March 23 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
483 
: Doctor said, when it was being planed the scent was 
! very powerful indeed. 
j After all this evidence, I think the three questions I 
proposed to discuss are answered satisfactorily to every 
unprejudiced mind, and though I am now in years, I 
hope yet to live to see the day when many of our hills 
will be covered with this elegant, and, I may now add, 
useful timber tree. 
There is a great similarity in this tree to our common 
Larch; so much so, that when it was first introduced 
many nurserymen propagated it by grafting on the 
Larch, but I have not seen any fine trees so treated. 
Seed is now imported largely, and, therefore, any other 
1 mode of propagating it, except by seed, is futile. 
It is, however, like the Larch in one point, it will 
j grow and thrive in exactly similar soil and situation 
j suitable for that useful tree, and has the advantage of 
being evergreen, and thus far no insects have preyed 
! upon it as they do on the Larch. 
T. Afpleby. 
THE ANTIRRHINUM. 
(Continued from, page 461.) 
General Management in the Border .—This paper will 
be the concluding one on the culture of this favourite 
■ flower—a flower more worthy of cultivation generally 
than many are aware of. I think, if any of our readers 
would pay as much attention to its culture, and the 
improvement of the varieties we already possess, as has 
been paid to the Auricula, Carnation, or Hollyhock, the 
care bestowed would be well rewarded. 
As I said before, it has the advantage of being per¬ 
fectly hardy, and will, in dry soils, live several years, it 
not allowed to bloom too long, or produce a full crop ot 
seed. I have, in former papers, described pretty iully 
how to improve the varieties by seed ; bow to propagate 
them by cuttings; and, lastly, the best method to grow 
and exhibit them in pots ; and now it only remains tor 
me to describe its culture in the bed or border. There 
would be no objection to exhibit cu^blooms in collec- 
! tions of eight or twelve dissimalar blooms, aud three 
j spikes of each variety would make a better show than 
only one. Growing in a well-prepared bed, these spikes 
of flowers would bo finer than those in pots, at least, in 
length of spike, and most probably in the size of the 
individual flowers. Of course, there should be prizes 
offered for seedlings, and these should be shown sepa¬ 
rately, like all other seedlings. 
To grow them well in the border, it should be duly 
prepared to receive the plants early in the autumn. 
Choose an open situation, but, if possible, sheltered at 
a distance from the north aud west winds. Mark out 
the bed three feet wide, and if the situation be low and 
wet let it be well drained. Throw out the soil on each 
side of the bed, and place a layer of brick rubble at the 
bottom, three or four inches thick; upon that place a 
covering of the most convenient material on hand; 
| thin turf, the grassy side downwards, is the best, but 
old thatch, or strawy litter, or even small twigs of trees 
would answer the purpose, which is to prevent the 
soil choking up the drainage. Then mix the soil, if 
tolerably good, with some well-decomposed manure, or 
vegetable mould, and some road scrapings, and silted 
lime rubbish; the materials to be added amounting 
altogether to about one-eighth of the soil. II the latter 
is bad, remove it altogether, and bring in some sound 
fresh loam. When the materials are duly mixed with 
the soil, then cast it into the bed, usiug as much as will 
raise it six inches above the surrounding level. 
If the cultivator has any kind of edgings the bed will 
look neater, and the soil will be kept quite distinct from 
the walk. Mr. Hogg’s edgings answer this purpose, 
perhaps, the best of any, but slate, or even boards, 
nailed at intervals to short posts, will form neat tem¬ 
porary edgings. Avoid Box, or any kind of living 
edgings, they are the receptacle or hiding place for 
slugs, &c,, besides impoverishing the soil. The bed 
being thus prepared and formed, let it remain in a 
rough state for a month or six weeks to settle. 
The best time for planting is the beginning of October. 
I consider this season the best for several reasons ; first, 
because the plants are so hardy that no frost will destroy 
them in such a dry, well-prepared bed ; secondly, the 
plants, if kept in pots through the winter, have the 
roots so cramped that they cannot spread out sufficiently 
when planted in the spring; and lastly, there are so 
many things requiring protection through the winter, 
that space can be ill afforded to any plants that do not 
need such shelter. 
Choose a dry day for the operation of planting, and 
take care to have the plants tolerably strong at the 
time; then place them on the bed in their separate 
sorts; that is, if the cultivator has three or four of each 
variety, plant them altogether, to prevent confusion, 
allowing six inches square to each plant. Have some 
kind of labels to each sort, either legibly named in full, 
j or numbered, commencing with No. 1, and so on, till the 
bed is full, the numbers corresponding with the num¬ 
bers and names in the garden book. When all are 
planted, level the bed between the plants, and they will 
require no further care till the spring. As soon as the 
1 winter is passed, examine the plants, and press any 
down that the frost may have lifted up ; clear away all 
weeds, and stir up the surface of the soil with a small 
fork. This will encourage the plants greatly by allowing 
the spring rains to penetrate the soil, as well as ad 
' mitting the warm spring atmosphere to enter the soil 
more freely. As the plants advance in growth, it will 
| be necessary to thin the shoots when they are too 
numerous. This thinning must be regulated in propor¬ 
tion to the strength of each individual plant; weak 
' plants should only have two or three flowering shoots 
; left, but strong ones may have four or five. Just before 
the blooms expand each spike should have a stick 
i placed and tied to it to prevent the winds from breaking 
it off. When in full bloom, a covering ot hoops and 
canvass, if handy, would greatly prolong the bloom, 
besides sheltering it from the sun and heavy splashing 
rains. 
If it is desired to have a long season of bloom, cut 
down the first flowering spikes before seed is iormed, 
then fresh flower-spikes will push forth from the base 
of each plant, and there will be a succession of bloom. 
The finest flowers will always be produced on young 
plants; therefore, whoever wishes to excel in blooms 
should renew his bed and plants annually. 
T. Appeeby. 
PEAS FOR FIRST AND SECOND CROPS. 
Op late a great outcry lias been raised against White 
Peas of all kinds, unless it be some of the very large 
ones; this denunciation on the part of those whose 
province it is to direct public opinion, is, doubtless, in 
1 many instances right, but I do not think it is so in 
every one, for the anxiety to procure Peas at the earliest 
possible day ensures them a hearty welcome, whether 
they belong to the White or Green section to which the 
family is divided. Neither do I think, at this early 
1 period, when they are gathered without the possibility ot 
an old one being amongst them, that they are so much 
inferior to their “ coloured brethren;” but supposing 
they are, do they not possess a greater amount ot bardi- 
hood and the ‘other properties which enhance their 
value as “ a winter standing crop?” This, I believe, will 
not be denied; but th6 next view which l.take of their 
I 
