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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ June 10, 1875. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



*^* All correspondence should be directed either to " The 

 Editors," or to " The Publibher." Letters addressed to 

 Mr. Johnson or Dr. Hogg often remain unopened unavoid- 

 ably. We request that no one will write privately to any 

 of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to un- 

 justifiable trouble and expense. 



Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 

 relating to Gardening and those on Poultry and Bee sub- 

 jects, and should never send more than two or three 

 quefitions at once. All articles intended for insertion 

 should be written on one side of the paper only. We 

 cannot reply to questions through the post. 



EoTAL Horticultural Society's Shhw (IT. E.).— Oor reporter necee- 

 Farily was there early, and the prize cards were not all placed. Those who 

 ascrite motivcB usually betray themeelves. There was, Jurther, a misplace- 

 ment of cards; for instance, the exhibitor's card attached to bunches of 

 green Muscats was removed altogether. 



Summer- PRUNING Plum Trees {R. M.). — All the shoots which grow more 

 than an iDch or two oiif^bt to be btopped at the third leuf, picching off the 

 point of the shoot when it has made that number of k-avts; but the short 

 Btubby fboots are not to be interfered with, but left their entire lenfjtb, pro- 

 viding the growth of this year does not exceed an inch ■ r two. When that 

 is exceeded cut them back to three leaves. The leading thoots or continua- 

 tion of the branches are not ^o be stopped, but trained-in their full length. 

 If Bhoots are not wanted for extension, the space being covered, stop the 

 shoots from their extremities the same as the others. 



Rose Leaves Diseased {E. L.). — They are affected by the oranpe fungus, 

 Puccinia r»6£e. The remedy ia to du&t over the leaves with flowers of 

 sulphur. 



Clematis {E. B.).— Miss Bateman (white) and Albert Victor {deep laven- 

 der) are both of them beautiful varieties; either of them will suit you. 



Peas (H. 3. F.). — We have no sample of Peas from you. 



Mr. J. CooMBER. — Our report states yonr direction correctly, Highgate. 

 It is the Royal Horticultural Society in the advertisement of prizes states 

 erroneously Reigate. 



Strawberry House (Infrlix). — We do not approve of your proposed house 

 as represented by the sketch, for the plants will be at too great a distance 

 from the t^lass, and deprived of the air playing freelj around them, which is 

 essential for the well-doing of forced Strawberries. A hilf-span with the 

 ends pointing east and west, fitted with shelves to suit the pitch of the roof, 

 which should be a sharp one to admit of watering the plants Jrom the back, 

 and these shelves having sods an inch thick reverse tide down, willlatt a 

 season. In vol. vii. of the Journal of Horticulture, page 354, is given 

 a section of the Strawberry house at Enville, and a house of this kiad 

 we advise in preference to yonr proposed one, which we feal sure will not 

 answer for the purpose of early fruit, which is most desirable. 



Dendrobium nobiie {Subscriber). — That ig the name of the Orchid which 

 yon sent uh. It is not possible to flower it in winter with anight tempe- 

 rature of 50°; but it will flower in April or May. Give the plants abundant 

 moisture during growth, and when the growth is complete gradually reduce 

 the supply and expose the plants more fully to light and air, so as to 

 thorout;hly ripen the growth. In winter keep dry, affordicg moisture only to 

 keep the stem from shrivelling. Poinsettia pulcherrima may be flowered 

 successfully in a house with other means, such as frames, for forwarding 

 the plants. 



Melons Swelling Irregularly (F. H.).— It is a consequence of the 

 fruit being upon one primary vine, the sap not being equalised. It may be 

 obviated by having more than one primary t^hoot toap'aut — as many to each 

 plant as >ou wish fruit. Tour gardener will meet your wishes if you explain 

 them to him. We take three and four fruits from a plant, and by having 

 each fruit upon a principal vine we experience no diflSculty with the 

 swelling. 



Tricolor Geraniums (3/.). — You probably grow them in a vry airy dry 

 house, which they do not, cppecially at this season, do well in. Give them a 

 fiame or pit, and a distance of about a foot from the glass, waterlog 

 moderately, shifting into larger pots as required, but not giving large shifts, 

 admitting air moderately, and affording slight shade from bright sun. 



Rose Leaves Brown (9. F.). — The root action is defective. Water the 

 roots cc'picnsly with tepid weak liquid manure, and keep mulch over the 

 surface of the soiL 



Liquid Manure of Fowl's Dung (E. Q. G.). — For culinary vegetables 

 mix a peck of the dang with thirty gallons of water, and for flowers twice 

 that quantity of water. 



Robe Leaves Brown-surfaced (S. C.).— No insect causes the mischief, 

 but defective root action. See our advice to another correspondent. 



RADISHES in Hot Weather {Gard-mer, Croydon).— Sow as usual the 

 oval-shaped scarlet, and water plentifully every day. 



Tarred Cord [^r^. M.). — It is not injurious to plants tied by it. 



Thee Ferns from New Zealand (S. J. JJ.).— Write to Mi-. Stevens, 

 auctioneer, King Street, Covent Garden. 



Potato Fungus (P.). — The Potato plant had the well-known fungus upon 

 it in small quantities, but the specimen was very bad. The odour itself is 

 quite characteristic o( ih^ presence of the fungus. — W. G. Smith. 



Grubs at Steawberrv Roots (C. J. fl".).— We have nothing to add to 

 the reply we made. Your hand-picking was very successful, and if every 

 sufferer would do the fame extermination would be nearer effected. 



