THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
77 
May 2.] 
other animal. I kept three females and one male for about two 
years, and found them “more plague than profit.” They 
were placed in an orchard, but would not eat the grass that 
was sour, but only such as the cows would feed from ; nibbled 
the hedges, and in spite of all opposition would force them¬ 
selves through. The milk is very rich, but not so plentiful 
as I was led to expect. The flesh of the kid is delicious. I 
had one female that produced three live and two dead ones 
at a birth. The male only barked the trees, and was not 
particular whether they were young or old. I have had 
much pleasure in recommending your work to several 
friends, who agree with me that it is the cheapest and best 
work of the kind ever published.—W. H. White, Thames 
Dillon. 
Bees. —You state (vol. iii., page 310) that raw sugar given 
to bees is useless ; bees can only take it in the liquid state. 
T have two common straw hives, and have found from expe¬ 
rience that bees will feed upon sugar, and make short work 
of two ounces at a time. In fact, they devour it in a similar 
manner that a parcel of Hies would in a sugar basin. On the 
contrary, my bees, though tried repeatedly with ale and 
sugar, prepared as recommended in your periodical, would 
never touch it; but that sugar (and honey in a small quan¬ 
tity) dissolved in water was quickly consumed. — Thos. 
BnooK, Hanover-street, Halifax . 
[You will observe in our last number that Mr. Payne and 
others have found that barley-sugar, which becomes moist 
when exposed to a warm, damp atmosphere, like that of the 
inside of a hive, is consumable by bees. Sugar also be¬ 
comes moist in the same situation. We were, therefore, not 
wrong in saying that bees cannot partake of solid food.— 
Ed. C. G.] 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
*** We request that no one will write to the departmental writers of 
The Cottage Gardener. It gives them unjustifiable trouble and 
expense; and we also request our coadjutors under no circumstances 
to reply to such private communications. 
Woollen Rags (J. Derham). —Thanks for your communication, 
which, with some notes of our own, shall appear next week. 
Bees (A Tyro). —The ventilators need not be closed at night. Either 
a painted canvas covering or a thatched roof will answer as a shelter for 
your hives. 
Super-phosphate of Lime (T. W.L.). —To make this on a small 
scale you must mix together six pounds of bone dust, three pounds of 
oil of vitriol (strongest sulphuric acid), and a pint and a half of water. 
Sprinkle the water first over the bones and then add the acid ; be careful, 
for it is very corrosive. Use a vessel large enough to hold more than 
twice the quantity. After the acid and the bone dust are united you may 
mix ashes with them, so as to enable you to spread the super-phosphate 
thus formed over your soil. The above quantity is enough for 100 square 
yards. 
Index (Ibid). —You can have this through a bookseller for a penny, or 
if you send three postage stamps to our office you will have one sent free 
by post. The wool of the dyed fleeces can only be rendered loose by 
being washed with soap, beaten, and combed. 
Glazed Asparagus Bed (T. H. D.). —You ask how much earlier 
you would cut asparagus if you enclosed a bed with a brick wall and 
glazed lights, using these only in winter and spring ? The asparagus 
would be about three weeks earlier than that in the open ground. You 
might keep carnations, auriculas, &c., in this protected bed during the 
winter, but you must have some place to remove them to early in March. 
Budding (J. Dawson). —The reference in vol. ». should be to p. 206 
instead of 260. A work exactly suited to you is preparing, and will be 
announced almost immediately. 
Bulbs done Flowering (P. W.). —These must not be removed until 
their leaves turn yellow at the end of summer ; they have now to prepare 
for next year’s blooming. If economy is an object in your bee-keeping, 
buy Payne’s Cottager’s Hive; otherwise, Taylor’s Amateur’s Hive. If you 
refer to the indexes of our former volumes you will find Mr. Payne’s 
Calendar for every month. Your other question must remain unanswered 
until next week. 
Payne’s Hives ( John Cockcross). —You will find several drawings and 
full particulars of size, &c., from Mr. Payne himself at p. 23Q of our first 
volume. The accompanying drawing shews the hive with the small 
depriving hive upon it. The large hive is nine inches deep and twelve 
inches in diameter, straight at the sides and flat at the top, with a hole in 
the centre of the top four inches in diameter ; a piece of straw work like 
that of the hive must cover this hole, not fit into it, when the depriving 
hive is not over it. The small hive is seven inches deep, eight inches in 
diameter, flat at the top, with a small pane of glass let into the side, but 
closed with a shutter, to observe how the bees are working in it. It is 
quite impossible for us to tell you the cost of carriage ; ask the carrier. 
