160 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Decemeeb 18, 1860. 
George, Barrington, Boudin, &c., carrying about two dozen fine 
fruit of first quality. 
“ As for the Pears and Apples, they were greatly and justly ad¬ 
mired. A little pyramid, Beurre superfin, carried fruit for which 
siy gardener obtained an extra prize. One of the fruits weighed 
sixteen ounces, and was afterwards enjoyed by a neighbouring 
family, and pronounced most delicious. And now we are eating 
Winter Nelis and J. de Malines, of exquisite flavour and good 
size; for the trees having been started early in the spring the 
fruit is now ripe, and has been, indeed, for nearly a month past. 
I must add, that with a small forcing-house, which supplied pot 
Grapes and Figs in April, I had fruit from that month until 
September. 
“ I find that the necessary syringing in summer does not 
agree with flowers, so I am getting up a nice collection of foreign 
Ferns to place amongst the pots in my centre raised border, 
which will look splendid, and, perhaps, may prove a hint to some 
of your orchard-house lovers.”—CoECHlSTEE. 
FLOWER-GARDEN PLAN. 
In answer to “ W. H. B.” Your plan, shown in outline in 
the above drawing, is as good as any of those which attempt 
to occupy the centre space of grass in small gardens. Twenty- 
two yards by fifteen yards, with a walk down each side, and one 
across the top and bottom, and the whole space of grass 
included between these walks cut up into flower-beds at equal 
distances apart iB surely a waste of the gift of Nature. 
To have the greatest number of flowers, to have them to 
the best advantage, and to be able to enjoy as much of green 
grass in proportion as a lark in a cage, the only proper mode 
in such gardens is to make the llower-beds all along the 
sides of the walks, as shown by the dotted parts in the plan, 
and to be two feet only from them ; to have the side of the 
beds next the walk of the same straight line, and to leave the 
middle of the grass entirely free, and no trees or shrubs to 
be out of the line of the beds. The beds to be alternately an 
oblong, each bed not less than twelve feet in length, and six feet 
should be the width of it and of the circle which divides it from 
the next oblong bed. Four corner beds to be different, so as to 
fit into the angles like quadrants; but the curved part of the 
quadrant may take any fancy shape. The bed fronting the house 
to be either an oblong or large circle as shown by the dotted 
outlines. In each of the circles we would have a pillar Rose 
of some good Hybrid Perpetual on its otvn roots, and a row 
ol tall standard Roses along the centre of the oblong beds 
four feet or five feet apart, and the two angle beds furthest 
Irom the house we would devote entirely for Roses: standards 
in the middle, one row of dwarf Roses round the standards, 
and room left for one row of Scarlet Geraniums, and one row 
of Variegated in front for summer, and for spring flowers ; 
and the Gladioluses, the best of all flowers for town gardens 
after Scarlet Geraniums, we should mix amongst the Roses in 
the angle beds. 
The borders of the boundary lines must always be planted 
according to the purse—the cheapest is Irish Ivy to cover the 
walls, and a collection of odds and oddities to be planted as 
thick as they will stand, just as common builders manage. The 
finest way for effect would be to have groups of moderate grow¬ 
ing trees and evergreens along the wall swelling out to within a 
yard of the walk in places, and falling back in other places to 
a screen line of evergreens next the wall, and to plant the bays 
thus formed with tall flowers or fine specimens, and to have 
Roses and mixed flowers all along the walks. 
The leads next the house, if well supported, may be made a 
j shrubbery in winter and a complete flower garden in summer. 
Make large beds or borders on the leads, just as on the grass 
below, with walks between. Give eighteen inches depth of soil, 
with brick, or wood, or rock edging. 
FORCING. 
(Continued from page 121.) 
HEATING BY FLUES. 
The chief objections against such stoves as have just been 
alluded to, and also heating by iron plates in a back wall of a 
