April 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
17 
flowers for the ladies’ maids to dress their young 
mistresses hair with. 
Now, this solatium I would plant against the middle 
of the back wall, so that it could be trained all over 
it till more delicate plants on either side of it would 
come up, and then cut away the branches of the 
solanum to make room for them. There is a variety of 
this solanum, or, perhaps, a distinct species, with blue 
flowers, but I never saw it in bloom; it, is, however, 
well worth inquiring after. Blue flowers will not do 
to dress hair with for evening parties, neither will 
purple ones; none, indeed, but the clearest white and 
best scarlets ; but I am now lookiug out for such as 
will dress a cool conservatory, and I must not aim at 
killing two birds with one stone. However, some of 
these days I may come out with a whole chapter on 
wreaths for the hah - . 
The next plant that I shall mention for the back 
wall is also an evergreen ; as all plants against this 
wall look best if they hold then- leaves all the winter; 
it has beautiful scarlet pea-flower shaped blossoms, 
like a coral tree : the name of it is Glianthus puniceus, 
or the Glory pea of New Zealand. It is a well known 
plant, introduced in 1832. The missionaries in. New 
Zealand call it the “parrot-beak plant.” Tbe true 
way to show its beauty is to have it trained against a 
wall, but it is not a climber. It likes very rich soil, 
and in three or four years it will reach the height of 
ten or twelve feet. As it has crimson or scarlet 
flowers, and the habrothamnus those of an orange 
scarlet, I would plant these on either side of the white 
flowering solanum for contrast. Tbe three would soon 
cover the whole of the back wall of an ordinary house, 
say 30 feet long, but I would plant intermediate 
climbers if only for temporary use. The great-flowered 
jasmine ( Jasminum grandiflora ) would do well that 
way. It is a very old plant with white flowers, and 
used formerly to be planted in the stove, but it only 
requires to be kept from sharp frost. It will flower 
all the year round, and the blossoms are as sweet as 
those of our common jasmine. All this winter we 
had it in bloom against our wall, though the flowers 
did not open well, but in a greenhouse they would be 
sure to open free enough. It is a slow growing plant 
at first, and will not flower much for the first two or 
three years. 
Where there is a convenience of training climbers 
along the roof, a purple passion-flower ought to be 
planted against the back wall, and carried up to the 
top of the wall with a single stem, and then trained 
along rods or rafters. All these strong growing 
climbers being thus planted at the back, the front 
border is reserved for the more delicate sorts, of 
which I shall write next week. D. Beaton. 
THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 
Now that the principal spring and summer crops 
are sown, and making some progress, we must pay 
the strictest attention to cleanliness, by keeping them 
free both from weeds and vermin. The crops must 
be thinned in good time, and the hoe well and fre¬ 
quently used to keep the soil in an open porous 
condition, so that the ah may be freely admitted. 
Autumn and Winter Brocoli. —Tbe present is a 
good time for sowing some of the best kinds of 
brocoli, to be ready for table use in autumn and win¬ 
ter. Another sowing of savoys, borecole, and other 
esteemed vai'ieties of kale, also cauliflowers, coleworts, 
lettuce, &c., should be made, and care taken to prick 
out the young plants of former sowings at a few inches 
distance horn each other; this being the only way to 
ensure good, sturdy, fibrous-rooted plants, that will 
speedily establish themselves when finally moved. 
Potatoes. —Such early varieties as are already up 
in the warm borders and corners of both amateur 
and cottage gardens, may have then- shoots very ad¬ 
vantageously thinned out to one or two of the strongest ; 
for this is a practice, we have found from experience, 
will produce a greater crop of good sizeable tubers 
than if the shoots are allowed to remain growing in a 
mass. 
Mushroom Beds. —Those who have the means of 
obtaining a little dung from the cow-shed or stable, 
or the power of collecting cattle droppings from the 
highways, may turn it to good account by forming a 
summer mushroom-bed. Mix the dung with a sutfi- 
cient portion of loam, or good holding fresh soil, to 
prevent the manure becoming too much heated, and 
thus getting dry or caked together, which is often a 
cause of disappointment to the cultivator. The ma¬ 
nure should be well shaken and incorporated with 
the soil, so that it may heat moderately, and maintain 
that heat without losing any of its most essential 
properties by evaporation. The bed, at this season, 
should be made in the coldest and most shaded situa¬ 
tion, but not hi any draft or current of air; a cold 
shed, or cellar, or a north aspect under a wall, is the 
best situation at the present time. Mushroom-beds, 
which have been some time in bearing, should be 
assisted by the application of tepid manure-water, 
brewed from the droppings of sheep, deer, or cows. 
When necessary to cover the beds with litter, care 
must be taken to keep clear of all short damp muck 
or rubbish, which would soon exhaust the spawn. 
Cucumbers in full bearing should be well attended 
to now ; keep the new-made shoots stopped, and cut 
out the weakest branches of the old bearing vines, 
so that space may be allowed for light and for the free 
circulation of air, without which they are likely soon 
to become exhausted, and produce nothing but stunted 
and deformed cucumbers A little tepid manure- 
water given occasionally will be advantageous, and 
will much assist the growth of the fruit. 
Melons. —Those that are already set and swelling 
off must now be duly thinned, the shoots stopped, and 
tepid liquid manure occasionally given. Admit the air 
early in the morning, and shut up early in the after¬ 
noon, keeping the interior atmosphere moist by fur¬ 
nishing the heat at the top.* Rub on occasionally 
inside, at the back of the pit or frame, a little sulphur 
mixed with hot lime; but clay will do if lime is not 
at hand. 
The plants of ridge cucumbers, melons, and vegetable 
marrow should be kept in health and vigour by the 
admission of ah’ and by light covering. Fermenting 
materials should be prepared for their hot-beds by 
occasional turnings, and another sowing now made. 
James Barnes. 
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 
MY FLOWERS. 
(No. 24.) 
The cottage gardens are beginning now to look 
gay and pretty. We have passed through that with¬ 
ering season, in some parts of England called the 
* It may be necessary to explain that Mr. Barnes is of opinion, 
both from the course of Nature and from his own practice, that the 
heat in the interior of frames should be kept up by putting linings of 
fermenting dung round the frames. He justly infers that this is 
most desirable, as the natural source of heat, the sun, is above the 
plants he nourishes, not below them.—E d. C. G. 
C 
