234 



JQTJBISAB, OS 1 HOEXICTTLTUKE AWD COTTAGE GARDENER,, 



[ March Mi 186& 





Heath Cuttings—Heaths in Summeb ( 7>/ru) .—Heath cuttings must 

 be regularly watered- as they, need it: soaking them well ■wall kill them. 

 The glasses must be kept on until roots are 'formed,- and then betaken off 

 by degrees, leaving them off 'at night first, then morning and evening in 

 addition, and then removing them altogether. Heaths bloomed in winter* 

 if at all free-growing, should be pruned pretty well back, kept close until 

 fresh growth is proceeding freely, then more air given, and bo fully 

 exposed in autumn to the sun and air. and be housed in October. 



Apricot in a Gbeenhotjse [T. Wood).— If you keep your greenhouse 

 ■warm in winter, or if- you have a stage so as to shade the back wall, your 

 Apricot tree will do no good as to fruiting; If you merely keep frost out in 

 winter, have no stage which would shade the back wall, a-r.d give plenty of 

 air in spring— then the tree will do well. From your description, however, 

 we suspect the tree wants root-pruning. If you gave as. much heat to your 

 greenhouse as from 40° to 45° in winter, and kept it rather clo^e in the 

 spring, a Peach or Vine would do better than an Apricot. "We would not 

 despair of the Pear trees for nest season, if you follow the same system, 

 though we are almost afraid you have missed some of the main tap roots. 



Orchids {Orchidophiliis).— For a bulb of Calaiithe vestita from 2 to 

 3 inches would be agood size. It is somewhat difficult to renovate a neg- 

 lected collection. They will require more shade, and more moisture in the 

 atmosphere than healthy specimens; and as soon as they are moving 

 strength may be communicated by m.mure-wateringsof a cool nature, such 

 as that from old cowdung-, and nodules of old cowdung that has been well 

 dried may form part of the compost. A little manure, if carefully applied^ 

 does the plants no harm, except the very tenderest of those fixed to blocks, 

 and even these we have seen dipped in weak solutions of manure with 

 advantage. The words "at least 3 feet high," at page 593 of the Cottage 

 Gardiner's Dictionary should be struck out, 



Foub, Bedding-out Geraniums { W. C. M. iV". D.).— If we were confined 

 to four kinds, we would have Christine (pink-flowered), Tom Thumb or 

 Crystal Palace (scarlet), Bijou as a white-edged, and either Cloth of Gold 

 or Golden Crcle as a yellow-edged one. Two more kinds would do for the 

 largest garden— that is, Mangles' Variegated or Shottesham Pet, and a deep 

 rose-coloured one as Kubrum or Paul L'Ahbe. 



Pink Verbena and Edging eor Verbena (Idem),— As, a rosy pink, 

 Great Eastern is very good, while Ida is a delicate pink. Some of the 

 shaded or fancy sorts make a very good pink, by th,e blending of the two 

 colours composing each floret. *One of the best that way is Herman 

 Steiger, an old kind. Amongst new ones, Cheerful is a good pink; but 

 there are so many tints having the name pink that it is difficult for one 

 person to choose for another. As an edging for a bed on grass, the old 

 Variegated Alyssum keeps pace with the growth of the Verbena best ; and 

 excepting for a light-coloured variety, it looks as well as anything ; but if 

 the flower he white try Perilla, or Lobelia speciosa. 



Frame Heated by a Flue {J, .£.).— It is most likely there has been an 

 escape of smoke from your flue, but the same evil would arise from too much 

 heat; by negleciing to give air sufficiently early on a bright sunny day, 

 the small volume of air in a frame quickly becomes overheated, and bad 

 results follow. If, however, your Cucumber plants be likely to recover, it 

 is certainly not advisable to disturb the flue and all the contents of the frame 

 if it can be avoided. First, therefore, ascertain, if you can, where the 

 escape of smoke is, and if there be a drain-pipe at that place stop it up. 

 We presume your drain-pipes are placed upon the flue and not exactly 

 communicating with the chamber. If the latter, however, be the case, 

 the temporary remedy is more difficult ; but as the season is fast advancing 

 when atmospheric heat will be less wanted, you might partly, stop the pipes 

 up with moss that had previously been scalded, to kill all insect life in it. 

 A little moss put in e;tch pipe and frequently wetted will filter the heat of 

 soms of its impurities and charge it with moisture suitable to the wants of 

 the plants inside, Cucumbers especially delighting in a nice, agreeable, 

 humid atmosphere. It is generally easy to detect any pernicious vapours 

 in a pit or house by inhaling the air alter previously being some time in the 

 open air. Most gardeners know by the test. of their lungs when the heat is 

 a nice and sweet one, free alike from the rankness of unprepared dung or 

 the smell of an Arnott stove which fire-heated surfaces often give off. If, 

 however, your flue be too bad to go on for the present crop, by all means^ 

 have it rectified, and we have no doubt but it will act. At the same time 

 try and bring the first light into use if you are restricted for space laterally 

 for your fireplace. Then go deeper, so as to have the extra room above for 

 the hot-air chamber and other overheating precautions. If your frame be 

 a close-fitting one, it would be better to have a small opening at the back 

 at all times. Many impurities would pass off that way that might be hurtful 

 to the plants inside ; and as you reside where coals aie cheap, the little 

 extra expense in fuel is of little moment. 



Names of apples (W. Bilder).—1, Russet Nonpariel ; 2, Colonel 

 Vaughan's; 3, Not known; 4, Court of Wick; 5, Not known. 



