THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 
228 
quicklime or gas ammoniacal liquor will decompose it much more 
quickly ; and as a manuae, the mixture with the ammoniacal liquor 
is by far the most valuable. 
Tea-scented Roses (A Lover of Flowers). —These, and some 
other delicate varieties which you took up in November, and potted 
for protection in a cold frame, you may return into the borders at the 
beginning of May; or repot them as soon as the present pots are 
fall of roots, but not before. Whichever plan you adopt, do not 
disturb the roots. The tender parts of the tops may be cut in next 
April. When these roses get old, and have strong roots, the best 
plan is to leave them in the beds, and shelter them well. 
Cochin China Fowls ( E . Mugridge.). — They have not five toes. 
We will publish your letter next week, and get you all the informa¬ 
tion we can. 
Bees (P. T. R.).— You have bees, in three common hives (straw), 
each of which is placed on the centre box of a set of collateral boxes, 
three in a set: the said centre box is filled with comb, but now the 
honey is all eaten. You want to keep them in the centre box, and 
that they may work in the side boxes, and you ask—can this be 
accomplished, or how are vou to remove them from the straw hive to 
the box beneath ? You cannot remove your bees from the straw 
hive to the centre box without the risk, or rather the certainty, of 
destroying them all. Your best plan will be to remove the boxes 
entirely, leaving the bees in the straw hive, in the same place where 
they now stand, and allow them to swarm, and then put the swarm 
into the centre box, leaving in it the empty combs as it now stands. 
Bees {Hid). — You have also two straw' hives, each of which is 
placed on the top of a box full of comb, but now all the honey is 
gone. When full, you ask how you can take away either the top one 
or the bottom one, and which ought to be removed, and by what 
means ? Your straw hives, placed upon the tops of boxes, had better 
be separated from the boxes ; and, in April, place upon the top of 
each hive a small hive, or box, as recommended at page 305 of vol. i. 
of The Cottage Gardener. Should they be suffered to remain 
as they now are, you cannot have fine honey in either; both will 
contain pollen and brood, nor can you tell in which the queen may be. 
Scarlet Geraniums ( Tom Thumb).— You may cultivate these 
either according to the digest to which you refer, and which we con¬ 
sider the best, or according to “ Aunt" Harriet’s plan.” There are 
always more than one way to effect a purpose. 
Enclosure for Fowls {J. N .).—Your irregular space, contain¬ 
ing about twenty square yards, is enough for your purpose. We 
should lay it down partly with turf, and partly with sandy soil, for 
them to busk in. We should keep the common Dorking, which you 
may obtain through any London poulterer. Thanks for the recipes, 
which shall appear in The Domestic Economist as you wish. 
Sprinkling Dung with Sulphuric Acid ( Peregrinus ).—This 
would cheek the escape of the ammonia, and render your manure 
more valuable; but would it not weaken the heating—that is, the 
fermenting—of the dung? It is worthy of a trial. Mix twice the 
weight of water with the acid. 
Nutt’s Celery (C. K. Shew right).—Yon may obtain seed of 
this from its raiser, Mr. Nutt, near St. John’s Church Park, Sheffield. 
Best Garden Fork (IV. Bone).— Any blacksmith will make you 
one, from our drawing and description, at p. 289 of vol. i. The best 
Spade (Lyndon’s) you can obtain of almost any ironmonger. 
Storing Carrots, &c. ( B . M . J .).— Cut off so much of the top 
that no trace remains of the ring round the centre, where the leaves 
grew. Do not apply liquid manure to your spinach, &c., until they 
begin to grow in the spring. The reference to Brussels sprouts in 
vol. ii., should be to p. 347. Liquid manure may be applied to this 
vegetable, advantageously, in the autumn and spring, when it is in a 
growing state. You will find your questions answered at p. 136 of 
this volume. 
Crossing Dahlias (T. 0.).—We do not think there is much 
chance of getting true crosses from dahlias, owing to the difficulty of 
performing the operation. Dahlias are not double flowers in the 
same sense as we say a double rose—that is, by the conversion of the 
stamens into petals ; a double dahlia is a compound flower, each 
floret or division being a single flower in itself, having its own system 
of stamens and pistils. If the flowers of a single hyacinth were col¬ 
lected into one head on the top of the flower scape, or stalk, we should 
have as much reason to call that head a double flower as we now 
have for calling the dahlia double ; and if we had to cross hyacinth 
flowers, formed into one head like a dahlia, we should first have to 
pull out some of the florets, or single flowers, in order that we might 
have room to extract the anthers from the rest. Now, that is just 
the way to prepare a dahlia flower for crossing, with this difficulty, 
that the florets, in a dahlia flower, are a great deal smaller than those 
of a hyacinth in the supposed flower, and, therefore, very few of the 
florets could be left in the dahlia flower to operate upon : the opera¬ 
tion consists of slitting up each floret with a pin, in order to cut out 
the anthers before they are ripe. Whether the florets in the centre 
of a flower, or those round the outside, should be kept for seeds, it is 
difficult to say, in the absence of any clue to an explanation of the 
cause why the centre florets are altered to the form of the outside 
ones ; but, judging from analogy, we should say, that the florets situ¬ 
ated half-way between the centre and circumference were the best to 
save seeds from, whether they were crossed or not. 
