384 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. February 13. 
villany of the Secretaries, but they are so rare, and recent 
Acts of Parliament have so effectually guarded the de¬ 
positors, that there can be no place so safe for small accu¬ 
mulations as the Saving’s Bank. It is better than the best 
private institution that was ever devised.] 
PLANTS FOR A VINERY. 
“ I have a small greenhouse Vinery twenty feet by twelve; 
Cucumber-pit and potting-liouse below, the latter principally, 
both, for summer use. The greenhouse is a lean-to, with 
the Hue running along the back, and liot-water pipes, of 
four-inch bore, along the east end and south side, with open 
troughs ; thus leaving only one end, the west, without heat¬ 
ing medium. There is a pit in the middle, round which 
runs hot-water channelling, supplied from a branch imme¬ 
diately as the hot-water enters the house, and available by 
stop cock at pleasure, in which I am growing Mushrooms 
well. The top of the pit is covered with moveable straw 
hurdles, and above are moveable shelves, elevated just 
sufficiently to be out of the way, on which are stored 
greenhouse plants. At the front of the house, the window- 
frames can be taken off at pleasure, and hung within to the 
distance of twelve inches, so as to leave an outside shelf 
covered (that is, when hung within) by the eaves only, where 
the Vines now lay snug. 1 am no draughtsman, or I would 
give you a plan. All I want to say is, I have two vacant 
spaces, one at the western end between the door and flue, 
another at the eastern end between the end window and 
flue, on which I wish two climbers to travel, or trees to 
grow. What will suit ? The spaces are not very large, but 
they look too bare. It is my intention to remove all plants 
save the Vines at ripening time, and two or three potted 
Peach-trees placed on a back shelf over the flue, which I 
hope to be able to manage from hints obtained through 
The Cottage Gardener. The trees, or climbers, whichever 
advised, will have to be placed in boxes made for the pur¬ 
pose, and by the side of heat, placed at the east end, will 
be a cistern of water resting on the flues, immediately as it 
(the flue) enters the house; which cistern is not intended 
to interfere with the space destined for the tree advised.— 
Troublesome.” 
[We should liked to have known the depth and height of 
the places referred to, and whether you preferred fruit or 
flowers. Suppose the latter, Acacia armata would be a fine 
feature at the west end, and an Orange. A Cactus specios- 
simus, Hoy a carnosa , or, if not too hot, a Mandevilla suavolens 
at the other end. A Passion-flower would also do well at 
either end, such as P. ccerulea racenwsa at the west end; 
and P. Colvillii or P. edulis at the east end. If the latter, 
you might have a lot of egg-sized fruit, if you liked them, 
and many people do. 
We would, if possible, move your reach-trees out of the 
house as the Grapes coloured, and place them against a south 
fence while the frosty nights threatened, and then bouse 
them.] 
SOWING PASSIFLORA CCERULEA SEED- 
DUNG versus GUANO. 
“ A friend of mine has given me a little seed from the 
Passijlora ccerulea, and as I am desirous to raise a few plants, 
would you be kind enough to give me a hint as to the 
culture ? 
“ Could I use in my garden ‘ guano ’ in preference to 
‘ liorse-dung ? ’ as I can get the former more readily, and it 
does not cause so much mess. By your attention to this 
you will greatly oblige.—J no. Vicary, Jun.” 
[Your questions will meet every necessary attention, as 
town gardeners we wish especially to oblige. The great use 
of dung in most garden ground is, that it acts as a physical 
improver of the soil, as well as a fertiliser. Guano is, no 
doubt, one of our best manures. For gardens it is generally 
best given in the shape of waterings, in the proportion of 
half-an-ouncc to the gallon. If you use it in mixture with 
sand or soil, be careful not to over do it. Even for agri¬ 
culture, three cwt. per acre is thought about sufficient. If 
you have such a thing as a hotbed, or expect to have one in 
the course of three months, delay sowing your Passijlora 
seed till then. Place it for eight or ten hours previously in 
water about 00°, then sow in light, sandy earth, and plunge 
the pot in the hotbed. When two or three inches high, 
pot the plants off separately, and place them in the bed; 
harden them after a week by giving more air, and by-and- 
by place them in a window or greenhouse, protecting them 
through the winter, for the first year or two. If no hotbed, 
wait until April, soak the seed, sow as advised, cover the 
pot with a square of glass, and keep the pot not far from 
the fire-place until the plants are up, but taking them to 
the window afterwards.] 
