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THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, April 17, 1860. 
a misnomer when applied to this variety, expressed a wish to his 
nephew that a new name should be given to it; and Mr. Thos. J. 
Booth, believing that the appellation would have been most 
pleasing to his uncle, has, consequently, named it Croclcetti, in 
honour of the Rev. R. P. Crockett, who was an intimate and 
attached friend of the late Professor. 
This noble Rhododendron is offered for sale by Messrs. 
Henderson & Son, Wellington Road, St. John’s Wood, London. 
HEATING A CONSERVATORY—EFFECT OF 
LIQUID MANURE ON POTS. 
I am erecting a conservatory, 16 feet by 11 feet, attached to 
my breakfast-room. Underneath the floor there will be a space 
4 feet 6 inches in height. 
Now, a stoke-liols would he unsighlly. Can I fix my boiler in 
the space, leading the flue the length of the house, so that I 
might benefit by the heat that would otherwise go out unused ? 
What size ought the flue to be? I think of three bricks on edge 
for sides, and tile (width ?) top and bottom. The furnace and 
ash-pit doors could open externally on the ground level. 
What will be the effect of liquid manure on painted pots ? 
Will they get saturated with the salts that effloresce on the 
surface of the rough ones ?—L. M. 
[So far as wo understand your case, we see no difficulty in the 
matter. If the furnace-doors are eyesores, a doorway may shut 
out the enclosed place from observation. With the heat of such 
a furnace in it, a better place could scarcely be found for Mush¬ 
rooms, Rhubarb, and Sea-kale in winter, only the work would 
have to be done with a sloping back. With a flue the size you 
speak of, and going along the front of the house, and that house 
a lean-to, we do not think you would need any boiler, if you 
merely wanted to exclude frost. If your house were span-roofed 
and nearly all glass, such a flue would not keep up enough heat 
in cold, frosty nights, though in such a case a larger flue in the 
centre, and immediately below a centre pathway, would do. We 
do not know enough of your premises to speak authoritatively. 
If your pots are hard burned, the liquid manure will have but 
little influence on the paint outside. If the pots are soft and 
porous, the salts of which you complain will come through, and 
in time cause the paint to peel off.] 
DECAYED TAN FOR RHODODENDRONS. 
A “Constaxt Subscriber” is anxious to have a bed of 
Rhododendrons about 18 feet by 14 feet, but fears the soil is too 
cold and wet. She is not near peat earth, but wishes to know 
if well pulverised tan will not do as well. She can readily get 
some five or six years old, and proposes taking out the original 
soil three feet deep, and putting in the tan, which has, to her, 
much the appearance of peat. Also, she would like to know 
whether a few waterings of strong liquid manure would be ad¬ 
visable for the first two months. 
[We think your plan dangerous, hut we have no experience on 
the point, nor is there any record that we know of, that American 
plants did well in very rotten tan. Perhaps some of our readers 
can tell.] 
LOBELIA CAEDINALIS MANAGEMENT. 
This winter has been very fatal to Lobelia cardinalis. Last 
autumn 1 had three large beds full of it, which were cut down 
and covered with coal ashes as usual. On uncovering the beds 
a short time ago I found every plant a mass of decay. °At first I 
thought that not one could be saved; nor could there, had I 
delayed another ten days examining them. However, here and 
there I found a little scrap ot crown safe, though half eaten 
away. I collected all these, washed them well, cut in all the bad 
roots, and scraped every vestige of decay away. I then half 
filled some cutting-pans with leaf mould, sand, and charcoal in 
equal parts ; placed the little scraps on this, covered them with 
sand and charcoal, and placed them in a gentle hotbed. They 
are doing famously, and I shall save my stock. 
I advise all your readers to examine their beds at once, and if 
they find their plants going, to adopt this plan. 
With regard to neglected old-fashioned flowers, let me put in 
a word for the Lose campion. I scarcely know any plant that 
makes so beautiful a bed in a grass garden. It is perfectly hardy, 
lasts from June till the end of September, and where will you 
find a richer crimson which contrasts so well with its grey leaves? 
I find that slightly pegging it down makes it more compact. 
