November 2, 1876 ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



about 21 feet apart, sufficient only to rid tbe surface of water; and if you 

 do noS object to tbe expense the ground would be better trenched, though the 

 cuttings or plants would no doubt grow without preparation, yet tbe grass 

 and other weeds would be better turned under. Instead of cuttings we skuuld 

 plant what are known as one-year cuttings, in rows S feet apart and IS inches 

 apart iu the rows. The cuttings, if you put them in, should he a foot in 

 iength, three-quarters of their length being inserted in the soil. There is a 

 grant variety of Osiers— namely, Green or Common, Dutch or lied, Yellow, 

 Purple Basket, aud Red Basket. The first and last are probably most in 

 demand. 



Management of Late Vines (A Constant Reader). — In the first place 

 you niuBt see that the roof of jour house is made watertight. If there is 

 much drip it will be impossible lo keep Grapes late. You will constantly 

 see instructions as to the management of the bouse in "Doings of Last 

 Week." We have never grafted Lady Downe's on Black Prince, but you might 

 try and let us know how you succeed. You might also inarch Lady Downe's 

 on two of the Black Hamburghs. The best time io inarch would be in early 

 summer, when the joung wood is becoming hard, but before it changes to a 

 brown tint. Lady Downe's is thebestlate Grape. Alicante and GroB Colman 

 are also useful. Trebbiano and White Tokay are the best late white Grapes. 



Greenhouse Plants for Exhibition in Autumn (A Subscriber). — 

 Flowering: Bouvardia longiflora and B. Vreelandii, Crowea saligna, Erica 

 ariBtata, E. Marnockiaua, E. Massoni major. E. Turnbullii, Lapageria rosea 

 and L. alba, Statice Holfordii, S.profusa, and Kalosanthus coccinea. Foliage 

 Plants: Beaucarnea recurvata, Cnamterops humilis, Cycas revoluta, Dasyli- 

 rion gracile, Cordyliue indivhn, Lomatia elegantissima, Macrozamia F/aseiii, 

 Phorminm Colensoi varieaatum. Phormium tenax variegatum, Sarracenia flava 

 majas, Yacca quadricolor, and Y. aloifolia variegata. Some of the Australian 

 Tree Ferna and Zamias also are handsome plants for exhibition purposes, 

 and would be admitted in a class for foliage plants. 



Distoeted Scablet Runner Stem (J. Wallis). — Many plants, espec ; ally 

 Asparagus, are liable to the same distortion. It is termed laaciated, but the 

 cause is not determined. 



Walnuts (S. White).— They are good nuts, but not superior to many others, 

 nor bo fine as some. If you sowed them they would not produce trees bear- 

 ing similar nuts, nor bear at all for many yearB. 



Climbers for Conservatory (J. B. t South Hackney).— Your question is 

 difficult to answer without knowing the size and position of jour trellis, and 

 whether it is shaded or otherwise. As a conservatory climber tew plants 

 give greater eatiefaction than a well-grown Marechal Kiel Kose. Lapageria 

 rosea and L. alba are amongst tbe finest of wall plants. Mandevilla suaveolens 

 is also suitable. As rapid growers, Cobcea scandens variegata and Tacsonia 

 Van-Volxemii are effective. Ficus repens is close and dense, and very useful 

 for cutting from are Heliotropes and Plumbago capensis. CuttingB from the 

 hoofs of horses may be advantageously incorporated with the soil of your 

 Vine border. 



Pollen [J. H. E.). — Pollens are too much alike for us to detect what flower 

 has yielded jour specimen. 



Keeping Walnuts {A. M. Q.).— To keep them fresh and dry there is no 

 better method than storing them in large stoneware jars in layers, alternating 

 with layers of sand. The jars to be plaoed in a cool cellar. 



Grubb [A. H.J. — No grub remains always a grub, it becomes a chrysalis, and 

 then a winged insect, the female of which layB eggB that produco the grubs. 

 Those at the roots of your PanBies and Cabbage plants are probably the 

 larvae of a saw-fly or moth. 



