March 13, 1873- ] 



JOUKNAIi OF HORTICDIiiaRB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



231 



ing, and removing these or any eyes below the surface or planting part. Cut 

 them down to within 8 inches of the fn*ound, and bud them in July or August 

 on the stem at 2 or 3 inches from the ground. The stocks ai-e not suitable for 

 standards. 



Brussels Pprottts [Timhurtj). — We should decidedly object to taking off 

 the side leaves of Brussels Sprouts as long as they remain green. When they 

 turn yellowish it is a different affair. To hasten free sprouting early, we 

 often nip out the centre of the top. 



Sowing Phlox, Drujisiondi {Yoitufj Gard'-ncr). — Sow the scedbetween the 

 present time and the early part of April in a pot or pan filled to within a 

 quarter of an inch of the rim with light rich soii; scatter the seed evenly, and 

 cover it with fine soil the eighth of an inch thick. Place the pot in a gentle 

 hotbed, and keep it moist and near the glass. When the plants have a pair 

 of rough leaves prick them out an inch opart in pans of light rich soil, and 

 return them to the hotbed, keeping them rather close and shaded from bright 

 sun until established; tbeu admit air freely, harden off, and plant out after 

 the midLlle of May in rich soil in the open gi-ound. A. good time to sow 

 Melons is early in April. The plants will be fit to plant out early in May, 

 and with a moderate hotbei will ripen fruit in August. 



Fruit Trees not BE.utiNG (J. Lumbit). — You trees receive far too liberal 

 treatment. Giving them plenty of manure, and watering freely with liquid 

 manure when in flower, will certainly cause a strong growth ; blossom bads 

 will be few, and they do not, as a rule, set freely on such trees. You did right 

 to add clay to your sandy soil. Do not give any manure except as a mulching 

 during hot dry weather in summer; a good soaking of water might be bene- 

 ficial at that time. It would also be desirable to stop the vigorous shoots 

 during summer, and cause them to break again. Summer pruning will 

 induce fruit fulness. 



Vines Unfkuitfcl (Amateur). — If your Vines were over-cropped last year 

 that would be a sufficient reason for very few bunches showing this season, 

 otherwise over-drynesa at the roots might be the cause. When the roots are 

 all inside, Vines requiie a very large quantity of water. You could ascertain 

 the state of the roots by digging down a foot or more with a email fork. We 

 give an inside Vine border, 25 feet long by 16 feet wide, from 2r>0 to 300 

 gallons at each watering, but we only give four or five waterings during the 

 season. The borders are damped over the surface every day as well. We can 

 only say to you, Water the roots thoroughly, do not overcrowd the roof with 

 young wood, so that the latter may be thoroughly ripened, and do not ovei" 

 crop. 



Insects ( TT'. G,). — The grubs found at the roots of your pot Vines are the 

 larvffi of the destructive Otiorhynchus recently figured in our account of the 

 large tubercles on Vines. The earth must be carefully sifted, and the grubs 

 picked out. (E. C). — YourEcheveria has had the centre of the short stem 

 gnawed into by the grub or larva of the Otiorhynchus weevil. We know of 

 no other remedy for the mischief at this stage than to hunt for the grubs 

 carefully, sift the earth, and destroy them. — I. O- W. 



Name of Fruit [Centurion). — Your Pear is undoubtedly Eouitc d'Arem- 

 berg. 



POULTRY, BEE, AM) PIGEOII OHEONIOLE. 



AN OLD GAME COCK TO THE BESCUE. 

 Is common with the rest of my race I entertain the greatest 

 reverence and respect both for Mr. Wright and his writings. 

 We regard him as a lover of our species, an accomphshed ex- 

 poser of the abuses and indignities to which we are daily exposed, 

 a true friend and benefactor to each and all of us when and 

 wherever disinterested friendship is most urgently required. 

 Hence any eulogium made by him passes current amongst us, 

 and we regard with some Uttle jealousy anything he may have 

 to say of or concerning any member of our family. In a recent 

 number he writes, " After all that has been said regarding the 

 change of style, or the difference between the old lighting and 

 the modern exhibition birds, the breeders, the pubUe, and judges 

 have given unmistakeable preference to the high-bred, graceful, 

 fine-boned modern style." At every word of this sentence each 

 particular feather in my hackle rises. I challenge with all the 

 fierceness of former days, and hurl back with undisguised indig- 

 nation a slur of so gross and unjustifiable a character. We 

 come of a right royal race whose spotless lineage has been 

 nanded down throu^^h the dim vista of succeeding generations ; 

 kings and commoners alike have watched with jealous rivalry 

 that no stain, no mongrel cross should ever tend to mar or blot 

 our family escutcheon, and our stud-book has been religiously 

 kept by the noblest in the land, with as much care as ever was 

 bestowed on the pedigree of a West Australian, a Cerito, or a 

 Bedlamite. I would therefore simply ask Mr. Wright to point 

 out wherein consists the superiority of the so-called modern 

 Game fowl. With that quiet dignity which has been one of the 

 chief characteristics of our noble race, I refrain from committing 

 myself by calling the fashionably bred mongrel that now usurps 

 our titles, a harsh or unkind name ; neither would I do my 

 friends the true bred Malay that violence to associate their 

 name with these usurpers — I simply seek to contrast these pets of 

 Mr. Wright with ourselves and our ancestors, and to ask in what 

 their superiority consists. "High-bred"! "graceful"! "fine- 

 boned " ! Pshaw ! Ask those who have bred and loved us for 

 the last fifty years, were we not pure? Were we not courageous? 

