THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, February 17, 1857. 
273, al bottom.) If so, I do not understand what Mr. 
Appleby means by a wall running down the middle. If, as I 
understand, it runs the whole length parallel with the sides 
j of the span-roofed bouse, it would seem to me, as it were, 
to divide it into two lean-to houses, and the trees on the east 
side (facing the east) would get only the morning sun, and 
those on the west side the afternoon sun; but I fear I do not 
at all comprehend Mr. Appleby’s meaning. I wish to have my 
Peaches and Nectarines safe under glass, and to devote a 
: south wall to two or three good sorts of Pears, Apricots, Greeu- 
l gages, other good Plums, and, if room, a couple of Ribston 
Pippins.”— Frank Grant. 
[The Peach house at Hillingdon House certainly runs 
north and south. We are not surprised that Mr. Appleby’s 
meaning is obscure to you. Instead of a wall running down 
the middle, read a walk running down the middle. It is 
just a printer’s mistake of putting the letter l instead of k. 
By all means secure your Peaches and Nectarines under 
glass. You will then be sure of ripe wood in the autumn, 
and good crops of well-ripened fruit in their season, only 
make provision to give abundance of air.] 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Vine Forcing (. 5 . IF., Guernsey). —Put the outside covering so as to 
be about two inches from the glass. The border outside should be 
covered over the roots a week at least before you commence forcing. 
You may obtain Simmons’ Hygrometer of any philosophical instrument 
maker in London, we should think, if you send a sketch of what you 
need. 
Coloured Pictures of Eggs. —We have various answers to the 
inquiry about these. Among the books recommended is “ British Birds 
and their Eggs, coloured from Nature,” published by Groombridge, 
Paternoster Row, and one published by the Tract Society. 
Camellia not Blooming (J. TV.).—The Camellia leaves are per¬ 
fectly healthy. We can form no idea of the cause of the buds dropping 
when the other plants thrive so well. Have you thinned the buds so as 
to give them r»om to swell and expand ? because the clusters of flower- 
buds are so thick in some that they throw each other off if not thinned. 
The causes of buds dropping otherwise are chiefly two—want of water 
when the buds are swelling freely, and too much moisture from defective 
drainage. See the interesting article the other week from Mr. Errington. 
Melon Culture (J. Joly ).—Possibly we may give an outline of Melon 
culture somewhat at length; meanwhile, look back to the number for 
May 6th, 1856 , for the mode of preparing your dung bed, making it as 
sweet as possible. The soil should be fresh, stiffish loam, from fifteen to 
eighteen inches deep, and with a little lighter just to go round the ball 
when turned out. You may turn out the plants into hills or hillocks in 
the centre of the bed, and earth up gradually in the usual way until 
you come to the outside; or you may make a ridge about eighteen inches 
wide, and by means of boards, See., prevent the roots going wider, as 
spoken of lately by Mr. Fish for Cucumbers. When your young plants 
arc lit for potting give them a pot each, and when they have made two 
other joints pinch out the terminal point, and that will cause shoots to 
come from the axils of the leaves. If you have a plant in each light you 
will require four shoots from each ; but as you are a new beginner we 
recommend you to have two plants for a light, and take two shoots from 
each, one to be trained back and one to the front. These being selected, 
prick out every other young shoot that may show itself with the point of 
a penknife, and when quite small, so that the wound will not be felt. 
This done, there must be no continuous stopping of these main shoots, 
as you would be disposed to do, it seems, with Cucumbers. Train these 
shoots without stopping until they reach within a foot or so of the side 
of the frame ; but as they grow prick out each bud from the axils of the 
j leaves until about six inches from the point of the shoot. This is to 
prevent secondary shoots coming all over the stem. When the shoot is 
I stopped as mentioned above, the buds from the axils of the leaves 
where they have not been pricked out near the point will soon push, and 
will most likely show fruit at the first or second joint if the seed has 
not been young. If they do not show the point must be nipped out to 
make them push again. If they show fruit stop the shoot at the joint 
beyond it. The great thing is to get as many fruit to show about the 
same time upon a plant as you wish at once. As soon as the fruit- 
| blossom opens imnregnate it with a male blossom, choosing a dry, sunny 
! day if possible. Most likely you will require protection at night until 
| the weather is warm enough. The temperature required is from 70 ° to 
j 80 ° bottom heat; night temperature from 60° to 70°; day temperature 
I from 70° on to 85 ° and 88° with sunshine. Keep the surface of the soil 
j dry as the fruit approaches maturity. You may read volumes on the 
Melon, but these are the chief things to be attended to. 
EuCiisia dominiano (E. G.). —This Fuchsia requires abundance of 
unshaded light to make flower-buds freely. We do not see the cause of 
your failure. If over-luxuriant, perhaps your compost is too rich. 
Salvia Voltaire {Amateur). —The flower-spike you have sent en¬ 
ables us to determine that it is Suloia confertiflora. 
Scale on PearTrees—Writing on Porcelain Labels(.4. B.W.). 
Wash the trees with water at about 200°, and then paint them with a 
; clay paint, holding in it flowers oT sulphur and glue or size. The 
J sulphur may be about a twentieth part and the glue a fortieth part. We 
; have had little practice with such porcelain labels, but when we brushed 
them slightly with oil the pencil marks remained pretty well. We be¬ 
lieve a peculiar ink suits them. Will some kind friend inform us if , 
this is so ? 
