398 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULT'DBE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



[ Jane 10, 1 809. 



from turf mixed with an equal quantity of cow dang, should be given 

 in October. The spaces around the plants should also be mulched in 

 spring or eai-Iy in summer with littery manure, well watering in dry 

 weather after the plants come into flower, continuing to water until the 

 fruit is gathered. Trollope's Victoria, as you say, is ono of the best 

 varieties for light soils; Black Prince, Rifleman, Sir Charles Napier, and 

 Rivera's Eliza, are also good; Marguerite does well, and so do Alpines 

 with plenty of water. Strawberries of the Pine race, as a rule, do not 

 sncceed well on light soils, being very subject to canker, and too weak 

 in grow* u to swell their f i-uit properly. 



Gladioli Bni^s (T. Graf ton). —Tho young bulba form upon the d 

 ones of last year, and it is the young that grow in the following yeai-, and 

 not the old, for once a bulb has grown and flowered it is of no further 

 nse ; but the young bulb, with its ofi'^-^ts, is a continuation of the old- It 

 is incorrect to say tb-jt a bulb of 1837 will grow in 1859. though it cer- 

 tainly does so by the formation, during its year of growth, of bulbs and 

 ofisets that will flower in the succeeding years. 



Mountain Ash Treatment (Idim).— The sprig and blocm enclosed to 

 ns are those of Pyrus Aucuparia, or Mountain Asb, a fine ornamental 

 tree of medium size, very pretty and sweet when in flower, end highly 

 ornamental in autumn with its finn red berries. It is raised from seed, 

 and plants can be had by the hundred or thousand of any nurseryman at 

 a cheap rate. It succeeds ia almost all soils and sitiations, being best 

 when planted on the margins of wood.s and pUntations, or where desired 

 for ornamental purpoi^es. It is a native of this country, is plentiful in 

 mountainous parts, and is, therefore, very hardy. So far from the fruit 

 being poisonous, it is eaten in some parts of Scotland and Wales. 



Belladonna and Jacob:ea I^ilv Cosipost (Tyro).— Boih succeed in a 

 compost of three parts turfy loam, neither heavy nor light, and one part 

 leaf mould or old cow dung. Do not give them very large pots — indeed, 

 keep them under rather than overpotted. The Belladonna should be 

 constantly kept on a light shelf in the greenhouse. Set the pots on a 

 pan full of sand, which at no time ought to become dry, not even in 

 fiummer when the plant is dormant. Do not repot them until the roots 

 split the pots. The plants will begin to grow in autumn, when they 

 Bhonid be well supplied v.ith water, continuing to give it until the foliage 

 begin to decay, then cease watering. The Jacobrei Lily should be kept 

 on a shelf in the greenhouse, and treated in a similar manner, but the 

 season of growth is different. The Jacobjea Lily begins to grow early in 

 spring, and flowers in June or Jnly, or earlier. It should be well supplied 

 with water from the commencement until the completion of its growth ; 

 then withhold water altogcthtr, keeping it dry in winter, but the pot 

 should be set on a pan of wet sand, for nothing is more injurious than to 

 keep these plants dust dry during their period of rest. 



Greenhouse Plants to Bloom from November to March (D. J.).~ 

 Acacia armata, A. DrumTiondi, A. oleifolia elegans, A. longiflora mag- 

 nifica ; Boronia Drummoudi ; Bouvardins Brilliant, Hogarth, Hnmboldti, 

 and Leiantha floribunJa ; Citrus JAponica, Coronilla glauca ; C'orreas 

 Brilliant and sneciosa major ; Cyclamen Atkinsi. C. coum, and 0. persicum 

 varieties; Cypripediuniiu8!gne,Cj'tisu3 Atleeanus.C. racemosna, Daphne 

 Fortnnei ; Epiphyllnm truucatum elegans, violaceum, multiflorum, 

 Ruckerianum, and Russe'lianum ; Habrothamnus elegans, Hovea Celsi, 

 Linum trigynum, Lucali:i gratissima, Monochastum ensifernm. Primula 

 Binensis, double varieties : and Rhododendron jasminiflorum, R. javani- 



cum, Princess Alice, Princess Royal, and Princess of Wales. In additioa 

 to the above, there are Chry3authemum&> Primulas, Cinerarias, Tree 

 Carnations. Violet3, Dielytra s^ectabilis, Prunus sinensis flore-plenOj 

 Deutzia gracilis, C;unellias, and Azaleas. 



Top-DREssiso Azaleas and Camellias (T. C. F.).— You may top- 

 dress the plants with old cow dung, and that will to some extent lessen 

 the necessity for shiftinginto larger pots; but thfs must not be neglected, 

 though it need not be done oftener than every second or third year after 

 the plants are as large as you wish. The other manures you'name arc 

 not suitable for either Azaleas or Camellias. 



Cutting Rose Blooms {An ,47;i/i(?[fr .—In cutting Rose blooms for the 

 coat or nosegay, no more of the shoot ehould bo removed than will give 

 a sufficient length of stalk or stem to the bloom, whilst leaving th 46 or 

 more leaves or joints from the last pruning. The more there islelt the 

 better. 



