Novejieeu (5. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
!J3 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
I 
CARDENiNQ. 
^ BELFAST CONSERVATORY FOR THE WORIviNG 
' CLASSES. 
“ I take an interest in the inaiiiigonient of a conservatory 
, erected her for the henefit of the Avorking classes. Tiie 
Iniildiiig is ninety feet long, fifty feet wide, and seventeen 
feet high. Tlio roof (which is on tlie‘ridge and furrow’ 
! iirinciple) is supported by metal ooluiniis in tlie interior of 
[ the building. Will you kindly name a few good, easily- 
: procured, climbing plants, suitable for training up the metal 
I columns referred to, and from t!io]n to he carried over the 
' glass roof. The place is much frerjuented dtuing the early 
I spring months, and, therefore, a few evergreens would be 
; desirable. The conservatory is not artilicinlly heated during 
the winter months. —AVitj,iam Valentine, Belfast. 
I [We think you could not do better than select from the 
listol plants given by Mr. Beaton, as ilourishing so well in 
the arcade of the Crystal Palace. We are heartily glad to 
^ hear of such an effort for the benefit of tlie million, and 
! regret e.vceedingly that frost cannot be excluded by some 
! cheap mode of heating, §uch ns two large brick Arriott 
j stoves. The Yellow and AVhite Baii/tsiaii Boses would have 
I a fine effect on the roof of such a cool house in spring, and 
I so would such kinds as Forltnie's Yellow and fhe Cloth of 
I Gold. All the 7'ert Boses would thrive well in such a house. 
! We do not recollect any evergreens hardy enough, and that 
would floAver early in spring. The Ghimonauthus frayrans 
might be trained as a creeper, and its scent would be deli¬ 
cious in winter and spring. Such climbers as Clematis 
azurca and Bieboldii would be quite at home in such a 
place. It would be interesting to know how the better 
Rhododendrons, Camellias, Ac., would stand the winter, and 
bloom in such a house.] 
GLASS CASE FOR PLANTS. 
“ I have a glass case two feet long, one foot high, and 
fifteen inches broad, and 1 should be much obliged if you 
woultl tell me of some way of converting it into a Wardian 
Case; and also by your giving me a list of smalt Ferns that 
would grow in it.—J. G.” 
[Has your glass case a zinc bottom six inches deep ? If 
not, you should get one made to fit your glass. Prepare 
it for the Ferns by first covering the bottom with an inch 
of broken garden pots; upon them strew a thin covering 
ot moss. Then procure a sufficient quantitj' to fill it up to 
the rim of the following comj)ost;—turfy-peat broken into 
sniall pieces, and leaf-mould in equal parts, mixed freely 
with silver-sand. You may procure this of any respectable 
nurseryman, ready mixed, but tell him not to sift it. 
The following Ferns will answer your purpose ;— Adiantum 
capillus veneris, Adiantum omealnm, Grammitis cctcrnch, 
Asplcnitini 'I'richomanes, Gisloptcris fragilis, Doodia media, 
Niphoholns rnpestris, Platyloina rotnndifolia, Li/ciqwdinm 
densnm, and Lycopodinm dcnticulatum. Plant them iti the soil, 
and thou cover it neatly ivith s)uall pieces of pumice stone, 
j Give water freely, and alloiv the leaves and the surface to 
dry before fixing on the glass. Keep a good look out for 
weeds and decaying leaves. Keep the soil moderately moist, 
and lift off the glass occasionally to admit fresh air. Keep 
the glass quite clear and bright, and in a room Avhere the 
.iun can shine on it till 10 r.M., and where the temperature 
in winter is just above freezing.] 
on account of its valuable bark, is managed difi'erently. 
When the ascending sap is rising and llowing vigorously, 
the bark easily sejjarates from the wood, and then the 
peeling season coiumences. Some foresters fell the Oaks 
then for the convenience of more easily stripping off the 
bark; hut that method injures the rvood greatly. The 
bark should be taken off, and the trees allowed to stand 
bare till the autumn. This hardens and dries the wood, 
and it is improved thereby. Of course, Oak-trees, whose 
timber is valueless, may be felled any time.] 
BEETLES IN AN ORCHIU-IIOUSE. 
