210 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



( September 2, 1875. 



French Asters, are mnch more brilliant. The soil onght to be 

 deeply trenched in the winter and enriched with mannre. 



We baye begun to propagate the bedding plants, taking Zonal 

 PelargonitinQs first. The cuttings are merely planted in boxes 

 and placed out of doots until they are rooted. Centanreas we 

 plant singly in Email pots, or, if the cuttings are small, two are 

 placed in a pot ; they are then plunged in cocoa-nut fibre in a 

 cool frame, and slightly shaded until the cuttings] are rooted. 

 They take longer to do this than most other plants. Verbenas, 

 Heliotropes, Ageratums, &c., are propagated about the end of 

 September, and the shrubby Calceolarias about the third week 

 in October. The ilower beds are apt to assume a straggling un- 

 tidy appearance at this season, but they must be attended to. 

 All weeds and decaying flowers are removed, and the lawn kept 

 closely mown. Auriculas also require careful attention. Many 

 of the plants throw up flower-trusses, but these onght to be re- 

 moved before the flowers open, as allowing them to remain 

 tends to exhaust the plants for spring flowering ; decaying 

 leaves are also removed at once. — J. Douglas. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

 *,' All correspondence should be directed either to "The 

 Editors," or to " The Publisher." 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- 

 jnstitiable trouble and expense. 



IS" We request that no perishable fruits be sent at present, as our authority 

 for nam in g fruits is absent for a time. 



Books (Sahib].— Out "Gardtn Macual'' gives the information. Post free 

 if jou encloee twenty postage stamps with your address. 



EiaiBiTiNG FECirs (J. IT.).— UsuaLly in plates all alike. Grapes on an 

 inclined beard as shown (No. 738, page oS3). in this Journal, (.juantities are 

 specified, or ought to be, in the list of prizes offered. 



Destroyiso H0RSER.1DISU {E. C. 0.).— We think it likely that the Horse- 

 radish coming-up through newly-sown grass may be destroyed as are Plain- 

 tains, Docks, and otherdeep-rootedweeds, by dropping upon the crowns of the 

 plants oil of vitriol. A sinple drop in the heart of such weeds as Dandelion 

 or Plantain is sufficient to cause death, but Docks and Horseradish have 

 not hollow crowns as those have, therefore the crowns should be cut-out with 

 a knife, and the root left have a hollow in it, and into the cavity so formed 

 the vitriol should be dropped. An old blacking-bottle with a wire round it 

 to carry it by answers for the vitriol, and a stick with notches at the end for 

 an inch or two the better to hold the vitiinl, is the only instrument required. 

 Be careful, however, in its use, not trusting it to other than a person in 

 whom you have confidence to put it to its right use. 



StiNTLOWER CcLTUEE (H. JF.).— We presume you wish to cultivate it for 

 its seeds, and for these to perfect the seed should be sown early, the beginning 

 of April being moat desirable, and the crop will be fit to harvest at the close of 

 August or early in September. Drills 30 inches apart should be drawn, and 

 the seeds disposed evenly, or drilled-in about an inch deep. The plants 

 should te kept clean, and thinned to IS inches distance apart. 



TccCA GLORlosi (J. El Akbiir).— This is blooming everywhere this year, 

 and is the consequence of a hot season it hfts recently enjojed. 



Evergreen Shrdb ik Bankers' Rcerle (I>>i/M).— No shrub that we 

 know would thrive in "bankers' rubble," which we presume is some kind of 

 stone ; but if yon have good soil on either side, or upon both, you may plant 

 Ivy, the common or the Irish would grow well, and trained over theiubble 

 would give a fine gieen covering. Cotoneaster microphylla might do well 

 were you to provide some soil •jhere you plant so as to give the plant a start, 

 and the growth spreading over the surface would have an effective appearance. 



