282 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
power) produces more highly concentrated juices, which are adapted as 
pabulum for this obscure class of parasitos. The best preventive is a 
good top-dressing of rotten manure in the early part of June, and as soon 
as drought sets in a thorough soaking of water. If caused by bad and 
deep borders, the remedy must be sought in thorough drainage, or an 
entire renovation of the soil. When mildew appears the best application 
is a dusting with flowers of sulphur. The 'mildew in cucumbers arises 
from similar causes, and requires similar treatment. The species of fungi 
forming the mildew on the cucumber are Nicothecium roseiun, Oidium 
crysiphoides , and 0 . leuconium . 
Fig ( Junnet D.).— Any open garden soil, raised with a little dead turfy 
matter and lime-rubbish, will suit it, hut the essential point is drainage ; 
stagnant moisture at the root is fatal to its fruitfulness. A south wall is 
best for it. There is an excellent essay on its culture, by Mr. Errington, 
at page 3 of our second volume. Thanks for your communication, which 
shall appear the first opportunity. 
Drift Sand (Twig). —This, washed down from the Kent sand hills, 
next to silver sands, is good for potting purposes. Prune back your 
Portugal laurels next April. Wolfsbane is the Aconitum lupulinum. 
Cucumbers Producing only Male Blossoms (J. IV. C.).- What 
you call “false” are the male blossoms. These only being produced, 
although “the vines appear thriving,” intimates that they have been 
kept too moist and too cold ; give them less water and more heat. W c 
know of nothing that you could apply to a quick hedge to render the 
leaves so unpalatable that sheep would not eat them; nothing would be 
so durable or effectual as a row of hurdles. 
Mesembryanthemum Pubpureum (Fuchsia). —This, if in a pot, 
will grow nicely in three parts sandy loam and one part lime rubbish, 
well drained. It will do well out of doors in any light soil during the 
summer. Cuttings of it strike freely in light sandy soil; now is a good 
time to insert them, allowing them to dry a little at the cut end before 
planting them. Set them in a frame, or in a shady place in the open air; 
they want no bell-glass. 
Chorozema CnANDLERiA (Ibid). —We do not know this. If you treat 
it much as was recommended in our last volume for the genus in general, 
and such as the genus Epacris was described as needing, you will succeed. 
If one of the tenderer kinds, the cuttings will require nearly all pure peat 
and sand, with scarcely any loam. Hcnchmanii, with foliage like a 
heath, must receive similar treatment, and, with few exceptions, the 
heath and epacris require the same management. Cuttings are best 
formed from small side shoots, cut off with a small heel, and inserted in 
pure sand, below a bell-glass, there being sandy peat below the sand; 
but, as we before remarked, the best plants are obtained from seeds. 
This applies to the genus as a whole, and may give a hint for your 
species. 
Florist’s Geranium Cuttings (S. G. R.). —The matter will soon 
be referred to, though much that is new will be impossible, after what 
has already been said at different times. 
Eotoales Grandiflora (Ibid). —This we do not know. We have 
seen the E. trinervis, with purplish yellow flowers, and the E. macro- 
phylla, of a brownish colour, and these are easily grown in peat and 
loam, requiring a temperature of 40° during winter, and to be placed in a 
sheltered place out of doors in summer. Cuttings will strike readily, if 
side shoots, or the points of shoots, are taken off now or in the spring, 
inserted in sand above sandy loam, covered with a bell glass, and set in a 
cold frame. 
Ixora Javanica (Ignoramus). —We would advise stopping the fourth 
shoot at such a height that it would start level with the three shoots you 
have already stopped, and are going to stop again. We presume it was 
not so strong as the other three when it was stopped previously, and if so 
you acted quite correctly. 
India Rubber Plant (W. H., Kensington).—’ This, which we pre¬ 
sume to be the Ficus elastica, and which has been wintered in a parlour, 
and set out of doors in summer until it has become unwieldly from its 
size, may be cut down a little now, but not farther than where it pos¬ 
sesses leaves. In the beginning of summer, it might have been pruned 
more freely, more especially if it could have been set in a house with a 
little heat afterwards. It will distil its rubber pretty freely on being 
wounded. We would endeavour to compress it a little by tying, instead 
of cutting much, at this advanced period. Cuttings, after the cut ends 
have got dried, and with all their juicy leaves remaining, will root in peat 
and sand; and more quickly if, after a few days, the cutting pot is plunged 
in a mild bottom heat. 
Hoses (X.)— The best soil for roses in general is a deep strong loam, 
enriched with rotten cow-dung. The cause of the rose-buds falling off, 
whatever it may be, must be at the roots; the soil is certainly at fault. 
Does not the clay hold too much water ? 
Blue Annuals {Ibid). — We have given the names of all the blue 
flowering annuals in former numbers. 
Cabbage {Ibid). —Growing cabbages are not injured by having the 
large, old outside leaves pulled off after the plants have “ hearted;” not 
before if they are healthy. 
Pomegranate {Ibid). —The climate makes all the difference to those 
grown on the Continent. Their whole treatment with us may be seen by 
referring to the indexes. 
Rhododendrons {Ibid). —All Rhododendrons and Azaleas should be 
pruned, if they require it, after flowering, not before. 
Kitciien-garden Crops {Ibid). —All kitchen-garden crops are much 
benefited by frequent and heavy waterings during droughts. 
[August 1. 
