304 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ April 28, 1870. 



pected but that the evidence or facts mast vary considerably, 

 for harea and rabbits may be partial in one spot to some- 

 thing which they may not attack in another from there finding 

 preferable food ; therefore, I think it desirable that each corre- 

 spondent in giving his experience should state— 1st, What 

 trees and shrubs are most liable to their attacks ; 2od, Those 

 they do not interfere with, except in very severe winters ; 

 3rd, Those not interfered with in any way. 



Before entering further into the subject, I should like to make 

 a few remarks on the size of the trees, which has a great effect, 

 for it is when theBe are young and tender that they suffer. Take, 

 lor instance, a Spruce 18 inches high or leas; every growing point 

 is out off, whilst one 2 feet high or more may escape, as the 

 main stem of the Spruce is seldom interfered with ; and the like 

 remarks apply to the Scotch Fir. Not so, however, with the 

 Larch; hares cutoff the tops tbey can reach, and rabbits bark the 

 sterna, if the tops are ont of reach ; both will bark Lime trees of 

 considerable size. Deciduous trees, when planted, are generally 

 so tall that their tops are beyond the reach of rabbits and hares, 

 but many evergreens or nurslings are planted when so small 

 that rabbits can attack the leaders. These matters require 

 consideration, for it may be laid down as a rule that the older 

 trees and shrubs are, the less liable they will be to suffer, for 

 when the bark becomes scaly, rabbits and hares do not care for 

 peeling it off. What they want are the young bark and the 

 tender shoots. — G. Abbey. 



(To be continued.) 



CHARCOAL REFUSE. 



Most charcoal dealers dispose of the small refase charcoal at 

 a rather cheap rate, but not so cheaply as most people can 

 make it for themselves. The mere dust is best used for seed- 

 covering and in propagating. When used to lighten or keep 

 the soil open out of doors, in a bed of Cucumbers, or for pot 

 plants for the window or the greenhouse, the mere du6t should 

 be excluded, and only the little bits of charcoal used, say from 

 the size of a pea to that of a bean or a walnnt. Years ago I 

 used charred wood rather largely, but different reasons operated 

 for a time to keep me short of it, and I know with no beneficial 

 result. I will therefore return to the old custom as much as 

 I can. 



It ia easy to burn a heap of twigs and rubbish to ashes, but 

 these ashes for general purposes will not be so useful a3 if tbey 

 had been nictly charred. In back volumes the whole process 

 and principles of charring have been referred to ; and as re- 

 spects large pieces of wood, or even strong faggot wood, I could 

 not improve on the modes recommended ; but though, when 

 charting large wood I was perfectly satitfied, I was not equally 

 satisfied with charriDg twigs and small wood — that which is 

 most roadily obtained for general garden purposes. I used to 

 make rather large heaps, cover them carefully, and take other 

 precautions, but the result too often was that I had more ashes 

 and less charred wood than I expected. 



If I have led many of your readerB into a mistake in this 

 direction, the only apology I can make is frankly to state that 

 at the time I knew no better way. Now, unless when I wish 

 to pass the fire through a lot of bad weeds, or a lot of clay and 

 effete soil, so as to make it almost as valuable for mixing with 

 heavy soil as a dressing of lime and sand, for all small wood, 

 prunings, clearings, &c. — say from the size of a wheat straw 

 up to that of the little finger or thumb — which I wish to char, 

 I have given up all idea of large heaps, covering them, watch- 

 ing them, &C. When I now want from a bushel to several 

 barrowloads of small well-oharred wood for potting and general 

 purposes, I have it, if I can obtain the material, in the oourse 

 of an hour or two. The plan is best carried out when the 

 wood or twigs are sorted a little as respects size. It is as well 

 when wood from the thickness of a straw to that of the little 

 finger goes together, and when that from the thickness of the 

 littlo finger to the size of the thumb also goes together. Now, to 

 obtain as much charred mateiial as possible in little tim« these 

 precautions are necessary :— The heap should not be large — say 

 from one to five or six barrowloads, then a little dry straw 

 ahouli be placed in the middle to light it, and before the fire 

 is applied a layer of damp litter, dung, tree leaves, or vegetable 

 refuse ought to be thrown over it when the fire has taken hold. 

 According to the size of the wood, from mere twigs up to 

 common faggot stuff, from half an hour to an hour and more 

 will be sufficient to char the wood through, and yet little will 

 be burned to ashes. When a little is drawn out and found 

 Jo bo charred, water is thrown over the heap, covering and all. 



