G2 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[April 24. 
strong, it will do in the same compost as you use for the geraniums; but 
it is safer to add a fourth-part of old dry lime, mortar, or charcoal, about 
the size of filberts ; but an old brickbat, broken to the same size, will do 
just as well, if not better. 
Fuchsia (C. I. P.). —These, with the wood alive, but not pushing, will 
break all the sooner by being plunged in a hotbed; though, if all sound, 
they will do so without that assistance, if you give them time. We pre¬ 
sume they have been kept very dry and cool. 
Begonia and Velvety-leaved Plant just Tushing (Ibid). — 
These must not stand in a saucer of water. When more advanced, they 
will require a fair supply of moisture, but even then we would not treat 
them as aquatics. 
Camellias ( C. E.). —You may cut them back now, but it would have 
been better done before they broke. You must give them a close and 
warm position to break freely in, and then there will be plenty of time 
to set their buds. If you do not prune now, your flowers will be nice 
and early. 
Woodlice Eating Cucumber Female Blossoms (Ibid). —You 
must trap, scald, and feed them. First, put a piece of boiled potatoe in 
small pots, with a little dry hay over it, examine the pots before going to { 
bed, and have some hot water ready to tumble the rascals into; secondly, 
lay down some dry hay in a corner, or several corners, after you have 
stirred the bed and sprinkled it with the syringe, at night, or in the 
morning; have some boiling water in readiness, with a small-rosed pot, 
and as you move the hay, sprinkle the fellows over with the hot liquid ; 
and, thirdly, while all these measures are in operation, strew the prunings 
of the cucumber, young lettuces, &c., over the bed, to feed them and 
keep them from the cucumbers. We have, also, surrounded the plants 
with a circular double ring of zinc, containing water between the rings. 
The only thing in the animal way likely to benefit you, are a few hungry, 
famished toads; and for this purpose, and others, notwithstanding the 
prejudice against them, they are rare friends to the gardener. You must 
not easily give up the contest, for your enemy, if left alone, will soon be 
legions strong. 
Planting (Cautions, Lancashire). —Do not plant on 54 inches of 
even hazle loam. Let 24 inches suffice, and let some impervious mate¬ 
rial form an artificial substratum. For your forcing pit, we should 
prefer plan No. 2, the general design of which is good, for you will have 
one capital morning side, and as good an afternoon one on the other, 
owing to its facing south-east and north-west. We object, how'ever, to 
your front ventilation, being opposite the pots. We should bring it in 
below the pot-shelf, immediately over the hot piping, which we should 
place there, leaving a two-inch cavity between the shelf and the wall. 
You must mind your levels, and also the relation of the whole to the 
ground level outside. Let us beg of you to reconsider your piping. 
Escholtzia alba (=—).—The seedlings require thinning and trans¬ 
planting the same as the commoner kind. 
Peas (North Nook). —We do not know the varieties named Hackman’s 
Imperial and Black-eyed Susan. 
Unpruned Vine (IF. J. C.).— You must now let this remain unpruned 
until the leaves are well expanded, you may then prune it without any 
fear of its bleeding. In the mean time disbud, train to the rafters of your 
greenhouse, and stop as you would have done under ordinary circum¬ 
stances. 
Bees (IF. A. E.). —The hives may stand so close as to touch each 
other; but, for the convenience of easy access to each, it is better to have 
them on single pedestals, and three or four yards apart. We are glad 
that you found the barley-sugar so good a mode of feeding. 
Budding Roses (A. L. G .).—There is no reason against your budding 
six varieties on one stock ; but we cannot select for you without knowing 
your object, or which class you prefer, or what is the stock to be grafted. 
Seedling Florists’ Flowers (S. R. F .).—It is impossible to point 
out any prophetic rule by which you can foretell which seedlings will 
produce the best flowers. Do not raise so many, and then you will not 
be cramped for room. 
