JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ April 7, 1863. 



Vines not Doing Well (.4 Subscriber). — We fear that something 1 else 

 ■was wanted than removing the clay that overlaid the roots of your Vines 

 on the border and against the house. It would have certainly been better 

 to have taken up the Vines entirely and made a new border, and replanted 

 them, or introduced fresh ones, for as you say the fruit last year was colour- 

 less and ill-flavoured, it was a pity to lose another season in the attempt to 

 partially restore them by enticing the roots to the surface with a horsedung 

 covering. Late as it now is, we would prefer destroying the Vines that are 

 almost certain to be unsatisfactory, and remake the border and plant fresh 

 ones. By having Vines with roots spread out in soil in a flat basket, and 

 that basket kept in a suitable place under glass, growth will be going on, 

 and you can plant basket and all when you have finished your border by 

 the middle of May. 



Sea-kale under an Apple Thee (J7. P. B.).— If the roots of the Apple 

 tree occupy the ground and the top overhang it, the Sea-kale will not 

 be so good as when grown in the open ground. It will, however, succeed 

 tolerably well if manure be liberally applied. See what has been said about 

 Sea-kale in another part of our paper. 



Hyacinths in Glasses Flowering- Unevenly (F. W. B.). — Most likely 

 those bulbs which did not throw the flower-spike above the collar were 

 forced hard and early, when they are likely to do so; while those which 

 did not open their flowers, but elongated the stem, must have either been 

 from imperfectly-ripened bulbs, or perhaps gown in transparent glasses, 

 exposing the roots to the action of the light : either of these causes would 

 occasion the defect complained of. 



Paint for Greenhouses in Smoky Towns [C. F. T.).~ Have the outsides 

 painted a dark stone colour, and with the white paint inside have some 

 Prussian blue mixed. The latter should be used wherever a greenhouse or 

 conservatory may be situated ; it gives a very pleasing tone to the colour. 



Australian Seeds {Lex).— They are all Acacia seeds, and require sowing 

 in a light soil in a greenhouse, atter being soaked for two hours in water 

 you can just bear your finger in. Wattle is u colonial name applied to the 

 Acacias, but which is the Cape WattJe we do not remember. 



Name of Seed ( W. If-). — The seed of Abrus precatorius. 



Names of Plants (W. D.).— 1, No flowers; 2, Acacia hispidissima; 

 3, a Choro2ema, without leaves ; 4, Tropceolum tricolorum ; 5, Azalea 

 amcena. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



THE POULTRY CLUB. 



As a member of (he Poultry Club, and one of the Honorary 

 Secretaries thereof, I cannot allow the two condemnatory articles 

 in your Journal of the two laat weeks to pass unnoticed. From 

 their tenor, I feel assured that the writer must be smarting 

 under the conviction that the Club is formed to correct his and 

 his brother Judge's errors of judgment, or that their decisions 

 may be hereafter censured by the Club. It is well known to 

 many exhibitors, that at many of our large Shows there haye 

 been most glaring mistakes, whether wilfully or from not 

 knowing the points I am not inclined to say. The gentlemen 

 who have formed this Club have but one object in view — that of 

 obtaining the honest and fair exhibition of poultry, and uniform 

 judgment. And so far the success of the Poultry Club has been 

 proved beyond what its promoters could have expected, number- 

 ing amongst its members, residents in England, Ireland, Scot- 

 land, and even Holland, including breeders of every known 

 variety of poultry, many of them acknowledged judges, and "men 

 of standing and position in society," who are prepared to act 

 under the Poultry Club's rules. Time only will show whether 

 the Club can accomplish the object aimed at. And even Bhould 

 it fail in doing so, the promoters will have the satisfaction of 

 knowing (hat it has had a fair trial. 



At the same time I must say I think the articles in question 

 are premature ; and it seems evident in predicting failure, that 

 " the wish has been father to the thought." 



In conclusion, I can only repeat that the Club will do all in 

 its power to secure honest and uniform judging, without which 

 poultry shows will share the fate which has been so assuredly 

 anticipated for the Club in The Journal oe Hoettccxtuee 

 and Cottage Gaedenee. That such prediction may be doomed 

 to disappointment, is the hearty wish of — Edwd. Tudman. 



[We readily give insertion to Mr. Tudman's letter, for we 

 have no object except I he promotion of the interests of poultry 

 exhibitors, and the success of poultry exhibitions ; but we 

 muBt express our regret that he has ascribed unworthy motives 

 to those who have published in these pages opinions differing 

 from his own. This is not the best nor the pleasantest way of 

 attaining to the truth, for in this and in all other discussions, 

 reasons should be weighed ; what the reasoner's motives are, is 

 perfectly immaterial. 



