44 
THE cottage garde 
AEE AAE C0C-S1TA GENTLEMAN, October &>, W&L 
rnrn whether barley or wheat, roughly ground; and common 
salt 5 The seeds and pounded corn being properly nuse_ , 
the mixture is covered up, and kept for a day and a night m 
a warm place to ferment. The mass is then put into a pot 
and covered with salt, pouring over the whole two measuies 
an d a half of water. It is then stirred at least once a day 
for wo ^optte, alter *i* it is filtered ftenjaes pressed 
and tlie liquor preserved m wooden vessels. T he older it 
the better^and the clearer, and if made of wheat instead o 
barley the blacker. The first liquor being removed, they 
acrain pour water on the remaining mass, which, aitei stir¬ 
ring some days as before, they express a second time and 
thus obtain an inferior sort. Soy is much supeiior to the 
Chinese kitjap. although it is also sold m this countiy under 
tlie name of soy.”] 
rimed to take up the tubers when the foliage began to decaj, hut we 
have not crown it. Potatoes over ripe .—'There can be no question that 
there is much in what Mr. Appleby says as to seed Potatoes being over 
ripf We used to take up early Potatoes before they were ripe, and grew 
th P em in the sun before storing, and they came stronger than those 
not so treated, and earlier too, but it did not wholly prevent the 
disease. Nevertheless, there can be no question that young bulbs, 
voun"- tubers, and young seeds produce the strongest plants. Hence 
the old gardeners used always to sow old Melon and Cucumber seeds to 
secure moderate growth and increased fruitfulness. We are obll °^ by 
the fact you mention about Peas sown in autumn being less subject to 
mildew if the seeds were hardly ripe and saved from the early ones of 
the same season. We once thought we had discovered something in this 
direction, but another trial dashed our hopes. However, the trial is 
worth repeating, and you deserve thanks for mentioning it. 
T 
I 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Pincushion Bubs You will find thb fully described by 
Mr. Beaton in our 407th number, page 2 y l, of \ol.X . 
£2o'S?.rXXtooursblc subsoil, you who can examine them 
can alone determine. 
t, atsing 8eE dling Roses (A Sailor).-We can holdout no hope to 
eighth of^ai^inchl^Ke^p^the'pots^ii^a^oXgreenhquse, and when ‘he 
seedlinas are two inches high plant them singly m five-inch pots. 
Keep them supplied moderately with water, and shift into larger pots 
as soon as they have filled with roots those m which they are growing. 
Potatoes (J. Steward).— You will have seen our answer to similar 
queries. Any London seedsman, if he chooses, can obtain tor y 
Walnut-leaved and Ash-leaved Kidneys. Of the Onwards we know-no 
one who has any but ourselves. Your light soil would just suit them, 
and they ought to be planted in November. 
Pruning Eugenia Ugni (M. D. P.).- Your Eugenia Ugni ^wants 
no pruning vet, nor for the next two or three years perhaps, rhe first 
indication of the want of pruning will be given when the shoots get so 
crowded that training them outwards and upwards will not relieve them 
much • then, and not till then, remove whole shoots from the middle ot 
the bush and from the thickest parts. If at any time the shoots grow 
too long and not bushy, from having too much heat, nip the tops of 
them in May and June. When you have made a lull-sized bush of it, 
and it bears a good crop, prune it annually as soon as the fruit is 
gathered, or any time after October to the end of February. Remove 
the shoots which carried the fruit, and let the shoots which were made 
the previous summer occupy the place, and they will fruit the follow ing 
year. If this plant were trained against a fence like a Peach the same 
pruning and forcing "would answer both, and both under a system of 
forcing would be pruned a little differently from that in the open air, by 
sparing part of the small spur-like side-shoots. 
Hardy Ferns (P. B .).—The particulars given are not enough to 
enable us to decide, for Lastreea filix mas and the Pteris aquilina , or 
Common Braken, would do. Loam might be necessary to mix with the 
light soil. For the common Polypody decayed wood and old roots are a 
great help. Other Ferns delight in crumbling sandstone and heath 
mould. Though delighting in shade, the place must not be too dark. 
Suppose you make some walks, plant the Ferns.in the open spaces you 
find most common in the neighbourhood, and keep the places near the 
walks for the rarest specimens, giving them what they require. 
Orange Tree and Boronia dirty (An Amateur). — You must 
just persevere—there is no choice in the matter. You have left live 
insects, and the filth is a necessary consequence. Use water about 120°, 
holding a little soap and size in solution. Let the plants be shaded for 
a week afterwards, that is, not exposed to bright sun. Then lay them 
on their broadsides, turn them round and round, and syringe them well 
with clean water at the above temperature. Then inure them to sun¬ 
light gradually, and if possible a temperature of from 50° to 60° until 
they show signs of growing, and then reduce it gradually. Why did 
you take such plants ? Nurserymen novv-a-days seldom send out such 
things; they know that it is like cutting their heads off. Styphelia 
tubifiora dying and getting white at the ends of the shoots.—We suspect 
the drainage is clogged up, and that a plant requiring the free perco¬ 
lation of water and plenty of light and air has been deprived of these 
necessaries. Repotting may be necessary into a smaller pot. 