Grapes Shanked (T. rplon).—" The berries on some of the bunches 

 rather fhriveiled, smaller than the others, of a muddy-red colour, and in 

 flavour sonr," are shanked, which is occasioned by the roots not supplying 

 sap to meet the transpiration taking place by the leaves. To prevent this 

 there is no better means known than to have an increased extent of foliage, 

 not necessarily great, but by attending well to stopping from the first, keep- 

 np a steady increase of fohage and active root action, and with the roots in 

 an active state, and the stores of tap in the leaves, the greatest freedom from 

 shanking is found. The allowing of the laterals to extend considerably and 

 then removing them all at once by a severe cutting- back diminishes the 

 rooting power, and the stores of sap are inadequate to the demands of an 

 excessive evaporation consequent on a hot and dry day or period succeeding 

 one of doll weather. Slow and steady progress is what is needed to maintain 

 the balance between the head and roots, and where this is provided the 

 Grapes do not shank. 



SlATlJia THE WHEREABOtJTS (An Old Subscriber). — We endeavour to do 

 what you rightly suggest is usefuL Correspondents should always state the 

 place where the plants they cultivate is situated. 



Watercress Culture (W. A. IT.).— Full instructions for making Water- 

 cress beds are given in vol. ssv., new series, page 278. 



Improving the Colour of Roses (/rft-mi.— No manure that we know will 

 cause the plants to have the blooms intensified in colour, but strong soil 

 and cool manures usually afford blooms higher in colour than a light soil and 

 stimulating manures. Exhibited blooms are shaded and kept from rains, 

 which preserves their colour. The climate of Devon is warm, and warmth 

 promotes the vigour of Rose trees. 



Planting Vines lAmateur).—The best time to plant 'Vines in an outside 

 border is, the Vines being kept in a cool house up to planting, when they are 

 commencing growth; or if there is danger of rubbing off the eyes through in- 

 troducing them through the apertures, you may plant them in March when 

 the eyes are commencing swelling, and spreading-out the roots, laying them 

 out evenly over the surface of the bordtr, and covering with soil 4 to 6 inches 

 deep, watering with water at 70'. Other suitable Vines iKsides Black Ham- 

 burghs and Foster's Seedling, are Black Piince, Buckland's Sweetwater, 

 Dnke ot Bncdeuch, Muscat Troveren, Venn's Black Muscat. 



Onions RtjNNiKG to Seed (W,tt Coast of Irelan,l>.—V!e cannot account 

 for their running to seed other than that they have attained to the seeding 

 state from a check occasioned by a prevalence ftr a time after they had began 

 to form bulbs, of dry weather, heinu. stationary for a time, and then from wet 

 weather succeeding they formed thick necks and run to seed. In no other 

 way 1 an we account for it, unless, indeed, the seed was old, the early sawing 

 and season causing them to attain early development. - — 



Peopagatino Chassulas (/i(<m).— This is as good time aa any, the cut- 

 tings to be the tops of the young shoots 2 or 3 inches long, and those wLictl 

 have not flowered, and jisert in very sandy soil, and water very sparingly, 

 placing in a frame or in any house where there is a gentle heat, guarding 

 at'ainst damp, and the cuttings will soon be rooted, when they may be potted- 

 ofT singly. Seeds should be sown in spring in gentle heat. 



Sowing Cycla^ien persicum (Mfmi.— Sow it early in March in a hotbed, 

 and grow-on in moist heat, and the plants will flower earlv in the spring 

 following. What shmb is it you wish to raise from cuttings '? To name all 

 would be to give instructions for those you may not have, nor care (or. 



Small Rose (E. Q. D.l — No culture will increase the size of the flowers. 

 It is a small-flowered variety. You may promote the vigour of the bush and 

 prevent its leaves becoming spotted and brown, by watering the roots 

 liberally, and keeping the surface of the soil over them mulched with half- 

 decayed stable mannre. 



