THE COTTAGE GARDENER 
February 23. 
: 402 
down the plants close to the ground; or by going over 
the plants at several times, and making several gather¬ 
ings of the larger leaves ; and though by the last 
method more produce was obtained, and, therefore, the 
best means to follow when the plant was cultivated 
largely, yet, on a small scale, the gain did not counter¬ 
balance the additional trouble. In either case, after 
being gathered the leaves should have no more sun 
than was sufficient to soften them, so that they were so 
, pliable as to be easily handled without breaking. In 
1 this state they should be stripped from the plants, 
strung together in strings through their midribs, so 
| close as not to touch, and then hung up in a shady, 
airy place, under cover. The eaves of old-fashioned 
cottages, garrets, and sheds, through which there is a 
circulation of air, would answer admirably. When 
well-dried, they are taken down, packed neatly in a heap, 
the stem-ends inwards, and covered with a cloth, or a 
little hay, until they begin to ferment, taking care that 
the heat does not much exceed 100°, allowing them to 
remain several days, and then taking them out and 
drying, and submitting again to a similar process, by 
which time the midribs will be quite pliable. When 
again almost thoroughly dried they must be packed 
regularly and firmly in boxes and air excluded. If any 
thing like mould appear the leaves should be dried 
again, and then packed. Those who are interested in 
knowing how these leaves, after various washings and 
herbs added, are changed into the tobacco and snuff of 
our shops, would do well to visit a tobacco manufactory. 
There is a mode somewhat simpler that used to be 
adopted by the Horticultural Society, and if a nice 
brown colour in the leaf, if a rather pleasant smell, if 
the highest commendations from professed judges, who 
used to come out with their splendid Havannahs of home 
growth, be any criterion, then the outline of the system 
is worth mentioning, and, where circumstances admit, 
worth imitating. The plants were all taken up in Sep¬ 
tember, and taken at onqp to a Mushroom-house, where 
they were suspended against the walls, and by strings 
all over the house. The house was then shut, and by 
means of fire-heat a temperature of 70° was maintained 
for four or five days, until all the leaves were yellow. 
The heat was then raised to 75°, and the leaves, with 
the exception of the midribs, became of a fine brown 
colour, the midribs being yet green and succulent. The 
heat was then increased to between 80° and 90 s , and in 
live days the midribs were dry and brittle. The leaves 
being curled and very brittle, heat was discontinued, 
and the floor of the house watered several times, until, 
by its evaporation, the leaves were again soft and 
pliable, when they were stripped from their stalks, laid 
out evenly in a heap, well pressed, and then packed in 
a tub. In a fortnight, a little mould made its appear¬ 
ance, when they were re-hung in the house, gradually 
re-dried, and the floor more gently watered than before, 
and were re-packed again and kept in a good state. 
Many years have passed since I saw some of this 
Tobacco, and great changes have taken place since then, 
but as a home-cured article it was very superior, and no 
doubt answered the designed purpose well, 
i If carefully used, such home-grown Tobacco may he 
: safely employed for the extirpation of insects; but if 
; allowed to burn too fast, by using it in a dry state, or 
j without abundance of a damp covering, such as moss, 
j it will do more harm to plants near it than to the 
, insects. I have seen some used that had been half- 
\ rotten in the sweating process; I have seen others that 
| had been dried by being hung in an open shed, and its 
\ good properties thus dissipated ; both doing great injury 
j to plants. I recollect smoking a peach-house, when an 
i apprentice, with this latter material, blowing away with 
j might and main at a hole in the side of a pot filled 
with it, until the loreman. standing at the outside of 
the door, should pronounce the house full enough, and 
afford me an exit from such a Pandemonium. In 
three days almost every young Peach had tumbled. 
Unless, therefore, some care is taken in the drying and 
the burning, I would advise amateurs to stick to the 
manufactured shag, so far as their plants are concerned. 
The most of the so-called Tobacco-paper is worse than 
home-grown Tobacco, however badly cured. In large 
places, the latter, with moderate attention given to it, 
used alone, or mixed with the manufactured, will be 
found economical. R. Fish. 
THE ANTIRRHINUM. 
Theiie are few flowers that have been so much im¬ 
proved by the skifl and perseverance of the florist as 
the Antirrhinum. The species that has been hybridized 
and improved is named by the botanists Antirrhinum 
majus. It is a native of Britain, and is found on rocks 
and old walls in abundance. The generic, or family, or 
first-name, is derived from anti, like, and rhin, a snout, 
—flowers having the appearance of an animal’s snout. 
The second, or specific name, majus, means the larger, 
to distinguish this species from the rest of the genus, 
but more especially from A. meananthum, the lesser- 
flowered. The varieties of this greater Snapdragon (the 
English name) are very numerous. A seed-bed will 
produce endless varieties; and this propensity to sport 
has been made use of by florists to improve the form, 
size, and colour of the progeny, and that, too, with 
considerable success; but there is still great improve¬ 
ment needed to render the varieties standards of 
perfection. 
The Properties that are considered necessary to form 
a perfect llower of an Antirrhinum have not been 
defined by any florist, that I am aware of, excepting 
Mr. Glenny; and I hope he will excuse me if I tran¬ 
scribe his ideas on the subject, though I think, if Mr. 
Glenny himself had to write them over again, some of 
the points would (as I hope to see the flowers them¬ 
selves) be better defined. 
“ Properties of a first-rate Antirrhinum :— 
“1. The plant should be dwarf; the flowers abun¬ 
dant ; the mouth wide, and the more the inner surface 
turns up to hide the tube the better. 
“2. The tube should be clear and pure, if white, and 
if any other colour, it should be bright; and the mouth, 
and all the inner surface, should be of a different colour 
and texture (?), and form a contrast with the tube. 
“ 3. The petal should lap over at the indentations, so 
as not to show them ; the texture of the tube should be 
like wax, or enamel; the inside surface, which laps 
over, should be velvetty. 
“4. When the flower is striped or spotted, the mark¬ 
ing should be well-defined in all its varieties (varia¬ 
tions?); the colour should be dense, whatever that 
colour may be. 
“ 5. The flowers should form spikes of six or seven 
blooms, close, but not in each other’s way; and the 
footstalks should be strong and elastic, to keep them 
from hanging down close to the stem, which they will 
if the footstalks are weak.” 
The way that they should be shown requires some 
consideration. I am an advocate for all florists’ flowers 
(that can be grown so successfully) to be shown in pots. 
The public then can judge more effectually of the appear¬ 
ance they would make in the borders of the flower- 
garden. We have seen that the Rose, the Pansey, and 
the Carnation can be grown and exhibited in pots with 
excellent effect, and I am certain the Antirrhinum can, 
also, quite as well be grown and exhibited in pots—thus 
showing the plant as well as the flower. This flower is 
