152 
THE COTTAGE GAKHENER. 
November 25. 
I own practice, we should say that the moderate use of charcoal in the 
I soil and drainage has quite a different effect. An ounce, or two, to a 
i fair-sized pot we should consider moderate., which is the quantity you 
j say YOU used. We should be led to conclude that alternate dryness and 
' soakings had something to do with the yellowness of your Geraniums. 
We are too apt to think there is cause and effect when there is really 
p only coincidence. 
j Various Queries {Early Riser).—Erica Banksia dropping its buds. 
; Has it been lately shifted ?—this would cause it—or has it been allowed 
to get dry in the interior of the ball ? or does it stand in a dull place in 
j this dull weather ? In either case the remedy is obvious. The general 
' health seems good. To prevent Cinerarias blooming now^ cut out the 
! flower-stalks, and repot and grow freely. If you can have successions 
we would not do so, but rather let them flower on, as they are cheering 
i in the dead of winter. Shrubland Rose Petunia. —We think the flower 
' sent is right from its petal, but the bright pink was changed to a purple. 
1 It seems, however, to have the bright white eye. If the colour is bright 
I pink it is right. Medinilla Sieboldii not flowering.—llo not encourage 
I it to do so now in these dark days. Keep it drj'ish, but not over dry, 
and just vegetating, during the winter, in a medium temperature about 
56®, and in a light position. As the days lengthen, and light increases, 
give it more generous treatment, and you will probably be rewarded with 
flowers. Ericas Jiou'ermg twice a year. —Many of these do so at times, 
especially after such a hot summer as the last, as their growth was early 
made and matured. It is not, however, often desirable. 
Oranges and Lemons {South IVales). —These, on the back wall of 
a small lean-to greenhouse, will do admirably. In a space eighteen feet 
long by eleven in height you may plant three plants, your favourite one 
in the centre. The more light and heat you can give them in such cir¬ 
cumstances in summer, the more the plants will thank you. Some time 
back ]\Ir. Fish gave a full detail of the subject. 
Various Questions (Greenho7'n). — Verbe7ias damping off. —These 
were struck in pans in August, have been watered lately only when dry, 
but still the plants next the outside of the pans keep damping off. Arc 
you sure the plants had not been too dry before you watered them ? We 
ask this, because we should have expected the plants to damp in the 
centre. Young Verbenas will not stand drought in the winter, and yet 
the atmosphere about them must be moving and dryish. If your plants 
are very thick in the pans, pot off the whole, or a portion, and place tljem 
at first in a close place. If not very thick, let them remain as they are, 
see that they do not want moisture below, scrape off a little of the 
surface soil, and scatter over it a layer of equal parts heath soil, powdered 
charcoal, and sand. If even that, in continued dull weather, should 
absorb much moisture, shake it off, and replace it with fresh. In another 
season, if you strike as early as August, you should pot off in September. 
Fuchsias sh'agglmg in their growth. —You may cut back either now or 
in spring. Cut down close to the surface of the soil, if you want a 
strong, fresh shoot, or shoots, next season; but only cut the side 
liranches to the buds nearest the main stem, or merely shorten them 
considerably, if you want early bloom. See the modes of keeping men¬ 
tioned lately. Your Cape Jasmine, straggling, and that has not fiowered — 
take the chance of what flowers it will give you in spring, after placing 
it in a hothouse or hotbed; then prune it veil back, and let it remain 
in the hotbed until it has made fresh shoots an inch or two in length ; 
then shake it out of its pots, clear away all the old soil, or nearly so, and 
repot in sandy peat, with a little fibry loam, and replungc in the bed, 
after giving it a rather small pot. After the pot is filled with roots, shift 
again into similar material, only adding more loam, place it in the bed 
again, and harden it off by degrees. A temperature about 40° to 45° will 
suit in winter; and if you can place it in a hothouse the following spring, 
or in a sweet dung hotbed, which is better still, you will get rewarded for 
all your care, and find that the very attentions you bestow will insensibly 
change the greenness of your tree into a rich russet mature bronze. 
Cuttings {One Thousand and One). —Your own practice seems 
rational enough, but whoever told you that “ steam generated” in your 
“cold pit,” was certainly in error. Lamp was the cause of fogging.” 
