232 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. I September 2i. 1868. 



tings, taking the points of the growing shoots when they have become I 

 somewhat ripened. They will be rooted in from sis to eight weeks. For ' 

 further particulars see page 174 of No. 38y. Your other questions will be 

 answered nest week. 



Filling Ceocds Holders {Ignoramus). — No time should be lost in 

 putting in the Crocuses. The best and only way that we know of filling 

 them is to invert the holders, and place a Crocus opposite each hole in 

 the holder, and so that the foliage and flowers will come through the 

 hole. You may then put in some soil composed of two-thirds loam and 

 one-third leaf mould or old rotten manure, adding more Crocuses when 

 the soil is level, or nearly so, with the next tier of holes, and in this 

 manner proceed until the holder is filled. The soil should be pressed 

 firm ; it is well that it should not settle much. 



Olea pragkans Cttltuee (J. H'.).— It should be treated as a cool 

 greenhouse plant, and succeeds under the same treatment as Camellias — 

 that is, 88 regards heat, &c. Care should be taken to secure a well- 

 formed plant by frequently pinching back and regulating the shoots. 

 Alter a specimen is formed and the flowering is past, any pruning re- 

 quired should then be done, and the plant be potted if needed, keeping it 

 rather close for a few days until the roots are wo.'king freely in the fresh 

 Soil. Secure a good growth by preserving a moist atmosphere, and by 

 stopping the irregular shoots maintain the shape of the plant. After a 

 •good growth has been made espose the plant fully to light and admit 

 abundance of air, keeping the soil moderately dry during the winter, but 

 not 80 dry as to afl'ect the foliage. It is propagated by layers, also by 

 cuttings of the half-ripened wood in a hotbed. A compost of turfy loam 

 two-thirds, and one-third sandy peat will grow it well. 



Palms for Rooms (Salopian). —What we stated at page 186, and a com- 

 munication which we publish to-day, afi'ord all the information we have 

 on the subject at present. 



Dahlia imperialis.— " J. W." wishes to know if this has been bloomed 

 here, and, if so, when? also if there is more than one kind. All that we 

 know about this flower is stated fully in our fourteenth volume. 



Names of Fruits (W. CoZItr).—!, Calville rouge d'Ete ; 4, Tower of 

 Glammis. {W. S.).— Easter Beurre Pear, an excellent late dessert variety, 

 but in some situations and in some seasons it is difficult to ripen it 

 thoroughly. The other fruit is Hacon's Incomparable. (S.. Thirsk). — 

 Apple-i : 1. Unknown ; 2, Rymer. (G. T. M.). — Fears : 1, Duchesse d'An- 

 gouleme ; 2, Eiister Beurre; 3, Old Colmar; 4, Unknown. (Amateur). — 

 The Apple is unknown, it is most probably a seedling, but of no great 

 value. We have had submitted to us frequently, Apples very similar to 

 youi'S, from old orchards throughout the country. Irrespective of its size 

 it is, in our opinion, very deficient in flavour. We do not think that the 

 diff'erence in the mode of training will make much difibrence as to the 

 bearing properties. 



Names of Plants (H". Ventnor). — Y'our shrub is the Scarlet-berried 

 Thorn, Crataegus coccinea. The French name for it is Azerolier. (C 

 Thompfion). — Linaria purpurea. (J. A. K.) — Nepeta caesia ; Lythrum 

 virgatum, Fuchsia, apparently F. Loxensis. (H. T. TT.).— 1, SelagineUa 

 Kraussiaua {S. deuticulata of gardens) ; 2, Spirrea aruncus ; 3, Blechnum 

 boreale; 4, Adiantum formosum. {^. i?pad).— Tocoma jasminoides. (A 

 Betjinner) — Hedychium coronarium. i^^ovice). — Hedychium Gardneri- 

 anum ; will thrive in a greenhouse. (C. P.). — Not recognised. Send a 

 I better specimen. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of London for the week ending September 22nd. 



POULTRY. BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



OTHER BANTAMS THAN GAME BANTAMS. 



