THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[January 31. 
236 
clown for an hour before noon, and an hour after¬ 
wards. The young leaves will he more tender now than 
afterwards, owing to having grown during the short, 
dark days that have gone by. Therefore, they will 
require great care to keep them shaded from the 
bright sunshine, that we reasonably hope will come 
soon. Watch for this weather, and shade accord¬ 
ingly. 
Creepers in the Orchid-house. —There are se¬ 
veral kinds of creeping or twining plants that do 
exceedingly well in the orchid-house. Stephanotis 
floribundas is one of the best, if not the very best, 
for this house. Echites splendens is another very 
good one; but, unlike the Stephanotis, it has no 
scent; but its flowers are as large as an ordinary 
tea-cup, and of a beautiful shaded rose colour. Gle- 
rodendrum splendens speciosissimum is also a fine 
creeper, with large panicles, or bunches of deep crim¬ 
son-coloured flowers. This variety is far superior to 
the original species; the flowers are individually 
larger, and of a finer colour; the racemes are also 
larger; and it flowers earlier and more freely. Ly- 
godium scandens is a beautiful climbing fern, very 
suitable for the orchid-house. These four creepers 
are quite sufficient for a moderate-sized structure, 
and may be planted now with great propriety. We 
beg, however, that our readers may not have creepers 
to such an extent as to shade the orchids below too 
much. If there are already some creepers in the 
house, they ought now to be well pruned, and every 
leaf and branch well washed, to clear them from 
dust and insects. We had intended finishing our 
remarks on the Ancectochilus, but our space is full, 
and we are reluctantly compelled to defer it till next 
week. - 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
The Ranunculus. —It is time to begin to think 
seriously about planting these truly elegant and 
beautiful flowers. From the 8th to the 20th of Feb¬ 
ruary, accordingly as the weather will permit, is the 
range of time suitable for such flowers as are in¬ 
tended for exhibition purposes, or to produce the 
finest flowers. At page 220, No. 20, vol. i., of this 
work, we describe fully the method of planting the ra¬ 
nunculus. Such of our readers as possess that volume, 
would do well to refer to that place. We may briefly 
recapitulate the chief points. The soil ought to be 
moderately dry; draw drills across the beds, two 
inches deep, and six inches from row to row; plant 
the roots four inches apart; cover them with some 
fine sand, as high as the crowns; then level with a 
rake the soil, and the operation is complete. As 
some of our readers may wish to add to their stock, 
we give below an additional list of some of the more 
rare kinds. They may be had of Messrs. Tyso & 
Son, Wallingford:— 
Acme: white ground, yel- s. d. 
low spotted. 4 0 
Alice Maud: yellow-edged 5 0 
Adolphus: brown-mottled 3 0 
Alladices: cream. 5 0 
Bensonia: white ground, 
spotted . 3 6 
Bellosia : white-edged .. 5 0 
Boz: brown ground, edged 4 0 
Bravo : brown ground, 
cream-mottled. 7 6 
Chimpanzee: white 
ground, rose-edged.... 10 6 
Duns tan: dark ground, 
cream-spotted. 5 0 
Exquisite: brown spotted 5 0 
Flammius: yellow self .. 5 0 
Hercules: dark self. 2 0 
Juhal: cream ground, dark 
edged. 3 6 
Larne : white ground, 
purple-mottled. 5 0 
s. d. 
Lotis: hrown-mottled .. 5 0 
Marshall: brown ground, 
cream-edged. 3 0 
Mary Queen of Scots : 
white ground, rose- 
spotted . 5 0 
Minos: yellow-edged.... 7 6 
Oberlin : white spotted .. 3 6 
Passe Niobe : dark spotted 3 0 
Regina: rose ground, 
cream-spotted. 4 0 
Surprise) •: white ground, 
mottled. 7 6 
Talisman: white ground, 
purple-edged . 10 0 
Tippoo Saib : dark self .. 26 
Trump: lilac ground, 
brown-edged. 5 0 
Victor: dark self. 7 6 
Zenobia: rose ground, 
mottled. 2 6 
No douht a considerable abatement will be made 
in the prices, if a considerable number are taken. 
T. Appleby. 
THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 
As soon as the severe weather is broken up, and the 
soil become workable, many matters will require 
immediate attention. Early varieties of beans and 
peas may at once be sown, to forward for transplant¬ 
ing, in a little warmth or shelter of any kind; and 
successional sowing also should be made in the open 
borders, or on the side of sloping banks. The early 
sown peas, which have been above ground, and stood 
the severity of the winter, should have the surface of 
the earth stirred about them on fine days; after which 
dry dust should be shaken amongst them; and, as 
they grow on, the north and north-east side of them 
should be sheltered with spruce fir, or some kind of 
evergreen boughs or furze ; and the earth, at a little 
distance, drawn up, or formed with a spade into a 
little sheltering ridge. 
Cabbage and Cauliflowers. —No time should be 
lost in sowing a little of some good kind of cabbage 
and cauliflower, and in filling up all vacancies with 
strong plants in the autumn-planted quarters, keep¬ 
ing the earth’s surface well stirred on all suitable 
occasions. 
Horseradish should be trenched out, the best 
selected, and laid in for the season’s consumption; 
and the strongest of the remaining crowns should be 
again planted, as the trenching proceeds, by laying 
them on the side of the bottom of the trench, and 
having the ground in ridges. 
Salsafy and Scorzonera should also be trenched 
out, and the ground left in ridges to pulverise ; the 
roots now taken up may be stored in sand, or laid in 
thick together in some spare corner. 
Winter Spinach should be kept clear of decayed 
leaves, and small sowings made. 
Onions. —Make a good preparation for transplant¬ 
ing the autumn-sown onions; also, for planting, 
where not already done, the underground or potato 
onions, and the small bulbs of the two-bladed for 
early use; the Spanish and Portugal onions may 
also now be sown on a little heat in pans, &c., for 
transplanting in early spring, in order to get large 
bulbs. 
Rhubarb and Sea-kale. —Early varieties of rhu¬ 
barb may be assisted much by temporary sheltering 
with hand-glasses, boxes, or boughs, &c. A succession 
of sea-kale should also be covered ; and the whole of 
the crowns, not previously covered with dust, ashes, 
or earth, should at once be attended to, in order to 
maintain a good colour. 
Continue to sow broad beans and peas in open 
ground. 
Radishes. —Attend to thinning out as soon as 
they are fairly in the seed-leaf, and sift a little dry 
earth among them. Give plenty of air to them in 
all favourable weather, by taking the glass lights, or 
other covering, entirely off’ for a few hours in the 
day. Young carrots require the same treatment, and 
attending to their early thinning. 
James Barnes and W. 
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 
ALLOTMENT GARDENING FOR FEBRUARY. 
A new year, with new hopes, has now fairly ar¬ 
rived, and to those who are truly industrious it will 
