480 
THE GARDENERS’ CHRONICLE. 
[Jury 18, 
Tit may be otherwise, but it is certain that this deserip- 
tion of Fir never looked generally so bad, and I think 
it probable that the fact may be usefully considered 
when plantations are being formed, for it proves that 
they require either a moister soil for their shallow 
roots, or an aspect less exposed to the sun.—J. Bailey 
Denton, Gravely, Herts. 
Green-fly.—The following is an easy way of getting 
rid of the aphis or green-fly, and also of rearing and 
fattening young ducks :—Early in the spring I found, 
like my neighbours, all my Roses covered with the 
green-fly to a degree that left the buds a withered 
mass, without chance of expanding ; all efforts to get 
rid of them seemed fruitless. Having at that time in 
my poultry yard adjoining my garden two hens, one 
with a brood of chicks the other of ducks, I determined 
one evening to let the broods into my lawn and garden 
during the night. The chicks took the fly off the lower 
leaves by thousands from daylight in the morning, and 
the dicks seemed to scoop them up by shoals'all the 
night long. A week had not elapsed before the fly 
Tegan to disappear. By following up this plan during 
®the night only," I was soon rid of the pests. The 
chickens were soon turned off, but the ducks continued 
until I had another team ready, *and so on;" up to 
this time there has been hardly a green-fly to be seen, 
We fed our duels with scraps of bread and meal with 
milk, a few crushed Oats or Barley, with plenty of 
fresh water, but not enough to swim in: in this wa, 
they get fat soon—are very tender and mild for the 
table.— B. W. [We do not clearly see how the green- 
fly came within the reach of the ducklings. That 
requires explanation. ] 
New Plan of Heating.—As you have so vigorously 
espoused the improved system of heating, known as 
the Polmaise, you will probably be pleased to learn that 
a system founded upon the same natural laws has been 
steadily gaining ground in the west of England by the 
sole recommendation of the good effects which have 
followed its introduction. My plan harmonises with 
the Polmaise, and differs from the old school in two 
important points, viz., the continuous admission of fresh 
air previously warmed, and provision for a moist at- 
mosphere. Enough has been said to show the necessity 
of the first condition, and the second is obviously ad- 
yantageous and indicated to us by nature. Yet it is 
strange that intelligent men, aware of the benefit de- 
rived from airing houses, should have so long shut their 
eyes to a mode of ventilation which goes quietly on 
when window ventilation cannot be resorted to. 
There appears, then, to be a decided superiority 
in hot-air stoves in two particulars : — econom. 
of fuel and better ventilation, but generally the purity 
of the air has been sacrificed by contact with over- 
heated surfaces, and in this respect the hot-water sys- 
tems are preferable ; but I hope to show that these 
three desiderata (economy, ventilation, and purity) are 
not incompatible, and [that, by my arrangement, they 
have been combined. I use a fire-box connected, by a 
series of rows of iron tubes, with the smoke-flue ; and 
by burning under slow combustion, I am enabled to 
raise a large radiating surface to a temperature not 
exceeding 300°, which is effected at a small cost of fuel, 
dependent upon the slowness of combustion. These 
tubes are inclosed in an air-chamber, and a copious cur- 
rent of external air is made to pass over and between 
them, and then poured in a continuous stream into the 
house. The vapour appendage is connected with the 
ordinary water cistern, and at the discretion of the gar- 
dener is regulated to drop more or less water upon the 
heated tubes, which is either dissolved by the warm 
air, uniting with it to form a humid atmosphere, or, if 
amore decided moisture is desired, the quantity of 
water falling upon the tubes is increased until a cloud 
of vapour enters the house, depositing a dewy moisture 
upon all within. This contrivance gives more compass 
to the gardener’s management than any other with which 
Tam acquainted, and enables him to regulate the cli- 
mate as well as the temperature of his house. On some 
other day I will give some account of the practical 
results of this treatment.— Robert Hazard, Bristol. 
