tiie cottage gardener. 
28 
haps one, or one and a half, mile off? Would it he desirable to send the 
hives up to the heather when in bloom?” You may cut a hole m the top 
of your hive. See Cottage Gardener, vol. u„ page 42 : you will there 
see that a four-inch hole is necessary. If you look at our correspondence 
you will see that Nutt's hives prove failures almost everywhere. 1 ou may 
board up the sides of the centre box, and put a glass or box upon the top 
as you propose. Your hills are not too far off for your bees, yet removing 
your bees to the heather when in bloom would certainly be attended with 
" S o e ; S E and Greenhouse Combined (W.F.Chapman).— “I have 
just completed a greenhouse eighteen feet long and twelve wide, wit i 
front lights to open, and top ones to slide on rollers m the usual way. I 
wish to have a vine, and also grow greenhouse plants, to do which I have 
had a glazed division with doors, so as to form allot and greenhouse, with 
two pits in front, one of which 1 propose to use as a cold frame m winter, 
the other to set the vine in : how to do so in the best manner is the know¬ 
ledge I require. I have had the pit excavated three feet deep, and find the 
subsoil gravelly, and resembling lumps of iron ore. I have had the bottom 
lined with tiles, and have put on the top of them about six inches of brick 
ends ; and my surface-soil is good. The aspect is about S.S.E., am 
heated by a flue, which runs along the north-west end, the front, and east 
end. The fire is at the back of the wall, in the north corner I have no 
damper, as I consider it unnecessary, as the entrance is from the east end, 
and the chimney in the east corner : so that when I require a strong heat 
in the hothouse, I can open the door or front lights in the• B r * e " ho " se - f° 
keep it the required temperature.” We have no doubt that you w 
succeed, as you deserve to do. As one flue passes through and heats ^* 
divisions, you will obtain an advantage and a disadvantage: an advantage 
in being able to give more air in cold weather to your greenhouse plants 
which will rendef them more healthy-a disadvantage, that it this is not 
attended to, your greenhouse will become too hot, especially at mght, 
though you have partly taken precaution against this, liy placing the 
greenhouse at the farthest end from the fire. Your flue running close to 
the front wall will also be of advantage to your pits in front; one foi 
plants, the other for a vine to be planted in, and the head trained in one 
of the houses, or both. You have not said whether you intend coverin 
the pit for the vine with glass, though, if you dul, you might winter many 
things there that did not require much water, &c. 1 here is only one 
defect we perceive in your preparing for the vine : with such a subsoil 
as you describe, you should have a drain somewhat lower than the bottom 
of your border, to prevent all possibility of stagnant^ moisturm 
Place 
Before 
placing your turf oil the tile and brick ends, wash a little concrete anion 
them, made of four parts drifts to one of lime, and plenty ot water, 
only a layer or two of your sods above this; break and incorporate the 
remainder among your good soil—drift, lime rubbish, and rotten clung; 
but instead of using too much of the latter, obtain several bushels ot 
broken —not bruised or ground-bones, which will give out their nourish¬ 
ment for years. Let the bottom and tops of your border incline at an angle 
of from 45° to 65°. The best kinds to plant will be Black Hamburgh and 
Royal Muscadine. They, as well as the other things you mention, can be 
procured from any respectable nurseryman. . 
IIovea Celsii (Hibernia).— Your plant is in full bloom, nearly two 
feet high, all the flowers within four or five inches of the top, the lower 
part ol F the plant is without leaves or branches ; and you ask if you may 
head it down, and whether you can propagate hy the top young shoots as 
cuttings ? You should not cut it down too low, as the wood may be so 
hard it would not break freely. Cut back so as to leave a bud or two of 
your present flowering shoots. Cuttings of it are best formed from small 
side shoots ; but the part cut away, if young, will also succeed, if placed 
under a bell-glass, shaded, and at first kept cool, and afterwards put in 
a sweet bottom-heat. 
Bromham Hall Melon (A Subscriber).—You may obtain six seeds 
for half-a-crown of Mr. Tiley, seedsman, Hi, Pultney Bridge, Bath. 
Calendars (I. T. Lawler).— In these, b means beginning of the 
month, and e the end. 
Seeds (Ren. H. W.).— Thanks for those sent. 
Sawdust (E. U.). —Sawdust, we think, might be mixed with leaves 
in forming a hotbed, and would render its heat more permanent. Why 
not mix all together with the horse-dung ? Leaves and dung should be 
mixed together for a hotbed, not placed one over the other. 
Vines on a Span Roof (T. IT.).—There is no weight in the objection 
to training vines up one side and down the other side of the roof. \\ c 
do it ourselves successfully. Will you oblige us with a plan and descrip¬ 
tion of your Sliippen vinery —giving dimensions, &c. ? 
Oxygen to tiie Roots of Plants (0. Stevens). —This being bene* 
ficial when applied to them, favours our experience that earthing-up 
potatoes is injurious. The deeper these are buried the less the air can 
get to them. We are in favour of stirring the surface often. 
Heating Greenhouse (.4 Subscriber, Normnnby). —It is quite pos¬ 
sible to heat a small greenhouse (8 feet by G feet) by means of a flue or 
pipe; but do not have it of metal. 
Payne’s Cottage Hives (W. A . E.). —fiec an editorial upon the price 
of these to-day. 
Male and Female Blossoms (11. Jackson). —These are united in 
the same flower in all our cultivated wall-fruits, and no protection usually 
given prevents impregnation. The covering taken off in fine days permits 
the winds and insects to aid in tftc fertilization. It takes place even in 
our stoves and greenhouses. 
