38 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



January 14, 1875. 



from chemical and other works, a suitable soil, and fuel to be had cheaply. 



Nothing would be gained by southern clime with fuel at double value. 

 Geranicms for Button-hole Bouquets (W. B. G.).— The doubles are 



the beet for this purpose, as Incendie de Fontenay, Sapeur Pompier, Le 



Vengear, Victor Lemoine, Gambetta, and Album plenum. Of the singles — 

 Harry Kid;:;, aiaster Christine, Reine Blanche, Bride, President Thiers, Mas. 

 Sach, and Diana. Charcoal is better for mixiag with the soil for Geraniums 

 than crocks, which answer no purpose only to keep the soil open, but charcoal 

 is all carbon. 



Sea-kale-earthing for Blanching (S.). — It should be earthed for 

 blanching any time between now and gi-owth commencing. If you do it 

 upon the ground, ashes or sawdust would be better than soil, though it will, 

 if of a light sandy nature, answer well. We should earth about the middle of 

 next month. Could you not invert eome large pots, boxes, or even hampers, 

 with the bottom out ? Anything to allow a space of 3 inches cleai- of the 

 crowns and 15 inches high will answer, covering these with leaves or litter, so 

 as to escludo air and light, and by this mode you would have it earlier, and 

 another lot covered with ashes would succeed it. The roots will not be 

 injured by the late severe weather, it being very hardy. Ours is not in any 

 way injured. Some we took up after the frost is growing freely. 



Fern Case Ee-arranging (T. ilf. N'.).— The best time to take the plants 

 and re-arrange them is the beginning of March, just before or when they are 

 commencing to grow. A neat-growing plant with small leaves and suitable 

 for feraeries is Ficns repens. It will cling with the tenacity of Ivy to almost 

 anything, and up or down as tendency is given the shoots. 



Fruit Trees for Peaty Sort (J. B.).— There will be no chance of trees 

 on the free stock coming to a bearing state in a reasonable time, but they 

 will do if liberally manured and well dressed with lime, which for a peaty 

 soil should be ma;,'ne3ian. A hundred bushels per acre is a good but not too 

 heavy dressing. We should prefer the trees on the dwarf stock — i.e., Apples 

 on the Paradise, Pears on Quince, Cherries on Mahaleb. Plums do very well, 

 lime being added and the ground liberally manured on the surface, top- 

 dressin;' annually. We do not know what you wish as to kinds, but if you 

 wish for the names of varieties we shall be glad to give them if you write us 

 stating what you require. Bush fruit does well, especially Raspberries, and 

 Bed Currants ; but Gooseberries and Black Currants suffer in a diy season. 



Period of Yucca Flowering (J. P. P.).— The period at which a Yucca 

 lirst flowers is variable, but usually about the seventh year, or when the 

 plants are sufficiently strong. After once flowering, the stem and crown from 

 which it is produced die, and fresh plants or suckers issue from the root- 

 stem, and these flower when they are sufficiently grown. 



Coiling Vine Rods in Pots (Idem).— The system you propose was ad- 

 vocated by Mr. Mearns at Welbecb, and exploded by Mr. Fish in 1835. so that 

 your idea has no claim to originality, nor is it likely to succeed. The cane 

 coiled round the inside of the pot, say half its length, will certainly root and 

 break the eyes freely, but will not have sufficient rooting power to bring to 

 maturity a crop of fi-uit. Bottom heat is necessary to secure the speedy 

 rooting of the canes. 



Vines Transplanting (Idfm).— Do it eailyin Maich, lifting them care- 

 fully, alsci the layered Vines, which we presume have been detached from the 

 pai-ent Vines at least a year, they having been layered sis to eight years. 

 They having been spurred and reaching the top of the house is no conse- 

 quence, only they may break rather weakly, and the only good you could have 

 none them the year before lifting would have been to originate shoots nearer 

 the rod, or train a fi-esh oane from the bottom, and that you may do this 

 season. They do not require any particular treatment the season before 

 removal. 



