THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 
180 
have penetrated an ungenial or actively prejudicial subsoil, To save 
loss of time by uncertain speculations we should plant another tree or 
two. If, however, you are determined to endeavour to save your 
favourite excavate in autumn so as to get at all tap-roots ; cut 
them away, and have recourse to a good top-dressing, with the 
application of liquid manure, in order to obtain surface fibres. The 
latter operation may commence immediately. Try also, next year, 
dusting the stigma of the blossom with pollen from another pear-tree. 
Compost fob Lilium lancifolium ( Diunthus). —Your compost, 
composed as follows, is excellent for this flower :—Good hazel turfy 
loam, 6 parts; two or three year old, rotten, stable manure, 3 ; vege¬ 
table mould, 3; good peat, 3; silver sand, 1 part; mixed 10 months 
before using and frequently turned. 
Guano Water {Ibid). —Your mode of making and applying this 
liquid manure, thus described, are both good :—In a vessel capable 
of holding nine gallons put two pounds of guano and eight gallons of 
water, let them stand 24 hours, frequently stirring the mixture ; after 
letting it settle for an hour put it into another vessel holding nine 
gallons ; then put eight gallons of fresh w'ater into the first vessel, 
on the guano, for 24 hours. After settling mix these two almost clear 
infusions together for use. 
Various Liliums and Gladioli (Ibid). —Never give guano 
water to a lilium. L. Japonicum is hardy in England, and likes a 
peaty soil. L. Venustum-we never heard of. Eximium is only ano¬ 
ther name for the old L. longiflorum, which is not quitehardy with us, 
but a slight protection will preserve it in a dry border. Alltheg-tadiofi 
will live out of doors here, with a slight protection and a dry bed, 
and that is the easiest way to manage them. Gladioli showing flower 
buds in a greenhouse will receive no benefit by being planted out 
now. When the spring frosts are over is the time to plant them out 
of pots, and the end of October the best time to plant the dry bulbs 
in the open ground, and no rain should get at them all the winter, 
nor indeed till they are well up in the spring; if you manage that 
they will indeed reward you. 
Agapantuus Umbellatus (not exrulea, J. M.). —This, which 
you describe as “just doubling itself,” you must not divide until the 
end of March. When these flowers are once established they ought 
to flower every year. Give it abundance of water till the end of 
August, and keep it in the open air until frost approaches. 
Christmas Hose, &c. (Ibid). —This should be divided at the 
roots this month when in a dormant state, and planted immediately. 
It will do in any soil that is not too stiff or over wet; but best in rich 
light loam, such as the borders of a good old kitchen garden. No 
winter flower deserves to be more grown than the Christmas rose. Part 
of your vegetable compost, when quite rotten, should be laid by 
under cover to come into use “on a wet day.” If your arum has 
flowered and is turning yellow in the leaves, cease watering it, and 
let it get quite dry for three months in the meantime. If you want 
to increase it, shake the soil from it, and divide the small from the 
large fleshy tubers which compose the underground part. See what 
is said of them at p. 51. The acacia should stand out of doors till 
frosts threaten us, and be regularly watered. 
Pentstemon Perfoliatum ( Un Jeune liomme). —By this we 
presume you mean P. Ixvigatum, which in some old botanical works 
is called Digitalis perfoliata glabra. You will find its history in 
Loudon’s Encyclopedia of plants under the name first mentioned. 
The little cruciferous plant you mention with yellow flowers is, per¬ 
haps, Cheirunthus alpinus. The rose you enclose is affected with 
“ green centre,” as gardeners call the transformation of the pistils 
into leaves. We never knew this example of morphology so preva¬ 
lent as it is this year. Your other question shall be answered next 
week. 
Roses (Beginner). —Your flowers are affected with “green cen¬ 
tre.” See previous answer, and what Mr. Beaton says on the subject 
at p. 143-5. 
Auuatic Plants (-).—Mr. Appleby will write fully on 
their culture next week. 
