204 THE COTTAG 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
+„* We request that no one will write to the departmental writers 
of The Cottage Gardener. It gives them unjustifiable trouble 
and expense ; and we also request our coadjutors under no circum¬ 
stances to reply to such private communications. 
Ivy Berries (An Old Gardener). —In an old Family Herbal, 
written by Sir John Hill, expressly for the help of the charitable, 
where medical aid was distant, is the following passage, under the 
head of “ Ivy” :—“ The berries are purging; an infusion of them 
will often work by vomit; but there is no harm in this. They are an 
excellent remedy for rheumatism, and, it is said, have cured dropsies; 
but this is, perhaps, going too far.” An infusion is made by pouring 
boiling water upon the leaves or berries ; a decoction is made by 
boiling them in the water. The infusion, or tea, must be made ac¬ 
cording to taste, and it is better to make it rather weak at first, than 
too strong. No exact rules can be given ; but ivy berries may be 
infused in the same proportions as ground ivy leaves, or any other 
herb used for making teas. The ivy leaves must be boiled, and the 
decoction made strong when used as a wash for the heads of chil¬ 
dren, if affected by uncleanliness. Herb teas should be taken warm, 
and about half a pint is a dose ; but habit will soon accustom you to 
the proper proportion and quantity. We shall he glad to hear that 
benefit lias been derived.— (From a Correspondent.) 
Pruning Roses (Rev. E. C. H.). —Generally, roses may be 
pruned any time, from the fall of the leaf until the end of February, 
whenever the weather is open ; but in particular eases and situations, 
it is found more desirable to prune them very early or very late, the 
reasons for which you will see explained in another column to-day. 
We do not know “ Jessop’s Tureens.” 
Rose Cuttings (Ibkl). —Those put in lately would have been 
better without artificial heat, until the end of January; and if 
“ having put out buds,” means that some of the buds have grown 
into leaves or shoots in ten days, and this in December, the place 
was far too hot, and you will probably lose them all. Tom Tits, as 
enemies to bees, have been noticed by Mr. Payne. 
Plan for Greenhouse (J. S. L .).—You want a “ drawing from 
which a plain man may work, accompanied by a pretty intelligible 
specification.” You might as reasonably request our excellent con¬ 
temporary, The Builder, to furnish a list of plants to fill a green¬ 
house, and their cultivation. Gardeners learn no more of the builders’ 
art and mystery, than enables them to furnish ground-plans, sections, 
and elevations, otherwise we would cheerfully comply with your 
request. Water tanks are constructed with bricks or stones, and 
lined with cement; and the “ drip” water is conveyed to it by zinc, 
lead, or iron pipes, from the gutters. 
Diseased Azaleas (R. Denison). —Your plants have been greatly 
injured by thrip, which gives the leaves the rusty appearance. 
Smoking them with tobacco, and then bathing them frequently with 
the syringe, with clear soot-water, at a temperature of 120 6 , will 
prevent their getting worse, and do something to improve them. 
The chief remedy for restoring a healthy growth, however, will be, 
by these means to get rid of the enemy, and then place the plants, 
when done flowering, in a nice moist heat, using the syringe freely. 
In syringing now, place the pot on its side,"with the head of the 
plant inclining downwards, so that the water used in syringing does 
not enter the soil. After allowing the plant to lie for several hours 
after being syringed with soot-water, syringe it with clear water. 
Plants from Seed (Tyro). —The request has been attended to, 
as you would see from an article by Mr. Fish. In addition, we re¬ 
mark, that few half-hardy shrubs can be grown, so as to flower from 
seeds, the same season, exeept what have been already indicated. 
The herbaceous plants that would do so are chiefly annuals, if com¬ 
pactness of growth must be the chief consideration. The matter 
will be considered further. 
Camellia Seeds (J. M .).—Of the five camellia seeds you were 
so kind as to send us, four were destroyed by the post-office stamp. 
