22G THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, December 00, 1850. 
Cottage Gardener. We are deeply indebted to Mr. Black 
Spine for his crispness of observation (cheers, and ‘hear,’ from 
Mr. Celery). I am well aware that many of you from a 
distance are half starved, and you show it (general mur¬ 
murs). You have to live on a barrowful of wasted manure 
to six square yards (cries of ‘Not so much as that,’ and 
‘Shame, shame’). Go, then, and report this meeting to 
every corner of our islands, and tell your towns to put the 
right men in the right place’’ (hear, hear—great confusion, 
many of the members going away). 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
AQUARIUMS. 
“ Have you the means of informing me of the address of 
the proprietors of the Ipswich Patent Siliceous Stone Works, 
I and whether they have any agents in Manchester, as I am 
exceedingly desirous to obtain one of the ornamental 
! aquariums manufactured by them ? A few months ago I 
| devoted a propagating-glass of large capacity (hut it is 
i far from having that elegancy of appearance which I should 
! like to see in such an object) to that purpose, and fitted it 
j up with some of the commonest aquatic plants, &c., such as 
Ranunculus aquatilis, R. Jlammula, Nymphcea alba, a few 
I Molluscs, viz., some of the Helices, the Planorbis corneas, 
S &c. At first I placed in the vessel a few water-newts along 
I with the gold and other fish, hut, being too diminutive, the 
gold fish very soon destroyed them. I afterwards went in 
: search of the large innocuous Hydropbilus, but was unable 
! to procure any specimens of it, hut met with large numbers 
of different species of the Dytisci, for which I was obliged 
! to appropriate a tank entirely, as they are parasitic in their 
habits.—A Lover of Natural History.” 
[The aquariums you refer to are made by Frederick 
Ransome, Patent Stone Works, Ipswich,] 
FUCHSIAS, WHEN FIRST INTRODUCED.—LILIUM 
GIGANTEUM FLOWERING. — BRUNSVIGIA 
JOSEPHIN2E. 
“ Critics should be correct. Now, in reading over your 
; number for June 19th, 1855, p. 198, in the course of some 
1 strictures on a picture by Maclise, it is stated that “ Fuchsias 
| were not known to Europeans till some thirty years ago;” 
whereas I happen myself to recollect one in my grand¬ 
father’s garden nearly double that time back, and it was 
then sufficiently large to cover an arbour erected against a 
south wall; it still existed there a few years since, but, I 
believe, has since been cleared away to make room for a 
greenhouse. We all know the story of Messrs. Lee and 
Kennedy’s purchase of a plant from an old woman out of a 
cottage window, but I have no means at hand to trace back 
the date of the circumstance—it might be curious to do so. 
I am quite sure of my own date from my own age, and I 
am persuaded that a cousin of mine, some years older than 
myself, and to whom the garden in question devolved, and 
who is still alive, would recollect the plant I have alluded to 
equally well with myself. 
“ Permit me to avail of this opportunity to inquire at 
what season the new Lilium yiganteum flowers; and, also, 
if the well-known Brunsvigia Josephines has ever been known 
to ripen seed in England.— Senex.” 
[You are quite right as to the date of the introduction 
of the Fuchsia. It ought to have been said, “ some seventy 
years ago,” for Fuchsia coccinea was introduced in 1788. 
However, that does not help the anachronism in the picture. 
The Lilium yiganteum flowers from the end of May to 
1 the beginning of August, very seldom earlier or later. 
' Brunsvigia Josephina has seeded in England, and more 
than once. There are crosses in England between it and 
Vallola, and other members of the family. All the Bruns- 
; vigias are true Amaryllises.] 
I 
FLOWERING STENOCARPUS CUNNINGHAMII. 
“ On reading Mr. Beaton’s article in The Cottage 
Gardener for December the 9tli, I find he there states 
that no one has succeeded in flowering Stenocarpus Cunning- 
hamii in Europe except Mr. Weeks, of King’s Road. I beg 
to inform Mr. Beaton that a friend of mine has had a plant 
grown under that name in flower for some months this 
autumn, in this county (Norfolk). I have inclosed the 
remains of a flower taken from the above-named plant, and 
shall feel greatly obliged by your informing me if it is the 
same plant that Mr. Beaton mentioned. Am I right in 
supposing that a crop of Grapes left hanging late upon the 
Vine does not weaken the Vine so as to injure the future 
crop ?—A Young Gardener.” 
[The “ remains ” are certainly those of the flowers of a 
Stenocarpus. Send up the name of your fiiend, and we 
shall offer him as a Christmas gift on the altar of fame; 
and, to make more sure of an acceptance, just tell him to 
send us a full and particular account of how he “ managed ” 
it. Everybody who reads The Cottage Gardener would 
be delighted to read the story, and would endeavour to do 
the like. Grapes left on the Vine do not weaken it.] 
EDGING FOR AN AMERICAN GARDEN. 
“ Will you kindly inform me what is the best edging for a 
small American garden ? I do not wish to have any turf. I 
am near a down, where there is a great deal of Heath, which 
I could easily get if it would do. When would be the best 
time to remove it? I inclose a leaf of a pink Geranium. 
Is it the Diadematum Geranium, which has been so much 
written about in the pages of The Cottage Gardener of 
late? Will you also inform me if honey will be good for 
any length of time in the comb ? I have one hive, which 
was removed, when taken, to the fruit-room this season. I 
wish to know if it will keep good until the spring if left 
undisturbed.—A Subscriber, Cornwall." 
[The best edging for your American garden is the one you 
like best yourself, and that seems to be the common moor¬ 
land Heath, in which we would join you most heartily. The 
late Duke of Bedford was also very fond of it for edgings to 
his Heath garden at Woburn Abbey. Perhaps the present 
duke is equally fond of it. Any time from the middle of 
February to the middle of April, or in September and Octo¬ 
ber, are the best times to transplant it from a common. 
Take it no more than four inches long, and take no balls 
with it —that is the only secret; but be quite certain to have 
all the roots safe. When edgings of wild Heaths were 
made in the times of mad philosophy, only one out of five- 
and-twenty of them lived as if it were going to die next 
week, and the rest died in a few months, from having balls 
about the size of eggs. The balls were planted, and soon 
dried up, so that no water could penetrate them; it ran 
down by the sides as off a duck’s back. Dry balls, whether 
from the moors or from the pots, have killed thousands of 
Heaths, natives and exotics, bedding-out plants, and all 
manner of plants; but balls for this kind of edgings are the 
most deadly and dangerous of all. But a square ball, alias 
a peat turf, would remove from the same common, and do 
uncommonly well indeed, because it was a full-growm ball, 
and could keep enough moisture till the roots from it spread 
into or over all your American-plant soil. 
The Geranium you sent is of the Scarlet race, and of the 
Horse-shoe section, with coral stems and pink flowers ; they 
call it Cerise unique. The Diadematums belong to the old 
greenhouse kinds—quite a different race. 
Honey will keep in the comb as long as you mention if it 
is really good, fresh, virgin honey. You may see South of 
Europe honey in combs in London, and buy it too. After 
it is two years in the glasses, put on the hives.] 
CULTURE OF LILIUM GIGANTEUM, LILIUM 
WALLICHIANUM, AND LAPAGERIA ROSEA. 
“ In Mr. Beaton’s account of the Kingston Nursery he 
mentions a Lilium yiganteum in seed. Will he be good enough 
to say what soil and treatment he would recommend for a 
