252 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 13, 1859. 
disposed to ascribe it to loss of life, arising from accidents whilst 
honey -gathering late in the season, and believe that had the 
removal to the heath taken place three weeks earlier, the stocks 
would have become much heavier, and that had they returned a 
mouth sooner, they would have been far more populous than they 
are now. 
Respecting the comparative advantages of seven-bar and eight- 
bar boxes, 1 do not think my experiment proves much either 
way. I shall not fail to continue my observations on this point 
during the winter, and 'in the spring, when, possibly, some more 
definite conclusion may be submitted to the readers of Tub 
Cottage Gakdeneu by—A DjsvoNSHiitE Bee-keepek. 
FAILURE OF THE CALCEOLARIA. 
In common with so many of the subscribers of The Cottage 
Gaedeneb, I may testify to the apparent approximate failure of 
that valuable class of ornamental plants, the Calceolaria. In 
1850, 57, and 58, I was driven to the necessity of having the 
Calceolaria beds in my geometrical garden frequently re-furnished. 
The bedded plants went off, one after another, without any 
apparent corresponding cause. This year, however, I was de¬ 
termined, if possible, by a severe investigation, to ascertain the 
cause of this recurrence of failures; and what I found was this, 
that the bark of the mam stem—about earth and air point—was 
eaten away all round. I found the same result with all the 
damaged plants. This, no doubt, was done by some insect, which, 
leaving his hiding place at night, went about committing these 
ravages. I could not discover any grub, or other enemy, at the 
roots; and my conclusion is, that the death of the plants resulted 
from a rapid exhaustion of sap, its circulation being impeded by 
this circular arrest of progress. The roots were, in all cases, 
round, full, and manifold.— An Intekested Subsceibee. 
[This, apparently, was a caso of shanking, and not of de¬ 
struction by underground grubs. Wo recommend to tliis cor¬ 
respondent the notes on Calceolaria culture published in our last 
Number.— Eds.] 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Tree Pjeony(TF. Badnck). —Do not ask so many questions at once. 
The Tree Pirony will bloom nicely in such a house ; but give it plenty of 
air when the buds are swelling. It will do all the better, if you can retard 
the swelling of the buds until the end of February, or the beginning of 
March, by keeping the plant in the coolest end of the house. By that time 
you may expect more sunlight than we have had lately, and that will give 
the flowers colour. You may either keep the plant in ”a pot, or plant out 
in tlie beginning of summer. The plant forces nicely in the spring, and 
in March and April, and onwards, they are very brilliant things in a green¬ 
house. In a house at 50°, we would keep it at the coolest end, if the buds 
are not much swelled. If they are swelling freely, keep it at the warmest 
end until nearly opened. 
Hoya carnosa (Idem). —AVe have grown this, the best of the Hoyas, 
when the temperature in winter ranged from 3S“ to 45°, with a rise from 
sunshine. You will succeed admirably, with an average temperature of 50°. 
