March 17, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



211 



capital eating ; the best for exhibition purposes for either round 

 ones or kidneys, as they grow both shapes, some being as round 

 as marbles, others good-shaped kidneys, both at the same root ; 

 a beautiful straw colour when boiled. This Potato took the 

 first prize at every show I sent it to, including the Crystal 

 Palace in 1861, for the best twenty Potatoes in the Show, first 

 at Bii-mingham this last year, first for the best twelve kidneys at 

 the International, South Kensington. They were also in two 

 collections I had there that gained one second prize and one 

 extra. This capital Potato was a seedling from the 



Fluke raised by Mr. Spencer, of Hartshill, now living at 

 Oflley House, Eecleshall, Staffordshire. He has a lot of seed 

 to spare. I sent all I had to Sutton & Sons, of Reading. 



Webb's Imperial.— A. good second early, a good cropper and 

 eater, but very much inclined to take the disease; very long 

 tubers ; good for exhibiting. 



Lapstone Kidney. — Second early. A very handsome tuber, 

 splendid eating, but shy cropper, and very much inclined to 

 take the disease. 



Flour Ball. — Round, second early, a good cropper, good- 

 eating white Potato, but the eyes too deep for peeling. 



Sell Kidney, or Second Early Ashteaf. — A good cropping and 

 eating Potato, but grows too many small ones, and the bulbs 

 very much thicker at one end than the other. 



Queen of the Flukes. — A late Potato, very similar to the 

 Fluke, but better in shape, with pink marks at each end. This 

 is considered by several Potato-growers to be the best eating of 

 any of the kinds, quite superior to the Fluke ; it is capital as an 

 exhibition Potato. This was reared by Mr. Spencer with the King. 

 Red Regent or Holland. — A red round Potato, an immense 

 cropper; indeed, it will grow a good crop where the Fluke 

 would fail. It is a handsome Potato, and good for exhibiting ; 

 but when cut through some of the tubers are red all through, 

 and when boiled are nearly black, so that it will not do for a 

 gentleman's table. Nevertheless, it is a capital Potato for 

 cottagers, as they do not mind the look as long as the tubers are 

 good to eat. 



Millet's Manifold. — A capital scarlet Potato, good for ex- 

 hibiting, eating, and cropping ; kidney-shaped. 



Wellington. — A capital round Potato, but the eyes are rather 

 too deep for peeling without waste. 



York Regent. — A capital-eating round Potato, but very 

 subject to the disease ; rather a shy cropper for a late Potato. 



Scotch Cups, Farmer's Glory, Pheasant Fye, Bread Fruit, 

 and several others I grew, but found them too coarse to need 

 description. 



" Upwards and Onwards" makes a mistake when he says 

 the Rev. Mr. Stevens, from Reading, sent the King and Queen 

 of the Flukes, for I believe I was the only exhibitor who sent 

 them to Kensington. Mr. Stevens sent Webb's Imperial or 

 Incomparable, and took the second prize, while my Kings 

 gained the first for the best twelve kidneys. 



I think, if I remember right, "Upwards and Onwards" 

 could not tell which were the best Potatoes out of the great 

 quantity he saw. Did he notice Mr. Robinson's first-prize 

 collection ? There were twelve splendid-looking Potatoes named 

 the Melbourne Hero. I liked these the best in the Show; 

 indeed, I never saw anything like them before, as far as appear- 

 ance went. I wish I had some of the kind. They were kidneys, 

 and looked like second earhes. Next to these I thought my 

 Kings were the best ; but a competitor always likes his own 

 the best. 



I have received a schedule of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society's Shows for this year, but there are no prizes for 

 vegetables. Why is this? The Exhibition in October last 

 must have answered.— J. Chotce, Jun., Harris Bridge. 



FLUE -HEATING. 



Having during the iast autumn built a vinery and orchard- 

 house, heated by a flue, I think I may be enabled to help the 

 amateurs who, like myself, have been afraid of the expense of hot- 

 water apparatus. 