Insect Pests {Adams). — The discoloration of yonr Bean leaves is due to 

 the presence on their under sides of a specias of thrips. — I. 0. W. 



Insects (R. H.). — Jefferson Plum. A moth is parent of the maggots. The 

 Coddling Apple insects are green flies, aphides, and so are those on the 

 Damson leaves. 



Names of Plants {C. M. 3f.l.— The Elder i^ Sambucua lacioiata, or Cut- 

 leaved. We cannot name varieties of florists' flowers. iD. Drake). — Yellow 

 onei TroUiua.europieas; white, Saxlfraga Gmelini or hypnoidee; the tree, 



Platanns orientalia. (A. T.). — The plant you have raised from seed of the 

 Locust fruit is probably Hymens* latifolia, Broad- leafleted Locust Tree. 



POULTET, BEE, AND PIGEON OKRONIOLE. 



POULTRY AT RAILWAY STATIONS. 



At least once a month we read or hear of some wretched bird 

 which has been mutilated in its plumage on its way to or from 

 a show. It has its fail pulled out, or it loses some feathers in 

 some particular place, or it has something overturned on it 

 which spoils its plumage, or it is shaken up and knocked about, 

 and so becomes seedy. Then long faces are pulled, and secre- 

 taries are blamed, and certain parties are suspected, and all 

 kinds of suspicions are vented on innocent heads. We have au 

 idea — it may be an idea only — that much of this mischief takes 

 place at railway stations. We do not mean that it is done by 

 railway officials purposely — far from it; but we believe that 

 often baskets arrive at stations swaddled-up in linen and canvas, 

 labelled "with great care" and " live birds." Well, we fancy, 

 perhaps our good railway servants are sometimes seized with 

 a craving— they may be amateur fanciers themselves, or may 

 have friends in the fancy line — to see the inmates of such 

 baskets, and, with purely good intentions, let the birds have a 

 run in the office, giving them exercise and at the same time 

 the said officials opportunity for inspecting the birds. We do 

 not for a moment wish to be misunderstood. Doubtless there 

 are some few evilly-disposed individuals who would pluck out a 

 bird's tail if they came across it, or shake it up to prevent his 

 or her winning, and doubtless such things are done, but such 

 customers we think and hope are few and far between; while 

 we happen to know that mutilations of plumage do occur at 

 rail\vay stations, tspecially junctions, where birds have to stay 

 sometimes Eeveral hours, and it is at these places we believe 

 that many of the birds lose their plumage, and are consequently 

 prevented from winning. Not purposely — far from it, but simply 

 from the hands of people who, having opened a basket to see 

 the contents, are unable to put them back again, and in the 

 desire to do so speedily a scuffle ensues, and the bird proceeds 

 on its journey having, like the memorable "Bo-peep," left its 

 tail behind it. 



To show that such tbirgs are done, and that we are in a way 

 warranted in coming to the conclusion we do, we will quote 

 two or three cases which have come under our own eyes, and 

 which at the time we felt should have been shown up. Still, as 

 the day is past we will not give now the places' names, but merely 

 narrate the facts. So firstly, then, we happened one day at the 

 end of November to be staying at a large station hotel in a mid- 

 land county. We strolled on to the platform for an evening 

 paper. It was the vigil of the Birmingham Show. As we 

 passed the parcels' office we heard a peculiar sound as of some 

 bird cackliLg, as they do when pursued. W^e happened to know 

 the clerk a little, and so in we went. One peep round showed 

 us how the matter stood. There was an empty basket on the 

 floor, there were five or six porters looking on, and there was a 

 clerk running here and there chasing a Spanish cockerel. It 

 flew on the shelves, it flew on the table, it flew over the men's 

 heads. We had no idea Spanish cocks were so wild, we ven- 

 tured to say. " No more 'ad we," said one of the men there 

 assembled ; " we only took the beggar out to look at him and 

 give him a run. He has come all the way from Somersetshire, 

 and now he kicks up this row." Just at this moment the chasing 

 clerk made a dab at the chased cockerel and seized him by bis 

 sickles ; out tbey came, and away the bird was off again. At 

 last he was caught and replaced in his hamper and forwarded 

 to Bingley Hall, where he was highly commended, and we do 

 not hesitate to say he would have been in the List but for his 

 absent and seriously ruffied remaining feathers. 



Once more : we were at a great junction the day before the 

 Northampton Show. At the said junction there was on the 

 platform a pile of baskets waiting to go on to the Show. At the 

 top was a peculiarly striking one. It was of white wicker, and 

 had a broad green stripe round it [who recognises this ?]. This 

 struck our eye, and so it seemed also that of one of the bystanders. 

 He seemed wild to see the contents of the green-striped basket. 

 He peeped in at the sides, and he peeped in at the lid, but 

 apparently he could not satisfy his longing eyes, so he gave 

 one tremendous tag to the lid to have a good satiating look, and 

 in a moment out flew a Duckwing Game cock. It was oil Uke 

 an eagle. The porters chased it, the people chased it, and on it 

 flew till it got outside the station, and escaped into a field. The 

 train steamed in, and the train steamed out, taking with it all 

 the pile of baskets, but leaving behind one empty — a white one 

 with green stripes, and when the cock was recaptured the last 

 train had gone, and the emerald-barred casket was "too late for 

 exhibition." 



Again: we ourselves were taking some birds to a show. We 

 had to wait at a junction, and we seized the opportunity for 

 taking "a glass of bitter, if you please," having previously 



