340 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[March 21. 
as Felicite Pcrpetuclle, Princesse Louise, Prineesse Marie, and Odo- 
rata; and these are the best to bud other roses on. Gloire de Rosa- 
mene should be planted along with them to keep the bottoms full, and 
for perpetual flowering, but it will not bud well on any stock. The 
white jasmine, and the yellow one (Jasminum revolutum) are also 
very suitable for your purpose. 
Amaryllis (Delta ).— 1 This planted in November and kept in the 
house, now looks sickly. You have done as thousands have done 
before, and as other thousands will continue to do, until The Cot¬ 
tage Gardener and similar works will diffuse a better knowledge 
among the many. The amaryllis and the rose were started in winter 
under too much stimulus ; they answered the call by a sudden flush 
of growth, but nature was soon exhausted, and they both came to a 
stand still. The bulb must now have its own way ; keep it moist for 
six weeks longer, and if it does not grow let the pot get quite dry 
and remain so till next August, or till the bulb begins to grow again. 
There are so many bulbs pass under the name Amaryllis, that no one 
can even guess the right treatment for a given plant without seeing 
it. Remove the sprig of the monthly rose into a very small pot, with 
sandy soil, and treat it as a cutting, and it will soon root at this 
season. 
Tree Violets (Cowes). —These have “ lost their character, having 
run all over the pots.” All that you need do is to cut otf all the side 
shoots close to the stems. 
Begonia Fuciisioides (Ihhl ).—This has lost the ends of its 
branches, &c., from being kept in a cold damp greenhouse. Such a 
place is too cold and wet for this plant; but in a dry house it will do 
all winter, in a temperature of 40° and from that to 45°. Cut down 
the side shoots to within one joint of the old stem, and those damaged 
cut to the bottom, but do not repot until the plant is in growth 
again—about a month hence. Sandy loam and good drainage, or a 
little peat or leaf mould, will suit it. Water it very sparingly for the 
first month after cutting it down. 
Cryptomeria Japonica (A Stibscribef). — 1 This is quite hardy, and 
one of the finest evergreens you can plant. A rich, deep, sandy loam 
on a dry bottom is the best soil for it. 
Bedding-out (Hammersmith). —You cannot safely plant out your 
verbenas, or any of the half-hardy flower-garden plants, at Hammer¬ 
smith before the 10th of May, and not even so early if the easterly 
winds, so prevalent at that season, should be very cold. Nothing but 
hyacinths, early tulips, with other spring bulbs and wallflowers, will 
do for your new beds to look gay, as you wish, by the end of March. 
Any of the nurserymen in your neighbourhood could furnish a nice 
lot of flowering things till bedding-out time ; and that is the cheapest 
way for a new garden. 
Luculia Gratissima (T. IF.).—This is a hardy conservatory 
plant, and keeping it in the stove as you did during the winter, is the 
ruin of it. The same treatment as is given to forced camellias suits 
it better than any other mode, when grown as a pot plant; that is, 
after flowering in winter, to allow it to remain at rest until the natural 
warmth of the spring season sets it growing, say early in March; 
then to force it into strong growth in a damp hothouse to the end of 
June, and to harden it off in July, so as to stand out of doors in 
August, or as long as the weather is fine. After the flower-buds are 
formed in October, it will stand a second forcing, which is the only 
point in w’hich it differs from the camellia. We need hardly say this 
is the finest shrub in cultivation. Any good rich soil with a little 
sand and peat will suit it. Crushed limestone will not answer for 
potting, like silver sand. 
Iron, versus Wooden Greenhouses (S. P., Rushmere). — 
You are not probably aware, that if we answered your question either 
way, it would be like disturbing a hornet’s nest. The question has 
caused heart-burning enough already. They each have their ad¬ 
vantages and their disadvantages. 
Perreni als (Ibid). —We agree with you about them, and shall add 
some more to the lists already in our pages. But we never yet met 
three persons who would agree about a border of them, or even a good 
selection. There i9 no double Erysimum perofskianum that we are 
aware of. 
Crocuses (E. /’.).—These ought to be taken up every third or 
fourth year, say in August, and replanted immediately, for they are 
not improved by being kept out of the ground like hyacinths. Yet, as 
they do not succeed well with you, you might buy some next summer 
and plant them in October. 
Propagating Aubrietia (A .).—The aubrietia is best increased 
by dividing the plants into five or six pieces, when they have done 
flowering, taking off some roots with each piece, cutting away half of 
the old stems, and planting them in light soil in some shady place, 
till September, or later, when they are ready for the beds again. 
Annuals (Ibid). —These sowm under hand-glasses need not be 
upon a hotbed; and as soon as they are up, raise one side of the glass 
to let in air to them. 
Natural Phenomena (Amicus). —You surprise us by asking, 
why we insert such “ trifling ” information as that, on such a day “ the 
frog croaks ? ” information, you say, “ trifling, even if true.”’ Now, 
if not true, you will oblige us much by stating how far each event we 
so notice is from being correct, because on the multitude of such ob¬ 
servations depends their value. We state what is the average time 
for each phenomenon occuringin the east of England; and when such 
phenomenon occurs either earlier or later, it is a natural indication to 
the gardener, if read aright, to sow and perform other operations 
earlier or later. Linnseus and other naturalists have commended 
these guides. 