Correspondence (S. N. V .).—You think “ more encouragement 
[April 11 . ! 
might be given to correspondents.” In reply to which we can only say 
that we are always most glad to receive communications, and to insert , 
them as soon as we can find room. All letters must be addressed to “ The | 
Editor of The Cottage Gardener. Office, 2, Amen-corner, Paternos- 
tcr-row, London.” 
Horse with Weak Fore-i.egs ( F . S. P .). —You say of your horse:— 
In cantering, I have not known it make a false step ; but in walking, it 
(some days) repeatedly bends the knee of the leg remaining on the ground 
while making a step; and this takes place just when the weight of the 
fore body comes before the perpendicular. The sensation to the riding 
person is as if the beast was falling. The horse rather (what is called) 
stands oner when quiet: its feet and legs quite sound; but I fancy the 
near fore-leg is a little short in its step ; but it is the off-leg the knee ot 
which has the trick of bending.” The animal is evidently not a proper 
one for a lady to ride. There is great weakness of the fore-legs ; and a 
sudden weight thrown on the fore-limbs, under which a horse with good 
firm legs would not succumb, would probably again bring the animal in 
question to the ground.—W. C. S. 
White Forget-me-not (Flora). — If you will favour us with your 
address, another correspondent obligingly offers to supply you. 
Covers for Volumes.— We cannot recommend binders. Any one 
can have the covers at our office, price Is each ; and can have them put on 
by any binder in their neighbourhood. 
Lilium Lancifolium (R. <S’.). —This fine bulb requires very little 
water until the leaves are well up from the soil; if the soil is not dry, it is 
enough ; and it does not require a great deal of water through the summer. 
A cool, airy house, with a south aspect, is best for it till midsummer ; and 
from that till the middle of August it will do better out of doors in a 
warm sheltered place. 
Scarlet Geraniums (S.).—If you have wintered these in pots in a I 
dry state you may now water them, so as to wet the whole ball, and keep I 
them moist. As soon as you see them growing cut back all the dead 
pieces, if any, down to a live bud; and when leaves begin to open shake 
the plants out of the winter soil, and repot them in fresh compost. If 
they were kept out of pots you may now trim off their smallest roots and 
pot them at once, and give them water also. 
Tagetf.s Tenuifolia and Sanvitalia Procumbens (Ibid ).—The 
former is from 18 to 24 inches high, and the latter halt those heights, 
according to the soil. Both are yellow. 
Jacob® a Lilies ( Touting ) .—Although not yet growing, these are 
quite right. Allow them their own time, and, if the bulbs were properly 
grown last season, and are old enough, they will be certain to flower with 
you. You have only to keep the soil from getting dry till their leaves 
are a few inches high, then to water them freely, and as soon as their 
bloom is over to plant them out on a warm border, placing the upper 
surface of the ball an inch below that of the soil, and apply water in dry 
weather. Let them remain till the approach of frost, when they are to be 
taken up and kept dry over the winter. 
Old Tree as a Flower Supporter (J. S. Trundle ). If the pear- 
tree is not surrounded by other trees, you may plant any ornamental 
climber against it without any preparation. It the ground about it is full 
of roots from other trees, there is no better way of managing than sinking 
old barrels, in which climbers are nursed until they are strong enough to 
take care of themselves, liefer to what Mr. Beaton said about climbers 
in such situations, and select according to your own taste. 
Geranium—Tom Thumb (A. E. D.).— You have been trying to 
preserve a small scarlet geranium (Tom Thumb) in a pot through the 
winter, after the plan given by Mr. Beaton, as adopted by Henry Moore. 
It has been kept in a dry room where there has been a fire for a few hours 
once a week, and no water given it. There is no appearance of any leaves 
at present. Take a knife and cut the bark here and there, and if the 
plant is dead the inside will be black, or nearly so ; but if it looks green or 
fresh it is all right; and you may cut off any dead tops, and water it at 
once, and it will soon grow again. The same test is applicable to any 
other geranium, to ascertain whether it is alive. 
Names of Plants (F. Giles).— No. I, we cannot name without seeing 
a flower ; 2, is Cist ns itwanus ; 3, is an Azulea indicu; but we can say 
no more from merely seeing a few leaves. 
Insects (C. C .).—The patch of eggs on a web is what may be termed 
the nest of the Vaporer Moth (Orgyia antiqua ); they should be sought 
for and destroyed ; as the caterpillars from those eggs are very destructive 
to the leaves of wall-fruit, and of many flowers. (C. J.).—The grubs which 
have injured the roots of your vines and cyclamens, are the larvie of some 
species of weevil, and probably of Otiot'hynrhus suit'dtns or O. picipes. 
For a drawing of the first-named see page 125 of our last volume. 
Aquatics (J. T.). —Your letter, unfortunately, was mislaid, or it would 
have been answered sooner. Pray excuse the delay. There can be no 
doubt but small grow ing aquatics would do well on the shelves formed 
under the water in your pond. The pots should be as wide as the shelves 
will allow, and be filled with rich loam and mud. The plants should be 
firmly secured in the mould with small stones, to prevent the winds tear¬ 
ing them out of the pots. The larger aquatics might be placed in the 
centre, but not too thickly ; such, for instance, as the beautiful White 
Water lily. 
London : Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High Street, 
in the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar, and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, at the Office, No. 2 , Amen Corner, in the Parish ot 
Christ Church, City of London.—April 11th, 1850. 
