November 23, 1876. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



453 



have fallen and the Grapes are gathered. Bouvardias may be pruned to pre- 

 vent the plants from becoming leggy. 



Vines in Greenhouse (J. W.).— If yon intend to grow plants underneath 

 the Vines the rods must be more than 2 feet apart. "We advise you to train 

 up canes 4 feet apart from the horizontal main Btem, and spur them back 

 annually. You may renew the coda at regular intervals, say one each year. 

 The two rods alluded to in your letter we advise you to cut back, leaving 

 about 5 feet of the wood. 



Scale on ArPLE and Pear Trees {J. R, Lisburn).—We have destroyed 

 this pest by painting the branches in winter with boiled oil, but a number of 

 the blossom budB were destroyed by it. We have not tried paraffin to destroy 

 scale, but no doubt it would do so, as it is sudden death to American blight. 

 Until this year wo had not tried it further than just to touch the affected 

 part of the tree with a brush dipped in the paraffin. This season one of the 

 Apple trees was by aocideut coated over entirely with paraffin, and we will 

 state the result nest season. We have seen the small Pear Ecale destroyed 

 by syringing the trees with water heated to 145°. 



Names of Fruits (L. Garnet).— 1, Vicar of Winkfield; 2, Hollandbury; 

 S, Pearson's Plate ; 4, Not known. (Mr. Pye Smith). — The two large Pears 

 are Vicar of Winkfield, and the round one Millot de Nancy. 



Names op Plants (Amateur). — HenElow's "Botanical Dictionary" will 

 Bait you. 



POULTET, BEE, AKD PIGEOU 0HE0NI0LE. 



CAN A POULTRY FARM PAT? 



I do not feel competent to deny the conclusions at which the 

 writer arrives, while I must take exception to his figures, and 

 Ehall be glad if I can .call forth the opinions and statistics of 

 some really practical men on the subject, for as far as my owu 

 experience goes I can only think " G. B. H." is an enthusiast, 

 and we know they are always able to prove their own oonclueions, 

 while ordinary mortals not unfrequently come to grief in trying 

 to attain similar results. 



I am very fond of reliable statistics, but in reading or studying 

 them always bear in mind some advice given me years ago — 

 "Friend, thy figures will never tell tbee lies if thou puttest 

 them down correctly," and the object of my writing this iB to 

 ask from praotical men if " G. B. H." has fulfilled the latter 

 condition. 



I commenced keeping poultry some ten or twelve years since, 

 and for the first twelve months kept an exact record of every 

 egg obtained. I had six hens and seven pullets, which during 

 the year produced 1114 eggs, or Bay roughly, ninety each. I 

 thought they ought to have done much better, and so gave up 

 recording what I could only regard as their faults or failings ; 

 and although I have kept poultry ever since, have had no reason 

 to doubt this average is very far off the mark, and would there- 

 fore ask — Can " G. B. H." persuade his hens to lay 150 eggs each 

 on an average ? Can he make each of his 4000 eggs produce a 

 chicken 1 Can he make fifty hens hatch and rear 4000 chickens ? 

 Can he rear 4000 chickenB until fit for market without one casu- 

 alty ? Can he obtain Id. each for his eggs on an average ? Can he 

 send his fowls and eggs to market for nothing ? As it appears to 

 me that if a man and woman are to attend to such a farm they 

 would not have much time for such matter-of-fact duties as this. 



I conld lengthen my string of questions by 6uch aB whether 

 " G. B. H." can obtain his stock and cultivate his land for 

 nothing, but think I have suggested enough to place the balance 

 on opposite side of account; and though fully prepared to admit 

 it may be, and frequently is, kept on the right side, I cannot re- 

 gard your correspondent's estimate as at all reliable, and shall 

 read with great interest any remarks which men of experience 

 may furnish, and will, in conclusion, only express a hope that 

 "G. B. H." will accept my criticism in the Bpirit it is offered, 

 which is simply a desire to arrive at hard facts. — Edith Weston. 



CRYSTAL PALACE SHOW. 



The great " National" is not too ambitious a term to describe 

 this superb Show — this Show of shows, for the best of English 

 fanciers are present. Scotch fanciers, in spite of cold (aye, 

 very cold travelling) weather this year, come south to it; and 

 Irish fanciers face the rough channel and meet their English 

 brethren in the Palace. 'Tis getting an old Show now. I 

 don't care to remember how many years we have met together 

 to look at the "doos." I see alterations in fanciers' faces and 

 figures. There's Mr. So-and-so, how grey he has grown ! Then, 



dear me ! what a full waistcoat the once Adonis-like Mr. 



has ! And there's another coming to " the lean and slippered 

 pantaloon." However, whoever is altered there's the father of 

 the fancy, Mr. Esquilant, not a bit changed, as lively as ever 

 and as young as ever. I wish I had his recipe for retaining 

 youDg looks. Then there is the Show, same place, same pens. 

 While other shows once annual have departed, some promised 

 and not f alfilled their promises, the Palace Show like Christmas 

 comes surely once a-year. It may take for its motto 



" Shows may come, and shows may go, 

 But I go on for ever." 



Some names I miss from the catalogue, names of fanciers of 



high repute and possessing many birds. I sincerely, and with 

 the beBt feeling towards the fancy and towards all fanciers, 

 venture to hope their names will be in the catalogue next year. 