GROWING MUSHROOMS IN A STABLE. 
“Would you have the kindness to inform me, through 
your periodical, if it is possible and advisable to attempt, 
without stove or flue, to grow Mushrooms in a loose box, or 
stable, which is seventeen feet long, and seven wide, and is 
under a granary. It is one of a range of buildings which 
surrounds the stable-yard on all sides except on the south. 
We have several times tried to grow Mushrooms, but in¬ 
effectually. Last year we put some spawn bricks in the 
Cucumber-frame, but only got two or three out of the 
whole bed. I have forgotten to tell you that we are situated 
on the Yorkshire Wolds (chalk), near 500 feet above the 
sea. Our gardener is a lad who this last year has lived in 
the house, and having only lived previously with a market- 
gardener in this country he has never seen Mushrooms 
grown.—L. S. G.” 
[No doubt as to the Mushrooms; the great proportion of 
that esculent is produced under less favourable circum¬ 
stances. We have had them nearly every day in the year out- 
of-doors. Of course, in winter, covering thickly was required; 
and that covering, to keep up the necessary warmth in 
■winter, you would require in a stable. If there are several 
horses in the stable less heat will be required. We hardly 
think you will get Mushrooms in such a place from June to 
October, because it will be too warm. In the other months 
there will be no difficulty, more especially if you divide the 
seventeen feet into two or three divisions, and make them 
up in successions. The best materials are horse-droppings 
dried so as not to heat violently; but we use these chiefly 
for a top covering. Such half-decayed, dryish, caky dung as 
you will frequently find in linings of hotbeds are invaluable 
for Mushroom-beds, especially with a casing of droppings. 
The spawn runs best in dryish material. When we have 
been obliged to use rather moist material we have wrapped 
each piece of spawn into a handful of dry litter before 
inserting it. For a good bed, in such a place, the bed should 
be from one-and-a-half to three feet in thickness, well 
shaken, well beat, and firmly put together. The less 
violently it heats the better. If it does so, bore holes in the 
bed to allow the heat to escape, and beat firmly again as it 
declines. When the heat is from 80° to 90°, insert pieces 
of spawn about the size of a Walnut, at nine inches apart 
all over, and beat again. In a day or two, if the heat is 
declining, put half-an-inch of droppings all over the bed; 
and then, if no sign of over-heating, cover with an inch-and- 
a-half of soil; beat that as firm as a brick, if you can ; water 
the surface, and make it as smooth as a wall. If in a few 
days you find the heat is rather declining, cover with an 
inch or two of hay. When the spawn begins to work the 
temperature of the bed will be raised. After the first pin¬ 
head Mushroom makes its appearance regulate the covering 
according to the weather, so that the surface-soil of the bed 
shall be about 55° to 00° in temperature. In very severe 
weather, a few harrowloads of hot dung laid down in the 
box would be serviceable.] 
SEEDLING CINERARIAS DYING OFF. 
“ I have several plants of seedling Cinerarias in bloom, 
and some advancing to flower. Last week, to my diro asto¬ 
nishment, a nice plant in full flower died off, first one 
branch stem of blooms faded, then another; and so on, 
until the whole went away; and on cutting the flower-stalk 
off, I found it diseased with a kind of rot—I fancy it must 
be, as it was a dark colour. The plant is not dead ; but three 
or four stalks that were growing up from the bottom and 
showing flower are looking well; besides this, one or two 
more new plants are going off in a slightly different manner; 
the blooms, instead of opening, die off, and go black, while 
other bunches of bloom on the same flower-stalk look well, 
