232 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Junk 23. 
—rosyish-white, like Coranica of the “ Botanical Magazine." 
Falcata seeded with me like a small Crinum seed. 
Oxalis (Cafrina ?j.—The very handsome yellow with 
spotted leaf ccrnua ? * flowers in the greatest beauty in the 
temperate stove, having been started quietly in the green¬ 
house. It should he allowed to grow wild, and to overhang 
the side of the pot. Staked, you lose half its beauty; it looks 
well hung up, but should have a pan under it, and a copious 
supply of water by pan, or otherwise. Henderson’s beautiful 
double yellow Oxalis requires strong sunshine and plenty of 
water to expand its blossoms, therefore should not be 
flowered too early; the stove also is required for this. This 
has no spots, at least, only one, where the leaflets join the 
stalk. 
OroEANTHus luteus flowers best when taken up after the 
decay of the foliage, and kept a week or two out of the 
ground. When left in the ground the flowers, are fewer, 
and the foliage disproportionately plentiful at flowering 
time, which is not the case after the bulb has been ripened 
out of the ground. In fact, they are treated like Colchicums, 
with which they were at one time confounded.— Hybridist. 
* It is cernua. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Dissecting the Leaves of Trees.— The Rev. A. JV. B. has obliged 
us with the following directions :—“ The leaves are put into rain water, 
and allowed to remain without an exchange of water until decomposition 
is carried to the requisite extent that they may be freed from their cuticle 
and pulpy matter. After macerating them for a short time in fresh, 
clear water, they may be bleached by immersion in a diluted solution of 
chloride of lime (one-sixth chloride to five-sixths water). They must be 
well washed from this fluid when sufficiently whitened, and quickly dried 
before the fire or in the sun. Care must be taken not to allow the de¬ 
structive process to be carried too far, or the fibrous structure will 
become injured ; nor must the specimen remain too long in the chloride, 
or injury will also arise. Leaves with strong fibre should be preferred. 
The fibrous parts, and also seed vessels, and calyxes should be cleared 
by a fine camel hair brush. When the pulpy matter adheres too strongly, 
it may be removed by a stream of water poured upon it.” 
Melons ( Verax ).—You are quite right; they are not, at the best, 
worth one-half the trouble of growing them, and they are now thought 
too common to be even tasted by people of high quality, and yet they must 
have them at every summer dessert, but only to make up the proper 
number of dishes in a fashionable dessert. There is no doubt but you 
could grow young Pines in the narrow Melon pits, and fruit them out of 
pots in the widest range. 
Lobelia ramosa (Ibid). —It is an annual, and one of the best of 
them, and can only be increased by seeds ; it is, also, of the half-hardy 
class, and will not stand the winter; but it is an easy plant to move 
from a seed-bed, or from bed to bed. Lobelia syphilitica is propagated 
by cuttings and suckers in the spring; like the old fulgens, and cyelestina, 
is good from cuttings, but better from seeds. 
Bees. — 1\I. E. S., who writes from Stanley, says —“ Having read Air. 
Payne’s Calendar for June, where he states the heavy losses of bees, 
I beg to state that it is not so either with me or my neighbour. I have 
six old hives, kept all winter, and have not lost one stock ; they are all 
in the common straw hives of large size. The spring is very late with 
us, yet I think my bees are very forward, as I have already five swarms: 
the first, Alay 22; the second, AIay23; the third, Alay 25 ; the fourth, 
Alay 26 ; and the fifth, Alay 27 . I never had a swarm so early before. 
We calculate to be two or three weeks later here (Yorkshire, West 
Riding,) than you are in the south. Having putjny first swarm in one 
of Neighbour’s Improved Cottage Beehives, 1 found that they did not 
work well, as there were hundreds that stayed clustered to the hive in a 
state of confusion all day. I was advised to enlarge the hive, which I have 
done, and they work very hard, and all my bees are working very well.” 
[The reason of your bees not working in Neighbour’s hive, was from 
its being too small. We should like to be informed, at the end of the 
season, what your swarms weigh, and how long you have used these very 
large hives.—J. H. P.] 
