368 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 22, 1874. 



whole together being male to fit the top of the frame exactly every way in 

 length and width. The other subjects you mentiou will be duly noticed. 



Glass for Roof of Intehjiediate Plant House (H.).— Hartley'ri patent 

 rough plate glaas, which we presume ia the Bame as " rolled sheet," will 

 answer admirably for the roof, and will lesbcn the necessity fur shading ; in 

 /act, enable you for floweriog plaots to dispeose with it. 



Gas Stoves {T. S. C). — "\e believe that for small glazed structurea 

 gas-heating is as economical as any other mode, and for an amateur by far the 

 least troublesome. Write to the makers who advertise in our columns, and 

 tell them what yon need. 



Heating by Gas (Suhscri'n-r). — We heated a small cooHervatory by means 

 ol a copper boiler fixed away from the conservatory and aS-inch iron flow-and 

 return pipe, the flow proceeding from the top of the boiler, and the return 

 joining the bniler neur its bottom. Anyone who manufactured such apparatus 

 shonld be able to erect it. Sec a letter in another column ; it is written by a 

 gentleman's gardener. 



CcLTURE OF French Melons (C D.). — French Melons only differ from 

 the kinds grown in this country in being lai'yer and inferior in flavour. The 

 kind yon have, the " Rock," is a very lar^je, very ugly, and very inferior Melon, 

 and has been in cultivation iu this country more thaa a century. You will 

 Bocceed with them in frames or pits heated by fermeutint? materials, for 

 culture in which iupfructionH have been frequently given in this Journal 

 from time to time. The best Melon for an amateur is Little Heath, which 

 has a bardy constitution, and may be grown in a frame with very little aid 

 from artificial heat. It is al^o of good size. Superior kinds for flavour are 

 Read's Scarlet-fleshed and Meredith's Cashmere, but they requu-e beat. 



Soil for Forest Trees and Shrobs (H.).— The digging has well pre- 

 pared for planting, and we should not apply manure of any kind until the 

 spring. Give a top-dressing of the dissolved bonos when growth commences. 

 Cucombers (C. S.). — We cannot insert high testimonials from anonymous 

 correspondents. 



Plane Tree (R. E. if.). — This tree ought to succeed on the outskirts of 

 Liverpool in such a situation as you name. 



Walnuts iS. C). — The uni^allant proverb that a Walnut tree is one of the 

 three examples of the benefit of thrashing, is, like the other two, erroneous. 

 Walnuts are best allowed to remain on the tree until they fall when the 

 branches are shaken. If your trees have declined in vigour, spread some 

 manure on the surface 2 or 3 feet from the stem, and keep the surface 

 mulched throughout the summer. 



Converting Melon HorsE into Vinery [J. Q. B.). — Your house will be 

 suitable for Vines, and need not be altered in any way. The sides and ends 

 being of glass would in uo wise assist the Grapes in colouring, the house 

 being well ventilated at the roof. The border should be at the low side of 

 the house, and if yon could arrange to have the Vines planted inside, with ■ 

 the front wall of the bouse on arches, so as to admit the roots to pass from 

 the inside to the outf-ide border, all the better. It you could make but a 

 8-feet border inside it would he better than having them in an outside border 

 and the VineF introduced through a hole in the wall. Keep the border well 

 above ground so as to have it well drained. The pipes will probably interfere 

 with your having an inside border; if uot, by all means have it, and plant thG 

 Vines 1 foot from the wall, training the Vines 15 or 16 inches from the glass. 

 You will be able to accommodate six Vines planted 3 feet 3 inches apart, 

 planting 18 inches from each end. The kinds we advise are three Black 

 Hamburghs, two Buckland Sweetwater, and one Foster's Seedling. 



Grafting Hollies IT'jnorant\. — This is not the time of jear to graft 

 Hollies. March and April is the proper time, working them outside by the 

 usual process of whip or tongue-:,'raftiiig and near the ground, so that after 

 clayicgthem they may have earth placed against them, leaving only the leaves 

 of the graft bare. It is not necessary to operate upon them under glass. If 

 the season be a forward one, the last fortnight of March, or if a late oae the 

 early part of April, noting when they are swelling their buds, and then graft- 

 ing before they have advanced. The grafts must be shoots of the last sum- 

 mer's growth, the stiff ones preferably to the thin and weak. Any failui-es 

 may be made good by budding in July. 



