240 



JOUENAL OP HOBTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



[ September 25, 1873. 



the nature of a bog soil than peat. It is better to buy the peat you require 

 of some nurseryman in your locality than to procure it of a questionable 



Blanching Endive IJ. ^.).— There are various ways of effecting this. Wo 

 take-up ours on the approach of frost, place iu cold frames, and cover with 

 mats, admitting a little air daily iu mild weather, but not removing the mats. 

 About three thicknesses of mats are needed to keep the frame dark enough to 

 blanch the Endive. Against the sides of the frames litter is placed in severe 

 weather so as to keep out frost. It takes about three weeks in winter to 

 blanch this plant, so that wc place in a two-Ught frame and expose fully in mild 

 weather; but during wet, though the lights are kept on the plants, they are 

 tilted BO as to throw off the wet, at the same time air is admitted, contiuuing 

 this treatment until wauted. Then cover the lights permanently with mats, 

 laying over the Curled a mat inside directly on the plants. Of the Batavian 

 we tie the leaves loosely together, and if (he weather be severe we line the 

 frame with hot dtmg. A two-light frame affords us a salad daily for three 

 ■weeks to a month, and it takes three weeks to blauch. Another plan is to 

 place pots over the plauts and cover them with ashes, and over this other 

 covering in severe weather ; and another plan is to take up the plauts, and 

 tying the leaves together cover thera with sand, but we prefer sawdust. We 

 like the former by far the best, for we find to blanch well some growth 

 Is needed, and how can this take place in a cold place or out of doors ? Pots 

 areveiy good early in autumn, and even tying the leaves together, or covering 

 the plants with pots, or the curled kinds with slates or tiles. In very severe 

 weather we blanch in a Mushroom house. 



Pkcsino Oteeorown LitmELS (Qiialt).— Cat them in spring just when 

 they are beginning to grow, or, if cold and frosty, at the beginning of April. 

 Cut them mas much as you like; they will break freely either from old or 

 young wood, and especially from the base. 



Adiantdm tarleyense (P., nochdale).—A Cucumber house is not too 

 moiet for this finest of Maiden-hair Ferns, and the temperature is very suit- 

 able. Sudden changes of temperature or of atmosphere are not good ; but ou 

 this score alone we see no objection to its being grown well in a Cucumber 

 house, shade being given the plant from bright sun. 



Planting Flower Garden (C. T. ff.).— The writer you refer to is too ill 

 to bear correspond mce. If you had our volume, " Flower Garden Plans," you 

 would be able to be your own arranger. Its price is 5s. 



Fdchsias (J. ir.).— The flowers are above the average size and stout, but 

 the colours are of the oldest varieties. 



Coreopsis (Bamnl)to).—lt the plant is a Coreopsis, it is unusual for the 

 lay florets to be tubular. 



PELAKGONinMs iW. G.).— You must consult our advertisement columns. 



EooT-pRtiNiNG Fruit Trees— Apples on Paradise Stock [A Subsniber 

 Eight I'cnj-s).— Root-prune all your fruit trees at once. As you have practised 

 summer-pruning, the soil in which the trees are growing must be too rich. 

 Place some rotted turfy loam amongst the roots ; they will grow freely into it, 

 and will not have so much tendency to travel outwards. Root-pruning the 

 trees now will not cause them to form fruit buds this year, but it will check 

 the luiuriant growth next summer, and cause the formation of fruit buds, 

 rlums and Apples are treated alike as regards root-pruning. The leaves of 

 the different sorts of stocks vary very much. The spray you enclose may be 

 ct the English Paradise stock. 



Best Market Pears (G. C.).— Beurrc Diel and Marie Louise are both 

 Rood Pears to grow, but Maiie Louise does not succeed on the Quince. Marie 

 Louise d'Uccle does as a bush or pyramid. The most profitable sort is Louise 

 Bonne of Jersey and Williams's Bon Chritien. If you want more variety try 

 Boyennc du Cornice, Beurrc Hardy, Beunc d'Amaulis, and Marechal do la 

 Cour. Easter Beurrc we have proved to be one of the best for diagonal cordons 

 on a wall. Beurrc Diel also succeeds. 



