THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 24. 
singly, and place them in a cold frame, shading from the sun. When 
the pots are filled with roots, repot and grow them on ; by the time frost 
begins to appear, they will be nice bushy plants. Calceolarias cut down, 
and put in cuttings for stock next year. The old plants of both are of 
no use after a crop of cuttings are taken off; they should be thrown away. 
It is too early to cut off the fore-shoots of pear-trees against walls. It is 
a good plan to bend them downwards. 
Diseased Fuchsia Blooms ( Marwood ).—The blooms of your fuchsia 
“Sapphire,” are all as if they had been scalded. This is not usual to 
that variety, and there must be something wrong in your treatment, 
either in giving air, exposing to the sun too much, or by syringing over 
the blooms during bright sunshine. As you do not state the particulars 
of your management, we are not wizards enough to divine the cause. If 
you desire further information, pray enlighten us as to the way you ma¬ 
nage the plant. 
Rust in Grapes (F. Berry). —Rust in grapes is occasioned by more 
than one condition. Nothing more conduces to it than neglect of early 
morning ventilation. Few are thoroughly aware of the serious accumu¬ 
lation of heat in vineries with an early sun. A very hot and damp air is 
almost sure to scald, and scalding engenders rust. Rust is seldom seen 
out-doors; but the open air is capitally ventilated. 
Nutt’s Hives (A Constant Subscriber ),—Poor Nutt! we believe, has 
long since been “ hid out of our sight,” therefore he cannot be consulted; 
and it would have been well if his hives had been so too, for they have 
caused more trouble, vexation, and disappointment, than any of the kind 
has ever before done ; we have made fire-wood of ours long since. The 
bees will swarm from them in preference to working in the side boxes ; 
and if, by any chance , they put a little comb into one of them, the queen 
is almost sure to follow and fill it with bloom. 
“Lameness in Cochin-China Fowls (D. C.). —Cochin-China fowls 
are not more apt than other kinds to lose the use of the legs, but are, on 
the contrary, exceedingly strong and hardy. I quite agree with “ D. C. 
in attributing the lameness of her two cocks to their descent from the 
perch. Roosting on perches is decidedly not good for such heavy fowls 
as the Cochin-China. After trying different plans, I find the best roost¬ 
ing place for them to be an open platform, made of either slaters’ laths, 
or quartering, raised a few inches from the floor of the roosting-house; 
over this is spread a bed of clean straw. Lameness in large, quick¬ 
growing fowls may proceed from an insufficient supply of phosphate 
of lime. Anster Bonn. 
Best Fowls to Keep (H.).— You having fowls running in a field 
frequented by other fowls, will find it very difficult to keep to any breed 
in particular. Having lost one bird from fighting with the others, ren¬ 
ders it desirable that the cock should be of some strong spirited breed 
likely to become master of the rest—a game cock, a Malay, or a fine 
Cochin-China. I find the Cochin-China in all respects the best kind of 
fowls to keep; their eggs are of a medium size, and produced in great 
abundance; they arc capital fowls for all domestic purposes, and, I think, 
very handsome. “ II.’s ” common hens must be pretty, and fifteen eggs 
in a week from three proves them to be good layers also. 
Anster Bonn. 
Play-ground Concreted (D . T.).—You need not put on the second 
layer of flints and lime unless you want to raise the play-ground higher ; 
two inches of common gravel, such as you would put on the top of a 
walk, will be sufficient; to this add one-tenth of fresh slacked lime, mix 
them well before laying down, and break the lumps with the back of a 
spade, rake and roll, then a good watering to soak the whole through 
and through ; as soon as the surface is dry enough for a second rolling, 
run over it, or if the lime appears much on the surface after the watering, 
you had better lay on just as much of the finest gravel as will barely 
cover the whole surface, and then use the roller repeatedly; as long as 
the whole is damp, it can hardly have too much rolling. Your “ six 
inches of rough flints for a dry bottom ” would be a sufficient bottom for 
a railroad, if the flints were concreted with lime and gravel. Two inches 
| of pebbles or small flints, and an inch of concrete, as above, would do for 
any play-ground, not excepting both sides of the play-wall in the Academy 
, Park at Inverness. 
