May 8.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
91 
the front row of a wide one. It flowers from the middle or end of May, 
for a month or so ; the flowers are reddish purple, and do not rise above 
three inches above a dense mass of shamrock-like leaves. Oralis Bowiana 
makes an exceedingly gay bed by the following management:—Pot the 
bulbs in January, and encourage them to grow in heat before the spring 
is out, so as to be ready to plant out in May ; but they are hardy enough 
to stand out in a warm border, if planted six inches deep ; in this case, 
however, they will only bloom late in the autumn—besides, they bury 
themselves deeper and deeper every year, which keeps them still later 
from flowering. Colour, deep rich rose ; height, about ten inches. 
I Hyacinths (J. S. L.). —Yes—the nemophilas may be sown now over 
the hyacinth beds; or young plants of them from a former sowing may 
be transplanted there when they have made five or six leaves. All the 
geraniums and calceolarias, many of the verbenas and petunias, double 
American groundsel, two sorts, and Lantanu. Sellowii, will do to grow in 
baskets on a lawn; but what are more strictly called greenhouse plants 
do not flower long enough to entitle them to that style of gardening. 
Begonia^ Evansiana (W. S. P.). —You did right in setting the 
Begonia in the cupboard after it died down, and in placing it on the 
mantel-shelf now. If the soil is moderately moist, do not water until 
you see the young shoots peeping; but if very dry, you may either water, 
or shift into fresh soil and water afterwards. We trust that after all the 
care you have given the roots are not dead. By taking it to the mantel¬ 
piece at night, until the middle of June, it will grow faster being placed 
in the window during the day. The very fine specimens that Mr. Fish 
mentioned could not be grown so fine in a window ; but you may have 
nice plants, though smaller. 
Flues ( A Constant Subscriber).— Mr. Fish can say little more about 
these in addition to what was stated at page 385 of last volume, except 
that he has seen the gardener referred to since, and that he speaks very 
highly of them. The depth of the flue is two bricks set on edge; width 
| from five to six inches, instead of from four to five. The bricks set on 
edge are bedded on thin slates ; these slates cover the top of the flue, 
and then across the joints of the slate the paving tiles are placed on a 
level with the floor of the house, all the floor being covered with paving 
tile from nine inches to a foot square. The top of the flue, therefore, 
when covered with the slate and tile, just forms part of the floor, and is 
never noticed. Mr. Fish mentioned the importance of leaving a few 
inches hollow by the side of the flue, but Mr. S. says that there is no 
occasion for it, as there is always heat enough without it. The furnace 
is in a stoke hole, covered with a trap door, at the back of the house ; 
the flue passes along the end, along the front, two or three feet from the 
front wall, crosses the farther end, and rises there into a chimney. In 
such winters as the last, there will be no necessity for cleaning the flues, 
though in general it is best to give them a scrape every year. Be sure 
that the top of your furnace is eighteen inches or two feet below the top 
of your flue, and the draught will be always good. For small houses we 
really think such flues the cheapest mode of heating at present to be had, 
unless you can do the work yourself. As bearing on the subject, it may 
be stated that a house larger considerably than the one referred to by 
Mr. Fish, twenty feet by eight feet, was heated for less than five pounds, 
by hot water, but then the gardener had a boiler made at a country foundry, 
bought the pipes, &c. Until boilers and pipes can be got suitable, and 
at a fair price, amateurs must do likewise, or content themselves with 
such a flue. The price may be easily obtained, by knowing the price of 
bricks, tiles, &c. It will at once be seen that draining tile slips, house 
tiles, &c., may be substituted for slates, and even bricks for flooring 
tiles, &c. We believe that, as respects attention and consumption of 
fuel, such narrow flues are far more economical than any hot-water 
apparatus, without a flue, as in such circumstances, however well set 
the boiler may be, a great portion of heat will get out at the chimney. 
