August 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
291 
Arms of Gardeners’ Company (L. S .).— We do not know what 
these are, but they might he obtained, probably, by writing to the 
clerk, Mr. John Finch, 21, Old Jewry, London. The arms of the 
Fruiterers’ Company are as represented in the accompanying woodcut. 
Repotting Oleanders (A Cottage Subscriber ).—This should 
not be done now, but early in the spring. 
Blue Salvias and Penstemons {Ibid). —These will stand the 
winter in a warm sheltered garden, but the salvias will keep better in 
a dry shed like dahlias. 
Zauchsneria Californica {Ibid). —This has been broken off 
about eight inches from the roots.—These will soon throw up shoots, 
and the broken part may be made into cuttings. It will hardly dower 
this season. 
Passion Flowers {Ibid). —These are increased in the spring from 
cuttings of the young wood or pieces of the roots, and in summer by 
layering the young shoots. 
Fuchsia Culture {J. C.). —You may treat all your fuchsias as 
recommended for F.fulgens. 
Drip from Glass ok Frame {Ibid). —To prevent this turn the 
lights upside down every fine day for a few hours, and that will dry 
up the condensed vapour on the underside of the glass. If green 
slimy matter collects either on the glass or bars, wipe it off with a 
cloth, and keep a free circulation of air. 
Pyrus Japonica Pruning (J. T. C.). —Prune the moment its 
blossoming period is over, prior to its making new shoots. For filbert 
pruning see back numbers of Cottage Gardener, where ample 
directions are given. Cuttings of pyrus from the young wood when 
mature, or otherwise from such in a deciduous state in November: 
they are, however, generally propagated by layers or by pieces of the 
root. The clematis family are mostly propagated by layers ; cut¬ 
tings are rather shy. 
Mulberries Falling {Ibid). —This arises, probably, from our 
very late and unusual April frosts, which might even affect the mul¬ 
berry-bud in a half-expanded state; or it may, possibly, be some grub 
or caterpillar. Has the root been subjected to drought ? 
Keeping Apples and Pears (W. T.).— In namingsortsof apples 
to keep after Christmas, we should like to know whether you mean 
table or kitchen kinds; we can then, with pleasure, offer you a select 
list of kinds. To-day we have said something about storing them. 
Depriving Bees {Geossues). —You have a cottage hive, four years 
old, made larger last year by putting a deep hoop under it, and you 
wish to take the honey without killing the bees.—The only plan will 
be to unite the bees to another stock, directions for doing which will 
he found in the bee-keeper’s calendar given in another page. You do 
not state how you “forced the bees into one of the side boxes,” 
therefore we cannot tell you why you found so many dead. We are 
not aware that chloroform has ever been used for the purpose you 
mention. 
Flower-pots becoming Green ( L. R. L.). —There is no mode 
of preventing this, but by occasionally scrubbing them or by painting 
them green. 
Tropceolum pENTApnYLLUM {Ibid). — This, after having been in 
flower from last November until August, looks sickly.—Cut it down 
close to the surface, and let it rest until next spring. It will then 
grow as before. 
Oleander getting tall (Ibid). —By all means cut down the 
top shoots although they have flower-buds ; make cuttings of the 
shoots and they will readily root. Leave only a circle of the lowest 
young branches; after that treat it as directed for tall bushes or 
standards. 
Black Hamburgh Grape {Ibid). —This is one of the best kinds 
to fruit in pots, but, unless w'ell managed, none of them pay for the 
trouble. The plan has never been adopted generally. 
Valentia Melon Seed (T. Griffin). — Many thanks for the 
packets of these; we are much gratified by such kind services. 
Myrtle to Pot from Border {H. T. H.).—' Take a spade now, 
and loosen up the rooted myrtle-cutting carefully, and put it in a 
five-inch pot, using rich light soil, and if any of the garden soil hangs 
to the roots all the better; then water it, and place it for two or three 
weeks in a close shaded place—say a cold frame or under a hand¬ 
glass. It does not require heat. After that it will do in a window or 
frame, and must have water occasionally through the winter. 
Ice Plant {Ibid). —This is an annual, and the only way of propa¬ 
gating it is by seeds sown in the spring, in a hot-bed if possible. 
Roses {G. W. P .).—Plant Madame Laffay, a hybrid perpetual, 
by the side of the doorway opposite to that where you have planted 
Alexina. Although the leaves of your Louis Buonaparte have become 
blotched with large black spots, this is no symptom of disease ; prune 
it close in November, and it will be all right next season. The flower- 
buds of La Reine and Melanie Cornu decaying without opening, and 
those which did open being deformed, intimates that your soil is 
either too dry or too wet and cold at the bottom, or else you did not 
prune them close enough. Early in November is the best time to 
prune all roses that do not flourish well, and such should have all the 
shoots of this season’s growth cut to three or four buds from the old 
wood, and then remove the top soil till you come near the roots, and 
place a layer of rotten dong over them, and cover with the soil again ; 
w ater freely next May and June. 
Double Pomegranate not Flowering (IF. M. H.). —This 
blooms on the current year’s wood, therefore it should be pruned in 
very close before it begins to grow in the spring, and the young 
shoots kept thin afterwards. With that treatment, and trained 
against a south wall in a rich dry border, it never fails with us. We 
water it abundantly through June, and it flowers in July and August. 