Caterpillar in Apple Branch (W. Nott).—Ib is the larva of the wood 

 leopard moth, Zeuzera lesculi. It is common. 



Names of Fruits (J. Clow).— Golden Winter Pearmatn. (Connaught 

 Subscriber). — 2, Scarlet Nonpareil. Pears: 1, Madame Treyve; 2, Jersey 

 Gralioli. Plum : Coe's Late Red. Pear : Susette de Bavay. We do not 

 feDow the reBt, and cannot name bo many for one applicant. {Hollo). — 1, Clay- 

 gate Pearmain; 2, Delaware ; 8, Norfolk Beaufia ; 4, London Pippin. 



Namkb of Plants (Iris 2j. — We cannot name plants from leaves only. 

 (H. A. F.).~ Manrandja Barcl&yana. (Mrs. Frank). — Parsley-piert is the 

 Field Lady's Mantle, Alchemilla arvensis. It is portraited and fully noticed 

 in our "Wild Flowers." (T. P.).— A dark and good variety of Ceauothus 

 azureus. Cuttings cf the youog shoots strike readily in sandy soil, placing 

 the pots in a close frame. The plauts 6honld be grown in pots until they 

 attain a good size, and then be planted at the front of a south wall. They 

 need the shelter of a mat in very severe weather. (Elsie). — Gymnogramma 

 ochracea; CaBsebeeratriphyLa. ( Wm.). — Aspidium coriaceum. (Bathgalensis). 

 1, Scolopendrium vulgare bifidum ; 2, Polypodium cambricum ; 3, Pteris 

 cretica albo-lineata ; 4, Aspidium angulare. (J. M.'. — Iris fcetidissima. 

 [Oswego). — 1, Lastrea dilatata; 2, Polyatichum aDgulare; 3, Asplenium, sp.; 

 6, A. marinum; 4, Blechnum orientate; 5, Doodia media. (J. \V.). — A species 

 of Thibaudia. (Constant Reader). — Haxillaria picta. (Iris). — 1, Buddlea 

 globosa ; 2, Thuja occidentalia ; 5, Muhlenbeckia sp. ? ; 6, Solanum sp. Speci- 

 mens poor. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND FIGEOK OERONIOLE. 



POULTRY SALES. 



Thebe has been a great depression in tbe sales of prize 

 poultry of late. Everyone nearly has remarked it, and over and 

 over again we have heard the subject mentioned at the shows 

 which we have attended. To keep up a large yard of exhibition 

 fowls, or even to breed and bring np to the exhibition standard 

 only a few birds, requires a very considerable outlay. All 

 fanciers consequently, whether they be only working men who 

 keep a few birds for their hobby, or whether they are the 

 owners of vast estates who keep their exhibition poultry because 

 ihey like to be great in everything — whoever they are, all like 

 to have the expenses of their poultry recouped. This used to be 

 done, and though we never could believe the wonderful sums 

 were really made which we heard about, still without doubt the 

 sales of many surplus birds prevented actual loss, and often put 

 money into the pockets of the breeders. Those times, we learn, 



seem to be passing away, for there seems to be a complete glut 

 of prize poultry in Englind at the present time. Someone said 

 to us at Oxford that supposing the "new disease" carried oil' 

 some hundreds of birds, it would be all the better eventually, 

 for the supply had very much exceeded the demand. We do 

 not know if this is so with all breeds, but we fancy not ; Dorking3 

 especially we believe will always command a ready sale. There 

 seems some hereditary fame about the egg-producing and sitting 

 properties of this breed, and, in the castle and the cottage, all 

 who know a cock from a hen stand up for the English Dorking. 

 Great fancy priceB may not often be obtained for this variety, 

 but there seems to be a ready and continuous demand for speci- 

 mens not up to exhibition form for farmyard stock which no 

 other breed enjoys so much. 



The question then naturally arises, What is the causa cf this 

 depression in the sales of fancy Btock? We think there are 

 several. We put aside entirely the reason which we have heard 

 lately suggested so frequently, that from the dulness of trade 

 and business there is not tbe same proportion of money to be 

 expended upon this hobby ; we lay that aside, because with very 

 many it is not the case, and because we noticed it coming on 

 when trade was in its most flourishing condition. 



