THE COTTAGE GARDENER 
200 
shift the plant into another pot; and, by the middle of May, it will 
probably require another shift, if the pot is full of roots. 
Pansies (Ibid). —These may be planted under standard roses, with 
advantage to the former; but it is not high gardening to plant any¬ 
thing overthe roots of roses. Pansies will not answer under fuchsias, 
unless the fuchsias were trimmed as standards; for the side or bottom 
branches w’ould kill the pansies. 
Passion Flower (Ibid). —There are two or three seedling varieties 
in the nurseries which would grow against your south wall, on which 
the Maurandya Barcleyana flourishes ; and they are as hardy—or very 
nearly so—as the old one. Of these, one called Passiflora Herbcrtii 
is the best. 
Rose-buds Grub-eaten (Faversham). —Every spring, the buds 
of your roses are eaten by a caterpillar (see note, vol. ii. p. 86). Wash 
the row's with a mixture of fresh lime and soot, made into thick paint; 
and look out for the grubs, or rather caterpillars, early in May, which, 
after all, is the best cure. tf 
Pillar Roses (T. S.).—Sempervirens odorata, about which you 
ask, is a fine, strong, light-coloured climbing rose, which will grow 
ten feet, or more, against a pillar, and much more against a wall; but 
it does not require a wall. Your Triomphe de Rolwylla is an old 
rose, and will do for a pillar; but will not grow so strong as the 
odorata. 
Mummy Wheat (Lady G. F.). — We are extremely obliged by the 
offer, and useful information, contained in your note, from which we 
venture to make this extract: “ Lady G. F. writes to tell the Editor, 
that she has some mummy wheat, which she can give to any one who 
likes to try it. She had it, four years ago, from Mitchell, at Brighton, 
to whom Lord Bristol had given one ear, grown from the seed found 
in the hand of a mummy. The farmer, who grew some acres last 
year, pronounces that it deteriorates, and he does not mean to grow 
any more ; but the failure this year may be accidental, as it had not 
deteriorated till then.” 
Wall-netting (Rev. T. H. M.). —You ask us, “What is the best 
material for wall-netting, and what sized mesh?” We think woollen, 
and half-inch mesh; but this is not the most economical. Canvas, 
as recommended by Mr. Errington, is the best covering, all things 
considered. 
Pear-tree SnooTS (W. II. G.).— You say, “At page 30, vol. 2, 
you gave me some directions respecting some young pear-trees, which 
were followed. The only new shoots made, were from the points of 
the previous year’s growth. Will it not be well, in February, to 
shorten the shoots, (without reference to the new or old parts), ac¬ 
cording to the principles laid down in The Cottage Gardener, 
. with regard to maiden trees ?—see pages 164, and 209, vol. 1.” In 
reply—if you want to produce more shoots, in order to fill up the 
body of the tree at its commencement, you must shorten, as you pro¬ 
pose ; without such an object, you must be ruled by the character 
of the young wood alluded to ; if ripe-looking, reserve them ; if im¬ 
mature, it may be well to prune back to ripe-looking portions. 
Locust-tree (A Lover of Gardening).— This is the Ceratonia 
siliqua; and its seed, we think, may be had from some of the London 
large seed shops ; but they are not in much request. 
Date Stones (Ibid). —We have known date seeds from dates 
sold by grocers grow; and W'e think such would carry to Australia, 
and grow there; but if not, you could procure them at Sidney. 
Rhubarb Roots (Ibid). —Roots of all our rhubarbs would carry 
to Australia, if well packed; and should be sent off in October or 
November. Take seeds of them also. 
Bulbs for Australia (Ibid).—' These ought to be sent out just 
at their natural period of going to rest; say ixias and hyacinths, at 
the end of May; and those dormant in winter, in October and No¬ 
vember. 
The Cottage Gardener (Ibid). —The stamped edition can go 
free to Australia, on payment of one penny. 
Flowers in Vinery (E. II. T.). —Our correspondent writes to us 
as follows:—“ I wish to know howto make a vinery most available for 
flowers. My vinery has a large walled space in the middle, where 
pines were formerly grown. The vines are started in January. I 
have a greenhouse, which I keep cool, and which contains all the 
geraniums, fuchsias, cinerarias, &c., and also the cuttings of verbenas, 
&c., for bedding out; but I want to make more use of the vinery, 
which is of a higher temperature than the greenhouse at this time of 
year. I have a second vinery, for late grapes ; and I think, by good 
management, I might have a better succession of flowers. The 
second vinery has figs in the middle space. Are there not some plants 
which might be moved from the cool greenhouse to the vinery, in 
January or February, with advantage ? The walled space, where pines 
once grew, seems to offer advantages, if I knew how to use it.” In 
reply, we may observe, that in a vinery hardly so well arranged as 
yours, we keep from 10 to 15,000 flower-garden plants overthe winter, 
without any pots—merely planting them very close, after they are cut 
down in the autumn, at the end of January. The scarlet geraniums, 
and other hardier plants, are removed into cold pits, and the tender 
things are removed into a late vinery—just like yours ; and the first 
vinery is then forced through the spring, and all that time is kept 
constantly full of plants for flowering early, or for forcing into early 
growth. A bare list of such plants as may thus be advantageously 
forced or assisted, would fill a number of The Cottage Gardener. 
