June 20, 1867. J 



journaij of horticulture and cottage gardener. 



433 



Various (W. M. G.). — You mny Bmoke ft vinery a week filter tbe Grapes 

 nre set. Zinc pots may be used with ftdvantnpe for growinK all kinds of 

 plants. They do well, as proved practically, for Strawlierries nnd !iU kinds 

 of cuttin^B. We would prefer Fuchsia fulgenp. corymbiflora, and the 

 large-berried kinds, as those to experiment upon for raisinti berries fit for 

 table. We never knew anybody who liked to do more than taste them. 



Constructing a Small Greenhouse (T. S.). — We should like to 

 understand you better before advising you, as, if the wall at the bottom 

 of the gardeu, or that portion wbich you can use, faces due north, and 

 the Karden is only 18 feet wide, then we can hold out no hope of your 

 beinfj able to firow Grapes, or even pood ffreeuhouse plants, thouKh such 

 ft house would do to keep tbe more hardy ones in dnriuR the winter, find 

 the more hardy bedding plants, and, with the help of your proposed flue, 

 would do admirably for Ferns and Slosses. Such a house niiRht be the 

 height of the wall at back, and for a lean-to, 10 or 12 feet wide and fi feet 

 in height in front. We would pave the floor, and make the top of the 

 flue a part of the paved floor, and that in the passage near the front. 

 Provided you are not shaded on the east and west, and could come out 

 *20 to 30 feet, you might have a span house from 10 to 13 feet wide, with 

 a path down the centre, and that would suit any purpose. If your pro- 

 posed building is to be on the south side of the wall, then with a lean-to 

 you can ^ow anj-thing. 



Heating a Greenhouse [Irfnoravuis). — We would prefer plan No. 1 for 

 the specified pur^iose, because the three-inch pipes will heat sooner on 

 auch an emergency as a sudden frost than four-inch pipes. We would, to 

 give you more power, and to diffuse the heat more regularly, alt^r the 

 flow-pipe, and take it along the front instead of along the back. Thus, 

 we would take the flow from n to d^ then toe, h, a. and return from thence. 

 Were the front of your stage on posts instead of a four-inch wall, we 

 would place the pipes inside of that instead of outside on the pathway. 

 As it is, we would rather make the wall pigeon-holed to lot the heat out 

 freely towards the path and the front platform, and have the pipes inside 



of it, for it may be necessary at timea to sulphur the pipes, and if in the 

 pathway a lady's dress is apt to come in contact with them, otherwisa 

 they will do where proposed. 



WiRKWORM IN Vine Bordbh {B. TiVNah). — The best mode with which 

 we are acquainted of clearing ground of wireworm, is to point-in ft good 

 dressing of soot, plant a thin crop of Potatoes, and strew the ground with 

 soot so as to make it quite black. Placing Potatoes or Carrots in the soil 

 and examining them frequently is a good plan. 



Vine Shoots Mildewet>, and Bunches Turning Brown {J. M. M.). — 

 The ftppPTances on the Vine, the mildew on the stem of No. 4, and the 

 turning hi own and dropping of the lower end of the bunches as they are 

 coming into bloom, are partly owing to the vigour of the Vines and to a 

 close atmosphere— hot at one time, we presume, and cold at another. 

 The blotfiies on the leaves show the presence of accumulated vapour iu 

 a clnsc tniosphere, that vapour becoming hot by the sun before air is 

 given. The remedies in your ease are lessening the \igourof mere growth 

 by a drier and warmer atmosphere, and air at all times, even affording a 

 very little at night, unless when it happens to be very cold. Wo do not 

 discover any mildew on the leaves, but we would wash the stems affected 

 with a paint of soft soap and sulphur. We would cover the heating 

 apparatus with sulphur paint, but taking care that the heating medium 

 is never higher than 160°. We would also paint all open places on the 

 wall with sulphur. These precautions, with more air and a drier atmo- 

 sphere, we hope will cause all to come right. We had 6d. carriage to pay 

 for the box, which please remit in postage stamps. 



