.iil-t 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ June 20, 1872. 



north countrymen, and to my thinking convey a more correct 

 idea of what is intended. Nobody ever saw a bird with literal 

 *' circular eye marks/' therefore it is xumecessary for me to dwell 

 further on this point. 



With regard to letter No. 2, I am more disposed to listen with 

 respect and deference, as I am satisfied from its tone that it is 

 written by an experienced man, but unfortunately it refers to 

 the Yorkshire fancy only, and I know that the Yorkshire rules 

 disregard evervthing except the four and six-marked birds. 

 Now if you look at No. 1 letter you will see that the writer in 

 his opinion regards a bird with a clear head and even saddle, 

 as the second-best marked bird that can be produced, whilst the 

 writer of No. 2 informs us that birds so marked are entirely 

 disregarded in his part of the country and are not admitted as 

 show bii'ds. "V^Tiich is right? 



For Mr. Blackston's information I may tell that a horseshoe 

 mark on the breast of a marked bird is regarded by Scotchmen 

 as a regular and goodmark.—R.L. V^xi.i.kcz,Berwick-on-Tweed. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Hants ant> Berks Poultby Show (H. A.). — We regret that a -wrong date 

 ■was given in our list of shows ; but we do not think the entire blame for dis- 

 appolntment should fail upon us. Secretaries should send us special informa- 

 tion ; and in this instance we published a paragraph noticing the Show and 

 calling attention to the advertisement, which if it had been referred to would 

 have been found to state the date of the entries closing. 



pRECOCiocs ERAmrA PcLLET (Xeophyt^).— It is very early for a pullet 

 hatched January 29th to lay June 12th, the more so that the weather has not 

 been favourable, or calculated to produce early maturity. In most cases of 

 precocious laying (for we consider it so), the subjects are hatched in the last 

 week in April, and begin laying in August. They thus have all the " vantage " 

 in the way of weather, and even then it is very early ; but yours has been 

 accomplished spite of disadvantages. As growth as a rule ceases when laying 

 be<nns, we are not sure it is desirable pullets should become matrons at such 

 an early age. 



Crossbred always Moulting (T. C. O.).— We are not friendly to crosses, 

 and never surprised to find they are subject to vagaries. You do not tell us 

 enough. Are your fowls at liberty ? Is the hen by herself ? We hardly ever 

 know an instance of feather-eating when fowls have a grass run. If their 

 liberty is confined to a paved yard, then they eat their feathers in lieu of 

 something they require and cannot get. We have never known a fowl eat its 

 own feathers. The tail feathers and the quilled feathers of the wing are 

 always left, they cannot pull them out. If the hen has been running with i 

 others she must be separated, the stubs are a temptation the other birds 

 camant resist. While she is alone give her large sods of growing grass, and 

 gnpply her with lettuces that have run to seed. True Spanish chickens are 

 pied when first hatched, and retain some white feathers for a long time. 



Cock's Claws Cr.«iped (E. E. E.). — Judging from the way in which you 

 have been treated hitherto, and supposing the bird remains cramped, we ad- 

 vise you to return him, writing first to state the case. We say this confi- 

 dently, because we know the vendor. 



Duckling's Eyes Discharging {Subscriber).— Teed your ducklings on oat- 

 meal in the following manner : — Take a very shallow vessel, and put a thin sod 

 of growing grass, covering the bottom, put some meal on the top of it, add 

 water enough to cover the whole barley. If the ducklings are losing strength, 

 add some very small thin strips of raw meat. You do not say whether they 

 a"-e hatched by hens or Ducks. 



Marking Chickens Painlessly (Mrs. D.).— Mark them in the web of the 

 wing with a red hot iron. It is painless, invisible, and indelible. 



Fowls' Necks Featherless {EwaviUe).~V?e do not like your feeding, and 

 you mention no green food as part of it. You say nothing of grass. Boiled 

 rice and potatoes are bad food. They are unsatisfying and irapoverisy-ing. 

 The latter especially induce disease of the liver. Being dissatisfied, they are 

 subject to a craving they cannot allay, and seek the nearest approach. We do 

 not understand why, but it is probable feathers most nearly resemble that 

 they require, and they therefore eat them. You must alter your treatment 

 entirely. Give yourfowla in the morning some oatmeal or ground oats slaked 

 with water. You may give some whole lidian com at midday, and meal again 

 at night. Give them plenty jf large sods of growing grass cut with plenty of 

 mould to them. Give them also some lettuces gone to seed. This will 

 probably recover them. They are at present insufficiently fed, and out of 

 health. 



Hamecrgh Cock's Ear-lobe (L. H. B.).— There is no method for making 

 or keeping the ear-lobe white. It is one of the merits of a pure-bred good 

 fowl, and seldom loses character. You need not be discouraged if daring 

 moult it becomes spotted with red. When the process is over it regains its 

 pure colour. 



Selling Diseased Pigeons (IT. Croofc).— It will be more just to publish 

 nothing more on the subject until after the trial for the recovery of the 

 money you paid Mr. Watkins for the other Pigeons. If you will oblige us by 

 sending a paper containing a report of the trial we will publish it. 



Food for Rents (Amateur], — Indian com and oatmeal mised with water 

 forming a sti£f paste, also horse beans. 



