April 1. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION. 
23 
on one stem, except, perhaps, against a wall; but we have 
“ done ” it as above, and the shoots are now hard upon 
twenty feet in length. 
The positions of the beds in the plan you sent are quite 
right; but recollect, none of the four corner beds must be 
circles; the middle distance ones may be circles, or not, as 
you please.] 
SAPONARIA CALABRICA AND OCYMOIDES.— 
FEATHER GRASS.—GREENHOUSE CLIMBER. 
“ 1st. What is the difference between S. Calabrica and /S’. 
ocymoicles ! 
“2nd. What is the popular, and what the botanical, name 
of a Grass cultivated in gardens, and bearing a strong 
resemblance to the tail feathers of the Bird of Paradise? 
“ 3rd. What yrcenhouse climber, of all others, would you 
recommend to run along a narrow beam, say thirty feet 
long, and six inches wide, and which forms the gutter 
between a double house? Something that would bloom in 
the summer or autumn months would be preferred to a 
spring flowering one, and also one which would not be 
subject to that great pest Green Fly.—A Suiiscriber, 
Waterford." 
Skkds in an Oak (C. D .).~We have no doubt they would have 
i vegetated, for we opened several, and the cotyledons and embryos looked 
I fresh and unshrivelled. They were destroyed. 
Book on Greenhouses (A Subscriber ).—One is preparing, and will 
be published shortly. Some seeds of 1851 will grow; others will not, 
I Try then), but do not depend upon them only. 
j Lactoline (T. Ellis ).—You had better keep a couple of goats; they | 
will he more likely to supply your tea-table than the French chemists’ 
preparation Lactoline. Liquid-manure is best used clear, because it 
does not clog up the soil; but it may be used unclear. Every Lime. 
I differs, if prepared from different chalks or limestones ; but still, any lime 
does for making mortar, though some lime is better thau others for the 
purpose. 
Soil for Roses ( Novice , near Liverpool).— A great deal of the land 
about Liverpool and Manchester is far too dry and sandy for the Dog 
Rose on which they bud Roses. It is on such soils that the value of 
Roses on their own roots is so soon apparent; but the Moss and old 
Cabbage Roses, and the like of them, dislike light and poor soils quite 
as much as the l)og Rose. But most Roses delight in rich, fresh, strong 
loamy soil. On very light land the pruning of Roses should be more 
severe. All the little shoots ought to be cut to the last eye nest the old 
wood, and the strong ones to within four, five, or six eyes, according to 
their strength; and very rotten dung, with no sparing hand, is the best 
kind of manure for them. 
List of Dahlias (Several Enquirers ).—In our next number, or, at 
furthest, the next after that, we will publish a list and description of the 
thirty-six best old and new Dahlias, and of the twenty-four best fancy 
Dahlias. We are promised these lists by Mr. J. Keynes, florist, Salis¬ 
bury, who is oue of our best authorities as to the merits of these flowers. 
[1st. The flower of Saponaria Calabrica, looks as much like 
that of ocymuides as a Yarmouth bloater and a fresh herring; 
but the difference between the two is as much or more than 
that between Her Majesty and Prince Albert, or the Prince ] 
of Wales aud the Princess Royal. The former is an annual i 
plant, which flowers from June to November; the latter, a j 
most delicate rock perennial plant, which blooms only for a j 
month or so at the end of spring. 
2nd. Stipa peunata, the Feather Grass, we presume, is 
what you mean. 
3rd. The greenhouse climber that will suit you best is 
Tacsonia moUissima. You may see a rope of it extending 
along the whole front of the large conservatory in the 
garden of the Botanical Society, Regent’s Park, where it 
blooms in the autumn and winter as freely as any climber | 
can do, aud there is not a fly, nor a spider, nor a living 
creature among all the animals in Regent’s Park, that likes 
to have much to do with it one way or the other.] 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Planting-out disagreeable Objects (An Anxious Enquirer ).— 
You must not trust to any of the finer Pinuses, or Araucarias, for hiding 
the outbuildings. Tall Spruce Firs and Silver Firs are the only things to 
suit your locality for that purpose. Keep these as far back as possible, 
and in front of them is the right place to plant the finer kinds ; but be 
sure and do not plant fine trees or shrubs too thick, as most people do. 
The evergreens are not at all out of place under the large trees, but just 
the contrary; but more Tree Box than any other evergreen should 
always find a place under trees. Gardeners understand flagging, or 
turfing, equally well. We “turf” with new “flags” from the nearest 
common. 