Hyacinths (G. Jones).— It is fully too late now to put in hya¬ 
cinths, but they will do, if you put them in moss: let the bud be 
just free above the moss. 
[January 21. 
Sowing Pines and Cedars (Chwdleigh Tom). —All the pinuses 
and cedars are increased from seeds. Sow them, any time in March, 
in shallow seed-pans, or pots, with an inch or two of drainage. Use 
friable loam only, and give hardly any water till the seedlings are 
three or four davs old. A dry, warm frame, without bottom-heat, is 
the safest place for the seed-pans, and if the seeds are merely covered 
it will be enough. As soon as the seedlings are firm enough to handle, 
transplant them into small pots, singly, and keep them close for the 
first ten days ; after that, cold-frame culture will do for them. 
Queen of the Prairies (Rosa). —Your question was answered 
at p. 192 . 
Topping Spruce Firs {W. H. G.).—If the tops of these are cut 
off, because they are too overshadowing, they will live, but we do not 
think they will again form leaders. We have seen them so topped in 
plantations, where they had been planted to nurse other trees, but 
never saw a fresh leader produced. We should cut them, as you pro¬ 
pose, and lay something over the wound, to keep out the wet. 
Cf.strum Aurantiacum (Vera.r ).—This plant about which you 
inquire is one of the prettiest of a family, the species and varieties of 
which are not greatly distinguished for their beauty and elegance. 
It is a small evergreen shrub, with yellow flowers, introduced some 
years ago from Guatemala ; easily cultivated in peat and loam, and 
easily propagated by cuttings in spring or summer. We should be 
doubtful of your piant succeeding if it has suffered from frost, or 
even of your growing it to great perfection in your greenhouse, unless 
you can give" it a warm corner. As its leaves have all fallen, let it 
rest, and give it little or no water, until by and by you can set it in 
a cucumber frame, and then, as the doctors say, you will kill or cure. 
Treat it then for your greenhouse, as was lately advised in the case of 
justicia speciosa, &c. Lonicera japonica is generally propagated by 
cuttings under a hand-light. The little shoots that grow out from 
the older stems in April and May, strike very readily. It is useful 
for scenting a cool greenhouse, during summer and autumn ; but it 
will grow freely against a wall, fence, or pillar, in rich, light soil, and 
is nearly as hardy as our common woodbine; and next to it is, per¬ 
haps, the best of the honeysuckles. 
Plumbago Larpent.e {Ibid.)—' This should he grown in poor 
soil, with a portion of lime rubbish. This plant was, perhaps, too 
much praised, and then too much censured. Propagated by cuttings, 
any time during spring and autumn, either under a bell-glass or a 
hand-light. 
Yellow Persian Rose {Ibid).— Shorten its main shoots, but 
do not spur them back to an eye, unless where you wish to obtain 
fresh shoots for another year. 
Hoare’s Vine Pillars {H. Sandford). —These are not at home 
everywhere : you are too far north at Rotherham. If you will ex¬ 
periment on vines, stick to a south aspect, and make your border 
of very light soil, mixed with porous materials, and not deeper than 
fifteen inches. Apply what extra strength is necessary by means of 
top dressing. 
Bush Fruit on Borders {Ibid.) —We own that unless care is 
taken, the bush fruit and espaliers would indeed shade the wall trees. 
A dwarfing system must be practised, based on root limitation, of 
which more in due time. 
Espaliers (T. W.'A .)—Your gooseberries and currants should be 
about four feet apart, not less. You do not name your trees. Some 
will do as bushes or pyramids, others would be better on a table 
trellis. You had better correspond with us again, and describe your 
wants with more accuracy. At any rate, keep your espaliers below 
six feet. Your pears should be on quince stocks, and your apples on 
the Paradise, or otherwise much limited at the root. We need hardly 
say, that Mr.Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, excels, as a nurseryman, in 
his knowledge of these things. 
Killing Worms {A Regular Subscriber). —Corrosive sublimate, 
as mentioned by us at p. 179 , may be employed on gravel walks 
without hurting the box edging. 
Mills on the Cucumber {A Beginner). — It is published by 
Messrs. W. S. Orr & Co., Amen-Corner, Paternoster-Row'. 
Cyclamen Persicum {J. H.). —This, which has lost its leaves 
which it had when you bought it two months ago, received a check 
on being placed in your w'indow; but if the roots are good, keep the 
soil moist, and it will soon recover as the season advances. 
Covering for Pit-bottoms {A Constant Reader).—See one of 
our editorials to-day. Water-proofed calico wall do for your frame, 
to protect radishes. You will find a recipe for the water-proofing at 
p. 123 of vol. ii. Why do you not buy our Indexes—you can have 
them for both volumes for tw'opence. 
Work on Agriculture {Alpha). —Either Stephens’ “ Book of 
the Farm,” or Morton's “Cyclopaedia of Agriculture,” now publish¬ 
ing in half-a-crown parts, will suit your friend. 
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 j and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, at the Office, 147, Strand, in tile Parish of 
Saint Mary-le-Strand, London.—January 24th, 1850. 