Nasies of Plants i W. Ratharcay). — If you send us specimena with a 

 number attached to each, we will endeavour to identify them. {Constant 

 Subscriber)- — Pelargonium cucuUatum and Mahernia incisa. (M. B.), — 

 1 and 3, Cystopteris fragilis; 3, Pteris scaberula. (T. S.*. — 1, Olearia 

 nitida ; 2, Celsia betonicfefolia ; 3, Thalictrum aquilegi folium. {E. S.). — 

 Scleranthus annuus. (G. £.).— Thermopsia fabacea. (C. J'.).— Oncidiom 

 altissimum. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS iu the Suburbs of London for the Week endinj^ June 18th. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



THIS YEAR'S BIRMINGHAM SHOW. 



Before the scheclule of the Birmingham Show for this year 

 is issued, I am desirous of making one or two suggestions. To 

 do so may be deemed Quixotic, the Committee having on 

 former occasions displayed so enormous an amount of inertia, 

 or passive resistance to all outward pressure, and I should, 

 indeed, deem it waste of good paper to attempt persuasion on 

 any of the vital matters which have from time to time been 

 discussed. Still it has appeared to me that whilst dogged 

 enough iu some things, they have had a real desire to make 

 the Show more useful and popular, especially amongst buyers, 

 and to details bearing in this direction I shall entirely confine 

 myself. 



I confess I am one of those who like the subdivision of the 

 classes into cocks and pairs of hens ; but I think, in simple 

 justice to exhibitors, the system of entrance fees should be 

 somewhat modified, seeing that each pen of three birds now 

 takes double the amount of entries and accompanying fees 

 compared with the old plan. This is not fair, and now that 

 exhibitors are compelled to show all cocks singly, I think the 

 rule of requiring a second subscription of one guinea after the 

 first four pens should be in some way modified — how I would 

 scarcely say ; but I would suggest a compulsory subscription of 

 10s., and a uniform entrance fee of .5.^. per pen, as about the 

 same thing, for the first four pens, and somewhat more in ac- 

 cordance with the present plan of the schedule. 



It is also highly desirable that the cocks and hens in each 

 class should be arranged over each other, instead of in one 

 long horizontal line. Last year's arrangement caused much 

 time to be spent in ascertaining the relative merits of a strain 

 in consequence of this. All breeders know that some strains 

 excel in pullets and others in cockerels, and that it is, there- 

 fore, highly desirable before buying a cock from any yard to 

 see what kind of hens the same yard produces. I took par- 

 ticular note of the relative numbers and arrangements of the 



sexes last year, and can say positively, that whilst by arrang- 

 ing the classes as I suggest, both the judging and comparison 

 by purchasers would be much facilitated, no real difficulty 

 would occur. 



Thirdly, It is absolutely necessary for the credit of the Show, 

 that during the Saturday previous to its opening all aUke 

 should be rigorously excluded. I am aware this is professedly 

 done, but every one knows how constantly and shamelessly the 

 rule is violated, to the benefit of the mere trading dealers and 

 those large breeders who can send their poultry-men, the injury 

 and disgust of the general body of purchasers, and the yearly 

 disgrace of the Committee. I know one Bristol exhibitor who 

 last year penned his own birds, and, doubtless, many others 

 did the same. This of itself is most unfair to others ; but the 

 principal evil of this laxity is in connection with the sale de- 

 partment, and leads naturally to the last suggestion I shall 

 make. 



That is, that the sale-office should not be opened until twelve 

 o'clock, thereby to place all upon an equal footing, by giving 

 to all a short interval in which to make their selections. The 

 effect of the present system is, as is well known, that for an 

 ordinary purchaser to buy fairly a first-class pen marked at_a 

 moderate price is impossible. All the pick of the Show is 

 either snapped up at once by those who have walked round on the 

 previous Saturday and made their selections, and who can, 

 therefore, at once walk into tbe sale-office, or by those who 

 have confederates on whose judgment they can rely, and also 

 " hunt in couples." The mode of operation is well known to 

 many ; but for the sake of the uninitiated, I may just say, that 

 whilst one worthy obtains the best position he can near the 

 office-(;oor as the actual buyer, the other goes round to select 

 the lots, and telegraphs the numbers to his confederate on his 

 fingers, the result in either Case being that the best lots go into 

 the possession of dealers whose only object is to sell again at a 

 profit before the general public have a chance. 



It may be said, and was said to me by a large practical 

 breeder to whom I was talking the other day, that to delay the 

 opening of the sale-office till twelve o'clock would cause a 

 " regular fight." So far as that goes, it is so very near a fight 



