240 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 20. 
As to Alstromerias, we wish you had made the enquiry 
three or four months ago. Most of the varieties from 
A urea, and those brought from Chili, and raised by Van 
Houtte, thrive very well out-of-doors, provided the roots are 
protected from severe frost; and the best mode of securing 
this, when the weather is not excessively severe, is to have 
the^ strange-looking roots from six to ten inches below the 
surface of the soil. Seeds of Alstromerias, at least many 
of them, do not retain their vitality long, and, therefore, 
when plants are thus raised, the seeds are generally sown in 
autumn, or early in spring. On the principle bettor late 
than never, we would advise sowing directly. Drain a 
six inch pot well, and then fill it rather more than three- 
parts full with light sandy soil; steep the seeds in water, 
lor a few hours, that has been made as warm as new milk. 
Sow them regularly a little distance apart, either in this 
one, or in several pots, according to the quantity. Cover 
them with similar soil, about the thickness of the eighth-of- 
an-inch; water; place a square of glass, or a saucer over 
the top of the pot, and place it in the window during the 
day, and near the fire-place at night; these modes being 
adopted to make up for loss of time. As soon as the plants 
appear they must have more light and air. AVhen a couple 
of inches high, the pot may be half plunged in the border, 
taking carp that the water passes away freely from it by 
leaving a cavity below it. As the plants grow, a little fine 
earth may be trundled gently in amongst them, at different 
times, and wo had this in view when we did not recommend 
filling the pot with soil at first. As the nights get cold, the 
pot had better be transferred inside the window for winter, 
and it the plants arc kept slowly growing, the stronger they 
will become afterwards. If they are inclined to die down, 
then let them, but just keepj the roots inside below a table, 
anywhere from the frost during that wiutei*. In either case 
the plants may be turned out in the border next April, 
having previously supplied it with a good depth of sandy 
loam. The plants should be placed as deep as would not 
smother them—six inches down their roots should be. Some 
will flower during the summer, but most will come strong 
and bloom beautifully the summer following.] 
THEOBROMA CACAO, OR CHOCOLATE TREE. 
“ My Theobroma Cacao has flowered well, and made fine 
new shoots. It looked remarkably healthy up to a week 
ago, since that time it looks pretty well for the first two or 
three hours in the day, but about ten or eleven in the morn¬ 
ing it flags, and the ends of the branches and the leaves all 
hang down as if the plant was going to die, and so it con¬ 
tinues all day. The following morning it is better again. 
This has continued for seven or eight days. Can you tell 
me what is the matter, and recommend the means I should 
adopt ?—A. B.”. 
[The appearance your Theobroma presepts is not uncom¬ 
mon, and is generally the result of one or two causes. First, 
insufficient watering. Last season we had a splendid Rhodo- 
| dendron that served us the same way; we were assured it 
| had been well watered, and certainly the surface was damped, 
j We gave it several good soakings, and that cured the evil, 
i Secondly, making wood and leaves faster than there was 
j light to consolidate them. We think this is very likely the 
| case with your plant. Stove plants are very subject to it 
if kept growing freely in dull weather. If you are sure 
I there is no want of moisture at the roots, then shade from 
j the sun for a few hours in the hottest part of the day, and 
i syringe the leaves, so as to keep them from perspiring when 
the light and heat are powerful. Remove all shading as the 
sun decline, and if the description of your plant is perfectly 
i accurate, we have no doubt your plant will, ere long, be all 
you can desire.] 
OPENING THE FRONT LIGHTS OF HOTHOUSES. 
“ I am erecting two, one six lights long, the other eleven. 
The lights are four feet high, and I propose hanging them 
from the top. I have seen some account of an invention to 
open them all at once with a screw, but how I do not know, 
nor how it answers. I think there is a great objection to 
the great long irons sticking out that we generally used 
to see. Which would you give the preference to, a bed for 
plunging plants in, or a stage for a forcing-house and stove 
plants ?—A Cop.bespondent, Norfolk." 
