428 



JOUKNAl OF HOETIGULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ June 15, 1871. 



fall instrnctioDB. Any village carpenter conld make them. — W. F. Ead- 



CLYTTE. 



Ijquor FEoii Tannees' Pits (S.).— The water from tan pits rve have 

 no donbt ■n-ould be very asefnl for watering aU kinds of vegetable crops, 

 bnt we do not think it would be suitable for plants in pots. Pour it 

 between rows of Cabbage.^, Cauliflowers, Broccoli, Beans, Peas, Asparagus, 

 Scarlet Eonners. Rhubarb, &c. For watering plants, 1 oz. of guano to a 

 gallon of water forms a good liquid manure, btrain before use, as some 

 parts of the guano are less soluble than others. Let it stand about twelve 

 hours. 



HEEBiCEons CAiCEoiiAEiiS (Idem). — They may be propagated from 

 cuttings. Take off the side shoots from the base and insert them in sandy 

 loam and leaf soil. Place them in a cold frame or under a hand-light, 

 keeping them close, moist, and shaded until rooted ; then admit air freely. 

 Shift the plants as required into larger pots, and remove them to the 

 greenhouse in October. The best plants are obtained from seed sown in 

 a pan placed in a shady spot and covered with a hand-glass. The old 

 plants are of no use, and the cuttings are not half so good as seedling 

 plants either in growth or flowering. 



Teicoloe PELAEGO^•IrMS (Idevi). — The cuttings are best taken oS"faefore 

 the middle of August, any time from February until then will do. They 

 strike very well in a gentle heat np to June, and afterwards in a cold 

 frame. We use a compost of two parts loam from a pasture where the 

 soU is of a good, rich, light nature, paring it off about 1^ inch thick, and 

 laying it up for six months, then chopping it up rather fine, and adding 

 one part of well-rotted dung — old dry cow dung being preferred — half a 

 part of sandy peat, half a part of charcoal in pieces from a pea to a hazel 

 nut, and one-sisth of silver sand, the whole well mixed. 



HnoiELSTEEN-. — " N. H. P." wishes for the botanical name of the bright 

 blue flower which grows so abundantly on elevated ground in Germany, 

 where it is called Himmelstem. Some description of the plant should 

 have been given by our correspondent, and a reference to some well- 

 known plant which it resembles. It may be a local name for Polemonium 

 c^eruleum. which is called in German SiirnneUUiter ; or Iris germanica. 

 which is HimmelsliUe ; or Gentiana verna, which is SimmeUtangel. If 

 any of our readers know the plant inquired after, we hope they will state 

 it to us. 



Seedung Glosixias (E. H.).— All Gloxinias are handsome, but yours 

 are not equal to many well-known varieties. The Vine leaf is not 

 diseased; the rough elevations at the back are rather indications of 

 ■vigour, 



Seedlikg Fig {Richard Jameson). — The seedling Fig is large and pro- 

 mising, but the flavour of the specimen sent is not so good as we think 

 it will be when grown in a drier atmosphere and later in the season. 



Seedling Paxsies [Centurion). — Some years ago the Pansies and Ge- 

 raniums you have sent wonld have been valuable, but they are now much 

 behind many we have. These of one colour, or with white and yellow 

 grounds with one colour on the edge of the petals, are show Pansies. AU 

 others, irregularly marked, and so on, are Belgian or fancy. 



Navies of Plakts [M. Smith). — Primula cortnsoides. (Macbeth^. — 

 2, Euonymus vulgaris. (Xew Subscriber). — 1, Jasminum Sambac ; 2, Te- 

 coma jasminoides ; 3, .Tasminum revolutnm. (T. S.). — Echeveria se- 

 cnnda- (.7. WoodU^). — Your plant is Sisymbrium Millefolium, and your 

 Fern frond appears to be a young state of the Lady Fern {Athyrium 

 Filix-fcemina), and if so, it is hardy. (_Ea^t Sussex). — Slaxillaria Harri- 

 sonise. (J. Smytlie]. — Muscari comosnm, the Husk Hyacinth. It is quite 

 hardy. "What you mistake for stamens are the very long tubes of tbe 

 perianth, the enlarged tips being the unopened limb of the perianth. 

 {Lady King). — We are quite unable to tell from snch a poor specimen. 

 On a second or third attempt we think that very possibly the plant may 

 be a broad-leaved state of Psoralea pinnata. (D. If.). — Asplenium fon- 

 tannm, found all over southern and middle Europe. ((?. D.).— 4, Hovea 

 Celsii; 5, Solantim jasminoides; 6, Very possibly Mandevilla suaveolens, 

 but no flower received. {M. R. i/.). — The Kight-scented Stock, Matthiola 

 tristis. (A Subscriber). — Erythrina Humei. (Macbeth). — 1, Ornithogalum 

 pyramidale; 2, Euonymus vulgaris. (G.E. Warden). — Tbe Femis Slohria 

 thurilraga; the Den'drobinm is D. primulinum; the Oak-galls sent are 

 curious, and certainly not common. iPro. tern.). — 1, Pemettya myrtil- 

 loides : 2, Jasminum revolutnm; 3, Gladiolus segetum. CPoplar).^ 

 Ealmia angustifolia ; will succeed in a cool greenhouse, and may be 

 placed out of doors in summer. (A Reader). — Pyrns Fennica. Your 

 Conifer must be a remarkably fine specimen. (A. J. Hogg). — Rhododen- 

 dron fermgineum, native of the Alps and central Europe generally. 

