335 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 24, 1858. 
orange, soft; flavour very little. It was considered 
that the variety would be of no value for dessert, but 
useful for preserving purposes, on account of its fine 
colour and large size, if it were found to be hardy, 
and a free bloomer. 
{To be continued.') 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Phloxes {Ignoramus).- —The difference between Phlox decussata 
00.6. Phlox siuffruticosa is such, that no man on earth, or woman either, 
can ever make out or tell it to another; and the reason is obvious. 
A decussata Phlox is only one of those myth ideas which float in the 
air, which those in the florist world alone can breathe. As early as 
1834, there were eighty kinds of seedling Phloxes in the Birmingham 
Botanic Garden, hut no decussata Phlox. Herbaceous Calceolarias 
have been handed down since 1831, notwithstanding the constant 
tendency which they evince to assume the habit and constitution of 
the shrubby Calceolarias whenever the pollen mixes. The same kind 
of industry endeavours, only without succeeding, to keep the breed of 
the tall Phloxes, which have descended from Phlox panicutata , both 
pink and white, and the then dwarf Phlox suffruticosa ,—both kinds 
having the corymbs, or flower-heads, in panicles, from the breed with 
the flower-heads in the form of a pyramid, which are still the tallest. 
The divisions would be intelligible if the right name had been given to 
the tallest, the latest, and the hardiest section, which is from panicu- 
lata, —a word derived from the shape of the flower-heads. While 
decussata, the wrong word, refers to the disposition of the leaves on 
the stem. The dwarfer kinds, which flower earliest, are all from 
suffruticosa blood, and they are more delicate and more tender than 
the breed of pyramidalis and paniculata, which is erroneously called 
decussata. Countess of Holme, Countess of Morton, Addisonii, Abdul 
I MedjidKhan, are all of the suffruticosa breed. The “best” of all 
the fancy flowers are those only which one likes best; but the follow- 
i ing are very good kinds of suffruticosa: — 1, Virgo; 2, Amabilis ; 
3, Georgina; 4, Madame Celeste; 6, Madame Laurent; 6, Rose Bril¬ 
liant; 7, Annie Salter ; 8, Galatea ; 9, May Queen ; 10, Amatissima ; 
and 11, Madame Fontaine. The following twelve are from the newest 
and best kinds of the so-called decussata breed. They were raised 
by the celebrated foreign florists, Messrs. Lierval and Fontaine :— 
1, Augustine Lierval; 2, Julie Roussel ; 3, L’Enfant Prodigue ; 4, La 
Vohipte; 5, Louis Guerard; 6, Princess Alice (Henderson) ; 7, Sou¬ 
venir d'un Ami; 8, Rigolo; 9, Louis Germain; 10, Le Gamin de 
Paris; 11, Monsieur Forest; 12, Madame Sueur. 
. 
Epidendrum (S. J., Winch House). —Your Epidendrum is pluctum, 
or very near it; Dut the flower was so dried that we cannot be certain 
without the leaf, for there is no end to that class of Orchids in the 
West Indies and on the Spanish Main, none of which are worth growing 
now-a-days. 
Verbena Seedling ( W. W. H., Lanarkshire, N. B ■).—The Verbena 
blooms were quite dried up, but the kind, being so dwarf, is sure to 
answer Mr. Beaton’s purpose. 
Preserving Apricots Whole.—O ne wishing to obtain Knowledge 
is desirous of a receipt for preserving Apricots whole. Can any of our 
readers oblige us with one that can be depended upon ? 
Pit for Wintering Young A^erbenas and Calceolarias (A 
Constant Subscriber). —We are much surprised that your south-east 
aspect pits do not answer your purpose. We fear that aspect is not 
the cause of failure. However, as you are to build new pits, we cer¬ 
tainly would prefer south, or south-west, to south-east, though, like 
the bewildered swain with rival lady-loves, we would be but too glad 
to have plenty of either. The advantage of the south, is having all 
the sun possible, and, if that should excite the plants too much in cold, 
frosty, bright weather, it would be easy to give a slight shade in such 
circumstances. We have had little difficulty in keeping Calceolarias 
in a north aspect. 
Maggots in Turnips (A Constant Subscriber, Plymouth) .—Unless we 
saw these, we could not tell the species of insect of which they are the 
larvae. Growing a succession of the Brassica genus on the same 
ground is bad practice, as the grubs which feed upon one species of 
Brassica will usually feed upon another species. Thus the maggots, 
or grubs, on your Turnips may be descended from others which feed 
upon the Broccoli previously grown on the same plot. 
Feeding Bees. —“ I have a stock of bees (a second swarm of this 
year) in a common cottage hh r e. I got a man who is accustomed to 
bees to lift them, and he said they weighed about ten or eleven pounds, 
including the hive. What food would be best to give ? at what time ? 
and in what quantity? Would brown sugar be wholesome to give the 
bees in any quantity? I know a cottager who fed a stock during the 
winter, by simply putting a little shallow plate of sugar into the hive ; 
and a lady of my acquaintance feeds her bees w 7 ith barleysugar, which 
she purchases for that purpose, at 1<7. per ounce. I thought of buying 
j honey, hut it occurred to me to ask your valuable advice, as I have no 
bee-feeder, and as there is no aperture at the top of my hive. I should 
also like to know how to feed them ? A Hampshire Inquirer. 
