THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
203 
February 14.] 
too rambling. One ounce of Peruvian guano, and 
two good handsful of soot, will make a gallon suffi¬ 
ciently strong for anything. This must be applied 
in a clarified state, taking care to give enough to 
moisten the soil completely. 
Temperature. —Kidney-beans enjoy a vast amount 
of heat, provided a due amount of atmospheric mois¬ 
ture is kept up ; without which, indeed, they will soon 
become a nursery for the red spider. They will not 
thrive in less than 00°, but should, if possible, be 
guaranteed 70° in the day time; if 80° by sun heat, 
so much the better. We advise the use of sulphur 
on the flues, or piping, according to advice we have 
formerly given. We practice this sulphur painting 
three times a-year, and we scarcely ever find a red 
spider in our houses. 
Atmospheric Moisture. —The kidney-bean delights 
in a moist, as well as a warm, atmosphere ; in these 
respects, it may be classed with the pine, the cucum¬ 
ber, and the melon; it may, therefore, combine with 
these at an early season, or even with flower-forcing. 
At a later period, kidney-beans may be grown in or¬ 
dinary frames or pits, without bottom heat, or other¬ 
wise with a very small amount. For this purpose, 
they should be sown in boxes or pits, in the middle 
of February, and transplanted. The pit, or frame, 
for their reception, must be made up about the first 
week in March, and the plants kept as near to the 
glass as possible—the lights being clean washed. 
After planting, they must be carefully matted up 
every night. 
Pines. — Little can be done amongst pines at pre¬ 
sent; little handling can take place with these. To¬ 
wards the end of the month, however, or the begin¬ 
ning of March, most gardeners rearrange their stock 
in general; for where the old pot system is pursued, 
such a course becomes indispensable. Bottom-heats 
require some renewal, and early fruiters want a 
warmer situation, and are separated from the general 
stock, if possible, for the sake of system ; added to 
which, many gaps will exist in the fruiting pit, 
through the removal of ripe fruit. All these arrange¬ 
ments require forethought; and it becomes the pine 
grower, at this period, to make up his mind as to how 
many he will keep through the ensuing year; and 
consequently, what structures will be requisite. It not 
unfrequently happens, that a greater stock of young 
plants is in hand than is necessary for the system 
pursued; and when such is the case, the best way is 
to weed them out, and dispose of them in the end of 
February. This surplus of young stock is sometimes 
a serious evil—inducing the cultivator to cram his 
necessary stock too closely together, or to widen his 
system, at the expense of some other useful thing, 
which also require glass. Those on the Hamiltonian 
plan will now be much refreshed by having some 
clean new tan, in a dry state, thrust amongst their 
stems. Before this is done, however, it will be well 
to examine the stools, all over the pit, and see how 
the suckers are placed. We think it is not well to en¬ 
courage more than two healthy suckers at once, on a 
given plant. Still we would not tie the cultivator’s 
hands in this respect; sometimes a third will also 
appear, so promising, that with those who study con¬ 
venience (and not the mere eclat of winning a prize 
at some Exhibition), even a third may be left, if well 
placed. It is well to have those suckers somewhat in 
succession; not all of the same age—thus, whilst one 
will be ripening, a second will be swelling off, aud a 
third not yet shewing fruit. Where a selection offers 
itself, those should in general be chosen which come 
through the soil, or tan; and which Mr. Hamilton 
terms “ground suckers.” By those means, the 
Hamiltonian system may be carried on for any length 
of time, provided the preparation beneath is of an 
enduring character. By resorting to a ground sucker, 
after working the old stem for three or four years, the 
system is brought back to its original starting point, 
as far as the plant in question is concerned; which is 
now as young as ever, and starting for a new race, 
and a new progeny. Those who adopt the Hamil¬ 
tonian system, should be very cautious in their water¬ 
ing; so little is required. We have a pit of black 
Jamaicas on this system (with some trifling modi¬ 
fications), which has not received a drop of water by 
hand, since last September, when they were soused 
all over with warm water from the pot’s mouth : some 
scores of gallons being tossed all over them. Since 
then, they have received plenty of atmospheric mois¬ 
ture, and a free circulation of air; and our heating 
apparatus being quite inadequate to proper pine grow¬ 
ing, we have not been able to sustain a temperature 
above 50° average, throughout the winter; the bottom- 
heat having descended gradually from 80° in Septem¬ 
ber, to about 60° at the present period. Now, this is 
not choice, as may be readily guessed; yet we have 
cut, at least, three a week since the beginning of 
December, and richer flavoured pines were never 
eaten. Several of the stools have had two perfectly 
ripe (and exactly equal in size, height, and general 
character,) at the same time. We shall have much 
more to say about pines shortly. 
Figs. —The fig-liouses require putting in order, in 
a similar manner to the peach-house ; and the com¬ 
mencement of forcing must be somewhat gradual. If 
dry at the root, which is almost sure to be the case, 
they must have a good soaking of weak warm liquid 
manure, as recommended for the peach. After this 
has settled for a week or so, we would advise a good 
coat of mulch to be applied, if not too rotten in 
character; this will exercise a controlling power on 
the moisture in the soil; for the fig is very impatient of 
sudden drought, and neither can it, on the other hand, 
succeed in stagnant soil. As for pruning, little is 
needed; some shoots will get too long for their situa¬ 
tion ; they must be removed. Some shoots may have 
been laid in too close, in the summer; these must be 
thinned away, removing all the longest jointed, or 
naked portions, and reserving plenty of compact, 
short-jointed, and hard-looking wood, of the last year’s 
growth. The wood should receive a dressing, as an¬ 
tagonistic to the visits of the red spider, and the scale. 
Three ounces of soft soap, three handsful of sulphur, 
and some clay to thicken the whole, added to a gallon 
of water, will, when beat up, make an excellent paint, 
which may be applied all over the wood, rubbing it 
into every crevice. 
Figs in Pots. —These we must treat of as not be¬ 
longing to the fig-house, for they are generally forced 
in some of the houses, or pits, containing vines, pines, 
&c.; or, they may be in a pit by themselves. The most 
successful we have ever known, were in large pots or 
tubs, plunged in a small bottom-heat of leaves, and 
the roots allowed to penetrate through the bottoms of 
the pots, &c. Indeed, we should say, that a bottom- 
heat of 70° to 75° ought to be provided for them. 
The main business is to have strong, well-grown 
plants of some age. The limits of our present paper 
will not permit us to go into the subject ot pre¬ 
paratory culture. The wood of these should be 
dressed with the mixture recommended for the fig- 
house ; and if any are very much pot-bound, they 
must be shifted, taking care to drain them thoroughly. 
If no bottom-heat is provided, they may stand on the 
