J.S2 
T11E COTTAGE GAliDENEli AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 20, 1859. 
Benevolent Institution,” which was responded to by Mr. Robert 
Wrench. 
Mr. Solomons proposed “ Prosperity to the Horticultural, 
Royal Botanic, and Bornological Societies which was responded 
to by Mr. Bohn on behalf of the Horticultural, and by Mr. Hogg 
on behalf of the Pomological Society. 
The Chairman proposed “ The Exhibitors of the Great 
Flower Shows,” coupled with the names of Messrs. Yeitch, Lee, 
and Carson. 
Mr. Veitcii returned thanks. 
Mr. Wrench proposed “The Health of Mr. Andrew Hen¬ 
derson and the Committee of Management;” to which Mr. 
Henderson replied. 
Mr. Turner proposed “ The Health of Mr. Bohn and the 
Patrons of Horticulture,” which was responded to by Mr. Bohn. 
Mr. IIogg, “ Prosperity to the Nursery and Seed Trade,” 
coupled with the names of Messrs. Lee, Fraser, and Glendinning ; 
to which Mr. John Lee replied. 
The Chairman, “Health of Mr. Mooro and the Judges of 
the Great Exhibitions ;” to which Mr. Moore replied. 
Mr. Gray, “The Horticultural Press.” And after several 
other toasts the company retired, having spent a social and 
pleasant evening together; to which Messrs. Staples greatly con¬ 
tributed by the excellent arrangements, and the great satisfaction 
which their preparations elicited. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Sou. or Plants (,/. Ridley). —What do you mean by this ? If you mean 
“ soil for growing plants in,” then the book to give you information on 
the point is the Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary, price 8s. C d. 
Ice-stacks and Ice-houses [Kilkenny). —Buy our numbers 114 and 416. 
Clayey and Shallow Flower-horder ( A Dorset Subscriber). —Lime 
would help to render it more friable; but it would injure your Roses 
unless you also supplied them well with waterings of house sewage. You 
had better deepen your border by putting on six or eight inches in depth 
of a mixture of equal parts road scrapings, old tan, and soil of the border 
burnt. The latter ingredient mixed with old tan would do. 
Building a Greenhouse (E. T. D.). —We shall gladly answer any 
questions, but cannot recommend tradesmen. Have a plan drawn, or 
select one, and then ask two or three builders what they will construct it 
for. Have you seen our “ Greenhouses for the Many 2 ” 
Heating dy Gas ( G. A. A.). —We have effectually heated a greenhouse 
by a common gas-stove. The only precautions necessary are to have a 
chimney, or tube, to carry off into the open air the results from the com¬ 
bustion of the gas. It is also desirable to have a vessel of water on the 
stove to keep the air duly supplied with moisture. If these precautions 
are adopted, we can testify that a gas-stove is not injurious to plants. 
Protecting Wall-tree Blossoms [K. Warren).— At page 148 of our 
number for December 6th, there is a mode of protecting without glass. If 
you will buy “The Gardeners’ Almanack for I860,” just published, you 
will find at pages 24 to 26, every mode of protection detailed. 
Name of Moss [II. Rutlcrfield ).—We cannot name a Moss from so im¬ 
perfect a specimen. 
Ferns (Rev. A. M.). —There is no work on foreign Ferns similar in 
matter and price to Johnson’s “ British Ferns Popularly Described.” 
Drawing Plans of Beds. — A Lover of a Garden w'ho seeks information 
on this subject in our number issued on the 29th of November, may write 
to Mr. W. Prince, gardener to W. C. James, Esq., l’ontnewydd Works, 
near Newport, Monmouthshire. 
Sowing Hawthorn-berries (T. Mather).— These are collected into a 
heap in autumn, covered with soil, and allowed to remain there until the 
second spring after they are gathered. They are then sown thinly in 
drills, half an inch deep, and the seedlings come up the same year. This 
is the only mode adopted for raising the plants for “ Quick” hedges. We 
incline to believe, that if the Hawthorn-berries were allowed to remain on 
the bushes all the winter and were gathered and sown in the spring they 
would vegetate the same year. Have any of our readers tried this? 
