May 24, 1877. ] 



journaIj of hoetioolture and cottage gardener. 



391 



Stocka might be planted much more thickly, as you say yin have "any 

 quantity " c-f plants, so that yoa could weed out the singles without causing 

 unsightly blanks. Some of the doubles you could also draw out if you per- 

 ceived them inter/eriD<j with the Pblose?. The Asters will continue flower- 

 ing after the Stocka have faded. The Geraniums are correctly nrranKed. 

 The Bhodanthes we should mis with the Convolvulus, for the pJauts oi the 

 former being already established would dower some time before the latter, 

 the seed of which we presume is not yet sown. 



Plants for Back Wall of Vinery and Greenhouse (Paddh').--'Yon 

 do not say whether the vinery and greenhouse are combined or whether you 

 have two structures. If one house, plant Camellias and afford temporary 

 shade in summer until the Vines reach the top of the house; or you may 

 defer the planting of the Camellias until the Vines cover the roof, having 

 Tomatoes agaiubt the wall, or Cacumbers grown in pots would do fairly in 

 the summer. If two structures we should plant the vicerv with Camellias, 

 and have against the bai^k wall of the greenhouse Luculiagratiesima, Habro- 

 thamnus fascicularis or its better form H. Newelli, and Lapageria rosea. 



Mulching Strawberries (Idevi).—ThQ surface must not be interfered 

 with 60 as to disturb the roots, and after rain or a good watering the mulch 

 you propose of short dung may be given, but you will need to place some 

 fresh material over it to keep the fruit clean. We know of nothiug better 

 than chopped straw, though ordinary straw and even long litter answer well. 



Photection foe Outside Vine Border (!'. F. F.).— The border being 

 well drained, and economy more considered than appearance, we should not 

 trouble about protecting the border with anything besides the stable litter cf 

 which you have plenty, not putting it on so thickly as to heat, but usiug the 

 moat littery portions only, 9-inch to 12-inch thiokuess of which is ample. 

 Boards and waterproof canvas coverings are necessary to keep the borders 

 dry when late Grapes are hauging. Such coverings are useful for other 

 bor'^ers in maintaining a higher temperature of the soil and preventing its 

 becoming sodden ; but only in a few instances are shutters, &c., indispensable. 



Bones for Vine Border (A. H.).— Your border being 25 feet by 10 feet 

 and 2k feet deep (and it ought not to be less) will require about 23 cubic 

 yards of compost, which with bones added at the rate of one part in ten 

 would require forty-eight bushels of half-inch hones; but bores, like lime, 

 having a tendeocy to descend, we should only use half the quantity in making 

 the border, and apply the remainder to the surface after the Vines c'>me into 

 bearing. This will be at the rate of one part bones to twenty of soil. 



Bandy Garden Paths iS, Y.). — Gravel not being procurable and expense 

 an object prevents our advising asphalt. We know of nothing that will aid 

 you except taking equal quantities of ashes from boiler furnaces and old 

 mortar rubbish, mixmg well together, sifting through a three-quarter-inch 

 sieve, placing half an inch upon the paths in wet weather, and rolling well 

 down. The paths would not only be improved for walking upon in moist 

 weather, hut the sand of which you complain would be prevented blowing in 



dry \ 



It her. 



Cucchber Plants Unhealthy (Regular Reader). — The leaf sent pre- 

 sents no appearance of having been infested with insects, or to have suffered 

 from any fungoid attack. It appears to have been slightly scalded, a result 

 of the long-continued dull weather being followed by bright bud. A sliKbt 

 shade lor a few days, accompanied by more frequent sprinklings during 

 sunny days, would probably save the foliage. Admit air more freely, yet 

 avoiding cold draughts. 



