308 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



E October 19s ISTl- 



Pears : 1, Bois Napoleon; 2. BenrreDiel. Apples : Botli numbers appear 

 to be Lewis's Incomparable. (S. B. B.). — Your Apple is not Catshead, 

 but a good specimen of Gloria Mnndi. (-4. M , London). — Lincolnshire 

 Holland Pippin. (Jscrt).— 1, Soldat Esperen ; 2, Princess Charlotte; 



5, Bellissime d'Hiver ; 4, Dunmore. {Mrs. Phelps).—!, Reiuette Blanche 

 d'Espagne ; 2. Margil ; 3, Norfolk Colman. (A. M.).—l, Calebass*^ ; 2, Doy- 

 enne Gris ; 3, Eergamotte Cadette; 4, Brown Beurre ; 5, Dunmore; 



6, Passe Colmar; 7, Lady's Finger. (B. C. GidZ(!)y).— Through the Pear 

 being addressed to Dr. Hogg instead of to " The Editors," it was not un- 

 packed during his absence, and was rotten on his return. (Clay Bank). — 

 1, Tonneau ; 2, Hampden's Bergamot. (A. B.). — Black Hamburgh. (C. B.). 

 —4, Duchesse d'Angouleme, small specimen ; 5, Jersey Gratioli ; 6, Court 

 of Wick ; 7, Fondante des Charneuses ; 8, Autumn Colmar ; 11, Beurre 

 Bosc ; 14, Dumelow's Seedling ; 15, Baddow Pippin ; 16, Figue d'AJeni^on ; 

 17, Vineuse ; 18, Golden Winter Pearmaiu ; 19, Reinette Grise. (John 

 Jewries (0 Sons). — No. 1, Mi-re de Menage; 2, Duncan. (James Dichson 

 and Sons). — Harvey's Wiltshire Defiance. (W. W.). — I.Thompson's ; 2, Eer- 

 gamotte Cadette ; 3, Belle de Noel; 5, BenrreDiel; 6, Nouveau Poiteau; 



7, Enight's Monarch : S, Brown Beurr6 ; 9, Nouveau Poiteau; 11, Louise 

 de Prusse ; 12, Beadnell's Seedling ; 13, Winter Nelis ; 15, Comte de 

 FJandre; 17, Beurre Diel ; 22, Comte de Paris; 25, Calebasae; 28, Con- 

 seiller de la Cour ; 32, Winter Nelis ; 34, Urbaniste ; 43, Beurre des Char- 

 neuses; 45. Figue d'Alencon; 46, Jean de Witte ; 47, Knight's Monarch; 

 48, Arbre Courbe. (Fisherman). — 2, SYkehouse Russet ; 3, Roval Paisset ; 



4, Holland Pippin. (A. M. B.).—l, Cellini ; 3, Winter Hawthornden : 4, Hol- 

 land Pippin ; 6. Dumelow's Seedling ; 7, Hawthornden ; 8, Augustus Pear- 

 main. (B. Qodbold).—!, Passe Colmar ; 2, Snsette de Bavay ; 3, Fondante 

 d'Automne ; 4, Urbaniste; 5, Bellissime d'Hiver; 6, Duchesse d'Orleans. 

 The Plum is McLaughlin. 



Names of Plants (jiperio).— Sasifraga pedatifida. It is not a British 

 plant, and if you have found it in a wood it must have first escaped from 

 some garden. As to the latter part of your inquiry, there are several 

 other species of dactyloid Saxifrages, several of which are very closely 

 allied. Examples are S. geranioides, ceratophylla, pedemontana, penta- 

 dactylis, capitata, adscendens, &c. [J. C. C. S.).— 1, Lastrea Filis-mas 

 (typical); 2, L. spiaulosa; 9, L. dilatata; 4, L. remota ; 6, L. Filis-mas, 

 very young, certainly not L. Oreopteris as supposed, the character of 

 venation separating it ; 3, 5, and 7. Athyrium Filis-f cemina ; the last very 

 young, the first the most typical; 10. Very probably Lorn iriaalpina ; 8, Too 

 young to be identified ; No. 4 is decidedly a good thing, being in a wild state 

 excessively rare, and has only been recorded from one locality in England 

 (Windermere). It has been found, however, in Germany and in the 

 United States. (0. P.}.— 2, Meyenia Vogeliana ; 3, Gesnera {or Isoloma) 

 spicata; 4, Peperomia Saundersii. also known as P. arifolia var. argyrea; 



5, Apparently Brugmaneia suaveolens. No. 1 was not received. (R. B. L). 

