150 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 2. 
wet weather, it will always be clean, and nice, and dry. 
I must mention, that there is an open drain at the 
lowest corner, to take away the water that falls on the 
l surface, for little will find its way through it. 
This should be kept in view in making such a place 
for standing plants in pots upon, otherwise you may 
make a large saucer for them. A very thin layer of tar 
will effectually prevent the worm even trying the bottoms 
of your pots, and a slight sprinkling of siftings of 
gravel, or road drift, will keep the surface clean and 
cheerful. Of course, roots will not run through the 
pots into the ground: when they approach the tar they 
will turn back again, or spread themselves on the 
surface. 
A mixture of coal and Archangel tar, or that obtained 
from the consumption of the Pine family, put on hot, 
is largely used for painting iron fencing at Trentham, 
and looks well. We have never seen such fencing 
painted with oil paint that looks well above three years; 
but what a difference in expense, and, after all, it is not 
such a good preventive of the iron oxidising, or rusting, 
i as tarring. 
We have not employed coal tar in making manure 
tanks, but a most intelligent mechanic has one made in 
his garden for receiving and containing water for garden 
purposes. The hole was dug sloping—say six feet 
square at top, and three at bottom, or any other con¬ 
venient size. This sloping of the sides is a security 
against the earth falling in, and any dimension as to 
width might be adopted. He then mixed coal tar with 
lime and road drift, and plastered all over the hole from 
half-an-incli to one inch in thickness, and it has 
answered the purpose as well as a brick and cemented 
tank. Very little of the tar is given off into the water, 
and after being used a short time it is hardly per¬ 
ceptible. 
The drawbacks to the use of coal tar are twofold. 
The strong smell, which, less or more, lasts from a 
month to six weeks, and which cannot be dissipated 
by anything we are aware of; and the disagreeableness 
of the work. The clothes of the workmen must be 
well guarded, as every spot, independent of other con¬ 
siderations, will retain the smell for weeks. It is also 
advisable to roll up the shirt-sleeves, and gloves may be 
used for the hands, but, however smeared they are, 
grease, and soap, and warm water will quickly cleanse 
I them. 
Our attention was directed to tar, many years ago, 
in the following manner. We were excessively annoyed 
by rats getting into drains: they would make holes by 
the side of the gratings. A space round the gratings 
j was laid down with tar and gravel, and no rat ever 
touched them afterwards. Finding they so disliked it, 
when we got one in a trap we tarred him, and sent him 
off; and though that happened a number of years ago, 
we have not seen one in the garden since, though pre¬ 
viously they managed to get more than their share of 
everything eatable. A few days before the tarring 
process we found five dozen of half-grown peaches 
: under a stone pathway, which must have been carried 
there by the rats. Was this for mere mischiefs sake ? 
They certainly could not eat them. R. 
It has been communicated to us that some misappre¬ 
hension has arisen relative to Mr. Beaton’s observation, 
at page 20 of the present volume, “that the most 
systematic frauds are going on, from one year’s end to 
another, by means of advertising alone.” Now, that 
this is most true admits of no doubt, and our _ con¬ 
temporary, the Gardener's Chronicle, has done good 
service in exposing some of these fraudulent advertisers. 
It seems absurd to say, in reply to one query that has 
reached us, that we made no allusion to any advertisers 
in our own columns, because we can assure our readers 
that, were we aware of any.such characters, their ad¬ 
vertisements should have no place here. Indeed, such 
a scrupulous supervision is maintained by the gentle¬ 
man under whom our advertising department is placed, 
that we believe not one objectionable advertisement has 
ever appeared in our pages. 
A Sale of Orchids, more than usually interesting, took 
place at Mr. Stevens’s Auction Rooms on the 19th and 
20th of May. The following quotations from the Cata¬ 
logue are given, because proceeding from trustworthy 
sources, such as Mr. Skinner, Dr. Lindley, and Mr. 
| Warszewicz. 
“ This fine collection of Orchids was made by Mr. Warsze- 
; wicz, on the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes, principally on 
i the hitherto unexplored hanks of the Maranon River, near 
its source, and in the territory of the savage Xivaros 
Indians; the melancholy results attending all former at¬ 
tempts to penetrate into this country by European Na¬ 
turalists, sufficiently show what must have been the perils 
Mr. Warszewicz underwent, and not until he was menaced 
with the knife of the savage did he desist, and was compelled 
to make a hasty retreat, however carrying with him a fine 
collection, which still had to suffer in their transport across 
the Andes to the port of embarkation; and some idea of this 
may be gathered from the fact of the collection being made 
previous to the loth of November, and their embarkation 
not taking place till the 12th of February. Mr. Skinner, 
anxious to do justice to this collection, has given them a 
I trial of two months in England, and although the deaths 
| have been great, particularly amongst those of the most 
delicate habit, yet, what are now offered are perfectly safe 
and in good growing condition. Among such a quantity of 
dead and rotten masses, the leaden tickets got much 
oxydized and often perfectly indistinguishable, consequently, 
among the Oncids and Odontoglots, no certain determina¬ 
tion can be given, but their remarkable habit show sufficiently 
that all (or with a few exceptions) are either undescribed or 
quite new to our gardens in Europe. No temptation (Mr. 
Warszewicz writes to Mr. Skinner) would induce him to 
repeat such a journey, and it is little likely an opportunity 
will occur to receive again similar plants. Moreover, Mr. 
Warszewicz may be very soon expected in Europe, as he 
has just been appointed Inspector of the Botanic Garden at 
Cracow by the Emperor of Austria. 
“ Lot 1. Epidcndrmn Frederici-Gulielmi (Warcz.), a most 
magnificent new species, with large blood-red llowers, cer¬ 
tainly one of the finest of the genus; was found in rather 
damp soil,-one fine healthy plant. Sold for i'll; Ids. 
“ Lot Id. Epulen drum parphyreum (Lindley), a fine crimson 
flowered species, growing about ljft. to 2ft. high, one fine 
mass. £5. 
“Lot 17. Maxlllaria conica (Lindley), a new species, with 
large ivory white llowers, one fine plant. A'O 7s. fid. 