Peaches as Standards (R. JV.).— Some varieties succeed as standards out 

 cf doors, notably Early York and Royal George, but the blossoms are very 

 hable to be destroyed hy spring frosts. One season we gathered a verj- good 

 crop of fair fruit from an Elruge Nectarine growing as a standard iu a shrub- 

 bery, and we are informed that a gentleman gathered a crop nf fruit annually 

 from a seedhng Peach trained as an espalier, and planted in light soil facin" 

 south in a garden in Essex. 



Camellias and Azaleas for Small Greenhouse (J. JT.).— Camellias 

 Double White, Imbricata, Countess of Orkney. Azaleas Alba, Verschaffeltii 

 Due de Nassau, and Brilliant. 



Adders {A. B.).— We know of no mode of preventing their coming into 

 your garden from the adjoining common except by a low wall, or a very small- 

 meshed galvanised iron net. 



Names of Frdits.— We have continued weekly to announce that we cannot 

 name more than sii specimens for any one applicant ; yet, despite this an- 

 nouncement, we have almost every week boxes and baskets, to identify the 

 fruits m which would occupy hours of our time. As we write this we have 

 one package containing forty-two specimens, another containing thirty-eight, 

 and a third thirty-six, besides eight other packages containing a dozen or 

 more. We now say peremptorily that we cannot spare the time for naming 

 so many, and that under no circumstances can we name more than six speci- 

 mens of each fruit. (Ce)i(urio)i).— Apple No. 1, Pott's Seedling. The other 

 not recognised. (E. S. H.).—Aj>pleg : 'A, Manks Codlin; 6, Sturmer Pippin- 

 22, Waltham Abbey Seedling; 20, Cellini; :!2, Duchess of Oldenburg; 35,Haw- 

 thomden. Pears: 3, Red Doyenne ; 4, Easter Beurrc. (Pomona).—!, Dun- 

 more ; 2, White Doyenne ; 8, Passe Colmar ; -1, Eeurrc Gaudry ; 5, Duehesse 

 d'Orleaus. (H. Ciirf is).— 1, Louise Bonne of .Jersey ; 2, Red Doyenne ; 4, Winter 

 Nelis ; 6, Beurre do Louvain ; 7, Nouveau Poiteau ; 8, Beurrc Clairgeau. 

 (f. f.).— 1, Fearn's Pippin; 2, Gravenstein ; 3, Not known; 4, Dumelow's 

 Seedlmg; 5, Cellini ; 6, Kentish Fillbasket. (rintor).— C.llini. (O. B. J5.).— 

 ], Bysonwood Russet ; 2, Like Cellini; 3, London Pippin; 4, Herefordshire 

 Peaimain; 5, Court of Wick; 7, Yellow Ingestrie. (O. If. B.).— 1, Fearns' 

 Pippin ; 3, apparently Nonsuch. All the others are quite unknown to us aud 

 appear to be local varieties. (F. P. «.).— 1, Do.venn.- du Comice ; 2, Easter 

 Beurrc; 3, Brown Beurre ; 4, Belle de Louvain ; (5, Williams's Bon Chretien ■ 

 ■7, VanMons Leon le Clerc. (F.J'. W.)-Ain>Ui: 2, Winter Hawthornden 



4, federal Pearmain; 7, Hawthornden; 8, Herefordshire Pearmaiu ; 10 Au- 

 tumn Pearmaiu; 11, Sugarloaf Pippin. Pears: S, Catillac; 4, Beurre Diel' 



5, Louise Bonne of .Jersey : 7 and 10, Glou Morceau ; 9, Williams's Bon 

 Chretien. (H. Huntleii\.—1, Baxter's Pearmaiu; 2, Ganges; 3, Mere de 

 Menage, (ir. L. W.).— Pears: 1, WiUiams's Boa Chretien; 3, Beurre Le- 

 febvre; 4, Bcurn- d'Amanlis ; 7. Easter Beurre: 8, Gansel's Bergamot 

 Apples: 2, Wormsley Pippin ; ;■;, Nonpareil; (1, Federal Pearmain; 7, Hoary 



Morning ; 9, Dumelow's Seedling ; 11, Sykehouse Russet. The Plum is 

 Goliath. (J. Green).- The small Apples are Golden Russet ; the other not 

 recognised. {G. Diss).— Nelson Codlin. 



POTJLTEY, BEE, AND PIGEOU OHEOmOLE. 



INTERNAL INJURIES OF FOWLS AT SHOWS. 



