February 21, 1865. ] 



JOtTENAL OF HOKTICtJLTXTEE AND COTTAGE aAEDENEE. 



163 



IsK POE Z»c L.tBGLs (A Gardrarr). — Besides that to which yoo refer 

 we have been fold that the following is very sapertor. We hare never tried 

 It, and shall be obliged by any one who has used ir informing ns if it is a 

 good and permanent ink for such labels. Tsvo drachms nitric acid, half an j 

 OMce sulphate of copper, half a pint of water, mix; brighten the zinc with ! 

 one sand paper, and write with a clean quill pen. 



^"'^HARis AMAzosic.i CoLTcEE (J'.iir/eM) .— Tne Eucharis ama7onici— 

 i ^ '^^"'''fli'ra of botanists — is a thioli-leaTed, everireen, bulbous '. 

 Aniaryllid from Granada, which will s'and, like many other Amaryllids. . 

 rather roush trestnent, provided it has an extra start in growth, in ' 

 a somewhat high temperature, in the spring. A common stove would then 

 rait.if the temperature «ere not too hish ; and if a little boHom heat can ! 

 he given at that time all the better. Thus, sav from the middle of .March 

 to the middle of June, a bottom heif of from 75° to 39', and a top heat in ' 

 ?*.?" "k'^j"' ^"'^ *^° •" ''<'''■ -^''='" ">« middle of June raise the pot out i 

 01 ine bed by 3ectep.=. In afew darsremcvethepUnt to a colder and more 

 airy part of the stove, and then, in a few days, remove It to a greenhouse. : 

 Sent" t ^ ''^^^ ''" '""^ ""' ''^*' possible, and water reoaired, until 

 hv fh"" i" ,^'"^° diminish water, to hasten the hardening process, and. 

 oy the end of the month, remove again to a cool stove, where the tempera- 

 ture wcinld r>nge from jO» to 55° ; and, of course, during the winter, at 

 oHnf t^l'v*'"''''' ''"'^ "''""■ "■°°'"' '"' '•f<l"ir*'<'. i>"t enouih to keen the 

 iivo >" '^ ^"^ green. As soon as you think proper to excite tbe plant, 

 ho f ti. "^ ^''"^^ stated, a higher teraperatare, and a moist sweet bottom 

 neat, thongh it will do without it. Fibrv loam and a little peat will suit it. 

 Moraanure nater, or rich top-dressing, may ha used when making fresh 



AiuusGEsiEXTOF Flowees (Jmafeur).— We think vonr proposed arrange- 

 fln,?K„'^J }"?^ 7"'^ nice-Ihat is. PeriUa, Christine Geranium, Aurea 

 Trill K ^''''^''o^ria. and Verbena venosa or Lobelia speciosa ; but von 

 wiu nsve to peg the Verbena to keep it low enoiich. .\s to the ideas of 

 Ton t'i.'""J ? '"* Genninm being preferable to Perilla. we agree with 

 VriZ / lo.lowing would make a beantiful border:— Punch for back- 

 ^TOUM, or two jlants of Punch and one of white Feverfew ; second row, 

 i-nn-stine and Verbena venosa, mixed-the Verhena llie same height as the 

 VorSi'i^ii, '^""'* '■'"■• Calceolar'a; edging. Lobelia sD-rcio-a. Sow the 

 it »nrt ,> T.'J" ^ "'"^ botbed. prick off and pot as soon "as you can handle 

 It, and It wiU be quite high enough for the Gf ranium. 



thMfl^f""^^'^? ^'■^' ■^'"••^■•'^'■'■^ .■l™,7i'eur).-rnlessonthe principle 

 ^IhhJT ^ ' ^''^^-" '"""^ '"^•'' ^""l 'il't r»^' have so planted as to make 

 SrJh ^ '!'-"""; D" plan could be Uiilier tha.i that which von have adopted 

 throurh thl^? '""15 "'■J^'^''. ">=" as now serpentined-, with the walk 

 mrough them would make a race group of beds, regularly balanced, and 

 eolonii. ^ between them, so that you could balance and contrast your 

 Sill %!; , ?''«'■'""' 'o'umes, and in the " Fl.jwer Garden Manual." you 



SX^o.r "''-!, '.° "" "■'-=• "'■ "■= ''""W "e^" ^°<»^ -^h^-e to stop. For 

 ^it von; I . 4''= P^," of pUn 6. with a little mortification, would jast i 



rmodifiLrnf^f T"P' =/.'"""'■ '"'"' ^"'^ '^^™ ='™P*; =»°i so "-""Id 

 certa^Tv ° F'"" ■*• ^' •"" "" '""hinK "f '■'^•- kind 'his season, then. 



aatSd.r P''=f«l,"'e one circle in the middle to these unmeaning ', 

 tanSon i>h^^ T^ ''°'"' r™ ^^'''" " '"Se oval to the circle, as morj ' 

 innmsonwith the shape of the ground; and then von might ulant it in ' 

 I make a figure by the planting, in Mr. Robson's style. We do 



the i's, and the crossing of the t's. Besides, at certain 

 passages I could imagine the writer's countenance, I lad 

 done so for months, and then to be told he was not the 

 man, it was too bad. 



Then, who is he, and what is he like ? It tormented me. 

 As the snow was falling fast, and I could not get out, I 

 leaned back in my chair to see if a waking dream could not 

 give me an idea. I am not sure I did not lose a few minutes, 

 but I gained the following portraiture; — Eather tall than 

 short; high broad forehead; hair scantier in front than 

 behind ; grey eye, full of fun ; and a face beaming with 

 kindness and intelligence. E.ather more like the sleek 

 Cassius than the lean Brutus. He must wear a wide-awake 

 about the yard, farm, and jjoultry-houses. 