The only question for discussion is, Will the Poultry Club 

 effect its objects ? We think that it will not, and we have 

 stated temperately why we eo think, and we have that opinion 

 sustained by the opinions of others well acquainted with poultry 

 exhibitions. If wrong, no one will rejoice more than we shall 

 over the success of the Poultry Club.— Eds.] 



MALAYS AT DEVIZES. 



I DID not receive your Journal till late, and fully intended 

 to reply to Mr. Eox's query, but it escaped my memory. If 

 "better late than never," I would add a few words to your 

 notes on the Malay. " Chacun a son go-iit" say our neighbours, 

 and I do not doubt there are many who admire the Malay. 

 Of those at Devizes, I admired Mr. Pox's as much as any, but 

 for this reason — that, in my eyes they were less ugly than their 

 prize and highly commended neighbours. Some young birds 

 highly commended were those which provoked my "dotting;" 

 they had not the brighter colours of the adults, which, to a 

 casual observer, covers over defects. I would candidly say that, 

 in my eyes, Mr. Fox's birds are too handsome. 



I agree with your definition of the Malay ; and if you do not 

 think me too bold, I would add one or two points. The hackle 

 of the Malay is peculiar to the breed ; instead of the feathers, as 

 in other poultry, getting longer as they approach the shoulders, 

 they are nearly of the same length throughout, so that they fail 

 to cover over the shoulders, and make the neck appear as if 

 stuck on the body. I give you simply my own iaipression?. 

 It is here, I fancy, and I beg pardon for saying so of so good a 

 breeder, that Mr. Pox's birds fail. You say that the comb 

 should be flattened down on the head, and I would add that the 

 head should be broad, as well as overhanging the eyes. I agree 

 with all your remarks about the scantiness of feather. Have 

 you not, however, omitted a characteristic of the breed, espe- 

 cially of the teatherless strains — that is, a peculiarly cool and 

 defiant air ? You may rattle your hand along the front of the 

 pen, and your true Malay takes no notice of the affront, nor is 

 he at all put out — indeed, had he a lip, I should expect to see 

 it curl up ; but that would be the only part of the body to 

 move. 



To turn to another subject. I am very glad to see that others 

 have noticed the faults of omission and commission in the sche- 

 dules of Worcester and Bath and West of England Shows. In 

 both the duration of the Show is preposterous, and if it is un- 

 altered, I hope breeders will come to the same determination as 

 I have done— to keep my best birds at home. — Y. B. A. Z. 



ACCRINGTOJST EXHIBITION OF POULTRY. 



Peobably were those parties intimately conversant with 

 poultry-breeding to attempt the selection of the most inappro- 

 priate time of all others to hold a public exhibition of this kind, 

 a period of the year could not have more aptly suggested itself 

 to their minds than the one adopted for the Meeting at Accring- 

 ton — the first week in April. To exhibit their best birds at 

 such a critical portion of the early breeding season would, it 

 would be imagined, have daunted the spirits of even the most 

 resolute and persevering; for now is the time in which the fondest 

 expectations of all breeders beat highly in anticipation of those 

 chickens that are hoped to take all before them at our earliest 

 Summer Chicken Shows. It is, of course, quite obvious no 

 chicks of 1863 are as yet eligible for showing ; whilst the stock- 

 birds are so busily engaged, it taxes the resolution of their pro- 

 prietors to the utmost to place so serious an interference to the 

 production of early broods as that of exhibiting them at so 

 important and anxious a season. To this particular Meeting, 

 howevnr, the time of holding the show appears rather that of an 

 unavoidable necessity than the result of willing selection. 



The Spring Fair at Accrington is always held on the first 

 Thursday in April, and as their Cattle Show invariably takes 

 place at this time, the poultry has become an adjunct to this 

 meeting, only since the time that the universal desire to improve 

 our breeds of domestic fowls has become so popular. Rot- 

 withstanding these serious drawbacks, as goodly a muster 

 throughout the varied classes was got together as we have 

 witnessed at any local meeting for years past. It is quite evi- 

 dent to all observers, that the Accrington Committee are as 

 desirous as it is possible for men to be to insure permanent 

 success to their undertaking, and both their collective and indi- 

 vidual exertions are strained to the utmost to promote this 

 desirable end ; but they have not yet attained the experience of 

 those who superintend our long-established societies. We will, 

 therefore, just courteously suggest two points on whicli an 

 altered arrangement would, without doubt, be most advisable. 

 The one is, that the printed catalogues are openly sold about the 

 streets for many hours previously to even the commencement of 

 the arbitrations. This gives a great opening to the disaffected 