Plants for Rockwohk in Partial Shade (S. .V.).— Under the drip of 

 the trees we should have hardy Ferns, of which we name a few:— Blechnum 

 Spicant. B. Spicant imbricata, Lastr^a dilatata, L. dilatata cristata, L. FilLx- 

 mas, L. Filis-mas cristata, Athyrium Filix-fcemina, A. Filix ftemina vars. 

 plumo^um, ramosum. cTymbiferum, aputeforme, cristatum. and Goringia- 

 num pictum; Polypodium vulgare and var. cambricum ; Polypodium Dryop- 

 teris, P. Phegopteris, Pulystichumaculeatum, P. angulareand vara, cristatum 

 and proliferum, with itssub-var. WoUastoni; Scolopendrium vulgare and vars. 

 corymbifemm, ramo-cristatum, maltifidum, and laceratum. At the base in 

 damp grnund you may plant Osmunda regalia and Onoclea sensibilis. Plants 

 for the leis shaded parts may be Adonis vemalis, Ajuga orientalis, Anemone 

 apennina, A. nemorosa and var. plena, A. ranunculoides, Arabis albida, 

 Aubrietia deltoidea, Convallaria majalie, C. Polygonatum, Cyclamen coum, 

 C. europffium. C. hederaefolium, Helleborus niger, Hepatica angulosa, H. tri- 

 loba Tare., Hypericum cummularium, Meconopsis cambrica, Myosotis disaiti- 

 flora, M. t.ylvatica, Ompnalodes verna, Primula acauUa vara., Pulmonaria 

 oflBcinalia, sJoiifraga umbrosa, S. umbrosa elegantissima, Trollius europiEus, 

 and ViolA cucullata. 



Plants for Greenhouse lldem). — Acacia armata, A. Riceana. Ca- 

 meUia in vara., Chorozema cordatum splendens, Boroaia megastigma. Citrus 

 japonica, Correa Brilliant, Cytisus racemoBUs elegans, Kalosanthea coccinea 

 Buperba, Libonia tloribunda, Pimelea decussata, Pohgala Dalmaiaiana, Rho- 

 dodendron jasminiflorum, Rhynchospetraum jasmiiioides, Statice profusa, 

 and Vallota purpurea. We presume you have Pelargoniums, Fuuhsias, 

 Cyclamen persicum vars.. Cinerarias, Calceclariaa, and Primula?. Azaleas 

 will succeed in a house from which frost is excluded. 



Names of Plants lEmily Oldham).— Itia Aponogeton distacbycn, a native 

 of the Cape of Good Hope, and it hos no doubt been planted in the pond you 

 refer to. (Somerset). — 2, Cactus Akermanni ; 3, Papaver nudicaule; 4. Baxi- 

 fraga flarmentoea ; 5, Arabis albida ; 6, Erodium moschatum. ( W. M. B.).— 

 1, resembles Magnolia grandiHora, but the leaf sent is imperfect; 2, Veronica 

 Blue Gem; 3, Polemonlum cceruleum variegatum ; 4, Sedum azoiileum 

 variegatum. (Q. O. S.;.— Epimediuni macranthum. (A. H. 8.).—\, Stan- 

 bopea ebnrnea; 2, Dendrobium Bensonai; 3, Epidendrnm aromaticum; 

 4, Gongcra maculata. 



POULTEY, BEE, ATO PIGEON OflKONIOLE. 



POULTRY AND BIRD NEWS. 

 We hear of birds nestiDg in peculiar places. We have found 

 a nest in an inverted flower pot, and only this year we had a 

 Wren which flew in throngh a cellar window which was gene- 

 rally open, and bnilt and laid among some wine bottles, and 

 now we hear of two ladies in Staffordshire finding a Kobin's 

 nest with seven young birds in an old shoe. The shoe was lying 



by the roadside, and we wonder it had never been picked up 

 before by some j>as6er-by. 



Id a wood in Wiltshire last year a pair of Golden Orioles 

 were seen several times. We hear that the female bird was 

 seen again yesterday. In the same county too, near Saveruake, 

 a fine male specimen of the Hoopoe was shot a week or two 

 back, and is being set-up in Devizes. 



It is with much regret that we hear the Royal Counties Asso- 

 ciation do not intend to hold their meeticg this year. We have 

 followed them from Windsor to Southampton, from thence to 

 Reading, from Reading to Portsmouth, from there to Abingdon ; 

 and now this season we bad once more hoped to meet Mr, 

 Downs and his associates at Southampton, but the outbreak of 

 the cattle plague has frightened them, and the Show is post- 

 poned for another year. 



Mr. Kitchen has resigned the secretaryship of the Leghorn 

 Club, and his place has been filled by Mr. Bradbury. The Club 

 has been vfry energetic, and certainly the breed has gained in 

 popularity. We hope the cloak of Mr. Kitchen with his untiring 

 zeal will fall on the new Secretary. 



