THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. 
NOVEIIBF.R 18. 
lU 
that might he sown in heat or cohl, and now that we liave more room we 
shall keep your “hints” in mind. Notliing of this sort, however, will 
he in season before the middle of next February. Bleantime we should 
like to hear of any other “hints” which our subscribers think would 
improve our pages. One of our chief recommendations has been to fill 
all the spare places between bedders as soon as the beds are planted ; but 
whether “one sort, or colour, should be planted in each bed” is a matter 
of taste with which we never interfere. We prefer three colours in some 
of the beds, two in others, and one only in the greatest number. At 
other times, the stock of Annuals governs our choice; the truth is, we 
can hardly do amiss if the soil is all covered as soon as possible. It 
is out of our power to say at what distance bedding-plants should be 
])Ianted, for each kind cannot be persuaded to be of the same size all 
over the kingdom at the time of planting. We have planted Verbenas 
at six inches apart; Calceolarias and Petunias the same; Geraniums 
from nine inches to a foot from plant to plant, and so on ; but all these 
we have put in at twice or three times such distances. The Kilkenny 
Anemones are the same as the common border ones all over the kingdom. 
Back Gaudens {Grumbler.). —Mr. Robson will tell you how to make 
the best of the back garden, 200 feet long and from 35 to 40 feet wide. 
We shall also give a plan or two to convert such enclosures into flower- 
gardens ; still we have no sympathy with “ grumblers.” 
Caterpillars on Hamburgh Grapes (C. W.). —“ The Caterpillar 
which feeds on the outer skins of the berries of Grapes is that of the 
little moth Cochylis Amphaciella of Andouin’s ‘ Memoir on the Insects 
of the Vine.* Fumigation and a sharp look out seem to be the only 
serviceable remedies.”—J. O. W. 
OxALis Bow’EIi (il/. D. P .).—We suspect the dull weather has lately 
been against the flowers expanding. Give it the openest and lighest 
position you can command, and a temperature little below 50° at night. 
Sec an article to-day by Mr. Fish. 
Poultry-keeping. — A Poor Man’s Well-wisher writes thus:—“When 
will this question be set at rest concerning which is the most profitable 
breed of poultry for a poor man? I cannot wait any longer, for have a 
pair of some sort I must; for what I have read about them in The 
Cottage Gardener has put me so much agog for some of these fine 
birds, that I can hardly sleep in my bed for thinking about them. What 
j)rofitable things they must be to live upon little more than a penny per 
week, and to lay six eggs in a week that are worth one shilling each! 
O dear me I but I must have some of them, you may depend upon it. 
If I was not a poor man, there would be Cochin-Chinas, Dorkings, 
Spanish, and Malays, to be seen at my house in less than a month ; but, 
as it is, I am hardly able to purchase one pair, and this makes me so 
desirous of knowing which would be the best; but I think I may make 
myself quite satisfied that there is no one going to tell me, so I must 
purchase one pair at a time, and prove for myself. I think I shall com¬ 
mence with the Cochin-Chinas, for I have a friend that has reared five 
this summer, two cockerels and three pullets. They were hatched the 
hist week in May, and he tells me that the five have not cost him two¬ 
pence per week ; and I am sure they have not been within half-a-mile of 
a stack-yard, or a barn-door, neither have they seen a field of grain of 
any sort. What will Mr. “ Gallus ” say to this? They have a good 
walk on grass, and they are now living, and have been for this last 
month, upon acorns, which they pick themselves ; and when they come 
home at night they would not thank you for a bit of barley, although 
Mr. “ Gallus ” says they are never satisfied. Now all this I know ; but 
about Dorkings, Spanish, and Malays I know nothing; but I don’t care 
how soon I do, for I long to be in possession of some of these profitable 
birds. But my wife is quite angry to think about me giving a guinea for 
a pair of fowls, when I have to work hard all the week for the one-half 