We will do as you request with the fifth. 
Greenhouse (F. G. IV.). — It is quite possible, with some modi¬ 
fication, to convert a “ Fortune’s pit ” into a greenhouse. See what 
Mr. Beaton said about erecting a greenhouse, at page 119 of our first 
volume. One lfi feet long and 8 feet wide, might be heated by a 
chunk-stove. If your peach-tree is not verv old, move it before you 
begin to erect your greenhouse, and replant'it elsewhere. 
Cochin China Fowls (E. B.).— These are as hardy as other 
fowls. Can any of our readers inform our correspondent where a pair 
can be purchased ? 
Books Advertised ( H. Sandford).—Wc never take upon our¬ 
selves to recommend books merely advertised in our colums. Your 
other questions shall be answered next week. 
Raspberries ( Ridgway Harrison). — Your raspberries were 
planted too late (March) for them to establish themselves, and pro¬ 
duce fresh canes. They will, probably, yield very strong ones this 
year, but they will not bear, unless they do so unnaturally late in the 
autumn. 
Planting Quickset (Ibid).— If your soil is light, plant your 
quickset (hawthorn) fence on the level ground; but if the soil be 
clayey or wet, throw up a bank. Many persons plant upon the side 
of the bank as you mention, but we never could understand what ad¬ 
vantage could be expected by so doing. We think planting on the 
top of the bank, taking care to have there the best soil, enables the 
hawthorns to be planted in the most natural position, with their roots 
at the just depth, and to be more easily weeded and hoed. 
Index and Title-page (T. Griffin).— These for the first and 
second volume, together or separate, for binding in one volume or in 
two, may be had at our publishers for one penny, or twopence, re¬ 
spectively. We could not print them on the same sheet with our 
concluding number of each volume. The tables of temperature you 
refer to, are for the orchid-house, and must be the same for orchids, 
E GARDENER. [January 10. 
whether in a stove or greenhouse. Such lists as you refer to, you 
will find in the Gardeners’ Almanack for 1850. 
Loam (J. B. C .).—You wish to form this artificially, having clay 
but no sand, and then ask us whether silt, coal-ashes, or saw-dust 
will do for mixing with the clay, to effect your purpose? Neither of 
the two last-mentioned would convert clay into loam, though the 
ashes would render it much more porous; and we do not know what 
you mean by silt. This want of information prevents our answering 
your other question. 
Larger Periwinkle (Tooting). —Move them now as soon as mild 
weather occurs. Plant them six inches apart, and they will cover 
your border the first year. 
Clericus. —We are much obliged by your friendly advice; but 
our own opinion, and that entertained by the almost entire of our 
correspondents, differ totally from your own. You would think dif¬ 
ferently, we believe, if you could but know the writer. 
Heating Peach-iiouse (Stafford ).—Heating a peach-house in 
two divisions from one fireplace.—We have little faith in Polmaise, 
for such an object, more especially as you mean to commence in De¬ 
cember. Some succeed, but its greatest advocates have failed. We 
do not see that you would gain any advantage by the open gutter 
system, with moveable covers, when a dry heat was required; and, as 
you say, the expense would be greater than from using common pipes. 
By using stop-cocks you may heat your two houses, or as many more, 
from one boiler, provided it is large enough ; and, to obtain a moist 
atmosphere at pleasure, you may have zinc, or galvanized iron, troughs 
or pans, to fix on the pipes, to be supplied with moisture when 
necessary. Such troughs are expensive when cast upon the pipes. 