Eteey man lias his hobby, and the breeding of Bantams is 

 mine ; but I prefer the comparatively peaceably disposed kinds, 

 and am sometimes led to wonder how it is that those of a more 

 pugnacious character have obtained such an ascendency in the 

 poultry world. Sometimes I am hurt, sometimes I am angry, 

 at finding the exquisite little Game bird put at such an im- 

 measurable distance above the not less exquisite Sebright, 

 Black, White, or Japanese. 



Tastes will differ, and upon the whole, perhaps (at any rate 

 in the eyes of some people), the various races of Game possess 

 the greatest number of points of attraction ; but surely the 

 difference is not so great as is implied in some of the poultry 

 show schedules lately issued. Take the Birmingham prize list. 

 I have always regarded Bingley Hall as the place where every 

 description of fowl received its fair share of attention and 

 reward ; but this year I regret to say I am compelled to alter 

 my opinion, since jastice to my especial hobby has departed. 

 The prizes offered to any variety of Bantams except Game have 

 been reduced from £27 to £17 ; those for the various Game 

 breeds remaining about the same as in former years — viz., £30. 

 Now, in the name of my snubbed and slighted favourites I 

 protest against this unjust treatment ; and I have resolved that 

 only half the number of voices which I contemplated sending 

 from my yard shall be heard this year at the Great Sbow. As 

 to Manchester, it actually insults Bantam breeders by offering 

 £6 in prizes for "all varieties except Game," while the Game 

 birds have £44 awarded to their diiierent classes ! Surely this 

 is unreasonable, and such short-sighted parsimony will defeat 

 its own object ; for who will send valuable birds any distance 

 on such a speculation '? Certainly not your obedient servant 

 —P. P. 



THE MANCHESTER PRIZE LIST. 



We quite agree with the remarks of Mr. Heath, in last 



week's Journal, regarding the time of holding the Manchester 



Potiltry and Pigeon Show, but hope with such a liberal prize 



list the Show will meet with the same success that has attended 



it in former years. Still, we think that for a chicken show it 

 is at least six weeks too early. Birmingham will be quite early 

 enough, and had Mr. Jennison held his show two or three 

 weeks after the great poultry show of the year, birds would 

 have been in better plumage, consequently the entries would 

 be more numerous. Mr. Heath justly observes that Spanish 

 are slow in feathering, they also have the disadvantage of other 

 breeds, so much depending on the white face and lobes, which 

 do not come out prominently until the birds are in feather, 

 especially pullets ; therefore, unless hatched in January, or at 

 latest February, they cannot be ready for Manchester. 



We have stated the prize list is liberal, almost too liberal in 

 some classes. We refer to the prizes for Bantams, in which 

 Game are oiiered £41, whilst all the other varieties are cut off 

 with .£6. Is this fair, with the same entry fees ? We think if 

 Mr. Jennison had offered a separate class for Black and White 

 Bantams, he would have found the entries more numerous 

 than in some of the Game Bantam classes. If he did not think 

 Sebrights would pay for a class, he could let them fight it out 

 with the Pekins, Japanese, &o. Although we believe Sebrighat 

 would also pay for a class to themselves, we do not think the 

 foreigners would pay, as they have never been out of the hands 

 of some half dozen gentlemen ; and it is certainly not right 

 they should walk over those birds which have the legitimate 

 right to the prizes, not only on account of their numerous 

 entries, but for the length of time they have been known and 

 bred by so large a number of fanciers. We all know the great 

 weakness of judges for foreign varieties, so would, therefore, 

 respectfully ask the Committees of Manchester, and other shows 

 as well, to give the old Black, White, and Sebright Bantams, 

 separate classes, and we feel sure they will find them pay. — 

 Tonkin and Tuckey, Bristol. 



DERBY POULTRY SHOW. 



It is quite certain tliat previous shows of ponltry and Pigeons, held 

 in connection with the Derbyshire Agricultural and Horticultural 

 Society, have surpassed that which took place on the 16th inst. There 

 appeal's to be a dearth of first-rate chickens this year thronghoat the 

 country, possibly from the excessive heat of the late summer, and as 

 just now most poultry are in heavy moult, very few birds can be shown 

 to anything like advantage. The Jjorkiin/s exhibited by Mrs. Ark- 

 wright were, howevt_-r, extraordinarily fine specimens, as were some 

 other pens in the same class ; but the tSpani^h were so bad, that not 



