Deosmber 23, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBXICUIiTURE AND OOTTAGE GARDENER. 



5^6 



of our correspondents, as doing bo subjects them to tin- 

 justifiable trouble and expense. 

 Correspondents should not mix up on the Rame sheet questions 

 relating to Gdrdening and those on I'oultry and Bee eub- 

 JQcts, and should never send more than two or three 

 tiuestions at once. All articles intended for ineertiou 

 should ba written on ouo side of the paper only. We 

 cftuuot reply to questions through the post. 



Gbapes in Conservatorv {Learner . — The Grapes on that portion of the 

 Vine trained inside will be earlier and butter than those from the part out- 

 side. 



Pines in Winter (IK. B.).— We think your plants need rest. Beduce the 

 bottom heat 10 ^ and top heat 5". Do not sjiinpe. Ketp tbcm in tbie state 

 fur a mouth, giviog thtm one good watering. Then iucreiitio your present 

 tempDfatare, top aud bottom, 10- respectively, wateriuf,', sjriDgicg, and pre- 

 serviug a humiLi atmosphere. These changes should be made promptly and 

 not by gradation. Uur " Pine Apple Manual," post free for thirty-two post- 

 oilice stamps, will aid you. 



Spent Hops as Manure (G. H. A.). — You may accept as a truth that all 

 vegetable feubatauces, Tihethtr decayed or fresh, afford uouiitbmeut to V'laut 

 Eooccr or lattr if dug into the soil. Hops aro especially applicable to stioug 

 Boils, whether used alone or in combioation wiib stable mauure. We ehould 

 be obligf d by details of how you used them for hothtd-maklug. 



Planting Vines (A Constant Fitadti].—V*'o do tot advise jou to plant 

 more tbau oit^ht Vines in your house 24 feet long. We advite you to prune 

 on the fihoit-spur (^yetom. P ant Eucklaud Sv^cetwater and Foster's White 

 Seedling with ibeBiaci Hamburgh. 



Muscat Grapes not Ripening (A Suhscrihej-). — We do notthiuk a dress' 

 ing of B'ablo mauui-a would prevent the Grapes ripening, unless it was laid 

 on 80 thick that it proventud the heat of the sun from acting upon the 

 border in summLr, when it would be injurious. This has not been a veiy 

 good season for late Grapes ripeuiug. We object to placing manure on the 

 borders thickly in summer. A dressim-jthat would allow ths sunto warm the 

 Siirfaco of the border thiough it would do good. 



Assessed Vxneeies (A. P. N.}.—Vt'e know of no mode of avoiding assess- 

 ment. 



Wintering Ferns [Triceps). ~1he fronds of No. 1 die down. Keep the 

 plant in the greenhouse, watering it about once a- week to prevent the toil 

 becoming qu'.te dry. Tho others place at the warmest end of jour green- 

 house, Pud keep the sod healthily moist — that i3, it must not be allowed to 

 bicomc dry, neither must it be soddened with water. All of them may, it 

 needed, be repotted in the spring wlien new fronds commence growing. 

 Give them tepid water. 



Grapes not Colouring (J. .B.).— Many Grapes besides Mrs. Pince's 

 Muscat have coloured badly this year, but of the sort named we have scarcely 

 seen a really well-culcurcd bunch. Let the Vine carry more foliage and leds 

 fruit. Overcropping is a great cause of deficieot colouring. 



Shrivelled Applfs {X. A'.).— The cause of tbo Wyken Pippin Apples 

 being shrivelled aud flavourless may bo attributed to their having been 

 gather.;d too soon. It is a valuable lato dessert kind, but requires to hang 

 on the tree later than many other sorts. 



Celery Becayed (B. B.).— Your Celery has received a check by drought 

 in its early stages (possibly it was sown tco early). It baa formed &eed stems 

 and is worthless, lu the future (next yt ar) keep the routs moist, aud do not 

 apply the earth so early, and you will not have a eimilor failure. 



Large Apple at Ghent (Delia).— It was fully noticed in our report of 

 the EshibicioD. 



New Apple (Constant Reader].— 'Exiiihit it to the Fruit Committee of the 

 Eoyal Horticultmal Society. If they report favourably sell the stock to a 

 nurseryman. 



