June 7, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTIGULTDRE AND OOXXAGB GARDENER. 



431 



times, the seed beiDs from the same packet. la our opinion it is constitu 

 tional, and arises from closo breeding or a bad selection of plants (or Beedin g 

 Tbere is no remedy. 



Mabket Gabdening (M. 6.). — We shonld not advise yoa to attempt learn- 

 ing market gardening from books, especially as you have had little experience. 

 The only thing likely to be of service is to enter the establishment of a yood 

 grower of market produce. Without practical knowledge book learning ia 

 not of much value. Hibberd's ** Profitable Gardening " may suit yoa. 



Planting Straweerbies— Sobts for Light Soil (Wist CoafiO.— Plants 

 will not be procurable in tbe nurseries nntil July or early August, and not 

 then unless ;ou purchase mnners established in small pots, such as are 

 nsually potted at that time for forcing. These are layered runners, and are 

 mnch better than plants proctirable at a cheaper rate per hundred later on ; 

 in fact, if a crop be wanted the year following their planting the plants should 

 he planted not later than early August. The ground should be well and 

 deeply dug or trenched, adding manure liberally. Plant in rcws 2 feet apart, 

 and 18 to 2-4 inches from plant to plant in the rows, La Grosse Sucrie, 

 Keens' Seedling, Fresidunt, and Lucas. Sir Harry in some light soils is 

 saperior to Eeens' Seedling. 



Conover'3 Colossal Asparagus (Idem), — It is superior to the ordinary 

 kinds, being larger, and attaining a size fit to cut sooner after planting. 



Peach Trees Gummed (A.). — The shoots sent exhibit symptoms of gum 

 the wood being very weak but long-jointed. We should attribute it to a 

 badly drained border, the soil being very wfit and the subsoil unfavourable. 

 We also think the atmosphere of the bouse is kept too cloie and moist, as 

 some of the leaves are scorched. Give air earlier, and see to the roots at 

 the proper time. Lilting the trees is the only reioedy we have found against 

 gom, affording thorough drainage. Some trees which gammed severely have 

 recovered since we adopted that practice. 



Planes in London {Platanus). — It is the Oriental Plane, Platanus orien- 

 talis acerifolia. 



Names of Plants (E. T.). — Ceanothas thyrsitlorua. We cannot name 

 the Pansy, but it is a very fine one. (J. P.}.— Your specimen was too much 

 cruBhed for identification. We cannot name varieties of florists' flowers. 

 (Far North). — 1, Ribes alpinum ; 2, Lonicera tartarica; 3, Spir.-ea byperiei- 

 folia; 4, BocconiaJeddoensis. [Student, Hadlojc). — 1, Chenopodium Bonns- 

 Henricus; 2, Veronica agrestis; 3, Linaria Cymbalaria; 4, V ' 

 5 , Sherardia arvensis. (Aimer). — Piptanthus nepalensii. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PIGEON OHEONIOLE. 



BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND SOCIETY'S 

 POULTRY SHOW. 



CENTENARY MEETING AT BATH. 



Afteb a hnndred years this ABSociation returns to keep its 

 cenlenary birthday iu the city from whence it iirst arose, and 

 on the Wells road, about three-quarters of a mile from the Great 

 "Western Railway station, we find the wooden and canvas 

 erections with their varied assortment of live stock and goods. 

 The violent hurricane at the end of last week was very severe 

 at Bath, and at times great fears were entertained for the tents 

 and shedding, but only three erections fell, and the rest barely 

 stood the ordeal. At this meeting there is always something 

 interesting to see, some new invention — a turnip-cutter, a cucum- 

 ber-slicer, or a cherry-stoner, and these little " fads and fancies " 

 were all at work at Bath, for long rows of counters covered with 

 Buch endless articles in full work showed that the trade was as 

 brisk as ever. Concerning our own peculiar department there 

 were wire hurdles and netting, poultry troughs and all such ap- 

 pliances ; condiments, too, and food of many and divers sorts. 

 At Bristol, Taunton, Hereford, Plymouth, and Croydon we have 

 seen very much the same lot of exhibits, snd we even fancied we 

 recognised the same canvas walls and varied-coloured bunting 

 as in past years. Many faces we recognised once more among 

 the departments peculiar to their own loves. In tbe poultry 

 tent we found many of the same exhibitors, and probably some 

 of tbe same birds. They made 3;i9 pens on this occasion, and 

 the Pigeons eighty-eight — uo great display for the sixty-six 

 classes and the seventeen silver trophies ! But this Society 

 prefers " in smooth self-chosen ways to guide its wandering 

 feet," and while the schedule annually remains the same, and 

 the system of insisting that the birds be iu the show ground on 

 the Saturday before, while again the entries close so very long 

 before the Exhibition is held, we do not expect ever to see a 

 much larger show. We are sorry, and would urge all to try once 

 more to have these things altered ; but it must be taken in hand 

 at an early date, as the arrangements are generally made and the 

 flchedules drawn up soon after Christmas. 



Bath is near Bristol, and Bristol is the stronghold of Spanish 

 fowls, so we expected to find a very good diaplay. We have 

 done so in past seasons, and the two classes which opened the 

 poultry catalogue were very creditable, but we have seen better. 

 The cup went to a very good cock, large iu face and generally 

 good ; while Miss E. Browne's hens were well shown and in 

 good feather. Dorkinga came well to the front. Mr. Cresswell 

 won both the cups, the one with a capital Silver-Grey cock clear 

 in colour but a little loose in comb ; the other cup he won with 

 a fine pair of White hens, one of them certainly the best we ever 

 saw. Mr. Boissier's were very neat in comb but rather small. 

