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THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[Arm i 
4. 
Lucerne (Ren. A. Slight, R. L.).-You will see that we have attended 
to your request. 
Medical Question (IF. A'.). —We cannot undertake to answer this, 
or any other medical question. 
Dictionary (Norire).— Wait a little, and we hope to introduce to 
your notice exactly what you require. 
Sulphuric Acid and Liquid Manure (A Bromley Curate).—It ts 
quite impossible to tell the exact quantity of sulphuric acid required for 
neutralizing or fixing the ammonia in your liquid-manure tank, for it varies 
constantly in the strength and nature of its constituents; hut, under 
similar circumstances, we know practical men who add three-quarters of 
a pound to every sixty gallons of the liquid compound from their water- 
closets, sculleries, See. 
Rhododendrons (dice. W. H. M .).—You have a lied of these which 
have quite overgrown their space, and are so entangled together, that to 
cut them down to anything like a manageable size they must look bare 
stumps, without a leaf; and you ask if you must cut them, and how low 
down; and you have been told that they do not bear the knife. Now, 
all this testifies to demonstration the great need of a cheap periodical 
like The Cottage Gardener, to instruct the great body of our country¬ 
men, and more especially the clergy, whose example is likely to be 
taken up by their congregations. Now about these rhododendrons: 
they are just as much under control as a geranium in a pot, will bear 
the knife equally well with the geranium, and may be cut to any height 
required, or be cut down to near the surface. Fix on the height you 
would like your plants to be—say three feet, four feet, or six feet, or 
any other height; then cut off the central shoots to that point, and 
the next branches below them cut so as to form the skeleton into a 
round shape. Every other plant in your bed we would so cut before the 
end of April, and leave the rest as they are until their bloom is over, and 
then cut them in the same way. For the centre of the bed you can use 
nothing so good as one of the tallest and heat shaped of your rhododen¬ 
drons ; and from the time their growth is finished to this time next year 
you may remove anv or all of them, to rearrange them, as easily as re¬ 
moving a pot plant'from one pot to another; for their roots will carry 
enormous balls, which will secure the roots from all danger ; nevertheless 
give them a good soaking of water if you replant them. If you must 
have a different plant for the centre of the bed, get a strong one of Mag¬ 
nolia conspicua, which flowers very finely in the spring. 
IIot-water Pipe eor Pit ( T. D. P .).—A two-and-half-incli pipe 
will he quite large enough to supply top-heat to a pit five feet wide and 
nine feet long, with bottom-heat supplied by a bed of leaves. Leaves, 
“ of which you have a plentiful supply,” will give you bottom-lieat 
enough. Gutta perchu tubing of two-inch bore is about Is 9d per foot. 
Pea Supporters (I. S. Trundle).— Those of which we gave a drawin; 
at p. 271 of our first volume we used exclusively last season, and they 
answered admirably. The only alteration necessary is that they should 
be made to touch each other at the top, so as to form an inverted A. in 
stead of being perpendicular, as represented in the drawing. 
Increasing Apiary (S. .1.).— Buy swarms, by all means. They are 
quite mistaken who tell you that your bees will quarrel with the bees of 
I strange hives. Bees from every county in England would be harmonious 
in the same apiary. 
Queries ( Young Gardener).—Cactus : Your cuttings will 
; dry the bottoms first. Greenhouse: The temperature for 
and strawberries, 50° to 60° during the day, from 45° to 
from 5° to 10°. Anemone 
Various 
strike nicely 
forcing flowers 
50° at night, is good—increase gradually 
seed • Sown last autumn—we should be doubtful of. The Acacia seed sown 
at the same time are likely to do. You might give them both a mild 
bottom-heat. You must have patience with your luxuriant Seedling 
Geranium. If you starve it, ten to one hut you would not be able to judge 
properly of the' flower. Your error was in placing it in such a large pot— 
nine inches ; one of four or five inches is quite large enough. 
Standard Roses (E. F .).—To train “ standard and weeping rose- 
trees ” along side of a carriage-drive, let the weeping ones have their 
main shoots trained down at regular distances all round the head, and 
that is easiest effected hv passing strings from the top of the stake to a 
circle made on the ground, a yard or more from "the stem, and tying the 
principal branches to the strings, and afterwards allowing the side 
branches from them to fill up the spaces to the shape of a parasol. The 
upright standards will merely require the shoots to be thinned out from 
time to time, and any of them that are growing too strong to be topped 
at midsummer, so as' to have all parts of the head well balanced. 
Parasites (A Subscriber). —With the exception of some mosses and 
lichens, we have no real hardy parasites, except tho mistletoe, worth cul¬ 
tivating. “ Parasitic ” and “Orchidaceous” plants are quite different 
in-their way of living. The former feed on the juices of the plants on 
which they grow, the latter require only to be supported on trees, so as to 
enable them to feed on the air, and on dead vegetable matter in some in¬ 
stances. Some of the dwarf ferns might grow on your prostrate oak. 