I endorse aU he says about breeds, and admire them all 

 in their places. I admire the Malays as fancy birds, and on 

 the table, but they would never be popular in a market, and 

 they are not profitable. It must be in that sense Mr. Baily 

 means they gave way to the spirit of utility. For years 

 they were almost the only producers of cream-coloured eggs, 

 and they were highly thought of; but now we have so many 

 breeds that do the same, they are not so much sought 

 after. The long-, hard leg and thigh of this breed, and the 

 comparatively small breast are not attractive in a market. 

 They look more muscular than succulent, but eaten very 

 young they are remarkably good-flavoured, more so than 

 many Pheasants. 



I believe all breeds to be popular must be remunerative; 

 they must pay either in eggs or for the table, and to take a 

 high standing they must do both. Polands are beautiful. 

 They are good layers ; but they are delicate chickens, and 

 not table fowls. I believe next to the Dorking, the Brahma 

 is the best in all senses. I will leave it for others to fight 

 their battles as to purity, colour, or race. I speak well of 

 the bridge that carries me over. They have supplied me 

 with eggs all through the winter, and they and their chickens 

 have defied frost and snow. — B. 



band?. 



Ifvn^f^rZ °' t^'iS"'"? as to combining or contrasting'the colours, 



aiid thin ?nn -"'™^- '''",'''' '^^ """''* =«'"«=■ "« ^"1 Sive yon one r„le, 

 i^elft^-'on T"""" "'^'''"'"- ■r'"' "'■°'"' ^"""W ba so complete it! 

 balancaoVrh -„"?°%°'°''''"""'" •> ' changed without destroying the 

 «itt Mothe?. ^°'"' ^""^^ ''"'' "'" °°^ ^"^ "'^ '=^^' connection 



S«bm'a ;^ 7/\-'-^''o"T» f'l'P'itia. a hardy shrub from Northern 

 a^S?^. «■ J^- ■'^'—2. Cytisuscanwiensis: 3. C rhodonhena ; 4, Acacia 

 ThTr^.; c,'n ^"k"'"^ ^"f ' '• Pabi'-'iai-nbricata : 11, Cvclamen persicnm. 

 Itte rest cannot be n imed correctly without tjieir flowers. 

 copogon anstralis. 



(/. »'.).-Leu- 



POULTEY CLUB. 



Having seen in your JTumber for February 7th a letter 

 from " A TraiD Exhibitor," I observe he infers Sir. Douglas 

 to be a dealer in poultry because he has sold £'300-worth to 

 one person, thereby imputing to the Poultry Club a breach 

 of one of its leading principles. All I have to say is, that if 

 he will take the trouble to make a list of our leading exhi- 

 bitors, amongst whom I would call his attention to Lady 

 Holmesdale, Mrs. Fergusson Blair, Lord Binning, Sir St. 

 George Gore, Captain Hornby, Captain Heaton, Mr. C. 

 Felton, &c., whose great successes in breeding and exhibit- 

 ing have caused their surplus stock to be closely looked 

 after ; if he can term these parties dealers in poultry (a fact 

 I have still to learn), I will grant he has something to write 

 about. As to the Judges appointed by the Poultry Club, to 

 which he imputes such unworthy motives, their motto might 

 very properly be " an open field and no favouritism." As 

 he shelters himself under a nom de plume, I think his letter 

 requires no more comment from — E. W. Botle, Eosemount, 

 Dundrum. 



POTTLTRY. BSE, and g PTTSEHOLD CHUOE-ICLE. 



THE WILTSHIRE EECTOE. 



Good ""Wiltshiee Eectoe," a kindly soul, Uvino- well 

 and cheerfully among his chUdren and his pets and his 

 pursuits ! A little time ago, I breakfasted with him (in 

 imagination), and I pictui-ed him to myself seated at a 

 cneerftd table, with "wife and bairns," reveUing in the 

 luxury of new-laid eggs, and " the Journal ;" sittino- amono- 

 "^°?y\?s LongfeUow says, and finding lessons In e<^<^ 

 and ail things. I know some oldish bovs who profit byTus 

 teaching and look for it. WeU, he went to see "T. B. A. Z " 

 and before he went he asked himself what he was like. I 

 fflQdeavourmg to look Uke Lord Burleigh, and profoundly 

 stating my head, ask myself. What is " Wiltshiee Eectoe " 

 nte^ '■ The Journal " is well known among my circle, and 

 cw T?°^ °' ™^ famUy if he has ever imagined what the 

 ■' W. E." is like ? He says he met a man in the Strand 

 exactly like him, but as he has never seen him, and cannot 

 describe him, it does not help me at all. 



I am led to this, because I said the other day to a clerical 

 gentleman I met, " I often read your contribtitions to The 

 JotTSXAi, OF Hoeticttlttee." " Mine ! " said the good friend, 

 " I never wrote a line for it in my life." I had long made 



up my mind, that I recognised his style throughout ; had I Sovi; a chicken cannot be fed six months for 9d.; it should 

 =€en the manuscnpt, I should have traced the dottings of I be Is. 6d., which would reduce the profit to U. 



pofltey-e:eeplx& feom a cohmeecial 



POmT OF VIEW. 



Me. Getelin's article in your Journal of the 7th is calcu- 

 lated to seriously mislead any person who accepts the 

 figures contained therein as facts. 



With your permission I will point out a few items that I 

 believe to be wrong. 



First, Jlr. G. gives an estimate of ihe revenue and expenses 

 of one chicken six months old, as follows : — 



RETENttE. 5. 



Selling price 2 



Feathers 



Manure 



2 10 



EXPENSES. S. 



Interest, rent, fuel, &c 



Cost of chickens when 



hatched 



Food 



Labour 



Profit 1 



2 10 



