April 16, 18G8. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



301 



ing to their 817.0. Plnco thoni, after giviiif^ a Rontio -watorinR, near the 

 class in a cold fnimo or pit, unci keep moderately close, and shaded 

 from powerful sua, so as to have tho soil cDnstantly moist, and yet avoid 

 heavy waterinRG. Wlion up keep tho seodllnt's near tho (;;lasfl and admit 

 air freely, attending well to watorinR ; tinii when larti^e onouRli tu handle 

 prick them out in a well-prepnrod bod in the open air, shading from sun 

 nntil they become well rooted. In the autumn, or early in spring, move 

 them with a ball of eartli to where they are to remain. Wc name them 

 in alphabetical order ;—AIyBsnm aaxatile compactum, Anomouo corouaria, 

 Antirrhinum majus vars. ; Anuilegia caryophyllnides. ghindulosn, sibirica 

 rosea violacea, Skinneri, and \Vitlin;inni ; Arabis alpina, Auhrietia del- 

 toidea grandiflora, A. graica, BelHs pereunia double vara., Campanula 

 carpatica, C. carpatlca alba, C. pyramidalis, C'omnieliua co-doatis, Del- 

 phinium formosum, D. grandifiorum, D. Hendcrsoni, and double vars., 

 Digitalis gloxinioides, D. purpurea and its white variety. Lathyriis lati- 

 iolius and white variety; Lupinus arboreus, L, polyphyllus and white 

 variety, Lychnis chalcedonica, L. chalcedonica alba, L. Haageana, 

 L. Sieboldi, Lythrum ro?icum superbum, Myosotis azoricn, (Euothcra 

 macrocarpa, Oxalis tropauloide^i, Pcntstemon geulianoides, eoccineum, 

 Morrayanum, ovatum, pulehuliuui violaceum, and Wrighti ; Phlox decuf^- 

 fiata varieties, Potentillas, I'rimula uortusoides, PjTCthrums, Saponaria 

 ocymoides, Silene Schafta, Itocket, purple and white ; Wallflowers, Sweet 

 Williams, Pinks, Carnations, Picoteee, Hollyhocks, Brompton Stocks, and 

 Canterbury Bells. 



Planting a Vine {0. P.).— Wo should not hesitate to put tho plant out 

 this year, but wo would not do so until June, yonrs being an outside 

 border. You may then plant it out, as the soil will have become warm, 

 spreading out the roots and giving a good watering. The foliage should 

 be shaded from bright sun, and the house kept close and moist imtil the 

 Vine recovers from the planting, then expose it fully. You will gain a 

 year by planting in June. 



Pruning Cacti {A Somersetshire Curate). — Yon may cut out the old 

 stems, leaving the best growths. They are improved by thinning out tho 

 old bare growths, othenvise the pruning of Cacti is not to be recommended. 

 Do not shorten the young growths, nor those of some years' growth, but 

 merely thin them out if too close together. 



Late Kitchen Apples (C. N. B.,L/aae//.(/).—AJfriston. Beauty of Kent, 

 Damelow"3 Seedling, Northern Greening, Itoyal Russet, Hanwell Souiiug, 

 Winter Pearmain. 



Forced STRAWBEUitiEs {J. W., jun.).— The Marguerites were very fine. 



weighing 1 oz. and Ihroe-quartors of an ounce each, and excellently 

 flavoured. Our correspondent says ho finds thiK variety ono of the best 

 for early forcing. 



Slate Edging for Beds.—*' E. T." wishes to know if elate edging can 

 hi) procured for beds in tho place of Box or Grass edging. 



Alluring Rooks — Poo Violet (A Mouritrr), — No bird is more obsti- 

 nately whimsical in selecting his nesting place than the rook. " It's no 

 u«e. ma'am," said an old forcwter, "if t/i<?i/ prefers a birch broom theyll 

 build in that rayther than in them Elms you wishes them to take to." We 

 have known a nest of young rooks moved into a tree some distance from 

 a rookery. Tho old birds followed it, and tho next year rooks built in 

 that tree. The same result was obtained by having rooks' eggs hatehed 

 by magpios in the magpies' nest. D^jq-Violet seems merely to mark in- 

 feriority, and is so prefixed to show that it is not so meritorious as the 

 fi'agiant species. The Dog-Rose, Dog-Chamumile, are similarly inferior 

 to the plants of the same name without tho prefix. 



Manures not Ordered (A Comtant Header). — Continue to refuse to 

 receive the box, and tell the railway officials to return it to tho Company. 



Various {A. B., Everlrii Lodge). — We are of opinion that rust on Grapes 

 is caused by cold currents of air passing suddenly over the berries that 

 have been shut up in a warm moist atmosphere; but too many tkillod 

 men differ upon tho subject for us to venture to speak authoritatively. 

