May 18, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOSTIOULTURE AND COTTAGtB GARDENER. 



amongst the Kentish fruit-growers about the disease of which you speak, 

 and we find that it is not unusual there, but not so prevalent this seas n 

 as in some former years. It would appear to be caused by those sudden 

 changes of temperature we have been subject to this spring, acting upon 

 such trees as are least likely to endure them, and in 1>^69 the Black Cur- 

 rants were much aflfected. In local phrase it is simply termed " the 

 blight," and is, we believe, the result of a sudden stagnation of the grow- 

 ing powers of the plant, caused by unfavourable weather; and this affect- 

 ing certain plants more than others, accounts for its attacks being some- 

 what capricious, as even parts of plants are affected, the remainder 

 escaping. We have the same thing in Apricots, and paralytic affections 

 in animals afford a similar example. We are not aware of any remedy ; 

 the only preventive is good cultivation, keeping such disease at bay. 



Labches Dying on Thin Moory Soil (A. B.).—'We fear there is no 

 remedy for the evil of which you complain, excepting a heavy top-drees- 

 ing of soil of another description, and as that may be inconvenient, we 

 would recommend you to pay more attention to the Scotch Firs, which 

 are better adapted for such a soil, and are certainly loufier-lived trees, 

 excepting where affected with smolte. If it be necessary to plant other 

 trees on the site of those dying off, vou might try Birch, as they and 

 Scotch Firs are moat suitable ; but you may make it available for trees 

 of other kinds by adding to it large quantities of soil of a more loamy 

 -character after removing or breaking up tht^ hard gravelly bottom. Ex- 

 ■cept for some special purpose, this can hardly be done to a large breadth 

 of land. This, however, being a pounds-shillings-and-pence affair, you 

 will be best able on the spot to say hovf far it can be done. Certainly a 

 more satisfactory growth will take place afterwards. 



Water Cresses in Garden Border (T. C.).— In our No. 526, published 

 on the 27th of April, there are fall directions for their culture. 



Edgings for Cloth of Gold and Lady Cullum Geraniums (The- 

 saurus).— For a bed of Cloth of Gold we would prefer a border of Purple 

 King Verbena, or of Iresine Lindenii. Wilh Lady Cullum a bright blue 

 Lobelia would look well. We have also seen a border of Iresine Horbstii 

 3Bt it off to great advantage when the Iresine was pinched and kept 

 low, and large leaves encouraged. 



CactiMBERs NOT SWELLING (W. B.).— " The plants are healthy and 

 strong, growing in a pit over a heated chamber, but scarcely any of the 

 fem&le flowers have the parts of fructification perfect, and out of about 

 150 flowers only four have swelled their fruit." We are at a loss to advise 

 you, as you have given up syringing, emptied the evaporating pans, and 

 given abundance of air. If we could add anything, it would be. Lessen 

 the bottom heat. There may be an excess of vigour, as the male flowers ■ 

 are all perfect. We have had Cucunibers that were too strong to show or 

 swell fruit freely, but fruited very freely when they had less liberal treat- 

 ment and the flush of vigour was past. There are vast differences in 

 the Cucumber as to fertility. We have grown some fine sorts, beautiful 

 to look at, and which would do pretty well with a 20-feet rafter to ramble 

 over, but which would fruit so sparingly on one of 6 feet, that they would 

 be of little use where Cucumbers must be cut pretty well as freely as 

 ■Cabbages. As the Cucumbers in the nest pit fruit so freely, it is just 

 possible that the kind that comparatively fails is less fruitful, or requires 

 more room to attain a free-bearing state. The remedy in such a case 

 would be to adopt the kind that does so well. In close'y examining the 

 two fruits and the flowers at the ends of them, in one the stigmas are 

 wholly wanting; in the other, though not perfect, still they are not 

 wanting. We are inclined to think the above are more the reasons for 

 ■deficient fruitfulness than the imperfection of the reproductive organs, 

 as, though no seed will be obtained, the Cucumber in general will swell 

 more regularly, even when not fertilised. We have even, as an experi- 

 jneat, nipped off female blossoms long before they opened, and yet the 

 fruit swelled and lengthened. 



Thrips on Cucumbers (S. H. R. J. P.).— The only safe remedy is to 

 fumigate with tobacco, shutting up the frame and densely filling it with 

 smoke. Fumigate on a calm evening, when the foliage is dry. Cover the 

 glass with mats to keep in the smoke It is well to preserve a moist 

 atmosphere; it helps to keap down thrips and red spider, but it will not 

 defltroy them once they secure a hold on the plants. Be careful of the 

 BOft soap solution. We have known it, when of the strength, named, 

 destroy both Cucumber and Melon foliage. 



Insects (W. L,).— The insect which you have sent is the common Sta- 

 phylinus (Creophilus) maxillosus, wbich feeds on worms and other soft- 

 bodied insects, and ought not to be destroyed in your frames. (HfrmitK 

 — The pretty Weevils found on your Apple trees are the PoIydrusuB Mali. 

 They possibly feed on the young buds and leaves, but we do not think 

 they roll them up in order to d eposit their eggs there. (G. S ) .—The small 

 brosvn objects on the Pear leaf are the moveable cases made by the 

 larvae of a small moth, Coleophora Hemerobiella. Although they render 

 the leaves unsightly, it is very rare that they are sufficiently numerous 

 to bo injurioas.— I. O. W. 