Elder Wine (71/. R.).— Pour three gallons of cold water over one peck 
of berries ; let them stand for twenty-four hours ; then boil the whole for 
twenty minutes, adding 1 oz. bruised ginger, 2 oz. of cloves, and £ oz. 
i cinnamon, tied in a muslin bag ; strain off the liquor, and add 3 lbs. of 
j moist sugar to the gallon, and boil again with the same spice for quarter- 
i of-an-liour; when cold, put it into a cask, and if required for long 
keeping add half pint of brandy. 
To Preserve Gooseberries. —When green, top and tail, and fill a 
dry jar; tie over it a piece of bladder rather loose, but secure it tightly 
round the rim, place the jar in a vessel of cold water nearly up to the 
bladder, set it on the fire, and let it simmer for twenty minutes, then 
remove the vessel, and allow it to stand until cold. These will keep good 
till gooseberries come in season again. Damsons and plums may be served 
the same, only that they should be put up nearly ripe.—S. P. Ru sum ere. 
Rhododendrons (J . G .), — Anthopogoii is a dwarf alpine species of 
no great beauty. It belongs to the bearded section, but is very different 
from barbatum. Lepidotum is distinct from dauricum , but is related to 
it. Lord Hardinge sent thousands of seeds of these from Simla. If you 
want gay flowers rather than botanical species have nothing to do with 
either of them. 
Budded Roses ( South Wales). —About the end of next August you 
may take plenty of buds from plants budded last year, and if yours are 
pcrpetuals, you may let them bloom after the end of July; most people 
allow the first blooms to open as if they were on old plants; your plan is 
much better in the long run. 
I Bees. —T. J. Korn says, “ I put a six-pound glass on one of Neigh- 
! hour’s Improved Cottage Hives the first week in May, and when nearly 
i full of comb, which was in about ten days, another holding three pounds, 
thinking, but erroneously, that this additional room would effectually 
| prevent swarming.” Your glasses were not large enough ; the bees had 
| not sufficient room. Three six-pound glasses would not have been too 
) much, as your stock was, in all probability, a very strong one. 
Bees (F. F.).—Your hive b will, in all probability, swarm very shortly, 
if it has not already done so ; a had better remain as it is. Your hives 
are very much too large to put a swarm into. If your stocks are healthy 
and strong, you need not regard the ants, the bees will defend themselves 
against them. 
Bees (T. H.). —In all probability, the cause of your bees leaving the 
hive (for it could not be called swarming), was on account of your placing 
a glass on so early; you should have waited till they had established 
themselves in the hive, certainly fifteen or twenty days. You having 
returned it to its parent stock, it will in a few days come out again, and 
then do not put on your glass till w’ant of room in the hive appears 
evident. 
Poultry in Limited Space.— G. G ., of Liverpool , mentions that 
he has always been a lover of poultry, that residing now in a town, and 
confined to limited space, he would still like to keep a few fowls. 
Having confined space only, he is earnestly recommended to confine him¬ 
self to a few , and the result will, no doubt, be pleasure and success. It 
is to be feared that four families of fowls confined to a portion of ground 
measuring (houses included) 46 feet by 4 feet 8 inches, two of the stocks 
being placed on a sort of second story, would suffer much for want of 
air and liberty, and the raking and scratching in w-hich they so much 
delight. When there are chickens, where are they to go ? Is this a 
question which has escaped the recollection of the enquirer? I fear fowls 
so kept would get unhealthy, at any rate after the first year ; and hope it 
will not be unpalatable advice to G. G., not to attempt more than two 
kinds on the ground named; one would be better, and if these could occa¬ 
sionally have a run out into some field, street, or lane, it would be very 
beneficial to them. I think the Cochin-China fowls the best sort, but 
there are many other choice kinds which are very good.— Anster Bonn. 
Dorking Combs and Poland Ruffs. —Several weeks back I troubled 
the lovers of the Dorking fowls with a question, whether the comb of that i 
fowl must of necessity be single. This question is now settled by high | 
authority, for the promoters of the Birmingham show for 1852, offer 
prizes to both single and rose-combed Dorking fowls. The same 
authority has decided similarly about the ruff or beard of the golden and 
silver-spangled Poland fowls.— Anster Bonn. 