Beov\-n Sc-*le on Camellias (J. P., Rectent's Park). — Wash the leaves on 

 both surfacey, also the stems and shoots, with a solution of soft soap, 4 ozs. 

 to the gallon of rain water, employing a sponge, dislocating the scale with a 

 pointed stick. This &Lould be done in September and again iu spring after 

 fiowtriog, but not washing tho young shoots, as tho soap solution would 

 injure the tender giowths. 



Top-dressing top. Vine Border (J. I. Q.). — Bone dui>t and cow dung are 

 good as a top-dressing, applying the bone dust alone to the suiface, and 

 pointing-in with a fork, but uot so deeply as to disturb the roots, and apply 

 the cow duDgto the surface 2 or 3 inches thick, adding over the dung to take 

 away its unbightly appearance a sprinkling of turfy loam. 



Pruning Pyrabitd Fruit Trees (F. M. S.).— The trees having bo much 

 wood will not be overfurnishtd with spurs. Retain all tho bhort stubby 

 BhootP, especially of the Plums, and all the spurs of the Apple and Pear 

 trees, cntting all other shoots upon the branches to one or two eyes of their 

 base, or about half to three-quarters of an inch of the last year's wood, 

 leaving the main branches afoot apart, and if thicker thin them out, shorten- 

 ing the main leader to 9 inches, and the leailers of the branches to 6 inches. 

 It is better to have the trees rather thin than crowded with branches. Pay 

 next season strict attention to summer pruning. 



Cutting Hedge of Berberis and Cotoneastef, (I'i':m).— In March or 

 early in April cut the Cotoneaster down to thelevelof theBerbe^riw, trimming- 

 in the sides of the latter bo as to form a hedge of equal width. Trim- in any 

 irregularities of height or width in July or early in August. 



Cultivating Blackberries (Jrfcm).— The Lawton and the Dorchester 

 are the beft varieties, and are suitable for training to wires against oak 

 palings. Plant G feet apait, and train tbo f-hoots to the wires equally dis- 

 posed 9 inches to a foot apart, remembering that tho shoots of tho current 

 year bear in the following, and are, after fruiting, to be cut away and replaced 

 by young shoots for future beaiing. The price per plant is Is. Gd. to 2s. Gd., 

 or less if a dozen or more are ordered. Not being iu much demand (rather 

 remarkable, as Blackberries make excellent tarts and jam, succpeding other 

 bush fruit), only the principal London and provincial nurserymen kept them 

 in stock, but any of those would procure plants for yon. We cannot under 

 any circumstances give preference to one dealer over another. 



Orchard House against East Wall (A Yotino Qarden€r).—I( your 

 house is not to be heated wo do not think you would havo any success with 

 Peaches, Nectarines, or Apricot?, though it would answer for Plums, Cherries, 



and Pears, and if heated would answer for tho throo first-named fruit trees 

 An cast aspect is not a good one, and to have it on the west side of the waU 

 aa it may be (for you do not say which Hide of the wall you propose to havo it), 

 is not much better. With a low wall, t^ay 8 or feet, wo bhould have a balf- 

 span roof, with the haif-span on the wall tide, the bouse being 21 feet iu 

 width, so that you would have 7 feat of tho width covored by the back half- 

 spau, aud 14 feet by the full-span. This would ba very nearly equal to a span 

 loof, aud would enable y<.iu to have a giiod prospect of success. Thehouso 

 in the centre, or rather at the ridge, wouiti, with a 9-feet wail, require to be 

 12 feet high, and with this pitch you would havo on the open side 6 feet of 

 side height, half of which should be glass, and to open the full length of the 

 house, having at top lights the full length of the house, and 2 feet wide to 

 open. 



Constructing Greenhouse (A Seven-years Subscriber). — You show iu 

 the elevation a window above that of the greenhouse roof, which is unfor- 

 tunate, as the height at the back shown in the section is only 8 feet; tho 

 height of the front, ns also represented in the section, is 5 feet 6 inches, 

 giving in 10 feet 10 inches width an incline of but 2 feet G inches, which is 

 much too flat. The fall should not be kss than 1 foot in ^ of width, which 

 would make the height of tbo back wall, or the greenhouse at that part, 

 9 feet, and we should have it IU feet, calculating externally. One-haif of 

 tho front lights should bo made to open, aud a width of lights along tbo top 

 Ihewhole length, with ISinches ciciirepaco for ventilation. In other respects 

 the arrangements appear good. In tho matter of heating jou will need a 

 stove boiltr. The pipe cbimoey you propose will bo much too large, but tho 

 orifice of thut of the boiler will determine the diameter of the smoke pipe. 

