92 



JOURNAL OF HORTICOLTURB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 31, 1873. 



my own few l)reeds, as the three-deck sweepers will be there 

 aud what chances have I ? So I shall see what other shows, 

 there are on the same date." Such is the question with many a 

 would-be exhibitor. There is also a highminded kind of fancier 

 who would scorn to possess a cup won by the aid of birds other 

 than his own, for his conscience would never allow him to be 

 proud of such a cup, as he would feel that it was not all his own. 

 However, the question is whether a point cup makes a show 

 really a financial success, and just and satisfactory to all ex- 

 hibitors '? I have endeavoured to prove that it does not, and far 

 from it, for it is discouraging to exhibiting fanciers, and disgusts 

 the fancy at large; aud if any committee dispute my statement, 

 there need only be a voting paper sent out to ail exhibitors, and 

 the result would prove how few there are in favour of the point 

 cups. — Impabtial. 



FEUIT IN TIN CANS. 



The Boston Journal of Chemistry hs^j^ : — The impression pre- 

 vails among those who use freely fruits which are put up in tin 

 cans that they are injured thereby, and this impression is in 

 many cases correct. We have long contended that all preserved 

 fruits aud vegetables should be stored in glass, aud that no metal 

 of any kind should be brought in contact with them. All fruits 

 contain more or less of vegetable acids, and others that are 

 highly corrosive are often formed by fermentation, and the 

 metallic vessels are considerably acted upou. Tin cans are held 

 together by solder, an alloy into which lead enters largely. This 

 metal is easily corroded by vegetable acids, aud poisonous salts 

 are formed. Undoubtedly many persons are greatly injured by 

 eating Tomatoes, Peaches, &c., which have been placed in tin 

 cans, and we advise all our friends who contemplate putting up 

 fruit to use only glass jars for the piu-pose. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Poultry-keeping for Profit (Gf.'(/?((t).— What is your space, and how is 

 it covered ? Is it planted, or is it grass, oi- is it saud ? Fowls are not so 

 amenable to pre- arrangements as it is sometimes wished, and that which 

 looks easy on paper is found impossible in practice. We advise you to start 

 on a smaller scale. We believe in your neighbourhood there is a good sale 

 for eggs during the summer aud early autumn. You may depend on them, 

 but if your hens are confined they will not lay as many as if they were at 

 liberty. For that market you should keep some nou-sit^ers — say Cr<>ve-Ci.eurs ; 

 for your chickens, Dorkings. You must know what the consumptioa will be in 

 yom- neighbourhood. It may be, as you say, one thousand per month, but we 

 do not tliink they will bring you 6«. per couple after July. We have our mis- 

 givinps about artificial rearing. It is very easy to hatch, but difficult to 

 rear, and you should, therefore, have hens to come off when you are hatchin<?, 

 and thus contrive to make a hen take from twenty to thirty chickens. They 

 must have a run. Chickens cannot be reared in confinement. They must be 

 well fed from the time of hatchina;, and should then be fit to kill at from 

 fourteen to sixteen weeks. They will never fatten in such a place as you 

 describe, with food always before them. They should be fed four times per 

 day on soft food, and it would pay to put up a few aud feed as peckers, 

 making them rather better. Our advice on the whole is to begin on a small 

 scale, and to try to produce your chickens earlier, as they will be worth 

 more. 



Poland Hen Sitting (B.).— We are much obliged for the interesting fact 

 you send to us. It was curious to hear of a Poland hen sitting, still more to 

 had her a good mother; bat having done so three years in succession, it is a 

 second nature with her. 



Dark Brahmas with Distended Crops [A. U. C).— We keep a large 

 number of Brahmas, and know nothing of the disease you mention. They 

 have loose crops sometimes, but they do not die of it. We hold them up by 

 the legs till the crops are quite empty, then shut them up, giving them but 

 little food, and that in the smallest possible quantities. In very bad cases we 

 give water with a preparation of alum in it. They have a very small iiuan- 

 tity three times per dav, and generally recover after a few days. We cannot 

 think your birds have died from crop disease. 



Exhibiting Dorkings {T. C. B.).— 'Ulienever two birds are to be shown 

 together they should be used together, or it is likely when in a small pen 

 they will disagree, and disfigure each other, destroying all hope of success. 

 Turn the bird out when he comes home, and he will soon be at home again. 

 We do not think it would answer to operate on the crop. Let her alone. lb 

 is rather an eyesore, but the hen is not injured by it as to her utility. We 

 know no ono who undertakes a poulti-y po&t mortem. Be your own operator. 



Rearing Young Pheasants (Crart/brrf).— You will have no dilnculty what- 

 ever in keeping your Pheasants. They have an'ived at an age when they 

 cause no trouble. You must enclose a place, on ;,Tass if possible, about 

 30 feet by 20, with hurdles made of split fir or other wood. The hurdles 

 should be 14 feet high, and the laths forming them 1 inch apart. They 

 Bhould be fastened to upright polos, to which they should be attached. Thia 

 is all that is necessary, as the birds require no shelter of any kind, and in 

 Buch a place ten Pheasants may be kept as long as it is wished. Their food 

 should be barley. It is necessary to cut one wing before they are put in 

 such a pen; and as it maybe desirable to tm-n some out, and to keep in 

 others, you should select the best and strongest, cut their wings, and put 

 them in. Let the others fly away as soon as they will. As a rule, they take 

 to roosting in the hed^'es, they go higher and higher till they roach the trees ; 

 in the same way they become less punctual at feedint,* time, till they absent 

 themselves altogether. If you keep only four birds you will require a pen 

 only half the size of that we have mentioned. You may chanL:;e their food at 

 times by giving Indian corn or dough made of bavleymeal, aud slaked with 

 milk or water. Tboy should have fresh water always by them. 