Turning a Greenhouse into a Forcing-house (W. Bird ).— 
You will, no doubt, succeed in obtaining forced grapes, flowers, straw¬ 
berries, and even cucumbers, from your house ; but you must not 
attempt to cram more into it than you can find light for. As your 
vines are small, it would be advisable not to force them much this 
season ; commence, say in February, and this will give you an oppor¬ 
tunity of keeping your plants longer in it for this season ; and, thus, 
you will gain experience gradually. Your acacias, fuchsias, myrtles, and 
pimeleas, should be first removed to the cold pits, whenever you com¬ 
mence to force. The geraniums, cinerarias, &e.,willstandatemperature 
of from 40° to 50°, andthatwould just do for starting the strawberries, 
&c. Before you have your pits dug out of the ground, for preserving 
your plants during the winter, think over some articles by Mr. Fish 
lately. If the wall should be exposed, a layer of straw tied close to it 
will exclude the frost. The pit, made by inserting a flag-stone, 4 feet 
by 2) feet, over the flue, close to the fireplace, and shutting it in with 
a wall, 18 inches high, will do very well for propagating purposes; 
but we would advise bedding a thickness of bricks on the stone, plac¬ 
ing over that a layer of pebbles, and then as much sand as would be 
necessary for your cutting-pots being plunged in. A tube might be 
left for pouring down water, so as to command a moist bottom-heat. 
Your cucumbers had better be grown in pots ; they would do little 
good until your house was raised to a temperature of from 65° to 70°; 
and, therefore, before that time you would require to rear your plants 
in a dung-bed, or in the pit over the flue, increasing the heat by cover¬ 
ing with a liandlight. 
Guernsey Lilies (Eliza ).—Your bulbs have grown too much 
before they have been sent to you. The great thing with all bulbs is, 
to allow the roots to grow before the top, which they generally do, 
when moved and planted early enough and deep enough. You may 
either keep your plants in the pots, or, what would be as well, turn 
them out into a warm place, and encourage them during the winter 
season. We would not, however, be [too sanguine in expecting 
flowers the next year, more especially if the bulbs are small. 
Arbutus from Seed (Ibid ).—This is easily raised from seed, 
which should be sown as soon as cleaned from the berries, in pots, in 
peaty soil, protected from sun in summer, and from frost in winter. 
Taylor’s Amateur Hive (A recent Subscriber ).—The reply 
given to “ Barnaby Screw” last week, must also serve for you. 
Mr. Taylor sent Mr. Payne a set of his improved boxes a few weeks 
ago, and, as soon as they reached Mr. P., he received from him a 
drawingof a still further improvement, and which, he understood, had 
been submitted to one or two of our most experienced apiarians, 
who highly approve of it, and it will doubtless be adopted ; so that 
at present the thing can hardly be said to be completed. 
Names of Plants (E.B .).—Your plant is the Glory pea, Clian- 
tbus puniceus; it is of the Diadelpliia tetragynia class and order, in 
the Linnsean system, and of the natural order Legutninosoe. Its 
flowers are crimson, appearing in May and June. It is an evergreen 
shrub, native of New Zealand. It does best planted in a conserva¬ 
tory border of peat, loam, and sand. It will grow, however, against 
a south wall, if protected in winter. The culture of JEschynanthus 
maculatus will be noticed by Mr. Appleby in due time. (B. 13. B.j .— 
Your plant is Cuphea platycentra. 
Digging (Verax ).—We believe that, in freely digging light garden 
soil, a good workman could dig 300 square yards in twelve hours; 
but, if the soil is stiff or stony, he would not get through more than 
one-third the quantity in a workmanlike manner. 
Pum pkin (An Old Friend ).—All the varieties are of equal hardihood. 
The Himalayah is the best we know, but we cannot yet get any seed. 
The vegetable-marrow is not more tender than others of this genus. 
The best mode of growing them is to raise seedlings in a gentle heat, 
ready for ridging out at the beginning of June. 
London : Printed by Harry Wooldridge, 147, Strand, in the 
Parish of Saint Mary-le-Strand; and Winchester High-street, in 
the Parish of St. Mary Kalendar ; and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, at'the Office, 147, Strand, in the Parish of 
Saint Mary-le-Strand, London.—January 10th, 1850. 