Bees. — J. A. says—“ I have an old round-topped straw skep, the bees 
in which were few in number, and their provisions scanty at the back end 
of last year, but by feeding the bees they survived the winter, and now 
seem to be doing so well that I expect a swarm within a fortnight (that 
is not late for this part of the country—the earliest swarm hereabouts 
was on the 1st instant). Now, I want to abolish the old skep, as past 
service, and at the same time save the bees; and I want you to tell me 
which is the best way to do so. Aly idea was, to let them swarm, and about 
a fortnight after, when all the brood left in the old hive would have come 
into active life, to drive the bees into another skep.” [There appears no 
objection to adopting the plan proposed, but wait the “ piping ” of the 
queens before you set about it, and be prepared with some dried puff¬ 
ball, or “ Racodium cellare; ” for unless a hive is quite full with bees 
it never drives well, aud it is impossible, without fumigating, or cutting 
out the combs, to dislodge the bees that remain in the hive, for the 
queen is very likely to be with them.—J. II. P.] 
AIoth (T. M. VP.).—No moth has reached us as y T ou state. 
Spanish Fowls (Grove House). —Barley-meal, wheat, barley, and 
rice, with plenty of green food, will be the best diet. We cannot tell the 
cause of their laying soft eggs, as we do not know how you feed them. 
Spams'll lay the largest eggs, but, under proper treatment, we believe 
that Shanghaes lay the greatest number, and do so in winter, when they 
are most needed. 
Apple Seedlings (Apple Pippin ).—Nine out of ten will probably 
prove mere crabs. Turn them, without disturbing the roots, out of the 
pots into the open border; thin them to a foot apart in the autumn, 
planting those removed at the same distance apart. Let them grow 
there until large enough to furnish scions for grafting, as you propose; 
mulching over the roots through each summer will promote their growth. 
Charcoal Dust (Ibid). —This, soaked in pig-sty drainage, will be an 
excellent manure for your wheat and bean soil. Plough it in just pre¬ 
viously to the sowing. 
Colouring Gloucester Cheeses (A Dairymaid). —The outside 
colouring of these cheeses is effected by mixing Arnatto in ale, and rub¬ 
bing the mixture over the cheeses by the aid of a flannel. 
Iron Water Tanks (W. C.). —Water standing in rusty iron tanks 
does not usually become impregnated with the rust or oxide of iron. We 
should have the insides scoured thoroughly, then painted with melted 
pitch, and have care taken that they are kept constantly filled with water. 
Water impregnated with iron is injurious to plants. 
Rhubarb Vinegar.— M. S. will be much obliged by a recipe for 
making Vinegar from the stalks of Rhubarb. 
Lemon-coloured Bantams (J. P. L .).— We cannot tell where you 
can obtain eggs of this variety. 
Goat’s AIilk Cheese. — F. H. would be very much obliged by 
directions for making this. 
Various (A Subscriber).— Prune your fruit trees in autumn ; plant 
your celery in a trench, or on the surface with plenty of manure. Grow 
those flowers in your Greenhouse which are most readily sold in your 
neighbourhood. 
Spanish Hf.n (Newberry). —Your hen frequently going on to her 
nest without laying indicates that there is disease of the egg-passage. 
It is, probably, now too late to do her any good. If she is alive, give 
her a pill of one grain of calomel and one-twelfth of a grain of tartar 
emetic. Let her be also put upon a rice and potato diet for a few days. 
Cabbage Seed (A Twelve-months’ Subscriber). —No better Cabbage 
is grown, for general purposes, than “ The London Alarket.” You can 
get it of any seedsman who advertizes in our columns. 
Poultry-keeping (Veritas). —It would be extreme cruelty to keep 
fowls in a place eight feet square; cruelty to them, and the source of 
endless annoyance to yourself. 
Cucumbers Producing only AIale Blossoms ( G. Everton). — 
This is caused, probably, by the temperature being too low. 
AIeat for Chickens (Prevention, ffc.). —As they are in good health, 
do not trouble yourself about giving them any other animal food than 
the bones and scraps from your own table. It is more important, in a 
confined space, to supply them daily with green food. Other question 
next week. 
