194 



JOUBNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( Septomber 10, 186?. 



bed will be very pretty. Your Virginian Stock, sown tbree weeks aso, 

 will bloom at tbe end of September, in October, and onwards. A portion 

 of it may stand the winter and bloom in spring ; but to make sure you 

 had better bow again before the end of September. 



Weed among Barley (North Norfolk).— li is Myriophyllum verticilla- 

 tmn, or Whorled Water MilfoU. It demonstrates that the soil requires 

 draining, fo .. will not grow where there is not excess of moisture in the 

 soil or snbs^^^. Write to Mr. Rivers, Nurseries, Sawbridgewortb, about 

 the Peach, 



Melon Seed GERanwATiSG n* the Fruit (H. N. O.).— This is not ex" 

 braordinary. The same has been observed in Peas and Oranges. There 

 is sufficient oxygen in the juices of the Melon, and the high temperature 

 of the season would tend to promote the sprouting. That the leaflets 

 were green is as easily accounted for. Plants in coal mines are green 

 because free hydrogen is in the air of mines ; and the Melon seeds, 

 when germination had commenced, would decompose the water of tbe 

 Melon's juices, retain the oxygen, and set the hydrogen free. 



Propagating Vines by Eyes {H. Tl'.).— When the proper time arrives 

 for pruning, preserve the prunings by sticking them in the groimd, or in a 

 fiower-pot filled with rather moist but not very wet soil. In January or 

 early in February you may prepare the eyes by making on the back of the 

 shoot, opposite the eye, a cut with a sharp knife, bringing the knife out 

 almost three-quarters of an inch below the eye. The same proceeding is 

 to be repeated, bringing the knife out above the eye, and you have an eye 

 with a portion of wood above and below it, and slanting from the back to 

 the side on which the eye is situated. The eyes when prepared are to be 

 inserted in pots or pans filled to within an inch of the rim with turfy light 

 loam, the eyes being placed cither horizontally or vertically, about 1^ inch 

 apart, and covered with half an inch of fine soil. They should be placed 

 in a house or frame where there is a hotbed in which they should be 

 plunged, the temperature being not more than 90^. norj less than 75-. The 

 top heat my be from 60- to 65 ' at night, and 75^ by day, and 80- or 85- 

 with sun heat. The soil ought to be kept moist but not wet until the 

 eyes have begun to grow, then keep it moist, affording a light syringing 

 morning and evening. When the eyes have pushed a lew inches they 

 may be taken up carefully and potted-off singly, and if kept in a hotbed, 

 and a moist atmosphere is prese^^'ed for a time, they will grow freely. 

 The young Vines thus produced must bo repotted as often as the pots 

 become filled with roots. Give them their last shift about June. 



Watering Peach Trees in Pots (Idem).— It is hardly possible to over- 

 water Peach trees in pots; but that may happen if the drainage is im- 

 perfect. The watering would not cause the fruit to drop. You may pot 

 them when the leaves begin to fall, but unless you wish for large trees, 

 and if they are properly potted in the first instance, they may be kept 

 in the same pots for years with the assistance of frequent top-dressings 

 of rich compost. We presume the plant you have is Eochea falcata ; if 

 so, and you will state what is your treatment, we mil endeavour to assist 

 you. 



Heading-back a Walnut Tree { J mate ur). —You may head-back the 

 Walnut tree, for that will be your only means of securing a compact 

 head. The best time to do so will be as soon as the leaves have fallen la 

 autumn 



Storing Pears (Idem).— li is best to form the shelves of laths with the 

 edges rounded off. They answer better than boards. There is no neces- 

 sity to suspend the Beurrc Pears, they ripen perfectly and keep well oa 

 the shelves. You could not have a better place for your Apples than the 

 cellar, placing them on a thin layer of clesn Wheat straw, and covering 

 with the same. We presume frost can be excluded. The Pears should be 

 placed in a room in the light, where there ia a temperature of from 40^ ta 

 45^, for a few days previous to use. This will improve them both ia 

 flavour and appearance. 



Wintering Verbena venosa (FZora).— Verbena venosa is hardy, and 

 if left out of doora during the winter will come up again in spring, but 

 only in sandy warm soils. It is best to take up a few plants, winter them 

 in a frame, and propagate from them in early spring ; or cuttings may ba 

 put in now and kept from frost. Young plants gi'ow more freely than old, 

 and make the best plants. 



CERASTirsi T03IENT0SCM AND VARIEGATED Ealm (I(Zem).— Both are best 

 planted in March or April, the young offsets or suckers with a small 

 portion of root being put in about 6 inches apart. 



Golden Feather Pyretiirch (Jdem).— Golden Feverfew ia identical. 

