June 21 . 
THE COTTAGE GAKDENER, 
205 
brimful and gay at that season ; hardy herbaceous plants are a poor sub- 
| stitute for this kind of display, and we are glad you have given us the 
| opportunity of repeating this once more. 
Plan of Garden ( J . S ,).— The plan is filed ; we never saw that style 
of massing groups of beds; when the planting is well balanced it must 
look very gay from the windows. 
Sloping Banks (W. C. C .).—Your plan for making a sloping hedge 
on one side of the grass garden, to match a turf slope on the other side, 
is a capital idea, if not an original one. It will answer perfectly, and 
| Cotoneaster microphylla will be your best plant to use, as you can keep 
; it more easily to any shape required, and it will grow much faster in 
poor or bad soil than cither yew or box, and besides will look less old- 
1 fashioned. The Pyracantha would not suit at all; it is too straggling, 
and would require supports. 
j Salvia Patens.— M . M . says, “ In one of your former numbers, I 
think in 1851, you wished to know the result of having the Salvia patens 
i in the ground all the winter. I have two large beds of it. One, two 
j years old, was covered up the previous winter as soon as frost set in ; the 
j other, only seedlings planted out last summer. They were both unpro¬ 
tected till the winter had set in, and then they were covered with ashes 
about four inches deep. Both beds are now throwing up stroug shoots, 
and give every promise of being as brilliant as they were last year. I 
would, however, never advise their being allowed to remain unprotected 
so late as mine were last year, but it was unavoidable here at the time.”— 
M. M. 
Early Swarms, &c. —Amateur says, “ We had a fine swarm on the 
15th of May, and a strong cast on the 5th of June, both doing well. A 
friend of mine had a strong swarm the first week in May, and on the 1st 
of June a large cast from it, and at the same time a swarm from another 
hive. There are bean-fields in the neighbourhood, which form quite an 
attraction to them. The Eccremocarpus scabra , noticed in a former 
number (No. 152), as having lived five years, paid the debt of nature this 
spring; the stem, which was of considerable thickness, being quite split 
into fibres just as if it had been twisted.” 
Bees. — J. K. says, “ I use Neighbour’s Hives with five bell-glasses. 
What is the best time of the day to remove them when full of honey ? ” 
Remove your glasses in the middle of a bright day; put on the fifth glass 
immediately, and give all the room you can, or a swarm will leave the 
hive. 
Chilled Eggs. — N. P. says, “ I have had a hatch of hen’s eggs that 
have all hatched after having been twice left till quite cold ; once about 
a week or ten days after they were set, and again two or three days before 
they ought to have hatched. However, having seen an instance men¬ 
tioned in Tiie Cottage Gardener of eggs hatching after being allowed 
to get cold, I was determined to try mine, and though my hen was dis- , 
turbed by another broody hen, who drove her off, and took her place ; 
twice during the last week of her sitting, the chickens were all hatched I 
on the third and fourth days after the proper time, and are lively and 
healthy.” 
Green Scum on Water (E . 5.). —Is there any correspondent who 
can put a lady in the right way to get rid of the green scum on a pond ? 
Gathering it off only keeps it down a week or two. 
Geant des Battailes Rose {C. M.). —No rose can flower more 
freely than this usually does. If you have not got the Manetti head on 
the stock, as your friend thinks, the soil must be far too rich, or too wet 
in the subsoil. Root-pruning, if this be the case, is your only remedy. 
Can you not compare a shoot of your rose with those of a known Geant 
des Battiales. A child could tell the difference between the leaves of a 
Manetti and a Geant. 
Plants Wintered at Ashburton. — Exoniensis says:—“The 
following plants have been grown in the open air at Ashburton (Devon), 
during the last winter, and unprotected :— Acacia arrnata, Erica 
Bowieana, Clianthus puniceus, and various Calceolarias .” 
Cuttings for America {Ibid ).—Cuttings of Fuchsias and Polar- '■ 
goniums had better be rooted here several in a small pot; be cut back, 
and taken out by your friend, in their pots, packed closely in a box 
covered over with glass. 
