THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, September 25, 1860. 
•arranged in regular rows on the arms, but scattered on the disc. 
Each tubercle carries a bunch of long spiculiform spines, eighteen 
or twenty in each bunch. 
The Sun Star varies considerably in colour: sometimes the 
whole upper surface is of a deep purple; the disc, again, is fre¬ 
quently red, and the rays white, and tipped with red; beneath, it 
is commonly white or straw colour. It grows to a large size, 
being frequently nine, ten, and eleven inches across. It frequents 
oyster and scallop-banks, and is distributed all round the British 
coasts ; but is to be found, perhaps, most plentifully at Scar¬ 
borough at the period of low tides.—W. 
{To be continued .) 
A LIVE SCREEN—TREES EOR A EILLED-UP 
POND. 
I AM anxious to hide a. footpath which comes between mv 
flower garden opposite the house and an adjoining field. As soon 
as I came to the house last November I planted a belt of Laurels. 
They are now doing very well, but owing to the severe winter had 
to be cut back considerably. What can I put behind the Laurels 
—that is, between them and the wire fence ? I thought of Horn¬ 
beam about four feet high, and about a foot apart, to form a 
hedge, and then keep it cut down to five or six feet, the full 
height required. 
What will do to plant over a filled-up pond still rather wet in 
winter and rainy weather?—A. P. K. 
[Your plan is very good. The Hornbeam will make a sufficient 
fence without the Laurels after it is up to the proper height. The 
end of October and through November is a good time to plant 
the hedge. 
A fine plant of the deciduous Cypress would be the best thing 
to plant in the centre of the filled-up pond, which is still wet. 
It is a native of marshy land, and a most beautiful tree. The 
American Weeping Willow, standard high, would be the next 
best; and a standard of the Kilmarnock Weeping Willow the 
third best; and for a thick covering all over the surface nothing 
is better than the common Dogwood, Cornus alba, or Red- 
wooded Cornus, one of the best woods for skewers.] 
YUCCA EILAMENTOSA SUCKERS. 
Having an old plant with five large suckers on it, I shall be 
obliged by being told the proper time to take them off. Also by 
being informed, if they are not rooted, must they remain on the 
old plant until they are rooted ? If not, will the suckers strike 
like Pine Apple suckers in a pot with but little heat ?—M. F. 
[It is not safe or economical to disturb this or any of the 
Yuccas in the autumn. About the end of April and all through 
May is the best time to take off ground suckers of them; and 
the first half of June the right time to take off tops and top 
suckers, or side-suckers, which are the parts likened to Pine 
Apple suckers, and which root just as Pine crowns and suckers 
do, but will do so without bottom heat, or with it if there is the 
chance. Ground suckers should be taken off with a clean cut 
from below upwards—not pulled off nor slipped off, for fear of 
the wounds on the stem festering. Cut them close to the old 
stem, and if there are three inches of the suckers bare of leaves 
they are fit to plant; if not, a few of the bottom leaves ought to 
be slipped off. Then keep them a couple of days in the shade to 
dry the cuts partially ; and then plant four inches deep in light 
sandy soil, in a warm sheltered place out of doors ; and they will 
root as freely as Pine suckers stuck into a tan-bed. 
If that filamentosa were our property, we would first take it 
up carefully, then cut off the suckers, and plant the old plant in 
fresh, rich, light soil, and place it a little deeper than it stood 
before. There are two good reasons for this : First, when Yucca 
roots are thus stopped the old trunk makes young ones imme¬ 
diately, and both old and young roots work together; and 
secondly, so many more roots in rich and fresh pasture, so’much 
more growth and strength and length of flower-spike. Tall 
Yuccas, with four or five feet of bare stems, and from five to ten 
heads or divisions at the top, are only in their proper places when 
they stand near ruins, a Swiss cottage, rock or root-work, or 
steep banks and near waterfalls. In terrace gardens and' all 
dressed grounds Yuccas of all sorts should neverbe allowed more 
than a foot or eighteen inches of bare stem, and not more than 
three divisions in the head. But how are they to be so kept ? 
