THE COTTAGK GARDENEE. 
Hkckmekii Hi. 
:'14 
PROFIT FROM WILD FT.OWERS. 
A I’niKND of mine, wliilst staying for the heiiefit of liis 
liealtli in tlie Isle of Wight, rael witii a ])nor anil lliriftless 
family, eonsisting of a man, lii.s wife, ami llivee chihlreii. 
Jmlging that tlie best way of helping thinn was to teacli 
them to lielp themselves, he selected one. of the little girls, 
and instructed her hy means of two or three lessons in a 
Bnperior mode of preparing and exhibiting sea-weeds. 'J’he 
project took; sales of them were easily made, and this new 
employment soon raised the family from a state of indigence 
to one of comparative comfort. Now, what can be etiected 
with sea-weeds may be accomplisluG with wild llowers. 
There are many poor families who, if they cottld be pnt into 
a method of selecting and arranging hompiets tastefully, 
might find a ready sale for them. "Whether as botanical 
; specimens, or for simple nosegays, wild llowers are not 
! turned to the account they might he ; they' merit greater 
i notice, and a more e.x.tended appropriation.—S. 1’., Jitishnwre 
TO CORRESPONDENTS, 
I 
' *** We request that no one will write to the departmental writers of 
! The Cottage Gardener. It gives them unjustifiable trouble and 
I expense. All communications should be addressed “ To the Editor 0/ 
I fhe Cottage Gardener, 2^ Amen Corner, Pateimoater Roiv, LontZon.” 
To Prevent a Hen Sitting. — J. N. says—“In reply to * K.* No. 
217, the plan I have adopted lately, has been to confine the fowls 
wanting to sit under a rip for six or seven days, and feeding them solely 
with the commonest boiled rice (lid. per pound I give), with plenty of 
clean water. This I have invariably found to purge the fowls, and 
prevent wanting to sit. I named this plan, several months ago, to J. H. 
Payne, Esq. ; perhaps he would tell you how it has answered with his 
fowls, if he has tried it.” 
Ice {J. W.). —Thank you; the promise was overlooked altogether. 
“All the details of the same (ice), up to placing iced things on the 
table,” was volunteered; and when people make hasty promises, they 
must either fulfil them, or repent at their leisure. If you get up a strong 
opposition to the introduction of foreign ice, by collecting all our home 
stock into stacks or icebergs, and thatch them well, we shall tell how the 
“things” are to be iced and sent to table when the weather turns 
warmer. The ice keeps well in the Lowestoft and Yarmouths depots; 
but no plan is so economical as the icestacks, alias icebergs. 
North Greeniioue (A Daljljler). —The recess between the buildings 
will do capitally to keep flower-'rardeii plants in during the winter, if 
you can enclose it with glass, and provide against damp and frost. The 
north-east aspect is as good as any other for plants at rest, if they have 
sufficient light, dry atmosphere, and exemption from frost. Many of the 
showy summer plants would do very well in such a place, all the time 
they would be in bloom ; but it could not be made a house for prowmg 
plants in. A work is preparing relative to “the points” of which you 
enquire. 
Flower Baskets (il/. Femnana^h). —We are not sure that we under¬ 
stand your meaning. You say—“ I want information about makinir, 
and flowers in baskets.” But we shall keep your 
letter, and think the matter over We have hardly any right to call our 
neighbour’s attempt at flower-basketing stupid. If he is satisfied, that 
is quite enough. We shall give a few examples of how the things are 
generally done. The seeds of Gaura Lyndheimera \vo\i\A, indeed, be most 
desirable; but we fear, now that notice has been taken of the plant, it 
will be too valuable in the trade to let it out by seeds. Nurserymen 
tell us that they never find stock enough of any new plant we recommend 
on our own responsibility. 
