dGO 
THE COTTAGE GARDE NEK. 
March 10 
into tlie neat little garden. There is a door, of course, 
in the kitchen for the same purpose. 
In the small house in which I was the other day 
(March (3), there was a narrow walk from the parlour, 
down its centre, to the door in the end, with a neat 
border on each side. Mignonette had been growing 
in these borders all the winter, and was nice and green, 
but did not flower very well, owing, as I suggested, to a 
want of air, and to being such a distance in the dark 
months from the glass roof. Several strong Geraniums, 
of the Giant Scarlet, were growing vigorously against 
tho wall. Fuchsias, and variegated Geraniums, were 
quite healthy in the borders; a Passion-flower was green 
and flourishing, and growing vigorously against the 
wall; and two Vines were just bursting their buds. 
The intelligent owner said, they never thought about 
the frost, though he regarded all with that zest which 
the enthusiasm of tending plants and flowers with our 
own hands alone can inspire. The situation of the 
kitchen chimney, in the centre of one of the boundary 
walls of this miniature house, had kept the frost 
entirely out during the late cold weather. In hot 
weather there are plenty of means for admitting air, by 
sliding one or both of the sashes, as far as I understood, 
and opening the end door. I found out that the owner 
of the Orange-plant referred to lived in one of these 
bouses. I have been thus minute in the description of 
this block of houses, as these miniature greenhouses 
would cost but a small sum in making, or keeping, and 
would be much coveted by all who could spare a few 
hours from the hurry and bustle of business. 
A few hints and remarks may be added in conclusion. 
1. From adopting such a plan for small houses, all 
the bother of heating is avoided; if the houses were 
wider, it is questionable if the chimney from the kitchen 
would be sufficient. Even in cold nights, when a little 
clear fire was kept in the grate on retiring for the night, 
a damper placed in the chimney so as to allow a small 
opening, to prevent the air of the room being contami¬ 
nated, would prevent the heat freely escaping at the top. 
2. The house having light admitted merely at the 
roof and the end, low plants on the border will not 
thrive nearly so well as those more elevated to within 
three feet or so of the glass, either by means of small 
stages, baskets, or vases. 
3. Tall standards of such things as Tea Roses, 
Fuchsias, Scarlet Geraniums, Salvia splendens, &c., would 
make an interesting appearance, allowing their heads to 
occupy the most of the space above the head-room next 
the parlour door. 
4. Vines would require to be taken up the wall, and 
then trained, either longitudinally or cross-wise, about 
fifteen inches from the glass, but if allowed to monopo¬ 
lise the roof the room would be made too dark. Blue 
and purple Passion-flowers, suspended in festoons from 
arches, would also have a very pleasing appearance. 
5. Camellias and Oranges would also do well, either 
as tall plants, or as trained over and covering the walls. 
The greatest part of the Cactus tribe would also answer 
well. How nice, for instance, would Speciosa Jenldn- 
sonii, &c., do on one wall, and Speciossissima and its 
varieties on another; while strong shoots at tho top 
could be grafted with Mallesonii, Jlagelliformis, &c., and 
look uico dangling from the roof. 
(>. One thing necessary to success would be the aspect. 
North should be entirely avoided; it would only be 
fitted for Mosses, Ferns, and keeping plants, bought in 
bloom from a nurseryman. The south, south-east, and 
south-west would bo the best, but we would not throw 
cold water altogether on either east or west. 
7. The modes of planting and managing such places 
would be endless, and the greater the variety not in one 
place, but each different, tho better. The peculiar cir¬ 
cumstances of large cities, in which a man knows no 
more of his next-door neighbour than if he lived in the j 
wilds of Australia, has not yet thoroughly penetrated our | 
country market-towns, though there be a tendency in 
this direction from every great increase of houses and j 
inhabitants. There is still a considerable spice of ( 
neighbourly feeling, and a desire to cultivate tho social j 
virtues. Any apparent want of this proceeds not so , 
much from any inherent feeling of exclusiveness as the j 
want of a good excuse for breaking-in upon the privacy i 
of our neighbours. Now, what a fine opportunity do 
these miniature greenhouses, furnished differently, | 
afford for breaking-in upon the icy coldness of a genteel, j 
stilted reserve. 1, myself, have often got into kind, sym- j 
pathetic speaking terms, by going to see and expressing : 
admiration of a plant in a window. Well, on my word, 
there goes Mrs. Prudence, having summoned-up courage : 
to knock at the door of Mrs. Thrifty!! A distant nod 
was all their previous recognitions! “I have ventured 
to ask the favour to see your beautiful Camellias.” “ 0, 
most welcome; most welcome;” and away tho ladies go, 
talking about flowers, as only ladies can talk, feeling 
a stronger and stronger mesmeric sympathy getting 
hold of them reciprocally; and if the interview does not 
actually end in sipping together the “cheering cup that 
not inebriates,” Mrs. Thrifty has received and promised 
to act on the invitation, by-and-by, to see the splendid 
Fuchsias of Mrs. Prudence, and so the kindly, social 
feeling, based on intelligent perceptions of the beautiful 
in vegetable nature, spreads from one house to another. 
I know nothing of the builder or owner of the block of 
houses referred to; but I believe the idea will be suc¬ 
cessful, whether viewed in its remunerative, ameliora¬ 
tive, or pleasure-imparting aspects. R. Fish. 
THE ANTIRRHINUM. 
( Continued, from, page 442.) 
Cuttings in Pots. —As I have said that Antirrhinums 
should be exhibited in pots, it is but right that I should 
describe the way they ought to be grown so as to show 
them off to the best advantage. 
SoiL —The first thing to provide is the soil. Whoever 
grows florists’ flowers will be always on the look-out for 
good loam, and I need scarcely maintain that the best 
is the turf from an upland pasture, taken off about two 
or three inches thick, carted home, and laid up on a heap 
for a year, to cause the grass roots to decay and mellow 
the soil. If this heap is chopped and turned over four 
or five times during tho year, it will be sweeter, and 
better pulverised, and in finer condition for use. Of 
this loam take three parts, and of well-decomposed leaf- 
mould one part, and sandy-peat one part. If the grower 
has no leaf-mould he may use the same quantity of 
hotbed manure, but in that case it must be exceedingly 
well decomposed, in fact, reduced to a fine black mould. 
Taking into consideration that the Antirrhinum grows 
well on old brick-walls, a small portion of old lime 
rubbish, slightly sifted, will be of service to the plants 
mixed amongst the compost. All these matters being 
duly prepared in sufficient quantity, let them be brought 
under shelter to dry some time before the potting season. 
Pots. —The second article to provide is the rightsized 
pots. I have grown and bloomed them very tolerably in 
what are called large 48’s, which are 5£-inches diameter; 
but for exhibition purposes, or to grow them finely for 
private pleasure, they ought to be planted in 8-inch 
pots; and as these plants have strong roots that run 
deep into the earth, the pots should be of tho deepest 
size made. 
Potting. —The proper lime for this operation is early 
in March. Tho plants should be then just beginning 
to push up three or four strong shoots from the base of 
