THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 
316 
time to time, sis long sis effervescence, or bubbling, is caused by the 
addition, will probably be the best mode of subduing the smell of 
that which you require for liquid manure. 
Cactus Cuttings (W. Savage). —Having cutup a large cactus, 
with stems of 24 inches length, and of two years’ growth, you purpose 
“to try them in small pots—say five or six inches diameter—in very 
sandy compost, placing them close to the glass in your conservatory 
(giving one watering only now'), and training up to the sash frame or 
ribs of your roof, there to remain and bloom.” They will answer very 
Well in this way, and they will require no shade, except while in bloom. 
Gesnera Zebrina (Ibid). —This now coming into bloom will 
require moderate waterings till the bloom is over; after that let the 
plant die gradually by withholding water, then keep the pot in a dry 
warm place till February, or early in March, when the soil must be 
shaken out, and the scaly tubers may be divided into small pieces for 
propagation; but we shall give you the whole treatment of the plant 
before that time. 
Scarlet Geranium Soil ( P. J. H. S.). —Good garden soil, not 
too rich or poor, will best suit the scarlet geraniums. The best arti¬ 
cle on their treatment is that at p. 78, by Mr. Beaton. Mr. Conway’s 
paper was published by the Horticultural Society. It does not differ 
in principle from ours. 
Autumn-flowering Greenhouse Bulbs (Ibid). —Hyacinths, 
early tulips, narcissus, Persian iris, &c., are the best bulbs for your 
purpose. We shall treat of them shortly. After the gladioli and 
Guernsey lily, there are few greenhouse bulbs that flower late in the 
autumn. 
Changing the Hydrangea’s Colour (E. B.W.). —Not “red 
'/•and” but red sand is meant at page 243, line 10 from bottom of 
col. 1, that being often more impregnated with iron than white sand. 
Vou must not expect a blue hydrangea from an autumn cutting taken 
from a pink flowering plant. 
Plants in London (A Londoner). —You will find a list of plants 
that will suit your garden at p. 20 of this volume. If you require 
them for windows we must ask of you to consult the numerous refer¬ 
ences in the index of our first volume. If we received your first note, 
signed Citizen, it was answered at p. 203. 
London Early-round Potato (E. B. W.). —We think you 
might obtain this of any of the principal potato dealers in Covent- 
garden market. 
Yucca Gloriosa (A Country Curate ).—This, if grown in deep 
loamy soil with a dry bottom, generally flowers every year ; as yours 
does not flower, we would advise you to water it liberally from the 
end of May to the end of August, and you may use strong liquid 
manure occasionally. We do not think it necessary to stake it, unless 
it was planted very shallow, and the soil is light. Instead of a stake 
try two strong pegs driven into the ground, their tops nearly level 
with it, and opposite each other, at the distance of two feet from the 
plant; a piece of stout tarred cord tied to each peg, and fastened to 
the stem half way up, will keep it secure, and be less unsightly than 
a strong stake. 
Sweet Brier Suckers (S.S.). —These, which spring from plants 
in your hedgerow, should be cut down to within about six inches of 
the ground; they will throw out laterals and thicken the bottom of 
your fence. Bucks will not eat water lily leaves. 
Tobacco Culture (A Lady Gardener). —Sow the seed in alight, 
rich, warm border in April; plant out the seedlings when they have 
four leaves, in rows three feet apart, and the same distance from each 
other. Let the soil be very rich and light. When the plants are five 
inches high, earth them up. Nip off the top of the flower-stalk as 
soon as it appears, and remove all the buds from the axils of the leaves 
—all the sap is required for these. Hose cuttings may be planted 
now ; see pp. 14, 67 ,173, and 216, of our first volume. Garden refuse. 
such as weeds, clippings of hedges, dead flowers, &c., when tho¬ 
roughly decayed, will answer well as leaf-mould. The pistil is the 
maternal part of the flower; it grows up usually in its very centre, and 
is that longest threadlike body so conspicuous in the fuchsia. Your 
other questions will be answered next week. 
