Septembeb 1. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
429 
His soil is quite of an opposite nature to my own, and tlie 
situation also different—lying open and exposed, whereas 
mine is nearly surrounded and shaded by trees. 
I could go on with instances, and write for a month upon 
the subject; hut the real fact is, it depends entirely upon 
people themselves; and the only preventive for the mur¬ 
rain is to use diligence, keep the soil well-drained, in good 
heart, and tilth ; use no raw material at the time of planting ; 
take proper care of the seed; sow only the early ripening 
varieties, and store the produce in layers never more than 
six or eight inches in thickness, in a dry, dark place. 
Thus, the tubers are out of the soil sufficiently early for the 
ground to become occupied with the winter cabbage tribe, 
or sown with early turnips, or transplanted with Swedes, 
&c.; and so, instead of the disease proving itself a curse, it 
is made to become a blessing to mankind, through instruct¬ 
ing him to secure two crops from his ground in the place 
of one. 
In order to fill up the hamper, I will enter two or three 
other productions. The Pea is a variety called the 
“ Dulce Magna.” A few were presented to me, three years 
ago, by a Suffolk gardener, as a great favour. I thought I 
had arrived at the acme of Pea cultivation with Thurston's 
Reliance , but I have astonished myself with this great sweet 
Pea. I allow the sample and flavour to speak for them¬ 
selves, when I have no doubt you will second my anxiety 
that it should be known through the length and breadth of 
the land, as a Pea well worthy of cultivation. The single 
haulm you may perceive measures 9 feet 0 inches in height, 
has six offsets or branches, numbering 4G pods and 18 
blossoms. I do not generally allow them to attain this 
height, for by stopping so soon as the first blossom appears, 
they seldom much exceed the stature of six feet. 
The Gooseberries and Currants are from a neighbour’s 
garden (Mr. John Pardon, Watchmaker). They are not 
specimens got up for show, but gathered from bushes bear¬ 
ing very heavy crops. Mr. F. has shown some first-rate 
fruit in his day; and, if it came to the point, ye men of 
Lancashire, be it known, there are very large Gooseberries 
grown in Oxfordshire, even, and Currants too. The most 
ardent sticklers for making the most of a small piece of 
ground would be satisfied to their heart’s content if they 
saw Mr. P.’s garden. He has the best collection of German 
Stocks, now in bloom, that I have seen this year. As I 
parted from him to-day, he observed, “ We can garden a 
little you see, as well as make watches, and set diamonds ! ” 
I have had some very fine Gooseberries myself this year, 
but they would not. wait! for the Potatoes. My Straw¬ 
berries, also, were abundant and excellent, thanks to the 
“faggots” (see vol. vi., page 278; and The Gardener’s 
Almanac for 1852). Scarcely any were soiled or spoiled by 
the rain, nor preyed upon by slugs, wireworms, Ac. The 
Raspberries were an excellent crop, so were the Currants, as 
the preserve jars testify. Currants I shall be enabled to 
gather for some time to come, as I have some under their 
protectors. 
My wall-fruit-trees are too young to expect much from; 
still I have a spriukling of Pears, a good crop of Morello 
Cherries, and a capital show of Grapes; Apricots about here 
are a failure, and Apples are partial; my Peach tree is a 
failure, both in crop and kind; for the nurseryman, instead 
of-, sending me a Grosse Mignonne, which I ordered, seDt 
me—the first thing; no matter what. * * * .My kitchen 
garden crops are as flourishing as I could wish for—the 
result of good drainage and liquid-manure ; and, consider¬ 
ing the season, I think a fair amount of honey will instantly 
be forthcoming from the bees. 
