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THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Februaky 1, 1859. 
older ones scabrous above, and covered below with the same 
rusty down. Peduncles short, deflexed, solitary, supporting a 
compact head of flowers. Involucre large, with the leaves ar¬ 
ranged in two rows. Florets very numerous, small. Calyx 
generally of five linear, short sepalB. Stamens long, filiform, 
with the lower half of the filaments red and hairy, and the upper 
half yellowish. Anthers small, roundish, yellow. Style long, 
supporting a five-partite stigma. 
A small greenhouse shrub, more curious than beautiful, yet 
possessing sufficient of the latter quality to entitle it to a place 
among ornamental plants. It has the general appearance of a 
Correa, and requires the same treatment as that genus. Turfy 
loam and peat, with a good portion of sand, a very free drain¬ 
age, and a light airy atmosphere, are its principal requirements. 
Blooms in autumn, and sometimes also in spring. 
Thomasia STIPULACEA. Lindl. Nat. ord., Byttneriacea. 
Native of New Holland.—Habit compact, bushy, about three 
feet high. Branches moderately strong, round, downy. Petioles 
short. Leaves large, cordate, angled, and somewhat toothed; 
downy. Stipules large, foliaceous, broad, sometimes trifid. 
Racemes somewhat paniclcd, produced opposite the leaves. 
Flowers large, bracteated. Calyx rotate, slightly plaited, divided 
into five lobes, covered externally with pilose hairs. Stamens 
ten, five of which are fertile, and the others sterile, all united at 
the base. Style filiform, smooth. 
A very handsome greenhouse shrub, requiring peat and loam 
(about one-part of the former to two of the latter), with a fair 
portion of sand. Blooms in the autumn months, and also in 
spring. Cuttings root with difficulty.—S. G. W. 
WINTERING- VERBENAS. 
I have seen various remarks, in your pages, on keeping the 
Verbena through the winter. My plan is as follows, and for several 
years I have found it successful, though at the same time I never 
neglect having a stock of young plants, in case of accidents: — 
When I bed out my Verbenas, at the end of May, I put a 
dozen or two of the best in pots. These are very ornamental to 
my flower-stands, during summer, out of doors. I never neglect 
them—watering, stopping, and shifting them when necessary. 
At the end of August, I select the healthiest and most promising 
ones. These are fresh potted in good sandy loam, and in roomy 
pots : they are cut down pretty close, and are placed on a shelf 
iu the warmest angle of a high, protecting wall. Here they 
remain, carefully tended, till they are removed to their winter 
quarters—a room where frost is barely excluded; every flower- 
bud is removed as it appears, and they become large, bushy plants. 
Last spring, from six or seven of these, I cut 225 slips, struck 
them on the Kiddian system, under two hand-glasses, with slight 
bottom heat—not one failed. In due time they were, with an 
abundance of root, pricked out in a glazed turf-frame, where they 
soon became a little forest of sturdy, healthy plants. Some of 
them are at this moment (January 12) alive and well, in an 
exposed garden. 
Amateur gardeners cannot be sufficiently grateful to Mr. Kidd, 
and those gentlemen who have simplified the striking of bedding- 
out plants, though I must think it never succeeds so well as in 
early spring. 
This year, I intend trying Scarlet Geraniums on the same plan, 
and I have reason to believe it will answer.—Q/uiS. 
COVERING UP FRAMES DURING SEVERE 
WEATHER, 
Foil some time I have been considering that some better pro¬ 
tection ought to be provided than that commonly in use—viz., 
Russian mats, straw, &c. All practical gardeners are aware of the 
immense loss of heat, during the night, in severe weather, if the 
frames and pits are not well secured, and more especially on 
rainy and windy nights. Now, suppose I cover a pit with mats 
two or three thick, and the first part of the night it rains, or 
sleets, and after the middle of the night it clears oif, and a sharp 
frost succeeds, the mats are “ wringing” wet; and, in this state, 
how much frost will they keep out ? Why, not so much as one 
dry one. Well, we must have something waterproof; but what 
can we have ? Will shutters do ? No ; they are too heavy, and 
too expensive for general use. I have never seen anything that 
answers better than wooden frames, covered with felt, and gas- 
tarred. Mine are made exactly like the lights, so that they will 
slide up and down in the lights’ places, if required. I had their.! 
made in this way, so that they should do instead of lights, whero 
only night protection was required ; as, in the case of Potatoes in 
April and May, when we have frosty nights, but generally tine 
days, I use the lights on some boxes for Cucumbers, Melons, &e.. 
