May 2, 1837. ] 



JOUBMAti OF HORTIOULTUaE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



317 



RiBBOH Border (Oon^tatit fJuhsen'ber). — Perilla or Araaranthas would 

 do between the scarlets, in the ribbon border referred to at paj?e 256, 

 either separately or mixed. Then what would you aay to this arranfje- 

 ment ?— Scarlet Pelarfjoniura, Perilla, Yellow Calceolaria, Tom Thumb, 

 Purple Verbena, and Cerastium. The leaves of the white plant were 

 much faded, and they are almost larj^e enou^^h for a Cantauroa; but from 

 the creeping habit wo judged it to be au Arctotis. It would do for a 

 front row, but generally it is best for carpeting a bed. It will not be so 

 compact as Cerastium. 



Flower-beds (Fnv/),— In your proposed bedding we approve of the 

 first three an-angemeots. In No. 4 we would arrange thus:— Ageratnm 

 mexicanum. Scarlet Calceolaria, Centaurea, Crimson King Verbena. In 

 No. 5 we would plant thus: — Yellow Calceolaria, Iresine, Bijou Pelargo- 

 nium, Forget-me-not. As to the ribbon border, the arrangement will do very 

 well; but you will require strong plants of Irrsine to match in height 

 with Salvia patens. We fancy Perilla would suit better for height. If the 

 beds are in fair order they will not need nuch manuring, but if very poor 

 you uiipht add bone dust, or super-phosphate, ah.iut 4 ozs. to the vard.and 

 that we would confine to within an inch or two of the surface. The most 

 of the plants you have named would do well 1 foot apart — Bijou Pelargo- 

 nium, if rather small. 9 inches ; Forget-me-not, 6 inches ; and Cerastium, 

 4 inches, or if small, 3 inches. 



Propagating Iresine Herbrtii (Dnfrinn?*).— It is best raised from cut- 

 tings, and proprigates freely, but should be kept in a place warmer than 

 a cool gi'eenhouse in winter. 



House for Fruit (J. H. Jf.).— Y"our proposed house 12 feet high at 

 back. 5 feet high in front, width not stated, but having a pathway down 

 the middle, a platform of slate on each side, supported by walls 2,t feet 

 in height, with two four-inch pipes below on each side, and two four-inch 

 pipes along one side of the pathway, will be very useful for many pur- 

 poses. 1, The back platform will do for Melons and Cucumbers grown 

 in pots and trained to a trellis on a level with the rims of the pots, if 

 you have nothing higher on the front platform; but they would do 

 better, give more room on the back platfoj-m, and enible you to have 

 higher plants in front, if the Cucumbers and Melons were each trained 

 to a single stem until they reached 18 inches from the glass, and were 

 then topped and allowed to spread over wires at that distance from the 

 Rlasa. 2, You can have Fig and Orange trees in pots on the front plat- 

 form; but if we wished to grow them fine, we would have the house in 

 three divisions, and grow Melons in one, Cucumbers in another, and Figs 

 and Orange trees in a third. 3, Vines can be brought through the front 



wall of such a h->u<ie, planted 5 feet apart, and two rods taken from each 

 as you proposn. but when the Vines occuny the house, you coiild do no 

 good with anything beneath them when fully eitiblinhed and in fuU leaf. 

 You might havo early or winter Cucumbers in such a house before in- 

 troducing the Vine^, but in that case the Vine shad better go in above the 

 wall-plate ; or at any rate have double sashes or a wall of wood about 

 2 feet inside of the front glass, so that the Vine^ might be kept there, and 

 cool, before you wanted to introduce them. 4, A south-east aspect will 

 do, but a south-west one we should, if anythincj, prefer. It is early to lose 

 the sun by one o'clock. We should not mind it for pot i)'ants, but for 

 early Cucumbers, it is important to have more sun. However, they 

 would do. 5, With only two pipes exposed for top heat it will be well, if 

 early work is nntemplated, either to have two more pipes or to have 

 openings into f te chamber to let the heat out when wanted. 6, Two four- 

 inch pipes round the front and two ends of a hou?e 12 or 14 feet wide and 

 30 feet long, will do for a vinery where the Gripes would come in in Sep- 

 tember with little forcing. To have thorn in July and August, you would 

 require three pipes as two flows and o le return. To have them early 

 you would require four or five pipes. 



Mkalt Bug (E. S. D.).— We know of no m^ans of destroying the mealy 

 bug on your Vinos now, except cin-^tant washing \vith soap or glue water, 

 and that will only keep the pest under a little. In places swarming with 

 it. as yours is said to be, it is most likely that the walls, and stages, 

 and shelves are infested. We have seen slate stages taken up and OQ 

 every bearer you could scrape off the insects in handfuls, and hence all 

 temporary expedients proved imavailiug. In such circumstances we 

 would thoroughly clean out one house, then we would shut it up closely 

 and smoke it for forty-eight hours with turpentine and sulphur burned, 

 which, of course, would destroy every green thing and all animal life. 