Names op Plants (A Constant Subseriber).~-T:he tree withlea.Y68 downy 

 beneath and white-blossomed is the Pyrus Aria, White Beam tree, and 

 apparently the variety obtusifolia. (F. E. P.).— Brunfelsia latifolia, other- 

 wise Franciscea latifolia. (0. M.).~l, Prunus Padus ; 2, Berberis Dar- 

 winii. {A. Ji.}.— Calceolaria Fothergillii. {F. A. C.).— 1, Arbutus Au- 

 drachne; 2, Staphylea pinnata, the Bladder-nut; 3, Amelanchier cana- 

 denais. (Heron).— 1 and 3, mon?trons states of Polystichum angulare ; 

 No. 1 appears to be near the form known as tenue ; No. 3 to anguetifrons ; 

 2 is R monstrona state of the Lady Fern, Athyrium Filix-fcemina 

 near the form called Stansiieldii. (E. L. J.).— Blechnum corcovadense! 

 [■G. W. L). — We cannot name plants from their leaves only. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 



pepper, which warms their crops ; a few days afterwards I 

 moisten the bread crumbs with beer in the morning, and when 

 they are a week old I give them ground oats slacked with beer, 

 and oeoasionally greasy water or gravy, with a little meat or 

 Buet chopped fine, varying their meals with a few groats. I 

 put a board under the coop at night to keep the chickens dry, 

 and they have the run of the lield all day. If " 0. P. Q." 

 would like to try my method of raising Dorking chickens, I 

 think he would not lose so many. The milk, I think, is apt to 

 scour young poultry. — S. S. 



REARING DORKING CHICKENS. 

 I HATE always been most fortunate in raising Dorking 

 chickens, having lost but one chick in two years. My plan is 

 as soon as their feathers are dry to give them a peppercorn, and 

 for the first day or so feed them upon dry bread crumbs and 

 hard-boiled egg chopped fine, sprinkled with a little black 



HATCHING DISASTERS 

 Almost all my correspondents have been asking me this 

 spring if I did not find it a terribly bad hatching season. I 

 certainly have known better, the raw eist winds having caused 

 an unusual number of chicks to die in the shells at from a 

 week to a fortnight old, and hens have been remarkably late 

 both in laying and sitting ; but with one exception I have not 

 found matters so very bad as very many have evidently done. 

 That exception is in several respects so singular that it may be 

 worth relating. 



As I cannot afford to set my own birds till late in the season, 

 I buy nearly all my broody hens, and very rarely have any 

 trouble with them. I bought two very early in March, and set 

 them the same day on ten eggs each, one of them being a 

 common speckled hen with a top-knot, the other apparently a 

 very small Djrking crossed with Game. They both behaved 

 quietly enough for awhile, and having at the end of a week 

 found and removed one sterile egg from one nest, and two from 

 the other, I expected two good broods. I should say the two 

 birds were sitting side by side, and appeared as friendly 88 

 possible. All, in fact, seemed to go well till a fortnight had 

 elapsed, when the Dorking broke an egg, and two days after- 

 wards another. From that time she broke no more, but I 

 found the other hen minus an egg every day, not a vestige 

 being left in the nest, so that I began to blame the rats, and 

 became anxious for the result. Two days before hatching the 

 Djrking became very restless, flying ofl the nest on my ap- 

 proach, and leaving her eggs till nearly cold, which rather sur- 

 prised me ; and on Saturday morning, the chicks being due the 

 same night, one went off for good, though her eggs were begin- 

 ing to chip, leaving one chick actually hatched, but wet and 

 nearly dead, in the nest. The other hen had now only five 

 eggs left, three of which were hatched, and one breaking the 

 shell. I took the Dorking's chick into the house by the fire, 

 and on my return found her in front of the other nest, eating 

 the partly-hatched chick which she had drawn from under the 

 other hen, and thus accounting for the mysterious disappear- 

 ances of the last few days. 



I soon sent the cannibal hen " oft the premises," and felt in 

 despair, the other hen being too small to cover all the eggs, and 

 her own chicks being also nearly dead from the fuss, and need- 

 ing her quiet nursing much. I had had three of my own 

 hens broody a few days, but they had been penned till the fit 

 was nearly over ; still it was the only chance, and I took the 

 best of them and put her on the Dorking's eggs, now nearly 

 cold. It would not do ; she would not take to the nest, though 

 she clucked and appeared broody again. The eight eggs were 

 now as cold as they could be ; but, mindful of past experiences, 

 I took some warm water and put them in whilst I made a new 

 nest for my hen in her own accustomed place. After about a 

 quarter of an hour she settled down, and, with reviving hopes, 

 I went to look at the eggs in the basin of water, which I had 

 made fully 105°. To my surprise I found six of them now 

 evidently alive, the heat having revived them, and they were 

 at once given to the fresh hen, a very large bird, with good hope 

 of success. The first she hatched was crushed to death, being 

 very weakly, and the next three I therefore took away. The 

 other two had not strength to break the shell, and I therefore 

 assisted them out, keeping them in warm water till extrication 

 was completed, in order to prevent tearing and loss of blood. 

 One of them, in fact, was so nearly dead it did not even chirp, 

 but lay down in the flannel nearly cold, and remained so some 

 hours (being kept by the fire of course), but revived a little 

 towards evening. 



I had now done with the large hen. My heart fmote me for 

 depriving her of the pleasures of maternity after she had 

 served my turn so well, but she was so heavy I dared not trust 

 the weakly chicks with her, and turned her off. The speckled 

 hen had in the meantime hatched her remaining egg, and 

 having fed her well to insure her keeping quiet, I finally, on 



