December 12. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
209 
| some enthusiastic admirer of its golden hue must have 
j applied it to it. 
The skin of the hulb is of a dark brown hue, and as thin 
I and glossy as tissue paper. The shape of the hulb is more 
round than that of the generality of the species. It is 
| pretty as a whole, and worthy of a place in every collection 
of hulbs.—C. B. S., Jersey. 
WASTE IN CORN. 
In a former paragraph, we drew attention to the sad waste 
of Corn occasioned by “ extraordinary thick seeding," “ pre¬ 
datory birds, vermin,” &c., &c., and promised to give our 
remarks on the “still more aggravating waste of the grand 
staple of human food, occasioned by the abominable prac¬ 
tice of drinking to excess strong ale, and ardent spirits, 
which we considered were not essential for the real suste¬ 
nance of man.” 
It may be asked here, What has a temperance movement 
to do with gardening and agricultural pursuits? We will 
endeavour to show that such a subject is not out of place, 
i and that its object is of great importance to the interests of 
both, and the welfare of our country at large. Without 
forcing attention on total abstinence, which we leave with 
all due credence to its advocates, and our more able 
contemporaries, who hold their views as irrefragable, we 
would let truth have its free course; it demands protection, 
submission, and our esteem. 
We proceed to observe that temperance has a great deal 
to do with the interests of both those pursuits, inasmuch as 
the saving of the price of only one pint of strong ale per 
day, 3d., or a bumper of gin at the same rate, would purchase 
j one square yard of land ; and if repeated daily throughout 
the year, twelve square rods or poles, at .£00 10s. per English 
' acre, for the growth of Corn, or other necessary food ; or it 
might be appropriated to building purposes, or some other 
| profitable and enterprising avocations. It would otherwise 
1 hire one square rod, or pole of land, and at the rate of £2 
per acre, per annum, viz., 305 rods, or two acres one rod five 
; poles, at this fair-supposed rental of £4 11s. 3d., which 
would produce, by good cultivation, 100 bushels of Wheat, 
average remunerative value, say £15 per load, or 7s. Od. per 
bushel, equal to £37 10s. a year; or it would otherwise pro¬ 
duce, at a moderate calculation, 500 bushels of Potatoes, 
average value, say Is. (id. per bushel, equivalent also to 
£37 10s. a year (no mean consideration this ! may be echoed 
from many a lip); but seeing by this small saving, and 
simple fact, viz., the sparing only of one paltry pint of ale, 
or threepenny worth of gin in a day, might be conducive of 
this much good, just let it be imagined, the immense breadth 
of land which might be purchased, or hired, even if it were 
at a higher rate ; and also the greater production and saving 
of Corn, from the better appropriation of five to ten useless 
pints or glasses, that the thousands and tens of thousands 
of our wretched fellow-creatures are daily and yearly in 
the habit (Tor it is nothing more) of wastefully and wickedly 
i consuming their own and their neighbouring nations’ pro¬ 
duce, to the destruction of their souls and bodies, and ulti¬ 
mately causing premature death to themselves; and to 
others, famine prices, war, and bloodshed, inevitably to 
follow in their train! 
The amount of grain consumed for the express purpose 
of intoxicating drinks, as truly given by temperance statis¬ 
ticians is astonishing (the figures we cannot now lay our 
hands on), but it is beyond all conception to considerate 
minds; and if spared, as it might be, to a great extent, all 
grades of society, from the highest ranks of distinction, to 
the lowest capacities, would be more in unison, and more 
healthy, long-lived, happy, wise, and good ; and this country 
would soon become famous for exporting, instead of import¬ 
ing Corn ! for, be it remembered, no other country is yet 
able to compete with our own in point of agriculture ; and, 
what is more gratifying.it is still progressing, and on the 
march of improvement. “ Waste in Corn” might be pointed 
out in various other ways, than by those wo have described, 
namely, by “ Destructive birds and vermin,” “ Extravagance 
in thick seeding,” and finally, by “ Excessive drinking,” if 
time and space permitted. 