Flower-beds (H. IP.).—All that relates to the flower-garden has 
been undertaken this season by Mr. Beaton, but he declines the re¬ 
sponsibility of recommending how any given set of beds should be 
arranged as to colours. He has said—“ to do this properly, is the most 
difficult point in gardening ;” and to doit otherwise, on the advice of a 
public writer, would be like the blind leading the blind. You will have 
seen, however, at page 333, that Mr. Beaton would plant the two diamond- 
beds, Nos. 3 and 7 in your plan, with the same colour, and probably a 
white flowering-plant. Also the two small circles would be of the same 
colour, and that different from the colour of the four large fan-shaped 
beds, and from the large scarlet bed in the centre. 
Vinegar Plant (Ithyd y Gors).— Send your address to either of the 
parties named at p. 328. 
French Polish for Boots, &c. (M. D.).— Mix together, black ink, 
half a pint; gum arabic, two ounces ; loaf sugar, half an ounce; and of 
vinegar and rectified spirit of wine, each two ounces ; apply it to the boot 
with a sponge. We are told that this is a very superior preparation. 
Wire Worms (A Constant Reader and Improver).—We wish we 
could give you a plan for destroying these pests in your allotment plot. 
Spirit of turpentine, as you suggest, would destroy them, but the expense 
and impossibility of getting it into contact with them forbid its employ¬ 
ment. The ammoniaeal liquor from the gas works, put on in large quan¬ 
tities, and stirred into the soil some time before sowing your carrots, 
might be effectual. The best remedy, however, is the mole; a few of 
these allowed to mine for a season unmolested in your allotments would 
destroy thousands; they look unsightly, hut would not damage your 
crops so much as they would benefit them. We should adopt this 
remedy if our garden, like yours, was so infested with wire worms that 
they will not allow a carrot to grow.” High manuring, as you suggest, 
will not remove the evil. Loam; you will see that Mr. Errington explains 
what gardeners mean by this term. 
Cottages (Rev. II. Charasse).— Thanks for your suggestions which 
wc will not lose sight of. We cannot now advise upon emigration. 
London Horticultural Society’s Meetings (.V. B .).—These arc 
fixed for the present year to be on May IS, June 8 , and July 13. 
Tree Onion (A R. and J. R.). —Send your addresses to H. S. Hodson, 
Esq., Botanic Garden, Bury St. Edmunds; he kindly offers to supply 
you. 
Black Spanish Radish (T. M. IF.).—This may be sown at the 
times when common radishes are sown; if in drills, let them be eight 
inches apart. 
Bee Feeding (Ibid). — Give your bees honey diluted with a very little 
water ; cover the feeder with a piece of green-baize, or something of the 
kind, to keep it of the same temperature as the hive, and with the cork¬ 
lining they will be sure to go into it. Sugar and beer, as you mention, is 
very unfit for food. If you have not a supply of honey, simmer for two 
or three minutes over a slow fire a pound of loaf-sugar in a wineglass¬ 
ful of water, and then add a spoonful of honey; next to pure honey this 
is the best food you can give them.—J. II. P. 
Hints (Hortense). —Pray continue the subject; what you have sent 
is very good. But pray qualify what you say about “judiciously crib¬ 
bing”—we have just had some choice crocuses taken up by young gar¬ 
deners to ornament tlieir own plots! Can you not confide to us your 
address, that we may write if needful. 
Lygodium Scandens (E.N. P .).—'The dead patches on the leaves of 
this fern arise probably from the air of the stove, and the soil in which it 
is growing being too dry. Patches of this nature usually arise from the 
transpiration being excessive over the supply of moisture from the roots. 
Our Village Walks (Clericus).— You will see that these have not 
yet concluded. You will oblige us by favouring us with your name, as 
the suggestion you make will be attempted probably. 
Botany (Anateur). —The book upon the Natural System is a good one. 
Studv it; read, and collect plants, and find out their characters; botanize 
with some one who knows the science. It can only be acquired by such 
means. 
Laying-down Pasture (J. C. C .).—Obtain leave to sow the grass- 
seeds 011 the barley now. The tenant will lie benefited, and so will you 
eventually by hoeing the barley before sowing the seed, anil bush-harrow¬ 
ing it afterwards. 
Names of Plants (II. IF.).—Your plant is Cineraria petasites, the 
Butter-bur-leaved cineraria, and hardly worth cultivating in a small col¬ 
lection. Your description of the cactus agrees with that of Epiphylfam 
Achernumni. 
London : Printed by Harry Wooldridge, AVuichester High Street, 
in the Parish of Saint Mary Kalcndar, and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, i« tire Parish of 
Christ, Church, City of London ,—sApril 4 , IXid. 
