Ferbuary 28.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
3 03 
mutilated by your neighbour, can only maintain a lingering ex¬ 
istence, unless the snags break out strongly; and if not, then the 
longer the timber stands, the less worth it will be, as it will be full 
of rotten knots. 
Louno.\’s Hortus Britannicus {Rcr. H. W.). —A second sup¬ 
plement and a general index of this work, including all plants known 
down to March, 1939, has been published. 
Liquid-manure Tank (H. R., Essex ).—Your old steam-engine 
boiler will answer for this purpose admirably. Its being of iron will 
not injure the manure, nor the plants to which this is applied. 
Gooseberry and Currant Cuttings ( A. R.).- —Never mind 
what the market-gardeners tell you, you were quite right in removing 
from the cuttings all the buds that were to be buried in the earth. 
If you cut out the buds deep enough you will not be bothered with 
suckers. 
A Bower. — R. Reynoldson says, “ I have on one side of my little 
summer-house a horse chestnut, and on the other a sycamore—half- 
grown trees ; and it strikes me they, and my summer-house too, 
would be made more pleasing objects, if I could train up some hardy 
climbers round the naked stems.” Nothing can look better than a 
summer-house within a bower, as you propose, by getting climbers 
to run up the trees around it. There is not the least fear to be appre¬ 
hended by cutting some old roots, to make room for a tar, or any 
other barrel or vessel, only keep strictly to our rules. All the climb¬ 
ing roses which we have often recommended are peculiarly suitable 
for this kind of decoration, because we know where to apply our 
liquid-manure to their roots ; for, after all, what are these contriv¬ 
ances but immense pots? And by pouring doses of moderate strength 
into them regularly, throughout the growing season, we have our 
climbers just as much under our own control as the geranium on the 
window-sill. Honeysuckles, clematis, Virginian creeper ( umpelopsis ), 
jasmines, the sweet-scented grape-vine (vitis odoratissima), Aristo- 
lonhia sipho, and many others you will find mentioned in previous 
numbers; and, of course, half-hardy climbers, as Maurandia, Lo- 
phuspermus, Cobea, Eccremocarpus, &c., maybe planted in summer 
for additional decoration, and for tilling the bottom. You will re¬ 
collect that Mr. Beaton closed abruptly his observations, but he, 
probably, will take it up again, and finish it. 
Tree Mignonette (E. B. XV.). —Your plants, “ now running into 
weak spindly flowers,” have been either stifled for want of pure air, 
since last October, or their roots have perished through some fault in 
the soil, drainage, or watering ; but to know what is the real cause is 
not in our power. Y’ou certainly did not injure them by nipping off 
the tops ; and, as soon as you read this, take a sharp knife, and cut 
off all the “spindly” parts down to the last fourleaves on each shoot; 
turn the plants out of doors every fine day for a few hours, and do not 
water oftener than twice a week till the end of March, and if the 
roots are right you will see them thrive rapidly. The long-con¬ 
tinued frosts of January, and the soft muggy weather at the begin¬ 
ning of February, have caused a great prevalence of spindly growth, 
in most places, through want of air 
Purchasing Plants {Ibid). —-The proper time to purchase plants 
is late in the spring, and early in the autumn. All bulbs ought to 
be bought while they are at rest, and that is the only absolute rule ; 
plants in general are bought at all times. 
Climbers among Trees. — A Parson’s Wife inquires for some 
that will succeed among a group of trees, in good ground, near 
water. Clematis montana, C.flummula, or, indeed, any of those men¬ 
tioned in Mr. Beaton’s list will suit you ; also young Glycine sinensis, 
Aristrolonhia sipho —for its handsome foliage, honeysuckles, jasmines, 
climbing roses of all sorts. And you may try also Solarium jasminoides; 
it has lived out at Shrubland Park this winter without the least pro¬ 
tection. The blue passion flower would also suit you; and if cut 
down in winter, a barrowful of leaves put over the roots would pre¬ 
serve them from frost, and they would bloom every year; and the 
same treatment would do for the Mandevilla, which in a good aspect 
would be likely to flower. The Torenia asiatica will not do for beds 
or borders generally. 
