June 8, 1871. ] 



JOUENAL OP HOKTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



413 



other, and, take hold of the rope the best way one could, or to mate 

 the descent with a bowl of water, a dustpan, and a long-handled 

 brush. Somebody will come to grief at that staircase some day. But 

 I am going on too fast, beginning at the middle. 



As far back as before last Christmas I received an invitation from a 

 gentleman " in the fancy " to spend a portion of tho vacation in 

 Gloucestershire. At that time he had not entered the charmed circle, 

 though engaged in making active preparations to do so by furnishing 

 a bird room. His experience in Canary-breeding had been chiefly 

 confined to an illegitimate sort of business, about which just one word 

 for any whom it may interest. In a pleasant corner of the lawn 

 stands the old Canary establishment, a circular aviary, brick founda- 

 tion, rustic uprights {I think they were larch poles), about one-third 

 of the circumference boarded to afford protection from prevailing 

 winds, and the rest neatly wired ; a heavily-thatched roof, rockwork, 

 and roses, and you have the aviai-y. Here, without any protection 

 whatever other than I have mentioned, Canaries live in comfort all 

 the year round. Asthma, puff, pant, blow, bronchitis, wheezing, and 

 sneezing are alike unknown ; and when the suow, drifting in through 

 the uncovered wirework, lay inches deep in the interior, and it was 

 necessary to break the ice in the water vessels morning, noon, and 

 night, the inmates suffered no discomfort, but sang away as cheerily 

 as the little German fallow in the morning-room, who lives in a genial 

 atmosphere, and is surrounded by a veiy paradise of exotics, and 

 pours out of his little throat such long trills and gushes of delicious 

 melody. 



But to return to the aviary for a moment. Nest boxes are sus- 

 pende3 against the protected side of the erection, and, material being 

 supplied, the hens build away, each according to its own ideas of 

 domestic comfort, and with some diversity of architectural design. 

 Apparently they hold very easy views of the rights of property, as 

 many of the nests held two tenants, the spirit of peace and harmony 

 pervading the whole scene seeming to indicate very little probability 

 of there ever being a disputed claim to the title of any estate. 



Business and other engagements conspired to prevent my travelling 

 south in the winter, but being retained to judge at the late Stroud 

 Show, I bethought me of my long-standing invitation, and that is how 

 I last week found myself at the base of the Cotswolds. " B. B." 

 went with me on this occasion. I do not like to expose family secrets, 

 but I was afraid she would break out in a fresh place and write another 

 letter. 



To us who live in an atmosphere of smoke, in a district exposed to 

 long-continuing east winds, which blight and blacken the half-developed 

 beauties of early spring, where timbered hedgerows are regarded as 

 iniquities, and wire fences ornamental, the sylvan beauties of Glou- 

 cestershire appeared more than ordinarily lovely. Picturesque little 

 roadside thatched cottages, overhung with vines or clustering roses, 

 are represented with us by a severe article in brick, while the many 

 concomitants of a manufacturing and mining locality form prominent 

 features in our landscape. A few hours express behind the iron horse 

 carried us from all this into another world. It had been raining the 

 gi-eater part of the afternoon, and Nature looked grateful for the 

 refreshing showers. Every stage of our journey introduced us to new 

 beauties and ever-vai'ying prospects. A drive of about four miles 

 from Cheltenham and we were at home. Such a home ! A fine old 

 English house, only sufSciently modernised to convey the idea of addi- 

 tional comfort, surrounded by every conceivable beauty, and the whole, 

 to us, invested with a charm which no word-painting of mine can 

 depict. 



And after dinner we went into the bird room, concerning which and 

 the " twosome," as we say in the noi-th, more anon. And there we sat 

 and talked Canary, my old friend up above dodging about behind the 

 still hea^'y rain-clouds, and smiling complaeeutly on "the fancy." 

 There we sat till the tea bell rang. The flying trapeze performance 

 and the perilous descent were safely accomplished, and after tea (with 

 a little more Canary), and finally something else out of a sort of over- 

 grown chronometer box, we retired to rest, and the last event of the 

 day of which I have any distinct recollection was the clock of the 

 village church striking twelve, and chiming the melody usually sung 

 to Lyte's beautiful composition — 



" Abide with me, fast falls the eventide." 



"B. B." told me next morning that it chimed three verses, but I 



never heard the end of the third. — W. A. Blakstox. 

 (To be continued.) 



RABBITS. 

 The assemblage of Rabbits was of such high merit that it deserves 

 more than a mere record of -the names of the prize-winners given in 

 our last week's Journal. It is very rarely that so numerous a collec- 

 tion is found, especially at a first show, as I believe this one was. The 

 pens were large, even larger than I have seen them for paii's of Rab- 

 bits, and well supplied with hay and oats ; and a small portion of green 

 food was given, for this is used with caution by some of our largest 

 breeders. I have no doubt all the Rabbits returned home none the 

 worse for their visit to Stroud. I mnst warn exhibitors of the im- 

 portance of their animals being at the show in time, for some valuable 

 specimens did not arrive at Stroud until after the awards had been 

 made. The judging commenced at eight o'clock, and every Rabbit 

 was taken from its pen, and the ears of every '' Lop " measured, and 

 the size recorded; and it was remarked that the healthiness of the 



whole was very satisfactory. The owners of one or two specimens 

 amongst the Lops, however, will do well to examine the ears of their 

 Rabbits, and sprinkle in them a little flowers of sulphur — a never- 

 failing application to remove any small accumulation of " gum " that 

 will at times appear. The gum is no injury to the Rabbit if taken in 

 time, and is perfectly cleared off in a few days. 



