338 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, September 6 , 1859. 
about two guineas. There would be little difficulty in fixing the 
pipes ; though some joints, most likely, you would have to pur¬ 
chase. If the bricks are beside you the flue will answer well 
enough, if built and managed with common care. Eor a cool 
vinery about thirty feet of four-inch pipe will be required. If 
forced a little, half as much more : and if forced early, about 
sixty feet. The four Vines we would recommend are Royal 
Muscadine, Blaclc Hamburgh, Victoria Hamburgh, and West’s 
St. Peter’s —that is on the principle that your vinery is to be a- 
cool one.] 
PROPAGATING EARFUGIUM GRANDE—BLACK 
GRAPES NOT COLOURING. 
“ Please to state the best way of propagating the Parfugium 
grande. And the reason why the Black Hamburgh Grape has 
not coloured well this season, but often shrivels when it is 
nearly ripe. I wish, also, to know why the White Muscat Vine 
does not bear fruit every season, when grown in the same house 
as the Black Hamburgh Vine? We commenced forcing in 
March, and ranged from 55° to 65° temperature, by fire heat; 
and up to 90° by sun heat.”—W, P. H. B. 
[The best way to propagate Parfugium grande is to divide the 
plants in the spring, just the same way as a Rhubarb plant is 
divided, so as to have a crown, or top eye, to every division. 
The reasons why Black Hamburgh Grapes do not colour are 
three. The first and most common is the root being bad from 
various causes, as a cold, damp bottom, a very rich border made 
many years, and now in one close solid mass, like a Dutch cheese, | 
or an extremely sandy bottom. The second cause of not colouring j 
is leaving too much fruit on the Vines ; and the third cause is an 
insufficient surface of healthy leaves for some years back, caused 
by too-early killing of most of the leaves by red spider, or by want 
of moisture at the roots, or by scorching with too much sun and 
bad glass. 
The Muscat Vines being under the same influences as the 
'Hamburgh, and being very much more exotic, so to speak, they 
cannot bear up against them so well as the Hamburgh, and so 
carry a poor crop but once in two or three years.] 
PLANTS FOR A SHALLOW AQUARIUM. 
“ I have a fountain in the house supplied with water from a 
cistern. Can I make an aquarium of it. The largest basin is 
three feet and a half iu diameter, by four inches deep. If so, will 
you pleaso tell me what plants would do to fill it with? The 
basin is iron.”—E. J. Edwards. 
[An iron tank, or cistern, is scarcely the thing for an aquarium, 
as the iron will certainly rust and render the water unfit to grow 
plants. If you can have the inside lined with Roman cement, 
then plants would thrive well. Perhaps the iron is galvanised, 
and if so, then you might put in plants safely. You say, “ I 
have a fountain in the house.” Do you mean your dwelling- ! 
house, or is it in a greenhouse ? If in the dwelling-house, it is 
doubtful whether any plants would grow satisfactorily, because j 
they require light as well as plants that grow in soil out of doors. 
If in a greenhouse, then you may plant any of the following 
plants ; only' you must remember that they require something | 
besides water to grow in, such as some good loam and leaf mould. 
A layer of at least two inches of this soil is necessary. Our j 
correspondents would oblige us by giving full particulars with 
their queries, as our answers (which we are desirous should meet 
every case) cannot be either so fully useful or satisfactory to our 
querists, unless we have full information. Your fountain appears 
to be of a good, neat, design, and if attention be given to ; 
supply pure fresh water, and to keep the surface clear of scum 
and conferva;, no doubt you may grow plants in the basins. One 
point more. Cover the soil with pieces of gravel or stone, and 
then you may introduce many r species of marine insects, and even 
small fish, &c., and thus render your tanks instructive and 
amusing. 
Greenhouse Aquatic Plants (suitable for a small tank).— 
Aponogeton distachon and A. monostachyon, small plants. Calla 
JEthiopica, tall plant. Polygonum amphibium, nine inches. 
Villarsia nymphoides, six inches. V. laminosa, nine inches. 
Hydropeltis purpurea, six inches. 
Hardy Aquatic Plants (suitable for a small tank in the 
house or open ah’).— Aponogeton distachyon, four inches. Bu- 
tomus umbellatus, two feet. Ilottonia palustrks, floatiug. Meny- 
anthes trifoliata, one foot. Ranunculus aquatilis hederacea, 
six inches. Nymphcea odorata, four inches. Hydocotyle vul¬ 
garis, one foot.] 
NOTES FROM PARIS. 
The Hot weather which has lasted so long this year has been 
very injurious to the newly-formed gardens, and in particular to 
the large trees that were planted on the Boulevards in the winter. 
It has been necessary to place screens, or blinds of stout bunting, 
on the south side of all the large Coniferre in the Champs 
Elyssfes, and keep them well syringed and watered night and 
morning. But, though they have been treated with the greatest 
care, it is probable that some of them will have to be removed. 
The greater number of the large trees have been treated some¬ 
what differently, owing, of course, to their great size. Their 
trunks have been thickly covered with moss up to their lower 
branches ; the moss is enveloped with strong bunting tied all 
round, and surmounted with a sort of funnel in zinc, so as to 
lead the rain down into the moss, and preserve as much humidity 
as possible to the trunks when there is no rain. The branches 
are freely watered in the morning by means of a hose attached to 
the nearest water-pipe; and in Paris there are water-pipes in 
almost every street at convenient distances. These pipes are 
opened every morning, and fresh water continues to run in the 
gutters for two or three hours, carrying off all nauseous matter to 
the main sewers. 
Fig. 1 is a sketch showing the trunk of a large tree enveloped 
in moss and bunting, and a funnel at the top. Several of the 
large Chestnuts planted round the Bourse in the spring of last 
year have suffered severely ; and though every care has been taken 
to keep them well watered, it seems scarcely possible for some of 
them to recover. 
When I was in the country some short time ago I noticed a 
very simple form of garden-seat, of which the enclosed sketch 
will give a better idea than the longest description (fig. 2). It 
is made of common deal, and may be put together with great 
facility and but little expense. 
All wlio have lived here only Tor a few days will admit, I think, 
that the Parisians show a good deal oi taste in setting off or 
arranging their goods in the most attractive manner. It is 
common to have large plants at each side of the shop-door, and 
numerous flowers in the window. Even the meat in the butcher s 
shop may frequently be seen studded with flowers, and the inter¬ 
vening spaces filled with tall Rose trees, Hollyhocks, Fuchsias, 
and other sorts. _ 
The very firewood iu the wood-yards is genei ally piled up so 
that the faqade may represent a number of ornamental figures; 