Apples, Pears, and Plums for Orchard {Orchard).— The ground should 

 be dug or trenched, but not bringing-up any of the bad soil or gravel, and if 

 poor be liberally manured. Being of a shallow nature the trees should be 

 liberally top-dressed, so as to keep the roots near the surface, for rooting into 

 the gi-avel it is likely the trees would he subject to canker. Also see that 

 there is not water in the subsoil, and if there be, remove it by efficient drain- 

 age. Culinary Apples are— Keswick Codlin, Lord Suffield, Alexander, Cos's 

 Pomona, Rymer, Blenheim Orange, Kentish Fillbasket, Yorkshire Greening, 

 Dumelow's Seedling, Bedfordshire Foundling, Warner's King, Alfriston, and 

 Norfolk Beeting; and for long- keeping, Annie Elizabeth. Dessert Apples— 

 Red Astrachan, Devonshire Quarrenden, King of the Pippins, Cos's Orange 

 Pippin, Gravenstein, Reinette du Canada, Lord Burghley, Lady Henniter, 

 Boston Russet, Court of Wick, Scarlet Nonpareil, and Sturmer Pippin. 

 Pears— Jargonelle, Beurrt- GifEard, Williams' Bon Chri>tien, Flemish Beauty, 

 Beurre Hardy, Benrre Superfin, Urbaniste, Doyenne du Cornice, Marie Louise, 

 Beurre Diel, Beurrt; Bachelier, Beurrt- d'Aremberg, Zephiiin Gregoire, Jean 

 de Witte, and Bergamot Esperen. Catillac, Vicar of Winkfield, and Verulam 

 for stewing. Pluinsy dessert — Green Gage, July Green Gase, Jefferson, Law- 

 son's Golden, Kii-ke's, Ickworth Iraperatrice. Kitchen— Baily Prolific, 

 Mitchelson's, Diamond, Prince Englebert, Prince of Wales, Victoria. "VSTiite 

 Magnum Bonum, and Winesour; also Danu^o/w— Cluster or Crittenden, 

 Prune, and New Large BuUace. C/tfrrifis— Belle d'Orleans, Black Heart, 

 Bigarreau Napoleon, Elton, Kentish, and May Duke. In respect of trees 

 suitable for different aspects of walls, a south one is suitable for Apricots, 

 Peaches, and Nectarines ; east for Plums and Cherries ; west for Pears ; and 

 north for Morello Cherries. 



Tenant Removing Shrubs (Country).— Kawing planted the Roses and 

 other shrubs, you cannot legally remove them without the landlord's consent. 



Training Vines to a House (F, J.).— You have understood us perfectly 

 as to tho training of the Vines, but not as to the origination of the bearing 

 wood or spurs. Originate one at every turn, which will give you a shoot for 

 bearing at every 18 inches along the rod, between these have another midway 

 of the cross or space between the curves. This will give you bearing wood 

 at 9 inches distance apart along the rods, or you may have the spurs or with 

 two shootB, and either at the curves or midway as you may prefer, the main 

 thing being to allow each equal space for proper exposure to light and air. 

 We should wire the wall vertically at 9 inches distance apart, which would be 

 cheaper in the end than wood for fixing eyelets or nails, the wires being good 

 for tying the bearing shoots to, the other only being of use for the rods. You 

 will see the advantage of the wire, which should be fixed at about half an 

 inch from the wait, which though of atone will have joints into which may 

 be driven the eyelets for the wire. The requisites for wiring walls you will 

 see advertised in our colunms. 



Cucumbers Bitter (A Very Old Subscriber).— The principal cause is their 

 being grown too slowly, and therefore long in coming to a useable size. Give 

 more bottom heat, also top heat, and the fruit will be fit to cut in a shorter 



time and be more tender and less bitter. The kind you have is one of the 

 beat. The late dull weather would tend to slow growth, ill- elaborated sap, 

 and consequent bad flavour. Get rid of the present fruit as soon as you can, 

 and encourage freer growth. Slow growth from a low temperature may give 

 fruit, but not of delicate flavour. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PIGEON OHRONIOLE. 



THE EXHIBITION DORKING.— No. 5. 



i;y t. c. btjknell. 



