350 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AKD OOTTAaE GARDENER. 



[ M»y 2, 1865. 



GiLOu.vu Tempbrati'ek (J'rHiV-ffi^fr).— The ohscrvatlona of the ground 

 thermometers ut 1 tiiid 2 feet dtep «re rcaO between 8 and 9 A.yt. of the same 

 day as that for which the temv>entture is recorded. The variation of the 

 temperature of the earth at tbeitt* depths is eo bliiibt as to rendei' mrixiiua 

 and uiiDimaohservKLluus of ground temperature oa ejch separate duy ol 

 bnt little practical ioiportanco, 



ViKKs IN Pots kot FnriTtNG (A. F. A"".).— Prnvidinjf they are in 12 or 

 Id-inch pots they will not require unythinc that way il fresh potced in 

 autumn or prior to starting. It, as yet, in pots of lees*si?o, fhiit ihem into 

 their fruiUng-pots hy June, affording cood iiralnrftie, and usinn a compost 

 of rich turfy linim chopped, but not >lfted. Difbud to one t^tronfr shoot as 

 rear the bast* as possible, and cut the upper part away. Train the shoot 

 left at from I foot to 16 inches fruiu the glai>8, and do not rub otf the laterals 

 bat Plop them ut the tirst lenf, and stop them again at every fresh leaf. 

 "When the cane has crown to the length of 9 feet atop its and stop the 

 Ifttcrals which \riii, after this, be plentifully emitted at every leaf. Keep 

 well watt-red, emp.oyins" weak liquid manure at every alternate waterinp ; 

 the foliape will be h^n^fited by syringing in the evening. Maintain a moist 

 gTOwinp hoit within the house. Whtn growth ceaec* craduaUy lessen the 

 supply of water and remove the la'eralw, except a few at the top, cutting 

 them off quite close. When the wood becomes quite brown and bard, and 

 the leaves begin to fall, withhold water, and prune to the length required 

 (5 feet or more) when the leaves fall, and keep in a cool house until wanted 

 for forcing. 



Mancrk Fon Rhododendrons {J. JSdirards). —Old cowdung, or very 

 decayed hotb-d duni?. is an excellent application to llhododendrons, 2 inchea 

 deep at a time as a surface-dressing. Your Kpecimens were alt diied up. 

 They should t>c tent in a box covered with a little damp moss. 



BoTJiNicAL Queries (R. C. .fiT.).— The weed ia the common Shepherd's 

 Puree, Capt^ella bursa-pastoris — Thlaspi bursa-pastoris of Liimieus. We 

 have no copy of Chi d*s book. He. pi-rhaps, speaks of .MedicaRo lupuUna 

 under its Enclish n:ime of Black Sledick or Nonesuch. The dotted circle 

 means "Annual," the circle and arrow "Biennial," the -l-like figure 

 ** Perennial herbaceous," and the h-like figure " Tree or Shrub." 



CACTI'S Skrdling (IT. M., Pen n).— hike other<i, the flower is richly 

 coloured, but is not so ttne or so brilliant as many others exhibited. 



C*MKLi.n (/?. ITnrle(t).—'[t is one of the very old varieties, and-of too 

 ufiual a colour for ua to determino the name from a single and fading 

 flower. ^ 



CATERPitLARS ON pLUM Trkks (A Cotistnrif- JJ(tffd(?r).— They are the 

 caterpilhirw of tho Winter .Moth, Geomotri brunmt;*. As they are on trees 

 in your orchard-house you micht easily hand-pick them, spreading u iheet 

 round the tre-^ to catch those which let themselves down. Dust the leaves 

 with fre»h while Hellebore powder. 



Itoat: Trkk pnoHuciNo Stunted Shoots {Agnes). —We do not recollect 

 a Kose as:*uniing tlie chtiracter yours has, hut we have seen trees of other 

 kinds do bo ; and the reuiedy in that case was to rub off a great many of 

 ihe Binall sliootn, and thoso lett attained tbe proper dimiMisions. This plaa 

 we would recommend vou lo adopt, rubbini? oft" one-half of tlie shoots at 

 once, and a few days afterwards home more ; andif you applied home liquid 

 nianure to the plant, most likely it would grow on vigorously ; but if there 

 were no shoots prorluced list year hut short ones, i: is no: likely that auy 

 flower will I'c produced until the plant assumes a more he.ilthy habit. 



Namf.8 of Plants (IF. 0.).— 1, Cliantbus punlceus j 8, Habrothamnas 

 faseiculiitus. The other t^ix, sincle flowers of Azaleas, no one could name, 

 the vurieries are so numerou-*. {M. U ).— Sutherlanoia frutcscens {Jane). 

 — We are unable to give you the information you require about the Cuton- 

 easter, but will make further inquiries. {A n*'artii M.D.). — 1, Adiantum 

 pubescens ; 2, A. cuneatum ; 3, imperfect ; 4, Pteiis hastat i macrophylla ; 

 5, Nephrolepis exaltula; h, Aspleuium vivipirum; 7, A. flaccitlum var.; 

 8, A. fragraTis ; 9, Pteris longifoUa; 10, Xephrolep's pecUnaia ; ll.Onychium. 

 luciduui ; 1-*. Aspleniuin marinum ; 13, Adiantum cipillua-Veueris ; H, Sela- 

 cinella ; 15, Thunbergia Hawtiyneana. {Eliza). — \^ Pleopcltis pustulata; 

 2, Onychium lucidum ; 3, Polj-stichumcapense ; 4, PUtylom.i rotund ifolium ; 

 5, App'enlum lucidum ; 6, Gonioplilcblum neriifolium ; 9, Cyrtomium ano- 

 mophyllum ; 10, Ch-'ilanthes hina; 11, Aaplenium bulbiferum ; 12, Tricho- 

 manes speciosum. ( Delia). —X^ Asplenium AdlanLum-nigruai ; 2, apparently 

 abnormal Lastrea putcns; 3, immature. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSEEVATIONS in tlie Suburbs of London for tlie Week ending April 29th. 