Black Beetles. —If E. B. will spread a few garden mats along any 
walk or path adjoining a plot of grass or a strawberry bed, he may kill 
black beetles by the thousand, the mats to be laid down in the evening, 
and examined the first thing in the morning. Another mode I found 
answer very well, sink stone jars or tin pails in the ground, the lip of the 
dish level, or a little lower than the ground around, cover the dish with 
a piece of board a foot broader than the dish, leaving room for the 
beetles to crawl under; rub the mouth of the dish with any stinking 
grease or dripping, and put two or three inches of water in the bottom ; 
the grease to decoy them down, and the water to drown them when in.— 
A Subscriber. 
Edwardsia grandiflora (A Subscriber). —This is a half-hardy 
perennial, with yellow flowers. It will endure our climate with no other 
protection than a wall. We do not know such a plant as Genista 
fragrans. 
Roses with Green Centres (Greenhorn). —This is usually in¬ 
curable, and if a Rose persists in producing green centred flowers, root it 
up, and try some other variety. Before doing so, however, try what 
manuring the soil will effect, as some good gardeners, and among them 
Air. Weaver, think it is sometimes occasioned by the soil being too poor. 
Name of Plant ( Greenhorn). —Your plant is the (Enothera pros¬ 
trata, or, as Air. Beaton says, “ the hook name ” is ripuria, It is one 
of the best for bedding, but equally beautiful as a single-bunch plant in 
the mixed borders, or as a front plant, from its being a dwarf. 
Pelargoniums and Cinerarias.— A County Dublin Subscriber 
wishes to renew his collection of Pelargoniums and Cinerarias ; his present 
collection contains;— Pelargoniums. — 1 . Belle of the Village. 2 . Cen- 
turian (Beck). 3. Crusader (Hoyle). 4. Forget-me-not. 5. Alagnificent 
(Foquett). 6 . Alay Queen (Hoyle). 7 . Alont Blanc. 8 . Negress. 9 . Orion. 
10 . Painted Lady. 11 . Pearl. 12 . Rosy Circle. 13. Duke of Cornwall. 14. | 
Vesta (Gaines). Fancy Pelargoniums.— 15. Alboni. 10. Anais. 17 . Lady j 
Rivers. 18. Afazeppa. 19 . Ytoluiskii. 20 . Nosegay. Cinerarias. — 1 . 
Adela Villiers. 2 . Alboni. 3. Annie. 4. Cerito. 5. Climax, ti. Defiance. 
7. Edmondiana. 8 . Flora Al’Ivor. 9 . Jenny Lind. 10 . Lola Alontes. 
You should discard from your collection of Pelargoniums — Orion, 
Painted Lady, Rosy Circle, Duke of Cornwall, and Vesta. From your 
fancy class of ditto—Lady Rivers, Alazeppa, and Nosegay. You wish to 
add sixteen of the large varieties, and eight of the smaller ; the following 
will suit you -. — Large Varieties. —Alonzo, Ajax, Beatrice, Beauty of 
Alontpelier, Colonel of the Buffs, Constance, Gannymede, Incomparable, 
Alagnet, Purple Standard, Prince of Orange, Pulchra, Plantagenet, 
Rovvena, Rosa, and Virgin Queen— 16 . If you do not mind price, add 
Optimum. Small or Fancy Varieties. —Ambassador, Beautd, Caliban, 
Celestial, Delicatum, Empress, Hero of Surrey, and Formosissimum. 
Your Cinerarias are all good varieties ; you may add to them with ad¬ 
vantage— Amy Robsart, David Copperfield, Star of Peckham, Lady 1 
Hume Campbell, Airs. Sidney Herbert, Alarianne, Tyrian Prince, Rosy 
Alorn, and Flora Alacdonald. Your Double Tree I’wony, with 130 ■ 
blooms upon it, is an extraordinary specimen; we never heard of so 
fine an one. The genus Lycopodium was accidentally omitted in our 
Dictionary. 
Diseased Fowls ( B .).—The questions are answered in Air. Teget- 
meier’s communications in our last number (p. 24fi). 
London: Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High-street, 
in the Parish of Saint Alary Kalendar; and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, of Church Hill, Walthamstow, in the County of . 
Essex, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, in the Parish of Christ 
Church, City of London.—June 23rd, 1853. 
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