The Nuthatch.—Your pondent, Mr. Gibson, has, 
So far from answering the objections taken against his 
Opinion as to the power of the nuthatch to break the 
shells of nuts, only fallen deeper into error by his 
attempted refutation, Whatever opinion Sir William 
Hooker may have expressed asto the poisonous charae- 
ter of the Yew berry there can be. no doubt, as I know 
from personal experience, they may be eaten with perfect 
ew leaves are poisonous, but not the 
t: fleshy red cups.] Ihave a Jarge Yew tree in my 
garden which in the autumn is filled from morning to 
night with blackbirds and thrushes (particularly the mus- 
sel thrus h), feeding upon the’berries, and Ihave frequently 
eaten them myself without any ill effects. Then with 
Mr. G.* 
G.'s scepticism of the power. of the nut- 
a nut, I think Mr. Doubleday’s evidence 
he best practical naturalists of the day) 
te conclusive have frequently seen 
much smaller bird, with an infi- 
delicate beak than the nuthatch, break the 
fthe Yew berry and the Haw. He carries the 
2 to a convenient branch, where he fixes it with 
s, and then makes repeated aud quick strokes 
» his beak, exactly as “ Sutor” has deseribed, 
hammer of a blacksmith, But the force (and 
fr. G. has made a great mistake) is quite different 
fiom that of the blacksmith ; in the latter case we have 
imple foree exercised, in the former case we have the 
(who is one of 
ought to be qt 
the toi E 
eof the wedge brought into action ; the bird 
makes, by repeated strokes, a small hole in the stone|a hole in the floor, and escaped, mu had, however, 
with the fine sharp point of its beak, which then acts as 
a wedge, and the resistance is easily overcome. Mr. G. 
expresses a strong objection in his first letter to “book 
authorities.” He will not, I am sure, for all naturalists 
are good-natured, regret. the personal testimony of 
credible witnesses, brought forward to set him right 
upon a point upon which he must admit himself 
to have been mistaken.—C. R. Bree, Stowmarket. 
The bird being very common in this neighbourhood, I 
have had ample opportunities of studying its habits. 
Mr. Gibson wishes to know what constitutes its 
food during the spring and summer months, I may 
reply, various species of insects ; and it probably par- 
tially subsists upon this kind of food throughout the 
year, but seems decidedly to prefer the kernels of nuts, 
&c., when they are to be obtained. We have a planta- 
tion of nuts and filberts adjoining our garden. Last 
autumn five or six nuthatches were almost constantly 
fetehing the nuts away, and carrying them to a large 
Elm in a field, where they fixed them in a erevice o 
the bark, and readily broke the shell by repeated blows 
of the beak. Had Mr. Gibson been here, he might 
soon have been convinced that nuthatches can carry nuts 
between their mandibles, and also easily pick a hole in 
the shell to enable them to get at the kernel. I can 
also assure him that they are very fond of the kernel of 
the seed of the Yew, having seen them busily employed 
in fetching the seeds from a large Yew-tree here. The 
fruit of this tree is greedily devoured by thrushes and 
blackbirds, and the former will eat the fruit of Atropa 
belladonna with impunity.— Henry Doubleday, Epping. 
