July G, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



17 



beat with single flowers, but the difficulty attending such doable ones as 

 Pinks, Carnations, &c, may be obviated by splitting the cup on each side, 

 and when the flower is quite dry the incision made to adhere by means of 

 gum-water ; or the cup may bo pricked around with a pin to let out the mois- 

 ture. White flowers lose their natural colour by this process, but it may be 

 restored by exposing them to a moderate vapour of brimstone ; but crimson 

 or scarlet flowers should b3 placed in a vapour of the solution of tin in spirits 

 of nitre. The green leaves and stems are renovated by the vapour produced 

 from a solution of steel filings in oil of vitriol. When dried the scent of each 

 particular flower may be artificially renewed by dropping into the middle of 

 it some of its essential oil ; thus oil of Cloves will scent the Pink, oil of Roses 

 the Rose, oil of Jasmine tbe Jasmine, &o. 



White Pink (F. J., Dublin), — There is one called Anne Bullen or Boleyn. 



Bamboo Unhealthy (A. L. M.). — We find on inquiry that there are this 

 year many instances similar to the one you have noticed. An experienced 

 correspondent statos that as the plautB become old they are apt to die off 

 after the manner of old roots of Pampas Grass. He advises that all the 

 small shoots of the Bamboo be cut away, leaving the few strong canes which 

 may show some signs of life for another year's trial, subsequently transferring 

 the plant to a fresh site and soil, when it may regain its usual healthy state. 



Hand Plough. — " G. M." wishes to kuow if it answers in a kitchen 

 garden. 



Marking Lawn Tennis Ground (Young Ponica). — The only plan we 

 know is to mix whiting to the consistency of whitewash with water and 

 apply with a brush, drawing a line about 2 inches wide. It does not injure 

 the grass, and is not obliterated by mowing, but becomes fainter each time, 

 requiring renewal occasionally, and after heavy rain, which washes away the 

 chalk mark. In mowing we take no account of the chalk line, simply taking 

 up the poles and pegs with the net, readjusting them after mowing. 



Kaxmia latifolia after Flowering (Wimbledon Target). — Tbe plant 

 should be placed outdoors in a sheltered situation, the pot plunged in ashes 

 and duly supplied with water. Having flowered massively this season it is 

 very unlikely it will not do so another year. 



Piping Required for Heating Conservatory (2*. P. R.). — To heat 

 2430 cubic feet of air to a temperature of 45° to SIP in winter you will require 

 200 feet superficial of heated surface, or 266 feet of 3-inch piping. We Have 

 made allowance for your house being in an exposed situation. 



Plants not Flowering (Mark Manchester).— Not knowing where they 

 are, nor what they are, nor how you treat them, we can give no certain ad- 

 vice. Want of sufficient light is the probable cause of the deficiency. 



Vine Leaves Brown (A, B. C, Doncaster).~It you water the roots 

 abundantly you will prevent the leaves becoming brown. 



Celery Leave3 Grub-eaten (Bicepa). — The grubs are the larvae of a 

 saw-fly, Tephritis onopordinis. A drawing and description are in the first 

 volume of this Journal. There is no remedy but picking off the blotched 

 leaves and burning them before the grubs escape. 



Watering (F. J.). — The quantity of water to be applied in dry weather 

 must be regulated by the soil and crop. No arbitrary rule can be laid down. 

 Guano water is best applied in a elaar state. 



Lime (H. J. J5.)^— The common lime used by bricklayers is that applied. 

 Mixed with the top 2 inches of the soil and sprinkled over the surface it will 

 exterminate the slugs. Repeat the application if necessary ; fresh caustic 

 lime must be employed. 



Fungi (J. A.), — One of the forms of Agaricus campestris, and doubtless 

 good for food. (J. M.). — The Vine leaves are covered with tbe black smut, 

 which is kuown under the name of Fumago, and consists of Cladosporium 

 herbarum and other moulds. There must ba something wrong in the 

 management of your house, or the leaves could not be in such a state. 



Insects on Camellia (S. C. Oakes). — The white matter on the Camellia 

 leaves is the exudation from the bodies of the females of a rare species of 

 scale insect, Coccub Camellice. — I. O. W. 



Name of Fruit (James Radford). — Alfriston. 



Names of Plants (J. S.). — Lilium pjmponium, a native of the Pyrenees. 

 It is noticed ia Parkinson's " Paradisus " under tho name of Martagon pom- 

 ponianum. (IF. D. U.i— The Gum Cistus, Cistus ladaniferus. A native of 

 cJpain, and cultivated by Tradescant in his garden at Lambeth more than 

 two centuries since. 



POULTRY, BEE. AND PICEON CHRONICLE. 



MANAGEMENT OF CHICKENS.— No. 2. 

 . All the while the present hot weather last3 the chiekena 

 cannot have too much shade, and their food cannot be too fresh 

 and sweet. Shade is important for all breeds. Cochins, and 

 Dorkings, and Hamburghs are all the better for shade. With 

 white varieties to keep them white it 13 essential. Those who 

 only have bare and enclosed runs will keep them cool and freBh 

 by watering them every two or three nights. It ia quite sur- 

 prising to find how the chickens are benefited by that practice. 



We again urge that the yards should now be thinned, and all 

 the inferior specimens removed to make room for the others. 

 Cochins with scanty leg-feathering, or Cochins with heavy 

 hocka and inside leg-feathering, can never be of much use. 