White Flints (J. J —., London). —Our correspondent requires some 
for building a grotto : who can supply him? At the nearest station to 
the chalk on the Brighton or South-western railways you could obtain 
them for a mere trifle. 
Flower Beds (Humble Bee). —We never undertake to plant flower 
beds for any one ; nor until next September will Mr. Beaton offer sug- | 
gestions again to those who ask advice as to their own proposed arrange- i 
ments of flowers. 
Kohl Rubi Seed (J.B. S .).— You can obtain it of any seedsman 
who advertises in our columns. 
Heliotrope-scented Cineraria. —In answer to a query on this 
subject, M. D. P., of Bristol, and Mrs. Charles Stanley, of Lindfield, 
Sussex, have such a flower in their possesion. Mrs. Stanley’s is a pure 
white flower. 
Label for Pots. — R, IF. M. wishes to know where the labels men¬ 
tioned in our No. 128 can be obtained. 
h viLURE of Hamburgh Grapes (A. Wallace). — Not only is the 
setting of the bunches imperfect, but from the specimens sent it is 
evident that they are much shanked —that is, the stalks are ulcerated. 
As the Black Prince, Frontignac, and Sweet-water varieties, in the same 
house, are not affected, we feel convinced that there is a deficiency of root 
action. Examine whether the vine has not rooted deeply, and if so, remove 
a few inches of the surface soil, and a little mulch put on at night, but 
removed during sunny days, if the roots are outside the house, would 
probably be of service. 
Burying Bees. —We find we were wrong in ascribing the report at 
page 12 to J. W. Knight, Esq., of Weston Favell. Will the party who 
forwarded us that report oblige us with his name ? 
Iempkrature for Cucumbers (G. B. 0 .).—Highest day tempera- 
ture from 75° to 80° ; night temperature from 70° to 65°. Bottom-heat 
about 70 , not lower. Water should be applied heated to 75°- Give air 
daily, with proper precautions, to prevent chilling the plants. 
Admitting Air to Vines in Greenhouse (G. S. B.).-Wc can 
state from experience, that it is perfectly immaterial whether you admit 
air by the front lights, or by side ventilators, or by the top sashes. Such 
fiddling over essentials is the proof of a man not having much practical 
knowledge. It is essential, to have good-flavoured, well-coloured grapes 
in a greenhouse, that they should have abundance of air, and it matters 
not on fine days how it is admitted. Mr. Crawshay, celebrated for his 
greenhouse grapes, has the glass so fixed that air comes in constantly 
between the panes. 
Green Fly and Caterpillars (Bury). —To destroy the greenfly 
on your gooseberry bushes, cover each in succession with a sheet, and 
fill the tent rapidly with tobacco smoke. Let it remain on for half an 
hour, and then syringe the bush. The caterpillars are best destroyed by 
dusting them, by means of a dredging-box, with white hellebore powder. 
This should be dry and fresh. It is procurable at the druggists. 
Bee Hives (S. S.). —Mr. Payne has had both wood and straw' hives in 
use these fifty years, and is not yet able to say in which the bees do best; 
but straw hives are far the cheapest. As you are only commencing bee¬ 
keeping, we would recommend your not driving your bees ; all operations 
should be performed by day, except uniting. Do not let your single 
stock swarm at all. 
Irish Acre. —“ Permit us to offer, for the guidance of several of your 
inquiring Correspondents, the difference of an English and Irish acre of 
land. The difference is 3000 square yards, as explained below— 
English Square Measure. Irish Square Measure. 
yds. 
30^ is 1 pole, or perch 
1210 is 40 poles, or 1 rood 
4840 is lfio poles, or 1 acre 
yds. 
49 is 1 pole or perch 
i 960 is 40 poles, or 1 rood 
7840 is 160 poles, or 1 acre 
Hardy Sr Son, Maldon, Essex. 
N.B. English statute measure is reckoned by Gunter’s chain, of 100 
links, of which 10 square chains constitute 1 acre.” 