The middle space in your vinery, formerly used for pines, ought to be 
made into a hot-bed—say with well-prepared dung, leaves, or tan, and 
a covering of tan to keep down the steam of the dung, and to plunge 
pots in. Here roses in pots would be forced, including a few sweet- 
brier plants, bulbs of various kinds, and a first portion of all the ache- 
menes first started. Scarlet geraniums, prepared last summer, should 
be introduced in February, for flowering in May. Cinerarias, China 
primrose, and, in short, every plant named for forcing in our pages, 
[Ffbruary 7. 
may he introduced in succession ; and, when they are on the point of 
flowering, may be removed into the late vinery for a week, and then 
into the greenhouse, or your rooms. 
Liquid Manure to Potted Plants (A Lover of Flowers). —It 
will be found beneficial in using liquid stimulants for pot culture, to 
have recourse to a change as often as convenient. Thus, house sewage 
one week, soap suds the next, soot-water to follow, and so forth. It 
is also beneficial to mix such articles together, and use the compound. 
The grand secret is to apply such mixtures or simples regularly, and 
in very small or weak doses all through the growing season; but the 
prevailing practice is but too often the reverse: strong doses, fit to 
kill half the pot plants in the country, are given one week or day, and 
then only common water for another stated period; but we have 
all along recommended every other, or alternate, watering to be with 
some weak stimulant, when plants are in active growth, but only plain 
rain-water when they are not growing. 
Animal Charcoal (Ibid). —This, after being used by the sugar 
refiner, is quite as useful as a manure, as if it had not been so used ; 
but itrequirps to be mixed with light soil, andto be frequently turned, 
and thoroughly incorporated with it for some weeks before using. We 
have no experience of its employment in potting, but we have known 
where it has been used very beneficially to kitchen-garden crops. So 
used, it is nearly, if not quite, as beneficial as vegetable charcoal; 
containing, like this, much carbon, but a still greater amount of phos¬ 
phate of lime. Your question about Rose potting, is answered at 
page 288. 
Goat Keeping (Rev. R. P. T.).—Can any of our readers give ge¬ 
nuine information as to the best kind of milch goat, and as to the 
best mode of keeping it ? Such information will be useful to many. 
Allotment Gardening (V. G. II.).— This, together with poul¬ 
try, cow, and pig keeping, are treated of in our double number, at 
the end of every month. 
Number of Cabbages per Acre (Dr. Lang). —It is in p. 22, of 
the Farmers’ Almanac, by Cuthbert W. Johnson, and not in the 
Gardeners’ Almanac, by George W. Johnson, that it is stated 
that 7400 cabbage plants are required for an acre, if planted at three 
feet apart. You say that “ each plant will occupy a square of nine 
feet, and that there are only 4840 such squares in an acre.” 
Annuals for Small Town Gardens (Tom Tough).— There 
is no really good new annual, or biennial, that would suit your situa¬ 
tion. You must put up with the old sorts, and we shall soon name 
such as will answer best for confined situations, like yours. 
Tying Plants to Supporters (T. W .).—We will consider this 
subject, but we fear that the art of training plants to sticks can no 
more be taught by books, than the art of making boots and shoes ; 
indeed, not so easily, and many plants are much disfigured by the 
best trainers. 
Pine-apples (Ibid). —Your pines, shewing roots two inches above 
the soil, in the axils of the leaves, have been kept too comfortably 
since last September, otherwise they would not root from the axils of 
the leaves at this season. If the bottom leaves are good, that is, 
strong, with a healthy green hue, do not strip them off for the sake 
of these roots. As soon as they throw up for fruit, it would be a 
good plan to earth them up with small lumps of turfy soil, if pro¬ 
vision is made for watering. Young plants might be potted deeper 
at the usual time, otherwise we would not disturb established plants 
for the sake of such roots. 
Bignonia Venusta (Ibid). —This is one of the most splendid 
stove climbers we have ; but at first, say, for the first three or four 
years, it requires a great deal of room. After that, it flowers, and 
may be kept in less compass. If it is cut in much, for want of room, 
while it is young, it will not flower for many years. 
Hyacinths (Vale).— It is difficult to say what is the cause of 
your hyacinths, in glasses, withering away and rotting; most pro¬ 
bably the foliage was too much excited before sufficient roots were 
formed to supply the bulbs. 
Tropieolum Lobbianum (Ibid). —This, or, indeed, all the sum¬ 
mer tropoeolums, would grow with you, backed, as your garden is, 
by the Malvern Hills. Tbe finest Eccremocarpvs wc ever saw, was 
growing over an out-house, just beyond the “ Herefordshire Beacon,” 
not far from your locality, and is a good climber to stand a burning 
sun ; and so is the Lophospermum, but it would not live over the 
winter. The Solanupn jasminoides would flower against a house any¬ 
where about Malvern, and live out the winter with little or no pro¬ 
tection. 
British Queen StrawberriesTJnfruitfuL (G. Jones).— Having 
so constantly failed in getting fruit, wc recommend you to root out all 
your British Queen strawberries—it is evident your soil does not suit 
that variety. We, too, are in the same predicament; half an acre of 
our ground would not furnish three dishes of the British Queen straw¬ 
berries in a whole season. It is one of the best, nevertheless, where 
it succeeds. Keep one row, and experiment on it. Strawberry plants 
to fruit, or rather force, next winter and spring, are prepared from 
the early runners of this next summer, as stated at page 139. 
Nothing will improve your clayey soil so much as draining, and then 
burning the first six or nine inches. The white appearance on the 
plants in your frame, is the worst symptom of the damp fungus, and 
all the parts covered with it you will find quite dead. Your frame has 
been kept far too damp. 
London: Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High Street, 
in the Parish of St. Mary Ivalendar, and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, in the parish 
of Christ Church, City of London.—February 7th, 1850. 
