January -l, 1872. J 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



Hamburgh, and Kee that tbo yuuug rods ai-e fully exposed to the light to 

 ripen the wood properly. Salt applied at the rate of half a peck to a 

 rod of ground -will he of "much benefit to vegetables, and also to your flower 

 border. 



Planting Vines {Ignoramita). — You purchased fniitiUR and not planting 

 Vines. Canes such as you describe would carry a crop of fruit nest season. 

 If you plant them as permanent Vines, cut them back to 3 feet at ouce, aud 

 plant them out in March. When the buds are fairly started rub off all except 

 two or thi-ee at the base ; these you must train up to the apes of the roof. 

 Pinch all lateral shoots at the second leaf. As your house is span-roofed, 

 why ut)t plant on both sides ? If you cannot do this, then you must train the 

 yoiing rods over from one side to the other. The second year, if the Vines 

 have done weU, they will hear a light crop of fruit — from two to four bunches 

 on each rod. As soon as the leaves have fallen the cones should he cut back, 

 the weakest to 3 feet, and the strongest to 6 feet from the bottom of the rafters. 

 If your house is used as a greenliouse in smnmer, the Vine rods should he 

 5 feet 6 inches apart ; if used only as a vinery, 2 feet 9 inches is the proper 

 distance. 



Planting Vines and Making Vine Border (Philip Barker).— Vk'e would 

 not moke an outside border the first year, and only half of the inside one, 

 making' up the other half inside at the end of the second year ; two years 

 after this we would add 6 feet to the outside. " A hanier of slates" would 

 not prevent the roots from running through to the back wall. It would 

 require a brick wall on a Boiid foundation. You could manage it by raising a 

 wall of turves as you filled- in the new border, and leaving an open space between 

 this aud the old soil. Vines will do no good on the back waU after the roof is 

 covered with bearing wood. Six plants will be sufficient for a house 30 feet 

 long, two rods trained up from each plant ; it will leave them 2 feet 6 inches 

 apart, which is as close as they ought to he. 



Iron Pipe for Flue {Flue). — Wo are sorry wo cannot help you much 

 All iron pipes used as flues are apt to havo this dark stick-y fluid formed on 

 them in exact proportion to the dampness of the weather and the fuel. Some- 

 times, but not 60 often, it appears on brick and earthenware tube flues. We 

 advise you to hum some dry wood in the fm-nace to diy up the condensation, 

 and then use fuel in a drier state than usual. It would also be well to have 

 a short pipe at the lowest level to slip over the ends of the other two, and by 

 taking this off or shpping it along you could clear out the matter by a pole 

 or small hoe. 



Pit Converting to Propagating House (A Young BegiiiJier). — We have 

 no doubt the plan you propose would answer well, but you must have means 

 to let the heat rise to worm the air of the house. If you have tanks on the 

 flue, you would need corks attached to small rods to show when the tanks were 

 full. " We have very lately described the modes of doing all this with a flue. 

 As yon mean to retain the flue, this is the way we would do it : — Instead of 

 the pit of 7 feet in width, 7 feet high at back, and 3 feet high in front, we 

 would sink the pit 6 inches more, run a 4:-inch wall, with piers of 9 inches, 

 2i feet from the bock wall, raising that to within 3.J feet of the gloss. That 

 would form your pit. Then take a 9-inch flue thi-ough the middle of it ; 

 brick-on-bed for a yard from the furnace, briek-on-edge the rest of the dis- 

 tance, and carry it back in the pathway, the top of the flue forming part of the 

 pathway. You would thus command bottom and top heat without any 

 trouble. All round the flue in the bed we would pack clinkers and brickbats 

 openly, aud cover them and a few inches over the flue with smaller stones, and 

 then fijie gravel. On each side of the flue have upright drain pipes, so that 

 you con damp the stones and rubble, not the flue, and have plugs of wood for 

 these upright pipes. Four or five of the uprights should stand on each side, 

 and the base end should rest on a slate, so that the water might be dispersed 

 over the stones. Adiantum farleyense should seldom be in a temperature 

 below 60". 



Where to Move to (A Yorkshiremait).—A.s you have spent four years at 

 nursery work, we think that yoxi had better remain at that than prepare for 

 hoUling a place as a gentleman's gardener, in which case you would have a 

 good deal to leam. Much, however, depends on youi- own feelings with regard 

 to the subject. An intelligent temperate man will conunand good wages in a 

 nursery when his character and capabilitie-; are fully established, and he may 

 ultimately set up business for himself. At all events, he will be able to act 

 more independently than if he were a gentleman's gardener. Nevertheless, 

 in the latter case, though not free from drawbacks, he will have no trouble 

 with money affairs — one of the most disturbing circujnstauces to many when 

 they first commence business. 



CuouMBER (Vegetarian). — ^Write to Messrs. Rollieson, Tooting. 



Distinctive Characters of the Eose Classes (An Inquirer). — Your 

 query is not easily answered. Many florists place a Rose in different classes, 

 and many would be puzzled if asked to state the characters of some of the 

 classes. If any of our great Rose- cultivators will furnish us with the dis- 

 tinctive characters of the Provence, Bom-bon, Noisette, Hybrid Perpetual, 

 aud other classes, into which florists divide Roses, wo and many of our 

 readers will be much obliged. 



Colour of Peas (H. C.).~The colour of Peas is reckoned from their con- 

 dition in a dry state, the white, as a rule, being the smiUlest, and of a paler 

 colour when boiled than blues, which are also of better flavour. The green 

 ore good in colour when cooked. The blue and green are generally better 

 croppers, but this does not invariably hold good, as some of the whites are 

 excellent both as regards cropping and quality. 



