February 22, 1872. ] 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



179 



Ericas byemalis and ciliaris ; EpiphyllumB on stems about a foot high, andMono- 

 chaittiin ensifemm, are the tio\vci-mg plants we advise. The only plants "ne 

 prefer to these ai-e Azaleas, which when neatly trained and not too tall are 

 surpassed by but few floweiiug plants. Of foliage plants we ad\-ise the 

 following, but they must not he lai-ge: — Bambusa Fortunoi vaiiegata, Cha- 

 m^erops escelsa, Coprosma Eaueriana variegata, Corypha australis. Dracfena 

 austr^s, Eurya latifoUa variegata, Isolepis gracilis, Lomatia elegantissima, 

 Seaforthia elegans, Yucca aloifoUa variegata, Y. filamentosa and variegata, 

 and Y. quadricolor. 



Seeds from Australia (Nelly). — Sow all the seeds you have received, and 

 when they come up you can, if you lite, retain two of each and dispose of the 

 rest to friends. All will succeed in a greenhouse, and we will give you some 

 information respecting them. 1 and 2, Acacias, are mostly fine yellow-flowered 

 plants. 3, New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax) is an herbaceous perennial, 

 baiily in some situations, and a fine ornamental greenhouse plant. 4, Lante- 

 wo'ni or Grass Tree {Xanthorrhcea hastilis) has a stem like a Palm, with a 

 head formed of longgiussy leaves, spreading out and hanging down in elegant 

 eur\-cs. 5, Goodia latifolia, greenhouse evergreen shrub, ^s-ith yellow flowers 

 in early summer. 6, Hakea eucalyptoides, gi-eenhouse evergreen shrub, with 

 white flowers in early summer. 7 Vk'e do not know anything of. 8, Callitris, 

 a coniferous tree that may suit as a small plant for a greenhouse. 9 and 10 

 we are not acquainted with. 11 and 12, Pittosporum undulatum has white 

 and green flowers, sweet-scented ; P. nigrescens, brown ; both gieenhouse ever- 

 green shrubs. 13, Logenoria is a form of Bottle Gourd that requiies to ba 

 sown in hotbed and grown on until June, when it may be planted against a 

 fence in a warm situation; it may also be treated like a Vegetable Marrow. 

 14, Elaeocarpus, gi-eenhouse evergreen tree with white flowers. 15, Goui 

 (Adanaonia digitata), said in Dr. Hogg's " Vegetable Kingdom " to be the 

 ''greatest vegetable wonder of the world." "We think, however, the seeds you 

 have imder this name are not correct, as it is a native of Sen^'ambia and 

 Guinea. 16, You know, of coiu-se, what Clematis is. 17 and 21, We cannot 

 give any account of. 18, Eucalyptus globulus, greenhouse evergreen tree. 

 19, Hardenbergia, greenhouse evergreen climberwith purple flowers. 20, Else- 

 ocarpus, evergreen shrubs, requiring a greenhouse. We should sow all in pots 

 well drained, and in a compost of two parts sandy peat, one of light fibrous 

 loam, and a part of sand. Place them iu a hotbed of 70- £o 75-, keep them 

 just moist, and after the plants show the first pair of rough leaves pot them 

 off singly, but keep them iu the hotbed until established; then haiden them 

 off, and remove them to the greenhouse. 



WooDLicE IN Sea-kale Pots (Smosh). — The best remedy for woodlice is 

 to pom* boiling water on them where it can be practised, but in your case we 

 should be satisfied with taking off the covers of the pots and dusting with 

 quicklime. We do not know what other means you can adopt without injury 

 to the Sea-kale. 



Mahes of Plants (H. D. Nagh). — One of the narrower-leaved forms c f 

 Eriostemon myoporoides of De CandoUe^ a well-known greenhouse plant. 

 Native of Australia. 



"POULTET, BEE, AUD PIGEON CKROmCLE. 



TRIMMING BIRDS FOR EXHIBITION. 



Men who take thml-class tickets yet ride in tirst-class 

 carriages ; men who utter counteifeit coin ; men who commit 

 forgery ; and men who trim in any way buds they exhibit for 

 prizes, are all felons — their crimes are aUke, for they all cun- 

 ningly and secretly endeavour to benefit themselves by injur- 

 ing others. 



We have spared no one who has been detected in fraudu- 

 lently trimming his birds, and we have proclaimed the names 

 of the criminals just as we have often bung up thievish mag- 

 pies to warn their kindi'ed from similar thefts. Yet bird- 

 trimmers, hke surviving magpies, are not quite scared from 

 their felonies. 



The bird-trimmers, inde'ed, are rather increasing iu number 

 and boldness, so that one of our best authorities has written to 

 us that some stringent measures are needed to protect honest 

 exhibitors. We hold the same opinion, and we recommend 

 all committees to have the following clause inserted in their 

 forms of entry, and beneath which clause each intending ex- 

 hibitor has to sign his name — 



" I hereby agree that if the birds I exhibit are trimmed they 

 shall be forfeited to the Committee, to be sold by them, and 

 the money received for them paid to the funds of the county 

 hospital, or of some other public charity." 



POLAND FOWLS. 