GERii.iN Paste— Young Larks {JR. F. JT.).— German paste may he thus 

 made : Take 1 pint of pea flour, in which rub up a new-laid egg ;" then add 

 2 ozs. of fresh lard, and 3 ozs. of honey ; continue to rub this well, so as to pre- 

 vent its being in large lumps ; when mixed to a fine powder, put it into a clean 

 earthen pipkin, and place it over a slow and clear fire, until warmed through, 

 stirring it all the while to prevent its burning; when sufficiently hot, take it 

 off, and pass it through a fine wire sieve ; then add about 2 ozs. of mawseed. 

 Young Larks require great care, being very subject to the cramp ; they should 

 he kept in a wicker basket, covered to prevent them flj-ing away. Soak two 

 partsof ?tale bun, or best wheat en bread, and one part of rapeseed, in cold 

 water for five or sis hours; then put it into a piece of clean cloth, let it 

 simmer in water over a slow fire for about half an hour, and form it into a 

 custard by rolling it to a complete pulp, adding to it a little yolk of a hard- 

 boiled egg ; feed them with this food until they can feed themselves. This 

 mixture must be made fresh twice a-day, or it will turn sour ; a bit of raw 



beef mav be given occasionally. As soon as they get pretty strong with their 

 legs and' wings, they must be caged-off, keeping clean soft hay at the bottom 

 of the c^es, "shifting it for fresh twice a-week at least. When they can feed 

 themselves, give a little German paste, stale bun cmmbled very fine, and 

 chopped egg, mixed together; when about a month or five weeks old, cage 

 them off, supplying them with a fresh drawer of sand, 

 gravel, twice a-week. You may continue the eg; 

 break them off it by degrees, also 

 they have moulted-off. 



Pigeons Trespassing (A. G. B.).— Yonr neighbour cannot legally shoot 

 your Pigeons, but as they eat his garden crops, and he has given you more 

 than one notice of the damage done, he could recover compensation for the 

 damage if he sued you in the County Court. He has no right to close the 

 windows in the gable of your house. Why not keep Pigeons that will hear 

 confinement ? Being at war with a neighbour is a perpetual blister as well as 



fresh turf, and clean 

 bra short time, and 

 two of lean beef ; continue this until 



expensive. 



KatTrap(J. Y.L.) 

 pills is most effective : 



-No result came from the prize. Phosphoric paste or 

 I destroying rats. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Casides Square, London. 



Lat. 51° 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0' 8' 0" W.; Altitude 111 feet. 



windy, though a little- 

 P.M., bat a fine 



BEMARKS. 

 lith.— A very fine day, no rain, neither hot, cold, i 



cloudy. 

 ISth. — ^A delightful day, stormy-looking between 4 and 



14th.— Fine in early morning, then thick and dark from about 7.30 to 9.30 A.M., 



it then cleared, and was beautifully bright throughout the rest of th& 



day. 

 15th. — A most brilliant day and moonlit night ; warm, but with a pleasant 



breeze. 

 16th. — Very fine, bright, and warm from early mom to midnight. 

 17th. — Fine day, though heavy and storm-like between 4 and 6 p.m., distant 



thunder at 4,46 and 4.55 p.m., lunar halo at 9.50 p.m. 

 18th.— Very bright till 4.30, when it clouded and looked stormy; distant 



thunderstorm in S.W. from 5 to 6 P.M., then more wind and a lovely 



evening and night. 

 A week of fine EngUsh summer weather, not only raising the air tempera- 

 ture from about 58' to 70^, but penetrating the soil 1 foot deep to such an 

 extent as to raise its temperature from 55- to 63 . No rain fell during the 

 week. — G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GABDEN MARKET.— Jt-ne 19. 

 A MUCH better supply this week, and the fruit trade much improved, good 

 descriptions quite maintaining their price. Continental goods in mnch re- 

 quest. The hot weather, however, somewhat impairs the fruit, from its being 

 packed-up so long. Large supplies of new Potatoes are to hand, from 10s. to 

 18*. per cwt. 



FEUIT, 



Apples i sieve 



.\pricot8 fioz. a 



Cherries per box 2 



Chestnuts bushel 10 



Currants i Bieve 



Bhick do. 



B. d. B. d 

 OtoO 



Fiiberta lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse .... lb. 



Lemons ^100 



Melons each 



Artichokes doz. 



Asparagus ^100. 



BeauB, Kidney.... per 100 



,.doz. 6 12 



s. d. 8. d 



Mulberries V*lb. utoO 



Nectarines doz. 10 23 O 



Oranges ^100 4 10 O 



Peaches doz, 10 24 



Pears, kitchen doz. 



dessert doz. 



PineApples lb. 5 8 



Plums jflieve 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries ^Ib. 10 SO 



VEGETABLES. 



4 to 6 Mushrooms pottle 2 0to3 



4 8 Mustard i Cres: 



net 2 O 



Capsicums ^ICO 0»0 



Carrots bunch 6 



Coleworts.. doz. bunches 



Cucumbers each 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish bundle 



Leehs : bunch 



hettuci doz. 



Parsley per doz. bunche 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes buahel 



Kidney do. 



New T'lb. 



Radishes., doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bjndle 



Salsafy ^bundle 



Savoys dox. 



Scorzonera .... ^bundle 



Sea-Kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spmacb bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable M arrows.. d'jz. 



