400 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE- GABDENER. 



[ May ID, 1S73. 



of the gi-oTind round each plant stirred with a knife, and the gmbs tiirned up 

 killed. The Tipula deposited its egi,'B in the soil of the pasture. 



Treatment of Cucumbers {A Reailtrl—Allo^inf^ the main shoot to grow, 

 with stoppiuj:;, to the roof is right; but the side shoots we should not have 

 pinched off at the second joint, but have let them ^-ow to the fourth or fifth, 

 ■when they would probably have showu fruit, and then have pinched them to 

 that ; or, if they showed fruit at two or more joints consecutively, we would 

 have taken the point of each shoot out at the last show for fruit. If no 

 fruit show before the fourth or fifth joint, we should stop at the fourth 

 01- fifth, and it will produce shoots that would no doubt show fruit freely. 

 The after-training will consist in training-in young shoots, cuttmg-out the 

 old weak shoots and those that have fruited, encouraging the young aud 

 "vigorous to take their place. Stop at the fruit. The washing- of the roof 

 glass wiih a thin wash of whitening and milk is good. It will keep the 

 leaves from being scorched, but it should be put on thinly with a brush, so as 

 to afford but a slight shade. Lime placed about the plants to destroy snails 

 Trill do no injury. 



Bottle-brush Plant Flowering (A Constant Subscriber). ~^epot the 

 plant, if not already done, in a compost of equal parts sandy peat and fibrous 

 loam, with a quarter of leaf soil, a few pieces of charcoal, and one-sixth of 

 silver sand, with good drainage. Give only a moderate shift, and keep the 

 plants rather dry until the roots are working well in the fre^h soil, then 

 water freely, and encourage gi-owth by frequently sprinkling overhead. It 

 should have a light airy position in the gieenbouse, aud after July should be 

 kept cool and airy, but fully exposed. Maintain a sufficient amount of 

 moisture in the soil, but do not over-water, and in winter keep moderately 

 dry, aii-y, and well exposed to the light. This is the treatment we give ours, 

 and it flowers freely. We cut out the old long base shoots after flowering. 



Cephalotus follicularis and Dion.ea MusciPUXA Culture (A Constant 

 Headfr). — The Cephalotus should be grown in a wai'm part of the greenhouse 

 and in a compost of chopped sphaguum and sandy Sbrous peat, providing 

 extra good drainage. Keep the plant rather high, and just cover the roots. 

 It is well to insert the pot in one of larger size, filling the interval with 

 sphagnum, and cover it with a bell-glass fitting the inside of the outer pot. 

 Take it off and wipe it dry occasionally. In summer the pot may be set in a 

 eancer of water, kept full during that time, lessening the amount towards 

 autumn, and keeping the saucer empty in winter, with the bell-glass tilted or 

 slightly raised. The compost must be kept wet in summer, but less so, yet 

 moist, in winter. The Diontea also requnes a warm gi-eenhouse, and a com- 

 post of chopped sphagnum and fibrous rough peat in equal parts, with a 

 Jourth of silver sand and pots broken rather small. The plant should he 

 potted rather high in the centre of a ih or 6-incb pot half filled with drain- 

 age, and the pot placed in one of lai-ger size, the interval tilled with sphagnum. 

 Set the pot in a saucer of water, covering the plant with a bell-glass, but 

 not resting on the moss all round; raise it a little on one side. Take it off 

 and wipe it 6i-y occasionally. The position should be Hght, but shaded from 

 direct sun. The saucer must be kept full of water; lessen the amount in 

 winter, but even then keep the plant moist. 



Names of Plants [J. Bryan). — We cannot name plants unnumbered. 

 Ton must send fresh specimens, with a number attached to each. (E. C. A.). 

 — Richai-dia lethiopica, foi-mcrly and still best known as Calla a^thiopica. It 

 helongs to the Arum family. 



POULTET, BEE, AND PIGEON OHEONIOLE. 



INSTEUCTIVE CLASSES. 



At shows young fanciers see what standard to breed np to, 

 and I would suggest the institution of a new class that would 

 show them how to arrive at that. What I mean is to give a 

 ■class for a pen of fowls matched-up for breeding, either cockerels 

 or pullets. Birds not exactly up to show points, but good for 

 breeding if judiciously matched would be entered, aud young 

 fanciers would have an opportunity of procuring birds properly 

 mated to breed with. It certainly would be a good substitute 

 for the selling class, which might be more properly called the 

 "rubbish class." Toung fanciers would gain many a good 

 "wrinkle " in Ksteniug to the criticisms and remarks as to the 

 judiciousness of the mating and the likelihood of what the birds 

 would breed. Many young fanciers get disheartened at having 

 to labour through a lot of experience and loss of money before 

 they arrive at anything like a knowledge as to how to inate-up 

 for feather ; but a little timely help would keep their courage 

 up. Of course a gi-eat deal must be learned by practical ex- 

 perience, but in these go-a-head times one would like to hasten 

 the acquisition of poultry lore by hearing something the men 

 with " hen heads " could tell lis. I think that end would be 

 gamed by my suggestion. A class of the kind could be tried at 

 the Crystal Palace or Birmingham as a beginning. Mr. Wright 

 carries out my idea in his "Poultry Book," for he not only 

 tells you what fowls ought to be, but also how to breed them up ; 

 his is the first book that ever went deeply and thoroughly into 

 the mating and breeding for feather. With Mr. Wright's book 

 to guide him, a young fancier would, I am sure, arrive at a 

 knowledge, working practically at the same time, in one-fourth 

 the period that it would take him to do so without its assistance. 