 You will require a S-incb flow and return pipe along the two sides aud oue 

 end, which will be suliicient to give you safety from frost. An open hot- 

 water cistern would not answer at tho point marked on the p'an, but there is 

 no objection to it if it have a proper fitting iron lid. 



Destoying American Blight (S. S.), — Dre!^s the trees with paraffin oil, 

 applyitg wiih a brush. It never fails. "S. 3." asks if tho Kev. W. F. Kad- 

 clyffo will give the proportions of tbo lime and salt and water he advi-es in 

 tho Journal for 22nd of July last. 



Driving Worms from Pots (Idem). — There is nothing we know so Fafo 

 or so effectual as lime water, which there is no difliculty in procuring, as lime 

 had in an unslacked state will keep in a dry place for a considerable time, wo 

 having some now as good as when first had, over two years ago. 



Names op Fruits (H. Mobbs).—l, Ducheaso d'Angoulemc; 2, Winter 

 Nehs; 3, Margll. {J. IFi;«(wt)— Blenheim Pippin. [R. W., Burleigh).— 

 Verulam. (E. M. Stone}.— Ii2 to 144, Beurru Deicuineau ; 121, 12-.J, 123, 

 CatJllac: 97. J( stpibino do Malines; 177, Pasee Colmar; 184, Vicar of Wink- 

 field ; 275, Beurri.' Ditl. (Dr. Mack€iizie-).—lJnQ]xesm d'AngouIeme. 



Names of Plants (Jo/u^ Bioi('ri).—Heterocentrou rosoum; 3. Cheilauthes 

 hirta; 5. Nephioduim sp. ; 6, Nephrudium molle ; 7, Asplenium Ceterach; 

 10, Gymnogramma L'Herminieri; No number, Pteris arguta. (W. W. A.). — 

 2, Tradescantia discolor ; 3, Habrothamuus fasciculiitus; 4, Selaginella Mar- 

 teusii; 5, Helagiuella Kraussiaua; G, Adiantum cuneatum. (J. F. C.).— 

 1, Asplenium lineatum var. ; 2, Nephrodium decompositum, var, glabellum. 



POULTEY, BEE, AND PiaEOlT OHEONIOLE. 



ALL IN, OR ALL OUT, BEFORE JUDGING. 



We have been asked on many occasions to write a few lines 

 on this subject ; we have, however, refrained from doing so in 

 consequence of the contlictiug opinions which seem to exist 

 about it. The practice, doubtless, is carried on much mora in 

 the northern than iu other counties. We allude, of course, to 

 the permiesiou which some societies grant to exhibitors or their 

 representatives of penning their own birds. We have for Eome 

 time been thinking that the custom is iu danger of being much 

 abused, aud the events of the last two or three weeks make us 

 feel more certain of the fact. "We know it wants desperate pluck 

 to forbid an exhibitor who has brought his birds two or three 

 hundred miles from entering the portals of the show room, 

 where he wants to see his birds properly penned ; but we are 

 convinced that those societies which bravely determine not to 

 budge from their rules iu the eud gain the most confidence 

 from exhibitors. Nearly every schedule has tbo words "No one 

 will be admitted except those actually engaged in the arrange- 

 ments;" then, alter the people have been admitted contrary to 

 this rule, if someone should chonoa to ask why the rule had 

 been broken, the reply would ofleu be given that the persons 

 so admitted, being engaged in penuiug their birds, were engaged 

 iu the arrangements. This, however, all must agree, is a loose 

 way of looking at rules, and sounds rather like quibbling. Eat 

 so it is ; and we believe that some societies, relying on the help 

 of these men coming with their birds, do uot consequently 

 engage a full complement of servants. Anyhow we know of an 

 exhibition where there was literally not one man engaged to 

 help to pen the birds, for the secretary was working single- 

 handed and without a committee, and we verily believe that 

 had not we ourselves, who bad come 150 miles to attend the 

 show, with the valuable aid of a true fancier living in the neigh- 

 bourhood, not given a helping hand the baskets could never 

 have been opened before the Judges came round. Now if a show 

 cannot afford a sufficient staff of working men the exhibition 

 should not be held at all, for help from outsiders should never 

 be relied upon or countenanced. 



We do not wish to imply that the people who gain entrance 

 would do any harm to the birds — very far from it, for we believe 

 that the number of people who would do such a thing must ba 

 and is very small. Still the fystem is wrong in giving to non- 