Edw'ardsia grandiflora. — N. S. H. says:—“A fine specimen, 
growing on the south wall of the Botanic Garden, Bury St, Edmunds, 
has produced a number of perfect seeds for the first time, although the 
tree has been planted upwards of fifteen years. Is this an unusual or 
rare occurrence in other localities?” It is, indeed, very rare for the 
Edivardsia grandifiora to ripen seeds in England, unless it be on the 
south coast. We never recollect seeing either it, or E. microphylla 
bearing seeds out-of-doors; but this notice will be sure to cause an 
inquiry as to how far we are right. 
Bulbs {S. S. S.). —Yes; oblige us by sending the hardy ones, and the 
stove bulbs also, and we shall treat of them all as they occur. We shall 
continue to point out those best adapted for pot-culturc, and also 
selections from those genera having many species. Although these bulbs 
are called half-hardy, some of them are much more hardy than many of 
the hardy bulbs. Amaryllis, Brunsvigia, and Alstromeria, furnish 
examples of kinds much liardier than many of the Narciss^is, and even 
Crocus genera, as you shall see when we come to them. Pray make 
every suggestion you think of; you are entitled to have them attended to^ 
Clianthos PUNICEUS (.I Constant Reader). — “Should the almost 
bursting buds of one on a n.e. wall be picked off, or any protection given, 
and how ? It is large, and has survived two winters.”—It would be safe 
practice to cut off all the young recent growth, as well as the “bursting 
buds,” and to cover with a double mat, or some equivalent, after the first 
frost of six or seven degrees. We have seen a nine-year old plant of it, 
and as large as a moderate peach-tree, killed outright with 20° of frost, 
although covered with two folds of mat, and against a south wall. 
Mixture of Lilies {TwelvemontEs Subscriber). —We very much 
approve of your planting two circular beds wilb a mixture of Lilium /«??- 
cifolium fred and white) and scarlet Martagon, with L.longifolium round 
the outside. See that the bottom of the bed is dry by good draining ; 
and let L. lougl/olium have a little tan, coal ashes, or leaf mould over ii 
in winter. 'I'hese Inilbs flowering at different seasons is not very ob¬ 
jectionable, as their growth and leaves are so similar. 
Rabbits (Bob ).—We ilo not know of any separate work on Uabliits. 
Oat-straw for (bjw.*? (J. B. II .).—We can st.ate positively that oat- 
straw does not “ riiminisli the milk of cows more than does ilie straw of 
either barley or wlieat.” Cut into chafl*, and mixed with sliced mangold, 
sliced cabbage, or steamed potatoes, it makes an excellent fodder for them. 
I\r. Nees VON Kssenbeck (Queen Mnb). —You will have seen a no¬ 
tice of the party to whom you may forw.ard your benevolent contribution. 
Books (F. B.). —Loudon’s Encyclopiedia o'" Gardening, and The ' 
Cottage Gardeners’ Dictionary, are quite sufficient for you. 
Potato Murrain (.'1 Casual Reader ).—You invited our request; 
your postponement is discreet. 
Turnips for Cows (Amateni’). —It is difficult to say how many you 
should buy for the food of your two cows from this time until the 1st of 
May : wc do not know their size, breed, nor appetite ! However, it is a 
general rule that a cow requires daily in food three per cent, of her 
weight, so you can calculate how much to give each in addition to the 
grains and chaff you allow them. We should thinic 20 lbs. of clnuT and 
grains, mixed in equal proportions, and 15 lbs. of sliced turnips, an 
ample allowance for a cow. 
Pears on Quince Stocks (A Cn7ista7it Reader). —With us the Pears 
: bloom profusel}^ but so early, that for the most part they are destroyed 
I by the early frosts. By due protection this might be prevented. \ 
1 To Prevent a Hen Sitting .—A Constant Reader says —“ I have , 
lieen recommended, and have tried the plan, with success, of keeping the 
hen in a separate house, without food, for three days. This, 1 believe, ' 
will always have the desired effect.” | 
Vegetable Oyster (Reo. C. A. UOste).^\Ve. do not know a plant I 
so called. The roots of Salsafy, properly dressed, by boiling, mashing, ' 
forming into cakes, and frying in butter, have the flavour of Ovi-ter | 
)>attie8. The Pulmo7iuria 7na7’itima is called “ the Oyster Plant,” its | 
I flavour being unpleasantly resembling that of the Oyster. j 
Under Tenant (J. S. IF.b—You must consult some respectable I 
attorney ; no one could give an opinion without a personal interview and 
e.xplanations. 