 (B. E. S. H.).— Indigofera decora. 



POUXTEY, BEE, AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 



short-legged, Bantam- shaped birds, only Game in plumage, 

 and that not over-good ; but that long-legged, slender-shaped, 

 gamey bird I do Uke, and breed with much pleasure. 



Perhaps, as I mentioned one name before, because I best 

 knew the birds bred by that exhibitor, I will mention another 

 name, and the mention of which will, I am sure, gratify my 

 good-humoured reminder of past opinions. On asking one of 

 the most important members of the poultry world, and one 

 whom and whose opinion I greatly respect, "Who now have 

 the best Game Bantams ?" I received this reply — " The best 

 that are exhibited come from Grosland's and Entwisle's yards." 

 My fancy is comprehensive enough to make me wish to keep 

 almost all varieties of poultry were I able, and certainly all the 

 varieties of Bantams. I still greatly love the older sorts, and 

 long to have a turn at Sebrights, and may, perhaps, another 

 year. The Blacks are, again, fascinating little fowls, and Mr. 

 Entwisle has my best wishes for his success in bringing, as I 

 hope he will be able to do, thoroughly good-shaped Piles, Brown- 

 breasted Eeds, and Duckwings to the show pen, good in shape 

 as well as feather. 



I quite agree with him, that among Game Bantams the 

 smallest birds are not the best, they are apt to be short In the 

 leg and thick in form ; neither are the largest best, but now 

 and then comes a medium-sized bird, that has the unmistake- 

 able gamey shape and carriage. 



I hoped to see Stroud Show, but had to call in the doctor, 

 who forbad travelling, and hence I had a great disappointment, 

 for shows are scarce in the west of England, and I should have 

 met men as well as birds at Stroud. 



I own to have thoroughly altered my opinions as to the non- 

 profitableness of Bantams. Fowls that if at liberty need corn but 

 once a-day and lay abundance of eggs must be profitable, even 

 not considering for the moment the cleansing of a garden from 

 insects, and the Game, being so active, are among the most 

 profitable, as also they lay well, and the surplus cockerels, or 

 less good puUets, are as good eating as Partridges if dressed in 

 the same way. 



"He that never changed his opinions never corrected his 

 errors," says the old proverb. If that be true, and I think it 

 is, I have scored-out one of my errors. I conclude with the 

 sentiment, I might say toast, for it is teatime — " Success to the 

 Bantam fancy, and the Bantam fanciers." — Wiltshiee Keciob. 



GAIVIE BANTAMS. 



No one relishes more than I do a little good-humoured fun, 

 even when the fun is poked at myself ; so that I relished much 

 Mr. Entmsle's poke at me on the Game-Bantam subject last 

 ■week, for it was both good-humoured and in good taste. Five 

 years ago last January ! That is a long time since, Mr. Ent- 

 ■wisle ! 



" Five years have past ; five summers, with the lengths 

 Of five long winters." 



The world is wonderfully changed since then ; it is a di£Eerent 

 world in Europe now, and in England too, to what it was then. 

 "Why, every German thinks himself a changed and greater man 

 since even this time last year ; and everybody knows that our 

 Prime Minister thinks it his duty to alter his opinion, as he 

 has done in a year's space, on grave matters of state policy. So 

 that in " fancies — things light as air," I am not ashamed to 

 have altered my opinion since January, 1866. My feeling in 

 regard to GameBantams is, that I still much dislike to see 



A SOUTH AMERICAN POULTRY FAPJkl. 



I HATE as yet to see the first statement giving the facts and 

 figures of profitable poultry-raising on a large scale. Perhaps 

 there might be some who have achieved success in this line, 

 but we are led to believe that misfortunes are more plentiful 

 than the fortunes acquired from the manipulations of this par- 

 ticular stock. I hive tried my hand at the business, although 

 on a limited scale, and can show figures giving me a profit of 

 300 per cent, on the capital invested. There is no known 

 reason why it cannot be managed in an extensive way, and with 

 just as good results, provided it is entered into knowingly and 

 understandingly. 



I propose to describe a poultry farm, where fowls are kept by 

 the thousand, and whose proprietor counts his gains therefrom 

 proportionately. It is situated in the southern extremity of 

 Chili, South America, where the rainy season, of sis months' 

 duration, is as detrimental to the well-being of all fowl kind 

 as the rigours of our own winters, and where great care and 

 skill is very essential to satisfactory results. 



Senor Don San Fuentes commenced his operations in poultry 

 with a stock of two hundred hens and eight cocks, to which he 

 has added by natural increase from year to year, until now he 

 has about six thousand. Their range is unhmited, as his farm 

 covers 3000 cudras, equal to 7500 acres. To every fifty hens 

 and two cocks is given a house of their own, of which there are 

 six or seven hundred on the place. These are placed 200 feet 

 apart each way, thus isolating one lot from the other. 



These houses are very cheap affairs, and are made by erecting 

 two forked posts, 8 feet long, and distant from each other 

 15 feet. On these rests the ridge pole. On both sides of the 

 centre post, 10 feet distant, a trench is dug a foot in depth. 

 Then small poles are placed for rafters, one end in the trench 

 and the other tied to the ridge pole, 2 feet apart. Then another 

 set of poles, tied crossways, also 2 feet equidistant, and the 

 framework is complete. This is covered over with thatch, 

 which is found in great abundance, and to be had for the cnt- 

 tinf . The only framework about the house is the doors at the 

 ends', both of which are 4 feet by G, and contain each a window 



