^Iarch 2b . 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
467 
I work ot a Scotcliinau. The liistory of tliis personage, 
! as given by a correspondent of the Banffshire Journal, 
■ is a singular one :—Jamie Sinclair, the garden boy, and 
j a natural genius, ])luyed the violin. Lady Cnimning 
j had this boy educated by the family tutor, and sent him 
, to Loudon, where he was well known, in 18J6-7-8, for 
Ins skill in drawing and coloring. Mr. Knight, of the 
Exotic Nursery, sent him to the Crimea., to Prince 
Woronzofl', where he pj'actised for thirteen years, laid out 
these beautilul gardens, had the care of 1000 acres of 
vineyards belonging to the Prince, and was well known 
to the Czai', who often consulted him about imp)'ove- 
I' ments, and gave him ‘ a medal of merit.’ lie returned 
i to London in 1851, and was just engaged with a London 
I publisher for three years; but, being the only foreigner 
' who was ever allowed to see all that was done in and out 
j of Sebasto]iol, and over all tire Crimea, the Czar took 
care that Sinclair could not join the Allies. ‘ ^Vhore ho 
is, and what lie is about, I must not tell until the war is 
! over, except that he is not in Russia, and that he will 
j never play first fiddle again in Morayshire.’” 
j [We co]>ythe above from the Banffshire Journal for 
tw'o reasons; the first reason is, that the said corres- 
' pondent might have had the honesty to say he took it 
■ from the pages of ’'The Cottage Gaudeneh, and from 
I an article by Mr. Beaton, on the Climate of the Crimea, 
j eighteen months since; which article has since been 
; verified to the letter by “ Gur Owui Correspondent;” 
and, secondly, to tell the Banlfshii’o and IMorayshire 
people, and all others whom it may concern—now" that 
Sebastopol is blown up—that the said IMr. James 
Sinclair is now Editor of a gardening jieriodical of much 
note in Melbourne, of gold-digging notoriety, where he 
seems to “ carry the day” in all rural ami gardening 
matters,judging from some of his “leaders” whicli we 
} have read in the Melbourne paiiers of last summer. 
—D. B.J 
HOW TO GROW FIGS, &c., IN TURF PITS 
j AND COLD FRAMES. 
i In glancing over a report of the Pomological Society, at 
j which we exhibited Figs growm as above, 1 find a desire is 
1 expressed that I would communicate tlie metbod. Nolhing 
j can be simpler. The pit in question ivas formed of some 
spare sashes for the protection of “bedding plants,” in 
Avinter, and I slightly deepened it to make room fur the 
Fig-trees, first putting a drain through the centre, thus— 
In such pits I grow early Gooseberries, Plums, itc., Yc. 
The Figs should have a poor soil, about a foot deep ; this 
prevents strong and unfruitful growth. Avoid the strong¬ 
growing kinds, as the, Bnnisn;irk. Clioose such as Brotun 
'rurkeij, Ischia, itc. Methiuks, I hear many a cottager say, 
we have no spare sashes, and turves wta cannot get. Well, 
I will show you a more excellent Avay. Get a common tAvo- 
light box, say seven feet by six feet, tw'o-feet-and-a-half at 
back, one-foot-and-a-half at front. Select a Avai m and shel¬ 
tered spot; if not thoroughly dry, make it so, as almve. You 
can deepen the inside to allow of a foot or fifteen inches of 
soil above the drainage ; and select dwarf Figs, dwarf 
Peach-trees, dwarf Cherries, dwarf Vines; in fact, anytliing 
that Avay to suit your miniature “ lean-to house.” Your two 
lights Avill hold, at least, four plants, and you Avill do well to 
devote your little house to one kind of fruit. At the same 
time, you may have a great many favourite plants in it be- 1 
side your favourite fruits, “ Avith this special observance,” 
that you do not alloAV the one to touch the other. 
It may be observed, bore, that your portable “ lean-to ” can 
be made to do double service. Thus, suppose you decide 
on growing Nectarines or Peaches, yon must not cover them 
Avith glass until about the last Aveek in February. The fruit 
may be ripe at tlio end of July or beginning of August, and 
after it is gathered you can take off your frame, and use it 
for something else until the ensuing February. When ymu 
Avant to increase your heat in the spring or summer, cover 
the surface in the frame Avhere the sun strikes Avith char¬ 
coal, and Avhen you Avant to retard the fruit, it is A'ei'y easy 
to remove that charcoal, Avhich is your heating apparatus. 
