THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 14, 1858. 
171 
Chrysanthemum. If it is fair for the Chrysanthemum, why not 
for the Geranium ? ” —Albert Dean. 
[We quite ngreo with all that you state, except where you aver 
that we have varied in our opinion. We agree with you, that 
“ if the roots of plants are not confined to the pots in which 
they are said to have been grown, such plants cannot be legally 
said to have been grown in the pots.” If the holes at the 
bottoms of the pots are enlarged for the purpose of allowing 
the roots to get out into a more extensive pasture, and a large 
amount of roots do so get out; or, if other roots are encouraged, 
and grow numerously over the tops of the pots—these facts 
ought to disqualify the plants. We meant no more by our 
answer in our number of November 16th, than that a few roots 
coming out of an ordinary drainage-hole, or over the top, un- 
dosignedly, ought not to disqualify.— Eds. C. G.] 
ROSES AND CLIMBERS FOR A SOUTH-EAST WALL. 
“ Will you give information as to what Roses and other 
climbers you would recommend to cover a house with a south¬ 
east aspect, that stands high, and is rather exposed P The country 
is Cheshire, and the soil sandy.”— A Subscriber and Ad¬ 
mirer. 
[The best Roses, under the circumstances, would be Felicite 
Ferpetuelle and B! air'd No. 2, for summer, and Noisettes for 
autumn ; and any good kinds might be budded on these, by way 
of testing how far they are suitable to the soil and locality. 
Fellenberg is an excellent Noisette, and the nearest climbing Rose 
to a crimson. La Marque is the best of the large whites; but 
both are as tender as Jean Desprez, and all the three are damaged 
in very hard winters : if they were budded on Felicite Per¬ 
petuelle, and the latter on their own roots, there could be no 
better Roses for covering your house. Clematis montana is the 
strongest and the best earliest other climber to recommend for 
such a place as yours. But a white Jasmine and Japan Honey¬ 
suckle are the cleanest plants of all climbers for a house. Sup¬ 
pose you try one of each—or, say Jasmine—on each side the door, 
the said Honeysuckle round two opposite windows, the Roses to 
fill in tiie rest, and the Clematis to come in above them all, from 
any comer, or side, of a house. Long shoots of the Clematis might 
then hang down among the other climbers.] 
ICE-HOUSES. 
“ I have been anxiously looking over the back numbers of 
The Cottage Gardener, in order to see if there be anything 
concerning an ice-house ; but my labour has been in vain. I 
should be glad if you could inform me whether ice keeps well on 
limestone. We have an ice-house built on the limestone, in 
which ice will not keep longer than the month of May. I cannot 
tell to what to attribute it, unless it be the limestone.”— 
Kilkenny. 
[Anything that is known about ice and ice-houses, ice-stacks, 
packing and pounding, and the icing of every kind of thing, has 
been written upon in TnE Cottage Gardener. Limestone 
could make no difference in the keeping of the ice. We have 
seen an ice-stack in the bottom of a chalk pit; and that would 
be the very place we would select for our own iceberg, because 
the drainage would be perfect through the chalk. Perfect 
drainage and perfect ventilation are the only two secrets for keep¬ 
ing ice. The old kinds of ice-houses were well drained ; but in 
the rest of their arrangements they were mere stews for melting 
ice. If you will send us a sketch of your ice-house, and of the 
way you fill it, and provide for its safety, we may be able to 
point out where the fault lies. At all events, limestone, or any 
kind of stone, does not injure your ice. As you could find 
nothing in our back numbers about ice and ice-houses, the wonder 
is, that your ice keeps up to May. That offhand way of looking 
for, and doing things, would not help us much, here in England; 
and we would advise you to look again, and to look more carefully 
and to the purpose, over the back numbers of The Cottage 
Gardener, after you send us your own way of keeping ice, which 
seems very wasteful.] 
MONRO’S CANNON BOILER, 
I have seen a notice in your paper of November 30th, of 
Messrs. Low and Co.’s Nursery, Clapton, in which you state 
that there arc “ two of Monro’s cannon boilers fixed there, the 
one at the price of £8, and the other at £5,”—this should have 
been £8 10s. and £5 10.?. Will you be kind enough to insert 
this, as, there being now a large demand for these boilers, this 
error might lead to some confusion.— J. Jones, 6, Panlcside. 
TRADE LISTS. 
