Jane 16, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



433 



the number of peus of Black Duck* entered in the class for 

 any other variety than Aylesbury or Rouen is seven, and in the 

 same there are three pens of Mandarins, three of Carolinas, aDd 

 three of other varieties, so that there areas many again of Blacks 

 as of any others in the class, exhibited by well-known breeders, 

 and therefore it is only fair to assnme they are, to say the 

 least, something above the average quality ; and as they pay 

 twice as much entrance money aa any other breed in the class, 

 one would naturally expect they would be entitled to a fair 

 share of the prizes ; but no, it really seems as if it were all 

 settled beforehand, that however good the Blacks may be, and 

 however bad the highly-favoured Mandarins and Carolinas, tbe 

 latter must have the lion's share. So Carolinas take first, the 

 unfortunate Blacks come in second, Mandarins taking the third 

 prize, not even tbe sop of a high commendation or commendation 

 being dealt out to the East Indians exhibited by Mrs. Hayne, 

 who took first and third at Birmingham a few weeks previously, 

 or to those by Mr. Burn ; Mr. (Jeorge, who took first and third 

 at Bristol, alone coming in for one high commendation. It is 

 best that I should say here I was not an exhibitor at the Crystal 

 Palace, and therefore individually had no cause of complaint, 

 neither did X show Black Ducks at Manchester or Bristol. 



Let us now take a glance at the Bath and West of England 

 Show, at Taunton. In the class for Ducks of any other variety we 

 find the whole class only numbers seven entries, and that neither 

 of the exhibitors of Black Ducks at the Crystal Palace has 

 entered there ; they appear to have had enough of compel ing with 

 judges' prejudices in favour of purely ornamental poultry as 

 against the useful and ornamental combined, as they un- 

 doubtedly are in East Indians ; however, there was one entry of 

 the breed, and I should imagine this exhibitor will also learn a 

 lesson, and in future follow the example of his wiser Black- 

 Duck-breeding fiiends, and, uuless there be a distinct class, 

 keep his pets at home, and not subject them to such a trying 

 week as they had at Taunton, simply to get a high commenda- 

 tion and see their useless opponents of the ornamental water- 

 fowl division carry off all the prizes. 



Now, we all know it is very easy to find fault, but I cannot 

 think that any committeeman who may happen to read this 

 will be able to say I have done so without just cause. I have 

 shown beyond all dispute, by taking four showB at which prizes 

 were nearly of the same amount, that. Black Ducks will pay 

 for a class to themselves better than AyleBburys, or any other 

 breed except Rouens. They possess the combined qualities 

 of ornament and usefulness, and wherever they have a fair 

 chance of competing they form a large and attractive class ; 

 and in the face of this, two such committees as those of the 

 Crystal Palace and Bath and West of England Shows refuse to 

 give a separate olass. It seems to be the fashion now to get up 

 subscription cups for the different breeds ; I propose that we 

 have one for Black Ducks, and shall be happy to hoar through 

 your office from anyone who will assist me in doing so, together 

 with any suggestions as to the best method for inducing com- 

 mittees to treat our pets, the Black East Indian Ducks, with a 

 little more consideration. — Jdstitia. 



[Instead of sending to our office, anyone wishi»g to com- 

 municate with " Jcstitu," had better enclose a letter directed 

 " To the care of G. Siunders Sainsbury, Esq., Belle Yue 

 House, Devizes. — Eds.] 



The Toad a Vampire. — In the seance of the 11th of April 

 M. Duchemin brought before the Academy of Sciences of Paris 

 the following curious fact in natural history. In the park of 

 the Cbiteau de Montigny (Eure) belonging to M. Deroche, 

 there is a large piece of water, through which a gentle current 

 of beautifully clear water flows. In this lake numerous carp 

 are reared, which thrive well, except during the first days of 

 spring, when each year an extraordinary mortality ooours 

 amongst them. In each animal one morbid symptom is al- 

 ways observable in the dead animals as they float on the surfaoe 

 of the water. In every case the animal is blind ; a kind of film 

 covers the eyes and even a part of the head. An examination 

 of the body brings to light no internal disease, beyond a slight 

 fatty degeneration of the tissues. Tbe viscera appear healtby, 

 and contain no intestinal worms. The cause of this strange 

 malady has not hitherto received any notice ; but from M. 

 Dachemin's researches, in conjunction with M. Deroche, it 

 seems that the toad (Bufo calamito) is an enemy, if not of all 

 fishes, at least of the carp in spring. It attacks it, exhausts it, 

 conquers, and kills it. To determine the point, they examined 

 all the carp in the pond, and found squatting on the head of 



each of those that were diseased an enormous toad, the fore 

 paws of which were placed on the two eyes of the unfortunate 

 fish. Thus, this ugly Batraohian, which presents bo stupid an 

 aspect, has yet sufficient intelligence to assume the offensive, 

 and to overoome a large fish. If it has not agility and energy, 

 it has cunning and perseverance. It would appear to kill by 

 exhaustion, but it remains to be ascertained whether the acrid 

 secretion of its ekiu assists in the conquest. 



In a Btill more recent seance of the Academy of Sciences, 

 M. Duchemin, reverting to the above communication in regard 

 to the mortality of the carp being in some instances due to the 

 attacks of the toad, supplies observations which have been for- 

 warded to him in support of his statements, and relates that 

 from investigations undertaken at the Chateau de Montigny, the 

 toad does not always remain permanently fixed on the head of 

 the dead fish, but only so long as it gives signs of life. He 

 observes, too, that all the carps from which the attacking toads 

 had been removed were more or less blind. They were placed 

 with care in another pond, but none of them recovered from 

 the injuries received. No author has hitherto noted this 

 animosity of the toad for the carp, who perhaps themselves 

 consume the eggs of the toad. He has obtained additional 

 evidence from M. Mermet, Directeur des Eaux at Contrexville 

 (Vosges), who states that it has been found impossible to pre- 

 serve carp in a sheet of water in that neighbourhood in conse- 

 quence of the presence of numerous toads. M. l'Abbe Caillet, 

 Curo of Rosoy (Haute Marne), whilst confirming the above 

 statements, writes to him, " The toad is a villainous beast. 

 One day I observed one that had crawled beneath a hive. 

 There, with his two forepaws advanced and his throat wide 

 open, he attracted the innocent bees, with which his sides 

 were distended." — (Nature.) 



MACHINE FOR STONING CHERRIES. 



Tnn following is from the Scientific American, illustrating a 

 new cherry-stoner : — ■ 



It is screwed to the table by a hand-screw a. An upright, 

 b, supports the body of the machine. The fruit is held in the 

 left hand, rolls down along a gutter c, and enters the small 

 cups in the periphery of the annular wheel d. 



e is a double crank from which a link r imparts vertical reci- 

 procating motion to the cross-bar g, and also to the recurved 

 punching-bar n. Each time the cross-bar o rises, a stud i 

 engages with one of the cups on the annular wheel d, turning it 

 along one-eighth of a revolution, and bringinganother cup directly 

 under the point of the punching-bar ii, carrying with it the 

 fruit which has fallen into it fram the gutter c. Each of the 

 cups has a hole through the bottom largo enough to permit the 

 passage of the pit ; and when the punching-bar descends by 

 the rotation of the crank, it pierces the fruit and forces the pit 

 through the bottom of the cup, into the shoot j, wherce it falls 

 into a dish placed to receive it. 



