April 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
51 
plant in autumn, and in the meantime to make some preparations ; 
you will lose no time in reality by taking this advice, and the pages 
of The Cottage Gardener will, ere then, furnish information on 
which you may rely. - 
Tuberose and Polyanthus Narcissus ( J. Godfrey). — You 
can bloom these in hyacinth glasses filled with water, but in moss 
much hetter, and with less trouble. 
Cucumbers and Melons (J. S. E .).—The chamber of your pit 
heated by hot-water pipes, but kept moist by leaving an open trough 
filled with water on the top of the pipes, has induced the roots of the 
plants to come through the hurdle supporting the soil; and you have 
tried in vain to reduce the vapour by placing some draining pipes 
passing through the soil from the chamber into the frame. If the 
vapour in the chamber of your melon pit is not above 100° the heat 
will not injure the roots, and as they have got through you must keep 
on the vapour, otherwise they will perish in dry heat. Make a small 
opening at the level of the back path, near the door, through which a 
rush of air will pass into the chamber, and drive up vapour through 
the pipes. The mildew on the leaves of your plants is a common 
complaint this dull cold April; dust the leaves affected with flowers 
of sulphur. 
Manure for Shrubs, &c. (Rev. C. B. Taylor ).—Your garden 
soil is a stiff loam and in parts clay, mixed with masses of chalk: 
and you wish to be informed of the best way to manure it for shrubs 
and flowers. This kind of soil is, of all others, most improved by 
burning, after thorough draining. Also let it be well worked in dry 
weather in summer, and turned up rough for winter frosts. Use, 
also, long littery or farm-yard manure, not too much decayed, which 
will act mechanically, and assist in pulverizing the surface. 
Gentianella ( Gentiana acaulis ) (Ibid). —The blue gentianella 
delights in strong rich loam, and to be disturbed as seldom as 
possible. The common single garden-anemone also requires strong 
rich land, and abundance of moisture when its bloom is appearing. 
Simla Seeds (Ibid)— -Pray do not send us the seeds from Simla ; 
we have had a surfeit of them. Many thanks, nevertheless. 
Wild Yellow Anemone (Ibid). —The wood anemone with the 
“rich golden-yellow flowers ” is Anemone ranunculoides, one of our 
prettiest native spring-flowers. 
Camellias and Azaleas (A Young Florist). —Mr. Beaton will 
write upon these ere long. In the meantime continue your present 
treatment. 
Cuttings for Emigrants (A Colonist ).—Vine cuttings can be, 
and have been, taken to all parts of the world, from England or i 
Europe, and so may cuttings of poplars, willows, oaks, elms, and, in- 1 
deed, of all our forest trees, but none of them are worth the trouble of ' 
packing except the vine ; and every grape vine worth a straw in Europe ' 
is already in full vigour in Australia, and might be sent from Sidney I 
to New Zealand at half the expense of packing them here, to say ! 
nothing of the risk of losing nine-tenths of them on the voyage. 
None of these things can be removed before next October, and we I 
shall open the whole question before then, and collect all the evidence 
on the subject. 
Name of Insect (An Enquirer). —There was no grub in your 
letter when it reached us. Carbonate of soda will render your hard 
water soft. Thanks for the anecdote. Slices of carrot are a better 
trap for wireworms than slices of potato. 
Bees (D.). —They would thrive at Beckham. Wildman, we think, 
kept them in the very centre of London. The mode of pruning ivy 
adopted by “Q” (p. 9, vol. ii.) is sufficiently plain. There are 
plenty of summer leaves on it, independent of those on the summer 
shoots; these therefore may be cut away, and let the others remain 
to keep the wall well covered. Your question about cuttings for 
exportation is answered in our reply to “ A Colonist.” 
Ants (T. D. P .).—To get rid of these pests from your brick wall 
wash over the place w ith a mixture of gas lime and flowers of sulphur, 
about half a peck of the first and an ounce of the second to a gallon 
of water. Syringing their nest at night with a strong decoction of 
elder leaves will destroy many of them, but the first will probably be 
found the most effectual application. 
