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JOURNAL OF HORTICTJLTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



C July 15, 1875. 



GuziNG Hardy Fern-ert (Q.).— You will find 21-oz. glass quite strong 

 enough, and if it is shaded a portion of the day jou need not go to the ex- 

 pense of rolled plate. 



Peaches Spotted (Subscriber]. — The spofe tou allude to is, we suspect, 

 mildew. Dust with sulphur, and give the trees on the back wall a soaking of 

 water in which guano and common salt is dissolved at the rate of half an 

 ounce of each to each gallon of water. This with a pure air will, we think, 

 effect an improvement in your trees. 



Prize Schedule (J. C. 3/.).— Certainly black and white Grares can be 

 ehown in a collection of fruit of six distinct varietieo. If it had been Bis 

 distinct kUids they could not. 



Trees Shading Border {A Working Lady). — Tou can cut the trees over 

 now, and grab the roots in the winter. 



Strawberries (L. £.).— Viscomtesse Hericart de Thury, President, and 

 Dr. Hogg are the varieties we recommend. You give ns no data whereon to 

 advise you as to the size of the beds. On cultoral points you cannot do 

 better than follow the advice of Mr. Record and Mr. Douglas which is given 

 in another column. 



Vises Raised from Seed {Walter).— The Vines will fruit, bat not in 

 smaUpots; they should at once be shifted into 13-inch pots, and the canes 

 be trained about a foot from the glass. They require free watering and 

 Bprinkling with water overhead twice daily. They should have a compost of 

 bght turfy loam three parts, well rotted manure a part, and a sixth of half- 

 inch bones well raised, and the pots well drained. We should not, unless yon 

 have heat, give the plants larger pots this season than 9-inch, and in spring 

 turn them out of the pots when they begin to grow, shake all the soil from the 

 roots, and repot in the same size, shifting into larger when those are filled 

 with roots. "We do not consider you have a chance of fruiting them until the 

 year after next. 



Mauve- COLOURED Viola (Idem). — "We do not know of a better than 

 Mauve Qaeen. There is some mauve even in Perfection, but Ihe seedling you 

 describe as large as Perfection of a mauve colour may or may not be an 

 acquisition. You should submit it to some authority, as most raisers do not 

 care to trust their own judgment in determining the value of their seedlings. 



Vines Unhealthy (H. B.).— Red spider— which we note is this year very 

 prevalent— is the main cause of your Vines losing their foliage. The insects 

 appear to be dead now, and your Vines with careful attention will recover. 

 "We should, however, give the Vines a thorough washing with the syringe — 

 that is, apply the water forcibly to every part, avoiding aa much as possible 

 directly etriking the bunches. We are aware this will wash off the bloom 

 from the Grapes, but still we advise it a^ the les&er of two evils. That must 

 not be a common fyringing, but a heavy drenching. Afterwards paint the 

 hot-water pipes with sulphur, and heat them sufficiently to cause a strong 

 smell, ventilating in proportion so that the night temperature does not exceed 

 65% and the day temperature with sun 85^. Leave a little air on at the top 

 of the house all night, and especially increase it in the morning as soon as 

 the thermometer begins to rise. Early closing— so long as the temperature 

 does not exceed 65— and early opening of the ventilators, are vital conditions 

 in Grape culture. It is just possible the night temperature may have been 

 kept too high and the house too close by not admitting air sufficiently early 

 ill ihe morning. That, however, is only conjecture. It is very common for a 

 hitch to occur in some way on a change of gardeners, though no real fault of 

 either. Time is necessary for a man to thoronghly comprehend not only the 

 resources of a place, bat its peculiarities and liabilities, and an able man will 

 profit by any untoward and unexpected results. Write to ns again in a 

 month, and tell us the exact state of your Vines at that time, when we shall 

 be glad to give you further advice on the matter. 



Insects on Vines (H.). — Famigation with tobacco on two successive 

 nights will destroy the green fly, following the fumigation by syringing. 