of it; for I must inform you that I am nothing but a poor day labourer, 
and gold is a thing that I see but once a fortnight; and besides, I shall 
liave to pay for every grain that they eat, for I have nowhere to turn 
them out, neither on grass nor gravel; but it is no use, for this whim 
has got hold of me so fast that I must have some of them. But woe- 
betide you, Mr. Editor, and Mrs, Anster Bonn, if I do not find some 
little truth in your writing, for I know my wife will comb my hair for 
me if I do not get some little profit, after spending so much money. So 
now I hope, instead of telling me which is the best sort to keep, you will 
tell me which is the best and cheapest way of feeding them, and tell 
your readers to follow my plan, and get a pair of each sort, keep them 
separate, and judge for themselves which they think are the most profit¬ 
able ; or, if they do not like to venture into quite so deep a water that I 
am venturing into, why all that I can say is, there is a good time a 
coining, so they must wait a little longer till I am got safe ashore, and 
tlien I will tell them exactly the way that I got over, if ever I do get over 
at all, and if I sink I will hold up my hand ; but the worst of it will be 
to them, if there is sound land on the other side, I shall be a mile-ancl-a- 
half ahead of them, for you may depend upon it if they waited to see me 
safe over I shall not wait for them afterwards, for I shall be boldly on the 
road, for I know very well that there will be poultry shows in our country 
shortly, where prizes will be given for the best breeds of poultry, and 
i then how I shall laugh at them if, the whilst they are dabbling in the 
I matter, I am in the field gaining the prize. But I must stop, for I dare 
I say you will not think this lot of stulf worth a place in The Cottage 
Gardener ; but, Sir, I hope you will encourage your cottage readers to 
i press forward. I will tell them anything that I know with the greatest 
of pleasure, if they would like to hear it, and you have no objections 
against printing it; there is always something to be learned of the igno¬ 
rant.”— A Poor Man’s Well-wisher. [We shall readily insert more 
of your “ignorance.”—E d. C. G.] 
Masters and their Gardeners.— We well knew when we inserted 
City Friar’s” letter, that he had run his pen into a hornet’s nest. We 
have received many replies, but can find space but for one, and with this 
tlic discussion must cease:—“ I hope you will pardon the liberty I have 
taken in writing a few lines to you on the subject of a gentleman’s letter, 
who styles himself ^A City Friar,’ in your number of October 14. He 
considers gardeners as ‘ droll dogs,* and as having the bump of conceit. 
Now, it is all very well for the masters, such as ‘ The City Friar,* to be 
talking like that; but what would be the consequence if they were to 
listen to all that is told them? They would be led astray and blamed 
for carelessness, or for want of a little more of ‘ the bump of conceit.’ 
If a master wishes to be as master, let him be one, and let the gardener 
be a gardener; or, else let the master have a common labourer, and him¬ 
self may be the head-gardener. There arc a class of people who are very 
conceited—masters as w-ell as servants ; but you will not find there gar¬ 
deners who understand their business. They know what wants doing as 
well (in my opinion, better) than their masters. There arc many tilings 
a gardener can see want'doing that a master does not see, and it grieves 
liim because he cannot do it; why is this but because there are other 
things that w'ant doing at the same time? This I know by experience ; 
and my opinion is, that if such masters as these were to allow more 
strength, and leave the managing to the gardener, their gardens would 
be kept in better order, and things that the master sees undone would 
be done, and it would be more to ihe master’s interest as well as the 
gardener's credit. It makes a man careless when a master comes order¬ 
ing a thing one way, and, perhaps, that thing ought to be done diame¬ 
trically another w'ay. They would find it quite a different thing if they 
could but exchange situations.”—A Constant Reader. 