Books {Monandria ).—There is no work with coloured plates on 
British Wild Plants , that is cheap. Sowerby's English Botany has such 
plates, but the work is now republishing in eighty parts, at 3s. Gd. each. 
Smith’s English Flora describes all British plants, but has no plates. 
There is no separate work on Hybridizing. Buy Smith’s Introduction to 
Physiological and Systematic Botany . The above is in answer to a note 
from which the following is an extract. Its writer need never fear that 
we shall neglect his queries:—“ I work in a factory all day ; my garden 
is my relaxation; to the enjoyment I find there, I would add that to be 
derived from an acquaintance with the wild beauties of our fields and 
roadsides. You may infer, from my occupation, that I cannot afford very 
expensive books, but am one of those who would rather possess one con¬ 
taining sound information on its peculiar subject, and be content to wait 
till I can afford the others, than purchase an indifferent one because it is 
cheap.” 
Geranium Leaves Diseased (B . W .).—They have been scorched 
by exposure under glass to a bright sunshine without a free ventilation. 
Crushing the green fly on rose-buds does not injure the buds, but it is 
best to syringe them well afterwards, as this clears the pores. 
Hybrid Purple Laburnum (T. W. E.). — It is very common for this 
tree to bear some yellow blossoms. It is merely a sport, or variety ; and 
all such sports will recur, more or less, to the parent colour. 
Cyrlostegia ( Llandlllo ).—There is no such plant. It must be mis¬ 
written for Cryptostegia grandijlora. If you refer to The Cottage Gar¬ 
deners' Dictionary you will find that it is a climbing stove evergreen, six 
feet high, producing pink flowers in June, that it is a native of India, 
and introduced here in 1818. 
Hydrangea with Blue Flowers {Matilda). —We are afraid that 
you will fail to produce blue flowers on your Hydrangea by watering it 
with nitrate of iron. Alum has been successfully employed for the pur¬ 
pose ; but if you have our second volume you will find a full detail of 
Mr. Beaton’s experience on the subject at page 243. If you have not the 
volume, buy our No. 45. 
Roses with Green Centres {An Irish Subscriber),— This arises, 
probably, from the soil being too wet and undrained, or too highly 
manured. In the moist climate of Ireland a more open and less rich 
soil is required for roses than in England. 
Ants in Greenhouse {A Young Gardener). — If you only grow 
flowering plants in your greenhouse, why object to the ants ? They are 
great destroyers of the green fly. Placing a little gas-lime over their 
haunts, and renewing it two or three times for a week, we have found drive 
them away. 
Emigrants to Australia {Boston).— Can any correspondent inform 
us for what sum Government arc sending out emigrants to Australia; 
and if so, where an intending emigrant should apply. 
American Blight {A New Subscriber).— Spirit of turpentine, applied 
by a brush to each spot, is the best remedy. Tulips, of any valued 
variety, should be taken up as soon as their leaves are dead, and their 
bulbs kept in a cold dry place. 
Bones {Himus). —To reduce bones to lime (not phosphate of lime), 
they must be calcined; that is, reduced to a white powder by being 
heated red-hot for some time. 
Lists of Ornamental Plants {W.). —We are attending to this 
subject. 
Furniture Oil {A Young Housekeeper). —Bees-wax is the worst in¬ 
gredient ; it shews where every finger touches. The best preparation is 
one pint of linseed oil, two ozs. black rosin, and one oz. alkanet root (tied 
up in a little bag), heated together until well coloured. 
Gas Tar ( Juvenis ).—This, employed in forming the concrete floor of 
a rabbit house, will not, we think, be injurious to young rabbits. 
Diseased Apple Trees {E. T. 1’.).—Your young trees are cankered 
and this arises probably, from your “heavy loam” being undrained. 
Although planted four years ago, we would take them up, and replant 
them on the soil, in stations prepared as Mr. Errington has often men¬ 
tioned. 