[A second swarm, of this season, weighing, hive included, only ten 
or eleven pounds, has little chance of turning to any good account. 
At any rate, it will cost you as much as it is Avorth, to feed it up till 
the spring. The best food is, undoubtedly, honey, at this season, and 
j to the end of September ; given freely, to enable the bees to store it in 
the combs. In spring sugared mixtures may do, or, what is better, 
barleysugar. Your hive is ill adapted for feeding, and you must 
manage as best you can ; hut the food should be placed w’liere robbers 
cannot get at it, or a fight may be anticipated. You will find every 
direction for making and administering various kinds of artificial bee 
food, including barleysugar, in Taylor’s “Bee-Keeper’s Manual,” 
with other information of which you are in need.] 
Names of Plants ( F . C.). — The white specimen is Antennaria 
margaritacea, the Pearly Everlasting Flower. The reddish grass, 
humea elegans, and the other grass, rather carelessly sent "with the 
other two specimens, is, we believe, Festuca heterophylla. (J. M. !>.). 
1. Pelargonium odoratissimum. 2. Pelargonium qucrcifolium. 3. A 
variety of the above, commonly called Unique. 4. Catalpa syringi - 
folia. Your specimens were nicely sent. ( The Lady Alice ).-—Your 
Ferns are as follows: — 7. Polypodium dryopteris. 8. Cystopteris 
fragilis. 9. A young or seedling form of Cystopteris. 10. A peculiar 
form of the Asplenium trichomanes. 11. Asplenium trichomanes in 
its natural form. 12. Polystichum aculeatum. 13. Lastrcea dilatata, 
a small frond. 14 is the Athyrium filix-fcemina, a small frond of it. 
15. Polystichum lobatum. ( J. K. C., Stewarton). —Your plant is the 
Batura stramonium, or common Thorn Apple —Stramonium of the 
shops. This plant is frequently found in and about old gardens, and 
in Avaste grounds, among rubbish-heaps, dunghills, &c. A doubtful 
or a rare native. 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
August 28th. Halifax and Calder Yale. Sec., Mr. Wm. Irvine, 
Holmfield, Halifax. Entries close August 14. 
September 8th. Li\ t erpool and Manchester. 
September 14th and 15th. Sparkenhoe (at Tamworth). 
September 21st and 22nd. Bridgnorth. Sec., Mr. Bichard Taylor, 
Bridgnorth. Entries close the 15th of September. 
September 21st and 22nd. Lichfield. 
September 26th. Paisley. Entries close Sept. 18. Sec., Mr. Wm. 
Houston, 14, Barr Street. 
October 7th and 8th. Worcestershire. Sec., Mr. G. Griffiths, 7, 
St. Swithin’s Lane, Worcester. Entries close September 23. 
October 13th and 14tli. Creave. Sec., D. Margetts, Crewe. Entries 
close 30th September. 
November 29th and 30th, December 1st and 2nd. Birmingham. Sec., 
Mr. J. Morgan, Entries close NoA'ember 1st. 
December 17th and 18th. Halifax Fancy Pigeon Shoav. Sec., Mr. 
H. Holdsworth, 57, Woolshops, Halifax. Entries close the 20th of 
November. 
January 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th, 1859. Crystal Palace (Winter 
Shoav). Sec., W. Houghton. 
January 20th and 21st, 1859. Lia t erpool. 
February' 3rd and 4th, 1859. Preston and North Lancashire. 
Secs. R. Teebay, and H. Oakey, 
N.B .—Secretaries will oblige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
grouse and quails in confinement. 
We are asked, “ Will Grouse live in confinement P What 
would be the best food for them? Will Quails live in con¬ 
finement ? With Avhat should I feed them ? Will they 
stand the cold ofAvinter?” 
Most people are aware of a certain indefinable feeling of 
familiarity with some event that has just occurred, and which 
certainly never happened before. The most unexpected and 
most unlikely thing seems as familiar as the events of our 
every-day life. We have heard it attributed to magnetism ; 
some find therein the fact, that “ coming events cast then- 
shadows before them and others believe in the theory of 
Captain Marryat’s ship’s carpenter, that everything that 
happens, happened 1262 years ago, and will occur again in 
1262 years. We must leave wiser men than ourselves to 
decide as to the best of the three theories. It is possible 
some of our readers may be of the Burchell class matter-of- 
fact men,—stiff old fogies, avIio cry “ Fudge ” to everything 
that does not admit of plain proof. We are not sure that 
“ My lady fainted and turned all manner of colours ; or that 
Sir Tomkin dreiv his sword, and declai-ed he was her’s to the 
last drop of his blood j” but this we can affirm, that, just before 
the arrival of the above queries, we Avere asking ourselves j 
whether a paper, now and then, on the habits of such birds 
would not be acceptable to our readers. 
Grouse live A r ery easily in confinement, and are bold, tame, 
cheerful birds. They seem to be exempt from most of the 
ailments to which many others are subject. Like the 
Pheasant, they become reconciled to captivity, and feed 
almost as soon as they are caught. Their food is bread, 
oats, Avheat, and heath. The latter is, however, not essential 
always, and they will do Avithout it for a long time. It is 
very beneficial to them when it puts out its first shoot. It 
may be easily got at any time; but, as it is not always so 
accessible in the shape of a huge turf with the heath in a 