 — Onoclea sensibilis, native of the United States. (J. W. Abrahams). — 



1, Ligustrum robustnm, native of India, especially southern India and 

 Ceylon ; 2, No doubt it is Brugmansia suaveolens, or an ally, judging 

 from the leaf alone. (W. W., Putney).—!, Adiantum cuneatum; 2, A. 

 curvatum. {Elizabeth M. Dance). — Your Fern is Nephrolepis exaltata, a 

 plant widely diffused in the tropics generally. Layer any of the ''fibrous 

 pieces" you speak of in small pots, attaching them there by a small 

 hooked peg or a stone ; allow them to root and get well started into growth 

 before severing tbem from the parent plant. We cannot undertake to 

 name florists' flowers, even if the specimens are in a good state, which 

 yours were not. (W. B.). — Your flower is that of Anemone pavonina 

 (Lois.), otherwise A. fulgens (Dec), native of southern France and 

 northern Italy. It wag a somewhat unusual occurrence for such a plant to 

 be blooming at this season of the year, we should suppose. It seems to 

 have mistaken autumn weather for spring time, as your flower appears 

 to be quite fresh. (J. R. Neeve, Calne).—!, Hypolepis anthriscifolia ; 



2, Lastrea dilatata ; 3, Pellrea hastata ; 4, Asplenium flaccidum ; 5, Pteris 

 serrulata var. cristata ; 6, Adiantum hispidulum ; 7, Lastrea Filis-mas ; 

 8, Pteris cretica albo-lineata ; 9, Not recognised. {E. A. S.).— Cal- 

 ceolaria chelidonioides, native of Peru and New Grenada. — H. B. K. 

 (T^T. £.).—!, Asplenium flabellifolium ; 2, Pteris biaurita; 3, Thunbergia 

 grandiflora. (</. Foster, Collumpton).—yfe take your plant to be Cyrtan- 

 thera magnifica, more generally known as Justicia carnea (Hook.), an old- 

 fashioned favourite in gardens, a native of Brazil. It is only the first part 

 of " Paxton'a Botanical Dictionary " which you see advertised for 2.';., not 

 the whole work. (Connemara). — Your shrub appears to be Calothamnus 

 quadrifidus, a native of Australia, and frequent in greenhouses at home. 

 Your account of a hedge of it sounds very strange to us ; yet the twig 

 sent is certainly as named, so far as we can tell. (W. F. R.). — From the 

 imperfect specimen sent we can only say that we believe it to be the 

 perennial Sunflower (Helianthns multifloras plenus). 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 



FEATHERS. 



It is a remarkable fact, that although goldfinches and linnets 

 prodnoe their absolute fellows, and that there is no variety of 

 colour, no cloudiness here, no mossing there, no deficiency, no 

 excess, yet in breeding fowls the plumage is not so perfect. In 

 wild birds, again, there is no throwing back. It may be they 

 came originally from the same, but if so. Nature has forgotten 

 it, for no trace of the beginning is ever visible. 



All birds in a state of nature come perfect, so perfect that 

 the most practised eye can detect no difference ; yet we know 

 that fowls can seldom be bred to an exhibition standard unless 

 two yards are kept — one to breed cocks, the other hens. We 

 speak of feather. We know that in Pencilled Hamburghs 

 pencilled tails were called for in the hens and pullets, and they 

 were accomplished, but at the same time clear hackles were 

 wanted, and when the tails were pencilled so were the hackles. 

 There is in Nature a sort of " compensation balance," or a 

 vindication of herself. She will not allow us to improve her 



work, or to make serious inroads on that which she has made 

 perfect. Where it is sought to increase size and weight, it has 

 to be done according to rule. It has been attempted to increaso 

 the body, and to leave all other parts as they were. Thus in 

 Dorkings 2 or 3 lbs. were to be added to the weight of the body, 

 but it was ordered the legs should remain short. It could not 

 be ; the increase must take place everywhere, and must be 

 spread over the whole frame. We have obtained the weight, 

 but we have lost somewhat in symmetry, especially in shortness 

 of legs. 



