116 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 8, 1865. 



Red Spider and Mildew on Vine Leatks (B. W. Stnnnu»).—Yo\iT 

 Vines are very much infested with mildew and red spider. Procure some 

 qnasKia chips, boil them for fifteen minutes, about 3 ozs. to two gallons 

 of water. After it is cold syringo the Vines well with this two or three 

 times. If the house is heated by hot-water pipes, give these a good 

 coatiDR over with sulphur mixed with softsoap. give all the air possible, 

 and sonk the Vines well atthe roots. We suspect they have suffered from 

 want of water. The border is too shallow. Place 8 or 10 inches of fresh 

 Boil on the top of the border at once, but first give a liberal sprinlding of 

 bones all over the border. See that it is well soaked i^ith water before 

 you do VrAs. 



Destboving Tdrips on Cucumber Leaves iA Subscriber). —The insect 

 is the c()mmon thrips — it changes colour as it becomes older. If the bulk 

 of the leaves are as bad as those seut. the best plan is to smoke the 

 house with sulphur and kill plants as well as insects, clean the place, and 

 begin anew. If those sent are the worst, and there is a good deal of 

 healthy foliage, we would cut off all the worst carefully and burn them, 

 then Kmoke with shag tobacco when the leaves are dry ; next day keep 

 shaded and close, sjTinge with quassia water or weak glue water, and 

 repeat the dose. If the plants are as bad as the leaves sent, we would 

 not waste the tobacco on them. Once we had a bed very much attacked 



and we cut off all the leaves, washed with glue water, and let the plants 

 break afresh, but this only answers with strong healthy plants. 



Verdena Velvet Cushion, &c. {E. P. ; G. L.).~For plants of these 

 apply to Messrs. E. G. Henderson & 8ou, of the Wellington Kuad Nursery, 

 bt. John's Wood, London. They will also supply the Viola cornuta in 

 any quantity. It is not the common garden variety. 



Names of Plants (JV. i?.).— Hollyhock apparently worthless, but im- 

 possible to judge of certainly in the stage at which it was sent. The 

 labels of both your Fuchsias were detached. {A. K.).—l, Do not recognise 

 this leaf ; 2, Gasteria verrucosa ; 3, Aloe serra. {ChcuUrnore, Waterford).^ 

 Encephalartos pungens. [East Sussex).—!, Muhlenbeckia cornplexa 

 2. Cyrtanthera Pohliana ; 3, Begonia ; 4, Begonia discolor ; 5, Lastrea 

 decurrcns ; 6, Convolvulus mauritanicus ; 7, Asclepias curassavica. 

 (Z>. Davis).—! and 2. (young), vars. of Athyrium Filix-fo-mina ; 8, appears 

 to be Hj-polepis distans ; 4, Nephrolepis tuberosa ; 5, Scolopendrium 

 vulgare crenatolobatnm ; 6 to 9, vars of Scolopendrium vulgare, not 

 determinable without better fronds. (T. W., A Subscriber).— SoUdngo 

 virgaurea and Hemerocallis coerulea. The Pelargonium not determin- 

 able. {New Forest).— IliQ smaller is Cystopteiis biill)ifera; the larger, 

 Lastrea spluulosa. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Subm-bs of London for the Week endins Aiijmst 5tli. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



AMONG THE MENDIPS WITH MR. RODBARD. 



No. 2. 

 On looldng out from my window I foimd the morning was 

 most brilliant. There had been rain during the night, and 

 now it was " the clear shining after rain " mentioned in the 

 Bible. On such occasions tbe state of the atmosphere is 

 grateful to the senses of sight, and smell, and taste. Break- 

 fast having been dispatched, Mr. Eodbard proposed a walk 

 to inspect the poultry. I am, perhaps most of us are, fond of 

 imagining before I see it what a place will be like, and then 

 comparing the reality with the imagination. I thought that 

 the poulti-y would be in specially built houses ; I thought 

 of the various contrivances to keep the breeds separate ; what 

 sort of laying-places ; I thought of an infinite outlay of painted 

 ■wood, wire-netting, newly invented food-pans, and water- 

 bottles. All my thoughts and imaginings were quite unneces- 

 sary, and qmte incorrect. The ground in the park around 

 Aldwick Court was of the most undulatory description possible. 