“ As a moderately successful grower of Orchids for the 
last dozen year.s, jou may judge of my mortification on 
finding, about two mouths ago, a large Beetle, or Blntta, 
for the first time, in one of my houses. YVe could not catch 
, him, but now discover that avo have a Inrye family. I’ray, 
as soon as you can, give me some advice in your publica¬ 
tion.— Mount Heaton.” 
[It is a serious misfortune Avhen the Eastern, or, indeed, 
any other, Beetle, has found its Avay into and has bred in the 
Orchid-house. You have two Avays of getting rid of them; 
1 namely, by trapping and catching them. The best trap is a 
common bell-glass, such as gardeners use to pi'opagate hard- 
, Avooded plants. Turn it upsido-doAvn, and put a small quantity 
j of common beer, sweetened Avith sugar, in it. Use three or 
I four of these traps, and place them so that the Beetles can 
reach the'edge; they Avill fall doAvn into them and be 
drowned. Empty them out every morning, and change the 
beer once a Aveek. To catch them, make a piece of Avood 
the shape of a small painter’s brush Avithout the hairs, stick 
the blunt, fiat end full of juiis; then, every night go Avith 
a bulls-eye, or any other small lantern, into the house, and 
look sharply about for the Beetles, and as soon as you 
perceive one, strike him AA'ith your spear and destroy him. 
With this siiear and the trap you Avill soon get rid of the 
I destructive intruders. Y’ou may also try the folloAving:— 
Get some lard, mix it Avith arsenic, and put a small bit on 
the end of some some short sticks; place these here and 
j there amongst the Orchid pots ; the Blatlas Avill feed uiion 
j it and die. As this is poison, caution must be used that no 
animal eats it. Also, place a quantity of slices of Potatoes 
on the surfaces of the pots ; the insects Avill feed upon them 
instead of the young roots of your Orchids, and Avhen you 
go in around Avith your spear, you Avill frequently find them 
j on the Potato slices, Avhere yoAi can, if you look sharp, put 
them to death Avith the. many-pointed sjAear. The Beetles 
Avill not cross Avater; therefore, any very choice plant may 
bo kept from them by filling a pan of Avater, tui ning a pot 
upside-doAvn in the centre, and placing the choice i)lant 
upon it. It is on, as it Avei'e, an island, and is secure from 
thoir ravages ; but you must bo careful tluit no leaves of the 
plant touch any other plant, or that leaf Avill be made use of 
as a bridge over the Avater by these cunning insects. This 
Avar against them must be incessant, for they breed 2>i'o- 
digiously. In potting any of your plants, look diligently for 
them. We have often found them in scores amongst the 
crocks, and sometimes found their eggs. Their eggs are in 
a long, broAvn, shining case. These, especially, Avhen you 
find them, must be crushed to atoms. 
AVhile on the look-out for Beetles, you Avill, of course, 
destroy all Avood-lico and slugs, Avhich are almost as 
destructive as the Beetles. 
YMu Avill find a foAV toads put into you house excellent 
allies in destroying those enemies to your favourite and 
valuable plants.] 
TIME FOR FELLING TIMBER. 
“You Avill oblige me by stating Avhat are the best months 
I in the year for cutting (or falling) heavy wood, such as Ash, 
] Oak, Blane-tree; and if all at one time?—A Subsckiber.” 
, (The best time to fell Ash, Elm, Sycamore, and Beech, is 
I from Novomber to February. The ascending sap is then 
I nearly dormant, and, coAiscquenlly, the Avood is closer, drier, 
' and firmer, and the Avood is not so liable to rot so soon as 
I Avhen the felhng is done during the groAving season. Oak, 
BLOOMING FELICITIa PERPETUELLE ROSE. 
“An Old Subsciubek Avishes to knoAV hoAV to make the 
Rose Felicite Bcrpetnelle bloom. Is it tenacious of being 
pruned? The one in question has been iilanted three years ; 
is a fine, healthy jilant, and makes fine, long shoots. It is 
on a trellis, in good soil, and AA'ith a south-eastern aspect ; 
but it does not iloAver.” 
[Do not touch it, either Avith the knife or the finger, and 
it Avill bo in fine bloom next June, and quite time enough, 
too. YMu surely do not read The Cottaoe Gabdener to 