Mud Bath {W. S.).— As a rule we find rain, dew, anJ the frequent up- 

 eotting of the water vessels generally supply all that is requisite in the way of 



moisture. We ai-e, however, always glad to learn, and will try your plan. Wo 

 have sent your other question to the gentleman yon name. 



Artichoke Bottoms to Keep {Amateur, Ciri-nc<-!^ter). — Boil your arti- 

 chokes till yon can pull off all the leaves, and thoroughly clear the bottom; 

 put them into salt and water for an hour ; then take them oat, aud lay them 

 in a cloth to drain. When they are dry put them into largo, wide mouthed 

 glasses, with a little mace and sliced nutmeg between, and till up with distilled 

 vinegar ; cover them with mutton fat melted, and tie down with leather or 

 bladder. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Oamden Square, London. 



Lat. SI"* 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0° 8^ Q" W. ; Altitude 111 feet. 



REMARKS. 

 23rd. — As bright as yesterday (the warmest day of the season), but tempera- 

 ture moderated by a cool breeze ; frequent lightning in E.N.E. h*oni 

 10 P.M. 



24th. — Another brilliant day, but much cooler, the wind at times being very 

 strong ; rather storm-like in the evening. 



25th. — Miming fine with pleasant breeze; afternoon fine, but with more 

 wind; stormdike between 4 and 5 p.m. ; fine night. 



3Gth. — Dull morning, slight rain till noon; fine afternoon and evening. 



27th. — Fair but cloudy morning, fine by 11 a.m. ; occasional showers daring' 

 the afternoon; heavy rain for short time about 6.45 p.m.; fine star- 

 light night. 



2Sth. — Lovely morning, bright, yet cool; rather cloudy at noon; fine after- 

 noon and evening. 



29th.— Hazy early, but soon clearing off ; cloudy at noon, aud rather so at 

 intervals during the day. 

 Air temperature very nearly the same as last week, but that of the ewHi 



much higher, owing jointly to time being required for heat to penetrate even 



1 foot of soil, and to the influence of the cool breezes not having any (or, at 



any rate, any appreciable) effect on earth temperature. — G. J. Svmons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— July 30. 

 The supply is well kept up, and business generally is sound and good, last 

 week's rates being fully maintained with one or two slight exceptions. 



FRUIT. 



Apples. * sieve 1 6ti 



Apricots d'iz. -i 



CHerries i*^ lb. ') 6 



Chestnuts bushel 



Carrants 4 sieve il 



Black do. 2 



Pigs doz. 6 



Filberts lb. \ 



Cobs lb. 



G':>03eberries quart 3 



Grapes, hothouse lb. 2 6 



Lemons r*" ItW S 



Melons each 2 



3 



ti 1 







3 



3 



10 















Mulberries ^ lb. 



Nectarines doz. 8 



Oranges |!*' 100 6 



Peaches doz. 15 



Pears, kitchen aoz. 



dessert.... doz. 9 



Pine Apples lb. 3 



Plums i sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries i**- lb. 



Walnuts bushel 8 



ditto ijHOO 2 



OtoO 

 15 



Artichokes doz. 3 



Asparagus t*>100 3 



French 2 



Beans, Kidney.... .V sieve 1 



Beet, Red '. . doa 1 



BroccoU bundle U 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums ' 1+ ino 



Cirrots bunch 



Cauliflower dnz. 



Celery bundle 



Coleworts. . doz. bunches 

 Cucumbers eaoh 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



(tariic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish bindU .1 



Leeks bau'-h 



Lettuce doz. I 



VEGETABLES. 



d. s.d. 

 0to6 



Mushrooms pot'lo 2 



Mustard & Cress.. pnnact 



Onions bushel 3 



pickling quart 



Parsley per doz. bunches 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 8 



Kidney do. 



Roimil do. 



Radishes., doz. bunches 1 



Rhubarb bun-ilo 



Salsaf y bundle 1 



Savoys dnz. 



Scorzonera Inni'il^ 1 



Sea-kale basket i) 



Shallots lo. 



Spinach bushel 2 



Tomatoes doz. 3 



Turnips buneU 



Vegetable Marrows u 



d. s.d. 

 Oto4 

 2 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



c 





 6 





 



» 





 

 

 



s 



POULTRY MARKET.— July 30. 

 London is fast going out of town, and the trade feels the effect of it. Prices 

 are faUing, and the demand for goods of high quality becomes daily less. 



8. d, s. d. 

 Pheasants OtoO 



Large Fowls 



Smaller ditto 4 



Chickens 2 C 



Goslings ■ ti 



Green Geese 



U uckliu gs 2 w 



s. d. s. d. 

 to 5 6 



•t 6 Partridges 



2 6 Harua 



7 Rabbits 15 16 



Wildditto 9 n 10 



3 I Pigeons 1) 10 



