THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Ai-ril 12, 1859. 
25 
20° of frost to-night, I shall not feel disturbed in my slumbers 
on their account. 
i gained this hint about the netting on (he year after the land- 
wreck above detailed, from the late Mr. Oldaker, of Stoke Pogis— 
my last visit, and last sight of him. 1’oor man ! he was bothered 
exceedingly at that time, with the Oidium TucTceri upon his Vines. 
His houses were none of the fewest—nothing less than miles of 
glasses would content him ; but Vines in such a plight! If it 
had not been for the Fsperione he could scarcely have mustered 
Grapes enough for the table, 'i'liou estimable Grape! I have 
had my admiration upon thee for twenty-five years. I first cast 
sight upon it at Downton Castle, if my eyes did not deceive 
me, although I was then but a stripling, and a novice to gar¬ 
dening. Along with the Rector—(most knowing in the science 
of crossing with cocks and liens, which, at that time, gained 
us a great deal of contempt from our neighbours, albeit the 
procedure is not now thought quite unworthy the consideration 
of a great many good and worthy people)—when I saw the Grape 
at the late Countess ofSefton’s, 1 was about planting Vines; and 
the circumstance of its having escaped the disease, in the midst 
of infection, caused mo to makeup my mind for it at once. Later 
experience, as to its cropping and excellent wine-making pro¬ 
perties, has not caused me to regret my choice, and induces me 
now to toss the gauntlet in its favour kgaiust all hardy comers. 
I advise you, readers, to prove it at ail points of the compass; 
and by the time their Vines are in bearing 1 hope the Editors 
will have sat in judgment upon the Rector’s Fsperione Grape 
wine, and have received my manuscript how to make it.— 
Upwards and Onwabds. 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
ZINC PLATES FOR COVERING VINE BORDERS. 
“Have any of your correspondents used, or seen used, zinc 
sheeting for covering Vine borders, instead of wooden shutters ? 
and if so, would they be kind enough to say r how it answers ? If 
it is liked better than wood ? aud the price per superficial yard ? 
and if there is anything deleterious in the metal that would be 
injurious to t he Vines or soil ? the length used ? and how the angle 
is given to it, so as to throw olf the wet ? Some information upon 
this subject would, I think, be interesting to many of your 
readers, as well as myself.”—L. J. A. 
[We have never seen zinc so used; but there is nothing to 
prevent its use, so far as injuring the plants is concerned. We 
have tried nothing that has not thrived in zinc pans. VVe presume 
that, for such purposes, you would have the sheets fastened to 
wood, in the way of light rafters, in order that you might lift oil 
the sheets without straining them : and, if so, the only thing to 
consider would be the expense of wood and zinc ; for the latter 
then would answer rather the better of the two, and they could 
be used for other purposes—as respects shelter and covering—the 
same as wooden shutters. We saw wooden shutters the other 
day that cost about Gs. each, painted, &c., that had been in use 
for covering frames and pits for eight years, and were ns good, 
seemingly, as the first day they were used. If zinc were not painted, 
we should expect it to be oxidised through in that time. If 
painted a light stone colour, we could not say how long it would 
last. If painted of a dark colour, the extreme heat of the sun is 
apt to make the metal somewhat brittle. Will any other reader 
give more definite information ?] 
CROCUSE8 EOR GEOMETRICAL BEDS. 
“ What kind of Crocuses would be best for twelve small beds, 
which form an oval, and a small oval in the centre, with a wire 
basket round ; is opposite a bay window, with aspect south¬ 
west ? What colours are advisable, anti how to be arranged to 
be most effective ? Would it do to plant the Crocuses before 
turning out the greenhouse plants, planting them very deep ? The 
oval bed is six yards long, and about nine or ten inches of turf 
between each of the surrounding beds. There are two Irish 
Yews growing in the centre of each round bed ; and the oval 
between is intended for a raised wire basket for mixed flowers. 
What greenhouse plants would look best for the beds, and how 
should the colours be arranged? ”—A Lady Subscriber. 