If this be true of size, it is still more so in feather. Enthu- 

 siasts have tried to have one part of the body dark and another 

 light in the same bird. It may not be. No greater exploit was 

 ever performed in the way of feather than that of Sir J. Se- 

 bright, when he tasked himself to make or compose the Bantam 

 that bears his name, and succeeded. He not only chose his 

 colours, but he named the order of them ; golden or silver 

 feathers delicately edged with black. We have only to do with 

 feathers, and therefore treat of no other point. It required 

 delicate handling ; the Black hen was wanted to restore ami 

 deepen lacing, and she did it, and then the bird was let alone 

 for a year or two, and the lacing became perfect. The difficulty 

 was to keep it so. It would only last a short time. Those who 

 only know the Sebrights by seeing them in perfection have littla 

 idea what a poor shabby bird it becomes if left alone. AU the 

 lacing disappears, the round tail becomes a sickle, the comb is 

 a single one, and the delicate correct lacing is a piece of patch- 

 work of black and red, with here and there enough of spangling 

 to justify its being called a spangled fowl. 



As the beards of fowls are composed of feathers they come 

 under our notice ; Crfeve-Ccears, Polands, Houdans, all require 

 these appendages, yet they sometimes appear without them. It 

 is disqualification in any competition. What's in a feather ? 

 Much. The finest Black Red Game cock that ever was seen is 

 disqualified because two or three brown feathers are discovered 

 on his breast. The Brown Bed having a black breast is dis- 

 qualified aad disgraced by the fact of having oae. Then more 

 or less of brown feathers on the breast of a Grouse Cochin cock 

 disqualify. The least mistake in the colour of a Silver- Grey 

 Dorking, a black breast in a Golden- spangled Hamburgh eocb, 

 a clear hackle in a Silver pullet, mossiness in either, are all dis- 

 quaUfications, and will cost a prize, it may be a silver cup. In 

 like manner, if Cochins or Brahmas lack the feathering on the 

 legs they are hopelessly excluded from all chance of distinction. 

 There are degrees in this tyrannical ruling. In the human 

 being leaden combs, skilfully compounded washes, and the 

 various appliances of an elaborate toilette may so increase and 

 darken the down that it may do duty for moustache or beard ;, 

 but in fowls, judges are pitiless, no apology will be admitted for 

 a beard, and no excuse for deficient feathering. 



Feathers, however, have their freaks. Instance, the Emn 

 Cochins. Many of our readers will remember the beautiful 

 bronze of Daphne and Apollo. The god is about to put his 

 hand on her shoulder, but her prayer is heard, the bark is cover- 

 ing her body, and her fingers are becoming branches ; so the 

 Emu Cochins first had their tails and flight feathers changed 

 into hair or silk, and then soon after all the feathers disappeared 

 to make room for the same material. We had in the same hen. 

 and from the same parents perfect Emus and perfect Cochins. 

 Another peculiarity in feather is, that all cocks of black plumage 

 are prone to have coloured feathers in their hackles, saddles, and 

 sometimes in their wings. This is true of Spanish, Polands. 

 and was so constantly the case with Black Cochins it destroyed 

 the breed. The hens were always black, but the cocks had 

 white nnder-feathers, and these after the first moult mixed 

 with the outer plumage to the great detriment of the breed. In 

 many breeds where a white feather is a detriment it comes like 

 grey hairs to men of a certain age, and allowance should be 

 made for them in the yard. There is neither pity nor allow- 

 ance at the exhibition. 



WORKING-CLASS POULTRY PRIZES. 

 Appealed to by Mr. L. Wright, I have given some thought 

 to this subject. It seems to me that it is not a matter which 

 needs to be met by a general subscription, but rather, like 

 prizes for cottagers at horticultural shows, it is a subject to be 

 considered by the committee of each town show ; I say town 

 show, because it is the townsman — artisan, mechanic, or other 

 workman — that I have in view. Let, for instance, a dozen pens, 

 or any number, taking whatever room can be spared, be marked 

 " Working Men's Poultry." I would have no entrance fee at 