As a breeder of those beautif\il Poland fowls during many 

 years, I cannot refrain from saying a few words in reply to Mr. 

 Boothby's letter. I think it would be much better, if com- 

 mittees of poxiltry shows cannot afford a separate class for 

 each of the three varieties, to reduce the prizes and entrance 

 fees to enable them to do so. But by all means let us have 

 separate classes, as I think none of the Poland exhibitors wish 

 to see the bii'ds all huddled together in one class, which, be- 

 sides, would increase the labour of the Judges in making the 

 awards satisfactorily. Like Mr. Boothby, I think that the 

 good, sound, and clear lacing or spangling should not altogether 

 be ignored for the large crest. 



With regard to the qualities of the three varieties as egg- 



producers, I find the White-crested Black the most proHfic, 

 and next the Silvers. I should not like to see any of them 

 degenerate at our shows. In my opinion they are the most 

 ornqmental fowls that go uito a show, and certainly none are 

 more admired bv visitors. — J. Dean. 



LAST YEAR'S JUDGING— RULES. 



Among the regulations of our poultry societies the following' 

 was formerly almost invariably iaserted : — " Gentlemen of 

 acknowledged ability and judgment will be appointed to award 

 the prizes." It is om'ious to observe now with what uniformity 

 this rule " has become conspicuous by its absence." The 

 omission of this rule is, I apprehend, one fertile source of the 

 " wide-spread " dissatisfaction alluded to by your correspon- 

 dent Mr. J. E. KeU. I lately knew an instance of a person 

 sending a really good pen of poultry, in excellent condition, to 

 an exhibition, where they were unnoticed. They had previously 

 been winners in the keenest competition. The owner was dis- 

 satisfied, he could attach no blame to the managers, they were 

 protected by their rule, " The decision of the Judge will in all 

 cases be final." The exhibitor must bear the disappointment 

 caused by his indiscretion ; he had sent his birds to a show 

 where the prizes had been, awarded shall I say? no, dis- 

 tributed by a gentleman whose ability and judgment were 

 " unknown to (poulti-y) fame." 



1 have for some time past adopted a coiu'se, which if gene- 

 rally pursued by exhibitors would, I believe, materially lessen 

 the "wide-spread dissatisfaction." Except under very special 

 circumstances I never enter my poultry for a show where the 

 name of the Judge has not either been aimouuced together 

 with the schedule of prizes, or in an advertisement in the 

 Journal, previous to the day named for receiving the entries. 

 If I entrust valuable poultry to the care of a committee and 

 incur an outlay in enti-y fees and travelUng expenses, I claim 

 as a guarantee of good faith on their part an assurance that the 

 prizes shall be awarded by a competent and able Judge. I have 

 frequently observed that where the name of " our oldest and 

 ablest Judge " has been announced, a large entry and good 

 competition have been the result ; on the other hand, when the 

 name of the Judge has been withheld, a species of mistrust has 

 been manifest by a coiTespondingly meagre entry. I have, I 

 think, showed to demonstration that it is to the mutual interest 

 of both managers and exhibitors that the ablest and most dis- 

 interested Judges should be appointed. By the adoption of 

 some such process as I have submitted the " new blood " pro- 

 posed may exercise a healthy influence on judging, and refieve 

 our most" popular Judges in some measure of their onerous 

 duties. 



There is yet one stereotyped rule iu the list which needs 

 amendment. I have had ocular demonstration of the defini- 

 tion of the words, "None but those actuaUy engaged in the 

 arrangements of the show wUl be admitted previous to its 

 opening," &e. Presenting myself for admission to an exhi- 

 bition on one occasion I found I had mistaken the hour ; a 

 glass door barred my entiy to the room, but did not prevent 

 my observing who were the persons actuaUy engaged in the 

 arrangements. There were the committee and secretaries 

 actively engaged arranging the numbers of the pens, and all 

 honour to them. What a staff of assistants they have ! I see 

 several weU-lmown exhibitors, owners who had charge of theii- 

 specimens, and, " last but not least," the attendants of certain 

 famed poultry -yards. See ; one of these latter gentlemen, hav- 

 ing carefully ensconsed his favourites in theii- pen, is " actually 

 engaged." A late consignment of buds remain to be placed in 

 their respective pens. He kindly vohmteers his aid. " Be care- 

 ful of the taU of that Game cock," I could have exclaimed (he 

 was removed from the basket so hastily) ; but the bustle of 

 those actually engaged and the din of the cocks crowing, d-e.,. 

 would have rendered any advice inaudible. I remain a silent 

 spectator. The time for the arrival of the Judges draws near ; 

 the attendant returns to his carefully-attended pen to give the 

 finishing touch ; with the daintiest morsels he persuades them 

 to further inflate their well-distended crops (they are of the- 

 large variety — a well-filled crop is not without its advantage). 

 A soft clean handkerchief is carefully passed over them, their 

 wings and tails are re-adjusted, and all is ready for the Judges. 

 They are detained a few seconds, two or three baskets have 

 just arrived from a long distance, time enough remains to 

 place them in their pens, and the Judges commence their 

 work. The fine condition of the carefuUy-attended pen, the 

 contented appearance contributed by a well-filled crop, secure 



