JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Febraai7 8, 1877. 



Name of Frcit [W.U. ^.).— BeziVaet. 



Names of PrjLNTs (Jlfdrj/).— Sparmaimia atricana. It is a Bhrnb, native 

 of the Cape of Good Hope. It is a greenhooBe evergreen, requiring common 

 garden soil with a little peat added, and is propagated by cattingR of the 

 young shoots during April. iJunux). — Stachys lanata. (F. Wdlhi'r). — We 

 cannot name any plant from a dead flower. (F. M. H.). — We cannot name 

 your Dracaena from the leaf Bent. (J. H. Cumminfi). — Helleborua fistidaa. 

 (Gar(i<ri?r|.— PteriHcretica var. criatata. (iJo6 ).— The blue flower ia Agatbasa 

 capensis. The other is insafficieDt for determination. 



POULTET, BEE, AND PIGEON OHEONIOLE. 



POULTRY AND BIRD NEWS. 



We observe a show is advertised for Baubury. We are glad 

 of it, as that part of the world is but poorly off for shows. With 

 the iuflaential names of the Jadge and Secretary it shonld be 

 well patronised. 



This being the hundredth anniversary of the Bath and West 

 of England Agricultural Society, the Committee have wisely 

 determined to return to their birthplace. We hear the prepara- 

 tions are all in full train for the meeting. The Eoyal Counties 

 will meet this year at Southampton, so we shall hope to find 

 oar Channel Island friends well to the front. 



The malicious injuries wrought upon prize poultry have been 

 very great of late. We know fully well that sometimes at a 

 show in penning, basketing, or cleaning out, a wild bird will 

 break or drop a feather or two ; but it is remarkable that of late 

 30 many of tliese feathers have been plumes which have materi- 

 ally injured a bird's winning. For instance: Mr. P. Haines had 

 a Light Brahma hen injured in her tail: Mr. Dean had his 

 Golden-spangled Hamburgh treated the same; the first-prize 

 Dorkings came back, too, from Kingston like little Bo-Peep's 

 sheep — tailless; and now we hear that Mr. Norwood had his cup 

 Black Poland cock come home minus a sickle. 



The Bristol Show has again been a failure ; nearly flOO to 

 the bad, and Mr. Cambridge, on whom the loss alone falls, 

 wishes all prize-winners to take their prize mnney minus 25 per 

 cent. As this appeal comes round with a most gentlemanly and 

 straightforward circular, we hope all who can afford to do so 

 will take their three-fourths. Still Mr. Cambridge had no right 

 to issue single-handed his schedule unless he was prepared in 

 the case of loss, which he must have anticipated, to defray all 



fear, becanse of its cruelty. In olden days I have known a horse 

 twice docked in order to shorten the tail to the taste, or want of 

 taste, of the owner. Some of my readers may not know what 

 docking is, but having seen it done when a little boy I can tell 

 them. Scene — blacksmith's shop. Blacksmith a huge, fat, 

 soorbutio-faced man, always in liquor after dinner. He began 

 with bitters before breakfast, glasses round at his favourite pot- 

 house at eleven, a heavy soak with his dinner, and afterwards 

 more and more. He, unlike Longfellow's blacksmith, never 



he never 



"Went on Sandays to the church 

 And sat among his bojs ; " 



" Heard the parson pray and preach," 



Eggs soem nnusnally plenteous this season, but broody hens 

 are as scarce as ever. We hear of birds being sent for from far 

 distant places to sit upon the spoiling egss. It does seem a 

 pity that no incubator has been manufactured to come within 

 the price and accommodation of all. Some people we hear sys- 

 tematically make year by year a good trade from selling "a 

 broody hen, nest, egg, and all " for 5s. 



We regret very much to have to announce the death of another 

 of our poultry friends. Mr. Ridpeth died last week at his resi- 

 dence, Withingtou, Manchester. Although not so well known, 

 perhaps, as many other fanciers, still all who knew him bear 

 record of his kindness and perseverance in the good cause. 



Fanciers of the real Indian Game, not those of the Malayan, 

 cross, who are really anxious to establish the breed in England 

 and are willing to help on the work, will find a very ardent 

 coadjutor in Mr. J. King, 11, St. Aldate's, Oxford, who, being 

 the Honorary Secretary of the Exhibition there, is always willing 

 to advance the interests of uncultivated breeds. Those not 

 feeling inclined to subscribe can at least guarantee entries pro- 

 vided there ia a class. — W. 



OUR DUTY TO OUR FOUR-FOOTED AND 



FEATHERED NEIGHBOURS.— No. 3. 



BoT-cRUELTY is not the only cruelty which animals have 

 reason to dread. In a sneaking nnderlianded way there is still 

 much man-cruelty in England. I heard of a man confessing to 

 have trained his terrier pup to kill rats by first catching a rat 

 and extracting his teeth, and then letting the puppy go at it. 

