203 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 27.] 
of their food. They should also frequently he furnished 
with the means of bathing: in cold weather the chill must 
he taken off. I open the cage door frequently, and allow its 
inhabitant to fly about the room for some minutes, after 
which he gravely marches hi again, seemingly well contented 
with his exercise. He has also an iron wire swing within the 
cage, the motions of which he well knows how to accelerate or 
retard by the rising and falling of his feet. In winter nights 
we cover him carefully, and place him near the fireplace , if 
lie appeal- shivering and dull I mix up a little sugar with a 
broken peppercorn, and force him to take about half the 
corn in twice as much sugar. His beauty is remarkable, 
aud his health, even when moulting, excellent. Peas in the 
pod apples, gooseberries, cherries, and strawberries, are very 
wholesome to refresh and cool the birds. The enclosed 
feather will prove how healthy mine is, as, though it is a 
cast one from his yearly moult, it is as clean and vigorous as 
a new one.— A Lovee of the Bbute Creation. 
To Ci.eanse the Roots of the Hair, and Prevent its 
Falling. —Take a cup of salad oil, fa small teacup), and put 
it in a Bain Marie over the fire; add to it the size of a 
walnut of bees-wax, and when quite melted and mixed take 
it off the fire. As it cools, stir in a little bergamot, or any 
other perfume. The wax of the honeycombs without any 
preparation is the best, as a little honey is beneficial. 
On Propagating Flowers of differf.nt Colours.— 
Reading lately an article on Chinese gardening, it is there 
stated, that “ some join two slips of different colours, in each 
of which, towards the bottom, they make a long notch, almost 
to the pith, and afterwards tie them together with packthread, 
that they may remain closely united; by these means they 
obtain beautiful flowers, variegated with whatever colours they 
choose.” The article in question was on the culture of the 
Parthenium. Now this process is different to grafting (the. 
uniting of a scion to a stock) and to inarching (the uniting ot 
two stocks by approach). What is the name of the practice ? 
Where is it treated of ? and, is it attended with success ? I 
can find nothing in The Cottage Gardener on the subject, 
and should be very glad of any hints for performing the opera¬ 
tion. — S. P., Rushmere. 
[It is quite certain that two slips fastened together in the way 
mentioned would not unite. The author must have been un¬ 
acquainted with his subject, and must have mistaken inarching 
or grafting for the process he describes. It is quite possible 
for colouring matter of the scion’s leaves, &c., to be imparted 
to those of the stock on which it is placed.— 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. 
Many Queries (IF. Thompson).— Your jasmine is Jasminum revolu- 
turn, sl stove evergreen climber, native of Hindostan. Vour evergreen 
shrub is Eunnymus Japonicus , and will thrive with you in the open air in 
light loam, with a little peat mixed, if in a somewhat sheltered situation. 
For the Azalea Indica no soil is better than peat alone, and the drainage 
of the pots should be good. We have nothing to do with providing plants; 
you can ask Messrs. Henderson, if you choose, about those you name 
(Erica codonodes and Statice eximia ). Turn out your cinerarias at once 
into a bed in the open air, planting them deep in rich light soil, watering 
them at the time and when necessary. In August, divide each stool into 
as many parts as there are strong suckers, and if these are potted singly 
into light rich soil, and treated as directed at page 99 of our third volume, 
you will find they will bloom freely. The hard, almost opaque, drops 
on vine branches are exudations, and symptomatic of vigour and excess of 
sap rather than of disease. Give your vine all the light and air you can. 
Cochin China Fowls (C. C.).—Your letter is an advertisement, and 
cannot be inserted unless paid for. 
Seltzer Water ( B ■ It-). —This is prepared artificially, by adding to 
each gallon of the softest water one scruple of carbonate of magnesia, 
one drachm of dry powdered carbonate of soda, and four scruples. of 
common salt. When these are dissolved in the water, saturate it with 
fixed air by the aid of a soda-water machine. 
Mushrooms (Delta). —These can be grown in a shed. The directions 
at pages 36 and 90 of the present volume will give you the other informa¬ 
tion you require. If you want any further particulars, write again. Me 
do not know a pink Eschscholtzia; you must have mistaken the name. 
Glory Pea (Ibid).—' This, which you received from New Zealand, is 
the Clianthus puniceus. It is a half hardy evergreen, with beautiful 
crimson flowers, and will bear plunging in the border during summer. 
An answer to your other question next week. 
White Beet (M. 0. L .).—This is a species (Beta cicla), and some¬ 
times called spinach beet , because its leaves are boiled like spinach. 
Leave the plants about nine inches apart. The stalks of this may be 
used as asparagus, and are much improved by being earthed-up and 
blanched like celery. Green beet is only a variety of the white, with 
greener stalks and leaves. The Thousand-headed cabbage and Brussels 
sprouts are totally different. 