 Jn Coloured cocks Mrs. Radcl'yffe's bird was in fine feather, but 

 for shape we preferred Mr. BurncU's. The Cochins were only 

 fair, The BuSs we thought well judged ; they were only a fair 



lot. Partridge cocks, too, we did not think a great deal of, and 

 in hens there were only two pens, one of which won the cup. 

 Whites were better, but the cocks struck us as being small. We 

 preferred Mr. Tomlinson's, for the first-prize bird was rather 

 narrow or else very white. In hens we did not much like the 

 winners. One of them was shajjely, but they had ugly combs 

 and heads. Wo liked the second-prize birds very much, one 

 of them especially was very good indeed. Mrs. Holmes, too, 

 had one good birtf, and so had Mr. Tomlinson. Brahmas were 

 much out of feather. Mr. Smith's bird looked well and was 

 well in first. The Dark cup hens were also well pencilled aud 

 large. In Light Brahmas one of the first hens was excellent, 

 and so was the same owner's highly commended cock. Mr. 

 Breeze had a fair cockerel which as a chicken deserverl, we 

 thought, some mention. There was also a pair of pullets shown, 

 but they were but small and seemed too matured ever to make 

 birds of much use. The second Light Brahma cock was in good 

 feather, but too large in tail for our taste. I'olands were meagre 

 in entries. The first cock wag a Gold, rather small in crest, but 

 in peculiarly good feather and with very long hackles. Hens 

 only made two pens. The cup went to one pair, a moat splendid 

 pair of Silvers ; they were large in crest and in good feather, 

 being also well marked. In Iloudan cocks the first-prize bird, 

 though good in size, crest, and feet, poBsessed the most awkward 

 comb we have seen for a long time. The Eeoond prize went to 

 a specimen possessing a better comb, but otherwise of no great 

 merit. Mr. Thomas's bird had the best comb in the class. 

 Houdan hens looked rather seedy altogether and small compared 

 with the portly matrons to the sight of which the late Mr. Dring 

 accustomed us. The first-prize pair were moderately dark with 

 good globular crests aud were well matched. The second, of 

 the same type, were smaller. In Crt're cocks Mr. Feast secured 

 the cup with a well-shown specimen, his comb of the right kind. 

 Second prize went to a moderate bird good in colour. Creve 

 hens were five pairs in number. The first-prize pair fFeast) 

 good, but with too mnch white in their crests for our fancy ; the 

 second pair neat and good in coloar, but rather small. 

 (To be continued next toeek.) 



WOEDS INTRODUCTORY. 



" Will it live its hundred years ?" has been often the ques- 

 tion put disparagingly in regard to some book. " Will he live 

 his hundred years ?" has been often said of some writer. And 

 indeed a century is a terrible trial to fame. Many-praised, 

 known by all, famous a hundred years ago, now utterly un- 

 known; only the truly great live-on their century and over. 

 Well, our excellent Bath and West of England has lived its 

 trial one hundred years, and is stronger in capital and better 

 aud wider known than ever. It was a happy thought that the 

 centenary of what takes its name from " 'The Queen of the 

 West " should be held in Bath. The weather had been terrible 

 to us in the near neighbourhood, and many a time have I said, 

 " Oh, poorBath people ! they will have a double disappointment. 

 No Prince of Wales, and wet, and misery, and loss." All last 

 week rain in torrents, and storms reaching to hurricanes ; the 

 ground of the showyard soaked, engines and machines immove- 

 able in the mud. But Saturday fairly dry, Sunday gloriously 

 hot, sucking up moisture rapidly — too rapidly, said tlie croakers. 

 Old fogies said, " The glass rose too fast." But Monday came 

 and better weather still — heat, blessed bone-searching heat, so 

 welcome after that dear deluding May, the pretty month spoiled 

 by east wind, as I have seen a pretty face spoiled by a bad 

 temper. Lovely Monday weather, with heat and yet a breeze 

 going — just the thing, and no dust possible on the ground. 

 Cheer up, Bath ; your citizens will have a good and not dull 

 time. The (Jueen of the West has received her crown of sun- 

 shine. Tannton, Salisbury, and the rest of you, hide your dimi- 

 nished heads ; you have no view like that from Breeohin Cliff, 

 and no show has ever been so grand as to-day's. 



In calm critical mood I reach the Pigeons — not brain-distracted 

 like a friend with me, who had his thoughts in the dog show 

 and with his dog wrongly entered. N.B. — Next year that show 

 will, I hope, be inside the grounds, a part of the whole. Dogs 

 aud horses should go together. One walk along the very short 

 row of Pigeons, and, too, several of them empty. I thought of 

 the critic's words on first seeing Edmund Kean, " Good enough 

 looking, hut pity there's so little of yon." Only eighty-eight 

 pens 1 This is a sad falling-off from what I remember eight, 

 ten, and fifteen years ago. Why, Bath and West of England 

 used to be the best summer Show for Pigeons, as it is the 

 pleasantest for everything. 



Carriers. — These were a singularly strong class, eighteen 

 entries. Among the cocks the first-prize was a Dun (Yardley), 

 good in colour, in jaw, but upper beak and eye wattle not so 

 good. Second (Fulton) a Black, and which I preferred to the 

 first. Head very good, eye somewhat diamonded, but head 

 carried up grandly; neck thin, shoulders broad — indeed, a fine, 

 well-proportioned, true fancy English Carrier. No. 'MO (highly 

 commended) very much of the old Horseman type. The first 

 ben, first-and-cnp she was, good Black, a long beak, narrow 



