THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 
304 
Lilies (A. Y. Zi).—You will find your question answered by Mr. 
Appleby next week in the weekly essay on 11 The Flower-Garden.” 
Rotation op Crops (A Cottage Farmer , Norwood).—Yon have 
two cows, pigs, and poultry, and you grow no hay 1 then surely you 
must buy hay or oat straw ? We do think that under spade culture 
you may turn out crops more frequently, but the question is too large 
to be dealt with in a few lines, and our limits do not allow many. 
We cannot quite understand what you mean by three crops in two 
years ; pray give us another note, and be a little more explicit. Your 
case applies to hundreds. 
Raspberries Branching (A. A., Clcricus).— You have used 
rather too much or too powerful manure. Your double-stemmed 
raspberry canes will do, but wc deprecate those which branch many 
eyes. Top them all in the middle of September ; tie, however, more 
than two canes. See full directions at p. 55, vol. i. 
Rhubarb (.Ibid).— Cutting the flower-stalks strengthens the future 
leaves ; cutting or pulling the leaves “ vice versa.” Your plants arc 
“ below par” or they would have put forth flower-stalks. 
Indian Pink (Ibid). —Your seedlings arc flowering now. It is 
but an annual, or, if you will, an imperfect perennial. Cutting the 
flowers off, and above all keeping them dry, airy, and free from frost 
during the ensuing winter, will go far towards giving you a good 
bloom next year. 
Pines and Vines ( Y.AI.K .).—You wish to know what variety 
of grapes we recommend you to grow in a span-roofed house, where 
you intend to fruit pines.—We think that your general plan might 
have been amended by adopting what is termed the “ Hamiltonian 
system as it is, however, and seeing that you will have grapes over 
liie fruiting pines—a thing of some little difficulty if excellence is 
aimed at—we would advise you to plant the Black Hambro’ and the 
true West’s St. Peter; wc do not, however, see why you should not 
indulge in a Muscat or two. It is not generally known, perhaps, that 
the West’s St. Peter, the best keeping grape in the kingdom, will 
both bear and enjoy as much heat as the Muscats. 
Veronica Diseased (IF. II. Eaton Sncon). —The enclosed, by 
its succulence and mildewed state, being ulcerated and covered with 
a minute black fungus, has every symptom of having been kept in 
an atmosphere too moist, and supplied with too much water. Try 
keeping it drier and very freely exposed to the light. 
Raspberry Training (IF. X .).—We have tried all modes of 
growing the raspberry, and find none like that of training them to an 
espalier rail, like those of which we gave a drawing for sticking peas 
at p. 271 of vol. i., omitting the stringing. Your plan of employing 
pouts and ropes approaches to the same plan, and would do equally 
well; hut the posts ought not to be at wider intervals than three 
yards, or the rope will hang loose between them. 
Potatoes (Ibid).— Those which have their stems blighted had 
better be taken up at once, and stored in a dry shed in alternate 
layers with earth. It is a common complaint that many of this year’s 
tubers, since the occurrence of rain, have thrown out young tubers ; 
the same occurs almost every year. Rub all the small ones off before 
storing; they have not injured the tubers which produced them, for 
these were furnished with fresh sap from the plant as long as the 
stems and leaves were vigorous. 
Potato op. Underground Onion (Ibid). —Many of yours rot at 
the crown.—You have probably grown them large by planting them 
on very fertile soil; if this be the case, or if your soil be wet, such 
ulceration is of frequent occurrence. Middle-sized onions, of all 
sorts, grown on dry, moderately rich soil, so as to be ready for storing 
by the middle of August, keep‘better than larger and later ripening 
crops. 
Greenhouse Roof (D. Birmingham). —The angle or inclina¬ 
tion of this, which you require for wintering plants in, had better, if 
low, be 30°. You will find Mr. Beaton’s excellent suggestions for 
building one at p. 119 of our first volume. Mr. Fish furnished us, 
some time since, with 
the accompanying draw¬ 
ing of a very simple in¬ 
strument, a quadrant, 
or quarter of a circle, by 
which the angle of any 
roof can be at once de¬ 
termined. Fasten a 
string with a leaden 
plummet through a hole 
in the corner opposite 
the arc, or portion of a 
circle. Divide this arc 
into 90 equal parts ; 
place the side marked 
L against the roof in¬ 
side, and the string will 
hang opposite to the 
mark which is the angle 
of the roof; in the draw¬ 
ing it marks 45°. If you can keep your house from falling below 
35° at night and during frost, that is all you will require in winter; 
40° or 45° will be a good day temperature at that season. You may 
lower your floor a little to give you heighth inside. 
A Rockery (A Constant Reader, Brampton).— This will look 
well if judiciously managed. We have just seen one built round, and 
with an arch over such a circle as yours; the circle is occupied by n 
water-tight basin, in which are gold fish, and there being a few 
water-plants in and about it, an aquarium and rockery are combined. 
You will find a list of hardy aquatic plants at p. 185. 
Bees (Rev. T. G. T.). —The small hives are not to be replaced 
upon the stocks after they are emptied of the honey, but put in a 
clean dry place for use next spring; and the opening at the top of the 
straw hive must be closed very securely, and that immediately. 
Puff-Balls for Fumigating Bees (John Briggs). — You say 
that these are scarce in the part of Yorkshire where you reside. You 
can procure them through any of tho heTb-dealers in Covcnt Garden 
Market. Mr. Payne informs us that he has heard of the successful 
employment of chloroform for the same purpose, and promises a re¬ 
port in his next calendar. 
