344 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



[ May U, 1871. 



if not prECticable now, forking the soil so as not to injure the roots, a 

 scattering of flowers of sulphur, a good watering with manure water, and 

 daubing up every Eciatch and knot in the glass with piint or putty. 



Cucumber Lfates Blistered { Chesliam). — The leaf you enclosed 'o 

 us is blistered by the sun's rays falling on it whilst wet with the con- 

 densed n oifture of Ihe previous night; or it may be from keeping the 

 plants cUse lor same days, as in dull and moist weatheT, and then the 

 weather becomirg bright and warm the son's rays dry up the moisture 

 loo quickly, and the Itaves are scalded or scorched. It is well for some 

 days to shade for a few hours in the hottest part of the day in bright 

 weatttr succeedTEg a period of dull weather. That and early air-giving 

 will remedy the blistering of the leaves. It is not unlike the disease. 



Geiftikg ArcrBAS (An Old Suhscriber).~^The best time to graft is at 

 the beginniEg of February, using one-year-old wood, andthatof the stock 

 may be of any age. 1-ut it is well if the wood of the stock is about equil 

 in thickness with that of the scion. We have no experience of budding 

 Aucutas. but have no doubt of its succeeding. Try it in July, not re- 

 moving the wood. Grafting is best done under glass, and in that case it 

 maybe performed as early in summer as the woodis firm — August or 

 September, and from that up to March. 



Lilies of the Valley {M. C). — The indifferent floweriDg of these is 

 due, we think, to the heat and drought of last summer combined with the 

 sunny aspect. Transplant them nest November in good, rich, light soil, 

 where they will be shaded from the direct midday snn. An east border 

 answers well. The double Violets plant out in a good rich soil on a north 

 border, watering well in dry weather, and taking up at the close of Sep- 

 tember ; then pot tbem. place them in a cold frame, and in October re- 

 move the large leaves, in fact all that are old, and place in a light airy 

 position in the greenhouse. In taking up preserve a good ball, removing 

 only the loose soil, and place in pots sufficiently large to hold the 

 roots without crumping. 



^ Green Aphis on RosES(B'.-E.Jf.).— Quassia and soft soap will no doubt 

 destroy aphis. The wash is made by boiling 4 ozs. quassia chips in a gallon 

 of water for half an hour ; let the liquid stand until cool, then strain, add 

 6 ozs. of soft. Boap, and then enough water to n ake three gallons. With 

 this the bushes may be syringed overhead in the evening. We consider 

 tobacco water the best remedy. It maybe had of most tobncco manu- 

 facturers, and should be diluted with six times its quantity of water; or 

 it maybe made by pouring a gallon of boiling water on 4 ozs. of the 

 strongest tobacco, covering up, allowing the liquid to stand until cool, 

 and then straining. The shoots infested with aphis may be dipped in it, 

 or the plants may be syringed with it. 



Akts in CuruiTEER-BED (Heigate). — The best plan is to place a little 

 honey in saucers for a few days, and after the ants flock to this mix with 

 it nn equal propoi-tion of arsenic. 



NA:irES OF Fruits (Lachenalia). — 1, Scarlet Nonpareil; 2, Sturmer 

 Pippin. 



Names of Plants {T. Walters). — The yellow-flowered shrub is Berberis 

 Aquifolium, Holly-leaved Berberry. The other specimens were mere 

 Cried leaves. (XT. Z ).— Cineraria maritima, Sea Ragworf. 



POULTRY, BEE, AUD PIGEOK CHROHICLE. 



REARING CHICKENS. 



As " 0. P. Q." refers to me to throw some light upon what I 

 shonld call his prodigious losses, and as his feeding tallies 

 almost entirely wilh mine, I can see no other reason for it ex- 

 cept possibly breeding in-and-in. The other day I met a noted 

 breeder of Game, one of many years' standing, who bred Game 

 years ago for the pit, but who now breeds for exhibition. His 

 first words were, " Well, how are yonr chickens ?" My answer 

 was, "Few, but very strong and healthy." He replied, "I wish 

 mine were the same. I think I do well if I rear one-half of 

 those hatched." At this remark I smiled. He then said, " If 

 yon bred Game to win with, you would do the same. Formerly 

 (twenty years ago) when I bred for the pit I hardly lost a 

 chicken, now I lose scores." I asked him to explain this ; he 

 said it was breeding in-and-in, without which, he asserted, Game 

 could not be bred to the standard required for exhibition. May 

 not this be the case in " 0. P. Q.'s " yard ? 



Change of breeding ground is, no doubt, desirable, but for 

 the last twelve years I have always bred on the same spot. I 

 have about two acres of grass run, and my fowls are never ofi 

 it. Then, again, his soil is the same as the soil of my run — 

 gravelly; but I can attach little importance to this, for Admiral 

 Hornby's birds are reared on a very stiff clay. 



Does " 0. P. Q." feed early and late ? This is very important 

 at the present time of the year. My hour for the last feed is 

 ten o'clock at night, and for the first six o'clock in the morn- 

 ing; the birds are fed as often as they will eat, and nothing is 

 ever left after their meal. All these things have been over and 

 over again recommended in this Journal, but I am afraid they 

 are not generally acted upon, and my experience leads me to 

 say that no one can win with chickens of the large breeds with- 

 out strict attention to such rules. 