 Hamburghs with white legs, Houdana and Dorkings with bad 

 claws, single-combed and clean-legged Silkies, and all birds with 

 such serioua imperfections can never be up to the mark, and 

 should be at once done away with. We are quite positive that 

 many, too many, inferior and perfectly uaeleaa birds are annu- 

 ally allowed to live, and then perhaps sold for 3s. or 4s. each, 

 and in their turn used by inexperienced purchasers as breeding 

 stock, and hence come the swarms of perfect rubbish which we 

 find advertised in cheap advertisementa. Theae birds will, we 

 fear, in time half ruin the fancy ; and we often think the aelling 

 classes are in another way equally as unprofitable and damaging, 



for to every good bird sold in a sale class we should think we 

 may safely reckon there are ten bad ones. Weed-out, we say 

 then, now the wasters — roaat them, boil them, pie them, only 

 get rid of them, and we dare say — we feel certain — the remainder 

 will be doubly as valuable as if all had been allowed to live. 



It is important now, too, to see to the roosting places of the 

 chickens, for many will soon be changing their feathers, and 

 overcrowding or bad housing may spoil the new plumage. 

 Those which are allowed still to sleep in their coops — and we 

 fully approve of the plan — should be carefully watched, for often 

 a dozen or two will try and crowd into a coop which can only 

 hold half the number. We like our chickens to sleep in these 

 coops, when there is no fear of dogs or foxes disturbing them, as 

 long as poBsible, for by moving these small tenements every 

 day to a fresh place the ground ia well manured, and the 

 chickens are always in clean feather. Of course, only those 

 who have a field or some such run can do this ; but those who 

 have the ordinary fixed houses merely for the chiekena to roost 

 in must keep such very clean, for just at this time many birds 

 in one building, especially where any matter ia allowed to re- 

 main and decompose, will fill the place with injurious and bad 

 air. Boards under the perches which can be scraped every 

 morning some vise, but we like ourselves nothing so well as a 

 bed of clean dust and sand, for it is so easily raked over with a 

 finely-toothed rake, and the dust acts as a powerful deodoriser 

 and removes every particle of smell. Some mix lime dust with 

 this sand or road grit, but we do not approve of this where the 

 birds can have access to the houses in the daytime, for they will 

 often dust in it, and wo are sure the lime injures the feathers 

 and spoils some of the bloom and gloss. 



Many who have a email plot of garden for flowers or vege- 

 tablea, and alao go in for chickens in quite an amateur way, are 

 afraid of letting their brood loose in the garden, for a lettuce bed 

 or young turnips or beetroots would soon cease to exist under 

 tho mothers' claws and the chickens' mouths. We should re- 

 commend them to have a few yards of galvanised wire and bend 

 it loosely round the rhubarb bed, or when the strawberries are 

 over round the plants there, or the artichokes and seakale, for 

 they will now do no harm there ; and we have seen a young 

 brood of three or four weeks old thrive in a surprising manner 

 when so wired-in, for they obtain shade, and the loose straws 

 and refuse which are generally found on such beds afford a 

 capital opportunity for scratching, and plenty of woodliee and 

 flies and insects are being repeatedly turned up. 



All will probably have by now cockerels and pullets large 

 enough to separate. If only two runs can be spared for this 

 purpose let the birda be changed in them frequently. The 

 cockerels can have one run for a fortnight, and then the pullets 

 can go there and the cockerels come to the " ladies' enclosure." 

 The greater distance these runs are apart the better. We do 

 not care for them being Bide by side and only divided by wire 

 fencing. When, however, thia cannot be remedied, let there be 

 cloae hurdles or wattle fencing for about 3 feet high, such as we 

 described in the " Basse-Conr" of Mr. T. C. Burnell of Michel- 

 dever, for we do not desire the birds seeing each other through 

 the wire. 



The larger birds will not now want feeding so frequently. 

 Birds four and five months old can Wbll do now with three 

 meala a-day, and three-montha-old birds well with four. We 

 again recommend at thia period of their growth an abundance 

 of vegetable food and not too much water. Bone duBt Borne 

 use very much, and we were much surprised to hear this last 

 week from one or two celebrated fanciers how extensively they 

 use it. We have never tried it ourselvea, and yet we have sent 

 to the exhibition pen a goodly number of winning chickens ; 

 but those who do care to try it, or who are in the habit of doing 

 so, must see they get a uBeful sample, for we have seen some 

 sent out which was Bimply perfect rubbish, and which would do 

 about as much good as sawduBt. Bones from the house, or, 

 where the establishment ia not large enough to supply any 

 quantity, from the butcher, smaahed-up and crushed on a 

 wooden block by a heavy hammer, would prove of value we can 

 well imagine; and that ia the sort of bone-food, used, of course, 

 in moderation and with j udgment, which we Bhould recommend 

 and feel inclined to use ourselves. — W. 



doncaster poultry show. 



The annual Show of the Doncaster Agricultural Society was 

 held on June 28th, 29th, and 30th in Netherhall Park. The 

 three days is sadly against the entries. The list of prizes needs 

 revising, no Variety class being provided, while two classes are 

 given for Dorkings. 



Game headed the list, and a cup being given the quality was 

 very good. In single cocks first was a grand coloured Brown 

 Bed, but rather excited, and evidently not used to the show 

 pen ; second a tall likely bird, but a little overshown ; third a 

 fair bird. Black lieda were mostly out of condition. First a 

 grand moulded bird, with a fair hen ; second a good-coloured 

 cock, but a little high in tail. Duckwings not as good. The 



