May 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
113 
Supppose we say you take a space for this purpose 10 yards deep ; this 
will be sufficient to grow a large number of choice roses and flowering 
plants, such as herbaceous perennials, biennials, and annuals. Under 
the sycamore tree you might build an arbour, with a tool-house and 
yard for composts. Carry the walk from the entrance straight down 
to the vegetable part. Plant a low hedge of privet to divide the two, 
and have a light hand-gate to enter the kitchen-garden from the part 
devoted to flowers. With respect to your walls, we recommend strong 
iron rods, fastened with plugs into the walls, to tie the trees to, in¬ 
stead of nailing into the morter, as is usually done. Make the soil for 
your fruit-trees good, by adding the best loam you can get; fruit- 
trees will bear better with fresh loam than so much manure. Do not 
lant any tall fruit-trees, such as pears, apples, plums, or cherries; 
ut plant dwarfs, that is, trees with short stems. Where your soil is 
wet, plant on the surface, and cover the roots with pure loam ; where 
it is dry, plant deeper. Bead Mr. Errington’s part of The Cottage 
Gardener for excellent instructions about fruit-trees and their man¬ 
agement; and Mr. Barnes, for kitchen vegetables. Write again if 
you want further information. 
Loam (W. H. G.). —This, which you propose to put in a heap in 
your farm-yard, “ to be turned over and tempered by the air during 
the next summer and winter, and to be used for general purposes,” 
will be improved “by mixing with stable manure,” if intended for 
application to kitchen garden crops, strawberries, &c., but such 
stimulating manures had better not be added to the loam in the form 
you thus pi'opose if it is to be employed in potting. You will see the 
use we have made of part of your communication in our editorial to¬ 
day. 
Plum Pruning ( Broolcland Gardens). —The process you have 
performed on your young plums is termed “ shortening back,” and 
is solely intended to insure a plentiful development of shoots and 
spurs at a low level, in order to carry out a dwarfing system. If it 
were immaterial either to what height the trees grew, or what form 
they might assume, such advice would not be given, and small would 
be the amount of pruning requisite. Your trees have now', by your 
explicit statement, “ pushed at nearly every eye now, therefore, is 
the time to make a selection, for you surely have shoots enough to 
form the entire skeleton, or nearly so, of the future tree. Let every 
shoot requisite be retained and fixed in shape by sticks, the rest may 
merely have the top pinched off; this wall engender spurs before the 
season has passed away. It is immaterial how many branches they 
may have had originally ; try and secure six or eight, and set them 
out in a punch-bowl form. If the trees continue to increase in 
grossness, let all the shoots be pinched or stopped in the end of July; 
of this, however, you will, in th£ interim, know more in our future 
pages. 
Lucerne (G. R., Lyme Regis). —We are not aware that any 
peculiar mystery attaches to the growth of lucerne. As it is a crop 
which may remain in a productive and profitable state for nearly half 
a score years on the same ground, means must be taken to lay it 
down on land thoroughly cleaned. Some green or root cropping, 
therefore, might precede it, using a high and clean course of culture. 
Some sow it in drills, about ten inches apart, betw'een a thin barley 
or oat crop ; this is said to yield a protection to the young lucerne 
from a fly which sometimes does much injury. When established, a 
clean course of culture must be pursued, by hand or horse hoeing, 
weeding, &c. About a dozen pounds of seed will sow a statute acre. 
It gives no taste to the butter, and is altogether a valuable food. 
Our neighbours on the coast of France and in Jersey have long been 
famous for its culture. 
Mangold Wurtzel (Ibid). —Manure may be dug in round man¬ 
gold wurtzel, avoiding going too close to the stem. Why not dig it 
in previous to sowing ? 
Rockery (Lex, Jan.). —We can scarcely advise you what to plant 
on your rockery, to grow in the under part of your arches or caverns. 
Try some common ferns, such as Scolopendrium vulgure, Aspidium 
filixmas, and some kinds of moss found in similar places. 
