146 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 13. 
buffettings of their northern birth-place. The foliage 
(if we may call it so) is dark and sombre, bnt it is 
valuable when other leaves are gone, and as a strong 
contrast during their existence. The summer shoots, 
indeed, give a lively dash of colouring to it while 
they are young and bright, but they soon merge in 
the dusky mass. There is a spiciness about a fir, 
and a peculiar dryness in the soil beneath its boughs 
that tempts us to sit down and enjoy a woodland 
scene—delightful at almost every season — for we 
hear the sheep-bell from the plain, or the startling 
rush of the wood-pigeon above our heads, and catch 
a glimpse of the blue distance through the trees, 
and all these sights and sounds are exquisite. Some¬ 
times we meet with a lonely fir standing on a brow, 
among our southern woods, as if thinking of the 
bold grandeur of its native hills, and longing for the 
wild breezes that sweep the shores of Scotland. It 
tells us of the lofty mountains and narrow passes 
that have witnessed so many sad struggles, and 
echoed so many coronachs cried for the great and 
brave. It tells us tales of romantic interest, yet of 
terrible truth; and vve must ever look with deep 
regard on this beautiful tree, because it connects 
us with that intellectual and industrious people who 
dwell so peacefully beside us, under the sway of 
Protestant kings. The union of two sister kingdoms, 
so close and perfect, is a source of blessing to botli, 
and exemplifies the Psalmist’s fervent exclamation, 
“ Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for 
brethren to dwell together in unity.” Let us all 
strive, in our different stations, to foster this blessed 
feeling in our bomes, our villages, our cities; it will 
gladden and beautify our land, for brotherly love 
“ is as the dew of Hermon, as the dew that descended 
on the mountains of Zion.” 
THE CRANBERRY. 
This agreeable fruit may be easily cultivated. It 
grows naturally in low boggy places, or on wet moors 
amongst the bog moss. This moss, rising gradually 
up above the level of the water, forms, as the lower 
parts decay, a bed in which the cranberry flourishes 
and bears fruit abundantly. To cultivate it near 
borne, we must imitate the situation in which it grows 
wild. To accomplish this, fix upon a situation near 
to a supply of water, then dig out the common soil 
four inches, and fill up the place with bog earth; 
raise up this peat six inches above the level; then 
form a trench round the bed, a foot or 10 inches wide, 
puddling it at the side next the common soil and at 
the bottom with clay. Keep this trench full of water. 
Plant the cranberry plants in the raised bed a foot 
apart every way; they will soon run over the Whole 
surface, and bear pleuty of fruit. The water should 
be frequently changed, or it will become foul. Should 
there be a small lake, or even a large one, near at 
hand, an excellent cranberry bed might be made 
near to the side. All that would be required would 
be to form a low fiat island with a peat earth surface, 
the cranberry plant put in it at the proper distance, 
and kept clear from weeds. This might be named 
with propriety, “ The Cranberry Island." A small 
extent would produce a large supply of fruit. If the 
island was eight'yards long and four wide, it would 
be quite large enough to supply a moderate family. 
Lastly, this iruit may be grown in a bed of peat one 
foot deep, sunk an inch or two below the general 
surface, and during dry weather to be flooded with 
water occasionally. In this bed they will fruit to a 
middling extent. This last method is, however, not 
nearly so good as-either of the former; it should only 
be adopted where the situation will not admit of 
either of the other being practised. The American 
cranberry, on account of its size, is the best to be cul¬ 
tivated. T. Appleby. 
HINTS ON MAKING SMALL HOTBEDS. 
Digging out a trench one foot or fifteen inches 
deep, in high exposed situations, is very good, as the 
whole of the lower part of the hotbed is so much 
better protected from the piercing cold March winds; 
but in low situations a slight trench also may bo 
made-—say three or four inches below the common 
level of the surface; then make a good bottom with 
furze faggots, or any other garden trimmings, such 
as the primings of gooseberry bushes. Let this 
bottom be one foot thick, at the least. 
Of course almost every one is aware how convenient 
it is to have a good stable-yard to refer to for plenty 
of manure; but this stable manure requires to be well 
worked, as wc gardeners call it, before it can be made 
up into a hotbed. It must be turned over three or 
four times, mixing the short with the long, or the wet 
with the dry, and if the whole heap appears too dry 
and husky give a good watering to the whole as it is 
being turned over, and shaken up together: this will 
set it to work, or fermenting. The repeated turning 
over and well-mixing is to sweeten and equalize the 
whole bulk. It should be nearly half-rotted before 
it is fit to make up into the hotbed. Let the ma¬ 
terials be whatever they may be, it should be treated 
as above. 
Two-thirds fresh horse-dung, one-third fresh cow or 
pig-dung, or leaves, well worked up together as above, 
are excellent materials for making hotbeds, giving 
out a gentle, suitable heat, and lasting longer than 
that from horse-dung alone. A good time to begin 
in a small way to prepare the materials is the last 
ten days in February, and you will then have the 
materials ready to make up the bed about the first 
week in March, which is a very good time for a be¬ 
ginner in a small way to plant out his pot of cucum¬ 
ber plants, or to sow bis flower-seeds, or plant bis 
cuttings. A bed to receive a frame four feet square 
might be made three feet high at the back, and two 
feet six inches in front. This will be found to give a 
very nice bottom beat, either for cucumbers, seeds, or 
cuttings. If for seeds, or cuttings only, the whole 
surface of the bed may be covered over, six inches 
thick, with either tanner’s bark or sifted coal-ashes, 
to steady or plunge the pots in. 
In making the bed give it plenty of labour. Work 
the fork well in shaking and mixing the materials to¬ 
gether—beating them down with the back of the fork 
as the work goes on; but they should not be trodden. 
Whether the hotbed is made altogether above ground, 
or some part of it is sunk below the level surface, it 
may be cased round with any kind of materials; such 
stuff as long littery stable dung, dry straw, or refuse 
mouldy hay, are all excellent either for this purpose 
or for covering the frame. Such casings, placed 
neatly round the bed, keep out the cold winds, and 
may be continued up to within nine inches of the 
top of the frame. This hotbed, attended to in this 
way, is like a man made comfortable, and having a 
good flannel rug on to keep him so. 
T. Weaver, Gardener to the Warden 
of Winchester Colleijc. 