 Clear water is the best antidote against red spider. By regular sj ringings 

 and sufficient atmospheric moisture this insidious pest may be prevented 

 doing injury. ^Sliere it is established thoroughly drenching the foliage, and 

 subsequently creating a strong smell of sulphur by painting the pipes when 

 they are heated, at the same time securing a pure atmosphere by a ccn- 

 tinuons current of fresh air night and day, is the best practice to adopt. 

 Fumigation will not injure the Grapes, but syringing will di^figore them, but 

 better submit to have the bloom partially washed off this year than to have 

 DO Grapes the neit year. If the Grapes are nearly ripe, and the Vines not 

 seriously infested by the red spider, the fruit may perhaps be cut before 

 applying the remedial measures. 



Constructing Range of Houses {An Irish Subscriber). — With so ex- 

 tensive a raoEe for gla^s yon should aim at more than a vinery, Peach house, 

 and orchard house. We should have at least two vineries, or with three you 

 might have Grapes very nearly the year round— viz., an early vinery to give 

 fruit in May; a second vinery to come in at the close of Jaly; and a late vinery 

 which would afford fruit np to May— say 35 feet of early, 48 feet of second, 

 and the same of late vinery, which will take up 132 feet. Then 36 feet of 

 early Peach house, and 48 feet of second Peach house, and this will leave you 

 84 feet for orchard house. It may be that you do not wish to heat the range 

 or reduce the heating to a minimum ; in that case we should have 72 feet 

 vinpry, 86 feet Peach house, and 132 feet orchard house, bat unless you have 

 ether houses the former anangement wonld be infinitely better. The wall 

 being up will be a considerable saving. The vinery or vineries we should 

 have in the centre, and IS feet wide; in fact, all that width, and a lean-to or 

 with a abort half-span at back if you object to a high back wall. The front 

 we should have 5 feet 6 inches high, 3 feet of it glass, and have all the front 

 lights to open as well as 2 feet 6 inches the whole length the upper part of 

 the house. The depth of border you would need would be 3 feet 6 inches, and 

 of this 9 inches should be drainage, and not less in width than half the extent 

 of the house in width, as well as the inside. If you have trees against the 

 walls then you will need borders the full width inside in addition to two- 

 thirds the width of the house of outside border. We could not give an 

 estimate of the cost, but that you may obtain by writing, stating what you 

 require, to an horticultural builder. 



Names op Plants (S. B. T.).- The yellow flower is Sedum refleium, the 

 other Drosera rotnndifolia. (D.).— Galium cruciatnm. (J. B. C.).— Lisso- 

 chilus speciosuB, Br. (G. £}.— 1, Philadelphua coronarius; 2, Castanea 

 vesca. The leaves are those of Stachys lanata. (Constant ^arffr).— Speci- 

 nens very bad. 1, Begonia sp.; 4, Veronica incana; 5, Gilia lutea; 6, Santo- 

 Una sp. ( W. r.).— Apparently a species of Iiora. (B.).— Agrostis sp. ? The 

 specimen is poor. (G. B., 2t.— Your plants are Crepis virens, and (ap- 

 parently) Anthemis inodora. Yon would find a British Flora useful in such 

 cases. [Lady King).— Yon were answered in the Journal for July Ist. We 

 can only repeat what is there said; it may be Geranium pratense 



POTJLTEY, BEE, AND PIGEON OHEOinOLE. 



KETTERING POULTRY, Ac, SHOW. 



This Show was held on July 6th and 7th daring the Ketter- 

 ing Feast, when the little town was alive with visitors, and 

 in many respects was a great success. We wonld strongly 

 advise the Committee another year to have the pens strewed 

 with coarse sand or road grit in preference to chaff, and above 

 all to have it done before the birds are penned. In this case it 

 was delayed until the morning of the Show, and many of the 

 birds having come long distances without food shoald have been 

 fed with meal dough and water on the Monday evening. No- 

 thing is so beneficial to highly-bred specimens which are called 

 upon to undergo much fatigne and privation in journeying to 

 the various shows as good easily- digested food and the very 

 necessary water, with a little green meat if possible. They then 

 return to their owners as fresh as ever, and prevent those re- 

 criminations which frequently pass between exhibitor and 

 Secretary when birds are knocked-up or die. 



