We are not aware of any new species in this 
genus. The stemless gentian is the best of them, but it only blooms in 
April, the rest are only fit for mixed borders. We have not a sufficient 
number of hardy plants fit for bedding, to carry out a constant bloom for 
the whole season, with only a few exceptions. All our herbaceous plants 
last no longer in bloom than annuals. Where can our correspondent 
obtain a good nightingale ? 
Gardenia Shedding its Buds (Tiryduil). —You do not say what 
species. If it is a species requiring stove culture, see what is said about 
G. Stanley ana, at page 36. 
Transplanting Mangold-wurtzel (A New Subscriber).— There 
is no doubt, that if done carefully, and whilst the plants are young, 
Mangold-wurtzel may be transplanted safely. It is a good plan to fill up 
any gaps in the rows by this mode, but the untrausplanted are usually 
finer than that transplanted. You are quite right in saying that greaves 
are not suitable for fatting fowls, nor is any animal food good for them 
then, as it makes their flesh unpleasantly strong-flavoured. 
Spanish Fowls’ Eggs. —The correspondents who wrote for these, may 
apply to Mr. Edward Wort, Ivnockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent. 
Small Greenhouse (Hebden Bridge). —Who could tell the cost of 
erection without knowing the dimensions? If you buy our number 109, 
you will find full particulars and plans for one that was built for 
Horse-hoe (J. B.H.). —You may have this to hoe between rows of 
Lucerne nine inches apart. Any agricultural implement maker will send 
you price, &c. Hand-hoeing would serve your purpose best, unless you 
have a large quantity. 
Exchange of Plants.— Mr. William Jackson, of Mansfield, Not¬ 
tinghamshire, and Mr. John Battersby, of the same place, will be glad to 
