134= 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December G. 
for tanning; the apple is used in the process of dyeing, 
and so is the sawdust also. The gall-nuts are the 
most powerful of vegetable astringents, and, on ac¬ 
count of the deep black they produce when mixed 
with green vitriol, are the best of all materials for 
making ink. Pliny says that acorns beaten to pow¬ 
der, and made into ointment with lard and salt, are 
very healing when applied to hard swellings and 
cancerous sores. The smaller boughs of the oak, 
when crooked and twisted, are admirably adapted for 
rustic porches, garden-seats, and all wood-work of 
that description, and lasts a very long time. 
We still wear garlands of oak-leaves to commemo¬ 
rate the restoration of kingly power in England. The 
oak sheltered our fugitive monarch in his days of 
trial, and its boughs greeted him when he returned 
in triumph. Let us adore the mercy of God, who has 
so long preserved to us the blessings of peace,—who 
has seated on our throne a line of kings, who hold 
the sceptre in one hand and the sword of the spirit 
in the other—the only sword that can protect the 
land. By God alone “kings reign,'"and princes de¬ 
cree justice. ” 
CALCEOLARIA CUTTINGS. 
Mr. Fish says, many people find it difficult to 
strike the Kentish Hero calceolaria. I find no other 
difficulty than that it takes a little longer time than 
some ot the sorts named ; that is, if proper cuttings 
are taken at the proper time, for I do not think they 
can be struck well before the middle of August, per¬ 
haps not so soon, unless the plants have been kept 
in a shady situation, and the flower-buds picked off’ 
to make it throw out young gross shoots; which, 
with a damp cool atmosphere, and not allowing the 
cuttings once to flag, are, in my opinion, the chief 
things to he attended to. 
I obtained a nice strong plant the first week in 
June for propagating, but the wind unfortunately 
blew oft one halt of it the day after I had it, and so 
disrooted the remaining half that it fairly flagged for 
a week or ten days; after that it gradually recovered 
by treating it as you recommended for potted-up 
plants from the borders. I never allowed it to flower 
through the summer, picked the buds off as fast as 
they appeared, and kept it under a north-east wall; 
so that, by the middle of August, I was able to take 
five nice young shoots, which struck in five weeks, 
in the following manner, the same as 1 strike pinks, 
verbenas, and a host of bedding-out stuff:— 
Under a wall facing north-east take out the soil, 
lor one or more hand-lights, four inches deep; put in 
dry muck one inch thick, with a sprinkling of salt, 
firmly pressed down ; on this put two inches of any 
light finely-sifted soil, then add two inches of the fol¬ 
lowing, sifted and well mixed: three parts light 
sandy loam, one part leaf-mould, one part peat, and 
one part silver sand; make it level and smooth. The 
cuttings were then taken witli one joint to each, cut 
straight through just above the next joint below, and 
whilst the soil was dry thrust in up to their leaves, 
had a good watering from a fine rose, and (for calceo¬ 
larias) the light put on directly ; let it remain for a 
fortnight, then cleaned ftml a little water; the light 
returned for another 10 days or a fortnight, looking 
at them occasionally to clean and water (for they 
must not bo allowed to get dry); and if the sun 
shines on them much in the morning t stick in some 
fir branches to break it, but no shading on the lights. 
These are now strong plants, and have bad cuttings 
taken from them twice. When they were rooted they 
were potted into small pots, and returned to the same 
place for a week, and then gradually inured to the 
air by tilting the light. Early in September I took 
nine more cuttings from the old plant, put them in a 
4-inch pot, three parts full of crocks, a little moss 
over, filled up with sand, plunged in the natural 
ground, under the same wall as before, with a little 
salt at the bottom to keep out the worms ; here I put 
on a small hand or striking-light under the larger 
one. These all struck in less than five weeks, and 
are now just filling their pots with roots. The mid¬ 
dle of October I put in 14 more cuttings in the same 
way, which 1 shall pot off in a day or two. The last 
week in October I put in 12 more, and on the 7th of 
November 10 more, in pots, for the convenience of 
removing to a pit if the weather should set in severe; 
and I doubt not by turning-out time I shall have 40 
or 50 strong plants. Had it not been for the first 
mishap with my plant, I calculated I should have 
had, at least, 100 by that time. I have not lost one 
cutting put in since August. This, however, is no¬ 
thing like some of them ; amplexieaulis, for instance, 
from one small plant since Easter I have 140 strong 
plants, and if I had worked it as I did the first three 
months I should have had 2,000. A friend of mine, 
after not being able to succeed, has adopted my plan 
with equal success. Calceolaria amplexicaulis 1 have 
struck all the summer in a flower-stand filled with 
sand, and kept thoroughly moist with water, shaded 
with a board in the front of a melon frame, with 
striking-glasses over them.— Geo. Penny, Gardener 
to J. Sivayne, Esq. 
EXTRACTS EROM CORRESPONDENCE. 
Melting Wax. —I have tried an experiment last 
and this year with making wax, which saves much 
labour, yields more wax from the combs, and is, in 
my opinion, better altogether. As usual, necessity 
has been with me the mother of invention. I put 
the wax into an earthen vessel, and set it in the oven 
to melt, and then, when melted thoroughly, I pour 
off the wax into the desired mould. If a cullender, 
or other vessel with holes in, and a press on the top 
of the combs, and set over another vessel, was put 
into the oven, the wax would drain through whilst 
melting, and run every particle of the wax out, 
which would be a greater improvement still.—A 
Reader, Pinxton. 
[This is from a cottager, and if every such reader 
would send us his scraps of information, we should 
very soon accumulate a mass of sound economical 
knowledge.— Ed. C. G.] 
Pot-pourri. No. 1.—Take one handful of sweet- 
brier, one of orange flowers, one of sweet marjoram, 
one of lemon thyme, one of lavender flowers, one of 
clove pinks, one of rosemary, one of myrtle flowers 
and leaves, two of stock flowers, two of damask roses, 
two of Provence roses, two of verbena leaves, two of 
sweet-scented geranium leaves, half of mint, \ oz. of 
cinnamon, and 4 oz. of cloves, the rinds of two lemons 
dried and pounded; lay some bay salt at the bottom 
of the jar; then a layer of this mixture ; then of salt; 
and so on till the jar is full. No. 2.—Put into a large 
china jar the following ingredients in layers, with 
bay salt strewed between the layers: two pecks of 
damask roses, part in buds and part full-blown, vio¬ 
lets, orange flowers, and jasmine, a handful each, 
orris-root sliced, benjamin and storax two ounces 
each, joz. of musk, jib. angelica root sliced, a quart 