The other day I had a letter from a well-known breeder of 

 Light Brahmas, -which directed my attention again to a subject 

 I have often had in my thoughts. It was concerning a hen, one 

 of his best, which although not fat had a constant tendency to 

 go " down behind " after any little extra tax on the system, 

 such as washing for exhibition, and she had not laid for several 

 months. On feeling carefuUy, a moderate-sized tumour could 

 be detected in the bowels, which there is very little doubt was 

 the cause of whatever was wrong. 



What struck me was, that I have come across various cases of 

 this kind during the last few years, and I think in every one I 

 can call to mind they relate to hens which have been at least 

 once exhibited, and in most cases to regular show hens. I have 

 a strong conviction that the cause in nearly every case has been 

 the rupture of an egg within the body, or some other injury 

 which prevents the egg being laid, and it thus forms the nucleus 

 of a tumour. Such an accident is not necessarily immediately 

 fatal, &% I have seen stated. I once had a hen which I knew had 

 a ruptured egg following a case of egg-bound, but she lived for 

 months ; the egg on her death being found to have formed a 

 rather hard tumour of somewhat the consistence of cheese, with 

 the broken shell, or a portion of it, mingled with the yolk. But 

 sometimes I believe the egg is not actually ruptured, but de- 

 tached or semi-detached from the ovary before the proper time, 

 aud thus forms only the exciting cause of a tumour. From the 

 accident occurriug almost invariably to exhibited birds, it is 

 my firm conviction that it is usually caused by injury at shows, 

 and that a word ou the subject may, perhaps, be of use. I do 

 not mean wilful injury, or such as we have known to be pro- 

 duced by the careless use of sticks or umbrellas. That injury is 

 caused in this way too can hardly be denied ; and it would be 

 a useful rule and grateful to exhibitors, which should require 

 all such implements to be " left at the doors," a reform which 

 might easily be carried into effect. Still I believe that injuries 

 from this cause are comparatively rare, and that in the vast 

 majority of cases it is mere careless handling which is in fault. 

 We all know it is not always persons experienced in handling 

 fowls who are entrusted with the penning of birds. Too often 

 mere labourers are hired for the occasion, who know no more 

 how to handle a fowl than how to breed one. Most of us know 

 from our own past experience how very easy it is for an active 

 aud frightened fowl to slip out of hands not accustomed to hold 

 such gentry, while even a fancier well accustomed to handling 

 Bantams, may easily lose his grasp of a gigantic Cochin which 

 gives a sudden and unexpected start. I have seen it happen 

 often, and if the bird thus dropped comes down suddenly with 

 the breast, or still worse, the bowels, on the edge of the poultry 

 basket, iuternal injury is very likely to result. In most cases, no 

 doubt, the shock is recovered from ; but should the bird be, as 

 must happen occasionally, on the very point of laying, rupture 

 of the egg, or, if not, some permanent injury to the organs, is very 

 likely to be the result. It is my firm conviction that this is the 

 real cause of such cases as that of which the fresh example was 

 brought to my notice. 



The practical remedy is very clear. It consists simply of 

 allowing no one to pen the birds, or to pack them, who is not 

 used to handling fowls. If such a man cannot be found or cannot 

 be afforded, there is still an obvious remedy — let such of the 

 committee as have the requisite experience do this work them- 

 selves. That used to be the good old fashion, and there are not 

 even now wanting committeemen who keep it up ; but too 

 many are merely " ornamental," aud do little beyond walking 

 up aud down with a badge at their button-boles, leaving the 

 work to hirelings, who are naturally careless of the property 

 entrusted to their charge. 



It is right to say that I have never myself had a bird injured 

 in the way I state, but I feel sure that iu mentioning the matter 

 thus generally, with no personal reference to anyone, I am 

 speaking the feelings, and shall have the hearty good wishes, of 

 many an amateur. — L. Wright. 



BIRMINGHAM SHOW CATALOGUES ISSUED 



WRONGFULLY. 



TuEiiE is one thing requires to be changed at Birmingham. 

 It is a crying evil. While the .Judges are at work among the 

 poultry they are beset by people with their catalogues open at 

 the classes they are judging, aud are favoured vnth remarks 

 and information they do not 'wish for. There should be no 

 catalogue in the place while birds are being judged. The few 