It is somewhat singular that so many of our best 
naturalists should have been deceived. As to the nut- 
hatch making nuts a part of its food, and its capability 
of breaking the shell, I have now before me Monta- 
gue’s Ornothological Dictionary, an authority of no 
small weight, In speaking of the form of the bill he 
calls attention to its peculiar shape, so admirably 
adapted for boring holes, being wedge-shaped and 
abrupt in its termination. Montague then adds, 
“the stiff tail of those birds (speaking of the wood- 
pecker) supports them in the act of climbing and 
hacking, while the flexible tail of the nuthatch gives 
it no such advantage, nor does it seem to want it, 
for its most favourite position when breaking a nut 
is with its head downwards. When it has fixed the nut 
firm ina chink, it turns on all sides, in order to strike 
with most advantage. This, with the common Hazel- 
nut, is a work of some labour, but it breaks a filbert 
with ease. In defect of such food, insects and larvee 
are sought for amongst the Moss on trees and old 
thatched buildings.” The whole of this I can corrobo- 
rate from minute personal observation. Immediately 
opposite my study window is an Acacia-tree, which, 
from the roughness of the bark, is the favourite spot 
for the nuthatch (which abounds here) to crack his 
nuts. I cannot say that I have positively seen him 
bring the nuts, but I have watched the fixing, and 
there he stands above the nut on a projecting piece of 
bark, with the nut below him ; he then strikes with the 
whole force of the body, the feet acting as a pivot, and 
by repeated blows on the same part of the nut 
with his particularly hard, wedge-shape beak, at length 
splits it. With due respect for the observations 
of your correspondent, Mr. Gibson, I cannot 
see the force of his reasoning when he says it re- 
quires pressure equal to an average of 50 lbs, to break 
a nut. Why,its very shape opposes a powerful re- 
sistanee to pressure, whieh it does not to a sharp and 
quickly-repeated blow. Let him try what weight an 
egg will sustain, and by parity of reasoning it will re- 
quire considerable force to crush it by pressure ; yet a 
gentle tap procures an easy admission. ‘The nuthatch 
in confinement never ceases from hammering at ever, 
part of the cage till the wood-work is actually indented, 
and often splintered; surely the bill which can effect 
this is capable of perforating a nut. We are, in fact, 
strangers to the mechanical force capable of being ex- 
erted by animals, and we are therefore often led to 
doubt the possibility of small animals producing such 
great effects. If Mr. Gibson has access to the “ Maga- 
zine of Natural History,” at p. 330 he will find a repre- 
sentation of the bill of the nuthatch, and of its peculiar 
fitness for breaking hard substances; and at page 329 
an interesting communication from Swainson.— W. H. 
Hill, Rectory, Pembridge. 
A hint on the propensities of the Hedgehog.—Walk- 
ing in the garden this evening, I heard cries of distress 
in the long Grass, proceeding as I thought from a rab- 
bit in the fangs of a weasel. I walked quietly up to the 
scene of trouble, and to my great surprise, I discovered 
a leveret struggling to release itself from the jaws of a 
hedgehog, which I instantly removed a few yards by a 
sharp kick, and picked up the leveret, which was unable 
to run from the injuries it had received. It is gene- 
rally admitted, I believe, that the hedgehog is one of 
the most inoffensive creatures in existence, and some 
writers on its habits affirm, that he eats his roots, 
beetles, &e., and never troubles his head about anything 
more; the fact I have just stated, I 
place him in the position of a gray 
To be sure, the cha 
> 
I 
ting on five small chickens ; the hedgehog had scratehed 
inan out-house where there happened to be a hen sit- | the first prize was awarded to Mr. Marr i 
town, Brighton, for exceedingly fine, well-colo 
made free with the chickens ; for in the morning there 
was nothing to be seen of them except a portion of their 
intestines—feathers, bones, and all being eaten. e 
hedgehog was afterwards found lying quietly, rolled up, 
in a corner; no doubt enjoying a nap after its chicken 
breakfast. I may add, the hen was untouched.— Wort 
Briton, 
Societies. 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 7 
July ll.—'The ast Exmrnrrrow for the season, im 
the Society's garden at Chiswiek, took place on Satur- 
day last, and brought to'a close the mosf brilliant 
season on record, as regards not only the splendour of 
the exhibition, but likewise the attendance of visitors 5 
for these, it is gratifying to observe, were more numerous 
than in any former season, On this occasion the beau- 
tiful grounds at Chiswick-house were, through the libe- 
rality of the noble President of the Society, the Duke of 
Devonshire, thrown open to the visitors, among whom 
was his Highness Ibrahim Pacha, and many others of 
high rank. The marching and countermarching of five 
military bands, accompanied by the crowd of gaily 
dressed spectators, produced, in addition to the attrac- 
tions of the exhibition, an effect truly charming, and 
the more so in q of the lingly favour- 
able weather—light clouds rendering the sunbeams not 
oppressive. 