Why, cut their heads off, to be sure; then divide the crowns, ind 
slip off a few- of the bottom leaves of each; let. them dry a if tie 
like the suckers, and then plant them just as the suckers—he 
first half of June is the right time for this part of the pl'y. 
Leave the ugly old stump, or stumps if there be more than oni 
aud they will soon push up shoots like a pollard Oak. NeA 
June have at them again, and cut below the bottommost slioot- 
sucker; slip off, dry and plant as before, and the bare bottom 
will keep you going at so much a-year till you come to the last 
cut next the ground, and after that one more cut within the 
surface will come to the roots. Leave the strongest growth at 
this last cutting; and if ever you saw a Yucca blossom in earnest, 
the blossom of your ground growth will be just like it. Who 
would be without Yuccas after that ? But who has seen a Yucca 
filamentosa hedge two hundred yards long, and every plant in it 
in full bloom at one time, and none of them under four feet high 
—the average height being five feet six inches ? We have seen 
the thing this very season, aud that kind is hardy enough for the 
very north of Scotland. 
i All the Dragon trees (Dractena) from the Tropics, and all the 
Club and Cordyline trees from Australia, have the same natural 
way of growth as the Yuccas, and they belong to the same natural 
division of a very unnatural-looking order in botany, but are 
propagated just in the same way. There is an eye, or bud, 
hidden in their iron hard-looking trunks for every leaf that was 
on them, and by beginning at the top and lop it off, so many of 
the hidden eyes start round the pollard top, just like the Yuccas ; 
only that Dragon trees, and Cordyline and Club tree shoots, want 
bottom heat to root their bare suckers, or whatever you may 
choose to call them, while the bare bottoms of the young of the 
hardy Yuccas will root with the common heat of our ordinary 
summers. Some clever fellows increase very rare Pine Apple 
plants exactly on this model; and those variegated Pine Apple 
plants for the shows could be made from top to bottom in the 
same way.] 
DESFONTAINEA SPINOSA. 
“A Subscriber TO The Cottage Gardener” requests in¬ 
formation as to the treatment of Desfontainea—a plant both in 
leaf and growth resembling a Holly. It has not made any 
progress in a mixed greenhouse during a whole year, but re¬ 
mained healthy, whilst one of the same size in greater heat 
became sickly. The plant from the greenhouse has been turned 
out into a border for two months, where it is increasing in vigour. 
Will it be safe to let it remain during the winter ? It has never 
yet bloomed. 
[Lift the Desfontainea as soon as may be, and winter it in a 
cool house, keeping it rather dry. As” the sun gains power 
increase the water, and raise the temperature a little, with plenty 
of air. Flowers will then most likely come pretty freely.] 
HEATING A SMALL GREENHOUSE. 
I have a greenhouse of the following dimensions, twenty feet 
by sixteen feet, span-roofed. It is my intention to heat it with 
hot water, and have had an estimate to do so ; but it is so ex¬ 
pensive, £19, exclusive of mason’s work, that I am reluctant to 
go to that expense, especially as the house is built more for 
Grapes than flowers, and I have only the usual bedding-out 
plants, with Geraniums and Roses, and a few others—nothing at 
all expensive or choice. What I wish you to tell me is, will a 
stove be sufficient to keep out frost ? Fortunately the flue of 
the parlour comes so, that I could easily lead the pipe into it. 
I could also leave the kitchen door open of a night which leads 
into the greenhouse, and that I suppose would tend to increase 
the heat. The flower-stand is in the centre, and in severe weather 
I could move them from the sides of the house and nearer the 
stove.—J. B., Saltford. 
_ [We presume your house is all glass, except on the parlour 
side, with, perhaps, two or three feet of wall next the ground all 
round. Nothing is said of the height. If seven or eight feet to 
the ridge, one iron stove, such as is used in shops, some three 
feet or three feet and a half in height, round, and some twelve 
inches in diameter, with a double casing, will heat such a house 
so as to keep out frost, especially with the convenience of the 
kitchen door open, and, if the pipes were not in the way, would 
be best placed at the south-east corner near the door. We 
presume such a stove with piping would cost from £3 to £4. If 