 It is probably the test of golden-leaved edging plants. We think it best 

 to sow the seed in the end of August in a frame, pricking off the seedlings, 

 when large enough to handle, about an inch apart in pans, and wintering 

 them in a cold frame. The pans should be plunged in coal ashes to the 

 rim, abundance of air given, and protection from frost afforded. By 

 sowing in spring, and treating like a half-hardy annual, good plants may 

 be had by planting-out time. The seed has been several times advertised 

 in this Journal. 



Spcd for Destroying Thistles (W.3.).—'We do not remember tha 

 maker's name ; but any implement maker or ironmonger dealing in im* 

 plcments would be able to suppl}' you on your naming it to him, or would 

 procure it for you. 



Pruning Vines (Oxo?n'a«)-— Do not prune them until the chief part of 

 their leaves have fallen. 



Metallic Labels [T. G. S.).— We do not know the address of tho 

 maker. They should be advertised. 



Flueless Stove (H. K.).—'So stove consuming fuel of any kind can ba 

 used among plants without great risk of injuring them. 



NAiiEs OF Fruits (J. F. L., Dublin).— I, Amanda d'Ete; 2, Browa 

 Beurrt- ; 8, Comte de Lamy ; 4, Beurre d'Amanlis. (Mrs. Phelps). — 1, Con- 

 seiller de la Cour ; 2, Not known. {Rev C. J. Marsden).—!, Alfriston; 

 2, Rymer ; 3, Y'ellow Ingestrie ; 4, Kerry Pippin ; 5, Summer Red CalviUe ; 

 7, Norfolk Beefing ; 9, Scarlet Nonpareil. We cannot make out the Peach. 



NAStES OF Plants (Ckrmo^iO*— Empetrum nigrum, the Crowberry. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of London for the week ending September 8th. 



POITLTRY, BEE, and HOTTSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



HARTLEPOOL POULTRY EXHIBITION. 



The comment given at page 162 causes me to reply that the 

 Judge there was a gentleman -n-ho is fally competent to nnder- 

 tate the duties of judge, and is considered second to none in 

 the north of England in a knowledge of the good qualities of 

 poultry. As I was an exhibitor I took a little interest in look- 

 ing through the pens before the Judge arrived, and I and 

 another of the fancy marked in the catalogue what we thought 

 would be first and second. I now see in the catalogue that we 

 have only one pen marked in the clergyman's favour, that is 

 pen 123, Eouen Ducks, which was not noticed by the Judge. 



I beg to make a few remarks on the classes that the writer 

 showed in. " Game, any other variety." Here he was easily 

 beaten by a splendid Duckwing cock of superior colour. The 

 second prize was given to a Brown Ked pen ; hens very 

 good, but cock inferior. The commended pen was of Duck- 

 wings much better in colour than the clergyman's. In Rouen 

 Ducks I expected to find the clergyman had gained the first 

 prize ; but I found after a close inspection that his birds were 

 less in size, and if I remember, their bills were not of good 

 colour. In " Any other variety not named above," the clergy- 

 man gained a second prize with a nice pen of French fowls. 

 The first prize went to a good pen of Houdana. 



I write to show that I believe justice was done, and no favour 

 shown to any exhibitor, for I believe the Judge had no know- 

 ledge of a single bird exhibited. Tbe office of Judge is not 

 pleasant, and he cannot always give satisfaction. I believe 

 poultry are correctly judged nine times out of ten, althotigh 

 losers do not always see this. — E. Hawkins, Seaham. 



CRA\TN AGRICULTURAL SOCIETYS POULTRY 

 SHOW. 



{From a Coi-respovdent.) 



As regards the number of entries, this was the greatest success which 

 the Society has had. Owing to the Show clashing with that of tho 

 Halifax and Calder Vale Society, it was anticipated that the entries 

 would suffer, and the success achieved was therefore aU the more en- 

 couraf^ing. 



The ailult SjMnisJi and Game were of high merit, hut the Dorl-ings 

 poor, while the Cochins were of average quality. Gold and Silver- 

 pencilled Ilambiirfjhs were shown in fine feather and condition for the 

 season ; but the Gold-spangled do not deserve especial mention. The 

 Silver-spaugled cock in the pen shown by Mr. Beldon was of nnnsual 

 whiteness for an adult bird, and showed his remarkably rich markings 

 to great advantage. The first-prize Black Hamburgh cock was fine, 

 which is uncommon in this breed, as a great amonnt of coarseness has 

 crept in of late years. FoJands were very fine. The Game Bantams 

 were bad, except the prize-takers, which were good. . 



In chickens, the t'^iianhh were very fine, and all were highly com- 