Fleas (?) in Garden (T. O.).— We should have been glad to have seen 

 specimens of the email insects first mistaken for Podurfp, and then considered 

 as small fleas. If the latter, they had probably been bred in sawdust or 

 shavings, or, perhaps, in places where dogs or cats rest.— I. O. W. 



Names of Plants (C. .P. Smiffi).— Wo cannot name plants from their 

 leaves only. 



POFLTBY, BEE, AND PIGEON OHBONIOLE. 



LES BASSES-COURS DE L'ANGLETERRE. 



CHAPTEn 3.— AYLESBURY. 



To the land of ducklings and the country of butter and cream 

 we betook ourselves to see all Mr. Fowler's live stock on the 

 Prebendal Farms. Everyone knows Mr. Fowler. We lookback 

 at volumes of our Journal of very many years ago, and we find 

 the name of J. K. Fowler at the top of many prize lists. In fact 

 we should almost think he was the oldest fancier extant that 

 has gone on, spring after spring hatching and rearing, year after 

 year exhibiting and scattering worthy representatives of his 

 breeds over Great Britain and America. We are glad, too, that 

 when the time comes — which we hope will be far distant — for 

 Mr. Fowler to rest from poultry labours, that he will have in 

 his son a successor as able, as energetic, aa courteous almost as 

 himself. We had truly a pleasant little visit at Willow Bank, 

 and could tell for a long time of that pretty winding garden and 

 the smooth Badminton ground and the flowers, and last but not 

 least of the glorious old oaken furniture in which Mr. Fowler so 

 delights; but we have not the time or the apace. "Les Basses 

 Cours " we must here speak of, and to them, then, let us go. 

 Very near the town are the Prebendal Farms, only a little walk 

 from the station ou the high road towards Oxford. We entered 

 the gates that lead to the farm buildings and poultry runs, and 

 the first thing we saw was Mr. Baldwin's house. Everyone who 

 frequents the poultry shows knows Baldwin ; with his cheery 

 good-humoured face he always looks as if nothing could upset 

 him, and a very excellent Dock and poultry man we should 

 think he is to Mr. Fowler. In front of his cottage was a little 

 enclosed lawn open to all the rays of the spring sun, and round 

 it we saw a long range of rough shedding where the coops are 

 placed containing the early broods of the year. This was th© 

 nursery, and a very admirable one it looked to be ; and being 

 so handy to the house the chickens could have every possible 

 attention. 



Round the farmyard we found covered-in pens littered down 

 with straw, and in them were troops of Ducks, Rouens and 

 Aylesburies, all perfect monsters. We suppose Baldwin picks 

 out the best and takes them to other quarters to prepare for 

 exhibition, though aa far as that goes every bird in those pens 

 seemed worthy of a prize. We then came to a pool and streams 

 of running water. Here we saw flocks of Ducks — Rouens, Ayles- 

 buries, East Indian, and last, not least, those excellent Cayugas. 

 It was really a wonderful sight to see that mass of Ducks, the 

 Black, and the Brown, and the White, all in one string taking 

 to the water. We realised then for the first time the size of 

 the Aylesbury Duck establishments. Mr. Fowler, however, we 

 believe, keeps many other lots out at cottages and farms ; so the 

 pick he has for exhibition purposes must indeed be considerable. 



From the brook we came into a large meadow where are some 

 of the wired-in runs, and they were something like runs. None 

 of those little four-yard-square enclosures, but big and bonny 

 grass places, like miniature paddocks, with moveable houses in 

 them. When we saw these we did not wonder so much that so 

 many prize cards come to Aylesbury. We found them full of 

 inmates, about half a dozen in each, all in the most perfect 

 health and living in the lap of luxury. Most of them contained 

 prize birds, for Mr. Fowler is not one of those who, when ho 

 has a good bird, goes on showing it till it is done up; but 

 he rings the changes all round, and everything comes in for its 

 torn in the exhibition pen. We saw in these fine grass runs 