The great thing is, to give no more water, in winter, than will just keep 
the thick leaves from shrivelling. In summer, water when growing, and 
in proportion to the heat and the force of the sun’s beams. In autumn, 
give every ray of sunlight possible, and no more water than will prevent 
the leaves being injured. In winter, as mentioned, refrain from water 
altogether. If the atmosphere of the house is at all moist, the leaves will 
absorb as much moisture as they will perspire. As the sun gains power, 
syringe the plants frequently before watering much at the roots; and if 
the plants were well exposed to the sun in summer and autumn, the flowers 
will come plentifully in spring and summer. Fpiphyllums or Pcriskia 
manage much in the same way. As they have done blooming, place them at 
the warmest end of the house. If the stems are at all yellow’ and shrunken, 
syringe and moisten them, instead of watering much at the root. If it 
grows nicely in summer, you may transfer it to a six-inch pot, in compost 
of equal parts of rough lime rubbish, iibry loam, and dry nodules of old 
cowdung, and water as wanted until September ; then expose as fully to the 
sun—indoors, or out of doors—as possible, and give no more water than 
will keep the leaf-like stems from shrinking and shrivelling, until they 
show flower, when they should have the most open part of tlie house, and 
moisture given to swell out the flowers nicely. By looking at your stock, 
you will easily peiccive that it is too woody and dry for such a succulent as 
your EpiphyUum ; in fact, the grafts seldom thrive for many years. If 
its head gets large, it often, in self-defence, begins to throw out roots into 
the ail-—a sure sign that enough of sustenance is not obtained from the 
stock. If you wish to have plants, that under fair treatment will be 
getting better every year, either pet or raise from good-sized cuttings 
plants of Cereus spcciosissumis. AVben established in small pots, cut 
them across at the height you like, in spring; slip the knife for one inch 
down the centre, take a small piece of the tnmealus, and slice a thin piece 
off each side, making it like a wedge, and insert in the opening, keeping it 
there by sticking one of its own spines, or thorn spine, through the 
two sides of the stock, and the scion in the middle, and placing round it 
a string of matting and a little moss, to keep all shaded. The scions may 
also b* inserted along the side of a plant, in the same way. 
Trotaiolum Jaiuiattii {Idem) as well as tricolorum are beautiful things. 
Place them both in a small pot, and keep in the coolest end &f the green¬ 
house until they begin to grow. The shoots will be very line at first. If 
the bulbs are strong, transfer the plant with its roots then, to a pot of 
eight or twelve inches diameter, and into a rough compost, consisting of 
filin’ loam, flbry peat, nodules of charcoal, and cowdung dried, all well 
drained, and the compost lightened with silver sand. Training must 
commence at once, if the plants are to look well. 
Cedar (IF. B. Barton Constable).—Hr. Beaton says, that the Cedar you 
sent is just like the growth of the Deodar Cedar, when it is close pruned, 
or gets cramped in some way or other. A friend of ours had lo prune in 
very close, on one side, a whole row of Deodars next a terrace, and, behold ! 
in two or three years they all turned to be like Cedars of Lebanon. Yours 
are in the intermediate state, and will be Lebanons too, some day, if you 
cannot get them pushed along, by adding strength to the roots. 
Verbena Cuttings (An Amateur). —Early spring cuttings of Verlxnns 
I —one only in a pot—would be tit to show and take a first prize in Sep¬ 
tember;' but then the grower would need to have his wits about him, and 
j stop them till they were bushy, and as wide as the bottom of a bushel, and 
not let a flower-head come in sight till the beginning of August. As to 
| China Asters, we have said a score of times that prizes might be got by 
sowing and rearing them just like Celery, til it is fit for, the trenches, 
and then to turn the tune to the Cape Broccoli system, and not to spare 
liquid manure after that change. 
Heating a riooni containing 2,730 Cubic A’akds ( P. B.).— AVe cannot 
satisfactorily answer your question for your premises, as 2,730 square yards 
can only have reference to the width and length of your room, and leave 
us in ignorance of its height; as, also, of what the sides arc composed; 
as a wood, or even a brick wall, will not allow- the internal heat to escape, 
like glass walls, or many windows. If the room is rather low, and there 
are not many windows, then if the thermometer outside ranged fiom lf>° 
to 24“, you would have heat enough. If the sides are open, ar.d the roof 
high, and must have the same invariable temperature ol 6S“, then it w ould 
be desirable to have some fifty feet more of pipe. A saddle boiler, tw o feet 
and a half in length, thirteen inches or so deep, and about the same in 
width, would heat that quantity of pipe, and as much more, if it was 
wanted. If you give us more precise details, we will try and be mole 
explicit. 