Pit Building (P. W .).—If you will turn to p. 160 and other re¬ 
ferences given in the index of our first volume, you will find full 
directions by Mr. Beaton and others. 
Treatise on Bees (J. B. Storey). —Payne’s “ Bee-keeper’s 
Guide,” and Taylor’s “ Bee-keeper’s Manual,” are both excellent. 
The first is best for cottage practice. When your Horticultural 
Society is actually established please to apply for the.volume again. 
We shall be much obliged by your communicating the letter you men¬ 
tion. As your soil is not light, keep your potatoes for planting stored 
under cover between layers of earth until March, and then plant. 
Moving Provence Roses (C. S., Mile End Baud). —Do not 
move them until November, and in the meantime render your adhe¬ 
sive soil more open by digging into and thoroughly mixing with the 
border where you intend planting them a thick coating of coal ashes 
and bricklayers’ rubbish. 
Axillary Shoots of Peaches, &c. (D. T. H .).—Your peaches, 
nectarines, and plums, planted last autumn, of which you have pro¬ 
perly cut back and stopped the leading shoots, have from the latter 
thrown out strong axillary shoots; and you ask if these should be 
also pinched or stopped ?—Pinch by all means all axillary shoots on 
the upper, or superior, parts of the tree, and continue to do so 
through the autumn. This is the true way to equalize the strength 
of the tree: by leaving the lower, or weaker, parts growing most of 
the sap that would have been appropriated by the others is decoyed 
into the weaker portions, which you will find next spring after prun¬ 
ing back in the rest state will push with astonishing vigor. Winter 
pruning alone can never effect this. 
Tuberoses ( Hester S.). —Having left these too long unpotted 
they have produced long narrow leaves which do not arch over the pots, 
and they have no appearance of flowering. We fear they are hope¬ 
less ; still, if you keep them over the winter, they may throw up 
flower-stalks next season, but we never saw them kept that way. 
They will not bloom this year. 
Climbers for Trellis (Z. Z.).—Your trellis is for shutting out 
a view of the kitchen-garden from your drawing room windows.—You 
may plant on both sides of the trellis, and intermix the climbers on 
each side, as they grow ; or you may plant climbing roses on one side 
and the jasmines on the other. At such a distance from the windows 
we would only plant the common white sweet-scented clematis. Plant 
the crimson Boursault in the middle; it blooms early and late, and is 
one of the best to bud others on high up. On each side plant Feli- 
cite perpetuelle and Princess Louise ; these will only flower early, but 
then they are half evergreen. In the clumps we would plant pillar 
roses, for which, and the best Perpetuals, see our lists in former 
numbers. 
Name of Caterpillar (R. F. IF.).—Your caterpillar, about li 
inch long, feeding on plum tree leaves and on the Prince of Wales 
Feather, with body black, and tworows of red spots along the sides, each 
spot bearing a tuft of bristle-like hair, with four strong tufts of hair 
on centre of back, a long tuft of hair at the tail, and two tufts of hair 
(or feelers) one on each side of the mouth, is the larva of the Va- 
pourer moth, Orgyia antiqua. 
Wet Undrainable Garden (T. M. IF.).—As you cannot drain 
your soil, we recommend you to form it into lazy beds, by digging out 
wide deep trenches and throwing the earth from them on to the beds 
on each side. This will partially drain it, and aid you more effectually 
than anything to get rid of the Marsh Horsetail (Equiseturn palustre) 
which infests it. Chalk or lime without such an arrangement will not 
kill that bog plant, but may be put on the lazy beds, as well as any 
earth, coal ashes, and bricklayer’s rubbish, with great advantage. 
We arc aware that Shalots can be raised from seed, but gardeners 
generally raise them from the cloves or offsets of the bulbs. 