Arrangement of Flower-beds (Novice).— By the arrangement of 
18 beds for the groundwork of a flower-garden, insisted on by our coad¬ 
jutor, Mr. Beaton, we understood him to mean that number for a gar¬ 
den of the first-rate magnitude, and when three times that number would 
probably be necessary to fill up the design. At any rate, that plan is not 
applicable to the design you sent, but we approve of your plan of dividing 
the corner beds, and so have three distinct colours in each; but the plants 
ought to be of the same height, or nearly so, in all the divisions. For 
lists of the best plants for them, we can only refer you to our former ones. 
Apples (Ibid). —The best apple we know for a high situation like 
yours at Wolverhampton, is the Court-pendu Plat, or Poor-man’s Profit, 
or Garnon, as they call it in Herefordshire. It never flowers till after the 
20th May, comes into use in November for table and kitchen, and lasts 
till next May or June. For the rest, we would recommend you to see 
Mr. Errington’s lists in our first volume. 
Articiioices Unproductive (E. D .).—Your plants on a light soil 
are healthy, but produce no heads. The only causes for this that we can I 
imagine are want of root moisture, or being under the shade of trees. In 
either case the artichoke is always unproductive. Mulch round each of 
the stools at once, and water them over the mulch abundantly in dry 
weather, Remove the suckers, and winter dress them as usual. Renew 
the mulching in March next, and water abundantly in dry weather 
throughout the spring and summer, and, if not overshadowed, you will 
have heads next year. Other answers next week. 
Verbena Cuttings (Jane II.). —How can we tell the cause of your 
failure in striking these, unless we know the mode you adopted ? It is | 
no doubt complimentary, but we do assure you that among the gifts of ; 
universal knowledge editors are thought to he gifted with, second-sight 
is not included. Tell us all that you have done, and we will endeavour to [ 
point out the source of failure. 
A Lodger’s Plants (S. P. Q. R.).— Although your landlord gave you 
permission to plant in his garden, yet we think you have no legal right 
to remove the shrubs ; but your landlord’s landlord will he very arbitrary j 
if he prevents you. 
Rabbit-skin Refuse (E. Maxwell). —There is no better way of 
using “ the fur, feet, and ears,” than by digging them fresh into the soil. 
The fur, like any other hair, is long in decomposing, but it does so slowly, 
and is proportionately a lasting manure ; the flesh on the feet and ears 
decays much faster, and is immediately beneficial to the crop. If you 
were to grow a few square yards of any crop unmanured, ana a similar 
space manured with this refuse, you would see a very sensible difference 
in favour of the latter. 
Young Cucumbers or Gherkins for Pickling (CotswoldHills ).— 
Have them sound and fresh gathered : spread them on dishes, salt them 
well, and let them lie in the brine for seven days. Then drain and dry 
them, put them into a jar, pour over them a sufficient quantity of hot 
vinegar, in which some sliced horseradish, ginger, and peppercorns, have 
been previously boiled. Cover the jar with a cabbage-lcaf and a plate ; 
place it near the fire; and next day drain off the vinegar from the gher¬ 
kins, and boil it again ; pour it once more boiling hot over the gherkins. 
Repeat this the third day, and when quite cold cork down the jar, and 
tie a bladder closely over. Some recommend plenty of vine-leaves for 
covering the jar in preference to the cabhage-leaf and plate; and also 
advise the process of boiling to he repeated, covering the jar with fresh 
leaves every time until the gherkins are of as good a colour as you wish. 
Let the pickles be well covered with the vinegar. 
Preserved Fruits for Dessert (Ibid).—Strawberries to pre¬ 
serve whole. For this purpose have them picked fresh into wide-mouthed 
glass bottles, adding their own weight of finely powdered loaf sugar, and 
filling up the bottles with Malaga, sweet Malmsey, or sherry wine boiling 
hot. This plan is rather expensive ; a cheaper mode is, by taking their 
own weight of powdered sugar, and after well covering each strawberry j 
with the sugar, making a thin syrup of the remainder; hut, instead of j 
water, use red currant juice, in the proportion of one pint to every pound 
of strawberries, and simmer them in this until the fruit is sufficiently 
jellied, without being broken. The syrup may also he made with the 
juice of strawberries intead of currants. Gooseberries: —Gather the large ; 
red hairy kind when nearly ripe in dry weather, and place them singly 
on sieves or dishes in the sun or before the fire, until quite shrivelled I 
and dry. Store them with sheets of white paper between each layer of 
fruit. A more luscious mode is, to strew two pounds of pounded loaf-sugar 
over six pounds of gooseberries beginning to turn red ; in three days put 
them into a jar, cover close, put into a pan of cold water over a gentle 
fire, take off when water nearly boils, let them stand until next day, 
strain off the syrup, boil it a little, pour it on fruit while hot, let it I 
remain a week ; boil the syrup again, pour it on the fruit. Drain the [ 
fruit, rinse it with water, drain, dry before the fire, and keep in close jars j 
in a dry closet. Cherries :—To six pounds of Kentish cherries, stoned, | 
add two pounds of loaf-sugar powdered and strewed over them iu a pre¬ 
serving-pan, in which they must simmer until they begin to shrivel; 
strain them from the juice and lay them on sieves, dishes, or soft cloths, 
on a hot hearth, or in an oven cool enough to dry without baking them, j 
The same syrup will serve for another six pounds of fruit. Keep them I 
with sheets of paper between each layer of fruit in a dry place. 
London: Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High-street, 
in the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Published by William | 
Somerville Oru, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, in the Parish of | 
Christ Church, City of London.—August 1st, 1850. 
