THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 4, 1860. 
character in grey. Manteau d’Eveque and La Deasse were in the 
third class, as equals. Madame Schmidt and Madame Matras 
were only equal fourths. Surpasse Appolon did not obtain a 
place ; but Surprise ran very forward in August. Novelty could 
not attempt anything out of the common way, and, indeed, could 
only with difficulty he retained in its place. Zamba would 
enjoy the good things under the earth and did, I presume, if 
we might judge by looks. Isa Craig was engaged, we presume, 
with something good for next year, as no energy was exercised by 
her this year. Admiral Dundas refused to hoist his colours, 
although generally he is not very backward in showing them, and 
he will yet again stand some beating in the flower garden and 
tent, if not at sea. Ariosto went to sleep in as nice a bed as he 
could have, but would not wake up. We had calculated on 
having a treat of rich Mulberries, which he generally distributes 
very fine even in bed. Ajax, Abondance, and Comte de Morelia 
started well for a race, and it was scarcely possible to tell which 
had the best of it for a time ; but Abondance first gave in, then 
Ajax died on the road, and the Comte lingered as Colonel, now 
General, P. Thompson once remarked he heard an Irish dragoon 
say, as his horse lay dying, “ Poor fellow ! the baste is lingering 
fast to death.” Eleanor looked on, and really showed such a 
dark rosy crimson face it was grievous that there was not some¬ 
thing to make more of her companions either grieve or smile, 
that we might be able to see their true characters. Crimson 
King with his crimson bedder strutted about the ground, but 
both refused to dress. They were in deshabille the whole season. 
Old Cyclops once looked out of his eye as dark as he could look. 
We just caught sight once, only once, of the white of his eye. 
Conspicua was very poorly, and could not attend to business. 
Etoile de Venus and Etoile de Jardin were not prepared to do 
anything ; and the Earl of Shaftesbury (Edmond’s) looked quite 
fatigued—he had had so much to do with business and pliil- 
antlirophy that he was nearly worn out; but although he could 
not put on the fine rosy purple dress he used to wear with so 
much grace, and the white of his eye did not look so clear as 
usual, he purposed after a winter’s rest to try another season, 
and hoped his efforts would be appreciated : but he did think it 
was too bad to have another Earl of Shaftesbury created of quite 
a distinct family in 1860, when he was in good health and 
spirits, and had no idea of being put on one side by a stripling 
coming out in spring when he was so much asked for—it was 
enough to make him fret and look dull. Eelix Roland paired 
off for the season with General Simpson to the regret of his 
friends, and there was no splendour about Gloire de Monplaisir; 
there was too much dull weather, and the Impdratrice Elizabeth 
declared she could not look so joyful and show her pretty looks 
as she had done when we were passing through such a critical 
period of the world’s history. Lady Seymour said, “ Pooh, 
pooh ! Things will mend.” And Brightonia joined with her 
and said, “ Many of them were too finely bred. They should 
rough it like her and not grumble.” Brillante de Vaise shouted 
“ Hurrah! hurrah ! I just heard a lady say I am not beaten yet, 
and I am first on the list.” Hearing that shout a deputation 
waited on the writer consisting of Mrs. Pennington, with a full 
dress got up expressly for the occasion, of fine form, a deep red- 
rose colour (the only one she had this season), and Miss Emily 
Hanmer, with a ruby dress, and the white of her eye rather 
soiled. It had been splashed with wet and dirt. They were in¬ 
troduced by the Standard Bearer, looking a very dull blue. They 
stated that there were some among their company who were very 
vainglorious, because they had surpassed the generality of them. 
They knew they had faults, and who had not ? But they did 
think some allowance should be made, and their defects not 
blazed all over the world. They were willing (all who were left 
alive of them) to submit to a trial next year with many of their 
opposite neighbours (new one3 of 1860). Although they had new 
names, they questioned if many of them would not be discharged 
from the fine places they had, and many of the old ones be 
esteemed when the new comers were forgotten. They were 
further requested to say that as the old servants had been so 
severely dealt with, the seventy new ones would also be looked 
at and spoken plainly of in The Cottage Gabdenee. — Pilsby 
Nursery, near Clay Cross. 
VINERY AND PEACH-HOUSE ADJOINING. 
