182 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
them either at the commencement of rain, that it may 
be immediately washed in and incorporated with the 
soil about the roots, when their immediate effect will be 
visible. If dry weather should prevail for a considerable 
time, and it is deemed necessary to give the Asparagus 
some assistance, take advantage of cloudy weather ; and 
if applied at night so much the better. If the manures 
are sprinkled on the surface of the soil when dry, this 
should at once be well scarified, and then well soaked 
with water. In dry weather, particularly, we prefer 
applying Guano and other easily dissolving manures in 
a liquid state, and then to wash it in with abundance of 
water, in order that it should be well extended to the ex¬ 
treme points of the roots. Never apply water by dribb¬ 
lets or in a manner to surface bind the soil, but give a 
good soaking, and have done with it for a time. 
Cauliflowers and Cape Erocoli should be sown 
again, and a succession of plants put out between Peas, 
or in partially shaded situations. If the cauliflower-root 
grub is troublesome, which often is the case for the next 
two months, particularly if hot, dry weather prevails, 
apply soot-water and soap-suds, incorporated together, 
pretty liberally. Besides destroying those pests it is a 
famous stimulant to the plants. 
Peas. —Make another sowing of some favourite variety 
of late Pea, after which some of the early kinds should 
be sown for autumn production. All strong-growing, 
tall, late, or summer Peas should be mulched over their 
roots, and if dry weather prevails, abundance of water 
should be applied. Summer showers have but little 
good effect; indeed, showery, foggy weather, when the 
Peas are dry at their roots, produces the mildew, where¬ 
as, if kept moist and cold at the bottom, they continue 
[June 19. 
to grow vigorously, blossom, and produce fine pods for 
a long time, and escape the mildew. We occasionally, 
also, apply good soakings of liquid manure. We always 
have our Peas at great distances from row to row, or, 
indeed, sow them as shelter and shade for the other 
various summer crops. One row of a good variety of 
Pea thus sown, so as to enjoy the light and air on all 
sides, mulched and assisted by abundance of water, will 
produce an immense quantity of fine pods, and continue 
to grow and bear a long time; besides a single row 
does not afford such harbour for troublesome birds, &c., 
as they do when in rows a few feet from each other. 
Scarlet-runner Beans may be dwarfed by pinching 
off the ends of the shoots to any desired height, or they 
may be encouraged to grow to a greater height, to afford 
shade or shelter, by surface-mulching and the application 
of liquid-manure. 
Dwarf-kidney Beans, where vigorous growth is en¬ 
couraged, should either have a piece of ropeyarn run up 
on each side of every row, and fastened to stakes, or a 
few tops of pea sticks, or other kind of brushwood, placed 
to prevent the wind from injuring them. 
Routine. —Plant again, and sow a full crop of Cole- 
ivorts; make a small sowing of Turnips, and apply plenty 
of water occasionally to growing crops, or they will be 
hard, strong, and sticky; sow a few Rampions on a 
shady, cold situation ; sow a few Horn Carrots, to have 
young in succession ; choose showery or cloudy weather 
for commencing planting out full crops of winter Brocoli, 
Borecole, Brussels Sprouts, and Savoys. Such things 
may be planted between Peas, Beans, &c., which will, 
for a time, afford them partial shade. 
James Barnes. 
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 
PHLOXES. 
These beautiful flowers, which every cottager and 
amateur may grow as well as the best gardener in the 
world, deserve such attention, because their culture is easy, 
and their flowers handsome, graceful, and of almost every 
shade. The plan I adopt, when cleaning our borders 
in the spring, is to have those old plants that have 
been in the border for years, thinned out to five single 
stems. These five we allow to grow unsupported till they 
are about to show their flowers, when we make a hoop of 
hazel, or willow, or snowberry, or wire, anything that will 
bend, and make a hoop of about a foot or fifteen inches 
j diameter, and we put a bar across it. The strongest 
of the five stems we put in the centre of the ring, 
and the other four we tie round the ring, by which 
! means the flower stems support the hoop, and the hoop 
keeps them in their respective places; for they are tied 
j to the hoop with a good fresh piece of bast, not too 
much twisted, but well wetted before using. This arrange¬ 
ment is very neat, and not the least offensive to the eye ; 
whilst we have seen a dozen, or perhaps more, stems all 
bound together to one stake, and instead of seeing one fine 
head of bloom, you looked on a confused mass; but the 
l’ing prevents this by keeping them in their places till the 
last. I have the hoops made of rods not much thicker than 
the stem of the Phlox. The portions of the Phloxes re¬ 
moved we put in as cuttings in pots, and they are rooted in 
about fourteen days. These we plant as single plants among 
our roses, and they come into bloom after the roses are over 
in August, September, or October. I have often seen the 
Gladiolus recommended for this purpose, and it does very 
well, but we like the Phloxes better. These we plant at 
about a yard apart each way. We select the late-flowering 
ones for this purpose; the dark and most choice sorts we 
place in the centre, as that is the greatest distance from the 
beholder; and those with the fine delicate colours, such as 
Von Houtti, Eyebriyht, Bicolor, and the like, of which the 
beauty cannot be admired if much beyond a yard from the 
eye, we place at the side of the bed. But if we were to 
have scented ones, such as Antagonist, of beautiful large 
white form, and extraordinary perfume, we would place 
them near the edge also. 
We have tried different soils,—peat, rotten turf, and leaf- 
mould; but we found that Phloxes grow as well in common 
garden soil, made rich with very decayed dung, and they 
will be much the better for a little liquid-manure. This 
makes the foliage darker green, and the flowers of brighter 
colour. 
I should have said that when we make cuttings we have 
them from two to three inches long, cut close to a joint by 
a sharp knife, and plunged in any of the frames at work for 
cucumbers or melons. We struck a lot in a box in the 
following very simple way. I had no room in our frames, 
so I had a box about eighteen inches long by twelve 
inches wide, and about six inches deep; put an inch and a 
half of crocks over the bottom of the box, and spread a little 
moss on the top of the crocks. I then put about three 
inches of sand over the moss, and dibbled in the cuttings 
very firmly, and gave a little water. I then made a hole 
about two feet square in a heap of soil lying for other pur¬ 
poses, and filled it with about a barrow-load of dung, some 
leaves, and short grass, not exceeding three barrow-loads in 
all; I then placed the. box on the top, and drew the mould 
over and up to the box, and put two long squares of glass 
on the top of the box, and the next day the material had 
begun to heat, which we fancied was rather strong the fourth 
day; but on trying the thermometer it was about 70°, which 
we were quite content with. Sixteen days after 1 began to 
think they might be rooted, and upon trying to draw one up 
I found it firm. I then put a trowel in, and raised two of 
them, which had roots about an inch long. I then took off 
the glass, and let them stand without a cover all day, throw¬ 
ing a mat over them at night. We never allow Phloxes 