 We would then wash the house all over with boiling water holding soap 

 in solution, dash it into every joint, and when drj* and exposed, fresh 

 paint and clean. We w.m'd next bring in the plantsthat were cleaned, by 

 cutting them back and bathing their tops and roots, and then fresh 

 potting in a moist heat. For the present we know no remedy but washing, 

 and that will only be a palliative. We never found smoking with tobacco 

 of much use. 



Names of Plants fir.).— .Eschynanlhus maculatus. (J. P., Heifjafe). 

 — 1, three varieties of Primula villosa ; 4. a garden Anemone. (J. T., 

 Mrjrpcf/M.— Selaginella Martensii var. [An Old Subitcriber, Kin{/ston).~ 

 .Vrctostaubjlos tomentosa. {Primula rcris). — Incomparable Orange 

 Double Jonquil. 



METEOROLOaiCAL OBSERVATIONS in the Sabarba of Loadon for the Week ending April 80th. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CERONICLE. 



BRKEDING DARK BR.VHMA POOTRAS. 



I HAD fully intended the article on vulture hocks.tobemy 

 last upon the above subject, but some of the letters which my 

 papers have called forth appear to make a very few further 

 remarks desirable. 



IVIy object in writing has been to raise the standard of this 

 truly splendid breed, and in particular to draw attention to the 

 Dorking taint now so very prevalent ; to point out the general 

 degeneracy of form and size ; to insist upon better combs and 

 leg-feathering ; and to seek after more uniformity of colour. In 

 several of these respects my observations have been to some 

 extent misunderstood. 



With respect to the Dorking cross, " Y. B. A. Z.," remarks, 

 that " the fifth toe is persistent in a wonderful manner, and is 

 far oftener seen than even the cruel expression," which he 

 agrees with me is often an attendant on Dorking blood. This 

 is quite correct as the general result of an indiscriminate cross 

 — that is, if the cocks and hens of the crossed strain be in- 

 differently bred from, the fifth toe will appear for an almost 

 incredible time ; but if a Brahma cockerel be mated with 

 Dorking hens, and the pullets resulting be alone bred from, 

 the Dorking toe will scarcely ever appear, though wliite legs 

 and cruel faces will, and this is the plan usually followed. 

 Moreover, my remarks applied specially to the examination of 

 an exbibition pen, in which, of course, no five-toed bird would 

 be allowed to appear. I must, therefore, repeat, that in judging 

 of a pen the chief reliable signs of such a cross are, in the 

 case of the hens, a large, coarse, cruel-looking head, white 



legs, and a comparative absence of " cushion," to which may 

 be occasionally added a reddish tinge and perpendicular mark- 

 ings on the breast. The longer tail which " Y. B. A.. Z." also 

 mentions had escaped my observation ; but now that he has 

 notici"! it, I believe he is quite right on this point, and intend 

 myself, as I would advise others, to keep an eye upon that 

 member for the future. 



Begarding vulture hocks, I have already given my views at 

 leugtli, and have just received a note from the most extensive 

 Brahma breeder in England fully agreeing with them, and 

 relating circumstances to show the great injury which is being 

 done by the present rule of judging. I must, however, earnestly 

 protest against the suggestion of " F.\i.con " and " Y. B. A. Z.," 

 that the birds be trimmed to hide the fault and pass muster. 

 The dubbing of a Game cock has not the sUghtest analogy, for 

 the simple reason that the practice being universal and en- 

 tirely irrespective of any particular shape in the member, makes 

 any fault in the comb of a particular strain of no consequence 

 to purchasers or exhibitors, and, in fact, makes the character 

 of the comb altogether immaterial. But the purchaser of a 

 vulture-hocked bird which had been trimmed would be deceived 

 in his purchase, since his produce would be djfferent from 

 what he anticipated and desired. The analogy with the trim- 

 ming of a Spanish fowl's face may be gi-anted, but as I am one 

 of those who hold that all birds thus treated ought to be dis- 

 qualified, I shall not be required to argue the question, but I 

 will simply record my emphatic opinion, that its present state, 

 more especially after Mr. Heath's long continued but ineffectual 

 protests, is ahke disgraceful to exhibitors and judges. I happen 

 to know that previously to the Exhibition at Bristol the 

 princip.il cutler in that town disposed of about half a dozen 

 pairs of small forceps to Spanish fanciers — for what purpose it 