Seeds Sown in Elder (Louise). —Never having tried the experiment 
we cannot give you the information, nor would we advise you to waste 
your time over such, at best, tasteless growths. 
Melilotus Leucantha. —If “A Subscriber” will send his name and 
address to N. S. Hodson, Esq., Botanic Garden, Bury St. Edmunds, this 
gentleman obligingly offers to supply him with the seed. 
Port Wine Stains (Emily Wyndham). —Recent stains are removed 
by the following liquid. Mix together an ounce of powdered sal ammoniac 
and the same quantity of salt of tartar, put them into a quart bottle full 
of soft water, and shake until dissolved. Soak the stained part of the 
linen in a little of this mixture. Wheel pedometers measure accurately, 
but we do not know the price of them. The other question can be an¬ 
swered by any laundress. 
Bass’s Pale Ale (H. Beasley). —Our correspondent will be obliged 
for directions how to brew this ale. 
The Work Table (Subscriber). —We cannot answer questions rela¬ 
tive to this. 
Magnolia Grandiflora (Zoe). —A foot in depth of soil will be suf¬ 
ficient for this over the archway on which it is to be planted, as a greater 
and unrestrained depth of soil is within four feet of the place where it 
will be inserted. 
Vines Trained on Zinc (A Tyro). —It is very likely the rapid heat con¬ 
ducting properties of the metal which withered or scorched the grapes on 
your vines. We should say that the framework you propose to place be¬ 
tween the zinc roof and the vines, need not be more than eight or nine 
inches from the zinc surface. You may so place it in divisions, that 
beginning with six inches it may be farther removed at an hour’s notice, 
without derangement of the object sought. To pitch the roof would be a 
doubtful matter at the best; it would probably increase the heat. 
Unfruitful Apple-trees (H. F. L.). —You need seek little farther 
than the American blight for the cause of barrenness in your apple-trees. 
These pests require the very matter for their sustenance that should go to 
make healthy blossoms and to reinvigorate the roots. Pruning has nothing 
to do with it. You say “ they are as yet free; ” wait a few weeks and we 
doubt not the old enemy will reappear. Apply spirits of turpentine assi¬ 
duously as fast as they appear—above all things, taking time by the fore¬ 
lock. 
Crops for Four Acres (A. Clarke). —Really you are late in putting 
your queries. Four acres of light soil will keep a good deal of poultry 
certainly, and some pigs, but you say nothing about a cow. You may 
grow plenty of mangold and swedes yet, as root crops ; and as for spring 
corn it will be surely getting too late to expect anything remunerative 
from oats or barley. Perhaps some buck wheat would assist in your plot. 
So much depends on the character and “ heart ” of your soil, that we can 
scarcely offer further advice now. 
Hearts-ease for Exhibition (Amateur). —You ask how to cultivate 
these, the time liquid manure is used, and how often and also the time to 
nip off superfluous buds ? This information fully given would occupy 
several columns, which is more space than we can spare at present. We 
will endeavour to give you a few hints, which your own ingenuity must 
carry out to the full extent. For soil and general management we must 
refer you to the places in our back numbers where the culture of the 
pansy or hearts-ease is described. We will only say here that they love a 
light moderately rich soil, an open situation, and a clear atmosphere; that 
is, an air free from the smoke of large towns. They produce the finest 
flowers planted in a bed (not in pots), but should be planted as early as 
February. Liquid manure, if the soil is right, is not required, but may 
be applied once or twice in a very diluted state a month before the exhibi¬ 
tion. Nip off all flower-buds till within five weeks of the time you want 
them. Shade the flower during strong sunshine, and protect them from 
heavy rains. Gentle showers will not hurt them up to a fortnight before 
they are wanted for exhibition. Do not allow more than three or four 
flowers on a plant at once. 
Cryptostemma Hypochondriacum (Ibid). —If this be the plant you 
mean, it is a hardy annual, of some beauty, growing a foot high, flower¬ 
ing in the middle of summer, of a yellow colour, and is a native of the 
Cape, and will grow in common garden soil. If you have got any seeds 
of it, we should be glad of one or two if you can spare them. 
Acacia Cuttings (A Constant Reader). —We are not surprised that 
your newly-potted struck cuttings of Yellow Acacia (Acacia armata , 
