THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— October 7, 1856. 
crops and the finest tubers, and it is a method we have 
practised for the last twenty-six years. From cut sets wo 
have seen blanks in the rows, either from the fresh-cut sets 
being planted, and these being devoured by slugs, or by 
carelessly-cut sets being so small, or put in without an eye at 
all. In the whole set system we never have had a blank in 
the row. It may be said that the cut sets should be cut 
some time before being planted, and dusted with quick¬ 
lime. This is all very well, and as it should be by those 
who have faith in cut sets, in preference to the whole mid¬ 
dling-sized tubers; but such preference would cease if 
fairly tested by experiment. The way to experiment upon 
this matter is to choose a good, open plot of ground, and to 
plant one row of whole sets, and the next with carefully cut 
and dried sets, and so on through the whole plot, and to 
weigh the comparative produce. Some kinds do not require 
so much room to grow in as other kinds ; thus, the Wulmit- 
Icaved Kidney may be planted eighteen inches from row to 
row, and nine or ten inches from set to set in the row; 
whilst the York Regents would be all the finer if planted 
two feet and a half from row to row, and fifteen inches from 
set to set in the row, whether the sets be cut or not cut. 
Of course, we are speaking of garden culture, where the 
soil is a rich and light loam.] 
FRUIT-TREES IN POTS AT THE CRYSTAL 
PALACE SHOW. 
a fair representation of what even the melancholy croakers 
could do in this way. Why does not the head of the croakers 
come forward and give us a better sample, which I know he 
can do, and hundreds of gardeners in the country besides ? 
For, though I do not like to see a potted tree where a ' 
planted-out one ought to be, still I am of opinion there is 
not a garden in full action in the kingdom but what ought 
to have them, and, in fact, is not complote without them; 
nor ought they to be found in the garden of the aristo¬ 
crat by the pair, but by the hundred. 
Supposing two practicals of equal abilities were to enter 
at the same time on new situations with equal quantities of 
forcing-houses and healthy trees, to enable them to have 
crops to satisfy all reasonable expectations, with the ex- i 
ceptioh that one of the two found two fine lots of trees in * 
pots, say to the number of 150 in each lot; and suppose | 
the time they took possession to be November, and that one 
lot of trees are ready for action, and the other well ripened, 
! and on a north aspect, need I tell the professionals the 
| advantage these potted trees give the one over the other for 
| early arid late supplies? Surely not; and where i3 the 
: place where fruit as early and late as possible is demanded 
that room cannot bo made for less or more of the above? 
We are all aware that Peach-trees will stand a high teru- 
! perature, except when in flower and making their kernels; 
but whore there is a whole house at stake, gardeners are 
obliged to be much moro cautious than if there are only 
: a few trees in pots, and, therefore, can afford the risk to get 
them earlier. 
A contemporary editor reports that the collection of 
Peaches, Ac., in pots “ were well-fruited, large, and well- 
coloured;” our lion in Tiie Cottage Gardener says— 
“ the fruit in pots was as good as pot fruit can be expected 
at this season.” For the information of my home brothers 
let me compare notes with the above. Mr. Forsyth’s four pots 
of Grapes were formed, as before, into two arches ; one arch 
had twelve middling-sized, bad-coloured bunches on it, and 
the other fourteen similar, which certainly did not deserve 
notice, as their culture would not have reflected any credit 
on a tailor, while those ho exhibited at the last Show 
richly, as I said before, deserved all that was given them. 
Had I been in his place, metliinks I would have wished 
Mr. Ewing’s three superb black bunches of Grapes under¬ 
neath them much further off. These were placed at the 
end of the tables of cut fruit, not having the honour of a 
place on the grand stand, in the centre transept, with the 
Peaches, Ac. Taking the first tree in a pot nearest the 
cut fruit, I shall call it No. I, which was a Peach, with one 
middling Peach on it. No. 2. Ditto. No. 3. Ditto. No. 4. 
Catherine Plum, twelve middling fruits, like Greengages. 