 I use the word " undulatory " in its original meaning " wave- 

 like." A high mass of hill, then a valley, deep but not wide, 

 then another wave of hill, then another valley, and so on. Now 

 the consequence of this was that within what was really a short 

 distance there might be two distinct walks for poidtrj-, and the 

 two lots of birds never met ; then on further, other walks. 

 Bearing this in mind, a great deal of trouble was spared. 

 Then all being grass runs and such splendid air no wonder 

 that I did not see one sickly bird. As to houses, Mr. Eodbard 

 informed me that he had not built one. There happened to 

 be a number of old buildings scattered here and there on the 

 estate before it became his, some for cattle, others for tool- 

 houses, &c., and these, without even much alteration, became 

 his poultry-houses. 



But now tor our walk. Passing through a building filled 

 with aU manner of baskets which had been sent to many 

 shows, and whose inhabitants had never been overcrowded, 

 I come to walk No. 1, where were some Spanish fowls just 

 returned from a show, having won a prize of coiuse. We ascend 

 a hiU, but in ascending I stop to admire some Eouen Ducks 

 whose marvellous length seemed to require that they should 

 have an additional pair of legs. I throw out this hint to com- 

 mittees, " Rouen Ducks to take prizes are expected to have four 

 legs, those having but the ordinary two will be cUsqualified." 

 Doubtless fom--legged ones would appear ! We can breed to 

 feather, why not to a foot? Up the hill^that wicked " B." 



who said I was fat would have heard me pant at any rate, 

 though I am not fat, I beg to state. We come to an aged tree 

 round which a seat had been made; this is called " Hannah 

 More's tree," and it is said the authoress loved to climb the 

 hill and enjoy the prospect. " But what is this somewhat 

 ecclesiastical building in the trees?" "Only my private 

 chapel," said Mr. E. We enter the gate of the — is it a church- 

 yard? Yes — no — yes — no — I think not, for I see no grave- 

 stones, only fowls. It does look like a church of church- 

 warden-gotbic, tower and all. On going round to the south 

 door I find it is not a chmeh, but built to look like one at a 

 distance. It was erected for the accommodation of cattle. 

 Had I pre.ached there, my text would have been "Whatmeaneth 

 this lowing of oxen that I hear ? " But the cattle had given 

 place to Partridge Cochins — I caught a cockerel, and a big baby 

 he was — I then caught a hen, the largest I think I had ever 

 seen. Unless I greatly mistake, Mr. Eodbard will do wonders 

 with his breed of Cochins — other exhibitors, look out; cross your 

 strains, hatch early, feed well, or you will be beaten. Nay, you 

 must be beaten tmless you have as large birds. Leaving the 

 church with its congregation of sleepy (sitting) hens, and the 

 larger congi-egation of lads and lasses (cockerels and pullets) 

 walking about the chm'chyard — idle creatines, where is the 

 churchwarden ? — we dip down a valley, and come upon a tool- 

 house divided by wire, with a most hopeful-looking lot of 

 Spanish inside. Then on to a walled garden, in the corner of 

 which was a gardener's cottage converted into a poultry 

 estabhshment for early Spanish chickens. In a good-sized 

 room, eeUed and with glazed windows, were a vast number of 

 birds. Imagine three counters from drapers' shops running 

 round the room, with upright boards nailed on the edges, thus 

 turning the counters into troughs, and in each trough a quan- 

 tity of chopped straw to keep the chickens wann. The said 

 chickens when I saw them were advanced in chickenhood, and 

 even sporting in an enclosed space, hiding beneath artichoke 

 and rhubarb plants ; they aU seemed healthy. I stroll on and 

 come to a farmyard, where I find some Game fowls ; these 

 gave me a heartache, as I always want to keep them, but am 

 unable. Further on, past a lodge, we came to the coachman's 

 cottage, where, in the yard, we found a number of Spanish 

 cocks hving together in single blessedness, yet happy bachelors, 

 neither moping nor pugnacious. A Uttle fm'ther, and I am in 

 front of Aldwick Court, and my ramble is done. 



Now for a few reflections. Mr. Eodbard has singular facili- 

 ties for keeping his birds — the groimd, the air, everything in 

 their favour. Then he thoroughly imderstands poultry, and 

 most thoroughly enjoys the pastime. I have never seen such 

 good Spanish, and never better Bouen Ducks ; the Cochins and 