The mysteries of preparing fowla for exhibition seem almost 

 as terrible to the young poultry-fancier as the prospective grid- 

 iron to the candidate for masonic honours ; yet the latter may 

 not be found quite so hot as expected, nor the former beyond 

 the power of the simplest beginner. I remember well how, 

 when commencing, I was offered all sorts of preparations for 

 putting on the comb and feathers, and without which it was 

 said to be impossible for a bird to win ; however, I managed to 

 get on without them then, and shall hope to do so for the future. 

 As some little preparation, however, is required, I will briefly 

 mention all that I think is necessary. 



By far the finest thing to get birds into good condition and 

 brilliant plumage is a good grass run, and if this is obtainable 

 little else will be wanted ; but if birds are penned-up in a email 

 yard some little management will be required to get them into 

 good condition. I have before mentioned what a capital thing 

 peas are, and a few should always be given every other day to 

 exhibition birds; and it will be well to bear in mind, too, that 

 soft food produces soft feather, and that though it will not hurt 

 birds to be hungi-y, but rather tend to " liven them " up, that 

 overfeeding will be certain to give them indigestion, and to 

 turn them black in the comb. It is a common mistake to sup- 

 pose that Dorkings require to be fattened-up for exhibition. 

 Now-a-days the judges never go by weight. What they look 

 for is a large frame, with plenty of room for putting on flesh. 

 Some breeds look all the better for being fattened, but not 

 Dorkings, which are naturally quite plump enough. 



Dorkings stand exhibition worse than any other breed, and if 

 sent from show to show will very soon break down in health, 

 and become as useless for stock as for the show pen. I con- 

 stantly hear it said that such a bird will " do to breed from," 

 but I don't understand this. If a bird is not moderately perfect 

 it is hopeless to expect perfect chickens from him, and a broken- 

 down constitution is sure to produce degeneracy if nothing 

 worse. Some birds, though in capital health at home, will mope 

 and look wretched when penned. To such a little toast soaked 

 in strong ale may be given the day before ; but it must be borne 

 in mind that all unnatural feeding will surely have to be paid 

 for, and that a little cooked meat with a rusty nail placed in the 

 drinking water should be quite sufficient. 



Before going to their first exhibition fowls should always be 

 trained to a pen at home, or else when the judge goes round to 

 look at them they will either get into a corner to hide them- 

 selves, or else fly and flap about, and most likely send a lot of 

 dirt and rubbish into the judge's eyes, in which case the latter 

 may be very naturally expected to go on to the next pen. The 

 simplest plan will be to purchase a couple of wire pens and 

 water tins from one of the well-known contractors who supply 

 our shows, and to fix them in a convenient corner where the 

 young birds may be accustomed to exactly the same place that 

 they will be put into when at exhibitions, and will thus be made 

 to feel quite at home, and to show themselves to the best ad- 

 vantage. I should always advise that the birds be caught at 

 night, as then there will be no struggling or pulling-out of tails, 

 and the birds wiU quietly submit to their fate. Some httle 

 practice will be required to hold a large bird without damaging 

 his plumage, but a little practice will soon master this. In 

 taking a bird off the perch it wiU be best to seize him round the 

 vrings with both hands, placing the tips of the fingers of one 

 band under the breastbone to support the body, and in this 

 position you may defy any struggUng ; but sometimes we can 

 only spare one hand to hold the bird with, the other being re- 

 quired to open the lid of a hamper, administer physic, or wash 

 the dirt from the bird's feet, and here the beginner will find a 

 difiiculty, and I must say that until lately I myself was some- 

 times mastered by a large cock weighing 12 or 13 lbs., but 

 thanks to instruction from Mr. Teebay I believe I am now a 

 match with one hand for a " regular kicker." The plan is this : 

 Place the thumb of one hand over the wing, grasp the thigh 

 firmly with the first two fingers of the same hand, and with the 

 remaining fingers placed under the breastbone you will have the 

 bird fixed as firmly as in a vice. A bird should always be taken 

 out or put into, a show pen or hamper head first, otherwise the 

 tail and wing feathers are very liable to be broken. If the fowl 

 is large and the hole small, turn the bird on his side, and he can 

 make no resistance. A fowl should never be caught by the 

 leg, as not only is it a very unworkmanlike plan, but the bird 

 wUl very likely flap about and hit you two or three smart blows 