My house is a lean-to, 40 feet long and 15 feet wide, divided 

 in half by a glass partition, the half nearest the fire being the 

 vinery. The flue goes from the back through to the front of 

 the house, within 5 feet of the glass, then turns along the front 

 to the glass partition, and takes a slight curve to within 5 feet 

 of the back wall of the orchard-house. In this house I have two 



chimneys, one going from the curve mentioned before, the other 

 in the far corner of the house, so that I can either have heat or 

 not in the orchard-house, by allowing the smoke and heat to 

 escape by either the one chimney or the other. My flue is 

 formed of single brick walls 4 J inches wide, 12 inches deep inside, 

 14 inches wide, covered by fire-brick covers, notched, to prevent 

 any escape of smoke through the joints. The expense of the flue 

 was, bricks and mortar, 20s. ; cover, 20s. ; labour, 10*. ; show- 

 ing a cost of 50s. My fuel costs me 2s. per ton, or with cartage, 

 Is., 3s. On the 19th of January I had in two tons, of which 

 about 5 or 6 cwt. remain. 



My Tines are showing fruit, so that you see I am enabled to 

 keep up a good heat at a very small cost. I have five Vines 

 planted in the border, and five more in pots, besides some 

 Orange and Fig trees, bedding plants, &c. Another mode of 

 heating which I feel certain will prove very good and cheap, is 

 on the principle of hot water, but actually by hot air. We have 

 it at work in our manufactory, and we find it heats a very large 

 structure very effectively, and dries-off our goods in a very 

 efficient manner. The principle is this : — In the furnace or fire- 

 place a large cast-iron pipe is fixed, so that the fire plays all 

 round it, and heats it thoroughly before going up the chimney. 

 One end is open to admit the cold air, to the other end earthen 

 pipes are attached, taking the heated air in any direction you 

 desire, the circulation being as true with air as water, bat only 

 requiring a flow-pipe, and not a return one, causing a first-rate 

 circulation in the house ; and by keeping the earthenware pipe 

 (unglazed) damp, you can have any amount of moisture you 

 require. The heated air contains no impure vapour, as it is not 

 at all unpleasant to stand in and breathe it, even at a high tem- 

 perature. The cost is also very little, as the six-inch pipe we can 

 supply at 9d. per yard, and the nine-inch at Is. lit?, per yard, at 

 the works, or deliver them 100 miles at a very small additional 

 cost, in two-ton lots. I shall be happy to give any further in- 

 formation that may be required, or to register the heat I keep, 

 and my consumption of fuel. In my orchard-house, which 

 is full of trees — Pears, Apples, Plums, Cherries, Peaches, and 

 Nectarines, of various sorts, I am also forward, but as many 

 were only maiden plants I cannot expect very much fruit ; but 

 the few fruiting trees I have look very promising, Peaches and 

 Nectarines being in full blossom, and Pears and Cherries in bud. 

 — E. 



MICE DESTROYERS OF CROCUSES. 



FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN A SPANIEL AND ilOUSE. 



Several letters have appeared in your Journal on the 

 destruction of Crocuses, &c, by mice, and I have no doubt 

 of their committing the depredations, for I hare had mine 

 destroyed by them. It is astonishing the numbers of these 

 animals I have had in my garden, for the three cats I have 

 have destroyed scores of them, and as they do not eat that 

 species, they leave them on the walks and grass plat in front of 

 my house, yet I frequently find five or six on opening my door 

 in the morning. They are difficult to catch in traps, as they 

 will not take any bait that I put for them ; but my gardener 

 has caught a great many by placing the traps in their runs in 

 the turf pits and orchard-house and covering the trap with grass, 

 leaves, &c. I have suffered iu the same way as your correspondent 

 " R. F.," having had a Sweetwater Vine bitten off by them close 

 above the ground. They have also eaten the large roots, so that 

 it is quite destroyed. I have had a very strong solution of 

 Gishurst applied repeatedly to the other Vines to prevent the 

 mice destroying them. 



I may mention a curious circumstance relating to a common 

 house mouse, which has made its nest in a corner of the stand- 

 ing in the stable where a large spaniel dog is tied-up, which 

 protects it from the cat, and which yesterday flew at the eat that 

 was just about to catch it. The mouse was protected in the 

 same way last year by the dog, under whose protection it brought 

 up its young ones, and it is about to do the same again. — 

 R. C. B. 



[Our correspondent is a physician, and old subscriber to this 

 Journal. — Eds. J. of H.] 



TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



W. Paul, Waltham Cross. — Spring Catalogue of JSezo Roses. 

 Hollyhocks, Gladioli, Pelargoniums, §c. 



Sutton k. Sons, Reading.— Farm Seed List for 186S. 