Skins of .Aphides (T. Morgan). —“The shelly looking insects 
with holes in their backs, adhering to the calyx, &c. of your rose,” 
are only the skins of aphides, or green flies, killed by the grubs of 
parasitic Ichneumon flies. The swollen size of the skins arise from 
their distention to accommodate the growth of the parasite that fed 
upon their vitals. The hole is that by which the parasite made its 
exit. Your rose, we think, is the Grand Tuscany. 
Hybridizing (A Novice). —The pollen is required to be applied to 
no other part but the stigma. Your fragment of flower was too much 
bruised for us to speak certainly of its name : it is like Cacttis Jen- 
liensonii. 
Bees (A Beginner). —Youreturned the second swarm to the parent 
hive the afternoon it came forth ; since which the bees have slaugh¬ 
tered the drones, yet you heard the piping of the queen since, and 
after that found in front of the hive the bodies of two bees, darker and 
rather longer than the others.—If the piping continues they will 
swarm again, for it ceases only after the swarm has left, or the super¬ 
numerary queens are killed, which may easily be ascertained by see¬ 
ing them dead on the ground under the hive. They were queens that 
you found in front of the hive, which is a certain indication that your 
bees will not swarm again. It is quite unnecessary to resort to fumi¬ 
gation in returning a swarm to its parent hive: hive them in the 
usual manner; then, by a smart and sudden movement, shake the 
bees out of the hive upon a board, and place the board close to the 
parent hive, guiding, at the same time, a few bees to its entrance, 
and the remainder will speedily follow. 
Caterpillars on Apple-trees (A Lower of Gardening). —These 
small larvie found on the apple-leaves, enclosed in little portable 
cases, arc most probably those of Asti/ages nigricella, which Mr. 
Walker has observed to feed on leaves of pear-trees. If they are not 
of this species they ard of a closely allied species. We consider 
them in no wise answerabie for the loss of the apple blossom. The 
larger of the two flics you caught devouring the smaller fly is one of 
the smaller species of Empis , perhaps E. tessallata. Your descrip¬ 
tion of their habit is quite correct:—“ I met with one that had evi¬ 
dently just caught another, and so intent was the larger one on the 
destruction of his captive that, though in general they are not easily 
caught, yet it sulfered me to take them both up, and lay them on my 
hand. The efforts of the larger one seemed to be directed to pieree 
the smaller in the thorax, just at the back of the head; and, after a 
hard struggle, succeeded. When quite killed, the smaller one was 
borne off in triumph bv the larger.” 
Potatoes (Devonshire-slreet). —Your crop is all right; leave it 
alone, except hoeing down the weeds, until the end of the present 
month, or until the tops begin to die off. Kidney potatoes are not 
full grown until then. If you want early potatoes next year, plant 
Walnut-leaved and Ash-lcaved Kidneys. 
Peas (T. O. M.) —It is much too late for you to sow these in order 
to grow a crop to give the ripe produce away to your poor neighbours 
in winter. For that purpose you should sow in March, and the best 
kind you can cultivate is the Charlton. 
Form of Beds (J. W.).— Your labourer was quite wrong in dig¬ 
ging deep alleys between your beds, unless the soil is heavy and badly 
drained. If it is, then it is not a bad plan. 
Potato Sets (Ibid). —You need not scoop all the eyes but two out 
of your whole sets. One or two of the strongest, if they are left to 
themselves, will take the lead and grow up to stems, the others not 
vegetating at all. Late experience has taught us in this and in many 
other instances, that we often thwart nature in our over anxiety to 
assist her. The “ Farmer’s Magazine” is published by Messrs. 
Rogerson, in Norfolk-street, Strand. 
Earthing up Potatoes (Twig). —You are quite right in under¬ 
standing that we do not earth up our potatoes, and for the reasons 
we assigned at p. 14S. Of course we take care that the tubers nearest 
the surface are covered with earth about an inch deep. The name of 
your plant is Oxalis livida. 