Rhododendrons (The. Itoost).--They are unnamed varieties of no supe- 

 riority, and sold in mixtures by nurserymen at various prices per 

 hmidred. •• 



Grubs (H. S. A.).— The grub you enclosed is a larva o[ the Cockchafer, 

 and the other gi-ub which you mention is probably that of the Daddy- 

 longlegs. You will see what wo said at page 379 of our list number. 

 Prevention ia batter than euro, and destroying the parents is more easy 

 than destroying their progeny. {F. J.).— The grubs which are eating the 

 roots of your Perillas are the larvie of the Daddy-longlegs, or Crane 

 Fly, Tipula olcracea. You will see what wp have said above. In yoni- 

 case we advise you to have tha earth stirred with a knife, and examined 

 thoroughly round the roots of all the Perilla plants; the marauders 

 might be found and destroyed. 



Insects (G. 5.).— The objects on your Pear leaves, which you mistake 

 for chrysalids, are the moveable cases made by the caterpillars of a 

 small moth, belonging to the genus Astyages, or Coleophora (A. hemero- 

 biella). The caterpillars, except where very numerous, will hardly prove 

 injurious to the trees. (F. F.),—The grub which you sent, and which had 

 burrowed down the centre of your Rose saoot, was so completely 

 smashed in the post, that we are unable to determine wh-ther it be that 

 of a Sawfly. which is most probable, or of some moth. The only remedy 

 is to pick off and burn the drooping shoots.— W. 



Name or Fucir lIih€ola).—Yoai Apple is the Eaddow Pippin, knowo 

 also as the Spring Ribston. 



Names of Plants (Annie Hcyton). — 1, Alyssum saxatile; 3, Saxifraga 

 granulata fl.-pl. ; 4, Arctostiphylos Uva-ursi ; No. 2 not recognised, send 

 again. (Mary Enouleg). — 2, Deutzia scabra. IX. B.). — Lamium macula- 

 tum. (Snelhnove}. — 1, Stellaria holostea ; 2, Polygala vulgaris ; 3, Pedi- 

 cnlaris sylvatica; 4, Potentil;a Tormentilla ; 5, appirently Rhiuanthtts 

 crista-gaili ; 6, Lamium album. (A Workmg Man).—1, Philadelphus 

 grandifioras ; 2, Polygonatum ofiicinale ; 3, Anchusa sempervirens ; 



4, Centaurea montana. (Eastbourne). — 1, Nicotiana longiflora; 2, SeU- 

 ginella Kraussiana, the S. hortensis of gardens; 4, Cystopteris fragilis. 

 {Five-years Sith:'crib:^r). — 1, Pteris scrruiata ; 3, Polystichum augulare; 



5, Cystopteris fragilis ; 6, PelJcea cordifolia ; 7, Selaginella Kraussiana; 

 8, Pteria erotica; 12, probably Cinoinalis fla^ens. (W. C).~Muscari 

 comosom. (E. R. £a;i/j(jr).— Cliauthus punicens, or Crimson Glory-Pea, 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS ia the Suburbs of London for the week ending June 8th. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PIGEON CHSONICLE. 



fo^vt:.s eating feathers. 



Since this subject was first mentioned in your columns, 

 several correspondents have made useful suggestions in relation 

 to it, which are all in certain cases of more or less effect ; hut 

 they all seem to have fallen into the error (how common it is in 

 all the affairs of life !) of supposing their experience and their 

 remedy correct in every other case. Thus, one says, Give the 

 fowls meat ; while another traces all cases to the use of animal 

 food. Both are right, and both may be wrong. Feather-eating 

 does not always arise from the same cause, and in speaking of 

 one or two causes which I have proved to produce it ia my own 

 case, I by no means assert there are no others, but simply add 

 my small contribution to the general store. 



One of your correspondents says that Brahmas have no such 

 bad habits. Now 1 keep at present D.irk Brahmas only, having 

 to keep three breeding ppns, and rear what number of chickens 

 I can in a town garden 70 by 35 feet ; and on several occasions 

 1 have been heavily visited by the nuisance in question — for a 

 nuisance it is. Oa one occasion the hens attacked the feathers 



on each other's and the cock's legs, and the consequence was that 

 some verj' good birds have been utterly ruined for exhibition dur- 

 ing the whole season, being literally reiJuced to " running oyer 

 bare poles.'' On the last occasion the cock's neck hackle was the 

 part attacked ; but I had by this time discovered the cause, and 

 checked the mischief soon, though my best cock was consider- 

 ably spoilt for a recent shosv. In all these cases the exciting 

 cause was thirst. The pen had been left for a few hours in 

 warm weather without water, and tlie attack in question was 

 the consequence. I proved this to be the fact by several experi- 

 ments. I removed the fountain from its usual place to a less 

 conspicuous one, and in a few hours I found the hens at their 

 old game. I took away the fountain from another pen never 

 previously guUty of the vice ; in this case they did not touch 

 the feathers, but attacked the cock's comb and wattles, which 

 they would have soon reduced to a mass of gore, but having 

 discovered what I wanted, I restored the missing necessary 

 of life, and all was well. I may also recall a case not long ago, 

 in which the pullets of Mr. Laue, the well-known Spanish 

 breeder, devoured the ear-lobes of the Birmingham cup cockerel, 

 when shown with them at Manchester. In this case also I feel 

 sure thirst was the exciting cause, and whUe many may think 

 that their birds can never suffer from such a trivial reason, I 