Asparagus Beds {C. R. R .).—Your compost is more than rich 
enough. Half earth, quarter old cow-dung, and quarter night-soil and 
road-scrapings in equal proportions, will be quite sufficiently fertile, for 
you must manure annually to keep up the fertility. 
Vine Insect {Cuddesden). —The insect infesting your out-door viue, 
is the vine scale {Coccus vitus), of which you can see a drawing and full 
particulars at page 260 of The Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary. Paint 
over the stem and branches with the following mixture—£ lb. soft soap, 
lib. flowers of sulphur, % oz. ground black pepper, and 4 gallons of 
water, boiled together for twenty minutes. 
Sundries (J. L. P.), —The fungi or toadstools in your hotbed caunot 
be kept away. We pour boiling water on them when we can do so with¬ 
out injuring the roots of the plants. There are hundreds of different 
species of “ hairy caterpillars.” There is no remedy but .hand-picking 
against caterpillars rolled up in leaves. Heruclcum giganteum is a 
biennial, and should be sown annually. 
Caterpillars on Pear-trees {J. N. B.). —Try dusting them with 
white hellebore powder. 
Names of Plants (T. M, IF.).—Your “ Macrantha rosea,” is Heli- 
chrysum rnacranthum roseum. {E. B. R.). —Your plant is the female of 
the Perennial Mercury, Mercunalis perennis. It is poisonous. {E. A.). — 
No. 1. Malua grossulnrifolia , propagated by cuttings. No. 2. We 
believe is Salvia Grahamii coccinea , but are not certain. (J/. W. G .).— 
Yours is not an Australian plant, but an English weed, introduced with 
the soil. It is one of the Galiums or Bed Straws. {Sigma), — Saxifraga 
mntata is used in bouquets ; your plant is Spireea bella. 
Bees. —Will “A Country Curate,” not our usual correspondent in 
Herefordshire," send us his address? 
CALENDAR FOR JULY. 
PLANT STOVE. 
Air, give most abundantly by day, and partially by night. Amaryllis 
Bulbs that have done flowering, place in a cool house, to cause a state 
of rest. Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) aulica , pot, and plunge in heat. 
Aciiimenes picta, put into wide shallow pans, and start into growth. 
ApnELANDRA aurantiaca, pot and grow on, to flower in winter. Bas¬ 
kets, any plant in, water freely, by dipping them in a cistern of well- 
aired water. Baskets with drooping plants dip frequently. Begonias, 
to flower in winter, repot and grow on freely. Euphorbia Jacouini- 
folia, Eranthemum strictum, and Erantiiemum pulciiellum, 
require liberal treatment now, to cause them to bloom well in winter. 
Bulbs done blooming, remove into a cool house, to induce rest. 
Climbers, tie in, and keep clean from insects. Cuttings of various 
I kinds of fast-rooting stove plants may be put in now successfully. 
I Cuttings that are rooted, pot off, and shade for a few days. Gloxinias 
and Gesneras done blooming, set out in the air in an open situation, to 
induce them to rest; lay the pots on one side to keep off heavy rain. 
Gesnera zebrina, repot to bloom in winter. Ixoras, give the last 
potting for the season to such as arc intended for specimens ; tie down, 
to allow the young shoots to spring up in the centre; stop these, to 
cause busliiness. Moisture, supply to the internal air liberally. Poin- 
settia pulcherrima, pot and place in heat, to start into growth 
freely. Plants (young), remove as many as possible into cold frames 
early in the month ; this gives them a stout hardy habit, and helps to 
keep down insects, especially the red spider. Potting may yet be done 
for all freely-growing young plants. Rest, give to all bulbous plants, 
and early flowering shrubby and herbaceous plants. Syringe, morning 
and evening, to keep down red spider, and to wash the dust off the leaves. 
Water, apply in abundance to the freely-growing species, but withhold 
it from such as have made their annual growths. T. Aptleby. 
