204 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December, 29, 1857. 
it boil gently for half an hour, skimming it clear all the 
time; then put it into a tub ; and when nearly cool, put it into 
a cask, with about half a peck of Clary tops and a pint of new 
yeast. Stir it thrice a day; and when it has done working, 
close it up. If line at the end of three or four months, bottle 
it off. „ . „ 
Clary Pancakes. —Take three eggs, three spoonluls ot 
fine flour, and a little salt; beat them well together, and mix 
them with a pint of milk. Put lard into your pan; and when 
it is hot, pour in your batter as thin as possible : then lay m 
some Clary leaves washed and dried, and pour a little more 
thin batter over them. Ery them a nice brown, and serve 
them up hot. 
COLEWORT. 
This is also called Collet and Collat'd. Any sort of hardy 
early Cabbage may be used for Coleworts. Formerly, a dis¬ 
tinct variety of the Cabbage tribe, called Dorsetshire Kale , was 
employed for this purpose ; but it being tough and hatd, its 
cultivation is now discontinued. Coleworts are young, open 
Cabbages, without hearts, and are generally used as a winter 
green in autumn, winter, and spring. The sanm directions 
for sowing and management as are given for Cabbage are 
applicable in this instance. The seed is sown in the middle 
of July and early in August; the one for the autumn and 
early winter, and the latter for late winter and spring. When 
the plants are up and three inches high thin out the strongest, 
and prick them out on another bed. In September the July 
sown plants may be transplanted in rows where they are to 
remain; and in October those sown in August should always 
be transplanted in rows a foot apart, and eight or ten inches 
in distance in the rows. The plants for the late winter and 
spring crops may be taken from the Cabbage-seed beds sown 
in August, as was directed under Cabbage ; and this will save 
another sowing on purpose for Coleworts and Cabbages: 
every alternate plant being drawn for Coleworts, and the 
other left to Cabbage in spring and early summer. 
CORIANDER. 
The leaves of this are used both in salad and in soups for 
their high and peculiar aromatic flavour. The seeds are 
used medicinally, and are considered soothing and stomachic. 
They are also sold by confectioners encrusted with sugar. 
If required early, the seed is to be sown thinly on a hotbed in 
February or March; and when three inches high, the plants are 
ready for use. As they will soon run to seed, another sowing 
must be made in April for a succession. This may be done 
in an open, warm situation, in drills six inches apart, an inch 
deep, then covered over with light earth with a rake. When 
the leaves are three or four inches high, they are to be 
gathered for use by cutting them off close to the ground. To 
have a supply all the summer, a little should be sown every 
month, as it soon runs to seed. For winter use, it is to be 
sown in August and September on a warm border; and when 
cold weather sets in, the plants must be hooped over and 
protected. 
Coriander Cordial. —For three gallons take seven quarts 
of spirits, two pounds of coriander seeds, one ounce of cara¬ 
way seeds, six drops of the oil of orange, and two pounds of 
sugar. Fill up with water. The coriander and caraway 
seeds must be bruised, and steeped in the spirits for ten or 
twelve days, and well stirred two or three times a day; and in 
other respects, observe the rules for Peppermint. 
CORN SALAD. 
This is also called Lamb's Lettuce ; and is a small winter 
salad plant, which is used as winter Lettuce; but, being 
hardy, is a more safe crop. The seed is sown in the end of 
August or the beginning of September, either broadcast, 
or in rows six inches apart. In either case, when large 
enough, they are to be thinned to three inches distance. 
When four inches high, they may be drawn for use, leaving 
the smaller ones to increase in growth. In February or 
March, another sowing may be made to come into use in 
April or May; and if required to have a succession during 
the summer, a small portion should be sown every month. 
This plant is what is called rnache by the French. 
COUVE TRONCHUDA. 
This is also called Portuguese Cabbage, and is cultivated 
for the ribs of its leaves, which are used as sea-kale. The 
seed should be sown like ordinary Cabbage in the end of 
March and the beginning of April; and when large enough 
planted. 