-Q. Q. 
HARDINESS OF WELLINGTONIA GIGANTEA. 
I beg leave to add my testimony in favour of the hardiness of 
this famous tree. I procured a plant early in 1855 ; in Alar eh 
of the same year a site was selected purposely to test its capa¬ 
bilities of resisting cold, being much exposed on all sides, more 
especially to the prevailing westerly gales. If it proved hardy, 
the intention was to remove the pilant to another place, as there 
were obstacles that would interfere with its future development. 
Our soil being a stiff clay, a little preparation was made for its 
reception : a circle, five feet in diameter, was dug two spits deep, 
and the stiffest portion wheeled away; several barrowloads of 
fresh turfy loam were brought to replace it. The centre of the 
pit was raised to the level of the surrounding ground. The plant, 
then nine inches high, was brought and shaken completely out 
of its pot and placed on this mound, drawing the roots out on 
all sides ; but some of them were so coiled by having been pot- 
grown, that it was impossible to undo them completely. The 
weather being moist at the time, no water was given until the 
end of Alav; from that time throughout the summer artificial 
watering was resorted to occasionally. The following winter 
no protection was given whatever; in fact, it was resolved to let 
it sink or swim ; brown it did get, but on the approach of warm 
weather it gradually assumed its now well-known beautiful green. 
The two following years it received no extra attention. In the 
autumn of 1857 it had attained the height of three feet six 
inches. The following summer, although a very favourable one 
as regards moisture, it made only eleven inches of a leader. 
This was taken as evidence that the roots had extended beyond 
the prepared pit. The following spring, that of 1859, it was 
resolved to leave it permanently in the same site, the impediments 
to its future growth being removed. In February of that year 
a circular trench, twenty feet in diameter, was thrown out to the 
depth of three feet, commencing at the outside and working to 
the centre; when within three feet of the tree a careful man, 
armed with the much and deservedly used four-pronged steel 
fork, was put to disentangle the roots, as far as the extent of the 
first preparation. Fresh soil wa 9 procured, the top spit of an 
old pasture which was collected two years previously ; to every 
cartload of this two barrows of bog mould which had become 
fine by long exposure were added; both were thoroughly mixed 
and thrown in, filling the trench to its original level. During 
the process care was taken to direct the disentangled roots into 
the compost. Its roots, which are a bright red colour, were 
most healthy, within eighteen inches of the surface. The summer 
following, viz., 1859, we were rewarded with a leader of twenty- 
two inches, although very unfavourable for extra growth, its 
height now being six feet four inches, and the thickest part of 
the stem twelve inches diameter. I expect that next summer, 
in consequence of its having now got established in suitable soil, 
it will make much greater growth. I shall watch and report its 
progress to you. 
From the foregoing statement it will be seen that this great 
vegetable wonder is well suited to our climate, and now within 
the reach of those of very limited means. Regarding its propa¬ 
gation, pieces about two inches long root readily in sand under 
a bell-glass, but my cuttings have not that promising appearance 
which would warrant me to recommend that mode of propagation : 
seedlings, I a,m of opinion, will eventually be found to make tbe 
handsomest trees. 
I suggested some years ago to Her Majesty’s Commissioners to 
have a Wellingtonia planted at each of the four angles of the 
great conqueror’s testimonial in the Phoenix Park. Scarcely 
could a more lasting memorial be raised, or a more appropriate 
3 ite be chosen. It may be interesting to learn hovr some of the 
other recently introduced Conifer sc have fared during the past 
winter— Tlivja gigantea, much exposed, very hardy ; Thuiopsk 
borealis , ditto ; Cephalotaxus Fortuni, ditto ; Biota glauca, quite 
uninjured ; Cupressus J PNabiana, ditto. 
Cupressus Lambertiana , and C. macrocarpa, planted in 1853, 
then 18 inches high, have attained the height of 20 feet, by 11 
and 13 respectively. The variety Lambertiana here weeps at the 
points of the horizontal branches, giving it much the appearance 
of the well-known beautiful Himalayan Cedar. By reports from 
other localities and my own experience, I consider, as ornamental 
