THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. 
OcTOBEn 9. 
ao 
Nectaiine is one of those varieties which hangs till it shrivels, 
and that many prefer it in that state, e so prefer it, and 
no doubt you will also, provided it is in the shrivelled state 
we presume it to he.] 
STAKING PLANTS.—DIELYTRA SPECTABILIS.— 
BORDER UNDER TREES. — RENOVATING A 
LAWN. 
“ What supports do you recommend for tying up border 
flowers, as Phloxes, Ac., &c. ? The one stake, with the plant 
tied up all of a bunch, is very ugly, and must be bad for the 
jdant, as tlie centre can get no air. I was thinking of having a 
miniature tree fence made; but, then, where there are many 
plants this would be expensive.” 
[“Border-flowers” are very badly managed, in respect of 
tying up, by ninety-nine persons out of a liiindred; and the 
fault of all tliis lies at the front doors of the honourable 
advocates of mixed gardens, mixed beds, mixed borders, 
mixed herbaceous plants, and mixed everything, except bad 
seeds with that which is good. Go where you will, and you 
will see Phloxes, Larkspurs, and all manner of plants tied 
up birch-broom fashion, that is, a bundle of shoots tied up 
to a hedge-stake thrust into the middle] of the bundle, and 
the tying so close that the flowers seem as if they were 
actually squeezed up out of the soft parts of the plants by 
the tightness of the tie. Every herbaceous plant which 
requires a stick should have it, and no more, if one will do; 
and one stick may do for every plant wdiich has no more 
than four stems ; but the four stems are not to be tied “ all 
in a bunch,” but each stem must have its own tie; thus, 
talce a tie-string, or piece of matting, and put it round the 
stick first, and draw the two ends of the tie to your own side 
of the stick, when you want to fasten a shoot on the side 
opposite to you, then make a firm knot on your side of the 
stick, and return the two ends of the tie, one on each side of 
the stick, and then get the ends round the shoot you mean to 
tie first, and make a firm knot at the back of it, on the side 
farthest from you, without drawing the shoot from the 
perpendicular; the shoot is now in a loose loop, and the 
three or four shoots must have each a seper.ate tie in the 
same w'ay; not, however, from the very same place on the 
stick; some may be higher and some lower than the first 
tied, and if the shoots are tall and heavy they may want 
more than one tie. The next kind of tie is three sticks at 
equal distances, not quite at the outside of the shoots to be 
tied, but nearly so, and a string is run from stick to stick in 
one or two places; this leaves all the shoots untouched, 
they are only confined by a three-cornered hoop. The next 
tie must have five sticks; and one, three, and five, are all 
the kinds of ties in use ; two or four sticks are W'orse than 
none; the five as one, the strongest, in the centre, and very 
firm ; the four are in the circumference, as the three were ; 
now' hoop the four in one or two tiers of string, and tie each 
of them to the middle stick, as if they w'ere four shoots, and 
you have the best tie in the world.] 
“May I leave my Dielytra spectalUis out all the winter?” 
[You may leave it out, or you may take it in-doors, just 
as you choose ; it is all the same to the plant, which is as 
haixly as a Daisy, as you may find stated ten times in every 
volume of The Cottage Gabdener since 1800.] 
“ I have a narrow border under trees, but with the full sun 
on it the hottest part of the day. Laurels do pretty well; 
but I want something to plant in front, between the Laurels 
and the walk. "What do you recommend ? It is seen from 
the drawing-room, and at present looks very forlorn all the 
year.” 