Another thing occurs to me. Are the hens he breeds from 

 those which have been over-fattened or got up for exhibition, or 

 those that have been frequently exhibited ? Cbiekens from such 

 hens are generally very weakly. I do not think amongst my 

 breeding hens there is one weighing over 7 lbs., alihongb I could 

 easily make some of them between 9 lbs. and 10 lbs. I like 



my breeding stock to be kept in running condition, and'always 

 rather underfed than overfed. I find Dorking chickens most 

 easy to rear, but in cold weather I never have more than seven 

 chickens to a hen ; in fact, I rarely allow them to have more. 

 I use no artificial foods, nor do I put anything in the water. 

 My idea is that the nearer yon approach natoi-e the better, and 

 therefore I strongly object to using medicines, unless the fowls 

 show symptoms of disease, and till then I never give tonics or 

 medicines of any kind. On one occasion, some years ago, 

 our family doctor, then an old man, came into my yard, and 

 at the time I was giving the chickens sulphate of iron, in 

 their water. He asked the reason ; having told him, he said, 

 " Tour birds look very healthy, what is the matter with them 7" 

 I told him "Nothing." He at once said, "Then stop giving 

 them that stuff. When a person is well the less physio he gets 

 the better ; and why are you giving physic to your chickens in 

 perfect health ?" Since then I have never used anything but the 

 best food, and I find that is all the artificial food they require. 



I do not set up my system of rearing as perfection, but merely 

 state my experience. With me it has given perfect satisfaction. 

 I have finished hatching for the season, and have as yet lost 

 but one chicken. — T. E. Eell. 



I CAXSOT be called a lucky fellow, and I never won a silver 

 cup with poultry in my life (but if I did, I think I should put 

 it in the dining and not the drawing-room), and I do not intend 

 to try ; but I hardly ever lose a chicken, and if my experience 

 is of any use tof ) i correspondent, here it is for him. I feed 

 for three weeks sncasfard (an egg broken into a teacupful of 

 boiling milk and stirred until it becomes quite thick), groats, 

 and any odd scraps, as potatoes, meat chopped fine, &c. ; after 

 that time, groats, wheat, iSrc. In their water I put a little of 

 Day's game paste. I shut them up with the hen in the coop 

 at night, and never let them out until nine o'clock or so in the 

 morning. I move the coop every day a foot or two to a fresh 

 place. I have not lost a single chicken or Duck this year, 

 except one whole hatch through rats. — H A. 



STEOUD SHOW— DATE OF FIXTUKE AND 



CLOSING OF ENTRIES. 



It is to be regretted when two important fistnres like Strond and 

 tbe Bath and West of England clasii, but the alteration of the dat& 

 of fistnre is not such an easy matter as some may suppose. It is a 

 simple matter for an eshibitor to elect ivhich of two shows he will 

 patronise, and it is natural he should wish to patronise both ; but, 

 however much those interested in either show may desire his support, 

 or however much they may wish things could be so arranged as to 

 admit of both being patronised, it cannot this year be done ; and as it 

 is simply impossible to turn round or back out, the carriages must 

 endeavour to pass. The entries for Stroud close on Saturday the 13th 

 inst., and exhibitors of Canaries and British and foreign birds will 

 please notice this, as the date of closing entries is somewhat earlier 

 than is usual. — Steoud. 



I a:m sure all eshibitors of Rabbits will be glad to find such an in- 

 vitation given as that set forth in the Strond schedule. I feel that the 

 Exhibition will prove so satisfactory as to become annual, which I hear 

 is the intention of its promoters if this, their first attempt, prove en- 

 couraging. Classes are numerous — five are given to the "Lops," so 

 theii* patrons cannot complain, and four classes more are offered to 

 the other portion of the Babbit family, and in these four will un- 

 doubtedly be found all with long and short hair, and the tiny Dutch 

 contrasting with the fine Belgian Hare, or probably the even still 

 larger Patagonian, so forming a complete assemblage of the varieties. 

 The prizes I think fairly proportionate with the entry fee, and in addi- 

 tion there is a silver cup, value three guineas, for the most points in 

 each class. An extra fee is required from competitors for the cup, yet many 

 will doubtless pay it, for the chalice of a so-much-to-be-desired evidence 

 of success. I have a feeling that eshibitors generally are anxious for 

 silver or gold in this form. The arrangements are wished to be com- 

 plete in every way to insure the safety and convenience of the Babbits, 

 and all is promised to be done that can be, to insure all exhibitors of 

 this year being also found as such in the future. The Judge having 

 only one section of the Show, wiU have time sufficient for making 

 careful awards. — Chakles Eatsos, Jry Lodge, Didshury. 



EPWORTH POULTRY SHOW. 



The sixth annual Show took place on the 5th inst., and, considering 

 that the town is six miles from the nearest railway station, the Exhi- 

 bition was excellent, there being 553 entries — 116 in excess of last 

 year. The Committee worked with a hearty goodwill, and the birds 

 were well attended to, and all dispatched to their varions destinations 

 on the evening of the same day. 



In Sj)auish, the first-prize birds were very good, but of the rest only 