Cold ])its will always be too damp for late autumn cuttings ; yet, to get 
the cuttings rooted they must be kept close so late in the season, that it 
follows that such cuttings should be either made earlier, or be encou¬ 
raged with a gentle hotbed. In either case they should be kept close 
till they form roots. Surely there is no “contradiction” in all this. A 
good propagator could root buds of roses, and of many other plants, 
with a leaf and a splice of the wood to them, in a brisk hotbed in the 
spring ; but you had better not waste your time on such nice experiments 
for aw’hile, or till you learn the more common and easier ways. We saw 
some hundreds of Datura gracilis struck from single eyes this season. 
Flower-garden Plan {B.). —We perfectly understand how your 
garden “ looks exceedingly well, notwithstanding its simplicity.” "it is 
the best of that class we have seen this season, and you will see that w'e 
have engraved it. We are also very mucli obliged to you for sending it. 
We want as great a variety as we can get for the scries; we require more 
particularly those which suit such places as are confined, and from 150 
-to 200 feet in depth, and from 30 to 40 or 50 feet in width, for our sub¬ 
urban villas, &c. 
Cutting-down Laurels, See. (Ibid.) —It is by no means necessary 
to delay this work till July. That is the best time for the general prun¬ 
ing of evergreens; but cutting them back a little, or down close to the 
ground, may be done any time from November to May, if the weather is 
mild. 
Use of December Eggs.— “In afoot-note to your article on the 
sale of Mr. Sturgeon’s Shanghae fowls, you ask, ‘ Of what use for sitting 
purposes are eggs laid in December?’ Last year, two of my Silver- 
spangled Hamburgh pullets began to layabout the 1st of December; 
six of the eggs were put under alien, and were hatched on the 1st of 
January, and were reared, and are now healthy fowls. The circum¬ 
stances under which they were hatched were not particularly favourable ; 
and the only precaution afterwards taken, was to keep the hen and 
chickens in a common garden frame.”— John Harlow, Moseley, near 
Birmingham. 
Shallow Hotbed {Verax). —You must remember that “A Corres¬ 
pondent’s ” hotbed was probably made during summer, or before the I 
“ dark days” had arrived, and that it was enclosed with a brick wall; 
see page 1*7. Now, although a foot-deep bed is not the sort of thing to 
place mucii reliance on, we have known such a bed serve a temporary 
purpose—the season being favourable. You have put your question’s 
irrespective of seasons; but we will try our hand on the averages. Such 
a shallow bed made of dung alo7}e, in July, would last a month ; in No¬ 
vember, a week ; of tan alone, in July, a w^eek or two; mixed tan and 
leaves, in July, a week or two. To your second query, hou' best to 
convey a inild bottom-heat, we say we know of nothing equal to hot 
water. With plenty of manure and labour, you may,however, do much. 
If your pit is inside a house, a mixture of dung and leaves nearly three 1 
feet deep, with the flue, will provide a nice warmth. Doubtless your 
Hambro^s will ripen. 
Vine Border {A New Begm7ipr).’—We have heard and read of many 
vine borders, but your’s for complication exceeds most of them. Wc 
have studied your case for nearly half-an-hour, and cannot confess to an 
a])preciation of the plan. We are no users of composts. We prefer a 
porous turfy loam, with some coarse manurial matters, and plenty of old 
mortar rubbish, and a border of half-a-yard deep of soil, one-half above 
the ground level, and you may take all your horse bones, &c. Your plan 
7na{/ be a good one, but we dare not commend it. If you cun warm 
your vine roots, do. Pray favour us with your mode of growing the 
Strawberry. 
Unfruitful Apricot (7. T. 5.).— Root-prune your Apricot rather 
severely directly, ami top-dress the border to induce surface-roots; thin 
the wood W'Cll. 
Pine-apples {II. Hoi’ton ).—You do not state the kinds of Pine. The 
probability is, that they will yet make a spring growth, and show fruit 
about June or July. This, how-ever, depends much on your atmosphere. 
A plant disposed to show fruit generally indicates it by a peculiar stur¬ 
diness, irrespective of age. If on pulling at a leaf half-way up the stem, 
and shaking the plant, it appears immoveable in the stem, you may soon 
look for a show. We should say not less than twenty inches of soil will 
do for them. A plant in a pot will meet with relief within a couple of 
years, but not so, if planted out. Pines require depth and durability of 
soil. 
