284 



JOURNAL OP HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



[ April 18, 1867. 



Hardiness of Shrubs (F, G.). — Rottlcra japonira and Cfpsalpina 

 japonica are not more hardy than that they will do against walls In warm 

 situations, or mild locnlitioB, having protection in winter. Htophania 

 hornanditolia is a preenhouso plant or shrub ; Chanin'batia foliosa and 

 Embothrium cocciueum are hardy in fibeltered situationg, but do best 

 against a wall with a Kouth or south-wost aspect, and the same may bo 

 said of PterOBtyrrtS hispidum, which is, if anything, more hardy. 



Slugs and Woodlice in Ferkery (Picr/s).— Sluga are best caught; by 

 searching for them at night with a lantern. Woodlice aro not easily 

 caught. Their numbers may be considerably diminished by placing a 

 boiled Potato in a little hay at the bottom of a flower-pot, and layiug the 

 pot on its side near their haunts at night. In the morning shake tho 

 woodUce out of the hay into boiling water. A number of Potatoes may 

 be cut through tho middle, tbe inside scooped out a little, and the pieces 



E laced at night, hollow side downwards, near tho haunts of the woodlice. 

 tt the morning tbe insects will bo found secreted under the Potatoes 

 and may easily be destroyed in boiling water. These traps will last a long 

 time. For slugs, fresh Cabbage leaves may be laid at nigbt near the 

 plants eaten, and early in the morning the slugs may be found secreted 

 under them. The leavei should be replaced every night by fresh. 



Temperature of Fernery (Idem), — For your temperate fernery yon 

 will require heat when requisite to maintain the temperature at 45'^ at 

 night, and this will be necessary from September t« May. From Sep- 

 tember to March you will employ fire to maintain a temperature of 45'-"' 

 at night, though the thermoraotor may sink on very frosty nights to 40"= ; 

 and from February to May the temperature at night should not be less 

 than 45°, or from that to 50='. The day temperature will be regulated by 

 the weither. 



Lawn Covered with Licken (E. AT.).— Have the lawn well raked with 

 an iron rake, drawing it backwards and forwards, and this being done 

 two or three times the lawn should be covered with rich compost or ma- 

 nure reduced to mould, and again well raked. The soil or raauuro may 

 be put on to the depth of a quarter or half an inch, then sow Festuca duri- 

 uscula, 6 lbs.; Cynosurus cristatus, 6 lbs.; Poa nemoralis, 2 lbs., and 

 Trifolium repens, 41bs., and well roll afterwards. The quantity is for an 

 acre. 



PoRTULACA Culture {J. T. B.).— The culture of these handsome half- 

 hardy annuals is very simple, but they must have a warm, sunny situa- 

 tion and a light, dry soil. The seed should be sown in pots or pans in a 

 compost of light loam and peat in equal parts, and one-third of the com- 

 post should be brick and lime rubbish or gravel. The pans or pots 

 should bo well drained. Being placed in a mild hotbed water should be 

 sparingly given, and only when necessary, then enough to run through 

 the soil. When tbe seedling.'^ are about an inch high remove them to a 

 greenhouse or frame, and in June plant them out on ledges of rockwork. 



in rustic baskets, nr in a sunny, warm sitnation, giving them to grow in 

 at least a foot <ti (lie soil rccnmnu?nded for sowing, and if a foot of gravel 

 or brick rubbi^n ; placed under that all the better, as they flourish in a 

 light, well-drain. I soil, on shallow soil on ledges of rocks, and on dry, 

 well-drained slo; - s having a southern exposure. 



Garden Nkti ixa (0, E. J.). — The netting which you mention is worth 

 9(Z. per liuea) y.w 1. or Sti. per square yard when the maker finds his own 

 twine, and tlu' •. -ting is tanned to presei-ve it from the weather. For 

 tho size of net, \<tu name the maker should have 6d. per lineal yard, or 

 20'i. The mesh > uu name is much too wide for Strawberries ; it should 

 not exceed three-quarters of an inch, and the price for that is Is. 3rZ. per 

 lineal yard of tae width you name. Unless you have nets at some dis- 

 tance from thu Strawberries tho birds will peck tho fruit through the 

 large meshes. 



Strawberries Going Blind (A Gardener]. — The principal reason of 

 their going blind is the roots being injured by exposure of the pots to 

 frost, and another very potent reason is the immature condition of the 

 crowns, and their being forced too highly at the commencement, whilst 

 with a pot full of roots, the crowns well matured in autumn, and a light, 

 airy situation, they are seldom blind unless the heat is excessive ; that 

 you name is quite high enough for them by or before they come into 

 flower. You cannot give them too much air. 