(To be continued). 
THE LAWS OF COLOURS. 
[So little has been written on this subject applicable to the 
arrangement of flowers in gardens; and of that little, so much 
less has been written correctly, that we are well pleased to j 
extract the following from the Literary Gazette. We have j 
in our early volumes some able comments on the subject by 
“ Vibgyor,” a man of science in the north; but the following 
is condensed from a lecture delivered by Mr. F. Crace Calvert 
at the Royal Institution.] 
“ Mr. Crace Calvert stated that he had three objects in 
view in this discourse. The first was to make known the laws 
of colours, as discovered by his learned master, M. Chevreul; 
secondly, to explain their importance in a scientific point j 
of view; and, thirdly, their value to arts and manufactures, j 
To understand the laws of colours, it is necessary to know | 
the composition of light. Newton was the first person who j 
gave to the world any statement relative to the components J 
of light, which he said consisted of seven colours—red, j 
orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. It is now 
distinctly proved that four of those seven colours of the 
spectrum are the result of the combinations of the three 
colours now known as the primitive colours, viz., red, blue, 
and yellow. Thus, blue and red combined produce purple or 
indigo ; blue and yellow, green ; while red and yellow pro¬ 
duce orange. These, facts being known, it is easy to prove 
that there are not seven, but three primitive and four 
secondary, called complementary colours. Several proofs 
can be given that light is composed of three colours only. 
One of the most simple consists in placing pieces of blue, 
red, and yellow papers on a circular disc, and rotating it 
rapidly, the effect to the eye being to produce a disc of 
white light. If, therefore, the eye can be deceived so readily 
while the disc travels at so slow a rate, what must neces¬ 
sarily be the case when it is remembered that light proceeds 
at the rate of 190,000 miles per second ? The rapidity with 
which light travels is such, that theieye is not able to per¬ 
ceive either the blue, red, or yellow, the nerves of the retina 
not being sensitive enough to receive and convey successively 
to the mind the three or seven colours of which the light is 
composed. Before entering into the laws of colour, Mr. Crace 
Calvert stated that it might be interesting to know that 
scientific minds had devoted attention to the laws of colours. 
Buffon followed Newton; and his researches had special refe¬ 
rence to what M. Chevreul had called the ‘ successive con¬ 
trasts’ of colours. Father Scherffer, a monk, also wrote on 
the laws of colour. Goethe, the poet, also brought his mind 
to bear upon the subject, and studied it to a great extent. 
Count Rumford, about the end of the 18th century , published 
several memoirs on the laws of colours. He explained very 
satisfactorily the ‘ successive’ contrasts, and arrived at some 
insight into the ‘simultaneous’ one; still he did not lay 
down its real laws. Prieur, Leblanc, Harris, and Field were 
also writers of most interesting works on this subject. The 
reason that they did not arrive at the definite laws of colour 
was, because they had not divided those laws into successive, 
simultaneous, and mixed contrasts. These form the basis 
of the practical laws of colour; and the honour of their dis¬ 
covery is due to M. Chevreul. The reason why a surface j 
appears white or brilliant is, that a large portion of the light 
which falls on its surface is reflected on the retina, and in 
such a quantity as gives to the surface a brilliant aspect; 
whilst in plain white surfaces, the rays of light being diffused 
in all directions, and a small portion only arriving to the eye, 
the surface does not appear brilliant. The influence of 
colour on these two kinds of surfaces is very different, as 
may be perceived by the examples round the room, showing 
the influence of different colours on gold ornaments. When 
rays of light, instead of being reflected, are absorbed by a 
surface or substance it appears black ; therefore, white and 
black are not colours, as they are due to the reflection or 
absorption of undecomposed light. It is easy to understand 
why a surface appears blue. It is due to the property which 
the surface has to reflect only blue rays, whilst it absorbs 