We have received a set of seven catalogues, of various descrip¬ 
tions, of Nursery Stock, cultivated by Messrs. E. and A. Dickson 
and Sons, of Chester, which, for execution and care in the pre¬ 
paration, reflect great credit on what may now be called the 
literature of the trade; for the catalogues of the present day 
assume more the character of literary productions, than of price- 
currents. The catalogues in question consist severally of— Stove 
and Greenhouse Plants, Herbaceous and Alpine Plants, Hardy 
Ornamental Trees and Shrubs, Forest Trees, Fruit Trees, Poses 
and Dahlias, Pelargoniums, Bedding Plants, Sfc. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Gathering Pears [Goddess). —The time when a Pear is ready for 
Slathering:, is indicated by its stalk readily parting from the spur by which 
it is borne. The readiness to part is not shown by giving the Pear a hard 
pull, but by lifting it, and bending it back gently. Almost all Pears have 
ripened a month or more earlier this year than they do usually. Notwith¬ 
standing your examination of the surface roots of the two Black Ham¬ 
burgh Vines which prematurely withered, we have little doubt but that the 
withering arose from the failure of some of the main roots, at their ex¬ 
tremities, if not generally. 
Hyacinth Offsets (A Country Subscriber). —Tou give advice without a 
correct knowledge of the subject. To raise Hyacinths from offsets in this 
country, has never yet been practised successfully; therefore, we said 
“it is not an object to propagate the Hyacinth by offsets.” We have no 
interest in the matter, further than to wish some one would send us full 
directions for so raising them, which he has proved to be successful. We 
would readily publish it. 
Twenty-four best Variegatf.d Plants [Fire Years Subscriber). —We 
will get the names of the most popular variegated plants. But you must 
wait awhile. 
Woodlice [C. C.). —We have repeatedly stated the only modes known 
for trapping woodlice, and there is no specific for keeping them from your 
Mushrooms. They harbour, probably, in the dung of which the bed is 
formed. If you can find any place where they congregate, deluge it with 
boiling water. 
Liquid Manure in Winter (T. 0. <?.). — When our liquid-manure 
tank requires emptying at this season, we pour the liquid over vacant 
ground; and when the weather is open, we pour it upon Asparagus and 
Rhubarb beds. 
Unfruitful Pear Trees [J. V. 0.). —By cultivating your border with 
Cabbages and other vegetables, you have driven the roots of your Pear 
trees down into the subsoil, where they have not sufficient action and 
vigour to support and develop the young fruit. Dig a trench round them 
as deep as they go ; cut off all tap roots that penetrate to the subsoil; lay 
the young and healthy roots near the surface, and keep them there by en¬ 
couraging them with a light top-dressing annually. Never again grow 
Cabbages on your fruit-tree borders. 
Market Apples ( G. T. Bexley). — You may make up your hundred 
Apples for market purposes with Bedfordshire Foundling, Alfriston, 
Blenheim Pippin, Cellini, Duchess of Oldenburgh, Golden Noble, Golden 
Winter Pearmain, Kerry Pippin, Yorkshire Greening, and Dumelow’s 
Seedling. As you say your subsoil is gravel, plant your trees high. 
Names of Ferns [Y. F.). —Your Ferns are as follows:—1. Lastrcea 
dilatata, Broad Prickly - toothed Buckler Fern. 2. Athyrium Filix- 
fwmina, var. latifolium. 3. Lastrcea Filix-mas, Male, or common Buckler 
Fern. 
THE POULTRY CHRONIGL 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
December 17th and 18th. Halifax Fancy Pigeon Show. See., Mr. 
II. Holdsworth, 57, Woolshops, Halifax. Entries close the 20th of 
November. 
December 29th and 30th. Burnley and East Lancashire. Sec., Angus 
Sutherland. Entries close December 10th. 
January 3rd, 1859. Kirkcaldy Poultry and Fancy Bird Show. 
January 8th, 10th, lltli, and 12th, 1859. Crystal Palace (Winter 
Show). Sec., W. Houghton. Entries close December 11 th. 
January 18th, 19th, and 20th. Chesterfield and Scarsdale. > Secs., 
W. M. Hewitt, and J. Charlesworth. Entries close January 4th. 
January 20th and 21st, 1859. Liverpool. 
February 3rd and 4th, 1859. Preston and North Lancashire. 
Secs. It. Teebay, and II. Oakey. 
February 9th and 10th, 1859. Ulyerstone. Sec., Thos. Robinson. 
February 16th and 17tli, 1859. Poulton-le-Fylde. Sec., J. Butler. 
June 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, 1859. Bath and West of England. At Barnstaple, 
Devon. Director, S. Pitman, Esq. 
N.B.— Secretaries will oblige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
THE BIRMINGHAM POULTRY SHOW. 
Haying in our previous numbers given the list of prize- 
takers, and our comments, we now publish tlie very numerous 
commendations of the Judges. Wo consider for a pen to be 
