September 29. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
511 
Weight of Hive (C. J. Foster).—' Thiirty pounds would be more than 
I sufficient to carry your bees through the winter and spring without 
1 feeding, but do not take any of it from t hem, perhaps the bees-comb at 
i this time weighs about three pounds. Dromes are usually killed in July and 
I August. Neighbour’s hive requires only- to be kept dry ; let your zinc 
cover be large enough to prevent the rain, driving against it. 
Pigeons Forsaking their Young (Puss-in-Boots ).—Many of the 
fancy pigeons are bad nursers, and hcn.ce the practice of batching their 
eggs under the common dove-cot bird Columba affinis. Y ou do not 
mention the sorts kept by you, so we are unable to judge whether they 
are such as would be likely to display such unnatural tendencies, fre¬ 
quent disturbance by entering their loft, or handling the young ones, 
might render them, liable to forsake the nest. W. 
Dorkings with Five Toes on one Foot ( Catherine. Anthony).— A 
Dorking, with five toes on only one foot, would certainly not take a 
prize, but Chickens from the best birds are “ occasionally” thus deficient. 
Gapes, like other diseases of the trachea, is most frequent in cold, damp 
weather, but crowding chickens on tainted ground is also a common 
source of this disease.—W. 
Gold Fish.— G. W. writes as follows,—" I am greatly obliged to 
your correspondent, “ J. Wortheim,” for the light he throws, m your 
258th number of The Cottage Gardener, on the treatment of Gold 
Fish. By the. aid of strong pressure, between hot iron plates, we have 
succeeded in making a biscuit of rice ; my fish, were at first coy in tast¬ 
in'- it, but perhaps the powdered bark may render it move palatable to 
them. Prav, is not the Camphor-tree a species of Cinnamomum, and 
procurable at the chemists? (Both are of the natural order of Laurels). 
As my gold fish are also shy breeders, perhaps your travelled corres¬ 
pondent could further assist me hy indicating the sort of insect that pro¬ 
duces the fructifying eggs. X have remarked their insatiable appetite for 
the ephemerae styled May-flies, and also that in the absence of other 
food (as I conjecture) the stronger will devour the weaker, but I never 
heard the name of this propensity before.” 
CALENDAR FOR OCTOBER. 
ORCHID HOUSE. 
Air ; in fine warm weather, a small opening to allow' fresh air to enter 
the house will be useful, both for the keeping down the temperature of 
the house, and changing the air. Bletias should be put to rest by 
withholding water, and placing them in a pit or cooler house. Cycno- 
ches, Cyrtopodiums, and Cutasctums. These plants should now be 
kept dry a few days in the warm house, and when perfectly so remove 
them into a cooler one. Fire may be applied to heat the hot-water every 
night, more or less, according to the state of the temperature out-oi- 
doors ; raise the thermometer by day to 70 °, by night let it fall to 60°. 
Insects, look diligently after; everyone destroyed now will prevent a 
host from coming into life in the spring. Ly'castes, and other similar 
plants, should go to rest; place them on a shelf where they may be pro¬ 
tected from ever receiving any water. Plants that require to be placed 
in a place to rest may be known, first, by the full, plump, mature pseudo¬ 
bulbs, and, secondly, by the leaves turning yellow and dropping off. 
When in such a state, it is absolutely necessary to reduce the water and 
heat to prevent them from growing again prematurely. Plants that 
are growing should have their due share of water, and be kept mode¬ 
rately warm ; some may require potting, and all will be the better for a 
top-dressing with fresh compost. Stanhopeas will now be at rest; give | 
no water till the spring. This month is a suitable season for providing 
materials for growing Orchids, such as fibrous peat, turfy loam, sphag¬ 
num or bog moss, branches of trees, and broken crocks ; all these, duly 
prepared, and kept dry and warm, will be ready for use whenever they 
are wanted during the wet season. T. Appleby. 
PLANT STOVE. 
Heating Vinery (A Subscriber ).—There is no mode of heating it 
but by hot-water pipes, the old flue system, or hot-beds in the interior. 
Slugs (W. Lort ).—There is no royal road to the destruction of slugs 
when tliey have established themselves extensively in a soil. Patient 
perseverance in the use of means is the only mode ot attaining success. 
Frequent hoeing the surface, and sprinkling lime over the surface late in 
the evening, during fine weather, and a plentiful sowing of salt, about 
twenty bushels per acre, during moist weather, are the only modes of 
prevailing over the enemy. 
Bury St. Edmund’s Poultry Snow. —We have received two 
anonymous letters complaining of the alteration of one of the rules, and 
of an exhibitor showing fowls not his own. Before we make any en¬ 
quiries, our correspondents must confide their names to us. 
Autumn-planting Potatoes (An Amateur ).—Plant them eight 
inches deep, and the sets unsprouted. Early in November is a good time ; 
and the soil should be light and well-drained. No one but the very 
inconsiderate and reckless now cultivate any varieties but the early ripen¬ 
ing ones, such as Walnut-leaved Kidneys, Asli-leaved Kidneys, and 
Julys. The Walnut-leaved should not be planted until March. 
Botany (A. P.).— Henfrey’s Rudiments of Botany will supply what 
you require. 