[Some day we may revert to the mechanical means for 
opening the sashes of hothouses simultaneously, such as 
those in use at Trentliam. After thinking the matter over, , 
and keeping in view your mode of hanging your front 
sashes, as simple and as effectual a mode would be the fol- ! 
lowing:—Obtain a fiat bar of iron, say one inch wide and 
three-eigliths-of-an inch thick, and the length of the front of 
tho_ house; prepare a shallow groove, so that it may slip 
easily backwards and forwards. For a foot or eighteen j 
inches in length of this bar of iron, at one end, let teeth or ! 
knobs be fixed, so as to fit to the openings of a racket-wheel 
placed beneath it, and which can easily be turned round by 
means of a small handle. Suppose you have this placed at 
the west-end of your house, you can move the bar eastward 
or westwai'd, just at your pleasure. The power is thus gained ; 
all that is wanted is to connect this moving power with 
a lever to open the sashes outwards. Obtain as many pieces 
of iron as 3 ’ou have sashes you wish to open, keeping in 
mind that you can do nothing with the one which your 
racket-wheel is opposite to. Let these be about half the 
size and weight of the main rod, and from a foot to eighteen 
inches in length, the greater part being nearly straight, and 
the other curved into the segment of a circle. Fasten the 
end of the curved part to the centre of the bottom of the 
sash, and after coming from there to the main bar, let it be 
brought along parallel with it, and there rivetted with a 
moveable joint, so that it turns on a pivot. Now move your 
rod to the eastward, and the pressure against the sashes 
will force them open, from the smallest space to the length 
your little opening rod lies upon the main one. Turn the 
rack the other way, and all are shut at once. By such 
means there are no unsightly long rods coming in your way 
“Do you have such a contrivance yourself?" “No! but 
were we building like you, we certainly should.” There is 
always a great advantage in being able to plunge hothouse 
plants when desirable, and you can give the plants the 
benefit of a stage at any time, by setting the plants on the 
surface, or even elevating them on a pot.] 
POULTRY. 
CURE OF ROUP. 
“ Having tried almost every receipt that has been re¬ 
commended for what I believe to be the roup in my fowls, 
and receiving no benefit, I, in despair, am induced to trouble 
you myself, and shall be greatly obliged if you can re¬ 
commend anything to effect a cure. They are first taken 
with a gaping, and drink an immense quantity of water, 
their heads swell, and there is a discharge from the eyes 
and nose, and their eyelids stick close together, so that they 
become quite blind, and the discharge smells very dis¬ 
agreeable. I keep two dozen hens, and have about 130 
young chickens, and have lost about twenty with this disease, 
and nearly the whole of the others are affected with it, 
more or less. I feed them on whole barley, and barleymeal, 
boiled rice, (fee. They have a paddock of about three acres, 
and plenty of rubbish to dust in. Some of the old ones 
had it before they began to lay, but they do not appear to 
have anything the matter with them now. I had excellent 
luck in hatching, the first seven hens bringing off eighty-six 
chickens.—J. Gold.” 
[The disease you describe is unmistalceably true Roup, 
an affection of the lining membrane of the nose which 
extends to the eyes. I believe that in the putrid state 
(indicated by the peculiar and disagreeable odour] it is 
highly contagious ; if this view is correct, little benefit can 
be expected, unless the diseased fowls are removed from 
the run. If this had been done originally, the house lime- 
washed and cleaned, and the water-vessels, ifec., scalded, the 
disease would, in all probability, have been got rid of. As it 1 
is, I should remove the worst, and drop into the nostrils of j 
all, either from the front, or through the slit in the roof of I 
the mouth, which is easily done with a small quill open at ; 
both ends, a solution of blue vitriol, alum, or some other ! 
strong astringent (ten grains to an ounce of water). The ' 
quill is used by dipping it into the solution, and then closing j 
the upper end with the finger, when it remains filled until 
the finger is removed. If this is done, and some stimu- I 
lating food, as peppered meal, or cayenne, a little meat, (fee., 
