February 10, 1^70. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



or disestablishment has been uppermost in mtii's minds, and the 

 usual " How d'you do? fine day!" has been exchanged with serious 

 faces and bated breath ; but these minor affairs pale before- the graver 

 topics debated by our "fancy" when in solemn conclave assembled. 

 The '"points" in a Belgian — can numbers count them? or is the 

 English language sufficiently copious to describe them? We ask one 

 member for his idea of correct classification of them. His reply is 

 oracular, and full of hidden meaning ; so deeply hidden, that to this 

 day we cannot fathom its depths. " Belgians camo from the Vatican. 

 They have been kept out of natural history long enough, and it's my 

 opinion the sooner they're into it the better. That's what I told Mr. 

 Kidd. Slip them like two greyhounds, and where are they? Tv'hy, 

 there they are ! " I said our language is defective ; it must be. The 

 praises of a Scotch fancy, can they be chauuted in aught but pure 

 Gaelic ? The value of a tick or a blotch ; what constitutes oven, and 

 what uneven marking; what there ought to be a class for, and what 

 there ought not to be a class for; what is to stand, and what is to be 

 struck out, that our coat may be cut to suit the dimensions of our 

 financial cloth — form matters for deliberation, the importance of 

 which is only imperfectly understood by the outside world. 



The schedule finally determined on, was posted broadcast from 

 John o'Groat's house to Land's End. A few towns in Scotland 

 absorbed more than three hundred, with a return of six or seven 

 exhibitors ; but we shall entice them over the Border when the new 

 moon comes. The folding, enclosing entry certificate, pasting, address- 

 ing, and stamping of nearly a thousand circulars was a tedious opera- 

 tion for one pair of hands, to say nothing of the maaa of correspond- 

 ence incident to the affair ; but the whole business, divested of the 

 matter-of-fact drudgery attached to it, was exciting enough, especially 

 when the moon was at "change" and "fall." The culminating 

 point was the date of closing of entries. For a day or two previous 

 it was a frequent question, ''How are the entries coming in?" 

 n Slowly, very slowly ! They always do come in slowly till the last 

 day ; so keep your heart up." Inquirer lcoka blank, and goes through 

 a pantomime expressive of doubt, makes vague reference to the 

 amended bankruptcy law?, and thinks it a pity wo didn't have the 

 show in time to take the benefit of the old Act — goes away a sad man. 

 But the day arrives big with the fate of our Show, an cl with a ring 

 which says plainly, " Hare they are, and don't forget my New Year's 

 gift," the postman delivers a bundle, of letters, which at once quiets 

 all Inquirer's apprehensions. Nice, fat, bulky-looking envelopes, well 

 packed with certificates, cheques, post-office orders, and stamps. Some 

 contain letters. One man says his will be the ' ; honestest bird in the 

 Show," but it wasn't. Another says, " You don't often see such a lot 

 of birds as I am going to send. They are sure to take first prizes, 

 and I'll send you a present of some fish on Monday ; ' but they didn't, 

 and I never got my fish. There are the business-like entries of men 

 who send twenty or thirty birds without a word of instruction ; they 

 know we understand our business ; and there are entries of two or 

 three with three volumes Svo. of cautions ; legible and illegible entries, 

 correct and incorrect, down to the man who enters a " fine-marked 

 cock" as a British bird. 



I pass over the posting up, the sending out labels, getting up a 

 twenty-eight-page catalogue, and other trifles which come in the way 

 as the moon passes from " opposition " to " conjunction" till we arrive 

 at receiving-day. I know the packages by sight — Moore & Wynne's, 

 shaped like giants' coffins ; J. N. Harrison's, models of neatness, 

 compactness, and clever contrivance ; Tomes and Irons & Gayton, 

 more coffins ; "Scotch Fancy" all in strongboxes; Stansfield, neat 

 crates ; Derby lots very business-like, with Mr. Bexson's actually in 

 a wrapper; sundry lots in mo3t peculiar covers. One man had 

 borrowed the best tablecloth and a woollen shawl, another some 

 pillow-cases, and a third a let of old umbrella covers. Then there 

 are the neat brown hollaud covers trimmed with red braid, the work 

 of some pitman's thrifty wife's fingers. Evening brings "Yours 

 ever — II. A.," with his boxes, just as Mr. Young appears with his; 

 both " cup " men. They possess about 12 feet -4 inches of muscular 

 Christianity between them. Both looked very "fit'' as they clasped 

 hands with a giant's grip, and both looked confident. " Yours 

 ever — H. A.," thought he would just "land," but there was a quiet, 

 placid expression about Mr. Young, suffusing itself over the entire 

 man down to his gaiters, which spoke of reliance on bis ability 

 to win. Meanwhile a very unobtrusive individual was quietly staging 

 birds destined to lower the colours of one, and run the other very 

 close. Mr. Ratter had not been to Belgium daring those awful gales 

 last autumn for nothing. He bad not made love to steam-packet 

 officials for care of his birds when he was in the agonies of sea-sick- 

 ness, nor prayed the sympathies of relentless Custom House authori- 

 ties at Dover for birds of no value ; and while he gave this one a 

 scratch and the other an affectionate scrape, which the acrobatic 

 angels responded to by the most hideous distortions, it was evident 

 that the man who could distance all competitors, and run one, two : 

 three in four classes, would stand a great chance of repeating the 

 coup of last year. 



