May 15. J 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
09 
question if there is a farmer living who ever saw a wheat 
plant in flower. By a merciful Providence the wheat is 
made to flower in the sheath, so as to be independent of 
the influence of the season. No matter what kind of 
weather it is, it cannot hurt or hinder the setting of the 
wheat seed in the least degree. The male and female 
organs of the wheat plant are as pretty as those of any 
plant I know, under the microscope. The female being 
much after the likeness of a plume of ostrich’s feathers 
at the time of the impregnation. The anthers, or pollen 
bags, might be said to be sessile at that period, that is, 
having no stamens to support them. The wonderful 
process of fertilization having been effected in complete 
darkness in the middle of the sheath, and the husks 
being closely jammed together, if the pollen bags or 
anthers were to remain after discharging their contents 
they would rot or damp, and injure the plume-like style, 
and we should have no wheat. But here the wonderful [ 
contrivance of the Deity becomes still more manifest, 
for it is not enough to guard the setting of the seed 
against the influence of the seasons, that man may have I 
food for the body; but a process, contrary to the usual j 
law of vegetable development, now takes place to insure 
the safety of the newly fertilized organ. The stamens 
now begin to lengthen, carrying up the empty anthers, 
indeed pushing them up between the husks, till at last 
they reach the outside of the ear, and hang down in 
little white specks from the slender threads, or sta¬ 
mens, now two or two and and a half inches long, 
and if the weather is dry at the time, the farmer con¬ 
gratulates himself on a favourable time whilst his wheat 
is in blossom! just about fourteen days after the fer¬ 
tilizing process is over !! D. Beaton. 
THE ROSARY. 
Watering. —“ Driving coals to Newcastle” is generally 
looked upon as labour ill-directed, something similar to 
the attempt to increase the size of the ocean by carrying 
water to it in pails. There has been more than enough 
of watering from the heavens in various parts of the 
country; and those who had rich mulchings on their 
rose beds may congratulate themselves that the roots 
will have received such a supply of fluids, that the 
flower-buds will swell, and the flowers open full-sized 
and vigorous. As soon as the weather becomes drier 
and warmer, even in their case, a watering with liquid 
manure, a fortnight or eight days’ hence, would be 
attended with the best effects. Where no rich mulching 
has been imparted, these liquid manure waterings are 
invaluable, and absolutely essential, to produce vigour of 
plant, and fulness and perfection of bloom. Where the 
strong drainings from a farmyard can be obtained, I 
mean a yard supplied with spoutings to the building, 
and where the liquid manure consists merely of the 
water that oozes through the dung in the centre of the 
yard, the result of the rain that falls upon it—that would 
be the thing. If the liquid tank consists almost entirely 
of the urine of animals, then two parts of water should 
be added to one of liquid manure. When none of these 
means exist, the liquid manure may easily be manu¬ 
factured in any old barrels. A burrowfull of cow or 
other dung, two or three spadesfull of soot, and half a 
spadefull of quick lime, will make a hogshead of liquid 
manure; and so applied will have far more influence in 
imparting vigour to the plants, than digging six times 
the quantity of manure about their roots. I have said 
“ any other dung,” but I find manures of a cooling 
nature suit the rose best in most situations. The 
greatest demand upon the plants takes place from the 
breaking of the buds in spring, to the full expansion of 
the flower-buds in summer, and liquid manure nourishes 
the plants at once, at the very time when nourishment 
is most required. R. Fish. 
GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW 
GARDENING. 
Hardier Greenhouse Plants. —I have several times 
alluded to the different treatment required between a 
conservatory and a greenhouse, and the greater amount 
of pleasure to be derived from an amateur treating 
his small planthouse as a greenhouse, and not as a con¬ 
servatory. That additional pleasure is derived chiefly 
from the ease with which the usual inhabitants may be 
grouped in fresh combinations, so as to present indi¬ 
vidual plants in different aspects; as well as the means 
which are readily afforded for introducing into promi¬ 
nent notice new plants in bloom,—giving more room, 
better attention, and a superior position with regard 
to light and shade,—plenty or little air to plants grow¬ 
ing freely, and designed for future ornament, and re¬ 
moving altogether from the house those plants which 
have finished flowering, which is indispensable, if the 
greenhouse is to be beautiful in summer, and not over¬ 
crowded. Taking this into consideration, the usefulness 
of some secondary structure in the shape of a pit or 
frame, or even of a sheltered corner covered in with 
mats, or, better still, with glazed waterproof calico, is 
indispensable when it is desired to have the greenhouse 
at all times a scene of luxuriance and beauty. Where 
there is only one structure, many things must be kept 
there when they are past their best; and many, too, must 
be regularly attended to that possess little interest, unless 
when they are showing for, and in, bloom. 
Hence, not only among amateurs, but among profes¬ 
sional men, there is often a great difficulty experienced in 
keeping a greenhouse gay at all times, and yet attending 
to the interests of those plants which have yielded good 
service, and which will be required to perform a similar 
duty the following season. The straggling heads and 
the wliip-handle-drawn-up-like stems of many good, old 
useful plants are entirely owing to this and the want 
of acting on the principle, that with most of our useful 
winter and spring flowering plants a period of growth, 
and of ripening the wood, must follow the last flowering, 
and precede the next. Unless by these means strong 
flower-buds are formed, it is vain to expect fine or abun¬ 
dant blossoms. A person who thought much of-some 
Azaleas, with a stray flower peeping here and there, 
candidly expressed his opinion, that the fewness of the 
blossoms must be owing to the peculiar nature of the 
season; for he had done everything that could be done 
to them; had forced them in the most approved manner, 
and still the flowers would not come. He seemed quite 
sceptical that large plants of Azaleas had been carpeted 
with bloom since Christmas, and had received no forcing 
at all for a number of years. The fact was that our 
friend’s Azaleas had no flower-buds on them to open, 
and the result would have been precisely the same, 
forcing or no forcing. If a little attention has been 
given to what has been stated by all the writers of this 
work, respecting the difference between the growing and 
flowering principle—if many of the articles in the hardy 
fruit department have been carefully studied, our readers 
will at once perceive, that though luxuriance and free 
flowering, in general, are opposed to each other, yet, in 
a flowering plant, there must be a combination of both 
to present the most pleasing effect. By root-pruning, 
Mr. Errington would be able to present you with a 
minute Pear-tree in the shape of a fair-sized hush, and 
covered with blossom; but if that specimen produced 
nothing better than half-sized gritty pears, he would 
consider that his experiment had failed; and, therefore, 
while he curbs luxuriance so as to promote fertility, he 
still encourages it so far as that the specimens pro¬ 
duced may be full sized, and fully up to the mark in 
consistence and flavour. Just so with a flowering plant; 
you may cause it to grow in a position and an atmos- 