Yellow Calceolarias {Verax), —You wish for a list of Yellow CaU 
ceolarias, distinguishing the shade. Will the one below be useful to 
you:— A7nplexicaule, fine lemon yellow. Augustifolia, pale-lemon. Flo- 
r\hu7ida, free-flowering; pale-yellow. Kayii, orange-yellow. Ke7itish 
Hero, brown-yellow. Shankleya7ia, bronzy-yellow. Sulphurea splen- 
dens, dwarf; rich, clear yellow. We know a person that has several new 
varieties of yellow, shrubby Calceolarias, which will be ready to send out 
in the spring; probably some of them might suit you. 
Tall Lobelias {A Subsc7'iber fro7n the commencement). —Your re¬ 
marks on the tall Lobelias are perfectly just. There are great numbers 
that are not worthy a place in a border. You wish for a list of “really 
distinct and bright-coloured varieties.” The following is one sent by 
Mr. Appleby, who says they answer to your requirements:— Aurora, 
large; light, bright purple; broad petals. Buckii, deep blue, white eye. 
Elfrida, violet-blue. Fulge7is insignis. Fulgens rtnnosu, bright scarlet. 
Fulge7is splendida, bright, deep scarlet. Queen Victoria, extra fine; 
deep crimson-scarlet; very brown petals. Modcsta, lilac and white. 
Purpurea, purple, white eye. Violacea, violet, white eye. 
Apples and Pears on Wall (J. N. Omagh). —These ought not to 
be nearer than thirty feet to each other. Tlie Che7ndes not nearer than 
twenty feet. Your Peaches, Apricots, Nectarines, and Plums, you may 
leave as planted, at fifteen feet. 
Salvia patens. —The same correspondent says—“ I have grown 
Salvia pate7is in the open ground here (north of Ireland), without the 
slightest protection during winter.” 
Fruit-trees for North Wall {J. 77.).— We should devote this 
aspect to Morelia Cherries, Gooseberries, and Currants, because on it 
the two last-named can be easily protected and preserved to a late 
period. Plums, such as the hnperatrice and Coe’s Golden Drop, will 
ripen on a north aspect, but not earlier nor better than as standards. 
Removing Vine Bark {A Vine Grower). —You misquote Mr. Er- 
rington. He does not say “ scrape off,” but “ peel off every portion of 
loose outer bark.” In this, we think, he is quite right, for thereby all 
needless shelter for insects and fungi are removed, which might protect 
them from the full effects of sulphur applications. 
Auricula Frame {W. P. B .).—The bottom of Dr. Horner’s Auricula 
frame is closely boarded. 
Shanghae Fowls’ Eggs (7??y7«sjYor).—The best mode of packing 
these for travelling is with their small ends downwards, in a strong box, 
and with plenty of bran or oats between them. Pullets of this breed 
usually begin to lay when about six months old ; if very highly fed, and 
hatched early in the spring, they will sometimes lay when only five 
months old. No eggs should be used for hatching if more than a fort¬ 
night old ; the fresher they are for this purpose the better. We do not 
know the breed you speak of; we believe it is chiefly from Mr. Pun- I 
chard’s stock. 1 
Poultry Feeding (Maybush), —In our experiment with the forty- ! 
two fowls, the different kinds of food were given at different times. The 
rice was boiled, and the greaves softened by soaking in hot water pre- i 
viously to being given. We shall give, some day, a drawing and descrip- ; 
tion of our feeding-box. i 
The Country* Gentleman’s Companion. —Martha Thrifty writes < 
thus:—“I, as an injured party, beg to call your attention to the fact, 
that your new title to ‘The Cottage Gardener ’ has been the source 
of much annoyance to the ladies. It used to be considered that a wife 
was the country gentlem.an’s best companion. Now-a-days, when their 
long absence from home is complained of, they hold up The Cottage 
Gardener, and provokingly tell us they have another companion, which 
requires increased attention. And our sons, when pressed by us con¬ 
siderate mothers, to make a prudent choice, and take a companion for 
life, reply—‘ Mother, we have done so,* and exultingly hold to our view 
* The Cottage Gardf.ner.’ Now, for instance, there is Master John, 