Succession of Flowers ( W. M. H.).— You have two beds in a small 
geometric garden; one of blue nemophila, the other of the Nemophila 
discoidulis , but they have come up very thinly, and have a shabby appear¬ 
ance. You wish for something to replace them, so as to bloom with 
verbenas, &c., this summer. Any of the dwarf blue Lobelias will replace 
the blue nemophila, or Cineraria amelloides , or the Swan River daisy, 
or the little blue Campanulas Mr. Beaton has often mentioned. Nemo¬ 
phila discoidalis is a poor thing, and only fit for a collection of curiosities, 
so that any plant of the same height will do in its place—say Silene 
Shaftee. 
Size Required for a Kitchen-garden (H. H . H.).— It is not an 
easy task to say how much ground would be required to supply a given 
number of persons with vegetables, for some persons are greater eaters of 
them than others ; and there is such great difference in soils, some being 
much more productive than others. There is also much difference in the 
cultivators of the soil, some obtaining nearly as much again as others 
would off the same plot of ground, by system and good management. 
Making allowance for all these circumstances, as near as can be estimated, 
we should say, twelve square perches to each head in a family (exclusive of 
servants), but rather more than less. 
Climbing Plants for a South Verandah (A Young Beginner ). 
Boursault elegans , crimson purple rose. La Biche , creamy white rose. 
Ayrshire Queen , dark crimson rose. Felicite perpetuelle, white rose. 
Miller’s climber , crimson rose. Lonicera fieruosa, light red honeysuckle. 
Clematis Hendersonii , blue. Clematis fiammula , white. Pcriploca 
Greeca, purple. Jasminum officinale , common jasmine, white. Passifloru 
cterulea , blue. Bignonia radicans. 
Weigela Rosea {Ibid).—' This has been found hardy in many places. 
Pansy Seed {Ibid). —We cannot recommend a dealer where you had 
better lay out your five shillings for a packet. No regular grower will 
send out what he thinks his best. 
Striking Pinks, &c. (An Enquirer). —This will not be accomplished 
so early, nor yet so well, by using an inverted pot over them, instead of 
a bell-glass ; though by taking off the pot in the afternoon, and replacing 
it before the sun is strong in the morning, you may thus rear pinks and 
other soft wooded plants. We are surprised the Tropceolum canariense 
does not, with you, answer out of doors, as it is hardy enough in most 
places. Have you secured it properly as it grew, as it is easily broken . 
Bees turned Regicides ( G . A.). —“ On the 1 st instant, a last year s 
first swarm threw off a first swarm; it was hived and set up the same 
night, and has continued hard at work ever since. This morning about 
eight o’clock, the queen was found on the ground in front of the hive (she 
was not there at seven), one of her fore legs was half gone, and her wings 
were very ragged ; she was twice placed on the floor-board (6he could not 
fly), but on both occasions she was ejected as soon as she had made an 
entrance. Has she been turned out in consequence of age, or for what 
other reason ? Are the young queen bees full-grown and full-sized upon 
issuing from the cells, or do they increase much after impregnation ? 
Old age was, in all probability, the cause of the queen’s being ejected from 
the hive. Had you given the number of days between the time of their 
swarming and your finding the queen, we could have spoken with more 
certainty ; but in all probability there was a queen in embryo in the hive 
at the time of your finding her. The young queens are very nearly full- 
sized upon issuing from the cells. 
Bees (A Young Amateur).— Had you placed a piece of guide comb in 
the glass, as directed at page 42, volume 2, ofTHE Cottage Gardener, 
your bees would in all probability have worked in it. It is always ad¬ 
visable to do so. We do not know where you can obtain the Mummy 
raspberry. 
Returning Swarms (W. Christian) “ Some bees, in a set of colla¬ 
teral hives, threw off a swarm on the 31st of May, although the side box 
(in which they had just began to work) had been given them. The 
swarm was returned again to the side hive, where they went on very i\ell 
for about ten days, when they swarmed again, and have been doing the 
same every day since, sometimes going back of their own accord. A bell- 
glass was also put on the middle box, so that they had plenty of room if 
they chose to accept of it.” See our advice as to returning swarms at 
page 216, vol. 2, of The Cottage Gardener. In a bar hive it may be 
done with the certainty of success. See as above. Perhaps if you had 
ventilated the centre box they would not have swarmed; but this is what 
Mr. Nutt does not recommend. 
Africot Unfruitful (T. 0. U .).—Cut away any tap roots in autumn, 
and apply a surface dressing of loam and manure to encourage surface 
roots. This may bring into bearing your apricot which blossoms every 
year without producing a single fruit. 
Vine Training (W. H. (?.).—We do not know what answer you refer 
us to. As a general principle, grapes are only allowed to grovv on shoots 
considered permanent. Still, like other matters, many exceptions occur. 
