93 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ January 25, 1872. 



tie side shelves or the central platform. This platform we would either have 

 fli', 3i feet from the ground, or, ii a stage, have two or three shelves on each 

 Bide, the slope facin- ea<t and west. There are tliree modes by which j-ou 

 cm heat the house effectually. The pipei may be placed above ground under 

 the aide shelves, and if 6 inches from the climbers will not hurt them, and 

 a thin hoard miyht bo placed between the pipes and the stems of the climbers ; 

 b It then we presume it would not do to have the pipes opposite the window, 

 n r yet opposite the wide part in the centre. In this case the boiler could be 

 p'ac'ed at the north-west comer, pipes taken as far as the window on the west 

 8 de. and right round as far as the wider part on the other. Three 4-inch 

 pipej would be required. The neatest mode, if you can sink your boiler 

 €a5Ui,'h and do not mind a little more expense, would be to form a trench for 

 yoir pathway, with a brick wall on each side, take three pipes all round in the 

 trouL-li, and cover the opening with galvanised-iron grating. In cold damp 

 weather that grating will be very pleasant to the feet, especially if thin-solcd 

 boots are used. The third mode, and a very simple one, is to carry both your 

 flow and return pipe from the boiler underneath the border and pathway, 

 and then rise and commence at the nor,h-west side, and take the pipes right 

 round the house under the central platform, where they would be entirely out 

 of the way. We would carry the pipes round either on a level, or, better still, 

 with a rise of 2 or 3 inches, insert an air-pipe at the farther end, and make 

 the connection at once with the return-pipe to the bottom of the boiler. . To 

 keep out frost, two pipes round under the platform would do. To keep plants 

 in bloom in winter, or to force them, three 4-inch pipes would he better, 

 placing them in such a position that all the heating would be in the centre of 

 the house. We think the form of boiler is not of much consequence, and 

 if you tiud the tubular so much to your satisfaction, we would advise you to 

 have what suits you best. You will see other remarks on placing the heating 

 pipes under the central stage. The pipes are thus quite out of the way. 



Glazing Without Laps (X. Y. Z.). — Much less air finds its way into a 

 house glazed without laps than into one with them. The danger lies in the 

 Klass bein-;' placed closely side by side, and no room being left in the groove, 

 as in Mr. Peach's case, for the class will suffer from expansion. We have no 

 doubt that the zinc bars will answer, but as to their durability we will say 

 nothing. Zinc roofs were recommended at one time because they would not 

 oxidise or rust out, but they wear out, and are very sensitive to expansion and 

 contraction by heat and cold. We would paint zinc bars if using them, but 

 <iur experience does not enable us to speak decidedly. 



Sowing the Berries of Thorns, Hollies, Bats, and Berberis Dar- 

 wiNll (BcTmotl). — It is not necessary to take off the pulp. They may he sown 

 tis they are, though it is usual to place the Thorn haws in a heap, cover them 

 with soil for a twelvemonth, and then sow from three-quarters to an inch deep. 

 Tou may do this or sow, but the seedlings will not appear until the second 

 year. The same remarks apply to the Holly and Bay, but in the case of the 

 Berberis the pulp may be separated by washing, and the seeds sown in sandy 

 soil in March. They "should all he sown in the open ground early in March, 

 ehoosing a warm sheltered spot for the Bay. 



Beet for a Ribbon Border (Trethowel). — The best we have grown for 

 this purpose is Dell's Crimson. Sow it in pans during the second week of 

 April, and plant out the seedlings in the second or third week of May. We 

 have sown it where it is to remain in the first week of May, thinning-out the 

 plants to 8 or 9 inches apart, and they were as good as the transplanted 

 seedlings. Amaranthus tricolor is not nearly so good as Beet, not so hardy , 

 aud altogether very different. 



Late Peas (Q. Q.). — For producing a late supply of Peas, Ne Plus Ultra 

 is excellent, and should be sown at the end of June ; and Imperial Wonder is 

 a good late sort, which should be sown at the same time. To fill-up the gap 

 "between Ringleader and Yeitch's Perfection, Maclean':: Princess Royal and 

 Premier are excellent sorts. 



Annuals for Late Flowering (Idem). — They arc very uncertain sub- 

 jects for producing a late supply of flowers for cutting, but we find the large- 

 flowered Emperor Stock and Phlox Drummondi excedent for the purpose. 

 The seed should be sown early in April in gentle heat. We have also had 

 Asters in fine bloom early in October, from a sowing made at the end of 

 April ; Senecio elegans from seed sown at the same time in heat and the 

 seedlings planted out; Sweet Alyssum and Candytuft, the latter sown early 

 in June, and the former early in May. CaUiopsia Burridgii flowers late, and so 

 do Branching Larkspurs sown in April. Centranthus macrosiphon sown the 

 last week in May, and Sweet Pea the second week in May, will flower until 

 frost. The Tom Thumb varieties of Nasturtium are good sown the third 

 week in April, and no doubt there are many others which do not occur to us at 

 present. Crimson King Verbena is a satisfactory bedder, but would not do 

 -outside Purple King, which should either be raised or the positions reversed. 

 Frogmore Late Pine Strawberry is superior to Elton, and is quite as late. For 

 a late supply the situation should he open, but we do not think anything is 

 gained by growing the plants on north borders. Cockscomb is an excellent 

 "Strawberry and would thrive with you. 



Caterpillars in Leaf Mould ( W. Nock). — The caterpillars are those of 

 one of the many species of daddy-longlegs (Tipula sp.). They attack the 

 i-oots of many plants. — I. O. W. 