Geranium Leaves (Ibid). —Your scarlet geraniums have got the 
disease known as the spot, caused, no doubt, by too much damp 
and decaying roots growing in improper soil. Shake them clean out 
of the soil, wash the roots in rain water, repot in light pure loam well 
drained ; place them in a frame kept close and shaded for a few days, 
until they begin to grow ; and then gradually inure them to bear the 
light and air. They will recover, but are scarcely worth the trouble, 
as you can buy good strong plants at 12s. the dozen. 
Stupifying Bees (M. R. W .).— We have never used either 
ground ivy or laurel leaves for fumigation of bees, therefore can 
give no directions for their application ; the latter, being poisonous, 
we should consider very objectionable. Fungus maximus ( Lycoper - 
don prutense), or great pufl-ball, is found in woods and meadows in 
the autumn, and if gathered when ripe, and dried, may be kept for 
any length of time ; but as this is not at all times readily to be ob¬ 
tained there is an excellent substitute for it in the Racodium cellare, 
or mouse skin byssus. Now, this substance abounds in the London 
Docks’ wine vaults, and may he obtained abundantly at any time. 
It is often found several feet in length. The apparatus for using this, 
or any of the befoie-mentioned substances, maybe had of Messrs. 
Neighbour and Son, 127. High Holborn, London. 
Pruning Scissors ( Insignis ).—-The very best you can use, and 
we are glad of this opportunity of recommending them to all our 
readers, are to be had of Mr. J. Turner, Neepsend, Sheffield. He 
will send a pair in a case, post-free, to any one xvho will enclose to 
him 18 penny postage-stamps. We think them better than a knife 
for most pruning purposes, for the blades are of such a form as to 
cut clean without any bruising; and although so small as to be 
carried in the waistcoat pofiket, yet they have power sufficient to cut 
easily through green shoots a quarter of an inch in diameter. 
Gooseberry Borer ( J. Turner). —The small green caterpillars 
with black heads, that wriggle backwards so actively when disturbed, 
we believe to be the produce of a very small moth, called Loautamia 
hxviguna. It is very closely allied to the rose moth, described at p. 
63 of this volume. We shall be glad to receive from you one or more 
of the berries with the borers in them ; for if you are correct in think¬ 
ing these small green caterpillars are connected with the injury, you 
will refute the statement, made by Mr. Major, that the berry borer 
is the larva of the moth Geometra grossulariata. 
Names of Plants (C. J. Y.). —We are sorry that no one florist 
in the world could name your cinerarias from merely looking at a few 
blooms ; there are hundreds closely resembling each you have sent, 
and each with a different name. The same remark applies to yonr 
roses ; we could, probably, be right in assigning names, but when 
! you can be certainly correct at the expense of a penny postage-stamp, 
why not apply to the florist from whom you purchased them ? 
“ My Flowers” (Flora).— It w'as a mistake to number the paper 
at p. 204 “ No. 15,” it ought to have been numbered 14, so that not 
one is omitted, and we quite agree with you in thinking “ they are 
really so good that not a particle ought to be lost.” When this vo¬ 
lume closes, the same writer will commence another series of papers 
on a subject even more interesting. 
Bee-cover (Frank). —Your arrangement of the stand is quite 
correct for your hives. Your side hives may be either of wood or 
straw. Buy “Taylor’s Bee-keeper’s Manual;” it will give you an¬ 
swers on doubts which may be desired, quicker than through our 
columns. Do not fix the posts of your cover so as to touch your bee- 
stand, they will enable mice and other vermin to crawl up. 
Answers to Correspondents (Clericus, Beds). —You will find 
an answer to your last query at p. !)2. We answer every one without 
any favour, whatever position in society he holds, and we are uncon¬ 
scious of having ever omitted a reply to anyone. When delays occur,it 
is only because we are seeking for information on points on which we 
may entertain doubts. If any of your queries yet remain unanswered, 
pray oblige us by repeating them. 
