THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION.— June 3, 1856. 17? 
turning yellow and evidently decaying. Can this have pro¬ 
ceeded from over-watering ? The larger fruit, as well as foliage, 
look healthy. Pipes from a dung pit are laid into the house, 
and the smell was at one time rather strong. Could this have 
been the cause ? It does not, however, seem to have hurt 
some young vines considerably nearer the mouth of the 
pipes than the fig, so that I should hardly think it could 
, be—Y." 
j [Lime-water poured freely into the nests and burrows of 
. ants will cause them to flit, if it does not kill them. The 
, most effectual remedy is to mix arsenic into a solution of 
sugar and water, which they will devour greedily, but care 
must be taken of the saucer that no other animal gets to it. 
I used to cover the saucer with a slate and a stone on the 
i top of it, leaving a couple of pegs between the saucer and 
| slate to let the ants in freely. By using honey and water 
you may trap them in myriads, as the honey holds their feet 
like bird-lime. 
I Young Figs will not stand so much ammonia, &c., as a 
young, vigorous vine. If well drained, the excess of watering 
i could hardly be the reason. If clogged up, the stagnant 
water would do it, and so would letting the plant be dry. 
We incline to think that in your case the young fruit are 
robbed by the older ones. Figs in pots generally show more 
fruit than they are able to mature.] 
— 
GLAZING WITH HARTLEY’S ROUGH PLATE 
GLASS. 
“ In glazing with ‘ Hartley’s Rough Plate,’ is more than 
ordinary care required to prevent leakage 1 I have recently 
covered the roof of a small greenhouse with it (in sheets, 19 in. 
by 12 in.) on strong rafters , after the fashion of Mr. Rivers, 
&c.; but leaks will keep making their appearance along the 
! rafters; although, on a close examination outside, we can 
| scarcely perceive a place in either paint or putty." 
| “ I should mention, that the glass is more or less crooked ; 
: and, consequently, the laps are by no means close fitting, and 
I hold a great deal of water; and this, I think, settling in the 
I ends against the putty, must gradually undermine it. If I 
| am light,—what is to be done to remedy the evil? Must I 
' fill up the laps ?—W. Abner Vabnham." 
[Hartley’s Patent Glass requires no more care than other 
glass to prevent leakage. In your case, the very open and 
crooked laps must be the cause. If the laps were water-tight, 
you would have condensed moisture falling inside, unless you 
attended to air-giving, which the open laps now furnish. To 
attain your object, we would recommend puttying up the 
laps, with the exception of a space in the centre of each 
square, say one-and-half or two inches wide. This will let 
air in and water out, more especially if the putty is slightly 
rounded inside from the sash-bar to the centre of the square 
of glass.] 
THINNING FLOWERS OF DENDROBIUM DENSI- 
FLORUM. — FRENCH RHODODENDRONS NOT 
BLOOMING. 
“ E. M. has a small but good plant of Dendrobinm, densi- 
florum, which is now putting up fourteen rises. Should all 
these be allowed to grow, or should some be rubbed off? 
“ She lias also a very good collection of French Rhododen¬ 
drons, which have flowered only indifferently this season; 
they are in pots, and are intended to take the place of the 
Camellias when out of flower. When they began to make 
their wood last year they were placed behind a wall in a 
north aspect; owing to heavy rains they made a second 
growth, which spoiled them from blooming this season. 
E. M. therefore wishes to know what she had best have 
done to prevent a recurrence of such disappointment; that 
is, how to treat them after they have done flowering, and 
where to place them so as to ripen their wood without mak¬ 
ing a fresh start ? ” 
[Your Dendrobinm densiflomm is putting up fourteen 
young shoots, and you wish to know if they should all 
remain? To answer this question satisfactorily is almost 
impossible without seeing the plant. If the last year's 
shoots are all very strong, the whole of the shoots may be 
allowed to remain ; but if any of them are weak, and have 
put up more than one shoot, then rub off the, smallest, and 
let tho best remain. 
Your term French Rhododendrons we cannot understand, as 
none are found wild in that country. l r ou say they have not 
bloomed well this season. The reason probably is because 
they have not had sufficient pot-room. Give them a full 
shift now in good peat-mould, and place them out-of-doors, 
fully exposed to the sun. Place something around the pots 
(moss is a good material), to protect the young and tender 
roots from the sun. The giving them a full exposure will 
ripen the wood and cause them to produce flower-buds. 
Whilst growing they should be freely supplied with water, 
but when the growths are completed less must be given. 