Stopping Pelargoniums (A Young Exhibitor).— Tor flowering in June 

 stop them early in February, and the Fancy sorts at the same time. Your 

 treatment is correct. 



Small Birds Attacking Buds (Constant Reader). — Dress them with a 

 mixture of lime and soot, brought to the consistency of paint by adding 2 ozs. 

 of soft soap to a gallon of water. This should be done about February, and 

 is also a good preventive of insect pests. We have found it also desirable not 

 to prune until the buds have begun to swell. We have found black worsted 

 or cotton stretched from branch to branch, so as to form meshes about 3 or 

 4 niches wide, keep off birds when other means failed. Strips of glass about 

 3 inches long and 2 wide, blackened on one side, suspended from the shoots, 

 are useful for scaring them. 



Electricity (J. Wilson). — It will not make plants grow without warmth' 

 &e., nor con we without diagrams explain how you could moke a galvanic 

 battery. 



Names of Fruits (J. D. GiZ/Tn/;ftflm).— 2, Chanmontel; 2, Beurr^Langelier; 

 4, Feom's Pippin; 6, Cowame Queening; 7, PUo's Russet. 



Names of Plants (A Ten-years Su &5 c-r i be r).— Your Oncidimn sent last 



week appears to be 0. altissimum. (Mi: H. Dwrit/i).— PeUtea adiantifolia. It 

 is not a climbing species. The frond sent is quite exceptional in having its 

 rachis curved. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PiaEON CHRONICLE. 



THE OLD AND THE NEW YEAB. 



We have somewhat varied onr routine. Formerly we ad- 

 dressed our readers on the last number of the old year. The 

 retrospect is not so cheerful as the anticiijation. We had to 

 do with the past, and now we are disposed to draw on the 

 future. The latter is always gilded, the former has suffered 

 from wear aud tear. The past is somewhat stale, flat, and un- 

 profitable ; the future 



" Hails in its heart the triumphs yet to come." 

 Tet we would not discard the past ; it tells us of another pro- 

 sperous year, of old ties still unbroken, of constantly-recurring 

 names that are " familiar in our mouths as household words," 

 and wo trust that they, like ourselves, are grateful that we are 

 spared to hail the advent of Eighteen Hundred and Seventy- 

 two. We have had halcyon days. We have glided down the 

 past fifty-two weeks with few, if auy, storms, and our bark 

 enters the port with canvas undamaged, and with a tried and 

 trusty crew. 



Some remarks on the past may be expected, and we shall 

 not withhold them. As faithful chroniclers we will briefly 

 notice those things with which we have been brought in con- 

 stant contact. 



Dorkings have remained stationary as regards weight, but 

 it must be recollected there is a limit to everything. In the 

 last few vears they have iucreased (we speak of exhibition 

 bh-ds) froin 2 to 3 lbs. each. They stiU form one of the largest 

 classes at shows, aud they sell readily. The fault we have to 

 point out is the prevalence of spurs outside instead of inside 

 the leg. This should be avoided. lu this, as in mauy other 

 breeds, although size is a great desideratum, it must not be 

 gained by the sacrifice of other properties. 



Spanish make no progress either in numbers or quality. 

 They are not equal to those we had years ago, nor are they so 

 distinguished for those merits that amateurs look for. We 

 should be sorry to see a marked decadence iu these beautiful 

 fowls. They are the townsman's birds. Their constitution is 

 of iron; they will live iu auy space however confined, and 

 when eggs are sold, as they should be for general purposes, by 

 weight, they wiU tell their tale m the balance-sheet. It is trile 

 they are not sitters, but few dwellers iu towns have conveni- 

 ence for rearing chickens. 



Our good old friends the Cochins iucrease aud prosper ; 

 they deserve it. No fowl has kept the word of promise more 

 than these have. They never ail anything, theu- chickens are 

 hatched as hai-dy as young crocodiles, they are not wanderers, 

 and they do not easily take offence. The pullets lay at an 

 earlier age than almost any fowl ; and as it no longer costs a 

 good hunter, or a six-roomed cottage replete with every con- 

 venience, to buy a cock and hen, we are not surprised that they 

 are extensively kept. Viewed as show bu-ds, they have not 

 been kept to the standard of former years. The hideous 

 vulture hock has been overlooked, or allowed to be palliated 

 by a Uttle extra feathermg on the leg or middle toe.^ A mealy 

 wing iu a cock has been declared an abomination, while stained 

 hackles in pullets have been allowed to pass unquestioned. It 

 was the work of years to get rid of the marked hackle, but the 

 vulture hock was unknown tUl recently. Many thousands of 

 birds, faultless save for the hock, have been, and stiU are, 

 killed every spring. 



These remarks will iu some measure apply to the next re- 

 view, that of the Brahmas. These birds have at last outlived 

 all opposition, and now form the large class at most exhibi- 

 tions. They are truly valuable fowls, ridiculously hardy, care- 

 less of confinement, moderate eaters. The facility with which 

 they are bred to resemble each other in every particular point, 

 has long since cUsposed of the idea they were a composite 

 breed, or an offshoot of the Cochms. If we were asked for a, 

 fowl calculated to live and do well iu any place or under any 

 cu-cumstances, we should certainly name the Brahma. 



The beautiful Polands have been shown in larger numbers 

 during the past veai-. The Sdvers h.ave been especiaUy re- 

 markable for their high merit. Game have been everj-where 

 perfect. Some critics complain they ai-e now bred too long m 

 the leg, but we cannot help thinking they are very perfect, and 