I AM dividing a house 42 feet long into a vinery and Peach- 
house. They are to be heated by hot water from a boiler at one 
end, with stop-valves at the partition—the object being to be able 
to he it the compartment next the boiler at times without heat- 
ing the other. Would you make the Peach-liouse or vinery in 
the end next the boiler ? And why ? —An Old Subscribes. 
[The arrangement and the why will depend much on circum¬ 
stances as to which house you wished to force earliest, if you 
force 1 much at all. We presume, like many of us, your houses 
will be used for many odds and ends, besides Vines and Peaches ; 
and therefore, knowing nothing of your particular intentions, 
we would, unhesitatingly, advise having the boiler at the vinery 
end, and for these reasons : First, the Vines will require more 
heat than the Peaches, and they will get that even if you did not 
take your flue through the end or part of it, and thus throw into 
the house what might otherwise go up the chimney. Secondly, if 
your Grapes are kept hanging long, especially in the autumn, 
and the weather is dull, dry heat will be required to keep them 
from moulding and damping, when the Peach trees might be 
the better for all the exposure they could get, would require 
nothing after the fruit was all gathered, if the wood was 
ripening freely, but plenty of air. Thirdly, supposing that 
you filled your vinery in winter with bedding plants, or even fine 
Geraniums, &c., in pots, you could keep up an average night 
temperature of from 40° to 45°, without any danger of starting 
your Vines prematurely—that is, sooner than you wished to do ; 
but the same amount kept up in a Peach-house with fire heat for 
any length of time, would be apt to swell and start your Peach- 
buds. If both houses are to have plants in winter, the hardiest 
should go into the Peach-house, and the temperature there by 
fire h°at should range from 35° to 40°. Sun heat has no such 
excit ng effect, and, provided plenty of air is given, 10° or 15° rise 
from that will do no harm. These reasons may suffice for the 
present, as we do not know your particular intentions. By 
keepiug these in mind, every house we have is full in winter, 
and we do not think that Vines or other things suffer in 
consequence.] 
DRYING RHUBARB. 
R iubarb dries very well, and when well prepared will keep 
good for an indefinite period. The stalks should be broken off 
whil • they are crisp and tender, and cut into pieces about an 
inch in length. These pieces should then be strung on a thin 
twine and hung up to dry. Rhubarb shrinks very much in 
drying—more so than any plant I am acquainted with, and 
strongly resembling pieces of soft wood. When wanted for use, 
it should be soaked in water overnight, and the next day simmered 
over a slow fire. None of its properties appear to be lost in 
drying, and it is equally as good in winter as any dried 
fruit. Very few varieties of Rhubarb are suitable for drying, as 
most of them contain too much woody fibre. The best variety 
of R -ubarb for any purpose is the Victoria, when grown in a 
suitable situation. The Mammoth is worthless, owing to its 
fibrois nature, as are also some other kinds .—{Prairie Farmer) 
A DWARF APPLE ORCHARD. 
I have just been watching my gardener and his man at their 
biennial November job—taking up and replanting my dwarf 
I Apple trees, of which I planted a square piece of gi*ound in my 
| kitchm garden six years ago. The soil is heavy and dark in 
appearance, and about eighteen inches deep, resting on what my 
; gardener calls a “nasty clay,” (it is calcareous), which gives a 
yello.v tint to the leaves of Apple trees if they are allowed to 
root into it. For this reason he prognosticated a complete 
failure in my plantation, not knowing that I intended to keep 
the trees in health by giving him a biennial job. 
As this method of cultivating Apples seems eminently con- 
necte l with cottage gardening, and per consequence with The 
! Cottage Gaedeneb, I will endeavour to describe my mode of 
planting. I selected a squai’e piece of ground that would hold 
about fifty trees, and marked it out in rows four feet apart row 
from row, and three feet apart in the rows. The Apple trees, 
bushes on the Paradise stock, were planted at these distances 
apart in Januaiy ; some of them bore fruit the first year, and 
the s concl year I had a nice crop. Then came November—the 
time for removal or lifting the trees, and I must confess I felt 
somewhat loath to disturb their well-doing; “ the nasty clay ” 
underneath, however, came timely to my mind, and I at once 
determined to persevere and to do as 1 had been told. My 
gardener, therefore, under my d'r ctions commenced operations 
