THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Octobeb 6, 1857. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Bee-keeping (J. A.).—If you arc about to commence keeping bees 
we should advise you not to think of purchasing stocks till you “ become 
a resident in the country,” when you will have no difficulty in finding 
what you want in the neighbourhood, and at less expense and trouole 
than at a distance. We think you would be likely to see a variety ot 
hives at Messrs. Neighbour’s, 149, Regent Street, who, we believe, have 
also some bee stocks at work in the Regent’s Park Zoological Society. 
Every information, however, that you require may be found in Taylor s 
“ Bee-keeper’s Manual,” published by Groombridge, Paternoster Row, 
containing the result of many years’ observation of bees, and their 
management .throughout the year, the purchase of stocks, &c., illustiated 
with a great variety of engravings. 
Ground Surrounded by Buildings (A New Beginner). Not 
knowing whether the soil is heavy or light, wet or dry, or whether the 
sun ever shines upon it, or what you desire to cultivate—fruits, flowers, 
or cabbages—how can we answer you ? 
Arithmetic (A Young Gardener). —Buy Walkingham’s “ Tutor’s 
Assistant,” which you may buy for eighteenpence. 
Planting Grass Plot ( East Suffolk).— We have repeatedly said, and 
must again repeat, that we never give plans for gardens. If plans of 
beds and the plants proposed to be put in them are stated we point out 
errors, but nothing more. 
Pruning Conifers (A Subscriber from the First). —Who is so reck¬ 
less as to be intending to expose Pinus insignis, P. nobilis, Sequoria, 
Wellingtonia, &c., to be “ browsed by stock and deer ?” Let them he 
inclosed and pursue their natural growth. Your specimen is of the 
Rhus cotinus, or Venetian Sumach. 
Shrub for Aviary (Canary).— You do not mention the size of your 
aviarv. However, we should have a succession, putting in any shrub 
that happened to be in flower and of healthy growth. In winter an 
Arbutus would do. 
Carnations and Auriculas in Borders (A. M. V.). —Carnations 
and Picotees are generally hardy enough to bear our climate without any 
protection even in Scotland. Dealers and fanciers only protect them in 
pits and frames through the winter, and the protection refers more to 
prevent the ravages of slugs and other vermin than shelter from frost. 
Then, again, wet, excessive and long continued, especially in low 
situations, is injurious to these plants. We have them growing in a 
high situation in a gravelly, or rather, stony ground, and there they are 
so strong and healthy, with such dark green, broad leaves, that they are 
the admiration of the dwellers in low localities. Whoever has a garden 
with a dry gravelly soil may grow many varieties without any protection. 
If, however, any cultivators, including our fair correspondent, are 
desirous of keeping their Carnations and Picotees long in perfect bloom, 
they must shade the flowers from the sun and heavy showers of rain. 
Without those precautions the bloom would soon lose its clear, bright 
colours, and would never be fit for exhibition. It is this summer pro¬ 
tection that florists most value. 
Then, should the cultivator’s garden be so unhappily situated that 
the under stratum is clayey and wet, artificial means should be taken to 
remedy such an evil. The ground should be as well drained as possible, 
and the Carnation and Picotee beds should be raised six or more inches 
above the general level. To keep the beds up to that height they ought 
to be edged with either wood, slate, or tile edgings. The soil should 
have a good dressing of broken stones, brick ends, and sand. If a 
portion of lime rubbish is added it will be of advantage. 
The following are, if anything, hardier than other Carnations :— 
Countess of Ellesmere, Beauty, Eclipse, Globe de Feu, King of 
Scarlets, Knowstrop Pet. 
Picotees. — Alfred, Ariel, Duke of Wellington, Diadem, Mrs. Aitken, 
Princess Royal, Rosalind. 
The same remarks on culture apply to the Auricula. Many varieties 
will live in the ofjen air, but the most hardy are the class florists have 
designated alpine. We have no doubt the two our correspondent 
alludes to are belonging to this class. It is almost impossible to give a 
description of this class so as to be understood by the uninitiated. 
However, it may be stated that, in general, the alpines are all more or 
less shaded, one colour running into, or shading off, to the adjoining. 
Then, again, the foliage is generally much greener and brighter than the 
other classes, and is rarely if ever mealy. 
If the Carnation and Picotee need a dry, stony soil in the open air, the 
Auricula requires it still more so. It is a native of the Alps, where it is 
covered three or four months with snow, and is protected and kept dry 
thereby; hence in a more temperate clime, where the ground is often 
bare in winter and heavy rains frequently fall, the Auricula perishes. 
The only remedy is a raised bed, composed of open, dry compost. 
“A.M.V.” says that the soil where the Auricula grows with her is 
light, and in Scotland just what will suit this early-blooming, fragrant, 
spring-flowering plant; and every grower so situated would no doubt 
succeed equally well in growing them. 
Apples (An Amateur).— One cannot possibly tell what sort of Apple 
tree yours is by seeing only the leaf. If you had sent us one or two of 
the fruit along with the leaves we might possibly have assisted you. 
Peach trees raised from the seed bear fruit, and that sometimes of a very 
fine kind. We should think the climate of Australia would improve them. 
Perennial Plants (E. E.).— -Not knowing anything of your locality, 
soil, or situation, how can we advise you? However, if we had these 
data, still we should say', Go to the nearest nurseryman, see the plants 
growing, and choose for yourself. 
Apples (. 1'lora ).—Your Apple is Keswick Codlin, a very excellent 
Apple certainly, but, as you say, it is only fit for cooking, for which 
purpose it is not to be surpassed in its season. For the culture of 
Ginger see our No. 160, and for directions to preserve it our No. 140. 