Turkeys become Blind (J. J.).—We have sent your letter to Mr. 
Tegetmeier. If you look into our indexes, 4 you will find all you require 
[ about Mushroom-beds, &c. 
JEschy’nantiius, reduce water to ; prune in straggling branches' 
Air, give every favourable day. Achimenes, place in a cooler house, 
to cause them to give over growing and go to rest; give no water, and 
put them in a spot where no water or dry heat will reach them ; this ride 
does not apply to A. picta, which should now be in flower, and in its 
greatest beauty. Amaryllis aulica will now be showing flowers ; 
remove it, as soon as the flower-buds are visible, from the tan-pit into the 
stove; all other species of stove Amaryllis should now be at rest. Cono- 
clinium ianthemum, or, as it is now called, Hebeclinium ianthemum , 
a winter-flowering, elegant stove plant, repot, and grow on to flower in j 
February or March. Erantiiemum pulchellum, anil E. striatum , | 
treat similarly. Erantiiemums, water with liquid-manure, to induce , 
them to open their flowers freely. Gesneras should all be at rest, ex- | 
cepting G. zehrinu , which will now be one of the chiefest ornaments ot j 
the stove. Justicia ; several species will now be in flower ; water them ; 
freely, occasionally using liquid-manure. Luculia gratissima, though 
not essentially a stove-plant, will flower much finer early in the season if 
brought into the stove this month. Medinillas, young plants repot; 
older plants, keep partly dry and cool. Passion Flowers, trim in 
freely. Poinsettias, water freely, to produce fine head of bloom in 
winter. Rogiera amiena, and cordiflora, repot; place in heat, to 
bloom about Christmas; a new genus of dwarf, tree, winter-flowering, 
stove-shrubs. Remove stove-plants kept in frames through the summer 
into the stove; water freely, to compensate for the loss of the moist 
atmosphere of the pit. Water, apply very moderately to the general 
stock. Remove all decaying leaves, and top-dress generally. 
T. Appleby. 
GREENHOUSE. 
« a Country Curate.”— Although our valued correspondent has not 
i yet emigrated we believe, yet we do not know his address, so we cannot 
| obtain ” An Old Subscriber” the information he asks for. 
Name of Plant (J. M .).—Your weed is Euphorbia peplus, Petty 
! Spurge, or Wart-wort. 
Diseased Pigeons (J. Hewitt ).—The pigeons that are described as 
becoming thin and moping, are most probably affected with inflamma¬ 
tion of the stomach. When this disorder is in an advanced stage, it is 
most diflicultto cure, but it may always be prevented by attention to the 
diet Pigeons in towns are often kept without any green food, and on 
tares peas, or beans alone. A greater variation in their food, and a 
supply of green vegetables, will lessen the tendency to the complaint. 
Disordered Fowls (B.).—It is not uncommon for the dung of fowls 
to become black and watery. I should be more inclined to try the effect 
of an entire and total change of food than have recourse to medicine. 
Should, however, lliis change not succeed in effecting a cure, then try 
one-third of a grain of calomel every other night. W. B. 1. 
Error.— In Messrs. Page and Co.’s advertisement (see first page), 
Trifolium incarnatum seed was priced, last week, at 5s. per pound, 
instead of 5d. 
Air, admit freely during the day, but sparingly at night, unless the 
thermometer out-of-doors be about 40°. Alstriemf.rias, shift, or rather 
pot in rich light soil, and place where they will be secure from frost. 
They thrive beautifully when planted out in a pit or border, where they 
can be covered with glass in winter. Azaleas, remove into the house, 
especially those that bloomed early, as the least frost will discolour their 
leaves. Bulbs, pot for early blooming. Cinerarias, forward ones 
give manure water, and have secured under glass. Very little frost 
injures them. Camellias (See Azaleas). Calceolarias, strike 
cutting; pot forward plants; prick off seedlings. Chrysanthemums 
for winter blooming, provide with shelter from cold rains and early frosts, 
and water with manure-water, alternately with clean. Climbers on 
rafters now prune in, to give light to the plants beneath. Cleroden- 
drons, Gesneras, Lantanas, Achimenes, &c., keep in the warmest 
end of the house preparatory to resting them lor the winter, or returning 
to the plant stove. Azaleas, Camellias, Fuchsias, &c., at the 
coolest. Cuttings of all kinds, especially late inserted ones intended for 
out-door work next season, keep secure from dampness. Very dull cold 
weather will be their greatest enemy. Be careful liow you apply any 
artificial heat—it generally does more harm than good. Cytisus and 
Genista, scourge well with soap-suds, and then with clean water, to 
remove all traces of red-spider, and then place where they can be 
sheltered, before being housed at the end of the month. Erythrinas, 
out-of-doors, when touched with frost, take up and pot, and placed under 
shelter, not cutting the stems down until moderately ripe. Umamu ms, 
keep clear from fly ; and slowly growing ; this last condition is the best 
antidote against the former; avoid, however, letting them be cold and 
soaked too, for then you will have spot; forward ones may be repotted, 
and fresh struck ones potted off. Gladiolus, pot. Heaths and 
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