Cochin China Fowls (Rev. IV. D. F.). —Norwood is in Surrey. 
We have forwarded your note. 
Annuals (P. 0. P.). —You will see some such as you require in 
! our two last numbers, if you will consult the indexes. Very full lists, 
with heights, colours, ike,, are given at pages 137 and 274 of our first 
volume. 
Pea-fowl (Mary Anne). —Your pea-fowl losing the use of their 
limbs and dying, are affected probably with rheumatism and cramp. 
They are natives of a warm climate, and the late severe winter may 
have affected them. Cold and damp cause those diseases to them. 
! Keep them shut up in a warm dry place ; and when any one of them 
is attacked, put its legs and the lower part of its body in a bath of 
! water as hot as you can bear your hand in it; put it before the fire 
until quite dry, and give it a pellet or two of barley meal containing 
a bruised clove of garlic. The wet clay soil is the cause of your roses 
losing the ends of their branches. Can you not alter the staple of the 
soil about them by excavating it, and mixing it with half its bulk of 
coal-ashes, sand, and lime rubbish ? 
Gardeners’ Dictionary (Ibid). —A new edition is contemplated. 
Seedsman (C. McL .).—Anyone who advertises in our columns 
will send you what you want, and then you can send payment after¬ 
wards to him. 
Bf.es (E. R.). —You had no hives in your own possession until this 
winter ; and feel at a loss about transferring these swarms (which are 
in old hives) into the Improved Cottage hives. Your safest and best 
plan will be to let the bees swarm, and put the swarms into any kind 
of hives that you may like best; and when your bees have swarmed 
and cast (a second swarm), which they are sure to do, you must not 
expect any honey from them : it is all the parent stocks will do to lav 
up a winter’s store. The small hive and glass have each a hole at 
the top ; because, when placed between the one already nearly full 
and the parent hive, free communication may be given to the bees to 
go up and complete it. A turned piece of wood, with one hole two 
inches in diameter, will do equally well. Adapting boards are not 
absolutely necessary between the small hives, but they are very con¬ 
venient at the time of removal: the large bowl forms sufficient cover 
for the whole. Keep your old hives for swarming. Should you feel 
particularly anxious to obtain a little fine honey from your old stocks, 
cut a hole in the top of the strong hives, and place on a small one 
that will hold five or six pounds, or a glass of the same size. It will 
retard their swarming only a few days, and perhaps not at all: put 
them on the last week in April. 
Fuchsia Corymbiflora (Ibid). —Plant it in the border, and train 
it against your east wall, as you propose. 
Twelvetrees’ Washing Liguid (A Subscriber). —Not knowing 
its composition, we cannot say whether it will be beneficial as a ma¬ 
nure after being used for washing linen. It is probably alkaline, and 
you can try it to cabbages in your kitchen garden. Mr. Beaton does 
not recommend the disuse of the hoe, but of the rake. Every gar¬ 
dener who knows how to handle a hoe and spade can put a surface 
neat without raking it. 
Bones (Reta). —If these do not dissolve readily, we conclude the 
sulphuric acid was not sufficiently strong. It ought to be the strong¬ 
est sulphuric acid ; try some more of this. 
Potato Planting (G. R.).—AH potatoes may be planted early— 
the earlier the better. The terms “early” and “ late,” applied to 
potatoes, refer to their time of being fit to take up. It is impossible 
to know what kind is meant by, “ a white kind from near Rouen.” 
Heating Greenhouse (Hope). —Your iron stove for this purpose 
will be best outside, with merely a cover from the weather ; why not 
connect it with a brick flue? Iron always causes disagreeable smells, 
and the production of deleterious gases. 
Canvas (Dr. L., of Rath). —You can get it from Mr. Holme, 
Paradise Green, Knutsford. If the canvas touches the'ground, it will 
soon decay. 
Bees (Un Aboue). —The floor-board may be cleaned or changed 
just before sunrise, or immediately it sets ; the greatest possible danger 
would arise from setting pans with food about on a sunny day ; it will 
set all the bees in your ow n as well as in your neighbour’s apiaries to 
fighting, and the total loss of several stocks would in all probability 
be the result. The contents of a hive four years old, to be safe, 
should now weigh 8 lbs. Feed at the top of your hives, if possible ; 
if not, see pages 305, 306, vol. i. of The Cottage Gardener. 
Laying Down a Meadow (A Subscriber, Dublin).— After your 
turnips are off, dig the ground, and sow oats this month; and, as soon 
as these are drilled in, sow the grass seeds, and then run a light roller 
over. Describe your soil, and" write to Messrs. Gibbs & Co., Picca¬ 
dilly, London. 
Names of Plants (John Marchington). —Your plant is Arabis 
alpiria. (J. IF., Sutby) .—Your hardy shrub is Garrya elliptica. 
(.1. G. P., Everton). —The small-leaved fern is the Maidenhair, Adian- 
tum capillus-veneris; and the other, we think, is Pteris pedatu. 
London : Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High Street, 
in the Parish of St. Mary Kalendar; and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, in the Parish 
of Christ Church, City of London.—March 21st, 1850. 