Names op Plants (TT. C. C). — A smooth-leaved Lauresiine, probably a 

 weak shoot of the var. lueida; Erica carnea. [John 6ray).—i t Notho- 

 chlsena distans; 2, Asplenium trichomanes; 3, Blechnum spicnnt;4 and 

 6,LastreaSieboldii; 5, Woodwardia (Doodia) caudata. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHROEICLE. 



THE POULTRY CLUB. 



Undbi! the authority of this newly-formed Society a circular 

 has just been issued. It embraces not only the proposed future 

 operations of the collected body of its members, but also ex- 

 plicitly points out the evil it is intended to eradicate. In the 

 first place it proceeds to avow the formation of the Society has 

 arisen from "the very different awards of the judges, and the 

 diametrically opposite opinions of arbitrators on certain points, 

 as exemplified at our different public poultry exhibitions." 



True it is that such variances of opinions have " led to the 

 confusion" complained of; but the primary question is this: 

 From what particular causes do these complaints arise? 

 Decidedly the most important of our shows leave but little room 

 for amendment in the matter of the arbitrations ; but on the 



contrary, not a few of our minor- meetings have justly called 

 forth considerable animadversions- from . the irregularity of the 

 awards, and the perplexities thus oaused to.breeders. 



A case in point occurring not long since is an apt illustration 

 of the majority of instanceBof such-misunderstandings. A show 

 that had for many years past held its annual meetings with unvai y- 

 iug aud increasing success, repeatedly added small sums to its 

 surplus incomes, and promised a great increase both of size anil 

 popularity as time progressed. Unfortunately for the welfare of 

 the Society, a new resident in the locality, himself a poultry- 

 fancier,, and then a subscriber of £5 to its revenues, proposed an 

 alteration in respect to the previous arrangements for adjudica- 

 tions, which he assured the' committee would prove most ad- 

 vantageous on the balance sheets, saving an outlay, of about the 

 amount of his subscription that had been hitherto expended in 

 judges' fees, and an arrangement which he was, convinced would 

 also meet with universal approval when the awards were made 

 known. The experiment was tried ; as the gentleman ou whose 

 behalf the application in committee was made, assured that. 

 body by letter, that " he had been, an enthusiastic breeder of 

 almost every variety of poultry for more than twenty-five years, 

 and that he had not the slightest fear as. to his competency to 

 fulfil the duties to the satisfaction of all." Again, he stated, " as 

 it was his greatest ambition to become a pouliry judge, he wcujd 

 not object to give two guineas to the Society, besides paying all 

 his own, expenses, if his offer were excepted." He came to duty, 

 bearing with him not only a well-known publication for instant- 

 reference should diflicuity arise, but also a manuscript of his 

 own, written expressly for this. occasion. The result was, that 

 though the Show was advertised to open as heretofore at midday, 

 the arbitrator now appointed had not quite completed. his award* 

 at 7 p.m. In a private letter one of the Committee since writes : 

 "Our show is for ever ruined. The instances in which the 

 awards were obvious enough to any. poultry^lover, were got 

 through efficiently and speedily ; but, in almost every oase : in 

 which competition arose, a delay of very considerable duration 

 immediately ensued for the purpose of reference, aud thus 

 eventually the premiums then under consideration were given 

 quite as frequently to the worst as to the better "pens." The 

 Judge declared his difficulty arose from the application of, his 

 rules to the birds before him. "In his hurry to ' skedaddle,' he 

 left his books behind him, which (both the printed and 

 manuscript) were unquestionably good. It would have paid our 

 purpose better," says the Committeeman, " to have given 

 Mr. fifty or a hundred pounds to have stopped away." 



The fact is, it wants the greatest practical experience in a 

 poultry judge to select at once by the eye, and nicely to balance 

 the proportionate excellence of rival pens in the short space of 

 time allotted to the duty. It is a natural gift to a great extent ; 

 for which book-learning will never prove a fitting substitute.' 



It is certain, too, that our principal shows will never succumb 

 to the dictations of the " Poultry Club," involving as it will 

 most probably, contending personal interests ; neither will the 

 managing committee of our lesser exhibitions fail to hesitate 

 before placing the well-doing of their particular meetings in the 

 hands of comparative strangers. A local committee of any show 

 must of necessity prove the most effective in its own manage- 

 ment. Again, it is probable that none of our most reputed 

 judges of poultry will accept office encompassed with leading- 

 strings, or aid in furnishing the code of rules ou which, by their 

 printed admission, the successful hopes of this embryo Society 

 depend. In our opinion, it is evident that the proposed Club is 

 an abortion without life or power, and although formed, to 

 suppress all causes for future grumblings, yet itBelf it would 

 become, if allowed to act, the nursery of dissatisfaction. 



Lastly, the assumption of power by Buch stewards "as, happen 

 to be present" at any local meeting where the rules of the Club 

 are in force, will subject themselves to no very pleasing amount 

 of personal reflections by the attempt, whon called upon, as 

 provided " to deal with the case as they think proper," in cases, 

 too, where even they may themselves be interested competitors. 

 Without vastly improved rules and regulations to those now 

 issued, failure is inevitable. 



SEAL SBRLNG CHICKENS. 

 Says Mary Powell, " The sojourn of the Court at Oxford, 

 and the number of troops and officers on duty, do cause great 

 demand, for,, the spring chielyens, mi ducklings in th.e yard," 



