THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
181 
June 20.] 
as yielding nothing but disappointment." Towards the middle 
or latter end of the month, the Com Blue bottle (Oentaurea 
cyanus) begins to show its ccerulean flowers. 
“ The blue Cyanus we’U not forget, 
’Tis the gem of the harvest coronet.” 
And already have the fields assumed a premature yellow hue, 
by the flowers of the Wild Radish '{Raphanus raphanistrum) 
and the Wild Mustard {Sinapis arvensis) —one of the most 
troublesome of field weeds. 
“ O’er the young corn the Charlock throws a shade, 
And clasping tares cling round the sickly blade.” 
The Agrostemma githago, or Com Cockle, is likewise a 
very elegant field flower, and although not now so plentiful 
in our fields as it has been in times gone by, yet it may still 
be found in tolerable abundance in some districts, although 
it is certainly a weed of the most intolerable kind, notwith¬ 
standing the beautiful flowers which it raises among the 
rising ears of com. Its numerous black seeds prove highly 
detrimental to the grain, from which it is difficult to free 
them when the plant grows among the crops. It is said 
that the name, githago, is derived from the Celtic git, or gith, 
the name of a peculiarly large and black seed. The white 
Campion, too, the Lychnis vespertina of the scientific world, 
is a gay flower in the summer fields ; and although a rare 
plant in some parts of the country, is of abundant occur¬ 
rence in others, and ranks as a Yarni pest. Its gay white 
flowers are not, however, confined to the fields, and in our 
evening walks along the lanes and hedgerows we are fre¬ 
quently greeted by its odour-breathing flowers—for it is only 
to the moist evening air that this plant gives out its fragrance. 
On dry sunny hedge-banks and in h ay-fields it often occurs 
in the greatest profusion; hut is, in every' respect, an evening 
flower; for besides giving out its odour to the evening air, 
the pure white flowers become very conspicuous in the dim 
twilight, when other flowers have either closed then' petals 
with the close of day, or are obscured from view in the 
absence of the bright sunshine, to which they owe much of 
their beauty. The Red Campion ( Lychnis dioica) is consi¬ 
dered by some botanists to be only a variety of the white 
flowered plant, hut chooses different situations for its growth 
than those preferred by the latter, being chiefly confined to 
the woods. But what of the remainder of the field pests? 
There is the numerous family of Crowfoots ( Ranunculus) 
bursting into bloom and beauty, and some of which we 
referred to in our papers on the wild flowers of May. Among 
the field species now in flower, may he mentioned the 
Upright Meadow Crowfoot (If. acris), which abounds in 
pastimes and by the margins' of fields; the Creeping Crow¬ 
foot (A. repens), readily known from its creeping shoots, and 
which is likewise profusely scattered through the pastimes 
and by the waysides; the bulbous Crowfoot (If. bulbosus), 
often a frequenter of dry pastures and rocky places; and the 
Com Crowfoot (If. arvensis), the most deadly cattle-poison 
in the family. In shady places, and especially in woods, the 
common Columbine ( Aquilegia vulgaris) will he found in the 
character of a wild flower; although its right to rank as such 
is exceedingly problematical, seeing that it only occurs in 
situations where it is likely to have escaped from gardens, or 
been planted. Nor have we aught to say in favour of Aqui¬ 
legia’s exotic relatives—the Field ^arkspur ( Delphinium 
consolida), or the poisonous Wolf’s Bane, or Monk’s Hood 
( Aconitum napellus), both of which are now to he gathered in 
blossom, although not indigenous to our country. In waste 
places, and in dry corn-fields, embankments, Ac,, the long 
prickly-headed Poppy ( Papaver argemone) and the common 
Red Poppy (P. rhceas) will he found scattering their evanes¬ 
cent petals upon the breeze; and the Welsh Poppy ( Meco- 
nopsis Cambrica) will he observed more rarely in shady woods 
and hy cascades, in various parts of England, Wales, and 
Scotland, although in the northern kingdom it only occurs as 
a naturalized plant. But we must draw our notes on the 
wild flowers of the month to a close, although conscious that 
we have not enumerated half of the myriad gems that have 
opened them bright corollas to the sun-beams of joyous 
summer-time— 
“ For who would sing the flowers of June, 
Though from grey morn to blazing noon, 
From blazing noon to dewy eve, 
The chaplet of his song he weave, 
Would find his summer daylight fail, 
And leave half-told the pleasing tale.” 
G. Lawson, F.R.P.S., Ac. 
DOMESTIC MECHANISM. 
Water Filter. —Procure a box made of zinc or wood, 
with water-tight joints, provided with supports or legs, and a 
pipe and crane at its lower extremity. Suspend in the inside 
of this a large flower-pot, or zinc receptacle; if the latter, 
the bottom should be punctured with small holes. The 
bottom of the inside receptacle should not be nearer the 
bottom of the outer box than two inches. In the inside of 
the flower-pot, or inner receptacle, place pieces of broken 
flint, clean tiles, or pebbles; above this, spread a layer of 
coarse clean sand; then, above this, pieces of coarsely 
pounded charcoal, and finish with a layer of finely pulverised 
peat charcoal, or other charcoal will 
do as well. The water to be filtered 
passes through the successive layers 
of filtering material to the box be¬ 
low', and rising up therein, can he 
drawn off at pleasure; by regulating 
the flow of water into the inner recep¬ 
tacle hy a crane on the pipe supplying 
it, any required degree of quickness 
may he obtained. The cut will suffi¬ 
ciently explain the construction. 
Kitchen Summer Grate or Fire-box.— The following 
contrivance has been adopted with considerable success, 
both as regards the economization of fuel and the facility 
with which a fire is kindled in it. Make a circular case of 
plate iron, 9 or 12 inches in diameter, and 9 or 10 inches 
high—a larger according to fancy; provide at the distance of 
one inch from the bottom, a grating—made cheapest out of 
a perforated circular plate of iron—and above this cut out 
spaces, so as to form a species of open bar-work. At the 
top, hut in the side opposite to this bar space, cut a square 
flue, or chimney aperture, as shown by the black space in 
the cut—to this a short length of pipe may be attached, say 
of 12 or 18 inches in length. A lid should he provided to 
cover the top, but so made as not to obstruct the aperture to 
the flue. A boiling pan or kettle may be made to rest on 
the top, which will soon be boiled by th e heat beneath. 
This box being placed on the empty grate, 0 r on the hob, or 
oven top, a little bit of stick will soon 
kindle the contained coals, and if the lid 
is put on the draught will be materially 
increased. We have used one which cost 
one shilling, which burnt most capitally- 
boiling water, roasting potatoes, Ac., and, 
what was of considerable advantage, using 
up the veriest refuse of the coal-cellar. B. 
