October 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
and mix it thoroughly with the under stratum of 
earth, then level up the place, and plant the bulbs 
immediately. Mice are very fond of crocuses. To 
prevent tlieir ravages, chop some furze (gorse or 
whin), and cover the bulbs with it. The sharp thorns 
will prick then- noses, and effectually protect the 
roots. 
Gladioli. —Excepting the common Gladiolus com¬ 
munis, and, perhaps, G. byzantinus, the gladioli ought 
to be planted in a bed by themselves. To succeed 
well in blooming them the soil should have an extra 
care bestowed upon it; there ought to be a large pro¬ 
portion of peat earth (heath mould) mixed amongst 
it, as well as a considerable quantity of vegetable 
mould; the proportions should be two parts loam, 
two parts vegetable mould, and three parts heath 
mould, with a portion of river sand, say one-eightli 
of the whole. The situation of the bed ought to be 
open and airy, and provision made for sheltering 
them when in flower with an awning of canvass. 
We do not recommend planting in the open bed as 
yet, the middle of November will be quite soon 
enough; if they are planted earlier they might spring 
up and the young shoots be destroyed by severe 
frost. 
Tulips for blooming should be planted about 
the 10th of November, and when that planting is 
finished then immediately plant your gladioli. The 
larger kinds of narcissi, such as Grand Monarque, 
Le Soliel d’Or, Grand Primo, Citronia, and States- 
General, may either be grown in pots a little larger 
than those for hyacinths, or will do very well planted 
in beds of deep rich soil in the open air. If in pots, 
manage them exactly the same as described for the 
hyacinth in our last number. Van Tliol, and other 
kinds of early tulips intended to bloom in pots, 
should be immediately potted, placing from three to 
five in a pot 4^ inches wide, proportioning the num¬ 
ber to the size of the bulbs. Always allow them 
time in a level place to form roots, previously to 
placing them in heat to bring them into flower. 
•Jonquils. —These sweet-scented flowers are very 
desirable to grow either in pots or in the open beds 
or borders; manage them the same way as the crocus. 
Persian Iris. —A beautiful dwarf variegated flower, 
sweet-scented, and suitable for pot culture. It does 
not thrive well excepting in a warm sheltered border 
in the open air. The roots, unless preserved with 
great care, are very apt to perish after the first year. 
Their native dwelling is in the hot sandy plains of 
Persia, the difficulty of imitating which is no doubt 
the great cause why we do not succeed in preserving 
them. Tbe sandy fields of Holland, however, seem 
to suit them well, and as the price is so moderate 
. (2s per dozen), we need not regret very much their 
perishable native. Pot them now in a light sandy 
peaty soil, and place them in a cool dry frame to 
form roots. They do not force well, but will flower 
beautifully in the months of April and May, as it 
were, naturally. More about bulbs next week. 
Auriculas and Polyanthus. —As the cold weather 
has begun now to visit us, it is desirable to place 
these flowers in tlieir winter quarters forthwith: they 
are best kept in a frame or pit; the latter is the best, 
well glazed to prevent drips. A stage of shelves of 
wood should be placed in the pit at such a distance 
as to allow the plants to be within from four to six 
inches of the glass. Every tiling about them should 
be perfectly sweet and clean. Examine the hole at 
the bottom of each pot, and see that the draining is 
open; should any worm-cast appear, turn out the 
plant carefully into the hand, and if the worn is vi¬ 
sible, pick it out without disturbing tbe ball; if not 
visible, give the ball a gentle tapping with one hand; 
this will almost certainly cause tbe worm to creep 
out. Look carefully also for slugs; you will often 
find them snugly ensconced in the hole of the pot, or 
under the leaves of a strong healthy plant. Previ¬ 
ously to putting the plants into tbe pit or frame 
spread a layer of dry coal-ashes under the stage : this 
will absorb tbe damp, and ought to be renewed occa¬ 
sionally during winter. If you have plenty of room 
it will be advantageous to place the plants so as not 
to allow the pots to touch each other: this though 
apparently a trifling matter is not so in reality; 
when the pots do not touch each other the air can 
circulate amongst them more freely, the sun can 
shine through the openings on fine days, and dry 
the ashes under the stage, and thus benefit the plants 
greatly. Supposing them all placed—the auriculas 
by themselves, and the polyanthus also alone—let 
them have abundance of air by drawing off the lights 
on all fine days, and on rainy days by tilting the 
lights behind. We ought to have mentioned previ¬ 
ously that the winter habitation of these plants ought 
to face the south-east. Upon a regular close atten¬ 
tion to the giving of air, with very moderate water¬ 
ing, through winter, the health and strength, and 
consequently the power to produce fine blooms, al¬ 
most entirely depends. It matters not bow good 
your kinds, nor how excellent your compost may be, 
unless abundance of light and air is given during the 
dark months of autumn and winter. These plants 
are very hardy if properly managed; yet, in severe 
weather, we would advise a covering of double mats 
whenever the thermometer indicates about ten de¬ 
grees of frost (that is, falls to 22°, or 10° below the 
freezing point of water). In their Alpine habitations 
they are protected by a thick covering of snow, 
through which very little frost can penetrate. Our 
coverings are an imitation of this natural one. 
Carnations and Picotees. —It is nearly time to 
begin to place these plants also in winter quarters. 
Next week we will describe our method of managing 
them in this respect. T. Appleby. 
GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW 
GARDENING. 
The vegetable kingdom must have formed an ele¬ 
ment of study and attention to men at the earliest 
possible period. We are told that when God made 
man He placed him in a garden, and commissioned 
him “to dress it and keep it.” From this we learn, 
first, that gardening was man’s first work; and, se¬ 
condly, that even in a state of purity, infinite wisdom 
connected working with happiness. Think of this, 
ye who are in the habit of associating working with 
degradation! Think of this, my fellow workmen, 
when you look upon your horny hands, and feel your 
joints somewhat stiff with toil; and though forget¬ 
ting not that tbe earth for man’s fall was cursed with 
briers and thorns, cease not to remember that there 
was One, the reputed son of a carpenter, who by his 
conduct gave a dignity and an elevation to labour, 
and thus mitigated, if not entirely removed, the force 
of the sting contained in the sentence, that in the 
sweat of his brow man was to eat his bread. Man’s 
primeval condition, therefore, would render an ac- 