Camellias to be Planted out (A Lady Subscriber). —We should 
have known better how to answer your inquiries, if you had given us as 
much insight into your locality, as even the name of your county. Y r ou 
propose putting your camellias in a round clump in the garden, mulching 
their roots, and covering with a frame-work of mats in winter. In some 
places they would keep alive and grow, though the flowers are always 
apt to be injured by spring frosts. Choose a rather sheltered, but shady, 
situation; exposure, north-east, or north-west. Mulch with dry fern, 
and shelter with glazed calico, or tarpaulin, instead of mats, or have 
such outside of mats in very severe weather, and the plants will thus be 
kept dry. They do well in many places trained against a north, north¬ 
west, and north-east wall; but the mischief is, a frosty night in spring, 
though it does little harm to the plants, spoils the looks of the flowers. 
See list of winter-flowering plants for small greenhouses, in our last 
volume. 
Vinery (A. Foster). —We cannot give plans, but we can offer an 
opinion. Twenty feet long by fourteen wide, is a fair proportion. Some 
prefer metallic frame-work; we prefer wood, for metallic roofs are, 
indeed, rapid conductors, soon too hot, and soon too cold. You must 
have a heating surface equal to the surface of four parallel rows of four- 
inch piping, to be a good early house. Also, a good pitch to the roof, 
and glass that will not burn your plants. You will do well to consult 
back numbers ; there has been no particular advance since the com¬ 
mencement of this work. Can you not obtain the assistance of a pro¬ 
fessional person, or of a really good gardener ? 
Apple Cuttings (J. M. W.). —Put out your apple cuttings directly ; 
they should have been planted in February. They will strike in any 
shady place out of the sun and wind. Take last year’s wood a foot long, 
and bury eight inches in the soil, keeping them always moist. Double 
wallflowers in a similar way, now, or when the young growth gets firm 
about Midsummer. You are quite right in saying that our reference at 
page 17 , should have been to Job, but many believe that Solomon wrote 
that book. 
Cochin-China Fowls. —Mr. Bowman says that those alluded to in 
his former communication attain a large size, the cocks, when full- 
grown, weighing 12 lbs., and the hens 8 lbs. The body is short and 
compact, tail and wing very small, thigh remarkably thick, and the stilt 
short. The colour of the cock is a rich black red, his crow very loud, 
and much resembling a roar. If M. H. (Chester), or any other reader 
of The Cottage Gardener wishes for further information, Mr. B. 
will be glad to answer their inquiries, if accompanied by a directed 
envelope. His direction is, R. H. Bowman, Rose Vale, Penzance. 
Pansies (W. J. M .).—The flowers of your pansies were so dried in 
coming to us, that we found it impossible to name them. They appear 
well formed flowers ; the edging of one was bad. The seed from them 
may produce good flowers. All correspondents desirous of having their 
flowers named, should pack them separately in damp, not wet, moss, in 
a small tin box. This would keep them fresh, and prevent them being 
crushed by stamping in the post-office. 
Nurserymens’Apprentices ( Constant Reader). —The only way to 
get into a nursery near London, is for some friend of the young man who 
is acquainted with any of the following nurserymen, Messrs. Low, of 
Clapton; Messrs. Henderson, of Pine Apple Place; Messrs. Knight and 
Perry, Chelsea; and Messrs. Rollison, Tooting; to write to any of these 
nurserymen, get the young man’s name entered on their books, and he 
will obtain employment in the nursery about next March. Most of the 
nurseries at this time are quite full of hands. No premiums are required. 
The wages average 1 Os. per week. 
Names of Plants (A Constant Reader). —Your mosses not being in 
fruit, we can only name the following, and on these we are somewhat 
doubtful:—2. Dicranum heteromnllum (?). 3. A Jungermannia. 4 . 
Dicranum bryoides (?). 7 . Dicranum taxifolium. 8 . Hypnum rutabu- 
lum. 9 . Fumaria hygrometrica. 10. A Jungermannia. 
Garden Plan (E. S. P.) —Fifty have made similar applications: 
what could we say to them if we acceded to your request ? 
Broad Beans (E. Stevens ).—The holes down to the seed beans in 
the drills, and the destruction of the beans, are the work of mice. Cover 
over each row two inches deep, and six inches wide, with very fine coal 
ashes. 
