192 
THE COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 
JULY 
Bef.s that will Swarm ((An Apiarian and J. W. Sice). —We 
can only say, in answer to your statement, do all that you can to pre¬ 
vent swarming by giving room and ventilation, but should your bees 
swarm notwithstanding all you have done, never attempt to return 
them to the parent hive, for it is perfectly useless. A few years since, 
a swarm was returned to a Nutt’s hive, by a friend of ours, seven times, 
and 13 queens killed! Had your swarm been hived in the usual 
manner on the 1st of June, from 30 to 40 lbs. of honey would, in all 
probability, have been collected by them in this time, whereas, under 
the present circumstances of being frequently returned, they have 
been idle. It is always so ; when swarming is contemplated, work is 
abandoned. 
Trees Over-luxuriant (Leighton). —Your case is certainly a 
curious one. After so much pains and expense you assuredly deserve 
a better fate. By your trees making a vast quantity of “sappy 
wood,” we should infer that they have many deep roots in soil by far 
too rich. In proportion as your climate (at Shifl'nal) is cold, so 
should a more severe limitation of the roots take place. Had you 
stated the age of the trees, we could have offered you more certain 
advice. As it is, we advise you to commence rooting up some of the 
hardest worn or wildest trees this autumn, and commence planting 
on the platform or dwarfing system, directions for which will be 
found in our pages. If your trees make sappy wood, why use manure 
either solid or liquid ? A more severe root-pruning would probably 
prove beneficial—it will at any rate stop the tendency to sappy wood. 
You will find a paper on trees circumstanced as yours are in about a 
fortnight. We shall, however, have much to say on this head for 
months, at intervals, introducing useful hints preparatory to the 
planting season. The double digging of your outer garden will be 
good policy for vegetable culture, but not for fruit-trees. We have 
examined your dried-up specimen of Knight's Monarch. We fear 
it will prove untrue. It must be borne in mind that all the first 
“ Jlonarchs ” sent out by the Horticultural Society of London were 
mistakes. For this an apology was made soon after. 
Liaum Manure (S. T.).—You cannot lay too much stress on the 
value of liquid manure. One thing we must say, that it should not be 
applied in a crude state. We should consider that your powerful 
tank materials would carry six times their bulk of water, if the 
material must come in contact with the leaves of vegetables. As to 
the fixing by the acid, there can be no doubt as to its economical 
bearing. Your general policy seems very good. Your wall trees not 
bearing of course require no stimulants. Would it not be well, how¬ 
ever, to use up the sewage matters on your farm, and to brew guano 
water and soot water for your garden 9 
Grape Vines, Demerara (A. P .).—It is not improbable 
that yours is by no means a case of disease, properly so called, 
after all. We should opine that, from the superlative character of 
your sunshine, and the immense quantity of rain which suddenly 
supervenes, your case may be what British gardeners term “ scorch¬ 
ing.” Supposing the ground to be good, and a ground heat existing 
of some ninety to a hundred degrees, and abundance of moisture, 
what is the necessary consequence ? The young growth becomes 
enlarged in a hurried manner, and the perspiratory action is increased 
in a dangerous degree. Things like this happen frequently in 
England, and would be more plainly manifest could we increase the 
heat of the climate suddenly by some ten or fifteen degrees. 
May-Duke Cherry (A Novice). —We commiserate you sincerely 
about your pet cherry. Do not despair, however. Remember what 
a spring we have passed through. Besides, you will find that as 
your cherry gets older the fruit will “set” better. This is always the 
case in our garden fruits—their grossness of growth is averse for 
awhile to fertility. 
Botany ( D. E. G.). —There is no better mode for you to acquire 
a knowledge of this science than by studying indefatigably the best 
publications, and examining the structure of plants as they fall in 
your way, endeavouring by dissection to ascertain the genera to which 
they belong, and their specific names. Lindley’s School Botany is 
an excellent elementary work. 
Stocking a Garden (J. W.). —It would require an entire Num¬ 
ber of The Cottage Gardener to answer such a sweeping inquiry. 
You cannot do it all at once. Each month has its appropriate work 
of planting and sowing. See what is said under the head “allot¬ 
ment gardening,” and in the “calendars,” in the last Number of 
each month. 
Cabbages, &c. ( D. H.). —You will find a list of cabbages and 
brocoli at p. 121 of our first volume, and of savoys at p. 266. There 
is only one kind of cauliflower. Directions for sowing them, &c., 
will be found in our calendars. 
Window Plants (W. H. L. R.). —These when put under a 
frame are best plunged in the soil within it. 
Mistletoe Culture (H. R.). —You will find every particular at 
pp. 22 and 106 of the present volume. 
Rhubarb Culture (Hortus). —Put some stable mulch on the 
surface of the soil over its roots, and cut down the flower stems as 
they appear, but leave the leaves until they die off naturally. 
Pit Building (F. Giles ).—You will find full directions at p. 160 
of our first volume. You had better heat it by a common furnace 
and flue. 
Bees not Using Upper Hives (Beta). —The upper hives and 
glasses should be put upon the stock hives at the end of April, and 
upon swarms about eighteen or twenty days after their being hived. 
The communication between the boxes of “Taylor’s bar-hive” 
should be opened at the same time; both in Taylor’s hive and in 
glasses a piece of guide-comb should be fixed, as directed in the 
appendix to the third edition of Taylor’s “ Bee-keeper’s Manual,” 
and in page 42 of the present vol. of The Cottage Gardener. 
Putting a "piece of glass or small hive upon a stock after it has 
swarmed is useless. 
