April 22. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
71 
Pentarterygium ei.avum ( Yellow Pentapterygium.) 
Natural Order Whortleberries (Yacciniacete). Lirin. 
Decandria Monoyynia. A native of the Duplila Hills, in 
north-eastern India, at an elevation of more than 4,000 
feet above the sea’s level. Iu its native, shady forests it 
grows on trees, but is erect when cultivated in our stoves. 
It is a beautiful plant, its nodding clusters of yellow 
flowers contrasting well with its very dark green leaves.— 
Ibid. t. 4910. 
HEATING BY GAS. 
In answer to your correspondent, “\V. X. IV.,” on the 
subject of heating by gas, in your No. 991, tell him that I 
have tried it, and found it so very expensive, that I would 
strongly advise him not to adopt it. It cost me to heat a 
boiler, with about forty-five feet of 4 j-inch iron pipe, six to 
seven pounds a quarter-of-a-year, subject to the annoyance 
of a great accumulation of soot or lamp-black on the boiler. 
I have setit aside, and adopted the plan of Messrs. Lankester, 
ot this town (Southampton), by a conical boiler, and now 
find a perfect supply of heat in nearly 150 feet of 4J-inch 
pipe ( hot-water ), at a cost of about 15s. a month (coke and 
Welch coal), which heats my Orchard-house, a large green¬ 
house, and a smaller one, for a cooler or rest house. There 
is no better mode adopted, that I can find, than Lankester 
and Co.’s plan by pressure; the cistern being supplied 
from the boiler, and is about twelve feet above the boiler, 
consequently, a regular and quick circulation takes place, at 
a heat from 80° or 90°, or much more, to 50° or 55°, and 
regulated as required by stop taps_11. P. 
N.B.—I have tried the circular jets, the gauze wire, and 
a patent kettle-boiler, and many others, but all were useless. 
TOM TITS AND PEACH BLOSSOMS. 
I was caught napping. You may laugh; but I must out 
with it for the common good. Well, some four weeks since, 
when I need hardly tell you the weather was cold, very cold, 
1 found on the ground, at some distance from home, one of 
the pretty blue Tom-tits apparently in its last struggles. 
Poor, wee thing ! I felt sorry for it, so I took it up and carried 
it home; nursed it by the fire, was pleased to see it open its 
eye«, and, when restored, placed it carefully in a nice cosey 
corner, in a long range of Peach-houses; the trees at the 
time were in full bloom. Being at home next day, I was 
delighted to see my little friend quite at home in his new 
quarters. Now, my young friends, mark what follows. 
I knew before I put this little bird in the house that the 
tribe was fond of buds, but up till yesterday they had never, 
to my knowledge, done me any injury; then why should I 
have left this poor thing to die, or taken its life ? Well, 
yesterday I found, to my experience and cost, that the above, 
in the mean time, had not only apparently introduced its 
mate into this happy land, but even to the nineteenth 
cousin ha9 been made aware, I suspect, of the good, easy 
sort of a fellow 1 was, aDd the nice summer residence, with 
its thousands of pretty flowers to choose from. Alas! even 
that birds, a little it appears like ourselves, will not let well 
alone. So they could not be content with taking a share, 
but from caprice, or, perhaps, finding one tree's blossoms 
more sweet or handsome, probably a better stock of green 
fly, they must strip two or three trees, which led to the 
detection of their depredation, and the consequence is, I 
have been reluctantly this morning obliged to declare war 
against the family, making it conditionally that none but 
the intruders are to be punished. Up to the time I am 
writing this, report says that eleven have been caught in the 
act, and paid the penalty. Sufficient, I hope, as a lesson for 
the remainder. Now, my young friends, here is a lesson 
for you, as well as one for roe; and as 1 believe we cannot 
know too soon what to avoid, allow me to say to you, try and 
avoid the various classes of Tom-tits you will be sure to 
come in contact with in your journey through life.—1). 
Ferguson, Stowe, Buckingham. 
THE HOUSEHOLD. 
The Preserving ant Cooking of Kidney Beans. —As it 
is getting near the planting time of this useful and much ad¬ 
mired vegetable, I recommend gardeners, and particularly cot¬ 
tagers, to sow a few row's more than common, ns they will be 
exceedingly useful for a change in winter, by following these 
directions. To preserve them, gather the Beans when middling 
thick, or vdien too old for our employers’ tables, and gather 
them when quite dry; but, instead of wasting them, let them 
come in usefully for the gardener's table during the winter. 
Cut them in the same way as for the use of the table. After 
having cut a good quantity, have ready a large jar; put 
into it a layer of cut Beans and a layer of salt, till the jar is 
full. In a few days the Beans will have settled down, then 
fill the jar up again and add plenty of salt; after which 
take a thin board just fitting the jar, put a white cloth over 
it, place it on the Beans, and then put a stone on the top of 
it to press them down. Let the salt brine be up to the 
board and cloth, and put the jar by in a dry place, for winter 
use. When wanted for cooking, prepare them iu the following 
manner:—Put into a pan as many Beans as are needed for 
dinner, adding plenty of water, — place the pan on the 
fire, and let them boil for a quarter-of-an-hour, then take 
them off and strain them through a cullender; then put 
them into fresh water and let them boil till tender, when they 
are ready for table. I have had some to day (April 7) pre¬ 
served in the above maimer, and very good they were. The 
cottager on the continent does not think of facing the winter 
until he has a tub full of Sour Kohl and Eingemaehe Bohnen. 
1 hope this short account may be useful to some of the 
readers of The Cottage Gardener. — Ein Hamburger. 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
GARDEIMINC. 
SOWING L1NUM GRANDIFLORUM. 
“Last year, I bought a packet of Linum grandijiorum 
rubrum seed. I sowed it at different times, both in a slight 
hotbed and in a greenhouse, but not one of the seeds grew. 
I got a packet of the seed again, about a month since, and 
have sown it, at two different times, in a slight hotbed, with 
no better success. Is there any particular kind of soil, or 
any mode of managing it in order to get it to germinate ? 
My impression is, they have been some old dead seeds of 
some other species of Linum. In Carter’s catalogue it is 
described ns “ one of the most splendid perennials in 
cultivation, flowers the first year, bright scarlet, succeeds 
best when raised in a frame.” In another catalogue, from 
one of the principal London establishments, it is classed 
with the hardy annuals. Again, in another list it is called 
half-hardy nnnual. Which of these accounts is correct ? 
—A. D.” 
[The plant has not yet been sufficiently tried to speak of 
its distinctive character. It is difficult to manage, at the 
best; and we do not pretend to say much about it, for we 
have had it pretty good, and failed, and could see no clear 
reason for the difference. We hope to be able to say more 
by-and-by. Get another packet, from a respectable firm, 
drain a pot well, fill it with loam and peat, fine on the top, 
and mixed with silver-sand. Sow the seeds, cover slightly, 
pat down, and place in a slight hotbed, and cover with a 
bell-glass, or a square of glass. Water through a fine rose 
in three days after sowing, cover again with glass, and 
shade, and, most likely, before long you will have a batch 
of seedlings. The square of glass is necessary, as the seeds 
are apt to be eaten by vermin.] 
FORMING A CHEAP PIT, AND ITS ADVANTAGES. 
“ I think I have an opportunity of purchasing two or 
I three glass garden-frames. Now, I have an idea, that if I 
\ dig a pit, and then wall up the sides with brick, of course to 
, the size of the frames, and then put some stable-dung in 
the bottom, that I shall have a continuous hotbed, which 
will enable me to bring on tender and lialf-hardy annuals, 
