118 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 8, 1878, 
called upon to do during the harvest. Women also should be en- 
couraged to do work during the harvest month, for many of them 
have been accustomed to tie the corn reaped by their husbands. 
Some of them are, therefore, as capable of tying behind the reaper 
as the men, and this work should be let by the acre to men who 
have wives and families, which not only forwards the work but 
enables the people to earn good wages. 
The management of pigs must not be overlooked, it being part 
of the work on the home farm to see that the swine of all ages 
are well cared for, so that not only the animals themselves may 
be in good health and condition, but that the breeding sows 
should be carefully attended and properly fed, in order that they 
may bring their young in due course, and both mother and off- 
spring be maintained in good health. It, however, must not be 
forgotten that these animals are not very profitable in breeding 
and rearing if their dung and droppings are left out of the calcu- 
lation. It is in consequence very desirable that the store pigs 
and also breeding sows should be fed daily in part with vegetable 
food the produce of the land, such as clover, vetches, rape, tri- 
folium, Swedes, or turnips, whichever may be in season, with a 
small allowance of Indian corn or barleymeal, and the animals 
accommodated with pens such as will be described on a future 
occasion, 
HEDGES AND THEIR ENEMIES. 
FENCES interest everyone who occupies a rood of land, and yet 
how rarely one sees a farm properly fenced! The expense of 
maintaining a bad fence is so onerous that it is worth while doing 
the work thoroughly well when the fence is first formed. The 
main thing requisite is to have the land clean and im good heart, 
so as to get the young plants well started. ~Plant in double rows 
in zigzag line, and cut them back within 4inches of the ground in 
the third year. Never plant them ona raised bank, a very com- 
mon practice, and have them pruned by a skilful workman with 
the sharpest of bills every year, aiming at a wedge shape, thus—A. 
Holly is the only powerful ally of the hawthorn ; but unluckily 
rabbits, the bane of the planter, are fonder of that beautiful shrub 
than almost of any other. And coming to the pests which destroy 
our best efforts when rearing a young fence, I ask your opinion of 
the specimen I forward of one which during the last three weeks 
has attacked a thriving young quickset fence which I had cut 
down last spring. Three weeks ago it was looking as well as 
possible, and when I again saw it yesterday I fancied that some | 
urchins had been firing the grass and had scorched the fence (as 
one often sees along railway slopes portions of the fence scorched 
by fire ignited by sparks from the engine), the leaves and shoots 
being brown and crisp, with no sap whatever left in them. I 
could find no living grub on any of the portions that were quite 
brown, but on some shoots just beginning to change colour I 
found the minute orange-coloured maggots, some of which I for- 
ward, and which I presume to be the destroyers of my beautiful 
young fence. I hope that this scourge is not common in the 
country, for on a large scale it would be a most serious evil. 
I have also found a wooded rayine, where oaks form the princi- 
pal growth, overrun withcaterpillar. My notice was first attracted 
by minute black specks on the light sandstone road, which for two 
miles looked as if black pepper had been strewn from a castor 
upon it. Isoon discovered, however, that these specks were the 
excreta Of countless multitudes of caterpillars, which since my 
previous visit had attacked the oaks. How disheartening these 
visitations are, and how inscrutable ! 
A check in the free circulation of the sap arising from inclement 
weather, and thus weakening the vitality of the tree, is nearly 
sure to be followed by an attack of this hateful pest. Should this 
occur in two successive years many trees will succumb under the 
attack. How does this devouring host suddenly acquire vitality 
by reason of the weakened condition of the tree growth ? 
The invasion of the quickset by the grub I have referred to 
occurred during the recent hot weather, so that the cases are not 
parallel, and I am utterly at sea with regard to the origin of both in- 
flictions—W. Lipscoms, Heath, Wakefield (in Journal of Forestry). 
FORTHCOMING POULTRY SHOWS. 
_ WE have before us the schedules of several shows, which will be 
interesting, as likely to bring out many of the best early chickens 
of the year, and so to give us some idea of the quality of the 
year’s produce. We have before commented on the Winchester 
scnednle, the first show, we believe, of the season for chickens 
alone. 
Bath, as usual, has a most attractive programme. We regret to 
hear that the former shows held there haye resulted in consider- 
able loss to the Committee, and that this show is a kind of test as 
to whether there is a real desire among fanciers for a continuation 
of the meetings. There are twenty-one cups and special prizes, 
besides two point cups. The poultry classes are forty-three, with 
three prizes in each of 30s., 10s., and 5s. Save in the case of 
Silkies, Bantams, and Ducks, which are shown in pairs, the classes 
are for single birds, chickens of the year. In these specially 
excepted classes and the Selling classes birds of any age are ad- 
missible. Pigeons are for the first time at Bath shown singly, and 
have twenty-seven classes with prizes of 15s.,10s.,and 5s. Cage 
birds have nineteen classes and Rabbits eleven. The Rey. Gren- 
ville Hodson is as usual Judge, but will this year have a colleague 
not yet appointed. The Show days are Sept. 4th and 5th. 