The exhibition itself was an excellent one for July, 
more especially when we consider the very unfavour- 
able weather we have had. The Heaths, of which we 
had lately to complain, were here brought, as a whole, 
in first-rate condition ; the Orchids were a decided im- 
provement on the June show, both as regards quantity 
and quality; and there was a large and magnificent 
exhibition of Fruit, which in July generally forms à 
prominent feature of attraction ; we shall therefore com- 
mence our report with it, The display on this occasion 
was not only extensive, but contained many productions 
of very superior merit, The Pine.apples, of which there 
were 60 in all were generally large and handsomely 
rown. Some of the 32 Melons produced also wer? 
large and fine; the Grapes, too, were admirable on the 
whole, although there were some exceptions as regards 
colouring; we allude more particularly to the fine 
bunches of Black Hamburgh from the garden of the 
Duke of Marlborough, at Blenheim, which were fine 
specimens of growth, but not being well coloured were 
on that account disqualified. To proceed to a more 
detailed account, we shall first advert to the collections 
of Miscellaneous Fruit, of which there were three. 
That to which the first prize was awarded was produced 
by Mr. Spencer, gr. to the Marquis of Lansdowne, at 
Bowood. It contained fine Black Hamburgh Grapes, 
whose bloom was, however, somewhat rubbed off by 
travelling; good Violet Hátive and Newington Necta- 
rines, together with Royal George Peaches, finely 
swelled ; Circassian and Bigarreau Cherries, Elton and 
British Queen Strawberries, Hybrid Green-fleshed, 
Terry’s prize, and Beechwood Melons, and two Provi- 
dence Pine-apples, the heaviest weighing 7 lbs. 6 oz. 5 
also two Queens, and a well-grown Black Jamaica, 
the latter weighing 4 lbs. 1 oz. The next collection 
in point of merit was shown by Mr. Fleming, gt 
to the Duke of Sutherland at Trentham. It com- 
prised three Queen Pines, two Melons—one a hybrid, 
the other the Sweet Ispahan; good Elton Strawberries, 
and Antwerp Raspberries; also fine Royal George 
Peaches, and Murray and Scarlet Newington Necta- 
rines, together with Cannon-hall Museat Grapes, and 
fine bunches of Muscat of Alexandria, Chasselas 
Musqué and Black Hamburgh. The third collection 
was communicated by Mr. Dods, gr. to Sir George 
Warrender, Bart. It contained good Muscat and Black 
Hamburgh Grapes, two H inee Melons, fine-looking’ 
Violet Hátive N i and four hand ly-grown 
Pine-apples. Of Grapes some fine fruit was present; 
more especially famous bunches of Black Hamburg? 
from Mr. Hunt, gr. to Miss Traill, of Bromley; am 
admirable Cannon-hall Museats from Mr. Hamp, 8" 
to J. Thorne, Esq., South Lambeth. Excellent bunches 
of Muscat of Alexandria were communicated by Mr. 
Frost, gr. to Lady Grenville, Dropmore ; and fine 
bunches of the same variety, together with Black Ham- 
burgh, were shown by Mr. Davey, gr. to G. Smith, Esd- 
Mr. Tillery, gr. to the Duke of Portland, at Welbeck, 
sent very good bunches of Black Frontignan, and Mus- 
cat of Alexandria ; and good bunches of Black Ham- 
burgh were produced by Mr. Dodemeade, gr. to " 
Leaf, Esq., of Streatham. From Mr. Umpleby» d 
Leeds, were well coloured Black Hamburgh ; and goo 
bunches of the same variety, together with Sweetwater, 
came from Mr. Bray, gr. to E. Lousada, Esq., Si mouti. 
Mr. Boyce, gr. to Sir L. Shadwell, Bart., Barn Dur) 
Surrey, sent Black Hamburgh ; and Mr. Elliott, gt 1 
J. B. Boothby, Esq., Museats, Black Hamburgh. bes 
twater; Mr. Elphinst gr. Heckfield “Houn 
Hants, Black Hamburgh, hardly sufficiently us : 
and bunches of the same variety were also sent by M xa 
Blackburn, gr. to C. T. Whittingstall, Esq. it ux 
stated concerning these that they had been. raised dra 
eyes planted in pots on the 13th February, 1845, SER 
placed in a pit in May of the same year ; that ea 
ine was now produeing five bunches of fruit, from 
2 
n 
| bunch weighing on an average 2 lbs. Finally, 
Esq., were fair punches 
ar Gardeners’ Class, 
Kem?- 
red 
