10 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[Arm i. 11. 
An old writer lias said, “I never took anything for 
certain that I did not receive a lesson that I had been 
presuming rashly,” and we felt the full force of this ob¬ 
servation after trying Broun’s Patent Fumigator. We 
ridiculed the idea of doing that by a machine which 
could he done by lighting a whisp of tobacco rolled up 
in touch-paper; but as we invariably try betore we 
condemn, we now have to confess that we “ presumed 
rashly;” and we can confidently and strongly recom¬ 
mend it to our readers. 
If a very small quantity (a quarter of an ounce) of 
tobacco be put into the circular vase at the top, and a 
red-hot coal upon the tobacco, the spout then be in¬ 
troduced through a slightly raised sash of the house, and 
the handle of the fumigator slowly turned, there will be 
such a continued and copious flow of smoke that the 
house, though a large one, will be filled in a very few 
minutes. It is the rapid and continuous production of 
smoke which renders this really an economical instru¬ 
ment, for it is quite certain that by its use less than half 
the tobacco is sufficient, compared with that required 
when its combustion is slower. For ladies, and other 
amateurs, it possesses this additional recommendation, 
that they need in no way be incommoded by the smoke : 
they' stand outside the house to be fumigated, and not a 
whiff of the smoke escapes from the fumigator except 
that delivered by it into the house. It may be employed 
equally efficiently for fumigating pot plants, or bushes 
in borders; these need only be put under a tent, formed 
by driving a stake into the ground, and throwing a 
sheet or other covering over it, and the spout of the 
fumigator introduced beneath will sooner, and, conse¬ 
quently, more efficiently, fill the space with tobacco 
smoko than any other mode we know. 
At this juncture, when the cultivator of the soil must 
trust to his own clear head and his own right hand 
rather than to any aid from tariffs and restrictive duties, 
every suggestion for the profitable employment of his 
premises as well as of his soil deserves the most careful 
consideration. Now, among such suggestions is one 
for employing the stables and cowhouses on a farm for 
horticultural purposes, without interfering with their 
utility for the purposes to which they were originally 
devoted. This suggestion is one of the many beneficial 
results arising from the repeal of the duty on glass, by 
which this material is rendered nearly as cheap as slates 
for roofing. 
If our readers will refer to p. 01 of our last volume, 
they will find a question answered by us relative to the 
advisability of growing vines in a cowhouse with a glass 
roof. We there expressed our opinion that there is no 
obstacle to the success of the plan, and we are very glad 
to find that its spirited suggestor has carried it into 
effect. In a letter just received, he says— 
“ My new cowhouse, 90 feet long, is now glazed with 
Hartley’s Patent rough plate, and the vines are planted. The 
rafters (had from Lewis of Stamford Hill) are 31 inches 
apart, so that the house is very light. The most ample 
means of ventilation have been provided all round the house, 
and along the whole ridge. The rafters were laid on just | 
the same as for slating, and there are no sashes, so that the ] 
expense of this large house only exceeds by a few pounds a j 
slated one. I think that even if the cows are kept in all the 
summer, the shade of the vines and ample supply of fresh 
air will prevent their suffering from heat. 
“ I purpose planting citrons and oranges on the wall of I 
the feeding-walk. 
“You shall hear of it again, from time to time. If it 
answers, I should think many farm buildings would be put 
up like it. I am at a loss for a name for it; some have called 
it 1 The Combination House.’ ” 
We shall be obliged by our correspondent reporting 
to us frequently how the plants progress, for it is an 
important experiment, and we should be glad to know 
how the leaves develop themselves, and how the wood 
ripens. We hope strict attention has been paid to 
forming the borders, for much depends upon this; and 
we should regret, supposing failure is the result, if it 
were doubtful whether that failure arose from the roots j 
or the atmosphere of the house. With the arrangement j 
for thorough ventilation we have no fear, however, that 
the air will be unsuitable ; the slight exhalation of am¬ 
monia from cows’ manure, and the little additional car¬ 
bonic acid from their breath, will be beneficial rather 
than otherwise to the vines. We anticipate that the 
dust will be the greatest inconvenience and injury to 
them; and this will render necessary extra care for its 
prevention, judicious management of the ventilators 
whilst the litter is being moved, and the frequent use 
of the syringe at all permissable times. 
As to a name for the house, we should have no diffi¬ 
culty in calling it the Stable-Vinery, or the Sliippen- 
Vinery,—just as it may happen that horses or cows are 
kept under the vines. 
We have had so many inquiries relative to the culture 
of the Himalayah Pumpkin, that we think it best to give 
this one prominent answer. ’The best mode of sowing 
the seed is in pots of light, rich earth, any time during 
the present month; and plunging the pots in a gentle 
hotbed, or placing them in a warm greenhouse. The 
seedlings, when they have four rough leaves, will be 
ready for planting out in May, on a south border, or in 
any slightly sheltered quarter, and trained the same as 
cucumber plants. In May the seed may be sown in the 
open ground. The fruit may be cut when about seven 
inches long, for boiling and eating the same as the Vege¬ 
table Marrow, to Svlncb it is superior; or the fruit may 