 This was said not in any way of boast, but as a recommenda- 

 tion to a purchaser of the dog. The dog wai bought and the 

 man, a travelling hawkar, went on his wayaud escaped, I regret, 

 prosecution. Then there is the man-cruelty of the cock-fighting 

 sneak, the loathsome creature. There is also too much cruelty 

 or unnecess.ary severeness in the breaking-in of horses. There 

 is too great roughness, and beating and kicking too, of horses by 

 stablemen, especially when the latter are the worse for beer. A 

 dog will not, such is his dislike of the smell of wine and liquor, go 

 into places where such things can be smelt. You cannot induce 

 a dog to smell a wineglass that has had wine lu it. How much 

 horses must dislike the smell of stale beer, as they have to con- 

 nect beery breath with stableman cruelty ! Then there is the 

 bearing-rein cruelty. The docking and cropping of horses has 

 become nnfashionable, and was given up because of that; not, I 



but his shop was known to the ear before the eye saw it, from 

 the loud oaths to some poor apprentice, or it might be some 

 fidgetting horse sent to be shod. Well, the poor horse is brought 

 to be docked. The hairs of the tail held back, the real tail laid 

 bare, then the big shears descend, a piece is cut oft, and instantly 

 a red-hot iron is applied to the bleeding sore. Oh, the agony 

 to the poor animal I and all done for no useful purpose, only for 

 fashion sake. Plunging, writhing with pain, the poor horse ia 

 taken home. The result, instead of a tail to lash off the fliea 

 in summer, he had what looked like the inverted head of a 

 tobacco pipe, of no manner of use whatever. Am I told all this 

 is a thing of the past? Granted ; but fashion not seldom takes 

 a backward turn, and old fashions become new. 



At any rate, the Rabbit trap of the gamekeeper is no thing of 

 the past. Going his rounds the keeper sets his traps. He may 

 not again go the same round for two days. Meanwhile a Babbit 

 sporting in the t .rilight is caught by the leg. The Rabbit is a 

 very timid creature, and timid creatures are always very sensi- 

 tive of pain. The poor Rabbit tears at the trap, deeper go its 

 teeth, and they meet at the bone. Hour- after hour, and perhaps 

 many hours of agony follow. At every noise those fine trumpet- 

 like ears revolve on their pivots — those ears made to catch every 

 sound, and made to revolve so as to catch it more readily. At 

 length the keeper arrives after many an hour, the Rabbit is 

 dragged out of tUe trap, and then at last, at long last, its misery 

 is over. In all the above cases there is cruelty. As to Rabbits, 

 land in England has become so valuable that, except in that 

 peculiar land unfit for anything save a warren, Rabbits perhaps 

 ought not to be allowed to live, but they should be killed with 

 as little pain as possible. Our duty to animals and birds is not 

 hard to learn ; we must not be overwhelmed by them, but they 

 must be kept in due proportion, a proper equilibrium being 

 maintained. 



In the rural districts of France a proclamation has been pofted 

 on the signboards and at the corners of the roads headed with 

 the arresting title, " Ministry of Agriculture." This placard 

 warns the French farmer in brief but admirably chosen language 

 to the following effect: — "Hedgehog: lives on mice, small ro- 

 dents, slugs, and grubs, all animals hurtful to agriculture. Do 

 not kill the hedgehog. Toad : farm assistant, destroys from 

 twenty to thirty insects an hour. Do not kill the toad. Mole : 

 is continually destroying grubs, larvae, palmerworms, and insects 

 injurious to agriculture. No trace of vegetation is ever found 

 in its stomach. Does more good than harm. Do not kill the 

 mole. May bug and its larva or grub : mortal enemy of agricul- 

 ture ; lays from seventy to eighty eggs. Kill the May bug." 



In regard to birds there has been much ignorance in the lower 

 claeses, particularly gamekeepers. As a rough rule it may be 

 well to remember that though some hard-billed bird.s may do 

 some harm, soft-billed birds, the eaters of insects, can only do 

 good. In parts of Scotland where the gamekeepers have of late 

 years had orders to destroy all hawks, owls, and other birds of 

 prey, on the ground that they kill the young game, the result 

 has been that field mice have increased to such an extent as 

 seriously to imperil the annual crop, and where weasels have 

 been all shot rats have increased disastrously. All shonld be 

 kept in due proportion, and then a proper balance will be main- 

 tained. The killing of every hawk is a great mistake, the 

 kestrel, for instance, feeding only on mice, and no better friend . 

 exists than the owl. 



There ia another animal that I plead for, the graceful squirrel, 

 Nature's better Blondin, because he fearlessly walks the slack 

 rope of the bending thin branches, while Blondin only walked 

 the tight rope when high in air. We have all too few wild 

 animals in England, let us be careful of the few we have left. 

 The squirrel is the very personification of graceful agility ; 

 every movement is graceful, and his activity wonderful. On the 

 ground one sees his fnll, bold, liquid eyes; ascending a tree pur- 

 sued by a cat we see the little creature's activity in danger. 

 Once safe how ho turns, stamps his foot, and barks his defiance; 

 and when going from tree to tree across the most slender 

 branches we see the perfection of self-reliance. Then he always 

 abounds when his natural food abounds — the beech nut; those 

 he loves best and livts on. Sometimes geirdeners complain of 

 his depredations, but usually I think the squirrel bears the 

 blame when he ought not. Just as in the house, it is " that cat " 

 when a dish is broken or a more than usually toothsome viand 



