October 6. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 
9 
shelves from back to front, damping could only be tbe \ 
result of careless watering, or other mismanagement, 
unless the atmosphere was long in a foggy, watery con¬ 
dition ; and a sudden frost would be so far guarded 
against, that the plants could suffer little, until the 
whole enclosed body of air bad been brought down 
to the freezing point. A deep pit, therefore, besides 
the many purposes to which it may be applied, if 
not filled up with a solid substance, is just like a 
large house, less liable to sudden alternations than 
a shallow one. In such a pit, open at one end, and 
filled up to within two feet of the surface at the other, 
with earth, &c., we have seen, in a sudden frost in spring 
and autumn, the glass quite clear in the former case, 
and encrusted with ice and hoar-frost in the latter. Of 
course, the means of careful protection must be attended 
to. I never see such a pit, and am told, “ that is all the 
glass at command,” without a vision of a small boiler, 
and two three-inch water pipes, rising before me. If 
that was too expensive, and a Hue elsewhere would be 
in the way, why not have a small furnace, connected 
with a four-inch flue, in the end and front walls. Two 
bricks placed on edge, on a nine-inch wall, would leave 
a sufficient cavity. Nothing more would be necessary 
than care in forming the joints, placing a thin slate 
above for a covering, on that a layer of mortar, then a 
row of bricks, lengthwise across, and then build in the 
usual manner. You could then easily dry your atmos¬ 
phere in the dullest weather. Of course, if above 
ground, a considerable portion of the heat of such a flue 
would be dissipated in the open air. If in the wall 
below ground, the earth would absorb a portion ; but if 
below ground, and a cavity of a couple of inches secured, 
opposite the flue-brick, very little heat would be absorbed 
or lost. I have tried, and found that these narrow flues, 
if there is a good rise from the furnace bars, draw with 
such rapidity, that, unless in cases of gross carelessness, 
there is no chance of smoke or soot finding its way into 
the interior. The expense of a flue, in such a position, 
would cost little or nothing : and the expense of a stock- 
hole, furnace bars, and doors, would soon be repaid, in 
the saving of covering and its consequent labour. 
R. Fish. 
(To be continued.') 
THE CROCUS. 
( Continued from Vol. x., page 463. ) 
Having, in my last, described the culture of bulbs 
that are large enough to flower, it only remains to give 
some instructions what to do with the offsets and small 
bulbs, and a few remarks on raising new varieties from 
seed: and lastly, a few lines on forcing them. 
Small Bulbs and Offsets. —At the time of taking 
up the bulbs, these should be separated at once from 
the flowering bulbs, keeping the different colours and 
varieties distinctly separate ; and it would be desirable, 
also, to divide them again in two sizes, because the 
large size will sooner flower than the very smallest. 
Prepare a bed for them in an open part of the garden ; 
manure it; well with well-decomposed dung, and, if the 
soil be naturally heavy, add a liberal allowance of sand; 
dig deep, and thoroughly'incorporate the manure and 
sand with the soil, then draw a drill, two inches deep, 
across the bed, and six inches apart; plant the larger 
size first; place these singly, at about an inch apart in 
the row. The small fry and yearling offsets may be 
sown in the same way and thickness as you would sow 
Marrowfat Peas. Place distinct labels to each variety, 
so that there may be no mistake at the time they are 
taken up. Cover bulbs so plauted and sown witli some 
roughly-sifted soil of the same quality as that of the 
bed ; then level the whole bed gently with a short¬ 
toothed rake. This planting should be done, at the 
latest, by the middle of October, or even earlier. 
In the spring, when the leaves appear, stir the soil 
between the rows, to allow the warm showers to enter 
freely, and to prevent the soil from cracking. Keep the 
bed clear of weeds and slugs, which will bo all the 
care they require till the leaves decay. Should any 
flowers appear, nip them off to strengthen the bulbs, 
the great object being to increase their size. Take great 
care the leaves are not injured, for they are quite as 
necessary as the roots to ensure the increase of size in 
the roots. One grand cause of the deterioration of the 
Crocus is the cutting off the leaves as soon as the 
flowers decay; a practice too often followed, because, for¬ 
sooth, they are unsightly, or, perhaps, in the way when 
other plants are required to be planted near them. I 
have seen even gardeners that ought to have known 
better, for the sake of what they called neatness, 
tie up in knots the leaves of the Crocus in their 
flower-borders. It seemed as if such men had an 
indistinct idea that the leaves were of some use; 
but how they could exercise their functions when 
tied up so was a paradox above my comprehension. 
In this nursery-bed the leaves will not be unsightly, 
because the bed will not be in the dressed flower-garden, 
and, therefore, they may remain till they quite decay ; 
then dress them off, and leave the bulbs in the bed, 
for they require two years to bring them up to the full 
size, especially the smaller size. In the autumn, give 
the bed a thin dressing of short dung, to supply fresh 
nutriment to the soil. In the following spring, as soon 
as the leaves are fairly above ground, stir up the soil 
between the rows, mixing the dung with it ; and as 
soon as the leaves decay, take up the roots, which will 
be found to be almost, if not quite, as large as the im¬ 
ported ones from Holland. Sort them over, and follow 
the same process with the small bulbs, either iu the 
same bed, renewed with fresh earth, dung, and sand, 
or, which would be preferable, plant them in a fresh 
place entirely. 
Mice are very partial to the Crocus roots, and where 
they abound make sad havoc with them. Traps must 
be set for them, or a good cat or two kept on the pre¬ 
mises to destroy these little mischievous pests. 
Raising Varieties. — There are now a considerable 
number of very superior varieties of these roots, larger 
in size of flower, better shaped, and finer colours. This 
improvement has taken place chiefly among the two- 
coloured varieties, both in stripes and coloured edges. 
The older divisions of white, blue, yellow, and striped, 
are now much extended, and, no doubt, may be still 
more improved by judicious hybridizing. Whoever 
desires to improve the race of any flower must not 
leave that improvement to chance. He must first study 
the object he wishes to effect, whether increase in size, 
brighter colour, or more perfect form, and impregnate 
his flowers accordingly. Size and form should be sought 
for in the male parent, and brighter and more distinct 
colour in the female. To make assurance doubly sure, 
the pollen cases of the flower to be operated upon 
should be cut off, and the stigma dusted with the pollen 
from a flower with the desired properties; then cover 
such impregnated flowers with some fine gauze caps, 
to prevent insects coming in contact with them. The 
seed ripens quickly, and the seed-vessels soon burst if 
not gathered in time. As soon as the cases, or seed- 
vessels, turn yellow, gather them, and lay them on a 
sheet of paper, in a dry but shady place, so as to harden 
the seed gradually'. When dry, clean the seed, and sow 
it in pans or boxes rather thickly, giving neither heat 
nor much water. The seeds will germinate and come 
up in the spring, and they must remain iu their box 
or pan till ( the following autumn. Then sift the soil 