Then we come to another cause, and that we are assured by 

 very many experienced breeders of many years' standing is the 

 real source of all the mischief ; we allude to the selling classes. 

 At exhibition after exhibition we are begged by our greatest 

 authorities to try and stop the sale classes. We assure them we 

 can never do it, for we io not believe it is to be done; but at 

 Oxford last week we were once more formally begged to write 

 against this Bystem. We do it without a shadow of hope of 

 effecting much good, for the sale classes pay well; and where 

 the classes pay it seems ridiculous to imagine that the Bhow 

 authorities, with whom alone the matter lies, will themselves try 

 to quash the moBt lucrative portion of their schedule. Still, we 

 believe with those who have set their backs against tbe selling- 

 class system, that they often do much harm; for fanciers fre- 

 quently wait to buy through some sale class of this description, 

 where they imagine they can procure something good and cheap, 

 instead of applying to someone who will probably charge them a 

 few shillings more but send them a bird (f superior quality. 

 With birds purchased out of these classes, howev:r, there is 

 much disappointment, fir even if a specimen is entered in the 

 name of some well-known breeder, who is to know if he really 

 bred it or not ? and often a bird so purchased brings in a bad 

 croBS and spoils the whole year's breeding, and sometimes 

 makes a new beginner throw np the whole thing in disgust. 

 Mr. T. C. Burnell, in "The Exhibition Dorking," advises no 

 one to procure stock for breeding out of sale classes. Breeders 

 cannot afford to do it. They cannot put two or three good birda 

 in a class for 40s., as sometimes haB to be done; the quality so 

 found therefore muBt be poor, though to the uninitiated it may 

 seem a tempting bargain. Perhaps the selling classes at the 

 very important exhibitions do not do so much harm as those at 

 the Bmaller shows, for at the Palace, for instance, tbe chance 

 of a good prize, and the knowledge that the birds will be put up 

 to auction, tends to procure good specimens; but it is at the 

 smaller shows where themiecbiefiedone, and we askcommitteea 

 who do not find their sale classes remunerative, as we conclude 

 some must do, to try and make a beginning by no more insert- 

 ing those classes in their schedules. We do not object to the 

 £5 5s. classes as at the Crystal Palace, as for that sum a good 

 pair of birds should be obtained. When we think that at the 

 late Crystal Palace Show close on five hundred pens of birds 

 were offered at £2 a pen through these mediums, all will readily 

 see to what a pitch tbe Bale-class system has now arrived at. 

 As we cannot expect the managing powers themselves to give 

 np these most profitable clasBeB, it lies with breeders and 

 exhibitors to see whether they, by patronising less these cheap 

 ways of parting with their birds, cannot once more try to bring 

 the value of good specimens np to the old rate. It is not so 

 much that we want to see unnatural prices given again for 

 fancy fowls, but what we think is, that new beginners by buy- 

 ing really rubbish get disheartened, and, instead of helping to 

 cement closer together the members of an innocent amusement, 

 in their disgust do harm to the fancy by running down the 

 birds purobased and the characters of the vendors. 



Lastly, we come to one more reason which ws think a vary 

 powerf ol one. It is that so many hundreds of imperfect birds 

 are annually allowed to live. They are not half slaughtered 

 enough. The birds are allowed to live in the hope that they 

 will some day out-grow their infirmities, and they never do, so 

 perhaps they are sold at a small price, and go to form the nucleus 

 of a fresh exhibitor's yard, and only bring terrible woe upon him. 

 It is not the great exhibitors who rafrain from killing. They 

 know better. They have a reputation and a name at stake, and 

 those it is who feel the depression in the sales of birds so much. 

 They kill right and left birds with hocks, with wry tails, with 

 crooked claws, with imperfect plumage, with crooked combs, 

 with bad shape. Such birds are made into pies and pasties, 

 and are never allowed to go abroad and injure a fair reputation ; 