 There is one observable difference in the Show in general this 

 year — no Babbits are there. Well, perhaps it is best to keep to 

 feather, and not have fur and feather together. But here are 

 the Pouters standing up and looking me in the face and claiming 

 my attention. What a triumph it was to make a down-looking 

 horizontal- placed little bird stand up straight like a man ; a bird 

 prone turned into a bird tall, and looking not prone but upwards. 

 Before speaking of tho Pouter classes I must put on record 

 what was not, I believe, in the schedule, and I do not see it 

 mentioned in the catalogue — viz., that a challenge cup value 

 fifteen guineas was presented by Captain Norman Hill for the 

 best standard Pied Pouter cock to be competed for this year at 

 the Crystal Palace, at Belfast, and at Edinburgh Shows. This 

 prize to be for the best standard Pied oock exhibited, and to be 

 competed for until the same bird receives the highest award on 

 three different (not necessarily consecutive) occasions. This 

 prize would establish the fact of a certain bird being the best 

 Pouter in the United Kingdom of his day — a bird, I need not 

 say, that would be looked at with the higheBt possible interest. 

 Mr. McCulIoch's Blue Pied cock, No. 2600, was the winner (one 

 turn) of this cup this year in England. 



Pouteks, Blue Pied Cocks. — The above-named bird first, a- 

 very grand bird ; the defects being in his fine colour, a few tickB, 

 and his bars not being wholly clear. Second, Mr. Fulton's fine 

 bird, but the legs a little too forward, hence the body thrown a 

 little out of balance. Third, Bev. W. J. Burdett's; a very supe- 

 rior bird with good bars, but his legs standing wide. This class 

 had thirteen entries. Black Pied. — First Fulton (2612), a fine 

 large bird with good crop, but droops his wings a little. Second 

 Pratt (2613), a pleasing Blender bird, but his crop smaller. Third, 

 MesBrs. Bidley & Dye, deserving its place ; and a very highly 

 commended, same owners, equally deserving its notice. Bed 

 or Yellow Cocks. — First a good limbed and cropped bird of Mr. 

 Fulton's. Seoond, McCulloch, a good-coloured Yellow, and well 

 marked but short flights. Third, another good Yellow, Bidley 

 and Dye. There were three good Yellows near each other. 

 2624 (highly commended), the third and the second prizes, A 

 very highly commended (Gili), a large-limbed and good- coloured 

 bird. White Cocks. — FirBt, no question about his place, Mr. 

 Stiles's, and hia bird in every way " stilish," slender, fine- 

 cropped, excellent. Second, Fulton, a long but rather heavy 

 bird. Third, Bidley & Dye, good, but smaller size. Any colour 

 Cocks bred in 1876. — FirBt-and-cnp, Bidley & Dye, a Blue and 

 very promising ; may he fulfil his promises ; the bars extremely 

 good. Second a Blue, McCulloch. Third a Yellow, Blacklock, 

 somewhat wanting in limb. 



Poutee Hens.— I always am pleased when I get to them, they 

 show bo well. Like all ladies they like attention, and, like 

 most, readily respond to it : all this very feminine. Blue Pied 

 Sens. — First, FultoD, a grand hen, but a little bishoped. Second 

 another of same owner, but somewhat hog-backed, at least so 

 she seemed. Third, Bidley & Dye, a very superior bird. This 

 a good class. Black Pied Hens. — First-and-cup, Pratt, the best 

 hen in the Show. Second, same owner, a rather heavy cock- 

 like bird. Third, Bidley & Dye. Yellow and Bed Hens.— The 

 Yellows are evidently looking up and appear in Etronger num- 

 bers. First a Bad, good colour and marking (Fulton). Second 

 a Yellow (Pratr), pale, but a good heD. Third another Yellow 

 (Ridley & Dje). White Hens. — Mrs. Ladd's superb hen first; 

 this bird any fancier may well be proud of. Second Fulton. 

 Third Bidley & Dye. Next we come to the young hens of any 

 colour. First, McCulloch, a Blue hen; a very long bird, but 

 wide in the legs. Second, Fulton, a better-limbed Blue. Third, 

 Fulton, a Bed of a very good dark colour. Very highly oom« 

 mended, a very good Blue, and deserving a prize ; pity she has 

 not better bars. 



Such were the Pouters : 140 pens in all. The classes well 

 filled, and the whole admirably judged by Mr. M. Stuart. 



The Pigmy Pouter Cocks, fourteen in number, formed a good 

 class. First-and-cup, Fulton, cream with white bars ; the best 

 by far. Second a White, and a very good bird. Third, Mr. 

 C. B. Child, deserving its place. Mr. Tegetmeier and Mr. Hol- 

 loway also showed some very good birds in this class, which as a 

 class must be pronounced excellent. Pigmy hens quite matched 

 the cocks. Firet a White of Mr. Hollowaj'a ; second a better- 

 limbed bird than first ; third Mr. Child. 



Carkiebb. — Black Cocks. — First-and-cup, Mr. Maynard ; wattle 

 very large, fine frame, but a little thick in throat. Second, 

 Fulton, a very stylish bird, with better neck than first. Third 

 Mr. Hedley. ClaBS a good one. Black Hens. — First-and-cup 

 Mr. Maynard; second, Beckwith; third, Heritage. This class 

 quite equal as a whole to the cocks. Dun Cocks. — First, Mr. 

 Hedley, a bird possessing colour, size, and style. Next to it 

 and coming second, Bidley & Dye's, a bird with a marvellously 

 beautiful walnut wattle; the best in the Show as to this point 

 but bad iu colour. These two birds were well judged, but the 

 placing them must have cost some thought. Dun Hens. — First 