Names of Plants (A Lover of Ferns). —Your specimen came to hand 
in good condition ; and as far as we can judge from its eliptic lanceolate 
leaves, we should say it is the Punica gtanatum, besides, the respectable 
establishment you had it from, would not knowingly deceive you. We 
cannot tell you where you could obtain cuttings of the large and double 
Pomegranate. (Juvensis).—\. Fuchsia cordifoliA. 2. Mesembryanthe- 
mum subulatum. It is not hardy. 3. Iberis saxatilis. 4. Perhaps 
Dianthus atrorubens. Sends us a specimen in bloom. 
Geraniums (Royalist). —You have been deceived ; we do not think 
either are true to name. But we will say more positively, and answer 
other queries, next week. Your heath is Erica persoluta. 
CALENDAR FOR MAY. 
PLANT STOVE. 
Achimenes, repot such as have started into large pans to bloom in 
masses. Amaryllis aulica, pot, to bloom in winter. Apiielandra 
aurantiaca, pot, or plunge in bark-bed. Begonias, repot, and grow 
on freely, to flower in autumn and winter. Clerodendrums, pot-—for 
the last time—into very large pots, to bloom strongly in July. Cut¬ 
tings of all kinds of stove-plants put in under bell-glasses, in heat. 
Erythrina christa-galli repot for the last time, and remove into 
greenhouse, to flower there during the summer. Gardenia Florida 
and varieties, and Gardenia radicans, done blooming, remove into 
cold pit; and late crops of them place in greenhouse as they come into 
bloom. Gardenia Stanleyana, and others similar, syringe freely, to 
keep them clear from red spider; repot when necessary. Gesneras, 
now coming into bloom, tie out; that is, open out the shoots with sticks 
and ties, to show off the flowers. Gesnera zebrina, pot now, to 
bloom late. Give Air freely as the warm weather comes on. Glox¬ 
inias, repot into large pots, to form large specimens; young plants 
continue to force on to bloom late. Ixoras, tie out, and shift into large 
pots; keep them plunged in bark-pit. Insects, fumigate, to destroy 
green fly. Syringe freely, to keep down red spider. Sponge the leaves 
of such plants as are subject to this pest. In extreme cases wash the 
leaves with strong soap-water. Seeds, sow. of all kinds worth growing, 
in shallow pots, in close heat. Stove Climbers keep well tied in, and 
within bounds, by pruning freely. Water, apply plentifully, both at the 
root and on the walls, floors, &c., to keep up a moist atmosphere. 
T. Appleby. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Auriculas, done blooming, place upon coal ashes in a cool place 
behind a north wall. Save seed from best varieties. Prick out seedlings 
1 in shallow pans—keeping them under glass. Seed may yet be sown. 
I Calceolarias pot, to flower in July. Carnations and Picotees, 
place sticks to, shade from hot sun; prick out seedlings. Dahlias, 
plant out; placing pots over them at night for fear of frost; place stakes 
to. Hollyhocks, mulch with short littery dung ; place stakes to them 
in good time. Pansies now in flower shade from sun ; put in cuttings 
of, under hand-glasses, in a shady place : layer the long shoots in the 
same manner as carnations. Pinks, place sticks to; put in pipings of. 
Polyanthuses, treat exactly the same as auriculas. Ranunculuses, 
water freely between the rows in dry weather; r.tir the surface frequently. 
Roses, intended for exhibition in pots, shade from sun, water with 
manure-water. Tie creeping roses frequently, but not too stiffly. Smoke 
roses frequently with tobacco. Tulips still in flower shade deeply and 
effectually from sun. Take up early blooming bulbs and dry in the shade. 
Verbenas, plant out in beds. T. Appleby. 
ORCHID HOUSE. 
Air, give, in hot weather. Compost, materials for, procure this month. 
Moisture, in the air, keep up an abundant supply ; at the root give 