Noblethorpe (Rev. B. Pulleyne). — Noblethorpe Hall, near 
Barnsley. It is the seat of Mrs. Clarke, to whom Mr. Reid is head 
gardener. 
Vines in Greenhouses (Dr. L .).—You will see that your wishes 
have been complied with. 
Melons in Open Air (A. S. C.). —The address you wish for is 
given at p. 72 in our 7th Number. 
Greenhouse Climbers (J. W. D.).—We think that you will 
find all the necessary information in our 28th Number, p. 16, and in 
our columns to-day. If you require further directions write to us 
again. 
Larva of Bees (A Young Hand). —It is not unusual to find the 
grub or larva of bees cast out of the hive at this season. They are 
the carcases of those that have died before coming to maturity. 
Brown Scale (John Davis ).—Try syringing your plants with 
water of the temperature of 140°; this will probably not only destroy 
the scale, but remove the gummy exudation of which you complain. 
Both evils, we think, arise from your keeping your house too hot and | 
the air too dry. 
Removing Plants and Shrubs (P. S.). —If you move these 1 
now many of them will die, and the remainder will not recover the j 
injury they will sustain for two or three years. We cannot advise 
you to move them before the end of October. “ Plant in autumn, 
and command to grow ; plant in spring, and implore to grow,” is a 
sound axiom. 
Names of Plants (An Amateur Subscriber, Kingstown). —We 
take this opportunity to say, that all specimens sent to us should have 
the blossom fully open. No, 1, is Fabiana imbricata; 2, Muraltia 
mixta; 3, Veronica dccussata; 4, Alyssum saxatile ; 5, Salvia Gra- 
hamii; 0, Mysotis (species not detectable, their being no bloom); 7, 
Sollya heterophylla; 8, Echium fruticosum ; 9, Lysimachia epheme- 
rum; 10, Chorozema ilicifolia; 11, Erica vestita; 13, One of the 
Statices; 14, Erica intermedia (?); 15, Westringia rosmariniformis ; 
16 , Erica cerinthoides minor (?) ; 17 , Phylica ericoides ; 18, Phylica 
lanceolata; 20, Epacris grandiflora. Nos. 12, 19 , and 21, are Ericse, 
but too immature to be named from a mere sprig. 
Vines in Greenhouses (Ibid). —Mr. Crawshay has not pub¬ 
lished a separate account of his method. You will probably find suf¬ 
ficient information in our columns to-day, and in future numbers. 
Mushroom Bed (Ibid) . —You will find how to make this at p. 70 
of our first volume. The droppings should be broken, but not mixed 
with loam.- Put them in alternate layers. 
Verbenas (A New Recruit). —Your verbenas, “ the leaves of 
which have become brownish-white,” are mildewed, but they will 
soon outgrow it. No collection is free from this disease. A slight 
dusting of sulphur will check it. We cut down all ours that are so 
affected, and put them in a warmer place for ten days or so ; and, as 
soon as fresh shoots appear, we give liquid manure twice a week. 
Liouid Manure (Ibid). —Fuchsias, geraniums, and arums will be 
much benefited by a dose once a week through April, and twice a 
week in May, and through the summer till they are nearly out of 
flower. Your cactus will only require it once a fortnight now. When 
they are growing freely after flowering is the right time for them to 
have liquid manure, and then once a week. See the way to make it, 
p. 280, Vol. I. From numerous letters which have reached us, we 
perceive that there is a general impression among a certain class of 
amateurs, that liquid manure is a panacea for the cure of sickly 
plants. This is not so, however. When we, or our plants, are in ill 
health, a low diet is more suitable than stimulants. It is only when 
plants are growing freely, and in good health, that liquid manure 
should be given them. 
Arums, &c. (Ibid) —Arums are never potted, or, at least, should 
not be, when growing. When they die down is the right time. At 
that time you will find a cluster of young tuber roots on the old root 
stock ; and each of them will make a plant. 