Syrian Vine, &c. (Constant Reader). —If you apply to any of the 
nurserymen who advertise fruit trees in our columns they will be able to 
furnish you with the Syrian Vine and American Cranberry. The Syrian 
Vine requires to be grown in a hot Vinery, that is, in the same heat as 
the Muscat of Alexandria. It produces an immense bunch, so large that 
we had one produced out of doors against a wall twenty inches in length. ! 
It hangs very late, and when well ripened is a good Grape. The nursery¬ 
men will be able to tell you the prices they charge. Myatt’s Surprise j 
Strawberry is a very large one, and makes a fine show fruit, but is not 
remarkable for its flavour. You will find Webber and Co., of Covent 
Garden, a good house to send your early Strawberries to. They will 
give you the value of them at the time. 
Trees Moved so as to Overhang a Hothouse (W. Cullingford). 
—Your neighbour has no right to do this. Let your attorney give him 
notice to remove them. 
Grass Seeds (S. IF., Bath). —Do not by any means use the sweep¬ 
ings of a hay loft if you want to get a good pasturage. Grass for hay is 
always cut before the seed is ripe, and, consequently, the sweepings of a 
hay loft are composed of chaff of grasses and seeds of weeds. If you 
want a really good permanent pasture to be cut for hay, procure from 
some of the seedsmen who advertise in our columns the following 
mixture, which will be sufficient to sow your third of an acre:—2lbs. 
Italian Rye-grass, 34 lbs. Perennial Rye-grass, 4 lb. Meadow Fox-tail, 
4lb. Yellow Oat-grass, Jib. Hard Fescue, 1 lb. Meadow Fescue, 1 lb. Red 
Fescue, £lb. Wood Meadow-grass, lib. Smooth-stalked Meadow-grass, 
4 lb. Red or Broad Clover, 1 lb. Perennial Red Clover, l^lb. White Dutch 
Clover. Have the Clover seeds mixed separately, and sow them after the 
Grasses, because, if mixed with the Grasses, the Clover seeds, being 
heavier, would fall to the bottom of the bag, and you would not have 
them evenly distributed over the ground. 
Pruning Fruit Treks (A Constant Reader).— You ought not to 
have allowed your lateral branches to produce shoots eighteen inches 
long ; by doing so you allowed the constitution of the tree to be weakened 
to the extent of nourishment which these shoots obtained. The great 
art in fruit-tree culture is to economise the sap, and to give direction to 
the branches such as to induce fruitfulness. You must cut down these 
long shoots to within two buds of their base, and watch during summer 
that they do not again throw out such strong growth. If they should, 
pinch off their tops, and drive the sap into another channel; they will 
then, in all probability, form spurs at their base. Those which are four 
inches in length you can reduce one-half. 
Flower-garden Plan (J. Muston). —We never furnish plans. We 
only make notes on the planting proposed on such plans as are sent 
to us. 
Gardener for Canada (A Gardener without Influence). —Put in an 
advertisement stating your wants and qualifications. 
Manuals for the Many (J. C. IF.).—You can have any or all of the 
Manuals sent free by post. By inclosing the publishing price in stamps, 
with one in addition for each for the postage, you will receive them in 
return. 
Verbena Cuttings Damping off (C. O.). —The reason why your 
Verbena cuttings went off was, that the box was six times too large for 
them. You must be skilful to have saved one-half of them, as you say 
you have, so early in the year. If you had them in a hotbed you could 
not have saved one in a score. We always use small pots, No. 60 , for 
most cuttings, and they alone before the middle of February, and we 
have recommended them from the first to amateurs and all new or 
young beginners. 
Duration of Peach Trees (A Know-nothing). —Your Peach trees 
are not debilitated with age, but diseased by mismanagement. We 
have seen Peach and Apricot trees fifty years old, which were in a much 
worse plight than yours, renovated with all the vigour of a young tree. 
Look at the roots, and see if they have penetrated into an ungenial sub¬ 
soil. If they have cut off all such, and put a layer of brickbats, lime 
rubbish, and other similar material under them, to prevent them doing 
so again, and to those which are left put fresh maiden soil, with about a 
fourth part of leaf mould and w’ell-rotted stable manure. 
Cinerarias (An Amateur Gardener). —The flowers were entirely 
destroyed, every petal being loose, and nothing entire except the disc; 
but we saw no indications of a double flower among the debris. 
Chinese Primroses ( G. Alexander). —The flowers sent are very 
large and well coloured. 
THE POULTRY CHRONICLE. 
CREWE POULTRY SHOW. 
Every town lias its peculiar feature, and Crewe is not an 
exception. Called into existence by the London and North 
Western Railway’s factories, it is inhabited by a population 
composed principally of working men, who know how to 
appreciate a few hours’ relaxation, and who, with that natural 
love of something alive which is common to all men, delight i 
either in Fowls, Pigeons, Rabbits, or Canaries. All these 
were exhibited in the Cheese Hall, a lofty and spacious 
building in the centre of the town. In all our experience 1 
of these meetings we do not recollect ever to have seen one j 
where the spectators seemed so thoroughly to enjoy them- j 
selves. Although the weather was bitterly cold, and the I 
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