Neapolitan Violets {Ibid). —You confirm the statement that 
the runners of the Neapolitan violet do not flower the first year, by 
saying, “mine, which were simply pegged down last summer, are 
covered with buds.” But the wording of the statement was not so 
clear to you as to us gardeners, and such instances will stimulate us 
still further to write more minutely. 
Cow Urine {An Inquirer). —This, if fresh from a cow-house, is 
too strong for any thing! We write emphatically, to guard our 
readers against the use of strong doses. One bucketful to four of 
water will be strong enough. 
Vines for Greenhouse {Ibid). —“A dozen kinds of grape¬ 
vines” are by far too many for your greenhouse. The Black Ham¬ 
burgh is the best black grape for a greenhouse, and the next best 
black one is the Black Prince. The best white is the Royal Mus¬ 
cadine, and the next best white is the Sweet Water, but this is a bad 
setter, unless the bunches are shook daily while in flower to disperse 
the pollen. The Chasselus Musque is the very best white grape in 
cultivation, but is liable to crack when nearly ripe. A dry house, 
with abundance of air prevents this cracking. The White and the 
Black Frontignan are two excellent grapes for a greenhouse, hut the 
plants are of a tender constitution, and ought to be grafted on the 
black Hamburgh. The Verdellho is a strong hardy white grape, but 
the bunches and berries are small. 
The Slater {Ibid).- —The flattish blue insect which troubles you 
on the peach-tree is, we believe, the woodlouse, known in some dis¬ 
tricts as “ the Slater.” It is a troublesome one to keep down. Gas- 
tar. as you propose, would do little good ; you had better trap them, 
by laying down pots on their sides, with a little dry moss in them : 
the creatures will lodge under the moss, and you can empty the pots 
daily and destroy the insects. 
Mistletoe-sef.d {Ibid). —We cannot forward the seeds as you 
propose, but if you will send us a stamped envelope, with your 
address, and with the word “ Mistletoe" written inside, we shall 
hand it over to a friend who has promised to supply them; and, if 
any more of our readers want seeds of the plant this season, we 
ought, to have their envelopes forthwith, as the seeds will be over for 
this year. 
Flowf.r-iieds (Noi'itius). —You wish to fill twelve small beds with 
as many kinds of flowers which will keep gay as long as possible. If 
you have no “furnishing” plants on hand,and cannot buy many, you 
must put up with annuals ; and Mr. Beaton will describe all the best 
annuals about the middle of March, and the proper way of treating 
them, so as to keep up a cheap succession of flowers all the summer ; 
meantime procure those annuals he wrote about late last autumn. 
Bell-Glasses for Bees {Juventus). —Bees can see to work in 
very slightly illuminated places; they would coat the inside of the 
glasses with wax, if they were not covered over so as to exclude the 
light. Geraniums and fuchsias might be kept through the winter 
under hand-glasses, if trouble and iabour were no object, to exclude 
the frost, give air, &c., &c. The mould may be dispensed with in 
striking cuttings in phials of water. You will find your other ques¬ 
tions answered in previous volumes, if you will refer to the indexes. 
Hark Climbing Rose {E. Ward).—Crimson Boursault would 
suit you. 
Making Hot-beds {Original Subscriber). —Every one of your 
questions are anticipated at pp. 140 and 163 of the present volume. 
Planting Potatoes {Enquirer). —Plant every potato you intend 
to plant without a day’s delay. A foot apart in the row, and two 
feet between the rows, are good average distances. The tall-growing 
varieties had better be six inches further apart. Read our “ twelne 
golden rules,” at p. 72 . 
Super-Phosphate of Lime {Bank). —This is a salt composed 
of phosphoric acid and lime. It is made for manure, by dissolving 
bones in oil of vitriol. 
Liquid Manure for Celery {Ibid). —A bucket full of the drain¬ 
age from a stable, added to four buckets of water, will answer your 
purpose; or any of the liquid manures mentioned by Mr. Turner 
and other celery-growers. See our indexes. 