Foliage to Accompany Flowers {A. B). — There is often considerable 

 difficulty in procuring green material for flowers in spring, as the young 

 green growths of most pl>iuts are too tender for the purpose, so soon fading or 

 BhrivtUing in a cut state out of water We have found few things more 

 endurine than the common kinds of hardy Ferns, as Polypodium vulgare, 

 Polystichum aculeatum, Blechnum Spicant, and the common Lady Fern 

 (Athyrium Filix-f.emina), and Lastrea dilatata, and such others of the free- 

 growing kinds grown in heat until full-sized, and then placed in a cooler 

 house to harden are admirable. The beautiful Adiantum assimile placed in 

 a warm house in February or earlier, and when a good growth has been made, 

 the fronds full-sized placed in a greenhouse to harden. A. cuneatum similarly 

 treated is even better. Spiraea japonica leaves are also good, as is also Lily 

 of the Valley leaves; whilst for fine cut foliage what is there to equal the 

 Carrot? Pot a number of roots vnih their crowns just above the surface, 

 keeping only moist until growing freely, and when the leaves are as large as 

 you wish, remove to a cool house. 



Malva capitata. — " E. T. iT." wishes to know where he can obtain seeds 

 of this species. 



Fungus on Pear Leaves (A. B. E. D.}.— The Fungus is RosfeUa cancel- 

 lata. Yon should at once burn all the infected leaves, or your Pear trees will 

 suffer. If too late this year, pick all the bud leaves nest year as soon as they 

 show symptoms of the disease, and on no account let them remain under the 

 trees. — M. J. B. 



Fruit (S. HI. W.). — We have no more specimens to name. The Aromatic 

 Russet and Pine Apple Russet are distinct varieties. The HoUandbury Apple 

 is useful from November to January. Brown Beunv Pear is usually ripe this 

 month. Medlars are lit for gathering when they part easily from the spray. 



Spir-ea (IT. H,). — It is certainly not a SpLraja, hut we cannot identify it 

 from a leaf. 



Marie Louise Pear (Q. A. B., Louth).— After the leaves are off make a 

 solution of Giehurat compound in the proportion of S ozs. to the gallon of 

 water, and wash the tree. Do this again in the spring, and yon will get rid 

 of the mussel scale with which the tree is infested. 



Openings for RooTri in Front Wall of Peach House (A. H. Lemo- 

 ntttj). — Your gardener is quite right. The top of the opening should be 

 6 inches below the surface of the ground; the reason for this being, that if 

 the roots find their way out there they will be more likely to remain near the 



surface of the border outaide. At the same time we do not think it necessary 

 to alter the arche?, as it would incur considerable expense without a corre- 

 sponding advantag'j being gained by it. If the space in the wall is filled with 

 loam, and the under surface of the border is as low or lower than the under 

 part of the opening, the depth of 18 inches would be no bar to the roots 

 finding their way outside in quantity. 



Price for Fowls' Dung iE. B. T.). — We are quite unable to say what is 

 the value of fowl manure. We should think it very cheap at £b the ton. 

 We have tried it with lliwers, especially Roses, mixed with an equal weight 

 of earth. The reault was most satisfactory. We tried it for Oats. It pro- 

 daced straw more than 7 feet high, and as large as a lady's little finger. We 

 manured for Wheat with it this year on light land, and the drought caused it 

 to be a failure. 



Night Soil for Flower Beds and Lawn {A. W. B.\. — As it is thoroughly 

 decomposed, by which we presume it is old, if mixed with an equal quantity 

 of soil, it may be applied as a dressing to the flower beds an inch thick, 

 mixiug it tborou^^hly with the soil of the teds to a depth of 9 inches or 

 a foot. For the lawn it should be thoroughly mixed with six times its 

 bulk of &oil, and laid in a heap, turning it o^er at least once during the 

 winter in dry frosty weather, and be applied to the lawn in February or early 

 in March, giving a coating all over about a quarter of au inch deep if the 

 growth of the grass is very poor, or only half the thickness, or an eighth of 

 au inch, if not very poor. We Hbould give the lawn a thorough scratching 

 with an iron rake if it is mossy, before applying the compost, and early in 

 April again rake it, and if thin of grass sow over it 8 llis. White Clover, 

 4 lbs. Suckling Clover, 8 lbs. Crested Dog's-tail Grass (Cjnjsurua cristatus^ 

 and 4 lbs. each Hard Fescue iFestuca duriuscula), and Evergreen Meadow 

 Grass (Poa uemoralis sempervireus), in mixture for one acre. Roll well after- 

 wards, and you will have a fine lawn. 



Insects iJanien Bow). — The blask insects on the Sprnce Fir tree are the 

 Aphis Laricis c-jmmonly found on the Larch. If possible, it would be advis- 

 able to sweep off the insects from the single tree attacked to prevent them 

 spreading to other trees. — I. O. W. 