Names of Fruits (D. F. J. K., Virginia).— The two Pears are Chaumontef. 

 They are now over- ripe, and becoming as usual bitter. Their shrivelling before 

 ripening arises, probably, from their not having been well matured before they 

 were gathered. {Subscriber). — It is not easy to name a Grape from seeing 

 only three berries ; still we venture to say that yours is Mrs. Pince. 



shown by myself at Bristol, for I obtained the parents direct 

 from Shanghai about two years ago, and I keep no other 

 breed of fowls. If your reporter had been accustomed to see 

 Cochins a-; they are foiuid in China, he would be astonished 

 at the difference which exists in the breed as we have it now 

 exemplified in the Buff variety. The greatest improvement 

 has taken place, and this, I think, wiU also be the case with 

 the Blacks when more known. At any rate, I shall not be dis- 

 couraged in my attempt towards such improvement. 



It is generally supposed to be impossible to breed the Black 

 Cochins true to feather ; this is very likely to be the case if 

 they are the result of the cross (referred to in the " Poultry 

 Book" edited by Messrs. Wingfield and Johnson, page 13) be- 

 tween the White and Buff varieties, which produces, I believe, 

 a Black, but which, after the first or second moult, shows white 

 feathers ; and this it was -which induced me to obtain some 

 birds direct from Shanghai, where I have friends, who selected 

 and sent me my first birds. 



I should like to say a few words about age, in the hope that 

 judges will discourage as much as possible that which I fear 

 exists to a great extent — riz., understating ages, or rather 

 bowing birds over a year old as cockerels and puUets. This 

 I observe you have referred to in your remarks on the Dorking 

 cockerel class at Bristol, and there is no doubt that this very 

 unfair practice extensively prevails. — C. M. Hole, Tiverton. 



SILVER-SPANGLED HAMBURGHS. 



Having attended several of the principal shows, and being 

 to some extent a Hamburgh fancier, I was struck with the 

 difference in what are now called Silver-spangled Hamburghs 

 and those exhibited a few years ago. On reference to the 

 second edition of the " Poultry Book," I find illustrated there 

 a bold, weU-shaped, white bird, evenly and distinctly spangled 

 with black. On examining the prize pens at the Crystal Palace 

 Show, I saw what I thought were black birds shghtly pied 

 with white, the white spots apparently running one into the 

 other. 



Mr. Beldon, in a letter published in an American paper, 

 writing of Silver-spangled Hamburghs, states that they should be 

 heavily and distinctly spangled ; now, I maintain that the pre- 

 sent breed of show birds are not distinctly spangled. — J. K. 0. 



WHAT A RAILWAY CAN DO. 

 We so often hear complaints, and justly so, I think, of 

 railway neglect in the conveyance of poultry to and from shows, 

 that I think the following instance of celerity may, perhaps, be 

 worthy of note. I had a pen of Golden Polands at the Durham 

 Show, the Secretary of which was requested to forward the 

 pen to the Edinburgh Show. AU were to be at Edinburgh by 

 Friday night, or at the very latest by Saturday morning at 

 eight o'clock. Judge, then, of my chagrin to find my bii-ds 

 safe at home on Friday night, instead of just then being about 

 arriving at Edinburgh. However, an hour or two afterwards, 

 on consulting " Bradshaw," I found that if I sent a pen by mail 

 train leaving Louth at eighteen minutes to 9, there was just a 

 chance that they would get to Edinburgh by 8.5 in the morn- 

 ing; so I packed up a pen and despatched them, and as I 

 could only prepay the ciirriage to Berwick, I placed a large 

 card on the top of the hamper, requesting the railway officials 

 not to remove the hamper from the train at Bervidck, but 

 to send them on to EtUnburgh. They arrived, and won a 

 prize ; thus traversing a distance of fully four hundred miles 

 in about eleven hours and a half. — G. W. B. 



POULTET, BEE AND PIGEON CHEONIOLE. 



BLACK COCHIN-CHINAS. 



I THINK your reporter has been a little severe generally on 

 the Black Cochins exhibited at the late Bristol Poultry Show, 

 and especially so on my unfortunate seven-months-old cockerel, 

 vfhich he designates a " miserable so-caUed Black Cochin."^ I 

 shall not be sorry if it shordd give rise to a useful discussion 

 on this breed, -which I believe is destined to be verj- shortly as 

 much in request as any of the other varieties of Cochins, 

 if not more so. I can vouch for the purity of the bh-ds 



ANY OTHER VARIETY OF BANTAMS. 

 I \M sure Black Bantam breeders -will say -with me it is very 

 hard that we cannot be treated like all other exhibitors. We 

 pay the same entrance money, and have to meet in our Any 

 variety class five or six different breeds — -viz., Blacks, 'V\Tiites, 

 Gold-laced, SUver-laced, Japanese, Pekins, and of course it 

 becomes purely a matter of taste -with the Judges which shaU 

 have the prizes. How often do we see Pekins first. Laced 

 second, and ifa third prize is given Blacks get it. We have few 

 shows -where Blacks have a class, and note when they have 

 as a rule it is a good class numbering from ten to twenty pens. 

 Of course, breeders of 'UTiite and Laced Bantams may find the 

 same fault. Now, what we want is either separate classes for 

 aU sorts, or di-viding as follows: first. Blacks and Whites; 

 second, Gold-laced and Silver-laced; third, Any other variety 