Young Pigeon fanciers are in the same boat as far as the need 

 of some help goes, to tell them how to mate-up for properties, 

 especially feather. They want a book written on the same 

 principle as Mr. Wright's showing them how to do. In fact, 

 there is a greater want felt in this respect than in poultry. As 

 it is not always possible to buy perfect birds to breed from, one 

 has to work with Pigeons not quite up to the show standard of 

 colour, and in no book is one told how to breed from feather from 

 off colours, or, indeed, from perfect ones. If aU well-known 

 breeders were to give their experience on the subject in a book 



thoroughly exhaustive of the subject, it would be a great boon. — 

 Toi' SA^^■\'Eil. 



BEAHMAS. 



I WILL state my experience of these fowls during the last 

 seven years. Mine are Light Brahmas. I have found them 

 hardy and healthy, having only lost three adult hens from 

 disease during that time. I have generally kept ten or twelve. 

 Last year I had five pullets and five hens ; in January tliey laid 

 171 eggs, and during the year 168 eggs each, and I brought up 

 sixty-nine chickens. 



As regards their sitting so much, it is not invariably the case ; 

 and with respect to their laying so few eggs before wanting to 

 sit, I know of one that laid fifty-eight eggs before doing so. I 

 have one hen, my best, that has never wanted to sit. I am so 

 well satisfied with them that I have gone in rather extensively 

 for an amateur, ha-4-ing hatched 117 chickens, some of them in 

 January and February. During those months I lost a good 

 many, the weather being very cold. Since then I have lost 

 scarcely any, having upwards of 120 fine healthy chickens, with 

 which I hope to take some prizes this season. 



The reason why I took to Brahmas at first was, that they are 

 such quiet fowls, easily kept out of the garden, and are good 

 winter layers. — Philip Haines, Diss. 



BLACK COCHINS. 



In your reply to "E. S.," you say the great difBculty is to 

 get Black Cochin cocks. The two cocks I have are as black 

 and lustrous as Black Hamburghs. Am I to expect them to 

 turn all the coloms of the rainbow? Perhaps Messrs. Vander 

 Meersch and Howe will give their experience. In former daya 

 they were, as you describe, of various tints, but I think that 

 difficulty has been got over, perhaps at the expense of the very 

 yellow legs, a point I should wish to retain, if possible, in con- 

 junction with black plumage. — F. C. Hassakd, Sheerncss. 



Theke seems to be a great deal of misapprehension about 

 Black Cochins, and still some doubt as to whether there are 

 such birds. Several years ago I obtained a cock and two hens 

 direct from Shanghai; they were perfectly black, and never had 

 the vestige of a white or coloured feather. I have bred from 

 them largely, and the chickens though light when first hatched 

 become black and remain so. I observe it is stated, at page 

 381 of your last week's Journal, that the under feathers of the 

 cock are always w'hite. This is a mistake, there should be no 

 white nor coloured feathers. It is the cross between the Buff 

 and White which produces birds which are black for one season, 

 and after each moult become more aud more coloured. I main- 

 tain that there is a true and pure Black Cochin the result of no 

 cross — as any Chinaman will tell you — aud I hope to send some 

 specimens to the next Crystal Palace Show, at which I am glad 

 to see they will have a separate class. If your correspondent, 

 " E. S.," go there, he will see at least one '' pure Black adult 

 Cochin " at any rate. — C. M. Hole, Tiverton. 



KEFOEM IN POULTEY HAMPEES. 



I iiA"\'E often thought a better way might be invented of fasten- 

 ing the lids of exhibition hampers than tying with string. At a 

 large show the time and trouble it takes to thread aud tie some 

 hundreds of hampers are really onerous. The fastening might 

 be done with a self-acting spring, and opened by pressing on a 

 bolt. I have one being made that will overcome these diffi- 

 culties. The only objection I see at present is that it cin be 

 opened perhaps too freely by the railway people ; but if such 

 could be brought into use what a saving of trouble it would be in 

 despatching the stock from a show. 



This is a subject the Birmingham and Crystal Palace Com- 

 mittees should notice. Suppose they were to give a few prizes at 

 their next Shows for the best exhibition hamper, I have no 

 doubt something would be brought out superior to what we have 

 now, and be a very interesting feature at the Show. — E. H.iwkixs. 



CUEING EGG-EATING FOWLS. 



J. S.AYEiis states that he knows an instance where, by taking 

 away the egg as soon as laid and substituting a white china egg, 

 sold by the dealers in crockeryware, cockerels who ate the eggs 

 were cured of the propensity. 



To prevent hens eating their eggs, let some eggs, equal to the 

 number of the deUnquents, be heated to boiUng temperature 

 and thrown to the fowls, and, like the children who burn them- 

 aelves, they will for ever after dread the fire. As to mustard 

 Bud cayenne they delight in both, but I can say nothing about 

 aloes. — I. M. A. 



Dublin Poultry Show. — Mr. E. A. Scale wiites to us to say 

 he had no intention of accepting the cup w-hich he had offered 