Celery (J. R. A’.). —Nutt’s Champion and Cole’s Solid-Stalked are 
the best varieties we have growm; but we see that at the last meeting of 
the Horticultural Society, in Regent-street, Whittingto7i’s Red carried off 
the prize. Let us add, however, that Celery is so much influenced by 
cultivation, that almost every variety can be grown to a very large size 
and to a high degree of excellence; rapid unchecked growth secures both 
tliose good qualities. We cannot name dealers. 
Our Volumes (Clericus). —You can have the two half-yearly volumes 
ready bound together in one volume, with the fitting Indexes, by 
applying at our office. We are enquiring about the seed, and will send 
it if we succeed; we have none left. 
Sewage from House and Stable (A. C. S., Beccles.). —Probably 
about four buckets of water to one of the Ii(juor will make it sufficiently 
weak for both fruit-trees and flowers ; but this is not the time to apply 
it to them. Why not give it to gi'owing kitchen-garden crops, such as 
cabbages, celery, &c. 
Drain from Stable (B.J.). —To convey the drainage from this, the 
piggery. Sec., to a tank, nothing will answer better than the sewer pipes 
now made of coarse stoneware. If they are not less than six inches 
diameter they will not be liable to choke, if laid with a moderate slope 
to the tank. A common cast-iron pump is the best for emptying the 
tank. 
Heating Small Conservatory (E. C.). —As your conservatory 
does not contain more than twenty-five cubic yards of air, and you only 
wish to exclude the frost, we should have two four-gallon stone bottles, 
and if one of these was kept with hot water in it during the day, and 
both w’ere kept so filled at night in the conservatory, you would effect 
your purpose. To prevent their appearing unsightly during the day, it is 
very easy to have a wooden case perforated with holes to put over 
them. 
Shangiiae Fowls (A Poultry Fancier.). —If you cook the cockerels 
when three or four months old, accordingly as they have thriven, their 
legs do not appear awkwardly long when roasted. Nor do they at any 
time appear too long, in proportion to their size, if true and well-bred 
specimens are kept. It is a libel to call the gangling, half-Malay 
creatures, which are so common, by the aristocratic title of “ Shanghae.” 
Training Pots. — Mr. J. H. Horsley justly observes: “I have often 
thought what an assistance it would be if we could get some pots made 
with small holes round the rim to pass the matting through, instead of 
crooks and all other contrivances. I have written to Mr. Phillips, 
potter, of Weston-super-Mare, who informs me he will get some pots 
made immediately for the trade; and I am sure Geranium growers, who 
are desirous of making good specimens, will find those pots very useful.” 
Louise Bonne Pear. —Mr. Hogg says:—“It is a very old French 
variety, and originated about the middle of the 17th century, in Poitu, 
on the property of a lady whose Christian name was Louise, but whose 
surname I have never lieen able to discover. There is, I believe, no good 
ground for calling any other variety by the distinctive name of “Bonne 
but the old Louise Bonne, being for upwards of a century and a half a I 
popular variety in France, other varieties received similar appellations, 
either from fancied resemblance to the old variety, or as recommend.ation I 
of excellence, merely distinguishing them with the name of the places 
where they were raised, or whence they came. The Louise Bonne of 
Jersey is a misnomer, and has no claim to the ‘Bonne.’ ” 
Names op Plants {Ret). R. M. E.). —You send us such small spe¬ 
cimens, that you give us much needless trouble; why not send larger 
ones ? We cannot say, from such a specimen, which of the Geraniums 
your’s is. The variegated leaf is of Phlox suaveolens, var. vaHegata, 
The other small leaf is, probably, of Swainsonia galegifolia. We really 
have not time to ponder over such specimens. (IK. X. IK.).—Yours is 
not a Helichrysum, but Helianthus altissimus. 
Names of Fruits {A. B., an Old Subscriber,),^T'he apple is 
Dumelow’s Seedling, and the pear is Easter Beurre. 
London; Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High-street, 
in the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Published by William 
Somerville Obr, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, in the Parish of 
Christ Church, City of London.*»November IStb, 1852. 