Volume I. and Index (R. L. T .).—This has been completed, 
with a general index. A cover and the index, ready for binding, may 
be obtained through any bookseller, at our office, priced thirteen- 
pence. All the back numbers may be yet had. We have reprinted 
some of the early ones three times ; but, as we cannot do so any 
more, w y e recommend our subscribers to lose no time in completing 
their series. 
Liguid-manure FOR Celery (J. B. S.). — This made from pig 
and stable-manure is best, but the addition of sheep’s dung and the 
dung of oxen fatting on oil cake would be beneficial. Sir. Nutt 
adds a little sulphate of ammonia. We recommend you to follow his 
mode of culture, and that by Mr. Turner, so fully detailed in our 
first volume. Thanks for your correction. 
Garden Netting (P. S.).— You will see the name of a maker at 
p. 82. Early Lewisham cabbage may be sown at any time when 
other early varieties are sown. We have not heard anything more 
about the early rhubarb. No room for more answers this week. 
Angle for Greenhouse Roof (A Subscriber from the Com¬ 
mencement) .—Bo not have it more than 30°. See what Mr. Beaton 
says at page 120 of our first volume. Our own opinion is that 30° is 
the best angle. 
Soil for Oranges and Lemons (Ibid).—We have always 
found a rich light loam mixed with one-fourth leaf-mould the best. 
The top spit of a rich pasture, with the turf chopped up and rotted 
in it, would do without any addition. Above all things see that the 
drainage is good. 
Onions and Cauliflowers Failing (A. Z.).—The wood- 
ashes, strongly impregnated as they are with caustic potash, was 
quite sufficient to cause the failure. You put it below' and over the 
seed in the drills, so that the young roots were destroyed by it as soon 
as they appeared. Your cauliflower-plants, dipped into a paste of 
soot and saltpetre, were all killed by it, and well they might. Such 
applications are far too violent. We shall in time give full directions 
about their culture. 
Polyanthus Seedlings (Cottager). —By careful treatment you 
may grow the blooms finer but not change their colours. You must 
not move them out of your border now or they will bloom weakly 
next year. The roots and leaves are at work, preparing the mate¬ 
rials for next year’s growth. 
Pit Building (X. O .).—Your situation facing the S.W. is well 
situated for this, but we can add nothing to the very ample directions 
we have already given in our first volume. 
Potato Culture (Rev. T. E .).—Thanks for your paper; it shall 
have an early insertion. 
Silk Worm’s Eggs (A Cottage Gardener). —Their change of 
shape and the black specks are symptoms of their hatching. Keeping 
in a room where there is a fire is all that is necessary. It is of no use 
hatching them before the mulberry leaves are ready. Nature will 
bring them out together, if you leave them to her. 
Corrosive Sublimate (T. O. M .).—We cannot give as our 
opinion that if carrots, parsnips, and other roots of that kind, would 
grow in a soil “saturated with corrosive sublimate,” they would not 
be rendered dangerous as a food for man. We believe that such a soil 
would kill them, but, if it *lid not, there are so very few salts when in 
solution that roots reject altogether, that we fear some of the corro¬ 
sive sublimate would be taken into the vessels of the plants, sufficient 
in quantity to render them unwholesome, if not fatal, as food. This, 
however, is only an opinion, for we know of no experiments on the 
subject. M. Marcet found that kidney beans were killed in two 
days when watered with a solution of oxide of arsenic. 
Potato Keeping (X.X .).—It is probable that potato tubers will 
keep in an ice-house for many years, ami then vegetate ; but, under 
ordinary circumstances, they cannot be kept for three years, and 
then be used for planting. 
Open Boiler ( Expectans). —The open boiler for heating a pit, 
mentioned at p. 265 of vol. i., is a boiler, or pan, without any top. 
The water flows and returns along the pipes just as well in an open 
as in a close boiler ; it only requires more attention in keeping it full 
of water. You can have them of any height you please. Flanges 
are the surfaces by which the ends of the pipes are fastened to each 