Suburban Garden (An Amateur ).-—There is no more room for ever- i 
greens on the grass; but you might plant a few more Roses on it, and 
two or three plants of the Tree Ptcony at the same distance from the 
walk as the Roses are. The border, which is thirty inches wide, must 
be planted on the mixed-border plan all round with the showiest herba¬ 
ceous plants, a few bulbs and annuals, unless you have pot-plants to 
plant out here and there between the hardy ones, mch as Scarlet Gera- , 
niums, Calceolarias, Verbenas, Fuchsias, and Gladiolus. Such borders 
would look gay just now with four kiuds of Crocuses in one close row all 
round. We have such in our own garden, the best arrangement yet hit 
upon, with four kinds only—a yellow, a pure white, a light blue, a white 
with feathery lilac, and then a yellow, and so on the whole way—yellow 
being the strongest—we have thus a white, or nearly white, on each side 
of it, and the light blue, being the weakest colour, is cut off from the 
yellow by the light ones on each side of it. Crocuses in patches are 
lost, as compared to the effect of this arrangement. It is good time to 
plant Crocuses when they are in bloom, to get the colours in the right 
places. If you sow a row of Nemophilu insignis all round, and just 
nine inches from the walk, and then another row of the yellow Eschsc/wlt - j 
zi<i ten inches from the walk, you will have a more gay fringe of flowers ! 
for the whole season than any of your neighbours. We have just sowed 
ours on this very plan. The shade of the blue Nemophilu will not ' 
hurt the yellow Eschscholtziu for all the time it lasts, and the yellow 
flowers will be ready to replace the blue by the time the latter i 3 getting 
seedy. Such narrow borders as yours, and our own, will not look gay 
w ithout some such fringes of one colour ; no, not if they were planted by 
a Fleming or a Beaton with the best herbaceous plants on earth. As to 
the rest, you cannot go wrong by planting such plants as you can procure ; 
or you may select at random from our former lists ; but have Pceonies, 
Phloxes, Penstemons, Potentillas, CEnotheras, Campanulas, Irises, and 
Delphiniums, and plant every one of these two feet from the w alk. Their 
own different ways of growing will break the formality. 
Stock (Peter Simple ).—Your Empress Stock is one of the Inter¬ 
mediate varieties. Your Tan that will not give out heat is, probably, 
too dry. 
Spring Water at Richmond (T. G.).—Put a quarter-of-an-ounce 
of carbonate of ammonia to two pailfuls (five gallons), aud let the mixture 
stand in the house for two or three hours before applying it to the 
plants. 
Elpiiinstone on Vines (Tyro).— Mr. Elphinstone is gardener to 
Sir Shafto Adair, Flixton Hall, near Bungay. Write to him. 
Name of Plant (Rebecca ).—Your plant is called the Linum trigy - 
nnm (Threc-stylcd Flax). An excellent account of which is given by Mr. 
Beaton, vol. xi., page 336, of The Cottage Gardener. 
Vinegar Plant (E.F .).—Its botanical name is Penicillium glaucum , 
and you will find a drawing and description of it in our 35th number. If 
it sinks in the sugar-and-water put it upon a piece of wood. 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
Agricultural Society (Royal). At Chelmsford, July 14th to 19 th. 
Sec. J. Hudson, Esq., 12, Hanover Square, London. Entries close 
June 1 st. 
Ankrley. July 29th, 30th, 31st, and Aug. 1st. 
Bath and West of England. June 4th, 5th, and 6 th. Sec. Mr. J. 
Kingsbury, 10 , Hammet Street, Taunton. Entries close April 30th. 
Bristol. June 25th and 26 th. Sec. Robert Hillhouse Bush, Litfield 
House, Clifton, Bristol. Entries close 26 th of May. 
Essex. At Colchester, 8 th, Qth, and 10 th of January, 1857* Secs. 
G. E. Attwood, and W. A. Warwick. 
Exeter. At Exeter, May 2 <)th and 30th, Sec. Mr. T. William Gray. 
Norwich. June 20th. (Norfolk Agricultural, for Subscribers only.) 
Sec. Mr. E. C. Bailey, Little Oxford Street, Norwich. Entries close 
May 31 st.. 
Nottinghamshire. At Southwell, December J/Lh and 18th, 1856. 
Sec. Richard Hawksley, jun. Entries close November 19 th. 
Paris. May 23rd to June 7th. Sec. M. M. E. Rouber, Division de 
PAgriculture, rue dc Varennes, No. 78 bis, Paris. 
Wu arfdai.e. April 18th, at Otley. Sec. Mr. T. Metcalfe, Otley. 
Windsor Poultry Exhibition. At Windsor, 4th, 5th, and 6 th of 
June. Secs. Thos. Chamberlain, and Henry Thompson. Entries 
will close May 10th. 
N.B .—Secretaries will oblige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
POULTRY AT THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL 
SOCIETY'S AND THE PARIS SHOWS. 
The earliest and most enduring occupation of man is’ 
unquestionably, the culture of the laud. For many years 
this science was at a stand still. The very nature of the 
pursuit compelling residence in thinly populated districts 
was unfavourable to great improvement, and men of know¬ 
ledge and attainments were seldom found engaged in it. But 
there arose a new school. Increased population required 
that more food should he produced; and noblemen and 
gentlemen, possessing both capital and knowledge, gave 
themselves to agriculture, to try experiments too hazardous 
and expensive for those who were working for their daily 
bread, and called in the aid of science to a pursuit which, 
before had neglected all such helps. It became a pleasure to 