We protect it with a mat in severe winters. 
Guernsey Lily (0. IF.).—This is Nerine sarniensis, and a native 
of Japan. It grows from September to May, and rests for the 
summer. No mode has ever been found to cultivate it successfully 
in England ; we have not sufficient light for it in winter ; therefore 
we are obliged to buy it from the Guernsey nurserymen in a dry state 
every July or August, flower it, and then throw the roots away. It 
has often been the subject of experiments, but all to no useful 
purpose. 
Straining Liquid Manure {A Subscriber, Helensburgh ).—• 
Have a cask set up on one end, put at the bottom six inches in depth 
of flints, on the top of these a little straw', and over this six inches of 
sand. Then put in a round piece of board of a size to cover the sur¬ 
face of the sand, and bored full of holes. This prevents the liquid 
manure, when poured in, washing up the sand. The strained liquid 
may be drawn off by means of a spigot. Applying liquid manure in 
the little trenches at nine inches distant from the roots of your celery 
plants will be sufficiently near to them. 
Spinach attacked by Green Fly {Ibid). —This is not a com¬ 
mon occurrence, but in this year of aphides has been noticed by us 
before. We should pick off the leaves as the gardener recommended 
and give the plants a good watering -with strong liquid manure, not 
touching the stems with it. After this, frequent waterings over the 
leaves will be your best preventive. 
Cucumbers Bitter {R. C.). —Bitterness arises from the imperfect 
elaboration of the juices; those in the neck of the cucumber being 
least elaborated are always more bitter than in any other part of the 
fruit. Your remedy will be to increase the temperature in which your 
cucumbers are grown, and to expose them to more light. 
Clove and Carnation {Ibid). —The clove is the species Dianthus 
caryophyllus, and the carnation is a double variety, flare plena. 
Index to First Volume {Mildenhall). —This, with title-page, 
&c., has been published months ago, and may be had at our office, 
price one penny. 
Poultry (J, Smart). —Mr. Richardson, whose excellent little book, 
entitled “ Domestic Fowls, their Natural History, &c.,” you refer to, 
we are informed is lately dead. 
Potato for Jersey {John Mallet). —You wish for a crop by the 
end of June of good marketable potatoes, and yet the produce to be 
abundant. In your climate, which is a month earlier than anywhere 
north of London, the ash-leaved kidney will best meet your require¬ 
ments. At Winchester this year, at the end of July, we dug up ripe 
samples of this variety, yielding from each root nearly twenty-fold. 
The sets weighed two ounces, and the produce from each averaged 
two pounds. 
Standard Authority {Rev. R.D.W .).—You write to us as follows: 
—“Iam induced to inquire whether Loudon’s Ilortus Britannicus, 
and if not, what authority is considered a standard whereby to deter¬ 
mine the habit, duration, and habitation, popular character, and other 
characteristics there set forth of any plant '! I ask this, because in com¬ 
paring Loudon’s description with that put forth by nurserymen in their 
circular catalogues there is too often a total discrepancy. I think this 
an important question to determine, as bearing, amongst other things, 
upon horticultural and floricultural shows. For instance, in exhibit¬ 
ing ‘rfi miscellaneous collection of twelve greenhouse plants,’ I may 
have carefully followed Loudon in my selection, and lind I am dis¬ 
qualified from receiving a prize because the judges (themselves nur¬ 
serymen or gardeners) consider such a plant in my collection a hardy 
perennial or otherwise. ‘It is true,’ they may say, ‘the plant was 
originally introduced into this country as a greenhouse plant, but 
cultivation, growth, &c., has altered its habit with us, and upon this 
ground we deem it disqualified for exhibition in such and such a 
class.’ Thus much vexation is caused, and sometimes disgust, ac¬ 
companied with a withdrawal of countenance and support from insti¬ 
tutions whose tendency and effect is to produce good in our rural 
districts.”—We agree with you that this is an important question, 
and we advise you to abide by the most recent lists of first-rate florists 
and nurserymen, rather than by Loudon’s work, or by Paxton’s Bo¬ 
tanical Dictionary. These works were stereotyped when first printed 
some ten years since, therefore no subsequent discovery relating to 
the plants they describe can be inserted. The lists of first-rate florists, 
on the contrary, keep pace with the progress of horticulture. If a 
doubt exists as to any plant being a greenhouse or stove plant, we will 
obtain for any of our readers the decision of some of the best gar¬ 
deners in England. 
Verbenas, &c., in Winter ( S. E. S.). —Rooted cuttings of ver¬ 
benas, salvias, calceolarias, and suchlike soft plants, may be kept in 
a cold frame, with powerful covering to exclude frost. The old fuch¬ 
sias would keep over the winter with a covering of coal-ashes over 
them, or they may be kept in a shed or cellar from which frost can 
be kept. 
Hard Green Centres in Dahlias {H. H.). —These are easily 
explained. The florets of the disk are in a transition state, but not 
sufficiently developed to form what we erroneously call a double 
flower instead of a full one. Some good varieties come out this way 