Preserving Plums without Sugar or Water. — Fill the jars or 
bottles with the fruit, and tie bladders over them; pierce the bladder 
with a large needle to prevent bursting. Place them in the pot they 
are to boil in, in cold water, then place on the fire, and boil, and continue 
to boil for twenty minutes ; take from the fire, and stand till cold. Store 
in a cool dry place. 
Veronica Decussata {Devonian). —Many thanks for the opportu¬ 
nity of seeing the flowers of Veronica decussata for the first time. They 
are pure white, and are produced in close rings near the ends of the 
shoots, and are about the size of those of the Mezereon. I hope “Devonian ” 
will succeed in getting a cross between it and speciosa, the fine purple 
New Zealand species. Such seedlings would probably live out at Edin¬ 
burgh as Veronica decussata docs at Inverness. Bryanthus erectus is a 
true Menziesia, and very likely a cross seedling. The old Menziesia 
polifolia has a natural tendency to vary, though slightly, from seeds. 
The white variety of it discovered in Cunncmara, in 1820, growing along¬ 
side the old sort, is supposed by good judges to be a seedling sport; 
be that as it may, kindred genera, as heaths and rhododendrons, are 
notorious for their freedom of intercourse, and, therefore, why not the 
Mcnziesias among themselves, and with the section of them called Bry¬ 
anthus, which are very rare in this country? With respect to the little 
Kamtschatka rhododendron, I think Dr. Herbert mentioned somewhere, 
that a brood of cross seedlings was once raised from it, which could not 
be reared ; but that is no reason why other attempts should fail, and even 
should a union between it and any of our older rhododendrons not suc¬ 
ceed, there can be little doubt about some of the new Sikkim alpine 
rhododendrons uniting with it, and that a new race of trailing rhododen¬ 
drons, with the habit and sportiveness of the rock rose (Helianthcmum), 
might be got after awhile. “The prince of climbers,” Beaumontia 
grandifora , casts off the old leaves as in “Devonian’s” case; and, if 
required, it might be trained up to the top of the Crystal Palace as bare 
as one of the bracing rods; on the other hand, it can be formed in shape 
like a pillar rose, and be always evergreen; but, for ordinary conser¬ 
vatory work, the best way to treat it is to train and prune it exactly as 
you would a grape vine, taking care that the bottom is well clothed with 
side-shoots before the top is allowed to go too far; the same precaution 
is necessary for the vine, as, if it is left in very long rods the first two 
years, the bottom eyes are apt to lie dormant, or if they grow at all, the 
shoots are weak and bear no fruit. The Beaumontia may be pruned any 
time in the year, just as soon as the flowering is over ; but May and June 
are the best months to cut it. The side-shoots ought always to be cut to 
one or two joints, and if the leader is strong, it must be cut back to half . 
its length. The whole plant, after pruning, will be as bare as a May-pole, j 
except what leaves may be on the leading shoot; in August, any of the 
shoots from the spurs that appear too strong, or running aw ay too fast, I 
may be then stopped; the shoots from this break will all flower next . 
year, only a little later than those not cut. After pruning, is the right 
time to clean off scale or other insects.—D. Beaton. 
Bad Bedding Plants (C.).—You are only like nine-tenths of all wc 
have seen this year, and have seen for the last ten years, and what will 
always be seen until the tables arc turned. Flower gardens ought to be 
as gay in May and June as they usually are at the beginning of August. 
We have said all that can be urged in favour of a better state of things. 
As late as last year we have shown how one of the largest flower-gardens j 
in the country was made brimful and gay from the moment the spring ' 
flowers were over. We have also croaked for years about May and June | 
being blanks in more than half the gardens all over the country. It is true i 
that this w as an exceptional spring; plants could not be trusted in or out of j 
doors without much coddling, and the planting season was dreadfully cold i 
at nights. Beddingplants and forced vines will never agree ; the moment the 
vinery is shut up for work every plant ought to be removed to a still cooler 
place. No art or science can ever get over the difficulty of making bed¬ 
ding-out plants and vines agree, and, without surmounting it, plants will 
look poor and sickly for the first month after planting; but during that 
time, a temporary crop of transplanted annuals ought to be in full bloom, 
in rows, between the bedding stuff; there is no other means of looking 