Eranthemum rubroveniuji Culture {Idem),~li grows freely in a 

 compost of turfy peat, loam, and loaf mould in equal parts, with a free 

 admixture of sand. It should be potted now and have good drainage. 

 Its treatment is not different from that of stove plants generally. We 

 cannot make out the name of the other plant about which you inquire. 



Cutting down Furze [Jos. Templar).— It you cut the Furze bushes 

 now close to the ground they will shoot from the bottom unless very old, 

 when some of them may die off. 



Glands on Peach-Tree Leaves (H*. H.}.— Tbe glands are on the leaf- 

 stalks, near the base of the leaf. 



Guano Liquid Manure {CheUcnhavi). — Half an ounce of guano to a 

 gallon of water is quite enough for potted plants. One ounce to the 

 same quantity of water may be employed to border plants. There is 

 nothing surprising in tho statement about the Cyclamen seedlings, il the 

 cultivation mentioned by *'H. C." is adopted. 



Names of Plants (/>. Bootc). — Berberis aquifolium and Arabis vorna. 

 We cannot venture to state the heights, &o., of Phloxes. (F. E. JS.), — The 

 two are identical. Doodia caudata is the correct name. (J. S. C). — 

 1, Dendrobium primulinum; 2, Gouiophlebium appendiculatum ; S, As- 

 plenium divcrsifolium ; 4, A. Belangeri ; 5, Hypolepig anthriscifoUa ; 

 6, We do not recognise it, send again when in flower. {Market Drayton). 

 ^Probably Saponaria calahrica ; but we cannot be certain from such, 

 specimens. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of London for the Week ending April 16th. 



poultry, bee, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



VULTURE HOCKS IN BRAHMA POOTRAS. 



In the discussion of tliis and of many other poultry matters, 

 it appears to me tliat there has been a grievous want of that 

 candid disposition to allow fair and proper weight to opposite 

 ■views, which can alone lead to really satisfactory conclusions ; 

 and in approaching it myself I fear that I may meet the pro- 

 verbial fate of those who interfere between husband and wife, 

 and draw upon myself the hostility of each party, since I cannot 

 altogether side with either, but I shall endeavour, whilst freely 

 expressing my own opinions, to give fair play to both sides. 



Those who contend that the recent crusade against vul- 

 ture hocks is altogether an innovation, are certainly wrong in 

 point of fact : for although only lately so rigidly disqualified, 

 they have always been looked upon with disfavour at tir=t-class 

 shows, and considered as decided blemishes in otherwise good 

 birds. Indeed, even now, I scarcely know of any who profess 

 to admire them for their own sake, apart from their assumed 

 connection with heavy leg-feathering ; and I did, in fact, be- 

 lieve there were none such, until a few days ago I found I was 

 wrong, and that there were breeders who actually admired the 

 vulture hockpfr se. Neither can I by any means admit, as some 

 would insist, that we must choose between vulture hocks and 

 naked joints with comparatively bare shanks below them. If 

 it were so, I would, indeed, ten times rather put up with the 

 vulture hock. It will, however, I suppose, be granted that 



White Cochins are even more prone to the blemish under dis- 

 cussion than Brahmas — perhaps, indeed, more so than any 

 other fowl we have ; yet I appeal to all who can remember 

 when Mrs. Herbert still exhibited, whether she did not always 

 show birds magnificently feathered, but (luite free from vulture 

 hock ? That this result was not due to trimming I am certain. 

 Coming back to Brahmas, it will again be confessed that Mr. 

 Boyle usually manages to show birds with splendid leg-feather- 

 ing; yet there are never many vulture-hocked chickens in his 

 yard, and those few so slightly so that they would probably pass 

 muster in a pen. I need not pursue the argument further, only 

 I repeat that since vulture hocks have always been more or 

 less discouraged, and still well-feathered birds have been bred 

 and shown for many years, we can surely breed good birds 

 without them now. 



Still it is an unquestionable fact that, connected with the 

 recent decisions, we have of late had a great increase of naked- 

 hocked and bare-legged birds. One reason of this, as I have 

 before remarked, is the Dorking cross, which is just now more 

 than usually prevalent in many Brahma strains, and upon 

 which I need not remark further, as I have fuUy treated of it 

 elsewhere. But the principal cause certainly is, that many 

 exhibitors have what can only be called such a blind and 

 senseless fear of the vulture hock, that they breed from their 

 barest-legged birds rather than run the least risk of it. Thi-y 

 recoil in terror from the idea of breeding from a cock whose 

 hocks are only (as they ought to be), nicely covered, and 

 rather than incur the very slightest chance of the dreaded fault 

 choose birds whose legs are as naked as Adam's. Such will 