Calceolaria Sowing (Ibid).—It is too late now to sow calceo¬ 
laria seeds ; early in August or at the end of February are the best 
times. 
Shamrock (A Rector in the West of England). —It is difficult to 
say which is really the true shamrock. Those best informed believe 
it to be the wood sorrel (oxalis acetosella). Your plant is a kind of 
clover or trefoil. 
Evergreen Creepers for Cold Conservatory (Ibid). — 
Procure the following evergreen creepers for the walls of your con¬ 
servatory, having a n.w. aspect and not heated, and you will have 
seen a description of some of them last week ; others will be no¬ 
ticed hereafter, and your case will be specially referred to. Habro- 
thamnus facicularis, Solanum jasminoides, Clianthus puniceus, Jas- 
minum grandiflorum, and Bignonia jasminoides. In three years, 
these, if planted in a rich border, will cover the whole of your north 
and north-west walls, and give a constant succession of bloom from 
April to October? and the jasmine, when once established, will pro¬ 
bably flower ail the winter. We have had an old plant of it in bloom 
all this winter in as cold a house as yours. 
Polyanthus Flowers Destroyed (A Constant Reader). —The 
only mode of preventing insects, caterpillars, and slugs from injuring 
flowers, leaves, or roots, is to look vigilantly after them, and destroy 
them. See Mr. Barnes’ useful recipe for enticing slugs, p. 16. Your 
polyanthus flowers were eaten by the slugs, no doubt. 
Gladiolus cardinalis (Ibid). —The leaves of this withering 
shew there is something very wrong at the roots, or the bulbs were 
exhausted before they were planted. Remove part of the soil and 
examine the bulbs ; perhaps the wireworms injure them. 
Sprouting Savoy (Clericus). —We are not aware that any one has 
the seed of this, except Mr. Barnes. 
Colours of Flowers (Color). —We cannot aid you better than 
by inserting this extract from your note—“ Pray call the attention of 
gardeners, nurserymen, and others, to the subject of colours in flow¬ 
ers ; and do request they will be particular in giving the true colours. 
I seldom see a list of flowers, in which the colours are described, that 
there are not mistakes ; indeed, I am inclined to think many people 
have little or no idea of colour. I know one gentleman who can hardly 
distinguish blue from brown. I was looking, a few days ago, over 
Mr. Paxton’s Botanical Dictionary, and on finding Campanula punc¬ 
tata, it was described as white; now, I never saw this variety white 
in my life. Its colour is pale yellow, spotted with brown. Delphi- 
num Triste is given as blue. I grow the plant, but I never saw a blue 
one. Several others I could name, where similar mistakes are made.” 
Bones (S. R.). —The refuse bones from your larder cannot be 
better employed as a manure, either for your flower or kitchen-gar- 
den, than by dissolving them in sulphuric acid, as we have directed 
at p. 62 of our first volume. You cannot have the bones reduced to 
owder, probably, but you can have them broken into pieces with a 
ammer, before putting them into the tub to be dissolved. 
Florence Fennel (A Subscriber). —If by this name you intend 
Finochio, or Azorean Fennel, we advise you not to waste your time 
about it. It scarcely ever succeeds in this country, the flavour is 
disagreeable to most people, and in Italy, where it is chiefly culti¬ 
vated, it is only used in salads. Nevertheless, if you wish for infor¬ 
mation, we will give it you, if you will write to us again. It requires 
a hot-bed. 
Potato Planting (II. I. B.). —You cannot expect to have any 
good potatoes from seed to be now inserted, nor, let us add, do you 
deserve to have any, after all that has been urged and proved in favour 
of early planting. However, you cannot do better, as you cannot drain 
your heavy soil, than by raising it into “lazy-beds” twelve feet 
wide, but make your drains between them three feet deep and two teet 
wide. It is the worst of soil for potatoes. Ash-leaved kidneys are 
the best kind you can now plant, as they require less time than most 
others in which to complete their growth. We advise you to put no 
manure on. Lime and decayed tan may be of some service, by 
making the ground more open. Cover it about two inches thick with 
the mixture. 