 The " warted " appearance of the Vine leaves is really a consequence of 

 vigorous root-action. Your Mushrooms are attacked by the parasitical 

 fungus mentioned by Mr. Berkeley, as noticed in page 222. It renders 

 the Mushrooms unwholesome, probably poisonous. 



Names of Plants [A Gardener). — 1, Franciscea exiniia ; 2, Polystichum 

 angular©. {Ilttstic). — Antirrhinum (common garden sport), and Peperomia 

 clusirefoha. (2*. P. Fcrnie). — Scopolia carniolica. (A. H. D.). — Polypodium 

 vulgare (common condition). {B. C. H.). — Astilbe (Hoteia) japonica. 

 (J. N. Gordon). — 1, Polystichum angulare ; 2, Adiantum sp. ; S, Adiantum 

 anhiopicura ; 4, Doodia lunulata ; 5, Aspidium aculeatum ; 6, Pteris ; 

 7, Abutilon striatum. {J. S. E.) — 1. Cheilautlics hirta ; 2, C. lendigera. 

 The Coccoloba may be obtained through any nurserjinau who advertises 

 in this Journal. iH. 3T. AM. — Pteris hastata ; Lastrea Filii-mas (garden 

 variety). (P. J. N.). — Your flower is Fritillaria meleagris, a native of 

 England, and popularlv known by the various names of Chequered 

 Tulip, Snake'shead, and Guinea-hen Flower. {HI. C).— Orobanche ela- 

 tior, or Tall Broom Rape. 



IMETEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of London for the week ending April 14th. 



POITLTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



REARING POULTRY PROFITABLY— DORKINGS 

 ABOVE ALL. 



A coEEEsroNDENT, " R.," wishes ns to condense many former 

 numbers, to give all the instractions for improved poultry from 

 Ireland, for profitable poultry everywhere. 



" So long," said the quack doctor, " as there remains one 

 person unconvinced of the efficacy of my pills, so long is it my 

 mission to preach their merits." It was a long job, and so 

 is ours. We thought we had said all that could be said on 

 profit-making by poultry, and that every one had read it. It 

 appears not, and we therefore begin again. 



Let us begin with " B." " I have spared no expense to 

 secure the best birds to be had at the Royal Society's Show.'. 

 I have the following breeds — Dorkings, Dark Brahma Pootras, 

 Buff Cochins, and Black Spanish." We will tell " R." what 

 struck us when we read this. Comparing the pursuit of poultry 

 to a lifetime, we thought of an old proverb — 



" Did youth but know what age would crave. 

 How many a penny it would save." 



When " R." speaks of " availing herself of the experience 

 ot others, rather than risk her own inexperience," it tells us of 

 heavy prices paid, and that have to be returned before the 

 halcyon days of profitable poultry begin. We fear that she 

 begins very expensively, and must sell both show and table 

 birds before any return will be seen. 



Profitable poultry, if the market is the dependance, should 

 be Dorkings. After every experiment this breed reigns supreme 

 as a table fowl. The French varieties are good, but they are 



non-sitters, and they have black legs ; Cochins and Brahmas 

 are hardy, but they lack breast, and have yellow legs ; Spanish 

 are delicate to rear, and they have black legs. They, too, are 

 non -sitters. 



The Dorking is not difficult to rear, it has a full breast and 

 white legs, is apt in fatting, is an average layer, is an excellent 

 sitter and mother — in fact, has all the attributes of usefulness 

 in itself. 



Bat, having the stock, you must turn it to account. Rear 

 some early chickens of each breed, and then, if you depend on 

 supplying the market, put all your Dorking eggs under the 

 other hens, and sell theirs. If you can advertise them as from 

 birds that have taken prizes, j'ou will be able to sell them for 

 sitting. This will be profitable. From each breed hatch some 

 early chickens. They are worth much more than late ones. 



Like William Cobbett, we wish to be very plain, not only to 

 write so that we can be understood, but also so that we cannot 

 be misunderstood. We would not be thought to be speaking 

 lightly of other breeds. They have their merits. They are 

 hardy, and do not consider weather. They are not particular 

 as to food, but they require plenty of it. They are good la.Yers, 

 and if eggs only were required you might keep them advan- 

 tageously ; but for table purposes, in any market Dorkings wili 

 make a return of thirty per cent, more for their food than any 

 other breed. 



It is a mistake to say people are not so particular. We have 

 never met with any of those unsophisticated places where 

 food was food irrespective of quality ; and we are quite sure 

 from long experience, that where Dorkings can be bought for 

 the table, other breeds will only be saleable when no Dorkings 

 are left for sale. We are speaking of local markets ; but when 

 we come to the general mart in London, we have to do with 

 those rules which, haying for object to increase the valiifr o$ 