We are told that the breed of fowls called Andalusians did 

 not come from Spain, but from the island of Santa Lucia, lying 

 between Honduras and England. We know, however, of a lady 

 who imported from Malta some eggs which were laid by some 

 common fowls in that island, which when they hatched they 

 proved to be extremely good Andalusians. Santa Lucians, their 

 great supporter in England sa5S,they should have been termed, 

 but the word was corrupted into Andalusians from the similar 

 sound in pronunciation. 



We are very sorry to announce that the prize money at the 

 late Bournemouth Poultry Show has not been paid. The Show 

 was held in the first week of March, and we are now very near 

 to the corresponding week in June. We hear that the Secretary 

 does not reply to any letters or applications for payment, and 

 further learn that several winning exbibitors have amalgamated 

 to prosecute. 



Most probably all fanciers have at times experienced the 

 annoyance of finding some valuable egg cracked when it was 

 required for incubation. We are told that such cracks can be 

 mended by painting them with coaguiiue cement aLd then ap- 

 plying some plaster of Paris. We have tried the edgings off a 

 sheet of stamps, but never found this satisfactory ; the other 

 remedy has, however, we learn by a contemporary, been used 

 with success. 



In many places eggs continue very scarce and dear. We know 

 of a town about thirty miles from London where cooking eggs 

 are only five for 6(i., and fresh eggs even now Is. Sd. a dozen. 

 On the other hand, in Wiltshire aud Dorsetshire we have within 

 the past few days bought fins newly laid eggs at Is. a score. 

 The importation of eggs into England continues on a great scale. 

 At Littlehampton alone within oue week two vessels brought in 

 three million of eggs. A friend of ours the other day bought half 

 a dozen of French-imported eggs aud put them under a hen, 

 and hatched five out of the half dozeu ; they consequently can- 

 not be very stale when they are dispatched. When writing on 

 the sul'ject of eggs we may state that a hen belonging to a 

 gentleman in Scotland laid a "pair of eggs" a few days ago. 

 They were attached to each other by a small cord of some skinny 

 substance about an inch in length. In other respects the cgga 

 were perfect. A chemist in France has lately tested the com- 

 parative value between a Duck's egg and a hen's. The results 

 showed that the eggs of the Duck are much the richest, and also 

 further experiments and calculations proved that the Ducks 

 were the most prolific layers. We often when selling large eggs 

 or buying small ones look fnrward to the time when eggs may 

 be sold hy weight. Many tf the hens in our farmyards at the 

 present day have so much degenerated that not only are they 

 bad layers, but their eggs are not of the size of a Bantam, while 

 the fowls' appetites remain as hearty as ever. 



It is suggested by some influential Pigeon fanciers that com- 

 mittees in framing new schi-dules should form classes for Owl 

 hens, which have as a rule but a poor chance of success against 

 cocks, and alqo that there should be classes for Peak and Shell- 

 crested Turbits. We can imagine at a good show these classes 

 would be well supported, and we should like to see the Crystal 

 Palace and Oxford give them a trial. — W. 



BEDLINGTON POULTRY SHOW. 



The thirteenth annual Exhibition of this Society was held at 

 Bedlington on the 21st and 2'2nd inst., when the following prizes 

 were awarded : — 



POnLTRV.-DoRKmns.— 1. W. Swann. 2, M. S. BuBton. 3, J. T. Prond. 

 Cochins —Buff or Cinnamon.— \. 2, and 3, Q. Proctor. Brahmas.— Darfc— 1, J. 

 Andern.jn 2. S Teaadale. 3, M. Mastermao. Spanish.— 1, T. Newlnnds. 2. 

 T. & R Miller. S, K. Shield. Polish. -1, H. A. Clark. 2, J. ■!•. Proud. 8, R. 

 Farnons. Bars-dooh.-I, G. Robinaon. 2, R. S. Lamb. 8, Mrs. Atkinson. 

 Game— yinv varietu.—Cock.—l, J. A. Nelson. 2, A. PattiBOn. 8, G. Carter. 

 a«-l J.A. Nelson. 2, W. Vounghusband. 3, W. Tillotson. Blaek-breaeted 



