October 12, 1871. 3 



JODENAL OF HORTICULTDEE ANB COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



231 



•done, if shifted to larger pots they will soon make very large 

 plants. I have tiied about a dozen of newer varieties with the 

 same resiilt, but like the Verschaffelti best. 



Caladiusi akgykites. — This is a very useful plant for the 

 'dinner-table, and one that gives very little trouble where there 

 is a stove. About the beginning of March I generally look over 

 the bulbs, which are then at rest, turn them out of their pots, 

 and repot tbem in the following soil — turfy loam, leaf mould, 

 .■and very eld cow dung in equal parts, with a sprinkling of silver 

 sand. I have generally found tlie Caladium to last longer in a 

 growing state, and also to make much larger leaves, if the bulbs 

 are put into small pots first and then shifted to larger ones as 

 -isoon as they have filled their pots with roots. The size of the 

 pots we use on the table here are ii-inch — accordingly the bulbs 

 :are put first into 3-inoh pots, and when full of roots shifted into 

 -4J-inch pots. When potting, it is a good plan to put a large 

 bulb in the centre of a pot, with three or four smaller ones 

 round it ; this will bring the tallest and best leaves in the centre 

 •of the plant. As the plants are not required here till late in the 

 ■simimer, I only give enough water after potting to settle the 

 soil about the bulbs ; they are then put on a shelf in the stove 

 lautil they start into growth, when water is given whenever it is 

 required, until their beauty is past, when they may be returned 

 rto the shelf to gradually dry oif. — -W. Nokes. — {The Gardener.) 



SUITORS FOR LEGISLATIVE PROTECTION. 



In th^e last session of Parliament an Act was passed for the 

 protection of sea birds, and efforts are being made, wisely 

 jnade, far s. similar ahield being fixed before some of our land 

 birds. 



We are true, and ever shall be true, to our motto, "For Gar- 

 dening and Gardeners," and we, therefore, for we know they 

 "trust us, have no hesitation in pleading strenuously for mercy 

 to be shown to the small birds that frequent our gardens. Nay, 

 we ■will plead even for one large bird too. We were staying 

 ■with a friend, and whilst at the breakfast-table he exclaimed, 

 ■" There are the rooks on the lawn again ! " He hurried out of 

 the room, fii-ed at them, and killed one. " Ton are much in the 

 wrong to kill those birds." " Go and see what holes they make 

 in the grass." " Cut open the crop of your victim and see what 

 it contains." It was done, and there were in that crop nothing 

 but the grubs— larva3 — of the cockchafer (Melolontha vulgai-is). 

 The lawn was disfigured by brown patches, and those patches 

 were caused by the grubs eating the roots of the grass. Whether 

 ■our iriend is still a cor-vieide we are not aware ; he ■will read 

 •this, and may, perhaps, confess. 



We are indebted to the Society for the Suppression of Cruelty 

 to Animals for the engraving we append, and we woidd ask 

 ■every gardener to attend to a few facts we now record. No 

 ■plea do we oflfer for the bullfinch — he is put in the lowest comer 

 — he is a marauder, and injures fruit tree buds, not for the sake 

 of the caterpillars within them, but because the embryo buds are 

 pleasing to his palate ; yet he need not be destroyed, he is beau- 

 tiful, and so very rare, and so very timid, that he may be seared 

 -away ; a blank partridge discharged will drive him away to far- 

 •oflT quiet hedgerows, not to return for weeks. 



" Do not shoot the tomtits, Harry, they only pick the buds 

 to get at the grubs in them." "Better leave the grubs alone — 

 •<3ue enemy is better than two." " True, but the grub would be- 

 •oome a perfect insect, and the parent of hundreds of other grubs 

 to attack the buds next year." 



We have watched the labours during their nesting time of 

 •every species of bii:d pourtrayed in the annexed drawing, and 

 Tve record this as a fact — an unrefutable fact to which there is 

 ■no exception — each parent bird brought daily to its nestlings 

 hundreds of insects either in their perfect or larva state. 



In Maegillivray's "British Birds" is this confirmatory state- 

 Taent -. — 



" At the distance of 9 feet from a thrush's nest, which was 

 l3uilt in an old wall, I erected a hut with some branches of 

 •Spruce and Scotch Fir, and took possession of it on the morning 

 ■of Thursday, the 8th of June, 1837, at a quarter past 1 o'clock, 

 for the pui'pose of makmg observations on the habits of these 

 birds. At haH-past 2 o'clock they commenced feeding their 

 brood. From that time until 4 o'clock they fed them fourteen 

 iimes. From 4 to half-past 5 o'clock they fed them tsventy-two 

 times. As one of the young birds was dressing its feathers it 

 lost its balan-ce and fell on the ground. No sooner did the old 

 ones perceive it than they set up the most doleful lamentations. 

 I replaced it in the nest. Having seen me return to my retreat 

 they -svould not feed their young uiitU I came out. I accord- 



ingly went home for my boy, who, after I had gone in again, 

 carefully concealed the entrance. His departure attracted their 

 notice, for, after having followed him a considerable distance 

 they returned, and, without suspicion, commenced their labour. 