[You might make that narrow border under trees quite 
gay all the year round, with so many Golden Vai’iegated 
Hollies, and one-third the number of Silver Variegated 
Hollies, and as many plants of the Aucuha japonica as 
of the Silver Holly; that is, the Silvery Holly and the 
Aucuha japonica, between them to be one-half, and the 
other half to be of Yellow Hollies. Let the Hollies be 
only from a foot to eighteen inches high, and the 
not much higher. After trenchiny that strip of the 
border, and the grass edging with it, if any, proceed to 
plant, or mix and plant, your vai’iegated plants in such a 
way as you think they look best from the drawing-room 
w'indow. The way to jiroeeed is this: set the plants 
down on the bare earth, five or six feet apart, all along; then 
go inside the drawing-room, and make your right hand man 
move any of them, or all of them, backwards or forw’ai’ds, to 
the right or to the left, till you are satisfied that they are all 
in the best telling places; then order them to be planted. 
After that, fill the whole ground between them with Berbcris 
aquifulium, and see that this plant does not hurt the vai’ie- 
gatums.] 
“ I am going to have some grass seeds to renovate a lawn 
in the spring. It is poor, with tufts here and there. Ought 
I to do any thing in the w'ay of dressing this autumn ?— 
Berkshire Katie.” 
[No. No dressing this autumn; but provide as much 
dressing as will cover the whole lawui one inch deep next 
February, and keep this dressing as dry as a bone till the 
time of application, then soak it with the richest liquids 
about the house. Put it on, then harrow it in with a bush- 
harrow, and in three weeks sow the seeds over, then 
harrow lightly again, and the first time it is dry roll quite 
firm. Meantime, set the boy to dig out the strong tus- 
sacks and the broad-leaved plantain, and all other W'ecds, 
if any, and you will have the finest lawn in Europe in a 
couple of years] 
A BELT OF TREES FOR SHELTER.—PREVENTING 
SHELL-LESS EGGS. 
“ I am anxious to plant a narrow belt of trees to shelter 
my garden from the north winds. I should prefer ever¬ 
greens that would be ornamental. 'What trees are the best 
for ornament and quick growth; and what is the best time 
and mode of planting, especially Firs ? The soil is good, 
and rather strong. About five or six feet below the surface 
there is limestone. 
“ What would you give to fowls to prevent them laying 
eggs without shell ?— Anglo-Saxon.” 
[So much depends upon situation, elevation, and exposure, 
that without seeing your intended site of a sheltering belt 
of evergreen trees, it is almost impossible to advise you cor¬ 
rectly. 
If the situation is elevated and exposed, plant the com¬ 
mon hardy Scotch Pine on the side most exposed, and the 
Sp>ruce Fir on the inside. They are both quick in growth, 
very hardy, and, as everybody knows, evergreen. If the 
situation is rather lowg and sheltered by hedge timber, plant 
the belt with the Balm of Gilead and Weymouth Pine, 
If you w ish to get your belt up quickly, let the ground be 
well dug and broken thoroughly with the spade. This 
should be done immediately, and the trees planted as soon 
as possible, before the winter sets in. Observe not to plant 
trees more than two to three feet high; larger trees are 
almost sure to fail. Procure them from a nursery where 
they transplant frequently such trees; remove with plenty of 
fibres, and they are almost certain every one to grow. Let 
each tree have a stake, and the tree securely tied to it with 
tar-band to keep it steady, and the roots quiet till fresh fibres 
are produced. 
With these precautions and care, your belt will, in a very 
few years, be elticacious in sheltering yom’ garden from the 
north w’ind. 
Read Mr. Appleby’s papers on “Woodcraft;” many of 
his remarks, the fruits of a long experience, will be useful 
to you. 
Give your hens pills, each containing a grain of calgmel, 
and I-I2th of a grain of Tartar emetic. Give them very 
little corn, and no animal food, but plenty of boiled pota¬ 
toes, and as much of green vegetables as they \G11 eat.] 
SALT WLITER AQUARIUM.—PLANTS FOR A 
ROCKY MARGIN OF WATER. 
“ Can any of your readers inform me of the best way to 
make a salt water cistern for Marine Alyee, so that it may 
be seen into in front.’ 
“ In your answers to coiTespondents, in the number of 
Sejitember II, ‘ Rock-work ’ (R. J'ivian), you name the 
