OCTOBEB 28. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
The place to grow tliem should either ho a deep pit or 
on the stage of a greenhouse. To prevent accidents, it 
is desirable to place a small stick, painted green, to each 
flower-stem, tying them rather slackly with soft matting. 
These sticks may remain till the plants arrive at the 
place of e.x.hibition, wdien they should all bo removed, 
e.Kcepting the centre one. The stems should be strong 
enough to keep their position. Each stem should bear 
a long spike of flowers, seven or eight of which should 
be in bloom at the time ; each bloom should consist of 
petals that are broad and highly-coloured, whether the 
colour is scarlet, purple, or blue. The best number, or 
at least a suflicient number for a stand, will he six. 
Tliat number will include all the best varieties at present 
known, but if a greater variety is raised, the number 
may be raised. 
Lastly, Hybridizing, in order to improve the varieties. 
This is done in the usual way, that is, by cutting aw’ay 
all the anthers from one flower before the pollen cases 
hurst, and applying the pollen from some other variety, 
possessing qualities desirable to add to those possessed 
by the one to bear seed. The flowers thus hybridized 
should be protected from bees and other insects by a 
covering of fine net muslin. T. Appleby. 
JOTTINGS BY THE WAY. 
{Continuedfrom page 44.) 
In the course of my journey I visited the ancient towm 
of Gow/ifn/, famous for the somewhat apocryphal history 
of the Lady Godiva and Peeping Tom. There happened 
to be an Exhibition of Plants, Fruits, ami Vegetables 
that day, and I was much gratified to see so many good 
things on the tables. The gardener at Lord Leigh’s, 
of Stoueleigh Abbey, had good well-bloomed plants of 
Allamania catliartica, Stephanotis Jiorabunda, Pleroma 
elegans, and others. The fruit was also I'espectable, and 
the vegetables excellent. It is delightful to observe, 
at country exhibitions, the very excellent vegetables 
produced by cottagers: it was especially so to myself, 
having been so long connected with a work partly devoted 
to their instruction; and I do not know a more accept¬ 
able and useful present to an industrious, hard-working 
cottager than the first tw'o volumes of The Cottage 
Gardenek. 
On the same day, I had a great treat in visiting the 
gardens at Kearslcg House, three miles from Coventry, 
belonging to the Rev. Mr. Thickens. Mr. Craddock is 
the gardener. There I saw a noble specimen of that 
beautiful fir the Picoa Wel.biana, a handsome tree with 
all the branches symmetrically arranged, and not one 
in the least injured by frost. 1 may venture to say this 
is the finest specimen in England. It was full sixteen feet 
high, and ten feet through. It is planted on the lawn in 
front of the house, which stands on a considerable eleva¬ 
tion. The garden is sheltered on the north and west 
sides. The subsoil is a kind of shaly rock, with a thick 
coating of good loam upon it. These circumstances, no 
doubt, were favourable to the growth of such Coniferfe as 
are rather tender, like the one I am describing. There 
w'as also a thriving specimen of that fine tree the Abies 
Douglassii, twenty feet high and twelve feet through. 
This specimen was also perfect;—not a branch was want¬ 
ing to destroy its symmetry. Abies Menziezii had reached 
twenty feet high and ten feet through. The lowest tier of 
branches reached to the ground, and were regularly 
disposed up to the last produced tier, forming a truly 
unique, handsome specimen. Gupressus macrocargni, or 
Lanibertiana, was twelve feet high, and a fine, well- 
clothed-with-branches specimen. There were also thriv¬ 
ing trees of Cryptonieria japonica, Gedrus Deodara, 
eighteen feet high; Araucaria imbricata, and a very 
green tree of Araucaria Gunninghamii, perfectly healthy; 
besides many others, more common and of less note, 
belonging to this tribe. In another part of the grounds 
I observed a good healtby tree of Benthamia fragifera. 
I was informed that this tree had not as yet fruited. On 
the rock-work, which is rather extensive, there w'as a 
good collection of British Ferns; and in the garden 
where the glass-houses are, I observed good plants of 
Heaths and New Holland plants. The place altogether 
is not very extensive, but is kept in excellent order 
througbout. I am sure any lover of rare and beautiful, 
healthy, Conifera3, as well as other plants, would be as 
much pleased as I was to view so many unique speci¬ 
mens in so small a place. It is a beautiful drive from 
Coventry, which is the nearest point by railway to it. 
The neighbourhood of Coventry abounds with gentle¬ 
men’s seats, which are well worthy of spending two or 
three days in seeing them, especially Stoneleiyh Abbey, 
about four miles from Coventry. This place, with respect 
to gardening, is undergoing considerable alteration. 
Mr. Nesfield has laid out, in his peculiar style, a new 
terrace garden, and a large new conservatory is just 
finished, but not filled with plants, at least it was not 
when I was there. ’.Che present owner seems to be a 
veiy kindly-hearted man. The day I visited the place 
he bad a large number of poor children at the hall, and 
was giving them a feast. Never did I see a happier or 
merrier group of children; the lord and lady were quite 
as happy, and as harmlessly merry as the young urchins 
they were entertaining. It was, we understood, the 
second birth-day of the young heir that occasioned the 
holiday. It is such kindness that endears our aristo¬ 
cracy to their dependants. May such kind-hearted 
nobles increase to render the poor happy and contented. 
The kitchen gardens are extensive, and also improving. 
In one new house I noted a large number of vines in 
])ots to be fruited therein; they were almost as strong 
as those on the rafters ; the wood was ripening beauti¬ 
fully, and they will, no doubt, bear a plentiful crop next 
j^ear. A span-roofed lofty vinery had been at one end 
replanted, and the vines were growing strongly. Tins 
kind of vinery is rather common, but I know none that 
shows off the vine so beautifully. 
On the road to Stoneleigh Abbey is Styvechale Hall, 
the seat of G. Gregory, Esq. Tlie gardens here are 
improving much under the fostering care of Mr. John 
Asbton; and a little distance off is Whitley Abbey, be¬ 
longing to the Hon. Mrs. Hood. 'This is a very ancient 
place. I W'as much pleased with the rock-work here, 
which is not artificial; the natural rock has been bared 
to a gi'eat extent, and planted with deep rock shrubs 
and herbaceous plants, and is the most unique thing of 
the kind 1 have seen. T. Appleby 
{To he continued.) 
WINTERING CAULIFLOWER PLANTS. 
It is generally admitted that the production of early 
Cauliflowers, in conjunction with that of Peas, forms the 
line of demarcation between the winter and the summer 
products, which in each the garden may be expected to 
furnish; and it seldom happens that the Cauliflower, 
under ordinary circumstances, can he brought into 
bearing immediately the last Brocoli of the season goes 
out, an interval of a few days (certainly not more than 
a week) occurs before this important vegetable takes its 
place. Now, though it is well known that Brocoli (or 
Cauliflower either) will keep a few days hung up in a 
cool place, if not too much stripped of leaves,'yet it is 
always advisable to arrange the planting and other con¬ 
ditions, so that the succession may he such as to dis¬ 
pense with the “ preservation system” as much as pos¬ 
sible, more especially so at a period when vegetation is 
so much on the alert as to act in an inverse ratio with 