 From half-past 5 trntU 7 o'clock they fed them twenty-four 

 times. From 7 to 8 o'clock they fed them sixteen times, and 

 from 8 to 9 o'clock eleven times. From 10 to 11 o'clock they 

 fed them ten times, and from 1 to 2 o'clock eleven times. From 

 2 to 3 o'clock they fed them eight times, and from 3 to 4 o'clock 

 sis times. From 7 to 8 o'clock they fed them thirteen times, and 

 from S to half-past 9 o'clock thirteen times. They now ceased 

 from theu- labours for this day, after having fed their brood 206 

 times." 



" On Saturday morning, the 10th of June, 1837, at half- past 

 2 o'clock, I went into a house made of the branches of trees to 

 watch the blackbirds while they were feeding their brood. It 

 was within 9 feet of their nest, which was built in the hole of an 

 old wall. At a quarter-past 3 o'clock in the morning they began 

 to feed their young, which were four in number. From that 

 time until 4 o'clock the male fed them only once, and sang 

 almost incessantly, while the female fed them six times. From 

 4 to 5 o'clock the male fed them six and the female three times; 

 from 5 to 6 o'clock the male fed them four, and the female five 

 times; from 6 to 7 o'clock the male fed them three, and the 

 female five times ; and from 7 to 8 o'clock the male fed them three 

 times. For the last four hours he sang most delightfully, except 

 when he was feeding his tender offspring. As he had induced 

 one of them to fly out after him, I was under the necessity of 

 fixing it into its nest, and this caused some interruption to their 

 feeding. From S to 9 o'clock the male fed them^six, and the 

 female seven times ; and fi-om 9 to 10 o'clocli the rnale fed them 

 four, and the female three times. From 10 to 11 o'clock the male 

 fed them three, and the female two times ; from 1 1 to 12 o'clock 

 the male fed them two, and the female three times; from 12 to 

 I o'clock the male fed them two, and the female four times ; and 

 from 1 to 2 o'clock the male fed them twice, and the female 

 thrice. From 2 to 3, o'clock the female fed them twice ; and 

 from 3 to 4 o'clock the male fed them three, and the female four 

 times. From 4 to 5 o'clock the male fed them thi-ee, and the 

 female four times ; from o to 6 o'clock the female fed them only 

 twice ; and from 6 to 7 o'clock she fed them thi-ee times. In 

 the evening the male was so much engaged in singing that he 

 left the charge of his family almost entu-ely to bis tender-hearted 

 spouse. From 7 to 8 o'clock the male fed the.m only once, and 

 the female six times ; and from 8 to twenty minutes past 9 o'clock, 

 when they ceased fi-om their mutual labours, the male fed them 

 once, and the female seven times. When I left my retreat to 

 my more comfortable abode the male was pouring forth his most 

 charming m.elody. Thus, in the course of a single day, the male 

 fed the young forty-fom-, and the female sixty-nine times." 



" On Tuesday morning, the 4th of July, 1837, at a quarter 

 past 2 o'clock, I went to observe the titmice feeding their brood. 

 At half-past 3 o'clock in the morning the birds began to feed 

 their young, which were six in number. From that time until 



4 o'clock they fed them twelve times, and from 4 to 5 o'clock 

 twenty-five times. From 5 to 6 o'clock they fed them forty 

 times, which was astonishing, as during the whole of this hour 

 they flew to a plantation at the di5t"^nce of more than 150 yards 

 from their nest. From 6 to 7 o'clock they fed them twenty-nine 

 times ; during a part of this hour they flew in every minute. 

 From 7 to S o'clock they fed them twenty times ; during this 

 hour it rained very heavily. From 8 to 9 o'clock they fed them 

 thirty-sis: times, and from 9 to 10 o'clock forty-six times ; diu'ing 

 a part of this last hour they fed them twelve times in five 

 minutes. From 10 to 11 o'clock they fed them thirty-seven 

 times, and from 11 to 12 o'clock thirty-nine times, and from 

 12 to 1 o'clock twenty-four times. From 1 to 2 o'clock they fed 

 them twenty-three times, and from 2 to 3 o'clock thirty-four 

 times, and from 3 to 4 o'clock eighteen times. From 4 to 



5 o'clock they fed them twenty-nine times, and from 5 to 6 o'clock 

 twenty-five times, and from 6 to 7 o'clock twenty times, and 

 from 7 to half-past 8 o'clock twenty-five times. They now 

 stopped, after having been almost incessantly engaged for nearly 

 seventeen hours in their labours of love, and after having fed 

 their young 473 times. They appeared to feed them solely -with. 

 caterpillars. Sometimes they brought in a single large one, 

 and at other times two or three small ones. It is therefore im- 

 possible to say how many had been carried in by them during 

 the day." , 



-Another good authority, the Eev. F. 0. Morris, in " The Game- 

 keeper's Museum," says, " It is only during a portion, and not a 

 large portion, of the year that the birds can find any fruit to 