Towards the autumn shelter them from heavy rains, and 
house them in good time, placing them in a cold house, if 
possible. With this treatment they will, no doubt, flower 
well next year.] 
VENTILATING BEES. 
Having stated in The Poultry Chronicle, previous to 
its merging into The Cottage Gardener, the benefit 
arising from ventilating lnves during the winter, I think my 
experiment duiing the last one will speak still more strongly 
in its favour. I had twelve hives in the autumn, six I ven¬ 
tilated, six I did not. Out of the six former, five are strong, 
one weak. Of the six latter, three are dead from the loss 
of the queen, two weak, and one strong. — A Country 
Rector, Tad caster, Yorkshire. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Berberis Asiatica (W. D. Pain). — Berberis Asiatica is found in 
most respectable nurseries, and we should think you would find no 
difficulty in meeting with it. We doubt much, however, if you could 
get it in any large quantity at a price to induce you to make a hedge of 
it. Write to some one who advertises in our columns. 
Old Scarlet Geraniums (A Subscriber, Durham). —Turn them 
out from their pots undisturbed into the borders. 
Soil for Fuchsias (Pompone).— Loam, such as old pasture soil, two 
parts; thoroughly decayed stable-manure, one part; leaf-mould, one 
part, thoroughly mixed. 
Hoots of Melons ( H. t Bel per ).—We regret that your communica¬ 
tion has not reached us. 
Gref.n Fly on Roses (G . T. F.).—Syringe them with tobacco-water. 
One part ammoniacal liquor from the gas-works, mixed with five or more 
parts of water, according to its strength, will also destroy the insects. 
Names of Insects.— Thelittle red grubs which infest the Raspberry- 
buds at this season of the year, of which specimens have been forwarded 
by Mr. Henry Hogg, from Uttoxeter, are the caterpillars of a beautiful 
little Moth, which in the preceding summer deposited its eggs on the 
plants, and which is scientifically known under the name of Tinea 
rubiella alias Glyphipteryx variella. We know no better means of de¬ 
stroying the grubs than by giving the buds which are infested a 
sharp pinch between the thumb and fingers. If more of these grubs 
should be found, we shall be obliged by your forwarding them in a little 
box to Mr. H. T. Stainton, of Mountsfield, Lewisham, who is anxious to 
rear the species, and to have drawings made of the transformations.—W. 
The worm-like animals which infest your Kidney Beans are two dif¬ 
ferent species of Snake millepede, Julas plumbeus and J. pulchellus. 
Slices of potato or cabbage-leaves buried near the rows of Kidney 
Beans form an excellent trap. They should be examined every other 
day, and the. millepedes destroyed.—W. 
The little black insect sent by H. G, 31., taken from the stem of a 
Kidney Bean, is the larva of one of the Silphidie, probably Si/phia 
opaca. We do not understand from the note of H. G. 31. whether the 
insect was burrowing internally on the stem, or feeding externally. If 
the latter, we know no better remedy than to bury slices of potatoes 
near the spot as a decoy, and which should be examined two or three 
times a week. If II. G. 31. can find any more specimens of the larva, 
please send them in a little tin box, with damp earth or moss, to Mr. 
Westwood, Hammersmith. 
Cinerarias ( Devoniensis ). —No. 4 , white with broad, reddish-purple 
edge, good; but petals rather too much notched. No. 5, white with 
broad, pink edges, very good ; petals slightly notched. 
Names of Plants (31 rs. Welch). — 1. Polyslichum discretum, 
2 . Lastraea filix mas. (A Young Gardener ).—The smaller specimen. 
Lycopodium densum, and the larger, L. caesium. The Fern is Polypo¬ 
dium lunceolatum. (A. B. % Winghum).— Yowx bulb is Narcissus bulbo - 
codium, the Petticoat Narcissus. (T. 31. W.). —Carex pendula. 
(Scott).— 1 . Red-barked variety of Prunus padus. 2. Lusula campestris. 
3. Steltaria graminea . (J. N . R .).—We cannot tell your Australian 
plant unless we see a flower of it. 
Mowing Machines Subscriber). —They are very desirable where 
there is a large surface of lawn or grass plot. We cannot recommend 
any maker in particular. You must refer to our advertising columns and 
select for yourself. 
Colours (F. I.)— It is in vain to attempt to describe colours. If you 
do not know what “an angle ” or “a figure” is, we must respectfully 
decline the ta>k of teaching you. Unless you understand Botany, we 
can recommend no book on Wild Flowers for you to put in your pocket. 