Saxifraga hypnoides. —A correspondent, C. Jayne, says he has ap¬ 
plied to several nurserymen for this unsuccessfully. Wiil some of our 
readers inform us where it is to be obtained ? 
Chrysanthemums (2fose).—A rejlexcd flower has its petals bent back¬ 
wards from the centre of the flower ; an incurved has its petals bent in to¬ 
wards the centre of the flower ; a quilled has its petals’ edges approaching 
each other so that each petal looks like a small pipe; a tasselled is a 
loosely-petalled flower; and the Anemone-flowered has a centre like a 
German Aster, with a fringe round it of quilled or reflexed petals. If you 
refer to our number 496 you will find a detail of the culture. 
Vine Pruning (A Subscriber) .—There is no need to confine a Vine to a 
single stem ; but whether one stem or several stems, all may be pruned 
alike. You have done quite right in allowing them to increase a little in 
length annually. The defect to be avoided is allowing too much of the 
year’s shoot to remain when it is autumn-pruned; for'if this mistake is 
made it tends to render the lower part of the Vine barren. Your coloured 
diagrams give a clear idea of your mode of treatment, and it seems quite 
correct. Your berry-within-berry Grapes are not usual, but have been 
frequently observed this year. In answer to your friend’s query, bearing 
shoots will come from old wood quite as well as from the wood of last 
year. We cut away annually all the laterals of the year that have borne, 
and the bearing shoots are produced next year from buds in the old wood 
round the base of the laterals so cut away. Wo leave no part of the laterals, 
hut cut them close to the old wood. 
Trimming Cerastium tomentosum (J. Styles). —You must do so every 
year, if you grow this Cerastium. It runs very fast, and soon covers ten 
times more space than can he allowed for it, unless it is high up on rock- 
work, where it may spread over the hanging cliffs as it lists. The best 
plan is to take up the old plants in April every year, and to cut oft 1 all the 
old herbage, then divide the roots into little patches, when one good 
plant will make fifty of sufficient size. Plant the bits six inches apart in a 
front row, and four inches from the grass or Box-edging ; and when the 
space for it is covered, keep it within bounds by the sheep-shears, or any 
strong scissors, cutting away both sides straight, and the top level. The clip¬ 
pings may remain on the ground. The white colour is the same dead or 
alive. 
Glass for Greenhouses, &o. (A Constant Subscriber). —For all your 
houses we would be content with the best British sheet-glass, and to have 
the roofs fixed, and ventilation otherwise provided for; hut were we to 
have our wish in minutiae, we would have Hartley’s best rough for 
Camellias and Azaleas ; sheet-glass for Geraniums and Roses, with means 
of shading if not Hartley’s ; for stoves and orchids, Hartley’s or the means 
of shading; ditto for Cucumbers; hut if to be grown all the winter, we 
would prefer clear best British sheet. 
Wall Six Feet high for Trees (Idem). —There can be no doubt as to 
trees doing in an orchard-house against your six-feet wall, or against, the 
wall itself. If an orchard-house, you could raise the highest point two or 
three feet more, by having a span-roof, or a hipped-roof from your wall, 
and either an upright glass front or a lean-to front. If orchard-houses do 
not succeed, it is not because there is anything wrong in the principle. 
