Marct 9, 1S71. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOrvTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



1S7 



Wiee'wor:3IS {T. Mayes). — It is very difficult to eradicate wirwvorms 

 "when they tind their wiiy in such abundance into an orchard house. Ws 

 are of opinion that the modes suggested by you ■would grtatly reduce, if 

 not exterminate, the enemy. Meanwhile, as the time has gone on and 

 nothing has been done, we should be inclined to give a good watering 

 with guano, or with soot water, which would make the wireworms a little 

 uncomfortable, and then insert all over sliced Carrots, and examine the 

 baits every day. 



Buckwheat (J. Bell).Sov; in April ; three pecks will be enough seed 

 for your half acre if you drill it in ; keep it hoed. No special culture is 

 needed, and on vich land it runs too much to stem. It succeeds even in 

 Russia. The seed will be ripe by the end of October. Pull up ihe plants, 

 for the seed sheds very readily. 



Ants (A. C.).— Soak their haunts for a few days successively with am- 

 moniacal liquor from the gas works. " The Poultry Book for the Many " 

 will suit you. You can have it free by post from our office if you enclose 

 seven postage stamps with your address. 



Plants for Cover in Boggy Soil (P. C). — Few shrubs would suc- 

 ceed in boggy soil unless it could be drained. In this case you might 

 grow Berberis Darwinii, B. repens, B. Atiuifolium ; Rhododendron ponti- 

 cum, Aucuba, common Laurel, evergreen Privet, St. John's Wort, com- 

 mon Berberry, Blacls Thorn, common and red-berried Elder, Hazel, 

 Kibes. Snowberry, Sweet Briar, and Pampas Grass. With the soil not 

 drained you will find few shrubs will grow, but you may plaut the Alder 

 (Alnus glutinosa}, the cut -leaved variety being Yei-y fine. Both the com- 

 mon Dogwood (Cornus mascula), and the red (C. sanguinea), do very 

 well. C. mascula variegata has finely-variegated leaves. Guelder Pwose 

 (Viburniis Opnlus), is also good, and especially V. Opulus nanuro, also 

 Deutaia scabra. To these may be added Willows ; the American, Palm, 

 Bedford. Cane, Norfolk, and common, Red, and Yellow Osier, are all good, 

 and should be cut down frequently. Cover being the object, few things 

 equal the common Sedges, They make excellent cover, and so do most 

 of the Reeds. Of flowers, in the open spaces employ Calthp, paluetris and 

 the double variety, Myosotis palustris, Water Iris, and the Epimediums, 

 with other semi-aquatic plants, which you may, no doubt, find in your 

 immediate locality. 



Aeutilon VENOSUJVI TREATMENT [B. B ).— That is the name of the 

 plant of which you enclose a leaf and flower. It requires ordinary green- 

 house treatment, and is a good plant for covering walls or trellises. A 

 compost of two parts sandy fibrous loam, and one part leaf soil, with a 

 liberal admixture of sbarp sand and free drainage, will grow it well. 

 Repot at once, and to secure shoots for covering the wall take out the 

 points of the shoots to induce more branches. It should have a light 

 airy position, otherwise it will not flower freely. It is ver;-- pretty, and 

 well worth a place in every greenhouse. Water should be plentifully 

 given when growing, but none should be supplied so long as the soil re- 

 mains moist, but when it becomes dry, and before the foliage flags, give a 

 good watering, sufficient to show itself at the drainage. 



POULTRY, BEE, ANB PIGEOH CHKOinCLS. 



MANAGEMENT OF POULTRY AT SHOWS. 



Had I the arrangement of any show my plan would be the 

 following. I would arrange the regulationa so that the latest 

 time for admission of specimens should be dusk on the previous 

 day. If birds arrived before, I would provide some means of 

 thoroughly darkening the exhibition room. If this could be 

 done thoroughly, specimens might be taken in at any time, as 

 with scarcely any light the birds would remain passive on the 

 bottom of the basket or pen, and allow themselves to be quietly 

 handled. In handling fowls I believe the best way is to take 

 the bird round the shoulders with both hands, the thumbs 

 uppermost, keeping the wings from moving. 



As to Geese, Turkeys, and Ducks, the last-named may be 

 treated and handled as fowls. The two former, if the pens are 

 on the ground, may, by a gradual and slow tilting of the hamper, 

 be made to walk into the pen ; but in these larger specimens 

 the feathers are so much stouter and the plumage so much less 

 easily injured, that there is not the same fear of mischief. 



Much, very much, depends on whether a bird is accustomed 

 to being handled, and it is wise for exhibitors to handle their 

 specimens frequently, as they are thus rendered tamer. 



One word more. It is far better that shows should close 

 early on the last day, that the last meal for the birds should be 

 bread soaked in ale or gravy, and that the specimens should 

 be packed at once — if there is a night train, to be forwarded by 

 it ; if not, by the earliest in the morning. 



I see at Northampton the committee promise that the birds 

 shall be sent ofi the following morning " after being well fed." 