Various (H. C. K.). — Fuchsias .—“Shall I repot?” No; let them 
alone, and keep rather dry after the leaves fall. Prune and start as soon 
as you like in the spring. The necessary modes of operation have often 
been discussed- With heat you may commence after the turn of tlie 
year. With merely a greenhouse or window March will be early 
enough if you do not excite them with a high temperature. Scarlet 
Geraniums. —If well drained and top dressed with rich compost you 
may command any amount of luxuriance. When housing them under 
the stage in the greenhouse we should hardly allow a leaf bigger than a 
sixpence to remain ; but it would be as well not to take them all off at 
once. We would not cut off a shoot now for two reasons. First, the 
cut parts would be apt to die back if the slioot was not firm and the 
place dry ; and, secondly, because when such shoots began to bud in 
j spring, and were pruned a little then, the prunings could very quickly be 
! turned into plants if desirable. JDioscoreu battatas, —We should be in- 
POULTRY SHOWS, 
October 28th and 29 th. Dorsetshire. Sec., G. J. Andrews, Esq., 
Dorchester. Entries close October 14th. T - n , . 
November 25th and 26th. Gloucestershire. Sec., Mr. E. Hinder, j 
Circn(’6st6r» 
November 30th, and December 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Birmingham. ; 
Sec., Mr. John Morgan. Entries close the 2 nd of November. ( 
December 8th and 9th. Crewe. Secs., S. Sheppard and D. Mar- 
getts, Esqs. Entries close November 26th. . „ 
December 16 th and 17 th. Nottinghamshire. Entries close No¬ 
vember 18th. Hon. Sec., Mr. R. Hawksley, jun., Southwell. 
December 30th and 31st. Burnley and East Lancashire. 
Entries close December 1st. Secs., Mr. Angus Sutherland and Mr. 
Ralph Landless. . , 
January 1st, 1858. Paisley. Poultry, Pigeons, and Fancy Birds. . 
Sec., Mr. W. Houston, 14, Barr Street. Paisley. 
January 4th, 1858. Kirkcaldy Poultry and Fancy Bird 
Show. Sec., Mr. Bonthron, jun., Thistle Street. 
January 9th, 11th, 12th, and 13th, 1858. Crystal Palace. Sec., 
Mr. W. Houghton. Entries close December 12th. 
January 19 th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd, 1858. Nottingham Central. 
Sec., Mr. Etlierington, jun., Notintone Place, Sneinton, near Nottmg- 
February 3rd and 4th, 1858. Preston and North Lancashire. 
Secs., Mr. R. Teebay and Mr. H. Oakey, Preston. 
N.B .—Secretaries will oblige us by sending early copies of thei r list s. 
“TRUST, HONESTY’S SWORN BROTHER, IS 
A VERY SIMPLE GENTLEMAN.” 
In The Cottage Gardener for February last Mr. Teget- 
meier cautions poultry amateurs against the Manchester 
school of fanciers. Permit me to thank him for liis hint, 
and give you a little of my experience. 
About the middle of last month I received a letter from a 
person (T. P. Josiffe, Cupid’s Alley, Byrom Street, Man¬ 
chester), offering to purchase the pen of Dorkings I ex¬ 
hibited at the Crystal Palace Summer Show for the price 
named in the catalogue (£G 6s.). I replied that they had 
been claimed, hut that I had more of the same sort. In 
reply he wrote, “ I am sorrow you sold the pen that I saw 
at the sydenham Show But if you have a Cockerel and 4 
Pullets of the same strain I will thank you to forward them 
to me and put them in as reasonable as you Can on receipt 
of the same I will remit you the amt. per return of post.” 
(The had grammar, spelling, capitals, and punctuation, or 
rather, the w T ant of this latter, are his own .) 
To this I replied that I had reserved for him a cockerel 
and four pullets, that the price would he £10, and that I 
would wish him to say how they should he forwarded. He 
wrote Back, “ I have no objection of having the Cock and 4 
pullets at the price you name providing that the are all you 
represent you will please forward them By passenger train 
to London lload Station, Manchester and advice me what 
train you forward them By so that my Man Can Be their 
to receive them upon receipt of the Birds I will promptly 
send you a Ten pound Note.” 
I then wrote that he and I were strangers, and my 
method of buying and selling was either that the money 
must be paid before the birds were sent, or I must have 
a respectable reference in London. 
As you may anticipate from the above, I have heard 
nothing further from tlie gentleman, though a fortnight has 
elapsed, and each of his other letters came promptly by 
return.—C lericus. 
[We are obliged to the Reverend gentleman who has 
favoured us with this communication, and w r e publish it for 
the sake of putting our readers on their guard. We re¬ 
commend poultry never to he sent to any stranger without 
prepayment.—E d. C. G.] 
