220 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. [July 3. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
*** We request that no one will write to the departmental writers of 
The Cottage Gardener. It gives them unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. All communications should be addressed “ To the Editor of 
The Cottage Gardener, 2, Amen Corner, Paternoster Row, London. 
Gloxinias and Aciiimenes (Rotation ).—Your plants have been 
kept too long, either too wet or too cold. Your process of potting, and 
your compost, were quite right. When you placed them in the cucumber- 
frame was it very hot ? If so, that alone would be sufficient to destroy 
the bulbs. Bulbs that have been a long time dormant ought to be placed 
at first in a temperature not more than 10 ° higher than that in which 
they have passed the winter. Examine the bulbs, and all that are rotten 
throw away at once. Such as are sound may start yet, though we much fear 
you will find the living principle extinct in them all by this timet though 
some may look green. Glenny’s Golden Rules for Gardeners you will 
find a useful book. 
Lophospermum Hendersonii (J. Betswortli). —This is a beautiful 
annual, half hardy, and easy enough to grow. You may put out part of 
your plants in the open air against a wall or paling, and put one or two 
in a 6 -inch or 8 -inch pot, and place these in your window. They will run 
round the window, and flower beautifully. The Globe Amaranthus 
(Gomphrena globosa) is a tender annual, and will not grow and flower in 
the open air. Convolvulus major. —As good a trellis as any for this plant 
are sticks with small twigs all round them ; straight hazel-rods, without 
twigs, answer very well; or, if they are planted near a wall, a string of 
twine will answer. 
Preparing Florists’ Flowers for Exhibition (A.B. C.). —You 
are right; we do not approve of much manipulation for this purpose; but 
you may, with propriety and fair dealing, remove any imperfect or ill- 
coloured petals, provided you do not put any other in their place. You 
may also place the petals in a more regular form. Both these operations 
require much judgment and dexterity, or you may injure rather than 
improve your flowers. The only tool required is a pair of small ivory 
tweezers, with the ends flattened to take hold of the petals with. With 
regard to flattening Pansies, unless great care is used you will do more 
harm than good. You will be in danger of splitting the petals or rubbing 
off the fine bloom, either of which would be fatal. However, if you like 
to try, procure some round pieces of velvet or satin, and place it carefully 
upon a flower that is rather obstinate, and upon this covering place a 
penny piece for an hour or two before the time arrives to expose the 
flower. But all this will not make a good flower out of a bad one. A 
better plan is to grow the best kinds in great plenty, so as to have many 
to choose from. 
Bees (D. N -, Edinburgh). —Yes; the bee you inclose is a queen, 
a very young one, and was turned out of your stock-hive, dead, during 
the night of Friday, a pretty sure sign that no other swarm will issue from 
that hive this season. Your swarm, in all probability, has flown away, 
and very probably to a hive of old comb. It is very unfair to suffer a 
hive full of comb to remain exposed during the swarming-season, espe¬ 
cially where many bees are kept, for a swarm is almost sure to go into it. 
The honey deposited in very old comb must, consequently, be much 
deteriorated in quality. There is no punishment for persons exposing 
hives of comb in the swarming-season, except from their own consciences 
in knowing that they have been guilty of a very dishonest act. 
Bees (D. Porrell). —We have at the present moment four of Neigh¬ 
bour’s improved cottage hives (No. 5) working under our eye; and nothing 
can be better suited to the amateur apiarian who wishes for a supply of 
fine honey in small quantities : the bees generally do remarkably well in 
them. It is better to use cotton, wool, or something of the kind, between 
your wooden cover and the bell-glass. Do not feed at this season ; and 
when you do, give your food at the top, covered with a bell-glass. 
Dethronement of a Queen (Rev. J. M. C .).—You ask us to 
account for a queen bee’s being expelled from a hive in which a new 
swarm had been placed seventeen days only ; that is, to account for a 
supernumerary queen at all under the circumstances? The queen 
which led off your swarm was a very old one ; and as soon as a young 
queen was formed, some time before she emerged from the breeding 
cell the old one would be expelled. 
Absence of Drones (Teddington Rectory). —Paint your hive stone- 
colour ; it will then be much cooler than if it remains green. In all 
probability it swarmed last year, and became much weakened thereby ; 
and in weak hives drones are not bred till very late in the season. Do 
not despair ; you will see them yet; we have several hives at which drones 
have not yet made their appearance. 
Caterpillar on Rose-tree (S.). —It is the caterpillar of one of the 
Geometridse moths ; but we cannot tell the species until a moth is bred 
from it. Answer to your query about bees next week. 
Pegging Down Dahlias (Dromore House).' —The main stems need 
not be stopped. If you peg them down by degrees, and gently, they will 
not break, and will soon send out branches spontaneously. 
Onion Grub (F. W. S., Melton). —Your crop of onions is attacked by 
the grubs or lame of the Onion fly (Anthomyia ceparum), of which you 
will see a drawing and description in the first part of The Cottage Gar¬ 
deners' Dictionary, page 52. It is too long to extract. Attempts 
to destroy them are almost hopeless ; but we have seen much good arise 
from watering every night for a week between the rows, making small 
trenches for the purpose, with the house-sewage, soap-suds, &c. 
Cistern under a Greenhouse or Heathery (Water Cistern ).— 
We know of no objection to this; nor do we know anything of the flue 
tiles you inquire about. 