 Now, if well fed means hard food, I would much sooner my 

 birds were dispatched fasting, and I believe less injury would 

 be done.— y. B. A. Z. 



and Turkeys not excepted. When you have a bird between 

 your hands, then remove it from the hamper or pen, and Ihere 

 will be no fear of damage. I do not approve of taking hold of 

 the head, and I hope neither does " B. D." — C. P. 



ARE THE OFFICE-BEARERS OF A SOCIETY 

 RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS DEBTS? 



In the case of Mrs. Helen Grassick, Oriel Cottage, Edin- 

 burgh, against Mr. John Baillie, Treasurer of the Aberdeen 

 Poultry Club and Pigeon Association, and against Wm. Grant,, 

 the Secretary, William Hay and James Anderson, Vice-Presi- 

 dents of the Club, wherein the pursuer sues the defenders for 

 the sum of £2 12s., being the amount of four prizes gained by 

 the pursuer for fowls belonging to and exhibited for com- 

 petiliou by her at the exbibition and competiiion tor poultry 

 held by the said Association in December, 1869, the prizes 

 bting awarded to her by the Association, or their office-bearers, 

 or officials, or judges. Sberiff Gomrie Thomson has jaat given 

 judgment. It will be remembered that Mrs. Grassick got a 

 Small Debt decree in her favour for the amount against the 

 Association, but, it being found that it was impracticable to 

 put it in force against the Association, there being no funds, 

 she raised this action in the ordinary Court against the de- 

 fenders as office-bearers, the contention being that they were 

 responsible for the debts of the Association. The Sheriff in 

 his interlocutor finds that no relevant ground of liability by 

 the defenders has been set forth in the summons, and there- 

 fore dismissed the action, holding the pursuer liable for ex- 

 penses. In his note the Sherifi says — It was not averred that 

 the Aberdeen Poultry or Pigeon Association was a mercantile 

 copartnery carried on for the purpose of gaining profit. It 

 was plainly of a different nature ; and the Sherift'-Sirbstitute 

 was of opinion that the well-known rule of law that " each 

 partner is responsible for the whole debts of a trading com- 

 pany " did not apply. 



[The above is extracted from a Scotch newspaper, and we 

 think Mrs. Grassick failed because she sued wrong parties. If 

 she had had the usual correspondence, written or printed, with 

 the Secretary or any other oliieer or member of the Committee, 

 and had sued that correspondent in the Small Debt Court, we 

 think she would have recovered the £2 12s. She did obtain a 

 decree against " the Association," but the Sheriffs-Substitute 

 rightly decided that such Association is not a sueable partner- 

 ship.] 



OUTRAGES ON PRIZE BIRDS. 



I SENT a valuable Black Eed cock to Wolverhampton on the 2nci; 

 nit. He was seen there in perfect feather on the -Ith, but although not- 

 noticed in_the prize-list, some one evidently considered him a possible- 

 winner on some future occasion, for he was returned to me with botli. 

 sickle feathers broken short, and one of the smaller sickles plucked 

 out. I wrote to the Secretary requestiDg him to use every possible- 

 means for the discovery of the offender, and authorising him to offer a 

 reward of £5 for information which would lead to a conviction, and 

 received a reply, saying that he " is sorry to hear that the bird is> 

 injured/' but "is certain it was not done there," and promising to- 

 " make every inquiry, and write me again." How Mr. Barnett happens- 

 to be able to speak so confidently of the injury not having been done 

 at the Show I cannot understand. If this nuisance continue to in- 

 crease, all respectable persons will cease to exhibit, and the poultry 

 sharks will be left to mutilate each other's birds. Will some one take- 

 the matter up, and try to establish a fund for the purpose of offering a 

 tempting reward for the detection of similar offenders? — Edwik 

 Brou&h, Leeh, 



HANBLINO POULTRY. 



If I were to take hold of a Game cock, I would put my right 

 hand on his back and secure his wings. I should object to 

 taking an old cock by the legs first, as his spurs are rather 

 troublesome. I would secure the wings of all birds first, Geese 



OuB Journal has contained several communications on this very im- 

 portant subject. Since November I hi,ve sufl'ered in this way rather 

 seriously. To begin with the Southampton Show, I there exhibited a. 

 Malay cockerel in the Variety class, obtaining the second prize. Now, 

 in this case the sickle feathers were not fully grown, and would, if un- 

 touched, have lasted till August or September next, and nothing but- 

 foul play would have removed wholly one of these feathers ; yet on his 

 return, one sickle feather was clean gone, root and branch. Then I 

 sent a second Malay cockerel to Birmingham, where he was unnoticed ; 

 he had been twice exhibited by me before, taking the first prize at 

 Whitworth and Rochdale, and the second prize at Middleton, and from 

 both these shows he returned with tail undamaged, l^rom Birmingham 

 he returned with both sickle feathers broken off, one hanging, the other 

 not to be found in the basket, which was lined, and the same in all 

 three cases. Lastly, I exhibited at Bristol an old Malay cock, with 

 siclde feathers scarcely vet at full growth after moult. He was at the 

 head of the Any other Variety class, and he too has returned to me 

 with both sickle feathers broken off". 