By the fragment of stalk (Hieracleum giganteum), you 
will perceive I am up to the circumference, with July 21st, 
page 311. The entire plant measured 9 feet 6 inches in 
height. Mine, like 311’s plants, were lions in the fiower- 
way here; they are, certainly, majestic looking fellows, 
though too many of them would soon cloy, and appear 
common. One of my plants, just before the side-branches 
opened for bloom, would have formed the most perfect 
model for an epergne, or candelabrum, of anything I ever 
saw. I advise Messrs. Hunt and Roskell, when they com¬ 
mission their artists next year, to study nature, to caution 
them to give an eye for these graceful plants. 
I have allowed my observations to take a course over the 
crops in this vicinity (Woodstock), and, generally speaking, 
farmers will not be far short of their reckonings. The 
breadth of land under Wheat is not so extensive as usual, 
but the wheat is good in quality. Barley and Oats are i 
especially fine, I never saw better: all of them are fast j 
assuming their yellow harvest livery, and the sickle and the 
scythe are in full operation. (A good-natured farmer who 
brought us a present of two couple of young pigeons, said, 
if it had not been for the rain of yesterday, August 18th, 
he should have completed carting his wheat to day.) Beans 
and Peas are good for these parts; I have witnessed no \ 
blight. Cows and beasts are luxuriating in a rich afterbite, 
and what deficiency of sample may have happened to the j 
Hay and Clover, on account of the weather, will be amply 
compensated for by the superior crops of Turnips ; the last- j 
mentioned of which will reap wonderful benefit by a tho- j 
rough soaking of rain mentioned above. 
The lute variety of Potatoes, which people will doggedly 
cultivate, are, of course, a failure; the medium sorts are 
blighted in the haulm, not so their tubers; comparatively, 
for late years, their crops are sound and encouraging. 
Upwards and Onwards. 
[Most readily and unreservedly do we bear testimony to 
the excellence of the samples sent to us. Every one of the 
Potatoes is of that average size most suitable for table use, 
perfectly free from disease, and every one is devoted to be 
used for planting. The Peas (Dulce Magna) are as good as 
any we have ever tasted, very large and very prolific. In all 
these qualities, they at least equal the Knight’s Marrow, 
and we do strongly recommend our correspondent to adopt 
means for its general introduction. The other garden 
products were all first-rate, and bear unmistakeable testi¬ 
mony to the good gardening at Woodstock.—E d. C. G.] 
SOWING GERANIUM SEED. 
My seedling Geraniums of this year are some of them 
stout plants already. Life is much too short for that old 
plan of keeping the seeds till next spring. I never suffer 
the seed to ripen so thoroughly as to make the awn curl up 
and show the seed, but remove it while yet a little immature, 
never letting it get dry. I thus save many days. I also 
germinate them by half-filling a tin-box with damp sand, 
placing the seeds on it. I then shut the box and put it in 
the stove till they sprout. Thus I avoid the perpetual risk 
of drying-up in the sunshine, which will often delay the 
germination for months, if not altogether.— Ignescens. 
TAN PREVENTIVE OF CATERPILLARS. 
At page 300 of The Cottage Gardener, inquiry is made 
relative to the best mode of preventing the ravages of cater¬ 
pillars on Gooseberry-trees. I think I have a remedy more 
simple and efficacious than that referred to. I can speak 
from experience, having used it above ten years, and instead 
of having my trees infested, as they formerly were, I 
hardly ever see one on them. Every year I scatter the old 
spent Tan under the trees, and I suppose it may be that 
the butterflies 'do not like the smell of it, as afterwards 
they hardly ever come near. It will have the same effect, 
sprinkled between rows of greens and cabbages. I have 
found it so useful, that it ought to be universally known. 
It renders that (old Tan) valuable, which is often valueless. 
SURREY ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS POULTRY 
SHOW— August 23, 24, and 25. 
Tiie Show of Birds was not good on the whole; but 
Class 2, Shanghaes, were a good class, and Aylesbury Ducks 
were very first-rate. Our reporter thinks these were the 
duly two worth particularizing. The weather was bad, and 
the attendance, consequently, small. 
Judges.— Edward Hewitt, Esq., Eden Cottage, Sparlbook, 