[The Crocuses must not be planted deeper than two inches ; 
and when a whole bed of them is planted, they must be lifted 
before the bedding plants are put in. But if the Crocus is con¬ 
fined to one or two circles round a bed, the bulbs need not be 
removed or disturbed by the bedders. Your group of beds is 
very beautiful, aud very easy to plant. Make the bed which is 
the nearest to the centre of the best window the key bed—the 
one to plant from. In that bed put the colour you like best in 
summer, and Sir Walter Scott Crocus in winter; then work the 
colours, in opposite match pairs, all round. Say in Crocus Sir 
Walter Scott, a feathered white, 1; then a purple on each side of 
it, 2 aud 3 ; then 4 and 5 white; (3 and 7 yellow ; 8 and If white ; 
10 and 11 purple; aud 12-yellow. All the whites may be Sir 
Walter Scott, or clear while, of which Queen Victoria is the best 
in our soil; but it will not do every where. Bedding plants are 
done just the same. Any colour you choose in No. 1, scarlet, 
white, or purple Verbena ; then match pairs, and any two kinds 
or shades of scarlet, pink, or purple, may be made to agree by 
putting an edging of white to the beds near one another. But 
there is plenty to choose from without jawing the colours.] 
SPRING FLOWERS—TRITELEIA UNIFLORA. 
“ Will you allow me to ask “ Myosotis ” (Vol. XXI., p. 388), 
the colour of his Triteleia unijlora ! The Cottage Gardeners' 
Dictionary says unijlora is blue. Mine is white, with delicate 
pencilling at the back of the petals. I recommend to his notice, 
as among the best of the hardy spring flowers, Sangumaria Cana¬ 
densis, aud the blue Apenniue Wood Anemone. They are both 
very beautiful, though very little grown.”—H. N. E. 
[The Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary is correct in stating that 
the flowers of Triteleia unijlora are blue. We have now before 
us the coloured portraits of them in the Botanical Register, 
t. 1021. The description there given is—“Rather a pretty 
bulbous plant, native of Mendoza, where it was originally found 
by Dr. Gillies. Its flowers have a delicate sky-blue tinge; but, 
unfortunately, the plant smells powerfully of garlic.” Your plant 
may bo a white sport, or may have been grown in deficient light.] 
SMALL FRAGRANT PLANTS FOR A BOUDOIR. 
“ Will you give a list of small, sweet-scented plants, to be 
grown in nothing larger than a quart pot, and suitable for a wire 
stage in a lady’s boudoir ? 
“ Are seedlings of the Dielylra speclalilis of any value, as I 
perceive them coming up in the open ground, where some old 
plants grew and flowered last year ?”—L. J. A. 
[Jonquils, Narcissuses, Hyacinths, and Cyclamens, in winter 
and spring. Mignonette, Lily of the Valley, Otaheite Orange, 
Jasmine, and Tea Roses, in spring and on to summer. Geraniums 
—such as Citroderum, Prince of Orange, Quercifolium, Lady 
Plymouth, Fair Helen, &c., along with Mignonette, in summer 
and autumn. It would have been as well if you had told us the 
means at your disposal, as, in proportion to these, the plants 
could be varied. 
The Dielytra seedlings will be valuable in proportion as you 
esteem the plants. If pricked out carefully, they may be ex¬ 
pected to bloom the second year. Are you sure that the seedlings 
are true ?] 
THE LONDON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
A fortnight ago wo announced the sale of the Horticul¬ 
tural Society’s House, No. 21 Regent Street, for the sum of 
T29GO. The amount realised is certainly less than the property 
was valued at, as one of the assets of the Society; but it was, 
nevertheless, its true value, aud therefore there can he no cause 
for regret. The propriety of the course pursued by the Council 
in this matter is at once obvious. The house in Regent Street, 
as we have frequently urged, was a drain on the resources of the 
Society, without any corresponding return in value accruing to 
it; and all well-wishers of the institution will rejoice in a step 
which enables the Council to clear off so much of their debt, 
and reduce very considerably their annual expenditure. Would 
that they had adopted this course long ago! 
But, dark and dismal as the conditions and prospects of the 
Horticultural Society have long been, we have ever seen, in the 
far distance, a ray of light that might, one day, beam forth aud 
lighten the darkness. We never altogether despaired, if we 
could but get those in authority to act witli that energy and 
