July 1, 1869. 1 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



15 



less than 4d, per lb., when, as they often are, they were of very inferior 

 qaality. 



Engine-hocse Wna>ows (J. K.) —We fear there will not be a sufficient 

 command over the temDeratore to enable yon to grow successfully any 

 kind of fruit ; but you might try Vines and Figs in pots. Plants would 

 succeed, their foliage being kept clean by frequent spongings. Store 

 plants would be most suitable, but would not the plants obstruct too 

 much light? A few uf those most likely to sncceed are :— Tillandsia 

 spleudens. Puva Altensteini, Ardisia crenulata. .Eohmea fulgens, Cereus 

 grandiflorus, C. UcDonaldi, Olivia nohilis, Epiphyllnm truncatum, E. vio- 

 laceum grandidorum, E. Salmoneum, Ficus. diversifolia, F. elastica, and 

 Crotons variegatum and pictum. 



Polyanthus Seed not GERinNATiNG (W^m).— The probability is your 

 seed was b»d, otherwise your plants would now be strong. They usually 

 appear within a month from the time of sowing. 



Pyeamidal Goosebeeeies and Ccbrants {A Poor Lady).— Both are 

 boshes, and succeed best trrown in that form. You may, however, have 

 them as pyramids by putting in a stake to each plant and heading it 

 down to 1 foot from the ground. The heading-down being done in autumn 

 will secure aboots in spring. One of them mn-t be trained as a leader, 

 erect, and other shoots tied down, rubbing ofi' all above three. These in 

 autumn are to be cut back to 1 foot from the stem, and the leader short- 

 ened to that extent. In the spring following the shoots from the leader 

 are to be treated as in the previous year, only any shoots not required 

 may have their points taken out when they have made three leaves, and 

 be kept closely pinched back to one leaf afterwards, shortening them in 

 autumn to within an inch of their base. The side shoots will need to I 

 have some of the shoots proceeding from them stopped, as described 

 above, allowing such as are advaatageously situated to grow so as to 

 furnish shoots for bearing. They should be trained-in their fall length, 

 and so as produce a uniform compact head, and not nearer together 

 than 9 inches, though they may for a time be left 6 inches apart, and 

 afterwards thinned out. The leader will need to be shortened in autumn 

 to 1 foot, the second tier of side shoots cut back to 9 inches, and those 

 from the second growth of the first tier cut back to about 6 inches, leav- 

 ing them longer or shorter so as to keep their extremities in the same 

 tier, at one distance from the stem all round. The shoots stopped 

 should be cut back to within an inch of their base The treatment in 

 subsequent years is only a repetition of the above, the object being to 

 stop all shoots not required for extension, or the formation of the head, at 

 the third leaf, keeping closely pinched afterwards to one, and cut them 

 back at the winter pruning to" 1 inch from their base. The extremities of 

 the main shoots should, when the bush or pyramid is wide enough, be 



cat to 3 inches at the winter pruning, and in summer be stopped at the 

 sixth leaf. They may be grown to any height. We have seen 6*feet 

 standards, but we think them quite tall enough at 4 feet, and prefer them 

 as bushes not exceeding 3 feet 6 inches high. 



Cutting-back the Laurel, Ahbor-Vit.^, and Box 'E J".).— The best 

 time to cut-in evergreen shrubs, the object not being to make them 

 formal, but to get rid of too great a size or irregularity of growth, is at 

 the beginning of May. It may, however, now be done, it not being ne- 

 cessary to do more than remove the irregular straggling growths. If, 

 however, they require to be cut hard-in and so that little beyond bare 

 stems would be lelt, they would not start sufficiently this season to make 

 their appearance presentable. In that case it wonld be best to postpone 

 the pruning until the end of April, or beginning of May. 



HoYA CABNosA Elooms Faliino {E. S., C/if Isca).— The falh'ng of the 

 blooms may be due to want of water at the roots, but we think it has 

 been occasioned by the soil becoming sodden and sour from excessive 

 waterings in winter, which would cause the roots to perish. Without 

 any information as to the plant's treatment, we cannot arrive at a concla- 

 sion nor advise. 



Gloxinia's Flotver Buds not Expanding (South Wales).— The buds 

 have had the corolla destroyed by allowing water to stand in them. It may 

 have been a result of syringing, or of condensed moisture, and the sun's 

 rays falling powerfully upon them whilst wet. The only remedy will be 

 shade from bnght sun, keep'ng them rather near the glass, and preserving 

 a moist atmosphere by frequent sprinklings of the paths, walls, &c., 

 avoiding wetting the plants overhead. You will, we think, yet have a 

 good bloom. The white woolly-leaved plant is, we think, Gnaphalium 

 lanatum ; the blue is a Nepeta, but we are unable to say which from so 

 small a specimen. 