A final walk round the hall with a systematic checking off of the 

 feathered beauties, and our most indefatigable attendant pulled his 

 bed from nnder the temporary platform, the gas was lowered, and we 

 said good-bye till next evening, when the judges were expected to 

 deliver their awards. One by one the Committee and anxious ex- 

 hibitors dropped into the Committee-room, " waiting for the verdict." 



Many a pleasant story and joke pertaining to the fancy went round the 

 circle to while away the last hour, till the merriment was silenced by 

 the appearance of the judgos, and in a very few minutes I was able to 

 announce that Mr. Young was the fortunate winner of all the cups, 

 Mr. Kutter and Mr. Ashton being close up. The correct return of the 

 running in our " Two Thousand Guinea " would be, " won cleverly by 

 a neck, a head separating the second and third." What congratulations 

 followed, what snaking of hands, what hearty expressions of feeling 

 from all sides ! There was but one regret, and that was that our 

 esteemed friend Mr. Walter was not more successful ; but he assured 

 me as soon as he arrived, that he had only come " for the sake of auld 

 lang syne," and did not anticipate taking many, if any prizes. Few 

 men have taken such a hold on our regard as he, and I believe the 

 winner himself would have cheerfully laid down his laurels to decorate 

 Mr. Walter's brow. 



The glories of our opening day, how His Worship the Mayor kindly 

 presided, and presented the trophies, and how eloquent speeches were 

 made, are these events not duly chronicled in the papers of the day? 

 But the presentation of the cup officially by "Yours ever — II. A.," will 

 not soon be forgotten by those present. Our impromptu ball, our 

 private theatricals, our concert (an annual festival at which we always 

 sing " Hard Times ;" I do not know why, but we do), are now matters 

 of history. It may be that history repeats itself, but it will have a 

 difficult task to repeat all the pleasures attending the " Two Thousand" 

 of 1870.— "W". A. Blakston. 



BREEDING PAROQUETS. 



Seeing in " our Journal" some directions to be observed in 

 breeding Paroquets, reminded me of what I saw last Christmas. 



Mr. Thos. Hallam, watchmaker, Lutterworth, has a pair of 

 the Australian Grass Paroquets. On the Tuesday before Christ- 

 mas clay he was surprised to see a small white egg at the bottom 

 of the cage ; he at once told an old friend and fancier of the 

 occurrence, and together they made a nest, put it into a bos, and 

 placed the egg in it. The next morning another egg was laid, 

 and on the following morning a third, after which the hen bird 

 began to sit. The eggs were very like those of the Kingfisher in 

 shape, hut not quite so large. Is it customary for them to lay 

 at this time of the year? And do these birds often breed in 

 confinement? — Charles Baker. 



HOW ITALIAN BEES ARE MARKED. 

 Many persons do not understand what the yellow bands are 

 that distinguish the Italian from the native bees. Some sup- 

 pose that when we speak of yellow bands we mean the lines 

 round the lower part of the abdomen. This is quite a mis- 

 take, for these lines are alike defined in bo-h native and 

 Italian bees. The yellow bands are around the upper part of 

 the abdomen, and are frequently more of an orange colour 

 than a yellow. The first band is a narrow stripe next to the 

 thorax, and not always clearly defined, though it is always to 

 be seen, in the pure bees. The second may be culled a broad 

 stripe separated from the first by a hair-line of black. The 

 third, when it appears, is perhaps a little more than half the 

 breadth of the second, as a general thing, though sometimes it 

 is not half the breadth, and not so clearly defined. Many 

 persons take the broad stripe for the first band, and hence 

 discover only two bands where three may be distinctly seen. 

 The third line is also separated from the second by a hair-line 

 of black.— J. H. Thomas (in Toronto Globe). 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Fowls kot Laying (IU\ A. S.).— Either you have all old hens, or there 

 i3 mismanagement, or you overfeed, or your eggs are taken. Something 

 of this sort must occur, or you would have more eg^s. From a smaller 

 number of hens we get from two to three dozen daily, and we nre looking 

 for an increase. Very old hens will not lay till nest mouth ; if they are 

 irregularly fed they will not lav. Overfeeding U not only giving too 

 much food, but it is giving it in the wrong way— for instance, giving gram, 

 meal, or other food in a trough or any vessel where fowls feed by niontns- 

 ful instead of by grains. This makes them dull, sleepy, and uncomfort- 

 able ; thev squat about and grow fat. If tbe eggs are taken you must 

 find out the rogue; rats take them sometimes, and marvellous tales are 

 told of their dexterity in doing it, but they do not take dozens daily. 

 Give a meal of maize or good barley at duvbrcak, meal biter m tbe day, 

 and one or two repasts of whole corn afterwards Tbe distribution of 

 food is half the battle. Feed often and little— that is, allow no food to lie 

 about, and only give it so long as they run after it. You do not want so 

 much instruction as you fancy. Try to feed your fowls as Pheasants, 

 Partridges, and wild birds feed* themselves. 



Points of Got den and Silver-spangled Polands (B. P.).— We will 

 give you as much information a3 we can find room for; but for P niT >t p . 

 colours, markings, &c ," we must refer youto some of tbe books published. 