The Central Bucks Agricultural Association will this year hold 
its meeting on September 11th at Wycombe Abbey, High Wy- 
combe, in lieu of at Aylesbury. The poultry classes, twenty-eight 
in number, are for birds of any age, for the most part shown 
singly, with three prizes in each of 25s.,10s.,and 5s. There are 
twelve cups, one of five guineas, the rest of three and two 
guineas. Pigeons have eight classes, with prizes of 10s. and ds. 
and a two-guinea point cup. Canaries, three classes, with prizes 
of 15s., 7s. 6d., and 5s. Mr. Hewitt is appointed Judge—C. 
RABBIT COURTS. 
As soon as the young Rabbits are large enough to be removed 
from the parent exercise will be found very necessary to keep 
them in good health. They may be kept in large hutches and 
occasionally put down to run. This gives some trouble, and does 
notalways answer. What is most suitable under the circumstances 
is a place where they can constantly run about and gambol; an@ 
where they can keep dry and warm. A properly constructed 
Rabbit court will answer all these requirements and pay well. If 
the soil is dry and solid there will be every chance of success. 
The best place for a Rabbit court is in a yard with a hard well- 
trodden-down bottom. The best part of the yard is a corner made 
by two houses, or, failing this, a house and a yard. These will 
greatly diminish the cost of making the court, and the building 
will keep off wind and cold. Regulate the size according to the 
number of Rabbits that are going to be kept init. Suppose you 
are not going to put more than fifty young Rabbits in at a time, 
and that you will weed them off as they grow older, about 60 square 
feet will be plenty. Each wall should be at least 6 feet high, or 
the place will not be healthy. If the two sides already erected 
are very strong a single course of bricks may be sufficient for the 
extra ones ; but if the thickness is only 44 inches, a couple of 
buttresses double that thickness should be placed so as to act asa 
support for each wall. A roof should be added to keep off the 
wet—at any rate the worst of it. To effect this a lean-to of 
2-inch boards will be found handy, and these should be screwed 
tightly together by means of cross pieces. They should be put up 
in hot weather when the wood is dry, and then the wood will 
swell with the wet and effectually keep out any rain. If put 
up in the winter the wood will shrink with the heat and leave 
crevices of as much as half an inch in the summer. The whole 
should be thickly tarred on the outside. If the wood is old and 
not likely to be quite watertight, it can be made equally effective 
by nailing along it a piece of felt and then having it well asphalted. 
New timber is the cheapest and most effective. The part against 
the wall may be7 feet from the ground, and the other extremity 
only 6 ; but if the length is much the slope should be increased, 
the top to be 8 feet from the ground and the bottom still 6. There 
will then be a small space left open between the roof and the top 
of the walls. This may safely be left for light and ventilation, and 
to prevent the wet beating in the roof may be made to project a 
few inches. A door must be made in one of the sides. This can- 
not be made very easily, as itis necessary to make it strong or the 
whole side is likely tofallin. For economy’s sake many make the 
doorway very low, so as to make creeping in almost necessary. This 
is very unsatisfactory. On the other hand, if the door is high, say 
about 5 feet, and a few inches more is an advantage, a dodge 
may be resorted to to prevent the Rabbits from running out when 
the door is opened. Two grooves may be fixed on either door- 
post and a plank slipped down, as is often done in country cottages 
to keep the children in. If it is not more than a foot high it will 
not be much trouble to step over, and it will prevent many a chase 
after a delinquent. A better plan is to make an entry in two 
doors, as is done in the case of aviaries, but this is very much 
trouble and will add to the expense. The floor should be care- 
fully prepared. If the ground is gravelly or sandy and pretty 
hard the best floor will be an inch layer of cement and sand mixed. 
up very wet, poured on, rubbed smooth, and left to dry. If the 
soil is at all damp, 2 or 3 inches of sand or gravel should be 
laid down and the cement on the top of it. In either case the 
result will be a floor of great hardness and durability. For the 
purpose of draining it should be allowed to slope a little towards 
one corner or side, and if possible connection should be made with 
some drain. In the centre of the floor a couple of bushels of 
soil quite dry and clean should be placed so that the Rabbits 
can sport on it and perhaps burrow a little. As it is liable to fall 
in and cause suffocation it is best not to pile it too high. Along 
one side of the court a trough something like a pig trough, but 
about a third the size, should be fixed. Wires should be fixed 
along the top to prevent the Rabbits from gettingin. It should 
be made of metal, or if of wood a piece of wire should be fixed 
along the top so as to keep the Rabbits’ teeth from destroying it. 
Especially during cold weather, and at all times, the little 