Herbaceous Plants (Q. Q.).—Yon will find lists of them with their 

 height", colours of flowers, and usual time of flowering, at page 40 of 

 Vol. XIII., New Series, of this Journal. 



Names op Fruits (J. R F.).— No fruit is more difficult to identify than 

 the Strawberry, there being so many varieties, and the difficulty is in- 

 creased, when, as in your case, their surface has been rendered pulpy by 

 long travelling in contact with wet leaves. Th« two very fine berries you 

 have sent, we believe — we are not certain—to be Sir Harry. 



Names of Plants {W. B.).— Tour Orchids are both forms of Orchis 

 latifolia, and only difi'er in colour. (Annie Beyton].—^, Lonicera Lede- 

 bourii. {Tyro—W. C.).— Colntea arborescens, the Bladder Senna. (F. P.). 

 1, Polygonum convolvulus ; 2, •^olanum Dulcamara ; 3, Centranthus ruber. 

 (Mariiaret). — 1, Lonicera Ledebourii ; 2, Khododcndron hirsutom ; 

 3, ThalictrHm fiavum. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of London for the week ending June 29th. 



General Remabks. 



Fine and clear ; cloudy; clear and very fine. 

 Foggy ; overcast but fine ; densely overcast. 

 Overcast; cloudy but fine ; clear and fine. 

 Very fine ; exceedingly fine ; overcast. 

 Very fine ; fine and hot ; fine and very clear. 

 Fine and clear ; cloudy ; clear and fine, cold air. 

 Overcast ; very fine ; fine and very clear. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PIGEON CSRONICLE. 



THE EAST INDIAN BREEDS OF GAME 

 FOWLS. 



The Indian breeds of Game fowls are not very dissimilar to 

 our own birds, though not io symmetrical, eo neat, or so clean 

 in limb and in feet. As to size, they vary like our own Game 

 fowls, and are of much the same average size. They are, how- 

 ever, rather more of the Malay type, and more resemble the 

 Malays, especially the smaller ones, than our birds do, but are 

 perfectly distinct from them, having more of the Game shape, 

 and being less stilly or long on the legs than the Malays. 

 Some writers term the Indian Game fowls a smaller breed of 

 the Malays, but any judge of fowls with a good eye can easily 

 distinguish between the Indian Game fowls and the Indian or 

 any other Malays ; in fact, they resemble ths wild Gallus ferru- 

 gineus in most respects, much more than they do Malays, 

 though, of course, larger than the wild aborigines, considerably 

 smaller than the larger Malays, and much more symmetrical 

 in form than any Malays ever are. They are of good courage, 

 which Malays are not, as may be seen on reading Col. Mor- 

 daunt's account of them, as he in 1827 took out English Game 

 cocks to India on purpose to try the courage of the Indian 

 Game breeds, and his birds were well beaten by them, probably 

 owing to his cocks having suffered much from the long sea 

 voyage to India, nearly sis months, I believe. The courage of 

 the true East Indian Game breeds is as well known in India, 

 as the cowardice of the Indian Malay breeds is. 



The Indian Game fowls which I have seen and heard of are 



of five distinct shades of red. I have also seen the yellow- 

 legged Duckwings at Batavia, in Java, vfhile I was there in 

 1849, but as these are not considered anything more than a 

 cross-breed, I shall not enumerate them as a sort. I saw na 

 Duckwing hens, but only the cocks, which strongly resembled 

 our smaller yellow-legged Duckwing Game cocks in all respeote, 

 shape and everything. 



The five difierent standard colours I wiU enumerate as 

 follows : — 



1st. Black-bbeasted Eeds.— Eyes red, er reddish in general, 

 the legs generally yellow, but sometimes yellowisb-green or 

 yellow-willow. General colour of cock much resembling our 

 own birds of this colour. Hen partridge colour, with fawn 

 breast invariably — no other colour. 



2nd. Ginger Beds.— Eyes red, or reddish in general, the 

 legs yellow in general, but sometimes yellowish-green or yellow- 

 willow, as in the above. Cock a ginger-red colour, with a 

 reddish ginger breast. Hen a reddish light partridge ginger, 

 with a ginger breast— not fawn-coloured. There are no cinna- 

 mon orwheaten hens in this breed, which is closely allied to 

 the first named. 



3rd. Gingep.s.— Eyes yellow or daw always; legs always 

 yellow ; the colour a very yellow ginger colour, scarcely red at 

 all. The hen of a light yellow ginger, not a red ginger ; hght 

 ginger breast. This breed resembles the smaller Malay breeds 

 more than the others. 



4tb. Brown-ep.eaeted Dark Beds.— Eyes very dark brown, 

 bold and full. Comb and face inclining to gipsy in the cock, 

 and quite gipsy-purple in the ben. Cocks of a dark brown-red 

 plumage, with a red-brown breast, streaked with darker brown 