Chalcedonian Iris ( Un jeune homme). —This grows best in 
good sandy soil, like that in your garden, provided the bottom is 
warm, for this, being from Constantinople, requires more warmth 
than the other strong growing irises. Our bricklayer has a large 
plant of it, which flowers every year in deep, black, sandy soil, with 
a damp bottom. Our plant was' taken from this one, and grown in 
the same kind of soil, but not so deep, and on a chalk bottom. It 
only flowers once in three or four years. If you can remove your 
plant next September, and place it in a low sheltered situation with 
a moist bottom, but well drained, we think it will flower freely. It 
is a beautiful thing, and worth any ordinary trouble. All the strong 
growing irises should be divided and transplanted every third or 
fourth year, and the autumn is the proper time. When removed in 
the spring, only the coarsest of them flower the same season. 
Morphology ( E. H. 31.). —Thanks for the trouble you took to 
send us the specimen of roses in a transition state to a proliferous 
flower. In one of them, which received no manure, the axis was 
prolonged in the centre, having a fringe of eight young flowers at the 
opening of the pericarp, then a few leaves scattered on the new stem, 
with flower buds at their axils, and the whole surmounted by a large 
double rose. Many strange conformations of this nature are met 
with in the rose every season. 
Stocks fop. Roses (Rev. G. E. L.). —You will find this subject 
considered at p. 176 of our last Number. 
Budding Roses (W. II. G .).—We are much obliged to our 
friendly correspondent for pointing out what might have led to a 
serious mistake, as some of our readers might have misunderstood 
the directions as well as W. H. G. The direction is this, “ leave the 
wood full in the eye of the bud ” (vol. i. 225.) Now, any one 
accustomed to budding would at once understand that the wood in 
the bud itself only was meant, all the rest being to be removed, so as 
to leave none of the wood in the shield of the bud, excepting that 
which belongs to the bud. If that wood is by any chance drawn out 
of it the bud is useless, and will not grow. 
Banksian Rose (Rosulie). —YourBanksian rose has been planted 
twenty years against a south wall, thrives well, is under the shade of 
a large tree, and does not flower. We think it a pity to remove so 
fine a tree. Cannot you top the branches of the large tree so as they 
will not shade nor drip upon the rose-tree ? Do you prune it rightly ? 
It flowers upon short spurs growing from the previous year ’3 wood. 
If those spurs or short branches are pruned off yearly, there will be 
no flowers. If you can have the large tree lopped—that is, cut back— 
let that be done as soon as possible. Cut away, also, all too luxu¬ 
riant shoots (gourmands or gluttons) from the rose-tree now. In 
autumn loose the tree from the wall, and cut away at least half of the 
old wood. Train the remainder regularly on the wall, and close to 
it nail in all the side shoots of the branches left. Finally, dig the 
border, adding some leaf-mould or very rotten dung, and we have 
no fear your Banksian rose will flower satisfactorily. We would, 
however, remark further that, if the large tree cannot be cut back, it 
would be better to remove the rose-tree, and the best month to do 
this in is the latter end of October. Should this be the case, we 
would advise you to prune the roots of the rose-tree now. Dig 
carefully down to them at about three feet from the stem of the tree, 
cut the roots through there, and fill up around them with some rich 
light earth. It will strike fresh fibrous roots into that earth, which 
roots will be a great help to it to grow again in the spring after the 
removal. It is very probable the removing the tree would cause it 
to flower abundantly. There is, however, some danger in removing 
so old a rose-tree, but it is worth a trial. 
Roses with Green Centres (R. C. S .).—Your rose-trees 
generally this year produce green buds in the centre of each rose, and 
to that extent as to mar the beauty of the flowers. Your predicament 
is by no means a singular one ; we have observed several cases similar. 
The cause is a too great redundancy of sap. This may be caused by 
a too rich and wet soil ; by too long continued rains in early spring, 
followed by late spring frosts. The first cause may be prevented 
having that effect by taking up the trees in autumn, draining the 
soil, and adding some fresh pure loam without manure. Then, pre¬ 
viously to replanting, prune in pretty severely the long wiry roots, 
pruning the branches also in the same ratio. You ask what are you to 
do now? We advise you to cut away all the misformed flowers. The 
Bourbon Noisette and autumn-flowering varieties will push again, 
and produce, it is probable, more perfect flowers. Some kinds are 
more subject to this malformation than others : Madam Hardy, for 
instance. This variety in most situations, whether wet or dry, 
whether the season be favourable or not, and however good the ma¬ 
nagement may be, will produce those misshapen flowers. What are 
we to do, then ? Are we to discard this and other varieties with the 
same propensity ? We say, no! use every preventive, and cut away 
the bad flowers as they appear. 
Apiielexis humilis ( E., Falmouth) or old Elichrysum spectabile, 
and the larger variety of it, called Purpurea grandiflora, are not at 
all difficult to manage. The same treatment as for the epacrises will 
do for them, and both these and the epacrises are managed in every 
respect as heaths. They are slow growers, and will not grow much 
after this month till the next spring. 
Petunia Seed (Ibid). —It is too late now, and fully too early, to 
sow petunia seeds. The end of August will be early enough to sow 
before winter, but the first week in March is the best time in the 
year to sow them, the young seedlings being troublesome to carry 
through the winter. You had better go on crossing the best sorts 
this autumn, and save the seeds till next spring. We are not florists 
enough to say which really is the best petunia for crossing. What 
we have seen of florists’ petunias are not at all to our fancy. Our 
hybridizer will notice every case of this nature which comes before us, 
and we think he can safely be relied on. 
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 12th, 1849. 
