THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
227 
January 24.] 
ation for the good of others, even in apparently 
trifling things, creates a large amount of blessing. 
And, even in a worldly sense, a bad landlord gains 
nothing, but loses much, besides the pleasure of 
benefitting his fellow-creatures. There is so much 
interest—national, English interest—in our villages 
and hamlets, that whatever adds to their beauty and 
their convenience, adds to the good of England. A 
blessing, too, will ever rest upon those who seek, in 
any way, to benefit their brethren; and let us not 
forget that the cry of the poor, from whatever cause, 
enters into the ever-listening ear of “ the Lord of 
Sabaoth ! ” 
DESTROYING MICE AND COCKROACHES. 
Some two or three years ago, I was troubled with 
mice and cockroaches. The mice walked about my 
kitchen very deliberately, even in the daytime, and 
the cockroaches covered the floor of the kitchen and 
the dresser, which holds my crockery ware, every 
night. I tried many things to get rid of these 
plagues, but without effect. I then saw in the 
“Journal de Chemie Medic” the following:—“Phos¬ 
phorous paste to destroy rats, mice, &c., &c. I sent 
immediately to Ferris and Score, chemists, Bristol, 
for some of the paste. In ten days my house was 
completely cleared of mice and cockroaches. The 
mice have occasionally re-appeared; but I have never 
seen a cockroach since I used the paste. My mode 
of using was to have some pieces of common lath, 
about 10 in. long, which were distributed on the floor 
of the kitchen and on the dresser. 
The Phosphorus paste is thus made:—Take of phos¬ 
phorus, eight parts, liquify it in 180 parts of luke¬ 
warm water; pour the whole iuto a mortar, and add, 
immediately, 180 parts of rye meal; when cold, mix 
in 180 parts of butter, melted, and 125 parts of 
sugar. 
It will be eaten with avidity; after which these 
vermin will swell out, and soon die. It will retain 
its efficacy for many years, and it cannot be employed 
for poisoning human beings, on account of the smell. 
—(Published by an ordinance of the Government 
of Prussia.) 
P.S.— Finely powdered arsenic, mixed with treacle, 
and smeared over pieces of lath, placed in the beat 
of cockroaches, will destroy them. Diantiius. 
SOWING PEAS. 
In the long list of peas, given last week in The 
Cottage Gardener, where I see many useful hints 
as to the varieties and cultivation, &c., one in par¬ 
ticular struck my notice, called Bishop's long pod, 
which is said to be a good bearer, grows two feet 
high, and is as large a,s the Scymetar. Mr. Hairs 
recommends it to be sown in rows, two feet wide — 
that is, from row to row, and four inches from pea to 
pea in the row. This is making no allowance for the 
vermin the culturist has to contend with. Should he 
be guided by the above advice, and as soon as the 
weather breaks up, purchases a pint or a quart of 
this excellent pea, having a plot of ground well pre¬ 
pared, and, taking advantage of the first fine day, 
draws his drills and sows his peas four inches from pea 
to pea in the row, he will find many bare places in 
spring. Every seed may not vegetate, and at every 
failure there will be 8 inches from pea to pea in the row, 
and possibly two peas together might fail, in which 
case there will be 12 inches space from plant to plant 
in the row. The mole, perhaps, will not think it worth 
his while to search here for a meal; and the slug 
will be much perplexed, having so far to travel from 
one bait to another; but the cunning sparrow will 
pop down from some place or other and nip off a pea, 
and away again for the present. 
Now, should any of this excellent pea come to my 
hand this season to sow, I shall draw my drills as I al¬ 
ways do (taking the hint), two feet, or two feet 0 inches 
from row to row, but the seed I shall sow as thick 
as I should a Scymetar or any other pea at this sea¬ 
son of the year. 
Of course, the season of sowing has much to do 
with the quantity of seed to be sown. A sowing 
made in the last week in November, or the first week 
in December, should be in good broad-bottomed drills, 
so as to have plenty of room to receive a larger 
quantity of seed, knowing what a number of enemies 
these rows of peas are subject to, before the sticking 
time comes ; yes, and how often it happens, notwith¬ 
standing thick sowings, and all other schemes and 
contrivances, for protecting them from rough weather 
and vermin, wheu sticking time comes, the crop is 
not worth sticking. 
Another sowing shall be made of the same kind of 
pea towards the middle of January, and full a third 
less seed need be sown to insure a good standing, or 
certain crop; and so on, as the season advances, less 
seed is required to insure good crops. Notwithstand¬ 
ing, I always prefer sowing rather too thick than too 
thin, in all cases.—T. Weaver, Gardener to the War¬ 
den of Winchester College. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
*** We request that no one will write to the departmental writers 
of The Cottage Gardener. It gives them unjustifiable trouble 
and expense j and we also request our coadjutors, under no circum¬ 
stances, to reply to such private communications. 
Allamanda Catiiartica (An old Gardener ).— You have erred 
in cutting your plant down in the spring. If you have five feet of 
wood, pretty well ripened, let the plant grow on, and you will, most 
probably, be rewarded with blooms during the summer. 
Cock-roaches (J. Tombs ).— The poisonous component in red 
wafers, which you say have greatly diminished the number of cock¬ 
roaches, is the red oxide of lead, usually called red lead. Chloride 
of lime, dissolved in water, and sprinkled about where they frequent, 
will remove the smell they occasion. 
Seedsmen’s Catalogues. —We cannot give extracts from mere 
lists. Those who take the trouble of making their catalogues very 
useful, by describing the heights of varieties, qualities, times of sow¬ 
ing, &c., deserve quotation. 
Clinkers, &c., from Factory (J. H. S.). —You may very safely 
use these for making the foundation of your garden waiks, without 
any injury to the roots of your fruit trees adjoining. Two very ex¬ 
cellent dessert apples are the Kerry pippin, and the Lamb-abbey 
Pearmain. Two first-rate dessert pears are Beurre d’Amalis, and 
Louis Bonne of Jersey. Grow them all as standards. Of goose¬ 
berries for preserving, and other domestic purposes, none are su¬ 
perior to the red Warrington. For dessert, London (red), Drill (yel¬ 
low), Thumper (green), and Freedom (white) are as good as any. 
Butter (T. W. L.). —It is quite certain that the buttermilk can¬ 
not be separated from butter unless some salt be added. A quarter 
of an ounce of salt, very finely pounded, to every pound of butter is 
a good proportion. Such questions, however, belong to The Do¬ 
mestic Economist. 
Plants in Greenhouse (C. C.). —You have kept the tempera¬ 
ture by means of your coach-house stove from falling below 35° or 
33°. Your fuchsias, Sic., are quite safe even at the lowest of these 
temperatures. As you have watered them, and kept them growing, 
you must continue to keep the soil just from being quite dry, by 
adding water occasionally. We should not have given any water 
during the continuance of frost, and have been satisfied with keeping 
out actual freezing. You are not far W'rong in saying that “ water¬ 
ing is the amateur gardener’s pons asinorum” in pot culture. 
Seedling Quickset (S.). —Our correspondent wishes that some 
nurseryman in Scotland would state the rate at which he would 
supply a large quantity of this. We have at present none of the 
seeds you mention. What is your direction ? 
Peas (H. X.).—You will find a description of Burbidge’s Eclipse 
at p. 194. Of the variety called Ne plus ultra, we have no know¬ 
ledge. 
Vegetable Refuse (X. X.).—Common salt mixed with this will 
help to decompose it, and convert it into a useful manure ; but either 