When the steam has passed off the covering is laid aside, and 

 more water given to prevent further burning. For particular 

 purposes, when it becomes cool, the charcoal is sifted so as to 

 separate the larger pieces from the mere dust. By catching it 

 at once, I have several times from a heap of very small wood 

 had scaroely a peck of black ash or duBt, to three or four 

 barrowloads of good, useful, charred Btuff. 



If at any time, owing to a want of poorer stuff, I could com- 

 mand from one to a dozen common-sized faggots, where the 

 wood would range from a quarter of an inch to 1{ inch in 

 diameter, I Bhould never be long withont useful charred ma- 

 terial, if I had a little damp litter, long grass, or weeds to 

 cover it with. Such clean charred stuff is one of the best 

 moderators and regulators of soil, rendering a person nearly 

 independent of many of the materials, suoh as heath soil, 

 which in some places it is almost impossible to obtain. 



After trying many plans I have found no mode so successful 

 for turning out Buch a quantity of charcoal and with so little 

 trouble as the above. I recommend it, therefore, to the con- 

 sideration of your readers, and I shall be greatly obliged if any 

 correspondent will point out a better and more economical 

 mode of obtaining a greater quantity of charcoal more easily 

 from small wood, prunings, faggots, ire. 



I certainly would prefer prunings of hardwooded to those of 

 softwooded trees, or of the Pine and resinous trees ; or rather 

 I would have greatly preferred them in times gone by. I 

 believe that the action of the fire exercises an ameliorating in- 

 fluence. I have used the charred twigs of Larch and various 

 Pinuses, the Scotch Fir among them, for some rather tender 

 plants, and the roots seemed to luxuiiate among them. This 

 season I charred a lot of Laurel prunings, after most of the 

 leaves had dropped, but whether the hydrocyanic acid was de- 

 composed or not, I never saw healthier roots of Scarlet Pelar- 

 goniums than where a lot of Buch charred refuse was used to 

 lighten and regulate the soil. In such a matter, however, I 

 should be very glad to find my own experience confirmed, or 

 the contrary experience stated. At present I am inclined to 

 believe, and m*ke known my belief for the benefit of others, 

 that charred material from any wood is better than none. If 

 we are to be abut out from road drift and road sides, and may 

 as well think of pulling a star from the sky as being allowed to 

 revel in the top spit of a park or pasture land, we shall be 

 forced every day to make the very mo it of what we can get, or 

 manufacture at home. — R F. 



COTTAGERS' HORTICULTURAL, SHOWS. 



(Concluded from page 293.) 



In general it will be found that cottagers are by no means 

 unwilling to exhibit when encouraged to do so. In a small 

 parish, where I had the pleasing duty of acting for some years 

 as secretary to a show, supported by the principal landowner 

 of the place, we had usually between three hundred and four 

 hundred entries from fifty or sixty exhibitors, being, with 

 very few exceptions, something from every one eligible. The 

 prizes announced in the schedule were supplemented by a 

 liberal number of extra prizes at the discretion of the judges, 

 so that comparatively few retired from the show without a 

 prize of some kind, and many with a great number. The 

 garden and premises generally of every exhibitor, and of some 

 who were not exhibitors, were also looked over, and prizes 

 given to the meritorious in the form described in the following 

 schedule, copies of which were distributed beforehand in the 

 neighbourhood. 



COTTAGERS' HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY AND 



SHOW, 

 For the Cottagers and Allotment Tenantry of 



to be Held , 1870, when Prizes will 



under — viz., 



s. rf. «. d. s. d. 

 For the best-managed garden of large size ..100 76 5 

 F'or the best-managed garden of smaller size 7 6 5 3 6 

 For the best-managed allotment garden 7 6 5 3 6 



In awarding the above, attention will be paid to the quantity and 

 variety of useful produce in proportion to the size of the garden, the 

 preparation for the ensuing year, the state of the fences and piggeries, 

 and the cleanliness and neatness of the cottages and premises gene- 

 rally, as well as the cultivation of fruits, flowers, creepers, and window 

 plants. 



RULES OF THE HORTICULTURAL SHOW. 



1. All exhibitors must reside in parish, or have been at least 



one vear employed by a patron of this Society. 



2.' No person to exhibit any production which is not the growth of 



Parish 



be given as 