Fencing for Poultry Yard (Qncercus ).—Galvanised iron wire is 
the best, and three feet high enough to keep within it your Sihanghaes. 
Speckled Hamburghs and Bantams will require it to be twice that height. 
, Vour poultry-house is good, but we have our roof thatched inside, by a 
' thick layer of straw confined by laths close to the slates. V'armtli is 
most needed—j'ou can always ventilate enough. 
Points in Siianghak Fowls.— T. .<1. says—“ Having just read Mr. 
B. P. Brent’s observations on Shanghae or Cochin-China fowls with 
' much interest, I inu.st beg to mention that the most striking features in 
‘ Shanghaes ’ are their great depth of breast, and length and size of thigh 
(not drumstick); in fact, that they more resemble turkeys than any other 
fowl yet known in this country. Good breasts and thighs are undoubtedly 
qualifications of the first importance, as there the meats (brown anil 
white) are to be found both excellent aiid abundant in this breed when 
properly fatted. Colour is no criterion as to the purity of the breed, 
except that there arc no black or pure white thorough-bred ‘ Shanghaes* 
in England. I quite agree that the dark birds are the finest, and have 
almost invariably found that the light-coloured birds are the smallest.” 
Bees : Destroying Royal Cells.— Investigator says—“ I am much 
obliged to ‘Mary’ for the reference to the ‘ Shilling Bee-book.” I re¬ 
membered the passage soon after I had written the letter, and wondered 
I had forgotten it, as I nearly know the little book by memory, and there 
' can scarcely be a practical difficulty which it does not meet. To insure 
the destruction of all the royal cells, it is necessary to take out each 
comb on its separate bar, for, though usually on the edges of the combs, 
I fouinl one or two suspended within those narrow passages, near 
; the centre of the combs, which serve as communications through the 
hive. I followed the directions at pages 17 and 38 of the ‘Shilling Bee- 
book ;’ and will add a few hints, which may be useful to a novice. In the 
first place, do not be discouraged by an imaginary difficulty; I know 
more than one lady who has successfully performed the operation, l^lace 
the swarm on the stock’s stand, and carry the stock some distance into 
the shade. Your assistant must blow a puff of smoke between each 
comb before you detach it from the sides of the hive. Commence at one 
side, and take up bar after bar; before replacing one, take up the next, 
till you reach the centre, and then commence from the other side. I cut 
out ten royal cells, three of which were ceiled over, and the others con¬ 
tained larvie in various stages. The bees were indignant at the frustra¬ 
tion of their design, and immediately commenced the reconstruction of 
royal cells; but the queen obeyed my wishes, and so the cells did not 
advance.” 
I Errors. — C. R R. says—“ There are three very sad mistakes in your 
notice in The Cottage Gardener of Dec. 2, in my report of the 
Country Curate’s bee system, no doubt attributable to my horrid writing. 
In lines 28 and 29 you have it, ‘ and the bees, about 'ilb., filled a dinner 
tumbler of the ordinary size ; ’ this should be, ‘ and the bees about three 
a dinner tumbler of the ordinary size.’ In line you have ' 
it, ‘one weighs, empty, 3lbs., another 7lbs., the third ylbs ; * this should 
be, ‘ one weighs, empty, 6/6s., another 711)3., the third 9 lbs.’ Inline 
,55 you have it, ‘ with the cap in; ’ this should be, ‘ with the cap ow.’ ” 
Errors. —At page 187, col. 2, line 22 from the bottom, for “ all,” read 
“not;” page 188, col. 2, line 2 from the top, for “one,” read “our;” 
line 15 from the bottom, for “judicious,” read “judicial.” 
London: Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High-street, 
in the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, in the Parish of 
Christ Church, City of London.—December l6th, 1862. 