Strawberries on Fruit-trf.p, Borders (Subscriber ab initio). 
—These are the worst crop you could grow. They are them all the 
year, root deep, and are a very exhausting crop. No other crops but 
salarling, lettuces, spinach, seedling-heils of brocoli, &c., should be 
admitted on such borders. 
Small Fruit under Standard Trees (Ibid). —Wc have seen 
red currants and dwarf filberts tolerably fruitful in gardens shaded 
by tall appplc-trces. 
Hollyhock Leaves Destroyed (C. N. A., Birkenhead). —Your 
foes are probably small slugs, for these are very fond of them. By 
the time you see this, the season for hollyhocks will be passed, and 
you had better cut down the flower-stems close to the ground. Nas¬ 
turtium berries and mignonette pods ought not to be gathered green 
if intended for seed. Chickens will not do well upon rice alone, but 
they will thrive upon it mixed with barley or oatmeal. Currant- 
trees against a wall always shed their leaves early; we have some now 
(Aug. 29) quite bare. We only received your communication this day. 
Phloxes Three Feet High (Rusticus). — Baldryana, white ; 
Wheeleriana, purplish-pink; Paniculata, pink and white; Undulata 
elegans, deep pink; Murrayana, rose with yellow eye; and Ccelestis, 
pale blue lilac. 
Hardy Herbaceous Flowers (Ibid). —The following are from 
one to three feet high :—Spring Bitter Vetch, Early flowering Phlox, 
Round-headed Rampion, for spring flowering; Larger Snapdragon, 
Columbine, ThroatWort, and Barlow’s Larkspur, for summer flower¬ 
ing ; Japan Anemone, Round-headed Liatris, Late flowering Evening 
Primrose, and Lance-leaved Goldenrod, for autumn. These are twelve, 
as asked for, hut you will find a much fuller list, with their colours 
and other particulars, at p. 34 of our first volume. 
Liquid Manure to Geraniums, &c. (Anon )—This must not 
now he given, nor until after the blossom-buds shew themselves next 
year; neither must you give it to apricot-trees now nor during the 
winter. It ought not to be given to any plant except during the 
period of its most vigorous growth. 
Error. —At page 270, line 35 from bottom, read “La reseda de 
l’Egypt.” 
Classification of Roses (Rev. N. Stephenson). —We so fully 
agree with you in thinking that this is desirable that we are making 
arrangements for determining the distinctive marks of each, so as to 
avoid the confusion in which too many catalogues arc at present. To 
effect this great good requires judgment, consideration, and much 
time. 
Shrubland Scarlet Geranium (J. T., Manchester).—We 
should like to oblige you, but such calls have been incessantly made 
since the article appeared, and the cheapest effort we could now make 
would cost you more than what the article would he charged for in 
your immediate neighbourhood. Any respectable nurseryman in 
your locality can supply the plants you want, for, if he does not pos¬ 
sess them, he can procure them through a London nurseryman, or if 
he applies to Mr. Appleby. 
Zauchsnf.ri a Californica (A Leicestershire Subscriber). —This, 
by following our advice, is in flower in your open border. Let it 
remain where it is. It is a very good addition to our hardy flowers. 
Dahlias (Ibid). —If you can keep them perfectly dry, and the frost 
from them, they will be safer in your border, but not otherwise. 
Wintering Scarlet Geraniums (Ibid). —You may put these 
all into one large tub, instead of singly in pots, provided you drain 
well, use rather light soil, and give no more water than will just keep 
them from drying. You ought also early in October to cut off some 
of the largo leaves, and see what is said to-day about preparing their 
roots. 
Liquid Manure to CiirysanthiTmums ( W.II.G. ).—The direc¬ 
tions are not at all inconsistent. The mode at p. 88 directs liquid 
manure to he given throughout their growth ; the small pots checking 
the production of roots, rendering the plants dwarf, and inducing the 
production of blossom buds. The mode at p. 230 directs that liquid 
manure be not given until the flower buds appear; the plants being 
grown in large pots, and allowed to attain their full stature. The 
first is a mode of growing fine dwarfs specimens, which Mr. Beaton 
had seen practised ; the second is the mode of growing large plants, 
which he practises himself. 
Bees (A Country Curate). —We are glad that wc have lured you 
to bee-keeping. You must leave your bees in the common hive and 
wait until next season, when you may put a swarm from it into any 
hive upon the depriving system that you may select. If it throws off 
a second swarm or cast you may hive this also into a depriving hive, 
and then fumigate or stupify the bees in the old stock, and then add 
them to the cast, as directed at page 284. As you wish to set an ox- 
ample which your poor neighbours may follow you had better adopt 
l’ayne’s “Improved Cottage Hive;”—this being made of straw can 
he easily copied. Your other question will be answered next week. 
Names of Plants (East Retford). —Your plant is a Geum, and, 
we think, G. urbunum, but we cannot decide without seeing a perfect 
flower. (O. II., Cardiff).— Yours is Abutilon striatum. Please to 
give us more information about your potatoes. When did you plant 
aud take up your first crop ? When did you plant your second crop ? 
Let us know the amount of produce per square rod also. (Beta). — 
Yours is the strong-smelling Goosefoot, Chenopodium gravvolens , 
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.—September 6th, 1849. 
