10-3 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER,. 
[-Jan it ary f> 
rose. 5, he Grantidier; a crimson. 6, Gloire de Rosemenes; semi¬ 
double, but splendid, with large trusses of deep scarlet blossom. 
7, Queen of Bourbons; fawn-coloured. 8,Souchet; a dark crimson. 
9, Acidalie; pure white. Nos. 2, 7, 8, and 9 , are comparatively 
dwarf, and to plant in front of the strong ones, as you propose. 
Queen of the Prairies Rose (Rosa). —You acted wisely in 
planting this against a west wall. It requires a wall, or a very good 
“ rose season,” to flower well with us. Being one of the very strong 
growers, and having only had two seasons’ good growth with you, you 
need not wonder that it has not flourished ; but to hurry it on, prune 
it very sparingly, and, on a fine day, fork down among the roots, and 
cut off two or three of the strongest about a foot from the stem. 
Alphabetical Arrangement of Answers (IF. 77. Baldwin). 
- It we were to thus arrange them, we could not keep open this de¬ 
partment until the last hour before we go to press, which we do for 
the purpose of answering our Correspondents as early as possible. 
W r e begin to-day to give an Index, which will, in some degree, meet 
your wishes. 
Forest Tree Pruning (A Subscriber). —Your questions open 
the whole of the chiefly disputed points in wood culture,—a subject 
to which we shall probably devote a portion of our columns, one of 
these days. We shall answer your queries briefly. We should not 
cut down young oaks when they do not grow straight, but prune 
them so as to rectify their distortion. We should prune, forest trees 
when young, beginning during the earliest stage of their growth. 
When a wood is replanted , it is a matter of indifference whether all 
the old trees are previously cut down. It should be well trenched 
and drained before being replanted. The age at which underwood 
should be cut, must depend upon the fertility of your soil. Alder, 
Lombardy poplar, birch, and hazel, will all grow in low wet lands ; 
but sallows are usually most profitable in such situations. 
Greenhouse over Kitchen (C. B., Barton).—Your plants in 
this “ are now looking most wretchedly,” and no wonder, for it is 
the worst situation possible for such a structure. With a boarded 
floor, and a fire in the room beneath all day, whether mild or cold, 
you can have little control over the temperature, and the air must be 
most unfavourably dry fo» your plants. Your only palliatives are to 
double-pot your plants, stuffing moss between the two pots, and 
keeping it moist. Keep your greenhouse as cool as you can, and have 
pans full of water in it. 
Platform Planting (IF. S'. Brown).— You will see that our 
number for December 20th, contains the advice .you require about 
“ platform planting,” which we had there inadvertently termed 
stations. We will avoid this in future, and endeavour to adhere 
to one term, to prevent misconception. Your soil would appear to 
be right. Eighteen inches is, however, rather too much for a dwarf¬ 
ing system. You can lay three inches of rubble on the marl bottom 
first forming the surface conical. Do not be afraid of the trouble of 
excavating the soil; if only thrown out and thrown in again, a con¬ 
siderable benefit is derived. 
Leaky Greenhouses (Ibid ).—As to your new greenhouse, let 
it be understood that a score coats of paint'will not obviate any mis¬ 
construction of principles, or mismanagement in the making. Per¬ 
haps your wood was not thoroughly dry ; if so, a certain amount of 
contractions would occur, which would cause the wood and putty to 
part. If you are sure of the point of ingress, we would advise yon 
to putty up every crevice, when absolutely dry; and then, when the 
Putty is “ set,” to give another coat of thick paint. Can you not 
house your lights, and dry them artificially ? 
Unfruitful Apple-tree (John Robinson).—Y our apple should 
have received as much pruning, a few years ago, as to cause it to push 
forth numerous side branches. As, however, it never matures fruit 
cut it down by all means, and plant another. No mode of -pruning 
will make it profitable. " 
Taylor’s Amateur Hive (Barnaby Screw ).—We must first 
obtain Mr. Taylor’s leave before we can, in any way, impart the late 
improvements in his hive ; he may very probably wish to publish them 
himselt. rhat they will be published, we feci assured, for Mr. Tay¬ 
lor s object, from the beginning, has been to do good, not to himself, 
but to others, and that at very considerable trouble and expense 
without the slightest remuneration whatever, beyond the pleasure of 
doing good generally. F 
Pelargonium Shifting (Verax ).—You cut down your pelar¬ 
goniums in September, repotted in smaller pots, and have kept them 
l “ a ?° o1 greenhouse and you ask when they should be again shifted ? 
Much depends on the roots If the pots are well filled with roots 
now, they ought to be shifted about the middle of January, and their 
last shift six weeks afterwards. The size of the pots for your plants 
can only be determined after seeing the plants. J 1 
Light-coloured Fuchsias (Ibid)-.—We believe that the best 
arc Purity, One-m-tlie-Ring, and Dr. Jephson; there are two or 
three others vve have not seen yet; but we shall inquire. 
. Climber for Greenhouse (Ibid.)-You wish for one to grow 
in a pot, and to be fragrant as well as handsome. Wc know of none 
better than the Catalonian jasmine. There arc abundance of hand- 
some ones, but not sweet ones that would grow, with ordinary skill" 
in a pot. " 9 
Roses from Seed (J G .).—We are very glad to find that you 
take in I he Cottage Gardener. Wc think we know something 
of your greenhouse; and we have heard of your great kindness to 
those around you. We would not, by any means, encourage vou to 
expect success m rearing good roses from seed: you might not obtain 
one superior rose m ten thousand seedlings; but you may sow the 
seed now m pots, or on a border in your garden ; cover them about 
*" , " c V, dce P’ a " d transplant the seedlings, next October, where they 
are to bloom. Some flower the year following, some in the second 
on the sorts. ay threC yearS ’ ° r m0re ’ to I,rove them - AI1 depends 
Orchis Seed (Allen Dale).— Your orchis seeds are good ; but you 
will do no good by sowing them. You would find them extremely 
ticklish to manage, and, after all, you could not compete with nature 
in the open fields. 