Date. 



BiEOSIETEE. 



TBEBMOMETEIU 



Wind. 



Bain 



in 

 inches. 



General Kemarks. 



Air. 



Earth. 



Mas. 



Min.. 



Max. 



JliQ. 



1 ft deep. 



2 ft. deep. 



Suu. 23 

 Mon. 24 

 Tnes. 25 

 Wed. 26 

 Thnrs.27 

 Sst. 29 

 Sod. 29 



Uean 



3n.i;3 

 30.285 

 30 205 

 30.110 

 30.096 

 30.004 

 30.036 



30.107 

 30.182 

 30,117 

 30.096 

 29 9Sl 

 29 917 

 29 973 



78 

 74 

 71 

 80 

 82 

 77 

 £5 



30 

 32 

 30 

 35 

 43 

 37 

 8J 



54 



55 



54* 



54 



55 



56 



55 



514 



59 



62 



52 



62^ 



63 



53 



N.E. 

 N.E. 

 N.K. 

 N W. 



W. 



W. 



E. 



.00 

 .00 

 .00 

 .00 



.011 



.on 

 .00 



Ver.rHno; very dry air; exceedliiKly line; coul at night. 

 Very fine, with heavy dew ; cloudlfsti and verv fine. 

 Sli;<ht hrt/.e ; cle.ir ; hot BUn ; very line. 1 dew at niffht. 

 Very fine; hot, and dry air; very fine tliroug'ioiit ; heavy 

 Very fine; unll^u iilv hot for tbe season ; dry ; fine at night. 

 Uniform haze; very dr,v, wlthsllt^ht ha/.e; overcd.stat niffht. 

 Husky and white clouds; cold dry easterly wind; line; 

 [slight frost at night. 



30.123 



30.053 



73.85 



33.71 



54.85 



63.14 





.00 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



PIGEOIS'S A]VD EOOKS. 

 I DO not think that " Chanticleer " is right when he 

 blames the rooks for causing his Pigeons to desert their 

 house. I doubt whether he is putting the saddle on the 

 right horse. I will give my experience on the point. I 

 have occupied the same residence for upwai-ds of nine years, 

 there are very large rookeries close to me, one a very few- 

 hundred yards from my Pigeon-loft, and I have never lost a 

 single Pigeon. The two birds are in no way antagonistic as 

 far as I can discover. Were I " Chanticleeb " I should 

 look to some other cause than the rooks for the departure 

 or destruction of my birds. I have kept fancy Pigeons for 

 upwards of a quarter of a century, but never lost a bird. 

 My plan here is this : I devote the room over the coach- 

 bouse for their loft, it is rather small, and in summer very 

 hot, being ceiled, and having but one sm.all window, which 

 18 wired— still the birds have always done well. At the 

 present time, for here it is eitremely warm, instead of 

 closing the trap-door, by whicli I enter from a ladder, I have 

 a moveable door of wire-netting. This ventilates the loft 

 faurly, causing a cun-ent of air to pass upward and through 

 tho window. At night I close the trap, which is at tiio 

 gable, near tho top of tbe roof, and, keeping no cat, am 

 annoyed by none. Wherever I have lived I have either 

 taken with me or procured Pigeons, and when I came here 

 I brought my stock from my former home, only a mile as the 

 crow flies, and though thoy were high-flying Tumblers not 

 one left me. At first, when stocking a loft, I fasten a good- 

 sized wire cage on the landing board, hero the Pigeons sun 

 themgelvea, and gain a knowledge of the scenery near their 

 now home. In three weeks I lot them out— all the bettor 



if they have laid. I let them out fasting ; usually they 

 are awkward in finding their way in for the first time. 

 Their mistakes in getting up are quite amusing, aiming 

 either too high or too low, but as I alw.ays feed iuside the 

 loft hunger sharpens their ingenuity. Once back again, I 

 have no further fear about them, and how they coo and 

 testify their delight at getting in again ! 



As to the almost constant occurrence of bringing new 

 birds homo to the others, I always draw the flight feathers 

 of one wing, and enclose them for the night by a wire cage 

 near one nest, this becomes their castle. Mo.xt day they 

 have a bath, greatly do they enjoy it if they como from a 

 bird shop, this cleanses and settles them, and greatly com- 

 forts the poor wing. Then I have, for the sake of the new 

 comers chiefly, a number of various-sized flower-pots inserted 

 on the floor, placed here and there, upon these they spring 

 ever with but one wing (the first large feather, mind, 

 I never draw, that left shields the new feathers), and they 

 hop from one pot to another, and preen and enjoy them- 

 selves. Then in a fortnight thoy get tip to the inside of the 

 entrance, then outside and peep about and loam their 

 whereabouts, until at length they take little flights, and 

 at last, in a month or two, join in the great flight, and 

 naturally come home with the rest. 



Pursuing these two plans I have never lost one bird. If 

 "Chanticleer" has only provided a box on a pole, how- 

 ever well-planned or pretty, I do not wonder at his birds 

 leaving it. A wooden erection is no home for Pigeons, it is 

 merely " out-of-doors under a chip." Tho wind whistles 

 through it, the sun warps it, the snow penetrates it and lies 

 on tho ledges (and all liirds abhor snow), a driving showar 

 wets the eggs of the young, cats come and mow on the 

 ground below, turning up longing green eyes ; on one side 

 it burns, on the other it freezes. I do not know whether 

 it is worse in summer or in winter — in tho dog-days or 