The felt can be bought in any town. It is used for covering; 
temporary buildings, and appears to answer very well, if tarred 
over occasionally. It is 8d. per yard running measure. The 
width is about two feet eight inches. 
My frames are made with red deal: the two sides and two 
ends are an inch and a half by two inches, with small bars, 
lengthwise, eight inches apart—exactly the same as if intended 
for glass, only made lighter. The bars aro to keep the felt from 
dropping ; for, strain it as tight as you will, still it will sink 
down. The bars must not be so thick as the sides, by a quarter 
of an inch; because, if you want them to keep out very severe 
frosts, you can turn them upside down, and fill the spaces be- 
tween the bars with straw, and tack some laths crosswise to keep 
it in. Now, it will be easily seen, that if the bars were as thick 
as the sides, the laths would prevent the covers fitting down 
snugly on the lights. 
I have no doubt but it will ultimately be a saving of money 
to use felt covers instead of mats, as the former will last for 
many years, if gas-tarred once a-year, and when not in use, put 
in a dry place. Covers five feet by three feet can be made for 
3s. each. Mine cost rather less.—G. R. 
CALCEOLARIA FAILURES. 
Till !ee years since, I was much troubled by this plant dying off, 
and was told by the gardener, who puts on the apron next door to 
me, “ that they always did, and always will, on this hill.” I 
noticed, at planting time, that aphis were on some of them, buf, 
being then rather busy, I could not stay to give them a dose of 
tobacco-smoke. Dry weather came on soon after, and I saw the 
rogues were multiplying exceedingly. But how to get rid of the 
aphis was a difficulty ; I could not destroy them without too 
much trouble, and not until they had sucked most of the sap 
from the best of the unfortunates. Consequently, after a first 
puny flowering, they died off, and I had the miserable fate of 
seeing a patclied-up bed all the season, not having fit plants 
to fill up. 
The next spring, I said, I’ll be down on you, aphis, this time. 
So, about a week beforo planling-out time, I gave my four-light 
frame of them a two-ounce dose of tobacco-smoke; then planted 
some out in beds, and others in a ribbon. They all did well, 
notwithstanding the dry summer, and I did not have three deaths 
out of the lot. In the spring of 1858, I again smoked the Calce- 
larias in our four-light frame, and again they have done right 
well. But, wanting a few more than the frame would hold, some 
did not get smoked at all: I took care, however, to keep them to 
themselves at planting time. Now, in this bed of about forty 
plants, has occurred more deaths than in all the others from the 
frame. My neighbour’s beds each year have been sadly patched 
up, especially this last summer; but he says, “ they always did 
and always will.” 
In our cases, therefore, I set all down to that rogue—that will 
feed, if allowed to live—the aphis; but can scarcely fancy it 
must be the same with your other correspondents, as they must 
surely have noticed them committing their ravages. I might 
mention, that ours are now in shallow boxes, two feet by one, 
about an inch apart, as dibbled in when cuttings. In about a 
week they will be potted at once into large 48’s ; then in they go 
to the four-light frame, and there await smoking. The kind we 
use most of, is Aurea Jloribunda, I know not whether it be 
hardier than varieties generally grown, but an exposed ribbon of 
it stands now in our garden as “ hale and hearty ” as if it wero 
October.— Hopeful. 
POTATOES ON GROUND UNMANURED— 
BOILING POTATOES. 
May not the Potato disease arise in a great measure from over¬ 
manuring, or in consequence of the soil being too damp, or rich P 
We know that Hops become mildewed when over-manured. A 