No. 5. Victoria Plum, six tied up, one down, good, five 
down, quite decayed {what shifts!). No. 6. Coe’s Golden 
Drop Plum, two on, ten down (why not have a lesson from 
the flower-girls in Covent Garden, and learn to gum them 
on}). No. 7. Reine Claude Plum, seven, like Green¬ 
gages. No. 8.. Royal George Peach, fourteen on, one down ; 
all small. No. !). Imperatrice Nectarine, seventeen small. 
No. 10. Millet’s Mignonne Peach, nineteen on, two down; 
small. No. 11. Hunt’s Tawny Nectarine, twelve tied up, 
two down ; small. No. 12. Dlack Hamburgh, four middling 
bunches. No. 13. Violet Hative Nectarine, twelve not 
ripe; small. No. 14. Reine Claude Plum, sixteen good. 
No. 15. Acton Scott, twelve on, one down ; small. No. 16. 
Red Magdalen, three; small. No. 17. Red Roman 
Nectarine, eighteen; small. No. 18. Stanwdek Nectarine, 
eight pretty good for size, one down. No. I!). Apricot, 
twelve on, one down ; miserable. No. 20. Peach, standard, 
nine. No. 21. Ditto, seventeen not ripe. No. 22. Ditto, 
eight middling. No. 23. Ditto, twelve not ripe. No. 24. 
Fig, none ripe. No. 25. Ditto, one ripe; Drown Turkey. 
No. 26. Fig, Brunswick, three quite opened and useless, 
one good. No. 27. Ditto, Grande Florentine, two passable. 
No. 28. Noblesse Peach, one tied up. No. 21). Early Ad¬ 
mirable Peach, one good. No. 30. Violet Hative Nectarine, 
nine. No. 31. Morello Cherry; miserable. No. 32. Ditto; 
deplorable. No. 33. Ditto; wretched. No. 34. Ditto; 
lamentable. No. 35. Ditto; disgraceful. No. 36. Plum, 
Red, seven passable fruits. 
The above is a true copy of what I took on the spot, and 
1 have not the least hesitation in saying, as a whole, was but 
Peach-trees, Ac., in pots, in my opinion, ought to be 
! shifted annually, and the time soon after the fruit is 
gathered, making pretty free with reducing their roots, 
so that a good foundation of chopped turf and manure can 
be placed underneath them. They will then not require the 
mulching and watering with liquid-manure that are generally 
and so offensively practised; for it is only on the old system 
of plant growing in pots where this liquid - manuring is 
required. In my opinion, also, it is a bud system to allow 
the roots of bearing trees to grow through the bottom of 
the pots into the ground, as it prevents you giving the 
whole of the tree a fair chance,.particularly with lean-to 
houses. In houses with east and west aspects it is 
different. In cases where a whole house, such as Mr. 
Rivers’ No. 2 Orchard-house, is given up to their growth, 
I should not pot them at all, but lift them annually as soon 
as the fruit is gathered, and treat them as if for potting; 
and in cases where there was only one house and a suc¬ 
cession required, two thirds could be placed out of doors and 
brought in as required. If this is practised it will save a 
deal of labour.—D. Ferguson, Stowe, Buckingham. 
THE HOUSEHOLD. 
To Waterproof a Coat.— Take three ounces of sugar 
•of lead, six ounces of alum, and dissolve them in twelve 
quarts of boiling water, and stir the mixture well; allow 
the sediment to settle down, and pour off the clear liquid. 
Soak the garment forty-eight hours in it,- and dry in the 
shade. 
How to make No-matters. —This is an article of food 
which has for many years been confined to the descendants 
of a single family of this town. Its excellence will com¬ 
mend it to the attention of those housewives who wish to 
make a, good display of culinary skill upon their table, at 
the same time having a due regard to economy. The lady 
who furnishes the recipe has given frequent opportunities 
of tasting their delicious flavour ; and if any are inquisitive, 
perhaps she might bo induced to inform them how the cakes 
obtained their homely name. To three teacupsful of butter¬ 
milk add three tablespoonsful of rich cream and a small 
quantity of sugar. Stir in flour until it is of a consistency 
of paste for dough-nuts. Roll out size of a large breakfast 
plate, and fry in lard to a rich brown colour. As each comes 
from the fire, cover with apple sauce made from tart apples 
sweetened to taste, and spiced with nutmeg or cinnamon, 
and continue the process till the plate is well heaped. 