The schedule attracted some thirty-seven Lops, twelve Himalayan, 

 eight Angoras, eleven Silver-Greys, and thirteen Belgian and Dutch 

 for the "Any other variety" class, or about eighty-one entries in 

 all, and it is rather a diflicnUy to decide which of these specimens 

 attracted the most attention. The Self-coloured class presented some 

 good animals, and the first-jirize doe of Mr. Gravil, Thorne, possesses 

 some good points of merit ; also the buck of Mr. C. H. King, of St. 

 John's Wood, London. The third-prize doo of Mr. G. Quick, from 

 St. John's Wood, also gives promise of becoming a good Rabbit. In 

 the Black or Blue and White class were found some well-marked 

 animals, and Mr. H. Ridley's doe, from Hallfield, York, deserved the 

 first position she took, and the second-prize buck of Mr. C. King also is 

 deserving of favourable mention. The third-prize doe of Mr. A. H. 

 Easten, West Parade House, Hall, is well marked. The Yellow and 

 White class presented a large first-prize Rabbit, well marked, owned 

 by Mr. W. Arkwright, Sutton Scarsdale, Chesterfield, and the speci- 

 mens of Messrs. P. Ashton, Di-ypool, Hull, and J. E. Palmer, Peter- 

 borough, should also have favourable mention. In the Tortoiseshell, 

 the buck (first-prize), belonging to Mr. A. H. Easten, deserved the 

 prize awarded, as the marking is well varied for this class ; and Mr. 

 King's two piize-winners are good, as also Mr. Gravil's. This class 

 as a whole was excellent. The Lops, in their five classes, included 

 some of the best Rabbits in the country. 



The Himalayan were almost on an equality as regards merit, so 

 that considerable care was requisite to determine the most excellent. 

 Mr. Boyle's first-prize was closely followed by Mr. J. Batterworth's 

 (Rochdale) second-prize Rabbit, both excellent, with the deep dark 

 shade on all extremities ; and the third-prize of Mr. H. Cawood, Thorne, 

 gives promise of a good Rabbit and large, which we do not always find 

 in this variety — they are usually too short and stumpy. The Angoras 

 in all their fleecy whiteness presented a favourable contrast to their 

 neighbours in the next pen. The first-prize of Mr. C. King was large 

 and well wooUed ; also that of Mr. Barrett, jun., Stroud, and Mr. H. 

 Cawood, both young Rabbits, but evidently from a good strain, with 

 hair of that silky fineness so much to be desired, and also of great 

 length. Some other specimens deserve mention, as those of Messrs. 

 Easten and J. Butterworth. They were beautifully clean and white ; 

 and I may hint that if exhibitors would just consider how the beauty 

 of these showy animals is increased by the use of the comb they would 

 not deny them that little attention. The " cute " Silver-Grey of Mr. 

 A. H. Etches, Staft'ord Street, Market Drayton, a large, beautifully 

 silvered animal, fully deserved the position she took, the silvering is 

 so general. The doe of Mr. S. G. Hudson, Paragon Street, Hull, is 

 an excellent specimen, large and well-formed ; and that of Mr. J. 

 Wigmore, Painswick, is a neat specimen. This class was well repre- 

 sented. The " Any other variety " class contained some good speci- 

 mens of the Black and White, Grey and White, and Yellow and White 

 Dutch, and some fine Belgian Hare Rabbits. The first-prize Dutch 

 Rabbit of Mr. J. Boyle is an almost perfectly marked specimen. Mr. 

 Sabbage, Northampton, came in for the second prize with a neat Blue 

 buck, and the Yellow and White of Mr. Barrett, jun., gives promise of 

 a good Rabbit. The fine Belgian Hare Rabbits of Mr. S. G. Hudson 

 are too valuable to escape notice. The Selling class contained some 

 good Lops from Messrs. C. King, G. Quick, and E. Vaughan, Bir- 

 min'^ham, and the prizes awarded to these Rabbits (Lops) were not 

 more than their merits entitled them to. The cup for the winner of 

 most points was taken by Mr. C. King, and to it he was fully entitled. 

 — Charles Ratson. . 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Railway Charge {C.Leat). — We cannot find space for details of dis- 

 puted charges. 



Inquiry ~C. Norman, Westerfield, would be glad to know if there is 

 any such person, or place, as T. H, Kilshaw, 4, Kensington Street, Ken- 

 sington, near Liverpool. 



RosTFORD Show [I. W. B.).—li is in Essex. 



Swelling on the Ball of a Fowl's Foot (J .).— The cause may bo 



twofold. It may be from bruising the ball of the foot by flying down 

 from a high perch ; or it may be from a small stone or fragment of flint 

 that has pierced the skin. In either case you must poultice the foot and 

 remove that which offends. The bird must have the foot wrapped up till 

 the wound is cured. 



WooDBRiDGE POULTRY SHOW (J. S.).— Let your solicitor give the 

 Secretary notice that unless the money for the fowls sold be immediately 

 paid to you, proceGdings will follow in the County Court; and carry out 

 that threat if needed. 



Beahmas (J. A. P.).— The best work on this variety is Wright's " The 

 Brahma Fowl."' You can have it post free from our office if you enclose 

 5s. Zd. with your address. 



Knowing Ducelings' Agk m. S., Sydenham).— Yon cannct tell the 

 exact age of a duckling if its lile counts by weeks. Food has much in- 

 fluence. Three good meals of proper food per day make " osm zone and 

 fibrin," and the rei;iiiient thrives; while "a lack of meat and no vege- 

 tables " check growtli and strength. The indications of youth are soft 

 feathers, which n^ve no quills, ibe remains of down on the head, the 

 absence of feather on the web of the wing, extreme delicacy of the skin 