Alstriemeria Roots (Ibid). —These, which you have kept in dry 
sand, are beginning to grow. Pot your Alstroemeria roots immedi¬ 
ately, in light rich compost, and in upright pots, if convenient—any 
size above six-inch pots will do ; or, say one root in a six-inch, three 
roots in the next, and five in the next size, and so on ; put them in your 
cold pit, and treat them at first like Tropoeolum tricolorum, that, is, 
give no w'ater until the leaves are well developed, and allow them 
abundance of air in mild weather. October and November are the 
proper times to pot them. 
Misseltoe (Ibid). —We cannot say if the Misseltoe would grow 
in your “ cold mountainous situation” in Northumberland, but we 
have seen it grow two hundred miles to the north of you, in the 
lowlands of Scotland. The farmers in Herefordshire would be very 
glad to give you all the misseltoe seeds in their beautiful county if 
you could gather them, for this is their greatest and most trouble¬ 
some weed. If you send us a stamped envelope, with your address, 
and write “ Misseltoe ” inside of it, we shall ask a friend to send you 
some seeds for trial. One stamp will suffice. 
Cock-roaches (Clayland Roads). —Wc are informed, that “The 
Phosphoric Rat Poison,” prepared by Mr. Purser, chemist, New 
Bridge Street, Blackfriars, destroys these pests effectually. Can any 
of our correspondents inform us of their success in getting rid of 
them ? 
Poultry (S. IF.).—We never knew an instanceof a fowl becoming 
bald in any particular place. Cockatoos will sometimes become en¬ 
tirely and permanently bald, except on the head, tail, and wings. 
Docs not your Malay cock thrust his neck through some railings 
round your enclosure, and in this manner rub off the feathers ? 
t egetable Refuse (.7. B. C.). —Weeds, hedge clippings. See., 
can be decomposed rapidly by mixing them with quick-lime, as you 
propose; but a much more valuable manure would be made by 
putting such vegetable refuse into a tank, and pouring over it some 
oi the ammoniacal liquor of the gas works, Dig such manure into 
your soil, preparing for any kitchen garden crops requiring fertile 
matter. 
Ixia Offsets (Flora ).—Remove these from the bulbs grown in 
pots every third year— do so in the month of September. 
Cyclamens in Borders (Ibid ).—In plunging these in a border 
instead of drying them, the old soil in the pots mav remain three or 
four years ; but every season, when the pots are taken up, turn out 
the balls ami rub off as much of the old soil as will crumble away 
without injuring the old roots, and then add as much fresh soil as 
the pot will hold ; but never disturb an old root that is alive. 
Persian Iris (Ibid ).—This bulb had better remain in its pot 
during the season of rest. 
Laurel Hedge Moving (A. AI. S .).—You ask, “Is it possible 
to move a laurel hedge twelve years old at this season, and vet pre¬ 
serve one out of three of the trees?” No doubt it is possible ; but 
the work must be done carefully and properly. First, form an ample 
trench, six feet wide, and eighteen inches deep ; lay the top or best 
soil on one side, and the worst on the other side ; ‘take up no more 
plants in one day than you can finish planting before night; throw 
the best soil m upon the roots, first seeing that all the cavities are 
filled up, and this is best done by pouring large quantities of water 
over the roots as the soil is being thrown over them; finish with the 
bottom soil, and then with some sort of litter for mulch. We pre¬ 
sume they are common laurel; the Portugal laurel is more difficult to 
manage. 
Lime and Salt for Potatoes (Beorolan ).—Mix the lime and 
salt together a day or two before using them, and then spread them 
over the surface, and dig them in at the time of planting. When 
learcs and dung are used for making hotbeds, they must be mixed 
together. 
i. r iv uu ruL 
, - -" ‘-.vivioo in. — umi oruisa queens 
produce vigorous leaves and runners, but no fruit; this may arise 
from mismanagement, or from your soil being too wet. Do not cut 
away any of the leaves in autumn, but only the runners, and give a 
dressing of thoroughly decayed manure in the spring. If this docs 
not make them fertile, trench deeply, and drain well a fresh plot anil 
plant it with newly-rooted runners next August, making your runners 
root early for the purpose, by pegging them into the soil. The name 
ot your plant is Hakeu ucicularis, (needle-leaved hakea) a native of 
New South Wales. 
St. Thomas (Rev. J. A. B.). We are obliged to our correspon¬ 
dent for the followingIn number fit of The Cottxgf Gar 
pener, you have fallen into a slight error in the explanation ’of the 
name of the Apostle J homas. If you reverse the names, you will 
he nearer the truth. Didymus is the Greek name to explain 
the Hebrew name Thomas. Thomas, in the'Syriac, and Didymus in 
the Greek, have the same meaning, viz., a twin. It was a common 
custom of the Jews, when sojourning with other nations, to change 
their Hebrew name into, one having the same signification, in tiie 
language of the people with whom they were living.” 
London: i rinteil Py Marry Wooldridge, 147 , Strand, in the 
1 arish of Saint Mary-le-Strand ; and Winchester High-street in 
the I arish ot St. Mary Kalcndar; and Published h v William 
Somerville Orr at (lie Office, 147 , Strand, in flie Parish of 
Saint Mary-le-Strand, London.—January 3rd, 1819 . 
