388 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
had got bare at the bottom, except in so far as it was 
covered by shoots turned down from the top; and so I 
resolved to cut down the plant, and further (to get, as I 
thought, a considerable quantity), I resolved on cutting it 
down as soon as the bloom was over; and accordingly cut 
it down within six or eight inches of the ground yesterday • 
but in my wisdom I had not calculated on its bleeding and 
this it lias been doing very profusely ever since. 
“ I first tried collodion, applied with a camel-hair pencil 
to the wounds, with no visible effect. Then I burned the 
cut ends with a red-hot iron, and again applied collodion, 
and still with no visible good result. I next tried Roman 
cement, rubbed in and laid on as thickly as I could get it to 
lie, and I think that is doing something to stop the bleed¬ 
ing; but I am afraid that it will bleed to death._J. A. 
Arboralh." 
[Ytm were in too great a hurry; still you have not killed 
this strong, handsome Rose; but the rash q,ct, at this 
season of the year, might have killed very many kinds of 
Roses. We have budded tender Roses at the end of July, 
which made weak shoots from the buds the same autumn, 
and they escaped the following winter. That is the best 
consolation we can offer to you; but on the other hand, we 
have known hardy Roses, which made a late growth from 
budded stocks, to be killed by the frost. Your Madame 
j D'Arblaxj Rose will, most probably, push up by the end of 
I the month, or early in September; then see the shoots are 
not much crowded, and put some boughs against them on 
the first appearance of frost. Though the frost might 
not kill these young growths, there is no saying what harm 
it might do them alter such an unnatural shock to the con- 
stitution ot the plant. After the frost is over, cut down all 
the young shoots to near the bottom. A little more or less 
bleeding is of less consequence than most people believe.] 
SAWDUST AND ROAD-SCRAPINGS. 
“ E Would sawdust be an improvement to a stiffish 
compost for growing Pansies; 
“ —For growing Ranunculuses; 
“3-—For growing Pinks; 
“ d-—For growing Hyacinths ; 
“•5-—For the kitchen and flower-garden generally; 
“ 0.—For spreading about the roots of tenderish plants to 1 
keep out the frost in winter; 
“ 7-—For keeping out the drouth from seedling and 
newly-transplanted plants ? 
“8.—Would you recommend (wliinstone] road scrapings 
for stiff land; and how would you apply them ? 
“0.—Would the fine ashes from the kitchen-fire be ' 
serviceable for flowers ? - I 
“ M y small cottage garden is rather stiffish clay, with I 
very fine sand and clayisli subsoil, which surface-soil I 
should like to improve a little at little expense. As I am ' 
but a from-year-to-year tenant, and the landlord will do 
nothing, and for my flowers am afraid of doing much in 
the experiment way, as this is but my second year of a ; 
garden, and I have already experimented a few favourite 
plants to death, and have laid out a good deal in plants 
Sawdust is abundantly to be had here, and I think would 
August 15. 
of the exposed surface, it was only out of about one inch of 
the sawdust, and that it had not been quite frozen through 
the three inches, or that it had been thawing from below°as 
well as above.—D. D.” 
[Sawdust partially decayed we believe to be one of the 
best of applications to a stiff loam. It decays slowly and 
keeps tbe soil open. Did any of our readers ever use de¬ 
cayed sawdust m a compost for Pansies, Ranunculuses, 
Pinks, or Hyacinths ? We shall be obliged by information 
on this point, Road-scrapings, where the roads are mended 
with wlnnstone or other siliceous material, are very good 
opening applications to stiff soil. 
We should put sawdust, about the roots of plants to keep 
the moisture from evaporating from them without any fear 
of injury. We should prefer it rather decayed.] 
NAME OF A PLANT. 