Geranium Flower changing Colour (Old Subscriber).— It is an 
every season’s occurrence. A Compuctum Geranium. confined to a pot 
gets half roasted at the roots in a dry season. This weakness at the 
roots and the less power of the sun in the autumn bring out only the 
weaker of the two colours with which the flower of Compactum is 
painted. 
Sea Sand for Hyacinths,—Wintering Geraniums (A Lady 
Gardener).— Any common sand from a pit will do for any kind of bulbs 
just as well as silver or sea sand, and the latter will do from the beach 
without washing if it was once dry after taken from the seashore. Your 
variegated Geranium is a sport which originated at a time when it was 
not so fashionable as it is now to give names to sports, and it goes yet 
under the name of the “ Old Variegated Scarlet. ’ It is the kind you 
often read of as the Shot-silk Variegated. The Nosegays were got from 
the same race, and are characterised by the same ‘‘narrow petals ” and 
loose way of flowering. It is the hardiest of all the bedding Geraniums, 
but whether it will live out the winter with you no one can tell. It 
ought to live without a glass case where Tom Thumb would require one. 
The Flower of the Day is far more tender than Tom Thumb, and is one 
of the best for bedding. The smooth, thin-leaved kind with pale centres 
to the younger leaves is Tom Thumb, The thick, downy-leaved is some 
other scarlet. 
North Side of Rectory ‘(A New Incumbent).— Gravel and Box 
edgings will suit best, and all the mixed border plants will grow as well 
there as on the south side of the rectory, and so will the bedding plants 
and all border bulbs. The only difference will be that some of the kinds 
may be later in coming into bloom. Our own best ‘‘bedding-out” 
garden faces the north-east. 
Gardener’s Place (T. M.).—' We should be glad to assist you, but 
we have no influence that way. The address you seek is, Mr. Joggo, 
Shrubland Park, Ipswich. 
Begonias. — Delphinium Hendersoni (A Constant Subscriber, 
Bristol).— The seedlings of Delphinium Hendersoni ought to live out 
an ordinary winter under the circumstances ; but to have two strings to 
one’s bow, fifty of them should be put into three No. 48 pots close round 
the sides, and to be put into a cold frame or some shelter. If they were 
kept as Tom Thumb, and potted at the end of February in ten 60-pots, 
one in the centre and four crossways at the sides, to be planted out at 
the end of April, the probability is that they would be in full bloom by 
the middle of May ; then, by destroying every flower-shoot as soon as it 
was one-half blown and beginning to seed, the bed would be one mass of 
bloom till October ; but if only one pod of seed is allowed to ripen the bed 
will be short of one plant in bloom three parts of the time. Of Begonias, 
nitida and parvifiora, the tallest and dwarfest of the old kinds, are best, 
and bloom, or may be in bloom, eight months out of the twelve. 
Manicata and hydrocotylifolia are the best two spring ones. Incarnata 
blooms all the season. It and Prestonensis are best in autumn. Fischeri 
and albo-coccinea are very pretty, but more difficult to manage well. 
Fuchsioides is fine, but few can hit on flowering it well. Then come the 
fancy-leaved kinds, beginning with Thwaitesii, and on with the marmorus 
and pictums on to rex, the last and best of the illustrated Begonias. 
See back volumes. 
Pruning Vines (R. F., Woodstock).— Many thanks. Your experience 
tallies exactly with our experiment barring the flavour, which we mean 
to be decided in our case by the Judges of the Horticultural Society. 
After that decision we should much like to use your contribution in the 
“ summing up,” but without your consent we can only use your initials. 
Root Pruning (Lancashire Subscriber). —The root pruning of fruit 
trees, both with regard to its extent and frequency, must be regulated by 
the excessive vigour exhibited by the branches. Trees making a growth 
of only five or six inches do not require to be subjected to this operation. 
It is only when a tree has so much vigour in its growth as to render it 
unproductive of fruit, or when it show's appearances of disease from un- 
genial soil, that root pruning is to be practised. If your trees are bearing 
well, or to your satisfaction, let them alone. 
Hogg’s Edging Tiles (Nemo). —These tiles fully answer the purpose 
intended, and there is no doubt whatever but that you can remove them 
at pleasure. 
Wall Fruit Trees (A Subscriber). —As you say you do not want 
any Pears against your walls all your trees will have to consist of stone 
fruit, as it would hardly be worth w'hile to devote a wall to the growth of 
Apples. On a soil of such depth as yours is, even although the subsoil 
be “ a stiff, hard clay,” we do not think it necessary to go to the expense 
of stations, because, whenever the roots did get down into it, all you 
have to do is simply to practise a little root pruning. It is only on 
shallow soils, where the roots run speedily into an ungenial subsoil, that it 
is necessary to make stations. Still, however, if you do not regard 
expense, your trees will be all the better on stations, as the roots are then 
more manageable. Concrete will do well, indeed, nothing better; but 
brickbats, lime rubbish, and such-like, well rammed down, will also 
answer the purpose. On your south aspect you will require tw'elve 
trees, which should consist of two Royal George, one Grosse Mignonne, 
one Galande, one Barrington Peaches; two Elruge, two Violette 
Hative, one Murry Nectarines; and one Large Early and one Moor¬ 
park Apricot. Your west aspect will take eight trees, w'hich should 
be one Greengage, one Purplegage, one Jefferson, and one Coe’s 
Golden Drop Plums ; otic Black Tartarian, one Bigarreau, one Elton, 
and one Florence Cherries. Your north aspect will require seven trees, 
all of which should be Morcllo Cherries. As to your success you must 
judge of that by the way in which your neighbours fare. 
