THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, September 1 , 1857. 351 
they flag on sunny days, as if wanting water, though the soil 
is kept moist. They have but little fire heat, but abundant 
ventilation night and day. There is no vermin, but s 'ill 
they get worse ; one of the healthiest trees has some of its 
branches dying. 
“ I am about making some Strawberry beds, and shall be 
glad if you will tell me what sort is best to plant. I wi-nt 
them for table fruit, consequently the highest flavoured I 
can get. I also want them in succession as long as it is 
possible to get them.”— Peaches. 
[The fault is at the roots. Whether they have sufficient 
room to spread out their roots we cannot say. You say the 
border is fifteen inches to eighteen inches deep, resting upon 
a chalk bottom : two feet would have been better. What you 
say about airing the house is all very proper; but the trees 
have wanted nourishment at the root. A good soaking of 
manure water once a week all the summer would have 
helped them, and most probably all that was required ; and 
so it would now if the soil was opened carefully with a fork, 
so as to let in the water to every part of the roots. This 
should be well done, the earth thoroughly saturated, and 
once a week, for the next three or five weeks to come, water 
from the drainage of a pigsty, or some other strong nourish¬ 
ment, and attend to stirring the earth about the border, and 
to giving a good syringing overhead once or twice a week. 
This treatment, we think, soon will improve your Peach 
trees. We do not know of what construction your heating 
apparatus is, but it ought to be so arranged as to enable you 
to have the border at free will, to be able to replant, top dress, 
or make anew if required. 
Strawberries to bear next year should have been all 
planted before this time to have them really good next year; 
but, of course, better late than never. Good plants and good 
attention to the soil, watering, and earth stirring afterwards 
until they are well established, will help to make up for loss 
of time or season. The following sorts are among the best 
to supply a family with early and late:— Black Prince , very 
prolific and early; Keens' Seedling, large and good bearer, 
one of the best; Myait's British Queen , fruit large, and one 
of the best flavoured of all; Underhill's Sir Harry , fruit 
large, excellent, and a great bearer; Old Pine , flavour 
excellent, and great bearer; and Elton Pine , one of the latest, 
fruit large, and very handsome.] 
TIME FOB MAKING CUTTINGS OF BEDDING 
GERANIUMS. 
“ Last year I struck all my scarlet Geraniums in the open 
ground, on; a south-west border, and out of some hundreds 
hardly lost a cutting. This year I have putin about 500, and 
have also put in the Golden Chain with them, and it is with 
regard to these latter that I wish to know in time if I stand 
a good chance with them out of doors, as I have only taken 
half the number I mean to have, and if you think it 
not prudent to put them all in out of doors I shall strike 
the remainder under glass. My cuttings which were put in 
about the 10th of August, notwithstanding the heavy rains, 
look splendid; but I grieve to say that I have already had a 
good many cut down by grubs. Can you tell me if there is 
any way of driving these pests away ? It was from your 
valuable paper I derived my information for so easily supply¬ 
ing myself with such fine plants. I truly believe they will 
stand twice as much ill-usage in winter as those I used to 
strike under glass.”—G. 
[Cuttings of the Golden Chain Geranium should never 
be made in summer. February and March are the proper 
time, also for Alma , Touchstone , Lady Mary Fox , and all 
the Unique breed; while Diadematums, Quercifoils, and all 
such may be made all the year round. You will strike 
Golden Chains in August in the open air, in or out of pots, 
easily enough ; the bother is in keeping them over the first 
winter. The old plants will take up just as much room 
without the cuttings, so what advantage is it saddling your¬ 
self with the cuttings ? Moreover, cuttings of the Golden 
Chain struck in February will take to the beds in May 
much faster than autumn-struck ones. Grubby land should 
be trenched the week before the cuttings are put in, and in 
a day or two, or when the surface is quite dry, the whole 
should be pressed down by walking over it “ heel and toe,” 
that is, making foot marks all over it; after that a good 
rough raking; then you must depend on little drills, big 
cuttings, and good luck.] 
ACBOCLINIUM ROSEUM.—ABCTOTIS BREVISCAPA- 
DELPHINIUM FORMOSUM BLOOMING TWICE. 
“ I should be glad of your opinion of the new annual 
Acroclinium roseum. In a monthly periodical there is such 
a description of it that one would think it the best annual 
grown, but that is certainly not my experience of it. 
“ Let me recommend to your readers Arctotis breviscapa , 
a beautiful half-hardy annual. It has a fault—keeping open 
only part of the day, and it is spoiled by rain, but yet it is 
very beautiful. 
“ Delphinium formosum, sown February 28th, is throwing up 
its second crop of bloom. This is worth knowing. Should 
you like the returns of temperature for the last two or three 
months ?”—A. R., Bromley, Kent. 
[We have not yet seen the first annual you name, but we 
expected to hear better accounts of it. 
How was the Delphinium treated ? 
Could you give us a comparison of the temperature of the 
four summer months for the last ten years ?] 
VARIOUS. 
“ What can I at this season put into two flower-beds from 
which I have just removed blue Nemophila ? ” 
[Geraniums, Calceolarias, or Verbenas out of pots, or 
other pot plants.] 
“Is it quite necessary for Verbena cuttings to be put into 
a hotbed at present, or will they do in the open ground, 
and till when ? ” 
[It is not at all necessary to put them in a hotbed, and 
they will not do in the open air : a close cold pit is the right 
place.] 
“ I have four large vases on a terrace wall, in which are 
scarlet Geraniums, which I wish to be full bushy plants. 
Will you tell me how to begin, and how to treat them in 
winter ? ” 
[Cut them to the old wood at the end of the season, keep 
them from the frost, and allow them to break very slowly in 
the spring.] 
“ When may I sow Turnips and Carrots so as to have 
them soonest in spring?” 
[Sow the Turnips at once, but the Carrots will not do 
without a glass frame.] 
“ What can be the reason that, with every advantage, my 
Lettuces and Radishes , when quite young, are as hard as 
wood?”— Mabel. 
[Lettuces and Radishes do not come hard except on 
wretchedly poor land, or on very ill-cultivated ground. Ridge 
up a border for them this wunter, and put three inches of 
quite rotten dung all over it. After the first frost dig it 
deep, and mix the dung well among the soil. When the 
surface is very dry in February, or at the end of January, put 
two inches of rotten tan, the refuse from a peat rick, or a 
good sprinkling of salt all over it, stir the surface, and sow.] 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Various ( A Beginner).—Cuphea miniata and strigillosa will suit 
you. Have you noticed how these and platycentra are visited by bees? 
Salvias and many other bedding plants would also suit you. The Mar - 
tijnia fragrans may be kept well over the winter if not over-potted, but 
not if merely kept from frost: it will require from 45° to 50° to keep it 
healthy. It will, in general, be better to sow every March in a sweet 
hotbed, and harden off by degrees to a greenhouse treatment in summer. 
Such lists as you require have been repeatedly given. Almost all 
perennials and biennials may yet be sown, but they will bloom later 
next season than if sown earlier, but most likely will pass the winter 
better. We have just sown seeds of Delphinium formosum and Holly¬ 
hocks, both of which we expect to bloom next year. 
Cooking tiie Citrogille (T. Fox, jun.). —Let it be boiled like 
the Vegetable Marrow, and served upon toast, eating it with melted 
