8 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 
quaintance with vegetables necessary. To them he 
would be indebted for his food, his raiment, his lodg¬ 
ing, his utensils for cultivation, his materials tor 
cooking, and his instruments of warfare. The first 
stage of his inquiry would be bounded by a discri¬ 
mination of those plants which were fitted for his 
own food and clothing, &c., and the food of the more 
useful animals, and a knowledge of some of their 
qualities in a medicinal point of view. A second 
stage in the inquiry would take place when, owing 
to an increase of population, there would he the at¬ 
tempt to procure more food than what the earth na¬ 
turally yielded, and thus agriculture would com¬ 
mence. A third stage in the inquiry would take 
place when men, not satisfied with necessaries—such 
as the bread, and the mutton, and the crystal spring 
—panted after those adjuncts which give a relish to 
the enjoyments of the table, in the shape of fresh 
vegetables, the leek, the cucumber, the onion; the 
pepper, the radish, and the mustard; the luscious 
melting fruit, the rich confection, and what has been 
termed “ generous wine.” Then horticulture would 
commence. When the desire became prevalent for 
the possession of luxuries, in the shape of beautiful 
flowers, rich scents, refreshing odours, cool shades, 
sparkling fountains, winding walks, and green lawns, 
then would be the dawning of floriculture and land¬ 
scape gardening. When, owing to the number of 
plants discovered, and the impossibility of recollect¬ 
ing the properties of each, an attempt was made to 
arrange them into kindred groups and families, then, 
however rude and imperfect the first attempt, would 
commence the dawning of systematic, structural, 
physiological, and medical botany. 
Our attention will chiefly be devoted in this de¬ 
partment to the growing of those flowers that are 
suitable for the greenhouse and window, either of the 
amateur or the cottager, not forgetting that the work 
is especially intended for the latter. To be instru¬ 
mental in promoting, in however humble a degree, a 
greater love for the beautiful in vegetable nature will 
he to us less a task than a pleasure: convinced that 
wherever that love exists, whether in princely halls 
or snug parlours, whether seen in the honeysuckle 
and the rose blending their sweetness around the 
cottage window hi the country ; or in the wallflower 
in a broken teapot decking the opening for light and 
air of a garret attic in a crowded alley of a smoky 
city ; that there, though often associated with igno¬ 
rance, and, sometimes, declensions from virtue, there 
are founts of genuine feeling, and well-springs of 
goodness, that only require to be opened up and set 
flowing, to reward the exertions and realize the wishes 
of the most anxious philanthropist. 
Now, for more practical matters. All greenhouse 
plants should now be taken under shelter, if not into 
the greenhouse, as dashing rains and early frosts may 
soon be expected. If provided with necessary shelter 
some of the hardiest may remain out a few weeks 
longer, which will prevent crowding the greenhouse 
at first, and enable the work there to be got in a for¬ 
ward condition. Azaleas should be all under cover: 
the most of them will stand a considerable degree of 
cold, but not without injuring the beauty of the fo¬ 
liage. To keep the Inclica or greenhouse variety in 
an evergreen state, the temperature should not fall 
much below 40°. If the buds are set they will flower 
pretty well, although from exposure to cold rains and 
cold air the greater part of the leaves should fall, but 
then the plants present a miserable, starved appear¬ 
ance, and the flowers are lessened in then beauty for 
the want of luxuriant green foliage as a back ground. 
1 Those intended for flowering early should be kept 
I somewhat close and warmer, before giving them a lift 
j in a forcing-house. If this is done for a season or 
two, they will get into the habit of coming early of 
then own accord. If a forcing-]muse is not at your 
elbow, you may do much by keeping one end of your 
j greenhouse closer and warmer than the other. This 
applies to many other plants besides azaleas; those, 
! however, of these beautiful plants which you intend 
for flowering in May of the following year you must 
now set in the coolest part of the greenhouse, and 
allow a stream of air amongst them, provided the 
temperature ranges from 35° to 40°, and then, if the 
weather should be warm and sunny in April, you will 
have to contrive a sheltered and shady place for them, 
to which you may remove them if the buds swell 
faster than you wish. You may not succeed quite so 
well as the great growers, but great honour will be 
your due if in one house you can manage to grow a 
number of things nearly as good as they who have a 
house for each separate tribe or family. We will by- 
and-by tell you of some little contrivances by which 
many plants considered rather tender may be man¬ 
aged well in a greenhouse. I have said that a stream 
of air may be admitted when the temperature ranges 
from 35° to 40°, but do not mistake me,—I mean 
outside temperatime. Even at this temperatui'e, in a 
very foggy day, I would be careful not to admit much 
air without a little fire-heat. You will not be likely 
to err in giving too much air for some time to come, 
but I direct your attention to it in time, believing 
that too much fire-heat and too much air in cold 
weather are the greatest enemies to all kinds of 
greenhouse plants in winter. The subject is a large 
one, but the cream of it may for the present be thrown 
into two rules: 1st, never in the coldest weather 
make up your greenhouse fire for the night without 
consulting the outside thermometer, and noting the 
changes that, have taken place, as so many indexes 
from which you may attempt to predicate what the 
weather will be before morning. 2ndly, fires will 
seldom be wanted in the morning, unless for promot¬ 
ing a healthy circulation of air in damp foggy wea¬ 
ther, or when a severe storm sets in; but, even in 
the latter case, always endeavour to determine whe¬ 
ther the day will be sunny or not, as, if the sun 
shines, the less heat you have in the flue or pipes 
the better. In such cases the raising of the tempera¬ 
ture 10° or 15°, with a little top air, will do no harm. 
The raising of the temperature so much by fire-heat 
would be ruinous. The most experienced will some¬ 
times be deceived by the sudden outbreaking of the 
sun for several hours in severe weather; and when 
there is a considerable amount of artificial heat in 
the house, it is much preferable to damp the house, 
and shade for a short time, than to admit air by the 
front sashes, which is 20° or 30° lower than the tem¬ 
perature of the house. When you have means of 
heating the air before it is introduced among the 
plants, the case will be somewhat different. As wo 
may expect as yet several weeks of mild weather, the 
alluding to this matter may be deemed somewhat ir¬ 
relevant, but we have acted upon the principle that 
to be forewarned is to be forearmed. 
Bui,bs of all kinds usually employed for winter 
decoration should now be planted for the first and 
successional blooming. If you merely wish to flower 
them, any sort of soil will do, and even half-rotten 
moss will answer admirably, as you chiefly develop 
the matter previously stored up in the bulb. But if 
you wish not merely to flower them, but to grow 
them, so as they will flower again—if not the first, 