 Were we not fine in bone ? Were we not equal in colour, and as 

 perfect in feather? "High-bred"! Are not the cup birds of 

 the present day three parts Malay ? How can they be termed 

 English Game fowls ? Why do the committees of our shows 

 state in their prospectuses that purity of race will be considered 

 in a greater degree than size or weight, whUst they seek to 



promote and propagate the development of mongrels ? Why do 

 not our judges, many of whom used to love " a good bird in the 

 hand " disqualify all such pens, and with a true spirit of con- 

 servatism seek to maintain our English Game fowl iu its native 

 purity? Will the judges use the responsibility of this usurpa- 

 tion ? (and it is in their power to check if not to prevent it). If it 

 is desirable to propagate cross-breds do so by all means, but do 

 not oifer prizes for " pure bred Game fowls," and apportion them 

 to mongrels. Our friends the Malays are obtaining, I trust, their 

 proper class and position ; why shall not the same be acceded 

 to the English Game ! Do not insult us by making a new class 

 for us, neither ask us to compete with a race called into notoriety 

 by the morbid taste of a few ; simply give us a fair field and no 

 favour, and we shall then, as now, stick to our motto, Vinoere 

 vel mori. I should not, sir, have dared to crow so long, but the 

 dander of the old Black Red was fairly rizzed when Mr. Wright 

 sought to sully the purity of our race, the elegance of our form, 

 and the fineness of our bone and breeding. — Old Black Red. 



EXHIBITION LABELS. 



Secret.\kies of poultry shows ought to provide good labels.. 

 The cost of good labels is not high, therefore why have poor 

 ones, which one cannot write upon, and through which the ink 

 comes? There is generally a rule in prize schedules requesting 

 exhibitors to write their names distinctly. How can they on 

 such poor labels as are very often sent ? The labels sent for the 

 Show at Northampton were absolutely rubbish (beggmg their 

 maker's pardon), and I was obliged to fasten another label to 

 mine to ensure the safe return of my birds. This is not the first 

 time I have had to do so, but I hope after this it may ba the 



last. — -IX EXHIBITOB. 



THE THIRD PRIZE IN THE FANCY DUCK 

 CLASS AT THE HANLEY SHOW. 



Theke can be no doubt that the third prize was awardel to 

 the only pen of Carolina Ducks exhibited at the Hanley Show, 

 and that pen belonged to Mr. Elmes Watts, of Hazlewell Hall.- 

 There is no doubt of this, because the -Judges, Messrs. Martin 

 I and Douglas, so state ; yet it was printed and published that the 

 third prize was awarded to someone else's Black East Indian 

 Ducks. We recommended Mr. Watts to adopt legal proceedings, 

 and he has since received the following letter from the Se- 

 cretary : — " I have written to Mr. Martin and have had a reply; 

 and as there seems to be something we cannot get to the bottom 

 of, we have agreed to send you the amount of the prize {os.)^ 

 wltiich I have enclosed." 



One of the Judges — Mr. Douglas — wrote as follows to Mr. 

 Watts :^" The third prize was given to a pair of Carolinas. 

 They are doing something very wrong over this Show. I have 

 a letter from Mr. Fletcher, from whom they withhold an extra 

 prize that we gave his Game cock, stating we gave it to another 

 pen — in fact a pen that was not worth Is., except to kill." 



NORTHAMPTON POULTRY AND PIGEON SHOW. 



Few, if any, shows of a like description have proved so popu- 

 lar as that held at Northampton. At the commencement of 

 its career, some four years back, there was exhibited a very 

 small but excellent collection. Every succeeding show has 

 about doubled the number of entries of its predecessor, so that 

 last week nearly 1400 exhibits were on view. This result is due 

 to the unflagging energy displayed by the Committee generally, 

 combined with the exceedingly courteous and business-like 

 manner in which the correspondence necessary in such under- 

 takings is carried on by the Honorary Secretary. The attend- 

 ance of visitors was of the most satisfactory character. It is 

 right to mention that, irrespective of poultry and Pigeons, a 

 large number of Cats competed for prizes, and in respect to the 

 Rabbits, the entry was far greater than has been known at any 

 show in the kingdom. If progression is to go on at the same 

 rate as hitherto, it will become a matter of some anxiety to the 

 managers to find accommodation, for even at the present time 

 the Pigeons, as a whole, and a large portion of the Bantams, 

 were from compulsion arranged quite too high for general in- 

 spection. We are informed, on good authority, that the Com- 

 mittee feel quite alive to such a contingency, and purpose 

 another year to so arrange matters that the judging shall not be 

 carried on during the presence of so dense a crowd of interested 

 exhibitors as marked this year's proceedings. That the original 

 expectations of the Committee have been marvellously exceeded 

 is certain, whilst the determination to even yet extend the 

 value of tlie premiums offered, evinces a desire to insure for the 

 Northampton Show a position among the most important of 

 such exhibitions. When it is borne in mind that most amateurs 

 have now mated their best birds for breeding purposes, it is 

 reaUy surprising that the Quality and general exceUenoe of 

 most of the classes would bear favourable comparison with the 