Black-beetles {J. A. It .).-—If we had space to spare, we would 
insert your very amusing letter. The cat would not eat the phos¬ 
phorus paste, nor could she get at it if you put. it into holes and cre¬ 
vices. If you cannot make it, buy some of the phosphorus pills, pre¬ 
pared by Mr. Purser, 40, Bridge-street, Blackfriars. 
Barkeria (G. B. C.). —We are obliged by your correction. This 
genus, as you state, was named after the late George Barker, Esq., 
the justly esteemed orchid-grower at Birmingham. We published 
“ The Modern Gardener’s Dictionary,” which, though not “ explain¬ 
ing every term,” may suit your purpose. 
Roses Budded last July (R. P. G.). —These being budded in 
hedgerow's, you had better cut down the stocks to the buds, and 
move them into your garden next November. If you move them 
now r , you will injure the buds probably. 
Celery Splitting {Ibid). —The soil about the stems, if too wet 
and clayey, will cause them to split and canker. Order the Indexes 
through your bookseller ; we have no stamped copies to send by post. 
Plumbago Larpent.e {\ r erax). — Your plants now dry and 
withered, should have their tops cut off when the plants begin to 
grow. 
C.estrum Auuantiacum {Ibid). —This, received by you in frosty 
weather, has become withered. Though a hardy greenhouse plant, 
the frost has injured it. Cut it down near to the pot, and try it in a 
gentle hotbed. Perhaps the roots are safe. 
Nutt’s Celery {Ibid ).—You can obtain it of Mr. Nutt, near St. 
John’s Church, Park, Sheffield. You could have a bark bed for 
pines in your vinery. Y’ou will much oblige us by sending us a few 
of the seeds you name. It must be a variety of the Kohl Rabi. 
Beds of Flowers of one Colour (A Lady Subscriber ).—You 
have two sets of beds, each set arranged in this order ; your garden 
exposed to the 
winds and sun, and 
in a cold part of 
Yorkshire. To meet 
your wishes, that 
the flowers may be 
low and shrubby, 
put in bed No. 1, 
Esnhseholtzia cro- 
cea, sown as pro¬ 
posed. It will not 
transplant, and must 
therefore, be sown 
in the bed any time 
in April. In Nos. 2 
and 4, Nemophylla 
insignis; sown in 
the first week in 
April, and will trans¬ 
plant. To succeed 
it, sow Vise aria oc- 
culata in an open 
border about the 
20tli of Slay, and 
transplant it when the Nemophylla has done flowering at the end of 
July. In Nos. 3 or 5, whichever of them is nearest the walk or win¬ 
dows, Saponaria calabrica. Sow it under a hand-glass about the 
middle of March, and transplant it about the end of May, or a little 
earlier if your plants are strong. It will flower on to October. In 
Nos. 5 or 3, the one farthest from the window or walk, Eucharidium 
concinnum grandiflorum. Sow it in the bed on the 1st of April; 
and sow Sweet Alyssum about the middle of May, to transplant after 
the Eucharidium; all these will carry you on to October. In the 
middle of the second set of beds, plant Tagetes tenuifoliu, from seeds 
sown under a hand-glass about the middle of August; and we shall 
ask Mr. Beaton to furnish you with a different set of annuals for the 
other beds ; but we would repeat the others. 
Commelina Cielkstis {XV .).—There is no such a plant as Camilla 
celesta ; is it not Commelina coelestis ? It so, put the seeds in a 
cucumber frame till they vegetate, and harden them off; plant them 
in a rich border about the end of May. They will be two feet high by 
the autumn, and will then flower; but the frost will kill the tops, but 
you can save the roots, and treat them as dahlia roots. 
Double Anemone (Ibid ).—Sow your double anemone now in a 
box of rich light soil; place it in a cold frame till the seedlings 
appear, and then harden them off to stand out of doors in some 
sheltered place. 
Lillium Speciosum Seed {Ibid ).—Sow in a cucumber bed, and 