Morf.llo Cherries and Apricots Falling (Little Tom). —You 
have examined the stones of these, and find them without kernels, 
and this probably explains the cause of your loss. The fruit had not 
been fertilized ; this is one cause of all stone fruit falling, although 
we do not intend to lay it down as a rule that all that are unfertilized 
fall. There may be other causes in your case, the crops may not be 
sufficiently thinned, so that the supply of sap is not sufficient to keep 
pace with the growth of the fruit. We do translate the Latin names 
of plants as much as is possible. The glutinous matter you mention 
as being on the leaves of your cherries, &c., is called Honey-dew. It 
is a disease on which we shall probably say something next week. 
Insects on Scarlet Runners (An Amateur, W. II. B.). — 
These are the aphides or green lice, peculiar to the plant, and called 
by entomologists Aphis p/iuseoli. 
Mignonette turned Yellow (Ibid). —The mere fact of taking 
one plant from a window facing the west to another window having 
an eastern aspect could not have given that plant “almost immedi¬ 
ately an autumnal yellow;” whilst the plant remaining in the 
western window continues green. There is something the matter 
with the root of the plant moved, or some difference in the amount 
of water and air given to it. 
Blighted Damson Tree (W. E. H). —This blight upon plum 
trees has swept all over England. The deformity of the points of 
the shoots is caused by their being attacked early in the spring by 
the plum louse, Aphis pruni. The wounds inflicted by this aphis 
caused the growth to be deformed, and the sap to exude and decom¬ 
pose. The white insects (of which we find only the remains of one), 
seem to have been some kind of Acarus, or mite, a family of insects 
usually found where the putrefaction of vegetable matter is going on. 
Rose Culture (An Admirer). If you refer to p. 66 of the pre¬ 
sent volume you will see how you can best treat the soil, and for 
other directions please to refer to the index of our first volume. 
Horse droppings will make liquid manure, but you must put about 
half as much more as you would of sheep’s dung to a gallon of water. 
If you mulch over the roots of the roses opening with difficulty, and 
then give a good soaking of water over the mulch, you will assist 
them effectually. On no account cultivate kidney beans or peas 
round the stems of your roses. 
Soap Asiies (F. S. B.). —You will find full particulars relative to 
these at p. 268 of our first volume. 
Roses (Gamma). — Fanny Bias is a Gallic or French rose and not 
a climber; Amadis is a Boursault, and a climber. It is crimson with a 
purple centre. The other name we cannot make out. You were 
quite right not to cut off the tops of your violets when dividing them. 
The leaves are now at work preparing the materials for the next 
blooms. 
Potato Planting (Ibid).— Plant in autumn, but do not put on 
your soot and salt until the spring, about March. 
Plumbago Lakpenta and"Zauchsneria Californica (A 
Leicestershire Subscriber). —There was such a demand for these this 
spring that the nurserymen were obliged to send them “out” in 
little morsels, after forcing them severely, so that those who had 
them late can only nurse them for next season. The first-named in 
a cold pit or window, and the second in the open air—a cold frame 
being even too confined for it. 
Dahlias not Growing (Ibid). —Your dahlia roots unfortunatelv 
lost their eyes, or growing buds probably, and, in such case, are of 
no more use. Let them remain, however, as they are ; perhaps some 
of them will yet grow. The leaf you sent us is that of Tradescantia 
discolor, an old stove plant that might be wintered in a warm room, 
as it is one of the very easiest to manage. We had it once from 
abroad by the name of the “ oyster plant.” 
London : Printed by Harry Wooldridge, 147 Strand, in the 
Parish of Saint Mary-le-Strand; and Winchester, High-street, in 
the Parish of St. Mary Kalendar; and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, at the Office, 147, Strand, in the Parish of 
Saint Mary-le-Strand, London.—July 5th, 1819. 