The Committee, who, we understani!, are more in the Pigeon 

 and Rabbit than poultry fancy, would do well another year to 

 revise their schedule. The single-bird system we admire, but it 

 should not be made to crush certain breeds. Where all colours 

 compete together one class is not sniBcient either for Dorking, 

 Cochin, Brahma, or Game, as the less perfect colours either put 

 in a poor appearance or go to the wall; and it is a great mistake 

 to leave out classes for French and Spanish, these four high-class 

 varieties being cramped into a two-prize Selling class with Po- 

 lish, Malay, and all the customary variety specimens. Game 

 Bantams, which almost always fill, had only one class ; we say 

 one class, for although there was throughout the Show a class 

 each for cocks and hens, yet as the whole of the sub-vaiietiea 

 competed together in those which we have named it is sub- 

 stantially one. In Dncks again — only imagine ! Bouen and 

 Aylesbury and Mandarins and Bast Indians being compressed 

 into one class. In the Pigeons the birds were more liberally 

 treated, the classes being very fair, and three prizes to each 

 class. 



In Dorkings Mr. Burnell took both firsts with very fine birds, 

 the cock, however, having one bad toe ; the second cock was a 

 neat Dark bird in good order. In Cochins the first cock was a 

 fine Partridge, in fine trim for the time of year, with good style 

 and nice colour, though rather high on his legs ; second a good 

 rich even-coloured Buff with good feet and comb. No 14 (Mrs. 

 Tlndal) was a very fine White, but rather yellow from the sun. 

 This bird is one of the late Mrs. Williamson's celebrated stock, 

 which we may mention has passed entirely into the hands of 

 Mrs. Acton Tindal, adding a notable feature to her already fine 

 stud. In hens first was the well-known Partridge, in nice 

 order; second a pretty Buff. 20 (L. Wright) was a neat Par- 

 tridge ; 23 (Mrs. Tindal) a superb White, her comb throwing her 

 for second honours; 23b (Harvey) a fine Buff, a little out of 

 feather. In Brakmas first was a big Dark cock, rather long in 

 leg and white in ear, otherwise good ; second was one of the 

 beat Lights we know, grand in shape, style, tail, feet, and comb, 

 but not a good white, or he would have won ; a lovely-shaped 

 young Light was very highly commended, but he is too small. 

 In hens Mr. Lewis Wright won with a well-marked Dark hen ; 

 second a neat Light ; highly commended Mrs. Peat, a nicely- 

 shaped hen indeed ; highly commended Mrs. Tindal. a superb 

 bird but deep in moult. Game were very poor as a lot. First 

 cock was a Brown Eed of rich colour and in fine trim, but his 

 tail puzzled ns immensely; it was carried in an almost straight 

 line with the back, and appeared to hang as though powerless. 

 Second a fair Black Red. In hens the first was a good Brown 

 Bed; rest poor. 



Hamburghs were a strong lot. In Pencil cocks first was a bird 

 of fair colour, nice tail, and neat comb ; second a fair old cock, 

 but we should almost have gone to 47 (Pickles), good in colour, 

 comb, and ear, though dark in tail ; 53 (Tickner), a fair bird, but 

 too bronzy in tail, and poor in head. In hens the prizes wentto 

 a couple of very good Silvers, the first better in breast ; 56 waa 

 another neat Silver, not so fine in marking ; 60 (HaUam) was a 

 neat Gold. In Spangle cocks first was grand in wing and head, 

 but not quite darkly marked enough ; second a fine old Gold ; 

 highly commended a nicely-marked Silver. In hens first went 

 to a Gold, good in colour, but though well marked too small 

 in spangling ; second was a Silver, which we preferred ; very 

 highly commended was a heavily-marked Silver. In Blacks 

 first was a cock of rare quality, in nice trim ; second a very 

 smart bird indeed, but not so rich in shape. In hens the first 

 excelled in colour, but was too dark in face ; second a fine hen, 

 good in head and ear, but not so rich; 84 (Foster), very rich in 

 colonr, but too pale in face. 



In the Variety class first was a neat Spanish cock, good in 

 face and comb ; second a fine Gold Poland, large in crest, but 

 not so well laced as could be wished ; very highly commended 