A'ines in Pots ( Blackburn). —Try and write explicitly. AVe know that 
you have a house thirty feet long, and nine feet wide, a path in the middle 
three feet, and a plunge-bed on each side three feet wide, and also that 
there are two four-inch pipes on each side ; hut whether these are beneath 
the plunge-bed, or free of all beds, we do not clearly know. If below the 
bed, it would be better for a chamber of stone, or of clinkers, to be over them, 
and openings from that into the air of the house as desired. That will be 
better than wooden boxes placed in the bed, though they will do, if properly 
-managed. If these pits are independant of the beds, then the heat you 
give must be from other sources. See what has been said to-day, in 
answer to another correspondent (P. A.), as to starting A'incs in pots. 
There is no difficulty in forcing Muscat of Alexandria A'incs in pots, more 
than in forcing Ilamburyhs, or Swcet watcrs, only they require more time, 
and more heat, to finish them off. For early work, they are not, therefore, 
flic most suitable ; hut most people would rather eat one good berry of a 
Muscat , than half a dozen of any other kind. Push them on slowly. 
Orchard House (A Country Subscriber).—It you devote your fruit 
border to dwarf trees and shrubs, there will not be much room for vege¬ 
tables, except betw'een. AVe w ould plant nothing in that border that re¬ 
quired deep digging. A few early Peas might be obtained, without at all 
hurting the roots of trees. The time the borders mostly require lo be clear, 
is in autumn, that more sunlight, direct and by refraction, may strike 
against the wall. If you have space, and have nothing to shade them, the 
Strawberries will do as well, and require less trouble, if grown on the 
bol der, provided they arc near enough lo the glass. It in pots or boxes, you 
could easily move them as you liked ; and one advantage would be that j ou 
could bundle them out as soon as they were done with. 
Kadsora Jafonica (M. F.). —AVe should have liked to have known where 
and how you grow this plant, as it is not considered hardy. Did you give 
it greenhouse treatment ! In pruning, encourage these little, stiff shoots, 
and keep rather dry in winter before the flower-buds appear. Most likely 
your plant requires a check—less luxuriance and more sunlight. 
Berbeuis Darwinii (J/. /■’.). —This shrub is neither particular as to 
position nor soil. AVe have had, and seen it fine against a wall, where it 
blooms early, and continuously in the open flower garden, ill peaty soil, in 
strong loamy soil, and in sandy soil, and we have just been inlormed it 
grows and blooms beautifully on the chalky soil near AA’inchester. 
Soil foh Orange Trees (A. B.).— One half of fibiy, brown loam, well 
aired, without destroying the fibre; the other half of dried leaf mould, 
heath soil, dried cow dung, charred pieces of w ood, lime rubbish, and silver 
sand, in nearly equal proportions. AVhen fairly occupying pots, or boxes, 
give rich top dressings and manure waterings. A good loamy soil, and a 
little leaf mould, will grow them well. 
Celery Stale Hearted (-).—The reasons for this complaint, which 
you say annoys you so much, are twofold. Either you have planted out too 
early, from too early sowing, or ill the late hot summer you neglected 
shading and watering, or, what is rather worse still, earthed up your plants 
too early. The most seed of stalk-stemmed Celery is produced by the last 
cause. 
Model Hothouses (Dingwall). —From Capt. Dalgety’s day to this, hero 
is the way many of these Lowland bodies w ould have us of the Highlands 
believe that they are so much better off, and superior to their betters. 
But, if you believe me, the last time I was in this Dingwall, I am free to 
give my aitli, that all the hothouses there could very easily be managed by 
a kilted gardener from Strathconnon. Then, about the climate being cold. 
AA’hy, Dingwall is on a level with Inverness and Perth, in cold, heat, and 
elevation; and as to the blast from Ben AVyvis touching them, you might 
just as well assert that the blasts from Avrarat “ deals ” with the 
dwellers in Mesopotamia, in their “horticultural pursuits.” AA’itli the 
exception of Perth, Diugw all is the most favoured place in the kingdom, 
for climate and scenery, for the natives thereof; and it is the healthiest 
place in the island ; the finest and most fashionably resorted-to springs, lo 
which those of Bath and Cheltenham are mere suds, being in the imtnc- 
