150 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
November 2 t . 
box about two feet square, without a lid, and placed it over 
the trap and the entrance to the rat’s hole. This, evidently, 
puzzled the I’ats for a few da^^s, as there was no indication 
of their having emerged from their hiding-place; hut one 
morning, on lifting up the box, I found the trap sprung, 
and holding between its teeth the fore-foot only of a rat. 
On further examination, I found that the earth under the 
edge of and inside the box had been scraped away so as 
to admit of the passage of a rat, and, on searching still 
further, I discovered, at the distance of three or four yards, 
hidden behind some hoards, a rat minus a fore-foot. This 
rat was quite dead, and the back part of its skull had 
been eaten through. I, therefore, arrived at the conclusion, 
that its cries, when caught in the trap, had attracted its 
companions from under ground, who, finding it disabled, 
killed it, and, in order that it might not remain close to 
their place of abode, scraped a passage under the edge of 
the box, drew away their unfortunate relative, after execution, 
and hid it in the place where I found it. I should add, that 
it was almost impossible that a weasel, or cat, could have 
been the cause of this rat’s death. We bipeds without 
feathers are in the habit of monopolising the I’eputation of 
the possession of all the reason in the world; but I would 
ask of Messieurs the Philosophers, were these proceedings 
of the rats the result of reason, or of what we choose to 
term instinct ?—E. 
P.S.—A word in your ear, Mr. Editor. Do not abuse 
Brahmas. In addition to their excellent cpialities as winter 
layers, you may take my word for it they are palatable birds 
for the table. As sure as their eggs are right good eggs, 
and rich withal, the favourable repute of these birds will 
increase as they become better known. 
THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY’S GROUNDS. 
What ought to be done with them ? I say, apply to the 
President to allow them to tuim them into a cemetery for 
the West End of London; and, as a good example, the 
noble proprietor, the Duke, to make the first selection for 
himself. The subsoil of the greater part of the garden, I 
believe, is gravel, therefore suitable for the purpose; and 
though it would reflect no credit on a third-i'ate landscape 
gardener to lay out a new cemetery on similar principles, 
still, any practical that has entered the gardens from either 
of the entrances from the Duke of Devonshire’s road, with 
his eyes open, must have been forcibly reminded of their 
cemetery look; and though it would be difficult, in fact, im¬ 
possible, to make it a first-rate cemetery, without altering 
the whole; still, as there are a great many varieties of trees 
and shrubs that have now become fine specimens, I would 
allow them, in part, to remain, and try what could be done 
by judicious thinning. The conservatory appears to be in 
the right place for a chapel, and I can see no objection to 
the glass covering. As the burial service would only be 
performed here, a portion of it could be appropriated for 
first-class tombs. The portion of the grounds enclosed 
with a wall, where the medley of hot-houses and pits are 
now standing, could be let till required; for, even great as 
the mortality is in London, its cemeteries must be pro¬ 
gressive. 
Allow me to state, that I differ from you as regards one 
individual. I have almost invariably attended the Horticul¬ 
tural Society’s Exhibitions, from the'first to the last, both as 
a visitor and as an exhibitor, and have had ample oppor¬ 
tunities of judging the man; and, I say, the whole of the 
Horticultural world is indebted to him. Remember, he stood 
alone as the first great pioneer, leader, and director of the 
first great Horticultural Exhibition. Is it, therefore, to be 
wondered at, that he alone cannot please everybody, when 
every manager of the smallest country village show is com¬ 
plained of by the unsuccessful ? I have seen him, hammer 
in hand, nearly twenty-five years since, walk along the tents 
when his assistants were at their wits ends (for in those 
dajs there was no getting the exhibitors to keep time), give 
a look, right and left, and, in a twinkling, his eagle eye grasped 
the whole; down went the hammer; “there,” “ there,” “there;” 
and the difficulty vanished. I have heard many gardeners 
complain; but the truth of the matter is, many of us re¬ 
quired touching up. I shall never forget, when talking to 
him once, a Mr. D-, a nobleman’s gardener, came up, 
and asked him for a ticket of admittance. 
“ What is your name ?” 
“ D-, gardener to Lord B-, and brother to Mr. 
D-, of-.” 
“ I should not have known you. He always shaves before 
he comes.” 
Such as this might be grating to the ears, but, under the 
circumstances, not out of place ; for, be it remembered, even 
some had to be called to account for that nuisance, smoking 
tobacco. I am sorry to see this allowed in the grounds of 
the Crystal Ptrlace. The last time I was there, I found the 
air in the cavern almost suffocating from this pernicious 
habit. Ladies! you can do much to help us in putting this 
nuisance down.—D. Ferguson, Stoioe, Buckingham. 
(Our friend mistakes our opinion. We think the gentle¬ 
man in question quite capable of arranging flowers; and 
quite right in impressing upon gardeners the importance of 
personal neatness. But there are other qualities required 
for the management of a National Horticultural Society. 
—Ed. C. G.) 
NESTLINGS IN AN AVIARY. 
At page 455, in your number for September, one of your 
correspondents, signing “ II. B.,” inquires how he is to pro¬ 
ceed in his aviary, to prevent the destruction of the young 
nestlings by the older birds. In the first place, “ R. B.” 
had better get rid of Bullfinches, Chaffinches, and other 
mischievous birds, and then reduce the number of male 
Canaries to but one to every two females. In this way, it is 
true, some of the latter are occasionally compelled to 
remain in a state of single blessedness (though cases of 
bigamy will occur), but the destruction of the young is 
usually avoided where the gentlemen are in a minority.— 
H. T. 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
GARDENING. 
SCARLET SEED BEADS. 
“A friend has given me some seeds like those which I 
enclose. Papa cannot tell me the name of them. I hope 
you will be so kind as to do so.— Gertrude.” 
[What pretty seeds, to be sure ! and how odd that papa, 
who knows almost everything, should not be able to tell you 
all about them. All papas and mammas ought to be able 
to do so, because these seeds are universal favourites with 
young people, who receive them from fi'iends coming from 
the West Indies, where they grow wild, just as our black¬ 
berry brambles grow about the hedges with us. Any one 
who ever saw this kind of seed will know your present, 
when we say the seed is smaller than Sweet Peas, is of a 
bright coral-scarlet colour, with a jet black spot on one side. 
You can string them like beads, and we have seen sucli 
beautiful necklaces and bracelets made of them, as could 
never be made with the most costly beads. In Catholic 
countries abroad they make rosaries of them, which last 
no one knows how long. You could also work your name 
with them on a purse, or fancy bag; the words. Cottage 
Gardener, vvrought with them, at the top of a sampler, 
would bring good luck for having a taste for flowers, and for 
having flower-beds of your own some day. In working these 
seeds after the manner of beads, see that the black spox on 
the coral is outside, or full fronting the eye, else the extreme 
elegancy of the work is not wrought out properly. 
They are not good to sow, however, in this country, for | 
the plants would require a great deal of room, and a^ hot j 
stove to grow them in; besides, the flowers are of no 
account, only little purple pea-blossoms on stout spikes, 
like a vetch, or some such plant; and the red spider is so 
fond of the leaves, that few of our best gardeners dare i 
venture to grow them. Trinidad is where they grow most; 
and most beautiful they are when the seeds are riiie, in 
little flat pods ; the pods burst open, and the seeds hold on 
to the sides of the pods for a long time after; just as if on 