Seedling Orange-tree (A Young Rearer). —Having no stove, it 
will weary you out by its slow growth. Y'ears, under the best circum¬ 
stances, would elapse before it became fruitful. If, by “ what is the best 
thing for a stiff clay soil ? ” you intend to inquire for what would best 
improve its staple, we reply—draining, and mixing with it per acre some 
hundreds of loads of drift sand, fine lime rubbish, and coal ashes. 
Burning about forty tons of the clay taken from the banks, ditches, &c., 
and mixing this with the soil is also good treatment. 
Browston Hybrid Cucumber (A Subscriber). —Here is another ap¬ 
plication for information where he can obtain seed of this variety. Some 
seedsman who will send the information required, will find it answer his 
purpose. 
Stopping Calceolarias (Lazarus). —Two months should be allowed 
between the last stopping of calceolarias, and the time you wish them to 
be in flower. You ask “ what is the best to succeed anemones that 
were planted last autumn ? ” There are so many fitting things, that the 
choice is embarassing— scarlet geraniums will answer, so will heliotropes, 
verbenas, or petunias, or you may sow some showy hardy annual. Dr. 
Lindley’s School Botany will suit you ; any bookseller will tell the price. 
The Cottage Gardeners’ Dictionary does not interpret botanical terms 
further than those applicable to gardening. 
Cucumbers and Melons in September (Cymra glan). —You may 
obtain these by sowing immediately. For these crops you had better 
grow the Syon House cucumber, and the Beechwood melon. 
Primrose (A. P .).—The primrose changing, or, as gardeners term it, 
sporting into the polyanthus, is not at all an uncommon occurrence. 
There is evidence that the primrose, polyanthus, cowslip, and oxlip, are 
only varieties of the same species. There is no doubt that the soil has 
great influence over the change. 
Black-eyed Susan Pea (J. R.). —Our correspondent has sent us a 
sample of this which he says is a very common field pea, near Thorne, in 
Yorkshire, and is considered by the farmers a very good and prolific pea. 
It is darkish skinned for a white pea, oval-shaped, black-eyed, and rather 
above an average size. 
Garden Border Edging (T. M. W .).—We like the earthenware 
edging of which you sent us a specimen very much. It is exceedingly 
neat and useful, acting at the same time, if properly set, as side drains to 
the walks. It would look best painted stone colour. If the maker 
will have a woodcut of it made, and have this inserted with an adver¬ 
tisement in our paper, and in other gardening papers, we think a very 
large sale would be obtained. The white sample of sand in its washed 
and dried state, would do well for cuttings and seedlings; Coe yellow 1 
washed sample would probably do for potting composts. 
Hamilton on the Pine-apple (B. M.). —The price of this little 
volume is, we think, ten shillings. 
Dissolving Bones (A Constant Reader). —On a small scale, 6 lbs. 
bone-dust, 3 lbs. oil of vitriol, l£ lb. water. Sprinkle the water on the 
bones first, and then add the vitriol. Be careful, for it is very corrosive. 
Use a cask large enough to hold twice the quantity. As much ashes or 
water may be mixed with the dissolved bones as will enable you to 
sprinkle it over the plot of ground regularly. The above quantity of 
bones and vitriol would be enough for 100 square yards. If you purchase 
the sulphuric acid in large quantities, you may obtain it for three-half¬ 
pence per pound. 
Liguid Manure to Strawberries (W. R. S.). —Your house sewage 
well diluted (probably four buckets of water to one of sewage), will 
greatly benefit your strawberries, applied to the soil twice a week. The 
liquid must not be applied until the plants are fully in blossom. House 
sewage, somewhat less diluted, is an admirable manure for asparagus, 
rhubarb, lettuces, and all the cabbage-worts. 
Guano for Roses (J. Short). —Guano may be made into liquid 
manure, and applied advantageously to roses in the borders. Two 
ounces to the gallon of water may be used in that situation. Apply it 
once a week, or twice in wet weather. 
Pyrus Japonica (Dorothea). —This (now Cydonia japonica) is grow¬ 
ing as a standard in our own garden, but it only grows bushy. The 
Summer Duck is the most ornamental species we know, and would keep 
your stream as clean as any other duck. 
London: Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High-street, 
in the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, in the Parish of 
Christ Church, City of London.—May 8th, 1851. 