We beg submissively to leave this subject to better and 
more able contemporaries, who have more time on their 
hands for scribbling, and producing statistical and satis¬ 
factory proofs, than ourselves. Only let it be borne in mind, 
that waste causes woe, and want, and sorrow, and sickness, 
and ultimately, premature death!— Hardy and Son, Seed- 
growers and Seedsmen, Maldon, Essex. 
FUMIGATING WITH TOBACCO. 
I see that a correspondent, signing himself “ J. G.” 
wishes to know how to fumigate a greenhouse by tobacco- 
paper. I beg to acquaint him how I proceed in that opera¬ 
tion, although rather diffident in offering to appear in your 
columns, having only a small house, containing a miscella¬ 
neous collection of about three hundred plants, I never 
fumigate my house until there is a calm evening, deeming it 
economy, as during a wind the smoke is driven out of the 
house without its doing its share of work. 
Now, for the mode :—I have an old tin steampan, such as 
housekeepers use in steaming Potatoes, in the bottom of 
which, I put about two inches of charcoal, broken about the 
size of walnuts ; then put it upon a fire to ignite, which done, 
I then prop it upon two empty pots in the middle of the 
house; and then fill it up with tobacco-paper, previously 
moistened; and then leave it to do its murderous work upon 
the enemy, and in a few minutes the house is in a dense 
mass of smoko. I never leave it burning, because it is 
liable to burst into a flame, as I find that is very injurious ; 
to prevent which I pom- a little water on the top. Previous 
to commencing, ascertain that the foliage of the plants are 
all dry. Two small doses are better than one large one; 
about one pound of tobacco-paper is sufficient for a house 
eighteen feet by nine feet. Syringe in the morning after 
smoking. The above is cheap, as well as efficacious.— 
Newcastle. 
[Your enclosed flue, and your proposed ventilator, will 
both answer your purpose.] 
AUSTRALASIAN BOTANIC AND HORTICUL¬ 
TURAL SOCIETY. 
The Spring Exhibition of this Society took place Sep¬ 
tember 19th, and we are glad to say that the brilliancy of 
the sky, and the mildness of the weather, reminded us of 
the palmy days of this institution, when we ventured to 
trust in high and hopeful aspirations of the great celebrity 
to which it would ultimately attain. Sadly, however, have 
we been disappointed, and though last year we permitted 
ourselves to renew our bright visions, and the commence¬ 
ment of the botanic year was full of better promise, still 
another year has waned away, and it has made no sign in 
the blank sheet which was to enrol the wonders and the 
blessings which the Australasian Botanic Society would 
unfold to us. 
Contrary to all anticipation, the Exhibition was a remark¬ 
ably good one. It would, perhaps, have been better, and 
gayer, and certainly more interesting to the multitude, 
if it had taken place a fortnight or three weeks later, 
when the more familiar plants would have been in bloom, 
and, perhaps, some of the exquisite specimens exhibited 
yesterday evinced some slight evidence of being forced 
too much. On the whole, however, we have no hesitation in 
saying that, so far as elegant flowers, rare and well-cultivated 
plants are concerned, the show surpassed its predecessors. 
The garden of Mr. Smart took the chief prize of the day, 
for a collection of twelve miscellaneous plants, mostly well- 
grown and all remarkably healthy and showy plants. The 
collection comprised the following:—Baphiolepis Indica, 
(very beautiful and rare), Centroclinium Ianthimuin (also 
rare and in good flower), Tropceolum grandiflora, Begonia 
manicata, Itussellia juncea, Brunsfelsia confertiflora, Eu¬ 
phorbia splendens, Ardisiacrenulata, Thyrsacantbus strictus, 
Clianthus puniceus, Gesnera Zebrina, and Cereus Mallisoni. 
Mr. Mort had also a beautiful collection of four Azaleas, 
which, amidst a great profusion of this beautiful flower, took 
the prize. 
Mr. Woolley’s collection (Creswick, gardener) of twelve 