1 cannot go into the details of the treatment requisite for 
so many things ; but just remember, that plants live and 
breathe as Avell as you; that they like air every fine day, 
particularly Avhen the sun shines; that they delight in being 
kept clean; get cold if exjiosed to draughts; and that the 
amotint of food or Avater Avhicli is given to fruit-trees, and 
all plants, should increase with the groAvth of the plant and 
the advancing poAver of the sun, up to the period the fruit 
changes colour, Avhen it should be gradually witlulraAvn : 
and to succeed, you must try.—Geo. MoEaven. 
PHASEOI.US CARACALLA.— CONSERVATORY 
CLIMBERS. 
I see, in ansAver to a correspondent (page 1144) that you 
state there are tAvo plants known under the name of the 
above; alloAV me to say there is a good draAving of the true 
one in “ IGlAvard's Botanical Register,” at one time con¬ 
ducted by IJr. Lindley; at least, the same that is knoAvn for 
it in Portugal, Avhere so much of it is groAvn to cover arbours, 
trellis Avalks, &c., Avhere its delightful fragrance, in some 
measure, makes up for the detestable fumes of tobacco. 
The late P. C. Labouchere, Esq., father of the Right 
Honble. Secretary I'or the Colonics, Avas a great admirer of 
it, and brought me a plant and a few seeds to nurse, some 
tAventy-five years ago, in the hopes Ave should he able to groAV it 
out-of-doors in this country ; but though I tried several, I 
Avas only able to keep them barely alive Avhen unprotected. 
I also tried it in a cold greenhouse, but could not get it to 
; lloAver, though 1 Avas very successful Avith it in a cool stove 
conservatory, Avhere it Avas treated as folloAvs:— 
1 It Avas planted out, and alloAved to run up a pillar some 
j tAventy feet in height, and afterAvards carried along a hori¬ 
zontal rod, and then alloAvcd to hang doAvn, Avhere it fioAvered 
profusely, scenting the Avhole house. In a situation like 
this, it is really a groat acquisition, as its fioAvers, ram-horn j 
fashion, are both singular and beautiful. It is necessary, , 
Avhen cut back in Avinter, to dress the stems and spurs Avith j 
a mixture of clay, sulphur, coav’s manure, soot, and lime, as f 
the Red Spider, the gardener’s pest, enjoys it amazingly. 
Though noAV nearly tAventy years since I have had the ; 
care of them, I liaA'e not forgotten a fcAV of its neighbours I 
I Avhicli luxuriated along with it, under similar treatment, 
i and Avhich I seldom see in these times. Of these, 
Solanuin Seaforthianuvi, the favourite creeper of my late 
respectctl friend, Mr. IMonro, late of the Horticultural 
Society’s Gardens, is Avell Avorth a place in such a situation, 
being, in my opinion, the most beautiful and delicate groAver 
of all the Solanums. Biynonia yracUis, the freest lloAverer 
and delicate groAver of all the tribe. Biynonia Clierii, 
vcnnsf.a, and yntndijiora ; Combretnm yrandifora, Passijlora 
[lictiiresquc, very delicate and beautiful, as are Rubra, 
Londonii, Princeps, RIaia yrandiflorn, and Quadranynlaris ; 
Convolvulus pentoUhns, decidedly the prettiest o-f its class, 
Avhen groAvn in this Avay, Avhere it has room, is superb. I 
remember Avhen this plant Avas atone time in perfection, the 
present Duchess of Leinster, with the Duchess and Duke of 
Bedfoi'd, called, and were, as they ought to have been, 
highly delighted Avith it. I Avas requested, afterAvards, to 
send them a plant, Avhicli I promised; but, alas ! for the 
security of the lives of plants depending on us mortals, my 
plant Avithered and died in a day, and it Avas not till years 
afterAvards, when I called on my old friend, Mr. Fish, then 
at Tattersall’s, that I again met with it. The above are 
nothing in pots to what they are Avhen planted out. The 