“ 1 shall be obliged by the name of the plant of which 1 
enclose a leaf, and wish to know if it is likely to be hardy in 
the climate ot the south of Ireland. It was raised from 
seed under the name of the Celestial Tree. Its tip was 
touched by frost early in winter, and it was then put in the 
g^eenlmuse. It is now very strong out-of-doors in a pot.— 
[We cannot say what your plant can be from the leaf sent 
but we should not think it would be likely to prove hardy 
enough to live out-of doors. We should encourage its growth 
in doors to flower it, and then let us have a flower of it and 
we will then inform you what it is. The Celestial plant is 
the Coeleslina ageratoides, a very beautiful bedding-out plant. 
IV e doubt whether this be a plant of much beauty. 
We have shown the leaf to several good authorities, but 
they have not been able to help ns. One of them says :_ j 
“ I have not the slightest idea of what it is. The leaf is I 
one only among a thousand of the kind, and yet we have 1 
tailed to make out what it is—we never saw such a leaf, or a 
figure of any leaf like it. The leaf of this Celestial tree is 
pinnated, two pairs and an odd one, the odd leaf is palmate 
as m some Maple—if that is a constant feature, which we 
much doubt, it is most curious.”] 
•/ -L tUIIIIV WUI 
answer my purpose well, but hope to have your opinion, as 
both gaideneis and farmers here, generally, are Quite pre- 
possessed against sawdust; but I know of a very successful 
Pansey-grower fthe raiser of Robert Burns) who strikes his 
Pansies and most of his plants in half-decayed saw¬ 
dust, and finds it.answer well; and from its beiim purely 
vegetable, chemically nearly the same as leaves,” I can¬ 
not see why there should be such an aversion to its 
use, as farmers will scarcely cart away pig - manure 
where the pigs have been bedded with it. Some actually 
refuse to lift it for nothing. I think it ought to 
shorten and lighten the compost, and allow the supera¬ 
bundant wet to pass more freely down through the soil 
which is what I expect it to do mechanically; and after 
decomposing, I expect it to be as good as so much leaf-mould 
added to the compost or flower-border. Its powers as a 
non-conductor of heat, I saw last winter. I had some’ lying 
in the garden about three inches deep; and after two or 
three days, falling a severe frost, I went out to dig 
a little, and found, that although the frost was entirely out 
London : Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High-street, 
in the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Published by William 
Somerville Ore, of Church Hill, Walthamstow, in the County of 
Essex, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, in the Parish of Christ- 
Church, City of London.—August 15th, 1854. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
*** M e request that no one will write to the departmental writers of 
Tiie Cottage Gardener. It gives them unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. All communications should be addressed “ To the Editor of 
The Cottage Gardener, 2, Amen Corner, Paternoster Row, London." 
Weedy Turf (Linda).— As you can neither sow nor returf your 
lawn, there is but one remedy; namely, very frequent mowing. A few 
old women with an old knife and a hag of salt will vanquish many of 
the weeds for a very little outlay. Let them cut out the weeds deeply, 
and put a pinch of salt into the wound. Your other question next week, 
Maiionia AauiFOLiuM berries ( H . if.). -This shrub is more 
correctly Berberis aijuifolium; being merely an evergreen Barberry, 
with purple fruit. We believe that the berries are as wholesome as those 
of the common Berberry. If any of our readers have used them as a 
preserve, or in tarts, they will much oblige us by informing us of the 
sugar required, and how they proceed in using them. 
Tobacco Pater (/. C .).—This is the most uncertain of all forms in 
which to apply Tobacco as a fumigator. It is sometimes very strongly 
impregnated with the narcotic juice of the Tobacco, and at other times 
scarcely contains any. You must have used too much of some which 
happened to be strongly impregnated. We know of no house where it 
can be purchased uniformly good. A weighed quantity of Tobacco rolled 
up in touch paper, and lighted like a squib, is far preferable to Tobacco 
paper. 
Kiiubarb Champaign (Anne ).—Our correspondent will be much 1 
obliged by a recipe for making this wine. 