Saving Seed (P. S.). —There is no “peculiar talent required in 
saving the seeds of lettuce, cabbage, &c.” All that you have to do 
is to select such plants for seed-bearing as are “ truest to stock,” 
that is, which have the most desirable properties for which they are 
cultivated. Never save seed from a lettuce or cabbage which runs 
soon to seed, for “like produces like” in the vegetable as in the ani¬ 
mal kingdom, and the seedlings would be liable to inherit the bad 
habit. Tell the party you name to advertize with us ; he will find its 
consequences, but we cannot recommend him to the prejudice of 
others. Your hollyhock seedlings, though only two feet high this 
year, will most probably be double that height next year. Althea 
rosea is the hollyhock’s botanical name. Your seedling potatoes will 
produce small tubers this year, and these planted out at the usual 
season will yield some more serviceable tubers next year. We do not 
think anything favourably of the pamphlet you allude to. 
Sour Krout (W. C. (?.).—Two hundred pounds by weight of 
cabbage, as stated at p. 260 , is quite correct. Unless there is a large 
bulk it will not ferment. The firm-hearted cattle cabbages will do 
for the purpose, but we cannot say whether the red cabbage will. 
We shall be obliged by your sending us some of the pumpkin seed. 
If you cannot store your jivtutoes under cover, you must do so in 
heaps; but we should put a thatch over each heap, otherwise the 
rain, frost, and snow will inconvenience you. On no account heap 
the potatoes together, but put them in layers with earth, sand or 
ashes alternating. In heaps they heat, which we know is a cause of 
disease. 
Earth Nut (Ibid). —This is the Bunium bulbocastanam, and B. 
denudatum of some botanists. It is known in various parts of Eng¬ 
land by other names, such as kipper nut, hawk nut, jar nut, earth 
chestnut, and ground nut. Whether boiled or roasted, its flavour is 
quite as pleasant as that of the chestnut roasted. If grown in a light 
moderately fertile soil, and planted shallow so that the tubers might 
grow at about four inches from the surface, we think they might be 
grown more than an inch in diameter, and would be an addition to 
our tables far superior to the roots of the tuberous-rooted sorrel 
(Oxalis Beppii.) 
Heating Small Pit (G. C.). —We cannot give you any informa¬ 
tion how to effect this on the Polmaise system, and we warn you to 
use a small Arnott’s stove in preference. We know of no objection 
to your plunging your pots in the earth of an old cucumber bed. 
Your other questions shall be answered next week. 
Explanation of Monthly Calendar (.7. IF.). — In our calen¬ 
dars of work to be done in each department, b, means beginning of 
the month, and e, the end of the month. 
Yarrow and Crowfoot (J. M., L.). —We know of no other 
mode of destroying these weeds than by cutting them out of your 
grass plot as fast as they appear, and putting salt upon the wounded 
stumps; 
Liuuid Manure (Oxoniensis). —The soapsuds from your house 
can be nothing nearly sufficient to dilute the chamber slops of so 
many scholars. It may well, therefore, have turned the celery plants 
brown by over-stimulating them. Under any circumstances there is 
no need to pour it over the leaves. One gallon to five of water will 
be quite strong enough. You may apply it to rhubarb and asparagus 
from the time that they appear above ground until their leaves begin 
to become yellow. 
Fuchsia Seedlings (A Lover of Gardening). —It is quite impos¬ 
sible to form a judgment upon the merits of any flower from a single 
withered specimen. The habit of the fuchsia plant, also, has much 
to do in deciding upon its merits. 
Polyanthus (R. Reynoldson). —This is not a species but a very 
permanent variety of the common primrose, Primula vulgaris. Many 
very eminent botanists consider the primrose, oxlip, cowslip, anil 
polyanthus varieties of one species. 
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 Orii, at the Office, 147, Strand, in the Parish of 
Saint Mary-le-Strand, London.—September 13th, 1849. 