Champaigns (One who has risen). —At, not after. Be assured the 
worst of all ignorance is to be ashamed to ask for the information in 
which we feel ourselves in need. 
Potatoes (B). —Of the potatoes you mention, Fox’s Seedlings are 
round, white, short-stemmed, and good for early cropping. Of the 
Bread-fruit, there are the red.'and the white, both prolific ; tubers oblong 
and rather flat; keep well, but are rather late kinds. York Regents are 
rather late, but excellent potatoes. Ward’s Early, Penzance Kidney, 
and Wiltshire Kidney we do not know. 
Onions (Ibid).— Of those you mention, the best keeping varieties are 
James’s Keeping, Globe, and Strasburg. 
The Cottage Gardener’s Dictionary (T. S. De Lolme). —Thanks 
for your criticism ; an alphabetical list of synonynms will be given at the 
end ; not a plant is admitted but is worthy of culture ; as the height is 
given, every gardener knows the distance that should be between the 
plants ; and every one of your other suggestions are met in some way or 
other. We never use symbols, because it causes more trouble to the 
reader without saving compensating space ; and to have entered into all 
the particulars you require, the work must have filled three pocket vo- 
lums instead of one. 
Exhibitions of Carnations (R. S .).—The meetings for the exhi¬ 
bition of carnations and picotees areas follows:—Chiswick, July I9th ; 
Surrey Zoological, July 24th ; London Floricultural, Exeter Hall, July 
8 th. Carnations and picotees will be exhibited at the above places in 
fine order. 
Names of Plants (Cautious). —Your plant is Oxycoccuspalustris, or 
English Cranberry. The price of our cloth cover for the six month’s 
volume is one shilling, and for the twelve month’s volume eighteenpence. 
Your other plant may be Azalea procumbens, but we cannot decide with¬ 
out seeing a specimen in flower. (J. Hudson). —Yours is Hieracium 
murorum. (L. P. S.). — Polygala vulgaris, or Common Milkwort. 
Old Verses ( Biblos ).—We know the silly verses you allude to. They 
were published in 1/37, and entitled “ A Contest between the Gardeners 
and the Tailors, concerning their Antiquity.” The gardeners claim pre¬ 
cedence because Adam was a gardener long before he made an apron of 
fig-leaves. 
Vine Culture (A. W.). —We beg pardon for not answering you 
sooner; the note was mislaid by one ignorant of its import. We are 
inclined to think that drought has had a full share in producing the evil 
of which you complain. Vines enjoy a liberal amount of moisture: but 
it must pass away immediately, for they love air as well, and it is needless 
to suggest to you the consideration of the truism that two bodies cannot 
occupy the same space. Your case does not seem positive disease, and, 
therefore, you might try the effect of a little weight at the ends of the 
curled bunches; a plan suggested by our clever coadjutor, Mr. Fish, 
many years since, and which is said to answer. Mr. F. may, perhaps, 
furnish you with information concerning it. Turn Dielytra spectabilis 
out of its pot. 
Diseased Vine Leaf (No signature). — Your injured leaves would 
seem to have been pierced by an insect. A friend to whom we sent the 
leaf, and who has been a notorious vine doctor, says that he has had 
leaves become thus which had been smothered by a host of minute Thrips 
previously. We could give an opinion if we knew where the vine grows, 
and how it has been treated. 
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.—July 3rd, 1851. 
^Ubcrtteemcnts. 
OHALE MANURE.—The Bitu- 
O minous Shale Company can now supply 
Pulverised Shale Ashes, in sacks, at £2 10 s 
per ton, delivered at any station or branch line 
of the South-Western Railway, and at the 
Terminus, Nine Elms. 
This valuable Manure is at once cheap, dura¬ 
ble, and fertilizing, and will be found to be 
superior to all others for Grain, Grass, and 
Root crops. 
A singular property of this Manure is, that it 
entirely prevents the ravages of the Fly in 
Turnips and Hops; it is also utterly destructive 
of the Wire-worm. 
Orders to be addressed to the Bituminous 
Shale Company, 145, Upper Thames Street, 
London, where also testimonials from the first 
agriculturists of the day may be obtained. 
Algernon Pollock, Secretary. 
p LENNY'S GOLDEN RULES FOR GARDENERS, Professional and 
VJ Amateur; showing, in few words, what Gardeners ought to do and avoid. Price 6 d, 
p. LENNY’S HAND-BOOK TO THE FLOWER-GARDEN AND 
O GREENHOUSE; containing the Description, Culture, and Management of all the Popular 
Flowers and Plants grown in this country; with a Calendar of operations for every month. 
Price 5s 6 d. 
p LENNY’S HAND-BOOK TO THE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE 
H GARDEN; containing the Culture, Management, and Description of all the Fruits and 
Vegetables grown in this country; with a Calendar of Operations for every month. Price "s fid. 
pLENNY’S HAND-BOOK OF PRACTICAL GARDENING; contain- 
d ing full instructions for performing every operation connected with the Practical Management 
of Gardens ; and for the Culture of Florists’ Flowers. Price 7 s 6 d. 
p LENNY’S PROPERTIES OF FLOWERS AND PLANTS ; containing 
xJ the Description of all the Qualifications necessary to a Perfect Flower. Price Is. 
ptLENNY’S CATECHISM OF GARDENING; containing the Elements 
vT of Practical Gardening, in Plain Questions and Answers. Price 9d. 
C. Cox, 12 , King William-street. 