Names of Fruits [Sicbscriber). — Ptars : 1, Thompson's ; 2, Nonveaa 

 Poiteau; 3, Jersey GratioU. Apples: 4, Jscarlet Pearmain; 5, Autumn Pear- 

 main; 6, Alfriston. (Boslon Spa). — 1, Brown Beurri/ ; 2, Bergamotte 

 Cadette; 3, Paradise d'Automne ; 4, Beurre d'Aremberg. (J. B.i. — 1, Due 

 d'Aumale; 2, Red Doyennt-; 4, BeurrL Superfin. [J. IV. K.).—lt was im- 

 possible to dist inguish your Damson, for it was completely smashed in coming 

 through the poat. tH. P.).—l, Jersey Gratioli ; 2, Urbaniste; 3, Louise 

 Bonne of Jeri^ey; 5. Aston Town ; 6, Belle de Noel. (A F. E.).—l, Comte de 

 Lamy ; 2. Louise Bonne of Jersey ; 3, Hacon's Incomparable ; 4, Beurre 

 Diel ; 5, Beurre de Capianmont ; 6, Hampden's Bergamot. The Apple is not 

 known. (L. J.B.). — 1, Doyenne du Comice ; 2, Lewis's Incomparable; 3, St. 

 Mi(;hel d'Archange. (F. M.).—l, Secklo ; 2, Orange Mandarin; 3, Comte de 

 Lamy. (G. A/cG).—l, Winter Quoining; 2,notknown; 3. Robinson's Pippin. 

 (F. I/., Highgatc). — 1, Cambridge Pippin; 2, Northern Greening; 3 is very 

 much like No. 2. (H. Swi/ti.~ Apples : 2, Duck's Bill; 3, Hall Door: 4, Win- 

 ter Greening; 5, Beauty of Kent; 6, Golden Noble; 7. Court of Wick; 10, 

 Fearn's Pippin; 11, Loan's Pearmain. Pears : 1, Beurre de Ranee; 2, Beurre 

 Diel. (It. R. Garnettj.—Applis : 1, Hutton Square; 2, Winter Greening; 

 5, King of the Pippins. Pears : 1, King Edward's ; 2, Vicar of Winkfield. 



Names OF Plants (W. B.).— 6, Oncidium WrajiP or 0. bifolium. The 

 Begonias were too withered, and the Coniferm unnameable from the scraps 

 sent; 1 may be Abies alba. (Annie). — 1, Coronilla Emerus; 2, Lobelia poly- 

 pbylla? specimen very bad; H, Ohelone glabra. ( JF. B. P.).—l and 4, Both 

 Begonias, but we cannot determine the species. Ferns next week. {A. F. E.). 

 — Cyrtantbera Pohliana, iVetfs (Justicia carnea, Ldl.]. (J. B.). — AInua glu- 

 tinosa laciniata, or Jagged-leaved Alder. (B. K.). — Poa aimua. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PIGEON OHEONIOLE. 



THE POULTRY-KEEPER.— No. 24. 



CUCKOO COCHIN-CHINA. 



No variety is more curious really than this. It is marked 

 uniformly like the Gueldres, and it is doubtless the issne of 

 the Buff Cochin-Chiui, or the Black or White, but more often 

 of the Black. 



The cocks are generally of two distinct plumages, one with 

 grey Cuckoo feathers, and with hackle, shoulders, and lauoe- 

 shaped feathers of a good straw colour, with spots the whole 

 length of the feather. The other is entirely grey Cuckoo. If 

 these last are not the richest they are certainly the purest. 

 Referring to the Bredas, Gueldres, or Breda Cuckoo, the 

 feathers will be found to resemble those which form the ground 

 of the Gueldre plumage, and identically the same as that which 

 forms the plumage of the Cuckoo Cochin cock and hen. 



The marking of the feather is the same over the entire hen, 

 neat and scale-formed. It is the same with the cocks, except 

 that the feathers of the hackle, the shoulders, and the lance- 

 shaped feathers are entirely speckled, and that in the large and 

 small sickles the marks are in number and size in proportion to 

 the length of the feathers. 



GENERAL CONSIDEKiTIONS OF COCHIN-CnINAS. 



The first birds I saw in France were those brought in by 

 Admiral Cecil, and came really from Cochin-China, and do not 

 at all resemble those we now know, which have more weight, 

 are slightly different in form, and which came from Shanghai, 

 the place probably where they originally were obtained. They 

 have been crossed afterwards with bad analogous varieties. 

 Nothing is more erroneous than the opinion as to their delicacy 

 of temperament, or the difficulty of making them reproduce, or 

 the impossibility of their getting acclimatised. With regard to 

 the care the early chickens require bronght-up in cold or rainy 

 weather, it is no more than is required by the chickens of all 