Against such a low, uncovered wall you may grow Peaches, Nectarines, 
and Apricots in great perfection, and that without resorting to horizontal 
training. All you have to do is to lessen the feeding-ground by a wall 
underground, three or four feet from the wall, or keep down luxuriance 
by root-pruning. We would much prefer the last, and when once the trees 
come to bear profusely, you will easily manage the luxuriance. It is just 
as easy to cut a rampant root as a rampant branch, and keeping this in 
view, there is nothing to prevent you having first-rate fruit on a six-foot 
wall. If this root-pruning he resorted to, about sixteen trees would he 
sufficient for the two hundred feet, and might be of— Peaches : Acton 
Scott, Bellegarde, Malta, Early Ann, Noblesse, Royal George, Royal 
Charlotte, and Late Admirable; and of Nectarines, 2 Violette Dative, 
2 Elruge, I Roman, 1 Newington, and 2 Fitmaston Orange. 
Passiflora Buonapartea—Stf.phakotis floribunda—Luculia gra- 
tissima ( G. W.). —We never did any good with Passiflora Buonapartea 
in a cool greenhouse ; but as its flowers drop we must come to the con¬ 
clusion that the roots are too dry, or the temperature too low. They want 
an average of 60° at least to open freely. The Stephanotis blooms well 
either on spurs or young wood proceeding from wood well ripened last 
season. The Luculia should be let alone until it has done flowering and 
is pruned back ; then select some cuttings of young shoots getting a little 
firm about three inches long, take them off close to the older shoot with 
a heel, cutting nice aDd fine, and insert these in sand, over sandy peat, 
under a bell-glass, or keep them for a few weeks shaded from sun ; and 
then insert them in bottom heat, preventing damping by giving a little air 
at night. When struck and potted off, gradually inure to more air. 
Sheltering a Newly-removed Araucaria — Sowing Fruit-seeds 
(R. II. A .).—It is a good and safe plan to moss up the trunks and great 
branches of some kinds of trees after transplanting; hut Araucarias are 
not much of their number, as they carry leaves on trunk and branch at 
that end and size ; hut moss or mulch over the roots and up the trunk to 
the first leaves, and surround the tree, as they did at the Crystal Palace 
and answered so well. Four poles, one in each corner of a square, suffi¬ 
ciently large to allow free space to the branches of the protected tree, then 
cross-rods to wattle Bcceh-branches on, or any branches with the dead leaves 
on, or better still, good Russian mats, and leaving an open space of four feet 
or so on the west side of the tree. This, and being open over the top, 
would allow sufficient fight, and the dry winds and piercing sun would he 
kept off. February is the best time to sow Quince-seeds, and the stones 
of all our stone fruit; hut, in truth, these stones may he set, or sown, or 
planted at any time after the fruit is ripe. 
Various (H. B.). —We do not recollect about the boxes you refer to; hut 
if you give our memory a refresher, we shall be glad to give you all the in¬ 
formation we can. The Agapanthus should be dryish, if in pots and kept 
from severe frost; but not quite dry, or dust dry. The large fleshy roots 
should be kept quite full, not flabby. We are much obliged for the plan of 
the boiler heated by gas, but would have liked an estimate of the expense, 
so as to compare with a small boiler heated by hot water. Please to send 
us the estimate. There is no doubt but that gas will answer admirably ; 
but the expense is the chief thing. 
Keeping a Greenhouse Gay early in the Year (An Old Surrey Sub¬ 
scriber) —To your Hyacinths, Tulips, Primulas, aud Jonquils, add Cine¬ 
rarias, Calceolarias, Camellias, Epacrises, Deutzias (of sorts), Cytisus race- 
mosns and prolifvrus, Genista Canaricnsis, Coronilla glauca, Acacia 
armata , juniperina and verticillata, &c. The Manchester Red Celery is 
fine and large; Cole’s and Seymour’s white, crisp, and good-flavoured. If 
you cannot change your ground for Carrots and Turnips, as it is evidently 
too old, turn it up two feet deep, and in ridges; give it all the frost you 
can, by turning it and re-turning it, and give it a good dressing of lime or 
chalk, or burnt clay, getting it all well incorporated, and we have reason 
to think you would get good Carrots. If you could remove a portion of the 
earth, and substitute some peat earth much the same result would be ob¬ 
tained. Liming and well airing would be the easiest remedy. 
Cerastium tomentosum and Cineraria maritima (Vale of Batron ).— 
If Cerastium tomentosum and the frosted-silver plant, the Cineraria mari¬ 
tima, were once named and described in The Cottage Gardener they 
were so, each of them, a score of times. From the very night on which 
Mr. Fleming discovered the value of Cineraria maritima, a dozen years 
hack, in the drawing-room and saloons of the Duke and Duchess of Suther¬ 
land, as an imitation of a frosted-silver ornament, it has been advertised 
in The Cottage Gardener and discussed in a hundred ways; and it is to 
be found in every volume since 1850; and Cerastium tomentosum never 
ceased to he the front edging plant of every season since it came out at the 
Crystal Palace, llow it looks, and how it does, and how to do it, and what to 
